Fitness Safari

Ok, so I went out today to forage for some food for my two pre-workout meals this afternoon (hitting the gym after work to try out some breathing squats for the first time) and this is what I found... Hmmmm...nope. Definitely no - and this one was easy to pass up for obvious reasons... Wow...sugar, fat and carbs as far as the eye can see...and there were a lot of snacks, too. ;) Feeling better...more of what I was looking for. Something that will give me energy, fill me up and not send me napping in a half hour. Finally! Victory is mine! And the winner is... Oh, and I had a protein shake, too. Chocolate Peanut Butter Trutein stolen from a colleague. Mixed it with unsweetened almond milk and YUMMO. Tastes like Peanut Butter pie - not lying. Don't worry, won't be finishing this off. Haven't worked out yet today, so I'll snack on this now and again in a few hours before I head to the gym. I'm thinking whole-wheat pasta with my famous clam sauce for dinner when I'm...

Well, now I know why I haven't seen faster muscle gains. I'm not eating anywhere near enough calories and I know I've been super low on protein for a few weeks now. Just found Martin's Leangains PDF which outlines some ways to determine your daily caloric intake. Doing his math, I need 1,500 calories a day to maintain (which I'm not eating); 1,800 calories a day on workout days (to grow and recover) which I'm not getting close to; and 1,200 calories on rest days... Hmmm...time to head back to the kitchen. I've got some meal prepping to do! I can't believe I'm saying this, but if I want to get lean, I have to eat more!

Ok, so I haven't written for a while, but it's not because I'm not working out anymore. I am still getting to the gym about 4 - 5 days a week, I've just been totally swamped at work and at home. It's November. The holidays are approaching at warp speed - the first of which is one of my favorites - Thanksgiving. Now I know we have a few weeks before the indulgent holiday arrives, so let's use this time to fight evil. You know Thanksgiving is coming and, soon after that, the holiday parties will be in full swing. Take these next three weeks to dedicate yourself to your fitness goals. I want to be prepared. I love Thanksgiving for many reasons. Not all of which are centered around food and drink. I love hanging out with family, watching football games and toggling back and forth to the Macy's Day Parade to see what's new this year. I even love that my gym is closed on Thanksgiving day, giving me permission to not work out and to not feel bad about it either...