Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Rest day whether I like it or not...

Oh my gosh, I had planned to work out tonight with one of my two fav workout partners and I just...couldn't..do it. I mean, I thought I was ready...but I think I ate too lightly today. Here's my intake.

Kale salad with olive oil, walnuts, cranberries (almost two heads of kale!)
Small tea latte (8 oz.)
1 cup large curd cottage cheese
2 cucumbers
16 oz. Mango Protein Zone drink

....I came barreling in the door to make a bowl of veggie "turkey" soup and mashed cauliflower. Oh, and just ate a banana with peanut butter and a little bit of mocha cappucino hazelnut butter. (dessert!) So I became more satisfied...but I still couldn't seem to find the energy to work out, probably because I gave so much energy today, maybe even more than usual...and I choreographed this afternoon as well. Plus my muscles are soooooo sore from Monday and Tuesday's workout. I thought I'd want to at least do a light workout...but it sounds like a bodywork night, with foam rolling and inversion, and maybe a bit of yoga.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Interval training, Endurance building, and Rest.

Mike pummeled my legs to the ground in an interval training session this week, finishing this crazy week of legwork. I had to do it. I've been not quite satisfied in my fat burning outcomes so I decided to kick it up a notch. Of course I'm changing everything and trying new things, from adding exercises, writing new programs, and altering my nutrition, but I'm also adjusting my attitude on how I feel about all of it. Truth is, like most weightlifters, we know that leg training is some of the most important work we can do for total fat burn, but we don't often honor this because it hurts...but legs are soooo strong and burn so many calories, that it is certainly worth it to not leave it out.

I am currently doing about three interval sessions per week, 3-4 kettle training sessions, one floor circuit session, about two hours of cardio, two yoga sessions and one rest day per week, on average. When exercise is steady and consistent, and you're feeling stronger but want more physical results, the best thing is variety, so that the muscles don't adapt to the work, and look at nutritional efforts. Sometimes a nutritional tweak here or there really helps.

I'm wanting to eliminate wheat from my diet, and I am currently wondering, and maybe worrying, about how this will be successfully done. I'm already vegetarian. What will this mean for my daily schedule? The next step is gluten. Gluten may be tougher...but I feel that with these changes, I may actually see a few changes I will come to really appreciate.

The next thing I've done, is ginseng. Ginseng is an adaptogenic herb, which basically means that the herb is a metabolic regulator, and that it creates homeostasis, or balance, in the internal workings of the body. I've cycled on and off of ginseng for years, and it always works for me quite successfully, especially when I want to push my limits a bit.

Sunday is my only sacred rest day. I vow to usually get homework and chores done on this day, cooking and cleaning, and maybe some bodywork, but I have to keep my focus in order to see this through.