Coach Robyn's Thanksgiving Holiday

Reporting in.... I haven't had a 90-day Challenge update in a while.   Well, overall it has been successful.  Although I might be short of a couple of my goals, the challenge isn't over until the new year and the main reason I started this challenge when I did was to keep me good and to show everyone that you can commit to good health during the holidays.  Since the average person gains 10 lbs between Halloween and New Year's, my goal was to be healthier and fitter going into 2012 than I was at the beginning of October.

My challenge has gotten me over one huge hurdle so far and that was the Thanksgiving holiday.  I sure did enjoy myself on thursday and had quite a few more calories than I have on an average day, but I didn't go crazy.  I made sure I had lots of protein on my plate and since there were lots of carb-loaded delicious sides to try, I tried them all.....just in small amounts.  Our meal consisted of 3 particular carb-loaded side that I really wanted to have...... Cheesy mashed potatoes, corn casserole and stuffing.  I had some of all and they were pretty darn good. However, I only had about 3 spoonfuls of each.  In previous years, I might have had double that. I also had another great Thanksgiving meal yesterday.  Since I over-loaded on carbs the day before (and definitely paid for it a bit), I really didn't even crave any of the carb sides.  I had turkey, ham, a little bit of sweet potatoes and cranberry casserole.

Anyway, Thanksgiving is a great holiday.  Has always been one of my favorites.  You should certainly enjoy your food but enjoy the time spent with family and friends more.

Ok, now for the exercise part.  I have definitely increased my exercise in the past 2 months (compared to the last 2 years).  I have been so focused on growing a business that I have to admit my exercise has suffered as a result.  Well, times are changing.  I have found a new love for the sport of fitness thanks to Crossfit.  The workouts are as intense as you want/need them to be and I feel accomplished after I finish each session (whether the workout was 7 mins long or an hour).  We will certainly be incorporating a lot more Crossfit aspects into boot camp in the new year so look out.

Here was my Black Friday workout at Crossfit Texas:


Guys vs. Girls (guy team of 4/ girl team of 5) one person working at a time
5 sled runs- 50 m per person
5 sandbag throws - 50 m per person 
250 deadlifts (95/135)
250 push press (65/95)
400 m run as a team together
250 pushups 
250 situps 
500 m row- each person
250 kbs (35/55-Russian)
5 sled runs- 50 m per person
5 sandbag throws - 50 m per person

My Posterior Chain (Hamstrings, Glute, Erectors) are feeling it today!

Post- Turkey Day Workout

Enjoy yourself on Turkey day then get right back at it tomorrow with a great workout that only requires your body weight and about 20 minutes.

10-20-30 reps of 4 different exercises

-push-ups

-squats (hip crease below knee crease)

-alternating v-ups (each leg)

-burpees

Ready....set....GO!

Record your time and post below!

PUMPKIN POWER PANCAKES!

POWER PANCAKES

~1 cup oats (non-instant)

~1 cup egg whites or 3 eggs

~1 Vanilla Meal Replacement Shake OR 2 Scoops of Vanilla Muscle Gain

~ 1/8-1/4 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk (water also works)

~ 1/2 cup of Pumpkin puree

~ a little vanilla extract for more flavor

yields - 2-3 big pancakes, approx 20-25 grams of protein per pancake

Poured about half into skillet and sprinkled some cinnamon on top. You can spread almond butter, peanut butter, apple butter (shown) and/or drizzle honey or agave nectar over it for more YUMMMMM!

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

~Coach Robyn

FUEL UP Morning Exercisers!

If any of you have worked with me for any extended period of time, especially in the morning camps, you have heard me talk about how you MUST eat something before coming to the workout (even just a small amount).  You have also heard me ask many people….”have you eaten breakfast?” and then subsequently get on my soapbox after they say "no."  I understand you may not be a “morning eater” but you can certainly change that.  There is no genetic code that says that you will always feel nauseous and not be able to eat in the morning until you have been up for 2-3 hours.   If you have been ignoring your body for a long time (because I bet there was a time in your life that you WERE hungry in the morning and you just ignored it) then you need to start telling your body what’s right again. You may hate the morning protein shake, eggs, bar, toast with peanut butter, etc for a week or so but your body will adapt.  It will soon start expecting it and asking for it.  They don’t say “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” for nothing.  It is important to get some fuel in there and kickstart your metabolism right from the get-go.  What drives metabolism?  MUSCLE!  So make sure your breakfast include an adequate amount of protein (20+ grams). 

Believe me, I wasn’t always a morning eater and HATED choking down something before our 6am workouts in college.   Even though all I had was a crappy little Nutrigrain bar and my choice could have been MUCH better, at least it was something.  In hindsight, I wish I would’ve had a good quality protein shake instead like the Advocare Meal Replacement Shake or Muscle Gain.  This would have been a much better option to feed my muscles for intense exercise.

Ok, so back to the point.  You MUST eat before a morning workout and if you are still wondering why then pay attention closely.  Let’s take a random person named Ed, for example.  Say Ed eats dinner at 7pm the night before a workout.  Ed heads to bed around 10:30pm and gets up at 5:30am for a 6am workout.  He goes straight to the workout without eating anything.  He works out intensely for one hour and then waits to eat breakfast until he gets home, has had his shower and is cleaned up (another hour later).  First of all, he went 11 hours with ZERO input before his workout.  This means that he has NO fuel in his body for exercise.  If any of you have paid attention to my previous posts then you will know that the next source of energy your body uses for fuel is muscle.  So Ed’s body was breaking down muscle to use for energy as he was trying to build it. If that seems counterproductive then you are correct.  The second mistake Ed made was waiting to refuel afterwards.  Your body needs fuel to recover and rebuild after a workout.  I personally drink Post-Workout Recovery immediately after my workouts and then eat a protein-focused meal about 30-45 minutes later after my body has digested the shake and used it to start the recovery process.

If you need EVEN MORE proof that I am right (wink wink), then take this case in point.  One of my campers who has been coming for over a year brought his daughter out to camp this morning visiting from out of town.  As soon as we completed the dynamic warm-up (about 8 minutes long) and I was getting ready to explain the workout, she fell over.  I thought she had tripped on something but turns out that she blacked out momentarily.  The first emotion that goes through your head is worry but my next immediate thought, from previous knowledge, was to ask her if she ate anything before coming.  Of course, her answer was “no.”  Thankfully her Dad was there and knows how adamant I am about eating before a workout and has heard it many times before (I think he finally believes me now).  Since we had only had gone through a light warm-up at that point, there really could be no other reason (barring something more serious) than a lack of nutrition in her body.

So do you guys finally get it?!?!?  I always feel like I’m talking on deaf ears when I tell people they need to eat before a workout.  That pre-workout food is not meant for pleasure.  It serves a very distinct purpose……FUEL!

~Coach Robyn

90-Day Challenge Update - The Future is Still In Front of You...

Ok, so it’s time for me to re-visit my 90 day challenge goals.  I have to admit, my 90 day challenge is going mediocre at best.  The reason I say this is that my exercise has been OK but not as consistent as I would like.  My nutrition has also been OK.  I give myself an 8 out of 10 on most days but there have been too many 6 out of 10 days recently.  I also know that I actually ENJOY eating a 10 out of 10 lifestyle (meaning nothing fried, processed, dipped in butter, packed with preservative, etc).

I have let stresses a busy schedule get in the way and have caught myself eating out more than I’d like.  So I would say I have been “convenience” eating.  I know exactly when it’s happening and there isn’t a lot I can do at the moment when I’m starving and I’m out and about.  My decisions become limited to what’s around me when I am in that situation (do you feel this happening to you a lot as well?).  So the lesson learned here is PREPARATION.  When I have properly prepared myself with a container of left-overs, healthy grab-and-go snacks like nuts then I can feed my muscles, keep my metabolism up and hold off hunger until I can make a better and non-rushed decision on what food I will eat.  So again, being prepared is so important.

One other point I would like to make is about motivation and analytical measurement.   When I say measurement, I mean anything from stepping on the scale and getting your weight, doing your body fat % or taking circumference measurements.  I am going to do some measurements this week to see where I’m at even though I would guess they aren’t where I want them to be.  Taking measurement and seeing where I am, extremely motivates me. This is because I know it’s in my power to improve.  The numbers does not drive me by any means but I look at it with an athlete’s perseverance and mentality.  If I make an error or mess up, the game isn’t over.  I need to pick myself up and get back in the game.  A perfect example is the MVP of the World Series this year, Brian Freese.  He made a crucial error in game 7 by dropping a fly ball early on.  He could have hung his head, pouted and thought “man, I messed this up for my team.”  But he didn’t.  He got right back in there, didn’t let the past affect his future and hit the game-winning homerun.  He chose his own fate. You can choose yours as well.

Measuring, however, can be de-motivating to some people.  If you think that taking your measurements will cause you to be upset, cloud your goals and vision of what you are trying to accomplish……..then DON’T DO IT!  You need to know yourself on this one and you know yourself best. 

If you’ve made mistakes and aren’t happy with where you are at right now, don’t feel bad or hang your head.  Your future is ahead of you and you are in control.  If it is a lack of knowledge and you just don’t KNOW what to do next or what goals you should have then seek counsel.  We would be happy to answer any of your questions at Boot Camp U whether it’s about exercise, nutrition, motivation, energy, goal setting, etc.  Just talk to your trainer or ask me by emailing robyn@bootcampUaustin.com.  My passion is helping people realize a healthy lifestyle of activity and proper nutrition…..so FIRE AWAY!

~Coach Robyn