goodbye, kangaroo pouch!

Tomorrow begins the first FitBlog challenge I have ever participated in- 3000 in 35, an ab-centered challenge in which participants will complete 3000 ab exercises in 35 days! My goal for the program (which conveniently covers the rest of my time in Indiana), is to lose my "kangaroo pouch," better known as the little bit of flub that has hung around my stomach since I was a baby, according to my mom. (She also says that she and my dad made fun of my pouch when I was an infant because neither of my siblings had such a strange stomach when they were young. Thanks, Mom.) Anyway, it has fluctuated in size over the past four years and I really feel like it's getting to the "almost gone" stage, so with the help of some more intense cardio, I hope to flatten my stomach for once and for all with the help of 3000 in 35!

I found a few other fit-minded-people here at IU, so we're starting a program-wide social running club that will meet twice a week and do some easy, fun, runs. Well, they'll probably be easy for everyone else. I have issues running for more than a mile at a time, but hopefully they will continue to prep me for my 5k, I'll meet some fun people, and it will be a good addition to my amped-up cardio goals in order to blast off my kangaroo pouch.

In addition to toning my abs, lately I've been acutely aware of the importance of all-over strength workouts. Since graduation, I've been attending at least one strength class each week, and I've seen my butt become firmer and more shapely, my arms lose flab and gain some serious muscle, and felt my legs get progressively stronger on my runs. I love the power I feel after strength workouts, and so I decided to design a workout full of accessible exercises that I could come back to once a week in addition to whatever class I might be taking at the time. I hope to change these workouts up every month or two, so I'll file them all under the Workouts tab on the top of my blog for easy reference.

Polish Power Strength Workout

(so-named in honor of my Summer 2011 Polish language study)

I cobbled this workout together from exercises I've been doing designed by fitsugar.com (they're linked), as well as moves I particularly liked from classes I've taken recently. You may notice that it is a little tricep and ab-heavy, and that it doesn't include much back, shoulder, or calf work- that's because I'm targeting certain areas with more attention, whereas muscle groups like my calves get plenty of attention every day as I walk around campus! Also, this is a workout that doesn't use machines... I'm not a huge fan in general and I much prefer workouts I could repeat in the comfort of my room if the need arose.

Materials: 

A pair of light and heavy weights (I use 5 and 10 lbs)

Stability Ball

Bench

Mat

Directions:

Repeat each group twice, resting one minute in between.

• Warm Up: 10 minutes of light cardio on the elliptical, resistance 5-7. Some easy jogging also does the trick.
• Legs
• Narrow Squat with Overhead Press- I love this move because it works inner thighs and hamstrings without the use of any accessories! 15 reps=1 set.
• Backward Lunge with Bicep Curls- do a basic lunge, making sure your knee doesn't come in front of your toe, and curl arms up as you lower your body. Pin your elbows to your sides to be most effective! 10 reps on each leg=1 set.
• Wide squat- with your feet in a wide plie stance, keep your chest up and butt out as you squat. Add arm raises to double it up and target the shoulders! 15 reps=1 set.
• Side squat- Start with feet together, stepping out into a shoulder-width squat. Targets outer thighs and glutes! Hold a 10 lb weight for added burn. 10 reps=1 set.
• Arms and Chest
• Tricep Dips- Get to the nearest bench, set your legs out (I usually cross my feet), support yourself with your arms, and slowly lower your bottom down to the floor, keeping your back straight, until your arms are at 90 degree angles. 10 reps=1 set.
• Tricep Extension- The classic tricep toning move. Grab a weight (I use 10 lbs) with both hands and extend your arms above your head. Lower the weight down behind you, bending your arms and keeping your elbows in place. 10 reps=1 set.
• Tricep extension- Take a split stance with one foot behind the other, and bend your knees slightly. Place arm on front knee to support yourself. Draw back your other arm (with weight) until your elbow is above your back. This is your "home" position- do not allow your elbow to move! Straighten your arm and come back to home. 10 reps=1 set.
• Bench press- I assume this doesn't need much explanation, but here's a tip- always keep your knuckles facing the ceiling to ensure good form!
• Back and Core (at least 120 reps toward the 3000 in 35 goal!)
• Superman Raises- Lay face down on your mat, arms and legs extended. Keeping your toes pinned to the floor, slowly raise and lower your chest. (15 reps=1 set)
• Crunches on Stability Ball- Roll the ball out to under your lower back for best effect. If you put your hands behind your head, don't pull on your neck! I usually cross my arms on my chest or keep my arms straight myself, which helps me concentrate on engaging my core. 20=1 set.
• Pilates 100- My favorite gut-buster. Keep your feet as low to the floor ar possible for maximum burn. 100 pumps=1 set.
• Bicycle Crunches- Target those obliques! 20 reps=1 set.
• Reverse Crunch- Lift your hips up off the floor and push your feet toward the ceiling using only your core! Make sure to lower down with your core as well, not just using gravity. 20 reps=1 set.

If you try out this strength training workout, let me know how it works for you! :)

Disclaimer: I'm not a personal trainer or certified fitness guru. This is what I do at the gym, and if you try it, you're doing so at your own risk. Exercise safely!

mark down monday: brute strength

It's been quite a week! I'm knee deep in Polish and all settled into a routine here, and what a fabulous routine it is! I've been getting up every morning before class to enjoy the gym, and for the most part, I feel healthy and energized when I have to start spitting crazy sounds out of my mouth. I'm still adjusting to waking up super early for Cardio Sculpt classes on Tuesday/Thursdays, but the class is worth it so I'm going to keep slogging along. Let's see how I did this week:

• Monday: Cardio- either elliptical or 5k training on indoor track. Did 30 minutes on the Elliptical, Intervals as usual.
• Tuesday: Try "Cardio Sculpt" class (described as interval + strength training) at 6:30 am! Yikes! Despite getting up at a previously unimaginable time, I really enjoy this class. It starts with about 5 minutes of intense cardio, followed by strength training for each muscle group for about 15 minutes, more cardio, more strength training, and finally, stretching. A quick 45 minute workout that leaves me very sweaty!
• Wednesday: 15-20 minutes of cardio and abs/arms. The weather was unexpectedly beautiful so I did 5k training outdoors. Another surprise was in store- I finished my workout before I even knew I was done! I swore I had one more round of sprints left, and suddenly my phone was clapping for me and telling me my workout was done. I guess that was a sign that it's time to move up to the next level of the Couch to 5k Plan.
• Thursday: Cardio Sculpt again if I like the class. If not, elliptical or 5k training. I did like the class, so I returned! I liked this instructor a lot, and I was super sore on Friday from class.
• Friday: Cardio + abs OR day off. (I forsee doing a lot of walking to downtown on Fridays) Day off. I slept really poorly and had a test in the morning. It ended up being a good choice, since I was so sore from Thursday's workout.
• Saturday: 15-20 mins on elliptical, plus try "Strength Core" again. Since I preferred Cardio Sculpt, I decided to skip out on Strength Core. Instead, I did 30 minutes on the elliptical, plus arms + abs.
• Sunday: Cardio (5k training if I didn't get to it yet), and full strength workout. This was my proudest day all week! I'll be sharing the strength workout I came up with in a post later this week. 

I'm going to follow the same plan this week, except try to do less elliptical and more 5k training. I may skip Week 3 on Couch to 5k because it seems like it will be a little too easy for me, but I suppose I should give it a try so I don't totally waste my time by doing a workout that's too hard for me. But yeah, pretty pleased with the first week here at IU and the mental and physical BRUTE STRENGTH behind my workouts :)

In other news, I went to the Farmer's Market on Saturday! I sampled some delicious Goat Cheese flavored with Wasabi. Because I am stubborn, instead of photographing things that would be germane to this blog, I chose to photograph cute things:

Cute old people playing cute music.
Yes, that is a dog percussion instrument. Blew my mind.

This cute parrot rode on the back of his owner's bike
on a special perch!

I wanted to bring a cute bonsai home but realized I had
no way to transport it back with me in August.

Corgi in a stroller! Corgi in a stroller!
Could anything possibly be cuter?

After the market, I enjoyed a delicious lunch from
Bloomington Bagel Company- sundried tomato bagel
with roasted red pepper cream cheese. Mmmmm!

And then I met this little friend. D'awwww.

When your strength is getting brute.... it's nice to see things that are cute!

(Nerd, out.)

elation, relaxation: the whole package

Elation

Although I am totally and completely exhausted after my first week of class and settling into a new routine, new campus, and a new gym, I am surprisingly content right now. I suspect my happiness has something to do with the fact that I bought a used fridge for pretty cheap and my lovely, fresh, and mostly organic groceries are sitting, chilling in there as we speak.

The contents of my new fridge.
Note the goat cheese...front and center :)

For a surprisingly low amount of money (thanks to my Kroger card I saved over $8!) I was really able to stock up. In fact, if this food doesn't last me at least 10 days I'll be pretty surprised. I bought sandwich fixins (for both meat-based and jam-based sammies), crackers, cheese, and baby carrots to snack on, pineapple because I am obsessed with it, bananas, apples, two enormous tubs of organic, lowfat, plain yogurt (although Kroger doesn't carry Stonyfield which is SO WEIRD to me), some delish baby spring mix, raisins for toppings, balsamic vinaigrette (normally I would make my own at home, but it's not really an option here), some oatmeal for breakfast variety, and lowfat chocolate milk (my favorite post workout pump up). I also have a few Healthy Choice micro-meals left, along with copious amounts of Kashi cereal and bars, peanut butter, and honey.

Seriously, what more does a girl need? Mmm.

Relaxation

It goes hand in hand with elation, really. As I sit with a full tummy, listening to the harmonious hum of the fridge after a night out in adorable Bloomington with friends, I realize how GOOD I feel about my situation for the next 7 weeks:

• I have surrounded myself with really GOOD people. I met them entirely by chance, but we all get on like old friends, and I'm having a blast hanging out with them. They are interesting, supportive, and fun to be around.
• I am really getting my workout on at this campus. Due to it's sheer size, I've been walking an average of 3 miles a day, in addition to the morning workouts I've been putting in. I can't explain how, for the first time in my life, I've been motivated to get up at 6am to go work out, but it happened every day this week and I don't think it's about to change, because I look better, and more importantly, I feel better.
• It is SO nice to be able to concentrate on ONE level of my intellectual development. I know come August I'll be split a million directions again, but right now, all I have to care about is learning Polish, and when I've had enough studying, I can relaaaaaax.
• Relaxation has come in a lot of forms in the short time I've been here- I've been taking more time out for my health. I've been enjoying more time with friends. I've been re-immersing myself in the fitness blogging scene. What has been most fulfilling, however, is that I've been able to READ. I can't remember the last time I read for pleasure. I finish two books in the last ten days and am close to finishing a third. I hope my time for reading continues as the summer progresses.

The moral of the story is this: even though I'm spending more than 20 hours each week in class, and just as much doing homework and studying, I am making a conscious effort for the first time in a while to make time for me, and I can already feel the effects.

I feel like for the first time I'm understanding the whole package of health- it's not just about eating well and exercising. If you're unhappy, your body will be unhappy with you. 

Speaking of which, my body is telling me it's time to sleep so that I can go conquer the gym tomorrow :)

mark down monday: first week in indy

I've been in Bloomington for a little over three days now, and I'm getting along pretty nicely, despite my continued need to fight the battle of the fridgeless. 

Yesterday I was able to go to the annual "Taste of Bloomington" event, where I sampled some Garlic Parmesan french fries from FARMBloomington, a local and organic food place in the downtown.  I'm hoping to head there a few times in the next 8 weeks.  I also got a delicious Mediterranean Veggie Pita from Grazie!, an Italian eatery.  I had come to a neighboring booth for a gyro, but the veggies in this pita looked fresh and delicious, and after they called to me, I came to the realization I wasn't really in the mood for meat. It hit the spot!

This weekend I was also had time to discover the IU gym. It is seriously ENORMOUS and has a lot to offer. I tried out a strength training class and had a mixed reaction to it; the instructor used very little added weight and since I'm used to my former class that used 10-20lbs of added weight at any given time, it was a little too easy for me. However, I learned some new tricks with the stability ball that I think will be helpful when I strength train on my own, so that was a plus.  

Let's see how my plan held up for the week!

• Monday- weather looks beautiful, so- 5k training and strength training (high reps of tri dips, abs, squats) outside. Did 5k training, didn't do as much strength as I would have liked because I was beat.
• Tuesday- Elliptical intervals and Pilates. My week started to get really busy with packing, etc., so instead I did another round of 5k training. Got caught in the rain, ick!
• Wednesday- Weight training class, elliptical intervals. Was super behind on packing, had an unexpected dental emergency, so took a rest day.
• Thursday- Fly to Indiana! Walk through all escalators and people movers. Travel day was definitely a workout. I was lugging around a huge suitcase and two other bags. Walked around the campus, which is a square mile in size. Definitely was exhausted by the end of that.
• Friday-Sunday- Get the lay of the land and try to get to the gym! Indiana U has an indoor track- try 5k training there. Check out the fitness schedule, pay fees if needed. Friday was the first day of class, so I spent it running all over the place, and buying books and groceries. Saturday I did 20 minutes on the elliptical after exploring the gym, and then went to the aforementioned strength training class. Plus, in our travels around downtown Bloomington and to and from campus, my friends and I walked almost 6 miles! Today I did 30 minutes on the elliptical and strength trained on my own.

Here's my tentative plan for this week. I'm going to see how working out before my 9am class goes, and if it ends up being too hectic, things will get shifted around, but for now:

• Monday: Cardio- either elliptical or 5k training on indoor track.
• Tuesday: Try "Cardio Sculpt" class (described as interval + strength training) at 6:30 am! Yikes!
• Wednesday: 15-20 minutes of cardio and abs/arms.
• Thursday: Cardio Sculpt again if I like the class. If not, elliptical or 5k training.
• Friday: Cardio + abs OR day off. (I forsee doing a lot of walking to downtown on Fridays)
• Saturday: 15-20 mins on elliptical, plus try "Strength Core" again.
• Sunday: Cardio (5k training if I didn't get to it yet), and full strength workout.

I'd like this to be my last week on Week 2 of the Couch to 5k program (yes, I am purposely taking it veeeery slowly). This week it's free to take Pilates or Yoga at the gym as well, so I may hit up a few of those classes in the evenings with some friends if the situation presents itself and I don't have too much homework.

In terms of food, I'm not sure what my goals can be, considering the fridge situation is still in existence. However, one of my goals is definitely to eat out less often!

And here's a new category- a blog goal! I want to take more pictures to show you all. I was pretty sad when I realized I had scarfed down my entire veggie pita at the food festival without photographing it. Boo!

Hope you all have a lovely week and that you achieve all your fitness goals! :)

indie of the dining hall in Indy

I'm all settled in at IU, in my smallish but decently nice dorm room. Our MicroFridges still haven't come in (and may not ever come in, actually), so what I thought would already be a difficult exercise- that is, eating healthily with only a fridge and freezer- has now become survival mode.

I had planned on supplementing my own food with dining hall meals every once in a while, but unfortunately this plan was thwarted by the evil forces as IU dining services.  Without a meal plan, which I do not intend to buy, the prices of their a la carte dining halls are exorbitant! For breakfast yesterday I had about 1/2 a cup of yogurt with strawberries and granola, some fruit salad, a banana, and chocolate milk- the price tag was $10.30. To top it all off, I was totally gassy for the entire day and I blame it on the weird yogurt, which was unlabeled... I'm sure it wasn't organic.

So, yesterday I took a trip to the nearby Target and tried to get some staples to hold me over until the fridge- fingers crossed!- finally arrives:

The pantry of a fridgeless fraulein.

As you can see, I picked up some Honey Almond Flax Kashi (though I usually mix this with lowfat plain yogurt, so I probably won't be eating it much until the dawn of the fridges), a few boxes of Kashi TLC bars (a good addition to breakfast, or good as a snack or dessert), some whole wheat bread, peanut butter, and honey for breakfast or lunch, 'naners for post-workout or on sammies, and the discovery that I am most grateful for- Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers!

Not only do they not need to be frozen, but they have a built-in strainer for draining your pasta post-microwave (there is a public microwave on the hall). My only complaint is that they are a tad small- I could probably eat 1.5 times the amount of food they include for dinner (they range from 280-320 cals) but they are tasty, include lots of veggies, and the sodium isn't that bad in comparison to dishes of a similar quality.  Last night I tried the Creamy Tomato Basil Penne and it was fine, and soon I will be sampling the Balsamic Vegetable Medley.

I also bought a little snack can of tuna that I'm going to try for lunch one day on some bread- it's a sundried tomato/tuna mixture and comes with crackers.  I'm not sure if I'm going to like it, because I usually prefer my tuna sandwiches warm and melty with cheddar cheese, but I figured it was worth a try since it's cheap and doesn't need a fridge.

Of course, once the fridge arrives (pray for me!) I'll be adding yogurt and berries to my rotation, and hopefully a lot more veggies! There's a Farmer's Market here that I hope to go check out once I have a place to store my purchases.

This weekend I'm going to get to the IU gym, which looks gorgeous, and try to work off this pizza from Mother Bear's, the best pizza in Indiana, that I shared with some friends when we first arrived:

The Cosmo from Mother Bear's. Vodka sauce, sausage, bacon
mushrooms, and asiago cheese. Or as I like to call it,
the half a heart attack special.

mark down monday: part two of many

Today's the day I figure out how I did for the week, plan for next week, and mark it all down in this l'il ol' blog.

Fitness!

• Monday- Elliptical + arms and abs - yup!
• Tuesday- Pilates - indeed! 
• Wednesday- Weight training class + short jaunt on elliptical or treadmill - felt awesome after weight training (I even stood in the front!) but had a lunch date with my grandma so didn't have time for any cardio.
• Thursday- 5k training + Pilates - I took Mike to Pilates but decided to do cardio indoors due to scorching heat! Also went swimming in Mike's pool for a bit! Ended up with this gem of a photo: 

We look like some sort of pool-dwelling half-man,
half-crazylady. Hello true nature.

• Friday-Sunday- visiting sister in NC; will try to force myself to hotel gym or pool and not overeat! - Made it to the tiny tiny fitness room in my hotel and ran 1.2 miles on the treadmill. Would have gone longer, but when I took my sports bra out of my bag it was wet (?!) and I couldn't deal with the girls flopping around! Finished off with 40 tricep dips and some free weights.

This Week: I'm gonna try to get in a lot of workouts early this week because I'm flying to Indiana on Thursday and imagine that the first few days will be full of settling in and might not afford much time for fitness. So-

• Monday- weather looks beautiful, so- 5k training and strength training (high reps of tri dips, abs, squats) outside.
• Tuesday- Elliptical intervals and Pilates
• Wednesday- Weight training class, elliptical intervals
• Thursday- Fly to Indiana! Walk through all escalators and people movers.
• Friday-Sunday- Get the lay of the land and try to get to the gym! Indiana U has an indoor track- try 5k training there. Check out the fitness schedule, pay fees if needed.

Food!
I did decently with food this week. My goals were to drink more water, which I think I did intuitively since it was so hot out, and eat more whole grains, which I was conscious of but didn't actively seek out.  I also wanted to not go nuts while I was in NC over the weekend. Given the circumstances (not being able to plan my own meals, eating at weird times when I was starving, eating off menus...), I did alright. My only major transgression was getting a baked potato for a late lunch- it seemed healthy if I were able to put my own toppings on... but it came loaded with Southern-style servings of butter, sour cream, cheese, etc. I tried to scrape off as much as possible, but it was still incredibly... well, loaded.

This week I'd like to eat as healthily as possible for Monday-Wednesday, because I'm not sure what Thursday-Sunday will hold. I was counting on being able to keep healthy staples (yogurt, fruit, granola, etc) in a fridge in my room at IU over the summer, but there has been a SNAFU in that plan, so I have very little idea of what the food situation will be like. It will certainly be a challenge. I will do my best to stick to what I know works as I make the transition to my summer in Indiana.

The next Mark Down Monday will be coming to you from Bloomington, Indiana!

bring the bf to pilates day

Joseph and Clara Pilates, two lovebirds and the creators of
my favorite exercises. Photo credit: Molly McGinn. 

I've been jonesing for Mike to try out Pilates for a while, mainly because I enjoy sharing things I love with him, but also because I wanted to see if he could keep up with the core-based workout. (While we were in Ocean City, I was astonished to find out that he couldn't do a roll-up without his feet secured... I was shocked! Later it occurred to me that we ladies carry our weight a bit differently than men and we're just anatomically better at these types of exercises, but still...)

Since I'm leaving for Indiana next week, this was literally our last chance to take a class together at my home gym, which I love, so Mike was a good sport and came along. We ran into the instructor, Nicole (a "cool sibling" type), on our way across the gym, and I introduced Mike. Nicole told Mike that he was  "going to be just fine!" Mike was slightly disconcerted that a complete stranger was trying to reassure him. He got slightly more disconcerted when we were gathering our mat and Pilates rings. I don't blame him, though; if you don't know what those rings are for, they could totally look like a torture device, particularly when you are the only man in a class of all women.

The class passed pretty much without incident. I could tell sometimes that Mike was feelin' the burn in his core like he hadn't before, but I think he enjoyed it, which is why I love Pilates.  It's a totally accessible form of exercise that truly does wonderful things for your body; I think the reason I'm able to power through the ab track in my weight lifting class is because of Pilates, and I accredit what limited flexibility I have to it as well.

If only we all brought our men to Pilates! Perhaps after taking this "gateway drug" to the group fitness world, there wouldn't be such a gender discrepancy!

my first mark down monday!

After seeing similar posts all across the fitness blogosphere, I decided it would be a good idea to check in with myself once a week on my blog and figure out my fitness goals for the upcoming week, as well as see how I did the past week. These will probably be the only me-centric posts on this blog, because I'd rather engage the bigger fitness and health picture than bore you with the minutiae of my diet and workouts. So, I present to you the first of what will hopefully be many Mark Down Mondays!

(Note: I do not mean "mark down" in the sense of "her grade was marked down because she didn't cite her sources," but rather "I'm going to mark down my goals for the week!" Clear? Good.)

Last Week:

Fitness!

• Monday 5/30- Planned rest day to avoid crazy Memorial Day shortened gym hours and crowds.
• Tuesday 5/31- Did a high-intensity interval workout on the elliptical and some light weight training.
• Wednesday 6/1- Unplanned rest day; wanted to go to the gym in the morning but didn't think I could make it back and shower in time to drive my mom to the airport. Wanted to do afternoon run but thunderstorms prevailed.
• Thursday 6/2- Had a horrible sleep but forced myself out for a run/5k training. Started level 2 of the Couch to 5k program. Sweated a lot. Saw a turtle. In the afternoon, went to Pilates. It was awesome; Pilates was what really got me interested in fitness and coming back to it after a few months showed me how far I've come.
• Friday 6/3- Elliptical and Weight Training. Babysat for 4yo and 1yo nephews. Phew!
• Saturday 6/4- Knocked out by nephews waking up at 6am, plus exhausted from taking care of them. another Unplanned Rest Day.
• Sunday 6/5- Made up for all the glitches in my schedule this week as follows: 10 high-intensity minutes on the elliptical before going to weight-training class (did first in-form push-up without collapsing!). Swam in boyfriend's pool for 30 minutes. Took my brother's dog to the dog park, ran around and played with her. Estimate of calories burned=883.

My brother's puggle enjoying the dog park on Sunday.

Food!
In terms of eating, last week I did pretty well. I cooked a lot for myself and felt good about what I made and what I was putting in my body. The only time I went really off the wagon and felt bad about it was when I ordered Papa John's for me and the nephews. I certainly wasn't going to cook for them, as picky and pain-in-the-ass-y as they are, and I knew they liked pizza and so did I. I still stayed under my calorie recommendation for the day, but didn't feel too hot about what I had eaten.

Next Week:

Fitness!

• Monday- Elliptical + arms and abs (check! already done!)
• Tuesday- Pilates
• Wednesday- Weight training class + short jaunt on elliptical or treadmill
• Thursday- 5k training + Pilates
• Friday-Sunday- visiting sister in NC; will try to force myself to hotel gym or pool and not overeat!

Food! 

As already mentioned, since I won't have much time on my short trip to NC to work out, I'm going to try my hardest not to overeat. Other than that, during the week I'd like to try to eat more veggies and whole grains and drink more water.

What are your health and fitness goals this week?

climbing michi's ladder: the everest of health for a normal gal?

While catching up on twitter after babysitting my four and one year old nephews overnight, I came across Michi's Ladder, a weight loss and healthy eating tool created by Team Beachbody (the makers of P90X and the Insanity workout). The basic idea behind the Ladder is that those who want to lose more weight should eat mostly food from Tiers 1 and 2, and try to eliminate foods from the bottom tiers. I had a number of immediate reactions:

1. Goat Cheese is on Tier 4, the "Dodgy Tier." So, if I were abiding by this plan I would be the saddest lady in the whole world.
2. Froyo is also considered Dodgy. I might just throw myself off a cliff if you took away my Goat Cheese AND my froyo. Seriously.
3. There are no "normal" carbs in the first tier. I'm not talking Quinoa here, peeps. (Funny story: until pilates the other day I thought it Quinoa was pronounced kin-OH-ah. Nope, it's KEEN-wah! So, since I can't even pronounce it, it should be evident that I haven't made that culinary leap yet.)
4. Unless I were officially pescatarian and also willing to eat enormous salads every day for 1-2 meals, I think eating from Tier 1 alone would be really difficult. I know people do it, but I am definitely not there yet.

How does this lunch do on Michi's Ladder?
Veggie Burger- Tier 2
White Sandwich Bun- Tier 4
Ketchup- Tier 3
Grapes- Tier 1
Baby Lettuce- Tier 1
Goat Cheese- Tier 4 :(
Homemade balsamic vinaigrette- ?

Here's the sticking point, though: I'm not sure "there" according to Michi's Ladder is where I want to be. The Beachbody series is aimed at people who really want to shed pounds (particularly quickly).  I'm not sure that's me right now. I'm happy with my body and my health journey is definitely more about feeling good and less about losing weight. I don't think Michi's "simple substitution plan" would work for very many people- you can't replace a piece of cake with some fruit- you just can't! And that's coming from someone who loves fruit.

To be clear: I think there's a difference between eating healthy and eating boring. The good news is that MOST of my food for the past month has, in fact, been coming from Tiers 1-3, with the sad exception of goat cheese, froyo, and a few of the three Bs: bread, bagels, and beer.

Discovering Michi's Ladder wasn't a total bust, though: it made me realize that I do have a few problem areas that could use some work. For instance:

• I need to increase my intake of whole grain carbs. This includes pasta and bagels...and English muffins. Sniff.
• I need to explore healthier cooking methods. Most of my cooking is done in a skillet. I'm using healthy oils and I'm not deep frying anything, so it's not a total loss, but I could definitely stand to learn more about baking, steaming, grilling and broiling my food.

Lastly, even though looking at Tier 1 and realizing how far I had to go before I was a "healthy eater" as defined by the Beachbody team made me depressed enough that I ate half a Ciao Bella Blood Orange Sorbet (luckily it's only 60 cal a serving with no added sugar!), I still realized that how far I have left to go is nothing compared to how far I've come. A little over a year ago I was drinking Coke at every meal,  staying up until ungodly hours while eating entire Domino's pizzas, drinking 400 calorie Starbucks drinks and not-so-healthy alcoholic beverages, and never hitting the gym to top it all off. A lot has changed, and that feels good.

delicious + nutritious = eggs and veggies in a tortilla

That would be the light of God shining down on my
delicious creation... in case you were wondering.

Man, Maggie Foard just can't go wrong. This is the third recipe I've made out of her Goat Cheese Cookbook, and it didn't disappoint!

My veggies sauteeing and being beautiful

This recipe, "Farmhouse Eggs with Tomatoes, Black Beans and Cheddar," isn't what you'd expect- it's a flavorful mixture of sauteed onions (and in my case, some orange bell pepper), tomatoes, and poached eggs in a flour tortilla, topped with cheese, black beans and sour cream. Delicious, nutritious, and between 500-600 calories!

Don't judge the amount of sour cream I use. I spent a
semester in Russia. Sour cream is what my heart pumps.