Fitness and Nutrition Factoids of the Week

• You will get an additional 15 minutes of exercise each day, on average, if you take public transit to work. 

• Air pollution can affect nutrients in your food. Protein levels dropped by 7% in high carbon dioxide areas. High levels also decrease the amounts of zinc and iron in foods like soybeans, rice, and wheat, and these carbon dioxide levels will continue to rise based on - yep - global warming. It's a real thing, not like the Easter bunny.

• For a better focused workout, meditate for 2 - 5 minutes prior to exercise to clear out thoughts that could cripple your efforts.

• There are approximately 1 million bubbles that form in a flute of champagne. 

• Jump as high as you can 20 times a day to increase bone density in your hips.

• Watching intense drama videos can increase cortisol (the stress hormone) levels in some people, which can affect mood negatively. 

• Stress from a poor work environment can also increase cortisol, which can make you crave junk food and trigger hormones that increase fat deposits. 

• Only 36% of Americans consider themselves overweight, when actually 69% are. Get your body fat percentage (not BMI) checked regularly if you're not sure.

• An adult woman needs about 50 grams of protein per day. Protein helps you feel full and protects your muscle mass - which is what you WANT for a healthy metabolism.

End of My 10 Week Plan

Well, I'm just a couple days short of the end of my 10 Week Plan. July 4th was my own personal deadline a few months ago that if I didn't fit into half of the clothes I have left (the rest of the ones I currently have with me) that I had to throw the rest of them away. I have some pretty awesome amazing clothes from my 10+ years in retail (lots of Nordstroms) that are in like-new condition, and this was the last thing I wanted to happen. I chose July 4th because it was my half birthday, and I figured at the time (February) I could buckle down & lose another size and a half (I think?) When April came around & my progress wasn't going as I would have liked, I decided to install a 10 Week Plan of my own. Lose 10lbs &/or fit into the clothes I needed to.

About a week & 1/2 ago I ended up having some stomach issue & was advised to stay off my feet for a week, so that killed my exercise. However, I am very happy with the choices I made & the progress I have accomplished. Some things I decided to do:

- Switched my Macros up a bit: Was eating about 40% Carbs (I really don't like going under 40), 35% Protein & 25% Fat. I was doing 40/30/30. My body feels weird if I go over 40% Protein so I don't like to, I'm fine doing 30-40 though. I like my Carbs above 40 (I eat fabulous carbs BTW) and I like my Fats 25-20% - usually coming from things like avocados, peanut butter, cheese & edamame. For being 5'2", I ate around 1,600 calories a day.

- I strength trained usually 4 days a week for about 25 minutes each (mostly on my lunch - perks of working at a gym.) I usually had 2 legs days, a chest & back day, and a shoulder/ bicep/ tricep day.

- I worked out with one of my fellow trainers from work usually twice a week for about half hour. I scheduled these on days I worked later and needed to get a workout in before I started work. I did this mostly for accountability - I am NOT a morning person by any means, and I'm also very busy. If I didn't plan someone to work out with at those certain times, there would have been a high likelihood of me skipping my workout that day = no bueno.

- I upped my cardio a bit, since I knew I've been lacking on it the past few months moving into the city. I was doing 1 or 2 Insanity! workouts a week (about 40 minutes), and 2-3 sessions on the elliptical a week, usually around 15-30 minutes. Get it in where you can.

- I got really good at scheduling out my days, whether it was a week in advance for workouts, or the night before for meal planning. Honestly, if you take 30 minutes once a week to plan out your week, and about an hour &1/2 once a week to meal prep, you save yourself a BOAT LOAD of time, money, stress, and excuses.

This may sound like a lot, but it really isn't. 30-60 minutes of exercise 5 days a week isn't that hard if you stop making excuses and do it. Meal planning & prepping isn't hard if you say "Hey, Sunday afternoon I'm going to get groceries so I can meal prep 7-8:30 that night & have my food set for the week." Just do it. Once you get in to the habit for a couple weeks, the pattern almost ends up being on autopilot.

Altogether these past 10 weeks I have lost 8 pounds, but it looks like I have lost a lot more because I do strength training (DO STRENGTH TRAINING!) which also helped me this past week & 1/2 of not being able to work out - I'm pretty sure I've given my metabolism a boost, which is always fantabulous. Though I was 2lbs shy, I FIT INTO ALL THE CLOTHES I NEEDED TO! Granted, there is a pair of jeans I will not wear out in public yet, but I'm freaking happy as all hell that I accomplished my goal and won't have to throw out the rest of my nice clothes.

Starting next week, I will have a 5 week plan, and change some things that I want to based off my experiences with this 10 week plan. One of the biggest things I know I need to change is MORE REST! 10 weeks may be too long to go hardcore, so I'm going to experiment with 4 weeks being strict on things like weights/ lifting/ HIIT, with 1 week of non-weights & non HIIT - where I'll only be allowed to do things like Yoga, Pilates, and moderate cardio activity (brisk walking is an example.) After this 5 week plan, I'll be going to my first pool party in Las Vegas, so my reward will be not being embarrassed in a bikini. :)

Happy hump day everyone!

~Samantha Marie