Gaining muscle over 40

It is super hard for women to gain muscle....

Women are so scared to lift heavy weights they are afraid they are going to "bulk up" or look like a professional body builder.

Im here to tell you it is impossible! 

I spoke about being skinny fat....Here. 

I have been lifting heavier weights for 11 years now.

I started out with only 97 pounds of lean body mass...my actually scale weight was around 118.

After 11 years I have only gained 6.5 pounds of muscle! 

And it took me 11 years to do so!! 

11 years!

Last summer my lean muscle mass was 102 pounds.

I just had my fat rechecked this week and it was 103.6! So as a 41 and a half year old woman I have gained 1.6 pounds of muscle in less than a year! That is huge! And I am so proud of it!

Since last May I have changed my workouts completely.  I wanted to see how much muscle I could gain at almost 41 years old. I was so tired of doing so much cardio. Tired of my hip hurting. Tired of feeling beat up. 

I used to do cardio 3-4x a week...50 minutes to an hour each session...and mainly I ran as my cardio...I since have almost completely stopped running. Maybe 1x a month. It took awhile to get over the runners high..mentally I just wasn't sure how I would feel after 16 years of being a runner. 

Now I do it 2-3 cardio session...at the very most. And it is never more than 50 minutes. 

I have been lifting 5-6x a week. Focusing on 3 body parts at a time...while I used to do a full body routine 2-3x a week.

For example..

Mondays legs

Tuesdays chest back abs

Wednesday cardio/plyo metrics

Thursday shoulders bis tris

Fridays legs/glutes

Saturday day off

Sunday long 6 m walk

I know to some these photos don't really show a huge change like some on the internet. But to me it is huge.

1.6 pounds of muscle gained is a ton for a woman! Especially a woman over the age of 40! 

I feel like I look better now...I'm not as skinny looking and I feel like I look more fit.

We don't wear shoes in our home...

Here is another one of the ways I keep my home clean.

I don't allow shoes in my home.

When I wrote my last post (read more about that Here) about keeping the groady germs out of our home it made me realize that this was another habit that developed after moving into our new home with our little NICU baby.

It all started when my husband and I were house hunting. One of the homes we looked at didn't allow shoes in their home. When we went for the house showing there were shoe booties sitting by the door for all "viewers" to put on. After we slipped them over our shoes we noticed how immaculate their carpeting was. It was white carpet but it was in prestine condition!

So after we came home with Pipiri we decided to start doing this in our home.

The way that works for us is that 99% of the time we come thru the garage so it's very simple. We leave our shoes in the garage by the door. 

When guests come to our home...typically they come thru the front door. There is a small chalkboard sign on the door. 

It says "Please leave shoes outside TKS!

Buy Chalkboard with Rope Hanger like I have. 

So any visitor that we have simple removes their shoes and leaves them outside the door. Easy breezy. 

Not only does this cut wayyy down on my cleaning. It also keeps our floors so much cleaner. I also have to vacuum way less. 

I use this mop...    Shark Professional Steam Pocket Mop  And I have owned this less expensive one in the past also...Shark Steam Pocket Mop  I use this vacuum...Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional Upright. I have owned every brand of vacuum and I like the Shark by far the best! Easy to empty and picks up everything! 

Plus think how gross the bottoms of your shoes are. 

They have been in public restrooms. 

The have walked on asphalt which has known carcinogenics 

The have walked in parks and other grassy areas where pesticides have been used.

The list goes on and on!

I don't want pesticides, cancer causing chemicals, or poop on my floors. Do you? 

I love that we started this when Pipiri was a newborn. She now knows exactly what to do. She takes her shoes off before coming in...I never ever have to remind her. 

It also has made me very mindful of other peoples homes. I now remove my shoes before going in. I believe it shows a sign of respect for other peoples houses ....they may have just spent the last few hours cleaning...so why would I want to put my dirty shoes on their floors. 

Happy cleanliness! 

The importance of teaching children to wash their hands

When I came home with my precious little girl straight out of the NICU I was terrified of germs.

Terrified of her getting sick. 

Terrified of someone passing a cold or the flu to my new perfect little angel.

My husband and I started that very day with our "Clean Hands Mission"!!!

We decided one thing that day...

As soon as someone comes into our home they are to wash their hands!

So for about an entire year we had every single person that came into our house wash their hands before they did anything else...

Now jump ahead 5 years...while we aren't quite as nutty about forcing our guests with a hand washing...we (Brad , me, and Pipiri) still every single time we come in our house from being out and about we wash our hands. So any germs that we may have come in contact with are not brought into our home.

I truly think that this habit has helped us as a family to hardly ever become sick. While yes we get colds on occasion we very rarely get anything worse than that.

It truly is a very easy habit to make. 

And I am so glad we have instilled the importance of this to Pipiri.

Here are a few hand soaps that our family uses...

We do not use triclosan, lavender, soy, phylates or BPA!

Seventh Generation Hand Wash
Kiss My Face Coconut Hand Soap
Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap

Here are some of the hand sanitizers that have less scary ingredients...

Babyganics

Babyganics (smaller container ...great for car usage)

Burt's Bees

Birthday and Holiday gifts when your a minimalist

I am a wacko when it comes to toys and things that Pipiri plays with. I am sure I drive my friends and family nuts! 

When I discovered Waldorf several years ago one of the main aspects that drew me to it was the amazing play things! Read more about that Here and Here.

Wooden, natural, high quality, wool, and very few!! 

That's right minimal! 

Very few high quality toys!

No plastic, no polyester, nothing that blinks or makes noise, nothing techy, no video games, no movie or cartoon paraphernalia...so once I cleared out all of the junk there was no going back.

Sooo when it comes to birthdays, holidays, and any other times gifts are involved I try to my best to keep what comes into our home as simple and natural as possible. 

Thank you to our friends and family Pipiri's birthday gifts were amazing! So thoughtful and beautiful! 

Cholesterol levels......adding fat to your diet...does it raise them?

So last year I made a huge change in my diet by giving up candy!

Ohhh candy my old friend! My friend in my pockets...my friend that was always there for me....my sugary deliciousness....yummy! 

Yep but I gave it up last year mid lent GONE! 

Read more about that Here and Here. 

So when I went to my doctor last year I had my cholesterol levels taken as I have for many years. 

They were the following...

Total cholesterol 188

Triglycerides 66

HDL 79

LDL 96

While yes all within in the normal range (read more about normal range levels Here) ....I thought they actually would be lower...hmmmmm me an over achiever even with cholesterol....ummm YES!

So this year after major dietary changes...giving up candy and all sugary desserts, adding wayyyy more fat to my diet...eggs including the yolk, real butter, adding more healthy fish... tons and tons of spinach, water cress, collard greens, greens greens greens....adding Grapeseed oil and continuing with olive oil....sautéing veggies in both of these oils....

Today my cholesterol levels were the following...

Total 183

Triglycerides 38 (28 points lower)

HDL 90 (11 points higher) 

LDL 85 (11 points lower) 

Yay! Proof is in the numbers!! All much better than last year! 

I love reverse aging! I love lowering my cholesterol thru diet! Over achiever yes!! 

Anything is possible! 

I never ever want to have to take pills for something that I can control thru my diet and working out and living a health lifestyle! Never! 

If I can you can!! 

TRX circuit....20 minute workout

I love the TRX! It's such a great piece of equipment that you can even hang in your garage or home if you don't belong to a gym. 

Buy TRX here!

Watch full TRX video here!

Do these exercises 4x thru. Add jumping jacks, burpees, or jump rope between each set. 20 minute quick workout! 

Tricep workout

You all know I love to work triceps! Love love love!

I don't want my arms to wave when I wave my hand! Uggggg! 

Watch full tricep video here!

Shoot for 3 sets or more of each exercise. 15-20 reps each.

No stopping in between each set.

Can easily add jumping rope or jumping jacks in between each set. 

Keep heart rate up! 

10 minute workout...easy to add to your cardio days. 

Booty workout

Glutes....Booty....Bum....whatever you call it...we all want it to be lifted...perky...with zero cellulite!

It all starts in the kitchen. Eating healthy fruits and veggies..nutritious lean proteins...keep your foods clean. Eat often. Low calories but high nutrients! 

Cardio 3-4x a week.

And lift weights at least 2x a week. I lift 4-5x a week. 

Watch full booty workout here!

Valentines day cards done!

Read Here to see the other fun things we have been doing for Valentines Day!

30 Valentines day cards made for our friends!! 

Derm...

I have always gone to the dermatologist.

For as long as I can remember...first for acne...then for mole issues...again for acne...moles...sun damage...preventative aging skin....and now I take my 4 year old with me as well.

I find it very important for my daughter to know how important it is to protect your largest organ! She never goes outside without a hat, SPF, and sunglasses on...NEVER! 

I LOVE my Derm! 

I truly think that she is the best...most knowledgable...intelligent...doctor that I trust...educated....and not to mention with seriously flawless...unlined...perfect skin!

I listen to her and I have always followed every single thing she has told me. Everything!

So it makes me feel wonderful knowing that the advice she is giving me is the exact same advice that I write about on my blog.

The tried and true.

The things that work.

The products with the greatest track record.

The products that have been around for over 35 years and that work! 

SPF Buy elta SPF here

Retinol and or Retin a/ TRETINOIN Buy retinol here

Glycolic Buy Glycolic cleanser here

Vitamin C powder Buy philosophy powder here
BPO and salicylic for acne Buy topix cleanser here And Buy salicylic toner here

Simple and powerful!
Advice from me and my Derm...

Valentines Day

Being that Pipiri was born the day before Valentines day we go decorating crazy to celebrate her bday and Valentines day! 

Stay tuned....

This is just the beginning:) 

Here are some of the things we used today! Super fun and creative!

Saint Valentine

The Valentine Bears

Doilies

Heart punch

Another heart punch

Carbs! Yes I eat them!!

I hear Sooo many people talking about carbs so I just have to tell you what I think and what I eat.

Carbohydrates give you energy. Carbohydrates are not all "bad". Carbohydrates can and are very beneficial to you!

I love sweet potatoes and eat them daily. As well as fruit...bananas...blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries. While yes they have sugar it is naturally occurring sugars. Not added refined processed sugars. And yes these are all carbs!

What I stay away from are the so called "bad" carbs. White flour. White bread. White anything really. I don't eat any breads at all or crackers. I do eat Ezekial bread which is legume based...so it doesn't make your blood sugar spike and then bottom out. Making you feel shaky etc.

I also don't eat pasta. It just doesn't make me feel well. So I stay away from pastas. Perhaps a whole wheat pasta 1x a year but very rarely. 

And vegetables! I eat spinach, kale, arugula, watercress, broccoli, asparagus, peppers, carrots, onions...on and on...veggies are so great! Low cal...high nutritional value!! Eat up! And while yes they are carbs...they are just so healthy for you! 

For dinner I typically have mostly vegetables and a protein...such as fish or eggs. Yep the whole egg! 

So for those of you trying to lose a few pounds.,,yes you can eat carbs...just try to consume them in the morning and afternoon...tapering off thruout the day and having mainly veggies and protein at night. 

Oh and sorry people Wine is a carb! And yes it counts. 

So to sum up....eat fruit veggies and some whole grains. Leave the white flour and refined packaged foods alone. 

Stick with fresh whole fruits and veggies and you will be just fine.

The end! 

I said bye bye to many bad habits in 2014!!!!

Last year was a HUGE quit bad habits year!! HUGE!! 

CANDY/SUGAR

I wrote about my candy/sugar give up...read more about that....Here....Soo that one was huge for me. Now let me say that I do on occasion have a bite here and there of candy but I have not have one single jelly belly or York peppermint patty since giving it up mid way thru Lent last year!! Remember I lost 8 pounds doing so! 

PROPEL

I also gave up using Propel. I added propel to every single water I drank for over 12 years. I gave it up because of my wanting to stop all weird chemicals that I was consuming. And even though it was zero calories...it has some ingredients in it I can't pronounce so I quit it...cold turkey! I drink ALOT of water too....over 100 ounces daily! I said bye bye to propel around the same time as the candy...so very close to a year now.

Mexican food...chips and queso

I gave this up for several reasons. One is because I hate feeling awful the day after I eat it or actually a few hours after...the bloated groady horrible feeling. Two because I hate being up 4-5 pounds after one meal! I mean seriously this is ridiculous! The amount of salt that I must have been consuming made me blow up like crazy! Reason three food poisoning! My hubs and I both had gotten food poisoning  several times from Mexican food...so that's reason enough for me! Soo I completely quit all Mexican food after the last bout of food poisoning...around April. 

Coffee

Now let me start by saying that I have not given up coffe completely and I doubt I ever will. But I
have reduced the amount of coffee I have tremendously! Read more about that Here and Here...basically I used to fill the entire coffee filter up daily and would be jittery and feel terrible. So I quit this bad habit last year also. Now I add 3-4 teaspoons full of coffee only in the filter now and wow what a huge difference that has made. I am never jittery anymore! Bye bye heart palpitations! 

I love Waldorf toys!

When I first discovered Waldorf 3 years ago (read more about that Here).....it was however the beautiful toys that made me fall in love with this way of life...way of teaching...way to slow down...way to be in the moment.

I love the simplicity of the toys. 

I love that they are wooden.

I love that they are wool.

I love that they smell so wonderful.

I love how active it makes my child.

I love how the imagination it has created in her.

I love the natural element.

I love the dolls.

I love them all! 

Playstand Arch And Playstandslike these are found in Waldorf kindergartens all over the world. They are a childs fantasy world. They can be a store, a house, a puppet show, a doll bed....wherever a childs imagination takes them! They also have lovely shelves to house a few other items.  And a beautiful Night Sky Silkscape is placed over the  Playstand Arch and Playstands to make it a secret beautiful hideaway. They are not cheap..that's for sure...but with all Waldorf toys they are of amazing quality and will last a life time! 

This barn is one of my favorites! It's called Sam's Stable and it is so beautifully made....an heirloom piece! 

My 4 year old can shoot a bow and arrow like nobody's business! 

Over these last few years I have simplified our toys to only wooden and only naturally made...mostly. We do have a big wheel and a couple of other unnatural toys but 99% are Waldorf approved. 

If you haven't read Simplicity Parenting and you are interested in simplifying your life and your kids toys...I highly suggest reading it!