Well I did the unthinkable this morning.  I slept in!!!! Whoo Hoo!  As much as any Die-Hard likes to admit it, especially me.  Rest is essential for recovery and for re-building the muscles leaner and stronger.  And leaner, stronger muscles means higher metabolism, high fat burn.  Now I'm not saying you have to spend the entire day loafing on the couch.  But a few extra hours of sleep in a blatantly busy schedule doesn't hurt.  Now granted I'll hit the weights this afternoon and I'll make sure to get my walk in during my lunch hour, but my post-workout soreness isn't nearly as bad as it has been in the beginning of the week by allowing myself that little luxury. 

Today I start back on the Body Fortress protein shakes.  I don't usually like synthetic forms of protein, I like knowing I'm getting them from my tuna, steak, and chicken.  But with my having to strap down on my calorie and carb intake over the next few weeks, it's unavoidable.  I need to have a feeling of fullness with a limited number of calories and maximum grams of protein.  Right now I'm averaging about 160 grams of protein/day which is right where I want to be, just slightly under 1.5x my own body weight.  This is to avoid bulking up but still burn fat. It's taken me years to figure out what formula works best for me because it's a constant juggling act having to watch my glucose levels, my carb intake, and realize when I'm overtraining and beginning to put on too much muscle.  Plus I'm my 30's now, so I don't get the results I want as easily as I did when I was in my 20's.    Well on-ward and up-ward.  Have a great day everybody!