Body By You
For a while I thought I was going to have to confess to another set point or plateau this month. But in the last week I’ve dropped some weight and while the overall weight loss is only .9 pounds. It’s still a loss. I’m just about 4 1/2 pounds away from my next reward. Finally I’ll get that massage and facial I’ve been trying to reward myself with from the beginning. That will be very sweet.
Last month I decided to try something new with exercise. I stopped going to the gym. Instead I purchased a book called “Body By You” by Mark Lauren. The book details exercising using your body weight. It’s also geared directly towards women and busy women at that. So far I’m doing everything I’m supposed to and spending about 20 minutes 3 times a week.
The book has about 125 exercises evenly divided into 4 exercise groups: Pulling, Squatting, Pushing (Inline and Perpendicular), and Bending. Each set of exercises in the group are listed in an easier to harder format. The idea is you start with easier exercises and when you are able to do all the sets/reps of a particular exercise in a time period you then move up to the next one.
So far I’ve moved up fairly quickly, mainly because I ignored the initial program set in most items (I’m still on the first item in the perpendicular pressing). All I’ve needed as equipment towards this is some of my furniture, a wall, a towel and now some rope (because I don’t have any belts as suggested). It hasn’t been easy all the time, but then again its hard to blow off something that will only take me 15-20 minutes.
The best part is that the exercises are geared towards women of all sizes and ability. If you start on all of the first exercises and have a hard time, you just stay on that exercise until you can do it in the time allotted and with good form. Only then do you move up to the next exercise in that group. I like that. I don’t feel pressured to perform. And each group of exercises is done individually (I’m up to exercise 10 in squatting, but again only exercise 1 in perpendicular pushing).
I’m seeing results in how I do the exercises and after today’s measurements, some results there as well. While I haven’t lost much weight this month, I’m still seeing my weight move in the right direction. Down.
So I guess I’ll be giving up the gym membership as soon as I’m able. Oh and any guys out there. Mark Lauren also has a book for you (and women who have already finished the women’s book) called “You are Your Own Gym” And Fitocracy has support groups for both!
March 2013 Measurements
| Measurement | Starting | Current | Difference |
| Weight | 200 lbs | 174.6 lbs | -25.40 lbs |
| Chest | 39.00″ | 36.50 | -2.50″ |
| Waist | 36.50″ | 31.00 | -5.5 |
| Stomach | 43.00″ | 34.00 | -9.00″ |
| Hips | 45.00″ | 40.00 | -5.00″ |
| Thighs | 25.25″ | 22.25 | -3.00″ |
| Biceps | 15.50″ | 14.25 | -1.25″ |
Change is slow this month, but it is there and recognizable. Only three measurements aren’t at their lowest, one of them being my shoulders which might have gotten slightly bigger from the exercising.
Just a Head Up
Last year I spent 3 weeks doing the Raw Milk Cure. I found it interesting to track certain issues in my body and to really spend some time giving my body (especially my digestive system a rest). In fact I liked it so much I’m going to do it again starting next week. I’d love it if some of you join me.
I do the milk cure as much as I can based on two books (both are available free on-line:
- The Milk Diet: How to Use the Milk Diet Scientifically at Home by Bernarr Macfadden, 1923.
- Milk diet as a remedy for chronic disease by Charles Sanford Porter 1911
Just because I do it this way, doesn’t mean you have to. I know people who just drink milk in place of their meals rather than treat it like a rest cure. If you have a clean raw milk source, then consider joining me on this challenge. I’m going to start doing this on March 30th, (beginning to blog on April 1st) and I plan on going for 3 weeks (mostly because that seems to be all GC can handle of my not eating). I’ll have a link to the post from the past year as well as a chart detailing my vitals and my experiences. Feel free to follow along with your information in the comments. Let me know if you are planning on doing this.
Fitness Report Series
- Report 1: Eating Healthy Food isn’t Enough
- Report 2: Fitness Report – Month 1
- Report 3: Fitness Report – Month 2
- Report 4: Fitness Report – Month 3
- Report 5: Fitness Report – Month 4
- Report 6: Fitness Report – Month 5
- Report 7: Fitness Report – Month 6
- Report 8: Fitness Report – Month 7
- Report 9: Fitness Report – Month 8
- Report 10: Fitness Report – Month 9
- Report 11: Fitness Report – Month 10
- Report 12: Fitness Report – Month 11
- Report 13: Fitness Report – Starting a New Year
- Report 14: Fitness Report – Slow, but Steady
