THOUGHTS OF A FITNESS FREAK

yum ricecakes

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I strained my right quad doing lunges because I think my right was doing more work because of my knee.  Im sure it will be fine in a few days, but right now I have to apply pressure to it with my hand to walk the stairs. Feels kind of like a charley horse though. 

I forget to tell you what a guy said to me at a bar the other night, no not the one who rubbed his buttocks on me, another one.  He was kind of a weirdo and said some things to me thjat didn’t make sense.  I was thinking he has some mental issues, but he’s like “Hey” and I said “what” (standard human response) and he goes, ‘you know your looks aint gonna last right?” and I was like “what are you talking about?” and he goes, “all that Botox and stuff, it don’t last”.  I’m now thinking “coocoo for coco puffs”.  I say I havent had anything done and he’s like “ya right”. What a kook, go back to your mothership!   People are rude, mental illness or not.  I would never entertain the thought of saying anything close to people of what they have said to me. I have a pet peeve about manners actually.

You have to expect some feedback, good and bad when you put yourself out there and on places like bodyspace. I have been called all kinds of things and have gotten a bit of a thicker skin. Basically, we are all just average Joes with a common bond…fitness or wanting to be fit that is.  I suppose not one of them would insult you on a public street cus the havent the balls once they get out from behind their laptops.  I don’t say anything here that I would not say in person, really. So play nice.

Im still trying to get my game face on for my next show.  I cooked some chicken last night and boiled some eggs.  My diet pretty much stays the same, just no cheating really.  That means  no breads, regular pasta, nothing greasy, nothing fried (greasy  ).  Pretty much boiled chicken, beef, tuna, whole wheat pasta and brown rice, salads, boiled eggs, protein shakes, religiously eating my oatmeal every morning, more water intake and lots of veggies.  Oh low sodium too.  I pretty much have removed table salt from my diet long ago, but now its a little more strict.  I will stay on all my supps and get back on Cytolean for energy on my low carb days.  I dont really want to lose any weight at this point, just continue to keep my muscles full and not flatten out. AND pray that bodybuilding chick I lost to last show isn’t what they are looking for.  I think bodybuilding chicks kick ass, but she didn’t look like a figure competitor and she didn’t have enough feminity really.  That may sound harsh or mean, but she had striations all over and was bulky.  If I had to look like her to win, I would quit right now…she didnt have a body I found attractive, thats all.

Anywhooo……..you know Mondays are not  training days, so I was kind of bored tonight. Tomorrow is chest and tris.  I think if I enlist a spotter, I am going to break my 150 bench!!!   

Decent workout.  Tell you why I titled this blog the way I did in a sec……..

I did legs as usual, but had to switch it up cus of my knee. I had to think what to do rather than just go heavy, the answer would be mass reps, lighter weight and some things I don’t usually do all that much.  I did dumbeel deadlifts, tried to do walking lunges, but my skinny feet can’tg ever stop me from tipping to the side and losing balance. I have good balance normally, just cant do lunges, so I did them with the smith machine about 85 lbs (lame). I did some leg extensions, but kept to 65 lbs and the same with seated curls and repped until failure really with different foot position.  I may be nuts but am not nuts enough to cripple myself.  I did standing cable kickback and skipped the bench today, horizontal leg press ( glute tucking of course) and I did do squats on the smith, but was careful to not end up in a knees over toes position.  I did alot with my feet ducked out to the sides today.  I am trying out these new boyshorts sold here by "better bodies" and they are super comfy, but super short as well.  I had a little butt cheekage action happening, so I had to tie my sweat jacket around my waist while doing deadlifts. Im not much into the xrated workout ,ya know? I also did some work on the leg press, but that didnt last too long cus of the knee.  All in all, I am hoping for some soreness for the simple fact that I did some things slightly different.

Back to the tailpipe thing.  I was listening to the radio and the DJ was talking about Tony Hawk being 40 and then said "isn’t he getting a little too old to be on a skateboard?" I wanted to call the dude up.  Seriously, Tony seems to love what he does and so why should he have to give it up and put on a suit? His being UNhappy would benefit no one and happier people are more productive anyway.  I read part of the book "The Secret" and although I think some of that motivational speaking has far to many metaphors I did believe the part that said ,"Undoubtedly to some, the idea of giving so much love to self will seem very cold, hard and unmerciful. Still this matter may be seen in a different light, when we find out that ‘looking out for number One’ as directed by the infinite, is really looking out for the Number two as is indeed the only way to permamnenetly benefit Number Two."

it goes on to say ‘unless you fill yourself up first, you have nothing to give anybody’. there is more to it, but I believe it is true.  If I am miserable and don’t like myself, it will spill over to my kids and people around me and they too will be miserable. Thats not a good thing. We all have that co worker than is miserable , don’t we?  Cant even ask her how her weekend went, can you? 

So take care of yourselves!!! Don’t BE the miserable co worker!!!!

I found a WEBSITE with some help from a bodyspace member where you can purchase or donate items needed for the troops overseas. http://www.packagesfromhome.org/  and no, I have not found my son yet. I still have some hope.

Im supposed to go do legs today, never missed a leg day except perhaps once. I say ’supposed to’  because my upper back is kind of twanging and its going to be lame when I do go.  I think I am sticking to machines and will keep the lifting of 45 lb plates to a minimum.  My knee feels better though.  I will probably mass rep some on leg extensions and curls, better than doing nothing.  My lawn looks like the Adams Family, so I have to do that today as well and the never ending laundry.

I did end up going out last night and let me tell you, going to bars is overrated.  Some guy started rubbing up against me at the bar and when I asked him what he was doing (he was drunk) he responded, “Im going to bite your shoulder”, I said, ‘only if you want to lose your front teeth”.  After that, I went to the ladies room where the line was longer than normal because someone threw up in the stall….aint that nice?  My sister and I did want to do some dancing, but the line for that club was long and I don’t consider myself a movie star or anything, but I don’t “do” lines.  I didn’t do lines when I was younger because I was a bartender and they always let you in, and I certainly am not doing them now, life is far too short to stand in line for a club for over an hour and its like $20 to get in!.  So we went to dinner at this nice place and I ate my 1st buffalo burger. Damn, was that thing good!  I did eat fries, but not the bun from the burger.  I know, weird.   We ended up in a club/bar that was quieter and tends to have an “older” crowd.  My sister has to yell out, “look at her abs” to everyone we meet, so the usual conversation tends to be workouts from there on….better than politics I suppose. I didnt get drunk and was home before 3am.  After 5 hours of sleep, had to wake up and send my little man off with his father.  I don’t feel so bad though for some reason, maybe it was the buffalo burger? I hadn’t been “out” besides the fights last weekend since decemeber 23rd and I know the date because it was the night my car crapped the bed. 2 days before christmas!

I will be back later.  gemeniJedi and Msfitness101 are going head to head in the same figure show in july while leaning up and training with GASPARI products!  go to www.gasparinutrition.com for product info or visit their bodyspace pages.

Going by the numbers, I am a little heavy for my 5′3" frame as compared to other women in figure, but in some pics I look quite "twiggy", so I have to get over it I guess.

Today I did a video segment on working out with weights at home. Simple stuff really. I will be mailing the tapes in this week. I woke up feeling skinny.  you know those mornings before you eat and you are like, "Dang I look good!"? Then you eat and "pow, you have a belly like a pot bellied pig". I hate that.

After the video stuff I did some simple things like lats on cables, pull ups, bench dips, lateral raises and curls with light weights. I like to just get a pump sometimes and I wasn’t really "due" for anything today…but I wanted to make my visit last awhile. I did some roman chair and some hanging leg raises too.

Tonight I am supposed to be going out with my sister to a club at the casino here. I haven’t been there in a couple years.  Its kind of a crowded young people place and your odds of getting groped in the crowd is pretty high. I’m hoping with my new muscles I look like the wrong woman to be gropin on unless you want to get a fat lip in front of your buddies.   Kind of sad guys think they can sexually assult you just because there is music and drinking, huh?

Im going to try to upload a couple video segments now.  I have to edit them first, but I have some good back workout clips if you are interested.

Take care

Yeah, I was venting a little last night. Sorry, shit happens.   went to the gym early and busted butt on some shoulders, bis and back.  I also added in some abs and legs.  Nothing serious, cable crunches 120lbs, loeg extensions at 50 and curls at 65 because of my knee last weekend, I went really light.  I will go a little heavier on Sunday and see how it feels.  I did hanging leg raises and just did a bench with knees bent to work the hips flexors.   Fotr bi’s I did 25 lb db curls, 50lb barbell, 45lb single arm cables and standing preachers, just 15 per arm cus I was wiped.  Back I did, seated rows only 70lbs, bent over rows 105, hammerstrength single arm overhead 50 per arm, lat press downs on cables 90 lbs, single arm db rows 30lb dumbbells.  For shoulders Arnold presses with 25 lb db’s and behind the neck presses on the smith at just 75 lbs.  I threw in some assisted dips and pull ups and did some roman chair sets.  I think thats it.  I was there for awhile, but kinda felt like I was puttering.  it was a ghost town in there so I should have been taping, but I never went that early on a Friday and thought there would be too many people……….ooops. 

I also tanned and am trying to get into competition mode.  I shopped last night and got some good food to eat. I was thinking about a practice water deplete aND CARB UP, BUT THEY DON’T SELL SODIUM FREE CHICKEN IN wALMART AND THATS CRUCIAL TO ME. Damn, caps lock……..ooppps.  I guess it will have to be next week then.  I really have to work with my carbs cus they tend to bloat my belly, so I need to find a simple carb that wont do it to me….just dont know what that is yet.

Now I get to lay on the couch and watch Tv….another exciting Friday night.  Okay, boring……

Yea, thats me.  I have been kind of self pitying lately. My ex is finding another way to torture me….with the help of his lawyer.  I refused to drop the price of our house 15k and agreed to 5, so now he wants to drag me to court and hold me in contempt.  He’s an ******* who handed me a "bill" a couple months ago stating I owe him $78,000 after the sale of the house!  So, everytime he reduces the price, he THINKS I am going to end up owing him about 50,000 out my own pocket.  His last words to me were, "I won’t stop until I see you and those kids living on the streets and when you do, I am going to take Sam away from you (he’s my youngest)".  So, thats what I have been living with for 3 years.  I would die before I will pay that chauvinistic, cruel pig a dime. This "man" like to punch me in the leg while he was driving, pinch me until I screamed, bend my thumb back, told me he dated better looking women than me, pointed out everything he was better at, pointed to his food when he wanted more at the dinner table without speaking, treated my kids like shit and called them stupid……….asswipe.  BUT, you know what?  I left him……..and he hates that.  I hope he dies alone because he’s evil and miserable. 

So, when you think your life is in the shitter and sometimes your life IS in the shitter, just remember that it could be worse.  You could be married to my ex husband who once tore apart a turkey (alive) with his bare hands and strangled kittens that were found on his fathers property.

Some people keep you from seeing the sunshine, but when their shadow is gone…………..you will once again grow.

It’s so weird how your mind plays with you some days.  I normally feel too small, but today I feel kind of thick looking, mostly in the waist and it’s not bodyfat either, cus my pinching is the same all over (yea, I pinch myself to gauge fat ratio).  there is hardly any fat over my hams and quads, so thats all good and barely anything over my bi’s and chest…..so the problem is just I am full.  I get food "full". I will be 4 weeks out from my next show this saturday, so it’s time to clean up the diet. I had to force myself to go off the super clean eating as I think you tend to get too used to it and it kind of just makes you look flat.   I like my physical size, so I can’t complain about that at all….I don’t know, it’s just weird.  Tonight I did chest and tri’s and showed this guy some stuff he had never tried, like putting the incline sit-up bench under the smith machine and benching that way.  Single arm cable crossovers on the high pullys.  And also the low pully up and over crossovers.  He had trouble with that one.  It was kinda funny because I guess I just do stuff and take for granted it works for me.

Oh, let me tell you……..I look across the gym and some chick is doing dumbbell romanian deadlifts..no big deal right?  Yeah, except she was standing on a bench to do it.  I’m telling you, that’s just stupid.  You have to do it on top of a bench so your ass is at face level with people while you bend over? I wanted to smack her.  yeah, I do have shorts, I do dumbbell deadlifts, but I don’t make a freakin spectacle of myself.  Just go to the gym and work out, stop trying to "look cool".  When you look like you are trying, you look like an idiot.  I’d be much more inclined to check out a guy who was keeping to himself and was keeping his head down than some douchebag full of "studmuffin tats on his arms and a pretty boy tan" who is trying to look like he’s a badass and all the chicks want to sleep with him. NOT this chick…..heheeeee.

I still have to do a review on the MSM dairy free protein powder.  It has all egg protein, which supposedly lasts longer in your system.  It can be costly, so I would recommend if you are going to use it, take it before bed as the protein lasts longer, you can use it while you are sleeping for muscle growth. Sounds logical to me….so thats what I am doing.

Talk to ya tomorrow

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okey dokey…enough "calorie counting"! Calorie counting is important in some ways of course, but lets just explain my way of thinking like this.  I ate 500 calories at lunch…….now did I have 2 donuts or did I have 4 boiled eggs, a chicken breast and some broccoli? See what I mean? You do need to drop some calories in order to lose weight, thats scientifically proven, but it is what you eat, not just the calories.  It’s also the way the are used in your body as well that counts.

I am not currently on a competition diet and I am 4 weeks out.  I have tried a fully serious competition diet and got super lean and was so tiny, I have tried a minimal water deplete and I have done no deplete at all. I like myself fuller, so I think this time I will hover at my current 122lbs and deplete my water religiously, no cheating with coffee and see if it looks good with more bodyfat on me. You know I am always bitching about the subjective judging criteria in figure, so I really have nothing to lose and time to learn what works for me.  I lose my shoulders when I am too lean and I hate that. So, this is my goal.  3 weeks of easy riding, no cardio, just normal lifting, perhaps some supersetting and see what happens.

Tonight I helped a guy in my gym with some training.  I’m not certified, just helped him out a bit with some new ideas. I will try anything once in the gym and if it looks freaky or makes something sore that wasn’t working before, ya gotta love it.  Why would you ever let anyone come up to you while you were doing what works for you and have them say, "that doesn’t work or you are doing it wrong"?, so you stop doing it.  The proper response should be, " I gained an inch on my bi’s doing this and you look the same as you did last year"…..those are the type of people who like to give you their advice.  I had a trainer lady tell me I was doing something too fast and that I shoulkd slow down and use more weight once.  I was polite, but I didn’t stop what KI was doing and gfrankly, she doesnt look so great aND i HEAR ALL SHE EATS EVERY DAY IS CHICKEN, RICE AND VEGETABLES. Gross, she doesn’t even compete and she is denying herself most every day of food.  Who wants to live like that?  Crap lady, eat a turkey burger and live a little! 

Oh, and getting started…..I get that question alot.  I started on full body circut machines 5-6 days a week. Its a cycle of perhaps 12 machine, has a red and green light and you change machines and do sets until the light turns red again, etc.  About 2 and 1/2 minutes per machine.  This gets all your muscle groups worked and gets them used to working out, so you can move on to the weight room.  Most "chain" gyms have some sort of circut routines.  You can’t screw up and there is no guessing.  Mine was a total of about 30 minutes.  Crap, you can do 2 cycles if you want.  This weekend I am going to do a home workout video with stuff you can buy and use at home, no machines.  Not as efficient as a gym, but it still works.  Gotta go to bed……..Im so tired. Hope everyone had a great day.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/nutrition53/nutrition53.htm

I didnt train as its a Monday and so went instead to the mall to find my daughter a prom dress.  Found a gorgeous one I talked him into marked down from $180 to $35!!!  yee hah!!! Sometimes procrastination does pay off. 

So today I want to discuss this product I am using listed above.  there is a whole nutrional panel, but for some reason I cannot attach it here.  As I said briefly before, it has 14 or 15 different vegetables in it as well as 50% daily values of many nutrients and vitamins. The banana flavor felt like I was having a real banana mixed with milk. I didnt use milk though, just water.  Cost wise, it may be a bit steep, but I have learned that whey products are thew most expensive to produce in the world of supplementation. To offset the cost, I would more than likely use one scoop and mix it with a cheaper form of vanilla protein powder (I used my Gaspari vanilla and it didn’t ruin the flavor at all).  I often use vanilla mixed with chocolate anyway.  Overall, this IS certainly a top of the line product. It does actually have an appetite suppressant and I am thinking is somewhat of a stimulant as it contains Hoodia and green coffee bean extract.  I would take this and perhaps keep it in my car or if you travel alot, take it with you rather than skipping a meal of which you know is a huge mistake even while trying to lose weight.  I will give this product a full 5 star review! I will keep you up on how well I feel while taking this and how well it supresses appetite as I go into my contest dieting.

I still have heard nothing from my son. The postings on the parental boards for the Marine Corps had released info the his unit has been deployed to Iraq with a possibilty of them training in Korea.  It’s like a kick in the guts.  Knowing my child is out there sitting in that crappy hellhole is going to make me keep going because he is suffering more than anything I have going on here. To all of you that have family in the armed serives, God Bless you because it’s harder than people know.

Tomorrow is shoulders, calves, back and bi’s.  I may be training someone, so I will let you know how it goes.

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Took Mom to lunch at Ruby Tuesdays.  I had a huge Cesaer salad, then New Orleans Seafood with talapia, brown rice, broccoli and shrimp…ate it all yessiree. Oh and I had an Extreme blend shake at the gym right before that.  Can we say PIGGY? I may fully digest it in 3 weeks. 

As for my workout, can we say “sucko?”.  I started with squats with a 35 lb plate in each hand, 30 lb dumbbell deadlifts, then did leg extensions and curls.  I then did some easy 250lb leg press and moved on to the hack press (linear), the machine didn’t catch at the end of my set and I went a little far “knees over toes”.  That did it, I know it.  Plus I have PMS joint pain and just got my glucosamine from BB.com a couple days ago because I had run out.  It really does help the joints. After the knee incident all I could do for legs was curls and cable kickbacks really.  I did end up adding in some dumbbell presses for shoulders and some chest presses.  I did bench dips, abductor/adductor machine, straight bar press downs, cable flies, pull ups, curls,shrugs and a few other things. Oh yeah and some donkey calf raises.  I didn’t want to skip working out altogether.  Im sure my knee will be fine in a few days, but I have no health insurance, so I have to be cautious. I know it’s my patella tendon.  I had a rock imbedded in that spot as a kid from a skateboard wipeout.  I remember telling my mom ,”dont touch it, dont touch it!!!!!!” It was pretty gross. I was one of those kids who used to go down suicide hill on anything with wheels.  Too bad we didn’t have mattresses at the bottom for wiping out,huh?

Oh, then I had this lady riding my ass when I was driving.  There is no there time I feel like beating someone silly with their own damn arm as I do when someone tailgates me.  We are doing 50 and she is a foot from my bumper and I have my kid in the backseat, so chances are if I have to stop quickly, you are driving right into me and into my 7 year old in the back seat.  THATS what pisses me off the most, endangering my kids. I’m not normally a VIOLENT PERSON, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO MY KIDS, I would gladly pop off your head for ya. Oh and bad manners piss me off too.  Society seems to be losing manners.

Enough of that.  I didnt hear from my son so I was grouchy anyway and the knee thing didnt help. Im going to call the Red Cross tomorrow, thanks to a couple kind people here!

Take care