Just a little humor for my champions on the diet challenge:
Odes to the Things I Can No Longer Enjoy on My Damned Diet
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Friday, December 31, 2010
What Resolutions?
This year has come to a close. In my part of the world we have four more hours to go before everyone loudly ad-libs the words to Auld Lang Syne and gets confetti in their eyes. I happen to be at work but it doesn't really bother me. I got myself some tuna makimoto (post-gym...ha!) and and I've got 1 1/4 jars of peanut butter so I'm all set. Come to think of it I should probably leave the peanut butter in the car tonight as I have already had about 2 tbsp and I am prone to midnight peanut butter raids. I plan to spend the last few hours of the new year drinking milk thistle tea and reading Oscar Wilde.
This is the time of year where a lot of us take a hard look at ourselves and start asking potentially life changing questions and start gearing up to blast through a mile long list of resolutions. It's also the most popular time to set weight loss and exercise related goals. I'm trying to think back on the resolutions that I might have set last year but I honestly can't remember a single one. It is probably safe to say that I didn't complete any of them. This year I have a few, some fitness related and some personal but I foresee 2011 being a lot less tumultuous than 2010. My fitness goals are simple; gain muscle mass and strength, keep eating well, find out where my abs are hiding and the like. My personal goals include finishing my online studies and perhaps getting a little more involved in the church. I'm open to whatever the year brings though. I'm kind of excited to just ride this year out as it comes. I don't know when last I have been able to say that without batting an eye.
However, I think that I am going to extend my diet/exercise challenge to the 26th of January. On the 27th-30th I will be traveling and I don't know how I will manage eating clean on the go but I at least want to keep disciplined until then. Today is Day Five and I'm still being good. I'm also feeling great as well. I can't believe that I am getting tired at night. It's a whole new world for me! Tired to the point of actually sleeping, mind you. My body is liking the new diet and physical challenges it seems. So all of you BBming me at 3AM...save it until morning please. (I have a terrible fear of turning off my phone. Haha)
My new year aside, to my readers I wish the best of luck with all of your new year's endeavors and if there is anything that I can do to help you along the way, please speak up! I hope this year covers all of the h's for you: Happiness, Health, Hard asses and Homies that got your back, yo.
On to business...
Today was legs at the gym. I once again could not meet my training buddy so I slipped on my big girl pants again and found a leg routine that I knew I could lift a decent amount of weight without needing spotting. (Spotting is when another person monitors your reps and slightly helps you complete reps when you are fatigued on your last reps with heavier weights. They also are there to support the weight if needed to prevent you from hurting yourself if your muscles give out.)
I started with a quick 5 minute warm up on the bike to get the joints oiled.
The routine was as follows:
6 sets of machine assisted squats. The first two sets were warm up sets, one with no weight and one with 20 lbs. Maximum weight 90lbs
4 sets of dumbell lunges (12 reps per leg). I HATE lunges. Maximum weight 25lbs dumbells
4 sets of leg presses. First set was a warm up set with 65 lbs. Maximum weight 250 lbs.
4 sets of seated leg curls. Maximum weight 65 lbs
4 sets of seated calve raises. Maximum weight 120 lbs
3 sets of full barbell squats. I had to rally the courage to do these by myself. I am so paranoid about form. I have only done unassisted squats once before so I decided to opt for the smaller bar with light weights. I did the first set with just the bar and then the last two sets with just 20 lbs. I wanted a weight that I could do a clean and then perform the squats.
Not bad for my first session alone. When performing my squats I also did something a little different this time. I was reading that women cheat themselves by only stopping in their squats when their thighs are parallel to the ground. Women are naturally more flexible and so we need to go right down into our full range of flexibility and complete the movement. This way you get the best results and the hardest challenge. It's only when you go down to this limit that your body really has to call upon the butt and hamstrings and you'll feel a huge difference in difficulty. I sure did. It also made doing lighter weights in the full barbell squats just right because I couldn't imagine doing those much heavier now I've improved my form! My butt definitely felt the burn today!
Oh and for the first time in my life whilst walking in the groceries I was told from a distance that I have a 'black batty'. Haha. That means 'butt' Robin. ;) For a scrawny white girl who had no butt whatsoever this is a triumph indeed! Haha!
Today's exercise challenge was another challenge indeed. My friend gave me a wonderful present for my last birthday. She got me a boxers jump rope with a leather rope and weighted handles. You should hear that baby whiz. Or at least try to whiz under the influence of my mediocre skipping skills. It drives me crazy to think back on how I used to skip for ages as a kid and think nothing of it compared to how I am DYING after a few minutes now.
The challenge (from Bodyrock.tv again) was to complete 1000 skips as fast as you can. Zuzana (the robot) finished in 8:06 so I was aiming for 10-11 minutes at least. A trick to avoid losing count was to place 5 objects on the floor and complete 100 skips in front of the first object and the move to the second and complete another 100. When you reach the 5th object you complete 200 skips and work your way back down the line. Well, keeping count was the least of my worries. I initially wanted to try this challenge barefoot but one stinging whack to my feet from that leather rope and I quickly changed my mind. I thought I was fair at skipping until I finished this challenge half dead at 16:08. The most skips that I could do at a time was 46 and then for the next few skip attempts after I would proceed to wallop various body parts with the leather rope from fatigue and inability to complete another skip. It also didn't help that my 'big girl pants' were actually a little big and kept sliding down when I would jump too vigorously. I'm not kidding anyone though. I was happy to stop and pull them up because it meant a BREAK. *heave* Surprisingly, I didn't get very frustrated considering what a hot head I am. I was more hell bent on finishing the damn challenge so I could have my bread at breakfast and forget this whole thing ever happened. I did my best though. I think that I will make sure to skip at least once a week as cardio to improve my form and strengthen my calves. God knows they seized up after that! Cracked wheat never tasted so good either!
It is now 9:12PM at work and I am so looking forward to lying down. My back is stiff from yesterday and my body feels heavy and I know it's time for sleep. I don't think I will do anything after work. I'd like to start the new year refreshed and make my way to the beach to try and get some tan lines again!
I hope that you all have a wonderful new year and if you're out partying, live and laugh it up! 2011 is YOUR YEAR!
P.S
I have been posting my workout times on bodyrock.tv along with all of the other bodyrockers but I noticed that only my crap scores are getting posted by the moderators. They were happy to post my 16 minute skipping time but my 6 minute Mountain Climbers mysteriously did not get approved. I wonder if they think I'm lying? Haha!
P.P.S
My nail dropped off just in time for the new year. Even my toe wants a fresh start!
This is the time of year where a lot of us take a hard look at ourselves and start asking potentially life changing questions and start gearing up to blast through a mile long list of resolutions. It's also the most popular time to set weight loss and exercise related goals. I'm trying to think back on the resolutions that I might have set last year but I honestly can't remember a single one. It is probably safe to say that I didn't complete any of them. This year I have a few, some fitness related and some personal but I foresee 2011 being a lot less tumultuous than 2010. My fitness goals are simple; gain muscle mass and strength, keep eating well, find out where my abs are hiding and the like. My personal goals include finishing my online studies and perhaps getting a little more involved in the church. I'm open to whatever the year brings though. I'm kind of excited to just ride this year out as it comes. I don't know when last I have been able to say that without batting an eye.
However, I think that I am going to extend my diet/exercise challenge to the 26th of January. On the 27th-30th I will be traveling and I don't know how I will manage eating clean on the go but I at least want to keep disciplined until then. Today is Day Five and I'm still being good. I'm also feeling great as well. I can't believe that I am getting tired at night. It's a whole new world for me! Tired to the point of actually sleeping, mind you. My body is liking the new diet and physical challenges it seems. So all of you BBming me at 3AM...save it until morning please. (I have a terrible fear of turning off my phone. Haha)
My new year aside, to my readers I wish the best of luck with all of your new year's endeavors and if there is anything that I can do to help you along the way, please speak up! I hope this year covers all of the h's for you: Happiness, Health, Hard asses and Homies that got your back, yo.
On to business...
Today was legs at the gym. I once again could not meet my training buddy so I slipped on my big girl pants again and found a leg routine that I knew I could lift a decent amount of weight without needing spotting. (Spotting is when another person monitors your reps and slightly helps you complete reps when you are fatigued on your last reps with heavier weights. They also are there to support the weight if needed to prevent you from hurting yourself if your muscles give out.)
I started with a quick 5 minute warm up on the bike to get the joints oiled.
The routine was as follows:
6 sets of machine assisted squats. The first two sets were warm up sets, one with no weight and one with 20 lbs. Maximum weight 90lbs
4 sets of dumbell lunges (12 reps per leg). I HATE lunges. Maximum weight 25lbs dumbells
4 sets of leg presses. First set was a warm up set with 65 lbs. Maximum weight 250 lbs.
4 sets of seated leg curls. Maximum weight 65 lbs
4 sets of seated calve raises. Maximum weight 120 lbs
3 sets of full barbell squats. I had to rally the courage to do these by myself. I am so paranoid about form. I have only done unassisted squats once before so I decided to opt for the smaller bar with light weights. I did the first set with just the bar and then the last two sets with just 20 lbs. I wanted a weight that I could do a clean and then perform the squats.
Not bad for my first session alone. When performing my squats I also did something a little different this time. I was reading that women cheat themselves by only stopping in their squats when their thighs are parallel to the ground. Women are naturally more flexible and so we need to go right down into our full range of flexibility and complete the movement. This way you get the best results and the hardest challenge. It's only when you go down to this limit that your body really has to call upon the butt and hamstrings and you'll feel a huge difference in difficulty. I sure did. It also made doing lighter weights in the full barbell squats just right because I couldn't imagine doing those much heavier now I've improved my form! My butt definitely felt the burn today!
Oh and for the first time in my life whilst walking in the groceries I was told from a distance that I have a 'black batty'. Haha. That means 'butt' Robin. ;) For a scrawny white girl who had no butt whatsoever this is a triumph indeed! Haha!
Today's exercise challenge was another challenge indeed. My friend gave me a wonderful present for my last birthday. She got me a boxers jump rope with a leather rope and weighted handles. You should hear that baby whiz. Or at least try to whiz under the influence of my mediocre skipping skills. It drives me crazy to think back on how I used to skip for ages as a kid and think nothing of it compared to how I am DYING after a few minutes now.
The challenge (from Bodyrock.tv again) was to complete 1000 skips as fast as you can. Zuzana (the robot) finished in 8:06 so I was aiming for 10-11 minutes at least. A trick to avoid losing count was to place 5 objects on the floor and complete 100 skips in front of the first object and the move to the second and complete another 100. When you reach the 5th object you complete 200 skips and work your way back down the line. Well, keeping count was the least of my worries. I initially wanted to try this challenge barefoot but one stinging whack to my feet from that leather rope and I quickly changed my mind. I thought I was fair at skipping until I finished this challenge half dead at 16:08. The most skips that I could do at a time was 46 and then for the next few skip attempts after I would proceed to wallop various body parts with the leather rope from fatigue and inability to complete another skip. It also didn't help that my 'big girl pants' were actually a little big and kept sliding down when I would jump too vigorously. I'm not kidding anyone though. I was happy to stop and pull them up because it meant a BREAK. *heave* Surprisingly, I didn't get very frustrated considering what a hot head I am. I was more hell bent on finishing the damn challenge so I could have my bread at breakfast and forget this whole thing ever happened. I did my best though. I think that I will make sure to skip at least once a week as cardio to improve my form and strengthen my calves. God knows they seized up after that! Cracked wheat never tasted so good either!
It is now 9:12PM at work and I am so looking forward to lying down. My back is stiff from yesterday and my body feels heavy and I know it's time for sleep. I don't think I will do anything after work. I'd like to start the new year refreshed and make my way to the beach to try and get some tan lines again!
I hope that you all have a wonderful new year and if you're out partying, live and laugh it up! 2011 is YOUR YEAR!
P.S
I have been posting my workout times on bodyrock.tv along with all of the other bodyrockers but I noticed that only my crap scores are getting posted by the moderators. They were happy to post my 16 minute skipping time but my 6 minute Mountain Climbers mysteriously did not get approved. I wonder if they think I'm lying? Haha!
P.P.S
My nail dropped off just in time for the new year. Even my toe wants a fresh start!
Happy 2011!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Pu-pu-pu-pump it UP!
Okay! So today is Day Four of my challenge and I have been staying strong and only eating complex carbs like bread after a workout or exercise challenge.
I just thought you should know that last night I came terribly close to caving because I was craving peanut butter on toast. I bought this really delicious, freshly made cracked wheat bread that has the most scrumptious nutty flavour to each bite and I so wanted another slice even though I already had at breakfast. I wanted to casually ignore my challenge but I ended up cutting a pear in half and putting peanut butter on that instead. It wasn't the same but it was a surprisingly nice combination! At least I got my peanut butter! :D
I stayed true to my word and photographed myself for some 'before' shots on the 27th (post-Christmas poof and all) They are not the best quality but they are enough to give you the idea of my current physique.
Sorry for the blown out areas. I'm not trying to hide anything I swear. Haha
Okay so this photo annoys me a bit because it makes my legs look kind of deflated and my abs look leaner than they are.
This is a more honest look at my abs. As you can see, slight development in the stomach but not much. Also you can see my stick arms. So far my triceps are the most developed and those are what really give mass to your arms. You should have seen them before I ever started working out!
This is an ok shot of my back. My back is the leanest part about me although it is not my strongest. I am going to have to take the next shot of my back in a halter sports bra so you can see my middle back better.
I'll include one more body shot which once again greatly exaggerates my abs but shows the definition in my legs a bit better.
So...that would be me. Plenty of room for growth I'd say! Haha!
Yesterday I hit the gym and trained chest with my workout buddy. I arrived a little 'late' so I had to power through my sets as punishment to catch up...although let the truth be known that I was only 'late' because he did not tell me when he was going to the gym so I just went on my own and he happened to be there. :P
I did: 4 sets of seated chest presses with the machine
4 sets of hammer presses (watch these chicks slam some out)
3 sets of inclined chest presses and then a 4th set which was only negatives
6 sets of chest dips until failure (i.e until your arms might fall off)
I missed the set of chest flies due to time but I was kind of glad as the inclined presses take a lot out of me.
Then we did a quick abdominal session and cardio. I chose 25 minutes on the elliptical as my cardio.
My exercise challenge for yesterday was a repeat of Monday's 300 Step Ups. I woke up hungover from a 3/4 glass of wine and groggily set up for my challenge because I wanted some of that bread with my breakfast. This time I alternated legs after 50 reps and I managed to beat my old time of 11:15 with my new record of 9:51. That was 9 seconds faster than Zuzana's first time but 37 seconds slower than her second time. I'm catching up though! More importantly, I beat my own record and that is the true goal.
________________________________________________________________
Today, I decided to put on my big girl pants. I've realized that I depend on my gym partner too much for my workouts and on days when I couldn't meet him at the gym I would usually stay home and do crossfit or run. This is fine essentially, but it is not conducive to my goals. I want to gain mass and so I need to put in the time with the heavy weights.
I spent most of the morning scouting back workouts. A lot of bodybuilders pair back with biceps but due to limited time today I decided to just go with back.
I gradually increased the weight in each set. Here was my workout.:
4 sets of wide grip pull ups. I gradually lowered the assistance weight on the assisted pull up machine. So far the least amount of assistance that I can use is 70 lbs. Weak weak weak. Haha
4 sets of stiff arm pull downs. Max weight was 50 lbs.
4 sets of seated cable rows. Max weight 70 lbs
4 sets of medium grip upright cable row. Maximum weight 30 lbs.
4 sets of lateral rows (on t-bar machine) Maximum weight 35 lbs.
After that, I just did some quick abs and rushed out to work. I like to make up my own ab exercises so I will share some with you some time.
Today's exercise challenge was 500 Mountain Climbers to be completed as fast as I could (courtesy of Bodyrock.tv)
I have been doing a lot of my exercise challenges barefoot as I would like to test out this barefoot theory that I have been speaking about with a friend. I'm going to go more into this in another post but in short, I'm finding that being barefoot requires me to really concentrate on my pronation and stabilization. I do not consider that a bad thing. However, please do not do your Mountain Climbers barefoot because you will get blisters.
I approached this challenge this morning with the hopes of beating Zuzana's time which was somewhere in the five minute margin. I did the first 100 reps non-stop and then broke up into sets of 50 with as little rest as possible. I was really pushing to make the time and this exercise burned my hip flexors like crazy. When I had 100 more to go I saw my time and managed to pound out the last two sets of 50 with almost no rest and finished in 6:01. JUST missed the five minute window!
I went on bodyrock.tv to check Zuzana's times again and much to my surprise her time was 7:29. Hurrah! I beat her for once! I need to set ridiculous goal times more often! Haha
And so that concludes my last two exercise days. Monday after I posted I just did crossfit in the garden and tried not to be eaten alive by sandflies and on Tuesday I used a 25 minute power yoga for stamina session and then an additional 100 crushes non-stop as my exercise challenge. In the afternoon I went to the track and did some high intensity training and running drills with my trainer Casey followed by two speedwork intervals of 300m. After the running drills that was all we could handle. I wish I could break down that workout for you but it was so intense and fast paced that I can't remember everything! Think suicides, jump squats, side to side hops and jumping frog squats in a sand pit with a few duck walks, backward sprints, and walking side squats for good measure. Did I mention that I RIPPED MY PANTS doing the squats? Well, I did. :P
I hope you're all proud of me for keeping up with these exercise challenges because all of that fresh bread is bawling for me. Haha. If you're trying any of these challenges please let me know!
I just thought you should know that last night I came terribly close to caving because I was craving peanut butter on toast. I bought this really delicious, freshly made cracked wheat bread that has the most scrumptious nutty flavour to each bite and I so wanted another slice even though I already had at breakfast. I wanted to casually ignore my challenge but I ended up cutting a pear in half and putting peanut butter on that instead. It wasn't the same but it was a surprisingly nice combination! At least I got my peanut butter! :D
I stayed true to my word and photographed myself for some 'before' shots on the 27th (post-Christmas poof and all) They are not the best quality but they are enough to give you the idea of my current physique.
Sorry for the blown out areas. I'm not trying to hide anything I swear. Haha
Okay so this photo annoys me a bit because it makes my legs look kind of deflated and my abs look leaner than they are.
This is a more honest look at my abs. As you can see, slight development in the stomach but not much. Also you can see my stick arms. So far my triceps are the most developed and those are what really give mass to your arms. You should have seen them before I ever started working out!
This is an ok shot of my back. My back is the leanest part about me although it is not my strongest. I am going to have to take the next shot of my back in a halter sports bra so you can see my middle back better.
I'll include one more body shot which once again greatly exaggerates my abs but shows the definition in my legs a bit better.
So...that would be me. Plenty of room for growth I'd say! Haha!
Yesterday I hit the gym and trained chest with my workout buddy. I arrived a little 'late' so I had to power through my sets as punishment to catch up...although let the truth be known that I was only 'late' because he did not tell me when he was going to the gym so I just went on my own and he happened to be there. :P
I did: 4 sets of seated chest presses with the machine
4 sets of hammer presses (watch these chicks slam some out)
3 sets of inclined chest presses and then a 4th set which was only negatives
6 sets of chest dips until failure (i.e until your arms might fall off)
I missed the set of chest flies due to time but I was kind of glad as the inclined presses take a lot out of me.
Then we did a quick abdominal session and cardio. I chose 25 minutes on the elliptical as my cardio.
My exercise challenge for yesterday was a repeat of Monday's 300 Step Ups. I woke up hungover from a 3/4 glass of wine and groggily set up for my challenge because I wanted some of that bread with my breakfast. This time I alternated legs after 50 reps and I managed to beat my old time of 11:15 with my new record of 9:51. That was 9 seconds faster than Zuzana's first time but 37 seconds slower than her second time. I'm catching up though! More importantly, I beat my own record and that is the true goal.
________________________________________________________________
Today, I decided to put on my big girl pants. I've realized that I depend on my gym partner too much for my workouts and on days when I couldn't meet him at the gym I would usually stay home and do crossfit or run. This is fine essentially, but it is not conducive to my goals. I want to gain mass and so I need to put in the time with the heavy weights.
I spent most of the morning scouting back workouts. A lot of bodybuilders pair back with biceps but due to limited time today I decided to just go with back.
I gradually increased the weight in each set. Here was my workout.:
4 sets of wide grip pull ups. I gradually lowered the assistance weight on the assisted pull up machine. So far the least amount of assistance that I can use is 70 lbs. Weak weak weak. Haha
4 sets of stiff arm pull downs. Max weight was 50 lbs.
4 sets of seated cable rows. Max weight 70 lbs
4 sets of medium grip upright cable row. Maximum weight 30 lbs.
4 sets of lateral rows (on t-bar machine) Maximum weight 35 lbs.
After that, I just did some quick abs and rushed out to work. I like to make up my own ab exercises so I will share some with you some time.
Today's exercise challenge was 500 Mountain Climbers to be completed as fast as I could (courtesy of Bodyrock.tv)
I have been doing a lot of my exercise challenges barefoot as I would like to test out this barefoot theory that I have been speaking about with a friend. I'm going to go more into this in another post but in short, I'm finding that being barefoot requires me to really concentrate on my pronation and stabilization. I do not consider that a bad thing. However, please do not do your Mountain Climbers barefoot because you will get blisters.
I approached this challenge this morning with the hopes of beating Zuzana's time which was somewhere in the five minute margin. I did the first 100 reps non-stop and then broke up into sets of 50 with as little rest as possible. I was really pushing to make the time and this exercise burned my hip flexors like crazy. When I had 100 more to go I saw my time and managed to pound out the last two sets of 50 with almost no rest and finished in 6:01. JUST missed the five minute window!
I went on bodyrock.tv to check Zuzana's times again and much to my surprise her time was 7:29. Hurrah! I beat her for once! I need to set ridiculous goal times more often! Haha
And so that concludes my last two exercise days. Monday after I posted I just did crossfit in the garden and tried not to be eaten alive by sandflies and on Tuesday I used a 25 minute power yoga for stamina session and then an additional 100 crushes non-stop as my exercise challenge. In the afternoon I went to the track and did some high intensity training and running drills with my trainer Casey followed by two speedwork intervals of 300m. After the running drills that was all we could handle. I wish I could break down that workout for you but it was so intense and fast paced that I can't remember everything! Think suicides, jump squats, side to side hops and jumping frog squats in a sand pit with a few duck walks, backward sprints, and walking side squats for good measure. Did I mention that I RIPPED MY PANTS doing the squats? Well, I did. :P
I hope you're all proud of me for keeping up with these exercise challenges because all of that fresh bread is bawling for me. Haha. If you're trying any of these challenges please let me know!
Monday, December 27, 2010
I Made It! Sorta!
Phew! So, all of my strategies worked for Boxing Day but I admit that I fell victim to the Dessert and Seconds fairies on Christmas Day. Hahah! I actually managed to scrape up a healthy plate with salad, my torte, steamed veg and turkey breast to begin with but then I had half a glass of wine...and was buzzing. I can't believe that I have become such a cheap date! Haha! At first I just had some extra turkey and steamed veg for my seconds but then the desserts came out...
I portioned well with about a 1/3 cup of mom's coconut ice cream and a very small amount of Christmas cake...but one glass of wine later I had another helping (same portion) and then after midnight I unabashedly raided the kitchen's leftovers again. Hahah
I didn't really care until I woke up the next morning when I was supposed to have my morning easy run and I was too full (and admittedly dehydrated) to even think about running. I rolled over and woke up past 10! Great belated Christmas present!
My torte came out quite nicely by the way!
Since I missed my morning run and I had already taken two days off I wanted to do a little something or the 26th so I decided to 'just do' one of the exercise challenges from bodyrock.tv
It was a crossfit challenge to complete seven rounds of the following exercises as quickly as you can:
50 one-legged jump rope on right leg
50 one-legged jump rope on left leg
10 commando push ups
The commando pushup is basically this: Lay on your stomach and place your hands next to your chest and power up to plank and draw one knee to your chest. Lower back down to the floor and power up again bringing the other knee to your chest and lower again (essentially a push up/knee tuck combination). Then roll over to the other side of your mat. That is one rep.
The creators of this challenge completed it in 16:39 and 17:57 respectively so I figured I should be able to do it in about 20 minutes. WELL, I was SO sluggish from Christmas day and shamefully slow on the one-legged jump rope that I finished in an embarrassing 26:31 AND I was totally beat. However I will give myself the small excuse that I have never done more than 10 one-legged jump ropes at a time and I also had to battle off my dog that kept harassing me during my commando push ups. The fact remains that I sucked at this challenge though! Hahah! High intensity interval training on Boxing Day proved to be a suicide mission.
This leads to the main point of today's post though: My New Exercise/Diet Challenge for myself.
I have been following Zuzana Light from Bodyrock.tv for a while. This woman has an insane physique and only exercises for 12 minutes a day on average. All of her workouts are high intensity interval training (HIIT) and she claims (and proves by the way she looks) that it's all you need to be lean. She also follows a very strict diet of only getting carbs from fruit and vegetables except for the meal after a workout where she has 'earned' her carbs like bread or potato. Now, I admire her very much but our goals are slightly different so I do not follow her workout schedule 100%. I use her workouts on days where I want to do a little crossfit at home and now for my new challenge for myself. I can't deny how ripped she is looking since she has taken on her new diet so this is inspired by her.
The exercise challenge that I used yesterday is just one of the many that they post on the site. These challenges are short and designed for rest days when she doesn't do a full workout and just wants to get her body moving and 'earn' her carbs. Just for the record, I don't believe that everyone needs to earn their carbs that way but I have decided to take on her diet strategy for at least a couple weeks and see the result I get. My problem is that I want to eat grain and such more than once a day but I only go to the gym once and I don't want to have to do another full workout at home just so I can have my oatmeal! This is where her shorter exercise challenges will come in handy. Some of them are as short as 2-5 minutes! So, I have decided that I will try to do one of her short challenges before any of my meals with complex carbs like whole grain. This will also stop me from having the late night carby treats that I have been sneaking like cake and too-much-peanut butter and toast. Hahah! I'm very excited to take on this challenge and today marks Day One! Let's see if I can make it a whole two weeks!
This morning I knew I would have oatmeal at work for breakfast so as soon as I woke up I did a quick stretch and set up for today's exercise challenge:
150 Step Ups on a chair per leg as quickly as I could. A Step Up is a very simple exercise but it can be hard on your knees so if you have knee problems I would not suggest trying it. You place your right foot on the seat of a chair while your left leg is straight and out to the side. It's kind of like you are in a side lunge with your leg elevated but your stance is not as wide as a full side lunge. Then straighten the leg on the chair as you step up and draw your left knee to your chest while keeping your core tight. Zuzuana completed her challenge in 9:54. She suggested doing 20-50 reps at a time and then switching legs but I was silly and did the three sets of 50 on my right leg and then switched to the left once I completed the 150 reps. By the time I reached my left leg I was so burned out that I had to lower to sets of 20 and then 10 near the end. I finished in 11:15 and I solemnly swear to LISTEN to Zuzana next time. Hahah! I also just discovered that she did not do the knee lift either...
This small routine to start my day has completely revved my metabolism! I am getting hungry much faster and I also feel so energized! I LOVE this new challenge and I really hope to stick to it for the full two weeks!
Bodyrock.tv won't be posting enough exercise challenges to keep up with me since I am doing them pretty much every day so I will have to make up some myself. I'll be sure to say whose is whose to make sure that Bodyrock.tv continues to get the credit for their great ideas!
Need motivation to try this challenge with me?
THIS is Zuzana doing the Step Up exercise. Who wouldn't want to look like that?? Haha!
Feel free to check up on me and make sure that I am sticking to the new plan! If you want to try it with me please let me know how you're doing!
Consider it our pre-New years resolution!
The gym is closed until tomorrow so when I finish work I will probably do a 300 rep crossfit session and call it a day. I wanted to run but my calves are seized up from the jump rope yesterday. I will try to take my 'before' pictures today as well!
Thanks for reading and keep enjoying the holidays!
I portioned well with about a 1/3 cup of mom's coconut ice cream and a very small amount of Christmas cake...but one glass of wine later I had another helping (same portion) and then after midnight I unabashedly raided the kitchen's leftovers again. Hahah
I didn't really care until I woke up the next morning when I was supposed to have my morning easy run and I was too full (and admittedly dehydrated) to even think about running. I rolled over and woke up past 10! Great belated Christmas present!
My torte came out quite nicely by the way!
Since I missed my morning run and I had already taken two days off I wanted to do a little something or the 26th so I decided to 'just do' one of the exercise challenges from bodyrock.tv
It was a crossfit challenge to complete seven rounds of the following exercises as quickly as you can:
50 one-legged jump rope on right leg
50 one-legged jump rope on left leg
10 commando push ups
The commando pushup is basically this: Lay on your stomach and place your hands next to your chest and power up to plank and draw one knee to your chest. Lower back down to the floor and power up again bringing the other knee to your chest and lower again (essentially a push up/knee tuck combination). Then roll over to the other side of your mat. That is one rep.
The creators of this challenge completed it in 16:39 and 17:57 respectively so I figured I should be able to do it in about 20 minutes. WELL, I was SO sluggish from Christmas day and shamefully slow on the one-legged jump rope that I finished in an embarrassing 26:31 AND I was totally beat. However I will give myself the small excuse that I have never done more than 10 one-legged jump ropes at a time and I also had to battle off my dog that kept harassing me during my commando push ups. The fact remains that I sucked at this challenge though! Hahah! High intensity interval training on Boxing Day proved to be a suicide mission.
This leads to the main point of today's post though: My New Exercise/Diet Challenge for myself.
I have been following Zuzana Light from Bodyrock.tv for a while. This woman has an insane physique and only exercises for 12 minutes a day on average. All of her workouts are high intensity interval training (HIIT) and she claims (and proves by the way she looks) that it's all you need to be lean. She also follows a very strict diet of only getting carbs from fruit and vegetables except for the meal after a workout where she has 'earned' her carbs like bread or potato. Now, I admire her very much but our goals are slightly different so I do not follow her workout schedule 100%. I use her workouts on days where I want to do a little crossfit at home and now for my new challenge for myself. I can't deny how ripped she is looking since she has taken on her new diet so this is inspired by her.
The exercise challenge that I used yesterday is just one of the many that they post on the site. These challenges are short and designed for rest days when she doesn't do a full workout and just wants to get her body moving and 'earn' her carbs. Just for the record, I don't believe that everyone needs to earn their carbs that way but I have decided to take on her diet strategy for at least a couple weeks and see the result I get. My problem is that I want to eat grain and such more than once a day but I only go to the gym once and I don't want to have to do another full workout at home just so I can have my oatmeal! This is where her shorter exercise challenges will come in handy. Some of them are as short as 2-5 minutes! So, I have decided that I will try to do one of her short challenges before any of my meals with complex carbs like whole grain. This will also stop me from having the late night carby treats that I have been sneaking like cake and too-much-peanut butter and toast. Hahah! I'm very excited to take on this challenge and today marks Day One! Let's see if I can make it a whole two weeks!
This morning I knew I would have oatmeal at work for breakfast so as soon as I woke up I did a quick stretch and set up for today's exercise challenge:
150 Step Ups on a chair per leg as quickly as I could. A Step Up is a very simple exercise but it can be hard on your knees so if you have knee problems I would not suggest trying it. You place your right foot on the seat of a chair while your left leg is straight and out to the side. It's kind of like you are in a side lunge with your leg elevated but your stance is not as wide as a full side lunge. Then straighten the leg on the chair as you step up and draw your left knee to your chest while keeping your core tight. Zuzuana completed her challenge in 9:54. She suggested doing 20-50 reps at a time and then switching legs but I was silly and did the three sets of 50 on my right leg and then switched to the left once I completed the 150 reps. By the time I reached my left leg I was so burned out that I had to lower to sets of 20 and then 10 near the end. I finished in 11:15 and I solemnly swear to LISTEN to Zuzana next time. Hahah! I also just discovered that she did not do the knee lift either...
This small routine to start my day has completely revved my metabolism! I am getting hungry much faster and I also feel so energized! I LOVE this new challenge and I really hope to stick to it for the full two weeks!
Bodyrock.tv won't be posting enough exercise challenges to keep up with me since I am doing them pretty much every day so I will have to make up some myself. I'll be sure to say whose is whose to make sure that Bodyrock.tv continues to get the credit for their great ideas!
Need motivation to try this challenge with me?
THIS is Zuzana doing the Step Up exercise. Who wouldn't want to look like that?? Haha!
Feel free to check up on me and make sure that I am sticking to the new plan! If you want to try it with me please let me know how you're doing!
Consider it our pre-New years resolution!
The gym is closed until tomorrow so when I finish work I will probably do a 300 rep crossfit session and call it a day. I wanted to run but my calves are seized up from the jump rope yesterday. I will try to take my 'before' pictures today as well!
Thanks for reading and keep enjoying the holidays!
Friday, December 24, 2010
'Twas the Night Before Christmas (Cake)
I can't believe that tomorrow is Christmas day...
This year's Christmas has been a lot more relaxed for me. So relaxed in fact that I got to work this evening and realized that I hadn't bought anything to fill my mother's stocking tonight or any of the ingredients to make my side dish for tomorrow...AND I didn't even know what side dish I was making!! So I joined the mad rush of people scrambling around the groceries at the last minute on my break from work. Thankfully I managed to get everything that I needed in time.
So here I am on Christmas Eve in my office sipping ginger mint tea from my Rudolf coffee mug, surrounded by a pool of grocery bags and donning a rather grannyish red sweater in my attempt to look festive. Ho ho ho...
Now, everyone knows that Christmas is a very special time of year. Your kids turn to saints because they couldn't bear the grief of being neglected by the all-seeing Santa. People are walking around wearing ridiculous Christmas gear like semi-crushed Santa hats or singing reindeer antlers with half dead batteries that strain to whine out the tune of 'Jingle bells'. Family time becomes mandatory and it seems like everyone is making a special effort to be pleasant this time of year. I personally love it and I admit that I also love that the kitchen is filled with bright tins of my mother's lovingly made Christmas cake. Let's face it guys, Christmas is also a time of really delicious but rather unhealthy food and it's hard to pass it up! If you log on to any fitness or diet site you'll find article upon article of tricks to beat holiday cravings and motivational speeches on why it's not worth abandoning your diet at this time of year. I'll be honest and say that I've not been restrictive with my diet at all. I eat according to my usual method during the day but when that sun goes down the moonlight hits those cake tins so attractively...Its so hilarious really. In the morning I think, 'Okay! I had cake last night so none today!' and I'm 100% devoted to this until about 12:30AM where I shoot up out of bed and the first thing that comes to mind is, 'Cake!' and of course I sneak down the hall and have 'one bite' which leads to one slice. I would have felt totally guilty about this at one point but these days such things matter a lot less. Obviously I want to eat healthily, and I do, but I'm not going to beat myself up over the cakes and chocolates that I have been sampling. Admittedly, my stomach is a little...fluffier since I've been having the extra sugar but on the other hand my leg muscles have gotten larger. They seem to be loving the extra calories! The truth remains that if you want to be completely ripped for the holidays, you can't eat the cake, or the chocolate...or the nougats or eggnog or cookies...you also can't go all out on the cheese platters or the spiced nuts...ham in moderation and so on and so forth. Not to mention you also have to politely beat away each of the cooing relatives trying to fill your plate with a house sized portion of whatever they brought. Basically, come meal time, just hide.
This isn't the Christmas that I had in mind though, so I'm having my cake and eating it. However, I'm still taking small measures to make sure that I'm not going overboard so I figured that I would share those with you.
Bring a dish.
Add an option to the Christmas spread that you know is healthy. Apart from that there is almost always a salad (or you can bring that yourself) so right there half to three quarters of your plate is already filled with smart choices. Whatever you decide to fill the rest of your plate with is your Christmas present to yourself. ;)
The dish I chose to make this year is a Potato and Sweet Potato torte. I got the recipe from Eatingwell.com and you can see it here: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/potato_sweet_potato_torte.html
I decided to use purple potatoes instead of Yukon gold to add some funky colour!
Turn a blind eye to the store bought desserts.
You can tell when a pie is made with love as opposed to made in China. Don't pick the plastic and processed frozen pies and cakes or the packaged cookies. Indulge in a homemade delight even if it is more fatty. I rather eat a cake made with real sugar and butter than 100% organic high-fructose corn syrup.
Sip lightly.
You know why. If you get drunk and jolly you're not going to care if it's your fourth piece of chocolate covered deep fried ice cream cake. I don't know if they really make that but I'd imagine I'd try it if I was drunk enough...
Don't fast.
Even if you plan on eating the entire dinner spread and the platters it came on, don't starve yourself during the day. That will backfire in so many ways. First of all it will shift your body into starvation mode and it will end up hanging on to every crumb that you have once you eat and that also slows your metabolism. It will make you unnecessarily ravenous come dinner time and you will be more likely to eat far more than you should. It's my belief that its better to eat something, even an unhealthy something, than not eat at all.
I actually made for myself a yummy ginger carrot chicken soup so that I'll have a healthy meal on hand when I need to resist the leftovers as well! I will share that recipe with you sometime because it's scrumptious!
And yeah., that's pretty much it. The rest is up to how well I moderate my portions.
Whatever happens though, I'm not going to measure my Christmas enjoyment by how tight my shirt seemed to get between breakfast and lunch. It really is too special a time to be hung up on calories. Have a merry Christmas!
I also have a bit of freaking great news. Santa came early this year and gifted me with the ability to run again! On Tuesday I hit the track and did three 300m intervals. I nearly threw up but this time not from pain but from being so out of form. Haha! I'm so happy though! I think I will get up early on Boxing Day and have a nice easy run!
If you notice, I've been blogging mostly about diet so far and not posting much about my workouts. Well, trust me, I've been working out. Yesterday we did heavy leg work in the gym where my trainer/friend had me leg pressing 290 lbs and taking ten seconds to complete one slow squat. I also did my first session of unassisted squats. Every step I take today feels like someone is pinching my backside. Haha!
I've decided to take my 'before' photos after Christmas. That is, after all of the Christmas damage. :P Once the season is over I'll start giving you a run down on my workouts and you can start tracking my progress with me. :) I also would really love to hear what you guys are doing for the season and how you're keeping yourselves fit these days! Don't be shy!
So...Merry Christmas to you all! Thanks again for all of your support this year with the marathon and I hope to see it through and complete next year's event! If any of you that live where I do want to train with me too, please let me know!
Happy holidays from my office chair! Notice that I included the festive fire extinguisher.
Perhaps I will brush my hair for Christmas...
This year's Christmas has been a lot more relaxed for me. So relaxed in fact that I got to work this evening and realized that I hadn't bought anything to fill my mother's stocking tonight or any of the ingredients to make my side dish for tomorrow...AND I didn't even know what side dish I was making!! So I joined the mad rush of people scrambling around the groceries at the last minute on my break from work. Thankfully I managed to get everything that I needed in time.
So here I am on Christmas Eve in my office sipping ginger mint tea from my Rudolf coffee mug, surrounded by a pool of grocery bags and donning a rather grannyish red sweater in my attempt to look festive. Ho ho ho...
Now, everyone knows that Christmas is a very special time of year. Your kids turn to saints because they couldn't bear the grief of being neglected by the all-seeing Santa. People are walking around wearing ridiculous Christmas gear like semi-crushed Santa hats or singing reindeer antlers with half dead batteries that strain to whine out the tune of 'Jingle bells'. Family time becomes mandatory and it seems like everyone is making a special effort to be pleasant this time of year. I personally love it and I admit that I also love that the kitchen is filled with bright tins of my mother's lovingly made Christmas cake. Let's face it guys, Christmas is also a time of really delicious but rather unhealthy food and it's hard to pass it up! If you log on to any fitness or diet site you'll find article upon article of tricks to beat holiday cravings and motivational speeches on why it's not worth abandoning your diet at this time of year. I'll be honest and say that I've not been restrictive with my diet at all. I eat according to my usual method during the day but when that sun goes down the moonlight hits those cake tins so attractively...Its so hilarious really. In the morning I think, 'Okay! I had cake last night so none today!' and I'm 100% devoted to this until about 12:30AM where I shoot up out of bed and the first thing that comes to mind is, 'Cake!' and of course I sneak down the hall and have 'one bite' which leads to one slice. I would have felt totally guilty about this at one point but these days such things matter a lot less. Obviously I want to eat healthily, and I do, but I'm not going to beat myself up over the cakes and chocolates that I have been sampling. Admittedly, my stomach is a little...fluffier since I've been having the extra sugar but on the other hand my leg muscles have gotten larger. They seem to be loving the extra calories! The truth remains that if you want to be completely ripped for the holidays, you can't eat the cake, or the chocolate...or the nougats or eggnog or cookies...you also can't go all out on the cheese platters or the spiced nuts...ham in moderation and so on and so forth. Not to mention you also have to politely beat away each of the cooing relatives trying to fill your plate with a house sized portion of whatever they brought. Basically, come meal time, just hide.
This isn't the Christmas that I had in mind though, so I'm having my cake and eating it. However, I'm still taking small measures to make sure that I'm not going overboard so I figured that I would share those with you.
Bring a dish.
Add an option to the Christmas spread that you know is healthy. Apart from that there is almost always a salad (or you can bring that yourself) so right there half to three quarters of your plate is already filled with smart choices. Whatever you decide to fill the rest of your plate with is your Christmas present to yourself. ;)
The dish I chose to make this year is a Potato and Sweet Potato torte. I got the recipe from Eatingwell.com and you can see it here: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/potato_sweet_potato_torte.html
I decided to use purple potatoes instead of Yukon gold to add some funky colour!
Turn a blind eye to the store bought desserts.
You can tell when a pie is made with love as opposed to made in China. Don't pick the plastic and processed frozen pies and cakes or the packaged cookies. Indulge in a homemade delight even if it is more fatty. I rather eat a cake made with real sugar and butter than 100% organic high-fructose corn syrup.
Sip lightly.
You know why. If you get drunk and jolly you're not going to care if it's your fourth piece of chocolate covered deep fried ice cream cake. I don't know if they really make that but I'd imagine I'd try it if I was drunk enough...
Don't fast.
Even if you plan on eating the entire dinner spread and the platters it came on, don't starve yourself during the day. That will backfire in so many ways. First of all it will shift your body into starvation mode and it will end up hanging on to every crumb that you have once you eat and that also slows your metabolism. It will make you unnecessarily ravenous come dinner time and you will be more likely to eat far more than you should. It's my belief that its better to eat something, even an unhealthy something, than not eat at all.
I actually made for myself a yummy ginger carrot chicken soup so that I'll have a healthy meal on hand when I need to resist the leftovers as well! I will share that recipe with you sometime because it's scrumptious!
And yeah., that's pretty much it. The rest is up to how well I moderate my portions.
Whatever happens though, I'm not going to measure my Christmas enjoyment by how tight my shirt seemed to get between breakfast and lunch. It really is too special a time to be hung up on calories. Have a merry Christmas!
I also have a bit of freaking great news. Santa came early this year and gifted me with the ability to run again! On Tuesday I hit the track and did three 300m intervals. I nearly threw up but this time not from pain but from being so out of form. Haha! I'm so happy though! I think I will get up early on Boxing Day and have a nice easy run!
If you notice, I've been blogging mostly about diet so far and not posting much about my workouts. Well, trust me, I've been working out. Yesterday we did heavy leg work in the gym where my trainer/friend had me leg pressing 290 lbs and taking ten seconds to complete one slow squat. I also did my first session of unassisted squats. Every step I take today feels like someone is pinching my backside. Haha!
I've decided to take my 'before' photos after Christmas. That is, after all of the Christmas damage. :P Once the season is over I'll start giving you a run down on my workouts and you can start tracking my progress with me. :) I also would really love to hear what you guys are doing for the season and how you're keeping yourselves fit these days! Don't be shy!
So...Merry Christmas to you all! Thanks again for all of your support this year with the marathon and I hope to see it through and complete next year's event! If any of you that live where I do want to train with me too, please let me know!
Happy holidays from my office chair! Notice that I included the festive fire extinguisher.
Perhaps I will brush my hair for Christmas...
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
*Cluck cluck*- Recipe and Diet Update
I mumbled it at the end of my last post...and now it's official. I have started eating lean chicken! No plans to eat any other kind of meat apart from fish though...
Why did I make this decision after 6 years of pescetarianism? A few reasons really. Since I have started lifting heavier weights I knew I was going to have to rethink my diet. I have to get serious about protein so that I can supply my body with a sufficient amount to promote muscle growth and repair. I can't break down my muscles like that and then neglect giving them what they need to recover. I felt that I was doing well without the meat for some time, but I don't eat fish as much as I would like because it is expensive and my soy products were already equally, if not more, expensive. Eating some soy is fine when bodybuilding but it isn't recommended to be getting the majority of your protein from soy. Soy is not the best for optimal anabolic muscle growth (i.e bulking up). A lot of soy is also quite processed. As I mentioned before I would like to cut down on such things and I feel that adding good old fashioned chicken breast to my diet to replace some of the soy will be in my best interest. I admit I'm kind of excited! My grocery bill is going to be a lot easier on the eyes and I now have a kaleidoscope of new recipes to try! *happy dance*
To commemorate the replacement of my ever-handy vegan patties I decided to make my first chicken experiment healthy chicken patties. I found a great recipe on bodyrock.tv which has few ingredients and promised to be a yummy replacement for my old frozen standbys.
The ingredients are:
1 large portabella mushroom cap
1 leek
1 tsp olive oil
12 oz chicken breast
4 cloves of garlic
4 leaves of fresh basil
2 tbsp lite coconut milk
2 egg whites
Salt and pepper to taste
Equipment needed:
A cookie sheet
A food processor
A skillet
Now for preparation:
-Preheat oven to 350.
-Chop the mushroom and the white and pale green part of the leek. Make sure that you really wash your leek properly because dirt gets all the way down in there sometimes.
-Heat the olive oil in a skillet and saute the mushroom and leek until the it begins to brown. Stick it in the fridge to cool.
-Chop the chicken and basil and crush the garlic cloves.
-Grab your food processor and throw in the chicken, egg whites, coconut milk, garlic, basil and salt and pepper to taste (I didn't use any salt). Process until the chicken is fully ground into a thick paste.
-Stir in the mushroom and leeks evenly into the paste. Don't be too rough or you'll smush the mushrooms.
-Now you can pretend you're baking cookies! Grab your non-stick cookie sheet and mold the chicken into palm sized patties. Don't make them too thick though. Don't let the patties touch on the baking sheet.
-Stick the tray in the oven and bake until done. You can start checking them after about 25-30 minutes. When they are ready the patties are firm to the touch and the leeks may burn just along the edges.
Let them cool and eat them in a whole wheat bun or with a salad.
They were actually really delicious. Even my father who won't touch anything I cook because its 'healthy' and has 'green bits' in it polished his off. When I first saw the recipe I found the patties looked a little unappetizing due to the pale colour but I was more than surprised by the taste. You really get the flavour of garlic as well which I love!
Not a bad start to bird munching!
I think that I need to eat them one at a time because my stomach isn't used to processing meat anymore. I ate two for dinner last night and I felt really heavy and it was like it sat in my stomach all night! Haha! It was worth it though. Yummy and good for you too. Made a nice light lunch today as well!
So there is my new major diet change. The next thing that I am going to look into is coconut oil. I've noticed that a lot of people are making the switch and I want to find out what the fuss is about! I'll update you with my findings. ;)
Happy holidays!
Why did I make this decision after 6 years of pescetarianism? A few reasons really. Since I have started lifting heavier weights I knew I was going to have to rethink my diet. I have to get serious about protein so that I can supply my body with a sufficient amount to promote muscle growth and repair. I can't break down my muscles like that and then neglect giving them what they need to recover. I felt that I was doing well without the meat for some time, but I don't eat fish as much as I would like because it is expensive and my soy products were already equally, if not more, expensive. Eating some soy is fine when bodybuilding but it isn't recommended to be getting the majority of your protein from soy. Soy is not the best for optimal anabolic muscle growth (i.e bulking up). A lot of soy is also quite processed. As I mentioned before I would like to cut down on such things and I feel that adding good old fashioned chicken breast to my diet to replace some of the soy will be in my best interest. I admit I'm kind of excited! My grocery bill is going to be a lot easier on the eyes and I now have a kaleidoscope of new recipes to try! *happy dance*
To commemorate the replacement of my ever-handy vegan patties I decided to make my first chicken experiment healthy chicken patties. I found a great recipe on bodyrock.tv which has few ingredients and promised to be a yummy replacement for my old frozen standbys.
The ingredients are:
1 large portabella mushroom cap
1 leek
1 tsp olive oil
12 oz chicken breast
4 cloves of garlic
4 leaves of fresh basil
2 tbsp lite coconut milk
2 egg whites
Salt and pepper to taste
Equipment needed:
A cookie sheet
A food processor
A skillet
Now for preparation:
-Preheat oven to 350.
-Chop the mushroom and the white and pale green part of the leek. Make sure that you really wash your leek properly because dirt gets all the way down in there sometimes.
-Heat the olive oil in a skillet and saute the mushroom and leek until the it begins to brown. Stick it in the fridge to cool.
-Chop the chicken and basil and crush the garlic cloves.
-Grab your food processor and throw in the chicken, egg whites, coconut milk, garlic, basil and salt and pepper to taste (I didn't use any salt). Process until the chicken is fully ground into a thick paste.
-Stir in the mushroom and leeks evenly into the paste. Don't be too rough or you'll smush the mushrooms.
-Now you can pretend you're baking cookies! Grab your non-stick cookie sheet and mold the chicken into palm sized patties. Don't make them too thick though. Don't let the patties touch on the baking sheet.
-Stick the tray in the oven and bake until done. You can start checking them after about 25-30 minutes. When they are ready the patties are firm to the touch and the leeks may burn just along the edges.
Let them cool and eat them in a whole wheat bun or with a salad.
They were actually really delicious. Even my father who won't touch anything I cook because its 'healthy' and has 'green bits' in it polished his off. When I first saw the recipe I found the patties looked a little unappetizing due to the pale colour but I was more than surprised by the taste. You really get the flavour of garlic as well which I love!
Not a bad start to bird munching!
I think that I need to eat them one at a time because my stomach isn't used to processing meat anymore. I ate two for dinner last night and I felt really heavy and it was like it sat in my stomach all night! Haha! It was worth it though. Yummy and good for you too. Made a nice light lunch today as well!
So there is my new major diet change. The next thing that I am going to look into is coconut oil. I've noticed that a lot of people are making the switch and I want to find out what the fuss is about! I'll update you with my findings. ;)
Happy holidays!
Monday, December 20, 2010
We'll Start at the Table: Diet Talk!
Before I begin, let me just explain that I am not a nutritionist. These blogs are filled with my thoughts on diet and my personal experiences and opinions. I'm doing my best to make educated decisions and provide useful information, but please feel free to leave your comments if you have any questions or concerns about the content of these blogs.One of the things most of us struggle with is diet. I definitely have and I'm familiar with how daunting it can be. Whether you are trying to lose or gain weight or simply maintain a balanced, healthy diet, today's media is constantly confusing us with this 'proven method' or the latest diet fads. Sometimes I just want to scream. It's almost like every week we have a new study that proves the results of last week's studies false and its hard to know who is right or what to do. When I decided to take up bodybuilding I found that a lot of the diet strategies were so technical and anal...and not to mention confusing. There were 'ripping' as opposed to 'bulking' diets with precise calculations of how many grams of carbs you should eat vs. grams of fat and protein and when each should be eaten...it was enough to make my head spin. They claim it's straightforward but then they have all of these little side rules like fruit only at breakfast and complex carbs (like bread) only within 2 hours of exercise. Some say no carbs after 6PM, some say it doesn't matter what time you eat, some say you have to eat every 3 hours while others insist that three meals a day is the better option. All of this aside, the one statement that kept popping up that drove me insane was, 'Only view food as fuel.'
No thank you.
This is something that I think is what will make or break an eating plan. I don't think that anyone should have to stick to a bland diet that you don't enjoy because someone nutritional fat cat says it's the only way you'll lose belly fat. I refuse to eat another rice cake! I'm also not a fan of these low-carb diets. I've tried that and I swear my head was spinning all day from hunger. It just didn't work for me. I don't believe that diet should equal deprivation.
Now, that's not to say that I think that you should go and eat any old thing. We have the right to fill our plates with what we enjoy, but we also have the responsibility to take care of our bodies and you won't be doing that by swapping your whole grain bread with a moonpie and your lean proteins with bacon. One may raise their eyebrow at me because I usually will pass on dessert or order the salad, but that is not to say that if I really feel for ice cream or chocolate that I am going to stuff myself with celery and pretend I'm happy. I believe in responsible moderation of what you eat on a day to day basis. I love the food I eat. I enjoy playing around with new recipes and I know that healthy food does not have to be boring! I don't think you should treat your mealtime like a scientific equation. There is so much great food out there and I don't think its simply there just to get me through those extra 5 reps.
So, what have you changed?
As I mentioned, I have cut out some of the complex carbs that I was eating before because the amount I needed for training for a marathon was huge which isn't really necessary anymore as I'm not running for 2 hours straight. I still eat them though!
I also mentioned sugar. I've always been a little negligent about monitoring my sugar intake. This is because I figured I am someone who doesn't have a sweet tooth or touch table sugar so I probably wasn't having that much...but I didn't realize that all of the added sugars in the fat free yogurts that I ate, and the honey, brown sugar syrup and sugar that was all in one of my granola bars really weren't the best thing for me. There are some fitness enthusiasts that would rather eat a boat load of fat than sugar. I still haven't quite figured out why its so bad for you but considering that the body doesn't need it at all makes me think that I am wasting calories on junk instead of obtaining beneficial nutrients. Have I quit granola forever? No way...but I'm not eating it everyday like I was before. I will say that I am noticing more definition in my stomach since I have made this change and I chalk it up to less water retention. For people who don't want to give up sugary treats I'd say to at least make sure that your snacks are not store bought and are made from real ingredients and not high-fructose corn syrup. Rule of thumb, if you can leave it on the counter (sealed or not) and eat it next week...its probably full of icky additives. Have a homemade cookie or ice cream. My mom happens to make the best coconut ice cream which I happily tiptoe down the corridor at night for and I personally think that Ben and Jerrys can kiss it.
Something that I am trying to work out at the moment is cheese. I adore cheese. I usually buy soy cheese which is nice but the truth remains that cheddar 'flavoured' soy cheese is a) processed and b) isn't fooling anyone. I'm trying to reduce the amount of processed products that I am eating. I'm eating more seafood and a bit less soy to start but the issue of cheese remains. I'm all for good fats but an ounce of cheese really does have a lot of saturated fat. So the toss up is between processed soy cheese, fatty real cheese or SUPER processed fat-free cheese. I like the good fats in my soy cheese, but I love the taste of Parmesan on my tomato sauce or a nice sharp cheddar with some grapes and the soy cheeses just don't have that zing...and then there is the processed, tasteless, fat-free plastic that they have the nerve to label cheese, packed with sodium and things I can't pronounce. I've been looking for reduced fat cheeses and most of them have about 6g of fat, 3.5 of which are saturated. I guess it's not terrible but I will have to make sure to really make an ounce, an ounce and no more. I feel that this is ultimately the way to go. Once again, even saturated fat is okay in moderation. I just wish that the groceries would moderate their PRICES as all of the quality reduced fat cheeses are about $22 a block.
Now, you may ask what my typical eating day might look like. I try to switch it as much as possible, but here is a good example. I would use today's but I was Christmas shopping and had a light chocolate mint latte and bought sushi which isn't typical. Anyways:
Breakfast: oatmeal made with almond milk and blueberries
Snack: Grapes and dried pineapple
Lunch: Baked sweet potato with Grilled vegetable burger wrapped in lettuce with tomatoes and rice cheddar (was experimenting with that and it's gross. No more rice cheese)
Snack: Protein shake
Dinner: Salmon chowder
Snack: 2 cups air popped popcorn sprinkled with dried currants
Midnight snack (if I'm hungry I'm gonna eat!) Toasted whole wheat bread with honey, a handful of nuts (or peanut butter) and a glass of skimmed milk.
I'm trying to reintroduce wheat into my diet and being able to sleep right after eating it helps sometimes if it makes me bloated and uncomfortable. As you can see, I'm not against late night eating. If you're hungry, I don't see a problem with having a small meal or snack. Just don't eat the whole fridge because no one is looking!
I didn't choose a particular bodybuilding diet. My main focus is on eating quality food regularly, intuitively selecting my meals instead of eating my rice now because the book says I must eat it NOW, limiting saturated fats and most importantly, enjoying everything that I put into my mouth. Lets not go down the 'good' food 'bad' food road. Feed yourself responsibly. If you really tune in to what your body is asking for you won't have a hard time choosing the banana and peanut butter on toast over the 'low calorie' oreo cakesters. Those give you black teeth anyways which is very unbecoming...
My challenge for you is this:
The next time that you are hungry in between meals, before you even look in the fridge or wander over to the vending machine, ask yourself what you truly feel for. Visualize your potential snack options and what is it that really appeals to your needs? Not your cravings...your needs. See if you can tell the difference.
I seriously don't expect you to do this every single time that you want something to eat...but I do want to encourage a little more self awareness and even gratitude when we approach eating. Eat your meals slowly and don't focus on cleaning your plate. Really pay attention to the flavours of your meal and notice when you begin to feel full. Don't force yourself to eat more than you really need and try to appreciate each bite. This sort of self awareness is handy when you are now trying to figure out your ideal portion size as well. We all need to figure ourselves out! ;)
Anyways, the point I would like to make is...I still don't have a calculated diet and I don't feel like any less of an athlete for it. I still fully intend to block my ears to the food ONLY as fuel demands and I will continue to try and eat food that wouldn't make mother nature smack me. If I make any diets changes, you'll know about it!
For one thing...I am considering reintroducing lean chicken into my diet....we'll see!
Thanks for reading!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)