I know I said I would post videos with demonstration and such, but this past week has been crazy. I just started a new job and am still adjusting to the new schedule. I haven’t had more then 4 hours sleep a night since starting and as I type this I wish I were in bed. *sigh* Please bare with me. In the meantime checkout “Be a Loser” but Greer Childers or Rashelle Haines’ Life Lift for more information.

Results of Week 1:

• Weight: 197 lbs.
• Chest: 42.5″
• Waist: 34.75″
• Hip: 46″
• Left Bicep: 12.25″
• Left Thigh: 27.25?

As you can see in comparison to my beginning stats, the only area where I lost inches was around my waist. I was hoping for more inch lost, but I think this is promising considering I made absolutely no diet change whatsoever. I wonder how many inches I’d lose if in addition to not skipping meals, I made healthier food choices.

I had a tough time finding exact spots for the measurement of my chest, bicep and thighs, so I kept the measurement the same. For this reason, I’ve decided that in the future, I will measure upper abs, waist, middle abs and hips.

Here are some disclaimers, tips and lessons learned about aerobic breathing:

Aerobic breathing is NOT for everyone

If you have glaucoma, uncontrollable high blood pressure or are pregnant, find another type of exercise. Part of the breathing requires holding your breath for a few seconds, so you can only imagine the pressure that would cause.

Do the best you can

Although it’s good to aim for 40 breaths a day, start off doing what you can. If 15 breaths is all you can do, that’s all good. Try adding 5 breaths a day until you reach 4o. If you push yourself too hard, you could end up like me – burnt out. I started off hyped up about doing 40 breaths and would double or triple the next day if I didn’t meet my goal the day before. The problem with this when first starting is that you can end up not enjoying the process by working too hard. Too much at first can also cause some dizziness or nausea .. almost the way you would feel if you decided to go for an hour run on your first day of jogging.

Stay hydrated

After my 1 week trial I now understand why it’s important to stay hydrated: you will get very thirsty after doing the aerobic breathing exercises. Apparently, the body is taking in more oxygen, and requires more fluid, much the same way you’d need fluids after a nice jog.

Get plenty of rest the night before

If you’re like me and do your exercises in the morning, it’s important to get plenty of rest the night before. As mentioned earlier, I haven’t had a full night sleep since starting my new job. As a result, I find that I get winded and have a tough time completing my sets. Some have said that doing the breathing exercises energize them , but I get the opposite effect. I get really relaxed after a set, so imagine 5 sets after only a couple of hours of sleep. Can we say “Nappy Time”?

Stay Motivated

Ok, this is a to be continued section, because I am still trying to figure this part out. Like I said before, I have burnt myself out a bit, so this morning I decided to give myself a break. I will most likely do my breathing exercises after work, but a break is good if you need it.

For now, I think the best motivator is results. In my case, I tried this for 1 week, made no change to my diet and lost almost an inch around my waist. My pants also fit looser and I feel a tighter in my chest area. Not bad, huh?

My goals for week 2:

1. Get more sleep
2. Make healthier food choices
3. Increase my water intake
4. Make a demo video

Till next time.

Unfortunately, I never stuck to it long enough to see results. I sorta got discouraged because years ago there were no before and after pictures from other users. However, a few days ago I decided to revisit Rashelle’s site and was blown away by Steffi Power’s testimonial. This woman went from 190 pounds to her current weight of 130 pounds. Her routine was to do her aerobic breathing exercises, drink plenty of water and not skip any meals. A bit challenging for some of us with bad habits, but very simple and doable.

So, I am on a mission. One of my New Years Resolutions for 2008 is to lose 40 pounds and I believe that aerobic breathing may be the method for me. In case you’re wondering, I have tried more traditional methods. I’ve done the changes in diet, typical workout and even lifted weights. My problem is that I don’t do well with too much restrictions. Whenever I hear “You should or should not do that..” I want to do the opposite. And so you can imagine how challenging it was for me to try and follow a weight loss plan.

The difference with this is that I don’t feel restricted. I don’t have to stop eating my favorite foods and there are no memberships to joins or pills to take. I simply have to:

1. Make a small commitment to do my breaths everyday
2. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water
3. Eat when I’m hungry

I already started doing aerobic breathing exercises on Wednesday morning. I also measured and weighed myself.

Here are my stats and future plans:

Stats:

• Weight: 197 lbs.
• Chest: 42.5″
• Waist: 35.5″
• Hip: 46″
• Left Bicep: 12.25″
• Left Thigh: 27.25″

Plans:

1. I intend to post videos with more details on how aerobic breathing works and what my routine is going to be.
2. I will be weighing in and posting the results every week.
3. Once a month I intend to post updated “after” photos. If I see a dramatic result sooner, I’ll post the picture at that time regardless of the time span.

I am both excited and nervous at the same time. I’m tired of feeling heavy, so the possibility of finally losing this weight gets me fired up! At the same time, I am revealing my size and weight to the world which is kinda scary to me. Will people judge me for weighing as much as I do? Will I be disciplined enough to stick to my goals? These questions and more are running through my mind as I type this.

Ah well, I’m going forward anyways. I believe this is a year of change – does that make me sound like a politician? Anyhow, stay tuned.