Hiiiiiii! Happy Monday! How you doing, baby child? I’m feeling a bit sugar loaded after my birthday weekend. Lots of cake, cupcakes, cocktails and meals. Luckily I kept up with my workouts all week long so I didn’t have to worry about it much. But I was definitely ready to get my to my normal eating habits after a fun weekend.
But let’s talk a little more about sugar. Because people are consistently asking questions about ab workouts or what to do about the midsection. So let’s just be frank here: it’s all about diet. The whole “abs are made in the kitchen” bullsh*t isn’t bullsh*t. It’s completely true. And if your goal is to have a certain physique or certain shape, you gotta start with your diet. And I don’t care if you eat super healthy; if you are consuming alcohol on a regular basis, you will not see the difference that you hope for. You could do all the ab workouts in the world, but if you are not limiting your sugar intake, especially in the form of alcohol, you won’t be able to reach your greatest ability. Alcohol is sugar, sugar leads to inflammation, inflammation leads to bloat, weight gain and sadly, less abs. Alcohol also inhibits muscle growth. Little known fact that more people should definitely know about! I can always see the difference in myself when I start having some cocktails on the weekend, and for me multiple cocktails means maybe 2-3 in a weekend.
I always see people say that they wish they could have abs like a certain person at the gym or online, but most of the time that person has those abs because they are working at it constantly and consistently. The less you drink alcohol and eat sugar, the more results you’ll see. Sure, genetics have to do with it, but you also pave your own destiny with the decisions you make. Stop hoping to look like someone else and just strive to be the best version of yourself. Make great decisions on a regular basis while still enjoying life’s moments. If you want those abs, go get them. Start with better food choices and continue to work hard in the gym on a weekly basis. The more consistent you stay, the more results you’ll begin to see! Remember, be consistent and never compromise when it comes to your goals. If abs are your goals, get after em’!!
Sunday – Rest day/ recover from Jamaica
Monday –
Back Squats: 3 x 10. All sets at 70%. (13 mins) – I used 125#
After Each Set, Max Strict Pull Ups. – I got a total of 23 pull ups
Then 6 min AMRAP Of:
6 Power Snatch (135/95)
10 Toes To Bar
– 3min REST THEN –
6 min AMRAP Of:
6 Power Snatch (135/95)
10 Burpees
I got 5 rounds on the first AMRAP and 4+10 on the second using 65#
Tuesday –
Every 30 sec for 10 mins: 1 Squat Clean @ 65%. All reps must have a 3 sec pause at knee. – I used 105#
500m Row Sprint For Time. MAX EFFORT!!! – I got 1:47
3. 10 min AMRAP Of:
30 Hang Power Cleans (135/95)
20 Push Jerks (135/95)
10 Bar Muscle Ups / Burpee Pull Ups
I got 1 + 47 reps using 85# and doing bar muscle ups
Wednesday –
20 mins Working With Purpose: (3 rounds minimum!)
– 7 & 7 Front Rack Step Ups (155/105). All 7 on one leg, then all 7 on the other. – I used 75# – see video here
– 7 & 7 Single Arm KB or DB Strict Press. All 7 on one arm, then all 7 on the other. As heavy as possible. – I used 25#
– Accumulate 1 min Hanging from Pull Up Bar or Rings. Hang on for dear life!!!
I got 4 rounds
Then 8 min Partner Workout:
Partner 1: 20 Cals On Air Dyne
Partner 2: As many Double Unders As Possible
* change movements after 20 cals is completed.
**Score recorded is Total DU you complete as an individual. – I got 300 double unders
Thursday – Rest day
Friday – Birthday workout!!
OH Squats: 6 x 1. Adding, with 10 sec Pause at bottom of squat on all singles! (12 mins) – I got to 125#
Then At 0:00:
5 min AMRAP Of:
5 Squat Snatch (135/95)
7 Burpee Box Jumps (24/20)
– 2 min REST THEN –
400m Sprint For Time
– When Clock hits 11:00 –
5 min AMRAP Of:
5 Squat Snatch (135/95)
7 Burpee Box Jumps (24/20)
I got 4+2 then 1:26 for my run then 3+5 at 85# – See video here
Saturday –
1 mile run
30 clean and jerks (135/95)
2000m row
I finished in 21:10 using 85#
___________________
At Home or Hotel Gym Workout:
4 rounds of:
50 mountain climbers
40 air squats
30 tuck jumps
20 hand release push ups
10 v-ups
On Sale Fitness Apparel:
These Nike Free 5.0 (7 colors – 10% off)
These High Waisted Leggings (2 colors – 30% off)
This Nike Dri Fit Sports Bra (25% off)
This Alo Open Back Tank (30% off)
This Yellow Tank Top (25% off)
___________________
What I Ate in a Day:
Breakfast at Snooze at 6:30am: We ordered 2 caramel apple gluten free pancakes and at those together and I also order the breakfast tacos (3 come in an order) and I ended up eating 2 bites of 1 taco then packed up the leftovers to go.
Lunch at 11:30am: The rest of my breakfast tacos leftover from breakfast and handful of plantain chips
Coffee at 2pm: I order this hong kong latte with an extra shot of espresso (it has condensed milk in it) at Platform Tea Lounge and ended up only drinking probably 1/5 of it because it was SO sweet.
After working out and showering up, we headed out to dinner for my favorite meal: curry. We went to Tommy’s Thai where I had a glass of wine, beef panang curry with rice and then at the end of the meal, a big ole’ gluten free cake came out so I had an amazing slice of that!
Okay, tried the at-home workout yesterday, got through the first round and was pretty beat.. started on the second round of mountain climbers and got to 25, 5 at a time and was done. The workout was obviously far above my current abilities. So, I did the workout today with half the amount of reps and all 4 rounds and crushed it. I plan to add 5 reps each time I do it until I can complete the whole workout. Thank you for (inadvertently) giving me a goal to reach for and something that will force me to be more consistent with my workouts!! And thank you for all of your realistic pep talks! I always go to the fitness section on your blog when I need inspiration to workout, and I love your gym instagrams!
Going a bit off topic of the above comments (which I agree with most of them) I hate this time of year. Our dogs bring in all the sand and dirt Spring offers. Hopefully your landscaper calls you back soon. Have you ever tried the floor rugs that are supposed to collect dust and dirt dogs drag in? What an annoyance. And yes, because you are now talking about boring adult stuff is an indication of marriage. My husband and I are without children by choice and we have some extremely boring conversations. But hey we don’t talk about poop, vomit or any of the other icky kid stuff.
Love your blogs, books, snapchat and well just about anything you put together. Thanks for everything!!!
Maggy
Loved reading this!! Been cross-fitting it up for about 2 1/2 years but still have a little pudge which I attributed to having 2 kids.. My husband finally broke the news to me that it’s more likely the 2 glasses of wine a night and not the 2 kids. Haha. So I gave it up!! I’m only in my first week but I already feel better, can’t wait to start seeing results! Thanks for posting about this 🙂
hahaha good husband right there! people really forget about how much sugar and extra calories are added to your diet when 1-2 glasses of wine are in your daily routine!
Hey Juli, great post and just reaffirmed to me that I need to cut sugar more. I lost 24lbs two and a half years ago and kept it off until about 9 months ago but have slowly gained back 12lbs. I cut out pasta, bread etc and haven’t eaten any pasta since Sept 2013 but bread has crept in. Have also not had alcohol for 4 months but seem to be stuck and the weight is refusing to budge. I still eat chocolate especially around that time of the month andI that’s one of my downfalls, I also workout but don’t spend my life in the gym. Is there anything else you’d suggest to kick-start weight loss again?
you know, I’m not a dietician and I’m not around you or know your daily habits/diet/routine/etc. so I’m not the person to talk to. I would talk to a trainer or dietician to really help dial in what exactly you need to be doing. It’s just not my place and/or expertise. I just explain what works for me!
Thanks for replying Juli, I’ll talk to someone at the gym, I feel like I KNOW what to eat/not to eat but something isn’t quite right, maybe a dietician would help too. Thanks again for your great posts!
Hi! I have a HUGE sweet tooth and I just started the transition to a paleo lifestyle a couple weeks ago. To help curb my cravings for all the sweets that my family eats in the house, I eat a ton of fruit. Should I be treating fruit like dessert? As in one piece a day and no more added sugar? Also, you said in another post that you don’t eat any sh*t food. What do you mean by that? Thanks so much!!! Your website has been extremely helpful in learning about this!
hey emma! for me, i think of fruit as a dessert and i definitely don’t think it should have any more sugar added to it. but that is fully my opinion. i just think that you can get the same nutrients that fruit has but in the form of vegetables without the extra sugar. when i say sh*t food, i mean i don’t eat gluten, soda, fast food. really any food that has no point or nutrients to it. if i crave something, like say a blizzard from dairy queen (I’ve been wanting one lately) then i make my own ice cream to curb that craving. hope that helps!!