Circuit Challenge!

I did an insanely hard circuit a few weeks ago. I just have to share it with you! I thought I'd do a 3 mile run after this... needless to say I had zero energy and skipped the run!

Repeat each circuit 3 times! 
Try to rest only after the entire circuit is completed 3 times!

Circuit 1:

50 jump rope rotations

40 bicycles

30 mountain climbers

20 forward lunges

10 push ups

Circuit 2:

50 jump rope rotations

40 squats

30 plank w/ knee tuck

20 backwards lunges

10 stability ball pull ins

Circuit 3:

50 jump rope rotations

40 high knees

30 burpees

20 kettle bell swings

10 stability ball passes

**If you're missing equipment or need to change/modify 
an exercise for another reason, do it!

Try this workout and the let me know what you think!

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Eating Fat Makes You Fat- DIET MYTHS!

Have you ever believed any of the diet myths below? I have! I used to be all about "fat free" products. That pesky fat will make you fat, right? WRONG! Read on...



Myth #1: Eating fat makes you fat.

Reality: If you consume more calories than you expend, those extra calories will be stored as body fat. Fat and carbohydrates are immediately used for fuel. The excess is stored as fat. (Protein is rarely stored as fat, as your body prefers to use it for tissue repair. Protein can be used as energy, but it is not your body's preferred choice!) But getting back to the "fat" of this myth... Your body DOES need fat, but be sure to avoid saturated fats and trans fats, as they are not good for your heart. Instead, choose unsaturated fats, like the fat contained in avocado, peanut butter, olive oil, peanut butter, egg yolks, salmon, and tuna. The daily recommended intake of fat for adults is 25-35%.

Myth #2: Carbohydrates are bad.

Reality: Some people declare, "I've cut carbs from my diet!" This is nearly impossible- and dangerous! Carbohydrates are your body's primary fuel source, so eliminating this macro nutrient is a bad idea. However, it is best to stick to 100% whole grains, fruits, and vegetables as your main source of carbs. If anything, be cognizant of what types of carbs you're putting in your body. How much sugar is in your morning cereal? How about that "healthy" granola bar? You get my point. 

Myth #3: Going gluten-free will help you lose weight.

Reality: Unless you have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity unrelated to celiac disease, there is no health benefit in cutting gluten from your diet. This article is short and sweet and explains it perfectly. Go Jillian! 

Myth #4: Eat as few calories as possible.

Reality: It may work in the short term, but not the long term. Even if you drop a few pounds right away, are you really going to be able to maintain the huge calorie deficit in the long term? Not only that, but starving your body will slow down your metabolism. Our bodies are smart and efficient little buggers. Say your body requires 1200 calories a day to function. If you start feeding it only 800 calories a day, it will eventually adjust. Your body will adapt and begin to function on only 800 calories a day. Fuel your body with the food it needs to function. Even if you are trying to lose weight, you should not be starving yourself to get there.

Myth #5: If you eat after 7pm, the undigested food will be stored as fat.

Reality: Your food is going to get digested no matter when you eat it- even if you eat it right before you go to bed! It's not when you eat, it's what you eat and how much. Most people snack on high calorie junk before they go to bed and they're consuming more calories than they expend. That's more likely the cause for weight gain, not the fact that you ate it at 7:01pm instead of 6:59pm.

What diet myths have you given up on or debunked???

Annnnnnnnnnnd I know what's wrong with my knee!

I know, not the most exciting diagnosis, right? And also nothing I didn't know. I mean, it PULSATES. Of course it is inflamed!

The good news: The MRI showed no tears in anything. It just shows inflammation from using my knee.

The bad news: I have to go the PT 3xs a week for a month to see if it helps. I hate PT. Plus that's going to be a couple hundred dollars in co-pays. Doesn't my knee know I have a Hawaiian Vacation to save for???

If PT doesn't work, then the doctor can go in arthroscopically (sp!?) and look around to see if there is anything he can fix, but it's a last resort. So it doesn't sound like surgery is something I need. Which is good.

I wonder what they will have me do at PT? It's a mystery...

Until then, I'm just going to go about my normal routine! I have a 5 mile run scheduled for... RIGHT NOW. It's supposedly 41 degrees out there! That's practically shorts weather! Bring it!!!

Do you like going to physical therapy?

I need a PLAN.

I have been all over the place in my strength training lately. There are several reasons for this...

1. I am trying to be kind to my knee and my groin.

2. I feel like I need to progress but I don't know how.

3. I am lacking real performance goals 
and am focusing on aesthetic goals.

4. I still worry about how many calories I am burning.

ARGH!!! Let's break it down...

"I am trying to be kind to my knee and my groin."

This is a valid problem. I don't want to injure or re-injure anything that has recently been giving me issues. My groin has been great, (teehee!!!) but I'm still not loading up on the weights while doing lunges because I want to be cautious. As for my knee, nothing in my weight training program has really hurt it. I am just not increasing weights at the moment because I don't want to push things until I hear back about my MRI...

"I feel like I need to progress but I don't know how."

I feel stuck. I want a big strong body builder to tell me what to do. Or, I could just set goals and and do it on my own. Yes! I need to get out my pen and clip board and take it to the gym with me.

"I am lacking real performance goals and am focusing on aesthetic goals."

Confession: A major goal of mine is for my arms to look "awesome". How does one define/measure that in the gym? I do not know. Of course hard work and lifting heavy weights will have the side effect of making my arms look awesome, or at least,  better than they look at the moment. But is that a healthy goal??? I DO want to be stronger, I truly do, but I also want to LOOK GOOD. I'd be lying if I said I didn't.

"I still worry about how many calories I'm burning."

This leads to less rest. Which leads to less muscle recovery. Which leads to sub par performance at the gym. Why do I feel the need to hop on the arc trainer after a strenuous leg day? BECAUSE I MUST BURN CALORIES, DAMNIT. BECAUSE I WANT TO EAT ICE CREAM, DAMNIT. These are not good reasons to get on the arc trainer. I KNOW that.

Motivation!!!

As you know, I've been studying for my ACE Personal Trainer Certification. I'm currently plowing through the chapter on strength training programming and design. Reading this chapter has motivated me GREATLY and I am now reassessing the purpose of my gym time. This week, I am hashing out goals, and developing a plan for myself. 

This is what I know so far...

I am going to be training for muscular strength. This means, lower reps, higher weights, and more rest time between sets. Oh, and also more rest time between sessions. 72 hours, to be exact.

Monday & Thursday = Chest, Shoulders & Triceps

Tuesday & Friday = Back, Biceps, and Legs (still taking it easy on the legs!)

That leaves Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays for running and/or HIIT.

My goal is to stick with this schedule. If I overeat Monday night and am DYING to go for a calorie blasting run Tuesday morning, I am NOT ALLOWED TO. I will make myself stick to my schedule. (Don't worry, I'll let you know if I slide.)

As for my goals in the gym, I came up with some performance goals, rather than aesthetic goals.

Goal #1: Perform 3 unassisted pull ups.

(I can currently do 1)

Goal #2: Do 100 push ups in a row.

(I can currently do 37)

Goal #3: Bench Press 100lbs (using the Smith Machine. I have to. I don't have a spotter!!)

(I can currently do 75lbs... this includes the bar.)

These are clearly long term goals. These are not things that I'm going to be able to do next month. But I plan on hashing out smaller goals in between so I have a time frame to try to reach what I ultimately want to do.

I work well with a plan. I need a PLAN!

Let's see if this works!!!



What are your current goals in the gym???

The most important meal of your day.

You know the saying "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day"? Well, not for me! My second breakfast is the most important meal of my day! Why? Because it is the meal I eat immediately after I workout.

And I would suggest you consider the meal you eat directly following your workout your most important meal of the day.

Why is it important to eat following my workout?

 Because if you eat the right foods after your workout, you can improve your body composition, enhance your performance, and recover faster. You have to EAT. You just used up energy. It's time to replace it! Your muscles need to repair so they can become stronger. Muscles cannot do this without nutrients.

What should I eat?

No matter what sort of activity you're doing, your body's main source of energy is carbs. So your post workout meal should consist of a good amount of carbohydrates. You should also eat protein, which will aid in protein synthesis and help your muscles grow.


When should I eat?

As soon as possible! From Precision Nutrition's website... "Research suggests that while protein synthesis persists for at least 48 hours after exercise, it's most important to get post workout nutrition immediately, and within 2 hours afterwards. If your feed your body properly while this window is open, you'll get the benefits. If you don't provide adequate post exercise nutrition fast enough- even if you delay by only a couple of hours- you decrease muscle glycogen storage and protein synthesis."

Would you believe that just 18 months ago, I would wake up at 6:00am, run 7 miles on an empty stomach, and then not eat anything until around 10:30am??? (That's when I would eat an apple. A WHOLE FREAKING APPLE.) I can't believe I did that. I was SO STUPID. My body could not perform to it's full potential because I was not FUELING it. I gave it NO NUTRIENTS to help it recover. I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around why I did that... Actually, I know why. I wanted to be skinny. (Spoiler Alert!!! I wasn't skinny! I was hungry and irritable. )You can read more about how I changed my behaviors here.)

Are you wondering what I eat post workout nowadays??

Well, if I weight train I eat:

Some generic form of Cheerios

and chicken breast!

If I run or do a HIIT circuit...

...this yummy cereal! But a bowl about twice as big.

Oh, how times have changed. If I was only allowed to eat an apple now, I would pass out for sure.

If you would like an extremely informative in depth article about the science behind post workout meals, check out this post at Precision Nutrition.


What is your favorite thing to eat post workout replenish your energy and repair your muscles?

Some Random Things You Probably Care Nothing About...

I got my bellybutton ring out! Not only did I get it out, but I got it out by accident. I popped the ball off Sunday afternoon (on purpose), but the ring was still in. The plan was to just let it chill there until my MRI on Friday. But on Monday morning (in the shower at Planet Fitness) I looked down and the ring was GONE. I forgot how sweaty and slimy get. Of course it fell out! Would you believe I found it on the gym floor after only looking for about 10 seconds? It was just laying there glistening. Like a beacon of... trashiness. (Seriously, who gets their bellybutton pierced???? In my defense, I was 22.) The good news is I got it disinfected (Thank you, Nursey Raymond!!!) and got it back in me. It didn't hurt! Hallelujah!!! You know, until that day, I never took it out. Yup, I've had it for 9 years.

\

Christmas is out of control. We have him on a proper diet- we're not STARVING the poor thing. But he no longer has free range of food. First he started licking around the sink. Then he moved on to any pans we had on the oven. Then he started licking the oven ITSELF. The other night, he licked the handle of the microwave. He is frantic. I understand. I love food, too. And as soon as I CAN'T have something, I want it REALLY badly. So I get it, Christmas. But the microwave? COME ON!!!!

Christmas says, "Fuck this shit."

I've been having omelettes for dinner nearly every night this week. Omelettes are SO good!!! I normally put in tomatoes, ground turkey or deli turkey, and cheese. If I'm feeling frisky, I'll add onions. What lead to my omelette obsession? Well the thing is, I can only eat so much chicken breast and I needed another source of quality protein. Seriously, sometimes dinner rolls around and I've already eaten 11 oz of chicken breast. I can't eat any more! My solution? Eggs. You know, just another form of chicken...

We picked up our little Basey Girl. They put her cremains in a beautiful wooden box with her name on it. I was very pleased because it is a very respectful and beautiful box. Of course we want the absolute best for Basic because she is worth it. I love her so much. We put her on the bottom shelf of the sofa table in our music room. The reason we put her there is because Basic loved to sit in the most awkward place in the room. One of those places was on that shelf. There are even some scratch marks there from one of the many times Christmas was chasing her and she hopped up there for safety. So she is there for now. Oh, they also made an ornament with her paw print on it! It's like a putty ornament with her ACTUAL paw print. I of course bawled when I saw it and want to sleep with it every night for the rest of my life.

Two remotes??? Ahhhh... Basey loved her technology!

I have a dream involving Hawaii and/or the plane ride there at least every other night.

I'm ready. Is it July yet???

Tell me something random!

Weekend Wrap Up! (I'm back on the trail!)

Gooooooooood Monday Morning to you all!

Teacher friends, never fear. Counting today, there are only 6 student days left until Thanksgiving Break!!! And then after that, only 14 student days until Christmas Break!!! Not like I'm counting or anything...

Anyway, let's not get too ahead of ourselves and enjoy the moment and the beautiful fall weather we are experiencing. This weekend's weather was AWESOME and I tried to take advantage of it. As much as I love just laying around on the weekends, this weather is not going to last forever!

Time for my wrap up. ONWARD!


Friday

Friday was a challenging day at work. I went home sick on Thursday and still was not feeling great. But I had to go to work on Friday for several reasons. The main reason was I have 4th graders who are learning the recorder and they would be devastated if I wasn't there and they couldn't test for their Recorder Karate White Belts. So I sucked it up and tried not to talk much. Which is sort of hard when you're a teacher... But the kids are really sweet and if you tell them you're sick and things need to be quiet and calm they really want to please you.

After work I had to go straight to OIP to finally get an MRI on my knee. Man I hate laying in that thing. It was all I could do not to cough, but laying down made everything drain to my throat and I was dying to let one loose. I finally had a coughing fit when there was only 2 minutes left, but the technician said it was fine and the doctor would call me in a few days with the results.

I still felt pretty crappy so I did nothing of note on Friday night. I pretty much laid on the couch and watched Sex in the City while exploring new blogs.



Saturday


Saturday was glorious for a few reasons!! First of all, I got to sleep until 8:45am. Hallelujah! Then the morning was spent relaxing on the couch and cleaning the house- which comes with it a feeling of great accomplishment.

At noon, I met my friend Jennifer (the gal who changed my life!) and my mother-in-law for a trail run around Pinchot Lake. I ran ALMOST NINE MILES and I'm still in one piece! Which of course is ironic, since I had an MRI yesterday. But my doctor never told me to stop running. In fact, he set me up with an awesome brace so I could keep running.

There were lots of hunters out on the trail, but we wore bright colors and cackled the whole way so we wouldn't be mistaken for a turkey or something similar.

Bright yellow is always a good choice for Saturday trail runs!

That flattest peanut butter sandwich I ever made.

This was my pre-run fuel! (Aka 2nd breakfast)

Post-run fuel! Turkey/egg wrap and proatmeal!!

(Proatmeal = oatmeal & protein powder)

On Saturday night, we had our friend's Doug and Jen over for a game night!

The Gals won Catchphrase. I knew that we would.

Girls ALWAYS win Catchphrase!!!

Paul won Consensus. He was so excited he went a little nuts...

Jelly was a party pooper and hid all night...

I didn't roll into bed until 2am! That's because when I was winding down from game night, I forgot about this awesome show on Youtube called Crime Time and I wanted to get caught up.

I love to hate this show.

Sunday

I fully planned to sleep in until my little heart's desire on Sunday, but I was up by 9:45. I really don't like Sundays at all, but it actually turned out to be a great day! 

Reasons why Sunday was awesome...

1. I got some quality studying done, and it was a chapter that interested me A LOT so it was actually fun. 

2. I went on a walk with the lovely Bree, and all the neighborhood cats (and by all, I mean two) came to greet us. Torpedo (this awesome orange and white cat with a bell around his neck) even followed us for awhile because he thought we were so cool!

3. I went on a 7 mile run, the last half of which was done at a 7 min pace. Hellz yeah!!! And nothing hurt the whole time!! (My knee hurts now, because I am sitting (OF COURSE) but during my run all areas of my body felt strong! MAN I NEEDED THAT.

4. My bellybutton ring fell out on my run because I forgot to tape it down (which obviously was NOT a good thing), but I went to Hot Topic and got a new naval ring and a pack of cartilage rings. At least my holes won't grow shut. I am not a huge fan of what the rings look like but for now they are just serving the function of keeping the holes open. And they were on sale, so YAY!

Oh, I was going to post pictures of my actual piercings with the new rings, but after taking pics, I have some sad news for you. Pictures of just my ear and just my belly button are GROSS. So you get pics off Hot Topic's website instead!

I would have preferred just straight up silver... and I didn't need four,

but this is all they had so it's what I got.

I wish this had been all silver, not cubic zirconia, but again, it's all they had!

Don't worry, I didn't get this, but it would have been funny!

5. I enjoyed some leftovers from game night...

6. I watched a terrible television show... because I like to complain about how terrible it is!

7. The kitties also weighed in on Sunday night! GET THIS!!!! Chrissy lost .8 lbs this week!!! Jelly lost .4 lbs this week!!!! That brings us to their totals...

Chrissy is down from 19.2 to 18.0 lbs exactly!!!

Jelly is down from 15.6 to 14.6 lbs!!!!

Wahoo!!!

What fun things did you do this weekend???