My self-diagnosis

So according to Google, and based off of the various assessments/conversations I've had with my fellow kinesiologist friends, it appears I have given myself a stress fracture right around the head of my left fibula. Crap. This isn't good for several reasons:

1. I have a bachelorette party this coming weekend (one that I organized  which could result in (a) excessive drinking to numb the pain while I dance, or (b) me being a crabby, limpy guest.
2. I'm a trainer, and demonstrating exercises is part of the gig.
3. I love squats, deadlifts, plyo jumps a lot. This will mean none of those for the next few weeks. And this brings a tear to my eye.

Although I'm not 100% sure how it happened, I have a sneaking suspicion it was last week, when Vancouver looked like this:

And the only logical thing to do on such a day was to go for a run. A 10 kilometer run. Out of the blue. Can you blame me though?

The pain started about 2 days later (post Vinyasa Power Flow class, but during an energetic spin class I teach). Now the ache teases me. After longer periods of sitting, I stand up and feel good as new... but after about 5-10 steps I feel as thought someone is trying to tear the ligaments off that part of my bone. Ouch. 

So what is a girl to do? Well, first order of business, figure out a training plan that doesn't require excessive (if any) knee-bending. Second, go see a professional and get it accurately diagnosed (I'll come around to getting this done some time this week). I know some of you are thinking that those should be the other way around, but trust me... A sweaty Kat is a happy Kat. And a happy Kat is a proactive Kat!

After realizing that my boyfriend will only be patient with me for so long if I keep my crabby 'Woe is Me' attitude up, I decided to hit the gym today to work off some of these frustration. I'd give today's workout a minor 6.5/10. I didn't really enjoy it, but I started to figure out which exercises I could still do without any stress on the already stressed attachment site.

My workout went as follows:

• Dynamic warm up prepping all of my joints (aside from my knees) for the work to come
• Assisted Pull Ups: 6RM, 3RM, 3RM, 6RM
• Three sets of this tri-set with about 30 seconds rest between rounds:
• Single leg, single arm Romanian Deadlift x 6/leg
• Single arm bent over rows x 10/arm
• Push ups x 10
• 2 x - Supine grip bicep curls x 10 superset with lateral raises x 10
• Assisted parallel bar tricep dips 10RM, 8RM
• 2 x - Elevated single leg bridges x 5 slow tempo, then x 10 regular tempo superset with double leg bridges x 10 regular tempo
• Finished it off with a nice stretch

This week I will organize my training routine to be better balanced. I will also do some research as to how I can strengthen my quadriceps without bending my knees. Damn the complexity of this muscle group!!!

In the meantime, I will hobble, rest, and try to not stress myself out too much about this. 

Kat Food

What better way to start this blog than by sharing my personal eating guidelines?

I'm not saying that following these is the answer to pristine health, performance enhancement, or clear skin, but let me tell you, when I do stick to these basic rules, I feel fantastic! My mood is better, my outlook on life is more positive, I stop worrying about all the small stuff, and I just focus on being good. Being good to myself, my body, and those around me.

If you've read the About Me section (or if you looked up at my header) then you know I'm vegan. I have my own very personal reasons for eating this way. Maybe if you're all good to me I'll share that little secret with you... Then again, maybe not! And, although deep down inside, I secretly wish everyone around me was vegan as well, I am not one to scold any of my carnivorous friends for eating a medium-rare T-bone steak beside me. Having said that, let me clear up any confusion here: If you ask me for nutritional advice, I will always only provide you with a vegan perspective, because I truly believe that is the best answer to achieving the earlier mentioned 'pristine health'. There. Now it's out in the open!

Without further adieu, here is the breakdown of how I eat (or strive to eat, because let's face it, I'm a human being with some mean, mean chocolate cravings):

Daily must-haves:

• A big ol' mug of hot water with fresh squeezed lemon
• A bowl of either steal cut oats, rolled oats, or fiber buds (because a healthy colon is a sexy colon) with unsweetened almond milk and some sort of fruit cut into it
• One GREEN smoothie (I'll post recipes of my favorite ones eventually)
• A MASSIVE salad. I'm serious when I say massive... I usually use the biggest bowl I have at home (think: popcorn bowl) fill 3/4's of it with assorted greens and then cut up any vegetables that I find in my fridge. Chuck some black beans on there, sprinkle some sunflower or pumpkin seeds, garnish with  alfalfa sprouts and voila you've got yourself Kat's Health-in-a-Bowl.
• An apple or pear with hummus or bean dip

I love to experiment with dinners, usually using recipes from Oh She Glows, or The Vegan Project. Those ladies know how to cook! I'm also a sucker for Mexican food since it can so easily be made vegan :)

Recipes will be coming soon.