week 3

One week away from spring break and I am on my way to a fit and healthy body!

Last weeks summary:

Monday - At soccer practice we conditioned in the beginning with and without the ball. After that we ended practice with a nice full sized scrimmage. Practice lasted for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, so it was a successful cardio session.
Tuesday- At home I did a core and leg strength workout using calisthenics. At soccer we got a lot of touches on the ball with short sprints and short breaks. This incorporated some anaerobic activity into my usual aerobic routine.

Wednesday- Soccer practice was 1 hour and 45 minutes. During practice we warmed up with dribbling which consists of a lot of running. We advanced into 4v4 scrimmages which also require lots of quick bursts and long term stamina. It was a good workout overall.
Thursday- I had a good workout including about an hour and a half of cardio and then a 15 ab workout to follow
Friday- Shortened soccer practice outside. The colder weather really makes you feel like you are out of shape, but I got in about an hour of cardio exercise.
Saturday- no cardio- Core/leg/arm workout on an exercise mat
Sunday- no cardio- Core/leg/arm workout on an exercise mat

Food: During the week I did extremely well with keeping in calorie range. I did seem to have a large craving for bread all week, but I stuck to whole wheat. I've been eating a lot of protein such as peanut butter, eggs, and lean meat. From working out and eating a high amount of protein I have built muscle and toned my body. This doesn't allow for my progress to be measured by the scale, because muscle weighs more than fat. I personally can tell the difference and I can see how far I have come and my progress.

Hardships: It is very hard to keep up the good habits on the weekends. When I hang out with friends it is very difficult to not eat junk food and just lay around and be lazy. The hardest part about this whole three weeks has been not eating a lot of food. I don't mind eating healthy  and exercising is fun and makes you feel better, but when I am home I could eat a whole jar of peanut butter. Although I choose the natural kind with only two healthy ingredients and its high in protein, the calories are sky-scraping and I cannot afford them.

MyFitnessPal.com

Week 2

Monday- First day of soccer tryouts, I ran 2 miles in less than 20 minutes. My timing was longer than expected and I was disappointed, but I just need to work harder. For the rest of tryouts we also did timed suicides and sprints. It was a great workout, my whole body felt like jello after I finished the last agility test.
Tuesday- Second day of soccer tryouts consisted of lots of touches on the ball and small sided scrimmages. The workout was mainly cardiovascular. After soccer I went home and did squats and a short core workout.
Wednesday- Soccer was canceled due to harsh weather from lovely mother nature. I stayed home and did a leg/core/butt workout with 5 lb weights.
Thursday- I went back to soccer for 2 hours. It was a very long cardio session, and I had a post workout protein shake that was super tasty. I also did lunges with 5 lb hand weights and 3 sets of squats.
Friday - I went to Detroit for the DECA competition and stayed at the Marriott Hotel. The 40th floor gym looking out onto lake Huron was a great place to workout. I ran 1 mile on the treadmill and then did 15 minutes on the stair climber. I burned around 300 calories.
Saturday - I woke up early and went to the gym and went on the elliptical for 30 minutes. I burned around 200 calories. I also did a core/leg/butt calisthenic workout.
Sunday- Rest Day! and I had a "Train Wreck" Burger-So Delicious. Cheat Day

Food:
I stayed in an adequate calorie range all week, except for on my cheat day, but the burger was very satisfying and I loved every bite of it. As for the rest of the week I began to add in bread, but I am very strict on keeping it whole wheat and whole grain and I am strongly staying away from sweet white flour cakes and pastries.

Notes:
Spring break is 11 days away and I am going strong still. I hope to be satisfied with my progress by the time
I leave, but I will keep up the hard work after I get back to reach my optimal goal.

Week 1

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

 My Fitness Pal is an app that I am using to help count my calories and keep track of the specific nutrition. It also records my workouts and water intake.

Summary of the passed week:
Monday-  I stayed in my calorie range, so  Monday was a successful start. It was around 30 degrees and I attempted to run outside. I only made it 1 mile due to the cold weather.

Tuesday- I did not workout on Tuesday. I ate well and stayed in a good calorie range.

Wednesday- I did a core, leg, and arm workout at home.

Thursday-I ran 2 miles around the track in the gym. It was 26 laps and it was very tiring.

Friday- I went to Cascades and ran 1.8 miles around the pond. The weather was a lot warmer and it made the run better.

Saturday- I had my last indoor soccer game in Lansing. That consisted of about 50 minutes of cardio-fitness.

Sunday- Cheat day! I did not workout on Sunday and I ate a lot of good food.

Today
Soccer Tryouts  start today and we are running a timed 2 mile! I am nervous and not excited for it.
I am going to sip on water all day, but yesterday's cheat day is not going to help me. I regret the cheating, but one day will not change my end results.

Exercises:
Running
Zumba
Squats
Crunches
Push ups
planks
Leg lifts

Fitness and Nutrition!

Day 1
Today I am rerouting my plan to fitness and nutrition.
I am super motivated because I have soccer tryouts in exactly 7 days and spring break in 25.
But my fitness plan will surpass those dates and continue through the rest of the trimester.
Today I plan to run on the treadmill for at least 2 miles, possibly 2.5. I also am going to do a circuit of weights.
I have a goal of 1200 calories per day using exercise to subtract calories.
I will use the app "my fitness pal" to help keep record and I will update that to my blog.
I am also staying away from carbohydrates and most sweets- no bread, pasta, pastries, etc.
What to eat:
Vegetables
Lean meat
Beans
Fruit
Eggs
low fat dairy

Practice

http://www.tabs4acoustic.com/en/guitar-lessons/practicing-chord-change-102.html

Right now I need to practice more. The one thing that is very difficult is changing chords quickly. When I try to play a song it is very choppy because I have to pause in between each different chord to set my fingers in place. I know the only way I will get better is if I practice, but the quick changing is a challenge for me. I found this website on tips for changing chords. I am hoping it will help me.

Here are some tips I found on changing chords...

Go slowly and focus on your left hand. If you go too fast and you miss your shot, you're wasting your time. You’re not in a hurry so don’t jump the guns.

Try to identify the movement of each finger before playing for real. If you get to see the "trajectory" of each of your fingers, you will manage much better. Do not move a finger if you do not know where to go.

The goal is to save the movement. Avoid unnecessary movement and try to take the shortest route.

To help us save the movement and to gain speed later, try not to lift the fingers too high. Lift them just enough not so as not to touch the strings, but not more!

With the goal of achieving a « perfect » movement, try to move all fingers simultaneously. Moving three fingers at the same time is for sure faster than moving one after another

There is also a lesson available on this website. I will watch it when I am at home with my guitar.

youtube and free falling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppoiecarX-o

yourguitarstage.com

Strings:
Eddy
Ate
Dynamite
Good
Bye
Eddy

http://www.e-chords.com/chords/tom-petty/free-fallin
Free Falling- Tom Petty
What I want to be able to play and then maybe sing along to.

Teaching self

I have been attempting to teach myself how to play the guitar and its not as easy as it sounds. Although I have been able to learn a few things, I don't think I will be able to progress much further without the help of a teacher.

Discovering that teaching myself is difficult has brought me to the conclusion that I will have to find someone to help me learn this new activity. I have a friend and family that should be able to help me learn.

I will continue to update you on my progress and hopefully by next week I will be able to tell you about my success!

My Heart Will Go On

Beginner Guitar

Instrument Care:
Wipe down the strings with a dry cloth every time you are done playing to increase string life.
Never keep your guitar in the car or outside overnight. It could cause extreme damage to your instrument.
Store your instrument in a room-temperature environment.
If your guitar is cold, allow it to warm up before playing.

"My Heart Will Go On," is the first song I have started working on. I will post pictures of the music and chords.