Olive You.

Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis Hipcentric, Round 2, Day -- (Yoga)

Salad-a-day Challenge, Day 2

I still had half of the Cashew Dressing I made yesterday, so I finished a big salad for lunch.  I am such a happy camper with this salad challenge. 

Round 2 of TAM and I told myself, I would like to exercise 6 days a week, with 1 day out of the six doing something other than TAM, so today I decided to attend a yoga class.  Though I love yoga, in LA the good classes get pretty expensive, and I did try yoga for a few months once, just to gain 7 pounds.  I think alot of yogis make up for it by eating really healthy--I am just not the person to be able to do that at a consistent rate for so long.  

Like last night for example.  H came home at midnight and we split a rib eye steak.  He wanted me to try one bite, but you know how that story goes.  Still, sometimes when I eat off course I wonder if I was lacking in some nutrient, and maybe last night I was tired and lacking in the iron department.  One thing stays the same though.  When I am faithful to TA in general the guilty eating mentality lessens.  It's more of a c'est la vie mentality and it's a bit of freedom that I am enjoying right now.

Maybe it's the salad, or maybe it's the power yoga I did, or maybe I'm not torching calories today with TA, but today I felt great and eating light was pretty easy and satisfying.  The weather is warming up too here, so that definitely helps.

...until 11pm.  Then I wanted some pizza.  So I ate 4 olives and some watermelon and now it's off to bed.  Lately olives have been solving my salt craving.

Fans of salad dressing in mason jar pictures, unite.

Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis Hipcentric, Round 2, Day 5

Salad-a-day Challenge, Day 1

If you enjoy pictures of salad dressing in mason jars, you're in for a real treat these next 30 days.  I'm doing the cardio after all, so that leaves less time and energy for food styling.  Hopefully I'm just kidding about this and I'll get around to taking some salad pics to liven up the blog.

Today begins my salad a day challenge.  I found out about this fun project via Amy, and the blog she (now we) follow, Oh She Glows.  This is more of a fun challenge, as I love to eat salads anyway, and I think it'll be a good way to end up with a collection of salad recipes that I can use.  In my mind I love trying new things, but sometimes with the hustle and bustle of life I don't get around to trying new things unless I make myself. Thus the salad challenge.

But today I adhere to a staple recipe harking back to my raw food days.  I even made the dressing ahead of time in the morning, hence the picture.  

Cashew Salad Dressing

1/2 cup cashews 

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. sweetener (honey, agave, yacon syrup...I used honey)

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp. vinegar

pinch of salt

Put everything into a food processor or blender and add 1/4-1/2 cup of water depending on how thick you'd like it to be.  Makes 1-2 servings.  

For dinner tonight I'm going to chop up some romaine and a few olives and add the cashew salad dressing.  I also went to Trader Joe's and so tomorrow I will try the Strawberry Salad that Amy's been raving about. 

Hey-oh!  It's the weekend.   

Sleep Siren, be gone!

Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis Hipcentric, Round 2, Day 4

Well I'm never doing that again.

This morning I gave in to the sleep siren.  I "slept in" and skipped the workout.  Skipping the workout in the morning is usually a split second decision for me.  There's no battle in the morning.  It's either go or stay in bed.  I stayed in bed this morning and got up refreshed for work.

When I give into what I call the sleep siren in the morning, the evening becomes a battle of epic proportions.  If you haven't realized it, as you get older, the world just doesn't want you to exercise.  There's the demands of other people, driving by fast food restaurants, and people randomly saying, "you're married!  you can let yourself go now"  But blaming the world is just me being passive aggressive.  Let's face it, the biggest demanding person out there who doesn't want me to work out is  myself.  After work today I was super cranky that I still needed to work out.  Here are the battles that I fought and gave into before finally just putting the damn dvd in:

-Quickly did an urgent task for H that needed to be done: 5 minutes

-Fell into a nap: 30 minutes

-Ate a handful of cashews, two wedges of Laughing Cow Cheese (my weakness of the week; my body does not respond well to dairy but the palate loves it) and a blueberry protein smoothie: 20 minutes

-Grumbled and complained to myself and threw an inner tantrum: all throughout

I finally began my workout, just to feel terribly fat in my tights (my nike shorts are better, but they needed to be washed), and then I just had to stop and give myself an attitude check and slap my inner self.  Just do the damn workout.  And then I did.  I even turned on the heater today.  And it was great.  I feel endorphin-happy now.

But the worst part about working out in the evening is adjusting back to the morning workout.  Then it just seems like just when I finish my workout I need to do it all over again upon waking tomorrow.

Lesson learned, until I decide to sleep in again.  Old habits die hard.

"And a cry was heard in the battlefield: SALAAAD!"

Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis Hipcentric, Round 2, Day 3

Today it hurt less.

The workout was good but it was the eating today that caught me off guard.  As I was working from home today I thought I was eating out of boredom again; I was hungry and sluggish.  Then, after conceding to a Think Thin bar and some cashews and then feeling alot better, (I thought I was overeating) I decided to use MyFitnessPal and plug in my calories to see if I was overeating.  I wasn't, I was actually under my healthy calorie goal.  I had forgotten that the TA cardio torches calories.  It also made me laugh when I read the MyFitnessPal updates and about five messages said, "christine has not logged in for 2 weeks.  She might need some encouragement."

This chart was instrumental for me today in helping me determine what I needed to eat, as opposed to a package of ramen, which I was really tempted to eat today when I was struggling with cravings:

Cravings Chart

I am still learning alot from The Clean Program blog; you'll probably see more references on it in this blog from now on.

Thanks amydoestracy, Amy, Leah for your encouraging comments.  Loved your comment too about waking up early Liuba.  It's good to be back among friends.  I haven't posted as much over the past few months but I really did miss the company and the support.

Beginning June 1st I'll be doing a salad challenge with Amy.  Anyone game?  I love salads--it's the one thing I can have alot of and still feel great.  Plus it's friendly on the wallet and the waistline.  I don't eat them as often as I should because I just lack recipes.  I am not sure if I can keep up with 30 days of salads, but I'll try!  I especially love salads in the summer.  Hopefully this will also encourage me to take more pictures of salads so I can remember the recipes I tried.

Fat = pain

 Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis Hipcentric, Round 2, Day 2

One thing I am determined to do this time around is to adjust to working out in the morning.  That means I don't do anything.  Don't check email, save the breakfast for later.  The first thing I do is I slip on my shoes and my workout clothes.  And I work out.

I know in the past I've fought against the morning workout, but I must concede that those who have mastered the morning workout are right:  it's nice to get the workout out of the way and I feel such a sense of accomplishment knowing that at least I treated my body right first thing.  

This morning I got up at 5am and my entire body was sore like hell.  I barely made it through the cardio.  All of the places where I gained weight was replaced by alot of soreness.  I had to lie down after the workout and I kind of dozed off and then I was 30 min. late for work.  Whoops.

Had a few extra slices of salami, cheese and crackers tonight, but there was no guilt.  I'll worry about eating perfectly later.  Right now I want to conquer the a.m. workout.  

As in, if an earthquake happens instead of running for cover I'll be putting in my DVD because I'll get excited that the world will be my trampoline.  Insane thoughts like that.

Did I tell you I got up at 4:45am today?  The first time I did meta I was scared.  Now that I can do Tracy's dance routine virtually by heart, I am just determined to get my toned body back.

Grrr.

Round 2. Fight!

Day 1, Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis Hipcentric, Round 2, Day 1

Another round of Metamorphosis.  I also realized that I stopped TAM around the first disc of Continuity, so I have 3 continuity discs still shrink wrapped.  I hope to open them one day.

I stopped doing TAM 3 months ago, due to work stress and utter exhaustion.  For the past 3 months I've been trying to see if there was some sort of less intense solution for exercising.  I didn't really find much; I tried insanity for a little bit (it was too boring for me) and some yoga here and there (didn't burn enough calories).  In the end I think I just like to dance alot, and that's what the TAM cardio does for me.  

Since I stopped TAM I've also gained 5 pounds, which wasn't bad at first but now I can't fit into my pants (if I wasn't sure before I'm pretty sure now:  I'm hipcentric) and when I do squeeze into them there's a bit of a tire around my waist.  It's not pretty, but it's ok.  It's what happens when I don't exercise as often with the same intensity.  

Today I did an hour and a half:  an hour of cardio dance and 1/2 an hour of floor work.  Yup, level 1, day 1.  It's the slowest level yet I was still sore and struggling to finish.  Guess my body has forgotten TAM over the past few months, but the first 90 days I started last November still is ingrained into me so I have a feeling getting back into tip top shape will be faster this time.  This round of TAM I'll probably skip some days to go hiking or go running at the beach; I find that getting out and enjoying the weather makes for a nice change.

Today I also tried my Vitamix for the first time.  It's pretty loud; I felt like I was operating a chainsaw and it startled me at first.  I threw in a green apple, a banana, some protein powder and some ice and gave the blender a whirl...I could barely taste the green apple skin in the smoothie.  Plus it's easy to clean too.  I am in love.

And now, in honor of Memorial Day, I will take a nap.  

I Know What It Takes.

This year I learned what it takes to get the body I want.

In my 20s, it was a lot of trial and error, and getting in shape was something less concrete and more cloudy:  exercise, eat right.  Read health/workout magazines, glean an idea here and there.

But this year, Tracy became the formula.  Everyone is different.  But here's my formula for a 5 foot 2, medium, tomboy frame.  When I say tomboy I mean, no hourglass figure for me, I am more minimal on the curves and my shoulders are wider.  I currently have thunder thighs because I've been taking a break with Metamorphosis.

I digress:  here's the formula that works for me.

Exercise:  1.5 hours of exercise (1 hour of TA Cardio Dance, 1/2 hour of TA matwork)

Eating:  Plenty of leafy greens/green juice/smoothies, ideally, 50% or more of raw fruits an vegetables per day.  Rice Protein Powder.  Lots and lots of pure water.

The most important part of eating for me though, is what I leave out.  It's mainly two things:  refined sugar, refined carbs.

So it's simple!  I've got it figured out.

Except it's not so simple.  Psychologically I realized that a part of me doesn't want myself to be a weight I am happy with.  I thought I did, but it's more complicated than that.  A part of me gets insecure when I am at a "perfect" weight.  I'm afraid of the lifetime upkeep, that I can't have another candy bar again.  I get insecure when people comment about my toned body, as if this better body reflects how I am inside.

I don't know why I am like this.  Maybe I like it when people look past my physical body and like me for my non-physical personality.

So, I think I will begin TA's 90 day metamorphosis again.  I'm not sure if I will be able to do 1.5 hours everyday, but I would like to commit to 90 days of exercise and eating right again.  Though I was tired during Meta it really has transformed my body for the better.

Three things happened that encouraged me to write this entry:

1.  I finally, finally bought a VitaMix today!  I saved up a ton of store credit, so I got a brand new Vitamix at a "70%" discount.  It made me so happy I didn't use it today.  Just pored through the manual and stared at my Vitamix for a while.  Can't wait to make green smoothies without chunks of kale.  I also have a blank notebook, I'm going to gather my own recipes for green smoothies. Yaaaaay.  Any recommendations?

2.  I saw Avengers today.  All I have to say is that in the future I think I'll just watch this movie whenever I feel like eating unhealthy.  Let's just say no one ate cheeseburgers to prepare for that movie.  Of course Gwyneth Paltrow is wearing shorts.  

3.  I quit one of my jobs, which cuts my income by a third.  Money will be tight, but I took on an extra job in order to pay my credit card debt off and my school loans.  I now have no more credit card debt and a paid a quarter of my school loans off.  But, I quit my job in order to go full steam ahead on my screenplay.  I figure it's now or never.

Did any of you see the season finale of SNL?  Kristen Wiig is my hero.  I bawled like a baby during the end of the season finale.

Here's to dreams.  Not only do I hope I never stop dreaming, but I hope I never stop pursuing my dreams with conviction in spite of reality.

(note:  I get super excited when I start something, but just you wait.  I'll be complaining about Tracy in no time.  But deep down inside I love and respect her deeply.  Deep...down...inside.  I think she understands.)