Tag Archive for workout

Snowed In Workout

Good morning peeps! In case you’re curious about the title of this post, I am currently NOT snowed in. In fact, it’s been about 75 and sunny here the last few days, but I’ll stop there before someone throws a tomato at me. 😀 (but before you do, there’s a workout at the end of this post that you can do anywhere with ZERO equipment..woot!)

BUT FIRST…let me talk about me haha.

Random Tidbits

-I started training at a powerlifting gym near LAX (Game Time Strength) and it is awe.some. It’s nice to be in an environment like that (I love the old school garage gym feel) and the people there are super cool.

Here’s a video of me doing Bench Press with 105×10 with 3 boards. I’m working my way up and hope to hit a 135lb bench press in the near future!

-In other news, we have our very last Rockstar Fitnessâ„¢ Boot Camp at Six:02 this Sunday! It’s been such a fun month with these people and I love seeing new faces every week! After this weekend, we’ll be back at IRON Santa Monica every Saturday at 10am.

10575295_10153812234587508_1933510686999326018_o

-I recently started looking into Masters programs. I guess I’ve been out of school long enough to not remember how much it sucks haha. I’ve been finding that I want to learn more about psychology and more specifically, the dynamics of organizations in regards to psychology. I still have a lot to do before this actually starts (the GRE is 1st on my list, followed by actually applying to schools!), but I’m excited to do this. It wasn’t something I EVER planned on doing, but yet, here I am. Life is funny like that, huh?

-I’m headed to MAUI next week!!! WOOHOO! My awesome boss is taking our team on the trip of a lifetime, and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve never been to any part of Hawaii, so this will be a whole new experience (if you have any advice on things to do, send them my way)!

-This is also random, but it is on my mind constantly and I can’t stress it enough. For anyone that believes lifting weights and getting exercise is just about the body…oh, how wrong you are. I would actually argue that the affects it has on your life OUTSIDE of the gym is far greater than in the gym. You cannot cheat, you cannot have someone do it for you, you cannot become better without putting in the work, and the list goes on. It builds patience, dedication, character, humbleness, and accountability. It builds the mind, really. Sure, it builds your muscles too, but I’d say that’s just a side effect compared to the impact it has on your life in general.

Snowed In Workout

While I may not be in the snow, I know so many of you are! I actually did this workout yesterday morning while my dog ran around the park, so I thought I’d share since I didn’t need any equipment aside from a tabata timer (I just used an app on my phone…there are plenty to choose from, any of them will be fine).

snowedin

January Full Body Workout + Focus

Hey frannnnds. What up?

I just got back to LA from a super quick trip to AZ for my nephew’s 1st birthday. Both of my nephews are growing up so quickly. It’s pretty insane. Every time I see them (which is about every other month), they’ve grown and have progressed so much! It’s so much fun!

We drove to Phoenix on Friday and got in somewhat late. Because of this, my body felt tight and cramped up. 6 hours in a car will do that to ya! So I woke up early on Saturday and hit the gym for a full body workout to help make me feel human again. It totally worked and also made me pretty sore! Here’s the workout:

full body workout

(Take a screenshot and bring it to the gym with you if you decide to try it. As always, check with a doc before starting any new exercise program and always listen to your body. It knows what’s up!)

Focus for the Week

I’ve started putting a focus into each week to organize myself a bit further. My planner is my ride-or-die, but I also found that it’s nice to make 1 or 2 big goals for the week that I can focus on that don’t have to do with work or “things I need to get done”. This focus doesn’t have to be on tasks, it can just be thoughts or actions that you want to follow for that week. This week’s focus: what matter’s most. Let me explain.

I find myself thinking about things that don’t matter FARRRR too often. Things I either can’t control or that literally don’t affect my life whatsoever. I think we all do this to some extent, and social media is definitely a trigger. You see someone’s photo on Instagram of that person doing something cool and you may get feelings of jealousy or start to look at your own life and pick out things you don’t like. I do it and then I catch myself and realize: nope, this doesn’t matter at all. So I’m focusing on what matters MOST. My family, my friends, my job, my goals, and of course, Oscar. 🙂 If I start thinking about things outside of this, my plan is to remove those thoughts immediately. It’s not worth my time and it certainly doesn’t matter.

Hope your Monday is off to a fantastic start! Catch ya later.

 

BLEND Retreat 2015: Part 2

If you missed Part 1

SATURDAY

Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early for a Boot Camp sponsored by Gnarly Nutrition and led by Kindal Boyle of Lifting Revolution. The elevation makes things much harder (I’m used to sea level!), but regardless of that, this workout was TOUGH. We did a partner workout (I partnered with Lindsay the badass) that involved sprints, push-ups, traveling burpees UPHILL, walking lunges UPHILL, one-legged runs, plank jacks, shoulder taps, squats and squat jumps. It was a KILLER workout and I was definitely feeling my workout from Friday throughout the whole thing.

gnarlybootcampPhoto Credit: Lindsay’s List

Upon finishing the boot camp, I chugged a protein shake with Gnarly Nutrition’s Chocolate Protein Powder. I only had water to mix it with and, as always, was nervous it was going to taste like crap. Surprisingly it was delicious! It tasted like a chocolate shake and the ingredient list was an A+ as well! I’ll definitely be trying more of their products in the future!

gnarly nutritionLoved it so much, I had to take a picture 🙂

Next up was BREAKFAST. Breakfast was so, so good. The spread included FlapJacked pancakes, scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, Love Grown cereal and granola, along with bread and a spread of Justin’s nut butter flavors. I put together a little bit of everything, and ate it ALL. That boot camp made me HANGRY. FlapJacked had their new flavor of pancakes: Carrot Spice on hand. They were SO delicious. Definitely buying this flavor when it comes out.

flapjackedWhile we were eating, we had a surprise visitor pop in…it was THE Justin of Justin’s Nut Butter!! He was such a down to earth guy and told us about how he started the company. It was so interesting! Definitely wasn’t expecting that, so it was super cool!

JustinsHe rode his bike to breakfast, which I thought was super cool.

As if I hadn’t had enough exercise, Detour Bar had planned a hike for us in the gorgeous flat irons! I had only known Detour Bars from their old formula, but get this: they’ve started coming out with a new line called Detour Simple bars that are filled with GOOD ingredients, and they’ve cut out most of the junk! I love companies that aren’t afraid to change. I think it shows that they are listening to their customers. Kudos to you Detour!!!

Back to the hike: This was one of the most gorgeous hikes I’ve ever been on! The views were breathtaking, the weather was PERFECT, and I had some good conversations with the folks from Quest (our main sponsor for the weekend), Arctic Zero, and one of my cabin roomies.

chautauqua park

chautauqua hike

After the hike, I was BEAT and promptly took a 2 hour nap. I felt like I had been hit by a bus after all of the workouts I’d done in the past 24 hours! We didn’t have anything planned for the group Saturday evening, so Tedi and one of our other roommates headed to Pearl Street in Boulder and grabbed some dinner. We went home early and again, I crashed out.

SUNDAY

Sunday morning was our last morning. We were up bright and early for some yoga on the grass, sponsored by Bhakti Chai. I was so sore and didn’t really push myself. Instead, I used it as a means to stretching my body out and it felt glorious. That’s what yoga is all about anyways right? We couldn’t have had better weather and it was nice to just sit under the sun and stretch out with my BLENDS.

yoga in boulder

We headed to the dining hall once more for some breakfast. This spread included GoodBelly probiotic drinks, Barbara’s Puffins cereal, egg frittatas, bacon, muffins made with baobest, and chia seed greek yogurt made by The Epic Seed. I didn’t eat quite as much as Saturday and ended up with an egg frittata, chia seed greek yogurt, bacon, and some fruit.

By the time we finished, it was time for us to pack up to go home. Tedi and I had an earlier flight, so we had to miss the closing ceremonies (boo!). Denver airport is no joke, so we didn’t want to risk missing our flight.

Overall, this was one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long time. I met SO many cool people, new blogger friends, amazing companies, and enjoyed a weekend in the mountains with great weather, views, and a breath of fresh air.

I’ll definitely be back next year, I just wish it was sooner!

Thanks again to the wonderful sponsors and a SPECIAL thank you to Janetha, Lauren, and Lindsay for putting together such an amazing retreat. You guys are amazing! I’m so glad I met all of you and I’ll see you next year!

Friday Rambling

First of all, thank you guys SO MUCH for your support on my post the other day. I got so many messages and Facebook comments about it. It helps to know I have a team behind me that’s cheering for me! Now I just gotta do the work and not embarrass myself…. 😀

Wednesday, I got a really great Leg & Back workout in. I started with heavy hip thrusts and did 3 sets at 275 lbs. I got 5 reps, 3 reps, and 3 reps respectively, which is a new PR for me. Previously, I could only get 3 reps at 275, so my first set broke a record! I’m getting really strong and absolutely loving it.

Today:

I started my morning with a continental (an american with steamed milk added. I opt for almond milk), an apple, and this messy deliciousness:
Spicy Italian chicken sausage, mexican cheese, 1egg over-easy, and Oscar. Doesn't look pretty, but it sure does taste good!It doesn’t look pretty, but it tastes good! Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage, mexican cheese, and an over-easy egg on top. I cracked the egg yolk and devoured this in about 15 seconds.

I’ve got some work to do and a few meetings today, and then I’ll be hitting the gym for another leg workout. I’ll be doing:

  • Squats (heavy)
  • Hip Thrusts(moderate)
  • Deadlifts (light)
  • Back Extensions (light)
  • Banded Hip Abduction (light)
  • Leg Extensions (moderate)
  • Hamstring Curls (moderate)

Oddly enough, I’m trying to build out my quads a bit. My butt is THERE, but my quads aren’t quite where I want them, so I’m trying to hit them a little harder than usual.

 

Tonight’s plan?

-Make a yummy dinner

-Watch Friends

-Do puzzles on my favorite app: Jigsaw Puzzle (if you’re a nerd, have an iPad, and love puzzles THIS APP IS FOR YOU. I’m obsessed)

-Hang out with this guy

How you doin

Tongue’s out, guns out!

I’ll be heading to a baby shower tomorrow and then the LA Fit Expo on Sunday! I’ll be sure to snap some photos. 🙂

Have a great weekend people!

 

 

12 Weeks…

LOL, I just re-read that title and realized that people might think I’m pregnant. I’M NOT.

Now, that we got that awkwardness out of the way….

Most people that know me well, know I’ve been through some ups and downs in my fitness journey. I went from competing in the NPC Bikini division, to spiraling into an eating disorder and gaining a bunch of weight, to finding my peace with food and leveling out at a healthy and good weight for myself. I’m not shredded, and I’m not even necessarily lean, but I’ve got definition, strength, and I’m happy with my body. I lost weight after recovering from my eating disorder and I’ve been able to maintain the same weight for about 2 years now without much thought or effort. I eat healthy foods 90% of the time, not caring much about how many grams of protein, carbs, or fat that I’m eating. I make sure to eat a well-rounded diet, I look good, and I’m happy.

158dd4d4520d601c6f1b8ee0f9316154.jpg
But I also know what I’m capable of and what I feel like on the inside. The person inside of me is a beast. If you’ve ever worked out with me, you get it. I work really hard in the gym and don’t ever give up. I’ve been working out consistently for 7.5 years with my longest break being maybe 3-4 days. In good times and bad, the gym has always been there for me. But you may not be able to tell that from the outside!

Now, I’m ready to step it up and show myself what I’m made of once again. I’ve harnessed the help of Sohee Walsh (if you don’t know who she is, you should find out because she’s awesome) to get me down to the lean machine I want to be. I want abs again and I’m ready to have them back.

Oh hello there.

I don’t miss the no boobs part!

I chose Sohee because she went down the exact same rabbit-hole that I did. She gets it.

Questions:

Could I do this on my own? Of course I could. But when you do something yourself, your own thoughts can persuade you into different directions. I know that I do better when I have someone else telling me what to do.

Am I going to do a crazy clean-eating diet that I did when I was getting ready to compete? No. I’m not. I’ll be counting macros (proteins, fats, carbs) and still allowing myself to eat what I want when it fits into my day and I’m craving them.

What will be the hardest part for me? Not eating as much fruit. I love my fruit. Seriously, it is my candy. I eat a rainbow of fruit every day. Fruit isn’t bad, but the amount of fruit I eat equates to lots of sugar and carbs. I’ll still be eating fruit, but not all-day-err-day like I do now. 🙂

So why am I telling the world this? Because as much as I HATE the thought of telling the world my goals and potentially failing and having the world laugh at me, I know that accountability is a real thing that works. Plus, doesn’t everybody like to watch someone else’s health and fitness journey? You’ve all been watching my journey in the gym for a while now, so it’s time to take the other side into play.

I’ll be sharing my successes, struggles, meals, and thoughts. I’ll be sharing my workouts and things I’m learning along the way. Sometimes, I might cry out for help when  I want to throw the towel in, but I’m going to do this for real. I’ve signed up for 12 weeks with Sohee, and I’m excited to see what my body is made of in those 12 weeks.

Thanks for following along on my journey and keeping me accountable….let’s go!!!

Thanksgiving Weekend Recap {Pictures & Videos!}

Happy Monday AND December 1st! This is the best kind of Monday, the start of a new month! How many of you set some goals for the month already??? I definitely did! While I don’t ever think waiting for a Monday or 1st of the month is necessary, it sure makes it more fun for my OCD brain. 😀

Ah, this past week/weekend was quite busy and enjoyable! We drove into emmawatson-fans on Tuesday night and didn’t get in until about 2am. LA traffic is no joke. Our little guy did great on the road trip, though and at one point, even offered to drive.

oscardriveWednesday, I headed to an old friend’s house to get a workout in. Bret was the person that got me into lifting weights, so I had to revisit the past and train with him while I was home!

I hit some MAJOR PR’s while I was there!

275 lb Hip Thrust for 3 reps

215 lb Deadlift for 1 rep

I haven’t even come close to those weights before so I was beyond stoked! It was a great way to start out my trip!

Thanksgiving morning, Charlie, Oscar and I headed out to the park for a family workout. We did:

Turkey Leg Workout: 5 Rounds

  • 10 Push Ups
  • 15 Lemon Squeezers (or you could do sit ups)
  • 15 Squats
  • 100 yd. Sprint

Oscar did all the sprints with us! He was tired out by the end (and so were we!).

oscarparkOur Thanksgiving meal was delicious, and so were the desserts. Since we had extended our No Added Sugar challenge, this was the FIRST TIME we had sugar in 37 days!!!

The verdict? We both felt super sick and decided that we will try to stay away from sugar as much as possible. We will still have treats here and there, but the way we both have felt while OFF the sugar is sooooo much better than how we felt ON sugar. We definitely won’t be going back to any old habits.

Friday was a fun day that revolved around…DOGS. We started the day by taking Oscar to the dog park. We have so much fun watching him play with the other dogs! Afterwards, we headed to my mom’s house so that Oscar could meet my furry brother, Knuckles.

oscarknucklesThey loved eachother. Knuckles was so tolerant of Oscar’s puppy antics. We took them both on walks and hung around for most of the day.

Saturday was my nephew Matty’s 2nd birthday! He has gotten SOO big. He is truly a little boy now. It was fun to watch him play around with the other kids. His excitement when the cake was brought out might have also been the cutest thing ever. He was SOOOO EXCITED.

sanchezfamMy sister’s little family (soon to be 4 of them!)

After the party, we were all pretty exhausted, so we hopped in the car and started the long trek back to LA.

oscarsleepOverall, this was such a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family! I love being able to spend time with them and got a much needed break. Now I’m ready to tackle the new month with a clear, fresh mind!

P.S. I’ll be releasing more information about my FREE E-BOOK, The 10 DAY SEXY SLIMDOWN, this week! Stay tuned! If you can’t wait, you can subscribe to my newsletter on the top left of this page. 🙂

Question of the Day

1. What was the highlight of your holiday?

 

 

Weekend Fun w/ Oscar + Not A Lazy Sunday Workout {video}

I am really loving the weather lately in Santa Monica. It’s slightly chilly, yet still not “cold”. I realize it doesn’t get REAL cold here, but I’m from Arizona, so to me it gets freezing!! Right now, it’s perfect sweater weather.

Life with Oscar is pretty awesome, too. We love this dog SO SO much and are so happy to have him in our lives.

dogfam

I could cuddle with this guy all day….

cuddlingwithoscarThis weekend was a random mix of all kinds of activities! We packed a lot in, but I still feel like I relaxed too.

Saturday morning, Charlie and I did a recording session with eight 9-year old girls! My good friend runs a fantastic day camp called Sand Sisters. They do all kinds of activities like paddle boarding, yoga, crafts, and singing songs at the recording studio! It’s an amazing program designed to get the kids outdoors and using their hands to create. They work on self image, empowerment, and bonding with their “sisters”. If I was a kid, I would definitely be in this camp!

We brought Oscar to the studio with us and weren’t sure how he’d do with a bunch of kids running around. Turns out he LOVED it and totally wanted to partake in all of the action.

oscaratstudio

That evening, we wanted to go see Interstellar, but we didn’t plan ahead and it was basically sold out everywhere we went. Bummer! Instead, we ate dinner at home and watched reruns of The Office. I lasted about 10 minutes and crashed out on the couch.

Sunday morning, we headed out to watch some football. Chiefs won, woohoo! After the game, it was time for a workout!

Not a Lazy Sunday Workout

3 Supersets of the following:

-Medicine Ball Thrusters + Plank Walks

-In/Out Bench Jumps (video below) + Kettle Bell Swings

-Kettle Bell Cleans + Kettle Bell Snatches

Finisher: 3 sets of: 10 Squats + Sled push + 5 Push Ups + Sled Push

Pardon my awkward face at the start of the video. I’m confused a lot 😀

This was a really great full body workout! We were exhausted by the end of it.

After we showered up, it was Oscar’s turn for a workout. We took him to the dog park for the first time and OMG, he had a blast! That dog runs SO fast. He had so much fun playing with the other dogs. We ended up staying there for almost 2 hours. We finally headed home around 6 so we could make dinner and relax. I peaked in the back seat about a minute after we left the dog park and this is what I saw:

oscarafterdogparkClearly, he got some energy out!

Hope your weekend was great, too! I’ll be back tomorrow!

Question of the Day

1. Do you workout with your significant other? Why/why not?

2. Do you let your dog sleep in bed with you?

We only let him come in when invited….we swore we wouldn’t at all when we got him, but he’s so damn cute we just can’t resist!

Exciting News + No Sugar Challenge Update – Day 24

Hey!!

If you haven’t entered my giveaway of a free race entry to a SoCal Reebok Spartan Race, you can do so here! Ends tonight at midnight!

It’s been a few days since I’ve blogged….sorry about that! Work and life got a little busy this past week…..

Remember the exciting news I couldn’t tell you yet?

Here it is….

Say hi to my boy!!!!!Meet Oscar!!!!!

He is our little pride and joy. Oscar is 8 months old and was a rescue pup from Boxer Rescue L.A.

I’m a totally obnoxious dog mom…..so get ready to see lots of pictures of our sweet guy. 😀

Giveaway

Have you guys entered my Reebok Spartan Race Entry give away???

It ends tonight at midnight and I have to say….not many entries (so better chances of winning!)

Workouts

My workouts have been great lately….and now that I’ve got Oscar…we’re walking and/or running several times a day. He’s a VERY energetic dog (like his momma), so we play a LOT. He’s keeping my cardiovascular health in check, that’s for sure!

Here are my workouts for this week and what I plan to do into the weekend:

Sunday: Back/Biceps (done)

Monday: 20 min. HIIT + lots of walking/running w/ Oscar (done)

Tuesday: Shoulders + walking/running w/ Oscar (done)

Wednesday: Legs + Boxing

Thursday: Chest/Tris/Abs

Friday: Boxing

Saturday: Active Rest

Sunday: Full Body

No Sugar Challenge Update

It’s officially Day 24 of the challenge! We’re extending it about a week, so we’ll end up at about 37 days total.

Cravings: I don’t even think or crave diet soda any more. This is a habit that I’d like to keep dormant after this challenge ends. It’s terrible for me, but I never wanted to quit. Now that I have, I might as well stick with good old water and Kombucha (OBSESSED w/ Trilogy flavor)

kombucha

Feeling: I definitely want some sugar LOL. Fruit is just not doing the trick. I want a cookie. There, I said it. 😀 They have these cookie’s at the coffee shop I go to and for now, all I get to do is stare at them and drool…

redVelvetV2I actually highly recommend checking out this company (Cookie Good) if you’re looking for gifts. They are TONS of fun flavors like Oreo Butterfinger, Bacon & Maple Syrup, Peanut Butter Pretzel, Birthday Cake, and soooo many more. They taste like heaven.

In all reality, this isn’t all that hard, but I do like to enjoy a treat every now and then. Not being able to do that has been kind of sucky, but it’s also fun to challenge myself like this.

Progress: I feel like I lost some fluff at the beginning, but have stayed pretty much the same since. I’m not doing this to lose weight and haven’t changed my eating habits aside from cutting out the added sugar/fake sugar. I am definitely welcoming the almost-abs, and have plans to kick things into gear with a NEW challenge in December. (I love challenges!!)

Day 1

day1

Day 20

DAY20

Hope your hump day is a happy one!! See ya tomorrow!

Lots of Sleep + Leg Workout

Happy Monday friends!

How was everyone’s Halloween? Curious to know how mine was? Well, I’d tell you but I was asleep for it. No joke, I passed out around 8pm and slept clear through 8am the next day. I woke up a few times to rain (yay!!!), but that was it. I felt like a new person, but also really strange. I haven’t slept that much in a LONG time. I guess I really needed it.

Saturday, Charlie and I headed up to the studio to work with one of his clients. They are a prog/metal band and were recording drums. I helped him get set up and get tones. It was a good way to start the day! After trying to satisfy my stomach (omg, SO hungry lately!), I decided to head to the gym for a workout. I was in a different part of town, so I just went to the  local 24 Hour Fitness and got a day pass. It was interesting, to say the least, but it did the job!

24hr(way to follow directions people!)

Saturday night was another early evening. We made one of our favorite dishes, which is our version of Chipotle.

YUMMM!!! Making out version of Chipotle at home on this fabulous Saturday evening. Love the colors and smell of these vibrant veggies!!!After we ate, we started watching Homicide Hunters. I only made it through 1.5 episodes before I passed out on the couch. I must have been really freaking tired. I slept another 9 hours Saturday night!

Sunday morning, I was as fresh as they come. With that much sleep, how could I be anything else?! It made for the perfect combination to do a leg workout:

-4 sets of 15 reps: Kettle Bell Goblet Squats w/ Med. Ball Jump Squats

-3 sets of 10 reps: Barbell Good Mornings w/ Barbell Reverse Lunges

-3 sets of 10 reps: Leg Extensions w/ Supinated Hamstring Curls

-3 sets of 10-12 reps: Barbell Deadlifts

-3 sets of 15 reps: 45* Hypers w/ Jumping Lunges

Looking back through this, no wonder I was so exhausted by the end! Midway through the deadlifts I wanted to throw in the towel, but I pressed on. One of the BEST tricks that I use for myself is to write my workouts out on paper before I start. This way I won’t just quit when I start feeling tired. If I have a plan going into the gym, I’ll always stick to it and won’t quit until I’m done.

Hope everyone’s day is off to a great start! I’ll be back later talking about Pummelo’s and an update on my No Added Sugar/Fake Sugar Challenge!

You can see my other updates here:

No Sugar Day 5

No Sugar Day 7

No Sugar Day 9

Question of the Day:

1. Do you write out your workouts before you head to the gym?

2. What do you do when you’re ready to give up during a workout? Move forward or give up?

 

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.

photo(18)

« Older Entries