i freaking love smoothies. i seem to get on this annual kick where im like obsessed with buying fresh fruit and yogurt and coming up with delicioso meal replacement drinks. i blame the weather...since it's FINALLY starting to be a little consistent with the sun and the temperature. i've always been more into eating fruits and veggies and i get bored of eggs with peppers or just an apple by itself so why not make a fabulous concoction ehhh. so not that i've come up with anything crazy, i figured i'd share my smoothie recipes on the days that i make them. this mornings breakfast is a mango strawberry peach smoothie. yummo. i prefer to use fresh fruits, but for consistency i usually try and use at least one frozen because it makes it a little thicker and my blender also sucks and doesnt blend ice well. i always end up with chunks because im not patient and it's annoying.
recipe:
3/4 cup frozen peaches ~50 calories
1/3 cup strawberry halves ~15 calories
1/2 cup mango ~54 calories
1 container chobani strawberry greek yogurt ~140 calories
1/4 cup simply orange juice ~28 calories
3 ice cubes
throw it all in a blender, and voila you have creamy healthy breakfast, lunch, or dinner. add some coconut rum and you have a nice by the pool cocktail haha. i don't ban drinking remember. thats just boring.
nutritional facts:
calories: 286
fat: 0g
carbs: 57g
protein: 16g
sodium: 67g
fiber: 5g
sugars: 48g
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
my first break through..eek!
AHHH i'm so going to be one of those girls right now. so after months of struggling and feeling HARRRIBLE as thom from queer eye would say about an awful decor (i don't watch tv anymore only queer eye) today was like the first day that i was excited about myself and the work i've been putting in. so i really haven't been doing anything unusual...i actually ran outside today for the first time in like 2 weeks--got about 3 mi in couldn't run the whole thing as per usual but no big deal. it's also my first workout since sunday which is a long time for me. but besides the point whenever i get home from a run i have this habit of looking at my stomach. whenever i lost weight in the past i loved my stomach and after every run i would look at it to see if it was more defined than like 30 minutes before haha so i guess i just do it as a habit now. but i was like stunned. for the first time my stomach is actually starting to flatten again and my wittle abs are starting to show through...ive got some work to do for sure still but im happy for once at where im at. i took a picture of myself which i really feel gay about doing but i should be able to gloat about something that could be life changing right? like when am i actually excited about myself really and i can use this pic as my before pic (one that i feel i can put on the internet without wanting to die)...anyways i'm like freaking out and this could really be a turn for the better for me. honestly i think the less pressure i put on myself and the less i stress myself out about my weight (i havent lost any weight mind you) the harder it is for me. ive been keeping track of what i eat, trying to mix up my workouts but other wise not dieting...at all...i mean it...i eat healthy on reg basis but ive literally had some sort of ice cream or dessert every day for the last 3 weeks. so i guess besides bragging and being excited for myself i wanted to put this out there more for the fact that it is possible to lose weight and feel better about yourself by making tiny steps and LIVING while doing so. you seriously just have to be patient...that's it.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
quick quinoa and a non kettlebell kettlebell workout
well its humpday. and i'm pretty ready for this week to be over...not that it ever ends since i work everyday but i definitely have less hours towards the end of the week so thats what i can look forward to. i havent gotten to get any running in yet this week which is putting some pressure on me to get my 10 mi goal but im hoping to get at least 2 on the treadmill tonight. we shall see.
in other news, i had a bit of a binge day yesterday--its bound to happen and i dont hold grudges unless it happens like 3 days in a row. so today has been like a "make up day" if you will and i've been doing quite wonderfully if i do say so myself. had the morning off so i actually got a good breakfast in and had time to make my quinoa for lunch, which i shall share my easy peasy recipe here in a bit. breakfast i had the usual egg white scramble with my onions and peppers and i threw in some turkey sausage crumbles and a little bit of cheese. topped that off with chipotle tabasco, a slice of rudi bread, coffee and an apple and i had about 380 calories there.
i had been meaning to make up the rest of my quinoa for a while now and i decided today would be a good day for it. it isn't anything more time consuming than cooking noodles so that 15-20 minute process was the hardest thing about the whole meal. and of course it only came to about 400 calories take a little. quinoa is also really filling, you get a good bang for your buck and i probably couldve eaten even less and saved myself some calories but since i knew id be at the gym all night i figured id get the calories in early--thats how i prefer it anyway.
so i took the remainder of my boxed quinoa and cooked it up -- for 1 cup of quinoa add 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, simmer and cover for 10-15 minutes--usually takes me the full 15. the water will be soaked up/evaporated and you'll see a white ring around the kernels.
in the mean time get the rest of your ingredients together:
nutrition facts: ~375 calories/serving, 14g fat, 3g sat. fat, 10mg cholesterol, 44 g carbohydrate, 10 g fiber, 6g sugar, 19 g protein, 34% vit A, 9% calcium, 19% vit C, 24% iron
filled with good fat! nomnom (i hate when people say that and me and steve <3 tend to mock things with it, so its appropriate)
so the workout so far today was a take on a kettlebell workout my boss/trainer did at a kettleball class and wanted to bring it here with the use of dumbbells. it was somewhat just thrown together timing wise and basically i was the lab rat for it but it was a pretty good workout for sure, lots of squatting!
what i have written down isn't the exact sequence i did, but is basically the same thing. you would want to set your interval timer for 30 seconds on 10 seconds off 12 rounds and when you go to the next sequence, youll press start again. we didn't do it like that and it kept getting all messed up so that's the somewhat revised way of doing it. i had 10 lb, 12 lb, and 15lb dumbbells on hand bc somethings were harder than others. i probably used the 12 and 15 pound weights the most
single arm reverse lunge with a swing thru kick - hold the weight with your right hand just about the shoulder area and youll just keep it there through the whole process, do a reverse lunge and when you come up swing your leg through. from there youll go straight into a reverse lunge again.
high swings - swing the weight between your legs and bring it up over your head
repeat single arm reverse lunge with kick with other leg
youll go 2x through for each set/exercise
single arm clean - squat and put dumbbell towards the floor, pull up to your shoulder and repeat
presses - just press up from the shoulder
single arm clean - switch arms
single dumbbell squat - hold dumbbell with one arm and perform a squat
goblet squat - hold dumbbell at your chest with both hands and perform squat
single dumbbell squat - switch arms
single arm swings - using one arm, swing dumbbell between legs and up straight in front of your chest, not above your head
alternate catches - perform single arm swings, when you swing up in front of you let go with one arm and grab with other arm, swing, and repeat
single arm swings - switch arms
--take 1-2 minute break--
single arm rows - bent over row, you'll do 5 with one arm, switch to the other do 5, then 4 with one arm, 4 with the other, and so on down to 1 then go back up to 5. this may take up to 2 minutes so you may have to either adjust your timer or just go through it and then start your timer (you only have to go through this once, but you're always welcome to do more)
single arm clean and press - same as single arm clean but combine the press at the end
alternate single arm clean and press - alternate clean and press with both arms
single arm clean and press - switch to other arm
(you'll be doing 2x through again)
front plank in pushup position - hold plank from hands instead of elbows (no dumbbell for these)
up downs - start in pushup position, then go onto elbows and repeat
front plank in pushup position - repeat
tricep extension - hold dumbbell behind head with arms bent and push straight up
bicep curls
tricep extension
straight arm side plank - same as front plank in pushup position but to the side
russian twist - in seated position hold dumbbell with both hands and touch floor on either side of body continuously
straight arm side plank - switch sides
bench press
windsheild wipers - continue holding bar and swing your legs up straight to either side
bench press
DONE!
if you feel like running like i suppose i feel like doing then do before or after. i got a good 3 hour break though--sorry ima cheater!
in other news, i had a bit of a binge day yesterday--its bound to happen and i dont hold grudges unless it happens like 3 days in a row. so today has been like a "make up day" if you will and i've been doing quite wonderfully if i do say so myself. had the morning off so i actually got a good breakfast in and had time to make my quinoa for lunch, which i shall share my easy peasy recipe here in a bit. breakfast i had the usual egg white scramble with my onions and peppers and i threw in some turkey sausage crumbles and a little bit of cheese. topped that off with chipotle tabasco, a slice of rudi bread, coffee and an apple and i had about 380 calories there.
i had been meaning to make up the rest of my quinoa for a while now and i decided today would be a good day for it. it isn't anything more time consuming than cooking noodles so that 15-20 minute process was the hardest thing about the whole meal. and of course it only came to about 400 calories take a little. quinoa is also really filling, you get a good bang for your buck and i probably couldve eaten even less and saved myself some calories but since i knew id be at the gym all night i figured id get the calories in early--thats how i prefer it anyway.
so i took the remainder of my boxed quinoa and cooked it up -- for 1 cup of quinoa add 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, simmer and cover for 10-15 minutes--usually takes me the full 15. the water will be soaked up/evaporated and you'll see a white ring around the kernels.
in the mean time get the rest of your ingredients together:
- schwanns roasted peppers and onions--i used a handful which prob came to 1/2 cup (3/4 cups is 60 calories)
- morningstar crumbles--once again i didn't measure but a serving is 2/3 cup at 80 calories so it was close enough to that
- 1/2 cup of spinach
- 4-6 tbsp. salsa
- 1/4 of an avocado
- cheese if you want (i used half a slice of american because it's all we had, not my preferred choice)
filled with good fat! nomnom (i hate when people say that and me and steve <3 tend to mock things with it, so its appropriate)
so the workout so far today was a take on a kettlebell workout my boss/trainer did at a kettleball class and wanted to bring it here with the use of dumbbells. it was somewhat just thrown together timing wise and basically i was the lab rat for it but it was a pretty good workout for sure, lots of squatting!
what i have written down isn't the exact sequence i did, but is basically the same thing. you would want to set your interval timer for 30 seconds on 10 seconds off 12 rounds and when you go to the next sequence, youll press start again. we didn't do it like that and it kept getting all messed up so that's the somewhat revised way of doing it. i had 10 lb, 12 lb, and 15lb dumbbells on hand bc somethings were harder than others. i probably used the 12 and 15 pound weights the most
single arm reverse lunge with a swing thru kick - hold the weight with your right hand just about the shoulder area and youll just keep it there through the whole process, do a reverse lunge and when you come up swing your leg through. from there youll go straight into a reverse lunge again.
high swings - swing the weight between your legs and bring it up over your head
repeat single arm reverse lunge with kick with other leg
youll go 2x through for each set/exercise
single arm clean - squat and put dumbbell towards the floor, pull up to your shoulder and repeat
presses - just press up from the shoulder
single arm clean - switch arms
single dumbbell squat - hold dumbbell with one arm and perform a squat
goblet squat - hold dumbbell at your chest with both hands and perform squat
single dumbbell squat - switch arms
single arm swings - using one arm, swing dumbbell between legs and up straight in front of your chest, not above your head
alternate catches - perform single arm swings, when you swing up in front of you let go with one arm and grab with other arm, swing, and repeat
single arm swings - switch arms
--take 1-2 minute break--
single arm rows - bent over row, you'll do 5 with one arm, switch to the other do 5, then 4 with one arm, 4 with the other, and so on down to 1 then go back up to 5. this may take up to 2 minutes so you may have to either adjust your timer or just go through it and then start your timer (you only have to go through this once, but you're always welcome to do more)
single arm clean and press - same as single arm clean but combine the press at the end
alternate single arm clean and press - alternate clean and press with both arms
single arm clean and press - switch to other arm
(you'll be doing 2x through again)
front plank in pushup position - hold plank from hands instead of elbows (no dumbbell for these)
up downs - start in pushup position, then go onto elbows and repeat
front plank in pushup position - repeat
tricep extension - hold dumbbell behind head with arms bent and push straight up
bicep curls
tricep extension
straight arm side plank - same as front plank in pushup position but to the side
russian twist - in seated position hold dumbbell with both hands and touch floor on either side of body continuously
straight arm side plank - switch sides
bench press
windsheild wipers - continue holding bar and swing your legs up straight to either side
bench press
DONE!
if you feel like running like i suppose i feel like doing then do before or after. i got a good 3 hour break though--sorry ima cheater!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
1st baby goal...check!
ahhhh my first goal complete. it's a good feeling. i haven't really been setting goals for myself over the years...at least not realistic baby step goals. goals more like i'm losing 30 pounds by tomorrow!! not really...i'm not that stupid but you get my point. so my first goal..which i actually set 2 weeks ago but never really got a good chance to start...was to run 8mi in a week. i finished that off today and actually ended up running about 8.5 total. most of my runs were outside because it was SO nice out, but 2 of them i had to get done on the treadmill at work. today it's back to being gloomy and rainy so i had to do the treadmill. todays mindset of running on the treadmill was: this is going to go awful (the usual), said i'd get at least 1 mile done without stopping, and finish up my last half to get the 8 mi in. well today was the first day that i could run, told myself eh i'll wait about 3 songs and then look, and i ended up being about .16 over when i said i'd stop. well that was a good feeling, so i said i'll get the last oh .34 over with so i can be done. went a couple of songs and i was over again! i basically ended up going about 2 mi without stopping and walked about .60. i was super pumped because usually i'll start running...it'll feel like ive been going for at least a mile and i'll only be at like .46 which is where i start getting frustrated. so i think that today was a sign i'm finally getting into shape again. although my knee wasn't super happy with me nothing is new there and nothing a little ice wont cure.
so despite my groggy drag myself out of bed mood i was in, i am now feeling good. prob wont push myself into doing anything else, but hope that i can at least keep my eating on track today.
so as i stated above, counting the songs i think helped me push through today. some of my favorite songs to run to are:
Chris Brown - Yeah 3x
LMFAO - Sexy and I know it
LMFAO - I Work Out (for obvious reasons)
Lady Gaga - Born this Way
Katy Perry - Fireworks
Chris Brown - Forever
Pitbull ft. NeYo - Give Me Everything
Lil Wayne - Knockout ft. Nicki Minaj
I think they have a good rhythm that keeps you going and they're also upbeat songs, which I find seems to also help keep me going because I can think positively about what I'm doing.
so here's to sunday funday and a new goal next week - i'm thinking i'll weigh myself at the end of the week and I'm going to go for 9-10 mi.
"just keep swimming"
-Dory
so despite my groggy drag myself out of bed mood i was in, i am now feeling good. prob wont push myself into doing anything else, but hope that i can at least keep my eating on track today.
so as i stated above, counting the songs i think helped me push through today. some of my favorite songs to run to are:
Chris Brown - Yeah 3x
LMFAO - Sexy and I know it
LMFAO - I Work Out (for obvious reasons)
Lady Gaga - Born this Way
Katy Perry - Fireworks
Chris Brown - Forever
Pitbull ft. NeYo - Give Me Everything
Lil Wayne - Knockout ft. Nicki Minaj
I think they have a good rhythm that keeps you going and they're also upbeat songs, which I find seems to also help keep me going because I can think positively about what I'm doing.
so here's to sunday funday and a new goal next week - i'm thinking i'll weigh myself at the end of the week and I'm going to go for 9-10 mi.
"just keep swimming"
-Dory
Thursday, March 22, 2012
it's a b e a u tiful day..for a workout of course
well despite my sourpuss attitude this week...i have to say the weather has been helping me from completely losing it this week. also despite having to work everyday, i've actually gotten to enjoy it with a few outside runs and some laying out of course. beats paying for a tanning package that will just make me feel guilty bc of how awful it is for you. least this tan is au natural. anyways, so i had an early day today opening up the gym. has been a while since i've had to due to my other schedule. finished the last of my online classes schoolwork for the week...thank bejesus. and mr scuba steve is coming home for the weekend today. so today is turning out to be pretty good. decided i'd clean the gym up a bit today so i'm not sure i'll get a workout while i'm here given i'm only here till 10, but i definitely planning on running outside and doing a lower body workout afterward and probably some abtastic things as well. women's health mag has some good lower body routines to incorporate into your routine which is where i think i'll be getting my butt blaster today.
i've been eating pretty good despite my up and down schedule. i really think right now anyway that that's the hardest part for me. some days i have a quick breakfast, work for 7 or 8 hours without a break and come straight to the gym where i'll finally get lunch around 3. then i'm there till 8 and i end up having a snack here and going home to dinner which i'm usually ravenous. then there are the days where i don't work till the afternoon so i eat breakfast and lunch about 4 hours apart then have to go like 6 until dinner. which was how yesterday sort of was except i couldn't eat dinner until after 8. those days really frustrate me because i know what that's doing to my metabolism and i also hate eating later at night because i don't sleep as well on a full stomach. but such is life right? hopefully when i'm a big girl (whenever the hell that's going to be) i'll have somewhat of a more consistant schedule and i'll be able to plan a little better about my eating schedule.
anyways i figured i'd just throw in an update. i don't plan on weighing myself. i almost took some pictures to show my progress but i'm not sure there's that much of a difference and i'm def not ready to post them. but i'm starting to feel a little bit better anyway. so things are goint okay! enjoy the sun :)
i've been eating pretty good despite my up and down schedule. i really think right now anyway that that's the hardest part for me. some days i have a quick breakfast, work for 7 or 8 hours without a break and come straight to the gym where i'll finally get lunch around 3. then i'm there till 8 and i end up having a snack here and going home to dinner which i'm usually ravenous. then there are the days where i don't work till the afternoon so i eat breakfast and lunch about 4 hours apart then have to go like 6 until dinner. which was how yesterday sort of was except i couldn't eat dinner until after 8. those days really frustrate me because i know what that's doing to my metabolism and i also hate eating later at night because i don't sleep as well on a full stomach. but such is life right? hopefully when i'm a big girl (whenever the hell that's going to be) i'll have somewhat of a more consistant schedule and i'll be able to plan a little better about my eating schedule.
anyways i figured i'd just throw in an update. i don't plan on weighing myself. i almost took some pictures to show my progress but i'm not sure there's that much of a difference and i'm def not ready to post them. but i'm starting to feel a little bit better anyway. so things are goint okay! enjoy the sun :)
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
sorry for body rocking...continued
so we're on day 3 and i can't say i feel much of a difference yet but it's only day 3 so i should prob not put too much pressure on myself. yesterday was a busy day...worked till 3, got a TRX workout in right after, then went home and got ready to get some sushi and drinks with a friend. my eating was okay--followed the slim fast for breakfast and lunch--the boss at UA got us pizza so i had a slice of that with my lunch but drinking my slim fast kept me to only having one piece and you're alotted ~200 calories with it. it may have been over but one piece of pizza is a pretty good improvement for me. so had some sushi which was delicious. i can't say i looked up the calories, but i had a vegetarian roll and a fancier roll and a martini with. then we stopped at smokey bones for some more drinks. had 2 mixed drinks, one was a "skinny" version so it was under 200 calories, the other was prob pretty bad for me but oh well. as i said i didn't really count my calories at that point but i'm pretty sure i stayed at my goal according to my "MyNetDiary" app. so i'm not too upset.
today will end up being a pretty good day. i won't be too under with calories and i def won't be over. i'm working my 2nd all day work day of the week and i'm glad it's the last one. working for 8 hours and then going straight to work for another 5 does not really motivate me to work out. especially since i'm on my feet for the first 8 and my legs/knee just ache and ache. anyways, i'm here and i already got some workout in so go me.
today i did a running interval workout. "treadmill pyramid intervals" which can be found at FitSugar
that was about a half hour workout--i have to say i wasn't able to do it exactly how it is. gotta get my running shape back. but still burnt a good ~275 calories. did some squats and hamstring curls to keep my somewhat therapy going. i havent been very good about doing it lately.
the gym is empty so i'm going to try and fit a bodyrock workout in. you can find it here Booty Lover Workout
so after that i'm going home to a salmon burger on the grill YUM and then it's BEDTIME. i cannot wait seriously. ciao!
today will end up being a pretty good day. i won't be too under with calories and i def won't be over. i'm working my 2nd all day work day of the week and i'm glad it's the last one. working for 8 hours and then going straight to work for another 5 does not really motivate me to work out. especially since i'm on my feet for the first 8 and my legs/knee just ache and ache. anyways, i'm here and i already got some workout in so go me.
today i did a running interval workout. "treadmill pyramid intervals" which can be found at FitSugar
that was about a half hour workout--i have to say i wasn't able to do it exactly how it is. gotta get my running shape back. but still burnt a good ~275 calories. did some squats and hamstring curls to keep my somewhat therapy going. i havent been very good about doing it lately.
the gym is empty so i'm going to try and fit a bodyrock workout in. you can find it here Booty Lover Workout
so after that i'm going home to a salmon burger on the grill YUM and then it's BEDTIME. i cannot wait seriously. ciao!
Monday, March 12, 2012
not a great start
well day one hasnt been the best because i've been working since 7am. i'm pooped, my knees hurt all day, my boyfriend went back to virginia, and i just want to shower and go to bed. anyways, i havent had a lot of time to eat today so my diet isn't off to a great start. some uninformed "dietters" may think it has been awesome but from a nutritionists point of view it'd be inadequate. i had a slim fast for breakfast, a sugar free caramel latte and a clif kids bar for a snack, another slim fast for lunch, and i just had a healthy choice microwave meal. talk about processed. so i've only had about 1000 calories, under if we're being precise and you're not supposed to eat under 1200 a day. with that said i did the recumbant bike for 20 minutes, walked on the treadmill for 10, and did the stepper for 20 minutes--it was pretty moderate effort so i only burned about 250-300 calories. i was set on doing nothing to be honest but i figured i had to do something so it counts.
so no fancy workout or any awesome recipes for me today. i'll prob go home and try and have something a little more nutritional to get myself up to like 1300 calories, but i don't want to eat all my calories at night so that's why i'm staying low. i only work half the day tomorrow so hopefully i have something more exciting to say. but at least i'm honest!
so no fancy workout or any awesome recipes for me today. i'll prob go home and try and have something a little more nutritional to get myself up to like 1300 calories, but i don't want to eat all my calories at night so that's why i'm staying low. i only work half the day tomorrow so hopefully i have something more exciting to say. but at least i'm honest!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
sorry for body rocking...
so i've been doing a lot of different stuff when i'm working out these days. bodyrock.tv is a website i've been using for some of my interval workouts. they have a lot of quick intense workouts and some longer ones too. plus the one girl is ripped and is completely motivating. so today is the last day my boyfriend is home for a couple months. he goes back to school in virginia (thank god he is almost done) and i am stuck here in dreary pa...although i have to say it is rather nice today. anyways ive decided to really clean my act up. when he's around i tend to really get off track when it comes to my eating/eating habits. he can eat whatever he wants and i of course cannot, but i do anyway. so although my working out is fabulous, my eating is not and therefore i have put on a little weight. i really want to focus on my eating while he's gone since i will be extremely bored anyway and i'll have a lot of time to focus on it. i'm hoping that i can really get into good habits so that when he comes home again they'll transition and i wont turn into a complete slob. afterall summer is coming and so is our trip to cancun and i want to look and feel my BEST...which is hard for majority of girls to do in a bikini..am i right or am i right!
so basically, i will be blogging more (yay) and i am going to try and blog my work outs/what i eat/why i eat it to help keep myself on track. i probably wont have time to do it everyday but i also plan on keeping some sort of journal. but mainly i'll try and get my work outs out there...maybe some before and after pictures? ya know if i feel worthy of those. we'll see, but it all goes down tomorrow! and hopefully i can realllllllly really legitimately start doing things the way i ideally want to do them for the rest of my life. amen.
so basically, i will be blogging more (yay) and i am going to try and blog my work outs/what i eat/why i eat it to help keep myself on track. i probably wont have time to do it everyday but i also plan on keeping some sort of journal. but mainly i'll try and get my work outs out there...maybe some before and after pictures? ya know if i feel worthy of those. we'll see, but it all goes down tomorrow! and hopefully i can realllllllly really legitimately start doing things the way i ideally want to do them for the rest of my life. amen.
Monday, March 5, 2012
the 99 workout...aka the i'm crazy but i want a hot bod workout
well it's been like 14 years since my last post. which is super unfortunate since i have been doing more different workouts in the last month than i have in like my whole life and i'm not sure why i decided to keep them all to myself. i've also been cooking more...so i apologize, to anyone who actually enjoyed my blog, for being so selfish.
anyways today i've decided to kill myself...not literally, no one call my mom please. but as i've become obsessed with pinterest lately, who hasn't (and if you haven't you clearly live under a rock), i obviously check out the fitness stuff all the time which led me to find the 99 workout:
i've gone back to it over the past couple of days because it is so appealing to me for some strange reason, and i've decided to attempt it today. my goal is to finish it today, but if something starts hurting (i've been having shoulder problems in addition to my bum knee) i want to try and do half today and half tomorrow.
this is basically a test workout for me, to see where i have gotten to with my fitness. endurance is key, and i'm not sure how much of that i have, but i'm hoping my will power will overcome what i lack as far as that goes. so here's to surviving...or not!
anyways today i've decided to kill myself...not literally, no one call my mom please. but as i've become obsessed with pinterest lately, who hasn't (and if you haven't you clearly live under a rock), i obviously check out the fitness stuff all the time which led me to find the 99 workout:
i've gone back to it over the past couple of days because it is so appealing to me for some strange reason, and i've decided to attempt it today. my goal is to finish it today, but if something starts hurting (i've been having shoulder problems in addition to my bum knee) i want to try and do half today and half tomorrow.
this is basically a test workout for me, to see where i have gotten to with my fitness. endurance is key, and i'm not sure how much of that i have, but i'm hoping my will power will overcome what i lack as far as that goes. so here's to surviving...or not!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
gluten free, way to be...?
so there's a lot of hype on this gluten free diet thing. obviously it's mainly out there for those suffering from celiac disease or for those who have some sort of sensitivity. i decided to read a couple articles today on it, mainly bc i'm interested in gluten free products--currently my favorite bread to eat with my eggs in the morning is Rudi's gluten free whole grain bread. it's simply delicious and with that as well as having people around me who have to eat gluten free, i am sort of on GF kick.
so i've actually tried to be GF for a week once. epic fail. i may have mentioned it before i can't remember. basically, i did pretty well for a few days but i was at the point where i was working ohhh like 14 hour days and having to stop at sheetz or somewhere awful for a meal and it is extremely hard to find something filling that is gluten free and readily available in this area. so that's basically the cause of my failure--also the fact that i was choosing to be GF by choice made it much harder to stick to it.
regardless if you're intolerant or tolerant of gluten, it's an extremely hard thing to do. for smaller areas, there really are a minimal amount of choices and it is a bit more expensive. but i've found that it's a bit easier (if you have the option) to eat partially gluten free. i don't have a problem with the taste of GF products. like i said i love the bread, and you can eat like most mexican things (corn tortillas, rice, etc) and i looove mexican food. i've even baked with it, and the last thing i made, peanut butter blossom cookies for christmas, were actually super awesome!
so, advantages of GF diet are less bloating, possibly better digestion, and weight loss. from what i read, a good amount of the population has some sort of sensitivity to gluten, so even trying out a couple things could actually have a lot of positive outcomes.
i made a gluten free (i think) pizza the other day...
the crust was a premade crust (Udi brand) and i just kind of used things i had in the house--tomato sauce with some spices, spinach, green pepper, roasted red pepper, chicken, and 2 kinds of cheese-brick and colby. and it was actually super delicious.
problem with GF is that it is harder to get your fiber, at least from the "bread" products you use. i'm sure if you use like quinoa and items like that on a regular basis you'd be find, but the bread that i eat is pretty low which is another reason i've chosen to only be part GF.
i think the GF idea is a good one. i think that it can promote better eating--you're staying away from a lot of crap to be honest--and maybe you'll find out that you had an intolerance along the way and stop it from causing any real serious damage.
so i've actually tried to be GF for a week once. epic fail. i may have mentioned it before i can't remember. basically, i did pretty well for a few days but i was at the point where i was working ohhh like 14 hour days and having to stop at sheetz or somewhere awful for a meal and it is extremely hard to find something filling that is gluten free and readily available in this area. so that's basically the cause of my failure--also the fact that i was choosing to be GF by choice made it much harder to stick to it.
regardless if you're intolerant or tolerant of gluten, it's an extremely hard thing to do. for smaller areas, there really are a minimal amount of choices and it is a bit more expensive. but i've found that it's a bit easier (if you have the option) to eat partially gluten free. i don't have a problem with the taste of GF products. like i said i love the bread, and you can eat like most mexican things (corn tortillas, rice, etc) and i looove mexican food. i've even baked with it, and the last thing i made, peanut butter blossom cookies for christmas, were actually super awesome!
so, advantages of GF diet are less bloating, possibly better digestion, and weight loss. from what i read, a good amount of the population has some sort of sensitivity to gluten, so even trying out a couple things could actually have a lot of positive outcomes.
i made a gluten free (i think) pizza the other day...
the crust was a premade crust (Udi brand) and i just kind of used things i had in the house--tomato sauce with some spices, spinach, green pepper, roasted red pepper, chicken, and 2 kinds of cheese-brick and colby. and it was actually super delicious.
problem with GF is that it is harder to get your fiber, at least from the "bread" products you use. i'm sure if you use like quinoa and items like that on a regular basis you'd be find, but the bread that i eat is pretty low which is another reason i've chosen to only be part GF.
i think the GF idea is a good one. i think that it can promote better eating--you're staying away from a lot of crap to be honest--and maybe you'll find out that you had an intolerance along the way and stop it from causing any real serious damage.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
work out like a cripple part dos
so part two of working out like a cripple. today is more of a "cardio" day. i suppose you could consider it the more fun day? depends on how much you like working out/physical therapy though. i basically rotate between yesterdays regimen and todays; every other day--normally you only do pt 2-3 times a week but since i work here i basically just do it everyday/3-4 days a week.
anyways, today is the jumping program as well as the day i do my running intervals. running isn't necessarily what is required, i'm not really sure how much i'm actually supposed to be running but i'm basically an unofficial pt patient since my insurance sucks and i can't schedule real appointments so i don't get feedback unless i ask for it. so i basically play it by ear, depending on how my knee feels. so you could do some sort of intense bike/eliptical/stepper workout -- cardio of choice basically. but i "like" running the best.
so i usually start with the jumping program. i think it's the harder of the two, at least by the end. the jumping program they have here consists of 3 weeks where the intensity increases each week. if you're healthy, you should go through the jumps 3 times, but i kind of have to work my way up to that. i wouldn't do it everyday, every other day, maybe only 2 times a week depending on your fitness level and amount of gym time you get per week. i am currently on week 2, and the only difference between week 1 and 2 is the duration of time you do each move. each move i do is for a duration of 25 seconds; if you want to start at week 1 just cut back to 20 seconds.
so per training session there are 8 moves. and as i said youll go through 3 times. i have a fancy little training timer that you can set the time for the resting period, the exercise period, as well as the amount of repetitions so i end up setting it for 24 repetitions, 25 second (or whatever the exercise period is) exercise, and i give myself a 15-20 second rest period. i'm usually pretty antsy to get through it and it's a better cardio workout if you don't take too long of a break. you can also take breaks between sets, you're probably supposed to actually, but as i said i just want to get it over with most of the time.
so here are the moves:
wall jumps - i call these "block jumps" because i am a volleyball player for life. find a wall, bend your knees, jump and reach as high as you can on the wall. i do them at a steady pace as of now for my knees sake, but i would do them a bit quicker than you want to if you're able. i'll be there someday
tuck jumps - pretty common jumping technique. jump in place and bring your knees up as high as you can. once again i do these at a steady pace, more so to make sure i'm landing correctly, but doing them at a quicker pace is my suggestion
squat jumps - once again pretty common and self explanatory. essentially do a squat and on your way up spring up.
barrier jumps (side to side) - basically a typical plyometric move. i just use a line, but you can use a towel or flat object, or if you're feeling dangerous something a little more 3D. and you're just going to jump over it side to side quickly. these are easier for me to do, well easier on the knee, so i do them as quickly as i can.
barrier jumps (front to back) - same thing except jumping front to back as quickly as you can.
180 jumps - for these you're just going to jump from front to back, doing a 180 degree turn. these you don't have to do as fast; you want to make sure you're landing evenly
broad jumps - okay so these are different for me than they are you a little bit. you're going to start on 2 feet and essentially leap and land on one leg. try and go as far as you can and stick it for a few seconds. these you don't necessarily have to time. technically, you're supposed to do 5 total during week 1 and 10 during week 2 but it's easier for me to just time it. so you're going to do the same thing but you're going to do both legs. i just do my bad leg because it takes me a bit longer.
bounding in place - also called skier jumps, you're just going to go from one leg to another in place, side to side, at a steady, quick pace
and that's it! after you've gone through them 3 times of course. doesn't seem like much but i was a lot sorer the next day than i thought. i usually do some single legged leg press and some calf raises after and that definitely heightened my soreness the first couple times. but beauty is pain right.
okay so that's that now it's time for my run/your cardio. since i'm not allowed to go too fast yet, nor for very long i have been doing interval sessions. depending on how much time you have or want to spend, i've been doing 5 minute walking warm up then 5 minutes of running, 4 minute walk, 4 minute run...and so on...down to 1 minute, and then maybe a few minutes of cool down. the highest i'm allowed to go speed wise is only 6.0 mph at this point, but for those normal people out there i would start out at a nice jog and the lower your running minutes get maybe increase the speed a little each time. i'm not always a huge fan of the walking intervals so sometimes i'll do a 3 minute warm up and do 2 minute walking intervals in between. but you can kind of adjust that part yourself. also, i always have the treadmill at a 1% incline. if you start doing it that way you'll never even notice and you'll increase your calorie burn. it's win win.
so that will be my therapy for today. as well as lifting. blah. good thing i work at a gym.
anyways, today is the jumping program as well as the day i do my running intervals. running isn't necessarily what is required, i'm not really sure how much i'm actually supposed to be running but i'm basically an unofficial pt patient since my insurance sucks and i can't schedule real appointments so i don't get feedback unless i ask for it. so i basically play it by ear, depending on how my knee feels. so you could do some sort of intense bike/eliptical/stepper workout -- cardio of choice basically. but i "like" running the best.
so i usually start with the jumping program. i think it's the harder of the two, at least by the end. the jumping program they have here consists of 3 weeks where the intensity increases each week. if you're healthy, you should go through the jumps 3 times, but i kind of have to work my way up to that. i wouldn't do it everyday, every other day, maybe only 2 times a week depending on your fitness level and amount of gym time you get per week. i am currently on week 2, and the only difference between week 1 and 2 is the duration of time you do each move. each move i do is for a duration of 25 seconds; if you want to start at week 1 just cut back to 20 seconds.
so per training session there are 8 moves. and as i said youll go through 3 times. i have a fancy little training timer that you can set the time for the resting period, the exercise period, as well as the amount of repetitions so i end up setting it for 24 repetitions, 25 second (or whatever the exercise period is) exercise, and i give myself a 15-20 second rest period. i'm usually pretty antsy to get through it and it's a better cardio workout if you don't take too long of a break. you can also take breaks between sets, you're probably supposed to actually, but as i said i just want to get it over with most of the time.
so here are the moves:
wall jumps - i call these "block jumps" because i am a volleyball player for life. find a wall, bend your knees, jump and reach as high as you can on the wall. i do them at a steady pace as of now for my knees sake, but i would do them a bit quicker than you want to if you're able. i'll be there someday
tuck jumps - pretty common jumping technique. jump in place and bring your knees up as high as you can. once again i do these at a steady pace, more so to make sure i'm landing correctly, but doing them at a quicker pace is my suggestion
squat jumps - once again pretty common and self explanatory. essentially do a squat and on your way up spring up.
barrier jumps (side to side) - basically a typical plyometric move. i just use a line, but you can use a towel or flat object, or if you're feeling dangerous something a little more 3D. and you're just going to jump over it side to side quickly. these are easier for me to do, well easier on the knee, so i do them as quickly as i can.
barrier jumps (front to back) - same thing except jumping front to back as quickly as you can.
180 jumps - for these you're just going to jump from front to back, doing a 180 degree turn. these you don't have to do as fast; you want to make sure you're landing evenly
broad jumps - okay so these are different for me than they are you a little bit. you're going to start on 2 feet and essentially leap and land on one leg. try and go as far as you can and stick it for a few seconds. these you don't necessarily have to time. technically, you're supposed to do 5 total during week 1 and 10 during week 2 but it's easier for me to just time it. so you're going to do the same thing but you're going to do both legs. i just do my bad leg because it takes me a bit longer.
bounding in place - also called skier jumps, you're just going to go from one leg to another in place, side to side, at a steady, quick pace
and that's it! after you've gone through them 3 times of course. doesn't seem like much but i was a lot sorer the next day than i thought. i usually do some single legged leg press and some calf raises after and that definitely heightened my soreness the first couple times. but beauty is pain right.
okay so that's that now it's time for my run/your cardio. since i'm not allowed to go too fast yet, nor for very long i have been doing interval sessions. depending on how much time you have or want to spend, i've been doing 5 minute walking warm up then 5 minutes of running, 4 minute walk, 4 minute run...and so on...down to 1 minute, and then maybe a few minutes of cool down. the highest i'm allowed to go speed wise is only 6.0 mph at this point, but for those normal people out there i would start out at a nice jog and the lower your running minutes get maybe increase the speed a little each time. i'm not always a huge fan of the walking intervals so sometimes i'll do a 3 minute warm up and do 2 minute walking intervals in between. but you can kind of adjust that part yourself. also, i always have the treadmill at a 1% incline. if you start doing it that way you'll never even notice and you'll increase your calorie burn. it's win win.
so that will be my therapy for today. as well as lifting. blah. good thing i work at a gym.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
work out like a cripple
okay so weird title, i know it contradicts itself, but seriously, doing physical therapy i have worked some muscles i never knew existed in my body. every time i have to do PT for something, like oh the 3 years of my life from knees or the double dose of shoulder therapy i've had, i become probably the most tone i have been, and we're talking even when i was heavy into athletics. i can remember my freshman year of hs when i was doing shoulder therapy and my mom commenting on how toned my arms were. keep in mind freshman year i played softball, basketball, and volleyball so really they should have already been pretty toned. and even after, i can remember her saying i should start doing some of the things i had done in therapy because of how nice it made my arms look.
same with my legs. now i have never been very confident in my legs. but having done 6 months of therapy at a time on multiple occasions has shown me that the weird techniques they have me do really helps tone up my legs. i mean, i can barely run at this point and all i've been doing are balance and strengthening techniques and i've been able to see a big difference. and it's not like i wasn't working out before.
so coming to my point, i wanted to share a couple days worth of PT that i've been doing. most of the things i have to do are probably going to sound pretty foreign to those who haven't been through knee therapy themselves, and i'll explain the best i can but they are ass-kicking...literally and figuratively. so here's what i did today, and let me tell you i am not going to be able to walk tomorrow.
for starters, i always do some kind of warm up. since i knew they were going to be adding things onto my list, i just did a moderate bike workout on like a level 8 for 10 minutes. nothing at all too taxing. thank goodness for that decision
i'm not going to explain every exercise, but for a lot of these i will. if all else fails, google it. you know you'll get some sort of answer.
okay so next i did the "bridge inchworm". a bridge, which is basically where you're lying on your back and you do a pelvic thrust (best way i can describe it), you basically are in bridge mode the whole time and you walk your feet out in tiny steps keeping your butt off of the ground and then you walk them back in. that's 1; if you can do 2 sets of 10, which is what i did, i'd say you're good to go.
leg press (both legs--i had been doing single legs) - 3 sets of 10
Bosu ball squats - flip the bosu ball so that the black flat side is up, stand with your feet apart so that you're balanced and do a basic squat 3 sets of 10
"bosu ball torcher" - stand like you were while doing squats in squat position for 1 minute and have someone basically play catch with you. do this twice
heel downs - basically a single legged squat on a step 3 sets of 10
planks (yes i do planks for my knee therapy--strong core heals everything) - 2 min front, 1 min left side, 1 min right side, 1 min front--NO BREAKS HERE
calf raises - i do seated with weight 2 sets of 30
single legged heel raises - calf raises off of a step, no weight 3 sets of 20
single legged squats with a press - squat on one leg and at the top, holding dumbbells, do a shoulder press 3 sets of 10 (my knee could only handle 2 sets today)
hip machine - to the side and to the back 3 sets of 10
unilateral bridge - okay so here we are with the bridge again. these really suck let me just tell you. so you're going to have one leg straight and one leg bent and you're going to push up into a bridge and lift your straight leg with it. essentially you're doing one legged bridges 3 sets of 10 each side
monster walks - side step with some sort of resistance band in a squatted position - i do 2-3 laps up and down a hallway
split squats - put one leg up on a low table and squat down with your other leg. 3 sets of 10 each side. make sure not to let your knee go over your toe!
multi-directional lunges - so for these you're just doing a basic lunge but you're going to do a front lunge, a side lunge, and a reverse lunge; if you're feeling imaginative like me i did them at the angles in between as well. it's kind of awkward but it adds some extra burn. i only did 2 sets of 8 which was essentially 2 sets of 35 since i went 5 directions.
kickers - okay so these i stood on a balance pad with one leg and with the other had a resistance band around my other leg and attached to sturdy pole. you're going to lift out to the side, turn the other way and swing inward, turn and lift to the front and the back and do 30 at each position.
okay. i'm sick of typing all this, it's making me feel like i did it again. woof. but that was basically it for the hard stuff. i did some stretching and icing at the end and i am gonna call it a day!
tomorrow i get to do my jumping program and run. that's all i'm gonna tell you about it today, so until tomorrow :)
same with my legs. now i have never been very confident in my legs. but having done 6 months of therapy at a time on multiple occasions has shown me that the weird techniques they have me do really helps tone up my legs. i mean, i can barely run at this point and all i've been doing are balance and strengthening techniques and i've been able to see a big difference. and it's not like i wasn't working out before.
so coming to my point, i wanted to share a couple days worth of PT that i've been doing. most of the things i have to do are probably going to sound pretty foreign to those who haven't been through knee therapy themselves, and i'll explain the best i can but they are ass-kicking...literally and figuratively. so here's what i did today, and let me tell you i am not going to be able to walk tomorrow.
for starters, i always do some kind of warm up. since i knew they were going to be adding things onto my list, i just did a moderate bike workout on like a level 8 for 10 minutes. nothing at all too taxing. thank goodness for that decision
i'm not going to explain every exercise, but for a lot of these i will. if all else fails, google it. you know you'll get some sort of answer.
okay so next i did the "bridge inchworm". a bridge, which is basically where you're lying on your back and you do a pelvic thrust (best way i can describe it), you basically are in bridge mode the whole time and you walk your feet out in tiny steps keeping your butt off of the ground and then you walk them back in. that's 1; if you can do 2 sets of 10, which is what i did, i'd say you're good to go.
leg press (both legs--i had been doing single legs) - 3 sets of 10
Bosu ball squats - flip the bosu ball so that the black flat side is up, stand with your feet apart so that you're balanced and do a basic squat 3 sets of 10
"bosu ball torcher" - stand like you were while doing squats in squat position for 1 minute and have someone basically play catch with you. do this twice
heel downs - basically a single legged squat on a step 3 sets of 10
planks (yes i do planks for my knee therapy--strong core heals everything) - 2 min front, 1 min left side, 1 min right side, 1 min front--NO BREAKS HERE
calf raises - i do seated with weight 2 sets of 30
single legged heel raises - calf raises off of a step, no weight 3 sets of 20
single legged squats with a press - squat on one leg and at the top, holding dumbbells, do a shoulder press 3 sets of 10 (my knee could only handle 2 sets today)
hip machine - to the side and to the back 3 sets of 10
unilateral bridge - okay so here we are with the bridge again. these really suck let me just tell you. so you're going to have one leg straight and one leg bent and you're going to push up into a bridge and lift your straight leg with it. essentially you're doing one legged bridges 3 sets of 10 each side
monster walks - side step with some sort of resistance band in a squatted position - i do 2-3 laps up and down a hallway
split squats - put one leg up on a low table and squat down with your other leg. 3 sets of 10 each side. make sure not to let your knee go over your toe!
multi-directional lunges - so for these you're just doing a basic lunge but you're going to do a front lunge, a side lunge, and a reverse lunge; if you're feeling imaginative like me i did them at the angles in between as well. it's kind of awkward but it adds some extra burn. i only did 2 sets of 8 which was essentially 2 sets of 35 since i went 5 directions.
kickers - okay so these i stood on a balance pad with one leg and with the other had a resistance band around my other leg and attached to sturdy pole. you're going to lift out to the side, turn the other way and swing inward, turn and lift to the front and the back and do 30 at each position.
okay. i'm sick of typing all this, it's making me feel like i did it again. woof. but that was basically it for the hard stuff. i did some stretching and icing at the end and i am gonna call it a day!
tomorrow i get to do my jumping program and run. that's all i'm gonna tell you about it today, so until tomorrow :)
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
"new year, new you" ehhh...
happy new year! with a new year comes all those "resolutions". i personally am not a big fan of resolutions. i don't think they're anything anyone gives a hoot a bout come a month or 2 into the "new" year. i am especially not a big fan of the "this year i'm going to work out and lose weight!" resolution. let's be serious, if you haven't lived a healthy lifestyle in the past, just because a year was added onto the count doesn't mean you're going to be anymore serious about it now. i am all for the lifestyle change, but i don't think that that has to start just because it's the new year. if that's really what you need to keep you motivated, okay, but from my personal experience, meaning myself and witnessing what happens in the gym, it usually isn't something that lasts. it gets cold and snowy and people lose motivation and become busy and blah blah blah blah. i mean i can't judge, like i said, i've been that person, but i've also learned from it so take it from me, if you want a new you, you're good to start anytime.
that advice doesn't go very far right now considering it is the new year, but don't look at it as a resolution. make getting healthy a lifestyle change, and don't just make it about losing weight; feel better about yourself and work on living a longer life!
anyways...you won't find me doing anything different. i guess i'm biased because i have always been athletic but as you know the eating thing has always been a problem, so the whole dieting thing is hard to stay away from. if anything, i want to keep up with my workouts, drop some sweets from my diet, and just try and be happier...and maybe pay off my credit cards. OH and blog more :)
that advice doesn't go very far right now considering it is the new year, but don't look at it as a resolution. make getting healthy a lifestyle change, and don't just make it about losing weight; feel better about yourself and work on living a longer life!
anyways...you won't find me doing anything different. i guess i'm biased because i have always been athletic but as you know the eating thing has always been a problem, so the whole dieting thing is hard to stay away from. if anything, i want to keep up with my workouts, drop some sweets from my diet, and just try and be happier...and maybe pay off my credit cards. OH and blog more :)
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