Here’s to (JE)Mi!

I just had to come and say when it comes to the weight room - upper body is my fave.  I tend to see the changes quicker, I function just fine even if I’m sore

But lower body?

Whenever I get as gung ho as I have this week, life is just miserable for a few days after.  Its strange because its such a fine line.  I like to push - I like to see how far I can go and I’ll execute these exercises.  But since my apt is on the second floor and my school campus ground sprawls bc its so huge, I’m never ‘moved’ to work them as hard as I know I can.

Come to think of it, how sore is ok?  I know I can’t be the only one who thinks being sore means I really DID something at the gym

But just how much is too much?

I just taught an intense kickboxing class and I tell you what.  I can see myself doing this kind of thing for a long time.  I really love it.  I love pushing the students to do their best, I love working hard, I love the intensity… I love shouting at a whole group of people lol

My ab class was pretty successful too   They all left saying it was really intense but fun and it felt good to hear that.  All I could think about is "how do I get better"

I really care about the quality of all that I do. Maybe thats why I get so frustrated with me body for not looking the way I expect it to.

I’m thinking I need a more intense regimen in the weight room.  I can handle it and plus I don’t know if I’m in a plateau or what but I want to be the shrinking instructor that looks different by the end of the semester

Honestly?  My dream?

To start 2009 with a completely different body.

I don’t want another year to begin with "this time I’ll do it"

I want an "I did it!"

I’m no slacker and I KNOW this can happen for me.  I just need to fill in the blank.  What am I missing?

Just so you know - my regimen looks like this now

Mondays - upper body workout, 45 min boxing drills, 20 min run.  Instruct 30 min ab class
Tuesday - Instruct 1 hr kickboxing, 30 min abs

Wed.  - lower body workout, 45 min boxing drills, 20 min run

Thursday - HIIT on Elliptical 30 min

Friday - upper body workout, 45 min boxing drills, 20 min run

Saturday - 1-1.5 hr cardio machines

Sunday - rest.

Thats what I do.  And I just started low carbing again.. I’m feeling fine.  No weakness or any of that so perhaps by the end of next week I should be loving my reflection <3

Not that I don’t love it now

The mystery that is my body.  Anyway, gotta get back to studying!

I’m headed to the gym but wanted to leave a quick blurb before I left.  I *have* to workout in the mornings now.  Yesterday I didn’t and by the time I came home from school, I never made it back out of my house.  My body screamed.. every muscle I own.  I can tell I’ve been working really hard.  Of course I can’t wait til the mirror catches on.

In the meantime, my two top priorities are school and my weight.  That’s it.

I’ve been eating well so I’m happy about that. 

Ok I’ve gotta run out of here before I go back to sleep or something lol

Last night I spoke to a girlfriend of mine who I lost touch with for a while.  She was talking about our younger days when we used to make music in my room.  I had learned how to record vocals on different tracks and since I can write music, I would have fun with instrumentals creating all types of music.  I am not a singer…well some people would beg to differ.  Alright, I’m no Beyonce but I can hold a pretty note So can she.  So we used to work on music for days at a time and she was pointing out how gross we got because night and day - no shower, barely any food, and controlled bathroom breaks just to get the music and harmonies just right.  We came back for air when we were done.

Thats how I am.   She reminded me of that when I was talking about my disappointment with my weight.  She said "You know what - I know you feel bad now but we all know that when you’re ready to focus, that s*** is out of this world.  You just make things happen on some next level"

That observation startled me.  Someone else noticed that I think big, aim high, and go hard.  I woke up this morning and it was like.. something clicked.  It was as though I woke up on the other side of me.

I may be overweight now but I love to work out.  I love to feel good about what I’m eating.  Schools about to start.  I have priviliges now that I didn’t have years ago and it’s time I take advantage of them.

Today I hit the gym starting with 10 minutes jumping my weighted Nike rope, then 30 minutes hitting the bag, then plyometrics like squat jumps (damn!  I love those - they’re work), lunges, squats, pushups, crunches, and the stair mill.  It was awesome.  I could see some progress.  My form is naturally improving and I give each exercise all of my attention.

I’m focused.  I have to make some big things happen.  Thanks girl for that reminder that I so desperately needed.

I LOVE the workout high after killin’ it in the gym!

I felt so amazing even though my arms were killing me from attacking the boxing bag song after song.  My jump roping is improving…

How could I ever stop doing this?!

Damn inconsistencies .. this is what I want on a regular basis.  Yesterday SUCKED motivation wise until I saw Christina’s profile and progress.  She really inspires me

Anyway I got up this morning a little crabby but then decided that I wanted a good day.  So I got dressed and hit the gym and it worked.  I feel good and when I feel good, I can tackle my world.

:)

So today I was looking over my workout journal and thinking about how I was feeling this summer.  I’m getting bored.  I love my weekly kickboxing class and just added a bootcamp class to it (which kicked my @$$ and I LOVED it!)

But the elliptical thing.. it’s killing me.  I love and hate challenges. So I decided to take a new one.  I’ve decided to dust off my Nike Plus and start running again.  When I took it up last year, I hated life until the runs got longer and easier   I would feel so accomplished.. I would get into a ‘zone’ where life was all mine.  It felt good and I want that back.  I feel like with all thats about to enter my life with school and my writing for www.InMyHeels.com .. my internship, all of that - I need to feel "fine tuned" like I did when I used to run.

Do be prepared for my b*tching though.  Starting is always the absolute hardest part haha

I’m headed to the gym.  I’m going to channel my "inner Bolt"

Well, sorta

I just came back from the University.  I met up with the actual boss/mentor (thats leaving soon *sad face*)  and she showed the ropes for instructing the kickboxing class at school this fall.  The music is the easy part for me since I find it difficult to operate off beat.  I hear that its going to be a full house - the students tend to come to this class.  I’m not nervous or anything (but we’ll see how my first day goes haha)

She gave me a couple of cds to work with/practice with and I see her tonight for our Tues kickboxing classes.

I’ve also got the internship for the fitness center.  Look at me guys lol - I’m submerging into the fitness world - hungry for knowledge!

I’m almost sure I’ll be really good at this.  Almost pretty sure.  I’m pleasant and can be high energy sooooo *smile* YES!

Also- last night I made friends with one of the trainers at my gym and after telling him I plan to start training, he told his manager (who was innocently passing by lol).  The manager seemed to be really interested in hiring me - but ok, lets get the certification thing out of the way first

He also spoke about Mr. Beautiful. It was terrible because I couldn’t even hide my smile and blush.  I’m like.. Miss Obvious.. it was quite something.  Amused, he suggested we call him in which I shrieked NO! … and swore him to secrecy.  Ok, after some pleading.  I’m weirded out because I’m not usually this girlish.  Ok I’m pretty girly but I can usually handle myself when I see hot guys.  I guess I can differentiate who I take an actual liking to (thats right, just because someone’s cute doesn’t mean I want them!) and it’s been awhile since I was actually really interested in someone I randomly met.  A very very long while.
*smile* another day.  I’m fasting from men right now lol - I need to focus on certain goals and I can’t have anyone flipping my world upside down.  I find young twenty-something guys to be quite fickle.  So yeah.. let’s not do that right now.

Anyway I’m enjoying life - pretty happy today.  I ache all over because I did some boxing last night in addition to my upper body workout and life sucking experience on the stair mill.

*Smile* all in a days work.  I am so back in the groove.

Today I went back to my kickboxing class which gave me a high so great, I wondered how could I ever skip it.  My energy had been low all day but when I got there, it seemed to grow as the class went on.  It was a challenge.  It was a delight.  It was something I could see myself doing in the long run.  Which is good since I’ll actually be teaching it at school this fall

I am actually looking forward to tomorrow morning - I plan to go in early like I used to and crank out some reps with the weights.  It feels so good to be back.  Even though Mr. Beautiful doesn’t work at my gym anymore (insert sad face here)

The reality of this lifestyle change is although the big changes I’m looking for take time, small changes come quick and encourage me every day.  I love feeling strong.  I don’t care that most people I speak to aren’t into exercise like that.  Thats what YOU guys are here for

JEMi’s back on her grind!  *Does the happy dance*

Who else thinks they’re cute with a swishing ponytail and buckets of sweat?  I know it’s not just me.

I just finished my AM workout - my usual hour and a half and I was in the boxing room again this morning.  There are mirrors all over the place and I can see myself with great form knocking the crap out of that bag, jumping rope (weighted - ooooh) and squats.  I am notably stronger and fitter than I used to be.  I catch myself looking to push harder and harder.

And with that thought process, I felt a great deal of satisfaction.  I am going to be one of those super fit people.  I have no intentions of quitting, I try to be careful so I don’t injure myself, I’m eating properly..

I’ll be able to look back at this summer as the summer I changed my life.  That feels good.  I guess I AM tougher than I realized..

A bonus?  A girl I saw at kickboxing yesterday spoke to me this morning and told me she was really impressed with me in class the night before.  Something about me going really hard and being tough.

Me.. the girl with the cutesy wutesy smile lol.

Oh - and when I spotted Mr. Beautiful, it totally made my morning.  I lied.  When he came OVER to say hello - THAT totally made my morning.  You don’t know how hard it is not to hop off the elliptical and into his arms saying "BABY!!!" ..  Luckily for me, I practice decorum and I flipped a nonchalant "oh hey!" without removing my headphones.

Lord help me if he EVER stumbles upon this blog.

I am happy to report that my kickboxing certification class was a huge success today.  How do I know?  Well I am playing tug of war with my little 15lb dog Cinnamon and my arms burn.  It was intense.  It was tough.  And I love every moment of it.  I felt so bad@ss and made no secret of it.  *Smile*  I had the instructor as well as the rest of the group laughing a good number of times with my commentary.

You know what the best thing about it is?

This is the first thing in a very long time that I have successfully completed.  I was able to keep up with the super long day/workout and to my amazement, putting gloves on didn’t  slay me.  The pushup/dips combo did.

I own pink boxing gloves from my very short stint with a trainer in my past.  Pink.  And whatever man - I’m going to hit the gym and hit that bag so hard, it’ll hit me back.  Well ok maybe not hit me BACK (whimpers) but you know.  I’ll be doing drills..the jump rope (which I can actually do well and for a LOT longer than I remember!), pushups, dips, punching, kicking..

This will be my early morning workout and I’m going to need the right music..

Best of all, it has renewed my confidence.  If this is me at the brink of 200 lbs, what sorta mess will be going on when I drop most of my weight and continue to condition my body?  Especially since I am completely fascinated and want to be really awesome at it!

I’ll be making cute redheaded boys at GNC hit on me some more.  (I went there today and somehow the man slips that I have a pretty smile and he looks forward to seeing what happens.  Totally made my day.  I am SUCH a girl.)

Whew..that built up lactic acid in my muscles man.. I love it!  It hurts so good and I want more!

*ROAR* .. or something.

:-D  I’m back!