Jillian Michaels Body Revolution – Week 3

Well, Week 3 of JMBR is in the bag so it’s time for my update…

As I mentioned in my last post, I missed my Monday workout because I overslept and then was too tired by the time I got home to get it in. I just adjusted my week and started on Tuesday and planned on no rest day for Sunday. I noticed that the workouts were still difficult but much better than in week 3 when I felt I was really struggling. For some of the leg intensive exercises (especially lunges and a kneeling exercise), I had to watch it – there are a few moves that put a lot of stress on my knees. I try to do as many as I can with good form but if they are painful or I have problems with form, I usually sub out something else or just skip that part. I don’t feel particularly good about it but after 4+ knee surgeries, I know when I’ve hit my limits. Pushing it is one thing, PAIN and possible reinjury is another.

On Thursday, I had a really rough day and skipped Cardio 1. I fixed this by substituting FIRE 55 EZ from TurboFire on Sunday (so instead of 2 thirty minute cardio workouts, I did one for about an hour). It made life a lot easier… Besides, I really miss TurboFire so it was good to have that back in my life!

In the progress department, I’m STILL seeing no movement on the scale, however my stamina is much better and I’m lifting heavier and feeling more confident with the moves so I’m just taking it in stride. I figure it’s less important to see changes on the scale and more important to see changes in my body so I’m letting it go. Once I finish week 4 (phase 1) I will take measurements to see what information that gives me.

Speaking of Week 4 – it should be interesting… I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday morning so I pushed my workout back. But at my recheck, my doctor found a really painful spot on my foot that concerns him (and me!!) so he gave me a shot of cortisone. He instructed me to take it easy for the next few days (which isn’t hard to follow because my foot is really sore). So I skipped yesterday and I will be skipping today as well. That will make things more difficult when it comes to getting all the workouts in this week but I’ll try and figure out how to make that happen. If I have to sub one or double-up on a day, I’ll make it work – just as long as my foot isn’t giving me too much trouble!

As far as the calorie increase I was talking about in my last entry, I did a lot of reading on the “Eat the Food” group by Go Kaleo and messed with calorie calculators, looked at my BodyMedia reports, and finally decided to go with my average daily burn minus 500 calories. It’s also right about the same as my BMR for my goal weight so I figure that makes sense. It wasn’t a huge increase in calories but that’s okay. We’ll see if that has any impact on my weight and/or my training.

Until next time – keep up the good work!

 

Finding Your Soul Mate Workout

I’ve been absent again, I know and I hate it. But I’m still sick and only seem to be getting worse. I’m pretty sure it has to do with my work environment – we’ve still got dampness and a nasty, musty mold smell (even if we can’t see mold I’m almost sure it is). I feel terrible and I’m going back to the doctor on Friday to see what he can help me with.

Anyway, I haven’t been very active so there’s not too much to say but I did want to at least post about workouts since that was my intention FOREVER ago.

I will admit, I don’t like working out. I really never have. The only times in my young life I can remember looking forward to exercise is when I was in gymnastics and when I was on swim team. I loved tumbling and swimming and being with my friends but even then, I wasn’t all that excited about the workouts. Don’t get me wrong, I do love to swim but I like to do it for fun, not necessarily for working out.

As I got older and started the usual dieting and exercising cycle, I tried a little bit of everything…

And I hated just about everything.

Running wasn’t for me – it aggravated my asthma and I looked like a moron (I know how you look isn’t the important thing but I seriously run like a lame emu – I look ridiculous). I didn’t like step, I wasn’t coordinated enough to do most of the dance classes, and weigh lifting was intimidating. The elliptical machine was boring as hell… Swimming was the thing that I came back to time and time again but I didn’t have a consistent place to swim so that was problematic.

I took a free cardio kickboxing class once at a local gym and had a good time but the class was $85 a month – quite steep for a student making a little more than minimum wage.  I picked up some various DVDs and started doing those but I didn’t love them, I just made myself do them.

Then one day on the WeightWatchers forum, I saw a post about TurboFire. I had no idea what it was but the ladies were raving about it and so I googled it and watched the promo. I was intimidated as all get out, however I was also intrigued. It seemed fast paced and it incorporated kickboxing-type moves with dancing stuff… I had to try it. I ordered it almost immediately.

When it arrived, I immediately opened it and started watching the first workout. Yes, just watching – I didn’t want to start right away, I wanted to learn some of the choreography first . I was impressed. I worked out for the first time the next day and I’ve never looked back.

I love TurboFire for so many reasons. It’s fast paced, most of the workouts are shorter than an hour, I like the punching and kicking as well as the fun dancing parts, and Chalene Johnson is an amazing instructor. I know not everyone likes her and that’s cool but to me, she’s so positive and inspiring. When she’s yelling “you’re not tired!” at me through my TV, I believe her!!

Anyway, the point of this post is not that you should love TurboFire. The point is that everyone has a workout they love best – their soul mate workout. Take the time to explore and find out what that is for you! I heard someone say once that the perfect workout is THE ONE YOU WILL DO! And that is so true! If you hate something, you’re less likely to do it – find your soul mate workout and working out will never be the same again! If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking! Something new and fantastic just might come along and sweep you off your feet!

Next time on “Here We Go, Paleo!” – TBA

Weekly Plan for 9/3/12 – 9/9/12

Okay, so I planned to post this earlier in the day but things got crazy so I’m a little late. I spent most of the day with my husband running errands. Since we’ve been home, he’s mostly been doing housework and I’ve been trying to come up with meal plans and get my week scheduled. Usually I do this on Sundays but because today was Labor Day, my schedule is completely off!

I was able to get up and make myself some yummy breakfast – fried eggs, coffee with coconut milk, and a fresh nectarine. We ended up going out for lunch and had Lebanese food. I got the chicken shawarma plate with a side salad and some stuffed grape leaves for an appetizer. Yum! I am totally learning how to make this stuff at home because I probably could eat it once a week!

For dinner tonight my husband is making a Thai coconut curry soup/stew type dish. I have no doubt that it will be fantastic (and hopefully spicy!) That pretty much covers today – I missed my workout but I’ll make it up on Wednesday 🙂

The rest of this post is concentrated on my plans for the rest of the week! 

Whole30 Day 25

Yesterday was pretty boring. I spent almost all day at home either working on stuff for my job or cleaning. I worked out in the evening (FIRE 55 EZ) so that was good but otherwise, very boring. Really, there’s not much going on around here aside from watching the weather channel and trying to figure out where this stupid storm is going to go.

Breakfast:

2 fried eggs
Grapes
Gloria Jean’s Butter Toffee coffe (1 k-cup) with coconut milk

Morning Snack:

Dry roasted macadamia nuts

Lunch:

Grilled mahi mahi
Baked sweet potato
Steamed mixed veggies
Iced tea with lemon

Dinner:

Seared ahi tuna steak
Side salad with oil and vinegar

My Fitness Pal Breakdown:  1257 calories and a macro breakdown of 61/69/34 (carbs/fat/protein).

Next time on “Here We Go, Paleo!”- Whole30 Day 26

Whole30 Day 17

I am a very cranky lady today. I did not sleep well last night at all and I haven’t really recovered. Things started out okay… I was in bed when I wanted to be but it took me a while to fall asleep and then the cats were fighting. After I finally did get to sleep, I woke up only a few hours later from an awful nightmare. I actually stayed awake for a while after that because I was upset and it took a while to calm down enough to go back to sleep.

Finally, around 5 or so, I went back to sleep. When my alarm went off at 8:30, I was a very unhappy person indeed.

I got up and made my usual breakfast of eggs and ham. I also made my coffee for the drive into town and loaded the dishwasher before I left the house. I was having problems with the little door that holds the detergent and in my frustration, I tried to hit it to make it stay closed (it wouldn’t snap). Of course, right as my hand came down to hit it, it popped back open so now I have an ugly scrape on my wrist. Faaaantastic.

I know, it’s my own damn fault but I was still annoyed.

Supervision went well as usual even though I was a few minutes late. Afterward, I went home and got back in bed. My husband came in not long after and we dozed until the mid-afternoon when he had to go to work. I dropped him off, then battled my way through the school zones to get home.

I wasn’t too hungry for lunch so I just had some celery with almond butter and a little coconut water.

I did manage to get my workout in today – Fire 55 EZ (don’t let the letters fool you it is NOT easy!!). I’m definitely not back up to my old stamina – I had to stop a lot more than I would have liked – but I made it all the way through and I’m proud of that at  least. My shoulders are still really tight and sore but I’m hoping a hot shower and some Biofreeze will help with that later.

For dinner, I made ham and egg cups and a HUGE salad with mixed greens, cucumber, carrot, olives, onion, bell pepper, and green onion (all tossed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar). It was super delicious.

I know I’ve been eating a lot of ham and eggs lately but honestly, I’m completely broke and that’s what I have on hand for now. I know we have some meal in the deep freeze so I’ll check that out before bed (it would be nice to have something different tomorrow!!)

Okay, time for a shower and then some relaxing before bed… I can’t believe it’s already day 17! In the homestretch!!

My Fitness Pal Breakdown:  1466 calories and a macro breakdown of 71/91/80 (carbs/fat/protein).

Next time on “Here We Go, Paleo!”- Whole30 Day 18

Whole30 Day 15

Last night, I was in bed by 11:30 and asleep before midnight. I slept hard until around 3:30 when I woke up because I was too hot. I sat up and after a few moments of grogginess, I realized that the power was out. My husband told me that a transformer had blown or something like that and the power had been out for about half an hour – just long enough for the house to start to get warm.

We were up until 4:30 or 5ish because I was too hot to go back to sleep and the kitten thought it was playtime (of course). Finally, we were able to get back to sleep…

My alarm went off at 5 to 8 and I groaned. I was not happy but I knew I had to get up to get in my HIIT workout and to get ready for work. I dragged myself out of bed, got into my workout clothes, and got to it. It was a struggle to get through but I think it’s because I haven’t done HIIT in so long… I caught up by the end but was very glad when the workout was over!

Afterward, I took a cool shower and then made breakfast – sauteed spinach, 2 eggs scrambled, half an avocado, and some coffee with coconut milk. Then I got dressed, put my hair up, and hurried out the door.

Work started with a bang – we were supposed to have some people come by and tour the agency for 11 but they showed up an hour early so I wasn’t even in my office when they showed! It left me a little flustered, especially when they wanted to hang around after our presentation because they were going to lunch next and the restaurant didn’t open until 11. But it turned out just fine and they left at about 10:40. After that, I worked on paperwork and scheduling until it was time for lunch.

I brought leftovers from the night before (minus the sweet potato because I ate it all!) and it was delicious. I also brought half an avocado for some more healthy fats. It was good but I’m still craving salmon!!

The afternoon went by quickly – even moreso than normal because my 5 no-showed and my 6 cancelled. Business is picking up though so I expect the upcoming weeks to be stressful. Gotta handle that!

At about 2:30, my throat started to feel a little scratchy and I started to feel tired. I made myself some green tea and had a snack of blueberries and almonds. I felt a little better but not much.

After our 4pm group, I went home and spent some time with my husband, then had a brief nap. When it came time for dinner, he really wanted spicy chicken (especially from Popeyes) and they have nothing I can eat so we compromised with a burger place. I got a plain burger patty and a side salad with just balsamic vinegar and an iced tea. I was somewhat tempted by his spicy chicken sandwich but I managed to resist!

When I got home from dinner, I took my medicine, gave the cat his pill, and then settled in to finish up this blog entry. I’m still feeling a little meh and hopefully it’s just a little downturn in energy and not a cold or something. Either way, I’m not going to wake up early in the morning to workout. I should have time to workout in the evening if I feel up to it and I feel the need to get maximum sleep tonight!

That’s about all I have for now – bed is seriously calling my name!

My Fitness Pal Breakdown:  1507 calories and a macro breakdown of 59/103/98 (carbs/fat/protein).

Next time on “Here We Go, Paleo!”- Whole30 Day 16

Whole30 Day 14

I woke up this morning feeling a bit groggy, but by the time I was up and making breakfast, I felt pretty darn good. I’m beginning to think the groggy morning thing has more to do with the medications I take in the evening and less to do with the Whole30.

Anyway… I made two fried eggs and fried up a slice of ham as well. I also had the rest of the organic tomato juice (leftover from making gazpacho) and my usual coffee with coconut milk. I was super sad because I used my last Butter Toffee K-cup this morning. I need to get some more stat!!

I grabbed my pre-packed lunch and was out the door by 9:20. The drive in was nice and easy this morning so I was at work on time without any added stress. I checked my schedule and I only had one appointment so I set to working on paperwork and other things until lunch time.

Lunch was gazpacho with avocado. I didn’t bring any additional protein because I didn’t have anything ready to go but I was really full even without it. I’m really digging the gazpacho thing – I might have to do this more often!

After lunch, I saw my one appointment, then finished up with some other administrative stuff and left the office early. When I got home I was humming with energy so after peeking in the fridge to make sure I was on track for my dinner plans, I decided it was time to workout.

Now I was doing TurboFire 5-6 days a week before we moved from the old house (in May) but dropped off due to moving issues, some medical problems, and just life generally getting in the way. When I started Whole30, I really wanted to ramp back up but I just didn’t have the energy until recently.

So today I started TurboFire over from Day 1 which meant that FIRE 30 was on the agenda – a short but INTENSE workout. And I have to say, considering how long I’ve been off, it went really well! I was pleased with the workout itself but after…

Usually after a TurboFire workout, I feel tired and sore and drained. I sometimes get an uptick in energy but it’s not much. This time, after a few minutes of catching my breath, my energy level was through the ROOF! I bounced up and got to work on dinner, singing and dancing my way around the kitchen as I did so. I made a baked sweet potato, roasted broccoli, and grilled chicken. I was going to make a salad too but by the time I thought of that, everything else was ready and I just scarfed it down.

Everything was delicious but the sweet potato in particular was DIVINE! I haven’t had any sweet potato since I started and I’ve been staying away from starchy veggies. I bought the sweet potato because it sounded delicious and I must have really wanted it because it (unbelievably) tasted like a toasted marshmallow just like nom nom paleo said! I was shocked – I like sweet potatoes but they’ve been nothing like this! I guess it’s a combination of not eating sweet stuff and really wanting the sweet potato that makes it out of this world amazing!

Also, the roasted broccoli was fabulous, though I highly suggest you line your pan with foil if you make it. My pan is a huge mess now… Oops Still, I think it was worth it. I will try a similar method for zucchini in the next few days since I have a ton of it to eat! The only thing that was “lacking” with my dinner is that I was really craving salmon and chicken just didn’t quite do it for me. Oh well, maybe tomorrow!

Oh and I know my plate is a little out of proportion but I ate two pieces of chicken that never made it to the plate so it would have been a little more even if I hadn’t 😉

After dinner, I was still surging with energy so I unloaded the dishwasher, reloaded it (we’re doing a ton more dishes now that I’m cooking all the time), tried to wash the broccoli pan, then gave up and left it to soak, and then settled in with a book for some down time.

Later in the evening, I felt a little hungry so I had a kiwi fruit and some almonds along with a few spoonfuls of coconut butter. I was sated at that point so I “closed the kitchen” and went to work on my running playlist for a while. Now I’m wrapping things up so I can get to bed. I plan to be up early for a workout in the morning and then I have to get all spiffy for work because we have potential donors coming in for a tour – yippee! Ah well, a necessary evil in the non-profit world 🙂

That’s it for now – time for this Paleo Princess (haha) to get to bed. We’ll see if my Paleo euphoria carries into tomorrow 🙂 Have a great night everyone!

My Fitness Pal Breakdown:  1387 calories and a macro breakdown of 84/85/90 (carbs/fat/protein).

Next time on “Here We Go, Paleo!”- Whole30 Day 15