P90X: Plyometrics

Day #2 of P90X and Plyometrics kicked my butt! Again, thought I was in good shape, but was quickly brought back down to earth.

First let me rewind to the middle of the night. I woke up, muscles sore already. As the day has gone on today, so much muscle soreness from yesterdays Chest/Back and Ab Ripper X workout. I am feeling muscles in places I didn't know existed. I am having a hard time maneuvering around tonight!


The Plyometrics workout burned the legs! It's about 50 minutes of constant moving, jumping, sliding, lunging, squating and shaking every which way. Towards the end I could hardly keep up, but I pushed myself as hard as I could. 

I felt great again today! I was a little too hungry, so I'll be looking to add more food and (hopefully) carbs via vegetables and fruit very soon! Today I added in one banana, some avocado, yellow miso and one egg yolk (partially raw). 

Tomorrow I can move onto Stage 4, where I will be able to add meats that have been roasted or grilled (though I'm sure I won't have time for that until next weekend), cooked vegetables, cold pressed olive oil, ghee and the special "baked bread" (made with ground almonds or any other nut and seeds ground into flour). I will probably not have much time to spend on any of that, but I will do what I can to get more calories! 

I will wake up and do the Shoulders & Arms workout prior to work. That should be interesting. I'll have a 4:45am wakeup call, get a little coffee in and be ready and focused around 5:30am. Sound crazy? Nope! Sounds exciting! Cheers!

2010: A Brand New Year and a Brand New Decade

Happy New Year!

I spent most of my first day of the Brand New Year and Brand New Decade resting, relaxing and detoxing. I needed to after the fun last night!

I have completely dived back into the GAPS Diet. Today I gave my system a much needed "break" from digestion. I ate very little (chicken and turkey) but focused more on broth and water. Now that Day 1 is over, I can move on. This week, though, I will remain completely carb free, except for maybe 1/2 a ripe banana and/or well-cooked allowed vegetables. I will be back on all Probiotics, Enzymes and Probiotic Foods. I can guarantee that come Wednesday or before I will be feeling amazing!

I am so excited for this Brand New Year, 2010 and the Brand New Decade! There are so many things I'm looking forward to and so many goals I have put out there for myself.  


I want this year to be another year of change! Change is good! We need to keep "shaking it up!" I find that it's the moment I let myself become complacent that I am not as happy. Each day I reinvent myself, my thoughts and my attitude is just one step closer to another goal accomplished! 


I am reminded, yet again, of my Power Quote from the Curly Girl Designs, 

"I am fairly certain that given a Cape and a nice tiara, I could save the world."

I believe it's as simple as that and as simple as this: Positive attitude. Quirky thoughts. Random-ness. A good laugh, smile or cry. And Passion. LOTS OF PASSION!

Goals are waiting and ready to be achieved....CHEERS!

Salmon & Quinoa Citrus Salad

Day 105.

It was a wonderful weekend! Ryan's birthday is on Tuesday, so we spent the whole day yesterday celebrating!

I will post tomorrow with all the places we went and the things we did.

Tonight I want to tell you about the dinner I made for us tonight. I made a Salmon salad, with Quinoa and homemade dressing. I highly recommend it. Here is how I did it (served enough for Ryan and I):

• Chopped Romaine Lettuce
• ~ 1 c. Quinoa with fresh squeezed lemon/sea salt/pepper
• Grilled Salmon
• Dressing: 2 Tbsp Olive Oil + 3 Tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice + sea salt + pepper

Mix it all together. Unbelievable! A clean eat, with a citrus twist.

Yesterday I felt ok for most of the day. I did not feel good, at all, at night. I felt achy and flu-like. However, no mouth problems. Today my fatigue finally lifted. The spell since Tuesday has hopefully been broken (well, at least until last night's dinner catches up with me). The fatigue this past week was so awful. That may be almost worse sometimes than the rest of the reactions I get. I felt great today - worked out a ton. I got the red dots in my cheeks last night after dinner, which makes sense because we ate out and because my mouth is annoying me just a tad bit more than yesterday. I would say it was about a 3/4 today vs a 1/2 yesterday. I was great until about 3pm today, then I got bloated. My left side hurt (bloat) from there on out.

Here was my day:

Breakfast (pre-6 mile run)

• Fruit Fusion

Snack (post workout)

• Peets medium soy latte + stevia
  
• Banana

Breakfast

• Protein Pancake
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Lean turkey
  

Lunch (pre-workout)

• 1/2 c. Quinoa mixed with Lean Turkey + paprika
  

Snack (post-workout)

• Apple
• Organic baby carrots
• Watermelon
  

Dinner

• Salmon & Quinoa Citrus Salad
• Small glass red wine
• Watermelon

And we're off to another week......

Shifting Energies

Day 72.

I have been so excited to update this Blog all day! Are you sitting down for this? Today was my most perfect day in the past 72 days!

No bloating. None. No mouth problems, as it stayed between a level 0/2 all day. I had energy; my God did I have energy! I ran and ran and climbed stairs and did abs and then yoga, where I was able to do all the poses (tree, frog and push-ups in between). It was amazing!

The only thing that changed from yesterday (in terms of food) was that I didn't have any scallops and/or black beans. Tonight for dinner I had a Wild Salmon Burger. I ate about 20 minutes ago. I'm still doing fine, but we'll see how I progress. Unbelievable. Absolutely Unbelievable.

Today is the day I also answer the question Leah posed to me, '"What are you going to focus your energy on once you are "healed?"' Here it goes:

It's very important that I explain one thing quickly. I will ALWAYS focus on food and nutrition and health via food and nutrition. I have been interested in and obsessed with it my whole life. It intrigues me so much that when I started realizing something was not "right" with my body, I was not the person to just "ignore" what my body was telling me. I started to research, research and then research some more. And even though I came to some of the wrong conclusions, a lot of what I had gathered and found on my own was relevant to me! This part of me will never go away. This healthy (and somewhat "crazy") "foodie" in me will stay until the day I die.

That being said, once I am "healed," I won't have to focus any negative energy on it all. I won't have to be depressed and miserable on a day-to-day basis wondering "what did I do" or "what did I eat" or "why? why? why?" That is what I am looking forward to firing from my life! And when this happens (and it's happening already!!!) here are the two main things I'm focusing on:

1. "Since 2004, runners have trekked from downtown to the Pacific Ocean, where men in tuxedos hand them a Tiffany's necklace." (Runner's World, June 2009) On October 18, 2009 (yes, just 4 short months away) I will run my 1st half marathon - the Nike Women's 1/2 Marathon in San Francisco. I will get in to this race by working hard and showing up for the Nike Club runs in Danville every Sunday. Training starts this upcoming Sunday. This is and will be an incredible feat for me. I attempted to do this last year. I was unsuccessful, as the longer runs (7+ miles) didn't work for me. I would hit about mile 7 or 8 and I would get sick. I would get really sick. If there was no bathroom in sight, many times I thought I was going to throw up, getting chills and all. My stomach was in such bad shape; I was not able to handle the training. I am looking forward to my 2nd attempt! I am praying for the positive thoughts. I am praying for the confidence and strength that I can do it, even with what's happened in the past year. I know I can and I am absolutely re-inspired! You can learn more about this wonderful day and weekend here. And yes, when you cross the finish line, you get a Tiffany's necklace, unique only to this race!

2. Sarah Kay Hoffman Marketing
For anyone who knows me, you know that I've "been on the go" my whole life. If it isn't one thing, it's another!

Example: I had this "dream" of moving to California when I was a Senior in High School. I told everyone I'd do it. My parents did not want me going to college in California by myself, so they said I had to wait until college was over. So I waited. A few months before graduation, I had a job lined up that took me to California. I knew what I wanted, and I made sure I did everything I needed to to get me from point A to B as easily as possible.

My family is not really sure exactly who I belong to, since I've always been this little "go-getter!" But I belong to me. I like it this way!

So I graduated from College, moved to California, fell in love with Ryan (who was in Minnesota at the time), moved back to Minnesota for a minute and then found myself back in California with him. And now my "go-getting-days" look different than they used to somewhat. As I've gotten older (and okay, let's be honest, I'm still only 26) I've learned more and more about myself. I've learned to think for myself and let my mind take me to the place that will find me the most comfort. And what I've learned with regards to my "place" is that I have an incredibly huge passion for entrepreneurship, creativity (writing/design/social media/marketing/pr), positive-ism (I know, not a word...let's just pretend it is today!) and food/health/fitness.

So once I'm "healed," (and I've actually already begun this process) I'm going to be forming my own Consulting Business. I have had several people contact me already for help in a number of these areas. I don't have all the specifics yet. I know some minor details. BUT, this is all a part of me "focusing my energy" on something else.

I can't wait. I will keep you posted!

Here was my day:

Breakfast

• Rice & Shine + Unsweetened Rice Milk
• Organic Cranberry Green Tea
• 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 c. coffee + stevia
  

Snack

• Nutribiotic Vanilla Rice Protein Powder with Unsweetened Rice Milk, Coconut Milk Light, Flax, 1/2 banana and Stevia

Lunch

• (Steamed) Carrots, squash, zuchinni, cucumber, parsley, cilantro, garlic + spinach
• (tiny) Baby Organic Spinach + (leftover from Magic Mineral Broth) Kombu + carrot
• Magic Mineral Broth
  

Snack (Pre-Workout)

• Fruit Fusion

Dinner

• (Steamed) Carrots, squash, zuchinni, cucumber, parsley, cilantro, garlic + spinach
• Wild Salmon Burger
  
• Fish oil + spirulina + a little sea salt
• Hot water + lemon/peel + pinch cayenne

Priceless

Day 66.

My supplements have increased. This is okay. Here is my new supplement protocol.

• Chlorella - 1/2-1 tsp daily
• Betaine HCL - 1-4 caps with each meal
• Probiotic - 2 caps per day
• Zinc Solution Mouth Rinse - 2 tsp at night
• Aloe Vera Juice - 3 Tbsp daily
• Fish Oil - 1 tsp daily
• B-Supreme - 2 caps per day
• Digestive Enzymes - 1-2 caps with each meal
• Cal/Mag/Citrate - 1 scoop at night
• GI Microb-X - 2 capsules in the morning and 2 capsules at night
  

I am doing very well with keeping up on this all. I have failed to keep up with the Betaine HCL. I need to get back to that, since I know I'm still not fully digesting the way I should be. The GI Microb-X is very new for me. It is a parasite detox cleansing. You can find out more information about this particular brand I take here.

I was talking to a trainer at our club today. She told me a story about a woman she knows. The woman's husband has Chrons. Chrons, for those of you who don't know, is another "digestive" disease. You can learn more about Chrons here. When I found out I had Proctitis, I had a Colonoscopy and Endoscopy to determine what was wrong. They thought it was most likely I had one of three things: Colitis, Celiac or Chrons. All three are no good!

Anyways, this woman was telling the trainer that she wanted to have another baby, but that due to his Chrons medications the doctor advised they should not have another one. He is also overweight (at least she thought he was). And here is where I jump on my "medication soap box."

I am not a doctor. I do not give medical advice. I do not prescribe medication. What I do prescribe to, though, is the theory that we are over-medicated and under-educated when it comes to medicine. And I believe that I am able to do this because I have witnessed it first hand.

I was diagnosed with Proctitis around May of 2008. I went on "medication." Around July, I had a major flare-up. We were able to take care of it for the time being. I continued to go up-and-down. My mouth, meanwhile, never improved. I didn't change my diet too much, since I always ate very healthy. Sometime this past (early) winter, is when I decided I'd had enough. I was done with the medicine that was costing a fortune, getting me nowhere and even pushing me backwards. Shortly after that is when I found Leah, got my blood allergy tests done and finally moved forward in my life!

• Cost of my medication - $600/one-month supply
  
• Cost of my initial consultation and blood tests with Leah - $427 ($202 for blood tests)
  
• Cost to follow a clean diet, avoiding the foods that don't like me - PRICELESS
  

I have experienced first-hand what medication can do to someone. But please trust me when I say that medicine is not the enemy. The enemy is not educating yourself on what the medication you're taking is/does. Furthermore, the enemy is the one who is closed-minded to the idea that food can heal or at the very least can aid in healing.

If this man took this approach, then perhaps, just perhaps, the medication would not be the determinate as to whether or not they will have another child. I guess we can all take that for whatever it is worth to you.

I felt pretty good again today. My stomach hurt a little bit after lunch. My mouth was about a 5/6 today. Not sure why that would be? Overall, though, I cannot complain much. I took a nice Epsom Salt Bath tonight. Relaxing!

Here was my day:

Breakfast

• Nutribiotic Vanilla Rice Protein Powder with Unsweetened Rice Milk, Coconut Milk Light, Flax, and Stevia
• 1/2 Fruit Fusion Bar (Dried Apple and Cranberry)
• Unsweetened Applesauce
  

Snack

• Organic Apple
• Organic Raw Carrot

Lunch

• Sweet Apple Chicken Link (TJ's)
  
• Squash (steamed) + sea salt
  
• Baby Scallops + Ancient Harvest Pasta
  
• White Peach
• Organic Cranberry Green Tea
  

Snack

• Organic Raw Carrot
• Orange

Dinner

• Squash (steamed) + spinach (steamed) + garlic + sea salt + fish oil + spirulina
  
• Wild Salmon Burger
• Snap peas with Olive Oil/Salt/Pepper
  
• Unsweetened Applesauce

Time to relax with my Chamomile Tea (and my wonderful husband!).