Banca’s BodyBlog

Ok so this is not totally about my training or anything but I’d just like to say that the Giants are going all the way. Those Pats are goin downn!! Yea yea, it’s a stretch, but you know what??!!! It’s possible. There’s gonna be an upset and I can’t wait to see it. It would really be killer to break that winning streak… it would only make victory that much sweeter. yumm.
GO GIANTSSSSSS!!!!

Ok, so had to get that out of my system.   I slacked and took a few days off. I just got back to school and first of all had to unpack and get my schedule and all that crap settled.. bleh. To add to it, when I DID have to time to go.. my school gym was CLOSED!. boooooo. So I started it up again today and MAN does it feel GOOD! I love going into that school gym and kicking ass while a bunch of scrawny chicks run around not knowing what to do and just stand and talk shyt and try to look cool/cute, watever. Heh, it’s fun to see the looks I get.. guess not many people around here are used to a girl taking fitness seriously instead of just trying to do it to a) not look lazy, or b) make feeble attempts at losing that top muffin they created from too much beer and not enough self control… O well, let em stare and whisper.. I just keep doin mah thing, woot woot! As you can tell, I have quite a bit of energy. Which is why I totally love gymmin it up Alright alright, enough blabbing, time to go arrange my schedule to fit in my frequent meals and daily gym visits ciao!

So I’ve been training seriously for a few months now, and I found that I wasn’t getting much fat loss out of it and I got really frustrated. I then started doing a great deal of research (mostly from the fact that I’m studying to be a PT) and realized that my biggest problem was purely this: I was eating too much! I was ingesting far above my maintenance level of calories. No wonder I just kept gaining muscle instead of losing fat! I couldn’t fit into my jeans and coudn’t understand how that was possible since I was working out so much. bleh.

After realizing that my diet was not where I needed it to be, it was obvious I needed to make some major changes. I cleaned up my diet a great deal. I was never the fast food, donuts, fried food kinda girl anyway, but there were quite a few things that I did eat on a regular basis (mostly baked goods) that I realize were holding me back from seeing the results I was looking for. Now, it’s been about two weeks since I cleaned up my diet and started eating every 3 hrs regularly. WOW, what a difference. I had always known that that was the correct course of action (5 small meals a day) but never really had the correct education to know what those meals needed to consist of, which is why I never stuck to it for a long period of time. So, two weeks in, and I’m already losing fat. I can see some of the muscle development that’s been hiding under there all along! It’s beautiful!

Now, I have set some new goals (they’re on my BodySpace) and invested in a skinfold caliper to better help me track my rpogress and make sure i’m not losing lean mass when I see those lbs drop on the scale. I’m positive that I am now on the right track to achieving the body I want.

What this has done for me is reinforce the fact that EDUCATION IS THE BASIS OF SUCCESS. All of my research has taught me so much about my body and my nutrition that I never even considered. It has also allowed me to shut out all of the useless banter that is out there about weight loss. Most of it is just marketing and lies. It amazes me that if people just took a little time to get their facts straight and stopped expecting immediate, miraculous results, they could actually have the ability to change their composition and become an overall better, more educated person. This is another reason I can’t wait to be a PT. I want to educate people and show then the correct and best way to achieve their goals. Knowledge truly is power and I’m using it to my advantage Of course there’s a lot more to what I’m doing than what I described above, but that’s the point. Do your own research and you’ll find what’s right for you.

 Cheers!

OK, So I’m getting quite frustrated with the way people treat me when it comes to my lifestyle. If i’m out with my friends, I get bashed for ordering something like egg-whites and veggies and not hot wings and fries like everyone else. I get told that I’m wierd and crazy! Also, If I say that I was at the gym that day, I get asked (in a degrading and annoyed tone) "weren’t you there yesterday?" and I respond with "yea, and the day before too!" and I get a sigh and a rolling of the eyes in response. What is with that??

The biggest one, just yesterday, is when my sister picked me up from the gym. In the car she asks "since when did you become such a health freak overnight?" Truth is, I’ve been this way for years, but it’s since this past October that I’ve really gotten into it and done a lot of research and started going to the gym all the time. So I tell her all this and her response is "well, you know it’s not going to last. You’re like this now, going to the gym all the time, eating healthy, but in two years, you won’t be like this at all." 

I was amazed! I didn’t know what to say I was so angry.  This is not a phase, It’s a lifestyle. I am choosing to educate myself and be healthy and take care of my mind and body unlike most of the people I know. I really couldn’t just yell at her and be angry because she is overweight and takes offense anytime I say things like that and thinks that I’m directing them at her. I know that her being angry at me for being the way i am is really a reflection of the anger she feels towards herself for NOT being this way. The same goes for all of my friends. They just want to make me feel bad and make me feel as if I’m doing something wrong in order to make themselves feel better.  Because when everyone is chowing down cheeseburgers, fries, cake and cookies, it feels ok, because everyone is doing it. BUT when you have that one person who chooses to eat something healthy and fulfilling, they feel as if their wrongfullness has been blatantly pointed out and they’re angry that they can’t hide behind the veil of shared self-destruction. I happen to be that person, and I get hell for it.

It’s a slight reassurance, knowing that it all comes from their low self-esteems and their jealousy, but still, I’d like to go out with my friends and family and not put up with the assaults. I need to meet people who share my ideals and my way of thinking. I am very lucky, I might add, that I do have a boyfriend who is maybe not as stict as I am with the way I eat, but does for the most part agree with me. He is the one person I can go to who will not try to tempt me to eat what i shouldn’t and who, when I get excited to go to the gym, is right next to me with as much enthusiasm to go himself. I love it, and I’m glad I at least have SOMEONE around me who understands. it’s very relieving and provides an escape of some sort. I think It’s very important to have someone like that in your life.

I know that at this point, all I can do is reassure myself that I’m doing great things and that those people don’t matter. I just need to turn the other cheek and keep doing what I’m doing. Keep going strong! I’m happy, and healthy, and I have goals to reach in all aspects of my life that i’m going to reach no matter what. and that’s that.

PS. I am now on the way to being certified as a PT! I’m very excited about it and one of the best parts is when I tell my friends and family… the very same people who bashed me for being "too healthy" are the ones who say, "Oh, maybe you can train me!" Hah, sure I’d be glad to. If they’re willing to understand and accept that the way i am, is the way they need to be in order to see any results. But obviously, they don’t like it because they yell at me for it. Very interesting…

Hello! I finally decided to start this lil ditty Here goes..!

Ok, so when I started working out again, I had a goal of losing body fat and gaining muscle. Well, it turns out that I did lose a LITTLE bit of body fat, but overall, I really just gained a lot of muscle, which in turn made me bigger. I knew that I was doing the right thing by gaining muscle, but I wasn’t doing enough to lose the fat that lies over the muscle. So, not only was I no longer fitting into my clothing , I wasn’t really able to see the definition of all the muscle I gained, particularly in my legs.

Once I couldn’t fit into my jeans because my quads had gotten so big, I decided to do a little more research.  Through this I found out about explosive lifting. I learned that by lifting more explosively and with less rest I could burn more calories and use up most of my carbs. Then, after the workout, I can do cardio and since the lifting used my carbs, the cardio would now begin burning the fat.  This made me ecstatic and I’m am now stopping my 9 week program and starting a new one that includes explosive lifting and plenty of cardio to finally begin reshaping my body the way I want to.

Heres the new program, can’t wait to start seeing results and sharing them all with you!:

MON . WED . FRI .

SUPERSET 1:
machine chest press
machine rows
machine chest press
machine rows
(1 set/12 reps each. No rest between sets)

REST 1 MIN

SUPERSET 2:
leg press
leg curls
leg press
leg curls
(1/12 no rest b/t sets)

REST 1 MIN

SUPERSET 3:
lat pulls
upright rows
lat pulls
upright rows
(1/12 no rest b/t sets)

REST 1 MIN

SUPERSET 4:
cable curls
tricep pushdown
cable curls
tricep pushdown
(1/12 no rest b/t sets)

REST 1 MIN

SUPERSET 5:
smith squat
glute cable pulls
smith squat
glute cable pulls
(1/12 no rest b/t sets)

REST 2 MIN

Aerobics:
Treadmill. 40 minutes at 75% exertion.

Abs:
cable crunch (3 sets/12 reps)
bicycle crunches (3 sets/15 reps)
captain’s chair (3 sets/12 reps)
crunches on ball (3 sets/15 reps)

Stretch.
~~~~~~

TUES . THURS . SAT .

CARDIO:
Treadmill.
Warm up -
2 minutes

then,
Alternate-
1 min @ 90% exertion
1 min @ 30% exertion
(repeat 10-20 times)

AEROBICS:
Treadmill.
30 minutes at 60% exertion

Abs:
cable crunch (3 sets/12 reps)
bicycle crunches (3 sets/15 reps)
captain’s chair (3 sets/12 reps)
crunches on ball (3 sets/15 reps)

Stretch.