I just found this nice little calorie counter online. I don’t think it has a long term memory, but it is great if you are just wanting to check your daily calories to see how closely you are following your goals. Feel free to give it a try!
Another day, and yet another class. It was horrible to wake up on a Saturday and go and take this class. However, it was worth it. It was a very hard class (after the first 1/2 hour, I started having to take breaks and modify some of the moves by slowing them down or making them less impact). However, I did enjoy it. There was a lot of energy in the room, and there was lots of fast, modern music.
My buddy and I both enjoyed it, even though we were sweating like pigs. That being said, apparently after the class while I was getting a drink, the instructor came and asked my buddy if we were both alright. LOL. I mean, we were the only two overweight people in the class (most of the others were more towards underweight than anything else). My buddy said something to the tune of “well, we didn’t die…”. When my buddy told me, I said “it’s not like we’re gonna kill ourselves in a workout class; if it is too hard, we’ll take a break or something”. There is that little thing called a survival instinct, after all. Besides, fat people tend to get fat because they haven’t pushed themselves hard enough (even though they may have good reasons like illness or kids, etc.), so I wouldn’t think that fat people pushing themselves to death in a workout class is likely.
Anyhow, it was a fun class other than the obvious fact that several people did stare at us. Kind of surprising, since no one stared at any of the other classes (even the dance class). Anyways, though, if they want to stare at my fat, jiggling body, then let them. It isn’t going to stop me from doing what is good for my health.
Time Exercised: 1 hour 20 minutes
Calories Burned: around 500-600
My 12th workout was done on the same day as my 11th workout. Therefore, my 12th workout was much less intense than my earlier workout. However, I still got my heart rate up and did a bit of cardio. My buddy and I started out doing some rowing. I’d never tried it before, so it was interesting. I was surprised that I started feeling it in my legs before I felt it in my arms. We used the rowing machines for about 10 minutes. Then, we went to find out what sports were open (it was very crowded). The only thing available was ping pong, so we got our gear. When we got to the table, though, there was a lone guy playing against a wall next to the table.
So, my buddy and I invited him to play with us. We started out with two girls on one side, and him on the other. Then, we started alternating players. Anyhow, we hadn’t played more than 5 minutes when he wanted to start keeping score (my buddy and I had totally talked several times before about how competitive guys are and how they can never seem to play without keeping count on a “death match”). So, we told him he could count and keep track of the score. This guy was actually pretty good, so we lost horribly most of the time. However, after about 1-1/2 hours of playing ping pong with a better opponent, we got a lot better! Also, he raised the intensity by about 5 notches, so we were getting a cardio version of ping pong!
After we were worn out from ping pong, we went to the weight training area. We did some light strength training (I worked my legs and abs the most) for about 20 minutes. Then, we topped our workout off with 15 minutes in the sauna.
Time Exercised: 2 hours
Calories Burned: at least 350
Interestingly, the exercise I’ve been doing lately has been decreasing my appetite. Today, for instance, I got up at 7:15 and had only a white chocolate mocha for breakfast (not healthy; I am going to make sure to at least grab an orange or something next time). I went to class and then came home and used the internet. I got in a quick 20 minute power nap, then I got up to get ready for my afternoon workout. As I was driving to workout, I ate a handful of pumpkin seeds that I had in the car (I wasn’t really hungry, but I knew I needed a little something in my stomach before working out). It is now 3pm, and I still am not very hungry. I grabbed a single serve veggie snack from the store on my way home, but I haven’t started eating it yet. I am going to make sure I eat right after this post (without food after exercising, your body likes to burn muscle instead of burning fat), but I am a little curious as to when I will actually get hungry.
Now, I have read a lot of articles have said that exercise can decrease your appetite, but in the past when I have exercised, it made me more hungry. Even when I first started exercising several weeks ago, it was making me more hungry. However, now that I am starting to get more fit, and my body is getting used to the routine, it seems that my appetite is finally going down. Now, seeing as how I am a big girl with a normally big appetite makes this increasingly surprising. Usually, even if I am really sick I still have an appetite (which has always annoyed me to no end).
So, I am thinking that perhaps it is the fact that I have been exercising very frequently. Since I have been exercising every day, maybe my body is getting used to the cycle. I know the sleep cycle is healthier the more regulated it is, so perhaps the exercise cycle is like that, as well. Fortunately, I’ve already decided against taking regular weekends off. I mean, I don’t see the point in taking a “rest” day when that’s all I’ve been doing for the last year and a half (of course, I was sick, but still). The exercise makes me feel good, and that’s what the weekends are for, right? I can only hope that the exercise will continue to reduce my appetite (although I will make myself eat a little something in the mornings).
Today I did an afternoon workout (12:30 to 1:30) with my second buddy. I honestly have always preferred working out in the evenings, but I am kind of starting to like getting my workout in earlier. Racquetball was our focus today. We put in about 40 minutes of pretty intense racquetball. My second buddy is actually pretty good at playing, so I was really, really pushing myself to try and keep up. I definitely got my heart rate up high! For about 10 minutes, we walked around and went up and down the stairs. Of course, part of that was unintentional because I accidentally dropped my wallet (within no more than 4 minutes, someone picked it up and moved it to a shelf, so we couldn’t find it for like 15 minutes). Anyhow, we did find it, and it gave us a chance to walk a bunch of stairs and cool down. So, my overall stats are:
Time Exercised: 50 minutes
Calories Burned: at least 400
Just thought I would add a quick update. My weight is now down to 313.7 pounds! It isn’t down a whole lot, but I thought it was especially great since that puts me below the 315 pounds I was at before Christmas break. So, I have therefore lost any weight I may have gained over the Holidays plus a bit more! It is always nice to see that all the exercise I’m doing is paying off. Speaking of which, I need to get ready for my next workout!
I got to try something really cool yesterday. Instead of the normal routine, my second buddy and I went to a “street”/”hip hop” dance class. Considering I rarely even hear any “street” music except when I’m flipping through radio stations, it was a totally unique experience for me. Also, it was freaking hilarious! My buddy and I were l laughing through a lot of the moves. Not so much because the moves weren’t cool, but because of how uncool we managed to make them look (especially me, since my buddy was doing better). The dance teacher was enthusiastic and awesome saying things like “wiggle it!”, “what?!”, and “cap it!” (appropriate moves corresponding). LOL. Very cool. So, the lesson is that you should totally try new things because it can lead to having a fantastic time!
Overall, this was a pretty intense workout (lots of jumping and fast moving). Not quite as high a calorie burn as using the cardio machines, but definitely a whole lot more fun. Besides, unique experiences have their own value besides just being part of a fitness routine. So, here is the summary:
Exercise Time: 1 hour
Calories Burned: at least 250
This was my second workout in one day! Fortunately, I did the cardio work earlier, so we started out with some weight training. I generally do more reps with less weight to help tone my muscles. I spent about 25 minutes using the machines, doing crunches, and working with a long weight bar. Then, my buddy and I played about an hour of badminton (slower the first 1/2 hour, then we started working hard). We then played about 1/2 an hour of ping-pong and spent 15 minutes in the Sauna. Overall, a pretty hard workout, though slightly lighter since I’d already worked out today.
Time Exercised: 1 hour 55 minutes
Calories Burned: At least 350
Well, I had another good workout today. I actually worked out today with my second workout buddy. She prefers having shorter workouts, so I only did 20 minutes of using the elliptical machines, 15 minutes of using the treadmill, and 5 minutes stretching. However, I am planning on going back for a class tonight, so I’ll burn even more calories. I’ll add to this post after my evening workout. For my 12:30pm workout, the totals are as follows:
Time exercised: 40 minutes
Calories burned: 300 calories