Friday, June 24, 2011

THE 4 DONT'S

NUMBER 1: Don't eat fat before a workout
NUMBER 2: Don't eat fat after a workout.
NUMBER 3: Don't give yourself excuses not to workout.
NUMBER 4: Don't let feelings sabotage your goal.

Tonight was a lesson learned. I didn't eat enough fat or enough calories today, so I was hungry tonight after our nightly constitution. I had two tablespoons of peanut butter and 2 oz of chicken. What a big mistake. Certainly I could have done without the extra fat calories, even though I'm glad that the fat I ate was a good fat. Wow! did it effect my kettlebell workout tonight. I seriously didn't want to workout, and then the peanut butter was rolling around in my stomach while I was swinging the kettlebell. I was NOT comfortable at all. It was a struggle getting through the hour.

I have read that it is not good to eat fat before or after a workout, because it effects the body's ability to lose fat. While good fats are absolutely necessary and good for the body and for losing weight, they are not supposed to be good to eat pre and post workout. I am usually very careful about this. Anyway, I paid the price. Not only was my body not happy with me, but I was very busy in my head trying to make a good enough excuse why I shouldn't workout.

I started thinking that I'll never get in as good of shape as I did for the last competition. Then, I started to think that I'm going to be one year older from the last competition, and since I'm already 43 I can't possibly go onstage at that age. I'm really good at making excellent excuses, but I decided that my feelings weren't going to rule my actions. About 3/4 of the way through the workout I got energized and excited again. I was no longer feeling low and defeated. Since my mood changed so much, I decided to add 3 sets of hamstring curls and 3 sets of donkey calf raises to the end of my workout.

Also, after talking with Paul Daniels from www.thebodywarehouse.com  today, I decided that I'll go online and decide the exact deadline of the competition I want to enter. As he says, at least I will have a more definitive end point. I think that it will help on days like this when I all of a sudden felt defeated.

Eats Today:
830am: same smoothie
11am: pear and hardboiled egg
130pm: 3-4 oz chicken, salsa, 1/2 sweet potato
315pm: 1 Promax bar
6pm: 4 oz grilled chicken with seasoning and root vegetables
7:30pm: 2 Tbs peanut butter & 2 oz of chicken

Workout Today:
50 minutes Kettlebell workout consisting of the following sets:
4 sets of 25 double arm swings.
4 sets of the following combination: 10 alternating swings, 10 alternating clean and presses, 10 kettlebell swings, 5 high pulls each side, 10 kettlebells swings, 10 kettlebell squats, 10 bent over rows each side.
4 sets of the following combination: 10 kettlebell swings with 2 kettlebells, then 5 double kettlebell cleans,
40 lunges without the kettlebell (20 each side), 5 bicep curls, 5 overhead tricep extensions.
3 sets of hamstring curls on our machine and 3 sets of donkey calf raises, no extra weight on the machine.

I will post my deadline tomorrow. Until then,
Sleep well,
Eat well,
Work hard,
Play hard.


...as my 6 year old daughter reminds me, "...things done in halves are never done well."

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Is Diet or Exercise More Important?

Obviously both exercise and diet are important if the goal is to transform the body. But there are times when diet is more important than exercise and vise verse.

Tonight was a great example of a time when diet was more important than exercise. My husband and I went to an amazing dinner party where the dinner and desserts were rich and delicious looking, but I didn't take a bite. I wouldn't, because eating foods outside my diet would really set me back. It's easy to show a net gain of 2 lbs on the scale the next morning and have to take a week to get back on track. However, not working out tonight would be less of an issue, because I work out enough during the week. I can always workout throughout the weekend to make sure I get in 6 days / week of workouts.

Ultimately if the goal is to simply lose weight either one must cut back on the calorie intake or start exercising if one has not been doing so. But a person wouldn't be able to eat more and exercise if a loss of weight is the goal. If a person simply drops the calories, the body will surely lose weight, but the body will not be toned, and if one is heavy enough, the skin will most likely droop in places on the body. If one works out with resistance weights, then the skin has an opportunity to shrink and potentially not sag.

Years ago, a friend of the family lost over 100 lbs with dieting alone, no exercise. Her body was smaller, looked better in clothes, but her skin was very droopy. Yet, if you pick up an Oxygen fitness magazine and see the before and after shots of people losing a large amount of weight, the skin either doesn't sag or not  a lot, because they do resistance and cardio training as well as diet.

So, in different ways exercise is important because it speeds up the metabolism, allows the body to burn calories longer throughout the day, and can reduce the skin from sagging after losing a lot of weight. (This is another reason why kettlebell is a very good exercise. It not only increases your metabolism, but also provides an excellent resistant form of exercise).

On the other hand, diet is critical to losing weight faster, and if the diet mostly consists of lean meats, good fats, leafy and root vegetables ....the transformation may be more impressive than just lowering the overall calorie intake.

What I ate today:
830am: same smoothie as usual
11am: pear and hard boiled egg
1pm: salsa, 1/2 sweet potato, 4 oz chicken strips from Costco
3pm: 1 Promax chocolate chip bar
5:30pm: salsa, 1/2 sweet potato, 4 oz chicken strips from Costco. I ate this meal in the car on the way to pick  up my daughter from the gym. 6:30pm was the dinner party I attended.

No Workout tonight.

It wasn't so hard staying away from all the delicious food at the party tonight. The difficult part is going home thinking that this is just one of 90+ days I will be doing this....

I am not driving myself nuts being so strict. I think the challenge of seeing how far I can push myself, and deal with tension is just so fascinating. The reward is that I've conquered just one more obstacle or got that much better than ever did before.

RsmKettleGirl@gmail.com

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Protein Supplements vs. Home Made Food

I love supplements! I especially love Promax Bars. I tried a new one today called Peanut Butter Crunch. Yum! The only thing is that I had it for dinner on the way home from picking up my daughter from a writing and reading class which ends at 5:30pm. Dinner is at 5:30pm for me. Sometimes I can hold off until 6pm, but not tonight. I packed a protein bar in my purse just in case I couldn't make it home in time.

While I was driving home I started to visualize having a nice piece of chicken and green beans. A real home made dinner sounded so much better and so much more fulfilling at that time of day. I knew it would have been better for me and more satisfying, but the bar would at least do. I know this all sounds confusing, because I previously said how much I love supplements. The problem is that I don't like them at certain times of the day. For a snack, bars are great! And they are especially wonderful when I didn't pack enough home made meals. Otherwise, I much prefer to eat what I make from home. It's more satisfying mentally and physically. The duration home made food lasts in body is definitely longer. For instance, I can have a 1/2 of a yam, salsa, and chicken, and that will sustain my needs much longer than a bar. The taste is richer and more complex, which I'm sure translates into providing my body with mroe complex nutrients.

In the morning, I love having my vanilla flavored Lean Complex protein in my morning smoothie. The smoothie wouldn't be the same without it. It's the taste which enhances the flavors of the banana and the protein. I've tried the smoothie with rice milk, soy milk, and nonfat milk, but it's not at all the same in texture and flavor.

I think the two supplements I use, for the purpose I use them for, serves me well in their nutritional profile and quality. However, I still think that if one is making a choice, GO FOR THE REAL FOOD. Pop in the microwave for 7-10 minutes a yam, or sweet potato. Cut it in half, take the skin off, and top it with some salsa or Asian seasoning or whatever, and add 3-4 oz of chicken and seriously it's the best. If I was working outside the home in an office, I would take 3 meals with me to work, and this one would be my lunch. The other two would be a Chubani Yogurt and 10 salt free nuts, and a protein bar. How easy is that to pack?

Costco on Technology in Irvine is now selling the Chubani Yogurt (I don't think this is the correct spelling). It's Greek yogurt and the nutritional profile is amazing. Also, once every 6 weeks the Promax bars go on sale at Ralphs. If they are not all gone, I usually buy most of them for $1.00 each. Normally they are $1.49-$1.69 each. I have 4 cases in my house right now. Oh! I forgot to mention...I eat the vanilla Chubani Yogurt and not the flavored ones. However, my husband, who is a body builder eats the fruit flavored ones and he seems to win competitions. I stay away from them because of the added carbohydrates, but it doesn't seem to phase him.

Today's Eats:
8am: peanut butter, banana, protein, ice, and water smoothie.
1030am: 1 pear & 1 hard boiled egg
1pm: left over taco salad with a little more ground turkey from a different leftover.
3pm: my favorite chocolate chip Promax bar.
530pm: by default.....another Promax bar (Peanut Butter Crunch)

Workout Tonight:
30 minute treadmill run and 5 minutes of walking
stretching.

Tomorrow I may not workout. We are going out tomorrow evening, and since I workout 6 days a week, one day off will not hurt and will probably be good for the body. If I feel guilty, I'll probably take it as my day off for the week and workout on Saturday.

...And YES I'm a little hungry right now. The protein bar this evening wasn't as filling as the meal I intended to have. I'm going to get some water right now to help fill the tummy.

RsmKettleGirl@gmail.com

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

It's a big waiting game, isn't it?

I should have titled it, "it's a big wait-weighing game." The reality is that eating well and working out are relatively easy in the sense that one can figure out what to eat at each meal without much trouble, and 30 minutes minimum of an intense workout can be accomplished daily. The truly grueling part is not seeing daily instant results that I can visually see, and say, "wow! I really made improvement today!" It would be great if I could look at myself naked in the mirror and feel that momentary satisfaction that could keep me going for the next 3-4 months.

Unfortunately, it's not going to happen. So what does one do? Well, like most people we know or are like, we can just find a weak moment in the day and just give in to a little snacky pie, or a dinner outing, or a shower without a workout that day.

If one chooses to dismiss the feeling of being bored and feels that having something to do or anything to do...because one can't stand the place they are in within at that particular moment, then the battle is lost.

The whole point of the matter is more than losing weight. It's really about how to do without the preoccupation of needing to do something to make one feel more ampt up, distracted, and in constant motion.

One shouldn't try to fill up the space again  with something that is not serving the end point. Being okay with the way things are when one has done everything possible that day is okay. TIME will take care of the rest. But TIME is the most important part of the process.

Tonight was one of those nights I had to look at myself and say "don't do anything!" Just doing what I needed to do today inspite of what I WANTED was probably the most challenging and most important.
I didn't want to work out. My body was tired. So, I went downstairs and put in almost 1 hour of kettlebell training, even though I was expecting 30 minutes from myself. Also, I really wanted more food tonight, so instead I ate 1 tsp of peanut butter and drank lots of water.

What I ate today:
830am: peanut butter, protein powder, ice, water, banana smoothie
11am: 1 pear & 1 hard boiled egg
1pm: taco salad from last night
3pm: Promax chocolate chip protein bar
5:45pm: 2 lean ground turkey, salsa, corn tortilla tacos
7pm: 1 tsp peanut butter

Workout Tonight:
833pm: Kettlebell workout:
4 sets of 25 two arm kettlebell swings.
4 sets of the following combinations with rests in between each set: 10, 10, 15, 15 -two kettlebell deadlifts, 10 alternating swings, 10 two arm swings, 10 alternating clean and presses, 5-10 swings, 40 lunges without the kettlebell (20 each side).
4 sets of the following combinations with rests in between each set: 10-16 total of two kettlebell alternating rows from a push-up position, followed by 20 fast squat-to-stand without the kettlebell.
4 sets of sit ups using the large yoga ball.

...then as fast as I could I went upstairs to shower, so I could have lots of time to just sit and relax!!!!

RsmKettleGirl@gmail.com

Monday, June 20, 2011

Classes vs. Home Workouts

As long as I'm working out consistently it really doesn't matter where I am doing it. This month I have chosen to workout at home as opposed to go to my kettlebell classes with Paul Daniels from www.thebodywarehouse.com. I love his classes, but it was really hard for me to get to a few of them at night even though I loved getting my workout over with early in the evening.  I was having a hard time staying consistent for a variety of reasons, so I decided to become a little introverted and do my workouts at home downstairs in my own gym. So far, so good. I don't always like working out until 9:30pm, but I am running every other day, and doing my kettlebell workout on the alternating days. Paul has taught me so much about body positioning, various moves with the kettlebell, and also pushing myself harder. So, all of that information has really helped me to create workouts that push myself harder.

The two things that are different about a home kettlebell workout are the use of my ipod when I'm training and using my thin workout gloves. I say "thin" because most workout gloves are quite bulky when you squeeze your hands and the kettlebell may not feel as comfortable. Also, I think it's important to have a really good grip on that large piece of iron, so I wouldn't advise the gloves unless you feel really confident about your grip. I know I don't need them, but they do keep my hands from getting as many callouses.

Paul's classes are fun. Not only because he is there to guide a good workout, but the people in the class are a joy to be with during the session. I miss both. But right now I am able to focus well at home.

I may purchase a 2nd kettlebell a little heavier, but I'll wait until next month. Right now I have 2 12kg kettlebells at home. One is my friend's.


Workout Tonight:
37 minutes treadmill: 30 minutes running, the rest walking.
4 sets of butt' blasters (15 reps throughout0


What I ate Today:
same protein/ banana/ peanut butter/ ice/ water smoothie
1030am:  1 pear & 1 hard boiled egg
1pm: not any surprise: 2 low fat ground turkey, salsa, 2 corn tortillas -tacos
3pm: peanut butter crunch Promax protein bar
5:45: Taco Salad: iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, white kidney beans, ground lean turkey with taco seasoning. 


I know it seems like I would get bored with eating some of the same foods each day. I am so used to having my 8am, 1030am, 3pm meals basically the same each day, that I'm actually quite used to and satisfied with them. The 1pm and 5:30pm meals I tend to play around more with based on my mental desires. Last year when I was training for the competition I used a lot of Asian seasoning, now it seems to have switched to Mexican seasoning. Also, I didn't think that I would have any breads, but I have ended up eating plenty of corn tortillas.

I know it's late, but after my shower, I may go downstairs and make the salsa fresca that needs to be ready for tomorrow.... Preparation is absolutely key....especially when there are enough factors that can throw one off track!

RsmKettleGirl@gmail.com
Please feel free to write me a comment anytime. I'm always interested in your feedback

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Taco Night is Every Night

I've gotten on this kick of eating tacos for lunch and tacos for dinner. It's been satisfying an urge for Mexican Food. It's the simplest thing to make, and I vary the meat I used depending on time and effort.
I heat up two corn tortillas (140calories total), add Salsa Fresca I made, and then add 3-4 oz of cooked lean ground turkey or chicken leftovers or canned white chicken meat if I'm desperate.

Nutrition Today:
830am: protein powder, peanut butter, banana, ice, water blended for my morning smoothie as usual.
1030am: 1 pear 1 hardboiled egg as usual
1pm: 2 ground turkey tacos (see recipe above)
3pm: Promax protein bar (chocolate chip...my favorite)
545pm: 2 ground turkey tacos (same as above)

Workout Tonight at 8:30am:
55 minutes kettlebell workout:
4 sets of 25 swings for a warm up
4 sets of the following combinations: 10 alternating swings, 10 cleans on each side, 10 alternating swings, alternating clean and presses, 10 two arm swings, two arm upright rows, 10 overhead tricep extensions. Rest after each complete set.
4 sets of the following combinations:10 two kettlebell two arm swings, 10 squats with 1 kettlebell, then 8 bent over rows with each arm, 5 alternating swings, then 5 snatches each side. These sets totally wiped me out.
3 sets of the following combination: 10 kettlebell sit ups and 10 leg raises with kettlebell above head.
DONE!

Yesterday was a rest day...and today was a little hard going downstairs tonight. I wasn't sure if I wanted to run or do a kettlebell workout. Last week I only did kettlebell Monday and Wednesday. They were pretty tough workouts, but I really wanted to get one more Kettlebell workout in before the week was over.

Tomorrow will be a run day. I just bought some new running shoes yesterday at Road Runner. I'm going to try them out. I had my other running shoes for 2 years and finally I think they had broken down enough to warrant me buying another pair. I know the recommendation is to buy them every 6 months or so, but they are pretty expensive to have to replace that often.

Hang in there for those who are on a quest to change their body. Every day is different emotionally, physically, and nutritionally. You just got to ride the bumps when they surface.

RsmKettleGirl@gmail.com

Friday, June 17, 2011

Resisting the Urge

This title refers to two different thoughts rolling around in my head. The first, which may be more significant for some, is that last night was homeschooler mom's night out. It's probably one of my favorite things to go to once a month. It's energizing, surprising, stimulating, and fun! It may not be the things other people like to talk about, but we get so excited about talking about learning styles, curriculum, field trips, current events, park days, special events, and on and on. On the other hand, it's also a time that we go to a restaurant and there are so many good things on the menu. It can be hard to resist. One year ago, I would not have had the discipline to say "no" to certain food menu items. Now, it's still tough, but I try to keep in mind the goal. So, last night I ordered Tortilla soup, (360calories), and then just ate lots of salsa fresca by itself with a spoon. I know that sounds weird, but it is sooooooo good just by itself. Honestly, if I was stranded on a desert island I definitely would take a spoon and as much salsa fresca as I possibly could pack.

Last night I didn't blog, because I got home at midnight and was too tired. However, yesterday after I finished up an afternoon school lesson with my youngest daughter, she and my husband and older daughter left the house to go out to dinner. The minute they stepped out of the house at 5pm, I hit the treadmill for 35 minutes. My homeschool friend and I wanted to meet and chat before the homeschool dinner, so I did my workout, jumped in the shower, and left the house.

I think that this example is one where making the time to just fit in the workout wherever it fits in the day is important. It always feels better to do it than not to do it, especially when I am going out to eat.

So the second thought I was having tonight downstairs while I was doing a leg workout was the fact that I've been somewhat reluctant to talk about homeschooling. I have just figured that it shouldn't be apart of my blog, because this blog is about workouts training for competition. However, I started to think more and more and I realized that this blog is about training for a competition, but also the things that keep me going, make me happy, motivate me, excite me, and drive me nuts....and whatever I go through that eventually moves me through the process of getting fitter each day.

So, there I was downstairs doing 4 sets of leg presses, 4 sets of hamstring curls, 4 sets of donkey calf raises, 4 sets of butt' blasters. In between sets I'm checking out the first homeschool yearbook we have had, since this has been my first year of homeschooling. It just made me so happy to see all the unique things the children in the homeschool did this year. The book was filled with amazing field trips to some pretty incredible places, interesting and fun science experiments, the music program performances, holiday games like wrapping a kid like a mummy, and on and on. It just made me feel so resolved of the fact that I made the right decision to homeschool.

The first 5 months was tough!!! The learning curve was steep all around, but the outcome was amazing. I saw my kids grow in ways that I had never seen before. I saw my older child just crawl out of this quiet shell from last year and become so animated, so excited and bubbly, passionate about pinnepeds,  reading, poem recitation, history, science, and being at home. And my younger daughter has just taken leaps and bounds in Kindergarten. I tried to get her to continue reading beginning readers, but she kept on picking up chapter books. By January, she started reading chapter books, which blew me away.

Obviously I can go on and on and what I mean to convey is really the fact that it feels so good to know when you are doing the right thing, giving your all, and committing to something when you don't really know the outcome. In my mind, homeschooling was taking a huge leap into a world I had no knowledge about, and I was pretty comfy cozy at the level my first daughter was at last year in public school. I had no real reason to change the situation. For all I knew, it appeared that everything was just great. What I didn't know what everything I didn't know. There were no secrets or any horrid thing that happened, there was just a circumstance that presented itself and I thought I would change the course of history.

Well, anyway, homeschooling is a lot like a fitness competition/ body transformation. You don't know if you'll get it right, you don't know if you are always doing it right, you will not know until more time has elapsed and you can gain some perspective, and you will not know how you will feel or be changed  or how others will perceive you, or anything. All you have is a goal motivated by some internal drive telling you to "stick to it."

And was the homeschooling year worth it? Not even just a little, but so much greater than I could have ever imagined. It's something that no one could have told me in any amount of words.

Is getting ready for another competition worth it? I don't know. I look at my body and think, "are you kidding?"  I'm a year older, by body is changing more each day, I don't know if it will or can look as good as it did before, and I don't know if I can do it again.

Am I willing to try? Definitely!

RsmKettleGirl@gmail.com

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Kettlebell and Eating

Tonight I was tired, but I decided that doing a kettlebell workout was more important than the fatigue.
Tomorrow I'll try to run in the daytime, since I'm going out tomorrow night.

The Workout:
first: 25 swings x 4 sets
Next:
4 combination sets: 10 alternating swings, 5 each side alternating clean and presses, 5 alternating swings,
5 high pulls on each side, 5 -2 arm swings, 5 squats with kettlebell, 5-10 swings both hands, 10 bicep curls, 5 swings, 5,6, 7, 8 overhead tricep extensions

Next Combination:
10 double kettelbell swings, 10 double kettlebell dead lifts

Next:
4 sets of 10 leg lifts kettlebell above head.

What I ate today:
same banana, peanut butter, protein powder smoothie at 8am.
1030: 1 pear, 1 hard boiled egg
1pm: 1 fat free turkey hot dot & shredded pork, fat removed, 3/4 cup cooked broccoli, 2 tsp Chinese sesame dressing
3pm: Promax bar (chocolate chip)
6pm: 4-6 oz. chicken breast, broccoli, carrots

Still a long way to go....
but I'm moving in the right direction

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

When workouts don't go as planned

Tonight was not what I expected. I had planned to go downstairs to run tonight BY 8:30pm. I ended up having to have a long talk with my older daughter. I know the time I spent talking with her, listening to her, and hugging was important, but it certainly put a cramp in my workout. I didn't get to workout until 9:10pm. By that hour I'm pretty much mentally wasted, pissed off, and feeling sorry for myself. Nonetheless, I went downstairs with a pissy attitude and feeling sorry for myself, but I RAN!!!!! I stayed on the treadmill for my designated 35 minutes. I was a little ferocious with the treadmill at different times. I think I batted the machine a few times with my hands to get out some aggression, and then stomped a little while I ran to express that frustration, but I did make it through the end. These are the days when I just count every second, and tell myself "I'm almost at 10 minutes, only 5 minutes until 15 minutes, 5 minutes until 20 minutes, and now I only have 10 more minutes until a cool down." It's an arduous process, but it keeps me going.

"Might as well lose weight....while I'm pissed off."

Oh Yah...my husband got downstairs at 8:15pm for HIS WORKOUT. Hmmmmm

RsmKettleGirl@gmail.com

Monday, June 13, 2011

Kettlebell Basics

Looking back on all my experiences with learning about and how to use the kettlebell, I'm glad I had private lessons last year with Paul Daniels when I was training for my first competition. He is an amazing kettlebell coach, who is dedicated, caring, and raises the bar. After the one on one coaching, I entered his weekly classes. It was an easy transition, because I had already learned the basics. However, what I like about his classes is the time he takes to coach one on one all the new people who enter his class while he has the rest of the class working on sets and reps. He's good at raising the bar in the class too. There are may sessions where I'm just pooped and ready to stop. That's when I know I've had a good workout.

Due to time constraints I worked out with the kettlebell at home tonight at 8:30pm. I worked out for approximately 50 minutes. Here is what my hour was like:

1st I did 4 sets of 25 swings with rests in between.

Then, 3 sets of combination routines with a rest period between each full set of a combination of moves (if that makes sense):

20 alternating swigs, 10 cleans each side with 5-10 single alternating hand swings in between, 10 alternating clean and presses, then 5 alternating swings in between, then 5 high pulls.

Then another 2 sets of the combination above, with 10 upright rows, and 10 bentover rows alternating sides.

Then I decided to focus a little more on lower body.
I did 4 sets of the following combinations with rests after a full rotation of a combination.
20 (2 Kettlebells) deadlifts, followed by 10 squats with single kettlebell, followed by 20 alternating lunges.

At the end of the workout, I did 3 sets of oblique work whereby Paul had taught us to start on our knees and rotate from side to side. I think the class decided to name these "little prayers." I'm not religious, but it's a cute name, and the oblique exercises really work.

Anyway, it was a fantastic workout. I definitely sweat a whole lot more with a kettlebell workout than running.

RsmKettlebellgirl@gmail.com

Sunday, June 12, 2011

preparation is key

Absolutely, unequivocally, preparation is key to a successful body transformation. Prepare in your mind all the foods you will need to have available the night before the chaos of the next day with housework, children, calls, demands, bills, and driving that we all seem to need to get done.

If I don't prepare, the morning will slip into the afternoon, then the evening, and without fail I will  stumble. If I don't eat enough food/or enough calories, or I don't take food everywhere I go with me, or I eat too many supplements in the day then I will definitely be struggling mentally and physically.

Unfortunately, preparing meals for myself is only one part of the equation. The other part is preparing all the meals the kids will need to eat during the day too. I know that can be stressful, but it can be even more stressful having to take the time to stop somewhere for food, spend money you didn't need to spend, and having them eat food you may not have wanted them to eat in the first place.  We parents are pack-mules for our children when they are young. It's just the nature of the role. With that in mind, I think that if there are many foods in the refrigerator and in the cupboards that can be easily put together the night before or in the morning while making breakfast, then it will probably reduce YOUR stress of having to deal with many external factors that I already mentioned.

One of the things that is well known is that the human brain is happy when it gets to compartmentalize and organize information or for that matter, tasks. In this day and age we can get inundated with information and obligations and frankly get lost and lose focus on the absolute essential things to do in a day. Perhaps one way to stay focused is to decide WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TODAY.

I know there are certain bills that need to be paid. I know I have to have meals ready. I know the kids have to be schooled. I know that they also have a class usually after school. Other than that, I can pick and choose the things I'm going to focus on today.

If laundry got behind this weekend, then I'll focus on laundry. If I needed to send out emails, go to the dry cleaners, or pick up something specific from the store then I can do some of those things while I'm already out and about. The thing is that when I'm running necessary errands, I always have my food with me. It's often I will pull out a meal while strolling through Target, the market, the library, or while driving. Literally, if the clock says 10:30am, 1pm, 3pm, I am eating. I always bring another gallon of water in the car when driving, because I'm not always somewhere that I can fill up my water bottle.

Anything else in the day that doesn't need attention can wait. AND I don't need to talk all the time at lengthy intervals with friends. Once every two days is good enough. Really! How many new things are there to talk about that are REALLY THAT IMPORTANT.

There is a lot of time wasted on lots of stuff we just don't have to do. Recently my husband and I decided to get rid of our Cable access to television viewing, a magazine subscription, extra clothes taking up space, and a few other things. We are just trying in various ways to simplify life. It need not be complicated to have a fulfilling life. In fact, I have found that cutting some things out has made a huge difference My mind doesn't have to focus on those things anymore and can make more room for more productive endeavors.

Finding what works and doesn't work right now in your life is something only you can do. I 'm only sharing my experiences on how I manage and focus on the absolute important things in my life. Everything else can wait or disappear.....

Tonight's Workout:
35 minutes treadmill : walk 7 minutes, the rest run.

Food Intake:
Same breakfast, snack, and lunch and snack got exchanged. Lunch was a protein bar, and the snack was some salsa fresca & lowfat meatloaf I made from ground turkey. Dinner was 4 oz. pork & broccoli.


Lots of TEA today.

RsmKettleGirl@gmail.com

Friday, June 10, 2011

Hot Stuff

Tonight my husband made a corn, tomato, and chipotle salsa. He BBQ'd some chicken breasts with some mesquite no salt seasoning. He served them with hot corn tortillas. I had one corn tortilla, approx 4 oz of chicken breasts, and 2/3 cup salsa. My mouth was burning up, but it was very very good. I really really like spicy foods. It's not only good for revving up the metabolism, but it satisfies any cravings I may have.

Most of us have a desire for certain types of food. I love comfort foods, spicy foods, and lots of seasoning regardless of the country of origin. The only thing is learning how to get the taste while keeping a low fat, not-much-food diet while training.

BBQ / grilling magazines often have lots of recipes that are low in fat, but high in taste. Even if I buy a recipe book that is considered low in fat, not all the recipes are as low in fat as the grilling magazines.

Last night's workout:
45 minutes kettlebell

Tonight's workout:
35 minutes treadmill running/walking. 22 minutes running, the rest warm up and cool down walking fast.
burned 350 + calories

Meals today:
banana, protein, peanut butter smoothie as usual
morning snack: 1 pear and 1 hard boiled egg
lunch: leftover chicken breast & 3/4 cup salsa fresca I made
afternoon snack: 1 protein bar
dinner: (posted above)

I need to start cooking broccoli and adding it into at least one meal a day. I've been on the salsa-kick, but I need to add the greens back in.

Weigh In:
I weighed in two weeks ago at 118, getting close to 117.5, BUT I BLEW IT THE LAST 1 1/2 WEEKS, so I've had to get back on track. I haven't weighed myself yet. I will, but not until I'm ready. I don't like the distraction of having the weight of the scale on my mind on a daily basis. I'd much rather focus on good training and good nutrition. I'm just not one of those people who can get on then off the scale and just let the numbers go! So I tend to use the scale as  a spot check every so often.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Calm and peaceful

While busy, today was calm and peaceful and happy. The girls had a playdate, gymnastics, a stream ecology class, and went to bed later than I like. Because what I like is to workout at 8:30pm and it just never seems to be right on time. We end up reading and reading and reading and sometimes it's so late I've had to compromise my workouts at night. So, tonight I decided to leave their room at 8:30pm to workout, while they read with their book lights on!!!!!

This way, I was able to get a 35 minute treadmill run/walk in & then hit the weights afterwards.
4 sets leg presses, 4 sets hamstring curls, 4 sets standing calf raises.

RsmKettleGirl@gmail.com

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Locked Out

I thought that this title was an appropriate post!  I totally thought I was "locked in" to my program, but I guess it was more challenging than I expected. All I can say is that managing all my responsibilities and goals is tough. I'll just have to keep trying day to day until I'm there! I know many people face the same challenges as I do, so I hope that while you go through your difficult times, you always stay optimistic and never give up.

a.m workout:
30 minute walk/run this a.m (atypical...just needed a morning pick me up)
p.m workout:
45 minute kettlebell training

Food:
1 banana + 1 T peanut butter + ice & water+ 1 scoop protein powder, vitamins, calcium
midmornining snack: 1 pear + 1 hardboiled egg
lunch:  3/4 cup salsa + 1 lowfat homemade turkey patty
afternoon snack: 1 protein bar
dinner: 3/4 cup salsa + 3 oz halibut + 5 shrimp

RsmKettleGirl@gmail.com