Getting Healthy AND strong...One Day at a Time

Well life caught up with me and several months have passed since I last updated my health blog. This seems to be becoming a habit I think. Focusing on my new job has taken up a lot of time over the past several months but I finally have a minute to update and it feels great! I am happy to tell you all that my journey towards better health and weight loss is really finally starting to set in...in a super positive way. I have been training for almost 5 months solid at Melt Hot Fitness in Westerville. I take 3-4 classes there a week. Between their hot barre class and their hot yogasu class, I have really started seeing some amazing results. Also, about 3 weeks ago I started training for the Phitathalon here in Columbus. It is a 5mile race with obstacles throughout--something I NEVER imagined I would be capable of doing if you would have asked me about it six months ago. Every Saturday, I join team Melt Hot Fitness at the Alum Creek Dam to train for the race. We do a variety of strength training exercises: pulling the sleigh with weights, squats, bear crawls, burpees, advanced weight training, etc. For cardio AND strength we run the dam stairs..which to some may not look bad from far away but it is murder to your thighs and calfs. After about 20 minutes of intense strength we run 3 miles around the dam, again, something that I could not do 6 months ago. I have really built my endurance from these training sessions--let me tell you I am NOT a natural long distance runner by any means but the trainers have been amazing coaches to me, pushing me each step of the way, one foot after the other. I can not believe how much running is a mental challenge, more so than physical. I'm really starting to believe that your physical goals are more about your attitude and mental strength towards them! I have also been taking 30 min-40 min work out breaks over my lunch where I run or do the elliptical or the bike for as long as I can go. This, mixed with my healthy eating habits have really been toning and shaping my body in the way that I want. I'm still not losing the weight as fast as I would like, but my body has a tendency to really build muscle fast, and sadly muscle weighs more. I have a new diet consisting of only whole and clean foods which I am following to the best of my ability, allowing myself one meal a week, typically on a weekend night, where I can have what I want--but still not going crazy though. I am down 15.5 pounds from January and I have 40 more pounds to go to be where I want to be. I know it is an intense challenge, but for the first time in years I feel like I am truly on the right path, making the right decisions for  my health. It has taken a complete attitude change about exercise and food. I now look at food as something that we need to fuel the body. Eating isn't something we should do when we are bored, or stressed. We shouldn't eat necassarily for the taste. We eat for the nutrients that our bodies need to survive. Exercise is not a form of punishment for eating "bad" or drinking too much on a weekend. It something that makes me feel amazing. It is something that all of our bodies and our minds need to thrive so we must feed it! I recently got rid of a lot of baggage from my personal life and it has truly freed my mind and also helped me along in this process of bettering my health, and overall, my life. On that note, I will continue to thrive and try my best day by day. I don't get ahead of myself. I don't focus on weeks or months at a time like I used to. Day.By.Day. I'm sure I won't be back on for a month or two, and hopefully next time, I will have yet another update with good news on the weight loss. For now, I will leave you with some pictures of my progress, as well as some pictures of examples of healthy meals that I create on an everyday basis which have helped me become healthy. Enjoy!:)

veggie and hummus wrap

veggies with no guilt spinach kale dip

packing lunch at beginning of week

Taken may 2013

Taken June 31st 2013. 3 mile run

berries

squash spagghetti and salad

The Warrior Begins

Wow! It has been a while since I re-visited my blog. I now have a new purpose for blogging, a meaningful purpose rather than just rambling on about the less than exciting happenings of my every day life. 

I have recently embarked on a journey. A journey of epic proportions..well, for me anyway. I wouldn't say I have battled with my weight "my entire life," but certainly once the bitch I like to refer as metabolism kicked in-- I have struggled. Metabolism wasn't the only problem. The college lifestyle, terrible eating habits, late night snacking and studying, heartbreak...the list goes on and on. But I recently decided it was time to stop making excuses. I have now been removed from college for 2 years...it has been a long time coming. I'm ready to take control of my life. My health. My weight. 

About a month ago I watched a documentary on Netflix which really struck a chord with me. I'm sure most of you have at least heard of "Hungry For Change." It's a documentary about a man who decides to cure his auto-immune disease simply by juicing fresh, organic fruits and vegetables and eating nothing else. He travels the country and loses over 100 pounds and cures his disease...all by drinking juice! Well, needless to say I don't have the means at the moment to travel the country drinking juice, I did have the means to purchase a new juicer (Breville makes it--costs around $99.00 if you are interested!) I went on a 10 day juice fast. I was originally shooting for 30 days--it is MUCH harder than the guy in the documentary makes it look, so I stuck with ten. I was happy with my progress. I lost EIGHT pounds in the ten days, so yeah, I was pumped. As soon as I added normal food back in though, I gained 4 of the pounds back which a few years ago--would have spun me back into a fast food craze giving up on the health kick--but not now. Not now that I have control! 

Turns out, the juice fast was a great start. I kept the 4 pounds off and it completely turned me off to sugar. I have drank sugar in my coffee since I was 16 years old. Now--I can't even stand the taste of sugar in my coffee, thus saving me some serious calories in that daily cup o joe. After the juice fast-- I wasn't ready to give up. No way. I had and I have so far to go. I decided to seek help from my aunt--a nutritionist, local yoga studio instructor and owner as well as the biggest health freak I know-I knew she could help me. We constructed a new diet, wait no eating plan, wait...better yet a lifestyle change. (Fad diets DO NOT WORK for me. I have tried them all). The plan we put together is a combination of The Warrior Diet and The Paleo Diet (very similar diets). It's simple and it goes a little somethin' like this:

Unlimited raw fruits and veggies during the day. No bananas (high in sugar) And a limit of one orange/apple per day. Of course common sense needs to play a role--if something is filled with sugar you can't stuff your face with it all day even if it is natural sugar found in fruit. Once dinner rolls around, food options explode. Something green. A lean protein. Sides such as sweet potatoes, quinoa, etc. A small amount of dairy is acceptable such as some feta sprinkled on a salad or a bit of cream in coffee. COFFEE--one of my favorite things allowed on this diet, as well as teas. As much as you want. Butter is ok in small amounts (WINNING!) Stay away from carbs, gluten, and most dairy. Even a small piece of chocolate with some peanut butter is A OK for dessert. Sounds like my kind of life style change. 

Now, the harder part, the parter that actually kicks the weight loss into gear-- burning SEVEN HUNDRED calories a day. AT LEAST. At first, I was horrified at this number. Until a few days ago when I finally purchased a polar watch-- the calorie tracking/heart rate tracking watch. If you don't have one and you are trying to lose weight, GET ONE NOW! They are around $89.00 but worth the investment. My aunt suggested breaking this calorie amount into two work outs a day--to make it more manageable. I recently renewed my contract at the local boxing gym, Title Boxing, and I have started going to the power hour classes in the mornings, where I learned I am actually burning close to SIX HUNDRED cals in a work out. Who knew? Totally worth the membership. In the evenings-- Running a light two miles a night with some weights to burn an additional 200-300 cals. For the past week I have been rocking it out in the gym, burning an average of 850 per day. Of course, when your immune systems hates you as much as mine hates me, it is easy to hit a wall. I have been dealing with some type of stomach bug sine yesterday so the gym was a no-go yesterday, and maybe even tonight--but it is these little types of hang ups that I will not let deter me this time. I took all my measurements at the beginning of the Warrior Diet plan which I officially started on Friday, January 25th. I have weighed myself twice this week. I am down 4 pounds since starting on the warrior diet and down eight pounds since New Years. 

Weight loss is not my only goal. An overall healthy lifestyle filled with clean, whole, organic non-processed foods combined with at least an hour of exercise every day for the rest of  my life. That is the true goal. To create a better version of myself. A happier version. I want to feel sexy and beautiful on the inside, and out and I truly believe this is the key in doing so. As a testiment to myself to make sure I stick with my goals, I have signed up for "The Warrior Dash" this June in Columbus. I am committed. 80 dollars to join--you best believe I'm not backing out. A friend of mine at worked asked if I would join his time. The proceeds are donated to St. Judes Children's Hospital. The course is not only a typical 5k race, it is filled with obstacles of all kinds. Walls to be climbed over. Barbed wire to crawl under. Similar to the obstacles that I have faced over the past five years. This time, I'm climbing OVER that wall instead of walking around it. 

Do I have a long way to go? Hell yes I do. But I am NOT STOPPING until I am at my goal weight: 40 pounds less than what I weigh today. 40 pounds of weight that have been put on over the past 5 years. A quote from the documentary that struck a chord "You do the crime, you do the time." And I certainly did the crime. Taco Bell, booze, and barely any exercise for 4 years. Now it's time to pay my dues. To myself. To my health. 

Can I do it? I believe that I can. And all of you are here to be witnesses and to keep me honest. I am going to blog at least several times a week to update my progress. At the end of all of this, I'm going to man up and post pictures of myself, before and after so you all can see my transformation. 

In health and happiness,

Jordan