Les Mills Combat-day one

So I've been lapsing hardcore on my goals.  Instead of losing half a pound each each I've actually gained quite a bit more.  So I decided that it was time to get some help.

About five years ago Mike and I attempted Beachbody's P90X program and while I did not complete the program we were getting great results.  The downside to P90X is that the workouts are really long and require a lot of equipment (pull up bar, weights, etc.).  I wanted a program that would push me like P90X but contained shorter workouts and less equipment

My co-worker had been talking about Les Mills Combat and had successfully completely the program and looked GREAT after doing it so I decided to give it a go.  The program consists of 30, 45, or 60 minute high intensity intervals of mixed martial arts.  Not only do I love martial arts but I know that I can really push myself for  thirty minutes!  I also love that there are two rest days in the week! In short this feels like a totally do-able program.

In addition to the workout program there is a diet guide that "takes the fight inside".  the first week is a very specific 1200 calorie diet to kick-start your metabolism.  It includes a lot of favorites like raspberries, eggs, and familiar meats.  It also includes some stuff that I'm not quite sure about like grapefruit, oatmeal, cottage cheese, and tempeh.  Again I'm willing to try anything once!

It's been awhile...

So yesterday was my 29th birthday and if caused me to enter into a deep reflection. Was I where 12 year-old me thought I was going to be by the time I was thirty. Upon deep thought, I figured out I had made most of my long term goals: 1) I am a high school math and science teacher. 2) I am married to a wonderful man 3) I have a pet! My parents only let me have a turtle and it wasn't cuddly :( There were a few however that I haven't made: 1) I don't own a house or really a car (Mike owns CC) 2) I don't have any kids even though I've been married for five years. It seems like my married friends are popping out babies left and right (Congrats Jasmine!) 3) I'm overweight and I have self-image issues. Don't get me wrong, I love my life and I'm very happy, but I just want to enter my thirties feeling like I'm in a good place physically. I kinda see this year as one of my last chances to get it together before the ol' body starts breaking down. To be perfectly honest my body was breaking down in my twenties with my back and bad joints, so my main goal for this year is to be in a better place health and physically speaking. Here are my goals for the last year of my twenties: 1) lose at least 24 pounds (it's not as much as I need to lose, but I want it to be attainable :)) 2) Be under calorie count for 30 days straight (I will restart the counter each time I'm over) 3) complete at least 1.5 hrs of exercise a week The other two goals (house and baby) I will be working on with my husband :), but the third one is all about me and only i can do it. I know that if I lose weight and start taking better care of myself I will feel better about myself. It's kinda daunting and scary, but totally doable. I want to enter my thirties feeling good.

Learning to let go, and taking ownership of what I can control.

These last few weeks have been really hard for me.  I went from the idyllic lazy world of Disney vacation to the hectic, crazy life of a high school teacher.  Not to mention, I'm in charge of planning the only all school formal dance which is on February 7th AND I've run into countless problems with new maintenance, organizing volunteers, and just having to make so many god damn decisions, I came real close to a full mental breakdown.  I had a mini one in front of my administration, but hearing their support of me really helped prevent it from being a full blown crazy one.  Oh and to top everything off, I was in a play and I'm stage managing another play. Their came a point where I was like something had to give.  I cut out what I could, and that was basically the play I was (Vagina Monolgues at Pacifica Spindrift Players) but I couldn't quit on my other responsibilities.  I had to do deal with the dance because it was my job and I had to continue to stage manage because people depended on me.

Needless to say, I felt like my life was spinning out of control.  I wasn't eating regularly and when I was eating, I was pigging out on comfort foods.  When I say comfort food, I really mean junk food like soda and chocolate cake.  They did wonders to soothe the rage, but then I started feeling guilty for eating them, feeling like I had let my stress get the better of me and make the decision for me.  I ate them to feel happy and I was just spiralling deeper into sadness because of it.  I was becoming irritable, easy to snap, and just not a happy person.  Because I was stressed out, I noticed that my formal committee girls were getting stressed and my students were stressed and it just amplified.

Then I re-watched Frozen and during the song Let it Go, I realized that I was allowing the small stuff to affect me WAY too much and I just needed to let it go.  Yes, the new maintance requirements put a damper on our decorations, but instead of getting upset and frustrated, I needed to come up with solutions to make it work.  Yes, commuting up to Pacifica Monday-Thursday is a huge time suck, but I actually get a lot of work done during the rehearsals that I wouldn't normally get at home.  Yes, I made some bad food choices, but they made me happy and I CHOSE to eat them.  I have total control over my food consumption and my exercise level.  There is nothing holding me at gun point or holding me back.  I have complete control over that and I need to take ownership over it.  The best thing I can do when I make the decision to drink soda or eat chocolate cake is to not feel guilty about it.  I can recognize that I shouldn't eat it all the time, but there are going to be some moments in your life where you just want to be happy and sometimes cake is the only thing that will do it. 

 

 

 

This is why I can't do any work at home!

Post-Script: So the dance was a total success and I was able to make it so the girls on my board also had a great time.  By not freaking out and stressing about the small stuff we were set-up WAY ahead of time and we cleaned-up in record time.  When all else fails, Let it Go! 

SuperRecipe: Turkey Quinoa chili [meal]

Recipe
SuperFoods used: Quinoa, Black beans, (can top with avocado but it pushes the calorie content)

Serving size: 1 cup

Calories per serving: 264 Calories

Review:
I really like this recipe.  It was super easy to make and I was able to omit the chipotle peppers and chili to make a super mild version, but the cumin and cinnamon really keep it flavorful.  After cooking the ground turkey (yes 1/2 a pound is more than enough meat) and quinoa, it was basically a dump it in a pot and forget about it.  I had never eaten quinoa before and so I was hesitant, but after tasting it, I realized it has the taste of brown rice and a very pleasant texture.  I also considered omiting the beans, but it turns out I like black beans in this context.  They give a great meaty texture to an almost vegetarian dish.  Honestly, I think the dish would be fine if you omitted the turkey.  I like meat so I added it in :).

My chili didn't turn out as red as the picture from the recipe because I used diced tomatoes and I couldn't find adobo sauce, so I used powder instead.  Overall a great dish, easy to make, and it is very filling.  Next batch I'm actually going to count how many cups it comes out to to have a better estimate of meal size.  I've been eating about 2 cups in one sitting, and so far I've gotten about 7 meals out of one pot!  In short definitely making this again!