tbradfor’s BodyBlog

Hello everyone,
    I know I haven’t posted in a while, and I apologize. I haven’t been in the mood to blog because of a tragedy that has left me broken-hearted and bothered.
    On December 4, 2005 me, my oldest son, and my daughter went brought my youngest son a Dwarf hamster named Max for his birthday. Max’s nickname is little Maxie. Maxie was so precious and really cool. Maxie was also spoiled. We would let Maxie out of her cage every day to run around the house. We used to try to block her in one area of the house, but she was so small (about 3 times smaller than a regular sized hamster) we was unable to limit her to one space in the house. We even brought a hamster gate and she could go right through the small spaces in the cage. So, we let Maxi have her way and have run of the house a few hours per day. Every morning when I got home from work to work out with my kettle bells, I would let Maxi out and she got her cardio on by running around the house. Well, one day when the kids came home from school, she was flipping on her back (which means she wants to get out her cage and play). So, my oldest son asked if he could let her out of the cage and I told him to let her out. Well, my youngest son wanted a PB&J sandwich. I went to make Jason a sandwich forgetting to take off me shoes. Maxi loves to walk along with me and the rest of the family like she was human. Well, I was in the fridge and stepped back and ended up stepping on Max. Max was still alive, laying with her eyes open. She couldn’t move and was bleeding. I screamed and cried. I told my oldest son to hold Maxi and talk to her while I called my husband and the vet hospital to let them know we were rushing her to the hospital.
   By the time we got Maxi to the hospital, she had passed away. I felt absolutely horrible. I loved little Maxi. Losing little Maxi was very painful. I still have a pain in my chest when thinking about her. What makes things worse is that it was my fault that Maxi passed away. For days, I couldn’t sleep, I didn’t go to work, I had bad dreams about that day Maxi passed away, and I couldn’t walk in the kitchen without feeling pain. My whole family misses Maxi.
We had the vet cremate Max. After we had Max’s memorial, I started to feel better. I have to say that my family and friends are wonderful. So many friends and neighbors came to Max’s memorial to remember her.
My youngest son didn’t know that Max was a girl until after her death. Everyone, including the neighbors, knew that Max was a girl. We told Jason that Maxi was a boy because he insisted on and asked for a boy, but Maxi was so cute that we ended up picking her and lying about her gender to my son. I remember when I first started letting Max out to have run of the house that she was lost for three days. We looked up and down the house for three days and couldn’t find Max. I finally found Max in a closet deep into a comforter. She was fine. She even had food (the food that she had stored in her cheeks. Max loved sweets. She used to love picking up and trying to eat cake or cookie crumbs from the kids. Of course we would take the sweets from her. The morning of the day she had passed I gave her a pecan. She tasted that pecan and ran with it. I guess she thought I would take it from her. She didn’t run very far because that pecan was very big. But, she enjoyed her pecan.
My family and I loved Max and we miss her so very much!!!!
My kids and I have been going around visiting churches around the neighborhood, and we finally found this wonderful church called Calvary Missionary church. I knew from the first time I stepped into that church that it was going to be my church home.
I’m still working out. This morning I worked out on the elliptical for 60 minutes. Later on this morning I will be doing a kettle bell leg workout. Here is my kettle bell leg workout:
*kettle bell 2-handed swings
*kettle bell rack lunges
*kettle bell rack squats
*cable squats
*kettle bell hack squats
*cable butt blasters
*cable calve raises
*standing weighted calve raises
*kettle bell deadlifts
*plie squats

Tameka

I’ve been working out on a consistant basis, but have not been blogging my workouts lately.  My metabolism is very high again.  I get hungry and eat every 1.5 hours when awake.  Yesterday, I decided to cheat on my diet and I ate 10 or 12 Reese cups.  I know, a little bit much.  But, nothing is sticking to me–so, whatever.

     I’m excited because I ordered a fantastic row machine. It should be delivered to my house sometime next week. I love rowing.  Concept 2 rowers are the best rowers ever.  Currently, I have this old Precor piston rower, which is ok.  Next week I will be receiving my Schwinn Windrigger row machine.  It’s similiar to the Concept 2 rower. If I don’t like the Schwinn Windrigger rower, I’ll  be replacing my windrigger with a Concept 2 rower. Rowing is excellent because its a nonimpact full body cardiovascular exercise as well as a muslce building workout. I have about 6 weeks to go until I take professional photos for the BFL challenge.

   My only cardio today was 10 minutes of kettlebell swings.  Here is my shoulder workout that I did this morning:

*Kettlebell swings 30reps, 10 sets (10 minutes total)

*Kettlebell 1-arm military press 3 sets

*Kettlebell 1-arm waiters press 3 sets

*Kettlebell 1-arm bottoms up press 3 sets

*Kettlebell 1-arm sitting press 3 sets

*behind the neck press 3 sets

*shrugs 3 sets

*bent over lateral raises 3 sets

*front raises 3 sets

*cable upright rows 3 sets

*Kettlebell seated Russian twists 3 sets

*ab crunches 50rep, 3 sets

  Happy belated Easter everyone.  Jesus is awesome!!!!!!

Tameka

I’ve been working out on a consistant basis, but have not been blogging my workouts lately.  My metabolism is very high again.  I get hungry and eat every 1.5 hours when awake.  Yesterday, I decided to cheat on my diet and I ate 10 or 12 Reese cups.  I know, a little bit much.  But, nothing is sticking to me–so, whatever.

     I’m excited because I ordered a fantastic row machine. It should be delivered to my house sometime next week. I love rowing.  Concept 2 rowers are the best rowers ever.  Currently, I have this old Precor piston rower, which is ok.  Next week I will be receiving my Schwinn Windrigger row machine.  It’s similiar to the Concept 2 rower. If I don’t like the Schwinn Windrigger rower, I’ll  be replacing my windrigger with a Concept 2 rower. Rowing is excellent because its a nonimpact full body cardiovascular exercise as well as a muslce building workout. I have about 6 weeks to go until I take professional photos for the BFL challenge.

   My only cardio today was 10 minutes of kettlebell swings.  Here is my shoulder workout that I did this morning:

*Kettlebell swings 30reps, 10 sets (10 minutes total)

*Kettlebell 1-arm military press 3 sets

*Kettlebell 1-arm waiters press 3 sets

*Kettlebell 1-arm bottoms up press 3 sets

*Kettlebell 1-arm sitting press 3 sets

*behind the neck press 3 sets

*shrugs 3 sets

*bent over lateral raises 3 sets

*front raises 3 sets

*cable upright rows 3 sets

*Kettlebell seated Russian twists 3 sets

*ab crunches 50rep, 3 sets

  Happy belated Easter everyone.  Jesus is awesome!!!!!!

Tameka

Yesterday, I attended a Kettle bell class and it rocked!!! Bob Budai and Johanna Funk taught the class. Both Bob and Johanna are RKC trainers. I’m absolutely in love with kettlebells!!! I was too sore from the class to do cardio. So, I took a break from cardio today.

This morning I weight trained my legs. I used both kettle bells and a heavy (high resistance (30-72 lb) resistance band for my workout. Here is my workout:

*stretching
*cable calve raises
*KB rack squats
*cable butt blaster
*1-leg calve raises
*KB plie squats
*rack lunges
*cable lunges
*cable squats
*KB stiff leg dead lifts
*KB hack squats

Tameka

Early this morning I did 30 minutes on the stepper machine, 5 minutes on the elliptical machine, and 5 minutes walking up a 12% incline. Later on this morning I trained my abs. Here is my morning workout:

*Kettle bell 2-arm swings 30reps, 3 sets (warm up)
*Ab crunches 50 reps, 5 sets
*Kettle bell Get up sit ups 5reps, 5 sets each side
*Standing side bend holding kettle bell 10 reps, 5 sets each side
*Kettle bell hook swings 20 reps, 5 sets
*Kettle bell windmills 5 reps, 2 sets each side
*Kettle bell seated Russian twists 5 reps, 5 sets each side

Later on today I will weight train my legs and do a bit more cardio. I will post my leg workout after I complete it later on today.

Have a great Saturday!!!

Tameka

This morning I did 45 minutes of cardio on the stair stepper machine. I also did a shoulder weight training routine. Here is my weight training routine:

 *Warm up with 2-handed swings (30 reps, 3 sets =3 minutes)

*1-arm KB military press 10reps, 5 sets–each arm

*1-arm KB waiters press 8 reps, 5 set–each arm

*1-arm KB bottoms up press 6reps, 3 sets–each arm

*1-arm KB seated press 6reps, 5 sets–each arm

*barbell shoulder shrugs 5 sets, 10 reps

*sitting behind the neck barbell press 5 sets, 8 reps

*bent over lateral raises 5 sets, 8reps

 Tameka

Early this morning I did 50 minutes on the step machine. Later on this morning I performed a kettle bell workout. I’m still consuming EAS MRP’s. I made sure to consume a MRP immediately after my weight training station. Here is my workout:

*1-arm swings (10 sets of 30 reps)=total 10 minutes= total 150 per hand
*1-arm hang cleans (10 sets of 15 reps each arm)= total 300
*Turkish Get ups–squat style (5 sets of 2 reps each side)
*1-arm snatches (10 sets of 10 reps each side)= total 100

I will do another 30-45 minute cardio session (treadmill walk) later this evening.

My hands are so callused from the kettle bells, but I think the benefits and results from working out with kettle bells outweight the calluses. I have a 3 hour kettle bell workshop that I will be attending this weekend. I’m truly looking forward to the workshop. I also will be picking up some heavier kettle bells this weekend.

Yesterday, I did a 70 minute treadmill walk upon awakening and a 30 minute treadmill walk later that day. Have a great week every one!!!

Tameka

I walked 60 minutes this morning upon waking. This evening I weight trained 4 muscle groups. The four muscle groups I worked today are: back, biceps, triceps, and chest. Following my evening workout I walked another 30 minutes on the treadmill. Here is my workout:

*10 minute treadmill warm up walk
*KB pullovers
*Wide grip pull ups
*narrow grip pull ups
*Incline push ups
*decline push ups
*regular push ups
*Bent over rows
*good mornings
*chin ups
*Dips
*standing barbell bicep curl
*triceps kickbacks
*Concentration curls
*skull crushers
*30 minute treadmill walk (post-workout)

Supplements:

*EAS MRP
*BSN syntha-6 protein (has tons of fiber)
*Jay Robb whey isolate
*MET-Rx amino acids
 

I did 65 minutes of cardio on the elliptical this morning. This afternoon I weight trained my legs. Here is my workout:

*sissy squats (killer!!!)
*front squats with kettle bell
*hack squats with kettle bell
*duck walks
*standing calve raises holding kettle bell
*deadlifts with kettle bell
*twisting deadlift with kettle bell
*rack lunges with kettle bell
*dragon twists (I need to work on this technique a bit)
*jumping split squats (lunges)
*plie squats
*deck squats

Tameka

This morning I did 65 minutes on the elliptical. This past weekend I asked my husband to bring the treadmill upstairs in the bedroom so that I can do cardio and watch TV at the same time. He told me that if he brings the treadmill upstairs that it’s never going back down stairs. OK, I’m cool with that. Well, I guess my husband forgot. Since the Wyoming primaries are tomorrow I need that treadmill upstairs ASAP. My husband is at work and won’t be home until later on this evening. So, I decide that my workout would be to relocate the 200+ pound treadmill to my upstairs bedroom. I’m so sore–from head to toe. First of all, I couldn’t figure out how to remove the side bars so I had to problem solve and maneuver the treadmill for a very long time until I got it positioned to go up the stairs. Next comes the part where I either try to pull it or push it up the stairs. Well, pushing it from the bottom up the stairs is very dangerous—I felt like the thing was going to come crashing down on me. So, next I try to pull it up the stairs, which would is even harder. So, it takes me over two and a half hours wrestling with this 200+ pound treadmill before I call it quits. The treadmill is located on the stairs as I’m typing and will stay their until he gets home this evening. I need to get some sleep before going to work tonight.

Carrying, pulling, moving, and twisting that treadmill was a serious workout. I’m going to be sore for days. Next time, to be on the safe side, I will have someone help me carry something the large up a flight of stairs. The treadmill could of fell on top of me or slid down and landed on top of me–wasn’t a very smart thing to do. Every muscle in my body is screaming right now. I’m going to take a nap. Have a good day.

Tameka