Last Week // Life // Meal Prep
Happy Monday! I haven't been consistent with my posting because I have been THAT busy! I've literally been trying to post this all day but things keep getting in the way. I have no idea if anyone will even read this because I'm not doing much to promote my site just yet. I just hope to reach at least a few and I hope that my posts will someday help someone. Oh, I'm actually working on a full body strength training plan for women which focuses on the lower body. I have the workout written out but am trying to get it into a cleaner format. Just another thing to add to my list!
Last Week
Last week was crazy for me, to say the least. I taught 10 classes in total last week as I was subbing (most of my classes are intense) in addition to my full-time job. I used to teach at that rate a few years ago when I was a personal trainer, but I didn't work nearly as much as I do now. Wow does it make a difference! I'd actually been doing great on my diet, eating mostly fish... and I was seeing results. But by Wednesday I was DYING! I was so incredibly exhausted to the point where I felt like I was going to pass out. I had chills all day and couldn't get warm. I was literally sitting in my car with the heater on 90 degrees and it was 76 degrees outside! I don't think I was eating enough for the amount of activity that I was doing. I felt I needed to eat heavier carbs so I did so and that lead to a whole series of bad eating choices the remainder of the week and weekend, but I'll continue with that in a bit...
The heavier meal (sandwich, chips and cookie) did help, but I had to teach two classes that day due to the fact that I couldn't find a sub. I pushed through and thought a night's sleep would help, but it didn't. Thursday morning I felt so weak and tired so I called into and found a sub for my night class, simply to sleep. I hate calling in and I hate subbing out my classes but I felt THAT exhausted, to the point where I couldn't even function. Honestly, I've been feeling tired ever since and even overslept this morning but I'm better today than I was last week. I didn't slow down this weekend and taught a total of four classes (it's super hard for me to slow down), and tonight I even struggled with "should I go to the gym or on a run or should I rest?" Well, here I am working on my site, which is technically resting in my book. I felt that my body did need to rest. I'll wake up early to get my lift in before work tomorrow. I did teach my corporate fitness class today and I suppose working out 5-6 hours this weekend alone should suffice, right? LOL
Bad Eating Choices
So in my blog and on my site I intend to be completely raw and open. Upon eating ONE cheat meal on Wednesday, I went on a downward spiral with my diet the remainder of the week and weekend. I'm always somewhat stressed, but nowhere near the point of last week. Food is my drug of choice and when I'm feeling exhausted or weak, it's my go-to. When I'm stressed and overwhelmed, it's my go-to. When I'm upset it's my go-to... And I'm an "all or nothing" kinda chick. When I'm on the straight and narrow path I'm great, but once I have a slip-up it's all downhill for me. It's something I've been working on for a long, long time, but it's always a struggle. I struggled with eating disorders in my early to mid-twenties and though I'm over my illness, when life gets hard I binge-eat here and there. It usually happens when I reach the point of extreme deprivation (strict dieting), and when I'm overwhelmed. I'm being open this way, because I want to stress that no one is perfect. Women are so hard on themselves and each of us has our own battles. Binge eating happens to be mine. I do eat healthy at least 90% of the time but life happens (enter shrug emoji).
Getting My $*** Together
Last night (Sunday night) I finally got my $*** together and prepped my meals. We always have the choice to start fresh the next day. Luckily I'm only teaching 4-5 classes this week and I can focus on my strength training, which I try to do before work since I teach at night. While fish leans me out, it also doesn't nourish me the same as other types of protein like turkey and chicken.
Meal Prep
Last night I prepped 93/7 ground turkey, jasmine rice, and green beans for my meals. I measured out 4 oz. of ground turkey, 4 oz. of jasmine rice, and 3 oz. of green beans for each of my meals. I usually aim for 150 grams of protein per day and try to keep my carbs under 150 grams.
For my snacks I measured out 3 boiled eggs (I only eat the whites), 1 oz of cashews, and 2 string cheese sticks. I typically eat one meal per day and one of these snack trays per day. I'm not a big breakfast eater so I tend to stick to a protein shake made with one scoop of protein powder and one cup of unsweetened almond or cashew milk and/or a protein bar that contains at least 20 grams of protein.
When it comes to eating, I try to listen to my body. For so long, I followed the breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack schedule. But that really screwed with me. I no longer followed my hunger cues. I got too hung up on timing. So I taught myself to listen to my body. If I'm hungry at night I'll have a meal, but most of the time I'll stick to another protein shake with raw veggies.
Oh, I wanted to mention... when I was prepping my meals I felt super dehydrated. Yesterday I taught GRIT Strength, did a whole BODYSTEP class, and a 30 minute lower body lift. I am going to admit that I'm HORRIBLE about drinking my water! But hey, I'm working on it. Anyway, I was craving fruits and veggies and came up with this concoction shown. It was absolutely delish. All I used was a whole peeled cucumber, a handful of baby carrots, about 1/4 cup of frozen blueberries, some water, and ice. If you like a sweeter taste, you can add stevia. It was super satisfying.
Advice
If I could offer a bit of advice based on last week it would be to not overdo it. I have SUCH a hard time taking my own advice, but truly, overdoing it can set you back. If you're just beginning your fitness journey or even if you've been on it for a while but have new goals and want to slim down but need to take it up a notch... do it gradually. Eating too little in conjunction with working out too hard or too much can set you back. Set small goals. Slow and steady wins the race.
