I am happy to say that I have been back on track the last couple weeks and I FEEL AMAZING> it's funny how much it all impacts my daily being and how I feel.
Since my "return" to a training plan and eating clean, I have dropped 9.4 lbs of body fat. All from working hard each session, a balance of cardio and weight training AND keeping the eats clean. I am also tracking what I am putting into my body.
YES...and the abs are returning. Hello my little friends...
I have started training for the 2015 Challenge Triathlon season AND as well as the Maine Coast Marathon 39.3 Mile Challenge (half marathon on Saturday, marathon on Sunday). If you want to join us for the Maine Coast Marathon (half, full, relay, challenge...use DISCOUNT CODE JenSmall and save some $$ off your race registration).
The biggest factors in my nutrition is:
A) meal prep and planning
B) clean supplements.
Meal Prep and Meal Planning
If you are looking to lose weight OR your are a time crunched athlete looking to optimize your performance, knowing what you are eating is KEY! When you "wing it" meal to meal with out a plan or an idea of what you are going to put into your body, that is when the pitfalls of unhealthy choices becomes a hazard.
Go into your week with a plan of what you will eat and invest some time into yourself to do a little preparation. Today (Sunday) is that day for me.
I baked a whole hormone-free chicken and then separated all the meat, cooking down the bones for stock. Hard boiled eggs are cooked & peeled, ready to grab & go from the fridge. Veggies are ready for salads, snacks and meals. I just LOVE Olivia's Organics baby lettuces and baby spinach. Easy peasy...
From the stock, I will make THIS soup via Cooking Classy :
Chicken Avocado Lime Soup
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts*
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup chopped green onions (including whites, mince the whites)
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and minced (leave seeds if you want soup spicy, omit if you don't like heat)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 3 medium avocados, peeled, cored and diced
- Tortilla chips, monterrey jack cheese, sour cream for serving (optional)
Directions
- In a large pot heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add green onions and jalapenos and saute until tender, about 2 minutes, adding garlic during last 30 seconds of sauteing. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, cumin, season with salt and pepper to taste and add chicken breasts. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Then reduce heat to medium, cover with lid and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken has cooked through 10 - 15 minutes (cook time will vary based on thickness of chicken breasts). Reduce burner to warm heat, remove chicken from pan and let rest on a cutting board 5 minutes, then shred chicken and return to soup. Stir in cilantro and lime juice. Add avocados to soup just before serving (if you don't plan on serving the soup right away, I would recommend adding the avocados to each bowl individually, about 1/2 an avocado per serving). Serve with tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream if desired.
- *For thicker chicken breasts, cut breasts in half through the length (thickness) of the breasts, they will cook faster and more evenly.
Clean Supplements
Let's face it. Im busy. You're busy. When I am burning 2-3k cals a day on a long training session, refueling is definitely important. How much is just as important as when when it comes to food. I keep it as clean as I can (veggies, fruits, lean proteins, complex carbs) but when you are eating 5-6 meals per day, that can be a challenge.
For the last year I have been using the cleanest supplements I can find and my body definitely knows the difference. My energy is always SO high when I am fueling well and recovering properly.
My favorite post workout shake not only delivers 36 grams of organic undenatured whey, but I am also getting balanced macros and replenishing my body so I can go and smash it again the next day.
So what does a typical day look like for me?? Here is Sunday's food.
Woke up at 3:30am, first thing is stumble to the kitchen and get my liquids in me! I had my ionix, (first thing! on an empty tummy) and a cup of Morning Thunder tea> I will also drink 16 oz of water.
Pre-workout: 1 scoop IsaLean PRO(vanilla), 1 Scoop IsaGreens and 1 scoop Replenish (orange) mixed with water. I also had 20 oz of water. I took my daily vits and my Powerbar Beta Alanine.
Off to the gym to run. It was snowing again so I opted for the treadmill. Today's run was 12 miles and then I did a quick/easy 30 mins
My fuel while running was 20 oz of water, 20 oz of Powerbar Perform in Lemon/Lime, 1 Powerbar fruit blend (which I did not consume, did not need it felt really good) and 1/2 an e+shot.
Post-workout (meal #1): 1 IsaLean PRO shake (vanilla) with 1 TB coconut oil, 1 TB chia seeds, 1 frozen banana, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries.
Meal #3: 4 Triscuits (Garden Herb), cucumber slices with 1/3 cup of salsa. So not totally clean here but I wanted a couple crackers with my salsa.
Meal #4: a bowl homemade soup (see above) with MORE salsa on top!
Meal #5: a big salad with mixed greens, chicken, green chilis and salsa, avocado
I was totally craving salsa all day!! I got this super awesome spicy cilantro salsa which was fantastic...I even added a bunch to my soup.
My macros for the day:
Carbs 97g
Protein 194
Fat 29g
Sugars 28g
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