My horoscope predicted this week to be devastating.
It said I would be poor (which is true), sick, depressed, and feeling sorry for myself.
I mean serious, who the hell writes these negative scopes?! My day was far from depressing and I am far from being sick.

Spring break ended today (boooooo!) and I had class at 8:30am! It wasn’t hard getting up but – WOW – it was hard staying awake through class.
I was so tired after class; I ended up passing out in the library while reading.
I felt like everyone was judging me since I was hogging a pretty large booth, so I decided to relocate to my car.
I keep a pillow in the car for times like these.
I ended up sleeping for two hours, but the entire time I was dreaming about a) neuroanatomy and b) students judging me for sleeping in my car, gunshots outside my car, and me unable to wake up and open my eyes from my deep slumber. It was more like a nightmare.

Anyway, so after a restless-curled-up-car-sleep for two hours, I hit up the lab for a good study sesh!
So glad I went today!
I am feeling SO MUCH MORE confident for this exam.

Anyway, so I got home, and was feeling pretty good about myself, so I decided to skip out on studying and MAKE DINNER instead!

Two blocks of firm tofu have been sitting in my fridge for far too long, and are getting close to their expiry date, so I whipped up this delicious dish:

Ingredients:

350 grams Firm Tofu
1 Zucchini, sliced
1 bunch Broccoli
2 cups Broc Slaw
4-5 White Mushrooms, sliced
~2 tablespoons Green Onions, chopped
1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
1/4 cup No Sodium Chicken Broth
1 tablespoon Garlic, chopped
3-4 tablespoons Oyster Sauce
Sesame Seeds, sprinkled
Salt and Pepper to taste

The work:

Heat coconut oil in a wok and toss in garlic and green onions.
After a little sizzling, toss in the tofu. Stir for a minute
Pour 2 tablespoons Oyster Sauce onto tofu and cook till garlic is brown.
Transfer tofu in a separate bowl.
In the same wok toss all vegetables in, pour chicken broth, and remaining oyster sauce and stir fry till broccoli is crisp.
Toss the tofu in and stir till hot.
Sprinkle sesame seeds, salt and pepper.
Clean up & ENJOY

Cut tofu into bite size piecesCoconut oil, garlic, green onionToss in tofu

Coconut oil, garlic, green onion

Toss in tofu

Pour in oyster sauce

Blue Menu makes awesome products!!!

Set tofu aside

Stir-fry veg

Toss tofu with veg and sprinkle sesame seeds

and ENJOY

I also bought new peanut butter (I am on the “perfect peanut butter experiment”; every time my jar finishes, I am going to try a new brand!) – all natural, no sodium Kraft Peanut Butter. Pretty darn good!

3/4 pint Blackberries
1/2 pint Raspberries
4 Juicy Strawberries
1 Banana
1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 scoop Cookies & Cream Whey Protein Powder
2 tablespoons Sunflower Seeds
1/2 tablespoon Kraft Peanut Butter

This shake was FRESHER THAN THE PRINCE!

Oh Shoot! I almost forgot to tell me about my workout today.
I didn’t post yesterdays Advanced level “Get Toned” workout called SUPER FUSION, but I will tell you about todays workout, which was called BODY BUFFER and was also a “Get Toned” workout but at an Intermediate Level.

After so many weeks of just doing “Get Lean”, my body isn’t actually very strong, so these past two days have caused DOMS, particularly in my legs and shoulders. I also increased my weight from 12.5 lbs to 15 lbs. Sounds like a low weight, but trust me when you have to do the same exercise for 1 to 2 minutes, 10 lbs feels lie 25!

So here you have it, BODY BUFFER:

Warm-Up:
1 min: Straight Leg Kicks
2 min: Light Jog
1 min: Slide and Glide
1 min: High Knee Runs
2 min: Recover

Workout:
2 min: Alternating Forward Lunge to Shoulder Press
1 min: Side Lunge with Rotation
2 min: Single Leg Deadlift Dumbbelll Row
1 min: Ski Jumps
2 min: Alternating Medicine Ball Push Up
1 min: Split Jumps
1 min: Recover

2 min: Opposite Arm/Leg Supermans
1 min: Dips with Legs Straight
2 min: Walking Lunges
1 min: Kick Downs
2 min: Skip Jumps with Cross Back Lunge (ouch!)
1 min: Recover

2 min: Modified Side Plank Leg Lift
2 min: Russian Twists
1 min: Mountain Climbers
1 min: Flutter Kicks
2 min: Alternating Step Back Lunges
1 min: Plank Walks
1 min: Recover

2 min: Wood Chops
1 min: Squat Flips with 180 Degree Turns
2 min: Crazy Ivans
1 min: Recover

Cool-Down:
1 min: Lying Quad Stretch
1 min: Standing Hamstring Stretch
1 min: Lower Back Stretch

Ingredients:

1 jar Blueberry Apple Baby Food Puree
1/2 Banana
1/2 cup Almond Milk (can you tell I love almond milk hehe I put it in errrthing!)
1/4 cup Acai Juice
Big ol’ handful of Spinach
1 tablespoon Black Chia Seeds
1/2 cup Water

Combine all ingredients in magic bullet EXCEPT for Chia Seeds.
Add chia seeds once blended. Let it sit for a few minutes to let chia seeds gelatinize, and BOOM baby!
Drink up!

a good ol' boost of your ANTIOXIDANTS!

Ultimate Antioxidant Shaker

Ingredients:

1 egg
1/4 cup Egg Whites
1 English Muffin
1 tablespoon Tomato Sauce
1 wedge Light Garlic & Herb Laughing Cow Cream Cheese
Spinach
Sage to taste
Pepper to taste
Chilli Flakes

I poached one egg and 1 quarter cup egg whites.
I placed the pretty poached egg with yolk on an english muffin, which I smeared with cream cheese and tomato sauce.
I finished it off with some spinach and sprinkled sage, pepper, and chilli flakes!

After class, I went home to make myself my go-to pre/post (depending on the activity) breakfast. It is delicious and there are tons of ways to make this dish:

Quinoa Porridge for CHAMPIONS:

FUN FACTS TIME! YAY!!! Did you know that Quinoa isn’t in fact a grain?! It is a SEED and a faithful cousin to leafy greens like SPINACH! The coolest thing about this seedy grainy fluff is that it has the highest protein of all “grains,” and it is a COMPLETE PROTEIN. It’s amino acid balance is almost identical to that of milk!
O annnnndddd it is high in magnesium, and you know that magnesium decreases pent up tension and anxiety (perrrrfeccctt for exam time ) and relaxes all the nerves, muscles, and blood vessels in the body! SaWEET!

1/4 cup Quinoa Flakes
1/2 Banana
1/2 tablespoon Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Almond Milk (or cows milk/soy)
1/4 cup+a bit more Water

Blend banana, peanut butter, and milk in the magic bullet.
Pour water and quinoa flakes into a small deep cooking pan (never know what to call cooking utensils…can you tell I am a total rookie at being a domestic diva) and allow the flakes to cook. It literally takes a few seconds.
Immediately pour in magic bullet mixture and bring to a boil, stirring often to prevent sticking.
Once it is nice and thick and hot, pour it into a bowl, sprinkle cinnamon, and enjoy
You can always add more milk if you want it to be thinner or runny!

Quinoa Flakes are packed with magnesium and are rich in protein. Best part about them is that they cook SUPER fast. Faster than instant oats! You can toss them in the micro as well, if your in a rush!

Super duper fast cooking pseudo-oats

Pour in mixture

Sprinkle cinnamon because you know what that does!!! Revs up your metabolism!

Anyway, enough exam talk. As I was saying, I woke up early and went for an EARLY MORNING SPIN CLASS! It was pretty low intensity stuff, but I broke a sweat, so I didn’t complain. I gobbled down an absolutely DELICIOUS sandwich after my workout…. you have GOT TO MAKE IT!

1 100-calorie Sandwich Thin
1/2 tablespoon Sauce Style Mayo
2 slices Sliced Roast Beef
1 slice Havarti Cheese
Honey Mustard – couple of good squirts
Spinach

It finished waaay too fast

The sandwich was followed by sliced yellow peppers and raw zucchini. Perfect!

After spending a good five hours being completely overwhelmed and staring blankly at peripheral nerves, I decided I needed to go ease my nerves – and what better way to do that than a GOOD WORKOUT?! rightttt?!
I obviously did not want to bore myself on some random ergometer, so I pulled out my iPhone for some NIKE TRAINING CLUB! Ye boy!

30 minutes Intermediate Level “Get Lean” workout called THE SHREDDER. It was way too easy and finished up way too fast, so I did 15 minutes of a “Get Focused” workout called CARDIO BLAST.

The Shredder:
Warm-Up:
2 mins: Straight Leg Kicks
2 min: Back Pedals
1 min: Slide & Glide
1 min: Recover

Workout:
2 min: Alternating Forward Lunge with Arm Curl
1 min: Plank
30 sec: Tuck Jumps
2 min: Side Lunge with Rotation
2 min: Ski Jumps
1 min: Reverse Crunch
1 min: Hip Lifts
2 min: Single Leg Deadlift Dumbbell Row
1 min: Burpee to Shoulder Press
30 sec: Squat Flips with 180 Degree Turns
1 min: Push Away Balance
1 min: Recover

2 min: Plank Row
1 min: Reverse Crunch
30 sec: Modified Burpee
1 min: Push Away Balance
30 sec: Kick Downs

Cool-Down:
1 min: Lying Quad Stretch
1min: Standing Hamstring Stretch
2 min: Pretzel Stretch

Cardio Blast:
1 min: Jump Rope (no rope, so InvisiRope)
1 min: Modified Burpee
30 sec: Squat Jumps
30 sec: Split Jumps
30 sec: 2 Feet Lateral Hops in Place
1 min: Broad Jumps
30 sec: Recover

Repeat Twice

Beautiful! I felt sooooooo much better after that workout!
Okay, time for bed now!

Sweet dreams <3

1/2 cup Pineapple, Guava & Passion Fruit Juice
1/2 Frozen Banana
1 cup Frozen Blueberries
1/4 cup Plain Greek Yogi
1/2 scoop Unflavored Whey Protein
Water to get everything going in the blender

Toss all above ingredients into a blender.
Pour into a glass and ENJOY

The juice I used

Maui Wowie Smoothie

Today was a lazy day. All I did was lay in bed, in my robe, dozing in and out of sleep, while attempting to study.

I made myself this super awesome green tea. It comes as a dry green leafy ball, but once you submerge it in boiling water, it opens up into this beautiful flower!

Cool right?!

I left the house once: to go to the gym. I did 45 minutes of an Advanced Level “Get Lean” called Adrenaline HIT.
For some reason, this particular routine has a special place in my heart. It was the first ever Nike Training Club routine I performed.

How cute is this?! HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE! <3 <3 xoxo

For one third of 2012, I have challenged myself to complete 4000 minutes of explosive plyometric exercises from the Nike Training Club app on my iPhone. And let me tell you, I am seeing results already! Yes, these “results” are probably the sort of results that only I recognize, but hey, I workout for myself, so when I see a new bulge on my back, or new muscle definition on my legs, I get EXTREMELY happy. I don’t really care whether Gina the Gym-rat sees it or not!
My tummy is getting flatter and my legs are getting more defined (I don’t think they will ever become smaller, since I am genetically cursed blessed with thunderous thighs). And best part…not only am I seeing results, but my friend Preet (who has been kind enough to accompany me during this challenge) is also seeing positive results. Awesome right?! SEEING RESULTS IS THE BEST MOTIVATION!

Many people have been asking me “what are plyometrics?” So for those who don’t know what plyos are, let me explain.

Plyometrics are quick, powerful, and explosive movements which improve the  nervous system, build fast twitch muscle fibres, and increase power and reaction time. No wonder it is more commonly used amongst athletes eh?! Particularly MMA type athletes. These exercises will improve pretty much everything from agility, power, strength, and coordination.

Basically they are drills or exercises which first eccentrically stretch the muscle and then quickly concentrically contract that same muscle.
Muscles have a sort of defence mechanism, called a stretch-reflex, where they will actually contract when they are being stretched. I am sure you have experienced this before… as soon as you have stretched too far, your muscle will automatically contract in order to protect itself from being injured.
So, plyos play on this “stretch reflex.” Muscles will produce stronger concentric contractions, after it has been stretched!

Bottom line plyos are specifically designed to make us more powerful; this is done by increasing the maximum speed and force of each muscle contraction. Not only are they making the neuromuscular system (the intricate system of electrical signals shooting towards muscles so that they can move) more efficient, but they are actually increasing flexibility and strengthening tendons and ligaments attached to bones and muscles.

All this being said, because plyometrics are performed so rapidly and explosively, they can actually lead to injury. So please perform each exercise mindfully and WITH PROPER FORM!

Also, if you are looking to gain copious amounts of bulging muscles, then of course this type of exercise should not be your primary go-to workout; however, incorporating a few drills between sets, or even just adding one plyo-day a week might actually improve your performance and speed up results.

If you are looking to improve your speed for a marathon or a 100m dash, or to improve your vertical jump so that you can make it to the NBA, then get yourself started with some PLYOMETRICS!

Let me warn you though, plyometrics are not meant to be easy! There is a lot of jumping around, which means your heart rate is going to skyrocket.
I don’t know about you, but I love when my heart rate is up; however, I have noticed many people find this to be uncomfortable and start slowing down as soon as their hearts start to pump faster. So, if you are weak at heart then either grow some kahoonas or continue living unfit, flabby, and unhealthy.
CHALLENGE YOURSELF! Ain’t nothing going to happen if you do not push yourself!

My favourite thing about plyometrics is that I never get bored! I am jumping from one drill to the next, and performing each for only 30 seconds to 1 minute! I can perform them anywhere (like in my living room or at the park) and don’t need much equipment! Having a pair of light dumbbells will obviously increase the intensity, but really I can still get a killer workout with just my bodyweight!

You can go to My Daily Workouts to view the Nike Training Club workouts, which I have been performing. If you are confused as to what “Tuck Jumps” are or “Suitcases,” then I urge you to do a quick YouTube search of it.
YouTube has TONS of useful videos, which will teach you proper form.

Good luck!

Usually when I am stressed, all I want to do is eat eat eat.
Is that what I did today? Yes.
Did I eat more than 3500 calories, causing me to gain 1 pound of body weight? Yes.
Am I proud of that? No.
Do I feel disgusting? Yes.

Yuck.

Let me give you a quick recap of what all I ate today.

I slept in accidentally and woke up around noon.
Upon waking up I ate a bowl of Creamy Peanut Butter Jelly Oats; about an hour later I ate a bowl of cheesy ravioli because I couldn’t wait for lunch.

After I ate the ravioli, mom asked me if I wanted a roast beef sandwich, and (obviously) I couldn’t say no.

After the roast beef sandwich, I still wasn’t satisfied, so I ate 3 slices of left over pizza that my brother had ordered a few nights before.

Less than an hour later I ate about half a cup of peanuts and raisins, followed by a turkey and cream cheese sandwich, 3 pieces of chocolate, and a handful of Candied Pecans.

This is when I started to really feel disgusting but I had a strong urge for ice cream.  I called up an old elementary school friend, and asked her if she was up for ice cream (who isn’t really?!).

Obviously by this point, I am just a useless lazy goop of flesh laying on my bed. With all my might, I forced my a** to the gym. I made sure to push myself hard and really get my heart rate up.
I did an Advanced Level of “Get Lean” on the Nike Training Club App; it was called Transformer. 

Every ice cream parlour we went to was closed; LUCKILY we found a gelato place downtown! Phew!

I got home and had to share my gluttony with Mom and Zaen…followed by a bowl of coconut thai chicken, more chocolate, 2 cream puffs, a few spoon fulls of sticky white rice, a bag of mini chips ahoy cookies, a thin chocolate granola bar, and….I think I should stop sharing….this is a sin you know…are you disgusted with me yet?
Am I disgusted with myself? Yes.
Am I secretly proud of my bottomlessness of a tummy? …maaaybbeeee….
Are my pants tight? Definitely.

Don’t judge! It happens! Okay…maybe not this bad….

I also just realized that I did not consume ANY vegetables or fruits today!
And I just told you guys how awesome antioxidants are! Ha! Do not follow today as an example.

Do I recommend being a gluttonous useless goop? NO!

EAT YO VEGETABLES! 

I most definitely need electro-type-beat-building-up music for the treadmill, but when I am jumping around the room, I like to listen to hip hop, RnB, and pop-y type music.

When I transitioned from PC to Mac, I only transferred a few random songs to my MacBook, the rest reside on a collection of hard drives.
When I got the iPhone a month back, I desperately needed to upload music for my plyo workouts; finding the hard drives and transferring music over seemed like too much of an effort at the time. Instead, I created a playlist from what was already on my laptop. This is the result:

Ahh YouTube doesn’t have this dope song, and I can’t seem to embed it into this post, so click on link —> x7cdth_bubba-sparxxx-ain-t-life-grand_music&start=72

Also, just wanted to take a second and send out positive energy to Whitney Houston’s soul. It is a real tragedy to lose another musical icon at such a young age. She was only 48.
R.I.P Whitney Houston.