TOM is Now

Here in all its full-blown glory.

I’ve had 2 work-related happy hours this week. And a chocolate milkshake on Wednesday - we’ve been in 90’s all week….a milk shake is so justified.

I’ve been trying to stick to the workouts, concentrating on my heart rate levels. The only problem I see is that I can get it up to my cardio level (150-ish), but trying to get it to go down for the ‘fat burn’ level (140-ish) is tough. Just as I get it back down to 140-ish, it’s time for me to get it back up to 150-ish.

Also, the BodyBugg is on sale online for $209. Can you believe that?! Of course, when I don’t have the money it’s that cheap….well, I do have the money, but I’m going to Corpus Christi this weekend for Memorial Day, so I want spending money for that. Grr. Hopefully it stays on sale for a week and I can get it next Friday. Whatever.

 

Week 2 Weight: 167.5

Down another pound this week!! Slow and steady, but I’ll take it!

On Saturday, I FINALLY managed to do the VO2 Max Testing. I think it’s similar to a stress test(I’ve never had one of those) because when I described it to my dad, he said that’s how his stress test went.

You pop a facial mask and heart monitor on, it’s connected to a tube that is connected to a machine. Once it “calibrates” (gets your standard heart rate) you hop on a treadmill and start walking. The speed or incline steadily increases every 30 seconds-1 minute. All total, the test is about 7 minutes. The machine then pops out some numbers and lets me know my anaerobic rate.

Essentially, I have to do cardio 5 days a week for about 40 minutes. This is no biggie, pretty standard. THE BIG PIECE OF INFO FROM THE TEST: I need to alternate ‘endurance’ heart rate with ‘intense’ heart rate. This means:

-Monday/Wednesday: Heart rate 133-140 for 3-4 minutes, up to 140-160 for 1-2 minutes, repeat for 40 minutes

-Tuesday/Fridays/ Saturdays: Heart rate 133-140 for 40 minutes

Interesting, right!? The days that I work out with Jaimie, she’ll incorporate my heart rate targets into my workout. This should help boost the weight loss.

 

Oh wee Oh wee Oh….Hangin Tough!

Just found out that New Kids on the Block are indeed making a stop in Houston. My cousins & I are so ready, if we could buy tickets now, we would, but alas they do not go on sale until June. Excitement!

 

Ok, yesterday (Thursday) was my ‘off’ day – where I can eat anything I want for a meal. I ate chicken strips and French fries and a sugar cookie– which was a slight waste as the fries weren’t that good, so I only ate a couple. The chicken strips were delicious, though. I also didn’t work out – but I did run up the six (yes, SIX) flights of stairs in the parking garage to get to my car. On level 2, a guy held the door open for me, but I told him I had a few more flights to go. His response “Wow, you’re brave!” - I smiled and said “I’m trying”.

 

Today I had a lunch session with my trainer – btw, her name is Jamie. Previously, I met with Lindy, but we had scheduling problems, so I switched to Jamie, whom I love. I think I surprise her with how hard I try, because she is always saying “You’re doing great” or “You’re so amazing”. Maybe she’s just super supportive and I’m just cynical….

Ooh! Oh!

Two posts in one day?! I’m definitely in the blog habit again, aren’t I?

Work-out with Trainer Lindy was awesome, it was basically a nonstop ‘20-25 bicep curls, now hamstrings, now squats with a ball, now triceps!’ issue. Really nice and effective, IMO. I also got to use a pilates machine!!!! I’m such a geek, I’ve never used one before and think it’s genius! I kept one foot planted, while the other foot pushed out to work my legs. Good stuff! I’ll be working out there on Wednesdays & Fridays. Lindy had a cancellation tomorrow, so I will get my VO2 and RMR testing tomorrow!! So excited!

Also, after the whole 24-Hour Fitness Fiasco, I’ve been looking into other gym options. Lo & behold, I had seen an advertisement for a new gym coming to the Pearland area. It’s called Champion Fitness. Anywho, I called the number and left a message with that guy yesterday. He called me back today. Sounds pretty awesome, he has owned a gym on the other side of Houston for 3 years and wants to branch out, so he’s coming to Pearland. Seems like a good set-up, he was not pushy at all, even told me the gym will be open in August or September and if I wanted a tour to let him know in July or August. Really looking forward to see how that develops. With the 24-Hour contract, since it’s through work I can quit at any time, so I think I’ll stick with them until this new club opens up.

Will post tomorrow with my VO2 & RMR results.

Went a little psyco…but I think that’s justified, don’t you?

Monday was a crap day.Woke up feeling terrified (for no known reason) and was anxious and depressed the whole day. Have NO clue what that was about, curious if I ate something that had wheat in it? (Yes, gluten/wheat allergies affect your moods. Google it.)

By the time I got to the gym, I was a mental mess. Tried to work out with my trainer, but was told that in order to get my official sessions (bought 2 sessions for $99) I had to sign up for MORE sessions. What kind of scam is that? Then I said I wanted to buy the BodyBugg and guess what I’m told. The price is back up to $324.

Really, that broke the whole depression funk I was in and turned me into a slight psycho. I explained to my trainer that the training manager told me it would be $224 from now on. She went to discuss with other trainers (not the manager, cause he was off). They came back and told me that the manager was mistaken, but if I waited until May 12, it would be at $249. Um…it’s $249 on-line w/shipping, so why would I wait until May 12 to buy it? The manager told me “$224 from now on” so I want it for $224. Especially if I’m fixing to chunk down $629 on training in addition to the BodyBugg and wrist monitor (addtl $99). And let’s be honest. Gyms have plenty of room to negotiate prices. So I told my trainer I was in no mood to discuss this anymore and I wasn’t buying ANYTHING at that time.

I left, called the 24-hour Fitness near my work and GUESS WHAT?! The BodyBugg is ALREADY $249 there, and the $99 wrist watch is also on sale for $79. WTF? I then called 2 other 24-Hour Fitness’ in Houston and they ALL had the same special.

But wait, it gets better. By the time I made it home, there was a message on my machine from Trainer Lea. “Paige, just wanted to let you know that I was able to get you special pricing on the Bugg, you can get it for $249. But you have to call me back today, cause I can only offer it to you for this price today” WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!

So I ended up calling her back yesterday, letting her know what I had found out, and letting her know that I didn’t hold it against her personally, but I would not be buying additional training because it seemed too shady that I had to buy training before I could even get started AND they held details back about the true price of the BodyBugg. She obviously wasn’t happy.

Don’t think this deterred me from getting a personal trainer, though. I ended up googling trainers near work and found The Train Station, which is a women’s only personal training facility. For $100 cheaper  I can get 12 sessions. I go in today to get my VO2 and RMR tested and from there they create a plan for me.

Tomorrow we will chat about www.MyFitFoods.com

Trainer Lea

I like her. She’s young, super skinny, and really trying to push me to buy a BodyBugg….but other than that, I like her.

She was very thorough, took all my measurements, walked through a normal eating routine for me, told me that I will be able to track my food on a site, that she can look at. She also mentioned she will call me if she sees I’m eating bad shit. I’ve never had that before, so that seems interesting. She went over the different price plans again. I think I’m going to do the 10 - 50 Minute Session for $629. My only complaint is having to meet with her (any 24-Hour Fitness trainer) twice a week. I’m used to working with a trainer only once a week. I’m trying to look past it, and just see the positive that maybe this will make me lose the weight faster than I did last time (last time I would lose 1 pound a week). This is when she stressed getting a BodyBugg. I’m wondering if I can negotiate a deal on it. If it was $199, I’d buy it…….

We then had enough time to do 25 minutes of a work-out. Insane-ness that involved kettlebells, bands around my ankles, squats, lunges, and step-ups on a very wobbly cushion-thing (not a Bosu ball, this was square, foamy, and about 18 inches tall). She was great with telling me that doing my cardio on my bike was fine with her, if it made me happy, I should do it. I meet with her again on Tuesday.

In other news, I shelled out a hella lot of money and bought my mother some 5/8 ct. diamond earrings. It hurt to spend that much money on someone other than myself but seeing as how she brought me into this world, and is letting me live in her house rent-free….I guess it’s the least I could do

Dude!

Or gal! That was an awesome little post that DR left behind today. I appreciate the feedback. I sort of took the advice, decided not to purchase either the Actitrainer or BodyBugg…..I bought a Polar F11 Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) instead. I can track my food on CalorieKing and the HRM lets me know how much I’m burning, so there ya go. Solution for a lot less money.

The Polar F11 has the following features:

The F11™ is an exerciser’s dream come true. A revolutionary heart rate monitor that creates a workout program to tell you how much, how hard and how long to exercise to reach your goals. The Keeps U Fit™ - Workout Program guides you to your personal goals. OwnIndex® will determine your fitness level, track your improvements, and provide motivation. The OwnCal® feature counts the calories and fat that you burn and the OwnZone® feature will automatically determine each day’s target zone. The F11™ also features the WearLink Coded transmitter made from a soft, fabric material. The electrodes, which pick up the heart signals, are integrated right into the strap for added flexibility and comfort. The Coded feature eliminates interference from other heart rate monitors. The F11™ is the closest thing to having your own personal trainer.

When I bought it, I als ogot a free 60 day trial to Podfitness.com, so I’ll be checking that out later tonight.

Personal Trainer Woes

 

Again, on the 24-hour Fitness site you can buy 2-50 minute sessions with a Trainer for $99. I naively assumed that the same special is in the club. Wrong! On Wednesday, I went in and said I wanted to sign-up for training and I was directed to a trainer named Jackie. She did her whole spiel about what a trainer will offer and all that sales pitch stuff, and then she showed me the packages. Nowhere was there the $99 starter package. I told her that I would work-out and get back to her. I also asked about the BodyBugg and she told me it was on sale for $224 and that was a special that would end May 1 (yesterday). She gave me her card and cell phone number and we could “get started Friday at 5 pm”. Wednesday night, I went online and bought the starter package. Called her at 10 a.m. the next morning and told her I had bought the package and would see her on Friday. I got a message later from her, saying that she was booked all week and that she couldn’t be my trainer. WTF?! All I can assume is that she didn’t get the commission off the $99 so she decided she didn’t want me.

 

So yesterday afternoon, I called 24-Hour and told them I had bought some sessions online. They transferred me to the Personal Training Manager, who was really nice. He pulled up my sessions, asked me what days I was available to train, and wanted to know what my goals were. He said he thought a trainer named Leia would be a good fit for me, so I’ll be meeting with her Saturday at 11 a.m. I also asked him about the BodyBugg, and he apologized for what Jackie said because the BodyBugg is permanently $224 if I use a trainer…there is NO special discount that expired May 1!!!

 

So, now I’m not sure if I want the BodyBugg or Actitrainer….need to think about it a little more. I’ll report back how my training goes tomorrow. If I like her, I’ll sign up for 5 – 50 minute sessions ($329). After those 5 sessions, I think I’ll go to the 10 – 30 minute sessions ($379).

 

Food, again, is eh. I made my stir-fried brown rice yesterday. It was yummy.