Gym-goers Beware!

Ohhh, yes. I know these people...they should leave the gym.

"People to Avoid at the Gym" by JB Hager, 94.7 Morning DJ

Brought to you by Austin Fit Magazine

New Month, New Workouts

Every fitness enthusiast knows that in order to build and maintain muscle, one must avoid the dreaded workout plateau at all costs.

Most workouts will last about 6 weeks before a rut sets in and your muscles hit a wall. But I like to switch things up every month. It's hard not to when every month's issue of Oxygen is bursting with new routines.

Last month I gave my legs some much needed attention with a two-day-a-week leg/glutes routine in Oxygen's July '10 issue. I also vowed to up my interval cardio training. Ok, I slacked off the first couple of weeks, but I've hit the treadmill three times a week the last couple of weeks. And after a month of the legs routine (and two weeks of cardio...oops!), I've actually got some muscle on my legs. Lesson learned: I shall never ignore my qauds, hams, and calves ever again.

This month, I'm going to shift my attention to my triceps (with biceps, legs, abs, back, and shoulders in between, of course.) Like most women, I think, my triceps are the hardest muscle to tone. Yes, I realize I'm teeny tiny and don't have to worry about greeting people "hello" with the flab of my arm. But I'm looking for some tone...what Oxygen publisher Robert Kennedy calls "the triceps horseshoe."

So I'll be giving a recently published Oxygen triceps routine a go today and twice a week for the next four weeks. After the shock of shapely legs, I'm hoping those weak triceps of mine follow suit.

Check back soon for your go-to triceps moves (after some hands-on research)!

Hello, Freedom!

I know, I know. I've been a horrible blogger lately. The good news is...I'm now a college graduate. That is, a jobless college graduate. Meaning, I have more free time for blogging (even though this is my first entry since I graduated *cough*two*cough* weeks ago).

So what has this graduate been doing with her time?

• Interning with the Writers' League of Texas. It's a pretty cool gig. Unpaid, but I'm still having fun here. And as an intern, I have to work at the annual Agents Conference here in Austin @ the end of June. Translation: I'll get to chat with book agents/editors (when there's some down time) for free! One of my jobs here is to update the WLT blog, Twitter, and Facebook about WLT events or other writing events around town, so for all the writers who might be reading this blog, look out for the same updates right here on Katie May's blog.
• Writing my first article for Demand Studios - a company that hires freelance writers to write short articles for websites like eHow and about.com. Submitted my first article yesterday and currently working on rewrites for the editors, though there aren't many rewrite notes (they said the article was good for my first one and almost publication-ready, minus a few minor edits.)
  
• Applying for jobs. I was really hoping for a job @ a gym, but it doesn't seem to be happening. I applied to Gold's Gym over a month ago and haven't heard back. I'm thinking it's time to head over there, just to let them know I exist. And yesterday, I became another - of probably hundreds - writer to apply to several Starbucks locations. Yes, I've resorted to being a cliche.
• Interviewed with Greenleaf Book Group for a publishing assistant position last week. Waiting to hear back on that.
• Last, but not least, watching the entire series of Law & Order:SVU through Netflix. I'm at the end of season one so far. It's been amazing.

Hopefully, I'll be able to add "blogging regularly" to this list. :)

7 (and almost 8) semesters down, two weeks to go...

In two weeks, I will be freed from the chains of tests, papers, and grades. That's right. I am graduating in two weeks and will be starting an internship with the Writers' League of Texas soon after.

Though I am broke and have accomplished nothing in the impossible job search, graduating means more time for reading, working out, and (hopefully) blogging. And you know, no more school and all that stuff (Ok, I actually like school and will miss it from time to time, but I'm pretty ok with the whole not doing ridiculous homework thing...well, only some of it's ridiculous.)

For now, I'm off to be a slave to the computer lab all day because I have a rough draft due tomorrow and a massive writing portfolio due Wednesday. And I have a quiz (that will be more like an exam, knowing this teacher, this afternoon) to study for. Fun fun fun.

(Freedom, come soon!)

Writing News!

An article I wrote giving advice to soon-to-be-graduating English majors (on what the heck you're supposed to do with your English Writing degree between graduation and pinning down a career in the field of writing) was published in the fairly new "Reality Check Girl Magazine."

Check it out!

This isn't my first time to be published, but it's my first time to be published in an online magazine. And so my list of published works grows... Very exciting!

Mission Accomplished

Yes, I did it. I finished the three-month workout and loved every minute ever. Unfortunately, I'm taking the week off from gym time (minus some yoga here and there) due to my body being plagued with a new illness every day this week. However, I'll be creating my own workout schedule over the weekend in the hope that I'll actually be well enough to put it into action next week.

One disappointment with the workout. Last semester, I went to the health center at my school (I go there frequently. My body hates me.) and they weighed me for the first time since my first visit a year or two before. I had lost about five pounds since that first time they weighed me. (In my case, losing weight is not good because I'm already teeny tiny.) I went back a couple days later, and they weighed me again. Two more pounds gone. So I went in earlier this week, and they decided to weigh me. Fortunately, I haven't lost weight. Unfortunately, I haven't gained any. This is appalling to me because I just spent three months lifting weights more than I've been doing cardio, and I eat a decent amount of protein every meal, and I eat every 2-3 hours. And apparently, I didn't gain any muscle. AND the fact that I've been sick all week and unable to work out or eat much means that any muscle I did gain, I've probably lost.

Sigh.

Maybe I'll have to start drinking whey-protein based shakes after all. If only I had a blender...

In other news, after leaving school early yesterday due to sickness, boy randomly bought me a present: season 1 of Lost! And that's not all. He actually watched the first four episodes with me. Yes, this is a big deal. I've tried to get so many people to watch Lost, and he was the most resistant. But now that I have season one, my mission is to get him to watch the entire thing in the hopes that he will get hooked and watch the next five seasons. And then the sixth, when it comes out on DVD. Brilliant.

3-Month BBP: 2 Months and 2 Weeks Down, 2 Weeks To Go

Too much school, not enough blogging. But I wanted to give a quick update on the Best Body Ever Plan.

I started the third (and last) month and have two more weeks to go. Both exciting and sad. I'm going to miss having weekly workout plans laid out for me. But it's still exciting because I think this will be the first time I complete all three months. I was worried that I would stop at month three, like I usually do, because the workouts tend to involve machines that the little four-machine gym in my apartment complex doesn't have. And yes, there are machines that I don't have, but I've been working out and soaking up fitness knowledge long enough to know how to come up with alternatives for the exercises I can't do (Kudos to me!).

I'm also excited to start creating my own workout plans. I've learned a lot from the Best Body Plan these past couple months. While before, I used to pick out one upper body workout and one lower body workout from "Oxygen" to perform for about a month, I'm now eager to follow a schedule similar to the kinds featured in the BBP. Such as doing legs one day, shoulders/arms another, and then chest/back another day, rather than separating muscle groups into upper/lower. Now, instead of just going for the "Oxygen" workout routines that allow you to work out all (or most) muscle groups in one routine, I'm going to actually pick routines made specifically for particular muscle groups, so I'm ready to give that a go.

I realize this post is sort of lame and bland, but the textbooks and homework are calling...

Say hello to...

My new running shoes! Yes, I finally bought a new pair of tennis shoes...and "it's about time" would be an understatement.

I've been working out and running (on the treadmill) in the same pair of shoes for two or so years. Horrifying, I know. It gets worse. They used to be my sister's. When she was in middle school or early high school. (Ahem, around 10 years ago is when she got them.)

So I've known for awhile that I've needed a new pair of running shoes. But I ignored it. That is until I started experiencing pain in my right toes whenever I curled them. I was told it was just a pulled tendon, but the pain has lasted about two weeks now. Hence, the decision to buy new tennis shoes, because I'm pretty sure my old shoes are the culprit.

Yes, I've been wearing them regularly for the past two years (since I work out almost every day - weight training, that is). But I've been running on the treadmill regularly for the past month or so, which isn't normal for me. I typically only do so during the summer and winter breaks (when I'm not busy with school), and only a couple times a week. But because I've been so determined to keep up with the 3-Month Best Body Plan, I've stuck to the schedule religiously, forcing myself to get up extra early on cardio days to go run on the treadmill.

So I've been spending more time in those old shoes, on the treadmill (not just lifting weights, which doesn't require much foot action). Who knows if my "toe pain theory" is right. But we'll see how they feel after a few days in my new shoes.

(By the way, I got them at Target for $30. I've had a $25 gift card that I didn't know what to do with, and then it occurred to me today to use it on the shoes. So they're not the best, but it's a well-known brand - Champion - they feel very comfortable, and they look pretty nice too.)

Building muscle with protein powder just got tastier...

If you're like me, you probably don't like downing bland whey protein and water after a workout. It's powdery, doesn't always mix well, and tastes like...well, bad water. (Ok, so I've only ever tried one type of whey protein powder, but it was vanilla flavor, so I was expecting it to taste, well, vanilla-y.)

"Oxygen" magazine offers a new way to power up with protein powder: Substitute 1/4 of the required amount of flour in any baking recipe. That way, you get the muscle building power of whey protein packaged in deliciousness.

Try this "Oxygen" recipe (found in the January 2010 issue) as a tasty post-workout snack:

Cocoa Muffins
Ingredients:

• Nonstick oil spray
• 1 1/4 cups oats
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp whey protein powder (vanilla or chocolate)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup low-fat milk + 1/2 tsp white vinegar)
• 3 tbsp agave syrup
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly spray a 12-cup muffin pan with oil and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats and the next five ingredients.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together egg, applesauce, buttermilk, syrup, and oil.
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in egg mixture. Stir just until all dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in raisins.
5. Portion batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool muffins on a wire rack.

This is a perfect post-workout snack as it provides "an ideal carb-to-protein ratio (provided by the applesauce and whey powder) for a quick muscle recharge" (Linda Melone, "Oxygen"). According to the article author, Linda Melone, "You need both carbohydrates and protein to properly fuel and repair you muscles after exercise." Just protein won't cut it.

So pop one of these tasty muffins within 30 minutes after a workout and reap the muscle-building benefits (without the bland packaging). Yes, I've made them myself and love them so much, I want to cry when they're all gone.

And if you prefer to drink your whey protein powder but want to give it a yummy kick, "Oxygen" offers yet another way to use protein powder in the February 2010 issue: Combine whey protein powder with orange or pomegranate juice. "The simple carb (juice) will help drive the protein's amino acids to your muscles more quickly, promoting improved recovery and faster muscle growth," Judi Ketteler writes.

Another option? Mix your whey protein powder with yogurt and fruit (particularly berries). Bonus? The plethora of antioxidants in berries will help reduce muscle soreness.

(Recipe and quoted portions of this blog courtesy of "Oxygen" magazine. January 2010 issue: "Muscle Up!" (includes recipe) by Linda Melone. February 2010 issue: "Post-Workout Booster" from Nutrition News; "Radical Repair" by Linda Melone; and "Instant Energy!" by Judi Ketteler)

My first blog entry on my brand spanking new laptop...

It finally happened. I got a new laptop! If you know me, you know how big a deal this is. I've had only one laptop, and I've had it for four years, and it has crashed about four times. So yes, it's about time! I'd post a picture of the new one, but it has been discontinued (luckily, my dad ended up finding it at a Best Buy in Massachusetts after having no luck at several Best Buys in Houston) so it's no longer viewable online. But basically...it's a Toshiba, and it's awesome. And I can open and close it (yes, my old one has remained open for the past few months because it's broken and closing it would have resulted in the top part breaking off).

Best Body Plan: Month 2 Begins

From dumbbells/body weight to gym equipment...so starts Month 2 of Oxygen's Best Body Plan. Yes, I spotted the new issue over the weekend and kicked off the second month today. Bring on the intensity, month two...

Month One of Oxygen's Best Body Ever Plan: Check

I wrapped up the first month of the Best Body Plan yesterday, and, thanks to a month off of long school/work hours, I was able to keep up with it all. Ok, ok, so I missed a cardio day here and there..and a weight training day or two (thanks to a few busy visiting days in Houston). But I made up for missed days as soon as possible.

And, because I actually forced myself to lift weights at the gym (usually I only go there for my trusty treadmill) so I could move up to ten-pound weights after weeks 1&2 instead of only using my eight-pound weights at home - yes, I have a bad habit of only ever using one weight size - I made up for missed cardio days with a 15-20 minute jog on the treadmill before weight training.

Month 2, I'm ready for you...school, work, and all. Bring it! Yes, I'm excited to see how much I can keep up with the next two months when school is added into the mix. But I'll have to wait another week...The February issue of Oxygen doesn't hit stands till January 19. But it promises 1,800 abs moves to mix-and-match. Definitely worth the wait. (Especially since month one of the Best Body Plan only featured one abs exercise...really, Oxygen? But I created my own abs workouts, which I paired with cardio days) Curious? Get a sneak peak of the February issue at oxygenmag.com.)

So, since "getting fit" is a typical New Year's resolution (that never lasts very long...well, for me it does...I'm always getting fit. It's never a New Year's resolution. Just my typical daily requirement, minus rest days) how did you kick off your get-in-shape plan for 2010?

And if you're like me and can't afford a personal trainer (or a gym membership) to give you a workout plan, where do you find your workouts? (Me? Oxygen, obviously. And Women's Health magazine, lately. By the way, womenshealthmag.com or the magazine: great place to find easy yoga routines that don't require a class, instructor...or being boneless.)

(Yes, I thought I'd throw my readers - if there are any out there - a few questions. I never do, but...hey, maybe that should be my New Year's resolution: Gain a following by involving my readers. Oh, and blogging more would probably help, too.)