Amen to my friend Zina who made this statement Friday morning during a discussion about working out and losing weight. And oh, how true that is. I used to joke that I could live off of Coke, bread and cheese (I could probably have added pasta in there too). Unfortunately, that is precisely what has created the belly fat I am working so hard to get rid of now.
You are what you eat they say (and whoever they are, are right). We've all heard this before and we've all seen those commercials where the girl has cinnamon buns stuck to her butt or the guy with a donut around his waist. Or the couple in the drive-thru ordering the blubber, a double chin, thunder thighs and a budakadonk butt. Those commercials may be funny, but that is exactly what is happening to our bodies when we eat junk. Like it or not.
That is why a healthy diet is so important and the key to losing the fat, especially belly fat. Although exercise is important, without the proper diet you'll work twice as hard and get less results. Trust me on this, if I were wrong, I wouldn't be on this quest to find my rock hard abs to begin with because I never would have lost them in the first place.
As I've mentioned in other blogs, the Rev Abs meal plan is stricter (and that's putting it mildly), and after my first week on this workout, I now understand why. The Rev Abs workouts are shorter (yay! more time in the morning for me), but they're also less intense then P90X (yay too! but not so much because now I have to be on a stricter diet). And my new workout focuses more on cardio and abs, however, it does includes some strength training. But by far, P90X is a much more difficult workout. And I have to admit, I like some of the P90X workouts better...in some respects.
You see, my new workout is a bit...gimmicky. For instance, the music is geared toward a younger audience (and the trainer even tells the DJ to turn up the volume when the cardio kicks in). There's a "Rev team" - those who are in the video (consisting of young beautiful people who have probably never had a weight problem in their life or given birth for that matter...but there is an upside to this and his name is Chad. He is good looking to say the least, so I can't complain). There is a "Rev Anthem" (yes, an anthem...Rev it high, Rev it low, I'm strong, committed, and ready to go...I know, eye roll, which is exactly what I do every time they say it). And finally, the creme de la creme of gimmicky or corniness..."the Rev badge" (another eye roll please and a chuckle). The Rev badge is two fingers held up (like a peace sign with your right hand) then placed on your left shoulder (I know...very gangster like). And no, I don't do this nor the anthem. In fact, I'm usually pushing the eject button when they're doing this at the end of the program (which unfortunately is not the only time they do it).
But I digress, because despite the above mentioned (with the exception of Chad) being a bit of a turn off for me, the program has a lot of positives. For one, proper diet and sticking with the program is emphasized often. And, you're encouraged (as you are with all Beachbody.com workouts) to keep at it, modify if and when necessary, make sure you're using proper form and to keep moving even if its just walking in place until you can pick back up and join the workout again. You're even told when other body parts might feel the burn (or pain) during the exercise (this little tip came in handy the first time I did the Ab Ripper with P90X).
But most importantly, the workouts focus on "firing your abs" (hence the name "Rev Abs") during the entire workout (which can be hard at times when I'm gasping for air). But this is something that not all workouts do. And my abs are what I'm focusing on. Oddly enough, I was more sore this week then I remember being during my P90X workouts. So I'm getting a great workout indeed. (But don't get me wrong, P90X is much harder).
So how has my diet changed? Well, for starters, I've read more nutrition labels over the past 90 days then I have books (it's amazing how much sodium is in prepackaged food). I've eaten more soy products then I knew existed. Have you every heard of soy cheese? This is a new discovery for me and one I am very thankful for because it helps me cut back on eating the real stuff (which I love). And that is one vice I haven't been able to kick. This week was also the first week without any Coke products (diet or otherwise) and although this hasn't been as difficult as I thought it would be, I have to admit, I've had my cravings. But unlike my need for cheese, this is something I've been able to fight. With the elimination of soda, I've pretty much eliminated caffeine from my diet as well. And my alcohol intake has been greatly reduced but not eliminated (a girl has to have fun occasionally). In addition, I've probably eaten every multi-grain product available to mankind. But despite all that, one of the biggest improvements I've made is the amount of water I drink (which is half my body weight and then some in ounces a day). And that hasn't been so bad either. I could go on, but who wants to read about every little change I've made when I don't even want to write it.
Anyway, as for abs being made in the kitchen...well, if I had been in one of those commercials a year ago, I would have looked like a slice a pizza with mac and cheese stuck to my butt and a couple bagels for boobs. Today, I would consist of a bunch of grains, a bottle of water and soybeans. As for my midsection, the wheel of cheddar that once encompassed it, has been reduced to a roll of string cheese and eventually, if I play my cards right, it will become the veggie shreds (aka soy cheese) that now sits in a drawer in my fridge...rock hard veggie shreds that is.
You are what you eat they say (and whoever they are, are right). We've all heard this before and we've all seen those commercials where the girl has cinnamon buns stuck to her butt or the guy with a donut around his waist. Or the couple in the drive-thru ordering the blubber, a double chin, thunder thighs and a budakadonk butt. Those commercials may be funny, but that is exactly what is happening to our bodies when we eat junk. Like it or not.
That is why a healthy diet is so important and the key to losing the fat, especially belly fat. Although exercise is important, without the proper diet you'll work twice as hard and get less results. Trust me on this, if I were wrong, I wouldn't be on this quest to find my rock hard abs to begin with because I never would have lost them in the first place.
As I've mentioned in other blogs, the Rev Abs meal plan is stricter (and that's putting it mildly), and after my first week on this workout, I now understand why. The Rev Abs workouts are shorter (yay! more time in the morning for me), but they're also less intense then P90X (yay too! but not so much because now I have to be on a stricter diet). And my new workout focuses more on cardio and abs, however, it does includes some strength training. But by far, P90X is a much more difficult workout. And I have to admit, I like some of the P90X workouts better...in some respects.
You see, my new workout is a bit...gimmicky. For instance, the music is geared toward a younger audience (and the trainer even tells the DJ to turn up the volume when the cardio kicks in). There's a "Rev team" - those who are in the video (consisting of young beautiful people who have probably never had a weight problem in their life or given birth for that matter...but there is an upside to this and his name is Chad. He is good looking to say the least, so I can't complain). There is a "Rev Anthem" (yes, an anthem...Rev it high, Rev it low, I'm strong, committed, and ready to go...I know, eye roll, which is exactly what I do every time they say it). And finally, the creme de la creme of gimmicky or corniness..."the Rev badge" (another eye roll please and a chuckle). The Rev badge is two fingers held up (like a peace sign with your right hand) then placed on your left shoulder (I know...very gangster like). And no, I don't do this nor the anthem. In fact, I'm usually pushing the eject button when they're doing this at the end of the program (which unfortunately is not the only time they do it).
But I digress, because despite the above mentioned (with the exception of Chad) being a bit of a turn off for me, the program has a lot of positives. For one, proper diet and sticking with the program is emphasized often. And, you're encouraged (as you are with all Beachbody.com workouts) to keep at it, modify if and when necessary, make sure you're using proper form and to keep moving even if its just walking in place until you can pick back up and join the workout again. You're even told when other body parts might feel the burn (or pain) during the exercise (this little tip came in handy the first time I did the Ab Ripper with P90X).
But most importantly, the workouts focus on "firing your abs" (hence the name "Rev Abs") during the entire workout (which can be hard at times when I'm gasping for air). But this is something that not all workouts do. And my abs are what I'm focusing on. Oddly enough, I was more sore this week then I remember being during my P90X workouts. So I'm getting a great workout indeed. (But don't get me wrong, P90X is much harder).
So how has my diet changed? Well, for starters, I've read more nutrition labels over the past 90 days then I have books (it's amazing how much sodium is in prepackaged food). I've eaten more soy products then I knew existed. Have you every heard of soy cheese? This is a new discovery for me and one I am very thankful for because it helps me cut back on eating the real stuff (which I love). And that is one vice I haven't been able to kick. This week was also the first week without any Coke products (diet or otherwise) and although this hasn't been as difficult as I thought it would be, I have to admit, I've had my cravings. But unlike my need for cheese, this is something I've been able to fight. With the elimination of soda, I've pretty much eliminated caffeine from my diet as well. And my alcohol intake has been greatly reduced but not eliminated (a girl has to have fun occasionally). In addition, I've probably eaten every multi-grain product available to mankind. But despite all that, one of the biggest improvements I've made is the amount of water I drink (which is half my body weight and then some in ounces a day). And that hasn't been so bad either. I could go on, but who wants to read about every little change I've made when I don't even want to write it.
Anyway, as for abs being made in the kitchen...well, if I had been in one of those commercials a year ago, I would have looked like a slice a pizza with mac and cheese stuck to my butt and a couple bagels for boobs. Today, I would consist of a bunch of grains, a bottle of water and soybeans. As for my midsection, the wheel of cheddar that once encompassed it, has been reduced to a roll of string cheese and eventually, if I play my cards right, it will become the veggie shreds (aka soy cheese) that now sits in a drawer in my fridge...rock hard veggie shreds that is.
