Personal Health Intiative Training

Archive for January, 2014

Sharing

I consider myself to be more of an introverted type of person in certain situations. I only share certain parts of my life with a small group of people. Some of this comes from previous experiences with criticism and negative comments about what I am doing from other people. However; recently I have found that the more I share what I am doing with bodybuilding, nutrition, and general fitness, the more successful I am. Yes, there are some who could care less, criticize or look to see you fail, but that is a very small percentage of people. You will be surprised at who you can inspire if you just share what you are doing. This does not mean being egotistical or judgmental of others. It only means to be proud of who you are, what you do, and the accomplishments you have made. 

I received a compliment in the gym today and it made me feel good. To know people recognize you are working hard and appreciate it, is a very good feeling.

7 weeks to go!

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Microwave Cake

Just made this recipe today. I wanted my wonderful chocolate protein powder but did not want to just have it with water. I decided to combine my usual serving of sweet potatoes with the protein. Here is the recipe:

You will need:
-100 grams of cooked sweet potato
-2 tablespoons of coconut flour
-1-3 tablespoons of liquid egg whites
-1 scoop of protein powder
-1 tablespoon of sugar free jam

Directions:
1. Take the sweet potato and mash it up in a bowl. I chose to leave the skin on.
2. Add the protein powder to the sweet potato.
3. Add the coconut flour to the bowl.
4. Add the liquid egg whites and a little bit of water.
5. Mix all ingredients together into a pudding like consistency and keep adding as much water as you need to for the mixture to be smooth.
6. Place the mixture in the microwave for 3-5 minutes.
7. Top with a tablespoon of sugar free jam.

Enjoy!!!
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8 Weeks to Go!

I’m at the halfway mark of my competition prep. I started at 16 weeks and I have 8 weeks to go. I am experiencing mixed feelings right now. I am excited because I am seeing changes in my body every week but I am also a bit tired. It seems close and far away at the same time. Now is the time to really focus on my routine and posing and I am bumping up the cardio a bit more to make sure I get as lean as I possibly can in the next 2 months. The diet is going to be pretty much the same but I am not eating anymore oatmeal and I am adding in more vegetables for my carbohydrate sources. I also eat a little bit of sweet potatoes and berries as well as grapefruit, which is the diet I had from my first show. Once in a while I throw in a piece of dark chocolate. This tends to be a more non-traditional approach to a bodybuilding diet but MY body loves it. (And thank you Kelly for showing me that there are other options.) Mentally, I can stand this much better because I have variety.

I am lifting weights and doing half of my cardio in the morning and adding in a second cardio session later in the day. My cardio consists of treadmill sprinting, stairmill intervals, spin class, boot camp, and various cardio classes. My body responds the best to intervals and sprints. These activities allow me to maintain the muscle I have worked so hard for without looking too flat. I have also found that lifting weights in the morning works very well for me. I have tried to do what most people do but that is not really my style. Throughout this whole time, I have done things my way and it is paying off. I just have to keeping pressing toward the mark no matter what situations come my way.

I just have a feeling that this time will be different in a good way. My brother and his wife are coming to see me and I don’t want to disappoint them. When all of this is over, I will be celebrating with a trophy and eating an entire stack of pancakes!! (I would post pictures but I want to surprise you! LoL).

 

 

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Creative Snacks

It can be hard to get your meals in at work and it’s not always possible to sit down for 15-30 minutes to eat a full meal. Sometimes I eat my meals at my desk and fortunately I am able to step away to eat most of the time. However; today was really busy and I had to get my last snack in some way. I came up with an idea on the fly. I always strive to get a protein, carb, and fat source at each meal.  I decided to combine my protein and sweet potato into a pudding. I took 50 grams of cooked sweet potato, added one scoop of protein, and a little less than 1\4 cup of coffee in a styrafoam cup. I mixed these ingredients together and it came out to be the consistency of pudding. I love pudding but the instant mixes tend to have a lot of sodium. So this was a nice way to get what I like in a healthy way….and it was fast! Here are some ideas you can try for quick meals.

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-Pudding made with one scoop of protein and just enough almond milk stirred in. Great in the morning before your workout when you don’t have time to eat.
-1scoop of protein powder with 1\4 cup of dry oats. Add a little water and make a “goo.”
-Add fruit into a container of Greek yogurt. You can even add nuts for a complete meal.
-Mix cooked sweet potato in with protein powder and water and microwave for a few minutes….instant brownie!

These are just a few things I have done to make sure I sneak in a quick meal on the go. No excuses!

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Easy Chicken Competition Style

Preparing food for the week can be time consuming. I am down for anything that makes the process easier and this is where my handy dandy crock pot comes into play. I cook everything from turkey to chili to collard greens in the crockpot. I buy a lot of meat so I like to make cooking easy. Here is one of my favorite recipes.

Crock pot Chicken

2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup of low sodium organic chicken broth
Garlic powder
Oregano
Onions
Lemon juice

Pour the broth into the crock pot.
Rinse off the chicken and place in the crock pot.
Add seasonings and lemon juice.
Set the crockpot on high for 6 hours.

It is best to do this in the morning and by the afternoon your chicken is ready and you can eat it for lunch or dinner all week.
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Pumpkin Protein Muffins Recipe

A very easy to make low-carb snack. Great for pre or post workout.

Ingredients:
1 cup of canned pumpkin
5 egg whites
2 scoops of protein powder ( I used chocolate).
1\4 cup of coconut flour
A dash of stevia
1 cup of instant oatmeal
1 tablespoon of Hershey’s dark chocolate baking powder

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees
Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray
Mix all ingredients together. Add water or almond milk until desired consistency. The mix should be like pancake batter…just slightly thicker.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.
Makes 8 muffins. If you want 12 muffins add more water or milk for a thinner mix.
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Encouraging Myself…And You!!!

I am 5 weeks into my prep and I am making very good progress. There have been moments that I get weary or a little worn out. Training alone can be difficult but you have to push through and keep going. You might not have anyone who motivates you and tells you to keep going. If you talk to a lot of competitors you will always hear them say that they had moments where they felt alone. One night I watched an interview with Kai Greene, one of the top bodybuilders in the country. He stated that people think his life is glamorous but don’t understand how lonely the path is. Yes, he does have training partners, sponsors, friends etc… But there are many times, he finds himself alone.

I say all this to encourage you if you  feel like you are alone. Don’t despair! You will be just fine if you don’t quit! Be a big girl or a big boy and just do it. Don’t wait for your friends or your spouse to push you because that may or may not happen.

Back to prep…I have lost 10 lbs, so I am at 138. The picture shows 139 because it was taken last week. My average is a 1.5 lb loss per week which is the healthy way to do it. I am meticulous about counting my macros and calories. I have something to prove here and though I may get tired, I am not quitting. I have about 10-12 more lbs to go depending on how I look.

11 weeks to go!
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Vegetables In My Waffles!!

So here is a recipe I created to add into my competition prep. Though the diet is restrictive, I like to play around with the food choices I do have and make different combinations. I absolutely love breakfast foods and could eat them all day. I’m cutting out the oatmeal for now so I need a new breakfast option. Waffles are the perfect replacement!

So here is my recipe for low-carb zucchini waffles.

Ingredients:

  • 1 scoop of protein powder, I used Dymatize Elite XT Fudge Brownie.
  • 3 Large Egg Whites
  • 2 tablespoons of coconut flour
  • 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
  • 1\2 of shredded zucchini
  • Cooking spray

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Directions:

  • Shred your zucchini with a knife or in a blender
  • Mix the protein powder, egg whites, coconut flour, baking powder, oil, and zucchini in a bowl. Add as much water as you need for the desired consistency.
  • Turn your waffle iron on and spray. Let it heat up.
  • Pour mixture onto the iron and cook until done!
  • Voila! You have a tasty, low carb, high protein, healthy waffle.

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