My BEACHBODY CHALLENGE 2013

As announced and promised in my last blog, I´m happy to present you my new baby....... my 20-weeks Beachbody Challenge 2013 - from Feb 1 to Jun 20.

I was incited to this project from some other beachbody challenges on the web, which started recently or will start soon. In exactly 20 weeks there is the official beginning of summer (calendrical) in Germany. As I feel very comfortable with my current program, I´ll want to focus on my training - my nutrition and hydration is almost perfect.

In January 2013 I lost 2,3 kg (5 lbs)... that´s really incredible. Well, to be perfectly honest, I have one cheat meal due to an invitation to a pasta party! But the day after I came back on track and continued my own clean eating low-carb plan.

But I´m a little bit annoyed about my slackness of training. I did only 2 times a week my training. And with this Beachbody Challenge I want to discipline myself and raise the frequency to 4-5 times.

In the following 20 weeks I want to make some little, but essential changes in my training plan to get the most amazing beachbody I ever have. Every 4 weeks I´ll change the exercises intensity of Cardio and Weight training. As you read in one of my last posts, I joined a trial class of bootcamp - which I want to include in my upcoming training plan.

My training plan is as follows:

• Monday: 60 min Zumba
• Tuesday: Cardio (to train for the first of my cornerstones this year: 10K on May 5th) and Weight training (2-split Upper body)
• Wednesday: - Rest -
• Thursday: Cardio (to train for the first of my cornerstones this year: 10K on May 5th) and Weight training (2-split Lower body)
• Friday: 60 min Bootcamp
• Saturday: - Rest -
• Sunday: - Rest - or 1 times a month: 120 min Zumba Masterclass

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In the next 20 weeks I´ll post regulary the results of my training and the progress of my weight loss.
So I hope I can share my motivation with you and it will push me additional to train harder.
Tomorrow will be the first day of this Beachbody Challenge... :o)

What are your plans for getting the ultimate beach body 2013?

Stay healthy and train consistently.

You´re amazing!

W-O-W! I´m speechless..........

Today we reached the 500th site view on my blog!!!!

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When I started blogging I never ever thought, that this would take on such a scale in this short time since November 2012.

By starting on February 1st, I´ll do my own 20-weeks BEACHBODY CHALLENGE until June 20th. It´s the beginning of summer. More details will be provided in my next blog.

You´re all invited to follow and push me and train with me - whencever you are.:o)

Stay healthy and keep it rolling.

REVIEW: Funeral of a Carb Junkie - and Rebirth as a Protein Vamp

In my parental home and childhood I only had very healthy food. We bought a lot of foods and milk directly from a regional farmer, baked our own bread, had our own small vegetable garden and there was no sweets in our house.

Additional I did a lot of sports: 6 years of ballett, apparatus gymastics, aero wheel, badminton and advanced swimming. In my other spare time I was a very agile girl with playing twister or tag in my next neighbourhood.  

I was a really fit, healthy and lean girl. The word "overweight" was unknown.

When I got older and spreaded my own wings, I moved in my own flat. I ate everything what my taste liked. This paradise of sweets, chips, other unhealthy stuff (smoking) and unlucky relation ship in combination with no ambition of continuing the training weren´t without serious consequences: My sport level decreased to a less minimum.

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I gained weight (slowly but consistently), my skin looks unhealthy and sallow and I felt myself flabby....very flabby! I arrived in the doom loop... without any energy of doing some sports.

I recollect to a spontaneous rollerblade event a few years ago: The first half of these 20 km I got help by colleagues with pushing/pulling of my body .... the other 10 km I gritted my teeths and labor to the finish line. I gasped for breath while entering the finish, a restaurant. The other finished their meal at this time. My lung hurts as a 50-years-old chain smoker although I was just 22!!

This was a real remarkable point in my life. I was really sad, how far I ruined my own health and condition. And I figure out, that I have to change extremely something in my life.

I tried to change my entreched habits but when you do the same wrong things over a long period of time, you can´t change everything from one day to another. 

I bought a lot of fitness books and fitness magazines with their "ultimative plans for weight loss"... I tried a lot... really a lot! But no of them was right to involve it in daily business for a full-working lady like me.

I changed my nutrition from fast-food to "normal" food. But unfortunately I didn´t realize, that I ate too much carbs a day. At the highest point I ate 2-3 big rolls only for breakfast, some candys before lunch, a normal to big size lunch at the canteen, coffee with sugar, in the afternoon also cookies and also a warm dinner and -finally- some snacks in front of the TV in the evening.... that was round about over 3000 kcal a day!!!!

I was fixed at the sugar maelstrom: every time, when I ate a few days low-carb I got edgy and nervous and was really looking to satisfy my hunger for sweets and carbs.

Two or three times I get away from this addiction and feel astonishing changes: my energy came back and my gastrointernal system works also better. But the cut to low-carb was too quick, so I felt back into my old habits.

In October 2012 I reached a inacceptable limit on my scale, which I promised myself, never to pass.
I HAVE TO CUT THE RELEASE CORD!!!

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Additional to my many existing fitness books I dig the whole internet after right nutrition and training plan for me. But that was less easy than I had thought. The author A says: "Do this!" and the author B says: "No, try that!". After reading so many books and magazines I got really confused, what´s right or wrong.

Shortly before I gave up my research I found the amazing transformation of Kelsey Byers, the plan of Jamie Eason and a detailed customer review of Tosca Reno´s book: The Eat-Clean Diet. All three girls gave me the right portion of motivation and information for a complete restart. 

To keep trying and not to fail anymore I decided to create this blog for my own motivation.

I changed completely my nutrition (start to involve peux-a-peux clean eating and low-carb into my daily life), did a food diary (since 1st January 2013) for monitoring the calories and went regularly to the gym. Although my weight fluctuate, I feel today myself more healthier: I feel myself more lean, have more energy - also in the afternoon, and my skin looks even better. It´s getting better and better.... and I never want to come back to the point as a Carb Junkie!!

My goal is to loose 20-25 kg (40-50 lbs) and to shape and strengthen my body with low-carb clean eating and doing sport with consistence. I´m in the right way to my purpose.

P.S.: Here is a summary of my important links of my internet research:

• LABRADA - Goal: Burn Fat and Tone Up
• Manual of the LABRADA Lean Body Challenge Program 2013 (pdf)
• Templates of Training and Nutrition Journal of the Lean Body Challenge 2013 
• Manual of the Challenge Program of Kelsey Byers (pdf)
• Jamie Eason´s LiveFit 12-week Plan
• Receipes of Jamie Eason´s LiveFit

 
P.P.S: Some of you may wait for pics of me. I´ll post the traditional before-after pics, when I see huge results. I give you my word.

Stay healthy and keep your fingers away from candy :o) !! 

Dear Fat: Be Prepared to Die!

A few weeks ago, I told you in one of my last post, I met my personal trainer Timo asking for feedback of my training and nutrition plan.

He gave me the following advices:

NUTRITION:

• my nutrition plan is almost perfect

• instead of natural yoghurt and cereals I should use the metabolism effect on morning and strengthen it until midday with a low-carb/no-carb breakfast (e.g. protein shake)
  

• after 4 pm strictly no carb

TRAINING:

• my training plan is also almost perfect (1x fun training Zumba and 3x Weight/Cardio Training)

• instead of 1x Weight/Cardio Training I should do a short and high-intensive muscle-confusion training.....

• therefore: he invited me to participate in his boot camp. (link only in german)

I think, most of my readers will have now a picture of an 'camouflage drill sergeant with wearing combat boots and face paints' in their minds....or like Major Payne... (do you remember of this funny movie of the 90s??) :o)

via google-research, source: Movie "Major Payne"

Don´t worry...! :o)
 
Today I tried out -for the very first time- his "Winter Outdoor Boot Camp"-Class..... !!!!

And that was so incredible!! But here are my first impressions:

This Boot camp is a combination of cross-fit, strength-training, calisthenics, plyometrics, functional training and aerobic training...everything outdoor with no excuses of bad weather!!

After warm-up with a sprint , we did some stretchings and short exercises for the arms, shoulders, chest, legs, butt, abs,.....and for the finish another short sprint for to boost the heart rate one more time.

I started sweating profusely within the first five minutes of class as the tough instructor Timo encouraged us with a series of training exercises that had me gasping for breath.

Some of these 60 minutes of training was a real mental fight with the bastard inside of me, because I didn´t have enough muscles for making push-ups.

But I won´t give up, because I know, that I will feel a million times stronger and more resilient.
Hey, in this workout I rocked 547 kcals!!!

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If you are also considering taking your first bootcamp class, feel prepared and confident to dominate this intense workout by following my tips:

• Finding the Right Camp. First check to see if there are any starting requirements—like being able to run a 10-minute mile or do a certain number of push-ups in a minute, and what level classes are offered. Another tip: If you’re nervous about adding a boot camp fitness program to your workout schedule, see if you can pay for one trial class.

• Doing the Prep Work You don't have to be in peak condition for a boot camp workout, but you should have at least a base. 

• Hydrate one or two hours before class. Definitely bring water or a sports drink to class, but it's difficult to bounce around when your belly is full of liquid. 

• Enter with a good, can-do attitude. The workout will be challenging, but it's so important to continue to motivate yourself and keep your mind calm when your heart is racing and your muscles are burning. I try to smile and laugh to help release tension in my face. 

• Stay present, and listen to the instructor. If you concentrate on how much it hurts and how much you want to quit, you might forget the next sequence or next relay move. Actively focus your attention on the instructor, and you will distract yourself from the pain. 

• Remember your breath and your abs. Breathe through tough exercises, and simultaneously, be sure to contract your abs to protect your back. It may seem awkward and uncomfortable at first, but you will eventually train your body to breathe deeper while your abs are engaged. 

• Push yourself to stay up front. Be the first person in the relay race line; stand in the front of the room; and run towards the front of the jog line. Being last will make you feel lethargic and more prone to giving up. 

• Don't stop moving. If delayed onset muscle soreness usually gets you down, challenge yourself to move around rather than take mini breaks. My bootcamp instructor kept yelling at us to jog in place throughout the entire hour to prevent muscle soreness by sending fresh blood to the muscles. 

• Load up on electrolytes after class. Intense workouts and sweating cause you to lose essential electrolytes. Be sure to replenish them with an electrolyte-filled snack.

 Stay healthy and keep in progress.

The Importance of Hydration

Water is the most important nutrient for life and has many important functions including regulating temperature, lubricating joints and transporting nutrients and waste throughout the body. The water content in the foods you eat and the beverages you drink combine to hydrate your body. Without proper hydration, you become dehydrated, which means your body does not have enough water to function normally. I normally try to drink still water or tea at least 2,0-2,5 liters (65-80 oz) on a off-training day / 3,0 - 3,5 liters (100-120 oz) on a training day.

Why is it so important to stay hydrated? 
Your body depends on water for survival. Did you know that water makes up more than half of your body weight? Every cell, tissue and organ in your body needs water to function correctly. For example, your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste and lubricate joints. Water is essential for good health.

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How dows my body loose water?
You loose water each day when you go to the bathroom, sweat, and even when you breathe. You loose water even faster when the weather is really hot, when you exercise, or if you have a fever. Vomiting and diarrhea can also lean to rapid fluid loss. If you don´t replace the water you loose, you can become dehydrated. If you stay dehydrated, you´ll damage your kidney and increase the potential for developing kidney stones.

How do I know if I´m dehydrated?
Symptoms of dehydration include:

• Little or no urine, or urine that is darker than usual
• Dry mouth
• Sleepiness or fatigue
• Extreme thrist
• Headache
• Confusion 
• Feeling dizzy or lightheaded

Don´t wait until you notice symptoms of dehydration to act. It can be hard to recognize when you´re dehydrated. Actively prevent dehydration by drinking plenty of water - also very necessary when you eat low-carb-high-protein, because by starting this kind of nutrition you´ll "wash out" all the waste which has been in your body for ages.

A large amount of light colored, diluted urine probably means you are hydrated; dark colored, concentrated urine probably means you are dehydrated.

Athletic Performance
Staying hydrated is particularly important during exercise. When you do not consume enough liquid or fresh fruits and vegetables to stay properly hydrated, you end up thirsty and light headed. Insufficient hydration fatigues your muscles, reduces your coordination and causes muscle cramps. While working out or playing sports, dehydration compromises the body´s ability to cool itself through sweating. This leads to head exhaustion and in extreme cases a potentially life-threatening condition called heat stroke.
So therefore: The longer and more intensely you exercise, the more important it is to drink the right kind of fluids.

What kind of fluid should I drink? Water vs. Diet Soda?
Drink water. We know tea, green and white tea and coffee are good for you. While diet sodas do have about the same calories as water, I don´t feel that we have enough information to say that they are as good for you as water. (also, e.g., diet coke is in conflict to clean, unprocessed drinking.)

Artificial sweeteners actually stimulate appetite by tricking the body into increasing insulin secretion.  The taste receptores in the stomach may play a role in regulating endocrine function. These receptors may be processing the taste of sweet (but calorie-free) diet beverage, and that may be affecting the production of insulin. This means diet beverage should not necessarily be considered 'neutral' because they may have a metabolic effect. The clinical research in this sector is early and there is still a lot to uncover about how artificial sweeteners affect the body.


The most of the people understand that the symptomes of thrist are misinterpreted as hunger!! 

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Stay healthy and hydrated!

A "Diet" shouldn´t be a Diet

We've tried the quick-fix diet plans. We've tried low-fat, low-cal, low-carb -- with low satisfaction.

And why? The reason is very simple:  

Take the Long-term Approach:  Make it a Lifestyle Change

It's virtually impossible to lose weight and keep it off if you don't modify your lifestyle. Diets are a short-term solution to a long-term problem. That is why most dieters regain their lost weight within a year.

Make eating the right foods a permanent part of your daily life. This is the solution to weight control. You can beat the bulge and live a happier, healthier life. 

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Can You Make the Commitment to Eat for Health?
Turn inward for a moment. Can you make a long-term commitment to the style of clean eating? Are you willing to bypass the seductive offers of diets that claim to "melt the pounds off" in favor of a focus on good health and learning how to eat for health?
Take a few minutes to think it through. Then answer the following question: "How do I feel about making a lifestyle switch to this way of eating?" Be honest with yourself. Give the part of you that wants to eat only chocolate as much of a voice as the part that promises never to eat anything "bad" again. Recognize that each voice is an extreme that exists in all of us. Lasting change happens somewhere in the middle, and it does not happen overnight. It is a growth process in which new behaviors and values gradually replace old ones. Now go back to the question and answer it.

The Challenge

Understand what an optimal diet involves. Think about what it means to you to "live for health." Reflect on what "to live for health" might mean to your family... to your grandchildren.  Study the follwing principles of weight loss until you know them well:

  

1. Think long-term. Shortcuts and quickie plans never achieve true weight loss or improve health. 
2. Do it for yourself. Improving your health and energy are better motivations than an up-coming class reunion. 
3. Prepare the way. Don't rush into a diet before you are ready for long-term changes. Keeping a diet journal will help you become more aware of what you eat and why.  Document your weight loss goals, and celebrate your successes—on paper! 
4. Think fruits, grains, legumes, and vegetables.  
5. Control portion sizes. Use a smaller plate. Serve yourself smaller portions and put away leftovers before you eat. One easy way to roughly measure out your protein serving size is to select a portion that is the size of the palm of your hand. Example, a chicken breast or piece of fish that is the size of your palm. Picture your hand without your fingers and thumb. It’s that easy. A good rule is to have a serving of carbs that is approximately the size of your fist with each meal. For example, a baked yam the size of your closed fist would be adequate for a meal.
6. Eat at least three to six meals a day. Eating at regular intervals will not send your body into a deprivation (starvation) mode, which may cause you to eat and binge more. 
7. Maintain your weight loss program. Successful weight loss managers realize that they are not on a temporary diet—they are starting a permanent new lifestyle. 
8. Exercise. It's fun and keeps you flexible. Activity is the key to successful weight loss, particularly in middle age. 
9. Don't overdo it. Don't push your weight loss goals to the higher end of the target range. A brisk one-hour walk a day is a terrific goal for steady, healthy weight management
10. When you think activity—think "play." "Walking the dog," gardening, yardwork, household chores, sports, bicycling, and playing with kids are all productive activities. How do kids exercise? They play! You can have fun too.

Start putting them into practice. The reward is worth every effort.  It will truly be a good start into a healthier lifestyle.

Remember that a diet is not something that you just do for a few weeks to get in shape and then drop. Doing so will always lead you to regain the lost weight. Training and dieting should be a lifestyle choice you make in order to not only achieve the body that you want PERMANENTLY but also to greater health! 

My Progress so far of Clean Eating

First, sorry for my long absense....but my new year started very busy. 

Today I want to give you a status quo of my progress.

Since Middle of December I started to eat clean. A few of my reader will probably wonder, why I started this in the 'most difficult part of the year', while you can get sweets and christmas cookies at every turn. So, my answer is: Therefore. 
This was one of my secret to came healthy over Christmas holiday. :o)

I don´t need a 'New Year' to start clean eating.

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So, the half of January is over and I want to give you a short feedback.

NUTRITION
Since January 1, I do a food diary at Myfitnesspal.com. (You can also find a link of the left side of my blog). This will also keep me in progress and give me the right motivation not to fail. I hope, the most of my posted food is known - but here in Germany are some differences than in the States.

For sure, at the beginning it won´t works for 100 percent to change completely your nutrition from one day to another, but I try to involve peux-a-peux the rules into my daily life. And I see, that it works from day to day even better. For example, I did a few days ago this yummy receipt: Turkey Meatloaf Muffins from Jamie Eason. Marvellous!!

When I started my food diary, the presettings of myfitnesspal was 1300 kcal a day. And I was really full. But when I started my work on January 7, I needed more kcal due to more mental and physical work.
So I changed the settings from 1300 kcal up to 1800 kcal with a spread of 25% Carbs, 45% Proteins, and 30% Fat. I didn´t raise up from one day to another - so I ate every day a litte bit more to my new goal.

Furthermore, I try to drink every day not less than 2 liters of water and tea.

In the first week of January I lost only 400g (1 lbs), but in this second week I lost 1,1 kg (2.4 lbs).
Please keep your fingers crossed for me for continuing this success.

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HEALTHY 
Besides my happiness of loosing weight I see further changes. In the past I ate, when I was hungry or bored or stressed: When I feel my empty stomach, I ate something. I changed this habit completely.
I have now fixed times, when I eat: 7 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, 7pm and 10pm. (see also the schedule in one of my last post).

The advantage of this fixed times is, that your body knows exactly, when he´ll gets the next meal and the energy. And you can avoid all foods/snacks/candies besides these stated hours. I also try to eat no Carbs after 4 pm.

Since I ate regularly, my indigestion problems has blown off (in the true sense of the word). I didn´t feel myself like I ate a balloon. Furthermore, my skin is more clearly and looks healthier than before my clean eating.
Finally, I have got really more power and I didn´t have a 'low point' at the afternoon.

MOTIVATION
As announced above, I post my food diary - every day! This is real a high motivation, because you know, that the whole world can take a closer look to your plates. 
Additional, I´m a member of a very nice facebook group called 'New year - new Rear', in which we motivate us each other and give us some advices.

I also bought this week a new bikini for the upcoming summer. It´s a obligation to fits like a glove. :o)

It´s normal, that the weight will sway at the beginning. To push my progress, I met this week an regional personal trainer Timo Schmid (sorry, link is only in german) asking for feedback of my training and nutrition plan and for giving me some further advice. It was a really nice evening of an exciting discussion of generals fails of nutrition and training.
I´m anxious of his response of my plan. I´ll keep you up to date.

For me, another motivation is to finish successful my sporty cornerstones: I´ll participate in three competitions of a 10K-run: on May 5 (Cityrun), on July 28 (as a relay in a triathlon team of three girls) and on September 22 (Cityrun along the river).

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This is my progress so far - certainly, I´ll keep you in the loop.

If you want to read further information of clean eating I warmly recommend you this book.

Stay healthy and eat clean!