Sweet Saturday

Training time. Nose to the grind because I got my numbers and I do not like them. Here is April's Schedule.

Sat. / Tues. / Thur.

Yoga
theWORKOUT (8 week training intensive)
Spinning

Sun.

5k training series (contact me if interested)
Yoga
OR hiking

Mon. / Wed.

Yoga/PiYO
Walking/Jogging
ROAR

Fri.
OFF

Wonderful Wednesday

Self-Motivation

The workout schedules I create keep me on track. I have not created a schedule for a few months because I was working with "Los Game Changers" and our team schedule. I was also sick in January and most of February. My motivational Monday share from 03/02 was an eye opener. The endomondo e-mail made me want to plan and do more.

Activity Boundaries

I created my workout schedule and have set some supportive boundaries for myself. For example, I have a few "EXTRAS" on the schedule like Kickboxing/Under the Belt on Tues. & Thur., ROAR as a double on Mon. & Wed. Which means if I feel good and energized I will take the EXTRA class. If not I will go home and rest after ONE class. This will still put me at 2 hours of exercise a day since I am sticking to yoga and PiYo mornings. Activity in the morning keeps me focused and balanced. I notice the difference in my performance right away. I am also walking, hiking or jogging for a minimum of 30 minutes 4 days a week.

Playing Big

The goal is to keep a steady pace and shoot for at least 2 hours of activity a day. Friday's are my OPTIONAL active recovery days and will be the exception with an an hour of activity. If I am sick I will not make myself wrong. I will listen to my body and provide it with self-love. If that requires rest so be it. However, I will not use illness as a cop-out so if I feel I can remain active...I will keep pushing. I am playing big!

Here's to lighting the fire and keeping it moving!

120...Victorious.

Work-Outs

I am my best with work-outs during the weekend. I usually do 3-4 hours on Saturday and 2-3 hours on Sunday. This weekend was intense. It almost seemed like all of the trainers and instructors were on a high energy boost.

Saturday

I started with ROAR where I worked up a sweat within the first 15 minutes. I took a break during my weight watchers meeting where I was uncomfortably drenched in sweat. Lucky for me I packed extra work-out clothes for an outfit change.

Driving to boxing re-energizes me as I play my loud beats. I'm ready to BOX. An hour of drills, sparring, bag punching, punching techniques, abs and footwork.

I was beat but it was time to do the Yoga Flow class. They have more advanced poses than what I'm used to and I broke a sweat within the first 20 minutes. I did it!

Anthony "the coach" Freeman and Eden, my motivator,
in ROAR. She is so fit and always works herself hard.

Sunday

ROAR was even more intense. Anthony set up stations so close together that there was no down time. I usually use the time I walk from one end of the studio to the other to catch my breath. NOT TODAY.

BOXING was also no joke. A trial for a new instructor means that instructor brought a strict game plan to make sure we all worked hard. I FELT BEAT.

I wanted to go for a hike or a walk in the afternoon but after a small outing to the mall I was ready to head home and relax. Everything in my body ached and I just wanted to rest.

Monday

My day counter on the top of the screen reminded me to keep pushing for the first benchmark. I also thought active recovery would do the body good. I knew I had a pole class but my cousin Paola pushed me for a walking venture. I walked from my house and up the HILL. The HILL has a good incline and I thought it was going to be a lot harder. I figured I would take my breaks if I needed. I talked to myself and focused on the trees. I kept telling myself to take it to the next tree until I finally made it to the top without stopping! YES! This is a HUGE accomplishment and now I cannot wait to make this walk a part of my normal routine. The goal is to eventually run up the HILL.

Pole class was cancelled so I was super-duper glad Paola made me walk. YAY!

Tuesday

Today I will do some strength training and YOGA.

To feeling victorious!

May Training Schedule

The highlight of the month will be the trip to Lake Tahoe and Yosemite. I have never been to either and I'm looking forward to it.

Lake Tahoe and Yosemite

I will be on a white river rafting adventure. It is one of those things I really enjoyed in the past and have not done since 2003. Mainly due to my weight. I did not feel strong or confident enough to raft but I'm READY!

I will also go hiking. I will be doing some research to determine what fits my fitness level. All I know is I want to take in some beautiful views and I'm willing to push if necessary.

Training

There has been much inconsistency in the past month mainly due to vertigo. I will make sure to be diligent with the schedule. In fact I am already researching the Lake Tahoe trip to determine how I will complete my work-outs. I will also be completing the "extended version" of the 12 (15) week challenge in May. YIPEE.

I am also working closely with my trainers since I am packing the month with activity. I'm super excited about this process and I cannot wait to complete another month of this journey.

To shredding in May.

Here!

The changes in eating and work-outs limits my time for blogging. I am being diligent with my food journal, work-out schedule and reading about technique. 

Food 

My favorite breakfast is currently 3 egg whites topped with green salsa and 1/2 a cup of pinto beans. two corn tortillas and a cup of fruit. If I have been low on veggies then I will add a cup of spinach to my egg whites. Approx. 250-300 calories

During the week I typically have a cup of oatmeal, a tablespoon of almonds, a tablespoon of raisins and a cup of fresh fruit. Approx. 250-300 calories. 

I try to have my favorite breakfast on weekends. It gives me something to look forward to after a really big work-out like today. Both breakfasts are also high in fiber since I have been making an effort to be within the recommended 20-25g of fiber a day.

Work Outs

The schedule is almost on track. I have not missed any of the body-for-life trainings. The 12-week (with extensions) challenge is on! Yes, I realize it will now be during a 15-week span due to my vertigo but it will remain as 12-weeks worth of work-outs. My additional work-outs have been inconsistent. Mostly Yoga. I tend to still get the spin-outs during yoga. I'm trying again tonight.

My favorite additional work-out in rotation is ROAR. I like not knowing what to expect when I walk through the door and challenging my body every time. My mindset is during training is to push hard and try my best to continuously elevate my game. FOCUS.

ROAR work-out today. Three sets of each except the 50 sit-up warm-up.

• 50 sit-ups
• lunges across room, 3 x's 5/5 leg lifts, kick backs across room, 10 push-ups
• 20 sit-ups, 10 push ups, 3 box jumps, 20 waves (military rope), 20 high knees
• tire station, 20 crunches, 50 high knees, 20 leg curls with ball, 
• 10 pikes, 20 squats with over head press, 20 high knees, 20 lower press (military rope)
• 20 supermans on ball, tire station, 20 high knees, reverse crunch with ball
• 5 burpees, 20 sit-ups, 10 push-ups  - work-out sequence created by anthony coach freeman

I pushed hard and was dripping in sweat. After ROAR I went to 24 hour fitness to finish my upper-body body-for-life work-out. BURN BABY BURN! 

To many days like these! I feel great!

Saturday Special

WORK-OUT

Vertigo gave me the sads. I was  unable to complete more work-outs after Wednesday. Not being able to complete the work-outs made me want to hide. Then I just craved the activity. So today I got up with a can do attitude and thought, I do not care if I get vertigo, I'm doing it! I got two spin outs during ROAR and 1 during yoga. I took the time to stop, recover and push. I gave it my best, was safe and I feel great.

FOOD INTAKE

Food the last couple weeks have been KEY. I am following Weight Watchers (WW) and tracking points. I'm getting good at it. I'm also finding areas where I can cut consumption. I lost 3 pounds with minimal activity: worked from home all week and one work-out session. I added Recipes I created for my favorite meals below.

Lemon Cilantro Chicken 

3 Boneless Chicken Breast (split)
1 cup of lemon juice (fresh)
1/2 cup of rice vinegar
1/2 cup onion (chopped)
1 cup of chopped cilantro
4 garlic cloves (minced)
2 tbl spoons of olive oil
1 tbl dried oregano (crushed)*
1 tbl dried parsley (crushed)*
lemon zest of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste
*fresh is always best! 2tbls if herbs are fresh.

Mix all of the contents for marinade in a bowl. Add the chicken and make sure it is covered. Let sit for 10 minutes and mix contents. Then let sit for another 10 minutes and grill.
The chicken can be marinated for less time if you're in a......rush! 

Zucchini Saute

3 Zucchini (sliced and halved)

4 Tomatoes (big chunks)

1/2 a medium purple onion

1 tbs olive oil

white pepper to taste

Lemon spice blend to taste

Cilantro(Finley chopped) 

Mix the herb and spices for a blend. Make it to your taste. Put aside.

Heat pan. Add oil and start with the onions. Give it a few seconds before adding the zucchini.  Add zucchini and mix well.  Add tomato and mix for a while but no too much so the vegetables remain crisp (2-4 min).

Pour vegetables in bowl and season. Mix until all of the vegetables are seasoned.  Serve.

I had the chicken and zucchini with brown rice. If you do not have all of the items in the recipe then mix it up. Use another type of vinegar or add another herb. Make things your own and trust yourself. 

To creating yummy recipes!