One Week Without Sugar

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try all the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. One week without sugar could you do it? Sugar is in almost everything, their is natural sugar like the sugar that is in fruit and then their is refined cane sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, evaporated cane juice the list goes on and on. So for one week I cut sugar out completely which meant no alternative sweeteners either no honey or agave even though I believe those aren't bad for you I wanted to see what it was like not having that added sweetness. Natural sugars were allowed because fruit is healthy and delicious and nature's sugar.
Let me start out by telling you that I have a major sweet tooth and I love my desserts. I was interested when I read up about having a sweet tooth to find out it doesn't really exist it's just your taste buds and food cravings rearing its ugly head. In nutrition class I found out that if you had desserts after every meal as a kid you would always crave that because you were used to it but you can always retrain yourself too. I don't indulge in donuts, cakes and really unhealthy desserts but I enjoy my frozen yogurt and dark chocolate and always want dessert after dinner. I used to put sugar in my coffee but broke that habit last year after having a cavity filled at the dentist.
I started my no sugar week with plain oatmeal for breakfast with no sugar added, I sometimes add nuts, fresh fruit, unsweetened almond milk or coconut oil but no sugar. It was pretty easy to stay away from sugar for breakfast because I usually did already. Lunch I usually ate salads but made sure the dressing didn't have sugar in it. I work in a restaurant that makes all dressing from scratch so was able to ask which dressing did or did not have sugar in them. I also had rice cakes with almond butter for lunch and bananas, other fruits or nuts for snacks during the day.
Dinner was easy not to incorporate sugar because I had fish and ground turkey with sautéed vegetables so I didn't need sugar. The challenge came at the end of dinner when I would usually reach for the chocolate or want some ice cream or frozen yogurt. The first night was the hardest night I had a cranberry natural tea instead of dessert but was still craving sugar. The next day I did feel like I had more energy and it was getting easier not to think about sweets and lack of sugar. On my third day of no sugar one of my co-workers brought a box of mini chocolate donuts to work and although I normally don't crave donuts they looked good because I hadn't had any sugar for a few days. I didn't have one but it was tempting. I'm a woman of my word and when I start something I finish it.
I noticed that I wasn't able to have a lot of processed food because when reading the labels almost everything had sugar added to it. I usually eat healthy but noticed that I was eating even healthier this week. I feel really good and have a lot of energy so I decided to continue and do a month of no sugar.
Overall I would recommend trying no sugar for a week sort of to detox yourself from sugar because it is a highly addictive food. And if you can get over that addiction you will feel and look good. Until next week stay fit!

Juicing

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try all the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. This past week was all about juicing. Juicing is the latest fitness trend to hit Hollywood by storm. Celebrities like supermodel Heidi Klum juice before red carpet events to slim down and fit into that perfect dress.
A few reasons why I started juicing was juicing helps you absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables. Juicing allows you to consume an optimal amount of vegetables in an efficient manner. And you can add a wider variety of vegetables in your diet. I am always eager to try new and exciting diets so I replaced one meal a day with fresh juice.
I watched a film recently called "Fat, sick and nearly dead" where a man who was fat, sick and nearly dead changed his life by juicing for 30 days. This film was extremely inspirational and one of the reasons I decided I would juice.
I own my own juicer and juice places have popped up all over the place in the past year. On my way to Los Angeles, on Thursdays I always stop at this place called Juice it Up and I always get a fresh juice. I usually get the Immunizer- spinach, apples, celery and lemon. I like getting green juices because I get my fruits and vegetables from them.
The first couple days of this juice cleanse I felt a little light headed when I supplemented the juice for a regular meal. I felt like I needed something more but I stuck with it. Everyday got better and by the end of the week I was craving juice and started juicing for lunch and dinner.
Last year my boyfriend and I got really into juicing and we started juicing every night almost. So I guess you can say I already liked juicing and getting my nutrients that way. They only downfall to juicing is cleaning you juicer. You basically have to drink your juice while you clean your machine because you get the most nutrients from your juice within 15 minutes of juicing. And if you leave your juicer after you juice and don't clean it your juicer gets really gross.
I can believe how fast this week went by I think I'm going to continue juicing because now I'm so into it and its so good for you. I would recommend to a friend juicing once a day to get the vital nutrients you body needs. The first days are always the hardest days but if you get through those you will feel refreshed and invigorated. Until next time stay fit!

Ode to Asylum

Beachbody has created one of the most popular workout DVD sets with P90x and Insanity. After completing Insanity and working out to those same videos for about 2 years I decided it was time to try Asylum the next series after Insanity with the same trainer ShaunT.
Asylum intrigued me because it's about training like an athlete. The workouts consist of interval training with moves that professional athletes do. One morning I was sucked into the Asylum infomercial with Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno and I was hooked I called and ordered the series immediately . The basic version is the 30 day program their is a deluxe version but I wanted to start with the 30 day program.
When I received the DVD set in the mail I was so excited, and started immediately. I had been working out here and there but now I was committed to the Asylum 30 day plan. The first couple of days kicked my caboose, I could barely finish certain moves like walking push-ups. I continued day by day even though it as tough and the sweat was dripping off me everyday.
One of the videos is called Speed & Agility an intense cardio interval 50 minute workout harder than any other workout DVD I had done. It quickly become my challenge that I needed to overcome. Throughout the 30 days I got better and better at Speed & Agility and moves called "bear-crawl" and "in&out abs". Gradually I started to get stronger and more toned.
At the end of the 30 days I took my after photos and could see a change and more that that I felt a change inside. My mind was clearer and I felt like I could do anything. I completed this very tough workout out and felt a great sense of accomplishment.
Overall I would recommend Asylum to friends and other fitties because its a great workout that focuses on cardio and strength. Committing to a 30 day workout plan and finishing it makes you feel really good about yourself. Until next time stay fit!