Simplify P90X: Day 4

Another cardio day. According to the schedule, I should be doing yoga.

But it’s a “hangout with friends” day and we’re spending the afternoon rock climbing at the gym instead! Exercising is way more fun with friends since it keeps you accountable and there’s a healthy level of competition trying to best your bestie! Most people assume that rock climbing requires a lot of strength, especially upper body strength, but it’s not true. You need strong legs, a good ability to balance on your toes, and an ease in shifting your weight around. Having strong hands is a plus, but it’s not necessary, it only seems like it because the fear of falling is greater than your confidence at first. But once you get the hang of it, it’s super fun and it’s like a more challenging way of “climbing up a ladder.” If you’ve never been rock climbing, you should do it at least a handful of times, it’s awesome!

If you’ve been following along the past couple days, you might have noticed that I don’t follow the P90X schedule very strictly. I think of it more like guidelines than strict rules to follow since it has to fit into your lifestyle to be effective. I used to think that I had to exactly what the program dictates, but that’s baloney. The whole point is to keep moving, stay active, and be healthy…the superficial stuff will come naturally. Have fun, be with friends, and eat well…but know that you gotta put in the time to get the results you want.

Until tomorrow, show up and work hard!

Simplify P90X: Day 3

After working my upper body quite hard the past 2 days, it’s time to work on the legs. Instead of Shoulders and Arms, it’s a Legs and Back day.

I was volunteering last night and I got a huge bruise at the top of my right foot that made some of the leg exercises a bit painful, so I had to modify it. To break down the Legs and Back session, it’s an alternation of a few exercises: lunges, squats, pull-ups, and calf-raises.

2 rounds, 6 sets with 15-20 repetitions for each exercise.

I love lunges way more than I love squats and I have improve my form for each of these exercises but at least it makes me feel like I’m doing something right. I could definitely feel the burn in my legs as I was going through the exercises but not enough to pull something. I can tell how much my body can handle and if it gets a little too tight, I do the opposite exercise to balance out my muscles so they have a chance to rest. For example, I can’t do too many calf raises or they start to seize up, so I do “plies” which are kind of like squats to relieve the tension in my calves and give it a break. It’s always useful to know your body’s limits so you don’t hurt yourself when you work out.

Until tomorrow, show up and work hard!

Simplify P90X: Day 2

It’s supposed to be Plyometrics day, but I somehow misplaced that DVD, along with Kenpo.

Instead, I did Yoga.

After a pretty tough workout yesterday, My arms, shoulders, and core felt tight and a little sore. Once I got started on yoga, I started to feel all the stretches, activating and relieving the pain simultaneously. That’s when I realized how important stretches are in addition to doing various exercises. When your muscles get tight, you need stretches to loosen them up and make them limber again.

Yoga was tough, but I managed a little over the half hour mark before I had to call it quits. I was straining through the plank poses, especially since I really maxed out my pushup abilities yesterday. But all the stretches from upward dog, downward dog, etc…it took away a lot of the tightness and soreness I felt. After the session, I felt a lot more limber and energized.

Another session down.

Until tomorrow, show up and work hard!

Simplify P90X: Day 1

It’s that time of year again, time to work off all that winter gristle and grime.

Maybe for most people, January is a time to make new habits and changes, but for me, it’s always been spring. As spring approaches, I’m motivated to blog again and track my exercise habits. I’ve done most of the P90X program and it’s solid. But I need to adapt it for my current lifestyle and make it work for me. So I’m simplifying the P90X program down its basic exercises that you can do almost anywhere. Sure I love Tony’s jokes and motivations, but sometimes, I don’t want to watch the DVD every time I work out.

Day 1: Chest and Back is all about pushups and pull-ups. 2 rounds, 6 sets, 15 reps for each exercise, alternating between pushups and pull-ups.

As the first exercise the program, I could have pushed myself harder, but I wanted to make it through the entire workout. Next time, I could probably do more reps and for the weighted exercises (heavy pants, lawnmowers, back flys) I could have used 15 lb. or even 20 lb. weights. It’s a good first workout.

Until tomorrow, show up and work hard!

Operation Get Moving: 2nd Round

Well, the second round of Operation Get Moving got sidetracked and I’m starting it up again. Since the weather has taken a turn for the worse making it difficult to go to the rock gym, I’m turning to my trusty P90X set. I’ll be doing 90 days on the P90X Lean schedule. So expect some weekly updates!

Day 1: Core Synergistics

Getting back to the swing of things after a month and a half of break means I’m starting back from square one. This program consists of several sets of pushups, lunges, abs and leg exercises. I didn’t do all the fancy exercises, but kept things simple and manageable. 20 reps, either 5 lb. or no weights, and keeping my heart rate up. I made it through the hour and I know that I can push myself harder next time, but it’s a good start.

My short term and long term goals

• Have a regular exercise schedule
• Finish lead climbing class and climb outdoors
• Finish 40 day challenge
• Run a 5K by June 2014
• Run a half marathon by Dec 2014
• Slim and tone body, reach goal weight (lose 5-10 lbs)

Operation Get Moving: Day 40 Results!

My 40 day Operation Get Moving challenge is finished and what a learning process!

For the last week, I ran 3 times for about 2-2.5 miles each and I went rock climbing once. I’m getting better at running more consistently and building my endurance. As for rock climbing, we’re starting to get more into lead climbing v. top roping, but it’s way more challenging since it feels like we’re starting all over again. For top roping, I can climb about 5.10c/5.10d routes and for lead, I climb5.9/ 5.10a ones. Hopefully, I’ll improve more as the weeks go by.

Overall, I kept up my rock climbing schedule and added a few other events in between like hiking, jogging, and P90X Kenpo. Getting 3 workouts in a week isn’t too difficult since I only require 30 minutes of exercise to count and rock climbing usually takes up 2 of the workouts.

Here’s the workout breakdown:

• Week 1: 3 workouts
• Week 2: 4 workouts
• Week 3: 0 workouts
• Week 4: 2 workouts
• Week 5: 4 workouts
• Week 6: 4 workouts

Total: 17 workouts in 6 weeks

If I average it out,  it’s almost 3 days a week of workouts. I’m short one day, so I didn’t succeed 100% but that’s pretty darn close! Since I went on vacation during Week 3, I think the sightseeing made up for the lack of regular exercise anyway. This first phase of Operation Get Moving is to get by body used to having a regular exercise schedule.

The next round is to pick up the pace and really start getting some results. For the next 40 days , I’ll try to complete 4 workouts a week. I’m hoping to improve my cardiovascular system and build endurance. So far, I can run about 2 miles but I can be better. By the end of the next challenge, I hope I can run a 5K without taking a break to walk it out.

As for body changes, there wasn’t a significant difference but I didn’t expect it to change soon. Perhaps after the next round there might be something more noticeable. Here’s to the start of another round to GET MOVING!

My short term and long term goals

• Have a regular exercise schedule
• Finish lead climbing class and climb outdoors
• Finish this 40 day challenge – 2 times this year (finished once)
• Be able to run a half marathon by Dec 2013
• Slim and tone body, reach goal weight (lose 5-10 lbs)

Current Stats

• Height: 61″
• Weight: 109.2 lbs (gained 0.5 lbs)
• BMI: 20.6 (normal-increased 0.1)
• Blood pressure: 106/63 (low normal)
• Bust: 31″
• Waist: 25″ (decreased by 1″)
• Hips: 34″
• Arm: 10″
• Thigh: 18″
• Calf: 13″

Operation Get Moving: Day 34

It’s been almost 3 weeks since the last update but that doesn’t mean I’ve been slowing down!

The first week, I didn’t workout at all since I was recovering from my travels in San Diego and my friends were out of town. The second week, I spend one day rock climbing and another day, I went jogging for 3 miles. Then last week, I tried to pick up the slack by doing 4 workouts in one week.

I passed my lead climbing certification test so since then, I spent 4 days rock climbing: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday.

Today, I went jogging for 2 miles instead of rock climbing. I do want to improve my cardio exercises so I’m really trying to go running more often. I’m not that great, but every time I’m out there, I get better. So there’s plenty of room for improvement.

Only 6 more days until the end of the 40 day Operation Get Moving Challenge! The results will come in on June 17!

Fact or Fiction: Bulletproof Coffee

Simplifying the science behind bulletproof coffee.

One of my friends is a fitness trend junkie and he relays some info to me about what’s the latest thing. I’ve been pretty slow on the uptake about bulletproof coffee. Butter and coconut oil instead of cream and sugar in your coffee to avoid the caffeine crash and other negative side effects? Questionable.

What is it?

8 oz. coffee + 1 tbs. grass-fed butter + 1 tbs. coconut oil = Bulletproof Coffee

I tried the concoction several times and it tastes similar to a creamy coconut cappuccino. I didn’t get the jitters or the crash that I expected.

So it works, but why?

According to the Bulletproof Exec, the creator of bulletproof coffee, this is what the science says here. To cut to the quick, it emphasizes 3 things:

1. Coffee in moderate amounts is good for you
2. High quality coffee beans are better than low quality coffee beans
3. High quality butter and MCT (medium chain triglycerides) are “healthy fats”

Well, the site doesn’t really answer the question but I didn’t expect much. It just says you have to try it because it’s good for you and it’s amazing. So I had to do my own research and ask around.

What’s so important about the ingredients?

Get high quality coffee beans. It’s wise to get the best coffee beans you can if you are particular about flavor but most people can’t tell the difference. If you brew your own coffee, almost any type of bean will give a similar result. Don’t steep the beans too long as that is what imparts the bitterness more than the type or brand of coffee.

Cream and sugar are out. Sugar is the key player and “enemy” if you believe mainstream science. It speeds up absorption of caffeine which is why you get that quick rush, but it also leaves the bloodstream at the same rate, so you get that huge crash afterwards. The cream is usually processed which removes some of its nutritional value, but aside from that, it’s not much different from butter and coconut oil.

Butter and coconut oil is in. Saturated fats are no longer “bad fats” but are now considered “healthy fats” because it’s a MCT (medium chain triglyceride). Adding fats instead of sugar slows down the absorption of caffeine into your system so there isn’t an exponential increase and decrease of energy in your body. Since it’s less processed, the fats are easier for the body to recognize, break down, and utilize. Plus, the saturated fats don’t lead to increased blood pressure or cholesterol levels.

How does bulletproof coffee work in your system?

The emulsion created with the coffee and fats extracts caffeine from the coffee and encapsulates it in the fats. Think of it like a bucket of water balloons with the caffeine = water and balloons = fats. As your body absorbs the coffee, the encapsulated caffeine would act as a slow time-release capsule which controls the amount of caffeine entering your system. Therefore, you don’t get the huge splurge and crash of energy because your body is absorbing the caffeine at a slower rate. Because of this process, the caffeine rush lasts longer.

Theoretically.

Conclusion

Bulletproof coffee is a better alternative to regular coffee with cream and sugar. The negative side effects of caffeine are minimized by the saturated fats in the butter and coconut oil. So, if you like having coffee with a few additives, bulletproof coffee may give you the extra pep in your step that you desire.

Eat Clean: Summer Somen Salad

When the weather heats up, I often find it a challenge to cook something tasty without spending too much time over the stove. Those warm summer days drain my productivity and I’m less inclined to shop for groceries or spend 30 minutes cooking. But when all the frozen and pre-prepared food has dwindled, I get pretty resourceful and I start uncovering some gems in my pantry.

Like somen.

Somen is one of the cheapest and simplest dishes to make. A cousin to instant ramen, it’s lighter and healthier since it doesn’t have a lot of preservatives and additives in the noodles. It’s one of the dishes that I lived off of in college and it’s one of my comfort foods.

Having somen brings back memories of dinners with the windows open, lights off, fan blowing, and lots of laughter and cheeky banter among friends. It’s a reminder that sometimes, simple dishes and good friends make for the best and most memorable meals.

Ingredients (Serving – 1 person):

• 1/3 – 1/4 package of somen
• 1/2 cup somen soup base
• 1 cup red leaf lettuce (shredded)
• 1 roma tomato (chopped)
• 1 sprig of green onion (chopped)
• 1 egg (scrambled)

Instructions:

1. Chop and cut all vegetables.
2. Scramble eggs, pour into heated pan for a pancake shape. When it’s cooked, remove from heat and cut into strips.
3. Boil water in a pot. Add somen and wait for 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
4. Assemble vegetables, add egg, and put somen on top.
5. Pour somen soup base in a small bowl.
6. Dip somen into soup base and eat with salad.

Operation Get Moving: Day 14

It has been one hectic week but very successful in terms of the challenge.

My friends and I went rock climbing on Tuesday to prep for our lead class on Thursday. We completed our lead class and had a blast learning how to fall and catch lead climbers. All we need now is to get certified with a lead climbing test which we’ll probably take within the next 2 weeks.

Over the weekend, my boyfriend came to visit so we had a rock climbing double date in San Francisco. I practiced a couple techniques on the bouldering wall and learned to reverse flag, lay back, and mantle. Whenever I get a chance to climb with a more experienced climber, I always try to learn new things so I can get better. A little instruction goes a long way.

On Sunday, to take advantage of the nice weather, I went hiking in SF. We took the trail from the Cliff House Sutro Baths area to the Land’s End labyrinth. It was a pretty short hike but we wandered around the area for about 2 hours looking for wildflowers, bouldering opportunities, and views of the Golden Gate bridge.

That’s 4 workouts this week…gotta keep up the momentum!

Week 2: COMPLETE!