8 years.... Money in the Bank!

It’s Our 8th Anniversary!

Berhane, the best personal trainer in the whole wide world, has been training me for EIGHT WHOLE YEARS! Yes, EIGHT WHOLE YEARS, and we have ninety-nine more years to go.

Recently, we were talking about numbers. Actually, we were taking about the holy trinity of numbers: blood pressure, sugar levels, and cholesterol.

Berhane explained that if you have good numbers, that is like money in the bank. Yep, that is a whole lot of GOOD money in the bank. However, he went on to state that if we continue to spend the money and never replace it, eventful it we will be depleted. So, basically he is saying that if we are blessed to have The Good Holy Trinity of Numbers, then we must work to keep those numbers good. It is like having a brand new car and never, ever doing the required maintance.

If you have MONEY in the Bank.... Work to keep it.
If your account is running low or is empty; it is never to late to get your money right.

It’s been EIGHT YEARS y’all.

If you need or want a personal trainer or need or want a personalized gym, then check out Berhane at BT Fitness. 

Six Days of Workouts...

Today, I completed my last workout with Berhane, The Greatest Trainer in the World, for a month....

I have been working out with The Greatest Trainer in the World, Berhane, for over four years, and I  have never gone an entire month without working out with Berhane. Yes, I have gone on vacations and so has he, but I have never not worked out with him for four straight weeks in the past four years, and I am a little nervous about this.

I know that my diet helps me to stay slim, and that exercise basically keeps me fit and tone. However, knowing this, I am still concerned about what will happen to my body if I do not lift weights for an entire month. Of course, I am taking my bike and will continue to do cardio, but I know that lifting weights is just as important as doing cardio when it comes to keeping my weight down and my body healthy.

So, I asked Berhane if I run the risk of losing muscle if I do not do weights for a month, and he assured me that I would not, but he stated that I would definitely be weaker if I do not do weights.

Now, not sure about you, but I love being strong. I also love the energy boost that I get from lifting, and I love that after I am done with lifting, my body continues to 'burn baby burn.’

Now Berhane believes that his clients should always be thinking about their health, and yesterday he sent me six days of workouts that I should do while I am away.. Yes, six days of workouts.

At first, I thought, this guy is crazy... I am concerned about my exercise routine, but I was just going to monitor my weight through my diet, ride my bike, and focus on regaining the strength that I may lose when I returned home.

But, Oh no.... Berhane sent these workouts, and if you know me at all, I am going to do as many of these workouts as my schedule will allow.

My People, My trainer is the best trainer in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD, but six days of workouts while I’m away REALLY?

I guess I can cast my health concerns away, and do those damn workouts!

As I was leaving my workout today, Berhane seriously stated: “Do those workouts while you are away; I don’t want you to come back out of shape and overweight.”

I just have to love this guy!

Consider surrounding yourself with people who always expect the best of you and from you...

What I do.......

Now, I know that I talk a lot about taking care of our temples on this blog, but I have never really told you guys how I do this. So, here it is....

I plan, plan, plan, plan, implement, implement, implement, and make no exuses ever...

I am very fortunate that I have a schedule that is the same most of the time, and I always, typically, know in advance when I will have things to do after school like meetings, dentist, doctor's appointments etc., and I plan my eating and exercise around these things.

I live by the calender, and I have a calender on my desk at school that has every school activity on it. I also add my personal appointments to this calender so that I know exactly what is going on in my life most of the time. And, I make sure that I plan my meals and exercise according to my appointments that are set in stone. Also, I religiously use the calender on my phone as a backup for my school calender.

On Sundays, I spend time thinking about what I am going to eat for the week for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Then, I go to the grocery store to buy the things that I need for the week, and that's all. I spend quite a bit of time on Sundays cooking things to get me started for the week, and I normally cook again one more time during the week to replenish my cooked food supply. Luckily for me, I don't mind eating the same things over and over.

Breakfast:
Old fashion oatmeal with cinnamon and a few blueberries
Egg whites with sauteed spinach and mushrooms ( I saute the vegetables than combine them with the egg whites and bake enough for the week on Sunday.)

Lunch and dinner will be any combination of these things: (vegetables and lean meat)
broccolini
cauliflower
fish
lentils
spinach
sweet potatoes
kale soup
kale pesto

Snacks:
oranges
apples
cottage cheese
peanuts, cashews, and/or walnuts

lunch today: salmon, broccolini, and lentils...taste better than it looks!

I keep my meals very basic. I prepare them in advance so that I can eat when I get home and do not feel the need to stop anywhere to get something quick, and I eat leftovers often. Preparation of  meals is imperative for me so that I can make sure that I eat things that are good for my body most of the time. Also, I try not to eat out Monday thru Thursday, PERIOD!!!

I have found that if I exercise at the same time on most day, then I can work everything else around my exercise time. So, I exercise every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 4pm. Everybody who is in my life know where I am at 4 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. I make no excuses to not get to the gym at 4 on these days.

On Wednesday, I may or may not have a faculty meeting after school so, I plan to workout later on Wednesdays. This winter, on Wednesday nights, I have been taking a compu-training class, a class where we bicycle on the inside. I make sure that I am at that class, and I schedule everything around my Wednesday night class that starts at 6:30.

Friday is my free day.

On Saturday and Sundays, I get up as early as I can, and I run or cycle. Lately, I've been cycling, because my cycling team rides every Saturday and Sunday. I like to workout early on the weekends so that I have the rest of the day to have lots of fun doing whatever I want to do.

Yea, I know that this all may sound boring, but I have found that if I am on a routine with eating and exercising, then it's all good. Without a plan, I may or may not take care of my temple the way that I am suppose to, and that does not add the natural boost to my life that I need.

So, this is my plan, I can't wait to hear your plan....HOLLER!!

Vigilance......

So, school started back, and I have been biking, running, and working out with Berhane on a consistent basis. I've been planning all of my meals and being mindful of every single thing that I put in my mouth.

However, for the last week or so, I've been drinking a little red wine here and there, eating a little piece of chocolate here and there, eating a few potatoes at breakfast here and there, eating a few to many lentil chips here and there, and last week I even cooked this awesome vegetable soup that had both quinoa and beans.

Last week I noticed that my stomach was not exactly big but was just a little more puffy than normal. I mentioned this to Berhane, the greatest trainer in the world, and he instantly stated in a fleeting statement that the stomach is all about the diet, and he continued to train me.

Of course, as we continued to work out, I told him about my delicious soup that contained green beans, zucchini, onions, carrots, celery, and both quinoa and beans. Berhane gave me the speech: "You have the kind of body that cannot have beans; beans cause you to bloat." He went on to tell me that I should never eat two carbs at one time: beans and quinoa together are a no-no for a flat stomach……

Yea, I know about my stomach and beans, and yea I know that everything that I put in my mouth matters, and yea I know that the body does not know how to keep a secret, and yea I know that I cannot compete with what I eat. Yet lately, I have not been as vigilant as I should, and my stomach is reflecting that. Now, would anyone notice that my stomach is not as flat as normal? Absolutely not! But, I am definite noticing it.

And, I DON'T LIKE HOW THIS FEELS!

When I eat things that are good for my body 99% of the time, I feel so strong and happy. Yet, when I eat and drink things that sabotage my workouts and health, I feel completely awful and the guilt can be quite overwhelming. I hate feeling bad and guilty, so I try and not to do things that make me feel bad and guilty. However, lately, I have not been as vigilant as I should.

Yesterday, I cooked the same vegetable soup that I cooked last week that had both the quinoa and beans, but this time, I did not include the beans. I cooked a spaghetti squash dish that is 100% good for my body, and I am planning to have cabbage, brussel sprouts, cottage cheese, sliced apples, kale soup, and all other foods that make me and my body both very happy for the rest of the week and throughout the holidays that are approaching quickly.

My people, I am back on track, no more random snacking, and I am going to enjoy the benefits: a flat stomach!!!

With this health journey, yep we will slip up intentionally and unintentionally, but we must remain vigilant if we want to have lasting results.

I know the road that I was on before: overweight and unhealthy, and I will not get on that road again.

We must remain vigilant, my people…

We can't compete with what we eat!

Happy Monday...Try and make this your best eating day ever!

How are you feeling today?

I talk to my students about doing things that make them feel good. Of course, I have to explain what I mean, because I do not want them to go out and do things that are not good for them but makes them feel good. So, I explain that doing things like not doing their homework, being late for class, cheating on test, and other things like that, normally makes them feel terrible so, why not fix the problem by doing their homework, being early for class, not cheating on test......

I have incorporated always wanting to feel good into my own life, and I wonder why I did not do these things before. I use to always be late or right on time for work, and I hate that rushed feeling. Because I like feeling good more than feeling rushed, now I'm early for work almost everyday, and I feel so good. You get my point? Feeling good is about making minor changes.

Since I started working out with the greatest trainer in the world, he really has helped me to focus on my health and eating things that are good for my body most of the time. To aid me with this, I will use My Fitness Pal from time to time, because working out does not make up for a poor diet. (Working out and not seeing results make me feel terrible, and I focus on doing things that make me feel good.)

A few weeks ago, I mentioned to Berhane that I had been eating air popped popcorn, and Berhane sternly stated "those are unnecessary calories." I went home and threw the bag away, and went back to using My Fitness Pal to track my diet, and sure enough, I was consuming around 200 to 300 calories on popcorn, lentil chips, extra peanut butter etc. So, I went back to eating things that only add positively to my body like cottage cheese, these power balls that I make, apples, carrots, and this made me feel so good.

Last Tuesday, there was this party in Georgetown and Rev. Run from the group RUN DMC was the DJ. It was such an awesome party with free food and drinks all night. I ate just a little of the healthiest snacks and had two drinks, and boy did I feel terrible about those two drinks.

Rev. Ron

I talked to Berhane about the drinks and he stated "you are not perfect." He went on to explain that every now and then I will indulge in things that are not good for my body, and it is ok, but he went on to say that I always need to be mindful of everything that I eat so that I will not fall back into my old habits and jeopardize my health and weight lost. (This gave me so much relief.)

However, I  must admit, when I resist popcorn, alcohol, fast food, soft drinks, doughnuts and anything else that jeopardizes my health, I feel so good and strong and rewarded.

So, to keep me honest, I use my fitness pal from time to time, and I evaluate how I am feeling all of the time. If I want to feel good, one of the many things that I do is make sure that I never take a whole day and eat and drink whatever I want to. I may make a few bad eating/drinking decisions every now and then, but I make sure that I do not make bad eating/drinking decisions for an entire day.

Let me know what you do to keep yourself honest and make yourself feel good.

How are you feeling today?