This week I started a new schedule. Even though I was already in a schedule for the last month, it just wasn't meeting my needs. I started going to Curves during my lunch break and the gym after work. That schedule was becoming routing and I felt like I needed more of a challenge to get past this current hump I've been in. I decided to try out P90X. It's been a challenge like no other already and it's only the first week. I chose the "lean" program because it has the most cardio in it. Instead of doing the cardio workouts in the program however, I am going to go do the elliptical at the gym. Cardio is cardio right? I would rather do the elliptical than jump around in the bedroom on my stupid knee! I am going to substitute kenpo for elliptical as well. Kenpo has a lot of jumping and boxing moves. It would be cool to learn in time.. maybe the next P90X go around when I've made some improvements and gotten stronger...provided I survive the next three months!
It's been going good but I am pretty darn sore. I did core synergistics first. There were a few exercises I couldn't do in the workout but I did my best and am happy with the progress I made. Day 2, my legs didn't want to work at all. I was so sore from core synergists that I almost couldn't get on the elliptical... almost hehe. I made it and put in my hour of sweat. I had a nice relaxing massage Wednesday before the gym so that made it a bit easier. I had another most relaxing massage today due to some forgotten long term scheduling.
One may think that two massages in the same number of days is indulgent. Then that someone could start P90X and understand lol I am so grateful that I made that scheduling mistake for this week! After the massage today (hehe) I did chest & arms. I was able to do all but one of the moves...back pat! But then, enters ab ripper... ab ripper is just not right! I mean.. who needs abs anyway? SBF's that's who.. not SGF's! lol Not sure if I will be able to complete the ab ripper workouts this round, but I can do crunches for 16 minutes! That's something! I'm looking forward to the rest of this week and seeing how much I improve next week. Go team BeachBody! :)
Subject change...FOOD: I'm about to inherit a big bunch of canning supplies free of charge! Goodbye canned, packed full of sodium veggies! I shall make syrup with no artificial ingredients, and organic preserves, applesauce, nutritious all natural soups, tomato sauces, salsa...the list goes on. I'm totally stoked about this and can't wait for delivery of the goods!
I tried organic beef for the first time this week. It's so much tastier than regular hamburger, I was shocked at the difference! It's expensive of course but there were 3lbs in the meat clearance section at Fred Meyer. It's moments like these that I tell myself the cost to my health from eating toxic meat is worse than the price on that organic package! However, I'm going to be looking in the clearance section for deals like that in the future!
Speaking of deals (but having nothing to do with deals).. I finally got my PB2 in the mail from some website that was not Amazon. It was worth the two week wait (stupid company not Amazon)! Regular peanut butter has about 200 calories per serving. PB2 has..drum roll.. 45! Way less fat and all that peanut butter taste too! It's such a find! I asked the health food store in town if they carried it and they said they are in the process of getting some on the shelf! Won't have to order online again, whoop whoop! PB2 is a great addition to Shakeology! Yum!
It's finally summer in Washington- even if the weather doesn't confirm it. Lot's of tasty things in season right now and coming up soon. Check out the app at the bottom of the page for the skinny...love that little app thingy :)
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Speak to Me: Isolates
Today I looked into soy protein isolate, soy and whey proteins at the request of SBF. It was an interesting quest (as all his requests are) that revealed a ton of info! Soy is a real good source of protein in the diet. It's very low in cholesterol and is considered a complete protein. This means that it gives the body all the essential amino acids it needs to be considered a protein. Soy is a great substitute for meat in this way and is sometimes used as a filler. Makes sense considering all the good it has and it's cost effective qualities...I personally like to use soy milk in my morning Shakeology. Less calories, same great taste!
Soy protein isolate is a refined purified form of soy. On the surface, it looks real good! The process takes the protein from the soy bean and extracts the fats so that the carbs and other non-protein components are removed. It gives a pure protein product that can be added to foods to enhance texture and protein levels without adding anything else. Sounds cool to me!
In walks Hexane
Well what the heck is that? Hexane is the process soybean companies use to extract the soy protein from the bean, thus creating soy protein isolate. Hexane is also a byproduct of gasoline refining, is classified as a neurotoxin and as a hazardous air pollutant! You can sometimes find soy protein isolate in products that claim to be "natural". There is no regulation of the word "natural" in the food industry by the FDA or any there government officials. It's sort of like chicken in that way. It can mean whatever they tell us it means! Now that doesn't sound cool!
I was very bummed to find soy protein isolate listed as an ingredient in my new found snack, Thinkthin bars. They are pretty tasty and packed full of protein and I enjoy them after a workout. I called the company and asked them if they used hexane in their soy protein isolation process. They confirmed that they do, then followed that by saying its commonly used in the soy industry. They say they are able to extract 99.9% of the hexane out of the final product. They say this like it's some kind of accomplishment to leave a mere .1% of toxic refined gasoline in the product! A pinch of toxins here.. a dash there.. it's okay society, if it makes you sick, we will sell you a daily pill to fix it! It boggles the mind!
Whey Protein
Is a product derived from the process of making cheese. You know, curds and whey? Yeah.. so they take the whey from the cheese process and remove the lactose and other ingredients leaving only the protein. This is a good thing for lactose intolerant people because they can get the benefits of whey from dairy without consuming the lactose. It's a good thing for all of us as we can add it to our meals to boost our protein ingestion while dieting. More protein, less carbs/fats/sugars gives you an increased longer lasting full feeling without the increase in calories. Whey, including whey protein isolate, is all natural and a great dietary substitute. It may cost a bit more to put in to a product than soy, but it costs much less to our health!
USDA certified organic foods do not allow unnatural methods of processing to display the organic seal. The organic label is government regulated and third party certified unlike "natural" labeling. No Hexane hiding under the organic label! No toxins means NO TOXINS. No manipulations! At least the government has done something to help us dooped consumers. Maybe someday, the USDA will regulate Montesano and their craziness in borg food as well! Until then.. buy USDA sealed organic products... with soy if you so choose! Nothing wrong with soy or any other product if the front of your potential package has that precious seal!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Honey Moon
All of the sudden, before you know it...it's June. The year is half way through! How has it been for you? Are you where you wanted to be at this point in the year? I am pretty happy with my place so far. It's definitely a "half full" kind of year rather than a "half empty".
The full moon in June is called the honey or lovers moon and occurs tonight. It's a good time to take care of things that are important or to enhance things that you already have rather than to try to acquire new. Interesting note: The moon is called the lovers moon this month due to folklore. Ancient people believed that the gods and goddesses formed their sexual unions during Beltaine, which happens in early May. As to not compete with the divine, people waited until June to perform their own sexual unions, i.e., marriages.
In honor of the spirit of the honey moon, I will stick to that which is important to me and make enhancements wherever I can. My fitness goal is important to me! This month I am really getting into the thick of the schedule that will kick my butt..and I'm happy for it. Stretching is important in exercise...so, I attended a yoga class today for the first time as part of my new routine (last week yoga was cancelled due to the holiday). It was interesting to say the least! I'm not as flexible as I thought I was but I'm excited to learn more as I go. There's two yoga classes at my gym. I did the regular yoga today but I'm thinking next week I may go for the cardio one, provided my shoulder feels better. It's a bit sore at the moment.
The lovers moon..reminds us to be grateful for the lover we have in our lives and for how they enhance our every day. Today was a rough day for me..it happens. But I am thankful that I have a man who loves me and whom I love right back. Our 22nd monthly anniversary happens on Wednesday. It seems like a lifetime of memories in the most unforgettable relationship of my life. We truly enhance each other. I'm going to remember that this month.
The full moon in June is called the honey or lovers moon and occurs tonight. It's a good time to take care of things that are important or to enhance things that you already have rather than to try to acquire new. Interesting note: The moon is called the lovers moon this month due to folklore. Ancient people believed that the gods and goddesses formed their sexual unions during Beltaine, which happens in early May. As to not compete with the divine, people waited until June to perform their own sexual unions, i.e., marriages.
In honor of the spirit of the honey moon, I will stick to that which is important to me and make enhancements wherever I can. My fitness goal is important to me! This month I am really getting into the thick of the schedule that will kick my butt..and I'm happy for it. Stretching is important in exercise...so, I attended a yoga class today for the first time as part of my new routine (last week yoga was cancelled due to the holiday). It was interesting to say the least! I'm not as flexible as I thought I was but I'm excited to learn more as I go. There's two yoga classes at my gym. I did the regular yoga today but I'm thinking next week I may go for the cardio one, provided my shoulder feels better. It's a bit sore at the moment.
The lovers moon..reminds us to be grateful for the lover we have in our lives and for how they enhance our every day. Today was a rough day for me..it happens. But I am thankful that I have a man who loves me and whom I love right back. Our 22nd monthly anniversary happens on Wednesday. It seems like a lifetime of memories in the most unforgettable relationship of my life. We truly enhance each other. I'm going to remember that this month.
Deep thoughts about dates: True Blood season 5 starts on the 10th on HBO woohoo!! The last day of school for the minions is the 14th which means outside smells of summer comes inside. One of my bestest friends is moving to Oklahoma on the 22nd and it makes me very sad. The Seattle Rock n Roll marathon is on the 23rd giving SBF free bling for running both NW races (Portland and Seattle). My sister's birthday is the 25th and gift buying for her is impossible!
Friday, June 1, 2012
Tools Part Deux
After getting a good idea of your calorie burn and intake throughout the day, it's time to adjust those numbers and get those sacks of potatoes (aka body fat) OFF! I touched on this subject a bit in the last post, but I think that having a heart rate monitor is worth mentioning more thoroughly!
Heart rate monitoring is the only way to know what zone you are achieving during a work out. Everyone's target zone is different based on what they are trying to accomplish. I was surprised to find that a less intense work out burns more fat than a "balls to the wall" one. For me, the zone I'm looking for is to have my heart rate fall between 135 and 145 bpm. When I'm on the elliptical, giving it all I've got, I can easily climb into the 156-162 bpm range. This puts me in an aerobic zone rather than fat burning. More about the different zones at Live Strong.
Although I am still burning fat in the aerobic zone, gaining muscle, and burning more calories than in the lower intensity zone, I am only burning about 50% of calories from fat. By maintaining a heart rate of 135-145 bpm, I am burning about 75% of my calories from fat. Since my goal during this training schedule is to burn as much fat as possible, I need to keep my work out in the proper zone and slow it down! There are lots of calculators on the web for determining your heart rate zone and once you know your rest rate, you can get your numbers pretty accurate. Rest rate is best taken first thing in the morning and averaged over a few days. There are many free heart rate apps out there. I use one called Heart Fitness on my iPhone.
Most of the machines available in the gym have a heart rate monitor built in. All you have to do is grip the handles and it will tell you where you are at. For a more constant monitor you can buy a heart rate monitor at any sports store. Sometimes you can even find them on sale! Again, be sure you get one with a strap! I have a BowFlex heart rate monitor and it is compatible with all the equipment at the gym. This means that I just strap it on and go. The display on the machine I'm using tells me where I'm at without handle gripping. Love it!
Heart rate monitoring is the only way to know what zone you are achieving during a work out. Everyone's target zone is different based on what they are trying to accomplish. I was surprised to find that a less intense work out burns more fat than a "balls to the wall" one. For me, the zone I'm looking for is to have my heart rate fall between 135 and 145 bpm. When I'm on the elliptical, giving it all I've got, I can easily climb into the 156-162 bpm range. This puts me in an aerobic zone rather than fat burning. More about the different zones at Live Strong.
Although I am still burning fat in the aerobic zone, gaining muscle, and burning more calories than in the lower intensity zone, I am only burning about 50% of calories from fat. By maintaining a heart rate of 135-145 bpm, I am burning about 75% of my calories from fat. Since my goal during this training schedule is to burn as much fat as possible, I need to keep my work out in the proper zone and slow it down! There are lots of calculators on the web for determining your heart rate zone and once you know your rest rate, you can get your numbers pretty accurate. Rest rate is best taken first thing in the morning and averaged over a few days. There are many free heart rate apps out there. I use one called Heart Fitness on my iPhone.
Most of the machines available in the gym have a heart rate monitor built in. All you have to do is grip the handles and it will tell you where you are at. For a more constant monitor you can buy a heart rate monitor at any sports store. Sometimes you can even find them on sale! Again, be sure you get one with a strap! I have a BowFlex heart rate monitor and it is compatible with all the equipment at the gym. This means that I just strap it on and go. The display on the machine I'm using tells me where I'm at without handle gripping. Love it!
Unrelated Inspirational Side Note:
SBF is running down a mountain tomorrow...27.7 hard miles full of roads, trails and mud. He is going to do this while carrying a 10 lb pack! He's amazing! Whenever I am exhausted, sore, ready to throw in the towel...I think about what he has accomplished and I press on. Today is just another day toward the goal. I just need to get through today and every tomorrow will be easier and easier. I have been working toward a better me for almost 6 months now and have made great progress...more than I expected! I can only imagine where I will be in another six months. It all starts with today. There is no limit to what I can achieve and pretty soon, I could be running down the mountain with him! :) GO ME!
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