plateaus + 30 min shoulder workout

the holidays take forever to get here and then they are gone just like that.  *tear*

are you back on track from Thanksgiving yet? well how much more time do you need!!?!?! :shock:  i'm good (now), but  if  your body seems to have come to a stubborn halt, or if your results seem to be going in reverse:

*lift heavier

*do a completely different set of exercises for a particular muscle group

*add a HIIT workout into your regimen to shock your metabolism  (track sprints, bleachers, stair master, hill sprints)

*take a class at your gym! (spin, weights, kickboxing, boot-camp, yoga, etc.)

*do your normal routine in reverse order

  i chose a different cardio toy last night!  i know it's super similar to my fave machine (the machine with the feet) but the stride is wider, and there is an incline function.  pick machines that use upper and lower body simultaneously cause that gets your heart rate up right away and provides a full body workout/warmup.  remember, the more body parts moving, the more calories and fat you burn!  you can do HIIT on that thing or steady state cardio, you choose.

i taught my Total Conditioning class this morning and burned about 700 cals, then hit the weights for a quick 30 min shoulder work out.  i must share this burn!!

tripleset  (using moderate to heavy weight)

seated rear deltoid press 3 x 12

seated lateral raise 3 x 12

seated front deltoid press 3 x 12

***

standing alternating forward dumbbell raises 3 x 24

standing dumbbell T raises 3 x 12

barbel upright row 3 x 12

***

25 heavy barbel shoulder shrugs 4 sets

early morning workout complete and i am done for the day at 7:30am!

we went to Ruggles Green again over the long holiday weekend and i finally ordered something different -  organic turkey lettuce wraps.

not bad!  i can totally make them at home though.  lean ground turkey,  black beans, carrots, red peppers, tomatoes, bean sprouts, and corn all nestled inside a thick leaf of crisp iceberg lettuce.

i ordered a 3 cheese kids pizza for Chiso as my former little garbage disposal has become extremely picky. wonder how long that'll last...

it was a winner.

if he didn't kill it, we would have.

 money well spent.  i ordered some of their famous butternut squash too as usual, and whaddaya know- he doesn't like it anymore :roll:

so i handled up on that.

Sonny ordered what i usually get- the grilled fish tacos on corn tortillas.

'pumpkin?  clearly it's a basketball. '

he tried to bounce it and everything!!!

then....fro-yo time.  i mean it was right next door.

aaaaalllll those toppings and i never really step outside my comfort zone.

no sugar added vanilla frozen yogurt, mini dark chocolate chips, sprinkles, and whipped cream.  20 cals per ounce - my kinda cheat treat!

creating a fro-yo monster :)

remember that shrimp i bought that was on sale at the same time fresh salmon was?

i finally defrosted it and threw them in my grill pan along with some raw zucchini for dinner that night.  i sprinkled some more of that sweet smokey chipotle paprika and some dried parsley on them first,

and overcooked the heck outta them.  shrimp cook so fast it's not even funny.  you're supposed to do this for all proteins, but take them off the heat just before they are done, cover them with foil, and let them 'rest'.  they will continue cooking from the residual heat.  so if you take them off when they are done, they will get chewy on you after they cool a little and they won't be nearly as juicy.

Ogechi brought me those seasonings at the perfect time cause my HEB has been outta Mc Cormick's smokehouse maple seasoning for weeks.

we don't have our Christmas tree up yet.  i usually wait until the price drops a little before we go get one.  a real one!  i love how they make the house smell.  we were able to put up a few Christmassy items though.

Chiso did his own thing and wasn't interested.

matter fact, all those boxes back there were on the floor by the end of the night.

thanks to my little elf!

le

disaster recovery

 we got back from Vegas monday morning at 6am and went straight to work from the plane.  didn't sleep a wink on the flight or the night before.  however, Chiso did get some good sleep and snoozed the entire way home, WHEW.   you bet it was a long day that day.

while i attempted to catch up on rest, i neglected our empty fridge for two days!  i hadn't grocery shopped on Thanksgiving eve in a really, really long time.  HEB's parking lot was filled to capacity as expected, but as you see, they had every single lane open to accommodate the crowd.  take note, Walmart!!!!!!!!  AND, *big cheese* i happened to meet one of my readers in the store that night! i didn't want to scare her off, so i screamed on the inside :lol:  shout out to Nneka from Austin! *waving*

 i had just hauled my cart up to the belt when she quietly stepped behind me with her hand basket.   of course i told her to go ahead of me since she only had a few things (don't you appreciate when someone does that!?) which is when she introduced herself.  just goes to show how you never know who knows you or who's watching-  treat others how you want to be treated at ALL times.

soooo, how was your TG 2K12?!

mine started bright and early at the crack of dark.  i left Chiso and Sonny slobbering and snoring to run the annual Houston Turkey Trot 10K.  i love that the free t-shirt this year is long sleeve; that's rare.  i have not run long distance in forever, smh, but my cardio @ the gym definitely helps keep my endurance up.

before i hit the road, i made and devoured these babies:

coconut caramel pistachio pancakes.

 i used the base recipe for my banana pancakes and added the toppings- raw unsweetened coconut flakes, chopped bananas, Walden Farms caramel sauce, and crushed pistachios.

racing fuel!

might as well call these dessert pancakes- they were off the chain.

 over 12k people laced up their running shoes and showed out on Thanksgiving morning.

i was standing around and counting down to start time and noticed the people around me had on such cool colorful running shoes!

   i don't like the front or the very back, but the middle serves me just fine!  i was about two minutes or so from the starting line.  and yes, i ran with my phone in my hand the whole time. i need a fanny pack.

finished around 50 minutes or so.

   just wanted to support the cause and get some exercise... didn't care about breaking or making any PR's.

forgot to stop my watch immediately afterwards as usual, but i burned somewhere in the high 600's. which was only like half of one of my Thanksgiving plates :lol:

my heart rate really got up there! normally when i do HIIT, i top out around 176 before my HR starts to decline.  when i heard a lady shout  'last mile!!!' i turned my burners on and sustained my HR above 180 until i crossed the finish line. my legs and chest were on FIRE.

post race, you can find me by the food.

they gave out some flavored vitamin water, bananas,

and chewy granola bars.  chocolate chip, peanut butter, and a smores flavor.

 i met up with my friend Nichola post race- she competed in Vegas for Fitness America Weekend as well!  always posing;)  and sorry Nichola, no donuts at the post race party LOL

by now i am almost sick to my stomach of seeing plates of Thanksgiving food on Instagram so i'm gonna chill on sharing mine.  i will, however, share my 5 ingredient dump cake recipe!  indulgent, um yes.  so you should prolly stick to making this on holidays only.

1. canned cherries. i was über happy to see this 'no sugar added' variety of cherry pie filling, but was bummed that it was still sweetened with Splenda. womp, womp. however i got it anyway cause the original stats were just way too high. i couldn't do it.  i'm a changed woman.

2. pineapple chunks.  the 'skinny fruits' caught my eye like the manufacturers intended, but that big Splenda stamp ruined it again.

so, i grabbed what i always use- dole.  a little higher in the calories and sugar vs. the Libby's, but it's still all natural and no sugar added.

dump the can of cherries into a pan

followed by the pineapple chunks, juice and all.

3. box of yellow cake mix. it's not pictured, and any brand will do.  pour it on top of the cherries and pineapple.

4. stick of butter :shock: yeah, those are pads of butter.  they melt into the yellow cake mix when baking and form something so incredibly delectable and Paula Deen approved.  i mean you don't have to use the entire stick though, and you could very well substitute it with a lighter whipped butter, Earth Balance, or Smart Balance spread instead.

5. pecans. sprinkle them on top before popping the whole thing in the oven for 1 hr on 375-400 deg.  no stirring required! hence the name, dump cake.

so............how many times have you admired your Thanksgiving food baby in the mirror today?

do NOT let that or food guilt completely ruin the happy, positive memories of  Thanksgiving 2k12.  you ate those delicious foods cause you wanted to and you've been waiting all year for them.   you may have woken up with a tummy ache and the need to make a mad dash to the rr like i did this morning lol, but that's OK.  like most people, i ate a lot of carbs  and white sugar: pie, cake, dressing, rolls, etc, so i did cut some of my carbs today to balance my intake, but i did not cut them out.  do this:

• get back on track with your clean diet - do NOT starve yourself.
• physical activity...asap.  hit the gym for your routine as normal, or go outside for a walk, jog, or run.   you'll feel a lot better, instantly.
• drink plenty of water  and green tea with each meal as it speeds up digestion.
• let the food guilt GO.
• chunk the leftovers or give them away.  if the temptation is too much, stop torturing yourself and get rid of them. liquid soap to the rescuuuuuuuue :shock:

i slept in this morning but i made my way to the gym eventually for some cardio and light leg work.

20 minutes of HIIT on the stairmaster (60 rest rate / 90 work rate), legs, then 40 minutes of steady state cardio .  yep, put in a little extra work to combat yesterday's feasts.

i bought some chicken drumsticks a few weeks ago cause i could not pass up the sale price, so i went ahead and made them for dinner for the weekend.  we have been eating only chicken breast for........a really long dang time!!! 

it's nice to eat a different part of the bird for a change. smokey chipotle paprika drumsticks.

 i do hope your Thanksgiving was filled with family time, memories, lots of good food, and fellowship.

if i had ten thousand tongues, i could not thank the Lord enough!!!!!!!

le

is there a whole foods on the strip?

why yes, yes there is :lol:

alright, i'm giving the blog-as-i-go thing a try for a few days- i have a ton of pics, but some of them are in my phone, and some in my camera. and guess who left their camera usb adapter at home?  i always forget one thing when i travel, and well, this time it's that darn cord. SO, instead of waiting until i get home and doing one big post like i normally do, i'm bloggin' what i got so far minus a few camera pics.  Chiso's taking a nap and i'm bored.

we are in the fabulous Las Vegas, NV for Musclemania Fitness AmericaWeekend - Sonny is competing in his last show of the year!

Chiso was NOT feeling his first plane ride.  i'm hoping and praying the return flight is a million times better.  our plane touched down around midnight, and after getting our luggage, renting a car, etc., we finally made it to our hotel, tired & hoongry.

Matt & Sonny had an after-the-club breakfast in the hotel cafe,

and they brought mine up to the room since Chiso needed to be put down for bed immediately.  i had whole wheat toast, egg whites, hash browns, and the saltiest piece of ham on earth :shock:

energized after some much needed rest, we were ready to get into something the next day.  while Sonny attended meetings, waited in super long lines (he's somewhere under that water slide)

does media interviews, take pics and all that jazz,

Chiso, uncle Thew,

and i,

hit the strip!

i justified our Whole Foods trip by scoping out the room service menu for kicks like i always do and ummmmm..... half a grapefruit for 3.75? only in vegas.

1st up, we fueled up for all the walking we were about to do!

of course i had a sandwich.

whole wheat, grilled chicken, avocado, tomato, cucumbers, mushrooms, provolone cheese, and stone ground mustard, pressed. classic!

let the walking begin!

we saw the famous welcome to las Vegas sign, the m&m store, the underground forum shoppes in Caesars Palace, fashion show mall... the usual, lol!  we also stopped at The Bellagio to catch the water show and have dessert.

Chi watched and sat still like a big boy for the entire performance.  he deserved a standing ovation from Mommy!

or some sugar-free strawberry gelato, that works too.

Matt got a 3 layer mini cheesecake that was so creamy.

and fancy.

oh just eat it already.

after more walking, we headed back to the hotel for dinner @ The Grotto.

no idea what kinda bread this was but it was so moist and chewy on the inside, and crunchy on the outside.

Matt ordered a shrimp pasta with asparagus and tomatoes in a cream sauce dish covered with cheeeeese,

and i got the seared ahi tuna with grilled red potatoes, asparagus, french green beans, red & yellow tomatoes, and a boiled egg.  the host hotel restaurants have special menus just for fitness america weekend, and i ordered from that since i knew it would be super clean and healthy.  even still, most restaurants will accommodate your requests (omit oil, butter, dressing on the side, etc.) if you just ASK!

aaand i ended the day with a bed time snack that Sonny can't have yet-

sweet, all natural, Indiana kettle corn!  i grabbed a bag from WF earlier cause i knew we'd get the munchies later and ordering room service is out of the question.

ok that went fairly well- i'll try again during the next nap.

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

winner winner chicken dinner

glory to God, Sonny won 1st place in his division at the Ft. Worth MuscleMania bodybuilding show this past weekend!! here's Chiso congratulating him and apologizing for sleeping through the entire evening show in mommy's arms.  630-930...what a nap :shock:

i'm pretty proud of this guy.

i was screaming as loud as i could!!  great show and amazing jobs done by all.

here are Sonny and some of the other competitors soaking in their win.  cloud 9 status!

Chiso clearly just wanted to play with that ball, but we got a good family shot outside the venue during intermission break.  immediately following the show, Sonny's team went to dinner at Blue Mesa  to celebrate their accomplishments, weeks of hard work, dieting, and training.  both of our phones were almost dead after our long day, so my camera flash was toast.  horrible lighting for these next few pics, ugh.

along with Sonny's show day meals, i prepped all of mine for the trip as well.  and this meal was not apart of the plan lol! neither was the pizza Sonny brought me from backstage earlier.  nevertheless,  i started with a  dinner salad of field greens topped with tomatoes and red onion.  balsamic vinaigrette was on the side.

Sonny got the Perfect Tortilla Soup which had chicken, tomatoes, jack cheese, smoked chiles, and fresh lime in chicken broth.

CHIPS. sweet potato, tortilla (blue and flour).  and honestly they were nothing to write home about.  it's just that they were in front of me and i was hungry!!! snacking ensued. excessive snacking.

having no flash totally took away from the dish, but it was way tastier than it looked.  i got the Spa Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas with asparagus and grilled sweet potatoes.  the Spa section on their menu was detailed with nutritional stats and lighter options.  i totally appreciated that.  why don't restaurants just do this for the entire menu?  we're prolly better off not knowing in some cases!

Sonny asked the server for the dish with the most food and variety like he always does and ended up getting a sampler platter.  like he always does. lol.  the Mesa Sampler came with a carmelized onion quesadilla, mixed nachos, and chicken taquitos.

so on the way back to our hotel WE wanted something sweet and went through a Mc Donalds drive through in hopes to get some ice cream.   the machine was already closed down for cleaning for the night.  that has happened to us SEVERAL times... we should know the darn schedule by now.  so we ended up at the next best thing... actually it's prolly the best thing lol.

we split a whatasized vanilla shake and i'm pretty sure i slurped down 70% of it!  i hadn't had one in YEARS.  it was.... incredible.  Sonny mentioned going to In-N-Out burger too (hey we don't have one in Houston) but i had to put my foot down and call it quits.

we got some rest and headed home the next morning, but not before grabbing breakfast.  i took a selfie of my abs before we left though and i wasn't surprised that they were still flat.  after i eat crap, it pops back up to say hello on me 3-4 days later.  for a while i had myself fooled!  the symptoms may be delayed  (bloating, gas, bubble guts, pimples, fatigue, flat muscles, heaviness) but they ALWAYS come.  always.

Sonny wanted to start breakfast with a BANG but Ihop was the  best option that popped up on our GPS.  i was somewhat relieved and i'm also glad there were no Shipley's around :shock:

now THIS is a breakfast of champions.  ^^^ there's one right there, tee hee.  Ihop always did have crazy portion sizes.

Sonny smashed a steak omelette topped with cheese and tomatoes,

and a stack of what Ihop is famous for.... mmmmmm.

we got Chi a kiddie sampler of baby cakes, scrambled eggs, and turkey bacon which he did NOT like and took off his plate immediately.  i'm not a fan of the texture of turkey bacon either...i don't blame him.

 

time to get back on track.

after examining this pic closer, that totally looks like a bug in my oatmeal!!!!! LOL. i remember seeing it after stirring my bananas in though and it was definitely an oat.  i think.  i hope.

i also got a spinach, mushroom, and tomato egg white omelette that was pretty amazing.  i'm am in complete love with their Simple and Fit menu. look at all those options!!! the website is super user-friendly. seriously, GO IHOP! 4 thumbs up from fitfoodiele.

the oatmeal came with butter, brown sugar, and milk on the side, but i didn't use them.  you know what i used!  packet of stevia from the stash in my purse.

didn't bring any Walden Farms syrup with me, but they did provide sugar-free syrup.  again, GO IHOP!  HEB sells Cary's syrup as well, FYI.

we hit the road and made it home safely, thank God.  THEN i hit the gym solo to get a head start on that vanilla shake before it did too much damage lol.  Saturday was a full rest day and i did absolutely nothing for the first time in a while, so i was ready to go and pump some iron.

one of the bodybuilders gave this advice to the crowd at the show:  'it's not about who can squat the most.  it's not about who can bench press the most.  eat right, squeeze the muscle with each rep, and train hard.'  it was short, sweet, and really hit home.  during that workout, i did my best to squeeze my glutes, hams, quads, and calves with each rep. i felt and saw a difference immediately.  oooh it burns. STILL feeling it.

i did legs and cardio and got up outta there.  will be switching up my routine next week though-  time for something new.  next i hit up the store cause my Sunday just ain't right without some grocery shopping.

CONGRATULATIONS SONNY!!!!! XOXO

le