Zumba Bevy

Ok….So you asked for homework to keep your-self’s trim. So here goes. Try really hard to do this daily and you shouldn’t lose all the achieved results.

Crunch routine:

1. Straight leg to the floor crunches, with feet flexed.
2. Alternate leg lift crunches. (feet flexed)
3. Both legs raised, ankles crossed crunches.
4. Bicycles.
5. Couch or chair assisted knees flexed crunches.
6. Pack those bags!

The goal is to start out your first day with 25 repetitions of each excluding the packing of the bags (those are 5 only-attempt 5!) Everyday I want you guys to add 5 more. By the time we get back to class everybody, all fitness levels should be able to successfully do 75 of each style. On the second morning you wont feel anything, but by the evening your tummy’s gonna be sore. KEEP doing them! This will reduce the pain and discomfort. I promise.

Thank you for coming and dancing with me…I enjoy it as much as you guys do! Have the Merriest Christmas yet, may God Bless and Keep you ALL! Be mindful of what you eat, step away from the buffet tables, and choose the higher in protein, less carb enriched selections. It is the season of over-indulgence, let’s not partake in that part of the holiday and end up looking like Old Saint Nick?!

Love and Best Wishes to ALL of you!!

ZumbaBevy!

Seriously, I really never had a choice. It started so innocently. One class turned into two, turned into at one point teaching eight classes a week. (I’m still not sure how I even did that!)

Eventually, I was getting better at it. I had began to learn the routines, and even with 40 something modifications, I was losing inches and pounds. And quickly at that!

The instructor I was taking it from noticed, right off the bat, that I was modifying most of the moves. People who had trouble getting started, or weren’t 100% coordinated started watching me. They were following both of us. I never intended to become certified. I was just having fun and reaping the benefits. Tauletha Chaffin, the instructor was encouraging, engaging, and when she pushed me to go get my Gold Certification, I was at first hesitant. But, she said, I could be a help to her. I could sub, and fill in when she needed it. The participants knew me, and wouldn’t run off and never come back because some stranger was teaching routines they didn’t know.

Simply it started with Gold and snowballed. Soon came Zumbatomic (children’s version), Basic 1, the true Zumba beginning, Basic 2, and Zumba in the Circuit. Tauletha is certified in all the possible ones and I don’t know how she does it. There is of course, still Aqua Zumba, and Zumba Toning. Toning is a wonderful asset, and it is next on my list. Aqua is low impact and still tons of fun, but, I will leave that one for all the Aqua enthusiasts!

Next blog….the joy of an 8 hour certification!

I know most of you that are new to my website are curious. I am going to look back, retake my journey and share it with you.

Somewhere in my past I was told I was healthy looking. It wasn’t a fact, it was a nice way to say I was fat! I spent most of my life as that girl. He never really ever said anything. He loves me “No mater what”, that’s his story and he’s sticking to it, right?! I look back at the pictures now and think, how on earth did I ever get that big? At my heaviest I weighted 218lbs, that when I owned a home scale and was daring enough to step up on it. It is quite possible that I was much heavier, I just refused to up on that scale. This is me at my heaviest, the dress was a size 20, and I could not have gotten by with an 18.

Why then did I lose weight? It was never my goal. As a nurse, I always knew what was good for me. I preaced to all of my patients. Encouraged them to walk 3-5 times a week. Eat healthy, lots of vegetables, cut out all white, fluffy, tasty foods and yet I was walking around snacking on junk food, drinking way too much soda pop and the only exercise I got was running the halls at work. Once I left the building and headed home, that exactly where I went, having a calorie rich diet and then landing on the couch to watch tv. My exercise program was nonexistent.

Then one day one of my co-workers invited me to a Zumba class that one of her friends from bowling was teaching. She only had to ask me 3 to 4 times. Finally, I did agree. Thank You Misty Taylor! What she did that day forever changed my life. The challenge of figuring out the routines was my first goal. I wanted to move like that, again. Plus, I was sweating buckets. If I was sweating that much, I must be burning fat? If I am burning fat, maybe I could get into regular size jeans? (Not the crappy, big girl ones at Lane Bryant!) So, I went back. And I began to notice the inches dropping!

Exactly how many calories do we burn? When I asked what kind of topic my Zumba gang would like, they immediately said, “How many calories do we burn in this class?” Well that depends. I thought I would take the average workout programs, activities and specific classes and show you guys.

ACTIVITY CALORIES BURNED

A brisk 1 hour walk 211
45 minutes playing basketball, say one on one 282
1 hour Calisthenics (jumping jacks, push-ups etc) 527
Tossing the Frisbee 113
20 minutes of push-ups 63
Aerobics 1 hour 452
Running @5mph (12 min mile) 395
Bicycling 10mpg Leisurely ride 452
Bowling for 1 hour 151
Circuit Training 1 hour (boot camp style) 1014
House cleaning for 1 hour 151
Vacuuming for 1 hour 188
Jumping Rope 30 minutes 263
Slimnastics-Curves like activity for 1 hour 376
Snow Shoveling for 1 hour 376
Lawn Mowing-with a push mower for 1 hour 339
Riding a stationary Bike for 1 hour 339
Wii fit Aerobic for 1 hour 226
Wii fit Balance for 1 hour 60
Wii fit Strength for 1 hour 151
Wii fit Yoga for 1 hour 53
Wii fit Sports bowling for 1 hour 128
Zumba low impact 1 hour 452
Zumba high impact 1 hour varies on individual but average 790-1016

There is your reference. That means you are burning calories when you are cleaning your house, walking the dog, or having a family bowling night. The trick to using these numbers to your benefit is by using them as a general calories burned added together throughout the day and then logging your food intake and making sure you are not taking in way too much. Let’s do an weight loss example, using calories in vs expenditures. Say you weigh 168lbs, your 5’7″ tall you want to lose 1.5 pounds a week. You would only be allowed 1,599 calories a day. However, if you want to lose weight, your going to have to eat as close to the 1,599 then get your exercise…say walk for 30 minutes briskly, that’s worth 88 calories burned and then vacuum, and dust, for one hour total and that is worth another 151 calories and let’s not forget to get to Zumba class where let’s say you burn 850 calories, you just burned 1,089 calories giving you an excess of only 510 you can still lose weight at that rate. The object is to keep your excess calories down. You never want to work out and burn you suggested calorie intake about. That puts your body into starve motion and it defeats all your work.

Be mindful of what you eat. Snack on high protein, low calorie snack. Remember those almonds, peanut butter and even a slice of whole wheat bread with the peanut butter smeared on it is a wonderful choice. Try to keep your total fat percentage under 35%, and make your carbohydrate intake to be only 25%. Because you burn protein for fuel, try to keep your protein at around 40%. Drink your water, at least 8 glasses a day. I would shoot for 10 glasses, but, 8 will do. Remember Diets don’t work. Changing our habits and the way we look at food does. Making it necessary not required is hard. Please do NOT think you are on a diet, remember, your evolving, and changing how and why you eat.

There are a TON of programs on the internet and for smart phones that help you. You can plug your numbers in, get your goals and then log your food, your exercise and most of them will chart your success as well as your hiccups. Most of them will even give you the nutrient break downs. Myself, I use the Lose it program on my iphone and I find it very handy. Recently, I joined Dr. Oz’ Transformation Nation. I highly recommend that for all of you. Not only do we get the chance to pull from his knowledge and data base of knowledge, but you get support, attention and there is a chance to will 1 Million dollars. What could it hurt to join? You might get healthy and learn something you didn’t know.

Keep up the good work. Keep moving, dancing, thinking about being thinner, healthier and happier.

Ok…we are all guilty of this! Seems there is an excuse, reasoning and rationale for everything we do. Good and bad. Why is it we find it necessary to validate our choices? And, when the choices aren’t the best ones, we come up with some really outrageous and funny reasons why or how as well as the rationale behind our choices? Maybe it’s a coping mechanism, or it could be directly related to societies view on obesity and the need to be thin and beautiful. But, why do we do this? And, at what age do we figure out how to do it? Regardless, being responsible for our choices is necessary if we want to win the “battle of the bulge”.

What are your top excuses? Let’s see if you’ve ever used the excuses below. Answer yes or no, to whether you have used this following statements. Give each answer 1 point. You must be honest! The answer is yes, if you have ever used it. If you never even thought of that then you do not score a point.

1. I can skip a meal and eat more calories at another one, because I skipped a meal.
2. Ice cream for a meal is a way to get your daily calcium.
3. Because I drink diet soda, I can have extra food or desert.
4. My mother always told me to clean my plate. (because there are starving kids in Africa!)
5. I paid good money for that food, I can’t waste it.
6. My child can’t clean their plate, so I had better clean it for them.
7. A caramel apple is considered one fruit serving a day and is completely fine to eat.
8. When eating out, I must order an appetizer to start my metabolism.
9. A salad is a salad even if it is DRENCHED in salad dressing.
10. Vegetables are vegetables, even if they are smothered in butter, sauces, or deep fried.
11. Because I worked out, I deserve a treat. Be that a huge post workout meal, sugar sweet treat or alcoholic beverage.
12. My pantry must be stocked to satisfy my family. They want the high sugar, carbohydrate rich, fattening foods.
13. I am big boned.
14. Overeating a snack food, like chips and salsa or popcorn can be substituted for a meal.
15. It’s that time of the month, I burn more calories because I need more calories, and I’m gonna gain 2-5lbs anyway, so I might as well just eat what I want.
16. Nobody will EVER know that I was hungry before I got home and I ran thru the drive thru, ate all the evidence and then found a convenient trash can along the drive home to hide the evidence. (and then I eat dinner!)
17. Diet Soda (yeah, it gets 2 questions) is a better alternative to regular soda. (and I can drink more of it because it is diet)
18. After dinner, there is food leftover. But, not enough for a full lunch or dinner tomorrow. So, you eat whats left.
19. Cake is good for you…it has milk, eggs in it.
20. Everybody knows I just love to eat.

Ok…how’d you do? If your score was higher than 15, stop it! Retuning your thinking and being honest with yourself is the first step to weight loss. Trust me, I know every trick in the book and every excuse. I could’ve made a list of 200 plus, but, I didn’t. Nobody really wants to be fat, and nobody ever wants to admit they are helpless and cannot control the one most imitate thing in their life that NOBODY else can control. Fixing your brain first is the key. I am not asking you to all become vegetarians, I just want you be aware and honest with your-self’s and when you slip or fall of the wagon of change, admit it, forget it, and start over. Every minute of everyday you have to conscious and aware of what you are doing and how to survive in this strange new healthy, thinner world. Start slow, change your brain and then begin your label reading and following the top 3 rules from our earlier post.

Honestly, I am here for you guys! Believe it or not, I continue to fight off the fat girl and her excuses, lame rationale every single day. It is NOT an easy journey, it takes a lot of thought and planning. If you are not a planner this will be a tough thing for you. Just take it slow, you did NOT gain that weight over night…It’s not going to disappear overnight. Promise yourself to stop making excuses…….

Very simply I posted a question on facebook to my Zumba Bevy followers: How many carbs vs protein have you had today?

I asked it midday, after breakfast and lunch. Only one brave soul posted a comment. Asking why I didn’t ask before lunch? Simply put, I was trying to make them think. It’s not an easy thing. We need to reprogram our thinking. Instead of wondering when we are going to eat next, we need to think about what we are going to eat. Planning is the key to that. It starts with the trip to the grocery store….where we are planning on eating…who we are with….the time of day and most importantly WHAT you eat!

Here’s are the answers….at least what has worked for me and what is nutritionally correct. Remember, the ONLY true answer to the weight loss equation is: Calories in versus Energy Expended.

1. Start you engine. You MUST eat breakfast. Make it wholesome, and nutritious. Try whole wheat toast, with a piece of fruit, a bowl of oatmeal or yogurt, then add fruit to it. I never start my day without breakfast. Not unless I have to for lab work. Make it transportable. Toast a nutri-grain waffle, slather peanut butter on it and take it along for your commute. You just HAVE to eat!

2. Carry mini snack. A snack sized baggie of almonds, a protein bar (make sure it has a minimum of 5 calories in it), an Apple, or any other portable piece of fruit.

3. Refer to the original rules, no white, fluffy or taste’s good. Reread the post, if you have too.

4. For weight loss, your daily Carbohydrate needs are only 20-70grams a day. I can almost bet you, you have reached that goal by the time you read this.

5. During weight loss, you daily Protein requirements are 70 grams a day. But you need to remember, if you are working out or have increased you caloric need by increased expenditure you need more. Your body is going to burn off the fat, it will melt off the inches. But, the cells need fuel to burn that fat off. Protein is a good source, plus, nobody has every gained weight on a protein rich diet.

6. Plan EVERY single meal. Don’t eat on the fly. Try to avoid restaurants in your beginning phases of weight loss. Unless it is your one day a week, treat. What ever you do, don’t forget your free day. But, please, please, please, don’t go overboard. Just fulfill the longings of the past week.

7. Keep snacking. Have 3-4 a day. Even plan one that is a good choice for your bedtime snack.

8. Stay away from the high sugar treats! Let’s say you headed to the movies…you CAN have the popcorn, it is very high in fiber. Leave the extra butter off, because it is NOT real butter and it’s bad for your heart health and you have wasted calories. Buy the regular soda, remember how bad the diet is for you. Better yet, take a water bottle. Leave all the other behind the glass items alone. No candy, no jellies, no chocolate…at least until you loose the first 20lbs, then you must be very careful about what you do pick. Try the no fat versions, the twizzlers, gummy bears, even raisenettes. Those are your only choices. (don’t forget you have those almonds in your purse, so you CAN snack on those!)

9. Keep you chin up. You have to remember, you did NOT gain this weight over night. It is complex and your body uses it to protect itself, and convincing your body to let go and letting go yourself is a process. I know it’s hard. But, stop and think about everything you put in your mouth.

10. Start a food log. It really does work. Most smart phones now have calorie trackers. Upload on and use it. When I used mine on my phone I discovered that I was getting 68% of fat in my diet every single day. It made me aware and I changed it. You can also use the internet to figure out what your dietary intake actually is.

In searching the web for pictures and just general information, I came across a really good website. It is resourceful and actually one of my favorites. GO and check it out at http://www.superskinnyme.com/Weight%20Loss/Nutrition/Protein.html.

Make good choices….it is one of the key’s to the skinny girl castle!

Ahhh..warm apple cider, cinnamon drifting up your nose, your hands warmed by the hot and spice goodness stirring in your mug. This can only be appreciated after you have walked for endless hours through multicolored leaves, hands shoved in pockets and trudging ahead with no real purpose. What a great way to get in your daily dose of exercise. Pick your neighborhood, the one next to yours, or I have discovered a vast variety of local parks here in Ohio. Most of the time I am looking for the coolest new playground to allow Trenton to explore and conquer, but I also pay attention to the adult details. Is there a walking path, do I have access to wildlife, nature trails, is it cozy, or suburban, where are the potties, and most of all is it accessible? Plus were all going to have to work off all those delicious pumpkin treats. (Another fall time favorite!!) The possibilities are endless: Pumpkin-pies, cookies, flavored drinks, breads, all carbohydrate enriched and full of calories.

The second thing I like about fall is the approaching first holiday. And YES, Halloween is a holiday!! Not the bad, creepy, evil kind that most people associate with it. But, a fun, artistic, mystical and magical time when you can dress up in your favorite cartoon, tv, movie or imaginary character. Some of my favorites family ones include Barney, and Baby Bop, Pikachu, Norwegian mountain girl, Harry Potter, Raggedy Anne,, and The pink fairy.I myself as always a witch! Fat, skinny, good mean, just a witch at heart!

The third fall memory is the one and only showing of The Wizard of OZ! I know you guys remember this? In the old days, it was only put on tv one time a year and the fall season was when we got to see it. There was no special addition DVD set, or a 24 hour run on TNT. I vividly remember, getting my bath, putting my jammies on and settling down in front of the tv to watch it! I love every minute of it…the characters are my all time favorite. Glinda the “Good” Witch, WWW (the Wicked Witch of the West), Dorothy and Toto,and yes, even the Tin man!

The fourth blessing to this season is the candy! Or is that really a blessing? I myself am a candy addict. My children were blessed with this gene and we all look for new and exciting candies. That being said, what do we do about trick or treat candy? I am guilty!! Years before you would see me sitting in the living room or on the porch or even at the end of the driveway with that big tub of delicious candy, munching between trick or treaters! I can’t even begin to imagine how many calories in trick or treat candy I have eaten. 2 years ago I fixed this problem! It was simple…I only bought the crap candy. You know the kind, the ones nobody wants, the stuff that ends up in the you can eat as much of it as you want mom and dad pile! Sure, that made me not so popular. I became known as the house that gave out jawbreakers and peanut chews, but I wasn’t tempted to eat them, saving myself a ton of calories. The down side to this is you may become the recipient of the Halloween Tricksters. Oh well….now you have one more hour of workout time! Cleaning up the mess and tools of their tricks is another excuse to get outside and move. Try it and save yourself!

Finding a winter workout can be hard. I will be the first to tell you that getting on the treadmill is a wonderful easy efficient workout, but, I detest the stupid thing! Standing on the treadmill, in one spot and going nowhere just gets on my nerves. I make myself do it. I find some really good music, sometimes I do my Zumba homework, playing the music and listening carefully to each and every note, getting my timing and auditory cues in place. But, most days, I just hate it. Getting outside can be cumbersome, layering up and making sure you have the right shoes on is important. There is nothing worse than having tennis shoes on and stepping onto a patch of ice. Fear or falling and breaking something is downright heart wrenching. Be mindful of the elements and what goodies they have left for you out there.

Things I hate about fall? Well, that means cold, dreary, gray winter is fast approaching. Cold toes, runny noses, and the knowledge that yet another year has swiftly passed us by. What saddens me most is when we are suddenly stuck inside and forced to find creative ways to get our 4 hour a week workout in. Getting layered up and placing Emma’s coat on and heading out is not always fun. She of course loves to plow through the snow and I just follow behind. Wanting nothing more than a warm cozy fire, my slippers and warm drink. On the upside, I get an additional workout when we get in because she is always covered in snowballs and they must be removed with warm water, which means fighting her in the bathtub, chasing her to get her completely dried off, and knowing that probably and hour to two later she is gonna want to go back out in it. We can certainly find other ways to get our exercise, right? Head to the mall…NO this isn’t an excuse to spend money. Just walk, window shop. Plan your holiday shopping trips with the maps of malls you visit and you can devise a shopping plan that can save you time and effort. Add another fitness class to your schedule. Try out a new one. There are kickboxing, flirty girl fitness, boot camps and yes, even my beloved Zumba. Just adding one class a week will make a world of difference. When I began this journey, I was only taking two classes a week. When the cold weather set in I added one and immediately I increased my weight loss. Doing what your body is used to sometimes needs a boost. So seek out an additional hour of fitness a week. There is no reason to gain the winter 10lbs! Goodness, its hard enough to hide between the extra layers and cumbersome coats.

Oh, how I wish this season was the prelude to summer….but, we will make it thru, I promise!