fitness

Ready for the Temptations to End!

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My goodness, the last few weeks have been difficult.

I’ve been working out less (keep skipping Friday-Sunday), and I’ve been eating a lot more.

Fortunately, my weight has leveled out between 130-131.4, so I’m not seeing the dreaded mid 130s like I was a few weeks ago.

I can’t wait for the holidays to be OVER, not because I am a Grinch, but because I can’t handle this much daily temptation. I’ve had so much happening on weekends (parties, work events, etc), that I’m not hitting the gym as consistently as I normally do, which is NOT like me.

We’re in the home stretch. It’s Christmas week. If I can survive this, I can survive anything!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Getting Fit with Fitz

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Yet again, I must apologize for my long silences on here. Don’t worry: I’m still working out and yo-yo dieting; I’ve just been too busy to sit at my computer long enough to write about it!

Today I was on the show for a #HolidayHottie fitness segment with the talented (and gorgeous) Fitz Koehler. She’s so fun!

Check it out:

We even got Jared Cotter to join in the fun!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Simple, Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies!

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For those that don’t know, I am a writer for the nationally syndicated TV show, The Daily Buzz.

This is actually my personal recipe for paleo, grain-free chocolate chip cookies used on the show today!

Here’s the full recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup coconut flour (I love the organic coconut flour from Trader Joe’s)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 tbsp of vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cups of Enjoy Life chocolate chips
  • pinch of sea salt
  • OPTIONAL MIX-INS: coconut flakes, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, or dried cherries.

Directions:

  • Preheat over to 350 degrees.
  • Combine all wet ingredients (including mashed bananas) in large mixing bowl. Stir well while folding in all dry ingredients.
  • Mix in chocolate chips.
  • On a greased cookie sheet, spoon out tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough approximately 2 inches apart. Gently press balls down, creating a 1″ thick cookie.
  • Cook for 20 minutes, or until browned. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, then dig in!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Morning Cardio!

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So… I’m not much of a morning person when it comes to working out, but dinner plans with friends necessitated a morning trip to the gym. Skipping my workout was out of the question, as Monday sets the tone for my whole week – if I skip the gym once, I’ll find excuses to skip again. (Same goes for my diet, unfortunately!)

Much to my surprise, I felt awake and refreshed when the alarm went off at 5:45am. This is probably a residual effect from my long stint working two jobs, as I’d become pretty acclimated to waking up at 2am and having my brain functional for writing.

When I arrived at the gym at 6:15am, I was thrilled to see how EMPTY it was. Literally, almost every machine was available to me, something that rarely happens when I go after work. I decided to take advantage of this freedom by cardio-hopping, spending 5-15 minutes per machine and switching the moment I felt the boredom set in.

I did a little over 60 minutes of cardio, jumping from the elliptical to the stairmaster, stairmaster to the treadmill, treadmill to the bike, and bike to the rowing machine.

While I admit my flexibility and endurance is a bit less in the morning (still waking up slowly), I felt good. I burned a little over 625 calories and got home with plenty of time to shower, eat breakfast, and get ready for work.

The perks of working out in the morning are numerous, but is it enough to get me out of my warm, cozy bed tomorrow morning? Let’s see!

Bon appetit, my friends!
~ Tori

First Week: Getting Back on Track

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This Monday marks the beginning of my first week back on a normal schedule. I slept almost 8 hours last night, as I have for the entire weekend.

I feel recharged, re-motivated, and ready to get back to my old regimen.

My goals for November:

  1. Stay under 1,400 calories daily. Normally I aim for 1,200 or less, but I’ve been in the (bad) habit of eating upwards of 2,000 per day with the two-job schedule, so bringing my consumption down in increments seems the most achievable route to take.
  2. Workout at least 5 days per week. My goal is 6, but 5 is doable and should get me back in the habit.
  3. Vary my workouts. With the limited time I had the past few months, my gym trips were generally dedicated to cardio, as I felt it was giving me the most caloric bang for my buck. I know, I know – muscle burns more calories throughout the day, but I was on sleep-deprived logic. My goal now is to commit to 60 mins cardio, 45-60 mins strength/calisthenics/stretching with each workout.
  4. Keep protein/veggie consumption high, sugar low. I became a severe sugar addict the past few months, so I’m going to wean myself off of it over the next few weeks. I know I *should* go cold turkey, but I’m not good with extremes …so cutting it out of my diet 100% is a bit too much for me. I’m going to allow myself ONE piece of candy per day (today is a single Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup – yum!) and otherwise avoid refined sugars. I’m not going to limit my fruit, but I won’t have any fruit juices or anything that unnecessarily raises my sugar consumption.
  5. Avoid “empty” foods. I have a tendency to eat breakfast bars and other snack items with low nutritional value – even though they claim to be organic, all natural options – so my goal is to replace those snacks with raw almonds, 100-calorie oatmeal packets, and veggies with dip.

I’m starting the week at 131.2 lbs, which I attribute to a weekend of delicious (fattening) food and craft beer as we celebrated my husband’s 31st birthday. I’m a bit upset to be in the 130s again, but I know that I will finally have the power to control my appetite (it’s amazing what a good night’s sleep does for will power and self-control) and stick to a workout plan.

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I will post my weight weekly on Wednesdays (accountability!) and will do my best to get measurements/pictures up to show my progress.

Here’s hoping to ending 2014 at a healthy – and strong – weight!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Life Returns to Normal

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The time has come. My internship has ended, and my life is about to return to normal. Well, as close to normal as my life can be, that is.

Today was my last “official” day as an intern at The Daily Buzz, and moving forward I’ll be freelance writing for them from home. I no longer will have to wake up at 2am (to report to the studio by 3am) and exist on 2-3 hours of sleep per night.

It was a wild ride – and I LOVED the experience – but man, it took a toll on my body. I started the internship on 7/28 at 123 pounds, jumped up to almost 135 (when you don’t sleep, you eat), and have slowly been working to trim it back off ever since.

My hope is that I’ll resume my OLD regimen – clean eating Sunday-Friday (cheat days are Saturday!), gym 5-6 days per week, and outdoor running – and get back on track with my overall wellness.

My husband’s 31st birthday is this weekend, though, so I do plan to enjoy myself before recommitting 100%. A girl’s gotta live, right? 🙂

On that note… bon appetit, my friends and WELCOME BACK TO NORMALCY!

~ Tori

Savage Race: I SURVIVED!!

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I did it!

Saturday morning. 6.75 miles, 25 obstacles.

Other than a few scratches and a lot of mud (in unspeakable places, but that’s another story), I survived!

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I completed the race in 1 hour, 49 minutes — which includes the wait time at each obstacle. I wish there was a way to know my TRUE time (wait times removed), but I’m pretty happy with what I accomplished.

Bon appetit, my friends!
– Tori

Savage Race on Saturday!

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I’ve been silent about this for the most part, but on Saturday I am competing in the Savage Race in Dade City, Florida.

In case you’ve never heard of the Savage Race, this is what it looks like:

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Fires. Electrified barbed wire. Mud. Ice-filled dumpster swim.

I’ve done this once before (back in 2012) when I was not in as good of shape as I am now (I was about 15 lbs heavier) and there were several obstacles I physically couldn’t do. This year, I’m hoping my lighter weight and stronger upper body will allow me to complete the whole course without skipping any of the stops.

The only obstacle I REFUSE to do? The 2-foot wide tunnel INTO THE GROUND that is 100% pitch black.

Nope… just, nope. I’m severely claustrophobic and panic in an elevator (or a car after too long), so the thought of being in a hot, dark, cramped tube with people jammed in front of and behind me is HORRIFYING. Besides, it’s not even a test of strength so much as it is a test of fear. And I don’t need to test that today.

I’m running in the 11:20am heat on Saturday and my husband is coming along to cheer me from the sidelines. Wish me luck!

Bon appetit, my friends!

Last Two Weeks

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I’ve officially begun the last two weeks of my internship, which means this is the last two weeks of surviving on less than 3 hours of sleep per day.

While I will certainly miss the excitement of the TV studio, I won’t miss the exhaustion and incessant hunger that accompanied my crazy schedule.

Since starting the internship on 7/28, I went from 123 lbs up to 135, but have managed (through a LOT of self control and cardio) to come back down to the 127-128 range in the last two weeks. My hope is that once my schedule returns to normal (last day is 10/31), I should get back to my pre-internship weight by November 15th, and down to my goal (119) by December 24th.

Yes, it’s weird to set weight loss goals around the winter holidays, but I figure if I can stick strong through Thanksgiving and Christmas, I can survive anything!

So, here’s to my final 10 days of exhaustion, and the coming weeks of intense cardio, dieting, and energy needed to just get back to where I started.

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Update

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OK… it’s already mid-October and I feel like life is in overdrive.

My husband’s birthday is coming up on October 30th, so I’ve set the goal to be back down below 125 in time for the weekend gorge-fest of food I’m sure we’ll have planned.

Right now I’m back down to 129.2 (still sad that I gained weight so quickly), and I’ve gotten control of my diet for the most part.

It’s amazing what a little sleep can do: every night that I get 6+ hours, I am able to keep my calories under 1,500 the next day. If I sleep less than 3 hours (common), I can guarantee I’ll be above 2,000. Your body has to get fuel somewhere… so if you don’t sleep, you’ll eat!

Most of my size four jeans are comfy again, but I’ve got a few high-waisted pairs that still feel like pointing out to me the pooch that grew over the last few weeks. Sigh. Getting there.

I hope to post more frequently in the next few weeks, but this is all I’ve got today. Hope everyone is doing well!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori