It has been months since I have done any Weight Lifting, High Intensity Interval Training or Long Duration Cardio. I still take walks ranging from 30-45min on an almost daily basis.

There are some good reasons for this:

1. It was causing me stress
2. I was doing some of the exercises at night after the kids went to sleep and the physical exertion was disturbing my sleep. (Morning workouts just don’t fit into my schedule)
3. I was not seeing results even though I was lifting weights and running for 45min/day 5-6 times per week.
4. Adrenal fatigue – though the doctor did some tests (not sure what) but said that my thyroid looks fine and adrenal function is linked to thyroid function. The doctor definitely did not do any comprehensive testing but just looked for some “markers” which he did not find. However I do suffer from insomnia, stress, anxiety and other such things.
5. Hard exercise causes a physical stress on the body. When the body is already stressed out this extra stress can actually be harmful instead of helpful.

Here is a good video that Paul Check gives on Adrenal Fatigue

I don’t know why I feel so let down by this. It just seems like I have tried so many exercise programs and I finally found one that I was having fun with and one that I initially saw results with. But the results stopped and the fun faded.

Yoga/stretches and deep breathing are the exercises that I need to work on right now.

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“He who fails to plan, plans to fail” This quote is so true to me!

I try to plan and set up routines and try to be as efficient as can be. I have found that I need to schedule my routines so I don’t just brush them off and not think that they are important.

A good example of this is my laundry. I need to do laundry very regularly, but it is not necessary critical that I do it every day. Yet I do know that when my kids are looking for clean socks and clothing that it is getting to that critical point and I need to reset my priorities.

The same thing can be said for scheduling in my exercise. I have to admit that I have not weight trained for about a month. I have also started  taking walks instead of running. I have to admit that I have lost my drive to be fit. It is not critical of me to workout everyday but after a while of not doing it I do miss the positive things that weight training does for me. It is crucial that I resume my fitness goals.

So with this kind of funk that I am in, I am more and more convinced that the key to reaching your fitness goals is through the mind. I did have routines set up, but they got derailed. To set them up again I have to be in the correct mind frame to do it.

To do so I need to take baby steps. I used to be a flybaby at Flylady.net. It is a free website that helps you make routines on how to organize your house, create home cooked meals and other helpful tips to become more efficient. I stopped being part of their yahoo group due to the number of emails that they sent out. But I learned the value of routines and starting with baby steps.

I have to remind myself that my day starts with the evening before. I need to go to bed early. I have so much more energy when I am well rested. My first baby step needs to be with getting to bed early. I have a lot of trouble with this. Having more energy plays a significant role in my mindsets. I am more positive, I smile and laugh more. I am much more cheery and fun.

I struggle going to bed early. There are many issues to it, but mostly because I don’t have a routine set up for it.

To set up routine and carry it through with self discipline is to do it in babysteps. Tonight I will be in bed by 10:30. Tomorrow will be another day and another babystep. I need to plan this and write it down.
My routines need to be written down and scheduled in. Without my routines I fail.

Initially I was going to do a 30 day period were I would set up my routines and then adjust them to suit my schedule better. However 30 days is still a big chunk of time and I get a bit frightened of massive undertakings so to do this I will have to break it down day by day.

A great tool that I have discovered is Google Calendar. It allows me to organize my time. I can write down my routines and my daily agenda. I then can take my daily routine and adjust it to a weekly schedule. With that weekly schedule I then take it one week at a time and do my routines for a full thirty days.

With this kind of organization I take any kind of thinking and feeling and get rid of it. Instead I take one day at a time and just do it. I don’t think about tomorrow or the next thirty days. I just concentrate on today and adhering to my google calendar for today.

I can schedule in my workout. I can schedule in my sleep. It may sound ridiculous to do so. But when I let feelings like “I don’t feel like it” control my thoughts, then nothing gets done.

“He who fails to plan, plans to fail”

Become Unstoppable with your Fat Loss Goals.

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For the past nine days I have been taking Coconut Oil on a daily basis. The dosage I have been taking is 2-3 heaping teaspoons. I have gained a few pounds from doing this! Yikers! I will continue taking it to see if this is just my initial reaction to it and see if there will be any other changes. Coconut Oil is just too healthy and after trying for a long time to find a tasty way of supplementing it into my diet, I have finally found a way that could eat it every day!

I am also experiencing a mild Candida die off. My tummy has been sensitive for the past 4-5 days. I am glad that it is not as severe as when I initially started the Atkins Low Carb diet. The first Candida die off lasted about a week and a half and I could not leave the house or eat anything because the food would just go right through me.

My weight now is 120 – 122lbs. It was 117lbs a few weeks ago. Maybe I should just throw out my scale.  My goal is just to get rid of belly fat. But instead of losing weight I have stalled and gained.

Exercise Update…

I have not been good this past week. My youngest daughter is sick with a nasty fever and cough and I have not gone running outside. It has been cold here but the sun has been shining and I have been itching to just go running. Since my schedule has been a bit off I have not done my regular Unstoppable Fat Loss Workouts either.

I have no idea if I will be able to reach my goal to lose my belly fat by April 25. There is only two short months left to go.

One thing that I love is blogging about my weight! It holds me accountable and keeps me on track so I can reach my goals. I may also start a food log and log my daily food intake. This is highly recommended by lots of “experts” but I have always found it tedious. I may have to control my meal portion sizes (Gasp!) and write down what I eat.

After listening to yesterday’s livin lavida low carb podcast about sleep, my intentions were to go to bed by ten pm.  Well that did not happen (laundry was calling me!), but I did lower the lights and took some Valerian Root. I had no trouble falling asleep and I slept deeply. Tonight I will again aim to go to bed by ten and do the same thing, lower the lights and take Valerian Root. Hopefully I will be able to wean off Valerian and adjust to this routine.

Sleeping better will reduce my dependence on caffeine which can release an insulin response and inhibit low carb fat loss. And of course if I reduce my caffeine I will have to replace it with water therefore increasing my over all water intake.

Break through the stall steps:

1.    Log food
2.    Log beverages
3.    Sleep – get to bed by ten pm.
4.    Keep taking coconut oil

The focus: Get healthy, get fit, and get lean!

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You are about to discover a little known secret to spicing up your Valentine’s Day and really making a positive impression with your partner.

The secret… Workout together as a couple!

http://budurl.com/6r4h

Here’s how working out as a couple will spice up your Valentine’s Day and your relationship…

Working Out Together Is A Bonding Experience

This is your chance to really connect. Share your goals, be supportive of each other by offering words of encouragement, and inspire each other to be the best that you can be individually and as a couple.

The best part about this time together is that you will be with your partner while sharing the awesome feelings that are associated with physical activity. Look into each others eye’s while working out. Smile and enjoy the moment together.

Working Out Together Will Increase Intimacy

Exercise produces chemicals in the brain that will increase arousal and libido. Several studies show that men and women who exercise regularly report better and more frequent sex with their partner.

Working Out Together Makes You Feel Attractive

The feelings that you experience after completing a workout are incredible. Your body feels tighter and firmer. Your energy levels get a boost. You experience a sense of accomplishment.

When you workout as a couple these feelings become magnified because you are sharing the experience with the person you love.

When you and your Valentine are feeling more attractive I guarantee there will be some sparks flying in your relationship.

Show your Valentine just how much you care about them by giving them a gift that will improve your relationship while getting in great shape together.

Give your Valentine the gift of More Love, Less Fat

http://budurl.com/6r4h

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It took me a while to warm up to the idea of lifting weights. I was a runner and I loved my Pilates workouts. The thing is that when fall and winter came I would get out of my workout routine because I was not able to get outside. I was also spending a lot of time exercising and I had stopped seeing results.  How frustrating!

I had stumbled across truth about abs website claiming that you do not need to do cardio workouts to burn fat. I was intrigued. I had never lifted weights let alone heard of High Intensity Interval Training before. I learned that woman don’t have to be scared of “bulking” up because we do not have the same levels of hormones (testosterone) as men. The results of weight lifting for women are only strong lean sexy muscle.

As soon as I started implementing weights (even before changing my eating to a low carbohydrate diet) I noticed results. I was able to fit into my skinny jeans and my butt really shrunk. I never even noticed it was big before but the jeans sure fit differently after a few pounds of fat loss. All those squats do pay off!

Here is a list of weight lifting benefits for women:

1. Workouts are short and efficient… you can get an awesome workout in 15-20 min that can whip you!
2.  It is intensive and can be a cardio workout if there is little rest between sets.
3.  Workouts build lean muscle that burns more fat.
4.  High Intensity Interval Training speeds up metabolism to burn more calories even at rest up to 48hrs after workout.
5.  Helps control blood sugar reducing the risk of diabetes.

Another bonus benefit…

My moods also lifted and I was able workout inside during the winter!

I did end up abandoning my Pilates workouts but not my running which I resumed when the weather and roads cleared.

Weight lifting and High Intensity Interval Training are great tools to use to get lean and sexy. Weight lifting can be for everyone. Even my two daughters ages 6 and 4 join me with their 2-5lb weights!

To your health and wellness,

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I have to admit that I love to workout. I love the burn and I love to watch myself getting stronger. It has become a great habit. I go for 30 minute running/walking about four times a week and I do 15-20min  Unstoppable Fat Loss workouts about 5 times a week. The running I do during the day and the Unstoppable Fat Loss workouts I do during after the kids go to bed.

One of the things that I love is being able to track my workouts. I know how much that I lifted before and I know how much I can lift now. It sounds kind of silly but seeing it on paper is a great help and it makes you feel like you are on a “program” and that you are seeing results. I am able to lift 5 lbs more than when I started! I started with 10lb dumbbells and have moved up to using 15lb dumbbells.

My husband Jonas had great intentions of working out. However life got really busy and he was working crazy hours (14hr days) and he had to abandon his workouts. I am still going strong though. I might still be able to convince him to come on board again. Success is all about overcoming the excuses we put up in our minds.

I am not going to fall for that trap. I am not going to fall prey to my inner dialog and make that my belief to live by.

I DO suffer from anxiety all related to my inner dialog. I DO know how debilitating a negative inner dialog be and how it can hurt you. My anxieties are about safety. The safety of my kids, my house, health etc… But when I want to reach my goal there is no way that I am going to inhibit myself by self talk.

I DO love working out. I DO love listening to the Unstoppable Fat Loss audios. They are whole lot more encouraging then the news these days. I also learn a lot from them including how to overcome that inner dialog that comes along when we are trying to achieve success. They keep me motivated.

Self confidence and self love has a great impact in our life. It affects everything! Weight, financial, how we treat others, how we treat ourselves.

Don’t get stuck in this negativity. Now is the best time build and believe in yourself.

With love,

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I have had a bit of trouble losing my last ten pounds. It is incredibly frustrating to exercise and eat well and still not see results. I know the reason why…

It is the lack of sleep. Sleeping five-six hours a night creates unnecessary physical and emotional stresses. Cortisol levels are increased and that can have a negative impact on insulin. Drinking caffeinated beverages like coffee and tea throughout the day also have a negative impact on insulin. I have been on a low carb diet to regulate my insulin and yet these bad habits are contributing to elevated insulin.

How To Get Better Sleep

To fix this I am going to establish a regular bedtime routines. That means going to sleep every single day at the same time and waking up every single day at the same time. I will also take valerian root to help fall asleep. Valerian root works really well for me and I can fall asleep very quickly and sleep deeply.

I would love to hear if you have had any experiences with sleep and weight loss/gain.

To your health and wellness,

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Here are some great warm up exercises that you can do before starting your regular workout. Angie and Scott Tousignant demonstrate a couples warm up routine from their newly released More Love, Less Fat program. There are 5 exercises in this video…

•  Forward and Backward Lunges ( 6 each leg)
• Chest Press (10 each arm)
• Plank on Ball (Hold for 20 sec.)
• Squats ( 10 )
• Seated Dumbbell Pass ( 6 )

More Love, Less Fat Warm up Routine 

Workouts can be fun and enjoyable!

To Your Health and Wellness,

P.S. If you place an order for More Love, Less Fat before midnight tonight then you will also receive the Unstoppable Fatloss Program as a BONUS (97$ Value).

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I am so proud of my Husband, Jonas. This morning he got up at 4:45am to do a workout. It did not last too long though as he got a call from work early with some problems and he had to rush in. When he does come home I will be waiting for him. As part of my Unstoppable Fatloss Package I did receive the Fit Bastard full year of workouts. I will print them out for him and we will do them together with the Fit Chic workouts.

 I am always amazed at how busy Jonas is. He works 11-12hour days. He is on call during his time at home and on the weekends he does some extra carpentry work. So truth be told.. I hardly ever see him. [Read more →]

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Are you confused? There many exercise programs /videos on the market and you can choose just about anything. The New Year is just around the corner and one of the top resolutions on the list is to lose a few pounds.  I bet you are just like me and have several videos and books on your shelf just collecting dust. How often do you take them out and use them?

One product that I love and use is the Unstoppable Fatloss Program. With the New Year coming soon it is time to review the year and set new goals for the next. Today I was listening to the Dax Moy interview in the Unstoppable Fatloss Program.  He is the author and creator of The Magic Hundred. This interview was filled almost 2 hours long and filled with captivating information on how to create and set goals and achieving them. 

The Unstoppable Fatloss interview…

• spelled out how to set goals from the heart and not the brain and why we should do this,
• how we can get over fear that is stopping us from achieving our goals,
• demonstrated how fast we can pull ourselves out of a negative mindset and into a pleasant positive one,
• How to set clear, concise targeted goals,
• And why setting realistic goals can be a bad thing…

Dax Moy’s 5 Golden Rules For Goal Achievement:

There are many more “precious gems” in Unstoppable Fatloss.  This product is definitely not going to collect dust!  

To find out more about goal achievement take a look at Dax Moy’s The Magic Hundred.

To your health and wellness,

Catherine Osthaus

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