100 burpee challenge.

1.5 months into being a college graduate and I already need something new.

After my departure from college, I moved in with my Aunt in San Antonio for an internship downtown at an advertising agency. It being an unpaid internship, I had to look for a job. It took 2 long weeks to find one, I wanted to get a bank job, but training time would cut into my internship, so I tried to become a hostess again, but I absolutely bombed my interview... one because he was asking me about stuff that happened the last time I was a hostess at the tender age of 17 (how the hell am I supposed to remember...totally caught me off gaurd and I couldn't even think of a lie!) and two because I really hate the restaurant industry and didn't really want to do it. I just really didn't want to get a job at a hotel because I was so over it. Well, in the time crunch with bills coming up, I went ahead and applied at the Hampton and got the job. Starting June 1st at both my internship and my new hotel job, I pretty much work 7 days a week. Now this wouldn't be so bad, except for the fact that I pretty much don't like either place that I have to be at every day. The internship isn't too bad, just boring. I kinda just act like a secretary to the one man advertising agency. The hotel. OH man, this hotel is bad. It was built in the 1980;s, the A/Cs are always going out, housekeeping is LAZY and doing their job for them is really getting on my nerves. I really miss my old housekeepers! Anyway...

Other than being at work 7 days a week, I really don't mind being in San Antonio. I don't really do anything except go home, and spending time with my grandma (Granny), nieces and nephew is really nice. The oldest, Aubriana, who will be 12 in August is JUST LIKE ME. It's awesome knowing why she acts a certain way when everyone else thinks it's weird. The only downside to living with Granny is the deliciously unhealthy food she loves to have waiting for me when I get home. How am I supposed to turn down these food items, not that I want to eat them, but that I don't want to disrespect the Granny love? I've gained 5 lbs.!!

I've joined a gym, due to this unavoidable calorie increase, for only $10 a month! Perfect for my very low budget. What I want to eventually do is join a CrossFit community. But that can't be until I make a little more money than I do now, since memberships are at a minimum $150 a month. I've started doing weight training so that in the future when I do join CrossFit I can at least attempt some of the workouts. I've also decided that I am doing a 100 day burpee challenge. Day 1 = 1 burpee...and so on. I did 100 burpees today to time it and see how much better I can do after the challenge. It took me 19 minutes 57 seconds to do them. It was hard, but I'm proud of myself because I did each burpee with the same strength as the first, not letting my form deminish. Probably why it took 20 minutes!! But my arms are wobbly, and I iced my bad elbow after just to be cautious. So...we will see how this goes!!

Moooo

Update for the last few days: 

Sunday we barbecued some baby back ribs! It was my first time ever working with them, so I bought some dry rub, and put lots of it on the ribs, and we put them in the grill for about 2 hours... The last 10 minutes or so, we poured some barbecue sauce on the top and let that dry on it...they were pretty good! But I picked the fattiest ribs so I didn't eat them because they were too fatty...next time I'm picking out the more lean side! and skimming more fat off! I had a few bloody marys to go with that, and chips...so Sunday wasn't the best food day for me! Maybe Sunday will be my one day a week that I don't eat as well? So I BBQed all day, and those bloody marys got me pretty tipsy, so no working out done on Sunday...

Monday I finished off my chicken and pasta salad! I threw away the rest of my pasta salad because I'm trying for a 50% protein diet, so having pasta salad just laying around wasn't gonna work for me. I didn't work out until pretty late, because my plan was to watch Conan while on the treadmill, and it started at 10! So around 9:30, I finished up my homework I had been working on, and went to the rec and was on the treadmill for an hour and 15 minutes! I walked most of the time, but during the commercials I jogged...much better than watching it on the couch with a bag of popcorn! (Which I read, you should never eat microwave popcorn because of the chemicals in the bag that leak into the popcorn. Another no-no is canned tomatoes, for the same reason.) 

On the way home from the rec I stopped by HEB to get some milk and Ovaltine (I like to drink chocolate milk after workouts) and a couple items to eat for today. I actually found some lactose free/fat free milk with 50% more protein than regular milk! It's not pure milk but I like the benefits...It's called "Mootopia" and it's HEB Brand... (I copy and pasted an article about this milk at the bottom) I also bought whole wheat bread, grilled chicken, and a huge fruit tray.

I woke up early enough to have time for breakfast and I had a piece of toast with 1 and a half eggs (1 whole egg & 1 egg white--more protein, less calories, same flavor) on top of it... it's so delicious to smear the yolk on the toast like butter! Then I drizzled it with Tabasco. I drank 2 cups of green tea with 2 spoonfuls of honey, then it was off to class for me.

I guess I didn't realize how long I'm at school during the day, because through my second class, I was STARVING! Luckily I had my lunch planned out for me at home, so no bad decisions were made, but I couldn't get to it fast enough. I ate a chicken sandwich (6 oz. of chicken breast) on my whole wheat bread, with some BBQ sauce drizzled on it. As my side I had lots of fruits from my fruit tray. Kiwi, blueberry, strawberry, cantaloupe, grapes...lots of different colors and different antioxidants. I had a bite of cottage cheese, but I just didn't feel like eating it after that. I'm still pretty full from that big sandwich! Dinner is a mystery...I may just do a workout and have my cup of chocolate milk for dinner. 

This article is from the San Antonio Business Journal...

H-E-B has developed a milk product that has 60 percent less sugar, 35 percent more calcium and 75 percent more protein than traditional milk. It has also been enhanced with vitamins A and D and it is lactose free. However, it only has four grams of carbs.

H-E-B began marketing the product under the MooTopia brand in 11-, 32- and 64 fluid ounce bottles on Wednesday. It is also available in skim milk. MooTopia is produced at H-E-B's milk plant in Houston.

H-E-B officials say they created the milk with the health-conscious consumer in mind. MooTopia is ideal, company officials add, for people who are either lactose-intolerant, diabetic, women who are past menopause or senior citizens.

"MooTopia is real milk, only better," says Bob McCullough, group vice president of manufacturing for H-E-B. "Through a patented process developed by H-E-B partner Select Milk Producers, we now can remove lactose, reduce the carbs and increase its nutritional value, while increasing milk's delicious flavor."

H-E-B is the largest privately held company in Texas with more than 60,000 employees. The family-owned grocery company has 300 stores in Texas and northern Mexico and is one of the largest and fastest growing food and drug chains in the United States.

The past two days have been...ok...! On Thursday, I ended up not working out until 10! Big mistake, I couldn't fall asleep until 4-something and had to wake up at 6 for work. I was so tired, but at least I worked out!
I worked from 7-3 and for breakfast, I had 3 or 4 slices of bacon and a small helping of cubed potatoes. (That wasn't too healthy...oh well.) For my caffeine fix, I drank a cup of green tea with one honey packet. I usually put 2 packets but I'm trying to get used to it not being sweetened, so I'm weening down the amount of sweetener. For lunch, I had a healthy chicken fajita cabana bowl with a salad blend, black beans, guacamole and pico de gallo...it was pretty good! I really wanted some sour cream on there though...but I didn't! I'd also like to note that although I was at work and there's delicious little chocolates and chocolate chip cookies, I refrained! Proud of myself.

After work, I went home and  immediately went to sleep for a nice nap to make up for my 2 hours of sleep. I napped for 3 1/2 hours! I woke up and went to H-E-B to get something for dinner and I tried to get a rotisserie chicken but they were out! So sad. Instead, dinner was a grilled chicken sandwich from whataburger on wheat bread with lettuce, tomato, (no mayo) and added jalapenos, with some barbeque sauce on it from home, then a side of steamed new potatoes instead of fries! mmmm. oh and Brandan tried his hardest to get me to drink some of his sprite (he was testing my will) and I didn't have any :)   I had 2 bloody marys after dinner though...I never drink alcohol so this was a little treat for my Friday night!


Today I woke up around 9:30 and made pasta salad to take to work! I have been wanting some pasta salad and I looked up recipes, and just didn't like any of them, so I made up my own salad! I must say, it's pretty amazing. It's a mix of whole grain rotini pasta and italian dressing (made with EVOO) and I added my own mix of roasted marinated bell pepper(hate raw bell pepper!), banana peppers, sliced kalamata olives, cherry tomato halves, and garlic and herb feta cheese. Best pasta salad I've ever had...go me! After I put my salad in the fridge to "meld", I went to my apartment gym and did about 30 minutes of cardio and some arm workouts. I suprise myself with how long I can jog without stopping! I want to keep trying to jog longer and longer without stopping to walk. I've never been a runner so running for any amount of time is really good! As soon I was done working out I had to get ready for work... I stopped at HEB on the way to work to get that rotisserie that I wanted yesterday, so I have some protein with my pasta salad. It was my first time ever getting rotisserie chicken, and I bought "Honey Jalapeno" seasoned...as soon as I got to work I cut myself off some chicken breast and half of the pasta salad I brought...amazing lunch! I don't know why I've never gotten a rotisserie chicken before... I'm a new fan! Now I'm starting to get hungry again and I'm gonna go for a second helping of chicken and pasta salad...Right now.

Woops...

WELL... it turns out that my "healthy homemade dinner" did not happen; in fact, just the opposite happened. I had a burrito and chips and queso from Taco Cabana... followed by a little bit of an Oreo frosty. Ouch. I was almost too embarrassed to mention what I ate because it's so horribly unhealthy, but I made myself, because I knew I would remember the embarrassment of having the possibility of someone reading about my complete failure. One of my philosophies in life is this--If you do something that you don't want to tell everyone, then you probably shouldn't be doing it in the first place. And this is my personal downfall--once I get to the point where I'm really hungry, all of my food inhibitions go out the window. I walked into Taco Cabana set on getting a chicken fajita cabana bowl with no shell, black beans, salad blend, pico, and guacamole, but my hunger got the best of me and the unhealthy chicken burrito and queso sounded so much better... until I finished eating and regret set in.

To stop the nonsense, I plan on carrying a snack, such as a Larabar, around with me for when times get tough and I start feeling hungry. This way I won't lose my sensibility when presented with an unhealthy food option. Larabars are not my favorite thing in the world; it is a food bar made of mainly dates, usually some type of nut, and maybe a little fruit, depending on the flavor it is. I don't like dates, prunes, raisins, craisins, or any other type of dried fruit for that matter, but they're all natural and so nutrient and fiber packed I just need to get over it and choke them down between meals with a bottle of water. I bought a HUGE pack of them also, so I'm pretty much obligated to eat them. Maybe (hopefully) I'll get used to them.



I chose to walk across campus in the beautiful weather, rather than riding the tram, and while walking, I had a few minutes to think about what I want my goal weight to be. I'm pretty happy with my body actually, considering the amount (lack) of effort I've been putting into it as of late, and the unhealthy food that I've been eating. All I really dislike is my middle region (pooch and love handles). I know I will never be model thin, and I'm fine with that. I just want to be healthy. The skinniest I've ever been as an adult was 140, and that was because I was prescribed adderall. I took adderall for about 6 months before deciding that not being able to focus in class was a better alternative to all of the side effects that amphetamines bring: Light sensitivity, headaches, being angry for hours for no legit reason, complete loss of appetite, waking up in the middle of the night WIRED, and the plunge in functionality that occurred if I didn't take the medicine for a day...basically I was a crack head, though I did like my 4.0 gpa and bangin' body... Anyway...140 is my goal weight, and I believe it is perfect for my body type. I have an hourglass figure, so I please the "breast men" and the "ass men" at the same time! Joking...but I am pretty lucky. This does mean, however, I will never fit into the sacred size 2 jeans and small sized shirts!


Well I'm gonna go work out now...I will be doubling my workout time to make up for yesterday!

Why blog?

A lot of people have reasons to blog--not me! I am just in my last year of college and senioritis has gotten the best of me. I stopped working out and all I wanted to do was eat Taco Bell, and sleep. But it's the beginning of November and I'm going to try to switch back to the healthy me, and hopefully pass my classes at the same time. So I'm using this blog for whatever I feel like writing about, which will probably mainly consist of what I ate, and how I worked out. But who knows what the tide will bring.

Up to a few weeks ago, I had been pushing myself in school. I took 12 hours in the spring, 12 hours over the summer, and I am currently enrolled in 15 hours. It seems like I've absolutely lost my motivation to do my school work, and though I've wanted to, I can't get it back. I'm hoping by eating right and working out, that motivation will transfer over to my studies. We'll see!

The thing is though, that I'm not gonna "diet". I'm just going to be aware of what I'm eating for the most part and try to keep it nutrient dense--whole grains, lean protein, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, that sort of thing. If I decide that once or twice a week I want to splurge--so be it! If I say "I'm not gonna eat this," that is a for sure way for me to fail. So I'm sticking with "lifestyle change" rather than "diet", and I'm ok with that because food makes me happy. Oh! and only water, tea, and coffee to drink...cutting out all soda, sugary drinks, and juices.

Yesterday, I ate spaghetti(100% whole grain) with a pasta sauce that I added ground turkey to. It was delicious! I also worked out for just about 45 minutes...30 minutes on the treadmill, then 15 on the rowing machine. It was my first time ever using the rowing machine and I loved it!! I'm definitely going to frequent that machine more often. I felt muscles in my abs, shoulders, back, arms, and legs so that's a pretty awesome machine, and kinda fun too! Today for lunch I had some of the spaghetti leftovers with steamed broccoli and cauliflower (I absolutely love leftovers). I didn't work out today, since I worked out the last two days, and it is FREEZING outside, but I'll be back at the rec tomorrow for a quick workout. I plan on working out at least 4 days a week.

For now I am going to Brandan's house and hopefully we can cook a healthy meal together, because I am getting a little hungry! That is all for now, until next time!