Another day, another.. great workout, yoga, and studying what fascinates me! Luvin life 
FITNESS
I started my day with a lovely soreness creating upper body workout with my trainer. Afterwards we discussed a new split for me that’s in line with my goals of leaning out. It’s funny, he said, “well with lifting here (the studio) twice a week, and yoga.. how often are you doing yoga now?” .. I give sheepish face.. him: “you’re doing it everyday aren’t you?” .. me: “well…” haha..
If you’re a new reader, after my last fitness competition in November, where I qualified to compete nationally, my goal was to put on muscle in order to be more competitive on the national stage. I’d never tried specifically to “build” before, so we (my trainer & I) didn’t know how my body would respond. It varies so much from person to person depending on body type and metabolism. Well it turns out, I am very much not a “hard gainer.” Each week I was eating more, lifting heavier and measurements were going up as body fat % stayed the same or even went down. I put on 20 lbs over what I competed at, but my body fat % never went higher than 5% over my competition measurements (it’s all relative with those). So mission accomplished right? .. well sort of.. I’m proud of the gains I made and learned a lot about how my body responds to such nutrition & workouts. I had planed to compete this summer, and even start the crazy carb-cycling diet to “cut” body fat, when I re-evaluate my situation with regards to focusing on starting my business and getting settled post-MBA, and decided that the responsible choice was for me to delay competing for a while. I’m hoping to compete in the fall, but nothing is set in stone. So I sort of feel like “all dressed up and no spot to go,” became “all bulked up with no competition in the near future.” haha, or in other words, a little bit of “be careful what you lift for.” :p
So right now, I’m slowly dieting. I’m not following a strict plan to diet down, but I’m also not eating or lifting to build. I would like to spend the summer lifting to maintain as much muscle as I can, while also getting in good cardio, and doing yoga to improve my flexibility (and keep me happy & sane :p). So based on these goals, my new split looks something like this:
Day 1: Upper Body with Trainer (Back & Shoulder emphasis), Spin
Day 2: Lower Body
Day 3: Cardio
Day 4: Cardio
Day 5: Lower Body with Trainer, Cardio Class of some sort
Day 6: Upper Body (Arms & Chest emphasis)
Day 7: rest
Lately I’ve been doing Yoga 5-6 times a week, so that’s in there most days for either an 80 min. Flow or Power class.
This evening I also went to a Power Yoga class with a teacher I hadn’t tried before.. and I really liked it! The class was good, and even though it was a slower pace than my usual Flow class, I still sweat like crazy and made improvements on a couple holds. I liked that the teacher kept reminding us to smile, and talked about how it’s completely ok to be selfish with your yoga time, because being selfish on your mat helps you be selfless in all other areas of your life.
I have my favorite teachers, and easily tend to just go to the same classes over and over (they’re just so awesome!), but I’m trying to get in a bit more of a variety because there’s so much to learn from each class & teacher!
What can I say, I’m feeling awesome and going with the Flow!
NUTRITION
After lifting this morning, I blended up an old favorite, but this time created a ‘lightened up’ version..
Lightened Up Peanut Butter Kabocha Protein Shake
85 g frozen Kabocha pieces
1 scoop Vanilla/Cake Batter Protein Powder
1 tbsp PB2
3/4 c Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze (UVAB)
1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum
Ice
Delicious! I forgot how good this was. It’s amazing how much the Kabocha brings out the PB flavor
My refrigerator is getting pretty empty, but since I’m going out of town this weekend I don’t want to make a big shopping trip, and besides, after Yoga today, I just wasn’t in the mood to cook. So I swung by AJ’s (an awesome market in AZ) and picked up my favorite salad: Spinach with Strawberries, Walnuts & Chicken (added by me)..
Dessert was my current obsession: , but this time I also mixed in..
I saw this while I was checking out at the grocery store, and new it was destined to go in my Lite PB Protein Ice Cream..
Later in the evening, I was hungry again, so I had a little Kabocha topped with ~1/3 Plain Greek Yogurt that I mixed with Vanilla Creme Stevia drops & Cinnamon..
Oh, I forgot to mention.. I did get Capella drops a while back, but I’m not really diggin them. They taste completely chemically to me, and I definitely prefer Stevia flavored drops. Any suggestions for the Capella drops? Am I maybe using too much? What have you all used them for and how much do you usually use?
FUN
So my first attempt at updating the commenting system failed miserably and a lot of people were having trouble commenting today. Big apologies! I installed a new plug-in. I really want to be able to reply to comment questions and have it alert the person. So if you ask a question in the comment section, be sure to select ‘Subscribe to Reply’ and it should send you an email when I respond.
Oh I just watched the Lost Finale.. it was good.. I guess, nothing shocking but not bad either, IMO. But did you see the Grey’s Finale?! I have seriously never cried like that watching a tv show before! It was SO GOOD! If you haven’t seen it yet, watch it immediately ..
Alright, I’m off to get in a little studying in (yes, at 11:30pm at night).. my schedule’s all out of whack. Happy Happy Hump Day!
Fun Links
I bought the Capella drops a few years back. Like you they tasted odd to me. I ended up throwing away 6 bottles. I also threw away 4 jars of PB2 that expired 3 years ago LOL! I guess I need to check expiration dates more often. Actually I got sick of the PB2 but want to try the chocolate.
Good luck with the new training split!!
Happy Hump Day girl. I love that you have paid so much attention to your body and how it responds specifically to certain nutrition and lifting patterns. I do not, repeat, do no, build very easily. I've tried upping my protein, upping my calories, decreasing cardio, nope, nada. Since I'm not competing, I guess it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things of course. I think it's so great you have found something like yoga that you love!
Hey Alyson! Do you buy your Kabocha fresh, roast it, then freeze it or can you buy it already frozen from the store?
Twitter: NourishedFit
says:
Yup. I roast it at 375 for ~30 min. then slice it up and freeze it. That also helps me from eating a whole one in 2 days!
Almost 20 pounds of muscle?? I'm so jealous!! But I know you worked hard for that!
And for the Capella, how many drops are you using? you might be using too much.. or it could be the flavor! Some of the flavors I don't like- but I love the french toast flavor!
Ummm sugar free good tasting chocolate?? I NEED this
Hahah!!
I love your different dishes they always sound and looks so tasty
I am so jealous you have the time to do yoga 5-6 days a week! I love it!
XXOO
I can't find a good way to say this…I'm glad to know that you are also cutting body fat. I don't feel like such a lone ranger lol.
HEY GIRL!! ahhh LOVE these ice creams!!! i need me and ice cream maker! girl your workout schedule is awesome!
Great goals ahead for you!!! You plan it out & that leads to success!
I am so opposite you as when I was young, I was a super easy gainer! One of those women that could bulk up with weight training. 3 45 pound plates on each side of the 45 degree leg press & I was huge!
With age, I still gain easier than many but not like when I was young.
Keep up the great work both with exercise & your business!
you are the kabocha queen!! and I love it
i need to make some and great idea freezing it then using itin a smoothie!!!
i gotttaaaa try some of your kabocha recipes! i think i'm gonna pick myself up one of those babies tomorrow and play with it this week
i neeed to do more yoga in my life!
ive got to find some of the godiva. looks/sounds great. that split looks like a winner! i think i need to mix things up. im sick of my workouts
I need to do yoga more. That is great that you do it often. I always feel so much better when I have incorporated yoga into my workouts.
I love fruit on salads..especially strawberries. yum!
Be careful if you are trying to maintain muscle to get enough protein and BCAA's to hold on to it so that you don't burn it off during all the cardio. I can drop muscle really quickly, too bad I can't drop body fat as fast….rrrrr.
You 'almost' have me convinced to try yoga again!! hehe You find its ok to maintain muscle?
Twitter: NourishedFit
says:
It definitely works muscles that traditional training never gets at. I'm still figuring out my balance with it and weight training & cardio. But for fitness it's great, because it really helps to keep flexibility and muscle. But only time will tell I guess!
i personally found capella drops really nasty, too. threw many of them away. just keep a few for a blue moon…