Carrie Nyden

Nope, I’m not referring to the summery shoe that let’s your toes breathe.  I’m referring to my workouts.

*NOTE: these are NOT my feetsies.  These are my lova’s (Alana) feet!  My feet NEVER look this good! hehaho

 

This time last year, I was doing practically the exact opposite of what I’m doing now.  I was limiting cardio to none or maybe one day a week plus 4 days of lifting.

 

You can check out some of my lifting videos here:

My YouTube Channel!

Chin-up video!

Now, I’m taking yoga and doing other cardio-based group exercise classes.  Say whaaa?!

 

This is due to a few reasons.

1. I bought a Groupon for unlimited yoga/group exercise classes at a local studio (SyncStudio).

2. I’ve wanted to get back into yoga for years.

3. I don’t have enough money to commit to a year-long gym membership at the time.

4. I’ve fallen in love with it!!!

(No, I’m not doing this to “shock” my body.  I don’t believe in that BS.)

Yoga challenges me in ways I have not been challenged.  It challenges my flexibility, balance, mental focus, and my overall mentality towards life. I absolutely love the messages that my teacher, Christine, reads at the beginning and end of each class.

I never thought I could truly enjoy group exercise after insanely burning myself out on it in college.  I taught WAY too many classes for my body’s liking.  It’s fun being able to push myself at the direction of the teacher without thinking, “Is this workout good enough?” “Am I motivating them enough?”

Another thing I love is the competition.  This isn’t the case for yoga but for the cardio circuit class.  If a guy shows up, I’m that much more motivated to crank out more pushups, more jump squats, more whatever movement we are told to do.

*Part of the inside of the downtown location of SyncStudio!

My month membership ends on October 30^th, soooo I’m pretty sure I know what I’ll be requesting for Christmas!

I may be suffering from what Martin Berkhan likes to refer to as “Fuckarounditis,” but that’s okay.  I’m enjoying myself and loving life and that means more to me than Martin’s opinion.  Mmmmkay?  And with any exercise program, or diet for that matter, it is being able to enjoy it and stick to it, rather than implementing the perfect program.

 

On tonight’s agenda:

I’m going to a tech startup job fair tonight.  Think this business card will fare well?!

 

Ohhhhh, what am I getting myself in to?!  Let’s see how many confused looks I receive.

Just a quick little tasty treat for ya’ll!

SWEET DILL CUCUMBERS!

Cut up cucumbers then top with this mixture:

Balsamic vinegar

Dill Weed

Stevia/Splenda/Sugar (whatever sweetener you prefer)

Told you.  Quick and simple.  Not really even sure this qualifies as any kind of recipe!

Another tasty food item that Tyler found at Whole Foods:

And I spotted these at Sam’s today.  Has anybody tried them before?

They each have similar nutrition values (~120-140 cal/link, 15-16g protein, 7-8g fat).  I just didn’t want to buy a ton and end up not liking them!

Now it’s time finish up this wonderful Monday with 1/2 price wine bottle night at Glasshalfull in Carrboro.  Here’s the yummy wine we enjoyed last week!

Any fun, relaxing plans for you tonight?

This may not be the case for many people, but in the fitness world, it seems like certain people have a superior attitude about themselves due to their eating habits.  I find it strange and simple-minded to let yourself be defined by what you choose to eat.

It’s not just the clean-eating, 6-meals-a-day crew that is guilty of this either.  Paleo/primal people hate on the people who eat grains.  Clean-eaters hate on those who eat processed foods like chemical laded “fake” cheese.  Intermittent fasters hate on those who feel the need to eat every 2-3 hours.  People who eat whole eggs think people who eat egg whites are stupid.

What if I like egg whites and not whole eggs? Does that really make you better than I am?  Just because you like organic, raw sugar and someone else likes stevia or splenda does not make you are more wholesome person.  Just because you eat fast-food and someone else would rather eat chicken and sugar snap peas, does not mean you are more intelligent.  Just because I decide to drink wine and you decide to abstain, does not make me a cooler person.

Decide what dietary habits you prefer and what works for your goals, then leave it at that

In an ideal world, we would define ourselves by our morals, our values, our passions, NOT our eating habits.  If you feel the need to look down on others because of your eating habits, look in the mirror.  Revaluate.  Try to find it within yourself to evaluate people on more important, worldly matters.

 

So, you ask, what have I been doing in the glorious town of Chapel Hill, NC?!

HI LOW!

Long time, NO blog. Like a year and five months. Yep, I could have been pregnant twice in that time period! Holy moly. Bad, bad bloggie. I’ve been meaning to blog, but for various *dumb* reasons, I have put it off.

Family vacations are always da bomb diggity and this one was no exception.  This year we went to Topsail Beach, NC!  It was BEAUTIFUL!  We were right on the oceanfront so all we had to do was walk out on our deck to watch it and we could listen to the waves all day/night.  Since I’m not a huge fan on sitting in the sand, I love oceanfront properties.  Best of both worlds… no messy sand but you still get to be right by the ocean.

Some of our activities included: running/walking on the beach, drinking wine and bubble gum flavored vodka (no, not mixed together), watching WVU lose (boooo), talking with some strange peeps on Chatroulette.com, and cooking/EATING amazing meals.

Random first fact is that… I’m on vacation this week at Topsail Beach, NC!

Alright.  Now the SERRRRRRRRRIOUS stuff!

Even before the competition was over, I started freaking out about what to do in the off-season.  I was reading forums, asking for advice, and generally just freaking out.  I want to find a good balance between exercise, nutrition, and leading a somewhat normal life.  As of now, I have no coach and no plan.  I’d like to hire a coach, probably just to reassure me, but I know that wouldn’t be financially wise.

AND even though I’m not sure if I can pay for it… Since I qualified for a national competition, I’ve been looking at them!  I’m thinking either the IFBB North American Figure Competition in Cleveland, Ohio on September 3^rd (www.garyudit.com) OR the National Figure Competition in Atlanta, George on October 15^th (www.nationalbodybuilding.com).

Tyler, thank you for putting up with me when I was so hungry I would have eaten your right leg, when I was so tired I did not want to do anything except sit in my chair or lie in my bed, and when I would snap at you…  Thank you for helping me cut the fat off chicken breasts, surprising me with tulips, and giving my sore body massages. Thank you for taking 353,385,891 pictures and videos.  And thank you for stopping for bathroom breaks every 30 minutes on road trips.   If you need a ballin’, straight up stellar website, Tyler is your man to holler at.  Trust me.

Well, I’m sitting here with my glass of red wine (which I haven’t had in over 20 weeks) and trying to think of how to put this wonderful experience in to words.  Everything about it was amazing!!!  I loved meeting all the girls, being up on stage, eating pre-stage meals that included reeses cups, peanut butter, honey, and SO much more.  It’s weird to think that it’s all over. I’m ready for the next one!

When deciding upon entering a figure contest, my main thoughts were the workouts will be tough and the diet even tougher.  I knew I would have to pay money for healthy groceries (veggies are definitely more expensive!!),  supplements (whey protein, BCAAs, beta alanine, fish oil), coaching, and travel expenses.  What I didn’t think about were all the costs and questions I would have when it came to the beauty aspect.