breaky and biceps

i had a hot date with Sonny last night.  *whistles* Chiso came too though.  and it was only hot cause we were sweating at the gym.

i have a few of my leg workouts already posted, but it's high time for some upper body.  symmetry is a great thing!

what happens when we gym together? instant camera man, whoop, whoop.

so because i work at different gyms, i come across all sorts of different equipment, which is a great perk.  this particular gym uses Hoist machines- have you used them?? i LOOOOOVE them! especially this bicep machine.  i really feel the burn where i'm supposed to because the rocking motion mimics the natural movement of a standing bicep curl without involving my lower back. sweet.

that 'dynamically rocking technology' (the rocking motion that occurs during use):

• aligns and maintains joint position throughout the motion
• reduces shear-stress forces within joints by creating multiple segment movement
• provides small, yet appropriate proprioceptive challenges to the lumbopelvic hip complex (in layman's terms, that big hip joint)
• improves stability and provides greater muscle pre-stretch or loading to overload muscles

uh huh, yeah. all that.

biceps, triceps, & shoulder circuit:

Hoist machine bicep curls 12 R, 12 L, 12 together - 4 x 12

tricep dips with 25 lb lap plate - 4 x 12

*

dumbbell hammer curls 3 x 12

EZ bar skull crushers 3 x 12

dumbbell curls out to side 3 x 12

*

machine shoulder raises 4 x 12

shoulder shrugs 4 x 12

*

forward dumbbell raises 3 x 12

T (make a T with your arms/body, palms facing you) 3 x 12

Stability ball overhead presses 2 X 25

aaaaaaand collapse!! right there. on the floor :lol:

use a challenging weight.  'heavy' is a relative term! what is heavy for YOU?  once you really start to struggle and feel the burn around rep 8-10, that equates to heavy to me.

build those upper bodies...racerback season is upon us.

we tried out the Sara Lee 45 calories & delightful whole wheat w/ honey bread last night for our post workout snacks.  that's egg whites, red bell pepper, and honey mustard up in my sammie. great stats, and great bread.

45 cals, 0.5g fat, 9 carbs, and 3g protein per slice. nice.

before i hit legs this morning, i made some dark chocolate chip banana pancakes to go with our eggs.  i used the base of my banana recipe but added a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 packet of stevia granules, and even a few drops of chocolate stevia.  all drowned in WF pancake syrup....the only way to eat these babies.

Q: what's your favorite sammich bread?

le

journey to clean(er) eating

how it starts....

how it ends.

 i got the baby basket on purpose but i stuffed it full like i knew i would.  going in and coming out with one thing is a complete joke.  there is always something else we need!! or want.

the journey to clean(er) eating starts in the grocery store.  remember these tips when you go shopping:

MORE fresh fruits and vegetables

LESS processed foods (low to no)

lean proteins - chicken breasts, ground turkey, seafood, beef,

healthy fats - avocados, mixed nuts, olive/coconut oil, natural peanut butter

whole grains/fibrous carbs - oatmeal, sweet potatoes, quinoa, beans, whole wheat pasta, high fiber cereal

on Sunday's trip, i got everything on my list plus a few more items:

oh and Ezekiel sprouted grain sesame bread. left it off the list, oops.  aaaand i did get a few indulgent items for Sonny for winning his show this past weekend... i know you see them :shock:  oreos, gummy bears, and cookies n cream ice cream.

i have always wondered why pumpking pie spice is so freakin high!!! this 1.12 oz jar is like 4.99. for no reason. this is what i've always bought.  i was on my way to get some magic pop when i passed a table of seasonings and saw a big bucket of this:

what! now 4.99 a  POUND is more like it!! i grabbed a couple bags. man i love finding great deals.

yesterday, i applied that same 'squeeze the muscle with every rep' technique to my upper body workout and man did it give me a good muscle pump.  try it!!

one of my fave exercises (i'm sure my class members HATE them by now lololol) are W presses with dumbbells.  make a W with your arms (similar to my pose above) holding a heavy dumbbell in each hand.  move both arms up / out simultaneously without going higher than your head with the weights. then, retract them back in towards your head.  keep your elbows in front of your body.  makes for great shoulder/collar bone/back definition!  the racerback style is my absolute fave to wear, regarding my tops, and this exercises targets that area nicely.

dinner that night was a baked sweet potato stuffed with seasoned chicken breast chunks, green onion, and topped with fromage blanc. french cheese!  i also had a side of steamed zucchini.

yum.

i found the fromage blanc at Whole Foods while looking for the quark that they didn't have.  the cheese lady told me that fromage blanc was the closest thing to it.  i picked it up and read the stats,

and they were even better than the quark!  heck that's better than sour cream and greek yogurt!  greek yogurt does have a ton of protein, but it also has sugar too.  anyway, awesome find.  HEB has it also.

today...cardio, legs, and stretching.

i could not WAIT to get home to dinner to make me a sandwich.   that was all i could think about.

i made a big pan of baked chicken breasts this morning, so all i had to do was cut it up and put my sammich together.  i seasoned each breast with something different (bbq, lemon pepper, garlic and herb, smokehouse maple, and montreal steak seasoning) and some dried parsley.  350 degrees for 1 hr.

finally!  seasoned chicken breast, avocado, tomato, almond cheese and Trader Joe's pumpkin butter all on toasted Ezekiel sprouted grain sesame bread.  i also had half a sliced apple and some Justin's maple almond butter for dipping.

lastly, i munched on some of that vegetable medley bagged salad with some roma tomatoes on top.

sooooo, turkey day is in like 2 weeks!!!

are you hosting, going to someone else's house, or going out to eat for TG?  

le

stick to the plan

green tea! my 'coffee'.

i sipped some on the way to the gym eeeeearly this morning. i drink more throughout the day with some of my meals as well.  be sure to switch to decaf in the evenings though so you can go to sleep at night.

it's always so peaceful at the gym in the early mornings.

i did some cardio, abs, and some much-needed stretching.  working out super early means more family time after work. wouldn't have it any other way.

Chi's breakfast this morning- raisin Ezekiel bread, eggs, and strawberries.  what, no pancakes!?  trying not to burn him out on them lol. i still had mine though! anyway, Ezekiel products have become a staple in our home. we all love them.

i got my meals for the day going starting with some grilled zucchini.

i cut them long ways and seasoned them with lemon pepper, curry, garlic powder, onion powder, and liquid aminos.  then, garnished them with fresh cilantro!  'what can i do to season my food and not add calories'? fresh herbs work wonders.  also, mrs. dash also has a great low/no sodium line.  special seasoning post coming, so i'll stop there!

i open some canned salmon and added a few ounces to each of my containers.  for fat, i used fresh avocado and pistachio nuts.  for carbs, i threw a bag full of La Tortilla Factory whole white-wheat soft wrap tortillas in my lunch kit. i take my condiments with me too- spicy mustard and my TJ fig butters.  i shredded a sweet potato, added garlic powder, onion powder, 1 egg white and pan (burned) fried the cakes on both sides.

for my protein, i mixed the canned salmon, avocado, a little goat cheese, and some spicy mustard together in a bowl, sprinkled some Mc Cormick BBQ seasoning on it and it was SO simple and good!!!!! no cooking required there.  i put some reduced sugar ketchup in my little dipping thingy for my sweet potato cakes.  no i didn't steal it from a restaurant like someone assumed...  came from Ikea :roll:

after i assemble my lunch together at work, it usually looks like this:

or this,

or i'll use Ezekiel's sprouted grain sesame or cinnamon raisin bread and make a sandwich.

just some super quick ideas.

  i am currently in a maintenance phase after my competition last month and loooooving it!!!  a little too much.  i'm totally enjoying my food freedom, can you tell?  however, i'm still keep up with my workouts and staying active.  that'll never change.

 Q: what is your current   workout schedule?

A: goes a lil somethin like this:

less cardio, more weights.  only about 4 hours of cardio a week actually.  a couple weeks before my first show, my cardio capped out around 9-10 hrs a week.  i laugh in the face of four measly hours now, HA!

for my active rest days, i'll either take Chiso out in the jogging stroller for a walk, or i'll take a class at my gym for fun.  i love taking classes from other instructors!!  i get to experience their teaching style and i am always inspired to create different moves for my own classes.

other than growing these baby biceps, i'm content with my current size and body fat.  i have NOT been able to say that, well, ever.  every few weeks, i'll sit down and come up with a new plan to switch things up to keep my body from plateauing.

welp, you know what this means.

empty jars make me smile. back to TJ's.

happy weekend!!

le

feelin good, feelin great

you know the saying, 'it's gonna get worse before it gets better.'   well, things got waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better this week, starting with my food.  new stuff on the menu! went the store and got those items this past weekend so i could start my week off on the right foot.

i hit up HEB of course and saw these little pink signs aaaaall down the bulk aisle.  yep, i was in the bulk aisle and wasn't tempted at all, really! just stopped to get some papaya for Chiso and kept it moving.  but back to these signs, OK, who ruined it for everybody!? i guess i'll raise my hand too.  they better be glad i'm not eating sweets right now, hmph.  just kidding, i'm too scary to try that, really.

few things i picked up: more mc cormick grill mates seasonings (still 1 buck at HEB), some garlic powder, onion powder, and liquid smoke.  ever heard of it?? it's EVERYTHING-free and provides awesome smokey flavor for your proteins.  i had it for the first time on some baked pork chops, but i think it goes excellent with grilled steak. it's like 95 cents!

i got plenty of limes and cilantro to add to my big vat of rice.

which equals cilantro-lime rice! smelled so fresh and citrusy.

matter fact i had so many limes i decided to make a limeade.  you know, the same thing you do at restaurants sometimes.

juice of two limes, 1 tsp stevia in the raw, 8 oz cold water.  stir!  add more water as needed.

less than 3 weeks left until showtime and my meal planS are all over the place and i LOVE it!  they will keep on changing and rotating until the day of the show.  my trainer is confusing the heck outta my body and it's responding positively.  i've been carb cycling for the last few weeks, and now i'm carb loading.

 which means *drum-roll* more yummy rice and FRUIT!

meal #6 from last night. #inhaled

yesterday i felt strong enough to lift a house.  i don't ever remember feeling so high, so full of energy,  and just plain READY to tackle the weights.   ever.

still workin on that un-flexed bicep lol

i felt and looked physically stronger (to me anyway) and there were veins and muscles i had never seen before popping out everywhere.

  i felt compelled to text my trainer after my workout to tell him how much i was loving my meals and how awesome i was feeling.  he replied with 'carb loading is a beautiful thing!'.

why YES, YES IT IS!

instabreakfast this morning:

what? like all your bowls are chip-free.

i scrambled my eggs this time and added fresh cilantro, garlic & onion powder, and a little lemon pepper seasoning.  topped those banana pancakes with a few shots of 'i can't believe it's not butter' spray and some Walden Farms pancake syrup.  yep, breakfast is STILL my fav meal of the day by far.

what low or no calorie things do you add to your food for better flavor? 

le