Status update - What works for you?

I finally feel like I am back in control again.....

Late 2011 to early 2012 when I gained majority of my weight, I went out and sort advice from a couple of personal trainers, began to hysterically read various fitness/health blogs, blogs of fitness models and people who have lost all the weight and succeeded on their journey.

This had both a positive and negative impact on me.

Positives
1. I learnt that your body wont change simply by doing excessive amount of cardio. A balance between a clean/healthy diet, resistance/weight training and cardio is required to get you to whatever goal you need to achieve.

2. I have a better understanding of what a healthy diet/clean eating consists of.

3. I am able to train effectively without spending hours and hours in the gym.

4. I have a solid idea of what my goal is and have broken them down into smaller intervals.

5. Healthy fat loss doesn't happen instantly, it's definitely not a fad diet but a lifestyle.

6. Numbers on the traditional scale do not matter, it's all about lean mass vs fat mass

Negatives
1. I almost found myself obsessing (with a little exaggeration) about other people's progress and found myself comparing myself to them. This made me feel impatient with my progress and constantly bashed myself emotionally as to why I couldn't look like them or achieve what they did.

2. Because I wanted to be at my goal then and there I actually put myself in a state where I didn't want to train or eat healthy (I know this contradicts itself, but I guess I began to eat emotionally and I'm normally not an emotional eater). I gave myself excuses to eat badly at any event, birthday, just going out, holidays etc.

3. Lost a great deal of motivation and my enthusiasm for training was at a very low. It's so easy to fall off track!

4. I was given different food plans by various people that didn't work for me. By all means they are great trainers and hold great knowledge in terms of health and fitness. However, it just wasn't working for me (probably due to my history)

I've stopped all the crazy stalking and comparing. Thank goodness! Why was I deliberately torturing myself? Who the heck knows! I guess I am just human....
By stopping all this madness I have been able to comeback to a healthier mental state.

Changes that I have made
1. Listen to your body -  Instead of eating the way other people tell me to eat or making sure I eat every 3 hours to the minute and second(even if I am not hungry) I eat when I feel I need too. By that I don't mean I skip meals (I never skip a meal) or let myself get extremely hungry. As this is when you are vulnerable to eat mindlessly as your sugar levels dip and start to crave(still eliminating bad habits =S). Instead I listen to my body  and now I generally understand when it needs to be fed. I always fuel my body with the necessary macro break downs(for my daily needs), making sure every meal I eat is clean and consists of a balance of fats, protein and carbs. I will also slightly alter what I eat pre and post training, depending on what my training consists of. If I find myself craving it only means I haven't fuelled myself correctly and need to reassess.

2. I have slightly altered my workouts as well - I'll always include some sort of cardio/resistance cardio/HIIT daily as this is crucial to fat burning and include a weight session.
Personally with weights I've always written down a workout schedule for the week for eg; legs day 1, chest and back day 2, arms day 3 etc but it's hard to guesstimate how your body will recover from a certain workout. You might say you do chest and back day 1 and then arms day 2 but find the DOMS are killing you from day 1 that you can't do arms so you choose to do legs. So instead of saying I will do this a certain day. I'll plan out the weight sessions I have to do for a week and decide on the day what I can and want to do. This is just personal choice I have made for myself, and it works for me.

3. Mentally - This has taken me a while, and it is the most important of all. I'm not going to achieve my goals by whining, comparing myself to others, telling myself that I can't do it or procrastinating on the matter. That will get you no where.
I am back at a place where I am loving my workouts and the wholesome food I am eating. I guess I can see the hope again and the confidence in myself that I will achieve my goals so long as I really want it... and that's what keeps me motivated to keep training and doing things right!

We all have different goals, different needs and different bodies, hence, not one training or diet program will work for everyone. You need to LISTEN TO YOUR BODY, keep a healthy diet, train like you really want it and record your progress. Figure out WHAT WORKS FOR YOU and it'll only be a matter of time before you reach your goals.

Superfood - SPINACH

Sometimes I forget or simply don't know all the great minerals,vitamins and nutrients that natural and whole foods provide to nourish our body.

I've been putting spinach in almost every meal I eat so decided to look into to this mighty mean green leaf!

Here is a summary I put together and boy oh boy does this tiny friend pack a sackful of good stuff!

These %'s outline per cooked cup of spinach

All these different minerals/vitamins/flavanoids/antioxidants etc found in spinach hold the ability to prevent cancer, regulate inflammation, combat the onset of osteoporosis, atherosclerosis and high blood pressure, skin condition, promote a healthy nervous system and brain function....................ok I'll stop now!

If you don't already consume this fella...well go on! Eat it raw, steamed, sauteed, boiled or juiced! However you like, you can do just about anything with it!

Clean eats

Quick update!

Blogging has been pretty slow as of late. Haven't been home for the last month or so and have been on the go go go go......Nevertheless, I've still been able to eat clean and train hard! I've also taken on board my brother as a...... lets just say a guinea pig. He wants to shed some fat.

It's officially been 1.5 weeks since the start of my fat loss phase. I know I wrote a post earlier on saying that it was supposed to start early/mid April. However, due to some set backs (as life has its way of playing out) I wasn't able to. Don't see anything stopping me now...just need to keep my head screwed on tight and focused 1 week at a time!

Pictures of what I've been eating and cooking up for the beastly brother. 

Firstly, This is what my fridge consists of clean, clean and more clean..did someone say clean? Protein all portioned out to minimise cooking time.

Grilled Chicken and kale salad

Grilled salmon salad

Grilled Chicken with sauteed greens and spicy salsa

Meal prepping

Sweet potato and cucumber soldiers - filled with prawns, egg, peppers

Sautéed prawns and greens with chilli and cracked pepper

Starts now!

Alright it is now time to buckle down even harder than before. Bulk phase has officially finished (thank gawd!)

The idea of bulking was excruciating for me. I was constantly eating, eating, eating...chicken here chicken there chicken in my breakfast....I may as well have bought a chicken farm...gahh!!! how on earth was I supposed to lose weight with all this food? Getting my head around eating for muscle growth was mind boggling and did at times cause anxiety not knowing if what I was doing was the "right" thing to be doing (so much "bro science")...despite the array of emotions I do feel as though I put on a decent amount of lean muscle mass.

Forgot to take a before picture =S

As you can see in the picture above, the bulk is there but no definition or leanness in the body - 'Hopefully' this next phase, which is the fat burning phase, also known as body re-composition, will induce the fat storages! Be GONNEEEEE!!!!!! FOREVER!!!!!!!!!......


The next 3 months is going to be tough! Whilst I was on the bulk phase I was constantly nourishing my body I rarely ever had sweet cravings or any sort of cravings. (mind you although I was eating endlessly I always found myself to be hungry?? LOL). I'll have to see how I cope with the reduced intake. Diet wise - I have removed most of the fat (increased fish oil intake to compensate) and reduced the carbs where necessary. I'll be eating plenty of fresh produce and including 1 cheat/week, however, I have now limited my cheat meals by excluding sweet treats!!(possibly the exception of my birthday cake).....oh doom!!! justkeepswimmingjustkeepswimming...! Focus!

Training - I will still be smashing out the weights (to preserve as much lean mass as possible, may even increase) but I have also incorporate more cardio.

So looking at cardio 5-6 days a week weights 4 days a week.....I may need to adjust if I am feeling too fatigued...trial and error .....

Tomorrow marks day 1 of 90.....Lets do this...and smash that stubborn fat away!!!

Bust your butt and work them LEGS!

I've been noticing the various benefits that my body has been reaping in from a good leg work out. My lower back is feeling stronger than ever (still some aches and pains through the sciatics), my core and stability is more on point, my movements are more swift and quicker, my legs are able to carry me further when I go long distance running (managed a 15km run last night) and my whole body in general is feeling 'iron-like' - hahaha I am unstoppable!!

"'When you work your legs you're essentially working the entire body. When performing a set of a compund lower body exercise.Take the squat, leg press or deadlift exercises for example; just think of how many muscles you're contracting throughout your body, other than your legs. Even if they are only being isometrically contracted (i.e. flexed but not moving), these other muscle groups receive enough mucles fibre stimulation for enhanced size and strength development".  - Body Building

I have laid out some simple leg exercises that you can execute at home.

Back Squat

This multi-joint exercise is a great foundation exercise for building overall power and strength.

Compound exercise - it directly works the gluteals, quadriceps and hamstrings. Isometrically contracts all other parts of the body.


No No's:

• Do not round your back or lean forward.
• Don't allow your head to look down and your knees to turn in.

Barbel Front Squat

Similar to the back squat, however, as the 

weight is on the front of your shoulders it

demands a more upright body posture. This

places more emphasis on your quads and 

core.

No No's:

• Do not allow your heels to lift off the floor
• Do not drop your elbows or let them touch

your knees at the bottom of the lift.

• Never sacrifice good technique by overloading

with weights.

Bulgarian Dumbbell Split Squat

This exercise is valuable for hip mobility, balance and good shoulder posture as well as strength in your quads and gluts. By holding dumbbells it gives you a lower centre of gravity and improves stability.

Focus and concentrate on your gaze level and do not bend your back.

Overhead Barbell Lunge

Lateral Lunge

This movement works the whole body. It is excellent for developing strength and power.

Be gone!! inner wobbly things of DEATH!!!

When performed correctly you'll be able to feel that bitey/painful sensation when you push up through your heels. 

You can start without the weights and progress up to the desired weight

There are so many different leg workouts, but now that you have a general idea get on pumping!!!

Remember to keep that core activated...AT ALL TIMES!!!!

What's all the fuss about?

Oh gosh!!! what a week of hell it's been!!

This bulk phase has been really screwing with my mind and emotional state.

All this eating, eating, eating and MORE EATING!!! only makes me feel like I'm getting bigger...BALLOONING!! popping out of this universe!!

gahhh someone just yoink my brains out so I don't think, just do!

So this week was a bit of a downer yes the whole version of; the world is against me, I'll never see the light at the end of the tunnel, blah blah bull cr*p.....

I got through all my workouts and all my eating but my motivation and positivity was missing....During my training sessions I wasn't all hyper and high, full of joy as I usually would be. I was just there because I knew I had to do it. So I did.

Every meal I ate, I was assessing and obsessing how many calories was in each bite and if my body would just lose more if I didn't eat this extra meal.....So many times this week I was close to just giving up and reverting back to the old days of not eating - the cowardly escape.

I think what I forgot about this week is patience and faith and trust in myself - my two major problems.....

I train and train and I just want it now! and when it doesn't I convince myself that it will never happen. That's when I lose the faith and believe that it won't happen eventually.

I just have to trust that it will happen so long as I keep putting in that 150% ..FOCUS!!!

On the brighter side all this heavy lifting and food loading has definitely given my muscles a pump! They aren't lean because that isn't the focus of this phase but boy oh boy I feel like I could take out a couple of *I probably shouldn't write what I was about to write* haha...

Anyway so today was my check in day (EXTREMELY APPREHENSIVE, almost cancelled) but thank goodness! I maintained in size despite eating over my maintenance calorie intake.(Hopefully it's all going to my muscles) I'm extremely happy with this!! From eating only 800 calories a day to 1900 I think that's an achievement on it's own. *A pat on the back for me*

This week I'm going to try and disconnect a little with my brain as it tends to screw me up a tad =S Focus on what's in the plan and take it

Recipe of the week - Quinoa Salad

Just a quickie before I head out for a training session.

Another quick and easy recipe! 

Quinoa tuna bean salad with grilled veggies, drzzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. 

Click here to find out the health benefits of 'quinoa'

Pre mix shot

Post mix shot

Ingredients

• Quinoa - 1/2 cup (cooked)
• Dried Anchovies
• Veggies (any of your choice)
• Tuna in Springwater (1 x small tin)
• Beans (I used kidney)
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Method;

Step 1. 

Create a broth using the dried anchovies - you can use chicken stock, vegetable stock, beef stock, etc I've decided to create an anchovy broth as my protein is seafood. 

Step 2. 

Cook the quinoa seeds in the broth - 1 part quinoa seeds to 3 part broth.

Bring to a boil and then let it simmer for 15mins with the lid on. 

Step 3. 

Grill your vegetables on a non stick pan - I've used red and green capsicum, zucchini, mushrooms and carrots. 

Step 4. Combine the tuna, beans, grilled vegetables and quinoa. Then drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Step 5.

EAT!