Food/Fitness tip of the day :)

Haven't done one of these in a while!
I have two tips today. one's about food and one's about metabolism so listen up! And this is 100% true because I'm speaking from personal experience. If it's too much text, just read the bolded stuff.

METABOLISM:
I used to eat oatmeal and coffee in the morning. That's like 150 calories. That was my day for the most part. maybe I'd have some fish at night or soup midday, but my caloric intake was around 500 max. Obviously my metabolism slowed down. A LOT.
I started going to the gym 5 or 6 days a week, doing mostly weight lifting and 2 days of HIIT. I started eating every 2-3 hours (protein and healthy fats, some carbs in the morning).
I got my BMR tested yesterday and I'm at 93 lbs and 5'5''.
* My metabolism is very high for my height/weight. My body burns 1700 calories every day just to keep me alive. If I exercise, I can eat 1900 calories that day and still maintain my weight.* 
Therefore, exercise and meal frequency greatly increase metabolism! (note, I'm also mostly muscle at 11% body fat. building muscle also helps with increasing metabolism. My BMR used to be around 1350 only about a month ago. Hard work pays off.)


FOOD:
Lets say you're having a pretty good day food-wise. But then, for whatever reason, you eat something that makes you feel guilty, or that you don't think you should have. Do not let this trigger a binge. Take a deep breath. Everyone messes up, we all occasionally slip and eat something that makes us feel crappy.
You may have heard this before, but seriously think of it this way: you're driving and you get a flat tire. Would it make much sense to get out and slash your remaining good tires? No! Try to keep calm and eat healthily for the rest of the day, and most importantly, forgive yourself. Don't punish yourself; if you do, you're more likely to binge again. Tell yourself tomorrow will be better and you'll eat right and feel great! Unless you ate an entire cheesecake, the bad thing you ate will likely have no lasting effect on your weight or body at all. Your body is very resilient, it will take care of itself. (:

Making my Goals a Reality

I'm meeting with a personal trainer I've been wanting to hire really soon. I'm ecstatic. Motivation level 10. I've been smiling all night despite having a stomach virus. I'm feeling better about myself and my future than I have in a very, very long time. I'm realizing more and more now that I've chosen the right path, and that I made the right decision in pursuing fitness and health as a way of life.

I read somewhere that "you get out what you put in" in terms of exercise (and it could apply to anything really). I'm ready to put in 110% effort every time because I know that if I give it my all, everything will be worth it in the end. I want to be the healthiest and fittest I can be.

It might sound far fetched, but my ultimate goal is to become a fitness model. Not just a fitness model, but a role model. I have a drive to help people; I want my transformation to inspire people and give them hope that they can live happier and healthier, and that with hard work, anything is possible.

But I'm also doing this for me. Because if I kept on living the way I was before, I probably wouldn't be living anymore by the time summer started. The extent of my medical complications was severe. My organs were shutting down due to starvation. I know I have the strength within me to keep fighting, and that's what I plan to do. Because it is possible to be happy and in good health. It is possible to rebound after hitting rock bottom. It is possible to achieve even the most far-fetched goals. I know it and I believe it. I will make my goals a reality.

Personal Trainer (& exercise video links!)

I saw a personal trainer today at my school. She coaches students for free so I thought why not!
She showed me a lot of different exercises with the barbell like skull crushers, deadlifts, chest & shoulder presses. I also worked on my lats and back extension. My arms feel dead right now but at least I know I got a great workout. :)

On a similar topic, I found another personal trainer in my area that has a team and I'm really serious about maybe joining. I really think he could help me achieve my fitness goals because a lot of the people he's coached went on to compete in pro fitness competitions like IFBB, and I'm pretty sure he and his wife are pro fitness competitors & fitness models.

Anyway, this is for Summerwind as she wanted some TaeBo and Shadow Boxing video links. These are such good exercises, especially the Tae Bo it is intense cardio. Hope this helps!


Tae Bo:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Shadow boxing: 
Shadow boxing
Kicking Combo
Shadow sparring

Tired of boring cardio? There's a cure for that.

Sorry it's been a few days since my last update! I've been really focused on my training between HIIT and strength training. On Friday I focused on cardio/core, doing 20 minutes of HIIT, 5 minutes low intensity cardio, and a KILLER core circuit. It was intense. My abs still hurt today even though I take a muscle recovery supplement. I did MMA today at home since I don't have gym access on weekends. I'm a black belt in Taekwondo so I have all the equipment at my house. It was a lot of fun, nice to take a break from strength training for a day or two. (:

Anyway I don't know about you guys, but nothing is more boring to me than a grueling session of cardio, going at a constant pace, on the elliptical or treadmill. There's no excitement about it, and the only way to keep yourself entertained is by reading a magazine or listening to music, or both. Those 30, 45, or however many minutes seem like hours.

So, how can you make cardio sessions less boring and more engaging? Actually, there's a lot of different ways.

MMA style training, Interval training, any form of dance or circuit training (AKA cross-training) are great ways to pump up your heart rate, burn fat, and have fun all at the same time. Most of these alternative cardio methods engage more muscle groups than running or jogging, which burns extra calories among other benefits. You can also be really creative and set up obstacle courses for yourself and try to finish them as fast as you can. (Also you don't have to join a class to do MMA or dance, there are plenty of free videos online that guide you through these types of workouts. I have a ton of links if anyone wants them.)

Cardio doesn't have to be a pain in the ass. If you don't like spending tons of time on the treadmill, maybe try a new method. You may find it to be your new favourite part of going to the gym or exercising in general. (:

See any Progress? (Pics)

I think I've made a little progress! Its only been about 10 days since I began this blog, but I think I look less bony. I mean, its too early to see any progress in my arms and legs, but my abs look like they're getting better. What do you think? (:

Eat Like a Champion

This is for Fragile Heart as she asked if I would post my typical meal plan. Haha I don't know about the title,  but I thought I needed something more creative than "Meal Plan" and this is what came to mind first.
But really, I feel like I'm eating like a body-builder! Supplements and powders currently make up soo much of my diet.

Seriously, I just had a 500 calorie lunch. That's more than I used to have in a DAY. I'm proud that I've come that far.

Anyway I don't follow any specific meal plan perfectly, I just like to look at 3 or 4 different plans and base my own meals on the pre-written ones. This is basically a run down of what I'll eat in a day. be warned, it's super high protein.

Notes: 
MRP = meal replacement powder
Assault = pre-workout formula (amplifies performance)

Breakfast: 270 cal
Quaker original oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins (150 cal, 30 g carbs, 4 g protein)
1 scoop whey protein isolate mixed with 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk or water (120 cal, 25 g protein)
1 capsule CLA
1 capsule Flax oil
1 multivitamin


Snack: 60-100 cal
1 orange or small grapefruit (60 cal, 15 g carbs)
OR an apple (100 cal, 20 g carbs)
OR 6 oz FAGE non-fat greek yogurt (100 cal, 18 g protein, 7 g carbs)

Lunch: 513 cal
2 scoops MRP with 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk and 3/4 cup water (253 cal, 33 g protein, 16 g carbs)
5 oz Tuna (160 cal, 36 g protein)
1 packet oatmeal with cinnamon (100 cal, 4 g protein, 30 g carbs)

Pre-workout: 40 cal
1/2 scoop Assault mixed with 14 oz cold water (40 cal, 9 g carbs)

Post-workout: 216 cal
2 scoops whey protein powder (216 cal, 50 g protein)
2 scoops L-Glutamine

Dinner: 463 cal
Small handful raw organic almonds (70 cal, 2 g carbs, 8 g fat)
2 cups vegetables (raw or cooked) (60 cal, 15 g carbs)
1/2 avocado (113 cal, 10.5 g fat, 1.5 g protein, 6 g carbs)
Small sweet potato (100 cal, 24 g carbs, 2 g protein)
4 oz lean fish (120 cal, 25-30 g protein) or salmon (18 g protein, 6 g fat)
1 capsule CLA

Although it looks like a lot, its only about 1500-1600 calories of mostly protein. Depending on whether I maintain, gain or lose weight, I may or may not add in an MRP shake as a meal in between post-workout and dinner. I also need to find ways to add more fat to my diet. It's a work in progress.

Fitspo + Fitness tip of the day (:

Daily update: 
Today at the gym I did 20 minutes of HIIT, stretched a lot, and did some abs, chest and back strength training. I mixed my protein shake with some spirulina and acai berry extract for added antioxidants and it tasted really good.

Fitness Tip of the Day:
If you listen to your iPod while you do cardio, turn up your music so that you can't hear how hard you're breathing (but not loud enough to hurt your ears) because if you don't know how hard you're working you'll be encouraged to push yourself harder! If you're thinking of throwing in the towel early, always keep in mind: "I don't stop when I'm tired; I stop when I'm done."

My Inspirations / Day 5 & 6 of my Fitness plan

I thought I should share with you all my major fitness inspirations. They are Andrea Pasutti (above) and Carissa Monroe (below). Andrea majorly inspires me because she achieved exactly what I want to achieve. She went from being very underweight, 80 pounds, to a healthy, gorgeous and lean 107 pounds and she doesn't even look an ounce heavier. In fact, she actually lost inches around her waist from building muscle. Carissa Monroe also went from skinny to getting fit. She almost died after an SUV smashed her against a steel fence. She managed to get back on her feet and in the gym just months after having both of her legs completely shattered. They're both so beautiful and amazingly inspiring to me.

As for my exercise, yesterday was day 5 but I didn't get a chance to go to the gym. I did calisthenics and some resistance/toning exercises on my bum and abs. Leg lifts, lunges, squats, leg kicks, back kicks, side planks and oblique raises! My lower half was so sore afterwards! Today was day 6 and I didn't get to go to the gym again, so I decided to use it as a rest day. I'll do 4 days of cardio next week to make up for my not going to the gym. But that's okay because I love cardio and HIIT. (:

Day 4 of my Fitness plan

Sorry I forgot to post this yesterday. I did about 15 minutes of HIIT on the treadmill and then did a 5-10 minute cool-down at a medium pace. I also did some strength training on my back and calves, and a little yoga to keep myself stretched out. I really like HIIT. I meant to do more today but I woke up too late. Today I'll probably do some low impact cardio and yoga since I can't go to the gym.

Fitness tip of the day + fitspo!

Fitness Tip of the Day:

Don't take ibuprofen or painkiller after a workout! They are highly ineffective at relieving muscle soreness, and some studies have shown that the drugs may actually suppress muscle growth when taken after a workout! Instead, take a supplement called L-Glutamine, an essential amino acid that helps with soreness, muscle recovery and protein synthesis. It's calorie free so why not? :)

Day 3 of my Fitness plan

Today's a cardio day. My leg is still swollen and hurts but I powered through it. I did 30-45 minutes of dance and aerobics. 

A woman named Sonya has a dance company in Russia and posts online lessons like this one: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/5496371/on_line_classes_with_sonyadance_part_1/ 

She's my inspiration to get fit. She looks so amazing. (Both pictures here are Sonya)

Also its okay if you don't speak Russian, its still easy to follow along if you're interested. (:

Fitness tip of the day!

Drink water! A lot of people forget that drinking plain water not only helps keep your metabolism up, but it helps to control appetite. Stay hydrated and you may lose more weight, your skin may clear up from acne & dryness, you may have more energy, and you can build or maintain muscle more efficiently! (muscles are 60% water after all.)

Picture is Marisa Miller (:

My Before Pictures

I took these yesterday. I look pretty scrawny. I hope that I can tone up and put some muscle on. My current weight is about 87 or 88 lbs. I'm 5'5'' & my body fat % is around 12-15%

I'm aware that I fall in the underweight category. my body weight is naturally low, but depression has caused me to lose weight.

 

Day 2 of my Fitness plan

Hit the gym early today! I think it's better in the morning. I feel very pumped up even though my arms are sore. Today I did strength training on my arm and back muscles. 

I'm worried for tomorrow because it is a cardio day, but I fell in the pool last night and damaged my left leg. Its really swollen and bruised and it hurts to walk on it. I don't know if I should do cardio tomorrow because it may be too hurt for high/moderate impact exercise. 

Anyway, this is my workout for today. I did the following 3 sets in *super-set intervals followed by a short (45 seconds) rest and then continued with the last set. 

*Super-set means two consecutive sets with no rest in between

**Tri-set is three consecutive sets with no rest in between

Back Extension: super-set + 1 set of 10 reps with 4 kg kettle weight
Bent over rows: super-set + 1 set of 10 reps with 5 lb dumbbells
Seated cable rows: **tri-set of 10 reps at a resistance level 6
Bicep curls: super-set + 1 set of 10 reps with 5 lb dumbbells
Tricep Kickbacks: super-set + 1 set of 10 reps with 5 lb dumbbells
Hammer curls: super-set + 1 set of 10 reps with 5 lb dumbbells
Tricep extension: super-set + 1 set of 10 reps with 5 lb dumbbells
Shoulder press: super-set + 1 set of 10 reps @ 12.5 lbs

I'm about to post some pictures of myself I took yesterday. Hopefully I'll be able to see a difference later on.

Day 1 of my Fitness plan

Today was leg/abs day at the gym!

I did about 10 minutes of moderate cardio to warm up, then stretched. 

Leg Press: 3 sets of 10 reps @ 50 lbs

Lunges: 3 sets of 10 reps with 5lbs hand weights

Leg Extension: 3 sets of 10 reps @ 55 lbs

Leg Curl: 3 sets of 10 reps @ 27.5 lbs

Crunches: 3 sets of 10 reps

Oblique Crunches: 3 sets of 10 reps

And then I cooled down by fast walking for about 15 minutes