My workout/ weight loss story

Here is my testimony that I sent to TaeBo creator, Billy Blanks:

My name is Latoya Harwell, and I am the 28 year old mother of 5. I've been encouraged by my loving husband to share my weight loss success from TaeBo. I am now an almost 8 year-old "TaeBo Hero."


I first started TaeBo when Alexis (baby number 2) was about 3 months old--she just turned eight in early Dec! Back then, my main goal was weight loss. I'd seen the infomercials, and the workouts looked like crazy fun! After buying the Basic tape and using it 2-3 x weekly for about 6 months, I decided to step up to the Advanced tape. That workout 4-5 times a week plus dieting (simple calorie watching at the time) helped me lose about 35 pounds in about 2 months! In the first picture, I was at about 155-160. I went from size 12/14 to 2/4. Shortly after, I became pregnant and of course gained all that weight back!! I continued to workout while pregnant in my third pregnancy until I was about 8 months along, just with modification in the third trimester. It was during this pregnancy that I began the Get Ripped Advanced workouts. Even though I gained about 30 pounds, I was still very physically fit and felt much better up until that last week or so. Plus the weight came off super easy. I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight/size after only about 3 months.

~Then~ came Miss Hannah, baby number four! I, again, continued to workout while pregnant with her, though only until about six months as I was on and off bedrest after that point. With her, I gained about 35 pounds. There were times in my pregnancy with her that I would slack off, and I could always tell an immediate difference in my energy level. My workouts always seem to boost my energy!! Once again, because I had worked out during the pregnancy, I was able to lose my baby weight quickly. After about 6 months with her, it was all gone.

The Lord surprised us when Hannah was 10 months old: Little Isaiah was on the way ! My pregnancy with him was a little different. I was very fatigued with him in the first trimester and almost stopped exercising alltogether. Then in the second trimester, I picked it up again--doing about 30-45 minutes of cardio 2-3 X weekly, mostly using the Get Ripped Basic series as well as TaeBo Power from the 2004 set. I continued to workout out until I was about 7 months along with him and felt great as a result. In the end, I gained 53 pounds with him. After he was born, I knew I wanted to lose the weight and set a goal to have it all gone by Christmas 2006 when he would be six months old. I'm happy to say that I did indeed reach that goal as well as losing an additional fifteen pounds!! YEA!! I went ahead and started with my workouts when he was just about 6 weeks. I started slowly (3-4 times a week, one hour each) and have built to where I am now~an hour to an hour and a half 6 days a week. I started the BootCamp Elite series Isaiah was about 3 months. Daily, I aim for a strong cardio workout and try to pinpoint two areas to tone (abs, buns, thighs, upper body, or strength). I've also changed *how* I eat--baking instead of frying, whole grains instead of white, 3-5 servings of veggies daily and limited sweets--which is ~*~*very~*~ hard for me!! Things like that really count. So now, I don't consider myself *on a diet* I just have a better eating lifestyle!!

Why do I workout? I have a different answer than I would have given when I first started. Today, I know that my body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, and I don't want God to have to live in a junked up house ~giggle~!! I truly want to take care of the *one* body that the Lord has given me. Secondly, I've seen the results--weight wise-- and I love them! Third, I definitely have more energy when I'm taking care of myself (working my heart, eating right, staying hydrated, etc) and than when I don't. Finally, since I have started strength training, my metabolism has boosted! Just 10-20 minutes twice a week with 2-3 pound weights is all it took.

When I first started strength training, I would remove the one pound weights on the ends of the red bootcamp bands. Then I moved to two pound free weights. Now I alternate between three and five pound weights 2-3 times a week using the Upper Body BootCamp DVD and the Mission Two: Maximum Power workout. When I moved up to the next level of wieghts, I dropped 3-4 pounds each time. I have also managed to strengthed and tone my abs, despite having five children. I encourage everyone that's reading this to experience the benefits of consistent exercise. It's worked for me!!!! Your ultimate goals may be different than mine, but taking care of your body will definitely glorify the Lord and improve your outlook on yourself, and strengthen and refresh you!! I am now an 8-year-old "TaeBo Hero" and will likely continue with the workouts as long as Billy and Shelly are kicking and punching!! Thank you SO MUCH, Billy, for your commitment to helping other people take care of their bodies!!

I've added some pictures to validate my success!!

Here I am with Alexis when she was about 5 months old. This was May 2000, and I was about 155-160 pounds



This one was taken in the Fall of 2006, and I was about 118-120


Here I am Mother's Day 2007 at 108


December 2007, 109

10 Great Reasons for Morning Exercise

I love all these reasons; the all ally to me!!

Learn to Love A.M. Exercise (Even if You're NOT A Morning Person) --
By Rebecca Pratt, Staff Writer

I am not a morning person. This confession will come as no surprise to my friends and family, most of whom have spent many glorious years making merry over my tendency to nod off over breakfast, my need for copious amounts of coffee before noon, and my late-night bursts of productivity. For years I’ve tried to pretend I’m one of “them”—those chirpy, cheerful folks who rise effortlessly at dawn to go after that proverbial worm. I’ve also spent many years suppressing the urge to complain bitterly about a world where night owls like me suffer grievous discrimination at the hands of those ubiquitous “normal” people. So those who know me best are always startled—no, make that shocked—to find out that I do most of my exercising in the early hours of the day, anywhere from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. They’re even more astonished, after an initial double take, to discover that I actually like to get my exercise in early. Really. And though my morning-exercise regimen started out as a concession to the practical constraints of my life, I have since discovered that there are some very good benefits to learning to love exercise in the morning—so I’ll share with you my “Top Ten Reasons” for getting up with the early birds to get moving:

1. Exercising early in the morning "jump starts" your metabolism, keeping it elevated for hours, sometimes for up to 24 hours! As a result, you’ll be burning more calories all day long—just because you exercised in the morning.

2. Exercising in the morning energizes you for the day—not to mention that gratifying feeling of virtue you have knowing you’ve done something disciplined and good for you. (Much better than a worm!)

3. Studies have shown that exercise significantly increases mental acuity—a benefit that lasts four to ten hours after your workout ends. Exercising in the a.m. means you get to harness that brainpower, instead of wasting it while you’re snoozing.

4. Assuming you make exercise a true priority, it shouldn’t be a major problem to get up 30 to 60 minutes earlier—especially since regular exercise generally means a higher quality of sleep, which in turn means you’ll probably require less sleep. (If getting up 30 to 60 minutes earlier each day seems too daunting, you can ease into it with 10 to 20 minutes at first.)

5. When you exercise at about the same time every morning—especially if you wake up regularly at about the same time—you’re regulating your body's endocrine system and circadian rhythms. Your body learns that you do the same thing just about every day, and it begins to prepare for waking and exercise several hours before you actually open your eyes. That’s beneficial because: o Your body’s not “confused” by wildly changing wake-up times, which means waking up is much less painful. (You may even find that you don’t need an alarm clock most days.) o Hormones prepare your body for exercise by regulating blood pressure, heart rate, blood flow to muscles, etc. o Your metabolism, along with all the hormones involved in activity and exercise, begin to elevate while you're sleeping. As a result, you’ll feel more alert, energized, and ready to exercise when you do wake up.

6. Many people find that morning exercise has a tendency to regulate their appetite for the rest of the day. Not only do they eat less (since activity causes the release of endorphins, which in turn diminishes appetite), they also choose healthier portions of healthier foods.

7. People who consistently exercise find, sometimes to their great surprise, that the appointed time every morning evolves into something they look forward to. Besides the satisfaction of taking care of themselves, they find it’s a great time to plan their day, pray, or just think more clearly—things most of us often don’t get to do otherwise.

8. Exercising first thing in the morning is the most foolproof way to ensure that other things don’t overtake your fitness commitment, particularly if you have a hectic family life. (It’s so easy to wimp out in the evening, when we’re tired or faced with such tasks as rustling up dinner and helping with homework.)

9. More than 90% of those who exercise consistently have a morning fitness routine. If you want to exercise on a regular basis, the odds are in your favor if you squeeze your workout into the a.m.

10. Non-morning people can always trick themselves in the a.m. Having trouble psyching yourself up for a sunrise jog? Do what I did—tell yourself that you’ll still be so fast asleep that you won’t even remember—much less mind! Article created on: 8/3/2005 http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=468

8 Secrects of Fat Loss

In brief:

1. Control Blood Sugar
2. Calories Count
3. Eat Breakfast
4. Ratios count! A calorie is not a calorie
5. Weight Training
6. Cardio
7. Water Intake
8. Discipline



I know the last thing on earth you want to look like is a bodybuilder. You’re not interested in gaining a lot of muscle mass and you certainly don’t want to feel or look bulky. However, bodybuilders have mastered the art of physique transformation -- and there is a lot that can be applied to anyone who wants to lose fat.

Just about everyone who begins a fitness or fat-loss program wants to look good. That’s the goal. Yes, they want to be healthier and they want more energy -- but most polls taken on the subject conclusively show that people want to look good in and out of clothes.
I have been competing as a drug-free bodybuilder for a number of years and have learned a lot about reducing my body fat to extremely low levels, retaining muscle and manipulating workouts to my advantage.

I’ve use the same basic protocol for my clients. However, I never refer to it as a bodybuilding program. That would only serve to stereotype what I’m attempting to do. Let’s face it, if a woman comes to me for personal training help and needs to lose 65 pounds, it’s not in my best interest to tell her I’m going to train her like a bodybuilder -- she’d be out the door in two seconds flat.

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All things of value can be scaled to fit the goal, including bodybuilding concepts. Think about it for a moment. Forget the traditional way that you view the term “bodybuilding” and think of it more as a method of physical transformation.

Now that your mind is open, I want to share some tips that bodybuilders use to get lean and fit. These tips can help you to really get the best looking body possible. No one will ever ask if you’re a bodybuilder, but they will admire your tight and lean look.

1. Control Blood Sugar -- There is an old saying that bodybuilding success is 80-percent nutrition. Frankly, I’m not sure what the percentage actually is (no one does). However, every bodybuilder realizes that it all begins with nutrition. If you don’t have your nutrition program “dialed in,” you will not achieve success. It doesn’t matter how hard or how long you workout. This applies to everyone who starts a diet and fitness program. That being said, every bodybuilders goal is to control blood sugar. Controlling blood sugar levels helps to shed fat. This is accomplished by taking in some protein, carbohydrates and good fats spread evenly through the day every 2 to 3 hours.

A sample meal schedule might look something like this:
6:30 Breakfast9:30 Snack12:30 Lunch3:30 Snack6:00 Dinner9:00 Small Snack
This method will have a profound impact on fat loss.

2. Calories Count -- When the most successful bodybuilders prepare to get very lean for a show, their goal is to eat as much as possible while still losing fat. For example, if I can get you to lose 1 to 2 pounds of fat per week on 1,400 calories per day, I’m on track. If I try to accelerate the process and lower your calories to 1,200, I sabotage your efforts. Anything more than a 2-pound loss per week will strip muscle tissue and give one a soft look.
A good example is the person who goes on a crash diet and ends up thin but still soft and flabby when they get to their goal weight. This takes place because they lost not only fat, but also valuable muscle. They lowered calories too much, lost too fast and did not try to eat the optimal amount of calories for fat loss.

Still don’t think the correct amount of calories matter?
I receive many emails from people who have been on low calorie diets. Many complain that after four to five weeks of weight loss, they hit a sticking point.
Why does this happen? The T3 (thyroid hormone) and body temperature are reduced. It's subtle and you may not realize that body temperature is reduced, but that will slow down the speed of the metabolism. To avoid this slow down, a slight increase in calories is essential. This helps to increase and optimize thyroid levels.

I'm not suggesting everyone should increase calories if they hit a sticking point. In many cases, some people aren't being consistent, or their diet isn't as low calorie as they think.
If and when a bodybuilder experiences this type of sticking point based on calories being too low for too long of a period, they’ll increase daily calories or even bump up calories every fourth day by 300 to 400 (this is referred to as calorie cycling).

Again, eat the optimal amount of food to lose fat.

3. Eat Breakfast -- A balanced breakfast comprised of carbohydrates, protein, and a little fat is a critical start to the day. The point of consuming breakfast is that it "breaks" the "fast" from an overnight sleep. In addition, breakfast will rev up the metabolism for the rest of the day. You won’t find a bodybuilder on the planet that skips breakfast. This is your first opportunity of the day to get blood sugar back to a balanced state after the all night fast and is critical for sustaining fat loss.

4. Ratios count! A calorie is not a calorie -- Do you know those people who tell you to simply lower your calories to lose fat? The people who never mention protein, carbohydrates or fats? They’re wrong. Protein, carb and fat ratios are important. The correct ratios (which can vary depending on an individual’s response to food) help to stabilize blood sugar levels, which helps to increase energy and fat loss. Generally, 40 percent to 50 percent of carbohydrates, 25 percent to 30 percent protein and 20 percent to 30 percent of healthy fats is the best starting place.
A bodybuilder will lower carbs a bit as a contest approaches, but will also take in enough carbs for energy and muscle fullness. If carbs are too low, the muscle tends to not look as tight. Protein is also critical to build and retain muscle tissue, which in turn helps to burn more fat.
Finally, good dietary fats are extremely important. They help to balance hormonal levels, increase strength and create satiety (fullness). If you’re looking for a plan that takes this into account I recommend eDiets GI plan (Glycemic Impact diet).

5. Weight Training -- To affect muscle versus fat ratios you have to weight train. Contrary to popular believe, bodybuilders don’t workout with weights for two hours a day. Most bodybuilders are aware that after about 45 to 60 minutes, catabolic (muscle wasting) hormones begin to wreak havoc. An intense weight workout lasting no more than 60 minutes is the most efficient route to go. You don’t have to workout with a bodybuilding routine, but you do need to work the entire body approximately three alternate days per week.

6. Cardio -- Most people think that bodybuilders don’t perform cardiovascular exercise. It’s a myth. However, the difference between a bodybuilder and a fitness enthusiast is that a bodybuilder knows how to use cardio as a tool to lose fat. A bodybuilder will begin with a set amount of cardio, but it won’t be excessive (possibly 30 minutes).

If fat loss is not taking place, the bodybuilder will add a bit more to the session to stimulate fat loss. Most people would jump up to 60 minutes. However, the bodybuilder will add time slowly and monitor fat loss. The key is perform all that is necessary – and no more than that.
In many cases, the bodybuilder will not increase time, but will increase intensity. This is accomplished by incorporating interval cardio training (integrating slower levels of intensity for several minutes with very high levels for several minutes). Intervals are great for boosting the metabolism.

Many people think they need to perform two hours of cardio per day. Nothing could be further from the truth. Start with a realistic amount of cardio per day and then add to it by five minutes or switch to intervals if you haven’t lost body fat in two weeks. This is assuming that you’re eating enough calories.

7. Water Intake -- From the standpoint of water intake and fat loss, you want to be in a position where the liver is converting stored fat to energy. The liver has other functions, but this is one of its main jobs. Unfortunately, another of the liver’s duties is to pick up the slack for the kidneys, which need plenty of water to work properly (more than most people realize).
If the kidneys are water-deprived, the liver has to do the work of the kidneys along with its own (lowering its total productivity in the process). The liver then can’t metabolize fat as quickly or efficiently. If you allow this to happen, you’re setting yourself up to store fat because you've made the liver less efficient at turning stored body fat to energy. Usually if you multiply .55 times your weight, that should be enough in ounces of water to suffice. Water is the underrated fat loss tool.

8. Discipline -- This is the seldom used word in the fitness industry. You’ll read a lot about the new magic workout, the new magic diet, the machine that’s sure to burn fat off your butt etc. It’s all a bunch of nonsense.

A bodybuilder works out even when he/she doesn’t feel like it; stays on the diet even when he/she feels like going off of it. It’s about doing the right thing and the hard thing at times. One day of discipline leading to another day of discipline. You build your body and your mind simultaneously. Without this, every point I’ve made above is fruitless. The good thing is anyone can do it -- if they choose to.

Dr. Jose Antonio, who has written several books in the field of sports nutrition and exercise and published more than 40 peer-reviewed scientific papers, sums it up perfectly:
“The physique sports (e.g. figure, fitness, and bodybuilding) provide real-world examples as to what really works! Let’s face it, the nutrition advice promulgated by the mainstream academic societies are NOT conducive to achieving a lean physique. Recent research has shown that the mere replacement of carbohydrate with protein (or perhaps even unsaturated fat) will improve body composition. Furthermore, the additional consumption of protein after losing weight is a great and effective strategy for maintaining weight loss. However, those in the physique sports have known this for the past 50 years!! Why is it that mainstream scientists denigrate what athletes do when in fact, we have more to learn from them than vice versa.”
Check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.

FROM:
http://www.ediets.com/news/article.cfm/code_22382/cmi_2429117/

My Health, Nutrition, and Fitness info

I wanted to be able to organize all my nutrition, fitness, and health info into one collection so here goes!!