Day 13 - Working out with a (very!) full belly

Tonight, we had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with family. Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, cranberries, gravy, pumpkin pie, pecan tarts and tea. It was absolutely delicious, and I feel no remorse for breaking the diet today because a) it's Thanksgiving and b) I planned for this. Once we got home, we started right in with Kenpo. Seriously, how many people stuff themselves with Thanksgiving dinner, then go home and work out for an hour? Some people think we're crazy (and I think so too, sometimes) but I feel really great right now. There are still beads of sweat running down my back, because I just had to blog before I showered. Niiice!

I can't decide what I think about Kenpo. It's a great workout, IF I maintain my form and really push it. If I slack in the least, or don't give it my all, I'm just punching the air and looking foolish. Versus, for example, Ab Ripper, which leaves no room for slacking. So you can see how it would be easy to say "oh yeah, I did Kenpo tonight" and to not have done much of anything.

But! I'm not a slacker and I really do push myself to my limit. I see no point in maintaining the diet and scheduling the time to exercise, then doing a half-assed workout. No results will come of that.

I weighed myself this morning. Again, another disclaimer: I'm not doing this to lose weight, I'm doing it to become more fit. Starting out, I weighed 124 lbs. This morning I weighed 123 lbs (at the same time of day and on the same scale). Then - get this - I weighed myself after Thanksgiving dinner, and I clocked in at 128 lbs! I actually gained 5 lbs throughout the day, and after my massive meal. This gave a little insight as to why some people get so upset with numbers - consistency is key. Like my grandmother used to say, weigh yourself first thing in the morning, after you empty your bladder and your bowels, and once you're stripped completely naked. Only then will you get your true weight. I think she was onto something there.

So don't fret about numbers. Monitor how you feel, physically and mentally. And remember: muscle is heavier by volume than fat!

I found this quote online: "A woman weighing 150 pounds with 19% fat will look much smaller (and be much healthier) than a woman at 150 pounds with 35% fat. They weigh the same, yet the composition is different. Because muscle is more dense than fat the person with less fat and more muscle will look smaller." Gaining 5 lbs in a month doesn't mean your exercise isn't working; it likely means that you've lost fat and gained muscle. I bet you look and feel better, so forget the numbers! Those muscles have to grow before they start showing. 

Doesn't the muscle look so much more appealing?