Day 10 - 9:06am

first let me say that todays boot camp was GREAT!!! now i'll back up to say that i had a HARRRDDDD time getting up this morning. in fact i was SOOO not into it when i got there. in fact i know i had to look like the meanest person there. UNTIL...i began thinking about my conversation with my classmate - lol. then i brought myself out of the funk and kicked it up to another level. funny what a little challenge will do. i realize the value of people who knew you when you were at your best. they see you totally different from how you see yourself after "life" has happened to you. its good to tap into people with a positive frame of reference for you so that you are able to have some positive reinforcement put into your psyche (and lord knows i need it in this area).

the workout has certainly escalated, as boot-camp-zilla said it would. theres no way i can remember counts or reps but i will try to cover what we did in no particular order. today we worked arms and legs. we split into 2 groups and divided up, 1/2 with zilla (legs) and the other half with the trainer we have not named yet ;~) (arms). legs were done on a wall that varies in elevation from the ground, so taller people were at the higher level of the wall while shorter people (like me) were at the lower level. arms were done on the slab of the basketball court. so here goes:

WARM UP: stretches (neck, shoulder, quadracep, straight leg hamstring, upper back, chest, groin), 20 push ups because people were late

WORKOUT:

legs - leg presses (stepping up onto the wall one foot first, with weight on the heel of the foot, bringing the other leg up and then stepping back down), alternating leg presses, wall squats, backward wall squats (back to wall, one leg reaching back placing toe on wall, lunging into squats with front knee behind the toe)

run to bball court for arms

arms - push ups with planks (to work obliques), tricep dips (on bench), uneven arm push ups with hold at 6 inches, incline pushups with hold at 6 inches, diamond push ups with hold at 6 inches

run to wall to repeat leg workout

we did two rounds of each, legs and arms

run back to starting point in park

COOL DOWN: stretches

today was cool because we had the owner of Finish Strong Sports, raymond cooper, come in to talk to us about proper shoe wear, "equipment" as he called it. i never knew there was so much information to be known about sneakers and the purposes they serve in exercising. i mean i knew they were important, but he was talking about things like if your foot rolls when you step you need a stabilizing shoe, and he set up a display table of shoes to show us what that looked like. he was extremely knowledgeable and professional. he has 2 locations in houston. he gave us coupons and zilla is going to schedule a group activity to go to his store to be consulted on our feet and the proper shoes. from my understanding he has a small track in the store that allows him to observe your run so that he can make proper recommendations. isnt that awesome! im so looking forward to that! here is his information:

raymond cooper, owner
finish strong sports
raymond@finishstrongsports.com
www.finishstrongsports.com

6426 washington ave, houston, tx, 77007, 713.861.9779
14620 memorial drive, houston, tx, 77079, 281.497.0600

zilla also mentioned that we will be having a nutritionist come in to do a similar type of demonstration, along with food samples. this is truly a holistic class in terms of making sure we are prepared and equipped to maintain a proper and effective workout. i love it!

arlice (sis) and i stayed after to chat with a few stragglers, mr. cooper and the coaches, which was fun. its nice to get to know the people who are killing you . but seriously it was great convo about dieting and the structure for the remainder of the class. as it turns out, the small bit of mozzarella cheese i have been sneaking in my omelettes must be cut out >~( ... no dairy while trying to achieve my results. well actually in all honesty dairy is not good for acne or eczema...so i shouldnt be risking it anyway right? okay, so bad me again...geez.

so it was a great day on the battlefield!

MEALS:

BREAKFAST: 2 egg omelet with tuna, spinach, mushrooms, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, onion, garlic, sea salt, topped with cilantro and red bell pepper (no cheese); 100% multi grain wheat toast (no butter), glass of water.



i had a conversation with a friend last night where i said i am going to make my diet as strict as possible until i accomplish my personal physical goals. i mentioned that i am going to set out to acquire the taste for tuna (which i eat only occasionally at best)...hence the tuna in the omelet. i wanted to try something new so i made up a recipe. of course i was absolutely terrified to taste it! but i was so surprised and pleased to find that it was ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL!!!!!! my mom couldnt believe there was tuna in it. of course i cooked her the same breakfast i had except she got the good stuff - butter on the toast and cheese in and on top of the omelet (chump). because it was so good i want to share the recipe:

TUNA SPINACH AND MUSHROOM OMELET

ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
1 can tuna
red onion
green bell pepper
red bell pepper
1 clove garlic
sliced mushrooms
cilantro
frozen spinach
sea salt
extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

cooking directions:
thaw spinach. chop red onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper and garlic into really small pieces. set a small amount of the red bell peppers aside to be used for garnish. heat olive oil in pan and sautee all chopped items until mildly tender. add mushrooms. when mushrooms are tender add spinach. set aside in bowl. add a little more olive oil to the pan, heat and then add the tuna. this is to heat the tuna through. while it is heating, use a wooden spoon to separate all the chunks. when done, add the saute veggie mixture to the tuna. allow the flavors to cook through and then turn off heat.

in another pan prepare to cook the eggs using olive oil. once poured into the pan add sea salt. when the egg is ready, place the tuna mixture on half of the egg, leaving room to fold the other half and press the edges. you will have to work to get the hang of how to best do this with your pan. once the egg is ready, fold it over and then cook for 20-30 seconds on each side. remove from heat.

once the omelet is plated, sprinkle some cilantro on top followed by the remaining chopped red bell peppers. enjoy!