lifts, food, travels

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This week has flown by, and I promise you, I haven’t forgotten about the “life on 5/3/1” series. This is going to be a bit of a longer article recapping my week, some travel, workouts, and food (because, who could forget talking about what they eat during a training program?).

Let’s just jump to it.

Last week, I don’t even know what happened. It’s like I woke up and did a bunch of things, but can’t really remember what I did or when I did it. That’s kind of how life goes between travelling, working 10+ hour shifts, and of course, the HOLIDAYS! Did I mention we’re 5 days out from Christmas?! How did that happen? 2016 was so short-lived. Anyone else feel like we aren’t ready for 2017?

Continuing my talk about last week…let’s talk first about training:

5/3/1 training progress

I managed to meet my training plans as mentioned in Article 3 - real talk in the real life, which is awesome considering I just came off a brief cold. Squats still feel “weak” for me, and as I start to think about my fitness purpose for 2017, I definitely want to make sure I include Squat form and strength to the list of things to accomplish. Saturday morning deadlifts were on point, and I’m really looking forward to this weekend’s session (back to the good ole Hartford YMCA!). The only sad part about Saturday morning deadlifts is the fact that I am no longer having waffles as part of the post-workout routine. You can read more about my efforts in going Gluten Free in the first article.

Spoiler Alert: so far mission Gluten Free has been a failure for a couple reasons:

1. My skin is still acne-ridden.
2. My digestion is all over the place.

With that said, I’m still going to continue being Gluten Free for another few months, with the hope that my skin and digestive problems will clear up over time.

this week’s training schedule

Due to travel Sunday - Tuesday my workouts have been rearranged this week. I’m also feeling a spur of mid-to-upper back/low neck stiffness, which is usually a sign that I need to rest and stretch out my neck and shoulders. I’m hoping that will resolve itself in a few days, as it’s pretty gnarly trying to move or “crane” my neck in multiple directions. (You’d be surprised how often you do this in a given day!).

Here’s what my estimated training plan is for this week:

• Sun - “rest” / travelling
• Mon - “rest” / travelling
• Tues - “rest” / travelling
• Wed - Squats
• Thurs - Military Press
• Fri - Deadlift
• Sat - Bench (pending an open gym on Dec 24)
• Sun - HIIT/Abs at home (Christmas Day)

a look at my lifting progress (2016)

Those of you who follow this blog know that I am a HUGE fan of the Strong App. I just want to take a moment and share with you the progress I’ve made on my estimated 1RM for the big 4 during 2016. All weights are measured in pounds, below.

	start	end	Δ
squat	90 x 10 ~120 1RM January	130 x 10 ~174 1RM December	+54 lbs 12 mos
bench	85 x 10 ~113 1RM February	115 x 4 ~125 1RM December	+12 lbs 11 mos
deadlift	135 x 12 ~180 1RM April	205 x 10 ~273 1RM December	+93 lbs 8 mos
press	45 x 10 ~60 1RM February	65 x 12 ~93 1RM December	+33 lb 11 mos

I can’t emphasize how much tracking helps with making progress.

If you don’t know where you’re starting, how will you know where you’re going?

Take a look at the Strong App, let me know what you think, and make that effort to log all your workouts!

FOOD. enough said

Friday and Saturday were packing and prepare for travel days. Sunday through today (Tuesday) were travel across the U.S. (First a short trip to Texas, then to Connecticut to spend time with family.) Let’s just say that my diet was far from perfect. Something I want to emphasize here is a common notion of “under-eating”. When you’re on an IIFYM diet, it’s really important to actually hit the macros: not more, not less, but as close to the numbers as possible. Chronically under-eating is certainly a problem I pick up periodically due to shifts in my lifestyle. (The busier I tend to be, the easier it is for me to “forget” to eat or “under-eat”.) It’s a habit I need to work on breaking, which is why I’m going to provide some tips as to how to hit your macros while constantly on-the-go.

We’ll start with a brief commentary about airport foods and restaurants, and then shift gears to travelling with already prepared food.

buy [this] food at the airport

It’s often easier and more expensive to buy food at the airport rather than bringing it. If you have the financial means to pick something up at the airport, I personally recommend it, for convenience and food safety purposes. (There’s nothing worse than trying to eat that smelly, warm chicken that’s been mushed in your bag while you’re traveling.)

Here are some ideas for food choices while you’re at the airport. Remember, it’s all about hitting your macros, so if it fits, go ahead and eat it. And these tips are most applicable to short-haul flights and not your 8+ hour trips. I’ve linked the nutritional information to the restaurant/food name to give you an idea of the calories and macros for each item.

foods

• Subway | Chopped Salad Double Chicken: Since I’ve been eating gluten-free for the past few weeks, I like getting their chopped salad with double chicken and spicy brown mustard.
• Pinkberry | Original Tart Yogurt Small: I always seem to get dehydrated while traveling, so something about this frozen original tart makes me feel refreshed without feeling stuffed. Other than the high sugar content, fro-yo is something I’ll occasionally get if it’s later in the day, and I have some carb macros to play with.
• Any newstand | Fruit: Apples, Bananas: For shelf-life and longevity, I like getting apples over bananas, but for a quick snack, a banana is a great choice as well. These are great choices for boosting your micronutrients as well as fiber for the day!
• Any newstand | QuestBar/Protein Bars: I’m not a huge fan of protein bars and shakes because I don’t find them to taste overly good nor are they overly filling. But if cost is a problem and you want a quick snack, this will do!

drinks

I am always dehydrated while I travel, so I think it’s important to be sure you pick up a bottle of water and drink it throughout the day! Since you can’t bring liquids through airport security, you can either purchase a bottle once you pass the TSA screening, or you can bring an empty waterbottle and have it filled up by a restaurant, bar, fast food place, or water fountain.

• Any newstand | White Monster Energy Zero: If I’m not feeling a hot coffee, I’ll grab a cold Monster for the caffeine, and because they taste good! They’re relatively expensive at the airport, but I figure the can has two servings and a tall coffee from Starbucks is about the same price per serving.
• Starbucks | Tall Dark Roast with 2 pumps of SF Mocha: I wasn’t usually a “fancy” Starbucks drink person, but this one has become a travel favorite because it tastes like hot chocolate with coffee and has all the flavor without all the calories. I’ve linked you to the SF Mocha nutrition facts, which for two pumps is about 10 calories! Not too shabby! But of course, if you have the macros to spend, by all means get a higher caloric drink.

if you’re going to meal-prep before travelling, this is what you should do

1. Cook up a batch of protein (chicken, beef) and a batch of carbs (rice, pasta, etc.) and store them in large zip baggies.
2. Pack yourself one or two tupperware with lids and cutlery.
3. Pack some napkins.
4. Store inside of a cooler or bag with a small, TSA-approved ice pack.

Also be sure to call your hotel ahead of time to request a refrigerator and microwave within your room.

This method is best performed if you’re going to be gone for a certain period of time that you know you need to have meals pre-made or if you’re on a prep where all your food has to be accounted for. With all the different restaurants and grocery stores available, it’s almost too easy to buy food when you arrive at your destination and make food within your hotel room. Some of my staples for in-room cooking with a microwave are:

carbs:

• oatmeal
• minute rice
• cream of rice
• microwavable frozen veggies
• microwavable frozen bagels, waffles, etc.
• fruits: apples, bananas

proteins:

• greek yogurt
• cottage cheese
• protein powders
• precooked chicken
• frozen chicken
• eggs

fats:

• almonds
• cashews
• peanut butter

If your room includes breakfast, there’s often cereals, hard boiled eggs, and scrambled eggs! IIFYM is supposed to be a simpler way of maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Don’t over-complicate things by avoiding certain foods.

Like this article? Have a question about what to eat while traveling? Leave a comment below or find me on Twitter @lizmillerfit. Until Next One -QFB

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