Monthly Archives: February 2015

Fit Body Boot Camp

Fit Body Boot Camp: 6 Weeks are Up, Now, What?

Leave a comment

I did it!  I pushed my way through my six week commitment to challenge my body and mind.  I was hoping I would have some awesome before/after pictures, and measurements that would inspire you to sign up for FBBC.  Alas, I am definitely “not there yet,”  and I didn’t make the significant aesthetic strides I had hoped for.

This six weeks has made me question my nutrition on levels beyond the norm, as I am sure any Fitter will tell you… it’s like a science experiment and your body is the laboratory.  All of us are essentially the same, until we start looking at the nitty gritty details of nutrition that make up  our individual selves.

For instance, I have suffered with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome for the majority of my “womanhood.”  I hadn’t much thought about it or how I could lessen the effects of PCOS through food. However, while discussing my concerns with Trainer Sara, she brought up the discussion that PCOS sufferers need to eat like a diabetic, because the sugars in foods are not being metabolized efficiently in the body, directly effecting insulin levels leading to weight gain and struggling for weight loss.

Given that I hadn’t every really identified myself with PCOS, even though I have had the diagnosis since the age of 19, I went through the standard medical rigamaroo for a few years trying various birth control pills to regulate my hormones.  Despite the brand, or style of hormone regulating I tried; I continued to feel “off”

I sacked the BC after about 5 years of feeling even more miserable.  I took to visualizing my cysts shrinking, which eliminated the pain I was having, but it wasn’t helping my irregular hormonal output/ assimilation.

Some of the symptoms of PCOS are lethargy; weigh gain, carb/sugar cravings, and depression.

Uncontrollable depression has been my biggest side effect.  I have struggled with it for as long as I can remember.  However, it is only recently while researching PCOS, that I realize the depression isn’t in my mind, it is a by product of an imbalanced system.  And the systems being effected are my endocrine and reproductive systems.

The best thing I can do for myself, is to become more aware of what I put in my body that is causing these insulin spikes.  Eating like a diabetic basically means saying “goodbye “to some of my favorite things to consume.  Most notably, beer, whisky and wine; all of which contain phytoestrogens that mimic the bodies natural estrogen.  Being PCOS means being estrogen dominate, which means the body is already over loaded with more of the hormone than it knows what to do with.

It can be frustrating to not see results as quickly as we desire, or as quickly as our peers.  Surprisingly it is estimated that 1 in 10 women has PCOS, some are misdiagnosed with other issues, and some aren’t diagnosed at all.  I suggest visiting a doctor and getting some blood tests if you feel that you are dealing with a bigger hormonal issue than just weight gain.

PCOS Challenge Website, has a lot of information and podcasts with doctors, naturopaths, and specialists that speak about diet and biology.  There is also a forum for support with other PCOS sufferers.

By taking the 6 week Fit Body Challenge, I began a lifestyle of taking control of my body; Week 7 is the beginning of optimizing this amazing machine, I call a meat suit.

.

Fit Body Boot Camp

Dem Bones

Leave a comment

“Get up ya bag o’ bones!”

Today my attention was brought to an article about the importance of allowing each person to squat differently based off of their physical build.  The point of the article is the important reminder that every one performs even the most standard posture with their own flair.

Noticeably, in Yoga, there is a focus on form, but also on awareness of natural body structure.  People who may not be very physically active may have no idea about various skeletal builds and how they can effect our range of motion and activity.

Due to the wonderful photos in this aforementioned article in tandem with my interest in anatomy, my mind  sparked about bone structure; and how, just like our finger prints, our bone structures are unique to each and every one of us.

Some of us have small bones, some of us have big bones… some of us are a mix of both.  Everyone has had their own injuries, and some people have birth defects and handicaps.  Each of our individual stories are written in the make up of our bones, they carry traits of our forefathers and foremothers.  They show the workman ship of doctors, they inhabit details of our health and nutrition.

It got me thinking.  I would like a full scale, 3D model of my unique skeleton.  And I think every one should have one.

Thinking about squats, I was drawn to the beauty and uniqueness of the skeletal structures they used in comparison.  I imagined each and everyone bare boned.  It was really delightful, it says so much with out words.

Think of those people who lug 300 pounds of fat upon a short but big boned frame. Think about the 200 pound woman who is 2% body fat and all muscle, but tall and lean. Think how though one isn’t healthy, you can see how they both, can maintain.  Admire the length of that Leggy Blondes’ femur, the delicate nature of her wrist; or the strong skeletal structure of a man who knows hard labor and has broken a few bones in his youth and is stronger from it.  Notice the fragility of the elderly, their lack in bone density from sedentary lives.

If you take away the external physical aesthetics, all you have are bones.  And they are beautiful, resilient, and one of a kind… They are built to carry you for a life time… admire them and take care of them just as you would anything precious.  They are your structure and foundation.  Condition them to be strong, so they can carry you for as long as you need them.

Fit Body Boot Camp

Fit Body Boot Camp: Week Three Wrap Up and Weigh In

1 Comment

Woop, Woop!  I have made it 14 days, and finished up week three of Fit Body Boot Camp.  This is the official half way point through the 6 week program.  Here is my weekly wrap up and my first official weigh in/ measurements:

I missed the first day of week 3, due to unavoidable circumstances with my grandmother.  It was a bit frustrating, and I didn’t get a work out in, but instead of stressing about it (raising my cortisol levels) I just made the commitment to go the next day.  I would have to say overall week 3 has really put the work into my upper body and arms.

Wednesday, I pulled a muscle in the last 15 seconds of our Heisman’s… I was not impressed and didn’t sleep well that night.  Still I got right back into it Thursday.  Thursday required some modification because the tightness in my shoulders wasn’t allowing me to lift much in resistance; by the end of the work out I felt significantly looser, but by bed time the tightness had doubled up on itself, and I was again tossing and turning.

Friday I stretched for about forty-five minutes in the morning before class, focusing mostly on several sets of various spine flexor exercises used in yoga, and by the end of Friday, I almost feel normal.

Now for the part I was most anxious for: weigh in/ measurements.  My weight went up by 1.7lbs.  Which isn’t what I want to hear, but the measurements made up for it.  Arms were down 1.5 inches; Chest down 2 inches, Waist was down 3.5 inches (YAY), Hips 1.75 inches, Thighs 1.5 inches for a over all total of 10.25 inches, and a 2% reduction of body fat.

Here are some things I know;  I need to get back to the food journal, it has been a hectic week of being in and out of the hospital at very inopportune times and my eating has been off, and  I need to figure out how to work in working out EVERYDAY of the week, with rest days every other week.  I like the consistency of having that in my day, and I do feel far more calm when it gets done.

I am starting to ache, to ache.  I want a soreness in my body, it brings my self awareness back to reality, and I can use a reminder of being grounded on a daily basis.  Working out daily helps me to remember to drink more water.  I notice on the days I haven’t gotten a work out, it is easy to be lackadaisical with fluid consumption.  Three days in a row of not working out makes me feel pretty unaccomplished.  On these days I try and get some beneficial visualization in, preparing my mind for my next work out and the eventual outcomes of persistence.

Over the last three weeks I have really tried to figure out what body type I have, and I think it is sort of a hybrid considered Ectomorph Mesomorph .  I have a naturally strong body, but not quite a bulky as a Mesomorph.  I build muscle easy, and once I get active with consistency, progress is obvious.  If you are having a hard time pinpointing your body type, look back through pictures at different active times in your life and compare them to the descriptions and pictures found online.  It is inspiring to see the differences in bodies, and how they are so malleable when we put the work in to changing them.

Over all I am very excited to get into week four and progress some more.  I am thankful to the Fit Body Family for their ongoing support and their fantastic attitudes!  Aho!