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Archive for May, 2007

Week 10 - Day 66

May 30, 2007 By: Vilma Perez Category: Daily Journal No Comments →

It’s been a while (about 5 days) since i’ve posted my daily progress reports. I don’t want to let this become a habit, so i’m starting up again today.

Today marks Week 10 - Day 66 of my Civilian Fitness Program. I was looking back at older posts, pictures, & stats this weekend & I gotta say… WOW!  I’ve made BIG progress in many areas of my life. Physically, Emotionally, & Spiritually - I FEEL better than I have in a really LONG time.

Here is Day 66 recap:

  • 6 hours of sleep
  • Exercise for the day - 2.5 mile run, yoga
    • TOTAL time: 1 hour 39 minutes
    • TOTAL calories burned: 797 calories burned
  • TOTAL steps walked = 8,000
  • Water - 5 (32 oz bottles) = 160 oz.
  • Eating- good - bad at night
    • Meal #1 - 6 eggwhites, 1 egg, 2 pieces of Sara Lee 100% Sugar Free Whole Grain Toast, 2 tsp of Organic Smart Balance Butter
    • Meal #2 - 1/2 cup of Low Fat Cottage Cheese (CC), 6 0z. of Danon Lit n’ Fit Strawberry Yogurt, 14 almonds
    • Meal #3 - Fajita chicken breast, brown rice, baby carrots, salsa
    • Meal #4 - Turkey Breast, Brocolli, Baby Carrots
    • Meal #5 - Turkey Breast, Baked Hot Cheetos
    • Meal #6 - Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Baked Hot Cheetos, 1 Krunch Lite Ice cream bar

So… i’m already starting to feel bloated. xx(

I bought those baked Cheetos for hubby but have ended up eating most of them.

WILL be eating better tomorrow! )

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Dark Chocolate 101

May 29, 2007 By: Vilma Perez Category: Nutrition No Comments →

 

 

I LOVE Chocolate… Dark Chocolate especially has become a guilty sweet passion of mine. :-) 

Feel free to call me a Choc-a-holic:D

 With many antioxidants to boast, is chocolate really good for you health? I set out to do some research & found this:

 

 

=====================

Dark Chocolate 101

Reference

By: Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D., C.D.N.

It’s true that certain types of chocolate are good for the cardiovascular system - but certainly not all chocolate. When it comes to good health, the most important thing is to choose dark chocolate versus milk chocolate. The darker the chocolate, the richer it is in flavonoids (also known as bioflavonoids) — which are responsible for most of chocolate’s health benefits. Also - milk inhibits intestinal absorption of flavonoids, so you lose even more of these fabulous plant chemicals during digestion if you choose milk chocolate.

Step 1: Cocoa Content   When buying dark chocolate look for 70% cocoa content. Very dark chocolate can be an acquired taste, though, so play around with different brands until you hit on one you like.
 

Step 2: Fat Content  The type of fat listed in the ingredients is important. You want to avoid products that contain palm oil or coconut oil or milk fat, and choose ones that are made from “cocoa butter”. Even though they’re all saturated fats, “cocoa butter” has a neutral effect on cholesterol levels, while the other two can raise your blood cholesterol.

A few of my favorite brands:

* Chocolove 70% and 77%
* Chocolatour Sao Tome 70%
* Chocolatour Dominican Republic 70%
* Ghirardelli Twilight Delight 72%
* New Tree 73%
* Santander 70%
* Dagoba 74%

If you’re watching your weight, remember even the darkest of dark chocolate is a treat you should eat in moderation because it’s caloric. One ounce contains about 150 calories.

=====================

Other articles & research on Chocolate:

Dark Chocolate Has Health Benefits Not Seen in Other Varieties

Dark chocolate shown to have a cardiovascular benefit in hypertensive patients

Recommend Servings of Chocolate

How to taste Dark Chocolate

=====================

To your health!

~ Vilma

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30 Days to an active lifestyle

May 29, 2007 By: Vilma Perez Category: Downloads, Exercise and Fitness, Health No Comments →

Become More Physically Active with These Tips

– By Nicole Nichols, Fitness Instructor & Health Educator

SparkPeople’s calendar feature will help you focus on one healthy habit each month. For June, that means achieving an active lifestyle.

Here are 30 daily tips that will help you add a little more activity to your day. Click here to download and print your June calendar. (You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download this PDF.)

If you think your friends or family members might benefit from these heart-healthy tips, share this calendar with them!!!

~ Vilma

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Motivational Quotes

May 25, 2007 By: Vilma Perez Category: **FEATURED Posts**, Motivation 2 Comments →

Here are a collection of motivation quotes that have helped me in many areas of my life.  I hope they help you too!

==========

Workouts are like brushing my teeth; I don’t think about them, I just do them. The decision has already been made.”

~ Patti Sue Plumer, U.S. Olympian

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Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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Happiness is not having what you want, it’s wanting what you have”

~ Unknown

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Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present. ”

~ Oogway ( the wise turtle from Kung Fu Panda)

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Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

~ Maria Robinson

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Be kinder than necessary, For everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly…….And the rest will fall into place.”

~ Charles Swindoll

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When one door closes another opens. But often we look so long so regretfully upon the closed door that we fail to see the one that has opened for us.”

~Helen Keller

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If your mind can conceive it, your body can acheive it!”

~Unknown

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Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”

~Unknown

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There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either IN or you’re OUT. There’s no such thing as life in-between.

~Pat Riley, basketball coach

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If you focus on results, you”ll never change. If you focus on change, you”ll get results.

~Anonymous

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W.I.N.G.S
I Believe that all success begins with spreading
your W.I.N.G.S
–Believing in your WORTH
–Trusting your INSIGHT
–NURTURING yourself
–Having a GOAL
–Devising a personal STRATEGY
And then, even impossible dreams become real.

-Sue Augustine

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No one makes you do anything. YOU are the new sheriff in town. YOU are in charge.
So start acting like it.
And have fun along the way.
You have everything to gain with this process.
You start every workout with a clean slate, every meal with a clean plate.
You make the choices.
There are no victims.

~Trainer to the stars, Gunnar Peterson (from his book, The Workout)

==========

The future comes one day at a time.

~ Dean Acheson

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Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

~Michael Jordan

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Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?

~Anonymous

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Just the confidence that comes with chasing a dream and having it come through will make you feel you can do anything.

~Hockey goalie, Sarah Tueting

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You only ever grow as a human being if you’re outside your comfort zone.

~Percy Cerutty

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Continuous effort, not superior strength or intelligence, is the key to unlocking our true potential.

~Winston Churchill

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“Discipline is the whole key to being successful. We all get 24 hours a day. It’s the only fair thing, the only thing that’s equal. It’s up to us as to what we do with those 24 hours.”

~ Sam Huff

==========

“Understand that when keeping your commitment (to yourself) becomes hard, you have two choices: You can change your behavior to match your commitment, or you can lower you values to match your behavior. One choice will strengthen your (self) integrity; the other will deminish it and erode your confidence in your ability to make and keep commitments in the future.”

~ Stephen Covey

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“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

~ Booker T. Washington

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Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

~ Frank Outlaw

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“Forget the past. No one becomes successful in the past.” 

~ Josh Billings

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“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could…” 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

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“Your knowledge is only as valuable as your results.”

==========

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”

-Aristotle

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“Nothing worth gaining was ever gained without effort.”

- Theodore Roosevelt

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The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for.

- Maureen Dowd

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Failures are like skinned knees, painful but superficial.

- H. Ross Perot

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The whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit.

- George Sheehan

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“The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want now. ”

- Zig Ziglar

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“It’s not supposed to be easy. Disciplined people succeed; undisciplined people don’t…Nothing changes by doing what’s fun and EASY.”

- Tom Venuto

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What God has intended for you goes far beyond anything you can imagine.”

-Oprah Winfrey

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Goals that are not written down are just wishes.”

- Anonymous

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The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.

~ Vince Lombardi

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“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…. it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

~ Unknown

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60 Day progress pictures

May 24, 2007 By: Vilma Perez Category: Civilian Fitness, Pictures, Stats & Measurements 9 Comments →


Here they are… I only had the courage to put up my covered up pictures. :?

PLEASE be gentle.


Create Your Own

I do have the sports bra & swimsuit bottom pictures, but I wasn’t quite ready to put those up just yet. Also note that the before picture was taken 15 days into my program where I weighed 201 pounds, and was at 36% Body Fat.

My heaviest ever was 212 pounds at 43.5% body fat back on February 06. That’s an 11 pound, 7.5% body fat difference that is not reflected in my 1st pictures.

Oh, how I wish that I would of taken pictures at the very very beginning… :( Unfortunately I didn’t, so these 15 day “BEFORE” pics will have to do.

Here are some stats to compare:

-

My turning point

Day 1

Day15

Day 60

Date 2-28-2007 3-26-2007 4-09-2007 5-24-2007
Weight 212 204 201 190
BMI: 36.1 31.7 31.5 29.6
Body Fat % 43.5 38.1 36 31.1
Neck: 15 14 14 13.25
Upper Chest
41 39 38 36
Bust 44 42.5 43 40
Ribcage 36.5 34.5 35 32.5
R Bicep
13.5 13 12.5 12
L Bicep
13.5 13 12.5 12
R Forearm
11.5 10.5 10.5 10
L Forearm
11.5 10.5 10 10
Wrist
7.25 7 6.5 6.25
Abdomen 42 39.5 38 35
Hips
49 48.5 48 45
R Thigh 28.5 26.5 26.25 24
L Thigh
28.5 27 26.25 24
R Calve 16.5 16 16 15
L Calve
16.5 16 16 15

TOTAL inches lost since starting CFP: 27.5 inches!!! D

TOTAL inches lost since 2/28/2007: 43.25 inches!!! D

**Updated Results since 2/28/2007**
GRAND TOTAL Fat Lost: 32.81 pounds
GRAND TOTAL Lean Mass Gained: 11.81 pounds
GRAND TOTAL Weight Lost: 21 pounds

==========================

I would LOVE to hear your feedback, thoughts and suggestions.

Thanks for viewing!

~ Vilma

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60 day Body Fat comparision(s)

May 24, 2007 By: Vilma Perez Category: Civilian Fitness, Stats & Measurements No Comments →

Exactly 60 days of Body Fat comparison:

BIODYNAMICSBioelectric Impedance Analysis method

* So I talked to Doug & Caitlin about my height issue, and the machine was right… 67.3 inches - officially.

-

Day 0

Day 44

Day 60

Date test taken 3-19-2007 5-2-2007 5-24-2007
Weight 202.4 lbs. 193.5 lbs. 190 lbs
Body Fat % 37.1% 35.1% 34%
Fat Body Weight 75.1 lbs 67.9 lbs 64.6 lbs.
Lean Body Weight 127.3 125.6 125.4
BMR 1757 cal/day 1733 cal/day 1731 cal/day
TOTAL body water 38.7 liters 38.3 liters 38.6 liters
- 42.1% body weight 43.6% body weight 44.8% body weight
- 67% lean weight 67.2% lean weight 67.8% lean weight

Accu-Measure method: (BFFM recommended)

Date

5-2-2007

5-24-2007

TARGET GOAL

Waist 36.5 35 25
Illiac Fold (mm) 34 mm 30 mm 4-11 mm
Body Fat % 35.8 34.4 14.8-20.9
Total Body Weight 194 190 175 lbs
Fat Weight 69.5 65.4 36.6
Lean Body Weight 124.5 124.6 138.4

BioFitness Body Fat test method- (circumference)

-

Starting Stats

Previous Stats

Current Stats

Date 3-26-2007 5-2-2007 5-24-2007
Weight 204 194 190
Body Fat 38.1 33.1 31.1
Abdomen 39.5 36 35
R Thigh 26.5 25 24
R Calf 16 15.25 15.5
Fat Weight 77.6 67.6 57.7
Lean Weight 126.4 136.4 132.3

* Selected activity level = Active- Exercise 3 times weekly (although I think it’s probably higher- ex. Very active or Heavily Active), choosing this level is the closest measurement I get to the BIODYNAMICSBioelectric Impedance Analysis method.

====================

Body Fat Average: 33.16 % (computed using all three tests)

-

Day 0

Day 44

Day 60

Weight 204 lbs. 193.5 190
Body Fat
37.6% 34.66%. 33.16%

====================

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