Remember that part in the Lethal Weapon movie where Renee Russo and Mel Gibson are comparing wounds and scars? I feel like I'm starring in my own version at the gym! I go when it's mostly the old timers (they stick to the machines and leave the free weight area all to me!) and it seems we all have some new injury to share. Hip, knee, back, arthritis...doesn't matter.

So far, even though I'm twenty years or more younger, I am definitely keeping up!! Leg surgery, major DVT, shoulder (I'm sure it's rotator cuff), knee issues (from YEARS of aerobics), strained pectoral, and the latest, my poor little sprained back... I fit right in!! We are a community of whiners!! Haha!

So it seems that everytime I get into a good groove, another owie happens...sigh. BUT I'm still lifting, just adjusting my workouts a little. Working out smarter rather than harder and still seeing progress....so that's a good thing! I'm probably about 90% on target with diet, need to tighten that up to 100% to reach my goal of 4 more pounds lost by the end of September. It's slow going but it's going!!

So the Raiders have hired a "grandmother" for their newest cheerleader. Of course that brings to mind one of the Golden girls (Betty White, anyone!!??) but after being on this site for many years, we know that there are plenty of beautiful grandmas on here that can put the twenty-somethings to shame. If you get the chance, Google Ernestine Shepard, oldest competitive female bodybuilder at 74 years old. Now that's a grandma!!

But this cheering granny is only 37!! And she's not even the oldest NFL cheerleader out there (C. Bengals;42).

Now making the team was a major accomplishment...making it as a 37 year old was an even bigger accomplishment especially when the majority of the competition is barely old enough to order a drink in a bar. Good for her!!!

BUT.....

is being a grandma at thirty-seven something to be proud of??????

By the way, the youngest grandmother on record is TWENTY-THREE!!!! Do the math...

Another great day at the gym and in the kitchen!!

Workout#1-

30 min elliptical followed by clean and presses, leaning DB lateral raises, rear delt barbell pushaways, wide grip upright rows, palm forward lateral circle raises.

Workout#2- 1 hour step class intervaled with lunges, burpees, pushups, and abs.

Egg whites/ oatmeal

sweet potato/ walnuts/ protein shake

ezekial muffin with ground chicken breast burger

red, orange, yellow bell pepper w/ egg whites

casein shake

No workout today....long day at work!! I did stick to my diet, just didn't eat enough!

Egg whites/ oatmeal

chicken/sweet potato/ asparagus

chicken/sweet potato/ asparagus

honeydew & cantalope

MRS

walnuts

30 minutes on the Elliptical followed by:

Latpulldowns S/S with seated row; close-grip pulldowns S/S with reverse grip cable rows; cable deadlifts S/S with barbell curls; wide cable lat pulldowns S/S with wide grip EZ curls; seated incline DB curls; standing db curls

Finished with 15 minutes of cardio.

BUT I'm not finished for the day!! I'm off to do my second cardio of the day on my brand new spin bike...whoohoo!!

For those of you who are close to a Costco, the company has put the Ironman summit indoor spin bike on sale for...wait for it...$199!!! I was a little hesitant about purchasing this but I'm so glad I did!! Very well made, sturdy and HEAVY! I plopped that baby in front of the TV in my family room and have definitely made use of it!

Todays diet:

egg whites/oatmeal

EZ muffin w/PB

cantalope/honeydew

chicken breast on EZ muffin (a little cz though)

chicken breast/zuchinni

casein shake

I have been eating pretty clean since Memorial weekend but I really blew it tonight!! Started off well...I got up and did thirty minutes of cardio on my new spin bike (!!!) before breakfast. Packed a healthy lunch box to take to work(mid-shift...hate it)...

#1 egg whites and oatmeal

#2 MRS/banana

#3 grilled salmon/ salad

#4 protein shake

AND THEN....... I ate Chick-fil-a!! Why, oh, why couldn't I resist?? Now I have a bellyache....I should know better!

So today..the bad...fast food!

The good...not hitting snooze this morning and getting in my cardio..whoohoo!

Back/biceps/cardio

AM= 35 min elliptical; wide-grip pulldowns;seated row, close-grip pulldowns;db row; 1-arm bentover cable row; e-z bar biceps curl, wide bar cable curls; standing db alt curls; seated incline curls. Whew!! 

PM= 1 hour interval step class (spin was cancelled...bummer)

#1 egg whites/oatmeal

#2 egg whites/oatmeal

#3 chicken/ banana/ walnuts

#4 chicken/ brown rice

snack sliced cucumber

The bad...not enough calories today and DEFINITELY need to increase my veggie intake. Just wasn't feeling it today.

The good...two workouts today and hit my goal with thirty sets total of weights!

Want an alternative to the old crockpot? How about being able to cook lean and healthy while still maintaining the intense flavors of your food!!?? Try cooking in an unglazed, wet, terra-cotta clay pot, a technique that has been used for thousands of years!! It's easy and many of your favorite recipes can be made over to fit the bodybuilding lifestyle. "Romertopf" is the brand I use (available at your local kitchen store) and I'm going to share a recipe that I've adapted. It has a distinctly South West flair to it!!

Chicken and Green Chilies

1 to 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast diced small

1-Tbs ground quinoa flour

1tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 rib of finely chopped celery

1/2 to 1 small onion- finely chopped

minced garlic (about a clove)

1- 4oz can of diced green chili peppers

1/4 cup defatted, low-sodium chicken broth

Soak the clay cooker in water for 15 minutes...DO NOT PREHEAT OVEN!!

Combine celery, onion and garlic in the bottom of the presoaked cooker.

Mix flour, chili powder and cumin together then coat chicken. Place on top of veggies.

Top with can of peppers.

Pour in the chicken broth, cover and place in COLD oven.

Set oven to 450 degrees and bake, stirring once or twice. I start checking the chicken after about 30 min but it usually takes another ten minutes after that. The chicken will be tender and brown.

Super delicious!!

Options:

1)Top brown rice with chicken and add steamed broccoli as a side...super clean and super yummy!!

OR(!!!) triple the broth at the beginning to make a soup then top with corn and chopped bell peppers.

OR(!!) If you are not super strict, mix in fat-free or low fat sour cream and top with reduced fat cheddar!! (My kids Love this version!)

Let me know what you think!!

Summer is the perfect time to get out of your local Kroger/Freds/Publix supermarket and visit your local farmer's market! You won't find high fructose corn syrup, highly processed foods, microwavable anything!! Just fresh, nutritionally dense food right from your community. You know that your veggies didn't come from halfway across the country (or even halfway across the world!!)

Eating seasonally also ensures that you are eating whole foods that are harvested at their peak...trust me when I say that the taste is superior!! Not to mention the price can be significantly lower!

Many farmers markets will also carry grass fed beef, pork, game meats and free range  chicken. Farm fresh eggs and dairy. Straight from the farm with no feed lot fattening up with chemically saturated grain. (These items do tend to be a little pricier but well worth it!!)

So go online and search for farmers markets in your area. You'll be glad you did!!

Most people decide to start a new plan on a Monday and by the time Thursday rolls around, all their good intentions go out the window. Including mine!! I have started and ended my "diet" about a billion times!!

So this Thursday marks me beginning a true competition diet. Am I competing? No, not at this time. But do I want to look like a competitor?? You bet your sweet tushie I do! I have gotten "soft" over the last year and  have proven that you CAN out-eat your workouts!

Time to get back in control and motivate myself to continue to practice what I preach!

Egg whites, chicken breast, and broccoli...Oh My!!

We all have one. Week after week, it's that one day that we dread. That day we would love to just blow off (but know we can't)! For me, it's chest day. I look over at the bench press area and just cringe. It's strange because it's definitely the most popular area of the weight room. At least for you males!!! 

I was looking back through my old training logs (yes, I kept them!) and was shocked to realize just how many days I skipped out or half-a$$ed my chest workout. Give me squats, deadlifts, clean and presses any time but when it comes to bench, flys, pushups, cable-crossovers.... I wanna run and hide!! It's not that I'm weak...I have the strength, I just hate, hate, HATE chest day!!!

What's your least favorite to work and how do you motivate yourself ??

#1 egg whites and grits

Snack: Ezekial toast w/ low-sugar jelly

#2 chicken breast/ sweet potato fries

Snack: banana

#3 MRS

#4 chicken breast/ veggies

I felt yucky today (belly issues) but still managed to do cardio. 145 HR. Unfortunately, no weight w/o but will adjust for the rst of the week!

Now I gotta go...Biggest Loser is on!!

#1 Egg whites/ grits (I'm a Southern gal!!)

#2 chicken, b. rice, broccoli

#3 same as #2

#4,5,6...Nothing!! Can't build muscle if I don't eat!

1 hr step/interval class with emphasis on legs (Plyo,plyo,plyo!)

Back/chest tomorrow.

6 1/2 hours sleep.

35 min cardio
Chest...a quick chest w/o, only had a short time!
BBarbell bench press, DB flys, Incline bench press...that is it....

#1 egg whites/oatmeal
#2 same as 1
#3 chicken sausage (was craving anything other than chicken breast!! LOL)no carb
#4 chicken/ peas
#5 not sure yet but prob a shake!

I had a piece of cheese (booooo)
1oz walnuts/cho chips (last of them!!)

Amino Energy, multi-v, cosamin DS, atro-phex.

A little off my game today but I have two workouts scheduled for tomorrow and yummy fish on the menu!