I'm Back!!! 6 Week Hard Body Challenge

It has only been four days since my "regroup" but I feel amazing. I had hoped to start fresh with a Monday workout - but it was Thanksgiving. That is some willpower I just don't f-ing have! I have tweeked my work out plan slightly, and started on Wednesday. I am doing a "self-inflicted 6 week hard body challenge" - my new plan is as follows:

Wednesday - Workout A
1A. overhead dumbell squat 12 reps
1B. pushups 12 reps
1C. dumbbell bulgarian split squat (F-ME!!) 12 reps
1D. incline dumbbell bench press 12 reps
1E. hanging leg raise (F-ME!!) 12 reps
Rest 60 Seconds
2A. goblet squat 12 reps
2B. dumbbell bench press 12 reps
2C. dumbbell lunge 12 reps PER LEG (F-ME x2!!)
2D. dumbbell chest fly 12 reps
2E. v-up 12 reps
Rest 60 Seconds
REPEAT (F-ME)

Thursday - Volleyball (I was sore as a ... well...what I was going to say is rude.)

Friday - Workout B
1A. single leg dumbbell straight-leg deadlift 12 reps
1B. pullup 12 reps
1C. cable pull through12 reps
1D. cable row 12 reps
1E. single-leg side plank 12 reps
Rest 60 Seconds
2A. barbell row 12 reps
2B. underhand-grip lat pulldown 12 reps
2C. swiss-ball hip raise and leg curl 12 reps
2D. rear lateral raise 12 reps
2E. cable crunch 12 reps
Rest 60 Seconds
REPEAT

Saturday or Sunday - 1hr of Cardio

Monday - Workout C
1A. single leg dumbbell straight-leg deadlift 12 reps
1B. close-hands pushup 12 reps
1C. incline dumbbell bench press 12 reps
1D. dumbbell step up 12 reps
1E. side plank and row 12 reps
Rest 60 Seconds
2A. lateral raise 12 reps
2B. lat pulldown 12 reps
2C. dumbbell bulgarian split squat 12 reps
2D. pushup and row 12 reps
2E. swiss-ball rollout 12 reps
Rest 60 Seconds
REPEAT

As you can see, there are a lot less "F**K MEs" in the second and third workouts, as I have yet to try them. I am not looking forward to tomorrow morning - but I have goals to reach. I am not weighing or measuring myself until the 6 weeks are done and can't wait to see how I turn out.

I made my chia pudding tonight (woo!) to have for dessert with tomorrow's tuna salad (tuna, spinach, green onion, tomato, avocado) and cottage cheese with fruit. I feel like I am getting back to basics and refocusing on my goals. I even juiced on Monday!

I am off to bed now, climbing the stairs one at a time, pausing 30 seconds on each one. My legs are burning. My knees are bucking. My back is aching. I think I need to speak with Marek about installing a stair-chair lift in the condo. I'm living up to my nickname of "Grandma"...

Goal Met. Now What?

I did it. After almost EXACTLY SIX MONTHS of new eating habits and working out, I did it. I have been holding steady at 135lbs for 2 weeks. I have lost a total of 13.4lbs since I started. I can't even believe it.

Even though I have reached this goal, looking back at my previous blogs I am disappointed in myself. I have been so busy (which I know is no excuse) that I have stopped meal prep. I haven't had oatmeal - which used to be a staple for breakfast - in weeks. I have not made super food fudge, granola bars, almond bites or chia see pudding in months. I have not juiced at least two months.

I used to work out every second day, now I'm at twice a week. I promised my PTNB that I would do stairs 5 times while she was gone to Italy last month - I went once, and then once at the gym. This is very difficult for me to write, but I promised to always be real with you guys, I need a new game plan. Starting after Thanksgiving on Monday. I need to change. Again. I know exactly what happened, I reached my goal weight and just stopped trying. I am still eating healthy, but not as picky as before. Even that has changed. And if i'm not careful, I'm going to go right back up to 148.4lbs. HELL NO!

So here is the new exercise plan, and I will have you, my audience to hold me accountable:

1. I need to do more cardio. So once a week will be the dreaded 1hr of cardio. Whether it is running, walking on an incline, stairs, elliptical, bike etc - I will do an hour. Cardio day will be Sunday.

2. I need to tone. Twice a week I will do my weights with a quick 10 minute walk to warm up. Push, pull and legs. Monday and Wednesday. Then volleyball on Thursdays.

3. Friday or Saturday will be squat and pushup day. Really quick. 30 mins max. I will make myself a chart and record how many I can do. Easy Peasy.

As for food:

1. Sunday night will need to be food prep for the week. I will make oatmeal, pudding, granola bars, fish, veggies etc. I need to start meal planning again, as I'm getting sick of tuna salad. I need to have fruit and veggies in the house to juice, as in the winter I need to get all the nutrients I can.

2. I need to try the new recipes I have saved on my ipad. Marek buys the groceries in our house, so it is really as simple as making him a list.

Goals:

1. Hit 130lbs. There is no reason I can't lose another 5 pounds. And that is my new goal. 130lbs before the new year. 2.5 months. I've done it before.

2. Stick to my work out plan. I am going to print a calendar and stick to it. I am also going to figure out new exercises that aren't going to bore me. I will ask PTNB for advice tomorrow.

3. Stick to my food plan.

4. Tone! Tone! Tone! I want my ass to look flawless by the New Year, as I am most likely going to Mexico with my family!

5. Write more blogs. Obviously. It has been too long.

Thank you for all your support! I can't wait to continue LEG TWO of my journey. xoxo

M.I.A.

Wow! I have not blogged for over a month. My life has been hectic. I am so sorry to all of those who follow me. :(

A few updates:

Edmonton Marathon
If you recall, I was SUPER excited, scared, nervous, anxious to run a 5km "marathon" this summer.
I raised money for KidSport, bought some new shoes - even read my "Running Room's Book on Running." I was ready to go. The race was the same day as my step-sister in-law's 10 year vow renewal - but I had plenty of time to run the race and be in Bonnyville by 4pm. Turns out the race was at 7pm. Yep, 7pm on a Saturday. I was so upset. I couldn't do the race. After kicking and screaming I finally decided what had to be done. I had to run my own race. And I did. 10am on Saturday morning I ran 5.03km in 35:17minutes. Not my best time - but hey - I finished. After all, running the 5km "marathon" was for me. To prove I could do it. And I did it.

Where Have All The Pounds Gone? 
I realize my last weigh in/inches lost update was the end of July. I am not as far behind as I thought. I pushed myself to increase the weights and reps, however I definitely have not been going to the gym every second day. I am not happy with myself and I need a kick in the ass from all of you! I am still losing pounds and inches, but not as much as I would like. My goal when I started in April was 135lbs, however I think I need to change it! Here are the results for August 31, 2013! Drumroll please....

Stairs, Stairs and well, Stairs

The weather is so beautiful in Edmonton (knock on wood) that my PTNB decided I should try some "outdoor" activities instead of going to the gym. I couldn't have been happier for the change of pace. Or so I thought - until 243 stairs later my calves were crying. Literally dripping tears. We went to the stairs at Fox Drive on a warm Wednesday night. By warm of course I mean 34 degrees with a humidex to feel like 42. I was dying. PTNB decided to "try a pyramid technique" with me where I go all the way up, then down to the first platform. All the way up, then down to the second platform. Etc until all 6 platforms were done, 20 tricep dips each time I reach the top, 10 pushups at each platform. At least my PTNB did it with me, after she had already done the stairs 8 times. ARE YOU F%^&ING KIDDING ME? WHO IS THIS ANDROID? Somehow I finished the "pyramid scheme", only to feel like Gumby on an ecstasy trip as I tried to walk back down 243 stairs to my car. I put that puppy on cruise control the whole way home. My legs are finally starting to work again.

 For September I have some new goals:

1. DO NOT CHEAT and look at the scale more often than every Friday. I've been bad.
2. Go to the gym or do some form of exercise FOUR TIMES A WEEK
3. TRY MORE RECIPES that are low cal and incredibly tasty, share these recipes
4. JUICE! The healthy way.
5. DO THE STAIRS four more times this month. Without dying.

The Skinny Of It...

My life has been insane! My evenings have been busy, as I took on another p/t position doing Social Media and blogging for my brother's custom suit company. Quick shout out - shawtailors.com

I am still working out on a regular basis (missed push day Wednesday night, but ran 2.5km instead) and eating healthy. The results are still rolling in. Here is a before and after from the past 5 months. Woo! My waist is so hot!

I did my month end weigh in for July. I'm super excited that the pounds and inches are still coming off. Take a look! Woo Hoo! I am 3lbs off of my goal weight (135lbs), although I may try to keep going. 130lbs sounds sexy.

My goals for the month of July were the following:

1. try more healthy recipes and share with my followers - FAIL
2. stay off wheat/gluten as best I can - SUCCESS
3. drink more green juice - FAIL
4. get UNDER 140lbs - even if it is 139.9lbs - HELL YEAH!
5. do 60 girl push-ups in a row without stopping (need a goal that is achievable!!) - 40 ONLY :(
6. go to the gym in the mornings - WENT ONCE & IT WAS GLORIOUS

No time like the present to keep trying. 

Recipe Share Day

I wanted to share some recipes today that I have come across this past week. 

This one is from my girlfriend (in picture) and new gym buddy Ashley aka the author of Kuffler Says - Finding the Me I Need to Know. Say "HI SMASH!"

Like I mentioned before, Ashley is on her own journey of weightloss and has looked to me her "Inspy" to help. I feel so blessed. She is also making me get to the gym at 8:15 tomorrow MORNING. Whoo!

This is Ashley's Chocolate Avocado Pudding, 
more commonly referred to as "Get in my Belly!"

1 ripe avocado1/4 cup cocoa powder1/4 cup honey/agave nectar - whatever1/4 cup almond milk (I used natural unsweetened, but do as you wish - But I bet coconut milk would be AMAZING)1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend it up Blend it up Blend it up! Throw it in the fridge for a few hours and serve with a  a dollop of greek yogurt, fresh berries, cinnamon, chopped nuts, coconut, etc etc etc...

Also came across this gem, Pineapple-Apple-Mint Juice. I am going to try it this weekend. I LOVE pineapple. and MINT. and APPLE.

1/3 of a pineapple
2 green apples
handful of mint (to taste)
VOILA!







Finally, some Chocolate Bliss Balls. I have been in love with dates since visiting Shields in California (outside of Palm Springs). In fact, I had my snowbird parents bring me home some this year. I have yet to try these, but I am sure they will be equally as delicious as my almond balls. MMMMMMM!

1 cup of cashews blended until smooth (I am going to use almonds, as I have an allergy)
2 tbsp of raw honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 dates (pitted and soaked for at least 4 hours)
2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
1 cup of shredded coconut for coating


Place all the ingredients except for the coconut in a mixer and blend until smooth. With your hands roll the mixture into small balls. Then pour the shredded coconut onto a chopping board and roll the balls in it to top. Place the balls on a plate and refrigerate until hard.


Tomorrow is weigh in day! Eeeeeek. Sorry I haven't kept you posted on my Friday weigh ins. You are in for a big surprise! I hope. :)

Plateauing and Starvation Mode

Wow! I have not blogged for almost two weeks. I'm sorry friends.

For the past four weeks I weighed in at 141.2, 141.0 and 141.2 and 141.2 respectively. Not a lot happening in the "world of weightloss" and it is very frustrating. I have not had wheat 3 weeks now, but it has not effected my weight. My stomach is a lot tighter now, but the weight is still plateauing. 

Moving forward this week, I have made some changes that will hopefully help me break the 140s.

Strategy One: I'm going to start doing drop sets. Once I have finished doing an exercise to exhaustion, I will drop the weight by 80% and do another set.

Strategy Two: Focus on the negative strength aka lowering the weight. I need to lower the weights slowly and concentrate on the negative contraction.

Strategy Three: Use active rest. I will try to do burpees, mountain climbers, medicine ball jump squats, russian twists etc. in between each weight exercise.

Strategy Four: Modify my exercises. I am always increasing the weights/rep for progressive overload, however I could do more modifications. Squat on a bosu ball, use an exercise ball for my chest presses, or use a bar on shoulder when doing lunges. Simple changes, but the same "staple" exercises. Thankfully, my book "The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises" has about 5 different modifications for each main exercise. Very handy!

Finally, Strategy Five: Re-evaluate my calorie intake. Using the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) calculator on bodybuilding.com, I found out that my body burns 1441 calories per day when at rest. I also calculated that the recommended daily intake of calories for my body needs between 2100 and 2400. This is to stay as is - with no weight loss. 

A person should decrease their caloric intake by 500/day in order to lose 1lb per week. This is not always the case, but 3500 calorie deficit = 1 pound lost. If I were to reduce my recommended intake by 500, I would be sitting between 1600-1900 calories a day. I take in around 1200 per day. I could very well be in starvation mode.

After consulting a friend (PTNB is in Saskatoon still), we decided I needed to up my caloric intake each day. Especially if I am burning around 300 calories each workout with cardio/weights. I started using the MyFitnessPal App to record my meals and make sure I am eating around 1600 calories a day. I am still eating healthy, just eating more. I guess we will see in the next few weeks if I can break the plateau.

Any ideas/help will be great!

xo

K

End of Month Three

This will be a super short blog to share my June month end. I am quite pleased. I created my own workout plan and followed through. I missed the sprint cardio once because I ran 4km instead. But everything else was followed to a T and I made sure to increase my weights as I went. PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD! I have yet to create my July workout plan (oops) but I am thinking I will keep it similar to June. I will change up the back exercises (I want to add rowing, as I changed the rowing I was going to do to the back extension machine instead, and it sucked) and add more push-ups and lunges. Maybe a Wednesday Challenge again. I will see.

Anyways, here is the low down. I lost the following this month: 1lb in weight, 0.5" on waist, 1" on bust, 0.5" on hips, and 0.25" on each bicep. I'm still slimming down and I couldn't be happier.

I also want to show you overall since I've started. I compared today with only 3 months ago and I'm blown away. 5.5" on my waist. GONE. 7.4lbs GONE. 2" on bust. GONE (sniff sniff). 1.5" on hips. GONE. Not to mention almost 4" off my thighs! BOOM! I am so proud of myself. And like I said before - I just feel so sexy and that's the most important thing. 

My goals for the month of July are the following:

1. try more healthy recipes and share with my followers
2. stay off wheat/gluten as best I can
3. drink more green juice
4. get UNDER 140lbs - even if it is 139.9lbs
5. do 60 girl push-ups in a row without stopping (need a goal that is achievable!!)
6. go to the gym in the mornings

All totally do-able! And if you are reading this send me a comment! Just so I know you are reading! That I am not just doing this blog for me (although that is ok too). Ask me questions! Tell me stories! Share exercises and recipes.

xo

K