Good late morning all. I am in high spirits today and hope everyone else is as well. The sun is actually shining in Ohio, giving us a small glimpse of the Spring to come, and it better hurry up because I can’t tell you how tired I am of throwing on my stuffy winter coat every morning. Still, I know swimsuit season is just around the corner so I better start acting like it.

So I rush every morning to make it out the door on time, (Actually,  I’m always rushing regardless of the time of day to make it somewhere on time, but that’s neither here nor there) and this morning was no exception. I’m running around trying to get everything together, knowing that today was a lifting day and that I needed to get something to eat. Normally I would break out the protein shake and blueberries, but since they turn my fingers blue they aren’t really car food. Then, I remember one of the bb.com members saying that they mix oatmeal, protein powder, and splenda up with just enough water and nuke it a bit for eating on the go, so I tried it. And what do you know, it’s not half bad. It was basically a wetter version of the protein pancakes  I make. And so, no more ‘didn’t have time for breakfast’ excuses from me.

I went to the gym around 8:30 today and by 10:00 it was already starting to get busy. 8:00-10:30 is always my favorite time in the gym because hardly anyone is ever there, but I think everyone else is also have bikinis on their mind. Anywho, today was back and biceps. I had a good workout and a lunch of salmon and salad awaits me. Hope y’all have a beautiful rest of the day.

So, I have been gone for a few weeks now. Like 3. I intended to take a little mental health break, but I certainly didn’t think I was gonna let it go on this long. I mean I don’t even know who the people are on the top profiles, I haven’t been watching the online shows or anything and I feel totally out of the loop. However, I am ready to snap out of it and get back on here where I belong.

Spring Break was last week and this is the first week of the Spring quarter. I’m independently instructing a class this time around in addition to continuing my thesis and taking another class. If all of that goes well, I will be walking on that stage just 11 weeks from now.

As busy as I know I’m going to be, I know this is not a time to abandon my workouts and clean eating. I let loose the weeks while I was away, but I know for my own sanity I’m going to need the structure this lifestyle brings.

Tonight I did a leg workout. I didn’t intend to, It was suppose to be a back and biceps day, but seeing as how I didn’t walk into the gym until after 4 o’clock all that ish was taken. The leg equiptment looked so lonely, so I sucked it up and banged it out. I nearly lost my lunch and could barely stand to get a drink of water after lunges my legs were so shaky. Success lol. It’s good to be back. Talk to y’all soon.

So I braved the snow, cold, and public transportation and made my way down to the Arnold Expo last friday. What a magical place it was lol. This was actually my second Arnold, but the experience was so much better this time around because I am more familiar with the movers and shakers in the fitness industry. Last year I had just discovered Oxygen magazine and wanted to witness a figure competition first hand. This year I could name pretty much name everyone on stage and knew who was working the booths. Everyone was there: Ronnie Coleman, Jake Cutler, Jamie Eason, the guys from No Bull Radio, I couldn’t stop smiling.

I had the fortune of meeting and taking a picture with Ava Cowan, who is even more beautiful in person, as well as Flex Wheeler who was so sweet to me even though I was staring at him wide-eyed and tongue-tied lol. I was giddy for the rest of the evening.

In other news, the diet and training is going well. I’ve been really keeping track of my calories and sticking to my allowance. I did legs today, I punked out a little on squats, but I expect to be pleasantly sore tomorrow.

So I know I wasn’t suppose to take all my stats until this Friday, but I just couldn’t wait. I felt so good this morning when I woke up and I wanted to know if that feel-good feeling would be reflected in the numbers. Now although I am six pounds shy of my weight goal, I have absolutely no complaints about the progress that I’ve made in the last couple of months. I’ve lost inches all over and the defintion is really starting to come out. And none of this would have been actualized if I hadn’t really gotten firm with my eating.

I know. Surprise, surprise. Everyone on here preaches that nutrition is 80% of the battle, but I still thought I could get a way with a couple of slips a week, (Okay, maybe closer to 4 or 5 slips) and have my youth carry me through. And yeah I didn’t gain a substantial amount of weight eating out all the time, but now I’ve truly come to understand that minimum effort yields minimum results. I’ve applied this to other aspects of my life, and finally it has clicked for this. Yea me lol. So anyway, I guess I should come up with some new goals. I think I’ll make this a shorter time frame. My birthday is coming up at the end of March so I’ll use that. Check em out, let me know what you think. Happy lifting everyone

So, I should have just found a way to get out of it right? Pizza is and will always be my weakness and when my boyfriend’s mother suggested we go to the buffet for dinner yesterday evening, I should have countered with something else, but I could tell that grilled chicken and steamed veggies was probably not going to win over the crowd. And besides, this is the path I have chosen so I shouldn’t expect people to yield to my craziness. I got online, found a veggie sandwich that wouldn’t break the bank calorie-wise and off to the buffet we went.

The smell was absolutely heavenly. I was able to ignore my boyfriend’s mom protestations that two slices of pizza would not hurt me, and ordered my sandwich and water :) While I was waiting for my food, I started looking around at all the people who were in there. None of them looked like they had done any physical activity in the last year or so and they were piling their plastes high with pizza and bread sticks to the point where those filmsy paper plastes were about to give. I looked at them and I looked at the grease-dripping pizza and knew there was a direct correlation between to two. So I ate my veggies happily and woke up another morning sans guilt. Still, I think I better stay out of the buffets just in case lol.

So the place where I currently reside is full of crazy characters. The woman downstairs likes to sing off key at the top of her lungs in the middle of the day. The couple across the way like to argue in the middle of the hallway, and yell everything in Spanish except the cuss words. The man down the hall had a sign posted on his door for weeks that told one of his friends to come back once he ‘got back on his meds’ and that he was still very upset with him for stealing his raisin bran. It can get noisy, but they keep me entertained.

Anywho, the other night I’m on my way to the video store and see this figure walking in circles around a tree. Instantly I thought one of my neighbors had really gone off the deep in this time. And it wasn’t a light stroll people, she was gettin’ it okay, lol. As I got closer I saw that she was all done up in her workout gear, complete with headband. I realized that she was getting her workout in and because it was so late, probably didn’t want to walk down the block. Of course, this didn’t stop me from laughing (She switched to another tree as I passed her and continued her revolutions, after telling this story to several of my friends, we dubbed her ring around the Rosy) 

After I composed myself I realized what a statement she was making about dedication. She wasn’t making excuses about not having enough time or it being too late. She got er done anyway. So from now on when I think sleeping in my bed on these cold winter mornings would be so much better than taking myself to the gym, I’ll think, What would Rosy do?

I’m going with some fellow grad students and one of my professors. I’ve never been there before, but I heard it was just bought out by Whole Foods, and if it’s anything like WF, then there shouldn’t be a problem eating clean.  I just have to make sure I keep my mind and nostrils away from the pizza section. Mmm, pizza.

So today Lent started and I made the decision to cut out all beverages except for water and hot tea. I’m already feeling the withdrawls. This morning when I woke up one of my first thoughts was which flavor of crystal light I was going to drink with breakfast. How sad is that lol. Oh well.

Speaking of breakfast. I found a recipe for making protein muffin thingies. They turned out okay, but I think I need to tweak it a little more before they become my new obsession. One of the other bodyspacers told me to look into cooking with protein powder more before it becomes a daily ritual. Something about it loses it’s power. I’ve heard smatterings on both sides of the argument, but because I’m a nerd I’ll have to do a more thorough investigation.

Workout went well today. Did back and biceps. I decided today that aside from legs, biceps are my least favorite bodypart to workout, although they are my favorite to look at. Go figure.

Hey all. It’s times like these that I really miss being in New Orleans. I barely even remembered today was Fat Tuesday. Of course everyone is a little more concerned with Super Tuesday, so I say party after the polls

So speaking of partying. I’m not Catholic, but I usually like to give up something for Lent. In the past I’ve given up chicken, coke, and most recently my Ipod. (Let me tell ya, that was a sacrafice, not doing that again lol) I’m not sure what to give up this year. Things I’m obsessed with right now are diet coke and Crystal Light, and those two may very well be the final contenders. In fact, I’m thinking of giving up all beverages except for plain water and tea. That would be awful. It just might work lol.

Yesterday I had a lovely cardio workout. I missed gym time this morning to get up earlier and finish a few things for the professor I TA for. I could go later, but it’s been raining all day, and I still have a lot of work to do , I’m in desparate need of groceries and I don’t really want to squeeze in a 2 1/2 hour gym trip. So, I think I’ll do my cardio/weight training dvd I have at the crib just so I don’t miss a day and give it everything I got. Hey, if DVDs are good enough for Chicken Tuna, they’re good enough for me

 Almost forgot, Laissez les bon temps roulez!

Okay, so some of you may have noticed that I have not written my food log for the past few days. That is because I completely abandoned everything I knew about clean eating Saturday and Sunday, oh and a little bit Friday night lol. I won’t give you the gruesome details, there may or may not have been alcohol, burgers and hotdogs involved But, I bounced back Sunday evening and all is well.

Since I’ve been keeping the log, I do see the benefit in writing down everything that you eat. After going over it earlier, I realized that one of the things holding me back from not making gains as quickly as I’d like is the fact that I’m not taking in enough calories. Because of school and class and the fact that some rooms you can eat in and some you can’t, it’s a little difficult for me to keep up on an 2-3 hour eating schedule. But, I’m gonna figure it out this week dab nabbit.

Oh, btw, Lean Dessert Cinnamon Roll makes the most fabulous protein pancakes.

And I’m really excited about it. (Hey, it’s the little things ) I’ve heard so many good things about the taste of this product and I think I remember someone saying they bake with the stuff, protein loaves or something lol. I don’t know, but it will be a welcome change from my cookies n cream (I chose the fresh cinnamon roll) and once I taste it, which given my excitement will probably be tonight if not first thing in the morning, I’ll be sure to do a review on it and post it on my page.

Today was really good. I worked out right before my 3:30 class. The gym is still crowded. I guess those New Yearers are hanging on. I did shoulders/tris/chest and abs, and I even managed to squeeze it 15 minutes on the treadmill for good measure.

Tomorrow I’m getting my hair done at 8:45 am (That’s what I get for waiting until the last minute to make an appointment) so I think I’m gonna try and get my workout done before I go, although I’ve yet to get myself up at that time, but just maybe I’ll get to bed before dawn tonight. I need to cut it. I wanna cut it, but I’m a little chicken. We’ll see what happens. If I do chop it off, I’ll make sure I put up some new pics. Night everyone.