Temptation

December 7, 2018 jaquarryLeave a comment

It’s like every time I try to be healthy and take a step forward, I end up taking 2 steps back. I know that I must try to balance out my diet and stay disciplined but it has been difficult. I’m never really able to cook because I don’t have the time and when I do cook, the food is usually gone that same day. I’ve tried, I really have but my schedule has been hectic and it hasn’t stopped. Not to mention the temptation I have around me.

My job keeps snacks around. I’m not usually the type to have a big appetite when I first wake up in the mornings so I don’t tend to eat breakfast. When I start the day, I just have a cup of coffee and go on, but as the day goes on and I get hungry those snacks start to call my name. I’ll reach for the chips of some fruit snacks and eat. I work in a sales environment so it can be stressful. I guess I’m eating my stress away.

I have to stop eating the junk food. I think my job keeps the unhealthy snacks around because they know it can be a stressful environment. They know that the food will make us feel better, so they give us the snacks as a stress reliever. Unfortunately for me and my goal, the snacks are more harmful than good. I have to find other healthy alternatives to snack on while I’m at work. Diet is just as important and exercise.

Functional Work Out

November 17, 2018 jaquarryLeave a comment

If you read my last blog, you know what my challenge is when it comes to exercising. I’m working towards my fitness goals but I have to set them first. I’ve starting to incorporate cardio into my workouts by adding at least a 10 minute workout either, jogging or sprinting intervals, but we shall see how that goes.

In the meantime, I can’t neglect the rest of my body. I like lifting weights but for some reason I’m just not arm strong. I have overall body strength but when it comes to exercises like bench press that focus on upper body, I have been falling short. I can do a few reps, then I feel weak and usually give up after one set.

Photo of dumbbells and kettlebells taken by me.

I’m going to try and do some functional workouts. Functional workouts incorporate exercises that work on strengthening the entire body. I think it will have more of benefit for me. I was doing some research to get some ideas and I stumbled upon a few websites like Kettlebell Workouts that share several kettle bell exercises and I thought, why not try these, I already have access to kettle bells.. It will be something new, but it can be fun to try new things. I’m excited to feel the burn.

Restarted: Cardio

November 16, 2018November 16, 2018 jaquarryLeave a comment

I haven’t been as consistent with this workout and lifestyle regimen as I wanted. I learned to keep making goals that are attainable instead of trying to reach too far, and get discouraged. I found myself setting goals such as running 4 miles, for example, and eating only lean foods. I would run one mile, take a break and walk, and then just give up on the rest of my workout. Now, I feel determined

Strength exercises (push ups, olympic lifts, pulls ups, etc.,) are what I normally go for in the gym. I find them to be the most functional for me and what I believe I need most, and it’s fun. It’s been said that we should try to engage in cardio activity for a minimum of 10 minutes. I’m making that my goal first. 10 minutes of cardio isn’t too bad.

I will try and focus on doing my cardio first. I believe in getting the harder things over with first, then doing the fun stuff. I have to do at least 10 minutes and since I’m usually able to run a mile in anywhere from 6-8 minutes, I’ll just run a little over 1 mile before getting to my strength workout. I have to continue to remind myself that goals should be realistic and attainable. This is a goal I think I’ll be able to achieve.

Slight Work

October 6, 2018October 7, 2018 jaquarryLeave a comment

This week I decided to get rid of everything I felt was of no nutritional value. I thought about the decision for a while. The same day I made that decision I ended up changing my mind. I can’t afford to throw anything in my kitchen away. Hard earned money was spent on making sure there was food to eat.

When I was growing up, I would usually eat the breakfast and lunch that was provided by the school. I qualified for the free school lunch program. I don’t know how healthy the meals were, or even if they would have been considered balanced but I will admit that I didn’t get hungry again until after school, sometimes a little earlier. The point is that I was never really taught about what exactly makes a meal a balanced one because I was just eating whatever was there as long as it tasted good.

Luckily, I was taught about junk food and to avoid them especially since I struggled with my weight in my early teen years. Anything with excess amounts of sugar or sodium are bad for you. I’m going try and buy mostly things I can add my own sugar and salt to. I haven’t completely given up all my bad habits but I’m cleaning up my diet little by little.

I managed to do some slight work. I cleaned out my freezer of almost all of the junk food that was in it. I had the following plus more: Ice cream, hot pockets, microwaveable corndogs. When I say I cleaned it out, I really mean I ate it. I decided that I was going to finish what I had and not buy any more junk. Now, I have mostly meats that require me to actually cook.

Hopefully I make some good, healthy meals this week or, at the very least, one. I don’t consider myself a beginner in the kitchen because my mother and my girlfriend have taught me a lot of the basic stuff, but I won’t say I’m a great cook either because I make mistakes. I’m going to try to be creative with recipes that I find on Google. I hope I have enough time to make something fancy. If you have any ideas, leave them in the comments section.

A New Journey

September 17, 2018September 23, 2018 jaquarryLeave a comment

Writing my first post marks the start of a new journey for me. My name is Jaquarry Wilson and this blog will follow me as I make changes to my diet and overall lifestyle. There were a couple of things that motivated me to start changing my lifestyle. Earlier this month, I had an appointment with my doctor for a check up. That day, I learned that I had gained 25 pounds since the previous visit I had last year. I’ve never really been the type to look at the scale or care too much about the actual number, but one day I decided to use the BMI calculator from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and I found out that i’m actually overweight.

I remember being the chubby kid growing up. I was pretty thin until 3rd grade but I gained a lot of weight from the age of 9 until I was 15 or 16 years old. I went from being overweight to being obese and I struggled with my weight. I wasn’t always participating in physical activity as much as my brother or cousins because I stayed in the house a lot on the computer and playing video games. When I did exercise it was never consistent unless it was football or basketball season and I was on the team. At 16 years old, I changed my diet and I started to lose some weight. I also joined the cross country team and over the course of maybe 3 or 4 months, I had lost 75 pounds.

I’m 22 now and up until this year, I managed to maintain a certain weight. I don’t want to have to deal with any health issues that come with being overweight. When I was heavier I remember doctors telling me lose weight because I was at risk of developing diabetes. Every morning I used to watch my grandma test her blood to make sure her blood sugar was at a good level. This was more motivation to get back shape and start eating healthy.

My schedule is tight and I have very long days and evenings during the week so it is sometimes difficult to find time to prepare healthy meals and exercise. On top of being at work for 8 hours a day and being in class for 3 hours a day, I have to make time to study for my classes. If your schedule is hectic like mine hopefully some of the ideas, stories, and tips that I will write about will help you out. I’ll be sharing how I find the balance that will allow me to live the healthy lifestyle I am trying make for myself. You’ll find time management tips, quick recipes with my personal reviews, work out ideas, and my thoughts and feelings as I go through this lifestyle change.

Quest for Healthiness.

Tag: fitness