How It’s Going…
We last wrote to you about our Health Journey three weeks ago. Here, we are going to update you on how things are going for your Coaches, how we are achieving our goals and how you can join in on the fun! Just as a reminder, in case you didn’t catch our first blog post, you can read it here.
Coach Stacey: My original motivation for writing this blog and working with Clare was to create more accountability. I had let my own fitness slip off the calendar and wasn’t running as much as I wanted. I knew I could keep refining my nutrition to really give my muscles and body the fuel it needed. After comparing notes with Clare, we decided I could pick up the Kettlebell a bit more often too!
Main Goals 3 Weeks Ago: 1.) Body recomposition through a reduction in overall body fat and an increase muscle tone. 2.) Run more often, getting at least 4 miles 3x per week 3.) Dedicate 3 days a week to personal strength training using mostly the kettlebell.
How It’s Going: 1.)Nutrition: As most of you know, I am a vegetarian who occasionally eats fish and definitely eats eggs. I upped my protein intake over the last three weeks which led to decreased snacking and filling up on yummy stuff that was also feeding my muscles! I also noticed a decrease in body fat by lessening my starchy carb intake. My Breakfasts were either: 2 whole eggs and one egg white scrambled with spinach, and one orange or; 1/2 cup of steel cut oats made with 1 cup of almond milk and either a tablespoon of peanut butter, 1/2 a chopped apple and cinnamon or a scoop of protein powder, blueberries and crushed almonds on top. I also held off on eating breakfast until about 10 am, which gave me approximately 14-15 hours between dinner and breakfast, so a little bit of Intermittent Fasting. For Lunge, I mean Lunch!, I would have a medium sized salad with a variety of veggies and a cup of homemade soup (try this tortilla soup!) or a salad with chickpeas and avocado or Brown Rice, Black Beans, Tomatoes and Spinach. Dinners varied, but always included a lean protein such as salmon or tuna or a homemade veggie burger (try this recipe) with a salad or roasted vegetables. 2.) My runs: well, I can’t say that this has been going as well as I had hoped. The first week, I ran 20 miles over the course of the week and it felt amazing. The second week, I ran about 16 miles. During the third week, we had icky weather and so I was relegated to the treadmill. I don’t dislike the treadmill but it was becoming more of a chore than I wanted it to be. So, I only managed 10 miles that week. Still a big improvement over what I was averaging, which was closer to 6 or 7 miles a week but I can do better in this area. 3.) Strength Training: As I’ve said before, I love the kettlebell! With Clare’s help, I settled into a new kettlebell routine — one that has really shown improvement in my muscle tone and strength! I’ve been able to get 3-4 strength training sessions in each week, spending about 20 or 30 minutes with my 15 lb, 22 lb and monster green 31 lb kettlebells. I’ve gotten better in swinging the “monster” (as I affectionately call it) and have begun to use the 22 pounder for most of my kettlebell routine.
New Goals for the Next 3 Weeks: 1.) Continue focusing on Nutrition, adding lots of vegetarian sources of protein and staying steady in avoiding starchy carbs like sourdough bread (I bake it, I love it, I eat it!). 2.)Get the runs in! Now that the weather is starting to warm-up, I will be less concerned with slipping on ice and be able to hit the trails again. My goal is to average no less than 15 miles a week and hopefully by April, being back to my non-training 20 mile weeks. 3.) Continue to conquer the “monster” in my Kettlebell workouts and master the turkish get-up. I do see a few obstacles in my way in the coming weeks, ones that I hope to surmount and achieve my goals. The first obstacle is going to be travel. I will be traveling at the end of March and nutrition may be a bit of an issue. I plan to pack up as much of my own food as I can (we are driving) and hope there is room in the fridge on the other end of the trip! The second is running. My coaching schedule has picked up and that means a lot more workouts during the week, which means a little less time for running. I plan on scheduling my runs and do lighter mileage during the week and longer runs on the weekends. We will keep you updated! Join in with us by telling your own story in the comments!
Coach Clare: Recap of Main Goals: 1) Reduce body fat and increase muscle mass. 2) Perform at least two full body strength workouts with enough intensity to build muscle. 3) Find ways to maintain at least five cardiovascular workouts per week regardless of weather.
How It’s Going: 1) I have been diligently journaling my daily food intake for the past three weeks using the MyFitnessPal app. After consulting with Stacey about my nutrient profile, I made the goal to increase my intake of fruits and vegetables as well as protein. I have been successful at including a fruit at breakfast and vegetables at every lunch - not just dinner. This action has helped me increase the total servings per day of these fiber-full and filling nutrients! I've also found that even though I've been good about eating lean proteins at every meal, I need to make a serious effort to include more protein at breakfast and maybe a daily snack. While I'm not a vegetarian, I do try to eat a plant heavy diet. Though beans and protein powder help me meet my protein target, if I don't plan ahead, I can fall quite short of the goal. I've added either lowfat cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt daily as they are high protein options, and I like them - they make a filling snack! 2) In the first blog post, I mentioned that I sometimes turn to food for comfort or "entertainment". While I have not journaled all of my feelings surrounding eating, I did find that I was snacking and turning to 72% dark Belgian chocolate more often than I should. When I looked at my daily log on the MyFitnessPal app, I realized that though one square of chocolate wouldn't necessarily prevent me from meeting my nutritional goals, often that one square turned into one and half, two, or more!!! Turns out that adds a lot more fat and sugar if I'm not very careful. Years ago I used to give up chocolate for Lent, and though I'm not as religious as I was then, as Ash Wednesday rolled around a couple of weeks ago, I realized that it might be a good idea for me to try that sacrifice once again. I have successfully eliminated chocolate since then! Therefore - no overindulgence. Sure, there are times when I feel the craving, but I've found that the craving does pass, and I feel a sense of accomplishment in overcoming it. In addition, I have been playing around with intermittent fasting. In my case that means extending the length of time that I go from finishing dinner to eating breakfast the next day. I've been going about 14 hours between those two meals, and I've found that not only can I do it, but that it helps me to snack less frequently. 3) Another success has been consistently fitting in a serious strength training session two times per week. For the past few weeks I have planned my week to include a workout that consists of three sets of 10-12 exercises in order to overload my muscles and see strength gains. I happened to find a 25 pound kettlebell in TJ Maxx one day, and snapped that up, which has helped me work a bit harder. 4) I also have been able to maintain at least five cardiovascular workouts per week. Even though we've had some very wintry weather in February, I have managed to fit my runs in when the road conditions allow, and I did a five mile hike recently when there was still too much ice around to safely run.
What I Need to Address Now: 1) I never did weigh myself or measure my body fat before embarking on this change. It might help to find some way to measure that progress so I can know if my nutrition targets are helping me meet my goals. I usually don't obsess about the number on the scale, so circumference measurements with a tape measure might be a better way for me to document change. I care more about how my clothes fit and losing inches in the belly than I do what my weight is. 2) I know I'll abstain from chocolate until Easter, but truthfully, I'm not ready to give it up for the rest of my life! I need to start thinking about how I might reintroduce a treat like that without it becoming a problem again. 3) I'm pretty confident I can continue to get two strength workouts in each week. I just need to figure out ways to make those workouts a little more difficult as time progresses. That kettlebell was a helpful find, but I will likely need to increase weight as I move forward. 4) No real worries on the cardio front! I see spring weather and biking opportunities on the horizon!
We are encouraging all of our class participants and followers to join us on this journey! We want to hear from you. Put your story in the comments or email us at movestrongforlife@gmail.com . Let’s swap stories and learn from each other!