Twenty-seven and counting!

As of today I am proud to announce that I have lost a combined total of twenty-seven pounds thus far! Even though I am ecstatic now, I have to admit that this didn't seem like such an accomplishment to me initially. I automatically thought on how much more I have to go and started reflecting on how I should have never allowed myself to get to this point in the first place. Luckily, I reminded myself that this new lifestyle is no longer about my past but about my future. I didn't get to this weight overnight therefore quite naturally it will take me some time to lose the excess amount. I am deeply touched with the amount of support I have received. For the first time I truly realize that in some kind of twist, I have gained an " audience". That is to say that previously, the only people who I figured were REALLY paying me any attention were my family, friends, and the gym instructors. Man was I wrong! I have had total strangers who have seen me running on the indoor track cheer me on and tell me that I can do it. I have even had people to tell me that they have been watching me since I started back in October. It's amazing to see that they can actually tell me where I've lost inches! The best feeling I have to say is when I get to speak with others who wish to change their lifestyles for the better as well. If seeing me all sweaty  and giving my all in Zumba makes you want to try to reach for your goals, then by all means do it! I'll even be your little cheerleader in the corner of the room with the glow sticks. Ha! In all seriousness though, I consider myself blessed. To think, not too long ago I seemed to always be sick! I dealt with tons of swelling, constant pain, and a bit of depression. There, I said it, DEPRESSION. That was something I never wished to let anyone in on except my husband. Well that's all behind me because now I feel nothing can stop me! Until next time,

-SKBarnes

Cleaning the secret workout

Here I am at home completely worn out. Why you ask? Simple. I have literally been cleaning my house from top to bottom. Why must I wait for Spring to do a thorough cleaning? *shrugs* I'm not even quite sure on how I got started but something in me literally just wanted to get rid of any unnecessary junk from the previous year. Before I knew it my house was completely unrecognizable and I'm left utterly worn out. Recently I downloaded the free My fitness pal app on my smartphone. You can find out if your phone is compatible and download it here. "My Fitness Pal"  So just for fun I decided to see if I could actually count my house work as a workout. After I'm sore and completely drenched! Come to find out, depending on your weight, one can burn anywhere between 385 to 462 calories an hour. It feels great knowing that even though I couldn't physically make it to the gym, I was able to do my workouts. (^_^) Until next time.

-SKBarnes

When to hydrate and when to replenish?

Hey just checking in with an update. I know some of your are probably wondering why on earth do I not post on a daily basis? This is mainly due to the fact that more or less I am still involved with the same activities I listed earlier in the previous year. I naturally just assumed that you all at home would get bored of me writing, "Zumba today was fun lol." Anything really that short sweet and to point I just post on Facebook. I digress. Not too long ago I noticed that even though I was consuming plenty of water, a gallon on many occasions, I would feel drained. This later turned into me feeling quite ill and became dehydrated! Dehydrated! How could I be dehydrated when I was consuming so much water?  Up until this point I had made an attempt to stay away from all sports drinks because of how bad they have been made out to be due to the sodium and sugar content. I later came to the conclusion that it's not about omitting one choice but about when to choose one over the other. You see, on days when you choose to do light to moderate exercise, up to one hour, the better choice would be water. During that time, the only thing your body is looking to replace is water. Now on days where you strive to go the distance and push it to your limits, high-intensity or prolonged workouts, a sports drink would often be the better choice. You see, the sodium that is found in sport drinks assist your body by helping it hold on to the fluids that are normally lost through perspiration. Also, unlike water, sports drinks contain calories as a way to replenish energy. You can read more about it here. . Drinking Gatorade vs Drinking water. What I have now started doing is either, on days where I plan on doing more than one class, bring one bottle of water and one sports drink or I'll mix half and half. This really helps me because I get to cut down on the sugar and sodium without suffering the taste of the "diet" sports drink. Ha! They can keep that! Until next time.

-SKBarnes

Holidays! o_O (updated and revised)

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! On one hand I'm enjoying the holidays but on the other I can't wait for all this to end! I just wanted to come over here and make a quick post. As far as working on the weight loss so far so good. I was actually able to lose weight for Thanksgiving. Right now I'm averaging around 2.25 pounds per week. I just really hope that I can keep this up. Due to a family emergency I was unable to go to the gym this week. No use talking about getting into all of that. All I can do is get back up and work again. (12/17/12)


I finally got my internet back up and running so I decided to come back online and edit the travesty that was my "smart phone" post. LOL! You know, looking at myself now, I am noticing that I am beginning to look a bit different. I actually am catching myself taking double takes in the mirror. I almost look foreign to me. Recently I have been experiencing other changes for example I celebrated my 26th birthday on the 8th. Also my first year wedding anniversary was on the 5th! Other activities include but were not limited to seeing that the world didn't come to an abrupt end plunging all of humanity into oblivion or what have you, family get togethers, church, and the schedule changes at the Sportsplex. I'm glad to report that I did not gain any weight during Christmas. I didn't lose any either but my main goal was to not gain. 2013 is right around the corner and the funny thing is I've already got people asking what my new years resolution is. I just smile and state that "I'm already doing it." (^_^) Until next time. -SKBarnes (12/28/12)

I want to work out, not stress out!

     Hello it is I again. I know long time no see. I ask if you will to please forgive my absence. Per request of my husband I will not go into full details but long story short, I am finding myself to be under a great deal of stress. I am sure that there are a great number of you who have heard that stress in itself can trigger cravings and lead to weight gain. I am noticing an increase in cravings and crankiness but I have still not completely derailed into an all you can eat frenzy. Maybe a soda or two but nothing like a buffet or an entire cake! What I wish to know is what can I do to escape it? Mentally, if I could  I would be working out constantly but the body alas can only do so much. It decided to demonstrate that this week when I started experiencing some knee pain. (It's better now! (^_^) ) Believe it or not at one point I was feeling as though I wasn't doing quite enough until I stopped and actually took the time to evaluate my typical schedule. I mean when you view television shows depicting the lives of  people who are dropping  tremendous amounts of weight in the first few months, and I on the other hand so far have only lost 15lbs, you can easily start to question if you are really doing enough. As of now, this is what my schedule is currently looking like.
     Sundays, if I am unable to get a ride to church due to the fact that it is not local, I take a yoga class (1 hour). Mondays will either be aqua-boot camp or Zumba (1 hour each). I have gotten to the point where I love both trainer's classes so much, I have begun to alternate the classes weekly. (I love all my trainers really, I just don't have a class that I don't like!) (^_^) Tuesdays consists of Body Pump and Zumba back to back (2 hours total). Wednesdays are now rest days due to the fact that yoga was canceled. On Thursdays I take Body Pump and a belly dancing class. (2 hours total). Then I wrap up my week on Fridays with Zumba (1 hour) and Zumba Gold (45 minutes) back to back in the early in the morning. I also rest on Saturdays. I can see why lately I have been having some friends call me insane. To that I'm going to say the same thing I say to my husband when he calls me weird. You knew that when you met me! I love you anyways. (>_<) LOL!) So taking all of this into account, what is the issue? Is there a certain stress inducing chemical imbalance that physically is not allowing me to let the weight go? I do not wish to find some "special" diet pill. It is hard enough taking vitamins everyday as it would seem that  I tend to be a bit forgetful when it comes to taking any medicine/vitamins.Hopefully, this is temporary. Until next time.

-SKBarnes

Buffets are NOT my best friends

     That's it! I've tried and failed miserably. It is official. I have to avoid buffets. Initially, I had all of the right intentions. "I'll just go and stick to the salad, poached salmon, and maybe just maybe a few piece of sushi." WRONG! That good intention sooner morphed into "Maybe I'll just grab one potato wedge." "A little bit won't hurt besides, it's a buffet and I want to get my money's worth." before I even reached the table! Ughhh! Good intentions down the drain. This got me to thinking. Is it really a good deal if it effects your health in the long run? Now bear with me a bit and just think about it. If you eat excessively because you feel it is a "good deal" and your body just stores it as fat, isn't that the same as just wasting it? Looking back on my younger years if I was blessed enough to get invited out to eat, instinctively I would attempt to eat all I could until I was full. Let's be honest, I didn't know when I would be able to eat this well again. I mean I would literally look at food, see dishes and think I have to try everything because I may never have another opportunity to try this. Quite honestly in most cases this was true. I mean even the school lunches from time to time would appear to be an upgrade. Now, I am not so much complaining as I am attempting to put this all in perspective for you. I mean you did what you had to do to get by. You live and you learn. I mean it would have appeared as if I were absolutely greedy and selfish if I had attempted to eat multiple times a day when a family of five were on an extremely tight budget. Also we, meaning my two younger brothers and I, were always told to eat everything on our plates. That THIS family NEVER wastes food. This would then be followed by a three to four hour lecture on how the children in Africa have nothing and how we should ever be so lucky to have a chance to go to a buffet. As a matter of fact, our dad would actually take our drinks away until we were full. Then and only then could we get our sodas. I so am fighting to flip that now! That is to say I am striving to have a glass of water with every meal and to recognize that it is alright if you have left-overs. It's actually a good thing. Most portions at restaurants are really two servings anyway. I just have to remember it is all a learning process. Until next time.
-SKBarnes

Seek help when you need it. Don't wait!!!

Sorry for the late post. I was actually pondering on whether or not I should include this but I had decided long ago that I wanted to speak on all of my experiences that took place while attempting to lose weight. Well, recently I noticed that when it came to exercising, especially with high impact cardio, I would begin to lose my breath. I just figured it was because I was overweight. After all after about 15 minutes or so into the routine I would be fine. The problem was after I had completed my work outs. The transitioning feeling would go something like this. "Ah! Why am I doing this? AM I CRAZY?!?" to "Oh, yeah! I've got this! I am definitely coming back to this class." Then I would have this great since of accomplishment with the most amazing feel good high. No real issues right? I didn't think so either. I'm sure just about everyone who works out thick or thin falls into something similar to this but that is neither here nor there. Now, let's fast-forward this another 20 to 30 minutes. This is typically when my body has pretty much cooled down. At this point, I am having difficulties in breathing. My chest is tight, I'm wheezing, and I feel like I just have the worse chest cold in the world! I should have went to the doctor then but on the account that the seasons are changing to fall, I just assumed my body was attempting to catch a cold. I just took some medicine and called it a night. Now, I am going to be completely honest with you. I really am not one of those people who just loathe going to the doctor. It's just that I  currently do not have health insurance. Plain and simple. Now, getting back to what I was saying earlier. This continues on for about a week or so getting worse every night until two nights ago. I regret to inform you of this, really I do but I was suffocating. I began to panic. Largely due to the shock of realizing I had stopped breathing for a moment while I was asleep. I scrambled for the bottle of Primatine Mist. I had this from sometime ago and figured I wouldn't throw it out. It had helped me breath when I was congested and the expiration date had not passed on it. Also, I have always wondered why they discontinued/banned this product but it was the quickest thing I could get to that would provide some since of relief. I hate the burning sensation. It makes me feel like I'm a smoker but it helps temporarily. However at this point,  I was way too afraid to go back to sleep. The very next morning, which in all actuality was only a few hours, my husband and I went to Urgent Care where the doctor immediately put me on a breathing machine. I informed him of what had happened and how I only have serious congestion issues when the seasons change from warm to cold and vise versa. I later found out that some people have E.I.A. which is exercise induced asthma. I also was informed about why the Primatine Mist wasn't available anymore. Apparently, some people had died from over using it! I am definitely considering myself lucky at this point.  He prescribed some medicine and a fast acting inhaler to prevent this from happening again. I want to let you all know that I am fine and I can workout like I normally would if not better. (^_^) Funny, I am feeling kind of emotional recapping all of this. Please, if any of you notice anything out of the ordinary, don't wait like I did. Please, seek help immediately. No doctor's bill is worth your life. Until next time.

-SKBarnes