Chez FitMercy

As I did yoga (Wednesday exercise) this morning, and looking forward to a favourable weigh in, " consistency " came to mind on a topic to speak about. I think the ease by which I slide into some yoga poses brought this to mind.  Consistency is a pattern, a compatibility, lack of deviation, a uniformity that defines anything ranging from behaviours to substances. Doing a particular thing with so much steadiness and constancy without slacking. If weight loss is going to be meaningful then consistency must be the watch word. When exercise/diet is consistent, the weight loss becomes easier and new challenges/heights could be set. Meanwhile one of the major challenges even in life is actually becoming consistent with anything. Life gets in the way and there is a diversion which could in turn lead to deviation from any set goal.

You're bored. Frustrated. Exasperated. Tired. Just too busy to even think of trying to lose weight. You want to quit.  Don't despair. You've reached the point in your weight-loss project that truly determines whether or not you're going to get to your goal and stay there.

This week had not been really interesting save the surprise birthday party I was at on Monday 20th. On the healthy lifestyle road, I can say this week was a bore. I tried working out but the morale was just not there (always remember that this happens a lot along your journey to success). Well, I needed to something interesting for this week's post and voila  - "clutters and de-cluttering" . We have all had to battle with this at one time or another. If you are a working class and you are like me with an 8 hour job with other extra-curricula activities on a daily basis, then you will relate with this a lot. Sometimes it becomes worse and you just must find that time to get your house in order. At a point, a cluttered house was my bane till I found a secret of handling one room per time and in a month my home became a safe haven again. Funny part is that when the house is cluttered there is a superstition that one will be having constant nightmares (I don'...

I tried my best this past week but I think TOM really proved me wrong and I am not feeling bad about it at all. I am growing into it and I believe with time things will work well. As I planned last week Wednesday, I did 5 days intermittent fasting 14:10, one day 18:6 and a 24 hour fast which ended this morning. I stepped on the scale this morning and I weighed 170.4lbs, I know it has something to do with TOM and some other factors I took note of like overeating during my eating window. When breaking the fast by 11am in the morning, my meals are planned and on point but by the time I get home at dinner, there is a feeling to stock my tommy. I am putting that into consideration this week, meaning just because there is a fast does not give room to eat just about anything.  On the exercising front also, I did not lift a finger this week because I was just not feeling it (it's a bane). I am going to make sure to try my best this week to workout for the 7 days starting today, I stil...

Indoor fitness could pop up for many reasons, the weather being the ultimate of them all. It could range from a scorching sun, heavy/light rain, darkness, dawn etc. A lack of time during the day or even cash crunched to pay for a gym can make an ardent exerciser resolve to stay indoors to do the needful. My own reasons being : I cannot run outside because DH feels it's not safe for me  I am not always buoyant enough to pay for a gym subscription  I am not rich enough to get the complex machines like a treadmill, stationary bike etc  According to Liz Noelcke a staff writer with Sparkpeople, "there is no reason that you can’t make a home gym part of your reality. A home gym adds convenience and privacy to your workouts. When you exercise at home, you save time, money, and the rush hour headaches (on the road and in line for the elliptical). Although you might be cautious due to budget and space limitations in your house, building a home gym isn’t as impractic...

As I sat down on my chair today and in a brief moment I was thinking of when my weight loss journey started some 6 years ago. I was a field worker for my organization and trust me I was not enjoying my job then, I felt cheated everyday when I got to work because of some "discrepancies" in posting of staff members and my assumed lopsidedness in the treatment field workers were getting. Also, I was not really a happy person because of some challenges I faced as a newly-wed and trying to even understand the relationship that I was really working hard to be the best at. One day I was on the field and I came face to face with my most dreadful equipment then "a scale". Before then I never wanted to know what my weight was because I was really scared I might have to face some realities of a pending health issue or something close. Well, that day my colleague on the field persuaded me (he has a really small structure) to check since it wouldn't hurt to know.  ...

I have been AWOL for a week, I went on a retreat. The Nigerian Baptist Convention (which I proudly belong) had it's Convention in session between Saturday 16th April, 2016 to 21st April, 2016. It was mandatory to be in attendance because of some important roles myself and DH were playing. That aside it was a very rear opportunity to be alone with God and learn at His feet. It was a good time to retreat and pray to God almighty who can do every impossible. The theme for this year's Annual Convention is Moving Forward: Working Out our Salvation with Fear and Trembling , it was a program filled with teachings, sermons, prayers of intercession, petitions etc. I was richly blessed and I would not have forgiven myself if I did not put my all into this. The essence of today's post is the benefits that accrues from having a personal retreat. Retreat in a simple term is "withdrawal or a draw back" it is mostly used in the army. A retreat is often carried...

168.2lbs flashed me yesterday on the scale. It's a relief since I have not had a number this low in the past 12 weeks of my Wednesday Weigh in. I tried to do all that is in my power to exercise throughout this week (as promised in the last post), though not the expected minutes. I have strongly decided not to make excuses nor complain anymore (as Nia advised in her blog), I am going to shut up and do something . I love to plan whenever I can and this in turn helps batch cooking which also eases me off every wrong choice in meals, unhealthy snacking, binge eating, exercise rut and overeating as the case maybe.  Now I really wonder why we don't plan to plan??? The place of proper planning cannot be over-emphasized in any weight loss journey.  When you plan : You will likely have extra time on your hands to rest or have some ME time You make your exercise sessions an appointment that must not be disappointed You will save a lot of money because the pla...

On a monthly basis, for every fertile pre-menopausal woman, there is an Aunt Flow (sorry TMI). Personally, the flow bugs me less unlike the extra baggage that comes with it consistently, I refer to the "water weight" or bloating that accompanies TOM. I feel really discouraged seeing my weigh ins going back and forth, up and around the same numbers. It can be as bad as over 3lbs (1.5kg) during this period, I know that I will loose the so called "water weight" the following week but I really wish to be out of this jingling over the same weight range for months. It is a fact that right now I am in a plateau of some sort but the spike during periods gets to me a lot and I could start bingeing if care is not taken and some mental exercise done to curb it.  I also realized that a few days before TOM, the morale to exercise and energy levels are so low and the week after TOM brings on some unexplained hunger that keeps me eating without caution. google ...

When I first started my journey to weight-loss in 2010, one of the easiest exercises for me was running. I loved the environment way back when the morning breeze will blow on my face as I was doing the 5k training. No gadgets to measure my pace, heart rate or speed, I just ran. I did high speed, easy pace and some walking till I am done for 30 minutes every other morning. I was also not alone because I met guys who love to run too. Fast forward to 2012 and we moved to another place where running was almost impossible (not safe enough). I had to register in a gym very close to the office and my passion for running continued and I even became the leader of a running group on sparkpeople, yay. 2014 I was posted to another department that made going to the gym practically impossible, I tried to adjust my schedules but it looks like every adjustment tightens the space harder. Since last month I have been following a blog Katie Froster's  runsforcookies which sparked running ...

It is going to be a quick post today because less had happened other than lots of clutter and disorganization, ish. Today is another weigh in and I can say I did not do badly with a gain of a pound from last week. TOM is here and I normally have a 3lbs gain for other months. To be candid, I hate making excuses but not when life keeps getting in my way. I have issues with people who are disorganized and they keep assuming that is the way every other person around them is. I became a little organized after reading Eat That Frog! (21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time) . The book is about handling your stuff in the order of importance, the "frog" is actually the activity that is hardest for you and shouldn't be delegated or delayed for another time, this is marked "A", a "B" is what is second most important but that is not so vital but equally necessary. A "C" is an activity that can be delegated or shif...

Today is week 1 since I decided to stop the monthly challenges and tweaked to weekly plans . That is rather doable for me and I think I am reaping the dividends of the change coupled with intermittent fasting (Church matters).  My scale had been misbehaving for a while now so I decided to weigh my 10lbs dumbbells this morning before weighing myself, it showed 9.8lbs so I concluded I will be removing 0.2lbs from every of my weigh in pending when I will reward myself with a new scale. I eventually weighed in at 169.2lbs and that automatically gives me a 169lbs for Wednesday Weigh in. That truly made me happy because I was tired of seeing 170 something every time for the past few weeks now. I was both surprised too because while breaking my fast last night, I ate everything in site including BREAD (my weakness). I was doing this because today was going to be a full day fast no tasting, no water too till breaking period.  Food is on point because there is no way I wo...

I had a Fitbit activity tracker two years ago and it got lost never to be found again. I got a new tracker but not a Fitbit this time, it is called I5 Smart Bracelet . I realized there are hundreds of such activity trackers with no popular brand names that are out now for our use. I ordered my own tracker from AliExpress at a cheap rate of about $20 (N6,000.00) approximately. When it arrived in the mail, I sincerely did not know what to expect considering the cheapness of the product, I was preparing my mind for the worst ranging from a hyper-counting of my steps, to a faulty band, low battery etc. But with over two weeks of consistent use, I had really been surprised and impressed. Surprises : 1. Not different from the Fitbit I had 2 years back 2. Steps counting are almost near accurate (fitbit was not exact either) 3. It was not ambiguous 4. Battery life is quite reasonable (chargeable) 5. The color was just perfect for my skin. 6. There is a buzz feature t...

Yesterday Wednesday, was my Challenge weigh in day (Mondays are my official weigh in day) and as I stood on the scale and the number 170.4lbs (77.4kg) was staring at me, I was rather unhappy and wondered what went wrong between Monday (167.4lbs) and Wednesday. 5 things happened: 1. New workout plan started on Monday 2. White Bread on Monday diet 3. Fried Plantains (4 slices) on Tuesday 4. Reduced steps on my tracker for Tuesday 5. Post TOM week Some of the above could have been responsible for a 3lbs gain in three days. I was sad because of this but I did not allow it to dampen my morale to stop moving forward. Irrespective of what happens on your weight loss journey especially when it is negative e.g. a binge week, a gain or a workout rut, you have to tell your mind that there is another opportunity to be the best. Do not over-flog the issue and be in despair, just brace up and know that you can do it. It's within this ups and downs that lies your success, o...

One of my little secrets is that I hate going down when exercising, I mean any type of exercise that will make me either be on my back, bend my knees so much, sit down etc. If you ask me I dislike exercises such as lunges, squats, lying bench press etc. Find below some wonderful workouts you can do while standing and still break a sweat. Core : Upper Body : Thighs : I love Shaun T so much when it comes to working out without getting down. I can fully recommend this video (Hip Hops Abs) for a crunchless exercise. STAND UP AND JUST DO IT

I saw this header somewhere   and I felt it is a better word than New Year's Resolutions . Resolutions look so outdated and sounds more like a failed plan even before it began. When I was much younger, I had always heard adults make resolutions that I see them break at the slightest chance. They could work but it looks like many forget about it and that is why it never worked for many. Maybe we can help ourselves out on ways to have better intentions or decisions and keep at it till we achieve them. Mindfulness   Mind Over Matter : This is the key to achieving goals at any time, it is a strong and conscious desire to be on top of the situations at every check. You can get it if you want it so badly. Losing weight or quitting an unhealthy diet for example, nothing should occur in error. There is a dire need to be fully conscious of your environment at all times to really achieve your goals. You can make some decisions that could help in putting these goals r...

How has been the day friends?  Today is Day One of Project Scale Down . I measured my girth at 36.1 inches Weighed in at 169.6lbs (77kg) A starting picture too. The next blog will be 16th of January for Day 15 progress. Follow me on twitter for daily updates. Observations : 1. My core had become very weak from lack of exercise 2. I did 60 secs plank hold twice, I started shaking at 2 secs the first time, 12 secs the second time 3. Fitness Blender core exercise for 20 minutes and I stopped the video thrice 4. I am really out of shape. Extras : I am beginning 5:2 Diet Fast by Monday 4th, 2016. It is a healthy way to keep your body in good shape. I have tried it before and I am ready to do it again. I will blog about this and what I did after the first day is successful.

This delay was not intentional but I found myself not able to start the challenge immediately. This week, all I have been doing is low impact  in nature. I got some nice fitnessblender videos on YouTube which had helped me to keep everything low pace and sweaty too. I realized about ME, that to see a significant weight loss on the scale and measurements, I have to do at least 250 minutes a week of 80% HIIT  or over 300 minutes of moderate exercise. Some medical constraints will not allow me to do any HIIT this week, so that is the cogent reason for the slight delay. I am doing a meal plan for the next one week today, and I will do that today. It helps me a lot [I have done it before], I am released of all the stress accompanying "what will I cook today" and I am able to shop in a more healthy manner as I prepare for the coming week. In short, planning is very essential to life and living. When you plan yourself, you are relieved of the headaches that comes with making...