Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

I love my small group. I'm never one to recommend paying even more money to the gym but our group very quickly started to bond. We joke and cheer for each other. We challenge and push each other. We're making friends. I plan to start biking on Sundays with one of the women. I've not lived here long and making friends in the 'burbs is hard, especially if you're not a soccer mom. Not having a friend to bike with has reduced the amount that I ride outside (until I start biking up Diablo once a week).

Saturday small group=dynamic warmup.
Today we did descending ladders with increasing weights.

Pull-ups
Sumo high pulls (form is still a bit off)
Dead lift
side v-ups--25, 20, 15, 10

Had one less cup of coffee this morning than is customary. Worried I wouldn't be able to walk much longer this afternoon at Macworld after the missing caffeine and the dead lifts!

No recovery today. I have to train for Cinderella and, Spin instructor I may be, I hate to exercise indoors when I can move about outside. During the week if I can't get outside to ride, I'll train inside but today was a lovely day so I headed out with my bike, Lita. I put in a little over two hours and I'm glad that I did. I began to feel tired around 2 hours. I haven't decided whether I'll do the 65 or 90 mile option in Cinderella but I know this: I'll be out there for more than 2 hours. So I must continue to get in at least one long ride a week and it has to get longer each week. Today I probably only rode 30 miles. I have two months to train.

Whipped up a little "relish" tonight from lemon juice, radish greens, garlic, salt and white pepper. Just be careful with this one--radish is a diuretic. It's also a decongestant and clears the bronchial tubes.

Monday means spin, Athlete's Workout and a little small group time. Athlete's workout is a 45-minute class. Super happy to say that Dustin announced tonight that he and Scotty will share the class. Scotty leads the class in a cross-fit inspired 45-minute bout of body weight exercises. Dustin focuses on agility training. Every once in a while, Dustin throws in something fun (hand stands, hand stand push-ups). Scotty puts you throw the ringer every week. I am so excited to have the combination.

Tonight's workout, after Athlete's Workout:
One legged transverse lift alternated with weighted walking lunges X3 decreasing reps, increasing weight
Clapping push-up into regular push up
Squats into squat leaps
Low back stretch
Hamstring stretch

Fun lunch today. Made a little black bean dip with cilantro, lime juice, cayenne and other peppers. Delicious. I always eat my bean dips and humus without bread, just spoon it up.

Monday means spin, Athlete's Workout and a little small group time. Athlete's workout is a 45-minute class. Super happy to say that Dustin announced tonight that he and Scotty will share the class. Scotty leads the class in a cross-fit inspired 45-minute bout of body weight exercises. Dustin focuses on agility training. Every once in a while, Dustin throws in something fun (hand stands, hand stand push-ups). Scotty puts you throw the ringer every week. I am so excited to have the combination.

Tonight's workout, after Athlete's Workout:
One legged transverse lift alternated with weighted walking lunges X3 decreasing reps, increasing weight
Clapping push-up into regular push up
Squats into squat leaps
Low back stretch
Hamstring stretch

Fun lunch today. Made a little black bean dip with cilantro, lime juice, cayenne and other peppers. Delicious. I always eat my bean dips and humus without bread, just spoon it up.

I'm bummed, I just saw your journal for the first time just now. You've been so consistent and motivated, and if I'd noticed before now, I would have been cheering you on all month!

Anyway, you've just done so awesome(ly?), and you should be proud! Like Robert said, this forum is for all kinds of people, so don't feel out of place. That being said, I do love to read that you've been slowly transitioning to a vegan diet anyhow. Hehe!

Great job on your journal, and keep up the awesome work!!

All the best!
Karen

31 Days of January!

I came to this site via invitation to join the 12 Days of Vegan on Twitter from Robert. Why not, I thought. Part of the challenge was to write five posts a week during January. It's just a month, I thought. It's been a fast month!

As part of my personal challenge, I chose to give up my morning egg during the month of January. I gave it up 6 days a week. It was a learning process. I had to replace that protein. I flirted briefly with protein drinks (I eat whole foods) in a panic after I read an article about soy. I found the article via a discussion on Vegan Bodybuilding.

Although I typically eat organic, I wasn't eating organic soy. I am now because of this site and the aforementioned article. I am also decreasing my soy intake, again because of that article (better safe than sorry). This means that with or without that morning egg, I am looking at my diet again and re-configuring my protein sources.

I've been vegetarian for more than 20 years. I know about protein but I had fallen into the easy soy trap. I also ate nuts and mushrooms but I mainly relied on soy. I lost ~27 pounds in approximately 18 months (hit my goal once, summer interfered, had to readjust). I know how to eat a veggie-filled, balanced diet with sufficient protein. But sometimes you have to take a second look, sometimes you have to tweak, make a progression, change.

I've heard people who were raised in religious traditions that require periodic fasting/personal sacrifice/lent say that giving an object up for a time causes you to meditate on that object, what it means, how it comes to you. By mid-month, I did think about the chickens who produce my eggs, the woman who feeds and cares for the chickens, collects the eggs, cleans them, puts them in bright green cartons with a hand-made pink label, ties the cartons together with raffia...I thought about the high school kid who sells eggs to me at the local Farmer's Market. In the Law of Attraction universe, other people started discussions about how animals are treated in factory farms (they don't even know me well enough to know I'm veg). I thought about gathering eggs when I was a kid (how awful the hen house was). I have spent a lot of time this month thinking about eggs and egg production.

I think in a similar vein this site prompted me to think about my protein and how I source it. Likely had I not come here, I wouldn't have made the tweaks to my diet that I've made. At times it set me back but in the long run, I'll find a way that works for me and will be in a better place. I'm already loving regular hummus and black bean dip. Also mushrooms taste delicious with the spinach or kale and peppers that eat each morning. Umami in the AM!

Am I leaving this site now that the challenge is done? No! There are some really nice people here and tons of helpful information. Plus this got me writing again, including to my blogs that were dead. Many net gains here this month. Thank you, Robert.

And today's workout

5 mins warm up treadmill
dynamic stretches
Run half mile
50 jump rope
40 squats
30 reverse crunches
20 supermans
10 Burpees with pushup
run quarter mile
Repeat the above set
Run half mile

I then tacked on a half hour on the exercise bike for Cinderella training.

And Dustin learned today that I can't jump rope. He finds my weaknesses. We work on them. The first time I did a session with Dustin a year and a half ago, I wouldn't even use a treadmill. It wasn't that I was in such poor condition. I had tried in the past and I couldn't do it. It was nearly that sitcom situation or I feared it would be. Dustin taught me how and now I regularly run on the treadmill (but I still would rather be outside!). Dustin has done a lot for me. More than he knows.

Thank you so much! And truthfully, most of my adult life I've skated close to vegan. I've never commited to being there.

So good to be in a place with such great people!

Today: indoor cycling. The ride started flat, found a hill, returned to flat and fast with a climb in the middle back to moderate hills with speed.

black bean dip with cilantro and lime and fire
Butternut squash soup

Bed time.

I owe a couple posts!

Yesterday's small group didn't feel like an hour and I couldn't remember if Thursday sessions were a half hour or hour. I thought it was a half hour so I went to run on the treadmill. I use GymPact and I log in before the work out and after my shower. I was very confused as to how I'd been at the gym for 2.5 hours.

Yesterday's workout: Treadmill warm up, dynamic stretches,
Super set: dumb bell bench press, stability ball push up x3 increasing weights for the pressing, increasing reps for the ball
Super set: 2 hand kettlebell swing and one legged jump and donkey kick x3
Stretch

Today's workout: Stair climb warm up, dynamic stretch
Circuit: stair climb, treadmill, push, lat pull down, wood chop, rowing machine, crunches X3 increasing speed/weight, decreasing time.

Awesome dinner tonight: Curry chickpeas!
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/easy-c ... -curry.htm

OMG...so busy lately. January has been crazed. I picked up an extra shift at the corporate gym where I teach. I changed my days in the professional job to accommodate the extra shift. When I finish the shift, I go teach cycle at the bike shop. I really worked hard to post here regularly for the 12 Days of Vegan. I attend small group training six days a week. My dog is recovering nicely from his TPLO and each week his walk gets a little longer. American bulldogs need at least one long walk a day. My guy takes several long walks a day.

Exciting news: I will start teaching a new class in mid-day at the Elite Training Center at the end of February. I'm pretty honored to work with them. Paul Rubio, the owner, is an amazing person.

Small group has become more intense. Dustin has found my hip imbalance. Tonight he spent extra time with me working on hip extension--doing it right with a pole to stop me from rounding my back.

Tonight's workout:
Agility warm up
Dynamic stretch
Alternating dumbbell bench press with stability ball roll out X3
Burn set of dumbbell bench press

Squat to OH Press alternated with stability ball tuck X3
Burn set of squat to OH Press

Kettlebell deadlift
1 set of 2 leg
1 set alternating 2 leg, R, L
1 set of five 2 leg, r, l

Stretch.
I tacked on 25 minutes on the bike for Cinderella training.

I've been eating a soup I made up. Simple: Daikon kimchi plus Korean pears. It's not authentic Korean but my husband I love this dish. Also can add barley. Slow cook it until the daikon melts in your mouth. This batch was really spicy and salty so I added coconut milk. I ate it for dinner all week. Tomorrow I'll have to cook again.

I think I found a ride partner for Sunday long rides. One of my students is interested in doing the long option of Cinderella so I might as well train with her.

Usually when I start to feel sick, I refuse to get sick. I'm sort of surprised but it seems to work. Of course, I don't get sick often and I eat a diet with tons spices with antimicrobial and healing effects from vinegar to turmeric to ginger to cinnamon. But last Friday I felt a bit sick, expected it to rain all weekend, knew that small group was scheduled off on Saturday and so I decided that if I had to get sick, now was the time.

It was chilly and rainy on Saturday morning. It was sort of nice on Sunday.

I'm still sick on Monday and had to miss a massive training day. I refuse to let this go on one more day. Must be well enough tomorrow to work out.

I guess I didn't meet the rules for 12 Days of Vegan. Oh well.

Last night's work out:
Dynamic stretch warm up
Run half mile
Jump rope 100x (hey, I noticed a slight improvement)
Squat 75X
Half Get-up 50X (25 per side)
Box jump 25X
Climb 25 floors on the stairmaster
Repeat the above
Run half mile

Feeling much better from the sore throat but right now I'm a touch nauseous. I refuse to be sick longer or to have additional symptoms. Not gonna do it.

Wednesday's workout was cycling at Eden.

Thursday's workout:
Warm up: Dynamic stretching & balance exercises
Chest press on stability ball alternated with plyometric pushups X3
Squat into oh press alternated with prisoner squat jumps X3
Dumbbell dead lift alternated with stability ball bridge with heel tuck x3
20 minutes cycling

Did hydrostatic body fat analysis yesterday. I'm at 12.% body fat, which frankly shocked me.

And because I did hydrostatic body fat analysis, I found out why I've been unable to maintain my diet. I'm eating far too few calories.