Week-beginning Thoughts:
Alright, let's do this. I've committed to four weeks of a new program, The PREP. Alongside those workouts, I'm planning to continue running 30-35mpw with one day of speedwork. I'm also committing to follow the Beachbody Containers/Portion Fix nutrition plan for four weeks.
I'm a little nervous about The PREP's workouts, because they seem kind of intense, but I can do anything for four weeks, right? Knowing it's temporary helps.
I'm not thrilled with the nutrition component either, because it's something new. I've been counting calories for nearly fifteen years, and eating "clean-ish" for about five (off and on). I like to feel confident and in control of what I do, so branching out into a new system is really hard for me. Calories make sense. You weigh things. There's a consistent, factual quantity. I use an accurate database of calories (MyFitnessPal) for my foods. Calories in - calories out (via Garmin HR monitor) = net calories. It's math. It's logical. I like it.
...but I'd like to see a little more change than what I've been doing on my own. So, I'm going to give Beachbody's program a fair chance for four weeks.Instead of in addition to counting calories (because I can't not track them), I'll be choosing my daily foods (both content and quantity) per their color-coded container plan.
Based on my weight, I'd fall into their "Plan A", but I upped myself to "Plan B" since I'm also running 30+ mpw, which means I get the following, daily:
4 x green (1c veggies)
3 x purple (1c fruits)
4 x protein (3/4c meat)
3 x yellow (1/2c carb)
1 x blue (1/3c healthy fats)
1 x orange (2T seeds)
4 x teaspoon (oils)
I didn't meal plan the week out, but I know generally that I'll be doing some sort of shake for breakfast, hard-boiled eggs or egg whites as a snack, and we'll see what else happens. lol.
Alright, let's do this. I've committed to four weeks of a new program, The PREP. Alongside those workouts, I'm planning to continue running 30-35mpw with one day of speedwork. I'm also committing to follow the Beachbody Containers/Portion Fix nutrition plan for four weeks.
I'm a little nervous about The PREP's workouts, because they seem kind of intense, but I can do anything for four weeks, right? Knowing it's temporary helps.
I'm not thrilled with the nutrition component either, because it's something new. I've been counting calories for nearly fifteen years, and eating "clean-ish" for about five (off and on). I like to feel confident and in control of what I do, so branching out into a new system is really hard for me. Calories make sense. You weigh things. There's a consistent, factual quantity. I use an accurate database of calories (MyFitnessPal) for my foods. Calories in - calories out (via Garmin HR monitor) = net calories. It's math. It's logical. I like it.
...but I'd like to see a little more change than what I've been doing on my own. So, I'm going to give Beachbody's program a fair chance for four weeks.
Based on my weight, I'd fall into their "Plan A", but I upped myself to "Plan B" since I'm also running 30+ mpw, which means I get the following, daily:
4 x green (1c veggies)
3 x purple (1c fruits)
4 x protein (3/4c meat)
3 x yellow (1/2c carb)
1 x blue (1/3c healthy fats)
1 x orange (2T seeds)
4 x teaspoon (oils)
I didn't meal plan the week out, but I know generally that I'll be doing some sort of shake for breakfast, hard-boiled eggs or egg whites as a snack, and we'll see what else happens. lol.
Monday
Did: The PREP - Push, 4.01mi @ 9:54/mi avg
Nutrition: felt hungry a lot of the day, but kept myself on-plan
So, The PREP was actually a really enjoyable workout. I feel like it's the right level for me. I was able to do most of the exercises without modification (I started all the push-up segments on my feet, but went to my knees partway). I like having a known number of sets and blocks in each workout, and the 30min time was also helpful.
After the workout, I did an easy run solo pre-dawn. That felt nice.
Nutrition: felt hungry a lot of the day, but kept myself on-plan
So, The PREP was actually a really enjoyable workout. I feel like it's the right level for me. I was able to do most of the exercises without modification (I started all the push-up segments on my feet, but went to my knees partway). I like having a known number of sets and blocks in each workout, and the 30min time was also helpful.
After the workout, I did an easy run solo pre-dawn. That felt nice.
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| smoothie + fridge-side daily tracker |
Tuesday
Did: The PREP- Legs, 4.25mi + 2.0mi = 6.27mi @ 9:33/mi avg
Nutrition: on-plan :)
I'm never excited for leg day, but I enjoyed the exercises we did today and know I'll be feeling it in my glutes tomorrow. I was definitely hungry post-workout, but wanted to get my run in early and be done with it.
Nutrition: on-plan :)
I'm never excited for leg day, but I enjoyed the exercises we did today and know I'll be feeling it in my glutes tomorrow. I was definitely hungry post-workout, but wanted to get my run in early and be done with it.
About halfway through my run, I realized it was Tuesday. I'd been thrown off since last program had Friday as Leg Day. Oops. On Tuesdays I've been running with my husband at lunch....
Today was a bit more of a struggle nutrition-wise. I had an egg white (well, one yolk, four egg whites) omelet with spinach and a bit of shredded wheat. It was gross, and something I'll just have to get accustomed to... :P
Finished out the day with 2mi on the treadmill during baby's nap... because 10KTuesday isn't optional. ;)
Wednesday
Today was a bit more of a struggle nutrition-wise. I had an egg white (well, one yolk, four egg whites) omelet with spinach and a bit of shredded wheat. It was gross, and something I'll just have to get accustomed to... :P
Finished out the day with 2mi on the treadmill during baby's nap... because 10KTuesday isn't optional. ;)
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| (I ate more than this today-- just only took pics of a few things to share with my Beachbody accountability group) |
Wednesday
Did: 4mi run @ 9:16/mi avg, movie-side stretching
Nutrition: SO. HANGRY.
Yeeeeep. I'm super sore. It's actually nice to feel sore, because I know that means I'm working things that need working. Hammies are sore. Glutes are sore. Even my obliques are sore. Yesssssssssssssss.
Today was another struggle of a day nutrition-wise.
Breakfast was 3/4c plain greek yogurt with strawberries.
Mid-morning was 1/4c whole milk + 1/4c lowfat chocolate milk in my coffee.
Lunch was super delicious: 2c broccoli with 1/3c shredded cheese and 2 seasoned chicken tenderloins.
Nutrition: SO. HANGRY.
Yeeeeep. I'm super sore. It's actually nice to feel sore, because I know that means I'm working things that need working. Hammies are sore. Glutes are sore. Even my obliques are sore. Yesssssssssssssss.
Today was another struggle of a day nutrition-wise.
Breakfast was 3/4c plain greek yogurt with strawberries.
Mid-morning was 1/4c whole milk + 1/4c lowfat chocolate milk in my coffee.
Lunch was super delicious: 2c broccoli with 1/3c shredded cheese and 2 seasoned chicken tenderloins.
...and then it got bad. I was SO hungry all afternoon.
I had a small box worth of raisins. Still hungry.
I had a stick of turkey jerky. Still hungry.
I went on a 4mi run with my husband (yay), then had a shake of protein powder + spinach + strawberries + ice + cauliflower. Satisfying, but still hungry.
Dinner was a spinach wrap with lettuce, a chicken tenderloin, and some more Greek yogurt. OMG. Still hungry.
I've been tracking calories in MyFitnessPal alongside all my Beachbody container tracking, and knew I've been "light" on net calories these past few days, so I decided to ask for advice in my accountability group.
Almost instantly, my coach replied back, telling me I should definitely be on Plan C, if not Plan D, with the amount of running I was adding on.
The extra containers will definitely help.
Thursday
Did: The PREP- Endurance & Agility, 4.72mi run/walk with double stroller @ 11:24/mi avg
Nutrition: SO great. Very satisfying day :)
So, I thought today's E&A workout was going to be a lot of HIIT/SAQ drills. It wasn't. Instead, it was 2x through 6-8 fast-paced strength exercises, and then 5 sets of 30s of each of 3 SAQ-ish exercises. For the day after Leg Day, I found this workout pretty leg-intensive. We had a ton of split squats, lunges, etc. The strength stuff was alright, but the SAQ drills felt way too easy for me-- maybe it's because they were running based, and I can run for far longer than 30s at a time without fatigue?
I had some other distractions during the workout too (family emergencies that resulted in (3) separate 1-2min pauses of the video, and (1) 40min pause), so maybe that played into it. Overall, it just didn't feel as hard as I wanted it to? Guess that's a good thing, because I have speedwork later today.... though I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to make that happen with both kids underfoot. Treadmill? Double stroller intervals?
...whelp. Speedwork didn't happen. My legs were tired, and I was pushing the double stroller on hills in the sun. Not exactly a recipe for success. Oh, and all I'd eaten this morning was a single smoothie and an ear of corn on the cob. I ran about 2mi, and then got a work phone call, so I ran/walked the rest of the way home.
Nutrition went pretty well today. I had a bunch of smoothies, just to use up slightly past-prime veggies, which contained:
Then had some "real food" for dinner: a double serving of salmon, asparagus, broccoli, lettuce, and a piece of homemade bread. I actually didn't even finish all the salmon. It's so nice to feel FULL again-- really glad I checked with my coach when something felt "off".
Nutrition: SO great. Very satisfying day :)
So, I thought today's E&A workout was going to be a lot of HIIT/SAQ drills. It wasn't. Instead, it was 2x through 6-8 fast-paced strength exercises, and then 5 sets of 30s of each of 3 SAQ-ish exercises. For the day after Leg Day, I found this workout pretty leg-intensive. We had a ton of split squats, lunges, etc. The strength stuff was alright, but the SAQ drills felt way too easy for me-- maybe it's because they were running based, and I can run for far longer than 30s at a time without fatigue?
I had some other distractions during the workout too (family emergencies that resulted in (3) separate 1-2min pauses of the video, and (1) 40min pause), so maybe that played into it. Overall, it just didn't feel as hard as I wanted it to? Guess that's a good thing, because I have speedwork later today.... though I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to make that happen with both kids underfoot. Treadmill? Double stroller intervals?
...whelp. Speedwork didn't happen. My legs were tired, and I was pushing the double stroller on hills in the sun. Not exactly a recipe for success. Oh, and all I'd eaten this morning was a single smoothie and an ear of corn on the cob. I ran about 2mi, and then got a work phone call, so I ran/walked the rest of the way home.
Nutrition went pretty well today. I had a bunch of smoothies, just to use up slightly past-prime veggies, which contained:
- protein powder
- spinach
- celery (oddly, this was a really great addition to my smoothie?)
- plain greek yogurt
- a dash of coconut milk, for fluidity
- banana
- frozen blueberries and strawberries
Then had some "real food" for dinner: a double serving of salmon, asparagus, broccoli, lettuce, and a piece of homemade bread. I actually didn't even finish all the salmon. It's so nice to feel FULL again-- really glad I checked with my coach when something felt "off".
Friday
Did: The Prep- Pull, 5K @ 9:08/mi avg
Nutrition: Stellar
I was a little disappointed in today's workout. "Pull" is really supposed to be the shoulder/upper back day of this workout program, but it's really geared towards people who have a pull-up bar in their house. Don't have one? Oh, that's fine, you can buy one from Beachbody. You just have to mount it to your doorframe... which totally wasn't engineered for that type of load. No thanks. Also, I can't even DO a pull-up, so I'd also need to buy the modifier/assist. Blergh, $$$.
Instead, I did the kind of lame modifier for those of us without a bar at home, which was just holding weights out at a 90 degree angle in a half curl.
I followed this up with a pre-dawn 5K, which turned into a bit of a fun progression run, and added on a 4mi walk in the afternoon.
Food went well today. I didn't eat much in the morning due to wrangling kiddos and working out on the back deck, which meant I had a lot to make up for in the afternoon. :)
Nutrition: Stellar
I was a little disappointed in today's workout. "Pull" is really supposed to be the shoulder/upper back day of this workout program, but it's really geared towards people who have a pull-up bar in their house. Don't have one? Oh, that's fine, you can buy one from Beachbody. You just have to mount it to your doorframe... which totally wasn't engineered for that type of load. No thanks. Also, I can't even DO a pull-up, so I'd also need to buy the modifier/assist. Blergh, $$$.
Instead, I did the kind of lame modifier for those of us without a bar at home, which was just holding weights out at a 90 degree angle in a half curl.
I followed this up with a pre-dawn 5K, which turned into a bit of a fun progression run, and added on a 4mi walk in the afternoon.
Food went well today. I didn't eat much in the morning due to wrangling kiddos and working out on the back deck, which meant I had a lot to make up for in the afternoon. :)
Lunch: spaghetti squash, asparagus, ground turkey, orange, and a slice of bread
Dinner: ground turkey + lettuce tacos with asparagus and carrots (and wine)
Saturday
Did: 10.36mi family run (with a last mile pick-up @ 8:09) @ 9:27/mi avg, The PREP: Range and Repair
Nutrition: Solid
Today's run was amazing. I felt SO great throughout the entire duration- so much so that I even wanted to pick up the pace for the last mile. Woooooo.
I'm actually most proud that we'd planned on a family Starbucks drive-thru post-run, but I turned it down. I'd totally earned it, but it wasn't even that I didn't want to "break my diet". I just literally did not crave/want a flat white at all. For someone who used to want these things daily just a few months ago, this is huge. Go, me.
I switched up The PREP's workouts between Sat and Sun to give me a more recovery/stretch workout today, on long run day. This was a great call. 40min of stretching and flexibility focus was just what I needed.
Nutrition: Solid
Today's run was amazing. I felt SO great throughout the entire duration- so much so that I even wanted to pick up the pace for the last mile. Woooooo.
I'm actually most proud that we'd planned on a family Starbucks drive-thru post-run, but I turned it down. I'd totally earned it, but it wasn't even that I didn't want to "break my diet". I just literally did not crave/want a flat white at all. For someone who used to want these things daily just a few months ago, this is huge. Go, me.
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| matching shirts fam was thrilled |
I switched up The PREP's workouts between Sat and Sun to give me a more recovery/stretch workout today, on long run day. This was a great call. 40min of stretching and flexibility focus was just what I needed.
Sunday
Did: The PREP: Full Body Tempo, 5mi @ 9:43/mi avg with the double stroller
Nutrition: Eh, mostly solid.
Full Body Tempo wasn't quite what I expected this morning, and that's a good thing. Based on the name, I expected a HIIT workout. Instead, it was mostly weights, with some timing changes an eccentric lifts. I'm down.
Had a bit of a struggle getting out for the family run. Syncing up family wake-ups, bathroom trips, and fueling is tough when one of your family members is less than a year old, but we finally made it out a couple hours later than desired. I pushed the double for the first half of the run, which was super hard (maybe heat/humidity? maybe just week fatigue?), and was super glad to be done after our 5mi run.
Nutrition today was kind of hit-or-miss. I wasn't as diligent, and indulged in a double old-fashioned after a stressful morning, but still kept on track with my calories and more-or-less the Beachbody plan.
Nutrition: Eh, mostly solid.
Full Body Tempo wasn't quite what I expected this morning, and that's a good thing. Based on the name, I expected a HIIT workout. Instead, it was mostly weights, with some timing changes an eccentric lifts. I'm down.
Had a bit of a struggle getting out for the family run. Syncing up family wake-ups, bathroom trips, and fueling is tough when one of your family members is less than a year old, but we finally made it out a couple hours later than desired. I pushed the double for the first half of the run, which was super hard (maybe heat/humidity? maybe just week fatigue?), and was super glad to be done after our 5mi run.
Nutrition today was kind of hit-or-miss. I wasn't as diligent, and indulged in a double old-fashioned after a stressful morning, but still kept on track with my calories and more-or-less the Beachbody plan.
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| bonus: my Garmin tells me my VO2 max is now 50 mm/kg sweet |
Total Weekly Mileage: 35.5 (annual total to-date= 626)
Week-ending Thoughts:
- I'm liking The PREP
- Eating three cups of fruit a day is tough for me, unless I make smoothies
- I'm definitely missing crackers, bread, and cereal
- Only having a 1/3c of "healthy fats" (cheese, nuts, avocado) is pretty tough for me too. I didn't realize how much cheese I ate before?
- All the changes I made to my diet during LIIFT4 helped. I have zero trouble getting enough protein in. Lots of hard-boiled eggs, protein powder, Greek yogurt, and meat.
- My favorite veggies are broccoli, asparagus, and green beans
- Oh, and running is still fun too... Is it weird that the 35mpw I'm running is almost "an after-thought"?
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