More like Muscle Failure!

OMG! What was I thinking? So, I have been wanting to go to the classes that MountainSide Fitness offers, and what do I do? I pick THE hardest class! I made Rob go with me, so it was much easier to keep motivated even though i wanted to walk out so many times. Ha!

I thought it was going to be a “toning” class, as in lifting light weights for many reps. NOPE! It was like doing a Jillian Michaels get ripped in 30 DVD only for an HOUR! The first 30 min were just squats and lunges, which seemed like it was never going to end. EVER! The rest of the 30 min was arm work and core, which I am much better at, because it seems that I have ZERO leg strength.  I know this because I am sitting here three days later still in pain, and it kills when I sit down or stand up.

Guess what? I am going back on Sunday! Especially since I had Monday and Tuesday off from the Gym, mainly due to Monday having last minute Mouth Surgery (ok, I had four fillings replaced and one of them had a cavity, but still I feel like I was punched in the face)  and Tuesday was a “me” evening coming in my next post =) Oh and another reason I want to continue to do squats? Well I am pretty sure you saw the MTV VMA’s…. enough said. 

What's being a Woman got to do with working out???

As you know, I have had to battle with Hormones and being super sensitive to them, as well as water retention. I decided to some research about it maybe having to do with “Being a Woman”, and how that maybe affects the way we need to work out. I found this great site that seemed to explain things in a way that makes sense.

It divides the month into two sections Day 1- Day 14 and Day 15- Day 28. With each section (they are called Follicular and Luteal, in that order) there need to be different eating habits and work out routines.  Day 1 is the start of the Follicular Phase, or “Time of the month” and thus your body does better with muscle building and fat burning. The Second Section, which is Day 15- 28^th and the Luteal stage, Start when you “ovulate” until, well, Day 1 and is more of a “sugar burning” stage due to Progesterone being more present.  Read the Two articles HERE and HERE, but I did take the snap shot of the “main” bullet points for you underneath this. The first part is a diet and training schedule and the second is a more informed Training schedule. I added a picture of what my September Calendar looks like so far ;)

So the training and diet schedule may look something like this:

Follicular phase:

·         3 Times weekly full body weight training.

·         3 Times weekly long-duration moderate intensity training.

·         Normal calorie and carbohydrate intake at most meals with most timed after exercise to enhance training adaptations and muscle growth.

Luteal Phase:

·         3-5 times weekly short duration high intensity metabolic conditioning, HIIT, and sprint training.

·         Normal calorie intake with carbohydrate kept low, using exercise to create the correct hormonal environment and caloric deficit to burn fat and minimize any muscle loss.

·         Plenty of relaxing restorative exercise like leisure walking, sauna, tai chi, etc.

Protocol Overview

So the female phase training protocol looks like this:

·                     Follicular phase (Days 1-14): 30:40:30 macronutrient intake (carbs:protein:fat). 3 times weekly full body traditional weight training (squat, bench press, back row, shoulder press), 4 sets of 10 using a 8-12 rep max. 5 days per week steady state moderate intensity cardio (40-60 minutes).

·                     Luteal phase (Days 14-28): 20:40:40 or 10:45:45 macronutrient intake (carbs:protein:fat). 4-5 days per week metabolic conditioning (mixed weight & cardio interval training). Daily leisure walking (as much as able)

·                     Repeat next month

• The follicular phase is shown to be a more anabolic time overall allowing women to engage in more cardio based exercise with less chance of losing muscle as well as derive enhanced lean tissue gains from weight training.
• The luteal phase is more of a catabolic time for muscle tissue making long-duration cardio less beneficial and higher protein diets more prudent. There is some evidence the luteal phase has a greater EPOC and afterburn effect associated with it.

I am going to try it for a month and see if it makes a difference, and if it helps with my weight loss. I mean the concept makes sense, so why not? I have to work out anyway lol!

OH! On a side-note!!! I have a metabolic problem that we have been trying to figure out, and I was NEVER able to get my average heart rate up above 130, even when running! WELL yesterday  was able to!!! OMG my average was 141!!! I felt so good, so that means my thyroid meds must be doing the trick! 

EEEWWWW what is that?? Is that my skin?

Skin!

Yeah so obviously jo-jo dieting didn’t help, but neither did giving birth to the 22 inch, 9.2 Pound baby that was the size of a three month old, and whose head circumference was 15 inches (thus she never dropped).  So, I am working on fixing this issue while I am losing weight. There are three things I am doing to help with my obsession of getting myself back in primo shape before we even think about having another one. (Also, I KNOW I AM NOT THE ONLY MOM THAT FEELS THIS WAY) 

ONE is Dry Brushing

This is something my German Oma always swore by! “Jennifer you should be doing this because it helps with tightening skin and circulation and cellulite” Obviously she was speaking German and it really did not resonate to a 12 year old. However the retired nurse was 100% right!

Get yourself a dry brush and start doing this IMMEDIATELY! I looked online and they ran for around 8-19 dollars, until I had the genius idea to check ROSS! They have everything random! Sure as shit, they had one left for 2.99$!!! AWESOME!

The way you dry brush is also important. You are gonna want to start at your ankles and in round circular motions work your way up. Be warned, it does not feel good, nor should it. You are rubbing off dead skin and circulating blood in your body. When has beauty every = no pain??  I hope this goes unsaid, but just in case, YOU HAVE TO BE DRY, the brush does not get wet!

Do this 2-3 times a day if you like….. shower afterwards.

Then do number TWO

Body scrub!

I made my own last night and I must tell you it was fantastic! My skin is super smooth and feels so much better. The Dry brushing helped for sure.

I made my scrub out of Coconut Oil because of its amazing benefits (to see them and its uses check out Gigi’s Beauty blog HERE) and EPSOM Salt.  Underneath is the link, but there are so many besides for health.

USE A SEPERATE DRY BRUSH!!

EPSOM SALT USES: BEAUTY

Exfoliate dead skin - In the shower or bath, mix a handful of Epsom salt with a tablespoon of bath or olive oil and rub all over your wet skin to exfoliate and soften. Rinse thoroughly.

Exfoliating face cleanser - To clean your face and exfoliate skin at the same time, mix a half-teaspoon of Epsom salt with your regular cleansing cream. Gently massage into skin and rinse with cold water.

Dislodge blackheads - Add a teaspoon of Epsom salt and 3 drops iodine into a half cup of boiling water. Apply this mixture to the blackheads with a cotton ball.

Remove foot odor - Mix a half cup of Epsom salt in warm water and soak your feet for 10 minutes to remove bad odor, sooth achy feet, and soften rough skin.

Remove hairspray - Combine 1 gallon of water, 1 cup of lemon juice, and 1 cup Epsom salt. Cover the mixture and let set for 24 hours. The next day, pour the mixture into your dry hair and leave on for 20 minutes before shampooing as normal.

Hair volumizer - Combine equal parts deep conditioner and Epsom salt and warm in a pan. Work the warm mixture through your hair and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse thoroughly.

Helps muscles and nerves function properly

Studies show that Epsom salt can help regulate electrolytes in your body, ensuring proper functioning of the muscles, nerves and enzymes. Magnesium is also known to be critical in the proper use of calcium, which serves as a main conductor of the electric impulses in your body.

Eliminates toxins from the body

The sulfates in Epsom salt help flush toxins and heavy metals from the cells, easing muscle pain and helping the body to eliminate harmful substances. Your skin is a highly porous membrane and adding the right minerals to your bathwater triggers a process called reverse osmosis, which actually pulls salt out of your body, and harmful toxins along with it. For a detoxifying bath, at least once weekly add two cups of our Ultra Epsom Salt to the water in a bathtub and soak for 10 minutes.

More Info…..

How to make it?

Get an airtight container that you can keep in the shower, and that way its handy.

Take your Course Sea Salt and mix your Oil in at a 2:1 ratio.  For example I mixed 2 cups Salt with 1 cup of Coconut Oil. You can add some essential oils if you want to add a fragrance to it, but I just left mine plane. Good ones would be lavender, peppermint or even coconut if you like the beachy tan smell.

Scoop a little out and start massaging it into your skin like you did with the dry brush, be careful because the floor of your shower is going to be oily and you could slip! Which would not be pretty….. no! No one want to see that!

Then rinse in the shower! It is so moisturizing! You will  LOVE it!

Ok the THIRD is sure CHEESY!

But super awesome! It was also a ROSS find and a last minute idea! You have all been awake at like 2 A.M and seen the stupid adds for THESE:

Well I used it at the gym and HOLY CRAP! I was sweating like crazy and it seemed to do the trick! I know its all water and stuff, but why not heat up that zone while I am on the machines right?? I am going to keep using this bad boy! Hey for 6.99$ that’s 10$ less than spanks lol!

x.o.x.o jenn