Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Greetings, all.

Back in the day I was a busy woman. I worked out 5-6 days a week, took care of the family, worked a decent schedule, and attended school. Then came the accident, torn ligament, and battered spine. Chronic pain, stiffness, and weight gain came after that. I'm sick of it and making a plan.

The first big goal is to complete the Cooper River Bridge Run/Walk in March 2012, the day after my 43rd birthday. The overall goal is to get back to a much better place. I've started small - walking the dogs further and a few minutes on the elliptical machine a few days a week. The official 10K training schedule starts in January.

Anyway, this is me, starting over.

I'm in the middle of a flare up and dealing with pain between 8-9 on a scale of 10. It means meds and a very limited schedule. So I'm walking and stretching for the most part. I've decided to take advantage of Hulu and Netflix for Pilates and yoga videos for a while and found a standing Pilates routine from The Firm. I liked it, but had to stop when I felt the reminder that my back does not like to move certain ways at times.

Food has been good, but could be better. Flare week is usually zero motivation week, but things have been different this week. I'm sick of where I've been and need better. So it's been better - more produce, less junk. The Christmas brunch and Yule feast are looking good, too. Lots of bright colors and flavors. Let's hope I can stay awake to enjoy the feasts.

Speaking of, back to the kitchen I go.

Peace.

The flare up kicked my butt on Friday. It was a low energy day but I muddled through. I worked, planned menus for the next couple of weeks (mine and the family's), and wished for something good to happen. A few good things happened. My bosses gave me a bonus (completely unexpected), my final grades came in (3.26 overall GPA, baby), the inlwas were pleasant (completely unexpected), and I won the VBB contest for day #4.

If the pain eases enough, Saturday will be a gentle yoga and walking day. Presents need wrapping, veggies need prepping, and a quiche needs to be baked, too.

Until later, peace.

It's been too long since I've posted here.

The flare up is still in full effect, but so are my enthusiasm, determination, and drive. So my body is screaming at me; I just went a different route. No lifting, but a good hike, walks, and stretching are doing my body good. As far as food, I have hubby on board with more produce in general. He won't be joining me on the veggie path, but he is willing to participate in Meatless Monday again and will not give me grief when we go out. It's progress, so I'm happy.

Oh, and I'm out of size 20 and down to 18. That's huge!

Here's to 2012 and all of it's promise!

Peace.

1-1-12

My shoulder has been screaming all day, so I had to take it easy. I'll be so glad once it stops!

45 minute walk, 2 1/2 mph
15 minutes of yoga

B - fruit & greens smoothie, lemon water, black coffee, supplements
S- granola bar
L - tofu dog w/Jamaican relish and mustard, pickle spear, 1/2 order fries with vinegar, unsweetened tea
D - black-eyed peas & rice, kale (Tess Challis' recipe), stewed tomatoes, vegan mac & cheese (last minute addition), tea

Nearly 3 quarts of water so far and counting.

And I think I'll call it a night fairly early. Hubs has been off and he's a night owl and then some. I don't think I am anymore. Boo?

Peace.

Setbacks suck.

Screaming pain and limited mobility are back, so I am taking a break. I don't want to take a break! I want to push forward and reach the goals I've set. But for now, I'll be following the standard pain is kicking my butt routine - move slowly and gently, eat well, and curse my crumbling spine.

Frack.

Food is on point and yummy! I felt up to it yesterday, so I cooked a good bit and made brownies. Don't tell the family, but I used whole wheat flour and flax. The kiddos and hubby loved them.

On the exercise front, wall push ups are a good thing and do not stress my back. I am not going to push too hard. I can't afford to. I have to work and attend classes. I need to do this right this time.

Friday, Jan. 6

I'm not quite as stiff as I was, but I still hurt. The wall push ups are not hurting me one bit and I feel better overall. Sleep escaped me last night and I cannot for the life of me figure out why. There was no caffeine intake after noon and everything else seemed to be fine. I wish I knew what the deal was.

Anyway, the weekend is here and I need to get some more produce in the house.

B - citrus salad, black coffee, lemon water, supplements

S - peanut butter on Ezekiel bread, water

L - chili from Vegan Diner (made fat free with extra veggies), water, iced tea

D - burger on whole wheat bread with onion, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and homemade vegan mayo (garlic may from Vegan Diner with extra garlic and no oil), raw Bok Choy with light Asian vinaigrette, tea

Classwork, Supernatural, and an early bedtime tonight. Early for Friday that is.

Saturday 1/7

Lucky #7? Not so much. I woke up feeling fine, but the pain crept in as the day went on. I had to work today (school and work), so I took the day off except for stretching every 3 hours. Let's hope tomorrow is better. I know I'm smaller because yet another formerly tight par of pants is looser. Sweetness!

Football tonight! Let's go, Saints!

Peace.

Sunday 1/8

I'm 2 pounds down and feeling less pain. That's a win to me!

Exercise was a gentle walk today. I needed to feel like I was getting back on track and the walk helped a lot.

B - Vegan BLT on Ezekiel bread, lemon water, black coffee

L - Everything bagel with vegan garlic cream cheese, 2 pickle spears, water

D - beans and greens bowl (black eyed peas, kale, tomatoes, green chili, hot sauce), water, pumpkin pie

Come on, Steelers!

Peace.

Week 2 started off really well and is shaping up to be a good one all around. Maybe I should not type or say that aloud so the gremlins wrecking havoc with my life will get inspired and come at me hard again.

Exercise - 1 1/2 mile walk at a faster pace than Sunday night. Still keeping it gentle for now. Yoga tomorrow (Rodney Yee Yoga for Arthritis - very gentle but effective routine).

B - Happy Herbivore's Banana Bread, 1/2 huge Jonagold apple, walnuts, lemon water, 2 cups black coffee

L - Boca on Kaiser roll with Steak sauce and vegan mayo (FF version of Vegan Diner's Garlic Mayo), pickle spear, decaf tea, water

D - Tofu scramble with kale over grits with nutritional yeast, flax, tsp of margarine and hot sauce, decaf tea, water

S - slice pumpkin pie

Grocery shopping calls (ugh). Peace, all.

Glad it's working for you. Keep it up!

Thank you!

Wednesday, January 11

It hasn't been a bad day overall, but I hurt. The pain level was pretty high, so I decided to walk instead of taking in yoga. That may seem like the wrong course of action for some, but it's what my body needed. If anything, this pain has taught me to listen closely and give my body what it needs. The migraine I awakened with made it easy for me to decide, too. And the misty rain made the walk perfect.

20 minute, 1 mile walk

B - Happy Herbivore's Banana Bread, 1/2 Jonagold apple, water, 2 cups black coffee

L - Huge Greek Salad (vegan, 4 cups of veggies total), iced tea

D - Gardein buffalo wings with extra sauce, 2 cups celery, 'blue cheese' dressing, tea, water, slice apple pie

Cocktail - homemade sweet tea vodka with lemon over ice

S - chickpea 'tuna' salad (chickpeas, onion, celery, kelp, and homemade fat free garlic mayo), water

Thursday, January 12

A day full of work and schoolwork. My planned laps this evening were replaced with an extended traffic stop this evening. My tag light was out and I have a $247 ticket that will be reduced or tossed in court. The best part? I was stopped in my neighbor's yard. No speeding, nothing, just a burned out tag light. It should be tossed when we shop up with proof in court next month, but still. The stop threw off my evening schedule even further and made my sick day a little more stressful.

I haven't had much of an appetite today.

B - chickpea 'tuna' salad on whole wheat bread, half apple, black coffee, lemon water

L - bean enchiladas with salsa and lettuce

D - beans and rice