Food and Exercise Diary

It is summer and I am well aware that I would like to get fit so I can look good in a bathing suit. So to speed things along, I've decided to keep a food diary and post what I eat here in this blog. I figure, if I am posting it, I will make much better food choices.

In addition, I am going to start food combining again. My stomach has been a little out of wack lately and I think it will be easier to get my daily allotement of fruits and vegetables this way. I lost weight food combining before. Here is my basic food combining plan:

Morning- Fruit

Lunch- Fresh salad with some sort of protein

Dinner- Carbohydrate with cooked vegetable, legumes are also acceptable

Stinging Nettle Infusion

Today, I've rekindled my love for stinging nettle infusion. When I lived in Germany, I used to drink gallons of it. I would steep large amounts of it in a glass jar overnight and drink it iced the next morning. It tastes so green and healthy and is full of minerals.

I was at my thinnest and healthiest then. There was something about the food, the lifestyle, and even the infusions... it all worked. I lost weight despite my lifestyle of eating well and drinking lots of cocktails.

So today, I made some stinging nettle tea. I let it steep for a while and it was lukewarm, too cool for me to sip and enjoy out of the mug. I was faced with a choice- heat it or ice it? I opted to put it on ice and each sip brought me back. I used to collect stinging nettle (with gloves) in the fields near our apartment. I also used to buy bags of it for around two euro a bag at the local Apotheke. I walked every. I miss it all.

Perhaps that iced glass of stinging nettle infusion is a sign that things are about to change.

I lost weight!

I weighed myself this morning and realized I lost 1.5 pounds. I wasn't going to go to the gym but after I weighed myself, I realized that the reason why I lost weight is because I've been exercising consistently.

So I went. And I had a great time! I did thirty minutes of the bicycle and 45 minutes worth of abs, back, and biceps. I worked each muscle group for twelve sets worth.

The only problem is that I have a deadline today and I WANT CARBS. I wasn't really stressed, but the deadline made me want to eat bread. Not a good thing. Perhaps next deadline I'll do all my work away from my home and my kitchen.

It's summer

It's been summer weather here and I am well aware that I am not ready for that bikini yet. I've exercised every day this week and I've been eating a lot better but still the scale has not moved. Do you think I am frustrated? Oh yes. Yes, I am.

Trying very hard not to dwell. But, it is a little frustrating when you feel as if you are working hard and there are no results.

At least I like exercise. If I can just maintain that attitude, I think I'll be ready for that bikini sooner than later. I hope. I really really hope.

Simple Steps to Exercise Recovery

I trained for a marathon last year and ran it successfully. My challenge for this year was to train and climb Mt. Rainier. However, I developed achilles tendonities during my training and discovered I had tendonitis in both my knees for the running. So now, I am just getting back into exercise and am about three weeks in to my new exercise/ training program.

One thing I need to do is to approach nutrition and fitness more scientifically. My first step to taking this approach is to learn how to fuel my body. Most importantly, learn how to fuel my body directly after exercise to help aid recovery.

Here's what I found:

• Consume carbohydrates- Consuming carbohydrates directly after your workout helps replenish the glycogen stores in your muscles.
• Balanced meal- You not only need to consume carbohydrates after a workout, you need to have a good balance between carbs, protiens, fats, and liquids. This provides your body with the right nutrients to not only heal, but get stronger.
• Water- Hydration is important not just during the workout, but after. Not drinking enough fluids is an energy zapper and not good for your metabolism.
• Antioxidants- When you exercise, you have an increased need for antioxidants. Taking a multivitamin consistently as well as eating a balanced diet with lots of fruits and veggies should do the trick.

Post meal options include meal replacement bars, fitness shakes with fruit and protien powder, and a regular meal. If you aren't hungry after the workout, it is still a good idea to consume carbs and protien. You can buy liquid protien drinks or you can drink a sports beverage like Gatorade.

I am going to take my own advice. I want to work out smart. Right now, I am craving a protien shake. I may as well take care of that. I want to be well recovered to give myself that fitness test tomorrow.

Body By Glamour

I decided to sign up for the Body By Glamour program. I've finished the Self Challenge in the past, with excellent results. Now I want the same results but with a different challenge.

http://www.glamour.com/bbg/

Tomorrow, I will adminster a fitness test so I can track my progress. I'll post the results here.

Today's workout

I got back from the gym a while ago. Yesterday's muscle conditioning class had me doing squat after squat... my legs were sore today which made pushing myself with cardio out of the question. I went on the exercise bike for forty five minutes and then did some abs and stretches.

I guess the soreness is normal, but I am wondering if I am doing something wrong when it comes to exercise recovery.

I like exercise, finally

After weeks of forcing myself to go to the gym, I finally like exercising again. At lunch today I had a Greek coffee and I think that had something to do with the workout I had. I went to this muscle conditioning class and we jumped rope. I felt like I could jump forever and I felt like a kid again.

Has the scale moved? No, not yet. But atleast I'm having fun. I am also logging what I eat, but I am not as worried about my diet for the moment. I am just concentrating on maintaining a workout schedule. One thing at a time.

Here are my workouts so far:

Monday: 25 minutes on the stepper, 30 minutes weights
Tuesday: Muscle conditioning class- high impact aerobics mixed with weights
Wednesday: Projected workout: 25 minutes on the stepper, 30 minutes abs and lower back followed by stretching.

I was supposed to climb Mt. Rainier, but injuries have prevented me from being productive so I had to back out.