LOOK BETTER NAKED

Date: 2/16/2012

Workout: 6:15am--40 minutes on the Treadmill with speed and incline intervals, and some pilates at the Rush. Teaching a 50 minutes Spinning at the Rush at 6pm. I am going to get a really good stretch session after my class.

Food:

Breakfast: Quaker Oats Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal and a Clementine: 192 Calories, 40g Carbs (36 net), 5g Protein, 4g Fiber, 0g Fat, 254mg Sodium, 20g Sugar
Morning Snack: Light Activa Peach Yogurt and an Apple: 147 Calories, 32g Carbs (27 net), 6g Protein, 5g Fiber, 0g Fat, 66mg Sodium, 26g Sugar
Lunch: Turkey Sandwich and carrots (Turkey Sand: 6 slices Oscar Mayer Deli Turkey, 1 slice low fat sargento Colby cheese, lettuce, and mustard on 2 slices whole wheat): 305 Calories, 44g Carbs (34 net), 23g Protein, 10g Fiber, 5g Fat, 980mg Sodium, 13g Sugar
Afternoon Snack: Protein Shake (1/2 scoop protein and 1c. low fat soy milk): 163 Calories, 8g Carbs (7 net), 23g Protein, 1g Fiber, 4g Fat, 167mg Sodium, 6g Sugar
Dinner: Tilapia, 1/2c. brown rice, and sautéed veggies: 265 Calories, 21g Carbs (17 net), 28g Protein, 4g Fiber, 7g Fat, 193mg Sodium, 3g Sugar

Total Nutrition Intake:

1,072 Calories
145g Carbs (121 net)
85g Protein
24g Fiber
16g Fat
1,660mg Sodium
68g Sugar

I have been feeling so good this week on the inside. It’s kind of weird and I’m not sure what’s going on but I feel so happy and strong.  I have been working hard, eating right, and it’s paying off!

I found an article in Women’s Health called “Look Better Naked”. I really enjoyed reading it and I thought it had a lot of great tips. It talks about a lot of the things that I have talked about in some of my posts. I summarized it and put some of my own spin on parts of it. I hope you enjoy it and it helps you realize how great you look naked!

LOOK BETTER NAKED

Get Slim and Sculpted—and feel your sexiest!-with these new rules of hot-body training

Naked. Does any word cut so close to the core of our deepest insecurities? When we’re naked, it’s not just our body that feels like its on exhibit-it’s our discipline (or lack thereof) and our sexual attractiveness. This article should help you look sexier, live healthier, and feel more confident…in your clothes or out of them.

One of the secrets is this: To get a physique you’ll be proud to flaunt, you absolutely must revamp your tired old fitness routine. Follow these 4 rules, try new fitness classes and exercises, and stick with it!

Rule 1: Keep you Cardio Short and Sweaty

Say good-bye to marathon elliptical sessions. Despite what you’ve been told, steady-state cardio is not the most effective way to shed fat. In a study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise, researchers tracked women who did 45 minutes of steady-state aerobic exercise at 78 percent of their maximum heart rate five days a week. After 12 weeks, the women experienced no change in their body composition compared to women who didn’t exercise or diet.

The secret to torching fat and sculpting muscle is quick bursts of intense exercise followed by brief periods of rest. Trainers call this kind of workout “metabolic circuit training,” and the benefits are well documented. A study published in the International Journal of Obesity revealed that women who did up to 20 minutes of interval training just three days a week lost an average of five and a half pounds over 15 weeks. Meanwhile, the other group of women in the study actually gained a pound during that same time period by doing steady-state aerobic exercise.

Rule 2: Load up on Iron

Enough with the excuses: With this plan, you will head to the weight room. The point behind strength training is to build lean body mass—that is, to strengthen your skeletal muscles. They’re the ones that attach to your bones via tendons and that you use to suck in your stomach or carry groceries (the ones you’re not aware of as you go about your day). Skeletal muscles make up 30 to 40 percent of your body mass. The more lean muscle you have, the more energy (calories) your body uses throughout the day. So adding some weight training to your gym routine can help amp up your metabolism so you can burn more calories-and fat!-between sweat sessions.

We know what you’re thinking, but don’t worry: Strength training on a regular basis won’t turn you into the Incredible Hulk. You can thank your biological makeup for that. Compared to me, women produce significantly less testosterone, a key muscle-building hormone.

The weight room can be straight-up intimidating. But you don’t necessarily need to get in there. There are many exercises that involve strength that don’t use weights. And the ones that do, can be performed with free weights which can sometimes be found away from the meat heads. When you see how dramatically your body transforms, you’ll be a weight-room regular.

Rule 3: Go Hard, the Go Home

To get great results, you have to make exercise a consistent part of your life. But that doesn’t mean it has to be your life. Instead of sweating away for hours a day at the gym--because seriously, who has time for that?--the kind of workouts you should be doing make it possible to get great results in less time.

Make your workouts powerful and remember to use metabolic circuit training (intervals of speed and rest combined with strength exercises). Do a workout that involves repetition (example: 1 minute of sit-ups, 1 minute of pushups, and 1 minute of jump squats). Write down how many of each exercise you are able to do in that minute. When you repeat the circuit, see if you can beat your number and get better. This will help to push yourself. This is known as “adding density”.

On your weight training days, follow the one-hour rule: Spend no more than one hour at the gym, from dropping your bag in the locker room to your post workout stretch.

Rule 4: Find your Confidence

Have you ever seen a very confident woman? The way she walks, talks, and acts is on a different level and it’s noticeable. I’ve always thought of confidence of thinking about identical twins. One walks by and her head is down, not smiling, not making eye contact, and obviously insecure. The next one walks by with her head up, smiling, looking at you, and making you focus on her. Even if this second one has curves like Queen Latifa, you automatically respect her and notice her demeanor. It’s OK if you don’t have your dream body right now but there is no reason why you can’t feel confident and demonstrate it every day. It will help in everything you do. I guarantee it.

Don’t be insecure about your body! I used to feel very conscious when I was in groups with my best friend because she was always really skinny and cute and I never felt like that. After I went away to college, I focused more on being healthier and developed a good relationship with myself. Before I knew it, I was attracting attention and looks without noticing it. I felt completely myself around anyone and comfortable in my own skin (naked or not). I was still trying to improve my physique, but I felt so much better mentally and I appreciated myself and the hard work I was putting forth.

You have to love yourself inside and out. We all have plenty of flaws. The important thing to do is get over it and focus on the beauty. You know what you want to improve on, so do it. While you’re improving, be happy with yourself. When you look at yourself naked, you should think, “This is me and while I’m trying hard to be healthy and fit, I love myself”. Think of the things that you love about your looks (your eyes, your smile, your hair, your legs, your arms, etc) and stay positive. Don’t think about the things that you don’t like and want to change. Just keep working hard and smile J You look great! And the sexiest thing you are wearing is your confidence.