CardioGrl’s BodyBlog

My certification program starts on the 10th of Feb.  I’m getting more and more nervous.  I’ve read and re-read the chapters that I’m supposed to, in the Fitness Professional’s Handbook.  And some things are still not making sense.  I still can not figure out some of the forumulas, particularly the chapter on VO2 max.  I hope that in class it will become clearer.

On the other hand, I am very thrilled.  I am hoping that it’s not just a temporary insanity and that for the first time in life, I will enjoy work for a living .

I’m leafing through the Oxygen magazines and I am looking at the workout outfits that the models wear.  I’ve been searching on the internet high and low for those boy shorts and sports tops that they wear and good god, I just can’t find them.  They look like hot shorts, boy shorts, barely covering the ass, and I’m amazed that I am simply unable to find them. 

What is a girl to do?

Not really sure what is so different about today than any other day, but I just didn’t have it in me.  Woke up as always, did my morning routine, fed the kids, fed myself, stacked up on the supplements water, and to the gym I went.  Got on the elliptical cross trainer, and just fizzled out 20 minutes later.  Every step seemed to be forced, difficult, as if the breath was being knocked out of me.  Somehow I managed the 20 minutes and was hoping that lifting wouldn’t be as difficult. 

I was wrong.  Today was shoulders day, I was hoping to really work them well.  I went to the free weights and picked up a set of stinky 12lbs, I started with simple front raises.  Completed a set of 15 and almost died.  My face was red and I was completely out of breath.  I actually had to place the dumbbells back on the rack and sit down for a minute to catch my breath.  I watched my husband as he worked his shoulders effortlessly and wondered what on earth is wrong with me.  I had a full night of sleep, ate correctly, drank 1/2 a gallon of water, but just felt like crap.  

I took a few gulps from my water bottle and reduced the weight to 10lbs in each hand (sad, but hey it’s true).  Completed two more sets of 15 and felt as if my brain is ready to explode out of my head!   I decided that I’m going to just chill for five minutes and try again.  

Fast forward five minutes and I’m up there with a curved barbell attempting an upright row, with major effort I put it to rest after 3 sets of 10 and went on to the Bent over lateral raises with stinky five pounders in each arm.  Completed 3 sets of 10 and ended my workout.  On the way home had my protein bar and wondered what on earth could have caused me to feel so weak and so useless! 

I’m required to read a whole bunch of chapters before the first class for personal training starts on Feb 10th.  The book name is Fitness Professional’s Handbook, Fifth Edition.  I’m covering chapter 5 on Cardiorespiratory Fitness.  I’m stuck on how to calculate CRF (Cardio Respiratory Fitness).  Which can be expressed as follows:

 * Liters of oxygen used by the body per minute (L * min-1)

* Milliliters of oxygen used per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml * kg-1 * min-1)

*METs, multiples of resting metabolic rate, where 1 MET = 3.5ml *kg-1*min-1

 So a person with the ability to use 35 ml * kg-1 * min-1 during maximal exercise is said to have a CRF equal to 10 METs (35 / 3.5 = 10)

I keep reading and re-reading and I just don’t get it. 

HELP ME!!!!

It’s so disheartening to watch what some people do on this site.  I thought that this site is for the purpose of getting oneself into shape, working out, posting workouts, pictures, progress reports, learning, getting positive criticism etc… And yet daily I see negative comments, ridiculously low ratings for people who appear less than perfect to the so called *Muscle Heads*. 

A young lady had the courage to post 3 photos of herself, she let it all out, showed herself, posted what her goals are, explained what she is hoping to achieve through hard work and proper nutrition, and yet got slammed with ridiculing statements.  How, prey-tell is one supposed to get to where they want to go if they’ll be degraded, laughed at, and told  "I simply don’t understand this, is this a joke?". 

Did we not ALL start somewhere? Or did some of us woke up all chiseled and cut up one morning? Shame on every single one of you who are in the habit of doing this.  You might have the physical beauty, but your inside is hollow and cold, you are the reason that titles like  *Dumb jock* exist.

With the start of the New Year, I am happy to report that I have not really gained weight.  Despite the parties and all the food fests, I’ve managed to take the advice given in Tosca Reno’s Eating Clean book and managed to not gain.  

Having been on the overweight side for most of my adult life I am forever paranoid that I will regain the weight.  But I suspect that for as long as I remember to eat six properly proportioned meals a day, remain active and physical my weight will not be an issue. 

Though I’ve been training, lifting, resistence cardio and remained active throughout the last weekend of December, I got lazy about entering the information in my journal.  So I began today and hopefully I’ll manage to enter the information on daily basis.

New Year Resolution:

1- To accomplish my Personal Training Certification and secure a position in a reputable gym.

2- To get down to less than 16% body fat and get defined.