Fit Is The New Black

Breakfast:

Strawberry & Banana

Smoothie, made with:

7-8 Frozen Strawberries

1 Banana

2 cups of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Honey

1 Scoop of Vanilla Vegan Protein Powder

Lunch:

Salad, made with:

2 Cups of mixed greens

5 cherry tomatoes

1 TBS of hummus

1/2 avocado

Onions

1 roasted beet, sliced up into chunks

Dinner:

1 Veggie burger with:

4 cherry tomatoes

1/2 avocado

Hummus

I went to Ohio this week to visit a family member who had to have surgery. Because it was a trip of emergency-not a vacation-I tried to focus on just being a positive presence while there, oppose to freaking out about not being guaranteed workout time.  But you know what? A miracle happened, in more ways than one.

First off, the surgery went great and my relative is now recovering!!! Praise the Lord. Second, the reservations my mom and I had fell through and we ended up having to stay at a hotel with a gym!!! Because I’m a strong believer in always bringing workout gear when traveling, I did have a pair of Under Armor shorts, sneakers, one sports bra, and a hoodie. I was able to work out while away, which was really a blessing. No, I didn’t have all means to do my full routine, but I was able to run on the treadmill, hit the elliptical a bit, and even lift some weights.

I’m back in New York now. Ohio is nice but New York is home.

Do you try to stay fit when you leave home?

Back on track after a week of crappy eats. The Warrior Dash took a lot out of me but I continued to try to hit it hard at the gym. I think my body tried to overcompensate for the lack of fuel by upping my craving for unhealthy carbs, fat and sugar.

Today’s Workout:

1.5 mile power walk

2.5 miles of sprints

20 minutes on elliptical, using resistance to up the calorie burn and toning factor!

Weighted Squats 20x10, 40x10, 20x10

Seated rows 10x10, 15x10, 10 to exhaustion

75 hanging knee raises

Seated lap pull down with 20 pounds

Leg extensions with 10 pounds

Back extensions with 30 pounds

Leg curls with 30 pounds

Lunges

Weighted crunches 30x20, 40x20,50x10

Crunches

Arm raises with 3 pound weights

Standing side leg raises

Stretching

Dinner was salad, which tasted so much better than the protein shakes I’ve been living on lately. I haven’t been going food shopping and therefore have been either eating junk or drinking protein shakes. Oy!

I think the lack of solid nutrients was making me bitchy, because my mood really altered-for the better-an hour after my salad.

Now I’m with the boyfriend, watching Rescue Me on Netflix.

Nite Fitblrs.

When my boyfriend and I decided to sign up for the Warrior Dash I knew I was going to have to hit my workouts harder. I started my training in June. I started pushing myself to take less breaks when I ran, eventually getting to the point where I could run a mile without stopping. This may not sound like a huge deal to seasoned runners, but for a veteran sprinter-like myself-forcing myself to run at a constant pace for more than a few seconds was a challenge.

Sound familiar? Pick a speed that’s a 6 on the spectrum of running like a snail and running like a cheetah. Remember, slow and steady wins the race. I started running at 5.4 mph, which felt almost ridiculously easy, but after a minute or two I felt myself begin to sweat. I relied on focus and a playlist filled with David Guetta to work through the hump. As time went on I would speed up and do interval training on the treadmill. If you didn’t know, Warrior Dash isn’t your ordinary race. Like I said before, it’s extreme. You have to climb, crawl through mud, run through fire, and pretty much fight your way through the elements to cross the finish line.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyDdMViZ3tk&w=560&h=315]

I felt comfortable going the 3 miles, but I wasn’t sure I could climb. It was clear I would have to start strength training. I have always done toning exercises using my own body weight, but in preparation of the event I decided to start working with more weights. I’ve already detailed my full-body workout before in previous posts.

Want to start strength training but don’t want to bulk? According to experts, the majority of women don’t have the ability to get bulky like a man. However, they do have the ability to gain muscle mass. A small percent of women are easy gainers, so if you’re freaked out about hitting the weights I completely understand. I’m an easy gainer, so the only way I could get stronger and stay lean was to watch my diet and keep my reps light. I did a full-body strength training workout once a week, and every day after doing my cardio I did strength training exercises that used my own body weight, like lunges, crunches, and things of that nature.

Onto The Event I knew that I was going to be running through mud, so I picked an outfit that I didn’t care about ruining. You already saw one of these photos but what the hell?!

The event was held in Windham, N.Y., a town popular for skiing. We were running late because somebody-I won’t say who-had to update her blog. Whoopsies. Windham is all hills and mountains. The town is quaint and sleepy looking. When we got closer to the campgrounds we passed a group of people having church service outside in a tent.

Parking cost $20 bucks, which sucked. A school bus was there to take event goers to the ski mountain where WD was being held. I hadn’t been on a school bus since I was in middle school. Can’t say I missed it. The place was swarming with people. After my boyfriend and I checked in we headed over to line up for the noon race. Races were held every thirty minutes. Technically we were suppose to be racing at 11:30, but we had to sneak into the next one since we were late. Like I said, the place was packed. There were men and women in warpaint. Some came dressed in costumes. During the course of the day I passed people who looked like they were rejects from The Insane Clown Posse, ballerinas in training, and I even saw two wannabe-felons. There was lots of cheering and whooping. Speakers had been set up around the park to play Top-40 dance tracks. I raced to Lady Gaga and Pitt Bull. When the MC gave the countdown everyone put their hands up and made little viking signs with their fingers. I stretched and hooted, almost salivating with anticipation. And then suddenly we were off in a mad dash, but that quickly came to an end when we realized what we were up against.

The event took me up a steep freaking hill and then into an even steeper mountain. Sections had been hosed down so the terrain was slippery. When I wasn’t tiptoeing for my life I was climbing down slippery rocks, crawling beneath barbwire and doggy paddling through mud. There were several balance and climbing obstacle courses, which thanks to my strength training, I managed with ease. “You’re making me look bad,” my boyfriend said catching up to me after I tightrope-walked across a stream. I admit, I was feeling like a boss when I scaled the climbing walls, which were wet from spray and mud. All I had was a rope to help keep my leverage. Even with all the mud pits, which got progressively deeper as the race wore on, the course took me through some beautiful sights. The water that was sprayed on us during certain obstacles mixed with the glaring some caused rainbows to spring up against climbing walls. We were surrounded by higher mountains and richly green trees. I felt one with the earth.

By the end of the race I was drenched in mud, and rumor had it that it wasn’t just mud they used to create those pits. I don’t know if I believe that though, because that wouldn’t be sanitary. I slid and fell along the way, and I skipped jumping through the fire. But I crossed the finished line so proud and exhilarated. There was such a sense of community during the race and at the entire event. When people fell others would stop to help them up. I talked to other racers while we hiked up the mountain, trying to avoid pockets of mud. When I crossed the finish line I know I looked like a swamp monster, but I didn’t really care. I was given water and a I Survived Warrior Dash 2012 metal with everyone else who crossed the finished line. It felt pretty sweet.

Because my boyfriend and I ran for St. Jude we were allowed to use their personal shower station and hang in their tent. We were given free food and drinks, which was much appreciated because I was famished. Oh, and they offered veggie burgers!! Pretty swag. After my boyfriend and I were clean we put on our Warrior Dash helmets and walked around to see the vendors. A DJ was on a stage and those who had finished racing were dancing like it was a rave. Even though we got a chance to rinse off we were still pretty dirty. We hung around for about an hour and then headed home. Let me tell you, a shower never felt so good. I still had tons of mud in my hair and on my body. When I looked down in the shower I was literally standing in brown water. I sort of felt like Sissy Spacesak in the movie Carrie, during the bath scene. I just scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed some more till the water ran clear again.

Have you done Warrior Dash or another extreme race? Would you? Let me know in the comments.

Workout

Hit the gym with the boyfriend today! It’s nice to have company in the weight room:)

3.5 mile run

Smith machine squats with 20-30-20 pounds

100 hanging leg lifts

Crunches on abench

Elliptical for 20 minutes, hitting level 17, 12 (with resistance of 6), level 10, and 9.

Lunges

1/2 mile walk with black swan arms

Dead lift with 20 pounds

Arm raises with 3 pounds

Earlier in the week I attempted a juice fast, and failed miserably within 24 hours. I don’t know what it is, but whenever I place restrictions on myself my inner child rebels. On Monday (day one of my fast) all I wanted was food I could chew. By dinner time my plate was loaded with mashed potatoes, salad, and green beans. The only good thing about my 3-days of fasting failure was that when I did chew food it was healthy. See some of my eats!

Arugula, cherry tomatoes, carrots, purple cabbage, string beans, and a homemade dressing of olive oil, fig vinegar, amino acids, Dijon mustard and honey. Mmm…potatoes!! The gravy is literally golden mushroom soups cooked with onions! Mango, watermelon, pineapple juice, and a little flax seed oil =

A very refreshing breakfast juice! Blackberries, mango, pineapple juice and flax seed also works![/caption] [caption id=”attachment_1380” align=”aligncenter” width=”500”] This wasn’t my favorite, as far as smoothies/juices go, but like I said…it works.

More veggies!

Even though my juice cleanse sucked I’m not giving up my whole cleansing obsession. My skin looks better, but I really want a full flush. If you’re from Ritual Cleanse or another reputable cleansing company, please contact me!

Didn’t feel like working out today, because I went out last night. BUT I went to the gym anyway. I did a quick strength training routine, and a bit of cardio.

I’ve been really working on my endurance this week. One day I’ll just try to pace myself so I can run without any breaks. The next day I’ll do sprints. I generally follow up all cardio by some sort of toning/strength training work. I hit strength training hard on weekend.

The juicing didn’t go so well. I’ve already created a post about it, and it will go live tomorrow.

Ooh…and I’m going to Pure Food and Wine tomorrow for dessert!! It’s a super famous raw restaurant in NYC!! Follow me on Instagram to see photos!!! You can get to my account by joining me on twitter!

I’m sick, but I went to the gym because I didn’t go yesterday. Don’t worry, I made sure to sanitized my hands and the machines I used.

4 mile interval jog

30 minutes on elliptical with level 2 resistance when working on glutes

Back extensions with 24 pounds

Lunges

Crunches

Leg raises on stability ball

Crunches on stability ball

Hanging knee raises

Weighted crunches with 30 pounds

Arm raises with 3 pounds

Donkey kicks

Standing side leg raises

Stretches

Lunch

I need to boost my immune system, so a smoothie seemed the best way to go.

Pineapple Blueberry Smoothie, made with unsweetened almond milk, fresh and frozen pineapple, frozen blueberries, a very ripe banana, and some ice.