Back In the Gym

Hey everyone!

Went to the gym today after being MIA for 2 weeks! #dontjudgeme Although I've been doing light workouts at home, jogging in the park and swimming with my children, I haven't stepped foot in the gym since I've been back from Miami. It felt good to go today and get back into the groove of things.

Although you don't need to go to the gym to stay in shape, for me I just feel like my workout is more structured when I'm there. I stick to my 30/30 workout (30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of strength training), get my hour in and go home. It's just that simple. Since I'm not trying to lose that much more weight (around 5-7 pounds), I've cut back to working out 3 times a week and I'm just watching what I eat. Knowing that I've already lost the bulk of my weight, I feel less pressure about losing these last few pounds. I'm still cautious about my eating and snacking habits, I'm just not obsessing over it like I used to. Oh, and I've ditched the scale! *chucks up the deuces* I'm weighing in once a month now and just relying on the fit of my clothes to tell the story. No more letting the scale control me.

How is your weight loss journey going? Weigh in below in the comments section!

 

 

Corrin K. Jones

twitter: @SweatHeartBoss

 

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Final Weekend Weigh In: The Big Reveal!

Hi everyone! As you know, I've been working hard for the past 3 months to shed this extra weight before my trip to Miami, but even more importantly, for my health and wellness in general. My initial goal was to lose 25 pounds but I ended up losing 21 pounds. Although I didn't meet my goal, I'm very proud of myself and what I was able to accomplish. I can definitely see the difference in the way my clothes fit and I see a big decrease in my belly fat. 

I'm smiling from ear to ear as I write this, not just because I lost the weight but because I proved to myself that I really could do it. Being a mother of 4, I've been struggling to lose 'baby weight' for several years and I'm so proud that I finally made the commitment and stuck to it. Here are a few things I learned during this journey: 

1. There's NO magic pill. You have to put in the work to get the results and its just that simple. You can't expect to lose weight if you aren't willing to exercise and  eat healthy.

2. Fad diets are not the answer.  Last week I tried a new fad diet called 'The Military Diet'. It's a strict 3 day diet that I wanted to try to lose a few extra pounds before my trip. Although I lost 5 pounds in 3 days, I gained back 2 before my weigh in. It's a quick fix if you have an event coming up but it's definitely not a long term weight loss plan (in my opinion). Fad diets are for the short term, temporary weight loss but in order to see long term results you're going to have to make long term lifestyle adjustments. 

3.  Don't be a slave to the scale! The scale can be very deceiving because it doesn't show the full story. There were weeks I lost no weight and would beat myself up, even though I could clearly see a difference in my physical appearance. I was just so stuck on the scale that I couldn't see anything else. I'm learning now to judge my progress on the fit of my clothing and how I feel as opposed to what the scale says. So, no more weekly weigh-ins for me. It's stressful and can be just as discouraging as it is rewarding. 

4. Have someone hold you accountable.  Blogging about my journey weekly has helped me tremendously. Knowing I had a responsibility to keep you all updated really kept me motivated. Even when I didn't have the best results to report, it only made me work harder for my next update. Whether you're blogging, journaling, having a weight loss contest at work, find someone who will hold you accountable for your goals. It's easy to set a goal and keep it to yourself so that if you don't meet it, no one knows (been there done that). However, if you share it with someone, you're more likely to stay on track and meet your goals. Accountability is the key to success. 

When I started blogging about my journey in April, I was nervous about sharing my story with others and afraid of failing. Now, 3 months later, I'm so happy I didn't succumb to my fears. I'm more confident not only in my appearance but in my abilities to achieve whatever I put my mind to. I just hope I was able to encourage someone else to do the same. 

Thanks so much for following me on this journey and taking the time to read my weekly updates. Although I won't be weighing in weekly anymore, I'm still going to continue my healthy eating abd exercise regimen. I'll also be blogging about different recipes, work outs and other healthy lifestyle tips. 

I'll be back next week with a full report on my trip to Miami and The Mrs. Carter Show! In the meantime, follow me on twitter (@SweatHeartBoss) and Instagram (@Shopsweatheart) for motivational quotes, pics and other random foolishness (because I like to laugh). Thanks again and have a blessed week! 

Corrin K. Jones

A Family Affair: 'Insanity' Workout Testimony!

My cousin, Orien Carter, of Vision Possible, LLC www.visionpossibleevents.com is also no stranger to the weight loss struggle (must be in our genes). She recently started doing the famous 'Insanity' workout beachbody.com/insanity-workout-dvds, which prides itself in being the 'hardest workout program ever put on DVD' (which has always intimidated me), and she has seen amazing results so far! She sent me the following video today and it has inspired me in so many ways. I am very proud of her for all that she has accomplished so far and all that I know is yet to come.

Check out her video below to read her story and see how 'Insanity' combined with healthy eating has transformed her body! I hope this inspires you all as much as it has inspired me. Thanks for sharing O!

Corrin K. Jones

twitter: @sweatheartboss

Weekend Recap: Four Miles and an Oreo Cookie Face Off

   So, between nursing my daughters through a stomach virus, housework and having a face off with a pack of Golden Oreo cookies (get to that in a minute), I still managed to get in some exercise and eat healthy!
 
   The weather was beautiful this weekend so I decided to take advantage of that and exercise outdoors as opposed to hitting the gym. I absolutely love working out outdoors whenever possible. Something about the fresh air, nature and the scenic landscape really motivates me as opposed to the monotony of the treadmill at the gym. #noshade Now, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the gym it just bores me sometimes so I like to switch it up to keep myself interested. Anyway, I ran a little over 4 miles between Saturday and Sunday and I was very proud of myself considering I am a novice runner. I joined my local Black Girls Run group a few months back but only ran with them once due to scheduling conflicts. However, I'm building my stamina and endurance so I can adopt the 'no less than tres' (no less than three miles) per run motto that I learned from my group.  My overall workout goal is to hit the gym or the park for 60 minutes of exercise at least 4 times a week.  I have to workout and eat right in order to see results. In the words of Big Daddy Kane 'aint no half steppin'!

    During my run I noticed that someone had chalked the word 'Inspire' on the path and it definitely spoke to me and made me push forward. Now, I must say that this run was not a cake walk for me. As previously stated, I am a novice so I can't run the entire lap (yet) but I do run 75% of it and briskly walk the remaining 25%. I do this by setting milestones for myself using markers on the path. Those markers can be anything from a park bench to the basketball court. I just pick a marker, run to it, pick another, walk to it (as I catch my breath) and then continue this throughout my run. To keep track of my time and distance I downloaded an iPhone app called 'Pedometer' (see the bottom right picture in the collage). It's really cool because it not only tracks your distance and time, but also your average speed, number of steps and calories burned. You can even add your music playlist to it which is nice. There's some other functions too that I haven't explored yet but I'll get to them eventually. Granted, I have never used an app like this before so I have nothing to compare it to, but it's free and user friendly so...SOLD! Another great app that I use is 'My Fitness Pal', it's also free (see the pattern here) and it's good for tracking your meals and activity. My user name is 'ckjones03' on My Fitness Pal so feel free to friend me if you'd like:-)

My Weekend Run Collage

   Now, about those Golden Oreos that almost knocked me off my game this weekend. So...I'm in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner and minding my own business when I remembered that I had Oreos in the cabinet that I had bought for my daughter (pre-stomach virus). So, I go to the cabinet and there they are, all bright and shiny in that golden packaging, looking like temptation and defeat all in one. I shall not tell a lie, we had a face off for about 2 minutes while I mentally went over all the reasons why I should eat them (I don't want them to go bad, I'll only have 3, they're healthier than the chocolate ones, I deserve a treat, etc.). In the end, I forced myself to just close the cabinet and walk away because I did not want to undo my day. Overall, I ate healthy all weekend and maintained my 1200 calorie/per day allottment. #shewon I also changed my privacy settings on 'My Fitness Pal' since I started writing this blog, so if you friend me (ckjones03),  you'll be able to see exactly what I am eating.

   How did you Sweat Heart this weekend? What apps do you use to help you on your fitness journey?


Corrin K. Jones