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A little mad at myself

Well, I have completed one month of Hammer & Chisel.  I haven’t missed a day, however, I did do a wrong work out the other day when I confused last week with this week.  Anyway, as long as I did a workout I am sure it’s okay.

Anyway, I fell off the nutrition plan.  I mean, I haven’t eaten junk nonstop, but I probably should’ve been a bit more disciplined with everything. I haven’t lost anyway weight, in fact, I’ve gained a few pounds.  I have lost some inches all over, so I guess that counts for something.

With next week being the start of Month 2 of the program, I am going to do my best to do better with what I eat and how much I eat. I am not going to follow the nutrition plan to a T, but at least use the containers for portion sizes and try my best to stray away from junk food.

So here goes nothing… here’s to week 5, Month 2…

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I’m back!

Well, I definitely seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth (or at least fallen from this blog).  I guess I’ll start where I fell off.  I started a job with a new company in November of 2014.  I loved it at first, since it was something new. Over time it got quite busy there and the work seemed to keep piling on.  I never knew when I was getting off work.  I was putting in 60+ hours there to make sure that everything was complete.  I never liked to leave anything for the next day, which I wish I would’ve done that.  When I would get home I never had the energy or the motivation to work out. I just lost my motivation completely to work out and even eat healthy it seems.  My stress levels and anxiety skyrocketed with this new job causing me to go on medication as well as visiting a therapist to help me. Found out from her I had OCD as well.

Anyway, fast forward to May of 2015, and I’m at a different city for the same company. I just can’t believe how different these two places are.  I’m no longer on my anxiety medication, which is awesome. I know now when I’ll be leaving work, which gives me time to plan a workout. It just seems crazy to me how stress levels vary from place to place within the same company. I suppose both areas are ran a tad different, so that probably plays a part in it.

This past Monday, which was August 1st, I started the Beachbody program, The Master’s Hammer & Chisel.  I’m following along with the nutrition plan for it as well, which is the toughest part for me.  I love food.  Anyway, I’m definitely going to start using this blog to document my journey.  I think it’ll help me in the long run.

 

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Insanity Day 17

Well, today’s workout was Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs. I used the X-box One’s fitness app for the Pure Cardio to see if I could beat my old score… which I did! I actually got a 5 star rating on it! First time ever for that specific workout! So, that’s 5 stars for two workouts this week! AHH! Yay for non-scale victory!

day 17

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Insanity Day 16

Day 16 of Insanity for me was the Plyometric Cardio Circuit. I didn’t workout in the morning like I usually do, but I had seemed to have more energy in the afternoon when I did this workout. I also got a 5 star rating on the X-box One’s Fitness app. Yay for non-scale victories! I have only ever gotten 4 stars on any of the Insanity workouts featured on the app. I also posted a comparison picture on my instagram as well as my Faecbook to help me keep going in my journey. 70 lb difference. Feeling more confident each day. 🙂

day 16 dos day 16

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Insanity Day 15

Whoa… I am a little behind in my posts here! Ahh! Need to stop letting that happen. I have been doing Insanity every day according to my calendar. So… no worries there! Anyway, Monday was Day 15 of Insanity. I did the Fit Test as the calendar said. Here are my results as well as my first day results to compare:

Switch Kicks – 89 (started at 80)

Power Jacks – 47 (started at 43)

Power Knees – 101 (started at 85)

Power Jumps – 31 (started at 25)

Globe Jumps – 10 (started at 8)

Suicide Jumps – 15 (started at 10)

Pushup Jacks – 17 (started at 14)

Low Plank Obliques – 65 (started at 50)

So, making progress. I’ve only lost 1 lb since starting, but I am obviously getting stronger cardio wise. I will measure myself at the end of next week and see. I try not to weigh myself too much, so the next time I will do that will be at the end of next week also.

 Day 15

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Skinny Orange Chicken Recipe

Tonight’s dinner was skinny orange chicken and it was pretty darn good. (I added more red pepper to mine, which is why you see a lot of it in the picture.)

Orange Chicken

Here’s the recipe for you to try as well:

Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil (You may also use vegetable oil or olive oil)
  • ¼ cup chicken stock (I used low-sodium)
  • 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice
  • 3 tablespoons coconut aminos (you may substitute low sodium soy sauce if you do not have coconut aminos. You can find them on amazon.com)
  • 1½ teaspoons Sriracha sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds for garnish, optional
  • Broccoli
  • Brown rice
Instructions
  1. Melt coconut oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add in chicken pieces and cook until cooked through and browned, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.
  2. While chicken is cooking, stir together chicken stock, honey or maple syrup, garlic, orange zest, orange juice, coconut aminos, Sriracha sauce, ginger and red pepper flakes. Pour into heated skillet once chicken has been removed and reduce to low heat. Cook, stirring often, until sauce has been reduced and coats the back of a wooden spoon. You may also cook the chicken for a few minutes in the sauce and spoon it out and serve that way.
  3. Cook broccoli the way you prefer. We steamed ours in the microwave. (If you would like to thicken the sauce more, you may add cornstarch. We had to ;] )
  4. Cook brown rice the way you prefer.
  5. To serve, spoon chicken over a bed of broccoli & rice and then spoon on additional sauce. Top with sesame seeds, if desired.
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Insanity Day 13

Forgot to post yesterday… but I DID complete day 13 of Insanity. The workout was Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs. Got it done super early so I could enjoy an outing with the family. We went and saw the new X-men movie and had lunch. Had a very great day. 🙂

Day 13

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Insanity Day 12

Today’s workout was Cardio Power and Resistance. I think this workout is my least favorite out of everything so far.  I think it’s because I feel like I suck at the log jumps in the warmup. Then, I have to do the moving pushups on my knees because my upper body is still lacking.  I feel hungry all the time too it seems. :/  Anyway, looking forward to Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs tomorrow!

day 12

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Insanity Day 11

Today was day 11 of the Insanity program.  I was very thankful today was Cardio Recovery. It felt nice to stretch. I had a little whiney meow-y cat buddy though. Princess decided she wanted my attention during the entire workout and kept running in and out between my legs. Then as I was doing the leg lifts, she would swat at my feet. Silly cat.

day 11

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Insanity Day 10

Today was day 10 of Insanity. I was NOT feeling it at all this morning. Took me forever to get up. But, after I got on all my workout clothes and set up the x-box… I was determined to hit play. I love the drill challenges that the fitness app gives you on the x-box.  They ALWAYS push me to either beat my previous scores or scores of other women my age. Today, I beat them all! I had to take a few small breaks doing the in-and-out abs and ski abs. I was actually proud of myself that I only needed one break during the third exercise of level 1 drills.  I still do girly pushups though.  I am getting stronger so next time I do the level 1 drills, I will do some on my toes. I was never good at pushups, but I am working on it!

Day 10