CHALLENGE YOURSELF...then REPEAT!

8.24 Km Run? I did it this morning!

I am chasing a dream...or two...or three...

This morning my husband had a day off of work, *aka Yay! I can go for a ruuun day*! I woke up and got Khaled ready for school and dressed myself for the plan! I was going to walk him to school, and then start my run from there while hubby and the kids slept. But, that little plan was interrupted by Mohammed's "waaaaaah" and then, while I was trying to get him back to sleep, my husband drove Khaled to school, and then, I hear raining and hail outside...awww, I was disappointed...I didn't really want to get my sneakers all wet, and it is chilly out too. So, I decided to make some French Toast for breakfast and brewed a nice fresh pot of coffee and sat down with my little family to enjoy....

Then, what do I see through the windowwww? 

The beautiful sun shining in, and inviting me out for a run. 

So I got my on my gear and off I went! I started off with an IDEA of where I wanted to run, I had a general direction, but I just follow how I feel as I go along...I decided about 2 Km in that I would ATTEMPT to do, or get pretty close to a 10 Km....having a little route in my mind...knowing what 6.45 Km felt like, and how far that took me...I drew a little imaginary map in my mind and I went for it....

YOURSELF...and REPEAT!

This run felt great! Lots of hills...some pretty steep ones too....I ran pretty much the WHOLE time (64mins) with about a 3 minute warm-up walk, and then I stopped to get a rock out of my shoe...then the other shoe had a rock lol...and then I finished with 4 minutes of stretching. So pretty much ran the whole time...different paces...there were some pretty steep elevations, so sometimes I really had to slow/shorten my pace because my heart rate was sky rocketing lol...BUT still felt great! I didn't feel a pain...or an urge to stop. I was loving it so much! I could keep going and going...just an awesome feeling of freedom...

Always set the trail, never follow the path

I was excited to come home to "map my route" on SparkPeople. I go on a little map, trace my route exactly, and it tells me the distance that I ran! I always come home and that is the first thing I do! I was soooo excited to see that I reached 8.24Km on this morning's run! Plus I burned 606 Calories!! So NOW I know what 8.24 Km feels like and looks like...so that sets me up to challenge myself the next time....hopefully tomorrow, but most likely Saturday!

Then, I went and did a little shopping for kid's clothes...and headed to the gym. There was a mix-up in times as the schedule was different just for today due to staff meetings...so I missed my planned RPM & Hot Yoga...but I had a nice time doing Free-Weights & Abs with Lydia & Barbora! We did 1Hour of Triceps, Biceps, Chest Presses, Abs, Dead-Lifts, Dead Rows, and Shoulders and I burned another 242 Calories!

Well I am tired and have to get to bed...Alhamdullilah/Thanks to God for this Wonderful Life MashaAllah! A little weekly re-cap to follow.

TODAY'S WORKOUTS:
64min. Morning Run 8.24 Km (606 Calories)
58min. Free Weights & Abs (242 Calories)

WEDNESDAY WORKOUTS:
1Hour ZUMBA!
1Hour BodyPump

TUESDAY WORKOUTS:
1Hour RPM
1Hour BodyCombat

MONDAY WORKOUTS:
1Hour BodyPump
1Hour BodyAttack

SATURDAY & SUNDAY (DAYS OFF)

Looove UmmKhaled

Waist-to-Hip Ratio...did you ever check?

 

I have always heared of BMI (Body Mass Index) Calculations, but I came across "Waist-to-Hip Ratio Calculator" on www.sparkpeople.com and it is so neat. I haven't done that calculation until today! You guys should check it out for those who are health conscious. It shows your health risk, because a lot of the time for BMI, it may not give a true readout because some people have a lot of muscle which weighs more than fat but they are leaner. And the BMI Calculator measures weight and height and does a calculation. But I can attest that is wrong because I am wearing clothing from when I was 10 pounds smaller but my BMI looks different but, now I know I have more muscle because I strength train pretty much everyday and I can see my muscles...and feelthem in there. So I think for health risk this is a good calculation.

So I did mine and I got: 

Your waist-to-hip ratio: 0.72

Result: Estimated Health Risk:  Estimated Body Shape: 0.80 or below Low Pear

CALCULATE yours HERE!

Since storing excessive fat in the abdominal region (known as the "apple" shape) is correlated with an increased disease risk, this test is one way to measure your risk for lifestyle and weight-related diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and more. Storing fat in your lower half, known as a "Pear" shape, is actually a healthier site for fat accumulation. The less common "avocado" shape is somewhere between an apple and a pear, with health risks higher than a pear-shaped person, but somewhat lower than a true apple-shaped person. 

So I am a PEAR...I knew that hehehe

Pear Shape (Low Health Risk)
If you’re a pear shape, you tend to carry most of your weight in your hips, thighs and buttocks. Storing fat in your lower half is actually a healthier site for fat accumulation. Research shows that storing fat here may actually protect you against cardiovascular disease. In one study of 1,356 women, ages 60-85, Danish researchers found that those with excessive fat in the arms, legs, hips and buttocks had less atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) than those who stored most fat in their abdominal area and other central parts of the body.

The other shapes are Apple and Avocado...you can read more HERE at SparkPeople 

So this is just another little tool I found.... I just love SparkPeople! (Info from SP)

What is YOUR Diet Personality??

So I was on my new "tool" for "Weight-Loss Success" www.sparkpeople.com, and I am reading articles and entering my days activities and nutrition. I came across "The SparkPeople Diet Personality Profiler" and I did the quiz. It tells you what your "Diet Personality" is, and what diet strategies will work for you, which is pretty helpful, and also tells you tips for success. My profile was soooooo correct. You may have to sign-up but it is so worth it. Check it out! I love it and I am definitely

having success in my 22 days of being a "Spark Gal"

Here is the LINK TO THE ANALYZER


I got: 

 

I will add the information tomorrow because it was not working for me when I put it up for some reason. It was too wide to get all the article. 

My NEW Amazing program!

I have mentioned this "New Thing" that I started doing. Well it is "Spark People" www.sparkpeople.com and I am hooked on it. It is so fun! I had joined years ago and kept getting messages in my inbox and deleting them. Then a few days ago I was like "Ohhh let me see what this is all about" and now look at me. I am totally loving it, and totally addicted! LOL.

So I went on and made a NEW PROFILE. This place is amazing...free...and it is JUST what I was LOOKING FOR! I mean, I am so excited about it. It has been a few days and I already notice a huge difference in myself. So basically you log in whenever, several times a day and there is a "Nutrition Log" and a "Fitness Log" and "Weight & Measurements" and it is like a whole program. You just log it all in...journal...share with friends who are doing the same thing. 

You put in your information and it calculates your ideal ranges of calories, fat, carbohydrates, protein, and many other nutrients that you need to maintain a healthy weight or lose weight by a certain date, and it guides you how to get to your goal. It is an online food journal and you enter everything you eat, log your cups of water, and many other things. 

I could type a lot of stuff about it...but you really have to log in to see what it is all about. It is a fun challenge. Now I am eating properly and healthy...before I was practically starving all day and drinking coffee...and then I would get crabby and unhappy, then after working out sooo much, I would come home in the night and eat the wrong things at the wrong time. So now, with "Spark People" I am very aware of what I am eating. My body is not starving and it is fun to see everything. Makes you so much more conscious of your eating habits and makes it easier to refuse the unhealthy food, because it will be on your log and you don't want that lol. So anyways you just have to try it. It will change your life. I feel healthier, I lost a bit more, and I have way more energy to work out to my potential.

The really nice thing about it, is that it makes reports for you everyday on many things. After I run my report I don't eat anything else at night, just water :D When you place your measurements and weight, there are reports to show the line "decending into skinniness" which is motivating because you want to see that line go down and not up again :) It STARES at you right in the face, which I find is what works for me!

So now I am HOOKED on "SparkPeople" and it is the tool ANY of us need to be healthy, maintain weight and/or lose as well as have fun! There are lots of articles to read and a great community. I have several friends already signed up and we can share our logs and progress as we go along which is so helpful. TRY IT!

Loove Kasey UmmKhaled