325Down’s BodyBlog

Bodyspace-Spokesmodel… I may not be a perfect 10…but I know I can be a great spokesmodel for Body Proud as well as Bodybuilding.com.. I have transformed my body from 495lbs….and to date have LOST 340lbs.  It is my life’s mission to motivate and inspire others.. If I can do it.. anyone can!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/2010-bodyspace-spokesmodel-search-women.htm
Please vote for me for the 2010 BodySpace Spokesmodel Search thanks guys!!!!!

Here it is.. the Cover. It will be on stands October 6. Thank you all for your support and advice in getting me ready.. it was a BLAST!

I know it has been awhile since I posted.. It has been a crazy month!  Last I posted was about my photoshoot for Oxygen Magazine.. and everyone was so great about posting their comments on how to prepare for this…thanks to you all!!  Here is a Link from Oxygen Magazine… it hits the stands October 6.. make sure everyone picks up a copy!
http://oxygenmagblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/amazing-amy.html#comments

Ok.. so I am only 5 days away from the photoshoot.. I have carb depleted…I feel like a drowning fish with the amount of water I am drinking…My training sessions in the gym have never been better and more focused…

So I ask my self..what is really going on.  For the past 5 years, I have had to seet weekly goals for myself.  When weighing 490lbs.. every week is a struggle to get through, with exercsie and nutrition… so each week I would set a weekly goal for me to shoot for. Since losing 340lbs, the past 5 months… I have just been going through the motions…eating…workouts etc.  I have no weekly goals anymore… my ultimate goal is to compete.. but I feel like I have such a long way to go before I actually can get on stage… But I realized… after getting a call to do this photoshoot.. and having to set a goal… (3weeks from the time I got the call to time I fly to Toronto) was not a lot of time.. but it really lit a flame under my A$$ to have that goal again.. something to motivate me… and keep me really focused… this is how it must feel for all of you competitors! 

I am going to get there…on stage…if I can lose 340lbs.. I can get on a stage..in one of those tiny bathing suits…(i think I just threw up a little) and do it… I dont know where to start.. but getting back on track and having a finess goal…really can help keep you focused and on track!!!  GOod luck to you all that have shows coming up…remember that day you are hungry…tired…sore and frustrated… you are amzing.. adn the transformation you have to put your body through is all worth it…when they call out your name and number to come out on stage! 

Now that the weather is warm, I’m finding myself drawn more and more to “summer-type” foods. Some of you know I am a smoothie-lover and so is my family. Whether it’s for breakfast, an afternoon pick-me-up or an evening snack, smoothies can be high in vitamins and low in calories. And I do love fresh fruit, but frozen fruit works great for smoothies because it’s affordable and makes the smoothie thicker. I’ve always got a half dozen bags of frozen berries and such in the freezer!

Here are 2 of my 50 recipes for Smoothies. There is just something about mangos, oranges and berries that feels tropical to me and these 2 recipes are from the Light & Fit section of my book. (There are other recipes for muscle building, meal replacement, energizers, and immunity boosting.) Remember you can add any of your favorite protein powders to any of these!

Orange Tango 1/2 cup Frozen Mangoes 1/2 cup Frozen Peaches 3 oz Nonfat Vanilla Yogurt 1 cup Orange Juice Servings:

1 Nutrition (per serving): 228.8 calories; 2% calories from fat; 0.6g total fat; 2.5mg cholesterol; 44.1mg sodium; 878.3mg potassium; 54.0g carbohydrates; 3.3g fiber; 43.8g sugar; 50.7g net carbs; 5.4g protein.

Berry Light Breakfast 1/4 cup Frozen Blackberries 1/4 cup Frozen Raspberries 6 oz. Vanilla Nonfat Yogurt 1/4 cup Instant Oatmeal - Not Cooked 1/2 cup Soy Milk Servings:

1 Nutrition (per serving): 221.0 calories; 6% calories from fat; 1.7g total fat; 7.5mg cholesterol; 140.3mg sodium; 276.4mg potassium; 39.2g carbohydrates; 5.5g fiber; 17.9g sugar; 33.7g net carbs; 12.9g protein.

ENJOY!

Being in the fitness industry you hear a lot about “goals.”  And, I do believe that every exerciser needs goals.  Having a goal keeps you motivated and clarifies what you are trying to achieve with your efforts. As you attain each goal, you gain encouragement and further motivation.  And with the Olympics ending soon, setting goals and achieving new heights seems appropriate.  Here are a few of my ideas on how to set your goals and then achieve the results you want!

Make your goals measurable. A vague goal such as “I want to be fit” gives you nothing specific to shoot for. “I want to lose 2 inches off my waist by December 1st,” on the other hand, is a meaningful, measurable goal. If you’re still struggling with your goal setting, explore some of your beliefs and thoughts about exercise and the state of your fitness. Suppose you think to yourself, “I’m unhappy with all the weight I’ve put on” as the main reason you want to get fit. Visualize why that weight is making you unhappy. Is it because you have a closet full of clothes you can’t wear? Is it because you can’t play with your kids or grandkids without feeling pooped?  Then set a concrete goal: “I want to be able to play with the kids in the park for an hour straight by October 30th.” Or “I want to wear my favorite jeans by September.” Being able to close that zipper is a pretty measurable goal!

Women have it all wrong when it comes to weight loss. The average woman when she joins a gym looks at how many treadmills there are and the aerobics schedule to see if there are classes that fit in her schedule. When women want to lose weight they torture themselves with repetitive movement for hours on end spinning their wheels or running to nowhere like a hamster in a habitrail! If you take a look at all of the women walking on the treadmills you’ll notice none of them have the body most women want. The problem is that most personal trainers haven’t figured it out yet either. They get a female client who hires them to change their body and they think, “Oh man…another one of those stupid toning programs in the ladies only section with the pink dumbbells doing lots of reps…” Most trainers don’t realize that they need to challenge women to get their bodies to change and to stop being afraid of pushing her to gain muscle to boost her metabolism to change the way her body looks, permanently. Weight Loss Program the average woman does: • Endless hours of cardio or aerobics classes • Avoids strength training because she doesn’t want to get “big and bulky” or maybe she uses some rinky dink pink dumbbells to “tone” for lots of reps • Cuts back her diet to practically starve herself • Focuses on the scale weight and a number she wants it to say What works about this plan: NOTHING! What is wrong with this plan: EVERYTHING! She will lose weight but it will be a mixture of muscle, water and maybe some fat so she’ll end up looking like a smaller version of her same self but in the process she will have dropped her metabolism so there will be no way she can keep the weight off and will gain it back guaranteed. This is the cycle most women have been through many times throughout their lifetime. Yet, when they want to lose weight they do the same thing again. The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result. Weight Loss Program the average Women SHOULD do: • Metabolically demanding full body strength training program lifting challenging weights. This should be their priority workouts 2-4 days a week. • Boost their intensity and drop the duration on their cardio sessions performing interval style workouts for no more than 30 minutes at a time. • Fuel their body with healthy food every couple hours getting their metabolism revving. • Focus on how her clothes fit and how she looks and feels and not on a number on the scale. Focus in Fat Loss, not Weight Loss. What works about this plan: It will boost her metabolism, it will change her body, it will make her feel confident about herself, she can eat and she will be able to maintain her new body! What is wrong with this plan: NOTHING! To really change their bodies permanently women need to start checking out the strength training floor. They need to get out of their comfort zone and push their bodies beyond what it is used to. No more walking to nowhere on the treadmill! I am not talking about bodybuilding routines where you split up each body part and bomb and blitz the pecs or pump up the biceps. It is not necessary for a woman to isolate any muscle group to get the defined look she wants. Instead a woman should do a full body, metabolically demanding program in which she alternates between an upper body compound movement such as a push up or chin up with a lower body compound movement such as a squat or lunge. Keep the rest periods short and use a weight that is challenging. Use 3-4 pairs of exercises working out for no more than an hour at a time. The woman with toned arms and defined legs looks that way because she has the very thing most women are terrified of, muscle. They are so afraid to lift weights in fear of bulking up that they never get their bodies to look the way they want them to. They have it deeply seeded in their subconscious that as soon as they touch anything over 10 pounds, they will sprout humungous muscles! Even if they do use weights, they probably still aren’t lifting heavy enough and pushing themselves hard enough to get the look they want. Most women don’t know what their bodies are capable of and tend to not push themselves hard enough. There was actually a research study done on this where they showed that women when left to train on their own, lifted loads below what they were capable of. Maybe it is because women have been conditioned our whole lives to exercise from the point of view of what we “can’t” do, rather than what we can do. Women grew up doing “girl” push ups, because we were told we “can’t” do actual push ups or hanging from the bar instead of a chin up because girls “can’t” do chin ups. The first woman to run the marathon had to sneak in dressed as a man because women “can’t” run a marathon, and that was only in the 70’s, not that long ago. Women “can’t” lift too heavy, they will hurt themselves. We still subconsciously hold ourselves back when it comes to training whether we realize it or not. We need to start training from the standpoint of- What CAN you do? How much CAN you lift? How strong CAN you get? And stop letting “can’t” enter our vocabulary. As women start to push themselves in the gym, lifting weights and building lean muscle tissue, their metabolisms will be revving and they will be the toned, defined body they have always wanted. So how do you get your body to change? You have to lift enough weight to build muscle to increase your metabolism, fuel your body with healthy food and turn your body into a fat burning machine. Stop pounding your body with hours of cardio and stop starving yourself!

The first step in being successful on your path to fitness is this: Just Show Up! Teaching fitness classes has made this phrase a part of my life. Whether it’s a fitness class, meeting a friend for a workout, or getting on my treadmill, the first step to making it happen is showing up! 

Throughout my career as a trainer and fitness instructor, there have been many days that I didn’t want to teach a class. But I have to show up, it’s my job. Once I get there, get the music playing and turn on my microphone, I’m there. I’m in the right environment to get myself and all my students going. 

Taking care of yourself is your job too. So I encourage my clients to approach exercise the way they approach their jobs. Getting yourself there, to your health club, to your favorite walking path, or on your treadmill is half the battle.  This idea piggybacks on my last blog about the 3 C’s.  Showing up is truly about commitment, consistency and convenience! 

I’m talking about the mental side to fitness because attitude is everything. The attitude I want you to develop for yourself is positive and flexible. And changing your attitude can be as easy as tying your walking shoes. Counteract your excuses by discovering what motivates you, and use these strategies to get active! 

1.    Set some goals. Start with a short-term goal, say for the next four to six weeks, plus a long-term goal, for the next 12 months.  For example, your short-term goal could be to work out ten minutes a day every day for the next four weeks. Your long-term goal could be to run in a 10K fundraiser for your favorite cause.
2.    Keep an exercise journal. I’m a huge believer in keeping a record of your progress. Write down what you do and how it makes you feel, physically and mentally.
3.    Put it on your calendar. Think of it as an appointment with yourself. Because that’s exactly what it is. It’s your time to give yourself what you need.
4.    Do what feels good. If you love to swim and you hate to jog, then guess which one I’m going to tell you to do. Do what you love. Don’t worry about which exercise burns more calories. The exercise that burns the most calories is the one you’ll do.
5.    Decide which works for you: going it alone or working out with others. Many people find that walking with a friend every morning or attending a friendly fitness class three times a week really helps them stick with their exercise plan. But if you prefer to do it yourself, then keep it consistent by linking exercise with something you really enjoy (watching your favorite show or listening to good music).
6.    Set yourself up to succeed. To outwit your excuses, head them off before they happen. If you’re embarrassed to be seen in your old sweats, get some new gear. If it takes you too long to get dressed for your morning workout, lay your clothes and shoes out the night before.
7.    Be flexible. Doing the exact same thing day in and day out isn’t good for your body or your mind. If you really don’t feel like taking a walk, drop in on a yoga class or do a DVD workout instead. If you’re bored with an activity you used to love, hire a trainer or do some research online so you can take your skills to the next level.
8.    Don’t take off more than one day in a row. The longer you slack off, the easier it is to quit.
9.    Reward yourself. Treat your hard-working feet to a spa pedicure. Buy a bouquet of fresh flowers. Take a long bath. If it’s not illegal or fattening, I say, “Go for it!” 

So that’s my advice…if you want to slim down, you need to show up!