CoreDeForce – Week 1

Conquer From Within

My Struggle

If I wanted to be really honest, I’d tell you I’ve been struggling these past few weeks. I’ve been pushing myself with my workouts but I did not have control over my nutrition. I tried, but we all know that trying doesn’t really get us far. So I had to refocus. I had to decide to commit to the next workout, and not just to the workout routines, but the meal plan as well. By this time (nine months postpartum) after having Sophie, our first daughter, I wasn’t only back to my pre-baby body, I was also skinnier. At that time I would have told you I was leaner, but looking back at the pictures I really mostly was just skinny. I wasn’t trying to be, that’s how it happened. I was dang proud of myself though, and when someone told me I looked too skinny, I was mad and hurt. Later I put some of the weight back on, mostly in the form of muscle, and some fat, of course.

One of my favorite type of workout is mixed martial arts. MMA makes me feel like a badass. It really truly does. So doing the 30 day Core De Force workout was a no brainer. Time to get serious.

My Before Stats:

And because I’m kind of a geek when it comes to fitness, here’s what my muscle quality looks like. (If there’s too big of a discrepancy between the right and left side, that’s because I didn’t put my Skulpt on right. I’m still learning how to use it).

The Workouts

Day 1: MMA Speed (27 minutes) – this workout was really confusing at first, but watching the breakdown and really taking the time to learn the moves, especially that switch knee, made a huge difference
Day 2: Dynamic Strength (47 minutes) – oh my, how many different types of pushups are there? For real though.
Day 3: MMA Speed (27 minutes) – getting faster and sharper with those punches and kicks
Day 4: Power Sculpt (37 minutes) – that was tough. Good thing I had my accountability partner with me and we kept pushing each other cause this routine is very challenging; humbling, as another accountability partner of mine said.
Day 5: MMA Shred (37 minutes) – shredded I shall get, all right. Love this muay thai inspired routine
Day 6: Dynamic Strength (47 minutes) – you again, huh. Getting stronger but still ways to go, especially in those sphinx blaster.
Day 7: Active Recovery (21 minutes) – it was more active than I had anticipated. I was hoping for more of a yoga type routine. Not complaining though, just saying. 😉

Some of my favorite selfies:

Nutrition

So like I’ve said, I’ve been struggling with my nutrition. So focusing on that has been the most important thing for me. I enrolled the help of the 21 Day Fix app. I am not 100% following the app (that will need some more planning), but I am working on getting all the containers in.

I’m following the 1,800-2,099 calorie bracket. What I love about the 21 Day Fix plan and the app itself is that it makes me eat more vegetables. It tells you how many of each container you have left, green for vegetables, as an example, and if I see I have 3 more left, I make sure to get those in. Whereas normally I may only have let’s say pasta and fish in a hurry, as an example, this way I make sure to add a side salad, or steamed veggies, or something that satisfies the green container.

Keeping a picture diary of my meals also helps me keep accountable to myself and to our group.

Default, and I always forget to take pictures, here’s what I have every single day:

• pre-workout Energize, Hydrate during my workout, and chocolate Recover after my workout
• dark chocolate (right now it’s Lindt pineapple excellence)
• coffee with ~5oz milk (milk is not really on the plan but I can’t have my coffee without it and I need my coffee, I’m working on reducing the amount)
• Vegan chocolate and cafe latte Shakeology

And my picture food diary:

Thank you for reading. I’d love for you to join me on this journey. If you’re ready,  just send me a message here: http://momofbalance.com/contact/

An Honest Look at My Pregnancy

The reason we struggle with insecurity is that we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel”.

Social media, while having so many advantages, has at least as many disadvantages as well. It’s hard to hide from, and we’re bombarded with perfection every day: perfect make-up, perfect hair, perfect drops of sweat on perfectly toned bodies, models and athletes showing off their gorgeous pregnant bodies. For most of us, these images are completely unachievable and let’s be honest, while amazing, also pretty unrealistic. 

As a fit health coach for moms and moms-to-be, my goal is to empower women to feel their best through good nutrition, everyday physical activity, and lifestyle changes at any stage in their lives. And some stages are more difficult than others. Pregnancy is a good example.

If you follow me on social media, you see me posting healthy (and sometimes not so healthy) meals I prepare. You see my workout videos, you see my workout pictures. You sometimes get a glimpse at my family. Here are a few facts I haven’t shared:

• I’m a week away from when Sophie was born and I already gained more weight – this is completely normal the second time around in general, plus I wake up earlier, lift heavier and am generally more active, which also means I eat more (with Sophie I started at 132 ended up at 162, with Annabel I started at 128 and I’m up at 160)
• I have varicose veins – they’re absolutely not pretty, and are rather uncomfortable, not painful, but the sore kind of feeling, especially when I’m sitting for a longer period of time
• I have a lot of discomfort, it’s pretty much a downhill ride from after my workout (at 5:30am), which I push through and enjoy, but you should see me later in the day: I have a hard time getting up, I’m walking funny and slowly and you can just tell I’m not having a whole lot of fun (which may be the reason this nice guy offered to place a tub of Philadelphia cream cheese in my cart… )
• I have pelvic pain way more than I had with Sophie, which again is normal, but still not fun

So then what’s the point, you may ask. Why do I keep working out if I have aches anyways?

So many reasons:

• It makes me feel better about myself
• It makes me a better and more patient mom and wife
• It makes me more productive
• It improves my strength and endurance which in turn will make labor easier and bouncing back to my pre-gpregnancy body easier (hahahahaha on my word choice, bouncing, right, it still is going to be hard work but not as hard as it would be without exercise during my pregnancy)
• I would have way more aches and pains if I wasn’t working out, as evidenced by days I take off – my back is hurting, I get injured way easier (nothing major, just a wrong move here or there)
• Exercising makes me want to eat better and studies show that shaping young tastes starts early, even in the womb

So my point with this post is basically this: do what you can, do your best, do not compare yourself to anybody, love your body, love your body enough that you keep it healthy through physical activity and good nutrition, and most of all, love your unborn child enough that if you wouldn’t do this for yourself, you do it for him/her. I’m not trying to use emotional appeal here, do it for your child(ren), but it’s true. It all starts with you. The healthier you are, the healthier your family will be. The more confident you are, the more confident your children will be. And confidence has nothing to do with your look. It has to do with your strength – inner and outer strength. Believe in yourself because I believe in you. 

Pregnancy Week 32 Plan

It’s so nice to finally have my energy back. I still get more tired by the end of the day than in my second trimester, but I can at least wake up in the morning and do my workout, which truly is such a great thing. I did tell my husband though that if somebody sees me some evenings, they wouldn’t believe I work out in the morning. Sciatic pain is getting worse, the abdominal pressure is getting increasingly intense, Braxton Hicks contractions are getting more frequent, and there is just general discomfort all over… That’s not to complain though, it’s just important to note that it’s not always fun and easy, but that shouldn’t immediately mean we give up our healthy habits. 

So last week I did complete all my planned workouts, and our meals were almost on par, with a few hick-ups here and there. It’s all about making good and sometimes “itsokay” choices as I like to call them. One evening I was so tired we had to go out and eat. I had a power kale salad and a vegetable soup with sprouted grain bread on the side. The other evening our friends took us out for my birthday, I did have cake with ice cream and whipped cream. It’s all about finding balance. 

In the meantime I’m busy working on creating my pregnancy course helping other moms be their best at this time, but progress is slow, something always comes up. 

With that though, I’m really excited for this week. I’m excited to have Tony Horton back in my life for a whole 22 minutes on Monday with a sneak peak at his new workout routine. 

Until next week, stay active, eat well, and be happy 🙂 

Pregnancy Week 30 Plan

I think I should print this one out, maybe if I see it enough I’ll believe it. 😛 

Last week was rough. We all came down with something, AGAIN, cough, stuffy nose, extremely low energy. Saturday got to the point where I couldn’t really stand up anymore I felt so weak. But I had to, and that’s probably topic for another post once I find the words, but Saturday was the day we said goodbye to my friend. Just a very few people close to her and her family, on the beach…. Yes. Another day.

Saturday was also the day I felt Braxton Hicks contractions for the first time in my life, I did not have any with Sophie, so it was a little bit scary. 

Sunday we took Sophie to a bounce house, she wanted to go, and though neither of us had the energy to go out, we did and it was so worth it. She had a blast. We even took the pups out for a walk, which wasn’t something I thought I’d be able to do but it actually felt nice and it also served as a nice reminder that a good walk is sometimes exactly what the doctor ordered.

With that though, I only completed four workouts out of the six and didn’t get to cook all the meals I had planned. It’s okay though. Third trimester can get a little tougher, and for me it is. But that, again, is post for another day.

Workout Plan for this week was modified from the original, as for the rest of my pregnancy. I reduced my workout days from six to five, I’m tired. I need a rest day (Sundays I still wake up around 7am to go grocery shopping).

And our Meal Plan is one I’m hoping to stick to better than I did last week, but then again there’s a reason I plan for five days and not seven. It’s because life happens. 🙂

Until next week: stay active, eat well and be happy! 🙂 

Roasted Miso Tofu Salad

For a non meat eater, tofu is a great alternative for high quality, complete plant based protein. This salad is so easy to make, it’s light and delicious. Perfect for lunch.

Ingredients

3.5 oz firm tofu

1/2 tbsp miso

1 garlic clove minced

1/2 tbsp lime juice

Himalayan salt

1 tsp miso

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp lime juice

liquid aminos

1.5 cup salad greens

5 cherry/grape tomatoes

1/2 tbsp parmesan

1. Drain tofu of all access water

3. Mix miso, garlic, lime juice, and Himalayan salt

4. Coat a ramekin with coconut oil, add tofu, coat well with the above mix and bake at 425F for ~12 minutes or until tofu is browned

5. To prepare salad dressing, mix miso, olive oil, lime juice, and 3-4 spritzes of the liquid aminos (may be omitted)

6. Mix salad greens, cherry tomatoes with the salad dressing

7. Top with tofu

8. Sprinkle with Parmesan

Ingredient Highlight: Tofu

Tofu is made from soy milk and is an excellent source of iron and calcium. It is a complete protein of plant origin and as most natural soy products, it seems to have cholesterol lowering properties.  (Source: The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods).

Nutrition Info
Cal: 314 | Fat: 20g | Carb: 21g | Protein: 17g

 

Recipe Card

Lunch Minute Video

Beachbody’s The Ultimate Reset: My Complete Journey & Review

Why Cleanse?

In general, doing a cleanse at least once a year is beneficial physically, mentally, and some claim, spiritually as well.

– makes the digestive system more effective
– maintains regularity
– increases energy
– increases the body’s absorption of vitamins and minerals
– improves concentration and mental clarity
– kick-starts weight loss
– increases fertility
– maintains pH balance in the bloodstream
– helps with emotional release
– creates a deeper consciousness (since your physical body is muted through a smaller caloric intake, your mind and soul are more alert, or rather, you’re more aware of them)
– getting answers to deeper questions/epiphany

What is the Ultimate Reset?

The Ultimate Reset The Ultimate Reset is Beachbody’s 21 day food based cleanse with three different phases:
– Reclaim: which “balances [the body’s] inner chemistry, preparing it for a change
– Release: which releases “the toxic compounds that are clogging your cells and stored within your tissues—like a purifying surge of clear water that flushes away years of impurities”
– Restore: which restores “your metabolism to maximum efficiency, while fortifying your body with the nutrients, enzymes, and probiotics it needs to maintain healthy performance in the future”

It also comes with six different supplements (detox, alkalinize, soothe, mineralize, optimize, and revitalize), some are used in all three phases, some are just in one or two of the phases.

Another thing it comes with that is a surprisingly powerful tool is a reset bracelet “symbolizing your dedication to transforming and ultimately resetting your life—and reminding you to give thanks for all you have”. And it’s true. When the journey felt a little hard, I looked at the bracelet, and it gave me power. It’s a mental thing, I know, yet it worked.

Why Did I Choose The Ultimate Reset?

I decided to do a cleanse after a six week vacation in Hungary, where I’m originally from. It’s funny how food is not just a physical, energy providing something, it’s emotional, brings back memories, it’s social, it’s enjoyable. And I enjoyed it a bit more than I do in the U.S. where health food stores are more readily available and foods are affordable compared to the standard of living. So I had white bread, cheese, butter, and sweets. Way more than I usually do. Surprisingly, I did not gain any weight, but I did feel “blah”. My inside just wasn’t feeling healthy. So I wanted to give it a fresh start.

There are many many different cleanses out there. I once did a nine day cleanse that started off with vegetable juice for a day and a half, then salad once a day for a few more days, adding back starch eventually. And I did benefit from that too, though I purely did it to lose weight. Completely the wrong reason.

The Reset works the other way around. It slowly eliminates animal products, and goes completely vegan for the last two weeks. While I knew the Reset was quite restrictive, with a major reduction in caloric intake, I felt ready. I felt like this was what I needed. I wanted to test myself mentally as well. I may have a little sugar addiction problem. 🙂

My Journey in Short

I loved the Ultimate Reset. There were days when it got harder, there were days when I was a bit more hungry, but I did not starve. Dinners were always amazing, and sort of made me keep going. Eating fruits for breakfast for almost two weeks straight got a little boring, but overall, the experience was so more than worth it.

I learned that I do have the self control to resist foods I before had thought I didn’t (for my toddler and husband, I made their usual foods: eggs, pancakes, bread, cheese, etc).

I learned that while I felt like we were having plenty of veggies and in a good variety, that wasn’t the case. The Reset had such flavorful vegetable dishes as main entrees, that I will be using as side dishes in the future. Different cuisines, like Asian, which I haven’t experimented with much, made me realize I had a lot more to learn.

I learned that I can let the emotions out (it was an emotional journey, I was more sensitive, for sure) in a healthy way.

I did kick-start my weight loss.

Before & After

Like I said, I did not do the Reset to lose weight, and that wasn’t what I had in mind. But physical results are of course, part of any cleanse. So here we go. I started the Ultimate Reset on June 9, 2014. I normally only measure my weight once a week, but I measured myself more in the third week, as I promised myself I would stop if I got below the 120lbs mark.

May 27, 2014: 128.1lbs
June 9, 2014:   127.9lbs  |  21.6% body fat
June 12, 2014: 126.3lbs  |  20.8% body fat
June 22, 2014: 121.7lbs  |  19.5% body fat
June 29, 2014: 120.3lbs  |  19.6% body fat
June 30, 2014: 120.4lbs  |  19.2% body fat

The Best Part

By far the foods and learning discipline.
The feeling of lightness (not just because of the weight loss, but light on every level).

The Worst Part

Badly missing my workouts. I can’t tell you how difficult this was. I did not have the energy for them anyways, but I was really looking forward to getting back to my routines.

A Look Back At The Foods

I documented every day here on my blog, so you can check it out, but here’s the short version.

Ultimate Reset Day 1: The Excitement

Ultimate Reset Day 2: The Anger (‘I’m sorry for what I said when I was hungry)

Ultimate Reset Day 3: The Relief (ah, today was so much easier)

Ultimate Reset Day 3: The Craving (Which I resisted)

Ultimate Reset Day 5: The Low On Energy

Ultimate Reset Day 6: The Eh

Ultimate Reset Day 7: The Week 1 Is Done Pride

Ultimate Reset Day 8: The “I Feel Like I’m Starting All Over Again”

Ultimate Reset Day 9: The Wife Wants to Date Again

Ultimate Reset Day 10: The Should I Keep Going?

Ultimate Reset Day 11: The I’m Definitely Getting Mentally Stronger

Ultimate Reset Day 12: The Not My Week for Friendships

Ultimate Reset Day 13: The I’m Cold

Ultimate Reset Day 14: The At the Two Week Mark

Ultimate Reset Day 15: The No More Cucumbers for Me, Please

Ultimate Reset Day 16: The Day My Husband Told Me Not to Lose More Weight & When I Needed to Go Out

Ultimate Reset Day 17: The I need to have a Better Equipped Kitchen

Ultimate Reset Day 18: The “You’ve Done Your Thing”

Ultimate Reset Day 19: The Final Push

Ultimate Reset Day 20: The Finish Line

Ultimate Reset Day 21

 

Thank you for reading my The Ultimate Reset journey!

Sources:

http://www.ultimatereset.com
http://life.gaiam.com/article/10-benefits-colon-cleansing
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-9818/5-unexpected-awesome-benefits-of-doing-a-cleanse.html

Ultimate Reset Day 20

Ultimate Reset: Day 20
The Finish Line

Yay, almost there!!! Though the day wasn’t a huge success. The pears I got were not ripe yet, so my breakfast consisted of one tiny apple. Not enough at all. And I swear I took a picture of my lunch – it was an avocaco jicama salad, quite yummy, actually, but it seems I deleted it. For Sophie and my husband I made salmon patty for lunch with mashed avocado. It smelled good. 😛

And then came dinner. Look at those colors (#nofilter). Dark green veggies, with red bell peppers, orange carrots. That’s variety.
Dark green veggies boost the immune system, help fight free radicals (those nasty little ones “often injure the cell, damaging the DNA, which creates the seed for disease” ~WebMd), and support vision, among many other benefits.
Red veggies lower blood pressure and reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad one, that leads to the formation of plague within the artery walls which puts pressure on the arteries, making it harder for blood to rush through, leading to heart problems).
Orange veggies promote healthy joints, are high in magnesium and Vitamin C.

Conclusion: eat your veggies. And don’t just eat one. I think all these veggie dishes taught me that there’s million ways to prepare them. In the meantime, I’m giving some to Sophie every day. She’s still picky and won’t eat them all, but she loves soup, no matter how vegetable tasting it is. That is my secret mom weapon. 😀

Ultimate Reset Day 18

Ultimate Reset: Day 18
The “You’ve Done Your Thing”

Just when I thought my husband truly got it, I realize he doesn’t. He is very supportive. Concerned too, but supportive. I have a minor heart issue, Mitral Valve Prolapse with regurgitation (basically, one of the valves in my heart doesn’t always close, running the risk of blood flowing the wrong way – doesn’t really bother me on an everyday level, just need to get antibiotics when any procedure is done). But I do feel my heart beating out of normal rhythm and I do have to cough. And today that happened more than it usually does. So my husband told me he was concerned about my diet. The body is working in such an intricate balance, that diet does affect a lot more than we can think of. I don’t know enough to see the connection here, plus, other than eating way less than usual, I’m eating a lot more healthily. So he told me that I’ve done my thing, I proved myself, it’s okay to go back to my regular eating pattern. NO IT’S NOT. First off, what is my thing here, really? Losing weight? Proving I had more discipline than I ever thought? That I could do it? If I can do it, why would I give up three days before the end? Like running a 10K and at 9.4 saying “Ah, I got this far, I’m good”. No I’m not. I’m not. So I just keep going.

Food today was… average. Nothing that blew me away like crazy and nothing that was bad. On to tomorrow.

Ultimate Reset Day 16

Ultimate Reset: Day 16
The Day My Husband Told Me Not to Lose More Weight & When I Needed to Go Out

I did not start the Reset to lose weight. Its inevitable and will happen when you change your eating patterns so dramatically; but, I did not to expect to lose so much. I’ve lost close to eight pounds by now. And that’s a lot for me. I’m at the weight I was eleven months after having Sophie, after finishing P90X. A lot of people told me I was too skinny at that point (I was eating a lot and breastfeeding so trust me, I was not dieting at all). Neighbors told me today too that I was losing too much weight. But I am sticking to the Reset. No way am stopping now.

I know I only have a single photo up there. For breakfast I had fruits, and then I just had enough. Literally. I love cooking, but I felt the need to get out of the kitchen for an evening. I was supposed to have curried cauliflowers (with optional grains) for dinner and ended up with steamed veggies and brown rice at an Asian restaurant. My hubby had sushi. I love sushi. But the point is, eating out during the Reset wasn’t as challenging. Sure, I deviated from the day’s menu, but I did not deviate from the plan. And that right there, is success. So I was really proud.

And for lunch, the Asian cabbage salad, oh my… Sooooo good. So good. The Miso soup was optional but since I’m not allowed to lose more weight, I’m going for the optional side dishes. I know though, that some people can be sensitive to certain grains; hence they are only optional, but the thing is, I’ve been doing really well with my diet in general, so I know grains don’t bother me.

Do you have any food sensitivities?

Ultimate Reset Day 14

Ultimate Reset: Day 14
The At the Two Week Mark

I have one week left from the Reset and I’m feeling great. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have as much energy as I usually do, because I am eating less and am not working out. I’m not having my coffee. But my body internally is feeling great. I don’t have any bloating – which is important to point out because my husband had the same food over the weekend and he had some…. gas issues (TMI? Sorry 😀 ). So my gut health has definitely improved. My skin is nicer – I don’t usually have breakouts anyway, but you can see that it’s glowing. My focus is better.

Lunch was hard because I had to blend yesterday’s squash with tahini filling into a soup, and that just confirmed that I do not like tahini. So I had the optional snack: a miso soup (not pictured). But dinner was amazing, all colors of the rainbow, and the edemame corn dish is definitely something I’m gonna be making again in the future as a side dish.