Snarf99’s BodyBlog

Why is my motivation flagging?

1. I am anxious about things at work and that makes me feel a little nauseous, and it’s hard to work out when I feel nauseous.

2. My shins are TIGHT and it’s not as much fun to run when I feel pain.

3. No matter how good my intentions, I never seem to get 8 hours of sleep.  It makes 5am much less enjoyable. I’ve got to get more sleep!

4. For the first three months I was making progress so fast. Now I am stuck at a max of 125 on the bench press. Progress has become very slow.  I thought I would be benching 135 by now. How do I fire up and get over this plateau?

I am not going to quit, but if anyone has any good ideas about how to get stronger when you feel like you’re just treading water, drop me a line.

Several new things to report.  

1. I got an ipod shuffle  AND I finally got internet at my house!  Now I can update again.
2. I got new running shoes last weekend

3. We had a fitness challenge at work on Saturday, and my team won every event. I won the two mile fun jog!  First time I ever won a race in my life!

4. My workout partner plateau-ed on her weight loss, so she had a talk with her trainer. He told us that we are not ready to be running hard. We have to slow down and keep our heart rates in the fat loss zone.  We are on Week 9 (out of 10) of running, but instead of pushing to the finish, we are slowing down and walking three hills.  They are steep hills and it is still a good workout. My whole body was sore yesterday, so we’re definitely keeping our bodies guessing.

5. There is a kid at the gym that really inspires me.  He is 17 and he works out twice a day. I am inspired by his dedication (or is that obsession?).

6. Still trying to break 130 on the bench press.

7. I worked my shoulders hard today.  

Last night, I really took care of myself.  After work, I got a full body massage, then I sat on the porch and smelled the rain. It smelled so nice. Then I took a hot bath with epsom salts.  Now the whole house smells like lavender.  I probably didn’t need to pour all 22 oz of epsom salt into the tub. But I wanted to make sure I got cleansed.  Now I’m trying to drink a lot of water.

8. My two big goals right now are to drink closer to a gallon of water a day and to sleep 8 hours a night.

I forgot to mention in my last post that I am up to 125 lbs on the bench press now.  I remember when I started I could barely do three reps of 95 lbs.  Now I do three sets of 10 on 95 and barely break a sweat.  My goal is still 135 lbs.  But as soon as I get there, I’m setting it at 150.

Well, I completed the 12 weeks of working out a week ago, and started a new round of 12 weeks this week.  My exercise buddy and I are doing great!  We run every morning for about 45 minutes and lift about 3 - 4 times a week. My diet is good, too.  I have dropped more weight.   I am now at about 152 lbs and 28% body fat.  That’s down from 160 lbs and 30%.  My clothes are loose, my body feels leaner, my muscles feel more toned, and I feel awesome.  I am excited about the next 11 weeks of lifting.  In our 10 week running program, we are already at week 7.  We are running a hilly road, 3 miles long, with one stretch/rest break at the 1.5 mile mark.  At week 10, we are to run the whole thing non-stop.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of Week 8 of consistent weight-lifting, twice a week. In order to keep going, I’ve had to accept that sometimes life gets in the way. Last week, Week 7, I did not visit the gym due to a camping trip.  And I already anticipate difficulty going to the gym on Week 9 due to a work-related trip.  But what matters is what I do consistently over the long term, and so I will not dwell on a day or two here and there.

Over the first six weeks, I noticed great improvement in strength and endurance.  I am now able to bench press 105 lbs. I can do approximately 3 reps on that weight.  This is a new PR for me.  I have set my bench pressing goal at 135 lbs.   Almost immediately (just from walking for an hour each day) I lost an inch around my waist, and my mom says that my posture has improved and that my chest seems wider and more developed.  Several people have commented on changes in me.  I feel great, and I see no reason to quit now.  My goal is to make it through 12 weeks of consistent workouts.

My weight has been consistent at about 155 lbs., 29% fat.  I would like to drop below 29% and for that reason my gym partner and I have decided to start jogging in the early morning for 45 minutes.  We are going to follow a 10 week program that alternates jogging and walking until we improve our endurance.

This is Week 3 of Attempt Two at lifting weights consistently and eating simply for 12 weeks in a row.  

I started lifting again on January 29th.  I am doing very well so far.  I have a gym partner and we encourage each other.  She is on a weight loss challenge at work and is hoping to win a trip to Hawaii.  I am not enrolled in a contest, but I have my own goals.

I have the gym membership, I have the slow cooker, I have a rice steamer, I buy chicken and vegetables and make brown rice.  I walk almost daily and lift three times a week.  Finally, in the words of MQuang, I am on my way to the body I deserve.  

I am quickly becoming the bachelor that I have wanted to be.

Believe it or not, my moving saga is not yet over . . .  I spent one night in my new place, which was enough to discover that the carpet is old and stinks. It needs to be replaced along with the flooring.  So I am not moving my furniture yet, because that will just make replacing the carpet that much more difficult. Plus, I don’t want my bed and other things to pick up that smell.

I have been very stressed lately as a result of going back and forth between two places and feeling unsettled.  

One thing I have been doing well is keeping up with my commitment to pack a healthy lunch daily.

I am eating chicken again, so it is easier to put balanced meals together.

I joined the gym at my new town, but will not commit to my new routine until things are settled.  For the time being, I try to walk 45 minutes each day.  I know walking will help me reduce the stress!

I changed my blog today.

I noticed that I liked my voice better on a private blog that I keep.  So I cut and paste the entries on Week 1 through Week 12 of my training.  If you were to look at previous posts on this blog today, you would see that I added posts labeled Week 1, Week 2, and so on.

I deleted a couple redundant entries.  There is still some redundancy, but I think overall this blog is now more complete and also more honest.

I sound different on this blog, more pedantic, less relaxed, and I think that’s because I don’t know my audience as well.  I guess, just like in making new friends, it takes time to relax and be yourself on a blog.  

Well, I’m going to try using my more honest and relaxed voice from here on.

This week I have been walking every day for 45 minutes and eating low carbs and have started to see my weight shift in the right direction.  

I am starting my new job on Monday, and that means this weekend must be about preparing for the week.  I was going to buy a big igloo lunch box, but my friend Anth suggested I use a regular tote bag to transport my food for the day.  I am going to be preparing my meals in advance and pre-packing them.

As I mentioned in my last post, I am moving soon, and last week, I went to check out the gyms in my new town.  I found one gym I really liked. It doesn’t have many windows, but it’s spacious, friendly, and has my favorite thing — large TV screens high up in front of the treadmills, with close captioning.  I don’t like the personal TV screens on the new machines, because the TV is too close to my face and I get nauseous trying to focus on the picture while moving.  Another gym was all windows, but it was really small and seemed constrained, and there were no TV’s.  

I could work out at home if I could find a cheap and simple bench.  I’ve gone to THREE stores this week looking for a bench, and all I see is complex, expensive benches. I’m going to try the Sports Authority tonight. I REALLY want my own bench.

Last week I had a follow-up appointment with my nurse practitioner. I got some blood work done.  My triglycerides were high, and my NP suggested I go on a low-carb diet and stop eating so much SUGAR!  I was relieved by these results.  It tells me that my medication is working, my blood sugar is normal, and that my main problem is my food choices, which is correctable.

My NP also pointed out that I gained 4 lbs  ever since I started that temp job.  Gee, I wonder how that could happen, when I so rigorously SAT on my A$$.  I made a list of the things I recalled eating in the last three weeks and it looked kind of like this:

Several meals that consisted only of pasta with lots of olive oil and olives (because olive oil just wasn’t enough, I had to add actual olives!) Handfuls of almonds and some peanuts. Greasy pizza one night. Lots of pizza the day we hiked.  Shortbread and cake at a birthday party. A loaf of sourdough, because I started making portabella sandwiches. Quaker granola bars (two a day). Chocolate (a staple in my household). chocolate chips in my pancakes. Cliff bars and two power bars that I got at the Turkey Trot. Tea dunkers from Trader Joe’s. one microwave lasagna. six cookies I picked up at a meeting. cookies with jam filling that my neighbor brought over (because I’m her cookie tester). poppy seed cake with chocolate topping that my mom made to congratulate me on my new job. crackers left over from our Election Party. I actually ate an entire foot-long subway tuna sandwich one day when I failed to pack my lunch. breakfast cereal every morning. marshmellows. And let’s not forget a big Thanksgiving meal.

How I gained ONLY 4 lbs. is the real mystery.  

So I found some books on nutrition and low-carb eating and I have been taking steps to make the necessary changes.  I also started walking my dog Straigh for 45 minutes every morning.  

My goal is to keep all this up while I’m working full time.