Tag Archive for sugar free

My Weekend + Monday Thoughts {not sugar-coated}

Hey guys!

Anyone else feel like the weekend just slipped right past them? I remember it being Friday and then all the sudden I was waking up to an alarm on Monday.

Friday night Charlie and I took a boxing class at Iron Boxing. Once again, it was a TOUGH class and I was sweating actual 12 mm bullets by the end. (Ok, so maybe I’m over exaggerating. They were more like 9mm. Also, I know nothing about guns, so 12mm might not even make any sense and that’s a-ok with me! :-))

armsMy arms are also looking extra awesome lately. I think boxing is a HUGE part of that. Anytime I’ve done boxing for an extended period of time, my arms start to shape up pretty well. They’re still a work-in-progress, but I’m happy with the changes I’m seeing!

After boxing, we decided to go get massages (genius idea, by the way) and relax for the rest of the night. The massage hurt so good. He definitely got some of my knots out, but I still feel like there are about 4,000 more. Guess I should get another one. 🙂 We spent the rest of the night watching reruns of The Office. Michael Scott for President.

michaelscottSunday, we headed over to a bar to watch the Chief’s win! Go Chiefs! After the antihistamine-meds, we did a back/biceps workout at the gym and I filmed some workout videos for Charlie’s mom.

plankI spent the rest of the day working on my new e-book that’s coming out in a few weeks! It’s completely FREE to download. It is the first of several “Missions” I’ll be releasing. This first is Mission #1: 10 Day Sexy Slimdown. A 10 day plan designed specifically to jump start your body into losing fat & inches + working out! It includes 10 days of workouts, a full 10 day meal plan, a complete shopping list, and a full exercise demonstration guide. I’m so excited to release this to you all!

sexyslimdownRandom Thoughts for your Monday            {not sugar-coated}

I say not sugar-coated because I haven’t had any added sugar in 6 days! Today is Day 7 and I wanted to give you my thoughts so far. It’s only been a week, but the changes are fo’ real.

1. I don’t feel so bloated and full. I think Splenda & Aspartame were the real culprit here. As I mentioned, I used to have 2 Splendas in my coffee (and about 2 coffees per day) + 1-2 diet soda cans with dinner. Since giving that up, I don’t feel like I get so full and my stomach feels better overall.

2. My head seems clearer. Again, I think the fake sugars were the problem. I feel much more level-headed.

3. I don’t feel the extremes of fullness and hunger as much. This sort of ties in with #1, but I feel like in addition to not feeling super full, I never feel super hungry either. Sure, if I don’t eat all day like I accidentally did last Thursday, I get HANGRY, but I don’t feel like I get so “starving” in between meals like I used to.

4. I’m drinking way more water. I drink it all day long and all evening long. The only other beverage I’ve been drinking is coffee (sans-fake sugar) and Kombucha (it has pure lemon & raspberry juice, but no added sugar).

5. I feel determined. This could just be because I’m in a good place with my workouts and nutrition, and therefore feel more determined, but I do think that giving up some of the toxins in my life has helped me to be more motivated.

So that’s how I’m feeling so far! Things are getting easier as the days go on. Saturday was tough because I did really want something with sugar in it (besides fruit), but I persevered and it went away. (Imagine that.)

I will keep updating you guys on the No Added Sugar Challenge that Charlie and I are doing. I’m so excited to see what 30 days of this does, seeing as just 6 has already been eye-opening. I’ll have Charlie check in with a post this week as well so you guys can see what changes he is noticing.

Take care guys!

Questions of the Day

1. Have you ever given up added sugar?

2. Do you use fake sugars on the regular? If so, how often?

No Sugar Challenge Update + Leg Workout!

Holy mackerel. That’s about all I can say about yesterday!

Yesterday was one of those days that I call an Unintentional Fast. Basically I was completely unprepared for the busy-ness of the day, that I didn’t eat anything for most of the day. For the record, I am NOT pleasant to be around when I haven’t eaten!

The day started innocently enough. I knew I had a bunch of things to do, but thought for sure I’d have time in between to get some eggs or something at my favorite coffee shop. Umm, no. I grabbed a coffee and a banana at around 8am and that was the last thing I ate until about 3:30pm. Can I tell you what happened in between those hours? NO. Because it was mostly a blur. I remember packaging things up, getting signatures for a boatload of documents, and hitting up a FedEx store to ship off said documents, but I’m not sure what else happened.

Lesson of the Day: FEED LIZZY.

hangry_grande

(This shirt seems appropriate)

Wednesday Glute/Ham Workout

Charlie met me at the gym on Wednesday and did a leg workout with me. We focused a lot on glutes and hamstrings in this workout. I list my weights for reference, but you know your body and strength, so choose the appropriate weights for YOU.

3 Supersets: Barbell Squats (95×12, 115×10, 11510) & DB Reverse Lunges (3 sets using 20’s x 12 per leg)

3 Supersets: Leg Extensions (drop sets: 10 reps @ 70, drop weight to 50, do 10 more reps) & Supinated  Hamstring Curls (50 x 15)

3 Sets: Thick Banded Hip Thrusts (used thick green band)

3 Sets: 45 Degree Hypers w/ 25lb plate

As always, check with a doctor before starting a new exercise program. You know yourself better than anybody, so always remember to honor your body.

Update on No Sugar for 30 Days

So Charlie and I are officially on Day 5 of 30. So far, it’s going well. I definitely miss diet soda, but it’s getting easier each day and I’m drinking way more water (score!). I also haven’t been just grabbing a protein bar on the go as a sad excuse for a meal (see above), so I’ve had to definitely plan a bit more. It’s definitely for the better, as I’m eating much more REAL food. I ate really well before with the occasional treats, but now I’m eating REALLY, REALLY freaking well. I definitely feel better overall.

How I Feel: I woke up Day 2 with a headache that reminded me of a caffeine headache. I attribute it to the fact that I hadn’t had any artificial sweeteners. Seriously, that’s crazy. I didn’t realize that my body had built up such an addiction to it, but I guess two coffees (with 2 splendas each) and 1-2 diet sodas per day will do that.

Sleep: I’ve been sleeping, but I’ve been EXHAUSTED this week. That could partially be from a busy work schedule and a jam-packed weekend, but I also think there could be some withdrawals happening for me with the artificial sweeteners. As I said, I didn’t realize how much this was affecting me, but it’s becoming clear that maybe it has. I’m definitely feeling better on Day 5 than I was on Day 2!

Workouts: I’ve been kicking ass. I haven’t noticed a difference here, other than I feel more determined.

Progress: Not a huge difference here, but I feel like my stomach seems flatter. I definitely feel less bloated.

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