mizzsuzybrown’s BodyBlog

I got an email from Richard telling me people are just busting down the doors looking for a new blog from me.  o kay…

Well I stopped posting here because I noticed one of the more popular charactors/ bloggers  has a very obvious eating disorder.  Its one that I suffered with for a long time now (still do to an extent) and it made me feel ‘ooky’ to read her blog (which screamed "I’m ill!") and yet everyone who commented was all "you go girl!" like there was nothing wrong at all….

 So I went and found another board where people seem to be a lot more serious about competing.  I like hanging with the pros.

This is not to say no one at that board has an eating disorder!  Its pretty much a fact, as far as I can see, that body building is at its roots a form of body modification.  Why do people wantto modify their eating habits and therefore their bodies?  Because they believe something to be wrong or inadequate or imperfect about it…  and if you get down to nuts & bolts, that’s a disorder.

And now… drum roll…  I’m on a diet.    All that grumbling about eating disorders and what am I doing but restricting myself…  its a low carb diet, and I’m kinda enjoying it, kinda hating it.

As of now I’m not restricting cal or fat, just aiming for as few carbs and as much protein as possible.  Last week I did pretty well, but I had some of the normal ’symptoms’ of ketosis, trouble sleeping, crashing when I’m low on food, dry skin and mouth…  I have lost a few lbs, and I definitly look more trim.  Thats great!  Later this week I’ll have my body fat tested.  Remember Dec 22, it was 22%.  I’ll be curious to see if/ how much it has dropped since.

O my leg press is up to 235 now!  My arms are looking weak tho.  I have definition but not mass.  I have 3 more months til the show…

OK so it seems 190 is not always 190 –  My gym has multiple leg press machines, and I found that while I can do 190 on one of them (ho leeeeeeeeeee!) I can’t even budge it on another.  Doesn’t mean I’m not happy about the machine I CAN do it on!!  I almost tapped danced after that!!  But does make me wonder which is more accurate.

Well I made it thru another holiday.  I got up early and instead of rushing to open gifts, treated myself to a mini workout.  My mother in law (73!!) loves exercise and has a ball, treadmill, bands, weights, so I did a little full body on the ball, got a sweat going and got my heart rate up.  From then on, it was all GOODIES! 

I avoided eating my weight in chocolate this year((whew))!!  I cut up some protein bars in small bites and tricked myself into thinking they were candy!  Try it!  Lucky thing turkey is on my diet.  Sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie (spelt flour crust!) were extra good too.  I indulged in some mashed potatoes but skipped the bread, only a taste of stuffing.

Unfortunatly tho I caught cold on Saturday.  Since I knew I’d have some very active days ahead, I skipped the gym and rested Sunday and Monday, and was feeling more normal by Tuesday.  Now, Wednesday, I’m off pills and have only needed a few cough drops to keep myself feeling ~ok.~

The odd part tho is that it seems to have worked to my advantage.  Last night I saw myself in the mirror and was amazed to see I looked very muscular.  My shoulders are wider and full, and my triceps are very obvious.  When I do doublle bicep pose you can really see definition, and even my chest is visably harder towards my underarms.  I’m very happy about it!  I wish my legs took to it as well as my arms but they are coming together in their own way. 

Can’t WAIT to get back in the gym!!  I kinda want to go tonight, just ‘cuz I miss it, but I’ll wait til tomorrow.

Hope everyone had a great day!

1. 24% body fat aprox 2 months ago… as of this week, 22%!

2. Used the 40lb barbell for my entire ham & quad workout this week!

3.  Added daily cardio in this past week with no problems – no extra achy-ness, no debilitating knee pain, no boredom!

4. Stuck to my diet ~most~ of this week, despite being tempted sorely to cheat on goodies and rich drinks! 

 *suzy does a happy dance*

On top of all that, my thighs hardly jiggle at all when I walk.  You can feel the quad!  And you can see my hams!  My arms look very strong, you can see my triceps even thru a shirt!  And the line is starting to form down the middle of my abs!!

I’m gettin’ there!  And I’m happy about it too!

Looks like someone must have flagged my pic!  Its gone!  I could upload it again but why bother.  Obviously it was deedmed inappropriate…  the guidelines DO have something about bare cheeks.

Well I just thought it was a funny pic — me trying to squeeze my fat ass into a tiny pair of hiphuggin’ jeans.  I know the guys loved it, but I really thought it epitomized me lately — after taking almost a year off, I really feel like the past 3 months I’ve gone from flab to fab!

Was not trying to show off or dis other members, nor trying to portray myself as attention-seeking, therefore less true to my bodybuilding goals.  If you read my blog and look at my workouts, I think (HOPE) all will know I’m in this to win this.

 And truth is I’m pretty modest, and not so amped with showing off my bod.  I think I look ok, but if I poke fun at me first, it doesn’t seem quite as bad if someone else does it next.

  I will take more pix tonight that ~ahem~ exemplify the spirit of the site.

I missed a few days!

Friday was chest n back.  I added 2 new things to my routine and are you shocked to know I’m still a little achy? 

First new thing was an incline chest press. 
I started with 20lb and couldn’t move them, just pulsed up 15x.  Then backed down to 15 for 8, then 10 for 12.  I hurt almost immedietly!  OW and am still feeling it –sharp pain under my left arm.  It hurts most when I sneeze!

Next new thing was cable crossovers.  Maybe thats not the right name??  Kind of a lunge position and you grab the handle both left and right, and pull in toward your chest…  Well I did one set, 8 per leg, and then tried moving thru a lunge each time, bad form.  Those were both 20lb, and then held the lunge for 30lbs, 15times.

Sat did my legs routine for hams & quads.  Its on my main page. 

Took Sunday off (LAZY) and today was Bis & tris. 

Still being good about my diet and about CARDIO!  I’ve at least 20 and up to 40min each day and I’m proud of myself.  Stairmaster is my friend…

I’ve discovered that I do indeed like tuna from a can!  And have been devouring it.  There’s a hickory smoked by Chicken of the Sea, and a lemon pepper by Bumble Bee that have rocked my world.  If you eat this with Soy Crisps you have a very filling lunch, crapload of protein, and very low carbs.  Your breath will reek afterwards tho.

Personally, I haven’t bought even 1 gift for anyone yet!  And am still working on cards.  I get worse and worse at this every year…

I need to get more cardio in.  I know starting next week I need to get at least 30 min a day on top of my weights. 

So who was a good girl and woke up early and did her cardio even tho she didn’t ‘have’ to yet?  ME! 

Today I did shoulders and abs (that TV workout yesterday, eh, not counting that as a real workout).

I love me some supersets

Arnold Presses 15lb, 20lb, 15 lb for 10rep, 5 rep, and 10 rep

with….  lateral raises 5 to the side, 5 out front, 5lb, 10lb, and 5lb again for 3 sets

Roman Chair — 10 knee ups, and 10 knee-to-chest pulses

with… dip machine, 150 for 15, 165 for 15 and 180 for 15 (this machine never seems to get any harder for me)

Decline crunches — top down, 15, 15, and 20

with… roll ups, 10, 12, &15

Bent rows 25lbs, 30lbs, and 20lbs for 10 reps, 3 sets (30 was really hard, I had to use both hands to get it off the rack!  awwww, and my form was bad)

with… rope cruches.  I have so much trouble with these!  Either I can’t keep a grip or I can’t get a burn.  I putzed around froever and finally changed it to a handle like you’d use for a seated row, and made the stack like 165.  first sets were just 10 & 15, last set I did 40 and finally felt the burn.  I should ask someone about that!  maybe I’m not doing them right??????????

Food today, I’m proud.  Had a liter of water early on, and then a protein bar and coffee with skim  milk.  Later a salad of baby greens, can of tuna, and soy crisps.  Currently enoying a protein shake (I’m so hungry lately).  Also… a 2nd liter of water!  So 2 more liters and a nice dinner and I’m feeling good about today.

Awww I slept late, and didn’t have time to get to the gym!  I had ~some~ time tho, and its only shoulders today, so I got out my dumbells and did some workouts on Comcast On Demand.

I haven’t tried any of these in ages, mainly because they are usually too slow/ low inensity for me, but circumstances being what they were…  Did a 10 min ab workout, not a bad way to start.  Next a 20 min ab & arm workout, which made me sweat!  Finished with another 10 min stretching and felt like I’d at least got something in!  Not too bad, well, better than nothing at all.

 Comcast really has a lot of workouts to chose from!  I think I might try and hit a few of the abs more often.  I tend to skip abs for time in the gym, so if I can get 10 minutes in here and there I’ll definitly be ahead of the game!

When I was an instructor I’d always tell my clients, do exercises while you’re watching TV — every commercial break, get on the floor and do crunches for 1 commercial, teasters for 1, push ups for 1, if you do 3-5 min at a time, you don’t get bored or tired, but at the end of a 2 hour sit in front of the tube, you probably got 30 minutes of exercise in!  Gives "armchair athlete" a new meaning

Today I did my most favorite workout, thighs & glutes.  I love hitting the big muscles, because they are so powerful, and you can really move some weight.  Also the results are way dramatic!  When you see a tight hamstring flexing hard, or an ass like two cannonballs, flex it and round goes square!–  ACK, call me a geek but that’s what its all about.

My back is still killing me from whatever I did to it on Sunday.  The 40lb barbell was tough to hold for my compound set, had to keep sliding it up and down my traps, then of course my arms and wrists went all tingle, but I made it thru ok.  I think I might have to fight with the 40lb for maybe the rest of the month before I can move up to 50.  The old gym had the weighted barbells in 5lb increments.  And you know I’m too sissy to weight my own bar — might break a nail!  lol, or drop it on my foot since my grip is so weak…  Also didn’t have enough time.  I never get enough time in the gym! (waaa) and now the new one is a 10 minute walk from home, I lose an extra 20 min from my workout…  I’ll have to start getting up earlier (which SUX), and eventually add an evening cardio session too, otherwise I’ll never get cut…

But I got a good pump in, and then had a nice TAN.  Started at home after my shower, used my Mystic brand spray to color up my face (faces fade so fast!) and then came to the salon and did 12 minutes in the Bravo.  I’m pretty much done testing 08 lotions so I used one that I just plain like (for a change) Mood by Designer Skin. 

DS is taking a nose-dive with this season’s lotions, they just plain blow.  Mood is still a good lotion, tho!  The scent is slightly patchouli- herbal, and tho its a tingle there is no itchy, uncomfortable or patchy-red effects!  The scent and the color will stay with you all day, and its a great look for those about to be dark.  (in other words, if you’re very dark, try a stronger tingle bronzer, like Fire It Up by Tan Asz U)

Tingle lotions have a poor reputation because people who weren’t ready color-wise, nor fully prepared mentally were sold these by tanning attendants who weren’t on the ball. If you don’t know what to expect, you’ll think you’re having an allergic reaction.  And if you’re pale, you’ll look ridiculous all pinked up.  Don’t rush your tan.

  On the other hand, if you’re already tan and want to get REALLY dark, you need a tingle bronzer!  Tingles will bring more blood to the surface of your skin, so yes, you get pinky red, but you also get a huge boost of nutrients and oxygen, and they feed your tan, giving you a great color boost.  Only use a tingle if you’re already dark, and you don’t need to shower for a few hours.  Showering will reactivate the tingle.  Never use a tingle on your face either — you can break capilaries, plus that tomato-face look just ain’t sexy.

Everyone works different for some odd weird reason……..