Workout Wednesday

Wednesday

Breakfast- 2 whole eggs, 1/2 C. oatmeal (measured dry, 1Tbsp butter, 1 Tbsp raw honey, coffee with skim milk & splenda

Lunch-The rest of my homemade chicken & rice soup, an apple, lots of water & green tea

Snack- Mason jar full of raw spinach, 2 boiled eggs, 1Tbsp feta cheese, Jeff's homemade avocado dressing( I will have to get the recipe from him to post, it is amazing.)

Pre-workout- Small red apple

Dinner- 2 slices of ezekial bread with 2 Tbsp peanut butter. 1 scoop low carb whey with skim milk and 1Tbsp peanut powder.

Yes, I said peanut powder. Jeff finds the weirdest stuff at the health food store. Since the nuts are ground down into a fine powder, you get the taste of peanut butter without all of the calories and fats. Peanut butter is a good fat, but in moderation y'know. Plus it makes for really easy blending. As for the large amount of peanut butter; we have so much peanut butter in our house at all times it is absolutely 'nuts'. You would think we were preparing for a peanut butter depression if you didn't know us. I like peanut butter, but Jeff LOVES peanut butter. I mean loves it, loves it. He found out the cost of peanut butter was rising 30% so he purchased 6 or 7 jars- which we (mostly he) will go through in a matter of 6 weeks tops.

I have really been contemplating on what a perfect diet might be for me. There are so many stipulations around what to eat and when, it is far too difficult for one to figure out over night. Tomorrow I think I might elaborate on my nutrition knowledge, I am no genius, but I know a thing or two ;).

The Gym-Biceps

3x15 preacher curls on the machine. I fully extend on these and really squeeze at the top, my biceps are always struggling to make the last 5 reps even though the weight is not that heavy.

3x15 dumbbell curls

3x10 (with extra 10 sec hold at the top) weight assisted Chin ups

30 min of cardio walking on incline.

What a lame workout, I know! I got to the gym pretty late tonight & my back, chest and tri's were already so sore! I ideally would have done shoulders but training shoulders is my favorite and I really like making it a good workout. I knew I wasn't game for anything too intense this late at night, so I am saving shoulders for Fri. or Sat.

Chicken & Rice soup recipe

Crock pot Style

I am not sure this one is worth trying out, because it was not that good. I made chicken tortilla soup a couple of weeks ago and it was so amazing!

1lb chicken breast (frozen is fine) make certain to get hormone free!

1 can low sodium chicken broth

1 can of rotel (I like tomato and green chili's)

1 whole onion sliced

1 C. measured dry brown rice

1 C. water

I threw all of the above ingredients into the crock pot on low before I went to bed, and when I woke up it was done. I should have seasoned it better and added another can of broth, perhaps using broth to replace the usage of water. I was lacking flavor, so be sure to add salt, pepper, garlic, etc. if needed! I get lazy from time to time. This was a really cheap eat and I got about 4-5 meals out of it.

What are Plyometrics?

I just realized that some may not know what plyo's or plyometrics are. Plyometrics are a type of movement used in training. These movements are referred to as 'explosive' movements, for they engage muscle groups and your nervous system rapidly, with quick bursts of force. The most common type of plyometric movements involve jumping or push ups.

Lots of athletes use plyometric movements to become more flexible, stronger, and faster. They are so superb for leaning out, and the best part is you can do most of the exercises at home!

Here are some examples of exercises:

I refer to this movement as the 'ice skater', you jump laterally (from side to side) as far as you can. This movement is great your legs and your core.

Box jumps are another form of plyometrics. There are so many varieties to the box jump too.

This move is a 'jump lunge' and you do just as it says. Begin in the lunge position then jump switching your landing leg so that when you land, you lunge on your other leg.

This is an upper body example of plyometrics, although this move is not something I can do!

Benefits of Plyometric Training:

• Lower resting heart rate & better aerobic health
• Can increase bone mass & osteoporosis prevention
• Improved nervous system
• Targets small and fast twitch muscles thereby improving definition
• Builds muscle and leans away the fat

Essentially, the plyometric movement consists of stretching & contracting the muscle, or lengthening (eccentric) and shortening (concentric) bursts. But be careful, it it easy to injure yourself and often people who have bad joints should avoid this training.

Slowly adding in the Plyometrics

Here are my workouts from the last two days:

Monday-

Lat pull down 3x20

Reverse Pull up 3x15

Seated row 3x20

Back extension on back extension bench with weighted ball 3x20 Superset with jump squats (alt. legs together/legs apart)

Bicycle crunch 3x30 superset with plank 3x60 sec.

30 min elliptical

Tuesday-

Flat Bench with bar 5x20

Dumbbell push up w/ row 3x10 Superset with Jump squats (alt. legs together/legs apart)

Dumbbell Fly on ball 3x15

Incline bench with dumbbell 3x15

Bosu Pushups (one hand on the ball/ one hand off)superset with plank 3 x 45second

One hour cardio- elliptical increasing/decreasing intensity every 5 min.

I have not started dieting- but I will go ahead and post what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast- 2 whole eggs (cage free), 2 pieces of ezekial bread, 2 TBSP Simple (no sugar added) Jelly,Coffee w/ skim milk & splenda

Lunch- Homemade Chicken & Rice Soup, small red apple

Snack- Mason jar full of mixed greens, 1 TBSP feta cheese, 1 TBSP oil-based organic greek dressing, 1 scoop low carb protein shake w/ water.

Lots of green tea & water

Pre-Workout- Another small red apple.

Dinner/Post Workout- 1 corn tortilla, Big Homemade salad with hard boiled egg, 2 pieces of bacon, mixed greens, onion, diced ham, and homemade dressing. (Compliments of the boyfriend)

If I had to guess, I would say that is about 1500-1700 calories.

Back Extension (except I held weight)

This is a reverse pull up. You must adjust the bar height accordingly to your body.

This is a dumb bell push up with row. It is a stellar workout for the core.

Jump Squat. Great workout that engages a lot of muscles.

The Return!

October 15, 2011

Have you ever googled your own name? I recently did so and when I did, photos from former competitions plastered the web. It felt somewhat invasive and I was rather alarmed that there was so much out there about me. I am proud of what I accomplished when I competed but I am certainly a different person now.

It has been 2 years since I have posted in this blog. During that time I have been enjoying life, pursuing dreams, and spending time with those that I love most. I have been a lot more relaxed in my diet and in my training, which is not typically

like me, but it was necessary. When I started this blog two years ago, it was a few months after my last figure competition. This blog was my therapy as I was dealing with a damaged metabolism, and a mental balance of what is healthy and what is obsessive. I had to step away from the bodybuilding forums, take down the pictures from my lean times, and focus on eating a variety of foods. I continued to lift 3x a week and engaged in cardio on occasion but not consistently as I knew my cortisol levels were very high from the stress. My body needed a tranquil environment and that is what I gave it.

I have not been a sloth but I have not been strict either. The moment that I relaxed and quit obsessing about my body is the moment the extra weight came off. When I started this blog I had been at the highest point of my weight, ever...165lbs. The only other time my weight had been that high was when I was an overweight 12 year old. Reading back and thinking back, I had been pretty strict with cardio and dieting, yet still, the weight remained. I remember how painful that struggle was, and how the doctors could not even help. Gradually, the weight has fallen off without my effort and I finally feel at peace with my body. I weighed in this week at 142lbs.

Aside from relaxing I also contribute some of the power foods I was eating to my balance in hormones. I began eating hormone free meats, cage free eggs, organic fruits & veggies, and nixed some of the artificial stuff like; sugar free jelly, smucker's natty peanut butter and spray butter. I avoided soybean oil and a lot of the really processed foods. I stuck with 100% freshly ground peanut butter with nothing else added, and occasionally consumed 'simple' jelly with no sugar added. I substituted ezekial bread for other wheat breads and tortillas. I even started eating bacon, sausage, butter, and whole eggs, fats that I had been lacking.

I have not had a bodybuilding mentality, rather, a 'normal' healthy outlook. A typical day would look something like this:

Breakfast-

• 2 organic whole eggs
• 1/2 C. Oats, 1Tbsp raw honey, 1 Tbsp butter (not margarine)

Lunch-

• Sandwich made with ezekial bread, mayo, turkey/ham
• a piece of fruit
• a greek yogurt cup with splenda

Snack-

• Someti
  mes a protein shake or a piece of fruit, maybe nothing.

Dinner-

• Turkey chili made with beans, ground turkey, seasonings, tomatoes, onions, cheese, green peppers, and sour cream.

I ate like this mon-fri but ate what I wanted on the weekends. The great thing about not dieting is not binging. I never over-did it, ate some bad things, but stopped once I had enough.

Obviously I didn't only eat these specific foods, but that has been a typical day. You can see there are not a ton of vegetables or proteins which will be a big focus for me. So begins my first attempt to slim down since my last blog entry two years ago. Becoming leaner is a wonderful feeling and I will try not to let the process consume my life, but I do owe fitness and nutrition a greater portion of my time than what I presently allow for it.