Breaking the Chains that Bind

Okay, so my last entry found me feeling ambiguous about my workouts and my potential progress.  Since that time, I have finally developed a system which I think is actually working.  It’s challenging for those of us who are so busy or get so distracted by the noise around us that we don’t take the time to tune it all out and tune into ourselves.  Well, I’ve begun doing just that.  I’m listening to my body….ACTIVELY listening to it.  I’ve experimented between a few workout approaches and now realize that total body workouts actually work best for me.  So, my approach now is M - W - F / Cardio/Abdominals (30 - 50 min), T - Th - S / Total Body Resistance Training (45 - 60 min).  I find that I am really enjoying this.  I’m switching up the way I hit certain muscle groups (for the shock factor) and will be incorporating swimming in the next 2 weeks.  I feel like it is finally coming together.  I stressed over the scale so much but not I realize it isn’t about the numbers on the scale.  My clothes are fitting much better and I’ve had several people at work approach me to ask what I’ve been up to because they see a "physical change" in me. *can you see the big cheesy grin on my face right now?* That definitely has me pumped and I’m motivated…not to mention I am finally able to see some definition coming in across my chest and my arms.  I’m so hype right now!  Stay tuned, there’ll be much more to come…

Okay.  I figured I would switch things up a bit as I am finding it difficult to focus on everything I want to do (due to serious time constraints as of late).  I tried to figure which is the lesser of two evils.  I really want to build lean muscle but I also REALLY want to burn this excess fat so I can *SEE* the lean muscle I am building.  I no longer (for the moment) have the luxury of twice a day in the gym and so my afternoon cardio sessions are temporarily on hold .  Being that I am not doing the total body workouts 3 days a week with cardio in between, I am finding the numbers on the scale slowly rising.  I am going to trust that I am gaining muscle since my weekly routine is Mon - Chest/Tri’s/Shoulders, Tue - Back/Bi’s, Wed - Legs/Abs, Thurs - Chest/Tri/s/Shoulders Fri - Back/Bi’s, Sat. & Sun. Rest

I seriously need to clean this up a ton.  I THINK my body responds better to the total body workouts in terms of leaning and defining but for the sake of building the muscle I want, the current method of doing things is working. (Sigh)  WHO KNOWS????  I can say I am feeling stronger.  I’ve actually surprised myself and my boyfriend with how strong my back is.  I’m working on improving the strength of my chest and it is coming along okay.  My main thing is trying to prevent myself from feeling like I am spinning my wheels and running in place….. I’m still optimistic that I can make some dramatic things happen in the next 3 months.  Stay tuned…..