Personal Training

Weekend Away + Updates on Training/Diet!

Posted on by Naomi
This past weekend, I fled the city and headed to Cape Cod. It is so easy to get stuck in the hussle and bussle of the city in the summer time that I was SO looking forward to this weekend getaway. I grew up going to the Cape so whenever I go there, even for a couple of days, I immediately get thrown back into my childhood years. The sand, the smells, the stores, the fresh seafood. I couldn’t wait to be there!

I met my family who was already there for the week of July 4th. There was walking, talking, bonding, eating, sunning and lots of fresh seafood!
When my mom asked where I wanted to go to dinner, I didn’t have a specific place in mind, but I knew I wanted it to be “Cape” meaning picnic tables, fish served on paper plates, sand in my toes and casual setting.
The Sesuit Harbor Cafe was the place and it was exactly what I wanted. Casual, quirky, sandy overlooking the harbor
Dad and me

Mom and me

Fresh oysters and little necks served on a paper plate with a plastic fork. Nothing fancy. Just the real deal.
Scallops, grilled simple with lemon atop a big salad of greens, tomatoes and red onion. I also ordered a side of corn on the cob which was probably the sweetest, most delicious corn I have had yet this summer
Our view
And still dreaming of these…
The beach  the incredible. Minimal wind, minimal clouds. 50 Shades of Grey on my ipad, warm ocean, hot sand.
I packed lots of healthy snacks and lunch to bring to the beach. I get asked all of the time what to bring when traveling and I will tell you that these packets are a lifesaver! I always buy a few and keep them in my bag, in my apartment and at work for some quick, portable protein on the go. I have some pink salmon (like in the above picture) and also some tuna

I saw TED! It was super cute. I think that if you are not from Boston, it may not be AS funny, as there were lots of ‘Boston’ jokes, but it was thoroughly enjoyable!
Sand in my toes and the weekend was accomplished!

When I arrived back to the city, it was back on track to Trader Joes for some groceries.

  • Snap peas
  • avocado
  • yellow peppers
  • romaine and baby spinach
  • frozen berries
  • Greek Yogurt
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Eggs and Egg whites
  • Rice cakes
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Salsa
  • Turkey
  • Chicken breast

UPDATES

  • Currently, I am less than 7 weeks out from my first show of the season. The show is in Atlantic City on August 25th and as many people in my life would say, I am in “show mode” Diet is still not too strict right now because I don’t have that much excess weight to lose. It will tighten up in a couple of week.  Right, now I actually have decreased my cardio. I need to focus on maintaining the muscle that I have before I start really ‘dieting’ which will be more like 5 weeks out. As many of you know, excessive cardio will begin to eat away at your hard earned muscle, and while some competitors pick up their cardio close to show (because they keep it low year round) I keep my cardio pretty consistent all year round and around show time, I actually greatly decrease it.
  • I am strength training 3-4 days a week and performing cardio about 3-4x a week for 20 minutes. THAT’S IT 2 of those times is HIIT training and 1-2 is steady state (depending on if I am doing cardio 3 or 4 times that week)
  • I have some muscular imbalances that I am dealing with in my upper body, so my strength training is not ‘as focused’ meaning I don’t have 1 day that is “back/bicep” or “chest/triceps” I have to listen to my body and in no way want to aggravate the imbalances further so I am incorporating a lot of body weight exercises and the TRX as well. Of course, the Kettlebells make an appearance almost every workout as well.  Some days are indeed more focused than others, but I really go by how my body is feeling and not what is written on a piece of paper saying this is what I am supposed to do on this day
  • With the above said, I had a great upper body workout yesterday that was more back focused. 
  • Overall I am lifting HEAVY. Meaning no more than 10 reps-ever (when it comes to my upper body)  
  • Right around this time is where I really have to be careful not to hit over training.
  • I am eating clean, whole, unprocessed foods, incorporating more flax and udo’s oils
  • Proteins: white fish, salmon (1x a week) lean ground beef, lean ground turkey, chicken breast, tuna fish, eggs and egg whites
  • Carbs: oats, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice
  • Fats: coconut oil, almond butter (only 1x a day if that) flax oil, udo’s oil, olive oil, avocado, egg yolk
  • Veggies: Anything green!! snap peas, green beans, kale, spinach, asparagus, peppers.
  • Fruit: berries, bananas (only post workout) apples, mango and pineapple (post workout)
BACK FOCUSED WORKOUT
  • Pull ups (assisted with band) (4×6-8) superset w/ narrow grip seated back rows (4×8)
  • Barbell bent over back rows (4×6-8) superset w/ TRX Bicep curls
  • Squatted face pulls with rope attachment (3×8) superset w/ barbell bicep curls
  • TRX low back rows (3×8) superset with TRX I,T,Y’s
  • TRX Knee ins (3×15) <--fun ab work!
After this workout, I hit the foam roller and stretched my shoulders and chest for about 15 minutes. NEVER overlook the importance of stretching and flexibility training into your daily routine. I have seen significant increases in my own strength, an overall feeling of ‘moving better’ as well as decreased muscle soreness.



Naomi
Naomi

8 thoughts on “Weekend Away + Updates on Training/Diet!”

  1. Sable Weisman says:

    What division are you competing in? I forgot :-X I know I’m a horrible blog friend… it’s the contest diet brain I swear! 😉

    I love the Cape – I think I know where you were based on the pics =) I grew up on the South Shore & Max is from Rhode Island & the Cape (moved half-way through his life haha)

  2. Maryann says:

    Hi! I am curious as to why you limit almond butter to one tablespoon every once in a while? Is flax/udos way better for maintaining weight? I’m just wondering because I have been eating a lot of almond butter lately and don’t know if I should be giving flax oil a try. Ps, how do you eat the flax oil? In smoothies? Thanks for your advice! 🙂

  8. Leticia @ Running Around Hungry says:

    I love your blog…always so informative! Plus, you always have fantastically helpful meal/snack/grocery staples ideas. Keep up the great work!

    Btw, I recently visited Trader Joe’s for the first time ever (addicted)and I had many of the same things in my basket! LOL

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