Woo! Hit the halfway point in Insanity! That feels good. I haven't been updating much, been busy... but the Core Cardio & Balance portions are still quite a work out! I thought it would be free flyin' for the next 6 days, but no. It certainly is not as much work, but it's still a ton of work and I do sweat lots (not as much as the regular stuff though). Recovery Week is doing one exercise after the other, with some breaks; some are familiar, like heismans, and others are new, like the high jump and walking planks. Surprisingly, I last through the Level 1 drills (with the push ups) fine; I don't go all the way down, but we go at a much slower pace than in the regular days which allows me to catch my breath. That portion in the end though KILLS me -- squat in second position and flap your arms out like you're going to take off and do other various things with the arms for 3+ minutes straight in that squat. For the first couple of days my shoulders, upper back muscles and abs were a little sore. I like how the exercises here build up so you're sweating and it's over before you know it. The other days have you go into it more so it feels a bit awkward in doing some of the exercises with cold muscles, but the Core Cardio & Balance has you easing into the exercises more. I did this on Thurs, Fri and Sat; yesterday I went snowboarding.
Food: Good, I guess; can be better. I carbed it up this weekend.. again. bleh, carbs are just way too easy and accessible...
Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
oh, one thing to note...
My left knee has started to hurt. At first I thought it was the weather, as it hurts more in the cold (a well-deserved thank you goes out to two accidents that are to blame for permanently injuring my knee); but now I'm wondering if it's this exercise + stop & go traffic (this morning I spent 6:30-7:10AM driving about 3 miles. Apparently that's what happens when a big rig turns on its side and the driver is unconscious.) or if it really is just the cold. Hopefully it's not the exercise and it's just the cold, as I don't want to stop exercising...
Insanity, Day 27: Plyometrics
Hmm, yesterday was good. My eating was good. Well it was good in terms of when I ate; I brought food to work and ate it when I wanted to which was awesome.
Soy protein smoothie
Cantelope
Watermelon
Grapes
Asian Pear
Banh mi chay
Spinach salad with nuts (some were candied pecans...), dried cranberries, golden raisins
Some garlic, onion, something else crackers which I won't ever eat again
Yogurtland (that's a good post-workout food, right..? I had a LOT of candy in that though!! probably a ton of HFCS and definitely a ton of sugar)
I've been mostly keeping to my sleep schedule, falling asleep around 8:30 and waking up at 5; I haven't committed to making veggie juice in the morning yet.. ugh, and those veggies are getting really old. I'm still really tired though. I remembered that it's not just how much you sleep, but it's also when you sleep, which might explain why I'm tired all the time despite getting 8.5 hours of sleep.
Yesterday's Plyometrics was tough. Level 1 drills and all those push ups are really hard for me. I have no upper body strength. However, I have been noticing that my biceps are getting harder when I flex, and when I push my hips forward at a certain angle with the right light and flex hard I can kiiiind of notice some definition in my stomach. I still have this layer of fat covering my abs which is creating this almost 4-pack look, I think. Convenient how my fat arranges itself into packs, huh? My thighs are still big... and my love handles still bug me. Mmmm.. need more time, and to stop eating Yogurtland at night. (But I'm one check-in from being Mayor on Foursquare!!!!)
Soy protein smoothie
Cantelope
Watermelon
Grapes
Asian Pear
Banh mi chay
Spinach salad with nuts (some were candied pecans...), dried cranberries, golden raisins
Some garlic, onion, something else crackers which I won't ever eat again
Yogurtland (that's a good post-workout food, right..? I had a LOT of candy in that though!! probably a ton of HFCS and definitely a ton of sugar)
I've been mostly keeping to my sleep schedule, falling asleep around 8:30 and waking up at 5; I haven't committed to making veggie juice in the morning yet.. ugh, and those veggies are getting really old. I'm still really tired though. I remembered that it's not just how much you sleep, but it's also when you sleep, which might explain why I'm tired all the time despite getting 8.5 hours of sleep.
Yesterday's Plyometrics was tough. Level 1 drills and all those push ups are really hard for me. I have no upper body strength. However, I have been noticing that my biceps are getting harder when I flex, and when I push my hips forward at a certain angle with the right light and flex hard I can kiiiind of notice some definition in my stomach. I still have this layer of fat covering my abs which is creating this almost 4-pack look, I think. Convenient how my fat arranges itself into packs, huh? My thighs are still big... and my love handles still bug me. Mmmm.. need more time, and to stop eating Yogurtland at night. (But I'm one check-in from being Mayor on Foursquare!!!!)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Insanity, Day 26: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs, take II
YAY! I worked out yesterday! And it was a gooood workout. I feel silly for being so down about skipping a work out... I just remembered that I just won't take today's rest day and exercise instead so I'll still be on track.
Yesterday I pushed myself through the entire warm-up even though I wanted to quit, which was good. The switch kicks (kick one foot and then jump alternating feet/legs) are really hard. Btw, and I guess this is a criticism from watching the same videos over and over, I really wish they wouldn't show some awkward people, especially during the Heismans. Some people look funny when they do it, like it's unnatural and uncomfortable. I'm not saying I'm any model student, but as someone who is following a group of people, having the camera focus on someone doing it really awkwardly throws me off. I pushed myself too hard yesterday to the point of nausea but I recovered quickly.Otherwise, the get up/get down/do push ups/run it out/get up is still really hard for me, and I was so exhausted that I could barely do jumping jack push ups. Is that supposed to happen? Also, am I supposed to do Cardio Abs right after? Because I do, and I don't have too much energy left for the warm up part. I always have trouble with the leg lifts things.
Food:
Soy & hemp protein berry smoothie (46g protein, 4.5g carbs, 4.5g fat)
Cantelope
Asian pear
Leftover grilled veggies from Macaroni Grill (way too greasy and oily)
Tofu, spinach and pea masala with 1/2 plate of basmati rice
Hemp shake (42g protein)
Sesame seed ball with mung bean
Soy shake (25g protein)
So that's around 120g protein, 100g (????) carbs, very little fat. My food habits are picking up! I ran out of hemp powder when I was doing my smoothie and I didn't feel like going back to my room to get more so I used soy protein. It tastes better than the hemp one. I am so annoyed with these powders being so dang clumpy!!!!!! I thought the soy protein was disgusting at first (the one without carbs), so maybe this hemp takes getting used to.. I'd really like to like the hemp one more.
Yesterday I pushed myself through the entire warm-up even though I wanted to quit, which was good. The switch kicks (kick one foot and then jump alternating feet/legs) are really hard. Btw, and I guess this is a criticism from watching the same videos over and over, I really wish they wouldn't show some awkward people, especially during the Heismans. Some people look funny when they do it, like it's unnatural and uncomfortable. I'm not saying I'm any model student, but as someone who is following a group of people, having the camera focus on someone doing it really awkwardly throws me off. I pushed myself too hard yesterday to the point of nausea but I recovered quickly.Otherwise, the get up/get down/do push ups/run it out/get up is still really hard for me, and I was so exhausted that I could barely do jumping jack push ups. Is that supposed to happen? Also, am I supposed to do Cardio Abs right after? Because I do, and I don't have too much energy left for the warm up part. I always have trouble with the leg lifts things.
Food:
Soy & hemp protein berry smoothie (46g protein, 4.5g carbs, 4.5g fat)
Cantelope
Asian pear
Leftover grilled veggies from Macaroni Grill (way too greasy and oily)
Tofu, spinach and pea masala with 1/2 plate of basmati rice
Hemp shake (42g protein)
Sesame seed ball with mung bean
Soy shake (25g protein)
So that's around 120g protein, 100g (????) carbs, very little fat. My food habits are picking up! I ran out of hemp powder when I was doing my smoothie and I didn't feel like going back to my room to get more so I used soy protein. It tastes better than the hemp one. I am so annoyed with these powders being so dang clumpy!!!!!! I thought the soy protein was disgusting at first (the one without carbs), so maybe this hemp takes getting used to.. I'd really like to like the hemp one more.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Insanity, Day 25: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
Ugh.. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I didn't work out yesterday. I started to, but I had a small headache, and when I was into the warm up, the headaches got worse as I landed my jumps. I won't lie and say that I had to force myself too hard to quit. I have been really tired in the past few days and my motivation is wearing off. I have put on a tiny but of chub -- hopefully it's bloat -- from all of what I ate last week.
Yesterday, I drank my hemp/strawberry/blueberry smoothie, asian pear, apple, some grapes, a couple of handfuls of nuts, odwalla bar (yuck, I hate eating bars but I was starving), bad banh mi from Lee's, Yogurtland. I would consider this my "normal" desired way of eating minus the Odwalla bar. Well the thing that's connected to that is I worked straight through lunch so I didn't really eat a lunch lunch.. the banh mi was lunch dinner. As you can see that is clearly not enough protein. It's lots of carbs and moderate fat. I remember when I was focused on what I was eating and making sure I was getting "enough" protein I did not feel bloated. This morning my stomach measured a bit over 26" whereas I would be a solid 26" before. Maybe I should indeed go back to the way I was eating before: high protein, low carb, low fat. I've been WAY slacking on the veggie juice. Like WAY slacking. My skin is not great right now as I've started to break out from eating too many of these processed foods and not drinking enough veggie juice. My main problems are:
Wish me luck...
Yesterday, I drank my hemp/strawberry/blueberry smoothie, asian pear, apple, some grapes, a couple of handfuls of nuts, odwalla bar (yuck, I hate eating bars but I was starving), bad banh mi from Lee's, Yogurtland. I would consider this my "normal" desired way of eating minus the Odwalla bar. Well the thing that's connected to that is I worked straight through lunch so I didn't really eat a lunch lunch.. the banh mi was lunch dinner. As you can see that is clearly not enough protein. It's lots of carbs and moderate fat. I remember when I was focused on what I was eating and making sure I was getting "enough" protein I did not feel bloated. This morning my stomach measured a bit over 26" whereas I would be a solid 26" before. Maybe I should indeed go back to the way I was eating before: high protein, low carb, low fat. I've been WAY slacking on the veggie juice. Like WAY slacking. My skin is not great right now as I've started to break out from eating too many of these processed foods and not drinking enough veggie juice. My main problems are:
- Tired all the time
- No veggie juice
- Not enough protein
- Too many carbs
- Unmotivated
- Battle between wanting to eat the way I want to eat and making Insanity worth it, eating plan and all
- Wake up
- Shower
- Make veggie juice
- Make smoothie
- Drink smoothie on car ride to work
- Get to work, drink veggie juice, eat correctly
- Go home, work out, drink protein shake
- Get to bed 2-3 hours later
- I need to leave the house by 6AM. 6:15 at the latest. Which isn't a problem in itself; #2 is the problem:
- I would have to wake up at 4:30. Do you know how hard that is? I can't shower at night after my work out; I don't want to sleep on wet hair, and I don't want to spend an hour blow drying it. Not to mention I can't ever style my hair after having slept on it (wet or dry). So I must shower in the morning. I must also make veggie juice in the morning, because I don't want to drink it at night.
- You should drink veggie juice fresh. I don't normally drink it until after I finish my smoothie, and I don't normally finish it until a couple of hours after I start. By then it's gross because it's warm and the juice starts to oxidize and turn brown and taste yucky, and a lot of the nutrients are gone by that time. It takes me about an hour or so to get to work, then some more time to get settled then start drinking.
- I usually either wake up hungry or get hungry soon after I wake up. I also heard that you should eat soon after you wake up to jump start your metabolism. If I wake up at 4:30 and not eat until when I get on the fwy, I will be voracious.
- Waking up at 4:30 means I would have to sleep at 8, since 8 hours of sleep is clearly not cutting it for me. I think I would be comfortable with 9 hours of sleep, but I'll try 8.5 first. Not sure if I have the willpower to go to bed at 8, and my social life on the weekends will suffer.
- I'm on an entirely different schedule from everyone else at work; I get in around 7-7:30, everyone else, 9-9:15. Ideally I get two lunches -- one at 11, one at 2. They normally eat around 12:30ish. That's fine, I guess; I just don't want to step out twice (I work in a small office, and office etiquette says don't eat things that smell!).
- This doesn't leave room for me being late anywhere, including staying late at work (although if I stay late at work that means I face boat loads of traffic, which is another discouraging thing about leaving late).
- I hardly ever have down time to read or do anything.
- Wake up at 4:30
- Shower, eat something real fast, do my hair and make up, make smoothie first, then veggie juice
- Drive to work at 6-6:15, drink smoothie in the car
- Finish veggie juice before 8:30
- Eat snack at 9
- First lunch at 11
- Second lunch at 2
- Hemp shake at 4 when I leave work
- Work out when I get home, finish protein shake by 6:30
- Be in bed by 8:00
Wish me luck...
Monday, February 21, 2011
Insanity, Day 23 and 24: Plyometrics and Snowboarding
Oigh, this weekend was crazy so I did not have time nor the energy to blog. I did plyometrics on Saturday and I was supposed to do Cardio Recovery on Sunday, but I was snowboarding for 3 hours so I neglected to do Cardio Recovery. Plus I was super tired from only having had 5-6 hours of sleep the night before. I'm a tiny bit sore today, mostly in my legs, from snowboarding so I'm pretty sure I got in a good workout.
My eating habits have not picked up. blargh. I keep saying I'll work on it, then I don't. I hate saying this, but watching both what and how much I eat is difficult when I have to change my normal diet, which I view typically as high carb with fruits and veggies and low protein with meat substitutes sometimes and low/moderate fat with some chocolate, nuts and avocado. I think making myself eat a low carb, low fat, high protein diet is discouraging me from eating right. I am not eating horribly, but just not what I should be eating. Not sure if I want to scrap the diet plan and just stick to my normal eating (which is still better than what happened last week and this past weekend). But I want that bod and I was eating closer to high protein, low carb, low fat diet for 3 weeks. Ponder ponder.
My eating habits have not picked up. blargh. I keep saying I'll work on it, then I don't. I hate saying this, but watching both what and how much I eat is difficult when I have to change my normal diet, which I view typically as high carb with fruits and veggies and low protein with meat substitutes sometimes and low/moderate fat with some chocolate, nuts and avocado. I think making myself eat a low carb, low fat, high protein diet is discouraging me from eating right. I am not eating horribly, but just not what I should be eating. Not sure if I want to scrap the diet plan and just stick to my normal eating (which is still better than what happened last week and this past weekend). But I want that bod and I was eating closer to high protein, low carb, low fat diet for 3 weeks. Ponder ponder.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Insanity, Day 22: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
Woo! Ok, 3 days straight of not watching what I ate. I've been carbo-loading -- for some reason during times like this, all I want is carbs and sweets (mainly chocolate). Dunno why?! Maybe loading up on fat stores for the upcoming prime time to get preggers!? I wish my body would listen to my brain and say HEY! Not now! I need to stick to my diet and hormones are messing it up! I am really glad I made myself exercise yesterday. I normally wouldn't have, but being on a strict program helps me in that aspect.
Yesterday I did Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs. I lasted longer through the ab workout, but the parts that require lifting legs is so tough (but I hear so effective for abs). I noticed that in the video mostly everyone keeps their toes pointed up. I find it more comfortable if I place my feet flat on the ground. I thought it might be because they are wearing shoes and I'm barefoot, but I saw another girl have her feet flat while in shoes. If I point my toes up it uses my upper thigh/hip muscles which is why I was able to last longer yesterday when I didn't do that. But I know that sometimes we do things to make sure that we're focusing on the right muscles -- in this case, abs -- and I'm wondering if feet pointed up emphasize the work on the correct muscles (similar to how you have to be careful and make sure you're using your abs and NOT your hips when doing sit ups, or to make sure you tuck your hips forward when you're doing some glute exercises to focus on the glutes and not lower back). At Pop Physique we always put a ball between our thighs and squeeze that and supposedly that helped reassure our instructor (and us) that we were using our abs and not our hips to do the exercises.
Anyway, my body's starting to normalize again, so I am going to eat better. (Blargh, I feel like I proclaim that a lot...) Unfortunately I figured out that I'll have this again near the end of Insanity. I hope to be able to have more self-control when that time comes around.
Oh a piece of good news I forgot to share: I got a haircut! I chopped 1-2 inches off. Having shorter hair is better when I whip my hair back and forth quickly for these exercises. Better for not getting smacked in the FACE.
Yesterday I did Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs. I lasted longer through the ab workout, but the parts that require lifting legs is so tough (but I hear so effective for abs). I noticed that in the video mostly everyone keeps their toes pointed up. I find it more comfortable if I place my feet flat on the ground. I thought it might be because they are wearing shoes and I'm barefoot, but I saw another girl have her feet flat while in shoes. If I point my toes up it uses my upper thigh/hip muscles which is why I was able to last longer yesterday when I didn't do that. But I know that sometimes we do things to make sure that we're focusing on the right muscles -- in this case, abs -- and I'm wondering if feet pointed up emphasize the work on the correct muscles (similar to how you have to be careful and make sure you're using your abs and NOT your hips when doing sit ups, or to make sure you tuck your hips forward when you're doing some glute exercises to focus on the glutes and not lower back). At Pop Physique we always put a ball between our thighs and squeeze that and supposedly that helped reassure our instructor (and us) that we were using our abs and not our hips to do the exercises.
Anyway, my body's starting to normalize again, so I am going to eat better. (Blargh, I feel like I proclaim that a lot...) Unfortunately I figured out that I'll have this again near the end of Insanity. I hope to be able to have more self-control when that time comes around.
Oh a piece of good news I forgot to share: I got a haircut! I chopped 1-2 inches off. Having shorter hair is better when I whip my hair back and forth quickly for these exercises. Better for not getting smacked in the FACE.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Insanity, Day 20: Plyometrics
You know that thing I said earlier about how it discourages me from exercising? Well, I forgot to mention it also destroys my diet. Just a few days after I vowed to eat healthier I had mad cravings for a slice of chocolate cake! I just had chocolate "cheese"cake on Friday at the raw restaurant so I know I wasn't craving it because I was lacking it. Let's go over what I ate yesterday, shall we:
20oz hemp berry shake (42 oz protein, 9g fat, 9g carbs)
banana
tofu soup
asian pear
apple
nuts
more tofu soup
- this is where my chocolate craving kicked in. Unfortunately Food+Lab on SL Blvd didn't have any choc cake so I substituted... -
ice cream sandwich (snickerdoodle with caramel and salt ice cream from Coolhaus, freakin delicious!!)
4 pieces of fudge
1/2 an almond croissant from Paris Baguette
slice of packaged tiramisu
- Plyometrics -
8oz protein shake (25g protein, 0 fat, 0 carbs)
3 pcs chocolate
As you can see, this is vastly different from Monday, when I was overly stuffed after 1300 calories. This was probably around 2000 calories. I was RAVENOUS, and it wasn't because I wasn't eating anything of value in the middle of they day. I was also really hungry in the morning even after eating what I normally eat which usually satiates me enough. Luckily, those cravings only last for about a day, then they're over. Today should be better. The hard part is getting back on track. Today I have banh mi, and even though I basically hollow out the bread, it's still a lot of carbs, and I had a banana this morning in my smoothie too, so I might need to make sure to tone down the carbs tomorrow. And surprise surprise, yesterday I felt bloated thanks to all this carbo-loading.
Interestingly enough, my performance during Plyometrics today was much better than Monday's work out. All those carbs did the work they're supposed to do, but I'm supposed to chill out on the carbs and up the protein so my body can burn fat and build muscle. This is where I have the question I've been wondering for a few years: Am I supposed to sacrifice a workout sesh where I last longer and I'm able to do more of the exercises for eating more strictly on my diet plan and not doing as many of the exercises for as long? My gut tells me the latter, as I know exercise is practically nothing if not completely nothing without eating right, and I can always improve my endurance.
20oz hemp berry shake (42 oz protein, 9g fat, 9g carbs)
banana
tofu soup
asian pear
apple
nuts
more tofu soup
- this is where my chocolate craving kicked in. Unfortunately Food+Lab on SL Blvd didn't have any choc cake so I substituted... -
ice cream sandwich (snickerdoodle with caramel and salt ice cream from Coolhaus, freakin delicious!!)
4 pieces of fudge
1/2 an almond croissant from Paris Baguette
slice of packaged tiramisu
- Plyometrics -
8oz protein shake (25g protein, 0 fat, 0 carbs)
3 pcs chocolate
As you can see, this is vastly different from Monday, when I was overly stuffed after 1300 calories. This was probably around 2000 calories. I was RAVENOUS, and it wasn't because I wasn't eating anything of value in the middle of they day. I was also really hungry in the morning even after eating what I normally eat which usually satiates me enough. Luckily, those cravings only last for about a day, then they're over. Today should be better. The hard part is getting back on track. Today I have banh mi, and even though I basically hollow out the bread, it's still a lot of carbs, and I had a banana this morning in my smoothie too, so I might need to make sure to tone down the carbs tomorrow. And surprise surprise, yesterday I felt bloated thanks to all this carbo-loading.
Interestingly enough, my performance during Plyometrics today was much better than Monday's work out. All those carbs did the work they're supposed to do, but I'm supposed to chill out on the carbs and up the protein so my body can burn fat and build muscle. This is where I have the question I've been wondering for a few years: Am I supposed to sacrifice a workout sesh where I last longer and I'm able to do more of the exercises for eating more strictly on my diet plan and not doing as many of the exercises for as long? My gut tells me the latter, as I know exercise is practically nothing if not completely nothing without eating right, and I can always improve my endurance.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Insanity, Day 19: Cardio Power & Resistance
oh man.. poor performance today. was just tired. this is what a weekend of bad eating and skipping a work out does to you huh? i haven't been getting great sleep lately. I wake up at least once a night and I have dreams. Also today there was a stalled car on the 5, making my commute horrible and over an hour. In addition, I regrettably left my chocolates at home, so when I got home I binged on three pieces. would have been better off with just one... but I don't want them to spoil and they are so good!!!! :)
Food: berry hemp shake, 15ish oz veggie juice, asian pear, apple, 2 handfuls of nuts, mongolian bbq: veggies and tofu, hemp shake, fake meats from TJs, 3 pcs chocolate, soy shake. By the time I got home, which was after the hemp shake and before the fake meats, I didn't feel like eating anything at all; I had just spent 1.25 - 1.5 hours traveling 20 miles and downed the hemp shake in the car. But I thought I should have some protein so I ate the fake meats. Then I ate the chocolate. I really wish I had the discipline to not eat so much so fast. After lunch and after dinner (and dessert) my stomach hurt from being so full. I also feel like I ate a lot in quantity. I think if I spread out my food more, and ate more in the daytime I wouldn't feel so "guilty."
155g protein
100g carbs
30g fat
WHAT?!??!!?!?!
I just calculated this in calories. Did I do this right? Is that 1290 calories!?!??!! There is NO WAY that is 1290 calories. Granted those are estimates of protein, carbs and fat, but there is no way I feel this way (full) and am under eating. If I did underestimate, I could not have underestimated more than 150-200 calories TOPS. aldf;ladsjfldsj;flaj;fdjss Possibly the reason for my poor performance today?
Food: berry hemp shake, 15ish oz veggie juice, asian pear, apple, 2 handfuls of nuts, mongolian bbq: veggies and tofu, hemp shake, fake meats from TJs, 3 pcs chocolate, soy shake. By the time I got home, which was after the hemp shake and before the fake meats, I didn't feel like eating anything at all; I had just spent 1.25 - 1.5 hours traveling 20 miles and downed the hemp shake in the car. But I thought I should have some protein so I ate the fake meats. Then I ate the chocolate. I really wish I had the discipline to not eat so much so fast. After lunch and after dinner (and dessert) my stomach hurt from being so full. I also feel like I ate a lot in quantity. I think if I spread out my food more, and ate more in the daytime I wouldn't feel so "guilty."
155g protein
100g carbs
30g fat
WHAT?!??!!?!?!
I just calculated this in calories. Did I do this right? Is that 1290 calories!?!??!! There is NO WAY that is 1290 calories. Granted those are estimates of protein, carbs and fat, but there is no way I feel this way (full) and am under eating. If I did underestimate, I could not have underestimated more than 150-200 calories TOPS. aldf;ladsjfldsj;flaj;fdjss Possibly the reason for my poor performance today?
low carb
random thought of the moment: this low-carb low-fat thing has me REALLY wanting a pbj sandwich. i should just eat one to get it out of my system.
Insanity, Day 18: Cardio Recovery
Yesterday I went to Mt. High, but didn't snowboard for long. ...And.. I missed my work out. eek! Weekends are tough. I have no problem putting good diet and exercise as a priority on weekdays, but weekends I tend to give in to chocolate (hey! It's Valentines Day!), starchy foods and playing Lumines on PSP rather than exercising. Gladly, Cardio Recovery isn't HIIT, although I'll admit it is quite a work out; I'm going to resolve to not miss any more work outs and eat better, even on weekends.
My problem areas are still my tummy and thighs. It's so unbalanced. I can see my sternum to the point where it's gross at one point when I put my arms up to tie up my hair, but I still have this gut and my thighs are still rounder than I'd like. My arms are ok.. could use some improvement but I'm not worried about them. Ah, well, gotta keep at it.
My problem areas are still my tummy and thighs. It's so unbalanced. I can see my sternum to the point where it's gross at one point when I put my arms up to tie up my hair, but I still have this gut and my thighs are still rounder than I'd like. My arms are ok.. could use some improvement but I'm not worried about them. Ah, well, gotta keep at it.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Insanity, Day 17: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
As I mentioned before, yesterday was my rest day. It was a good rest day, but probably not great in terms of eating. I actually ate all raw yesterday, unintentionally. Mind you, just because something is vegetarian, vegan or raw, it doesn't mean it's good for you!!! Breakfast was my hemp shake smoothie and post-breakfast/pre-lunch snacks were some fruit. Lunch was a raw salad which included veggies (I <3 Food+Lab!). I ate nuts as a snack and I planned to drink a hemp shake but I couldn't down it as I was just so not hungry. Up until this point my eating was going well. For dinner, my beloved boyfriend took me to Planet Raw in Santa Monica. I had a raw version of a bacon cheeseburger and it was delicious! There was a raw veggie patty and lots of vegetables around it, plus a side salad (there were "fries" and I don't know what they were but I did NOT like them.). And here is why I said "up until dinner I was eating well." A lot of raw places use thick sauces to complement the food, which is great. This place, while delicious, used too much for my personal taste (not that that would prohibit me from going here again!). The problem with this for my diet is that these sauces use lots of fats. Nuts made into a paste via a food processor makes for a really thick and creamy base. So, my dinner had lots of that, AAAAAAAAAANNNNDD I got chocolate cheesecake (freakin delicious) and strawberry mousse (could not tell at all that it's raw), both of which contained lots of nuts and sweeteners. (For those health foodies like me, I must note that the raw desserts and possibly parts of the main course were not vegan as they contained honey.) Anyway, I loved it all.
Today I did pure cardio and cardio abs. I wasn't at all in the mood to do it. I was not thinking and I started to work out right after I ate. Bad idea. 4/5 into the warm up I started to get naseous and I stopped for a bit, took a rest and started up again and luckily I didn't get sick. I got through it all and thought that I didn't need to do the cool-down of the Pure Cardio and warm-up for Cardio abs, so that cut out 5-10 minutes that I did last time cooling down and re-warming up. Pure Cardio was normal -- I'm not starting to get bored, per se; I know all the moves and I've even memorized some of the stuff he says. The thing that prevents me from being bored is that I'm not master at all the moves yet. I still HATE mountain climbers and I still died exhausted in the end with the get up/get down drills. The Cardio Abs was slightly easier this time around, and it's nice to be able to focus on endurance and stamina after I've got form covered.
Tomorrow I'm going to Mt. High, and it's Cardio Recovery day. Depending on how hard I snowboard I may or may not do Cardio Recovery. We'll see.
Today I did pure cardio and cardio abs. I wasn't at all in the mood to do it. I was not thinking and I started to work out right after I ate. Bad idea. 4/5 into the warm up I started to get naseous and I stopped for a bit, took a rest and started up again and luckily I didn't get sick. I got through it all and thought that I didn't need to do the cool-down of the Pure Cardio and warm-up for Cardio abs, so that cut out 5-10 minutes that I did last time cooling down and re-warming up. Pure Cardio was normal -- I'm not starting to get bored, per se; I know all the moves and I've even memorized some of the stuff he says. The thing that prevents me from being bored is that I'm not master at all the moves yet. I still HATE mountain climbers and I still died exhausted in the end with the get up/get down drills. The Cardio Abs was slightly easier this time around, and it's nice to be able to focus on endurance and stamina after I've got form covered.
Tomorrow I'm going to Mt. High, and it's Cardio Recovery day. Depending on how hard I snowboard I may or may not do Cardio Recovery. We'll see.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Insanity, Day 15: Plyometrics
Last night:
56.6% tbw
18.6% body fat
This morn:
117.6 lbs
26" waist
I can't win... seems like if my body fat is high my weight is low? It's water weight. If I were more hydrated last night, I would have had a lower body fat but a higher weight. But obviously what's more important for me right now (for me right now meaning, I know I'm healthy the way I am, I would just like to improve my physical fitness and lose more body fat) is how I look. I'm not sure if this dress I'm wearing today was always this loose, but it is. So is the belt that goes at the top of my ribs. I know the belt was always loose, and I was pretty small in 2008 when I bought this dress, but I may or may not be imagining that the belt is more loose than it was before.
Plyometrics was last night. It was really tough. The parts that were tough were the parts on the floor -- the push ups, the ski push up sit up things, the in and out. Those started to hurt my shoulders and I would rest for my shoulders, not my core. The part in the end, with the jabs and hooks, is a good way for me to calm my heartbeat while still keeping it up, but I don't know if I'm doing it right: are my hips supposed to move? Am I supposed to go side to side? I notice I bounce -- is that bad? Am I squatting down far enough?
Also, is it just me or is it sometimes hard to follow along with the video? When the camera cuts to some of the other participants, I feel like they're going at a different speed than the speed I was just going. It's as if they cut together parts of the same exercise but in different circuits.
I suck at following a food plan. Food yesterday consisted of berry hemp shake, apple, asian pear, Gardein crispy chiken strips, lots of nuts ( :( I had no snacks...), garden burger patty, 2 non-chicken nuggets, some dark chocolate and lastly, soy protein powder. Not going to do the break down as I was eating much on emotion yesterday. I haven't been getting great sleep lately, and I got home later than I wanted to. I reeeeeeeaaally didn't want to pay attention to what I was eating or even work out. I'm glad I did.
Since this is an exercise blog and I wanted to share everything, I will -- but be aware that the rest of this post may fall into "TMI" so you can stop reading -now- if you don't like details!
Usually, I exercise great for three weeks and then stop during "that time of the month." It is so hard to work out during that time as I'm going through the natural hormonal changes of my body that dictate how my body and mind feel, always in a bad way. So it always discourages me. I will need motivation to get through that when it comes... I can do it! I can't quit!
56.6% tbw
18.6% body fat
This morn:
117.6 lbs
26" waist
I can't win... seems like if my body fat is high my weight is low? It's water weight. If I were more hydrated last night, I would have had a lower body fat but a higher weight. But obviously what's more important for me right now (for me right now meaning, I know I'm healthy the way I am, I would just like to improve my physical fitness and lose more body fat) is how I look. I'm not sure if this dress I'm wearing today was always this loose, but it is. So is the belt that goes at the top of my ribs. I know the belt was always loose, and I was pretty small in 2008 when I bought this dress, but I may or may not be imagining that the belt is more loose than it was before.
Plyometrics was last night. It was really tough. The parts that were tough were the parts on the floor -- the push ups, the ski push up sit up things, the in and out. Those started to hurt my shoulders and I would rest for my shoulders, not my core. The part in the end, with the jabs and hooks, is a good way for me to calm my heartbeat while still keeping it up, but I don't know if I'm doing it right: are my hips supposed to move? Am I supposed to go side to side? I notice I bounce -- is that bad? Am I squatting down far enough?
Also, is it just me or is it sometimes hard to follow along with the video? When the camera cuts to some of the other participants, I feel like they're going at a different speed than the speed I was just going. It's as if they cut together parts of the same exercise but in different circuits.
I suck at following a food plan. Food yesterday consisted of berry hemp shake, apple, asian pear, Gardein crispy chiken strips, lots of nuts ( :( I had no snacks...), garden burger patty, 2 non-chicken nuggets, some dark chocolate and lastly, soy protein powder. Not going to do the break down as I was eating much on emotion yesterday. I haven't been getting great sleep lately, and I got home later than I wanted to. I reeeeeeeaaally didn't want to pay attention to what I was eating or even work out. I'm glad I did.
Since this is an exercise blog and I wanted to share everything, I will -- but be aware that the rest of this post may fall into "TMI" so you can stop reading -now- if you don't like details!
Usually, I exercise great for three weeks and then stop during "that time of the month." It is so hard to work out during that time as I'm going through the natural hormonal changes of my body that dictate how my body and mind feel, always in a bad way. So it always discourages me. I will need motivation to get through that when it comes... I can do it! I can't quit!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Insanity, Day 14: Fit Test
Today's supposed to be my off day, but I've got a hot date on Friday, so I'm going to exercise today and tomorrow and have my rest day be Friday.
I did the Fit Test today, and wow, did it make me sick again. To those of you who are thinking about doing Insanity or have tried it and gave up after the first day... the Fit Test is a different kind of difficult. I'll tell you right now that I hardly ever get sick or dizzy from the other work outs but the Fit Test just rips you a new one every single time. However, this time, I only stopped to rest ONCE!! Which is a huge improvement from the first time's 3x 5min+ rests. Let's see how I did:
Huge improvements here minus Power Jumps -- I'm actually wondering if I counted my Power Jumps correctly the first time. I know the first time I was so exhausted that I kept losing my count. Actually very dubious about that number being correct because those were awful last time. Also, THESE are the ones that made me nauseous. After these, I stopped the video to take more than a breather. Huge improvements though, I improved quickly. Kind of wondering how I was only able to do 23 low plank obliques...
Food: berry hemp spirulina smoothie, grapes, asian pear, apple, nuts, spinach salad with tofu, hemp shake (hemp powder + water), 6 non-meat meatballs, soy protein powder.
Protein: 121g
Carbs: 95.5g
Fat: 15-20g?
I did the Fit Test today, and wow, did it make me sick again. To those of you who are thinking about doing Insanity or have tried it and gave up after the first day... the Fit Test is a different kind of difficult. I'll tell you right now that I hardly ever get sick or dizzy from the other work outs but the Fit Test just rips you a new one every single time. However, this time, I only stopped to rest ONCE!! Which is a huge improvement from the first time's 3x 5min+ rests. Let's see how I did:
| Date | 1/27 | 2/10 |
| Move | Fit Test 1 | Fit Test 2 |
| Switch Kicks | 52 | 90 |
| Power Jacks | 43 | 57 |
| Power Knees | 77 | 80-90 |
| Power Jumps | 38 | 35 |
| Globe Jumps | 9 | 13 |
| Suicide Jumps | 14 | 20 |
| Push-Up Jacks | 20 | 22 |
| Low Plank Oblique | 23 | 55 |
Huge improvements here minus Power Jumps -- I'm actually wondering if I counted my Power Jumps correctly the first time. I know the first time I was so exhausted that I kept losing my count. Actually very dubious about that number being correct because those were awful last time. Also, THESE are the ones that made me nauseous. After these, I stopped the video to take more than a breather. Huge improvements though, I improved quickly. Kind of wondering how I was only able to do 23 low plank obliques...
Food: berry hemp spirulina smoothie, grapes, asian pear, apple, nuts, spinach salad with tofu, hemp shake (hemp powder + water), 6 non-meat meatballs, soy protein powder.
Protein: 121g
Carbs: 95.5g
Fat: 15-20g?
last night & this morn
WOOHOO! See what a positive attitude does? It decreases your body fat, that's what it does.
Last night:
17% bf
57.7% tbw
I've been noticing that my hydration level has been pretty high... I hope hope hope that means I have more muscle since muscle holds a LOT more water than fat does.
This morn:
118.8 lbs
26" waist
Ok, so a quarter of an inch lost at the waist since 2 wks ago. I weigh more, but I've lost body fat, which is the way I'd rather have it be. I haven't noticed any changes in how my clothes fit -- although I will admit that the majority of my pants are a bit loose. It's this mentality that I'm a size -whatever- and even when I lose weight I still wear that same size so when I get even skinnier the clothes are even looser. After this body change I want to go on a shopping spree for pants that don't get loose :) Can't wait! Not sure if my wide hips will let me fit into a smaller size though. We shall see.
Btw, I mixed spirulina with my hemp berry smoothie this morning. Now my smoothie tastes like ass. I think I'll keep the spirulina for my face...
Last night:
17% bf
57.7% tbw
I've been noticing that my hydration level has been pretty high... I hope hope hope that means I have more muscle since muscle holds a LOT more water than fat does.
This morn:
118.8 lbs
26" waist
Ok, so a quarter of an inch lost at the waist since 2 wks ago. I weigh more, but I've lost body fat, which is the way I'd rather have it be. I haven't noticed any changes in how my clothes fit -- although I will admit that the majority of my pants are a bit loose. It's this mentality that I'm a size -whatever- and even when I lose weight I still wear that same size so when I get even skinnier the clothes are even looser. After this body change I want to go on a shopping spree for pants that don't get loose :) Can't wait! Not sure if my wide hips will let me fit into a smaller size though. We shall see.
Btw, I mixed spirulina with my hemp berry smoothie this morning. Now my smoothie tastes like ass. I think I'll keep the spirulina for my face...
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Insanity, Day 13: Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs
Man was I sweating buckets today! So, nothing new here... turns out I only last through the warm ups in Pure Cardio. Cardio abs was interesting and not at all easy. Some of it was reminiscent of abs at Pop Physique, so I'm glad I got personalized training from there.
My loyal readers know that I've been feeling discouraged lately. I'm pretty moody... I get amped up about something and then a week later I'm over it. My spirits were lifted today when Armando told me that a work friend of his is in month 2 of Insanity and is seeing results -- and ISN'T changing his dietary habits!!!! I get the impression he's not as health conscious about food choices as I am on a daily basis, so my hopes are up again.
My protein powders came in today! Man, does allstarhealth.com rock. Going to finish up the GNC protein powder that I have before I move onto the NOW Soy Protein powder, but gosh that stuff gets clumpy. I spend a good amount of time unclumping that stuff. Tomorrow I'll start the hemp protein powder and follow my food plan.
Food: berry soy protein shake, grapes, apple, asian pear, part of a banana, 4 nilla wafers, vegan garden burger, TJ's meatless meatballs, some nuts, more protein shake. wow.. that's like 90-95g of protein, 75-80g carbs, 15-20g fat. It is SO HARD to eat double this protein and 1/2 more carbs. Fat i'm ok. I just literally do not have the desire to intake more food.
Tomorrow is the fit test :) :) I'm excited to see how good I am this time!
My loyal readers know that I've been feeling discouraged lately. I'm pretty moody... I get amped up about something and then a week later I'm over it. My spirits were lifted today when Armando told me that a work friend of his is in month 2 of Insanity and is seeing results -- and ISN'T changing his dietary habits!!!! I get the impression he's not as health conscious about food choices as I am on a daily basis, so my hopes are up again.
My protein powders came in today! Man, does allstarhealth.com rock. Going to finish up the GNC protein powder that I have before I move onto the NOW Soy Protein powder, but gosh that stuff gets clumpy. I spend a good amount of time unclumping that stuff. Tomorrow I'll start the hemp protein powder and follow my food plan.
Food: berry soy protein shake, grapes, apple, asian pear, part of a banana, 4 nilla wafers, vegan garden burger, TJ's meatless meatballs, some nuts, more protein shake. wow.. that's like 90-95g of protein, 75-80g carbs, 15-20g fat. It is SO HARD to eat double this protein and 1/2 more carbs. Fat i'm ok. I just literally do not have the desire to intake more food.
Tomorrow is the fit test :) :) I'm excited to see how good I am this time!
Day 12: Cardio Power & Resistance continued
Alrighty, slept an hour past my bedtime -- bad Chloe. Getting enough sleep is imperative to good health, good exercise performance and keeping to my diet.
So to continue my last blog post, I've been working on an eating schedule. I went to TJ's yesterday and bought a bunch of proteiny things that aren't meat or have dairy/eggs. As a staunch supporter of vegetarianism, even I have to admit that it's not easy getting half of my caloric intake of protein from non-meat (including fish) sources. I'm happy I have a TJ's nearby so I picked up a bunch of fake meat. My worry is that because all this is so processed that I'll break out, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Fruit and vegetables have so many carbs. Need to replace some of them with straight protein. And the sheer AMOUNT of food I have to eat is overwhelming. I never ever thought I would have a problem of not eating enough. (That being said, I would much rather have this problem than the alternative eating-too-much problem.) On the plus side, my fear about gaining weight eating this much isn't coming true. At least not yet.
I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my hemp seed and soy protein powders. I did so much research on them... there are so many to choose from, and so many opinions, but I think I did the best I could. The soy protein powders I have currently are from GNC. The idiot who was helping me the first time said he didn't have an soy protein powders that didn't have any carbs, but when I went again I found one that had no carbs. I compared the ingredients in the first and second ones and the second one ONLY has soy protein isolate. The first one has a couple of other ingredients, one being fructose, which 1) explains the carbs, and 2) explains why it actually tastes good. I was mad disappointed when the second tasted like muck. I'm getting used to it, though; it just takes a longer time to down than the other one.
So as I mentioned yesterday, I skipped Day 11: Cardio Recovery because I was at Mt. High until 8pm. I mean, I wasn't snowboarding until 8, but I got home too late and needed to go to bed. Snowboarding in the daytime should be okay for the workout for that day. Yesterday's was Cardio Power & Resistance, and boy was it tough. I didn't last through the whole warm up this time either. The log jumps killed me. I fared better this time in the end with the 8 squats + 8 push ups. I still don't go down all the way, but I last through 7-8 of them; is that better than going down all the way for 4-6 push ups? And will someone please tell Shaun T what the Heisman trophy looks like? It looks nothing like the exercise he's calling the Heisman. Oh, speaking of which, I just figured out that log jumps are just a modified version of the Heisman. Hm... oh yeah, I think by the third circuit I only did 2 reps of get down, jump back, 4 push ups, run it out, stand up, get down, etc -- that was so tiring. And then moving onto moving push ups after that was tough too! Good thing is I can feel my endurance lasting longer. I still have no hops, but I'm looking for that to improve over the coming months.
So to continue my last blog post, I've been working on an eating schedule. I went to TJ's yesterday and bought a bunch of proteiny things that aren't meat or have dairy/eggs. As a staunch supporter of vegetarianism, even I have to admit that it's not easy getting half of my caloric intake of protein from non-meat (including fish) sources. I'm happy I have a TJ's nearby so I picked up a bunch of fake meat. My worry is that because all this is so processed that I'll break out, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Fruit and vegetables have so many carbs. Need to replace some of them with straight protein. And the sheer AMOUNT of food I have to eat is overwhelming. I never ever thought I would have a problem of not eating enough. (That being said, I would much rather have this problem than the alternative eating-too-much problem.) On the plus side, my fear about gaining weight eating this much isn't coming true. At least not yet.
I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my hemp seed and soy protein powders. I did so much research on them... there are so many to choose from, and so many opinions, but I think I did the best I could. The soy protein powders I have currently are from GNC. The idiot who was helping me the first time said he didn't have an soy protein powders that didn't have any carbs, but when I went again I found one that had no carbs. I compared the ingredients in the first and second ones and the second one ONLY has soy protein isolate. The first one has a couple of other ingredients, one being fructose, which 1) explains the carbs, and 2) explains why it actually tastes good. I was mad disappointed when the second tasted like muck. I'm getting used to it, though; it just takes a longer time to down than the other one.
So as I mentioned yesterday, I skipped Day 11: Cardio Recovery because I was at Mt. High until 8pm. I mean, I wasn't snowboarding until 8, but I got home too late and needed to go to bed. Snowboarding in the daytime should be okay for the workout for that day. Yesterday's was Cardio Power & Resistance, and boy was it tough. I didn't last through the whole warm up this time either. The log jumps killed me. I fared better this time in the end with the 8 squats + 8 push ups. I still don't go down all the way, but I last through 7-8 of them; is that better than going down all the way for 4-6 push ups? And will someone please tell Shaun T what the Heisman trophy looks like? It looks nothing like the exercise he's calling the Heisman. Oh, speaking of which, I just figured out that log jumps are just a modified version of the Heisman. Hm... oh yeah, I think by the third circuit I only did 2 reps of get down, jump back, 4 push ups, run it out, stand up, get down, etc -- that was so tiring. And then moving onto moving push ups after that was tough too! Good thing is I can feel my endurance lasting longer. I still have no hops, but I'm looking for that to improve over the coming months.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Insanity, Day 10: Plyometric Cardio Circuit; Insanity, Day 12: Cardio Power & Resistance
Was crazy busy over the weekend, as it was Tet and my family was celebrating and a trip to Mt. High was much overdue (which took Day 11 unintentionally, oops :( ). I started a blog entry Saturday after my work out and did not finish. I'll mesh Saturday's and today's together.
From Saturday:
Woooooooooo plyometrics once again! Unfortunately I could not last through this morning's warm up straight through :( I woke up, ate a banana, went to the farmers market and then went home and worked out. I started to get a teensy bit dizzy a bit more into it but not too bad. For the suicide drills (side steps and touch the floor) I found out that if I keep my head up (even as my body goes down) I am fine. I don't think I'll ever climb again with the hatred I'm building up for mountain climbers. The Level 1 drills killed me every single time. I always feel like I'm doing them wrong, too... I am paranoid that my butt sticks up all the time. The problem with those ab exercises is that my wrists start to hurt.
Ok, going to figure out my stupid eating plan once and for all.
INTAKE
Total calorie intake goal per day: 1600-1800
Ratio protein/carbs/fat (in percentage): 50/30/20
Ratio protein/carbs/fat (in calories): 800/480/320 - 900/540/360
Ratio protein/carbs/fat (in grams): 200/120/35 - 250/135/40
SCHEDULE
Eat every 3 hours.
Wake up at 5; sleep at 9. Do not eat carbs after 6.
start eating at 5:30-6.
--end Saturday's post--
Saturday was interrupted by Tet and family getting togetherness. Which also included foods. I tried not to eat too bad, but I know a lot of my intake was made of carbs. Dinner wasn't too bad -- just noodles and vegetables and I didn't overeat.
The times I wasn't eating was spent at my computer trying to figure out my eating schedule. I actually spent the majority of the time looking at protein powders. I settled on hemp seed protein powder in the daytime because it has carbs (and I don't want to eat carbs at night), as it's considered raw food, it's not soy (I eat so much soy as it is) and it supposedly digests better. I bought some soy powder for nighttime; it's soy protein isolate, so it's like, 95% straight protein. Doing research on which protein powders took up SO much of my time.
I then put together this chart. Ok, this actually took me Saturday and today and I'm still not done. I broke down the ratios of protein/carbs/fat and I wrote out all my food I should eat and the caloric make of each food. That was the boring part. Anyway, the link is here in case you are curious: https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AuAig4JmwgpWdE1BU1ZrS1lNWEdaVVZuZXhTSFlFZGc&hl=en
Blargh, boyfriend is telling me to hit the hay because he's a good influence. Will have to continue this tomorrow. for now, my 2 gripes with the workouts are:
nag 1: the Heisman is NOT the Heisman
nag 2: i need to do something with my hair
From Saturday:
Woooooooooo plyometrics once again! Unfortunately I could not last through this morning's warm up straight through :( I woke up, ate a banana, went to the farmers market and then went home and worked out. I started to get a teensy bit dizzy a bit more into it but not too bad. For the suicide drills (side steps and touch the floor) I found out that if I keep my head up (even as my body goes down) I am fine. I don't think I'll ever climb again with the hatred I'm building up for mountain climbers. The Level 1 drills killed me every single time. I always feel like I'm doing them wrong, too... I am paranoid that my butt sticks up all the time. The problem with those ab exercises is that my wrists start to hurt.
Ok, going to figure out my stupid eating plan once and for all.
INTAKE
Total calorie intake goal per day: 1600-1800
Ratio protein/carbs/fat (in percentage): 50/30/20
Ratio protein/carbs/fat (in calories): 800/480/320 - 900/540/360
Ratio protein/carbs/fat (in grams): 200/120/35 - 250/135/40
SCHEDULE
Eat every 3 hours.
Wake up at 5; sleep at 9. Do not eat carbs after 6.
start eating at 5:30-6.
--end Saturday's post--
Saturday was interrupted by Tet and family getting togetherness. Which also included foods. I tried not to eat too bad, but I know a lot of my intake was made of carbs. Dinner wasn't too bad -- just noodles and vegetables and I didn't overeat.
The times I wasn't eating was spent at my computer trying to figure out my eating schedule. I actually spent the majority of the time looking at protein powders. I settled on hemp seed protein powder in the daytime because it has carbs (and I don't want to eat carbs at night), as it's considered raw food, it's not soy (I eat so much soy as it is) and it supposedly digests better. I bought some soy powder for nighttime; it's soy protein isolate, so it's like, 95% straight protein. Doing research on which protein powders took up SO much of my time.
I then put together this chart. Ok, this actually took me Saturday and today and I'm still not done. I broke down the ratios of protein/carbs/fat and I wrote out all my food I should eat and the caloric make of each food. That was the boring part. Anyway, the link is here in case you are curious: https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AuAig4JmwgpWdE1BU1ZrS1lNWEdaVVZuZXhTSFlFZGc&hl=en
Blargh, boyfriend is telling me to hit the hay because he's a good influence. Will have to continue this tomorrow. for now, my 2 gripes with the workouts are:
nag 1: the Heisman is NOT the Heisman
nag 2: i need to do something with my hair
Friday, February 4, 2011
Insanity, Day 9: Pure Cardio
GUESS WHAT?!!?! I made it all the way through the warm-up without stopping!!! Well, that's not to say I didn't slow down... lol. Even the stupid high knees!!!! Ok, and exactly how fast are you supposed to do the jumping jacks? There's no way you can do it that fast keeping your arms straight.
I was SO NOT IN THE MOOD to do this today (see earlier post) but I'm so glad I made myself do it. It's safe to say that doing Insanity has already become part of a regular routine; it's just something I do everyday. It's gotten to the point where it would be weird not to do it. And, as much as I hate it, it beats the hell out of running.
But regarding the actual cardio -- Mountain climbers still killed me this round, as did the get down, push your feet back, feet back in, up and jump, get down, wash, rinse and repeat. I hardly did ANY of those. The moving push ups were nigh impossible given my state of exhaustion.
Food: strawberry, mango and banana protein smoothie -- in the blender it said 24 oz of liquid so I put in 3 servings (75g total) of protein powder in it but when I put it in my bottle it said 20 oz. So... I might have had 75g of protein in 20 oz throughout the day; a banana; an avocado; the rest of my banh chung; banh mi chay (more protein); nuts (fats, yay); some handfuls of nuts and dried cranberries; 3 small pieces of chocolate; a sesame seed ball with mung bean inside; 2 more servings of protein powder; almost 4 16-oz bottles of water. Upping the water. Tomorrow my assignments are to get more protein powder (thinking about getting hemp seed powder) and to figure out a more strict food schedule -- I'm too lost eating what I "think" is okay.
I was SO NOT IN THE MOOD to do this today (see earlier post) but I'm so glad I made myself do it. It's safe to say that doing Insanity has already become part of a regular routine; it's just something I do everyday. It's gotten to the point where it would be weird not to do it. And, as much as I hate it, it beats the hell out of running.
But regarding the actual cardio -- Mountain climbers still killed me this round, as did the get down, push your feet back, feet back in, up and jump, get down, wash, rinse and repeat. I hardly did ANY of those. The moving push ups were nigh impossible given my state of exhaustion.
Food: strawberry, mango and banana protein smoothie -- in the blender it said 24 oz of liquid so I put in 3 servings (75g total) of protein powder in it but when I put it in my bottle it said 20 oz. So... I might have had 75g of protein in 20 oz throughout the day; a banana; an avocado; the rest of my banh chung; banh mi chay (more protein); nuts (fats, yay); some handfuls of nuts and dried cranberries; 3 small pieces of chocolate; a sesame seed ball with mung bean inside; 2 more servings of protein powder; almost 4 16-oz bottles of water. Upping the water. Tomorrow my assignments are to get more protein powder (thinking about getting hemp seed powder) and to figure out a more strict food schedule -- I'm too lost eating what I "think" is okay.
blabber.
So, I kind of hit an emotional down. I know a week is not enough time for progress to show... physical progress, anyway; it's clear that my endurance and muscles have gotten stronger. I suck at waiting for time to pass. I'm also just tired. When I'm tired I get down and grumpy. There is so much I don't know.. Insanity is work, no doubt about that. And I want the work to be worth it. After doing it for a week ideally I would see results to encourage me but of course that's not realistic. Here's my schedule:
5: Wake up, make veggie juice, protein shake, put on make up/get ready for work, eat a banana and maybe more
6:15: head to work
7 or 7:15 get to work
4 or 4:30: leave work
5 or 5:30: get home
5:30 or 6: Insanity
6:40 or 7: Finish Insanity, drink protein shake, take a shower
9 or 9:30: go to sleep
More of my woes come from the fact that I think I would be at optimal alertness and mood if I got 9 hours of sleep but am unable to and must settle for 8.
I also don't know if I'm eating right. That's the hardest thing. I know I'm working out the hardest I can, but eating... everyone's body differs so much and I don't know how many calories I should be eating. There are estimates but that still makes me worry. It's not as easy as weight loss = calories out - calories in. If your "calories in" is too little, you GAIN weight or keep the weight you have. Fucking bullshit, man. And weight loss also depends on metabolism, your body and how it adapts to changes (like a work out program), what you feed it, which fat stores decide to deplete first, etc. I never thought I would have a problem of "not eating enough" but I don't think I'm eating enough. In my ideal world, if I eat 1100-1200 calories a day (1500 on a binge day) and I start doing Insanity and keep how much I'm eating I should still fucking lose weight, not keep everything and gain weight.
Another frustrating point is that it's not always easy to eat what I want when I want. It's hard to eat every 2-3 hours when I work a desk job in one room of people. Food preparation takes time out of the work day and smells can get distracting, especially with how picky I am (I don't like to eat bars, I'm almost a vegan, etc.).
I'm just still at the point where it's a guessing game. I know exactly how to go from 130+lbs 28" waist to 120lbs 26" waist. But from 120lbs to 110lbs, that's the mystery. I liken it to my route to finding a solution to acne. I tried a whole bunch of different things and nothing worked for 2 years. I was a step away from requesting Accutane. Finally at my wit's end I took my friend's word on a regimen even though I didn't believe him (it was just something to check off on the list of Things I Tried). I saw some results that have been long-lasting.. but it took about 2 months for results to show. So I guess if this is going to be the same, I better stick it out and hope for the best.
5: Wake up, make veggie juice, protein shake, put on make up/get ready for work, eat a banana and maybe more
6:15: head to work
7 or 7:15 get to work
4 or 4:30: leave work
5 or 5:30: get home
5:30 or 6: Insanity
6:40 or 7: Finish Insanity, drink protein shake, take a shower
9 or 9:30: go to sleep
More of my woes come from the fact that I think I would be at optimal alertness and mood if I got 9 hours of sleep but am unable to and must settle for 8.
I also don't know if I'm eating right. That's the hardest thing. I know I'm working out the hardest I can, but eating... everyone's body differs so much and I don't know how many calories I should be eating. There are estimates but that still makes me worry. It's not as easy as weight loss = calories out - calories in. If your "calories in" is too little, you GAIN weight or keep the weight you have. Fucking bullshit, man. And weight loss also depends on metabolism, your body and how it adapts to changes (like a work out program), what you feed it, which fat stores decide to deplete first, etc. I never thought I would have a problem of "not eating enough" but I don't think I'm eating enough. In my ideal world, if I eat 1100-1200 calories a day (1500 on a binge day) and I start doing Insanity and keep how much I'm eating I should still fucking lose weight, not keep everything and gain weight.
Another frustrating point is that it's not always easy to eat what I want when I want. It's hard to eat every 2-3 hours when I work a desk job in one room of people. Food preparation takes time out of the work day and smells can get distracting, especially with how picky I am (I don't like to eat bars, I'm almost a vegan, etc.).
I'm just still at the point where it's a guessing game. I know exactly how to go from 130+lbs 28" waist to 120lbs 26" waist. But from 120lbs to 110lbs, that's the mystery. I liken it to my route to finding a solution to acne. I tried a whole bunch of different things and nothing worked for 2 years. I was a step away from requesting Accutane. Finally at my wit's end I took my friend's word on a regimen even though I didn't believe him (it was just something to check off on the list of Things I Tried). I saw some results that have been long-lasting.. but it took about 2 months for results to show. So I guess if this is going to be the same, I better stick it out and hope for the best.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Insanity, Week 2, Day 8: Cardio Power & Resistance
Oh wow, yesterday's rest was much appreciated. Although tonight my legs fatigued quickly. But I powered through. The thing where you do the side steps and touch the ground made me dizzy. The next times I focused on keeping my head down while still being able to raise my arms. I am surprised at how fast my progress has been; I'm already getting better at the suicide jumps (jump high and make your hands touch your knees). I'm getting better at globe jumps, too; by the next fit test I should be able to do way more than I did last time. The moving push ups were practically impossible in the 3rd time around. Like last time, the 8 squats + 8 push ups were easy + hard.
Slight annoyance is that my hair is getting long and I whip my haaaiir back and forth, I whip my haaaiir back and forth, I whip my haaaiir back and forth, which freakin hurts when it hits my back. But if I tie it up in a bun, it gets loose easily. If I wear a full shirt I get really hot and end up taking it off anyway (and I save on laundry this way).
Food: Not sure if my 50/30/20 protein/carbs/fat ratios are correct. Also, I started to make protein shake and veggie juice in the morning now. 125g protein from protein powder (mixed w/ water), 25oz veggie juice, 2 bananas, 2 peaches, raw salad, banh chung chay. I still need more protein and I need more fat. I'm fine with the carbs, I think especially after the banh chung chay...
Speaking of which, Happy New Year, everyone!
Slight annoyance is that my hair is getting long and I whip my haaaiir back and forth, I whip my haaaiir back and forth, I whip my haaaiir back and forth, which freakin hurts when it hits my back. But if I tie it up in a bun, it gets loose easily. If I wear a full shirt I get really hot and end up taking it off anyway (and I save on laundry this way).
Food: Not sure if my 50/30/20 protein/carbs/fat ratios are correct. Also, I started to make protein shake and veggie juice in the morning now. 125g protein from protein powder (mixed w/ water), 25oz veggie juice, 2 bananas, 2 peaches, raw salad, banh chung chay. I still need more protein and I need more fat. I'm fine with the carbs, I think especially after the banh chung chay...
Speaking of which, Happy New Year, everyone!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Insanity, Day 6: Plyometrics
Food: banana, apple, asian pear, peach, brown rice/veggies/tofu in soy-based sauce (big portion :( ), a few handfuls of nuts
Plyometrics again today. Way not as bad as the first time. I already am lasting through the work outs longer (including the crazy warm-ups!). Surprise surprise, the hard exercises for me are the mountain climber (high!! freakin!! knees!!) and still the get down, push back, 4 push ups, run it out, feet in, back up, back down. Disappointed to say that by the third round of this circuit, I did horribly in the basketball shots. I also don't know if I'm doing the sit up push up things correctly.. can't tell if my butt is sticking up or not. One horrible thing is that when I'm on the floor doing the various exercises my wrists start to hurt. I sweat a lot.
Going to make veggie juice and drink more water. Definitely didn't drink enough water.. Not sure if I'm up to making something to eat. Maybe some fruit and a piece of chocolate :) As a side note, I'll admit, the number on the scale this morning discouraged me. But my waist isn't bigger (in fact it's a bit smaller) so I should just attribute it to normal weight fluctuation.
Tomorrow: REST DAY! Thank goodness. Eating at night makes me feel bloated.. that is the problem with working out at night, but I can't work out at 4am so 6pm is my only choice. Ideally I would work out in the afternoon so my last meal would be before 6. Currently I finish eating at 8-8:30 and sleep at 9-9:30. I think I will get some protein powder and blend it with some frozen fruit to make smoothies for dinner instead of something too heavy like I have been eating in this week. The non-chicken chicken nuggets aren't heavy per se, but they are indeed breaded.
Plyometrics again today. Way not as bad as the first time. I already am lasting through the work outs longer (including the crazy warm-ups!). Surprise surprise, the hard exercises for me are the mountain climber (high!! freakin!! knees!!) and still the get down, push back, 4 push ups, run it out, feet in, back up, back down. Disappointed to say that by the third round of this circuit, I did horribly in the basketball shots. I also don't know if I'm doing the sit up push up things correctly.. can't tell if my butt is sticking up or not. One horrible thing is that when I'm on the floor doing the various exercises my wrists start to hurt. I sweat a lot.
Going to make veggie juice and drink more water. Definitely didn't drink enough water.. Not sure if I'm up to making something to eat. Maybe some fruit and a piece of chocolate :) As a side note, I'll admit, the number on the scale this morning discouraged me. But my waist isn't bigger (in fact it's a bit smaller) so I should just attribute it to normal weight fluctuation.
Tomorrow: REST DAY! Thank goodness. Eating at night makes me feel bloated.. that is the problem with working out at night, but I can't work out at 4am so 6pm is my only choice. Ideally I would work out in the afternoon so my last meal would be before 6. Currently I finish eating at 8-8:30 and sleep at 9-9:30. I think I will get some protein powder and blend it with some frozen fruit to make smoothies for dinner instead of something too heavy like I have been eating in this week. The non-chicken chicken nuggets aren't heavy per se, but they are indeed breaded.
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