Overtraining?

I’ve been feeling really tired lately, sometimes even practically falling asleep at work. It’s hard to know what the exact cause is as there are a number of possibilities, but one that occurred to me was that I might be overtraining. But for the first time, I am enjoying exercise. I’ve been doing it because it’s fun, not out of any other driving motivation. Other possibilities include coming down with something, general stress levels, or poor quality sleep at night. I have been having nightmares and waking up feeling unrested most days for the last week or so, so that could also be to blame. There is a pretty good guide to overtraining on about.com, explaining what it is, how to tell if you have it, and what to do about it.

I have taken a few days off lifting but am still very tired. I have also been suffering from headaches and am sleeping a lot. As a result, I am not necessarily eating three proper meals a day, so am not getting all my nutrients in. I may start drinking a protein meal replacement shake in the evening if I don’t feel like a meal. I am also going to start meditating. I learned how to do TM a few years back, but have fallen out of the habit. So, additional goal for this week: 20 mins TM everyday, and see how I get on. I have had to make a decision on my already overdue weights and intervals from BFS. But it is late (gone 11pm). I think I will have today off completely, go and get my protein shake, and go to bed. After meditating.

No more good days and bad days – or it’s not about the goujons!

As expected, my weight did not stay below 15 stone for very long. Like I said, the day before had been a bit unusual in that I wasn’t very well, slept most of the time, and only ate two small meals. Having said that, it is still down overall from where it has been, and my body fat is back down in the 45s (no doubt, until official weigh day on Sunday again!). But when I told hubby that my weight was back up over 15 stone, he said, “You shouldn’t have eaten the goujons.” Let me explain.

On Sunday, my mum threw a luncheon for some of her friends. We weren’t planning on going, but it was mother’s day, and when I spoke to her in the morning, she had been a bit weepy – there are a few things going on in her life right now. So we decided to surprise her and drop in. We were running late and didn’t get there till around 3 in the afternoon, not having had any lunch. We knew she’d have enough food to feed the 5,000 anyway. And we knew it probably wouldn’t be very healthy but we were ready for that. And we were right. Quiche, blintzes, and of course, goujons. Well, I don’t like quiche, the blintzes weren’t great, but I love goujons. LOVE ‘em. And between us, we polished off a whole plateful. And it was goooood. Wasn’t very hungry later, and I think I may have just had a small bowl of cereal for dinner later that night.

Well, the next day, my weight was up by a pound. Then came the remark about not eating the goujons. And I just looked at him and said, but I wanted them. And I enjoyed them. And I have no intention of cutting out everything that I like because it might slow my weight loss. I want to be able to live a normal life. I want to be able to eat the goujons. And if this means that my weight loss is slow and steady, then that’s fine with me. That’s something I can live with long term. I refuse to pick the diet that doesn’t let me eat the goujons. I’ve lost about 13 pounds in around 10 weeks of healthy changes, and about 3% body fat, and I’m extremely happy with that. I no longer have good days or bad days, as defined by what I put in my mouth. They’re just days. Could I lose weight faster? Almost definitely. But history would suggest that it wouldn’t stay off and three months down the line I’d be another stone heavier. Like I said, it’s not really about the goujons, it’s about making healthier choices but leading my life, not deferring it until I weigh in at some magic number. A friend of mine says that she doesn’t “give in” to pancakes – she schedules them in to her week, once a week, on Monday mornings, and enjoys them with butter and maple syrup (what, no bacon?) and without guilt. She “embraces pancakes”. So here’s to embracing the pancakes.

Turn your protein shake into a Super Shake

This is a great quick guide to making fast, nutritious protein shakes from Ryan Andrews posted on today’s Precision Nutrition blog. Feel free to add your own favourite below. Experiment and enjoy!

Creating Super Shakes

To celebrate the launch of Precision Nutrition V3, over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing with you some important “big ideas” from V3, the most complete version of the Precision Nutrition System we’ve ever offered.

Today’s “big idea”: Turn Your Protein Shake Into A Super Shake

Success Secrets

Here’s one of the secrets to good nutrition:

Not all of your meals have to be food meals.

In fact, you can even replace one to two meals each day with easy to make, tasty little drinks we call Super Shakes.

Now, we know that there are tons of stores and juice bars springing up all over, offering smoothies. However, store bought and juice bar type shakes are usually barely better than fast food milk shakes. They’re typically sweetened heavily with sugar, loaded with poor protein sources, full of dairy, and missing many nutrients found in whole foods.

The Super Shake, on the other hand, is packed with good stuff like high-quality protein, fiber, good fats, antioxidants and more. Translation: Super Shakes are da bomb.

And that’s why we devoted an entire guide in PN V3 to the creation of Super Shakes. Indeed, in PN V3 we’ve got over 40 Super Shake combos created and battle-tested by the PN Team and members of the PN community. All nutritious. All delicious.

That’s right, Super Shakes don’t just stand in for whole foods when times are tough. They can actually be superior to most of the meals your neighbors are eating. They’re are quick, easy, and high quality. And you can use them as a snack, dessert, breakfast, etc. (Uh, the shakes, not your neighbors).

But you have to do them right. And that’s where this guide comes in.

Does Your Blender Smoke?

Before you start experimenting with our step by step guide, here’s a question for you. Do you have a decent blender? If not, and you want to start making Super Shakes, you’re going to have to go get one. And remember, you get what you pay for.

That’s right, if your blender starts smoking when you add a few ice cubes, it’s time for a replacement, one that’s more powerful and ready for the task at hand. And while you’re at it, why not splurge and get a nice-looking one too. If you’re embarrassed by your blender and you keep it on the top shelf, tucked behind the cake pan, even with the best of intentions, you’re not going to use it.

Recommendations? Sure.

For every-day use, I like the Magic Bullet. It’s only 50 bucks and it’s quite powerful. The only issue is that it’s small. So if you want bigger Super Shakes you’ll have to go bigger with your blender. In which case you might choose the Vita Mix. This is the Mercedes Benz of blenders. It’s pricey. But I’ve never seen another blender match its power and longevity.

Making Your Shake Super

Ok, so let’s assume you’ve got your blender out and it’s powerful enough to do the job. Now you can follow the step by step guide below for creating nutritious and tasty Super Shakes.

Keep in mind, not all of the steps below are mandatory. If you don’t want any fruit, leave it out. If you are using almond milk and don’t want to add extra nuts, leave them out. (Of course, if you’re looking to control your calories, carbs, or fats, use smaller portion sizes or cut out certain ingredients.) You get the idea.

In the end, we selected some of the fruits, vegetables and proteins that seem to work best for our clients. However, our list isn’t exhaustive. Feel free to branch out. But for optimal mixing, flavor and consistency, follow the steps in order. In other words, add your ingredients in the order listed. Just go through each step and select an item (or two) from each column. Mix and match as you like. You’ll end up finding combinations you prefer the most.

Step 1: Start with ice

• Use 1-4 cubes for a thin, chilled shake
• Use 5-10 cubes for thicker, pudding-like consistency shake

Step 2: Pick a Fruit

• Frozen banana
• Frozen/fresh berries
• Dates
• Pineapple/mango
• Powdered fruit supplement

Notes:
Frozen bananas give an excellent consistency. Using half of a banana is usually enough.
Dates are very sweet. Make sure to get rid of the pit first.

Step 3: Pick a Vegetable

• Dark leafy greens, e.g. kale, Swiss chard, spinach (stems optional)
• Pumkin/sweet potato
• Beets/beet greens
• Cucumber/celery
• Powdered greens supplement

Notes:
Canned pumpkin is great. It goes well with vanilla.
When using beets, try roasting and removing the skin first. Beets go well with chocolate.
If you add celery/cucumber, make sure to adjust the amount of liquid you add.

Step 4: Pick a Protein Powder

• Whey protein
• Rice protein
• Pea protein
• Hemp protein
• Other proteins or protein blends

Notes:
Some protein powders have thickeners added. This will increase the thickness of your shake.
Find the protein supplement that you digest well and enjoy the taste of.

Step 5: Pick a Nut/Seed

• Walnuts
• Flax, hemp, chia seeds
• Cashews
• Almonds
• Nut butter

Notes:
Nuts and seeds give the shake an excellent consistency.
A handful is usually enough.

Step 6: Pick a Liquid

• Almond milk (unsweetened)
• Soy milk (unsweetened)
• Hemp milk (unsweetened)
• Iced green tea
• Water

Notes:
Less liquid = thick shakes; more liquid = thin shakes.
Adding liquid at the end of the process can improve how the shake initially blends.

Step 7: Pick your Topping

• Coconut
• Cacao nibs, dark chocolate
• Pomegranate seeds, goji berries
• Oats, granola
• Cinnamon

Notes:
A little goes a long way.
Cinnamon goes well with vanilla protein powder and pumpkin.

So, how about an example? Here’s one of my favorites.

• Step 1: 5 ice cubes
• Step 2: ½ frozen banana & 2 pitted dates
• Step 3: 2 kale leaves & 1 tsp of powdered greens supplement
• Step 4: 2 scoops of plain pea protein powder
• Step 5: Handful of walnuts
• Step 6: Water (just enough for it to mix)
• Step 7: Top with a few sprinkles of coconut
• Step 8: Drink. Feel smug about getting more nutrition than most people get in one week.

There you have it, a template for creating awesome Super Shakes, every time. For a host of additional Super Shake recipes, check out Precision Nutrition V3 – everything you need to know to get the body you want and to maintain it for life.

Badminton newbie and new old trousers

One of my pilates students (and also one of my ‘practice’ PT clients) plays badminton at club level and invited me along to one of the more social (i.e. blood is not necessarily shed) club nights. I played a bit a couple of years ago, for about a month, and loved it, despite the great big hole in the middle of my racket, but otherwise haven’t played since I was a kid.

I was really tired when I got home from work this evening and it was a stretch to go out again but I knew I’d feel better if I went. Also I didn’t much feel like eating dinner at 6.30 but it was then, and allow it to digest a little, or after the session which ran from 8 to 10pm. Normally we eat quite late, around 9, so that sat a bit heavy on me. maybe next time I’ll try a light meal before and another after, rather than eating a full dinner.

Anyway, I dragged myself out and it was great fun. There were a few people off so there was barely any chance to sit a game out (it was doubles). Despite, I’m sure, turning purple, and being dripping wet within the first twenty minutes, I held my own, just about on the fitness front, if not on the badminton front, which is more than I did last time I played, so I’m obviously fitter now than I was then. I was the only newbie, but everyone was very nice and patient and I’m going to go again. Most of the exercise I do doesn’t involve much in the way of running around like a mad person, so it complements the other stuff quite well. So my current fun cardio looks like being kickboxing, belly dancing (both from DVDs) and badminton. Plus weights, intervals and pilates. I’m turning into an exercise junkie – who’da thunk it?

Weight edged just above 15 stone this morning (15 stone 0.2 pounds!) but that wasn’t unexpected. I wore a pair of cream slacks that I bought about a year ago to work today. I’ve been wearing the same pair of black trousers every day for the last few months because I couldn’t fit into any of my other clothes and refused to buy new in a larger size (which would have been a UK 22!). I have plenty of size 20 clothes which are now beginning to fit me again, and another 10 pounds and I will gladly buy a new wardrobe in size 18.

Lost my first stone!

Official weigh day today put me at 14 stone 13.2 (209.2 lbs), but body fat was, yet again, up on the rest of the week. I have resisted the urge to cross off my number one goal (to crack 15 stone) because yesterday was a bit weird. I wasn’t very well and slept almost all day. I didn’t do my workouts (which I will have to make up today) and I didn’t eat normally. On the off-chance that I inch back up above 15 stone for a couple of days, I don’t want to have to undo the goal. So as soon as I’m sure it’s sustainable, I’ll cross it off. But still, it’s pretty cool. What’s more, in the year and a half I’ve been playing at losing weight and keeping this blog, I have yet to lose a whole stone in one go, although I have weighed in at lower that I am today, since I originally started around 8 pounds lower than I was at the beginning of 2009. Confused? But now is now and I am really proud of myself for my progress. My weight seems to hover for a couple of weeks then show rapid drops, then hover again. So the take home message is just keep doing the right stuff and the results will come.

I did over 6 hours exercise last week. I haven’t included the Wii Balance in that total (I did 26 mins of this) because it doesn’t raise your heart rate, however useful it is otherwise, but I did over an hour of Wii Aerobics and nearly 40 mins of Wii Yoga! I also did an hour and a half of belly dancing with my mum and 45 mins of kickboxing on top of my BFS weights and intervals workouts. No pilates this week – the novelty of the Wii Fit seems to have crowded it out. But I am doing an advanced instructor training course in a couple of weeks, so I need to work on that. Goal for this week, at least 90 mins of pilates.

Dairy and weight loss

This came up in a post on a friend’s blog. She is following Weight Watchers but didn’t know why they emphasised dairy intake. There are a couple of reasons why dairy is so important.

1. It is a good source of calcium which is good for bones, as everybody knows. Recommended dietary intake for women is 1000 mg/day. It is estimated that few women get their full recommended intake, which, along with their tendency to smaller frames compared with men, puts them at higher risk of osteoporosis later in life. This increases the likelihood of breaking a bone. 50% of elderly people who break a hip will never live independently again, and 20% are dead within a year due to complications. Strong bones will help to keep you spry and independent into your dotage. Another way to strengthen bones, and improve balance, hence preventing falls in the first place: weight training. This is why all women should be lifting weights, and it’s never too late to start.




2. Calcium is known to increase fat breakdown in cells and there is mounting evidence that increased calcium intake plays a role in preventing obesity and promoting weight loss. A small study published in 2004 compared the effects of three different calorie-restricted diets on weight loss in 32 obese adults. Each of the participants reduced their daily calorie intake by about 500 calories per day for 24 weeks and were divided into three groups:
   
   • High-dairy: Total calcium intake of 1,200-1,300 milligrams per day from three to four servings of dairy foods, specifically milk, hard cheese, and yogurt.
   • High-calcium supplemented/low-dairy: Total calcium intake of 1,200-1,300 milligrams per day made up of no more than one serving of dairy per day plus an 800-milligram calcium supplement.
   • Low-calcium/low-dairy: Total calcium intake of 400-500 milligrams per day with no more than one serving of dairy per day and a placebo supplement.

   They found that obese adults who ate a high-dairy diet lost significantly more weight and fat than those who ate a low-dairy diet containing the same number of calories. But while previous studies had found that increased calcium intake was associated with weight loss, this study showed that eating three to four servings of dairy products a day was more effective at enhancing weight loss than calcium supplementation alone with pills or calcium-fortified foods. Group A lost an average of 11% of total body weight f versus 6% in Group C, and concluded that including three to four servings of dairy in your diet can make a modest degree of calorie restriction as effective as a severe degree of calorie restriction. They also found the high-dairy group lost significantly more body fat than those in the other groups, particularly from the midsection. Excess fat in the abdominal area has been linked to a higher risk of heart attack and other health problems.

   It is not known for sure why dairy produce gives better results than calcium supplementation. One possibility is that the phosphorous and magnesium in dairy may enhance calcium’s beneficial effects on fat breakdown within the cells. In addition, the proteins in dairy products may help preserve muscle and increase metabolism. Whilst this was a small study, and funded by, you guessed it, the National Dairy Council, the evidence from clinical trials continues to pile up. Here are the results of just two studies published in 2008:

   • Study one was a nine-month clinical study of 338 men and women comprising 3 months weight loss and 6 months maintenance. The two groups were low dairy (<1 svg/day) vs. recommended dairy (3 svgs/day). The findings: Weight maintenance was similar for low and recommended dairy groups. But the recommended dairy group exhibited evidence of greater fat oxidation and was able to consume greater energy without greater weight gain compared to the low dairy group. They concluded that recommended levels of dairy products may be used during weight maintenance without contributing to weight gain compared to diets low in dairy products.

   
   

   • Study two was an Israeli study based on a cross-sectional survey of a random sample of 3246 Israleis aged 25 to 64. Nearly 3000 participants had height and weight measured and were divided into three groups by BMI (A: <25; B: 25-30; and C: 30+) and given a 24-hour dietary recall questionnaire – ie. what did you eat yesterday? They also measured waist circumference in most of the participants.
     The findings: The mean calcium intake was higher for group A than for groups B and C, but the difference was only statistically significant between the lowest BMI group (A) and the highest (C). Average daily milk consumption in group A was significantly higher than in groups B and C. They concluded that this study confirmed the inverse relationship between daily dietary calcium intake and obesity. This linkage relates to the intake of milk, but not to other dairy products.

So, how much do you need? A serving size of dairy contains around 300 mg calcium, so to meet your daily requirements you need around 3 servings (now 3 cups in the new US food pyramid). A serving (or cup) would be contained in:

• 1 cup/200 ml/1/3 pint of milk
• small pot yogurt or cottage cheese
• 1.5 ounces/40 g/matchbox sized piece of cheese

The good news for people wanting to lose weight is that the calcium in dairy is found in the aqueous (water) part of milk, not in the fat, so that low-fat dairy has more calcium ounce for ounce than whole fat products.

Got milk?

Follow-up: This post has raised quite a bit of controversy. I will be doing some more research and posting at least one follow-up post, which I will link to from here in the future. Stay tuned.

Some days you just can’t lose

Today, my new weights arrived at 7.30 this morning, getting the day off to an exciting start. And when I got home from work some books I’ve been waiting for about starting up an e-business (thanks for the inspiration Nili, if you’re reading this) had also finally arrived. I logged on to my computer to find out that I’ve been invited for an interview for a job that I really want and had all but given up hope on. And what’s more, I did lose something. I lost a pound. A whole one. None of this point-one, point-two nonsense. A whole pound, to a new low for the year of 15 stone 1.2. I should have bought a lottery ticket.

Hubby unpacked the weights and set everything up while I trained one of my practice ‘clients’, which is also going well, and then I got on with my workout. No procrastinating today. Here is me doing a bicep curl with 7kg of new dumbells (OK, I could have done 7 kilos with my old dumbells, but where would the fun have been in that?) Hubby wondered if I wanted him to take another one with me displaying a better facial expression, but I told him it wasn’t going to get any better than this and it would probably be all downhill from here! This is me exhaling through pursed lips, in case you were wondering. Oh well, hubby made dinner while I did my workout so off to eat and then an early night tonight I think.

In for a penny, in for 46 pounds (per hand)

Well, I did it. I went ahead and ordered the pretty SelectTech 221s with stand. Up to 21 kilos per hand (or 46 pounds). I’m quite excited now. I should have them by the end of the week. As soon as they arrive, I will put my current set of 1kg to 10kg chrome dumbells on e-bay and try to recoup some of the cost.

How much weight do I need?

I just did my first phase 2 weights workout from the Body Fat Solution, which involved lifting 3 sets of 6-10 reps, or in the strength/hypertrophy range, and I’m already maxing out my weights capacity at home. I have to order some heavier weights! I currently have a set of individual 1kg to 10kg weights, but I’ve been humming and hahing over whether to switch to prettier SelectTech 221 dumbbells (adjustable with range of 2kg to 21kg per hand, on the left) or ugly, cumbersome, much more expensive Powerblock sport 9.0 series (same starting range more or less, but can expand with add ons, on the right).

Until today, I couldn’t imagine me needing more than 21kg per hand, but after my workout today where I relatively easily completed 3 x 10 reps (maximum allowed) with 10kg per hand in several exercises (DB squat, DB row, DB bench press, 1-leg calf raises), I’m wondering if I might soon outgrown 21kg. Never having lifted in this range before, I don’t really know how quickly I will see gains – bearing in mind that my correct starting weight is clearly somewhere over 10kg for several exercises. Hubby (who also has no experience in the matter) thinks that the gains may slow down, like an inverse exponential curve, as the weights get heavier, but neither of us really knows. If anybody has any input that might be helpful it would be very much appreciated.

Hula hoops and sun salutations

Official weigh day today. Not much change. My body fat has been at 45.1% every day for the past four days, until today of course, official weigh day, when it was 46.4! Oh well, I guess that’s the way the tofu crumbles. That’s what the scale said so that’s what gets marked down. But in case you were worried, you can breathe a huge sigh of relief to know it is merely a blip. You’ll sleep better tonight won’t you.

The big news is that hubby and I finally managed to get our hands on a Wii Fit. We had to beat up a family of five who looked like they were going to make it to the shelf before us, but we are reliably informed that they should all make a full recovery, and the little boy WILL walk again. Just kidding, folks – we ordered it from our supermarket (Tesco), they were finally in stock. Then we had to do our weekly shop with it in the shopping trolley. Even though it was in a blue plastic covering I don’t think I loosened my grip on the handle for a second. So was it worth the wait? You betcha. Although it seems I do not have a future in downhill slalom, I may have a promising career as a a hula hooper.

But seriously, it is very good fun, extremely easy to rack up exercise time, and particularly good for balance and posture. For those who don’t know, there are four types of exercise – aerobic, muscle workouts (which I won’t be doing as the Wii Fit is for my recovery days), yoga and balance. You get a few basic choices in each category, but as you clock up exercise time, it unlocks more choices. I was particularly impressed with the yoga, as you stand on the balance board as you do the exercises and it monitors your centre of gravity, telling you when you are shifting off centre and providing feedback so you can correct your posture. I’ve just ‘unlocked’ sun salutations, so I’ll give that a go after my intervals workout. Off to do that now. Back soon.

OMG, those intermediate intervals are HARD! My lungs are on fire. Might hold off on those sun salutations till tomorrow. Six intervals of 1 min RPE 8-9, 1:1 recovery. Covered 5.9 RU (random units!). Might just finish off with some gentle walking on the treadmill…

10 mins walking, veerrrrry sloooowly brought my heart rate down, followed by some Wii Yoga. The sun salutations were nice. So far, the tree is the most difficult pose – I can’t even get into the start position properly, and my balance is all over the place. Ah well, practice practice practice.