RachelBringIt’s BodyBlog

Well, training has been going just amazing lately. I feel the strongest I have in a long time, the SEAL training is getting hard now that im in the 3rd week but I can feel myself getting stronger every day I do it. I just wish I could slim down a bit more. I still feel bloated from the week I let go a bit. Ugh, never doing that again. Diet has been solid this week so far, although tomorrow is my birthday so Im going to plan my cals out so I can eat some baja fish tacos guilt free. Oh yeah, I got back on my twitter account, so if you would like to follow me:http://twitter.com/RacheLife . Feel free! Im addicted again lol.

To those following my training via blog known I took a good 4 days off from training because I felt a bit overtrained. I just want to follow up with saying although it was hard, it was soooo worth it. This week has been a great training week. The best in weeks actually. Been doing my SEAL training this week. My monday and wednesday run were great. I averaged around a 9min mile which has been a big struggle for me to get my time down from 10 minutes. My pushup/pullup/situp routine has been going well too. Feel really strong although I havent hit the weights this week. My usual gym buddy is out with an injury, not that its an excuse but I have been keeping up my strength with calisthenics and swimming on a bi/tri weekly basis.

My swim today was amazing. 1000m in 25 minutes which i know is slow but I was taking breaks in between 50-100m sets. I felt really strong and my acid reflux has stopped during exercise.

So I learned a great lesson, to listen to your body and it will be good to you! I am looking forward to hitting the weights hard this weekend!!! Everyone take care!!

I havent posted a recipe in awhile, but I really recommend if you have never had borscht you gotta try it! Its a traditional Russian soup that is incredibly healthy and filling. Mainly made of beets, it has a beautiful color and will make you feel like you are having a cheat meal when its incredibly healthy. People dont get enough beets and they are amazing for you. Ill post some health benefits below the recipe.

Recipe/Picture from Simply Recipes:

INGREDIENTS
8 cups beef broth
1 pound slice of meaty bone-in beef shank ( i used lean beef roast)
1 large onion, peeled, quartered
4 large beets, peeled, chopped
4 carrots, peeled, chopped
1.5 tablespoon tomato paste
1 large russet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
3/4 cup chopped fresh dill
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD
1 Bring 4 cups of the beef broth, the beef shank, and onion to boil in large pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meat is tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
2 Transfer meat to work surface; trim fat, sinew and bone and discard. Chop meat; cover and chill. Cool broth slightly. Chill in pot until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
3 Spoon fat from top of chilled broth and discard. Add remaining 4 cups broth, beets, carrots, and potato; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
4 Stir in meat, cabbage and 1/2 cup dill; cook until cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in vinegar.
Ladle soup into bowls. Top with sour cream and remaining 1/4 cup dill.
Serves 6.

Health benefits of beets:
1. Beets have ZERO trans fat and ZERO saturated fat. They are also low calorie! How’s that for a food to satisfy your hunger and have the ability to satisfy a sweet tooth at the same time? You’ve got to love a food that meets a sugar craving and doesn’t harm your body!

2. Canned beets are very inexpensive! Buy them sliced or whole and buying the store brand they will cost about 60 cents or less! Just put a few cans in the refrigerator and next time you are looking for a snack food they will be super cold and ready to eat, no dirty pots, no cooking. Just drain and enjoy with a fork!

3. Beets are high in carbohydrates which means they are a great instant energy source, but unlike processed foods which are high in carbohydrates, beets will energize your body. Beets can be regarded as body fuel.

4. Beets contain sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron and phosperous! They are also considered a fiber food and contain vitamins A and C as well as niacin! You can’t beat that!

5.Beets contain folic acid which is necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells. This is especially important for pregnant woman or anyone undergoing physical healing. Many people take folic acid in the form of herbal supplements, but if you eat beets, you won’t need to! It is always better for the body to receive it’s nutrients and vitamins through food over a supplement because it is like mainlining the natural source into your bloodstream. The benefits are far superior and faster with real food over powder mixes or pills.

6. Studies have shown that beets guard against cancer, especially colon cancer.

7. Medical studies have also shown that including beets in your diet helps protect a body against heart disease.

8. Beets are available all year round! So they are not difficult to find in any produce section if you want them fresh!

9. Beets can be eaten raw or you can boil, steam roast or sautee them. Additionally raw beets can be juiced in a Jay the Juiceman type juicer very easily! But be warned, beet juice is EXTREMELY strong and powerful! If you want to get naturally drunk without alcohol, take a glass of beet juice and see what happens. It is startling! If you want the benefits of beet juice but candle handle drinking it straight up, then mix it with some carrot or apple juice for a milder but still beneficial juice.

10. Borscht, a very popular vegetable soup made of beets is a traditionally loved dish in Poland, Russia, Germany and other Eastern European menus. There are cold and hot Borscht soups and each country varies some of the ingredients, but beets are the one common and main ingredient of this revered and hearty soup.

11. Even the leaves of raw beets have been eaten and useful and beneficial to one’s health. The leaves have been known to counter "garlic" breath and in Roman times Hippocrates advocated the use of beet leaves as binding for healing wounds. 12. Beets being naturally colorful and bright red make an excellent and healthful garnish for artistic presentation of a meal. They also can be made into a number of cold salads for a change of pace meal. Betacyanin is the pigment that gives beets their red color, this pigment is what is responsible for helping to fight cancer.

13. Beets have been shown to help cleanse the blood, cleanse the colon and strengthen the gall bladder and liver.

14. There is something called Beet Therapy. Doctors have used it to get rid of tumors and to help people with blood diseases and leukemia.

15. Some people have used beats to treat and cure boils, abscesses and even acne. http://www.healing.org/only-23.html

So there you have it!! Eat your beets!!!

Ugh, well today was my 2nd day in my Seal Training and I am feeling like I really should of taken a week off before starting this program. Monday’s run swim went great. Today’s pushups/situps/pullups were no problem but my run was pathetic. I am feeling worn out, i can barely run a mile without getting winded, which is totally weird for me. I havent taken more than 3 days off since Dec really, so maybe its time for a break? So maybe you guys can let me know.

My Symptoms:

-Legs feel heavy
-Increased HR (ive noticed from my HR monitor)
-Chest Pressure during my cardio
-Random spurts of bad heart burn
-Feel like I havent been in deep sleep for awhile
-Headaches post workout.

Does this sound like maybe I should take the rest of the week off?

Yes, thats right. Im going to train like a SEAL! They are notorious for being in crazy good shape, so what a better plan to do than to train like one! I found a program online that I will be following for the next couple months and it seems pretty doable. You have to be in decent shape to start it, and now I feel that I can do the minimum requirement to begin! Hopefully this will get me to my goal of 15%bf by June! According to the calipers yesterday I came in at 19.7%bf so I think this is doable!

Here is what the training looks like:
RUNNING SCHEDULE I
WEEKS #1, 2: 2 miles/day, 8:30 pace, M/W/F (6 miles/week)

WEEK #3: No running. High risk of stress fractures.

WEEK #4: 3 miles/day, M/W/F (9 miles/wk)

WEEKS #5, 6: 2/3/4/2 miles, M/Tu/Th/F (11 miles/wk)

WEEKS #7, 8: 3/4/5/2 miles, M/Tu/Th/F (16 miles/wk)

WEEK #9: same as #7, 8 (16 miles/wk)

PHYSICAL TRAINING SCHEDULE I
(Mon/Wed/Fri)

SETS OF REPETITIONS SETS OF REPETITIONS

WEEK #1: 4 X15 PUSHUPS WEEKS #5& 6: 6 X 25 PUSHUPS

4 X 20 SITUPS 6 X 25 SITUPS

3 X 3 PULLUPS 2 X 8 PULLUPS

WEEK #2: 5 X 20 PUSHUPS WEEKS #7&8: 6 X 30 PUSHUPS

5 X 20 SITUPS 6 X 30 SITUPS

3 X 3 PULLUPS 2 X 10 PULLUPS

WEEK #3,&4: 5 X 25 PUSHUPS WEEK #9: 6 X 30 PUSHUPS

5 X 25 SITUPS 6 X 30 SITUPS

3 X 4 PULLUPS 3 X 10 PULLUPS

* Note: For best results, alternate exercises. Do a set of pushups, then a set of situps, followed by a set of pullups, immediately with no rest.

SWIMMING SCHEDULE I
(sidestroke with no fins 4-5 days a week)

WEEKS #1, 2: Swim continuously for 15 min.

WEEKS #3, 4: Swim continuously for 20 min.

WEEKS #5, 6: Swim continuously for 25 min.

WEEKS #7, 8: Swim continuously for 30 min.

WEEK #9: Swim continuously for 35 min.

* Note: If you have access to a pool, swim every day available. Four to five days a week and 200 meters in one session is your initial workup goal. Also, you want to develop your sidestroke on both the left and the right side. Try to swim 50 meters in one minute or less.

Now this is just phase 1, phase 2 can be found here:http://www.navysealteams.com/warning.htm

along with the history, explanation of training, etc. Ill be doing this plus a 3day split with weights. Wish me luck!!!

I can’t believe its April already! Crazy how time flies! Ive been getting some PMs asking what I do when I workout. I likely have the most disorganized workout schedule ever. Honestly I really don’t have a set M-Sat schedule of what I workout, i got by feel. So if my arms are still sore from a previous workout, i workout something else, If my legs feel weak, ill let them rest. If I start running and my HR is higher than it should be, I stop and walk. I feel like I need to listen to my body, because ultimately it runs me, if I get hurt then I can’t do anything. As far as abs go, Im not a big believer in ab workouts since you should be flexing your abs when you are doing all your other body parts. I feel like I get a better workout flexing while bench pressing then sit ups. So I maybe do 100 ab-only workout reps a week (sit ups, crunches, etc), and usually ill crank them out all at once. My body fat isn’t low enough to really see them anyway. I suppose when it is, ill be more inclined to do them. But yeah, so thats how I workout, is just listen to my body.

Today looks like this:

2 mile run (have to do this first, i can never run after a leg day)
Legs:
Squats 2×10, 2×8
Lunges 4×12
Calves 4×12
Leg Press 2×10, 2×8, then to failure
Inner & outter thighs: 4×10

Diet:
B: Coffee + english biscuit things (found more om nom nom)
Big Meal: Going out to dinner with my parents! No idea, maybe out to a mexican resturant, or an italian one…..i dunno
S: Apple

Pullups: 4×5

Ive recently dropped quite a bit of body fat with the easiest diet ever. This is what I do:

B: Coffee + a piece of toast

Big Meal: Whatever I want (never fast food or anything too horrible)

If i get hungry I just eat a piece of fruit or make a veggie/fruit smoothie. Ive dropped almost 4% body fat this month doing this. Im not keeping track of calories but I make sure that my cals are around 1700 and more if i do a lot of cardio that day. Its amazingly stress free and your body adjusts to not being hungry until around the time you decide to have your big meal. Sorta like the Warrior Diet I suppose. I still have lots of energy and its fun to plan nice meals without worrying about every little thing that goes into it. I feel normal lol. Although since really sticking to my cut ive noticed a bit of a drop in strength but not much. I expected that since I took a 2 week break from heavy lifting to give my joints a break. I felt like I was getting a bit of tendonitis in my legs and hips.

Hope everyone is having a great day and is reaching their goals!!!

OMG this is amazing. I Found this recipe and tried it last night. Its the perfect solution to craving carrot cake but in perfect portions. I couldn’t take pictures (they all got eaten very fast) so these aren’t mine but I recommend you try these and have friends over (to keep from eating them all yourself)

I didnt make the cream cheese frosting (they would of been too deadly) but it looked good:
1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coarsely grated carrots (2 medium)
1 scant cup walnuts (3 ounces), chopped
1/2 cup raisins (2 1/2 ounces)
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup honey

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 2 baking sheets.

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

Beat together butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in carrots, nuts, and raisins at low speed, then add flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Drop 1 1/2 tablespoons batter per cookie 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are lightly browned and springy to the touch, 12 to 16 minutes total. Cool cookies on sheets on racks 1 minute, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

While cookies are baking, blend cream cheese and honey in a food processor until smooth.

Sandwich flat sides of cookies together with a generous tablespoon of cream cheese filling in between.

recipe from epicurious.com

Hello everyone! I havent really updated since I left for Me-Hee-Ko but I have been sorta busy getting caught up with people, cooking, working out, etc. Ive switched to more of an IF style eating (inspired by WaveLength on bb.com!) and its working out great!! In 2 weeks Ive dropped 3% bf and feel awesome. I am learning how to make some real good Indian food, made my own Naan bread (will be posting soon as soon as I perfect the recipe a little bit) and Chickpea Curry. Im falling in love with how easy it is to cook Indian food and how amazing it tastes. Im a sucker for spicy food so expect to see a lot of indian dishes coming up.

I dont know what the deal is but whenever a person has success, there always seem to be those who try to bring you down. I think its a shame that some people feel the need to put someone down in order to make themselves feel better. Im just glad Im a strong enough person to take it with a grain of salt and move on.

This happens not only on the internet but a lot of people on here Im sure can relate to the ’sabotage people’ you encounter in real life that know you are trying to make yourself better, but offer you some cookies, or pizza anyway. "You work out a lot, you’ll burn it off fast, just one piece won’t hurt you, etc etc…" I always try to be polite and take a bite then put it away. I will not let them do that to me. Its just mean!! Anyone else have someone like this in their life?

Happy Thursday! Almost to the weekend!!

Hey guys! Well didn’t get pics up of the bagels, my boyfriend ate them all before I could! lol whoops! Well thats what happens when you live with 2 guys! Food goes fast! Well last week was pretty much complete crap when it came to loosing weight. I didnt keep track of cals, ate crap, only made it to the gym 3 times because my hip flexor is hurt. Grah!! I finally had a decent cardio workout today, I ate really clean till tonight. Then I found out I got accepted to one of the law schools I applied to in San Diego! !! Sooo I had a celebratory wine night!! Had a great time tonight and ready to get back on track tomorrow!