No More Slacking Off

So even if I am getting into a good routine again with regards to my morning walks and gym sessions, I have massive troubles getting back into the regular writing of this blog! I have managed to put together some entries for my other blogs VulgarFractions and Games Women Play during the last month, while shamelessly ignoring this one. Shame on me and shame on my slacking off!

Thankfully the slacking off is not present anymore in my exercise routine!

Having had lots of guests over for weeks and weeks severely affected my exercising routine, as did the slight surfing accident that bruised up my calf muscle somewhat, but for the last few weeks I have managed to little by little up my game again with the aim of slowly getting back to my pre-visit levels of exercising and fitness.

This week I have managed to get up on both Monday and Tuesday morning for the morning walk, did arms and chest in the gym on Monday and core muscles at the Pilates class on Tuesday. So far so good!

Unfortunately today I overslept and missed the walk. Then again, maybe that was actually needed. A day of rest so that its not just a complete shock to my body, but rather a smooth easing back into it exercise.

This week I have though also tried to cut out all meat and dairy from my diet in order to do a bit of a detox following all the heavy food and high quantites of drink that have passed over my lips during these last few weeks. Day one and two have gone ok, but I have been so incredibly hungry constantly. Day three (today) is a bit better, but that might be because I have upped my intake of everything I am allowed.. Its been interesting to realise how much energy I must have been getting from meats and dairy products (especially cheese) and how difficult it has been to get my head around what to eat now that the obvious options are not valid anymore.

Im sure day four will be better.. At least I keep telling myself that..

But however much of a shock to the sytem that this change in eating has been while simultaneously trying to snap back into my usual exercise regime, it does feel nice to be heading back onto the right path again. Now hopefully I will head back to the right path when it comes to writing this blog as well..

So therefore I am giving myself a little task to fulfill in the hopes that it will make me more likely to not slack off with the writing anymore. My aim during this detox and paradigm shift towards a vegan way of eating is to document my feelings (usually of hunger…) but also document my hunt for recipes I like, products that serve as alternatives and of course my (previously at least) usual comments and thoughts about burning fat.

Lets see if this motivates me more now 🙂 Alternatively I will just have to tell myself I can buy something nice if it works out. That incentive usually never fails..

New Years Resolutions

I just finished writing my New Years Resolutions on Vulgar Fractions and a lot of them contain topics that are relevant for this blog as well. I think I will have to add a little comment to my goals though, simply in order to really make the most of them and to actually accomplish them.

So therefore, I promise to write at least two entries a month on this blog about how my resolutions related to fitness, health, eating and burning fat are coming along.. Considering my recent track record on this blog, I guess all I can wich for is for you to wish me luck in my attempts!

New year, new you! I know its possible.. I believe I can do it! (Just like I know I can attain my other resolutions!)

A Change in Diet is Coming Up

Having happily (and almost subconsciously) added more exercise to my lifestyle over here in Costa Rica and seen a difference in how much more I can lift at the gym as well as both feeling and seeing the difference this is making in my muscles and body shape, it is now time for a more drastic change.

I am still fighting the extra weight (however little it still shows!) I carry around my stomach and on my back and I have reached a point where I just do not want to have this around anymore. Summer is coming up over here, I am about to go out and shop for a new bikini and I am just tired of not seeing a difference around my waist when my arms and legs are toning up completely fine.

I am a big fan of Oxygen Magazine and have lately been paying more and more attention to their preachings about clean eating as a complement to all the exercises. So I thought, why not. If all my hard work in the gym and in the pilates studio can only get me so far, then I need to do something else as well in order to reach my goals.

Having been fairly good with my 30 minute morning walks up the mountain and the at least 40 minutes almost every day in the gym, I think all I need now is a change and a shaping up of my diet. So as of tomorrow (since I am still feeling my cold quite badly today, AND I need a day of planning it all before I throw myself into this) I will start my new healthy clean diet. Initially I am only doing this during the week (and weekends wherever I can) since we have guests visiting – Funny how that will always throw any of your high ambitions off course. But as soon as my guests are out of the house it will be full on Clean Eating and (and an indirect Liver Cleansing) for at least a full month before Christmas! Then bring on a bikini clad Christmas on the beach!

My First Chin Up!

Oooh! So yesterday I finally managed to do my first chin up! (Please note it is not me in the picture.. Mine did not look that effort less…) I was pretty pleased with myself and how far I have come from when I first started trying to do this about three weeks ago!

Its funny how my muscles just seemed to “click” suddenly and how my body seemed to suddenly “realise” what muscles to activate in order make this momentous event happen. I sure hope I can do this again next time Im at the gym..

I have managed to do my 30minute morning walks quite well for these last few weeks and last weekend in Tortuguero we walked for MILES, something that I hope has benefitted my stamina as well as my leg muscles.

I have not been eating as well as I would have liked to. Or let me rephrase that, I have had delicious food without any boundaries during our little tour to Tortuguero National Park, and I do not think I would have survived it if I hadn’t been eating as much as I did! But from today onwards I am back on my “clean eating” habits a la Oxygen Magazine.

I started the day with a glass of water before my walk, followed by a morning protein smoothie (watermelon, papaya, banana, crushed linseed, physillium, bee pollen, alfaalfa sprouts and vanilla protein powder). The mid morning snack was a oats and honey cereal bar and a strawberry yoghurt while lunch will be my home made lasagna.

The lasagna does have quite a lot of cheese in it, but at the same time I have a Pilates lesson tonight and I won’t be having a big dinner – rather I will be having a protein shake instead when I get home.

I think Pilates and all those exercises for my lats have definitely paid off (already texted my Pilates teacher to inform her about this joyous occation!), not to mention the fact that my lovely boyfriend is forcing me to start each exercise session in the gym with an attempt to do one. But DAMN does it feel GREAT when you manage to do one!!

Virtual Failure

Even if I seem to be doing better with regards to my working out, I seem to be failing miserably on the blogging side of things. I cannot believe I havent managed to get back into the hang of things with regards to documenting my achievements, especially since for once I actually have something to brag about!

Well, September saw a slight diversion from the path of healthy lifestyle when we popped over to Europe for various family events. It was wonderful seeing the family and friends, but as usual these days ended up containing hedonistic indulgence at a level I havent seen during all my months over in Costa Rica – Combined!

We returned to our mountain, tired, feeling sluggish and ready to get back to our usual habits of walks in the morning, morning fruit and protein shakes, healthy lunches, work outs in the evening and in general more green tea, fruit, sunshine and wellbeing.

The first few weeks back have been great! I have been to the gym about five times a week at lest, I have managed a morning walk with Sofia at least five times a week as well (30mins up and down a mountain) and I have already had four excellent pilates sessions with my bum fixated teacher (my bum still hurts from Wednesday’s session!).

This weekend we are off to Tortuguero National Park to do some kayaking, some hiking and in general just spending time together outside in the sun. Hopefully it will be sunny and nice instead of raining (I am getting slightly fed up with all the rain already!) but it doesnt really matter – At least I get out of the office and get to move around a bit more!

I am planning to set up a health oriented website over the next few weeks and will aim to include this blog in it as well so there will be more info about this right here! I also promise to update this blog at least once a week from now on. I will try to keep track of what I eat for a few weeks and note it all down here as well as try to keep a training diary in order to see how much exercise I actually put in every week and where I can possibly change things around a bit.

Summer is coming up over here, bikini season and all that. Gotta be ready!!

6 Months Later

I am so sorry! I didnt mean for this to happen but somehow 6 months have rolled by and I havent updated my blog! Thankfully I have not been as ignorant about my exercising even if we did do a little trans continental move and a total revamp of our life during these last few months.

My current work out set up is focussed mainly on gym and surfing with a bit of Pilates thrown in as of lately. I try to take our dog out for a walk as well in the mornings so on a good mid week day I would get 30minutes of walking up our mountain here in Santa Ana, followed by about 45 – 60 mins in the gym of mixed exercise (cardio and weights) while the weekend would usually mean a good 2 hours in the water on my board per day.

I have eaten pretty well and more or less completely left out alcohol while over here. We just dont really drink that much at home and my socialising events are a bit far inbetween at the moment. Actually, they are at perfect intervals to keep my drinking at a good level according to myself.

We usually start the day with a protein smoothie made of a random selection of mostly locally grown fresh fruit  such as sandia, papaya, mango and banana; some additional beneficial ingredients such as crushed linseed, bee pollen, honey, alfa alfa sprouts and chilled mint tea; and two scoops of protein. I love the fact that most ingredients we use here, both in the smoothies as well as in our general cooking, are amazingly tasty since they have had time to ripen since they are locally produced.

I have started to train my arms more as well under the supervision of Joel.. My first goal is to be able to do a chin up by next week.. Its not going too well at the moment, although I have improved slightly and can now do half a one without help! I guess its the small victories that count! By the end of the year I want to be able to do three!

My surfing is also improving and the goal there is to speed up my pop up as well as my paddling power. I also need to get onto that wave a bit better and not bail on so many due to chickening out.. I actually do have enough muscles for this, what I need here is to find more courage! God damn! This is another of my goals. Before Christmas I want to be able to get on most waves I paddle for and not bail on more than a handful during one session – and that has to be because they are not good waves! Not because I chicken out..

But after all this I am still going to go back to Hydroxycut for another month long session. I want to get rid of some of the fat I have on my tummy and on my arms still. Its funny how my legs seem to be rejecting any fat whatsoever while my tummy and upper arms welcome it with open arms.. So as of October I will be doing another set of fat burning!

Stay tuned for how it all turns out this time!

Shaping up for Winter

Even if its been a while since my last update, I have actively continued to pursuit the holy grail of a flat tummy.. And toned arms.. And increased cardiovascular fitness.. And stronger legs.. And…

Anyways, as you can see, the list goes on and on and has reached the point where I had to share my struggles with the world once again. Although, this time I am not about to hit the Hydroxycut again.

This time I am doing it the old fashioned way, following Healthy Meal Plans for Healthy Living  and adding lots of exercise and outdoor activities in the beautiful sunshine over here in Costa Rica to my daily diet. Sadly, my great ambition to shape up for summer is a bit warped over here considering summer as the Costa Ricans know is has just passed, making way for the glorious wet season that will last all the way till November.

Now, I really do not want to wait till November to get my flat tummy and toned arms, so I have therefore decided to shape up for winter instead.. Fitness and health are not like fruit that only mature during certain seasons, as long as you take good care of the body the fruit of your work will continue to provide  joy all through the year.

Thankfully over here in Costa Rica winter and summer are not radically different in temperature, only in rainfall. And apparently I have seen nothing yet. Or that is at least what my colleagues keep telling me. I guess I will just have to wait and see if that is so, and fortunately I still have a glorious 6 months left of the wet season during which to find out…

My main activities lately have been surfing and the gym. I have definitely noticed a change in my paddling power following many hours in the water during almost every weekend of our stay here. Battling waves and distances is starting to show some results, and combined with the gym almost every evening of the week, my arms are definitely getting more toned. I dont think I have had arms this toned since I was in high school and spending a lot of time at the stables.

Anyhow, my main aim is (as usual) to lose some fat around my belly. There is not much but there definitely is some still clinging on for dear life. Unfortunately I think this is the last little bit that will be the most difficult to shift. I would also like to get rid of some of the insulation on my arms, so I can properly show off my (soon to be) toned arms, but I fear this is also going to be a tough task. But I am up for the challenge and will aim to keep this blog updated a couple of times a week with the latest news on my shaping up for winter..

What I learned from my 2 months stint with Hydroxycut

Ooops is all I can say. I was so good at blogging about my first month on Hydroxycut, but the second month just turned into a bit of a failure in many ways. Hydroxycut kept giving me a fantastic boost of energy and kept my diet in check fairly well during the first two weeks. Unfortunately (and fortunartely) the second month came with many life changes and a change of job as well as a small transcontinental move, so I kind of got distracted by that. Hmm..

The good news is that I am still on 58kg – but feeling a bit fitter. My arms have definitely toned up thanks to the exercise regime I have been on. I have done dancing, rowing, some weights and running mainly, and I find cardiovascular exercises the best to do with Hydroxycut. Thanks to Hydroxycut I have much more explosive energy, but this energy is great to keep me going as well as to kick start a move or similar.

I have also returned back back to eating little and often, eating more protein and vegetables in general and only eating carbohydrates in the morning and at the latest at mid day. The plan for now is to have a break of 2 months and then try another month stint with Hydroxycut in order to compare how much of a difference it really makes.

So stay tuned…

A slow start to my thermogenesis part 2

I remembered my capsules this morning when I skipped into work. Had some yoghurt with cereal and two cups of builder’s tea for breakfast, and a protein bar followed by some miso soup and a cup of green tea for lunch before finishing the day with some bizcochos that I brought with me from Costa Rica. I cant wait to go back there to get some more! Yum!

I realised I forgot my second set of Hydroxycut at home at about midday. So annoying! And due to all my meetings I was not going to make it out of there in time to actually get a hold of them before its too late to take them if I still wanted to sleep that night..

So instead I had another cup of green tea before enjoying some spicy chicken noodle soup from one of the japanese kitchens at Wimbledon Station on my way out to do the rest of my chores of the day. Such a delicious and spicy soup! Definitely having that again! But hopefully then with my full dosis of Hydroxycut…

Last and first set of Hydroxycut

Today I had my last three capsules of Hydroxycut in the morning before just chilling out on the sofa all day long. I ate loads, a protein bar for breakfast along with my yoghurt and muesli and cup of green tea. At least I ventured out briefly to go to the shop and get some more food so we could have salmon with pesto and steamed vegetables for lunch, followed by some custard and more green tea.

I also bought my second set of Hydroxycut today. I think its worth another go. Just to see if this kicks off and helps me burn even more fat! Yeah! I should go measure my fat percentage though before I venture further into the world of Hydroxycut. I bet I have lost weight on this one already!

Dinner was accompanied by a large glass of white wine. mmm… I have felt quite restless and useless all day, mainly due to work complications and cancellations of my trainings and meetings, so at least the wine made me feel a bit better in the evening. We had chicken and oven roast vegetables for dinner, absolutely delicious! Followed by some more custard and green tea for dessert. Yummy! All in all a good finale for the first box of Hydroxycut and a great start for the next box!