Day 6 of my weight loss journal, 1500 calories. The Exercise plan: cardio and strength training.(See the other days in this weight loss journal here).

Day 6: 116 lbs

I can’t believe I’m on Day 6 already! The scale was a teeny bit lower today, so I can’t complain. But my idea for losing 10lbs in 30 days may have been a BIT aggressive, consider tomorrow will be a full week and I would probably have to be down by 2 1/2 lbs after the first week. But, I’m good with that. Sometimes, I set goals pretty high, so if I don’t reach it, but I’m close, I’m usually pretty dang happy.

Food from yesterday:

I honestly don’t even think of the food I eat each day as “diet food”. I TRULY love all the meals I eat. The only “restrictive” thing about this 30 day weight loss is just NOT eating EXTRA food. That’s it. I like extra food, all too often.

So, yesterday I had some eggs, veggies and toast. A BBQ Chicken salad, a snickerdoodle protein mug cake (*which I’ll share the recipe for very soon), and some spaghetti squash with ground turkey for dinner.

The full day of eating was 1427 calories, 155 g protein, 93 g carbs, and 51 g fat, with 26 g fiber.

My Workout

I’ve always liked to exercise. I don’t like team sports, but I love exercising. Even at my heaviest weight (150lbs+) I was still going to Jazzercize!

But, until I was 46 years old, I never did any type of strength training. Mostly I didn’t have the time to do both cardio and strength training. When I was raising kids, I always wanted to be home when my kids woke up. And I only like to exercise in the morning. I do wake up early, but so did my kids. So, that really cut into the time I would have been working out. So, I normally would just go for a morning jog until my kids all left home.

Now, I still wake up early, and the older I get, the earlier I wake up. I’m embarrassed to say I get up at 4am, and I haven’t used an alarm clock in over 20 years. But, I’m also almost sound asleep by 8pm. I haven’t stayed up past 9pm in a VERY long time.

Anyway, back to my workouts now… the more I learn about the benefits of strength training for aging, the more I believe that deciding to do a bodybuilding show literally saved my life!

Strength training not only builds muscle, but it also

• Improves glucose uptake/Insulin sensitivity
• Improves cardiovascular health
• Helps you maintain your weight
• Increases longevity!! Who doesn’t want to live longer?!
• Build strong bones.
• Is Protective for joints
• Helps you burn more calories (because of the increase in muscle size).
• And makes you stronger!

Strength training for me has been so much fun. It gives me a plan when I get to the gym. I like listening to podcasts while I lift, and completely forgetting about any responsibilities I have. (here’s the bikini prep podcasts I like).

I also have loved to see my muscle grow. And, it motivates me to have a MINIMUM goal of eating 100 grams of protein per day, and not try to limit my meals that way. The last Dexa scan I got showed I have gained about 8lbs of muscle since I started lifting weights (in 2 1/2 years).

Strength

Yesterday was back day, but today was my favorite day…. LEG DAY!

My Strength Training routine split

For each exercise, I do 4 sets, and lift 8-12 reps. I try to lift heavy enough that it’s just 8 reps. The last few weeks I’ve lightened the weights a little and did 15-18 reps, but I’m going back to the heavier weights because I just like it better.

• Monday- Leg Day
  • Hip thrusts,
  • Standing Dead lift,
  • Barbell squats,
  • Walking lunges,
  • Standing calf raises,
  • Reverse crunches,
  • Plank

• Tuesday- shoulder day
  • Lateral raises,
  • Dumbbell Overhead Press,
  • Dumbbell upright rows,
  • Dumbbell front raise,
  • Hanging leg raises ,
  • Ball crunches .

• Wednesday-back day
  • Bent over, two arm row
  • Single arm row (in a lunge or on a bench)
  • Barbell bent over row,
  • Bent over fly ,
  • Upright row .

• Thursday – Leg Day
  • Wide stance Squats,
  • Barbell lunges,
  • hip thrusts,
  • Straight leg deadlift,
  • Leg Press,
  • Glute kick backs,
  • Plank .

• Friday- Shoulder/biceps/triceps
  • Overhead press, 
  • Arnold Press, 
  • Barbell upright row, 
  • Dumbbell Lateral raises, 
  • Lying leg raises,
  • Decline crunches
  • Bicep curls
  • Tricep dips

And… Here’s a video that I recorded this morning! Stay tuned for a few more videos. Once I get shoulder day and back day done, I’ll share those too.

Leg Day Workout Video

Cardio

Yesterday, I ran 6 miles on the treadmill. I forgot my headphones though and I only stopped because I got so bored! I felt great and feel like I could have kept running if I had something to listen to.

That’s it for today. Be back tomorrow!

READ NEXT —> DAY 7- DEALING WITH HUNGER ON A DIET