I have experienced some very big changes this week. I’ve started to do a major double up on my spin classes clocking in about 90 – 100 minutes three out of four days over the long weekend. Additionally, I performed a double on Thursday evening. My gym has back to back classes so times wise it is extra efficient, I just don’t cool down until the end of the second class. My body feels stronger already. I have to say I am proud of myself. It really makes a lot of my goals seem that much more attainable.

The other much sought personal goal for me has been to change the style by which I eat. I work up quite an appetite at the gym and even when I'm not at the gym I've found. As I've mentioned many times I also don't always make the best decisions when it comes to what kinds of food I eat.

The solution? To concentrate on specific foods. It is called the simply filling technique. It is very similar to what I did this past summer. You concentrate on zero point foods and add in whole grains and lean protein. You don't count but rather target in on how hungry you feel. You also receive a small points balance weekly for things like olive oil which are encouraged to have two tablespoons full of per day. I imagine that is because everything you are consuming is very low in fat.

So far I am enjoying the challenge. We'll see how it goes. I am off to do two back to back spin classes now. Enjoy this beautiful crisp Sunday in the Northeast and have a great week!

I recently took one of the many steps towards one of my resolutions for the new year. I made my way to the bike shop to start my research on road bikes. This event just happened to coincide with one of the only major snow storms so far this year on the East Coast. So I looked and talked to the experts but I didn't get to ride any. I did walk out of the shop with an awesome pair of Shimano indoor cycling shoes.

My new purchase has brought me once again to the next level of fitness but how has my diet been? Not good. I still eat way too much and per usual not always the right things to fuel my workouts. What to do about this? I have tried many approaches. I just don't seem to possess enough will power or self discipline. Maybe I don't want it enough?

I would say that one of my biggest roadblocks is my career or rather the all consuming hours spent on it. I start my day at around 7:30am at my desk or on my blackberry. By 7 or 8 at night I am completely emotionally and physically exhausted. This is because of the constant pressure to perform plus the constant threat of losing my job due to head count reductions as my firm closes and sells off different businesses. When I have serious issues weighing on my mind I've never been a successful dieter at such times. I need to work on changing that right away.

Happy Superbowl Sunday. Go Giants! I started my day in a special way. I did a two hour spin-a-thon for kidney research. As this is of course a very big eating day I thought a double workout might make a dent in the proposed party food later tonight.

I also have a pretty bad cold so for me to finish the two hours was quite a feat. I made my way into the steam room and to the sauna after which seemed to help my congestion. Of course I was starving afterwards. I went to a greek restaurant with some friends I spin with. I had a nice salad and half a pita. Pretty pretty good for me. I was satisfied as well.

A lot of the time when I see food I'll want to eat it even though I'm not hungry. Maybe it just looks yummy and I think it would taste great. It plays to big a part in my life. Today not so much. Maybe if I do two hours of cardio each day I won't eat :) I do want to do a triathlon so not too crazy of an idea. We'll see how this week goes. Can't wait for Madonna tonight.

Another year has gone by.  As we start 2012 it is only natural to think about what we accomplished in the last year and what we hope to accomplish this year.  After the excitement of the actual new year you really need to buckle down to continue to meet your goals.  Everything sounds so glamorous and attainable when you first conceive it. 
 
For example in my last blog I think I mentioned that I would love to compete in a triathilon.  Not the IRONMAN :)  Rather a .5 mile swim, 15 mile bike ride and 3.5 mile run.  It sounds amazing expecially the bike ride and swim but when I try to even run a quarter mile I am miserable.  It isn't that I physically can't do it, I have some kind of mental block. 

Another necessity for the new year is to get back tracking what goes in my mouth. When you start relaxing on recording each item things get missed or forgotten.  That is just the reality. 

In other news I'm definitely making a trip to the bike shop this weekend to select some cycling shoes and I might do a one day juice fast at the very end of the week. Maybe on Friday. 

I'm sure I'll be talking more about all these subjects in the months to come!

Happy New Year! 2012 is looking like it is going to be a great year. Let's do this right. 2011 was a year of growth in every facet of my life especially in the areas of nutrition and fitness. 

Even though I still have a lot more weight to lose I've never been in this kind of shape. Never is a strong statement. I'll say since high school.   My legs are so strong I can't believe it.  I can feel the muscles. All I used to feel was fat so this concept is amazing to me.  It feels great to wear heels as well. That is all awesome but the real question is how am I going to challenge myself further this year?  

I am definitely planning on doing double spin classes and getting back into my upper body workouts. I'd like to add in some run/walks for some more interval training and what would be the ultimate goal would be to participate in a triathlon.  Something easy with a 3k run. 

Getting back to my current fitness levels I even workout when on vacation and when I'm sick. It is like I've transformed into a completely different person.  Let's toast to this!  May all my new found habits stick in the New Year! Cheers!

Food, glorious food!  To  carb or not to carb, that is the question.  Do ever wish that you just didn't have to eat?  Sometimes I wish that when I am as hungry as one can be and not sure what to eat. I then try to have some fruit or almonds while I decide. 

Went to SoulCycle two days ago as part of a six day continuous spin cycle. I started Wednesday night. I missed Monday night as I had to work late and my normal instructor was on vaca. Have you ever noticed how much your fitness instructor really matters. It is the difference between a heart-pounding 45 minutes to the rhythm of the music or a boring looking at the clock never getting your heart rate up kind of class. I have my favorite instructors that really motivate me to take it to the next level.  

Today is day 5 of the six classes. I rewarded myself with an Yves Saint Laurent lipstick I had been waiting for. It made meeting my goal pretty special.  Now every time I wear it I know I kept a promise myself.  That premise in itself is special to me as I've made so many past promises regarding diet/fitness only to fail miserably.  Maybe my next goal should be 20 classes for the month of December. This way there won't be any holiday weight gain, only a guaranteed loss. 

This coming week should be pretty low key with plenty of time for the gym which is great. I enjoy weeks with no business travel adhering to a regular schedule. I'm working up to a double spin class maybe next weekend.  We'll see if I am ready for that.  Have a great week!

Starting out the weekend right for a change. Hard-boiled egg, apple, a few grapes and a tablespoon of Justin's honey peanut butter blend and spin class. I love getting my workout done first thing in the morning. There is nothing more invigorating. I am also feeling motivated again to get fit and lose the rest of the weight. What has changed?

I spent a lot of time this week reading fitness blogs written by others and checking out some websites. I also changed the way I was eating and cut down on my portion sizes. In addition I tried some new combinations. I put sliced pear with my grilled chicken breast and some hummus. It was delish and it helped to fuel that day's workout. I also had green apple with spinach, cranberries and walnuts for a dinner salad. They have this place called "Chopped" in the city. They now have it in Rye, NY and because the rent is cheaper for the franchise the prices are great. You can get an organic salad with protein and a drink for under $10. At that price it is almost as cheap as making your own salad. I've been getting dinner there with the girls post workout. It beats coming home at 8pm not having planned and eating crap which is a scenario that I can fall into quite easily after working a ten hour day.

Post spin I'm feeling good like I can get to my goal. That is what matters. If you think you can you will.