[Clare]

Today’s a rest day from training. I did a nice run this morning, then I went to get some chiropractic and soft tissue treatment done, which was well overdue!

This afternoon I’ve just been getting on with some work and will shortly be going out for a walk before my husband gets back home from work for the weekend.

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[Clare]

The best way to find out what foods are triggers for you would be to follow an elimination diet.

For 2-3 weeks eliminate all common trigger foods, such as dairy, gluten, soy, eggs, nuts, shellfish, artificial sweeteners and processed foods, and focus on eating whole, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and gluten-free grains.

After this elimination phase, you can reintroduce foods one at a time, every 2-3 days. Monitor your symptoms and document everything in a food diary.

If you experience any symptoms such as bloating, pain, constipation/diarrhoea etc, then that food is likely a trigger, so remove it again and wait until your symptoms subside before reintroducing a different food.

You should be able to identify what foods are causing you problems at the end of this process.

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[Clare]

When I trained for a marathon several years ago, I did just that. I did 2 full body weight sessions a week, and then fitted my running training around that.

For example:

Mon – Rest

Tues – Full Body

Weds – Short distance run

Thurs – Mid distance run

Fri – Full Body

Sat – Short distance run

Sun – Long run (increasing distance each week)

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[Clare]

I went in and did another upper this morning, which was good. I also did a short run first thing, so didn’t feel I needed to add any cardio elements to the session today. Just a basic bodybuilding kinda workout!

I initially wanted to lose a bit of upper body size after stepping away from the stage. I still wanted to keep my legs, which is why I kept my leg training frequency high, but with the additional cardio I do now, I have dropped back down to 2x lowers per wk and have added back in an upper. My body shape has changed, but I feel comfortable with where I’m at right now, so it’s really a case of maintaining, but continuing to build my cardio fitness and aiming to be as healthy as possible!

Wide grip Lat pulldown x2
Cable row x2
Close grip smith press x2
Dips x3
Triceps cable ext x3
Cable bicep curl x3
Ab roll outs x3

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[Clare]

I’m not sure what you’re asking. If you’re in a gaining phase, eating in a surplus and progressing your lifts, then yes, you should be expecting the scale weight to increase. If you’re following a consistent routine with your training, rest days, sleep patterns and diet, then you will probably notice a pattern in what days the scale fluctuates.

Sorry Claire,

What I meant is I don’t know whether the gain is water, muscle or fat or all three, as this is my first controlled bulking phase ever.[/quote]

You will be gaining some muscle, some fat and holding some inflammation/water throughout your whole gaining phase, but you don’t need to over analyse each jump in scale weight. Assess your gaining phase as a whole. Make decisions on whether to make any more changes based on your training performance and body composition at the end of each week.

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[Clare]

I’m not sure what you’re asking. If you’re in a gaining phase, eating in a surplus and progressing your lifts, then yes, you should be expecting the scale weight to increase. If you’re following a consistent routine with your training, rest days, sleep patterns and diet, then you will probably notice a pattern in what days the scale fluctuates.

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[Clare]

I love the taste of lots of fruits. They all have extensive health benefits from antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients, to their prebiotic, fibre and digestive properties for gut health.

My top favourites:

Blueberries, Pineapple, Pomegranate seeds, Raspberries, Dates, Kiwis.

I wouldn’t necessarily avoid any. I just prefer the taste of some over others.

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[Clare]

Today I trained legs with my old training partner. It’s been a while since we’ve managed to align our workouts again and get together for a session, so it was really good to see him again.

We both had a really good session and always bounce off each other well. Hopefully moving forward, we can continue meeting up on a Tues for a leg session, which falls into both our plans nicely.

Lying leg curl x2
Adductor x2
Pendulum x2
Leg press x2
Leg ext x2
Abductor x2

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[Clare]

Not something I’ve ever experienced myself, or that I would consider common or ‘normal’. Were you excessively holding your breath? This is the only explanation I can think off.

I would, however, go and get yourself checked over by a doctor just to rule out anything more serious, as you don’t want this happening again, particularly if you’re under some weights.

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[Clare]

I agree, Biolabs are reputable.

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[Clare]

Today is a rest day. I got a nice run in first thing. A lot cooler than it has been and the darker mornings seem to be creeping in already.. I’m not sure I’m ready for the summer to be over just yet!

My car had to go in for an MOT this morning, which is fortunately walking distance from my house, so was able to drop it off and pick it up easily, and get some work done in between.

This afternoon I went to get my monthly Glutathione IV. Glutathione is a very powerful antioxidant, with a whole host of health benefits. IV administration goes directly into the blood stream, by-passing the digestive system, and so has a much higher absorption rate than oral alternatives.

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[Clare]

I would keep the exercise in, but switch up the rep range and build the load back up again.

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[Clare]

If you’re taking some of the protein out by removing the yolks, then yes, replace the protein, either with more egg whites or something else. The carton liquid egg whites are handy.

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[Clare]

I went in and did an upper session this morning as my legs were still in bits from Friday. (Which was to be expected after having some time away from the gym!).

With all the running I’m now doing, I’ve actually decided to switch my routine up to doing 2 uppers and 2 leg sessions a week now, as opposed to the previous 3 legs and 1 upper. This will allow my legs some more time to recover.

I’ll still be flexible with my plan and opt for extra rest days, or switch up my sessions if I feel like it, but this will be my basic template.. Off, Legs, Upper, Off, Legs, Off, Upper. I’ll then fit my longer runs in on my rest days, and do some shorter runs on training days as and when. If I take the plunge and get back into my netball at some point, then I’ll have another re-think.

Diet wise, I have gone back to my pre-holiday plan. My scale weight was down a touch, so I’ve just had two days of re-feeding with a couple of decent off plan meals. I’ll see what the scale does over the next few days, but I’ll likely bump my food up a touch moving forward as I’m looking pretty lean, and health-wise I think it would be beneficial to add a little more bodyfat.

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[Clare]

If you simply weigh everything before you eat it, you will always be accurate. Weigh out your COR, cheese, rice, meats etc, stick with the same brands, and have the same amount each day.

When it comes to eggs, however, I would just calculate the macros from an average small/medium/large egg and be consistent with what size and brand you use (They may not be 100% the same, but the difference will be negligible here).

That is what I was thinking about eggs, just to get average weight for one egg size M or L and i will be good[/quote]

Yep, that’s fine and what I do.

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