Rockin' Journey

I've been going through a challenging time lately and have had a hard time being consistent with my exercise.  Add in that I've been diagnosed with a double hernia and I've been confused about how to exercise.  I was doing a TurboFire rotation (which I did not keep up) and subbed a Shaun T Hip Hop Abs cardio for one of the workouts.  Man.  I hadn't felt that happy in a while.  And then I saw two videos of Shaun T dancing:  one to Single Ladies and another that was his entrance at the BB Coach Summit.  I couldn't stop smiling.

I'm not the greatest dancer but I love the way my body feels when it moves.  I did Zumba a while ago and enjoyed it so much. I never thought I would take a live class BUT THEN I got too much in my head.  I glanced at myself in the mirror at class and realized that my actual movement didn't match what I thought I was doing in my head.  And so, I started to feel self-conscious and what had been a soul thrilling workout for me started to lose its luster.  I did the workouts at home, but it wasn't the same.

Now I realize that everything starts in your head.  "As a man thinketh...."  I should have held onto the image in my head until the outside caught up.  That is true with everything.  Weight loss, relationships, success.  It all starts with the vision in your head and you hold it dear until the rest of the world catches up. 

So, now I am on Day 2 of Rockin' Body.  I finished Disco Groove at 35 minutes and at one point during the workout I actually thought, "Hey, where did the time go?"

Shaun T is so inspirational and when he said "Live!" my body screamed "Yes!"

I plan to finish the rotation and LIVE!!!!  I am going to enjoy the moment, the movement, and let the dancer inside my head shimmy to her heart's content.

Whole 30 Complete!

I finished my first Whole 30.  Woohoo!  I did have one cheat day on my fiance's birthday, had some tabouli another day before I remembered it had wheat in it, and once had bacon, which may have had some sugar.  But, overall, I am pretty proud of how I did during this Whole 30.

During the first two weeks of my Whole 30 I kept regaining and losing the same 2.5 lbs, so I stopped weighing myself so I wouldn't get discouraged.  I do feel good and am looking forward to having bacon for breakfast today (the bacon does have a small amount of sugar). 

Things I am going to keep doing:  watch all sweeteners -- even stevia.  Honey, maple syrup, stevia do have a place in my diet, but sometimes I reach for them without much thought, like honey as an automatic response to having tea, or stevia in my coffee.  Robb Wolf wrote that coffee doesn't have to taste like dessert and that made going without stevia in my coffee a little easier.  I don't miss it, and rather enjoy my coffee without it (especially the bulletproof coffee).  I am also going to continue to limit dairy.  My body doesn't love it, and I won't get rid of it entirely, but no need to make it a significant part of my diet.

I am going to bake a loaf of paleo bread using almond flour today and that does use honey, but I will feel more control after this Whole 30.  In the past, when I've backed paleo bread, I went kind of crazy.  I feel the Whole 30 allowed me to feel more in control of my eating.

I still need to work on portion sizes and calories do count, even on a paleo diet. 

As for measurements, I lost 5lbs and 2.75 inches (curiously, my waist went up half an inch.  grrrrr.)

My current workout is RKS kettlebells.  Also, I am going to add in DDP Yoga, when it arrives.  I do need to up the cardio and next week and joining a walking club in Newark that meets during the week.  I hope to do 2-3 walks a week.  I have been lax in my cardio training, but I do get a cardio benefit from RKS and I've done the beginner workout for DDP and can feel my heart rate going up.  Today, my heart monitor arrives and I'm excited that I will be able to add that data to the mix.

I will do another Whole 30 -- maybe I will add them to the mix seasonally. 

Onward!

Day 11/30

So I am on my 11th day of my Whole 30.  I really want to honor the promises I made to myself.  I have been doing well, but my sweetie pie's birthday is coming up and we are going to go out for dinner. No carbs, no sugar, no alcohol, may be a challenge.  So for the past four days, I have been in agony physically.  Not sure if it is because I am not getting enough fiber or because of "female" reasons, but I have been bloated, crampy and haven't been feeling optimal.  Two nights I was in so much pain, I couldn't even sleep.  I've been taking pepcid and using hot water bottles at night but I still slightly feel off today.  I even felt like I was bloating after my green drink, which is very odd. 

And it has affected my workouts.  I didn't workout at all the day before yesterday -- I had a step workout on schedule, and attempted it yesterday and only did 2/3 of the workout.  I also have a weight workout on schedule today but kind of don't feel like it although I will do it.  For sure.  I am not feeling so badly that I can't workout and I don't want to lose any gains -- especially because I am sure I'll be feeling better in a day or two and don't want to be mad at myself for not keeping my commitment.

Onward and downward (in terms of the scale and measurements!)

Whole 30 Challenge

Today I am starting both a Whole 30 Challenge (http://whole9life.com/2012/01/whole-30-v2012/) and doing the Cross-Training Les Mills Pump rotation, which is also 30 days. For the past 8-10 weeks I have been doing the Pump rotation. I have definitely gained muscle but not lost any fat. The Cross-Training rotation will help with fat loss as well as the Whole 30. I made a fritatta last night with ham, spinach, mushrooms, onion and eggs. I'll have turkey in my salad. And for dinner I will have a steak and some veggies. I really want and need to see major transformation. I look at the Pump rotation as setting up the foundation. I am transitioning to a Paleo/Primal way of eating and hope the Whole 30 will be a reset for me.

My workout today was a 30 minute step routine.  Wowza.  I didn't use any risers and had a hard time keeping up.  On the plus side:  there is much room for growth.  This was definitely a sweaty one.

I am also using my Zaggora Hot Pants.  I am going to wear for two weeks to see if I get any loss.  At the very least it is additional warmth that could help get my muscles warm.

Breakfast:  Mushroom, Spinach, Ham, Onion, Garlic Frittata.  Found on the Easy Paleo site.  Used my cast iron skillet, which I just bought this weekend, to make.  And made enough to last for four meals.

Lunch: Salad with peppers, avocado and deli turkey.  Not a big fan of deli meats, but am going to use because I already have on hand.

Dinner:  Steak and stir-fry veggies.