Day 87 - Final Countdown

We had a 2 hour long Capoeira song workshop today. It was great, however I'm finding it hard to sing them in my head because every time I start a song it gets interrupted with Europe's 1986 hit, "Final Countdown."

I'll be all like...

Pula por cima do pau o piaba

Que a mare ta cheia

It's the final countdown...do do do do, dodo do do do,

or

Ai, ai, aide

O joga bonito que eu quero ver

Ai, ai, aide

It's the final countdown...do do do do, dodo do do do,

It's driving me bonkers. I think Pingo (aka Emily) had this same problem when she was in the last week of the Peak. So I'm just going to give into it.

do do do do, dodo do do do, do do do do, dodo do do do, do do do do, dodo do do do, do do do do, dodo do do do, do do do do, dodo do do do...

Day 65 - Sunshine

photo by Joel Zimmer

First, I have no idea why I am up at 7:30 on a Saturday. I was really hoping to sleep in. Oh well...

So a quick update...I totally think Orbit and Trident were the cause of my severe gum and/or tooth pain. I only chewed 1 little piece yesterday and the day before and I am feeling so much better. So bye-bye gum. I'll miss you Strawberry Mint and Passionberry Twist.

Onto today...the weather forecast calls for 71 and sunny. Woohoo, I have a pretty big day planned. Since I'm up early I think I'm going to go to the 10:30 am Capoeira class. That way I can get out early because later I want to clean up my backyard a bit and head over to Lowes or Home Depot for a ton of flowers and other goodies to plant. I also have a little balcony that I that I want to beautify with some hanging window boxes. I'm hoping they have some cheap ones.

Yay. I love Spring!!

ps...have any of you noticed how long our orange process bar is? It's officially behind the Day!! Great job fellow Peakers. Hang strong!

Day 52 - Indulgence

I had my 2nd indulgence last night. It was my friend and co-worker, Jenn's birthday and we met her out. Both her and my other friend, Ginasta were so excited when I told them that I decided to use up my indulgence and have a couple drinks. I went for my old staple, Goose and soda with a slice of lemon. So refreshing. I estimated that each drink was probably around 140 calories, since 1 ounce of vodka is around 70 calories. Club soda has 0 and a squeeze of lemon, well who cares. By my 3rd one I started to feel a pretty good buzz. I stopped at 3-3.5. ...Some stupid ass drunk girl grabbed one of my drinks thinking it was hers and when I told her to put it down she rolled her eyes, left it on a ledge and it spilt. I obviously yelled "WTFB" but she took off so quickly into the crowd, and that is where we left it. I think she might have gotten sight on my guns. Anyway...I am way too old to be fighting in a bar, so I'm glad that was the end of it.

Sorry I diverge, back to the indulgence. I expected to feel ill today, but in fact I feel great. I did however notice that my face was red and my pores were enlarged when I woke up. Another thing was that the alcohol left me starving, so when I got home last night I ate the following: 2 cups of air popped popcorn, sm banana, sm apple, and a whole wheat English muffin with sugar free jelly. I know that the drink had something to do with my voracious appetite but I also think that a huge part of it is my diet. I seriously do not think it is healthy to only eat a small banana and an egg white for dinner. And to tell you the truth, I haven't followed that or last week's version with an added small apple once. I always try to, but by 10pm or so I am extremely hungry and that makes my angry and I end up eating something else. It's always something with in the PCP diet but it's always outside my allotted grams.

Lately I find myself not trusting this process. I do not want my abs to look like some sort of quilt or like Poca mentioned, "Madonna's disgusting arms." What drew me here was the idea of eating real food and feeling the healthy effects of a no sugar, no salt diet. I have a pretty positive body image and in fact, this might sound cocky, but I know I am hot just as I am. What I was looking for was just a more improved version of myself, healthier, more fit, stronger in my Capoeira game. When in fact, I feel exhausted, stiff, weak and cranky all the time. Plus, my Capoeira game is totally suffering. Because of the PCP workout I can only find the strength to train 2x a week. So when I go to class I come in far behind the rest who have already been working on a sequence or move the rest of the week.

I'm not going to quit this, if any of you had that idea enter your mind. I always finish what I start, but I will say I am not a true believer.

PS...my friend still hasn't come for a visit and I'm pretty sure that time has come and went.

Day 49

Men, I'm warning you right now this post is all about women stuff.

So the last couple of days have been really hard. One thing I have never mentioned is that about 3 years ago I was diagnosed with PMDD. One of my initial hopes was that with a healthy PCP lifestyle my symptoms would decrease. Well in fact this month it's here with a vengance. Some months are better than others, but when it's bad it's really bad. I have every single highlighted item on the list below and the ones in red are the ones that really interfere with my daily life.

These usually last about a week to two weeks a month and subside after, you know after my friend comes. But, that little bastard doesn't seem to want to come this month. This has happened the last time I trained hard and lost some weight. I didn't get it for like 6-8months.

It really sucks because I am so cranky, I just hate everything and everyone right now, I am completely EXHAUSTED all the time, my back is KILLING ME, I want to eat everything in the house. And by the way that's just what I did the other night. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, all I have in the house are healthy things so I ended up downing the following; 6 pitted dates, an extra apple, an extra egg white, 5 dried pineapple rings, cup of Kashi 7 whole grain cereal puffs with skim, 30 grams of a whole wheat baguette, I think there might have been some cold yams and I'm sure there is some other things I can't think of now...anyway this was after my evening snack so I already had consumed all my food for the day. Even after that I was still hungry but I made myself go to bed. I really want to eat something else tonight but right now I am just too tired to move.

I trained Capoeira tonight and my lack of coordination, focus, extreme fatigue and backache made it really freaking difficult. I had to fight hard not to just pick up and walk out of class. Then I came home and had to do my timed jumps. That sucked even more. My shins are so sore and I couldn't keep a rhythm to save my life. Ugh...I think I'm done for the night. Going to bed. Can't wait till this time next week when I can feel like myself again.

Day 47 - I got couscous on my keyboard

Today started out pretty rough. Monday's kill me. Have I said that before? Once again after working all day and teaching I didn't get home until 10:30pm or so. It was too late to jump rope and do my full PCP workout so I did the elliptical and 8 min abs. Working out that late makes it really hard to fall asleep. So after only about 4-5hrs of sleep I woke up pretty damn grumpy. My mood lightened after I had a successful design presentation with a client.

I took Patrick's advice on switching up my food more so today I made couscous, with broccoli, carrots, and all sorts of other mixed veggies and baked chicken breast for lunch. I'm shocked that I actually like the granular little carb. The last time I tried it I pretty much hated it. I did end up spilling some on my keyboard. Those little suckers are quite sticky and are really hard to get out between the keys. I advise not eating them at your desk.

Another thing that cheered me up is this video that a fellow Capoeirista posted on Facebook. It might be the best Capoeira video ever!!!

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 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 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 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 6

Holy freaking back ache batman!! My lower back is absolutely killing me.

Today I woke up early and completed my PCP workout. Then after work I trained Capoeira for 1 1/2 hours. For the past couple months my lower back has been bothering me every time I train. I believe it's not necessarily my back, but the muscle or tendons that run from my back to my hamstrings. Usually it's only the right side that hurts, but now it's BOTH sides. I do several stretches in the morning, after class and before bed. I ice it during the day at work and before I go to bed. I'm plain out of ideas. When I took the month of December off, it was definitely better but as soon as I started training again it came back. I certainly am not going to be taking it easy any time soon. So, I looked up some new stretches online and Foca, my mestre, suggested some. I'm hoping they will help. Patrick do you have any suggestions?

Other than that, I'm hanging in there and looking forward to starting our next nutritional phase. I'm curious to see what we will be eating.

Day 5

Just a little video to keep me inspired.

Day 4

Like some of the rest of you, I found it a little more difficult to run through my PCP workout today. My legs felt really heavy while I was jumping rope. I think it's because up until today I was jumping bare foot. I read Patrick's post on someone else's blog and he said that it's better to wear sneakers, so from now on I'm strapping those suckers on.

I went to the lower level 6:30 Capoeira class today thinking I would be taking it easy. I felt pretty strong throughout. However, I'm wondering how training and PCP are going to work together. For instance there were 12 of us in class and each one had to lead a set of 20 crunches and 10 push ups. Yeah that's right people, that's a total of 240 crunches and 120 push ups. Add the 32 push ups from this morning and the 30 leg lifts and thats just a ridiculous amount of arm and ab work. Nothing like, "Keep it light, keep it consistent, and you'll see results."

See now I know why I am starving all the time with this half portion thing. I think the only one happy with it is my dog Chewie. Tonight I am craving some serious protein, so I'm making steak for dinner. She will be getting my other half. Oh happy dog, happy, happy dog.

Day 2

It's Day 2 people and I'm hanging in there.

I was able to stick with it and eat only a half a cup of cereal this morning and then cranked through my PCP work out in about 10 mins. I would however, NOT recommend jumping rope straight after eating cereal. Ugh...I think I could actually hear it swishing around in my belly.

Then it was off to Capoeira class for an hour and a half. I definitely lost steam half way through class. Professor Nagi had us alternate between training 2 on 2 and doing a crap load of push ups. I'm hoping that the combination of Capoeira training and the Peak won't be the death of me.

I was STARVING after class so I made my standard Saturday brunch.

1 Egg 3 egg white omelet with steamed arugula, mushrooms and a tiny bit of parmesan cheese

Morning star sausage

Multi-grain light english muffin

Side salad with arugula, mushrooms, red wine vinegar and pepper.

This is what half of my normal portion looks like. Not too bad.

I'm still kind of hungry though, but I'm definitely feeling better. I don't feel like biting anyone's head off at the moment. :)

Also, here are my day 1 pics. I absolutely HATE them. I can't find my digital camera so I had to take them with my phone. The quality is terrible and they look a bit shady, like I'm sexting some wack job who is into girls who work out. Unclean, unclean. Haha. Oh well I had to get 'em done. I'm going to borrow a friend's real camera next time.