My Fitness Challenge

Did I mention I’ve been doing a fitness challenge?? Yeah, since about the end of November.

A good friend of mine from North Carolina decided he wanted to get back in shape, so I proposed a challenge as motivation.

The deets: we each set our own personal goals to reach in three month’s time (February 22nd) to be exact. The person who reaches their goal (or the closest) wins. My goals are basically summed up in the picture featured below.

I will admit, at the time, I had the upper hand as I was already deep into my training, but to my defense, my friend has testosterone on his side so, I don’t think my head start will have much of an influence.

So, everything has been going great so far. We’re both progressing and I’m really excited about my friend’s rekindled motivation. The only problem occurred last week when I contracted laryngitis. It knocked me out for a week and now I can’t seem to get back in the horse. I’ve been weight training, but my lingering congestion makes me want to avoid all things Muay Thai / cardio. Needless to say, I’m not doing enough if I intend on annihilating my friend in this challenge.

I need to suck it up a go because let’s face it, waiting to be 100% better is like waiting for the G train… it ain’t gonna happen.

Today is going my first day back at Ultimate Gym. No exceptions. Boom.

Does Superman Take a Rest Day?

What is the true physical limit of the human body?  As an active individual I like to humor myself by proclaiming its capabilities limitless, but we all know this is a farce, and no matter how superman-like we feel after leaving the gym, we eventually need to take a pause for recovery.

I scroll through the motivational posts of the trainers, fighters, and athletes I follow on Instagram, noting how much physical activity they put into each week, and I can’t help but think that I am not pushing myself enough– that I haven’t truly reached my limit.

One chick that I follow on Instagram does weight training, Muay Thai, Crossfit and yoga. She’s a personal trainer and is f***ing shredded. I work out 5-6 times a week (half Muay Thai training, half weight training) and by mid week my body is “strung out”, causing my athletic performance/technique for the rest of the week to be… subpar. Why? After turning this problem over and over in my head I can only determine one culprit:

M     E     N     T     A     L          E     X     H     A     U     S     T     I     O     N

I think we can all agree that the mind is one of the most powerful tools in our body. It’s the factor that ultimately determines whether you push through to the finish line or hang back in the dust of failure. When your head isn’t in it, your body isn’t either- no vice versa.

I’m finding not only is it important to have a positive mindset, but also to have a well rested mind (hello Captain Obvious..). This means adequate sleep and a good stress management system.

I’d like to think that I can lift in the morning, go to work, train for Muay Thai, and hang out with my friends/go on a date all in one day– which is basically what I have been doing for the past 2 years- but 5 hours of sleep really just doesn’t cut it. Yes, I can function living like this, but not to my fullest potential. What’s the point in putting the effort in if I’m not going to reap all the benefits?

As mentioned in previous posts, I am absolutely terrible at managing stress. Lack of sleep is probably a contributing factor.. so is my job, but that is a topic for another day. The point is, I am making a commitment to myself to treat my body & mind right and give it the adequate rest it needs so I can kick ass like Superman.

What happened to week 5? -Wait pie!?

Oops.. If it’s any consolation, I did in fact complete my 5 week Muay Thai challenge and have continued training four times a week since. My updates are below.

Now, onto more exciting news…. PIE🙂 🙂

Being the start of fall aka pie season, I thought it only fitting to make a gluten-free, butter-free almond plum pie with an almond butter crust. And when I say butter I mean the nut butter- not almonds and butter.

Ingredients include the following:

Crust: crunchy salted almond butter, coconut oil, stevia, egg whites & gluten-free flour blend, vanilla extract

Filling: Plums, chopped almonds, crunchy salted almond butter, egg whites, coconut sugar, cinnamon

One thing I love about pie is that it is incredibly easy to make healthy/clean -and it’s fun to eat :p So, you can expect to see a plethora of sweet and savory pie recipes in the weeks to follow. “Excited” doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel right now 😝

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Muay Thai result analysis:

Pros:
– My punches and kicks are stronger
– My obliques are as well
– My muscular endurance has improved
– The people I train with are awesome

Cons:
– My abs are not as strong as they used to be
– I’ve lost mass in my shoulders, despite gain in strength
– Though still fit, I’m not as lean as I used to be

In the end of the day, I love training Muay Thai. Period. Since that’s not going to change, I want to bring back some weight training into my weekly routine. So here’s the plan:

Monday: Boxing
Tuesday: Muay Thai
Wednesday: Weights: upper body
Thursday: Muay Thai
Friday: Rest Day
Saturday: Muay Thai
Sunday: Weights- lower body

Give me two weeks for trial and I’ll get back to you.

Until next time!

-Red Rumson

Muay Thai Challenge: Week Three

I can’t believe my challenge is already half way over! Not to be premature, but I’m pretty sure I prefer Muay Thai training over lifting 😬 so it looks like the conclusion of these five weeks is only the beginning 🙂

Stats for the week:
Weight: 129lbs
Chest: 36″
Waist: 27″
Lower waist: 31.5″
Hips: 38″

Food:
This week was indeed a redemption week. My meals were clean, I ate plenty of vegetables and I even made time for some recipes! (see previous posts)

Right now I am working on a recipe for the perfect vegan, gluten free (and mostly sugar free) peanut butter cookies. I am so close it’s almost agonizing. Hopefully I will have an update before next week’s post 🙂

On to week four!!

-Red Rumson

Muay Thai Challenge: Week Two

Week two is officially complete! Strength and endurance-wise I can definitely feel the progress. Skill-wise, I have a long way to go, but I am definitely learning a lot of great techniques. I think my biggest weakness is keeping my head in the zone. Training sessions have a much faster pace than weight training and are obviously a lot more complex.

I feel like despite all the knees and kicks we do in class, I’m still getting more of an upper boys workout so I’ve decided to throw in a leg day on Fridays or Sundays just to keep my booty in check 🙂

As far as good goes, I was pretty good at keeping clean except for the ass-ton of cake I had for a co-worker’s birthday (oops). It was from Tous Les Jours in Korea Town and only those of you who know what that is will understand.

My roommate’s awesome boyfriend was in town this weekend too so add a few drinks to my list of “cheats” … Oh and pre-dinner white bread (perfect for someone gluten intolerant)… Okay fine- this week was not my finest.

To some of you this may seem crazy. The words “she’s insane, she doesn’t need to lose weight” might be going through your head. But for me, it’s not about that. It’s about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t commit to it nor will I be where I want to be in the future. I am committed to this challenge so my actions need to reflect that 100%.

Stats for this week:

Weight: 131(morning, before breakfast)
Chest measurement: 36″
Waist measurement: 27″
Lower waist: 31.5″ (down 1/2″- woo!)
Hips: 28″

So, this week is a new week: Week Three aka Week of Redemption. Let’s do this.

PS- not sure why all my progress pics came out so grainy, but this is the best I could get..

Here we go…

It’s officially cutting season and when I say ‘cutting’ I mean getting ripped. The good news is, there’s not much I need to change about my diet and exercise, as it’s already part of my lifestyle. This is how I plan on transitioning from bulking to cutting:

1) Switch from high weight, low rep to low weight, high rep
2) Cardio three days a week post workout. This could be a one mile sprint, 5k run, or jumping rope for 10 min
3) Egg whites instead of eggs. I will certainly miss eggs, but I’ve got some awesome egg white recipes that I’m super excited to try 🙂
4) No desserts (weddings, birthdays, etc are exempt)
5) Only 2 drinks per week. I’m not much of a drinker so this shouldn’t be an issue.
6) All meals must be consumed before 8pm.

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Muay Thai and weight training have helped me discover what my body is truly capable of. It’s an incredible feeling. Making these activities and healthy eating a part of my lifestyle has improved many parts of my life, physique aside, which is why I am so dedicated to what I do.

I don’t want to get cut because I feel like I have to. I want to get cut because I want to challenge myself, push myself to be stronger. If I didn’t , what’s the point?