Category Archives: Exercise and Fitness

Workout Interrupted! Getting Back into My Workout Routine

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I caught a really bad cold about 2 weeks ago. It’s been a very long time since any member of the Garcia Family has been sick (knock on wood) but about a month ago, my “baby boy” came home with a sore throat and runny nose. Thankfully, his cold bug came and went pretty quickly: Cas and I were not so lucky.

My husband got started feeling sick about 4 days before me and then one morning, I woke up with a SUPER dry throat.  I wake up at the same time every day and I can literally remember getting sick.  The dryness in my throat could not be quenched, even after I guzzled down a quart of water.  I had been awake for about an hour and suddenly, my neck felt super sore. I ignored the soreness and kept on typing.  Less than an hour after I noticed the soreness, my nose started running even though my sinuses felt full and I couldn’t smell anything.

By the time the sun came up, I was coughing, achy and feeling freakishly cold. I thought a good sweat would get rid of whatever was in my system, so I got on my stationary bike. Ten minutes later, I got off the bike because my legs were too sore to pedal. As the days passed, my symptoms got worse and I had a hacking cough, stuffed AND runny nose, fever, chills, aches and pains.  My doctor told me I had a viral infection, so antibiotics wouldn’t help. UGH!!!

My temperature was zig zagging all over the place, so my usual sound and restful sleep was really interrupted.  I didn’t have much of an appetite either.  With little sleep and hardly any food, I had almost no energy.  I pretty much watched TV, napped and read for about 5 days.  I continued to go to and get out of bed at the same time.  Every day, after being out of bed for about 3 or 4 hours, I just had to lie down and take a nap. It wasn’t fun at all, man!

I did all the things that I absolutely had to do, but I lacked the energy for anything more than that. Working out was out of the question.  Nearly 3 weeks later, my husband and I still have a slight cough and runny nose.  In comparison to how I felt a couple of weeks ago, though, I feel GREAT.  I have been riding my bike for about 35 minutes every morning and starting on Monday, I will resume my regular workout again. Since it has been nearly 3 full weeks since my last “real” workout, I’m going to take things slower.  I’ll use lighter weights and allow for a little extra resting time in between sets.

It’s frighteningly easy to put off working out for “tomorrow”, even when you’re not sick.  It’s also easy to eat a larger piece of cake or another few cookies with the idea that you’ll “work it off tomorrow”.  I’ve noticed that as I get older, my strength and stamina can significantly decrease if I skip or skimp on exercise.  This is actually the first time I have admitted this to myself, so I guess this is sort of a confession!! If you broke or deviated from a New Years resolution to get back in shape or begin a regular workout program, please tell me about it!

I’m going to post my workout routine tomorrow morning, so maybe you can use it as a blueprint for your own fitness regimen.  If you find that my workout if not your thing, I have a 45 minute Workout DVD that you can use 3 or 4 times a week.  If you’d like something more personalized, please go to my Turn Over a New Leaf 30 Day Fitness Challenge Blog entries and follow the tips for each day: At the end of the one month period, you will be able to construct your own workout routine & eating plan. I hope to hear from you… don’t be shy!

Please: MAKE Time For The Things That Are Important!

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You can’t fake good health.  Makeup, hair styles/accessories, under garments and clothing can change your outward appearance, but the results are temporary.

Healthy skin is the result of a DAILY regimen that addresses your skins specific needs & requirements.  I used to spend quite a bit of time every morning applying mineral foundation to cover my acne scars.  Weekly AHA peels, Glowshine Anti Acne & Skin Lightening Lotion mixed with Vitamin C + Koljic Acid, twice daily and Burnout Clean and Clear sunscreen, got rid of my darkest, oldest spots and scars. It took 3 months for the newest scars and about 8 months for the oldest scars to fade. My cleansing, toning and masque regimen  kept (and continues to keep!) new pimples from forming:  This was my biggest challenge, as I am a reformed pimple popper. I stopped wearing foundation over a year ago because I no longer had to cover up hyperpigmentation.  YIPPEE! Now, I just use a long wear Maybelline Super Stay in Wine (this stuff really STAYS on ALL DAY), eye liner, mascara and a little eyeshadow.

Every one, all ages and skin types, needs to wear sunscreen every single day.  It doesn’t matter what the weather is like outside or whether or not you plan on leaving your house for the day. UV rays come in through your windows (in your home AND your car) and they can and will damage your skin if it’s unprotected.  Sunscreen is especially important for skin that has hyper-pigmentation issues or if you use any alpha hydroxy acid products on skin that’s exposed to the sun (AHAs increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun). Without the adequate protection provided by sunscreen, UV rays can and most likely will darken existing acne scars. Unprotected skin is also more likely to develop dark spots sometimes referred to as “sun spots”. Make sunscreen part of your daily routine. Make sure that your children, spouses, etc. are also applying sunscreen each and every day.

The same preventative measures apply to hair care. It only takes about 30 minutes to deep condition your hair. The WONDERFUL results are WELL worth half an hour, once a week. Healthy hair “behaves” better, looks fabulous and requires less styling products because you don’t need to mask or correct anything.  With a cordless heat cap, you don’t even have to set aside a block of time to do a proper deep conditioning treatment.

On Saturdays or Sundays, I warm up my heat cap right before I’m about to go into the shower. I rest it just outside the shower and then, after cleansing my hair and applying my deep conditioner, I put the heat cap on.  It takes about 15 minutes for my hair to get thoroughly heated, so during that time I use a pumice stone or scrub on my feet, exfoliate my whole body, shave, etc.  I remove the heat cap about five minutes before the end of my shower to let my hair cool down. Right before I’m about to step out of the shower, I turn off the overhead water flow, turn off the hot water and run cold water over my hair from the bathtub faucet to completely seal the cuticles on my hair.  You don’t have to deep condition every week, but you REALLY should do it twice a month.

EXERCISE. You’ve got to work out. I know it’s difficult to find time for exercise: work, family commitments, etc. all require precious time.  If you absolutely have no time to work out, use the time you do have to “squeeze in” some exercise: You can do sit ups, leg raises, push ups or upper body exercises using dumbbells or canned vegetables as you watch TV.  If you have a stationary bike, treadmill, etc. you can get on it as you catch up on your reading. Put ankle weights on and do rear leg lifts as you wash the dishes. Use your imagination and please, share your tips…  right HERE!

I have a very small window of time to exercise in the mornings, so I double up my lower body and upper body weight lifting exercises to speed things along.  It works out WONDERFULLY because I’m able to get & keep my heart rate in it’s target range as I do my strength training: This cuts down on the amount of time I have to spend on “straight up” cardio work (on my bike or elliptical machine).   Thanks to my Accumen Heart Rate monitor, I can monitor my cardio workout from start to finish.

For a healthy heart, everyone needs to do at least 20 minutes of aerobics (cardio vascular exercise that causes your heart to beat within its target range) 4 days a week.  Aerobic exercise will also force your body to burn fat for energy. In addition, your body will continue to burn fat for several hours after your workout is over. Here’s more good news about exercise: Working out with weights build lean muscle. When you increase your muscle mass and decrease your body fat percentage, your body burn calories (fat) even when you’re not working out! Please know that increased muscle mass does NOT mean you’ll get bigger or become muscle bound. It’s actually the opposite: Muscle takes up less room than fat, so there’s a good chance that you’ll see a decrease in your overall size (your weight will most likely stay the same & could possibly increase).

Making time every day for proper skin & hair care will have many benefits; much more than I can even list!  Find the time to take care of yourself and the rewards will be well worth the effort!

Day 30!!! Last Day of the 30 Day Fitness Challenge!

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HEY, NEW LEAVES!!!!  It’s HERE! Day 30 of the Turn Over A new Leaf Fitness Challenge!!! Yesterday, I asked you to share what you learned, if anything, over the past month. It’s only fair that I, too, share my learning experiences with you.

  • I LOVE coffee! I don’t think that one 4 oz cup a day is so bad.
  • I think I have a salty tooth instead of a sweet tooth.
  • I prefer working out for shorter periods of time and more days as opposed to longer workouts and fewer days.
  • Music makes working out AWESOME.
  • I will never like radicchio, but found, much to my surprise, that arugala is pretty darned tasty. Who knew?
  • I like raw cashews better than roasted ones.
  • I LOVE UDON NOODLES!
  • Ramekin (our senior cat) would rather do pretty much anything besides watch me exercise.
  • Mugsy (another one of our cats) will never laugh at me, no matter how goofy I look in my gigantic sweat pants. He thinks I’m a rock star!
  • Pasha (the third of three of our cats) doesn’t like it when I bust a move. It scares him (but then again, so does the sound of a light switch, his own shadow, etc.)
  • The 30 day Challenge was FUN!

Thank you all for taking part in this with me!

Day 29: What have YOU learned in the last 29 days?

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Howdy New Leaves!  This is ALMOST it!! I certainly hope that you’ve learned something new over the course of our 30 Day Challenge.

Yesterday, as I was drifting off to sleep, I thought about the last month and it made me smile: I’ve been “blogging” to no one in particicular… I wonder how many people are reading this? I have received emails from a few of you, but I wonder exactly how many people particiapted in the challenge.

If you joined the Turn Over A New Leaf 30 Day Fitness Challenge 29 days ago or 2 days ago, please share with me what you learned. I am VERY anxious to hear your story!!

Day 28: Setting and Reaching New Goals

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Good Day, NEW LEAVES! In case you hadn’t heard… today’s my husband’s birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAS!!!!

In honor of this monumental occasion, I baked a dense & rich chocolate cake with a dark chocolate glaze and I WILL enjoy a BIG slice of it tonight… after the birthday boy, of course! I’ll post the recipe this weekend.  It’s very easy to make and it’s DELICIOUS!

We have two more days left it the challenge.  My workout this morning was really wonderful. My overall strength has increased significantly in the past 28 days, most notably in my legs and abs. I like the “spill over” effect that regular exercise has on the way I feel about my workout: The stronger I get, the more I look forward to the challenge of lifting even heavier weights… in small increments, of course.

I must remind you to be sure that you warm up thoroughly BEFORE you workout. This is particularly important if you workout first thing in the morning. A warm-up should consist of simple exercises that will increase the blood flow throughout the body. The idea is to slightly raise the temperature of your muscles, so they won’t tear as you begin to exercise.

If you have been drinking more water, you will undoubtedly notice a marked change in your skin’s texture and appearance. The good news is once your body has grown accustomed to your increased water consumption, you will develop a natural thirst for it, so it won’t seem like such a chore. I hope that you’ve also been treating yourself to a weekly “spa day”.  Good work should be rewarded!

Day 26: One Day At A Time

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Good Morning, New Leaves! Our Turn Over A New Leaf 30 Day Fitness Challenge is coming to an end. I hope that this has been an enjoyable and education experience for you. I’ve enjoyed the experience of blogging every day (something I NEVER thought I’d do).

In the process of daily blogging for our 30 Day Challenge, I’ve done a lot of reflecting about exercise and nutrition.  I re-read many of the articles I used to draft and send to my students when I taught a lunchtime exercise class at my “other job”. I also wrote out and actually followed a brand new workout regimen for myself. Prior to this, I was just adding more weights, sets or repetitions to the same exercises I normally did.  I’ve been eating breakfast everyday, which was another thing I often slacked on. Most days, I would just have a cup of coffee, fill up on water and of late, drink a BIG thermos full of juice. My first real meal was usually at noon or even 1 o’clock.

I had lofty plans to prepare hot cereal every morning, but time did not permit this.  I also had plans to cook 7 different vegetables for dinner every week, in an effort to expose myself to a wider variety of one of nature’s finest gifts, but that didn’t quite pan out either.  I pre-packed several little sandwich bags with raw cashews and walnuts to snack on during the day, but once those were consumed, I never made it back to the health food store to restock.

I’m not beating myself up over these things, though. I’m very happy with the changes that have come about as a result of this 30 Day Challenge. I thought long and hard about my time and commitments to myself, my family, Brendita’s Body Works, etc.   For the first time since Cas and I launched BBWs, I am following a work schedule. It’s such a simple concept, but for some reason, I never gave it much thought. My new schedule details EVERYTHING, from the moment I wake up until the hour my body tells me that its bedtime.  There’s a time to workout, prepare my meals, mix products & fill orders for BBW,  take care of my skin and of course,  FREE TIME. Thanks to having a coherent schedule, I have A LOT more free time and I don’t feel guilty about it:   During this “me” time, I don’t have to worry or wonder whether or not there’s something else I should be doing.  I’m shocked at how truly relaxed I feel!

I would like for each of you to think about ONE CHANGE, related to your health, that you have made as a result of this challenge. If you’d like to share it with us, that would be just wonderful! Maybe your words will inspire someone else.

Day 25: The Easy Way to Calculate Your Heart Rate

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Happy Friday New Leaves!  I hope that you will allow yourselves a bit of Halloween candy tomorrow…YOU EARNED IT!

Just five more days to go in our 30 Day Fitness Challenge. I want to make sure that you’re all monitoring your heart rate as you do your cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise.  Remember, in order for your body to being to burn fat for energy, you MUST exercise in your target heart rate range for at least 20 minutes. I have been using a heart rate monitor for my workout: I highly recommend it! It’s made by a  company called ACUMEN. I bought it for about $30.

You can easily check your heart rate without any fancy equipment, though.  Find your pulse with your index finger (never use your thumb because it has a pulse of it’s own). You can locate your pulse on your nexk or on your wrist. Count the number of times it beats for SIX (6) seconds and add a zero to it: That’s your heart rate. For example, if you count 14 beats in 6 minutes, your heart rate is 140 beats per minute.

I hope you all have a GREAT Friday! Keep up the GREAT work!

Day 23: Quick Fixes DON’T Work!

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Good Morning New Leaves! I hope you’re all doing well today. I am VERY eager to hear about your experiences with the 30 day challenge. At the risk of sounding like a corrupt .mpg file, scratched CD, broken record, etc…  Please know that you CANNOT fail this challenge!

I want you to learn how to make healthy food choices and exercise properly.  Armed with the proper tools, you will be able to incorporate good eating habits and regular exercise into your lifestyle.  If you have a spouse and/or children, they, too will benefit from your new lifestyle:  You can exercise and plan meals together, experience the wonders of new and exciting fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains that you’ve never tasted before.

You’ve seen ads for facial serums, creams, lotions etc. that promise results in “just one week” or infomercials for a new exercise gadget that ”guarantees” results after just one use? You KNOW it’s not possible, yet, these advertisers make it sound sooooo tempting.

I’m sure that at some point in your life, you’ve received an email detailing a new diet that consists of things like unlimited grapefruits, as much bacon as your stomach can hold, a side of beef, 2 gallons of green tea, etc. The promise is that you WILL lose 5 pound in 5 days… and you probably will. Trust me, that weight loss is PURE water and as soon as you resume eating in a normal fashion, that “lost weight” will come right back.

You may have heard of or even tried a high protein diet. These types of diets instruct you to greatly limit, to the point of almost eliminating, the amount of carbohydrates you consume. Your body uses complex carbohydrates as a fuel source. Supposedly, by eliminating carbohydrates from your diet, you will force your body it to burn excess fat stores for energy. This is a VERY dangerous and unhealthy approach to weight loss. The rapid weight loss that occurs in the first week of such diets is, again, water weight.  High protein diets are almost always heavy with fats, as they encourage the consumption of lots of red meat, such as steak and bacon, while discouraging fruits and whole grains.  ANY diet that advises you to eat an excess of ANY one food group is unhealthy.

Our bodies need a variety of nutrients that can only be obtained by eating a wide variety of wholesome, nutritious food sources.  Similarly, diets that encourage drastically low daily caloric intakes are not healthy either.  Food is used by the body the same way gasoline is used by a car; as fuel to keep the body functioning. When you don’t supply your body with an adequate number of calories to burn for energy, it goes into self preservation mode and actually holds onto its excess fat stores: It does this because it’s not sure when it will be getting more “fuel”.  So, please, don’t starve yourself!

When we are done with this 30 day Challenge, I will continue to make blog entries about a wide variety of things, not just healthy eating and exercise.  I don’t think it’s healthy to spend too much time consumed (no pun intended) by what you should and shouldn’t eat. There are so many things in life to enjoy. Thinking about what you’ll be eating or what you ate should only be a small part of your life.

With that thought, I invite you to think about something other than food and exercise… something that will make you smile or maybe even…LAUGH OUT LOUD!