"Don't you think you should stop now?"

Yesterday I put in a killer hour and a half at Fitness World West, it was awesome! I love it when I am able to put in the ultra effort without Trainer Traci along for the ride, I always feel empowered. Though I certainly wouldn't give up my time with her for anything.

I went out with Lori and Linda last night. We went to dinner at Raccoon River and then next door to Little Big Fest at the Hotel Fort Des Moines. It was a American roots rock event. We only went to see one band, Jim the Mule. (I've mentioned them before, they are very, very good.)

After the show we went to Zanzibar's and on the way there Linda asked me if I was done losing weight. I said "no", I have a ways to go. She seemed concerned. I assured her, I still weigh 153 pounds at 5' 4", I still have fat to lose and more muscle to put on. While I may appear to be skinny to her, (and to a number of others who have expressed concern) I am not.

I am losing weight healthfully and slowly, the only way to do it and keep it off. I still have at least 25 pounds of fat to take off. That being said, once it is off and the muscle is on, I may end up back at the weight I sit at now. And that's o.k., it's not about what I weigh, it's how I feel and how my clothes fit.

So, no, I don't think I should stop now. But I will stop trying to lose at some point and then I will go down the road I fear the most - Maintenance. That's the place I will be the rest of my life and I am looking forward to building a lovely house to grown old in there.

Yours in fitness, Kate

Traci's weekly Tips for bettering your body:

1. Tired of running, try the elliptical for 20-30 min instead. You'll get a great workout w/o the impact.

2. Do cardio 30 min plus 3 times a week do start.

3. Change up your routine to keep your body guessing.

4. Eat lots of veggies! Take some to snack on throughout the day.

5. Exercise of the week: Dumbbell Row
Lat Pull
4 x 15 with your reg routine

Find Traci Here.

I'm headed to Fitness World West to see her myself.

Yours in fitness, Kate

Kate Monster

Went to "Avenue Q" last night at the Civic Center. It was one of the funniest (and naughtiest - two words, I coined this myself - "puppet sutra".) things I have seen in a long time. There is a character named "Kate Monster" who bears a bit of a resemblence to me. It is now my new nickname at work because half of the building was there as well.

None of them realize the part that really hits home, about struggling to find a guy to date. (But that's a full-on blog at a later date.)

Before the show, I ran into one of my best girlfriends who I haven't seen in months. We're both apparently very busy. :) It was wonderful to see her, but at first she didn't recognize me and that was even more wonderful.

Linda and I have known each other for ten years, so I didn't think twice about walking up and putting my arm around her. She looked over, startled and just stared. I smiled thinking I was just surprising her by being there. She told me the truth was, she was trying to place my face! That was a surreal moment. One of my dearest friends had to take a long beat for me to be familiar, I never saw that coming.

I was one happy monster.

Yours in health, Kate

My New Shoes

Here they are.

I have been running in a pair of Brooks the last 7 months, it was time for a change and these are lighter. I ran on the treadmill in them this morning. I was running short on time, so it was only a mile. They felt o.k. I am going to do a longer run tomorrow to see if I can work the kinks out. If by Tuesday, on my third run in them, they haven't smoothed out, I will have to return them. But, as long as I don't wear them on the street, Fitness Sports has a reasonable return policy.

I really want them to work, because they feel great when I am just walking around and they are actually a decent color for once. My last two pairs have been highlighted by bright yellow and electric green. These are purple, much better. All right, being a bit of a girl there. But when I can combine being a girl and being an athlete, it's nice.

Yours in fitness, Kate

Shoes and bras

I would love to be more creative with the title of my blog post, but well, that's what today has been all about. It's Saturday and I am running around trying to catch up on two weeks worth of errands I have put off.

This morning it was running and pilates. Then on to shopping with my mom. We did serious damage at Jordan Creek Town Center and I got her intrigued by the idea of Rockin' Shoppin' Eve. (Shopping the day after Thanksgiving starting at 12:01 a.m. see HERE for more.)

Two things were bought to reward myself for my continued diligence in working out and losing weight. Two pounds this week, bringing my total to 107. I purchased a couple of pairs of beautiful and cool shoes for work. They were on mega sale - half price! And I snagged a new sports bra.

The later I needs to take a moment to encourage you to do as well. Until I started running, I wore a cheap, seemingly solid sports bra from a discount chain. The first time I ran, I nearly knocked myself out - the "girls" were everywhere. The funny thing is, once upon a time, that would have stopped me from trying again. Instead I invested in myself and bought a heavy duty, for the well endowed sports bra. It made it possible to run comfortably. But it also did something else.

A few days after I bought it I read an article on why women need good sports bras - sagging and stretch marks. That's what is caused by not having enough support when you are doing jarring exercise. Now, if yoga is your thing, wear whatever is comfortable. But if you are walking hard, running, on the elliptical or an endless number of other cardio options, smush those girls against you to skip undo damage.

The other thing I need today is my overdue reward for the 5K - my new running shoes. So, that's where I am running now, Fitness Sports.

Yours in fitness, Kate

Traci's Tips - 11/9/07

Well, I early this morning my abs finally got sore from Traci's workout the other day. Today she killed my abs again and grinned all the way through it AGAIN. She's lucky I like her and think she is brilliant, because I wouldn't take joy like that from just anyone. ;)

Here's Traci's weekly column to help you do it on your own:

1. Biking is great to work the legs and get a good cardio burn without the impact on your knees and ankles.

2. Don't go hungry before a workout. Be sure to eat something for your body to burn. Good foods before working out are generally protein and carbs.

3. Go for Green Tea instead of Coffee. Less caffeine, plus antioxidants.

4. Limit your fat intake and take supplements to aid in getting vitamins your body needs!

5. Exercise of the week:
Bicep dumbbell curls standing on 1 leg
Tricep Kickbacks
4 sets of 15 with your regular routine.

Thanks Traci!

Well, I am going to bed now, so I can get up and be ready for pilates tomorrow at Fitness World West.

Yours in fitness, Kate

Food for Thought

Ewww. I just read this article. It is an in depth reminder of how far I have come. As well as, how far away from health our country, especially our children, has gone.

Daily I learn more about what is in food. The more I learn, the less I want to know.

Knowing now what I put in my body well, frankly, it makes me queasy. For example, one of my all time favorite meals was the #3 Extra Value Meal at McDonald's - Quarter pounder with cheese, large fry, medium drink. I would eat this one or two times a week minimum 'back in the day'. (Why am I not dead?)

The breakdown:
Quarter Pounder with Cheese –
Calories – 490
Fat – 26g
Saturated fat – 12g
Trans fat – 1.5g

Large French Fry –
Calories – 570
Fat – 30g
Saturated fat – 6g
Trans fat – 8g

Medium Coke Classic –
Calories – 210

Grand Total –
Calories – 1270
Fat – 56g
Saturated fat – 18g
Trans fat – 9.5g

Well, holy cow! (Literally)

You see the average, healthy, person should take in about 2,000 calories, if they are active and no more than 65 grams of fat. I was by no means healthy or active when I was piling this in, that is just sad.

The pathetic thing, I knew. We all know. I just didn't read nutritional information then, because I didn't actually want to have to look at the truth. I was slowly killing myself.

FYI - These days I average 1400-1500 calories a day and no more than 30g fat a day. Please note: everyone is different, be sure you ask a pro for help when you are getting started.

So, I know you want to know, do I eat fast food? A couple of months ago I would have said, in a pinch with the nephew in tow, yes. What would I have? McDonald's - Fruit & Walnut salad, I would skip the yogurt and eat only half of the walnuts to keep the fat and calories down; side salad with low fat vinaigrette, using less than half of the packet. Wendy's - baked potato with sour cream and chives, no butter, a lot of carbs, if you are watching that kind of thing. (I don't, a calorie is a calorie, unless you are diabetic.)

Do I eat fast food now? No. I know too much about it and how even veggie burgers can be made bad with refined flour buns and trans fat cheese. I have tried going with friends and looking long and hard at the menu, but I just can't make it work. Instead I will just grab water and eat my nutrition bar I always take as a back-up.

I can't tell you what to eat. But I will say this, putting thought into what you put in your body is an act of self-respect. By eating better you prove that you like yourself and the better you feel and look, the more you like yourself. It's very much a circle. Just a little food for thought.

Yours in health, Kate