Today's Fitness Tip: Before strength training, spend about 10-15 minutes on a row machine to engage your upper core and get the blood flowing through your joints and muscles.

So I made some progress yesterday! When I weighed myself when I got up the scale read 166.4. Which…

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So, I have been working out pretty intensely at the gym for the past few months and have been dedicated to my cardio regimens with spinning and cardio kickboxing. I like how much fat I've been burning and how much more toned my body is, but I'm not thrilled with how slow my upper arms are shrinking and how slow my abs are toning up. I've been doing quite a bit of pilates at home and building my core, and I have been doing arm workouts on weight machines at the gym (pretty…

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My fitness game right now is seriously on point. I'm pretty happy about that. I've been very consistent with going to spinning about 2-3 times a week, and going to the gym an additional day for either a normal treadmill/stairmaster/elliptical/weight machines workout, or an intense cardio kickboxing class. Out of all…

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I'm really excited about how my fitness is coming along. My body feels lighter, a lot tighter, and much more toned (my waist in particular looks smaller). I have resumed taking spinning and cardio-kickboxing classes, which have pushed me intensely to take my fitness to the next level. I've been doing spinning around 3 times a week, and have resumed cardio kickboxing last week (I aim to continue doing that 1-2 times a week). In addition to the gym, I am continuing with my pilates regimen at…

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So, I'm happy to say that the scale has finally been kind to me since I've dedicated myself to a fitness regimen. Since I've started the regimen, I've lost a total of 10 pounds! I'm really excited about it. Here's what I've been doing since my last update a few days ago:

I've continued going to classes at my gym, especially the spinning class. So many people have told me to do spinning, but I've always been freaked out about it because every time I passed by a spinning class in session,…

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January 10, 2011:

Since January 1, 2011, I've been very consistent with going to the gym so far. Last week, I went to the gym three times and did machine work (treadmill, elliptical, stepmaster, bicycle, as well as tricep, waist, ab, and leg strength training machines). Yesterday, I went with a friend to a "Pilates Plus" class, which merges pilates technique with intense strength training work using fitness balls and other paraphernalia to get you toned. Let me tell you - that class…

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So excited to jumpstart my fitness regimen in the New Year! I know it sounds cliche, but I'm really gung ho about revamping my fitness and really taking my body to the next level. I'm not really obsessed with losing weight (although 5 pounds here or there won't hurt). I'm really concerned with toning up my figure, and that will require both muscle training as well as cardio workouts. It will also require eating right and staying away from my fave junk foods.

Today, Kwan (my boyfriend) and… Continue

I'm going to be honest and say that it is hard to get motivated to go out to the gym when my area just went through a snow blizzard with 15-17 inches worth of snow. Yikes! But I am brainstorming about ways that I can work out at home. I don't want to purchase any intense video work out programs (I already have the Winsor Pilates DVD series that I used to use years ago and helped me keep a tight and toned physique). Will probably get some sets of dumbbells and some arm workout…

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So, I realized that it makes so much more sense to actually post pictures of myself throughout the weight loss challenge. Here is what I look like now:…

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I am happy to announce that my cold is over and I am back on my fitness regimen (as of last night). I did a half hour on the treadmill and about 10 minutes on the stepmaster. I plan on doing some hardcore working out tomorrow, so I'm excited for that.



I will say that overall I am pretty pleased with my progress so far (even though I only started this challenge a few weeks ago). My clothes are fitting a lot better, and I think that is primarily due to cutting out a lot of my usual…

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So I am having a rough cold this week so I don't have much to report as to my fitness regimen this week (as the cold pretty much knocked me off my feet for the most part). But I haven't been munching on any terrible snacks, so that's a good thing. And I've avoided junk food for the past few weeks as much as possible - although I did indulge a little in a small bag of popcorn and some potato chips a couple of times.



I am excited to get back on with my fitness once my cold is over.…

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Whew! Just came back from an intense run by the beach this morning! I think my endurance is definitely getting better. I actually spent about two hours in the gym yesterday morning pushing myself as much as possible on cardio machines (treadmill, elliptical, and stairmaster) as well as doing some weight-lifting workouts (specifically focusing on toning my outer and inner portions of my legs) and did a bunch of ab floor workouts. I think I probably pushed myself a bit too much yesterday (or…

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So a little food indulgence isn't so bad during a weight loss challenge. :) Last night, Kwan and I went to Chili's to indulge in some delicious food. What did I get? A hamburger, fries, mango ice tea, and some New England Clam Chowder. I personally don't care to get bent out of shape about indulging from time to time during my weight loss challenge. As long as I don't indulge every single day and keep a normal diet for the most part on a day to day basis, a once or twice a week indulgence is…

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Here is the video that I posted on YouTube yesterday re: the first day of my fitness regimen during the weight loss challenge:





In terms of food, I think I did well yesterday:



For breakfast: Special K Cereal with skim milk

For lunch: Leftover salmon pasta

For dinner: A roast with carrots and potatoes

For snacks: some Yoplait yogurt and Quakes rice snacks (Apple Cinnamon)



So far, so good with the challenge! Hopefully I… Continue

August 22, 2010:



So, I wanted to start up my jogging exercise regimen today but of course, it rained like crazy here so I didn't think it would be prudent to start up my exercise in pouring windy weather. I will be jogging tomorrow morning, hopefully - pending good weather!



In terms of food, I had a great breakfast: Eggo Waffles and scrambled eggs; for lunch: quesadillas and rice/beans at Chilis; and dinner: salmon and pasta salad.

The salmon and pasta salad was…

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August 21, 2010:

Hey Cafe Belle members,

I have just announced on YouTube that I am starting my personal weight loss challenge, and am inviting you to join along as well! The whole point of this challenge is to get fit and healthy. It isn't about trying to get down to a model-thin size. All of us should be mindful of our health and should be conscious of whether we are on track with our exercise and food habits. Why…

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