My Fit Life

Not bad for a month’s worth of work….

I think I’m going to do the majority of my blogging on my website, just because it’s easier than writing twice!  Perhaps I’ll copy & paste at times, or write different blogs here (like my Casey’s nutritional info post! Still shocking…)

Anyways, you can check it out here:  http://totalbabe.wordpress.com/

(No, I’m not selling anything, and I don’t make any profit from this site. I just want to help people reach their goals!)

My boyfriend’s father invited us out for dinner tonight at Casey’s Bar and Grill.  Being the smarty-pants I am, I decided to check out their website’s nutritional information before we left to see which menu item would be the kindest to my dietary goals…while perusing, I found the restaurant’s worst offender: 

 FIESTA NACHOS:

Calories: 2,060       Sodium: 7,060 mg!

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Is that even legal?!

It’s been a rough couple of months dealing with a sick family member, but as October rolls in, things are beginning to calm down, and I can focus on my fitness goals again.

During August/September, I didn’t stop working out, so I maintained my weight, I just had a hard time with dieting and schedule consistency- it’s tough to find energy for a decent workout when you’re getting out of the emergency department at 5:00am, only to be called back three hours later, or getting decent fare on an 18-hour stint, so I subsisted on more transportable (and carb-heavy) foods like protein bars, oatmeal, fruit, etc.  A couple of days I overate because I went so long without fuller meals that I was just ravenous by the time I got home, but I luckily maintained, not gained.

Now that I get to reclaim my life again, I’m ready to get serious. Even before family emergency hit, what I was doing on my own just wasn’t working, so with the help of Derek Charlebois over at Team Scivation, I’ve got a new diet and training plan mapped out. I wasn’t initially thrilled with the diet plan, as it’s low-carb and dictates only 1.5-3 cups of vegetables a day (I am a Veggie Queen and eat about 6 cups a day!) but I would rather be miserable and see results than continue treading water on my own, so I’ll give it a fair shot.  I wasn’t so upset about it after I tried Marc Lobsinger’s "Sludge" (scoop(s) of whey + PB mixed together in very little water to create a thick paste- freeze for 10 minutes and enjoy, or microwave for 1 minute and make a "no-carb brownie"….very acceptable!)

Workouts are changing from two sessions/day to one long session after work, since summer is now over and the sun doesn’t want to get up at 6am anymore. Outdoor cardio is nearly done for the season anyways, it’s getting cold!  I bought a rower, and I like it, though I had to modify my posture a bit to avoid back pain.

Diet & training recommendations, courtesy of Derek Charlebois @ Scivation:

• 5-6 meals a day (2 servings fruit per day, 1.5-3 cups veg, dispursed over meals as I see fit; otherwise all meals are around 275 cals, 35g protein, 15g fat, no/low carbs, with the exception of 2 meals w/sweet potato, oatmeal or fruit)
• 4 days/week weight training
• 5-6 days/week cardio

Diet and training will change as I go, obs! I am to submit a progress pic with my progress notes and measurements every week, so I’ll hold off today (it’s Canadian Thanksgiving, let me be lazy!) and post up those pics next Sunday.

Photo update! In the spirit of "back to school", here’s what I did with myself this summer:

(one flexed, one relaxed)

***Mom, I swear it’s a bikini top, not a bra!

I’m happy with the muscle I’ve built, and am now on a six-week diet to slim down (which will make my muscles more visible! Bonus!)

I’ll be back later to make a regular blog post…I have a virus and I’m not feeling too hot, so I’m going to go play a good old game of Couch Potato for now! (I tried jogging this morning and my body would not cooperate! I ended up having to walk home!)

xox Steph

Monday:  30min cardio + Chest/Back (P90X)

Tuesday:  30 min cardio + Cardio-X (P90X)

Wednesday: 30 min cardio + Shoulders/Arms (P90X)

Thursday: 30 min cardio

Friday: 30 min cardio + Leg/Back training w/freeweights

Tomorrow: 6 weeks away from goal, dieting starts getting serious. (Exercise = biking. Sunday will be a rest day and/or some form of recreational activity)

It felt like a pretty good week- I missed a workout on Thursday due to time restraints, but other than that, everything was solid, my injuries weren’t bothering me too much, and I recognized how much my endurance improved over the summer. I’m looking forward to dieting (ha! I say that now!) for the next six weeks. I eat clean year-round, it’s just time to cut calories and time nutrients now. (i.e: oatmeal at 8pm is no longer going to fly!)

I discovered a yummy new way to make a strawberry milkshake (perfect for a hot day- this one will be ice-cold!)  I made this from simple ingredients (i.e: no real fruit) since I was on-the-go when I whipped this up.

What you will need:

• A blender
• 1 scoop of chocolate OR vanilla protein powder (I used 4EverFit’s chocolate whey)
• 1 cup of fat-free soy milk (I don’t know if it will be as thick if you use cows’ milk; someone try it and let me know! I used So Nice’s fat-free/unflavoured soy milk)
• 1 packet of Crystal Light Singles (a berry or citrus flavour like kiwi/strawberry or tangerine/orange work best)
• 4 ice cubes

Directions:

1. Pour 1 cup of [soy]milk into a large glass, and add one scoop of protein powder and the packet of Crystal Light. Stir. (It doesn’t have to be stirred well and it’s okay if there are clumps; you just don’t want any powder in the blender because as soon as you turn it on, it will shoot to the top and stick to the lid!)
2. Put the 4 ice cubes into the blender first, then pour your liquid mixture on top. Hit the “ice crush” setting on your blender and let ‘er rip until she’s smooth.

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*NOTE*  You will need to use an extra-large glass (or your shaker cup!)  or share with a friend, as this makes a surprisingly large quantity once blended!

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NUTRITION PROFILE (using the brand ingredients listed above)

• 210 calories
• 12g carbohydrates
• 2g fat
• 30g protein

Hello all!

This week I returned from Edmonton, Alberta, where I was visiting family. It was an eye-opening experience for me, in both good and bad ways; now you know that obesity is a huge problem in my family (no pun intended.) It was heartbreaking to see one of my family members struggle to take ten steps to the kitchen sink, and have to pull up a chair just to do the dishes. It’s so sad that the weight of her body is actually threatening to break her legs, and my heart breaks to see such a beautiful and hilarious woman prisoner in her own body.

I’m so proud of my Mum, who has lost 40-50 pounds in the last five weeks, and is committed to changing her future. However, in a run of bad luck, she was hospitalized last night for nearly scaring herself into a heart attack after hitting a large animal on a dark country road. She’s okay, but with heart attacks as a result of obesity running in the family, it was frightening for her. It scared me, too, and not because I was frightened for the health of my best friend.

Even though I had only banked a total of 5 hours of sleep in the last two days, after I got my Mum safely home I returned to my apartment and went for a 30-minute jog, because I an an agent of change, and I would rather have a weak, half-hearted run than end up like the rest of my family. Today was the day I decided that I will no longer fear the fate of morbid obesity; I am going to be the exception to the rule, because I am going to eat properly and exercise for life. I am going to be in control, and I am NOT going to end up like the rest of my family!

As a result, I’ve decided to get back in fighting shape and go back to being involved in the fitness community. Most members of my family have given up and don’t even want to try, and it rips me in half that I can’t help them, so I feel the need to be proactive- if I can’t help them, let me help others! I have to do something, I just can’t stand by and watch!

For a little extra cardio, I’ve started packing my sneakers and walking from work. The first time I chose to do this, I discovered a long and beautiful walking trail that I didn’t even know existed! (Is that a good omen or what!?) Walking to work is a great idea for so many reasons- it’s such a time-saver! The time taken to walk to work is less time you need to spend in the evening doing cardio, so it frees up 30-60 minutes in your evening! Not sure how long it will take to get there? Try the Gmap Pedometer (think Mapquest for pedestrians!) http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/

For motivation, I highly recommend the (very old, but classic) 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey This is a book that I have used since I was a teenager (Actually, back then I read 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, which is a little more of an interesting read, but still covers the 7 Habits), and was actually a catalyst in me formulating and executing the weight loss strategy when I lost 80 pounds! I often re-read this book when I feel like I’m stuck in a rut, because not only does it teach time-management skills and positive skills that affect every aspect of your life from fitness to career and family, but its format is so highly inspiring that you want to run out and make positive (ahem, excuse me, "proactive") changes. This book is old enough that you can find it at the library, so it won’t cost you a cent.

And, if you enjoy reading, you may be interested in this short article on Vitamin D levels and weight loss:

http://www.everbetter.ca/health/vitamin-d-may-play-a-role-in-weight-loss-suc
cess-6818

Let me know what you think! Do you take a Vitamin D supplement?

Ciao for now,

Steph

With all the extra time & energy, excercise can be diversified, increased, and even sports-themed activities planned (like driving out of the city to go mountain biking!) Others choose to rest or even cheat on their diets and exercise plans- what’s your approach to vacation?

 I took a half-of-each approach this year. I am taking a break from weight training, but still doing cardio, and in many different forms, since I have no time limits! It’s been fun!  I’ve also been temporarily un-shackled from my desk-chair, so I’m active all day- a 5-hour walk around the Toronto Zoo one day, 2-hours of walking around the mall another.

Anyways, off the computer, I’ve got three days of precious vacation left to go live!

I…have been jogging!

 This is HUGE! I haven’t jogged in years! I used to jog 10km a day until I injured both my legs, essentially ending any dreams I had of a competitive career…running was my PASSION; oh, how free I felt when I was running! I suppose it was symbolic to me; the fat girl turned fit girl who went from huffing up a flight of stairs to being able to run, lightly and gracefully…mmmm. Loved it.  Definately sank into deep depression (and 40lb weight gain!) when I got injured.

 Anywhoo, that was 3 years ago, never was the same since, (though I managed to drop all but 10 pounds of the weight!), and I don’t know what prompted me to even try running, but I did, and it wasn’t as painful as it was during my previous attempts!  I made sure to ice my legs when I got home, and I was surprisingly FINE the next morning!!

Two days later, I tried again. And again after that- I’ve been for a total of four jogs in the last week and a half!! I am limiting myself to two jogging attempts a week for now, I don’t want to re-injure myself, but I do want to see how far I can push this- if I could jog again,regularly…I think I would be the happiest girl who ever lived!

Recent developments in my life have afforded me more spare time, so I’ve been working out twice a day- I’ll do my main workout in the mornings (weight training 3x a week, cardio 2x)  and then a long walk (which actually hurts my legs more than running, oddly enough!) or cardio before dinner. It’s been nice…training is going really well.  As I write this, however, I realize that I haven’t been paying much attention to my diet, so I guess I should probably get on that, haha. I’m eating clean and tracking calories, I just haven’t been paying much attention to macros, for lack of remembering or being too busy with work. Tsk tsk!

Oh, and a small deviation:  while I am trying to be 100% man-made-food-free, I did purchase some Crystal Light Iced Tea flavour, because it’s summer and I’ve been wicked craving iced tea!