Adventures in Health and Wellness

4/5/2010

utsarver — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:57:03 +0000

So, my plan was to go to boot camp this morning, but I woke up SORE … so, I brought my gym clothes and will go for a treadmill jog after work! Feeling good about the new year …

Meals
Breakfast: cleansing shake
Lunch: egg plant and brown rice (P.F. Chang’s)
Dinner: 2 pieces of falafel, 1/2 pita, 4 tbsp hummus, 4 tbsp X, 1 dulma
Snack: 1/4 almonds, 1/4 dried fruit

Workout
3 miles on treadmill at Gold’s Gym

Happy New Year

utsarver — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:29:26 +0000

OK, so like everyone else in the universe I am attempting to renew and restore my good habits and kick the ole’ ones to the curb in the New Year. One of those efforts is blogging about my health and fitness! It’s been a couple of months, but the good news is a survived a vacation in Morocco, the holidays with my family and New Year’s in Vail, without gaining weight! So, this year I will keep my food and exercise blog online for the world to see … the accountability should help me maintain and continue to get leaner and stronger.

On Feb. 19, it will be one year since I had my first body comp with Meg, my CrossFit Central bootcamp coach. I intend to wow you — and myself — by reporting back with great stats for my one year check-up. In the meantime, check back daily for recipe ideas, food udpates, excercise reports and more!

Workout
Crossfit Central Bootcamp @ 6:30 a.m.

Meals
Breakfast: cleansing shake, one lara bar
Lunch: green salad with tomatos, carrots, red cabbage, cucumber and tuna (basil vinaigarette dressing
Snack: orange
Dinner: 1/2 veggie sandwich w/hummus and 1/2 ham and cheese sandwich + 1 cup of tomato basil soup (at a party)

BODY COMP!!!

utsarver — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 23:11:45 +0000

So a quick, but very exciting, update. Today was 8 months almost to the day since I had my first “body comp” where I measured my weight, body fat and inches. Drumroll please …

Since February 19, 2010, I have:
Lost 18.2 pounds
Lost at least 4.8 percent* of my body fat
Lost 14.95 inches
Lost a pant size

And how have I done this, you might ask? Work hard, eat better, be consistent and surround yourself with encouraging, motivating people! I attend Meg’s bootcamp 2x a week where we do fun things like squats, sprints, lunges, burpees, pushups, situps and all sorts of fun, energetic, but-kicking activities. I’ve learned to lug aruond a 26-pound kettlebell and do swings and presses that I never imagined possible. And I can do push-ups on my toes … real ones with your chest hitting the ground. I’ve also overhauled my eating pattern trying to eat Paleo (fruits, nuts, lean meats and vegetables only) about 75 percent of the time. That means no dairy or grains (aka bread, pasta, rice, etc.). And, I have also stepped up cardio and am training for the Austin Half Marathon through the Austin Fit program.

It has been a slow process, but I am seeing major results, which only makes me want to be more aggressive and consistent. Check back with me this time next year and I hope to be at my goal: 160 pounds, size 10 and able to run an 8-minute mile.

*We’re using a new measuring system, so Meg thinks its more like 10%!

utsarver — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:50:43 +0000

So, I’ve been way to busy to blog, but I came across this picture and had to share. On the left is me in August of 2009. On the right is me in July of 2010 wearing the same dress. Can you see a difference? I can. And that makes me want to keep eating healthy and get out of bed at 5;45 a.m. tomorrow for Meg’s bootcamp. YEE HAW.

Whiter Teeth, a Faster Mile and a Cleanse Interrupted

utsarver — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:39:15 +0000

OK, I’ve been frantically busy (what’s new?), so much so that I had to take a mini-break from the cleanse. I’m back on track and doing alright … it’s definitely less severe then my cleanse that launched this blog. More updates on that as I go through. In the midst of my madness I decided to add another thing to my routine: teeth whitening. I got molds made and special gel from the dentist so we’ll see if I have better luck. Day 1 picture below. Yesterday was my first day back at boot camp after a week off. I did a timed mile and came in at 10:31. Not too bad, especially when you consider that I ran an 11:52 in February. I’ll take a minute and a half off …

24 Day Challenge

utsarver — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 04:17:39 +0000

Ok, so tomorrow I start something new … a 24-day challenge by Advocare, which makes supplements I’ve been taking for awhile. Meg recommended I try it to again kick-start my metabolism. It starts with a cleanse and some other supplements … we’ll see how it goes. I am feeling a slump coming on, so I need to stay focused and have a program to keep me on track …

I know, I know …

utsarver — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:26:11 +0000

It’s been awhile. You missed me. I’ve been busy. Doing pretty good food and workout wise … In fact, I was in Vegas for my birthday last weekend and I worked out every day! Tonight, I went to pilates and then ate this yummy-ness … pesto, feta chicken sausage and roasted red and green peppers, asparagus and onion!

It’s been a while …

utsarver — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 02:04:55 +0000

I miss you. You miss me. I’ve been too busy. Five airports in three days this week. At any rate, I’m in a hotel tonight and made the kitchen make me a healthy salad. Check it out below. I need to work out now and get to food blogging and more regular workouts! It’s been hard this week … but I didn’t break down and get a burger and fries like I really wanted to do tonight.

The National Mall

utsarver — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:05:12 +0000

Started off my day with a 2.5 mile run on the National Mall with my dear friend, Bethany! We trained for the Marine Corps Marathon in 2007, and it reminded us of our regular Tuesday/Thursday runs. Miss that … but it was a great way to start the day, followed by a healthy breakfast of egg white omelettes, broccoli, tomatoes and hash browns!

Mid-Week Update

utsarver — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:36:53 +0000

So, it’s been a busy weekend/week … I had a great and relaxing and overwhelmingly healthy Fourth of July! Spent a couple of days at my friend’s ranch in the Hill Country–very relaxing and we ate clean. Sunday I had a BBQ at the house w/lots of fruits, veggies and chicken sausage … yum! Idid have a few beverages and a cup of homemade ice cream, but it was a holiday … got to have a time to celebrate! It’s Wednesday and I’m in D.C. for work. Was supposed to get up and work out this morning, but didn’t. Now I have to do it tonight. Below is a look at food and workouts from Tuesday and Wednesday. Also, am doing a push up challenge this month … 1,000 in July! So far I’ve done 20. (The 60 or so in boot camp yesterday doesn’t count, unfortunately.)

Monday:
Breakfast: peach
Lunch: 2 cups of tomato, bell pepper, carrots, jicama chopped w/balsamic vinegar, grapeseed oil and dill; 10 pieces of pepperoni; 1 cup of grapes; 1 cup of edamame
Dinner: 1 beef burger patty, 1 slice cheddar cheese, 1/2 peach, handful of pumpkin seeds
Workout: 3-mile treadmill run

Tuesday:
Breakfast:spark pre-workout; 2 eggs, 1 piece of chicken sausage and 1/2 bunch swiss chard sauteed in grapeseed oil
Snack: peach
Lunch: 2 cups of tomato, bell pepper, carrots, jicama chopped w/balsamic vinegar, grapeseed oil and dill
Snack: 1 cup pumpkin seeds, brazil nuts, dried mango and dried cherries
Dinner: cobb salad w/eggs, a few crumbles of bacon, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, 1 tbsp. avocado w/olive oil and vinaigarette; 1 glass of pinot noir
Workout: Boot camp