To Be Fit

To be fit or not to be fit, that's the decision that I have to make everyday.  Wether it's getting up for my 5am spin class or forgoing lunch out with co-workers for my boring but healthy packed lunch.  This blog is about my decision and on going struggle to be fit or as fit as I am personally capable of being.

Backstory
I discovered exercise back in the 90's when Jane Fonda helped me step away the freshman 15.  However it was always something I did so that I could eat drink and be merry; I was only in it for appearance sake.

Fast forward to my thirties married with two kids exercise took on a more important role but it was still about fitting into my jeans and not my health.  After my third and last child at the age of 38 I was finding it very hard to get the 60 plus pounds off.  Two years later and I still had 20 lbs. to go, so I signed up with a chain gym's training program (I now equate these types of training programs to a McDonald's Drive Thru). While I was learning a lot of exercises that I was not doing before I was still not making progress and a year later I was hovering around the same weight. At this point two things happened that got me on track.  One I began to evaluate what I was eating beyond the calorie content and two my husband introduced me to a private trainer with a fresh take on exercise (these types of training programs are like the white table cloth places).

 Left: Me now Right: Me after baby #3

Where I am Now 
Exercise has become a staple, the one thing that I must schedule for myself after the kids, husband and work are covered.  It is no longer about how I look but how I feel both mentally and physically.  Exercise has become my therapists and my favorite hobby.  I am currently exercising a minimum of 4 times a week maximum of 6.  Train twice a week with one trainer doing a crossfit type of workout and the other doing more of a strength/weight training routine.  On a good week I spin twice ... but I don't feel right if I don't get in at least one spin class.  The other days I fill in with my own routines or a bastardized version of my trainer's routines.

I strongly believe that working with a trainer in hour long sessions and utilizing crossfit routines have help me towards my goals.  But the other piece is my diet. And when I say diet I don't mean "dieting" I mean the everyday consumption of food stuff to provide nutrients to my body.  First off I am trying to eliminate processed foods as much as possible focusing on lean meats, vegetables, fruits, raw nuts, cheeses and greek yogurts.  And after a little pain and effort kicking a four diet coke a day habit. So my stats now are... 41 years old 5' 3", 127.2, 21.7% body fat.  My goals for this year are to complete a sprint triathlon and to get to 19% body fat (which will hopefully facilitate my other goal of finally seeing my abs).

Going Forward
I must say that I am not a nutritionist or a certified trainer.  But I hope to use this blog to give information on what I am doing that is working or what does not seem to work, as well as share the struggles to be fit.