SpinCycler’s BodyBlog

As I sit here eating the last piece of pizza, I am pondering my goals for 2008. After a really great productive year, I had to take some time off and enjoy food and spirits. I gained six pounds over the course of a month, but I ate and drank like a queen and REALLY enjoyed myself. So did my boyfriend! So we are starting out the New Year with a week-long detox, and I am going back to my two a day workouts until I get 10 pounds off. The first five are easy as pie and the next five I will to work for but I will be on a roll so I can use that as momentum. But having my batteries recharged, I am up for the challenge. I actually cannot wait. And it is going to be so much easier now that I am a non-smoker. I have to brag I am so proud of myself for quitting.
1) Loose 10 pounds by March 1. (One week detox starting with a 3-day fruit fast, cardio two times a day, adding yoga for a longer, leaner look, and sticking to healthy and natural foods — nothing processed)
2) Attend yoga classes 2-3 days per week.

3) Run a 10K.

4) Learn to cook better and healthier meals to avoid the easy processed junk.
5) Enjoy myself and minimize beating myself up. The point of molding your body is not to punish yourself but to show that you love yourself. In other words, strive for mental health and a positive self image.

6) Get our house clean and organized.

7) For my boyfriend and I to complete our list of adventures. It’s to long to post right now. The first is scuba diving, though.
8) Spend more time with my girlfriends.

9) Step out of my comfort zone as much as possible.

10) Find a good job in a positive environment when I graduate in May.

***TO LOVE AND RESPECT MYSELF, EASY TO SAY, HARD TO PRACTICE***

Well, that’s a great start!     We’ll see what I add.

I started a bulk July 1 that last for 6 weeks. I then went into a cut phase. I started at 121 and gained 6-7 pounds in 6 weeks and then lost 7-8 pounds in another 8 weeks or so. My body fat went from 23 percent (about 28 pounds of fat) to 18.5 percent (about 22 pounds of fat). While my start and finish weight were approximately the same, I lost 6 pounds of pure fat and I have to keep reminding myself of that because the scale doesn’t tell me that.
Since then I have been in a sort of limbo, trying to continue the cutting. That worked for a while, getting down to 119. But after my run on Saturday, my body has pretty much told me to bulk, bulk, bulk. I want to eat bulking kinda foods. I want to lift super heavy and feel the burn. Yesterday I decided to stop fighting it and I am going to lift heavy and eat the healthy carbs I crave. I have been doing this already, but I was fighting it. No more fight here. I am listening to my body. I know that once the New Year hits the motivation will find me to cut back so I can run across that Mexico beach in March in much better shape. I am just trying to attract the motivation and I know I can! Darn it!

I ran my second ever 5K yesterday with hopes of beating my 34 min. time from November 2006. Remember I quit smoking and this is supposed to help me tremendously. Well, it did! I managed to run the very hilly (my goodness) 5K in 31 mins and some odd seconds (not sure on the exact time). I am very proud of myself.

As for my diet, I gave myself the week off. That doesn’t mean that I stuffed my face continuously. But I did eat whatever I craved when I craved it. And guess what? The scale didn’t budge. It’s all the exercise and positive thinking. However, I know this is not a permanent state. I plan to starting a keto diet Monday and hold onto it for at least a week. Got to loose a few before the Christmas feast. Some folks on here might be into depriving themselves of Christmas goodies, but I am not. However, I am a firm believer in moderation and staying active over the holidays.

This is kind of a weird story that maybe only women will be able to relate to. I was in the dressing room today trying on work out clothes and I was actually able to get a full view both front and back as it was well lit and the two mirrors were facing each other. The mirrors I have at home aren’t that great and the lighting is bad, so this was an eye opening experience.

I could see the muscles popping out of my back as I tried on workout clothes. I could see the upper abs popping out as I stripped off my shirt and my tiny little waist. I could see the well-toned calves and thighs. (A really great feeling I might add…) AND THEN I saw my BUTT!!!!! Not so great…AND I HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS MY PROBLEM AREA.
When I was a body conscious teenager, I had thin legs and arms, no butt to speak of, and a pudgy belly. Nothing would fix it. I tried EVERYTHING any 16-year-old, boy-crazed girl would do to get a flat mid region. Thus, with one look in the mirror, I realized over the past 11 years (yes that’s a long time), I had a completely inaccurate view of how I looked. My body type has drastically changed, morphing into a pear shape I never saw before. I never ever even considered that my butt was a problem area because it didn’t even exist before.

This story just goes to show you how people can be completely blind to what their body actually looks like. In extreme cases, it is called body dysmorphic syndrome. I never thought this was me, but I was wrong. Don’t get me wrong, I am not upset about it. I am just sooooo glad I realized, I need to take the workout focus elsewhere.

Cheers to discovering I have a big butt, so I can fix it!

I need help! I had an awesome workout on Friday. I taught a great cycle class and had a killer upper body and back workout. (Previously, I had two great runs on Tuesday and Wednesday). I took Saturday off for recovery and was ready to go on Sunday.

However, I have not been able to run for more than 20 minutes because I am so sore. I have not typically had recovery issues before. I could always get up and go the next day, pushing through whatever soreness I had. But this is intense. Any suggestions to help would help me recover more quickly???? I am new to running so maybe I am missing something. I do stretch by doing yoga poses after heavy workouts/ runs but I was hoping something else might help.
Thanks for your help in advance.