H.I.T. 30 day - a magazine transformation experiment

I LOVE fitness magazines. Not those sissy ones like Oxygen or Fitness or even Women's Health (I don't mind Women's Health but I lost faith in their quality). I'm talking about Muscle and Fitness Hers and Fitness Rx for women. I frequently come across those transformation articles and typically glean pointers or exercises to tweak or revamp my routine. While I was on my flight to NY I was reading one such article, Fitness Rx for women December 2009 "H.I.T - High Intensity Training This Holiday Season". In pages following there was also a 30 day Nutrition Plan. I am already eating pretty closely to the Nutrition Plan and pushing the cardio very similarly to the HIT recommendations, but I wondered what if I followed this to the letter?! What would happen?... So I made the decision that upon my return home I would immediately implement this experiment. I arrived home too late on Monday to go grocery shopping, so after work last night, I made a bee line for the grocer and picked up my week 1 items along with my husband's meal plan list (which is obviously very different...I am not a bodybuilder).

I have my foods and I have been totally enjoying the 3 hour eating. This is a change to my usual, which is eating every 2-3 hours in small portions...now I am eating larger portions (still small) but only every 3 hours. I need to tweak this because today I have felt way too full each meal and I am only on meal 3 so far.

I will post the grocery list for each week. I will be logging (and documenting progress) my workout plan and meal plan here which is following the articles in Fitness Rx for women December 2009. See pages 60 & 82.

This will be a challenge to start right in the middle of holidays, but I am pumped! This should be super fun.

Ninja Power

I know this is a fitness blog, but I can't help it. This is too awesome.

Please check this out and spread the word! These guys are the real deal when it comes to the Ninja Turtles Live Action vision:
www.turtlesthemovie.com
Ninja Turtles interview is now online!!! Check it out at http://j.mp/2SXL0I

My first 10k

6.2 miles on a brisk Texas November morning.

The funny story: I went to the wrong park, so when I finally arrived it was 15 minutes after gun time. I made it just in time before they shut down the start line and clock entries. Since I was so far behind everyone I was alone for the last third of the race (for most of the race everyone was passing me on their turn-around). The staff unknowingly picked up the cones a little prematurely, so I GOT LOST!! I ended up finding my way back and completed a little over 7 miles when all was said and done. I made better time that I thought and never stopped running. This was an awesome experience for me - my first race over a 5k and my first race that I was able to maintain a running speed the entire time. This is progress and is so exciting.

My next race is an 8 miler...and I cannot wait!

Still Coughing, Still Training

Ack! Silly cough won't leave me alone!

Yesterday, was speed training. I just ran 2 miles but shaved 6 minutes off my time. *awesome*

My legs were feeling pretty tight/knotty...I think I need to learn how to massage my muscles. Or get a membership to Massage Envy...

Friday night is my final run day before the race and is also the night before the early morning race. I am debating whether to opt out or to do an easy jog. I would prefer to at least jog, but I want to be as strong and rested as possible. *debating*

I've been eating a lot of fruits lately, which has probably increased my sugar intake, but oh well.

I have tweaked our menu to replace turkey for beef. I still will work in maybe 1 meal a week to have ground sirloin or grass-fed 98% or a super lean steak. Our meats have been mostly chicken and turkey - ground, sliced, whole, baked, sauteed, grilled, broiled, stir-fried...you name it! Going on 3 weeks of the meat transformation and haven't had a boring meal yet!

I'm still secretly waiting for some *physical* signs of fitness improvement. ^_^ Would be nice, but interestingly, I'm staying motivated by the seeming lack of progress.

Being Sick SUCKS!

I lost a whole week of valuable training because I got sick. I do not even know what I had. Probably just a cold. It wasn't too bad, but it knocked me off my game. I started feeling sick on Tuesday night, woke up Wednesday feeling it coming on strong, but went for a run that evening anyway (only made it 3 miles because I was feeling pretty weak and didnt want to risk injury). Thursday and Friday I pushed through work, but crashed on Saturday. Sunday felt MUCH better, but played it safe and just rested.

Last night (Monday) was my first day back on the treadmill and I pushed through 4 miles with ease.

The weather is gorgeous...if I can get off RIGHT at 5, maybe I will have time to run OUTDOORS before it gets dark!! FUN!!!

Weight Report: 119
I think I might have hit a plateau at 119, which would be awesome. I'll give it till next week to see. If it is a plateau that would be awesome, that means just a little tweak here and a little tweak there and progress will be in sight!!

Running a Race to Train for a Race

I am training for an 8 miler, so I will be running a 10k next week as my half-way point.

Unfortunately I got a little sick on Tuesday night, so I was only able to complete 3 miles on Wednesday. Today I am feeling much better but I can tell I am at the fork - I could either get sick, or I could get well. I will be sitting tonight's run out and hope for a Saturday run.

Leaving Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to get those last miles in.

Saturday: 4.5
Next week
Sunday: 5
Monday: 5
Wednesday: 5
Friday: 3.5-4
Saturday: Race day

Yahoo!

Ps...pizza is very bad.

60 minutes

Weight Report: 119

60 minutes on the mill. Boom baby!

I took my speed down quite a bit to ensure I could complete the hour without injuring myself. It felt great and I could have definitely kept going, but I need to stay within the boundaries.

I'll do this for the whole week, so I will be trying to pick up the pace. Then next week bump up the time!!

Goal: to run 1.5 hours for 2 weeks prior to race. (that way the last half hour wont seem like too much more)

Thanksgiving Goals

I really want to push myself and one way I love to accomplish that is....SIGN UP FOR A RACE!

Turkey Trot 2009, baby! Its an Thanksgiving morning annual "fun run" so you can race it or you can run it. You can even jog or walk! Participants register for whatever suits them best. The 5k fun run is for families and runners.

2007 I had a blast running this with my girlfriend. I was still recovering from knee injuries, but we still made pretty good time. She was kind enough to walk a few breaks in between.

I just registered for this year's run...8 miler, here I come.

5 weeks to train.

www.thetrot.org

I can't belive this cost $115

Grocery list
Dairy
2% cottage cheese
O-organics Plain yogurt (only 6g of sugar! but im still in search for a lower sug count or ZERO)
2% milk

Produce/Veg
Cantaloupe
Mandarin oranges
Bananas
Pomegranate
Strawberries
Russet potatoes
broccoli (flash frozen is sometimes more packed with nutrients than "fresh" because it is frozen immediately after harvest)
Carrots, peas, and green beans combo (frozen)

Meats
Ground turkey
Chicken breast
Ground Top Sirloin
Scallops (frozen at sea)

Deli
Shaved deli turkey (not packaged...that has too much sodium)
Prosciutto
Sliced Chicken

Bread
double fiber bread
whole wheat hogie bread

Supplements
Yogi Tea - Defense sampler

Snacks/Misc.
Organic dehydrated apple rings
Organic dehydrated non-sulphered mango pieces
Jello Sugar free Pudding - Boston Cream pie (*New flavor)

Don't look!

I have been really maintaining my focus and it has been surprisingly easy!! No pain-staking deprivation feelings! I have not been trying to do anything (ie "lose weight"), but eat right and clean (no junk). Today I weighed in and I lost weight! ?????? how funny....well, I will continue rocking this and tonight I am looking forward to a 30 minute run. I remembered the rule: "If the scale becomes your god, don't look". I pulled my focus away from the "goal weight" and made my new goal to be "eat clean". That made quite a difference in even my attitude. Like I said...this week was surprisingly easy.

Cheers,
FSK

Weight report: 119.6

Grocery list
Dairy
2% cottage cheese
skim milk
Produce/Veg
assorted fruits
onions
broccoli (flash frozen is sometimes more packed with nutrients than "fresh" because it is frozen immediately after harvest)
baby carrots
bok choy
Meats
Ground turkey
Chicken breast
Deli
Shaved deli turkey (not packaged...that has too much sodium)
Sliced deli black forest ham (for omelets)
Bread
Jalepeno tortillas (for wraps)
whole wheat berry bread
jewish rye
Supplements
fish oil
Emerald Green (order through rep)

Happy healthy eating~

Energy Balls Recipe

INGREDIENTS

½ c Quaker oats
½ c organic flaxseed
½ c Organic no-stir peanut butter (they recommend crunchy, but I only had smooth)
1 tbsp organic honey
1 cup chocolate chips XXX(Instead of choc chips: 2 tbsp nutella OR 1 more tbsp honey + 1 tbsp nutella )
Wheat germ

DIRECTIONS

Mix all ingredients by hand or wooden spoon. Roll into balls.
Roll balls in wheat germ to coat.
Store in fridge. (They will harden like a chocolate truffle consistency. Chewy but not tacky)

Comment from FK: The first batch I did it with 2 tbsp nutella and it was amazing. The second time I did more honey, less nutella, for a more organic batter. Awesome batch as well. So, obviously this recipe is incredibly flexible to your taste buds…

Next combo I would like to try: sunflower seeds/almonds coarsely chopped with raisins/cranberries and yogurt chips.


This recipe is actually a fantastic set of elements for your man's health. Share the treats to boost his health!

What I Ate Today

1 scoop of Emerald Green in 8oz water with a dash of Crystal Light SF pomegranate
BREAKFAST: 1/2 c Fiber One Honey Clusters with reduced fat milk
Lipton Cinnamon Apple tea - not sweetened
Peanut butter crackers (pkg of 6) OOPS!
Natural green tea - not sweetened
LUNCH: Pei Wei Vietnamese Salad Rolls (2 of 3) and a hot 8 oz Dragon Oolong tea
Natural green tea - not sweetened
Caramel flavored tea - not sweetened
SNACK: 1/2 zucchini raw and 1 serving Mott's No Sugar Added pomegranate Applesauce

Not bad!

now...Dinner....?hmmm....

Rope Diet Vs Noose Diet

A word for reality. Highly motivated with a strong will to eat clean and live strong, but life happens...

They key to a healthy lifestyle is making your diet and fitness plans an actual lifestyle.

I know this, but I still continually put myself on stringent diets and strict schedules for spurts at a time because I love punishing myself. My revamp is "as close to the ground as possible" (as mentioned in previous post). I decided I will have a clean focus --key word: focus--instead of a mental list of a thousand no-no foods. The idea is that you stay clear of what you know you shouldn't have, find healthy alternative foods for things you want, and eat with a purpose. I eat foods that give me energy in the morning and pack my diet full of nutrient rich foods. I have been enjoying not NEEDING caffeine! I still consume coffee when I want or green and black teas, but I don't NEED the caffeine. I feel so strong.

How to implement. I went through my entire pantry, refrigerator and freezer and threw away all the crap. I went to the grocery store and restocked with organic cereals, wide variety of fruits, great selection of various veggies -including peppers and roots!--, cottage cheese, lean meats poultry seafood, green tea, flax seed (for making PB snack balls), milk, tofu, toasted nori (seaweed) and zip loc baggies (to make ready to eat baggies of fresh cut veggies or fruit).

I call this the rope method. Keep yourself in tight reign so you won't stray, but don't have it so tight that you snap! The key is a lifestyle that you can maintain.

Losing and Improving

Weight Report I officially dropped a pound. I am now consistently weighing in at 121.0. Rock on.

Running
Milestone: arrived home from airport. unpacked running shoes. went running.

Milestone: ran 3.3 miles and finished 4 miles with a brisk walk at a 7% grade incline.

Diet The husband and I made a pact to stop eating out for the purpose of convenience. I have been making or preparing breakfast every morning, packing lunches and cooking well balanced meals every day since we got back. our new motto: "as close to the ground as possible" We have decided to revamp our diet to be clean. Example: we made homemade applesauce instead of mott's all natural. We include the skin in our processing so we get ALL the nutrients from the apple. We add a little cinnamon but no sugar (it doesn't need any). Blended with a small portion of water during processing.

My current cheat food: small portion of super low sugar vanilla yogurt (O-organics) with 2 med strawberries and pinch of fresh coconut.

My I-can't-take-it-anymore food: a tsp of Nutella on a half slice of dark rye toast.

Current personal goal: Weaning myself away from energy drinks and coffee. switching to tea. (no special reason, just a personal decision...I do this sometimes.) I love green tea and various black tea grades.

Flying the Coup!

Wow...I didn't lose any weight. That's ok. I am proud of myself that I didn't gain any in the midst of the 3 birthday celebrations. That means my workouts are solid. My diet is pretty clean and I make a few exceptions here and there. I am totally loving life and not feeling restricted by diet goals at all!

I missed last night's workout because I was carless. My husband took my car to work (to work again after dinner) and he took both cars' keys with him! haha! I couldn't even run outside because you need a key fob to get back in the building! I tried to do the house work with lots of squatting, deadlift style bending to pick things up, oblique rotations to reach things and all with quick movements to make an almost-cardio out of it. Gotta get it in SOMEhow!!!

I was up till midnight doing laundry and trying to get the place ready for us to leave. I don't want anything growing in my sink or fridge while I'm gone.

My diet will change while I'm in the Philippines just because of what is available (and NOT available). So, starting today, I am going to start prepping my body for the diet change. I am drinking tons of water and eating mostly fruits and fiber with protein here and there. Why prep? My body will be doing a lot of adjusting when we get there - time zone, bad water, weather, dust, humidity... Even though I know the body can handle it, I want to give my body an easy transition, so that I can stay strong and avoid getting sick!

With one day left before we leave I am FINALLY getting excited.

Weight Report: 122.2

RAWRRR!!!

Even with all the birthday parties and the sugar that comes with the celebrations, I have managed to keep a focus. I have hit the 3 mile mark every day with the exception of my rest day. Even last night! Yesterday I left my house at 8:30 to practice on the church piano (I was filling in for the pianist); after church I went to my parent's house for a birthday celebration for my dad; after lunch I took a couple of my younger cousins and one of our family friends out for some hangout time; after bringing them back I helped with the after-party clean up - DISHES!! Then I perused through my parent's luggage to find one I could use for our trip this Thursday. I finally got home around at 8:50. Without letting my brain think about it, I donned my running shoes and went down to our super awesome apartment fitness center. I put in that 3 miles and patted my self on the back for a run well done. I made excellent time. I am looking forward to tonight's run.

Feeling a little overwhelmed trying to wrap my mind around all that needs to be done before I leave the country (at work and home) *sigh*, but God is in control, I just need to trust that. [prov 3:5-6]

I Haven't Reached My Goals

Phase 1: Motivated and going gangbusters
Phase 2: Slippery Slope
Phase 3: Making up for lost time
Phase 4: Lost sight of goals
Phase 5: Back to Square 1

I think I am in Phase 3, but I FEEL like I am in phase 5. I need to revamp my goals. I have been really bad about reassessing my goals every few weeks. I let life get in the way. There is always something that will fill your schedule unexpectedly, so you have to learn to work with what you've got and make it work WELL.

I have been keeping a log of my diet, workouts, days I miss, etc. and I have discovered this: On average I workout out 4 days a week, I eat well for about 5 of 7 days. Every week something comes up - birthday, family get together, wedding out of town, paintball rally....SOMETHING.

Long term goal: [December 2009]
Reach goal weight of 115lbs
Sleep a consistent number of hours every night
Run in the morning 4 times a week
Learn to eat cottage cheese

Short term goal: [10 days - today through 9/5]
Lose 2 lbs before Philippine trip
Tactical Plan
Cut major starches and obvious carbs (Bagels, bread, pretzels)
Run 3 miles daily
Lessen emphasis on weight training

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I Don't Condone Alien Lifeforms in My Fridge

Tonight I plan on taking everything out of my fridge that I know will not be eaten or that is on the verge of death. Lately I have focusing on maintaining a well-kept refrigerator and pantry. We have been busy entertaining and going out of town lately so I feel the need to take a deeper peek just to make sure I am still on track. I anticipate being pleased.

I love keeping my house clean. I was not always life this. When we were moving out of our old place we spent MONTHS throwing things away, taking things to good-will, handing items down to family, giving stuff away, or selling on craig's list. Now we are in our new place and only have what we want and need. No excess! It feels great!! It is SOOO much easier to get organized!

I am so frugal, I love living out of plastic drawer bins that I got from Walmart, but my husband shakes his head and says we need a dresser. *sigh* I'll have to take a picture of my closets and fridge to post here ^_^.

Cheers and happy weigh-in day!

Weight report: 122.4

Diet and Traveling

This past weekend I went on a road trip with Luke and Steve. Being guys, I knew they would be eating a lot along the way, so I packed some healthy snacks to keep me away from their foods. I also brought some low cal, no-sugar munchies that are not too unhealthy for those moments when I would REALLY be tempted by their chex mix or bag of Cheezits.

My snack foods:
Sugar free wafers: Vanilla, Chocolate, Mocha
Quaker Rice Cakes
Smart Foods White Popcorn
Sugar free gum
Sugar free Red Bull

Their snack foods:
Traditional Chex Mix
Bold Chex Mix
Pretzels
Cheezits
Diet Dr Pepper

I did pretty good on my eating!! Stayed pretty true to my diet with a few minor exceptions - I had a waffle for breakfast with my cereal on Saturday, a waffle for breakfast with my oatmeal on Sunday, pizza for dinner on Sunday. The last one is NOT minor, but our options were too limited on the way home.

I did not workout the entire weekend, but did dance the night away on Saturday at the wedding. When I dance, I dance straight for hours and I dance HARD. I am a dancer so I LOVE to tear it up. I am usually grossly sweaty half way through the night.

I'm not going to lie to myself. I should get a big spanking for the way I handled the weekend as compared to my goals.

I leave for Asia in 10 days, so I only have 10 days of these modern luxuries. I will be utilizing treadmills like a wild woman.

Getting back in the game,
FK

5:00 am

NEW! Morning run. today,first day...LOVED IT!!! ...but no lie..5:00am is painful

Benefits of running in the morning: higher fat burn in AM vs. PM

Weight Report: 120.4

I'm Such a Rebel...(but a good rebel)

Yesterday was date night. We went to TGIF and I ordered the "Thai Chicken Wrap" with a dry salad as my side. I ate nearly the entire thing and dipped occasionally in the honey-lime dressing that normally is IN the wrap, but I requested it to be on the side. That was me eating unhealthy. I am so proud of myself because my "unhealthy standards" are on the "healthy eats" side of the menu haha.

I had a cup of coffee after the meal and a couple bites of my husbands cheesecake. Totally worth it.

Date Night. We bought a super awesome looking journal from Barnes & Noble and brought it with us to the restaurant. After dinner, we ordered our dessert and busted out the journal. The mission - to think of memories we have shared together and jot them down as we think of them. We thought about the first night we noticed each other and each wrote about what we remembered. We talked and laughed as we reminisced that night. We had so much fun reminiscing that one memory that we didnt have time for any others. It was getting late so we called it a night, but the journal is on our coffee table waiting for the next time one of us recalls another memory.

Yesterday was my off day and MUCH needed. my poor legs were killed last week. Today its back on. Cardio and legs. I will do sets of dips in between each leg exercise.

6 Weeks of Perfection

In order to reach my goals, I am going to being eating a perfectly. My diet structure has been revamped. My plan is to force myself to eat perfectly for 6 weeks. (will take me to the end of August) During the 6 weeks I will be evaluating my energy, weight, BF%, muscle recovery, financial affect on grocery budget, digestion rate and hunger rate. What I am trying to accomplish is determining....1) is this manageable; 2) is it worth it; 3) how does my body respond to slight changes.

I had been eating very clean and working out hard and strong, but last week I ate 3 donuts over the course of the day and to my surprise, I have gained weight and my energy levels dropped [over the course of 4 days I monitored myself and realized my metabolism had slowed and so, though I ate good foods and in same quantity as usual, I gained]. I didn't want to blame the donuts because I thought that one day would be ok since I am really doing so very well and working out so hard...but wow...I proved what I always say "YES! This ONE time WILL hurt". Blueberry cake donuts and chocolate cake doughnut holes are my favorite...and they are what sent me overweight sophomore yr college. I can only blame myself for not saying no.

I will enlist my husband and give him the "ok" to correct me even in public if necessary to prevent me from eating things that are not in my diet plan.

***PLEASE READ****I am not trying to put myself on a short term diet, I am actually trying to discover what meal plan works for my lliefstyle and body type. I am VERY AGAINST short term and fad related diets. 6 weeks is long enough to give you an IDEA of how your body responds, but the best length of time is 6 months to 1 year...but life is too short to evaluate so accurately ^_^.

I Am a Fitness Professional...I Am a Fitness Professional...

I need to reprogram my brain to think like a fitness professional. I want to be a strong athlete. I need to think of work like sleeping. It is something that has to be done to survive, it eats up time, but it can't be an excuse for not hitting the gym. I need to think of food as fuel and not as pleasure. (though pleasure is very much a part of enjoying life and I am ok with food occassionally being that "pleasure" item)

I told my muscle-head Unlce Ken that I really want to pursue figure competitions after I get myself on a solid lifestyle. He said "do it" and it could not have been more motivating. I am looking forward to getting my life on track...I just need to learn my body first. This time next year, I think I'll know what needs to be done, then I can start doing some research and talking to people about how to start training for competitions. Gosh...and don't forget kids...I'll be wanting a few at some point, so thats another factor, though NOT a deterrant. One of my idols in that arena is Samantha Harris (DWTS hostess), who after only about 8 months after baby was right back on her original weight. She has been active her whole life, but she works smart and thats the key.

My workout partners are things and people that motivate me. Not all of them are aware that they are my workout partners and I do not actually workout with any of them. In pecking order:
1. Luke (husband)
2. Muscle & Fitness Hers Magazine
3. Jessica Biel (celeb)
4. That woman on Bodybuilding.com that didn't start working out till she was 38 and now she is a godess of fitness only 8 years later
5. Uncle Ken
6. Samantha Harris (celeb)

Protein and Fiber Menu

Grocery List
ground angus
all natural chicken breast
top sirloin, sliced (fajita style)
asparagus
broccoli
green bell peppers
large eggs
skim milk
2% milk
vanilla soy milk
oatmeal
raisin nut bran
Kashi honey O's
Kashi summer berry blend granola
strawberries
blueberries
bananas
all natural smooth no-stir peanut butter
tuna in water

This Week's Menu:
Monday - Angus spaghetti with broccoli florets
Tuesday - Chicken breast stuffed with a bit of cheddar, asparagus, and garlic-lemon-pepper rub served with wild long-grain rice
Wednesday - Date night (swapped with the usual Thurs. to see Harry Potter on opening night! ^_^) We will be eating out, so I will post more on "Eating Right When Eating Out".
Thursday - fajita steak with peppers over mexican rice
Friday - Angus burgers
Saturday - grocery shopping day, so who knows! (partly depends on what is on sale ^_^)

Short On Time

Saturday I only had a 1.5 hour window before meeting with my in-laws for a celebratory dinner. I spent 5 of those minutes trying to work the math in my head if I had time to hit the gym. It takes me 45 minutes to get ready if I do my normal routine and I don't rush it (shower, moisturize, wash/exfoliate face, moisturize, blowdry/style, make up, brush teeth). Which left 45 minutes...13 minute drive to gym, 13 minute return, leaving only 19 minutes to squeeze in a workout. ouch. I normally do cardio for 30 min after I've been hitting the weights. Ergh.

It didn't seem to make sense to waste the time. But I went anyway. I actually managed to get there, spend about 7 minutes lifting doing biceps only, then a quick hop on the bike for 20 minutes. That took 7 minutes of get-ready time, but I managed to shave off a few minutes and was looking spiffy in no time. We were only 5 minutes late and-- HA! --not because of me! ^_^ the husband couldn't find his shoes. cute.

I am SO glad I hit the gym. I was so proud of myself that I didn't let time get in the way of my goals. I will get there. I will be strong. I will reach my goals.

I Don't Feel Like Going

I am having a great hair day and tonight is girl's night. I dont really feel like getting sweaty at the gym and then have to shower all over again. *sigh* I also am sooo exhausted from this week. Not getting enough sleep + working out extra hard...yikes.

But alas...I MUST GO!! I MUST! I WILL!

Breakfast: Raisin Bran with non-fat milk
Snack: Oatmeal
Snack: Raisin Bran
Lunch: Tuna
----------
Meal Plan for afternoon
Snack: maybe 2 cups of homestyle popcorn
Snack: maybe sf pudding and small bowl of cereal
Dinner: turkey sandwich with avocado

WORKOUT PLAN
squats
triceps
run 30 minutes
bike 15
hanging leg raises

Keep on truckin!

Weight Report: 118.8

Comment: I looove hanging leg raises!

Yesterday I did my weight training first. Which is different from my usual format of Cardio, weight, cardio, stretch. I was stronger on my lifting. My cardio was only 25 minutes because I was short on time *ergh* . I ended with 4 sets of hanging leg raises*.

Today I will hit the biceps and shoulder/back pretty hard, then abs, then get on the treadmill for half an hour. If I have time I will do the bike for another 10 before I stretch.

I am doing great on my diet, but I did have pocky yesterday morning ^_^. Other than, I have been pretty impeccable with the clean foods. Hence the drop in weight.

******
Hanging Leg Exercise
set 1: 8 alternations of leg raise, knee raise - total of 16 raises
set 2: 10 alternations of leg raise, knee raise - total of 20 raises
set 3: 8 alternations of leg raise, knee raise - total of 16 raises
set 4: 6 alternations of leg raise, knee raise - total of 12 raises
I heart hanging leg raises

Training like a BEAST!

Yesterday I was so exhuasted - A natural result of 1 week of sleep deprivation and moving into a new apartment. There have been so many people around me getting sick so I decided to take off a little early to nap before the gym. I knew I wouldn't get to sleep till 11p at the soonest and then still have to wake up early for work, so the nap was a good choice.

I downed my pre-workout drink and headed straight to the gym. The beast ws unleashed! I had the best workout!! My 6mph run felt like a JOG!! my hammers, curls, and shoulder pressess were all completed successfully and with increased weight. I finished off with a nice 15 min cardio and 15 min abs. It was glorious. I wanted to do more, but all that energy masked my true ability...I didnt want to hurt myself so I cut it off where I knew a good limit was.

The bummer part of yesterday...after I got home the husband made me a lean protein shake and scolded me that I wasn't eating enough for dinner. I ignored his advice but appreciated his concern. After finishing the shake, I took a shower, cooked him dinner, and thought SURELY I will fall RIGHT TO SLEEP because I am so exhausted. Nope. it was way past midnight and I was still wide awake. Darn you energy drink.

BUT I woke up today a little groggy so grabbed a bold brew at starbucks and I have been good to go ever since! My hearty breakfast and snacks helped too. Still waiting to be picked up for lunch with the husband...HURRY UP HUSBAND, I'M STARVING!!! ^_^

Calorie Counting Will Cause Fat Gain

A to-the-point entry on calorie counting versus calorie awareness.

Calorie counting is bad news bears. Calorie awareness is a different story.

Counting all those calories and determining to cut calories to help facilitate weight loss is not a good option. It's okay to do it for a short time, but let me tell you why it will hurt you if you stay living on a low calorie diet. Your body instinctively will do whatever it takes to survive and so will adjust its metabolism to survive on the low calorie intake. Fat is your body's way of storing energy. Slow metabolism = more storage = fat gain.

Calorie awareness is a fantastic way of helping you be cognizant of what you eat. It is important to eat purposefully. Calorie awareness helps remind you of foods to avoid, but does not cause you to reduce calories or allow you to increase. It simply is awareness. Like weighing yourself once a week, measuring yourself once a month, pinching your love handles, checking out your thighs...it all is JUST a method of evaluation to encourage you to do what is right for your body (and slap yourself when you do bad). =]

Reaching Your Goal By Having Good Friends

My girlfriend, Nicole, and I were arranging lunch plans via text. After confirming time and location I got back to my work. Time was drawing close to that hour of our meeting and the realization hit me like a charging elephant. I texted her back, "I just realized Zenna [the restaurant] is not in the best interest of my weight loss efforts. Can we just do coffee/tea at 12 and I'll eat my sack lunch when I get back to the office? Sorry to be lame!" To which she replied "Hey if it's not in your weight loss efforts then neither is it in mine! :) coffee sounds super fantastic. I'll pick you up at 12"

We both knew that eating thai food would not be great but for the sake of the fellowship we were going to make an exception. Neither one of us really wanted to make that exception. Sometimes it takes one person to keep two on track.

Thanks Nicole for the awesome conversations over sugar-free, non-fat, vanilla lattes. I loved talking about each others lives, struggles, fitness goals, successes and future travel plans. Thanks for letting me stick to my diet, not judging it as an "obsession" and coming along side me by sharing your fitness endeavors. Good luck with your goals!

Upcoming Entry: "Calorie Counting Will Cause Fat Gain"

Cut the Crap [changing the diet lifestyle]

I am now officially cutting "bad" out of my diet. I have done super well with sticking to a good diet and am maintaining wonderfully. I am eating healthy but allowing myself to have a couple slices of pizza at a get together and a brownie at my brother's birthday party. HOWEVER, I have not yet reached my fitness goals. I now know what this body needs to maintain THIS body...its now time for further transformation!

I am leaning out my diet. Pizza will have to be a no-no and so will brownies. *sigh* It will be hard but I know it will be so worth it. I do not recommend this lifestyle of "cutting" for everyone. I think it is important to enjoy life. Being miserable about avoiding indulgences is not the lot I would expect everyone to cast.

My light yogurt has sugar in it, which makes it NOT clean food, but I don't want to waste it, I will polish off the last 5 this week with my early breakfast to get the sugar out of the way.

Organic oatmeal with almonds and a few cranberries is something I am looking forward to adding to my food plan this week.


List of "bad"good-foods I currently have in my diet:
I will be either cutting or consuming in extreme moderation

• Yoplait Light Yogurt -fat free (sugar)
• Cranberry juice (sugar, carbs)
• Orange juice (sugar, carbs)
• Whole wheat tortillas (sodium, carbs, sugar, fat)
• Whole wheat pasta (sodium, carbs, sugar, fat)
• Ramen (sodium)
• Lattes (fat, carbs, sugar)
• Guacamole (fat)
• Skim cheese (carbs)
• Pretzels (empty carbs)
• Popcorn (empty carbs)
• Low Carb Monster (sugar, carbs)
• Fruit leathers (sugar, carbs)
• 2% milk (fats, sugar--skim is better)
• Organic Honey Toasted O's (sugar)

The Only Way to Get Killer Abs

source bodybuilding guru Luke Keith
Everyone has abs, but what everyone wants is not abs...what we want, is for them to show. Am I right?

When you workout your abs, be sure to train your CORE. You do not want to cause irregular tension when you move which could cause injury. This happens when your training is imbalanced on your muscles. you have to train front abs and train your lower back.

"I have abs, but you can't see them under this layer of fat"
Answer part one: cardio

The only way to rid yourself of fat is to burn it. Muscle burns fat, so keep building it, but cardio melts fat like you wouldn't believe. Try sets of sprints instead of distance running to go deep into your fat stores.

I train with both. Some days I will even do both on the same day. Heavy jogging then add 4-5 sprint sets, then heavy jogging to finish up. Heavy jogging for me is 5.4-5.6 mph.

"I have abs, but you can't see them under this layer of fat"
Answer part two: diet

You MUST eat right if you want great abs. You are NOT eating right when you "cheat". Either you want abs, or your want starbucks breakfast pastries. You can't have both. And yes, "just this one time" WILL hurt your goal. Make your choice. Red Pill or the Blue Pill.

Oh Sweet Off-day

Rest is so important. Especially for those of you fellow athletes who just love to roar and want to push, push, push. Rest is just as important as a training day.

I have 2 rest days. One of the rests is a total rest day, the other I will do something fun like kayak, or take a walk with my mom, or wrestle with my husband.

Off days I like to cut my protein and carb cals back a bit. Usually I load up based on my workouts, so since I am not working out, it makes sense to cut back the load.

Example: if my usual is a tuna sandwhich on whole grain, I'll eat tuna with 4-5 saltines instead of bread.

Tuna Salad Recipes:
---------------------
1 can of tuna
diced jalepenos
1 t jalepeno juice
1 T fat free mayo
almond slivers

---------------------
1 can of tuna
craisins
1 T fat free mayo
crushed walnuts

---------------------
1 can of tuna
sliced olives (black, green with pimento, or both)
redwine vinegar
olive oil
crushed black pepper
Bow-tie Pasta (optional)

Just 5 More Minutes

Tues was legs, so yesterday (wed) was supposed to be upper body with a bit of cardio. It evolved into a hardcore workout where I killed it on the cardio - rock on. All by saying "just 5 more minutes"

INTENDED workout:
Run 20 minutes+ 2 AI
pullups
biceps - hammer curls
biceps - free-weight
biceps - concentration (AKA scott curls)
trcieps - kickbacks
Elipticle to finish off

ACTUAL workout:
Bike 6 minutes on level 11
biceps - hammer curls
biceps - free-weight
biceps - seated concentration
trcieps - cable superset with:
triceps - dips
Elipticle 10 minutes
--got a sip of water...then the "oh...come on, 5 more..." began...
Elipticle 5 minutes
Bike 5 minutes
Treadmill on 10% grade incline 5 minutes

YOW! my calves and hammys were crying!

I heart fitness.

Goodbye Plateau - dropping the stubborn lbs

For the past 3 weeks I have been a solid 120.8. I finally tweaked my diet to remove processed foods, drink 80 oz water, and cut my sodium intake (not much play room there, but I tried).....AND IT WORKED!!!! I finally was able to get past my plateau and dropped about 2 lbs.

I weighed in yesterday at 118.4

Grant it, part of the reason I was on a plateau was my body taking its time adjusting my new metabolism after so much weight loss.

Yippee!! Now if I can just keep this up for 4-7 more lbs I will be a happy camper!

Stubborn Pound Tips:
1. Cut sodium by 1000 mg
2. Drink 80 oz water
3. Cut processed foods
4. Cut alcohol (I don't drink anymore)

Supplements

I've been considering supplements. I want to get big, lean muscles. Have you heard of N.O.? They have a couple products I was looking into: NO Xplode and NO Fury. I have heard better things about the results on NO Xplode than Fury, but I am really wondering about the lasting affect on my veins.

I am anxious to get built, but I need to remember that fitness is a lifestyle and that "steady" is the best method.

So for now...I will truck along in my endeavors. I think I will increase the weight and lower my reps. 20-30 min prior to each workout I will drink a LC Monster (or a protein shake which is what I have been doing). That should give me an extra burst of energy that I need to have a strong workout.

Yesterday, I was trying to rush to the gym so I could join the husband, so I was unable to have my usual pre-workout protein shake. As a result, I was only able to complete 3 safe sprints...grrr...I did push through 4 full shoulder sets, 4 squat sets with increased lbs from last, 4 full dead sets, abs, 3 back sets - 1 exercise and a 7 min stint on the bike. BUT I WAS FORCING MYSELF THE WHOLE TIME. Oh man, it was ROUGH! I felt sooo weak. ergh. Today will be better. Protein at 4.30 and possibly a Monster to help make up some energy-lack from yesterday.

Rock that gym and rock that diet. Press on peeps,
FK

Grocery, grocery, grocery

PRODUCE
red cabbage
broccoli
red, yellow and green bell peppers
yellow/white onions
avocados
yukon potatoes (husband's BB workout requires heavy starch in carbs)

SPICE/ETHNIC
cayenne pepper (I am almost out!! I love cayenne!)
garlic chili paste (another fav that I am uber low on!)

CANNED/MEAT/POULTRY/FISH
tuna in water
all natural chicken breast
wild alaskan salmon

DAIRY
skim milk
2% milk (the husband does NOT like skim for his protein shakes)

MISC.
all natural no-stir peanut butter (for the husband's protein shakes. I get my fats from nuts and avocados)
flax seed
raisins
raw almonds
sugar free pudding

Low Calorie Week: Day 7

Today is the last day of low calorie week. FYI - it is important NOT to continue a low calorie diet as a way of life. Your metabolism WILL adjust and then will only require those lower calories and so if you eat more than what it expects, it will store it. People often refer to this as starvation mode, but most dont realize it happens way sooner than they think.

MEAL PLAN
Meal 1: Omelette - mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, salsa, jalepenos
Coffee
Snack: vanilla protein shake plain
Meal 2: Tuna salad with walnuts, jalepenos, a little jalepeno juice and apples
Snack: SF ActiveLifestyle jello - cranberry green tea
Meal 3 Chicken salad with jalepenos, raisins, romaine lettuce

WORKOUT PLAN
sprints
bic/trics:
T: one arm cable pull down
B: hammer rope cable pull
T: kick backs
T: skull crusher
B: one arm cable pull
1 mi jog at 5.4

Happy Monday!! I am SO EXCITED about today's meal plan and workout routine! This past weekend was rough and stressful...I had a lot on my plate making it tough to stick to the plan, but I'm plowing through! Keep up your motivation! Today will be your healthiest day yet - I will be fit TODAY! ^_^

Low Calorie Week: Day 6

MEAL PLAN
Breakfast: Honey Toasted O's
Snack: organic granola bar (skant because I'll be in church)
Lunch: baked fish and veggies
Snack: protein
Dinner: protein meal replacement

WORKOUT PLAN
Sprints
biceps
back
ABS

Happy Sunday everyone!

Low Calorie Week: Day 5

Breakfast: Honey Toasted O's
Snack: apple + nuts
Lunch: Tuna
Snack: 2 bite-size rice cakes + coffee
Dinner: crab and shrimp with lemon and tomatoes

workout skipped...Packing up the house - we move in 2 weeks!

Low Calorie Week; Day 4

MEAL PLAN
Meal 1: Oatmeal with cinnamon & Coffee with cinnamon

Snack: 1/4 cup purely O's (Cascadian Farm)

Meal 2: 1 scoop Optima slimfast powder in 80z skim milk

Snack: Coffee and almonds (small handful)

Meal 3: can of tuna (tuna in water) with diced jalepenos

Meal 4: TBA birthday party tonight

WORKOUT PLAN
Abs - 4s hanging leg raises; 4s planks; 2s swiss; 2s reverse swiss
Bike 6 minutes on level 10; 2 minutes on level 6; 2 minutes on level 10
Elliptical 40 minutes

STUBBORN POUNDS
I've noticed I was consistently losing weight at the beginning and have been holding at 120.8 for several weeks now. FYI This is normal - when you have a few stubborn pounds that are remaining that you cant seem to shake after a good lifestyle pattern, your body is just taking its time to adjust your new metabolism. No worries. Meanwhile, I am going to start downing H20 like there is no tomorrow. A minimum of 80 0z, reduce processed food intake (I already don't eat much processed foods) and watching my sodium should do the trick.

Sabotagers beware!!

So you set out to eat healthy, you come up with a great meal plan and you are now officially working out religously. You're on fire. And then, ol' pal janedoe and family invite you to lunch...or dinner...or a birthday party and you find yourself faced with delicious foods...fatty, greasy, sugary, delicious foods. What do you do?

First of all, there is no such thing as will power. You can't bank on your ability to say no. Reprogram yourself to avoid SITUATIONS. Example - If you are out to eat, ask for a to-go box to be brought out with your food, put half of it in the box to eat later. Then you won't have to muster will-power to stop eating.

Secondly, remind yourself multiple times before you go of what your goal is and what you REALLY want. I like eggrolls, but I like lean arms and a flat tummy way more. You only have 2 choices: 1) eat foods to reach the goal of being flabby or 2) eat foods that make you look good in your clothes.

Don't let social life sabotage your goals - STICK WITH IT! Yes, "just this one time" WILL hurt.

It's not depriving yourself when you avoid delicious foods...when you eat those foods you are depriving yourself of a strong body and the happiness you will feel when you are lean and look fabulous.

TODAY I have family in town that have been staying with my parents. They call me because everyone is going to lunch as a goodbye lunch...at the chinese buffet...I mustered the power to head straight for the steamed veggies, moogoo gai pan chicken, and a couple pieces of sushi. I was surprised at how full I was. I still wanted the egg roll, but a girl told me "eating good is really hard, but it must be done" and that motivated me to say no to the eggroll. I feel so proud of myself and so happy because tonight at the gym I wont be kicking myself.

Low Calorie Week: Day 3

MEAL PLAN
Meal 1: 1C Cascadian Farm Honey Toasted O's in 2% milk
Coffee

Snack: less than 4 oz applesauce (mott's all natural no sugar added) and 1/4 cup purely O's (Cascadian Farm)

Meal 2: 1 scoop Optima slimfast powder in 80z skim milk

Snack: sugar free pudding (Jello banana chocolate) + almonds

Meal 3: 1 scoop vanilla protein powder in skim milk + blueberries + yogurt. Usually I add yogurt but..I NEED to switch to plain yogurt. The light yogurt has too much sugar still. I need to cut the sugars!

Snack: sugar free pudding (Jello Banana chocolate) + almonds

Meal 4: TBA date night with the husband, I will be looking for perfect options and will post here tomorrow.

WORKOUT PLAN
1 mile at 5.4
2 GP
.5 mile at 5.2
3 sets Tricep - cable
2 sets kick backs
4 superset Skull crushers + dips

AFTER-COMMENTS: Meal 2 and Meal 4 will swap (see post entitled Sabotage under category "Eating right when eating out" AND husband has been working for 22 hours so I want to let him sleep. maybe date night will be breakfast =).

Low Calorie Week: Day 2

MEALS
Breakfast:
1C Cascadian Farm Honey Toasted O's in 2% milk
Coffee

Snack: 1 scoop Optima SlimFast powder in skim milk

Lunch: turkey on 15-grain bread (mustard, lettuce, tomato, provolone, jalepenos, pepper) probably should have done without the provolone, but eh...still a pretty clean meal

Snack: yogurt with 1/2 scoop vanilla protein

Dinner: Shrimp Po' Boy (See Recipe posting dated 06/06)


WORKOUT
Deadlifts and bike today plus some bicep action ;) pretty stoked. I am looking forward to those deads.

Happy workout everyone!

--FK RockBunny

Grocery List

Loaded up on some great stuff. My grocery list:
Yoplait light yogurt (blueberry and new pomegranate flavor!)
Skim milk (for protein shakes and cereal)
Cascadian Farm Organic cereal - Honey Toasted O's
Large eggs
All Natural Chicken Breast
Tuna in water
Ground Sirloin 98% fat free
Jello Sugar Free pudding - Banana-Chocolate
Smoked Turkey (from the deli...less sodium)
Bean Sprouts (deli style)
Carb-light tortillas (small)
Green tea bags (I heart green tea)
Raisins
Light Mayo
Skim cheese sticks (Cow Pals)
Vanilla Protein (<1g sugar per scoop)
Peppridge Farm Bread - Whole grain: 15 Grain
Raw Almonds unsalted

Low Calorie Week: Day 1

I neglected on my grocery shopping and so was super low on food today...ugh

Breakfast of Champs
7 Jelly beans (11 cals) they were on the receptionist desk and I just did not resist...
1/4C Purely-O's - Cascadian Farm organic cereal DRY
Coffee
8 oz water

Snack - 1/4C purely-O's
Coffee
8 oz water

Lunch - turkey breast wrap, small tortilla, lettuce, mustard and avocado

Snack - 8 oz whole milk + 1 scoop optima protein (250 cals)
8 oz water

384 total calories before dinner...wow...and surprisingly not starving...work is busy...that helps.

Dinner - garlic wine chicken breast with squash and zucchini

SUPER MOTIVATED ABOUT TONIGHTS WORKOUT:
CARDIO - 2 miles
ABS -
4 sets hanging leg raises
2 sets hanging side raises
3 sets flat bench leg raises
3 sets Broom
2 sets Planks (30 sec each)
2 sets side planks
3 sets on swiss ball

120.8 Again??...

*sigh* today is Tuesday, Weigh-In day. I weighed in at 120.08 again. This is great and sad. It is great because that means my workouts are perfectly balancing my diet. It is also great because I have been still eating crap foods here and there, so if I just cut those out, I should drop weight without having to amp up my workouts. The only reason why it is sad is because I still need to drop 12 lbs.

For this week, I will not eat sugar. A little bit of sugar in dark chocolate is ok, a little bit of sugar in my cereal, ok. But no intentional sugar like the 5 jelly beans I ate this morning. ^_^

By the way...caloriecount.about.com, cool website if you want to log your food. It will even keep track of the calories you BURN while you're sitting at your desk. My handle is RockBunny.

My motivation level is high. I am pumped about the no-sugar for 1 week only. I can DEF do that. I am also going to take this week to read up on women lifting rules and diets. Rock hard body is within my reach!

I will be picking up a book entitled "New Rules of Lifting for Women" by Lou Schuler. I will let you know if the book is a worthy read.

Shrimp Po' Boy

By EatingWell on Jun 06, 2009 06:00 AM in Healthy Eating
By EW (Test Kitchen), EatingWell.com

This twist on the Louisiana favorite piles grilled shrimp and creamy-dressed cabbage onto a crusty bun. Bread that’s soft on the inside and crusty on the outside is perfect for a Po’ Boy sandwich. We grill both sides of a whole-wheat bun for that added crunch. You may need a few extra napkins to enjoy it, but this quick and easy sandwich is well worth it. Serve with: Sautéed corn and bell peppers.
Makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
2 cups finely shredded red cabbage2 tablespoons dill pickle relish2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt1 pound peeled and deveined raw shrimp, (51-60 per pound; see Shopping Tip)4 teaspoons canola oil, divided1 teaspoon chili powder1/2 teaspoon paprika1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper4 whole-wheat hot dog buns, or small sub rolls, split4 tomato slices, halved1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

Directions
1. Preheat grill to medium-high.
2. Combine cabbage, relish, mayonnaise and yogurt in a medium bowl.
3. Toss shrimp with 2 teaspoons oil, chili powder, paprika and pepper in a medium bowl. Place the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a small bowl. Dip a pastry brush in water, then in the oil and lightly brush the inside of each bun (or roll).
4. Place a grill basket (see Kitchen Tip) on the grill. Add the shrimp and spread in a single layer. Grill, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Open the buns and grill, turning once, until toasted on both sides, about 1 minute total.
5. To assemble the sandwiches, divide tomato and onion among the buns. Spread about 1/3 cup cabbage mixture down the middle of each and top with about 1/2 cup grilled shrimp.

Nutrition InformationPer serving: 322 calories, 10g fat, 28g protein, 5g fiber, 522mg sodium

Oh Cardio, how I love thee

Last night I ran for just over 2 miles, burned 180 cals, then jumped on the elipticle and told my self "100 calories". I got to 100 and I thought Thats a total of 280 calories...I might as well finish it off with just 20 more to make it 300. So I did. Then I thought Gosh, thats 160 LESS than I did on Sunday...maybe I'll burn 160 more. So I did. ok just 10 more calories. So I did.

470 calories with each machine set for 121 lbs and age 25. I miss being 124...it displayed a lot more calories for my energy :(...aww I'm losing weight, isn't life rough?... ^_^

It's a Great Day to be Alive

Weighed in at 120.8
That means I successfully maintained my weight, but it does mean I also did not meet my goal of losing 1 lb this week. Let's give it another shot. Lookout 6/9, the scale is going to show one pound less!!

Sunday's long run burned 360 cals over 60 minutes on the treadmill. Whew. That was a long trek. I had set out to burn 400+ cals, but the treadmill cuts you off, so I hopped on the elipticle and revved the intensity so I could burn 100 more cals in 7 minutes (before Luke finished his workout). I made it just in time!

All my other workouts this past week have been phenomenal. My diet however...has been GREAT with the exception of Thursday when I ate 3 donuts over the course of the day (its just SO good with coffee) and dried mangos for breakfast on Monday. Obviously I did really well on all other accounts, because I kept my weight! Rock on.

PS...Pumpkin protein recipe is forthcoming!

Pumpkin Protein Muffins with Protein Frosting

These are delicious. I made these with regular sugar the first time; next time I may experiment with 50%splenda + 50%regular. Note: Splenda causes baked goods to be a bit more flat.

2 of these babies is about the equivalent to a protein bar. I ate 2 about 30 minutes before a long run and it was awesome.

Ingredients

2 C all purpose flour
1/2C vanilla protein powder
1/4C sugar
2t baking powder
1t salt
1t cinnamon
1/2t nutmeg
1/2t allspice
1/4t cloves
15 oz can of pumkin
2 eggs
1/2C veg. oil
nonstick cooking spray

Protein Frosting

1/2C vanilla protein powder
1/2C powdered sugar
1/2t vanilla extract
3-4T fat-free milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. LIghtly coat a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, protein powder, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a medium bowl. In a separate large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, eggs and oil.
3. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.
4. Divide batter into muffin cups and bake 15-20 minutes, then remove muffins and arrange on a wire rack to cool. Serve with protein frosting or fat-free cream cheese.
5. For frosting, mix protein powder and powdered sugar. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons of milk; beat until smooth. Add milk until smooth. Spread evenly on muffins.

Nutritional Information
(one muffin with frosting)
223 calories, 12g protein, 19g carbs, 11g fat, 1g fiber, 18g sugar, 125mg sodium

These are obviously high fat and sugar with this original receipe, so not a good idea to make this a regular item in your diet, but its a nice change of pace and 2 will keep me full for 2-3 hours.

bon appetite!

Almost

1. I almost ran my "5-6 mile" goal
2. I almost missed a workout

This morning I weighed in at 120.8. so I lost those 2lbs I gained and I'm ready to keep trucking.

I have been trying so pretty awesome proteing recipes...Pumpkin Muffin with protein and protein icing. Super delicious and PACKED with protein. Barely any fat and sugar (if using non fat milk and splenda). Chicken Wild Rice Casserole with protein. Yukon Gratin Potatoes. Low Fat Beef Stroganoff with extra protein. I have been adding protein in a lot of my other recipes now that I have the hang of it.

Saturday I put in a good solid 3+ mile with incredible ease
Sunday I fell asleep after a long day (but it was only 5pm) and I was so sleep deprived (because of my life style of not sleeping) that I slept till Monday morning at 6! So I missed my Sunday workout, but made up for it on Monday.

Monday I ran 4 miles (1-2 miles short of my goal because I wanted to make it in time to take yoga) . Immediately after, I stretched for 10 minutes then ran to the groupx room for some hot yoga. Not a good idea after losing water in a run. I was so dehydrated and fast getting overheated because of it. I quit the class half way through for the sake of my health. This wa smy first taste of true yoga. I have done bits and pieces of yoga movements that were interwoven to other core classes. It certainly forces you to stabalize and really opens up your chest and sholders to have fabulous posture. I had a great back and upper body workout that i was expecting, but to my surprise we had a great lower body workout as well! It was like dance without the cardio. The movements were controlled so you're thinking "easy...no sweat" but the room was so warm and you feel everything!!! So you really burn those calories with a capital "C". I do NOT like the spirtual aspects of Yoga...praying to the gods, etc...but most yoga classes I have heard of have been exercise oriented only, no meditation or praying elements. and THAT I can live with ^_^

Today (tuesday) is my off day since I made yesterday my Sunday O_0.

Tomorrow...WAKEBOARDING!!!

Cycle Snobs beware!

I left work 7 minutes early to get to the gym in time to take a spinning class. I went early to the room, hopped on a bike and started spinning 15 minutes before start time (why not get some extra calories burned before the 1 hour trek, right?). Then as more and more people startined piling in, I noticed a few bikes here and there had purple squares on them...I discovered you have to sign up for the class!! so by the time the instructor passed by me to ask for MY slip, the class was already too full for me to join. darn.

Lemonade out of lemons...I did a fat burning session on the bike in the cardio area. fat burning session is where you push your body in intervals of intense speed or resistance to burn past the ready energy and into the stored fat.

I had a great ab session!! Even with my sore back...dont know why it is sore, but I may have to skip my run today because of it. my body has been achy and i think it might be the bad kind of achy.

The Importance of Revision

It is important to evaluate your workout and diet routines frequently (once every 3 weeks is recommended). This helps your body not plateau and ensures you experience continuous growth.

I have been TRYING to cut carbs at 4:00. I have been doing pretty well, but I certainly get my fair share of carbs in before 4:00. I am going to watch the intake to be at a 20-50-30% rule applied to meals and snacks. 20% carb; 50% protein; 30% fat.

I am reinventing my 6 day cardio of running to be 4-run+2cycle/elipticle.
Along with my 6 day cardio I will now add a push-pull (simple push pull consisting of pushups and pullups only. Later I will add other push pulls).
Nearly all of the 6 workout days I incorporate abs consisting of mat with weights and pikes on the swiss ball. My routine will now be as follows:

Sunday Mat exercises 6 on 2 rotations 10+lbs

Tuesday 3 ab exercises 4 rotations
Wednesday cabel and rotating exercises 4-5 sets 45+lbs
Thursday Swiss ball
Friday Mat exercises 18 minutes
Saturday two machines 6 rotations

The Rule of accountability

Fitness is a hard road when you go it alone.

I have enlisted the partnership of my friend Mary. We are super stoked because we both have extremely similar goals. I really believe this will help us reach our goals faster.

FAILURE NOTICE: The past week or so I have struggled with some serious cravings and 80% of the time I caved. I have successfully put on weight because of my bad choices. I weigh in at 124 PM and 122 AM. That means I have about 10-12 pounds to lose by October. Approx 3-4 lbs a month.

Today I will be running this set: 1 mile + 5 1:00 min AI + 1 mile.

If I have time to do pilates this evening I will squeeze that in as well.

In 4 weeks I will be able to run 5 miles without distress and after verifying this for 1.5 weeks I will progress to the "9 weeks to a half" routine:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244--6851-2-2X5X8-4,00.html

weight report, running progress, new diet

My 3 miles are solid. I can handle the monotony now psychologically...SO ITS TIME TO KICK IT UP! Wednesday I am going to go straight into a 4 miler. I am not going to do a transitionaly run of 3.5. Instead, I will run the first 3 at a 5.0 pace and on mile 4 I will evaluate to maintain speed or reduce to a jog. Thursday is an off day and this weekend we will be on the road, so I may not get another opportunity to run till Sunday. That will be a nice long rest for my knees and lower back. Assuming all goes well, I will attempt it again on Sunday, rest Monday, and do it again on Tuesday and forward.

New: I am on week 3 of a new rule - "No carbs after 4:00". It has been good, but every now and then I have stopped carbs at 1:00 and then my workouts were not as strong...gotta be careful about cutting out too much. Its been difficult to monitor because of how busy we have been, but...no excuse, right? That's just life!

I now weigh in at 121.2 AM weight; 123 PM weight. that is about 4 lbs from my goal weight.

3 Mile Marker

Woohoo - I have now been running a solid 3 miles each day. Next Tuesday I will make a small increase in the distance. Meanwhile, I'm working on my time. My first two miles I have successfully shaved off about a minute off each mile. Mile 3 is half tempo, part up tempo and part reduced. Up till now it has all been for completion. Now that my brain is a bit accustomed to the time, I think I can kick it up and improve my timing.

tempo: 5.3mph
up tempo: 5.6
down tempo range: 5.1-4.8

10 mile goal

My goal is to be able to complete a 10 mile run solid by 9/5/09 .

Right now I am completing a measly (but solid) 1.5 with a .5m cool down for psychological endurance for a 2m. I think the 2m is just around the corner. This week I was supposed to increase by 10%, but Sunday's workout didn't happen and tonight will be stolen as well. Tomorrow and Friday I will complete the usual, but time myself, then on Saturday and Sunday I will run the time outdoors (instead of the distance). On Sunday night perhaps I will evaluate my knees to see if I can up it to 1.63.

last week was bad...pizza one night, pasta another...*sigh*

It's time to raise the bar. Week 1

Saturday - another fat blaster that maybe worked off 1 of the 3 delicious white dinner rolls I ate at Texas Road House

Sunday Meals: light meals. no workout (off day)
Sunday Morning Workout: 15 minutes pilates

Monday Meals: good meals except 2 kolaches and a blueberry doughnut. This was my cheat day.
Monday Morning Workout: 10 min Abs
Monday Night Workout: great warmup + stretching, 20 min bike at L6 intensity, 4 sets of 10 squats with 10lbs on the bar.

Tuesday Meals: kashi with non-fat soy milk, snack: 1/2 protein bar, lunch: protein shake (and oops...a doughnut)
Tuesday Morning Workout: 15 min abs on swiss ball
Tuesday Lunch hour: lateral walk with band, abs
Tuesday Night Workout: super awesome warm up, abs, lunges, 20min run on treadmill, superset: dips + bicep curls + tricep overhead extenstions

Wednesday Meals: kashi + non-fat soy, snack: 1/2 protein bar, lunch: small turkey wrap, green tea, dinner: chicken kabobs and grilled salmon
Wednesday Night Workout: 20 min abs, outter thigh (machine) 50, 60lbs 4 sets, inner thigh (machine) 50, 60, 70lbs (5 sets), stretching. 2 measly sets of 8 chest press (free weights/dumbells)


Thursday Meals: kashi + 1% milk, snack: 1/2 protein bar, lunch: small turkey wrap, green tea latte, dinner: Asian-style crusted salmon + 1/2 small pepin-style potato
OFF

Day 96
Friday Meals: kashi +1%, snack: small protein shake, lunch: small turkey wrap , dinner: red snapper and steamed veggies....and a couple pieces of sushi...and 2 bites of a cheescake...IT WAS VALENTINES WEEKEND, OK?!!



How do you rate my week?

The husband's perspective!

For those of you who know me, I am Luke Keith, husband to Faith Keith. She is sleeping in the other room and left herself logged into her fitness blog... so I thought to myself "what a marvelous opportunity to share a few words with her readers"

First of all, my wife is INCREDIBLE!!! I already think she is in amazing shape!!! However, as everyone knows, it takes hard work and discipline to maintain (not that she has to try very hard) and I could not possibly have more respect for her hard work. I'm not saying she HAS to do it to impress me, but it sure does hit that "hot" button ya know?

More than anything else, men (myself included) love to know their woman want to be sexy for them and make a sincere effort to that effect. I could not possibly be more pleased with my beautiful wife and all she has done to please me. I keep telling her that she should write a book called "how to be a perfect wife" since she has such a talent for being an incredible wife.

In any case... I'm off to sleepy land... LOVE YOU FAITH!

Keep on keepin' on

Had a big meal and really felt like just relaxing....which is why I grabbed my ipod, running shoes, and ran out the door as fast as I could before I had a chance to think one more evil thought of "couch" or "movie". And, in fact, this served me well...I had a great core workout to warm up, super-setting: lateral scissors, flutters, flexion crunches, obliques.
Cardio focus today: 20 min bike with resistance at "6" (moderately intense)
4 sets of 10 jumping squats with 5lb/ea hand
awesome stretching session afterward

I think the husband would be proud

---------------------
Read something I've read a thousand times. Protein types and protein synthesis. I am going to start implementing that in my meal plan. I used to be really solid with my protein diet and very intentional and that was the best I had ever felt. I am looking forward to surpassing my earlier fit days.

Soy between meals

Whey / Soy pre workout

Whey/Casein post

Casein later night

Super simple expl:
Casein goes straight to the blood stream, so your body can instantly use it and direct it to your muscles. (this is the protein in cottage cheese)

Whey is great for growth (the best protein powder to get the protein to your muscles the fastest)

Soy though good for growth, more so suppresses hunger and promotes the production of estrogen

Kicking and Screaming

I've been having a great string of workouts. A few superb 1 hour cardio stints, strong strength training days and early morning "waker-uppers" --solid -- for the past 2 weeks.

But last night...took the cake...quite literally, because I burned a few hundreds of calories.

My husband came with me to the gym as my trainer this time. He kicked my butt in his "light" circuit. I LOVED IT! I am not gonna lie...I kicked and griped nearly the entire time.

He started me with some nice stretching for about 5 minutes and then all of a sudden my stretching turned in to his crazy warm up:

Pyramids
Flutters
Lateral scissors
1.5 minutes at 4.5
4 30 second sprints at 8.5 with 20-30 second rests in between

HE IS CRAZY!!! AND I LOVE IT!!!!!

The rest of the curse inducing workout went as follows, with him shouting about my form the ENTIRE TIME hahaha:

Jumping squats with 5lbs each hand (20, 10, 10, 10)
Crunches on an "easy" incline (yeah right...easy my bahoondus) (25, 10, 10, 10)
Pushups (10, 12, 15, 10)
Flutters (20, 20, 20, 30)

My jello legs walked me to the water fountain as I swore to myself that I would stay better hydrated next time. Thank you husband. I so enjoy his help as I work hard to get in tip-top shape. He did "yell" at me the whole workout, but as soon as it was over, he patted me on the back and really offered great encouragement and compliments at the good workout I produced. I really gave my 150% during the workout, but felt like I was really falling short because he kept correcting me and telling me to push harder and not stop, but as soon as it was over...the truth came out...he was impressed....gosh that feels good...and it wiped away every memory of discouragement.

I feel like a Tyson mom...

Yesterday I did a 15 ab workout to jumpstart my day. After work I pushed through a great 30 minute cardio blasting through the exercises (no rests).

Last night I realized that life is taking its toll on me. My dad suggested I write everything down that I do and start eliminating. "Something's gotta give", is what he said. I have no idea what I will cut, but I know I need to. I feel like I am giving 150% everywhere but only producing about 60%. So this morning I allowed myself to rest in bed for an extra 45 minutes instead of working out, since I will be working out later tonight anyway.

Breakfast was fatty...peanut butter toast. but I had no choice. The icey roads put me behind schedule so I had to eat at work...and that is all I had up there.

Tonight I will make sushi...or...maybe I'll make lean firecracker burgers...hmmm...(I'll decide based on the intensity of my workout begging high protein or not)

Sweat is My Friend

Friday night - I had a sleepover for some HS girls I mentor, so I ate a little bit of junk (not much though)

Saturday I did a killer taebo workout for an hour and a half. It felt great to move every muscle in my body. It was a great cardio. Ate perfectly.

Sunday I did 15 minute abs just blasting out the reps. 30 second rest every 5 minutes. Ate well.

I did not take my "day off" on Thursday like a good girl, so this morning I skipped my morning workout for an extra 45 minutes in bed. I'll probably do some squats during lunch, but other than that...I am OFF today. I was in a rush so breakfast was weak...1 whole milk organic yogurt and a cheese stick. WEAK! oh well...

Thursday

05:30 15 minute Abs (go me! this is day 4 of forcing myself to get up earlier to get in a 15 minute to 30 min workout each morning)

07:15 1 cup kashi +1% milk
skim mozarella cheese stick
07:30 Hxy
10:00 cup of warm beef broth (brr...its cold outside...this is my replacement for hot cocoa)
11:00 Hxy
11:30 Sushi

3:00and finally feeling a little hungry again...that was the longest I've gone without being hungry...maybe I ate too much sushi! I think I'll grab some SF jello

Lunch break: 8 lateral squatting walks and 14 pushups. Today is technically my off day, but...I just couldn't resist. It was a super light sprint anyways...so shoot me.


Back in the day, when I was single, I never ate fast food, I didn't drink cokes (diet or otherwise), and I ate lean and clean - cooking for myself nearly every night. Why did that change when I got married??...I stopped waking up to go running, I stopped walking to the grocery store, I stopped doing random dips and lunges when I saw a good open area...let's get the old Faith back!

Not Just a Lunch Break

The swiss ball for my abs
my goal is to do 4 sets of 15 by the next 6 week marker
Today I did 2 sets; 8 and 14. not bad.






















Next I did 8 sets of the lateral squatting walk (6 steps to the right=1 set, repeat on other side). I did this 3 times (3x8 sets of 6 steps).

Lunch was a fresh roll of sushi from the deli in my building.

Hip Hop , pilates, swiss ball oh my!

Saturday - hip hop

Sunday - pilates

Monday Lunch break:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2NVDyYDu-E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzEj50tRIEY

Progress Report

The day after thanksgiving I weighed in at 130.x lbs

A couple weeks ago I checked in at a 123.6lbs

I am too young to have gained and lost 6+ pounds, but that is my fault for slacking. I sill have 6lbs to go before I am at my ideal weight.

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs

Snack: 1/3 cup cheerios

Lunch: protein meal replacement

TOMORROW I AM GOING TO THE GYM....lunges, warm up run, trics, run, bike

Strong & Sexy is just a day away

Monday AM Abs/Pilates/cardio
Tuesday AM Abs/Pilates/cardio
Tuesday PM 60% Cardio, 15% calis, 25% lift
Wednesay AM Abs/Pilates/cardio
Thursday OFF DAY
Friday AM Abs/Pilates/cardio
Friday PM 60% Cardio, 15% calis, 25% lift
Saturday AM Hip Hop/Off-roading/kayaking
Sunday AM Abs/Pilates/cardio
Sunday PM 60% Cardio, 15% calis, 25% lift

24 Hour Fitness: Hip hop

I took a hip hop class at 24 hour fitness and it kicked my butt. The instructor was a first time teacher subbing in for someone else. Her name was Mo and she was clearly accustomed to working with dancers, NOT an aerobics class. I think that is one reason why the class seriously kicked booty. She did a great job of making each set have enough variety so that you are focused on the movement and not your lungs collapsing on themselves. The only "negative" I would say (and its not really a negative...just a comment for improvement) is she probably should add a few more reps to each set to give the class enough mental time to catch up. Often she would have 2 or 4 reps of a movement that alternated sides and it just did not give enough time for us to see what she was doing and then follow. By the time we were following, she was on to the next step. But like I said...the class was phenomenal and I would take it again every week if she would offer the class. MO ROCKS!! If I see her name on the schedule, I'm there. I'll even cancel things just to get to her class. Awesome.

Annual 2009 Resolutions = Fitness Revamp

Took an amazing ab class with instructor Leisa Hurt. Great Ab routines incorporating A LOT of stretching. Wow...it was good.

2009 revamp:

On top of consistent workout routines I will periodically take a random class at a local gym. I am a member of super-24 hour fitness so my membership allows me to go to any of their gyms regardless of super-sport, sport, magic, etc. Each club has their own schedule and this year I will take advantage. Tonight I will take an abs class. Woohoo!

My husband made me his delicious morning shake: banana, peanut butter, chocolate-protein. My metabolism got its jump start and boy it is revving!

For the next 30 days I am going to monitor my calorie intake. not change it. MONITOR it.

I also weighed in at 123.6*. I estimate I can lean down by 5 lbs.

*Measured over the course of 3 days at the same time each day.