Day 19 "Tales from an Armchair"

Remember yesterday's lament about my body failing me, repeatedly? Today was worse. No, really. It started out better, a little. Still in pain, but somewhat less. Still moving slowly, but at least able to do so. Then I sneezed.

Oh, yeah. That nearly sent me to the hospital. Picture this:

Chicken browning in a pan on the stove to my right. Dishwasher opened to my left. My back to the sink. One large sneeze and suddenly I can no longer support my body with my legs. I am holding myself up by my arms, slightly behind me, on the sink, completely unable to move one direction or the other, tears streaming down my face. Can't turn the stove off because I can't remove one of the arms keeping my body from crumbling to the floor. Can't reach the phone to call for help because I can't get past the open dishwasher. Arms are starting to shake .. and ...

Come on! This is freakin' ridiculous! Really, God? I am going to die by burning down my house while browning chicken when my 41 year old back goes out? Really? Give a girl a break already!

I eventually got myself turned around and after some time was able to turn off the stove and drag my legs to a chair in the kitchen. After some time there, I was able to get to the medicine cabinet containing my leftover Vicodin (rotator cuff surgery a year ago). I eventually finished putting together the Chicken Cacciatore and made my way to my favorite armchair where I have spent the better part of this day. Oh yeah, I made sure I had my phone on me from the "incident" on, as well.

My husband thinks I need one of this "Help me! I've fallen and I can't get up~!!" buttons.

Yeah. He's a really funny guy.

The vicodin has helped immensely. Luckily, I used very little after my surgery. Nice for me that I have plenty for this little back problem. I am hoping that the back will continue to improve with rest, ice, heat and light stretching. It ticks me off that I can't get back to my training for KB ... but I am trying to be smart. I'd rather take this time and heal, than have to be laid up for months because I failed to listen to the really loud warning screams my body is emitting.

Ok ... here's what I ate today:

Breakfast
2 egg whites, 1 50 cal cheese brick, 1 whole wheat english muffin
2 cups black coffee

Mid-morning snack
1 slice whole wheat toast, spray butter
1 orange

Lunch
1 svg Lentil Soup

Mid-afternoon snack
Chocolate protein bar (perrillo)

Supper
3/4 cup low carb rotini
4 oz chicken breast with about a cup of cacciatore (eggplant, zucchini, italian peppers, onion, tomato, garlic and various italian seasonings)

Day 16, 17 & 18 Catch Up!

I did not have computer access Friday and Saturday I fell into bed shortly after I FINALLY got home. I do have an exact accounting of my food for you though. Considering how little I ate over those two days, it is a pretty simple task.

First, however, I want to talk about my body. More accurately, my pain. Today I am simply overwhelmed with frustration at how my body continues to crush my every effort. My shoulder and subsequent surgery interfered with my upper body progress last year. Following, my knee interrupted my running plans. Now I am dealing with a chronic back issue that is dooming my kettlebell agenda. And sadly, my left shoulder is giving me issues again and my knee has never stopped being a problem. Quite frankly, I am DONE with being in pain ... ALL THE TIME.

A week and a half ago, during my Thursday training, I accomplished a trial run for my KB Competition group. At the end, my lower back was obviously fatigued and aching. Luckily, I was already scheduled to go to the chiropractor on Friday. I was also scheduled to drive for 23 hours over the course of the weekend. My back pain upon arriving in FL was substantial. It abated somewhat just in time to hop back in the car 3 days ago for a return trip.

This morning I attended my Sunday KB Competition class and was rendered virtually useless. I did what I could, wore a back brace (Thanks Jenn!) and have spent the rest of the day either icing or heating. I can still barely walk. I am so incredibly frustrated with this, I can't begin to explain it. It's not that the pain is unbearable ... I have been living with pain for a really long time. And there are people who live with MUCH more. It's the anger I feel that I am having a hard time dealing with.

Why, oh WHY??? ... is it that I can't just place a goal in front of me, work towards it and not have to deal with some portion of my body breaking down? I know this is not permanent. I know that if I am careful, I will be able to get myself back into working order within the week. I am simply tired of being in pain and always having to make allowances for my body's inherent weaknesses.

Putting it bluntly, its difficult to maintain motivation and optimism in the face of never ending painful odds.

That's my complaint (rant) for the day. I hope that tomorrow will be significantly better. Here's the food part.

Day 16
No breakfast
Well, 2 cups black coffee and some water

Lunch
Grilled chicken sandwich from Burger King and a diet coke

More water

Dinner
Grilled chicken sandwich from KFC and a large bottle of water

Day 17
Breakfast
2 eggs scrambled, 2 slices whole wheat toast and hash browns
2 cups black coffee

No lunch, No snacks, a coke Zero and 2 bottles of water

Dinner
6" Turkey sub on whole wheat roll from Subway (all veggies and mustard)
Plain, unsweetened Iced Tea

Day 18
Breakfast
3 eggs whites scrambled, 1 whole wheat english muffin, 2 cups black coffee

Mid-Morning Snack
1 orange

Lunch
1 svg Lentil Soup

Dinner
Chinese diet menu chicken with chinese vegetables, 1/2 c. brown rice, soy sauce
Coke Zero and finished up my gallon of water

Looking forward to less pain tomorrow.

Day 15

Tomorrow we leave the wonderful Florida weather, returning to blustery, wintery upstate New York. Frankly, I'd rather stay here. However, I miss my husband, my house, my life back home. Wouldn't it be great if we brought back the wonderful weather along with our sunburns?

I will be staying at a hotel tomorrow evening, so it should be easier to log my Day 16 food that it was on the trip down. I am planning on being as good as possible, eating road trip food. I have my almonds, protein powder and plenty of water. Here's hopin'!

Breakfast
Oatmeal with 2 tbsp. mixed pomegranate, cranberries, slivered almonds and raw walnuts
2 cups black coffee

Lunch
Ham & Swiss Deli sandwich (I know, ham! But we were at friends and I didn't want to be rude!!)
About a tbsp each macaroni salad (vinegar based with broccoli), baked beans & potato salad
Coke Zero

Supper
Cod, half an order fries (again, holy cow) and maybe an 1/8th cup coleslaw (2 forkfuls

Skipped all snacks. Far from ideal.

Day 14

Still on vacation ... so things are a little out of sync. But keeping busy and trying to be as good as possible.

Breakfast
1/2 mango, 1/2 orange
2 cups coffee

Lunch
Turkey on whole wheat deli thin with mayo, lettuce & tomato
Handful potato chips

Supper
Grouper with side of fries and about a 1/4 c coleslaw
Unsweetened Iced Tea

Lots of water ... skipped all snacks. Just the way it worked out.

Day 13

Almost forgot. that would have been bad. And as it is late ... not going to write much more than the food.

Breakfast
Oatmeal w/ 2 tbsp mixed cranberries, pomegranate, raw walnuts & almond slivers
3 cups coffee, black

NO Mid-Morning Snack

Lunch
Turkey on whole grain thin roll with lettuce & tomato

Mid-Afternoon Snacksmall ice cream cone (yes, I am on vacation)

Dinner
1/2 c. rice, 2 teriyaki chicken spears, one spoonful of chicken with broccoli, 4 pieces veggie sushi, 2 orange slices, spoonful of fruit salad, half cup of cottage cheese mixed with mandarin oranges & Pineapple

Day 12, 13, 14 FAIL!

I managed to lose my streak. It wasn't intentional, but I was completely unable to log on for the past 3 days. On Friday, I was busy from sun up to sun down. I did manage to write it all down on my paper journal, with every intention of entering it that night. Somewhere around 11:30pm I finally got into bed and as I lay there thinking about all the things I would have to do in the morning, I remembered I never logged my food. Knowing it was written down, I decided to not get back up, log on and enter the food. I figured I would apologize profusely, then enter it along with Saturday's accounting. I had to get up Saturday at 4:00am, to be on the road for South Carolina by 4:30am. Sleep was a higher priority.

The only problem is, I rushed out Saturday morning and left the food journal at home, on my coffee table. Joy and happiness. I realized this Saturday evening, at 11:30pm as I lie in bed at my cousins house, exhausted beyond belief from a stressful, 15 hour drive. I hadn't even unpacked my computer, so I wasn't about to go out to the car and grab it in order to log in 2 days of food. I couldn't even think straight at that point. FAIL.

So, bring on Sunday and the final leg of my journey to Florida. We left SC around noon, with the hope of reaching our destination at 10:00pm. Bathroom breaks, gas refills, leg stretching (Ian wanted a picture at each state line ... great idea, a little too time consuming when crunched!), bad traffic for no known reason ... we finally arrived at my mother's home at 11:45pm, again exhausted beyond belief. Even after a relaxing day today, and an unheard of nap this afternoon, I am still fried.

So, I propose that I just start at Day 12 as today, forget the past 3 days (as they are mostly forgotten anyway, I remember bits and pieces, but not everything ... and I am tired!) and give you today's food. The lesson I have learned is that even the best laid plans can be disrupted by a crazy nearly-9 year old, a dog, and a long road trip.

So here's (the new) day 12:

Breakfast
1 svg. oatmeal with 2 tbsp mixed dried cranberries, pomegranate seeds, raw walnuts and slivered almonds
2 cups black coffee

Mid-Morning Snack
1 svg. roasted almonds

Lunch
Grilled chicken wrap with lettuce and tomato
Small French Fry (baaaad girl!)
Diet Coke

No Mid-Afternoon Snack (but I did go swimming!)

Supper
Green salad with lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber and 1 tbsp Italian vinaigrette
6 large shrimp (so the say, not really all that large), grilled on skewers with bell pepper, onion, cherry tomato, broccoli and 3 total baby red potatoes

I'm hungry right now, not surprising as I skipped my afternoon snack ... but, you see ... I fell asleep on a chair in the living room after swimming. I was THAT tired. Figure that the skipping of the snack helps the calorie deficit after the fries at lunch.

Day 11

Has it really only been 11 days? It seems like so much longer, since I started keeping track of everything ... and boring you with the details. Tonight I sit here, hungry, but determined. 19 days more to go on this particular challenge. On March 1st I will also be starting the 10,000 swings in 30 days challenge. I talked that over with Coach Dom this morning and he thinks it is a great idea and can only help build my strength for the competition at the end of the month ... not detract from it.

In 2 weeks I will be heading to Columbus for the Arnold Sports Expo. I won't reach my goal weight by then, but I am learning to forgive my body for not obeying me. Actually, I am learning to forgive it for its outright disrespect for my wishes. What else can I do? Beating it doesn't work. Torture via starvation doesn't work. Maybe forgiveness will.

In the meantime ... here's my relatively spot on day.

Breakfast
1 svg. oatmeal, 1 tbsp. flaxseed, 1 tbsp. wheat germ, & 1 tbsp raisins
2 cups coffee

Mid-Morning Snack
1/2 c. 1% cottage cheese
1/2 c. mandarin oranges

Lunch
chicken breast on a whole wheat bun with chipotle mustard, lettuce & tomato

Mid-Afternoon Snack
1 oz. almonds
1 oz. craisins

Dinner
4 oz grilled chicken breast
6 small stalks asparagus
1/2 c. brown rice

Day 10

I just finished watching the last season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" with my husband. As Chris said, it took him 8 years to get closure, but closure he finally got. I watched the series season finale as it happened. Chris, however was otherwise occupied with beating back the big bad in Iraq, instead of watching Buffy beat back the big bad First Evil. It was our guilty pleasure back then. I remember feeling even more sure that Chris was "the one" when, early in our dating relationship he admitted to enjoying the antics of the Slayer and her gang. Gotta love a Marine who can admit to watching a show about a chick named Buffy. Granted, a kick-ass, MMA-qualified, savior of the world chick named Buffy, but still ...

I don't know why I am sharing this particular glimpse into my life. Maybe its because it underlines my love of a strong, powerful female character. I am drawn to hard rock voiced by girly singers. I strive to build a tougher physique, no soft girly-girl am I.

Maybe I am just writing because it is the last thing I saw before sitting down to account for my food.

Who knows? But if you are looking for inspiration in the form of pop-culture, that last apocolypse-avoiding season of Buffy is definitely worth a look-see.

Now on to the food ...

Breakfast
1 svg oatmeal with 1 tbsp flax seed ground, 1 tbsp wheat germ & 1 tbsp raisins
2 cups coffee

Mid-Morning Snack
1 skinny latte
1 svg almonds

Lunch
3-oz grilled chicken, on lettuve with tomato, red onion, 2 tbsp chickpeas, 1 tbsp goat feta, 2 tbsp pepperoncini's, cucumber, spray style light italian dressing

Mid-Afternoon Snack
1 Skinny Latte (I was really tired today)
10 cherry tomatoes

Dinner
Lettuce with leftover venison taco meat (about 1/2 c), tomatoes, onion & salsa

Day 9

Hate to say it, but I just don't have much to write tonight. Besides the food, that is. Still contemplating the 10k swings in 30 days challenge. No decisions yet.

Breakfast
4 egg whites, 1 100 calorie english muffin, toasted
2 cups coffee, black

No Morning Snack

Lunch
Leftover turkey burger on whole wheat bun with small amount of ketchup & mustard

Mid-Afternoon Snack
1 svg raisins, 1/4 cup raw walnut halves

Dinner
1/2 cup low-carb spaghetti with Meat & Tomato Sauce (venison)

Day 8

Happy Valentine's Day!

Breakfast
1 svg oatmeal with 1 tbsp flax seed, ground & 1 tbsp wheat germ & 1 tbsp raisins
2 cups coffee, black

Mid-Morning Snack
1/2 c. 1% Cottage Cheese with 1/2 c. no sugar added mandarin oranges

Lunch
Roasted brussel sprouts, roasted fennel, 1/2 c. whole wheat pasta, sun dried tomatoes, splash of balsamic vinegar
(Where was the protein, you ask? Well, I had chicken to eat ... but I ran out of time! I was eating in the car as I drove to tutor in reading ... and I was running so far behind schedule that I failed to eat the chicken. Bad girl!)

Mid-Afternoon Snack
1/2 c. vanilla greek yogurt

Supper
4-oz roasted chicken breast
1 c. steamed broccoli
2 steamed baby red potatoes

2 cups herbal tea

10,000 Swings in 30 Days?

Wanna hear about something intense? I read a blog the other day, well article, about a crazy kettlebell challenge. 10,000 swings in 30 days. That's roughly 333 swings per day, if you don't take a single day off. Huh. Wanna read about it?

http://www.nofearfitness.com/articles/10000-swing-challenge.php

If you are not a swinger, you don't really know how intense this could be. Yesterday was a pretty intense kettlebell workout ... and only a small portion of it was aimed at swings. In fact, only a small portion was aimed at upper body. We did a lot of lower body stuff. Mini-squats, calf raises (bumps), farmers walks ... butt stuff. However, the swings, jerks and cleans we did do, leave me with happily wasted shoulders. How shredded would my arms be if I accomplished a mission of 10,000 swings (mixing one handed and two handed) in 30 days?!

It's very tempting. It would be over and above, in addition to all the other training I do. It would be what I do at night as I relax watching a TV show. As Coach Jen said yesterday, it would be the fun part of the night, with a glass of red on the table and a 16kg KB swinging away. As I said ... I'm tempted.

I'm looking for ways to up my output, without logging more time at the actual gym. Sure ... I love being there. But I love being home, too, and sometimes I feel overwhelmed when I spend all of my time out and about and none of it here. My "down time" is not at night, when Chris & Ian are here. It's in the afternoon, just after lunch, when I can turn on reruns of Grey's Anatomy and completely chill out my brain. I don't even have to pay attention, cuz I already know what happens next. I can't sleep during the day (nap), but this is the next best thing. What if I incorporated a few hundred swings into that time? It's pretty brainless for me.

What if?

I can't start now, not with a big trip to FL coming up in less than a week. But I could start March 1st. I plan on taking my KB's with me to OH (Arnold's are right around the corner, March 3-6) ... Toni and Maureen will keep me on track and not let me off the hook.

In that link I put above, the writer has some very convincing arguments for attempting the challenge. "How does a smaller butt, slimmer hips, a flat stomach, thinner thighs, unreal strength endurance and increased overall strength sound to ya?" Why, that sounds real good, Lisa. Really, really good.

Gonna give it a little more thought, but I am seriously leaning in that direction ... and oh what a challenge it will be.

By the way, bought a couple of new t-shirts, just waiting for them to arrive. I needed some cotton inspiration. The first is here:

kettlebell: because you might need to lift a car tee shirts from Zazzle.com

And the 2nd (my favorite, although I need to use discretion in where I wear this one) is here:

UNLEASH YOUR SKINNY BITCH SHIRT from Zazzle.com

Purchased both at Zazzle.com. They have LOTS of other designs, in case you might want to go looking for your own cotton inspiration.

Ok, that's enough for today. I have these torn up hands to wrap before my KB class today. No rest. Not even for damaged goods.

(I welcome your thoughts on the 10,000 swings in 30 days challenge ...)

Day 7

Killer kettlebell workout today. Tore my left hand up again, but not as bad as the first time, so I will live. For the low reps/high weight portion, I was able to go up another weight class. I bet I'll be feeling that tomorrow! Today was a good day, mostly because I didn't have time to screw it up. It's amazing how many chores you can accomplish when you don't have to spend the day focused on football. (This is a family that loves itself some football.)

I feel I have been cheating myself of real writing time by dropping these quick little blurbs, then listing the days food intake. The trouble is, I do my real creative writing in the mornings ... these food accountings have to be written at night, after all food is consumed. At night, just before I go to bed, when my creative brain has already zoned out and gone to sleep.

So, this is just another accounting ... but I will try to write a little more, in the mornings, that is more reflective and fun to read. I'll try.

Breakfast
1 svg oatmeal with 1 tbsp. wheat germ and 1 tbsp. flax seed, ground
2 cups coffee

Mid-morning Snack
1/2 apple
protein shake made with skim milk

Lunch
leftover chicken stir fry, no rice

Dinner
Turkey burger patty on a whole wheat bun with mustard
1 c. green beans

Day 6

Today was a bit more difficult, as my husband and son took me out to dinner in early celebration of Valentine's Day. We went to one of our favorite restaurants, Shamrock Jack's. I tried to prepare for the evening by eating light early, and having an extra tough workout. Dinner was wonderful, time with my family was even more so.

Breakfast
2 Wheatabix, 1 c. skim milk, 1 tbsp. sucanat

Mid-Morning Snack (pre-workout)
2 clementines

Lunch
3 oz grilled chicken, lettuce, cherry tomatoes (6), splash of balsamic vinegar

No Mid-afternoon snack

Dinner
6 oz broiled haddock, 1 baked potato, lettuce salad with shredded cabbage, carrots, onion & tomato, about 2 tsp. bleu cheese crumbles and maybe a tbsp italian vinagrette, 1 pint of Guinness and 2 bites of peanut butter pie.

Day 5

I was disappointed with the scale this morning, but refused to let it control my day. My weigh in date is not actually until Tuesday anyway ... so forgetting what is behind and moving on to what is before.

Breakfast
Wheatena, 1 tbsp flax seed, ground, 1 tbsp wheat germ

Mid-Morning Snack
100 cal pack raw almonds, 100 cal pack craisins, 1 skim milk latte with SF cinnamon flavor

Lunch
About 2 cups lettuce, 4 oz grilled chicken, 1 tbsp feta, grape tomatoes (7), red onion, 2 tbsp chickpeas, 2 tbsp ff vinaigrette

Mid-Afternoon Snack
1/2 c. mandarin oranges
1/2 c. 1% cottage cheese

Supper
lettuce with about 2/3 c. ground venison with taco seasoning, onion, tomato & salsa

Day 4

Today was a good day. I am physically exhausted, of course, as Thursday's are heavy workout days. But I feel good. That's the word for the day I guess ... good. So. here's the food for your perusal.

Breakfast
Farina with 1 tbsp. wheat germ and 1 tbsp. ground flax seed
2 clementines
2 cups coffee

Mid-Morning Snack
Protein shake made with Jay Robb chocolate protein powder and 1 c. unsweetend coconut milk
100% Organic Go Raw Banana "Bread" Flax Bar (120 cals, 5g fat, 15g carbs [6g dietary fiber, 9g sugars], 4g protein)

Lunch
Salad made with lettuce, grilled chicken, 1/4c. chickpeas, cucumbers, tomato, red onion and 2 tbsp. FF Greek dressing which was AWFUL and will not be used again.

Mid-Afternoon Snack
Handful of cherry tomatoes and 1 50 cal. Cabot cheese brick

Supper
2/3 c. ground venison with taco seasoning on a bed of lettuce with tomatoes, onion, and hot salsa

Day 3

Crazy busy day. Tomorrow will be another one. I don't have a lot to comment on this one. My original plan was to grill a piece of chicken and have it on lettuce for supper. However, by the time I got home from my son's karate class and realized that the lettuce in the fridge was beyond wilted, I decided it was better to go with leftovers. I prefer not to have carbs at night, but I tried to keep it at a minimum ... and am happy to have the fridge cleaned out of leftovers a bit more.

Day 4, here I come.

Breakfast
4 egg whites cooked in olive oil spray on a whole wheat bagel thin
2 cups coffee

Mid-Morning Snack
2 clementines
Protein shake (chocolate Jay Robb Protein Powder mixed with 8-oz cocnut *milk*)

Supplements: Fish Oil (3000 mg), SuperCissus (2400 mg), Multivitamin with extra iron, St. John's Wort, Meloxicam (for arthritic pain)

Lunch
1 svg "In a Pinch Chicken Chili" with 1/2 c. brown rice

Mid-Afternoon Snack
Handful (Maybe 2/3 cup?) cherry tomatoes, 1 single svg 50 Cal Cabot Cheese brick

Supper
1/2 cup whole wheat penne w/marinara (leftover sauce, had to be used up)

Day 2

Day 2 was going pretty well up and until my mid-afternoon snack time. Apparently, I need to eat a little more at lunch time, as I was starved by the time I got home from the gym. With exactly 5 minutes to grab something and run back out the door, carrots didn't seem to be enough. I wanted substance and sitting right there at the front of the fridge was my little container of the healthier no-bake cookies I made several days ago. I grabbed and ran, only feeling guilty about it after they were gone. Tomorrow I will plan better. Period.

For the record, I pushed myself extra hard at my spin class a couple of hours ago to try and make up for it. Still, my goal here is to keep as healthy as I can and those, albeit better than a lot of other things I could have grabbed, were not the best nutritional bang for my buck.

Kitchen closed, done for the night.

Breakfast
1 svg steel cut oatmeal with 1 tbsp ground flax seed & 1 tbsp wheat germ
2 cups black coffee

Mid-Morning Snack
1/2 c. No-Sugar added Mandarin Oranges
1 single svg ff vanilla Greek Yogurt(Brown Cow version, 110 cal/svg)

Supplements: Fish oil (3000 mg), Super Cissus Joint Formula (2400 mg), multi vitamin with extra iron, St. John's Wort, Meloxicam (for arthritic swelling)

Lunch
1 svg "In a Pinch Chicken Chili" (265 Cals)

Mid-Afternoon Snacks
2 Healthy Cookie Snacks (I know, not a good choice)

Dinner
4-oz. lean chicken breast stir fried with 2 cups mixed fresh veggies (bok choy, broccoli, carrots, onion, garlic)
1/2 c. brown rice

Supplements: Fish oil (3000 mg), Super Cissus Joint Formula (2400 mg), St. John's Wort

Day 1

All in all, my first day of my "30 Day Challenge" did not go too badly. There was this moment, just after lunch, as I was running out the door to my son's school (I am a reading tutor on Monday's) when I nearly snatched a cookie. I thought to myself "Go upstairs, finish getting changed and come back down. If you still want that cookie, then by all means have it then." By the time I came back down, I was resolved that no way would I falter on the FIRST DAY of my very own challenge. {Patting self on back.}

Admittedly, I am quite hungry right now as I sit typing this. however, the kitchen is closed. Leftovers have been put away, kitchen is cleaned and I am no longer welcome. So I sit here, sipping my water, resolved that I have finished all eating and it is safe to send out an accounting of my daily food intake.

One day down. 29 to go.

Breakfast
1 svg Farina with 1 tbsp ground flax seed and 1 tbsp wheat germ
2 cups coffee, black, 16 oz water
Supplements: fish oil, Super Cissus (Joint Formula), St John's Wort, Multi-vitamin with extra iron

Mid-Morning Snack1/2 cup no sugar added mandarin oranges
1/2 cup 1% Cottage Cheese

Post workout "I'm gonna die if I don't eat something" snack
100 calorie pack of almonds

Lunch
Greek Salad with grilled chicken, 2 tbsp RF feta, 2 Greek olives (smallish, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, pepperoncini's, lotsa lettuce and 2 tbsp RF Greek Salad Dressing

Mid-Afternoon Snack2 single serving packets of baby cut carrots (25 calories each)
1 Skim sugar free hazelnut latte

Dinner
3.5 oz grilled cod with Cajun spices
10 spears asparagus
1/2 c. steamed green beans with almond slivers
Supplements: fish oil, Super Cissus (Joint Formula), St John's Wort

30 Days

About once a week I am invited to join some sort of challenge, most of which are the 30 Day variety. So far, none have really been conducive to my lifestyle or physical needs. Cleanse? Not with my workout schedule, no thank you. Paleo? I wish I could, but I know from experience that if I eliminate carbs that drastically from my diet, I turn into a bumbling, brainless, homicidal maniac. I like life outside of cells, so I simply can't walk that path. ABs? Run a 10k? 50 push ups in a minute? You get the idea. It seems that almost anything can be accomplished if you dedicate 30 days time to it.

In my most humble of opinions, accomplishing anything in a mere 30 days is probably a bit of a stretch, but I do believe that dedicating to something for that long is highly beneficial. It creates a habit. If you are a writer and you dedicate yourself to writing one chapter every day for 30 days, chances are you will have a hefty volume for editing at the end of that time. And maybe even a completed novel. (Learning anything yet, Christina?!) If you dedicate 30 days to working out consistently, with a smart plan in place, you will see marked results at the end of the allotted time. If you dedicate yourself to a particular eating plan for 30 days, you will see weight loss. (Unless it's the chocolate cookie/cake/fudge plan. Oddly, that doesn't work so well!) Dedicated budgeting and money saving. Dedicated learning. Whatever it is, if you decide to give it 100% of your effort for the allotted time, there will be measurable results at the end.

I also like that there is an end in sight. Let's face it, if you are staring at a really huge long term goal, staying motivated to reach it can be difficult. When the end is so far away that you can no longer see it, taking rest stops becomes very enticing. However, when you are climbing a mountain and you can see the crest just ahead, it's much easier to put your head down and power up the last steps, no matter how tired you are.

Today I begin Christina's personal 30 day challenge. I will eat clean every day for the next 30, even with a trip to Florida coming up in 2 weeks. Here's the real kicker ... the real challenge, for me. I will blog every day of the challenge and within the body of that blog, I will include an account of the foods I ate that day. This way, friends and readers can hold me accountable for this 30 day challenge. (It should be noted that when I write "eat clean" I am not talking Paleo clean, but Body Builder clean. Grains are a part of my healthy world.)

In a little over 6 weeks I have my Kettlebell exhibition tournament. Getting my workouts in is not going to be a problem, so I am not adding that into the challenge. Keeping it at just my food and my blogging will be plenty. Maybe the next challenge can be physical.

I have two goals I hope to accomplish in this challenge. The first is to get back into the habit of being accountable for what I eat. I need to keep things super clean for a while to get my body back into peak functioning form. My second goal is to hopefully nudge some of these more stubborn pounds off. Eating foods that my body can use efficiently causes it to store much less .. and that during those heavy workouts, the body will set about burning off the fat stores it already has.I'm not putting a final number on the end of the 30 days, because when you have plateaued as long as I have, that's just discouraging. But if I can stay true to my challenge, accountable for every bite, I should see real results just in time for the Arnold. And that will be reward enough for me!

“Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.” ~General George S. Patton~