Charlie the Plumber

Don't worry, this post has a happy ending.

Yesterday was not a good day, in general. It was Tuesday, which in my opinion is just as bad as a Monday, except it's called "Tuesday," and I was feeling rather grumpy, bloaty, and all those other lovely symptoms that come with being a girl. Possibly TMI, so be it. I was supposed to have Charlie the Plumber coming by my place in the evening sometime to work in my basement, so i was afraid of not getting my workout in at all. I wasn't crazy about the idea of Charlie watching me "jump over the river and through the woods....to grandmother's house" in Plyo. He's creepy enough as is. He told me he was going to call in the afternoon to let me know when he'd be over. So I was thinking, "Oh good, he'll come right after work, I can eat supper. He'll be done by then, and i can get my workout in right afterwards."

So I carried on with my day. Awaiting Charlie's call.        2:30.    3:30.      4:30 (home time). No call from Charlie.

At this point, I was already giving in. Fully prepared to not do my workout because of this freakin' plumber situation. I have a pretty tight schedule after work in order to get my workout/shower/food in and now it just wasn't happening. Not to mention the bloatiness that just wasn't jiving with my mood in the first place. Then my Mom texts me with this brilliant idea. "Why don't you get someone to open your house for you if he calls, come over here, do your workout and have supper with Dad and I?"

Mom saves the day. Everytime.

I get my stuff together, leave my backdoor unlocked in case Charlie decides to show up, and head out to Mom and Dad's to kill Plyo. Mood is still slightly aggravated, and I'm not completely pumped for Plyo, but I figured half the battle was already over, might as well just finish it.

I killed Plyo. Seriously. I felt slightly ridiculous at first, knowing my parents could hear me hopping around the mud room, with a floor that must be built above a cave or something because I'm pretty sure the entire house could hear me. (Even when landing on my toes.) I owned Jump Knee Tucks (Double time too!), and I jumped over that river like Bambi while sweating up a storm, woohoo!

Oh yeah, a quarter of the way through my workout, guess who decides to call and tell me he can't make it? Ugh...nice going Charlie.

Week 9 followed by Week 10...obviously.

Who has two thumbs and KILLED week 9?

This chick.




Tonight is Plyo, and I'm already amped for it.

That's all, Folks.


(Edited, because i don't know how to count.)

Phase 3, Baby!!

My 2nd recovery week went completely smooth and I think it was what I needed to regain my focus. The end is in sight, I'm on the home stretch, and my goal is to really give'r. I've made it this far, there's NO giving up now! (Not that I'd ever intended on giving up!) I did my Day 60 pictures yesterday morning, and have noticed awesome changes. The scale hasn't hardly changed at all, but I feel like everything is tightening up in all the right spots. So thanks Tony....I'm actually looking forward to bikini shopping soon. Wow!

Now I'm back to the same workouts as Phase 1 for this week, and it feels like I'm starting fresh, like a second chance to totally kill it. Tonight was Chest and Back, and it's been several weeks since this workout. It's definitely not any easier, that's for sure, and my numbers weren't even that much higher, some were even lower, but my quality is so much better, and I bumped my weights for a couple of the exercises. Tony says it's about quality, not quantity, right?  I've found my mental state and focus is different this time around. I'm not so concerned about numbers anymore, although I still make sure to write everything down, and push myself until i can no longer lift myself up, but I'm focused on form, breathing, the muscles I'm working, and trying to get as much as I can out of the workout, instead of trying to be all macho with high reps, but bad form. It feels like I fully understand the program now, and have a good grasp on things.(Yup, apparently it's taken me this long to figure that out.)

I'm sure this month will have it's challenges, and will definitely not be a downhill ride, but knowing that I'm in my last phase makes me....hopeful? I AM going to finish this thing....even if it kills me. It's also encouraging that a few of my friends are now starting the program or are interested in it, and I feel like I'm ready to help others through this journey, because it's not easy by any means, and I'm a total believer in the X now, and have learnt so much about myself and my body along the way.

Oh by the way, this is what I had for supper tonight.

Super Mega High Protein Bean and Turkey Chili

2 lbs Ground Turkey, Browned
1 Medium sized Onion, Chopped
4-5 cloves Garlic, Minced
8-9 White Mushrooms, Sliced
2 Stalks Celery, Chopped
1 Can Tomatoes, Diced
1 Can Corn
1 Can Navy Bean
1 Can Kidney Beans
1 Can Chick Peas
1 Can Black Beans
¼ Cup Chili Powder
½ Cayenne Pepper

Basically just brown your meat, add half the seasoning, and throw in the garlic, onions, celery and mushrooms. Sautée them together, and throw in your tomatoes and corn. Rinse all your beans, and throw them in, with the rest of your seasoning. You might want to add some water. And of course you can add salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve with grated cheddar cheese...if you dare. I normally portion this out into about 10-12 meals and freeze. Perfect for lunch!

Rest Week #2

Wow, it's been so long since my last update, but really there's not much to update you on. This past week was yet another tough one, with having a new sump pump put in my basement. I had guys working downstairs, jackhammering, getting my workout room as dusty, etc that it was not super accommodating for my workouts. I've actually decided that I might tack on another 2 weeks after my 90 days are up to make up for lost workouts along the way. No matter how committed I am in my head...life goes on and sometimes squeezing my workout in is just not feasible.

Today was day 1 of my second rest week. I hadn't looked at my schedule before i left for work today, so i wasn't prepared for which workout was planned for my evening. I came home, and ran downstairs dreading it would say Core.....! Nope....! Yoga!!!! Yesssssss!! Which means I didn't have to do it until later in the evening. I like to do yoga closer to bedtime so that I'm relaxed, stretched, and completely mellow for perfect sleeping conditions. I roasted a chicken breast and some vegetables for supper, and had a chance to chill out before i put on my yoga clothes.

I've finally reached a point where I enjoy yoga. It started off as one of my worst workouts, mostly because i was not flexible at all, and it was the longest video at an hour and a half, but now it's one of the workouts I looked forward to. I see the difficult moves not only as a challenge but a challenge that I KNOW i can tackle. And only improve on. The moving Asanas are tough, but I find myself pushing harder, lifting my legs higher, keeping them straighter, tightening more muscles, and really trying to breathe through each pose. And of course, adding my push up on each Vinyasa.

How is the Crane pose coming? Well...I still can't hold it for the full 60 seconds, but I've definitely got the technique down, and can hold it for about 10 seconds at a time. I'd say a big improvement from the first day i attempted it!

And oh one more thing...

I rocked out 3 chin ups before Yoga to pump me up even more. YEAH man!

Calf Raises....FTW!

I added yet another check mark to my wall calendar knocking off tonight's Back and Leg workout. Having done really good with my workouts this week, I just about lost momentum tonight after I got home from work. My normal routine is as soon as I walk in the door, I change into my workout clothes, grab my cold bottle of water out of the fridge, and head downstairs to pop in that day's DVD. Today I got somewhat distracted and started dilly dallying after I got home. I was so hungry (I haven't been seeing much results on the scale lately, so I've decided to lower my calories, and focus on drinking more water.) so I ended up deciding in my head, that I was going to skip today's workout. Bad attitude, I know.

After sitting on my duff for a large portion of my evening, I made a salad the size of my car, with homemade vinaigrette. It was only about an hour or 2 after I'd eaten that I decided I should really do my workout. (At this point, I'd already put on my workout clothes once, and changed into sweats......once the sweats go on, there's NO changing back...!) I figured I'd give it my best, even though I knew my stomach was still grumbling away from the mass amounts of salad I'd just eaten. My goal: Just push play, Anna.

To psych myself up, I normally start off by listening to some fist-pumpingly good music, and then I head downstairs to try to kill a couple of chin ups as the intro to the DVD is starting. I am still at 2 full chin ups, but this time it was JUST about three. Definitely something I'm hoping to have under my belt by the end of next week. Baby steps.

Dang!! Those darn calf raises. It was at that point, where I felt like, "Whoa Anna....breathe...*urp*..." All was well though. No bucket necessary. Close call. I know for next time not to sit on my butt until I don't feel like doing my workout anymore. Just gotta get it over with.

Now I've had a hot shower, I'm back in the sweats, enjoying a hot cup of some sort of stomach soothing tea. And I am happy. This week was a good week. And I'm feeling it, not only physically, but mentally. Stoked for Kenpo tomorrow!

Super Food: Quinoa

Photo by me.

My latest love and discovery is Quinoa. I realise it's an "Ancient" grain, so it's not like it's a new thing by any means, but it's definitely making it's comeback, especially in the health world. This super food is a perfect substitute for any noodle or rice dish, and is a much healthier option as it is low-calorie, high protein. If cooked correctly (which it's very hard not to cook correctly, it's a lot more forgiving than rice.) its al dente texture compliments any dish. It's nutritional facts are my favourite part. For 1 cup of cooked quinoa (in water) it's only 120 calories, 1.9g of fat, 21g Carbohydrates, 7mg Sodium, yet about 4.5 g of protein. Pretty good for your "carb" side dish, right?

Last night I was craving Red Thai Curry, but the killer with my Thai curry dishes is always the rice noodles. So a light went on in my head, and decided to use some organic Quinoa instead. And what a surprise! I used to think that Quinoa was just a fad, but now I'm a total believer!

Other ideas for Quinoa:
-In your oatmeal in the morning.
-Serve cold with some raw veggies chopped into, herbs, a bit of vinaigrette and making into a salad.
-Serve as a "pilaf", and sautee some veggies, cook with white wine. Yum.
This post may make me sound crazy, or obsessed, but seeing as my life revolves around eating healthy as well as P90x these days, I figured it deserved a blog of its own. Plus, I love good food.

Thai Red Curry with Quinoa

2-3 chicken breasts, chopped in bite size pieces.
2 tbsp Olive Oil
½ Onion, Julienne
4-5 cloves Garlic, minced
2 stalks Celery, chopped
½ Red Bell Pepper, Julienne
5-6 Large Mushrooms, sliced
2 cups Cauliflower, sliced or florets
1 can Bamboo Shoots in water, drained
1 can Low-fat Coconut Milk
1 can Low-Sodium Chicken Stock
2 tbsp Red Thai Curry Paste
Season to Taste
Chopped Cilantro for garnish

Brown your chicken chunks in a bit of oil in a large pot, and set aside. Using the same pot, sautee your garlic and onions, then add celery, and other vegetables. Once onions have softened, add the rest of your ingredients and let simmer for about 25-30 minutes to blend flavours. You can also add 2-3 tbsp Flour or a bit of Corn Starch to thicken if it's too liquidy. Use some chopped cilantro for that extra flavour/colour to top off your dish.

Quinoa

½ Cup Quinoa, uncooked
1 cup water

In a sauce pan, bring Quinoa to a boil, and turn on low and cover for about 15 minutes. (Read the Quinoa label, it'll tell you how to do it.)

Chest, Shoulders and Triceps

I realise I haven't blogged for a week. Mostly because I've been trying to conjure up how to describe how I feel during CST day (Chest Shoulders and Triceps). Well, let's narrow it down to this. My entire upper body feels like jello by the time I'm not even halfway through, and then Tony insists I do One-Arm Pushups.

Like...seriously Tony.

Not to mention Pike Presses (basically a push up in downward dog while on your toes) or Clap Push-ups (I'm nowhere near Plyo Push-ups at this point.) When Laura, in the video, can rock out One Arm-Pushups, and I'm stuck there, falling flat on my face(thank goodness for my shag rug), that's when I'm like, "Ok Tony...let's BRING IT!!" And I get all fired up for maybe 2-3 more reps. That's what keeps me going.

This particular workout has been my most, umm..shall we say, vocal? It's probably a good thing I live alone, so no one has to hear my incessant grunting and moaning (and then laughing) for this entire DVD. Ab Ripper X is almost welcomed by the time I'm done with CST.

I just finished my workout for the day, my triceps are still twitching and shaking even while I type this. As weird as it feels, it's so satisfying. I feel I've been almost derailing in the last week or so with bad eating habits, and this week I need to make a comeback. Time to start bringing it again, Anna!

On a side note, I made these super delish Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins today, and used Splenda instead of sugar. I still used white flour, so I'll have to come up with a substitute for that. If anyone has suggestions, let me know! I figured Almond Flour might just be too dense.

Ok, time for a deliciously hot shower! Yessssss...!!