Day 18 - Bring it On!

I am ready for a great week! I think I had a good week last week but this week I am ready for an even better week. Last week, I worked out and ate as planned. My husband and I went to the track sprinted on Saturday. He thought he could beat me running the 100 metre. Ha! I guess he got inspired after watching Usain Bolt at the Olympics. Usain was unbelievable! I heard there were questions as to whether he was on steroids, but in my opinion he didn't look like he was on steroids (not that I am an expert or anything). What I learned is that they is actually a gene called ACTN3, which is more commonly found in Sprinters. This gene is also more prevalent in people whose ancestry can be traced back to West Africa. The word "race" doesn't apply, notice that East Africans were excluded and are not likely to have this gene but East Africans (Kenya's and Ethiopians) are great at running long distances. Maybe there is also a gene for long distance? I know I probably don't have that gene! A few weeks ago someone at my gym asked me if I wanted to run a marathon. My thought is why would anyone want to run for so long? Sorry endurance isn't my thing. I know what I like and training for a marathon has not ever been on my list of goals. Right now my goal is to win the OCB Presidential, 18 more days and counting.

Day 25 - Never Put An Age Limit On Your Dreams!

I have been watching the Olympics and what I find interesting about the athletes is their persistent and goal oriented attitudes. Dara Torres was interviewed and she made the comment "Never Put An Age Limit On Your Dreams". Michael Phelps said during an interview "Never let anyone tell you cannot do something". I think most importantly, never believe when someone tell you that you cannot do something. I usually try to prove them wrong!At a young age, Michael Phelps was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and instead of his mother taking the negative path and giving him drugs to mask his disorder (I say mask because the drugs do not cure), she put him in swimming. I am sure there are thousands of parents who have a "doom and gloom" attitude when told that their child have ADHD.I was watching gymnastics and Alicia Sacramone fell off the Balance Beam right at the beginning of her routine, and I was impressed when she got back up on the Beam and then did a flawless routine. I cannot imagine falling with millions of people watching me. Now that takes courage.What I find compelling is that these athletes Do Not Give Up!

I generally do not watch TV when I workout because I find it distracts me and prevents me from focusing on my workouts. The only time I do watch TV while working out is when it is a sporting event. I find watching sports while working out causes me to push myself more.

Only 25 days until the big day and I feel good. Unfortunately I have to increase my cardio again and now I have to do cardio 5 days a week. Yikes! I am going to have to do cardio in the morning and weights in the evening. Wish me luck, I don't like waking up early but I will have to, only 25 days so I can do it! Maybe, I'll finally become an early bird and wake up early in the mornings. I know my mother will laugh at that one!

Day 31 - I WILL...

I will ____ fill in the blank with whatever you will do today! My will for today is, I will eat clean and I will do 45 minutes of cardio. I was watching the Olympics last night and a swimmer who had just won a gold medal was asked what he did differently this time to win the gold (he had won a silver medal at the previous Olympics). His answer was "I said to myself that I will win, instead of maybe I'll win". Often when I am watching a phenomenal athlete, like Kobe Bryant or Tiger Woods, and I see them make what seems to be an impossible shot, I often say, "they willed" that shot. What that means to me is before they made that shot, they thought "that shot will go in".

I am happy to say that today I am back, 100%. I wasn't 100% on Saturday. I think my body was fighting off something. When I feel like that, the best thing for me to do is rest so that the next day I will be better. On Saturday I didn't even workout. Can you believe it? My body was feeling weak, and I thought it was because I haven't been eating as many carbs but that wasn't it. After I ate some extra carbs and drink Green Tea, I still felt that I had no energy. Now that is quite unusual for me to have caffeine and not have energy. I spent most of the day napping and eating. I was able to workout Sunday and Monday. Sundays are my rest days but I had to switch things up a bit. In addition to my lack of energy, my muscles looked flat and I felt skinny. I didn't even feel like Blogging and I was home for the entire day? Let's just say that Saturday wasn't the best day for me. But what a difference 24 hours make, on Sunday I was back to my old self.

Eat Clean and Train Hard

The Magic Exercise Pill?

Now I have seen it all! Exercise in a pill.

Mice Get Fit With 'Exercise in a Pill'
By Howard LeWine, M.D., Harvard Health Publications

Couch potatoes can get some of the benefits of exercise with a new drug, researchers say. So far, it has been tested only in mice. After four weeks of taking it, they burned more calories and had less fat than other mice. They also could run 44% farther and 23% longer on a treadmill. Mice who also exercised regularly got even more benefit with a second drug that was tested. They could run 68% longer and 70% farther than mice that exercised but didn't get the drug. The study was published online by the journal Cell.

I cannot imagine taking a pill instead of going to the gym. Considering I don't like taking drugs, including over the counter pills like Advil, I would definitely not trust this so called Exercise Pill.
How will this pill prove to have the same benefits of exercise? Some of the benefits of exercise include:

• Decreased risk of certain cancers and many long-term diseases, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis
• Improved mood and symptom relief for mild depression
• Increased energy and stamina

It appears that this exercise pill may replace cardiovascular exercise and not strength training. I am not sure how a pill could help with strength straining? As much as I dislike cardio (but slowly convincing myself that I love it) I seriously doubt I would take an exercise pill! In my opinion, most people can find some type of exercise that they enjoy. Am I wrong to believe this? I refuse to believe that humans were made to be couch potatoes!

Day 38 - You are never a loser until you quit trying

I started a new meal plan yesterday and my carbs have been reduced. My meals usually consists of only complex carbs, but now no more sweet potatoes and blueberries. I am really surprised that I haven't been hungry.

My training has been going really well and I have incorporated some more stretches and exercises into my workouts. I had an assessment done a while back when I was training with another trainer. She mentioned that I have a postural deficiency called an Anterior Pelvic Tilt. This basically is when the pelvis is positioned forward and your core (abs) may also be weak as a result. There are a number of exercises and stretches I have to do to help correct this. Building a strong core is extremely important to help correct this. Some of the exercises I have to do (along with my regular training) include:
Bridges, Bird Dogs, Hip Flexor Stretches and Leg Swings.

Supine Bridges

(More core exercises/stretches are below in the Video Bar)
Apparently Anterior Pelvic Tilts are very common and often causes the stomach pooch so many people have and try to get rid off. Often people will just do crunches to get rid of the stomach pooch and crunches will help strengthen the core, which will help correct the pelvic tilt, but it may not be enough. The pelvic tilt is often caused by just sitting too much and today's sedentary lifestyle. Also those infomercial gadgets will not help either. Basically, if your body fat is too high you will not be able to see your nice, tight, strong core.

I have always longed for a six pack and unfortunately I didn't even get one for my last competition when my body fat was at it's lowest. Maybe I'll get one this time, but it may not be in my genes, since hereditary plays a large role. So, I'll just be happy to get rid of my pooch and belly fat.

Live healthy and train hard!