Tip Tuesday

Run at lunch.  Daniel Sheil, a marathon coach in Portland, Oregon, recommends lunchtime runs for two reasons:

(1) you get your workout in before the day gets away from you

(2) you get a midday break from work stress.

Motivational Monday

Sample of Menu

Further to our post on what we are eating the below is an example of a weekly meal plan for us:

Day 1 -

Breakfast - Whole wheat bagel, banana, peanut butter

Snack - 6 Egg whites, 1 oz cheese, 2 slices of turkey bacon

Lunch - Veggie Burger, 1 cup lettuce, 1/2 cup tomatoes

Snack - half a protein bar, 8 oz low fat plain yogurt

Supper - 1 cup veggies, 3 oz pork chop, 4 oz non fat frozen yogurt

Day 2 -

Breakfast - 1 cup of oatmeal, 1 cup of blueberries

Snack - 6 Egg whites, 4 slices of turkey bacon

Lunch - 2 cups of lettuce, 1 oz cheese, 3 oz tuna

Snack - half protein bar, 8 oz low fat plain yogurt

Supper - 1 cup veggies, 3 oz steak, frozen fruit bar

Day 3 -

Breakfast - 6 egg whites, 4 slices of turkey bacon, 1 oz cheese

Snack - 8 oz low fat plain yogurt, banana

Lunch - 1 Whole wheat pita wrap, 3 oz tuna

Snack - half protein bar

Supper - 2 cups of veggies, 3 oz chicken, 4 oz non fat frozen yogurt

Day 4 -

Breakfast - 1 cup of oatmeal, 1 cup of blackberries

Snack - 6 egg whites, 4 slices of turkey bacon

Lunch - 2 cups of lettuce, 3 oz tuna, 1 oz cheese

Snack - half protein bar, 8 oz low fat plain yogurt

Supper - 1 cup veggies, 3 oz pork chops, frozen fruit bar

Day 5 -

Breakfast - 6 egg whites, 4 slices of turkey bacon, 1 oz cheese

Snack - 8 oz yogurt, banana

Lunch - 1 whole wheat wrap, 1 cup tomatoes

Snack - half protein bar

Supper - 1 cup of asparagus, veggie burger, 4 oz of frozen yogurt

Day 6 -

Breakfast - Whole wheat bagel, banana, peanut butter

Snack - 6 egg whites, 1 oz cheese, 2 slices of turkey bacon,

Lunch - Veggie burger, 1 cup lettuce, 1 cup tomato
Snack - half protein bar, yogurt

Supper - 1 cup veggies, 3 oz steak, frozen fruit bar

 Day 7 -

Breakfast - whole wheat bagel, peanut butter, banana

Snack - 6 egg whites, 2 slices of turkey bacon, 1 oz cheese

Lunch - 2 cups of lettuce, 3 oz tuna, 1 oz cheese

Snack - half protein bar

Supper - 1 cup of veggies, 3 oz chicken, 4 oz frozen yogurt

Friday Funny

What We're Eating

Around the end of January when we started exercising again we decided to follow the P90X meal plan and edit it to fit the exercises we are doing burning calories wise.

We figured out how many calories we require and we fell into the Level 1 Meal plan.  P90X has 3 Levels depending on your weight and how many calories you need etc. There is a whole math equation to it.  There are also 3 phases and the first one we are in is the Fat Shredder phase. 

In Level 1 there are 2 types of plans you can do.  You can follow the full meal plan to a tee as they give you what to eat and all the recipes etc.  We’ve tried this with the JM meal plan and it takes up SO MUCH TIME making everything.  If we didn’t have jobs then we could do it but working all day and then cooking all night was not working for us.  We even tried preparing in advance on the weekends but we spent at least one whole day just cooking and didn’t get to fully enjoy the weekend.

So instead of that option we went with our own where they give you a list of foods to choose from each category and the amounts per day.   For the Phase 1 (Fat shredder) we can have the following servings per day: Protein = 5, Fat = 1, Carbs = 1, Dairy = 2, Fruit = 1, Vegetables = 2, Condiments = 1, Snacks = 1.  Below are some examples we get to choose from.

Protein - a serving includes – 3 oz skinless turkey or chicken breast, 6 egg whites, 3 oz fish, 3 oz fat free ham slices, 3 oz pork tenderloin, 3 oz red meat, 1 soy burger, 1 veggie burger, 2 slices of turkey bacon, 1 veggie dog, and a few tofu things we don’t eat.

Fats - a serving includes – 3 oz avocado, 1 tbsp canola oil, 1 tbsp, flaxseed oil, 1 tbsp olive oil, 4 oz olives

Carbohydrates – a serving includes – 1 medium whole wheat bagel, 1 bran muffin, 2 slices whole wheat bread, 1 cup whole grain cereal, 12 crackers, 2 english muffin halves, whole wheat, 1 cup oatmeal, 3 pancakes, 1 cup pasta or noodls, 1 large whole wheat pita, 1 medium potato or sweet potato, 1 cup brown or wild rice, 1 large whole wheat tortilla, 3 whole wheat waffles, and some other items we don’t eat

Dairy  – a serving includes – 1 oz low fat cheese, 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 oz feta cheese, 1 oz parmesan cheese, 8 oz skim milk, 8 oz plain nonfat yogurt

Fruit – a serving includes – 1 medium apple, 1 medium banana, 1 medium grapefruit, 1 cup kiwi, 1 cup grapes, 1 large orange, 1 medium peach or pear, 1 cup raspberries/blueberries/blackberries, 2 cups sliced strawberries, 1 cup watermelon

Vegetables  – a serving includes – 1 cup each of asparagus/broccoli/Brussel sprouts/carrots/cauliflower/celery/cucumber/peas/peppers/tomatoes/vegetable soup, 2 cups of lettuce/kale/spinach

Condiments  – a serving includes – 2 tbsp bbq and other low fat sauces and marinades, fat free dressings, mustard, honey, pure fruit jams

Snacks  – a serving includes – 1 oz low fat cheese, 8 oz cottage cheese, 12 mini rice cakes, 1 tbsp of peanut butter with celery sticks, frozen fruit bar, 4 oz fat free frozen yogurt

And we are also allowed half of a protein bar.  We are using the Cliff builder bars which are about equal to the P90X protein bars.  You can get them in the organic section of some Superstores, at MEC and also on amazon.ca

Each week we take turns doing up a meal plan for the coming week.  In another post we will give you an example of a meal plan. So far this plan is working if we keep up the exercising and stick to the servings etc.

Workout Wednesday

Wednesday, February 11 - Twin 1 did JM Video 3 and a supposed to be 30 min C25K on treadmill but after it took 17 min to get her treadmill going without it stopping she basically only ran total of 4min but walked/hill climbed the rest.  She says "hill climb" as she was on tip toe trying to get the treadmill belt moving for most of it.

Twin 2 did treadmill for 30 minutes (walk 1 min / run 3) and instead of doing a video just did her own arm/core exercises.

Thursday, February 12 - Twin 2 did bike for 1 hour, Twin 1 did JM Video 4

Friday, February 13 - Twin 1 did JM Cardio 1

Saturday, February 14 - HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Sunday, February 15 - Twin 1 did JM Video 3 & 4 to make up for Saturday and then today's.

Monday, February 16 - HAPPY 1ST FEBRUARY HOLIDAY! - Twin 1 did JM Cardio , Twin 2 did 1 hr on bike

Tuesday, February 17 - Twin 1 did JM Video

Tip Tuesday

Visualize your run.  Skiers, bobsledders, and luge athletes have this one down.  They do the course in their minds before heading downhill.  It helps them relax and allows them to rehearse where they're going.  Visualization also works in running - both in races and workouts.

Motivational Monday

Friday Funny

Happy Friday the 13th and more snow!!

We are linking up to Runhaven for this Friday Funny (hope it works):

http://runhaven.com/2015/02/06/6-reasons-never-start-running/


If the link doesn't work here is your other Friday Funny

Have a great Weekend!!

Work out Wednesday

Wednesday, Feb 4 -  Twin 1 did JM Video 2.

Thursday, Feb 5 - Twin 1 did JM Cardio 1.

Friday, Feb 6 -Nil

Saturday, Feb 7 - Twin 2 did 1 hr on bike,  Twin 1 did JM Video 3 and took the dogs to Ashburn for 45 min

Sunday, Feb 8 - Twin 1 took the dogs to Point Pleasant for an hour, Twin 2 did 1 hr on bike

Monday, Feb 9 -  Twin 1 did JM Video 4 and C25K Week 3/Day 3 (25 min 1.4m).  The treadmill is temperamental if left for a few days unused and is hard to get it going again...may have to use it more frequently.  Twin 2 did treadmill for 35 min (must find iPod as it was a long 35 min) and JM Cardio 1.

Tuesday, Feb 10 - HAIRCUT DAY!!!  Twin 1 did JM Cardio 1

Tip Tuesday

 

 

After a layoff, avoid comparing your results with those from before.  Instead, say to yourself: "That's the fastest I've run since I made my comeback!"

Motivational Monday

Friday Funny

Workout Wednesday

Wednesday, January 28 - JM Video 2 - check

Thursday, January 29 - JM Cardio 1 - Twin 1 check,  Twin 2 did an hour on bike

Friday, January 30 - Day off! Preparation for the BSB Viewing was taking place.

Saturday, January 31 - Supposed to be JM Video but Twin 2 was getting ready for her BSB Viewing and Twin 1 was just lazy.  As the movie was not showing at a theatre around us Twin 2 bought it from iTunes and invited people over to watch. Twin 1 and a fellow BSB fan showed up and all  enjoyed the movie and could watch it over and over again.

Saturday evening was a relaxing one.  Twin 1 tried to hook the tablet up to her TV so her and hubby could watch a movie.  It didn't work but she did discover all the extra wires that were plugged into the plug but not hooked to anything from when we switched from Eastlink to Bell. 

Sunday, February 1 - SUPERBOWL SUNDAY!!!  Twin 1 did the scheduled JM video 1 that she was to do on Saturday and also did a Couch to 5k on her treadmill.  We don't usually run with music but she decided to and she forgot how fun it was.  There was more dance walking than running.  At one point she got her hand caught in the earphone cord and ripped those out of the ear and the iPod went flying, had to pause for a minute to pick everything back up and kept on going.  She did Week 1, Day 1.  Twin 2 was getting ready for her Superbowl party.

There was tonnes of food at the party for the amount of people that were there.  Twin 1 took advantage.  As everyone knows by now New England took the trophy home. :-(

There was also some "new" seating for the guests and one was claimed.

Monday, February 2 - Twin 2 had an EDO was scheduled to make up some workouts.  Instead we got hit with a snow storm for the 2nd time in as many weeks and had to go shovel which in itself is a workout.  Twin 1 could not get up in the morning after the late night on Sunday so was scheduled to make up vidoes too but she arrived home later then usual because of the snow and the tiredness that comes from standing out in the cold waiting for buses that never come and when she got home she didn't do anything.  This is her walk from the bus stop to her house at 6pm.

Tuesday, January 3 - this was a delayed start to the work day because of the snow and lots of shoveling again.Twin 2 did 40 minutes on the bike and Twin 1 did her video AND ran on the treadmill. 

Tip Tuesday

Caffeine is not nearly as dehydrating as once thought, and, in fact, research shows it can help improve running performance.  But if you aren't used to drinking it before a run, then it's still best to avoid it the night before and the day of an event.

Motivational Monday

When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps

Friday Funny

Workout Wednesday

We are back on Track!!  We both have decided to start the Jillian Michaels 90 day Body Revolution and a protein packed eating plan.   

Saturday, January 24, 2015 – JM Video 1 – check

Sunday, January 25, 2015 – JM Video 2 – check

Monday, January 26, 2015 - JM Cardio 1 - check

Tuesday, January 27, 2015 - SNOW DAY!!! - JM Video 1 - check.  Also, Twin 1 tried out her new treadmill and Twin 2 tried out her new recumbent bike.  

We should have snow days more often.

Tip Tuesday

Starting Running Again?

Keep your running routine simple as you gear back up.  Don't launch into a new, complex training scheme.  For example, try running every other day for your first month.

Motivational Monday

The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.