if it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you

well... how do you like that.... 28 days in and I feel great ! Check out my short n' sweet slideshow.... I am currently on day 28, those pics were snapped this morning.

No shame, no shame...

So the process has been good! I hate to say that since my mom has been here to visit (past 2 or so weeks) My morning workouts have suffered. Well... they have stopped happening. One one hand I love having her vegan magic around. I eat really well balanced meals and never gain weight... But her bohemian staying up late watching movies and talking about life makes it impossible to hop out of bed at 4:50 am. So the workouts have migrated to the evening, for now. Next week, sadly she goes back to her house, and my evenings will go back to being void and boring so I can go to bed early. Bittersweet.

On the food topic, I have discovered something amazing. In order to stay within my calories for the day and not nom down gigantic portions, the trick is to eat ALL THE TIME. Seriously. All day long. For example, drinking the protein shake before work, getting to work and eating an apple, then a rice cake at 9:30, another rice cake at 11, salad for lunch, yogurt at 2, protein bar at 3:30... Another shake before gym, and then a modest dinner (which I have not yet decided on) notably, before leaving work I will have consumed less than 700 calories !! This makes sense because eating often keeps the metabolism moving, while eating fewer calories when I am least active sitting at a desk also makes sense because the burn rate is at a minimum. between these snacks I have at least one glass of water, therefore I am never full or empty, just optimal :D

On the squat front, I am up to 235 squats, 45 pushups, 150 crunches and the planking is more like a downward dog+plank for as long as I can take it... Will have to work on my core for the next month because planking is pitiful. Knees have been very sore especially in the past week, and I have upped my CLA intake to 2 capsules to help with that. No sharp injury pains, just a lot of soreness.

Also, this weekend le bf, le friend and le friend's bf and I engaged in a "lose 20 lbs" challenge. This makes it fun! Along with that, new 30 day challenges to come. I will talk  about the new one on Oct. 1- Halloween body ftw!!!

Early to bed, early to gym

Good morning !

In my last post  I made quick mention of how wonderful going to bed early has been for me.
I feel like expanding on that... I recorded a quick video of myself last night at around 9:50 pm looking absolutely dead... hehehe... Which is awesome because in the past, that was party time.
It does change your social habits quite a bit, but it is so worth it. Averaging 7-9 hours a night is restorative. I have a consistent look at work- no one ever asks if I am ok, or if I am sick on the days makeup is not worn.

I confess I did not make it to the gym in the morning today. yesterday, I was there from 6-8:30 pm and when the alarm went off at 5am, it was a conscious decision to stay in bed for another couple of hours... I'll go earlier this afternoon so that there is ample recovery time until tomorrow's morning workout.

With that being said, yesterday's workout kicked ass.

1. 30 min walk/jog on variable incline
2. 185 squats 
•  40 25lbs backsquats
• 40 10 lb medicine ball in hand
• always alternating between narrow, wide, sumo and plie squats
3. 150 crunches
• 15 up and side to side twists with 10 lb medicine ball
• 25 holding medicine ball above chest
4. 3 min plank 
• I still can't hold it that long, so I'd shift into downward dog yoga pose for 10 seconds when needing a break... 
5. 10 min row machine, moderate effort
6. 15 min elliptical on variable incline
7. 10 min sauna
8. 3 min ice bath 

FOR A TOTAL OF 784 CALORIES BURNED !!! As my bf would say... I love seeing those high numbers.... 

2 months in the making.

The past couple of months have been kind of hard. 

Right around the end of July I was kind of horrified at having lost all of my progress, slowly and surely. The mirror told me, the scale told me, my hatred of jeans told me... And sudden love of skirts... So I painstakingly got back on the horse. It has not been without struggle though. That horse is hard to ride. 

Getting back into the swing of showing up at the gym is a  trial all on its own. First off, you have to prioritize it again. You've convinced yourself that time allocation is at max capacity... So some days you go, most days you don't... But you HAVE TO make it the most important part of your day. I was on the master cleanse for about 10 days- so avoiding social food situations was a great excuse to be at the gym. I'd do some light cardio and the full body challenge from Pinterest (squats, plank, push ups and crunches) and it kept my mind busy for a while. The sauna aided in detox as well. 

By the time the 10 days were up, I had lost some weight (albeit water weight) but the desperation to keep it off was enough to get me to keep showing up. Then a miracle happened... I started going in the morning !! This has quickly become my new favorite endeavor. Going to bed early enough to wake up at 5 am has obliterated the permanent dark circles under my eyes, and really helped my skin look fresh. The gym is a really nice place in the morning- you can watch the news whilst on the treadmill and it is never full. The people who are there at that time mean business- so no barbies pretending to sweat through their makeup or douches making eye contact through the mirror. 

It's a good vibe, and after a week or two the "morning rats" accept you as one of them and you start getting head nods of acknowledgement. You get pretty good at packing your entire day into a work bag and a gym bag. But the best part....

MORNING WORKOUTS YIELD RESULTS! Seriously. Putting your body in burn mode early in the day changes the way you lose weight. So.... though the amount in pound sis not that huge (8lbs) the visual difference is pretty noticeable ;) Without further ado, here's a picture.... 

Full body challenge day 1+2

Buenos dias !

Yesterday I did the first set of exercises in the challenge:

50 squats
5 pushups
20 second plank
25 crunches

So far, not bad at all. Paired with an intense 30 minute elliptical workout, an ice bath and 15 mins in the sauna, felt great. 

Late last night this video was created, it's the short version of the plan.... 

Soooooo yup! Just have to stay motivated!! Got turned down in a job "interview"(more like a promotion interview) today but I'm trying to see the silver lining and not drown my wounded pride in pizza. 

This afternoon apres le travail I'll be back at the gym for the next part of the challenge (55sq, 5pu, 20s plank and 30cr). I'll add 30 mins of the row machine and try to squeeze in the ice bath and sauna- don't know if I'll get to the relaxing part because I must be home by 6. 

Onward!