Trusted Sara's Trusted Saskatoon 2018 Fitness Focus Challenge Week nine: Rowing is hard

24. Jul 2018 Trusted Saskatoon Saskatoon Fitness & Gyms, Trusted Tips

Trusted Saskatoon owner and founder Sara Wheelwright accepted a fitness challenge from the excellent team at Trusted Saskatoon gym Fitness Focus. Follow along on her fitness journey as she blogs and video journals her motivations, successes, failures, frustration and her pain as she struggles to get fit and fabulous in her forties!

WEEK 9 - NO TAKING IT EASY!

Let's start by giving my trainer Denise some kudos! This woman is an inspiration and so dedicated to fitness it is mind-blowing. She competed in Vancouver and as you can see she was in staggering shape. ( I think she should have won - but what do I know) She has been a big part of my fitness journey and there have been times when I have just dragged myself to the gym because of her.

I leave on vacation soon and I feel energized, healthy, lighter and I definitely look and feel better overall- the numnbers below really do speak for themselves.

Thank you so much Denise and the team at Fitness Focus for helping me change my lifestyle - I'm determined that I am not going back!

SARA'S PROGRESS BEYOND THE BIKINI

So its all great that I look better in a bikini - but true fitness is more than just being lean.

STRENGTH -FLEXIBILITY -STAMINA- the 3 pillars of fitness.

Strength - By doing resistance training and weight lifting I am getting stronger and I can feel my muscles and am starting to see them appear from under the layers of inactivity I'd formed over last 7 years!

Flexibility - Stretching, stretching and exercises like yoga. If you aren't flexible you will hurt yourself- so I stretch before and after every workout.

Stamina- Physical fitness is key to a long life and good health. Your body’s capacity to transport and use oxygen during exercise (VO2 max) is the most precise measure of overall cardiovascular fitness. Changes in VO2 levels equate to changes in aerobic fitness and this, in turn, can affect your chances of getting a cardiovascular and pulmonary disease....so this number is IMPORTANT!

After punching in the numbers my results were provided and they matched up exactly with what my Fitbit has been showing me.

In the first 2 screenshots, you can see that I have VO2 of 41 - this is an excellent score for a 44-year-old woman ( It increased from a VO2 of 35 in April) - and I have the same score as an average 29-year-old woman. Woo Hooo!!

The next 2 screenshots clearly show the change in my resting heart rate (RHR)

Resting Beats Per Minute (BPM).

What the RHR Numbers Should Say

According to the National Institute of Health, the average resting heart rate for adults is between 60-100 beats per minute. Well-trained athletes tend to fall somewhere between 40-60 beats per minute. Regardless of what your RHR is, that first baseline measurement will be an important number by which you’ll be able to spot trends over time.

This is why it is important to regularly check your RHR.

1. If, for example, you notice that your RHR is rising, it could be an early warning sign of a heart problem. Much research has been devoted to demonstrating the link between elevated heart rate and the development of conditions such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, and other cardiovascular diseases.

2. Alternatively, you can also experience a reduction in your RHR as a result of increased fitness, meaning your heart is working more efficiently. These numbers can be especially motivating as you progress through a workout program or training regimen. When you notice your RHR slowly declining over weeks and months, it’s an indication you’re getting fitter. ( THATS ME!!)

Methods for Lowering Resting Heart Rate

There’s a reason they call them “cardio” workouts. As previously noted, exercise is perhaps your best bet when it comes to decreasing your resting heart rate and boosting heart health. Going hand-in-hand with that is good nutrition and achieving a healthy weight. Hydration also plays a role in keeping your heart healthy. To be sure, good hydration means your heart doesn’t have to work as hard to pump blood through the body. This thereby increases the overall efficiency of your cardiovascular system.

Another factor that can increase your risk of heart issues is a poor sleep over a prolonged period of time. When you get the right amount of high-quality sleep, blood pressure and heart rate drop overnight, giving your heart a break. What’s more, not enough sleep has also been connected to weight gain which is yet another factor that can affect resting heart rate and heart health.

Want to see where you rank for your age?

Based on the extensive research of The K. G. Jebsen Center of Exercise in Medicine at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, you can easily estimate your fitness level by answering a few questions. Simply click on this link to find out. www.worldfitnesslevel.org

ROUNDUP

Postive of week 8-9

I have lost 10lb
I feel energized and I am looking forward to working out.
Cardio is easier!
I feel the urge and the energy to do things I never had time for before - cleaning out closets and draws!
My resting heart rate has dropped from mid 80s range in April to high 60's in July!!
I have the fitness of an average 29year old!
I worked out 12 days in a row!!

Negatives from week 8-9

Darn friends - I just am not good at just hanging out without a drink!
Had a few cheat days for food because we had house guests.
I have not hit my weightlooss goal - but that is because of mey cheats - I take full responsibility. DRAT

Goals for vacation

1. Eat mindfully - 2 meals of each day to be healthy choices( so hard in Scotland !!)

2. Walk walk walk everywhere

3. Take my work out gear with me and actually use it.

4. Try NOT to overindulge drinking - this is particularly hard in my hometown in England and on Islay- the home of the best Scotch in the world!

Wish me luck.

Trusted Sara's Trusted Saskatoon 2018 Fitness Focus Challenge -Week Two-

24. May 2018 Trusted Saskatoon Saskatoon Fitness & Gyms, Saskatoon Health & Wellness, Trusted Tips

Trusted Saskatoon owner and founder Sara Wheelwright recently accepted a fitness challenge from the excellent team at Trusted Saskatoon gym Fitness Focus. Over the next few months, you can follow along on her fitness journey as she blogs and video journals her motivations, successes, failures, frustration and her pain as she struggles to get fit and fabulous in her forties!

Fitness Focus Challenge -Week Two- Dealing With Temptations

Week two was very tricky to keep on track as I was so busy, I knew it was going to be challenging, so I was concerned that it would affect my results.

Trusted was in the process of moving offices, so chaos was the norm! Moving day was Friday, but there were lots of things to do before and after. I had so many deadlines that needed to be met before the move and many work meetings, not to mention kids activities, dentists appointments and other family commitments. Also, I was going out with the girls on Saturday night - dinner plans followed by dancing at Buds On Broadway...I know that EQUALS temptation!!

In the past, this kind of week has derailed my previous fitness/ diet attempts, so I was a bit worried I'd repeat my pattern and blame being busy for failing to keep on track.

I'll be honest...it was not a perfect week by any means!

I saw my trainer Denise at Fitness Focus on Wednesday at 7 am and again Saturday at Noon. She took me through 2 more of my (unique to me and my goals) weight training work out sessions that are making up the final plan.

Her goal is to have me doing this myself, and as such, she is creating a 2 week ( 5 days a week ) program for me to follow. I do 10-15 min cardio before our session and at least 20 mins after. In addition, I am trying to get at least 20-30m mins of cardio a day on the days I don't train with Denise- that can be jogging, walking fast, swimming, biking, group fitness, jumping on a trampoline or cardio machines etc.. whatever I can do to move!

The conclusion of a weights session with Denise always end with 3 sets of ab exercises. On Wednesday I found my new least favourite exercise. Swiss Ball Transfers - This medieval torture training move is where you squeeze a Swiss exercise ball between your feet and switch from feet to hands while crunching- just to make it even more friggin painful, Denise likes to keep feet off the floor at all times and insisted the ball has to go all the way over your head and touch the floor behind you. So you lay almost flat with the ball above your head - transfer in the crunch back to laying flat when the ball goes down to the floor between your feet. I told Denise I'd rather sign up to run a Tough Mudder Obstacle course than do 3 more sets of those again!

Check out my attempts at rope pulldown crunches at the end of Saturday's gym session- OUCH

When Denise did my initial assessment she said I was eating too little and too infrequently during the workday. This meant I was essentially starving myself then feasting, which is not good for the metabolism. I think LOTS of us working Mums/entrepreneurs do this to ourselves, we get busy and simply don't stop to eat.

I eat pretty well at home as I like to cook, so I just decided to make extra portions of healthy suppers and take leftovers to work, along with fruit and nuts to snack on. I am trying to keep away from carbs and to drink lots more water, specifically water with lemon in it.

Some tasty food from last week.

I have never been a huge fan of protein shakes, but I have found a great Vanilla flavoured one by Forever Living, it's so tasty! Shakes are a must because I struggle to eat early in the morning, it is my go-to breakfast, especially before training or I'd pass out. My favourite breakfast shake is 2 scoops Vanilla, almond milk and 2 shots of espresso with ice ...It is DELIGHTFUL!

BBQ vegetables and kebab / Asian Chicken Lettuce wraps with beet slaw

10,000 steps a day goal.

I have also been trying to get in the ' recommended 10,000 steps a day' as part of my lifestyle change. Last week I missed the mark on Monday and Thursday - with just 8400 between both days. However, on the Trusted moving day I did over 25,400 ...moving IS a workout.

All in all, I did over 81,300 steps last week!!

Consider this, prior to this challenge, my average number of steps in a week was around the 25,000 mark!!

ROUNDUP

Postive of week 2

I have now lost 1.5LB total.
I feel lighter in my clothes.
I am enjoying moving more.
My resting heart rate has dropped from 79 to 72BPM this is very encouraging.
I can see some definition starting to show!

Negatives from week 1

I overindulged on Saturday night and was hungover on Sunday, so was lazy AND we had Chinese takeout ( NOT good)
Stiffness and soreness STILL.
I feel like I should have lost more than 1.5lb by now- then I remember Saturday and Sunday.
STILL Not getting enough sleep.
I really look like crap when I am working out - 💪 ( see above picture for proof ) and I hate how the tight work out clothes look.

Week 3 goals

1. Eat better and drink less ( I see a theme here )

2. Take the 5 flights of stairs to the office instead of the elevator.

3. Park further away so I walk to work.

4. Increase Cardio on all days - I need to speed up the fat burn.

5. Go to bed earlier!

Wish me luck.

Trusted Sara's Trusted Saskatoon 2018 Fitness Focus Challenge - The Kick Off

6. May 2018 Trusted Saskatoon Saskatoon Fitness & Gyms, Trusted Tips

Sara's Fitness Focus Motivations.

The first warm day of Spring in Saskatoon brings out hordes of people. They swarm the sidewalks, parks and river trails on bikes, roller blades, or just on foot. It is the Saskatoon way of saying good riddance to a long cold winter. We all celebrate the arrival of warm weather and look forward to a glorious Saskatchewan summer of decks, lakes, fireside sing songs and other outside activities. We live in a weird place, this April I saw people sunbathing on the downtown beaches as chunks of ice floated by on the Saskatchewan River. When the warm weather arrives, Saskachewanians dust off Summer wardrobe and pack away our big bulky coats and winter boots. In fact, we try to completely forget that Winter and the minus 40's are inevitably coming back again in 7 months or so. The shorts, summer dresses and bikinis are pulled out, and the weight we put on over winter starts dropping off as we move around more. Although for me, I've been gradually losing Summer clothing options, the stuff I have that I like got tighter each year and then most just didn't fit, so for the last two years or so I have been resigned to buying larger roomier items that feel comfortable in public.

I was always pretty trim, and before I started Trusted in 2011 I was at the gym three times a week and felt great( the pic below is - just over seven years ago... I had abs!). If I put on 5lb or so on in the Winter, I lost it pretty quickly, and I was never concerned about my weight or my health. So what changed??

In April 2011 I left my fulltime job and took the risk of following my dream to start Trustedsaskatoon.com. Not long after this, I cancelled my gym membership.

I did this for two reasons:

1. To save money. My income was much lower as a new business owner, my life savings and every spare $ went back into the company.

2. I couldn't justify the time. As a single Mom with three young children and new business to grow I felt I had to put 100% focus on those 2 areas- so my needs came last.

Now I realize that was a huge mistake. My sedentary entrepreneurial lifestyle combined with getting older ( I turned 40 in 2014) and my love of wine and good food has caught up with me. I have put on 30lb, have aches I never had, sleep is more fitful, and my ability to handle stress has most definitely been affected. In 2015 I had an attack of shingles, and it has happened a few times since (that's a huge indicator that my body's immune system is weak). On top of that, I feel I have aged in the last six months, and this is not what I want for myself or my future, so I have decided to take on the challenge and make the change.

There is nothing more motivational than making a goal public, it doesn't get more accountable than that! The team at Fitness Focus had brought up the idea of a fitness journal blog last year, I wasn't ready then, but I am now.

I met with the fantastic Denise Kominetsky from Team Warwyk- who are the personal trainers based out of Fitness Focus, she asked me to fill out a questionnaire and send pictures, and today ( May 6th, 2018 ) I had my first personal training session. I know this is NOT going to be easy, so we have several goals for the next 12 months. I am going on vacation to the UK to visit family at the end of July, so my first goal is to fit in the clothes I want to take with me!

Check out my first video below and follow my journey as I pursue a new lifestyle of health and fitness. Thanks must go to Fitness Focus and their dedicated team of personal trainers!