By Stephanie Jullien, Member of Renaissance ClubSport Walnut Creek
Week 2 of Rev32 means … DAIRY! I’m excited that I’ll be able to reintroduce dairy into my diet because it means I can eat Greek yogurt and string cheese again. The program required us to do without it for the first week to see if we were allergic or intolerant to it. I know I’m not either of those, but I still wanted to follow the guidelines.
Our workout on Monday marked the first time I used the MYZONE physical activity belt included as part of Rev32. It’s very interesting. There’s a TV screen set up by our workout area that showed me the zone I was working in real-time. Shortly after I removed the belt, I received an email with the breakdown by the minute of the effort I exerted. I think Myzone is a fun and useful tool to keep pushing myself harder.
Speaking of that — I’m sore. Workouts are getting tougher and my muscles felt it after the first workout. Foam roller stretching has become my new best friend. Seriously. I foam roll before and after workouts and it’s helping with the soreness. The one thing it doesn’t help with is puking. Don’t worry, I held my food in, but the third workout of the week was ROUGH. I didn’t sleep well the night before because my four-year-old had a bad cough and was up repeatedly. Despite being low on energy, I was determined to have a great workout, but I struggled. It was frustrating. I honestly felt like I was going to throw up. The only thing that motivated me to finish was the group. I know for a fact that if I had been working out alone, I would have just called it a day and gone home just like I had done many times before. It’s always easy to find excuses — and my poor night’s sleep was a great one — but not on that day. For the very first time since I started Rev32, I felt tired once I got home and not energized. I chalked it up as an off-day and know that it’ll get better if I keep working hard.
On the bright side, my diet’s right on track! During our first meeting this week, Ann reviewed my diet and mentioned liquid stevia as an alternative to sugar. I had tried powdered stevia years ago and it was so bitter that I never had it again. Ann recommended a liquid stevia brand that’s not so bitter. I hesitantly gave it a try. And — drumroll — it’s fantastic. Best of all, it’s a natural way for me to remove refined sugar from my daily morning cup of joe. My husband also tried it and he’s now using stevia for his coffee.
Ann also shared with me her recipe for “muscle muffins.” She said she makes them on Sunday for the entire week. The other participants had been talking about them, so I finally decided to give them a try. I baked a batch and I really like them! The serving size is beyond satisfying, so I’ll definitely be packing them in my lunch from now on.
Furthermore, Ann hosted a mini nutrition lecture after one of our workouts on Saturday. It was filled with lots of helpful info and tools I can continue to use beyond the end of the program. It’s all of this that makes me so glad to have signed up. Rev32 is so well-rounded. I’m not just getting the quick-fix weight loss garbage; I’m actually learning proper nutrition that will enable me to make sustainable, lifelong choices.
Lastly, there’s a quote floating out there about how mistakes are meant for learning, not repeating. Case in point: Easter. Social engagements make it easy not to eat well, and on Easter, the family tradition is that I make a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. This time, I was fully prepared and determined to not give in like I did last week when I made my husband’s birthday cake. I chewed on a piece of gum while I frosted the cake to avoid the temptation. With all that food and candy floating around, I kept reminding myself that I just had to make the right choices. My diet wasn’t spot on, but I was very careful about what I ate and made sure I properly paired my food.
And with this, Week 2 is in the books. I can’t believe my journey is already a quarter of the way through and I can’t wait to see what challenges Week 3 holds in store.
