Park Road HKC!

Mark and I just got home from our 4th, yep, 4th, HKC. Nate Flores, co-owner of Park Road Fitness in Burlingame CA(http://parkroadfitness.com/index.php), along with Jordan Vezina (http://www.averagetoelite.com/), worked hard to promote this HKC, and it was a ton of fun! (but then again I only lead a few workouts.....oh, and ran down to Lululemon on my lunch break....Park Road Fitness is just 3 measley blocks from downtown Burlingame....I can't wait to go back! lol)

Both Mark and Nate testing the potential HKC's

The lovely "Rif" couple, lol! (doing the 1st thing they do best....kissing, and then teaching HKC's together...lol!)

Look Who's Got Her First Tooth!

Can you see it? lol (oh, and aren't her peirced ears the cutest? Sapphire is her birthstone)

Sophie is never too happy to see me :( I don't get near enough time with her, so when I do see her she doesn't yet know who I am....it kills....but what can I do? Anyway, it's just a matter of time before she gets old enough to know who's gonna spoil her the most.....and that will be me!

Daily Regrets

So, as I mentioned previously, I've recently dropped about 10-12 lbs.....I'm not forgetting that I had gained 20....so I'm not bragging, btw....but, I really tortured myself for quite awhile, a few months, if not a year.....I got tired. I couldn't take how much energy it took to hate myself and I knew something had to give.

Over 4 years ago when I decided to map out a dieting strategy, I knew, for a fact, that lots of things had to change, but there was really only one thing I could not live without, and that was real cream in my coffee....every morning. Coffee is what makes me want to live, lol! And I have to drink it "my way", or I will kill someone. So, I factored in the calories for 2 tbls. of real cream in my coffee every morning, and any other sacrifice I had to make was worth that particular one I didn't or felt I couldn't make. (I still, out of habit, measure my cream with a measuring spoon every morning)

Overeating is a habit I've fallen into most of my life, I acknowledge that, but I won't own the fact that I'm an "overeater". In fact it was the biggest reason I was turned off to OA (overeaters anonymous). I've been known to overeat, but I can change that anytime.....and I do....or I don't...it's my choice.

Back to the point.....

I haven't counted calories in years because I know how much I'm eating. I've counted so many calories, for so long, that I consider myself an expert....give or take a few calories here and there. But, I am a believer in calorie counting because I don't think most people know how much food they consume, or they chose to be in denial, clinging to the fact that they eat "healthy", and although they don't exercise regularly, or at all, they consider themselves pretty active, "on the go", so they must be burning some calories that way, right? (hate the BodyBugs).

So, if I'm a believer in counting calories, and I haven't been counting calories, how have I managed to drop a few pounds? Well, one of the things I do is to ask myself, before I plan to eat something, or a particularly large portion of something, a few questions......

"Are you really hungry?" You know, sometimes I'm not really hungry! Sometimes I "run" into food, lol Free food is an example of this occurrance. When I run into free food...samples, little candies at stores or banks, or God Forbid some kind of potluck....free food is a mind f**k. Again, as I've written about before, growing up with "less" makes me want to make up for all of the things I didn't get, or have, by taking everything, (hoarding), and anything, that is "free".....as if I'll never get a chance to have it again.

I finally convinced myself of the truth.....I already have too much. I can have anything I want any time I want it, and there's plenty for everyone, mostly for me. My world is full of abundance everywhere, and there's no such thing as waste.


"Do you really want/have to eat this?"(this ususally refers to candy or some other sugary, or salty, ready made convenience food). You know what? Sometimes I do! But that doesn't mean I have to go on an all out and binge. In fact just the action of allowing myself to eat candy and other sweets, somehow, makes me happy enough to eat less.

I'll eat a peice of candy, and wait....do I want another? Sometimes I do, so I'll eat another. Lots of times that'll be it....but what if I want another? Then I'll eat it....and another? Yep, I'll eat it. I can't remember the last time I ate more than two candies at a time, or more than 2 candies in a day.....but I could if I wanted to....but for some reason I haven't wanted to.


"If you don't eat this what are you telling yourself?" This kind of refers to the last question. I remind myself that when I don't allow myself to have something, it's ususally because "I'm not supposed to" Only the fat, stupid, lazy, and unsuccessful eat candy and/or junk food....oh, and the low class (notice how all of these descriptions are related to eachother .....screw the judgements skinny people have, lol)

There is nothing wrong with eating a piece of candy (or two), a fast food burger (but not fries, lol), fats, carbs, sugars, etc.....a couple glasses of wine (OK, a bottle, lol)....whatever. You, I, know when we are eating too much...c'mon. Don't beat yourself up for the kinds of foods you want to eat, but don't be a victim to the "I really don't eat that much.".....guess what? you do! lol I believe a person can eat whatever they want to, but in moderation. What's moderation? The question is not "What is moderation?", but, "Why can't I eat in moderation?"....that's the bigger question (another blogpost for another time)

(long story teller....)

"Will you regret eating this, or "this much". Why do you feel as if you have to eat this huge portion?" Lots of times this question keeps me from eating impulsively, compulsively, or mindlessly. Lots of times I'll make, and serve, myself this humongous salad, because it's salad afterall, and I'll ask myself this question.....most times, lately, I'll take about 30% of the serving out, pack it up for the next day and be just as happy eating a smaller portion....in fact happier.

At the end of the day, the most important question is this. Can I look back at my day and indentify something I could have done differently? This blogpost is about eating, so the real questions are, "Did I eat something today I could have lived without?" Did everything I ate today make my day better?" "Did everything I ate today make me happy?" "Did I chose what to eat, or did I let it choose me?"

Last night I was putting dinner away around 7:30pm.....ah, freshly made food......of course I ended up shoving a few, big, spoonfuls (a few too many really describes it, lol), into my mouth ("shoving" is what you do when you're not in control)....totally complusive. Why? It was after 6:00pm and I don't eat after 6....I'm not "allowed".....well then I had to..... If I allowed myself to have some, then I would've taken a bowl, scooped out a portion, put the rest away, and I'd be able to look back on yesterday with no regrets.....

But really, the reason why I don't eat after 6:00pm is because physically I don't feel good if I eat after 6:00pm, and I know this. Why did I do it? It doesn't matter. Maybe I was just triggered by the sight, the smell of the food I was putting away, or maybe I was just plain hungry! It's 5:46pm right now.... I better go eat something, lol! No regrets. At least not today.....and that's OK....it's better than OK....life is good.

My life is good, Food is good. Eating is good. We are good.

Decide what you can live without, and what you can't live without. I feel that "rewarding" yourself with those small acceptions gives you power. In the beginning, for me, it was cream in my coffee. Now it may be a couple of pieces of candy everyday, a couple of glasses of wine every day, a handful of chips...whatever (high qualiy problems). My body is a reflection of my choices, and I must, I must, be happy with my choices....they are my choices afterall.

But everyday I can chose something different. Feeling good about myself no matter what my choices are, no matter what I weigh, no matter how much I train, no matter who likes me or not, feeling good about myself means having no regrets.

PS (I'm a work in progress. I'm not perfect, only perfectly fine, and perfectly good. When I write these blogposts they are only a reflection of my current thoughts about how to live my life feeling good. My life is full of things not related to food and eating.....I get to see my grandaughters first tooth tomorrow!)

Seeing My Toes

Will I ever see my toes in "Floor Bow"?.......I ask myself this question after 4+ years of practicing Bikram's Yoga.

Of all the 26 postures in Bikram's, I can tell you which ones (postures) I was not genetically born to do. Combine that with starting a yoga practice after the age of 40 and what can a person expect?

Tight hamstrings......that's my first problem, and I take responsiblility for it. Sure, I can take the time to stretch on a regular basis.....stretching and practicing yoga, by the way, are two different things. So, any kind of forward bend is challenging for me....let's start with the first forward "head to knee" posture.....how about "seperate leg, forehead to knee", even a simple seperate leg, forehead to floor.....these three postures are the reason that I decided to train for my level 2 RKC....(again, another blogpost for another time.......)

Here we are, backbends......ahh....backbends....I can figure these out. In fact I find backbends, well, I'm not going to say easy, but easier, because I know if I contract my glutes (swings....) that helps t release my hips and voila....so why was arching back to the point of seeing my toes in floor bow (a backwards bend) so far from reality.....or so I thought.

A few months ago I noticed, from my peripheral vision, one of my yoga instructors (who is naturally flexible, by the way) get into the full expression of this posture, effortlessly.....what was different with her pose than mine? Her neck. The extention and flexiblity of her neck....you can only kick your legs back, and up, so far, and then what? And then your neck, has to have the flexiblilty for your eyes to look behind you to see.....YOUR TOES!

Monday April 5th, 9:15am Bikram yoga class (after a 7:15am "warm up" class, lol) Tracy Reifkind saw her toes, in "Floor Bow", for the very first time!

OMG! I've been hell bent on seeing my damn freakin' toes for a few months now. Now that I had figured out it was the flexibility in my neck that I had to focus on.......and now it paid off! Was that real? Did I really just see my toes? Yep! First my right side toes, and then I looked quickly to my left.....yep, there they were, both sides, two feet.....good Lord, today it seems like a dream....but it did happen!

I flagged down my teacher during savasana and excitedly "mouthed" to her....."I saw my toes! For the first time ever!"(thumbs up)....She announced it to the class...."Tracy just saw her toes for the first time!" And she's been practicing for years.....see! It'll happen".....(it was thrilling to have my fellow practioners, besides me, congratulate me, and a few more of my friends after class, take notice.

Whew....now, if I can ever get my damn forehead to my knee......

Top picture was taken about 4 hours after my Monday mornings yoga practice....obviously whithout heat, and after my Level 2 training with Mark.....but it starts to show the difference from the next picture, taken about 2-3 years ago....see the difference in the neck flexibility and extention? The last picture is of my backward bend......much easier for me to do than forward bends......but as you can see with the rest of the class it's not easy for most.

The End of the Workout....the main workout, that is....

Today is Tuesday.....6:00am high volume swing class, and then off to Equinox to train Max Vo2 (based) for my second Max workout. Saturday Meg and I train a Max based workout, and then I train it again, for the second time, based on what Meg and I did previously, but depending on how I feel, I go heavier, faster, or lighter, but always just as intense!

I've been doing alot of training lately that involves building strength and endurance on one side or the other, but I won't get into the exact details, just yet, instead I'll write about another part of my training focus, which is pacing.

I'm getting ready to film, and produce, my first video about my high volume kettlebell swing training and the progressions I developed, and use regularly, in my own workouts, as well as how I train others to build up, quickly, a practice of high volume kettlebell swings. One of the methods I have developed is the practice of pacing....more about that another time....

Here is how I ended my morning of swings and snatches.....(after 50+ minutes of swings @ Girya, and then 30+ minutes of Max Vo2 @ Equinox)

Snatch / Transfers
Tracy 12kg
Brian 16kg

16 snatch transfers, 1 min. work, 30 sec rest, (8 R, 8 L)
18 snatch transfers, 1 min. work, 30 sec. rest (9 R, 9 L)
20 snatch transfers, 1 min. work, 30 sec rest (10 R, 10 L)....(uphill....)

16 snatch trans, 18 snatch trans, 2 min. work, 1 min. rest
18 snatch trans, 20 snatch trans, 2 min. work, 1 min, rest (uphill....)

16 snatch trans., 18 snatch trans, 20 snatch trans, 3 min. work, 1 min. rest (uphill)
20 snatch trans, 18 snatch trans, 16 snatch trans, 3 min. work, end of workout....(downhill)

15 minutes approx. (234 snatches and transfers)

Brian says when we're finished...."I like going downhill better!"

Regardless of what your main workout is, try this ending! Lots of fun! By the way.....Meg and I did 20 snatch / transfers per minute for 5 minutes in my first class (100 snatch transfers)....try that one too, and let me know how it goes for you!

The combination of one snatch, one transfer, is one I am reluctant to take "credit" for, but it's a classic training combination that I've been using for years, and I have valid reasons for this particular combination and how it fits into my progressive training philosophy.....

Tuesday Kettlebells....and other stuff

Tuesday mornings 6-7:00am I teach a high volume swing class. Mark starts us all off with a little joint mobility work, after which, I decided this week to teach one of my newest students to snatch. We spent the first 20-30 minutes learning the snatch, my veteran students following along with high pulls, and other snatch drills, finally settling into some snatch and swing combinations for the duration of class.....next? Equinox....Tuesday is another snatch day, usually my second Max, but this week we needed a break from Max, so heavier, longer, faster sets were the order of the morning.

After my usual swing / snatch combinations for approx. 5 minutes, we went right into snatches....

16kg (Brian used the 20kg, Trevor used the 16kg)

20 snatch R, 1 minute work,
20 snatch L, 1 minute work,
1 minute rest
x 3 sets= 9 minutes

down in weight, 14kg (Brian used the 16kg, Trevor used the 12kg)

15 snatch R, 15 snatch L, 1 minute work, minute rest x 5 sets = 10 minutes

back up in weight, snatch "holds" w/16kg, I go, you go style, switching hands every 30 seconds twice, for 2 minutes work, 1 minute rest....reps are approx....

7-8 snatch R, 7-8 snatch L, repeat, 2 minutes work, 1 minute rest x 5 sets = 15 minutes

40-ish minutes

Continued on with the same swing/snatch combinations I did with my earlier class, 1 minute work to 30 sec rest for an additional 10 sets = 15 minutes. (see below)

16 kg (Brian used the same 16kg weight...shhh, I didn't tell him it was the same weight I was using)

5 snatch R, 5 snatch L, 30 sec swing combos. 1 minute work, 30 sec rest x 10 sets

Continued on with Get-up practice for approx. 20 minutes, misc bottoms up cleans, etc. Spinning Class for 50 minutes on the bike. Shower, and off to Girya to train Level 2 skills with Mark.

Pull-up drills
Windmills
Pistol drills

I felt kinda crappy about myself this morning and I let it affect my workouts.....I need to pull my head out of my ass and quick! Level 2 is no joke and I've got a long way to go. Thank God for the World's Greatest Coach, who is also my darling husband! He'll save my ass....he always does!

Raw Beet, Apple and Jicama salad

If you want to eat "healthy" then I believe you must base your diet around fresh vegetables. I went through a "raw" phase a couple of years ago looking for recipes and ideas to use vegetables we would usually think to only eat cooked, but many, if not most vegetables can be eaten raw, including beets.

Beets are a root vegetable, and for me, can actually "act" more like a starch (potato, squash, etc.), which means they take a little longer to digest and hold a bit more water, like a carb....whatever....I warned you many times I'm a long story-teller.....

But let's be serious, a raw beet salad is better than a order of french fries anyday......

Another root vegetable that I almost forgot about, until I re-Certed (it was served at the lunch buffet) was jicama. Jicama....thank goodness I shop the Mexican market regularly, this vegetable is no stranger to me....it's just that with so many food choices, where does one start?

In my opinion, raw beets, shredded raw beets, lend themselves very well with Asian type salad dressing, as well as dressings with a Latin flair (lime / chili / jalapeno). And adding a protein to those flavors calls for something like shrimp, or pork....in my opinion.....chicken? Of course, what does not go with chicken?

So....I was shopping for some greens the other day, to add to some soup....Mark and I went down to our local Mexican market and to my surprise, Mi Pueblo did not carry anything but spinach. No chard (shocking), no collard greens (I didn't expect collard greens, so no surprise there), no kale (again, I didn't expect kale, of any sort)....just spinach. Well, I didn't want spinach.....I looked around and the only other choice was beets......with their greens! Beet greens! I love, love, love beet greens! The problem is I love beet greens more than I love beets! But I bought them anyway, knowing I would find something to do with those beets....the greens? Those were headed straight for my Smokey, Hot, Split Pea Soup with Chorizo!

If you want to prepare and eat fresh salads, then you must own an efficient, and sharp (!), mandoline or vegetable shredder (a food processor works great btw), I own a couple.....one, I bought at a Japanese market and works great for carrot, broccoli, beets, jicama, and other similarly dense veggies( pictured below), another is a "V-slicer" mandoline by OXO...I have another hand grater I like, a great veggie peeler that I use for lots of stuff, including shredding cabbage.....and I rarely use my food processor, but it's always an option....

Enough already.....

Raw Beet, Apple and Jicama Salad

Shred

2 lg or 4 small red beets, (really the color doesn't matter, use gold if you want, but peel the skin off first with a vegetable peeler)

1 lg or 2 small sweet apples, like fuji, or try tart! Whatever you like!

1 small jicama (about 3-4 inches in diameter...not the huge 6-8 inche size, lol)

1 carrot

Dice

1 - 4 jalapenos (guess how many I used? Yep, 4! top picture)

Chop

1/2 bunch cilantro

Dressing

fresh ginger (1-2 tbl)

garlic (1-2 cloves, crushed)
juice of one lemon OR rice wine vinegar (about 1-2 tbl)

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

2 tbl olive oil

Sarachi sauce, 1-2 teaspoons (totally optional! this will add alot of heat!)

Sugar to taste....start with 1 teaspoon and add 1 tespoon at a time until you get the flavor you like ( you can use any other kind of sweetner you feel comfortable with.....honey, Stevia, splenda....whatever! Make the recipe yours!)

SALT and PEPPER.....do I have to mention this every time? It's called "seasoning your food", lol!

Taste your food, is it missing something? What? Learn to adjust seasoning by tasting your food! Taste for texture (enough oil?). Salt, (of course, but not too much). Acid? Vinegar, lemon, etc. Sweetness? (again, add in your favorite sweetner)

Add in cooked pork tenderloin, shredded roasted chicken, or grilled prawns.

Also, I chose to include a fresh fruit, the apple, instead of a dried fruit, but instead of apple, raisins, dates, pineapple, etc would work just as well.

Jicama

Another salad I use jicama in was a simple version of my friend Gayle's Ginger and Lemon Apple Salad

Shredded apple

shredded jicama

juice of about 2 inches of fresh ginger

juice of one lemon

chopped nuts (walnuts or almonds)

dried blueberries, or any other dried fruit optional

(a little pinch of salt is a bonus, lol)