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Week 2: Do I have abs yet?

kelceyhookpr
Feb 22, 2017
4 min read

I woke up this morning and I thought "do I have abs yet?" It's been a solid week of daily workouts and watching what I eat. I go to the nearest mirror and see no, no I do not.

I then step on the scale only to realize I'VE GAINED WEIGHT!

You may think this is a ridiculous thought process, but I'm sure many of us have been there even those of us who know better. Having worked out for the last week or two, I have to say results are the most elusive and frustrating aspect of this whole process. The desire to have results but wanting them a little faster and on your timetable. One of my favorite thoughts I have heard said about this is, "it took me 15 years to put all of this padding here it won't leave in a week or even a month." The awful truth is our bodies are partially working against us.

To emphasize this here are some secrets about your body you may not know yet.

1. Your body is allergic to fitness. No really. Have you ever considered when you do cardio you struggle to breathe? I'm mostly joking. It may feel like anaphylactic shock sometimes but the real truth is your body doesn't like to get rid of its storage.

Your body is like a squirrel saving up nuts for winter only it saves adipose tissue (a.k.a. fat cells) in regions of your body. Much like that squirrel, your body wants to keep the storage because "winter is coming," ( a casual nod to Game of Thrones fans). It will work hard to maintain its storage.

2. Your body is lazy You go to the gym and you struggle to get through that mile on the treadmill a month later you are jogging it no problem. Your body has now plateaued! What this means is your body has found a way to meet the demands you're giving it with as little effort as possible. Much like me when I need to work on calculus I want the shortcuts, not the page long method.

3. Fat takes up a lot more room than muscle Now a lot of us have heard this but if you look at a picture of 5lbs of fat and 5 lbs of muscle, you'll see what I mean. 5lbs of muscle is about the size of a smartphone and 5lbs of fat is more the size of a large tablet but not as thin. This makes it easy to gain weight while exercising and still be slimming down. I get a little frustrated because the scale doesn't agree with how great I feel or look. For me, that's one of the most discouraging parts of trying to lose weight.

Now you know all the fun little secrets. Here are a few ways you can combat them.

1. Change how results are measured Get a measuring device and start measuring key areas of your body. Using a different method other than your typical scale can allow you to see results (usually) much sooner. I don't know about you, but I don't know that I always notice a half inch difference over three weeks on my stomach.

Another way is to measure your ability to do things going from the mile to the mile and a half run or lifting heavier weights. This brings me to my next solution.

2. Make the most of gym time When heading to the gym, plan to be upping your repetition (how many times you complete a movement), weight or distance every week to two weeks.

As an example, this week I did 25lbs curls in three sets of ten. Next week, if it feels comfortable, I will go for 12-15 reps. It's a nice way to mix things up on your body. If it's damaging or hurting to increase or you feel you need a break stick to a healthy amount for a little longer. Pain is your body's way of telling you something is wrong. Listen to your body!

Want my secret to increasing workout weight or reps? Increase how many reps you do before the weight for cardio speed before distance.

3. Remember your body is lazy! Remember how we talked about how your body is lazy and so you plateau? Well, the reason for this is your body increases its muscle content so it can meet the challenges you are giving it.

What does this mean for you? For every pound of muscle put on it will burn an extra 50 calories a day. If you add and extra 10lbs of muscle that means your body will burn an extra 500 calories. Remember your body is lazy so when it doesn't need this drain (You stop working out), it starts getting rid of it. As long as the need is there though the body will expend the energy to maintain all of that lovely muscle.

I hope this helps you on your journey as it is helping me on mine. I have to say I'm excited to be sharing this journey with you. It's going to be a long road these first few weeks I haven't seen much progress, but I just need to stick to it, and I will have those abs some day.