i feel sore

i'm pretty wimpy by most people's standards, i mean when it comes to free weights i max out at like 5 lbs, 7.5 lbs on a good day on each arm... or a maximum of 20lbs on the overhead press machine (thats the lowest increment you can possibly do!) so in the spirit of getting into shape, i'm going to force myself to do more weight training with Chris in an attempt to move a step up from wimp...it may or may not work, but after Sunday's weight lifting and cardio combination filled Sunday I'm feeling pretty positive about it... i also continued with my new found love of yoga on Monday nights to stretch my poor aching body out and i'm still loving it...Julie on Monday nights at the Rockefeller center nysc is fantastic! shes not an overly spiritual yoga instructor which is good for those of you that don't like the whole Buddhist monk thing or the meditation thing...she tries to get you to focus on the movements and the breathing that will enable you to get into deeper poses and to just in general help you find a better sense of self being i suppose...it's really good...i'm still a beginner but i can see myself doing this for a long time from now...

in terms of fitness progress, i have plateaued, i can very safely say i've been the same weight for what feels like 12 months now..granted i fell of the wagon a little during the holidays and then getting back into the groove and in the midst of planning my wedding gaining zero weight isn't so bad...considering my dress has been fitted through the first rounds...i shouldn't be changing my body too too much...but toning up a little never hurt anyone...so i've set a small goal for myself to lose 5 lbs by my wedding day...i know i can do this, its only 5 measly lbs! and i'm technically borderline overweight for my height according to the BMI chart...

so even though people keep saying i've gotten thinner (it might be muscle mass and not weight loss who knows) the numbers on the scale have not been budging...i must step back into a minimum of 4 days of working out combined with a lower fat diet...this may help...my portions are actually pretty good and my daily caloric intake is just right too, that or im kidding myself haha, we shall see on my next fitness update in a couple of months.

Workout Changes

on the heels of F's post on her new workout/dieting update, prompted me to update on my own workouts as of late as well...if you'll remember from before, i planned on incorporting more weight training into my workouts to get out of this plateau situation...and I have! i'm starting to see more muscle definition (well more muscle definition than i've ever had before anyway) and i'm feeling great! but the bigger change i've made is, i started YOGA!

i dipped my foot into yoga previously but to be honest, i was not very good at it and i felt rather silly doing all those weird poses etc...but monday i went to a yoga class with my MOH G, sucked it up and finished the whole class (the instructor was really good!)...and i have to admit that i felt pretty great afterwards, the more amazing thing was i was already sore from my workout the night before, like my butt and thighs were so sore it hurt to walk up stairs (f'real i'm weak sauce) but after the yoga, i was still sore but much more bearable...but what i didn't anticipate was the soreness in my middle section, back abs, ribs, shoulders the next day, all of that was SORE FROM YOGA! so i vow to do at least one hour of yoga a week, i think it will help me all around.

i haven't been losing much weight but i definitely see my body changing in a good way...happy camper!

note: can't lose too much weight otherwise i won't fit into my dress! mom already had to take in some, so altering too much will change the integrity of the dress and we can't have any of that right?! :)

Masala Bhangra Workout

in my last post you will remember my ongoing losing battle with fat burning...but thankfully because of masala bhangra the battle has become more bearable...about a year and half ago, one of my gfs H asked me to join her in one masala bhangra class at our gym (new york sports club) in exchange of her coming to one of my hip hop classes...considering i've always been a bit of a failure when it came to belly dancing classes i did NOT have high hopes i will excel in this indian workout class...but i went anyway because thats what girlfriends do for one another... after the first class i was HOOKED! i LUUUUUURVE IT!!!

what exactly is masala bhangra workout you may ask?
Masala means spicy and bhangra is a type of indian folk dance, traditionally a man's dance, Sarina Jain created a workout that truly gets your body pumping! there are some bollywood moves, traditional indian dance moves and MASSIVE CARDIO, it's awesome!!! seriously! check it out at www.masaladance.com, i promise you won't be disappointed.

since then i've been religiously going to classes and i even take the classes with sarina herself...she's wonderful... i've taken a number of my other gfs and they always have positive things to say about it...

so if you're looking for a new way to burn fat, i highly suggest getting yourself into some masala bhangra :)

Working Out and Eating Right for THE Big Day...ok not really...

many women will go out of their way to step up their workout regimen and dieting before the big day...i want to say i'm one of these people, but sadly i'm really not

before C and i started dating nearly 7 years ago, i weighed approximately 125-130 lbs...for 5'2.5" thats really not exactly a skinny minny, but 20 lbs down from my freshman in college weight which was hovering around 150-160, in hindsight i actually felt the healthiest at this point in my life, i did a lot of cardio kick boxing and i also ate very healthily/balanced meals...high in vegetable intake and healthy proteins like fish and chicken mainly...throughout the history of our dating though, the number on the scale slowly started creeping back up towards my freshman days! can we say DEBACLE?!?!?!

after 6 years of relationship bliss, the ever expanding waistline well...expanded...
(oh god i can't believe i'm posting this...)

the big whammy came last year when i went for a physical and the doctor informed me that i was getting a bit too overweight and unhealthy for my age, so i started reverting back to a healthier version of myself...i started working out more, lots of jazz, hip hop, bhangra and cardio classes approximately 3 times a week...and healthy eating thanks to my gay husband/diet nazi B pushing me...i'm at about 140-144 these days, i yo-yo a little bit every now and then but i've been in this range for about 6 months now...heavier than my healthiest but definitely WAY healthier than i was 12 months ago!

september 2008
(recent engagement and healthiest i've been in a long time)

ideally i'd like to lose another 5-7 lbs, so i've started adding more weights and ab exercises into my regular work outs...i think its working! i'll update you again in about 5 months from now haha

but until then, keep those numbers to yourself! a lady never reveals her real age OR her weight, but i guess i just did on the world wide web...nevermind!