TypeC Exercise Challenge and Contest

[Udog]

I just finished my B workout - which means I've successfully completed my exercise goals. I will use 1 cheat for the Blizzard and the right to remove that stupid rule I made for myself.

I've also got my diet back on track over the weekend and have been eating pretty well.

Anyway, I tried a new smoothie today: chocolate/banana/peanut butter. It's more dessert like, but great for after exercising!

Banana/Chocolate/Peanut Butter Smoothie
* Banana (mine was frozen)
* .5 cup water
* a couple of ice cubes
* 1 cup milk
* 1 scoop chocolate protein powder. (You can use a normal source of chocolate if you don't want the protein powder. Try Dark Chocolate Syrup or Dark Chocolate Powder if you want to limit sugar intake.)
* 2 heaping teaspoons of organic, no sugar added peanut butter.

Protip: You know how it's really difficult to eat all your bananas before they go bad? Freeze them, and use them later as ingredients for your smoothies.

So 2x cardio and 1x football this past week. Now that I'm not running outdoors anymore this thread is probably the only thing keeping me on track. I tell myself I HAVE to go to the gym to keep my three exercise days per week.

Well done! I have to admit, if it wasn't for the fact that I've already used a cheat this week, I wouldn't have gone lifting today.

 

[INTJMom]

I just finished my B workout - which means I've successfully completed my exercise goals. I will use 1 cheat for the Blizzard and the right to remove that stupid rule I made for myself.

I've also got my diet back on track over the weekend and have been eating pretty well.

Anyway, I tried a new smoothie today: chocolate/banana/peanut butter. It's more dessert like, but great for after exercising!

Banana/Chocolate/Peanut Butter Smoothie
* Banana (mine was frozen)
* .5 cup water
* a couple of ice cubes
* 1 cup milk
* 1 scoop chocolate protein powder. (You can use a normal source of chocolate if you don't want the protein powder. Try Dark Chocolate Syrup or Dark Chocolate Powder if you want to limit sugar intake.)
* 2 heaping teaspoons of organic, no sugar added peanut butter.

Protip: You know how it's really difficult to eat all your bananas before they go bad? Freeze them, and use them later as ingredients for your smoothies.



Well done! I have to admit, if it wasn't for the fact that I've already used a cheat this week, I wouldn't have gone lifting today.

Sounds yummy!

Congrats on staying on track!

 

[Tallulah]

Did my three miles this evening!

Has anybody seen those commercials for the Shake Weight? Looks kind of cool. I wonder if it's any good.

 

[poppy]

10/12
Had a parfait for breakfast, oreos for a snack. Half a sandwich, some chips and frozen yogurt for lunch. Popcorn later.
Eating: ok
Exercise: no

10/13
An egg and english muffin sandwich for breakfast, a chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato for lunch, a fruit smoothie, saltines and oreos for a snack.
Eating: good
Exercise: no

10/14
Chicken, lettuce, and cucumber sammich. Walked around for several hours. Had tofu stir fry and a strawberry popsicle for dinner. Snacked on some saltines.
Eating: good
Exercise: yes

10/15
Bagel and cream cheese for breakfast, curry for lunch, hot cocoa, soup (with tons of veggies) and carrots for dinner. Also had an Odwalla green juice smoothie thing.
Eating: good
Exercise: no, was feeling rather under the weather.

10/16
I can't remember what I had for lunch, but I drank a lot of hot cocoa. Had some veggies and crackers and fatty appetizers later, plus half a hamburger and fries for dinner.
Eating: ok
Exercise: no, still feeling sick

10/17
Ate a bagel and cream cheese for breakfast, an odwalla smoothie and the other half of the hamburger for lunch, and french onion soup for dinner. Snacked on a cheese stick and some soup later.
Eating: ok
Exercise: no, sick

10/18
Had fruit, yogurt, and granola for breakfast and an odwalla. Went on a 45 minute walk and took the stairs. Dinner was potatoes, broccoli, and a buttered bagel. Had a frozen yogurt thing, but it was really not that great, so I'm going to try to remember to just not buy those again.
Eating: pretty good
Exercise: some, even though I didn't feel that great.

TOTAL:
Exercise: 2/3
Cheat Day -1 (I'm not going to count sick days this time, as the workouts I did get were even pretty weak)
Eating: good

The cold weather is making me less inclined to go jogging, but that still seems to be the best workout option for me. I might start playing tennis (hopefully regularly) with a couple people I know though, once I'm feeling better.

 

[Udog]

Did my three miles this evening!

Has anybody seen those commercials for the Shake Weight? Looks kind of cool. I wonder if it's any good.

I just watched a commercial, and was waiting for someone to smack themselves in the face with it.

I don't know if it would truly add that much compared to a dumbbell of similar or slightly higher weight. I'll look into it.

TOTAL:
Exercise: 2/3
Cheat Day -1 (I'm not going to count sick days this time, as the workouts I did get were even pretty weak)
Eating: good

The cold weather is making me less inclined to go jogging, but that still seems to be the best workout option for me. I might start playing tennis (hopefully regularly) with a couple people I know though, once I'm feeling better.

Yeah, as it gets colder it'll be harder to convince yourself to jog. Also, more important to properly warm up and cool down to avoid an injury. Tennis is awesome, though, so good luck with that.

Do you have any gyms available to you?

 

[Ghost of the dead horse]

1hr workout, 4 hours walking, 2x10min flexibility, 15 mins running.

 

[kyuuei]

Long weekend of work, spent long hours on my feet. But spent the day recovering since work didn't call, gonna do some lifting and moving around setting up Halloween Decor and then off to Weight Training!

Also, incase I didn't post it: I am officially halfway to my weight goals. I'm officially 140.

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

After my workout on Saturday, I had a spell where I felt very faint and really weak, with the occasional clammy sweats. It stayed with me all day Sunday and into the night. I barely slept Saturday and Sunday night because of it, I couldn't get comfortable.

So I finished this week with one sick day (Sunday), but even though I feel a good deal better today, I am calling a halt to the workouts until I feel 100%. It was a little unnerving.

 

[poppy]

EffEm, sorry to hear you were so sick! I hope you're fully recovered soon.

Yeah, as it gets colder it'll be harder to convince yourself to jog. Also, more important to properly warm up and cool down to avoid an injury. Tennis is awesome, though, so good luck with that.

Ah yes good point. I need to be more consistent with warming up and stretching anyway.

Do you have any gyms available to you?

Supposedly there is some kind of recreation center on my campus. I uhh...can't run on treadmills though. I always trip on my own feet and get flung off. True story. And most of the machines are kinda useless as far as I can tell haha.

If I remember I'll try to squeeze in some yoga and stuff when I have my room to myself.

 

[Udog]

After my workout on Saturday, I had a spell where I felt very faint and really weak, with the occasional clammy sweats. It stayed with me all day Sunday and into the night. I barely slept Saturday and Sunday night because of it, I couldn't get comfortable.

So I finished this week with one sick day (Sunday), but even though I feel a good deal better today, I am calling a halt to the workouts until I feel 100%. It was a little unnerving.

Ah man, sorry to hear that. Was it a cold, or do you think the exercise caused it?

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

Ah man, sorry to hear that. Was it a cold, or do you think the exercise caused it?

No, I'm definitely not "sick" in the normal sense. I think I might have taxed my heart too much. That's why it felt scary.

 

[Udog]

No, I'm definitely not "sick" in the normal sense. I think I might have taxed my heart too much. That's why it felt scary.

Yeah, that sounds stressful. I hope you feel better soon.

If you don't go see a doctor, remember that slow, gradual gains are important. Start with something that's easy, and slowly build from there. Doctors and (good) trainers are like safety nets. If you don't use a safety net, it's really important to use extra caution.

In my opinion, of course.

 

[Laurie]

Ok, did my organized workout for the day. I've been trying to get more active, walking to the store instead of driving and such things.

I have a mini challenge for myself this week! I'm going to try to eat healthy, and maybe vegetarian too. I've been slacking on the food side and I think it's hurting me. I keep hearing this thin person tell me how they are being careful and I'm eating pringles. So anyway, here goes a week of eating healthy!

What do healthy people put on salads? I can't remember what I used to use for dressing. I don't mean diet stuff, either.

I vaguely remember I used to watch fat intake and left a lot of food uneaten if I wasn't hungry. Like half a meal sometimes. I'm trying to remember exactly how to eat healthy though. I'm going to increase fresh fruit and veggies and watch sugars and fats. Portions are a big deal but I just want to go with healthy food for my first step.

So that's the Elaur Mini Challenge™ for the week.

 

[ergophobe]

Report for last week:

Monday and Tuesday: Travel hell - stuck in a car driving across states all day on Monday and stuck in airplanes/airports on Tuesday
Wednesday: Flew in taking a 5:00 am flight and went straight to work. Too exhausted to think that evening.
Thursday: Gentle work out - 35 mins on elliptical
Friday-Sunday: Starring in my own version of zombie land. Completely spent from all the travel and trouble adjusting to the time difference across coasts. Slept most of the day both days.

Starting afresh this week with the 5 day goal again. No travel for six weeks so can actually get back into routine.

Oh, the good news is that I did lose 3 more pounds in the interim 2-3 weeks since my last weight report. Must be the hiking that kicked my butt. All straight uphill!

 

[kyuuei]

Elaur: To add some tips that I used when I started doing this...

I'm including a recipe I really really like because it incorporates something I love (buffalo wings) with salad and makes the dressing easy for me. If you don't like blue cheese, you can replace with any cheese honestly.

Also, I use Newman's Own Lime Vinegarette because I LOVE lime, but salad dressings are all about whatever flavors you like and LIGHT coatings. You should juuust taste it, not taste only it. As long as you keep the amount of dressing on the light side and ensure you coat the salad in it before you start eating it, the dressing won't add too many calories to your salad.

The easiest way to eat healthy is to substitute. Instead of a mocha-whatta-whoda-dunit-frap, make some regular coffee with a hint of coffeemate in it. Instead of salsa, go with pico-de-gallo. Instead of hamburger meat, go with turkey and chicken, pudding instead of pie, etc. Pick something you like, and replace it with something else you like that's better for you.

Also, frozen vegetables are a god-send. Most are already chopped, mixed and prepared, cheap, can be incorporated into any dish or recipe, and usually are frozen when they are at their peak so that the nutrients are preserved. Fresh broccoli loses it's nutrients within a few days, but frozen can keep them for months. A lot of them are like that, so that's recommended.

Bananas, I'm convinced, are a superfood. They help out your body so much I can't imagine NOT eating them. Anyways, hope that helps Here's the recipe. I use these people a lot since their recipes are made to cut calories from foods you enjoy.

Buffalo Chicken Salad
Serves 4
Calories per serving: 480

For Buffalo wing sauce: (or you can use your favorite)
2 tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the chicken:
1 pound chicken tenders
1/2 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs or Panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

For the dressing:
1 ounce crumbled blue cheese (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 tablespoons nonfat or low-fat buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

For the salad:
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 cucumber sliced
6 celery stalks, thinly sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together the hot sauce, vinegar, sugar and salt in a shallow dish until well blended. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature.

2. Put the bread crumbs and oil in a shallow dish and toss to combine. Dredge each chicken tender in the bread crumbs, completely coating both sides. Transfer to the rack of a broiler pan or to a metal rack fitted over a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, turning once, until chicken is cooked through and crust is golden brown, about 12 minutes.

3. While the chicken is baking, stir together the cheese, yogurt, buttermilk and pepper. Toss with the lettuce, cucumber and celery until well coated. Divide the dressed greens and chicken tenders among 4 serving plates and serve immediately.

 

[Tallulah]

I vaguely remember I used to watch fat intake and left a lot of food uneaten if I wasn't hungry. Like half a meal sometimes. I'm trying to remember exactly how to eat healthy though. I'm going to increase fresh fruit and veggies and watch sugars and fats. Portions are a big deal but I just want to go with healthy food for my first step.

So that's the Elaur Mini Challenge™ for the week.

That's basically the best thing you can do. The hardest part is going from eating whatever you feel like to watching what you eat. But then you get used to it, and can have ice cream or Pringles every once in a while without wanting the whole, or half of a, container. Just start by cutting back on whatever you are eating now, and throw in a few healthy foods. I think increasing healthy protein helps, too.

I don't know if you're a sugar person, but I am, and I noticed that when I was drinking a few sugary drinks a day, I was MUCH hungrier. Now that I'm down to a small Slurpee a day, I don't get as hungry for junk. I guess it jacks with your blood sugar.

Salad-wise, I'd eat the salad dressing you like, just less of it. There's nothing that makes me crankier than having to eat a salad with a diet vinagrette. (Edit: This rant against vinagrette was not in response to kyueii's post, above. Just a personal quirk.) Add some fruit, dried fruit, walnuts or pecans, etc. Make the salad more interesting.

 

[Laurie]

Ew, ice cream.

 

[ergophobe]

More suggestions?

I really like broccoli slaw. It's several vegetables in one and actually quite filling and doesn't taste like broccoli heads (which are my arch nemesis). You get the most bang (nutrients) for your buck (amount consumed). On the dressings, the yogurt versions of ranch and blue cheese are quite good and I've seen them at most grocery stores. You can add nuts or sunflower seeds to make it more interesting and have some crunch, fresh tomatoes...

In general, I think Kyueei is right on the money. Don't give up everything at once - work with substituting with better options. I love my dessert every day so i make sure I have either this Zen soy pudding which is usually in the natural foods aisle (not a vegetarian - seriously just eat it because it is delicious!) which is dark chocolate goodness and only 2 weight watcher points or an ice cream sandwich (skinny cow or weight watchers chocolate are both really good) and also only 2 points each.

If you're not a sugar person and crave salt more - keep salty snacks available. Good options - light string cheese is quite fun and usually 1 point each for the skim variety. Other salty options - roasted nuts, homemade pita chips. Buy whole wheat pita at any store, cut into eights, drizzle with olive oil, sea salt/kosher salt and any herb of your choice. Rosemary and/or garlic salt are especially good. Bake in the oven at 400 for 5-8 minutes
(check on them). Leave them standing and they get really crispy, like chips! These taste great and a few are VERY satisfying. You can make them and bag them for later too.

 

[Haphazard]

.8 mi to school

1 mi uneven terrain, not sure if that counts for anything.

 

[Jeffster]

I did a TON of walking at the State Fair of Texas on Saturday, including some up stairs/ramps at the Cotton Bowl stadium. I got sunburned and didn't drink enough water so I got pretty dehydrated. I'm going to try to get into a better routine this week.