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My Vegan Fitness/Bodybuilding Journey


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Ok, so this is my firs day journaling this part of my vegan fitness/bodybuilding journey. Its been a year (a bit more) that it started. Last year, this date I just wanted to finish losing the last couple of pounds and reach my ideal size (I've never been a big fan of the scale, rather rely on how clothes fit). Anyway, my goals started to change and as I've traveled farther in this road and learned more about the sport (bodybuilding) the desire to grow more muscle has increased. I'm regarded as a freak as it is in this town (imagine not eating animals by choice, not because I'm sick or anything ), imagine now! Some people boldly come up to me and ask me why do I come to the gym (you're too thin already) why would you like to be more muscular, why do you wanna look like a man???? (Small town people, tsk tsk!) Anyway, it was easier to lose the pounds (82 in total) than to gain the muscle. I've managed to increase my strength significantly, and there is some muscle and definition here and there, but I hardly look like an IFBB pro, or am anywhere near to benchpressing my own weight. To state the truth I look thin... Some days I feel like Popeye's Olive Oil (was that the name of his girlfriend?).... I'm still getting the hang of vegan nutrition for performance and results....

 

On another note, I've been following Jamie Eason's Live Fit 12 week program, I'm on week 6 now. I'm kind of following the nutrition guidelines that aren't vegan friendly, and making substitutions here and there. But there's a problem here: I've started to lose weigh and I don't want that to happen. And the minute I eliminate cardio and increase food intake (in the form of starchy carbs I admit) I start to grow a pouch. I still look thin, but with a flabby pouch!!! :'-(

 

So that's basically the situation here: once an obese omnivore, now a scrawny vegan... well at least I have biceps that can be seen when I flex, LOL. But I want my arms bigger. And my legs. And the cuts. I want it all.

 

Enough of my worries already, let's get into the juicy stuff here: today's workout and diet.

 

Went to the gym at 6:00am, with two young kids there isn't any other time. This was my workout today:

 

Back and Cardio

 

Pullups 3/10 (negatives and assisted)

 

Superset: 3/8

Bent over bb row (EZ bar 20lbs weight discs)

Seated cable rows (60 lbs)

 

Normal sets:

Wide grip lat pulldowns 3/10 (50lbs)

One Arm DB row 3/8 (30lbs)

Hammer Strength lat pulldown 3/10 (40lbs)

Hyperextension 3/8 (25lbs weight disc)

 

Elliptical: 30 minute moderate cardio

 

When I was done, drank soy protein shake mixed with favored water.

 

Meal 1: 3/4 cup oatmeal, 2 tablespoons of milled flaxseeds, soy milk

 

Meal 2: 1 banana, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter

 

Meal 3: TVP styrfry (with broccoli, tomatoes, carrots and stringbeans) seasoned with fresh onions, garlic, basil, soysauce and a teaspoon of olive oil (poured after cooked)

sweet potato(about the size of my fist) boiled with skin

 

Meal 4: Another soy protein shake

 

Meal 5: whole wheat roll w/peanut butter, a cup of fresh avocado

 

Meal 6: 1 cup of TVP styrfry with avocado and tomato salad.

 

Well that was it... I hope I'm not trashing in the kitchen what I'm doing in the gym!

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Still nailing down this nutriition thing... is like the day isn't long enough to fit 6 meals in it. And if I increase the portions, I'm not hungry when. Its time to eat again. A while ago I set alarms on my phone to remind me the times on which I have to eat. I need to eat plenty, otherwise I lose weight, period. Today I fell a meal short. When I weighted myyself this morning, I. Was 118, which means my weigh hasn't increased. In my ideal world weight should be increasing, and I should be looking more muscular and cut. I still look, well... slim. Ironic how my worries have changed: when trying to lose the weight, I wasn't losing fast enough or the weight was increasing (due to my poor eatinng habits). Now is like I'm always falling short on food. Guess I have to start eating earlier (before workout)... Is just that I workout so early! Well, sacrifices need to be made, even if it means eating my first meal before my workout, eventhough I prefer working out on an empty stomach.

 

On another note, today I trained Chest aand Abs, followed by moderate cardio. Aaaah this moderate cardio thing on this rainy season. Nothing more boring than the elliptical machine or stationary bike. Besides my bad knee won't let me run anymore... Speed walking sounds like a great substitute, but in reality it aint that appealing... Ah well!

 

Here's what I did today in detail:

 

Wide grip BB bench press 5/8 (1 warm up, 3 regular, 1 negative):

Warm up- 45 lbs (1/10)

Regular- 65 lbs (3/8)

Negative- 75 lbs (1/15)

*I increased the reps in some cases in kind of a spur of the moment thing. I felt strong! Next time will increase the weight instead!

 

Wide Push ups- regular version(3/15)

 

Narrow Push ups-on the knee version (3/8)

 

 

Cable Crossover (3/10)- 20lbs

 

Incline bench press (3/10) -25 lbs. DB

*last set with 30lbs DB

 

Side to side pushups- regular version(3/10)

 

Superset: toe touchers/crunches 3/20

 

Knee/hip raise on parallel bars 3/10

Cable Crunch 3/10

 

Elliptical Trainer/Stationary bike (15 mins moderate intensity each)

 

It's worth mentioning that I still get that little "butterfly in stomach) sensation before I perform pushups, 'cause I still kind of expect that I won't be able to do it. It took me so LONG to be able to perform even one that I'm still surprised I can nail 3 sets of 15.

 

Still working on those narrow ones, still have to do them on the knees, well my strength is increasing everyday, so in time I'll be able to nail those too!

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Soooo, this is my third entry of my fitness journal, but actually this is the 6th week of a program I've been doing. I'm really happy with the workouts, I feel my body positively responding and adapting., my strength increasing. I decided to continue with the workouts and take advantage of the meal plans offered here to help me plan my nutrition.

 

Today was leg day, my least favorite body part to train. Not only legs are my weakest part, but also the flabbier and on top of it all, my arthritic knees won't make my training any easier. I've found that being careful with the form, especially when squatting has helped me not only too get stronger, but this time knee pain has been practically none existing. And that's good! So here's what I did today:

 

Leg extensions: 2/30 light (warm up) 20 lbs

 

Wide stance BB squat 2/15- 65 lbs

2/failure heavier-75lbs

 

Leg press 4/8 (shoulder width stance)

(3 without weights, last one with 25lb disc)

 

Walking DB lunge 3/20 (baby steps) 15 lbs DB

 

DB step ups 3/10 (15 lbs DB)

 

Plie DB squat 3/15 (40 lbs DB)

 

Seated calf raises 3/20 last to failure (90 lbs)

 

Donkey calf raises 3/20 last to failure (with a 140 lbs woman on my back)

 

No cardio today!

 

As for nutrition this is what I had today:

 

Meal #1: bowl of oats with soy milk and a banana

 

Meal #2: post workout shake and a banana

 

Meal#3: Scrambled tofu with tomatoes, whole grain bun with peanut butter

 

Meal #4: vegan chili, pasta salad (whole grain pasta, grated carrots, onions, basil, a bit of olive oil and sea salt)

 

Meal#5: Protein shake and a guava

 

Meal#6: steamed broccoli with ginger sauce, vegan chili and a small piece of seitan in a whole grain bun.

 

I feel very tired today, leg days are very demanding! So good night everyone!

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Last night I fell like a LOG on my bed, so I couldn't update my fitness journey log. Yesterday was arms, abs and cardio day and I really kicked proverbial rear end! LOL. This is the workout I performed:

 

BB curl 3/10 (EZ bar, 10 lbs weights)

 

Superset: 3/10

Overhead cable curl (20 lbs)

Cable hammer curl (rope) (30 lbs)

 

Alternate Hammer curl 3/10 (15 lbs DB)

Weighted Bench dips 3/10 (25 lbs disc)

Skullcrushers 3/10 (EZ bar, 5lbs)

Seated tricep press 3/10 (20lbs DB)

Tricep pushdown (rope) 3/10 (40 lbs) V bar (50lbs)

 

Airbike 3/25

Jack knife situp 3/10

Roman chair leg rise 3/10

 

30 min cardio on the elliptical (HIIT)

 

Cardio was supposed to be moderate, but I was motivated!

 

Today was shoulder and cardio day. Since my gym will close until Monday for the holidays, I performed shoulders and legs, no cardio, I can do that tomorrow. Here's what I did:

 

Shoulders:

Military Press 4 sets: 1 warm up 3/10-45 lbs bar/empty(1 warm up set) 5lbs discs (2 sets of 10 reps) 10lbs discs (1 set of 10 reps)

 

Superset-3/10

Upright DB rows (20 lbs)

Standing DB military press (15 lbs)

 

Incline bench front DB raises (light) 3/10 (8lbs)

Rear delt cable flyes 3/10 (10 lbs)

Lateral raise 3/10 (10 lbs)

Rear delt raise 3/10 (8 lbs)

 

Legs:

Supersets

(3/10)

Lying leg curls (40 lbs)

Leg extensions (40 lbs)

 

(3/20)

BB lunge (45 lbs bar)

Abductor machine (60 lbs)

 

(3/15)

Lying leg curls (40 lbs)

Abductor Machine (60 lbs)

 

Regular Sets:

Stiff legged dead lift 3/10 (EZ bar, 15 lbs)

Single leg BB squat 3/10 (45 lbs)

 

Seated calf raise 3/20 (90 lbs)

Standing Calf raises 3/20 (30 lbs DB)

 

Today was intense, so I'll eat accordingly, LOL, but as clean as I've been eating so far.

 

About my meals, I've been eating ever 2.5 hours, since I cooked in advance, I have several options: vegan chili, seitan, vegan burguer patties (home made) and what I call my "protein muffins" which are basically vegan burguers (TVP, seitan, beans, oats) baked in the shape of muffins. Lots of veggies and fruits: starfruit and guavas(organic from my own backyard), bananas and pineapples. And of course my power smoothies, made with either coconut or soy milk, flax seeds, protein powder and the fruit that fancies me at the moment. Ok, now I'm hungry, off to load on some quality fuel!

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Well, yesterday I "didn't workout" because I had a hectic day ahead and my gym was closed. Since it was supposed to be my rest day, I did not schedule a regular workout, but ended up feeling totally guilty, so before I showered I decided to warm up a bit (last set of all exercises to failure)

 

Regular push ups 5/12

 

Renegade Rows ( 10 lbs DB) 5/12

 

Burpees (10 lbs DB) 5/15

 

One leg standing calf raise (20 lbs DB) 5/20

 

Bodyweight Squats 5/30

 

After a very hectic day, I behaved pretty well at the Christmas Dinner table. My hard acquired healthy habits seem to be here to stay, yey!!!!!!!!

 

Anyway, today was supposed to be a rest day. Instead I woke up early to a crisp morning, so I went for a long walk to clear my head. When I came back, did power yogaa for an hour, then shower, then a hearty breakfast of left overs, LOL! All vegan and healthy of course! I'm getting prepared for a routine change tomorrow, last four weeks of this program I'm doing (Jamie. Eason's Live Fit) I have seen changes in my body, in strength and definition. After I'm done with this, I'm moving on to the next level of fitness: contest prep. Wish me luck!!!!!!!!

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Today marks the beginning of the 7th week of LiveFit program. I made a mistake when calculating the weeks left, I'm 6 weeks away from finishing it. So far so good! I'm loving the workouts and seeing increase in strength. I still need more definition and volume, but dedication, patience and consistency will get me there.

 

Today was Arms, Abs and Cardio. This is what I did:

 

Narrow pushups 4/15

Seated tricep press 4/8-25 lbs. DB

 

Supersets

Cable one arm tricep extension 3/8-20 lbs

One arm reverse grip tricep pushdown 3/8-20 lbs

 

Skullcrusher 3/8.-EZ bar loaded with 5lbs discs on each side

Close grip bb bench press 3/8-EZ bar loaded with 15 lbs on each side

 

Regular sets

Incline alternate bicep curl 4/8 (15 lbs DB)

BB curl 21's (2 sets) with EZ bar, loaded with 10 lbs discs on each side

Stability ball crunch 3/25

Jacknife sit ups with ball 3/15 (holding ball overhead) 3/15

Stability ball reverse crunches (ball between feet) 3/15

 

Cardio consisted in 30 minutes of power walking outdoors, the afternoon was gorgeous!

 

Meals were ok today, I wasn't really hungry, was kinda blue today, so I lost. My appetite. Still, I ate as much as I could:

 

Meal. #1: power shake (coconut milk, star fruit, 1/2 banana, sunflower seeds, homemade rice milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, protein powder) whole grain roll with almond butter

 

Meal #2: Salad (cabbage finely chopped, avocado, tomatoes and cilantro) brown rice, red beans

 

Meal #3 protein shake, raw peanuts

 

Meal #4: sweet potato, red beans, salad (tomatoes, corn, onions and red bell pepper)

 

Meal #5 power shake (protein powder, starfruit/cinnamon infusion, coconut milk, milled flax seeds)

 

Well, didn't do it that bad after all!!! I'm most proud of the way I nailed my narrow pushups and BB 21's!

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Today I planned going at it early. It was LEG day, which I loathe, I confess. Training legs with arthritic knees isn't a piece of cake. The perk is that since I can get injured pretty easy, I have to be extra careful with form, so my form has improved in all lower body exercises, especially squats

 

So this is what my workout looked like:

 

Narrow stance squats (2/15 light-2/failure heavier)- 45lbs bar/2 sets/15 10 lbs discs-2 sets/to failure 20 lbs on each side.

Narrow stance leg press 4/8 -25 lbs on top

Barbell step ups 4/8 (used 25 and 30 lbs DB instead)

Walking BB lunges (step-down-up-down) 3/20 -10 lbs DB

Single leg bb squat (foot on bench) 4/10 10 lbs DB

Seated calf raises 3/20-last to failure 70 lbs

Standing calf raises 3/20-last to failure 15 lbs DB

Leg extensions 3/10-last to failure 30lbs

 

 

My knees and ankles have been in bad shape this week so I tried to go easy on them. I reduced the weight in some of the exercises.

 

Nutrition wise, I started my day with sunflower seeds and a banana, pre-workout. Post-workout protein shake, nuts and a banana. Had some whole wheat bread for BF, and coffee (yep, I know, it wasn't the smartest choice)

 

For the rest of the day I'll have lots of fresh veggies and batatas (related to sweet potatoes, but not orange, more like a pale yellow), beans and some cooked corn meal (the coarse kind). Of course, some fresh fruit (I was thinking pineapple), seeds and avocados. Power smoothie coming in the afternoon!

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Today I feel super tired for some reason. Maybe I need more food! Or maybe I'm not getting enough rest. Maybe I should. Just lie down the whole day, eat and sleep to give my body the chance to recover. Tomorrow I'm most definitely I'm stretching for a LONG time before I even start my workout.

 

So today was Chest/abs/cardio day. This is what the Fitness Girla did today:

 

BB bench press medium grip 1/8 (45 lbs)

Reverse tricep bench press 4/8 (45 lbs)

 

Supersets

DB flyes 4/8 (20 lbs DB)

DB bench press 4/8 (20 lbs DB)

 

Incline. DB press 4/8 (20 lbs DB)

Bench dips 4/8 (25 lbs disc)

 

Regular sets

Press Machine 4/8 (40 lbs)

Weighted crunches on med ball 3/25 (10 lbs disc)

Hanging or Roman chair leg raise 3/15

Reverse Crunch 3/15

 

Stationary bike -30 mins med intensity

 

I had no spotter, so I didn't do any weight increase today

 

Today I'm eating more, I feel super weak, so this body needs nourishment from quality foods!

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Today was shoulder and cardio day. Still, I didn't do cardio because my knees are still hurting! My shoulder workout went as follows:

 

Arnold DB Press 4/8(15lbs)

Seated bent over delt raise 4/8 last to failure (10lbs)

Standing Palm In, one-arm DB Press 4/8 (20lbs)

 

Superset

Front DB raise 4/8 (10lbs)

Standing DB upright row 4/8 (20lbs)

 

Side lateral raise 4/8 (10 lbs)

Reverse Flyes (face down on inclined bench) (10 lbs)

 

My food intake was not good today I didn't overeat or ate "forbidden food", I just ate very little! It was hectic today, life happened and I wasn't prepared! Correcting that tomorrow!

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My knees are still in pretty bad form. Should've kept the weight light, now I'm paying the price. Today was back, delt and cardio day. Didn't do cardio, for obvious reasons. When it hurts like this I can't walk, bike or pretty much anything that involves leg use.

 

So this is what I did today:

 

Lying T-bar row 4/8 (2 dics, 10 lbs each)

Wide grip lat pulldown 4/8 (last a drop set) (50 lbs)

Seated cable rows 4/8 (last a drop set) (60 lbs)

Straight Arm Pull. Down 4/8

Reverse flyes 4/8 (10 lbs)

Seated bentover rear delt raise 4/8 (10lbs DB)

 

My knees are in pretty bad shape, I'm very worried!

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So this is my first entry of the year. Kind of funny that just when I decide to take up a challenge, a trip presents itself. Anyway, I'm not afraid of messing my nutrition, I'm afraid of not being able to workout hard enough and lose my progress. Well, yesterday I worked out a bit, to at least avoid getting rusty. Worked shoulders and biceps, and a little triceps, kind of a spur of the moment workout. This is what I did:

 

Standing shoulder press (DB) 4/12 15 lbs

Front/side raises 4/15 (5 lbs)

Bent over delt raises 4/to failure (5lbs)

Hammer curls 4/15 (15lbs)

Concentration curls 4/12 (15lbs)

Dips 4/15

 

Food is being a problem, I have so many places to go and people to see... that I don't have time to eat, so I'm eating very little, and after becoming vegan and losing all the pounds, keeping the weight up has been challenging. Ah well, at least I continue to eat clean!

 

Later today I will post today's workout.

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Today I did another short workout, focused on back and abs. I used the 15 lbs dumbbells as they're the only ones available.

 

Stretches

Burpees 4/12

Renegade Rows 4/8

DB rows 4 sets (2/15-2/failure)

Leg raises 3/25

Floor Crunches 3/25

Oblique crunches 3/25

 

Food went better today:

Meal #1: Cherries, strawberries, a banana. A cup of almond milk

Meal #2: Oatmeal with soy milk and peanuts

Meal #3: Tofu stirfry (tofu marinated in tamari with sesame oil, then cooked in pan, then added onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes), whole grain bread

 

Meal #4: rice, beans, salad

 

Meal #5: peanut butter and pickles sandwich on whole grain

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yesterday was my rest day, but I workoed out anyway! I was advised by my coach to do do a whole body routine every other day since I'm on vacation, so I decided to start yesterday with that type of routine. I'm still dying to hit the gym here, but I don't have anyone to baby sit for me.

 

The workout I posted yesterday belonged to the day before, because I didn't have internet signal, so I couldn't upload it. So here's yesterday's workout:

 

Wide pushups 4/15

 

Superset:

DB bench press - 3/15

Flyes - 3/15

 

Narrow pushups 4/10

Tricep DB rows 4/10

Bench dips 4/15 (last to failure)

 

Arnold Press 4/10

Shoulder Press 4/10

Bent over delt raise 3/failure

 

Bodyweight squats 4/20

Bodyweight lunges 4/20

 

Renegade rows 4/10

DB rows 4/15 (last to failure)

 

Alternate DB curls 4/12

Concentration Curls 4/12

Hammer Curls 4/12

 

Planks (30 second hold, then lift a leg and hold the plank for 30 more seconds) 3 times

Floor crunches 4/25

Floor bent knee leg raises 4/25

 

Food I did pretty good today

 

Meal #1: bowl of berries, cherries and a banana

 

Meal#2: peanut butter/pickles sandwich on whole grain, cup of almond milk

 

Meal#3: rice, beans, tomato/basil salad

 

.Meal #4: nuts and berries/cherries bowl

 

Meal #5: vegan capressa (tomatoes, basil, cilantro, onions, garlic, olive oil, firm tofu cut in little squares), veggie stirfry, flatbread

 

I still feel I'm not eating enough, but I'm not doing cardio, so I guess this is good.

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Today was rest day, so I'm only describing my meals today:

 

Meal #1: Bowl of fruit (banana, orange, strawberries, blueberries)

 

Meal # 2: bowl of oatmeal with soymilk and walnuts

 

Meal #3: Tofu capressa, steamed veggies, brown rice, red beans

 

Meal# 4: cup of almond milk, flat bread with peanut butter

 

Meal#5: veggie stirfry, bean salad (red beans, chick peas, basil, cilantro, tomatoes) brown rice

 

Tomorrow another whole body routine.

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Today I performed the same routine as last time, with a little variation. When doing squats, I kind of squatted and held the position for 30 secs, same with lunges. When performing abdominal exercises, held the last of each set for 30 seconds, same thing with pushups and diips, to bring a little challenge into the equation. As for the exercises I performed, they remained the same. I tried to control the speed in which I performed the reps. For some reason I forgot Jamie Eason's program provides two emergency workouts to perform on those days one can't go to the gym. Tomorrow I'll check out those to see what gives, and use them for the remaining days of my vacation.

 

As for nutrition, amazingly I haven't strayed when it comes to the foods I've eaten. Today I indulged a bit though!

 

Meal#1: Flat bread, peanut butter, a cup of vanilla rice milk

 

Meal #2: fruity oatmeal with soy (strawberry, blueberry, grape and banana) and walnuts

 

Meal#3: brown rice with veggies (onions, peppers and cilantro), veggie fake chicken salad from Whole Foods, steamed vegetables

 

Meal #4: banana, peanut butter, a cup of almond milk

 

Meal # 5: pasta and veggie stirfry (frozen veggies, whole grain pasta, shoyu, sesame oil and ginger)

 

Meal#6: tofu in balsamic vinaigrette, half flat bread, some lettuce

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Today, another rest day! Can't say I was happy 'bout it! I'm not used to training so "gently" at least I'm working out! So here are my meals today:

 

.Meal #1: cup of almond milk and peanut butter on whole grain flat bread

 

.Meal #2: oatmeal with soymilk and strawberries, blueberries and walnuts

 

.Meal #3: veggies with brown rice

 

.Meal #4: 2 baked potatoes (medium sized) bbq sauce and garden salad..

 

.Meal #5: veggie stirfry and brown rice.

 

So tomorrow whole body routine!

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Amazing how life happens to the best of us! That walk in NYC killed my knees and other joints, especially my wrists. I spent the whole day in bed thanks to arthritis pain. Since I had to take painkillers, kind of strong actually, I ate a lot of starchy carbs today. I find that meds are easier on my stomach when I do so.

 

This is how my meals looked like today:

 

Meal #1: oatmeal with soy milk and nuts

Meal #2: peanut butter (crunchy, natural kind) on whole grain flat bread, an orange

Meal#3: steamed veggies, brown rice, scrambled tofu

Meal #4: almond milk, fruit salad (berries with nuts)

Meal #5: whole grain pasta salad, bean soup

 

I hope I feel better tomorrow. If I do I'm going to force someone to take me to the gym! I just need to workout outside of the house. I miss the clank of iron at the ironhouse

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Another arthritic day, another day in which I had to adapt my workout to my present traveling/arthritic circumstances.

 

This is what I performed today:

 

Chest and triceps (supersets)

 

Wide pushups (warm up) 3/15

 

DB lying press 4/12-15 lbs

Bendh dips 4/12-15 lbs

 

Flys 4/12 -15 lbs

Tricep kickback 4/12- 15lbs

 

Back and biceps (supersets)

 

DB rows 4/to failure -15 lbs

Alternate curls 4/12-15 lbs

 

Renegade Rows 4/8-15 lbs

Hammer Curls 4/12 -15 lbs

 

Shoulders and abs

 

Arnold Press 4/12 (15 lbs)

Floor Crunches 4/25

 

Front Raise 4/to failure (5lbs)

Jack Knife crunches 4/25

 

Bent over delt raise 4/ to failure (5lbs DB)

DB side bend (15 lbs DB)

 

It feels crummy not to work my lower body, but it will be even worse to further damage my knees

 

Meals went pretty bad today, pain killers made my stomach upset so I didn't eat much.

 

Meal #1: Oatmeal, soy milk and berries

 

Meal #2: rice and beans

 

Meal#3: Rice cakes with peanut butter and some tea (Samurai Chai Matte from Teavana)

 

Meal #4: Vegan burrito (rice with cilantro, black beans, green peppers, onions and guacamole) iced tea

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The arthritis pain extended to my shoulders and wrists, so I couldn't workout today either. Maybe when I go back to the DR, since the climate isn't this cold, maybe the pain will sunside.I tried to do pushups, and the pain in my wrists was unbearable.

 

I didn't eat much today either, since I'm being forced to stay inactive:

 

Meal #1: Rice Milk Latte, dry toast (Ezequiel Bread)

Meal #2: Soy yogurt with nuts

Meal # 3: Brown rice, tomato basil roasted tofu

Meal #4: Vegan burrito (brown rice, chili powder, cilantro, tempeh strips, onions and salsa)

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My health has been an issue lately. My arthritic joints have prevented me from working out, the meds have been hard on my stomach. I feel tired and cranky. The good news is that I did not gain weight during my vacation, eventhough during the last days I ate more than I should, vegan of course. I might stray and eat vegan friendly chips, but never ever will even consider going back to eating animal products, not even cheese, to which I was addicted to. Veganism to me isn't about being healthy or a trendy thing to do. It started out as a way to lose weight. Now it's a huge part of what defines me as a person. And that's that.

 

So on. Monday I'm going back to the gym. Eventhough is rainy here, joints don't hurt as much, so with proper rest I think I will be in tip top condition by Monday. Let's hope for the best!

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So I tried to rest as much as I could today to be in tip top shape tomorrow. Not being able to workout has affected my mood! but tomorrow I'm back! Ready to rumble!

 

Since I'm not working out I've tried to avoid overeating, which I tend to do when under stress. This is what today looked like:

 

Meal #1: Soy latte and dry toast

Meal #2: apple sauce with milled flaxseeds and almonds

Meal#3: pasta with herbs, olive oil and nutritional yeast

Meal #4: yams with salsa and tofu

Meal#5: shake made fr soymilk, banana and hemp seeds

 

I've tried to stay on track, as much as I could, but my portioons have been sometimes too big, so I'm reducing portions starting tomorrow, and cutting a little on starchy carbs, eating more veggies and beans.

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Today I couldn't go to the gym, because my little one kept me up all night with nightmares. My only available time to go to the gym is in the early A.M.

 

Today I performed a full body routine plus cardio (Taebo). I used one of the routines I made up during my trip:

 

Chest and triceps (supersets)

 

Wide pushups (warm up) 3/15

 

DB lying press 4/12-15 lbs

Bendh dips 4/12-15 lbs

 

Flys 4/12 -15 lbs

Tricep kickback 4/12- 15lbs

 

Back and biceps (supersets)

 

DB rows 4/to failure -15 lbs

Alternate curls 4/12-15 lbs

 

Renegade Rows 4/8-15 lbs

Hammer Curls 4/12 -15 lbs

 

Shoulders and abs

 

Arnold Press 4/12 (15 lbs)

Floor Crunches 4/25

 

Front Raise 4/to failure (5lbs)

Jack Knife crunches 4/25

 

Bent over delt raise 4/ to failure (5lbs DB)

DB side bend (15 lbs DB)

 

Glute bridges 3/to failure (boodyweight)

Static squats against the wall. 3/8

 

Taebow-adapting when the moves were hard on my knees.

 

As for food, this was today's meal plan:

 

Meal#1: soy milk latte. (Soy milk and a little instant decaf, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg) 2 dry toasts

 

Meal#2: 1 banana, peanuts

 

.Meal#3: whole grain pasta salad (pasta, grated carrots, tomatoes, basil and cabbage) plain red beans

 

Meal. #4: apple and almonds

 

.Meal#5: protein shake

 

Meal#6: sandwich made with whole grain bread, vegenaise, tomatoes, cabbage, onions, black olives, pickles and 2 slices of veggie deli cuts

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For some reason I couldn't upload my last post, and I find out TODAY!!! >:-(

Anyway, it's too late for regrets, besides being in a foul mood serves no one!

I've been sick with some flu-like virus for two days, I haven't been able to even go to work, let alone workout. I have been so active and charging in full force towards achieving my goals, I enter this challenge and BAM! all sorts of things happen! The irony here being that I take pride of being super healthy, of not getting sick EVER!!!

 

So all this has me a little (ok, A LOT) under the weather, not only physically, but emotionally. This is more ranting than describing my meal plans or workout, but this is a real person here, with real problems, one that's going through a very low moment in her life right now.

 

Anyways, I felt a little better in the afternoon, so I did some power yoga, more for stretching my muscles and flexing my joints than for the mindfulness. Turns out I felt a little better afterwards. So much is going on in my personal life right now, some goals I wanted to tackle have moved further away from my reach. I guess that's what has me in such a foul mood. I guess lots of you out there go through the same thing, maybe different situations, but just as discouraging. I guess we make a difference by getting up, dusting off and keep walking.

 

Emotions got the best of me today, so I basically had gallons of coffee avec bread (whole grain, at least it wasn't white). At least I had my vites!

 

Tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow I will try harder. Tomorrow I will look at the sky instead of the floor....

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