Paleo Revisited!

Hey y'all! What a great weekend! I had the best workout Friday night with my trainer and a dynamic team of exercise experts! We did kickboxing, Zumba and a socarobics type class! I did just about two out of the three hours and felt good. Saturday I did Body Combat and it went well. Sunday the ManFriend and I hit the local high school track to walk!

I am back on Paleo and it's going well! I just opted on October 1st just because it was a new month! I lost a good bit of weight and wanted to capitalize on the momentum! Feeling good about it! I got a few emails about Paleo so I figured I would repost another quick and dirty Paleo guide! The quick and dirty is you focus on eating the way cavemen did by focusing on meats and veggies! So you will forego dairy... Yes no yogurt or cheese or other processed foods. Now there are a variety of versions of Paleo some do allow dairy and who is to say what's really right but I can tell you my stomach definitely was less bloated in a few days after eliminating dairy. The most challenging aspect is snacking. I've pretty much have used fruit for my sweet tooth and it's gone pretty well.

I am also back on My Fitness Pal. It's been helpful and encouraging.  I am cooking a lot more. I will check back in soon with some new recipes!

Photo from Friday night

Great workout! !! My winning 

Sorority who braved the event!

Back to the lab again!!!!!

OMG it is October 1st! OMG I have not posted since end of July! OMG so much is going onnnnnn! OMG!!!! Where did the summer go?! 2014 is flying by and I must say its been  a great year! If nothing is amazing happened to me for the rest of the year I have had a "Next Level Greatness" experience!

Quick catch up I had umbilical hernia surgery in September so I haven't blogged much because I haven't worked out much. That was a terrible experience! The Dr. made it seem very basic, in and out, and 1-2 days recovery! Bulllllll!!!!! I was laid up for almost 3 weeks! Had I known I would not have done it. But the hernia was getting bigger and bigger and I couldn't really workout without some discomfort and I like lifting weights and that just aggravated the problem so I had to get it right.

The upside was I lost like 14 pounds in 3 weeks! Praise Jesus! I had no appetite and I lived on sugar free ice pops and really just wasted away. Not that I am complaining! It broke my long running plateau. And to be fair I shouldn't call it a plateau. I been eat and drinking whatever I like and not working out so basically I was maintain meanwhile I should have been grinding.

But it is October 1st and I am getting back on my grind. Starting with my Personal Trainer's event this Friday!!! If you are in the area come on out! Its open to all! It will be a great mix of  kickboxing, zumba, and high impact cardio! If you are a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha there will be two special raffles just for us!! Don't miss it!!!

Today I decided to do Paelo. Just today. We will see about tomorrow. I plan to do some form of intentional exercise every day. Today I plan to do 100 squats while at work and depending on the commute home I will do the treadmill!

I have some serious events coming up this holiday season and I want to be fierce-er lol that means ballroom gown shopping and I can't wait!!!

I hope you all have been well!!!! I;ve had a few other things happening I will update in a few weeks but keep in mind the song "All Eyes on Me" :-)

Have a great 1st Day of the month! Time for new goals, new attitudes, new meals, new mindset!!!!

Therapy in a jar....

I been on the go with a capital G but it's all good I'm getting back into my routine!  Boule 2014 was wonderful and I enjoyed spending time with my sorors and the ManFriend.

My weight loss is at a stand still and so is my motivation.  Which was perfect for me to discuss it rather than ignore it...I had a good session with my therapist and we discussed my attitude about exercise. I told her I have these moments of utter frustration and I guess envy for people who seem to lose weight without much effort.  She suggested I re frame that because exercise is simply good for my health not just good for weight loss and I should consider that it's merely my perception that others have it easy when in actuality everyone must work at it to some degree.

She makes it sound so easy... like Therapy in a jar (that jar is real by the way lol its in her office)

I suppose she is right...but it doesn't feel that way. I'm still struggling with making better choices more consistently and that's frustrating too.

On a positive note I did a good job today I cooked breakfast and dinner last night and packed my food so all I had to do was grab and go this morning.  I filled my water bottle up at home and by 10 am I was already at 60 oz!

I stuck with my planned meals and instead of butter popcorn I had unsalted almonds for a snack.

On the way home my mind kept saying get some ice cream... then it went to get a blizzard. ..then get a cheeseburger. .. utter madness.  I drove straight home and had my treat for the week some Trader Joe chocolate with PB. It did the trick and the cravings stopped.

I just had dinner and I'm on the way out to a baseball game. Didn't do the gym and didn't do T25 or treadmill at home. Not even mad that it didnt happen but I will take the mini victories today brought. :-)

On The Run

Well I went to see Jay X last night oh and his wife!  Whewwwww! Tall know I love me some Jigga! They put on a great show. Not a concert a full blown theatrical production! Impressive! Everything from the wardrobe to the set which was really a digital masterpiece to the song selection and arrangements! #Flawless

I had a great time! I really must day what truly impressed me was the message they are sending a young couple in love working hard and enjoying life. So many other images out there devalue marriage and having children in wedlock it's nice to see multimillionaires doing it and making it look "cool" it can only help society especially the younger generation!  All around good stuff. They ended the show with lovely images of their life and travels and family pictures with Blue Ivy and it was heart warming. Love The Carters!

 Anyway back to me lol I am behind on updating my T25 progress. I was down another pound after week 3 and I will take it. I missed one workout but food was a lot better and I didn't stress myself out with being overly crazy about what I was doing

I didn't start week 4 and I really don't have a reason.  I slept in late on Saturday until a Junior League event at 12 noon at the same winery I had my 35th Birthday party! It was a great group and we had lots of fun. I made it a Sassy Summer Celebration!  We can dressed in sun dresses and derby hats and fascinators! We looked cute! See pictures to prove it below lol

All in all a good week and I have a meeting tonight so I will start Week 4 Day 1 tomorrow after work! My big sorority conference is next week and I'm looking forward to it. I just have to unpack from my last trip lol 

Any hoo I will check in soon!!!

Week 3 T25!!

Well we are onto Week 3! For a quick recap:
Week 1 -I did all 5 T25 workouts plus the treadmill and a workout with my personal trainer and journaled my food
Result: Gained a pound

Week 2- I only did 2 out of 5 T25 workouts barely journaled
Result: Loss a pound

I posted on Facebook that I can't call it and whatever I'm moving on to Week 3.

Well if it's one thing I've learned it's that the body is not a machine so I just have to keep plugging along and focus on the longer bigger picture!  

I got up and cooked more egg muffins and did my Week 3 Day 2 workout Speed 1.0 I think that's my new favorite.  It's challenging but I really like it! Last night I did a Zumba, reggae aerobics, and Chizel it class! I could only stay for 1 hour but it was great! I had big plans on going to a soror's birthday party in DC but literally came home took a shower and fell out and didn't wake up until 6am!!! Lol crazy!!!

Anyway off to do laundry!  I also plan to make some more paleo inspired meal ideas thinking turkey meatballs and spaghetti squash with spinach! 

Happy Sunday! 

TGIF!!!!!

Where did the week go?! Man time flies! I have been slacking on the T25 workouts its been a super busy week and I am opting for an extra 25 minutes of sleep in the morning instead of exericse! Since we last met I did the following... Wednesday ~ Board Meeting Thursday~ I cooked some paleo inspired meals skipped workout and now its Friday. So no workout for two days I am not sure how the T25 program deals with that because life happens so my goal is to do Week 2 Alpha cycle Day 3 which is Speed 1.0 and I will double up and do Cardio too since on Saturday ~Cardio Sunday ~rest Monday ~ Total Body Circ. Its all off so I need to figure the best way to catch up and get back to Saturday being my Day 1. With all that said I am easing my way back into a Paleo eating plan. I mentioend Paleo before but sicne I am a bad blogger I don't have tags to make it easy to find. LOL So a quick run down about Paleo its a way of eating that focusing on how Cavemen/women would eat so its a healthier high protein, high fiber fruits/veggie way of eating eliminating dairy, wheat, processed food, and sugar! I love carbs and I am on the go a lot so I love processed foods for snack things like protein shakes, bars, pita chips, crackers, greek yogurt, etc. all a no no on Paleo! I surely feel better ie., less bloated etc on Paleo but I miss my dairy and my crunchy carb snacks! Well since I am easing back into it I did some shopping as I mentioned the other day and I found two ways to make homemade Paleo BBQ sauce I sorta combined them lol but let me just say the outcome was amazingggg!! As soon as the chicken and pork started baking you could smell it throughout the house! Its been ManFriend approved lol so here's the details! Enjoy and let me know how you like it! Paleo BBQ sauce: 1/2 cup of honey 2 cups tomato sauce 1/4 cup liquid smoke 1/4 mustard 1 tbsp all spice 1 tbsp of cayenne pepper 1 tbsp salt & pepper ** CLowe's extra A few sprinkles of: Trader Joe 21 Season salute, Garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt (I left out the all space and they recc'd gulten and/or organic but I went with what was at my supermarkert lol) First dish was the BBQ Chicken 3 Chickenlegs 3 chicken thighs Wash and place in pan cover chicken with sauce and wrap tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes then uncover and add sweet onions and continue to bake for 40 minutes.

Peach BBQ pork (I saw a great recipe for Peach BBQ pork kabobs on Nom Nom Paleo I didn't want to use my grill but liked the idea of what she was putting together) 1 pack of Pork shoulders. (I will be honest I thought these were cheap ribs lol they looks like spare ribs without the bone lol) 2 ripe peaches Trader Joe Coconut oil and cooking spray A grill (I used my George Foreman) Wash pork shoulder and cut into cubes and place in pan cover with some of the remaining BBQ sauce (from above) Save about 1/2 a cup of the left over BBQ sauce and cube one of the peaches add some honey and blend until smooth (I used my Nurtibullet)

 Take the other peach and slice and grill using the coconut oil place a small amount on a microwave safe plate and lightly coat the peach slices Add the peach bbq sauce to the pork that is already cooking (after 30 minutes) cook for another 20 minutes then add to crock pot and cook on high for 1-2 hours add grilled peaches. Voila! Both are sooooo good!!!!! Enjoy!

Back to basics. ..

Well yesterday I went back to the basics and busted out the measuring cups and old recipes!  I skipped T25 on Sunday because I was having a serious back ache in my upper back shoulder blade area.  You don't realize you have some muscles until they hurt! So I rested and popped a few pills and felt a lot better yesterday! I did the Total Body workout and man I felt the difference.  I was a lot faster and a lot stronger! Good stuff! I went shopping for more sources of protien because I want to go back to a more paleo inspired eating focus. I grabbed some steak, ground turkey, pork shoulders, chicken legs, thighs,  and salmon! I spent $80!!! It added up very quickly :-/ but I have to cut back on all the eating out. I can easily spend $40 on a meal so in the scheme of things it's not that bad!

 It's Tuesday which is Junior League night but I was sure to pack lunch and dinner. I will see how I feel about doing T25  tonight after i get home and report back! A/W I wanted to share the recipe below!

Egg muffins

2 eggs

1/2 cup water

Diced veggies (I used onions and spinach)

Mix in a bowl and pour into the muffin tin

 ( spray with cooking spray)

Diced Trader Joe chicken sausage (quick tip I microwaved them and then cut the meat out of the casing added them in muffin tin)

Baked for 20 minutes on 350°

Add shredded cheddar cheese if you desire

2 muffins are 118 calories 

6 grams fat 

9 grams protein

3 carbs

Great to grab and go and you can be as creative as possible in terms of the ingredients! !!

Enjoy!!!

Yikes!

There's really nothing as disappointing as gaining weight after re committing to a healthy lifestyle.  So I'm up a pound after a great week. I did Alpha cycle week 1 without fail. I even added the treadmill and a Chizel it class. I tracked faithfully and well this is what typically happens to me. So I will stay the course and expect some weight loss by midweek. It still sucks though.

I never did my measurements so I can't even fall back on the well at least I lost some inches. Although honestly that never makes me feel better anyway only losing pounds matters to me lol just being honest.

Ah well I got up at 4am excited to weigh myself and went back to bed disappointed lol I know the routine so I got up again and started week 2 Alpha cycle.

I'm suffering from seriously sore muscles in my upper back. Ugh! The ManFriend was kind enough  to rub out a few of the knots with some Bengay. I didn't do the stretch DVD and I didn't cool down after Charles's class add a little Friday commuter stress and bam! I want to go kayaking tomorrow but if my back is still in pain I will have to do it another time!

Have a good weekemd!

T25 Alpha Week 1 CHECK

Well T25 Alpha cycle Week 1 is a wrap!!! A quick review... I began on Saturday

Saturday- Day 1: Focus T25 Cardio
Sunday - Day 2: Speed 1.0
Monday - Day 3: Total Body Circuit
Tuesday - Day 4: Ab Intervals
Wednesday -Day 5: Lower Focus (optional added Cardio workout I did not do)
Thursday - Day 6: Cardio (5am) Chizel it workout (5pm) (Supposed to be the Rest & Record stats day)
Friday - Day 7: Rest & Stretch DVD (will do when I get home)

My Week 1 reflection: I really like Shaun T he's a good instructor! The workouts are challenging which reminds me of my personal trainer Charles "Chizel It" Harris's style which is a great thing very inspiring and motivating. I am somewhat sore especially after the lower focus workout. I'm also doing the June Sit Up challenge so I'm getting on track with my consistency.

As advertised you can talk yourself into doing a mere 25 minute workout!

I didn't record my stats yet I will use Saturday as my official weigh in and I need a tape measure for my measurements.  I did hop on the scale today and I was down over a pound so we will see what tomorrow says!

As you see above I skipped the rest day and went to my trainer's class. It was a great workout as usual! I got a new pair of sneakers and went to work!

Food wise I did a great job tracking.  I was also more proactive about having good options at home and at work. I went to Trader Joes for a few salads, sancks, and more of the electrolyte enhanced water.

Final thoughts it's totally doable!! And actually enjoyable!

I will check in tomorrow with my progress and next week's game plan!!!

T 25 for breakfast. ..

Needless to say I've been slacking on my blogging and typically that happens when I'm slacking on my workouts so in an effort to stay encouraged I'm chronicling my T25 transformation.  If I commit to working that program and reporting it that will force me to stay focused. With that said I woke up at about 4:30 am and decided I would do the Alpha Cardio DVD. I stayed in bed till 5am then went downstairs in my pj's and did the 25 minute workout! Whew!

Last night I did one of the workouts but it was a double workout day. I just didn't have it in me. It's an aspirational goal and not bad it you can't do it but it's a extra workout before STATday ie., the day you check your stats/ Saturday.  I started my program on Saturday because of my crazy hours I don't need Saturday and Sunday as rest/stretch days because that's two guaranteed workout days I can get in.

They provide you with a calendar and it looks like the idea is to only workout 5 days a week. I think I will push through daily though.

My goal is to join one of my sorors to workout tonight at 5pm for my personal trainers Chizel it class. And of course I can't find my chest strap for my heart rate monitor!  I really like knowing exactly how many calories I'm burning per workout! I know there is another on floating around so I will look for it but just have to guess-timate tonight lol

I have a sorority meeting tonight so if I can get another decent commute home I can hit the class, grab something to eat, and hit the meeting and call it a day. It's supposed to be super hot again today. No bueno! But after the snow storms I dare not complain!! Lol

My last birthday in my 30s!!

Wow! I'm 39!! When did THAT happen?! Lol no seriously when did that happen!? Someone mentioned a joke from my 30th birthday which was in Vegas and it dawned on me wow this is my last birthday in my 30s! And I'm not mad about it! My 30th birthday I was hell bent on celebrating and planned a trip to Las Vegas with a group of friends.  We had a blast but I distinctly remember coming home and really seeing how big I was. Pictures don't lie! I did a comparison picture from my 30th (top) and my 39th (bottom) and I'm so much happier! So much healthier. So much more settled! You can see it in my eyes! Thank you God for "Feeling Fione at 39!"
           
Oh by the way that's the ManFriend! :-) I realized that I may not have posted any pictures of us yet. I guess because I've been on a blogging hiatus lol anyway I was pleased at the comparison and I'm excited to see what my 40th birthday picture will look like!

I am happy to report I did Day 4 and Day 5 of the T25 workout! Yes even on my birthday!  Best gift!!! I came home from a long day at work today and did Day 5 and I didn't realize this was the double workout day :-/ so far I've only done 1 of the 2. I was able to sell myself on A (singular) 25 minute workout lol but its like 90 degrees and even with the AC on it was annoying lol

My commute is still a killer so my alternative will be to workout before work which would be 4:30am so we will see. I began on Saturday so tomorrow is my rest day but I may do the cardio DVD.

So far so good I really enjoy the DVDs the workouts are good, hard and fast! They rotate the order so I'm looking forward to seeing where I will be weight wise I'm doing well food wise and tracking on My Fitness Pal! So we will see!

Anyway a few more pictures from my birthday dinner at Herb & Soul a farm to table style restaurant in Baltimore.  Food was great and everyone had a great time!
I asked people to donate to the non profit Moveable Feast because I honestly couldn't think of anything I need but the best gift I could think of is having people gift others! Moveable Feast provides healthy meals to terminally ill patients suffering with HIV/AIDS and cancer. A truly wonderful and worthy cause! The donations have been pouring in and I'm so grateful!

Well the count down to 40 & Fab starts now!!!

Monday Morning Motivation

Wow! Monday sure does come fast!  Lol I just finished Day 3 of the T25 workout. Another sweat inducing event! For some reason my Heart rate monitor was reading fairly low I think because this workout focused on core strength vs. Cardio. That's not to say it was an easy workout in fact it's the hardest one so far.

The Day 3 workout is called Total Body Circuit and there were planks, sprints, and dynamic squats oh my! I did most of the modifications because my sneakers are broke downnnnn! I took them to China and needless to say since they helped me survive climbing the Great Wall they are overdue to be retired! Lol

I was careful with my calories yesterday and logged everything in and I swear I eat way too much!  It doesn't seem like a lot at the time but when I slow down to track it's amazing.  I upped my calories on My Fitness Pal to 1400 since I'm working out and the body can be very tricky when you go too low but I think I've been just careless.  I opted for some goat cheese, fresh fruit salad and a few pita chips last night instead of a second bag if kettle corn which I just found out was 390 calories!!!! I was reading the label wrong for years lol

 I also focused on my water. I bought this bottle at Trader Joes and will get a few more it's supposed to help keep you hydrated! No nasty taste and no calories!

Anyway great way to start my Monday I actually decided to do my treadmill as well and burned some extra calories. :-D

Happy Father's Day T25!!! lol

Well Day 2 uneocus T25 is in the books!! That was less cardiovascular but way more intense!  Like call me Daddy intense lol

The best part about T25 aside from only needing to commit to only 25 minutes is it is fast paced but has variety. Insanity is a great workout but it was way too boring.  I'm spoiled because I have a great personal trainer who always provides an exciting interactive varied workout so T25 delivers on that for me.

*ETA (Edited to add) My heart rate monitor went completely crazy when I did the Heisman after we had to add the clap under one leg! OMG Talk about unexpected lol

I'm happy to report I was under my calorie goal yesterday too. I went to a party last night and had a few appetizers and still came up under goal. Plus the Man Friend and I spent most of the time dancing so a few extra calories burned to boot!

I was very careful about what I had yesterday and it reminded me that weight loss is difficult for me...or not to be negative it's been a challenge for me because it requires concentration and I live such a busy life that I don't take the time to consistently plan. But what I know for sure is when I do put in the time I get the results. So while I was super comfy in my bed watching Season 6 of Sons of Anarchy (OMG!!!!!!!) I told myself you spent the money because you only need to commit to 25 minutes watch one more episode then go get it done!!!

Yesterday I put together a picture from 2007 (left), yesterday before pictures (middle) and my goal for September where I was in 2010! Well Shaun T got the side eye from me when I saw burpees lol I opted for the modification...but I got it done! Day 2 Done!

Some pics from last night Summer Throwback Party by the lovely Theta Omega Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 

Good times!!!

Jumping into June!!!

Yikes my last post was in April! !! That's insane! Sadly I have not had much to report fitness wise so I guess I just didn't bother updating.

I've been seriously unmotivated.  Now I've blogged about the fact that motivation is overrated. In life we all do things we don't feel like doing but we have to do them. For example work! Love my job but if I could make the same money not commuting 3-4 hours a day I would stop in a New York minute! No shame in my game lol

A few weeks ago I was up early (as usual) and came across the Focus T25 workout DVD infomercial and the idea of a 25 minute workout piqued my interest.  I didn't jump on it right away but eventually I bought it and today was Day 1.

It was a good workout I started sweating very quickly. Not sure if it was all that great or I'm just that out if shape! I used my Polar Heart rate monitor since I didn't find it listed in the My Fitness Pay Database and in 30 minutes I burned almost 300 calories! So that's impressive some workouts I do only give me 300-400 for a 60 minutes investment.

Sadly my HIM rates my fitness at fair :-O I swear that was like a kick to the gut I typically rate at elite!!! Even when I've been heavier than I  now! So I've got work to do!

The other priority is food!  I've been going out a lot and I need to work on changing my mindset to get whatever you want to fuel your body properly. On Tuesday I turn 39! Wow time flies and I definitely want my theme "Feeling Fine at 39" to ring true for the year! So back to basics more protein, less carbs! Breakfast was chicken sausage and a boiled egg cooked with I Can't Believe it's not butter and I added some fresh spinach and onions.

I have chapter meeting today so I'm glad I thought ahead and worked out early and cooked. We have an event afterwards so I plan to stop at Trader Joes for a salad. I love the summer but my already busy life kicks into overdrive so I have to be mindful of my food. Since November I've re lost about 40 pounds but I've been stuck for the last 2 months because this is my nasty set point so I have to dig a little deeper and focus, cut some things out, and make adjustments in my attitude.

Another quick word in T25 again Shaun T is great to watch and he has a really motivating coach like way about him so it's easy to get it done. I'm in dire need of new sneakers so that's on today's to do list as well.

Have a great weekend!!!!

#100HappyDays

I can't believe it's been sooooooo long! To be fair life has been crazy, busy, wonderful! I went to church on Sunday for the first time since New Years Eve/Watch night service and when I went online to make a donation I looked at my profile and saw my beloved blog. I clicked on it and saw my last post was August 2013!!!! I made up my mind to give an update and today I read (again) about the 100 Happy Days Challenge and I figured that would be a great comeback post! :-) because blogging does make me happy!

Lots of changes, lots of great things, lots of updates! I don't know where to begin to tell the truth!

I went back to my personal trainer's class on Thursday! OMG! Now I know how I lost sooooo much weight lol the Chizel It class is a combination of Step aerobics, weights, and kickboxing! I can't lie my right calf has been mad ever since lol

I've been MIA from personal training and my high intensity Les Mills classes but it's time to get back! I was grateful a Soror from my workout group encouraged me to go with her. She's looking to get back on track and it worked out as a win/win! Of course there was an office wide meeting, an accident, and it still made it lol victory!

I'm going back to posting regularly and I will cach you up along the way! Consider joining the #100HappyDays challenge!!