ArmdandFabulous’s BodyBlog

I had to look up what muscle it was, but that’s the new development in my shoulder area! It is visible in my latest progress pic that I took today…and I am sooo proud of myself for doing this.  What muscle I do have has always been well hidden by a layer of "extra insulation."  My whole life. Even when I was a lot thinner, I still didn’t have muscle tone…So this new, visible progress in my journey of transforming my body motivates me so much. I have seen what other people on this site have accomplished but I just couldn’t believe it could happen to me. I’ve known a few "genetically gifted" people in my life who really didn’t have to workout and they had visible muscle tone, everyday, all year no matter what…so I got stuck in the belief that it just wasn’t a realistic thing for me to have, because I didn’t have their kind of genetics…so this is amazing to me. 

 I joined this site hoping to get support in my weight loss goal mainly, figuring that would be feasible since I have done it before…but it’s been hard to make myself believe that I could really have muscles too, that actually show!  I am so happy…you people that already have muscle probably think I’m crazy for getting excited about my first experience with it, and that’s ok, because I am still so proud, so so proud of myself…

I believe it now, seeing is believing.

I saw it in the mirror today when I was doing barbell curls…a little bicep definition in my arms that wasn’t there before!  Oh I am sooo excited! Finally a little muscle is starting to show…yeay!  I can’t wait to see something happening in the shoulder and back area now…

I had a good back and bi workout today, it was totally random and I just went all over and tried to fatigue all the muscle in those areas. I think I am gonna be sore tomorrow…

On another note I saw an old man at the gym today wearing Daisy Duke shorts!! Haahaaa…well, they weren’t the denim real Daisy’s, they were runner’s kinda shorts, but the guy was tall, his legs were real long, and the shorts were…SHORT. And he had his shirt tucked into them…it was all just…wrong!  I know I shouldn’t judge, but it was eye popping!

I don’t think I have ever seen a guy wearing shorts quite that short…I had to turn away, I did not want to see his tootsie roll….lol!

fEB 5 is my goal date for reaching my desired weight. I have 25 lbs to go, and so far I’m on schedule. But with the holidays here, I am a little nervous but I will plan my cheat days and stick to the schedule! I know that the muscle development I want will take longer so I’m not expecting to be "transformed" by Feb 5, I will be happy to just reach the goal weight…really happy.

So taking that into consideration, I switched up my cardio today from the usual 4 mile run to keep from plateauing. I tried HIIT for 20 mins, I am not sure how much of a swing it is supposed to be, but mine went something like this: 3min @ 5.4//2 min @ 6.0// 3min@5.3//5min@6.4//2min@5.4//3min@6.4//2min@5.3//then cool down for 2 mins. It was my first time trying that, I plan on doing something like it all week to see if it makes a difference for me.

After the HIIT I did 10 mins on the stairmaster and 10 mins on one other cardio machine I don’t know the name of.  The change up of cardio definitely made me sweat buckets! I have been stuck in the mindset that nothing will burn fat for me like running does, so I have always stuck to that.  We’ll see what happens…

Do you think my HIIT was intense enough? Is 20 mins enough to really see results with it?

Is there some unspoken rule that says one guy can hog 2 machines at the same time when it is physically impossible for him to be on them simultaneously at the same time?? Today’s post is a little rant because I got irked at the gym…

I know I’m new to weight lifting and all, but I still expect others working out to be courteous!

I have memberships to two different gyms and usually go to the one closest to where I live. It’s boring but it has all the necessary equipment, and the treadmills have seen better days. Right now it seems that half of them are sitting there unplugged and non functional, and it has been this way for months. I saw a repairman there about a month ago and thought, "oh this is awesome, now there will be more working ones." I was sadly mistaken when the very ones he seemed to be fixing are all still broken. That was a month ago.  I go in the morning, and I can usually find a working treadmill so I haven’t inquired as to what is up with their treadmills yet. I keep hoping they aren’t bothering to fix them because there are new, updated ones on the way. These treadmills were all replaced with new ones back in 2003 so I’m thinking it’s gotta be gettin close to time to replace them again…

Anyways, today I decided to get a change of scenery and go to the other gym I pay monthly for but hardly use because it’s further away. It is a much bigger gym than the one by me, and it is newer. But it is constantly pumping with people. It is annoyingly busy actually. There have been times when I arrived, put my bag in the locker, went out and couldn’t find any cardio machines (treadmills, ellipticals, all of them) because every one of them was taken…at 9pm!  GRRRR …this gym so frustrates me!!…

But I went there today anyway, and since it was during the day I thought it might be a little slower. It was a little slower, but still pretty busy. I never really lifted weights there before, and I have used their machines only a few times. I ventured over to the free weight area and noticed this gym has many more dumbell weight sizes, and in-between sizes too! My usual gym doesn’t have in-between’s…hmmm…I’m startin to see why this gym is so freakin busy all the time now… 

I had done my beginning cardio and was in the middle of my chest/back/tri workout when I went to do some tricep pulldowns. I saw a gallon of water sitting by it, but looked around and didn’t see anyone so I walked over to it and a hairy tank top wearing ugly beast of a man apparently thought he had posession of it even though he wasn’t on it. He was using the lat pulldown bench for DUMBELL presses next to it, instead of using a bench in the free weight area. He was also grunting while using 20lber’s, lol. He said, "excuse me, I’m using that." I looked at him and said "right now?".  He said, "yah," and I said "I can do a set on it while you are doing that." He just turned around pissed. I did my set until he was done with his, trying to be courteous, willing to move and let him use it when he was ready. But he was just an A-hole so I couldn’t help myself and I said, "see how that worked out?" and I moved to another machine until he was done with his set then went back to it.

Then I saw him a couple times later during my workout and he tried to give me a "look" and be intimidating.  Whatever cave man!

Today was the day after the day after I did my leg workout. I thought it had been a pretty weak workout because I had been sick and it was my first time back to the gym in a week. The muscles were sore the next day, but not too bad. IN fact, the day after, I ran, did my arm workout, and wasn’t in any too terrible pain. So today was just gonna be an easy cardio day for me, and I was gonna run 4 miles which I normally do.

But instead, OMG my leg muscles hurt like I had done 5 sets of every leg machine in the gym or something. I couldn’t run for more than a little over a mile. I stopped running, then started again but had to stop after a few minutes. That’s how much my legs hurt. Wow I guess it’s when you least expect it that you really get in the best workouts huh? 

I still have so much to learn…weightlifting is really like getting to know your body 101 huh…

After being sick for the past week, I am happy to say I have jumped back on the wagon! I was a little worried because in the past when I got sick it would be anyone’s guess as to when I’d return to the gym. But not this time! yeaaaayyyyyy. I actually went back yesterday, and tried to do about 1/2 my normal workout. I ran for about 12 min on the treadmill, I didn’t want to push myself too hard the first day back, and I did legs. That is where I left off when I got sick. I was still weak though and the leg workout had me sweatin bullets.  And I couldn’t handle as much. But what I did do was effective because I have sore muscles today!

Today I could almost do my entire workout, the only thing I couldn’t do as well was run the 4 miles. I ran about 3. And I did a back and bicep workout. I was surprised that I had remained at the same place strength wise as before taking the week off.  Really surprised. After yesterday’s weak workout, I wasn’t expecting too much today, but I went thru the weights and did everything I needed to do. I spent a little longer trying to exhaust my biceps. I always work them to where I think is enough, but they never hurt the next day, and seem to be slow to show any improvement. So I spent extra time working on them with single dumbell curls, going gradually down in weight to exhaustion.

It feels so good to return to my happy place…the gym

…Goodbye summer, hello cold and flu season! It’s here, and I for one have already been taken down by one of the season’s evil demon viruses.  I was feeling fine a week ago, last Saturday to be exact. I was running my usual 4 miles, getting in a good cardio session, when, BAM! out of nowhere, later in the day I get the symptoms of allergies..a cold…or pharyngitis??.  Yeah, sounds weird but I really got all that together at once, and out of nowhere: post nasal drip, sore throat, sneezing, runny nose, feverish, and a general feeling of "icky" is the best way to describe it.

Well, that day the wind had kicked up and the sky was getting darker and gloomier as the hours went by. So my first thought was that this must be allergies from the wind blowing something around in the air, so not too big a deal, right? I took an OTC allergy medicine, and went out to run some errands.  The medicine usually works on me with only one dose, but this time it seemed to do nothing to help ease my symptoms. While I was out, the wind was still blowing and I felt even worse…I couldn’t finish all my errands because I felt so bad.  I kept sneezing, my nose was running, and I had a sore throat and I was tired.  So I went home, and tried to get some rest, but woke up in the middle of the night with a stuffy nose, sore throat, and sneezing.

Since I couldn’t sleep, I went online and tried to find natural cures for allergies, since that is what I kinda still thought I had. One thing I found was "oil pulling." I mentioned that in an earlier post, and I have been doing it and seems to have helped me to some degree.

To ease my sore throat, I found that apple cider vinegar works wonders. It sounds gross, I know, but you just put some in water, about 2 tablespoons, and drink it.  You can dilute it with more water if you need to, because it will still work.  I put it in a water bottle,16.9 ozs of water in it. It dried up the post nasal drip and really ended the sore throat. But I had to keep it up throughout the day, or the pnd and sore throat would return.  You really should try this if you get a sore throat. I couldn’t believe how fast it worked, and I didn’t need to take any medication.

The next thing I did is make sure I got enough vitamin C.  My appetite was down, so I had to force myself to eat because I know I would stay sick longer if I didn’t.  I made a smoothie concoction that tasted great and got the protein and vitamin c in my body that I needed…

I took 8 oz of juice, (I used cranberry, but you can use any you like that is high in vitamin c) and 2 kinds of fruit, and put my protein powder in and blended. I used 1 orange paired with 1 apple, or 1 orange paired with strawberries or any kind of fruit high in vitamin C for mine.  I also knew that I wouldn’t feel like eating my spinach like I should, so I added 1/2 c of frozen spinach to this mix. Sometimes I added 1/2c  frozen carrots instead.  Because the orange flavor is so strong, you can’t taste the spinach or the carrots in the mix, and you are getting some needed veggies+antioxidants into your body too!! And it tastes great!…I used the "Magic Bullet" little blender to make mine, if you don’t have one or don’t know what that is, look into it because it is the absolute best way to make quick, easy smoothies for one serving without dragging out the whole blender and dealing with cleanup.  

I drank the smoothies 2 times a day as meals in my 5-6 meal day.  I didn’t take any more cold or allergy medicine after that first dose that didn’t really help me.  I can honestly say I never felt tired this whole week like I normally would when a virus invades my body. The only reminder that I was still sick was, I would wake up with a little sore throat, but that would quickly go away when I drank the vinegar and water mixture…if I didn’t drink the vinegar water for a while though the sore throat would come back so you kinda need to sip it throughout the day. It’s not that gross if you really want to feel better quickly without drugs.

I hope you all stay well this winter season!

It’s been 5 whole days since I stepped foot in the gym…This cold or whatever it is sucks!! I have been eating oranges and taking vitamin c everyday to help kick it out of my system..feel almost good enough to get back to working out, I am hoping I will feel up to it tomorrow. I have been eating clean all week, and that is what has saved me from gaining anything back that I already lost. 

I can’t wait to get back to it!

This morning I debated on whether or not to go to the gym anyway. I decided to wait and see how I feel this evening and possible go then, but I’m not feeling well enough.  I’m hoping I will be able to go tomorrow…

I did keep the diet clean though, and I tried a new 6 meal plan today. I was only eating 4-5 times a day before, so I’m hoping this will get the metabolism burning a little faster.  I ate more protein, but noticed that when 2 hours went by I was actually hungry again. I wasn’t really hungry in between meals before so I may need to increase the amount of food a little more I guess.

Does anyone have any suggestions on getting through the flu season and staying healthy enough to work out through it?  Any supplements or immunity boosters you have tried that helped you out?  I normally am pretty healthy through it, but I think the gym is a germ breeding ground for everyone. Thanks for any info on this!

I felt fine yesterday until the wind kicked up and started blowing stuff around towards evening time. I started to feel worse as the hours went by.  Sneezing, runny nose, generally starting to feel sick. Man, this sucks…I was really focused on breaking my plateau this weekend with a lot of cardio and diet clean up. And then it happened…I wasn’t going to mention it, but we are all here to help each other succeed, thru the good and the bad, so we need to be honest…last night I felt so crappy that I ate a cinnamon roll, and then started to eat another one..(hey, I’m admitting it at least, so don’t judge!) And that is the first time that I have done anything like that since I started on this journey. Honest. It wasn’t a cheat day or something I planned into my daily calories either. I guess it was comfort food? Anyways… I said I STARTED to eat another one, not actually finish another one. I took a couple bites and didn’t want it anymore. Not from willpower–because that was long gone by the time the invasion of the allergens took over my body to the point that I felt so crappy I thought I deserved to have whatever food I wanted, but from just having enough sweet stuff, I guess… I just didnt’ want it anymore. What?! Holy Cannoli! Me? Stopping a dessert binge before I was full–and not stopping only because I couldn’t fit one more bite into my mouth? Well, that…is…new…

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I am usually a dessert FREAK, and could eat them in place of regular meals any day!  But I haven’t eaten desserts and things like I normally do in a long time, so I am hoping this is a sign that my new cleaned up eating habits are starting to stick, and the old destructive ones are taking an exit? …hmmmm…?? 

I was happy about that thought for a minute, until the next sneezing fit started. It hit me so hard that the otc allergy pills I usually take couldn’t stop the steamroller from crushing my just hours prior to this dust storm—good health.  I was sneezing, my nose was like a faucet and my head felt like it was gonna pop off and float away…I didn’t want to take anymore allergy pills since they hadn’t really helped me anyway, so I just suffered through it until I felt drowsy enough to fall asleep…for about 3 hours.  That’s it.  I was awoken in the middle of the night with a sore throat and stuffed nose, thinking, Oh no, did the allergies turn into a sinus infection? Mother*&^%er!! (sorry for the cursing, I only do it when I am super- pissed)  I thought, nooooo…!.. I cannot have my training, eating and hard work derailed with any kind of illness…

…I went to the kitchen and mixed some salt and water to gargle with and that seemed to clear the throat, but the nose was still running and I was still sneezing. All night. ….a   l    l …     n     i    g    h    t …Until… 5… a..m….to be exact.  I needed relief but the allergy pills didn’t really help me. So why put more of that poison into my body??..

No wonder natural cures are all the rage right now… I have become interested in natural cures for things since the entire health industry has gone insanely over priced and all,  and is not seemingly interested in really "helping" anyone except to lighten their wallets, and get people hooked on some kind of drug that only has had enough research done on it to figure out that it can get consumers hooked on the prescriptions for it.  But that’s a whole other thing–Anyways, I found a website a while ago that has all kinds of natural cures for things that cost next to nothing…and on this website there are all kinds of success stories and cures for all kinds of ailments, how to do them and what to expect. All written by people like you and me who have tried them and report back their experiences for all to benefit from.

While I couldn’t sleep I looked up information on natural cures for allergies on the website. There are a few out there, but the main one mentioned was something called "oil pulling." Huh? I thought, how is your car involved in a natural cure for allergies? Really curious, I read on…

Apparently Oil Pulling is an old ancient cure from India and the headline starts:

REPORTED CURES WITH OIL PULLING:
Mouth & Gum Disease; Stiff Joints; Allergies; Asthma; High Blood Sugar; Constipation; Migraines; Bronchitis; Eczema; Heart, Kidney, Lung Diseases; Leukemia; Arthritis; Meningitis; Insomnia; Menopause (hormonal issues); Cancer; AIDS; Chronic Infections; Varicose Veins; High Blood Pressure; Diabetes; Polio; Cracked Heels.

Wow with all that it cures I became really interested in it and read more about it. I even got up the courage to give it a try-after all, what did I have to lose except more sleep??  (It has nothing to do with your car by the way–haha! Hey, what can I say, I was tired!)

I followed the instructions and did it, but for now, it hasn’t cured my allergy symptoms. The information on it says it can take some time with repeated doses to do that anyway. It did do something that was a reported effect: it made me sleep like a log when I finally got tired and fell asleep. And that is exactly what is needed when something like this takes hold.

For today I am gonna skip the gym and get rest. It’s a bummer, but I’d rather skip it than become some host for a nasty virus or bacterial infection that could really become a bummer!

I feel like I must say that I am not involved in the health industry in anyway and I am not recommending anything here. I am just passing along information that may help someone out, and that is my purpose for mentioning the website at all.  

The kindness of strangers is really something, isn’t it?

*I’m not gonna post it here but if you are interested in the website send me a message.