The Best is Yet to Come

…..Work, work, work, Senora, work it all the time!!!!

So I’ve been slacking with my blog but my workouts have been going pretty well. Still working on getting up early in the morning to get my workout in BEFORE work so that no matter what plans arise for the evening, I’ve still done my lifting for the day. It’s HARD, especially with an underactive thyroid - getting up in the mornings is always difficult, BUT, the end results are so worth it. Swimsuit season is rapidly approaching and I refuse to be embarrassed to be in a swimsuit in public any more. Ever.

Diet has been pretty decent as well - it really helps that the man I adore is also working on cutting at the moment and is a positive source of encouragement.

Everything else has been just ducky - interesting developments personally, but some things even I don’t share! Let’s just say that I’m pretty happy and most aspects of my life are going in a positive direction.

Oh - except for the one little bit of belated news I had in hearing that my great aunt passed away two weeks ago - nobody knew! My uncle is just weird that way, I guess. Didn’t even have their son come down for any sort of service. Huh…..oh well.

Oops - one other nice development is that my oldest sister (37) and I have now decided to have our youngest sister (17) come up with me once a month and stay at my oldest sister’s house - this is great for all of us since the younger one is stuck in a house that is dysfunctional at best. Don’t get me wrong, I love my dad - but the poor thing needs a better support system - and that IS what big sisters are for, after all.

Wasn’t feeling great, but I pushed through it anyway and feel much better for doing so. Sinuses - AGAIN. Ugh.

And I’m SO proud of myself for dragging my ass to the gym this morning. I really need to put forth a serious effort to move my lifting workouts to morning instead of evening - that way no matter what comes up after work socially, I’ve still done my lifts for the day.

Elliptical for 15 minutes to warm up…….

Squats - 1 warmup set @ 80, then 3 x 12 @ 110

Leg Press & Calf Raises - 1 warmup set at 140, then 3 x 12 @ 190

Lying Leg Curls - 1 warmup set at 50, then 3 x 12 @ 65

Hamstring Curls - 1 warmup set at 50, then 3 x 12 @ 65

Finished with another 15 minutes of cardio to cool down. Skipped abs since my workouts got all screwy this week.

Social interruption last night……no complaining here, though. Made tenderloin filets with some mixed veggies and just a bit of mashed potatoes for carbs. Yummy! Funny, that’s the first time I’ve ever cooked a steak before - I’ve always dated men who are grill fanatics and would let me prepare the meat to be grilled, but I’ve never actually had to cook it myself! Turned out OK - next time will be better. But it can’t have been too bad, he did eat it!

Hitting the weights tonight - knee and neck pretty much back to normal. Going to get my squat workout in tonight and bench tomorrow. I’ll probably skip the deadlifts on Saturday, but will still get in the rest of my back and shoulder workout.

I’m going to miss my Valentine! He’s going out of town on business until Sunday! *cry*

So, in recent conversations with my adored, we’ve been pondering the oddities of my personality dynamics. Because while I am a relatively intelligent girl, I apparently can also be extremely blonde at times - not on purpose, mind you.

If there is a wall, I’ll walk into it - now I beg to differ here, I believe this is just a simple lack of coordination and awareness of my surroundings. Plus, I swear I didn’t realize it was a wall - the damn thing was glass! But there is also the odd phenomenon of my tripping over invisible objects or simply having some depth perception issues and randomly running into the odd item.

Anyway, my newest calamity? When I was going to put gas in my car on Saturday as I was headed up to Wisconsin I slipped on some ice. Bam! Down on the ground, landed on my left knee pretty hard. Of course I got up quickly and looked around to see who witnessed the hilarity…..some jackass at the pump across from me did, but he never even asked if I was OK. What a jerk.

So, all was fine, got in my car…..headed back to Wisconsin…..went about my day and all was dandy. Until my GF’s son nagged me into playing with their Nintendo Wii - I finally gave in. We were going to play bowling….on my first turn I got a strike! Being the dork I am I got all excited and jumped up and said Yay me!!!! Then he jumped up grabbed my neck and knocked me down - and I landed on my left knee!!!!! Again!!!! He landed on the dog’s head somehow.

Needless to say, in addition to my neck being sore, now my left leg was doubly sore! This was not a good week for me in the blonde department.

Unfortunately, it’s been mild cardio for a few days due to my injuries…….got a little light dumbbell work in, but that’s about it.

Note to self: walk a little slower, look around a little more.

I’m finally feeling better enough that I can probably get my bench workout in tonight and make up some missed cardio. Might try to add some missed legwork from Monday in too.

Hope to be back to normal by the weekend and resume my regularly scheduled workout program on Monday again. Although, normal for me is indeed a relative term.

…that is the only logical explanation for my current state. Somehow between walking from the train to my office I managed to do something which has resulted in a very intense and horrific pain in my neck. It’s so bad that I cannot stand up straight and have to continue on through my day with my damn blonde head tilted to the side looking like a complete airhead.

I hate to say it, but I will most likely not be doing my squats tonight.

Afternoon edit: Yay! I can sit and stand up straight without leaning my head to one side. Woohoo!!!!!!!!!

..Now it’s nothing but my way
My loneliness ain’t killing me no more…
I, I’m stronger

Than I ever thought that I could be
I used to go with the flow
Didn’t really care ‘bout me
You might think that I can’t take it, but you’re wrong
‘Cause now I’m…

STRONGER!!!!!!!!!

I really have been surprising myself lately with how much I’m enjoying being on my own. Considering that I hadn’t lived on my own for almost 7 years, it’s nice to be able to spend the time reconnecting with myself again. And the best thing? I like me!

When you look at how miserable I was 5 or 6 years ago when I really started to put on the extra weight and how little I thought of myself, this is HUGE - and I’m NOT huge anymore! It’s sad that I was so down that I didn’t realize it or what it was doing to my state of mind and physical health.

I have a great job, the best friends a girl could ask for - and I’m making NEW ones down here!, I’m getting my ass back in shape, spending more time doing the things I want to do for ME - and not anybody else……things are going pretty well, I’d say. Did I mention that there is a certain someone who puts a twinkle in my eye??? He’s absolutely wonderful.

Back to the workouts:

Did my deadlifts yesterday, since I went out in the city on Friday after work with friends. 2 Miller Lites, 1 shot of tequila, 1 margarita and 1 Jack and Diet Coke…….much better than the previous outing 2 weeks earlier where I ended up bowing to the porcelain god and offering up my intestinal sacrifice.

20 minute cardio warmup, and one reduced weight warmup set of 6-8 for each exercise

Hyperextensions - 3 x 12

DL’s - 3 x 10 @ 150

Bent Over BB Rows - 3 x 10 @ 40

Lat Pulls - 3 x 10 @ 60

DB Military Press - 3 x 10 @ 15

DB Shrugs - 3 x 10 @ 15

Alternating Front/Lateral Raises - 3 x 10 @ 10  

Abs Machine - 3 x 10 @ 50, and then 3 x 10 @ 60 on the oblique machine

No drinking for me today…..just chillin’ at home and doing some closet organizing and playing around with some recipes in the kitchen. Oh, and I’ll catch the commercials during the Super Bowl - yes, still bitter about the Pack not being in it! LOL