30 Days Until What? Make your change.

              My husband and I always thought that when New York ended in 2003 we were done with the body building scene.  We were ready for a "normal" life and to enjoy the 1st years of our marriage.  Well, here we are almost 10 years later. To be honest we never stopped following the scene.  You make friends  through it and you see others who are still at it. Both us enjoy hearing about their contest prep and seeing others succeed in achieving their goals. I just can' t give up reading my newest issue of Oxygen or liking a new Facebook page related to body building or fitness.  Now, there is a newer category called physique for men and women. For women it seems like the more femininity is encouraged but no heels.  In a short moment here and there I contemplate the "what if." Then one my children come barreling in and I am snapped back to reality.  I would love to dive into the new round, but I just know with family, wrestling, gymnastics, a career, and God there is only so much time in a day. Other mothers do it all, but at this moment I am left to day dream. I would not have it any other way though. If it is meant to be than it is.  Here is how I deal with it.  I buckle down even more so with my training and nutrition.  Then I see if I remain in balance mentally, spiritually, and physically.

My top list of game changers during this buckling down time. This could be taken on for any one looking to make a noticeable change:

1. Increase my daily activity.  For example, my kids and I took a walk to look at Christmas lights in the neighborhood.  We did this verses just sitting in the house. I make it appoint on my to do list for that day to do spurts of activity during the time in which I would have been just sitting.

2. One source of protein is tuna fish, enough for 30 grams of protein. If you like spices add crushed red peppers.

 3. My 2 main carb sources: oatmeal & sweet potatoes, no more than 30 carbs per meal.

4. Cardio. 1time a week  walking to a  light jog about 65% of my max heart rate for 60 minutes.

5. Cardio 1 time a week : 30 minutes interval workout 65% to 70% of my max heart rate.
GymBoss Timer, Tabata App, or IWorkout Muse.  Anything to get me not to stay at the same pace for an extended period of time.

         Please note that I put these in priority order.  Research does show that an active lifestyle is a healthier one.  One really awesome informational writer I follow is Mark Sisson.  I learned about him from the fellow CrossFit community.  Primal Living in the Modern World

         Next was nutrition.  Not very researched based but on my Pinterest I keep seeing the quote "70% nutrition, 30% working out."  It is true you need to exert discipline when it comes to this.  Logging food and seeing your breakdowns helps you to see how you really are eating.  When I replace one meal a day with tuna and a sweet potato I see and feel changes quickly.  Especially if done consistently for 1 month.  This is embedded into my way of thinking because of our previous years of competition prepping.

          Lastly, cardio and knowing your heart rate helps you gage what kind of energy you are utilizing.  Interval training is awesome for lasting effects after the session.  Long slow distance helps to put you into the fat burning stage. Interval training helps with lasting effects of fat burning post workout.

All of these need to be created to fit into your schedule and how much dedication you are going to put forth into being consistent with the changes. Write your plan, carry it out, and log it.  You will feel better and you will achieve your goals!

30 days to create a habit !?!? How many days left in 2012? How are you going to end it?!?!

Make December a rockin' month!!
Kima

A Shake???

Look up GMP Quality Assured 

     All nutrition information and workout information should be taken with a grain of salt.  You know your goals, allergies, activity levels, and body composition.  All of these play into factor when dealing with your own nutritional needs.  I never know who exactly my audience is, so when I write it is to share. It is not to be taken as nutritional advice for the masses. I enjoy trying things out then evaluating if it worked for me.  Just because someone says it works doesn't mean it will work for you. Therefore, you need to try it and assess your own results. 

Hmm.. The rage about protein shakes.  One day they are good, one day they are bad.  There are my thoughts for myself as I am trying to add lean muscle. Note by goal, gender, and age all influence this blog entry.  Female, 32, lean muscle with an allergy to gluten. 

1st: I look at labels and the key words I stray away from are: 

Artificially flavored

Dyes 

Sugar 

The best part to look at for me is what the allergen label says.

2nd: If you aren't willing to eat lean sources of protein don't waste your time with a protein shake.  One shake a day isn't going to do it all for you.  You have to eat a well balanced diet in order to see real long lasting results.

3rd: I do take my shake within 30 minutes of lifting.  That is because my muscles are properly being replenished and I will over eat at night time. This is what I applied from reading the book called "Nutrient Timing."  

4th: I keep my carbs low, because I want to add lean muscle.  If I do add carbs to this it is by adding blueberries.  That depends on how much cardio I did.  The more cardio, the more carbs. 

5th: Vegan is the way I am going NOW.  It is economical, gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and NON-GMO. It tastes terrible,  just being honest.  I have tried some other ones  and I break out in this awful side effect on my back. I do not want to take this icky mediation that the doctor recommended.  I went to a naturalist and decided to go Vegan.  Except, I went with the NOW brand.  We have 2 little ones, so it is easier on the budget.  

This has been one change I have made and on December 22nd I will see how I felt energy wise post workout trying the Vegan Protein.  I played around a  little with it this summer, but NOW I am dedicated to making a consistent commitment to it. 

What are your thoughts on a post workout protein shake?   

4 Weeks and counting...

You have to have a plan with an on -going assessment and a final assessment.  Some may use goal and assessment interchangeably because of how dependent they are with each other. 

You need to create an assessment of how you will determine if the goal is met.  Ya with me?  Hope I have you intrigued and not bored. 

Here is my personal example for the next 4 weeks.  

1st: I selected this time frame because in 4 weeks winter break begins and our schedule changes for 2 weeks.  TIME truly dictates my plan.  It is what makes it achievable. I can manage to fit in 30 intense minutes if time runs short.  I have had to learn not to stress a "missed" workout and to make the best of what I have time for.   If you are a mother or someone with a packed schedule you can relate.  My children and family come first. To help decrease feelings of guilt from being gone I prefer to train when everyone is sleeping. If you can't do that, everyone is entitled to their "me time." Hey, it is what works best for you and your family.  Saturday is my longest workout and heaviest weights,  LEGS.  There ISN'T a cream that will do it for your legs, it is all weight training & proper eating, honey! 

2nd: Goal: Focus on body parts to really feel the squeeze and connection with lifting specific muscle groups,  while increasing my weights with sessions. Why?  I want to add some muscle.  Why? because muscle does a body good.  

Article from Livestrong on MUSCLE

Sunday  (gym) - Intense Cardio 40 minutes  (Bryson has wrestling meets for which we need to be on the road by 6:15 am) 

Monday: OFF-  it is the start of the week and I stretch and foam roll in the morning. 

Tuesday (gym)- AM session of BACK with 25 minutes in the stepper / PM session of Turbo Jam with Faith because the guys are off to wrestling practice.  

(Good for after a day off, I can be as strong and refreshed for this one) 

Wednesday (home) SHOULDERS/ Spin 40 minutes (145-150 heart rate)

Thursday (gym) AM session of ARMS 20 stepper / PM session of Turbo Jam with Faith guys are off to wrestling practice 

Friday (gym): Treadmill 50 minutes intervals with CORE work 

Saturday (gym) LEGS/ Long walking session of (130-140 heart rate) high incline 

for 50 minutes 

3rd: On - going Assessment-  I logged last week's workouts with exercises and weights.  I recored the pounds and reps for each set.  This takes a while so it didn't count  for one of these 4 weeks.  Just establishing my baseline.   Now, I can just carry with me my workout with weights and just train.  I do think at times having a log can hold you back. Therefore, I am not totally locked into my weights.  I use it for the minimum for the weight and reps.  This principle of thought comes from my hubby.  I agree if I feel stronger I should be able to push it a little more.  Remember though I have been lifting for over 10 years, so I know technique.  This is important for injury prevention. For someone just starting off or getting back into things I would say slow increases with logging is essential. 

4th:  Final assessment I will look at my log and see how my body feels on December 22nd.  In 4 weeks I can listen to my body see if I have any aches or tweaks and re-assess my plan for the next 2 weeks.  I will use a tape measure for my measurements, weighing myself is NOT allowed during this time.  As long as my inches do no increase in certain areas, I will be fine with the results for this goal.  

I believe that listening to your body is one of the most over looked parts of training.  Each person is different, so a one size fits all does not spark my interest. I have lived and learned through that one.  You have to take in account your past injuries, experiences, amount of sleep,  and body composition while creating your OWN workout plan.  Once, again It helps to have your coach be your significant other.  He keeps me in check with listening to how I feel and not being so stuck on to just following a plan. We are a good balance in that aspect.  

Stay tuned for which exercises I have selected and how my nutrition has changed a bit with this plan.  

Get your lift on! 

Kima 

I will take a spin and a twist please...

I wandered on down to the basement for a workout. I have to keep tunnel vision as not to get distracted by laundry or picking up my kid's toys. This is a major MUST for those who train at home.  Otherwise the workout will never happen. 

My plan was to  spin and to do some abs with a touch of glute work.  There are differing opinions on rather or not one can spot train a certain area. I believe in it. If nothing else mentally it helps me to feel better about myself. I can do kick backs or what VersaFlexx refers to as kneeling hip flexion every day.  I am over 30 and humble. 

So the workout:

45 minutes on my favorite spin bike (LeMond) which was a Christmas gift from my father in law.  Some may be offended to receive a piece of workout equipment, but this was awesome to me.  To be able to use a top of the line bike in the comfort of my own home without being binded to a group-x schedule. 

During those 45 minutes I wore my Polar Heart Rate Monitor. This really makes me work hard because I try to stay in the 150 bpm for the majority of the time. 

Using the gym boss timer I set up my standing intervals to my sitting intervals quite nicely.

 3 minutes sit 1:00 minute stand for 8 rounds 

That makes 32 minutes fly by even faster. 

For the ab work with the VersaFlexx I selected to add a twist today:

Hi-Lo Chop 

Reverse Oblique Crunches 

Followed with 4 sets of 15 reps 

Kneeling Hip Flexion 

The biggest tip is that if you train at home, you have to imagine that you are gone to the gym. My husband and I have an agreement that unless it is an emergency we do not bother each other while we are training at home.  

Think about your in home set up and how condusive it is to your training.  Please share any tips or tricks you have to keep you going at home.  

Happy training! 

Kima 

Shoulders with some INTENSE mountain climbers on the VersaFlexx

              
   I am done with my recovery stage. There are some prices to pay after high intensity and heavy weights.  Well worth it, but I did embrace these past 4 weeks. I have become more mature since 3 years ago, when I was out due to a terrible IT band injury. My cousin who is a wife, mother, and a cancer survivor has been in rehab for the past month.  She is an inspiration to me, because she fights with all of her strength.  Though fitness is my passion, I keep it in perspective.  This time around instead of feeling sorry for myself I turned to bikrim yoga and VersaFlexx. Both so good on my joints. 

Shoulder Workout

45 minutes walking on the treadmill at the highest incline. I remained in my "fat burning zone averaging 142 bpm on my Polar Heart Rate Monitor. 

That wasn't all.  For the 32 minutes I used the gym boss timer and did the following:

3 minutes walk

1:30 (15-20 seconds allowed for transition of the ankle straps) 

Mountain Climbers with the grey (9 lbs) bands at the low anchor point on the VersaFlexx

This was a killer like no other! It worked for getting my heart rate up to the upper 150's and got my core so tight! 

I like to go back and forth with lifting or cardio first.  

Shoulders with abs 

1. Sinlge Side Lateral Shoulder Raise with our V6 
2. Stability ball lower abs: In a plank position with the ball begining at the feet and roll the ball in so that your knees come up to your chest. 

Rest, Repeat for 3 sets 

1. High Rear Delt Pull with VersaFlexx 
2. Ab Circle machine for 1 minute 

Rest, Repeat for 3 sets 

1. Dumbell Press sitting on stabilty ball 
2. Crunches on the stability ball with a 15 lb dumbell. 

Rest, Repeat 3 sets 

Logging is a good PROCEDURE to monitor progress.  The VersaFlexx site has a nice template to use for this.  Check it out here:  VersaFlexx

Happy logging!

Kima 

Get out! Labeled resistance bands!!

            It's getting cold and it's getting dark.  Wow, that sounds so exciting to wake up to. This morning it actually was.  I have been having fun changing things up and just as fate would have it, Randy came home with a new bag of what we call "toys."  We call them toys because toys bring excitement and creativity into your life, just like toys do to children.  

           The Versaflexx bag was misleading for what was inside of it.  The bag felt heavy but small in size, so I could gather it was portable.  Nice, for travel.  I had to check out their website to see what was in store for us.  Unbelievable!  It seems like everyone nowadays has a website, but the content can be lacking.  NOT in this case.  I found all the exercises and a log I could use to get me on my way.  

Click here to explore Versaflexx

My goal, yes judge me now...I want to keep lean this fall and into the winter.  I like having this goal because it takes a lot of dedication and discipline. My workouts focus more on muscle groups and my strength training.  In addition nutrition tightens up even more.  The important benefit of this goal is it gives my body a break from the pounding of running. When spring comes I can be in shape to run & to run fast. 

After looking on the Versaflexx website I created my first arms workout. I selected arms, because I love the squeeze you get from training with bands. So, different than a set of dumbbells or a barbell.  

Note:  The anchor point is the height level where the band attaches from the support system.

Day1:

Here is what I did in a superset model (do 2 opposing muscle groups back to back then rest) 

From the LOW anchor point: 

Arm Curls (18 lbs-red) & Overhead Tricep Extension (9lbs-grey)

From the HIGH anchor point: 

Arm Curls (12 lbs- green) & Tricep Push Down (12 lbs- green) 

Ended with traditional sets and reps 

From the HIGH anchor point:

3 sets of 1 arm perpendicular single curl (9 lbs-grey) 

Rest 

From the LOW anchor point 

3 sets of 1 arm overhead extension (5 lbs- yellow) 

Abs: 

Ab Crunches (5 lbs- yellow) 

Reverse Crunches (5 lbs- yellow)

Reverse Oblique Crunches (5lbs- yellow) 

These were the first set of bands I have ever used that were actually labeled in pounds.  This helped me gauge where I should be at for each exercise, without having to guess.

I couldn't help but to try the laying leg curl for a few light sets.  This felt phenomenal, because of the connection to the muscle being targeted with using the Versaflexx. I honestly have never done a hamstring curl with a resistance band before. I forgot how much I enjoyed feeling the connection to the muscle through resistance band training with my arms. I am eager to have my next workout with the Versaflexx.  I am going to focus on my abs tomorrow with a few sets of glute kickbacks (kneeling hip flexion). With spinning more, I like to work on the glutes and hamstrings, especially from a female perspective of a training schedule. 

Nutrition Goal: When you change your goal, you need to look at your nutrition.  

Increase my uptake of protein, because I want to increase lean muscle mass. 

At the same time I am logging my carb intake.  I stick to sweet potatoes, oatmeal, and steel cut oats for my main sources of complex carbs.  

I do not allow myself as many nights with what I call "crunchie munchies," because of my cut back in logging high mileage with running.  Then I could afford those "crunchie munchies,' because of the high calorie expenditure through lots and lots of miles. 

“Lose It!”  is still my app I use for my food log.  I wonder how did I ever do it with technology?!? 

Follow me on my 12- week journey with Versaflexx. The site recommends training 5 days a week, so I will be designing my sessions based on a 3 upper, 1, lower, & 1 just ab/core day.  I prefer to train  core and abs a lot in the colder months, because of the running benefits. I will do that 5 days, because of the numerous exercises that can be done with the Versaflexx!

Go get your lift on!!