Battle Lines Are Drawn!!

In this corner we have the medical term Obese.

In this corner we have the societal term Fat.

In the middle is were I stand, trying to avoid either or both of those terms sticking it to me as they duke it out.

Here in the United States it is a far greater stigma to be in the corner with Obese than it is to be in the corner with Fat. In other countries, however, it is just the opposite.

For me, I had to find a balance in which neither one of those words were a stigma. Basically I took away the power of those words to make me feel bad about where I sat in my current health and fitness goals. That doesn't mean those words will lose all power of negativity; they remain painful if someone decides to use them to purposefully be mean and cause hurt. Yet, in my own personal journey, coming across those words and finding them applied to me in some way is no longer a stigma.

It is all in what the word means to you. The word has the power you give it, nothing more or less. It is just a word.

So lets start with de-stigmatizing the word fat.

Fat. I have it. All over my body. Some places more than others. It is natural to have fat. Fat is a part of us. Everyone has fat. Some of us have more than others. Excess fat can cause and worsen the effects of thousands of ailments we all suffer from. Excess fat can also be seen as a social stigma.

My goal for my overall health is fat loss. I replaced the word weight with the word fat to remind myself that fat is the focus, not weight. Fat loss can happen because of muscle gain, which imparts no noticeable weight loss. Fat loss is what makes my organs healthy. Fat loss is what drives away a myriad of diseases my family members all suffer from.

Not too hard to de-stigmatize it when you look at it this way.

De-stigmatizing the word obese was a little harder.

The first time my beautifully fit doctor handed me information on fat-loss and then said, "we have to work on your obesity," I was taken aback and offended. Sure, I was a little over-weight, maybe even fat, but I wasn't obese!

I told my friends who chanted with me, "you are NOT obese."

I was though. That is the crux of the whole issue.

To determine obesity doctors use a calculation called Body Mass Index (BMI).  BMI is a number calculated from a person's weight and height. BMI provides a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems.

That is it, plain and simple.

At the time, based on calculations from my height and weight, my doctor was alerted to the fact that I was in the obese category. The doctor, knowing that I do not yet suffer from any of the ailments being in that category can afford, simply went into preventive maintenance mode and handed me some information on fat loss.

The BMI is based on averages and wasn't designed to fit everyone perfect. It was designed to say, "on average, in this size body, with these levels of fat, (or even on the other end of the spectrum focusing on levels of not enough fat), people typically are at risk, or greater risk, for certain ailments and chronic diseases." The people who do not fit into these averages are the rarity not the norm. Most people are categorized correctly within the BMI scale.

What we have to start seeing is that being obese does not mean all those negative things that are running through your brain right now. Being obese simply means you are in the highest category for possible suffering from fat related health issues, most of which are chronic and easily avoided with just a minimal (10% of your current body weight) loss of fat.

If you find yourself one of the few whom BMI just doesn't fit, then no problem. Let it go that you are labeled  in the obese category. You already know you don't need to focus on any fat loss as it doesn't apply to you.

As well, if you are in the obese category legitimately do not beat yourself up. It is not a negative label, it simply is a way of measuring your risk for many of the health related issues that can be caused or are due to excessive fat.

Do not look at the BMI as a weight goal or as the total amount of fat loss you should focus on. That is not the intent. The BMI is instead a knowledge tool that helps you maintain your focus on the importance of losing fat - your overall health.

Will this help anyone else? I'm not certain. I know for me though, pulling out the emotions and looking at the crux of the issue really has helped me; tremendously. I don't want to live a life that is only survived by handfuls of pills and Wheel of Fortune as I become aged. So, I use all the tools and terms given me to aid in ensuring I don't!

Speaking of, we are halfway through our "Do Life" challenge and here are this weeks motivational challenges!

1.) Now that you know and are meeting your caloric range, have removed some bad habits, and added some good, - well know it is time to focus on WHAT it is your are putting in your body. This weeks challenge is to take at least one (but maybe try all!) meal you eat from a box or can, (or a meal that you make with items from a box or can), and find a recipe so you can make it from scratch ingredients!

2.) Go to the toy aisle of a local shop and find one toy, in your price range, that requires physical activity. Buy it. Now play with it at least 2 times this week! It doesn't have to be expensive or require a lot of exertion either. As long as it motivates you to play for 10-20 minutes! Well ... HAVE FUN!!!

Bonus Challenge: (I didn't change this one up from last weeks to give us all a second chance to focus on some SLEEP!) Remain exercising to the videos I shared or your own fitness levels and goals for at LEAST 30 minutes a day at LEAST 3 days a week. Spend at least 1 day in a 20 minute meditation AND here is the new and important and most challenging aspect - get AT LEAST 7 hours of sleep per night the entire week! Whew! That is going to be a challenge for me.

~TigressSky~

Where is your focus?

This image has become major motivation for me recently. My entire life I have said, "if it is not something you would want your kids to do than don't do it."

Now, I don't have kids, but it doesn't make the statement any less true regardless.

Throughout my life I have witnessed a fair number of adults smoke, drink, curse, eat unhealthy, and participate in all number of things society deems children should be "protected" from.  All the while watching these same adults hide these very things from their kids; with the guise of protecting some level of innocence, (which is truly only ignorance), the child may have in regards to the "topic" at hand. These are the same parents whom always say, "my kids think I'm so dumb, like I wasn't going to know they were doing something they shouldn't..."

Well parents, kids think and know the exact same thing. They know the bad things you are doing and hiding from them. Difference is they don't understand them. Yet they do understand enough, by the way you are treating it, to know they certainly can't talk to you about "it".

Yet, that point runs us down a different slippery slope altogether. So let's get back on track here ...

Here we have miss Britany Spears doing one of the most strongly admirable things of her career - showing you how she really looks as compared to how we normally see her: photo-shopped.

In other words: STOP comparing yourself to the media driven images of beauty - they don't even exist!

The same thing goes for that number in your head. The number in your head you are obsessing over. The number that means you are finally fit and trim. The number you are using as the ultimate measure of your success. STOP IT! Stop using that number to determine your success or failure - that number will never equate to your expectations!

Now take these two concepts and FIND a value driven motivation that you would share with your kids; regardless of if you have kids or not.

Examples? Well how about:

- Hanging a dress you want to wear this summer in a prominent place and trying it on every now and then?
- Measuring your moods on days you successfully meet all your health goals compared to those days when you don't?
- Measuring your energy level on days you successfully meet all your health goals compared to those days when you don't?

- Complete your first or fiftieth 5k or other physical challenge!
- Try out a new healthy recipe every month and build a cookbook and monthly menu that make you feel proud.
- Do at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.
- Reward yourself with non-food motivated items - new clothes, toys, go see a show.
- Grow something yourself! Maybe it is just a couple herbs in the window, maybe you tackle a whole garden in your yard.
- Make time for relaxing activities like stretch focused yoga, meditation, reading, or writing.

Whatever you do stop making this about the unattainable and start focusing on what being health and fit "feel" like. That is what is important, not the scale and most certainly not unattainable falsified images of beauty.

Comparison analysis, like the two suggested above, are always very helpful in understanding this point. Even if you just do it for a week, tracking your mood and energy level throughout the day helps one discover, with a high level of certainty, what it truly feels like to be healthy. That feeling for each of us is of course truly personalized - so it is important to try and take the time to discover it for yourself - it is so worth it and it gives you so many more truly effective things to focus on.

Which brings me to this weeks "Do Life" motivational challenges:

1.) Now that you know your caloric range, have removed some bad habits, and added some good - well it is time to meet your caloric intake diligently all week long. Do not go over it and try to stay as close to it as you can. This may mean eating more or less than you are use to, but try and make that calorie count daily - let's see what that really does for our progression. Make sure you are getting your water intake met!

2.) Park the farthest away from the entry door ANY place you go! This one sounds simple but it could have huge impact. Studies show that just adding an additional 10 minutes of activity to your regular routines in everyday life could equate to a loss of 25-50 pounds of fat per year! So, if you park far away and opt to walk in - well, those extra ten minutes will get added to your everyday life quicker than you think! Try it!

Bonus Challenge: Remain exercising to the videos I shared or your own fitness levels and goals for at LEAST 30 minutes a day at LEAST 3 days a week. Spend at least 1 day in a 20 minute meditation AND here is the new and important and most challenging aspect - get AT LEAST 7 hours of sleep per night the entire week! Whew! That is going to be a challenge for me.

I was going to have you not use your scale at all this week, but I realize that it is one of the tools we are using during this entire challenge. So keep looking at it that way, just a tool you have in your arsenal of tools to help you measure and remain accountable for your goals. Yet do not let that number on the scale be the end-all-be-all in your health journey. See it, acknowledge it, and then move on!

This week we will rock!!!

~TigressSky~

Just Breath

Ugh! Another week of misses.

I missed making it to my morning work outs at the gym ... ALL WEEK LONG!

I missed eating healthy following a 90/10 rule ... about 4 out of the 7 days this week!

I missed reading the first book on my list this year, Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, for 30 minutes a day ... only managing to read 4 pages so far!

I did however manage to practice my guitar, play the drums, craft with friends, walk and play with Pants, and practice singing this week ... most of the time for at least an hour or two at a time!

It's now the beginning of a new week which to me does not mean some sort of fresh start. I poo-poo on that whole idea. What it does mean though is that I need to get a better focus on my health and fitness or I am going to find myself lost in the rabbit hole of wonder and confusion again soon. I have all the tools I need, I just need to start using them ... again!


I am having a hard time finding my motivation and drive to focus on my health and fitness right now. I know why; I have so many other pressing emotional things running amuck in my life right now. I feel like I have been thrown topsy-turvy and I am trying to figure out how to get back on my feet again in so many realms of my life ... and yet so many aspects seem absolutely right. It is just a matter of all the change I have gone through in the past three years and how to understand the new me I am becoming.

Knowing that I am going through so much right now is what has kept me from absolutely kicking my own ass for not maintaining the fitness and nutrition standards I had set for myself just a year ago. I will get back there, I just have to figure out what my new life routine is going to be and make sure fitness and nutrition are a large part of it.

I can do it!

With that said here are this weeks motivational challenges for those of you participating in the "Do Life" mini-challenge with me:

1. Now that you have been watching what you eat for a few weeks. Adding new things and trying to eliminate bad habits lets figure out what our calorie range is and try to stay within it! Follow this link: Calorie Calculator - and find out what your caloric intake should be. Try and meet but do not go above that intake, (seriously it may seem higher than you expect but try and meet it), and do not go below 1200 calories (for women) and 1500 calories (for men). (This is a simple calculator more advanced ones can be found by searching yourself or, what I still highly recommend is to, join SparkPeople.com and get a more accurate range to stay within and a great place to track your food at.)

2. I did not change this goal from last week because I thought we might all like one more week to meet this goal!!! :) Attempt to be able to perform one thing physically that I never thought I could by the end of the week! Some examples could be: doing one full pull-up without assistance, walking/running a longer distance/time than ever before, doing more sit-ups/push-ups/mountain climbers/etc. in a minute at the end of the week than I could at the beginning, etc.

BONUS: Do one of the video challenges I previously sent 3 times this week - they are only 20-30 minutes long so they should fit well what we have already been doing. So since we have already pretty much been doing this what is the "bonus?" Well, add in one more day, but, this time spend your 20 minutes in meditation! Here is a very simple one to work on for those of us, (like me), who suck at this!

So get out there and kick some ass this week!! I know I'm going to try!!

~Tig~

A week for greatness!

Well this week was a downer for me. Getting up in the morning is not easy when you have a puppy that gets you up 2-4 times throughout the night. I only managed to get up in time to hit the morning workouts 3 times this week. She is getting better though, and the past couple of days I managed to ignore her a couple of times and get her to lay back down and sleep. I hope this will help her get use to staying quiet in the bedroom for the 6-8 hours I actually try and sleep!

We shall see.

This is Pants! She is a born runner!

Also conspiring against me meeting my fitness goals is the cold and dark. These two really lend in sapping any inspiration I have to run with Pants after work. However, the light is returning, so soon enough it won't be dark when I get home. That should help inspire me even with the cold. Cold and dark running on streets without sidewalks is not really my cup o' tea.

Neither are excuses for not running. Which I seem to have a ton of lately ... ugh.

I recognize that it is my responsibility to make the changes I want to make. To become familiar and customized with the habits I want to successfully add to my life. To choose health and wellness over depression and sickness. I have tasted the nectar of what feeling and being beautiful mean to me and I want to thrive on that honey again.

So starts week three of my version of the "Do Life" challenge.

This week I will push myself for greatness!!!

Here are this weeks motivational challenges:

1. Add one healthy thing to your overall health/diet/fitness that you never thought you would do and do it each day. Be that eat carrots, run intervals, lift weights, dance with your kids, meditate for 10 minutes, read a chapter from a book each day, etc...

2. Attempt to be able to perform one thing physically that I never though I could by the end of the week! Some examples could be: doing one full pull-up without assistance, walking/running a longer distance/time than ever before, doing more sit-ups/push-ups/mountain climbers/etc. in a minute at the end of the week than I could at the beginning, etc.

BONUS: Do the following workout video 2 times this week, plus work out for 20-40 minutes doing this video or something else you would prefer 2 more times this week, for a total of 4 days in which you workout for 20-40 minutes per day!

If you choose the video the substitutes for the high intensity level of each exercise is:

WARM-UP SECTION -

Side-Squats: Instead of the hop just step to the left, do your best squat, stand up and step the right, do your best squat. Repeat.

Jog in Place: Do this at the intensity level you can maintain. Jog on and off, or walk in place if you cannot jog the entire time.

Knee-Ups: Do these without the jump to lower the intensity if needed.

Up & Out Jacks: Do these without the jump to lower the intensity if needed. Instead of jumping do toe taps in and out. Tap your left toe out, bring it in, tap your right toe out, bring it in, repeat.

Slow Butt Kickers & Arm Swings: There should be no need to modify this, if there is though leave the arms out.

Butt Kickers: If you need to modify, continue doing these without the jog/jump switch-up, just step in place instead.

Lateral Jumps: Rather than jump just step side to side. Slow the motion down to your comfort level.

CARDIO INTERVAL -

Burpee w/Leg Raise: When you do the burpee go slow, bend forward, place your hands flat, step back into push-up position, hold for a second, then bring your feet forward, raise yourself up and lift your legs as high as is comfortable to each side.

Flutterkick Squats: Again, just slow this down. Step forward and back slowly, then squat.

Double Butt Kickers: Do the single butt kickers at a jog/run or, if that intensity is still to intense, just do the single butt kickers with a gently rocking side-to-side step motion instead.

That should do it! The rest is up to you to take on!

~TigressSky~

Resolve!

Did not get out of bed in time to make it to the gym this morning. Did get out in time to make it to my living room though!

Today's living room workout:

In this workout I had to do a couple modified versions of the exercises: 

Cross Crunch Getup - I did not do the opposite arm to opposite leg as I could not balance myself on a single arm. Instead I just crunched up, raised myself up, held and went back down.

Mountain Climbers - These are my nemesis. I had to take 15 second breaks rather than 10.

Butt Kickers - I attempted the double butt kickers but never did manage to get myself high enough to do them. (Someday though.) So I switched to single leg butt kickers instead.

I forgot to put on my heart rate monitor though, so I am not positive what my full calories worked is but I assume it was about 300. These interval training workouts are always more intense than you ever expect them to be. Next time I don't make it to the gym I will do two videos to get a full hour in!

For part of my new year resolutions I wanted to make it to the gym every weekday morning before work for at least an hour as well as run with the dog for 20-30 minutes every evening when I get home. I am setting myself up to not fail at this endeavor.

What do I mean by that? Simple. I am not starting off at that level - because I am not at that level yet.

Instead, I have focused on trying to accomplish these things each day as the day comes. I used Excel and made a tracking document for all of my resolutions. I broke it up by weeks, Monday through Sunday, so that if I manage a full week of success for my goals then I can reward myself in some form. Each day I mark down which of my goals I accomplished. Then, at the end of the week I can review what I did well and what I was not successful at. Allowing me to try something new the next week to try and reach my goals.

By the end of the year, my hope is, I should no longer need a tracking document as I will just do everything by habit!

I think the way I am approaching my resolutions this year helps guarantee success. I don't feel overwhelmed and yet I still feel accountable to reach my goals.

I hope you all are reaching yours!

~TigressSky~

Small Successes

This week was not the success I was hoping for. Most of that is because I have been sick all week. Coughing fits are making it a nightmare to really plan any consistent physical activity. Taking meds, which knock me out, so I can sleep through the night without coughing make it nearly impossible to wake up at 4am and make it to the gym. I am hoping this week - now that the constant congestion building mucus has broken and my lungs are just busily dispelling the old gunk - I will be able to make it in every morning and get myself back into the groove.

This week was not a total failure though. I did manage to diligently track my food all week and drink at least 48ounces of water a day. I only made it to the gym twice, yet when I did I pushed myself with heavy weight lifting and 30 minutes of interval jogging on the treadmill. I also managed to lose 2 pounds of fat!

This really helped me to recognize that my biggest problem in making this work is nutrition and managing my diet - not necessarily my physical fitness. Even without the gym I walk 2 miles a day - one mile to and one mile from work. I also take my dog for small walks to the park and play tug-o-war with her in the evenings.

So it is that my bigger focus is currently on managing my diet appropriately and getting that back under the control of habit. As soon as I have that accomplished I will start pushing myself physically again. Because I also know that the body I love came from a sufficient combo of these two things in my life. I have bigger goals than just losing the fat! Although I honestly can't say what they all are right now ... they are there, brewing in the back of my brain, just waiting for the moment to take over and lead! I can't wait to let them and make room for more!!!

This is the second week of the "Do Life" challenge I am managing for a small group of friends and me. I am waiting to see more results reported today, but I have already come up with our motivation challenges for next week. If you are interested in joining us here they are. You can pick one to try or do both:


1. Cut one bad habit out this week and replace it with one good habit. Now this can just last for the week as a challenge or you can try and do it from this point forward. Point is, try something challenging because you only have to commit to it for one week! so why not?

A few examples of things you could try: stop drinking soda entirely and replace that with a healthier choice (or the healthiest of choices water), stop getting a latte everyday and switch to a flavored americano instead, stop watching as many hours of television and replace that time with reading a book (or writing your own!), etc...

2. Attempt to be able to perform one thing physically that I never though I could by the end of the week! Some examples could be: doing one full pull-up without assistance, walking/running a longer distance/time than ever before, doing more sit-ups/push-ups/mountain climbers/etc. in a minute at the end of the week than I could at the beginning, etc. -

Bonus Challenge: Continue to work out for at least 20-30 minutes a day for four days this week, with at least one of those days focused on intense interval training. Meaning that you spend at least half the time (10-15 mins) in a high intensity training zone for at least 1.5 to 2 minutes at a time. For 20 minutes that will be 4-5 reps of high intensity intervals and for 30 minutes that will be 6-7 reps of high intensity intervals.

Whatever it is you chose to try to accomplish - be it one of these things, both of these things, just the challenge, everything and the challenge, or something you want to focus on - share with someone what your goals are so they can help cheer you on. Studies prove that sharing your goals makes you feel more accountable for them and therefore helps ensure you are that much more successful!

That is what it is all about - achieving your goals and finding your own success!!!

~TigressSky~

If you are interested in joining us and sharing with us you can find us under Tigress Fitness on Facebook or Google+. You can also click the links below to be taken directly to our pages. We are a small group so you won't be overwhelmed by posts or messages - just find a small group of others trying to achieve the same goals!

New Year, New Me!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

It has been 4 months since I have posted anything. In those four months I have lost everything I gained - health and fitness wise that is. Although my personal and professional life have gained so much, I cannot complain. It was a focus trade off for awhile and now I am ready to get my health and fitness back into the mix!

How about everyone else?

I assume we are all starting this new year off with some health and fitness related resolutions. I know I am! Goal right now is to lose the 15lbs I have gained by my birthday, June 1st. I came up with this goal using SMART goal setting metrics and feel confident it can be achieved. That is, it can be achieved if I go for it!

GO FOR IT!!! 

So it is I came across Ben's start your year off right Do Life Challenge! Now, Ben's challenge had everyone weighing in this week and and starting a kick-off to health journey together on Monday. Each week Ben would provide some fitness/motivation challenges for that week to help keep everyone on track. Whoever lost the most by the end of the month wins. The only problem with Ben's challenge is that to participate you chip in $10 - which is going to be used to pay for the prizes at the end.

It was here that I decided to create my own challenge and present it to my facebook group, also called Tigress Fitness, as something we could do in our group. There would be no fee, we could share each week things we accomplished - be that fat loss or a new health or fitness goal achieved. We wouldn't really be competing with each other, we would just be doing it together and cheering each other on!

Today I posted our first fitness/motivation challenge and I am cross-posting it here in case anyone who reads
this is interested in joining us.

I came up with two, you can choose one or try both! Whichever you feel you would like to do.

1. This week I will focus on getting at least 48oz (6 cups) but preferably 64oz (8 cups) of water drank per day!

-and/or-

2. This week I will focus on getting at least 20 minutes of activity but preferably 30 minutes of activity in per day. This will be activity that must get my heart rate up. If I think about exercising in "Heart Rate Zones" I will ensure the activity keeps me in the range of 3-4: meaning I can carry on a conversation but I am still reaching a point were breathing requires more of my focus.

And as a bonus challenge - I will do my activity in interval form and spend 1 to 2 out of every five minutes pushing myself to a 7-8 or 9-10 heart rate zone during that 1 to 2 minutes. At a level 7-8 you cannot talk while you are working out, you are heavily focused on the activity at hand, your breathing is intense. At a level 9-10 you are at your max, you have trouble breathing because you are reaching an anaerobic state, a minute or two can feel like a lifetime here.

Remember, healthy fat loss comes at .5 to 2 pounds per week. Some of us may see great fat loss results. Some of us may see no fat loss results. This is a challenge we are taking with ourselves, having friends here to motivate us along the way! So, at the end of the week, when you report in, find at least ONE positive thing that came out of your week to share. You will get something out of it! I promise. :)

So, if you want to join us and report in on your successes in the next post, please do! I know come Sunday I will have at least one positive thing to report. I hope you will too!

One more thing though ....

Just wanted to share a chart of Heart Rate Zones to help clarify a bit what I mean by levels 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 so you have a picture of what I mean. Everyone's level of fitness will be different so the amount of effort we each put in to reach each of these levels will be very different as well.

1-2: Is something you could do for hours without really feeling stressed, the blue recovery level.
3-4: Is something you can do for 20-30 minutes (most likely an hour) with a small amount of sweat, able to hold a conversation, still getting breathy, the pink fat burning level.
5-6: Is the lower end of the purple target heart rate zone, this level allows you to have a conversation but not very well, you are more concentrated on breathing and the activity at hand.
7-8: Is the top end of the purple target heart rate zone, this level doesn't really allow for conversation but you can still get a few words out here and there, your breathing and activity are your biggest focus.
9-10: Is the top of your game. You really cannot sustain this level for more than 1 or 2 minutes, you cannot talk at all, and you feel like you cannot breath, this is because you are in the red anaerobic training zone.

Heart rate training is one of the best ways you can achieve your goals.

If you have a heart rate monitor you can keep yourself in your target zones by keeping track of your number of beats per minute and keeping yourself in that zone. If you find yourself above the zone, then slow down or stop using your arms - below the zone speed up or add in more exercise.

If you want to monitor your heart rate by hand you can as well - but it is never very accurate. Take a 10 second pause once you have reached the highest point in the intensity level you think you should be working at. During that 10 seconds find your heart beat and count the beats per second. Multiple that by 10 and you should see the jist of the heart rate zone you are in.

I find it easiest to just use the 1-10 scale and allow myself to judge it by how I am feeling. Although, admittedly I have invested in a heart rate monitor and I did find I was never really pushing myself enough when I worked out just judging by the scale method. 

Anyway you do it, it still works! So just do it! Please? :)

~TigressSky~