Saturday Morning Work Out

I had a session scheduled with my trainer at 8am this morning. It was the only time I had today as I had to cover rugby again today. My morning didn't start off too well. I forgot my gym bag at home. I realized once I got to the gym. Thankfully I was dressed in my gym clothes but my bag had my water bottle, my myzone belt and my change of clothes for the game. On top of it, half way through the session, I realized my pants were on backwards. Yes, it was THAT kind of morning!

I didn't have any mishaps during the session. My trainer wanted me to do 100 squats, 100 crunches, 100 push-ups, and 100 kettle bell swings. I told him he was crazy. I got to 60 squats and 50 crunches when he decided to switch to something else. Thank goodness! I was not up for that. Instead, he created a circuit that I did 3 times. It involved 5 hang cleans, 10 pistol squats using a TRX, walking lunges, and 10 rope slams + burpee. It wasn't too difficult to do. I just had to mentally push through to get it done.

I did 2 sets on the ab roller. We worked on my pull ups using the assisted machine. 1 did 4 sets but lowered the weight each time, making it more difficult. I was able to do 2 at 95 lbs which is the lowest I've ever been able to do. It's the second to last notch on the machine so it means I'm getting close to doing a full pull up! I alternated it with dips. I ended the session with a short ab circuit.

I felt great getting my work out in early. I have the rest of the day ahead of me although it's jammed pack. I just hope it goes better and I don't have too many more mishaps like this morning!

Getting Creative in the Kitchen

I took the time to cook all my food today. I tried to be a little creative and make a stir fry. I cooked vegetable such as carrots, celery, onions, and cabbage in a little vegetable broth. I added brussels sprouts and spinach to get dark green veggies into my meal. I also added cod fish for my protein. I mixed it all together in a pan to create a meal. I don't know if it'll be any good but it sure smelled good!

I also cooked salmon and broccoli for my second meal. It's simple but still very good. I also prepared a kale salad with chicken as another meal. All this food will only last me a couple of days. Thankfully, it didn't take me too long to prepare it. I'm already thinking about what I'm going to cook next. I'm thinkin a quinoa salad. I haven't made that in a while. I'll keep you posted! Have a good Friday everyone! 

Trail Mix Addiction

One of my favourite snacks is Wild Roots Trail Mix. My favourite is the Coastal Berry Blend which has almonds, cashews, yogurt chips, cranberries and wild berries. It's amazing!

I first discovered it a few weeks ago. My mom bought it at Costco. At first, I only ate the almonds and cashews because I only liked the nuts. I'm not a fan of dried fruit so I didn't eat it. One day, I just decided to take a handful and from that moment, my world changed. It's such a good mix of flavours. My favourite is the yogurt chips because it adds a touch of sweetness to the mix. From that moment, I got addicted to it. I have it every day as my snack. It has a good mix of protein, carbs and fat. I definitely recommend it to anyone who's never had it before. It's so good. I have to be careful with my portions sometimes because I could easily eat the whole bag. Everything in moderation! 

Pull Up Progress

When I showed up to the gym tonight, everyone was laughing at me because I got a huge sunburn today. I got a huge sunburn on my face while covering football practice today. It doesn't hurt but I could feel my face being a little extra warm during my training session. 

I warmed up on the rowing machine. I moved onto 2 sets on the seated row machine. On the VMX, I had to pull up  for a minute, down for a minute, and then up down for a minute. It was really tiring. I then did 3 sets on the ab roller. It was tough because he kept correcting my form since I was bending my back to reach further.

The main circuit of the session involved 1 rope slam, 1 burpee, 15 times. Then one legged push ups and 30 double unders using a skipping rope. I was proud of myself for the push up because I didn't know I could do single leg push ups and the skipping was tough. I should of never told my trainer I could do double unders!

We then worked on my pull ups. I jumped up and lowered myself down. When I jumped up, I pulled myself up to get my chin over the bar and then lowered myself. I could never do that before! I kept working on the mini chin up range. The hardest part is still trying to pull myself up from a hanging position. 

I ended the session with some ab exercises and stretching. I feel really good after my work out and I can't wait to relax tonight. I can't relax too much because I have to make some food for tomorrow. I get to repeat this whole routine all over again tomorrow! 

Bootcamp

I changed up my training tonight and decided to try out Shane's Bootcamp class. I've heard so many great things about it but I've never had the chance to try it. Shane's been bugging me for a while to do it as well. I brought my boyfriend along to try it out. 

It was a great class! I couldn't stay for the whole hour because I had to leave early but I still managed to do the warm up and the whole work out of the day. The goal of the class is to get through all the exercises listed, 5 times, as fast as possible.

The worst exercises for me were the burpees and the 3 point crunches. The high number of reps made me so tired. During the class, I was really proud of myself for never giving up. I was mentally strong and pushed through all the exercises. In the past, if I was tired, I would take a break or not do all the reps. I stuck the routine and got through it all. It wasn't too difficult. It just took a while to complete. 

If I have time, I want to do this class again. I feel good and it was a great work out. I definitely recommend it to anyone who's never done it before! It's a lot of fun! 

New Week, New Goals

After having a so-so weekend training and food wise, I decided to start fresh again today. I woke up an hour earlier to cook some food so I would have lunches and dinners for the week. I cooked sweet potato, broccoli, and green beans to go along with my chicken. It was much needed and it felt good to finally get it done! 

After another long day at training camp, I met with my trainer at 9 to work out. I was tired and he could tell because I didn't have as much energy as usual. The first circuit involved pulling 3 kettle bells attached to the ropes across the room twice, 30 side to side bench jumps, 8 dumbbell snatches, 20 second sprint on the bike, and 12 ball slams. I did it 3 times as fast as possible. I didn't want to do it but I fought through it to get it done quickly. 

I moved on to leg press where I smashed my previous record! I was able to press 5 plates for 6 reps! I was so excited!! I moved on to the 360 rope challenge on the VMX to get my cardio up. I then did lat pulldown and rows on the cable machine. I ended with hanging leg raises and a couple of other ab exercises. 

I foam rolled as soon as I was done and I also continued to stretch and foam roll once I got home. It feels really bad to foam roll in the moment but then it feels so loose after. I've been telling my athletes to stretch all week to take care of themselves so I figured I should do the same thing. I feel a lot better and I'm going to try and continue to do so every day. 

Late Night Training

I had another 11 hour day at football training camp today. It was a lot of fun and I'm starting to get to know all the athletes more and more. The day went by quickly and there weren't too many injuries. I didn't bring my own food today because I didn't prepare anything. I ate with the athletes. Thankfully they were serving chicken today so I could get some protein! 

On my way home I stopped for groceries. I've been long over due for some meal prep. There's no reason I can't follow my diet. The only reason I haven't stayed on track is because I don't have any food prepared. I'm lucky I can get a lunch at school but it's not always the best option for me. I just need to find the time to cook!

I also really wanted to go to the gym tonight. I didn't train for the last 2 days and it was killing me. My body was craving a good work out. I'm surprised I wasn't tired from training camp so I went to the gym late last night. I worked out my legs as that's what I really wanted to do. I felt so good after and I slept like a baby. It's crazy how things have changed. My body now actually wants to work out! And I feel it when I don't. It just makes me feel so much better. 

My goals for this week are to prep my food so I stay on track every day and to plan work outs within my week. I need to regain focus! I know I've had a crazy week but now that I've adjusted, it's time to get back on track!