Archive for Author fitlizzio

Caffeine-Free-ish

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As you may have caught onto from my post a few days ago, I’m working on weaning myself off of caffeine. For many, this is mostly mental, but for some of us caffeine-hoarders, it’s physical too.

I started out by giving up my beloved Xenergy’s. I love those little (read: big) cans of heaven, but they’re pricey! I’m about to move to another state (have I mentioned that? More on that in another post :)) that happens to be about twice as expensive as where I live now. $2 a day adds up! And sometimes, it was more like $4-6 dollars per day. Yeah, I had a slight addiction……

So I’ve now been mostly caffeine-free since last Friday. I say mostly, because I’m not trying to give it up completely. I’ve done that in the past, and it really is fine, but I do like to have caffeine every now and then.

So here is what I’ve done and these are my goals for caffeine:

-No more Xenergy! (1 per month is okay)

-If I’m feeling like I need an extra kick before a workout, either coffee or a pre-workout supplement(but this is only when I reallllllly feel like I need it.)

-Diet soda if I feel like it. More often than not, I don’t feel like it. Unless I’m in California(visiting). Somehow I always end up drinking diet soda there, and that’s fine with me.(Until I move there, of course..)

How I feel?

Day 1: Headaches, extreme fatigue, slept like a baby

Day 2: Headaches, extreme fatigue, slept like a baby

Day 3: Slight headache, a little fatigue but getting better, slept like a……yup..baby.

Day 4: Who needs caffeine?

Ha, so that’s pretty much how caffeine withdrawals go. You can still carry on with daily life, but I will admit, it’s a pain in the ass the first couple days and you want to give up. If you stick with it, though, you will feel better than ever after a few days.

Let me know if anyone else is/was giving up caffeine!!

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Supplements I Take and Why

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Hey guys! I don’t know about you, but I could have definitely used another day of the weekend to chill out! I didn’t drink any caffeine this weekend, and therefore was having some pretty annoying caffeine headaches! I got in some GREAT workouts, but besides that, the couch and TV were my friend. 😀 It’s nice to veg out sometimes, haven’t done it in too long!

I thought I’d give you guys a little insight into the supplements that I take and why I take them. This is not a recommendation and you should always ask a doctor before you begin taking something new. Also, what I take may not be best for you to take, but I’d be happy to answer any questions, so feel free to comment or e-mail me with them!

Alpha-Lipoic Acid – This is a supplement that I take once per day. It is an antioxidant that is actually produced in the body. It helps to turn glucose into energy while fighting off free radicals (waste in the cells that can lead to cancer.)

Papaya Tabs – These are simply digestive enzymes. They help to break down food and assist in digestion.

Probiotic Complex – These are also a form of digestive enzymes that actually have a living culture in them. They aid in the break down of food, absorption of nutrients and help with digestion.

Magnesium – . When I’m feeling extra tired and worn down from my work outs (not right after a work out, but almost as if I’m over training) I immediately up my magnesium intake. Magnesium is abundant in the body, but people can become deficient when dieting. I like to take it each day as a reserve, just in case.

Glutamine – I can’t stress this one enough. I like to call it the miracle supplement. This aids in recovery, BIG TIME. It helps to repair muscles and cells when they are broken down. I also take it when I get sick, as it helps the body to recover faster.

That’s it. I don’t take any fat burners or any other janky supplements that are on the market. I’ve tried different things, but I like to get most of my nutrients from food. I do take a multi-vitamin everyday to cover my bases, but I also try to make sure I’m getting in a variety of foods, especially vegetables.

If you have any additional questions as far as brands, or where to buy these or other supplements, comment or e-mail me at fitlizzio (at) gmail (dot) com.

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April Fools Day!

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Hey!!

Thank you so much for your awesome comments and e-mails! You guys rock! I know it’s April Fools Day, but I like to mess with people every day of the year, so for me this might be the one day of the year that I actually don’t play a prank on someone. 😉 It’s a total giveaway if I do!

Anyways, I’m glad it’s Friday, for no other reason than I actually have a pretty open weekend! I’ve been very busy with school, multiple jobs, and lately I’ve been working concerts as well. I will have to do an entire post on that because they are typically 12-14 hour work days and most people don’t realize what it takes to put on a concert! I work with the sound crew, but we  still have to do a lot. From the stage set up to the PA set up to sound check, etc. It’s very tiring, but totally fun too! This weekend I don’t have any gigs, so I will be spending it doing a boot camp, a track workout, a drum lesson, and finding shoes for the wedding!! Talk about waiting till the last minute!

Today’s workout: Run 5 miles.

I did 3 fast miles on Wednesday with my running buddy, but today I’m on my own. My pace for a 5 mile run is typically about 9:15 – 9:30, but it all depends how I feel. The route I like to run by my house is slightly down hill the first half and then I turn around, so that 2nd half is usually a bit slower.

I’m also weaning myself off of my beloved Xyience Xenergy’s. They are 0 cal energy drinks, but they are expensive! For a while I was writing for their website and getting them free, but I just haven’t had the time to do that lately, so I’ve been paying for them and at $2 a pop, you can see how that can get super expensive! For now, I’m going to try to get on the coffee bandwagon, even though I really don’t like it all that much…

 

I’m off to run, catch you later!

Posted in Running tagged with , , , ,

Remember me?!

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Holy crap!! I have completely neglected this blog. Life has been nuts, but that isn’t why I haven’t blogged on here. I just haven’t felt compelled to write about fitness/nutrition lately, so I started a music blog called It Just Sounds Good.

The good news, though, is that I plan on updating this blog as well! I miss blogging on here, and miss interacting with my awesome readers! I hope there are still some out there!

So what have I been up to?? EVERYTHING!!!! In keeping things simple, I still work out daily, but my workouts are somewhat different. I’ve been running a lot more, doing more plyometric/circuit/compound exercises in the gym and have shyed away from heavy lifting. My reasoning? For one, I just haven’t felt like it. I’m really liking the fast-pace movements lately. The other reason…well I have a pretty decent amount of muscle, I don’t want more, and I tend to put on muscle fairly easily! I know that many people say this, but I actually got a blood test and my testosterone levels are slightly higher than the average female (maybe i’m a man? haha justtt kidding) but this is common for weight lifters, actually. With that said, I will still throw in some conventional lifting days here and there, but for the most part I’m running 5-8 miles 3 days a week, doing 2-3 circuit/plyo workouts in the gym per week, and on then some track workouts and boot camp style workouts usually about once per week. I occasionally am boxing (when I can wake up that early!) and have also been riding my bicycle around to run my short errands!!

The Food

Well in January, I decided I needed to overhaul my view on food. I have to be honest with you guys, I’ve gained a pretty good amount of weight since I competed. I no longer have that tiny lean body, but I’m not a big tub of lard either. I am muscular, with some extra padding is the best way to put it! My weight around competition time was about 130, these days I’m about 155. A 25 pound weight gain….It’s embarassing, frustrating, and is completely my fault. I will say, however, that I’m at a healthy weight for my height and build, and besides my elevated testosterone levels(sounds so funny haha), all of my blood tests came back saying that I’m a healthy bean, so I really have to remind myself to be thankful of that!

How Competing Changed Me

Competing was an amazing experience. I decided in December 2008 to get in the best shape of my life and compete, and I DID! I will be honest, my body looked smokin’!!! (Of course at the time, I only saw my flaws.) I  guess being so naive to the sport was a blessing, because I had a great prep (no crazy carb-cutting) and did well. It was after competing that things got a little hairy. Suddenly, those who saw potential in me, started giving me advice. They told me what I should/shouldn’t do, and it was coming from many different angles. It really made me view everything differently and I got a very bad mental view on food, eating and working out. I could go on and on (and if you’d like me to, leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail and I’ll do an entire post on my thoughts/feelings on everything). I started to try to put on muscle, and also was eating more to do so. This slight weight gain looked to me like I had gained 50 pounds! Your body image gets really screwed up when you get super lean. Anything above that, and you truly believe you’re fat. From there, it was downhill and I have basically yo-yo’ed my weight for the last year and a half.

How I’ve Changed Recently

Going back to my “overhaul” this past January, I decided to STOP restricting the types of foods I was eating, and be a “normal person.” I have still been counting calories, but I haven’t been restricting WHAT I can eat. I’ve eaten gummy candy (helloooo sour gummy worms!), sandwiches (oh, how i missed those turkey sandwiches), and even the occasional sweet treat. In doing so, I haven’t really lost weight, but I haven’t gained weight either. I haven’t been “perfect” but that wasn’t my goal. My goal was to rid myself of viewing foods as good or bad and stopping myself from being so obsessive about the types of foods I was eating.

The Verdict

I finally feel good about food. I feel like I have made LEAPS in the last 3 months. Had I done this a year ago, I think things would have been much easier. As dumb as it sounds, I feel very proud of this. I know many people who absolutely fall into eating disorders from competing and seem to never free themselves, but I finally feel freed from it. I don’t think that I had an eating disorder, but did I have a skewed view on food? Heck yes I did. Very screwed up.

Body Image Now and Goals

I still suffer from some body image issues. After all, I’m not lean anymore(and hello, i’m a girl!), and it’s a hard pill to swallow. I don’t look the way that I want to, but my goals have also changed. A happy weight for me these days would be about 140. I think I was a bit too small at 130, and although I did love that look, it was hard to maintain. I think that I could maintain a 140 pound body without being “crazy” about a strict diet. So, with April 1st being tomorrow, and me being cliche, I’m going to start tightening up my diet a little bit. I know you’re probably thinking “Lizzy, you just told us you were getting away from that, what’s with this?!” But the fact of the matter, is that my mind is different now. I feel comfortable cleaning up my diet a bit (less junk, more wholesome foods, slightly less calories) without falling back into a distorted view of food and eating. While I don’t believe you have to eat squeaky clean to lose weight (you absolutely do NOT) I prefer to eat this way for the most part. It doesn’t mean I won’t have the occasional turkey sandwich or beef jerky (another recent obsession) but probably not as frequently. (Not to mention beef jerky is too damn expensive!)

GOALS

-Lose 15 pounds

-Continue viewing food in a healthy way

-Keep doing the work outs I love

-Stress out LESS

-Don’t dwell on my flaws!

Wow, that was a marathon of a post!! I also want to note, I’m VERY HAPPY with life right now. I’m following my dreams in the music business and I couldn’t be more blessed with everything going on. Hopefully I didn’t portray that I have been depressed or anything, because that definitely ISN’T the case. I’m very happy, but ready to make some changes as well.

Anyways, I’m not sure what direction to take the blog, so your input would be greatly appreciated! For now, I will be posting workouts, healthy recipes, and my thoughts/feelings toward my weight loss and fitness. Share this with your friends too! I’d like to share my experiences with others and build a network on the Fit Lizzio blog.

What are your goals for April?

Here are some recent pictures as well. My sister is getting married next weekend too, so I will be sure to post pictures from that!!

From left to right: Aunt Suzie, my sister Rachel, me, Grandpa(just turned 90 and still works out everyday!!), little brother Ben(so little right? HA), mother, Aunt Nancy

My best friend Taylor(left) myself and my sister Rachel(right) on my birthday

Most people go to Ostrich farms on their birthday..right?

My friend Maggie, myself and Morgan at my other birthday dinner. This is right before I ate a RAW QUAIL EGG. and it was good….

That’s all for now folks!

Posted in Fit Lizzio, food, motivation, pressure, Running, Workout tagged with , , , , , , ,

John Fogerty Concert: Behind the Scenes

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When you go to a concert, big or small, most people aren’t aware of just how much preparation goes on before-hand. As some of you know, but maybe some don’t, along with my business degree, I’ve been going to school for audio production. Ultimately I’d like to own my own recording studio, but until I strike gold or get in the right doors, I’m just along for the ride.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to be an audio hand for a John Fogerty concert. This concert is actually going on tonight, but there was a full rehearsal yesterday. He is only stop-ed-meds for  a small corporation, so the concert is being held at the Phoenix Country Club.

7:00AM- Arrived at the location, waited for the stage and stage hands to arrive.

Once they arrived, we loaded in the pieces of the stage and put it together.

This is halfway through building the stage:

 

After the stage was built, we waited for the audio gear to arrive.

9:00AM – Audio gear arrives.

It took us about a half hour to get all of the gear upstairs(we had to use the freight elevator, as the gear is extremely heavy). Once we had all of the gear in the room, it was time to set it up. This is where it starts to get fun, but also challenging.

Halfway through getting the audio set-up:

One thing that I’m learning along the way is how much cleanliness plays such a huge role in live sound. There are literally cables EVERYWHERE and if you don’t keep things neat, it just becomes a nightmare. Every cable needs to be straight, and follow the same direction.

Bad:

After hooking up all of the gear, it was time to get the levels and fix any issues. We had a buzzing coming out of one of the speakers, which meant that there was a ground that was up. (To keep things simple, cables typically have a hot, cold and ground. If the ground is up, it creates a loop which creates feedback.) After fixing this issue, we began texting the amps, making sure that mix 1 was coming from speaker 1, etc.

I don’t have pictures from the rest of the day, but by the time we were ready for the band to rehearse, it was 5pm. That’s right, it took 10 hours (w/ a 1 hour lunch) to set up the stage for this small concert.

I have to say, the more involved I get in the music industry, the more drawn I am to it. I was able to have a lunch with a man who has worked with every big name musician you could imagine. The stories he has to share are amazing, and although as an audio engineer, producer, or even talent agent you literally become the musician’s counselor, mother, father, sister, brother, best friend and doctor, the rewards outweigh the downsides.

I know this isn’t fitness related, but I wanted to share another part of my life with you guys. I am going to do this more often with this blog because although fitness and health are a huge part of my life, I have more going on that I’d like to share as well.

Speaking of that, my sister is getting married in 6 months! Get ready for some wedding-related posts!

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I’m not sick, I’m not sick………

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Ok I’m sick. 🙁

Hey friends!

Today is being spent on the couch with water, iced tea, the TV and my laptop. I’m currently fighting something(maybe the flu :-() and can’t fathom the thought of actually walking right now.

This is my view today:

 

Fitness Update

In one word: un-believable. I have been getting in such amazing workouts both by myself and with my new trainer and the fruits of my labor are coming in amazingly. My cardio is at about 45 minutes 6 days a week and lifting 4-5 days per week.

Oh, and I’m now official….

Life Update

I’m busy with school and 3 part time jobs, but still having a great time. Here are some pictures of my recent shenanigans in Los Angeles and Phoenix. Life is too short to be in a routine ALL of the time…spontaneous trips are well worth the experiences 🙂

What is the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?

Do you prefer making plans and schedules or just “wingin'” it?

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Peg Legs

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Hola!

Hope everyone’s short week is starting off nicely. Tomorrow is already Wednesday!!(actually it’s probably already Wednesday by the time you read this..if you read this.. ;-))

I was glad to see that some of my readers spoke up to say they are still out there! I know I kind of just ditched out on you guys like a bad boyfriend, but I am hopefully going to get back into some type of “regular” schedule with the blog. Whatever that may be, considering I’ve never really had a schedule, per say :).

I know you are all wondering by now why this post is titled Peg Legs….well I think that I will just let you see the work out my trainer put me through today and maybe it will give some clarity. I’ll be honest, I just wanted to say Peg Leg really bad. Don’t forget to check out the my-pharm-blog of this post for a frequently asked question that I MUST address…..

The Workout (cardio was a little over 4 mile hilly run)

Low Box Squats: 1 warm up set, 5 sets of 10 reps with 60 second rests, 5 sets of 5 reps with 45 seconds rest and an increase in weight by 40%

Hack Squat superset with Elevated Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlifts

Walking lunges AROUND THE ENTIRE BUILDING. He counted 600 reps……

Let me just say that my legs were shaking after the box squats…needless to say I was about to murder him when he took me into the 110 degree weather for the lunges….moving on….

The Question that I Get All The Time

“Lizzy…if you’re a trainer and know what you’re doing…why do you have a trainer????”

I’ll give you the short and simple answer to that: Because EVERYONE can benefit from having a trainer, it’s just a matter of WHO that trainer is and what your goals are.

Reasons to Hire a Trainer(one that is well-educated, experienced and can think OUTSIDE the box)

-You can learn new exercises and learn new ways to pair exercises that you wouldn’t have thought about on your own.

-I don’t care how hard you push yourself, a good trainer and one that knows you well enough can(key word is can because not all trainers do this or know how to do it efficiently…) push you harder.

-You can learn the reasons why this particular trainer does a different variation of an exercise you already do.

There are many other reasons why a well-trained and knowledgeable person can GREATLY benefit from having a trainer…..why do you think NBA players have a coach? or power lifters? or volleyball players? As smart as we can be, there is ALWAYS more to learn, and as soon as you start thinking you know everything, you will fall farrrrr behind my friends.

I also believe in training with different trainers. Many people will stick with their same trainer for years and years, which is fine, but I prefer to learn as much as I can from one trainer and then it’s time to move on. I am not saying to bounce around, because that isn’t effective either. Personally, I’ve had 3 trainers(including my current trainer) in my entire life that truly changed me, the way I workout and my mindset. I’ve been with these trainers for at least 1 year or more at separate times since I began training. These are highly educated individuals who have a lot of experience: a strength and conditioning coach who taught me proper form on all of my foundational exercises, a professional body builder/ex marine, and currently a former world champion power lifter who has been lifting for 35 years. 3 very different worlds, but SO much knowledge to be gained.

I leave you with a quote that my current trainer keeps reminding me of “Get outside of the box.” Really think about what that means for your training. Just because it’s a rule or what you were taught, it doesn’t mean that’s the only way it can be done. Our bodies were made to move and there is more than one way to skin a cat….get outside of your box and see for yourself.


Posted in Legs, mantras, motivation, quotes, Workout

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Is anybody out there?!

I have totally let this blog go. Life is so BUSY. I just thought i’d give an update on my life….

-I’m still kicking my ass in the gym daily, and sometimes twice daily. My workouts have never been better 🙂

-I’ve been eating well, but living life. My weight is pretty steady, but I’m happy with my body right now and am getting leaner. No more crazy diets for me, just slow, steady weight loss through clean eating.

-I’m taking 19 credits in school and it’s keeping me pretty busy!

-I am currently working 3 jobs on top of school, with a writing job on the side, hence the lack of posts.

-I do plan on bringing back daily posts, but need to figure out where I want to take this blog and what I’d like to do with this first.

-I’m not planning on competing this year, but may do it anyways…we’ll see….I do however have some non-set plans for next year….but it’s a surprise so you’ll have to wait…… 🙂

All in all i think i might be the happiest I’ve ever been in my life!

Oh yeah, and I’m a Certified Personal Trainer now too!

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Chest + Cardio

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Heyyy!

Just wanted to pop in and say hi! 🙂 This morning I woke up before work and hit the gym for a chest workout and some cardio.

Stepmill: 60 minutes

Chest: Today I did 1 exercise for chest. It is actually a combo exercise, and kicks the living shit out of your chest. (If you have living shit in your chest you’re going to need more than a workout….)

15 wide chest flys, 10 db presses, 5 wide chest flys. All of this done on the decline bench, and the key is to go DEEP and very SLOW. It takes some patience, but if you can hug someone pain-free the next day, you either didn’t use enough weight or didn’t go slow/deep enough(this is starting to sound like a romance novel….)

The weight is actually very light in comparison to what you would normally use. I started with 10 lb DB’s and ended with just 15 lb DB’s. I did 5 sets total and had to take a few breaks during the last set. One thing I have learned in working with my former world champion power lifter friend is that it’s OKAY to take rests during a set. One thing you DO NOT want to do, is try to “survive.” Don’t sacrifice your rep because you know in your head you still have x amount of reps left. A set of 12 is really 12 sets of 1 rep, so make every rep count and be PERFECT. If that means taking a 5-10 second break in the middle of your 12 rep set, then so-be-it, but FEEL THE MUSCLE YOU ARE ACTIVATING.

Taking those principles into my training the last few weeks has left me more sore than I’ve ever been in my life…and my training time is literally cut in half. Love training and love learning 🙂

E-mail me your questions/comments! [email protected]

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Moving Forward

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Life has been quite the whirlwind these past few weeks. I have to say, it’s been rough for my personal life, but it happens.

Training

I got sick last Wednesday and didn’t lift again until Friday. I wasn’t getting better so took Saturday and Sunday completely off training. I was back at it on Monday of this week and feeling great 🙂 My butt, hammies, and triceps are currently sore and I’ll be hitting back/biceps hard tomorrow.

Dieting/Lean-Out

I lost 6 pounds while being sick, but my eating is finally back to normal and my appetite is back. It’s funny, I’m eating more carbs and doing less cardio than I’ve done in a long time, but the heavy lifting and the fact that my body has fuel is making me progress really well. I’m happy and feel good about everything. Still no show-dates lined up, but at the moment, I can’t even imagine stressing about a show. Family drama + relationship stuff really takes a toll on a person. Especially when it all happens in the same week 😀

BUT, I’m hanging in there. I rely heavily on music to get me through pretty much everything, but especially when I hit rough patches.

This week: 

Simple Man by Lynrd Skynrd(and my favorite cover by the Deftones)

“Troubles will come and they will pass.”

Let it Go by Depswa

“When you love something enough and you’ve done all that you can if there’s one thing I have known and learned first hand sometimes you have to just let it go”

These songs make me feel at peace. I sound a little nutty saying that, but its da truff mang.

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