.. And yes, I realize I used exclamation points excessively.. what can I say I’m excitable.. ..

FITNESS

Got in a good Shoulder & Ab workout followed by 30 min. of Elliptical Resistance Hills.

So I have excessively strong opinions about the elliptical. If you’re pedaling away for more than 10 minutes and not breaking a sweat, you’re doing it wrong. If you’re on there for 60 minute and calorie burn isn’t pushing 500 (and I mean on a reliable source, not what the machine says.. it way overestimates).. I really want to stop and ask, ‘do you really not have anything better to do, because walking in circles in front of the TV at home is as much of a physical challenge?’ Point being, you really can have a good cardio workout on the elliptical, but keeping the resistance high is key. If you have a machine that can also change incline, even better. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that having the incline as high as possible means you’re working harder. Working at a lower incline actually works more leg muscle, including that crucial glute area. So mix it up! My favorite is some sort of hill/interval course, but there are lots of ways you can play.

For an example of a good elliptical workout check-out the one I did today. My cardio’s pretty out of sorts at the moment, so of course make adjustments to incline & resistance according to your needs. It’s hard enough if your heart rate gets up and stays up. You should be nice & sweaty by the end of this!

.. but just my opinion of course

NUTRITION

Favorite meal today was definitely this lovely mix. Diced Butternut Squash topped with Maple PB Flour Paste (2 tbsp Peanut Flour + 1 tbsp 0-cal Maple Syrup + 1 tbsp UVAB), 1/2 diced Apple and 1/2 cup plain Goat’s Milk Yogurt.. oh and of course a dash of cinnamon

I made this last night, and though not quite perfected, it turned out pretty good!

Apple Cinnamon Protein Bread

• 4 scoops Protein Powder (I used MGN Cake Batter Whey Isolate) = ~1.33 cups
• 2/3 c Flour (I used Whole Wheat)
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 3 tsp Apple Pie Spice (or Cinnamon)
• 1 cup plain Greek Yogurt
• 2 tbsp Oil (I used Canola)
• 1/2 cup Egg Whites
• 1 Apple, finely chopped

Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Mix the two together then fold in Apple. Bake at 375 F for ~35 min. (watch it, I over-baked mine a bit).

Enjoy!

Any big weekend plans?

Elliptical fan?.. would love to hear your thoughts on my little rant..

For example, yesterday, I did sprints along the back of the parking lot, and only got a few strange looks.

But then it occurred to me what a fantastic resource I have at my disposal.. a 6-story parking garage.. Or in other words, a whole lot of stairs and sprint straight-aways. Before you say this sounds like the stupidest idea ever, running around a parking lot, I should mention that on 2pm on a random Wednesday, the top story of a parking garage at a relatively high-end mall is pretty deserted.

So was created, Parking Garage Stair Cardio..

Run up 2 flights, jog the length of the parking lot to the stairs at the other end.

Run up 2 more flights, jog the length.

Run up last 2 flights, jog the length.

Go down 2 flights, jog… etc etc. You get the drift.

Just goes to show you can get creative with workouts anywhere!

FITNESS

Two things in particular helped make today fantastic!

#1: Cardio

I should stop saying what I’m going to do the next day, because then I just end up making a liar out of myself :p Actually, the thing is.. I’m moody, and switch it up depending on what I’m feeling like. But let me say, today’s cardio rocked!

30 min. SS Incline Treadmill – fasted, 1st thing in the AM to get that metabolism burning!)

30 min. SS resistance Spin – the title of the class was Aerobic Endurance.. which to me means ‘boring!’.. but it was what I needed so I went hard at a strong resistance for 30 min. keeping my heart rate medium but stable.. but that was enough of the boring stuff..

20 min. Sprint Interval(1 min at 5.8 jog, 30 sec at 9.0-10.0 sprint, increasing sprint rate my 0.2 every 2 sprints) – this was seriously the best interval session I have ever had! Must have been a combination of needing to just run-out some stress and all those good carbs from yesterday keeping me energized, but this felt great! I have to say, even a month ago, it was hard for me to imagine being back in good cardio shape again, but even after this 20 min. I was feeling pretty good yay, so happy!

5 min. walk to cool-down

#2: Yoga

Sunset-Poolside Yoga completely lived up to expectations! Today’s high in Phoenix was 113 F and at 9pm at night it is still 109 F.. so sufice to say, it was HOT yoga .. just how I like it! But seriously we moved through Flow sequences as the sun was setting behind Camelback Mountain was just amazing. So cool to be holding a pose and looking up at the clear blue sky. Just awesome.

NUTRITION

As foreshadowed by yesterday’s post.. breakfast was a Protein Waffle topped with Strawberry Tofu Pudding.. so happy with how this turned out. I love the 2 textures together..

Post-workout I went with my current favorite, a PB Protein Ice Cream Sundae + cat in background

And the award for ugliest meal of the day goes to.. Diet Spinach Bar with 4 oz roasted Chicken Breast and Walden Farms Onion Dip (one of my new faves by them)..

Pre-Yoga I snacked on a Protein Waffle, and dinner was a repeat of Tuesdays.. a Poached Egg on top of 1/2 Diet Spinach Bar with 4 oz Cod and Salsa..

Bad news, I broke the paddle on my Ice Cream Maker Fortunately Cuisinart makes it super easy, and pretty cheap, to order replacements.. so Protein Almond Milk Ice Cream will be back soon..

In the mean time.. I think dessert will be the blender version..

FUN

Giveaway Winner

And the winner of the Clean Food Cookbook Giveaway is …

Eden, of the fantastic blog Eden Eats! .. Shoot me an email (nourishedfitness@gmail.com), with your address and I’ll get the cookbook to you asap

And related to the blog entries.. thank you for your fantastic ideas.. there were a couple I overlooked, that I read all the time.. ya’ll are the best!

Catching Up

It’s been a crazy week + I’ve been having internet issues.. so if you sent me an email or comment this week and I haven’t gotten back to you, I’m so sorry, and I’ll be catching up this weekend!

What are you up to this weekend?

And now for an opinion or 2 :p ..

Huge Mixed Messages

Have any of you seen the new TV Show on ABC Family, called ‘Huge’? I actually haven’t seen it, but I’ve heard and read a couple articles about it. The show “features seven male and female teens and their emotional journeys at the fictional weight-loss camp Victory.” And as FitSugar describes, “The main character, Willemina, isn’t ashamed by her weight at all and doesn’t see the need to drop pounds, a refreshing departure from how obese people, especially women, are usually portrayed on TV.”

I must admit, I’m torn. I think it’s great that television shows are starting to portray more accurate representations of reality.. though not as if it’s particular diverse with race or sexual orientation quite yet.. at least it’s moving in the right direction.. however slowly (sorry, digression). And of course it is always good to counter the ‘you must look like a Barbie or Ken doll’ message that has been sent all these years.. but, at the risk of  being offensive.. I think it needs to be clear that there is a difference between acceptance of oneself and acceptance of obesity. In a recent IIN lecture, the speaker talked about how it is not all a person’s fault if they are overweight, because if 80% of Americans are experiencing the same problem, clearly it’s an American Public Health crisis and not just one person’s struggle.

But to me there’s a bit of a contradiction in all of this.. How do we say (and tell kids & teens), ‘love yourself just the way you are,’ then the next second tell them they need to loose weight.

We’re taught when we are children not to judge a book by it’s cover; fat, thin, stereotypical pretty or not.. it’s what’s inside that’s suppose to count. But running with the book metaphor.. if you don’t take care of a book, if you kick it around, bend the pages, drop it in the mud, who cares what it looks like, eventually it’s going to fall apart. I think acceptance comes from the inside, and with that needs to come respect for oneself, and with that, enough respect to take care of one’s body; not for the sake of appearance, but for the sake of health. Because if you don’t, it really won’t matter what’s on the outside anyway, it will fall apart.

Negative self-talk and body hatred are part of a self-fulfilling cycle. Negative talk → feelings of sadness/depression → feeling of emptiness → desire to fill emptiness / punish oneself → overeating → lack of physical activity → more physical side effects → more displeasure with how one looks → yadda yadda yadda (oh let Seinfeld live on!). And on top of all of that there are all these mix messages from society about ‘look this way’ or ‘feel that way’.. ‘eat healthy’ but have “fourth meal (in the form of greasy fried cheese) for only 99 cents!” (clarification necessary based on the fact that I eat a good 7x a day haha).

Yes, I think the blame can be placed far and wide, but in my opinion the answer, on a micro-level (not going all political on you quite yet.. but don’t you fear.. I’m sure my Berkeley Public Health degree will come busting out in print sooner than later), is EDUCATION & ACTIVITY!

.. and this is officially becoming a multi-part topic post because I’ve rambled long enough!

FITNESS

The countdowns are official on.. across the board!

• AZ NPC: 19 days – lots of STS girls competing
• NPC USAs (Las Vegas): 25 days – I’m just going to work & cheer, but lots of friends are competing!
• Jr. USAs: 53 days – Go Lizzy!
• AZ OCB: 53 days – will I be ready? ..

As for my training.. Lately I’ve been doing well with lifting M-F (with 5 days of Cardio and 1-2 of Yoga), doing just Cardio & Yoga on Saturdays and resting on Sunday. I started Saturday with Boot Camp, which was awesome even in the AZ heat, then did an 80 min Power Yoga class. I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever sweet so much in one day in my life.. yup.. love it!

The last couple weeks have only reiterated my belief in the fantastic combination, and potential for results, that comes with cross training; specifically when mixing traditional weightlifting, with dynamic Cardio and Yoga.

After taking 2.5 weeks off of Yoga to get refocused and into a pattern with Fitness training, I came back to class last week having never felt better. Most importantly, as if by magic (ok not magic at all but I’m still amazed), my hip flexor, which has been a mess for months (not sure how I pulled it), is suddenly almost 100%. If you follow my blog, you know quite a bit has changed in the last couple weeks:

• Majorly cleaned up diet.. no cheats, no bread, then last week I started carb-cycling to get ready for Fitness competitions
• More cardio! Especially in the form of Kickboxing, Treadmill and Boot Camp

I can’t imagine that I’ve lost my weight/mass yet, since I haven’t been dieting long, but it was amazing how much different I felt. In Yoga, I was moving better, felt stronger, and a couple stretches that have been difficult for me started to loosen up. Even if my tendency is to go to extremes with things (that ‘all or nothin’ issue), it seems my body really does love a little of this and a little of that when it comes to exercise.. and on top of that, it’s just more fun that way!

I did Shoulders & Back this morning and will be heading back to the gym for cardio in a few.. 10 min. Sprints then Spin!

NUTRITION

Sunday (Carb) Funday

Yesterday was my first high-carb day since I started carb-cycling. On “high” days I eat ~100g of carbs more than on my other days. I usually add in a serving or two of Oatmeal or Oatbran, a serving of Sweet Potatoes or Quinoa, a serving of Fruit, more Veggies and a serving of Greek Yogurt. When I get closer to competing I end up eliminating dairy and fruit. So for a few highlights..

I started the day with Oatmeal of course .. 1/2 c Steel Cut Oatmeal cooked stove-top with 1/2 c fresh Blueberries mixed in at the end, and topped with plain Greek Yogurt (that I sweetened with a little Vanilla Extract & Stevia)..

Next meal was beautiful.. really.. the perfect combination: Peanut Butter Protein Ice Cream Sundae with a side of Cinnamon Sweet Potato Bites..

A Reduced-Carb Grilled Club Quesadilla..

Dinner came in the form of a messy blob of Savory Oats (I just love these!).. This was 1/2 c organic Oats cooked in 1/2 c Vegetable Broth + 1/2 c H20. Then I stirred in 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast (I just can’t call it ‘Nooch’ .. there are no o’s in there!), a couple piece of Sundried Tomato and chopped fresh Basil. Then all of that was topped with a Sundried Tomato & Feta Turkey Burger and a dallup (though it looks like a ton) of Artichokamole..

Monday

Pre-workout I made a basic protein pancake but substituted pureed Butternut Squash for Pumpkin, topped with Walden Farms 0-cal Maple Syrup..

Post-workout it was another PB Protein Ice Cream Sundae (yes, I’m obsessed right now)..

Lunch was sadly the last Turkey Burger, on top of ~3.5 oz sauteed Mushrooms, with a tablespoon of Salsa..

Posting early today because I’m heading off to Spin in a few and need to get some studying done tonight.

I envision Chicken Breast & a Diet Spinach Bar for Dinner, and a lovely dessert of Protein Almond Ice Milk and a Protein Coconut Cookie

OTHER

The first YNL Newsletter went out earlier today! I was oddly nervous to press the ‘send’ button, even though I blog here almost every day, go on complete rambles and make all sorts of spelling & grammatical errors, haha..

But if you’re interested in getting the July Edition.. sign-up in the box to the right or on the Contact page at the YNL site!

?s

1) How was your 4th?!

2) Would love to hear your thoughts on the tv show ‘Huge’ and the mix messages society sends!

FITNESS

Not bad, not bad. Today I worked Back & Hamstrings:

Back: Wide-grip Pull-ups, Narrow-grip Pull-ups, T-bar Rows, DB Rows

Hamstrings: Laying single-leg curls, Seated Curls, Leg Press High & Narrow

I really had to push through cardio today. As I’ve mentioned many times, cardio is my serious weakness when it comes to Fitness. I think it’s a combination of that fact that I don’t like it so much because I’m bad at it, but I’m bad at it because I don’t like it, haha. Last summer I got to a point where I was at least decent, and I’m working my way back to that now. I really enjoy Boxing, Kickboxing and good Spin classes because it gets my heart rate up like I need, but is at least really varied. I just get so darn bored running! But there’s nothing like a good HIIT session for calorie burn!

Today’s session was totally ADD cardio. I spent 25 minutes on the Treadmill going from a light jog (6.0), to run (9.0), back to a brisk walk (4.3) and cycled that, then hit the elliptical on hills with resistance for 15 minutes, then finished with 5 minutes on the recumbent bike. haha.. not exactly organized, but did the trick and really got my heart pounding!

Tomorrow’s an active rest day. In the afternoon, I’m planning on going to a yoga workshop on Yoga for Strength & Muscle Toning, and might hit up poolside Yoga in the AM.. we’ll see how sore I am

NUTRITION

This morning I went to brunch at the cutest little place. They had things on the menu like Reese’s Pancakes (doesn’t that sound amazing?!), but I went with 2 egg whites with grilled chicken and tomato slices.

Post-work I had a fantastic “new” Protein Green Monster making use of the Sugar-Free Syrups I bought yesterday. Even though I love fruit, it’s not body fat cutting friendly due to the high amount of carbs, especially sugars, but I love Fruity Protein Shakes. So today I tried this mix and it turned out so good..

Low-Carb Fruity Green Protein Shake

1 c Frozen Spinach

1 scoop Protein Powder (I used Vanilla, Vega Sport)

2 tbsp Sugar-Free Fruity Syrup (today I used Strawberry)

3/4 c UVAB

1/4 c H20

1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum

1 tsp Glutamine

Ice

Fake-Sugar Sweet Things

Coincidentally a friend asked me what I use the Sugar-Free Syrups for, and considering I go through them at an embarrassingly rapid pace, I figured it’d be a good thing to mention on the blog The main thing I use SF Syrups for is in Coffee and Tea. Before dieting down for my first Fitness competitions last fall, I never drank tea or drip coffee. But I’ve found that hot beverages tend to fill me up more than cold, and I am often cold, so when dieting I drink a crazy amounts.  It’s also a way to add variety to an otherwise simplistic and repetitive meal plan. However, beyond coffee/tea I also add them to Protein Shakes, Oatmeal and Diet Seltzer. I have a few flavors in my OpenSky Shop too!

New Things

Later on I tried another new thing, I made Eggplant for the first time! I grilled 1/2 an Eggplant on the Foreman, then added 3 oz Lean Ground Turkey..

I’ve only had Eggplant a couple times, and my thought today were just, ahh so-so. I didn’t add anything to it, and just ate it with 0-cal Walden Farms Dressing. Totally edible and I’ll eat the other 1/2, but without adding fun, not so diet-friendly items, I’m not sure it’s something I’ll have frequently. (And I swear the Eggplant wasn’t gigantic like the photo makes it out to be :p)

Kelp Noodles are one of my new favorite finds. For dinner I mixed a 3/4 package of Kelp Noodles (just 18 calories and 3 carbs for a whole pack!) with 2 tbsp o-cal Ranch Dressing + 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast, then stirred in 100g Baby Shrimp. I heated that for 2 minutes, then topped it with 1/3 Avocado.

Without the Avocado, this whole meal only has 118 calories and 7.8 g carbs. Scratch the Nutritional Yeast and it comes down to 78 calories and 3 g carbs :0

Low-Carb Chocolate Maple Crunch

I had about 1/4 of the Kelp Noodles left, so I tried something new. I’ve realized I tend to crave textures even more than flavors, and I love the crunchiness of these Noodles, so I decided to make a sweet version.. yum I mixed the leftover Kelp Noodles with 1 tsp Unsweetened Cocoa and a drizzle of 0-cal Maple Syrup, and heated it for 30 s.

Evening snack was a Mocha Protein Shake (1 scoop Nectar Cappuccino + 1/2 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa + 3/4 c UVAB + 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum + 1 tsp Glutamine + Ice).. plain protein shakes, straight out of the Magic Bullet Blender, don’t make the best look photos :p..

Wow, I’m super behind on Protein today :/ but currently coming in at around 38 g Carbs.. I have some late night high protein treats in my future!

Raw Chip Review and Subsequent Love

A week or so ago, the kind folks at Brad’s Raw Chips were kind enough to send me 2 bags to sample. They have 11 flavors, but I am a major spicy-food wuss, so I opted for the Sweet Potato and Kale varieties (click for nutrition info). I was so surprised and impressed! The chips aren’t frail & brittle, but are hearty with a great flavor. Not to mention they’re all natural and have a pretty darn good nutrition profile. Oh these would be perfect with hummus or guac!

Obviously these are still chips, and not low-carb day friendly, but I’ll likely be snacking on a few on high carb days.

FUN

The Scivation Xtend Giveaway is still going on!

All right, I’m off to curl up on the couch with my favorite movie (Good Will Hunting), while working on content for my company’s website! It’s a crazy life I lead

What’s your all time favorite movie? And tell me about your weekend!

FITNESS

Alas, I did not make it to Spin this morning.. but I did have a couple great workouts! I made a reappearance at my schools gym, and was pleasantly surprised to learn that they just started offering spin classes! They actually have a good selection of classes, just most aren’t very challenging, so I’m excited to see how Spin shapes up.

Cardio: Jog & Incline Intervals

5 min. Warm-up walk at 4.0

2 min. jogging at 6.5

2 min. walking at 4.3 incline 7.0

Repeated 2 min. intervals for 25 minutes.

15 min. resistance intervals on the Elliptical

Weights: Shoulders & Back with my Trainer

Pull-up, bent-over Rows, Miltary Press, Seated front Rows, single-arm Lat Raises, Front Raises.. I’m forgetting something, hmm

I don’t wear my HR monitor when lifting with my trainer, but I did burn 415 calories with Cardio.

NUTRITION

Q&A

I’ve had a couple questions lately that I thought would be useful to answer here:

1) What’s the difference between Whey Isolate and Whey Blend?

From my understanding, Isolate is higher quality and more pure, while blends contain both whey isolate and concentrate. Isolates are said to have less fat & lactose per serving (90-98%, while concentrates have 70-85%). Because of it’s more “pure” state, it would make sense that isolates absorbs slightly better/faster. The bad side of Isolates is that they are more expensive, and many don’t think that the slight benefits outweigh the literal costs. Additionally, I’ve heard some isolates don’t cook as well. I actually use the isolate Cake Batter Protein Powder (they also make a blend) and haven’t had any problems at all baking. That’s just my experience though!

2) What supplements do you take?

Not many. I’ve heard stories of some fitness/figure/bodybuilding competitors taking hand fulls of supplements, but I really haven’t found it necessary for me. I must admit I’m not always the best at remembering to take pills, I prefer to use powders and toss’em into a protein shake. But when I’m being good I take a multi-vitamin, fish oil tab, Glutamine and BCAAs.

Glutamine: an amino acid that aids in muscle recovery and prevents breakdown; take before & after workotu

BCAA (Branch Chain Amino Acids): refer to isoleucine, leucine and valine; they aid in maintaining & repairing muscle tissue and are best to take in the morning, before & after a workout, and before bed

And the Eats..

A new breakfast love has come into my life.. Quinoa Yogurt Mess! I heated 1/2 c cooked Quinoa and topped it with Fitness Cake Batter (1 container plain Greek Yogurt + 1/2 c Cake Batter Protein Powder) & 1 tbsp Naturally More  PB..

Post-cardio I had a Kabocha PB Protein Shake (80 g frozen Kabocha + 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast + 1 tbsp Ground Flax + 1 scoop Protein Powder + 3/4 c UVAB + Xantham Gum + Ice) and topped it with 2 tbsp Not Sweet Vanilla Galaxy Granola..

During a meeting I had a killer portable lunch of Baby Spinach topped with Chicken Breast, Tomatoes and 1/2 c Cottage Cheese + 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast..

Dinner was completely uncreative. I had the last piece of my Kabocha Quinoa Casserole, Chicken Breast, 1/4 c Cottage Cheese & ~2 tbsp Baba Ganoush..

Definitely having a protein-filled dessert tonight. Either Protein Coconut Chocolate or Cottage Cheese + Cake Batter Protein Powder.. can’t decide

FUN

Wonderful post by Tasha, from The Clean Eating Mama, on her response to the question ‘do you get bored eating healthy’.. I think we know the answer .. but her’s will inspire you!

Do you take any supplements? Do you notice a difference in your energy level &/or workout?

FITNESS

When I went out last night for my friend’s birthday, not too surprisingly, I ended up getting into a conversation with a classmate about fitness & nutrition. He asked the best form of cardio to lose body fat. I of course quickly responded, INTERVALS. But why? I gave an extremely simplistic answer, but realized a more in depth answer would probably be useful for everyone.

HIIT It!

What is it?

HIIT, stands for High Intensity Interval Training, and studies have shown it to be more beneficial for fat burning. Intervals can be done for speed or resistance (depending on your cardio outlet), are general done for no longer than 30 minutes, and involved alternating between high and low intensity. The about of time for high & low varies, but a 1:2 ratio is pretty standard. For example, here are a few of my usual HIIT workouts:

Treadmill: 1 minute jogging at 6.0mph, 30 seconds Sprinting at 9.0 mph. Repeat for 20-30 minutes

When you’re first getting started, you could even add a 3rd speed, i.e. 1 min jog, 30 sec sprint, 1 min walk, 30 sec. sprint..

Elliptical: 1 minute at resistance 6, 30 seconds Sprinting with resistance at 15

Your objective is to see fluctuations in your heart rate. This is one of the reasons I always where a heart rate monitor when I workout. For the high intensity portions you’re aiming to be over 80% of your max (go here to calculate your max).

How does it work?

The changing levels of intensity aid in improving both  anaerobic (“without oxygen,” source of O2 energy for activities up to 1 minute) & aerobic (“with oxygen, ” source for 3-4 minute time frame) endurance, resulting in a metabolism boost. The low/medium intensity period allows you to really push it out for the high intensity. Increases in energy output of course results in burning more calories, while heart rate variations cause your body to release more growth hormones, catecholamine & other chemicals that increase calorie burn both during & after exercise. Research has also shown that HIIT burns adipose (fat) tissue more effectively than low-intensity cardio.

More Benefits

• Shorter periods of steady impact cardio means less chance of joint injuries
• Better recovery from weight training
• Less chance of breaking down those muscles you’ve worked so hard to build! Remember the more muscle you have, the more calories your body naturally burns in a rest state.

Basically it’s fat burning without muscle burning!

Sources: (Alan Aragon Interview, Muscle Media)

Frienemy

Yeah, I’ve decided the treadmill is my frienemy. I love the sweat it works up, I love how my heart rate sores, and I love the intensity of a good HIIT session.. but it’s a struggle, I get bored :/ I guess for me it’s just one of those, ‘if you want it bad enough’ sort of things, gotta do it to see the results I want! Today I did a 2o minute Treadmill HIIT session with a 5 min. warm-up & warm-down. For weights I worked Shoulders & Glutes, supersetting exercises. As far as upper body work, shoulders are by far my favorite to work

NUTRITION

I am on a total Protein Yogurt kick! It’s all I seem to want lately. This morning it was 6oz plain Greek Yogurt + 3/4 scoop PB Protein Powder + dash Stevia, topped with crumble Banana Chip mini muffin + 1 tbsp natural PB ..

Lunch was an old favorite, Pumpkin Protein Pancake. In the mix: 1 scoop Cake Batter Protein Powder + 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar + 2 tbsp organic Oats + 1/4 c Pumpkin + lotsa Pumpkin Spice + 1 tbsp Wheat Germ + 1/4 c Egg Whites + 1 tbsp H20. Topped with no-sugar-added Pumpkin Butter and Walden Farms Calorie-Free Maple Syrup.

Afternoon snack was Kabocha PB Protein “Ice Cream” the Mae way (with Nutritional Yeast). I blended up 2 slices Kabocha + 1 scoop Cake Batter Protein Powder + 1 tbsp natural PB + 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast + 1/3 tsp Xantham Gum + 3/4 c UVABa + 3 ice cubes. I love this recipe! So good and so filling!

Greens!

My diet has seriously been lacking in greens, but nothing sounded better than a big salad for dinner. I enjoyed Baby Spinach topped with Savory Tofu, Avocado, Artichoke Hearts & Baby Tomatoes..

Evening snack invovled 1/2 c plain Greek Yogurt mixed with 1/2 scoop Vanilla Chai Vega & 1/2 scoop Cake Batter Protein Powder, topped with a sprinkle of Wheat Germ..

Triple Chocolate Baking

A partcipated in the Bake Sale for Haiti and the person who bought my baked goods is actually a friend. I asked him if he would prefer something else, and he said ‘Chocolate.’ So I sorted through my ever growing recipe database and settled on Chocolate Fudge Butterfinger Cookies from Picky Palate. These have Cocoa, Butterfingers and Chocolate Chips! They made the house smell so good

FUN

My Valentine’s Song of the Day.. (yeah you can tell I’m single): John Mayer, “Perfectly Lonely”

“Nothing to do, no where to be, a simple little kind of free.

Nothing to do, no one but me. That is all I need.

I’m perfectly lonely..

But that’s not to say, there never comes a day, I take my chances and start again. And when I look behind, on all my younger times, I have to thank the wrongs that led me to a love so strong..

That’s the way, that’s the way, that’s the way I want it.”

Love it! So me.

Today’s finals week for me (not fun!), but glass-half-full outlook, it also means this trimester is almost over! Lots of studying the next few days, but then I have next week off school, yay!

For all the students out there, are you doing anything fun for Spring Break? And if you’re not a student, what was your craziest Spring Break?! :p

The lovely Lizzy gave me the Beautiful Blogger Award.. thank you so much

7 Things you probably didn’t know about me:

1. I’m an only child. I have to admit I have a few of the symptoms :p
2. I have a cat named Killer who acts more like a dog.. he even plays fetch. He’s traveled with me from Berkeley to Seattle to Baltimore to Texas to Phoenix. I’m, perhaps excessively, protective of him.
3. If calories didn’t count and I had to pick only one thing to eat the rest of my life, it would be yogurt parfaits with lots of granola.
4. I’m extremely uncertain if I ever want to have children, but if I do, my favorite names are those that could be either a guy’s or a girl’s.
5. I’m glad the holidays are over. I feel a little grinchy for admitting that, but I get tired of the emphasis on food and material possessions.
6. Yoga is maybe the only thing keeping me sane as I figure out this whole ‘building’ diet thing.. (further explanation later, sorry for the negative-nelly-ness).
7. Lately I’ve been having a crazy urge to travel and have just been feeling overall restless… I believe the word is ‘wanderlust.’ Isn’t that a fantastic word?! I could be absolutely anywhere 7 months from now. That’s so exciting!

And 7 people I award this too:

Vee at Vee Chats

Heather at Where’s the Beach

Kris at I Heart Wellness

Angela at Food is Love

Allie at Live, Laugh, Eat

Lexi at The Ramblings of a Health Student

Joanna at Fitness & Spice

FITNESS

I’ve been a cardio slacker.. I’ve been getting in a few spin classes a week and doing yoga most days, but I really need to get back into the running groove. Over the summer I got to a point where I almost enjoyed it, haha, yeah almost. But since my competitions I’ve hardly hit the treadmill at all and instead spoiled myself with only doing my favorite activities. Previously I’ve talked about the importance of finding what you like and sticking with that, but I think this is where working out for general health purposes, versus training for an event comes into play. I don’t think I’ll ever love running, I just get so darn bored, but it’s the best way to get in HIIT (and therefore fat burning cardio) and stamina training.

I know I’m just out of practice with it, and after a few weeks I’ll be back to where I was this summer.. actually craving a good sprint workout. But man, getting over that initial hurdle is no fun.

NUTRITION

It’s good, it’s bad, it’s ugly. I’ll start with the ugly..

Ugly

I have put on a tremendous amount of weight since my November shows, and although I haven’t been eating sparkling clean, I have been eating pretty healthy, so it’s frustrating. I don’t know exactly how much I’ve gained, because I’m not big on scale hopping, but I can feel it and see it, and I’m starting to get quite uncomfortable physically. I know I’m on track with nutrition when I’m hungry every couple hours and have few to no cravings. This has not been the case. I never anticipated it being so hard to “just eat healthy.” The proportion of protein/carbs/fat I’m suppose to be consuming is quite standard at this point, but I can’t seem to meet them. If I eat enough carbs, I don’t eat enough protein and visa versa.. not to mention my H20 consumption is pathetic on days I reach my carb goal. Even if I’m eating generally healthy by some unwritten rules, I haven’t been eating what my body really needs, and I know this based on my cravings. I’ve learned that I’m carb sensitive and do well on a relative high protein diet. But instead of responding to this and listening to those cravings, I’ve been eating what others deem “healthy.” Not good.

After my competitions, so many people asked me, “so, do you get to eat normal now?” To me, I suppose, “normal” meant not weighing all my food, not carrying a cooler with me everywhere and not being so specific with everything I consume. I wanted to be like many of the ‘healthy living/food’ bloggers I’ve seen and just throw a tablespoon of peanut butter and chocolate chips on my oatmeal, or have impressive lunches like this. But the truth is, my exercise habits and fitness goals aren’t normal, and I can’t pretend otherwise and can’t have it both ways. It’s taken me a month to figure that one out.. haha, yeah I’m a little slow :p So adjustments will be made.

Bad

Goodbye nut butters, it’s been lovely while it lasted; my taste buds will be disappointed, however my waistline and body fat % rejoice. Yeah, it’s true, nut butters have been booted. I actually rarely ate nut butters before getting into fitness, so who knows why I became so obsessed with eating them with practically ever meal after the competitions, but I think they’ve taken their toll. So my fats will be coming mainly from omega, coconut and olive oil, along with avocado, and limited portions of plain nuts.

If I’ve learned nothing else about fitness nutrition and dieting, it’s that every person is different, and it really is all about trial and error. So we can throw consuming nut butters on a regular basis into the error category. But please don’t get me wrong.. I think they’re great and healthy and when someday I’m not training for such a specific goal they will be a fantastic part of my daily diet.. but just not now.

Good

Yesterday I got a box in the mail from my mom with a few of the items I couldn’t fit in my suitcase. Included were a couple culinary tool treats: my new table set and a crockpot! Of course the first thing I had to test out in the crockpot was Steel Cut Oats! I used Angela’s recipe but substituted pumpkin (you’re shocked right :p ) for the banana and apple. By the time it was finished it was around 5:30pm and I wasn’t in the mood for oats, but I’m excited to try them tomorrow!

Protein Fun

Breakfast was a 1/2 fail.. tasted good, looked a mess. I attempted Kabocha Protein Pancake by pureeing 80 g of Kabocha slices with 2 tbsp Cottage Cheese, then mixed in 1 scoop Protein Powder, 3 tbsp Egg Whites, Spices, 2 tbsp UVAB, 2 tbsp H20 and Spices. Flavor was great but I must have had the heat too high because it overcooked the sides but still wasn’t done in the middle. ah well.. I topped it with WF Maple Syrup and ~1.5 tbsp TJ Omega Trail Mix. Tasted great!

Today’s snacks were protein filled and tasty! First, there was a fantastic Pumpkin Cookie Protein Shake with a TJ’s Blueberry Fiber Cake sprinkled on top. Oh, and check out my new bowl

Pumpkin Cookie Protein Shake

1 scoop Cake Batter Protein Powder

1 oz Firm Tofu

1/2 c cold Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride Tea

1/4 c UVAB

1/4 c Pumpkin

1 Ice Cube (because that’s all that was left)

Blend & enjoy!

Later I had Chocolate Protein Yogurt topped with Maple Apples (the other new bowl.. this picture doesn’t do it justice, I’ll do better next time).

What am I eating?

So I started adding Chia Seeds &/or Wheat Germ to my oatmeal, but then I realized I wasn’t sure why. I’d seen other people do it, and of course I’ve heard of both of these and knew they were considered to be healthy, but I didn’t know the real ‘why’ behind why they were healthy and how they were potentially benefiting me. So I did a little research..

Wheat Germ: Sources of essential nutrients including Vitamin B & E, Fiber, Iron, Folic Acid, Potassium, Omega 3 fatty acids, and on. Vitamin E is an antioxidant said to protect against free radicals, while Omega 3s promote heart health. (Nutrition Suite 101)

Chia Seeds: Great source of Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids. Hydrophilic seed that potentially slows conversion of complex carbs to simple sugars. (Dr. Weil)

Sugar-Free Challenge Check-In

So far so great.. it’s only been 3 days after all :p If you missed my Sugar-Hatin’ Post, I’m giving myself extra incentive to avoid sugar by taking on the 30 Sugar-Free Days Challenge which was also featured on Zen to Fitness.

FUN

Lulu Love

Just another reason to love Lululemon. This is a great little tool designed to help you set and follow your goals: GoalTender

Organically Worth It?

Dr. Weil, who is a guest lecturer at IIN, offers these helpful lists:

12 Foods You Should Always Buy Organic

12  Foods You Don’t Have to By Organic

I leave you with this.. Killer assumes his blogging position

I’m off to find more clean crockpot recipes Have a wonderful 1st Monday of 2010!

I’ve fallen victim, more than once, to having the best of intentions to get up early and hit the gym, but then neglecting to check-in upstairs. Without being mentally ready to either 1) get back on track, or 2) start a new health plan, you are doomed to failure (good grief that sounds extreme.. but ya know what I mean).

A common suggestion is to just get yourself to the gym and promise 15 minutes. I’ve tried that tactic, and true, sometimes that 15 minutes turns into an hour, but sometimes it doesn’t and that’s ok. No matter what, at the very least, as long as I get in and do something, even if it isn’t my best workout, I always come out feeling better and it makes it that much easier to go back the next day.

So along with working on your New Year’s Resolutions (post on that coming up soon.. I take resolutions seriously and always keep them), also try working on Fitness Reflections. No, I’m not talking about making a list of how many times you plan to lift or run every week, but instead a contemplation on how you fared last year, fitness wise, then move onto how you’ll improve this coming year.

Reflection:

• What went right? – Did you find a new cardio class you liked? Did you start lifting? Did you set PRs on the treadmill or running outside? Even if you only made it into the gym, there’s always something!
• What went wrong? – 2 days off turned into 2 months off? injuries? lack of support? boredom?
• Why did it go wrong? – time management issues? unable to stick to a diet? outside stressors?

Now most importantly…

• What changes do you need to make to ensure those same hurdles don’t come up again?

So this was mean almost exactly a year ago:

Me in November:

Me Now: Yeah, I’m crazy pasty white and chill at ~8 lbs over my competition weight… though I wouldn’t mind the tan.. or the abs.. but anyway :p

So what changed? It certainly wasn’t my desire to be more fit, and I didn’t suddenly have ample amounts of time on my hands. What changed was my head.. my attitude towards working out and my commitment to taking care of my body. It’s not like I was unfamiliar with the gym. The previous year, while living in Baltimore, I discovered Kickboxing, lost around 10 lbs, and starting doing a little lifting. I then moved to Arizona and completely fell off the workout wagon. When I recommited myself to a fitness goal, and got myself back in the gym in March, I was still completely intimidated by weights, had never used a Smith Machine on my own, and tended not to venture into those corners of the gym where you generally only find very large men grunting while they do 5 reps then stand around for 10 minutes. I was scared to be the person that other people look at thinking  ’what the hell is she doing?’ But knowledge is power right?!

At this point I was working out with a trainer twice a week. He would give me the split, but I would pick my own exercises. So I did my research. With the help of Oxygen magazine, HERS Muscle & Fitness and ExRx.com I wrote up my own workouts, then had my trainer look them over to make sure I was doing what I needed. Trust me, I was completely clueless at first! I even had to draw little pictures next to some of the lifts because I’d forget what they were by the time I got to the gym. Which reminds me. Check out my Workout Journal..

This thing has been through the ringer! It’s actually the ‘Eat Clean Diet Workbook’ but I didn’t like the cheesy cover (no offense Tosca!), so I decorated it (yes, at the time, 2 summers ago, I had a lot of time on my hands, haha .. and yes I am a ridiculous dork :p). Any who, I digress.. I highly highly recommend taking the time to write up your own plan from scratch. I think we all have little rebels in us with the need to resist doing exactly what we’re told to do, so following a cookie-cutter magazine workout never did it for me. Besides, the more you’re invested in your plan, the more likely you are to stick to it! So make up a plan with all your favorite exercises for every body part. If you’re new to lifting it’ll take some time to figure out what those are, but that’s where using the magazine workouts and ExRx Directory comes in handy. Take your time. Down the road you’ll want to be more specific with your lifts, but at the beginning, just have fun, try new things. Soon enough there’s a good chance you’ll be looking forward to getting in the gym and trying something new. Yes, it will be time consuming, but it’s sooo worth it the first time you get a goofy look from a guy at the gym, not because you’re doing something wrong, but because he just realized you’re leg pressing more than him

So that’s short & sweet version of my weight lifting speach, what about Cardio? I’m not sure I’ve adequately expressed my sincere dislike of Steady State Cardio (generally 30+ minutes at a continual pace). Seriously, I don’t even like doing lifting sets of more than 15 reps, let alone jog in place as the clock ticks by. So convincing myself that any standard cardio workout was a good idea was my biggest hurdle. I’d be lying if I said I now loved Cardio and will be entering a marathon.. gah.. but I did explore enough to find what I do like. I love cardio group classes but am super picky about them. If it’s a good class, in my opinion, I should be drenched and exhausted by the end. My general rule is that if I can easily give myself a harder workout in 30 minutes than you can give me in an hour, then it’s not worth my time. Too harsh? .. I warned you I bore easily :p But seriously… If you’ve tried kickboxing, spin, yoga, body pump, etc classes before and didn’t like them, give them a shot again, because it’s all about finding the style and instructor you like. For example, I loved kickboxing at the gym I was at in Baltimore, but haven’t found any I like in Phoenix that make it worth my time. After testing out most of the Spin classes at my gym, there’s now only one I’ll go to.. but I rarely  miss it Yoga’s my classic example. I tried yoga a couple years ago and thought it was super boring, but I tried it again recently and have already found a few classes & teachers that I really enjoy. Oh and that reminds me.. ask around! Ask the people at your gym which are the most popular classes, and your friends which they enjoy.

So perhaps I went off on a tangent a bit with this post, but I hope some of it made sense or is remotely helpful. Of course this is all just my opinion and what worked for me. But maybe since it worked for me, it’ll work for someone else too! Finding a fitness plan that kept me pumped and going into the gym everyday, along with learning to consistently take care of myself nutritionally, has played a HUGE role in making this the most amazing year of my life. If you ever have any questions, please holler!

So you know I love my Monday & Wednesday spin class, dearly miss my Baltimore kickboxing and have a new found interest in yoga … What are your favorite Fitness classes, and what is it that makes you love them?!

A lil Morning Jog x Spin = Cardio^2

Yay, morning workouts are back! It felt so good to get in the gym this morning and run it out. In the near future I plan to lift in the morning and do Spin at night, but my back did not agree with doing heavy legs this morning. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it, but I hurt my back a few weeks ago. Not exactly sure how I did it, but it was at a time where it didn’t really matter because I wasn’t going to stop training or practicing my routine just a couple weeks out from show. So I continued to work on it and as a result it really hasn’t gotten any better. It’s strange; it hurts to to touch and arch but I’m fine running on it. I making an appointment with the chiropractor today so hopefully something’s just out of allignment and it will be better soon.

And this evening I made it to spin! And it was wonderful Don’t have too much more to say on that one, except for after my week of silly eating, it felt better than ever. I just envision all the empty sugar calories I ate being sweat off.. yeah I’m a dork like that. Not sure what all is on the workout agenda for tomorrow. I definitely will be lifting, focusing on Shoulders & Back, but I’m also hoping to make it to a yoga class. We’ll see!

Onto my next favorite thing.. food

Oats in a Jar Yo = Lived Up to Expectations

So I know I said I was planning to have a protein pancake for breakfast, but when I realized that my Barney Butter was almost empty, plans changed.. I think you know what comes next

almost empty!

Oats in a Jar!

these are a few of my favorite things..

In the jar we have:

1/3 c Oats

2 tbsp Oat Bran

1 tbsp Wheat Germ

1/3 c Pumpkin

1 c Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze + 1/4 c H20 – to cook

~1.5 tbsp Almond Butter

Nutrition Facts: 317 Cal, 13g P, 15g F, 43g C, 4.3g sugars – Not bad, but I definitely need to add 1/2-1 scoop Protein Powder next time.

And it was finished off with a cup of Via + 2 tbsp SF Cookie Dough syrup + 1 tbsp SF Vanilla-Caramel Creamer.

Lunch at Home = Luv it!

I ended up coming home for lunch between school and work, which was great because I have so many more option to choose from. I ended up going with a Protein Green Monster and Kabocha Slices with homemade Pumpkin Hummus. This was a new GM which I made with..

Chocolate Protein Green Monster

1 c Frozen Spinach

1 scoop Amazing Grass Chocolate SuperFood

1 scoop Chocolate Protein Powder (I used Nectar)

1 c Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze

This was delicious!

I underestimated how filling it would be though because I was stuffed for hours!

Then look what was waiting for me when I got home from work:

Russian Tea Cakes

I won these little bites, made by Val (from Chicago Marathon Val) in Ashley’s Sweet Stand Against Cancer Bake Sale. Cookies for a good cause don’t count for calories right?!

After Spin I had planned to make a more creative dinner, but by the time I got home I was ravenous, so just ended up heating up the last of my casserole I made last week.

leftovers

It was prettier before I added the guacamole. I’d prefer plain avocado but none at the store looked good. But have you seen these? I definitely need portion-control for this one so it’s perfect:

100 calories in a plastic pack.. lovely

Dessert came in the form of Kabocha Crunch Delight.

A Little Reflection

It’s amazing the difference in attitude and energy when you’re interacting/studying something you enjoy and stimulates you versus something you’re required/forced to do. It makes me realize even further how essential it is for me to find my niche. Today I found myself participating in class discussion on Web 2.0’s integration into standard media plans, while blogging, tweeting, reading blogs and emailing. It made me feel less bad about multi-tasking in class since after all we were discussing Web 2.0, what better way to understand and contribute to discussion than to be participating :p. I contrast that to experiences I’ve had where I go to a job, am crazy bored, and feeling like my brain in numb, and I feel exhausted from doing nothing. I feel like I have all these possibilities flying around in my head for potential professional paths to take moving forward, but I just have quite been able to piece it together. Any who, just a minor rant for the night.

So right now, Spin class makes everything better and I can’t get enough squash. What are a some of your current obsessions?

Have a great Tuesday!