Time For Some Action Week In Review

That was my mantra this week since I am participating in the Femme Fitale Fit Club Fall Fifty Challenge.  I was determined to get out there and rack up some miles because truth be told – the furthest I have ever run EVER in a single session is 6 miles.  Yup, I admit, confess and now share it with the world.  I can sprint short distances all the day long…well not all day but you get the point.  I can easily do 3 miles because that is easy for me even with hills.  Five miles – I can make it too with the RIGHT shoes.  A few weeks ago I was wearing shoes that did not have the right support and by mile 4 my ankles started aching.  I changed shoes and we are all good now.

BUTTTTTTTT I failed miserably at my OWN goal this week.  I was to log 20 miles and I logged a paltry 8 miles this week for a total of 18 miles this MONTH!  I still have 32 more miles to log to hit my 50 miles challenge.  I look at the others participating (about 30 women) and several are about to cross the 50 miles threshold.  It isn’t a matter of WILL they but WHEN WILL THEY that is the question.  I am proud of everyone getting out there and hitting the pavement from walking, wogging, jogging and running – it is ALL GOOD!!!!!

 

Real quick:  Follow us on Instagram @FemmeFitaleFitClub!!!!!  🙂

 

Monday – 9/9

I’m not in this month’s boot camp session but they did have their free session this past Monday so I went in the evening.  It was good – I haven’t slowed down TOO much but it is clear I need to get my butt back up in there!  We did everything from X-drills, 1-mile warm up run, abs, abs and MORE abs and did I say X-drills?  I burned over 500 calories and of course FORGOT to take a photo of my heart rate stats on my Polar FT4.  Trust me when I say – I burned a lot of calories from everything we did in there.  It felt good seeing everybody!

 

Tuesday – 9/10

Tuesday I went running with my Femme Fitales and we got in about 4 miles give or take.  The run felt good on Tuesday and the company was great as always.  We now run with knuckle lights to light our path.  I had to get going and wanted to get in a little more than 3 miles so I ran to the post office and back to the car.  I did run ahead because I had to be somewhere and even with the knucklelights I still felt slightly paranoid but I will get more comfortable running in the dark.

I go by the heart rate reported on Wahoo Fitness because I use their chest strap during my runs.  Wahoo says I burned 525 calories!  That is some nice burn!!!!!

 

 

Just so you know, I run with 3 running apps simultaneously.  It may sound like a lot I know but they all serve unique purposes and help to benefit my runs.  I run with Strava (good for running and riding), Nike+, and Wahoo Fitness (I use their heart rate chest strap and they integrate with several apps).

 

Wednesday – 9/11

On this day I returned to the gym and with my trainer.  I took a 2 week break from her and while it felt good, I obviously set myself back because getting in the gym with her had me OUCHING!  We did walking lunges with shoulder presses, step ups with weights, push ups, mountain climbers, backward lunges, squats and jump squats.  It just kept coming PLUS I was late.  I know I am never late but we changed my time to 5:30 am so I need to adjust.  I didn’t wear my Polar FT4 because I just didn’t feel like strapping up but believe I burned some kcals with my personal trainer.

Disclaimer: This workout was created by a certified trainer based on my current fitness level. Please adjust weight or motion based upon your fitness level. Always consult a physician before starting any new training program.

 

Thursday – 9/12

We went out and pounded the pavement this morning.  We had a nice little crew and we ran a fairly flat 3 miler.  I ran around the parking lot a little to get a few more miles but it was good and felt good.  The air was crisp and felt just right.  Here are the deets from Nike+ and Wahoo Fitness for my calorie count.

Don’t ask me why it is on treadmill mode.  I am happy they HAVE a treadmill mode in Wahoo Fitness.  I must have turned it on by accident.

Friday – 9/13

I slept in nuff said.

That’s my week in review.  I am planning a major week getting in even more miles this week PLUS I am with my trainer 2 days this week.  One of my main goals is to go to bed at a decent hour so I have the proper rest to fuel my workouts and my days!!!!

Ciao for now!

Femme Fitale Fit Club

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Featured Fitale Jenica

 

FFFC:  Please introduce yourself to our readers (i.e. your name, occupation, hobbies, etc.).

J:  I’m Jenica, wife and stay at home Mom of 2 (ages 4 and 2.5).

FFFC:  What sparked your weight-loss transformation journey?

J:  I was playing around with my daughter (then almost 2 yrs) while my newborn son took a nap. I decided to pretend like I was sleeping. She came up to me, and began to try to wake me up. I continued to pretend to be asleep. She again tried to wake me, and when I didn’t respond, she began to cry.
That moment changed everything. being stay-at-home mom and all I could think was, “What if something really happened to me while I was home alone with them? This is how she would react. This is how scared she would be.” I was an almost 28-year-old with high blood pressure, PCOS, insulin resistance, and starting to show signs of sleep apnea.

That was my ah-ha moment.

FFFC:  What was your beginning and current weight or measurements?

J:  I started at 305 lbs, with a BMI of 47.8. Although I haven’t weighed myself in a few weeks (that number means less and less the more active I become), I’ve lost 117 lbs and a BMI of 29.4. I lost 12.5 “ in my waist, 17” in my hips.

FFFC:  How long did it take for your weight-loss transformation from beginning to end?

J:  I don’t put an “end” on the time of my transformation, because I really consider this a LIFELONG process. My goals may change from time to time, but for me, this is a journey towards increased health and wellness. That being said, I lost 100 lbs in about 18 months and had reached my lowest weight in less than 2 years.

FFFC:  What physical activities did you participate in during your journey?

J:  Since I am a stay-at-home mom, finding time to workout was difficult at times. I often simply pushed my children in the double stroller- often only 20 min at a time 3-5 times a week. I also found circuit training images on Pinterest or did random workouts from YouTube while my children napped.

Now that my children are in preschool for a few hours 3 days a week, I have begun training for a half marathon. I also LOVE Zumba!

FFFC:  How did your eating habits change?

J:  I had bad eating habits all around. I’d often skip meals and then binge on processed foods at night. Now I try to eat as clean as possible, but also allow “treats”

FFFC:  What do you typically eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

J:  Breakfast (if I’m home for the morning) is usually an omelette with a few eggs (whole eggs), with veggies, a side of fruit, and coffee.

Lunch- one of my favs- “avocado chicken salad”- mash an avocado, add shredded chicken and pico de gallo. If I am out of chicken, I often do the same but add hard-boiled eggs instead.

Dinner- we try to do protein and 2 veggies- so something like Salmon with asparagus and roasted cauliflower etc.

*Desserts- Our latest fav is “guilt free” ice cream- freeze a few bananas (after peeling them), blend them along with honey, a TBSP or so of almond butter, vanilla extract and voila, ice cream! (We’ve also added frozen berries, chocolate chips, coconut flakes etc).

FFFC:  What is your favorite fitness activity?

J:  These days it’s Zumba and running/walking/jogging.

FFFC:  What do you do now to maintain your physique?

J:  Continue to be mindful of my eating and making time for physical activity!

FFFC:  How did you develop and sustain the willpower to avoid the bad stuff (i.e. junk food, bad drinks, lack of activity, etc.)?

J:  If I have a craving for a few days, I usually allow myself to indulge in a treat. I have found that if I COMPLETELY deny myself any food/treat/food group, it can lead to a binge on that food. Also, often when I am craving something, I try to make it at home rather than buying it pre-made somewhere. This allows me to control the quality of ingredients I use.

FFFC:  What advice do you have for someone starting out on their weight-loss journey but unsure of how to begin?

J:  My advice is to first, give yourself the opportunity for the process to take a while. Don’t try to do a quick fix diet that will lead to the weight coming back. Make small changes at a time and really understand that this will be a new LIFESTYLE!

FFFC:  What do you think is the biggest misconception about this journey?

J:  That you have to spend a ton of money buying programs that have you working out for an hour at a time. I lost most of my weight without much physical activity and with not spending more than the cost of new running/walking shoes. ANYONE CAN do this, but it takes a willing and committed spirit more than it takes money, or fancy equipment, or a trainer, or a gym membership (I had NONE of those).

FFFC:  Do you have any fitness idols? Who are they?

J:  I have people who inspire me- and most of them are people have had similar weight loss stories— just normal people who have decided to change their lives. But I wouldn’t consider them idols. I have come to an understanding that we all have different goals in mind for ourselves and it’s important to ONLY compare ourselves to ourselves. My body will never look like anyone else’s, and that’s ok. I have learned to be happy with MY body.

14. How can readers learn more about your transformation and journey online (i.e. Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, etc.)?

J:  They can follow me at www.facebook.com/thismomislosingit

Femme Fitale Fit Club

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Related articles

• Featured Fitale Cherie Steffen (femmefitaleblog.com)
• Featured Fitale Tameika Gentles (femmefitaleblog.com)
• Featured Fitale Shaylen Harris (femmefitaleblog.com)

Work It Wednesday Workout

Can you walk and chew gum at the same time?  Are you that coordinated?  If so, then you should be able to handle this workout because it has you doing multiple movements together so you have no choice but to focus and concentrate.  I did arrive a few minutes late (not like me at all) as I was slow moving climbing out of bed but I got in a good workout.  I didn’t take my heart rate because quite frankly I kept forgetting to turn it on the last few workouts so I just beat myself to it and did not even put it on so I did not have to worry about it.  If you are up to it – try this workout and leave a comment below letting me know what you think of it.  I believe if you are coordinated like I am very sure you are – you will like it.

 

Equipment needed

Barbell

Walk and Chew Gum Workout

Exercise	Reps	Weight
Walking lunges with shoulder press   – barbell	20	30 lbs
Seated read delt flyes	20	20 lbs
Walking lunges with shoulder press   – barbell	20	30 lbs
Seated chest press	12	30 lbs
Seated chest press – angled hand   position	12	30 lbs
Diamond push ups	20	NA
Mountain climbers	30 sec	NA
Jump lunges	20	NA
Walking lunges with shoulder press   – barbell	20	30 lbs
Wall sit	1 minute	NA
Walking lunges with shoulder press   – barbell	10	30 lbs
Seated hamstring leg curl	20	30 lbs
Walking lunges with shoulder press   – barbell	20	30 lbs
Squat and bicep curl	15	30 lbs
Diamond push ups	20	NA
Mountain climbers	30 sec	NA
Jump lunges	20	NA
Walking lunges with shoulder press   – barbell	20	30 lbs
Angled feet leg press	20	45 lbs
Squat and bicep curl	15	30 lbs
Seated chest press	12	30 lbs
Seated hamstring leg curl	20	30 lbs
DONE   IN 30 MINUTES

 

Disclaimer: This workout was created by a certified trainer based on my current fitness level. Please adjust weight or motion based upon your fitness level. Always consult a physician before starting any new training program

Femme Fitale Fit Club

Motivating you to Firm, Fit and Fabulous!

Follow us on Instagram @Femmefitalefitclub

Have fun with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FemmeFitaleFitness

Work It Wednesday Workout

Bulgarian, hulgarian…either way we mixed it up and worked it out.  I still can’t stand the burn so I took a few breaks but that is ok, I felt myself getting stronger.

REMINDER:  Real quick – we do have a new contest this month called the Road ID contest.  Enter to win a free Road ID valued at $35.  There are some folks going for the GOLD so join the action on our Femme Fitale Fit Club Facebook page and possibly win you one! 

Equipment needed

Dumbbells

Bench

Incline ab bench

Exercise	Reps	Weight
Bulgarian squat – left	15	20 lbs
Bulgarian squat – right	15	20 lbs
Standing rows	20	50 lbs
Squats	15	50 lbs
Decline push ups	20	NA
Decline mountain climbers	20	NA
Decline straight arm plank hold	30 sec	NA
Chest press	15	40 lbs
Jump squats	20	NA
Hip raises	20	NA
Leg raises	20	NA
Scissors	30 sec	NA
Bulgarian squat – left	15	20 lbs
Bulgarian squat – right	15	20 lbs
Standing rows	20	50 lbs
Squats	15	50 lbs
Decline push ups	20	NA
Decline mountain climbers	20	NA
Decline straight arm plank hold	30 sec	NA
Chest press	15	40 lbs
Jump squats	20	NA
Hip raises	20	NA
Leg raises	20	NA
Scissors	30 sec	NA
Crunches decline ab bench	20	NA
Alternating backward lunge bent   arm lateral raise	20	10 lbs
Squat position 10 degrees above   and   below 90 degrees	20	10 lbs
Center leg raise, right side leg   raise,   left side leg raise	10 sets	NA
DONE   IN 30 MINUTES

And this was the SECOND time I forgot to start my Polar FT4.  Pain the tushy I swear.  That is what happens when I get distracted from the workout.

Disclaimer: This workout was created by a certified trainer based on my current fitness level. Please adjust weight or motion based upon your fitness level. Always consult a physician before starting any new training program

Femme Fitale Fit Club

Motivating you to Firm, Fit and Fabulous!

Follow us on Instagram @Femmefitalefitclub

Have fun with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FemmeFitaleFitness

Work It Wednesday Workout

 

I call this workout MAJOR!  Enough said!

REMINDER:  Real quick – we do have a new contest this month called the Road ID contest.  Enter to win a free Road ID valued at $35.  There are some folks going for the GOLD so join the action on our Femme Fitale Fit Club Facebook page and possibly win you one! 

Equipment needed

Dumbbells

Incline bench

I was heated because I forgot to start my PolarFT4.  UGH!

 

Me and the foam roller are becoming close friends.  Woooooo ahhhhhh!

Disclaimer: This workout was created by a certified trainer based on my current fitness level. Please adjust weight or motion based upon your fitness level. Always consult a physician before starting any new training program

Femme Fitale Fit Club

Motivating you to Firm, Fit and Fabulous!

Follow us on Instagram @Femmefitalefitclub

Have fun with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FemmeFitaleFitness