Feeling Tired
I love feeling completed exhausted after my workouts. I love that feeling of just wanting to sit on the couch and not move for a couple of hours.
I especially love that feeling when it takes me less than 30 minutes to get it!
Like today, Ryan and I went down to the gym in our apartment building. This honestly is one of the most ridiculous gyms I’ve ever seen. Four treadmills, two recumbent bikes, a bench press machine, a leg extension machine and one functional trainer (aka a cable machine with a pull up bar). It also has medicine balls up to 10lbs and 3 kettlebells ranging from like 2lbs to 20lbs. Not exactly a personal trainers dream gym.
BUT that didn’t stop us from getting in a killer workout in the very small space that we had. We mostly wanted a cardio workout after doing the 300 yesterday.
So we did:
4 rounds as fast as possible of:
400m Run
20 Burpees (Chest touches the ground on each one)
20 Sit-ups
1 minute wall sit
Great workout that took less than 15 minutes. I got a nice sweat going and my legs started to burn during wall sits especially after the 50 deadlifts yesterday!
Yep..A great cardio session in less than 15 minutes. So why are you spending an hour on the treadmill?
Below is another great workout although it took a bit longer between the heavy lift and the circuit. Still under an hour though (I didn’t really pay attention to exactly how long).
Strength:
Back squat 5×5
Auxiliary Lift circuit: 5 rounds as fast as possible
500m Row
15ea 1 Leg Squats
30 Box Jumps
30 KB Swings
30 Jump Knee Tucks (Jump as high as you can and bring your knees to your chest as much as possible)
Also, an awesome “Show Me Yours” photo from Francine. A different way to show off her Man Biceps and Man Lats!
Nice back muscles!
Now go workout and have a great Sunday and a great Easter or Passover! 🙂
Suckers for a “Quick Fix”
DISCLAIMER: This post is kind of mean.
Seriously sometimes people are pathetic.
Dr. Oz calls Raspberry Ketones a fat-buster and “the number one miracle in a bottle” on his show and suddenly everyone goes out and buys them.
We are suckers for a quick fix. People go out and buy it because Dr. Oz says it works “miracles.”
Here's a quick fix for you...
They don’t even care that there are really no scientific studies substantiating this claim!
When I searched for studies this is basically what I came up with...
And here is a quote from the ABC News article linked above:
For now, the reputations of products like Raspberry Ketone Plus and Raspberry Ketone Ultra rest on anecdotes and two studies conducted on mice put on a high-fat diet. Japanese researchers reported in 2005 that raspberry ketone “prevents and improves obesity and fatty liver,” by boosting the breakup of fat cells. Korean researchers reported in 2010 that raspberry ketone increased fat cells’ secretion of a hormone called adiponectin that regulates the processing of sugars and fats in the blood.
Dr. Robert H. Lustig , a neuroendocrinologist and UC San Francisco pediatrics professor who is among top experts in the nation’s obesity epidemic, said that animal studies alone are insufficient for scientists to say how raspberry ketones work in people.
“Until there are human studies I won’t weigh in,” he said.
“People are willing to take chances. It’s amazing how many people look for a miracle instead of looking at what they’re eating and how much they’re moving and fixing whatever is broken,” said Mary Hartley, a registered dietitian and clinical nutritionist in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Who cares about studies though!?! I mean Dr. Oz says it works. And so does some trainer with a line of supplements, which includes raspberry ketones! I mean she wouldn’t just be promoting a product to make money, would she?
GEEZ! Seriously people!
You’d think by now people would be smart enough to resist the temptation of a “quick fix.”
But nope! Who wants to work hard!?!
National BLT Month!?!
So yesterday when I was cruising Facebook, a news feed from The Meat House came up about April being National BLT Month.
All I could think was, “YUM!” And then I thought about how I used to eat BLTs as a treat with my mom and sister when I was young. Delicious bacon, mayo, lettuce, tomato on toasted bread. I loved them!
But I can’t have a BLT now right? I mean I can’t eat bread…
WRONG!
I can make an equally delicious, if not more delicious, BLT WITHOUT the bread! So that food I loved as a kid, I can still eat!
(D)BLT – Duck, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato
Awesome pic by Ryan!
Ingredients:
1/2 lbs Smoked Duck Breast from The Meat House
6 strips of Nitrite Free Bacon
4 leafs of lettuce from a head of iceberg lettuce
1/4 of an onion
4 slices of tomato
1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
1 tbsp Sir Kensington’s Ketchup from The Meat House
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp yellow mustard
Cook the bacon on medium heat in a skillet. Once cooked to your liking (I like mine crispy!), remove from skillet and cool.
While bacon is cooking, slice onions into thin half rings and slice up duck breast. Once bacon is done cooking, throw onions into the bacon grease to cook.
Remove onions and then cook the duck breast in the same skillet. Cook the duck until each side is nice and golden.
While the duck is cooking, cut a few slices of tomato and make the sauce.
To make the sauce, combine brown mustard, ketchup, olive oil and yellow mustard in a dish. Stir until combined.
Place cooked duck into lettuce bowls. I used two lettuce leaves for each plate, but more can be used. Then pile on sliced tomatoes, bacon and onions. On top add the ketchup/mustard sauce.
Can I just say, “DELICIOUS!?!”
Throughout the rest of this month, I will be posting more versions of the BLT that involve no bread whatsoever!
Models and Body Image
I never really discuss my views on models and negative body image because I think my opinion is VERY different from the majority of people’s.
I’ve never been one to “feel bad” because of an image of a woman with a “perfect” body on a magazine cover or on the TV. I personally like seeing attractive people. I personally don’t want those actors/actresses and models to look like me.
I WANT them to be some of the most beautiful people in the world. If they weren’t some of the most beautiful people and looked just like the average Jane, why would we pay them so much?!!
But that’s just me. I know a lot of women don’t feel that way.
I know many women see these actresses and models as something to aspire to. Since they view these women’s bodies as a “goal” they believe that if they can’t attain the “perfect” body, they’ve failed.
And they try a ton of ridiculous diets and exercise programs in their attempts to achieve the “perfect” body.
I’m not making fun, but if you are one of these women, now is the time to stop!
Let me let you in on a little secret…THERE IS NO PERFECT BODY!
For one, even models aren’t perfect. Just check out the latest article about the use of Photoshop! (Or how the models looked without Photoshop!)
Everyone has flaws and you just can’t change some of them. Just learn to accept them and live a lifestyle that makes you healthy and happy!
For two, do you really want to pay people who look like you to be models? I don’t. I want them to look better than me…or I would rather be the model and make the money myself!
We pay hairstyles, trainers, masseuses…even doctors to do things we either can’t do ourselves or that they do BETTER.
Why would we pay models that aren’t the best looking?
Am I crazy? Does anyone else agree or should I have continued to keep my opinions to myself? Am I missing something?
“I know what I’m supposed to do….
But for some reason I just can’t get myself to do it consistently.”
We know that we should be exercising and we know what foods we should be eating, but for some reason it is sometimes hard to make ourselves do it!
AH! Not logical! But we do tell ourselves that sometimes!
Why is there sometimes a gap between what we know we should be doing and what we actually make ourselves do? And how do we close that gap?
I think we can have issues making ourselves stick to a healthy diet or workout program for numerous reasons.
Self-control, stress, schedule, support and resources all influence how easily we transition to a new lifestyle and maintain it.
Honestly, you can name a thousand reasons as to why we don’t eat the way we know we should or workout as much as we should. You can even claim you don’t truly know what is healthy because of all misinformation out there about health and fitness.
But if you truly want something, only you can make it happen. No matter how many excuses you can come up with, only you can CHOOSE to commit to a healthy lifestyle.
Here are some tips to help you transition to a new healthy lifestyle and STAY COMMITTED:
- First determine which works better – slowly eliminating bad foods or going cold turkey. Don’t go cold turkey if you know that it will make you feel so deprived that you feel the need to cheat in only a couple of days. For some, it works better to do a looser version of a diet and slowly become more strict. For instance start eating whole natural foods, but keep in rice and potatoes while you eliminate grains if you eat lots of carbs currently. Then maybe slowly lessen the amount of each that you eat. OR if you are a sweets person, don’t cut out all treats. Maybe just allow yourself only “healthy” treats like dark chocolate or berries or the Man Bicep whipped cream! If however, you are the type of person that just needs to go cold turkey, don’t tease yourself with little treats…GO COLD TURKEY!
- Write up a plan. It’s easy to cheat on some vague idea, but when you have a solid plan written down, it is a lot harder to cheat on it. Outline what foods you want to eat or what workouts you want to do on certain days. Also plan out how long your program or diet will run. If you set an end date, you can REWARD yourself when you succeed. Treat yourself to something when you accomplish your goal (preferably not food related!). I found it motivating to know that I would get a treat like a massage or shopping spree if I stuck to my plan! And yes, we are striving for a lifestyle change, but if you make up a plan for three months and stick to it, you will find that after that you’ve made it enough of a habit to go it on your own!
- Display your plan and let others know what you are doing. If only you know about your plan, you are much more likely to cheat…especially if you hide it away in a drawer. Display your plan on your door or in your kitchen on the fridge. If you can see it every day, you are a lot less likely to cheat. And if you tell others about your plan, they will help keep you in line. Both their support and just the fact that others know will make you want to succeed so that you don’t let them down!
- Don’t DEPRIVE yourself! When you feel deprived, you are most likely to cheat. So don’t starve yourself! Eat till you are satisfied…not stuffed just content. Also, allow yourself days to indulge a bit more. For one, it will help you stay committed. For two, calorie cycling can help you lose that last little bit of fat since your metabolism won’t slow from constant calorie restriction! For me having one day each week where I eat as much as I want of “healthy cheats” allows me to recharge. Also planning in full cheat days helps me remain committed because I know that even if I feel deprived, it won’t be for long! Remember, the 80/20 rule. Eat well 80% of the time and indulge 20%!
Workout partners and trainers are also definitely good motivation…Anything else help you stay committed?
Workout Toys For Kids…Are they a good thing?
Let’s first acknowledge two facts:
- Childhood obesity is an issue.
- Kids love to act like their parents and do what their parents do.
My question then is, can you use the second fact to solve the first one?
WOD Toys thinks you can! They’ve created a new line of fitness toys so that children can “work out” like their parents!
I wish my face looked that cute when I snarl!
I think so, but at the same time I’m not sure it is really a solution to our childhood obesity epidemic.
The equipment (and the little girl using it) are pretty darn cute! Plus, I can imagine lots of kids loving to lift like their parents do.
For years, companies have made toys that allow kids to mimic their parents.
Mowing the lawn was fun before you realized it was a chore...Although getting an allowance made doing the chore a little more tolerable! 🙂
Now children have a toy that will help make them more active! And the thing is, they won’t think of “working out with their parent” as a chore…to them it will be playing!
And if kids start associating “lifting” with “playing” at a young age, maybe they won’t dread working out as much as they get older?
Some question I have are…How often do most parents workout in front of their kids? Most people here don’t have their kids watching them workout…Are Crossfitters bringing their kids to their workouts?
I mean I used to watch my mom do her workout tapes at home, but how often are parents using a barbell for Olympic lifts at home? How often are most parents even working out at home?
AND are the kids with parents that DO WORKOUT, the ones that are really a part of the obesity epidemic?
My guess is probably not.
So while this equipment may be encouraging kids to be active…Is it encouraging the kids who need it the most? Is it really a solution to the obesity epidemic?
What do you think? Would you buy this for your kids?
More Seepage
http://cnettv.cnet.com/av/video/cbsnews/atlantis2/cbsnews_player_embed.swf
The video above was a very interesting segment on 60 minutes last night called “Is Sugar Toxic?”
In it Dr. Robert Lustig states that he believes sugar is toxic.
I agree!
The question now is….Is this the end of the low-fat diet?
I don’t think so. Even though in it a doctor states that low-fat items are bad because they just sub out fat for sugar, I still think people are too afraid of fat.
One story like this on one network doesn’t have the influence that a red meat scare played over numerous networks does.
However, I have enjoyed showing people this story…especially people who show me every new study that comes out against red meat or saturated fat or low carb!
Anyway, check out the video AND enjoy the biceps below! Then go do the workout of the week!
The awesome Linnea bicep!
An awesome bicep shot from Shannon!
And finally a Man Bicep from newbie powerlifter Ilana! LOVE IT!
AND one of my clients, which she took while on vaca!!!!
Thank you Rebeca!
Now go workout!
Weekly Workout #7
Strength:
Bench 5×5
Auxiliary lift circuit: 3 sets completed as quickly as possible with little to no rest
30 reps OH Press
30 reps Box Jumps
30 reps Push Ups
30 reps Knees to Elbows
Don’t Be Close-Minded
I’m willing to accept that other people may have different beliefs than I do, especially when it comes to diet and fitness. There is just so much information out there leading you to believe so many different things.
The thing I can’t accept is people who are close-minded.
Choosing the “right” diet is all one big gamble. No one truly KNOWS what is right. We can all just make educated guesses based on the research that is out there and self-experimentation.
And what we believe to be “right” should change over time as we LEARN more. As we EXPERIMENT more.
If you ever believe that you know exactly what is the best/healthiest diet and are unwilling to make adjustments, that is the day that you’ve officially become WRONG.
You are an IDIOT if you think you have all the answers and don’t need to continue LEARNING about diet and exercise…or well anything in life for that matter.
I keep capitalizing LEARNING here because it is key!!! Learning doesn’t stop when you graduate from school – it just becomes an independent study.
So don’t think that just because something is what you “used to do” Â or “have always done” means it is correct.
I mean over the last few years eggs have gone from being good to eat to bad for your cholesterol back to being good for you to eat with no effect on cholesterol.
It seriously is one big crap shoot. You can find evidence for just about everything in the field of nutrition. (And exercise is only a bit better.)
So since it is all one big gamble and all we can do is continue learning and experimenting, what do we do?
Well this girl has become good at admitting she has more to learn and has no shame admitting when she’s wrong.
I did the low-fat thing. I grew up believing it was RIGHT. I believed it was right for 20 some years of life.
And then after I stopped listening to the media. After I stopped listening to “society” – I did my own research and found out I’d been wrong all those years.
Why was I eating processed crap to try to eat mainly “low-fat?” How did I believe that some processed butter thing like Smart Balance HeartRight Light Buttery Spread was better for me than regular butter, which is barely processed? I mean look at all that crap in Smart Balance butter spread! Heck it even admits it’s not butter in the title! It’s butter spread!
AND this supposed “heart healthy” butter spread has vegetable oils up the wazzu in it! And what research has been popping up everywhere?!? Research that shows vegetable oils may be causing some of our heart related problems and diseases!
AH!
When I started realizing that I was wrong, was it hard for me to admit it to myself and change?
Yes, at first I fought it. It isn’t easy admitting you are wrong. That is why most people instantly jump on you when you start talking about eating saturated fat or low carb or anything contrary to the low-fat mantra.
BUT, I gave the diet a shot anyway. Heck, I even thought at one point “I’ll do a self experiment and prove that this Primal/Paleo/Whole, natural food diet with high protein and low carbs ISN’T right.”
Of course, I was wrong again.
BUT because I gave it a shot, I found something that is, what I believe to be, RIGHT. I look better than I ever did on low-fat and, most importantly, I FEEL BETTER.
Because of my self experimentation, I do believe that eating whole natural foods is the right way. To me it also just logically makes sense. Of course, I’m still constantly doing research to make adjustments to my diet. You must always continue learning!
Of course, now that I’ve found a diet that I believe in, not because someone told me it works, but because I’ve EXPERIENCED it’s results, I’m a big supporter and encourage others to experiment. (AKA share my opinion with anyone and everyone that I can!)
Plus, I love a good debate. I’m just a tab bit argumentative and I will take on anyone, which I think amuses/annoys Ryan sometimes since he avoids the whole nutrition debate with most people.
He tells me “It’s not worth it.” And yea…sometimes it isn’t, but when someone just straight out shoots you down, it gets my blood boiling!
And I imagine that sometimes I look like a little Terrier yapping at a big dog when I debate people.
But what the hey…sometimes it isn’t worth it because the person is too close-minded to even truly entertain a good debate. BUT at the least I hope I encouraged them at some point to do a bit more research into what they believe to be right!
If you are going to be a staunch supporter of something in the nutrition field, you’ve got to do your research. You’ve also got to realize that you are gambling…with your life.
So to sum up my point:
- It’s really all one big gamble.
- Don’t be ashamed to admit you are wrong! In fact be proud that you are willing to learn and change and GROW!
- Never stop learning.
- Self-experimentation is really key since there are studies proving just about anything and everything when it comes to nutrition.
P.S. A phrase I hate hearing from trainers or nutritionists is “I wouldn’t recommend that” when they’ve never tried it! How can you recommend or not recommend something that you’ve never tried!?! This phrase was uttered in response to a discussion we had about Intermittent Fasting, which by the way..DOES FREAKING WORK! Sheesh..just look at all the freaking testimonials on Lean Gains‘ site!
Support – The Sappy Version
So every once in a while, not too often of course, you catch the nice, sappy side of me. Today is one of those days. Lucky you…NOT!
Five years ago to date, I met the love of my life.
BAM! Didn’t expect to see those words on a health and fitness blog did you? Well now you have!
And Ryan, the love of my life, has supported me in every endeavor since the day we met – through the good times and the bad.
He even loved me when I had orange hair...which was actually partially his fault!
He’s a big part of the reason why I committed 90 days of my life to the most awful low-fat, low carb diet. I swear I’ve never once LITERALLY salivated because of food on the TV since that diet.
He’s also a big part of the reason why I went Primal and finally became a personal trainer. He helped me discover the lifestyle I want to lead!
Every time I’ve said I wanted to try something, Ryan encourages me to pursue it (of course he only encourages me to follow GOOD ideas).
He’s never let’s me give up on myself and that has made me a better, stronger, more confident me.
I’ve tried things just in this past year that I never thought I would try. I’ve tried them partly because of Ryan’s direct encouragement and partly because he has made me way more confident in myself.
His SUPPORT has been essential to not only my diet and fitness but also to my personal development.
He has been there right beside me every step of the way. For two months, when I wanted to really fully develop the Man Bicep diet program, he followed the exact same diet that I did. It was pinned to our refrigerator so neither one of us would be tempted to cheat. He kept me honest then and he kept me honest when I wanted to cut a bit of weight after the holidays to guarantee I could compete in the 123 weight class.
When I started lifting heavy and decided I wanted to do a powerlifting competition, he fully supported me. He wasn’t there lifting with me but he always asked how everything was going. He supported me by always being interested in my training. And he committed a full day off to come to my competition and document everything. He even made a video for me afterwards and encouraged me to share my story!
Anytime I throw out ideas he discusses them with me and encourages me to pursue my passion. I mean shoot, he freaking spent 3 hours taking fitness photos of me at 4 am on a Saturday morning! If that isn’t love I don’t know what is!
And he has never stopped supporting me. He has supported me through every major decision I’ve made in the last five years and played a huge roll in me starting up this blog…At the beginning, he was sometimes even my only reader. (Then I told my mom about it and I had two readers!)
But anyway, the point is, he read it…every day. And now, he listens to me talk about it just about every single day. (And trust me…boy can I talk his ear off!)
Anyway, that is enough sappy-ness for now. Happy 5 years Ryan. You are the Type B to my Type A.
He puts up with me even though I'm psycho and way too full of energy sometimes!
(I know you are probably reading this about two seconds after I post it and I love you all the more for it!)
Support
I’m a health and fitness addict, but I’ve surrounded myself with people who support my lifestyle.
It is very hard to commit to a healthy lifestyle when you go it alone – when everyone around you in someway tempts you to “cheat.”
I sympathize with clients who are trying to lose weight but their husbands refuse to diet or exercise with them. Their husbands won’t force them to eat badly, but watching someone else eat something you WANT while you stick to your diet, isn’t easy. Going to the gym while your significant other sits on the couch or sleeps in isn’t easy.
And the worst part about all of this is…You can’t just brainwash your significant other into committing to a new and healthy lifestyle….Can you?
Ok you can’t brainwash them, but here are some ways to try to convince (or trick) them into supporting you.
You don't want to be the hubby that looks like THAT behind a confident, sexy, fit woman do you?
First off, it usually isn’t hard to convince men to eat steak and bacon, which is more than acceptable on the Man Bicep diet. Actually it is usually harder to convince women to eat fatty cuts of meat.
Just look at Ron Swanson...the epitome of manliness. He ONLY eats red meat, bacon and eggs!
Our society definitely associates manliness with meat – especially red meat. So serve your man some meat and I guarantee he will be more than happy to be eating healthy with you. He will be so happy in fact that he may not even realize that he is eating well! It seems you would have way more trouble convincing your spouse to eat vegan than you would to eat red meat…at least it seems that way based on the fact that vegans feel the need to put out videos about “manliness.”
Don’t make exercise all about going to the gym. Find active hobbies that you both enjoy! This will make working out less of a chore for you and a way that you two can still spend time together! You can simple go for a walk or a hike together. Or you can try something like kayaking or rock climbing. It can honestly be anything. Being active together is a great time to bond and get your spouse to realize how much FUN being active can be!
Get results. As hard as it may be to go it alone, the end results are worth it. If you can go it alone long enough to start seeing results, trust me…he will see results too. And there is no better encouragement for him to support your lifestyle than seeing you look great, have more energy and feel healthier. He may realize he needs to change his lifestyle just to keep up with you!
Ok and let’s face it…the best way to convince them that they should support you boils down to….SEX.
- Eating crap like simple sugars and grains lowers your testosterone levels. That means you are less interested in sex than say when you are eating tons of meat and bacon, which actually raises your testosterone levels!
- Working out makes you look better and FEEL BETTER about how you look. If you like the way you look, don’t you think you will want to show off? Plus, who wouldn’t be turned on by their significant other looking sexy and lean!?!
- Eating well and working out usually combines to make us not only look better, feel healthier but also be more confident. I don’t know about you, but when I feel like I look good, I’m much more apt to show a little skin. I want to strut my stuff!
So don’t let your significant other sabotage your diet and exercise plan!
Man Bicep 