sblandrus’s BodyBlog

I just felt the need to blog a bit about the past few weeks.  Well, for starters I’ve been really busy lately.  Between my regular work and training clients, I have been working over 40 hours/week lately, and my schedule/routine has suffered a bit.  I am realizing that it is very important for me to go to the gym at roughly the same time everyday, otherwise it is SO much easier not to make it.  Plus, when I wait till after work to go, my workouts suffer; my energy has already been spent on the rest of the day.  I also need to SERIOUSLY, not just say I will, but seriously start cooking my food once a week, my diet was IMPECCABLE when I did that. Seriously flawless. But lately it’s just been one huge estimation. In other news, I got my bodyfat tested earlier this week, and it was *gulp* …17%       I was WAAAAAYYY bummed about that, but I think that part of it was that I was bloated. 13% would have been ideal, 15% would have been mediocre….but 17%???? C’mon, Sarah, you’re better than that. To me that’s average. Anyhow, I guess I’ve got a goal, and some work ahead of me!!! The real work is in my organization and consistency. The hard part isn’t the gym, or eating the food. The hard part is going to bed on time, cooking my meals once a week, waking up in the morning, not watching tv till late at night etc. But I’m moving off my bf’s property into my own place, and I think that will improve my focus.  Anyhow, I ordered my very first thermogenic since I took Hydroxycut HXC in ‘06. I have a little bit of mixed feelings, like maybe I’m a failure ’cause I can’t get as low as I want by myself without any supps….but I think maybe to get as low as I want (approx 10%) I will need a little assistance.  I decided to just be more adherent to my original keto diet, than have jason write me one.  The one I was using was working well, I just wasn’t being as disciplined as I should have been about being specific about the amounts of food going in my mouth.  I mean, obviously I didn’t eat myself fat, but you know, not as precise as I need to be to keep cutting.  Anyhow, today is a new day, the first of february is right around the corner, which is a good starting point….here it is folks:

I am currently 138 (probably carrying about 5 or so lbs of water weight)….

Roughly 17% BF

Meaning I am currently carrying 23 lbs of body fat.

I AM GOING TO LOSE 4% BF BY TUESDAY, MARCH 31ST

WHICH IS ROUGHLY 5.5 LBS

PUTTING ME AT 13% BODYFAT

BY MAY 1^ST, 2009 I WILL BE BETWEEN 10-11% BF

End of story.

So I’m waiting on Jason Phillips to finish writing me a new diet/lifting/cardio strategy…I am at a point where i’ve kinda had it with this plateau…Anyhow, I think I’ll give bodyspace a rest for awhile, and really dig in/focus for the next month or so, and maybe I will post some progress pics/blogs then. Goodbye for now.

First off, I would like to say that I had a SUPERIOR workout this morning, which included 2-30 minute cardio sessions before and after working on my shoulders and back with the weights today…that was definitely the boost I needed to get me out of my funk. Anyhow, when I was at the gym today doing my first bout of cardio, I noticed this gal with a guy training her, she was actually probably the most fit person I have seen at my gym thus far, possibly training for a competition, in that kind of shape…anyhow, it just so happens that she was doing the same muscle groups that I had planned for today, and a lot of the same lifts.  As she was lifting, she was moving her arms around during her rests in such a manner that would show off her arms, and how lean and muscular they were, at one point another lady came up and commented her on her physique…I could tell this was all going to her head, seing as there were no other females in the weight area that could hold a candle to her level of fitness…

SO, being the competitive female  that I am, and since I only had a couple short minutes left of my stepmill routine, I decided that I was going to give her a little run for her money.  It was more the mind set of showing her that she’s not ALL that, because I really didn’t have to go out of my way to show her up, since I had already planned my lifts, I was just simply going to save the last 30 minutes of cardio for after my workout, instead of doing the whole hour before.

So, I went to a bench, and started doing one arm dumbell rows, and during my rests, I would casually glance around the room to see if she had noticed she had some competition, and sure enough, she had. I could feel her getting jealous everytime I would get to the top of a rep, and my back would be all flexed out. Lol…I’m such a jerk…All of the sudden she wasn’t standing as tall, and she didn’t have that look of confidence radiating from her face…lol, I can’t tell you how much guilty pleasure I was getting out of this….but, I wasn’t doing anything wrong, right??? I was just there: lifting like everyone else….

hahaha, so I am sure that there are people reading this saying "Ugh, I can’t believe that!! How devilish!!! We should encourage eachother, and not bring one another down!!" and, you are right, however, I am simply being honest.  I am also a very competitive person, and there is something to be said for a little healthy competition. Hell, I know that when I saw her there I started thinking "well, Sarah, guess you aren’t the ONLY one who has a pretty cut physique.." But I KNOW my competitive nature will come in handy when I actually start competing. I also know I speak for most of us, willing to admit it or not, that we all have a little of this in us…where we get a thrill out of showing another person up…but as I went about my workout, I noticed how many people steal glances at themselves in the mirror, just seeing how good they look doing that rep, or how pumped their arms get when they do bicep curls….myself included. So c’mon, let’s admit it: WE ALL LIKE TO LOOK IN THE MIRRORS AT OURSELVES, AND WE ALSO GET COMPETITIVE AT TIMES….

it’s ok…it’s human.

Hahaha…this is just so funny to me.

OK OK! I’M GETTING MY BUTT TO THE GYM!!! Lol…wow, so that’s me talking to myself….I don’t know why, but the last week has been a bit of a drag. I’ve kind of lost my focus a bit, I don’t really know why. I didn’t workout yesterday or the day before…hmmm….I need to get back on it. Jason is writing me a new nutrition/training plan…or at least a tweaked one. I am serious as a heart attack about losing that last bit of fat.  I just can’t handle it anymore…it’s starting to piss me off. I guess i just need a new direction. I believe that what I was doing was working for awhile, but I am ready to make that final leap, and do what it takes to shave off those final inches, and be able to see my glutes, and hammys.  Unfortunately this is going to mean getting really lean, leaner than I already am, but I JUST WON’T SETTLE FOR LESS!!!! I won’t!!! And no one can make me….it kinda sucks the way my body is put together that it loses fat so unevenly, but    O H   W E L L .  If I have to be under 10% body fat, then SO BE IT. I don’t care if people say "that’s unhealthy to maintain that low of body fat…" Is it? Really? Because I am pretty sure there are plenty of people out there who maintain a low percentage, and they get along JUST FINE. I.E. Clarence Bass….??? Still healthy, right???? "Oh, but he’s a male" So what. I’m doing it anyway. Get over it.

*END RANT*

I am going to the gym now.

Well, it was a blast in cabo, I had a couple drinks (literally, one margarita and one pina colada, that’s it.) and food that wasn’t really on my diet, but it was only for 4 days, and I didn’t go wild and over eat, and we did a lot of walking, I worked out, and some pool volley ball, so it was a perfect vacation!!! And you know, since the rest of the time I am in keto, and I am SUPER strict about it, I think this vacation, and more relaxed eating actually propelled me forward, and I think I may have lost a pound or so. Anyhow, it was a good time, but I am always happy to get back to my routine!!! And I’m gonna hit it hard, and lift heavier and more consistent than before…prepare yourselves for some serious improvements….

HERE WE GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes I am, I’m leaving tomorrow!!! So I will be back on Thursday. I absolutely intend on working out on my vaca, and eating keto as well!!! Oh, and getting a sweet tan…

bye bye!

So I was advised to slow down my cardio and do longer duration at a lower intensity, and no offense to the person(s) who gave me this advice, but I tried, and I just can’t do it!!! I did it for about a week and a half, but it was just SOOOOO boring, and I didn’t get the good feeling that I get when I do an intense bout of cardio.  Sooo…I have reverted back to high intensity, but with a compromise, I am doing HIIT for 30 min, and then I do about 15-30 more minutes of a moderate intensity cardio.  I don’t know if this is what I "should" do, but, I just don’t get that high that I get running when I walk. And I love that, and miss it.  Anyhow, just doin’ keto and lifting hard!!! Seems to be workin’!!!!

So, I had a REALLY great day today!!! I not only had a great workout, but today was just really motivating.  It all started when I tried on some summer clothes (shorts, dresses etc) because I am going to Cabo (WAHOO!!!) on sunday for vacation.  When I tried on my shorts, which have always been pretty tight on me, they were all REALLY loose!!! And some of them almost fell off!!! HOLY MOSES!!! It was so exciting!!! I think I’ve lost a little more!!! I can start to see more definition in my legs…wow. How encouraging. Then, after that, I went to the gym and saw my friend Lauri who I work with and who is competing in the Arnold in March.  This was the first time we have seen each other at the gym (i just joined this gym a month ago), and she looked at me and said "you look really good sarah!" and then she told this girl next to her who she knows "she’s leaner than me, and I’m competing!!!" then after that, I had a pretty damn awesome workout.  It’s been an awesome day….I just can’t wait to get boobs (I’m getting implants this spring)!!!!