Fitness Safari

Ok - If you want to cheat (on clean eating) here's a bit of advice for you - Do it AFTER your workout that day. UGH. I made the BIG mistake of eating not so clean on Saturday at lunch, before I hit the gym for that day. I thought I was going to vomit throughout my entire workout. Though I started out clean - big healthy salad with loads of veggies and beans and only olive oil and balsamic vinegar, I cheated and shared some nacho chips with spinach artichoke dip, guacamole and chile queso with my daughter. While it tasted good at the time, I paid for it dearly during my workout that afternoon. I will never, EVER, eat garbage before a workout again!

Here's what I've eaten today: A.M. vanilla protein shake with skim milk (32 g protein) creatine drink w/water *Back and Biceps workout* post-workout protein shake w/water (23 g protein w/o the milk) 2 lunch boxes with two boiled chicken tenderloins and 1 cup of mixed frozen (thawed, but not cooked) corn, peas and green beans. Approximately 36 g protein plus loads of fiber. SO, it's 2:42 pm and I've already consumed 91 g of protein. Need to fit in another 30 g minimum into the rest of the day, preferably 50 g. I'll have a small snack in an hour or so that has to include protein, but I'm out of food! Will run to the coffee shop b/c they have my favorite Chobani Greek yogurt there (14-16 g of protein depending on the flavor). Dinner tonight will be marinated flank steak, wild rice and veggies and I'll have another protein shake before bed to top things off and get my metabolism revving for tomorrow!

Here's my most recent leg workout 1. WARM-UP, 10 minutes on any cardio machine 2. WALKING LUNGES, 3 x 15 steps across the gym (I do this with a 30 or 40 lb barbell on my shoulders, but you can use dumbells if you prefer). 3. SLED SQUATS, 3 x 15-18. I'm up to adding 50lbs to the sled, but I started out with no extra weight just two weeks ago. 4. SINGLE LEG LUNGES, 3 x 15, each leg put one foot behind you on a bench to isolate your glutes and quads and and do single-leg lunges 5. SINGLE LEG PRESS, 3 x 15-18 each leg 6. BOX STEPS, Step up onto a 36" box and back down again = 1 rep. Do 2-3 sets of 15 for each leg. Ride an exercise bike for 5 minutes or so to get the blood flowing through those muscles after your workout to clear out the lactic acid and don't forget to STRETCH!

(pictured left, Jamie Eason...jamieeason.com - my role model in fitness) SO, after an evaluation of what I've been eating, I seem to have found the reason for my lack of progress in the gym. I've revamped my diet and boosted the protein content dramatically while, at the same time, kicking my workouts up a few notches and I'm already seeing the difference. Seems that a 120 lb person needs between 120-160 grams of protein a day to build muscle. With all of that protein, I'm finding I don't even WANT to eat much else. I supplement with low-carb protein shakes (23 g of protein per shake), Greek yogurt (14-16 g of protein per serving), hard-boiled egg whites, cottage cheese, tunafish and beans. I also eat a tremendous amount of veggies including spinach, asparagus, green beans, mushrooms, onions, peppers, tomatoes and some peas and corn. Sprinkled in the mix is some avocado, nuts or olive oil for my good fats and I don't crave ANYTHING besides another workout. I kno...

Back into my gym routine...just in time to get a head-start on the holidays. I wasn't sleeping well nor did I have a lot of energy, so I headed back to the gym. Lo and behold, after pumping some iron and working up a decent sweat a few days a week, I'm sleeping like a baby, I have more energy and I'm craving sweets and carbs a lot less...though I am hungry often. At the gym today I jumped rope for about 5 minutes as a warm-up, followed by uneven push-ups using a small medicine ball under one hand with the other flat on the mat - repeat until exhaustion, then switch to the other side. Followed those with Russian twists and v-ups with said small medicine ball between my knees. Then I did 20 up-downs, followed by 20 minutes on the hill climber treadmill. Some stretching to top it all off and I went home pretty tired. I'm gearing up to start beginner yoga, but there may be waves in the water tomorrow so I'll probably put Yoga off until Saturday. Only get waves and warm ...