Monday, December 22, 2008

A busy girl's shake


I am completely committed to a whole foods diet - no doubt about that. Fresh produce, animal protein and healthy fats are the basis of my diet but lately I'm discovering that even I can't keep this up ALL the time. Eating this way takes time and although it is totally worth it, sometimes I just can't do it. My usual routine is to prepare a whole ton of food on Sunday or Monday nite for the next few days. This is a great system that saves time (and $$) during the week. Also, preparing your meals ahead of time will guarantee that you stick to your diet. When I simply don't have time to prepare food in advance, I resort to a protein shake. It's easy in a pinch and tastes damn good too. The downside is that it doesn't satisfy your hunger like real food and I am usually starving 2 hours after drinking. That being said, I wouldn't recommend this for everyone.

Busy Girl's Shake:
Paleomeal whey powder (excellent source- from grass-fed cows)
1/2 cup Coconut Milk, canned
juice from 1 Lemon
1 scoop Green powder (Jarrow brand)
2 tbs Brewer's yeast (excellent source of b vitamins, minerals and amino acids)
organic Cherries, frozen
2 tbs ground Flaxseed (good source of fiber and Omega 3 fatty acids)
1/2 cup Goat's milk Kefir (good probiotic)
Cinnamon
*Throw this all in a blender until smooth.

I don't bother counting blocks on this one, but if I had to guess:
4-5 Protein blocks, 7-10 Fat blocks, about 2 Carb blocks

Friday, December 5, 2008

Bull's Eye

I finally hit my target weight on bench press: my bodywieght. After months and months with no hope of ever getting over the 100 pound hump, I just about cried yesterday when I got 113 x2. Last week I got 100 x5x3 fairly easily so I thought I would try my bodyweight. What the heck, why not, right? For some reason, I had imagined that the weight would feel like a gajillion pounds as soon as I got it off the rack but it was surprisingly "light". It felt so good, I went for another and got it!
I'm absolutely thrilled to have a bodywieght bench press and it's no coincidence that I got it during my strength training cycle. My hard work is finally paying off. So, even though I may have a pathetic Helen time, at least I can bench press #113! Whoo-hoo!

Yesterday's Workout:
"Lynne"
Max Reps Bodywieght Bench Press
Max Reps Pull-ups
5 Rounds

2/10, 1/10, 0/10, 0/10, 1/10
Total Score: 54
The third and fourth rounds were brutal. My bar path was a little off and I couldn't manage to correct it while pushing the weight off my chest. I'm okay with that. I'll definitely try again next week.

Food Today:
6AM
Shake (whey, brewer's yeast, flaxseed, hempseed mik, coconut milk, frozen berries)
10AM
1oz Turkey
2 slices of Jicama, raw
Herbal tea
12PM
2.5oz Turkey
2 cups Green Beans, cooked
3 Almonds

Sleep: 7.10 hours

On a side note: I have to say that I’m super excited to be writing a blog post today. Finally! Work and school have been keeping me busy these days, leaving me very little time for anything else. I find that the free time I do get here and there is spent at the gym playing catch up on my workouts. I’m not used to spreading myself thin and I must say I really suck at it. I’d like to say I can work 2 jobs, do homework, adequately feed myself, train hard, and get 10 hours of sleep every nite but I’d be lying. Needless to say, I'm working on organizing my life and “getting my mind right” as Angela says.

Your genes load the gun but your lifestyle pulls the trigger. -Dr. Houston