Spaceship Belinda

There are times I worry about what people think, and there are times when I don’t.  And I admit I don’t like to see a nice girl chewing gum - but when it comes to working out, compromises have to be made.  I must have my Magic Chewing Gum.  There is a psychosomatic response now, unwrapping each piece, get it really chewed up, and before I know it my body and mind is firing up ready to rip those weights apart.  Oh yeah, and chewing in time with my ipod music helps to.  OK I know I have a problem, an addiction maybe, but I don’t care.  And it hasn’t gone un-noticed.  For example, I worked out at my gym surrounded by spanish speaking trainers for a year, not understanding a word of what they chatted and laughed about, which included occassional glances at me.  Finally the day came when my comprehension got to a level of understanding. I walked into the gym one day to begin my training and realised I could understand what the boys were saying!! How exciting I thought to myself, I can finally understand what they have been saying about me all this time……so I listened in and heard: "there she is, look she has her packet of chewing gum", yeah says the next guy, "look she doesn’t just take one, she stuffs the whole packet in her mouth".  Thought for the day: nothing in the gym goes un-noticed.

OK, now I have your attention.  I am new to serious training and have done a bit of reading about diets on this website.  I can’t imagine how one can survive on these 6 egg whites, two rice cakes and tuna etc.  And nothing sweet!!!!!  I wonder if there are different body types/metabolisms.  I think if I was one of those diets I would look anorexic.  OK I admit I do a reasonable amount of cardio.  I need to research this more.  Right now I am eating more than I have in a long time, my metabolism is firing and I am feeling great.  And I have not put on any weight.  My only benchmark has been the scales and I have gone from 122 pounds down to 119 and back up again in my first months training despite eating a lot more.  Anyway, the learning curve continues……..off to do upper body and gluts today.  Yeah! ps. the abs are coming along…they are very shy, they like to hide down there, but slowly they are emerging to greet the world.

I have discovered that sometimes my body is smarter than me!  It quickly adapts to new exercises and finds the most efficient way to minimise the effort and pain!  Even though I am training heavier weights with the lower body yesterday a 1/2 hour kicking with flippers in the pool has left me sore!!!  Aha, I tricked my little legs!  And it reminds me of when I took up surfing and some of the professional aussie rules footballers came out for a session: despite their incredible fitness and strength most of them couldn’t paddle out the back!  OK lesson learnt, it’s good to keep my body guessing what’s next!!  Leg’s today………

I have always been a kind of total body workout person but recently I have started spot training: abs, gluts, quads etc.  Then I remembered the trainer I had last year broke the body right down and trained me really specifc on muscle groups.  There is so much to learn, I read the women’s training forum and half the terminology I don’t understand.  I guess everyone has to start somewhere - and this site is a good place!!!  I have started experimenting at home in the mornings with free weights.  I realised it’s all in the technique and learning how to activate the specific muscles.  Practice, practice, practice!  Another day here I come…..

I went to swim my 1km today and just crashed.  After one month of training hard with weights and cardio, it just said: "sorry no can do".  Yeah I have been burning the candle at both ends so I had to make a choice.  I am switching to some less intense pool time using the flippers and snorkle mask so I get lots of oxygen.  And also take advantage of the water to work on my gluts.  From now on the weight room is dominating!

I went to swim my 1km today and just crashed.  After one month of training hard with weights and cardio, it just said: "sorry no can do".  Yeah I have been burning the candle at both ends so I had to make a choice.  I am switching to some less intense pool time using the flippers and snorkle mask so I get lots of oxygen.  And also take advantage of the water to work on my gluts.  From now on the weight room is dominating!

OK, I have decided I want a bit of a V back thing happening.  So we are going to work on that….today will be upper body so it will be interesting to see what we do.  Kind of exciting, not really knowing what is possible, working hard and seeing what happens.  I keep discovering little things, a new V on the lower ab area, more definition, more shape.  Sorry don’t know all the technical words but it looks good.  Oh yeah…..and my first little baby callouses!!!!!!  Ripping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey! Monday morning again.  Not feeling particularly strong or capable.  Whenever I feel like this I tell myself: this is the time that separates the boys from the men, ahem, yeah I know I am a girl but anyway.  When I don’t feel like it, when it seems like a dark day, when there are a million reasons not too, then I tell myself, this is crunch time, my chance to make the gains that others wish they could but never will, just because it’s too hard.  Hey if it was easy everyone would be doing this and looking great!  I admire you all so much because you are doing it!!  Looking at your profile pics, updates, goals achieved is fantastic!  Thank you for inspiring me to aim for the best I can be.  Today: swim, lower body, massage, eat.  Life, gotta love it!