Kickboxing Chic’s BodyBlog

Yesterday’s decision to take an unplanned rest day was a good call. Taking yesterday as a day to re-group has me feeling much better today, both physically and psychologically. I had a much better night’s sleep last night too. Miraculously, my 11 week old daughter slept through the night. I got her up at 5:00am to feed her because my left boob was about to burst. After that… workout time! I need another week of nights like that to be feeling 80% (a level I can live with). I was planning to get up at 5:00am to train anyway, so my day was off to a better start than I had even planned.

The only minor glitch in today’s plan was with my workout itself. I did a metabolic circuit (my new favorite thing). It was a little too much. It took me 80 minutes to complete, and I was jammin’ through it. Because it took that long, it was probably physically too much as well. It was a great workout overall; I just need to scale it back a bit.

I’ve finalized my planned diet deviations for this week. The first of which happened yesterday. My husband and I went out to lunch (Mexican). I made the best possible choices, but it still didn’t align with my rules. The time was more about our relationship, which is more important than any diet rule. Aside from the 12 hours he was home Thursday night to Friday morning between his two trips, I hadn’t seen him in a week. So well worth breaking the rules.

My “finalized” planned deviations for the week (10%):

1. (Friday) A Hispanic pastry during my Friday trip to the local grocery store. I will only have this if they have my favorite one.

2. (Friday/Saturday) Wine Friday and Saturday nights, 1-2 glasses each night. I’ve learned that if I have any more than 2 glasses, it screws up my sleep. So I will definitely be sticking to the limit here.

3. (Sunday) Easter dinner – Not sure what’s on the menu, but I’m sure it won’t be according to my rules. However, I’m going to stick with the healthier options as much as possible. Dinner is with my family so I know it won’t be too bad. Plus, I’ll be contributing to the menu and my contributions will be healthy options that are within my rules.

4. (Monday) Lunch at Jalisco’s Mexican restaurant with my husband.

One more final exciting note about today… the ad for my favorite ghetto grocery store comes in today’s mail. The grocery store is nothing fancy and in many ways caters to lower income clientele. HOWEVER, their produce is awesome and the prices unbelievable. They don’t carry the biggest selection of lean meats, but flank steak is usually a great deal. This is the same grocery store I get my weekly Hispanic pastry treat. So when the mail man comes today, I will be “sprinting” out there to see what’s on sale this week.

I changed my training plan for this week by swapping Wednesday and Thursday. The Metabolic Circuit I did on Tuesday beat me up pretty good, so I did the right thing and made Wednesday a rest/recovery day. I did about 20-25 minutes of stretching, which felt really good. So today was my second strength training workout of the week. Instead of a HIIT cardio session at the end, I decided to do 4 sets of each superset. I may be over-doing the cardio. My upper body was DEAD after today’s workout… I could barely hold the hair dryer to dry my hair! My arms should really be wiped by the end of the day after carrying around a baby all day. This is why moms have buff arms. Here’s a quick rundown of today’s workout:

I had a solid plan in place for last week, both nutrition-wise and training-wise. I was fully stocked on fruits, veggies, and lean protein ready for lunches and dinners. But I had a hard time digesting pretty much everything last week except oatmeal. I’ve gradually been able to eat less and less in one sitting, but now what I eat is starting to matter. Unfortunately, veggies need to be small portions and ones that are easier to digest. So a lot of the food I had prepped for the week sat in the fridge. It was very frustrating, not to mention the fact that I was uncomfortable. Mornings are usually good, so at least I was still able to get my training in each day. I’m doing more ad hoc workouts these days because what I can do depends on how I feel that day. So far it is working out and I feel like I’m coving all my bases in terms of cardio and hitting all major body parts with weight training. And I’m still training 6 days/week. I relish my one rest/recovery day though.

I’m getting in some good workouts this week too, and so far I’m able to stick to my normal eating habits. I just need to keep portions small and stay away from stuff that I know is problematic. Thanksgiving should be a relatively guilt-free day since I can only eat such small portions. Although, I may have to eat dinner twice since I’m hungry every 1.5-2 hours with such small portions. And I’m already looking forward to Friday’s indoor cycling class.

Here’s a pic of my tummy at 31 weeks. I am all baby. So far I’ve gained about 14 pounds.

And here’s a fun workout I did last week:

·         Warm-up: Walking/light jogging on treadmill for 5 minutes

·         Treadmill speed intervals – increase speed every minute for 7 minutes

·         Super Set: Bulgarian split squats and rear delt lifts w/ cables – 3 sets

·         Treadmill 90/30 second intervals – 90 sec high intensity/30 sec recovery x4

·         Super Set: DB step-ups and lat pull-downs – 3 sets

·         Treadmill incline intervals – increase incline every minute for 5 minutes

·         (Machine) Hamstring curls – Stripping set

·         (Machine) Leg extension – Stripping set

My legs were pretty hosed after this. My reps were in the 12-15 range. It took me about 70 minutes and a burned 460 calories. The constant change up sure makes the time go by fast.

I really enjoyed my first pregnancy, but I’m anxious to get this one wrapped up and get back to my normal self. I want to wear my normal jeans again and get back to higher intensity, challenging workouts. I was watching some Cross Fit videos on YouTube this past weekend, which made me very envious and anxious about getting through the final stretch of pregnancy. Admittedly, I’m already thinking about my post-pregnancy plan. Hopefully my delivery will be uneventful so I can keep my recovery period to about 3 weeks. In the meantime, I keep doing what I can. And yes, I can still do burpees (albeit modified). Here’ my game plan for this week:

Training
Monday: BW/Weight Circuit (similar to what I did last week)
·         Fast step-ups onto a bench step (1 minute/side)

·         Lateral hops over bench (2 minutes)

·         Lunge switches with a DB shoulder press x20 (big HR booster)

·         Curtsy squat/squat x10 sets (curtsy squat on each side with a squat in the middle = 1 set)

·         DB chest press/fly combo x10 sets

·         1-leg deadlifts x15/leg

·         DB Tricep overhead press x15

·         Kneeling kick-backs w/ band x30/leg

·         DB Bicep curls x15

·         Repeat circuit 3x

Tuesday: HIIT Cardio (Elliptical) and Stretching
Wednesday: Treadmill/Superset Intervals

·         Treadmill warm-up followed by speed intervals (increase speed every 1 minute for 5-8 minutes)

·         Bulgarian split squats and rear delt lifts w/ cables – 3 sets

·         Treadmill 90/30 sec intervals x4

·         Step-ups and lat pulldowns – 3 sets

·         Treadmill incline intervals (increase incline every 1 minute for 5 minutes)

·         Hamstring curls and leg extensions – 3 sets

·         Another round on the treadmill if time permits

Thursday: HIIT Cardio (Treadmill) and Stretching
Friday: BW/Weight Circuit
Something similar to Monday, but the upper body work will be more delt focused.

Saturday: Boot Camp
Sunday: Rest, recovery, plan, and prep day
Nutrition
Rather than plan a full week in advance, here are some things I’ve done to prepare for the week.

·         Cut up lots of carrots, celery, and bell peppers for snacks

·         Made a flaxseed oil based dressing for salads

·         Threw some turkey breasts on the grill Sunday night while we were grilling steaks for dinner

·         Made a 3-4 serving batch of quinoa

·         Made turkey meatballs on Monday for spaghetti with meatballs; the leftover meatballs can be used for lunches and snacks throughout the week

·         Stocked up on apples from the fruit stand (lots of good ones on sale) and salad stuff so I can have salads for lunches and dinners

·         Chopped up mushrooms, zucchini, and bell peppers for egg while omelets

As you can see, I am well stocked with healthy options for the week. Easy to just grab and go.

Now it is just time for execution… so far so good! What your game plan for this week?

I’m almost 30 weeks along, which means only about 10 to go!  I’m still trying to keep up my “fit” lifestyle as much as possible. But mentally, I’ve decided to give myself a break during pregnancy and not be so hard core. I know I can get back to my normal strict, regimented routine, so I’m not too worried about it. I weighed in at 139 today. Which means I’ve gained about 13 lbs so far. I want to keep my weight gain around 20-23 lbs by the end, so still need to keep up many of my good habits. Here is my game plan for the coming week:

Training
Monday and Wednesday: Cardio/Weight Training Circuit
A mix of upper body exercises w/DBs, lower body exercises w/DBs, and BW cardio exercises (i.e. burpees, jumping jacks) for a HR boost. These types of workouts make the time go by so fast! These will be at-home workouts.

Tuesday and Thursday: HIIT Cardio and Stretching
30-40 minutes of high intensity interval training using my elliptical; followed by a good 10-15 minutes of stretching. These will be at-home workouts.

Friday: Indoor Cycling and Weight Training
My favorite workout of the week. A 60 minute indoor cycling class (easy 400-500 calorie burner); followed by some upper body work. I’ll be going to the gym this day so will do exercises I can’t do at home.

Saturday: Boot Camp
Sunday: Rest, recovery, plan, and prep day.
Nutrition
Monday
·         Breakfast: egg white, veggie omelet; oatmeal w/ half scoop vanilla protein powder, 1 tbsp walnuts, and ¼ cup blueberries

·         AM Snack: 1 cup plain yogurt w/ half scoop of protein powder; apple w/ 1 tbsp peanut butter

·         Lunch: turkey tenderloin, mashed yams, and sautéed collard greens

·         PM Snack: ½ can tuna mixed with a little mayo and curry powder; 5 flax seed crackers; celery and carrots; 1 wedge of lite Laughing Cow cheese (these things are only 35 calories!!)

·         Dinner: Chicken breast stuffed with asparagus, roasted garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes; large salad

·         Evening Snack: ½ cup cottage cheese with Splenda, a few slices of banana and a sprinkle of oatmeal

Tuesday
·         Same for all meals except dinner

·         Dinner: Tofu tacos

Wednesday
·         Breakfast: Same

·         AM Snack: 1 cup plain yogurt w/ half scoop of protein powder; red grapes; raw nuts

·         Lunch: We have a lunch meeting this day with lunch being provided. Depending on what it is, I may just eat the salad portion and supplement with something from home. In which case, I still have turkey tenderloin, mashed yams, and the collard greens on hand.

·         PM Snack: Salmon burger and some instant grits

·         Dinner: Grill night; not sure if I’ll have chicken or lean steak; large salad regardless

·         Evening Snack: Same

Thursday
·         Breakfast: Same

·         AM Snack: Light yogurt, rice cake w/ peanut butter

·         Lunch: TBD – Will depend on what I have for leftovers from dinners during the week.

·         PM Snack: TBD – Will depend on what leftovers I have

·         Dinner: TBD – Leftovers or an egg white omelet; large salad

·         Evening Snack – Same

Friday
·         Pre-workout: 1 piece of Ezekiel toast w/ cashew butter

·         Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ one full scoop vanilla protein powder, walnuts, and mixed berries

·         AM Snack: Yogurt and fruit

·         Lunch: Sandwich with grilled chicken, mustard, and lots of veggies

·         PM Snack: TBD – Will depend on what leftovers I have

·         Dinner: BBQ chicken pita pizzas

I can plan the first 2-3 days pretty good, but the rest of the week is subject to whatever is available for leftovers. I always cook extra so my meals are pretty similar throughout the week. Whenever we grill (usually 1-3 nights a week), we always throw on a bunch of stuff to use for lunches and dinners the rest of the week. If I don’t have any leftover protein (chicken, turkey, salmon, etc), I always have canned tuna and eggs on hand as a fall back plan. The cottage cheese w/ Splenda and a little banana at night takes care of my sweet cravings; sounds like a weird combo, but I love it! Since I’m pregnant, I incorporate more dairy than usual, which is another reason why I have cottage cheese in my plan.

I often get asked about what I eat and how I manage to prepare healthy yet quick and convenient meals. And occasionally I get funny looks in the kitchen at work because people aren’t used to seeing such plain, whole foods. So I thought I’d come out of the closet with some of my nutrition tactics. Maybe you do some of these too, or perhaps you may consider adopting some of these strategies. I just can’t be held accountable for any strange looks or comments you might get as a result. And if you have any equally strange, yet effective, practices, I’d love to hear them.

·         One packet of taco/fajita seasoning lasts me at least 3 times. We make taco something-or-other at least once a week (healthy versions of course). To make it a quick dinner, we use the taco seasoning packets. But due to the sodium content, we only use about 1/3 of a packet with each package of lean ground turkey/beef. I don’t miss the excess sauce at all.

·         Kid size dishes. I often use my son’s dishes to help keep portions small. Especially for small treats.

·         Small forks and spoons. To slow down the eating process, I use salad size forks and teaspoons to help make individual bites smaller.

·         Steamed veggies at work. I fill a sandwich bag with raw veggies and when I get to work, I put about 1 tablespoon of water in the baggie, zip it up except for a small crack, then microwave for 1.5-2 minutes. Vola… steamed veggies!

·         Basil and tomatoes make everything better. I love the taste of basil, especially with some diced tomatoes, fresh ground pepper, and a touch of olive oil. Have you ever noticed that when you buy basil at the grocery store, you typically get a big bag or plastic container of it even though your recipe calls for a couple tablespoons? And depending on how fresh it is, the rest only lasts 5-6 days. So to prevent the waste and jazz up my food, I often add basil and diced tomatoes to chicken, fish, and steamed veggies.

·         Egg white omelet without having to dirty a pan. I have this small, round Corningware dish that is good for the microwave. I spray the bottom/sides with butter-flavored no-stick spray, put in my egg whites and whatever veggies I have on hand (usually spinach, mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers). I usually put it together the night before. Then in the morning after my workout, I pop the bowl in the microwave, cook for 3 minutes (stir once or twice), and BAM… an egg white omelet. Depending on how hardcore I am with my diet, I may or may not add a tablespoon of shredded cheese. Oh, and of course Tabasco.

·         Cottage cheese… my daily dessert. I usually need to have an evening snack around 8pm. My staple is a cottage cheese/yogurt mix (1/2 cup total) or cottage cheese w/ a little Splenda and cinnamon. In both cases, I also top with a ¼ cup of cereal (Kashi Go Lean, Trader Joes Fiber Os, other high fiber/healthy cereals). I absolutely love cottage cheese with cereal! My husband tolerates my strange eating habits for the most part but he thinks this one is really weird. I say ‘hey, don’t knock it until you try it!’

·         Spray dressing is the best invention ever! There are more and more of these on the market and we have about 4 different flavors in our fridge. I tried making my own… didn’t work so well. If I don’t use a spray dressing, I still measure my dressing. Sometimes just half the suggested serving size is plenty.

I’m sure there are other strange little things I do to keep my calorie intake in check and make a clean eating lifestyle tolerable. But these are more of my everyday ones. Maybe I’ll post a “part II” when I come up with new ones or think of others I do on occasion. Again, I would love to hear yours.