Date: 1/9/2012

Workout: 6am Kickboxing/Training at Fitness One, Teaching a 50 minute Spinning Class at 5:30pm at the Rush

Weighed in this morning at 128 pounds. 24% Body Fat

Allen wants me to do my other measurements (BMI, etc) before my work out on Wednesday morning. He said the the data could be a little skewed since I weighed in after my workout this morning instead of before.

I loved the Kickboxing/Training class at Fitness One this morning. It was with a trainer I haven’t had before and the class was fuller than I expected for 6am. Patrick (the trainer) is a yeller. This is kind of humorous because at one minute he will be lightly singing along to the music that he is playing and then the next he is in your ear telling you to punch harder or to keep your feet 6 inches above the ground while you’re on your back. I’ve now noticed that the workouts at Fitness One are alike in one aspect: the timer. The timer beeps every minute during every workout. You might think this could be annoying but in reality you’re waiting to hear that beep so that you can stop the agony of whatever you’re doing. Every minute (or two minutes usually in this workout) we would do a different combination (jab, cross, hook or any multitude of different combinations that the trainer thinks of). We also incorporated other exercises like pushups, planks, squats, etc for two minute intervals. It kicked my butt but it was awesome.

Food:

Breakfast: 1c. Greek Oikos Vanilla Yogurt, 1/2c. Blueberries, 1c. Kashi Go Lean Granola (loved this bfast!!!): 392 Calories, 64g Carbs, 32g Protein, 10g Fiber, 3g Sodium, 190mg Sodium, 37g Sugar—this ended up being my biggest meal of the day in calories, carbs, and sugar which I considered ok since I have the rest of the day to burn it off

Morning Snack: Frigo Cheese Stick and Clementine: 115 Calories, 10g Carbs, 7g Protein, 1g Fiber, 6g Fat, 201mg Sodium, 7g Sugar

Lunch: Leftover Moo Shu Veggie stir-fry w/ Brown Rice: 361 Calories, 53g Carbs, 16g Protein, 7g Fiber, 12g Fat, 343mg Sodium, 0g Sugar

Afternoon Snack: 2 Tbsp. Red Pepper Hummus and Carrots: 100 Calories, 16g Carbs, 2g Protein, 4g Fiber, 3g Fat, 225mg Sodium, 5g Sugar

Dinner: Grilled Chicken and Mixed Green Salad with 1/4c. reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese and 1 Tbsp. Wishbone Italian Dressing: 236 Calories, 7g Carbs, 28g Protein, 2g Fiber, 12g Fat, 766mg Sodium, 4g Sugar

Total Nutrition Intake:

1,204 Calories
36g Fat
1,725mg Sodium
24g Fiber
150g Carbs
53g Sugar
85g Protein

The Moo Shu vegetable stir-fry turned out excellent last night! I was a little apprehensive in mixing in scrambled eggs in with my vegetables but it actually turned out really well. I plan on making that a lot. I’ve been frustrated with my carb level. I am really struggling getting it down to 120g/day. I didn’t realize that almost everything has some amount of carbs in them.

I wish my job was involved more activity. I sit at my desk a lot and I know that can’t be great for my metabolism. I’ve decided that every hour I’m going to walk around the office twice. I don’t think anyone will notice (unless they read this lol) but I don’t really care anyways. It will give me a good excuse to get up and move a little.

 

Sodium: How much to have and why it can be dangerous

Sodium isn't necessarily bad for you, it's just that most of us have begun eating far too much of it. Sodium is the part of salt that increases blood pressure. There is more sodium in salt than any other food that we eat. We eat salt because it makes food taste better. It enhances the flavor of almost everything we eat. Yet eating too much salt is dangerous.

The body needs sodium to hold water in the blood vessels. Sodium also regulates water balance in all parts of the body. If too much water is held in the body, the amount of blood increases. If it increases too much, problems will arise.

The increase in blood makes the heart work harder. The result can be high blood pressure. Other conditions, such as diabetes, can cause high blood pressure. The most common cause is eating too much salt/sodium. When high blood pressure is not controlled, it can lead to a heart attack, stroke or kidney disease. Also, too much sodium causes water retention which makes you bloated and feel lazy which is never good when you are trying to stay active and achieve your fitness goals.

As far as the daily recommended amount, I have found different opinions. One article I found said the recommended amount is between 500-1000mg. It’s estimated that Americans consume three to ten times that amount! Another article stated that health experts recommend 1,100 - 3,300 mg of sodium per day for healthy adults. Most people eat 2,300 to 6,900 mg per day. Keep in mind that one teaspoon of salt contains 2,000 mg of sodium.

As for me, I am going to continue keeping track of my sodium intake and try to keep it under 1,500mg/day if I can. So far, looking back at my blog, I have actually been pretty good at this. I’m glad that I looked more into recommended levels of sodium to know what it does to you and why you should keep track of it.

Here is some more advice on how to cut back on your sodium levels if you need to:

·        Limit your intake of processed foods and try to cook from scratch so you know what’s in your food.

·         Check labels to ensure you aren’t eating something that’s totally loaded with sodium and you will be fine. Try and find things that are labeled: reduced sodium

·         A lot of soups and processed foods contain a ridiculous amount of sodium and even things that aren’t salty, like diet sodas, contain sodium. (Diet Dr. Pepper has 55 mg of sodium, which they claim is 2% of the daily recommended value; but is more like 5-10% based on scientific studies of sodium requirements).

·        Eat fewer salty snacks such as potato chips, nuts, cheese and pretzels.

·        Use fresh or frozen vegetables instead of high sodium canned

·        Avoid pickled products like sauerkraut, deli meats, sausages and canned fish.

·        Use herbs and spices like garlic powder, thyme, oregano, and basil to flavor food and use less salt. Season meat with lemon juice, bay leaf, crushed red pepper and rosemary. Season chicken with sage, seasoned vinegar and ginger.

·        Limit the use of high-salt soy sauce, meat tenderizers, seasoned salt, and Worcestershire. Look for salt-free herb blends for cooking.