Making_A_Change’s BodyBlog

My computer just shut down and I lost my blog–stream of consiousness is gone. Here are the highlights:

• I made it to the gym, but I only had 30 minutes. Worked on chest, back, through in some calves. I really need a full hour plus, to do what I need to do. However, it was a good practice run.
• The few unplanned rest days actually worked for me: my elbow felt great and my strength increased significantly and all of my weights went up 5-10 pounds. I had no aches, nothing was sore. I was fully recovered–so now, I can tear everything down, again. I was irritated by not being able to go to the gym because I didn’t plan them.
• I am beginning to think that I need more calories. the passed few nights, I have been eating cereal. I had pretty much limited cereal from my diet; occasionally having Kashi or some other high protein cereal. It’s been challenging to cook as well. Got to get back to that, too.
• I need new tupperware. Really, where does it go?
• I decided to rent a parking space in my neighborhood, so that I can work out in the evening and not worry about where I am going to put my car. I just made my LAST car payment last week, and was trying not to accrue any new expenses, but this was a matter of convenience and, ultimately, of safety.
• I am sitting at 168 pounds, now.
• Water consumption is LOW, LOW, LOW. Actively working to increase that. I’ve put myself on somewhat of a schedule today. We’ll see how it goes. It’s worked before–drinking 32 oz. between meals kept me thinking about it.

That was about it.

No morning workout. No grocery shopping. No idea how this became so challenging. I set the clock for 4:40 a.m. The little one decided that she didn’t want to sleep. I put her in between be and my husband. I was delirious, thought it was much later than it was. Once the alarm went off, I had to give myself a reality check. I am supposed to meet some parents and students for the first time. This is the school’s first public event. I wanted to be rested, so I opted for the extra sleep. So, I am going to have to redeem myself Thursday-Sunday. My eating has been okay. The calories have been a little lower than usual, but I think it hasn’t bothered me because I haven’t been as active the past few days. I am comfortable with my irritation about being off schedule because it means that I care and I am actively trying to find solutions. Just beginning work and putting school is the mix has been a challenge. I wonder what is going to happen when 100 5th graders are put into the mix. I am confident that I will get my groove back; I am just annoyed at the skip in the record.

Today, I managed to do a little bit better. My meals were a little smaller than usual. It was difficult to get them in, becuase a little bit of prep is involved. I need to pack some things that require less prep–no microwaving, even. Something I can just grab and go. The other alternative is to just get used to eating cold food. By the time I got home I was so hungry. My husband got my daughter KFC for dinner and I was ready to inhale that, but there wasn’t anymore. Ah, there was some leftover sushi and I ate that. Not great, because of the rice, but certainly better than fried chicken. No workout tonight. Last night I went to the gym and went heavier than usual on my legs. I was trying to get away with fewer reps. I see that I am going to really have to buckle down. I’ve gone to two of my three classes and they seem really interesting. I am looking forward to the grind, again. I am really going to have to get to the gym in the mornings BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. No steps back. No excuses. This is just a test–one of many. If it came easy, then the product wouldn’t be as sweet, right? Have any more cliches? Tomorrow is a long day. We have a Family Orientation Night that starts at 7 and ends at 9. So, with my workout my day is 5:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. I need to be prepared! I need to shop! I need to pack a fat lunch!

August 27 

The lunch I packed today wasn’t very good–just a bunch of those tuna packs. I had some left over greek pasta salad then ended up having in the morning. I figured it was early in the day, so it wouldn’t be so bad. I had cottage cheese and strawberries in the fridge for my next meal. Well, I had to leave work at noon to get to my one o’clock class and left the cottage cheese. I had my emergency tuna pack in my purse and ate that. Three hours later I was starving and didn’t have my lunch. I was faced with the following choice–Starbucks, Top Dog (hot dogs and hot links), burritos, hamburgers, and sushi–all in a row.  I chose the sushi.

Had my share of carbs for the last few days in the form of polenta, some pasta.  And I have even had some ice cream (yum!), but I made it to the gym 5 days this week and had some excellent workouts. This morning, I ran 4 miles on the treadmill. I began at 5.3 mph and worked my way up to 6 mph. It took me a little under 40 minutes. Tomorrow I begin my new work schedule (a 7:30 a.m. start) and start school. I know that I am going to have to go on fitday and figure out what I am going to pack in my lunch. I’ve been confident in my ability to estimate my caloric and protein intake; but with the extra stressors of beginning a new school year both at work and academically, I would feel more comfortable if I knew what I was taking in. After I get settled, I can relax a bit. I can tell that my anxiety (especially about opening a new school and being ready) is adding to my stress and making me want to eat a bit more. Being able to identify this, does make it easier to indulge responsibly. There are so many temptations, especially on campus–the cafes, the machines–I just want to be prepared. What makes all of this easier, is my resolve to stay on track and keep making progress.

Last night, I did 45 minutes of cardio split between the stairmill (20 minutes) and the treadmill (11% incline @ 3 mph). This morning I worked back and abs and finished it off with a 1 mile run @ 6 mph. Man, it was a good workout and, by geez, I can’t remember what I did.

3 sets of seated rows: 80# 12-15 reps

3 sets of cable rows (rope attachment): 100#

3 sets lat pull down: 80 #

3 sets: woodchopper, oblique crunches, kneeling crunches

I did more stuff, but I can’t remember. I need some sleep. I was in and out in about an hour; and I know I am going to be sore in the morning. A private trainer  approached me today. He obviously didn’t work for my neighborhood gym, because the trainers from my gym are baaa-aaad.  When this guy works with his client, she does lots of things with her own body weight, innovative moves and I have watched he become more muscular, more coordinated, and she’s looking darn good! I’ve said to myself I would like to work with him some time, because I like what he does.  This morning I was going to ask for his card. He approached me today, and said that he was talking to his client about me–saying that when I am there I work really hard. I had to laugh, because I know I put on the stank face when I am trying to squeeze out those last reps. He’s  52 (didn’t look it) and has been training people for over 30 years. He talked about his philosophy on fitness and his clients and was really knowledgeable. I told him about what I’ve done. Although I am not looking for a trainer, right now, he would definitely be someone I would work with.

This morning, I slept in. I was invigorated. I was rested.  But I didn’t get up because the husband bought us a new bed. Now, I knew the old one was bad. We had flipped and turned it no many times that it was pointless. When I would wake up, I dould hear my back popping back into place. Neck pains, shoulder pains, and pains from the springs were a common occurence. Why did I put up with it? Because I’m cheap. Plus, I make sure the little one gets what she needs first. The mattress is really, really, firm. I LOVE firm mattresses. I must be getting old when the mattress–not the stuff that you could do on it– is exciting! I got a rejunvenating sleep and I am looking forward to this evening’s workout. My legs feel fine, so I am thinking about getting a run in today–4 miles maybe? And then some abs and calves. New bed–woo!

I have workout out in the evenings or afternoons most of this week; I jsut haven’t been able to wake up. But I am proud of myself for sticking the the program and still making it a priority and getting it done. It was around 9:30 p.m. last night, I was in my pajamas, tired as heck, and had talked myself out of a workout, so I thought. The thought of potentially missing two workouts this week kept bothering me; so I got up put on some clothes and decided to go do triceps and chest for just 30-40 minutes. I told my husband that I would be right back, he just smiled and looked at me with a very skeptical look. I said, "What? You don’t think I can wrap it up in 30 minutes or so?". "Nope." I was determined to show him. But, like all of the other times before, I was gone for almost an hour. Once I got there, I got so energized and actually have a great workout. I think the bowl of cereal that I had prior helped a bit. It went something like this:

cable tricep press: 15 reps @60#, 7-8 reps @ 70#, 5 reps @ 80# (this was my first time doing this. I was going to decrease the weight but when 60# felt light I decided to increase the weight); one-armed cable chest flye:  (1 set)15 reps at 30#, (4 sets)10 reps @ 40#

chest press (machine): 4 sets-12-15 reps @ 30#

hanging knee raises: 2 sets of 30 reps, 20 reps

weighted crunches: 3 sets to failure (60#)–> increased weight

————–

Today is a rest day. Will hit is hard the rest of the week!

Last night, I went to the gym at around 9:30 p.m. I was too exhausted to wake up in the morning. I planned to spend about an hour there so I did shoulders, biceps, and abs. I had the BEST shoulder workout that I have had, ever. I’ve learned that my legs like high reps, but I think I am going to see alot of changes in my shoulders if I stick to heavier weights and lower reps. I had a fullness that I have yet to have–woo hoo! For biceps, I kept the weights light and the reps high. It is very obvious that I have lost some strength on the left side. I’ve been thinking of seeing a physical therapist. Why not, I’m paying for it, might as well use it! I wanted to do more ab work, but that section was crowded and I wanted to get back home, I had some work to do. This is what last night looked like:

cable bicep curls: 10 reps @ 50#, 10 reps @ 40#, 10 reps @ 30#, 10 reps @ 20#–>I was trying something new here. I am going to do this for a while and see what happens; shoulder raise with horseshoe attachment: 10 reps @ 10#/shoulder raises (with back to machine): 15 reps @ 20 #–> repeated this circuit 3 times with no break!!

one armed shoulder press: 10 reps @ 20#/shoulder press: 8 reps @ 15#/lateral raises: 10 reps @ 12#–>repeated this circuit 3 times with no break.

bicep curl on machine: 5 sets/1 set of 20 reps @ 30#; 4 sets of 15 reps # 40#

hanging knee raises: 1 set of 30; 1 set of 20; could have squeezed out another set, but had to go.

crunches–lost count–did it until it burned and did some more!

I think I need to treat my shoulders like my calves. I don’t split them up with another body part anymore. My legs and butt are still sore. My shoulders and biceps are sore.  I’ll be going to the gym tonight for about 45 minutes for triceps, chest, and calves. I think I am well on my way to losing another pound, we’ll see what the scale says at the end of the week.

My husband works very, very hard and rarely takes any time off. He is a leasing agent/property manager. Fortunately, he finally took some time off. He is off all of this week. He’s studying for his broker’s test, but at least he is getting a chance to just hang out at home. My vacation was last week. So, in order to get some time together we decided to stay up really late last night and watch a few movies. I baked some chocolate chip cookie bars, and we did just that. We were up until around 2 a.m. I remember when I could stay up really late and function the next day like I got 8 hours. I am so tired right, now. But, I loved that we got to spend time together. Maybe us being up that late disturbed the little one because she was up late, too. She decided that she was going to sleep on a rug in her doorway. I think she was delirious. Our plan is to make tonight another movie night, because I have to go back to work on Wednesday. I’m only 33, but I am already looking forward to retirement. I love the field of education, but some times I wish I didn’t have to work. It would be nice to have the option of sleeping in somedays–I’m not saying everyday–just some days. It would be great to not have to juggle school and work, but to just focus on my research questions and gain a deeper understanding of what I am learning and make real contributions to literacy and media studies. Instead, I read enough to compose a halfway decent paper. Well, I have my health. At least I can say that!

I didn’t get my a.m. workout, so I’ll have to do it tonight. As I sit here typing, I am reminded that yesterday’s leg workout already has me sore. My glutes and quads are especially sore. Nice to know that I did it right. I didn’t get to do my hamstrings as much as I would have liked, so I’ll do those sometime this week. I do calves several times during the week, so I don’t worry about those too much. S

I just wrote a post and it’s gone. I am even in the habit of copying text before I save it, because that has happened so many times. So, this will be an abridged version of that post. I worked legs today. It was a great workout, the ones when you leave competely exhausted and drenched in sweat. I took Saturday off. And on Friday I did my back, biceps, and abs.

I am really pleased with the progess that I’ve made so far. I was talking, actually IMing, a friend of mine the other day and we were talking about working out. He has an amazing physique; he always has—even when we went out in high school. He was wondering how he was supposed to stay motivated to stay in shape and workout for the next ‘70 years’. I was thinking about that. That is a really long time. This is certainly a lifestyle change. My husband and I have been talking about another child within the next 3 years or so–once I have completed my schooling, but certainly after purchasing a home. I used to be afraid of what that would do to my body, only because I was thinking about my body being torn down. Now, it’s quite the opposite. By the time I am ready to have another child, I will be in the best shape that I have never been in. I have never been an athlete or athletic; and I’ve never had muscles. This is the first time that my body has had any sort of strong shape! When I am ready to get pregnant again, I may be 25-30 pounds lighter and certainly have more muscle mass than with my daughter. This will certainly change the way that my body recovers. That is exciting! A lifestyle that focuses on fitness means that my body will look young and sessy. If that isn’t reason enough to stay fit, I don’t know what is. I can certainly keep this up for the next 70 years.