Wednesday Woot! Factor!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 02:15PM
Hey Kittens!! How is your week going? Fantastic I hope. I'm still in Lake Tahoe, heading home tomorrow! Amen, a whole week without business travel!! That's a WOOT factor in and of itself.
I am really excited to share this week's Wednesday WOOT! Factor gal, Kelly - and NOT just because she has the same name as me. Kelly's blog, Fitting Back In has been one of my favorite reads for a LONG time. This gal COOKS up a storm- always tries great new healthy recipes and plans her meals out like a month in advance. Seriously, she should have her own Martha Stewart show. I'm just sayin. Kelly is also the gal that got me started reading again- well, books for pleasure as opposed to just business. She reads and posts reviews on her site. She is gorgeous, funny, has a fabulous decorating sense, and knows what works for HER- how she lost weight and what she has to do to maintain it. Tune in and check out her blog. She rocks. ;-)
1. When did you first start working out and why? I started working out back in high school. I was on dance line and had a trainer. Loved it! Then it fell by the wayside in college and I was on and off. My weight didn’t really go up… but once I finished grad school and moved to Atlanta I slowly started gaining weight. I reached a weight I wasn’t comfortable with (post-honeymoon) in February 2008 and was like OMG – must get back down before this gets out of control. I began working out with a friend 4 days/week in March 2008 and have kept that up since then!
2. Are you at your "Happy Place" right now - meaning more of a maintenance mode, or are you still in a weight loss mode? I’m probably in more of a maintenance mode now, but would be happy to lose 5 more, but not happy to gain more. I think if I ‘maintained’ a few pounds lower I’d be happier, so it’s something I’m working on.
3. If you are in maintenance mode, do you feel that you work just as hard to maintain your level of fitness as you did to lose it? I do. I feel if anything I have to work harder because my workouts get easier and I have to keep stepping it up. I kind of long for the days of weight loss rather than maintenance!
4. What does your current workout "routine" look like now? I strive for about 21 miles/week (9 running; 11 walking); 1-2 days of upper body circuits; 1-2 ab work outs and 1 leg workout. The miles aren’t usually an issue, nor is the upper body ST. However, I tend to slack on abs and leg workouts but am getting better at making sure I fit them in!
5. What do you do for cardio? How often? I walk at 4 mph or run at 6.3 mph. I began running in January 2010 (Couch to 5K program). I could barely run a minute. Now I’m up to 35 minutes straight at 6.3 mph (about 3.6 miles) – it’s crazy how much easier running gets as I plug along! I usually walk or run 4-5 days a week (usually walk during lunch and run after work).
6. Do you workout at home or the gym? At a gym! Either the gym in my office building (small/couple of treadmills and dumbbells), the gym in my parent company’s office building (amazing; classes; all equipment) or the gym up by my casa (medium sized; good bit of treadmills and weight).
7. When did you start incorporating the tracking methods that you use(that wow me)? Did you always do it or was this in reaction to needing something more? I began doing this in September 2008 when I started the blog. Basically, in February 2008 when I realized I had gained 10 pounds on my honeymoon I began working out 4 times/week – strength training and cardio. By August, my clothes had begun to fit better but the scale had not budged. So I decided to try Spark People to track calories (I had tried on paper several times and failed miserably – too much work!). So I started this in September and literally lost 10 pounds that month. I credit to the blog + working out + tracking through Spark. Now it’s second nature. All of my meals are in the system and I can literally spend 3 minutes to track a day’s worth of food! (unless I make a new recipe – takes a bit of time to input it into the system!)
8. What about you planning your meals in advance~ is this a huge help for you in eating healthy? YES. It’s ridiculous. If I don’t have food ready, prepared and portioned I tend to eat high calorie, fattening, non-nutritious meals in huge portions. True story. I have no will power and no “I’m-full” feeling. It’s sad, really! However, I know this about myself and therefore can cut myself off at the pass by pre-planning, pre-cooking and having a lunchbox and fridge full of yummy, portioned meals!
9. Has blogging about your fitness journey helped you stay accountable? YES. There are days when I don’t want to go to the gym. But I’m like dang. I already said I’m going. Kelly O went in 10-degree weather in Chicago. If I miss today I’ll miss my weekly go al numbers. I CAN DO THIS. And I just go. And I ALWAYS feel better after I do. Every. Single. Time.
10. What do you say to those that haven't gotten fit and complain that they don't because they "can't get motivated"? I honestly usually tell them I’m sorry. Because I’ve been there. And it sucks to not be happy with how you look or feel but not have the motivation to change it. I try to tell them how I got motivated (with a buddy, with bloggies, with great resources and cookbooks), and I try to emphasize that it takes TIME. To really do it right, it is truly a lifestyle change and not a 7-day detox.
11. What about any/all of the excuses like "No time", "No money", "no gym", "no support"? I stay quiet on these. I don’t know how to help because I always think about when I found out that almost every president of the U.S. took 30 minutes a day for a workout. If they can do it NO ONE is too busy. Get over yourself. Is that ugly?! Haha sorry, my patience level is low therefore I just keep my trap shut. I just feel that it’s so something people have to do for themselves and they’ll make it work if they want to.
12. What does your "diet" look like i.e. how you eat, what is your Philosophy? My philosophy is really just healthified comfort food! I have breakfast casseroles, pizza, taco bakes, pasta – you name it, I just measure it all, use reduced-fat products, and mix it up to get in more veggies or lean meats. I really enjoy eating 3 350-500 calories meals a day and a few snacks – usually cheese/crackers, bars or treats like reduced fat cookies or dove chocolates. J
13. What changes have you made over the past several years in your diet and/or workout approach and why? My workout approach has mainly stayed the same, except that this year I took on running (in past years it was all walking – 1,000 miles in 2009!). Eating though – wow. The pre-cooking approach has definitely been a departure but I’m SO happy I did it. I love having meals ready at my fingertips. Also the food scale. Wow – it changed my life for sure. My portions were definitely too large before, and I know that for sure now!
14. What is your food weakness? Probably pizza. And French fries. It’s gotten easier but I could eat these things all day, every day! I try to make my own but sometimes it’s just not the same!
15. What is your favorite healthy breakfast? 1 ¼ egg scambled and covered with ½ slice of fat-free sharp cheddar cheese over 2 pieces of turkey bacon on an English muffin. YUM.
16. When did you start blogging and why? Really it was just another attempt to lose weight and track. It started very heavy on tracking calories and only my mom read it! Then slowly as I got more involved in the blog community and learned more things I began trying recipes, pre-cooking, working out more, reading, running and more – it’s crazy how things snowball. J
17. What haven't you done (fitness wise) that you'd like to try? I haven’t run outside. Hehe I want to try a race one day. I also would love to try indoor rock climbing, step and more classes!
18. What motivates you to keep at it? The way I feel. Do you ever just feel fabulous? Sometimes I feel like my energy levels couldn’t get higher. I just think that the way workouts and better eating make me feel impacts all areas of my life at home and at work. I LOVE IT and honestly can’t imagine working out less or eating less healthy. (I can imagine working out harder, running faster, eating more green, etc. – and this excites me).
19. Are you a morning workout person or evening or lunchtime? Lunchtime and evening – NEVER morning for me. I like to go downstairs (at work) at 11:45 a.m. and walk 4 miles OR walk 3 miles and do upper body ST. Then at 5 p.m. I like to head over to my parent company’s gym to run! (only 2-3 days/week – the other days I head straight home!).
20. What is YOUR biggest excuse that you find yourself battling in not wanting to workout a certain day? Too stressed. I’ll be overwhelmed with everything I have to do or “should” be doing other than working out. Then I tell myself how much happier I’ll be doing all of those things if I get a workout in FIRST. So I’ll workout… then go home, work more, hit the grocery store, do laundry, whatever – and I’m in SUCH a better mood.
21. Do you weigh yourself or measure yourself? Both. I weigh every day and measure every few months. I find a daily weigh helps me stay on track, but realize it’s not for everyone!
22. LASTLY, feel free to add anything that you want to share to those that might not have started working out, those that lack motivation or think they can't do it, etc. Oooh that’s a toughie. I guess for me what’s most important is figuring out what you like and what works and makes sense for you. I never set out to take a spin class each day at 6 a.m. This isn’t realistic for me both with the timing and with the activity – not a huge fan of bike riding or doing anything before 7 a.m. So I think it’s looking at what you can do, what you like to do, what you can do while you’re doing it (i.e. watching TV or listening to a book, etc.) and going from there to look at your schedule. Be realistic and honest with yourself about your schedule and physical abilities. Start small to avoid burnout and try to ENJOY it. If you don’t enjoy it or how it makes you feel, it’s likely you won’t keep doing it!
Reader Comments (6)
I love her!!
I love that she incorporates walking into her workout routine. Too many people dismiss good ole walking, but its great for you. And enjoyable :)
Lisa, I totally agree. MOVEMENT is good, regardless of the form. And clearly it's working for Kelly!! ;-)
Again.. love reading the workouts and food plans! Loveee wwf! Thx Kelly
Thanks for featuring me, Kel! You are so sweet - your intro warmed my heart. :) Seriously! Thanks again - I love your blog and these features are so fun to read!
Kelly's blog is AWESOME! That girl seriously amazes me with her energy and organizational skills! I
Kelly= (((Hugs)))) Mad love for you girl!! Can't wait to hang out IRL soon!
Marisa~ shouldn't she have her own show?? Seriously!!