Posts Tagged ‘Hydration’

Breaking Away

Posted: July 31, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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This post is for July 29th. Yeah I’ve gotten busy/lazy, take your pick. Actually I just blame my sister for dragging me out to Richmond to help her move into her new place after Sahoor. Luckily the weather was nice that early but by the time we finished, the sun was out full blast and it fatigued us all. Note to self, research why being in the sun brings induces narcolepsy.

I finally did it! I broke away from the egg trap. I woke up with just enough time to cook up some Paleo Pancakes (minus the syrup this time), and felt great about life. I then learned that evening that Paleo Pancakes are probably not something I should eat on a day I plan on working out. I’m not sure what it was but even warming up for the workout, my stomach didn’t feel right. Once I had finished the metabolic conditioning workout, I just laid on the floor. Of course I did run outside in the heat but I do think it also had something to do with the almond flour. Another note to self, check its expiration…

For Sahoor

I made Paleo Pancakes and they tasted just as good as last time. One addition I made this time was that I added a smashed up ripe banana to the mix. Changes the taste up a bit so the taste of almonds isn’t over abundant. That taste to me does get annoying after a while. I didn’t have time to make the syrup so instead I drizzled some raw honey on it. Like I said, it tasted great and I used the same recipe but I definitely felt different throughout the day. I’ll experiment some more with this another day.

Workout of the Day

Run 1/4 mile
15 Dead lifts at 275lb
20 hand release push ups
Run 1/4 mile
30 Dead lifts at 225lb
20 hand release pushups
Run 1/4 mile
45 Dead lifts at 135lb
20 hand release pushups

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This is a chipper style workout which means you have a task list that you accomplish in order one time through to complete the workout. As you can see I had to modify it a bit so I could do it without destroying myself. I was already pretty dehydrated from moving my sister’s stuff to the point where I had been craving slurpees (gasp, I know). I didn’t want to push it by running and dead lifting (which can make you dizzy pretty fast on a normal day).

For Iftar

Since I switched things up for Sahoor in the morning, I decided to shake things up for Iftar and step away from the chicken for a little bit. I ended up making some Chili Lime Salmon. It’s extremely easy to make and doesn’t take a lot of effort. It’s great for those days you are drained from helping your sister move and craving slurpees. There are a couple of ways to make it but I chose the quick and dirty way which was to fry it up in a skillet. If you have time and are sick of coconut oil, you can bake it as well.

  • about 1/2 lb of salmon (or tilapia)
  • 1 Tbsp of coconut oil
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp of chaat masala (optional)
  • 2 limes
  1. Heat up a skillet and add in coconut oil.
  2. Place the fish into a bowl and cover the filets with salt and chili powder.
  3. Squeeze both limes into the bowl. Make sure all of the filets are in the lime.
  4. Let it sit for about 5 minutes so the fish can soak up the lime and spices.
  5. Place the filets in the skillet and leave them for a few minutes, moving them around occasionally. Make sure you add all of the lime juice in the bowl as well.
  6. Flip them over and cook for another few minutes.
  7. Once it starts to brown, flip one more time, lower the heat and let it simmer with a top over the pan.
  8. It’s done when it flakes easily as you poke it with a fork.

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I served it with some green and red bell peppers to make it look pretty. I also had some more functional additions like the lettuce. I think it took me about 15-20 minutes to make this after I had worked out. Oh as you can see, I had a Kill Cliff with it. It’s a recovery/energy drink. I love that stuff and the ingredients are legit. I needed one after how I was feeling post workout.

So today I got away from eggs and chicken as well as got a workout in. That sounds like a successful day for me. I pick on my sister in this post but she has been my assistant chef on many of these meals so I actually owed her! I’ll count that as part of my workout and reminder that I still need to hydrate better.

Hydration + Electrolytes

Posted: July 23, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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A couple of days ago I talked about hydration and it’s importance, especially if you are working out in this heat. Today I wanted to touch a little bit on electrolytes. For those that are drinking high volumes of water and/or involved in lots of physical activity, replenishing your electrolyte levels are a must. They’re essentially minerals in your blood and other body fluids that carry an electric charge and affect things like the amount of water in your body, the acidity of your blood, your muscle functions, etc. You lose them when you sweat or in some cases are flushed out if you over-hydrate. Good news is that it’s not hard to replenish them. My favorite fruit, watermelon is extremely rich in electrolytes. I usually have a bowl every other night or so. While there are plenty of sources for replenishing electrolytes, like sports drinks, additives, etc, stick with natural sources like fruit, leafy greens, coconut water, and sodium. I say stay away from sports drinks because their sugar content negates a lot of their benefits.

For Sahoor

Today I fried 2 eggs in extra virgin olive oil, sprinkled a bit of a sea salt and chili powder on them and ate them with a fork. I also had a protein shake mixed with water. I don’t often drink shakes post/pre workout because I don’t find them to be that effective. However, I will sometimes drink one as a meal supplement or addition when I remember I still own some. It has plenty of protein and fills you up so it’s not a bad thing to have in the morning. Is it 100% paleo compliant…eehhh.

Workout of the Day

Since I had hydrated a lot in the morning, I decided to do a met con today. To step up the challenge, the whole met con took place outdoors. It sounded like a great idea since it was super hot inside the gym. Funny how the sun works, it wasn’t much better outside once I started the workout with the sun beating down on me. Oh well, I survived and it was a fun one:

4 rounds for time
Run 400 meters
15 Wall ball shots to a 10′ target with 20lb ball
15 Toes to Bar

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The first round went smooth but after I had run about 1/2 a mile, I started to feel the fatigue and hunger kick in. After that I ended up taking a break in between the runs and breaking up the toes to bar reps. I stuck with it though and got it done, slowly. It was a great workout that involved cardio, squats, coordination, and gymnastics.

For Iftar

I tapped into my chicken and beef patties that I have pre made and frozen for busy days and made a bunless burger. The patties consists of ground meat (chicken or beef), grounded with tomatoes, chaat masala, paprika, chili powder, salt, egg, and lemon juice. I grill them and then freeze them for days if I want a quick dinner. They last for a while so you can make a lot ahead of time. Of course they don’t taste as good as when they are fresh off the grill but they get the job done.

I ripped off a bunch of a lettuce and then laid down 2 chicken patties and 2 beef patties. I cut a little bit of tomato and cucumbers to dress it. I used some Tessemae’s ranch salad dressing to give it a nice zing. If you haven’t tried Tessemae’s dressing, I highly recommend you check it out. They have a whole lineup of healthy Paleo dressings that taste great.

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Later in the evening I filled up on some electrolytes through the means of watermelon and called it a night.

Also, I didn’t realize it until someone asked but we are half way done with Ramadan already! It’s become pretty routine now but it was a nice surprise to realize how far along we are already!