Buh Bye Blogger!

Hi!!

Not sure if I'm the only one that was having formatting issues with blogger, but I finally had enough... I've moved! Come check out my blog at

http://that70sgrl.wordpress.com

I've copied all posts over to wordpress which thankfully saves ALL comments, categories and dates of posts! AWESOME! :) The new and improved site is also fully searchable! AWESOME!

Thanks to you my fellow blogger for reading, and following me over to wordpress.

Hope you'll take a minute and update the address on Google Reader!

The Chiquita Chronicles continue.... :)

Thanks for reading and sharing my world/ your world with me.

mua! :o)

Summer Challenge- July Results & Goal Setting

So if you recall, I'm in the middle of a Summer Challenge with some blogging & twitter buddies.

Aptly named the "Summer Bipolar Smoked Chiquita Rabbit Trifecta" (by Mr. Funner)

Click the title for the posting of the challenge.

My results for the month of July were pretty good! -4.3lbs! I didn't quite make Mr. Funner's challenge weight loss of 8lbs, but hey, I'll take it! :) Most of my weight loss was accomplished in the last couple weeks of the month by SETTING GOALS! Not goals like "I'm going to lose XX lbs this month", but setting the ACTIONS that will get you where you want to go. Check out Mistress Laura's post on Goal Setting. While my own goal setting was much less structured, I still found it EXTREMELY useful. I will need to refine my goal setting skills, but for the moment, this seems to be working great! Planning out when and where to workout AS WELL as my meal plans was something that I was missing. Posting a week in advance INSTEAD of after, has helped me to stay accountable and keep re-updating the same post. BRILLIANT! :) Seems like something so fundamental, especially with all the reading that I do on fitness/ weight loss and nutrition... I guess I just needed to stop reading about it, and actually DO IT!!

August will prove to be a more challenging month with road trip to Montana for JP's wedding and then wedding part II in town with friends and relatives visiting. Planning will be much more difficult, but will need to be done if I'm going to continue in the right direction.

Have you set your goals for this week? month?

Week of August 3 - GOALS

Last week rocked by simply setting goals and following to a well prepared plan! :) Eating Clean is proving to be the missing link in my little puzzle (DUH!) ...

So here are my goals for this week.

Remember- Your weekly goals should be the actions, not the results!!

I'm pretty good with breakfast, I've been trying to have a shake with frozen berries, spinach, oats and low fat milk which usually is enough to carry me over till lunch.

-Snacks in between meals are a piece of fresh fruit or 0.5oz of almonds.

-I'm going to continue with minimal starchy carbs

Monday- Rest Day >>DONE (he he he EASY!)

Japanese Eggplant & Tofu in Garlic Sauce >>DONE

Tuesdy- run/ walk intervals to work & Back (10k total distance)

Lunch: Leftovers >>DONE

Dinner: Spinach Lasagne (one layer of noodles only)

Wednesday- Smoke's CB TT 10X10 Challenge

Lunch: leftover lasagne

Dinner: Same? (Prepare Turkey Loaf for tomorrow)

Thursday- Kettlebell Practice? (Dare I say it? I hope to have my bells by then. AAAAH! I HATE waiting!)

Lunch: Tuna Sandwhich on whole wheat (from home)

Dinner: Turkey Meatloaf with Spinach, Basil and Arugula with Mashed Sweet potatoes

Friday- Swim Lightning Intervals

Lunch: Leftover Loaf

Dinner: Eat out- Sushi

Saturday- Circuit for time Intermediate BW (FLAB)

Brunch:

Dinner:

Sunday- Run? Kettlebell Practice? (will depend on bells)

Friends arrive from the UK! Will endeavor to Eat Clean while they're here. Pray for my liver friends.

Week of July 27- GOALS

I think I need to set clearer goals each week, so here I go.

I'll update the post as I move along during the week.

Remember- Your weekly goals should be the actions, not the results!!

General:

- plan out dinners each night of the week to avoid take-out/ unplanned crap! Also helps with not wasting food & keeping shopping to a minimum! >> DONE on Sunday!

Monday

Lightning Intervals >>Done!

Fresh Tuna Burgers (no bun) with Light Waldorf Salad >> Done YUM!

Tuesday

Circuit for Time (BW Intermediate- 4 rounds fast as possible)>> Done (kinda) managed 45min interval cardio

Chicken & Navy Bean Soup >> Done

Wednesday

Pulse Pyramid (BW Intermediate) >>FAIL (2hrs of sleep = HORRIBLE)

Left over chicken & Navy Bean Soup >>DONE for LUNCH

Dinner: Quinoa w/ Beef & Veggie Stirfry>> Done with normal portion size!

Thursday

Lightning Intervals >>DONE @ the pool!

Sushi Cheat Meal>> FAIL

Friday-

No workout (leaving for Vegas) >>didn't leave for Vegas and didn't work out. (I don't wanna talk about it :( )

Eat Clean all day - could have laid off the carbs, but mostly ate clean

Saturday-

Week of July 20, 2009 - Eating Local in BC

Firstly... I must hang my head in shame. My fellow challengers... I have not done a whole lot this week... I could try and make excuses, but I won't. It wasn't a complete write off, but then again, weigh-in Sunday hasn't come around yet :)

Monday- mmm... I'm still getting over my birthday.

Day off.

Tuesday- mmm... rode my bike to/ from work/ to run some errands, all together about 20km. Does that count? LOL - didn't think so.

Wednesday- umm.... DH and I rode our bikes to/ from the fireworks. Suuuuuuuuuuper easy ride about 25km I think. Better than complete inactivity right?!

Thursday- I had the very important task of wedding dress shopping with JP. I did not plan ahead so I didn't do anything today either.

Friday- 5km RUN! YAY for some type of activity! GO ME!

I'm not justifying my lack of workouts but LOOK AT THESE STATS!!

Same run as my "measuring stick" run on July 2, 2009

30:38min

399cals

Max HR 192/ 180 avg

This is a PR for me, so I'm pretty excited! I cut almost 6min off my time!! How does that happen? I'm checked my watch over and over and still can't see how I could have messed it up, so I'm chalking it up to: 1- slacking on first try and 2- improvements due to my "Rest" Week?

I was/ am pretty fried after today's run. Felt good to push through. I was feeling kind of blue today, maybe that helped propell me forward? I know all about the importance of HIIT but sometimes, all I really need is a run, you know?

On another note- LOL- I shared with my twitter fam my little power mantra. It's what I say in my head when I need to keep going/ pushing. "ZOOM ZOOM!" Yes, I actually say this! Over and over and in time with whatever music is on my itouch at the time :) And it really does help!

I would love to hear what your Power Mantra is! Share! Share! Share! :)

Saturday- Cath & the Kettlebell Part II

So because I'm a total noob and because Trish's intro class didn't cover all the moves, I signed up for another Intro class at a local gym (is it fate that there just happened to be one today? Perhaps). I still have yet to get my kettlebells! AAAAH!! I want them now! (Patience young grasshopper, there will be plenty of time for practice and more pain!! )

Because I was still flying high from my 6min improvement on my run yesterday I decided I would bike there from home. It's about 8.5miles one way. Getting there was ok, arrived a little sweaty, but it was ok. :)

Class was 2hours of solid instruction. I learned ALOT and really think it was worth the time and money to learn more. Honestly, if you're thinking of taking up kettlebells proper instruction is a MUST. The instructor is an RKC that follow's Pavel's methods very closely. There was lots of opportunity to ask questions and practice proper form. Tried out the TGU for the first time. That is one tough exercise! So much to remember! We tried the shoe on the fist and I'm proud to say I didn't drop it on my head :)

We didn't really work too much on the snatch since it's more of an advanced move, so will need to work on my swing and strength prior to tackling that beast.

Here are the stats from my workout

2:01hr

843cals

Max HR 179/ 132avg

Link of the week- www.EatBC.com

We've been trying to source our food locally and I found this great website! There's a restaurant, farm & distibutor finder and a complete list of foods that are in season. Very useful!! :)

@greeanteagirl's blueberry pie!

With all the yummy Blueberries we picked on Sunday I decided to make a pie. Julie had posted a great recipe for BB pie that I used for the filling. Though... I didn't have any fancy sugar cane juice, so I used brown sugar instead.

Here's a link to her pie recipe:

http://greenteagrl.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/recipe-blueberry-pie/

And here's yours truely picking the berries :)

None of the pie crusts at Safeway looked appealing so I decided to make my own. We actually had ALOT of graham crackers left over from camping so I used those! :)

Found a recipe on allrecipes.com for a "healthier" version of a crust. It worked! Soooo good.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Healthier-Graham-Cracker-Crust/Detail.aspx

Here's a pic of the pie crust pressed into the bottom, prior to the 5min bake.

I plugged all these ingredients into the Dailyburn.com and came out with about 206cals per serving (based on 8 clices).

Results were... delicious!! Though I think I'd call my blueberry pie more of a torte :) Because there aren't alot of fillers/ gelatinous pie insides, it's a little flat. I might add even more BBs next time. But still really good. The crust was a hit!

Week of July 13, 2009 - turning 33 :)

Monday- camping day 6

Time to head home!!! Packing up all our gear was a pain again, but another good workout! Eating was, not horrible during the day, but then we decided to finish off our week with sushi dinner!! Mmmm! Sashimi & dynamite rolls @ gyoza! Mmm... ok, I'll stop!

Tuesday- VERY little sleep feeling hoooooorrible :/
I took today off (bad!) but much needed!

We went to see Harry Potter @ midnight! YAY!! Probably not a great idea since I was already super tired, but it was sooo worth it! Luved it!

Wednesday- Kettlebell Class!!!

Yaaaaa! See my post HERE, for details on that awesomeness!

Thursday- BW Circuits X4 + skipping Tabatas (60sec ON/ 30sec OFF) *5

No 10min of cardio as prescribed... oops! It was just too freakin' hot in the park.

I loved doing my workout in the park though!! Awesome!

Friday- FLAB Lightning Intervals

Jeeeeeeez! Decided to run my intervals outside, as my run home from work. In the blazing sun... 30C (in the SHADE!!!) Hola hannah, never been so close to yakking. 60seconds is a long time!

But anyway, I made it.

Saturday- Bday Pub Crawl on bikes

Today I was a shining example of what unhealthy people do alot of

-drink lots of beer and eat lots of greasy food

Ah well! It was fun! 8hours of alot of strange looks from people, 4 pubs, too much beer and lots of laughs. We had to be in costume for this so DH and a friend went as the Bob Ross twins (anyone remember him?) and I was their groupie, stuck in the 70s.

Here's a pic from the day: A little fuzzy, but then again, so was the whole day. LOL!

Sunday- Turning 33

Yesterday was a GREAT day to be me! Thanks to my all my twitter and blogging fam who sent well wishes and did killer workouts in my honour! :) I am truely blessed in every way imaginable!

Check out Mr. Gunner's workout! WOAH! (thanks Fred- you rock!)

http://luckisforrabbits.blogspot.com/2009/07/mr-funner-and-2nd-amendment.html

Without boring you all with details about the fabulous day I had (the birthday Santa brought 2 kettlebells!! MUA!! love you DH)... I did have some time to reflect on my 33years on the planet.

I've loved hard, played hard, worked hard, and traveled hard, have no regrets and I'm so ready to tackled the next 33! Life is what you make of it as many of my friends have taught and continue to teach me. This next year is gonna bring amazing things, I can feel it. I'm gonna make my own luck! (wise words from a wise guy HA HA!)

LOL- that having been said... I'm up 1.2lbs this week! (had to pay for all that fun I had) But NO REGRETS!!

July weight loss = -1.8lbs

As soon as I get my KBs... you'll see more workouts with KBs! :) For now... FLAB here I come! I think I'll hit up Fred's workout today too!

A kettlebell NOB Noob or Cath & the kettlebell (soon to be a best selling children's book) :)

Kettlebells... if you haven't heard of them... have you been living under a rock?! :) Anyway, my own personal experience with KBs is quite limited, I've swung a couple times as part of a circuit, but that's it. No instruction, just some swings. However, I would say that a good 80% of my twitter family either workout daily with KBs, are training for the RKC or have atleast mentioned them in some blog or another. Reading about them on your blogs/ tweets really made me curious. So, I've been researching, reading and absorbing everything I can about them, I love the idea of an all in one workout! I'm ALL OVER efficiency! :)

After some searching, I found an RKC in my area who set up an intro class for me and some of my co-workers. Well worth the time and $ invested! Finding her was actually a little challenging... I can count on one hand the number of RKC there are in my city. Bizarre? Yeah, I think so too. It's just not as popular here up North. Anyway, I rounded up 4 of my fitness buddies at work (me and 4 guys) to come try this out with me.

Tricia was a great instructor! She is one tough cookie! Super strong! She did her RKC snatch test with a 16kg! Did I mention that she's about 5'4? Anyway, she did a great job of teaching us some very basic moves, and of course proper alignment/ posture.

We started with the basic swing, emphasis on the hip snap and some swing variations. Then we moved on to the press, thrusters, high pulls and then pulled all our drills together for a killer circuit, repeated 3 times.

I was one big jello mess after this short hour! Check out these stats:
52:22min
545cals
HR Max 190/ 156cals

WOW! Luvin' it! Expect to see more kettlebell posts here too. All from the perspective of a KB NOB Noob! (thanks Smoke for the acronym - North of Border)

Week of July 6, 2009 - FLAB be gone!

Ahhh! I didn't have my post set up for last week, so this will be a little shoddy, but here goes.

Monday- FLAB beginner BW workout

Tuesday- Max rounds in 20min (beginner BW)
13.25 rounds
I didn't feel like I was going at snail pace, but apparently I was. This workout totally kicked my butt! Literally!
34:29min
387cals
HR max 187/ 169avg

Wednesday- Day 1 camping
I was cursing Fred's name today- my hamstrings and glutes were sooo sore! (Just kidding Fred!!) Signs of a good workout for sure!
Anyway, we arrive at camp only to find ourselves 12inches deep in MUD. I'm talking woodstock kind of mud! Good thing I had my red rain boots :) We had to carry ALL our stuff (food and water included) atleast 1km into the campsite X3 trips back to the trip to get all our gear = Workout!!

Thursday- Day 2 camping
Pretty mellow day. No strenuous exercising, unless you call making smores a chore. :)

Friday- Day 3 camping
As this was a music festival... I danced till my feet couldn't take it anymore. Fun times!!

Saturday- Day 4 camping
Repeat Friday (Eating... not so great)

Sunday- Day 5 camping
Repeat Friday (eating... really not so great. I don't think Marshmellows count as a fruit or veggie- though we did bring lots of fruits)

I've discovered exactly how sensitive I am to starchy carbs. They're baaaaaaaaad! Must stay away. Staying away from them had me down another 2lbs this week.
Total for July = 3lbs!

Week of June 29 & the challenge!

Monday- TT workout A
Final TT workout for June! YAY!
No stats :/

Tuesday- Nature's Stair Climber - Grouse Grind.
3km STRAIGHT UP!
I hadn't done this in over a year and my time sucked but I just wanted to go and do it on my own. I'm glad I did.

Check the stats!
1:35hr
1094cals
Max HR192/ 177 Avg

Wednesday- HAPPY CANADA DAY! (Rest & rented scooters)
Managed to keep my eating CLEAN! Yaaa!

Thursday- 5k run
36:01min
434cals
Max HR 186/ 167 avg

This run will serve as my measuring stick. I went running at Central Park and loved it! There's a well marked trail (Terry Fox Run Trail) that goes all through the park. No chance to overheat cause you're running through the forest. I'll be doing this more often!

Friday- tight hipflexors from my run yesterday. Resting up for tomorrow's first workout of the month!

If you read my blog, chances are, you have one too and I don't need to explain all the great things about it. In response my my bla post last week, friends encouraged switching it up, resting a bit and adding something new.


Enter... THE CHALLENGE! ("Summer Bipolar Smoked Chaquita Rabbit Trifecta")

The Challengers: One of my dear blogging buddies Mr. Fred Funner (check out his blog re. his workouts! he's a madman!)
And MikeZ, aka Smoke D. Blowfish http://smoketheblowfish.blogspot.com/ (whom I've never actually had the pleasure of "speaking" with but judging from his posts... another madman who constantly challenges and pushes Fred to new levels of fitness fun! :)

A little friendly competition between friends... boys vs. girls... beasts vs. wannabe (that's me)!
LOL- In anycase, it'll be fun, and it's the motivation I was lacking!

The goal : Most weight lost by the Aug 31, 2009
With a split down the middle: Most weight lost in July and in August seperately.

I did my first two workouts for our challenge over the weekend.
Saturday- Beginner BW Pulse Pyramids. (Smoke does a great job of explaining them on his blog HERE)
This was tough but manageable... I was a big sweaty mess after finishing. Great workout followed by 10min of steady state cardio. (5.5mph @ 2%incline)

Sunday- Lightning Intervals
Similar to HIIT sprints but a taaaaaad more intense! I was sucking wind at the end of each of the 9 intervals I did.
1min sprint @7.4mph - 2%incline
2min active rest (walking)
For a full 27min worth. WOW... amazing how an extra 30 seconds can totally kick your arse!
32:18min
311cals
HR Max 196/ 149avg

So guys, look for our regular posts where we'll share the workouts, sweat and arse kickin's!
Excited, but NERVOUS!!

Eggplant Zucchini Gratin- A-la ME!

We've been trying to eat less meat and in doing such, I've been getting creative. (We can only eat so much tofu and stir fry!! LOL)

Here's my healthy version of this recipe. Click HERE to see the original.

Yield 10 servings (made in a big lasagna pyrex)

Time 1 hour 15 minutes



Ingredients

• medium eggplant
• salt
• ½ c Fibre 1 cereal (swapped out breadcrumbs, to add fibre :) )
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1.5 T parsley
• 2 t olive oil (one is to oil your baking dish)
• 4 oz LIGHT Philly cream cheese
• 1 c Fat Free Cottage Cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 t cornstarch or flour (I used cornstarch)
• ½ c milk (I used 1%) (I would use 1/4cup next time. Came out a little runny)
• nutmeg
• salt
• pepper
• medium zucchini, sliced
• 1½ c tomato sauce
• 2 oz low fat feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 oz sun dried tomatoes (not in oil) sliced

Directions Cut eggplant into .5" thick slices. Original recipe then asks you to salt, drain and pat dry your eggplant. Frankly... who has time for that? I sure don't. I put them to grill on my hamilton grill for about 5 min. Seasoned with a little souvlaki seasoning (no salt). This worked GREAT and is much less work. While these are grilling you can move to other steps.

Place Fibre 1 cereal, garlic, parsley, and oil in the food processor and process until minced and well blended.** Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Place cream cheese, cottage cheese, egg, cornstarch, and a couple tablespoons of milk in the processor and blend. Scrape down the side, then start processing again as you gradually add the rest of the milk. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Oil the baking dish, and place eggplant in the bottom. Top with tomato sauce, then the zucchini, then the sun-dried tomatoes. Spread the custard on top, then sprinkle with feta, then Parmesan, then bread crumbs.

Here's a pic of the gratin half built

And here it is ready to go in the oven:

Bake about 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let sit for a couple of minutes before slicing. (Watch your oven on this one. Mine is a little on the hot side, so I baked for 25min the first time... then again @ 200 for 15min to try and get rid of some of the moisture- worked only to a certain degree)

Here's the final yumminess. It was really good. Little on the watery side, but that's ok. Next time will be better. The custard layer was awesome! Mmmm...

Notes *There are two ways to do this. One is to use a medium-sized baking dish, about 9x9, which will give you a taller/thicker gratin. The other is to use a very large baking dish (I used my lasagna pan, which is 11x15), which will give you a thin gratin. The taste is the same; it's just the appearance that changes.

And finally... the best part about this dish... the nutritional values! Only 165cals/ serving! Subbing the cottage cheese upped the protein value to 9.5g/ serving. NICE! Not sure what the original recipe was, but surely over my 165cals! YAY!

Here's a link to the recipe on The Daily Burn in case you use it.

Give it a try and let me know how it turns out! :)

Week of June 22 - Blogger's Block

Monday-
walked home from work + Treadmill workout
20min 10% incline @ 3.5mph
25min @ 1% incline @5.0mph
- doing all those HIIT sessions has really ramped up my cardio. The only thing holding me back were my feet/ shoes. Haven't ran distance in a really long time. It was good!

Tuesday-
Walked to & from work

Wednesday - TT Workout B + HIIT Tabata training X4 sets (same as last week)
52:00min
485cals
HR Max 187/ 153avg

Looks like my calibration of my HRM brought my cals burned only slightly. Not huge enough difference for me to be seriously concerned though.

Thursday- TT Workout A - Elyptical @gym PM
25:26 min
183cals
HR Max 170/ 133 avg

Friday- Cardio Day
Tabatas X4
HIIT Sprints 1.5% incline @8.0mph
No stats for today :(

Sat & Sun
Guests in town so did ALOT of walking. Not exactly High Intensity but movement nonetheless.

Link of the week:
None- sorry readers- I had serious blogger's block this week. Lacking motivation in a big way :(
I won't stop working out, but let's just say I'm not feelin' it this week.

I'm hoping to pick it up this week... somehow.

Week of June 15 & Inspiration

Monday- off (had to drive back from our mini-vacation) ALOT of sitting!

Tuesday - TT 2K3 workoutB + 4X Killer Tabatas (1min rest between tabatas)
45:40min (moving a little quicker than last week!)
438cals
HR Max 191/ 151
I love to hate these tabatas!

Wednesday- Eat Stop Eat Fasting day
I used this day to callibrate my HRM
walking 1 mile as fast as I could + HIIT sprints
33:10min
Max HR 185/152 avg
321cals

That's it!! I cannot lie- I didn't get in any other workouts this week! :/ I let life get in the way, and I got lazy.

Steps to take next week: set goals to track.

Link of the week: Inspiration! - Watch me Shrink (not me, but a vlog blogger on youtube)

http://www.youtube.com/user/Smile2DayTears2Morro

Check out this woman's transformation! I was floored! Not to mention mesmerized by her vlog posts on youtube. I litterally almost watched every week. She's funny and smart and totally inspiring! She lost over 40lbs the good old fashioned way- good nutrition (counting the cals), working out and dedication. She's amazing!

Let me know what you think!

Intermittant Fasting with Eat Stop Eat

So I successfully completed my first 24hour fast yesterday. (If you'd like more info about the program please click here Eat Stop Eat)

Here's my experience with it:

• I had a good breakfast of a scrambled egg & whites plus multi-grain toast. Last meal= 7.20AM
• 11AM I briefly thought about food when I usually have lunch, but was ok. I really had to try and not look at the clock or count the hours because that was depressing!
• Throughout the day I sipped on cold water, green tea and herbal teas. Nothing hot, all iced. I felt pretty good.
• Got some great tips from Liz and Sarah (She also recently posted about her experience with the ESE method- read all about it here. Sarah does a great job briefly explaining the principles too)
• for most of the day, I was pretty focused on whatever I was doing at work AND I didn't get sleepy at 1pm as I usually tend to feel. Hmm... good indicator that I might need to make better choices at lunch!!
• I got home and watched some TV, surfed, spent some time on Twitter and everything was pretty much ok...
• about 9pm and I started with a head achy feeling and actually feeling a little nauseous lying down. Had to sit up but was still feeling queasy. (In retrospect I should have been drinking more water, less tea in the evening)
• Here's something interesting that I noticed... my sense of smell was UNREAL last night! I have a very good sense of smell on any given day, but last night felt like it was magnified for some reason.
• went to bed around 10pm and couldn't really get to sleep, and when I did finally fall asleep... I woke up a few times because I could smell stuff! I have skin cream and body powder in my nightstand and woke up because I felt like I was smelling them right under my nose. very very weird.
• woke up around 6.20am (little late today because of my restless sleep) and really wasn't feeling well. I had some stomach pains that were similar to something I've experienced with excess stomach acid. :( Not nice.
• took a shower and got ready for work and finally broke my fast at the same time I started yesterday with a handful of cherries and 1/2 piece of multi-grain toast. I had no desire to eat huge or upset my already hurting tummy.

Fast forward to this afternoon, I feel much better. I felt better about 40min after eating so all is good. :) I learned that alot of my eating is just habit, not necessarily because I'm hungry. I will try and listen more to what my body is actually telling me, not just "used to". The jury is still out on whether I would do this again... stay tuned.

It was nowhere near as difficult as I thought it would be, in fact right up to 9pm, I was fine.
My advice, WATER! MORE WATER!! WATER!!

I weighed in yesterday pre-fast and today just before eating... (-5pounds) which means nothing I know, but still interesting. We'll see what my -1500cal adds up to this week.

Recalibrating my Polar F6 HRM

After reading on of Becky's posts on how her HRM was acting funky and possibly not accurately recording her calories burned I decided I'd better check out mine.

My HRM is a huge motivator- I like to see the cals I burn during a workout, so better than OVER recording cals burned, let's make sure I've got it right.

Age, sex, weight, height- yup... quite sure I've got these right- LOL
VO2 Max- this is the one I wanted to be sure I had right.
I used the Rockport test for VO2Max which of course isn't as accurate as being plugged into a snorkel with electrodes and graphs but anyway:
Essentially: Walk 1 mile as fast as you can, take your HR immediately after and plug into the calculator here:

http://www.brianmac.co.uk/rockport.htm

Based on this test, My VO2Max is 34, which on the scale is "Good" for my age range. Will be interesting to see what my stats are for the rest of this week as I originally had this set to 36. Hmm...

Week of June 8 & my "No Excuses mini-vacation"

Monday- TT 2K3 Workout B + Tabata sets X4
slooow movin' workout today! Ugh, Mondays!
1:01hr
555cals
HR max188/ 146avg

Tuesday - Kenpo X
43:24min
458cals
HR max 189/ 164avg
Forgot how fun this workout is!

Wed- rest (my hamstrings are still sore from Monday!) I've been doing DB RDL wrong for weeeeeks!! But finally corrected my form :)

Thursday - TT 2K3 workoutA + Sprints 2%incline total 9 sprints (30sec:1.5min) did my fastest sprint EVER 9.5mph! Barely made the 30seconds, but I did it! PHEW! Anyway, that was the first one, the rest I did at 7.3mph which felt like a jog after 9.5mph. LOL!
44:21min
423cals
HR Max 190/ 151avg

Have I mentioned how much I dislike decline push-ups? ouch!

Still workin on my chin-ups. Still @2 reps/ set X3sets. Apparently it's a big jump to 3. :)

Friday- TT 2K3 workoutB + Sprints @2%incline I kicked it up a notch... my base speed is now 8.0mph and it's completely manageable. I threw in a 9.0mph and an 8.5mph just for "fun". NOT! :) but seriously, 7.0mph was just starting to feel like a jog! Which is awesome 'cause when I started TT in April I was only sprinting at 6.2mph! YAY for progress!
52:28min
500cals
HR Max 187/ 151avg


Link of the week: none... :( I'm a bad blogger! With all the last minute details to my mini-vacation with DH, I didn't get around to it!


I will however add my thought of the week here... "Just because you're on vacation, doesn't mean there's no room for movement."

We went to the Okanagan (the interior of BC) this weekend and were lucky to have hot, sunny awesome weather, perfect for a dip in the pool & a bike-ride! :) I made sure that I worked in a fun activity for us this weekend. Ended up being a leisurely bike ride through some amazing terrain. Check out the pics!





Had my heart rate monitor on and here are the stats:
2:57hr (stopped a couple times, had some snacks, took some pics)
882cals
HR max 144/108 avg


And here's a short vid of DH & me along the trails (yes, I'm very dorky :o) )

So that's my vacation... what are you going to do to make sure you move on your vacation? :)

Week of June 1 & Successful Weight Maintenance

Monday- new TT Workout!! :) 2K3 A- wow- killer workout. I had spaghetti arms right after doing this one.
42:50min
368cal
HR Max 185/143avg
HIIT- sprints @2%incline starting at 7.0mph up to 8.2 (7intervals)

Tuesday
Walked to and from work

Wed - TT 2K3 B + Tabata sets X4 (step-ups, jump rope, bench hop-overs)
I did the Tabatas first, which in retrospect may not be a good idea before a leg workout.
53:41min
565cals!!
HR Max 188/160avg

Check those stats, those tabatas killed me! I wonder if replacing TT HIIT for Tabatas is ok?

What do you think my fellow fitness readers?
So I got some responses (thank you) and looks like I can do either one or the other. :o) I luuuv my gymboss so I'll add more tabatas I think!

Friday- TT 2K3 A + Tabata sets X4 (alternating between ministep straddles/ jumping jax/ plyo-step-ups & Bench hop-overs) ** the bench hop-overs were a GREAT shoulder workout! :)
47:30min
408cals
HR Max 184/144avg

Saturday & Sunday- not much... uh oh!!

Link of the Week:

I found this article in the Precision Nutrition Blog. What I found really interesting is the the table near the bottom of the article. I've been thinking alot lately about how I got back to where I am today... no where near the 189lbs in 2003 but still... how did I get back here?
Coincidence that the behaviors of weight losers and successful weight maintainers are the same when it comes to constant observation and measuring of weight? Probably not. Somewhere I guess I stopped looking at the scale / measurements to keep myself on track...

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/expert-tips-losing-vs-maintaining

I hope some of my blogging buddies who are maintaining find some use in that info :)

Week of May 25 & Pesticides in our Produce

Monday - TT for Fatloss WorkoutB
28:02
235cals
HR max178/ 141 avg

Walk home 41:59 169/ 139bpm - 347cals

Bootcamp
1:15:10sec 223/157 - 765cals

Tues- bike/ light cardio (went with JP- it's great cause if I wouldn't have gone today if not for her. I won't turn down a workout if she asks)
42:00min
350cals
HR Max 174/140bpm

Wed- walked to/ from work
39:59min
300cals
HR Max167/ 132avg

39:40min
326cals
HR Max173/145avg



Thursday- TT for Fatloss Workout A + JumpRope and Step up TabatasX3 + HIIT (sprints @1% incline 8.0- 8.8mph)

36:01min
336cals
HR Max 188/150

CHIN-UPS- 2 repsX 3 sets! OH YEAH!!! (have to do these at the start of my workout otherwise I can do like. 0.5)

Saturday TT for Fatloss Workout B + QuickFeet step-up Tabatas X3 (no time for HIIT today)
39:30min
359cals
HR Max 185/146avg

This was a quick and dirty workout. JP had me on limited time schedule. This was slightly annoying since I dislike starting a workout and not finishing it. Somehow feel like I copped out. SIGH! Next time I'll be sure to ask how long she has. Better than not working out I suppose.

So last week, in total
10 workouts (or just exercise planned)
6:24:10seconds
Cals burned 3375. I should really start weighing in everyweek with measurements like Julie does.

Link o' Da Week: 47 Fruits and Veggies ranked by Pesticide Use:

Top of the list being VERY BAD!!

http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php
Tweeted about this last week, but it's so important. Print out a copy and put it on your fridge! If you're on a budget like me, buy only the top 5-10 in organic. Not eeeeeeeeverything needs to be organic, but replacing the worst will certainly help!

Another thing I think is useful is knowing what fruits and veggies are in season and when, to further help cut costs of organic f&v. Check out this link for oregon (pretty close to me)

http://www.aglink.org/oregonfresh/seasonal/vegetables.php


Stay healthy!!
xo cath

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

My experience with BJJ was z-e-r-o and when I heard that my former Kickboxing coach (more like cardio kickboxing) was putting on a month of free BJJ classes for women, I decided to try. It's a martial art that interests me, partially because of my Japanese ties, but mostly because it's something totally different than anything I'd ever tried. BJJ is my coach's true passion and you could tell from the class how much he loves the sport.

We did alot of drills practicing how to fall on the matt, lots of hip drils and movements and we learned a couple of moves & how to put them together. Lots of time spent practicing with a partner, then we were able to watch coach and his assistant grapple so we could see what the real flow of a match would be like.

Before class I was feeling:
-nervous (that I wouldn't be able to do it)
-anxious (what if I get my arse kicked?)
-apprehensive (Do I really want to get that close to someone?!)- strange how much personal space means to you, then at the same time, how quickly that feeling goes away when you just drop that fear.

After class:
-totally pumped! What a great martial art! Self-defence! Body Chess! Leverage, not strength...
I CAN DO THIS! Cool! It's amazing what little strength you really need to actually get out of a position!
-convinced that all the feelings I had/ have before the class are the reasons why I SHOULD try this out!

I had asked my twitter buddy (and MMA fighter) @JimmyVo for some info on the sport and he pointed me to a blog post of his.
http://mmastuff.ws/bjj/9-lessons-ive-learned-from-jiu-jitsu-so-far
I have to admit, at the time I read it (before I had class) I didn't quite understand it all. After seeing the art, being down on the matt, I get it. Well, obviously I don't "GET" it, cause I've only been to one class, but I can put context to the info now. Thanks for the info Jimmy :)

I had tried to surf for info prior to class, and while there's no shortage of YouTube videos and sites, I really think it's something you just have to TRY.

Check out this link for a woman's perspective on BJJ:
http://www.grapplearts.com/Women-and-Grappling.html
Some pretty insightful stuff!

I'm quite sure it's something I want to continue! :0)

Week of May 18 + The Importance of Tempo

Monday - TT for beginners (did this one with JP for support) + HIIT squat jumps
53:00min
473cals
HR Max179/146 avg

I love having a workout buddy! I'm hoping that all this exercise will turn her into a junkie like me! LOL

Wednesday- BOOTCAMP!! I decided that I needed to kick it up a notch, so I joined a local bootcamp for women. It was fun I guess, the worst and best part was the measuring. It FORCED me to do it. Sigh... not fun. But it's not supposed to be, is it? It's only 4 weeks, we'll see how it goes. But anyway, check out these stats!! HOLY COW!!!
1:09hour
787cals
HR Max 209/ 168avg

It was definitely intense. Not sore today (thurs) but that's because I worked out again with JP. Add to that... my PINK GYMBOSS timer came today so I can do all sorts more Intervals!! :) YAY!

LOL- I had to contact the instructor because her caliper measurments for me had me at 13% Body Fat! LMAO- if I was that fit (not to mention the fact that's like Olympic Athlete BF%) I wouldn't need to go get sweaty with 20 other women!! She took them again on Sat and lo and behold... I'm more like 18.1% waaaaaaaaaait a second, even that seems weird. SIGH- those tests are so inaccurate!

Inches Measurements:
Upper Arm left 11"
Upper Arm right 12.5"
Chest 37.5"
Waist (bellybutton) 32.5"
Hips 38.5"
Buttocks 41.25"
Upper Thigh left 24.5"
Upper Thigh right 24.5"

Caliper Measurements (OUCH did this hurt)
Tricep 10
Tummy 8
Thigh 24

Body Fat and Weight
Age 32
Weight 166lbs
Body Fat % 18.1
Fat Weight 30.1
Lean Mass 135.9

By this weirdo calculator I'm still within an athletes' BF%... hmm... it suuuuure doesn't feel like that. I don't even know what a good goal weight is for me. How's that for messed up? Trying to reach a goal I haven't even defined. SIGH. I was once down to 148 (before I met DH and gained "happiness" weight) and I don't think I was done losing. I was running 3 miles a day/ 5 days a week though, I'm done with the endless cardio. Plus, I was skinny fat with no muscle, no thanks. I need to do some more research to find a good goal weight.

Ladies- any ideas? How did you decide your goal weight?

Saturday - BOOTCAMP! (forgot to turn off my monitor till I got home, so the stats are slightly skewed- but I did ride my bike so...)
1:38min
973cals
HR max 197/ avg 155

As tough as these bootcamp sessions are, I'm never sore the next day. What's up with that? From the calories I burn it's not like I'm not working hard, and I try not to wuss out so what gives?

Link of the week- The Importance of Tempo during your workouts
For a relative amateur like me, I found this article pretty useful. Turbulence Training lists tempo's for workouts and since I had no idea why or how...

http://www.gain-weight-muscle-fast.com/weight-training.html

Also some great info about breathing and rest periods. Maybe it's all stuff you know, but if not, pretty basic info we should all have! :)

Week of May 11 + Jillian Michael's PodCasts

Tues workout- TT original B + HIIT (20min)
53:50min
520cals
HR Max 179
Avg HR 147
HIIT- treadmill7.5 mph @ 4% incline

Thursday- TT original A + HIIT (20min BIKE)
41:00min
422cals
HR max191/ 157avg

Saturday TT Original B + HIIT (Jump Squat Intervals)
51:43min
482cals
HR 181/ 150avg

These Jump squat intervals were intense. And OMG my calves were sore the next day!! oooouch! But a nice change from the usual!

Link of the week:

I had no idea that Jillian Michaels had her own weekly podcast! Thanks to Becky for the link!
Anyway, I know with JM you either love her or hate her, but I love her. Yes, yes, she absolutely MURDERED proper form on a couple of her "Trainer's Tips" but still, you can't deny her passion for fitness and health. And the fact that it's always a black team member who wins... come on, you can't argue with that.

Anyway, here's a link to JM's radio show/ podcast that she does every Sunday.
http://www.kfi640.com/pages/jillian.html?_show

The page is NOT well laid out, neither is finding the darn podcasts but they're worth it.
Here is the link for just the podcasts for the radio station:
http://www.kfi640.com/pages/podcasting/
Then just look down SUNDAYS to find JM!

Not only is she absolutely passionate about the topics, gives good advice (and supports it with info), but she's also pretty funny! Most of the time she's pretty serious and stern with her advice, so it's like she's givin you an ass kickin through your speakers!! :) Her no-nonsense/ excuses attitude is really cool. As as her tips on nutrition, eating organic, avoiding the vast amount of toxins in our food and common household goods.
Check them out and let me know what you think!!

Week of May 3, 2009 + Nutrition BlogTalkRadio

Wednesday workout- TT original A + HIIT (20min)
38:15min
429cals
HR Max 189
Avg HR 166

HIIT- treadmill
7.0 mph @ 4% incline (last interval @ 8.0mph (this is the fastest I've ever run!!)
30 seconds on 1.5min off
Still think I could have run faster. Will hit it next time.

Thursday- TT Original B + half-assed HIIT on the bike
53:47min
552 cal
MHR 184
Avg 158
Not the best I could have done today but I was trying to coach someone on the side while doing my workout. Not a big deal, I'm more than happy to do it. Inspiring her to workout more would be better than ANY calorie burned :)
Realised today that I can do HALF A CHIN-UP!!! Holy Hanah! I didn't even think I could do that. Will take the advice of my twitter friends and start working the reverse chin-ups first. COOL!

Friday- HIIT
Treadmill sprints- 7.0mph @5% incline.
50:18min
397cal
Max HR 192
Avg 150
I forgot to turn off my HRM so this isn't accurate. It was only 20min HIIT plus 15 min of AbRipperX

Sunday- TT original A plus 16min HIIT
38:00min
443cal
Max HRM 218?!!
Avg 170
Something went wrong with my monitor here, not sure, but these bpms don't seem right, I'm never up this high.

So this week has been OK. I'm psyched that I got my sis in the gym and about my 0.5chin-up but the scale is pissing me off. I'm obviously not doing something right with the nutrition. Bitter sweet week. That's all I have to say about that.

This week I've been listening to blogtalkradio @work. If you're like me you can multi-task at work, and listening to fitness podcasts on my computer while at work has been great. There are so many great blogs/ people out there just wanting to share info. It's amazing!! Here are the ones I've been listening to this week. (some of these are pretty long- 2hrs!!) But there are LOTS to choose from.

From @sharifitness (on Twitter)
Your Most Burning Nutrition Questions Answered with Sports Nutritionist Marie Spano

TT Week 3 & Precision Nutrition

Another week of Turbulence Training! Finally feeling 100% and able to workout to my full capacity! Yay! Had some good muscle DOMS so I know I'm working hard. I am REALLY looking forward to the next workout, when do I get to workout my guns Craig?! I want toned and sexy arms for summer! LOL
And I must be doing something right because my recovery time is getting shorter. I honestly had to do a double take a couple of times yesterday 'cause I couldn't believe my HR went down so fast. Or wait... does that mean I'm not working out hard enough. LOL! whatever!!!

Just as an aside, I LOVE MY POLAR F6 HRM!! :) For some reason I find it extra motivating to see exactly how many calories I burn after working out. Not to mention the fact that my actual HR is a great motivator to push harder if my HR isn't quite there. PLUS I can log all my workout stats online and see what I've done in a week or month! Cool!

On to this weeks workouts (so far) plan on at least one more this weekend

Tues- TT intermediate work out B
53:04min
544 cal
Max HR 187
Avg HR 157
HIIT- stationary bike

Wed
HIIT on the treadmill 5%incline 6.0mph 1min on 1.15min off + AbRipperX
38:18min
377cal
Max HR 191
Avg 154

Thursday- TT Intermediate Workout A + HIIT on the bike
50:07min
487cal
Max HR184
Avg HR 153

And now for today's link of the day: Precision Nutrition

The actual "Precision Nutrition System" sounds like a very complete nutrition program and if I were rich, I'd get it in a second! Alas... i'm not. BUT!!! There is still a TON of great information their site. Check out the blog pages for lots of good info:

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/category/blog/

By the same author, though different site, I particularly liked: 7 rules of good nutrition
Really good food advice. Now if only I would just follow through! LOL SIGH...

Blog Thoughts & Intuitive Eating

I've been doing some thinking about blogs. I read ALOT of them. Some of which I'm not sure why I bother with.


The internet is flooded with blogs about an endless array of topics. Fitness has got to be near the top. Lots of people trying to sell you stuff, lead you to their affiliates pages (which I don't think there's anything wrong with- more on that later) and there are LOTS of "ODE TO ME blogs" These are the ones that annoy me the most. Look at me, I'm so great, I love myself, look at my bicep. AAAAAAAACK! Boooooooooring! Say something interesting that will motivate others, share your knowledge and experience and maybe a link or two! A picture of your bicep isn't going to help me in anyway!


Yes, totally childish of me, but that's honestly how I feel. Which is why I'm going to commit to sharing a link with every post. Yes, it will also be an online journal for my workouts, trials and tribulations but if I want someone to read this thing, it CAN'T just be about me.


Here's what I think blogs should be:

- informative (share links and info!)

- funny (don't write it like a text book, I want to feel like I'm being talked to, not lectured!)

- positive (I really don't want to read about you complaining the whole time)

- variety (the same thing everyday? REALLY? yaaaaawn!)

- motivating (motivate yourself so others can be infected by this same motivation!)



Now let me just comment on affiliate programs within blogs. I honestly have no problem with this... as long as your site is compelling, full of good info and you're not JUST trying to get me to click on a link! Tit for tat right? I think that's pretty fair. Most have a good sense of this already (I'd think it was common sense), others... not so much.




Bringing me to today's link of the day. Intuitive Eating - check out skwigg's post on reaching Food Nirvana.



What is Intuitive Eating? (stolen from Wikipedia)

Intuitive eating is a nutrition philosophy based on the premise that becoming more attuned to the body's natural hunger signals is a more effective way to attain a healthy weight; rather than keeping track of the amounts of energy and fats in foods or satiety levels. It's a process that is intended to create a healthy relationship with food, mind, and body. Intuitive Eating, just like the many books available today, goes by many names, including non-dieting or the non-diet approach, normal eating, wisdom eating, conscious eating and more.



Wow!! I am so not there yet, but skwigg's new found peace and relationship with food is what we should all be striving for. I am still in the obsessed with food stage. Log it, track it, look it up, how many grams of protein did you say? Yup... admitted food obsession. It's probably one of the reasons why I can't seem to lose these last 20lbs! But anyway... knowing what my relationship with food should be like is definitely helpful!

April 20, 2009

Sick... snotty... coughy... blaaaaaaaaa.... Thanks DH for the cold. Sigh. Anyway, haven't worked out since last wednesday so decided I HAD to do something today even though I feel pretty gross. This is like the longest cold EVER though. Usually I'm done and over it in 3 days.
Go figure it happens when I start focussing/ blogging/ logging nutrition.
Are you on gyminee.com? If not... WHY?! It's the greatest thing since whole grain brown sliced bread! :) I think it's the most comprehensive site I've found so far. The food database is awesome so far and you can log workouts, goals, join groups and challenges etc etc. It's getting my approval for sure. I'm gonna check out the iphone app a little later. Will post comments about that too. The forums are also chalk full of people who want to help and provide lots of great information/ links. Much moreso than sparkpeople. (though I do still greatly value SP and it's "facebook-esque" personalization pages.) Look for me... (my handle is "that70sgrl")
Twitter has been great for leading me to blogs and informational sites that I otherwise wouldn't have found on my own. Good stuff!
On to today's wimpy workout. As expected I'm pretty weak, so I did workout A and just couldn't do my HIIT. Good news is that my nutrition has been pretty good.
See you tomorrow!

Friday April 17, 2009

So I'm sick (thank you DH xo) and am wheezing and coughing. :( The good news is that my calories have been good and I still have the weekend to get in one more TT workout and some other light exercise :)

It's a strange feeling to not be in the gym 5days a week... feel like I'm slackin!

Week 1 Workout B

Yesterday's activity was swimming laps in the pool. Good stuff for intervals and my HRM monitor worked like a charm in the water. Think I'll try and do that more often.

Today's workout B was good. I need to up my weights on one of the supersets but other than that was great.
Did my HIIT on the bike, sweat sweat sweat!! I swear I sweat more during these 45min than I do when I run 3.5mi on the treadmill. Good stuff!

Now, off to get some soup!

PS- my little rant about Biggest Loser last night... TARA SHUTUP! OMG does she annoy me! Fantastic weightloss and a great athlete but shaaaaaaadup!! :S I really wanted Felipe to win. And Jillian's teary bla about Laura... somehow... it just seems fake when she cries... is it just me?! Don't get me wrong I would love to get my ass kicked in the gym by that woman, but I just wasn't buying the crying and the holding hands. Wonder how much NBC paid her to do that.

Week 1- Workout A

I did this one yesterday when I got home from work. The gym was empty. YESSS!! I love that! Was a tough workout. Finished it in 50min. (4 min MORE than doing it in the gym at work- smaller space, less walking around, wiping off benches/ looking for weights etc.) but that's ok.
For my HIIT I used the recumbent bike and found it was... ok. I think I should stop playing bejewelled on my itouch while I'm doing the HIIT and FOCUS. Still got my HR up to where it needed to be, but I felt like I was cheating. Does that make any sense?

In anycase, but some act of god, I'm not sore today. YAY! I'm waiting for the shoulder burn though... I really liked that. No go on kayakining today since DH is sick, but I think I'll go for a swim instead. Try out my HRM in the water and see if it actually works. Not to mention it's good Interval training to do laps. :)

nutrution today has been stellar so far. I've tracked yesterday and today and have maintained my calorie goals :)

April 13, 2009

So it's been a while. I fell off the wagon for a while. Anything I say would just be excuses, so I won't. I do have some things to say about P90X though... I miss some of the workouts. Not all, but some. I think I'd like to keep doing KenpoX and CoreSyn and incorporate it into my new workout schedule.
I've decided to give Turbulence Training a try. I think what I like about the idea of TT is that it's LIMITED time commitment. 45min in the gym and I'm out. That's it. With P90X I found it was just completely consuming me. Following the blogs of other Xers, I saw the same trend. I understand that this kind of program is a HUGE commitment, it's just not for me.
I'm going to give this new workout program a try and see where it takes me.

Some goals I've set for myself:
1- more water. Atleast 1L a day
2- hit my 3 TT workouts plus some other activity (kayaking or walking to work) on my off days
3- no starchy carbs after lunch
4- take my own lunch to work every day of the week
5- log my nutrition HONESTLY

So there you have it. I'm counting this week as week one, though i did both workouts A & B last week already. OUUUUUUUCH!! I was sooo sore! And sweating like there was no tomorrow.
Nice!

Days 34 - 37

Day 34- Should have done KenpoX today, but I wussed out. I was sooo sore from Legs on Friday.

Day 35- Rest Day- should have made up for Kenpo... but I didn't :(

Day 36- Went for a nice long run in the park to switch it up instead of Cardio X

Day 37- CoreSyn- uh oh!!

As you can tell- I'm somehow feeling very unmotivated these days. Couple that with the cleanse I'm doing. No sugar, no wheat and you get what I am right now... uuuuuuuuunmotivated and lacking energy. Generally feeling gross. SIGH... I may take this week easy and start up again when I feel better from the cleanse.

Day 33- Legs & Back

Hmmm... I give today's workout a 6/10. I went to my gym instead of the dungeon that I usually work out in alone. There were lots of people there, TVs, distractions, ipod issues, lots of pausing to find weights, and I used the assisted pull-up machine. It was a little tough to find the right intensity. I was able to do many less reps cause I wasn't sure about the level. It was a different workout altogether. I felt wiped and wussy all at the same time. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.
I skipped AbX today as I did it yesterday. I'll do it tomorrow after Kenpo.

Day 31 & 32 YogaX & Chest&Back

Day 31- I skipped today cause my baby came home from being away. I missed him!! :) Oh no, I didn't do yoga - LOL ooops!

Day 32- Chest&Back
Ouch! I surprised myself and did quite a few reps on the VARIOUS types of push-ups. But the diamond ones? EW- ugly ugly form. Had to drop to knees for 2nd round to get the depth I need. Wrote down all my reps etc. Good stuff.
AbX-still focussing on doing 20 reps of each and when I feel like I'm dying I do just the simple pilates crunch with knees bent. Better than just lying on the mat right? :)

Day 30- Cardio CHECK POINT

oh yeaaaaaaaaah! F*CK YOU DREYA ROLL! :) Woooohoo... I did two! No hands ma! :) The rest I did one handed. Oh yeah!
I'll admit that I skipped the yoga section today, it was all I could do to get my workout in. I joined right after yoga and then I tacked on a 10 min run after the end of the vid. I'm glad I did. Will update this post with measurements later. GREAT accomplishment today! :)

Here I go with measurements:
Since Day 1

• Weight: NO CHANGE!!! Grrrrrr!
• Chest: -0.5 "
• Waist: Bellybutton -1.0"
• smallest part of my waist -0.5"
• Hips: -1.0"
• Right Thigh: No change
• Left Thigh: No change
• Right Arm: No change (I'm ok with that- I don't want big guns)
• Left Arm: No change (again, that's OK)

So there you go. I've lost a total of 3" overall and NO WEIGHT. Which is a little annoying but that's ok cause I'm stronger, still having fun and Dreya Rolls are gettin' DONE!

Day 29 - CoreSyn

I didn't feel very strong today, not sure if it's because I was trying to up my weights and therefore sucking, or because I was kinda hungry. My shoulders are still sore from last week WTF? I think I'm actually getting the chataranga pose right and that's why.
In anycase, 30 day measurements/ pics tomorrow. Woohoo... not.
At least it's done. I did my best and will forget the rest.

Day 27- YogaX

Uuuuuuuuugh! I still really really dislike this module! :( The beginning ashantas are getting easier SLIGHTLY, the balance poses are ok the rest just suuuuuuucks.
Nothing good to say about today so I'll stop.

Day 25 & 26 Rest & CardioX

So yesterday I donated blood and was feeling kind of barfy from the loss of blood and all the sugary stuff I ate afterwards, so i took the day off. It was supposed to be XStretch so I don't feel too guilty. I saved 3 lives yesterday! I deserved the rest :)

Today was CardioX. This workout totally kicked my ass today for some reason. Maybe cause of donating yesterday but I could just not bring my HR down from the 180s. I did all the moves just slower and more methodical, but still, felt exhausted afterwards. But anyway... it's done :)

Another funny thing happened today... when I was in the gym, usually it's only me in the gym and this other guy will come in and overlap in my time there for about 15min... anyway, he came in today and started asking if I did martial arts (he's caught parts of the KenpoX/ Cardio X etc) !! OMG! :) LOL- I kind of laughed and said no, not seriously, then started telling him about P90X. He was pretty interested. He said that I was really fit already and that I always looked like I was intensely working out!! COOL! It was a real motivator somehow. I'm REALLY hard on myself when it comes to my weight / fitness and it's good to see yourself from someone elses' eyes sometimes. We really are our own worst critic. We should all try and be a little nicer to ourselves.

Yoga tomorrow boooooooooo!!!

Day 24- KenpoX

Didn't sleep too well last night, and generally feeling like crud today so I'm very proud of myself for finishing my workout today. :) Helps that it was KenpoX.
I really need to continue working on my flexibility, I'd be much better at the kicks if I were more bendy. 6 days left till the 30 day mark! YIKES! I have mixed feelings... I'm stoked that I've made it this far and that I am stronger now than when I started but NOT looking forward to taking pics and measurements. I don't know if I've actually acheived anything other than strength. Which I suppose isn't horrible but I was watching Biggest Loser last night, and I watched Jillian and Bob say they HATE the excuses people and trainers tell "Oh... I didn't lose any weight, but I lost inches! Oh, muscle weighs more than fat" LMAO- oh man... I tell myself that stuff EVERYDAY! Does anyone really know?! Does muscle REALLY weigh more than fat? I somehow think not.

Anyway... Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!

Day 23 - CoreSyn

Phew! Finished this workout just before I wussed out! :) I really didn't feel like it today, but I did it. I think the hardest part of this process is pushing play. After that, I actually enjoy doing the workouts. I am much stronger now, the damn banana / superman rolls are getting easier and I can do more push-ups. I can't do the chataranga run yet, but I'm focussing on just holding the chataranga pose. The Dreya Rolls I can now do pushing up with just one hand! Yaaaaaaaa!
Strength is coming along... patience! Patience young grasshopper!!

Day 22- YogaX

I cheated again today, there was just no way I was going to do this workout unless I went to a class. I went to a Bikram's hot yoga class.... wow- I forgot how intense these classes are! I used to go quite often last year, but my joints just tend to hyperextend so... I chose to cut back so I could continue running/ working out. But man do I miss it! This is the ONLY 90min of any day that you are guaranteed to not think about ANYTHING but the present moment. Your body, your sweat, your muscles and these crazy postures! A funny thing happened yesterday though... I looked in the mirror and saw shoulder muscles!! COOL! :) More defined than I remember them anyway. And alot of the postures were easier than I remember, I'm stronger now that I'm doing this program that's for sure! :)
I'll keep going to yoga classes I think, I like the variety it brings to the week :)

Day 20-21 KenpoX & Rest

So we went away this weekend for a winter boarding trip. One loooooooooooong bus ride later we were in winter wonderland. My guy went boarding with our other friends and I chose to RELAX.
AFTER my Kenpo workout that is :) I'm proud to say that I took my laptop with me and did my workout even while we were away. It was a good feeling!
After my workout, I went to get a massage and hang out till the others were done on the hill. I used to board quite a bit, but recently my knees are dodgy, and I would be DEVASTED if I couldn't finish this program because of one day on the hill. I think there comes a point in everyone's life where youth's "superman/ nothing can hurt me" attitude dissapears... mine was lost a while ago. I still love sports, and will take any challenges that come my way, I just won't take un-necessary risks anymore. I'm ok with that.

Sunday was another relaxing day spent reading and then on the bus to get back home. Yay for rest days.

I'll post again later today after I do my yoga workout.

Day 19- Legs n Back & ABX

So I KILLED this workout today... I was dripping with sweat by the time I hit ABX. Which is good! :) My left knee is feeling a little wonky from yoga yesterday but was still able to do the workout.

ABX- I've decided to focus on what I CAN do in this one instead of what I can't. I CAN do 15-20 reps of each of these, some less... those V-ups are BRUTAL... but anyway, I think this will be a better way of advancing with this one.

Other than that, i got on the scale today... no change since day 1... very depressing. Clothes are looser, but that's about it. I guess a change in body shape is good too, and I should really try not to get so hung up on the numbers right?

I'll leave you with one of my favourite quotes from one of my favourite movies....
"Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming!" LOL I LOVE DORY!!

Day 18 - Yoga Day

So I'm going to cheat today and actually GO to a power yoga class. This is the one workout that bores me silly! I get frustrated and I KNOW I'm doing half the stuff wrong 'cause I'm just not very bendy. I figure going to a class would be beneficial in a couple ways...
1- I will actually do it
2- I do it right with the help of my yoga teacher
3- makes me not want to whine about having to do yoga. (And THAT is a blessing for everyone reading this ;) )
4- I won't have to dread this part of my path to success :)

Nutrition part is going... OK... just ok. My guy and I have been making all our own meals from the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook. GREAT food, we've only had one dud. So that's helped. Breakfast is usually a shake or some organic oatmeal with brown rice milk. Must try to do better here though.

Day 17 - Shoulders & Arms + ABX

I've never been one for writing down my reps etc, but I did last week and I did today and I'm super glad I did. Last week completed my workout but noticed that my Shoulders and Tri's didn't feel as sore as they should if I had really worked my butt off soooo... this week I upped the weights on a few of the exercises, let's see if helps :) I don't want to be wasting my time wussing out right?

AbRipper... ahhhh how I love to hate you. Truely NOT an enjoyable workout. The only thing I like about it is that it's only 15 min long! LOL!

Thanks to those of you who posted encouraging comments! I'm finding this blogging thing very helpful! Taking motivation and tips from you guys *who are superstars in my mind* and your blogs is really helping. I'm going to try and post some before pics soon.

Day 16 - CardioX

I think I like PlyoX better than this one. I haaaaaaaaate the yoga sequence. This is P90X it's supposed to be hardcore and extreme... I don't wanna do YOGA! AAAAAAAAAH! I suppose that's part of the mental challenge though right? SIGH! FINE! I'll do it, but I don't have to like it.
Other than that part it went well. I am for sure getting stronger, but I can't see the results yet. ya ya, not even a month... I'll try and be patient.

Day 15 - Core- Syn

Here were are at week 3! wow- It's gone by fast and slow all at the same time. :)
Today's workout was good, very very slowly getting better.
I wish I knew when to expect results. I'm feeling a little discouraged since the weight just does NOT seem to want to come off. I have yet to really get to the root of why.
I have to trust myself... and to be honest, I don't think I do. I don't think I trust my body to do what I need it to, I don't trust myself to make the right decisions.

I know I have to focus on the positive... this year has already had an AMAZING start! I've done things that I never thought I could and that's HUGE! I've also managed to stick with this for 2 weeks :) I'm going to try and relax more. Less stress, both internal and out. I need a mantra... a good one. Stay tuned for that!

Day 13- KenpoX

I still love love this workout! It's not so over the top that you can't keep up and it's a great sweat! I had my heart rate monitor on and I went slightly over my THR sometimes so I'd slow it down and then get back in there.
The moves are just fun, and I feel like I'm kicking arse! LOL
Anyway, I got the boy to do the workout with me and he really liked it too. :)
Fun fun fun!
Ahhhhh... a day of rest today! LOVE IT!! I think I'll go for a walk!

Day 12 - Legs & Back + AbX

Tough workout today... but I wrote down my reps and weights. Got through the L&B but mentally struggle with the AbX. I'm just so tired at the end of the first workout that to sit there and do the ARX is just nuts! I get through like half of it.

I hope I stretched enough today. Because last week I could barely walk.

Day 11 - Yoga X

God I HATE this module. It just seems to go by sooooooo slowly! I'm not very flexible so I can't do all the moves. I wonder if it would make much difference if I just WENT to a yoga class. I think I'd rather do that. I think it would help me focus too.

I'm pretty strong but I for sure can't do crane and that damn move where they reach under their leg to grab the other hand behind the back? OMG!! not a chance!

My biceps are hurting from the arm workout still... not too bad though.

Day10 (shoulders & arms / ABX)

Posted by chiquita on January 21, 2009 at 7:33 pm.
Hard to tell if I did this routine at the right intensity… I guess tomorrow will tell. I want at least a LITTLE pain otherwise I’m not working hard enough. I think I like the cardio workouts best…

Update: only my biceps hurt. :S That sucks… gonna have to check form and weights again on shoulders and tri ex’s.

AbX still sucks…

I’m having a hard time with the nutrition part of the program… I need someone on my butt 24-7!! Do you think that TH will come over and do that for me? LOL- no huh? UGH!! SO FRUSTRATED!!

Week2 Day1- CORE SYN & Day 2 PlyoX

Posted by chiquita on January 20, 2009 at 12:30 pm.
CoreSyn - Hmm… I have to say that I did notice a SLIGHT improvement here. I love the feeling of completing these workouts. AHHH… can relax for the rest of the day cause I worked my ass off already. Home to have some of Uwe’s homemade split pea soup. Yummers!
PlyoX-tough tough tough one, still not quite as bad as the Chest WO though. Done. AAAAAALMOST enjoyed it too. :)

Day 6

Posted by chiquita on January 17, 2009 at 10:19 pm.
So I’m doing something wrong because I’m so sore I’m having a hard time sleeping. The pain does indeed migrate from one place to another but wow… the Legs and back workout kicked my ass… I can barely get out of the car without a cane! Totally underestimated that one.
KenpoX today, came dangerously close to wussing out, but did it. And like Matty, loved it. Reminded me how much I like kickboxing and how I should really start that again. Maybe after I stop being so sore… maybe. I am THRILLED that there’s a day off tomorrow. I plan to spend it doing nothing :)

Day 5

Posted by chiquita on January 16, 2009 at 12:25 pm.
Jordan, I’m with you on this one… I like it. Not 100% but I am blessed with strongish legs so this was hard, but not so hard I couldn’t do it. I took the chair advice and used it for pull-ups, much more effective. Still suuuuuper hard, but atleast I’m doin it.
Is anyone writing down what they’re doing? Reps/ weights used etc. He’s pretty insistant that you do this… anyone?

Oh… stats… I have yet to find the printout I measured on, but hope to post them this weekend when I have more time to look.

Day 4

Posted by chiquita on January 15, 2009 at 9:38 pm.
YogaX… YogaYuck! Oh man I am sooooo not good at this. I haaaaaaaaaate the first half of this thing! Ugh… I suppose it will get better over time but for now, I’ll whine. I did it though, and that’s enough for today.
Nutrition… I seem to have a problem when I’m not at work. I have no problem untill dinner time when I need to snack and often get lazy. How annoying that I know that the problem is but choose not to do anything about it. :S

Day 3

Posted by chiquita on January 14, 2009 at 2:14 pm.
Well, I already messed up my sched! I forgot to DL the Shoulders and arms to my ipod so I did the Chest and Back one instead. Oh well… but OMG! Jordan… good on ya if this is your strong module. I don’t like it! I can’t even do ONE chin-up so it’s alot of “Hmmmm… can’t do that, so I’ll have to modify to thiiiis!” LOL
And the AbRipperX… more ouch. I feel it all over, so I can’t really agree with you on the lower abs J.
So impressive that the tiny little German girl on this vid can mostly keep up with the men. It’s a teeny bit discouraging too, if I’m to be honest. Ya ya ya Tony… Rome wasn’t built in a day but how easy it is for you to say when you can do them in your sleep now.
K, that’s it from me. I’m dreading the Yoga X tomorrow.

P90X Lean Schedule

A nice little synopsis of this version of the program.
You might already have this info, but thought it'd be good to post it here.

P90X LEAN PHASE 1:
Your aim should be to finish each workout and perfect each movement, as opposed to focusing on weight or resistance.

Weeks 1-3:
Day 1 - Core Synergistics
Day 2 - Cardio X
Day 3 - Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 - YogaX
Day 5 - Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 - Kenpo X
Day 7 - Rest or X Stretch

Week 4:
Day 1 - Yoga X
Day 2 - Core Synergistics
Day 3 - Kenpo X
Day 4 - X Stretch
Day 5 - Cardio X
Day 6 - Yoga X
Day 7 - Rest or X Stretch

P90X LEAN PHASE 2:
Your body should have adapted quite well by this phase, and it will be time to start upping the weight you use for each exercise. Shoot for 12-20 reps and be at or near failure at the end of each set.

Weeks 5-7
Day 1 - Core Synergistics
Day 2 - Cardio X
Day 3 - Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 - Yoga X
Day 5 - Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 - Kenpo X
Day 7 - Rest or X Stretch

Week 8
Day 1 - Yoga X
Day 2 - Core Synergistics
Day 3 - Kenpo X
Day 4 - X Stretch
Day 5 - Cardio X
Day 6 - Yoga X
Day 7 - Rest or X Stretch

P90X LEAN PHASE 3:
"No pain, no gain" is what this phase is all about. At this stage you should be ready to give it all you got! This is the time to push it to exhaustion on each exercise. Drop the reps a little and try to fail at 10-12 reps with more weight. It's time to put the X in "extreme".

Weeks 9,11
Day 1 - Chest and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 - Cardio X
Day 3 - Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 - Yoga X
Day 5 - Core Synergistics
Day 6 - Kenpo X
Day 7 - Rest or X Stretch

Week 10, 12
Day 1 - Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 - Cardio X
Day 3 - Back and Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 - Yoga X
Day 5 - Core Synergistics
Day 6 - Kenpo X
Day 7 - Rest or X Stretch

Week 13
Day 1 - Yoga X
Day 2 - Core Synergistics
Day 3 - Kenpo X
Day 4 - X Stretch
Day 5 - Cardio X
Day 6 - Yoga X
Day 7 - Rest or X Stretch