Today was day 1 of my 12 Week, 84 day Body For Life (BFL) Challenge. I started off my morning by weighing in, taking my measurements and taking pictures. The Husband was so funny, he wanted in on the action too. I took his pictures and he joined me for my first workout.
Today’s workout was an Upper Body Strength Training Session. I am easing into everything my first week as I learn what my “high point” (level 10) is. I really like the workouts because you start out easy at an effort level of 5 and work your way up to your all out max of 10.
You pick one exercise for each major muscle group and go through a series of 6 sets. I didn’t realize until I was half way through my workout that I was supposed to pick a different exercise for the last 2 sets – oops! You rest for 1 minute in between the first 4 sets, but, go straight through for the last two. Then, break 2 minutes between each major muscle group. I’d like to workout to using my resting time as a way to get in crunches, jumping jacks, etc.
So here it goes ~ the lowdown on workout #1!
5 minute Warm-Up on the treadmill
Chest
Barbell Bench Press
12 reps at 45 #
10 reps at 50 #
8 reps at 55 #
6 reps at 60 #
12 reps at 55 #
12 reps at 50 # (high point)
Shoulders
Seated Dumbell Press
12 reps at 10 #
10 reps at 15 #
8 reps at 20 #
6 reps at 25 #
12 reps at 20 #
12 reps at 15 # (high point)
Back
One Arm Dumbell Rows
12 reps at 10 #
10 reps at 15 #
8 reps at 20 #
6 reps at 25 #
12 reps at 25 #
12 reps at 20 # (high point)
Triceps
Tricep Press
12 reps at 5 #
10 reps at 10 #
8 reps at 15 #
6 reps at 20 #
Cable Extensions
12 reps at 15 #
12 reps at 10 # (high point)
Biceps
Alternate Dumbell Curls
12 reps at 10 #
10 reps at 15 #
8 reps at 20 #
6 reps at 25 #
Hammer Curls
12 reps at 15 #
12 reps at 10 #
I did a few minutes of stretching after. My entire workout took 50 minutes which isn’t far off from the 46 minute goal.
I was starving by the time I was done and ready to dig into breakfast. I made up a quick Egg Scramble for my protein + veggies ~ 1 egg, 1/4 c liquid egg whites, 1 c bok choy, sea salt, pepper & Tapatio Hot sauce.
Plus 2 slices dry Ezekiel Toast for my carbohydrates.
All together with a big cup of ice water. Breakfast was totally filling and only 5 Weight Watcher Points. I LOVED my first BFL meal – YUM!
After breakfast I went on a quest for EAS Whey Protein Powder. I’ve seen Janetha rave about their protein powder all the time on her site and I knew I needed to give it a shot. I went to TWO Costco’s with no such luck. I finally ended up at Sam’s Club and they had it ~ yeah!
They were also sampling bars that I think fits into the BFL guidelines with equal protein (20g) and carbs (18g). I had all 3 types (about 1/2 a bar) for my mid-morning snack. These bars totally rock! They taste like a candy bar but they are not loaded with sugar/calories of all the other bars. Each bar has less than 3 g sugar (they do contain splenda) and they are all under 200 calories.
I also picked up a new Low-Fat Sargento Cheddar Cheese – LOVE how they are in sticks.
Lunch was a BIG chicken salad. I took leftover chicken we had in the fridge and added a ton of veggies, plus healthy AVOCADO fat.
Organic Mixed Greens
Organic Cucumber
Organic Mini Peppers Sliced
Organic Cherry Tomatoes
1/4 Organic Avocado
1 Lowfat Sargento Cheese Stick
4 oz chicken
After the picture, I topped my salad with 1/2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil and 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar.
I did my best, but, it was too much to eat. I was full and didn’t see the point in stuffing myself. The only bummer was I had planned on having a cup of watermelon for my carb for dessert, but, I didn’t have any room 🙁
I broke out the new 5 LB bag (that is more protein powder than I’ve ever bought in my life!) EAS Chocolate Whey Protein Powder to make up a “Chocolate Milk Shake” for my snack.
** If you sign up for their newsletter HERE, they will send you a FREE SAMPLE!
1 scoop of EAS Chocolate Protein Powder
1 banana
handful of ice cubes
8 oz water
Blend and enjoy! WOW! I am seriously amazed by how good this protein powder is. It’s completely smooth – no gritty, powdery-ness at all and it doesn’t taste like protein powder. It really does taste like a milk shake. I DEFINITELY will be adding more ice next go round to make it like ice cream. YUM ~ I LOVE it and highly recommend this brand if you are looking for a protein powder. I can’t wait to find different ways to use the 5 lbs LOL.
For dinner tonight I made one of my all time favorite Cooking Light MyRecipes.com recipes ~ Sloppy Joes. I LOVE this recipe because it is super easy and loaded with veggies, but, honestly the flavor is better than any can you could ever buy. Click HERE to get the recipe.
Start off by adding all your veggies to a pan over medium heat with 1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive oil.
Add your ground meats. I used all lean turkey instead of mixing turkey and beef. I’ve had it both ways and they both are fantastic.
Mix in your sauces and spices and let simmer covered for 20 minutes.
Tadah! So easy and you can prep all your other sides while it simmers.
The first side I made was Kale Chips (Thanks Kath!). I have had these on my list of my try things forever and tonight I finally did. I added some washed, chopped kale with the stems removed, a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and sprinkles of sea salt & parmesan. Here are my “chips” going into the oven.
And coming out of the oven. I cooked them at 375 for 10 minutes and they came out really crispy and good. The Husband actually LOVED them and asked me if he could have more of those “fry” things. A true test that they really do taste like chips. I really liked the addition of parmesan cheese – I recommend adding that any time you make these.
The other side we had was something new I picked up at Trader Joe’s Today. It’s fresh baby asparagus in a ready to eat pack.
How cool is it that you cook and eat in under 5 minutes. LOVE that!
To assemble my “Healthy Joes”, I toasted a whole wheat hamburger bun and topped it with a THICK slice of tomato.
Spooned on a big scoop of my Healthy Slop!
Topped with the bun topper – it’s ready to chow down on. YUM!!!
Kale Chips ~ I think next time I’ll dip them in ketchup too – they were fun to eat since they were so light and crispy. The almost melted in your mouth.
Perfectly steamed baby asparagus. I really missed seasoning it up – I should’ve added lemon juice or something.
All together with some extra slop on the side it was a fantastic meal!
The little container you see on the right is my vitamins. I put them out every night for us (The Husband’s vitamins are all gummy LOL). Tonight I had a multi-vitamin with iron (I am anemic) and the GNC Omega Chew I got as a sample today. The chew was so funky in texture but flavored like an orange Starburst.
Dessert tonight was a couple of cherry tomatoes from our Sweet 100 Plants. I shared with The Husband.
Wow ~ I guess I had more to say about today than I thought LOL!
Overall ~ I think day 1 went well. I wasn’t 100% perfect, but, I feel good with how it went. I have all our meals planned out for the week and I cannot wait to get back into the kitchen cooking. I honestly think this challenge was just what I was needing to get motivated. I will share more with you all each day as I review BFL along with my personal goals, etc.
I am off to figure out how to use my fat calipers (the last measurement for today), read and zonk out! Nite all!
***Edited for stats:
Calories consumed: 1,906
Calories Burned: 3,027
Steps Taken: 10,075
Ratios: 30% Prot, 38% Carbs, 32% fat
100+ oz water!
good luck with it! the eats look great
Oh the calipers. Good luck using them, I think they’re really difficult to get right. We had to learn to use them in my Fitness Prescription class in undergrad, and we had a wild (not to mention somewhat embarassing) time trying to figure out how to use them. There’s just something about pinching fat that makes me a little uncomfortable.
Those “healthy joes” look really delicious, do you think it would work with the Morningstar crumbles (fake ground meat)?
Julia ~ You know, I was wondering about the calipers because you could squeeze harder or softer to change your results. I measured until I got 2 results that were the same. Hopefully that counts.
I definitely think this would work with Morning Star. Just saute your veggies for about 5 minutes until browned, add your sauce and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Add your veggie crumbles and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until it is the consistency of sloppy joes. I wouldn’t add the Morning Star at the beginning of the process since simmering it might make it break down and get mushy.
Why have I never put extra veggies in my sloppy joes? I always add some bell peppers & onion but never though of adding anything else. I have some lean ground beef in the freezer so gonna make this soon and add lots of veggies.
Congrats on your first day! The sloppy Joe’s looks so so good!
way to go girl on your first day! you are going to do so awesome!!!!
your healthy sloppy joes look absolutely fab! yumm
I really like the Pure Protein bars too, I haven’t had them lately but they are definitely good.
We buy the powder at Sams. Hubby is almost done with our bag of chocolate, so we picked up a vanilla. He loves them both. We recommend using a food scale though, as the scoop itself is highly inaccurate. Just depends on how you scoop it, and how much air. So if you truly want a full serving (or sometimes we want half in a smoothie), be sure to weigh it (LOL – weigh/whey). He’s been mixing it into his iced coffee in the mornings as well.
Helen ~ Thanks for the tip on weighing it – I definitely need to try weighing it out on my scale. I didn’t know if there was a scooper in the big bag so I used one from my other protein powder LOL. 🙂
oh my gosh! you doing BFL is like the coolest thing ever because i will have new ideas now 😀 i love it! your day 1 looks like it was off without a hitch, i love the addition of veggies to the sloppy joes. and YUM i agree the PP is tasty, if you freeze the banana beforehand it will make it even creamier. i also use almond milk instead of water~it is 40 cals well spent. anyway, props to you danica!!
Good luck, Danica! I KNOW I’ll see you on the transformations cover of the next BFL book =)
Great eats today, too!
i’m surprised you like the powder or bars, as I didn’t think they used very natural ingredients? But I haven’t checked them out in awhile, so I don’t know.
amazed you did 50 minutes of weights..I just don’t like them so 20 is really pushing it for me!
Hi Amanda ~ You know it’s one thing I really struggled with in doing the Body For Life. I am a BIG proponent of natural/clean ingredients.
The Protein Powder is actually fairly clean, but, I am not a fan of the unflavored versions that are. Plus, it’s a trade off since the flavored versions include stevia (Jay Robbs does).
The bars ~ Clean, but, not clean. I do recognized alot of the ingredients, but, that being said the ingredient list is long. I searched several protein bars over the weekend and tons had A LOT of calories/junk in them. I couldn’t convince myself to buy the Body For Life recommended Myoplex bars because they contain high fructose corn syrup. These bars were the next best alternative. I do not plan on having them on a regular basis since I am not a big bar person. They are more for when I have no other options that would fit BFL or honestly if I have a sugar craving.
Thanks for the feedback – I wanted to post on this last night but I was tired 🙂 I knew some of my loyal readers would be like what?! 😀
Awesome first workout! Loving your yummy, healthful eats!
<3 jess
I love me some cheese sticks too:)
great planning.
However with the exercises your high point should be another exercise as well-
so eg shoulders would be —
Seated Dumbell Press
12 reps at 10 #
10 reps at 15 #
8 reps at 20 #
6 reps at 25 #
12 reps at 20 #(high point
straight to seated lateral raises- 12 reps at 5-
also any white bread isnt allowed on the diet.
sounds like your doing great though.
Hi Matthew,
Thanks for the feedback. This was my first day and I learned that I was not doing my exercises right that week. I have since switched it up and definitely can tell the difference.
I agree about the white bread – I did not have anyon this day however, all items were whole wheat.
Thanks again ~ I am new to the BFL challenge and love any feedback people can provide to ensure I get the best results.
Danica