Chez FitMercy

We just concluded a program in church and it centred on harvest. As we enter into the half of the year, we prayed into a time of great harvest in every area of life. Seed time done in obedience will surely bring great harvest. I already started seeing great results coming my way and I know a more permanent harvest is coming my way soon.

That has been my watch word for the past weeks and I had been reaping the dividends of this. I just workout without thinking and all I look forward to is getting to the middle of the video, because immediately I get to the middle of it, I know it will soon end and I keep giving it my best. Unfortunately this works best for my workout but not for my diet yet. Still my diet is jeopardizing my efforts, not my faults I think some hormones are just wacky and I possibly do not have anything to calm them down right now. I can only work around them and wait. In view of this I wish to start some multivitamins so that my body is in control of a few things. Not sure if age is catching up lol. I will keep up with the mantra and it can only get better.

I found a new passion. The SuperHero spirit, I love the batman specially and of course the batgirl will be my favorite. Joker is the villian and that makes him " fat, unhealthy foods, sedentary lifestyle ", Batgirl will not stop till Joker is crushed.  Are you with me?  What superhero will you like to be? 

1. We don't care where you came from, only where you are going; 2. When you join, you are in for life; 3. We train as naturally as possible; 4. We understand that you can't outrun your fork; 5. We understand that fat is not the enemy; 6. We train with conviction and intelligence 7. We exercise because it's fun 8. We never leave our wing men; 9. We question everything 10. We take care of business 11. We take pride in ourselves 11 Pillars Nerd Fitness Rebellion One of my best inspirational fitness blogs is Nerd Fitness While reading and searching today, I saw something that I proved this past week, that You can NEVER outdo a bad diet. This statement was tested and proved over the past weekend when I decided to do a last workout of jump rope for 10 minutes (interval training). At the end of it my heart was thumping so hard in my chest but this is all I got on my HRM (data below) Just 91 calories!!! was all I had to show for it (1 hardboiled egg or a s

To all moms out there trying to get fit for life

Hey Friends, I decided to stop the former streak at Day 142 and I am starting a new one, in this month of May. I started with so much energy till TOM stopped me in my tracks but I am most grateful that it was not a really painful experience. Week 1: May 1 - May 7, 2015 Weigh In Wednesday : 165lbs = 74.8kg Nutrition : Food was not in range most part of the week because of TOM and there was a terrible craving for carbs. I ate bread twice within the week (I take bread only on weekends), but I still tried to put myself in check at every point of eating. Fitness :  Friday - 15 minutes Saturday - 74 minutes Monday - 40 minutes Tuesday - 30 minutes = 159 Fitness Minutes NSV: No clothe is snugly on my body this week. I could also kneel down for 30 minutes praying. Above is the guide for my weekly streak. Workout 5-6 days of the week with a minimum of 250 minutes each week.

Hey friends, I had been on a vacation for the past two weeks and thus MIA. I am happy to be back home to everything especially DH and my workouts. During the period of my vacation, I had a workout buddy [a beginner though] who pressed me for a sweaty session for every single day I was in her house. It was truly not convenient because I wanted to just rest, eat and sight-see, I became an instructor instead and sweated on a daily basis. I am eventually grateful for the "push" because my weight was much lower to my surprise and excitement. Well, back to business. I was out to church for a retreat today and on my way back, I bought a slice of watermelon [deciding to eat my water]. As I moved up I saw a cart with carrots and I was thinking I should have bought those instead, but right in my head, I thought "who said losing weight is easy" and the best gift you can give yourself as you lose weight is to tell yourself that 'it is not easy' [just worth

Yess!!!! 12 Weeks Chatter + Challenges = Weight loss. I joined the Biggest Losers Challenge [Online version of the popular Biggest Loser Challenge on TV] sometimes last year and since then I never looked back. Some of my personal benefits: 1. New friends who encourage you to lose weight in a healthy way. 2. It is a closed group, so your privacy is secured. 3. Friends that are closer than your family 4. Positive team mates with so much energy 5. Awesome group leaders who are always present to help out with just about anything 6. Sharing differences and knowing about different cultures and ways of life. 7. Listening ears and a place to rant and scream and still be calmed down 8. Challenging Workouts for 12 whole weeks 9. For my own team [Navy Ninjas] we have a different tracker for the workouts and nutrition. Yay 10. I always lose weight and I maintained till the next round. 11. Other areas of my life are improved. 12. I am addicted to the team [is that a b

The Optimist Creed for Weight Loss I promise myself to be so strong that nothing can stop me from losing weight.  To talk health, fitness and weight loss to every person who wants to listen.  To help all my overweight friends feel that they too can lose their extra weight.  To look at the fact that I really can lose weight and to make this fact come true.  To think only of success, to work only for success and to expect only successful weight loss.  To be just as enthusiastic about the weight loss of others as I am about my own.  To forget the failures of the past and press on to the great weight loss achievements of the future. To be motivated to lose weight at all times and to help every overweight person I meet to be motivated, too.  To be so focused on doing things that help me lose weight that I have no time left to do things that make me gain weight. To be too determined to give up, too fit to be unhealthy, too slim to be fat, and too focused on success

Clean Eating  is simply eating clean, lol. I feel clean eating is when your meals are devoid of processed foods. Processed foods are the natural foods that are already manipulated. Some materials are either added or taken away to distort their naturalness either for convenience or preservation. For example you can have rice processed or leave unprocessed, the same way fish can be processed or unprocessed. The bottom line is that, for every processed food, there is an unprocessed version of it. So when you want to eat clean according to ME, it's when you limit to the barest minimum the number of processed foods you take at a given meal. For me, a processed meal could be canned beans taken with bread and a glass of orange juice. hmm yummy! Portion Control is when you serve food within a calorie range that is healthy for you. It is when you keep the proportion of foods taken at a given time within what your body adequately requires. Mark the word "requires" and not &

There are various seasons all over the world and they so differ even as our location differs. Each of the seasons comes with a weather and of course they are useful for different purposes and also act as an indicator for various things to do. For example, some are very good for planting why some indicate the time for harvest. In Nigeria we have 2 major seasons i.e. the dry season and the wet/rainy season. There are still some slight differences between the southern and the northern part of the country, [I am so in-between the two parts, some parts of my state tend more to the north and some part has all the characteristics of the south]. I will do a small analysis: Southern Nigerian Seasons:  - The Long Rainy Season - This starts in March and ends in July with a peak in June and can be excessively wet in some areas deep south - The Short Dry Season - This happens within a short period of 3-4 weeks in the month of August [August Break]. - The Short Rainy Season - This period

Next month (April), it will be exactly one year since I did a relaxer touch to my hair. Right now, I can prove: - the half inch hair growth per month, - the black hair grows, - the black hair responds to treatment - the thickness and volume of the black hair is simply incomparable but... - I could not grow my edges as I desired [so scanty and damaged] - that was the reason I was transitioning in the first place. - I realized the best way to repair my edges is to simply leave and reduce manipulations to the barest minimum. - I have a 4c type hair that cannot be left or combed without a protective style. - *Transitioning had been so difficult and time consuming for me* - The gray hairs [hereditary] seemed to be multiplying by the hour, I know it had always been there but always less emphasized when it is relaxed. - I think black hair is costlier to maintain in its natural state. Yes it is, especially when it is not covered the most part of the day. * The time consumin

I woke up and felt like weighing myself yesterday and voila 162.6lbs = 73kg That is a 15-pounds-loss since 27th December, 2014 when I started to be "different". I had really gone from good to better and I am on my way to "best". I have lost weight and it is looking so evident right now. (I will post my pictures, I am still searching for a good "before") This little success did not come without some "little" challenges. Unfortunately, I was armed and ready for them; I was so surprised that the 'challenges' could spur me to become even more determined to get to my goals. One of them was "it is okay like this you can stop now". An Aunty (fitspiration) who had lost weight had once reacted on Facebook, she said and I paraphrased "Don't tell me to STOP because you never warned me to stop when I was on the unhealthy path".  I agree with those words, people don't warn you to stop growing fat and out of

In my search, I eventually found something I can work with. It is a workout plan that gives enough rest and cardio/strength training in the correct frequency. I need all the discipline to be consistent till month end. I have re-started my streak yesterday [my streak involves only the days I do at least 10 minutes of intentional exercise]. Find below the plan for the remaining part of the month. Do not mind that this is for the month of January but I am using it for March.

Hi everyone, I had not come here in a while [I am truly sorry about this]. I promised to work on my blog in making it better but life got in the way [excuse from the programmer] and here I am with the same design and all. Anyways , Low Morale is what had been happening to me and I am sure I had not done any reasonable workout in a week today. I am not just feeling like it, nothing more... Unlike way back when a rise on the scale is what kills my morale more. Not this time, I just feel bored with exercise and I seemed to always lose strength when I get home every night. I sleep more but my meals are on point and somehow healthy too. I am losing weight nicely and when there is a gain, it is so slight. Par exemple, last Wednesday Weigh In was 164.6lbs, this week it's 165.2lbs [I took bread a day before the weigh in. My bread is only on weekends but I purged on Tuesday and the only thing to eat was dry bread]. I think I will keep posting my blog till the "IT guy"

I am sorry I had not blogged in a while, I am truly sorry. I am trying to improve on this blog and make it better. I hope you can bear with me...

Are you looking for the safest, most effective way to permanently lose unwanted pounds? Millions of us are, and experts agree that the safest and most effective way to achieve permanent weight loss is to follow a healthy eating plan and get adequate physical activity. The weight loss plan you choose should be one that promotes healthy eating habits to lose weight and to maintain weight loss. When you’re ready to select your weight loss plan make sure you choose one that includes: 1. Healthy eating . Choose a weight loss plan that reduces calories without leaving out specific foods or food groups. Make sure your weight loss plan includes foods from all the food groups on the nutrition pyramid. 2. Exercise . Enough cannot be said about the importance of a regular workout plan that includes 30 to 60 minutes of cardiovascular activity at least 5 days every week – 6 to 7 days a week is even better. 3. Medical supervision . If you’re going to follow a diet plan that i

I decided to weigh in this morning and... 166.6lbs. Was that me? I climbed the second time and the same number flashed. The least in 6 years. I could not believe this. [Let us see what Wednesday Weigh In brings] I really thank God.

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

I am done with a 30 Days Fitness Challenge , I always love the challenges I see on about.com. The previous ones I had done over the years always left me with loss of weight and a stronger, fitter body. As I cleaned the house this morning I thought hard and I think I am treading the right path to get me to my desired and healthy weight this year. Here are some fact findings: - They say eat 6 meals a day i.e. try to eat small throughout the day so that your metabolism is raised through the day. It never worked for me, in fact I packed on so much pounds on when I tried it I really surprised myself. It cannot work for me because I typically take large portions (I think it is an African thing), they are not just large portions but large portions of carbs.  - The typical meal is like: 3 cups (peak milk tin) of cooked rice (carbs);  2 tablespoons stew (veggies);  4 slices of fried plantain (more carbs);  2 pieces of meat (protein).  That is the go to meal around here.

Well today, I am just a little blue exercise-wise and in such moments there is little appeal to exercise. I think some issues are just on my mind and I am finding it hard ejecting them or rather stopping them from disturbing me. Anyways, I still ended up with a 15 minutes workout because I am under some compulsion to get my TNT (Tight n Tone) points in today and I will never draw my teammates backwards under any circumstance. Participation not Perfection is what is desired. I think such days as these are just inevitable, how much I am able to draw myself out of this is what really matters. So much on my mind... I hope to feel this way as I wake tomorrow morning.

I am loving that I had kept 21 days straight and strong in the 31 days of the first month in this year. It is a sign of good things coming this year. I am most grateful for the BLC Round 27, it really did keep me accountable and the need not to let down the team. So I had to really push myself [not beyond limits yet, because I still workout just a little bit above my heart rate target] in order to see the scale move, and to be true to myself it's been cooperating with mama. Coming week is the mother of them all with 300 minutes in all. I will give myself a week rest from the challenge and I begin again. Below is my schedule for the coming week. Week 4 Fitness Minutes Goal = 300 Sunday =   Cardio (60) Monday = HIIT (50) Tuesday = Moderate Cardio/ST (Cardio 15/ST 45) Wednesday =  Rest Thursday = ST (45-60) Friday = Active Rest (10 minutes walking) Saturday = Upper Body Workout (60)

I think I wrote a blog on Sparkpeople in December about a personal reward-turned gift. This is my story, I decided to buy a Heart Rate Monitor mid last year (I lost my precious Fitbit Zip courtesy of a wedding) and so I started saving towards buying on Amazon. Luckily for me, I got a good buy on Black Friday and a friend who was coming home from the US ordered it for me. When he eventually arrived for Christmas, he decided to give it to me as a xmas gift. My soul blesses him always. I kept it for sometimes because, I see bonding the stuff to my chest as a burden that could easily wane my motivation to workout (trust me I still see it that way). But beyond the cons I am associating with it, the fact that it beeps whenever I am below my designated zone, keeps quiet when I am within and beeps more when I am above my zone, makes me tick. I think I am truly in love with it. I track my meals and workout with Sparkpeople (workout), meals in MyFitnessPal. My HRM is so so accurate an

It's becoming a reality for me. I am in the 160s on the scale. Yesterday was both weigh in day and rest for me too. Squatted on the scale and I saw 169.4lbs [Another standing gave me 170lbs] I decided to stick with the lesser. There is a saying that "every woman loves to be weighed and be found wanting". Yesterday was rest day and it was also my IF day, and beyond my expectation, I was so full of energy. At dinner I ate like this: - 2 cups of mixed fruits - 33cl Yogurt + a handful of peanuts (10g) - 0.5 cup rice + 3 slices plantain + fish + beef (I felt so filled after, I have not checked the calories yet but I am sure to be as under and wanting as possible) A new BLC week starts for me yesterday and today I will be doing my TNT, it's yoga moves.

Hi there, Today is the end of another week and how time flies and waits for no one. What can I say? It had been an awesome week for me and very busy too. The internet had been the worst in my office since the millennium, lol. I seemed to underestimate how much my life revolves around the web [I hate to think that way, but it's the truth], it looks like not able to browse makes me cranky and anxious too. Anyways, I had to recharge the phone so that I can do my stuff on the mobile [thank God]. I am still owing someone anyways... All in my mind, I have decided to be as positive as I can be this year because I know in it lies my success with everything I put my mind to do. I want to be positive not only about what I plan to do, but even about others, those around me, - a mind that they are not here to harm me; - a mind that I can talk to them about ME; - a mind that God had brought them my way that I may or they may influence me positively; - a mind that I can get it when I

I am starting a challenge today and I think I started on a good note. Mood is good and food was on point.

"Hit Like if you did at least 10 minutes of fitness today or took any other steps to reach your goals! 50 for me. Today's highlight was mini-trampoline. What was your highlight? -- SparkGuy" The above are the daily words of Chris Downie on Facebook to engage us all on the daily fitness goals we might have set. For me yesterday marks the continuation of the 100 days streak, I completed last year. I am continuing on a slightly different note this time around. I am counting only the days when I do a physical activity that can meet the requirements of a workout . I hope to be as consistent as possible. I was on a familiarization tour with my Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor this morning. I am doing my best but I am still not getting it yet. This morning was the first workout with Chalene Johnson on Turbo Jam. Learning the basics with "learn & burn". I am still trying to get the moves but I am already in love with Chalene Johnson. I am still wondering how she ma

Hi friends, I have two bathroom scales in the house. One is digital and the other is the regular analog scale, over the years I have weighed some definite weights (like dumbbells) to confirm their accuracy. I have also found out that they are very okay.  Today, I decided to weigh in and one says 79kg while the other (digital) says 171.6lbs (77.8kg). Do you think they are trying to say the same thing? If that is it then I am sure I am making some good good progress. I think I will keep on with this method till I get to my goal weight. I am starting to incorporate some good workouts from tonight. Success is mine.

To all my blog readers and commentators 2014 I love you and wish you a prosperous 2015 I desire you comment on whatever you feel after reading my blogs this year. I will truly appreciate it. I will try to make the blogs more open for comment. It is a year of ACHIEVERS