I've GOT to break this funk!
Rather than psych myself out and worry over things I cannot control, I want to take a moment to think about the things that really great about this experience. You'll see throughout the history of this blog that I do this when I need to lift my spirits and find motivation and strength!
I want to give special thanks to my friends. Michelle, Kelly, Megan, and Morgan! Thanks so much for this week. Seeing you girls and learning that you all are planning on attending the show means so much to me! I'm glad to help you all with meal planning and exercise routines. You 4 are simply the best friends any girl could ask for! Thanks for cheering me on and being so supportive!
Ashley, I can't tell you how surprised I was to hear how this blog has inspired you! I actually felt shy when you approached me! This has been an incredible exeperience for me and I'm thankful that you were able to enjoy reading about my journey!
Kara, thanks for the words of encouragment! You helped remind me that there are tremendous rewards that I take for granted! Thank you!
Jessica, thanks for being the best photographer out there! You have been amazing to work with, I'm happy that I'm so comfortable with you and I feel that you truly captured my hard work in your art!
Ronnie, my religious reader! Thank you, honey for following this blog and responding to almost every thing! I love that I share this with you!
Lolly, thank you for turning to me for advice. Helping you keeps my focus on my own health and fitness strong!
Blythe, the best trainer ever. Thanks for keeping me accountable, pushing me to my limits and guiding me through this journey!
Marty...you are a saint. Thanks for rushing at a moment's notice to get me my carbs, never getting angry with me when I'm a complete raging bitch, and for making sure that I'm prepared each day for success. I could not do this without you.
I am blessed with an amazing support group! LOVE YOU ALL!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Keeping Motivated
I'm in the last 6 weeks before the big day and its becoming difficult to keep motivated. I know that we all go through cycles and about 6 weeks ago I found myself in a similar slump. This past year and more specifically the last 6 months have been extremely difficult, both physically and emotionally. Its hard to keep the momentum and stay on track in regards to diet and exercise. I do sacrifice a lot and I know that the rewards are great, but it is so hard to stay on track week in and week out. I do get my "cheat" meals, but as I get closer the cheat meals don't seem worth it...so I get irritable and frustrated, especially when I don't see major muscle gain or fat loss.
I am definitely on the smaller side and so I'm preparing myself to not get my hopes up high when it comes to the competition. I'm really looking at this as a learning experience and really when it comes to whether or not I've "won" anything...I really do feel like a winner in that I'm in the best shape of MY life.
I do get doubtful and self conscious, I think that's normal and I admit that each day is like playing mental games, some days I feel great, other days, I feel flat (that's what we say when our muscles look small) I'm leaning out quickly, so I feel lanky, I was expecting to see more muscle definition and I'm very small.
I'm working out with Blythe both Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Then I'm headed to the beach for some R&R and down time with the Foley Family. I think that will be good for me. Its going to be hard because my nutrition is so strict right now and I cannot allow for any slip ups; but I think that the time away will help me regain focus!
I usually feel better after my workouts with Blythe, when I hit it hard, I feel rejuvinated and motivated. I just need that kick in the butt! This is hands down the hardest thing I've ever done in my life!
I am definitely on the smaller side and so I'm preparing myself to not get my hopes up high when it comes to the competition. I'm really looking at this as a learning experience and really when it comes to whether or not I've "won" anything...I really do feel like a winner in that I'm in the best shape of MY life.
I do get doubtful and self conscious, I think that's normal and I admit that each day is like playing mental games, some days I feel great, other days, I feel flat (that's what we say when our muscles look small) I'm leaning out quickly, so I feel lanky, I was expecting to see more muscle definition and I'm very small.
I'm working out with Blythe both Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Then I'm headed to the beach for some R&R and down time with the Foley Family. I think that will be good for me. Its going to be hard because my nutrition is so strict right now and I cannot allow for any slip ups; but I think that the time away will help me regain focus!
I usually feel better after my workouts with Blythe, when I hit it hard, I feel rejuvinated and motivated. I just need that kick in the butt! This is hands down the hardest thing I've ever done in my life!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Overcoming Temptation
This weekend has been especially challenging when it comes to temptation. Friday night my husband and I went out to celebrate a friend's birthday. It was incredibly difficult to party all night and not that I'm even much of a drinker, it definitely felt hard to not have a single sip of alcohol (not to mention that people aren't as funny as you remember when you're sober LOL!)
On Saturday, we spent the day at Eastport Rockin', an Annapolitan block party with close to 30 bands rockin' out, and once again I found myself in a pickle not being able to find "good food" and beverages that didn't consist of alcohol.
Today, I celebrated another birthday with friends and let's just say that they had the most gorgeous chocolate cake in all the world there for the taking! I seriously felt that I could knock down walls to get to a piece of cake. Inside, my world was spinning out of control, but outside I calmly fed my children this delicious (so it looked) cake. Yes, I held the cake, on a tiny little plate, and carefully fed my children said cake and didn't so much as lick the fork.
So, through this entire weekend, I was constantly surrounded by temptation and it would have been easy to sneak a taste or just let the plan slip, but I've made it SO FAR and I just can't justify it. Blythe said to me on Friday night via text: This is only a very short time in your life. You are healthy and you're on a mission. Keep reminding yourself of that!
She was SO right. After coming home from today's party, I went and indulged in a greek yogurt (yeah, that's my "treat" these days!) Thankfully, I can still have "vanilla" flavored and that seemed to calm my sweet tooth.
I like knowing that I defeated temptation and that I held strong. It doesn't feel good at the time, but I know it feels better than the guilt I would feel later had I given in...
On Saturday, we spent the day at Eastport Rockin', an Annapolitan block party with close to 30 bands rockin' out, and once again I found myself in a pickle not being able to find "good food" and beverages that didn't consist of alcohol.
Today, I celebrated another birthday with friends and let's just say that they had the most gorgeous chocolate cake in all the world there for the taking! I seriously felt that I could knock down walls to get to a piece of cake. Inside, my world was spinning out of control, but outside I calmly fed my children this delicious (so it looked) cake. Yes, I held the cake, on a tiny little plate, and carefully fed my children said cake and didn't so much as lick the fork.
So, through this entire weekend, I was constantly surrounded by temptation and it would have been easy to sneak a taste or just let the plan slip, but I've made it SO FAR and I just can't justify it. Blythe said to me on Friday night via text: This is only a very short time in your life. You are healthy and you're on a mission. Keep reminding yourself of that!
She was SO right. After coming home from today's party, I went and indulged in a greek yogurt (yeah, that's my "treat" these days!) Thankfully, I can still have "vanilla" flavored and that seemed to calm my sweet tooth.
I like knowing that I defeated temptation and that I held strong. It doesn't feel good at the time, but I know it feels better than the guilt I would feel later had I given in...
Friday, June 25, 2010
Skinny Genes
I believe that we are all our own worst critics. I was talking with my sister in law during our run and we were discussing how our bodies are designed and how each and every one of us has our "trouble spots". Let's talk about genes...not JEANS, but genetics. For most women, we carry our weight in our hips, thighs, buttocks and waist. I know for me, the hardest thing for me to work and see any definition is my abs. No matter how hard I work them, I still have that layer of fat that covers them up. I have always struggled with a "muffin top" no matter how think I've ever gotten. The belly fat is the LAST to go for me.
I've also recently learned that I store fat in the backside of my arms (tricep area) is really hard for me to lose too. My triceps are there and are developing, I just can't see them very well!
And last but not least, another big trouble spot for me, not in a sense of storing fat, but a difficult area to develop muscle is my calves. They are just small. I don't have those gorgeous fish bellies on my lower legs. I run, I lift weights, I'm on my feet a lot, but those puppies will NOT grow! I think it is because I have a long calve muscle and it can't contract as nicely as I would like. At least I have long legs, right?
So how can we fight genes? You can't really. You've got to work with what you've got. There is no such thing as "spot training" you can't lose fat in just your belly or arms and I can do calve rasies until the cows come home and I doubt I'll get thick calve muscles in this lifetime. However, I can be sure to work those areas to exhaustion to get the absolute BEST out of those areas. So that's the skinny on genes. Love what you've got and appreciate your strong areas. Work your trouble spots to exhaustion and don't beat yourself up over it. If all our bodies were exactly the same, this would all be easy breezy, but we're all built differently and we've just got to work with the one body God gave us!
AWESOME WEEK!
This week has been amazing! I hit all my workouts really hard, had two incredible training days with Blythe, I'm down 2lbs (and I'm sure its body fat!), eating was right on target and I started the fat burner Jack3d.
My mood has had some pretty strong swings, I go from being emotional, to irritable to tired and then ecstatic. I feel bipolar at times, but I'm learning how to cope with it and when to recognize that I need some deep breathing, stretching or just a good run. The emotional side of all this is very difficult, but I think I'm handling it in stride. Marty has been exceptionally supportive and he's prepared himself for my mood swings. He encourages me to eat something small when I'm really irritable and he helps me a lot with stretching and talking about positive things. He's a saint...
I'm seeing a lot of muscle definition and growth (especially in my shoulders, abs and quads) My shoulders are bigger, nicely capped and looking very defined. My abs and stomach area are thinning out and I'm seeing cuts, and that obnoxious belly "lip" is shrinking; the quads are looking very small. I've lost a lot in my inner thighs so although I can see muscle definition, my quads are looking very thin. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish my legs were bigger!
Along with having an awesome week, I'm at the complete opposite end of the spectrum emotionally because I feel myself really struggling with sadness over the loss of Karen. I have so many exciting things happening and I can't help but feel emptiness with her gone. I would like to believe that she's watching over me and cheering me on, but I miss her so much that its hard to enjoy the moments of triumph. There's so much I want to share with her, and I feel lonely without her support and encouragement. As much as my husband and friends care and support me, I can't help but miss that special closeness with her. I miss how she would ask questions, laugh at me and say some quick witted response of encouragment. She would have laughed herself to tears at the thought of me flipping large tractor tires. I can't even begin to express how having her gone has impacted my life. Every.single.aspect.
So on to more good news, I got confirmation that I did infact pass my personal training certification and I should be receiving my certificate in the next 4 weeks. Should I frame it? LOL! I honestly can say that having a certification in personal fitness training was not something I thought I would ever add to my resume.
Also, talking with Blythe this week, I've decided to go ahead and enter in the Fitness Model class at the competition. She seems to think that I would do really well in that division. I trust her judgement and as self-conscious as I feel, I will do my best to be confident and deliver. So...that's the scoop for this week! 7 weeks to go!
My mood has had some pretty strong swings, I go from being emotional, to irritable to tired and then ecstatic. I feel bipolar at times, but I'm learning how to cope with it and when to recognize that I need some deep breathing, stretching or just a good run. The emotional side of all this is very difficult, but I think I'm handling it in stride. Marty has been exceptionally supportive and he's prepared himself for my mood swings. He encourages me to eat something small when I'm really irritable and he helps me a lot with stretching and talking about positive things. He's a saint...
I'm seeing a lot of muscle definition and growth (especially in my shoulders, abs and quads) My shoulders are bigger, nicely capped and looking very defined. My abs and stomach area are thinning out and I'm seeing cuts, and that obnoxious belly "lip" is shrinking; the quads are looking very small. I've lost a lot in my inner thighs so although I can see muscle definition, my quads are looking very thin. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish my legs were bigger!
Along with having an awesome week, I'm at the complete opposite end of the spectrum emotionally because I feel myself really struggling with sadness over the loss of Karen. I have so many exciting things happening and I can't help but feel emptiness with her gone. I would like to believe that she's watching over me and cheering me on, but I miss her so much that its hard to enjoy the moments of triumph. There's so much I want to share with her, and I feel lonely without her support and encouragement. As much as my husband and friends care and support me, I can't help but miss that special closeness with her. I miss how she would ask questions, laugh at me and say some quick witted response of encouragment. She would have laughed herself to tears at the thought of me flipping large tractor tires. I can't even begin to express how having her gone has impacted my life. Every.single.aspect.
So on to more good news, I got confirmation that I did infact pass my personal training certification and I should be receiving my certificate in the next 4 weeks. Should I frame it? LOL! I honestly can say that having a certification in personal fitness training was not something I thought I would ever add to my resume.
Also, talking with Blythe this week, I've decided to go ahead and enter in the Fitness Model class at the competition. She seems to think that I would do really well in that division. I trust her judgement and as self-conscious as I feel, I will do my best to be confident and deliver. So...that's the scoop for this week! 7 weeks to go!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Adding Second Day with Trainer and Turning Up the Heat
As I get closer to the competition, I'm feeling that I need to kick up my workouts a bit!
Starting this week, I'm adding Thursday workouts with Blythe. So I will be training alone on Mondays, off on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays with Blythe and then alone on Fridays. I will do light cardio on Saturdays and off on Sundays. WHEW! I just want to make sure that I'm giving these next 8 weeks 200%!
I'm going to start HIIT cardio with my sister-in-law tomorrow! Hopefully we can do HIIT at least 3 days a week! We'll see how she does ;o)
Its time to turn up the heat a little bit and make sure that these next 24 strength training workouts are INTENSE! I only have 8 more leg days, 8 more back and chest days and 8 more arms and shoulder days! That's very few workouts for maximum results! Wish me luck!
Starting this week, I'm adding Thursday workouts with Blythe. So I will be training alone on Mondays, off on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays with Blythe and then alone on Fridays. I will do light cardio on Saturdays and off on Sundays. WHEW! I just want to make sure that I'm giving these next 8 weeks 200%!
I'm going to start HIIT cardio with my sister-in-law tomorrow! Hopefully we can do HIIT at least 3 days a week! We'll see how she does ;o)
Its time to turn up the heat a little bit and make sure that these next 24 strength training workouts are INTENSE! I only have 8 more leg days, 8 more back and chest days and 8 more arms and shoulder days! That's very few workouts for maximum results! Wish me luck!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Insanity
I'm not talking about a video that thousands of people have bought to get their cardio. I'm talking about today's workout with my trainer! I arrived at her gym, bright eyed and bushy tailed, to see her carrying a large sand bag. She drops it in the corner and says, "I'll save this for us!" I immediately knew that today was a day of "zero mercy". (I love it! It is an illness to love torturing myself like this!)
Today was my scheduled "legs" day with Blythe and there was no question that she meant business. I followed John into the office and he took my measurments; I've come down A LOT! I've lost dramatically everywhere except my triceps! (Come on wings...fly away!) Then I naively followed Blythe outside. I was thinking to myself, "what a gorgeous day to workout outside!" HA HA HA!
Blythe had me warm up with an agility ladder; jumping, skipping, hopping side to side, criss crossing, you name it. I'm not most coordinated pesron out there, so I was self conscious and clumsy...but I survived. We then did squats, just using our body weight. Then... she walks me over to this large TIRE and tells me to flip it over ACROSS THE PARKING LOT! Yeah, so there I am, squatting down, getting under the tire and then flipping it over (about 14 times) BURN BABY BURN!
As if that wasn't enough, she then tells me to pick up that sand bag, put it over my head and onto my shoulders and run 5 laps. OMG. I thought I would puke! I couldn't even get the 50lb bag over my head! So she helped me position in on my shoulders and off I ran; you better believe at the end of the five laps I just let it drop behind me!
We did some sprints/running after that, I got a bee stuck in my shoe (between the tongue of the shoe and the front of my ankle) and stung 3 times on the last sprint...but I survived :o) Then back to the tire, some more agility ladder, jumping rope, 5 more laps with the sand bag and then we moved inside for some more leg exercises.
I like how Blythe incorporates my cardio into intervals with the stregth training. The workouts are fast and efficient and most importantly INTENSE!
Inside, we did some ab work that also worked on the glutes and hamstrings. She threw in some "burpees" which I guess are some sort of military workout. You go down into a squat, thrust out into a plank, then jump back into a squat and then jump straight up into the air and back down into a squat mulitply that by 15. I felt like my head was going to explode!
Our cool down was five laps across the room (down and back count as 1) of walking lunges using only our body weight. We took at break at 2.5 laps and then finished strong.
It was a crazy, insane, fun and miserable workout! I can't wait to see what's in store for next week!
Today was my scheduled "legs" day with Blythe and there was no question that she meant business. I followed John into the office and he took my measurments; I've come down A LOT! I've lost dramatically everywhere except my triceps! (Come on wings...fly away!) Then I naively followed Blythe outside. I was thinking to myself, "what a gorgeous day to workout outside!" HA HA HA!
Blythe had me warm up with an agility ladder; jumping, skipping, hopping side to side, criss crossing, you name it. I'm not most coordinated pesron out there, so I was self conscious and clumsy...but I survived. We then did squats, just using our body weight. Then... she walks me over to this large TIRE and tells me to flip it over ACROSS THE PARKING LOT! Yeah, so there I am, squatting down, getting under the tire and then flipping it over (about 14 times) BURN BABY BURN!
As if that wasn't enough, she then tells me to pick up that sand bag, put it over my head and onto my shoulders and run 5 laps. OMG. I thought I would puke! I couldn't even get the 50lb bag over my head! So she helped me position in on my shoulders and off I ran; you better believe at the end of the five laps I just let it drop behind me!
We did some sprints/running after that, I got a bee stuck in my shoe (between the tongue of the shoe and the front of my ankle) and stung 3 times on the last sprint...but I survived :o) Then back to the tire, some more agility ladder, jumping rope, 5 more laps with the sand bag and then we moved inside for some more leg exercises.
I like how Blythe incorporates my cardio into intervals with the stregth training. The workouts are fast and efficient and most importantly INTENSE!
Inside, we did some ab work that also worked on the glutes and hamstrings. She threw in some "burpees" which I guess are some sort of military workout. You go down into a squat, thrust out into a plank, then jump back into a squat and then jump straight up into the air and back down into a squat mulitply that by 15. I felt like my head was going to explode!
Our cool down was five laps across the room (down and back count as 1) of walking lunges using only our body weight. We took at break at 2.5 laps and then finished strong.
It was a crazy, insane, fun and miserable workout! I can't wait to see what's in store for next week!
Progress Pictures taken from "judges" perspective...
After today's INSANE workout with Blythe (that's a separate post), she took some progress pictures. We will now be taking progress pictures every week...same outfit, same position, same lighting (up until the final week or so where I will then be posing in my competition suit to practice wearing it) This will give me a better visual with my progress.
Please excuse my crazy face. I was extremely tired, worn out, sore and strained. My face is extremely red from sweating like mad! I'm happier with these progression pictures, and I can definitely see some changes!
Please excuse my crazy face. I was extremely tired, worn out, sore and strained. My face is extremely red from sweating like mad! I'm happier with these progression pictures, and I can definitely see some changes!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Mini Competitor
My daughter is so darn cute! She's taking the competition very seriously! She practices her poses and her "T walk" with me and she's always asking me tons of questions about the competition. More importantly, she sees that I'm making healthy choices and that I enjoy exercising and be fit! YAY!!!
Mind Games!
I had my husband take some progression pics tonight and I'm convinced he's just a bad photographer! I was seriously feeling like I was making serious progress, but now seeing the June progress pictures I'm terrified that I'm not ready! So here goes:
Carb Cycling is harder than I thought!
Today is a moderate day (75g) and its killing me! I am really struggling to fit in complex carbs, veggies are too fiberous and don't really count! I'm tired, grouchy and somewhat stressed trying to figure out what to eat, when, how much and counting grams! The good thing...actually the great thing is that I'm not hungry. I can't even imagine doing this with the added stress of a hungry tummy!
If you want to look at my diet, you can go to http://www.fitday.com/ Username AALOFTUS Password Chilibean 7. That will give you an idea of what I'm eating. DON'T follow it. Its taken me months to prepare my body for this type of eating and your body may not respond to it well. Your body will react to diet and nutrition harshly if you don't gradually change. You'll notice that even though I said today is 75g carb day, its higher, remember veggies don't really count in the carb tally. They are too fiberous. The idea is to get 75g of COMPLEX carbs!
So, my goal for today is to get one more meal in with 30g of complex carbs. I have rice cooking as I type! I just hope that I get this carb cycling down. I think once I get the hang of it, I'll feel MUCH MUCH better!
If you want to look at my diet, you can go to http://www.fitday.com/ Username AALOFTUS Password Chilibean 7. That will give you an idea of what I'm eating. DON'T follow it. Its taken me months to prepare my body for this type of eating and your body may not respond to it well. Your body will react to diet and nutrition harshly if you don't gradually change. You'll notice that even though I said today is 75g carb day, its higher, remember veggies don't really count in the carb tally. They are too fiberous. The idea is to get 75g of COMPLEX carbs!
So, my goal for today is to get one more meal in with 30g of complex carbs. I have rice cooking as I type! I just hope that I get this carb cycling down. I think once I get the hang of it, I'll feel MUCH MUCH better!
The suit is ordered!!! Time is ticking!
I can't believe I'm only 8 weeks out! I ordered my suit from http://www.passionfruitdesigns.com/ I got a turquoise velvet, Hollywood design bikini! I'm so excited! Here are some pictures that I pulled from the website. I cut a picture of the back (in red) just to show how the suit is worn! I'm so excited, but feeling very anxious as well! Am I really going to be ready in 8 week!?!?!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Carb Cycling
I've been carb cycling for about two weeks now. Its harder than I thought it would be, but I appreciate that I'm not having to cut carbs completely out of my diet! A high day of carbs for me would be about 150g of carbs; medium carb day would be about 75g and low carbs would be 50g. These numbers are very SPECIFIC to me and my body and my level of fitness! Do NOT follow them!
For carbs, I love how Blythe will say, "eat carbs that are picked from the earth!" Fruits and Vegetables are my friends! I eat, oatmeal (not the prepackaged bagged kind), brown rice, jasmine rice, and fruits/veggies. I don't eat enriched flour products, processed tortillas or breads...ever.
I've learned that bananas, apples, blueberries and strawberries have lots of carbs. The highest amount of carbs I find are in oatmeal and brown rice. My high carb days are beautiful, happy and stress free, my medium carb days require a lot of thought and my low carb days...well, just stay away because I'm usually a raging bitch.
High carb days are days when I have INTENSE workouts, usually meaning I've done HIIT cardio and hard core strength training, my medium days are when I just do one or the other, and my low carb days are when I don't work out. I guess there's a price for not going to the gym!
I get measured again on Wednesday of this week. Let's see if I've made a progress!!!! I'm crossing my fingers and toes that I see some loss!
For carbs, I love how Blythe will say, "eat carbs that are picked from the earth!" Fruits and Vegetables are my friends! I eat, oatmeal (not the prepackaged bagged kind), brown rice, jasmine rice, and fruits/veggies. I don't eat enriched flour products, processed tortillas or breads...ever.
I've learned that bananas, apples, blueberries and strawberries have lots of carbs. The highest amount of carbs I find are in oatmeal and brown rice. My high carb days are beautiful, happy and stress free, my medium carb days require a lot of thought and my low carb days...well, just stay away because I'm usually a raging bitch.
High carb days are days when I have INTENSE workouts, usually meaning I've done HIIT cardio and hard core strength training, my medium days are when I just do one or the other, and my low carb days are when I don't work out. I guess there's a price for not going to the gym!
I get measured again on Wednesday of this week. Let's see if I've made a progress!!!! I'm crossing my fingers and toes that I see some loss!
FitDay.com
I cannot say enough good things about www.fitday.com It is such a great website to journal your food and fitness! I like that it tracks your macronutrients and then creates a pie chart to show you what your food consists of (fats, carbs and protein). I STRONGLY recommend this site!
The foods are a little tricky to log, but you can create custom foods as well. Its very easy! Once you log in the nutritional label to your favorite or most eaten foods, you can quickly select them and know exactly what you're putting into your body! Check it out!
The foods are a little tricky to log, but you can create custom foods as well. Its very easy! Once you log in the nutritional label to your favorite or most eaten foods, you can quickly select them and know exactly what you're putting into your body! Check it out!
Oatmeal Pancakes!
Oh. My. Goodness!
Blythe gave me the recipe for Oatmeal Pancakes and they are just simply amazing!
1 whole egg
1/2 c. Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 c. Unsalted cottage cheese
dash of water
Put all ingredients in blender, if its not thin enough add a little more water, if its too thin, put in the fridge and it will thicken. Pour on griddle just like any other batter!
I multiplied this recipe by 4 and made a total of 12 pancakes. 1 serving is 3 pancakes. You will LOVE these! I topped mine with 1 Tbsp Almond Butter and .5 Tbsp of Natural Jam (wild blueberry)
1 serving (3 small pancakes) has:
375 calories
9.4 g of fat
31.5 g of carbs
25.2 g of protein
I put 3 pancakes each in a ziploc bag and these will make a fabulous, fast and tasty breakfast that is quick and easy! My kids love them too! ENJOY!
Blythe gave me the recipe for Oatmeal Pancakes and they are just simply amazing!
1 whole egg
1/2 c. Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 c. Unsalted cottage cheese
dash of water
Put all ingredients in blender, if its not thin enough add a little more water, if its too thin, put in the fridge and it will thicken. Pour on griddle just like any other batter!
I multiplied this recipe by 4 and made a total of 12 pancakes. 1 serving is 3 pancakes. You will LOVE these! I topped mine with 1 Tbsp Almond Butter and .5 Tbsp of Natural Jam (wild blueberry)
1 serving (3 small pancakes) has:
375 calories
9.4 g of fat
31.5 g of carbs
25.2 g of protein
I put 3 pancakes each in a ziploc bag and these will make a fabulous, fast and tasty breakfast that is quick and easy! My kids love them too! ENJOY!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Personal Training Certification
So...never thought I would say this, but I actually went for my Personal Fitness Trainer Certification today. I just never in a million years thought that would be an avenue that I would travel. I wanted to start with just my certification to see if it was something that I was evenly remotely interested in doing.
I love working out, I am passionate about health and fitness, but am I really cut out to train others? I'll get the official results from my test in a couple days, but the instructor said that I did really well and I felt very confident after taking the test. It was an 8 hour class that crammed a lot of information, at the end of the class we were given 1 hour to complete a 4 part test:
1) 100 Questions (multiple choice, T/F and fill in the blank
2) Essay
3) Naming the major muscles in the body
4) Practical Test (I had to explain to the instructor how to properly do 4 exercises. It was basically a mini training session)
It wasn't too hard, it had a lot of technical terms and concepts and used lots of words that were hard to spell. I felt very confident because I've been reading information, doing the work and listening to trainers for the past year. Having lost over 40lbs myself, working out hard core for almost a year and living a healthy lifestyle, I felt most of the test was stuff that I already knew.
On July 10th, I'm going for my certification in Kids and Teens Fitness and Health. I'm really excited about that! I'll be implementing trainings for the families at the preschool and in my community. I'm finding that I'm very passionate about Healthy Living and how our children are effected by the poor health habits of our general society. I'm hoping that through this, I can make a small difference in my corner of the world!
So that's the latest news in my journey! I'm very excited and feeling exceptionally motivated!
I love working out, I am passionate about health and fitness, but am I really cut out to train others? I'll get the official results from my test in a couple days, but the instructor said that I did really well and I felt very confident after taking the test. It was an 8 hour class that crammed a lot of information, at the end of the class we were given 1 hour to complete a 4 part test:
1) 100 Questions (multiple choice, T/F and fill in the blank
2) Essay
3) Naming the major muscles in the body
4) Practical Test (I had to explain to the instructor how to properly do 4 exercises. It was basically a mini training session)
It wasn't too hard, it had a lot of technical terms and concepts and used lots of words that were hard to spell. I felt very confident because I've been reading information, doing the work and listening to trainers for the past year. Having lost over 40lbs myself, working out hard core for almost a year and living a healthy lifestyle, I felt most of the test was stuff that I already knew.
On July 10th, I'm going for my certification in Kids and Teens Fitness and Health. I'm really excited about that! I'll be implementing trainings for the families at the preschool and in my community. I'm finding that I'm very passionate about Healthy Living and how our children are effected by the poor health habits of our general society. I'm hoping that through this, I can make a small difference in my corner of the world!
So that's the latest news in my journey! I'm very excited and feeling exceptionally motivated!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Cheat Meal
I am allowed to have one cheat meal a week! I used it last week when we attended a wedding. I indulged in tasty foods and good wine! I skipped the cake though ;o)
The funny thing is, even with the allowed cheat meal, I didn't really WANT anything that wasn't good for me. I did have some quiche and a crabcake...but other than that, I just didn't have the desire to stuff my face with fatty, carb rich foods! I even did well with the wine, only 2 glasses of red! Not too bad!
I'm thankful for the cheat meal. Throughout the week, I do get cravings. I make a mental note to myself that if I'm still craving it on my cheat day, I'll make sure and get that. Most of the time, I forget half the stuff I craved! Go figure! This really helps keep me motivated and on track.
Here are some pictures from the wedding last week:
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Stretching; So valuable, but often skipped!
I'm terrible at stretching immediately after my workouts. I like to stretch in the evenings, while talking to the hubby, or watching TV. There are so many benefits to stretching: increases circulation, helps with muscle recovery, improves flexibility, reduces the risk of injury...
Yesterday, I did a kick-ass leg routine and I was truly feeling it today. My hamstrings were tight, my quads were screaming and my inner thighs were on fire! Blythe had me do a full body stretch session after our workout today and afterwards I felt like a million bucks! The muscles were relaxed and less sore and I felt a lot of tension release!
Remember to stretch evenly. Don't bounce.
Hold the stretch for a good 15 seconds at least!
Breathe through the stretch.
Don't over extend.
Don't push it to pain, just enough to feel hard resistance.
Other things to remember:
Stay hydrated!
Don't stretch before working out; do a light cardio warm up, train and THEN stretch!
Stretching...easy to forget, but a very very important part of the training process!
Yesterday, I did a kick-ass leg routine and I was truly feeling it today. My hamstrings were tight, my quads were screaming and my inner thighs were on fire! Blythe had me do a full body stretch session after our workout today and afterwards I felt like a million bucks! The muscles were relaxed and less sore and I felt a lot of tension release!
Remember to stretch evenly. Don't bounce.
Hold the stretch for a good 15 seconds at least!
Breathe through the stretch.
Don't over extend.
Don't push it to pain, just enough to feel hard resistance.
Other things to remember:
Stay hydrated!
Don't stretch before working out; do a light cardio warm up, train and THEN stretch!
Stretching...easy to forget, but a very very important part of the training process!
Loving What I've Got!
If I had a nickel for every time I thought, "why didn't I love and appreciate my body before kids..."
The journey through physical fitness and health has given me such tremendous benefits! The most obvious benefit is that I look so much better! I got a little brave last week and decided to go ahead and let my sister-in-law shoot some boudoir pictures of me...it was a blast! I had so much fun! My niece, Jenifer (who has years experience in modeling) came over and did my hair and make-up. Working with them was so casual and relaxing, not to mention "safe". Both of them were so professional and made me feel so comfortable!
I got all the pictures back today and I'm so pleased with them. I'm nothing like I was at 18 or 20, but I know one thing...I'm loving what I've got! This time around, I'm going to appreciate my body. I will respect the work that I've put into getting back into shape and I'll no longer fret about the silly nonsense insecurities that most women have! I appreciate my curves, I don't cringe at the sight of myself, and I'm comfortable in my own skin!
I did these pictures for my husband...but I'm feeling almost as if I did them for ME. To show that I'm working hard, setting goals and making myself proud!
My advice to all women...Love what you've got! Work hard, respect yourself and be proud of what you have! You only have one body...be kind to it!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Making Gains with some Losses
I got some great news last week about some loss! I've lost 1.5mm of fat in my biceps and 2.2mm of fat in my triceps in THREE WEEKS! This is HUGE for me! I can't really rely on the scale to measure LOSS, but you can't argue with these measurements! YAY!
Nutrition and Breakfast
I've always been a lover of food. I could count on one hand the number of things that I don't enjoy when it comes to food... I've always LIVED to eat, rather than eat to live. Anyone that knows me knows that good food is the fastest way to warm my heart. Marty and I laugh that he lured me into moving to Annapolis by introducing me to all the wonderful little restaurants and regional foods that I could not get back home in Kansas City.
The hardest part of the training has been nutrition. No matter how hard I work in the gym, I know that ultimately if I want to see results I need to think of the food as fuel and make sure that my body is getting the right stuff at the right time. This weekend was especially hard as we hosted guests at our beach home during a holiday weekend. OUCH!
Breakfast is the hardest meal for me. I need to up the calories, but reduce the carbs (especially if I'm working out in the morning); There are only so many ways you can eat eggs and there aren't a lot of high protein foods that you can grab on the go. I don't eat anything processed or prepackaged, so that really eliminates a breakFAST. Breakfast is probably the meal that I have to do the most planning and prep for, because if I can't get it fast then I'll either make a bad choice in food or skip it all together! BAAAAAAD!
My mornings are absolute chaos. I get the kids out of bed and I literally have 15 minutes to get them out the door before all hell breaks loose. I try and get them to the preschool early so that they can get their breakfast and I can get to the gym and get a hard workout in before my work day begins. I'm already getting up super early to accomplish this, and it would require that I get up even earlier if I wanted to cook myself a breakfast. Its just not an option at this point.
I'll be speaking with Blythe tomorrow about breakfast options and finding a solution. I want to be successful at this and with breakfast being the first thing to my day...I need to be sure that I feel like I get off to a good start!
The hardest part of the training has been nutrition. No matter how hard I work in the gym, I know that ultimately if I want to see results I need to think of the food as fuel and make sure that my body is getting the right stuff at the right time. This weekend was especially hard as we hosted guests at our beach home during a holiday weekend. OUCH!
Breakfast is the hardest meal for me. I need to up the calories, but reduce the carbs (especially if I'm working out in the morning); There are only so many ways you can eat eggs and there aren't a lot of high protein foods that you can grab on the go. I don't eat anything processed or prepackaged, so that really eliminates a breakFAST. Breakfast is probably the meal that I have to do the most planning and prep for, because if I can't get it fast then I'll either make a bad choice in food or skip it all together! BAAAAAAD!
My mornings are absolute chaos. I get the kids out of bed and I literally have 15 minutes to get them out the door before all hell breaks loose. I try and get them to the preschool early so that they can get their breakfast and I can get to the gym and get a hard workout in before my work day begins. I'm already getting up super early to accomplish this, and it would require that I get up even earlier if I wanted to cook myself a breakfast. Its just not an option at this point.
I'll be speaking with Blythe tomorrow about breakfast options and finding a solution. I want to be successful at this and with breakfast being the first thing to my day...I need to be sure that I feel like I get off to a good start!
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