Weekend Wrap Up/Things I am thankful for.

 

Well, it's been a crazy emotional week. I am physically and mentally exhausted. I really don't feel like rehashing this entire weekend for all the internet to read. I know I am pretty open in my blog (I talk about pooping while running, for Pete's sake!), but right now I feel like maintaining a little privacy- for my sake but mainly husband's sake!

So instead of rehashing the whole weekend, I would like to make a list of some things regarding this past week/weekend that I'm extremely thankful for.

Today, I am thankful.

1. The doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital, particularly, Dr. Gary Gallia, who is my 2nd favorite person in the world right now! (Paul is my 1st favorite person!)

2. The nurses at Johns Hopkins Hospital, particularly Abigail, who took AMAZING care of my husband. I <3 Abigail.

3. My family, especially my Mom and Dad.

4. All of my friends who have been incredibly supportive, particularly Maren, who was by my side whenever I needed her.

5. The wonderful cat sitters who watched our babies while we were away.

6. Being home with my husband.

7. Being home with my husband. (Had to say it twice since I am sooooo thankful for this!)

8. Having a job in which I have the benefit to take time off to take care of my husband. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a job in which they can do that

9. Having medical insurance. Wow. What a good thing to have.

10. ESPN and NFL Football. It makes Paul happy, which makes me happy.

Happiness is not the absence of problems. It's the ability to deal with them.

What are you thankful for this week/weekend?

Ask Meg Go Run: Why am I losing inches but not pounds?

Question: 

For the last month, I've been trying to eat healthier and exercise more. I thought I would lose pounds because I am doing more cardio, strength training and eating better. I have not dropped a single pound but I have lost inches and my clothes fit better. Any insight as to why I haven't lost any weight? I've been working really hard!


Answer:

Congratulations on the healthy changes you made so far! I understand you are frustrated because you haven't lost any pounds, but I think I can explain why you lost inches and your clothes fit better. (Don't worry, this is actually a GOOD thing!)

The numbers on the scale aren't telling you the full story. You are changing your body composition. You are losing fat but gaining muscle. (Your fat is not turning into muscle. Fat and muscle are to separate things.)

Muscle is more dense than fat. 1 lb of muscle takes up less space than 1 lb of fat. So if you lost 2 lbs of fat and gained 2 lbs of muscle, your measurements would be smaller because the muscle takes up less space than the fat.

There are many benefits of focusing on FAT loss as opposed to WEIGHT loss. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than stored body fat. So the more muscle you gain, the more calories your body will burn in a day. (That's exciting!)

If it is messing with your mind to step on the scale and not see the number go down, ditch the scale! Focus on other indicators of progress such as:

1. How you feel.

2. How your clothes fit.

3. Your endurance.

4. Your muscular strength.

5. Your measurements.

Keep up your hard work and track your progress in a way that works for you. Remember, the numbers on the scale don't tell the WHOLE story!

Related Posts:

Ask Meg Go Run: What should I eat before and after strength training?

Ask Meg Go Run: How do I keep up a healthy lifestyle at college?

If you have any fitness questions for future Meg Go Run posts, leave me a comment, or email me!

When I Win The Lottery...

I don't even play the lottery. But let's just say I start playing it and I win! Here is what I would do...


1. Install my very own a copy machine in my classroom. (My room is like 5 miles from the copy room.)

2. Buy a new pair of running shoes every month.

3. Eat fresh salmon at least twice a week.

4. Build a huge privacy fence around my yard so the cats can go outside and play.

5. Travel! I believe our top destinations are: Hawaii, Colorado, San Diego, & The US Virgin Islands.

6. Move to San Francisco. I love San Francisco!

7. Get a piano that actually stays in tune for longer than a week.

8. Eat all organic food.

9. Hire someone to clean our house(s).

10. Install a home gym, complete with a dumbbell rack, cable machine, smith machine, assisted pull up machine, incline benches, treadmills, spin bikes, and flat screen televisions!



11. Continue to use coupons and only shop at Kohl's when I have a 30% off coupon because even though I'm rich, I'm not stupid!




Finish the sentence: When I win the lottery....

Some other blogs you might enjoy!

 

One of the things that got me interested in blogging was reading blogs. I don't know why, but peeking into someone else's life is a little fascinating to me. It's also handy to get ideas from other blogs- recipe ideas, workout ideas, nutrition ideas... There's just a whole lot of information out there and I love learning!

Then there are the fun/silly blogs I enjoy. Most of them are reality TV (aka Big Brother) related.

I know I have a "Blogs I Follow" section, but I wanted to post in a little more depth about some of my favorite blogs. Maybe you will enjoy them as much as I do!

Please comment below and share with me the blogs YOU follow! And if you have a blog of your own, share that as well. I am always looking for something new to read! Oh, and it doesn't have to be fitness related. I like reading about all things!

1. The Great Fitness Experiment - Fitness * Parenting * Life

2. House in the Heights - Home Improvement * Decor * DIY

3. Jun Dishes - Reality TV * Parenting * Life

4. Sweat Like A Pig - Lifting * Training

5. The Hungry Runner Girl - Running * Food * Life

6. Beauty Lies in Strength - Lifting * Fitness

7. Nia Shanks - Lifting * Fitness

8. Ask The Trainer - Lifting * Training

9. Ace Exam Preparation Blog - Personal Trainer Test Prep

10. Television B-Side - Reality TV * Big Brother

What blogs do YOU read???

Some More Tough Love

This post is sort of silly since I haven't worked out in 3 days haha! Oh well, here's your blog for the day!

ONWARD!

Good morning! I have a nice yummy cup of "tough love" to  help you start your morning!

I don't find the time to exercise. I make the time to exercises.

Excuse: "I don't have time to work out."

Truth: No one has the time, but some people MAKE the time!

A 1 hour workout is 4% of your day.

No excuses.

The person who really wants to do something will find the way; the other person finds an excuse.

How do YOU make the time to exercise?

I finally tried Tabata!

Again, I wrote this blog post several weeks ago. I am just zoning right now. Surfing the interwebs is a good zoning activity, don't you think?

ONWARD!

A finally tried a true Tabata workout a few days ago. Before I tell you about my workout, let's first establish some basic principals... 

What is Tabata, what does it do, and who should do it?

Tabata is a form of HIIT (high intensity interval training) where you do 20 seconds of intense exercise and then 10 seconds rest. This continues for 4 minutes. That's one round of Tabata.

You can work your way up to doing several rounds of Tabata. Some people claim "Just one 4 minute Tabata gives you more cardiovascular gains than an hour of running." I'm not sure I believe that. Four minutes!? When I do HIIT I aim for at least 20 minutes. I'm more inclined to believe 20 minutes of Tabata is better than an hour of running, as far as improving aerobic fitness is concerned.

I stress the word improving. If you are just starting an exercise program, Tabata/HIIT is not the thing to jump into right away! But once you have basic aerobic fitness, Tabata could help improve upon it.

So then what's the difference between Tabata and HIIT?

You notice I have been using Tabata and HIIT sort of interchangeably. That's because they're basically the same thing... Tabata just has a set time limit in which you work and rest. In other HIIT activities, there is no magic number for work and rest- it's what works for YOU and your fitness level as well as your fitness goals.

In this post and this post I talk about the benefits of HIIT. Tabata delivers the same benefits. Like I said, Tabata just establishes a set time limit for exercise and rest.

My Tabata Workout

I did 4 rounds of Tabata as a finisher on a day I did a lower body workout in my front yard. I used this online Tabata Timer so I knew when to work/rest.

Round 1: jump rope
Round 2: step ups
Round 3: jump rope
Round 4: high knee

Round 4 was the hardest because high knees SUCK! The other rounds... they weren't any worse than when I perform those exercises in circuits. And I definitely felt like I was jumping rope and stepping up as fast as I could! 

My Opinion

My Opinion: I don't really like doing Tabata. I don't like having the set work/rest time. I like the way I design my speed work and circuits better.

This does not mean Tabata is bad!!!! It just means I am picky and like to do things my own way!

It's definitely worth trying. I am sure many exercisers like having the work/rest time established already. There's less to think about, no hassle of worrying how many jump rope rotations to do or lunges to perform, or counting out your rest breaks... You just follow the timer, go hard, and try not to barf.

If you need some ideas for moves for your Tabata workout, check out this article!



Have you tried a Tabata workout? Do you like it?

What kinds of exercises do you do?

Mountain Climbers: A Favorite Exercise

 

So the past 24 hours have been some of the most difficult in my whole life. But right now I have nothing to do but sit and wait, so I am posting a blog. Please do not think I wrote this blog today. I wrote it several weeks ago... I have like 20 blogs written that I can just post whenever I want. I'm just trying to pass the time, so I'm posting. Oh, and don't worry. Even though the past 24 hours were very, very difficult, I am super confident about the days ahead.

ONWARD!

Remember the episode of MacGyver where Murdoch corners MacGyver and his friend Nikki on top of a mountain called The Widowmaker? The only way down was for them to CLIMB down!

Now, onto one of my favorite exercises...

Like many, many of my favorite exercises, I had no clue what a mountain climber was until the fabulous JK-L taught me how to do them. In fact, she had me doing a total of 5 minutes of mountain climbers (1 minute at a time) during one of the full body exercise programs she designed for me. IT WAS TERRIBLE! Mountain climbers never got easier for me! I was so excited when several months later, she designed a new program for me that did NOT include mountain climbers.

But by then, I realized mountain climbers had MANY benefits, and I kept doing them on my own. I didn't do them for 5 minutes anymore (CRAZY!), but I did them.

How To Do A Mountain Climber

Benefits of Mountain Climbers

1. No equipment needed.

2. A great exercise to use in HIIT.

3. Can increase anaerobic as well as aerobic fitness.

4. Works many muscles, and is basically a full body 

strengthening workout.

5. You don't need much room to do them.

Muscles Worked During A Mountain Climber

Core

Shoulders

Triceps

Legs

Glutes

Go ahead, try some mountain climbers during you next workout! You may love them... or love to hate them!