I just got some....satisfaction...

What can I say? I'm half-Korean so what do you think I grew up on? Yep, that's right...white rice! And still to this day there is nothing quite like it in my book. And do I get cravings for that? Why, yes, I do! And do I think it's okay to eat white rice every once in a while? ABSOLUTELY! So I did just that today. I was craving it so I went and got a nice ol' serving of Kalbi Plate from Ono Hawaiian BBQ.

Kalbi plate from Ono Hawaiian BBQ

 It comes with white rice (the way we made it in our K household - kinda sticky), 3-4 kalbi (short ribs), Hawaiian macaroni salad (yep, real mayo there!), and steamed cabbage. I didn't think I wanted or would eat the whole thing and if I did I would be falling asleep at my desk this afternoon but guess what? I did want and I did eat the whole thing and I didn't fall asleep at all at my desk and in fact felt energetic! I ate that meal and enjoyed every stinkin' bite!! It was so very delicious. The texture of the rice, the yumminess of the meat, the creaminess of the macaroni salad, and the "healthy" taste of the cabbage. It was all sooooo delicious and therefore very satisfying! In fact I kept being shocked at myself because all afternoon I didn't have ONE craving! So, what have I learned here?

Well, when you're craving something...I mean really craving it...as in it doesn't go away for a few days, then eat it and ENJOY!!!! Truly enjoy. Sit there with it and don't watch TV, talk on the phone, text or be on your computer. Just be LOST in the moment of the meal. There is NOTHING like it and honestly I think that complete satisfaction is something I've been missing from my meals lately. It was AWESOME!!! Yummy!!!

As for my hunger level after, not so much. I didn't eat for about 5 or 6 hours later. THAT'S how satisfying it was! Fantastic! But what I did have tonight was a Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake - 1 scoop protein powder, 1/4 cup pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond breeze, about 8 ice cubes...YUMMY!

And now it's wash the dished and off to bed I go. It's supposed to be nice weather this weekend and I can't wait! Wahoo! ENJOY it!

The DANGER of it all!!!

Oh, yes I bought this little taster package of Cacao Bliss yesterday!

Let me just say that I am VERY glad I just bought the taste size because that thing is DELICIOUS!!!!! For all you chocolate lovers, boy oh boy is this for you! Oh yes! I am not even a chocolate lover but I know some good tasting chocolate items when I taste one and this is definitely one! I'm scared to have it in my house but I'm going to buy a real jar of it at some point because it is divine! Yes, I'll graduate to this size.

This would definitely be a "face your fears" purchase though! I mean look at it...oh my goodness!!! It's too too good! I've seen this at the store for a long time and never bought it but when I saw the sample pack yesterday I thought I had better buy it and I did. TRY it if you haven't! You'll love it! These are the ingredients and nutrition info:

Ingredients: 100% Organic Coconut Butter, 100% Organic Extra Virgin coconut Oil, 100% Organic Agave Syrup, 100% Organic Cacao, 100% Organic Cacao Butter

There you have it! I think everyone I know should try it. I opened the package and squeezed out a little taste and next thing I know I'm sitting there with my long spoon cleaning out the inside of the package and enjoying each and every blissful moment. YES, it's THAT good!!! So that was my dessert last night. Yes, just a packet of Raw Cacao Bliss! It was perfect and heavenly!

Some workouts

TODAY'S MOSTLY DROPSETS BACK AND ABS
Seated Lat Pulldown - Dropset 105/90/75/60/45 x 4/6/6/8/10 pulses
Assisted Close Grip Pullup - Dropset 60/70/80/90 x 6 each, 100 x 10 pulses
Underhand Barbell Row - 45 # - 3x12
Hammer Strength Lat Pulldown Underhand Grip - Dropset 45/35/25 x 6/8/8, 15 x 10 pulses
Seated Cable Row - Dropset 100/85/70/55 x 4/6/8/10
Hip lifts (to vertical) - 3 x 20
Bodyweight Rows - 3 x 7
Ab crunch on ball - 3 x 15

SATURDAY'S HAMMIES AND GLUTES (and yes, I'm still sore in my hammies)
High Box Squat - Bar only warmup then 95# x 10, 115# x 8, 135# x 8
Good Mornings - Bar only x 12, 65# x 12 (2x)
High Step Ups (aerobic step with 12 risers under each side) - 3 x 12 each leg
Hip Thrusts - 75# - 3 x 12
Single Leg Back Extensions - 3 x 10 each leg (why are these sooooo hard?)
Hanging straight leg raises - 3x15
Cable crunches 60# - 3x10
Pikes on elbows and feet on floor (on towel) followed by blank hip swivel (I'll have to videotape this because I can't explain but it's AWESOME!) - 10 pikes, 8 swivel each hip leading (2x) - third set on hands instead of elbows

YESTERDAY'S SHOULDERS, CHEST AND ABS (kinda)
DB Shoulder Press - 15# warm up x 15, 20# x 12, 25# x 10, 30# x 8
Front Raise with 25# plate - 3x12
Side lat raise on incline bench - 8# - 3x10 (these are super duper hard for me!)
Rear delt DB row on low incline bench - 15# x 10 plus rear delt flyes 15# x 5 (3x)
Single Side Lat Raise with pause at top - 15# - 3x12
Ab Crunch on decline w/ 10# plate - 3x15
Pushups off DBs - 2 x 12, 1x10
Single Incline Chest Press - 15# 3x12
Incline Chest Fly - 15# DB 3x10

Monday...Here we go again!!!

How did you all fare this weekend? Was it a great weekend for you? I had a great weekend but was out late on Saturday night and that wreaks havoc on my sleep pattern for the entire week. Last night I was even in bed, lights out by about 10:00 but still was tired when I woke up. It's my own fault. I'm not young anymore and I feel it now when I stay out late. I PAY for it big time. But sometimes you just have to suck it up since you want to have a good time. It was fun! We went to hear Pato Banton again. It's just a fun, uplifting vibe. It didn't start till way late though (about 11:30 or so) and of course went till about 1 or maybe 1:30am! I am NOT 20 anymore! Hahaha!

I was up and shaping my shoulders bright and early though! Good job me! I've really noticed a difference in my hunger lately on mornings I lift. It really makes me much hungrier. I have to say that I'm really believing in EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption)! I definitely would have to agree with much of the research that weight training and HIIT is more effective on the "afterburn" than extended steady state cardio. It's just my opinion. There's a lot of research supporting both sides of this argument so I think it's just finding out what works for you, your body, your mind and your schedule.

More on my food from the weekend as well as today and Saturday's workouts later. Hope your week is starting off very well!

Recovery Rate...

Hmmm...is it just me or do you sometimes take DAYS for recovery? There are a few reasons I could think of for this: 1) I'm lifting heavier and harder; 2) I'm not sleeping enough or well enough; 3) I'm not eating right or 4) I'm getting older. At any rate my body doesn't seem to be recovering as fast as usual. At any rate, I really think I need to focus on getting the right amount of good sleep at night. No more of these 6-hour nights. That's just not enough for me. If only I were young again and could easily go on 3-4 hours of sleep a night. Not anymore!

Last night, for example, I was in bed early! Asleep by 9:45 or so but when my alarm went off this morning I was dragging. Of course I didn't sleep well and I remember tossing and turning a lot! So I got up and got my first meal going with the plan to hit the gym. But after I ate I decided I was way too tired and I just had to go back to bed. So I did. And I slept and woke up feeling "right" which is not how I originally woke up!

Since I've been eating right this week, that couldn't be the problem. There's a lot of construction going on outside at night though and I think that just disturbs my sleep. I just need to make a conscious effort though to "shut down" earlier at night. If that means not watching some of my shows then that's what it means. I can always record them and watch them the next day earlier in the evening. So my mini-goal for next week is all electronic items need to be off (and stowed away...lol!) by 9pm. That will give my mind and eyes time to rest before sleeping. Can I do it? You bet!

So no workout yesterday and possibly not one today either although I may go for a walk later. My body's tired though and I feel it. I would rather rest today and have a kick ass workout tomorrow than work out today and feel too tired tomorrow for an awesome workout! I guess I just want to make my workouts count and not just do them because I feel like I "should" or it was on my schedule.

I'll keep you posted. Hope you are all having a great Friday and Happy Good Friday to all of you that participate in that!

Thursday's Food Log & A REST DAY!

Yes! I'm doing an excellent job! Good job me!

1) 3 eggs, 1 egg white with salsa, oatmeal w/ 1/4 cup applesauce & cinnamon
2) 4 slices of  Jamie Eason's Cinnamon Swirl Bread
3) 1 cup spelt flakes cereal dry (because I was starving and had the box in my car!) then Spaghetti Squash with mushroom sauce and shrimp
4) 1/2 cup cottage cheese mixed with 1 cup pineapple and fresh ground black pepper (okay, I know what you're thinking because I thought that once too but all you have to do is try it and you'll understand! It's so tasty!)
5) 1/4 cup oatmeal
6) Ground chicken (4 oz) with Greek seasonings, chicken broth, green beans and 1/4 cup white beans, 1 T macadamia nut oil  - this was such an odd combo but super tasty...SURPRISE!
7) Chocolate peanut butter shake with 1 1/2 T PB - so delish!

Again if you haven't tried macadamia nut oil, go out and "get you summm"! It's so delish and just gives a richness to your foods and as I've mentioned before it has a high smoke point so it doesn't turn to transfat when you cook with it on high heat. Yes, it's kind of pricey but it's nice to have variety in your fats - nut butters, nuts, oils, etc. C'mon! Try it! Hahahaha!

Wednesday's Food Log

Okay, so I didn't have very good time management today and ate way too many shake/protein powder/snack items and not enough real food. I suppose that just leaves room for improvement tomorrow. So, with that said, off to bed I go and on to tomorrow we go! 

1) 3 egg whites, 1 egg with zucchini and cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup oatmeal
2) Jamie Eason's Cinnamon Swirl Bread
3) Matcha Green Tea Protein Shake, 1 cup spelt flakes cereal
4) Quest Almond Crunch Bar, 1 apple
5) M&M (mushrooms and mozzarella) turkey burger, bowl of steamed veggies (mostly broccoli with cauliflower, carrots)
6) Lemon Almond Butter Protein shake, 1/4 cup oatmeal

Visions of Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Last night I went to sleep while visions of cinnamon swirl bread danced in my head! I added my photo to that recipe. I can't wait to eat it again today. I almost started out my morning with that but then I thought I would use it as reward food later! HA! I mean...look at it...makes you drool practically doesn't it?

So needless to say my review on this is definitely a 10 out of 10 on several counts.
Flavor: 10
Easy to make: 10
Easy to eat: 10!!
Good macronutrient breakdown: 10

When I made it I added about 8 walnut halves chopped up just for a little texture. I think that added a little sumpin' to it! TASTY!!!!! I have figured something out. I LOVE bread as you all know by now. Unfortunately for me I also know I can't eat it with wild abandon without my body suffering some of the repercussions of it! So if I can make protein muffins and bread, that really helps take the edge off of the "bread NEED". So yes, more loaves of this bread, zucchini loaf, and protein muffins to come! Yes, great plan!

That's it for now. I really must go get some things done now. Have a fantabulous day! WOOT WOOT!!!!!

Tuesday's Food Log

Another great day of eating right for ME! Yippee! I think I'm getting somewhere now!

1) 1 scoop protein, 1/4 cup oats
2) 3 egg whites, 1 whole egg, 1/4 cup oatmeal, salsa!
3) 4 slices of Jamie Eason's Cinnamon Swirl Bread - MAKE THIS NOW!!! So delish!!!!!
4) Salad with 3 Thai Chicken Mini Meatloaves cut up - dressing was 1 t olive oil, 2 t sesame oil, 2 T rice vinegar, 1/2 T chili garlic sauce, splash of low sodium soy sauce, 1-2 t sesame seeds
5) 1/4 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup Voskos yogurt, 1/2 scoop protein, 1 cup roasted kabocha, cinnamon
6) Spaghetti squash with mushroom sauce (mushrooms, onions, garlic, chicken broth, yogurt, sherry, fresh basil) and broiled shrimp - so so surprisingly tasty!
7) Cinnamon flaxseed cracker

Feeling better already! OMG! You MUST make this bread NOW!!!

Well, I'm off to a rip-roaring start today! I got up bright and early...before 5 and headed to the gym. Drank/ate my shake with oats mixed in first. Did my Back and Plyo Legs workout. Sometimes the exercises in that are hard. Today they were hard. Finished up with a few ab exercises - hanging leg raises (with straight legs), cable crunches, and crunches on a Swiss ball. Stretched briefly and headed home for shower and more food. Ate my second meal (egg whites and oatmeal) and headed to work. Honestly, I couldn't wait for today to start so I could get to work and eat my third meal. I made Jamie Eason's Cinnamon Swirl Bread. Here's the recipe I got off of her Facebook page. I can't wait to eat it!!!!

Jamie Eason's Cinnamon Swirl Bread
 

Preheat oven to 350. Spray loaf pan with non-stick spray.

In small bowl combine: (set aside)
1/3 cup Ideal, Truvia or Splenda
2 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl combine: (whisk together)
1 1/2 cups oat flour + 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup Ideal, Truvia or Splenda

In a medium bowl combine: (whisk together & add to lrg bowl)
2 egg whites or 1 whole egg
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (Almond Breeze)
1/3 cup or 1 4oz jar of babyfood applesauce
1/4 cup of greek yogurt

Pour a shallow layer of batter into the loaf pan (about 1/4 of the batter). Sprinkle heavily with half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining batter & cinnamon/sugar on top. Draw a knife through the batter to marble. Bake for 45 to 50 min. Let cool for 10 min. Bread will be dense.

Makes 12 servings:
70 calories
1.34 g fat
8.4 g carbs
6 g protein

I will be eating 4 servings since that is about how much I need. Hurry up 10:00 and get here!  Hahaha! I can't WAIT!!

YIPPEEE!!!! It's 10:08! I can eat my yummy Cinnamon Swirl Bread! Bye! Gonna go do that now! Be back later with my review and also will post a picture later toady!

Monday's Food Log (AKA: A Day of Oats)

Well, here comes the accountability! Day 1 of my new plan is here! Read on to see what it turned out to be!!!

1) 1 scoop protein, 1/4 cup oats with cherry tomatoes, side of orange bell pepper (just in the mood...don't ask...I'm weird!)
2) 4 egg whites, 1/4 cup oats
3) 1/4 cup oats, 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1/2 scoop protein powder, 1 cup roasted kabocha and CINNAMON!
4) Salad with 4 oz ground Italian chicken mix and red wine vinaigrette with 1 T olive oil, dessert was 1/4 cup oatmeal with a touch of almond milk and 3 walnut halves
5) Same as Meal 3
6) Salad with 4 oz shrimp with cucumber salad and 2 T roasted pumpkin seeds...mmmmmm...yummy!

 7) Pumpkin Souffle with 1/2 T NuttZo & 1 t coconut oil - yes, it has returned!!! Haha! I LOVE this!!! Yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was quite hungry between meal 3 and 4. I was also hungry after meal 6. But lucky me I got to have pumpkin souffle. Wow! I haven't had that for a long, long time. I forgot how much I love it!

MONDAY!!! It's here! Get excited!!

So are you pumped up now?!? I bet you are! Yes, it's Monday. Time to start again, reach for new goals, live and enjoy life to its fullest. Yep, it's THAT time! So do you have your weekly goals? Do you have a strategy and do you know what you need to do to make yourself feel good about YOU this week?

Okay, I'm owning it. I finally got on the scale this morning. I know it's just a number but it's definitely NOT the number I wanted to see. Even though I threw away the scale for the past month, I knew I was gaining weight. Some things you just can't lie to yourself about. You know it, right? Now this is where age plays a role. And what I used to be able to do to my body 20 years ago and then just straighten up slightly and fix I certainly can't do anymore. With that being said, I now know I'm going to have to make a concerted effort to lose some weight/fat. With age comes a change in hormones and a decline in muscle mass and bone mass. These are proven facts and not just my opinion. So with this knowledge you MUST have a plan of attack for getting older while still feeling good about yourself. For me this is a shift in thinking. I have the areas of nutrition, workouts, and lifestyle factors listed below and the changes I know I need to make there to reach my goal of losing a good 10-15 pounds.

So nutritionally what changes did I make to probably help contribute to this weight gain? I can think of two things that I probably need to reconsider. I have been eating dried fruit in my cereal and also I have been having some form of bread on mostly a daily basis. I think that's a bad combination for me. So new and refocused goals for food will be to eat raw (not dried) fruits and stick to one serving per day max. I love fruit and it has many benefits. Even dried fruits have benefits but I am not safe with dried fruits. We have too much of a love affair. And then there's bread....OH BREAD, HOW I LOVE THEE! But we also have way too much of a love affair. I'm not going to drop bread entirely nor dried fruits but I am going to limit them to 1-2 slices of bread per week and 1/4 cup dried fruit per week. That should be enough. And of course it's back to logging/accountability. So you'll be seeing what I'm eating as the weeks continue. Lucky you!

As for working out, one thing I don't want to do is feel like I have to work out twice a day. I think once a day 5-6 times a week is fine. So that is the plan. What exactly I'll be doing those days I have yet to determine. But I'll figure that out within the day and let you all know my plan. I'm seriously thinking about taking a week off of cardio and then bringing it back in HIIT style next week. I'll let you know. The more I read about steady state cardio the more I think it's not worth it and hard on your body. I'll keep you posted on that though. More resistance training and less but more intense cardio. I'm ready for a change in my cardio and I think my body is too.

And then there's lifestyle. Where to begin? Okay, I need more sleep, less TV, less computer and much less Words With Friends!!! LOL! What is my deal with sleep?!? I always try to get in bed early. I tell myself I am but I really don't. So once again that is a goal of mine. I need to lessen my TV watching again. Just been watching too much. Same with the computer and WWF. So limit all those and do more reading and studying. Hmmm...let's see...I have to put a time limit on these things. I can watch 5 hours of TV a week and 30 minutes of computer at night as well as 30 minutes of WWF. That's it. Yep, those are going to be my new limits. I just printed up a log sheet so I can actually track this. I know...I'm RIDICULOUS! Hey! Whatever helps, ya know!Hmmm...I should print up a sleep log too. I think I'll do that. Okay, that's done! Hahaha!

So that about sums up my small goals and changes I know I need to make to see and feel the changes I want. I need to feel better about myself and this is how it's got to get done. Boy reality is sometimes hard to take and hard to accept. It's also challenging to implement change but if you don't like where you are or how you feel, only YOU can make those things happen. Nobody else is going to do it for you. Oh boy! REALITY!! Gotta love it and embrace it I guess! Have a great week everyone!!!

To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly. ~Henri Bergson

WOOHOO!!! IT'S FRIDAY!!!

Okay, I'm not going to lie. I love Fridays. But some Fridays I love more than others. For some reason I'm really happy that it's Friday today! Maybe it's the craziness that has been my apartment this week. Maybe it's the fact that the weather is GORGEOUS! Maybe it's because we've been understaffed this week (as we will be next week too)! Whatever the reason I'm happy happy happy it's Friday!! WAHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I slept in this morning. Getting up at 4:40 or so yesterday morning so I could my workout in before returning home to get ready for work since I absolutely had to be on time made yesterday a long day. I thought sleep was more important than working out. I'll do that later today.

Last night's meal was so delicious and perfect. And...I have leftovers! Oh yes! And extra sauce! So guess what? Lunch is going to be the same but with the shrimp over brown rice pasta or maybe soba noodles! Oh boy! I can't wait. I want to go to lunch NOW! But it's still several hours away. So sad!

I'll fill you in later about the workout and my opinion of my Peanut Shrimp over pasta! Keep up the good spirits! Spread them around a little. It makes it fun for everyone! Give someone an unexpected wink, hug, handshake, smile or laugh! You'll see...try it!

No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change. ~ Barbara de Angelis

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. ~Mohandas Gandhi

Peanut Shrimp with Cucumber Salad

OH MY! HOLY YUMMINESS abounds!  I was just craving something like this. I looked around online and combined some recipes till I came up with this. I would love to put the shrimp over rice or with noodles. But tonight I just mixed them together kind of, ate the cucumbers and shrimp and drank the "juice" that was left over (spicy sweet peanutty goodness)!

Cucumber Salad (Spicy as you want it)

3 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup vinegar

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 serrano, Thai, or jalapeno, finely chopped (seeds and membranes removed to lessen spiciness)

24-36 drops stevia (or 1/4 cup sugar if you prefer)

Mix all together. Chill and serve. So good and refreshing!

Peanut Shrimp

24 large shrimp (31/40 count)

4 T PB2 (or 2-3 T peanut butter)

1 1/2 T rice wine vinegar

2 t garlic chili sauce

1 t dark sesame oil

4 drops stevia

1/4 - 1/2 t ginger powder

1/4 - 1/2 t garlic powder

1-3 T water

Combine all ingredients except shrimp and water. Add water to desired consistency. Should be like a thin paste. Add shrimp and stir to coat. Broil or fry in pan. I pan fried it so it would keep more of the sauce. ;-)Eat with noodles, rice, or cucumber salad!

Lost motivation? Don't want to hit the gym? Well, DO IT ANYWAY!

I had started a post earlier about not feeling motivated, don't want to work out, feeling slightly down and yada yada yada! But as I was writing it I thought to myself that I NEEDED to work out to see if I felt better. I owed it to myself to treat myself right. So I got dressed right then and there and headed to the gym. And guess what? It was the BOMB workout!!!! Really really great! I guess just getting there was half the battle. I must have been in the right frame of mind once I actually decided to do it. Here it is:

LOWER BODY (HAM GLUTE FOCUS) and ABS

Barbell Squat - 1x12 warm-up barbell only, 1x10 95#, 1x8 115#, 1x6 135# - yes I was quite proud of myself!
Deadlift - 1x12 95#, 1x10 115#, 1x8 135#
Leg Press - 1x12 90#, 1x10 140#, 1x8 180#
Hyperextension - 3x12 w/ 10# plate
Single Leg Hip Thrust - shoulders and foot elevated (see demo here)
Crunch on Decline Bench w/ 10# plate - 3x15
Swiss ball roll-ins (5) and 10 swiss ball pikes (10) - x3
Plank holds - 2x60 seconds
Plank hold with opposite arm and leg off floor then bring slightly away from center and back - 2x40 seconds each side
Plank twist - in plank position with feet on towel, pull knees into opposite elbow sliding feet on the floor - 3x12 (6 each side)
Foam Ball Roller and stretch


All that in just 1 hour 10 minutes!! Woohoo! GREAT workout!! FANTASTIC!!


On the way home (about 4:30 or so) I saw the unfortunate reality of what happens when you close just one lane either way on a main artery road in West L.A.! Oh boy! It's going to be a long summer! Luckily I had a Quest bar in my car so I could eat that because I was H U N G R Y!!!! I may have to start going to the gym after work again just so I'm not stuck in traffic. Which is the lesser of two evils? Packed gym or traffic jam? Which would YOU choose?!? Keep in mind that they closed a nearby big gym so we now have overflow from those people that are all new to our already crowded gym!

But...wait! It gets better! I get home and find dumped on my doormat a bunch of cigarette butts!!!! I kid you not! Look! I took a picture!

So someone KNOWS that I really don't like smoking apparently. And NO! I didn't have an altercation with anyone. I have NO idea why they were there. So incredibly weird and bizarre!!! Kind of disturbing! Oh well. Nothing I can do about it since I have no way to research it. 

On to other things...la la la!!! The great thing is that I got a THANK YOU CARD from one of my nieces for their visit! Did that make my day or what? It was soooooo great to get that card!!! Clearly she just took it upon herself to do that since her sister didn't write one. Is that awesome or what?!? I LOVE IT!!!! When they say it's the little things in life that matter I couldn't agree more. That letter/card made my day..heck even my week...possibly month!

I haven't been writing much about my food because I'm experimenting. I'll let you know in a couple more weeks where I stand with that and what I find out about myself. It should be interesting and has been so far.

Have a great rest of your week! I know I will!

Go ahead! Challenge me...'cause I CAN find the good in the bad!!!!

Okay, long story short, I came home (around 9:00pm) from being gone most of the weekend, took one step in my hallway and SQUISH!!! What the?!?!? Soaking wet carpet...from WHAT?! I quickly investigate, pull back the shower curtain to find my tub completely full of nasty nasty nasty water!!! UGH!!! So nasty! Yuck yuck yuck!! Flooded out my entire bathroom and into the hall almost reaching both the living room and the bathroom. Can you say DISGUSTING?

So yes, I call the maintenance guy. "I'll be there as soon as I can. I'll be leaving in about 20 minutes." Yes, he is an awesome maintenance guy! Got there about an hour or so later and worked like a dog till almost midnight.

Next I called my building manager and left her a message. She returned my call. "So the maintenance guy is on his way there, right?" "Yes." "I'll give him a call to ask him to also pull up all the wet carpet. Do you want new carpet or hardwood floors?" "I'll think about it and call you back." Of course I chose hardwood floors eventually. That will be a nicer look, easier to maintain and better for an "allergy" gal like me! Yes, I will eventually have to buy some rugs but since we're coming into summer the "cold floor" isn't too much of a concern right now and I can take my time and find some I really like.

Next I pulled up the nasty bathroom rugs, bathmat, shower curtain, and liner and threw them in the laundry with about a quarter gallon of clorox! No, not really...slight exaggeration but you get the point! Of course the machine kept getting out of balance and I didn't realize it so it took a long time to do that laundry. Eventually finished it though.

When the maintenance guy finally left it was time for some cleaning of my own. I was very tired when I finally hit the bed around 1:30 or so! Oy! No, there was NOT going to be any early morning workout for me! Nope! Definitely not! That's okay. I'll workout tonight. It's all good!

So...things I am grateful for from this experience (AKA finding the good in the bad!):

1) My maintenance guy! He ROCKS!! He's efficient, kind and funny. We just crack up whenever he has to come fix something. Basically he takes the pain away from situations that would be much more intolerable with someone that is difficult to deal with.

2) Grateful I went home Sunday night and not Monday morning post-workout! Ewww...can you imagine? All rank from the gym and not able to shower? AND have to deal with getting the maintenance guy there? Thanks but NO.

3) NEW HARDWOOD FLOORS!! Yes, now I get hardwood floors instead of nasty cheap apartment carpet! I mean, that's pretty awesome, don't you think?

4) It was the tub and NOT the toilet!!! No explanation necessary! Hahahaha!!!

5) Fantastic reason for Spring Cleaning! Yes, now I MUST clean out some things to move my furniture around for the hardwood floors. And that means pulling things out and reevaluating my need for them in my life. I see a little money may be made here via my fave Craigslist. We'll see! Maybe and maybe not. But it will definitely help me get all the unnecessary items out of my place. So yeah for that!!!

6) My bathroom is ridiculously clean. Scrubbed with some fine toxic clorox! Yep, that's what works for me. Yes, it may be toxic but I wouldn't trust anything else to clean someone else's bath water, ya know?!?

That just about sums it up! Hahaha! I'm kind of tired today and I'm sure I'll be even more tired tomorrow but I'm pushing forward! Here's to a great week! Fun new workouts and such. I get to meet Jamie and her boyfriend (she's one of the girls from Gina's network)  face to face this week and see them compete this weekend. SOOO excited! Can't wait!

Kind of a long quote but great advice I think!

“Living with integrity means: Not settling for less than what you know you deserve in your relationships. Asking for what you want and need from others. Speaking your truth, even though it might create conflict or tension. Behaving in ways that are in harmony with your personal values. Making choices based on what you believe, and not what others believe.” ~Barbara De Angelis

Whenever I need a good laugh!

This video has been around for about 5 years but still every time I watch it I just crack up. I think laughter really is contagious. Hope you enjoy it if you've never seen it before!

I just want a little peace and quiet...

Ahhh...the pleasures of apartment living. A few months ago I got a new upstairs neighbor (hello new hardwood floors...could you be more annoying?!?) and then he mysteriously moved out. Well, guess what? Now I think I have a new couple living upstairs that are in the process of moving in. Now, correct me if I'm wrong but don't common sense and common courtesy exist?

Here's a little scenario for you: So, you're moving into a new place. Is your first thought, "Hey, it's 10:30 at night and I think NOW is a good time to start putting things away in my bedroom. Not only that but I think I'll continue that until AT LEAST 1:30 in the morning." I think not! I hope not!! Geeeeezzzzzzzzzzz!!!!! Where do these people get their manners or lack thereof?!? I had to pound on my ceiling. I was beyond annoyed and then I was all riled up and couldn't get back to sleep because I was ANGRY!!!!

Finally as I'm falling back asleep, the fine construction workers think it's a good idea to start honking their big semi-truck horns at each other. Seriously?!? Do you understand that you're working and we're all trying to sleep?

Luckily tonight I can sleep with earplugs since I don't have to wake up at any specific time tomorrow. You would think with the sound machine on full blast and lying on the pillow next to my head it  would be loud enough to cover up all the madness and mayhem happening all around me but sadly, it was not!


Needless to say, when my alarm went off this morning I hit that snooze button hard 3 times before it even registered in my mind that it had gone off. So sadly...no, I didn't get my workout in this morning. It's okay though. I'll just go tonight or maybe even do my workout in my own home. At any rate I'll still get it done but it would have been useless to do it this morning since I felt soooo exhausted by the time I woke up! Ugh!! I did go back to sleep for about another half hour and then woke up and had a lovely breakfast so I'm good to go and feeling fine now. But at 5 am I would have been cranky all day long!

So it's life. My ANGER is slowly diminishing and will soon fade away completely. If they keep up like this though we're going to have to have a little talk. Hopefully it's just because they're moving in. We'll see...

My breakfast was very tasty though. I had one egg and 4 egg whites with salsa, a couple of tablespoons of light shredded cheese and 1/2 a very small avocado. Then my "breakfast dessert" was cinnamon raisin mochi!!! Yes, I brought it back! Kind of forgot about this little gem. I LOVE this stuff. Try it! I think you'll really enjoy it!!! I spread a smidgen of coconut oil on it and OH BOY! This is a tasty treat!!!!

I guess I better get back to work. Just wanted to rant a little. I feel much better now. Thanks for asking! Haha! I'm "rolling with the punches."

Happy people roll with the punches. They know from experience that everything changes. Today’s good fortune may vanish tomorrow, today’s crises may turn out to be tomorrow’s good fortune. ~Unknown

Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch!

Okay, yes, I have a confession to make! Yes, it's true. There are few food items that make me lose control but on that list are: potato chips, brown rice chips, saltines, bread with butter, french fries and...Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch!!! So, needless to say, I don't keep those things in my house because they are DANGEROUS and DISASTROUS for me! LOL!!!

Hello my little friend!

Well, since my nieces were visiting, my fine brother (their uncle of course) bought them a box of this cereal! So kind of him. Since they were staying with me the box was at my house and since they didn't eat it all, I was left with about half a box. Well, smart girl that I am I resisted but never threw them away. Then Tuesday night I don't know what happened but I thought I needed to get rid of that cereal. So what did I do? Put it in the trash?!? Oh no...that would be a sin! No no no!!! I am much smarter than that. I decided to have a bowl or two...or maybe in the end about SIX bowls!!!!!!! No, unfortunately I'm not joking. I'm pretty sure I ate about 6 servings of this deliciousness!!!!

So after such an incredibly amazing fall from grace I thought I would really have a bad workout the next day since I wasn't properly fueled but guess what? I didn't! I had the best workout I've had in a LONG time! So what does that teach me? Unfortunately not what I wanted it to. I wanted to feel bad, have a bad workout and just in general know that I shouldn't do that again. But I didn't get any of those feelings.

Don't worry...I know better than to do that again. I will not have such cereal in my house. That's just an accident binge waiting to happen. And I'm pretty sure we shouldn't do that. So while I suffered no ill consequences I know better but it sure was fun while it lasted!

Today I'm back on track and eating right. I started out my morning with a matcha green tea protein shake (so delicious...tastes like green tea ice cream so if that's your thing you're going to want to jump on THIS bandwagon!) and oatmeal with orange emulsion and almond butter with a side of fresh pineapple! Oh man! I LOVE pineapple! It's the bestest in the whole wide world! Hahaha!!

Up and at 'em this morning for a good 40 minutes of fasted cardio. Feeling good is all I can say. Feeling strong and motivated. What more could you want, right? Yes! Here we are rounding out the week. Tomorrow's Friday and it'll be all downhill from there! Have a fantastic day!!!!

“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.” 

~Oscar Wilde

Simple 'n' Spicy Tilapia

Simple 'n' Spicy Tilapia

8 tilapia fillets

1 serrano, finely minced

3 large garlic cloves, pressed

2 green onions, finely chopped

2 t dried cilantro or about 2 T fresh

2 t macadamia nut oil* (or olive oil)

sea salt

3 zucchini, thinly sliced

12 mushrooms, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 400. Place tilapia in single layer on non-stick baking sheet. (Spray with cooking spray if desired.) Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl using small amount of sea salt to taste. Spread mixture on top of tilapia, dividing evenly among fillets. Then cover with sliced zucchinis and mushrooms. Bake in oven at 400 for about 20 minutes.

* Macadamia nut oil has a very high smoke point. It's great to cook with at high temperatures since it won't turn to trans fats since the smoke point is so high.

Single Serve Bread Pudding

Single Serve Bread Pudding

1/4 cup milk of choice

1 egg

1 egg white

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder

1 packet stevia

cinnamon

nutmeg

cloves

vanilla

2 slices Julian cinnamon raisin bread, cut into cubes

Optional: chopped nuts, dried fruit

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk all ingredients together very well except bread, nuts and dried fruit. Cut bread into cubes. Spray oven-safe bowl with cooking spray. Pour a little of the liquid in the bottom of the bowl. Place bread cubes, nuts and dried fruit if using in the bowl. Pour remaining liquid over and smash bread down so all is submerged under liquid. Place in oven and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Remove and let cool. Serve with nut butter or sugar free syrup if that's your thing. This is sooooo delicious! YUM!!!!

Monday Morning - Get your workout on!!

I admit it. I didn't sleep enough. Who's fault is that, you ask? Well, that would be mine. Yep! I think I'll own that. Went to sleep late and also drank a 10 oz. green tea at around 5pm and then also another 4 ounces or so around 8pm. BAD IDEA!!! But the tea is sooooo tasty that I just drank it and didn't think about the consequences. You know when I thought about the consequences? Well, let's see...that would be at 3:45am!!! Yep, that's a good time to think about a lot of things!! NO!!! But there I was wide awake at 3:45am. I played some game on my ipod touch and then went to sleep until 5:10 and I was awake before my alarm so I got up, ate/drank my shake/oats and off to the gym I went. And guess what?!? I had a GREAT workout and even finished up with 15 minutes running on the treadmill. TADOW! How ya like me now?!? Hahaha!!!!

Wait...what? I just looked that up online and all this time I thought Ice Cube was saying "tadow...how you like me now I'm in the mix?" but all the lyrics sites say he's saying "today...how you like me now..." WHAT?!? Am I wrong really? So how many of you thought the lyrics were tadow? It can't just be me! Well, too funny and the joke's on me if those online lyrics are correct!

Moving right along to my workout this morning: SHOULDERS AND SOME CHEST
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 25# 2x12, 1x10
Incline Lat Raise 5# 3x12 - yes, I know this seems very light but it is such a hard exercise
DB Front Raise 12# 3x12
Single Rear Delt Flyes on Incline bench 12# 3x10 (surprisingly hard to do single)
Incline DB Chest Flyes 15# 3x12
Incline DB Chest Press 20# 3x12
15 minutes treadmill run @ 6.5

Only 3 meals so far today:
1) 1 scoop protein, 1/4 cup quick oats (pre-workout)
2) 4 egg whites, 1 whole egg, 1/2 cup oats w/ 5 walnut halves, 1 T dried cranberries, 1 cucumber
3) 1 Lemon Blueberry Cereal Bar (yes, I will post the recipe soon), 1/2 cup Voskos Greek yogurt, 2 cucumbers

So that's it for now! Hope you are all having a good day.

I posted this on Facebook but it definitely needs to be posted here as well. This is an amazing video. I mean...WOW!!!!!! It's truly inspirational. I love how this girl didn't even think of giving up, not for one second! LOVE it!

To compete again or not?

So this thought has been floating around in my brain. There are pros and cons to competing again. This is what I've come up with so far. Feel free to comment if you think of anything I've forgotten!

PROS:

1) Goal setting and achieving: I can honestly say that I was not really good at this before I competed. I'm pretty good at it now and I know I wouldn't have been if I hadn't done a competition. You really have to set a goal to hit the stage by a certain date and then every single day leading up to that day you eat, drink, workout, and rest to get you to that stage busting out the best "stage" you possible!

2) Meals are set: You don't have to question at all what you're going to eat. You already know. Even with my menu plan, it wasn't set in stone as to what type of protein I was to eat unless it was egg whites. Then it was. But other than that I still knew that I was going to eat 1/4 cup oatmeal at Meal 1 with 6, 7, or 8 egg whites. I knew I would be eating a certain amount of brown rice or kamut along the way. I knew each Sunday what I needed to prepare for the week. It made mealtime very easy.

3) Workouts are set: Again not a lot of thinking going into my workouts. They were pretty much the same all throughout my prep. This actually goes in both the pro and con list since that can be not always good. I mean it's nice to know what you're going in there to do, how much cardio you need to do and what body part you need to work.

4) Incredible sense of accomplishment: The day you actually hit the stage is SUCH a sense of accomplishment. Just to be standing up there and saying to yourself. I did this. ME. It was all me (well, and my team of family and friends and other supporters along the way.) But I'm the one that chose to eat right, get up every single morning at 5:00am to head to the gym for fasted morning cardio, eat to plan all day, hit the gym again at night for weights AND more cardio. I was the one that said no to social engagements so I could stay on point. So yes, it was all ME and I DID IT! That is an accomplishment that you can't even imagine. It would be nice to have that accomplishment again!

5) Constant change in your body: The constant changes you see in your body make you push more each and every day. It's fascinating to see the changes and know that you can shift your body composition a lot with food, workouts, and rest.

6) My age: This is a pro because if I did decide to compete again I wouldn't do it before October so that means I would definitely be in the 45+ group. And I think I would rock that age group. I can't believe I'll be 45 this year! That's NUTS! 

CONS:

1) Expensive: Few that don't compete realize the extreme cost and money put out for a competition. It's NOT cheap. Just to name a few expenses there are coach/trainer/nutritionist, supplements, food (more than you would imagine), shoes, suit, NPC card, competition registration fee, hair, makeup, tan, parking fee (at the gym), workout clothes, jewelry.

2) Hard on your body: I'm not in my 20's or 30's. I'm not using it as an excuse but I think it truly takes a toll on your body in many ways. And I think women's hormones really take a beating when they get so low in body fat and are lifting such serious weights and just stressing your body day after day for months at a time.

3) Returning to "normal" after: This has been so much more challenging to me than I thought it would be. I was really prepared for the aftermath of competing and still I feel like I'm still struggling with how to live a "normal" life post-competition. It hasn't been easy. You get kind of confused about food and what's normal to eat, what quantities are normal to eat. I don't really know how often I should be working out, what's normal and what's not. What my body needs, what it wants, and mentally what I am okay with giving it or not. It's all very confusing. I'm not struggling every day day in and day out. But it has been a challenge. That's for sure!

4) Workouts are set: As mentioned above this is both a pro and con. It's a con because you're not really free to do whatever you want to do in the workout world. You're not really allowed to challenge your body and abilities in any way you want because you're too busy sculpting the best body for a certain composition that will get you noticed and rank you higher. The freedom to do whatever I want in the gym is great! I'm not sure I want to give that up again.

5) Socially difficult: I'm a very social person and I like to go out to eat, have people over, cook, eat, hang out, and not really be restricted in doing so. I didn't do as much of that as I normally do while I was in contest prep. This was of course my choice. I know a lot of the younger competitors can do that more easily but I really basically wasn't very social because it was easier to not go to certain things than to go and be ridiculed or asked a million questions about why I'm not eating this or that or why I AM eating what I'm eating.

So as you see I'm pretty much even on my pros and cons. I know it's just a decision I have to make for myself. And when and if the time comes I'll certainly let all of you know and even let you come along for the ride. In the meantime I've got other foci. Any other competitors have any insights about competing or not that they would like to share, I would be happy to hear them.

Ahh...my little veggies...how I love thee...let me count the ways!

WOW! I know I've said it before but veggies make me feel better. So as hard as it is to get your veggies in, it's so important to do it. I'm not a salad eater. Did you all know that? I don't care for lettuce much! Isn't that just funny? So when I make salads it's mostly all the other vegetables with a small amount of lettuce. And I'm much better with mesclun or spring mix than I am with romaine or red lettuce. Very weird I know but I'm just NOT a salad person. Now I do like the occasional salad with different items. For example, with steak I love salad as a side. It's delicious! And sometimes I just like to have Caesar Salad because I think it's delish! But mostly I'm more of a veggie person over salad any day. Give me my Crunch A Munch and I'm one happy camper!

So for my new mini-goal of eating veggies at every meal except my last I'm off to a great start. I need to clarify though that on days when I'm lifting in the morning I will have my first meal with no veggies also. Sorry but I'm NOT doing veggies at 5:15 am...ain't gonna happen!

My meals so far today look like this:
Snack 1: 1 scoop protein, 1/4 cup quick oats
Meal 1: 5 egg whites with salsa and cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup oatmeal with 3 large strawberries
Snack 2: Quest Almond Crunch bar, 1 small apple, 1 cucumber, 6 baby carrots
Meal 2: Korean style rice bowl - 1/2 cup brown rice, 2 cups or so of broccoli, 4 slices of ham, all mixed together with bibim pahp sauce (spicy sweet), 1 package of TJ's seaweed (yummy!), 5 celery stalks with 1 T PB mixed with 1 t honey (even yummier!)
Meal 3: 3 Jamie Eason's Chicken Meatloaf Muffins , 12 asparagus spears, 1 slice Ezekiel cinnamon raisin bread
Snack 3: Will be a shake...hmmm...probably lemon almond! Yummy!


I got in a great workout this morning doing my back and plyo legs superset workout which I changed just slightly. This was my BACK AND LEG PLYOS WORKOUT today:

All back exercises were sets of 12 and the plyos were sets of 20 (or 10 each side)
3 of each Superset:
Wide grip lat pulldown
SS w/ jump squats

Underhand grip bentover row
SS w/ jumping split lunges

Unilateral Hammer Strength Lat Pulldown
SS w/ full range vertical jumps with 10# plate (only 13 NOT 20)

Seated cable row
SS w/ straightleg deadlift with plate (only 15 NOT 20)

Lat pulldown with rope
SS w/ skater (lateral) jumps


I'm ready for the weekend. What's up for the weekend for all of you? Anything fun that I need to know about? Let me know. It's supposed to be nice weather here so I'm pretty sure I'll be doing something or several things outdoors.