fit_in_time’s BodyBlog

Damn!  I’m going through some serious crap at work, and I’m starting to let it get to me.  Basically, I’m being transferred to another unit, to work for a person who I USED to think was my friend (I’ve since, found out otherwise).  The move was basically a takeover, and the intent was to break my existing boss (a wonderful, God Fearing man, who truly works the way he lives!)  I was notified of the move first via the rumor mill, and then finally, by my boss, who was only notified of the move a few minutes before he called me.  Did I also mention that the move happened, while I was at home this summer, caring for my sick daughter??? 

I worked from home today, and eating was fine.  Until I started getting emails from the new boss, and the other idiots who currently work for her.  First, the eye twitching started (this is my sure fire stress signal).  And just now, I scarfed down two chocolate cupcakes (they were the smallest ones, but STILL….) and then I proceeded to stick my finger in the frosting bin, at least 6 times.  WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED???

I can’t succumb to this madness!  I haven’t worked out yet today, but I’m definintely planning to get my butt downstairs tonight, to work out.  But, I feel so dissapointed in myself, for giving in.  You see, this is what I do, the "emotional eating".  Is anyone else dealing with this?  How do you make it stop???

Until I find another job (which is part of my master plan…), I’ve got to figure out how to move forward, without taking steps backward.  Any suggesstions/ideas that you have, pls pls pls feel free to stop by and share them with me.  I’ve only got 2 more days til weigh in, and I don’t want to do any more damage. 

This is probably a different tone from my previous posts.  But this ain’t Pleasantville.  HELP!!!

Hi!  Just three more days till my first progress check in.  I will be checking in on weight/bodyfat/measurements.  Thursday is the day.  Will all the hard work over the past 6 weeks pay off?  How much closer to my goal will I be?  Or, will the hard work be for naught?

Had a great weekend!  Despite the ankle, I managed to squeeze in a 6 mile family ride on Saturday, AND a 3.2 mile power walk with hubby on Sunday.  I even squeaked out a run up a hill (the last leg of our walk).  Felt GREAT!  I’m also on my way downstairs to hit the weights (this is the only area that I’ve been lacking in - I only did weights once last week).  I had an extremely stressful day at work, so I’m looking forward to swinging those weights around, to push back the stress.

Only 3 more days!  6 weeks into my quest for the smokin hot bod.  Stay Tuned!

This morning, on my way down the steps to go work out, I fell!  Completely missed the last 3 steps on the stairs.  I was holding onto the banisters, so I managed to break my fall a little.  But, I still fell, and slightly twisted my right ankle (I could feel it bend, as I was falling).

I guess I wasn’t fully awake.  I sat on the steps for a good 5 minutes, contemplating my next move.  Do I skip the workout completely, and err on the side of caution?  Do I get up, and get after it anyway?  What To Do?  I decided to do a modified cardio workout.  I went ahead and did 30 minutes (I usually do 45), and I took it easy on the hills and speed.  Afterwards, I iced my ankle for a bit.  (I was WAY late to work, but hey, I had to take care of me!)

Later on, my workout partner and I hit the streets for our 3 mile walk.  I guess I felt guilty, cause I didn’t do my usual pump, earlier in the AM.  So, I decided on a 2 a day.  The beautiful day, the air in my lungs, the good sweat we worked up made it all worthwhile!

I’m icing my ankle down again now.  I’m proud of myself for not giving in to the temptation to quit, and for pushing past the slight discomfort.  My 6 week check-in is next week, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to give up now!! 

Tomorrow is weights day, so if the ankle is bothering me, I’ll just skip the cardio after the weights.  But, I’m still pushing forward!  Gotta Go Get It!  Gotta Keep After IT!  I WILL NOT STOP till I reach the TOP!!!

Peace and Blessings!

I just looked at the date of my last post - last week.  I managed to get through last week with 6 solid days of workouts.  Then came Saturday. I had a great workout in the AM.  Eating was clean throughout the day, but then I went to a house party, and proceeded to lose my mind.  (Can you say, Unscheduled Cheat Day???)  Buffalo Wings,  Ruby Relaxers.  1 Rib.  Potato Salad.  Pork and Beans, all courtesy of Famous Dave’s.  Then Cake.  What the F%&*!!! 

That totally SCARED me, so I jumped back on the horse Sunday AM.  Muscle Milk for breakfast.  And a light lunch.  But then, the monster reared its ugly head again.  Popcorn.  BBQ Potato Chips.  1 Corona.  And the rest of that damn cake!!

I tried to analyze what the hell happened, so that I can fix it, to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.  But, is this unrealistic???  Perhaps, the lesson is, there will be these slip ups, but its how quickly I recover, that will dictate whether I’m standing at the bell, or laying on the mat.  I think what happened was, I did not eat at my regularly scheduled 2-3 hour intervals, and this completely threw me off kilter, for the remainder of the weekend.

Back on the wagon though, on Monday.  And Today.  And that’s the plan for tomorrow.  To make up for this weekend’s Faux Paus, I WILL NOT have another cheat day until I board the ship NEXT Saturday.  Nary a cookie, sliver of cake, or glass of wine.  And, I plan to work out every day that I’m on the cruise, and still stick to clean eating.  I’m planning to take my laptop, so that I can keep up my blogs.

So, I guess the moral to this story is, if you fall off the horse, get up, dust yourself off, GET RIGHT BACK ON!!!  Peace!

Just a short blog - my thoughts on staying focused.  After so many starts and stops, I’m really scared of losing focus!

So far, so good.  The AM (farmer’s hours, aka O Dark Thirty) workouts are getting easier each day.  I’m starting to wake up before the alarm, and I think I’m starting to like getting my sweat on in the wee hours of the AM, while most of my co-workers are still sleeping.  My nutrition is really good (despite last week’s M&M slip up).  Clothes are definitely getting looser.  I’ve got at least 70% more energy than I had a few weeks ago.  I’m even managing my work stress a little better (though today, I wanted to walk out the door, and not come back…)

So, with that said, why am I still stressing about how I will continue to keep the press on, continue to stay focused, FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE????

I really want this time to be different. I want to go further than I’ve ever gone.  I want to possibly compete in a fitness pageant, run a marathon, wear a bikini for the first time in my adult life!  But, when I think about how far I still have to go, I get nervous.  I keep telling myself , "I didn’t put the weight on overnight".  Its going to take time…

But, I’ve been here before.  Went hard for one month, then stopped.  Pickep back up, went hard for two days, then stopped.  And again, and again…until here I am.

How do I stay the course?  How do I stay focused?  I’ma keep pushing - but sometimes, its hard!  So, here’s my acknowledgment to the "hard times" lurking in my future.  The crazy workdays.  The stress.  The unexpected curveballs that life tends to throw from time to time.  And my vow to myself, that no matter what, I WILL STAY FOCUSED!!!  I WILL GET IT IN!!

Peace and many blessings!

After pillaging my hubby’s Muscle Milks all week, I finally went to GNC and picked up some more.  DANG - that stuff is so expensive!  Two cases costed me approx $80 bucks!  (And, that was with his GNC gold card - YIKES!)  But, I felt SO much better when I got home (BTW, did I mention that I carried the two cases through the mall and out to my car, all by myself? I kept thinking to myself, by this time next year, when I’m carrying these, people are gonna actually be able to see my biceps! )  Anyway, I felt good cause now, I have a good source of protein to chug at work, even when things go completely haywire.  It’s all about having a plan!

I’ve also somehow managing to get up in the AM’s, to get my workout going.  This is exciting for me, since I’m really not an AM person.  Today, after my workout, I put on a pair of black slacks that I haven’t worn in a while.  WHAT THE….??  The pants were really sagging around my butt and legs!  I had to fasten my belt with two extra holes today!  Progress!!  I’m AMPED!!

Enough of that though, I have a question about weight training.  Hubby turned me on to a very informative website yesterday - ExRx on the Net.  Anyone familiar with it?  Lots of info on working out.  But, something I read put a question in my mind - is it better to strength train two days, or three days a week?

Right now, I’m doing a total body workout.  Mainly using my large muscles, and other workouts incorporated in at the same time.  For example, I do 3 set of 10 "squat shoulder raises" with 5lb weights (I actually think I can go heavier on the weights).  When I’m lifting from the squats, I’m going right into the shoulder raises.  I have about 5 or 6 exercises similar to this, and I’ve also added some push ups, bicep curls and tricep dips for good measure.  I’m currently trying to do this 3 days a week (with one day of rest between).  But the ExRx website says, that you can experience gains by hitting your major muscle groups only 2 times a week (of course, 3x’s will give you gains, but not much).  They also say that doing shorter reps, with higher weights is more effective than longer reps, lower weights.  THANK GOD!  I always hated doing 15-20 reps, I think that’s what kind of turned me off to weight training, a few years back.  I’d much rather get that heavy weight, and work the crap out of my muscle quicker.

What do you guys think?  I’ve always read that when training your legs, you should allow for two days of rest in between.  Am I doing more harm than good by working my legs every other day?

And what about abs?  Should I be working them EVERY DAY?  Or should I allow for a day of rest, until they get stronger?

Too Many Questions, I know!  Pls drop me a line, and let me know what you think.  Thanks!

Well, today was my scheduled cheat day.  However, the cheat really started yesterday eve.  Because of the weather, we spent the day indoors, watching movies and lounging.  I at least, started the day off with a great workout!  And, I kept my eating clean; had an egg-white omelet w/ spinach, tomatoes and ground turkey crumbles (yum!), had a MuscleMilk protein shake for lunch, and then snacked on baby carrots and hummus.  But then, my husband recommended pizza for dinner.  His rationale; you can do your cheat tonite, and then eat clean tomorrow.  Hmmm, works for me!  So I had 6 slices of thin-crust pizza, and then the Cherry Garcia "baby pint" in my fridge. 

The pizza was delish, but I didn’t enjoy the ice cream as much as I thought.  I kept thinking about the # of calories in that 3.6 oz serving.  Isn’t the point of the cheat day, to be able to throw caution to the wind???  That caution also kept me from going to the basement and grabbing a corona out of the fridge.  However, caution didn’t stop me this morning from having that bacon that I planned all week!  Thus, the cheat DAY ended up being two days.  Well, not two whole days, but two meals, I guess.  I even figured out a way to not cook and eat all the bacon - I separated the pack into about 4-5 slices, wrapped in wax paper, and then I freeze it.  This way, I can take out one small bundle at a time.  I shared the bacon with hubby and all the kids, and basically ended up with one delicious slice, along with my egg-white omelet and coffee.

I guess the point is, I’m really starting to think things through now, in terms of food, nutrition, etc..  I forgot to mention that I worked out this AM (45 min cardio), so who wants to snarf down a whole pack of bacon after that - kinda defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?  Don’t get me wrong, I still have my challenges, but as I overcome the small challenges, I’m hoping that it will help me be stronger, clearer, more focused - and more prepared for the even bigger challlenges that are on the way!

So, for the rest of the day, its back to the Grind.  Goal for this week - 6 straight days of workouts (rest day Friday), Good Clean Eating, and continuation of the quest for the Smokin Hot Bod!   Peace!

This week was the work week from Hell!  My agency has been in full Hurricane mode all week!  Every day, its been something different.  And, to top it off, we are nearing the end of our budget cycle, so we have to spend, spend, spend!  I was at work until late almost every night this week.  And, during a couple of nights this week, my sleeping was off.  Thankfully, I had logged 5 days of workouts from last Sat to this Wed, so Thurs ended up being a rest day, however, Friday ended up being an unplanned no workout day.  (I just couldn’t get my butt out of the bed that morning!). 

I stuck to clean eating extremely well though, until the Friday Breakdown.  We were in a frenzy for most of the day.  Then, the budget ladies and I sat in my office, going through the remaining dollars that needed to be spent.  Someone broke out a bag of peanut M&M’s.  Why the heck did they do that???  I had one small handful (approx 6).  Then 1 more handful (6 more!).  I did stop the madness after that, but those 12 M&M’s haunted me for the rest of the day.  I kept asking myself (why didn’t I just say no thanks?  Why did I want the M&M’s - was my body craving those?  Or was it more mindless eating?)  Uuggh!  I came home, had a small chicken breast and lima beans for dinner, and then went to bed!

I did try to redeem myself this AM.  Got up, hit the weights hard!  I’ll also do another session this afternoon, just cardio, and then I’ll do a long cardio session tomorrow AM.  BUT I AM STILL HAVING MY CHEAT DAY TOMORROW!

I’m still trying to work through keeping my focus, even through life’s stressful situations.  But its hard sometimes!

Anywho, Have a Great Weekend and for those of you in the hurricane paths, I’ll keep you in my prayers!  Peace.

Whew, where do I begin?  I did Day Two of my AM workout series.  YEAH!  I’m not an AM person, so getting up at O Dark Thirty is a REAL challenge!  But surprisingly, I opened my eyes exactly 5 minutes BEFORE the 5AM blast from my Alarm Clock.   After 5 minutes of quick prayer and meditation, I was up, and headed to the basement for a great 40 min cardio session on my beloved treadmill.  I did what I refer to as "2 ups, 3 downs" (i.e. 2 minutes on a hill - right now I can work a 5-6% incline, and 3 minutes recovery, usually on 1-2%).  And, depending on what tunes come out of my IPod, I really got my speed going.

I packed lunch and snacks the night before, for me and the kids.  For me, Tuna straight from the can, on baby spinach, with baby carrots, tomatoes, and a hint of sun-dried tomato dressing (I’m sorry, i just wasn’t in the mood for dry A– tuna, OK???)

On the drive to work, I did stop at Dunkin Donuts, for coffee.  NO, I didn’t get a donut, didn’t even LOOK at them, but I was craving a caffeine jolt.  I usually take my java with cream and suga (I know, I know…), but today, I told the guy, "gimme HALF the sugar that you normally put in.  HALF!" in my most authoritative voice!  It worked.  The coffee was bland as hell.  (Coffee is my weakness, butI can’t do black, YET.  I’m working on it though, OK?)

Then, Work.  BAM!  I had a mtg that was not on my calendar.  Had to ride back into DC.  I woofed down my 3 watermelon chunks, and was off.  After the meet, my boss suggested we grab lunch.  So much for the tuna/spinach salad.  I picked up a "chicken wrap" with black beans, chicken (couldn’t tell you how it was cooked, but it was GOOD) white rice (ugh) and lettuce.  I nixed the sour cream and cheese, and I asked for a whole wheat wrap, which I didn’t even eat (just scraped out the insides).

Then, back to work, where person after person came into my office, with problem after problem.  I forgot to "steal" one of hubby’s Muscle Milks from the basement this AM (he doesn’t realize I found his stash…), so no protein shake, since this morning.  So, my PM snack was an apple and a pt skim mozz cheese stick.  I worked until a half hour AFTER my finish time, and didn’t drink nearly enough water.

But, I’m home now!  The girls and I had a great dinner of baked salmon, greens and sweet potato fries.  Even though my eating wasn’t really the best, I’m proud of the fact that I didn’t give in to the stress of the day.  AND, I got my AM sweat on, so no matter what happened throughout the day, I had at the very least, given my body what it needs and deserves - some TLC by way of breaking a sweat!

Each day brings its own set of challenges.  It’s how we prepare and manage those challenges that will determine whether we conquer, or succumb to the day!  Have a Great Evening, and Tomorrow!

After 4 weeks of working out/trying to eat clean, I’ve learned very quickly that if I fail to plan, I plan to fail!  I now have to plan days ahead.  Meals for me.  Meals for my family.  Workouts.  Even strategizing for upcoming events (parties, travel, etc). 

My cousin is celebrating her 40th birthday this weekend, so I’m planning a cheat day, so that I can take her to a jazz brunch.  I have two trips coming up (one for work, and a cruise at the end of the month).  I think I’ve got the work trip covered; staying in a really nice resort in Dallas, TX, with a State of the Art facility, and a fridge.  So, I can tote my newfound fave, MuscleMilk, and store it in my room.  I’ve read about people taking chicken breasts and such with them on travel, but I should be able to get by with making good food choices while eating out.

Now, the cruise is another matter.  Workouts will still occur, no matter what.  The eating is a Whole Nother issue.  Food for days on a cruise! I can still tote my MM, but not much else.  So my plan is to still stay true to my eating, cut out breads and such, and NO desserts and such.  But, Dang, how do I work in the drinks?  Something about sitting on the pool deck with a drink in my hand makes me smile.  So, I think I will limit drinks to just 1-2 a day.  How does that sound?

I’ve been doing really well these past few weeks, so I don’t want to fall back into my "fail to plan" routine.  I’m starting to get many compliments at work, and from Hubby!  This keeps me motivated.  ALSO, I was able to get in a Kick Butt routine this AM at O Dark Thirty (aka 5AM this morning, Woo Hoo!)  So, I’m totally AMPED!  I worked out the entire long weekend, and ate pretty clean (with the exception of a small (and I mean SMALL) Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream.  I’ve never seen Ice cream so small, the store was actually selling it for 4 for $5.  It was probably one small scoop squeezed into that carton, but it was GOOD.  Then, hubby read the nutritional content on the Ice Cream, and that totally blew my high!  I’ll save the Cherry Garcia for a cheat day, after my weigh in (Sept 30).

Pls feel free to send me your thoughts/comments/recommendations for how you "plan" in your daily lives.  Peace, and Be Blessed!