Patting Myself On The Back

I think that one of the most important habits to get into when you're working on achieving a goal is giving yourself credit for successes along the way.

I had a GREAT week this week (fitness-wise, anyway). On Monday (had the day off for MLK Day), I went to Power Hour, a cardio/weight class at my gym. It totally kicked my ass, but I still got up Tuesday morning to meet my trainer. After 40 assisted pull-ups (yes, forty, as in four-zero), I was wiped. I hadn't done a single pull-up since the Presidential Fitness assessment in 5th grade, so 40 (albeit assisted) pull-ups was a HUGE accomplishment.

I went back to the gym for a great hour long workout on my own on Thursday, and today I went to Bikram Yoga for the first time in about a year. It was the most positive, uplifting Bikram class I've EVER been to. The teacher was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and really gave individual attention to everyone in the class. And it was only $8!

After my company health fair scare (where I was told that my bad digestion would surely be my demise), I was motivated to go into high gear, as well as really reassess how I eat. The iridologist (who "diagnosed" my bad digestion) suggested an alkaline diet. After some initial online research, I bought 3 books about it on Amazon. Normally I'm skeptical of any one "cure-all" method of eating, but this seems pretty solid: it basically just advocates eating 80% "alkaline" foods (which are basically the healthiest things there are - spinach, kale, fruit), and 20% "acidic" foods (which is basically everything else).

I definitely feel like I'm a healthy eater. I LOVE green veggies! But when I REALLY take a good hard look at what I eat, the majority of it is NOT fresh veggies and fruits. I certainly include those when I can, but I'd say my diet is more 20% fresh veg/fruits and 80% other stuff. Just a little research on eating alkaline made me acutely aware of how hard it is to FIND veggie and fruit rich foods! I stopped into the bagel store after Bikram (because my post-yoga green juice was NOT cutting it in the fullness department), and ended up eating half of a tuna salad melt on a whole wheat bagel. Not the worst thing in the world, but a far cry from a big bowl of kale.

Try to think of the last time you were at a restaurant and saw "giant bowl of lightly wilted greens" on the menu. If they ARE there, they're likely sauteed in butter or cream. The world is FULL of "acidic" food - bagels, pasta, meat, rice, blah blah blah (all my faves, I might add). But this little bit of knowledge is really helping me focus on packing as many nutrient-rich foods into my diet as possible.

The bad digestion issue (which was brought up today in Bikram when my teacher said that "yogis believe that 98% of all illness comes from constipation–it's like the UNIVERSE is trying to tell me something!), combined with my recent self-diagnosis that I have low levels of vitamin B (again, this is based on online research, and the fact that when I drink Kombucha, or even Red Bull–both CHOCK full of Vitamin B–I feel like I'm on uppers; seriously, it's like mild cocaine to me), has made me really refocus on what I eat.

I will never NOT struggle with wanting to eat nothing but buttered noodles. That's life. But with a little knowledge under my belt, I can start to make better choices, little by little.

For now, I'm patting myself on the back for doing a respectable 4.5 hours of exercise this week (not counting walking around). And I'm about to go make an alkaline-friendly meal to pack for lunches this week: kale and lentil brown rice pilaf with nuts and dried fruit. Yum!

Waging A War With My Personality: Baby, I Was Born This Way

Welp, I've already broken one of the rules I'd set for myself during this time of transition: I weighed myself.

There I was in the locker room, fresh off a superb workout and feeling good about myself that I'd put so many of my learnings from my trainer into practice on my own. But out of my peripheral vision, it called to me, like a siren beckoning a sailor to join her in the sea...(dun dun DUNNNHHH) THE SCALE!

I was drawn to it as if in a trance. It had me in its tractor beam. I was about to be taken aboard the mothership whether I liked it or not. I stepped on, and made a mental note that the person who'd weighed themselves before me weighed 118, which is my goal weight (what kind of crazy person weight-stalks the other weighers?! ME! Side note: I also LOVE finding discarded ATM receipts and seeing out how much more cash random people have in their checking accounts than I do...I'm a nosy bitch. It's a sickness.).

I had just guzzled some delicious water, and–you'll excuse the euphemism–I wasn't, ahem, advantageously evacuated. Hence, I weighed 128. I generally say I weigh 125, which, most mornings, I do. However, I not infrequently weigh myself at night and in the morning and discover a 3 or 4 pound difference. I don't know how this is physically possible, but it happens. This random morning/night/water weight/poop weight fluctuation was the exact trap I was trying to avoid by vowing to not weigh myself till the end of March (when ACTUAL weight loss may be reflected).

Alas, I am weak. On my walk to work, I started to reflect a little on weight, scales, numbers, and how our society programs us ALL to care about something as insignificant as a 3-pound (most likely colon-related) weight "gain." I remember back in grade school, if I got a 90 on a test or essay, I'd be disappointed that it wasn't a higher NUMBER–never mind the fact that it was a grade A!

It's completely unreasonable to expect that after roughly three weeks of working out (two, really), I'd be dropping weight left and right. Yes, it happens on the Biggest Loser, but those are people who are dramatically changing their habits, and furthermore have HUNDREDS of pounds to lose–not just a few. It is, however, absolutely logical to think that, in 8 more months, given willpower and consistency, that I will reach my goal by my wedding. But everything inside of me screams, WHY AREN'T YOU CHANGING FASTER?!??!??!

I wish I could channel an inner calm, a Zen, that would let me just take a deep breath and say, with confidence, "You have plenty of time. Don't rush it." I used to have a teacher at the Creative Circus who would always say, "Enjoy the process," meaning, it's hard, but you have to love the work to love the outcome. I saw a thing on Pinterest the other day that said (something like), "Remember, it takes 4 weeks for exercise to start changing your body, 8 weeks for you to start seeing results, and 12 weeks for other people to start noticing results."

I'm 10 weeks shy of other people noticing. And I'm going to focus on enjoying the process.

Laying Some Groundwork - STAIRS and SMOOTHIES

Just what I thought – I got slightly winded climbing 5 flights of stairs to my office this morning. I wasn’t hunched over like a cardiac patient or anything, but by the time I got to the top I was certainly happy to be there. Really, 5 flights?! I should be able to race up those stairs and have enough energy for a mini dance party at the top. I’m 6 days away from my first boot camp session, so I’ve decided to lay a little ground work beforehand.

First off, I’m swearing off the elevator for the next two weeks. I refuse to let those stairs get the best of me. It’ll be stairs only for the week leading up to boot camp and at least the first week in (I have a feeling I am seriously going to regret swearing off the elevator once I start classes, but it’s a commitment I am making.)

Second, I have an exercise ball at work that sometimes doubles as a chair. The other times it is tucked away in the unused cubicle behind me. I have pulled it back out, am sitting on it now and will be using it more consistently to focus on my core. Spontaneous sit ups, here I come.

Lastly, I have really been getting into green smoothies lately! As in the ones that have a spinach base and then lots of other delicious ingredients. There are about 10 thousand green smoothie recipes on the internet and I intend to try most of them, but here is the one that I have been using for the past few weeks that I really enjoy. Several of them are just a slight variation of this one (add a different fruit here and there), so I will only post another recipe if it differs greatly.

Green Smoothie Recipe:
2 handfuls of spinach
1 apple
1 banana
1 orange
handful of blueberries
handful of strawberries
¼ cup of coconut water
1 container of yogurt
4 – 6 ice cubes

Optional extras/exchanges:
pineapple, mango, kiwi, etc. – I have made all sorts of variations using any combination of the above ingredients and it’s all been pretty delicious.

Note: You might have to get a little creative with how you combine your ingredients in the blender (i.e. throwing the spinach in first, covering/mixing/coating it with yogurt, adding some ice cubes and drenching it with the coconut water at the base so when you put the blender on it’s got a bit of a wet base to help move things along.) Regardless, you’re probably going to have to start the blender, stop it, uncover and mix, start again, stop it, uncover and mix a few times before it really gets going. 

Second Training Session + The Desire to Get Wild

Two things I want to discuss in this post:

1. My second training session with Gael
2. Getting fed up with eating healthy and not being an alcoholic
3. My new-clothes ban

So starting with the training. I went this morning, and was happily able to report to Gael that I had done roughly the routine we did last week again on Friday, then did yoga on Saturday. It felt good to tell her I'd worked out! That's one of the major benefits of a trainer in my opinion - it's someone to whom you have to be accountable other than yourself.

Today, we did almost completely different things than we did last time, which is great, because this is expanding my knowledge base immensely.

We started out with some light warm-ups, then did lunges. We moved on to the pull-up/assisted dip machine, and did a series of pull-ups, dips, then a kettlebell-lifting exercise. I had always been too afraid to use a kettlebell, but under the watchful eye of Gael correcting my form, it was actually ok. Although it's really easy to use your lower back instead of your hips/thighs/abs to do the repetitive swinging motion (you start with the kettlebell held between your legs, then swing it up to about eye level, letting it fall back down between your thighs).

We then moved on to some free weights, then this crazy ass rope-pulling machine. You basically sit on a bench and pull a giant rope (weighted down, of course) for however many minutes you can take it. After one minute, I was ready to be done. But of course there were three minutes to go, and Gael instructed me to ratchet up my speed in 30-second intervals. After four minutes, I could REALLY feel it. We ended with some ab exercises. After the workout, I had to go sit in the sauna for a little while and think long and hard about my long-term goals. Why isn't it easier and more fun to get a sexy upper back and skinny arms?!?!?

On to the second topic: I could NOT BE MORE TIRED of eating healthy! I started really making an effort to eat better right before the new year, and I have to say, I've stuck to it. The amount of quinoa, kale, broccoli rabe, and fat-free yogurt I've consumed over the last three weeks is stunning. No bagels. No breakfast sandwiches. No cream sauces. It's not like I'm starving or anything, and to be honest, I feel really good, but I've just gotten to the point where I'm craving the really bad stuff. Greasy late night pizza. Macaroni and cheese. Bagels and cream cheese!!!

I'm trying to be good, but it's just so tempting to order Pad Thai for lunch instead of eat the sad, healthy whole wheat pasta and veggies I brought for lunch. I'm trying to stay strong! The thing about eating healthy, but not cutting a ton of calories (i.e., not starving yourself or doing a juice fast or something like that), is that the results aren't immediate. It will take months of eating like this (PLUS exercising) to see changes. And I am the most impatient person on the planet. After every workout and every healthy meal, I stare in the mirror like, "WHY AREN'T YOU SKINNY YET?!?!?"

However, I have made a resolution to NOT weigh myself until the end of March (not that I'll stop working out after that point, but that's my 3-month time allotment to really focus on my health in anticipation of wedding-dress shopping). I think that will help me not get caught up in the moment of being like, "What the fuck?! How'd I gain two pounds overnight?" when it's really just that I drank a lot of water or something.

And the third topic (I know this post is getting long): speaking of wedding dress shopping, I have made a goal not to buy new clothes until April. My rationale is that the amount of money I normally spend in 3 months on clothes is roughly equivalent to what I am allowing myself to spend on my wedding dress (this is a horrifying thought, by the way). So not only can I not eat fatty foods, I can't get drunk all the time (because I have to wake up and work out in the mornings), I can't even SHOP! I have NO VICES LEFT!!!!! I'm gonna have to start kicking puppies or something, because living this ascetic and disciplined of a life is just NOT as fun as being a lazy, hedonistic asshole.

On that note, I'm signing off. Have a great day!!!

The Decision

I see groupons and deals all the time filling up my inbox and while I used to consider myself somewhat of a groupon whore, I've certainly eased up and now only buy with caution. It's the beginning of 2013 and like any good American I vowed to get in shape. But I didn't just vow to get in shape, I vowed to get in the best shape of my life. Coincidentally, shortly after making this resolution a deal showed up in my email for an 8 week transformation boot camp (what? a boot camp deal right after the new year? shocking!) and I fell hook, line and sinker.

Truth is, I've always been intimidated by the thought of a boot camp, but after a little consideration (and a push on Facebook from some friends who have done it) I decided to just go for it. Two of my other resolutions were to 1) make it a very uncomfortable year (you know, the whole growing and expanding thing...all of the magic in life happens when you're outside of your comfort zone) and 2) do everything LIKE A BAWSS! So, I really couldn't say no to this.

The boot camp meets 3 times a week and they have contracted with a local yoga studio for once a week classes. I wish I could say that working out 4 times a week doesn't seem like a big deal to me, but quite frankly, it is. I've been a total dud for the last few months, but am excited for the positive change - in my body and my mind - that this experience will bring.

Boot camp officially starts next week!

LET'S DO THIS!!!!

Bonus! A Healthy Recipe

I realize this blog is about working out, not food (and I realize I make EVERYTHING about food!), but I made turkey meatballs and whole wheat pasta the other night, and it was so yummy, I had to share! Spaghetti and meatballs is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. I even love how it looks: yummy swirls of pasta topped with red sauce and juicy balls of meat, topped with glorious grated cheese! I think this healthier version is JUST as delicious - and definitely easy enough for any cook to make (it doesn't even take that long).

INGREDIENTS:
For the meatballs:
1 package ground turkey (I used the 93% fat version; there are 99% fat free versions, but when you're making meatballs, you want a LITTLE fat)
~1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 egg
chopped parsley
~1/2 cup grated parmesan
~1/4 cup water
salt and pepper
olive oil

For the pasta and sauce (obviously you could use jarred marinara sauce, but making your own is super easy):
1/2 box whole wheat pasta (I used linguine)
olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 small carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large can tomatoes, with all juices - chopped or crushed by hand (I actually use Pomi brand, which is in sort of a cardboard box thing, and I use half chopped tomatoes and half strained tomatoes, because I like it still semi-chunky and rustic, not too smooth)
dried oregano
crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
glug of red wine (optional)

To make it:
In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients and mush together with your hands. Don't over-mix. Form into golf ball sized meatballs and set aside. Heat a little olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Cook each meatball till it's browned, then flip and brown the other side. When meatballs are browned, set aside.

While meatballs are browning, make the sauce. Heat a little olive oil in a sauce pot. Add onion and carrot. Add a little salt, pepper, the red pepper flakes, and oregano. Cook until onions are translucent and carrots begin to soften. Add tomatoes and red wine and stir well. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook. When meatballs are done, add them to the sauce so they can finish cooking all the way though. Re-cover and cook for 20-30 minutes on medium-low heat. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

Boil the noodles till al dente. Drain and serve meatballs and sauce on top. Top with more Parmesan.

I served this with salad and it was DELISH! I think I actually PREFER turkey meatballs to traditional beef ones, because they're more tender. Beef has a tendency to get a little tough, especially when it's lean.

Hope this inspires a delightful meal!

First Training Session + Once On My Own

Tuesday morning, I worked out with Gael, a personal trainer at my gym. At about 4' 11", she's a pint-sized powerhouse, but has a gentle, mellow vibe that I really liked. 7 AM is WAAAYYY too early to have someone yelling in your face. She was patient, careful to monitor my form, and at no point did she push me to the point where I felt faint, or feared I would get injured.

We started out by doing a conversation/ warm-up. It was 12 minutes on the stationary bike at a medium setting. My heart rate climbed, but I could still carry on a conversation about my fitness goals. During the last three minutes, we did 3 sets up 30-second intervals, where Gael turned up the bike's resistance setting. I could definitely feel the blood pumping.

After that, she showed me some basic stretches (lots of which I am familiar with from yoga), and also showed me how to use these foam roller thingys to sort of massage my muscles. I was really surprised how many tight knots I had in my thighs. It sort of treaded that line between painful and feeling good.

After that, we went over to the assisted pull-up machine, which I have been too scared to use by myself. This machine uses counter weights to balance your body weight, so you can actually do pull-ups. My body weight is 125, so she started the setting at 110 (that means there was a net difference of 15 pounds...doesn't sound like too much). Surprisingly, it was incredibly difficult. She adjusted the weight to 120 pounds, and I was able to do 2 sets of 8 pull-ups, then a set of 6. I felt my muscles working in ways I have NEVER experienced! The next two days, I was super sore, from my upper back, around my shoulder blades, up through my pecs and biceps. That machine is intense. But Gael said that pull-ups are THE best exercise for upper body sculpting and core strength (hello backless wedding dresses!).

After that, we did some squats combined with light weight lifting, and then some dead lifts. We finished with a little more stretching. The hour passed incredibly quickly, and I felt good, but not like a dead dishrag when I was done. In fact, since it was only 8 AM and I had time to kill, I did 20 minutes on the treadmill (four 5-minute sets of interval training).

Gael told me that 20-30 minutes into a workout is when your body really starts to burn fat, so I figure that if I do a solid half hour of weight training, then move on to cardio, theoretically my body should be burning fat the entire time I'm doing cardio.

However, I'm trying to be not to overanalytical or scientific about it, and just focus on CONSISTENCY, which is the single hardest thing as far as working out goes (this is confirmed by my trainer).

This morning, I went to the gym again and tried my best to repeat what I'd done with Gael weight-training-wise. It went pretty well, although I'm sure my form wasn't as perfect as when she was there coaching me. Then I did my 20-minute treadmill interval routine.

I'm planning on going to yoga tomorrow, and hopefully Sunday I will be motivated to do SOMETHING - either come back to the gym, or maybe try a pilates class in my neighborhood.

I did buy a three-pack of training sessions with Gael, which I hope give me a ton more information and useful tips that I can apply to my workouts on the days I don't train with her. Overall, I feel good, and I know that if I can just keep this up – and BE PATIENT – I will start to see results.