Lesson Learned

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for my absence this week. On Monday I was home sick and I still follow the rule: "If you’re too sick to go to school (work in this case) then you’re too sick to do anything fun"- including blogging. Then Tuesday and Wednesday I was busy catching up on work and getting ready for my first show with the Sacramento Valley Chorus, coming up this Saturday.  In spite of being sick and super busy I’m still learning fitness and nutrition lessons daily. What lesson did I learn today you might ask?
Don’t Work out on an Empty Stomach! 

So this how my morning went…….

Alarm goes off, I hit snooze
Alarm goes off, I hit snooze
Alarm goes off, I actually look at the clock and I’m running ten minutes late already
Laid in and bed and contemplated not going to boot camp, then told myself to get my lazy butt out of bed or I was really going to be late.
Scrounged around for clean workout clothes, searched for my tennis shoes
Feed and watered the cats
Brushed hair and teeth
Collected my cell phone and accessories
Couldn’t find my car key
Searched for my car keys in my purse
Searched for my car keys in my bedroom
Searched for my car keys in my bathroom
Searched for my car keys in the kitchen
Searched for my car keys in my purse again, oddly find spare keys in my purse
Looked at the clock now running 15 minutes
Ran out to my car and left
Didn’t Realize until I pulled up to Boot Camp that I didn’t eat anything…..opps

Man did I pay for that opps! We had a really intense power workout with lot of cardio and sprinting. I was basically nauseous the whole time and then afterwards I was dizzy and little disorientated. The night before I had a small dinner at 6 then choir rehearsal till 10pm….home at 11pm and I went straight to bed, so I’m sure my blood sugar was really low after boot camp this morning. Not only can you feel crappy if you work out on an empty stomach, but it also can cause your body to go into starvation mode, where your body shifts into preservation mode and stop burning calories as efficiently, which is counter porductive to working out. So I learned my leason, won't happen again.....at least not in the near future :)

Gettin Crafty

Did you know that the average restaurant steak dinner is FOUR servings of pasta? One of the biggest problems in the average American diet is portion control. I know until recently I had very little knowledge of what an actual serving size of most foods physically looked like. Lets face it, it's not easy to control portion  in a society where bigger is better including food portions. One of the best things you can do nutritionally is control your portion sizes. In the weight loss reading that I've been doing several give several tips on general visual cues for serving sizes.  For instance,  a serving of protein is about the size and volume of a deck of cards, grains such as pasta and rice should be about the size and volume of a tennis ball, Veggies should take up half your plate and about the size and volume of two tennis balls.

All this talk of Portion Control lead me to find Portion Control plates that have the visual cues printed on your plate as a reminders. Which is great and  I wanted one, but most were kind of ugly and expensive, so I decided to make my own. I’m not very artistically talented when comes to painting, but I wanted to make a plate with the visual reminders, without the plate screaming “I’m on a diet”. So here is what I did.

Supplies:
Clear Glass Plate ( I bought one at goodwill for .99)
Dishwasher safe glass paint (available at Michaels)
Tennis Ball
Playing Card
Imagination (not necessary, but helpful)





1.    Clean plate and dry thoroughly
2.    On the front of the plate tape the playing card, and trace a circle around the tennis ball using non-toxic washable marker, divide plate in half.
3.    Flip your plate over and paint your design. You want to paint on the back of the plate, because while I found dishwasher safe paint, none of it was guaranteed to be food safe.
4.    Let dry following the paint instructions, for example mine said not to wash for 10 days. Some of the paint I found also require Curing time in the oven.

So here is the final product pretty cute! I think I'm going to do another that's more abstract.

Have a Spine Tingling Moment Everyday!

So I wanted to take a minute to talk about some other awesome things going on in my life. From those that know me, you know that I’m a pretty active person, In that I always have what I still call extracurricular activities going on. In elementary and high school it was dance, music, theater, sports, mathletes, and student government. In college it was my sorority Alpha Chi Omega. Post college I got heavily involved with local politics in my area, joining the El Dorado County Democratic Central Committee and being one of the founding members of The El Dorado County Young Democrats. Politics is one of my passions and I love being involved, but lately I’ve been missing all of the musical things I use to do.

So a while back I decided to join a choir, I think was partly inspired by Glee. I researched online about local choirs and decided to check out the Sacramento Valley Chorus. Sac Valley Chorus is an all-women’s competing barbershop chorus and last night I officially became a member! Sac Valley Chorus is a wonderful group of diverse women of all ages, who are very serious about their music, and are all super supportive of each other. It’s almost like a choir/sorority.

Now to explain the title of this post, my high school choir director Mr. Zinn use to have this motto “Have a Spine Tingling Moment Everyday”.  Sometime when you sing harmony with group and you hit that sweet spot, you can get goosebumps or a shiver up the spine. It’s an awesome feeling, and I realized that this motto as corny as it is applies to more than just singing. It’s about finding a perfect moment in each day; whether it’s an awesome hug from someone you love, deciding to hit the gym instead of watching TV, or a perfect bite of a delicious meal. I know I will have a spine tingling every Wednesday at choir rehearsal, now I just need to find them every day!              

The Best Turkey Burger Ever!

So this is a recipe that I’m obsessed with! One night Alex and I we’re craving burgers and decided to make turkey burgers. Which are much lower in calories and fat, compared to there bovine counterparts. I’ve always found most turkey burgers to be a little dry and plain. So I decided to treat the ground turkey kind of like a meatloaf and came up with this recipe. This recipe makes the tastiest turkey burger I’ve ever made. They also reheat surprisingly well in the microwave and are still moist. I use Webber’s Grill Creations Burger Blend, you don’t have to but it is a really good blend and only about $2.50 a bottle at Safeway and very tasty. With the bun and condiments the burger is only about 250 calories!  

Ingredients

1.25 lbs of Lean Ground Tukey
1 Onion finely diced
1 Large egg
Webber’s Grill Burger Spice Blend
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce


Mix ground turkey, onions, egg, spices, and Worcestershire sauce. Shape into about 8 patties. Grill on BBQ or cook in a pan about four minutes on each side. If using a pan make sure to spray with non-stick cooking spray as the meat is lean and will sometimes stick to the pan.

Served with thin wheat bun, 1Tbsp light Mayo, 1 Tbsp ketchup, and lettuce

It's Just Emotion Taking Me Over

So the road trip went well.  I packed good snacks and made good choices when I stopped to eat meals-including only HALF of Wendy's Baja Salad, with no tortilla strips (390 calories), and Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal with dried fruit (only added 240 calories).  Today I had planed to post about emotional eating. Since Alex is all moved to UCLA I expected to be drowning in cookie dough and empty pints of Ben and Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk. It’s been three nights since I left him and I’ve had no major slips off the good nutrition wagon. I miss him a lot! Don’t get me wrong, I feel like half my heart is in Los Angeles, but for once in my life I’m not turning to food for coping.

Emotional eating is simply eating when not physically hungry. It can be trigger by stress, anger, anxiety, problems with interpersonal relationships, poor self-esteem and even boredom.  How many times have you found yourself staring into the refrigerator, not all that hungry, but still pick up something to munch on? How many stressful days have ended with a big helping of chocolate ice cream? Have you ever been in a situation where there was food around like chips or popcorn at the movies, you’re not hungry but you can’t put the popcorn down? These are all examples of emotional eating. Identifying your triggers is the first step to cutting down on emotional eating, I say cutting down because, while not the healthiest of options, sometimes I just need a little chocolate to get me through the rest of the day. The two biggest triggers for me are stress and boredom.

Once you have identified what triggers you it’s important to develop alternatives to stuffing your face with food. For me, reading has really helped curtail my eating out of pure boredom, or a nice hot bubble bath after a hard day.  Other ideas are  listen to music, go for a walk, go swimming, play cards or a board game, Call a friend, do housework,  write a letter, or do any other pleasurable or necessary activity until the urge to eat passes. Find what works for you and when your headed to the fridge or pantry ask yourself if you're really hungry?

UCLA or Bust

So tonight I’m driving down to LA to help my boyfriend, Alex, move into the dorms at UCLA, where he got a full ride scholarship *snaps for Alex*. I love road trips, especially to So Cal. Growing up my Aunt Adela lived in Anaheim and I probably visited at least twice a year. One of the things that I love about road trips is all the snack food. Over the years I have developed a snack ritual, I stop at the same place along I-5 to stock up and get the same snacks each time. Here is my typical I-5 menu.

Cheetos=400 Calories
Rockstar Juiced=200 Calories
Hostess Cupcakes=360 Calories
In-N –Out Cheeseburger=480 Calories
Fries with a side of spread=480 Calories   
Twix candy bar=250 Calories

Grand Total for one way: 2,170 Calories, which for a day spent in the car is insane! When I look at that number I can’t believe I’ve been eating like that. So in an effort to look down the road and try to avoid any nutritional pot holes, before they add to my flat tire.  I have compiled a list of healthy snacks of which I will stock up on before heading out on the road tonight. Does anyone have any other healthy snacks they would recommend?

Healthy Snacks

Cleaned and sliced raw vegetables; grape or cherry tomatoes 
Apples, oranges, bananas, grapes 
Snack size dried fruit (such as raisins) 
String cheese 
Pop Chips 
Baked Chips 
Roasted soy nuts 
Sugar free jello cups / fat-free pudding cups
Reduced fat cookies/crackers 
Fruit juice boxes; mini cans of low-sodium V8 juice 
Sandwiches made with lean luncheon meats and low-fat cheese or hummus and fresh spinach
High Protein Granola
Unsalted pretzels

Sternocleidomastoid Muscle

So last month at boot camp we did four exercises for 30 second interval for a total of five rounds. Each round you were supposed to try and one up yourself. The four exercises were lunges, pushups, squats and burpees (my favorite). Last month my personal bests were 17 lunges, 12 modified pushups, 19 squats, and 9 modified burpees.   Today we did the same exercises and I beat all four of the personal records! My best round I did 19 lunges, 20 modified pushups, 24 squats and 10 non-modified burpees!

What I’m most proud of are the non-modified burpees. For those of you unfamiliar with the burpee exercise you start standing squat all the way down, jump out to a pushup position, jump back to a squat, then stand and repeat. It doesn’t sound all that challenging, but trust me when I say it really gets your heart rate going. I remember doing them in PE in elementary school with Mr. Areson, our coach telling us to “stretch your sternocleidomastoid muscle, burpees ready break!” they seemed a lot easier then.  Today they were a lot easier than last month, last month I was only able to walk out to the pushup position not jump.  So yea me, I rock!

Off the Wagon

I fell of the wagon big time yesterday at the aptly named The Habit. The Habit is a delicious burger place that I use to frequent on regular basis until I decided to get healthy. So here it is yesterday I had a Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Onion Rings and Ranch Dressing for a whopping 1,420 Calories, no joke one meal 1,420 Calories. So what went wrong you ask? First I let myself get hungry, I had a banana before boot camp but I didn’t pack a post workout meal and I had no healthy snacks at work. Second I chose to go to out to lunch where healthy options are hard find. Lastly I let the faulty logic of “Well I’m already having something bad might as well throw in the onion rings and ranch for 620 Calories”

Sadly it wasn’t even that enjoyable, I ate everything and afterwards I felt like I was gonna hurl. My co-worker Jon, who’s favorite places for lunch include Wing Stop and Panda Express, noticed that I was eating fatty food and made an off the cuff comment that I would “be back to eating Wing Stop” with him anyday now. Jon’s comment made me stop and think about my faulty logic while ordering food, and realize one bad choice does not beget another bad choice.

I can’t recall how many times I’ve let one bad choice explode into a never ending shame spiral. Well, I’m not going to let that happen again. I’m already back on the wagon and I won’t be going to Wing Stop anytime soon thank-you very much!

First Speed Bump

Meet my first bump in the road, his name is Shin Splints. While I have known many people who have suffered from shin splints, I have never had the distinct pleasure until now.  So I did a little research on the web at Discovery Health, WebMD and the Mayo Clinic here is what I found.

Shin Splints is a term commonly used for several lower leg aliments anything from general soreness to stress fractures. Shin Splints actually refer specifically to a condition called Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS). There are many muscles and tendons that make up the lower leg, or calf region. It's quite a complex formation of inter-weaving and over-crossing muscles and tendons.

The main components of the lower leg that are affected by  shin splints are the Tibia and Fibula. These are the two bones in your the lower leg. There are also a number of muscles that are attached to your tibia and fibula. It's these muscles, that when overworked, pull on the tibia and fibula and cause pain. Specifically, the pain associated with shin splints is a result of fatigue and trauma to the muscle's tendons where they attach themselves to the tibia. In an effort to keep the foot, ankle and lower leg stable, the muscles exert a great force on the tibia. This excessive force can result in the tendons being partially torn away from the bone. If you’ve been lucky enough not to suffer from shin splints, let me tell you they really, really hurt. I was practically in tears after last Thursday’s boot camp.

While there are many causes of shin splints, they can all be categorized into two main groups, overload, and biomechanical inefficiencies.
Overload: Shin splints are commonly associated with sports that require a lot of running or weight bearing activity. However, it is not necessarily the added weight or force applied to the muscles and tendons of the lower leg, but rather the impact force associated with running and weight bearing activities. Other overload causes include: exercising on hard surfaces, like concrete, exercising on uneven ground, beginning an exercise program after a long lay-off period, increasing exercise intensity or duration too quickly, exercising in worn out or ill-fitting shoes, and excessive uphill or downhill running.
Biomechanical Inefficiencies: such as poor running mechanics and flat feet can lead to over-pronation. Pronation occurs just after the heel strikes the ground. The foot flattens out, and then continues to roll inward. Over-pronation occurs when the foot and ankle continue to roll excessively inward. This excessive inward rolling causes the tibia to twist, which in-turn, over stretches the muscles of the lower leg causing pain.

Given that I’ve begun to run more in training for the Mud Run I believe the source of my shin splint pain is from overload. While I want to cautious that this doesn't turn into a chronic injury I also don't want it to sideline me completely. So how do I overcome this bump in the road?  A multifaceted approach of "relative rest" is going to be the key to treating my shin splints. A multifaceted "relative rest" approach, is stopping all high impact exercise, like running, for a period of two week to give my legs some rest and time to heal. Continue with low impact cardio such as stationary bicycling or pool running, Stretching and strengthening exercises twice a day and begin running again only when symptoms have generally resolved and with the following restrictions:
•    A level and soft terrain is best.
•    Distance is limited to 50% of that tolerated pre-injury.
•    Intensity (pace) is similarly cut by one half.
•    Over a three- to six-week period, a gradual increase in distance is allowed.
•    Only then can a gradual increase in pace be attempted.

Drum Roll Please......................

Today I weighed in at 214lbs! That’s 10lbs in one month! My nutrition was really good in the first few weeks, but this last week and half or so I’ve been letting myself get hungry and missing some meals. So I know that if I get back on top of my nutrition I think I can maintain this pace of weight loss for a while. Below are my measurements, not to many big changes but hey an inch is an inch.


                Measurements:
                      Aug 20th    Sept 10th
Neck                  15in           15in
Bust                    48in           48in
Waist                  39in           38in
Hips                    50in           48.5in
Thighs                 23in           22.5in
Calf                    17in           17in
Upper Arm         14in           14in

Thanks to Kanye's workout plan, I'm the envy of all my friends

So a while ago I decided to stop downloading music, via file sharing because I was sick of getting computer viruses. The result of which, is my personal music library is very sparse. It's mostly musicals, with a little Katy Perry, Lady gaga, Glee Soundtracks, and oh yeah don't forget the Harry Potter audio books. (Don’t judge!)Between the radio and Pandora I haven’t felt the need to buy much music. However since I’ve started using my iPod almost every other day at the gym, I’ve exhausted my small music library and want to add some great workout songs.

There is nothing like a fun song to get you pumped and going. Currently my favorite workout songs are Kanye’s New Workout Plan and Whipped into Shape from the Legally Blonde Musical. So I need your help! Because no one, not even me, wants to work out to ballads from Les Miserable! What are your favorite workout tracks? I love most genres of music so don’t be shy let me hear it! Weigh in tomorrow!

Lemon Grass and Ginger Chicken with Sweet Potato Puree

So this is a recipe that I came up with all on my own and was actually really good the first time out. I knew the flavor profile I was going for and worked from there.The Marinade is really light and because of the intense flavor you don’t have to marinate the chicken for long. The Puree makes a lot of puree enough for probably eight servings, it also freezes really well. One Serving of this dish is only 300 calories depending on the sizes of you chicken breast!


Lemon Grass and Ginger Chicken with Sweet Potato Puree
4 Servings

Ingredients
Lemon Grass and Ginger Chicken
4 skinless chicken breasts
½ inch grated ginger
1tsp lemon grass
2 clove Garlic chopped
3Tbsp fish sauce
4Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

Sweet Potato Puree
2 Sweet potatoes peeled and diced
½ onion chopped
2 Cloves Garlic chopped finely
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
½ tsp. grated ginger
½ tsp. Clove
½ tsp. Nutmeg
1 tsp. curry powder
1 Can Light Coconut Milk
2-4Cups Vegetable broth


Marinate chicken in ginger, garlic, lemon grass, fish sauce, and soy sauce for minimum of 30 minutes up to an hour. Cook on grill on in pan with spray of pam about 5 minutes each side until cook through.

Sauté sweet potatoes and onion in olive oil add Garlic when onions turn translucent. Sauté until sweet potatoes are fork tender. In a blender or food processor add sauté of potatoes and onions, Ginger, clove, curry powder, ½ can of coconut milk and 2 cups of vegetable broth and blend, salt to taste. You may add more broth to reach desired consistency and more coconut milk if you would like your puree creamier.

Serve chicken over the puree

One Goal Down, Lots More to Go

So I am officially registered for the Mud Run! I walked my first mile this weekend with a couple of sprints on the treadmill at home. So that is one of my goals check off the list early. I have also worked out my training schedule for the Mud Run. This week I will have my weigh in, and will be posting some tasty recipes!

In The Zone

So today was the first morning, I woke up and contemplated not going to boot camp. Yesterday after boot camp I went to the doctor and got two vaccines one in each arm, one of which still really hurt this morning. I made the right choice though and still went to boot camp despite my throbbing arm. I’m really glad I went because lots of good stuff happened this morning at boot camp!

First I received passes for anyone who would like to try a FREE session of Superwoman Boot Camp and they also just lowered their prices! They have two locations one in Sacramento and one in Folsom, so if you’re in the area and would like a pass let me know!

Second they had sign-ups for the Merrell Down & Dirty Mud Run taking place on October 31 in Folsom and I signed up. The Mud Run  features 5K and 10K off-road courses filled with Military-style Obstacles, Commanding cargo climbs, Wild water crossings, Mud, mud, and More Mud! I remember seeing this featured on the Bravo show Work Out, back when I watched people exercise from my couch instead of doing it myself. It looked hardcore and lots of fun, I'm super excited about it.

Lastly during my workout at boot camp I got into the elusive zone, you know the zone where you stop caring about how much everything hurts, how heavy the weight is in your hand, and how much longer you’re going to have to exercise. I use to get in the zone a lot especially during basketball season. I could run up and down the court full out the whole game and not feel the slightest fatigue. It felt so go to get that calm I can do anything feeling again, and while it didn’t last too long it’s nice to know that I can still get in the mental zone. Look for my next weigh in sometime next week, hope everyone has a great Labor Day Weekend!

The Tale of The Slowest Eater In All The Land

Once upon a time there was a girl, who was the slowest eater in all the land. Every meal she would sit at the dining table slowly enjoying her food as her older brothers would inhale their meals at a breakneck pace. The little girl was always the last to leave the table and often didn’t finish all the food on her plate, though she would usually eat some of everything that was served, except for the yucky brussels sprouts. Then one day the girl moved in with a boy, who she would often share food with. The girl quickly discovered that if she didn’t eat faster all of the food would be gone to the boy’s tummy. So over time the girl ate faster and faster. Until one day she was the fastest eater in all the land and an all-star of the clean plate club.

Kobayashi, record holding speed eater 

So I use to be a very slow eater, and I’ve recently discovered just how fast of an eater I have become. One day at lunch I finished my lunch and looked around the room to find that none of my co-workers were even halfway thought theirs. I like to blame Alex, my boyfriend, I swear sometime it’s like eating with a prison inmate, who’s afraid some hulking criminal is going to come and eat his food. But I can’t totally blame Alex I’m sure that the stressful, fast pace life that we all lead are contributing factors to Olympic Record pace that I now eat at.

During a meal, your brain receives signals from your stomach and intestines that tell it when you're full. But it takes about 20 minutes for those signals to travel from your gut to your noggin. So if you're a speed eater, wolfing down bite after bite in rapid succession like me, you can pack in a lot of extra mouthfuls -- and calories -- during that lag time. By slowing down, you give those natural signals of fullness a chance to register--so you can stop eating -- before you've polished off way more food than your body needs. Eating more slowly also allows you to savor the tastes, smells, and textures of your foods, which contribute to your sense of satisfaction. So here are some tips I found to eating slower I'm going to start implementing a few and see how it goes.

• Put your fork or spoon down after every bite. For many people, eating is a nonstop motion: The fork or spoon is racing from plate to mouth. The trick is to take a spoonful of food, put the spoon down beside your plate, chew, swallow, then pick up the spoon again. At first, this will feel awkward and tedious. But you'll be surprised how much sooner you'll feel full.
• Swallow what is in your mouth before preparing the next bite. Many people are busy loading up their utensils while their mouth teeth are still chomping away.
• If you're eating hand-held food -- such as pizza, sandwiches, bagels, or cookies -- take one bite, then put the rest of your food down while you chew.
• Eat your meal in courses, rather than family style where all the foods are on the table at the same time.
• Time your meals with a watch or kitchen timer until you get used to the slower pace.
• Take a brief break for a minute once or twice during the meal. Talk, sip a beverage, or fold your hands in your lap.
• Play slow background music. Studies have shown that people eat more slowly when they listen to slow, soft music.
• When it's time to eat, do nothing but eat. Devote your full attention to the meal. Make it a habit to turn off the television and take the phone off the hook. If you're distracted by other activities, you may not notice how fast -- or how much -- you are eating.
• Use chopsticks for all cuisines. They automatically slow down your rate of eating and the amount of food you're going to eat. If you're a pro with chopsticks, however, use them in the opposite hand! As an added bonus, chopsticks allow the fatty sauces to fall through the cracks and stay on the plate where they belong.
• Sit down when you eat. This helps you relax and focus on eating. A lot of people simply don't count what they eat when they are standing up.
• Dine -- don't just "inhale" your food. For example, you can savor each delicious bite of tuna salad on a fresh bed of leafy greens, or you can "wolf" your tuna fish right out of the can. Why not make mealtime a pleasurable event?

Dear Diary

In a recent research, about 1, 685 overweight or obese American adults aged 25 and older were observed for 6 months. All of them kept food diaries and were encouraged to have a healthy diet and exercise. They even met together every week to share their food diaries and learn how to judge the portion sizes. After 6 months, it was observed that those who maintained their food diaries for 6 days a week lost almost twice the amount of weight when compared to those who maintained their food diaries for only 1 day a week or less. This research shows the importance of maintaining food diary to lose weight in helping to provide awareness of what you’re really eating and accountability.

I can use all the help I can get at this point and I have tried and failed at keeping food diary’s mostly because they can be time consuming, I’ve tried keep a food diary online but I would often forget exactly what I ate especially the snacks, which can really derail a nutrition plan. I’ve been doing well so far on my nutrition plan especially on my main meals, but I haven’t been  making the best choice when it come to my snack, I haven’t been making horrible choices, but not the best. So for my own accountability I’m going to be using my precious iPhone as my food diary, I have yet to find a iPhone app that does everything that I want in a food diary so I’m going to be using two Apps Evernote and Calorie Counter and Diet Tracker by MyFitnessPal. Evernote is basically a notebook that lets you take make text, photo, and audio notes. I will use Evernote to take a photo of everything I eat and track when I eat, where and with whom I eat, and why I chose to eat (hungry, bored, upset, etc.). I will us the Calorie Counter and Diet Tracker to track my calories and exercise. My hope is that I will always have time to snap a quick picture in Evernote and then go back and track my calories in the Calorie Counter. Anyone have any food diary tips or success stories?