The View from the Classroom

So today was my district’s convocation…kick-off to a new school year…where all the district employees gather together and get motivated…

I usually don’t look forward to this event…it lasts all morning…the superintendent speaks, board members speak, the keynote speaker speaks for hours it seems…no break…boring!!!! 

Maybe it’s my attitude, but today was different…the high school band played as we entered and found our seats and mingled with our co-workers whom we hadn’t seen for the summer.  When it was time to start, we started as we school employees start everyday…with the pledge…wow…thousands of people reciting the pledge at once…gave me chills as I thought about the words and what it means to be a citizen of this country, rather than just reciting them as I normally do.

Next, the "Star Spangled Banner" was sung by a high school junior…one of my former students from my first year in the district…it brought tears to my eyes…awesome job he did!  Now, I had nothing whatsoever to do with his ability to sing (I teach Math) but, seeing how he has grown since I taught him 5 years ago…that’s what teaching is about…awesome feeling.

After the normal array of speakers, our keynote speaker was introduced and if you’re my age and a Cowboy fan, you grew up in the 70’s when the Cowboys truly were America’s team so you can understand my excitement when he was announced…number 88, Drew Pearson…

His topic was about teams and how you sacrifice the individual for the team, but if the team succeeds, the individuals reap the benefits.  The topic itself wasn’t original or unique or exciting, but the delivery and the person delivering the message made all the difference in the world.  Plus, he finished almost an hour ahead of schedule which meant we got an extra hour for lunch, woohoo!!!

The afternoon was spent at school in meetings and working in my classroom.  And, yes, I did pack my meals and have been spotless on the diet for the last 2 days. 

So…I’m ready for a new year though I know in a few months that I may feel like turning and running away as TDetroit suggested…right now, though I am going to work shoulders and have an awesome end to what has been a great day!!!  

Some of you have noticed that I haven’t been as active on here in the past week or so and some of you have even stopped by to ask about it, which I thank you for   The thing is that I just haven’t had a great deal of free time in the past week.   As I type this, I am starting my last official day of summer…I start back to work tomorrow   which means I’ve been up at the school getting ready…moving to a new classroom, cleaning out cabinets, decorating, etc…

Anyway, my free time is dwindling…

Even with the increased activity, I have stuck to the workouts this past week.  That part is easy for me.  I would stick to the workouts no matter what…it’s truly my stress relief, how I survive…

The diet has been another story…I’m just now sure what to do with the diet…I mean, I’m eating more since the goal is to add muscle.  I’m eating clean more often than not though cheating has become easier…I justify it with "I’m bulking" it’s ok…  My macros are all over the place and I hate that!!  Being consistent with the diet has been hard since competing.  I’ve done a great deal of reading on nutrition for adding muscle.  There are a million and one differing views on the subject.  I think my brain is on overload.  It’s hard to sort through all the info in my mind and that’s the problem.  Atleast part of it anyway.  I think the other part is that I don’t have a real, clear-cut goal.  

I always tell people seeking my advice to do things gradually.  Give your body time to adjust.  I think I need to take my own advice…I think maybe I should just go back to what was working pre-comp when I was in "maintain" mode for a few days and then start adjusting from there gradually.  Give my body time to adjust so that I can figure out what’s gonna work for me.  Isn’t that what it’s really about?  Finding what works for you?

And…in the meantime, I think I need to work on clarifying my goal.  What do I REALLY want to do and by when?  I need a date.  With the competition, I had a date and thus, a reason to stick to the diet.  That’s what I’m missing.  Gotta work on that too.

Ok…so I have a plan…I feel better about things already…

Picture it….

You just started your workout…10 minute warm-up on the elliptical to get the heart pumping…bench press up first…starting heavy…you’re focused, mentally pumped…you pound out 5 reps…next one’s a little hard, but your hubby (or buddy or whatever) is spotting you so it’s ok…you bring the bar down for the 7th one when you feel it…it breaks your concentration a little, but you can get past it, overlook it, continue on, your mind is stronger than that….after all, it’s your husband (or buddy or whatever)…

On to rep number 8…bar down to your chest…you’re struggling to bring it up…hubby (or buddy or whatever) leans over just a tad to spot and you feel it again…sliding off your spotter’s sweat-drenched face, it lands on YOUR face, just missing your mouth by a mere fraction of an inch…

Two drops of someone else’s sweat on my face…I don’t know about you, but I was done…no way I’m gonna endure 4 more drops of sweat just to make twelve reps…husband or not, it was disgusting!!!

Just finished the shoulders (courtesy of my new PT): 

DB Shoulder Press…3 sets of 12

Side Lateral Raises…start low and go up the db rack…3lbs, 5lbs, 8lbs, etc. doing 12 reps with each weight…4 weights make a set…repeat 3 times

Rear delt cable pulls…this one’s new to me, but I like it…3 sets of 15

Front raises…3 sets of 12

Short and sweet, but your shoulders will be on fire, guaranteed!!

Back and bi’s tomorrow night and I am SO looking forward to it…it was brutal last week

I’m really wanting to put on some muscle…upper body mainly…which entails making the scale go up and maybe having to buy a bigger size clothing…now to guys, putting on muscle, that’s a good thing and you might not think too much about it.  However, being a women programmed by society starting at a very early age to gauge her appearances by her clothing size and, coupled with the fact that weight has been an ongoing struggle in my adult life (though I’m confident I have it more than under control now), this is a scary thought.

I mean, I just spent the last year and a half or so getting rid of 70 pounds.  Now I want to put some back on????  It scares me a little.  What if I don’t do it "right" and I gain all fat, no muscle????  What are people gonna think when I start gaining weight?  Will they whisper behind my back…"I knew she couldn’t stay thin forever"…."that’s what happens when you start eating again"…."she must of stopped working out"….blah, blah, blah….???? 

Ok…don’t want to blow it out of proportion, but I have had those thoughts going through my mind a little.  I know though, without a doubt, that I will do this right by continuing to eat clean, just more of it.   AND, even if I do gain a little bit of fat with it, I know how to eat/workout to take it off when I’m ready.  AND…I’ve NEVER been one to care too much what other people think anyway…so I enter the next phase of my journey facing a little bit of fear (isn’t that how you conquer fear, face it head-on?), but otherwise ready to gain some weight or as my trainer says…get jacked!!!

Gotta admit I’m a little excited too…ok, a LOT excited

I thought it was the fourth of July-i…

Ok…that was weird…that song just popped into my head…anyways…Saturday morning…just finished my protein pancakes made with fresh blueberries…kinda tasted like blueberry cobbler, yummy, and my coffee…said I was gonna stop the coffee habit, but ya know…I just don’t WANT to right now…gotta work arms for 2nd time this week later today…bi’s, tri’s and shoulders…the last time was so brutal, I just can’t wait til hubby gets home and we head to the gym…really, no sarcasm there at all….I really can’t wait…the things I look forward to :)

I have a question for anyone that wants to chime in…

I’m on a mission to put on some muscle…haven’t decided exactly how much, but I have a lot of time to do it…at least til the end of the year so no hurry.  I want to add as little fat with it as possible.  I know, I know, isn’t that everyone’s dream?  I know some fat is inevitable, but seems to me with a clean diet that it could at least be minimized.  Now…I like to educate myself and have been trying to answer this question for the last week…there is so much conflicting information out there…so…just want to know what has worked diet-wise for those of you looking to put on muscle…high protein/low carb?  High carb/low protein?  Carb and protein in about the same ratios?  What percentages of each?  And, what is a reasonable goal?  1-lb per week?  2-lbs per month?

Give me your two cents worth, please!

Metabolically speaking, that is.

I bought a new scale today…the Tanita Innerscan Body Composition Monitor…it’s pretty cool, I must say.  I like new toys:)

Anyway, you use it like a normal weight scale after programming in height, age, fitness level, etc…and it gives you not only your weight, but your body fat percentage, your body water percentage, your daily calorie intake, your bone mass and your metabolic age.  WOW.  Technology is great, isn’t it?

So I had to try it out as soon as I got it home and it seems pretty accurate.  I mean, I was using the Omron (with a formula I found for women who weight train) and the body fat % readings for both are pretty consistent.  All of my factors were in the good or better range and it said my metabolic age is 12. 

The metabolic age feature calculates your BMR and indicates the average age associated with that kind of metabolism…so I guess that means I have the metabolism of a 12 year old…not bad for a middle-aged woman, huh?

So yesterday was my day off and my official cheat day which I don’t do too often.  I actually ate pretty well up until evening time.  Hubby and I went out…we get to do that now that the kids are too cool to be seen with us…I had already decided it was a mexican food night, so that’s what we had.  Chips and salsa with a margarita to start with.  Now, understand that I really don’t drink too much.  In fact prior to last weekend, I don’t think I had an alcoholic beverage since like last year or something.  Anyway, it was quite hot and humid AND the margarita, on the rocks, tasted like lemonade.  I drank it as if it was.  Downed it in about 5 minutes.  No problem. 

The ladies next to me had these sangria margarita swirls which looked absolutely enticing, so that was my next drink.  Frozen this time (it was hot).  By the time I got it, that first margarita was taking effect so the second one went down a bit slower.  It actually lasted through dinner.  Dinner…fish tacos, rice and beans….not too bad.  Needless to say, when done, my belly was full and I had a pretty good little buzz going.  On the way home I decided that I don’t need to do that again anytime soon.  It was kind of miserable, not necessarily the buzz, the full feeling.  Also decided that I was gonna pay for it with the cardio in the morning by doing an extra 15 minutes on the stairmaster.  Of course, the night wouldn’t have been complete without polishing off the last of the moollineum crunch ice cream we had in the freezer.  I’m happy to report that the ALL of the ice cream is gone now and no more will come into this house anytime soon.  Man, I slept really well.

Forward to today…felt great getting up…no hangover, which would have been really bad after only 2 drinks…did the 60 minutes on the stairmaster…5 minute warm-up followed by 52 minutes of intervals, 3 minutes high followed by 3 minutes lower, increasing the level on the high intensity intervals each time and ending with a 3 minute cool down.  I was sweating my ass off.  Average level was 8.2 which is .5 higher than my highest prior.  It was an exceptionally good cardio day, but I can’t wait to hit the weights tomorrow night!

This was emailed to me and it really did make me smile…some of it really hit home with me and I just thought I would share it.  So much truth in all of it.  I hope you enjoy  

TIME GETS BETTER WITH AGE

Read it through to the end, it gets better as you go!

I’ve learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we sings "Silent Night". Age 5

I’ve learned that our dog doesn’t want to eat my broccoli either.  Age 7

I’ve learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back. Age 9

I’ve learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up again. Age 12

I’ve learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up. Age 14

I’ve learned that although it’s hard to admit it, I’m secretly glad my parents are strict with me. Age 15

I’ve learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice. Age 24

I’ve learned that brushing my child’s hair is one of life’s great pleasures. Age 26

I’ve learned that wherever I go, the world’s worst drivers have followed me there. Age 29

I’ve learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it. Age 30

I’ve learned that there are people who love you dearly but just don’t know how to show it. Age 42

I’ve learned that you can make some one’s day by simply sending them a little note. Age 44

I’ve learned that the greater a person’s sense of guilt, the greater his or her need to cast blame on others. Age 46

I’ve learned that children and grandparents are natural allies. Age 47

I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. Age 48

I’ve learned that singing "Amazing Grace" can lift my spirits for hours. Age 49

I’ve learned that motel mattresses are better on the side away from the phone. Age 50

I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. Age 51

I’ve learned that keeping a vegetable garden is worth a medicine cabinet full of pills. Age 52

I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terribly after they die. Age 53

I’ve learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life. Age 58

I’ve learned that if you want to do something positive for your children, work to improve your marriage. Age 61

I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. Age 62

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back. Age 64

I’ve learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you. Age 65

I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision. Age 66

I’ve learned that everyone can use a prayer. Age 72

I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. Age 82

I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch-holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. Age 90

I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. Age 92

I’ve learned that you should pass this one on to someone you care about. Sometimes they just need a little something to make them smile.