JUNE 2013 GOALS

Hello again. It has been awhile since I have blogged so here I am checking in yet again after a couple of months. It has been a crazy up and down year for me so far but I am looking to change that and get back to my healthier ways. At my best point in my journey I was down 70lbs! Sadly, I have gained back 15 of those 70lbs that I lost so I am at minus 55lbs on my journey. I have no one to blame but myself and I know what I have to do to get myself back on track and focused towards my goal. At work we have this 8 week challenge starting tomorrow in which I am a team captain in. I am really banking on this to help me get back on track and plan on using it as a stepping stone to keep me there! The challenge consist of tracking weight loss, steps taken per day and minutes exercised per day. Last year my team came in first overall for our site and third or fourth overall for the company so I am really wanting to win the whole thing overall. I have a pretty good team(hand selected by myself of course) and I like our chances of getting it done! One way that I noticed helped me stay accountable was to make my monthly goals public. It informs people around you of what you are doing and they tend to ask you how you are doing towards them. The workout group that I have on Facebook is starting to pick back up and become the awesome group that we were during my great run of losing all that weight so I am happy about that as well! I have some really great and motivated people in there, they are the best, so shout out to them! LOL! I decided to pick back up where I left off on Insanity a couple of weeks ago. Today is day 14 aka a rest day(thank you baby Jesus!) so I won't be doing that but I will probably go for a run or hike maybe. Below are my goals for the month of June, feel free to add yours!


MONTHLY GOALS - JUNE 2013:

-Lose 8lbs

-No soda or junk food

-Inspire at least one person to change to become a better person(either health wise or just in general)

-Begin training for my next 5K; pick which 5K I will run in 

-Blog 2-3 times a week on my site. Been neglecting this big time! Need to get back to it which is why I am posting today! :-)

-Create a workout playlist for everyone to enjoy!

Free Health Giveaways

Want to win free health stuff? Follow me on twitter: @cerdafitness and on instagram: @cerdafiedfitness! Currently giving away two GNC shaker cups. You still have time to enter, go to my instagram for more details!

Started Insanity for the 4th time two weeks ago

I decided to do the Insanity program for the fourth time, yes I know I am literally INSANE! LOL! I had a not so good holiday break that spilled over until the greater part of January so I decided that I needed to get back to it. Who other than the great Shaun T could get me back on track? In my opinion, he is the greatest fitness instructor/motivator in the entire world! You may not agree but like I said that is just my opinion! Today is day 14(Rest day) but I have to make up day 13 since I did not do that yesterday. Tomorrow will be my second fit test of the program and I am halfway through the first month. Below are my first fit test results and I will be posting my second fit test results probably on Tuesday of this week.

Day 1 Fit Test Results
Switch Kicks: 115
Power Jacks: 48
Power Knees: 105
Power Jumps: 32
Globe Jumps: 10
Suicide Jumps: 13
Push-Up Jacks: 21
Low Plank Oblique: 43

Breakfast Protein Smoothie

"What do you eat for breakfast?", this is a question that I get asked a lot after the exercise questions of course. LOL. This post is going to take you step by step on how to make a strawberry/banana protein breakfast smoothie(for two) that I eat each day. The protein powder mix that I use is GNC Pro Performance AMP Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60 (click on the link to purchase or read more about it). This may not be the protein that works best for you. It just depends on what you are wanting to do, this protein helps you with strength and stamina and it is also great in helping you manage your weight. The milk that I use is 100% fat free milk from HEB. If you have any questions, feel free to comment here or email me at jeffcerda12@gmail.com. Thanks and enjoy!

Step One: Wash and cut off the leaves from the strawberries. I use 10 to 15 depending on the size of them.

Step Two: Slice the strawberries. (This is optional, I like doing this but it is not a requirement)

Step Three: Pour 1 cup of milk into your blender and mix in your cut up strawberries.

Step Four: Slice up one large banana and add to blender.

Step Five: Place lid on blender and blend until you get a smoothie mix.

Step Six: Mix in your protein powder mix. Blend your strawberry/banana mix for one minute so that your protein mixes well with your fruit. Depending on the flavor and brand of the protein that you use, your mixture should changes colors. I use the vanilla mix, so my mixture changes from a darker pink to a lighter pink color. The amount you use will depend on your brand and what type of protein powder mix you use. Be sure to read your protein container carefully to see how much you need.

Step Seven: Pour in your favorite cup/glass and enjoy! Along with the smoothie, for breakfast I also eat a Thomas 100% whole wheat bagel with central market peanut butter and a Zone Perfect chocolate almond raisin bar.

Workout Routine: The 99 Workout!

Try this 99 workout if you are brave enough!

Workout Routine: Hindu Push Ups

Try these Hindu push ups to work on your strength and flexibility!

Workout Routine: BMF Blue Workout

No weights? No problem! Use your own body weight for this workout!

Workout Routine: 6 Types of Crunches

Try these 6 different crunches to work on & improve your abs!

My progression through 8.5 months...

  So this year for the first time in my life I decided to have a new years resolution. I picked the cliche "lose weight and eat healthier" resolution and it has been one of the best choices I have ever made in my life! I am proud to say that today, August 19, 2012, the 232nd day of the year, I am STILL going strong on my two resolutions!!! Sure I had my slip ups and small obstacles to overcome, but I pushed them aside and made the choice to keep pushing. A lot of people have been giving me compliments and I cannot tell you how good that makes me feel. It is proof that what I am doing is working. To this day, I have lost 47.8 pounds! I have met both of my first two weight loss goals, first one was 20 pounds, second was 25 pounds and I am almost halfway to my ultimate goal of 105 pounds lost. I have also dropped two pant sizes and one size on the shirts I wear! Shopping for new clothes is also another indicator of success!

Not to many people know this, but one of the reasons why I changed my lifestyle was because I have high blood pressure. That along with being over weight puts me in a high risk of heart failure among other things. When my doctor went over the possibilities that could happen to me, it was a scare and a eye opener. The main reason why I decided to move forward with this process is also because of my daughter, who turned 4 years old on Friday! I did not want her to lose me because I neglected to take care of myself. I know that when it is your time to go, there is nothing you can do about it, but I know that I want to make sure that I didn't go early due to health reasons. This alone is one of the biggest motivators to me.

So the question I get asked the most is, "What are you doing to lose weight?". Let me first start off by answering that question with, it is not easy by any means but if you have the will power and faith, NOTHING is impossible. So what am I doing? For breakfast each morning I started drinking a shake rather than eating a meal. What's in the shake? All types of fruits from strawberries, blueberries, bananas, apples, oranges and mango. I usually pick about two or three of the fruits I just listed and cut them up, throw them in the blender and mix them until they become a smooth mixture. You do not have to use these fruits, pick any that you like, these just happen to be some of my favorites, pick what works for you and don't be afraid to try new fruits! Next, I add about a cup of crushed ice and blend that in. Last, I add one scoop of protein(currently using the strawberry flavor) and mix for one minute. Pour it in a cup and breakfast is served! The prep time for this is about 5 to 10 minutes and the mixing takes about another 5 minutes. Sometimes I cut up the fruit the night before to save some time in the morning. The shakes taste really good by the way!

As far as exercise, here is a list of things I do(not all in the same day! lol): Insanity, Insanity: The Asylum, 10 Minute Trainer, Boxing(30/30/30 workout), jogging/walking, dumbbell sets, jump roping, stationary bike rides and resistance band workouts. I have included some links on the list so you can learn more about each of the programs. More recently I have been jogging more to prepare for my next 5K that I am running in San Antonio on September 16th. In addition to that I usually ride the stationary bike anywhere from 2 to 6 miles and finish off with either a couple rounds of boxing or dumbbell sets. Always make sure to cool down! I also use twitter and instagram as motivational tools. There are tons of people/companies on both of these social networks that offer plenty of inspiration to help you on your journey. If you would like some of the names of the people to follow, just let me know and I can get them to you.

Another thing I have changed is my eating. I started doing the DASH Diet to help lower my blood pressure and it has definitely helped out with not only that but also the weight loss. Click on the link to learn more about what it is all about. One common mistake people make is buying "wheat" bread instead of white bread. When buying bread, you need to make sure it is 100% wheat, not just wheat. If you are brave enough, the absolute best thing to do is to cut out bread completely! Unfortunately, I am still eating bread but as I stated, the best bread to eat is the 100% wheat bread. 

And last but not least, WATER! Drink plenty of water every single day, I cannot stress that enough. Water is free almost everywhere so this it is not hard for you to get it. Buy a bottle/container that you can keep with you at all times, this will encourage you to drink more. Cutting out sugary drinks helps out big time. Limiting your alcohol intake will also help out with weight loss. Like I mentioned earlier, I am training for my second 5K. This time around I am excluding alcohol as part of my training and I have to say I can tell a difference! 

Don't expect results to happen over night. You didn't get to where you are in one night, so don't expect to change in one night either.  Also, don't believe the pills that tell you that you can get thin by just taking them. A pill alone didn't make you gain weight and it sure isn't going to make you lose it, don't fall for the hype! If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask me. As I always say, I am by no means an expert or a certified trainer of any sort, I am just sharing my successes with you so that maybe you can use them and have them work for you like they did for me. Hopefully, you find this blog useful and can try even just one of the things that I talked about today! Until next time, work hard, stay humble, stay focused, stay strong and stay positive

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead(Movie Review)

So I was scrolling through the movie list on netflix and stumbled across a movie titled "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead"(Click here to watch the trailer). The movie follows an Australian named Joe Cross through his journey to lose weight through "juicing". Joe was a 100 pounds overweight, one steroid away from becoming a professional  baseball player and was suffering from a debilitating autoimmune disease. In hopes of changing(and saving) his life, he took up juicing for 60 days in a row to reboot his body. Along the way he met and spoke to hundreds of people across America who were overweight and unhealthy, but felt like they did not have the will power to make the changes and take the challenge that he was doing. Joe did find two people who were willing to take him up on his challenge and the film documents their changes as well. I will not give away any more about the movie, but I would HIGHLY recommend that you take the time to watch it. I may even consider juicing myself to see if I have the will power to take on this challenge. Until next time, stay focused, stay strong and stay positive!

Insanity Fit Test (Part 2)

"Quick Ladder"

So yesterday I did the second fit test in the Inanity workout aka day 15 of the program. I did improve in every area of the test, some more than others and some just barely but still progressed either way. I am happy so far but nowhere near satisfied! Shaun T is definitely my favorite workout instructor with Tony Horton in a close second. They just seem to be really great motivators and always seem to push me to my limits and beyond. If you haven't tried P90X or 10 Minute Trainer, I would highly recommend them! You can see my test results from day 1 and day 15 below.
                                   
                                               DAY 1                                    DAY 15
Switch Kicks                             80                                         100(+20)
Power Jacks                              40                                         48(+8)
Power Knee                              95                                         102(+7)
Power Jump                              25                                          33(+8)
Globe Jump                               8                                            9(+1)
Suicide Jump                             12                                          13(+1)
Push Up Jack                            19                                          21(+2)
Low Plank Oblique                    35                                         39(+4)

I'm hoping I can improve more on the bottom four categories by the time the next fit test comes around in two weeks. Thanks for reading! Until next time, stay focused, stay strong and stay positive!

July 5, 2012

So this past week has been a pretty good one for me! I tried some wheatgrass for the first time and let me just tell you, it was awesome! It gave me a boost of energy like no other energy drink has before! The fact that it is healthier than all others makes it that much better! Also, I have started making fruit smoothies for breakfast rather than eating what I normally do. I used to eat a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter, a granola bar and a cup of orange juice. I think I like drinking the smoothies rather than my normal routine. Yesterday I tried the green berry flavor of shakeology and sadly have to say that I did not really like it too much. I did finish my shake bit I forced down the last half of it so it is definitely something that I will not be purchasing. I am still interested in trying the chocolate and strawberry flavored that they do offer. So I am not giving up on shakeology just yet! I missed my workout yesterday, so today I caught up and did day 10 & 11 of Insanity. It was tough but I survived it and I'm glad I did it! This past week I lost 3 pounds, so I was pretty happy about that! I'd say at this point I am eating and drinking healthy about 90% of the time, which is the highest percent I've ever been at. It has been a long road to get to where I am currently at and a ton of hard work has been put in over the last six months! I'd say that I am happy with my progress but I am not satisfied! I still have a long road ahead of me but can and WILL get to my goal. If I can do it, anyone can! If you have any questions feel free to send them my way. If I cannot answer you, then I will do what I can to get you an answer! I am by no means any type of expert but I do know a little about this stuff now since I have been at it for six months! Until next time, stay focused, stay strong and stay positive!

June 28, 2012

Today for my workout I did two Insanity workouts. I was originally planning on starting on Monday, but I ended up buying a new car this week and it took a lot longer than I thought it would that night. So Tuesday I began the program rather than Monday since I got home pretty late. The first of the two Insanity workouts today was by far the hardest of the two. About midway through the workout, my left leg began to feel tight and I could not seem to stretch it out enough to get it loose. So that first workout was a little rough but I managed to make it all the way through it. With my leg still feeling a little tight I was thinking about calling it a day but I was finally able to stretch it out and decided to make up the day that I was down due to buying my car. Luckily the second Insanity workout consisted mainly of stretching so that helped me out even more! Yesterday I was a little sore which surprised me a little, considering that I was still working out, just not as extreme as Insanity. Today I was still sore but not quite as much as yesterday so that didn't take to long to get over, which makes me happy! Tomorrow I have the "Pure Cardio" workout in the Insanity program, in my opinion, the hardest workout of month 1. It may be a late workout tomorrow, one of my former players that I used to coach has convinced me to coach his select team this weekend and we have practice tomorrow from 6pm-8pm. No excuses, I will stay committed to this so even if it is late, it will still get done! Until next time, stay focused, stay strong and stay positive!