Weekend Challenge and Another New Toy

Here is the Weekly Challenge workout posed on the TT forums. I had done both parts of the workout before, so I wanted to try and improve my times.

Bodyweight 350
45 Prisoner Squats
40 Push ups
20 Jumps
20 SB leg curls
20 SB Jackknifes
40 Step ups (20 per side)
10 Pull ups (OK, I confess, I cheated and used a 10lb assist)
40 Forward Lunges (20 per side)
40 Close grip push ups
20 Inverted Rows (Beginner)
40 Squats
15 Chin ups

Previous time - 14:06
Goal - 13:30
Actual - 12:00 exactly, but I did use the assist this time for pull ups and the last time I did not.

1 Mile Run
Previous time - 10:55
Goal - 10:30
Actual - 9:59! Best time ever!

And, I got a new toy yesterday! It's a beautiful blue 20lb Kettlebell. I had been using a 10lb kettlebell for swings, but it was getting way too light!


Speaking of new toys, I got an email the other day saying my Precision Nutrition V3 had shipped! Whoo-hoo - very excited to get to read that when it arrives! You can still get it for 33% off through January 20th.

Finally, here is the link to this weeks weekly TT Coaching Call: TT Weekly Call. Interesting stuff this week about bodyweight training, planning your workouts ahead of time, and high intensity cardio.

Week 3 Update

Here is my Week 3 Update as I compete in my 4th Turbulence Training Transformation Contest. I am really going to have to buckle down and clean up my diet if I want to have a great transformation. After the holidays I was really disappointed in how I looked, and while I can see I've made progress, it's not as much as I had hoped by this point.

1. I will make every workout count
Did good. Raised the weights again in some exercises, and I managed more 1-legged squats in a row than last week. Two full sets of 8 on each leg on Friday!

2. I will drink less diet soda
Still drinking too much. I was in a bit of funk mid week and consoled myself with my friend Diet Soda, which is probably better than my friend Pumpkin Pie, or New York Style Cheesecake.

3. I will weigh myself ONLY once per week
Did much better! A few days I didn’t even look at the scale.

4. I will eat 2200-2500 calories per day while building muscle (to be reassessed as needed)
I think I am changing this goal. In the spirit of the contest, I want to get a little more lean. I’m going to shoot for 2000-2200 calories on workout days and 1600-1800 on non-workout days. I think that by not drastically dropping my calories, I should be able to maintain the muscle I have.

5. I will eat cleanly, but will allow treat meals
This week went fairly well. Too many extra small treats (almonds, muscle milk brownies, protein cookies), and my main treat meal was pizza. Avoided the carrot cake and ice cream on Thursday at the office, but I ate too much today. Had my treat meal, but then ate too much tonight. Not bad foods, just too much in general.

6. I will eat 5-7 fruits/vegetables per day
Achieved every day except for today.

7. I will not worry about gaining extra weight while building muscle
See goal #4 above.

8. I will not be neurotic with my diet
Doing better. I was even able to change a few things around without a crazy binge-type episode at night. Still counting croutons, but who doesn't? ;)

9. I will not be grumpy at my family
Did OK this week. Not quite as energetic as last week. I need to spend less time on the computer and more time with my children.

10. I will enjoy the contest and will not allow it to stress me out
I was quite proud of myself as I did NOT join the new Twitter contest. I know myself too well and adding this extra pressure would not have been good for me. However, there is still time to enter if anyone is interested (last day to enter I think is January 20). Here is the link to the rules: TT Twitter Contest Rules

Quick Bodyweight Workout

Here is a new video with Craig Ballantyne showing a very easy way to get in a very fast workout using timed intervals.

I used this as the basis for my quick workout at home. I didn't go to the gym this morning (it's -17 degrees!) but I have no excuses to not work out.

200 Kettlebell swings
30 sec swing, 30 sec marching in place x10

BW squats
20 sec squatting, 10 sec hold at bottom x8

Push ups
20 sec push ups, 10 sec hold at top x4

Stability Ball roll out
20 sec roll outs, 10 sec hold extended x4

Jumping Jacks
20 sec jumping, 10 sec rest x5

Burpees
20 sec burpees, 10 sec rest x5

Took about 25 minutes total time. And got a pretty good workout!

Recipe Wednesday

Time for another dessert. Muscle Milk Brownies! This recipe is still a work in progress, but the last time I made them, they were delicious! I'm working on making them a little more brownie-like and a little less cheesecake-like, while still keeping them lower in carbs.

3/4 cup fat free cottage cheese
2 Tablespoons natural peanut butter
1 egg
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 scoops Brownie Batter flavored Muscle Milk
2 packets Splenda
1 packet Stevia
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup walnut pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Blend together the first 5 ingredients until smooth. I used my hand held immersion blender.

3. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except for the walnuts.

4. Spread in an 8x8 rectangle pan that has been lightly sprayed with a nonstick spray. Sprinkle the walnuts on top.

5. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until the top is firm and springs back when you press lightly on it.


If you want them a little more chocolatey, you could add some unsweetened cocoa powder to the batter, but you will probably have to add a little more sweetener. Or, you can do what I did and take 1 tablespoon of melted sugar free hot fudge and drizzle it over the top.


Pay no attention to the one that's missing! I find that these are better after sitting in the fridge for a few hours. I cut these into 16 pieces each with:

63 calories
4.5g protein
2.8g fat
4.2g carbs
.8g fiber

My particular brand of SF hot fudge adds to each piece:

3 calories
0g protein
.3g fat
.1g carbs
.1g fiber

I also just wanted to remind everyone that I photograph almost everything I eat. You can Follow My Feasts! I usually tweet on Twitter when I have a new picture, so you can follow along if you are interested.

Weekend Challenge

Here is the challenge that I proposed this week. I called it the "Lucky 7". I used 10lb DBs for sets #1 and #3, and used a 20lb EZ bar for set #5. I think I could have used a heavier weight, but I wasn't sure how difficult this was going to be and I wanted to be conservative. My goal was to finish in less than 30 minutes. The amount of time it took me for each particular set is in parentheses.

Superset #1 (2:33)
DB bicep curl 5x5
Lying tricep extension 5x5

Superset #2 (3:56)
Plank 2x20 seconds
Bird Dog 2x5 reps per side
Mountain Climber 2x5 reps per side
Side Plank 2x10 seconds per side
Elevated Pushup 2x5 reps per side

Superset #3 (1:59)
Alternating hammer curls 2x8 per side
DB overhead 1-arm tricep extension 2x8 per side

Superset #4 (4:38)
Mountain Climber 3x10 reps per side
Side Plank 3x20 seconds per side
Elevated Plank 3x20 second hold

Superset #5 (2:54)
EZ bar bicep curl 4x6
EZ bar lying tricep extension 4x6

Superset #6 (4:10)
Hanging Knee Raise 3x10 reps
Spiderman Climb 3x12 reps per side
Plank with Arms on Ball 3x30 second hold

Superset #7 (1:26)
chin ups - max reps (8)
close grip push ups - max reps (31)

I didn't take set rest breaks, but just took a short rest when I felt like I needed it. Total time, with rest breaks, was 24 minutes, 56 seconds.

Also wanted to post the link this week's TT Coaching Call: TT Coaching Call
Good stuff this week about the TT 2K4 workouts, losing body fat, accountability, and good salad making (?!).

Only one more week to enter the Turbulence Training Transformation Contest for the full 12 weeks!

And finally, for Today's Tip, something I just read. A recent study showed that chocoholics who took a brisk 15 minute walk were less likely to want their favorite sweet, even when handed an unwrapped bar. So if a craving strikes, take a quick walk and see if that helps!

Week Two Update

I think I did better with my goals this week. Only 10 more weeks to go and I have a feeling they are going to fly by!

1. I will make every workout count
I did good this week. I raised the weight on a number of exercises and felt I got good workouts. I also conquered my fear of 1-legged squats and did them in my workout on Wednesday (most with an assist from the cable system, 4 on each leg with no assistance).

2. I will drink less soda
Still drinking too much. I have trouble with this one because I like diet soda too much. Although, I have been drinking near 100oz of water per day as well. Needless to say, I spend a lot of my day going back and forth to the bathroom. :)

3. I will weigh myself ONLY once per week
I weighed myself less often this week, but still more than once. I made this a goal to help myself stop being neurotic about my weight, but I'm not sure it's working. See goal #7 below.

4. I will eat 2200-2500 calories per day while building muscle (to be reassessed as needed)
Way below this week. I think my brain is nervous about extra calories. This week so far I had four days around 1900, one day at about 2100 and one day at about 2500 (pot luck at work). Oddly enough, my ratios for every single day were right around 30% protein, 30% fat, and 40% carbs (within a couple percentage points). I don't think about exact number ratios when I plan my meals for the week, I just try to eat protein and a good carb with every meal (usually just veggies with dinner) with a little bit of fat. Seems to be working great!

5. I will eat cleanly, but will allow cheat meals
Much better this week. Still a few more treats than I probably should have had, but I finished off the sugar free, fat free vanilla ice cream so there's one less temptation. I even made it through a potluck at work without any major guilty feelings.

6. I will eat 5-7 fruits per day
Achieved!

7. I will not worry about gaining extra weight while building muscle
Got a little nervous this week. I think I am having trouble with this because I gained a few pounds over the holidays, and I want to be sure I lose them. I think muscle building now is making me feel like I am still eating too much, like I did a few weeks ago. I may try to lose a few more pounds in an effort to set my brain at ease.

8. I will not neurotic with my diet
Did much better this week! So what if I still weigh my jelly before I put it on my toast. That's not neurotic, right? My husband may beg to differ... I am working on being more flexible in my planning (is that an oxymoron? flexible planning?) so that I will be able to adapt better in the future to unexpected changes.

9. I will not be grumpy at my family
Did better with this goal. I had a lot of energy this week and I got a lot done. This in turn makes me feel less stressed and I am less grumpy. Plus I got a lot done around the house so I don't have to look at half-done projects all the time.

10. I will enjoy the contest and will not allow it to stress me out
Still so far so good!

I think I forgot to mention that I ordered my copy of Precision Nutrition V3. I'm pretty excited to get it because I don't actually have my own copy. I've just heard about bits and pieces from friends. It won't ship until January 20th, but if you order before then, you can get it for 33% off. Check it out!

Recipe Wednesday

Today's recipe is for Carrot Burgers. I don't make too many meatless main dishes, but I saw this in my Busy Family Cookbook and decided to give it a try. This is my adaptation of the recipe. The recipe originally calls for cornflakes, but I didn't have any on hand so I used Kashi Go Lean. The first time I made this I used the flakes from Abby's Cherry Crunch. Both versions were really good! Experiment with different cereals for different tastes. Some other things I want to experiment with are using tofu instead of the eggs, and also adding a shot of Worcestershire sauce.

6 oz baby carrots (about 28)
2 cups Kashi Go Lean (or cornflakes, etc)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 rib of celery
1 Tablespoon chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 packet Splenda or Stevia or 1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon pepper
6 whole wheat hamburger buns, optional

1. Pulse carrots and celery in a blender, or chop very finely. Cover in a saucepan with the onion in about an inch or so of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until tender (5-10 minutes).

2. While those are boiling, place the cereal in a large plastic bag and crush it. My son enjoys getting to jump up and down on the bag, but a hammer works as well. :)

3. Drain the carrots, celery and onion and combine in a large bowl with the remaining ingredients. If you didn't pulse the veggies in a blender at the beginning, you could do so before combining with the cereal, if desired. Form into 6 patties.


4. Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Spray surface with a little nonstick cooking spray. Cook the patties for about 3 minutes on each side or until browned.

5. Serve on buns, if desired. I've used salsa as a topping, and I've used low sugar ketchup and mustard. You could top this just like a regular burger with the works - mayo, ketchup, lettuce, pickles, etc; or you could just eat it plain with a sprinkle of salt (It's very good that way too! I think I may actually prefer them that way.)



Also, I just wanted to remind everyone that there is less than 18 hours left on the current Turbulence Training special. The early bird bonuses have been taken, but there are still a ton of bonuses (including 6 months free to the forums!) that come with the Original Turbulence Training Manual. This offer ends on noon on Thursday, January 8th. You can check out all of the bonuses here:

Turbulence Training for Fat Loss

Happy eating!

A New Year, And New Bonuses

Today is the day a lot of you are officially beginning your New Years resolutions. If losing belly fat and transforming your body are on your goal list, then now is the time to purchase Turbulence Training.

Beginning today at noon (EST), the first 25 people who order Turbulence Training will receive bonus copies of Craig Ballantyne's #1 best-selling book, “Just Say NO to Cardio” and UNLIMITED email support!

PLUS, the first 200 people to grab a copy of Turbulence Training for Fat Loss also get access to an exclusive coaching call to help you lose more fat this year than ever before!

And you’ll get a free 6-month Turbulence Training membership. Social support is an amazing motivational factor, and one that I highly recommend.

Be ready at 12 noon (EST) on Monday, January 5th (today!) when Craig opens the doors on the Ultimate Turbulence Training for Fat Loss Solution.

Here’s the site where you’ll grab your copy and bonuses:

Turbulence Training for Fat Loss

Happy New Year and Happy New You!

Weekend Challenge

The Challenge for this week was the brand new TT DB 10x10 matrix (more below). I gave this a try yesterday morning. I used 10lb DBs, but for the DB rows, I put both DBs in the same hand for a total of 20lbs.

1. DB Bulgarian Split Squat (4x10 ea side)
2. DB Shoulder Press (4x10)
3. DB Step up (4x10 ea side)
4. DB Chest Press (4x10)
5. DB Row (4x10 ea side)
6. DB Lunge (4x10 ea side)
7. DB Swing (4x10)
8. DB Shrug (4x10)
9. DB Incline Press (4x10)
10. DB Squat (4x10)

First round: 5 min, 11 sec
Second round: 4 min, 47 sec
Third round: 4 min, 19 sec
Fourth round: 4 min, 21 sec

I took a 1 minute rest between each round, so my total time, including the 3 rests, was 21 min, 55 seconds. I think I will go up to 12lbs next time I try this.

Also, I just read the email from Craig with the recap of this week's Turbulence Training phone coaching call...

- The Inside Scoop on the Original Turbulence Training Workout
- The One Physical Change 52% of Women Want to See in Their Man
- How to Take the Best Transformation Photos
- The 10 Secret Exercises of the New TT DB 10x10 Matrix
- Vegetarian Protein Recommendations

Click here to listen to the New Year's Fat Burning Coaching Call

Or you can read the tips on Craig's blog here:

Click here to discover the TT 10x10 Matrix

I like these new "coaching calls". I get a lot of good ideas and advice. I can just sit and listen while I'm checking email or whatever. Good stuff!

Week One Update (I've Got A New Party Trick!)

I want to go over my goals for this contest at least weekly to make sure I am achieving them. I don't want to post them once, and then forget about them. So here they are again, with a summary of how I did this week:

1. I will make every workout count
I did fairly well this week. It was my first week on TT 2K5, so I kept my weights a little lower so I wouldn't be so sore that I couldn't move. I plan to raise the weights on just about everything next week.

2. I will drink less diet soda
Not so good. Still drinking too much. I need to make this goal more specific. I going to try and cut it to 2 diet sodas per day.

3. I will weigh myself ONLY once per week
Well, I didn't weigh myself everyday (hurray!) but did weigh myself more than once (boo!)

4. I will eat 2200-2500 calories per day while building muscle (to be reassessed as needed)
So far, on 2 days I was just under 2200, on 3 days I was right around 2000, and on 1 day I was over (2887).

5. I will eat cleanly, but will allow treat meals
Pretty good. Only one binge-type night (the 2887 calories) where I ate 2 servings of trail mix, 2 servings of no sugar added fat free vanilla ice cream, 2 "smore's", each made with 1 graham cracker, 1/2T marshmallow creme (left over from DD's birthday), and 1/4t lite chocolate syrup, 2/3 of a mini lite vanilla ice cream sandwich, 1 serving diet sugar free hot cocoa, and 1 plain graham cracker. This all stemmed from going off my plan earlier in the day. Need to work on this.

6. I will eat 5-7 fruits/vegetables per day
Tuesday I had only 4, and Thursday is a stretch because I shared a fruit with my son, but otherwise good!

7. I will not worry about gaining extra weight while building muscle
Did well on this. Even though weighed myself more than once, I was never worried about it.

8. I will not be neurotic with my diet
Did OK, for the most part. See goal #5 above for my one night of trouble. It all began when I tried to be fun, flexible, not neurotic Abby, and I got all off kilter from changing my plan on the spot earlier in the day, and my calories got all messed up, and I went a little out of control. When I deviate from my plan, I get in big trouble. It's something I really want to work on this 12 weeks.

9. I will not be grumpy at my family
Did pretty well, even with ttom. LOL But sometimes I am still a little more short with people then I intend to be.

10. I will enjoy the contest and will not allow it to stress me out
So far so good!

And biiiiggggggg drum roll please! I got to the gym a little later than I intended this morning and I was afraid it was going to be busy (January rush), but it was actually pretty empty. I took the opportunity to attempt 1-legged squats using the cable system for counterweight. I put the pin in at 80lbs, thinking that was more than 1/2 my body weight and I might need the extra help. I was actually able to squat down, and get back up easily, so I lowered the weight to 70lbs. That was pretty easy as well so I just decided to try them with no help at all, and I discovered I could do them with no problems. Why the heck did I wait so long to try them with no help?? Next time I do Workout A I am going to try with no help, although I probably will need a little boost from the cable system. I don't know if I can do a full set of 8 on each side. My legs are killing me now! Between the workout this morning and going sledding with the kids this afternoon (my cold is much better), I think I am going to be quite sore tomorrow. Carrying 30lbs of toddler up that sledding hill is a great workout!