Even though I didn’t perform as well as I had hoped, it’s pretty cool to see my name as the record holder for my weight class! Glad to get my first meet out of the way! Now I’ve got to make it look pretty and hang on to that spot!
Setting the new record in June at the Jill Mills Alamo Classic!!!
I went on my first run in almost a month this morning. It had been too long for various reasons but mostly because I badly twisted my right ankle.
I recently noticed stress creeping in over the last few days, maybe weeks. Running somehow allows my mind to clearly think. While running, I do listen to music or a podcast but I always wonder off.
I was able to think about my upcoming promotion, training for my next powerlifting meet, my new business and having lunch with my dad this afternoon. I was able to take deep breaths and ponder different paths with opposing directions to help guide me in making solid decisions for my life.
This is mediation. A breathing and visualisation process while at peace.
Our workout for this morning was inspired by the ASU Plate Workout, just modified for an hour class! These were my plate exercises:
Bicep Curls
Military Presses
Over the shoulder Throws
Around the World
Bent-Over Rows
Wheel Turns
Front Raises
OH Tricep Extensions
Rounds of reps:
18/16/14/12/10/8/6/4/2
30sec rest between rounds 1-4 then 15sec rest between rounds 5-8.
30min workout total!
Ahhh….sigh…..what a day! I woke up refreshed after my second night in a row sleeping 8-9hrs. I had an excellent 2hour training session in my garage gym.
This is what I did:
Pin Presses – I warmed up up to my workset which were singles of 130 3 times, just 5lbs shy of my body weight. I hadn’t pressed that much weight before so that’s why I laughed after my first set. To me, the bar went up very, very, very slowly….LOL!
I moved onto bench presses working with 3 different hand placements. I worked with 75lbs and did 3 reps at 3 different hand grips for 3 sets. This was really cool, I’ll probably add a little more weight next time.
Next were Bent-Over Rows. I did 5 sets of 3 at 120#. Could probably do a little more weight next time or add more reps.
My fourth exercise was the Upright Rows. I had to play with my hand placement because I kept feeling a nerve get pinched during the movement. I need an adjustment, I miss my chiropractor! I did 5 sets of 3 at 75#, could add more reps next time, maybe do a 5×5.
Next I did Lat Pull Downs with a close grip, one of my favorite back exercises! Today I did 5 sets of 3 at 100#.
Lastly, I did a little core. I wanted to go heavy and do just a few reps but I was a little fired up so I kept going. I used a 25# plate on my first set of 25, actually the video showed me I did 24, then I dropped the weight to a 10# plate for the last 2 sets of 25. It was tough on my shoulders, it burned so good.
On another note, I had my time to speak during “citizen communication” time at the Owners Association meeting tonight about proposing they implement an affordable rate for Fitness Instructors to host boot camps in our neighborhood parks. I only got just a few minutes but I did well getting my points across. They at least did not say no, instead they want to have a follow up meeting after discussing this topic amongst themselves…..fingers are crossed!
Check this out!
Gound beef, browned in no special way with no spices…grass-fed beef doesn’t need it!
Heirloom forbidden rice, I’m diggin’the black rice! It’s got kind of a sticky quinoa texture and a taste similar to Jasmine rice. 1c dry yields 3c cooked so this stuff will last!
Baby Bella Mushrooms sauteed in butter, grass -fed, of course 🙂
Lacinto kale sauteed in MCT oil, garlic, onions and potatoes.
I topped it off with broiled organic Roma tomatoes!
I’m really excited to try new dark leafy greens this week! I’ve had good ole green kale before but not these bad boys!
From left to right, I’ve got Russian Kale, Red Kale & Lacinato Kale.
First up, Red Kale…with eggs!
…and burnt toast, ha!
Red Kale tasted just like Green Kale and stayed crunchy after being sauteed.
What I’ve learned about the health benefits of Kale is that they area loaded with antioxidants and Vitamins A, K & C. It also supports eye health and its fiber content helps regulate cholesterol levels.
So….eat more kale! Oh and throw a handful of it in your smoothie 😉
For the past 6 months I’ve really been diggin’ some Oats for my pre workout fuel on my weightlifting days. I ALWAYS crush my workouts and feel great throughout the hour or two. No matter the time of day, 15-30min before a workout, oats do me good!
I’m currently going between Steel Cut Oats and Organic Rolled Oats and prep a few servings at a time. To make Steel Cut Oats, boil 2c of water then add 1c of Oats (dry), reduce heat to very low and let it sit for 20-25min covered. This makes 4 servings. My like adding a dash of Flaxseed Milk into one of the four precooked servings, pop in the microwave for 1min then add 1tbsp of fresh almond butter, a handful of berries like blackberries, blueberries, strawberries or raspberries, a sprinkle of cinnamon and 1-2 tsp of local honey (tastes great and helps with seasonal allergies).
Oats keep me full longer and better than Instant or Quick Oats. Quick & Instant Oats are processed to be broken down for faster cooking which gets digested quickly, making them higher in GI, leaving you hungry shortly after. Groats, Steel Cut, Rolled Oats are lower in GI, keeping you full longer.
Here’s a quick description of some Oat types. Some of I’ve experimented with while others are next in line or not at all.
I’ve been meal prepping for a while and the usual suspects in my sauteed veggies are zucchini, crimini mushrooms, yellow onions, garlic, poblano pepper and spinach or kale. I like adding herbs like cilantro or basil or fennel seed and spices like turmeric, pepper, sea salt, garam marsala or cayenne.
Today, I’m switching things up a bit and cooking with Rainbow Chard for the first time this week! In the pic you’ll see a beautiful batch of a new kind of sauteed veggies along with protein! This includes:
This yields about 6 cups. For protein, I’ve got 1lb of ground chicken (4 servings) & 1lb of shrimp (4 servings)!
An all organic meal for days!
This week I’m cooking with Rainbow Chard! Rainbow Chard is leafy green with bright red, orange or yellow stems and is actually classified as a beet. This large “leaf” is similar to Spinach in how it cooks and tastes. It is slightly bitter but not bad at all, the bitterness goes away when cooked. It is also known as Swiss Chard, Silverbeet, Perpetual Spinach, Spinach Beet, Crab Beet, Bright Lights, Seakale Beet, and Mangold. I’ve learned that Rainbow Chard has large amounts of Vitamin A and moderate amounts of Vitamin K and C and is rich in minerals and dietary fiber.
Here, I simply chopped one leaf then sauteed it with grass-fed butter for about 3 min then added whole eggs.
I learned about Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) in 2011. I had heard about a race that puts you through mud pits, rope climbs and crawling under barbed wire and I though “Whoa, how awesome would that be!” I had just missed the local Tough Mudder so the next OCR would be the Spartan Sprint. Spartan offers 4 levels of obstacle courses; the Sprint (3+ miles/15+ obstacles), the Super (8+ miles/20+ obstacles), the Beast (12+ miles/25+ obstacles) and the Ultra Beast (26.2ish miles).
I checked out the Spartan website to see when the next race in my area would be. It was May 2012 and I had a solid 12 weeks to train. I got a team together with my crew from from Full Force Fitness (now Pinnacle Training Center). We offered free Saturday morning Spartan race training classes to anyone who signed up for the race. Training included lots of rope climbs, bear crawls & crab walks, push/pulling exercises, high box jump overs, pull ups and a lot of running. I ran many miles on my own too. My husband and I had gotten married early March and planned our honeymoon for early May. We went to Vermont and spent our time hiking the Appalachian Mountains….perfect training conditions!
Race day was approaching and I started to do some research on what to wear and pack for the race. I got some good tips but I knew I couldn’t be fully prepared and I just needed to run my race. Here’s what I learned:
The biggest tip would be to JUST HAVE FUN. If you’re like me, all I could think about was finishing with the best time. While I was still having fun doing it, I was also seeing people at a slower pace having just as much fun helping their buddies through obstacles and supporting each other to simply get through the race.
I’ve done the Spartan Sprint in Burnet Texas twice, 2012 & 2013. This year, it’s been changed to the Spartan Super and I’m ready for it!!
