#hipcentric

[patieketers]

Meta Day 4

Today was not as easy as I wanted it to be.  I suppose I could say that about most days, though.

I couldn't get my phone to connect to youtube when I was in the gym, so I did the treadmill cardio from memory.  Not fun.  I need to turn my brain off when I do cardio so I can focus on just moving my feet instead of hating it, but that wasn't possible today.  I definitely didn't do it long enough, just 15 minutes.

Transform was fine, but my knees were bothering me. I folded my yoga mat in half a few times to use as a pad under them and that helped. 

I'm just tired today.  Yesterday I got a second wind around 2pm that lasted until I went to bed last night.  Maybe I'll be so lucky today.

[patieketers]

Meta Day 3

When my alarm went off this morning I zombie-foot walked to turn it off because my calves were on fire.  ON FIRE.  I don't think I stretched well enough in the last few days, because I am ridiculously sore.  Mostly in my left calf.  It makes sense because I'm right side dominant and walk harder on my right leg usually, so my left leg is catching up.  Quickly.  Painfully. 

I'm whining.  The pain is a good "workout hurt" pain, not a "something's wrong" pain.  While I'm definitely sore, I'm still loving this workout.  It's empowering to finish.

One complaint I have about the series is that Tracy doesn't include a cool down or any sort of real stretching at the end of the Transform DVD.  That's kind of dumb, considering how much lactic acid build up is taking place during the 30 minutes of hell she puts you through.  Since I haven't completed the Cardio Dance DVD yet, I'm not sure how it ends.  There isn't any cool down or stretching on the Treadmill webisode I've been doing either, so I've been doing it on my own.  I'm going to need to make sure I'm militant about getting a good stretch in when I'm done... I may even end up doing a quick stretching video that I have. 

At any rate, I'm getting better at the reps.  This morning I did zone out a bit while doing the Transform DVD, probably because I couldn't fall asleep until around 12:30/1am last night and woke up at 5:45 this morning.  Gah.  No cup of coffee in my life has been more deserved than this one. Cheers, Tracy.

Onward.  Three days until my rest day!

[metamarthaca-blog]

It's getting easier...so don't stop the momentum

Hey y'all--I am still working my way through the first segment of Tracy's Hipcentric.  Have been alternating days of the workout only with days of running/cardio, only.  Along with making some huge changes in my diet, I've officially lost 5 lbs. in a month without being a perfect eater or a perfect Tracy acolyte.  But each time that I get down on the mat to do my Day 1-10 workout, it goes something like this:

Get through arm segment no problem--easy

Get through ab segment no problem--not difficult but I feel it working and I like it.

Get to right leg segment --since buying this program, I've usually had to stop in between each different move circuit and taken a rest (ie. cry in pain and wonder why I bought this dang program in the first place). Now that I have taken up doing this workout more consistently again, I have been challenging myself to do the first two move circuits without stopping, then taking a break, doing the third, taking a break, and doing the fourth.   Today was the first time that I did the ENTIRE right leg segment without stopping!!!!  Made me want to finally be consistent and do the mat workout the way I'm supposed to, 6 days in a row!  It's interesting to see how much I need to feel like a success in order to be motivated to do more.

Get to left leg segment--my left leg is weaker than my right as it tires out more quickly, I find.  Have not been able to do this leg's exercises without taking breaks, but can do the first two without stopping and even went into the third before taking a break today.  YES!

So maybe I will be up at 6:15am again tomorrow to do my Day 2 (again) but to make it count.  Every time I stop, or stay out late, or get distracted and then don't follow up with my workout, I lose my momentum.  There is a saying: how you do one thing is how you do everything.  I see how I have this pattern in my life with my study habits, etc.  If I can figure out why I move that way (maybe it has something to do with being a Cancer crab?  Crabs move sideways.) then it will affect change in all areas of my life.  So that is the real question.  What is it about stopping momentum that is attractive to me?

[metamarthaca-blog]

Hipcentric, Day 2

Hey ya'll--woke up at 6AM today to work out (YES, I DID--UNHEARD OF FOR ME.  I am not a New York City morning person...).  Did Tracy's cardio for 20 mins on the floor and then switched the last ten mins onto the trampoline. I got winded a couple of times and had to stop a couple of times to rest today.  Not sure if it was the waking up early and still feeling sleepy or if my muscles were just tired from the day before...

I had some minor soreness in my legs when I woke up but nothing crazy.  I REALLY felt the ab workout today as opposed to yesterday.  Again, couldn't get through the leg series on either side without stopping a few times, but the left side is able to take more than the right still.  

Had a shower and then ate my Ultrameal Shake, this time with frozen organic raspberries instead of blueberries.  Was yummy!  I still craved my chocolate croissant with it's light golden and flaky pastry, but...I digress...Falling out of love with food and into like is part of what this process is all about.  That, and managing my stress levels.  I am an emotional eater.  My problem is not so much overeating all the time as it is indulging my bad moods and anxiety with fatty foods and simple carbs.  

So far have had two cups of green tea and I am munching on a Think Thin bar for lunch.  But I'm going to cut those out too b/c they have a ton of soy in them and I think I'm allergic.  When I eat too many of those things, I get canker sores.  Will grab a soup from Hale and Hearty (although I am dreaming of a hot dog from Shake Shack today for some reason...I NEVER eat those!).

Pics and recipes later babes, hope all of this helps you in your process somehow.

[metamarthaca-blog]

New Year and New Method

Wow.  It has been a long time.  I really disappeared from here and from the process of taking on my fitness regime.  For this, I sincerely apologize....not just to all of you who started following me, but to myself as well.  I see how much the mental part of working out and eating right matters--more than the actual "doing" parts of the process.  If you don't have the right mindset, you can forget about long-term success.  When it comes to anything, really.  

I am back, people.  I am going to document stuff here for you like I never did before, for your benefit and mine!  Pictures, food journal, exercise journal, inspirational quotes--you name it, I will BRING IT!

So here is the newest "first" post of what I intend to be many:\

Day 1 - Hipcentric - 1/2/12

Did Tracy's cardio on the trampoline.  It's amazing how much better this feels on your knees and ankles. I am not sure that I am getting the same exact cardio benefits but I feel a lot better afterwards.  I think cardio on the floor is definitely a more taxing workout and you can't do all of the jumps and steps on the trampoline (since mine is one of those small round ones that you can use indoors), but I am going to mix it up and see what happens.  I did 35 minutes of cardio today.  Started the sequence again to see how far I could go with repeating it.  Didn't stop once.

Did the Hipcentric workout (Days 1-10) right afterward.  It was challenging, but not crazy.  I definitely had to stop the DVD a couple of times doing the leg series and rest for 20-30 seconds.  Oddly enough, sometimes I had to stop because my upper arms and shoulders were sore from holding my body weight up for so long.  The lateral side knee raises and extension are killer.  The lateral side toe tap and knee raise hurt too but not as much for me as the lateral side knee raises.  Also, my left side seems to handle the workout better than my right so far.  

Not doing Tracy's diet, it's too extreme for my taste.  I tried it the first time around for a week and felt horrible on it.  Here's what I ate on Day 1:

Breakfast - Ultrameal Shake with Metafiber (made by Metagenics, you can purchase it online), frozen blueberries and 1.5 cups of unsweetened Almond Breeze vanilla almond milk.

Lunch - 1/4 cup brown rice hot cereal with water and a little light agave syrup (right after working out)

Snacks - Think Thin Chunky Peanut Butter Bar, 1/4 cup raw cashews, 1 small organic granny smith apple from Trader Joe's.

Dinner - 7 White corn tortilla chips, 16 Kettle Cooked Lays potato chips (these are like crack for me and I have to cut them out, but the fiance was having them with his lamb burger, sitting right next to me on the couch and I couldn't resist).  1 1/2 servings of Adzuki Bean and Shitake Mushroom Soup (homemade, will post the recipe in a separate post--full of protein and the adzuki bean has great healing properties for the body as well), 1/2 cup dice cucumber and 1/2 of a small avocado.

Had at least 8 glasses of water too.  Was a good start!  On to the next one....

[metamarthaca-blog]

(THE REAL) DAY #3 AND DAY #4

Hey Everybody--have been busy with work and EXERCISING the past few days, so that's why I haven't posted. I am on Day #5 today and will post later about that. Today is my hump day, of sorts. Before starting Metamorphosis I was going to the gym around 3 times a week, doing Zumba classes mostly for my cardio. I could never seem to get past that 3 time mark and the thought of doing any weight or strength training was really intimidating to me. Some people love doing weights and strength training and despise the thought of heart-pumping cardio. Me, I am the complete opposite--I love the high of my heart racing while I'm trying to create something that's beautiful and inspiring to watch. That's why I've always loved to dance. I used to study modern dance here in NYC at Dance New Amsterdam for many years, but stopped when I acquired a chronic IT band injury. Stopping (and aging, I guess)has led to my current state of fitness (or non-fitness). It's always been amazing to me how one can weigh the same but have it look differed on your body. I weigh the same as I did a few years ago, only now I'm a size and a half larger.

In any case, Day #3 was good--I went to class with my favorite Zumba instructor, Irena, and then I planned to jump on the train, get home all the way uptown where I live, and do my MS. Sadly (very sadly), this did not happen. I ended up getting stuck in midtown, waiting an hour for a train that never came. Finally, I got out of the subway and walked ten blocks to the next stop--all in all, it took me TWO HOURS to get home. By then, I had only had a protein bar as am emergency snack due to my starvation setting in and I was very hungry. And very tired. So I got some Chinese food with my babe and then went to sleep.

Day #4 was great, I came home and did both my MS and cardio and felt fabulous. Kept up with the diet more or less too. I am eating her week two diet of two hard boiled eggs in the morning with a cup of fruit and then doing a bar for lunch. However, I am adding snacks in after that like fat free Greek yogurt (which is high in protein), fruit, some slices of grilled chicken, etc. I tried to last on that bar until dinner a couple of times and it was too hard. I don't know how anyone does it without getting mad grumpy and/or tired. It's not enough food. For me, at least.

[metamarthaca-blog]

MEASUREMENTS (THE CURVY TRUTH)

Left thigh: 24" Hips 41" Left arm 9 3/4" Bust 35 1/2"

[metamarthaca-blog]

(THE REAL) DAY #2 HIPCENTRIC METAMORPHOSIS

Ok, I'm back from D.C.--what a relaxing and great weekend with my good friends Maria and Celso!  I really needed it.  Just like I really needed that piece of creamy camembert Saturday night.  And the gelato Saturday afternoon.  And the delicious red wine that we all shared over the weekend.  I must admit, I had a few indulgences here and there, interrupted by healthy breakfasts, lunches and dinners.  I did not workout at their house as I had planned.  Brought the DVD's and the clothes, schlepped it all over on the Vamoose Bus but nah, it just didn't happen.  I did catch up on my sleep though and did get to re-connect with two people who are very dear to me, so I am allowing it.  They say that hindsight is 20/20 and I realized over the weekend that I really shouldn't have started the program that regimented the day before I had to work 12 hours straight and then go away for a weekend.  It just wasn't realistic.  So here I am, on (THE REAL) Day #2 of my Hipcentric program.  Had an apple for breakfast and a pear later on in the afternoon.  Lunch was a BLT sandwich with a salad (not fries, but even so, this was a bit indulgent of me.  Had such a craving for the bacon!), water, perrier, and two mugs of green rooibos tea.  Then I came home and had a handful of almonds and 4 dried prunes.  I have to say that the name isn't appealling, but those things are delicious.  They are the fruit equivalent of dark chocolate in my book.  Try it and tell me I'm wrong--happy to debate the qualities of the prune with whoever dares.

And then...I did my full Tracy Anderson workout in the living room.  Cardio and then the muscular structure.  Had to pause it a couple of times during the MS part, felt the burn and couldn't push through...yet.  But I'm proud of myself and my goal is to do both for the next five or six days straight.  I am planning on waking up extra early tomorrow to do my MS exercise before work and then tomorrow night, I'll hit the gym for my favorite Zumba class.  It's 45 minutes of INTENSE Zumba cardio, completely comparable to Tracy's cardio workout (with 15 extra minutes!), so I feel good about that.  I think that this is how I am going to be able to make it happen over the next 90 days, a combo of both.  Now I'm going to have a piece of broiled chicken thigh with lightly boiled carrots and broccoli in some vegetable broth.  I am going to use her diet as a guideline and will eat plenty of puree over the next few days but I'm also going to add some more protein to avoid the fatigue that I had last week.  Thanks for reading and I'll post my measurements when I'm done eating in a bit...