[Jenn the Alto]

Hello to all! I'm a new member starting out again on the weight loss/fitness route. I introed myself in the appropriate thread, and I think I might post about how the personal training is going for me. (If there is a better place for this, I apologize in advance)

So, I had my consultation with my new personal trainer last week and she was very nice and encouraging! A plus in my books. Today was our first session together.

I had been honest with her about my fitness level (poor) and some of the injuries I'd sustained in the past. (Type II separated shoulder last year and some torn back muscles way back)

She was willing to work with me to accommodate those issues, and here we go!

So, first was 15 minutes on the treadmill. She started it reallllllllly slow, and I was actually too heavy to let it move to start. A little embarrassing, but she quickly ramped it up to about 1.7 (speed rate) and over the next minute or so, had bumped it to 2.5, which turned out to be the level where I was sweating and a little out of breath, but not too bad. By the end of the 15 minutes, I was warmed up and on a scale of 1-10, where 10 is I-cannot-breathe-I'm-going-to-die, I was an 8. And I walked, at a brisk pace, half a mile.

After the treadmill, we did a bunch of stretching, which I really appreciated since it will prevent injuries in the future. As we were doing this, she went over the food diary for the previous week I'd given her (I need more protein, argh) and made some suggestions. She noted my posture needed work and we will work on that together.

Next we moved onto bodyweight squats. I sat on a bench and up and down I went in a slow, controlled motion. I can't even tell you how many reps because she had seated me in front of a mirror (Which makes -sense-, but god I hate to look at myself) and that was distracting me. ;p She kept checking to see where I was feeling the tension, and she complimented me at the end of that saying she thought I was an athlete! My self-esteem is in the toilet, so I didn't believe, but that was very flattering!

After that, some pelvic lifts, where we try to keep the butt up and in a straight line with the rest of the body. Okay, those were hard. ;p Then we finished with some ball work for the rotator cuff, since mine was hurting a bit.

So, all in all, a good hour, and I see her again on Thursday. Stay tuned for more updates!

-Jenn

[LBH]

Hi Jenn, Sounds like a great session!!

[kaebea]

wow, she sounds really good, i am as excited for you as i would be for me!

[bindersbee]

Welcome Jen, thanks for posting about this. I'm thinking of rewarding myself with some PT sessions after I hit my next weight goal/end of session (I only worry about a single 12 eeek period which I call a 'session' because it's less overwhelming). It will be great to know more what to expect by reading your posts. Congratulations to you for taking this important step.

[Devsmama]

I like this lady, she sounds wonderful! Good job, keep it going.

[squeak351]

congrats on the great session and on making a choice to make yourself healthier. Sounds like you found a great PT!.

I was told yesterday to bump up my protein too! How much protein did your PT tell you to eat every day? I don't have my notes with me (she told me so much I had to take notes! going to review those tonight after work) but I believe she told me to eat around 80g of protein a day. I was eating around 50-60.

[Jenn the Alto]

Hello again!

The saga continues! So, another session down!

Another half mile on the treadmill - this time she wanted to test my limits, so she added an incline of 5 to start and as we worked our way down the 15 minutes (And I got more exhausted) we should reduce it a bit. That was a challenge, but there was no way I was going to quit. She's been really good though about communication. Wants me to work just enough to challenge and "feel uncomfortable", but not cause pain. I think I agree with that.

Some stretching back, legs, shoulders, chest and calves after that. Again, I don't want injuries, so I really appreciate the stretching being incorporated into the workout.

To address the protein question, it was -very- clear that I was not eating enough protein. I actually don't eat enough meat. She didn't give me an amount to eat, but suggested I supplement with a protein powder (though definitely not a weight gain type lol) I'll ask her more about that when I see her next. She also suggested eating tuna and salmon.

Then onto two sets of bodyweight squats again. She really wanted me to push up through my heels and squeeze my butt. I felt that the next day!

Some more pelvic lifts and rotator cuff work at the end to round it all out.

I definitely did more sets of exercises this time; I think she's finding my limits and gently pushing past them. That, I like. She's very into working on my flexibility and core strength to start. The weights will come later, I suppose. ;p

She's working really hard on weaning me off the processed foods that I eat and eating more naturally. She suggested I switch from the usual brand of peanut butter that starts with a K to something more all natural. Anyone tried and found any natural peanut butter they like?

So, this week no session since she's getting married. But I'll be back with updates as soon as I have them!

--Jenn

PS: She keeps in contact even by email after we have a session, to see how I am and to encourage me. That's also awesome in my book.

[squeak351]

Sounds like wonderful support. How on earth did you find such a great PT?

Peanut butter, I was told as well to switch my normal pb to something more natural and was told to get "Naturally More" It's organic and has none of those fillers and all that sugar in in. Be warned when you first get it, open it and stir, stir, stir, stir, did I mention to STIR? lol And then you need to keep it in the fridge. I got mine several weeks ago but after tasting it thought, yuck, it does not have the same taste or texture as "normal" pb but last night I needed something quick and I am trying to eat up what is here before I go by more groceries so I put together a pb and j (with low sugar jelly). I actually liked it all put together on a sandwich.

[kaebea]

do you have a trader joe's near you? they have a good almond butter at a decent price.
other than that i think any natural pb is pretty good.
at some store like whole foods, you can grind your own

[willow68]

whole foods has a good organic peanut butter in their store line.

re protein...don't forget about plant based. beans, lentils, tempeh,...

[Jenn the Alto]

squeak: I did research. I realized that the PTs at the gym I used to go to weren't trained or invested in my progress. They just wanted to sell me more of the gym's products.

So I looked for a PT studio that would put my needs first. I'm paying them for the service, and I met with her in advance; she wasn't assigned to me... and we chatted to see if we would be able to get along. She seemed enthusiastic (And you can always tell when someone is being fake about it) and honest. I was honest with her about my goals and my abilities, and we're going from there.

I think it also helps that I'm willing to do more than just the usual strength and cardio training. I want flexibility. I want to improve my reflexes, my speed. There's variety there. A lot of people forget that.

But back to the point... the website they had was great! Everything I needed to know at my fingertips!

Hmmm... I couldn't find any Trader Joe's or Whole Foods stores here. Do they have any in Ontario, Canada? But thank you for the assistance! And you say the taste is very different from the peanut butter I'm used to. Well, it took me a long time to get used to yogurt. Cherry Silhouette is the only kind I really like ;p

Beans are something I have to work into my diet more. They're not something that I had growing up (except for franks and beans, which doesn't really count). So thanks for the ideas everyone!

I'm very eager for my next session! My Wii (Dance Dance Revolution) is helping me with my cardio as I wait ;p

--Jenn

[bindersbee]

Do you have a Costco up there? They have a really good chocolate protein powder and it's a great way to get more protein in your diet. I make a chocolate/banana breakfast shake using a scoop of that powder, a banana, 2/3 cup non-fat plain yogurt, a little vanilla, ice and a splenda packet if needed. You can do chocolate strawberry or any mix of fruit you like but it makes for a quick, high-protein meal or snack. I think there are 21 grams of protein per serving of mix plus I get another 6-9 grams of protein in the yogurt per serving. You can also freeze the whole thing and it's like ice cream!

I also buy the Morning Star Farms sausage patties there (75% plant based) and eat them at breakfast to bump up my morning protein quickly and easily.

Tonight I'm sauteeing up some mushrooms, peppers and onion and then I'll store them in the fridge. In the morning, I can make up a pretty quick egg white omelet with them for myself and the hubs.

Any of those breakfasts would help you get the protein up without taking a lot of time in preparation. I find having good protein in the morning really boosts my energy and satisfaction all day.