The Best is Yet to Come

So, the competition is tomorrow…..will post some more pics from the competition. Obviously, the pic below is #1, but he doesn’t like this one that much. Will take better ones later. 

Taht is pertty mchu hwo i am feleign tdyoa. A jmbuled up mses.

I knwo wehre I’m amigni to be in foru mthnos, btu teh gintteg tehre smoetmies gtes vrey furstartngi. I’m bstuing my bttu to gte tehre qickure adn cna gte vrey dnow on msyelf wehn I do nto fele as if I’m magikn eghnou frwoard pgoressr.

Oh, the answer to the title question - I think I’ll shoot for 2.5 - 3 hours today.

Still digesting all of the changes going on.

Worked all weekend at the hotel in WI, and was a good girl and drove my drunk friends around on Saturday night - yes, it’s the same on who just got the DUI. Had errands to run on Monday with my girlfriend, Kooky Heather, and we went out to the lighthouse in Port Washington on Lake Michigan after wards. It was soooooo gorgeous outside. Took the new black and white picture against the lighthouse. Have a new pic to post in the progress photos as soon as I get around to it……speaking of getting round, my stomach is really grossing me out these days, so I’m going to take #1’s suggestion and drop my carbs by half every 3rd and 4th day to see if that shocks my system into dumping some more fat. Am also getting in about 2 hrs of cardio daily, one hour in the morning and one in the evening. Think I may add another hour during the day after I do my daily job-hunting crud. Much better than sitting on the couch watching Days of Our Lives! Showed #1 the new muscles starting to pop out in my calves and arms. I found myself being amazed at my arms while I was driving in the car today……I LOVE MUSCLES!!!!!!!

Came down to Illinois yesterday and had a job interview this morning with a recruiter.  The job market down here is definitely better than in Milwaukee, and so is the salary range for someone with my qualificaitons. Feeling pretty optimistic and hope I have something lined up soon. Only problem is that most Wisconsinites don’t use public transportation as a rule, and there is no way that I could handle driving downtown to Chicago and parking my car every day - 1.) it took me an hour to drive 10 miles - yeah, should have taken the expressway, and 2.) cost $24 to park for just a little over an hour. Must learn how to take the train. That will definitely take some getting used to. 

Joined #1’s gym yesterday on my way down so that I can get in good workouts while I’m looking for a job. Heard him get up this morning, but he didn’t wake me. i  woke up at 5:20 and threw my gym clothes on and ran out the door to get my butt in to the gym. The last thing I want is to miss a workout or have him think that I’m not 115% serious about my progress and commitment to improving my health and physique. It was funny, he didn’t realize I was there until I walked up to him after our workouts! Looked at me and said "I thought you were still sleeping!" with a silly smile on his face. I politely thanked him for letting me sleep since I was bone-dead tired. Did squats last night and almost dumped the bar on my last rep. Think I may start over at week 1 on my cycle since I really need to get used to working out in a different gym. I’m nowhere near as comfortable with the squat rack as I was at my gym, and don’t even know how to describe the one down here. But it’s definitely not the nice power rack that I know and love. He came up to me in the gym as I was squatting and said, "it’s nice to see a chick doing a quality squat in this gym". Now, of course, he knows that I only do them because he bugged me about it a year ago for a few months before I finally caved and crossed over to the dark side - but I LOVE IT! Tonight is bench.

The Mid-Illinois NPC is on Saturday, and that is where #1 is going to do his first competition ever. I’ve already told him that he’s obviously got my vote! Looking forward to it, since it will be my first bodybuilding/figure show that I will see in person. I’m hoping that at some point in time next year I can enter one myself! I already am planning on doing one or two powerlifting meets, but for some reason they don’t intimidate me as much.

Summer is coming, and I can’t wait to see what I’ll look like! Sorry for being such a slacker lately, but i will definitely do better!

Summer is coming, and I refuse to feel fat or flabby when it’s here.

So, you know what that means……MORE cardio, MORE focus on form, MORE healthy eating…..in order for there to be LESS of me!

I need to be very disciplined about my workout routine, and continue to PUSH myself even harder than before. If an hour on the elliptical is a breeze, then I’m going to shoot for an hour and fifteen minutes. If the weight went up easy, I’m going to bump up next weeks plan.

Failure is NOT an option.

Very sore today from Thursday’s chest/arm workout. I had done my bench press on Wednesday, but just wasn’t feeling into it, so I did that and some curls and left the gym. On Thursday when I went with #1 I redid my bench and finished all the other stuff that I blew off the day before, and am now definitely feeling the burn - YAY!!!!

Had a little bit of a stressful night last night, and we got to the gym with only an hour to work out, so I got in plenty of cardio and made sure that I did my deadlifts. Surely I will be feeling this tomorrow in my back, I can already feel it in my legs.

I’ve started running a little - just to see how it feels after not doing it for so many years. #1 has this silly idea in his brain that we’ll be running together outside in the mornings as it gets nicer. We’ll see about that…..

I dont’ think #1 will ever be doubting my commitment to getting back in shape again. Especially after spending two hours in the gym last night and then getting up with him this morning to hit the gym at 5am for more.

Came back home (home is all relative these days - I have THREE of them), and he got ready to go to work. I, luckily, fell asleep on the nice comfy black leather couch watching the big man-TV. Anyway, I woke up and was a little out of it- promptly slid off the couch along with the pillows which in turn knocked over my coffee mug spilling it all over the light grey carpet - yeah, this is pretty much how my life has been going recently, what with the treadmill incident and the other various mishaps as of late. MUST refocus my brain so these silly things stop happening.

Recent odd mishaps:

• forgot to lock the ladies room bathroom door, thank goodness the woman who OPENED it was a coworker (two weeks ago)
• freaked out over my check engine light being on thinking my car was going to explode, took it to AutoZone where they test that stuff for free - turns out my gas cap wasn’t tight (two days ago)
• left my workout gloves at home, got down to Illinois and realized I had ONE glove, not the necessary TWO for my workout, that was nifty
• still can’t quite figure out the hot water in this apartment, so I almost burned my skin off this morning in the shower, #1 forgot that if he turned on the water in the kitchen that it would directly affect my water temperature - and no, this i won’t complain too much about, I’m HAPPY that he’s not used to having someone else around, yet!

I’m sure I’ll think of more as the day goes on, and I can guarantee you that I will get lost at least twice today since being down here is like being on a foreign planet.

i keep telling myself that i love cardio, only because it makes my butt smaller and firmer.

found the gym in illinois that I want to join, we’re going to go check it out next week. good things are happening all around, and i’m still reeling a little from all of it trying to take it in.

Hade an awesome workout, except for the minor treadmill incident where I almost bought the farm.

Did warmup before weights and started with squats, then leg press, calf raises, hamstring curls, leg extensions and abs. Finished off with more cardio….

Got off the elliptical and turned around and saw one of my girlfriends and her boyfriend on the treadmills right behind me. So, I hopped on one next to her and that’s where the fun began…..will finish this post tomorrow, #1 is calling.

Come on
Baby don’t you wanna go
Hidehey
Baby don’t you wanna go
Back to that same old place
Oh sweet home Chicago

Well, one and one is two
Six and two is eight
Come on baby don’t ya make me late
Hidehey
Baby don’t you wanna go
Back to that same old place
Sweet home Chicago

Lots of interesting employment prospects, YIPPEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will hopefully be calling myself a relocated Cheesehead, and semi-Flatlander soon. All good, the only problem is going to be finding a good gym. I’m not exactly fond of the gym where #1 goes, and think we will have to change to a different gym where people actually know what a squat is. There is one good point about his gym, I look really strong there compared to the other women. If we switch to a more lifting oriented gym, I’ll just be another pansy girl lifter again. Hmmmm…………