50 Day Challenge Facebook Page

It seems like not everyone can find the Facebook page. If you're having trouble finding it or signing up, then please email me at plumpetalsfit@gmail.com with your email address and I'll add you to the list. Sorry about the confusion -- hopefully we'll get everyone on board without any further problems.

It's called "It's a Lifestyle"

You should be able to find it via this link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1509888519265273/

This is what the page looks like:

Friday Five

I thought I'd get back to my Friday Five posts as a quick recap of the week. Sunday is usually my prep day for the week, but this past Sunday, I was so busy with training and then helping out during the Gracie Game day for the kids that I was exhausted and didn't do nearly enough prep for the week. That kind of threw off my groove for the rest of the week ... but nevertheless, despite not being able to follow my usual schedule the way I wanted too, I had a pretty good week.


1) On Sunday I participated in my first ever Gracie Games Day. It's held for the kids at the Jiu-Jitsu school as a reward for doing a good job with their class attendance, participation, and general behavior outside of class (e.g. good manners, being helpful, etc.). I"m not used to being around kids so it was quite overwhelming for me, but it was also quite a bit of fun!

 a few shots of the kids during game day

2) In general I've been spending  lot of time on the mats. In fact, I head to the Jiu-Jitsu school everyday to either train or assist the head coach. It's good practice for me as I continue to prepare for my Instructor's Certification Program. Plus I'm thoroughly enjoying it!

with one of my training partner's after a session on the mats

3) I attended a Muay Thai seminar held at Watford Martial Arts Center where I do my Muay Thai and my yoga. It was given by fighter John Wayne Parr. The seminar was great -- high level of energy and enthusiasm, lots of techniques fit in ... overall really enjoyable and informative!

my training partner and I with 10x world champion in Muay Thai John Wayne Parr

John Wayne Parr doing a demo with me during the seminar

4) I started a new weight training program -- for the past 8 weeks I was focusing on fewer reps and heavier sets. It was definitely good, but I found that the recovery time took a lot longer than I would have liked. Now I'm back to a more normal routine - 4 sets of 10 reps - hoping to continue to get stronger and build muscle.

low rows - one of my favorites

5) The Whole Life Challenge ends tomorrow. I still want to make sure I stay on track through the holiday season until the end of the year so I've organized a new challenge. If you'd like to join, please connect through the group's Facebook page entitled: It's a Lifestyle. A brief outline of the challenge is listed below and more details are posted here.

It's a Lifestyle -- the Facebook page for the 50 Day Challenge

details of the 50 Day Challenge

The Gracie Diet/Lifestyle

I really don't like the word 'diet.' It's so often linked to words like 'deprivation' and 'restriction.' Although what I'll be trying to follow now is called the Gracie Diet what it is really comprised of is a list of guidelines as to how to group your foods. Of course the focus is on eating clean, but there are additional parameters that focus on food combinations - what foods should be paired with others for optimal energy efficiency and digestion.

Here's a short excerpt from the book:

Realizing that different foods would cause different chemical reactions within the body, Carlos narrowed his focus on food combinations. His idea was to make sure that at each meal, the foods we ate would combine to cause healthy chemical reactions. The objective was to prevent blood acidity and avoid fermentation. This would then facilitate the digestive process, which is the most energy-consuming activity of the human body.

You can read more about it here. Plus there are more details on the Gracie Diet website.

There's a 3 Phase breaking in process.

Phase 1 is to space your meals at least 4 1/2 hours apart. This is to ensure that all the food in your stomach has been completely digested before consuming other foods that may interfere with the digestion process.

This phase was tough for me at first. I was one of those people who HAD to eat every 3-4 hours, and I often grazed between meals on tea and dates/raisins/fruit. In this first phase, however, you are not allowed to snack at all -- not even a cup of coffee or tea. Just water in between meals.

As I said, it was tough for me at first, but soon my body became used to it, and although at about the 3 1/2 hour mark and definitely by the 4 hour mark I do feel quite hungry, I've been pushing through and meeting the minimum 4 1/2 hour spacing between meals. How have I felt as a result? Well, I've definitely felt lighter. I have actually come to like that bit of hunger I feel just before having a meal. It's gone hand in hand with my 100 days of Awareness. Now I've bypassed #5 (wait 20 minutes before eating again) and I'm focusing on #7: chewing my food thoroughly. I've also become more thoughtful of what I'm eating. Since I know that the meal will have to last me for about 5 hours, I ensure that my food will be filling and will provide me with enough energy to do whatever needs to be done in that time frame. I know that stuffing myself and overeating with the thought that I won't be eating for the next few hours will be counterproductive. So, I choose my foods wisely. I chew thoroughly, and I enjoy what I'm eating. Drinking a glass or two of water before my meal and staying hydrated throughout the day helps keep the hunger at bay.

Phase 2 involves cutting out sodas and desserts. I don't drink soda, so the first one wasn't an issue for me. The desserts ... well, that's been interesting. First of all, dessert is counted as a separate meal, which means that if you want to have something sweet at night, it's got to be at least 4 1/2 hours after dinner. Even if it's fruit - unless you choose to have only fruit for your dinner. Second of all, I've cut out sugar from my diet as a result of the Whole Life Challenge. I have, however, been creating 'desserts' out of different ingredients, e.g. lemon cake made with almond flour and sweetened with dates.

Instead of trying to find some sort of 'loophole' and figuring out how to incorporate those natural desserts into my meals, I've decided to eliminate them. It hasn't been easy, but it hasn't been too difficult either.

I think a lot of it has to do with what I said before about my meals. When I've created a meal that I enjoy thoroughly and really savor, then I don't feel unfulfilled and have the desire to eat something else after the meal.

As I said, it hasn't been easy, but I'm trying my best.

Finally, Phase 3. This phase involves factoring the food combinations. You can read about them here. At first it looks complicated, but I'm sure as I keep practicing and experimenting, it'll get easier.

It really doesn't seem like any foods are prohibited. They say to avoid sweets, canned foods in syrup, and a few spices and to never eat pork, but other than that, pretty much everything is permissible as long as it's eaten in the right combination.

I think it'll be an interesting experiment. I've already started trying out the food combinations. I eat so much protein and veg that it has actually been quite easy so far. I don't eat dairy (at the moment) nor am I eating any grains, so I haven't had to worry too much about the other groups.

I'm currently in Phase 2 and have already started incorporating some of the food groupings of Phase 3. I'm not getting too caught up in it at the moment as completing the Whole Life Challenge is my main focus right now.

Here are a few of my latest meals:

Breakfast

Boiled eggs, tomato and cucumber salad, carrot sticks, and half an avocado - very filling!

Lunch

Flaked salmon mixed with broccoli, peas, and slivers of sweet potatoes

Side Dish

This is one of my simplest bust most favorite sides - string beans and mushrooms cooked in a bit of sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. It goes with any type of protein. 

The 50 Day Challenge Details

The focus of the 50 day challenge is to try to add good habits into our daily routine. The hope is that just by keeping healthy habits at the forefront of your mind, it will help minimize the temptation to overindulge during the holiday season.

The details of the challenge are below.

1)        Drink water.

For me, as the days get colder, it gets harder for me to drink water. You can use this calculator to figure out how much water you should be drinking each day.

You can use this link to help you out: http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

Although sodas and other sugary drinks (diet or otherwise) are not healthy beverages, this challenge is not about avoiding any other types of drinks. You can drink whatever else you want – the main focus is water. Regardless of whatever else you drink, the challenge is to drink your minimum requirement of water on a daily basis.

2)        Eat thoughtfully.

The main thing that works for me is to not have tempting foods in the house. Somehow, my discipline and focus really gets shaken when I know that there are sweets in the house. The easiest solution – don’t bring it in in the first place. If someone gifts it to me – I give it to someone else or just get rid of it. Having these extra foods just leads to mindless eating.

What I have found to be much more enjoyable is when I have been disciplined for a couple of weeks and then actively decide that I want to enjoy a piece of cake, then I really enjoy it. I eat it because I actually do want it and I enjoy every bite, guilt free. It’s not really about working for it – it’s just about being happy with the choice I made. I know that there have been many, many times when I’ve seen something I like, I’ve eaten it, and then immediately or soon after thought Why did I just eat that?!

The challenge is to be smart about your food choices and eat what you enjoy. Sit down, chew thoroughly, savor each bite, stop when (or just before) you’re full, and be happy with the choice you made. Don’t fall into the trap of eating something just because it’s there. It’s better to keep the piece of pie on the counter than lingering on your hips for the next month! You already know what’s healthy for you and what’s not (fried foods, refined flour and sugars, creamy sauces are obviously unhealthy). You don’t need to be told what the healthier choices are. You know. It’s your choice. You can say no. For now, it’s not about saying no to anything. It’s just about being sensible and accepting responsibility for your choices. Eat what you want, but make sure you really want it … and then enjoy your choice. The more important thing is to make sure you don’t eat things you don’t want.

3)        Choose your celebrations.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could have it all and not have to worry about any consequences? Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way – but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun and enjoy ourselves. The key thought behind this point is that one indulgent meal should not spiral out of control into continuous indulgent days. The challenge is to choose which days you will be celebrating on and make sure to focus on eating cleaner and leaner on the days before and after that occasion so that you can enjoy whatever event you’re at.

My social calendar is filling up. I’m excited to spend time with my family and friends, but I am nervous about the food. There are some celebrations where it will definitely be more about the company than the food … and there are other occasions where the food will be the focus too. I’m keeping these days in mind and I know 2 things for sure – 1) I want to look and feel good when I get there, so I don’t want to consume any extra calories and I do want to make sure I get to the gym so I can walk in feeling confident and leave any trace of self-consciousness behind & 2) I want to enjoy myself when I’m there. This kind of works in conjunction with eating thoughtfully. I don’t want to arrive at the party with all the ‘I should have’ thoughts running through my head. Moreover, I don’t want to leave thinking ‘I shouldn’t have.’ It’s about finding the balance.

4)        Move regularly.

It’s no secret that exercise is good for you. If you can get around to exercising daily, that’s fantastic – but schedules and other circumstances don’t always make that possible. However, that doesn’t mean that exercise can’t be incorporated into your lifestyle – even if it means putting an extra spring in your step as you walk to the tube station for your daily commute or parking further when heading into a shopping mall or going to a restaurant, or waking up 15 minute earlier so you can stretch and get in some exercise at home … there are lots of options. If you’ve got kids, I know there’s a lot to juggle – but including them in your workouts and creating a sort of fun family challenge (e.g. how many jumping jacks can you do while I try to finish 20 squats) can be a great way for them to join you and make it a sort of competition. Will this always work? Maybe not, but it’s worth a try. The challenge is to get in 200 minutes of exercise per week (just under 30 min a day)– whatever activity you want at whatever intensity (but you should work up a bit of a sweat). You can do this all in one go, space it over the week, even space it out over the course of a day (10 minute chunks). The main thing is to be conscious of trying to exercise regularly.

5)        Track and Reflect Daily

I know this seems like a pain, but it really does make a difference. First of all, when you know you’ve got to write what you ate down, you really do start to think twice before you put that piece of chocolate in your mouth. It makes you stop and think – do I really need that? Tracking is also a chance for you to go back and reflect on the choices you made. Even if the changes don’t happen right now, you may be able to modify or change some of your choices later. Having a record means that whatever results you get in the end won’t be a surprise. Ate lots of chocolate and cake over the weekend – a gain shouldn’t be surprising; exercised regularly and ate in moderate portions – a loss on the scale should keep you motivated to keep that up. Sometimes (as is often the case with me), you do it all correctly and still the scale doesn’t reflect the change you want to see. It happens. You’ve just got to trust that you’re working for something greater – overall health … more energy … and hope that the numbers on the scale will catch up. Keeping track of what you’ve been doing also gives you the info you need to make the necessary changes. Perhaps try a gluten-free diet or exercise for a shorter time but at a higher intensity … with everything written down, at least you have a record that you can work with to try to create a program that works for you. The challenge is to write everything down for the next 50 days – what/when/how much you ate/drank/exercised/slept – and any other notes you want to make about your day (emotions, tasks that were accomplished, frustrations you felt).

Keep your notes simple and short. Tap it into your phone, scribble it in a notebook, write it on your blog. Whatever method you use is up to you – you don’t need to count calories, you just need to write down the basic info (e.g. Tuesday Nov. 4, morning: 2 cups of coffee with milk, 1 bowl of museli w/1/2 cup Greek yogurt, lunch: 2 scrambled eggs and spinach, snack: peach, ½ cup of cottage cheese with cucumber, dinner: 200 g baked salmon with a garden salad + 10 glasses of water + afternoon: 1 hour walk in the park – felt energetic). Keep it simple – don’t make the task any harder or more complicated than it has to be.

I’d like to have at least 10 people sign up for the challenge before I create a Facebook page where we can support each other and share our progress. For now I'm posting on my Plumpetals Fit Facebook page. Comment below if you’d like to join or send me an email at plumpetalsfit@gmail.com. 

A Short Challenge

I don’t know about you, but for me, the last 2 months of the year are deadly for my waistline. Despite my discipline and my passion for fitness, I find that there are too many temptations around during the holiday season – whether it is the cold weather tempting me to stay home instead of go to the gym, holiday dinners tempting me to go back for more helpings, or those oh so tempting desserts that seem to always call my name. There’s temptation anywhere.

I don’t think trying to stay healthy during the holidays is impossible nor do I think that trying to be a bit disciplined and aware of choices is something that should be seen as a punishment, something getting in the way of enjoying our celebrations.

I know that I’m tired of waking up on January 1^st and thinking – oh man, I’ve gained weight again and now I’ve got to work extra hard (again) to try to get this weight off – along with the rest of the weight I’m trying to lose as well.

I don’t want to end 2014 feeling disappointed nor do I want to begin 2015 feeling overwhelmed. 

With that in mind, I'm thinking of setting up a short challenge to help but I'm gauging interest before I fully go for it. The basic outline is below (further details coming soon). It's not about restricting any foods or anything -- just about being a bit mindful through the holidays so a weigh in on January 1st won't be intimidating! :)

Let me know if you'd be interested in joining.

Sunday Motivation

Don't give up. 

Set your goals. Create your plan. Work for it. Celebrate your accomplishments. 

November Plan

If I get accepted into the final stage of the Instructor Certification Program, it means I'll be heading to Los Angeles towards the end of January -- in just under 12 weeks. With that in mind, I'm setting my goals for this month to help me get ready for that trip.

It's hard enough being tested on something ... add to that the fact that it'll be a physical test ... in front of a group of instructors and other students ... wearing a gi (something I'm still not completely comfortable in) just makes it feel a lot more stressful.

Just like when I went to defend my PhD, I need to be completely confident that I had done everything in my power to prepare me for that moment. I don't want to get there and think - I wish I had been more diligent with my eating or I wish I had been more focused with my training.

I have the end date in mind so there are no excuses. I cannot let January creep on me and still be stuck - stuck at a particular weight, stuck at a particular fitness level, stuck at a particular mentality.

If this is the direction that I want my life to go in, then I've got to do all I can to get there.

I now have a pretty good routine.

My physical activities include: Weight lifting, MetaFit (body weight HIIT), Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, and Yoga. My main objective is to feel more sturdy and stable with my movements and less out of breath with my cardio.

My physical goals are: to drop a few inches and to lose weight (ideally 7 kg by the 3rd week of January). I want to feel comfortable doing my Jiu-Jitsu moves both in gi and no-gi training.

My food goals are: to still follow the Whole Life Challenge eating guidelines, giving myself 3 'bonus' points a week (which will most likely be 'spent' on coffee with milk), and trying to incorporate the Gracie Diet food grouping strategies into my meal prep. I want to minimize my natural sugar intake and focus more on eating raw and low glycemic index foods.
I know this sounds like a lot, but I plan on taking a slow and steady approach. At least the Whole Life Challenge type of eating feels easy to me. That will be my basic eating style. The other tweaks will be added gradually.

I have a long list of general tasks and errands to add to my goals for the month, but these are my basic food and fitness ones for now.

I've got a lot going on. Staying organized and productive will be key!