Happy Check-In Friday with Steph!

Here is my check in, based on my own personal weekly feedback form that I use with all of my StephPRO Fit peeps! <3

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8/24/2018 CHECK IN
AM WEIGHT: N/A

FITNESS PROGRAMMING:
How many days did I train this week?
– 3x so far

How many days is my program?
– Currently following Holly Baxter’s Hybrid Training Program, 4 days x 1 Week.
– I trained Week 2, Day 4 of my program on Sunday, & will complete Week 3, Day 3 & 4 today & tomorrow.

Any adjustments, thoughts, feedback?
– I swapped out glute cable kick backs for weighted glute bridges. I struggle with a hip imbalance and find difficulty with training legs unilaterally with some movements.
– Finally getting the hang of utilizing the RPE scale with my training and understanding how much weight I can move per movement. Slight strength progressions with barbell compound movements.

Cardio? 
– 3 Stairmill Steady State Sessions PREWORKOUT – 1 Day x 35 Min, 2 Days x 20 Min

Any adjustments, thoughts, feedback?
– I am not technically scheduled to perform cardio. I enjoy walking on the stairs pre-workout as a warm up and I use this as education time, typically watching YouTube videos, IGTV, and/or other industry content.
– I no longer work at Express 40 hours a week, and therefore my activity level factor has decreased. Using steady state to balance out the decrease in energy output. (I was walking up to 11k steps per day with work during that time.)

NUTRITION PROGRAMMING:
Current Macros: 90F / 210C / 150P =  2250 Cals
Did I follow my plan?
– Tuesday I was struggling with carbs due to gut issues, so I adjusted my carb & fat ratios. I increased fat intake and decreased carb intake, but stayed within calories.
– Free meal planned for Saturday 8/25.

DAILY INFO
How is my hunger throughout the day?
– This week was funky. Definitely feeling a decrease in demanding hunger in comparison to earlier this summer.
– Not hungry right away for breakfast. Will start with coffee, and become hungry for food within 1-2 hours of waking.
– Hungry for meals around 9a-10a, 12p-1p, 5p-6p, 9p.
– Go to bed satisfied. If I am hungry, I will eat 100-200 cal typically in fats and/or protein.
How is my digestion?
– Dealt with some minor gut struggles the past 2 weeks. Bathroom has been inconsistent & I have been depending on MagO7 for help more than usual. I suspected that I am overdue for yeast/parasite maintenance & colonic. Energy and mood have been low. Bloating by mid-end of day although food choices have not changed. Started yeast/parasite protocol Monday 8/20, colonic Wednesday 8/22. Starting to feel better!
How is my energy & sleep?
– Sleep & overall daily energy has improved this week per start of yeast/parasite protocol. Very low earlier this week. Feeling rested and energetic upon waking again.

Do I have any social events coming up this week?
– Mom’s birthday Saturday 8/25. My sister and I will be taking her out for some drinks!
– I will likely be using this as a free meal for myself. Although to stay on track, I can sub carbs & fats out for alcohol, I usually find myself hungry later on. I will be eating most of my calories throughout the day.
– My beverages are not super calorie dense. I have been drinking Patron, soda, & pineapple these days. <3

Overall thoughts & feelings about this week?
– Feeling pretty good! Happy with my energy balance this week. I feel good on my current macros and feel that being at my estimated maintenance calories is super beneficial for the training program that I am following! Feeling full, strong, and am really seeing some gains in my upper body! I feel excited to train, and find that I am taking my time to do cardio, warm up, foam roll, stretch, and make the most of out of my lifts & rest periods. Following this training program has really changed a lot for me mentally in the gym. I feel a bit fluidy in my lower abdomen this morning as I can feel that I am ovulating. I get a nice nagging pain in my right side and I woke up with that this morning.  I tend to retain water (as do most females) during ovulation & during menstruation. This can effect weight measured on the scale during these times.

Photos were taken at approx 10am with 1 cup of coffee:

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Welp folks there it is. Next week we will incorporate the scale! I start school in 2 weeks (OMG) and I am required to get body fat calipers! I am SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS so I am thinking I can incorporate BF measurements perhaps once a month or so.

I haven’t weighed myself consistently in over 2.5 years. After my last show, I threw mine away & haven’t looked back. Tracking my weight just hasn’t been important to me for psychological reasons & I have learned to gauge my progress & perceived self-satisfaction by training my eyes on what to look for & by how my clothes fit.

For check-in’s I recommend weighing yourself in the AM, after the bathroom if possible, before food. Remember, weight is effected by various factors – food, water, feces, sporadic sodium intake – to name a few. What is important to remember is that it is all relative. If you drink the same amount of coffee & use the bathroom before every check in, you are involving similar environmental factors consistently! If you are one of those people who can wake up and just go to the bathroom, you suck. Some of us need coffee. Some people don’t go every day – these are all things I encourage myself and others to take into consideration BEFORE freaking out about that number!

Thanks for reading!  If anyone has any questions or comments, please pop a comment below, DM me on IG, or send me an email at StephPROFitness@gmail.com!

HAVE A FAB FRIDAY FOLKS!