Last week I worked a 92 hour week. Yes, 92 HOURS in 7 days. I calculated it to amount approximately 15 hours a day 8am-8pm and then some. It was great and exactly what I intended on doing. It was an opportunity to crossing into 2018 'MAKING' some serious cash as opposed to 'SPENDING' some serious cash and I am happy that I chose to generate.
During the hectic 7 days of physical, emotional and mental testing whilst making coffee, outdoors in extreme heat, it also served as an opportunity to really understand the importance of eating for healthy energy.
I brought my food in every day because I am a planner by design. One of those people who feel empowered and strong when a plan is in place, especially when it comes to my nutrition. Besides, the food being sold at the venue was
A) Not the most satiable for a health nut like me
B) Quite expensive (a small bottle of water costs $5)
So not only did I bring my own food, I came prepared in the water department too.
Now...another thing about me, is that I have an epic Sweet tooth. ESPECIALLY, ice cream and chocolate. When I feel tired, bored or feel a reward is in order, I really enjoy eating sweet stuff. So on most nights, I treated myself to a smidgen of Ben & Jerrys Dairy Free Ice-cream (if you haven't already, you really should be in your car right now and finding your nearest 7eleven to buy a tub...)
Each night of the 7 day stint, I would do this. Each day that followed was fine. I had loads of energy and had mental clarity because 90% of my nutrition was on point. Except for the one night that I decided to eat A WHOLE BLOODY PINT!
'Treat yo'self gurrrrrrrrrl' went a tad too far
And didn't I feel it the next day!!! I was on day 5 and felt like a walking comatose. It was horrible. I hated every minute of it. Sugar hangover made me want to just crawl up underneath the trestle table that held our empty milk jugs and cryyyyy...and sleep...and wake up and cry some more.
This experience is one I have had before BUT this felt the rawest. There was no where to hide. I was too far from home to sneak in a quick nap, I was in 36 deg celsius heat and I committed to sticking around.
It really shed some light for me on the IMPACT of what we eat has on EVERYTHING!
It impacted my mind, my performance, my energy, my appearance (I looked hungover), my eyesight, my ability to deliver great customer service...my ability to enjoy life.
And although, 'I know' all of this about nutrition, to experience this kind of impact woke me up even more!
Have you ever had days like this???
So leading on from my last blog,
I am gonna get all real and sciencey with you in this piece. Smash some Fallacies and speak some Truths.
1. The purpose of food- The Reality Check...
2. How to determine THE BEST Food for YOU
3. Feeling good to Look good rather than Looking good to feel good
Food Glorious Food
What is the purpose of food?
Lets get one thing straight...
Food is not designed to curb hunger. It works yes, and it helps with easing the discomfort of feeling hungry, yes. Its sole purpose is to NOURISH our bodies. Wait! Lets get rid more into detail with this...scrap bodies and lets say...CELLS.
Over the years, decades, centuries and ions. We have been programmed to be soooo disconnected with the purpose of eating, by being told to eat for different reasons, curbing hunger being one of the main ones. But if you really think about it, truly look at the sole purpose of eating and fueling, it is to nourish a bloody cells. Our cells are responsible for everything! And to care for them, to care for the regeneration of our cells is to care for the food we eat (plus more but we won't go into that here)
Of course we have to be mindful of the many other aspects of eating... like, taste, smell, experience and enjoyment but in the forefront of our thinking, we need to be aware of the sole purpose, to assist in choosing the type of nourishment we have with food.
I have to refrain from writing the 'know it all' 'science' stuff because I don't know it all and science is not my area of influence.
What I am good at though, is experimenting with anything from diet, hobbies and haircuts and then sharing my experience! So I will stick to that, shall I?
Eat good to feel good
Its as simple as that. I find that eating for genuine, clean and effortless energy is what has been working for me. I have definitely misconstrued that a few times in my life where I would count the calories in a donut and say to myself 'Well, there is lots of energy in that...I need energy!'
The whole misconception of eating sweets or drinking coffee at 3pm to avoid the afternoon slump, does not work for me because what I found is that it fed the vicious cycle of having no energy to start off with. The slump was always created by the deficiency of the ample caffeine and sugar that generally ran through my arteries and the slump = feeling like death...every time.
Feel good to look good
Well, rewind to the year that I competed in Fitness Modelling. (If you missed it, read about that experience here)
Dayum, my body looked Fiiiiiiiine...BUT my face on the other hand, was tired and haggard much like, how I felt. The reduced calories, increased training and IV line of chemical induced supplements straight to my energy system, caused one malfunctioning , ready to flip... psychopath.
Too often when eating just to look good, we tend to miss the mark of everything else that is important to feel good too. Looking good will only last a short time in the grand scheme of things but I have found, that when we eat good, to feel good...Looking good is a natural by-product of this choice and the longevity of that is far greater than when eating good to look good.
How do you know when you are eating to feel good? Its all about energy baby! Do you Feeeeeel good all the time. Not just sometimes.
⬜Do you bounce out of bed when you wake up?
⬜Is your poo healthy poo (the regular no strain, no wipe type but you still wipe just in case)? ⬜Do you have an effortless positive mindset? Do you flow with ease through stressful times?
⬜Do you get anxious?
⬜How is your train of thought?
⬜Do you fall asleep easily AND stay asleep deeply?
These are just SOME of the areas we need to look at when considering being healthy...
Its not about donning a six pack, an apple bottom and Delt-tastic shoulders.
All of the above can literally be put next to the boxes to tick and once you have the lot...you are HEALTHY!!
Now, let me point out that everybody has different nutritional requirements to tick off these boxes. There is no 'one diet fits all' AT ALL! It is literally our responsibility to get responsible for your own health. To learn for ourselves, what works for ourselves and take all advice and influence we receive from others, as a guidance tool, rather than a be all and end all.
And why should we even care about feeling good?
Feeling good results in you being an incredible person. Reliable and fun at work, a cheerful and active parent, a delightful and loving partner, a caring and understanding friend, a beast in the gym...
Whatever is most relevant to you...put the best version of yourself in the picture and understand that 'IT ALL STARTS WITH FOOD'!!!
As I mentioned in my most previous blog, I cleaned up my act with Nutritionally supported intermittent fasting with a product range called Isagenix and now have catered my love for everything food related, everything spiritual and everything energetic around my 'Isagenix Shake Loving Lifestyle' and it is everything that I had wished for in nutrition. K.I.S.S- Kept it Simple Senorita
I actually eat more now than I have in years, all the while, staying lean, feeling great, saving money, cooking less and kicking epic health and physical goals.
Furthermore...
I am a Proud Vegan 😍...as stated in my Instagram profile. I do not eat meat or meat products. This is recent and has been years in the making. If I told you it happened instantaneously, Pinocchio would be disappointed that my little button Asian nose, out grew his by a mile.
I won't go into the story right now, of this evolution from meat loving Pinoy to a Straight up Vegan as I am saving that story for another blog post.
Just know that I can confidently tick all of those 'Healthy boxes', while consciously avoiding the ingestion of flesh. Again...no details in this blog but you will love the story so stay tuned!
Now back to how this piece is gonna roll out. I thought that the best way to take you through the adventure of my nutrition, to further inspire yours, I have decided to share with you the up and coming experience of my next 8 week Challenge. Its a transformation challenge with my local F45 gym which, I expect to be just that...a challenge.
I did one late last year and got some great results BUT did not follow the 'recommended calorie intake' as all. I pretty much ate how much I wanted but kept it healthy. I was so rebellious when it came to the reduced calories, because I would rather feel strong and energetic during the challenge rather than deficient and lethargic.
My results were fantastic, where I lost over 5kgs of weight and over 5% body fat
But this time,
I am going to be a good little challenger and stick to the recommended 1200 calories per day (according to my height and weight) but, me being me, am determined to make it fun, enjoyable and as painless as possible.
It is so super important to me that in my quest to get leaner, that my health still remains abundant, my skin remains full of glow, my energy levels are high (when they need to be) and that I have no reason to ever use the excuse 'sorry I was an asshole, I am dieting'.
Its most important to me that I stay in alignment with who I want to be, how I want to feel and how I want to live and that my connection with God and my tribe is integral.
I am determined to find the middle ground where I can manipulate the decrease in calories to work in favor of my happiness during these 8 weeks.
All too often, I stand witness to major emotional and energetic downfalls during these challenges because people have completely eliminated carbohydrates and/or they are simply not eating enough.
So I am going to eat to suit my energy needs, so the only time I want to sleep, is when I usually sleep...at night.
I feel like that being open to this and being intentional, will definitely help me with this unfolding wonderfully but that maaay change...we will see!
I also don't want to get bored with food. So I will be having fun with flavors whilst keeping it in the calorie range I need to stay in, to shred some fat.
Is that even possible??? Imma gonna find out!
So my next blog is going to be my choice of lifestyle for the first 4 weeks as a trial (I trial everything) and that is....
Drum roll please....
For me, I need the most energy when I am lifting heavy things. So I will time my high carb days around my weighted sessions and my low carb days around my cardio sessions. You may be different though, you may be the opposite BUT I will go into that in the next piece.
**Carbohydrates are key for clear brain function and when paired with protein, act as a great recovery source for our muscles when weight training.
So whether you are curious for your own health, own goals or just because..
In the next 8 weeks, you will receive an insight of the pros and cons of Vegan Carb Cycling
During the hectic 7 days of physical, emotional and mental testing whilst making coffee, outdoors in extreme heat, it also served as an opportunity to really understand the importance of eating for healthy energy.
I brought my food in every day because I am a planner by design. One of those people who feel empowered and strong when a plan is in place, especially when it comes to my nutrition. Besides, the food being sold at the venue was
A) Not the most satiable for a health nut like me
B) Quite expensive (a small bottle of water costs $5)
So not only did I bring my own food, I came prepared in the water department too.
Now...another thing about me, is that I have an epic Sweet tooth. ESPECIALLY, ice cream and chocolate. When I feel tired, bored or feel a reward is in order, I really enjoy eating sweet stuff. So on most nights, I treated myself to a smidgen of Ben & Jerrys Dairy Free Ice-cream (if you haven't already, you really should be in your car right now and finding your nearest 7eleven to buy a tub...)
Each night of the 7 day stint, I would do this. Each day that followed was fine. I had loads of energy and had mental clarity because 90% of my nutrition was on point. Except for the one night that I decided to eat A WHOLE BLOODY PINT!
'Treat yo'self gurrrrrrrrrl' went a tad too far
And didn't I feel it the next day!!! I was on day 5 and felt like a walking comatose. It was horrible. I hated every minute of it. Sugar hangover made me want to just crawl up underneath the trestle table that held our empty milk jugs and cryyyyy...and sleep...and wake up and cry some more.
This experience is one I have had before BUT this felt the rawest. There was no where to hide. I was too far from home to sneak in a quick nap, I was in 36 deg celsius heat and I committed to sticking around.
It really shed some light for me on the IMPACT of what we eat has on EVERYTHING!
It impacted my mind, my performance, my energy, my appearance (I looked hungover), my eyesight, my ability to deliver great customer service...my ability to enjoy life.
And although, 'I know' all of this about nutrition, to experience this kind of impact woke me up even more!
Have you ever had days like this???
So leading on from my last blog,
I have to refrain from writing the 'know it all' 'science' stuff because I don't know it all and science is not my area of influence.
What I am good at though, is experimenting with anything from diet, hobbies and haircuts and then sharing my experience! So I will stick to that, shall I?
Eat good to feel good
Feel good to look good
Its as simple as that. I find that eating for genuine, clean and effortless energy is what has been working for me. I have definitely misconstrued that a few times in my life where I would count the calories in a donut and say to myself 'Well, there is lots of energy in that...I need energy!'
The whole misconception of eating sweets or drinking coffee at 3pm to avoid the afternoon slump, does not work for me because what I found is that it fed the vicious cycle of having no energy to start off with. The slump was always created by the deficiency of the ample caffeine and sugar that generally ran through my arteries and the slump = feeling like death...every time.
Feel good to look good
Well, rewind to the year that I competed in Fitness Modelling. (If you missed it, read about that experience here)
Dayum, my body looked Fiiiiiiiine...BUT my face on the other hand, was tired and haggard much like, how I felt. The reduced calories, increased training and IV line of chemical induced supplements straight to my energy system, caused one malfunctioning , ready to flip... psychopath.
Too often when eating just to look good, we tend to miss the mark of everything else that is important to feel good too. Looking good will only last a short time in the grand scheme of things but I have found, that when we eat good, to feel good...Looking good is a natural by-product of this choice and the longevity of that is far greater than when eating good to look good.
How do you know when you are eating to feel good? Its all about energy baby! Do you Feeeeeel good all the time. Not just sometimes.
⬜Do you bounce out of bed when you wake up?
⬜Is your poo healthy poo (the regular no strain, no wipe type but you still wipe just in case)? ⬜Do you have an effortless positive mindset? Do you flow with ease through stressful times?
⬜Do you get anxious?
⬜How is your train of thought?
⬜Do you fall asleep easily AND stay asleep deeply?
These are just SOME of the areas we need to look at when considering being healthy...
Its not about donning a six pack, an apple bottom and Delt-tastic shoulders.
All of the above can literally be put next to the boxes to tick and once you have the lot...you are HEALTHY!!
Now, let me point out that everybody has different nutritional requirements to tick off these boxes. There is no 'one diet fits all' AT ALL! It is literally our responsibility to get responsible for your own health. To learn for ourselves, what works for ourselves and take all advice and influence we receive from others, as a guidance tool, rather than a be all and end all.
And why should we even care about feeling good?
Feeling good results in you being an incredible person. Reliable and fun at work, a cheerful and active parent, a delightful and loving partner, a caring and understanding friend, a beast in the gym...
Whatever is most relevant to you...put the best version of yourself in the picture and understand that 'IT ALL STARTS WITH FOOD'!!!
As I mentioned in my most previous blog, I cleaned up my act with Nutritionally supported intermittent fasting with a product range called Isagenix and now have catered my love for everything food related, everything spiritual and everything energetic around my 'Isagenix Shake Loving Lifestyle' and it is everything that I had wished for in nutrition. K.I.S.S- Kept it Simple Senorita
I actually eat more now than I have in years, all the while, staying lean, feeling great, saving money, cooking less and kicking epic health and physical goals.
Furthermore...
I am a Proud Vegan 😍...as stated in my Instagram profile. I do not eat meat or meat products. This is recent and has been years in the making. If I told you it happened instantaneously, Pinocchio would be disappointed that my little button Asian nose, out grew his by a mile.
I won't go into the story right now, of this evolution from meat loving Pinoy to a Straight up Vegan as I am saving that story for another blog post.
Just know that I can confidently tick all of those 'Healthy boxes', while consciously avoiding the ingestion of flesh. Again...no details in this blog but you will love the story so stay tuned!
Now back to how this piece is gonna roll out. I thought that the best way to take you through the adventure of my nutrition, to further inspire yours, I have decided to share with you the up and coming experience of my next 8 week Challenge. Its a transformation challenge with my local F45 gym which, I expect to be just that...a challenge.
I did one late last year and got some great results BUT did not follow the 'recommended calorie intake' as all. I pretty much ate how much I wanted but kept it healthy. I was so rebellious when it came to the reduced calories, because I would rather feel strong and energetic during the challenge rather than deficient and lethargic.
My results were fantastic, where I lost over 5kgs of weight and over 5% body fat
See picture below
But this time,
I am going to be a good little challenger and stick to the recommended 1200 calories per day (according to my height and weight) but, me being me, am determined to make it fun, enjoyable and as painless as possible.
It is so super important to me that in my quest to get leaner, that my health still remains abundant, my skin remains full of glow, my energy levels are high (when they need to be) and that I have no reason to ever use the excuse 'sorry I was an asshole, I am dieting'.
Its most important to me that I stay in alignment with who I want to be, how I want to feel and how I want to live and that my connection with God and my tribe is integral.
I am determined to find the middle ground where I can manipulate the decrease in calories to work in favor of my happiness during these 8 weeks.
All too often, I stand witness to major emotional and energetic downfalls during these challenges because people have completely eliminated carbohydrates and/or they are simply not eating enough.
So I am going to eat to suit my energy needs, so the only time I want to sleep, is when I usually sleep...at night.
I feel like that being open to this and being intentional, will definitely help me with this unfolding wonderfully but that maaay change...we will see!
I also don't want to get bored with food. So I will be having fun with flavors whilst keeping it in the calorie range I need to stay in, to shred some fat.
Is that even possible??? Imma gonna find out!
So my next blog is going to be my choice of lifestyle for the first 4 weeks as a trial (I trial everything) and that is....
Drum roll please....
Vegan Carb Cycling!!!
As a quick intro and explanation. Carb cycling is simply timing the eating of your required carbohydrate intake to benefit your energy exertion, over a weekly period as opposed to daily requirements. Some days will be higher in carbs and some will be lower in carbs, depending on when you need the energy the mostFor me, I need the most energy when I am lifting heavy things. So I will time my high carb days around my weighted sessions and my low carb days around my cardio sessions. You may be different though, you may be the opposite BUT I will go into that in the next piece.
**Carbohydrates are key for clear brain function and when paired with protein, act as a great recovery source for our muscles when weight training.
So whether you are curious for your own health, own goals or just because..
In the next 8 weeks, you will receive an insight of the pros and cons of Vegan Carb Cycling
I have done plenty of research on this now, enough for me to give it go and hope for the best version of me to be present while creating a better version of me.
If you want to keep updates on the foods I make, I recommend heading to my Instagram page
the_wonder_woman_crusader as that is where I will share alot of piccies along the way.
I am so excited to share this adventure with you!!
Thanks for investing time to read my pieces...
I love you!
Jax
If you want to keep updates on the foods I make, I recommend heading to my Instagram page
the_wonder_woman_crusader as that is where I will share alot of piccies along the way.
I am so excited to share this adventure with you!!
Thanks for investing time to read my pieces...
I love you!
Jax
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