Keke’s BodyBlog

Wheeeewwwww Weeeeee … I had a GREAT workout this morning. I unfortunately did not get that good of a rest last night, but I popped my dosage of Thermogenic this morning and in 15 minutes I was READY to GOOOOO!!!! That was an awesome 45 minutes. I had the new Timberland Shockwave CD on my iPod and the tunes just had me kicking it on that treadmill.
For the next 3 days, I am going to provide you with some tips on how to Dine out for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner while enjoying your food and still making wise choices that won’t leave you feeling like … ugh … I wish I hadn’t. While nothing compares to cooking your own food…. if you eat out and make the right choices and portion sizes you can still eat pretty healthy and not feel bad about having eaten out! That said … here goes …
I’m going to start you out with what I use as my 10 guiding principles:
1.      Call ahead and ask for the menu, or check out the restaurant menu online. Everything is on the Internet these days.
2.      Select what you are going to eat before you get to the restaurant.
3.      Be the first to order and make sure to ask waiter to prepare the food exactly how you want it. Do not change your order once you hear what everyone else will be having!!
4.      Ask waiter to ensure no extra salt is added. Don’t add any table salt either. There’s probably enough salt / sodium in the spices and sauces used to prepare your meal.
5.      Ask for sauces on the side.
6.      Ask for a take-out box right up front and split your meal into at least 2 portions. Eat one and take the other home.
7.      Order water instead of pop or juice.
8.      Choose one of bread or dessert, but not both.
9.      Better yet, have salad instead of bread and skip the dessert and have Frozen Yogurt when you get home.
10.  Eat slowly.
Tips on ordering Breakfast – always keep in mind that most breakfast items are high in calories, fat, cholesterol and sodium.
Þ     Ask for eggwhites and keep to 3 eggwhites.
Þ     Opt for toast instead of bagels. Always remember that the average bagel is equal to 5 slices of bread.
Þ     If ordering pancakes or French toast, ask for whole wheat. If you can, split your order with your companion as 99% of the time, the stack they bring you is more than you need to eat.
Þ     Butter, magarine, syrup etc., on the side. Under no circumstance should they add to your food. Best for you to add as needed      .
Þ     Build your own sandwich. Try not to order the pre-made breakfast sandwiches. These are laden with calories, fat and sodium.
Þ     Make sure to have both protein and carbs, so order a hot cereal or a healthy dry cereal.
Þ     For sausages, bacon and any of those sides, try to limit yourself to eating just one. You can even split the side order with your companion.
Again, these are just guidelines I would use if I were to eat out for Breakfast. Feel free to give it a try and see how you feel.
Have a great day, and see you back here tomorrow for the ABC’s on ordering Lunch.
Cheers,
Nke

I’ve blogged about water retention before … I think in the earlier days … Day 38 I believe (myspace.com/turtlenke blog) … Anyhoo… I’m about to blog about it again…. Ha-ha…
I have to tell you, that this is something that affects me very much. For some reason, I am prone to retain lots of water. Just from this past weekend binge, I’m sure I retained at least 10 – 12 lbs right off the bat. I did not weigh in as I just did not want to see that number. However, I can feel it coming down. Man, it’s a lot of water to hold on to and I can feel it in my legs and middle! Hate that feeling …. In my earlier blog, I believe I mentioned the extreme bout of w/r that I had after my first show. It was horrible. At least I am more cognizant of it now and therefore really try to watch out and pay close attention.
The smoked turkey I ate on Sunday really took its toll on me. I did not mention it in yesterday’s blog, but I got really really sick on Sunday night. This has happened to me on 3 other occasions and each time, it was due to having ingested quite a substantial amount of sodium. Late last year, was the worst one yet because I had been driving. I had to pull over and call an ambulance to come and pick me up. I was rushed to emerg and all….
Now, I try to ensure that I ingest a good amount of sodium a day. Obviously in contest-prep mode, I have to make sure it is fairly on the low side so I stick to either half-salt or sea salt in my cooking.
Sodium is a mineral that we all need for good health. Everyone needs sodium or salt in their diet to absorb other nutrients, maintain body water, and regulate nerve impulses. The D/V for adults should be around 2,400 mg. Can you believe that studies show that many North Americans consume 2 to 4 times more sodium that they need? That’s why so many of us suffer from high blood pressure and / or hypertension.
If I can leave you with one piece of advise today; when you order out or eat out, either ask for your food to be prepared with no additional salt or don’t add any additional salt to the prepared meal. Trust me when I tell you this … one teaspoon of salt is equal to about 2,000 mg of sodium!
The following are items are very high on the sodium scale, so please watch your consumption with them:
Þ     Anything smoked (I got creamed the other day and wished I remembered!!)
Þ     Anything pickled
Þ     Anything barbecued – that’s pre-packaged stuff
Þ     In broth (read the labels and opt for the reduced sodium stuff)
Þ     In cocktail sauce
Þ     Teriyaki
Þ     With Soy Sauce
To assist you with your eating out choices, I’ll blog some tips for you over the next few days that you can follow….
Have a great day, and see you back here tomorrow and remember “The greatest wealth is health”.
Cheers,
Nke

Man, I really binged this weekend and to be quite honest I don’t feel really guilty about it. The binge was all home cooked meals, with the exception of an Oh Henry bar, and ice-cream and apple pie. I had a great prime rib roast at my Brother’s house for Saturday dinner, and last night we stopped at E’s Mom’s house on the way back from Ottawa and I ate a plate of turkey, salad and some great noodles that my sis-in-law makes!!! Suzy, those noodles are friggen’ awesome!!!! I was eating clean all day, but could not resist the food once it was laid out on the table … so I feasted for my last meal. 

So, today it’s about getting back in the grind and getting back on track. I figure, I’ll step on my scale again for Thursday so I can report to Shaun on Leg day. 

The workouts I needed to do over the weekend, from Friday actually went well so I am happy about that. I worked out at home on Friday before we headed out and then that evening in Ottawa, I got on my Brother’s elliptical for 45 mins. Saturday morning, I woke up early and went to the Co-Ed Goodlife in their area. It was really really nice!!!! I loved working out there. Gorgeous gym …. I did the Stepmill for 60 minutes, and then worked my calves and did some glutes. 

Shaun and I took some posing photos on Thursday last week, so I will be uploading those and you can check them out. We are heading into week #15, which means we are knocking off the 7^th week before the 1^st show … Man, we are getting close. 

I am excited to say that I found my shoes by fluke on Thursday. I was shopping for a birthday gift for my niece and stumbled into a shoe store across the way and there …. BAM … these shoes were staring right in front of me … Are they comfortable you ask??? Hell nah! However, they will be once I put the under sole cushions, non-slip sole and practice walking in them. I am so happy with this purchase as I was not planning on finding them soo soon. At least that is one more item I can knock off my to-do list? 

As you can imagine, I have quite a bit to do today, so I have to get going and get my day started. I certainly hope that you had a great long weekend … and KUDOS to those of you that are also off today!!! 

Have a great one, and see you back here tomorrow. 

Cheers, 

Nke 

Ain’t nothing like a good night of rest and morning cardio to kick start a day on the right foot! I could not even be put off by the fact there is snow outside in April! At least for those situated in the T.Dot! We woke up this morning to a white environment, and apparently this is what we can expect for the long Easter weekend!
Who told me to take the snow tires off my car last week! Man, my current tires are not for this weather so I had to be extra careful on my drive in today. It was pretty bad.
Well, training this week has been pretty intense. I’ve done 3 weight days straight so far. Yesterday was actually my normal Friday, so I worked arms yesterday. Today is Leg Day, so I’ll be spending the day getting mentally prepared for my toughest workout yet!!! Shaun ‘Muscles’ Campbell is now prepping for a couple of shows so he is now on a serious mission … and that means there will be no rest for the wicked on leg day. I just know he’s coming for me today.  You can visit this link to ready about his updates and ask him any questions you want; http://shauncampbell1.proboards37.com/index.cgi?board=shaunnationals&action=display&thread=1175714577.
There is a very likely chance that this will be my last blog until Monday. I am going to take a 3 days hiatus from blogging … so be prepared for a big blog on Monday!! Coz’ I’ll probably have loads to say!
I am pretty much all ready for our road trip. The food I need for Friday, Saturday and Sunday is packed and ready to be loaded into my cooler. My supplements are measured out, bottled and ready to be packed. My eggwhite and oatmeal mixtures are ready … I’ll just have to remember to pack my Magic Bullet!! Have I ever told you how much I LOVE the Magic Bullet!!! Best blender in the whole world!!! Thanks Juls for introducing it to me. I’ve got the gym hours for the gym in Ottawa as I’ll need to head there tomorrow morning for my hour cardio session! Oooo, I’ll have to pack two workout outfits and running shoes… Man, I almost forgot about that. Duh! Lemme see … what else… I think that’s it… Now, it’s just to stay focused coz’ it’s being away from home that makes the diet thing hard. At least for me … it’s easy when I’m in my element, but once I’m somewhere with “non-eat-clean” cupboards it becomes harder for me to not succumb to cravings …. Hopefully, my blog on Monday will talk about how I limited myself to only cheating at Easter dinner and totally being able to focus on my diet and eat only that which I am supposed to… Perhaps blogging it just now, will help me to affirm that is what is going to go down…. I’m determined to not let myself down!!!!
Off I go to start my day! I wish you a great day and a wonderful and blessed Easter weekend!
Stay kewl, and have loads of fun!
Cheers,
Nke

My gosh, it’s been 3 days in to my nutrition plan change and I’m already feeling and seeing the effect. I see positive changes in my physique, but I am also noticing a negative impact on my mood. I’m experiencing some ‘mood swings’ now. However, I am working overtime to ensure it does not come through in my day to day interactions, both at work, with friends and at home. 

I know this has to do with serotonin, the ‘feel good’ brain chemical that helps to elevate moods, suppress appetite and act as a natural tranquilizer. So, now that my carbs have been cut some more I think my brain is not regulating the serotonin as much …. or some kind of medical mumbo jumbo to that effect. As soon as I consume my carb meal, I like ‘oh, HELLO’!!! I’m instantly happy, I suddenly have this great burst of energy and my brain starts moving a mile a minute again! I miss my carbs … I miss my carbs … I miss my carbs!!! Ha-ha … Anyhoo, it’s not for that much longer!!!!! At least that is my story and I’m sticking to it! 

Did you know that women tend to feel the effects of a low carb diet more so than men? The reason stated is that we, women, typically have lower levels of serotonin in our brains than men do. I did not know that, and just read about that recently. 

So, I had another great Chest and Delt workout! My back was feeling the effect of Monday’s session, so I was just simply dying on the chest press, rear delts and some other exercises I needed to do. Following my weight session, I got on the Stepmill for 45 minutes. My energy levels were dropping a bit, so I did not get that euphoric feeling I normally do but still felt great when “Goal Attained” popped up on the screen. 

I got a great night of sleep. I was in bed before 9 AM and slept like a baby!!! When I got up this morning for my cardio session I was feeling incredibly refreshed! 

I unfortunately have to sign off now. I have some pretty key deliverables I need to get off my plate today so need to get focused and started on that. 

Have a great day, and see you back here tomorrow! 

Cheers, 

Nke

I had the most amazing workout yesterday. It was back day, and I just pushed myself to the maximum. I also managed to squeeze in a set for my glutes, work my abs real hard and even supersetted a set of abs with hyper-extensions. Then to finish up, I did a 45 minutes session on the Stepmill!!! When on top of those stairs yesterday, I actually felt like I was on top of the world! My adrenaline was pumping and it was the most amazing feeling ever!!! Thanks to the Almighty for making my day yesterday such an accomplished one!!!
We’re going for a repeat performance today… so tune in tomorrow…
So, as my subject says and in my most humble opinion, the absolute best exercise for weight loss is to exercise portion control. As I have stated sooo many times, eating right is 80% of losing weight, feeling good about it, and keeping the weight off. You might be asking yourself, “why is she repeating this again in today’s blog”… the answer to that is because I was asked again yesterday… in fact a couple of times, and I asked both people to check out my blog today…
Y’know, I actually believe that most people know this, but their challenge is trying to keep up with it. They start, and then get discouraged for various reasons and then start the binge. One or two days of binging is not going to steer you off course. What you need to do is not beat yourself up for overeating as that tends to keep you trapped in the negative thinking that made you eat in the first place. Instead, forgot about those binging days and forge ahead with your resolve to eat more clean food. If you can, try and write down what it was that made you binge and see if you can focus on resolving what that issue may have been or find a way to turn that into a positive reason to continue to eat clean.
Here are some helpful tips that I’ve read about which you can use to help you exercise portion control:
Protein Portion: Use the palm of your hand to determine your protein portion. It should be approximately the size and thickness of the palm of your hand.
Carb Portion: Your carbohydrate portion should be the size of your hand when you make a fist. Starchy carbohydrate foods and fruits will be the size of one tight fist. If you eat vegetables as your carbohydrate, which is recommended for fastest weight loss, your portion will be the size of two loose fists.
Fat Portion: This varies, depending on the fat. For healthy oil (eg: Canola, Olive etc.), the size of your thumb from the first joint to the end. For nuts, one small handful will do (about 15-20 nuts). For butters & healthy spreads (eg: almond, peanut, light mayo / cream cheese etc.), the size of a circle when you join your thumb and first finger like an ‘OK” sign.
So, don’t think you need to weigh your food… use the above tips for at least 3 – 5 meals a day and get ready to see those pounds come off!!
“A healthy body is the key to a healthy mind.”
Have a great day!
Cheers,
Nke

It is hard to believe that the 1^st quarter of the year has come and gone! Man, time really flies!!! 

So, I am feeling great today! I’ve been on this journey now for 13 weeks and I can not believe I am saying that I only have 8 weeks left until I hit the stage for my 1^st show!!! Man, I am getting soooo EXCITED!!!! 

That excitement had me full of energy on the treadmill this morning. I just kept repeating to myself, that the ability for me to go up on stage and take top spot really rests with me. I’ve been thinking like a winner, I will continue to think and work at it like a winner and therefore I am destined to win!!!! No matter the outcome … if I do it for myself, I can only win. Yes, I have great tools to help me; my hubby, Shaun “Muscles” Campbell, Passion Fruit Designs, my friends & family, my stage and posing coaches, make-up, hair etc., but at the end of it all … the ability to win lies within MOI! 

This is going to be a quick week. I can just feel it. It’s jam packed for me because of our weekend trip to Ottawa, so Friday will be here in no time!!! 

Shaun wants me to weigh in on Thursday, so I am anxious to see what my weight will be due to the changes to my diet and supplements. Hopefully I’ll be reporting a nice number in my Thursday blog!! Ha-ha 

Today is back day, so I am looking forward to this evening’s workout. I actually get to start it earlier coz’ I have a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon. So once I leave there, I’ll head to the gym and then finish up early and resume my work at home for the remainder of the day. Eating around this is going to be very interesting … hmmmm … wonder how it will work out …. 

For all the Prison Break fans, I guessing like me that you will be glued to the TV this evening for the season finale. I wonder how it is going to end … will there be another season? If so, what would it look like? How much further can this show really go with a name like ‘Prison Break’, and the fact that they broke out of prison ages ago?????? We’ll see … 

Anyhoo, I am off to start my day. I’m due for providing you with some tips and tricks so tune in tomorrow for a little sumthin’ sumthin’. 

Cheers, 

Nke

So, I am two for two on the cheat meal. Same place, same dish and same satisfying feeling. This restaurant is AWESOME! If you are ever in the T.Dot, stop and eat at Big Daddy’s. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed. The atmosphere is nice, the service is great and the food is AWESOME!!! The presentation alone makes you know that you will enjoy your meal. There were 3 different dishes in total on our table and my friend and E both thoroughly enjoyed the meal. The serving size is obviously more than one … so it’s enough for all of you wanting to ensure you have been well feed and get your money’s worth. If I was not cheating, I’d had had enough to take home for 2 more meals! So, it’s a significant serving size. Unfortunately, since I only have one cheat meal.. I had to finish it all yesterday!!! Ha-ha That’s the only down-side to a cheat … the full feeling. Once you get so used to eating small portions, it’s becomes really hard to throw down!! 

So, I’ve gotten my revised meal plan and I am soo ready to kick some serious butt this week. I am going to have to focus hard, because from today to Thursday it’s serious. I have to train straight through to Friday. My Friday workout will be done on Wednesday, so it will be 4 straight weight training days, and then the non-weight training days will be Friday and Saturday this week. 

Also, my focus is going to have to be on point, coz’ 1) I’ll be on the road on Friday for about 4 ½ hours and 2) I will not be ‘living’ at home Fri, Sat and then back on the road
Sunday. 

In an effort to stay organized, I’m going to cook up two weeks of protein and freeze so that all I have to do next Sunday when I get back home is prep my carbs (veggies & complex). 

Wish your sistah here luck on having a very positive and accomplished week! I want to see that scale go down next Saturday morning!!!! 

Have a blessed Sunday! 

Cheers, 

Nke