Trying to Become Active Again

Hi everyone!

I don't necessarily consider myself as starting over right now.  I guess when it comes to blogging, I am definitely coming back after a long absence.

PERSONAL CATCH UP STUFF:
I am still in NYC, and still working on a PhD.  My first year in the program was tough, but I got through it and I am still here.  I have really enjoyed the city in the spring/summer.  I honestly was not too pleased during the winter.  Really cold temps are not for me.  I survived my first blizzard.  Well, I think it was a blizzard.  It set records for snowfall in Manhattan.  I still think snow is really pretty, but only when it's fresh lol!  After people get out and walk in it, it looks disgusting lol!

These are the only pics I have left from the blizzard.

As I have already said, the city this time of year is amazing!!!  I have spent a lot of time just walking around and exploring.  I have fallen in love with Hudson River Park and the beach/boardwalk at Coney Island.  I leave when Coney Island begins to get crowded later in the day though.  Everything this summer seems to be going perfectly.

Coney Island Beach

WEIGHT LOSS AND HEALTH:

About two months ago I had fibroid surgery.  I completely underestimated recovery time.  It was awful, but 8 week later, I am so happy I did it.  I also saw an endocrinologist right before the surgery, and my glucose levels were technically normal, but at the highest number for what is considered normal.  So, she told me to cut the sugar and drop some weight, which is what I have been doing.  I am currently sitting at 229.  So, I've lost 31 lbs since my high of 260 last Jan.  The lowest weight I can remember seeing on the scale in the last decade was 223, so I am excited about being close to that again and surpassing it.

During the past two weeks, I have really been working hard at working out and eating at home.  For exercise I am hitting the gym, and planning to start C25K again.  My body has gotten used to walking around the city, so my everyday walking is no longer enough for me to see results.  In the gym I normally use the Life Fitness Flex Strider, which I enjoy more than the normal elliptical machine for some reason.  Depending on the day, I am on it for 30-60 min.  I have not started C25K yet, but hopefully, I will be blogging about it soon.

I am still figuring out my strength training routine.  I love weights, but I still feel intimidated using free weights, so I have not been squatting or deadlifting, which is what I really want to do, but can't work up the nerve to just go grab a rack with all of the guys around.  I'll work on that.

GOALS:

Short Term: I would really like to see 225 by my birthday, but my birthday is less than a week away, so that probably is not going to happen.  So, I am readjusting to simply losing weight by my birthday.

End of the Year: Before I go home for Christmas break I want to be in Onederland.  That means I need to lose about 30 lbs in just under 6 months.  I know this is a completely reasonable and doable goal.  I just have to stay committed, active, and disciplined.  It would be a wonderful Christmas gift to myself.

In general, I am in a good place right now and extremely happy.  Exercise is a great mood booster, so even on days when I feel like doing nothing, I remember how I feel after working out and I go anyway.  Here's a sweaty workout picture from yesterday.  I must admit that I get a sense of pride from knowing I pushed myself physically, and still survived lol!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Prince - Baby I'm A Star

Just Another Day

As I was leaving Publix today I realized how often I go to the grocery store now.  The reason is that when I am eating healthier and eating more naturally occurring foods, then I have to keep going back because items spoil and I cannot bulk buy them.  I know this is really common sense, but it is something I never really thought about before.

Today I jumped on the elliptical machine for 20 minutes.  Then I did some upper body weights (lat pulldown, strict press, chest press, tricep pushdowns, shoulder press, bicep curls, and modified pushups.  I did 3 sets of 12 with various weights.  Afterwards, I went for a walk/jog for about 25 minutes.

I had more Crossfit/functional fitness training last night.  It was really great.  Three other women are in the class with me and they are really nice.  I arrived as a regular class was ending and they were also really nice to me.  I think I just assume that super fit people would judge me, but they were not like that at all.  They were awesome and full of support, and they don't even know me.  I think I am really going to enjoy this aspect of group fitness.

As you can see, I really did not have much to talk about today.  I just wanted to get on here and log my journey in some way.

I recently heard this song and I really like it!  I am all about dancing to burn calories, so this song really hit the spot!  Enjoy!

Walk the Moon - Shut Up and Dance

6 Week Update and Measurements

First, what's going on with Blogger?  The blogs I follow are here some days, and others they completely disappear.  It's soooo frustrating.  Anyway, I've trying to drop weight for 6 weeks now.  Here are my results...

I'm not ready to post comparison pics yet, but I do have them.  Basically, I lost 12.6 lbs and over an inch from the largest part of my stomach.  I'm really happy about that.  Here's a look at how I motivate myself to do things like workout and eat right...

I USE STICKERS!!!!!

You can see that I wasn't doing ANYTHING, before 6 weeks ago.  Seriously, I love stickers!  Some days the thought of getting a sticker would stop me from making poor food choices.  I have stickers for cardio (a heart), eating well (fruit), jogging (flower), strength training (silver star), and meeting goals (smiley face).  I'm thinking about changing out the star for strength training, because I can't see it as well as I can the others.  Here's a summary of my month:

Goals: I did not work on any goals, and pretty much forgot about them, so no goals met.

Jogging: I didn't jog any either.  I went walking quite a bit, but never actually jogged.

Strength Training: 6 days of real strength training.  I do challenges with my mom and sister, so just about everyday I did squats or push-ups, but I only give myself a sticker if I do a series of exercises.

Eating Well: 14 days.  Eating well is really a struggle for me.

Cardio: 18 days.  This was zumba, walking, or the elliptical...mostly zumba though.

Those numbers show me how I wasn't extremely dedicated over the last 6 weeks, but I definitely put in more effort than I had previously.  I know I could have had better results if I had taken things more seriously, but I am pleased with the progress that I did make.  You have to start somewhere, and the fact that I am blogging results after 6 weeks is progress for me.

For the next 6 weeks I would really like to work on eating better and strength training.  I actually love lifting weights (waaayyyy more than cardio), but I get intimidated in the weight room.  Therefore, I avoid it.  I'm just going to have to get over that.  I started today...

Leg Press (135 lbs each side)

Sundays are leg days for me.  So, here's my workout for today.  I did 3 sets of 12 for each strength training exercise...

Elliptical- 20 minutes

Leg Press- 270 lbs

Squat Machine- 105 lbs

Squat Jumps- body weight

Leg Extension- 40 lbs

Leg Curl- 50 lbs

Walking Lunges- body weight

Calf Raises- body weight

Walk/Jog- 1 mile in 14 minutes

I felt great afterwards.  My legs probably will not feel so great tomorrow lol!  The most difficult thing I did was probably the squat machine.  There were quite a few super fit guys in the weight room this morning, so I am proud of myself for going in there and getting things done.  Go Me!!!!

I have posted this several times, but it's my favorite song to workout to.  Have a great Sunday ladies and gents!

Janet Jackson- Make Me

Day 2

Today's blog should be pretty quick.  I don't have too much to say, but I wanted to make a record of what I did today.  I would also like to add that my legs are not sore.  I can tell that I worked them, but I am not what I would call sore.  My soreness normally kicks in 36-48 hrs after I workout, so I will let you know how I am feeling tomorrow.

I am happy to say that I did workout today even though I did not feel like it.  TMI Alert: I can feel TOM coming along...probably later today or first thing in the morning.  I am starting to feel really crappy.  Anyway, I woke up late, but I went to the gym for a little cardio and upper body strength training.  Like yesterday, I did 20 minutes on the elliptical. I am starting to think of this as my warm-up.  It gets my body loose and prepared for whatever else I plan to do.  So, here's what I did.  Oh, all strength training exercises were on machines, no dumbbells.

Elliptical 20 min
Tricep Extension 30 lbs (3x12)
Bicep Curl 20 lbs (3x12)
Fly 30 lbs (3x12)
Lat Pulldown 40 lbs (3x12)
Chest Press 30 lbs (3x12)
Shoulder Press 20 lbs (3x12)

Shoulder press was the hardest thing I did.  Shoulder exercise have always been difficult for me though, even when I was actually in shape years ago.  I dread shoulder exercise for that reason, because no matter what, it's always a struggle.  I did it though.  I want to quit after my first set, but I kept going and I am proud of that.  In a week or two I will add in pushups.  I am trying not to do too much my first week back.  I don;t mind being sore, but I want to be able to move some lol!

Like yesterday, I feel weak, but I have to forget the awesome things I used to do and just know I will get back there and even surpass that if I keep at it.  I thought about going walking, but changed my mind.  Tomorrow is my cardio only day, so I will do some walking tomorrow.  Have a great day people!

Lady Gaga: Applause

Exercise Feels Good

I have a love/hate relationship with exercise.  It's normally not so bad once I started.  I actually really enjoy it most of the time once I get started.  Well, I should say that I do not like cardio.  I really enjoy weight training.  I know that you need cardio though, so for me it;s mostly a matter of finding cardio that I do enjoy.  In the past I have found that to be zumba or the Arctrainer.  My gym got rid of its Arctrainer though, so I will have to figure something else out.  I am also working too late now to make it to my zumba classes.  I am just all the way messed up with cardio now lol!  I do have some options though.  I can borrow zumba dvds from my sister until my schedule changes (about a month from now).  My aunt has said I can try water aerobics at her pool.  That might be fun, but I'm not really sure what to do for water aerobics.  I have taken one water aerobics class, but that was about three years ago.  I can google it though right?  Of course I can lol!  SO basically I just have to make up my mind to do it.

I decided to wake up early and workout before church this morning.  When my alarm went off, I tried to go back to sleep.  After about 10 minutes I told myself "I need to get up.  I can do this."  So, I got dressed and headed to the gym.  I was thankful that there were not very many people there so early on a Sunday morning.  I started at the elliptical.  I did 20 minutes at level one.  Starting out I felt great.  Around 10 minutes in and I was feeling a little tired.  Well, maybe more than a little, but I knew I could finish out my twenty minutes.  I was dripping with sweat.  Man, I am so out of shape.  Afterwards, I hit 3 leg machines.  I did the leg press (180 lbs) 3 sets of 12 reps, leg extension (40 lbs) 3 sets of 12 reps, leg curl (50 lbs) 3 sets of 12 reps.  Surprisingly, that felt pretty good.  I could feel that I was working, but I was not totally exhausted and my legs felt alright.  I was shocked at how weak I am though.  I know I have to build back up, and I know I will get there.  I am planning to do squats, walking lunges, and deadlifts at home later tonight. I will let you know how that goes next time.

Next was jogging intervals.  I went to a park and jogged (1 minute)/ walked (3 minutes) in intervals for 24 minutes.  That was so so.  It went better than I expected to be honest, because it had been so long since my last attempt at jogging.  It was also extremely hot...even at 8 am.  I think we were supposed to be right at 100 degrees for our high today (105 heat index).  I normally hate jogging for about a month.  After that I get excited about it.  Now I just have to make it to the end of that one month.

All in all I felt really wonderful after working out this morning.  I had energy, a smile on my face, and a sense of accomplishment.  I have to wake up even earlier tomorrow, so I was already dreading that while driving this morning.  Then the thought came to me "How bad do you want it?"  So, I will be up bright and early in the morning.  I have a feeling that my next blog might be about soreness though lol!  Have a fantastic day!

So to recap:
20 min on elliptical
Leg Press 180 lbs (3x12)
Leg Extension 40 lbs (3x12)
Leg Curl 50 lbs (3x12)
Jog/Walk Intervals (1:3) 24 min, 1.4 miles

This song came on at the end of my jog and it was perfect!
Queen: Another One Bites the Dust

Back in the Gym

I finally began a real workout schedule today.  I was nervous about setting foot in the gym after I had been away for so long.  I kept thinking, "They will know I don't belong here."  I'm not a New Year's Resolution person, I just happened to hit my heaviest weight towards the end of the year.  Anyway, I went in and everything went fine.  Here's what I did:

30 min on elliptical
Leg Extension 40 lb (3x12)
Squats 10 lb db (3x12)
Plie Squats 20 lb db (3x12)
15 min Walk/Run (about 1 mile)

I did not do a ton today, but it was better than doing nothing and I can at least say that I have started.  I know I will be sore in the morning, but I liked feeling a sense of accomplishment today.  I have pretty much lost all of my strength lol!  The leg stuff was a struggle, and I know that when I was really working out consistently that would have been nothing to me.  I will get back there and be even better.

I also went to the grocery store today.  I bought chicken breasts, salmon, turkey burgers, veggies, and oranges.  My biggest struggle is the eating part.  Overall, it was a good day, because I got started.

Slowly but Surely

On Monday I went jogging.  Well, I am doing jogging/walking intervals.  This week I am at a 1 min jog 2 min walk.  I completed 2 miles Monday with a time of 30:29.  It wasn't too bad.  It was actually a lot better than I thought it would be considering I haven't done anything in so long.

Today I went to the gym and did lower body weights.  I also repeated Monday 1:2 interval.  I jogged 1.4 miles in 20:28.  To be honest, it started out pretty awful, but got better as I went along.

In the weight room:
Leg Curls 70 lbs 3x12
Pop Squats 3x12
Swinging Lunges 3x12
Walking Lunges 3x10
Deadlifts 40 lbs 3x12
Butt Machine 30 lbs 3x6
Standing Calf Raises

Today's Song
Vanity 6 - Nasty Girl

Long Time No See

Sorry I've been away.  I've been so so so busy (5 classes and a full time job).  I've been working out with Sam twice a week, as usual.  I normally get in 1-2 other days a week by myself.  That has really been hit and miss. 

I have not really gone jogging since I did the 20 minute jog almost a month ago.  I do sprints with Sam from time to time, but no real jogging with any true distance.  That stinks, because I was really excited about finally being able to jog for 20 minutes and I just let it go.  I'll have to work back up to it, but I'm determined to do it.  I want to do a half marathon this year.  I'm planning to do the Rock n Roll either in Vegas or the one in Miami.  I'm going to consider it my 30th birthday gift to myself.  I wanted to take a nice trip for my 30th (in July) and I also wanted to do a half.  I probably can't afford a separate trip for each the way I would want to,so I'm planning to postpone the July trip and roll it into a half marathon trip (Sept or Dec).  So, I'll still be celebrating my 30th (just months later lol) and I'll get to check off a major item on my list of things to do for year.

Today Sam said I might have a "come to Jesus" moment, and he was not joking.  Here's the list of what I did:
100 Push-ups
60 Burpees
100 Deep Squats
800m on Rowing Machine
12 Shuttle runs
36 Lat Pulldowns (80 lbs)
60 Leg Lifts
45 Lying Tricep Extensions (10 lb dumbbells)
300m on Rowing Machine
0.5 mile walk to class to cool down

I asked him if I was being punished because I had to cancel my session on Tuesday.  He laughed and said no.  I'm not so sure lol!  It was really really hard.  I did all of this over an hour.  The lat pulldowns, leg lifts, and tricep extensions were done in sets of 3.  The burpees, push-ups, and squats are a little difficult to explain.  Basically, I would do as many push-ups as possible in 1 min.  At the top of each minute I had to stop and do 4 burpees, then immediately into the push-ups.  At the top of that next minute I would do 4 burpees again.  I continued this until I had reached 100 push-ups.  This same cycle happened for the deep squats.  I hope the way I explained it makes sense. 

I felt like this was a completely ridiculous workout and I asked him several times if he was serious.  This was only me 2nd time on the rowing machine.  Oh my gosh, it works EVERYTHING!!!  I was shaking and fell like a combination of jello and dead weight by the time my our was up.  My shirt was completely soaked.  It was weird though, because although it was hard, I wanted to do it again this weekend.  This was one of those workouts that made me feel like I had instantly lost weight.  I'll probably do the push-ups, burpees, squats, leg lifts, and tricep extensions on my own at home this weekend.  It's good to leave a workout and know that I gave it my all and that I completely rocked it!

Oh, I purchased a 65cm stability ball and a 10 lb medicine ball to add to my home gym (which doesn't include much...dumbbells, adjustable weight bench, sit up rack, and tons of Oxygen magazines).  I would like to buy some cardio equipment (treadmill or bike), but we'll see.  I know plenty of things I can do for cardio without having the machines, so I'm in no rush to buy anything.

I've also been making an effort to eat better the past two weeks.  I made the pledge to do this until spring break (which is in less than two weeks) and then take a look at my results.  I'm hoping it will be motivation to make me continue to eat better.  I can already say that I feel better though.  So, it might be a a week or two before I'm on here to blog again, but I should have some measurements to post by then.  Have a great day!

Chris Brown - Turn Up the Music

Almost Lost It...

...it being everything I ate for breakfast yesterday.  Yesterday was a Sam day.  First, let me tell you what I did

3 rounds of 30 seconds each
Wall Balls (12 lb ball)
Burpees
Jumping Jacks
Kettlebell Swings (12 lb kettlebell)

3 rounds
Woodchoppers (10 each side)
Alligator Walk (12)
Walking Lunges  (12)
Sprints on Stationary Bike (2 min)

3 rounds
Modified Push-ups (10 but I had to go all the way down to the floor before I came back up)
Bicycle Crunches (15)
Lat Pulldowns (12 using 60lbs)
Dumbbell Punches (30 seconds)

2 rounds
Deep Squats (15)
Pulsing Squats  (10)

Mountain Climbers (30 sec)

I did everything except the mountain climbers for 30 seconds.  My stomach was feeling really funny and Sam asked if I was lightheaded.  I was, but only a little.  He told me I was on the verge of throwing up and we had to stop.  After about 4 min of just sitting I felt fine and wanted to do the last 30 sec of mountain climbers, but Sam said no.  So, I made it through all but the last 30 seconds of my planned workout. 

To those of you who say reading Sam's workouts makes you feel like a wimp...don't.  Remember, it takes me an hour to do this stuff.  A lot of you have been exercising longer than I have and could probably do these workouts faster and with heavier weights.

I completely bailed on jogging over the weekend and earlier this week.  I'm on the day I'm supposed to jog for 20 minutes straight and I've been completely psyching myself out.  I was supposed to do this on Sunday, then Tuesday and I kept making excuses not to go.  This morning I woke up with a back ache, but decided to go anyway.  I didn't make it.  Each step seemed to make my back feel worse.  So I was out there for about 25 min, but less that half of that was jogging.  So, I came back home.  I'm going to take a Motrin or Aleve and see if my back feels better later.  If so, then I will try it again after class today.

My nutrition sucks.  There's no other way to put it.  I think I've eaten out once a day 4 out of the last 5 days.  I don't know what it is with me and food.  Well, I do know what it is...lack of willpower.  I have stayed away from burgers and fries, but getting a sirloin with a Parmesan cheese crust and a loaded backed potato isn't any better.  It's actually about the same thing.  So, I'm going to work on it.  Telling you all about this all the time does nothing, if I don't put some action behind what I say I want to do.  So, hopefully my next post will say I've done much better with my eating habits.  I also hope to be able to say I jogged 20 minutes.

Not a Nicki Minaj fan, but this is a nice tune for me to jog to.
David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj - Turn Me On

Busy Little Bee

Whew...I've been busy this week.  I'm sorry I'm not able to blog as much.  During my work week I used to posts blogs at work.  Now, Blogger is blocked (but facebook is open, so figure).  With work and school, I only have time for sleep during the day.  So, when I work you will probably only see 1 blog from me and it will be on the weekend.  I'm off right now, so whoo hoo!

School started on Wednesday.  I am taking 5 classes.  What was I thinking?  I work a full time job and I decided to sign up for 5 classes!  This honestly might drop to 4.  If it does, then I will graduate in August and not May.  During my work rotation I will average about 4 hrs of sleep Monday through Thursday.  Also by the end of April I will have read about 25 books for these classes.  This all seems very overwhelming to me right now.  So, we will see how it goes.  I have until the 19th to drop a class and it will completely disappear from my transcript.  After the 19th, a W will show up on my transcript, but I can still drop it.

Now for my most exciting news...I saw Sam Wednesday!!!!!!  Yay! Yay! Yay!  I didn't even realize how much I missed the entire experience of training with him.  I can't remember everything we did, but it was quite a lot.  Jogging is difficult for me, but I don't produce 1/10th of the sweat jogging as I did while I was with Sam.  Here is what I can remember that we did:
Walking Lunges (as I came up to switch legs I had to pause with my leg in the air...hard to describe...sorry)
Squats (with 25lb weight)
Burpees
Wall Ball
Alligator Walk
I probably did another 10 exercises I just really can't remember them.  When it was all said and done, my shirt was soaked, my legs were shaking, and I was breathing like a crazy person.  Sam chose that moment to say, "Welcome back.  You missed me didn't you?" He had a smile a mile wide.  lol!

I also got my body fat measured in a machine called the Bod Pod.  I'm not pleased at all with what it said.  This is supposed to be one of the most accurate ways to measure body fat.  I'll let you all know what my number was the next time I get it done.  I hate the number is so high, but I will feel better posting it if I can at least say "look it's lower than that now." So, you'll just have to wait another 6-8 weeks or so.  This machine also tell you how many calories you can eat.  Sam said I could eat 2100 calories.  Here's my breakdown. 
If I were in a coma and never moved at all for 24 hrs my body would burn just under 1700 calories.
Sam said he would consider me active, given that I am jogging 3 days a week and seeing him for 2.  As an active person I could eat 2600 calories a day to maintain my weight right now.
A sedentary person could eat 2100 calories.  Sam told me to stick with the sedentary calories in order to lose.
2600-2100=500 calorie deficit per day
500 calories x 7 days a week=3500 calories=1lb of weight loss per week.

This is the Bod Pod when you sit in it and what it looks like closed.

Jogging:
So, all last week I was referring to my jogs as week 3 of the couch to 5k plan.  I was wrong.  I was actually doing week 4 then.  I am now on week 5.  Today was week 5 day 2 which was...
10 min warm up (the plan says 5, but I have found that I need 10)
8 min jog
5 min walk
8 min jog
cool down
Here a link to the plan if anyone else is interested.

Day 3, which I should do on Sunday is a warm up and then a 20 minute jog.  20 minutes nonstop...really???  Yeah, my mind is already playing games with me.  I'm really worried I will not be able to do this.  I'm going to try really hard though, because I can imagine that the sense of accomplishment I will have if I do this will be insane.  I have to remember that a few weeks ago I never would have believed that I could jog for 8 minutes.  So, I just have to give it all I have and do my very best.

Last week I was tagged in a post by Hyla, one of the lovely ladies I met through Win, Lose, or Blog.  I am supposed to:
1. post these rules.

2. you must post 11 random things yourself.

3. answer the ques­tions the tag­ger set for you in their post.

4. cre­ate 11 new ques­tions for the peo­ple you tag to answer.

5. go to their blog and tell them that you've tagged them.

6. no stuff in the tag­ging sec­tion about ‘you are tagged if you are read­ing this.’ blah blah blah, you legit­i­mately have to tag 11 peeps!

I'm going to cheat here, because I've done something similar not too long ago and the people I would tag would be the same ones I tagged then.  So, I am going to give you my random facts, answer Hyla's questions and probably list my favorite blogs.

Random facts:

1. I bite my nails...not a good habit and I'm hoping to change this
2. I love really good hummus dip.  I mean REALLY love it.
3. I'm obsessed with Christmas.
4. I love scented candles.
5. I have cracked my sternum before...not a pleasant experience AT ALL
6. I hate to work out in front of people
7. I'm a sucker for Hallmark movies
8. I'm terrified of roller coasters that go upside down.

9. I love cheese grits.

10. I'm obsessed with keeping track of how much fiber I eat.  I know this is odd.  I really don't track what I eat, but I do keep a mental note of how much fiber is in everything I eat and I get ticked if I am below 20 for the day.  I shoot for above 25 though.

11. My guilty pleasure is watching young adult tv shows and reading young adult novels (The Secret Circle, Vampire Diaries, The Hunger Games, Artemis Fowl, etc.)

Hyla's Questions:
1.How do you plan on meeting your goals this year?  Are they realistic?  If so do you have high hopes of meeting them and surpassing them? 

I plan to reach my goals through old fashioned diet and exercise.  I think the key for me will be finding exercises and healthy food that I love.  I think my goals are realistic (40-50 lbs this year) and if I stick to my plan even remotely I should hit them.  I lost close to 25 lbs last year in about 5 months and I was very hit and miss with workouts and good nutrition.  So, I have very high hopes

2.Are you looking forward to any big events this year? 

I turn 30 this year, and believe it or not I am really looking forward to it.  I'm going on a big trip, but I have no idea where yet.  I also think I'm going to have a new body by the time I look 30 and I'll look better at 30 than I did in my 20s, so I'm pumped.

3. Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?  LOL, I meant where would you like to be? 

Lol!  I used to watch Carmen San Diego with my cousin and sister as a kid.  If I could be anywhere I'm not sure where I would want to go.  Somewhere with temps around 75, a light breeze, and plenty of sightseeing, attractions, good food, and shopping...and no school and no work lol!

4.What is your favorite piece of comfy clothing? 

lounge pants and t-shirt

5. What is your favorite piece of "I feel hot!" clothing?

a dress that properly fits me (I have a lot of over sized clothing)

6. Honestly, what are your thoughts on Facebook? 

Some days I love Facebook and other days I think Facebook is the devil lol!  I don't post too much on there because it's so easy for people to get all of your info.  I like some of the connections I've made through it though.  I refuse to have Facebook connected to my phone, because it's really not that important to me.  The people who are really important to me have my phone number, so I don't feel the need to constantly be on there checking updates.  So, I guess in a nutshell I like it, but I am not obsessed with it.

7. Have you ever done anything daring?  If so, what? 

not really.  The most daring thing I've done was probably when I was in high school.  As a senior I would leave school for about an hour every day to go eat out lol!  I did end up getting caught by the assistant principal one day, but I was one of those stellar students who made straight A's,was in every club, and never did anything wrong. He was in shock and believed I was confused about the rules of being a teacher's assistant and let me go.  Haha!

8.  What is your favorite book and author?

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (the 1st book I remembering completely loving.  I had to read this in 6th grade)

A Gathering of Old Men by Ernest Gaines (This is just a fantastic book.)

9.  What is your favorite movie?

Braveheart

10.  What is your favorite Disney princess or other princess?

Ariel

11.  Do you dream?  What about?

I hardly ever remember them.

Favorite Blogs:

Win, Lose, or Blog (motivation, weight loss, giveaways, competition, etc)
Fitness For the Rest of Us (weight loss, reviews, giveaways)
Avery and Winslow (crafting)
Runs for Cookies (maintaining weight loss, running)
Changing from Fat to Fit (running, weight loss, fitness, etc)
Gina's Skinny Recipes (recipes)
Carbie Girl (weight loss)
Girl with Curves (fashion)
365 Weighs (she has not posted in awhile, but it's still good stuff)
Pril's Place (fashion)
Hourglass Red (weight loss)

Sorry about this being such a long post, but a had a week's worth of stuff to cram in here.  Congrats if you made it through it all lol!

Bee Gees - You Should Be Dancing (Despicable Me version)  I really do jog to this song and I love Despicable Me, so this is a fantastic video.

Blah, Workouts, and New Shoes

The Blah:
I actually gained 3 lbs this week!  WTH!  I worked out hard this week and I ate better than I have in a long time.  This is complete BS!  That is what I thought when I stepped off the scale.  Then I remembered all the candy I stuffed in my face Sat-Tues.  Plus, the fried shrimp, mashed potatoes, salad, and 2 raspberry lemonades I had at Ruby Tuesday on Wednesday.  Add to that the fried catfish I had at work on Thursday night (even though I had brought grilled chicken and veggies).  Then I thought...oh...do better Briana.  So, I will do better.  I cleaned my fridge and pantry and have no junk whatsoever in them.  I went to the grocery store and filled up on only good items.  Now I have to have the will power to not go to the cafeteria at the hospital.  Can you believe I brought healthy food, did not eat it, and paid for something unhealthy instead?  Yeah, I really did that.  Anyway, I just have to do better.

Workouts:
Wednesday:
OFF

Thursday:
W3D1 Couch to 5k (my version)
10 min walking warmup
5 min jog
2 min walk
3 min jog
1 min walk
5 min jog
2 min walk
3 min jog
2 min walking cool down
Ended up being 2.2 miles in 33 minutes

Friday:
  (x3)
50 Jumping Jacks
40 Squats
30 Push-Ups
20 Leg Lifts
10 Burpees
50 Mountain Climbers
40 Lunges
30 Curl to Press
20 Tricep Dips
10 V-Ups

Today:
W3D2 Couch to 5k (my version)
10 min walking warmup
5 min jog
2 min walk
3 min jog
1 min walk
5 min jog
2 min walk
3 min jog
2 min walk
5 min jog
super short walking cool down (I was tired and just wanted to get to the car)
Ended up being 2.5 miles in 40 min

Looking at this and the workouts I posted earlier in the week.  I am proud of myself.  I have been consistent for a solid week.  So, yeah, I gained weight, but it was not from lack of working out.  I've heard people say losing weight is 20% exercise and 80% nutrition.  Now I can believe it.  So, I know what I have to do from now on.  I can do it!  I got caught in a small rain shower today while I was jogging and it felt great.  At first I though "oh no," but it was not pouring down or anything, so it was nice.  I'm also excited that my little DailyMile app to the right is changing, because it means I'm being active again!

New Shoes:
I went to out local running store on Wednesday and bought new shoes.  They are called the Brooks Pure something.

I love these shoes.  I was told they are supposed to keep you from striking with your heel when you run so much.  I am in the very early stages of beginning to run so I don't really know about all the technical stuff.  All I know is that these shoes are fabulous!

Am I the only person who looks at background stuff when someone posts a pic?  I just really noticed all the stuff I have in the background of this picture.  In can you are wondering, the Christmas boxes are what my Christmas cards arrived in,directly behind the shoes are dvds of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, True Blood, Thundercats, and the Ocean's trilogy (11, 12, and 13).

Britney Spears - Toxic

Keep it Moving

So far so good.  I have nothing earth shattering to report, just that I am still moving.

Saturday:
30 min Zumba

Sunday:
30 min Zumba
50 Modified Push-ups
50 Squats
50 Leg Lifts

Monday:
60 min Zumba

Today:
50 Mountain Climbers
50 Jumping Jacks
10 V-Ups
(I did this circuit of 3 exercises 6 times for a total of 300, 300, and 60, then)
15 Modified Push-ups
15 Squats

I was planning to do more push-ups and squats, but then I realized I am scheduled to do quite a few of them tomorrow, so I stopped.  The point is that I am moving and have been moving for 4 days in a row.  I had forgotten what it felt like to be sore...thank you 50 squats and push-ups from Monday.  I hate and love the soreness all at once.  I hate it because it hurts...no brainer.  I love it because I know I worked out. 

I was looking over some of the workouts I used to do with Sam, and I'm wondering how the heck I used to do all that stuff without vomiting.  I decided in December that I am probably going back to him.  Do I "need" him? No.  Can I physically do his workouts on my own? Yes.  Do I want to train with him? Does he motivate me? Do I think he is the best trainer ever? Yes! Yes! Yes!  So...I will probably be back with him at some point this month.

Here's my food diary from yesterday:

Ugh!  I have the absolute worst time with pictures on my blog lol!  You can always just click on the picture though to bring up a larger version of the chart in full.  I think my sat. fat and cholesterol are cut off on the side lol!  Saturated fat for the day was 9 and cholesterol was 162.  I don't really track food a lot.  I know it helps, but it takes up too much time for me.  The only thing not listed is the Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning I used on the chicken breast.  The point is that I was doing GREAT until I went out to a sports bar last night.  I had a small order of cheese fries, which I assume was about the same as a large order from a fast food place.  I also had two 6 oz. amaretto sours.  Do you see the calorie count and carbs in those 2 drinks????  944 calories and 152 carbs...whoa!  This is why one of my goals for the year was finding ways to celebrate that do not involve drinking.  Anyway, since I don't track often I just thought it would be nice to share the one day I did track with you all.

Have a great day and keep it moving everyone!

Breathe Carolina - Blackout

Vacation and Getting Back on Track

I finally figured out why I was getting ads last week on blogger.  I was on vacation for the past week, and it had something to do with the condo's internet.  Now that I'm back home, I'm no longer getting ads everywhere.

I went with my family to Gatlinburg, TN.  It's one of my favorite places to go.  I love walking around and looking at everything!  We had a great time.  I'll post pics from the aquarium at the very end of this post.

Now that I'm back I need to get back on track.  I feel like I've really been slipping the past 2-3 weeks, so now I'm back at it.  I'm doing a strength training routine from the Dec 2011 issue of Oxygen 3 times a week and I'm doing Couch to 5K 3 times a week.

I told you all previously that I love Oxygen Magazine.  This is my stash...there are close to 90 issues here.  I know, I know....I have a problem lol!  But if anyone needs a back issue (minus 2011 and the last half of 2010) you now know where you can get one.  Just email me.

So this is what I did today:
You're supposed to do a 2 min warm up jumping rope and 30-60sec of jumping rope between each exercise.  I did the entire circuit twice and it took me about 40 min.  You can also do jumping jacks instead of jumping rope or just pretend like you're jumping rope without the rope..  I was thrilled to have everything I needed to do this at home.  Not every video is perfect, but I think you can get the general idea from them.

1. Squat (I used dumbbells)
2. Low Incline Dumbbell Press
3. Seated Lateral Raise
4. Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curl
5. Seated Dumbbell Wrist Curl
6. Walking Lunges
7. Flat Bench Reverse Crunch (but on a flat bench)
8. Toes to Ceiling ( similar to previous exercise, but "without bending your legs, lift your hips from the bench, directing your feet straight upward") I could not find a video of this.
9. Upright Dumbbell Row
10. Bench Crunch
11. Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift
12. Single Arm Concentration Curl
13. Dumbbell Chest Fly
14. Reverse Dumbbell Wrist Curl
15. V-Sit on Bench
16. Sumo Squat
17. Standing Calf Raise
18. Bent-Over Lateral Raise
19. Bent Over Single Arm Dumbbell Row
20. Supine Bent-Arm Dumbbell Pullover
21. Lying Hip Thrust/Bridge
22. Frog Crunch

I did 12 of everything twice.  I feel perfectly fine now, but I know I will feel this in the morning.  Tomorrow will be a day full of cardio.  C25K and maybe something else.  I'll let you all know.

Gatlinburg pics:

My sister at Bubba Gump's (with me trying to sneak in the background)

Santa's Claus-et

with my mom

just me

I have more pics, but I don't want to overload you all.  My father absolutely hates taking pictures, so he is not in ANY of the pics from this trip.  We had a FANTASTIC time!  I hope you all have a great day!

I Have to Do Better

First, the Win, Lose, or Blog before and after photos are up.
WLB Before and After Photos
I really don't think I look any different with regard to my size.  According to my cousin my pics look like the makeovers they do on the Today Show where they pull someone off the street and give them a makeover lol!  I have to admit she is right.  I took the first picture after a walk and I took the "after" photo on the way to church...instant makeover lol funny funny!

Wednesday and Thursday were exercise failures.  I had every intention of doing another c25k jog on Wednesday, but I was so sore.  So, I made plans to do it Thanksgiving morning when I got off.  I think we all know THAT did not happen.  I don't even know why I was so sore.  On Monday I jogged/walked for close to 50 minutes.  Tuesday I did the elliptical for 40 minutes and then I got on a bike for 15 minutes.  I was so freaking sore on Wednesday.  It felt like I had been lifting weights the day before.  I guess it happened because my legs were not used to the jogging I did on Monday???  Anyway, I was a bum Wednesday and Thursday.

I am proud of myself for not overeating on Thursday.  I tried a small amount of everything and I was full.  I did not go back for seconds, and to be honest I did not have much of a desire for anything sweet.  I did end of eating a piece of pumpkin bread though.  I had to wake up early in order to see my family, so I will be happy to get off in the morning and just crash.

I really need to come up with an exercise schedule for myself and stick to it.  It will probably be 3 jog days and 2 weight training days.  Oooh oooh oooh...I went to my mailbox the other day and I had the December issue of Oxygen.  At first I thought this was a mistake, then I forgot I signed up to get 2 free issues.  Let me backtrack a bit.  I have been a huge fan of Oxygen Magazine for about 5 years.  I literally have years of issues in my "workout room" at my house.  I would read them cover to cover (except the ads...not a fan of all the ads they have), and make plans to get started.  The getting started never really happened, but I just loved that magazine.  I was looking at this stack a little less than a year ago and decided to end my subscription and just recycle workouts from the old magazines.  Then about 2 months ago I saw an ad for 2 free issues, so I signed up.  Well, I had forgotten all about it.  So, I was thrilled to see the Dec issue in my mailbox.  It was so funny, because I had just read about another blogger doing an Oxygen strength training plan here.   Her blog inspired me to pick a plan from one of the old magazines.  I had decided to do one from their Jan 2010 issue.  Then I received this new issue.  There's a plan in this one that I'm going to try.  It has 21 exercises and I have the equipment to do them all at home!  You really have no idea how excited I am lol!  I did not mean to have such a long paragraph about Oxygen.  I'm a fan of muscle.  I don't like the extreme body builder look, but I do like some muscle definition.  Anyway, I'll let you all know how it goes.  I hope to try it out for the first time on Saturday.

Oh yeah, I was supposed to be talking about sticking to a schedule.  Gosh, I get off track quickly. I had originally thought about working out through the week and taking the weekend  (Saturday and Sunday) off.  I have more free time on the weekend though, so I'm not sure.   I am also considering taking Friday and Saturday off, because those are the days I am most likely to go out, and if I straighten my hair I hate messing it up by sweating lol!  I'm pretty sure I am going to shoot for working out 5 days a week.  I could do 6.  I've done 6 before and felt pretty good.  I just don't know.  I'll start with 5 and see what happens.

I'm supposed to be taking 6 week measurements on Saturday and I'm not excited AT ALL.  I think I have said this before every 6 week measure post though, so it's really nothing new haha!  I'll try to remember to take a new face photo too.  Anyway, have a great weekend everyone!

Flo Rida - Good Feeling

Goals

This will be a short post, because I'm actually in the middle of typing and researching a 16 page paper that's due Monday.  I'm such a procrastinator.  I needed a break though and decided to blog.

I've been thinking about goals lately.  Without Sam, my exercise dedication has been losing steam.  Don't get me wrong, I'm still doing it, but I don't have quite the same amount of joy.  It's like I have nothing to look forward to.  So, I need goals.  For the past year or so I have had dreams of becoming a runner.  I have attempted and quit the Couch 2 5k program twice out of sheer laziness.  With that being said, I am signing up for a half marathon in April 2012.  I am really hoping that 6 months is enough to get me in decent shape.  I will either be doing the Rock 'n' Roll in Nashville, TN or the Oak Barrel Half in Lynchburg, TN.  at the moment I am leaning towards the Lynchburg race.  The Nashville race will feature country music, which I'm not a huge fan of (but if Keith Urban or Kenny Chesney will be there then sign me up lol).

I can currently jog for about 12 minutes nonstop.  At the end of that time I think I'm going to pass out though lol.  So, I am probably going to give the C25K program a shot again.  I'm going to use next week and this weekend trying to figure out just where in the program I should start.  I'll try Week 1 Day 1 and see if it's too easy, or a pretty good fit.  I am going to look for shorter distance races to schedule before the half in order to keep me motivated, but the half is my ultimate goal.  Wish me luck!

On another note, I did a workout from Oxygen Magazine on Wednesday and I am so sore.  The workout I used was from the Jan 2010 issue.  I have close to 5 years of Oxygen magazines at home.  I have read each of them in its entirety at some point, and I am still overweight.  That just goes to show that you can know what to do and have all the right tools, but you will not change until you are ready to do so.  Anyway, it was a full body strength training routine and boy am I feeling it.  The soreness makes me feel alive though, in some odd way...go figure.

I tried to make this pic extra large, so everyone can read the words.  I hope they are not too blurry from my enlarging it.  No song today...Happy Friday!

Plan for the Weekend

Yesterday, I was a cardio day.  So here's what I did:
42 min on treadmill.
-10 min warmup
-alternating 3 min on incline and 2 min flat (I started with a 5% incline then 6%, 7%, 8%, 7%, 6%)
Went to the track and walked a 15 minute mile
Elliptical for 30 min

I had planned to do at least an hour using the inclines and I wanted to go all the way up to a 12% incline, because I had done that with Sam once, but I just couldn't make it.  The day I did the 12% with him it was part of a lot of other things, so I was on the treadmill for about 5 minutes and he gradually took me to the 12% incline and I stayed there for 3 minutes and then came back down and went to weights.  I remember thinking how good that was for my legs, so that's why I wanted to do something similar yesterday.  I did not do exactly what I wanted to do, but I still got in a good workout.

Since I didn't hit the 60 minutes I wanted to do (my calves and thighs were really at a breaking point) I decided to hit the track.  Walking a 15 minute mile for me is fast walking.  I was planning to stop after this, but I was on an exercise high at this point.  The endorphins had kicked in, so I looked for something else to do and saw the elliptical empty.  I did 30 min on it, and I honestly wanted to do something else, but I decided not to over-do it.

Today this is what I'm planning:
        (x3)
50 Jumpimg Jacks
40 Squats
30 Push-Ups
20 Leg Lifts
10 Burpees
50 Mountain Climbers
40 Lunges
30 Curl to Press
20 Tricep Dips
10 V-Ups

Hopefully, I'll do this as soon as I finish catching up with things online.  A friend told me about a website for core exercises.  The site is Random Abs.  There is no sign up or anything...just go there everyday and get a new core workout.  They also have links to show you how to do each exercise in case you are not familiar with the names.  I'm going to give it a try.

This weekend I'm really going to have to watch it.  Bama is playing LSU, so there will probably be 2-3 bars in my future this weekend.  In case you are not a college football fan like I am, it's a HUGE game!  In my opinion and according to the rankings we are the best two teams in the nation.  It's a shame we are in the same conference and this isn't the national championship game.  The game is Saturday and ESPN has been here since Wednesday and filming live since Thursday.  I was so excited to see the Gameday guys yesterday as I was coming from class.  Roll Tide!
ESPN UA/LSU Commercial

Back to something fitness related lol!  I'm going to have to give away this extra Halloween candy.  I cannot even tell you how many Blow Pops I have eaten.  I'm planning to take it to my parents and they will probably take it to our church to give to the kids there.  I have no idea what I'm going to eat today.  I need to go grocery shopping and I need to plan out my list ahead of time, so I won't stray from it.  So far, I've still been doing a good job avoiding the candy and cookie aisle.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I won't get any blogging done again until Sunday or Monday, so I hope everyone has a great weekend!


David Guetta ft Usher - Without You

2 Years in the Making

(I originally wrote this blog on Friday, Oct. 21, 2011)

First, and most importantly, it’s time for the Dora song. I DID IT!  I DID IT! I DID IT!  YAY!  I am now in the 220s, which is the lowest weight I’ve been in over 2 years!  I’m so excited!  REALLY EXCITED!  Can’t you tell by all the exclamation marks!  Lol!  Today was not my official weigh in day, but since I was only 0.6 lbs away, I’ve been stepping on the scale every other day.  I want to celebrate, but I can’t think of a reward that does not involve food, alcohol, or money (I’m trying to spend less right now).  I am less than 3 lbs away from the lowest weight I’ve been in many many years, probably somewhere between 6-8 years.  Since that’s so close maybe I’ll save the reward for that milestone.  I’m eyeing a dress that’s on clearance for $15, and I’m thinking that might be my reward when I lose the next 3 lbs.  Yes, I know, I know…I said a reward that does not involve money.  So, this is when I need for you good people to give me other options.  I seriously cannot think of anything else.  It’s also alright for you to say “just get the dress Briana.”  Haha! 

In other news I saw Sam today.  Goodness, I’ve missed him.  I have not seen him in close to 3 weeks.  I’m actually going to have to stop seeing him for a couple of months, but I still had a couple of sessions that I had already paid for.    So, I’m using them.  It’s amazing how quickly I lost all the endurance I had gained with him since June.  3 weeks off probably undid 60% of the strength and endurance I had gained in over 3 months.  I was still better today than I had been the very first time I saw him.  So, that’s good, but whew today was rough.  I had to stop and go to the bathroom because I thought I was going to vomit.    I actually had to stop twice.  Sam is not a believer in the Biggest Loser style of working out.  He doesn’t believe you should workout more than an hour and he doesn’t want you to be sick.    That is not the point of what he does.  So after the second time I was about to vomit we quit for the day.  This means I did not do the last 3 exercises (curl to press, dips, and v-ups) of the final round.  In all honesty, if Sam had said to finish I would have done it, but I was glad he said to stop.  Part of what I like about Sam’s workouts so much is that we rarely use machines.  This means when I am no longer seeing him I can still do a majority of things at home.  Today I would only need dumbbells (which I already have) for the curl to press.  Everything else used my body weight.  So, here’s what I did today.

(DID THIS TWICE)

50 Jumping Jacks

40 Squats

30 Modified Push Ups

20 Leg Lifts

10 Burpees

50 Mountain Climbers

40 Lunges

30 Curl to Press

20 Tricep Dips

10 V-Ups

On a side note, I have taken my newest set of 6 week measurements, but I’ll post that on Tuesday after the WLB results go up for the week.  So, come back on Tuesday!

I discovered today's song during a Zumba class.

Ida Corr - Let Me Think About It

Win, Lose, or Blog Post and Info

SO.........today marks the first day of the competition and I'm so excited.  My blog page is up and running here's the link to Briana's WLB Blog.  When I post there I'll try to post here too.  Some things won't really be relevant, so I may cut and paste items.  I'll definitely keep my Sam workouts here for my special anonymous commentor. I know how you like to know specifically what Sam and I did lol!  Here's my first WLB post.  If you have been following this page, then you already know most of this introductory info.

OH WAIT.....before that post.  I just came from a visit with Sam.  I'm having some breathing issues, so we took it easy.
3 ROUNDS OF EVERYTHING:
15 Push Ups
20 Walking Lunges
20 Step-Ups
15 Leg Lifts
10 Lat Pulldowns
15 Walk Outs
5 Burpees (You know I was honestly sick if Sam only made me do 3 rounds of 5 burpees lol!)
12 In and Outs

3 rounds of this took me an hour.  It normally would not have taken so long, but he gave me tons of rest breaks in order to get my breathing under control.  We also chatted about me hitting a plateau.  I've been at a standstill for a little bit.  He said it's normal, but be happy that I'm still getting smaller even though the scale is not budging.

NOW THIS IS MY WLB POST:

Hi everyone!  This is my first post for Win, Lose, or Blog and I am SO excited to be here!  If you have not already read my short bio I am 29 and I stay busy.  I've been attempting to lose weight since June with a trainer (Sam).  I blog more about my trainer here.  So far I've been doing an alright job, but I know I can do better.  On average I lose about 1 lb per week.  I know 1-2 lbs a week is what many people recommend, but I want more.  Well, if I want more I have to put in more work.  I have to work hard and eat clean.  I am not a believer in starving.  I think the most successful people with weight loss have done it the old fashioned way...exercise and portion control.

My downfall most of the time is what I eat.  I work long shifts and I also attend school full time.  My time is limited, I don't get enough sleep, and it is always so much easier to grab fast food than it is for me to actually prepare something healthy.  Plus, I'm completely addicted to salt and sugar.  I have slowly started to try and incorporate healthier foods into my diet though.  I bought a few Mrs. Dash seasonings to try and curb the salt.  I honestly had no idea there were so many salt free seasoning choices.  I also had no idea I would really like them.  Since trying new foods I have discovered that I really like hummus and pita bread, asparagus, and grilled chicken seasoned with a Mrs. Dash blend.

Another downfall of mine is cardio.  I HATE it!  I don't mind lifting weights at all.  I actually really love strength training.  Cardio is what I can't stand.  I don't like being out of breath.  I just don't enjoy it at all.  I know I have to do it though.  I'll never melt the fat away if I don't do cardio.  I think the trick is finding cardio that I enjoy.  For the most part, that is Zumba.  I also jog and use the elliptical.  Jogging is another story in itself.  Jogging and I have a love/hate relationship.  While I'm doing it, I hate it.  Once I'm done, I love it and want to jog again.  It's strange.  I'm signed up for a 5k on Oct. 15.  I will not be able to jog it all, but I'm still excited to participate.

My motivation comes and goes.  Some weeks I am all pumped up and I do everything almost perfectly.  Then there are times when I just don't feel like doing anything at all.  That's one reason I was so interested in Win, Lose or Blog.  It is another way to keep me accountable.  I'm hoping to have lost 10 lbs at the end of this 7 weeks.  That will put me around 223, which is the smallest I have been in many years.  I know it's technically a competition, but I don't feel like it really is.  By that I mean, this is such a wonderfully, supportive community of people who are all here for encouragement, support, and motivation.  I sincerely hope everyone does well. 

I always end my blogs with a song (normally from my workout playlist).  I've used this one on my main blog before.  I really love it.  Many times it is my go to song when I jog.
Janet Jackson - Make Me

Are You Serious? Really????

I cannot even count the number of times I said "Are you serious?" to Sam today.  If I was not saying that I was saying "Really???"  Yeah, it was one of those days.

Yesterday I was really excited to see him today.  I have not seen him for a session in quite awhile.  Last Friday he had to cancel because of an emergency and this past Monday I had to cancel because I was out of town.  I have been doing my homework, so I just felt like a superstar!  Well, I had to work last night, so by the time Friday morning came I was exhausted.  Plus, I was having shin issues.  I was really hoping for an easy day with Sam (cue insane laughter here).

We talked about what we both had been up to and I told him what issues I was having with the homework.  I also let him know I planned to be completely dedicated during this current 6 week stretch.  He thought I had been completely dedicated already.  So, I had to explain to him what I was REALLY doing when I was not around him.  Then he said we were doing a circuit of 2 min on a cardio machine then 3 exercises and we would do it twice.  I thought...no big deal...right....WRONG!!!!  This is what I had to do today

Treadmill jog for 2 min
1 min Mountain Climbers
20 Thrusters  (30 lb barbell)
20 Leg Lifts

Stationary Bike keep rpm above 80 for 2 min
30 sec Squats w/ Pulse
20 non-modified Pushups
20 Wall Balls

Elliptical Trainer keeps steps per minture above 120 for 2 min
15 Alligator Walk  (instead of a quick continuous movement I walked my hands out after I moved each leg)
1  min Burpees
20 TRX Row
2 min Rowing Machine

2 min water break then do it all over again

Looking at this typed out, it doesn't look like much, but just try it.  It's torture.  This will seriously get tagged as an insane workout.  When I left the gym my body just felt like dead weight.  I was not sore...yet, but it felt like body parts were just there.  I have to admit though, once I was done I felt amazing.  I had this Superwoman or She-Ra (I know I'm not the only person who watched She-Ra) glow. The fact I had completed this monster of a workout made me feel invincible.  I wanted to go jog a mile and had delusions of kickboxing.  Yeah, that would be the endorphins kicking in. 
No worries, I listened to my head and got in the car and headed home...no crazy extra working out.  Good thing, because less than 24hrs later.  I am ridiculously sore.  I normally feel my worst close to 24-36 hrs later, so I am not looking forward to the soreness I will have after I wake up tomorrow.

My eating is going really well so far this week.  I only had one slip up and that was Thursday.  Wendy's was calling my name and I ordered a value french fry and a crispy chicken sandwich.  I had eaten so well previously in the day that even with the Wendy's food I was in range for the day.  I think only having one slip up in a week is pretty wonderful knowing how I normally eat.  Mrs. Dash has become my friend.  I was shocked by how many salt free seasoning are in the grocery store.  I currently own three (garlic and herb, chicken blend, and lemon pepper).  Right now they are enough to keep my taste buds entertained. 

Saturdays are my weigh in days, so I'm hoping this week has paid off.  Unless I do something spectacular I won't blog over the weekend.  So, you'll have to wait to find out how my weekly weigh in went.  Regardless, I can say that I feel better.  I honestly feel smaller, whether I actually am or not.  I've had a successful week and for that I am proud.  I feel like celebrating!

Today's song was chosen because I feel good!  So, push play and get moving people!
Cobra Starship - You Make Me Feel...