Livestrong.com

I am using an amazing website to set my goals and track my progress!
Is this necessary? No.
Could I just keep a notebook? Yeah.
Would it be as cool if just used a notebook?  Hells no!
Livestrong.com  is SO useful.  There are thousands of articles and tools that I have been using.

On Livestrong I set weight loss goals, find out what my caloric intake should be to achieve my goals, track the food that I eat and my workouts. At the end of everyday I can actually see if there is balance in my food intake and the calorie burn.

Do yourself a favor and check this site out.  It really has everything that you could EVER need.  Seriously.

There are other websites out there. I have some friends that use Weight Watchers Online and there is also the Jillian Michaels site.  Browse around and take your pick. Most of these sites also have mobile apps which I love!

Bottom line. Tracking your progress can really be useful. Also, seeing your progress in print can give you a big boost! I personally LOVE to see that down slope on the graph!!

I'm not naturally good at eating healthy...I am a bad snacker. Using Livestrong has made me think twice about the snacking and the kind of food that I eat.  I love to enter my workouts and see the "calories burned" number rise. Its all about what works for you and this site totally works for me!!

Need to Know: Target Heart Rate

This little journey that I am on is teaching me so much!

I know that things have been slow on the blog but I am keeping a note book of all the things that I want to share with you guys.  Please stick around and I promise that you will be glad you did. 

Today I want to share what I have learned about the importance of knowing your TARGET HEART RATE. 

You target heart rate is 50% {low intensity} to 85% {high intensity}of your maximum heart rate. 

Here is a simple chart from the American Heart Association:

MEASURING YOUR HEART RATE
I Wear a heart rate monitor when I work out.  This one...

I really love it! I programed my target heart rate range and at any point during my workout I can touch the top of the watch and get a reading.  

You don't have to have a monitor...
You can just do it the old fashion way.  It's just as effective!

There is more to it than just working out in that 50-85% range. I recently learned that there are "Training Zones".

Did y'all know this?? I did not..

TRAINING ZONES
Warm Up - 50 - 60% of maximum heart rate: The easiest zone and probably the best zone for people just starting a fitness program. This zone has been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol. It also decreases the risk of degenerative diseases and has a low risk of injury. 85% of calories burned in this zone are fats!

Fat Burn - 60 - 70% of maximum heart rate: This zone provides the same benefits as the healthy heart zone, but is more intense and burns more total calories. The percent of fat calories is still 85%.

Cardio- 70 - 85% of maximum heart rate: This zone will improve your cardiovascular and respiratory system AND increase the size and strength of your heart. This is the preferred zone if you are training for an endurance event. More calories are burned with 50% from fat.

You can customize your workout based on these ranges and what you hope to gain.  I personally spend an hour in my target heart rate. I spend about 15 minutes in Warm Up, 15-20 in Fat Burn and then about 30 in Cardio...more if  can!

OK. That's what I have learned! 

**Information for this post was compiled from lots of googling, wikipedia, The Walking Site, and Real Simple Magazine!

Stick with me...

Please don't abandon me.

I have so much to share with you.

I have so many posts lined up for you...I just need to write.

Yesterday I had a little surgery.

Learning to live a healthy life isn't my only priority.

The Mr. and I have started another journey. 

We are trying to start a family and have had some difficulty.

The surgery that I had brought us one step closer!

Anyway, surgery=downtime and downtime=writing!!

I am writing up a storm!!

Stick with me...

Feeling Good!!

First...

{via}

All of you.

It was really hard for me to put myself out here this

 way and I have gotten so much support!

I appreciate each of you!

Second...

I feel A-maz-ING!!

No. Lie.

I can't recall a time when I felt better!!

Now...

During the week I struggled a bit. 

OK...a lot.

I was sore, tired and had no time for anything else.

However, by Friday I was ready to rock! 

Will offered me a free pass {Anniversary Weekend and all...} and I turned him down!

I actually felt like working out...weird. I know. 

I didn't just want to do the minimum either.  I wanted to push past my usual limits. 

I did. It was incredible. 

I sorta wanted to die. 

Maybe even throw up. 

It felt great. I was sure I would die...

and I didn't. 

Not only did I not die, I was up and ready to roll the next day!

I think I might be getting how people can really be exercise junkies.  

I really do feel better. 

This really is taking up a lot of my time.  I had zero social time with friends and no time for blogging or other social networking.  This was hard for me.  By mid week I was getting pretty down and grouchy.  

I realized something today though.  I saw some of my friends.  They still spoke to me and they are still my friends.  I am not giving them up.  I just need to focus.  Establish some healthy habits and get in to a routine.  Then the workout schedule can be more flexible.  I can even include them.  My point is that I can have both...my friends and my health.  No sacrifices need to be made here {unless of course you are counting Oreos as friends}!

Anyway, I wanted you guys to know that I am busy working it!  Working on being healthy and happy.  Working on having my cake and eating it too...with my friends!

How are you doing?  Is it hard for you to find time to balance things in your life? How do you do it?

My "in house" Personal Trainer

Will has made me an offer that I can't refuse!  He offered to be my personal trainer!!  He has designed a work out that has me working out most everyday.  I am giving him in a month and if I see results then I have to continue to let him push me. I am nervous and excited.  Excited for the progress that I know can be made and nervous because I promised to keep this crazy workout schedule (crazy because my workouts are so sporadic).

I can do it. 

I know this.  I know that I have it in me.  Plus, Will loves to workout and he has promised to stay my side and work with me (even if I get annoyed and try to shove him off the treadmill).  We have only been at it for a few days but having him support me this way is amazing!

Basically, I am on a rotating schedule...
Relaxing walk - Sunday
Lower Body w/cardio - Monday
Upper Body - Tuesday
Yoga (stretching) - Wednesday
Core w/cardio- Thursday
Cardio- Friday
Saturday- make up (just in case I wanna blow off one night...which we all know that I will)

Having a schedule makes it easy to stay committed. Like, if I didn't have a work schedule I would probably end up procrastinating and doing projects last minute or trying to cram all my hours in at the end of the week.

Structure.  I need it. Bottom line.

Thanks Will for helping me with this.  Just know that when I am swearing at you tomorrow because I can't walk...that what I am really saying is "thank you and I love you".