Breakfast/ Exercise/ Fitness/ Lunch

Staying Focused

Good morning!

Class went well last night. My headache decided to make another appearance though so I wasn’t happy about that. Luckily, I finished what I needed to last night and got to leave early, around 10:30. Tonight might be a later night as I finish everything up for grading (we run on 2 day blocks). I still have to bake off my icebox cookies, make my muffins and biscuits and make my fruit pie with lattice crust. I’m sure I can get it all done—I’m just going to have to be focused and stick to my time line (I make time lines every night regarding production and stick to them as best I can. I’ve found it to be the best way to stay organized and stress-free).

That brown rice treat was super yummy! I actually didn’t even need the string cheese because I really wasn’t that hungry and was just in “work-mode” the entire night. I will definitely have to pick up a box of these though next time I’m at Whole Foods because they seriously rocked…nice and chewy with a rich chocolate flavor.

This morning I woke up, ate half a banana with peanut butter and went to the gym. Today I did chest, biceps and cardio.

Here’s what I did:

Run 2 minutes on treadmill to warm up

3 sets of hammer curls with 15 lb weights. 12 reps

3 sets of barbell curls with 15 lb weights (last set with 10 lbs). 12 reps

3 sets of Bench Presses using 20 lbs. 12 reps

3 sets of incline dumbbell fly using 15 lbs. 12 reps

5 minutes running sprints on treadmill

15 minutes on elliptical

and just a note: I don’t usually rest very much between sets. I’ll do one set of hammer curls for biceps then rush over and do one set of bench presses for my chest and alternate like that doing two exercises back and forth. I’ve found that to be the best way to maximize time and feel the burn!Β 

When I got back I made my breakfast of oatmeal and egg whites. I used 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup water, the other half of my banana and a big spoonful/glob of peanut butter for the oats, then just scrambled up 3 egg whites to go along with it. Yum!

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I made my sandwich yesterday afternoon when I had more time for this morning. I dug into that Cajun style organic rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods and made a great chicken sandwich on two slices of flax and fiber bread with a light laughing cow cheese, spinach and honey mustard. I also packed a peach and some chocolate protein powder (to mix with water and ice) and grapes for a snack later on.

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Major props to that pasta salad last night for keeping me satisfied all night long. I didn’t really need to snack on that brown rice treat, but I wanted to take a break from my production and keep my energy levels up of course. Seriously, you all need to try this recipe!

Enjoy your Tuesday—Here’s a question! How do you stay in shape while traveling and on the go?

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  • VeggieGirl
    July 29, 2008 at 12:40 pm

    While traveling, I schedule sessions with a personal trainer at the hotel; and of COURSE I walk everywhere!! Easy exercise, for sure.

  • Danielle
    July 29, 2008 at 12:45 pm

    Great question! I cannot wait to see what people have to say πŸ™‚ I could definitely use the tips!

    For the past 2 months I’ve mainly been focusing on walking whenever and wherever I can. Sometimes I move quickly with a purpose but I balance that out with sightseeing strolls as well. There are so many incredible parts of the world that I’ve been able to explore and it’s at these points that I often wake up feeling a bit sore without even trying. I’ve also been doing a quick morning and night yoga routine. It simply makes me feel better about my day and myself and is a break from my usual packed schedule. Rarely do I go to the gym out of preference but at a few of the nice hotels I’ve stayed in I’ll admit to have run on the treadmill and do a few weights with friends. So far so good but I’m hoping to take a few yoga, pilates, and other exercise classes at the country club that my Chilean family is a part of. Once I register for classes I’ll be able to figure out which ones I can sign up for, I’m so excited and it’s only a few blocks away!

  • Kimberly
    July 29, 2008 at 1:02 pm

    I’ve found that as long as there is a mini-fridge and a fitness center in the hotel, it’s not too hard to stay in shape. Many hotels keep their gyms open 24 hours, but even if they don’t, it’s not too hard to set the alarm early to squeeze in a nice workout. If I’m in familiar surroundings, I might go for a run outside, but if not, the hotel gym feels safer. And I usually don’t even bother with hotel breakfast buffets, since the offerings can be pretty gnarly (unless I’m traveling for business and can expense out a huge room-service fruit platter πŸ˜‰ I like hitting local coffee joints in the morning, but will also keep a few yogurts, pieces of fresh fruit, Ryvita, nuts, and oatmeal packets (since Alton demonstrated how to cook them in the coffeemaker!) in my room – great standbys for quick breakfasts and to pack in my bag for on-the-go snacks πŸ™‚

  • Sarah
    July 29, 2008 at 1:02 pm

    When I travel I try to walk as much as possible and include fun exercise activities (like biking, swimming, kayaking, hiking). I try to use the gym if the hotel I’m staying at has one. And I also always pack my exercise stuff with me because since I’m such a light packer, I get really annoyed with myself if I take up space packing it but don’t use it!

  • ~C~
    July 29, 2008 at 1:17 pm

    I try to get in alot of walking and we also bring along some yoga podcasts.

    Jenna, I am so excited to tell you that my work just starting using the Rudi’s organic whole wheat bread! I saw it in the kitchen and thought of you!

  • Foodie (Fab and Delicious Food)
    July 29, 2008 at 1:21 pm

    Walking everywhere!

  • Aimee
    July 29, 2008 at 1:30 pm

    I make myself wake up and go to the gym first thing. I also pack exercise bands to make sure to get some resistance training in. If I am traveling for pleasure and not business I tend to do a lot of walking. I also pack healthy snacks and bars.

  • Anne P
    July 29, 2008 at 1:34 pm

    hey jenna! so i tried your twisty leg yoga ab move (from your video a few days ago) last night at the gym and was skeptical at first, but damn! i do a lot of ab work but i was definitely hurtin even like 10 in! i think the extra weight of having legs together is what made it so hard. definitely a keeper πŸ™‚

  • SDF
    July 29, 2008 at 1:45 pm

    Hey Jenna-love the question!

    I travel a lot for work and when I first started travelling I tried to fit in a workout after work-like I usually do-but there was just never time in between working later hours, trying to sight see and usually spending a bit of time with co-workers.

    Now I’ll wake up a little bit earlier than usual (since I find when I travel with work I get to bed a bit earlier) and have a quick 30 minute work out. Then one night (when I travel I’m usually gone for the entire week) I’ll stay in at the hotel and have a longer work out and usually eat a lighter meal (since when travelling with work we have huge breakfasts and lunch).

    Also with eating more healthy-I’ve found that since I live in Canada, and a lot of my travelling is in the States, I go to the grocery store and try a bunch of stuff that I see people eating on food blogs. It makes me excited to finally be trying all the goodies unavailable in Canada (like Greek yogurt-so in love) and it keeps me eating healthy πŸ™‚

  • Trina
    July 29, 2008 at 2:06 pm

    Hello! To be honest, when I travel, it usually isn’t for more than a week. So, I make a point to walk at least as much as I can and maybe get a small trip or two to the hotel gym. But, I try to let my vacation be what it is-a vacation, and not stress about the fact that I won’t be working out hard-core for a week.

    However, when I am traveling back home to visit family or something, I do just bring along my workout gear and get my regular runs in like I would at my own house.

    I think people tend to be a lot more active while traveling anyways…like constantly walking, moving, doing activities..so I am sure their metabolism is up from normal.

    That was a fun question, thanks for thinking of it!

  • Littleblackdress
    July 29, 2008 at 2:37 pm

    When I travel, my goal is to stay as balanced as possible in my meals. I find that as long as I include grains, protein, and fresh produce in each meal, even if it’s with different ingredients than I normally eat, I feel great.

  • emmy
    July 29, 2008 at 2:51 pm

    Jenna – I posted this a week or so ago but I think it got lost in the shuffle. If you didn’t respond due to time crunch though I totally understand. I did some research online but I wasn’t having a lot of luck.

    *I know this is a busy time for you (especially w. the roomate coming back, which sounds exciting), but I was wondering if you could give some quick information about culinary school. For example – what was the application process like? how much did you know about cooking before you applied? I feel like I might be missing out on a lot of happiness by telling myself that β€œculinary school is not a possibility right now”*

  • ModelBehavior
    July 29, 2008 at 2:57 pm

    Hey Jenna, how are you coming up with these workouts? Do you have a trainer or are you just doing what feels right?

    Thanks!

    Oh and in response to your question, when I’m on vacation, I eat whatever i want, then i get back on track when I get home πŸ™‚

  • Hangry Pants
    July 29, 2008 at 3:03 pm

    Good question Jenna.

    Recently I was away for three weeks and what I did was research the gyms in the area to find gyms that offered free passes. This worked out great because I was able to work out and see new gyms that I could potentially join

    – Heather

  • Hangry Pants
    July 29, 2008 at 3:15 pm

    Good question Jenna.

    Recently I was away from home for several weeks and what I did was research the gyms in the area to find gyms that offered free passes. This worked out great because I was able to work out and see new gyms that I could potentially join. It was interesting to see different equipment and classes offered, too.

    – Heather

  • Amanda B
    July 29, 2008 at 3:21 pm

    I run! Generally I take beach vacations, so I find neighborhoods alongside the beach and run among them. It’s a great way to explore, as well. My last vacation was to Raleigh, NC and Myrtle Beach, SC–both great running. Sometimes I got so caught up I would run for 90 minutes!

    For strength training, I would just do my own moves–I’ve done Pilates for so long that I make up my own routines. I would do a lot of push-ups, lunges, etc, because I don’t travel weights (obv) and wasn’t staying in a hotel with a gym. I would imitate a lot of the moves I learned from the Cathe DVDs that I’ve mentioned before and practically have memorized.

  • Amanda B
    July 29, 2008 at 3:22 pm

    Oh, I forgot to mention, I also did some strength exercises with a heavy resistence band–those things are AWESOME!

  • tfh
    July 29, 2008 at 3:29 pm

    Since when I travel, it’s usually to a place (India) where I am in very cramped quarters and going for a simple walk becomes a huge to-do (ah, family/culture clash), I just throw my resistance band in my suitcase and rely on that and yoga to keep me sane. Somewhat sane.

  • LadyLara
    July 29, 2008 at 3:31 pm

    I try to run wherever I go. It’s a great way to see a new city! When I was at the Four Seasons in Toronto, they actually had nifty little running maps in my room. Of course I still got lost!

  • Jo
    July 29, 2008 at 3:49 pm

    Jenna – I have been thinking about making scrambled egg whites/egg-white omelette but was thinking it might be a bit bland – do you make them plain and like them like that or do you have any ideas for making them a bit more interesting?

    Going to my first ever yoga class tonight – so excited!

  • Serena
    July 29, 2008 at 5:05 pm

    Jo – I put hot sauce in my egg white omelets – definitely gives it a good kick!

  • Sarah C
    July 29, 2008 at 5:20 pm

    I take my resistance band in my suitcase bc they are light and you can get a full body strength workout with them. Also, I go running or do some jumping jacks/a mini kickboxing workout for some cardio.

  • angelcubbie
    July 29, 2008 at 6:22 pm

    Hey Jenna, I know you said you were trying to put on muscle, I was wondering are you trying to gain weight and put on muscle or stay the same weight but just tone your body more? Love the blog by the way!

  • BMEllis
    July 29, 2008 at 6:52 pm

    This is a random question, but does anyone have a face sunscreen they love? I’m heading on my honeymoon next week and need something with a strong SPF for sensitive skin. Would love some recommendations!

  • jenna
    July 29, 2008 at 8:32 pm

    Emmy,

    Every culinary school is very different with their specific process. For mine, I had a couple lengthy interviews as well as a written application to fill out. Umm..I knew I loved to cook before I went to culinary school and had been cooking my whole life. MOST students there have worked in the industry before and I felt sort of out of it since I had never. Some people, however, were just there for a career change and knew nothing!

    ModelBehavior,

    I’ve worked on and off with various trainers for years so I know a bunch of exercises with weights to do. I also read fitness magazines such as Oxygen, which outline different exercises you can do on your own. Ab stuff is sort of trial and error…stuff I’ve done that has made me sore and given me a great workout over the years. Fitness/nutrition/food has always been a passion of mine and I’ve just accumulated lots of different techniques and stuff from others over the years!

    AngelCubbie,

    Well, to gain muscle I would in turn gain weight because muscle weighs more than fat. I’m not looking to gain a ton of weight but if I gain a few pounds of lean muscle I would be fine with that. Really, scales are so inaccurate because they don’t access your muscle so you could weigh more than others but be fitter than them as well because you have more muscle mass. I don’t own a scale but go on how my clothes fit me best…

  • jenna
    July 29, 2008 at 9:34 pm

    Jo,

    I like the taste bland but hot sauce would sure spice it up! You could also add some veggies or garlic or low fat cheese…

  • Sara F
    July 29, 2008 at 9:47 pm

    I take my running shoes with me where ever I go. One of the best ways to see a new city is to go for a jog. I love exploring on a run (assuming its a safe area of course). I’ve run everywhere from Brasil to Havana. It’s truly the way to go…oh and walking is good too. πŸ™‚

  • runjess
    July 29, 2008 at 10:11 pm

    You are SERIOUS about adding some muscle! I don’t rest between sets either, it is so much more effective to just alternate between exercises.

    I’m in agreement with Sara F…I went to Europe this summer and got in wayyy more running than I thought possible. It’s such a wonderful sport because you can just head out the door, no equipment but shoes needed! Also, I walk everywhere when I sightsee. With all the walking + running, I actually got in more exercise while traveling than I do at home!

  • ClaireDille
    July 30, 2008 at 3:36 am

    I agree with the last two posters! As a runner, I love to sightsee and discover a place by running around. That way you can cover more area in less amount of time and then come back later with friends and family and even point out something you thought looked cool earlier in the day. I spent a semester in europe last year and ran in 11 countries! It was amazing…I also always stick to bicycle crunches, planks, tri chair dips, and push ups for upper body when traveling…about every other day.

  • Jo
    July 30, 2008 at 2:35 pm

    Serena & Jenna – thanks for the tips. Will give it a try.