Let's get something straight, a pound of muscle & a pound of fat weigh the same

It really annoys me when I hear people say that muscle weighs more than fat & that's why they can't lose weight. Yes, it does get discouraging to spend a lot of time at the gym & make better food decisions only to see slow (if any movement) on the scale. Some folks will say "why bother" and abandon all efforts.

A pound of muscle & a pound of fat weigh the same but they take up different amounts of space. Here are some images that can break it down for you.

If that's not enough, here's something that can serve as motivation to keep going.

One that that I learned a few months ago is that when muscles are being developed, there is a tendency for them to retain water and that may contribute to the scale not moving "too quickly." Just keep at it and the pounds will go away.

30 day challenges

In recent weeks on Facebook, a number of my connections have been posted various images for 30 day challenges they are planning to undertake. I guess it's in preparation of the warmer weather & the need to want to firm up certain parts in anticipation of wearing clothes that require less coverage.

I have been placing a heavy focus on cardio (especially the treadmill) and have been doing weights about 2-3 times per week. I understand the need to perform weight-bearing exercises to help speed up my metabolism. I'm about 40 pounds down & the inches have been melting away but my abs remain problematic and that's annoying when I try on pants that fit well everywhere else on me except my gut!

I found this set of ab work to be straightforward.

It's been a while since I've done serious situps (at least 20 years) and I have been treating crunches as an afterthought but I'm forced to tackle both exercises here. I was introduced the planks when I was seeing a personal trainer before I got married but I wonder if I'm doing my leg lifts properly.

I look forward to the results that should be there at the conclusion of the 30-day period but one thing to keep in mind is that abs are made in the kitchen & not the gym. I realize that a lot of folks have been following this program but if their eating habits are horrible, the results won't be as great.

I'm also doing the squat challenge. I have been doing a considerable amount of lower body exercises on weights but I have been told that any exercises that rely on your own body weight will produce greater results.

I do the squats on the same day as the abs exercises.

A few weeks ago, I was at a thrift shop to pick up some clothes (since buying a series of new wardrobes during my weight loss is cost-prohibitive) and I saw an Alfred Angelo evening gown (which I can use for an event at the end of July). The label said that it was a size 16 and I tried it on out of curiosity only to be thrilled that it fit in most places but my boobs were too big! I did a search to see what exercises I can do to reduce my bust line and learned that push-ups would be the way to go. Every other day, I do 6 sets of 15 push-ups.

Can't wait to go clothes shopping at the end of the 30-day challenge.

Knocking out a 5K

I joke with people that I won't run for a bus but here I am trying to knock out distances that are greater than a city block.

In the months before my wedding, I was seeing a personal trainer and during one of our sessions, she had me do a few sprints on the treadmill. I think the last time I was actually "forced" to run (besides trying to catch a train or a bus) was when I was a freshman in college & needed to run for ROTC.

Fortunately, I walked a lot through the years so the concept of going a certain distance wasn't foreign to me but doing it "double time" just wasn't happening.

I realized that incorporating running into my fitness regime was a quick way to burn calories in a short period of time but it is hard as hell.

I found a few "couch to 5K" programs and took numerous stabs at getting started in recent years but I would burn myself out and quit after a few weeks.

Last year, I found this program and I will admit that life has gotten in the way causing my to take more than the suggested 9 weeks to finish. I am currently in week 9 of a "couch to 10K" program. I'm still pretty self-conscious and not too comfortable about running outside. I know that once I'm done with the 10K program, I will move onto the half-marathon program and I will have to run outside.

Last month, I participated in my fourth 5K. Here are the results of the various races I've done.

Date	Race	Time	Pace
3/6/2011	Coogan's Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks 5K	45:34	15:08
3/4/2012	Coogan's Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks 5K	53:19	17:47
3/3/2013	Coogan's Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks 5K	42:38	14:18
4/14/2013	JFK Runway Run	40:39	13:20

For the 2012 Coogan's run, I hurt my foot before I reached the one-mile mark so I basically walked/limped the rest of the race. In 2011 & 2012, I wasn't diligent about training but I decided to get serious this year. When I did the JFK race, I was thrilled to see that I was able to knock an minute off my best pace.

I do need to disclose that the Coogan's course is quite hilly and the JFK course is flat (well, it is a runway...duh).