Rest, Regression, and a Rant

Guess what? Today is Wednesday, which means that by last year's standards (and the few years before that) I should be a sleepy, weepy, grumpy, dopey basket case. Not this year though! The Dwarves of Misery have been evicted from my psyche, and all it took was a New Year's resolution. I only made one this year, and it goes like this:

My health and fitness comes first.

I still get a twinge of discomfort from typing that out or saying it out loud because it feels very weird to not put everyone's needs ahead of my own...but really, what good am I to anyone if I haven't looked after myself? If I'm not practicing what I preach? So this year, I've resolved to be better, and what that means is I must learn to sleep. So far, it's going pretty well - I love being able to think clearly! Who'd have thought that having a fixed bedtime would make such a difference? The trick I haven't been able to nail down yet is actually getting to sleep when I go to bed...but that's coming.

Day 3, Workout 3 - Tuesday night taekwondo class

This one's for my daughter #1, Shannon. I get unlimited inspiration from both of my kids (Sarah will get a workout later on too), but this one's for Shannon because she is a mini-me: we share the same kind of temperament, the same worries and insecurities, and...the same body type. We are in taekwondo class together largely because I want her to love her body, to enjoy being strong and fit, and to get good at a sport she's physically suited to. I love working out with her, and I am so, so proud of her. Oh no, tears! Tee hee! Moving on to today....

Day 4, Workout 4

Light arm work/cardio
45sec work/15sec rest
1. Jump Rope
2. Dumbell Bicep Curls
3. Overhead Tricep Extensions
4. Kettlebell Swings
5. Dumbell Lateral Raises
6. Stability Ball Mountain Climbers

Argh. Okay, this one was not a huge challenge, which is both good and bad. It's good because really, I probably shouldn't be working my arms at all, and I didn't feel like I did any further damage to my left arm today. Also, today is Wednesday which is typically a rest day so it was good to do something that made me kinda sweaty without leaving my old booty too worn out.

Sounds like there's a 'but' coming...and here it is:

Ha, just kidding. All booty jokes aside though...
 Dealing with a long-term-ish injury has been frustrating at best. Watching my upper body atrophy has been driving me bonkers, but has also provided me with the opportunity to test my tolerance (mentally and physically) of regression. I'll talk about this more as I get into building back up again, but for now I have to say a huge thank-you to Georgie Fear, my nutrition coach! She has really been the voice of reason throughout all this. She has helped me let go of the aggravation of not being able to train at the level I'd like, and re-focus my energy on more constructive efforts...so this one's for her. Check out her website here for some great recipes and awesome articles on nutrition. Georgie's the bomb!

And now it's time to sling some shit. Seriously. I am so, so disappointed in Lance Armstrong! Part of me wants to just let him disappear because he doesn't deserve any more media attention...but before he does, he must withstand a tantrum from me. Cause I believed in him! Even when people started to suggest that he might be doping, I was just starting to figure out this getting-fit business, he was one of my greatest inspirations, and I defended him to the last. So to all the people that I argued with, I'm sorry. You were right. And Lance? You suck. That is all.

 

Let's get this party started!

Day 2, Workouts: 2

Well, this project started out with a rest day thanks to insanely sore shoulders from Saturday's training. I hadn't so much as touched my upper body for four months before so perhaps timed push-up intervals were not the best way to go on the first day back. But, I'm not one for doing anything halfway so it's balls to the walls, baby! Yarr.

So workout one today is dedicated to all the New Year's Resolutionaries! I will never laugh at those people; making a change is hard to do and if it sticks for even 10% of them, that's a lot more people taking care of themselves this year than there were last year. And for the other 90% who don't, you can bet they will be farther along in the decision-making process, and all the more likely to stick with it next year. So here's to all of you! Keep up the good work.

Leg Day
Deadlifts, 6x5 reps
Band-assisted chin-ups, 6x5 reps (for the record, I know this was stupid. I know. It won't happen again.)

X-over step-ups, 10 each leg
1-leg glute bridges from a med ball, 15 each leg

Quad Blast:
24 squats
24 alternating forward lunges
24 jump squats
24 split jumps
Time: 2:17

Workout 2 today is for everyone at K. H. Min Taekwondo who competed at nationals this past weekend! Very proud of you guys and I am glad for the opportunity to train with all of you.

Cardio! This is my favorite cardio workout right now; it's short, intense, and kicks my ass in all the right ways. It's 5 rounds, 1 minute of work followed by 30 seconds' rest. 2 minutes' rest between circuits, so the whole thing takes 46 minutes.
1. Jump rope
2. Left leg speed kicking
3. Right leg speed kicking
4. Over-the-top box shuffles
5. Box jump burpees

Whammo! 2 workouts in the bag on Day 2.

100 in 100!!

 Happy New Year!

Man, did I ever miss blogging. It's been what, three months since I last posted? Well, lots has happened since then...and the saga of my injured paws is too long and tired to get into, but to make a long story short, I will say this: the right hand is almost better. Functional, anyway, and at the risk of being crude I will never again take for granted the ability to wipe my ass. You snicker? I DARE all of you to wipe your butts with your non-dominant hand! It's really hard.

And since when did I ever worry about being crude? Sheesh, I've lost my touch.

Which brings me to the left hand...argh: it still looks like surgery is in my future and it is still really messed up. Typing is still awkward and time consuming, it still aches at the end of every day, and it still looks freaking gross. MRI is scheduled for January 30th and I will keep you posted. For now, every day is still leg day and I am going to be QUADZILLA when this is over!

And honestly? I have learned to love leg training.

So, it's a new year which means new goals, resolutions, plans, and pipe dreams! I love this time of year because it seems like anything is possible. I'm going to leave my resolutions to share in another post, because I am celebrating getting back online by kicking off a new fitness challenge:

100 workouts in 100 days!

I did this a couple of years ago but then it was specifically triathlon training, and this year although doing a triathlon or two is not off the menu, it's not the primary goal. What I'd like to do this year though, is dedicate each workout to someone, or a group of people, that inspires me and I'll post a little bit about them here, along with whatever the workout was. I'm stoked for this project; it's gonna be fun!

So far my 2013 Calendar looks like this:

February 2 - Chuns Memorial Taekwondo Tournament

June 29 - Spartan Sprint (5km) (Edmonton)

August 17th - Spartan Sprint (Calgary)

September 7th - Spartan Super (14km) (Red Deer)

September 28th - Spartan Beast (21km) (Kamloops/Sun Peaks Resort)

End of November - Black Belt Test!!

There will be more dates that I will add to that list; I'd like to add a triathlon or two and there are some other taekwondo tournaments coming up as well. What a ride 2013 is going to be! Hold on tight 'cause tomorrow's Day 1 of 100 in 100!

Every day is leg-training day! Woohoo!

Back at it!

Have to be sort of brief since I have injured both of my hands at this point (yep - BOTH. At the same time. I would like to say I've learned a lesson about unrelenting stubborn macho pigheadedness...but it hasn't happened yet.) and typing is pretty time-consuming and somewhat painful. To make a VERY long story short, I have a dislocated left wrist and a sprained right thumb. Trying not to feel sorry for myself and just be patient; I'll be back on top of my game soon...but seriously.

Anyway, getting sick of my own bitching on that tired subject, so let's catch up on something more fun!

The 7WTF project has been placed on the back burner for now because of my gimpy state; I will pick that up again one day when I have full use of my arms/hands...which is too bad, 'cause I really felt like I was getting somewhere! But there is a silverish lining on this black cloud of injuries, which is this: every day is leg day right now, and I am having great fun putting some pretty cool leg workouts together. Want to see my favourite one?

Here it is:

Warm up: 1 mile easy run, lower body foam rolling and dynamic stretching.

Superset 1
Seated Leg Press (as heavy as possible for 15 reps)
High Step-ups (15 each side)
4x through

Superset 2
Bulgarian Split Squats (10/side)
24" box jumps (20 reps)
3x through

Superset 3
Prone Hamstring Curls (20 reps at a weight where the last 5 reps bring tears to your eyes; these should not be easy)
Skater Side-to-side Lunges (20 each direction)
3x though

Superset 4
Hill Sprints with a sand bag, 30 sec x 3
Captain's Chair Bicycles (20 reps)
3x through

That's what I'll be doing tomorrow morning! After which I'm going to tell you about my newest nutrition project. Have a great weekend!

Dessert, anyone?

Let's get right down to it, shall we? I've gotten loads of messages since yesterday from people who are totally down for no sugar in October...except for Thanksgiving, when a slice of pumpkin pie is an absolute necessity. To which I say, hell yes! But, I am committed to doing this project 100%, no exceptions, and for those of you who are open to an alternative, I give you....

Hang on a sec. Before I introduce today's recipe, I have to include a disclaimer: I hate low-cal, low-fat etc. 'cheating' desserts. Hate them. My approach to dessert is this: if you are doing everything right as far as diet and exercise is concerned, and you find yourself jonesing for dessert on a Saturday evening, you should have a dessert that is over-the-top awesome. It should be so good that a small serving is enough. So with that in mind, the following is not a low-cal, guilt-free (whatever that means) dessert. There are no artificial sweeteners (they activate my gag reflex). I have made no effort whatsoever to cut calories or fat. What I do recommend is that you use absolutely the best ingredients possible, and accept nothing less than full-fat, ORGANIC dairy products. They cost a little bit more and are sometimes harder to find, but they are worth every bit of the time and money because of the nutritional benefits, the superior taste, and your ecological footprint. So without further ado, check out my original recipe for....

SUGAR-LESS PUMPKIN PIE

Crust
1/3 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup walnuts
1tsp cinnamon

Turn the oven on to 375C, and grease a 9" springform pan. Chuck all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. When that happens, press the crust into the bottom of the springform pan and stick it in the still-preheating oven.

Custard
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups condensed milk
2 cups canned pumpkin purée
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger

Thoroughly mix all ingredients, then take the crust out of the oven and pour the custard layer into the pan. The oven should be hot by now; set a timer for 25min and wash the dishes. Or go relax.

Mousse Topping
2 cups whipping cream (organic if possible)
1/2 cup pumpkin purée
1/2 cup sour cream (again, full-fat organic is really the only way to go!)
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch each of nutmeg, cloves, and ginger
(Optional) 3-5 drops of liquid stevia

Whip the whipping cream, then add the other stuff and mix it in. When the bottom part of your pie is cooled all the way (this is important, no joke), spread the mousse layer over the custard layer and sprinkle with cinnamon. Beauty!

So honestly, how does this measure up?

I liked it. I served it to my kids without telling them that it was anything other than regular pumpkin pie, and they both happily gobbled it down. After licking their plates clean they both said, "yeah, it was good...but not as good as your pumpkin pie usually is."

Haven't tried it on the husband yet - that will be the ultimate test! Will check in on that score tomorrow.

Here we go!

Weigh-in Wednesday! Starting weight for this project is 187.2lbs. Eep. Well, it can only get better from here!

So I am putting this sugarlessness challenge out to the online masses. I am going to take it one step further and nix the white flour as well (which shouldn't be too hard since I don't really eat that stuff anyway) but white sugar and white flour are the roots of all evil as far as I'm concerned.

I'm going to post a recipe or alternative each day to make it even more fun! Who's in?

Starting again...and again and again and again

I'm home from work today because I have a kid with a fever. You know, besides a little bit of extra whining, it's been lovely! (And as far as I'm concerned, the whining is justified - poor kid is feeling pretty lousy.) Still, she is absolutely loving being treated like a princess, lying on the couch while I bring her ginger ale and Tylenol and change the DVD when needed...and I am loving the down time, the quiet house, and the bonding time with my nine-year-old.

Nine. NINE?!

Anyone who knows me well is fully aware (and rolling their eyes at my sentimentality, I'm sure) that this whole parenting gig has left me in a state of shock. Peeing on the stick the first time (and then finding out that I was already 16 weeks into the pregnancy) was like jumping onto a moving train, and though the initial disbelief has worn off, the constant feeling of hanging on for dear life has remained. These days the train is hurtling toward Tween Station, where it probably won't even pause to refuel before it rockets on, at ever increasing speeds, toward Teenage City. Anyway, my darling little firstborn and I butt heads on a pretty regular basis, or at least we did until a few months ago when I came to the sudden realization that she is a small version of me. We are so much alike in so many ways that it's no wonder that we have a tendency to drive each other crazy, but that light-bulb moment made me think I should try and be more supportive. And in the last few months she has become one of my favorite people to hang out with! I worry about her though; she is headed straight into all the same trials and tribulations that I went through as a kid, including the weight issues...

Oh, weight issues. How I wish they would go away forever...but I fear we are stuck with each other, for better or for worse, so I choose to make their presence a positive one.

Two things have happened lately that made me think that something needs to change (again) and I have to get on a wagon (again) and stay there (again). One is that the aftermath of the 7-Days diet has really thrown me for a loop and I am hardcore out of control. I'm expanding out of my clothes and it's setting off alarm bells in my ...hips and thighs and ass. Yup.

The other is that this past Saturday the aforementioned child and I did a workout with the sparring class at our taekwondo club, and although remaining conscious for the duration of the workout was a step in the right direction (ha! ha!) it was pretty apparent to me throughout that I need - NEED - to be lighter in order to be successful at this sport. My taekwondo uniform is also the only thing that I wear on a regular basis that isn't stretchy, so the expanding-ass problem is doubly apparent in my not-stretchy white pants. Yikes. And while we're at it, being lighter would make everything easier...but now I sound like a broken record so it's time to make an announcement:

It's NEW NUTRITION PROJECT TIME! Yup, that's right...tomorrow is 4 weeks away from Halloween, and so in light of the coming landmark I am giving up sugar for 4 weeks. Added sugar, that is; keeping fruit and sweet veggies on the menu for the moment. From tomorrow until the day after Halloween I'm nixing the sugar. It's gonna be work.

Stay tuned; tomorrow's the weigh in and we'll go from there! Fun!