Resurrection of the Blog

Yep, its time again to bring the Thomas Fitness Blog back to life! I am no longer pregnant and have big plans for the upcoming year to slim down and continue my commitment to a more healthier lifestyle.

I realize that I will probably be the only one posting messages, measurements, and such; I'm okay with that. I find that as I "talk" to an audience I get inspired myself. And I want to really help our family become better. I feel that if I expend the effort to change old habits and renew myself, you'll someday hopefully get the bug and work towards your own fitness goals. Just feel free to comment every now and then and give your two cents.

Here are a few things that you have to look forward to starting at the beginning of August:

-Personal Priority

-Natural Science and Medications

-Family Fitness Fun!

-Whole Health Awareness

-Weekend Results

-My Journey Log

and much more!

Get excited, get motivated, and get real. This is your life, your health, your chance to make it the best you can. See you soon!

Get Moving Already!

For my first "Fitness Friday" entry, I have decided to share an article courtesy of Weight Watchers with you that will enlighten you about exercise for sure.

Activity: fact and fiction

Fact or Fiction: Physical activity increases appetite

Fiction. Low intensity or moderate-intensity activity will not increase your nutrient needs, so it shouldn't increase your appetite. Many [people] report feeling hungry after they work out, though, and that may be because exercise is such an emotional challenge; after emotional challenges, we're conditioned to look for rewards.

Your body doesn't need that post-workout snack, so no more excuses! :)

Fact or Fiction: Working out in the morning is the best.

Fiction. Any exercise, at any time, counts. The time of day doesn't matter. So go for that midnight stroll if you would like or break the mold and walk on the treadmill at 1 in the afternoon.

Fact or Fiction: Exercise will help get rid of cellulite.

Fact! Cellulite, dimpling of the skin in problem areas like the thighs and buttocks, cannot be creamed away. But activity can help, by reducing body fat and toning muscle. Sorry, ladies, save yourself some money and don't give in to the promises.

Fact or Fiction: If I'm not losing weight, it's because I'm gaining muscle.

Fact. . .maybe. A pound of muscle weighs as much as a pound of fat. However, a pound of muscle has a smaller volume (in other words, takes up less space) than a pound of fat. If you weight loss stalls but your body is getting toned and smaller, then increased muscle from physical activity is at work.

Fact or Fiction: I shouldn't exercise just after eating.

Fact. . . kind of. It's wise to avoid moderate or high-intensity activity just after eating, but a leisurely stroll is fine, and, in fact, a great idea.

Just some thoughts to get you thinking about your activity levels. Get up and get moving.

Miss You!

This post is just to say that I have missed keeping up with you and your healthy goals and pursuits! Where have we all been? Lives are busy and there seems to be no time to exercise, plan or prepare for a better you. I have a goal and a mission to prove otherwise! Be on the look-out for upcoming tips and ideas on how to slim the hips, buns, and bellies and how to fit it into our daily, busy lives. If I can do it, we all can! Here's to the new feature on this blog: Fitness Fridays!

See you on Friday.

Loser turning into a Winner!

I know I have slacked off in writing this blog everyday, but it kinda stressed me out. When I get stressed out my world seems to go into hiatus mode! I eat badly and I tend to forget to exercise. Terrible excuse, I know, but I am back on track making my loser status transform into a winner's status. I was fortunate this summer to take a 2 week vacation visiting my family and friends. With much fun came a disruption in my schedule. Now that I am back home and getting ready for the 2009-2010 school year to begin I have more motivation to get back on a schedule. I decided that I needed a new workout plan. So I am waking up every morning and doing 30 minutes on my eliptical, doing 200 hundred sit-ups and 70 push-ups (both on the body ball) and then doing various toning exercises to complete my workout. I feel so fabulous after each morning that I know that my day was started right. I will continue this during the school year. Each week I plan to add 10 more minutes to my eliptical workout (until I hit an hour), 20 more sit-ups and 10 more push-ups. My nutrition is getting better, but I needed some how to track it. I am a huge fan of Jillian Michaels (Biggest Loser Trainer with no time for excuses), so I signed up with her online program. It was just what I was looking for. She gives me everything that I need. Now I just need to find the time to visit it every day. Here's to the new school year and hopefully a new me! The Quest to become physically fit is still in motion! Monica

Totally off track! Still Trekking though

Since I have been on vacation for the past couple of days, I haven't been totally on track for my fitness and weightloss goals. I am going to hit it hard on Monday, July 27. Las Vegas has been fun, but very draining on the mental state. Chasing after two kids has been exhausting. Fun and worth it though. Have a great rest of the week! Monica

For Your Reference pt. 2

Just wanted to let you know of a website I found that has great potential! Perhaps it will help in the nutrition department of your weight loss success.


Check out www.eatbetteramerica.com


Cheers!

Monica's Quest- Day ?

I kinda lost track of the days as we disconnected our internet to move across town. Now that I have regained my internet access, I will continue to write about my daily struggles to lose weight. I am still participating in my early morning fitness class and trying to eat right, but these things are just the tip of what I need to change in my life in order to see some real physical changes. Those include, but not limited too, are: how to relieve stress when I get it. I have had some hard stress lately and I know that this affects my body chemistry. I have found out that I am terrible at getting my body back to homeostasis (overall, internal balance of my body). I get really lazy and I eat emotionally. This doesn't help me at all in my quest to lose weight. The next thing is to add more physical activities to my day. What I mean is this: I work out hard for about an hour every morning, but the rest of the day is spent undoing what I just accomplished. I put my eliptical machine in my room, so this will help too! The last thing that I need to incorporate into this quest is a strength training program. I am thinking maybe 2-3 days a week to focus only on lifting weights. If I had more time and a husband that didn't leave every morning at 4:45, I would like to start running as well, but I am not brave enough to do it in the middle of the day where everyone can see my jiggles (ha ha)! Just know that I am still just as focused as losing the weight as I did when I started writing on this blog! Monica