Prepping for the Mud Warrior

I was talked into jogging on the Monticello trail bright and early today.... really glad I did it.  It's a great trail that takes you up Carter mountain to Monticello's visitor center, about a 4 mile loop.  We took it slow, but the uphill climb was a challenge.   I'm feeling pretty good right now :)

All mixed up

Another issue with working nights is that you can end up eating breakfast meals at dinnertime and dinner meals at breakfast time.  Also, you often find yourself drinking beer at a time when most people are just heading off to work (you might be an alcoholic if...).

I woke up "early" today (about 2 hours before my alarm, meaning 330pm), so I decided to make a big breakfast and get a quick workout in before work.

 

That's a whole wheat english muffin stuffed with peanut butter and nutella (YUM), scrambled eggs, grapes, blueberries, a banana, and a clementine.  Also drinking my requisite mug o' coffee and some milk.   I'm hoping to feel pretty energized for a long night at work :)

Gonna work on the glutes today with some hip raises, squats, and different variations of lunges.  I'm also going to work on improving my foot strike while running - I'm a hard heel striker, so I really need to push my center of gravity forward more.  I imagine it will take a lot of practice.

Slow

Yesterday gatorA and I went for a jog on a trail near our apartment.  The trail follows a nice little creek, and there are points where you have to cross said creek via some rocks.  Last time we took the trail I ended up slipping on a rock and almost fell in (and gatorA watched with amusement).  With all the rain we've gotten lately, the water was a little too deep and was rushing a little too fast yesterday, so we ended up turning around and finding another trail.  The second trail was a little tougher - very narrow with a lot of rocks and tree roots, but it was fun (and maybe had an aura of "you might be kidnapped by a hillbilly at any moment," which made me run faster).  We estimated the whole trip was about 2 miles. 

We passed a couple other runners, and one of them had a very... unique... style.  I really hope people don't look at me running and think the same thing. 

Today I had a yummy breakfast of a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit with kiwis, clementines, and blueberries on the side (plus a big ol' mug of coffee).  It got me perfectly energized for my workout this afternoon.

I jogged an embarrassingly slow 2 miles on the treadmill... but it still felt good to get it done (and I didn't feel like I was dying at the end).  I really need to work on improving my time before the race, though.

Then I did a little back work:

• Lat pull-downs: 3 sets of 6 at 70lbs
• Seated rows: 3 sets of 6 at 70lbs
• Bent over rows: 3 sets of 10 with 15lbs each arm
• Bent over flys: 3 sets of 10 with 5lbs each arm

Now I'm off to shower and head to the mall to get a mani and a little shopping done.  Book club tonight!  We're discussing Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, so I'm making a Greek-themed appetizer of Tzatziki.  It's basically a dip made of Greek yogurt, sour cream, cucumbers, olive oil, vinegar, and dill (and I'm going to add some peppers and garlic).  I've never made it before, so hopefully it turns out alright.  I still have a couple chapters left to finish... lots to do today :)

xoxo

Lazy Saturday

I've been very lazy lately.  Night shifts can really screw up your "off-day" schedule if you're not careful, and you could end up wasting entire days by sleeping.  Couple that with some bad food decisions (*ahem* fried chicken and fries from the night shift grill, chinese food, and greasy breakfast with my ED crew), and I haven't been feeling so hot this week.

So today I decided to turn things around.  When gatorA got home, we booked it to the gym for a quick session before the UF vs Louisville game (which we're watching now).  I felt like kicking my butt into gear, so I did some of my favorite lower body workouts:

• Leg presses: 3 sets, increased weights from 170 to 180 to 190lbs and did as many as I could
• Squats: 3 sets of 12, increased total weight from 30 to 40lbs
• Around the world lunges: 3 sets of 5 lunges in each position
• Donkey kicks: 3 sets of 30 (I love these)
• Hip raises: 3 sets of 20 with a 15lb weight over my hips

Tonight is date night :)  We're going to check out the Royal Indian restaurant and then go to a movie.  We keep our date nights simple, but that's how we like it.  I figure Indian food offers a lot of healthy options without being boring.  Plus we love spicy food (sadly gatorA's spicy-tolerance is much higher than mine... I'm a terrible Korean).


A week ago, gatorA and I went hiking at Crabtree falls.  There are a lot of great hiking trails around Charlottesville, but this particular hike offers views of one of the tallest waterfalls east of the Mississippi.  It's a steep 3.5 mile loop, which really got my heart pumping and legs burning, but it felt great to finish it.  Plus, the views were incredible.

We had a quick lunch at the top of the falls with the stream gurgling next to us, and it was beautiful.  I'd definitely recommend it to anyone interested in hiking.

Alright, back to the game... our Gators have a good run at the Final Four :)

Protein

Today for breakfast I had a bowl of oatmeal mixed with gatorA's chocolate whey protein powder, a glass of milk with some of gatorA's muscle milk powder, a toast sandwich with peanut butter and bananas, and an apple and banana on the side.  I was pretty full and energized, so I cleaned the apartment from top to bottom.

I decided to test myself against the fitness recommendations for the Mud Warrior.  Here's how I did:

Pushups: 15 [Goal 30]
Situps: 76 [Goal 75]
Lunges: 35 (each leg) [Goal 35]
Squats: 70 [Goal 40]
Pull ups: I can't do any :( [Goal 5]
Run: 1.5 miles in 18 minutes on a trail near our apartment
100 meter wind spints: [didn't do these today]
Planks for 30 seconds: 5 [Goal 3]

Needless to say, my lower body is a lot stronger than my upper body (probably due to all the focus I put on my butt during my workouts).  When gatorA gets home from work, we're going to hit the gym, and I'll do some treadmill and upper body work.  T-minus 4 weeks to the race!

Here's what I've made for lunch:























That's a pita pocket sandwich with red pepper hummus, cucumbers, salami and ham.  Carrots, pickles, and Clementine on the side.  GatorA just got home and wants to go for a run, so I'm sticking this plate in the fridge for when we get back.

Then it's time for UF vs UVA basketball!

Here's to a good start to the day :)

Mud Warrior

I've registered for the Mud Warrior.  I'll be running it with a big group of people from work... and when I say "running," I really mean just trying to finish the entire 8K obstacle course.  I've got a little over 5 weeks to train myself for the challenge.  But it's going to be a fun time!

The Mud Warrior website recommends a training goal for women: 30 pushups, 40 squats, 35 lunges, 75 sit-ups, 5 pull-ups, run 3 miles without stopping at a max time of 50 minutes, 3-100 meter sprints, and 3 planks for 30 seconds.

Right off the bat,  I know I can do the planks no sweat.  I could probably do the squats and lunges with some sweating.  The rest will be my goals for these next 5 weeks, but realistically I know I won't reach them all.  Still, it's great to have a goal I can measure myself against.

I fit a total body workout in today before work:

• Jogged a mile (I really need to work on improving my time)
• 3 wall sits at 30 seconds each, while also doing bicep curls with 5lb weights
• 3 sets of hip raises with a 15lb weight over my hips, 20 reps
• 3 supermans, holding for 30 seconds
• 3 V-sits, holding for 30 seconds

I'm working the next 6 out of 7 days, so I don't know how much exercise I'll be able to fit in there, but I'll at least try to keep my diet healthy (which is a real challenge working night shifts).

Last night's dinner was ruled delicious by both gatorA and me.

 

That's cajun catfish (catfish rubbed in Whole Foods' cajun seasoning), with asparagus roasted in olive oil, salt, and pepper.  GatorA included a couple of my Gluten-free Quinoa Pizza Bites with marinara, a recipe I found on fitsugar and adapted to add pepperoni bits.  (I had them for lunch today, and they're quite savory.) 

That's my glass of red wine and plate of fruit and cucumbers on the side :)

Last night's workout focused on my back:

• 3 sets of bent over rows, 12 reps with 15lbs each arm
• 3 sets of plank rows, 5 reps each arm with 15lbs 
• 3 sets of lat pull-downs, as many reps as possible with 70lbs
• 3 sets of upright rows, as many reps as possible with 70lbs
• Then I did some ab work with V-sits, planks, and side planks holding 5lbs

Can't give up carbs

My dinner last night involved veggies (extra tomato), cheese, lots of grains, and of course some protein (*cough* pepperoni).  I rationalized my lapse in healthier eating by deciding that I need a carb-heavy meal once in awhile so I don't lose weight... um, right?  Oh, pizza, I can't quit you.

I don't pretend to be a health nut.  Basically my goal is to make the majority of my meals healthy, but if I cheat a couple times a week I don't feel guilty about it.  I do feel guilty if I skip the gym, though.

Monday night I made some better choices.  GatorA and I had a very nice dinner of Whole foods salmon filets, mine blueberry and his tarragon mustard.  We pan seared them in some olive oil, and they came out just right.  For the side, I used this recipe from The Pioneer Woman (love her) to make some delicious Brussels sprouts, and I added carrots for extra color.

voila!

GatorA is a big fan of Brussels sprouts, and he's turned me onto them, too.  But I really enjoyed the carrots (simply roasted in olive oil, salt, and pepper).

This was my dessert:

I love me some grapes (I know they're basically just fruit sugar, but that's why they're so TASTY).

Monday night's workout was all arms.

• 3 sets of bicep curls, as many reps as possible with 15lbs each arm
• 3 sets tricep dips, 20 reps
• 3 sets of push ups with my shins on a Swiss ball, as many as possible
• 3 sets of shoulder presses, 15lbs each arm, as many reps as possible

Tuesday night's workout was legs and butt.

• 4 sets of 12 squats holding 30lbs
• 3 sets of "around-the-world" lunges, 5 reps per set
• 3 sets of leg presses, 6 reps each at 150lbs
• 25 donkey kicks on each leg

I know none of this is impressive, but when I first started working out the right way a few years ago and did a similar lower body workout, I wound up with thigh muscle sprains so bad that I couldn't walk for a couple days (sadly not an exaggeration).  So the fact that I can do that workout and not feel sore today is an improvement.

I love finding new workout ideas on the internet.  My go-to sites are Fitsugar.com, Womenshealthmag.com, and Shape.com.  But sometimes I'll find random ideas on places like tumblr and pinterest.  It's good to mix things up so you don't get bored with the same routines every week.

Dear journal...

Here's a little food and exercise journal to get me started on documenting my health journey.  This will be very boring to read, so I recommend you skip it.


Yesterday's workout:
Back

• 3 seated cable rows with 75lbs, 6 reps
• 3 sets of lat pull downs with 70lbs, 6 reps
• 3 sets of bent over rows, 15lbs each arm, 12 reps
• 3 sets of reverse flys, 5lbs each arm, 10 reps

Core

• 3 planks for 45 seconds to 1 minute
• 2 side planks for 30 seconds each side, with 5lb free weight
• 2 sets of captain chairs, 15 reps
• 2 sets of mountain climbers, 20 reps then 50 reps
• 3 V-sits building up to 1 minute
• 3 sets of knee tuck crunches on the swiss ball, 10 reps (my favorite exercise!  For a video demonstration, go here Fitsugar: Knee tuck crunches) 

Yesterday's dinner:

• 2 Whole foods quesadillas dipped in Moe's Hard Rock sauce (the black bean was delicious!)
• Full plate of fruit and veggies that looked a lot like this (except instead of melon and apples I had bananas and baby carrots):

 

• Cracked pepper and olive oil Wheat Thins with Alouette pepper medley dip (yum)

Today's breakfast:

• Scrambled egg whites (with a handful of cheddar cheese to make sure I get my daily cholesterol requirement!)
• Handful of baby carrots
• Whole wheat english muffin with cream cheese (gotta get that cholesterol... : /  )
• Mason jar of milk and big mug of coffee

And now I'm off to try out the P90x yoga dvd.  When I say "try out," I mean attempt the first few moves then fast forward through the rest of the 90 minute video.  Oh Tony, you so crazy.

Let's get started

I'm on a new fitness and health kick.  Except I don't want to call it a "kick" because that implies it'll end.  Let's call it a... paradigm (as in The Seven Habits!... was anyone else forced to read that in high school?). 

Anyway, it boils down to working out more and choosing healthier foods.  Now let me be honest here - I was blessed with the thin gene (passed down by my Asian mother and lanky father), so I'm not trying to lose any weight.  I just want what we all want: to feel better and to look better (maybe not in that order, and maybe in time for a few choice beach vacations we have planned this year).

 *ahem*

And so I started frequenting our apartment's gym (nearly) every day, eating less processed foods and more fruitsveggieswholegrainsfish and taking my vitamins.  AND broadening my grocery shopping horizon by visiting this place:

I pledge not to become one of those Whole Foods people though.  YouknowwhatI'mtalkingabout.

I've been going strong for about a month now.  I wanted to start documenting my progress, and what better way to do that than a blog that I'll probably forget to update after a week's time?  So here goes.

 

 

A few things I'd like to share about myself:

• I'm a University of Florida alumna, with bachelors degrees in French (practical!) and Nursing
• I'm planning a wedding, and may do some wedding planning blogging here (I'm sorry)
• It's snowing cats and dogs (?) outside this morning.  My fiance (gatorA) got his car stuck in the snow on his way to work, so he had to take my car, which leaves me no choice but to stay inside and start a blog
• I've been an ER nurse going on 4 years.  I work nights.  You can safely assume I'm a strange person.
• GatorA and I moved from Florida to Virginia with our cat, Biscuit, in June 2011, so GatorA could start his psychiatry residency
• Biscuit is pronounced the French way, as in Bis-quee (he's so pretentious, just look at him):

Signed,

GatorJ