H2O

So in chatting with some fitness pals I was told if you really want to further your weight loss you should consume at least half your body weight in ounces, upwards of a gallon everyday.

1 Gallon Example:  10 12oz water bottles

Your body has to adjust so until then you will make frequent bathroom trips.

This may have not been the best thing to start doing during the run of a play, but hey.

I also will be doing a 5 Day Challenge in anticipation of my upcoming Birthday. Crash diets are a no-no, but this challenge can help you to lose a couple lbs and tone up in a short period of time when something unexpected comes up. Not that my Birthday was unexpected lol. This will serve as a jumping off point for me to get even more serious about my nutrition and fitness regimen as I will have more time once my show has ended (at least until the next one).

Also, I will be adding Dandelion Root to my Supplement Intake. Athletes who cut weight in order to make certain weight classes take Dandelion Root to drop excess water weight. It is a natural diuretic that helps the body to rid itself of excess fluids and waste. Water pulled from the body helps to give your muscles a leaner and more toned appearance.

My Current Supplement Intake (will add units later)

Fish Oil

Iron

B-12

Vitamin C with rose hips 2 500 milligram capsules

Fiber

Yesterdays lunch in the gym session included a 1 mile run followed by upper body weight lifting with free weights and the lat pull station.

Last nights meal before the play was a turkey wrap with lettuce, low fat ranch, tomato and feta.

This weekends task: Buy a jump rope for both home and the gym where it is hit and miss if there is one available. Jumping rope is a great HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout. 1 minute jump rope/1 minute rest 10 reps for a 20 minute cardio session.

Friday

Breakfast

Vanilla whey protein powder ~ one scoop (140 cal)

Fiber powder ~ 2 tsp (15 cal)

Blueberry cocktail juice ~ roughly 6 oz (81 cal)

Dannon (typically Activia, someone was out) Light & Fit Vanilla Yogurt ~ 2 Tbsp (14 cal)

Lunch

Healthy Choice Sweet & Tangy Bbq Chicken with Potatoes & Corn (320 cal)

Dinner

Will be grilled by my brother as it is a balmy 65 degree January day

Snacks

HyVee Trail Mix (140 cal)

Kraft Cheese Stick (70 cal)

Weekend outlook: Saturday morning I am meeting two cast members from the play I am currently rehearsing for, The Odd Couple, to costume search, have lunch and run lines. Sunday my gym offers three classes I love back to back to back. Do I dare do them all? As I suspected though (I just checked my gyms app) the classes are offered in such a way that you're going, going, going then stretching then dancing your ass off... up, down, up...hm...

1/10/13

I have had trouble sleeping and last night was no exception. I got maybe 3.5 to 4 hours sleep, which included bad dreams. By ten after 4am I was nearly fully awake so I got up shortly after that and got ready for the gym. Thursday mornings at 5:30 they have a 60 minute cycle class that I used to attend. 

Breakfast

Pre Workout

Weight Control Oatmeal (160 cal)

Post Workout

Vanilla whey protein powder ~ one scoop ((140 cal)

Fiber powder ~ 2 tsp (15 cal)

Blueberry cocktail juice ~ roughly 6 oz (81 cal)

Dannon (typically Activia, someone was out) Light & Fit Vanilla Yogurt ~ 2 Tbsp (14 cal)

Lunch

Healthy Choice Fettuccini Alfredo Bake (270 cal) *Not that good in my opinion btw

Snacks

HyVee Mountain Trail Mix (160 cal) 

Fitness

Cycling 60 min vigorous (-710 cal) - 5:30am class

Lunch time/Gym time - Legs Focus
Hip Abduction
Bent-Leg Kickbacks
Deadlift
Clean and Jerk
Leg Extension
Leg Curls
Leg Press
Seated Calf Raise

Accountability

It's a new year and I'm going to start holding myself accountable for my workouts and nutrition. This is a good time to start not only because of it being the start of a new year, but because I have lost lbs anyway and have become more realistic in my fitness goals. I would like to lose a little more, but I would like to focus on toning my body over all. I slacked at the end of last year with doing shows, the holidays, etc so I also lost muscle. There have been periods where I have trained hard and especially in my arms and back achieved a nice sculpted look and I want that back along with a tighter stomach and shapely legs that I don't feel need to be hidden.
With that said I will track my workouts and eating habits here to the best of my ability to get online and do it, but I am always tracking with the app Lose It!
This year for me is about becoming happier with myself inside and out. So that means tackling insecurities and confidence issues as well. With that...

Breakfast

Vanilla whey protein powder ~ one scoop ((140 cal)

Fiber powder ~ 2 tsp (15 cal)

Blueberry cocktail juice ~ roughly 6 oz (81 cal)

Dannon (typically Activia, someone was out) Light & Fit Vanilla Yogurt ~ 2 Tbsp (14 cal)

Coffee/creamer (bad, I know) (100 cal)

Lunch

Healthy Choice Lemon Pepper Fish (330 cal - but I don't eat the dessert)

Snacks

Peanut butter chocolate chip granola bar (100 cal)

Kraft skim milk cheese stick (70 cal)

Dinner

Jimmy John's Beach Club #12 (729 cal)

Fitness

1 mile run at 7.5 mph treadmill 1.5 incline (124 cal)
Weight Lifting - vigorous w/o breaks (150 cal)

Examples:

Chest Fly 3 sets 12 reps

Bent Over Row 3 sets 12 reps
Tricep Extension 3 sets 12 reps
Crunches on Stability Ball
Stretches 

Totals

Food calorie intake - 1,579

Fitness calories burned - roughly 300 for lunch time gym session

I Can Do Many Things...One of Them is Cooking

Most bloggers have blogs dedicated to specific interests, topics and expertise. Not I.

My blog is to be just as random as I am. I could create one blog for my theatre on goings. I could have another with a fitness theme as I regularly go to the gym, run in local races, struggle with eating right and try to balance all this with a busy lifestyle. A food blog could be a possibility for me as I go through cooking/baking spells. Alas, I have settled for one blog (at least for the time being) with many wide ranging topics. Thus this photo:

This is the second time this beginning of autumn season that I have made potato soup. The first go around produced a decent soup, but this second batch was even better. The recipe is simple and adjustable for your liking.

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 onion chopped
1 c celery chopped
8 potatoes peeled and cubed
2 c water/ 2 c chicken broth
4 Tbsp flour
2 1/3 c milk

In a large pot sauté onion and celery in butter until tender.
Add potatoes, water and chicken broth. Bring to a boil then simmer until potatoes are tender.
In separate bowl mix together flour and milk until flour is nearly dissolved.
Add milk/flour to pot stirring continuously.

That is the gist of it, but different individuals may add different seasonings and such to enhance the flavor for them. I added garlic salt and pepper.

I have really been on a cooking kick lately, as time allows. I baked peanut butter cookies last week and took them to my second rehearsal for my fellow cast members to munch on. They enjoyed them and it was requested that I bring more back.

Now don't get the idea that I'm very domesticated because you would be so far off. True, I have had few blunders, but I attribute that to not being a total moron. I can read and follow written instructions. I made blueberry scones a few weeks ago even though I wasn't sure what "folding" was and they turned out pretty good.

I have successfully made several Thanksgiving dinners. Yummy Yam Casserole went over well two years ago at my Thanksgiving.

Ok, that will do it for this food portion of my blog for now.