interesting findings

Hope you all had a fabulous holiday weekend. I know I did!

I read some interesting articles that I will share with you in a minute. But first...

I stepped on the scale this morning, it's been a while. I've been pigging out literally for the past 4 weeks not and I have not gained an ounce! I haven't been working out like a crazy maniac, eating like there's no tomorrow, and I weigh exactly the same. I was so baffled by this that I mentioned it to my husband, to which he replied, "Maybe you've got enough muscle to sustain now...". Hmm, wouldn't that be fun?!

Ok, so onto this article. My mom gets ELLE magazine, for reasons unknown to her (haha) and so she always gives it to me. I would never buy this magazine on my own because I'm not a hard core fashionista and it's 90% ads for things I can't afford. But since she gives it to me, I look at it.

Much to my wondrous surprise, there was an article about whether or not cardio is really necessary. Naturally, I HAD to read it. Lucky for me, the author had the same mentality as me when it comes to the treadmill, "Mind-numbingly dull"...yep. Plus, she adds that a 45 minute workout ends up taking 2 hours when you factor in travel time, showering, etc. True dat! But it has to be done to stay fit, am I right?

So, to answer the question, Yes, according to pretty much every study ever done, you need cardiovascular exercise. But the question lies in how much? Well, lucky for those of us who don't particularly enjoy jogging 10 miles a day, there is no need to in order to be super fit. YAY! Of course, I already knew this.

Turns out, you can do more good just doing as little as 3 minutes a week than you can doing 30 minutes 5 times per week. Yeah, I didn't believe it either, but listen. We all know that HIIT training is a super efficient way of getting in cardio and reaping multiple benefits that range from conditioning your heart, to speed, to stamina, to fat loss. And you don't need to spend 7 hours a week doing it. Which appeals to a lot of us who'd rather be doing other things. Look, I like to exercise, but I'd much rather be photoshopping or playing with my kids or sitting in the shade with a good book.

In a study done on cyclists, who were seperated into two groups, one group riding for 2 1/2 hours and the second group doing intervals of 30 second max-intensity sets followed by 4 minutes of rest, each group showed identical endurance-related molecular changes in their muscle tissue, even though one group only exercised a total of 15 minutes as opposed to the other's 10 1/2 hours. Shocking, isn't it?

Not only that, but blood vessels get more elastic during interval training, the same as what is seen with much larger amounts of traditional cardio. "There seems to be lot of benefit in terms of increased fat burning when you go one step beyond aerobic exercise and get your anaerobic system working, which is the one that leaves you breathless and a little uncomfortable." Another bonus, HIIT may subdue appetite, thereby alleviating the urge to pig out that so many people experience after long runs.

This sounds a little like the article in TIME magazine where they basically said you shouldn't exercise because it makes you hungrier. But that was stupid. Who tells the masses NOT to exercise? I do feel hungrier on days where I workout, but if you eat properly and at the right times, it's not going to adversely affect your weight versus pigging out on crap.

So getting back to the 3 minutes per week thing. Here's the skinny: Ever heard of Tabata? This is something I've done before. It's 20 seconds if maximum effort exercise followed by 10 seconds rest, repeated 8 times. It's great. Apparently if you do all out sprints like this, you might puke...haha. This is said to deliver the same fat burning effect as an hour of exercise....in 4 minutes! Nice! Who would EVER go back to conventional cardio after that finding?? It's not for everyone I guess. Not all of us can handle it or even like it. But I'm more of a - get in, work hard, get out - type of girl. Not a - I think I'll have a relaxing reading session while I'm on the stationary bike for an hour - type of girl.

It's now generally agreed that long-duration cardio shouldn't be the main thrust of anyone's exercise regimen, anyway. "And when you do cardio, about a third of every pound you lose is going to come from muscle tissue." - Brad Schoenfeld, CSCS, lecturer in Exercise Science at the City University of New York and author of the upcoming The MAX Muscle Plan. "And when you lose muscle, your metabolism becomes suppressed, so it makes it harder for you to lose weight and can ultimately cause you to gain." This is why the obvious choice (to me) for exercising is weight training. He recommends doing 25-minute resistance-training circuits which are a good way to sneak in cardio. "Your heart rate is elevated, and you're burning calories while adding lean muscle tissue." Win win. Oh, and it takes less time. Another win.

Now, onto another article which debunks some fitness myths. It turns out, harder faster longer is not the path to a healthy brain and body, according to Gretchen Reynolds in her new book, The First 20 Minutes. (this also taken from ELLE)

One thing that caught my eye was the myth that there is no such thing as too much exercise. Turns out, there IS. According to scans from a group of sedentary middle-aged people versus serious athletes, the athletes had scarring in their heart muscles, while the sedentary group had none! This reminds me of a post I did a while back. It also makes me think about elite athletes that drop dead, like that Norwegian swimmer who died a few weeks back, and he was in his early 20's. Heart related death I believe. Scary.

There was an experiment done on mice where one group was made to run for more than 2 hours and the other jogged for 30 minutes. Both groups were then infected with the human influenza virus. 70% of the group that ran over 2 hours died compared to the group who jogged 30 minutes (almost all recovered!). In exercise, as in most things, moderation may be best.

Got me some sore hammies today

Oh, I knew it was going to be bad today. I busted my butt in the gym yesterday. I worked it all and worked it hard. EVERYTHING hurts. This is why I'm going to love getting back to a split routine. Going to start that Monday (since I didn't this week).

My new diet went really well yesterday. And I almost drank an entire gallon of water! I keep a gallon jug in the fridge so I know how I'm doing. It's harder than you think!

Today, I've got my 6 year old's birthday party. We invited the whole class but since it's a holiday weekend, not many are able to come. That's fine with me. 20 kindergartners would be too much for me to handle. Even her teacher told me I was brave!

Tonight, my husband is taking me out for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. One of the area's few "fine dining" spots. And since we love the show "Chopped" and like to try our hand at restaurant quality food with our own competitions at home, it will be fun to pretend to judge their food. I know, we're sort of dorky that way.

Hope you have a great weekend!

p.s. I'm addicted to grilled chicken thighs. They are SO dang delicious!

My day yesterday

My youngest daughter turned 6 yesterday. I was so busy while the kids were at school, running around getting supplies for the party, making decorations, baking and decorating a cake, etc, that I "forgot" to eat lunch! Why do I procrastinate like this EVERY TIME? Pretty much the only lunch (if you can call it that) I had was nibbling on cake as I was carving it to look like a lalaloopsy doll head.

This white cake was SO incredibly fluffy and soft, it made frosting it pretty hellish. I didn't run into any real problems until I was almost done with the second pony tail. The bottom half just crumbled and fell apart because the frosting was so heavy. Luckily I had baked extra cake and just carved out a new one. But it only held up for about an hour or so before crumbling again. I was most impressed by the fact that I was able to mix up a color that resembled "skin color".

Per Emma's request, I made a blue cake with pink frosting in the layers. It was supposed to have 3 tiers but one of my tiers completely crumbled when I took it out of the pan. Next time I carve a cake, it will not be this white cake again. Way too soft.

The funny thing is, I was so calm and collected throughout the whole process. Even when the pony tail crumbled apart, I just scraped it off and made a new one. SO unlike me! Typically I'd be stressing and probably swearing. I guess my new pills are working for me...haha ;)

So for dinner, we had sliders and chips. I didn't think I'd want any cake after all the frosting licking and cake nibbling I did. But I had cake for dessert too. My stomach hurt SO bad that it woke me up during the night! And I still had cramps this morning! THIS is why I just cannot eat like this anymore. It's not just about trying to keep my body looking good, it's because it literally makes me feel miserable!

And with that, I give you my new and improved diet plan:

Meal 1: 4-6 egg whites, oatmeal
Meal 2: whey shake and banana (post workout)
Meal 3: 4 oz grilled poultry or white fish w/ Mrs. Dash, 1 c. spinach, 1/2 c. brown rice topped with oil/vinegar/cracked pepper
Meal 4: 3/4 c. cottage cheese (or chicken or fish), 2 tbsp raw almonds, 3/4 c. chopped broccoli topped with oil/vinegar/cracked pepper and onion
Meal 5: same as 3
Meal 6: same as 2

And at least 2 liters, preferably 1 gallon of water per day

I copied this from a website but I'll be damned if I can't find it now! I've been running the same search and still can't get it....weird. So I'm sorry, I can't give proper credit :( I'll keep trying though.

She says "Yes, it's repetitive. But it works." She also says that the reason you aren't getting the results you want is because you're giving in to temptation. You HAVE to be strict and sacrifice. It's not about your preferences and taste. Simple as that.

And I will leave you with this...........HOLY CRAP!

I'm pretty sure my husband would divorce me if I got this muscular but I gotta admit...I sort of love it :)

Good Morning

I have a few minutes before I have to get going so I thought I'd type a quick post for y'all. I'm meeting my kindergartner and her class at the zoo this morning. Should be fun!

I want to introduce you to someone; say hello to my swoop!

Granted, it's not a very big one, and I still have to flex to see it, for the most part, but it's there! I've worked so hard for it! I'm still a bit lumpy, but I'm not stressing over it. Now I need to concentrate on the upper part, the glute/ham tie in, as it is commonly referred. THAT is the sexy part (if you can build it up)!

My hammies were so sore yesterday. When I touched them they felt really inflated. Maybe they were swollen from training. Does that happen?

I put my bikini on yesterday and felt......good! I really honestly did. I was happy with myself and what I saw in the mirror. I know I'm not perfect, who is? But I think that it's about time I stop picking apart every flaw and be proud of who I am. I can wear a bikini, what's not to love?!

Renewed Energy

So yesterday was the first time back at the gym in two weeks. I had been working out at home during that time. My mom was sick (again), and I was in my rut so I wasn't excited about going to the gym. It's nice to have equipment at home for days when I just don't feel like going out. Yesterday I was back to my usual self though. Raring to go! It was a great feeling. I love when that renewed energy hits me after I've been in a slump.

I am starting to do split training again. So I did lower body. I didn't split up the muscle groups, however. I worked it all, glutes, hamstrings, quads and calves. Afterwards, I was doing some leg raises when suddenly this wave of nausea hit me. It was so bad I had to quit because I thought I would get sick right there on the bench! I was a little disappointed because I had so much energy that I was planning on doing a little hill walking afterwards. I ended up feeling fine once I got to my car. I think it might have been too much protein powder. It's just a guess, but I had a casein drink for breakfast with my oatmeal and then my regular pre-workout whey drink not long after. Needless to say I just couldn't stomach anymore post-workout. I had pumpkin pancakes instead.

I have to get over my issues with split training. I know it's necessary if I ever want to grow, but it just doesn't feel like I'm working hard enough. Maybe if I add more volume, it won't seem that way. I guess if I'm not panting and sweating and flying around like a maniac doing circuits with a lot of explosive movements, I don't feel like I'm "working out". But training at such a high intensity all the time isn't good. I know this. I know. It's one of those mental issues I just have to get over.

Even though I'm not a fan of cardio exclusively for a training regimen, that doesn't mean that I don't still like to do some for the benefits it provides. I don't really think that a 20 minutes session after a weight training workout is going to strip away any muscle. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure you would only have to worry about that if you constantly did high intensity cardio or cardio lasting over an hour most days. I should be fine with 20 minutes 4 times a week. I can't believe I'm saying this but I actually miss climbing on the elliptical after weight training. Shhh.....don't tell anyone!

Today is upper body, which always feels easier than legs. Even if my workout consists of the harder exercises: pull ups, dips, push ups, etc. there is still only so much you can do. I'm not sure I could do more than 4 sets of pull ups, for instance. So it would be a perfect day to get that 20 minute cardio in. I'll probably superset compound movements with isolation movements again. I like doing that. Maybe some pyramids. Whatever it is, I want to give it 110%.

Fresh new start

Well, it's time to get back into the groove tomorrow. I've had a good break from strict eating, now I'm ready to get back to my normal diet. I don't know how people can eat junk on a daily basis. It just makes me feel like crap. And feeling crappy most of the day isn't worth the few minutes of joy spent eating deliciously nasty food.

I've had everything from hot dogs, to chips, to ice cream to cake.....you name it, I've probably been eating it. My husband has been my cheerleader through it all. He really likes to see me eat. Especially chocolate. He is always trying to fatten me up like I'm the Christmas pig.

I'm moving to a 5 day split weight training routine. I'm hoping this will help me grow. I'm going to really push myself to lift as heavy as I can and keep it increasing from week to week. There is NOTHING quite like the feeling you get when you lift at a weight that was once too difficult.

Another thing I'm really going to strive for is at least 3 servings of vegetables per day. I've been really slacking off getting my veggies in. Although yesterday morning I had halibut, with spinach, onions, avocado and strawberries for breakfast. Yes, fish for breakfast. Not something I've ever done before, but it was leftover from the previous night so I thought, what the heck...

Other than that, not much to report. I'm totally stunned that I'm still fitting into my pants after these past 2 weeks but I'm not complaining! I've only been working out 3 times per week (since cutting cardio) and that makes me feel like a bit of a slacker too. But even I can admit that it's nice to have a little slow down after you've been hitting it hard and intense for so long. I can tell when I'm over reaching because it starts to get harder and harder to motivate myself to workout.

I'll fill you in on my "new" workout tomorrow.

just loving and enjoying life

I've slowed down my training quite a bit in the last 2-3 weeks. This past week, I will have done only 3 weight training sessions and NO cardio (except for rebounding, but I'm not really sure that counts?).

On Monday, the workout looked short on paper, but it was tough! 4 supersets x 3, each of the 8 exercises used were big compound movements.

On Wednesday, I did 2 giant sets. Each set was completed twice through before getting to rest (total of 4 sets). By the end of the workout, I had completed 20 minutes walking on the treadmill at max incline 40 deadlifts, 40 jump squats, 40 db lunges (each leg), and 240 mountain climbers. Followed by 20 minutes of rebounding.

Last night, I was doing some gymnastics out in the yard with my girls. Cartwheels, round offs and back walkovers (only helping with the back walkovers though). It's SOOOO nice to be nearly 40 and still able to play outside in the yard and outlast my kids most of the time! They are always so amazed by the things I can do, especially if they can't do it themselves. This fitness lifestyle of mine is not just about appearance!!

I remember being at the park one time and doing a "penny drop" .... they were literally in awe and wanted me to do it over and over. If you are unfamiliar with what that is, you are sitting on top of a stable bar, fall forward and tuck under, swing your arms out on the backward swing, let your legs go off the bar and land on your feet. I know that isn't a good explanation of it, but it's the best I've got.

Actually, they were impressed by the mere fact that I could pull myself up to a sitting position on the bar, let alone do a flip off of it and land on my feet. This is the stuff I used to do on the playground as an elementary school kid, and I can still do it after all these years. That is something to take pride in, I think.

My diet has been much more relaxed. I eat what I want, when I want, and I actually feel less stressed and happier. But my stomach doesn't like it. I know I've said that before. But it's the truth. I haven't felt "normal" in weeks. My mom says, "Oh, you'll get used to it." HA! Oh no I won't! I'm not going to let my body get "used to it" ever again! I just want to enjoy myself, my family and my life - our time together - without feeling selfish, strained, stressed (anymore S-words?).

I'll be back to more fit-n-friendly eating soon, but I'm in no hurry ;)