Workouts #33 and #34

Quick accountability updates for the last two days so that I can get some rest. I was dragging at workout today.

Thursday, February 21st:

Food- I started the day with the usual mix of bran based cereals, a banana, skim milk and water. Snacks were protein bar in the morning and apples and organic peanut butter in the evening. For a change of scenery, lunch was at greenlife. I had a wonderful chicken stir fry and two indian dishes (one based on black beans and the other based on garbanzo beans). It was fantastic to introduce some new flavors. For dinner, I threw some blue corn chips together with some shredded mozarella, grilled chicken, and some salsa for "healthy nachos". Everything was supplemented by water as usual. I continue to experiment with food and find things that work and don't work. Having choices is good for longevity and lifestyle change.

Workout- Today we worked on lower body. Though I was dragging, I made it through everything and my quads were completely burnt out at completion. Thanks to boxing, fast circuits, and a variety of exercises, my heart rate averaged above 140 for the entire workout.

Cardio- Back on the elliptical for interval training. I never thought I would enjoy this machine so much but it's great for high heart rate and watching history channel without being hard on joints. I did 30 minutes today with 3 minute interval sprints. Pace averaged over 4.5 so I covered 2.26 miles and burnt 410 calories.

Wednesday, February 20th:

Food- Breakfast was cereal and snacks were 1/2 banana coupled with 1/2 protein bar. Lunch was turkey on wheat with a small caprese salad. Dinner was some grilled chicken over romaine with sunflower seeds, mozarella cheese, raisins and lite italian dressing. I had lots of water yesterday to the point that I felt a little water logged.

Workout- The main thing that surprised me about upper body day is that I was able to do sets of 10 on decline bench press with 185 pounds. I'm definitely getting stronger in the chest which is reassuring when paired with the rapid weight loss. I'm also impressed by the way that the trainers rotate opposing muscles during circuits so that you get full muscle development. I'm working out muscles that I never new I had and that makes for a more solid foundation and less potential for injuries due to weak spots.

Cardio- Cardio setting on the elliptical at level 5. Average speed was just above 4 mph and I covered about 2.1 miles while burning 410 calories. Remember that the distraction of music (hence my constant iPod use) makes time go by much faster. I also find it easier to keep a faster pace when high energy music is on.