lose

I've been watching Biggest Loser on and off for a long time.
A lot of people don't like it, I get why someone would find it boring, if it's just not their cup of tea. But to passionately not like it, beats me. Calm down.
Whatever.

Point is.
I've watched a lot of it.
First of all, the trainers are heroes. Simple.
Not just because of the workout and nutrition knowledge, but, how they read the people on the Biggest Loser ranch place, how they read them, and work at breaking down their walls, and the walls are high. High, high, high.
I know a few people have tuned in and go, "Oh, I don't like the way they shout at the people" and blah, blah, blah, blah. Blah, blah.
It
is
there
for
a
reason

Seriously.

ANYWAY.
The only reason I'm talking about this is to post some before and afters of the contestants.
This was last season's winner, Danni.



Now then.
A few seasons ago there were these two sisters, Olivia and Hannah.
Hannah had been working towards going to the Olympics as a volleyball player and then had a back injury and it was all over.
So what she did was eat, eat, and do nothing, and pity herself, and she ate some more and just in the middle of all of it just got lost.
This girl was just lost.
And this is where the trainers come in.
This is NOT about dropping the number on the scale! It's just not. They rebuild themselves. The trainers rebuild them. There bodies get so exhausted that their walls break down and they climb out, out of the crap they have decided to surround themselves with. This cold hard layer of "I can't" or "I am too weak" or "I don't know" or whatever. The pity and being the victim. Never being good enough. All of this.
And
they
just
come
out

This is Hannah's before and after. And below her sister Olivia.

When fitness makes you YOU.
M.

fitness

New goals!

If fitness stuff really really bores you, then this post will really really bore you.

So.
I've been on my fitness train since the 22nd of October. That's 3 months. That's all!? (Sorry, I have just realised that it is like nothing. 3 months, that is it. Moving on.)
My end goal is and was to get stronger, a lot stronger.
Physically and through that mentally.
3 months down the line and I've realised I need to start doing more weight training.

Now then, ladies. 
If you're anything like me you are inclined to believe that lifting any weights (heavier than like a banana or something) will make you bulky.
I have done a whole lot of reading about this.
For you to get "bulky" you would have to lift INSANE amounts of weights and eat more protein than you weigh yourself. The women who do dedicate their lives to bodybuilding spend crazy crazy amounts of work on this, so a session or two a week of lifting some weights is not going to bulk you up.
This should go hand in hand with a healthy, well-balanced diet (which includes carbs, protein, fats), and cardio (preferably high intensity interval training HIIT, rather than low-intensity. Having said this, it depends why you're working out/what you're training for).

This is what I have been doing for 3 months. I've done a lot of cardio (high and low intensity) and hardly any strength training at all. I eat well and often (3 meals, and like 3 big snacks).
Okay, I have lost weight - but do I feel stronger? Not really.
So therefore, my new fitness goal is to get over this silly myth than women immediately bulk up when they touch weights and start lifting.
If you just do cardio till you're purple in the face, all you're doing is losing the excess fat, however, you're not really toning and changing your shape. Weights are so good for this.
So, because I want to tone up and feel significantly stronger in my body, I am going to lift weights.
(And see how it goes.)

Also. I'm so fed up of this "what's your number on the scale" chat. I mean, what does it even matter? Unless you're very over- or underweight when the number is directly a matter of staying alive or not, it doesn't really matter.
So I've decided to start measuring my successes in like, reps and weights, and distance etc.
And since I can't do push-ups to save my life, this is going to be my new goal.

So, two brand new goals, for the next 3 months.
Weights and push-ups.

Do your research, guys.
This doesn't mean go psycho and get ripped. It means, if you're working out, and want to see any results at all, do your research. Simple as that. There's a lot of stuff going around that's just not true. Many "facts" that are passed around as truth but are really far from it.
And absolutely have lots of fun!
Because we can all do so much more than we think we can.

PS. I do not claim to have any special knowledge, or to have been educated in these questions. I am simply reciting what I've heard from other people who work in fitness, or my friends, and from personal experience. And from the reading I've done. And I absolutely do not claim to be right.

Strong is the new "skinny".
M.

And to finish this off, some mermaids, and a happy seal.

acroyoga

This is just mindblowingly beautiful.
Honestly.

It's not fitness, it's life.
M.

2013 happytimez, ftw

I'm finished!
The tour's done and it's been absolutely brilliant. Great audience again tonight, so all was good.
However, I have to say I'll be happy to have some time to get back on the fitness train.
The eating's fine, I'm on that train nice and steady, but I really miss the workout. My body got properly used to it, and I've been so busy, or lazy, or tired - or all three at the same time.
So I miss moving.
Yoga, or Pilates, or a good long walk, or some exercise at home, or whatever. There's so much of it, and I don't really mind. Swimming is good as well. I'd love to rollerskate but that will have to wait.
For now, it's any of the selection above.
As long as it gets the heart rate up.


And if any of you are doing the same thing, please, don't forget to eat.
Seriously, if you don't eat enough, your body will pretty immediately go into its distress mode and as opposed to getting rid of the unnecessary bits of the fat tissue, it will eat at the muscle.
Eat 4-5 times a day to keep your body happy. So it doesn't get rid of your muscles. Muscles are awesome.
If you don't believe me, do some reading. There are so many great blogs and websites and alllllsorts out there.
Just don't undo your own good work, and don't harm your body. Cause it's great.

Speech over.
Get moving and get endorphin-ed.
M.

strong is the new "skinny"

(After this post I promise to go off the whole subject for a while.)

This is a good tagline. A great tagline, actually.
One that I have a lot of respect for and one that is worth spreading.
This saying, turns out, is the motto of the "tumblr fitness community" - people who blog about healthy living or their journey towards a healthier lifestyle. Most of these women are from the States.

Regardless whether the problem is over-weight, under-weight, or just body-image - it's just a waste of time really.
Go healthy, you know.
It's the easiest way to feel good about whatever skin or skeleton you're in.
Whatever the length, width or shape.
Go healthy.
I mean, this is as much to me, as it is to anyone else.

I wrote a post some days ago about positive role-models and kind of ended up moaning about the lack of flag-flyers for "healthy" when it comes to discussing this topic.
Turns out there's a whole load of people who blog about healthy living, and everything that it encompasses.
Go them, and go healthy living.

http://ahealthynewbeginning.tumblr.com/
http://onefitmodel.tumblr.com/
http://thefameofhealthandfitness.tumblr.com/
(I chose these few because of a) her transformation; b) motivational pictures (i have to admit - my personal favourites) and great tips; c) good recipes.)

If there are only two choices: healthy, and unhealthy.
M.


PS. I really feel like kickboxing would be a very fantastic addition to my existence.