carol68134’s BodyBlog

Hey, got a few comments/messages about the craziness and Omaha yesterday so I just wanted to stop by and tell you all that yes I am fine, no I was not at the mall yesterday.  I was actually supposed to work yesterday but they called me that morning and told me not to come in because there were not enough appointments to have two photographers on the payroll.  Well, what a stroke of luck that was!  Gladly I do not know any of the people that were killed or injured but my heart goes out to the victims and their families.  That is all.

Well, I had my first personal training session on Thursday.  The first thing the trainer did was have me weigh in (I weighed in at 135, although I had a large meal an hour or so before so I think I gained some water weight) and then do a body fat test with this little device that you hold in your hands and I guess it sends an electrical current through your body or something like that, I honestly don’t know how it works but it measured my body fat percentage at 17.5%.  Pretty good for a female, but could be better.  Then I had to fill out a bunch of stuff about my diet and workouts, my medical history, etc.  After talking for a while we basically concluded that I am not eating enough calories or with enough frequency, also I need to constantly change up my workout routine to keep from getting bored.  He also suggested that I try to incorporate more cardio into my workouts, important because I have a family history of heart disease.  This made me cringe because I hate doing cardio, at least what I think of as cardio, that is treadmill running or stationary biking.  They are so boring!  But he suggested doing my strength training in supersets, lifting as quickly as I can while still maintaining control, and not taking rests in between, so that I can incorporate some cardio into my strength training.  Then he showed me a sample workout and had me complete it once, I don’t know the names of the exact moves but there were 3 strength training moves and I had to do 5 sets of 10 reps as fast as I could (it was timed and I think I completed it in about 9 minutes).  By the last set I felt like I was going to fall over but having someone watching and timing me motivated me to complete it.  I was surprised that I could feel so wiped out after just 10 minutes, I really felt like I got a good workout!  After the workout, the trainer gave me homework for next week, that is to fill out a food log for 3 days so he can get a better picture of my typical diet, and also to speed up my strength training workouts (he said he’s going to come yell at me if he sees me lifting slow like I typically do LOL).  I have another session on Tuesday, that is the last of my free sessions although I would really like to start regular weekly sessions, I will probably have to wait until after Christmas when I can free up some money.  I know what I’m asking for for Christmas!

I know this is totally off topic, but I just feel the need to rant!  On Tuesday night, I broke up with my boyfriend of two years.  Or technically we didn’t break up, but we are taking what I like to call an "extended break".  We have not been getting along for a while so it is both a good thing and a bad thing for me.  I still love him very much, however I think I need some time for myself, to find out who I am and what I want out of life.  I have gone from one relationship to another continuously since I was 18 and I feel like I lost myself somewhere along the way.  To make matters worse, he is deploying to Afghanistan next month and will be gone for over a year, and I don’t think that I can put my life on hold for that long.  He’s already talking about all of these things he’s going to do when he gets back, and I’m like, how do you even know what you’ll want a year from now?  How can I know what I will want?  And don’t I get a say in the matter?  I still care about him a lot, and will still be worried about him when he’s overseas, but I also feel like I need some time alone for thinking and self-discovery, I need some space and freedom.  He agreed to move out and stay on friendly terms but right now we are not speaking at all, I still want him in my life even if we aren’t actually dating, and I feel torn in a million different directions right now.  It really sucks.

So, I’m kind of in a mood right now and staying healthy is honestly the furthest thing from my mind.  I’ve been binge eating for the past couple days, which I hate, because for a while I had overcome my issues with food and now they all come flowing back.  I have vowed that tomorrow I will get myself back on track but it is just really hard because I am so stressed out, with starting classes again, my relationship problems, trying to figure out how the hell I’m going to pay the bills by myself, plus the ongoing drama with my parents and my friends.

One good thing - the gym is giving away 2 free personal training sessions this month to anyone who signs up.  I have my first one this afternoon.  I am eager to have my body fat measurement taken since I have not done it in over a year and I am curious as to how I have progressed over the last year.  I am also eager to get some tips on how to improve my body composition.  I feel pretty knowledgeable about health and fitness but I am always looking for new ideas because I get bored so easily!  Also it’s nice to have an objective opinion sometimes about how I can improve.  I’d also like to ask some questions about the personal training certification process, since I am considering getting certified myself.  I am looking at 2 programs for certification, AFPA and ISSA.  I have heard good things about ISSA in the past but AFPA is less expensive and their program seems pretty similar.  So if anybody has any thoughts on this, they would be much appreciated!

Sorry for the relationship ramble, it’s just hard to focus on my fitness goals when going through a major life transition like this, I’m sure many of you can relate.  Thoughts, opinions, comments are always welcome!

Well, this is the first week of my "hardcore" workout plan!  After the quarter from hell at school, which caused me to really slack off, I want to get back in the habit of going to the gym on a regular basis.  For me, that means at least 5 days a week.  I got off to a good start on Monday, got up early in the morning, dropped my daughter off at daycare, and went and did my upper body workout, which consisted of:

Arms

Camber curl machine - 3 sets of 10 reps - 30 lbs

Triceps extension - 3 sets of 10 - 35 lbs

Chest

Vertical chest press - 3 sets of 10 - 40 lbs

Back

Super longpull - 3 sets of 10 - 50 lbs

Pulldown - 3 sets of 10 - 40 lbs

Back extension - 3 sets of 10 - no added weight

Shoulders

Shoulder press with dumbbells - 3 sets of 10 - 20 lbs

Abs

Situps - 3 sets of 10 - no added weight

Hanging leg raise - 3 sets of 10 - no added weight

My chest and abs were so sore later!  I slacked off yesterday, had every intention of going to the gym and getting some cardio in, but I could not find my shoes for the life of me, and by the time I found them there was not enough time left before work.  Very frustrating!  Also I was feeling kind of depressed and unmotivated, although I’m starting to learn that when I am feeling that way it is when I need to work out the most because it puts me in a much better state of mind.  I will try to remind myself of that next time!  Today I had the day off, so plenty of time to work out, and I took advantage of it.  I did my leg workout which consisted of:

Legs

Glute isolator - 3 sets of 10 - 50 lbs

Leg curl - 3 sets of 10 - 50 lbs

Leg extension - 3 sets of 10 - 50 lbs (could not quite finish the last set)

Abductor - 3 sets of 10 - 60 lbs

Adductor - 3 sets of 10 - 60 lbs

Squats (wide stance) - 3 sets of 10 - 20 lbs (dumbbells)

Calf raises - 3 sets of 10 - 20 lbs (dumbbells)

Squats (legs together) - 3 sets of 10 - 20 lbs (dumbbells)

Lunges - 3 sets of 10 on each leg - no added weight

After my legs workout I was feeling really good and did not want to stop, so I made up for yesterday by doing some cardio until I felt ready to drop!  I did running/walking intervals on the treadmill, for a total of 30 minutes of running and 20 minutes of walking.  I broke the running up into 15, 10, and 5 minute intervals with 5 minutes of walking in between (walking speed 4 mph, running speed 6 mph).  I’m trying to work up to being able to run 3 miles straight, I used to be able to but its been a while!  I really worked out hard today (at least for me) and I felt so good afterwards!