Week 1 Down

I really like this program :

PROS:
The 30 second rest in between sets, makes the workout intense and short.
Easy to follow instructions and the videos posted for each day make it very helpful

CONS:
Because you should be lifting at a 3 rep max weight, it’s hard to do this at the gym without a spotter, for some upper body exercises.
The macros from the nutrition segment is a bit difficult to decipher.

I hate being a slave to the scale but I have been weighing every morning, like Craig does in the videos, and it helps me keep a track of whether the scale is going in the right direction. This is especially important, since I haven’t been able to figure out the meal plan.

In week two, we have two sets of tabata workouts, and 20 minutes of steady state cardio; this is fine by me, since the SSC at the end is a bit boring.

I look forward to seeing how my body changes over the next 21 days.

Day 4

Today is the dreaded leg day of 30 Days Out and suffice to say, I’m a little bit scared. Not scared because it’s going to be hard, but I’m dreading the DOMS (muscle soreness) that I’m bound to experience. On day 2, I could barely lift my arms, so I could only imagine what it’s going to be like after leg day 😲😭😩. I took some time I research remedies and found that there really aren’t any, proven at least.
You can try aminos, massages, stretching, anti-inflammatories and nothing really can prevent you from experiencing it.
So to stop myself from talking myself out of the workout, what did I do? I drank my pre-work – Cellucor’s C4. If I want to get a minute of sleep tonight 😳😳😳😳, I have to work out and workout I shall.

So far, I really like the program. The only con I’ve found, is that it takes me a few tries to get to a weight at which I can only complete three reps. Once I’ve found then I go ahead and complete the required sets. It’s grueling and heart pumping, but it’s a calorie scorcher.

Day 1 burn 👆

I haven’t found the time to measure my bf, but I have been weighing myself each morning and it seems to be working. I look forward to the end of week 5.

30 Days Out – Craig Capurso & Bodybuilding.com

It’s no surprise that I am in love with strength training, so when I came across this program, choosing to make a commitment to it was a no brainer. It also comes with a nutrition guide that is specific to you.

30 Days Out

I just came back from two weeks vacation in Trinidad and it’s safe to say that I’ve gained about 2lbs. Two weeks, of eating what I wanted and not working out. Thankfully I was working out steadily before I left, so I had what I think was a pretty healthy metabolism. Therefore, I am hoping that these 30 days don’t prove to be too challenging. The food plan is your standard, no junk food plan, so no more doubles and beef soup 🙂 .

Additionally, on my bucket list, is to compete in an NPC bikini competition. So this for me is a litmus test because if i cannot commit to this for just 30 days, then I don’t have what I takes to commit to the rigors of preparing for such a competition.

A Blink just opened up in my neighborhood, so I plan to jog over there, workout and jog back. This workout is based on Craig’s heavy volume training (HVT), which focuses on heavy weights, low reps / high sets e.g. 10 sets of 3 reps.
I’m praying for focus, diligence and commitment over the next 30 days.

Where are the before pictures? Those i’ll post at the end of the 30 days with the after shots.

If you’re starting your own challenge, or are already in the midst of one, good luck to you!

Renew Your Vows

The last two weeks have been tough for me. Life happened, and instead of pushing through I gave in. The first of the two weeks, I was able to stick to my meal plan but not make it to the gym but twice . In the second week, I made it to the gym at least four times, but my eating was off kilter. This weekend wasn’t that different, either .

I’ve seen the above quote before and I find it to be true . My strides are always slowed when I have breaks in my workout schedule. However, everyday is a new opportunity to renew the health vows you’ve made to yourself. On this day, what would have been my 5th wedding anniversary 😒, I’m renewing the vows I made to dedicate myself to my physical health, my spiritual well being and living well.

If you’ve found that you’ve wavered from your vows, take some time today to re-dedicate yourself to them. Forgive yourself for wavering an start anew.

Happy Renewal Day!!

Joanna – iPhone Created Email

With Every Goal Achieved, Comes New Challenges

My goal last year was to get down to a weight that was comfortable for me. Thankfully, through  a mix of great fortune, opportunity and hard work, by the end of summer 2012 I was able to achieve it.

Then I moved on to my other goals : build muscle and get lean. Through more good fortune, a p/t friend of mine laid out a plan for me to do the former. Six weeks later, I had some muscle definition in my upper body and in my lower body a little less. Well , I can feel new bigger muscles in my legs, but without contortion, it’s not easy to see them. This is where my new challenge comes in.

Since I spent the majority of last year focus on losing weight, part of what I learnt was how to eat to lose weight. Unfortuntely, because that’s no longer my aim, I am having difficulties with eating more. I’ve pretty much been at the same weight / measurements – give or take 3 lbs – since the year began. Of course, some of it depends on the time of my cycle. I have been really diligent about my portions and what I eat, but it isn’t conducive to my new aspirations. I came to realize that I needed help, figuring out my dietary needs.

After having this epiphany of sort , I decided to leave it to the pros who know best about exercise and nutrition. I signed on for help with a family team , who will pretty much set me on the road to achieving those goals – which are to lower my body fat some more , and get that defined look that I want (I need to upgrade my shy 4 pack, to a confident 6 pack).

In the short-term, I have hope to lose body fat and the long-term, get more muscle definition. Hopefully, by the end of the year, I’d be completely and totally satisfied (who truly ever is, but I’ll try 🙂 )

So cheers to new challenges, realizing your weaknesses and having the courage to lean on those that can help you.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Good News: I’m down 1/2 inch on my hips.

Not-so-good News: I’m guilty of being an exercise DVD junkie. My collection is rather impressive, but it creates a very unique problem for me. Since I have exercise ADD – not a real diagnosis – I can never figure out which workout to complete, on my home workout days. You would think the fact that a lot of them are 30 day or 60 day programs, that simply sticking to one would make it easy , at least for 30 days, but no. As I said, I have exercise ADD and I get bored rather quickly.

Now if I have just one DVD, I wouldn’t have this problem. This is a perfect scenario , where too many options can be a bad thing.

Sadly, this morning I was too busy trying to get more sleep in, to even worry about this. However, Wednesday is right around the corner and hopefully I’ll be able to make a decision soon.

Do you share my first world problem?

Day 3, 4 and 5 of Cardio Blitz

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak – that’s how I will sum up the last three days of my cardio blitz. Even though Day 5 was a bust  food wise, I am not going to stress over it. I have until May 21st to get things right, so I am staying the course.

Since I’ve waited so long to post about it, forgive me if some of the details are -for lack of a better word – lacking.

Day 3:

Exercise:

• 30 mins of strength.

Food:

Breakfast: 2 slices of nitrate free turkey bacon with 2 tbsp of guacamole.

Snack 1: 30 grams Purely Elizabeth’s pumpkin and fig granola.

Lunch : .5 ounce of sweet potato, 1/2 cup of asparagus, 1/2 cup of cauliflower, 4 ounces of ground beef, 2 tbsp of guacamole.

Snack 2: Pirate’s Booty

Dinner: 8 ounces of ground beef , 1/2 cup of lentil peas, 1/4 cup of cod fish (you have no idea how HUNGRY I was on Saturday, so don’t judge me, lol)

 

Day 4:

Exercise:

• 30 mins of strength & cardio.
• Leg Press – 70 lbs 4 x 15
• Back Squats – 50 lbs 3 x 10
• Super / Hack Squats – 50 lbs 3 x 15
• Prone leg curls – 20 lbs 3 x 10
• Hip Abductor – 55 lbs 3 x 15
• Hip Adductor – 55 lbs 3 x 15
• Standing Leg Raises – 3 x 15

Food:

Breakfast: 1/4 serving IsoPure carb free protein shake with strawberries and blueberries.

Snack 1:  1/4 serving IsoPure carb free protein shake with strawberries and blueberries.

Lunch: 1/3 cup of lentils , 1/3 cup of pureed pumpkin and 1/3 cup of salted cod fish topped with 2 tbsp of guacamole. ( I am a creature of habit)

Snack 2: 1/2 cup of Haagen Daz icecream .

Dinner: 1/3 cup of pumpkin puree with 1/3 cup of salted cod with spinach and mushrooms. Topped off with 2 spoonfuls of icecream from Ample Hills Creamery (I didn’t really like the taste) .

 

Day 5:

This is where it all goes DOWN HILL. I had a Statistics exam yesterday and spent the rest of the day, after my workout, in the library at school. Needless to say, sound food choices were NOT made.

Exercise:

• 30 mins of intense cardio.

Food:

Breakfast: Spinach and mushrooms .

1 ounce of avocado fried potato chips

Snack 1:  Starbuck blueberry scone

Snack 2: 60 grams of Purely Elizabeth’s pumpkin and fig granola.

Lunch: 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree with 1/4 cup of salted cod and 1/4 cup of lentil peas.

Dinner: 90 calories snack from the vending machine at school and half of it fell on the floor. <_<

Day 1 and Day 2 of Cardio Blitz

Yesterday, I joined my test group family and will be tracking the changes in my body -if any- over the next five days. I am putting down my weights and my routine for now, and just doing cardio for those days.

Day 1:

Exercise:

• 30 mins of Intense Cardio

Food:

• Breakfast : 1/3 c. oatmeal with blueberries and truvia
• Snack 1: Down by the Bayou – Vegan / Raw wrap with cauliflower and broccoli
• Lunch : 6 ounces of ground turkey with 2 tbsp of salsa fresca, 2 tbsp of guacamole, asparagus and roasted cauliflower
• Snack 2: 2 ounces of almond butter
• Dinner: 6 ounces of ground turkey with 2 tbsp of guacamole

Day 2:

Exercise:

• 30 mins of  cardio circuit workout.

Food:

• Breakfast – sauteed mushrooms, red peppers with 2 tbsp of guacamole and 3 tbsp of egg whites.
• Snack 1 : 1 ounce of Purely Elizabeth’s pumpkin and fig granola.
• Lunch: .5 ounces of sweet potato, roasted asparagus, roasted cauliflower, 4 ounces of ground beef. Plus one Raw Revolution 100’s raw / vegan bar 100 calorie spirulina bar.
• Snack 2 : 15 grams of almonds.
• Dinner :  Down by the Bayou – Vegan / Raw wrap with cauliflower and broccoli

That’s it for yesterday and today. Let’s see what the next three days has in store for me.

I am Motivated

I’ve recently celebrated the 1 year anniversary since making this lifestyle change . How can I sum this up other than saying , that one year later, it’s no easier now than it was when I first started . Well , actually diet (in the general sense) was a smidgen easier, as my goals were a bit different . Then, I needed to lose weight and had no other choice but to do what needed to be done to achieve that goal. Now, I am simply trying to lose those final 5 vanity pounds and fine tune and shape my body the way I want to. Sounds easy right ? Not! My body has settled into an acceptable weight and she refuses to let go of any more lbs – in essence I have hit the mother of all plateaux.
I read an article here, which talks about how difficult it is to lose the last few “vanity” pounds.
Going forward, I am going to have to make a greater effort to stick to eating clean 85% of the time , on a weekly basis. As currently, I am hovering somewhere around 71% .
Why you ask? My birthday is in 2 months and 27 days. Woo hoo! I’m hitting the big 33, lol. One of my bff’s is getting married in September , and I’ll also like to keep it cute for that.
This week is the last week of my 6 week strength training program . Although I have definitely made progress, I could have been much more successful , had I been dedicated on the nutrition side of things.

So here goes to the next 2 months and 27 days of balancing , workouts , food and finals . Pray for me !

ETA:

After this post, I had some Hamentashen (Purim treat) . Oye Ve! I guess today will be my “cheat” day – those that know me, will identify the irony in that statement.

Lunch 1/28

Baked jerk fish with sautéed mushrooms, broccoli and mash cauliflower. Notice a pattern ? Lol