Day 45 - Woohoo Half Way There!!

1. I can't believe we are half way through our journey. Congratulations to all my fellow Peakers.

2. A giant THANK YOU to Patrick for eliminating yogurt from my diet this week. I heart you!

3. There's nothing like a swift kick to the head to get you to esquiva or querda correctly. Yesterday we were training querda, a Capoeira take down. And for some stupid reason I froze and Ana got me real nice in my left ear. I'm not going to lie, that s**t hurt but, you better believe I learned that move real quick after that. Thanks Ana for not taking it easy on me :)

4. Jeebus, I slept forever today. Went to bed at 12 last night, woke up a 10am, ate breakfast and then went back to bed at 12 and woke up at 5pm. I guess my body needed it.

5. I love egg whites.

6. If I don't have a rockin badonk-a-donk after 160 lunges I give up.

7. Starting to see some more definition and I really don't care if the scale isn't moving.

8. Found out we are having another Capoeira retreat in June. So excited because I know I'll be in great shape for it and bikini weather.

9. Stretching is my best friend.

10. I think I have to break up with dried fruit. It's going to be sad. I hope it doesn't take it too hard.

Day 41

I'm still not getting used to all this damn yogurt. My taste buds absolutely hate it and I think my body does too. I've been feeling pretty nauseous lately and I feel like I have heart burn all the time. I can't think of anything else that might be causing it because I've been eating the same stuff that I was eating before, minus the yogurt of course. I switched to the regular kind because the greek really truly tastes like puke. It's better, but still nasty. I put in like 5 blueberries today to help kill the nastiness but I'm still not feeling it. I'm hoping I won't have to eat it 3x a day for much longer.

Teaching ran late on Monday. I didn't get home until around 10:30 pm and I wasn't able to get my workout in. So, I ended up doing the exercises for both day 39 and 40 yesterday. I thought it would kill me but it actually wasn't so bad. Today my upper back and shoulders are feeling a bit sore but I guess that is to be expected.

Hmm...what else? I'm feeling super tired at the moment and wish I could take a nap. I wish my bosses would allow us 1 hour a day for nap time. Studies show that nap time not only refreshes the mind, but can make you smarter.

Day 39

Just sayin...plain Greek yogurt tastes like VOMIT!! Ugh, so nasty.

Day 38

Hmm...nothing too new to report here. This past Friday I went out dancing with a bunch of friends to celebrate Carnaval! Everyone was drinking and having a great time and I'm really proud to say that I did not have the tinniest sip of alcohol. I had some seltzer with lemon instead :) We danced and we watched another Capoeira group preform capoeira and maculele. (the picture here is actually a performance my group did last summer, I think that might be a part of me cut off all the way to the left) The group's floreios we pretty freaking sweet. (floreios are the acrobatic movements in Capoeira) I would love to be able to do this move.

hmm...I'm going to set a goal for myself. By the end of this summer I will have the first part this trick down. haha ok ready set go.

Day 34

Dried fruit is the devil!

Yesterday I found these all natural, organic, dried pineapple and apple rings. No added sugar, no salt, just pure deliciousness. Once I started eating them I couldn't stop. I didn't want to stop. My brain kept telling me, it's OK Mickey. It's fruit. It's all natural. It's following the rules. Well, maybe if I had weighed out my fruit portion and then only ate that. Which is totally not what I did. I definitely ate much more than I should have and I'm feeling a bit ill this morning. I feel like my belly has tripled in size. I think I might have to outlaw dried fruit for the rest of my Peak.

I also feel like I am not seeing the results that I should be at this point. Is it the baked Oriental yams for breakfast? Do yams count as a veggie or carb? Is it my 1 pack of sugar-free gum a day habit? Or is it the extra piece of fruit that I have been sneaking almost everyday? Probably all three.

Well from now on, I am going to try much harder to follow my portion sizes. I mean what the hell is the point of abstaining from alcohol, sugar and salt if I'm just going to fatten myself up with approved foods.

Day 32

A lot of my fellow Peakers have talked about the music they listen to while doing their workout. Personally, I don't listen to music while I work out, I watch TV instead. I usually find inspiration for my workout by watching, dvr'ed episodes of Lost (of course), Make it or Break It (a really cheesy show that's about a bunch of teen gymnasts) and lately the Olympics. I came across this clip that shows the German ski team doing their "Rocky-style" training in this make shift barn gymnasium. I can totally see Patrick incorporating some of these balance/ strength exercises into the PCP.

I like to pretend that I am training for the next summer Olympics in 2012. Or better yet the 2016 one that will be held in Brasil. I'm betting there will be a ton of Capoeira performed in the opening ceremonies. How freaking awesome it would be to be a apart of that!!

Day 30

Alright boys and girls. 30 days down, 60 to go!

I think I'v found a new strength and focus. I trained Capoeira this morning and then came home and did my PCP exercises. Um...holy cow, talk about muscle failure. My legs were shaking after my squats and creeps.

I'm trying to hold strong with my new portions. My dinner consists only of 1 egg white and 120 grams of veggies. At first I was like how the hell am I supposed to fill up on that. But, since I ate dinner last night after my workout I was able to add another egg white to the mix. I also tried to choose veggies that were light in weight so I can have more of them. I came up with an arugula salad with raw white mushrooms, a little sliced tomato, 2 egg whites and red wine vinegar. It was quite delicious. Might be my new dinner all week.

I've also realized one of the main reasons I've been so grouchy and blah is simply that I haven't been getting enough rest and sleep. So, I'm going to take Foca's advice and turn off everything for the next 30mins and just chill. I'll probably end up taking a nap but that works too.

I want to say thanks to my fellow Peakers and friends for all your encouragement. It really helps to know that I have people rooting for me and on my side.

Day 28

Coming clean...
It snowed like crazy here yesterday. I woke up a little earlier to shovel my back steps and a porch so that Chewie wouldn't break her leg going out in the morning. Here are some snow pics.
Chewie in the snow, AM.
The yard in the PM.

I was so sluggish at work. I even fell asleep at my desk for about 2 minutes. I as awaken by that startling head nod that happens when you fall asleep sitting up. I wanted to make it to Capoeira that night but by the time I got home from work all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch and watch a good movie as the snow fell outside. So that's exactly what I did. Instead of going to class or doing my PCP work out, I put on my PJs. I ate my PCP dinner and then I curled up on the couch with Chewie and my indulgence. A giant bowl of air popped popcorn with a little spray butter on it. Once the bowl was gone I still felt like I didn't do my indulgence any justice so I had a piece of a whole wheat baguette with some sugar-free strawberry jelly and a little more spray butter. I know it probably sounds lame to you but I liked it. I never made it through the movie. I passed out at 8:30. I woke up this morning still feeling like I could have slept another 6 hours, but I had to go to work. I'm feeling a little better but still in a pissy mood. I saw Patrick's email with the new portions and I am not happy about it. Even smaller than last week. I'm really really worried that my Capoeira training will have to take a back seat if I have to stick with these new exercises. There is no way my body will be able to handle both. I'm feeling very conflicted right now and rethinking if this program is even worth it.

Why the hell did I decide to sign up for this????

Day 26

Warning...bitching below.

I am really tired today.
I just ate lunch and I am still hungry.
I've had a slight headache for like 2 days now.
I have no idea what I want to eat for my indulgence.
I'm having a hard time focusing at work.
All I want to do is go home and sleep for like 42 hours.
I think my chewing gum habit is making me bloated.

Basically I am not feeling very "Peaky" today. Just want everyone to piss off. grrrr!

Day 24

I'm back from our yearly Capoeira retreat. I had an amazing time. I feel both exhausted and rejuvenated at the same time. We trained, we played, we sang, we trained some more but most of all we were able to really bond as a group. I got a chance to get to know some of the newer members to our academy and learned some things about old friends. It's very rare to find a Capoeira group as close knit as ours and I am truly lucky to be apart of it. I just wanted to give a special shout out to Mestre Foca and Ana who made this weekend possible. You two are amazing!

Now on to the real question...how did I hold up with the Peak?

I think I did pretty well. They serve lacto-vegetarian and vegan meals there and they incorporate fresh and natural foods whenever possible. I eye balled my veggie and carb portions and ate that with the group. Then I would sneak off back to my room where I stored a cooler with hard boiled eggs and grilled chicken. All weighed out and wrapped up for lunch and dinner. Ssshhh...don't tell the yogis. Saturday night was the big temptation. Everyone brought a TON and I mean a TON of snacks to share. Oreos, snickers, yogurt covered raisins, more chocolate, home made cookies and one of my all time favorites... CHEESE DOODLES. And guess how much I ate???

Um...none :) Not a one. I ate my fruit that I brought and chewed a CRAP LOAD of gum. Thank God for Orbit, and it's multitude of fruity flavors.

As far as my exercises go. I didn't do my them on Saturday, but I think 2 hours of Capoeira and 1 hour of Maculele was enough of a substitution. Today we trained another 2 hours. One exercise Foca had us do was walk across the gym floor in push up position with someone else in push up position perpendicular to you with there feet on your back. (hmmm...not sure that makes sense but I'm not exactly sure how to explain it.) Anyway, I was so tired from training and then driving 2 hours back home all I wanted to do was pass out, but instead I prepped all my food for the next couple of days and managed to get through my PCP workout. Don't ask me how I did it because I seriously have no idea. I am so fried. Going to bed.

ps...I will post some pictures once someone else from our academy shares some. I brought my camera with me but didn't take a single one.

Day 20

That's so freaky.

I just received an email from Patrick. He talked about people getting sick while on the Peak. Well it just so happens that this morning I woke up with a terrible sinus headache and have been stuffed up, hot/ cold, sneezy, and overall feeling like dirt all day. I picked up some Sudafed at lunch hoping it would help cure or, at the very least, subdue my aliments. I feel a tab better but mostly like I have a giant "Brain Cloud." I'm heading home from work soon and am going to take his advice by cutting down my reps, etc. Then I'll have dinner and straight to bed. I HAVE TO GET BETTER BY FRIDAY!! I am going upstate for our yearly Winter Capoeira Retreat. Three days full of training, playing capoeira, maculele, yoga, music and fun. I refuse to be sick and have to miss out.

Oh by the way...Did you know that Sudafed has 20mg of sodium per pill. Why is that necessary? Also, Halls cough drops have a ton of sugar. No worries though, I found sugar-free ones too. But, really...salt in a pill!?!

Brain Cloud at 2:23

Day 19

I think it might be time for me to just face the fact...I AM NOT A MORNING WORKER OUTER!! It's been 19 days and do you know how many times I was able to wake up early and do my PCP exercises before work?

...um...1

Yup, only once. Every night I go to bed; I have great intentions. I set my alarm for 6 am and get in bed around 10 or so. But, I still can't find the energy or drive to wake up until 7am. Even then I'm still not fully awake until I am halfway done with my shower. Sometimes I go through the motions so quickly and mindlessly that I catch myself shaving my legs twice. I obviously am not a morning person. No sunshine here.

Monday's are a tough one with this schedule. Since I teach on that night, I get home quite late. Last night I ended up doing my exercises at 10pm. I was so exhausted by then that I had to reach deep down to find the energy to push through it. Good news though...my shins have been feeling stronger and jump roping isn't as painful.

Here is some more good news...the new/ final season of LOST starts in exactly 10 minutes. Hopefully the writers won't screw it up.