Happy Friday! With the first week of prep wrapping up, I thought I’d share what a typical day looks like. Even on days that I have to modify my schedule for classes, the same pattern exists- train, eat, work, eat, train, eat, sleep…

4:05 – First alarm goes off, but I apparently sleep through it.

4:08 – Second alarm wakes me up (probably because Kyle’s is loud enough). I eventually get out of bed and get dressed for the gym.

I don’t think Kyle would actually leave without me. His workout would be boring with no entertainment.

4:30 – I have my pre-workout shake along with a rice cake and a few strawberries which haven’t gone rotten yet. I browse Facebook and Instagram for entertainment.

My pre-workout, BCAA’s and water for training, and post-workout

4:50 – We’re out the door for the gym

5:00 – Thursday is our back training day, so we’re at Fit 4 Less because they have a wider variety of equipment. Today’s workout included:

• Wide grip lat pull downs superset narrow grip pull downs (warm-up 3 sets)
• Wide grip lat pull downs (4 sets, last set drop weight twice)
• Dumb bell rows superset with cable pull downs (3 sets)
• T-bar rows superset with the low row Hammer Strength machine (4 sets)
• Rack pulls (3 sets)

A few highlights from the morning’s training session

6:45 – Post-workout shake and head home to get ready for work.

7:00 – While I start to get ready, Kyle deals with the dogs. They follow the exact same routine every morning: sprint to their food as soon as they’re out of their room, eat in 2 seconds flat, Joe comes to find me for hugs (his only trick), and Lulu sits and stares at her bowl as though she didn’t just finish eating. Every. Day.

Joe gives really good hugs with his little arms.

8:00 – Leave for work. I haven’t mentioned this yet, but due to changes at work, Kyle actually moved into a position in the same building as me. While we aren’t in the same department, it’s nice to have him back in the same building at least – so we can drive in and eat our meals together again.

Proof that I don’t always wear gym clothes… although this is as close as I can get. Thankfully leggings meet our dress code.

8:30 – Officially start work. On the agenda was an asthma fact sheet & resources for teachers, creating a toolkit for a high school physical activity program, and searching a few websites for material needing updates.

9:00 – Meal one – egg whites, oatmeal, and blueberries. It looks strange because the berries turn the whole thing blueish green when cooked.

Our staff room has a good selection of tabloid magazines, perfect for the times you’re there alone.

12:00 – Meal two – white fish, sweet potatoes, and vegetables (brussel sprouts) with a healthy dose of hot sauce. This is one my favourite meals actually.

I had forgotten how much I liked sweet potatoes. And, more broccoli slaw!

12:30 – Kyle and I go for a walk because it’s decent enough outside. With a mandated hour-long lunch break, going for a walk helps break the day up a little bit.

3:00 – Meal three – ground beef and vegetables (green beans). This is my least favourite meal as I don’t love ground beef (unless it’s a burger, obviously). But honestly, I don’t like eating it daily… so I might have switched a few of these to turkey. Shhh. (no picture, I forgot).

4:30 – We head home, clean our lunch dishes and let the dogs out to run. I pack my meals for the next day because I’ve learned that if I leave this task for later in the evening, I’m irritated about having to do it. Getting it done quickly and early is the best solution for me, especially on days that I have to go back to the gym for a class or cardio (which is basically every day).

5:45 – Cardio time – my first actual cardio session of prep is HIIT on the bike. Honestly, I enjoy cardio but I have NEVER liked riding a bike. All the power to those of you who like spin classes,  but I can’t stand it. Thankfully it’s only for 25 minutes (for now).

Round 2 – HIIT on the dreaded bike.

6:45 – Meal four – a giant spring mix salad with vegetables and turkey dressed with a little olive oil, and salsa. Food hint: I’ve loved adding broccoli slaw to most of my meals lately – it’s light in calories, nutrient-dense, and helps add more volume. Try it out! The dogs experience the second highlight of their day – dinner.

An old picture, but the same meal. I ate this pretty much all off-season too, which is making prep easier.

7:00 – I do some work while watching TV. I needed to finish up this post and get started on an article for the Prostate Cancer Society on the health benefits of physical activity. I’ll keep you posted when it’s done and published. Joe and Lulu cuddle on the couch, usually stacked on top of each other.

Seriously – they need to be touching in order to sleep.

9:15 – Meal five – egg whites, avocado, and some chopped peppers. I’ve never really loved avocado, but blended into stuff is ok – it’s a texture thing for me.

9:45 – Bed time! We get the dogs into their room and tucked in, and head to bed ourselves.

That’s a typical day in prep. It’s still early, but I was pretty tired earlier in the week from the change in calories and carbs. The first half of my week is a lot harder with back to back classes (and this week I covered an extra class). My body needed time to adjust to the new diet, but I was wiped out. I felt much better on Thursday. The ups and downs in energy will continue… Happy weekend!!