5 days 'til lift-off! Teaching & Taco Bell

8.7.15 

BW 52.8

Life

Boom! I hit my stretching goal last night with 100 minutes of stretching/yoga! Today I'm going to go above and beyond and try to get in 20-25 minutes before bed.

I didn't check email or social media until I had been up for about an hour and a half. Instead, I completed my new routine of fixing my coffee, grabbing a book and a notebook and going outside to sit and read. Any random thoughts or inspirations got written down in my notebook. 

I don't know if it's a fluke, or if this goal is really changing my life, but I woke up happier and calmer than I have in a long time. Even though today was full of activities and to-dos, my day was calm and fun because my morning was peaceful. I smiled a lot more and was more in the moment. 

With school starting back, this morning time could be really beneficial to a lot of people. Schedules that will stand for the next 9 months are being set right now. Waking up a few minutes before everyone else or before you are needed could change your entire day.Why not try it at least a few days and see if it helps you be more focused? Taking a few minutes of "me time" before your day starts to do something you enjoy will set the tone for your day. You just might find it's your jam.

Random. Thank you so much to the class tonight for telling me how much you enjoy reading my "random thoughts". I do this because it helps me think through my thoughts and because I hope it will resonate, motivate or inspire someone else. I hope that by passing on things I enjoy or things I learn, others will benefit. As a teacher, my hope was always to teach my students how to learn so that they would no longer need me and one would one day become and know more than me. Even though I'm not formally in a classroom anymore, I am still a teacher at heart. This blog, I suppose, is a different manifestation of that desire to teach and inspire others to do and become more. 

Training

Today was my next to last training day before I lift at the Masters World Cup. If you are just tuning in, the International Weightlifting Federation is holding the Masters World Cup weightlifting meet in Dallas, TX this coming week. Athletes over the age of 35 are coming from all over the world to compete and attempt to set world records. I qualified to lift in the 53 kg (116.6 pounds) class and will lift this coming Wednesday. If all goes as planned, I will hit some meet personal records (PRs) and will be standing on the podium.

I am feeling very strong and my mind is in a good place. Today's lifts felt smooth and easy. My consistency is much better than going into the Arnold so that is playing into my favor as well. I have my nutrition mapped out for the next few days. My training is almost done. I have a weigh-in plan and a post-weigh in recovery plan. I'm getting very excited!

Best thing I came across today:

Y'all know I am a food nerd and this site makes my pocket protector melt. It is pretty darn cool. Nutritionix is a huge database of nutrition information for multiple restaurants and packaged foods. My favorite part is the nutrition calculator for various restaurants.

Case in point. Taco Bell.

I love me some Taco Bell. Seriously, I eat there about 5 times per week. And I always get the same thing. The Chicken Cantina Power Bowl is the bomb. The girl at the drive through window knows my order and gives me the large water without me asking and throws in a boat load of sauce packets. I may have a slight addiction.

However, I don't like sour cream so I never get that. Some nights I need more protein so I order extra chicken. Some nights I need less carbs so I order light rice. 

And Nutritionix lets me figure quickly what my macros are.

Downside, not all options are available, like "light rice," so I do have to do a little math by figuring "rice" and "no rice" and then halving it. Also, not all restaurants are on there, but many are! If you are a macro or calorie counter, you need to check this site out!

Stay strong y'all!

Do me a favor and subscribe to my email list. Not only will you be able to keep up with all my random thoughts, you'll get first notice when I finish this really cool project I am working on! I promise not to spam you or sell your information! 

This project is one that I hope will enrich your life! It's taking a lot of things I've learned through the years and boiling them down into quickly digestible truths.