Since I was 18 yo I lived in Berkeley, CA for 4 years, Baltimore for 2 years, and now (almost exactly) 2 years in Phoenix. I like change, I like living new places and trying new things. There are so many places I’d still like to live, tops for my US list includes: Boston, Chicago, Austin and Nashville. I’d also like to live in San Diego or Santa Barbara, but since I already lived in California they don’t make the first list :p .. and that’s just the US.. I’d absolutely love to live abroad at some point as well. I like Phoenix way more than I ever thought I would. And November through May it’s pretty much awesome, and countless times I’ve been in awe, and enjoyed bragging about a breathless Sunset while it’s 80 degrees in February. And I don’t even mind our crazy summers too much.. oh I don’t know, just a little random venting on my part

I think it always helps to have various little things to look forward to, and the countdowns are on!

My Birthday: 13 days

OCB AZ Figure Competition: 26 days

Trip to Seattle for a friend’s wedding: 31 days

Olympia Weekend: 51 days

NPC Iron Woman Fitness Competition: 60 days

Lots of exciting things to look forward to!

FITNESS

I started the day with an upper body workout with my trainer.. lots of Pull-ups, High Rows, Rear Delts, cable Press-downs and I’m blanking a bit.. I was just doing what I was told :p

Cardio:

1) 30 min. SS Cardio: 20 min. Inclined Treadmill, 10 min. Resistance Elliptical

2) 60 min. Spin class. Great class today, lots of resistance = great glute workout

NUTRITION

“High” carb day! I mentioned in a previous post that I’ve been playing with different macronutrient ratios as I diet-down for my next Figure/Fitness competition. Well it just seems that lower carb is what my body likes. So its been about 5 days since I’d had starchy carbs, so today was particularly tasty :p

Pre-workout I went with the usual PB Protein Ice Cream..

I’ve mentioned before that I tend to crave textures, often even over tastes, and one of the things I’ve been missing, since I’m not eating dairy at this point, is yogurt! This mix turned out to be fantastic and totally satisfied my craving.

Yam topped with Snickerdoodle Tofu Pudding..

I just microwaved the Yam, and for the Tofu Pudding I mixed in 1 tsp Vanilla Extract, Vanilla Nectar Stevia drops and Cinnamon.

My first attempt at making Seitan turned out great. This time I used Sarah’s recipe to make a baked version.

While that was in the oven, I stumbled across this interesting recipe and wanted to create my own version. Since cheese isn’t on the menu at the moment, I though Hummus would be a great substitute.

I whipped up a (large) single serving of Hummus by throwing the following ingredients into a food processor:

1/2 c no-salt-added Garbanzo Beans

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

2 tbsp H20

1/2 tsp Cumin

1 tsp minced Garlic

dash Red Pepper

Then I grilled 1/3″ thick Zucchini slices on the George Foreman for ~4 min., then speared Hummus on each slice, added a piece of Baked Seitan, and rolled up. It sort of looks like sushi :p

This turned out pretty good, though it’s really messy to eat. And next time I probably will just skip the Zucchini part, because the Seitan was awesome, and goes so well with Hummus.

Dinner was Tasty Bites Madras Lentils with a few ounces of Chicken Breast mixed in.. not pretty, but so.. appropriately.. tasty!

Dessert was a new Protein Almond Milk Ice Cream.. White Chocolate & Cherry! I just added 2 tbsp Sugar-Free White Chocolate Syrup to the Ice Cream then tossed in ~1/2 cup chopped frozen Sweet Dark Cherries in near the end.. this was fantastic!

What other places would you like to live?

FITNESS

Today was check/weigh-in with the trainer… My waist measurement and body fat % are down (9% give or take 0.5%), but my weight is staying stubborn (only down slightly from last week). What’s the heck, where’s it going?! .. Well it probably/might/perhaps mean that I’m holding water. This whole process is so crazy, but interesting. It’s an every changing process. I weigh a whole lot more than I did last prep, but my body fat is right on track. So we’re making a few adjustments to my nutrition this coming week to see if my body responds. Basically I’ll be sticking with the same overall calories but playing with macronutrients to add in more low-glycemic index/load carbs and less protein.

I actually did legs again today (messed up my split) but focused more on Hamstrings & Glutes. I’m not lifting particularly heavy right now, since I’m doing so much more cardio and just trying to maintain, so even though having a recovery day in between would have been better, at this point.. no harm done Besides, legs are my weakness (i.e. where I hold weight till the last moment), and it doesn’t hurt that it’s my favorite to work

Cardio was 15 min. Sprints (jog at 5.8 for 1 min. Sprint at 9.0-10.0 for 30 sec), followed by a 60 min. Spin class. Spin was a bit rough tonight after 2 days of legs and Sprints, but it was made better by a great new playlist.. people where dancing on the bikes and singing, it was fun!

NUTRITION

Glycemic Values

I wrote this brief article recently, and it ended up coming in handy when needing to figure out this upcoming weeks meal plan

Glycemic Index: What & Why

Eats

Today’s eats were a little mixed up, but this week I get to attempt to be creative with the new food options, so should be fun! But for today..

A plain & simple Protein Waffle with WF Maple Syrup..

A Perfect Match

Peanut Butter & Chocolate are just meant to be together (I always think of those Reese’s commercials, hehe). Post-work, after receiving the orders to add back in more carbs, I had this beauty..

1/4 c Coach’s Oats + 2 tbsp Oat Bran + 1/2 tbsp Hershey’s Special Dark Unsweetened Cocoa (mixed in at the end), with a side of PB Protein Ice Cream (made with 1/2 scoop Protein Powder)..

Later in the day I snacked on Cinnamon Sweet Potato Bites (oh, I always call them ‘sweet potatoes’ out of habit, but these are really Garnet Yams)..

I also  had a little Oatmeal mixed with a tbsp of Cake Batter Protein Powder & Cinnamon, and roasted Chicken Breast this afternoon.

Dinner was a great mix! 2 oz Tilapia, 1/3 cup no-salt-added Pinto Beans, 2 tbsp Salsa & 1 tbsp Fat-Free Feta..

I thinking dessert will be Yogurt Almond Milk Ice Cream of some sort of another. I’ll post the specific recipe tomorrow!

FUN

Shopping!

And check it out. Here are two great coupons for my Shop. Both are good through July 31st, but can’t be used at the same time:

• Free Shipping on any product – Code: JulyFreeShip
• 20% discount on any product – July20pct

Blogroll

I started making updates & changes to my blogroll (under ‘Fun & Faves’ tab). I made a bunch of additions and am adding in my favorite products/companies too. It’s a work in progress but a starts a start.

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?

But seriously, weight lifting with my trainer, killer cardio, YNL clients, studying, research & article writing.. it was a good day..

FITNESS

My cardio is finally started to get & feel better again! This evening I started with a 5 min warm-up walk, a 10 min jog (6.0 – 8.0 increasing as I got use to the speed), followed by a 60 min Spin class. I don’t know how else to say it, but I was just totally in the cardio zone I really pushed myself during Spin and it felt so awesome after. This morning I worked Shoulders & Back with my trainer.. lots of Rows, Pull-ups, Lat Raises, etc. There’s so much going on at STS right now, with a Fit Camp & Competition Posing seminar on Saturday, AZ NPC Open the week after that and NPC USAs in Vegas the week after. I just feel so thankful to work & train with such a great group of people!

NUTRITION

PB Protein Ice Cream Sundae topped with 0-cal Walden Farm Maple Syrup..

Finally got it right with the new protein powder consistency! Previously I’d been adding H20 to thin the batter, but then the pancakes were super fragile and would fall apart. Turns out it works much better to just leave the batter super thick and spread it out on the pan with a spatula. It may not be as pretty, but the texture & flavor was great! I topped it with an Egg White Puff (1/4 c Egg Whites + French Toast Capella Drops) and 0-cal Walden Farms Blueberry Syrup..

Lunch & Dinner look very similar.. a Diet Spinach Bar topped with

.. a Turkey Burger & 2 tbsp Yellow Curry..

and later 2 oz Tilapia & 2 oz Chicken Breast (because that’s what was already cooked and I was not willing to wait) with 2 tbsp Salsa (tried this from Frontera for the 1st time.. super good!)..

Beautiful Protein Almond Milk Ice Cream for dessert

Tonight’s version was White Chocolate Peanut Butter: 1/2 scoop Ice Cream Sandwich Whey Protein Isolate + 1.5 c Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze + 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum + 2 tbsp Sugar-Free White Chocolate Syrup + 8 drops Capella Peanut Butter Drops. Blend everything together on low for a minute, then transfer to an Ice Cream Maker and run for 25 minutes. As usual it was complimented beautifully with a Coconut Protein Cookie (1/2 scoop Ice Cream Sandwich Protein Powder + 1/2 tbsp Coconut Oil + 3/4 tbsp Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze.. mixed together, shaped into cookie form and microwaved for 40 seconds.. SO GOOD!)..

Oh, I’ve also been playing with a new Tofu Pudding concoction. I’m still making tweaks, but I’ll post that recipe sometime this week

Confessions of a Figure-Prep Competitor

So yesterday I was thiiisss clooseee to eating a bunch of things I shouldn’t (between the lines= I really shouldn’t have made cupcakes and gone to the grocery store). So instead I had a silly amount of Tilapia & Hummus, and a handful of peanuts.. haha.. ok.. it was only silly by my current dietary standards, but nonetheless. Why the confession? .. so that everyone knows, if you’ve competed before, are thinking about doing it, or just watch what you eat.. that everyone has little slips, the extent of the ‘slip’ may vary. Eating 6 cupcakes or a jar of natural nut butter (sunflower was sounding delightful) would have tasted good for about 10 minutes, then I would have felt horribly guilty.

It’s only been a couple weeks, but so far this prep is going much better/easier than last time.. as far as the mental aspect goes (don’t know about the physical yet). I think it’s because unlike my 1st time around where everything was new and I wasn’t sure about the outcome, this time I know, with no uncertainty, that the hard work and sacrifices (i.e. strict diet, skipping happy hours) are absolutely worth it when you are up on stage and know you put everything you could into being your best at that moment! Ok fine.. the hot weather also helps.. appetite plummets when it’s 90-110 F outside all the time :p

Just have to keep the end goal in sight! Other little goofy things.. I totally have a picture of Ava Cowan on my fridge and posters for my goal shows pinned to my calendar.. with countdowns..

Sometimes you just need little reminders.. little motivations

FUN

Quote of the Day

‎”Unless it’s mad, passionate, extraordinary.. you’re wasting your time. There’s too many mediocre things in life..”

And don’t forget to enter the  Giveaway which is going on through Wednesday!

Did you know it was coming?.. lets hear your confession of the weekend!

I wasn’t planning to post tonight, but my latest Ice Cream experiment needed screaming from the rooftops.. so on to it!

FITNESS

What a day! I started the day with a leg workout with my trainer. He’s also the one hosting a Glute Camp workout tomorrow.. so half-way through today’s workout I questioned if I’d be able to walk at a normal pace tomorrow, let alone do good at the camp, haha.. ah well, good soreness for sure. Later I hit up a lunch time Power Yoga class. At the end of the class there was live music (singing & guitar) during savasana (yes, I had to look up how to spell that), which was really cool. I rounded out my fitness day with a Spin class at Lifetime. There were 2 giant flat screens at the front of the room where they played coverage of Tour de France. Even though that it of course completely extravagant.. I have to admit, it was actually kind of cool. I would much rather stare at footage of the French countryside than my pedaling feet in the mirror. The class itself was ok. Not the most fun Spin class I’ve ever taken, but I got a good workout. Unfortunately the instructor was sooo annoying! haha Sorry if that’s mean, but she kept making this shrill ‘wooping’ noise that made me want to put a sock in her mouth. Yeah, don’t think I’ll be taking that one again :p

NUTRITION

A plus to living in the Phoenix area in the summer.. it makes it easy to eat healthy! Today was the hottest day so far this year, and when it gets to 100+ (which it probably will be from now through September), my appetite seems to shrink and heavy foods just do not sound very appetizing. I naturally just start craving light salads, smoothies, shakes and anything cold (hence the new Protein Ice Cream kick!).

Oh and yes, most of my photos lately are being taken on my carpet floor. All the other table surfaces are dark, and not particularly conducive to food photo taking. Perhaps I should build a light box..

Pre-workout I had another Mocha Protein Shake (Chocolate Protein Powder + Iced Coffee). And post-crazy-sweaty-power-yoga I wanted nothing else than a Protein Green Monster (Vega Sport, frozen Spinach, UVAB, Ice, Xanthan Gum). This time I threw in Blackberries, which I agree with Julie, “are so hot right now” ..

Pre-Spin it was another un-pictured Mocha Protein Shake.

Dinner was a combo I’m totally diggin’ right now. Grilled Portabella topped with 1 tbsp Hummus, 1/2 Avocado and Lox..

Then came perhaps the best protein concotion I’ve ever made.. no joke.. or maybe it just completely hit the spot, but either way, it was fantastic and I’m counting down to having another one tomorrow

Lite Peanut Butter Protein “Ice Cream”

1.5 c Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze (UVAB)

1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (a good one! I used Nectar’s Vanilla Creme)

2 tbsp PB2 or FitNutz

1/2 tbsp Raw Cacao Powder

Blend UVAB, Protein Powder and powdered PB until well mixed. Pour into Ice Cream Maker. Let the machine run for 20 min. Top with Cacao Powder. Be amazed by the healthy deliciousness

SO GOOD! Yup, I’m that excited about it

And the stats on this lovely: 220 cal / 6.3 g F / 11.3 g C / 30.1 g P

Still kind of hungry though.. thinkin Greek Yogurt or Kabocha slices might be in my future!

FUN

I’m having problems posting replies to questions in the ‘Comment’ section. So if you asked a question in the last week and I didn’t respond, I apologize and am trying to email out responses. Hopefully I’ll have a new system in place soon!

And if you haven’t had a chance, check out the new additions to My Shop!

Hope your weekend is off to a beautiful start!

Moving on .. I don’t have much to report. I spend all morning and early afternoon in front of the computer working on a couple projects before it was off to the gym..

FITNESS

Not a bad day workout wise, which is exactly what I needed after missing this weekend! I worked Shoulders & Back with my trainer. Pull-ups are getting easier and increased weight with single-arm rows. I headed right from his studio to my general gym (just an LA Fitness), because I was worried that if I went home I might start feeling overwhelmed with work and not make it back to the gym. So I ended up with an extra 45 minutes to kill before Spin, so I decided to work Glutes, which was perfect because I missed it over the weekend.

Glute workout: Squats, weighted Lunges, Sumo Squats with DB, Glute Kickbacks, Abductor Kickbacks, Adductor Kickbacks, then squeezed in sitting Hamstring Curls before class

Spin was great, I pushed myself and with Weights + Cardio I burned >700

FOOD

Not the prettiest meals today.. just a warning :p

3/4 c Lactaid Cottage Cheese + 1/2 scoop Cake Batter Protein Powder topped with Almonds..

Later I enjoyed a Kabocha Protein Pancake topped with 1/2 tbsp Coconut Butter..

I also made a few Plain & Simple pancakes to snack on this week. I don’t think I’ve ever posted my basic recipe so it’s just..

Plain & Simple Low-Carb Protein Pancake/Waffle

1 scoop of your favorite low-carb Protein Powder (mine is Cake Batter Isolate)

3-4 tbsp Egg Whites

1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar

Cinnamon

Stevia Extract

Liquid: Depending on the type of Protein Powder you use, you may need to add a couple tablespoons of H20 or Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze (UVAB), to get to a batter-like consistency.

Blend everything together with a hand mixer, then bake like a regular pancake stove top.

Later I snacked on 1/2 c Lactaid Cottage Cheese + 1/2 scoop Sun Warrior Chocolate Protein Powder & 1/2 tbsp Pumpkin Seed Butter..

Dinner was a blast from the past. It took me months to come back around to Egg Whites, but I’m totally diggin them now! I scrambled 2/3 c Egg Whites with 3 oz Wild Sockeye Salmon and a cup of Baby Spinach..

Dessert hit the spot. It was an Avocado Protein Shake. I used 1/2 frozen Avocado, 1 scoop Protein Powder, 1 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa, 1/2 tbsp Maca, 1 tbsp Unsweetened Coca, 3/4 Unsweetened Chocolate Almond Breeze.. Yum!

FUN

A few links..

Averie’s having a Raw Food cookbook giveaway!

The Simple Way to Stick to a Meal Plan from Zen Habits

Overcoming Soreness from Tosca

Great Low-Carb Substitution Tips from Men’s Health

I found a site to stream the last couple seasons of Nip/Tuck.. so I guess my break isn’t all productive :p

I haven’t talked about IIN recently.. Well it’s still going wonderfully. Every so often in the middle of the week I’ll start panicking about the future and how I’m going to make it all work, but then I’ll start the next IIN module and will be completely re-energized and know I made the right choice. This week the topic is High Carb Diets, which is of course interesting to me based on my recent experience manipulating carbs for competition purposes. They didn’t really say specifically bad things about low carb/high protein diets, but did mention multiple times how such diets don’t live up to their health claims; I both agree and disagree. I hate that when people hear “low carb” they think Adkins, steaks, butter, etc. Even now, I probably eat ‘low carb’ by some people’s standards, and I definitely eat ‘high protein’ by most, but the carbs I do eat are always clean whole grains (ok, minus the Kashi :p), and the Proteins are always lean and many are vegetarian.

The example was given that if carbs are bad, then how come most Japanese are of healthy weight, and if protein is so good then how come America is… Well yes, many Americans do eat too much protein, but those Americans are also eating the wrong kinds of proteins, along with the wrong types of carbs. Any who, just a minor rate. I look forward to the module that talks more about Adkins and low-carb; hopefully the positives are examined too.

FITNESS

Cardio: Spin

Today’s class was so awesome!! It was particularly great because 45 minutes before I really didn’t want to go, and had to do a bit self-convincing to drag myself out the door. But once I got on the bike, I totally got in the zone and had the best class I’ve had in ages! This studio has some pretty crazy classes. Your out of the saddle 95% of the time and there is a ton of stamina work. The first couple times I took it I was completely embarrassed by the ass kicking I received by a few 60 year old men. But slowly but surely I’m getting better and seeing progress.

Weights: Arms & Chest

Biceps: Barbell Curls, Concentrated Curls, Cable Curls

Triceps: Kickbacks, DB Extensions, narrow-grip Incline Presses

Chest: Incline Chest Press, Pec-Dec, Push-ups

Off cardio and hitting legs with my trainer, after PT, tomorrow!

NUTRITION

Stocking Up

On my first grocery store run today, I was informed by one of the workers that the Pumpkin Shortage has hit AZ! He said they didn’t think they’d get any in until May, so you can imagine my alarm..

Fast forward to by quick in & out trip to Whole Foods to pick up Tofu and Coconut Butter..

Low and behold they have pumpkin! I usually don’t spring for the crazy expensive organic brand, but if that’s all there is in the greater Phoenix area, then naturally I had to stock up! So my “quick trip” to Whole Foods turned into this..

We have:

3 Kabochas

2 types of Soy Yogurt

2 types of Tofu

Tempeh

Wild Salmon & Wild Cod

4 types of bulk grains: oat groat, wheat bran (for April’s Bars!), kasha and quinoa

5 cans of Pumpkin

1 can of Butternut Squash

Sunflower Butter

Coconut Butter

Blackberries

Stevia

Yay, so I’m set for.. well at least a week :p

The Eats

Repeat of yesterday’s breakfast deliciousness..

Snackin on Cottage Cheese + 1 tbsp ground Flax + 1 tbsp Sunflower Seeds + Cinnamon + Stevia..

Fruity Protein Smoothie topped with Galaxy Granola..

I have no idea why I’m currently all about warm Spinach & Cottage Cheese.. it doesn’t even sound good when I type it.. but it tastes good! .. Dinner was Baby Spinach, nooch Cottage Cheese, Grape Tomatoes& Black Cod..

Just one thing sounded good for dessert.. Protein Cookie Dough (1 scoop Cake Batter Protein Powder + 1 tbsp Sunbutter + 1 tbsp plain Yogurt).. so good and excited to eat it, that it went pictureless :0

FUN

Excited for tomorrow because I’m going to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D! I’ve heard great things and I love Johnny Depp, so I know I won’t be disappointed. Before the movie we’re going to a restaurant that I’ve been to once before.. but didn’t get to enjoy. I met a friend there a few weeks into carb-cycling to prep for my Fitness Competition, and was only able to order plain Spinach & Chicken, so I’m looking forward to trying one of their many impressive menu items!

Ask me anything on FormSpring!

This week absolutely flew by! So fast in fact, that yesterday I didn’t even leave the house but yet didn’t manage to fit in finishing up a blog post :0 sorry (blush). It was however another super productive PJ day. Please excuse the randomness of today’s post, there’s just a bunch of little things I’d love to share .. a little seriousness, a little goofyness (sp?), and of course a little deliciousness!

Minty Fresh

One of the things I spent a huge amount of time doing yesterday was budgeting. It’s funny, in all other aspects of my life I am crazy organized, if not slightly OCD. For example, the dishes always go in the dish washer the same way, my DVDs are alphabetized and my calendar for the first week back in classes (1 week from now) looks like this..

Yes, my day is planned from 8am to 11pm.. I’m a total dork. But yet, I’m know to be a bit of a complete clusterf*&k when it comes to budgeting. Makes not sense! Budgeting is all about setting goals, categorizing and sticking to a plan.. all things I’m generally pretty decent at. Over the last few weeks (ok longer than that, but other things interrupted) I realized I really needed to get my act together. I’m 25 yo after all, it’s ridiculous and a little pathetic that I don’t have this aspect of my life more together.. not to mention I’m about to get my MBA. So yesterday, I finally created an account on Mint.com and spent hours going through everything, making sure it was all correctly categorized, and creating a budget. Not going to lie.. my list-making loving side kind of enjoyed it; even if it was a little depressing. It was no surprise that since October, the vast majority of my money went to 2 categories: Fitness & Health and Food & Groceries!

So it’s official, a budget has been set, and Mint.com will send me ever so friendly email reminders when I’m getting close to hitting my budgeted amount in each category (I’m actually already over slightly on clothes.. darn you Lululemon and your ridiculous cute, comfortable & sensible workout clothes!).

And then 6 Hours Had Gone By

It’s so funny.. I’ll start on IIN coursework, then all of a sudden half a day’s gone by! That’s all fine and good now, but I’m going to have to stick to my budgeted time once my other, full-time, school program starts up again. One of the topics addressed recently was self-care. I thought this was a fun link for suggestions: Ideas for Self Nourishment. Personally, every so often when I’m feeling super stressed I’ve found it helps to just take a few minutes to jot down simple pleasures and gratitudes. I’ve realized that I sometimes allow things I’m appreciative of fly by, and just slowing down for a minute, to give thanks, helps me relax.

Another cool exercise I’m working on is the Breakfast Experiment. I just started today, but I’m suppose to have a different breakfast each day for a week and acknowledge/record how I feel and my energy level right after and a couple hours later. I’m altering the experiment a bit, from what they suggest, so the items are in line with what I’d realistically eat. So I’m thinking:

Friday: Overnight Protein Oats (see recipe below)

Saturday: Protein Shake

Sunday: Pumpkin Oatmeal

Monday: Egg Whites

Tuesday: Oatmeal/Sweet Potato/Pumpkin Pancake

Wednesday: Scrambled Tofu

Thursday: Fruit & Yogurt

Seriously though, how cool is my homework? Another exercise is to develop our own diet with an accompanying philosophy and rules.. that one’s in the works!

FITNESS

I finally got legit Spin shoes! Yay! Aren’t they cute? They’re actually the ‘Komen’ design so 10% goes to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Tested them out tonight for a killer sweat dripping session.

What is Fitness to You?

A post on Olicious Life made me think about this.. For me, there are separate categories; there’s Competitive Fitness and there’s Life Fitness. Competitive Fitness is awesome and I love it, but it’s very specific. It’s building or cutting, lots of protein powder, measured eating and specific goals. Life Fitness, on the other hand, is the ongoing pursuit of health & wellness. No matter how much I loved how I looked at < 120 lbs & 8% body fat it’s probably not a realistic point to exist at for the long-term.. unless fitness was in fact my career.. i.e. the lovely Alicia Marie, Jamie Eason, Jen Hedershott, etc. That would be pretty awesome, but that’s not my goal with Competitive Fitness.. I just have too many other things I’m interested in professionally and personally.

So Competitive Fitness is something I want to do as long as I can, but Lifetime Fitness is something I will never lose track of. Right now I’m struggling a bit with determining the best formula for me. For example, I am really loving Yoga, but it will be hard to do it as much as I would like once school (and at somepoint a full-time job) starts up again, and I am also lifting and doing cardio every day. At the same time, I have interests and professional opportunities developing related to Holistic Health Counseling, and I wonder how that will fit.

I’ve mentioned before that how I workout and eat when training for a fitness competition is different from my ideal philosophy on health & wellness, fitness & nutrition. How long will I be okay with that disconnected?

The problem is, I love it all! I really do. I love the regiment and intensity of training for a show, the way I’m able to shape my body, and the exhilaration of being on stage.. but I also love not feeling guilty for skipping a lifting session for a yoga class, or eating a plain salad without a large portion of protein. .. Issues much? haha .. I warned you this would be a cattywampus (another fantastic word! It’s official, words of the week are: wanderlust & cattywampus). But nonetheless, that’s what’s going through my head these days.

It’s so wonderful to have all these interests I want to pursue, so please don’t read this ‘vent’ as a complaint, I’m just still sorting out how to manage it all. I’ve always been an all or nothing sorta person. When I find something I love, I throw myself into with my whole heart. I need to figure out how to enjoy all these interests without letting them consume in a negative way. Ok enough seriousness for one post! ..

Weekend Plans

And right in line with my various fitness interests, I have a couple exciting events this weekend. First, tomorrow I’m going to an NPC judging meeting to hear about what they look for, how it’s changing etc. Then Sunday is the Partner Yoga workshop.. Looking forward to both!

Borrowed this from one of the ladies that workouts at STS..

Reasons why weights are better than boys:

1) You can use more than one and the other one won’t get jealous

2) You can drop them easily when you’re tired

3) The relationship can be as heavy as you like

NUTRITION

A few highlights from the last couple days..

New Stuff

Yesterday I attempted a few new treats.

First up.. I am no longer a homemade Granola virgin… though I also learned that slaving over casually mixing together the ingredients and mixing every 20 minutes doesn’t make me any less likely to eat excessive amounts. oops.. Seriously, I think this has become more dangerous to me than any nut butter. gah! This was crazy easy to make and sooo good. I have all sorts of ideas for tidbits to add in next time

Mix’er Up

Hot ‘n Toasty!

Then a fantastic new discovery, Vega! I’d of course seen this floating around the blogosphere and was happy to see sample pack at Whole Foods the other day. So in the midst of a chocolate craving I created..

Vega Chocolate Tofu Pudding

1 packet (30 g) Chocolate Vega

~2 oz Firm Tofu

1 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

dash Stevia Extract

~1/3 c Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze

Blend up. Enjoy

(I apologize for the lame tupperware serving mechanism. I really need a wider variety of bowl sizes :p).. I was so happy with this! It turned out nice and thick and the Cocoa powder gives it a rich taste that is perfect for satisfying the sweet tooth.

Worth the Wait

A new minor obsession.. Overnight Oats! I’ve been experimenting with a couple different tactics. I started with Kath’s recipe.  Then naturally felt the need to.. Pimp’em Out (vocab borrowed from my favorite Protein Pimpin’ Chica). So naturally came..

Pumpkin Protein Overnight Oats

1/4 – 1/2 c Oats (depending on your macro needs)

1/2 scoop Protein Powder

1/2 c Pumpkin Protein Yogurt (previously mixed equal parts Pumpkin & Greek Yogurt with lotsa Pumpkin Spice).. better flavor after it chills in the fridge a while).

1 scoop Chia Seeds (optional)

Mix it all up, then chill for a few hours. Hits the spot!

Something’s Missin

I tried a new mix tonight for dinner. It was good.. and pretty, but something was missing. Any suggestions? I baked 1/2 a diced Butternut Squash and 1 diced Apple for 25 minutes at 400 F then added diced Honey Ham (pre-cooked), and baked for another 20 minutes. Still a fresh & fulfilling supper!

I think dessert tonight will be Vega Protein Pudding topped with chopped Walnuts.. yes, I think that would be perfect!

They Try to Trick You!

I just learned recently that you can tell if a product is truly organic by its PLU Code. Sometimes companies will try to trick you with sneaky labeling but if the PLU Code starts with a 9, it’s registered organic. Coincidentally, Nature’s Path also tweeted a link on this today.

Alert!

This popped into my email this morning while I was blogging: … Food Porn Alert!

That would be Peanut Butter-Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream Cake.. gah. Although it is pretty, the first thing I thought was.. ‘that would make me feel like crap!”

FUN

Look what I found waiting for me when I got home!

The sweet, smart and fitness-prepping Carrie, author of fantastic fitness-friendly recipe and workout videos, sent me these delights.. Amish Pumpkin, Apple and Peanut Butter.. Yes please! Not to mention, fantastic additions to my cup & bowl collections

So that post got pretty long! Hope you all have wonderful weekends, with at least a little time set aside to relax and nourish yourself Here are a few healthy reward suggestions from FitSugar.

What are your favorite nourishing/relaxing activities? I would have to say mine are pretty much anything that takes place at a spa.. well except waxes :p

Today was definitely an improvement from yesterday, and I’m sure getting my butt moving first thing helped that!

FITNESS

I got a fantastic start to the day with a heart-pumpkin Spin class. I went back to Studio 360, a spin & yoga dedicated studio. I don’t like these classes as much as my Monday & Wednesday class at my other gym, but this certainly got a great sweat going. After that it was off to STS for a leg workout!

So I walk in and my trainer asks me, “so you want to do measurements?” My reaction was an ugly face and a grunt, “oh all right.” haha. I haven’t been measured since before the holidays so I was nervous to know for fact what I know just from feeling (that sounds funny, but I think you know what I mean). Any who.. I promised honesty.. I’m up 11 lbs from my competition weight, my caliper measurement went up but I’m thankful to still be under 10% body fat, and my measurements each went up a bit (most in my waist). So it wasn’t pretty, but I suppose it could have been worse. And after taking out nut butters and moving around my macro timing I’m already feeling so much better, less bloated and less heavy. I think building is actually harder than cutting because cutting has such a specific goal.. loosing body fat. While with building you are trying to keep your body fat down, but need to be consuming large amounts to build muscle, and frankly sometimes I just don’t want to eat all that. I suppose this is my first formal ‘build’ because leading up to my first show I was really just discovering how my body would respond to training and had a much farther way to go (when I started training I was around 133 pounds and 17% bf).

NUTRITION

I finally got around to trying my crock-pot steelcut oats. They were really good, but I think I still prefer the fresh off the stove standard variety. I was surprised how sticky these came out. I mixed in ~1/4 c UVAB and 1/2 scoop Protein Powder before heating it up in the microwave. Then I mixed in 1 tbsp Chia seeds and topped them with 1 tbsp Coconut Butter.

And a better view of the new pretty bowl..

After Spin I had a quick Protein Yogurt snack before heading off to weights.

A Lovely Cheat

My cheat meal came early this week. I had lunch plans at one of my favorite Phoenix spots, Postino Winecafe. I’d gone here for a business lunch while I was prepping for the fitness competition and spent the meal drooling over the other person’s panini while I had a plain chicken salad with no dressing. So this place had been on my list to visit post-comp.

Splendid..

Mozzerella & Tomato Jr.

My lunch was 1/2 Turkey Panini with smoked turkey, vine rippened tomatoes, provolone, fresh greens and homemade pesto + 1/2 Mixed Greens Salad with candied pecans, red grapes, gorgonzola, crispy leeks and poppyseed vinaigrette..

Postino’s is know for their Bruschetta. And checkout the spread my roommate got..

Just funny.. my tea bonding with my friend’s jug of beer

Repeat!

Dinner was very similar to what it’s been the last couple days. One spaghetti squash makes so much and I don’t want it to go to waste, plus it’s darn good!

1 c Spaghetti Squash topped with 2 oz grilled Tofu, 1/3 c Cottage Cheese, 1/4 Avocado. Luvin..

Fun Links

Love this post from The Swanky RD on the 7 Things Experts Won’t Eat

Lots going on with STS social media Check’em/me out on Twitter & Facebook!

Gah, I can’t believe tomorrow’s Thursday, this week is flying by! My cheat lunch totally hit the shop today.. So I’m curious.. what’s your absolutely favorite restaurant and your favorite meal there?

FITNESS

I love finding out that there is some sort of evidence behind my hunches/guesses/intuition and generally just the things I like to do.  I opened up FitSugar this morning to find that the first two posts talked about …

Benefits of HIIT

Yoga for Strength & Balance

Spin + Flow yoga = drenched in sweat and on a divine endorphin high. I had the best spin class today I’ve had in month! Not only was the class & music great, I really cranked up the resistance and got my heart rate pumpin! Checked the Heart Rate Monitor and ended up burning around 450 cal in 50 minutes. Not my best ever, but the best in a while, and it felt amazing. After Spin I drove straight to Yoga. The studio I’m going to has 2 locations and this was my first time at the other location. It really is a fantastic space. I’ll take pictures soon to share with you all. The class I did today was the same type & same instructor as Sunday. I noticed an improvement today, was going through the poses better and am starting to pick up on the breathing (sorta). With the room heated and me straining to get the holds better, I left an hour later drenched, it was fantastic!

On the agenda for tomorrow is lifting for Hamstrings & Arms and 2 yoga classes.

NUTRITION

I assume that at one point or another I will get sick of Pumpkin Oats, but until then, I present you with yet another bowl.

For whatever reason, this morning I just wasn’t that hungry, so I only ended up eating half and packed the rest up to take with me to school for a snack later. I was however in the mood for coffee and I must share with you my latest love..

I take my coffee with tea & creamer

It’s likely that everyone’s been doing this for ages and I’m just behind the times, but either way it’s fantastic and do it immediately.. what do I speak of? Throw a tea bag in with your coffee! My favorite combination so far, naturally, is Starbucks Via + Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane + Peppermint Mocha Creamer + dash of a sugar-free flavor syrup of some sort. Soooo good! I guess I like strong flavors because the flavored coffees just never have enough kick for me, and this little trick solved that problem

Snackin

My snacks and lunch were mixed & matched and devoured in class and in the car, so no photo evidence. It involved: 1/2 c Lactaid Cottage Cheese, 1/3 Avocado, 1 Protein Pancake, 3 oz Chicken Breast.

Microwave Death

I haven’t mentioned, but our microwave died yesterday Definitely an inconvenience, but not as much as it would have been a year ago! I use to cook everything either in the microwave or on the George Foreman, but Fitness has created a love of cooking in me and I have greatly diversified my kitchen abilities. Any who, last night’s pizza had to be reheated under a low broiler..

Phew, I’m beat. Time to get cleaned up and ready for tomorrow. Have a great Tuesday!