Testing Wheat Free Eating

Tomorrow marks one full week that I've eaten no wheat. Without too much detail, I was getting inflammation and felt fatigued all the time. I got the idea to try not eating wheat from someone at work. She tried it and said that while it helped her energy levels, it seemed too complicated to maintain.

Well, I somewhat agree. I already don't eat meat, so without wheat, I felt I had to replace a huge staple in my diet. I've gotten so creative this week with my food planning!

In the last week I've made homemade veggie sushi (surprisingly easier than I thought), brown rice and tofu stir fry, refried beans with spinach and avocado, and kidney bean red velvet brownies. I've always wanted to cook more, and now I had a reason to do it. The only downside? I feel hungry every couple hours so I feel I'm constantly eating. I keep my calories in check to about the same amount but still.

We'll see how long I keep this up...

5 lbs

Disregard BMI. Track your progress in body fat % lost.

Healthy Habits That Aren't So Healthy

Here's a great read:

"22. Doing a million crunches. The secret to six-pack abs probably isn’t crunch after crunch. To flatten out and tone up the core, try running some intervals, lifting a few weights, and cleaning up that diet instead."

Healthy Habits That Aren't So Healthy

Working at a gym, you don't know how many times you hear people say they want to lose their stomach and get abs. Then they proceed to do a hundred crunches. That is the worst thing you can do--you won't lose belly fat (you can't spot reduce) and you might end up hurting your lower back.

The best recipe for six-pack abs is to stay on top of your nutrition. Things have to be near perfect to have that hard chiseled look. And although I have 19% body fat overall, I don't even have six-pack abs because I enjoy the occasional drink and some chocolate.

Discipline is key. First is nutrition, second is strength training, third is cardio. That's my recommendation for losing body fat and working toward a flat stomach!

Quick Legs Workout

Found this on Tumblr and thought, that looks pretty simple! Let me tell you, my quads and hamstrings were burning in such a short time. I did the warm-up, the workout twice through, and the stretching to finish. If you continually push through it, it'll take you less than 20 minutes to break a sweat.

When you're limited on time, something like this is perfect.

Goals Revisited

As a trainer, I talk to people about their personal goals. Increase strength, stamina, endurance, lose body fat, gain muscle, etc. I want to revisit my own goals though. At around 19-20% body fat (estimated), I'm within the "Fit Women" range. I'm 5'4" and my weight stays within the 124-127 lb range.



Time to be honest: I'm not as proud of myself as I should be. I'm supposed to be the example. Closer to athletic. I would love to be 12-15% body fat, no matter what weight that should take me to. At that point, I would have much greater definition in my abs, rather than the top portion that just shows now. Proof of the hard work I'm capable of. Proof that I fuel my body right. Nutrition is a huge part of lowering your body fat percentage.

By the end of August, I want to lose at least 5% body fat. That is my personal goal. To attain it, I will try to eat around 1500 calories a day, with a good balance of lean protein, healthy fat, and complex carbohydrates. If I slip up one day, fine. I'm human. If there's a party, I won't deprive myself, but I won't go overboard.

I need motivation just as much as the next person. This is my goal and this is my confession of it.

Don't hide your goals in your head. State them, and don't be afraid. An unstated failed goal goes unnoticed but also without support. State your goal, find your support, and take action. That is the first step.

Spin Safety

Safe Spinning

Here's an article full of quick and helpful tips when riding a spin bike for exercise!

Tough Total Body Workout

This week I haven't eaten my healthiest. Granted, it was my birthday on Tuesday and I drank more than my fair share of beer at a Spurs game. My workouts haven't been so structured either. That however doesn't mean I haven't pushed hard.

I found a simple body weight workout on Pinterest this morning and it caught my eye. I mean simple as in, oh yes, push-ups, crunches, plank... those exercises are familiar.

It took me TWO HOURS to complete. After completing one set of all these exercises I looked at the clock, thinking you know, I would have had a great workout just doing this... but can I do it? Challenge accepted.

I have never sweat so much in my life but I actually had the energy to do it. (I had about 700 calories before this afternoon workout, with about 60-70% of them from protein.) For my 15 minutes of cardio I ran 1.5 miles on the treadmill each time. After completing two sets of everything, I finished with 20 minutes on the stair step machine.

I am beat but feel so accomplished right now. I wouldn't recommend this kind of workout on a regular basis though. You'd end up hurting yourself in the long run. But every once in awhile? Go for it!

I'm going out tonight for my last birthday celebration which will include vegetarian mexican food and margaritas. I will feel no guilt about it now!

Motivation and Protein Powder

A couple of my clients have motivated me recently. I don't want to be a sub par trainer. I want to continue to evolve and make myself a better person.

This last week I've been slacking off a bit. It started because I was feeling tired, but I just need to work my schedule around that. No excuses. These next two weeks my work schedule will be a bit crazy. I'm covering night shifts at a different location while keeping up my training clients and switching them to early mornings. It's also my birthday this week, so it won't be all work! I've got a fun week planned as well.

Using this birthday as a new opportunity to begin change, I want to achieve these goals:

- Run a half marathon before the year ends

- Increase my standard running pace to 6.5 mph (about 9:15 minute mile)

- Decrease my body fat % enough to where I see more than the top half of my abs

- Decrease the amount of sugar I consume

My boyfriend and I just got our first tub of vanilla protein powder. I'm curious to its effects and how it could help me. I'm not big on making shakes (mostly because I'm too lazy to get out the blender everyday, much less clean it everyday) so I'm trying to come up with different ways to incorporate it into my diet.

Tropical Protein Parfait

- 1/2 cup strawberries, sliced

- 1/2 cup pineapple chunks

- 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese

- 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

- 8 walnut halves

The vanilla protein powder makes this concoction taste sweet. I like how the juice from the pineapple chunks makes this taste better than I think it would on its own. After a few bites, I realized that the vanilla protein mixed with cottage cheese pretty much tasted like cake batter. Whether that's good or bad is all up to you.

Spin Playlist 04/11

1) Cobrastyle - Teddybears Feat. Mad Cobra
2) Five O'Clock World - The Vogues
3) I Don't Feel Like Dancin' - Scissor Sisters
4) I Fought The Law - The Clash
5) Mr. Saxobeat - Alexandra Stan
6) Remember The Time - Michael Jackson
7) Back In Black - AC/DC
8) I Feel You - Depeche Mode
9) Help! - The Beatles
10) Video Killed The Radio Star - The Presidents of the United States of America
11) Don't Cry Out - Shiny Toy Guns
12) Starlight - Muse
13) Rise Above 1 - Reeve Carney Feat. Bono & The Edge

Step It Up

Amanda's Step It Up Workout

Grab a step and a few risers to complete these exercises.

1) Squat with Side Leg Lift - 12-15 reps each side
(right foot on center of the step, left foot on floor, squat, as you come up perform a lateral leg lift on the left side; repeat on opposite side)

2) Incline Push Ups - 12-15 reps

(place hands on center of step and complete regular push ups)

3) Triceps Dips - 12-15 reps

(start with hands on edge of step, legs extended out in front, use the upper body to lower down and then up)

4) Running Man on Step - 12-15 reps each side

(using core stability, step up with right foot, then bring left knee up to balance, then return to start; repeat on opposite side)

5) Up Up Down Down - 30-60 seconds

(quickly step up with right foot, left foot, then down with right foot, left foot; get that HR up!)

After not exercising yesterday I decided to stay off of my strength training program for one more day. Signs of inflammation are still present but definitely not as bad. On my schedule for today I had one client to train then I had my spin class to instruct. It was my first session as the regular instructor and I'm happy to say it went well! I was complimented on my song choice and the format of my class. I hope to have repeat students next week and maybe a few more due to word of mouth. I'm so excited to be able to come up with future playlists too.

Today's playlist:

1) Puppets (remix) - Depeche Mode

2) Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand

3) Surrender - Cheap Trick

4) Twist and Shout - The Beatles

5) Kids In America (remix) - Kim Wilde

6) I Wanna Go - Britney Spears

7) Great DJ - The Ting Tings

8) The Edge of Glory - Lady Gaga

9) Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson

10) Do You Right - 311

11) Helena Beat - Foster The People

12) Short Cut/Detour - Pretty Lights

I also had to come up with my Workout of the Day to be displayed tomorrow.

Medicine Ball Total Body Circuit

1) Lunges with Medicine Ball Twist, 16-20 reps

(holding med ball at your chest, lunge forward with right foot and twist toward the right, leading with your core; repeat immediately on left side)

2) Narrow Chair Squats to Medicine Ball Press, 16-20 reps

(stand with feet together, squat imagining you're sitting back into a chair, while lifting med ball up to press)

3) Sumo Squat to Calf Raise, 12-16 reps

(stand with feet wider than hip width apart, toes turned out to a 45 degree angle, sink deep down into a squat, lift up and balance on your toes to perform a calf raise)

4) Pullover Crunches with Medicine Ball, 12-16 reps

(lie on the mat with knees bent and heels on the ground, extend your arms above your head with elbows near your ears holding the medicine ball, then lift med ball up above your chest and crunch)

5) Side Plank Hold, 10-20 seconds each side

(lie on your side supported on your elbow, elbow underneath your shoulder, aligning your body from shoulder to heels in a straight line, lift and hold)

Repeat 2-3x

Unexpected R&R

Today was supposed to be shoulders and legs day at the gym but my body has rebelled against me. Last night I barely got four hours of sleep and I had to be up to train a client this morning at 7 am.

Possible reasons why I wasn't feeling on top of my game:

- Over-stressing my body with 6 days/week strength training workouts these last couple of weeks

- Not enough restful sleep

- Dinner last night was a slice of veggie pizza, a couple of handfuls of vegetable crudites, but also several cookies and Diet Coke

I woke up this morning feeling like there was a brick in my stomach. Those cookies were not worth it. And while I've never drank regular sodas in my adult life, I know diet sodas are no better.

As of now I will be skipping my workout for today. When I get signs of inflammation, which manifested itself in the form of a painful little bump in my underarm today, I truly know I should hold back. I will use today for some rest and relaxation so that I'm back to 100% tomorrow for training and teaching my first regular spin class!

Feels Good to Follow A Routine

I just got home from my Monday afternoon gym session. For breakfast I had 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese, 1 orange sliced, 1/2 banana sliced, 2 tbsp ground flaxseed, and about 10 almonds mixed together. Today was back and biceps day. I did a one mile warm up on the treadmill, did my sets, then went back to the treadmill for another interval workout. Yesterday I focused on speed intervals but today I worked on incline:

0:00-1:00- warm up at 4.0 mph/1% incline

1:00-2:00- 5.0 mph/4% incline

2:00-3:00- 5.0 mph/7% incline

3:00-3:30- 5.0 mph/10% incline

3:30-5:00- 5.0 mph/4% incline

Repeat until you hit 30 minutes.

Let me tell you, at around 15 minutes I thought, what the hell are you doing? This is rough! But I persisted... I always put myself in the mindset of someone I would be training. I cooled down for 2 minutes at no incline walking at 4.0 mph then I was done.

My post workout snack is 1 cup of kashi with 1/2 cup of soymilk sprinkled with lots of cinnamon spice.

April Now

April is my favorite month of the year. I may be biased since my birthday is the 17th but I love springtime and just the general feeling of this beautiful season.

There are some days I look forward to my workout. Today was not one of those days. But like I said, I want to get off to a good start for April. I'm continuing to follow a double split strength training schedule. It's a six day a week format with one rest day that looks like this:

Day 1: chest, triceps, core

Day 2: back, biceps

Day 3: shoulders, glutes, quads, hams, core

REST

Day 5-7: repeat Day 1-3 consecutively

I did a 15 minute warm up on the spin bike. I did 4 different chest exercises using various weight machines (about 8-15 reps, 2-3 sets, depending on weight used), 3 different triceps exercises, and about 10 minutes of core work. To finish off, I did cardio intervals on the treadmill. Warm up for 2 minutes, and then every odd minute I did 30 seconds at 7.0 mph/1% incline, active recovery 1:30 at 5 mph/1% incline. I repeated that until I hit 30 minutes.

That might all sound confusing but it's really just about playing around with various speeds to keep the workout interesting.

Breakfast Before the Gym

Every morning I wake up thirsty. After I brush my teeth I find myself in the kitchen getting a glass of water and chugging it down. If there's coffee on the pot I'll have a cup with soymilk too. Only then can my morning start!

I don't have anything that I absolutely need to do today, but instead of doing nothing (and feeling lazy), I'm planning on going to the gym soon. Some people are fine to wake up and exercise on an empty stomach, but that really doesn't work for me. If I want to push hard, I need something healthy to get me going.

Springtime Yogurt Parfait

-1/2 cup greek yogurt

-1 orange, sliced

-1/2 cup strawberries, sliced

-2 tbsp ground flaxseed

-14 walnut halves

Greek yogurt has more protein than regular yogurt, and while it's an acquired taste, mixing it with the natural sweetness of fruit makes it yummy for anyone. Flaxseed is a great source of omega-3 fats and increases the protein a tiny bit in this recipe. The walnuts are also a great source of omega-3s. Being a vegetarian, I need to make sure I get those healthy fats (normally found in fish oil). The carbohydrates in the fruit will give me energy to workout hard at the gym too.

What do you like to eat before working out?

Daily Workout

Every Thursday at work, I'm responsible for coming up with the daily workout to be displayed on the gym floor. Here's my submission for tomorrow:

Core Balance Burn

1) Plank Toe Taps, 16-20 reps
(hold plank pose, tap out your right foot to the right side about a foot, then return to start, immediately repeat on left side, etc)

2) Russian Twists, 16-20 reps
(hold proper weight above core, turn torso toward left side, center, and right side)

3) Boat Pose, hold 15-30 seconds
(stabilizing core, hold legs out at a 45 degree angle with arms straight in front to balance)

4) Fast Feet, 15-30 seconds
(basic drill to get HR up and increase agility)

5) Reverse Lunge to Front Kick, 12-15 reps
(lunge backward, stabilize core and come to a front kick leading with the heel; stay on same foot then repeat on other side)

Repeat 2-3x

Teaching Spin and Getting Organized

For the months of April through June I will be the proud instructor of a Wednesday night 45 minute spin class. I was given the opportunity to sub a spin class this afternoon which admittedly got me back into the swing of things and knocked out whatever nerves I could be feeling. I hadn't taught a class since last December when I was still a fitness intern.

People might say I'm quiet in my everyday life but I take on a new persona when I put on the microphone and get in front of the class to teach. It's a great energy I never knew I would enjoy or even feel comfortable with. I love writing choreography to go along with the music. There's more to spin class then just sitting on a stationary bike.

My goal as a newly certified personal trainer is to organize my exercise programs for the clients I currently work with. Usually I'll start a session with a blank slate, knowing what my client's needs and limitations are, and just improvise along the way with whatever equipment is available. I need to write this stuff down for my sake, for documentation, and to specifically show the progress that's being made.

I made a broccoli salad as part of my dinner tonight. I chopped up half a head of broccoli, sliced some almonds, and mixed dried cranberries with a spoonful of red wine vinaigrette and honey mustard. If it sat marinating together in the fridge for a few hours it might have tasted a bit sweeter, but it was good nonetheless. Accompanying that was a sandwich made with a chickpea spinach veggie patty, hummus, spinach leaves, and tomato slices on wheat bread.

Eating clean is another goal of mine but I know that I won't be completely quitting packaged foods anytime soon. Instead of obsessing I'll strive to eat more whole foods. More vegetables, fruits, healthy sources of protein and starches, and less sugar and refined carbohydrates.

Thinking about sweets reminds me that I have a package of dark chocolate squares in the kitchen. Maybe I'll just have to have a couple of pieces with some fresh strawberries tonight for dessert!