Monthly Archives: August 2016

Long Cardio Sessions vs. HITT

Posted on by
Reply

For the past few years I have been anti steady state cardio and all about HIIT
(high intensity interval training). 
My current plan goes against everything I have believed and practiced and has me doing five 45 min sessions of steady state cardio per week! It’s eating at my core and I just want to sprint! Instead of questioning my trainer I did some research and found this great article. Steady state does have its place depending on your goals.   

I’m training hard with weights and on a calorie deficit. Adding intense cardio would likely result in muscle loss and not gain.  My goal is to maintain my muscle while losing fat. It’s a slow process with many different variables. Cardio is one of them and this article helped me better understand why I have to spend so much time doing cardio vs 15 minute intervals. 

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/going-steady-5-reasons-to-do-steady-state-cardio.html

Bikini Competitor Zucchini and Apple Breakfast Bake

Posted on by
4

Don’t be discouraged by the long title, this breakfast bake is delicious!  As my competition approaches I have to reduce many things from my diet.  Instead of just eating plain oatmeal and eggwhites for breakfast I like to get creative so if feels like I have variety, when in all reality I am still just eating a fancy version of oatmeal and egg whites.  I pretty much make my muffin and oatmeal bake recipes from scratch every time and just upload the recipe into myfitnesspal to get the marco breakdown (nutritional facts).  I share how I do this in the video link below along with how I taste test to ensure the recipe will turn out good.

So here is what you need for this yummy bake!  I made it into a oatmeal bake because I didn’t have parchment paper muffin cups and hate scrubbing out my pan.  You can make this into 12 muffins and cut the nutritional facts in half.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups shredded zucchini
  • 1 red delicious apple shredded
  • 1 small container of liquid egg whites (30 tbsp)
  • 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 2 cups quick cooking oats (plain)
  • 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
  • 1 scoop vanilla casein protein (if you do not have this add 1 more scoop whey)
  • 2 tbsp coconut flour
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1-3 tsp cinnamon (depends on your taste buds)
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • stevia to taste
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • dash of salt

Instructions:

  1. Mix all wet ingredients together
  2. Mix all dry ingredients in separate bowl and then add to wet ingredients
  3. Mix well, taste test and add more (if needed) stevia, spices and extracts until you love the taste
  4. Pour into 12 parchment paper lined muffin cups or a 6 x 9 casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray
  5. Bake at 350 until set in middle (time varies depending on if you make muffins or bake in casserole dish)

Nutritional Facts (for 6 servings of oatmeal bake):

243 Calories, 4 g Fat, 26 g Carbs, 26 g Protein

 

 

If you made into a bake the then cut final product into 6 servings.  Store in fridge because this will go bad quickly.  There are no preservatives in this or sugar.

 

 

Six weeks down and six more to go!

Posted on by
Reply

So it’s official, I am six weeks out from my NPC Bikini competition.  This prep hasn’t exactly been as easy as some of the other ones. I switched trainers and my diet is much more restrictive with less flexibility.  I eat 5 to 6 meals per day depending on how early I wake up. For the first five weeks each meal consisted of 25 g of carbs, 25 g of protein and very low fat. Approved carbs are such things as oatmeal, sweet potatoes, plain rice cakes and brown rice. My protein sources are lean and I pretty much eat mostly chicken and egg whites. I eat green vegetables with almost every meal and my go to veggies are  broccoli or spinach.  When I’m craving chips or a snack I eat cut up bell peppers dipped in salsa. I eat  an insane amount of raw veggies when we are at parties or potlucks just to keep me satisfied. This has caused an uncomfortable amount of bloating and gas. My kids don’t even want to be in the same room as me after I eat. Last night on our walk home I looked six months pregnant and it was all gas. I’ve tried beano, Gas ex, digestive enzymes and probiotics. I can either go hungry because I’m out of food or eat some more veggies and deal with my pregnant belly.  Because I’m not supposed to snack between meals I have an abundant supply of chewing gum in my purse and drink an excessive amount of coffee. I need to replace every 8 ounces of coffee with an additional 8 ounces of water on top of the gallon I’m already drinking each day so I pee every 20 minutes. This makes traveling in a car with me difficult or even going to the grocery store. So not only am I bloated like I’m pregnant, I also pee constantly like a pregnant lady. I get hangry after about 7 PM and everyone in the house just stays away from me.  I’m either yelling or farting.

This past week has been extremely difficult because I am now carb cycling and I’m having a hard time keeping track of how many meals I get carbs in, etc.  My weight hasn’t really moved in two weeks and that is getting frustrating. I was consistently losing 2 pounds a week and this past two weeks I’ve lost only 1 pound.  Competition prep is really a mental mindfuck.  If you’re not strong mentally this is not the thing for you. Food becomes an obsession and skipping the workout is not an option.

Although everything I’m saying sounds kind of negative, the overall experience is pretty wonderful. You push yourself to extremes you never knew you could.   I also feel amazing physically. I don’t have any junk in my body besides the bloating and I wake up with tons of energy. My skin is great, my nails are growing, my hair is growing and I just feel amazing. Looking in the mirror and seeing a six pack after having three kids and being 35 feels pretty damn good too. My boys all know what a glute is and complement me on how big mine are getting.  This mamas got back!

So with all of that said, below are some of my progress photos and food pictures. I’m overall happy with the changes I’m seeing but would like to be a little bit leaner in the lower body.  Cardio absolutely sucks and I swear while I do it every single time.

So I raise my glass of BCAAs and cheers to another 6 weeks!

Today I decided to use the marker board in kitchen to track my carbs each day.  My weight loss plateau is pissing me off. 

My low carb lunch consisted of cold grilled chicken topped with spicy guac and fresh green beans from my garden. (This meal gave me gas) 

I am happy with the size decrease in my waist and thighs.  My face looks a bit thinner also.  I typically lose it from by cheeks first.  Oh, and my boobs.  They go bye, bye really quick. 

My son kept snapping photos after I was done posing.  This is me relaxed and real.  No sucking in, twisting, etc. 


I have to bring my own food everywhere I go so I always have a cooler packed and ready.  This was two chicken salads I made for a day volunteering at my son’s senior class retreat.  

I took my youngest out to breakfast for his 10th birthday.  He ordered some fluffy pancakes and I asked for a western omelet with egg whites and no cheese. I also asked that the make it without butter and had a side of plain oatmeal as my carb.  

My go to breakfast is egg white veggie scramble (because I cannot make omelets), plain rice cakes and some organic salsa.  

I make my egg white scramble in bulk so it lasts a few days.  One this day I switched things up by having steal cut oats instead of plain rice cakes.  Yeah, I know, crazy! 

One of my favorite tools! 

Posted on by
Reply

OK, just finished my morning run and I had a lot on my mind. I love helping people and answering their questions but sometimes it gets frustrating when people are texting me the most basic things. I can give you advice but ultimately you need to take the steering wheel and drive. It’s your life and you’re responsible for your success. In this video I shared my favorite tool and I hope you start using it more often.

Life is too Short not to Live

Posted on by
Reply

worth-watching

This happened to me about 8 months ago. I found myself unhappy, angry, stressed and definitely not the best version of me. Someone had asked me what I would be remember for if I died tomorrow. I thought to myself, probably an angry stressed out mom that only focuses on the negative. Wow, that hurt. That was not how I wanted to be remembered. Was my job and career really worth all of that? Absolutely not. I quit my full time job and pursued my passion. I now have more time for my kids, my husband and myself. I can’t say that I am not still a little stressed out each day but that is pressure I apply to myself. I hold myself to very high standards and am always pushing to be better than I was yesterday.

Take some time this weekend and reflect on who you are, how you act and how you would be remembered.  Life is very short and we cannot change the past; however, we can start writing the next chapter.  How do you want your story to go?

life-is-shorttime-is-fastno-replayno-rewindso-enjoy-every-moment-as-it-comes-life-quote