Shakeology Cleanse: Day 2 Done!

Day two of the cleanse down!

Okay, I've done the cleanse before and had to give it up after day 2.  This time I'm feeling strong and capable, ready and raring to go for day 3.  What's different?

Well, this time I know what to expect.  I know how to modify my energy expenditure and I'm keeping my aggravation level as low as possible.

Also, this time, I'm aware of how ~amazing~ Shakeology is for my body.  I once was off Shakeology for 2 weeks due to a snafu on my part.  Holy crap, I felt like death on toast.  I was still eating well and exercising, but I had *no* energy, my face was a grease pit, and my digestion wasn't too thrilled with me either.

So, after day two - I'm pretty sure my innards are scrubbed out ;)

Also, water is important, but again, best friends with the bathroom.

Feeling pretty good.  Still distracted as all get out by all the various yummy and healthy and really, really NOT healthy food out there.  Staying focused on staying on the plan.

Also, a friend and I have monthly cycles that have synced.  I spent yesterday kinda bleh but otherwise okay.  A little tired because I've recently started training for a new position at work.  I went from working nights to working days and was using coffee the first week to stay awake.  I cut that out during the cleanse.  I don't normally drink a lot of coffee so it's not hard for me to kick.  But I'm still a bit tired.  The friend was PMS'ing bad and needed some fast food and gave into her cravings.  She felt great while she was eating it but felt like crap about 15 minutes later.  I know that feeling.  I've done that so many times.  Urgh.  Now making plans for next month.

Onto day 3!

Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse: Day One Done!

What's the Shakeology Cleanse, you ask?

First - Shakeology is this awesome meal replacement shake.  Comes in Greenberry, Chocolate, and Vegan Tropical Strawberry.  Recently I've been on a Strawberry kick.

Normally you drink one shake for breakfast or to replace another meal or snack.  It's freakin' amazing - like a scrub brush for your innards.  Magic in a glass!

But, since I celebrated my 33rd birthday for about 2 weeks prior, I needed to clear out the system and reset things a bit.

So the Shakeology Cleanse lasts 3 days.  During which you eat:

Upon waking:

1 cup of green tea upon rising in morning

Breakfast:

1 serving of Shakeology with ice and water (fruit is optional, no more than a cup)

Snack 1:

1 piece of fruit (your choice)

Lunch:

1 serving Shakeology with ice and water (fruit optional)

1 cup of green tea

Snack 2:

(Last snack of day can be done either before or after dinner)

1 serving Shakeology with ice and water

Dinner:

Salad and 3 serving of greens and vegetables, 4 ounces of protein (fish or poultry), and no more than two tablespoons of low fat dressing.

 

- You may want to add the optional fruit to Shakeology if you're doing an intense exercise program during the cleanse.

- Drink 2-4 liters of water each day.

 

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So, how'd I feel after day one?

- I was really hydrated - which usually isn't an issue.  But dang, the bathroom and I were best friends!

 

- I felt mostly full, just a little hungry and draggy between lunch and my 2nd snack because I had a bigger gap of time there than I anticipated.  It was freeing to know exactly what I'd be eating for the next few days.  

 

- But it was distracting seeing all the snacks and cookies and candies and cupcakes and fast food and other people's lunches at work and recipes I was sorting through.  Urgh. 

 

- Honestly, my life is planned out about as far as my next meal.  Doing this cleanse helps me realize I need to cut down on the number of choices I give myself.  I'm getting better at going down to just a few options for lunch and dinner and snacks that I rotate through, but I'll still go to the store, buy stuff to make 5 recipes.  Maybe I need to just make 2 at a time and eat everything that week and freeze anything beyond that for some later time when I'm desperate.

- I did a 3 mile run this AM and felt good.  Whoo-hoo!  But I'm not gonna run tomorrow.

Week 2, Day 1 - Done!

And I am a sweaty, sweaty mess!

Just finished Cardio Power & Resistance.  My upper body is still much weaker than I'd like.  But it's getting stronger.  I'm definitely making progress with the Moving Push-Ups and the Power Jumps.  My pauses are getting shorter and I'm better able to do the Hit the Floor move without worrying about my lower back.

I'm getting better at this!  Can't wait to see what I can do in 16 more days when I'm 33.  Double Thrice - whoo-hoo!

Off the road again

Today is Saturday, May 5th - last day of my workweek since I typically have Sunday and Monday off.  Whoo-hoo!

The roomie and I took of Thursday & Friday from work.  Drove down to Myrtle Beach to see Chris Young in concert.  (He's awesome - buy tickets and his albums!)  The opener was Brinley Addington (also awesome - the roomie bought his album after the concert and I'm buying it ASAP.  Careful, his site has insta-music playing.  But at least it's good insta-music, in my opinion.)

It was an awesome night, tiring as all get out since I'm ~old~ (33 years old in 23 days, whoo-hoo!).  And when I'm on the road I tend to eat crap.  I also got precious little exercise over the 2 days.  I made sure I did Cardio Power & Resistance before leaving Charleston.  I brought my discs with me but they never left the bag.  I did attempt to paddle in the pool for a bit, but I can't actually swim so I mostly tired myself out rather than actually getting in a decent workout.

Friday was even worse.  We got back and had cocktails with a friend and then went out for Mexican food where I proceeded to eat about a day's worth of calories in one meal.  Urgh.

So now I feel cruddy, need to do two Insanity workouts today to get caught up and maybe also convince the roomie to go for a run at the gym after work tonight.

So, what do y'all do when you're on the road to stay on track?  And, what do you do when you're out with friends?  Any hints you'd like to share?

Also, any road trip music playlists anyone'd like to share with the group?

Wild Hare & Calories

I had a wild hare this morning, so I just recalculated my calorie needs for Insanity.  That's what happens when my alarm goes off unexpectedly and I nearly launch myself outta bed onto the floor in surprise.  Heh.

Anyway,

• I'm 5'9", or 69 inches tall,
• (close enough to) 33 years old (25 days away baby! Whoo-hoo!),
• and weigh 175 lbs this morning

So, first I find my Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) - the amount of calories I need to live if I'm just chillin' on the couch all day.


For men it's -
66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )






But I'z a lady, so for females it's - 
655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years) =

655 + (4.35 x 175) + (4.7 x 69) - (4.7 x 33) =

655 + 761.25 + 324.3 - 155.1 = 1585.45 = numbers of calories I need to chill on couch all day.


Then I use the Harris Benedict Equation to estimate the number of calories I need while I'm on Insanity.  I'd rather err on the side of having to add calories later rather than removing calories.  In the Insanity Elite Nutrition Guide they suggest multiplying my BMR by either 1.55 for "moderately active" (ha!) or 1.7 for "very active."  Since I spend the rest of my day at a desk, I chose 1.55 for moderate.

So 1585.45 x 1.55 = 2457.4475 calories needed to maintain my weight while on Insanity.

But I want to lose pounds, so I build in a 500 calorie deficit each day

2457.4475 - 500 = 1957.4475 = approx 1957 calories needed a day

So 1957 is the calorie goal I'm putting into My Fitness Pal (MFP).  Then I'll ignore the calories burned by my workout according to MFP and just aim for the 1957 unless I do some workout beyond Insanity that day.

Good news from the doctor

So, about 6 months ago I attempted to join the fitness center at work.  But I was thwarted by high blood pressure.  The blood pressure issue would likely be fixed by diet and exercise, but I needed a doctor's note to be allowed to exercise at the center.

My blood pressure at the time wasn't too bad, just a little elevated.  But I'm a Black Girl From the South (BGFtS - all rights reserved) thus pretty much everyone in my family over the age of 50 has some combination of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and Type II Diabetes.  I wanted to fight this particular family tradition.

Late last year at the first appointment with this new doctor, I got the signed note to allow me to workout at the fitness center of my employer.  I've been to the work gym sporadically, but mostly I've been working out at home and occasionally going to some local gyms with friends.

The biggest thing has been working on my diet.  Apparently people of African descent are especially sensitive to sodium.  Ah well.

But, fast forward to 8 AM this morning (aaargh!  Practically middle of the night for a second-shift worker for myself!) and I've got the BP of a healthy person - 127/59.  Whoo-hoo!  BP is in mostly in check, I've not gained any weight (even though I *meant* to lose 10 pounds since the last check-up), and I'm cleared from doctor visits for another year unless something goes wonky.

Whoo-hoo!

Beyond the DVD player

Something I've noticed - folks that can stick to these kickin' Beachbody workouts often have an outside fitness-y reason why they're doing them.  I mean, yes, I can keep doing Insanity because I'm trying to get better at Insanity, but I might have an even more compelling "why" if it involves something beyond the workouts themselves.

Make sense?

I mean, I lost a good amount of weight before and have kept a decent chunk of it off, but really, my own vanity is not a compelling enough reason to eat well + exercise hard like I want to.

Anyway, I've never been an athlete.  I'm much more of a slug, frankly.  But I've been an at-home workout fan for years and years and years - back to high school after rehabbing my second hip injury.  But, other than my four years of marching band, I've never been one for physical activity.

I'm thinking I need to find an outdoor activity.  I'm a native Sandlapper (South Carolinian) so golf is always an option.  One of the local parks has beginner rock climbing classes so I might need to explore those.  I've also been interested in maybe pursuing a martial art.  I was thinking of trying to run a marathon, but someone in a podcast said that your body responds to the stress of running a marathon the same way it responds to being hit by a truck.  I may have to think about that goal a bit more.

Yes, I'm running the circuit of doing all the experimenting with extra-curriculars your average 8 year old does.  But better late than never when it comes to keeping my fitness up.

Let's do this again, shall we?

I visited my hometown this weekend.  I went to one of my fave greasy spoons from my youth - The Beacon Drive-In.

And one of the ladies who's been behind the counter for years recognized me.  That is a *bad* sign.  Yes, I probably went through stretches in junior high or high school where I'd eat at least a Hash Sandwich, heavy on the red and a small onion ring with a Beacon (Sweet) iced tea every 2 or 3 days.  But to be recognized after not going for years, holy crap I ate there more than I thought!

I had the same thing today, I can't even estimate the calorie count for that, but it's gotta be less than a Hash-A-Plenty - same sandwich served in a white cardboard takeout box & covered by a layer of onion rings covered by a layer of french fries.

It really is no wonder I was about 30 pounds heavier when I graduated high school.  Good grief.

But last night the roommate and I went to the gym and I broke a sweat for the first time in a while doing a 30 minute treadmill run.  Then I woke up bright and early today and redid my Day 2 of Insanity - Plyometric Cardio Circuit.

And I still *friggin* haaaaate the Level 1 Drills.  Darn my lack of upper body strength!  But it's gonna get better.