So I went for a Fitness Evaluation..

Although I have been a member of the local gym for a year or more, I finally went for my fitness evaluation. I sat down with the co-owner and we talked first. She asked me the normal questions...How old I was 26, How tall I was 5'6'' and how much I thought I weighed --- and then she asked me what I wanted to get out of this evaluation...

I said, "I really wanted to know what to do at the gym to tone, build muscle and of coarse lose fat."

We talked about my eating habits, the conclusion I eat too much carbs - YEP, while some people crave ice cream..I crave bread..... Always have I use to go over to friends house and have just plain white bread nothing on it ...ummm I don't do that anymore I stick to wheat but carbs are my enemy!

Also we talked about what I was doing wrong at the gym i.e. staying on a machine for 30-45min. ( I will get to this later...)

Then went and weighed me ....eckkkk
then I held this body fat calculator, my body fat % is 26% which I was happily surprised cause the one I took by answering questions on the internet said I was like 34% I know it is hard to really get a good accurate % so I am thinking I am somewhere in between. Here is the chart she showed me:

We then talked about circuit training & muscle manipulation :0)

Because I am not too concerned with the number on the scale. I am more concerned with the way my body feels & looks. I would like to focus on specific parts of my body in the gym which are my arms & my core. Right now I am really struggling with my core because I just don't have one!!!! This is the first time in my life...yes even when I was skinny that I really am working on my core. But man have I been blown away with how much my core effects - my back, posture & one of my most important goals looking good in jeans again.
Because we are on this subject I read a interesting article about skin & muscle here is the link : http://www.bodyfatguide.com/LooseSkin.htm

Couple little tidbits I liked :

The human integumentary system (skin) is not a passive layer of tissue that remains stretched out like an empty plastic bag after losing large amounts of bodyweight. 

The skin is not so much "loose" as it is flabby due to excess body fat. 

Now, after your severe diet, you have returned to your starting bodyweight of 115 pounds, but your internal body composition is altered. You have 20 fewer pounds of muscle on your body, and 20 more pounds of body fat, even though you weigh as much as you did before you put on the extra weight! The percentage of your bodyweight that is fat is now higher than before you gained weight.

To eliminate and prevent the droopy appearance of the remnants of excess body fat during and following weight loss, without resorting to surgical procedures, you must change your body composition, not just lose bodyweight. That means paying particular attention to the ratio of your body fat to muscle, or lean body mass. Preventing loss of lean body mass while dieting to lose body fat will dramatically improve your appearance.

Sorry to stray away....now back on track 

What is circuit training basically not doing one motion for longer then 5 min. changing the intensity or movement a little. The trainer told me that after 10 min. your muscle basically kind of check out so to burn fat & add lean muscle you need to change it up....go harder....then slow down....then go faster - make you muscle work work work!!!

P90X the hot exercise routine that is all over the infomercials, it is all about muscle manipulation - changing it up, the intensity and pushing yourself! I don't have it but I know people who have done it and have amazing results! 

She also told me that free weights were the way to go not the nautilus machines. 
She also introduced me to the half balance ball!

Showed me that I can flip it upside down and do all kind of moves on here while balancing which totally works your core. You can basically do anything on here!!

 

 

 Learned a lot and motivated to start my new gym routine!!!