Day 2 Report!

Food:

Meal 1: More omelette cups! Leftovers! This time with avocado instead of salsa.

Meal 2: More roasted salmon with leeks & bacon!  Are you seeing the value of leftovers yet?  Leftovers are so convenient when trying to stay on track during lunch at the office.  I also had carrots, celery & broccoli dipped in hummus.

Meal 3: An enormous mango with salt. Mmm.

Meal 4: Baked chicken spring rolls! Unfortunately, I made these with spring roll wrappers (due to the NAME OF THE RECIPE) when really they should be made with egg roll wrappers.  Chicken, spinach, leeks (instead of cabbage), lots of spices and spring rolls (but use egg rolls!) with a little olive oil on top. http://www.facebook.com/fitmencook

Meal 5: I had a sweet craving so I had these delicious almond butter-based home-made protein bars with almond milk.  I got the recipe for the protein bars from Betty Rocker who can be found on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bettyrockershow

Workout: 50 minutes of walking on the treadmill.  I didn't quite feel up for jogging but walking is much better than nothing! 20 minutes on incline and 30 minutes of level walking.

Sermon: I listened to another Alistair Begg podcast with a great takeaway message-

Three tenses of salvation:

*Past: We have been saved from the penalty of sin.

*Present: We are being saved from the power of sin.

*Future: We will be saved from sin's very presence.

Bam! Day 2 success! 5 more days to go!

Day 1 Report!

Food:  I refer to each time I eat as a "meal" though some might argue that a few of these only count as a snack.  I'm not big on sticking to a set terminology.  The point is that I don't graze & I don't go long periods without eating.  I eat separate distinct small meals several times throughout the day.

Meal 1: Omelette cups!  Egg, egg whites, uncured (turkey) bacon, spinach & onion.  I got the basic idea from http://www.facebook.com/FitMenCook and just change up the veggies I throw in each time.  I made enough so that I have leftovers for two more days!  I put some salsa on top today but I plan to change up the topping each morning!

Meal 2: Tuna & light mayo in a bowl of corn.  Not the most exciting lunch - this is what happens when I don't have leftovers from dinner to eat :-P

Meal 3: Greek yogurt with strawberries, raspberries & blueberries - I also mix in some Truvia for a little added sweetness.

Meal 4: Roasted salmon with leeks & bacon!  The problem with making this dish is that Ryan & I tend to overeat.  I really have to package the "leftovers" for the next day's lunch before we dig in.  Otherwise, we'll stuff ourselves. Salmon! Bacon! Yum! Recipe from thepaleoprize.com http://thepaleoprize.com/?p=924

Meal 5: Carrots, broccoli & celery with hummus! Yum.  I usually eat more protein when I get back from the gym but I wasn't feeling very hungry after that generous helping of salmon so...

Workout: Back & biceps!
Pull-ups
Lat pulldowns
Seated cable row
Incline dumbbell curl
Hammer dumbbell curl
Preacher curl
Weighted hyperextensions

Sermon: I listened to one of my sermon podcasts & got this take away message-
"The Spirit works to call people to Christ...Have you been called to Christ?  Is this your story? Convicted? Convinced? Enabled? Child-like? Filled? That's Christianity.  That's what we're about.  That's the proclaiming of the Kingdom.  So either we are those to whom the message needs to come or we are those from whom the message needs to proceed."

Bam!  Day 1 success!  6 more days to go!

Short term challenges.

Alright y'all.  I'm struggling here.

I'm pretty sure I will be UNEMPLOYED as of this Friday & it's made me a mess of emotion & anxiety.  Although it hasn't been a total departure from my usual lifestyle, I have done a pretty poor job of maintaining my healthy diet & exercise levels.  I hear stress (cortisol in particular) causes weight gain and, together with missed workouts & failing to prep meals, I've already put on a few pounds in the last couple of weeks.

Well, enough with the pity party, I'm determined to get back on track better than ever.

My challenge for this week is to make DAILY blog posts regarding my meals & exercises.  I need to eat clean & train mean no matter what is going on with my job situation.  As soon as I got off track with my meals I felt changes in my energy levels & started to spiral into lethargy, poor planning, missed workouts, etc.  I find absolutely nothing wrong with cheat meals, but when I go beyond a cheat meal to a full day of giving my body junk instead of the nutrients it deserves, my body just doesn't feel right & my mental & physical performance suffer.

*I'm going to plan & prepare all but one of my meals this week (the "cheat" is for my in-laws' birthdays - yes Both of my in-laws have a birthday within the same week!).
*I'm going to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.  This can mean anything from a walk in the sunshine to lifting heavy or HIIT.  The point is to get active, get social, and not undo all the progress I've made towards my goals.
*I'm going to listen to my podcast sermons every day and blog at least twice this week on my non-fitness blog.
*I'm going to blog here Every Day to report on my progress.

Mind, body & soul - I need to get balanced out again.  Let's do this!

Macros & Urban Workouts!

Food: I've started keeping track of my macros just to see what my daily consumption is like & I found that I have some room for improvement!  I'm not going over on calories, I'm doing a good job of sticking to natural fresh foods, but I'm not getting enough protein.  Shucky darn.  Time to increase the amount of meat on my plate!  That is so not a bad thing.  I already went to the store and bought more chicken, eggs, and turkey bacon than I had been buying.

*happy face*

Exercise: I tried an Urban Workout!  We meet up in downtown Dallas and use the train station as our workout space.  The workout includes lots of stair running & various body weight exercises such as burpees, jump squats, lunges etc.  Talk about super-intense!  My legs burned & I was walking around so awkwardly for DAYS afterwards.  It really pushed me out of my comfort zone to go work out with people I didn't know in a new environment but it was so worth it!  I got such a good strength-building cardio workout & even went back for more the following Saturday.  My friend Sarah joined me for each session and my sister joined us for the second round.  I had so much fun going all beast-mode with them!  They are both super athletic & I had to push myself to keep up!  I've been strength training back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, etc. but haven't worked my legs much so this was definitely a new challenge for me.  I love it!  Try something new! Don't let things get boring! Challenge your body!

Urban Workout Photo with Sarah, my sister Elisa, the leader Carla, and several others:

Week 28:

• February 26th cardio (intense boot-camp like cardio session with my sister), March 2nd (urban workout that killed my legs!! stairs, stairs & more stairs)
• February 25th, 27th & March 1st strength training

Week 29:

• March 4th cardio (20 minute bike session with some sore legs), 9th cardio (urban workout round 2 - quicker & less painful recovery this time around!)
• Marth 4th, 5th & 7th strength training

Specific Goals vs. Lifestyle Goals

I'm often asked when I will be finished with my "diet" or when my demanding workout sessions & selective eating will be done.  On the one hand, I completely understand having specific short-term goals as motivation for diet & exercise.  I know that working towards a six-pack has been a great motivator for me & now my new short term motivator is to look great for my trip to Spain.  But, on the other hand, this isn't about set short-term goals, this is my lifestyle.  I don't ever plan to become inactive or to start indulging in mass quantities of unhealthy food.  

The benefits of being healthy - feeling great, sleeping well, looking good, learning what I'm capable of, etc. - are worth the hours spent preparing grocery lists, cooking & getting my workouts in.  I'm sure my life will hit busy periods (i.e. when we have a kiddo...) when I can't put as much time into the fit lifestyle as I do now, but being healthy will always be a priority for me.  It takes sacrifices, time, energy, money but you only get one body and what you get out of it reflects what you put into it.  If I lost no more weight or gained no more strength, I would be ok with that.  I know that I've worked hard to be where I'm at and I'm satisfied with my results.  However, I'm in a period in my life where I actually have plenty of time to accomplish whatever I want.  Praise the Lord!  I've set various professional, spiritual & charitable goals for myself & fitness fits on the list of priorities & goals that I'm reaching for at this time in my life.

MEAL IDEAS:

Do y'all know about Panera's Hidden Menu??  Talk about Fit Food.  The items on this menu are delicious & packed with nutrients.  Yumeroo.

http://mypanera.panerabread.com/articlestips/article/access-into-paneras-hidden-menu/

Week 27:

• February 19th cardio (outside jog/walk with my sister), 22nd cardio (incline walk)
• February 18th, 20th & 23rd strength training

Birthday Shenanigans!

So, I made so much progress leading up to my birthday & finally noticed it when I saw pictures taken at my birthday party.  My progress has been slow & steady so it's hard for my to notice the changes but seeing pictures of myself really opened my eyes to all the changes my body has undergone!  I was rocking that tiny red dress, if I may say so myself.  So how did I mentally handle such a feeling of accomplishment...I went off the deep end into calorie-ville - and lazyville!  D'oh!  Oh well, that was a bad two weeks but I am so ready to start anew.  I went grocery shopping tonight and completely set myself up for success :-)

I really enjoyed the last two weeks.  It's hard to experience such a change from what has now become a lifestyle of exercise and good food choices but I had fun relaxing, spending time with out of town guests & indulging in foods I never have anymore.  I ate a french fry!  I ate chocolate!  I ate ice-cream!  I drank alcohol!  It was fun while it lasted but I miss feeling energized & accomplished so I am going back at my healthy lifestyle full force.  My next cheat/indulgence day will be EASTER!!  Bring it!

Posing with my oldest sister Susana to the left & my middle sister Elisa to the right.  My sisters are also very much into fitness & have developed healthy habits :-)

Posing with my friends Sarah & Kumar.

The next 40 days - between now and Easter - will be intense, but I expect it will be worth it to see more strength gains & more fat loss!

Week 25:

• February 3rd cardio (HIIT on treadmill for 40 minutes), 4th cardio (50 min. incline treadmill walk), 6th cardio (40 min. treadmill run), 9th cardio (outside 1 hour walk), 9th cardio (dancing my booty off at my birthday party!!)
• February 6th strength training - only one strength session - noooo

Week 26:

• February 15th (50 min. incline treadmill walk) - only one cardio session - noooo
• February 11th, 13th (yes, on my actual birthday!) strength training

30 Day Eating Plan & Consistent Workouts

It's almost birthday time!  I'm following a 30 day meal plan in order to ensure that I stay on track.

Perks:
1) The first grocery trip for this meal plan was a little pricey because it called for so many spices, oils, etc. that I did not have on hand.  However, now that I've bought most of the basics, I'm coming out better than before on grocery trips.  Yay!  It's good to know I can eat from-scratch meals for every meal every day at an affordable price.
2) I feel great.  I've tried diets or calorie restrictions at various points throughout the last year or so and they always seem to interfere with my workouts.  If following a diet means I can't push myself lifting weights, running, etc. then I'm not happy.  This meal plan has not interfered with my workouts at all so I'm very happy with that aspect.
3) Yum!  Most of the plan is based around foods I previously enjoyed such as salmon, chicken, meats, eggs, fruits & vegetables.  There hasn't been a single item on the menu that I've had to choke down.  Every meal so far has been enjoyable.
4) Does it work? Yes.  The meal plan provides guidance for all my meals every day so it definitely requires a commitment, but I'm encouraged to stick with the plan because I am seeing results!  I am just starting the plan and have a few weeks left to go I can already see my body responding positively to clean eating.
5) After the 30 days is up, I can still use this plan.  Once the 30 days is up, I still plan to regularly incorporate meals and tips from the plan into my routine.  The plan comes with lots of explanation as to why certain things work and others don't and spells out guidelines to follow in the absence of a completely spelled out menu.

Challenges:
1) This plan takes work/time/effort.  I spent a couple of hours prepping various items for the rest of the week immediately after the grocery shopping trip and I spent up to an hour total per day preparing breakfast, lunch, dinner, smoothies and other snacks on a daily basis.  Although I don't mind cooking, I'm tweaking a few things so that I can spend a little less time on meal prep each day.  For example, the meal plan calls for hardboiled eggs and pesto made from scratch...I don't think it will be to my detriment to buy pre-hardboiled eggs and ready made all natural pesto. I think once I make those changes I'll handle the time demands better.
2) I am following this meal plan to a t.  No exceptions.  Following a plan so closely causes some problems with my social calendar.  For example, we took one of the paralegals from the firm out for her birthday and it was not easy passing on all the delicious food, the shared dessert, etc. and sticking with my plan.  I will have no Super Bowl Sunday indulgences.  Granted, the meal plan itself includes many delicious foods and even allows some sweet protein bar items, I will not eat my usual indulgences while I am on this plan (except for birthday indulgences...more on that later).

In addition to the meal plan, I've been working hard to stay consistent with my workouts & definitely succeeded in that aspect for the past two weeks.  My sister has been running with my, my husband has been joining me at the gym and I've been pushing myself on the days when I've had to work out solo.  Like everyone else, I get tired or busy so it isn't always easy to stick to the workout schedule, but I'll play around with alternatives to figure out what works.  I think incorporating a variety of exercises has really helped me stay on track: my workouts range from the gym, body weight workouts at home, to running outdoors and using elliptical and treadmills.  The variety keeps me from getting bored and pushes me to meet new challenges!

Week 23:

• January 22nd cardio (HIIT on elliptical), 24th cardio (3.2 mile outdoor run), 25th cardio (45 min. incline treadmill walk)
• January 20th, 22nd, 26th strength training

Week 24:

• January 29th cardio (45 min. elliptical), 31st cardio (3.2 mile outdoor run), February 2nd cardio (50 min. incline treadmill walk)
• January 29th, 31st, February 1st strength training