Slender, Sexier, SO-healthy Sanni 2009 and Beyond

"To feel 'fit as a fiddle', you must tone down your middle."

~ Unknown

So after finally a month of being more consistent on Spark People for good.. I can say I am finally in a groove. And thought it was time to detail my goals so I know specifically what it is I am going to accomplish over the next 6.5 months (till my 30th birthday).

A little background...

I was a dual athlete all four years of high school and for my freshman year of undergrad. While working full time and in school for my master's at 24, I started reclaiming my athletic body by going to workout faithfully, everyday on my lunch break for an hour. In doing so I trimmed off near 50 pounds I'd packed on during my stagnant years. I also went on to get certified in group fitness.

I moved back home to Chicago for a job opp in 2006, fell in love, got with my partner, got comfortable, gained weight, had a baby in 2007, let my certs lapse and here I am. lol While, I haven't gained all my previous weight back, I am certainly not my previous weight and I aim to get back to that and better.

I love my body/frame because I wear my weight extremely well. People rarely know that I weigh as much as I do, unless I tell them. I know I have a lot of hidden stallion-like muscles under this thickness. I will bring em out, and KEEP em out, before 2009 comes to a close to enter my 30s with no extra weight upon my heart and soul.

There are a total of 28 weeks and 5 days to the day of my born day and exactly 29 weeks to my anticipated weekend celebration. My goal is to be met and maintained by my bday tho. If I consistently lose a simple pound or two a week, I'll be at my goal weight. Sounds simple enough right? lol It's gonna take mad determination, calculated movements and strict by-the book seriousness. I am ready. I haven't felt this ready since 2004 when I got tired climbin up to my 3rd floor apartment and knew a change needed to come and quick. Luckily, I am not as in bad of shape as I was then... so failure this time is not an option.

Goal weight: 138-140... I would like to be 140 pounds or lower. Until further notice. I was 125-130 in high school, so I think 140 is a good, realistic weight to shoot for (in 2006 before I started gaining I was 10 pounds heavier). After accessing my physical appearance and how I feel, IF I want to get back to my high school weight when I get there, I'll work on skimming away those last 10. But we'll see. I wanna keep my assets if you kno what I mean. I was also a B cup in high school and nobody wants that. lol And by nobody, I mean me.

The Program:
Eat five to six small meals a day, drink more than eight glasses of water and workout 5 days a week.

• 8+ glasses of water a day
• 5+ servings of veggies/fruits a day
• 5 days of at least 45 minutes of cardio
• 3 days of strength training
• Track caloric intake and don't go over it; try best to get all the nutrients I need
• Have a healthy breakfast of SOME sort, every morning
• Award myself to the goals
• Surround myself with positive people who know my struggle and support me

Basic Goals

1. Weigh less than 140 pounds
2. Get body fat to 20-22%
3. Get Fitness Certifications
4. Start personal training and fitness instruction business

My 2009 G&R (goals and rewards):

Goal: Weight 165 *~*Achieved: ???
Reward: Get thigh tattoo sleeve expanded..

Goal: Weight 150 *~*Achieved: ???
Reward: Mini shopping spree

Goal: Weight 140 *~*Achieved: ???
Reward: A trip to an exotic place I've never been

Goal: Body fat 25% *~* Achieved: ???
Reward: New workout gear (bras, shoes, shorts, yoga pants etc.)

Goal: Size 10 Pants *~* Achieved: ???
Reward: ACE Certification

Goal: First 5K Competitive Race *~* Completed: ???
Reward: Small weekend getaway

Please check out my fitness/health blog where I talk about my struggles, share articles and eventually client consultations:
http://glamourousglutesgamsandguns.blosp
ot.com

"Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it."
~ Plato

"Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it."

~ Plato

"If Your Core Is Weak, Nothing Else Can Be Strong"

The Core is the center... make no mistake my friend, if your core is weak -- you are weak! I don't care how long you have been riding a bike, how lean you are, how fast you are or how quick you can climb. Your core strength and durability is the lifeblood of ongoing cycling strength and performance. ~http://www.cyclo-club.com/public/department163.cfm

So here I am at the third workout day of my five-workout day plan... the day calls for two workouts: Burn Intervals and Ab Burner. The problem I ran into when I first started the program, I was so exhausted that I would not do Ab Burner. But today, I did the intervals, ate some breakfast, rested, later ate lunch and then did Ab Burner. It was shorter than I originally remember; only 10 measly minutes and I could only get through five of them. I was totally disgusted with myself. I've always said my core is just a disgrace. I wish I could excuse it on having a baby two years ago, but that would be a lie since it was weak before then... and I know it takes time and patience and everyone is always telling me I need to exercise (pun intended more patience. But it's hard... especially when damn near starting from scratch. 

My Wii Fit even tells me in my balance tests that my posture needs work. I will be shifted to the left some days, the right other days and then some days I have PERFECT posture, but to me, I am standing awkwardly. Isn't that odd? Have you ever experienced this? A strong core helps keep your body aligned properly and is helpful in all fitness levels and activities. With optimal alignment, your fatigue is likely to hold off longer as you get stronger. Hence why it's imperative for runners and swimmers to learn/practice good form... it helps then endure through the race by keeping fatigue at bay. Have you ever seen someone running in the park with arms and legs flailing like a chicken? They look flushed and in pain and tired like they're gonna pass out? Yeah, bad posture leads to bad form... which leads to fatigue. 

So even though I only got through five minutes, I'm gonna keep the faith that toward the later part of the month I can get through all 10 minutes. Because the core, is not just about abs -- thank God! My core is gonna get stronger with all the strength training that goes along with this program. Our core is actually comprised of our upper back and shoulders (aka as the head carriage) gluteals (pelvis), obliques and our abs. This workout thankfully works all of those. In my defense, Chalene does a more advanced ab session for that 10 minutes, but it would be nice to get through it. At any rate, it's over now. And tomorrow morning is a new day for the kid. 

Off to take a shower and a nap... I feel pretty good... even if I am down on myself right now. So used to being fit and really good at this stuff. It just caught me off guard to not be able to finish it. I'm highly competitive. Apparently, even with myself. 

Simply put, a strong core is equivalent to overall health... and I want to get there. 

Have a productive, strong workout today! 

Challenges, Box Braids, and Letting Go to Let God...

I am well on my way to the Promise Land.

In addition, I have been tracking everything all day today both on paper and online and am well w/in my range. I decided to let my body rest some today since I did big sets of cardio and strength yesterday. I usually do a smaller set of cardio on strength days but I needed to blow off some steam so before I knew it I was doing something crazy.

Emotionally, I am not in the best place, but it makes me happy to know that I am dealing with those emotions in a positive way vs. eating up any and everything. I am apart of a "Biggest Loser" challenge in an online community and it's a bit intense. In competitions I tend to get a little "Jillian-like" (Jillian is the new trainer of the black team on the Biggest Loser) and I am working on that. I've always been very competitive. Ever since I was a small child. Not in the sore loser kind of way, I didn't mind losing the few times I did ("Second is not an option”) but more so in the "I trained harder than you, I deserve more than you" kind of way. The thing about competitions though is that they are big on teamwork and that teamwork aspect of the BL TV show is that they are all always in constant communication with the others...living on the same campus. It's hard to recreate that same atmosphere online of all places. We don't have trainers making sure we get up and go, so everything is basically you're accountable for your own actions. SO, because of this it would only be right to have completely fair moderators over the whole shebang. Not so much since this competition began and it made me want to work harder to make sure my team puts up impressive numbers... but already, I see that the enthuuuusiasm has dwindled to a little yawn vs. a big roar! Did I mention I hate to lose? And when I bear witness to those kinda attitudes I want to go crazy on several someone’s.

And I wonder if this is all unhealthy for someone who is studying to be a personal trainer or if this is all NECESSARY for someone who is studying to be a personal trainer. I really don't know. I do know that I am passionate about healthy living and being our healthiest selves and that I can communicate that in person much better than I ever could online via message boards.

I've been in and out of moods lately... I'm not quite sure what my deal is, but I have way too much on my mind. I have been studying and trying to make myself a better person. I have to learn to pray in difficult times to overcome the adversity of an argument so that my words aren't tear-filled and overly emotional. But it's something that's not going to change about me overnight. I do need to continue doing what I'm doing though: studying, building my faith, my knowledge, believing I can make myself better and achieve my goals and leave the worrying to my God.

In the meantime, I enter week 2 of box braids (love them!) and I weighed in today for wonderful news. I was down 2.4 pounds for a total of 4.8. :D My body isn't looking much different. I think that's because pregnancy has changed my shape. But I can't worry about that now. I have begun... to arrive. I will admire the finished product when it makes debut.