I had a man ask me this afternoon what "fit" looks like for him in 20 years. What a loaded question. That would put him at 64 years old, and I even laughed a little before answering. I laughed because I've worked/work with numerous older men who honestly think they should be able to move like they did when they were 20 and feel just as good. The male ego is a precious and fragile thing ;) Oh I wish that were the case. "Fit" at 64 looks different than at 54...and 44...and 34...you get the picture. I will say though, that starting a workout program in your late fifties feels much different than simply continuing a healthy lifestyle/workout routine that was established many years earlier.
Our bodies get older,...things wear down...that's life. However, that's not to say we can't maximize our mobility and function at every stage in life. Its about challenging ourselves to improve on a daily basis...setting realistic goals and holding obtainable expectations for where we are. Do I expect that man to run a 30 second sprint at 12 mph like he did today in 20 years? No. However, if he's healthy enough to push himself to what he perceives as difficult yet doable, I'll take it.
Oh my, what a day.
It was a hectic morning and I will hit the bed like a sac of bricks tonight. I am pooped. I hit biceps/triceps today and finished with some mid-distance sprints. Ok, for clarification, my mid-distance sprints are anything over 30 seconds. 1 minute sprints are torturous for me and bring back horrible memories of middle/high school when I had to run the 400m. I threw up every time. Every single time. I didn't feel too bad though because one of my teammates could never hold her bladder while running in meets. I don't think I need to go into more detail. You get the picture. By turn 3 she needs toilet paper, and I'm about 14 seconds away from projectile vomit. Neither of us ever got the coaches award...
My weight routine was solid,...12 sets for biceps, 12 for triceps. Today was the second day in a row for sprints. I've been in the mood, what can I say. Honestly, they feel great. I mean, my hamstrings are tight, core is sore, and my feet ache like hell, but other than that its great. Ha. Cardiovascularly, I wasn't as winded as I thought I'd be, and several times I hopped off to check my heartrate to make sure I was getting it high enough. Yup, 192-198...I was fine with that. My recovery was better than I thought it would be as well (considering my recent cardio-boycott). 60 seconds post-sprints it was down to 114. Fine by me. I survived,...I could breathe,...check and check...
Soooo...since I hit chest on Monday and bis/tris today, that means LEGS tomorrow. Double whammie on hump day. Here goes....
I tell ya, after Thanksgiving, its been nice to get back to a routine of clean-eating. I'm probably still retaining water from all the sugar...pancreas pumping out insulin like fro-yo...
Alright then,...much to do in the next hour or so...then bed...ahhh...I can hear it calling already...
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Yup, still full...
Raise your hand if you're still in a food coma.
Odd request, being that if you were actually in a coma you could not physically raise your hand....I didn't think through that before I typed it.
Ah yes, here we are. Days after Thanksgiving and I'd be totally fine not seeing corn pudding for another few weeks. We literally ate our way through the day from one family function to another. Don't get me wrong, I paced myself, but by 7pm that night I literally felt sugar drunk. And that was just the start of my night...
Me, my sister-in-law Kelly, and my mom started shopping at 10pm. Yes, we are those people. I was standing in my first check-out line by 10:20 and slowly losing patience...it was going to be a loooong night. By 4:30am I had to lay in the floor at Belk while my mom checked out. I claimed to be holding her spot in line, but truth was that I just wanted a horizontal surface. Ever seen a 5 year old pout? Yeah, that was me...28 years old....at 4:30 in the morning....it was ridiculous.
My shopping trip ended at 7:15 in the morning...I drove home, and was asleep by 7:35.
Let me just say that when I woke up at 11:30, I was not a happy camper. I was a semi-suicidal camper. I honestly don't think my body has fully recovered. I know, I know, I did it to myself...
Here's a few pictures from Thanksgiving:
Me and Miss Haven...
Ryan and Haven...
As far as workouts go, I ran about 5.5 miles on Thanksgiving (and now have shin splints...awesome),...did back and core on Friday...light cardio on Saturday, and 45 minutes moderate intensity today. I'm ready to get back in the gym tomorrow. I feel like a noodle. Chest and perhaps some shoulders....after a long weekend, lack of sleep, and sugar-overload, this should be interesting.
Story of the day...
I'm in Target (where all my drama happens)....I grab my cart and start heading towards the back of the store. Now, I do not leisurely walk through that store. I wheel that cart like I am on a mission and probably violate any sort of woman-and-cart speed limit. The toy aisles are to my right and all of a sudden this boy (probably 7 yrs old or so) darts out in a full sprint and I T-bone him like mac truck. He falls in the floor, his mom is looking at him and I am trying so hard not to laugh. Only I would seriously injure someone with my cart in Target on a Sunday afternoon. Thankfully he was ok....perhaps now he'll look both ways, slow down, and even pack a helmet...
Time to get ready for tomorrow. I've got chicken to chop, a gym bag to pack, and dishes to wash...boooo
Night folks!
Odd request, being that if you were actually in a coma you could not physically raise your hand....I didn't think through that before I typed it.
Ah yes, here we are. Days after Thanksgiving and I'd be totally fine not seeing corn pudding for another few weeks. We literally ate our way through the day from one family function to another. Don't get me wrong, I paced myself, but by 7pm that night I literally felt sugar drunk. And that was just the start of my night...
Me, my sister-in-law Kelly, and my mom started shopping at 10pm. Yes, we are those people. I was standing in my first check-out line by 10:20 and slowly losing patience...it was going to be a loooong night. By 4:30am I had to lay in the floor at Belk while my mom checked out. I claimed to be holding her spot in line, but truth was that I just wanted a horizontal surface. Ever seen a 5 year old pout? Yeah, that was me...28 years old....at 4:30 in the morning....it was ridiculous.
My shopping trip ended at 7:15 in the morning...I drove home, and was asleep by 7:35.
Let me just say that when I woke up at 11:30, I was not a happy camper. I was a semi-suicidal camper. I honestly don't think my body has fully recovered. I know, I know, I did it to myself...
Here's a few pictures from Thanksgiving:
Me and Miss Haven...
As far as workouts go, I ran about 5.5 miles on Thanksgiving (and now have shin splints...awesome),...did back and core on Friday...light cardio on Saturday, and 45 minutes moderate intensity today. I'm ready to get back in the gym tomorrow. I feel like a noodle. Chest and perhaps some shoulders....after a long weekend, lack of sleep, and sugar-overload, this should be interesting.
Story of the day...
I'm in Target (where all my drama happens)....I grab my cart and start heading towards the back of the store. Now, I do not leisurely walk through that store. I wheel that cart like I am on a mission and probably violate any sort of woman-and-cart speed limit. The toy aisles are to my right and all of a sudden this boy (probably 7 yrs old or so) darts out in a full sprint and I T-bone him like mac truck. He falls in the floor, his mom is looking at him and I am trying so hard not to laugh. Only I would seriously injure someone with my cart in Target on a Sunday afternoon. Thankfully he was ok....perhaps now he'll look both ways, slow down, and even pack a helmet...
Time to get ready for tomorrow. I've got chicken to chop, a gym bag to pack, and dishes to wash...boooo
Night folks!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Food prep and brownie-blowout
Just started cooking for Thanksgiving and as I ripped open the brownie mix it exploded all over me and the floor. Aaaaand, here we go. I've got 4 more things to make, and if this is any indication of how its going to go I'm in trouble.
Today was a short work day, but certainly felt long enough. It was a busy morning as Brian and I ran around like chickens with our heads cut off...needless to say I was sweating profusely. I've got to seriously do something about that. Honestly, if I had the means to get botox shots in my sweat glands I would do it in a heartbeat. I remember taking acrobatics when I was younger and being the only person wearing my jazz shoes so my sweaty feet would not slip on the mats. "How'd you bust your hip Meredith?"..."Oh, ya know...just doing a cartwheel with sweaty feet"....ridiculous. All that to say it was a hectic, sweaty morning....
Then Zimm stopped in for a little welcome-home-from-college workout...great to see him! We got to catch up for a bit which was great. Speaking in his typical "tour" lingo, his seems to be rolling along nicely as he navigates junior year of college.
Workout today was solid. I tried this pre-workout supplement that Brian bought and dear lord was I sweating. Not sure what the caffeine content was, but I had cold sweats and felt slightly nauseous. Ha. I was able to keep the weights heavy though, so at that point I didn't really care how I felt. It was shoulders and biceps today, and I am really digging the partial pull-ups on the rings for biceps. Neutral position, a little 10 pounder hanging from the waist, then only pulling up to 90 degrees in the elbow...LOVE IT! You might think that only pulling up halfway would be easier...ha, not so much. Get your back out of the pull and then watch those biceps work baby! Good lord I get way too excited over this stuff...
Ok,...Thanksgiving...
When I honestly think about it, we have soooo much to be grateful for on a daily basis. Sadly, we usually let them slip into the back of our minds until we sometimes lose sight of the vary things that bring us contentment, joy, and satisfaction in life. Here's my list of things I'm thankful for this year (and yes I will probably leave out some)...
* my basic needs are met everyday with no worry
* the opportunity to do what I love everyday
* the various personalities I get to work with...especially the ones who push me professionally
* friends who are honest, hold me accountable, and love me with all my flaws
* energy to get through 24 hours at a time
* family who are supportive, crazy, and keep my therapist in business
* OCD....it keeps me chronically on time, clean, and more organized than any one human being should be
* adversity
* peanut butter and 2-ply toilet paper (duh)
Oh and the list could go on...
Whew...ok, brownies are done and Ryan and begging for one...ummm, not going to happen. Poor kid is going to do a number on his intestines tomorrow,...the brownie can wait.
Have a lovely Thanksgiving,...keep your blessings in mind, especially when a family member finishes off the last roll and you're ready to put them in a choke hold. I totally understand...
:) Niiiight!
Today was a short work day, but certainly felt long enough. It was a busy morning as Brian and I ran around like chickens with our heads cut off...needless to say I was sweating profusely. I've got to seriously do something about that. Honestly, if I had the means to get botox shots in my sweat glands I would do it in a heartbeat. I remember taking acrobatics when I was younger and being the only person wearing my jazz shoes so my sweaty feet would not slip on the mats. "How'd you bust your hip Meredith?"..."Oh, ya know...just doing a cartwheel with sweaty feet"....ridiculous. All that to say it was a hectic, sweaty morning....
Then Zimm stopped in for a little welcome-home-from-college workout...great to see him! We got to catch up for a bit which was great. Speaking in his typical "tour" lingo, his seems to be rolling along nicely as he navigates junior year of college.
Workout today was solid. I tried this pre-workout supplement that Brian bought and dear lord was I sweating. Not sure what the caffeine content was, but I had cold sweats and felt slightly nauseous. Ha. I was able to keep the weights heavy though, so at that point I didn't really care how I felt. It was shoulders and biceps today, and I am really digging the partial pull-ups on the rings for biceps. Neutral position, a little 10 pounder hanging from the waist, then only pulling up to 90 degrees in the elbow...LOVE IT! You might think that only pulling up halfway would be easier...ha, not so much. Get your back out of the pull and then watch those biceps work baby! Good lord I get way too excited over this stuff...
Ok,...Thanksgiving...
When I honestly think about it, we have soooo much to be grateful for on a daily basis. Sadly, we usually let them slip into the back of our minds until we sometimes lose sight of the vary things that bring us contentment, joy, and satisfaction in life. Here's my list of things I'm thankful for this year (and yes I will probably leave out some)...
* my basic needs are met everyday with no worry
* the opportunity to do what I love everyday
* the various personalities I get to work with...especially the ones who push me professionally
* friends who are honest, hold me accountable, and love me with all my flaws
* energy to get through 24 hours at a time
* family who are supportive, crazy, and keep my therapist in business
* OCD....it keeps me chronically on time, clean, and more organized than any one human being should be
* adversity
* peanut butter and 2-ply toilet paper (duh)
Oh and the list could go on...
Whew...ok, brownies are done and Ryan and begging for one...ummm, not going to happen. Poor kid is going to do a number on his intestines tomorrow,...the brownie can wait.
Have a lovely Thanksgiving,...keep your blessings in mind, especially when a family member finishes off the last roll and you're ready to put them in a choke hold. I totally understand...
:) Niiiight!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Feeling the fluff
"Do you ever have days when you just feel fat?" ...our pilates instructor asked me this today, and caught me off guard a little. I laughed...YES! The answer from every single female is YES when it comes to that question.
I used to get so hung up on days when I felt like that. It would completely effect my entire day and all my interactions with those around me. Now, I just try to shrug it off and realize that its just a feeling...they come and go, and tomorrow may be different. BUT, its definitely an inconvenient feeling 48 hours before Thanksgiving...100% I will feel fat that day. Just being honest.
Today was a good day. I had a good 'ol leg workout, and I swear I just did them....or at least it felt that way. I switched up my order of exercises a little bit today and went hard on leg press to start. Leg press before squats is like running a marathon before the marathon. My legs were on fire. Overall, I felt good about my workout, and finished with some calf work. I can pretty much predict a midnight cramp-session. I spent a few minute on the roller to help with any tightness, but after today's onslaught, I'll be walking like a cowboy tomorrow.
Speaking of tomorrow, I've got a hectic morning, and then I'm taking 1/2 the day off before Thanksgiving festivities. And by festivities I mean driving all over God's creation to different family events to then stuff my face. Who's with me?!
I have several food items to cook/bake tomorrow afternoon, so I'll be busy in the kitchen all afternoon. I sound like Martha...geez. Somewhere in all that I will squeeze in my workout and regain some sanity...
Well, time to clean up and then hit the bed. I'm extremely tired and the longer I sit here the less likely I am to actually get up. Don't doubt my ability to sleep sitting straight up....I mastered that a long time ago...
Night!
I used to get so hung up on days when I felt like that. It would completely effect my entire day and all my interactions with those around me. Now, I just try to shrug it off and realize that its just a feeling...they come and go, and tomorrow may be different. BUT, its definitely an inconvenient feeling 48 hours before Thanksgiving...100% I will feel fat that day. Just being honest.
Today was a good day. I had a good 'ol leg workout, and I swear I just did them....or at least it felt that way. I switched up my order of exercises a little bit today and went hard on leg press to start. Leg press before squats is like running a marathon before the marathon. My legs were on fire. Overall, I felt good about my workout, and finished with some calf work. I can pretty much predict a midnight cramp-session. I spent a few minute on the roller to help with any tightness, but after today's onslaught, I'll be walking like a cowboy tomorrow.
Speaking of tomorrow, I've got a hectic morning, and then I'm taking 1/2 the day off before Thanksgiving festivities. And by festivities I mean driving all over God's creation to different family events to then stuff my face. Who's with me?!
I have several food items to cook/bake tomorrow afternoon, so I'll be busy in the kitchen all afternoon. I sound like Martha...geez. Somewhere in all that I will squeeze in my workout and regain some sanity...
Well, time to clean up and then hit the bed. I'm extremely tired and the longer I sit here the less likely I am to actually get up. Don't doubt my ability to sleep sitting straight up....I mastered that a long time ago...
Night!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Stretchy pants and corn pudding
Monday!!
You would think that after a nap and going to bed at 8:15 last night that I'd be well rested....ha, not exactly the case today.
Everything felt heavy and I was more tired than I anticipated. Not sure if it was possible to overdose on B-12, but by 11am I was willing to give it a try.
I was coming off of a busy weekend, but a great weekend. I started off my Saturday morning with some cardio at our fitness center here in the neighborhood. 18 minutes into my jog and the treadmill nearly blew up. Just completely stopped. I was pressing buttons, unplugging things, hitting things,...no luck. I was forced to do the unthinkable...finish on the eliptical. For the record, my quads HATE the eliptical. I can put that thing on level 4 and be wanting my mama after 5 minutes. For 25 minutes I thought I was going to go nuts. I'm serious. I was breathing like an asthma patient and my feet were literally going numb. What a horrible mental image...and sounds so pathetic...I get it. But at 6am on Saturday morning, it was my reality.
Later that day we went to the Elon/Appalachian football game, so I was stroking it in cornhole by noon. Ok, sort of an exaggeration...our boards are pretty slick, so I was actually struggling to put some back spin on the stupid bags to keep them on the board. I analyzed this way too much, but you get the idea. We had a great time, but I was pretty pooped after that. How did we do that in college??
Me and my brothers tailgating...
Yesterday was my much-needed day off. I could hardly keep my eyes open and was pretty much forced into a nap by 3pm. I didn't fight it. As I said, in bed by 8:15 like a classic 75 year old....way to go me.
Today was a good day...great time with clients and many laughs. Mondays demand laughter. My workout was pretty solid, but I was struggling to keep the weight heavy. I wasn't as focused as I would have liked, so I had to just plow through the workout without considering how tired I was. I'm looking forward to another strength phase and a creatine cycle. Thanksgiving Day should probably be my jump-start to it all....I mean, my God I will practically be in a food-coma by 4pm. Do I splurge on Thanksgiving? Uh....yeeeaaahh. I strap on my stretchy pants and attack my plate like Agustus in the chocolate factory and pray my pancreas doesn't explode.
Then, its back on track Friday morning. Not going to lie, I feel pretty miserable that night and drink pepto like water, but its only once a year...
Whew, ok, time for bed. Its almost 9...living on the edge here in Mebane...
Night folks :)
You would think that after a nap and going to bed at 8:15 last night that I'd be well rested....ha, not exactly the case today.
Everything felt heavy and I was more tired than I anticipated. Not sure if it was possible to overdose on B-12, but by 11am I was willing to give it a try.
I was coming off of a busy weekend, but a great weekend. I started off my Saturday morning with some cardio at our fitness center here in the neighborhood. 18 minutes into my jog and the treadmill nearly blew up. Just completely stopped. I was pressing buttons, unplugging things, hitting things,...no luck. I was forced to do the unthinkable...finish on the eliptical. For the record, my quads HATE the eliptical. I can put that thing on level 4 and be wanting my mama after 5 minutes. For 25 minutes I thought I was going to go nuts. I'm serious. I was breathing like an asthma patient and my feet were literally going numb. What a horrible mental image...and sounds so pathetic...I get it. But at 6am on Saturday morning, it was my reality.
Later that day we went to the Elon/Appalachian football game, so I was stroking it in cornhole by noon. Ok, sort of an exaggeration...our boards are pretty slick, so I was actually struggling to put some back spin on the stupid bags to keep them on the board. I analyzed this way too much, but you get the idea. We had a great time, but I was pretty pooped after that. How did we do that in college??
Me and my brothers tailgating...
Yesterday was my much-needed day off. I could hardly keep my eyes open and was pretty much forced into a nap by 3pm. I didn't fight it. As I said, in bed by 8:15 like a classic 75 year old....way to go me.
Today was a good day...great time with clients and many laughs. Mondays demand laughter. My workout was pretty solid, but I was struggling to keep the weight heavy. I wasn't as focused as I would have liked, so I had to just plow through the workout without considering how tired I was. I'm looking forward to another strength phase and a creatine cycle. Thanksgiving Day should probably be my jump-start to it all....I mean, my God I will practically be in a food-coma by 4pm. Do I splurge on Thanksgiving? Uh....yeeeaaahh. I strap on my stretchy pants and attack my plate like Agustus in the chocolate factory and pray my pancreas doesn't explode.
Then, its back on track Friday morning. Not going to lie, I feel pretty miserable that night and drink pepto like water, but its only once a year...
Whew, ok, time for bed. Its almost 9...living on the edge here in Mebane...
Night folks :)
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Food for thought
I am stuck in the recliner.
I came home from a long day at the gym and crashed. Making any kind of dinner seemed like way too much effort, so I literally grabbed the container of cooked chicken breast from the fridge, reached for one with my bare hands (since getting a fork required 8 extra steps), and downed it like a cave woman. "Dinner time" was approximately 3 minutes long. Now here I am...
Today was a good day, but I was certainly tired by the end of it. My upper body is beyond sore, which made today's back work out interesting. Pulling this tank up on wide grip pull-ups is heavy enough without feeling sore...today it was just a tad more brutal. I did 19 sets of back exercises before calling it a day. 20 minutes of cardio...you know me, don't want to over do it ;)
I'm fairly certain that the 20 minutes I did yesterday came back to haunt me this morning. At 4am I woke up to a calf-spasm so bad I nearly punched Ryan. All I could do was curse, jump out of bed, and hobble around the room like I was involved in my own cage fight. It was horrible. It happened 3 times in 5 minutes before I just decided to get up and get on with my day.
I thought of my dad. He gets them all the time. When I lived at home right out of college my room was in the basement directly under their room (yes, I was that kid)....anyway, we used to always joke that if there were ever "noises" coming from upstairs it was either mom/dad or just dad limping around with a muscle cramp. Ehh, they all sounded the same.....disturbing....
On to other topics (thank God)...
Great day with clients. Helped a guy make just a couple of diet adjustments last week and he lost 7 pounds in 10 days. Wake up call buddy! What did he do? Simply started eating breakfast, switched from cream to skim milk in his coffee, and packed a lunch instead of eating out at work. Simple, simple. I'll never forget this one trainer at a conference I go to each year....he said he always had people coming up to him asking diet questions like there was some big secret to losing weight. Well, apparently this one woman kept on and on about it and he finally said "You know the difference in an apple and a _____ing piece of pizza?!...Well there ya go." I laughed. It was true.
Not to say making those changes is easy, but some small changes can make a huge difference.
Oh man, I am exhausted. Friday awaits. I've got shoulders and core tomorrow and might grab a nap in there somewhere....which, I am way more excited about than I should be. Have a great night and here's to another day :)
I came home from a long day at the gym and crashed. Making any kind of dinner seemed like way too much effort, so I literally grabbed the container of cooked chicken breast from the fridge, reached for one with my bare hands (since getting a fork required 8 extra steps), and downed it like a cave woman. "Dinner time" was approximately 3 minutes long. Now here I am...
Today was a good day, but I was certainly tired by the end of it. My upper body is beyond sore, which made today's back work out interesting. Pulling this tank up on wide grip pull-ups is heavy enough without feeling sore...today it was just a tad more brutal. I did 19 sets of back exercises before calling it a day. 20 minutes of cardio...you know me, don't want to over do it ;)
I'm fairly certain that the 20 minutes I did yesterday came back to haunt me this morning. At 4am I woke up to a calf-spasm so bad I nearly punched Ryan. All I could do was curse, jump out of bed, and hobble around the room like I was involved in my own cage fight. It was horrible. It happened 3 times in 5 minutes before I just decided to get up and get on with my day.
I thought of my dad. He gets them all the time. When I lived at home right out of college my room was in the basement directly under their room (yes, I was that kid)....anyway, we used to always joke that if there were ever "noises" coming from upstairs it was either mom/dad or just dad limping around with a muscle cramp. Ehh, they all sounded the same.....disturbing....
On to other topics (thank God)...
Great day with clients. Helped a guy make just a couple of diet adjustments last week and he lost 7 pounds in 10 days. Wake up call buddy! What did he do? Simply started eating breakfast, switched from cream to skim milk in his coffee, and packed a lunch instead of eating out at work. Simple, simple. I'll never forget this one trainer at a conference I go to each year....he said he always had people coming up to him asking diet questions like there was some big secret to losing weight. Well, apparently this one woman kept on and on about it and he finally said "You know the difference in an apple and a _____ing piece of pizza?!...Well there ya go." I laughed. It was true.
Not to say making those changes is easy, but some small changes can make a huge difference.
Oh man, I am exhausted. Friday awaits. I've got shoulders and core tomorrow and might grab a nap in there somewhere....which, I am way more excited about than I should be. Have a great night and here's to another day :)
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Heavy lids
There are some days when its tempting to simply give in to your body's desire to "take it easy" and push only hard enough through the workout to break a sweat. Today was one of those days. I sat down for a few minutes before my workout and was fighting to stay awake. All I wanted to do was throw my head down on the desk and sleep. Just thinking about a leg workout made me tired. I had a choice at that point. Give in to how I felt in that moment and allow myself to just go through the motions, or challenge myself even more than if I felt great.
I chose the latter.
I can't explain it,...sometimes my decisions do not appear to make any sense....ha...
I bumped up the weight in squats and hamstring curls...moved leg press later in the workout and to a narrow foot position to make it harder...and topped it off with a superset of weighted lunges and kettlebell swings. I thought I was going to throw up. I would be lying if I said that I wanted to do that last set of kettlebell swings...my heartrate was 192. It was one of the hardest leg workouts I've had in a long time. BUT, it was an amazing feeling to push through mental and physical barriers this morning...even just general fatigue. Don't get me wrong, I was glad it was over an hour and 20 minutes later...my quads could not take much more to be honest. But it was such a reminder to me that we sell ourselves short way too often. We are physically and mentally capable of so much, and yet often give ourselves permission to perform at 50% and pat ourselves on the back. We have more,...but we have to demand it of ourselves. Your 100% may not be the best, but the point is that its all you have. Give it.
Overall, it was a great day. Yes, I was pretty tired by 3pm, but rebounded better than on some other days. Tonight I'll probably pass out after dinner. I'm pooped. Tomorrow will be a normal hectic hump day....gotta love hump day. I'm going to hit some bicep/tricep and if my legs can actually operate, some cardio. Ehh...we'll see.
My cat is currently laying spread eagle on the floor with his paws in the air and his head cocked back. It looks like a feline crime scene. He is out of control.
Well, its after 8 and I can hardly keep my eyes open. Have a great night folks and remember to demand more tomorrow!! Happy lifting...
I chose the latter.
I can't explain it,...sometimes my decisions do not appear to make any sense....ha...
I bumped up the weight in squats and hamstring curls...moved leg press later in the workout and to a narrow foot position to make it harder...and topped it off with a superset of weighted lunges and kettlebell swings. I thought I was going to throw up. I would be lying if I said that I wanted to do that last set of kettlebell swings...my heartrate was 192. It was one of the hardest leg workouts I've had in a long time. BUT, it was an amazing feeling to push through mental and physical barriers this morning...even just general fatigue. Don't get me wrong, I was glad it was over an hour and 20 minutes later...my quads could not take much more to be honest. But it was such a reminder to me that we sell ourselves short way too often. We are physically and mentally capable of so much, and yet often give ourselves permission to perform at 50% and pat ourselves on the back. We have more,...but we have to demand it of ourselves. Your 100% may not be the best, but the point is that its all you have. Give it.
Overall, it was a great day. Yes, I was pretty tired by 3pm, but rebounded better than on some other days. Tonight I'll probably pass out after dinner. I'm pooped. Tomorrow will be a normal hectic hump day....gotta love hump day. I'm going to hit some bicep/tricep and if my legs can actually operate, some cardio. Ehh...we'll see.
My cat is currently laying spread eagle on the floor with his paws in the air and his head cocked back. It looks like a feline crime scene. He is out of control.
Well, its after 8 and I can hardly keep my eyes open. Have a great night folks and remember to demand more tomorrow!! Happy lifting...
Monday, November 14, 2011
Ready to rock
Monday came and went.
The day flew by and now here I am in a cabbage-coma and almost ready for bed. Yes, I'm still on my cabbage kick....my intestines are not too thrilled.
Weekend was good. I taught hip-hop on Saturday and was completely drained afterward. I had to take a nap around 3:00 before my husband and I went out on a sushi extravaganza. It was intense and I'm pretty sure the amount of raw fish and rice I ate should be outlawed. Oh but it was so good.
Sunday was my day off, thank God, which marked day 7 of no running...so I napped....again. I was pooped. I almost slept in church because the guest speaker went 20 minutes over. Everyone with ADD and lunch plans were near about going nuts, I'm over there fiddling with my hair, Grandpa was nodding off,...it was quite the scene. All that to say, I got some rest on the official day of rest.
I was ready to rock and roll today though. I felt pretty darn good. Workout was awesome....I had chest, shoulders, and then finished with 25 minutes of cardio....just enough not to drive me nuts. I felt strong, but would like to see my strength increase. I'm thinking that a creatine cycle is soon in my future....yeeeaaahhh...
Ok, its about that time. I'm starting to doze and still need to unpack and repack my gym bag...ugh....I hear my bed calling...
Niiiigghhhtt!!
The day flew by and now here I am in a cabbage-coma and almost ready for bed. Yes, I'm still on my cabbage kick....my intestines are not too thrilled.
Weekend was good. I taught hip-hop on Saturday and was completely drained afterward. I had to take a nap around 3:00 before my husband and I went out on a sushi extravaganza. It was intense and I'm pretty sure the amount of raw fish and rice I ate should be outlawed. Oh but it was so good.
Sunday was my day off, thank God, which marked day 7 of no running...so I napped....again. I was pooped. I almost slept in church because the guest speaker went 20 minutes over. Everyone with ADD and lunch plans were near about going nuts, I'm over there fiddling with my hair, Grandpa was nodding off,...it was quite the scene. All that to say, I got some rest on the official day of rest.
I was ready to rock and roll today though. I felt pretty darn good. Workout was awesome....I had chest, shoulders, and then finished with 25 minutes of cardio....just enough not to drive me nuts. I felt strong, but would like to see my strength increase. I'm thinking that a creatine cycle is soon in my future....yeeeaaahhh...
Ok, its about that time. I'm starting to doze and still need to unpack and repack my gym bag...ugh....I hear my bed calling...
Niiiigghhhtt!!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Cabbage revenge
Its 2:30 and I have about 45 minutes of down-time before my next client. TJ Maxx is just across the street and calling my name like caffeine at 5am, and yet here I am practicing restraint. Truth is, I honestly do not want to move. My legs are killing me. Even while training clients this morning I've been on the foam roller...back and forth...back and forth...sweating and wanting to curse the whole time. My right hamstring is the worst. Its been throbbing all morning. Blah...enough of that...onward we go.
Had an interesting conversation with a woman this morning about "pushing through" and mentally being tuned-in while working out. She kept losing focus and getting distracted by things she simply could not change right there in the gym. Personally, I believe women struggle with this more than men. We tend to multi-task throughout the day like its a competition with ourselves to see how much we can think about, do, and plan-to-do at one time. We make it an Olympic sport. Its a horrible habit that truly robs us of living in the moment. And from a workout standpoint, the mind-muscle connection is CRITICAL. Going through the motions is pointless and leaves you feeling disconnected. Moreover, bringing all the "outside" issues into your workout time places all those things above yourself,...instead of owning that hour and allowing you to be the center focus. Its your time to experience challenge and struggle, but also the beauty of accomplishment and strength.
Yes, briefly putting aside the burdens of everyday life as a mother, wife, friend, employee, etc can be hard, but the fact is that we cannot be great at any of those roles if we do not first believe we are worth the time to take care of ourselves.
Here's a little strategy I use when I start to think I always need to be busy and not allow any "me" time...
I tell myself "I can do that later....or think about that in 3 hours..." Sounds silly, but what it does is 2-fold: It acknowledges that what I intend to get done or think about is still important (instead of completely disregarding it), and also it "gives me permission" to relax or unwind for a few hours without feeling guilty because I've already told myself I can do the other stuff later. Ironically, when the time comes for me to think about or do those other things later, I realize they were not that big of a deal to begin with and my "need" to accomplish them as quickly as possible was an overreaction. Funny how that happens. Oh the joys of OCD...
Hope that helps some of you...meanwhile, others of you are already making your list for tomorrow. Ha, I totally get it.
Workout today was great. No, I didn't do any cardio. Day 4 baby. I still do not miss it. Honestly, many competitors do ZERO cardio in the off season to focus on building muscle and simply recovering from months of dieting. When I was at my absolute leanest, I was ~11% bodyfat and doing cardio only twice a week for 30-40 minutes. That sounds like my kind of plan. HOWEVER, my diet was to the T and extremely strict. Not an ounce of alcohol in 18 months....and this was during college. Does anyone still do that? It should almost be outlawed. I made plenty of friends...it was a permanent DD situation. They all still owe me...big time...
Anyway, I did 16 sets worth of chest exercises and finished up with some core work. My chest is raw right now....but taking my mind off of my legs. Core work was decent, but due to the fact that I've eaten 2 heads of cabbage in the past 4 days, I'm a little bloated. Ok, a lot of bloated. I love it, but apparently the feeling is not mutual. Tonight I'll have to go with squash...
Whew, ok time to get back to work...its been a rainy, but great day thus far. Remember, FOCUS, be in the moment, and realize its your time!!
Had an interesting conversation with a woman this morning about "pushing through" and mentally being tuned-in while working out. She kept losing focus and getting distracted by things she simply could not change right there in the gym. Personally, I believe women struggle with this more than men. We tend to multi-task throughout the day like its a competition with ourselves to see how much we can think about, do, and plan-to-do at one time. We make it an Olympic sport. Its a horrible habit that truly robs us of living in the moment. And from a workout standpoint, the mind-muscle connection is CRITICAL. Going through the motions is pointless and leaves you feeling disconnected. Moreover, bringing all the "outside" issues into your workout time places all those things above yourself,...instead of owning that hour and allowing you to be the center focus. Its your time to experience challenge and struggle, but also the beauty of accomplishment and strength.
Yes, briefly putting aside the burdens of everyday life as a mother, wife, friend, employee, etc can be hard, but the fact is that we cannot be great at any of those roles if we do not first believe we are worth the time to take care of ourselves.
Here's a little strategy I use when I start to think I always need to be busy and not allow any "me" time...
I tell myself "I can do that later....or think about that in 3 hours..." Sounds silly, but what it does is 2-fold: It acknowledges that what I intend to get done or think about is still important (instead of completely disregarding it), and also it "gives me permission" to relax or unwind for a few hours without feeling guilty because I've already told myself I can do the other stuff later. Ironically, when the time comes for me to think about or do those other things later, I realize they were not that big of a deal to begin with and my "need" to accomplish them as quickly as possible was an overreaction. Funny how that happens. Oh the joys of OCD...
Hope that helps some of you...meanwhile, others of you are already making your list for tomorrow. Ha, I totally get it.
Workout today was great. No, I didn't do any cardio. Day 4 baby. I still do not miss it. Honestly, many competitors do ZERO cardio in the off season to focus on building muscle and simply recovering from months of dieting. When I was at my absolute leanest, I was ~11% bodyfat and doing cardio only twice a week for 30-40 minutes. That sounds like my kind of plan. HOWEVER, my diet was to the T and extremely strict. Not an ounce of alcohol in 18 months....and this was during college. Does anyone still do that? It should almost be outlawed. I made plenty of friends...it was a permanent DD situation. They all still owe me...big time...
Anyway, I did 16 sets worth of chest exercises and finished up with some core work. My chest is raw right now....but taking my mind off of my legs. Core work was decent, but due to the fact that I've eaten 2 heads of cabbage in the past 4 days, I'm a little bloated. Ok, a lot of bloated. I love it, but apparently the feeling is not mutual. Tonight I'll have to go with squash...
Whew, ok time to get back to work...its been a rainy, but great day thus far. Remember, FOCUS, be in the moment, and realize its your time!!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
45 days...
Its said that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Well, I'm testing that theory on cardio. Day 3 of straight meat-head workouts with no cardio. I mentally (and probably physically) need a break from it. Today, there was simply no time, which, I was completely ok with. And truth is, if I know that keeping my diet completely clean does not strap me to doing extra cardio, I can resist.
I trained biceps/triceps like a champ and then hit the shower for the quickest scrub-down ever, before getting ready for my afternoon clients. Not sure I really cleaned anything, but isn't it funny how even if we simply stand under running water for more than 2 seconds we feel like we've accomplished some form of sanitation. Nice try.
Today was a good hump day.
I was more tired than I thought I'd be, considering that I got a solid 7 hours of sleep last night. I threw down some B-12 around 8am and I was ready to roll.
Soooo....they've posted the 2012 competition schedule and right now I'm leaning towards an August show. That would put me beginning to diet around April,...doable. The other one I'd plan for is in June. Everything is still up in the air, but I'd like to have a final decision by Christmas. 45 days for you slackers. I am a Christmas freak, so yes, I count the days....from May on. A little nuts, yes, but it gets me going.
Ok, time to get ready for bed. Chest and core tomorrow. Cardio? Ehhh...that's up for debate :)
Night!
I trained biceps/triceps like a champ and then hit the shower for the quickest scrub-down ever, before getting ready for my afternoon clients. Not sure I really cleaned anything, but isn't it funny how even if we simply stand under running water for more than 2 seconds we feel like we've accomplished some form of sanitation. Nice try.
Today was a good hump day.
I was more tired than I thought I'd be, considering that I got a solid 7 hours of sleep last night. I threw down some B-12 around 8am and I was ready to roll.
Soooo....they've posted the 2012 competition schedule and right now I'm leaning towards an August show. That would put me beginning to diet around April,...doable. The other one I'd plan for is in June. Everything is still up in the air, but I'd like to have a final decision by Christmas. 45 days for you slackers. I am a Christmas freak, so yes, I count the days....from May on. A little nuts, yes, but it gets me going.
Ok, time to get ready for bed. Chest and core tomorrow. Cardio? Ehhh...that's up for debate :)
Night!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
3 years
Quick post.
Its after 9 and I am hardly coherent enough to form sentences. This whole daylight-savings thing is completely throwing me off. I'm all about supporting farmers, but when its 6pm and I feel like its 11pm,...not a good thing.
Workouts have been good this week so far, but I'm on my anti-cardio kick. I'm pretty sure its because I haven't really taken a day off in about 11 days and my body is exhausted. I can push through a weight workout, but asking me to hop on a treadmill for 45 minutes right now is like requesting a major organ. Just not going to happen. Today was leg day....enough said. I need sleep and some down time.
Oh, and today is our 3 year anniversary. Ryan was looking through our wedding book and said "wow babe, you were so small....your traps were like a 4th of the size they are now!".......The man certainly has a way with words. And this is why I love him.
Three years ago on our honeymoon:
Its after 9 and I am hardly coherent enough to form sentences. This whole daylight-savings thing is completely throwing me off. I'm all about supporting farmers, but when its 6pm and I feel like its 11pm,...not a good thing.
Workouts have been good this week so far, but I'm on my anti-cardio kick. I'm pretty sure its because I haven't really taken a day off in about 11 days and my body is exhausted. I can push through a weight workout, but asking me to hop on a treadmill for 45 minutes right now is like requesting a major organ. Just not going to happen. Today was leg day....enough said. I need sleep and some down time.
Oh, and today is our 3 year anniversary. Ryan was looking through our wedding book and said "wow babe, you were so small....your traps were like a 4th of the size they are now!".......The man certainly has a way with words. And this is why I love him.
Three years ago on our honeymoon:
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Decking my halls...
Saturday morning and I just finished bringing down all the Christmas decorations from the attic. I would have done it last week but the person in my neighborhood with a 9 foot inflatable pumpkin in their front yard sort of put a damper on my Christmas spirit. Actually, it was probably more my entire spirit and not just the Christmas aspect. Nothing huge and inflatable should go in your yard. Sorry, I can't take you seriously with a carnival going on in front of your house. And not sure which is more depressing, that they actually like it, or that they spent over 5 bucks for it...
Ironically, I love Christmas lights. My neighbor puts up lights that blink and play music....drives my OCD a little nuts, but he's living the Christmas dream. Rock on baby, rock on...
Pretty pumped about class this morning. I'm teaching hip-hop in a couple of hours...by far my favorite class to teach (outside of pure meat-head weight training). Its fun, edgy, and makes me feel like I'm in college again,...well,...sort of. I certainly was not dancing like that at 10 in the morning. Got to draw the line somewhere.
Workouts this week were pretty solid. I've been extremely sore since I did a little different split then normal just trying to mix things up. Here's what it looked like:
M - Back/Shoulders
T - Quads/Biceps (Strength)/Tris
W - HIIT
Th - Chest/Biceps (Hypertrophy)
F - Hamstrings, glutes/Shoulders
I hit shoulders and biceps twice because I really need to work on my proportion. I have "good sized" legs (nice way of putting it), so I need a balance up top to create more of a V-taper so my legs do not appear too big for my frame. Work in progress...always...
My cardio today will definitely come from teaching the class and then I'll probably grab a quick jog tomorrow at some point. Today is all about some hip-hop and Christmas...interesting combination, but I like to think that if it really is the most wonderful time of the year, shaking-what-your-mama-gave-ya totally fits in...
Have a great weekend :) Ready to roll Monday!!
Ironically, I love Christmas lights. My neighbor puts up lights that blink and play music....drives my OCD a little nuts, but he's living the Christmas dream. Rock on baby, rock on...
Pretty pumped about class this morning. I'm teaching hip-hop in a couple of hours...by far my favorite class to teach (outside of pure meat-head weight training). Its fun, edgy, and makes me feel like I'm in college again,...well,...sort of. I certainly was not dancing like that at 10 in the morning. Got to draw the line somewhere.
Workouts this week were pretty solid. I've been extremely sore since I did a little different split then normal just trying to mix things up. Here's what it looked like:
M - Back/Shoulders
T - Quads/Biceps (Strength)/Tris
W - HIIT
Th - Chest/Biceps (Hypertrophy)
F - Hamstrings, glutes/Shoulders
I hit shoulders and biceps twice because I really need to work on my proportion. I have "good sized" legs (nice way of putting it), so I need a balance up top to create more of a V-taper so my legs do not appear too big for my frame. Work in progress...always...
My cardio today will definitely come from teaching the class and then I'll probably grab a quick jog tomorrow at some point. Today is all about some hip-hop and Christmas...interesting combination, but I like to think that if it really is the most wonderful time of the year, shaking-what-your-mama-gave-ya totally fits in...
Have a great weekend :) Ready to roll Monday!!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
...can't feel my lats...
November 2nd....so hard to believe.
Before I know it I'll be wrapping gifts and trying to keep Oscar from eating the ribbon. Idiot thinks its grass. Oh, its not...but comes out the other end looking exactly like it did going down. Hope none of you are eating right now. Just another perk to owning a cat...
Work was great today. Although, I had one incident that bothered me.
I finished up an initial evaluation with a female high school athlete and was going over her stats with her. 5'9" and 145 pounds with an appropriate body fat to be considered "active and fit". When I told her that I was happy with her weight (considering her height), she said "really?...because my mom says I weigh too much." I literally wanted to smack the mom...or at least give her the "Next-time-you-get-a-thought-just-let-it-go" look. Here's a young girl thinking that she's "overweight" because of some ignorant mother whose expertise is clearly not in this field. For the record, 5'9" and 145 lbs. with an athletic build is completely acceptable. She must have thought my 5'4" 130lb. frame was a tank....
I was just blown away and honestly felt sorry for the girl. I hope that as we work together she begins to see what "healthy" and "athletic" really looks like...
As far as my workout goes, it was time to sprint baby. Its been WEEKS since I've gone all out on sprints and I just felt the urge today. I started off with a good warm-up and then cranked it on some flat sprints for 20 minutes. The heartrate was up and my hamstrings were pulling. What surprised me the most though was how much my feet were cramping. Perhaps just from the actual pounding, but it was pretty intense by the end. I finished with 20 more minutes of walking at incline 13. I was pretty much done after that. I spent about 10 minutes on the foam roller....where I continued to curse and sweat profusely (pretty much my life in a nutshell), but I needed it. I am still unable to put all my weight on my quads on that thing. The pain literally makes me want to throw up. Not kidding.
Sooo....tomorrow will be chest and perhaps some core work. My body is ridiculously sore from the last 2 days workouts. If its possible to drown in lactic acid, I just might. Enough whining...
Well, its about that time...night peeps!
Before I know it I'll be wrapping gifts and trying to keep Oscar from eating the ribbon. Idiot thinks its grass. Oh, its not...but comes out the other end looking exactly like it did going down. Hope none of you are eating right now. Just another perk to owning a cat...
Work was great today. Although, I had one incident that bothered me.
I finished up an initial evaluation with a female high school athlete and was going over her stats with her. 5'9" and 145 pounds with an appropriate body fat to be considered "active and fit". When I told her that I was happy with her weight (considering her height), she said "really?...because my mom says I weigh too much." I literally wanted to smack the mom...or at least give her the "Next-time-you-get-a-thought-just-let-it-go" look. Here's a young girl thinking that she's "overweight" because of some ignorant mother whose expertise is clearly not in this field. For the record, 5'9" and 145 lbs. with an athletic build is completely acceptable. She must have thought my 5'4" 130lb. frame was a tank....
I was just blown away and honestly felt sorry for the girl. I hope that as we work together she begins to see what "healthy" and "athletic" really looks like...
As far as my workout goes, it was time to sprint baby. Its been WEEKS since I've gone all out on sprints and I just felt the urge today. I started off with a good warm-up and then cranked it on some flat sprints for 20 minutes. The heartrate was up and my hamstrings were pulling. What surprised me the most though was how much my feet were cramping. Perhaps just from the actual pounding, but it was pretty intense by the end. I finished with 20 more minutes of walking at incline 13. I was pretty much done after that. I spent about 10 minutes on the foam roller....where I continued to curse and sweat profusely (pretty much my life in a nutshell), but I needed it. I am still unable to put all my weight on my quads on that thing. The pain literally makes me want to throw up. Not kidding.
Sooo....tomorrow will be chest and perhaps some core work. My body is ridiculously sore from the last 2 days workouts. If its possible to drown in lactic acid, I just might. Enough whining...
Well, its about that time...night peeps!
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