Intermittent Fasting and Staying Fit

Even though I have not talked about it on here in quite some time, I am continuing to work out and eat as healthy as I can - most of the time.  I have been pretty good with the eating part until this past month. Sitting around the house and not having a set schedule every day really messes with my appetite and food cravings. I'm an intermittent faster and I recently switched to the Alternate Day Fast, where I eat a small meal (25% of my calories) on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and then three larger meals (125% of my calories) on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and I keep Sunday a normal eating day.  It's also called the Up Down Diet, and you can read more about it here. So far I have seen some good results with this lifestyle, however it's definitely a lot easier to do when I am busy at work and not sitting around the house! I have been playing around with fasting for about a year now.  I started with the 16/8 – fast for 16 hours, eat during 8 hours, then moved to a 20/4 method, which I really like and will probably go back to once school starts, but I decided on the ADF type of fasting after reading this article from BuiltLean.com, and after Dr. Sara Solomon tried it and raved about her results.  The article basically summarizes different fasting methods and looks at which one is better for losing fat while maintaining muscle mass, and it seems the ADF method is the better method. So far I like this method because it is kinda nice not having to worry about what to cook three days out of the week, it’s very flexible and I am really seeing results.  

March 2014:

These are from August of 2013:

 Last year in January I weighed 118 pounds, and today I weigh109.  I went from somewhere in the neighborhood of 24% body fat, down to just under 18% and I can now fit into my "skinny" jeans that I haven't been able to fit in for three years.  This isn’t a typical fad diet where you lose 10 pounds in two weeks, keep it off for a month or at least long enough to look good in that little black dress, then go back to your regular eating pattern to only gain back 15 pounds.  It is a slow and steady, flexible lifestyle change.  I try to eat as healthy as I can, but there are definitely times where I have a few pieces of pizza, or a burger or a candy bar.  The things is, I don’t eat these things all the time and I when I do, I just get back into my fasting schedule.        

On my "fasting" days, I like to eat a small pre-workout meal a couple of hours before my workout  Research has shown that working out after eating a small meal helps burn more calories up to 24 hours AFTER the workout, versus working out on an empty stomach.  Keep in mind, however, that working out fasted will help you burn more calories DURING the workout.  I want to burn more calories afterwards, so I usually eat my small meal before. 

My workouts are a combination of full body HIIT with and upper and lower body split for weight training.  I rotate between Hot Body Method, Bender Fitness  and ZWOW routines depending on the day.  On Monday and Thursday I do the Hot Body Method workouts.  These are pretty intense HIIT style full body workouts that vary between using bodyweight and weighted routines. They are pretty similar to the ZWOW’s, but I feel they are slightly more challenging. Wednesday I reserve for stretching or Yoga. Tuesday’s and Friday’s I do the Bender Fitness strength training workouts . She has a variety of workouts including HIIT and yoga, which I've done in the past, but right now I am using her weight training workouts for strength and endurance - Tuesday’s are leg days, and Friday’s are arm days. Saturday’s I do a ZWOW for more full body HIIT training, and Sunday is my rest day.

After the workouts I either do a finisher – a short intense combo for extra burn, or a mile run depending on my mood.  I'll do a finisher if I don’t feel like running as they are a little more fun, challenging and sometimes shorter!

Here is a weekly breakdown:

 

SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY
Rest	Hot Body Method w/Finisher or run	Bender Fitness Legs w/run	Yoga Or Stretching	Hot Body Method w/Finisher or run	Bender Fitness Arms w/run	ZWOW w/Finisher or run

This was pretty much my schedule for the past month.  I really like the combination of full body HIIT with the weight training.  I feel like I am getting in the fat blasting resistance cardio I need, as well as the muscle building I want at the same time.  It also makes for a bigger variety of workouts and I definitely won't get bored. My goal is to lose the rest of the unwanted fat around my midsection and gain a little more muscle in my legs and arms by June.  Then, once I’m in school I can cut back my workouts to maybe three times a week and stay in maintain mode. The workouts I do are pretty short, so I feel that three times a week is doable… it’s just a matter of not feeling guilty that I’m working out and not study for that 20 min!

Work and Waiting

Not much has happened since the last time I posted. I’m still waiting for the e-mail/packet from WSU telling me what the next steps are, what books to get and what equipment is needed.  I’m actually excited to see the book list – how big of a nerd am I?   

Brad finally went back to work and I have been filling in at the rehab house.  One of the aids there recently had knee surgery and they will need extra help for a few weeks, so I decided to pick up a few to help out.  I enjoy the extra money, but I was also looking forward to a little down time before school started.  I wanted to use the time to go through our totes in the basement and organize things a bit, as well as go through all my old school supplies and books and figure out what I need to restock. I know I have three months before school starts, but I also know that it will be here before I know it!  I think I only have a couple more weeks to fill in, so I better enjoy the extra cash while I can.  

I haven’t been working a set schedule, and I am finding that I really miss having a routine.  I’m the type of person that likes to plan and do certain things on a specific day – for example, I like to do laundry on Sunday that way I have clean clothes for the week.  With this “fill-in” type schedule, I never know what I’m working until a day or two beforehand and it makes it hard to plan ANYTHING. It feels so weird to do laundry during the middle of the week, or to clean the house on a Wednesday.  I know it sounds funny, but after seven years of working 8-5 with weekends off, aka being spoiled, it’s hard to get used to a fluctuating schedule.  Even with the crazy schedule, the perk of getting home at 3:00 in the afternoon is pretty hard to beat. 

Well, I think I’ve rambled on enough for now. :o)

It's Official!

 I'm going to be a PA!  The phone call wasn't a dream!

I received my official acceptance letter in the mail last week and I promptly signed and sent in my deposit before they could change their minds about me.  :o) I should be getting another packet in the mail that details what type laptop requirements we need, books, medical supplies, etc. in the next few weeks, plus the details on how to get the background check and immunizations done.  It all still feels surreal. I can't believe that all my hard work finally paid off.  I know I have a lot of hard work still ahead of me, but I know the net two years will fly by.  I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!  

I know I still have a few months before classes start, but I I am already making lists of supplies I need/want to get and I have already ordered a new laptop.  The one I have now is going on 8 years old and we are required to have laptops - not ipads or tablets, so I thought it was time to upgrade.  I got a really good deal from Dell, and ordered the Inspiron 11. 

I was planning on getting a tablet before I found out they changed the requirements due to the exams we have to take not working well on the ipads or tablets. One reason I wanted a tablet was for the apps availalbe for note taking and drawing, and because they are small and easy to carry.  The Inspiron 11 is small and light, plus has a touch screen, so even if I can't some of the apps I wanted to try, I might be able to find something similar to use.  I'm not sure how well it will work for classes yet, but I have 30 days to try it out and see if I like it and if it will meet the requirements. I also have a stylus and case picked out for it, but I'm going to wait to make sure I don't have to send it back before I order them. 

It's been a month to the day since my interview and I can't believe how much my life has changed in that month. 

In With The New

I really meant to update this blog a couple of weeks ago, but once I tell you what has been going on you might understand why I didn't really feel like it until now. 

I'll start off by saying that we spent Christmas with the in-laws and had a very nice time.  We went up during the week and came back Friday, as I had to work my second job that weekend.  Brad's uncle was in town visiting from Montana, so we did a lot of visiting and catching up, and of course playing games.  When we go up to see Brad's family we usually end up playing Yahtzee, Boggle or some other game.

The following week was pretty uneventful and then January 6th was the big interview day.  I sort of knew one of the girls interviewing, I believe she was in my anatomy class for a few weeks before she had to drop it.  I felt more at ease and like I belonged there this time, compared to last year.  I spoke more with the other interviewees and everything just seemed to feel right.  I thought my interview went a lot smoother than last year, and I really like the two that interviewed me.  The new chair was there and some of the changes he is making sound so amazing!  I was feeling pretty good after I left, but you still never know what they think about you. 

Then, I went into work on Tuesday.  I was immediately called into my supervisor's office and given my pink slip.  I was shocked and speechless.  I had been there a month shy of seven years and they were firing me.  The reasons they gave me were for not meeting performance expectations.  In other words, nothing I did seemed to make them happy, and instead of communicating with me or explaining to me what they needed, they complained to our supervisor.  I don't know about you, but I am pretty sure we all make mistakes.  I can remember times when I fixed mistakes they made, but the problem I was having is my mistakes were being counted and tallied up. This past year I felt like I was being set up to fail, and that everything I did wasn't good enough.  I am almost positive part of it was because they knew I wouldn't be staying there much longer, either I was getting into PA school or finding a new job.  I had applied for a couple of jobs in Hutch almost a year ago, and ever since then, they started treating me different.  When I told one of my people that I needed January 6th off for my interview this year, the first thing she asked me was "oh, for a job in Hutch?"  I was surprised at her response and had to explain that it was for my PA interview.  When I was told I was being fired, I felt so betrayed.  If I was so bad, then why did they keep me around for almost seven years? Why did they keep telling me what a good job I was doing to my face, and then complain about me?  The very same people that were helping me get into PA school were also digging me a grave.  I heard that even they were surprised and unhappy about me being fired, but what did they expect?  A big part of me is glad I don't have to work there anymore because I won't have to deal with a certain somebody anymore, but I am sad because I considered many of the people there my family.  I know we will keep in touch, but I was really hoping to leave on a high note.  All of my friends and close co-workers were saying that maybe this means I will get into PA school.  Part of me was hoping that was true, and the other part was thinking, well, if it's not PA school, it's definitely a new career.

After I was fired, I decided that I was going to get back into IT, especially if I didn't get into PA school this year.  I really enjoyed it and sort of kicking myself for getting out of it.  I had about three weeks until I found out if I was accepted, so I bought an A+ certification book and started studying.  It helped to refresh my skills and kept me busy enough to where I wasn't watching the clock or stalking the mailman.  :o) I knew from the interview that on or about January, 24th we would hear something, so from that Wednesday on I nervously awaited the arrival of the mail.  On January 24th, at 11:32, I received a phone call.  From the director of the PA program congratulating me on my acceptance to the Wichita State University Physician Assistant's Program!  When he called, he told me that he went over to my office to tell me in person, but learned that I was no longer there.  In a way I was a little mad that the people that betrayed me got to find out before me that I was accepted, but I also thought that would have been a cool way to find out.  I was so surprised and shocked.  I thanked him a bunch and when I hung up the phone, I jumped up and down and shouted "I got accepted to the PA program!" and Brad picked me up and hugged me and then of course I cried. 

So, this year started out a little rough, but as my friends and co-workers said, it was all because I was getting into PA school. 

Out With The Old...

I thought I would catch up by posting year old pics of the concerts we attended.  :o)  Nothing like being a little late.  ha ha

As you may recall, last year for my birthday I won free tickets to see Chevelle in concert, along with Aranda. Considering I never win anything, I thought this was pretty cool.  The venue was rather small, so no matter where you sat it was a good seat.  The first two pictures are of Aranda, and boy are they entertaining!  They had some local talent open for them, and I really wish they would have just had Aranda open because I would have loved to have watched them longer.  They are a talented group of individuals and I would definitely go see them again. The last couple of pictures are Chevelle, and of course they were good.  :o) I also won a "Meet and Greet" which essentially is you go shake the bands hands, take a quick picture and then go sit down.  It was still a neat experience even though it wasn't what I expected. 

Then, for Brad and Bo's birthday, I bought tickets to 3 Days Grace and Shinedown.  This was such an awesome concert!  I was more excited to see 3 Days Grace, but Shinedown was pretty awesome too.  POD opened for them, and even though I didn't know much of their stuff, they still were fun to watch.  Here are some pics of us patiently waiting for the show to begin:

And here are a couple of pictures of 3 Days Grace:  

This was my first "big" rock concert with the whole pyrotechnics and the big stages.  It was a lot of fun!


When Shinedown opened, the lead singer and guitarist popped up in the middle of the audience and pretty much right in front of where we were sitting. We left a little early that night because the weather was absolutely horrible and the roads were icy and snow packed.  It took us almost two hours to get, something that normally takes us 45 min.  I think it's safe to say that we all had a great time. 

Another year gone.

Ok, so I let another three months go by without an update.  *hangs head in shame*.  I don’t have a real good reason other than I have been extremely busy at work, and when I go home I workout, shower, eat then sit down/piddle around the house for an hour and go to bed.  I usually update the blog at work (when I have a few minutes) because that is when I feel the most creative and in the writing mode, but I have been pretty swamped lately and haven’t had any free time during the day.  Bad excuse, I know, but it’s the truth. The other reason I haven’t updated much, as I have stated in the past, is not a whole lot is going on.  I’m ok with that. A simple life is better than a hectic drama filled one any day.  I follow other bloggers and read about all the neat things they get to do and experience and how they don’t have to work because their blog is doing well and allows them to “work” from home.  I would love to be able to do that, but alas, I have no blog-worthy talents.  So I will just continue to bore my small audience with stories about my uneventful life and dream of being accepted into PA school.  :o) 

Since our last meeting, I have continued to work every other weekend at the rehabilitation house as a C.N.A, and for the most part I enjoy it.  It’s more the getting up early on a weekend to work part that I dislike than the actual job itself.  I really enjoy helping the patients heal and progress with their therapy so they can go back home to their normal lives.  There is still a lot for me to learn in this role, and so much to remember, but I am enjoying it and hopefully will only have to do it for another six months. 

I received my interview invitation and will be interviewing on January 6^th, so if anyone applied to WSU and has an interview on that date, maybe I’ll see you there!  In order to prepare I had a mock interview with one of my co-workers and her PA husband, which I already blogged about, but yesterday I had another interview with a former PA chair.  THIS WAS SO AWESOME!  He asked me questions like they would in an interview, I would answer and then he would tell me what to make sure to include in my answers or not include.  He asked me what questions I remembered from last year and then told me what they were looking for when they asked those questions.  For example, they asked me to name something I recently learned to do, and to explain how I learned to do it.  He said that they are looking for an analytic thinker, and to include words like analyze and examine.  He was so helpful, I cannot stress enough how important doing a mock interview is!  I am really kicking myself that I did not do this in preparation for my previous interviews as I think this could have changed a few things for me.  “Not the best science grades, that’s ok, she was persuasive and confident enough and explained very well why she is a good fit and that she can make it. “   This was not me.  The interview really is the biggest factor in getting in – don’t let anyone fool you.

Brad is doing well in his recovery.  He is now able to lift 20 pounds and has started to work out on a regular basis.  He should be released from work-comp in a month or two.  He was also able to find a job selling insurance, so he has been studying up for the licensing exam, and once he has that he can begin training.  This new phase in his life will be an adjustment for both of us.  He has been gone during the week for most of our relationship, so to have him home every day this past year has been nice.  I am an independent person, so I miss my alone time a little bit and having free reign over the tv remote, but it’s nice to have him home and to be able to do things during the middle of the week.  I am really hoping this new job will work out for him and that he enjoys it.  Especially if I am going to be in PA school next year and not working, he pretty much has to do well or we will lose the house and starve to death.  No pressure.  ;o)

Thanksgiving passed, and we didn’t do anything.  I had to work and Brad was studying, so we just stayed home and chilled.  We will be going to his mom/dad/grandma’s house for Christmas and will spend a day or two with them, then come home so I can work that weekend.  Yay- Not! I’m just thankful that things are better this year for the holidays than last year.

And last but not least, I thought I would end this post with some candid photos of me at Halloween.  I was dressed as Jim T. Chur –  get it?  Get it?  gym teacher!   Funny right?!  Har har. 

Every year at work we have a soup and chili cook off where 

people can bring in their best soups and chili for us to vote on, as well as a Halloween costume contest.  It is a lot of fun and the food is always delicious! and this year I thought I would dress up.  It was fun! 

 My fat belly - I'm a dude, not pregnant.

 

Does anyone else think I bare a striking resemblance to Lt. Dangle from Reno 911?

 Some other pictures from earlier in the year:

Serving pizza at Convocation – the welcome back to school event held every year (I was talking in the photo and thus the weird open mouthed smile)

Serving hot dogs at Welcome Fest – another welcome back to school event

See the theme here?  FOOD!

 

Updates

Ok, so I let the past few months slip by without any updates. Does that surprise anyone? What have I been up to the past couple of months, let me see….

I spent all of August and the first part of September preparing my PA application for submission, looking for a part time C.N.A. job and getting my shots up to date for a shadowing opportunity. I submitted my application and was verified in time for my application to be sent to WSU before their October 1^st deadline.  I was a little worried that I waited too long, but the director of the PA program was willing to review my personal statement, so I kinda wanted to know if he had any input.  Thankfully he thought it was good, or at least lied and told me it was, either way it is submitted and I can’t take it back.  Now, I am patiently awaiting the arrival of the supplemental application which I believe should be next week.  Once I submit the supplemental application, my whole application will be reviewed for an opportunity to interview.  The invitations will be sent out late November and the actual interview will be held in January.  There is so much waiting!!! 

I also had the opportunity to do a mock interview with one of my co-workers and her PA husband.  I can’t tell you how helpful it was!  They gave me some pointers and tips, but said that I did a good job overall.  I would really like to do one more in December or early January, depending on the date of the actual interview, just to get some more practice in. 

The last part of September and early October was spent doing orientation for my new C.N.A job!  I am working every other weekend at a local nursing home in their rehabilitation houses.  I help care for people who have recently had some type of injury/surgery and can’t quite be on their own yet.  The aids pretty much have to do it all, cook breakfast, housekeeping and patient care, so it can get pretty busy around there.  I’ve only been working there for a month and so far I am enjoying it – of course the extra money doesn’t hurt.  :o)  

Nothing else has been happening – mainly because there isn’t much extra time for anything to happen, and because I live an unexciting life.  I’m ok with that though.