1000 Views!!?? Thanks guys

Wow,
   1000 views???!!!! Thank you fitties for taking the time to check in on my blog. As some of you may know, I use this as a way to keep me honest about my workouts, progress and feelings towards training. Because of this site I have constantly worked on my goals and am glad to say I am getting closer and closer to them each day. I have been going through some personal issues as of late but to see the comments and this great news today has made my day. I have used exercise to relieve or not think about some horrendous personal situations, which has been very good. But I have also decided not to hate the people who have dissapointed me, they're human and quite frankly hating them is unGodly and that would run my life if I did. Through this time I have learned a lot about myself and feel .....free.
     I'm very thankful that my bud took a pic of me in January. I was able to see that I wasn't taking my fitness and eating habits serious enough. That rude awakening sparked a change that is quite visible now. I'm not done, I still have some way to go but it feels pretty good to know that I am on my way to accomplishing my goals. Below is my progress pics. Excuse the blurriness, I'm still learning to take selfies :).

    The left pics are from January and the right pics are the most current and from March.

Tuesday's WOD
4 mile run (AM fasted cardio)
Body beast back and bis
Body beast Abs

    Thanks everyone for checking in.
Until next time fitties.
XoXo,
YumYum

Spartan race and meal prep

Hello fitties,
     before we entered 2014 I wrote a  list of goals I wanted to accomplish this year. One of them was to enter in and complete a spartan race. Well, guess what? I finally registered for one and will complete it with a bunch of my homies on June 1st. I'm so excited. Initially, when I registered I thought I would be doing this by myself which was cool but weeks later I got the good news that my fiance's friend was interested and wanted to try it out with me. Then what do you know my fiance' signed up as well. I have been incorporating +Spartan Race  workouts of the day (WOD) into my fitness regimen because they are challenging, I like them and I have a feeling they will physically prepare me for this daunting four mile obstacle course.On Sunday I completed the Spartan 1500. Basically, I had to complete 100 reps of each exercise which was no easy feet. Stuff I find challenging such as burpees, pullups and brazilian ab twists I had to break down into sets. Everything else I was able to complete as one set. Below is the circuit I performed and yup I'm still sore.



100 jumping jacks
100 burpees
100 pull-ups
100 box jumps
100 sandbag squat throws
100 Brazilian ab twists (50 each side)
100 bodyweight squats
100 side kicks (50 each side)
100 jumping lunges
100 sandbag curls
100 sandbag tricep overhead extensions
100 tuck jumps
3 rope climbs ( i substituted this with hang snatches. 1st set 12 reps @ 45lbs, 2nd 8 @ 50lbs, 3rd 6@ 65lbs and 3x15 front squats @ 45lbs)
300 crunches

After my workout I came home and started my meal prep for the week. I have found that with planning what I will eat and cooking it on Sunday that it is easy for me to eat clean throughout the week. To me, weekly meal preps take less time than cooking everyday so I will continue to do this.

 

This may seem like a lot of food but please remember I am not cooking only for myself. In this pic are curried chicken breasts, brown rice, jerk chicken wings, oh no i forget to buy black beans hummus, grass fed beef burgers, homemade banana nut wheat bread and 3 egg muffins. Not pictured is the garden salad I made to pair with my lunches and dinners and the paleo strawberry banana ice cream I made for desert. I'm praying this lasts till Friday. My other three attempts haven't even made it through Wednesday :-/ .
Until next time fitties.
XoXo,
YumYum

Green Bagels????

Hola Fitties,
    on Sunday I ran the ridiculously hilly Washington Heights 5K. I went in with a goal of 26 minutes or less but unfortunately did not make it. I'm actually disapointed with my self because when I finished the race I noticed I did not give my all. It more felt like a practice run, I wasn't breathing hard nor was I tired. I felt like I ran harder last year, which was my first race ever. Lately, I feel like I psych myself out way too much when running. I'm anxious yes, but when I run I'm constantly looking at my watch or telling myself to slow down or stay on pace with someone else. This thinking has made running rather annoying and sad to me. Before, when I would just go for a run without any goals, thoughts or excuses I would get pretty awesome times. Now, I feel like I am regressing. I know I have to change this way of thinking or else my times/results will get even worse.
    Although I did not PR I did have an awesome time at the 5K. This is like the only race where you get to run so close to the pros. I actually was dumbfounded at .75 miles into the race. The pros blast by us to finish the whole route. I think the fastest time was around fourteen minutes. Yeah, I know that's less than 5 minutes a mile (krazy endurance right???). Also, along the race route bands were playing some awesome music. Ain't nothing like hearing some Neyo while running up a hill.

Please don't judge me, the DJ was playing Willow Smith.... I whip my hair back n forth :)

 Plus, in honor of St. Patty's day they handed out green bagels as the post race snack.They were actually pretty tasty and cool.

 All in all this 5K was a great experience and an eye opener into my negative thinking. Welp, back to training.
Until next time fitties.
XoXo,
YumYum

Fasted Cardio?????

Hey Fitties,
   Half marathon training has officially started for the Brooklyn half on May 17th. I want to run a sub 2 hour race however, I just feel so blah about training and running so many miles again. I know I have my goals and I have to put in work to achieve results but I’m at the point where I know long distance running is not my cup of tea. Unless, I’m physically at a race I find my training absolutely boring and uneventful. I actually have more fun lifting and playing sports like tennis and basketball. However, since I registered for the NYC marathon later this year I will just put up and shut up. Maybe during my long runs I will incorporate tabata exercises at certain miles so I can get some variety in my workouts or maybe run and dribble to improve my depleting handle…. who knows?
        I decided to incorporate fasted cardio into some of my workout sessions. Fasted cardio is the practice of waking up and performing cardiovascular exercises without eating breakfast.  Surprisingly, I did not feel weak when running without breakfast Tuesday morning. However, I did eat right after my workout. From my research, I have seen that performing fasted cardio helps to increase V02 max, meaning if performed correctly and routinely my endurance and ability to work at a higher intensity for a longer period of time (or in my case speed) will occur. Many people who have done fasted cardio did it while leaning out for figure competitions. They specifically said that the fasted cardio sessions should not go over an hour. I am going to see if this will help with fat loss and my endurance.
Below is Tuesday’s Workout.
4 mile run and stretch (fasted cardio a.m)
7 minutes stationary bike warm up
4x10 dumbell chest press @ 25lbs
4x10 alternating dumbbell press @ 17.5 lbs
4x10 close grip chest press @ 45 lbs
1x10 diamond pushups
3x12 standard pushups
4x10 dumbell chest flys at 12.5lbs
3x25 pulsing w raises @ 12.5 lbs
2x15 Arnold press @ 12.5 lbs
2x15 hammer curls @ 15lbs

    Well that’s all I did yesterday. I have a feeling I should have done more or maybe lifted more for my pm workout since I do not feel sore at all. Any suggestions??
Until next time fitties.

XoXo,
YumYum

O, it's been a while peeps

Hey Fitties,

    Its been a minute since I posted. Last week I fell off my workout routine because of school work. However, I'm glad to say that I did well on my assignments and managed to eat clean most of the week ;). Sunday I wasn't in the mood to do a long run. So instead I did speed ladders on the treadmill.

Below is Sunday's workout.

-2 rounds of speed ladders (250m, 500m, 750m with 2 minute speed walk in between)

-12 minutes stair climber @ level 7(I definitely need to do this more)

-3x12 seated leg press @ 270lbs

-1x8 seated leg press @360lbs (yeah baby)

-3x10 seated single leg press @90 lbs

-4x10 squats @135lbs

-4x10 dead lifts @ 135lbs

-3x12 squat machine @ 270lbs 1 extra set of 8 @ 360lbs

-4x12 calf raise @ 270lbs

-3x10 cable single leg dead lifts @20 lbs

-4x10 leg swings @20 lbs

-4x10 pistol squats to chair( I find this so hard to do on my right leg)

-40 deep overhead squats @20 lbs

       I woke up Monday morning feeling horrible. The right side of my body from the neck to the ankle was painfully tight. I thought I had an injury but went to work anyway. When I got home I decided to stretch and foam roll for an hour. This helped immensely. What I have noticed is that I definitely need to stretch and foam roll more especially after heavy lifting sessions.

Well that's all for the moment, I will post Tuesday's workout tonight.

That's all fitties.

Sincerely,

YumYum

Spicy, Oh No I Forgot to Buy, Black Beans Hummus

        Hola Fitties,
I'm in the mood for a sandwich this week. Yes, I know sandwiches are known for carbs and processed meats but let me tell you how I make it first then you can judge me. Instead of using fatty spreads on my bread/wrap I use hummus. This isn't the regular liquidy hummus you get in the stores, this is a chunky seasoned hummus that just makes me happy.

   Below is the recipe and pics of how I make my hummus and chicken wraps. Enjoy.

Spicy, Oh No I Forgot to Buy Black Beans, Hummus
2 cans chick peas (wash and drain)
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp tahini
1/4 cup cilantro
4 scallion
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tspn cumin
1 tspn red pepper flakes
dash of salt
1 jalepeno

Use a food processor or a blender to mix all the ingredients and voila you got hummus :)


Now, I wasn't just going to throw the hummus in the fridge. I got to mix it with something. So, I decided to remake one of my favorite sandwiches from Press 195.

Spicy Hummus Chicken Wrap

Whole wheat wrap cut into halves
2 tbsp fresh made hummus
1/2 slice of provolone cheese ( this cheese smells, but it tastes so good)
1/4 cup chicken breasts ( I used leftovers from a chicken I baked the day before)

Sear on stove top to make cheese melt or use a panini  press and their you have it. A nice tasty sammich.

Until next time fitties.
XoXo,
YumYum

I'm on one

Hello fitties,
    so one of my goals for 2014 was to go to the gym more. I finally decided to go on a consistent basis mid January. I noticed when I stay home I take a lot of breaks and flex in the mirror during my workouts. At the gym, I go with a set plan and execute it. My workouts have been a mixture of treadmill running, +Spartan Race WOD's, +iamtherealdp WOD's, +Nike training club abs and weight lifting. Let's just say these circuits have left me sore and stronger. So much so that I swear I'm seeing definition in the ab area. You do not know how geeked I am off this. I've wanted a six pack since I was 12 and each day I am getting much closer to having the physique I desire. I've also been eating way better. Meal prep has helped my diet so much. When I work out I don't feel like I am heavy or need to throw up any more since I am properly fueling throughout the day and I stopped over eating.  Below are some of the workouts I posted on my instagram account.

   How are y'all doing with your workouts? Is anyone enjoying clean eating? I find that its not so bad, especially if you eat stuff you like. If you need inspiration or recipes please check out @username_DopeAF on instagram. His recipes are tasty and filling.

 Until next time Fitties.
XoXo,
YumYum