Getting in Shape for Summer

Nick and I are one GIANT step closer to having our workout room complete and ready for our powerful summer workouts. We recently purchased this elliptical from a friend who had decided he did not want it anymore. It was used maybe twenty times. We definitely got a deal! The only bad thing was we had to take it apart before we could get it into the house (our older house is filled with smaller doorways). Once it was in the house Nick amazingly put it back together.



The great thing about this elliptical, compared to our old piece of junk, is that we have control over the resistance (as all ellipticals should allow). It's nice to be able to push myself by increasing the resistance and the incline/decline.


You may also notice that we purchased rubber flooring. I knew we'd be lifting weights in this room and I really wanted to have protection for our nice wooden floors. Also I hate getting sweat on the wooden floors. So far these rubber floors have been perfect. They only cost about $100 (check them out!).

Now all we need is a television so I can do my yoga via Exercise TV. Right now the only television with Exercise TV is in the basement, where there is no sun. It's really hard to get motivated to go down there because it's so depressing, dark and dry.

Source: iStock Photo

When the room is one-hundred percent complete I will share a full picture. I think I may want to paint it. What are some good colors for workout rooms? Any ideas?


I also bought a much needed pair of tennis shoes for summer walks, bike rides, basketball (in our backyard), and obviously indoor workouts. I'm into New Balance. I have crazy feet and these shoes always provide great support and comfort. I bought these off of HollabirdSports.com.


And even though Nick and I are not engaged, we've started planning our wedding. So this is yet another reason why I need to work on keeping my body in good shape. I think we're going to do a cruise wedding with all of our closest friends....I'm very excited! I will keep you updated :)



Stay tuned for a post about the importance of protein. I'll still never support the recreational use of protein powders, or diets that are extremely high in protein, but my next post will discuss the fact that we do probably need more than the RDA, and that some sources of protein are clearly better than others.

QUESTION: Do you have a workout room in your home, or do you prefer going to a gym, or always working out outdoors?

By the way, I received a comment on my asparagus guacamole post yesterday morning from someone who was asking me why I felt it was any healthier than avocado guacamole, which is full of healthy fats. I just want to tell that person to go back and read my post again. Not once did I say it was healthier. The asparagus guacamole contains less calories, more vitamin C and folate, but less of those healthy monounsaturated fats, and possibly less vitamin E. For those who are trying to lose weight the decrease in calories may be beneficial, but for those with heart conditions the monounsaturated fats are a nice benefit. The last section of the post explained how it would be a good idea to use half avocado and half asparagus. Why not have the best of both worlds?!

Less Protein, More Muscle?

During my time in Pittsburgh I noticed that my abs and arms were really toned, more so than they had been prior to my trip. I thought this was strange since I was working out a bit less while away from home (although my training had me on my feet quite a bit), and I was eating less protein.

See what I mean?!....I'm ripped!

When I posted "A Candid Look At My Diet" several months ago, I recorded how much protein I consumed and it was about 1.1-1.4 grams/kg. Lately I think I've been closer to .8-1 gram/kg body weight (.8 grams/kg is the amount of protein required for a sedentary person). I've read research before that has indicated too much protein (>2 grams/kg body weight) can have the opposite effect on our muscles (our muscles will atrophy instead of hypertrophy). Perhaps I was getting too much before, and my 1.1-1.4 g.kg estimation was way off?


Ironically I also found this article a couple weeks ago, which reviewed a study that had indicated the more meat (and poultry) men and women consumed, the more they weighed (and it wasn't from muscle weighing more than fat)! I realize this isn't saying that too much protein causes weight gain, but I still thought this was interesting, considering all the recent interest in high protein diets, which focus mainly on meat and poultry.

As I thought more about why my abs and arms were all of a sudden really ripped (haha, not quite....) I came up with a few more possible reasons:


Elliptical: I had quit using the elliptical for a month because I no longer had our gym apartment's elliptical. For the month of June I had been power walking, lifting, and doing yoga and pilates. Then in mid-July we got Nick's sister's elliptical, and I had an elliptical at the hotel. It's an amazing workout and I think it's helped me get back my toned figure ;)

Moving a lot during the day: I never sit anymore. When I was working from home I did a lot of sitting (although it was on a stability ball, and sometimes I stood and used my ironing board as a desk). Now I am walking back and forth across the very large grocery store, all day!

No ice cream: The whole time I was in Pittsburgh I didn't eat any ice cream. It was rough. Could this have something to do with my increased muscle mass?? I'm skeptical because I still ate dessert every night, even though it was never ice cream (mainly Lindt's Dark Chocolate and some M&M's). I don't think I was consuming any less sugar, but perhaps I was!




Less Stress: From April through May, and even into June, I was stressed to the max. I had lost my job, and had a mortgage to pay. My rent had tripled, yet my income had plummeted. I can safely say I have never been so stressed in my life. Not to mention all the work we had to do on the house (and of course, money that needed spending). Stress causes the release of stress hormones, which can actually cause us to gain weight and lose muscle (especially women, and especially in the mid-section). Today I am much less stressed and feel 100 times better about life. I really think this has played a large role in my increased muscle mass.

Right now my goal is to stay toned and keep up with my healthy lifestyle changes. I believe the combination of the elliptical, the walking I do for my job, the decrease in stress, and the decrease in animal protein consumption is really helping. I'll ignore the ice cream theory, because I am not giving it up.

Question: Have you ever unconsciously made a lifestyle/health and wellness change?

What was your last major lifestyle/health and wellness change?