Friday, October 29th Nutrition and Training

DAY ONE: Friday, October 29, 2010

First of all, I am NOT a nutritionist and I am NOT a personal trainer.  I also picked a great week to do this since Halloween is Sunday!  Rest assured, I'll track everything I eat and drink so that it's accruate, even if that includes a Kit Kat or some M&M's on Sunday!

Eating:

Everything I eat is based on the Eat-Clean Diet Recharged Book by Tosca Reno.  My friend Brooke recommended it.  I LOVE this book!  I'm still pouring over it, but it's been a great resource for me as I have been eating clean.  Essentially, eating clean is eliminating processed foods from your diet and focusing on whole foods.   The thing about eating whole foods is that you can eat A LOT of food and for very few calories. Eating clean also means that you eat a lot more frequently.  I eat 6 times a day!  Tosca's book focuses on different approaches to eating clean; whether you are like me, Gluten-free, or searching for something family friendly, vegan, getting over plateaus, etc, she provides insights into how to accomplish this.  I follow the Gluten-free version and I make modifications based on how I like to eat while still following the basic premise.

Another caveat is that I am a habitual eater - especially during the week.  I like routine in my diet but deviate more from that on the weekends. You'll find that in a day, I have high repetition in the foods I eat.  Today is very veggie heavy.  I really like broccoli and chicken breasts... you'll see that trend too.  That approach may not work for everyone, and I recognize that. I also like a lot (a lot) of ketchup so I have been buying the Reduced Sugar Heinz Tomato Ketchup.  It has 1g of Carbs and 1g of sugar per single TBSP.  That is 75% less sugar than their regular brand! 

I drink a ton of water and diet unsweetened green tea.  Both have no calories, fat, sugar, carbs, protein, or fiber.  I let myself have one diet pop a day as well. 

First and foremost, track what you eat and I mean EVERYTHING.  A handful of popcorn or a chocolate chip cookie does make a difference.  So keep track of what you are taking in - you might be surprised how much you are eating! 

Here my personal meal plan for today:

Click to enlarge

Working out:

Again, I am not a personal trainer so my routine is something I've developed with my own personal trainer and outside sources and basically what works for me. Today, I am doing stairs and then upper body weights and core.  For stairs, I work in a building with five stories.  I'll run up and down the stairs 15 times and log my time.  It's a great cross-training and speed workout that is GREAT for your legs.

For lifting, I have a great trainer (email me for more information) that puts together programs for me but there are amazing resources on the Internet for basic programs built around your desired outcomes.  One of my favorites is the LiveStrong.com site.  There are routine recommendations especially for women and has tips and tricks for how to get started.  Just remember to always stretch when you are done! 

There is your dose of day one!  I'll be back tomorrow with my meal plan and workout routine that includes an eight-mile run!

Have a great Friday!

Carrie Adams