Ellena’s BodyBlog

Hey all,

 Needin’ some help please.  I got really sick over the Christmas holidays. To find out my red blood cell count is low.  Much happened in Feb and for about 5wks i was back at the gym-strong. Till I started to feel wiped out andwould be so tired.  Went in for blood work to find out my Ferrous–red blood cell formation got to an all time low of 8.2. I am anemic as well but this is way too bad for someone with that trait. 

 I went on ferrous gluconate for a month and got to a 10.4.  I was ordered to stay off the gym for about 6wks in order to form some blood cells so i have something to start with when I go back. Since you burn your red blood cells during activity.

 I went back to the gym and did two 6week routines of a full body circuit just to get back in.  I had to stay on the ferrous for 3months everyday.

I’ve done my blood work and found out that in 3months I finally hit 20. 

The normal range in 10-280.  Most people sit at 50-60. My norm being anemic is 29-30. I have been ordered to stay on it for another 3 months everyday.  Which means in my diet i have to take into consideration not just my carbs/protiens/fats, but iron and vitamin c as well.  It’s hard.

 Also, Last week here in Toronto, Canada we had an explosion of a propane depot that i ran through and also had to take chest exams and xrays.  I was ordered to take off a week.

 I’m back in and really serious now. I was able to drop a few pounds and lean out with a change of my diet over the last few months. I Haven’t updated my profile but notice a differece. And been able to keep up with some muscle formation and seeing definition.

I am a pear shape so I’m bottom heavy.  It’s easy to work on my upper body, it’s smaller and easy to see results.

I NEED HELP WITH a lower body leg routine. My thighs are down to 26 inches. They were up at 28.  Can someone help me out? 

I also need something reasonable for a diet routine and easy things to put together. I’m a hairdresser who is busy and has few moments to eat. So i need something easy to put together. Please some suggestions! 

Thanks so much!

Hey all,

 1st of all Happy New Year!

I have a question I’m hoping someone can answer.

Protein.

A few people told me that protein powder is not to be heated or cooked with.  Whey that is.  But I’ve been reading so many different recipes with it added into the recipe.  For example protein pancakes, etc…..

 Help me out.  I know it’s a stupid question but I’m getting mixed info and just want to make sure. 

Hey all,

 A little cry for help, motivation, reassurance or whatever you want to call it.

 I wrote a post a while back about getting back into the swing of things.  That was easy compared to this.

 I haven’t been to the gym I would say in a month.  I threw my back out for a week and a half from shovelling snow and got a pinched nerve.  Finally one night (Thursday that wk), I decided to go work on legs and give my back even another few days to recoup, and I still had a pinched nerve in the upper back.  I kicked out legs so hard that I couldn’t walk for 4 days and still had my glutes hurt until the following Tuesday. 

I’m a hairdresser, as I’ve stated and had pulled holiday hrs, 10-12hrs over the next few days. As I finally got through the weekend, I shoveled heavy snow again on the Sunday, which kicked out my back for another week.  During that week I also felt really tired, dizzy, didn’t want to stomach food etc. By Friday that wk, I was taking blood tests and left work early in the afternoon to almost falling asleep at the wheel 4x’s and having some of my joints and bones hurt.  I woke up the next morning to all of my joints, muscles and bones in severe pain and feeling very faint like.  I spent the day in the hospital to find out I had a viral flu that has taken a week and a half to get through, my joints back to normal by that Thursday, and now finally have got enough energy to go back to the gym. 

I have not gained any weight but have felt like I have "flubbed" out. That time frame has been the longest time ever away from the gym since I started there last Jan.  I can’t believe at how bad I feel.  As much as my health is important, I can’t begin to tell you that I felt like I’ve lost myself somewhere.  My life has changed this past year and don’t like the fact that I have to end 2007 like this. 

I have had my bag packed in my Jeep for a couple of days and am finally off to the gym. They have had holiday hrs and I haven’t been able to go since they’ve closed at 10 and I get off at 9. 

I feel I need support to go back. Not because I don’t want to but because I’m afraid about having to step back a little and can’t kick into full force like I used to.  To even know that I might not be able to pull the last weight I did will discourage me.

 The other thing is that I don’t actually feel comfortable going into the main gym.  I usually work out with everyone and I know many people.  I feel like I want to lock myself up on the women’s only side until I gear up again.  I don’t like the insecure feeling that I’ve now gotten.  I only worked out in there for the first couple of months, for one, I didn’t know anyone on the other side yet and second, my circuits that I was set up with, were only set up for that side.

 I don’t know why I’m feeling like this but it saddens me. 

Hey everyone,

 Here’s a little backup.  Went on vacation on Nov 17 for a week and returned on the 24th.  Worked out a bit that week. I thought I could take the whole week off but it wasn’t happening.  I got back and wanted to ease into it.  Went and did my 3 days of weight training with cardio and abs, and did another 2 days of cardio. 

 Took the next weekend off from Nov 30th, being my birthday and decided that it would be my treat  to have it off with cake that I love the most.  

 Got quite a bit of snow here and pulled my back out that resulted in back pain where I couldn’t do any workouts and ended up getting a pinched nerve.  It has been 12 days.  I have not taken that kind of time off from the gym since I started a year ago.  If anything it is my 1st yr anniversary at the gym.

 I’m going back tomorrow, and the pinched nerve is on my upper back.  I will be able to train at least legs and do some cardio.

How do I get the push to go back since I’ve been off for so long?  I’ve noticed I’ve been really tired.

 Nervous

Hey everyone,

 Got back from the gym a little while ago.  I’m a little dissapointed. 

 I train in the evenings, pretty late and have a great trainer who comes in late for me. 

I trained tonight and in the middle of working legs, I got to do an exercise that had to work my legs as well as balance. 

I had a hard time with balancing since my core muscles are weak, especially my back ones.  I got through the exercise and was frustrated enough because I couldn’t do it like everyone else.  I know that balance and strength come with time but it still frustrated me.  Many times I guess I attempt things I know that I could get through.  When I can’t, well, I have a hard time with it but keep practicing until it gets easier.

 I’m not venting on my instability during the exercise but for some comment that was said behind me while trying.  I know that I’m not the most fit person and still very overweight and underdeveloped, which I’m sure will come in time. I just don’t understand why some people are so rude.

One person had asked why I was doing the exercise and my trainer said that we were working legs but that my strenght in my core is weak so we were working on it.  He threw a comment which was quite insulting ( won’t repeat it), and it didn’t even have to do with the exercise but with the way I looked and that’s why "I couldn’t complete it properly".  My trainer tried explaining that I usually work hunched over because of my job (hairstylist), that’s why my back muscles are shot.  Before he could explain, the comment was thrown out, I gave the guy a hard stare through the mirror and because I was in the middle of completing my exercise, had lost the chance to say anything.

My trainer noticed that I wasn’t myself and thought that I was feeling that way because of him.  I tried telling him that it had nothing to do with him but also wouldn’t explain as to why I was quiet.  It ruined the rest of my night and training session. 

Sometimes things like this make you want to quit.  I won’t, but sometimes you wonder. I love going and I know that’s all that matters but why do people have to be so mean?

 Thanks for letting me vent.

A few years ago when I was in the middle of losing 115lbs, I was told to keep a Food Diary, of everything I ate.  I started doing it and I came to a point where I resented doing it. Not because I hated myself for indulging in something I shouldn’t have and felt bad, but the fact that my list looked long. 

In my list being long, meant that I felt like I was eating too much and I should start eliminating food from my list so it would look shorter.  In other words, I wasn’t eating bad things but  make it look like I was eating less.

 The sad part of it that it didn’t matter what was on the list, it was the length of it that made it look scary.  It came to a point that I wouldn’t eat something just so I wouldn’t have to write it down so the list didn’t look long.  It was playing tricks with my mind.

 The list would look like this:

Egg whites and Oatmeal.

Protein drink or bar

Tuna and salad

8 almonds and 1/2 an apple

Chicken, salad and palm size serving of long grain rice

1 cofee

2 litres of water.

Even if I tried writing it on one line so it would decieve my eyes, it didn’t work.  I would start cutting things out.  How much more simple can one person get?  It’s not like I was trying to eat that clean, let’s face it, I’m not training for anything, I’m just trying to eat just as normal as I can since it’s a lifetime commitment.  

That is a list from some of the stuff I eat now. I didn’t even eat that clean and still lost my weight.  It was just the fact that my list looked long and started eliminating foods, which in turn, almost started starving myself without noticing.

So I stopped.  People always said that I should stick with it but I felt different by relying on writing in a book.  I knew I did something wrong when I did it.  I wouldn’t feel that much worse writing it down. I knew my fault.

Now, some years have passed, started a great exercise program that has weights and cardio combined and decided I would give it another chance.  I want to be able to write things down, since my eating habits changed and working my body differently requires me to fuel it differently.

Wish me luck.  Hopefully I won’t fall into that rutt again.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed.   

Just keeping track in my beginning.  Don’t push 2 much. do hair for a living.

Back and tri’s

Warm up on treadmill 10min—stretch burned 100 cals

3 sets of each

1.Lat Pulldowns 15 reps each 50lbs/60lbs/60lbs

  single arm rope pulldowns 20lbs 20 reps each

  straight bar row-undergrip 15 reps 50lbs/60lbs/60lbs—-lower back

2. sigle arm cable pull downs for lats/traps 20lbs each 15-20reps

    dip machine–15-20reps–60lbs/70lbs/80lbs

    close grip rows–overgrip 15 reps—50lbs/60lbs/60lbs–mid back

3.  DB rows -15reps 25lbs

     Overhead DB extension 25lbs–15reps

4.  Freemotion pulldowns–for tri’s—(arms straight out) 10lbs each 15reps

    Rope pulldowns (both arms–back against machine)  20lbs-15 reps

 1/2 hr on elliptical 355cals burned at incline of max–10 and resistance between 30 and 50.  Note:  Legs kicked in pain from yesterday.

 Note:  Right arm not as gd as left.  Working arm–(hairdresser) LOL!

Warmed up on Elliptical 10min

 Stretched

 3 Sets of Each

1 

1.Smith Machine squats—25lbs each side –25 reps each

2.Bosu Ball-abs 30 crunches hold last one up 4 20sec.

3.Step ups with kick backs-12lbs in each hand–20reps each leg

     2

1. Upright leg press 25lbs each side-20reps close with 20reps wide

2. Bosu-Obliques 30 reps each

3. Back leg raises-25reps each -30lbs/40lbs/50lbs

  3

1. Leg raises reps 15/12/10

1.30lbs/40/lbs/50lbs 2.50lbs/40lbs/30lbs  3. 30lbs/40lbs/50lbs

2.Abs on floor–reverse crunch 30 reps

3.Calf raises 20reps each

50lbs/60lbs/60lbs

 1/2 hr at high intensity at maximum incline-10 and resistance between 40-60.

 notes:  10min warmup-115 cal

 30cardio at end-448cal burned.

K everyone!

I need your help.  Little info for you.  I had a bridal shower to attend to on Sun.  My weakness is cake.  So at the lunch I had pasta (which I’m not used to eating), and a big piece of shower cake.  I have to admit it was good.  I’m not going to lie to any of you.

 I have been great with my eating habits before and since then but realize with that much sugar and carbs in my body, I feel like I’m coming down from a "rush". 

 My question to you is: How do you come down from it easy without falling off?

 I’ll be honest, even though the pasta and cake along with toast in the morning, might not be hard for some, I have to admit that yesterday and today I have been craving some type of sugar. I need to kick out of it.  I haven’t given in but very close to some occasion.  

I know it takes 2-3 days but they aren’t coming quick enough.

 Listen, I don’t regret what I’ve done. I enjoyed every bite.  It’s my body I’ll ruin but please don’t get mad.  LOL!

 Help! 

Just updating.  Making notes to myself.  I noticed that I can go back and keep track. To see how things or frame of mind changes and time goes and "I" change.

Was at the gym tonight.  I kicked in cardio on the elliptical.

 Worked my back, tri’s and did mini circuit on my legs.  That was the first time I did two sets of workouts in a row.  Usually I separate 1-back, tri’s, shoulders. 2-legs 3-chest, bi’s and abs.  *Note: abs everyday. Or at least every other day.  Cardio-5x’s a week.

 I did 3 sets of each at 15 reps.

 Set 1.

Lat pulldowns 50lbs-50lbs-60lbs

with dip machine-60lbs-80lbs-80lbs

Set 2.

Single arm cable pulldown-back-4 traps-20lbs-20lbs-20lbs

Straight bar row50lbs-60lbs-60lbs

Sigle arm rope pulldowns-20lbs-20lbs-20lbs

Set 3

Dropset dumbell row-15 rep-12 rep-10rep

with weight being 25-20-15

Dumbell overhead extension 25lbs

Leg circuit was

Inner thigh machine 50lbs, outter thigh machine50lbs, back leg raises45lbs-50-lbs50lbs, front leg raises45lbs-50lbs-55lbs, calf raises60lbs, leg press80lbs 20 reps close 20reps wide.

Each were done 3x’s at 20 reps each except for leg press.