Jul’s Journey

Okay, I had my girlfriend over here tonight to eyeball my swelling….Just in case I was losing my mind from lack of sleep??  Any way, she saw it too… so, I have upped my water, got Dandelion root (thanks sparkie) and will try that route for a few days and see how things net out.

I had a lackluster workout today….and will be flying out early to Florida to visit my mom for the weekend.  Hilarious packing all the vitamins and powders and my food for the trip.  It’s worse than packing my three kids up for school!!

I am excited because my mom lives about two miles (good cardio) from a great gym and it’ll be nice to mix it up a bit. the last time my mom saw me I was about 15 pounds and inches larger than I am today…should be interesting to see her reaction   Hopefully she doesn’t try to feed me.

Tonight was a carb up night….looked forward to the oatmeal all day….pathetic, I know.

Well, I need to fly so I can be ready to fly….can’t wait to catch up on what you are all doing when I get back…and hopefully, I will have less water retention and be able to take my pics…. :0

Okay, I can see myself swelling….what can I do about this???  Any suggestions??  I am drinking water, eating asparagus and doing my best to will my body to stop…. I look like my muscles are disappearing in a sea of softness…. booooooo hooooooooo!!!  Help!!!!!

Okay… I love being a woman….. long legs, fun clothes, able to adorn self with pretty things that sparkle, nailpolish, hairdos and highlights…really it is fun….

I also dislike it…not all the time…just the bloating time.  How is it a woman can go to bed looking lean and wake up looking like I injected myself with marshmallow???  really, this bloating thing is extreme.  I can almost see the fluid rising to the top of my muscle…

So, today was leg day… I love leg day.  I remember when I used to hate it…. now, they are fun!  The hurt is unbearably bearable.  To make it more extreme, right after putting myself through the paces, I strapped on my heels and headed off to work.  I could feel my workout all day   yay!!!!

I read so many things about people’s bad experiences with people in the gym that I just want to comment….  I go to a great gym, just around the corner from my home (that is partly why it is great….proximity).  Depending on the time of the day you go, the culture in the gym changes drastically. for me, my fav. time is from 5am-7am… the median age is probably 51, and the people that go are so full of life and fun!

Literally, when you walk in, each of the 8 or so people greet each other by name and as people push their bodies on the cardio equipment, they share great stories and great insight…. No one ever is rude and everyone is always encouraging and interested in each other’s well-being.  AND when a new person shows up….they are greeted just as warmly!!  I am so thankful for this group!  So, George, Frank, Betsy, Dave, Elise, Karen, Jim, Tim, Scott, Bruce, Mark, Suzanne and fastman…..thankyou for helping 5am be my most favorite time of my day!!!

I couldn’t be more excited….the last few days my body has really started to respond to my training!  I can see the changes in my legs, abs and glutes!!!!  I know many people have said the last four weeks before your competition is when you see the greatest changes, but I had no idea.

Literally, each day I woke up I could see the changes.  And finally, I am starting to feel comfortable in my suits! (even the one I don’t like). 

So, for now, my plan is to keep with this diet (compliments of Capt. Ahab and Beverly nutrition) and continue with my weights….cardio, I will slowly increase from one 45 minute HIIT session to a second 30-40 minute cardio in the evening.  (I’ll start this at three weeks out though….)

I’ll be taking pictures in the next few days and hopefully you will see the changes I am seeing…..

Yesterday was an awesome leg workout…really tried to focus on those hammies and glutes. Hoping it will pay off and the butt will pick up off my leg… lol…gravity….not my friend….

this morning, I met my gal pal and we worked on back and chest….okay, this friend had a baby just 4 short months ago and she crushed the chest weights.  Honestly, her drive astounds me…you can never tell when she is close to failure…she just guts it out!!!  Her drive actually drove me today!  LOVE IT!!!

Anywhooo…. yesterday was day one on the new diet….and I feel great!  I think my body is responding to it already.  and the new protein shakes….cookies and creme from beverly….YYYYYYYUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!
  I am pumped today and am so thrilled to be almost in my last four weeks!  And then excited to actually work on getting some real muscle on this frame!  THAT should be fun!

Well, still have cardio left today, will eek it out before a long work day!  And then early to bed!

Okay…. it is past my bedtime, yet here I sit on this flashing computer, zipping around the BB site looking for some piece of magic information that will help me during the next 5 weeks.  Guess what….I think I found it……

Get this….. for me its not the excercise routines, what days to combine what body parts or even the different diets (let’s face it, those that are successful are consistent with their programs….)  It’s the people….their stories, their pictures and their amazing attitudes.  Yup, once again it is a social thing for me. 

Come to think of it….everything has ALWAYS been about he social aspect….. school… home with kids…..dating….marriage……family…..
. all the social…..the interaction….that is what drives me.  

Okay, I don’t want you to think that I am one of those people that goes to the gym, chats for an hour and leaves… I actually do my workouts….but I love watching people do their thing….love the silent comraderie that goes along with the workouts.  (I guess that is why I fail miserably when I work out at home.)

So, for those of you who think that no one is reading your blogs or looking at your pics, chances are….I am!  And chances are you have inspired me in some way….so, tonight I say thank you…..

Have a beautiful day!

Okay…today was a fun day…just cardio and abs!  Ah, I love days like this, when you can be creative with your cardio.  I mixed it up with a friend, spinning with jumprope intervals, then 5 minutes of intensive rowing…followed by the treadmill at a 15% incline with intervals 1minute on/1-2 minute recovery… FUN!!! 

Then abs…..:) another fun time…seriously, I love working them, seem to have to change up the excercises a lot to feel the burn the next day….

I realize now, being 5 weeks out how important my diet is….now, for those of you who have been around on my blog…you know I was 5 weeks out not so long ago…. and failed terribly….it was my diet, the peanut butter and pretzels specifically. So, here I am again, no longer am I going to mutter the words…."I have 5 whole weeks still…certainly this scoop of peanutbutter won’t hurt me…" Nope, no more justification.   No more silliness. 

It’s funny how we can talk ourselves into failure.  It seems if we can do that, we should also be able to talk ourselves into success.  This being said, at 5 weeks out, I will be mentally talking myself into the things that I need to do to reach my goal of walking on stage…and looking like I deserve to be there. 

Sometimes I wonder…. how much importance do i put on my perception of what others think of me? And is that bad, normal, odd, unrealistic, unhealthy, etc. to do so?

Is my personal quest for transformation geniune to me, or is it deep-rooted in my never-ending desire to get affirmation from others?  And what in goodness sake’s name makes a person care so much about affirmation or being liked? Was it something in my upbringing….in my past relationships….or is it just integral to my core?

Is it selfish to feel these things, weakness, or a sign of a person that wants to please??  And even bigger….can you be so concerned about pleasing another that you forget what it is you really want and like?

Okay…enough random thinking….

Had a great leg workout this morning….with my best gal…. man, it makes it easier to do this with someone else…thank goodness for her!!!! 

Did some supersetting and really put the emphasis on those glutes….(mentally, I keep willing my butt to lift…will see if that part of the training helps - LOL) Will plan to get an hour of cardio in sometime later…still going to focus on toasting those legs…

Have been working more now that school is in full-swing. Love my job and love that it is flexible so I can do my gym thing AND be with my three little loves!!!   I find the days that I work, eating clean is no problem. Its days that I am home working that I have a hard time keeping my nose clean. Still seeing gains, even with my minor slips, but this Sat. I am 5 weeks out…need to buckle down and take joy the fact that these next few weeks will show the biggest changes.( if i am good)

Plan to take pics today…looking forward to seeing if there are any changes….there has been in my clothes so…. I am optimistic!!! 

Do you know the little guy on the package of goldfish crackers??  fin, I think they call him….  he has an evil smile….its like he taunts me every time I see him with those dark sunglasses on…."go ahead," he says…."just two or three won’t hurt you…heh, heh."  

Pretty bad that I am that obsessed about food that I am writing about the character on the side of the package….boy, what have I become???

Alright….so, the good news, my body is leaning out…..the bad news….the clothes I just bought two weeks ago….falling off me… Now, I realized some people love that feeling, I don’t.  It makes me feel sloppy and unkept…. (I assure you all that if my husband reads this blog…he’ll be hiding all the credit cards…I now have complete professional wardrobes in size 8, 6, and 4……)  So, not only is this endeavor costing me some serious $$$ in food,  trainers, supplements and figure suits, etc…now it is the clothes I am wearing….

Good problems I realize, but still….. not so sure my money tree is going to do to well with all the pruning I continue to do to it!!!lol

Alright, I was really riding a high for a few days….feeling good about my workouts and such…even this morning doing shoulders, and arms I felt great (and again later doing my cardio) and then….something just snapped……

I can’t explain it, though I have some ideas on why this is coming over me like this.  Its one of those, "oh, no I just need to cry feelings…" no specific reason, but definately sent me running to the  i -c-e-c-r-e-a-m (it doesn’t look as bad if I spell it that way) and then after eating a scoop I had a real reason to cry…..I had been clean for three days and in one moment - not - UGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!

I’ll regroup and the extra fat is not the end of the world, but the dairy takes three days to get out of the ol’ system……so pics this week should be a bit under impressive.

Okay….so for me it is the issues of the heart….when my heart is sad my stomach is empty apparently….or maybe my tastebuds are needing something, whatever it is….when that is out of balance, my diet suffers. The good news here is, if I can get victory over this, I can write a book, hope it helps others and enjoy the financial benefits  by tanning on the beach somewhere exotic (in between workouts, of course) and enjoying all my perfectly balanced meals prepared by a personal chef……

For now, it is water to flush this dairy out and an evening walk … uphill…..carrying weight….lots of it….