TapouT XT Day 30 of 90

Day 30 = Ripped Conditioning + Ultimate Abs XT

I am pushing this workout to Thursday.  Today I rode my spin bike instead of doing my TapouT XT workout tonight.  It was a busy day and evening, so I got a quick spin in and will get back to TapouT XT tomorrow morning.

Today’s food…

Breakfast: Greek Yogurt with Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal topped with Blackberries

Yum!

Snack: Cottage Cheese with Strawberries

Lunch: Salmon served with Green Peas and Guacamole

I only added the Guacamole because I had just made it up and I wanted to taste it.

Snack: Mini Banana Sorbet Bar

Only 90 Calories.

Dinner: Chicken Tikki Masala served with Baked Pita Chips and Guacamole

I made rice for my family, but I stuck with some baked whole wheat pita chips and the guacamole I made today.

Snack: Dark Chocolate Mint Chocolate

I know I should have picked a different snack to up my calories for the remainder of my day.  But you know me and chocolate, it was just calling my name.  I am going to start ignoring it soon though.

So as you know my lack of energy throughout the winter months was very concerning to me and it got me thinking that maybe I wasn’t getting enough from the foods that I have been eating.  So I decided to start taking a multi vitamin.  I am not one for taking things in pill form and I am only trying this as a trial.  I have also been taking some fish oil and B12 tablets.  I am also looking into helping clear the skin on my face.  Last night I picked up some Healthy Skin Chews to try out.  I know that it’s not going to clear overnight and I don’t expect it to, but I am hoping to see a change while the box of chews lasts.  I am also looking into changing up some of the foods that I eat as well to help clear the skin.  I know I know…cut out the chocolate.  And I will…cut down.  LOL

I don’t know if I mentioned that we now have satellite T.V. and it’s turning me into a couch potato…NOT…well sort of.  I don’t really like watching T.V. but I do like PVRing things so I can race through the commercials.  I PVRed the Dr. Oz show yesterday and it was all about losing weight and getting healthy, as is the remainder of the week.  I watched the show last night and there was a guest on there, Kimberly Snyder talking about her book The Beauty Detox Foods.  

I bought her book today on iBooks and began to read it.  I figure I can take some of her information to see if it can help clear my skin and make it better.  One thing I do know already, that if Kimberly reads this post, she would say "get rid of the Greek yogurt and the cottage cheese" that I ate today.  If I can clear my skin, lose more weight and continue on my journey to be A Healthier Version of Me through foods rather than taking added vitamins and other pills…I’m ALL for that.  As I read through it, I will let you know about it.  Tonight I ran out and got the ingredients to start making her Glowing Green Smoothie.  Hopefully it will help with that lack of energy that I am slowly recovering from.  I will let you know how the Glowing Green Smoothie tastes tomorrow.

Until then…Stay Strong!

Good night

Trina 

TapouT XT Day 29 of 90

Day 29 = Plyo XT

I was up by 5:38am and getting ready to jump start myself with TapouT XT’s Plyo XT workout.  As I have told you before, this one is not one of my favourites, but if you want a TapouT body you have to “Come and Get It!”  So that’s what I did this morning. 

It would have been SO easy to stay in bed on this rainy Monday morning, but I did NOT. 

Not that I could see that it was raining out, I just new what the forecast was calling for.  The reason I could not see out the windows is because when I repainted our master bedroom, I also put up some curtains with the “blackout” backing on them.  So that means our room is so dark now, you can’t tell if it’s day or night.  I think that is one of the reasons why I have been having trouble sleeping and sleeping in.  I like to wake to see some daylight peeking through, even if it is a dreary day like today.  Maybe I will tell my husband to pull the curtains back before he leaves for work in the morning.

Sometimes it’s the little things in life that can make a BIG difference.  A smile, a wave or your little girl sitting on the school bus making the “X” and the “T” signs with her hands to give you that extra motivation to keep going with your workouts.  Knowing that what YOU are doing is having a positive impact on those around you.

Yep…as I was waving to my son and daughter this morning as they were about to leave on the school bus.  My daughter is doing something with her hands and I figured that she was signaling the X T from TapouT XT, so I did it back to her and she gave me the thumbs up.  LOVE IT!  Then my son mouthed the words “Check on Dingo”.  Then I gave him the thumbs up.  Dingo is his stuff dog, and best friend.  LOVE IT!  I had a permanent grin on my face all the way back to my house.

During the Plyo XT workout this morning, I still modified some of the moves to help me keep going.  This workout is tough but it is VERY doable.  I have to keep pushing myself to keep staying strong.  It’s been a tough year so far with “life” things, but I am a fighter and I will survive.

To keep me going as you all know I have registered for the Color Me Rad 5K run in Toronto happening on June 22^nd.  I have also preregistered for the Color Vibe 5K run, date and location not known yet.  And now tonight I got a notification on my Facebook wall about another colour 5K run happening in Kitchener, ON, date and location still unknown, BUT I did preregister for that one as well.  

I will keep you posted on these runs as I get more information.  The Kitchener one may be on or around the 7^th of September.  I am looking forward to all these runs. 

Today’s food…

Breakfast: Banana Pancakes (again)/Turkey Bacon

Yes I made these pancakes again.  Only today I added in a splash of vanilla extract and a dash of cinnamon.  And I topped them with honey and natural peanut butter.

YUMMY!!!

Snack: Blackberries

Lunch: Brown Rice Pasta with Turkey Meatballs served with a Broccoli Coleslaw

I also added on a Mini Banana Sorbet Bar as a dessert.

Snack: Golden Delicious Apple with Natural Peanut Butter

Dinner: Salmon Skewer with a Greek Salad

We had to run to the mall tonight so we ate in the food court.  I tried to choose something as healthy as I could.  You know how I love salmon, so it was easy to decide when the Greek vendor OPA was serving up salmon skewers.  YUM!

Well it’s late again and I must get my rest.  Tomorrow is another new TapouT XT workout for me.  Another one I have not done yet…Ripped Conditioning + Ultimate Abs XT (which I have done).  So I am looking forward to seeing what Mike and his crew have in store for me…and you!

Until then…Stay Strong!

Good night

Trina

TapouT XT Day 28 of 90

Day 28 = Rest Day...NOT!

Today I did the TapouT XT Cardio XT and Ultimate Abs XT workouts on this Rest Day.  As I mentioned in my previous post, I was going to do these two workouts today as I missed them yesterday.

The Cardio XT workout requires the TapouT XT weighted gloves, gloves that I don’t have but I did find the other weighted gloves that I had already owned.  I put them on for today’s workout and WOW what a difference!  It felt great to wear them but even better when I was able to take them off at the end of the workout.  This first time I did this workout, my calves were killing me that same day and for days afterwards.  Well my calves feel fine now and I’m sure they will be feeling fine tomorrow as well.  That’s a good thing because Plyo XT is up on the schedule for tomorrow.

Before my workout this morning I made up some Banana Pancakes that I saw online the other day.  These pancakes only have two ingredients…

1 banana

2 egg whites

That’s it, that’s all!

If you wanted to, you could add some vanilla extract, but I didn’t.  I may try them again tomorrow and add the vanilla in and maybe some cinnamon too.

Mix the ingredients in a food processor until blended and then pour some batter into a heated pan.  Cook until they bubble and then flip over.  Remove from pan and enjoy.  I added a drizzle of pure maple syrup.

The pancakes – 139 calories for a serving of 4 pancakes with added maple syrup - added only 52 calories. 

Today’s food…

Breakfast: Banana Pancakes/Blackberries/Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal

Since the pancakes were low in calories I also added some fruit and some cereal without milk.

Snack: Turkey Bacon

This came after my workout.  I made some breakfast for the rest of my family and I cooked up an extra 2 slices of turkey bacon for myself.

Lunch: Roasted Chicken/Homemade Sweet Potato Fries/Homemade Garlic Bread

We had leftovers from last night’s late dinner.  My son brought home a recipe to make garlic bread, so we made it up last night for dinner.  He did a great job of making the bread.

Snack: Mini Banana Sorbet Bars

Dinner: Protein Shake/ Broccoli Coleslaw with a Fat Free Dressing

I didn’t feel that hungry tonight so I just made up a protein shake but only drank half of it.  I then went out to get groceries and when I came back I ate the coleslaw because I was feeling hungry then.

Snack: Dark Chocolate Mint Chocolate

A little treat while writing to you.

I should be in bed already but I wanted to stay on track with my TapouT XT posts.  Before I go, I want to tell you about something that I seen while in the grocery store tonight.  So many people struggle with cutting certain things out of their daily diet, and I totally understand that and this WAS one of them for me…

BUT…I am proud to say that I was not even tempted by this product at all.  It has been well over a year since I drank a Diet Pepsi or any kind of pop whatsoever (the exception of having some in a mixed drink, last summer over my birthday weekend).  I am so glad and proud of myself for overcoming this habit of drinking diet pop.  If I can do it, so can you!  Now I just have to work on my chocolate addiction.  LOL

Well I’m going to bed now…Plyo XT in the morning.

 Until then…Stay Strong!

Good night

Trina

TapouT XT Day 27 of 90

Day 27 = Cardio XT = Ultimate XT

I went for a 1K run with my daughter yesterday and she did fantastic.  We started off with a short walk and then began to run.  About half way through, she said she wanted to walk but she kept running and I was there to cheer her on.  When we were nearing the 1K mark she really wanted to stop and walk again, but she’s a trooper and she made it to the finish.  Then we walked, but then she spotted a shadow over the path ahead and said “that was the finish line”, and wanted to race me across the line.  She won! LOL

After dropping her off back home, I went out and went for a 5K run through the trails.  It seemed like a very long 5 kilometers, it was full of hills and I had some obstacles to get through.  Trees had fallen from the ice storm a few weeks back and they were still blocking some of the paths along the trail.  Some I went around, and others I climbed over and under the branches. 

It felt great to get out and run the trails again.  This was near the beginning of my run…

I had about 5 or more hills like this one throughout the run.  

So I ran a total of 6 KM and felt great.  

BUT…

…when I got back home, I wasn’t feeling like doing another workout.  I wanted to get on with my day and that included going to the hospital to visit my Dad.  We had some other things to do yesterday, so I jumped in the shower, toweled off, put on a spring dress and we were soon out the door.   The weather was gorgeous and I was SO glad that I could finally wear some warmer weather clothes.

We did our errands and then made our way to the hospital to see my Dad.  It was great to see him, but at the same time, it was hard to see him like that.  My Dad has always been a very active man, but over the past few years, he has slowed down almost too much.  I know that it’s partly to do with his age, partly to do with some of the medication that the doctor has put him on and partly to do with proper nutrition.  A balance of everything is needed for my Dad to get back on track.  I hope.

After getting back home to Waterloo, it was late and we still hadn't eaten dinner yet, so I decided to I would take away my Rest Day (Sunday) and do the Cardio XT and Ultimate Abs XT workouts (today), Sunday. 

I will be posting another post shortly.

Until then…Stay Strong!

Trina       

TapouT XT Day 26 of 90

Day 26 = Sprawl and Brawl

Mike says, “Come and Get It!”  Well that’s just what I did this morning.  I was up and I sprawled and I brawled, all by myself of course…so no one got hurt.

I was throwing punches and elbows like a pro.  My kicks weren't too shabby either.  Lots of great core work as always, which I love.  I am making my way to Day 30 and I am hoping that my Abs will show through a bit.  I know that I am very strong through my core, but there is that very, very stubborn layer of fat across my mid section that just won’t F$#% off!  It’s like my body doesn't want to let go.  But my mind does!

I say to my body…“It’s time to let go” and “you don’t need that fat anymore, I have the muscle to replace it, and if I don’t have it all, I will get it!  I will get it by training hard and eating clean.”

The nice weather is on its way and that means more running for me.  And more run training for my children.

Speaking of my children…

This is totally non-fitness related but this blog is about me and all the things in my life.  Today at my kid’s school, it was Movie/Book Character Day.  They could dress up as their favourite character.  So my son informs me last night that he wants to dress up a Frodo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings.  He wanted me to make him a costume to wear.  Okay, I know I am great at sewing, but that doesn't help when you have no materials to work with.  So he kind of went to bed thinking he would be going to school as himself.  So did I for that matter.  Well he woke up this morning still wanting to be Frodo Baggins…I thought to myself, “what the hell are we going to do?”  He still thought I could make him something.  And I did.  I am MacGyver when it comes to shit like this. LOL I looked through his closet and found some treasures to work with.  I found some pants, a shirt, a cape and the only thing we were missing was a brown vest-like piece of clothing.  Oh yes…and a RING. 

I went into my daughter’s closet and found a brown hoodie that was now too small for her.  I told my son I could cut the sleeves and the hood off of it and make it into a vest.  He put up a fight because he didn’t want the zipper and the pockets on it.  I told him he needed the pockets to hold the ring in.  Oh yes…I found a ring for him to use.

So he is my little Hobbit, Master Frodo Baggins…

He’s got the blue eyes and the messy hair and now the costume and the RING.  I think we did pretty well for such short notice.

 

I LOVE my little Hobbit!

Today’s food…

Breakfast: Kashi Go Lean Crunch

I picked up this cereal last night and thought I would give it a try this morning with some skim milk.

Lunch: Beef Lo Mein

I made this up for the daycare kids and decided to try it myself too.  It wasn’t a big portion, so since breakfast was so good, I decided to have another bowl of cereal for lunch as well.

Snack: Strawberries and Greek Yogurt/Carrot Muffin Bar

Along with my strawberries and Greek yogurt, I added just a touch of honey.

Dinner: Thin Crust Shrimp Pizza

We had our take out night with Panago Pizza.  Their pizza is made with all fresh ingredients and it's delicious.  It's great because they offer personal size pizzas, so everyone can get exactly what they like on their very own pizza.

After I posted yesterday’s post, I made my way to bed, BUT before I did, I snuck in a Plank. 

I’m looking forward tomorrow’s TapouT XT workout.  It’s back to Cardio XT + Ultimate Abs.  I am also going to try and get out for a run since the forecast is to be sunny and warmer, and guess what?!?!?!?...NO SNOW!!!!  YAY!!!!!!!!

Until then…Stay Strong!

Good night

Trina

TapouT XT Day 24 of 90 and Day 25 of 90

Day 24 = Muay Thai

I’m a little late with this post, but not forgotten.  Well it has been forgotten, but not for ever.  I like this one a lot, but because I did it yesterday and did not write about it right away, I have forgotten the moves.  I do remember doing lots of punches, knee strikes, squats and planks.  I will write more on this workout next time I do it.

It has been a couple busy days that included SNOW both yesterday and today.  And let me tell you, the snow just did me in last night.  I was feeling great after doing the TapouT XT Muay Thai workout, and my day was going fairly well…UNTIL just heading out the door for my children’s swimming lessons.  It was cold, snowing and depressing. 

I thought spring had sprung…I guess not quite yet.  After dealing with my son’s fear of going into the deep end at his swimming lesson, I was done with the day.  I was cold, frustrated and wanted my head on my pillow.  I was in bed last night by 9:30pm.  I was not into sitting at my computer to write a post.

A couple great things that happened yesterday both had something to do with COLOUR.

For those of you that did not get into the June 22nd Color Me Rad 5K run in Toronto...they have added another day on the 23rd of June...

...so register NOW before it sells out too.

The second colourful happening was that I found another 5K run full of colour.  The Color Vibe 5K coming soon to Toronto.  

The date was not yet posted but you can preregister to secure your spot.  I will keep you posted on this event as more details become available.

Day 25 of 90 = Yoga XT

Today is not much better either, but I thought I would keep you posted on what’s going on over here.  Today’s TapouT XT workout was to be Yoga XT, but I did my own form of Yoga poses throughout the day, plus my 310 squats in my Squat Challenge.

Shortly after my daughter’s dance class tonight, I got a message from my sister, telling me that our Dad has fallen again and is now in the hospital once more.  It’s very frustrating and upsetting to feel so helpless when you don’t know what you can do to help his condition.  I could tell that my Dad has not been feeling well because every year after my Mum has given me their papers for their income tax, my Dad asks me every time I see or talk to him, “Did you get the income tax done yet?”…I didn’t hear anything from him this year.  "Yes Dad, it’s done now for this year."  I am sending good feelings to him; I hope he recovers soon and that they figure out what is going on with him, once and for all. 

Sorry for another not-so-motivating post.  I hope you still hang with me through these troublesome times.  I promise you I will be back with more inspirational words very soon.

Take care and Stay Strong!

Trina

TapouT XT Day 23 of 90

Day 23 = Buns and Guns XT + Ultimate Abs XT

Well I guess that run last night really knocked me out.  I slept through my alarms this morning and woke up to find out that it was already 6:30am…$#!%...I guess I needed the extra sleep.

I did however get it all done this evening.  After making dinner my daughter wanted to come running with me, so I decided to run with her.  I set up my timer to mark out 1K for us to run.  My son wanted to come too, so we set out to run around the pond behind our home.  We started to walk, well I started out with a walk to warm up, my daughter galloped down the sidewalk and my son started to sprint and then I told them to slow down.  Once we got to our post box, we started into our run; again they both started out fast.  I knew my son was just out there to be in the lead the whole way around.  At the half way point, my son was already near the point where we began to run and I told him to keep going.  He started to run back home and I told him to go around the pond again.  He didn’t want to, and the whining started.  Once my daughter and I made it up to the top, we kept going but my son sat down, still sulking because he was now not in front any more.  My daughter and I turned around and ran back up to meet my son.  He took off back home and my little girl and I kept running.  She was so cute, she said her legs were hurting but she didn’t stop running.  We ran back home and the run was complete, so we walked a bit to cool down.  She’s a trooper!  My son did great as well, he just has to listen and take his time and not worry about being first ALL the time.  He is very competitive.  I want them both to get in a few more 1K runs before I sign them up for the Dirty Dash happening in July.  It was fun and very motivating seeing my little ones out running and being so active.  AWESOME!!!!  I wish I would have taken some pictures of their first training session.  Next time. 

It didn’t stop when we got back home.  I still needed to get my TapouT XT workout done.  I went to my workout area and I was joined midway through Buns and Guns XT by my little girl.  She’s so cute.  She was wearing a tank top, her underpants and slippers.  She grabbed a resistance band and started working her buns and guns. LOL She also stuck it out for the Ultimate Abs XT workout.  So if my 5 year old little girl can give TapouT XT a try, so can YOU too!  Come and Get It!

The Buns and Guns XT workout is only about 31 minutes in length, so it was a quick but grueling workout.  My buns were screaming.  It requires both the leg band and the resistance band.  With my TapouT XT red band breaking the other day, I had to use a green Gaiam band that I already had.  It was tough.  The resistance was much greater with the green one; I could barely get my feet apart with it.  I know I will be feeling this workout in the morning.

Here is a bit of a breakdown of this workout…

The warm up is about 3 and half minutes long

Lateral Raise Right with leg band
Lateral Raise left with leg band
Rear lunge right w leg band
Rear lunge left w leg band
Speed skater right w leg band
Speed skater left w leg band
Knee Strike right w leg band
Knee strike left w leg band
Squat with leg lift right w leg band
Squat with leg lift left w leg band
Water break

Reverse curls w resistance band
Glute bridge curl w resistance band
Superman triceps w resistance band
Glute raises w leg band around the knees
Plank - bring out feet w leg band at ankles
Superman pulses w leg band at ankles
KILLER MOVE
Bun blaster 1:40 w leg band at ankles

Cool down 2:17

There are more moves and water breaks in this workout than the ones shown above, but as Mike says, "Come and Get It!"  Get your TapouT XT program and get YOUR TapouT body.

The first part of the workout before the water break really targets your Buns. I can already feel it in the sides of my butt.  I really liked doing the Speed Skater and I think that's why I am feeling it on my sides already.  There is also more Plank moves in this one too, those will definitely help strengthen your core as well as get you great Buns and Guns.

It was cute when my daughter was doing the last moves.  It she couldn't quite do what Mike and the crew were doing, she told me that she was "just going to do it like this".  I told her that was fine and to do what she can.  When Mike says TapouT XT, she said, “Mummy, it’s X T”, and she raises her hands up to make the letters as she did the other week.  She was also doing the old fist pump and high fives.  So cute!

This picture was from the other week.

I loved today; it was a great boost of motivation to spend this time with my children doing fitness related activities.  I love watching them making good choices to be healthy and happy children.  And I am proud of myself, for setting a great example for them both.

Now I just have to teach my little girl to stay in her own bed at night.  She is getting better, but just lately she has been coming in almost every other night.  So with that said, I am off to bed.  Tomorrow I have another TapouT XT workout that I have not yet done.  Muay Thai, I’m looking forward to it.

Until then…Stay Strong!

Good night

Trina

P.S. - Sorry for the lack of pictures today.  I deleted my breakfast picture by accident, my lunch was delicious but the picture didn't do it justice, and I was so hungry after working out tonight I forgot to take a picture of my dinner.  All good CLEAN foods and lots of water to drink. 

TapouT XT Day 22 of 90

Day 22 = Competition Core + It’s Earth Day

Happy Earth Day to you!  Let’s take care of not only ourselves, but this great planet, in which we all call home.

Competition Core…I love this one!  Only it did not happen at 5:30am today.  Throughout the night the bed got kind-of-very crowded.  Me, my husband, the cat, my daughter and then my son all occupied the mattress, pillows and covers.  I think the cat was the first to find another place to sleep after my son came in.  My son was complaining that his leg was sore and he couldn't sleep.  He didn’t seem to have any trouble falling back to sleep once he was with Mummy and Daddy.  I think he might be going through a growing spurt and experiencing growing pains.  I can’t believe he is going to be 8 this year.  Time does fly by, so be sure to cherish each moment with your children.  Yes…even the whining ones. 

I just heard on the radio that the number one reason for people falling off track of getting fit and healthy is… “I had a bad day”.  Yes that can happen, but don’t let it affect your overall journey.  Many times too many people have one bad day and it turns into 2 and then a week and so forth.  Don’t let happen to you.  I have had my fair share of “bad days” lately, but I am not going to let them get to me and throw me off course.

Getting to the workout…it is a fantastic energy boosting workout.  It’s all about the core and believe me, it gets worked.  One of my favourite moves from Ultimate Abs XT is in this workout too, The Bader Roll.  I can already tell I am improving with this move alone.  My roll is strong, and my ISO hold is firm.  I still need to work on the KILLER MOVE…The Queen Bee…I think I did it longer than the last time, but I was starting to feel a bit dizzy and light headed so I paused and took a break and then modified the move…same action but with not much of a hop, and still keeping the abs tight.  That’s how ABS are made. 

I was thinking of sneaking in that missed Plyo XT workout, but again I did not.  Out of all the TapouT XT workouts I have done so far, Plyo XT is probably my least favourite if I had to pick one.  Maybe this is why I am putting it off.  It’s a tough one!  I think with doing the Squat Challenge and TapouT XT at the same time, my legs are really taking a beating.  They are feeling much sorer these last few weeks, and adding in more jumping, I’m kind of shying away from it.  But don’t you fear I will do the Plyo XT workout when it comes up on my calendar again.  This by the way is, next Monday.

Today’s food…

Breakfast: Rice Cakes topped with Almond Butter and Honey

I love these.  

It was just something I came up with over the weekend.  I wanted peanut butter and honey, but the peanut butter was not around so I grabbed the almond butter instead…delicious!

Lunch: Chicken and Broccoli Cauliflower Crusted Pizza

No added sauce, just a little mozzarella cheese on top and it was ready.

Snack: Strawberries and Cottage Cheese

Dinner: Chicken and Vegetable Soup

This soup hit the spot.  It was nice that all I had to do was take it out of the freezer and heat it up.

Homemade soup from a few weeks ago.

My daughter and I made a clean banana loaf this afternoon.  We both had a taste and it was great.

Snack: Golden Delicious Apple

So I got this post on my Facebook wall today and I thought I would pass it on to you...

I'm so glad I signed up the other day.  I would have been pissed if I missed this one.  

BUT, they may just add another day of colour fun.  Keep checking their website...www.colormerad.com Get on the waiting list.

I feel like I have been slacking in the nutrition department and THAT is causing me NOT to get the results I want lately.  Not that I have been eating badly, but rather not planning enough like I have in the past.  As I mentioned before we all have our ups and downs in life and when the tough times hit, we just have to be TOUGHER.  And I AM!  It’s STRESS that throws the fork in the road for many journeys.  I know that that is the case for me. 

A great way to clear your mind is to workout.  Stress therapy so to say.  I needed some therapy tonight, so I went out for a run.  I felt a bit sluggish, but I felt great when I was done.  I will sleep well tonight.  That I need to gear up for a new TapouT XT workout in the morning…Buns and Guns XT.  That’s what is on my calendar, so that is what I will do.

Until then…Stay Strong!

Good night

Trina