So I'm realizing there are some things I need, some things I want, and things I am starting to acquire that help keep one on track and make the healthy life more fun! And some things are just darned cute!
1. A food diary
Sounds weird, but if you're trying to watch what you eat and lose weight, gain muscle whatever, you have to keep a food diary. At first I hated this because it was kind of a pain, but now it is second nature. My mom actually picked me up an actual journal for this, a cute brown one with polka dots, very girly and cute. Much better than using random pieces of paper and receipts lying around the house. Lol. I keep track of everything, and I mean everything, I eat. I don't keep track of drinks only because all I drink is water nowadays. Technically you should be eating 6 small meals a day, but I'm still finding this hard to achieve, mostly because I forget to eat a lot. Having this journal helps keep me accountable for myself, because I know if I eat something bad I have to write it in my journal for everyone to see! Lol.
2. Gym Clothes
I hate to say it, but you have got to have specific clothes for the gym. Jeans or shorts and a huge baggie shirt does not cut it, trust me we've tried. I am the last person on earth I thought would ever be caught dead wearing spandex type pants, but I love them! And the more weight I lose and the more toned my legs get, I love them even more. But seriously it's hard to move and work out properly without having something that fits right. Having loose pants creates chaffing which is not fun to have for 2 weeks while you try to work out. And having a large shirt while trying to do Yoga, well it's kind of embarrassing to do downward dog and have your shirt come rolling down. When you're trying to adjust your clothes the whole time due to it falling every which way, or having a wedgie, or just because you're self conscious, well it's very distracting. Everyone else in the gym is just as self conscious as you are! Once you realize that, which took me 2 weeks to figure out, and you chill out and don't care anymore every time your shirt comes above your gut when you're doing tricep curls, well then it makes gym time more enjoyable. Oh yea, and a good sports bra is worth a million bucks! Or in my case $11.99, thank you Kohls!
3. Music Player or reading material
A good ipod or mp3 player is priceless, well not really priceless they are stupid expensive. But thanks to my MaMa, I got this cute little Ipod that works for us right now until I can get a new one for me. In the meantime Robert and I will fight over it, lol.
Reading material is good too, but it is really hard to read while you jolting around, so if it works for you, go for it, if not music is just as good. Me personally, I love music, and I'm downloading some podcasts to listen to as well as I type this. What is a podcast? Kind of like an audio book, but there are millions to choose from, and they are free to download, on itunes.com.
4. A Camera
What? A camera?! How does that help? Well i'll tell you. I just took some pics which I will be posting soon. I will not be posting bikini pics of me like those horrid before and after crap pics where they look all sad and fat before and then happy and thin after. Sorry, not gonna happen, I'm not a bikini person. Plus I'm horridly modest and have severe self confidence issues, so not gonna happen! Maybe when I'm a fitness model I'll post some pics then. But you will never see me in something that reveals my skin. A camera is a good and sometimes fun way to capture your progress and share your fun workout gadgets.
5. Specialized Equipment
This section could go on forever, but basically, in a nutshell, get stuff geared towards what you like! If you like running, get awesome shoes, if you like swimming as I do, get a good swimsuit. A swimsuit for me is a challenge right now since I have um..ahem..large bust..so I have yet to find a suit that doesn't make me expose myself everytime I try to swim a lap. For me I need a Yoga mat and bag, because I'm getting tired of smelling someone else's sweaty feet on the gym's yoga mat. Not to mention, I don't want to get athlete's foot or something. But to be honest people, make sure you like something before investing in gear, because it gets expensive. The mat and bag I want together are about 60 bucks, because they are top of the line, and I don't plan on quitting Yoga until the day I die now. So for me, it's a good investment. I would suggest trying something for at least a month before investing in gear.
6. Health Equipment
Scales are good, a good scale. I have been weighing myself on 3 scales, and they are all off by several lbs. I trust my doctors scale, plus it's the lowest ha ha. But look for something good for you. My parents have this scale that actually measures body fat, bmi, percentages, things like that, so that's cool. Also some scales seriously have weight limits! Can u believe that. If you have a health problem, like a bad knee, get a brace. A bad ankle, get a wrap, things like that.
I need a heart monitor, because my cardio is so bad I hit 180 HR in a couple seconds while I exercise, so I need to keep an eye on that. My target heart rate (HR) is supposed to be 140-156 so that I can get my heart in shape. This is disheartening for me, since I used to be able to sprint on the elliptical machine without breaking a sweat for 30 minutes, and now I can barely jog on the treadmill without spiking my heart rate to a dangerous level. So I need a monitor that I am going to program with my stats, and that also has an alarm for me if my HR goes too high.
*After writing this thread, I'm thinking I may actually do a section specifically on gadgets and write reviews on them.*
All in all peeps, it's important to make it fun, or it will be a dreaded thing. Above all else, be safe about it and use common sense! It won't help me to lose all this weight and get healthy if I literally die trying because I'm pushing my HR too high.
Till next time!
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