Wedding Blog

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First off, I’d like to thank everyone for the amazing compliments on my fitness accomplishment! I actually went to my first fitting today, but didn’t take pictures because all they did was pin my beloved VW, and since I just showed you pictures of the dress last week, I thought you might get bored! However, I thought you might like a fitness/food update!

For the most part, my fitness/food regimen hasn’t changed much from the original plan. I have made a few important changes, but I’m still working out 4-5 days a week and eating pretty well. I want to stress that I generally don’t deprive myself of anything. I believe that I don’t crave unhealthy foods as much because I try to watch my sugar intake.

My workout schedule looks like this:

Monday - Spinning, then push-ups/ab work
Tuesday - Kickboxing with push-ups/leg work
Wednesday - Boot camp spinning that includes push-ups and weight work
Thursday - Kickboxing with push-ups/arm work
Friday - StairMaster with push-ups/ab work

Notice a trend? Yes, one of my dear friends blogged about the 100 push-up challenge, and although I didn’t follow that plan, I started doing 50 push-ups after my cardio workout. At the peak of studying for the bar exam, I was doing 40 regular push-ups and 10 knee push-ups. I’ve slacked a little since starting my new job, so I’m down to 15 regular and 35 knee push-ups, but it doesn’t take long to build back up. The results, in a word… AMAZING. I mean, you saw my arms. That only took three months of solid workouts and moderate portion control. Oh, and you know that flab of fat between your arm and chest that appears right at your armpit? Mine’s totally gone!

As for my food regimen, there is one thing I do that is probably difficult for most people to do, but I feel like it really speeds up my metabolism. I don’t drink anything except water, and one cup of green tea or black coffee (if I really need it) in the morning. No soda, no juice (except for the orange juice in my smoothie). Just water. Sometimes I really want a Coke Zero, especially when we go to the movies, but I haven’t wavered in about 2 months.

In the mornings, I’ve added a smoothie that I read about on the always fabulous Melissa Jill’s blog. I blend OJ, spinach and frozen fruit. It’s yummy and I’m not starving by lunch time! As for snacks, I’ve added organic Greek blueberry yogurt that has about 16 grams of protein, so it’s super filling. At dinner, I usually stay away from carbs and just eat a protein and tons of veggies. But, a word of caution: you NEED carbs to maintain a similar gym schedule to mine, so make sure to get plenty at breakfast and lunch. Carbs aren’t evil by any means. This is just what works for me. I also sleep better at night because I don’t feel as full.

Also, I hesitate to write this, because I don’t want to burst anyone’s latte bubble, but I drank one soy latte every day when I was studying for the bar.  After the exam, I stopped drinking them, and stopped drinking coffee altogether for three weeks until I started work, and the pounds just fell off. Maybe my metabolism just started to speed up after three solid months of working out, or maybe it was the lack of soy lattes. I’ll let you be the judge!

I hope this helps some of you out there! Please share your favorite workouts or power foods with me!