End of Week 1 - Tova Be Toning it Up Challenge
I did it! The first week is done! And I stuck to it! If you want to see pictures of food and random things I did this past week, beachy crafts, etc. please check out Instagram @tmspatz. Also, please feel free to join me for the next 4 weeks! I am not a nutritionist, a personal trainer or even an Instagram star so this is not a certified diet thingy. This is just something I custom made for me so don't sue me. Please check out this blog post here so that you understand what the challenge is all about! This recap will include what I ate, what workouts I did and what "Tone it Up" lifestyle things I did. Also, at the end of the post will include how many centimeters and kilos I have (if any) lost this past week. Enjoy! (None of these pictures belong to me... because I don't take random pictures of girls in bikinis. All of these pictures belong to Tone It Up).
Monday
Monday morning! Easter Monday morning! It is the first day of the 5 week Tova Be Toning it Up Challenge. I have posted an Instagram picture wearing my adorbs polka dot pjs while holding a bowl of strawberries and blueberries while stating my intention to be seriously creepy and live like the two gals from Tone It Up; Katrina and Karena for the next 5 weeks. I work well under pressure so putting it on the Interwebs is a great motivator. I also am feeling incredibly smug eating fruit! The Kid has been up since 5 a.m. and I need to embrace this. Yaay! He snuggles on the sofa and we watch Dora and I hate Dora but this is the first day of the challenge and I am going to be positive and bubbly! "Just look at that Dora! Rocking that bowl cut like a star! And Boots, man, is Boots a riot." I am dying inside. The Kid looks at me funny.
When the Husband gets up a couple of hours later I exclaim "Good morning honey! How are you!?!?" and don't say "Well, la di dah, look who finally graced us with his presence..." No, I am going to be a delight today. Even if it kills me. The Husband also looks at me funny. Then sniffs my coffee cup.
I am about to go on a 5K run. Yesterday I ran 45 minutes and my thighs are still sore but I figure I can handle a 30 minute run. I could probably handle it a lot better if I ate the head off of that Lindt chocolate bunny staring at me. But no, Imma be strong.
Good run and now having a vegan grilled cheese sandwich. Still hungry but going to stay strong. Kid passes out around 3:30 in the afternoon so the Husband goes to the gym and I do the Tone it Up arm exercises. Surprisingly not so bad so obviously must be doing something wrong. Have a piece of toast with nutritional yeast.
5:30 in the afternoon and I am ravenous. Like angry. Like HANGRY. Since I decided on this challenge yesterday and no stores were open (Austria!!!), we have to order food. We settle on Italian and I end up saying no to pizza because I am a Goddess of self control. I order a penne in a tomato sauce because I figure that is the "healthiest" option at this point. Once this holiday is over, I am totes meal planning. Totes.
Pasta was actually pretty craptastic. So didn't finish it. Yay me. Blergh. In about an hour will do my favourite online yoga session hosted by Ali Kamenova.
Meals:
B: Strawberries and blueberries
L: Vegan grilled cheese sandwich
S: Toast with a tsp of nutritional yeast
D: Penne in a tomato sauce with a couple of pieces of bread
Workouts: 5k and Tone it Up Arm Exercises and 35 minutes vinyasa yoga
Tone it Up Lifestyle: Upbeat optimism and completed a beach-like chair for the Autism Center
Tuesday
Back to work today! And I actually went to a 7 a.m. hot yoga class. Not sure if that is a Tone It Up suggestion but I do love me some hot yoga... so I will allow it. After a shower, I look at what I can wear. It is freezing out because April is the suckiest month of the year. I want to embrace colours and emulate a California beachy vibe but I also work in an office. I settle on some beachy jewelry and consider tha a compromise. I put on some clothes and head to work.
For breakfast I have some blueberries and a coffee. I now have to figure out what I am going to have for lunch. I scan through the Tone it Up recipes they have on their blog and realize I have to really sit down and figure out my meals. I will mostly wing it for the next couple of days but then go into meal prep.
Tonight is date night with the Husband. It has been a long time since we have had a night out just the two of us. We meet at 5:30 at Motto Am Fluss upstairs. It is gross and rainy outside but perfect in the cafe. I order a glass of rose and act all smug when I order my avocado and egg sandwich hold the meat thankyouverymuch. I explain to the Husband about my Tova Be Toning it Up Challenge. I show him pictures of Karena and Katrina from Tone it Up and he spends the appropriate amount of time for staring at a picture of two women in bikinis: long enough to show interest in what I am talking about but not too long for me to deck him with my sandwich.
After dinner we head home and the Husband brings the Kid to bed and I see that Murder She Wrote is on TV. Even though I am still pretty full from dinner, I get ready to work out my abs. It starts off alright and then it turns into madness. Halfway through the first rep, I want to stop. I can't complete all of the exercises (looking at you Twisted Plank.. or rather SATANIC Plank). The Husband comes in with an ice cream and sits on the sofa as I bitch every few minutes. "How's *ugh* your *blergh* ice cream *ugh*?" I ask, panting in pain. He responds with "Great!" Bastard. 15 minutes later I am done and my stomach is numb which I never knew was possible.
By 10:30 I am ready to pass out. Pretty good day.
Meals:
B: Blueberries
L: 3 apple cinnamon rice cakes and peanut butter
S: cappuccino
D: Avocado and egg sandwich and a couple glasses of rose wine (Date night at Motto am Fluss)
Workouts: Hot Yoga, 30 minute walk at lunch, Tone it Up stomach exercises
Tone it up Lifestyle: Wore beachy jewelry and didn't order a burger. Also ate well and those girls seem to like rose wine so of course had to have that.
Wednesday
Early morning wake up call! Am I chirpy? No. But I am going to get a run in. This is it. Get out of bed Tova. Think #discipline. Think #newclothes. Think future Instagram selfies! I look through Pinterest to motivate myself and then crawl to the kitchen for coffee. I look outside and wonder when I moved to Siberia... there is motherloving snow. It is snowing. Pre-challenge I would have gone back to bed... but now, this Tova is going to go out there and run a 5K. Nothing can stop her.. well, pneumonia can... but otherwise, nothing can stop her! I get my workout gear on and put on a sweater, and a hat (pink, of course) and head out into the street. It is cold. I want to cry. But within 5 minutes I no longer want cry... I want to die. Surprisingly the run is pretty good and I don't feel as stabby as I usually do when I am running.
After my shower, I head to the kitchen and stare down the huge tub of Designer Whey Protein Powder I bought the day before. I have never ever bought protein powder because I have always had a fear that one scoop and I would turn into Johnny Bravo. When I went to the shop to buy protein powder, I made an educated (not really) guess about which ones were geared towards men. The tubs were black with neon lettering and said things like: MASS! TURBO! GAIN! so those ones were out. I spied one that was a white tub, with pastel font and a picture of a female volleyball player! Yup! That was the one. The Tone it Up girls have a protein power called Perfect Fit. I would have ordered it if they shipped to Vienna so I had to find an alternate. I picked up a chocolate flavoured one and I am looking forward to trying out different recipes with it.
I mix the protein power with water and drink it down. It isn't the worst thing in the world and I wait for my forearms turn into Popeye's.. but they don't. Time will tell.
At work I have an espresso with friends and then at lunchtime take a long walk at lunchtime. My friend S.R. and I brave the elements and it is miserable. But it is nice to get some fresh air (frost bite). For lunch I pick up some glass noodles and cup of soup and eat that at my desk. I have some rice cakes with peanut butter and drink lots of water. So smug.
I get home just before 6 and snuggle with the Kid. I start my dinner which is an English muffin with a couple of Boca Burgers. I was going to pick up a salad but it was snowing too hard and I just wanted to get home. The Kid and I watch cartoons until 8 p.m. when it is time to put him to bed. I can still hear him talking to himself in his bedroom but it is time for me to get a booty and arm workout in. I die. This is not fun. GAH! But I keep telling myself that soon these won't be so hard... especially since I never ever want to do them again. EVER. But I will because this is day 3 of what 35 days? That didn't make me feel any better.
The Kid is still talking in his room but I ignore him and sit on the sofa for about 10 minutes and try and not move. This is total bliss. By the way, am I thin yet?
Meals:
B: Protein shake and coffee with vanilla soy milk
L: Cup of soup with noodles and 3 apple cinnamon rice cakes with peanut butter
D: English muffin with 2 vegan burgers and a slice of vegan cheese and salsa
Workouts: 5k run (IN THE SNOW), 45 minute lunchtime walk, Malibooty workout, Arm Routine (see above)
Tone it Up Lifestyle: There is absolutely nothing beachy about this weather... unless it is a beach in Alaska. But I tried a protein powder for the first time. If the Tone it Up protein powder called Perfect Fit delivered to Vienna, I totes would have chosen that one. I also bought coconut flour which seems like a Tone it Up thing to do. Now must Pinterest recipes for it.
Thursday
Early morning start to the day again! Have to be at work early so heading for an early early run. It is 5:45 and I hate everything right now. But what would Katrina and Karena do? WWKKD? They would embrace life. I mean, who wouldn't with those abs? But as I stare out the window, I see the hurricane-like winds. I debate and I debate and I actually talk myself out of a run. So instead of crawling back into bed and declaring defeat, I decide to do the Malibooty and Arm Routine for 15 minutes. Sob.
At work I scan through some meal ideas. I am hoping to have some time soon to meal prep and to come up with some more recipes. In the past my dinner portions have been HUGE and I am trying to change that. Wraps, English muffins, rice paper... these are handy portion control carrier of food things. Yes, great term, Tova. And I need to add more veg to my meals. At lunchtime I take a walk with my friend. It is still fuhreezing outside so I officially hate April. I tell her that having to take pictures of my meals are actually motivating me to eat better. She suggests I take pictures of pizza once in a while so that people know that I am human. I tell her I am perfect. For lunch I have some noodles with soup. And then a couple of cinnamon rice cakes with peanut butter. I feel like I am not eating too much at lunchtime.. in the past I have usually sent myself into a food coma. No more! NO MORE! Smug.
Well... I just looked at the calorie count for peanut butter. What the hell, peanut butter!?! DAMMIT!
I head home because this afternoon the Kid is meeting with his therapist and his two therapy tutors. He will probably be exhausted by the time I get home and will most likely hate that I am talking about him in front of him. ....He is happy to see me and the meeting goes well. They all leave just before 5 and the Kid is still full of energy.
For dinner I make a salad dressing with lemon, olive oil, honey dijon, and balsamic vinegar and some garlic. I pour it over the rucola and then make an omelette with a piece of vegan cheese. I serve it with a toasted English muffin. AMAZING! I decide to take the Kid on a walk around the neighbourhood. It is gross outside and I am sick and tired of this weather. Gah! And I reserve the right to bitch about the heat in the summer.
The Kid watches cartoons and I do one Tone it Up-esque beachy style lifestyle thingy. I complete a long turquoise necklace that I have been working on for a little while. I can't wait to wear it when, you know, it isn't snowing.
I have to wait for the Husband to get home and then I will get a run in. I am hoping to run for 35 minutes.
Well, I run.... I run for just over 30 minutes. I get a private message from a friend asking if I just ran past them. I didn't notice because I was trying not to die. I get home and take a shower and try to stop sweating.
I still have an ab workout to get in And look at that, Kid's in bed and Columbo is about to start! Hurrah!
And bedtime is in 3, 2, 1....
Meals:
B: Protein shake and 2 coffees (tired)
L: Cup of soup and 3 apple cinnamon rice cakes with peanut butter (dead to me now, peanut butter, dead)
D: English muffin with 2 over easy eggs and one slice of vegan cheese and salad with dressing
Workouts: 5k run, 45 minute lunchtime walk, Malibooty workout, Ab workout, Arm Routine (see above)
Tone it Up Lifestyle: Finishing up a beachy necklace.
Friday
I am woken up by the Kid at 5 a.m. I had set my alarm for 5:30 because I had planned to get a run in. Based on the soreness of my body, I decide to postpone the run until tonight. I know that I will hate myself tonight for not going this morning. Instead I do an arm and tush workout and the Kid gives me side eye from the sofa.
For my lifestyle challenge today, I spend some time looking at the inspirational, pretty font quotes that the ladies from Tone it Up sometimes post. I decide to try and make my own. I literally stare at a pink ombre colour thing for a good 20 minutes, trying to think of a quote. This one is taken... And I love it.
I bring the Kid to kindergarten and then head to work. I have a coffee with friends and then at lunch time have some soup and noodles and some apple cinnamon rice cakes (no peanut butter, thank you very much). No time for a lunch time walk today and at 3:30, my work week is over. I meet my friend D.K. for a quick drink and then head over to the Beaver Brewing Company for the Autism in Vienna parent night. I stick to spritzers but yes, my tolerance is way down. I get so caught up in German verb conjugations which butcher for 90 minutes that I don't get a chance to order food. Just before 8, I head back home. The Kid is still awake and we end up watching Burn Notice which still continues to be one of my favourite shows ever. Burn Notice ends and with a deep sigh, I put on my running shoes and head out for a 5K. It goes by quickly probably because I had white wine spritzers fuel me. When I get home, I catch my breath and quickly toast an English muffin which ends up being the best damn English muffin I have ever eaten. I take a shower and then head to bed to read the most inspiring and motivating book ever Born to Run. Seriously, download this book on Kindle. It is out of this world and will make you want to run.
By 11 I am out like a light.
Meals:
B: Protein shake and 2 coffees (tired)
L: Cup of soup with noodles and 3 apple cinnamon rice cakes
D: Many many spritzers and an English muffin with a little butter
Workouts: 5k run, Malibooty workout, Ab workout, Arm Routine (see above)
Tone it Up Lifestyle: Created a ridiculous irreverent quote thing.
Saturday
I wake up at 5 and of course can't fall asleep. I end up chatting over messenger to a friend who is flying. I ask him how he is online and he says "credit card". My mind is blown. Around 6 I sit on the sofa and close my eyes, willing myself to sleep. But of course not. I spy two people playing ping pong in the park and I am guessing they must be drunk. Maybe I am too? The Kid finally crawls out of our bed around 8 and he is snuggly and happy and I drink my coffee, absolutely starving. I toast an English muffin and realize the weekends are the hardest when trying to eat right. I then head to the store and smugly pick up bananas, soy yoghurt and frozen raspberries. I mix them all up with a scoop of chocolate protein powder and I am expecting angels to start singing from the heavens above. Nope, your drunk Aunt Clarissa is singing karaoke at your wedding. Blergh. It isn't the worst but it isn't that amazing either.
I drink it out of a wine glass to try and trick myself into liking it. A little while later I do about 30 minutes of yoga. This time I freestyle it and listen to loungey music, trying to convince myself I am hip and with it. I wish I was listening to Taylor Swift. After yoga, I pick up my weights and do a series of arm exercises at the Kid runs around me, narrowly avoiding being decked in the head by a weight.
For lunch I make a grilled cheese vegan sandwich and the Kid is obsessed with it. Probably saved me about 20 calories. I am definitely tired and definitely feeling the spritzers. Before this challenge, I would have said "Eff it. It's a Saturday. I deserve to melt cheese on cheese." But I decide to be strong and keep it clean. I would say that I am smug but actually I am unhappy. But determined.
After lunch I do a series of tush exercises. The burn burns and I better look like JLo soon or I will be ticked. The Husband heads to the gym and I Google stalk the two women from Tone it Up for inspiration for my next beachy lifestyle thingy. They have such pretty hair. I am literally one little step from printing out their pictures and creating a shrine. Somebody help me. I then decide to look up beachy crafts and get an idea of what I can do tonight.
The Husband gets back and I head to Mariahilferstrasse to Thalia and then Müller for some supplies. I decide to get a blueberry bubble tea because it has been years. I love tapioca. And a little annoyed I couldn't ignore its siren call. I head to the Ring to catch the March for Science and to find the stand to get my cheek swabbed for stem cell testing. There is a little 3 year old boy in need of a match and I hope they find one! A friend wrote me earlier and tells me she will meet me at the stand. Of course I am early. She shows up and we swab ourselves and hope for the best!
I head back home and we decide to order Chinese food because I cannot be assed to cook right now and I wish it was my bed time. I do avoid the crispy beef and order tofu and steamed rice. And of course I cannot resist the fortune cookie. Dammit.
After dinner, I stare down a new purchase. I bit the bullet earlier this week and bought a foam roller. I have heard that these bastardos are painful, that I will cry, that I will beg for mercy. Why am I such a masochist? I gingerly sit on it and think "Meh. This isn't so bad." The Husband watches from the sofa, ready to laugh at me. I start to roll back and forth a couple of times, this is o.k., I do a couple more rolls and SWEET MOTHER OF ALL THAT IS HOLY LAND JEEBUS CRAP BAG JUNK FISH WHAT THE EVERLOVING?!?!?
Yeah, it hurts. The Husband thinks I am being dramatic so I tell him to give it a whirl. He won't admit it hurts and as a family, we try out the torture machine for the rest of the evening, with CSI Miami playing in the background. By 9, the Kid is asleep and I fall asleep shortly afterwards. Bliss.
Meals:
B: Coffee with vanilla soy milk, English muffin and a protein banana strawberry smoothie
L: Vegan grilled cheese sandwich
S: Blueberry bubble tea
D: Absolutely no booze today, tofu and rice and a fortune cookie
Workouts: 2 hour walk, Malibooty workout, Ab workout, Arm Routine (see above), 30 minutes of yoga
Tone it Up Lifestyle: Created a tote bag design with a sharpie. It did not turn out the way I expected so no pictures yet. Gonna work on it some more.
Sunday
TODAY IS THE DAY! I have showed such self-restraint and have not gone on the scale once! I am absolutely terrified. Not only will I be weighing myself but also measuring. I feel like this is a big moment AND... WAIT FOR IT!! YES! Down 2 kilos (4.4 pounds!)!! I also lost 2 centimeters on my waist and 3 from my hips. I'm not thin, yet, but I am on my way! VICTORY! HUZZAH! YAY! Week 1 down!
So there you have it. This is day 7 and I still have a session of hot yoga ahead of me and of course some Tone it Up exercises. I will eat well today and brag to the Husband that I have lost 2 kilos. We are going to try and bring the Kid to a friend's place around the corner for the first time. I am guessing he will last about 10 minutes but who knows, he might stay for 15. At 5, I have a meeting at the Film Casino and I am going to do my best to not tell the guy there about losing 2 kilos this week.
For a late breakfast I am going to try and make pancakes with coconut flour. I will attempt to pour just a little maple syrup on top.. which is.. for this Canadian... torture. I can easily knock back half a bottle in a sitting. The other day my friend S.R. tried to buy Aunt Jemima's and I looked at her and said "If you love your children.. and yourself... you will not buy that." She bought real Canadian maple syrup. I am proud of her.
When I am back from Hot Yoga, I will tune into the marathon and see if I can spy any of my friends who are participating. I know I will never run a marathon because I like my toe nails, thank you very much, but I am impressed that people do this.
In the evening I will take a bath and give myself a face mask so I am calling that a Tone It Up lifestyle thingy. The bath bomb and face mask are blue so that is totally beachy. Yes.
I can't believe the first week is down (after today, keep me away from pizza because I will call it my "edible medal for losing weight"). Below is a short summary and now I need to gear up for week 2!
Meals:
B: Coffee with vanilla soy milk
L: Coffee with vanilla soy milk, coconut flour pancakes with syrup
D: English muffin, a Boca burger and a fried egg and salad
Workouts: Hot yoga, Malibooty workout, Ab workout, Arm Routine (see above)
Tone it Up Lifestyle: Lush facemask and Lush bath bomb Big Blue bath.
SHORT SUMMARY OF WEEK 1
End of the Week stats:
Centimeters lost
Waist: 2
Hips/tum: 3
Kilos lost: 2
Hours of working out/walking/running/yoga: 12 hours
Thoughts this week:
I have to say that it was actually a pretty amazing week. What I realize is key for me is knowing that working out is non-negotiable. I just have to git er done. I just have to exercise. Eating healthy is definitely difficult and I need to definitely start meal planning. I need to add more veg and fresh fruit next week but I am really happy with the choices I have been making so far. Except for you, peanut butter. Dead to me. I hope you all enjoyed this recap! There will be 4 more of these and I cannot wait! Feel free to ask me any questions or to join me virtually! Enjoy your Sunday and please check out the Tone it Up website and their Instagram for inspiration: they are fab. Toodles!
Note: None of these pictures belong to me. All to Tone it Up!
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