Ronna: personal training update

Ronna just finished her third week of our long distance training with me and she's on a roll!

We've been working on consistently eating three meals a day, logging her food intake twice a week to stay focused & make sure her calorie intake is correct.  

Ronna is learning to eat foods in moderation & balancing her diet (aka her daily food intake).  Last week her husband brought home cheese cake.  She was thrilled to realize that yes! She can have a slice, and without guilt, because she planned it into her discretionary calories. 

She's lost a total of 2.4 pounds and feels great!  "I'm so happy I can still have snacks and not feel like it's cheating."  "This is something I can do for life" she mentions.  

This week we're continuing to reinforce balanced meals.  I'll be teaching her to grocery shop for HER too - not just picking up foods the kids & her husband want.

Ronna is learning slowly that she's capable of becoming healthy and she deserves to be healthy!

Reward for my longest run: the marathon

I did some planning & I'm really excited about it!

Since my first marathon adventure was stopped short of the finish line, I decided to wait until I reached a certain point to register for the race.  I didn't want to register & not be able to do it..

So on August 14 I will have completed my 14 mile run - the longest I'll have ever gone - and I'm going to celebrate by officially registering for the Honolulu Marathon!

I can't wait!

Ronna's fitness assessment week

This week was exciting because it was Ronna's fitness assessment week!  

Since we work long distance we reviewed together how to do each standardized 'test' & she completed it at home.  

The assessment is a snapshot of exactly where Ronna's fitness level is with each component of fitness.  She also took total body measurements, resting heart rate & weight.  

Now that we know exactly where she stands, we can set some very specific goals based on the findings & work toward them.  In about 3 months we're going to do the sames tests & see how well she's improved!

We're taking this one step at a time starting where she's at.  Moving more, learning new eating habits and doing it slowly is how we're doing this.  Too much too soon & things start falling apart - that goes for us ALL.

With Ronna's focus & dedication to her new healthy lifestyle she'll see great strides from her first to her second assessment & I for one can't wait!

Balanced diet

I've been working on eating more for breakfast & through the afternoon for my marathon training & it's been helpful.  

I'm also paying careful attention to balancing my diet:

• Grains 5-8 servings focusing on complex carbs & w
  
  hole grains with fiber
• Proten 5-6oz (lean) & I like to eat some protein with my breakfast.  It helps keep me full longer.  I enjoy lots of different protein sources.  I also try to eat beef once per week (which might seem low to you but we don't eat much beef in our home, just because...)
• Vegetables 4-6 servings, super easy for me.  I like all veggies!
• Fruit 3-4 servings, the hardest of all for me.  I like fruit but I never want to eat it so I have to make special efforts
• Dairy 3 servings from skim milk, soy milk, low fat cheese, yogurt, pudding - lots of fun options!

I eat discretionary calories (treats) every day too.  For me that usually means chocolate & sometimes potato chips or McDonald's pie!  

I don't feel any guilt because I keep it between 100-400 calories depending on how active I am that day.  I NEVER feel like I'm missing out on anything because I eat what I want, just in moderation & with a bit of thought.  It's pretty easy & gets easier with practice.

I've been enjoying being extra healthy with balancing my diet.  It's fun for me & I feel really good.  Feeling good makes it more fun & makes me want to do it more.  It's a cycle of goodness!

Tweaking my diet for better training

Marathon training & improper nutrition aren't anything to take lightly.  So I've been paying close attention to my calorie intake lately.

I've been working on being very balanced in my daily food intake but more on that later.  What I've noticed over the past couple of weeks is that I'm not eating enough during the day.

I've always eaten right around 1,000-1,100 for the first half of the day.  Too little now!  

So I've added about 100-200 calories, focusing on a bigger, more balanced breakfast.  WOW, what a difference!  I feel better, I'm less tired in the afternoon & I drink more water (isn't that interesting?)

The lesson?  Little changes make a big difference.  I'm ready to learn more.  Bring it on!

Ronna losing weight

When I checked on Ronna today to see how her first week of training is going, I found out she's lost 1.8 pounds!

"I think it's pretty good for the first week" she says.  Yep - Ronna, that's perfect!

When you're trying to lose weight, keep in mind that .5-2 pounds per week is ideal.    There's 3,500 calories in just 1 pound of fat so to lose 1 pound is a huge success!

This is always why losing weight properly takes both moving a bit more & eating a bit less.  Trying to burn all the calories you eat or starving yourself is not the way to be successful.

Congrats, Ronna & keep smiling!  You're on your way to a thinner & healthier you!  

Long distance fitness training with Jody

Jody lives in Yuma, AZ & has been involved in several of our fitness programs.  She's done great - her & her daughter even participated in our Newbie Triathlon program to earn the title of 'triathlete!'

But now Jody is really ready to put everything together.  We're going to get down & dirty to make a change for life.  She's got the exercise piece & is doing well.  

We're going to work on everything else that comes with a well rounded, healthy life & WE CAN'T WAIT to see her succeed!  

Jody is a go getter.  It's not going to be easy but she's tough & she's ready!

Just like Ronna, I'll be working with her every week via our OnTrack Fitness long distance training option (she's in Yuma, I'm in Hawaii).   I'll consulting with her to discuss how her week went, answer questions & guide her lifestyle changes.

We're going to share her progress with you.  By reading about Jody's journey, we hope that this is an inspiration & encouragement to you that you CAN certainly make a healthy change in your own life.

Jody, it's a pleasure.  Let's do this!

Long distance fitness training with Ronna

This is Ronna.  She's just starting her journey to better health with us & we're going to share her progress.

She's ready to lose weight, feel better & create a healthy lifestyle that she'll continue the rest of her life for both herself & her young family.

Ronna will be working with me via the OnTrack Fitness long distance training option.  She'll have weekly 'homework' including workouts, nutrition education & anything else we need to work on to reach her goals.  

I'll be consulting with her once a week through phone or Skype to discuss how her week went, answer questions & guide her lifestyle changes.

Ronna has agreed to be an open book to help inspire others on her journey.  She says that if she - just a regular person wanting to create a healthier life for her & her family can do it - anyone can.  

Welcome aboard Ronna.  You're going to succeed!

Back into marathon training

Two years ago I started training for a marathon.  I had to stop my training mid way.  My body wasn't strong enough to continue.

I'm back at it!  I'm feeling really good about it this time.  Here's why:

• I've been out of the Midwest environment for 2 1/2 years now. That was a tough place for me, as I was allergic to everything & the weather beat me up.
• Because I'm in a healthier environment my body is feeling more level.  
• I'm taking precautions!  My training is different this time.  The main difference is I'm doing long runs every other week instead of every week. I feel really good about this!

So time will tell.  I'm listening to my body and I'll keep moving forward until either my body say no or I cross the finish line of the Honolulu Marathon.  Wish me luck!