The David Barton Project:

Wow, Thanksgiving was rough! I tried very, very hard to stick to my guns and, overall, I’m proud that I didn’t fall completely off the wagon. I allowed myself little treats over the holiday like a sliver of pumpkin pie, a cookie, and a few bites of amazingly buttery mashed potatoes. I tried to keep my portions of everything else small and tried (kind of) not to drink too much wine. I could have done better in that respect, but I upped my cardio to make up for it, severely punishing myself in the process.

Speaking of punishing myself, I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before–possibly in every single one of my posts–but I am constantly dealing with soreness. Enter, the “stick of death” which I briefly mentioned last week. Normal people with actual fitness knowledge (i.e., not me) call it foam rolling. I haven’t had the pleasure of using foam yet, but have instead been using a long, plastic stick, kind of like a rolling pin. MacKenzie told me it was because she couldn’t find the foam roller but I’m pretty sure it’s because she thinks I have special needs. I would have to agree. So, if you haven’t ever had the pleasure of being rolled out or doing it yourself, I will try to explain in my own, novice terms:

Foam rolling is a myofascial release technique. You roll over the muscle until you find a tender point. When you find one, you increase pressure for 30-60 seconds, to the point where the muscle is at risk of injury, and then the body responds by relaxing the muscle. This is called autogenic inhibition. When the muscle relaxes, you get a better stretch, range of motion, and you will be much less sore in the long run. The first time can be very painful (I broke into a cold sweat), but the pain diminishes as you continue to use the technique. This has worked wonders on my calves.

In other random fitness news, I thought I’d share another trick of the trade that I’ve learned. I’ve written before about struggling to eat small meals throughout the day, and I’ve found a solution for those times where I’m just too busy to get that last snack in before a workout. Coconut oil! MacKenzie turned me on to not only using coconut oil in cooking (less calories than olive oil) but to use it as a pre-workout snack because it is instantly converted to energy and helps boost endurance.

Next week I’ll report back on the new protein powder that I’m using and if I see any differences between the expensive stuff and my old Trader Joe’s standby, and I’ll have another week under my belt. Only a few left to reach my goal and the pressure is mounting. I hope the extra cardio I’m putting in will pay off! Check back to see….

– Jacquie Perez