fitdiva83’s BodyBlog

After a phenomenal week spent with my friends and family, I find myself reflecting on how truly blessed I am or in other words…the laundry list of things that I am thankful for. I thought that I really had the fall from hell until a week or two ago, when life began to truly regain normalcy, the number one thing that I am thankful for. I’ve experienced how acts of true kindness and generosity are returned when one least expects it and create endless opportunities. And yes, things have an odd way of working themselves out. Perhaps not in the way that you want them to, but in a manner that allows equilibrium to ensue. Though it is hard to exhibit kindness all the time or to forgive those who least deserve empathy, the holidays have a special way of illuminating what really matters. I had been so consumed in my own training, dieting, self-obsession with my physique and personal disappointments that I had lost sight of the elements that were crucial to my even being here. My body began to reveal the tremendous stress that I had been under and the physical stress that I had subjected it to. So, instead of getting caught up in the frenzy of Christmas shopping or even working out, I stayed in, relaxed, entertained friends, listened to some music, worked on my poetry anthology, and re-organized my space to reflect my new state of mind. Tomorrow we begin anew.

I did say that I would post more frequently. Training and dieting, however, have taken priority, in addition, to my job and getting in my LSAT prep time. I’ve been pretty diligent with the workouts– a special shout-out to my incredible training partner who suffers through the cardio with me. Lol.

So I’ve grown accustomed to the fact that fish will be a regular staple in my diet and I can only consume limited amounts of cottage cheese (slightly allergic to dairy, who knew?) A cheat meal for me would be sushi or whole wheat pasta with ground turkey. Yup, so I’m eating 90% clean even in the off-season. Well, I’m throwing down for Thanksgiving. Sorry.  The amazinig thing is that I see the difference in my physique usually on weekly basis. Sometimes the difference can vary day to day, depending on my choice of food consumption. With patience and consistency, it all gets better in time. A person’s physique, that is.

So now that I am pretty much in control of my nutrition and training is going well, I am starting to set mini-goals for myself. I’ve been running a lot for my cardio–very therapeutic. Nonetheless, I hate endurance running! Can’t you tell that I was a sprinter? Lol. So I will be working on my slow-twitch muscles and building stamina. Thus, November’s goal for cardio is to be able to run 4 continuous miles outside. Right now, I jump-rope for about 15 mins to warm up my knees, then head outside to jog/run for 25-30 mins (2 and a half to 3 miles). I will slowly increase the time to 40 mins. My goal for training is to gain more definition in my triceps. So I am working them twice a week…once with shoulders and biceps and then again with chest. In four weeks time, I should be seeing the change. Right?

This weekend was probably one of the most productive that I have had in a long time. I trained 2x a day, plus managed to stick to my diet with minimal cheats and prepared most of my meals for the week. I also cleaned house, did some reading and soul searching and healing (no, not the Marvin Gaye kind). And somewhere in the midst of all that, I managed to go out on three dates. Now, while all three men go to the gym and may indulge in healthy cuisine from time to time, none of them could understand my eating habits–dressing on the side, tell the chef no salt, hold the rice, please! I suppose they assumed that it was typical female coy behavior. One seemed quite annoyed. Another found it quite amusing. I don’t know why guys insist on eating all the time! What can you do in the city that does not culminate in some type of palatory experience? I thought I could juggle the dieting and the dates, until last night at the movies. The movie commenced at eight, my last meal of the night was at nine. And it was tilapia and broccoli. When I removed my container of fish and greens from my purse, my date looked horrified…even in the dark. "You’re not going to eat that here," he told me. "Why can’t you just eat some popcorn?" Now, it was my turn to gasp. "I was planning on going out of the theater with this. I have to eat." He simply shook his head. So I stayed put, despite the fact the grumbling of my stomach was loud enough to overpower the sound of gunshots and screaming on the silver screen. I glanced longingly at my Ziploc container and caught a glimpse of my date who mouthed, "it smells like fish." Thus, how could I put up a fight when he suggested a trip to Cold Stone Creamery? How was I to get out of that one?   To be continued……….

It’s funny how when you acquire an unexpected amount of money, you discover a plethora of needs and purchases to spend it on. While running errands all around the city yesterday, I had to exhibit an enormous amount of self-control as I was tempted to buy new gym clothes, stilettos, eye cream amongst other things. I ended up purchasing an inexpensive new gym outfit (I think I deserve it) and a load of vitamins and supplements. It didn’t help that the cashier at Vitamin Shoppe was a certified hottie; and when he suggested some new items, I could not turn them down. For someone who can be excessive in her habits, is it possible too consume too many supplements? Here’s a sampling of what I purchased:

multi-mineral/multi-vitamin, evening primose oil, super fish oil, CLA, calcium, glucosamine and chondroitin, a variety of green teas, powdered greens, and I will stop there.

So I am wondering, is the intake of all these supplements really necessary? And if not, what drives the regular fitness enthusiast to their regular consumption?