First outside run in ages

I finally got my butt outside for a run this morning. It was hot already...I should have left earlier. I did 3.25 miles in about 30 minutes which is not too bad. I live in a hilly area so adapting to the up and downs will take a little bit of time. It's good to have those hills though because it keeps the run more interesting. It has seriously been so so long since I have run outside. This run hurt though as my joints are still adjusting to running. It is my right ankle that just hurts like hell. I know this is just a normal adjustment period that I have to get used to.

On another note I drank too much beer last night. Not alone though, with friends. I do not have a hangover because I drank a butt-load of water last night. I just feel yucky....like I ate too much and had a little too much beer (which is what happened). I had fun though with the girls. My biggest decision now is if I want to go to the gym later and lift some weights because I haven't all week. I think I may, just to keep the rest of my body strong still. Plus, I have a lot of calories to burn off from last night.

I have some delicious meat to grill up today so that is exciting.

I ran 6.36 miles today in 60 minutes...then the treadmill forced me to do a cool down. I felt good the whole time. Now, I know a lot about health and nutrition and what a person should eat before a long run or any endurance cardio, but let me tell you, my body responds best to preservative-filled, super sugary cereal. Today I had Reese's Peanut Butter Cups cereal. I have done long workouts or long bike rides after eating a "good" breakfast of egg and whole grains, but I feel infinitely better when I eat sugary crap before I do anything like that. Anyways, I wanted to go 7 miles, but the treadmill forces the cool down after 60 min. This just means I need to get my ass outside and run on the road, which I realize will be harder. At least I am keeping myself in good cardio shape for running by doing it on the treadmill.

I made something delicious today. Homemade egg" mcmuffins."

I got the recipe idea off of this website. I added Canadian bacon which was a delicious decision! Anyways, it's another grab and go thing that I am hoping Chris will eat. It is so frustrating to me how unhealthy he is. It's even MORE frustrating that he doesn't see it that way. For our honeymoon we want to go to Colorado...I want to hike, he would probably die.These things bother me more when I realize that we will be together forever and I may have to be the one that takes care of him if he doesn't shape up his lifestyle. Now if something catastrophic were to happen (cancer, accident, etc...) I would not be upset. Preventable illness/injury would make me upset. Oh well, you cannot force people to change.

Let's talk about something. I may or may not have an alcohol problem. I do not drink a lot when I drink, but I drink often. I only drink beer and I only drink beer that I like. That being said, I will drink 2 or 3 beers every night. I know other people that do this and probably never consider it a problem. I, however, have a terrible habit of getting addicted to things. I have poor impulse control and I have problems saying no if I want something. This brings me to tonight. It is Friday night and I am trying not to drink a beer or two or three, but it is difficult. I last drank on Tuesday (again, only 2 beers) but I had also drank just about every day for the whole entire week before. Maybe even two weeks. I just think it may be getting out of control. This brings me to the next issue, going out with friends. All my friends are big beer drinkers (again, not a lot, but we all love it). Tomorrow I am supposed to go to a friend's house where I will want 2 or 3 beers. Now I have my alcohol limit and I am good at sticking to it, but the point is I will probably not say no. I just think if I feel like it is a problem, it probably is a problem.

On another note, I am debating doing a half marathon in December. Running has always been a bit of mental (and physical) torture for me...and this week I have been completely run down and have skipped the gym for 4 days in a row (unheard of for me). I feel my motivation coming back even as I sit here tonight. The thing is if I start to run, I need to run outside and that means my whole workout schedule will be changed. I normally go after work and that is not an option yet living in Tucson, AZ. I'm still debating and while I debate I will do my lifts and run on the treadmill. I do have to admit that taking 4 days off from the gym has felt good. I think my body may have needed it.

One problem I have when I am trying not to drink is that I eat a lot...and I eat terribly. *sigh* I really will need to get back in the gym tomorrow.

So I've noticed a trend...

I've been reading more blogs online recently. Health and fitness blogs to be exact. Now some are awesome, with genuinely healthy people that do not obsess about what they eat, but others...Some people are restrictive, only eating certain foods. Others are following something called "intuitive eating" which appears to be a good idea, but I think some people use it as an excuse to binge eat (probably after all the restrictive eating they have been doing). No, I have no idea why I care about these random internet people and what they eat. I think it is just annoying that food is still so important and obsessed about among women. Food, of course, is important, but so are friends and family and books and "Star Trek" and doggies and about a zillion other things worth talking about more than food and how much you exercised. I will tell you what, I do not care how "little" you ate or how you "only had (insert low-calorie food here)" even though you went to the gym 4 hours. What a waste of time and life to obsess about these things. I'm so angry about it in part because I see it in myself to an extent. I am better than I used to be, but I am not going to delusion myself into thinking I do not feel guilty as hell if I don't get 5 days of exercise in a week. I'm working on it though and I do not only "allow" myself certain foods if I went to the gym. I think finding the balance is important. I will not miss important things because I think I have to go workout, I will not deny myself certain foods because I didn't go to the gym one day. I will not care if I go home after lifting instead of doing cardio because I am hungry after an 11 hour day. I will however feed my body the real nutrients it needs, I will keep it strong by both strengthening and doing cardio, I will sleep well, I will drink water.

I will not obsess. 

I will continue to watch Bro Science and laugh my ass off.

And I swear to science if I hear someone say the word "skinny" again before a delicious food I will punch them. Just eat your damn food and don't brag about it being healthy. Just eat, don't be crazy.

End rant.

Meal Planning

I need to start meal planning again! I feel I have been slightly out of control with my food recently and it is reflecting in my weight. I had gotten down to my lowest weight, but now I am back up and that makes me sad :( Keep in mind, these are all weights within 5 lbs or so of each other so I don't panic that much. My lifts were good last week, but my cardio was not. Also, I only worked out 4 days instead of 5. Well tomorrow begins a new week! So back to meal planning.

Mon:
Breakfast: Toast w/ peanut butter and banana
Lunch: Sandwich (not sure what kind yet)
Dinner: Steak with roasted vegetables (zucchini, onion, maybe cook up some spinach)
Snacks: Hummus and pretzel crisps probably...because I am obsessed.

Tomorrow at the gym I think I will do legs or back and biceps. Maybe a total body weight workout. We'll see what I feel like when I get there.

Vows to myself.

Sometimes I find something important in life that I vow to always remember. Today was one of those days. Now I don't know anything about being a mother, as I am not one yet, but someday I will be if it is in the cards for me. When that time comes, I want to try to remember to be thankful for my kid's health and for my health, instead of dwelling on how tired I am and how annoying it is that babies do not sleep. I think my only other vow for life so far has been to not be a crazy person about my wedding. The wedding is slightly less than three months away and I think I am doing a good job so far. I have a few mental panics, but I don't think I have been obnoxious to be around yet. The older I get the more I feel that life is just about perspective.

Leg Day

Today is Sunday so therefore leg day. I did a shorter leg day on Wednesday also so my motivation is not very high at the moment. I would rather spend my day out by the pool than doing legs, but there will be time for that this afternoon. Last night was delicious. We made kebabs. So much meat! I love it. For my first part of breakfast I had toast with peanut butter and banana.

It was delicious and filling. However, I may be having a two part breakfast today. Yesterday I had the same thing for breakfast and half-way through my workout I started getting hunger cramps. This week has been good at the gym, but my motivation has still been down. Also, I have been drinking beer too much again. Now that my wedding is only about 4 months away, I really need to cut back and also start really watching my food. I know I do not need to lose weight for the wedding, but it would be nice to just really tone up and slim down.

Chris and I are going to San Diego on Wednesday and I am SUPER excited! It's been far too long since I have had a vacation (unless you count camping...which I don't).

Today has been rough.

Today was not the best day ever. I don't really want to go into why because it is mostly inconsequential. Sometimes, you just have a bad day....and mine usually fall on a Tuesday for whatever reason. My workout motivation and intensity has been waning recently. I'm just...tired. I've heard a lot of people tell me recently that I have lost weight (which I haven't...at all...in months) to which I have to explain that it's all just in muscle form now. Hearing those things in a small, minuscule way, makes me want to lose more, it makes me obsess about it. It's not necessarily happening yet, but that little voice can creep back in sometimes. I have to remind myself just how much better it is to be healthy. I think I've just gotten to the point where I am sick of thinking about what workout I am going to, and what foods I will have to bring to work to make sure my workout will be a good one, and when I will get my cardio in, etc...I hate to say it, but I am approaching the point where I think I need a solid, lazy weekend. At least San Diego is coming soon! I really just need a vacation. I also need to start planning the fact that I want to apply to PT school. Life needs to slow down a little bit. I just have to remember, in a few months I will be marrying my best friend, and really no matter what happens I will have a good support system. I just need to stop over thinking and just DO things that feel good and make me happy. The world will not end if I skip a chest day, or half-ass a bicep workout. It is time to just chill out a little bit and focus on what I need to do.

I sort of feel better already just putting all this into a text so it can be organized in my mind a bit. Okay, deep breath, everything will be fine!

Lack of Motivation

I'm having trouble getting motivated today to go to the gym. Sunday is leg day, and I thoroughly enjoy leg day, but today I am just tired. Now the question is, how do I convince myself to go when I do not want to? Fortunately, I am very good at talking myself into getting to the gym. The first thing I will do is get a good breakfast in my system. If I'm tired like this, it usually means I need something healthy to eat with a good amount of protein. Also, coffee and a lot of water helps. The second way to get myself there is to just throw on my workout spandex and go before my brain has a chance to make excuses. The third is knowing I have people expecting me to do and I cannot be the "lazy" one that makes excuses. The fourth thing I will do (which I try not to do often) is use the reward system. I don't think this is that practical very often because being healthy is reward in and of itself  BUT some days I just offer myself something extra if I make it to the gym.

On that note, there are a few pieces from modcloth that I really want to purchase.

I think there earrings are just adorable!

I love bows so I am obsessed with this shirt!

I do need to look at new swim suits because I am going to San Diego in a few weeks! I am so excited to go! Chris and I are going alone, which will be nice for some private time together. 

Okay, time for some breakfast and working on dragging myself to the gym. I think part of the issue is that I would rather do something different other than legs today. Something more dynamic, more fun....however, my hamstrings do need some love.

I made something delicious!

Last night I made something sooooo good! I found it here! 

It is a "pasta" dish made with zucchini and squash as the noodles. It also has onion, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, garbanzo beans, and Parmesan cheese. The link above will get you to the youtube tutorial. I'm devouring the last of it right now and I wish I had more! It is super healthy (especially if you leave out the cheese, but who would want to do that!).

My wokout today was exhausting, but that is in part because I woke up at 4 am and could not go back to sleep. A nap is definitely in my future. I ran today and my calves, which barely recovered from Wed, are screaming at me again!

Coffee Talk

Yet again in my life I am having trouble with alcohol. Not a lot of alcohol, but I've had too much. I don't need a beer (or two...or three) after work on a Wednesday. It is just extra calories. Tonight I had half a beer and then decided I didn't want to finish it and made coffee instead. I don't know what's wrong with me recently that I feel like I need to drink every night. There must be some boredom in my life. Maybe it is because Chris has rekindled his world of warcraft habit and is raiding again. Regardless, that is no excuse! My workouts have been good; they have been strong. I took two rest days this week although I am regretting not going today. The past two days I did new and different workouts so that is sort of exciting. I have been having troubles with my left hip recently though which is making running and rowing difficult. I was rowing yesterday and had to stop after 5 minutes because my hip flexor was just killing me. Ah, old age. Tomorrow is back to a normal chest, triceps, and shoulder workout. I will probably do some cardio as well. Chris and I have a trip planned to San Diego at the end of the month so I am needing that extra cardio (especially since I have been drinking too much!) On the plus side, I have been good about eating meals throughout the day so I have no longer been binge eating at night!

Today after work I did a lot of house cleaning, but our house still seems to dirty. With two dogs and a cat, things get so dusty and covered in fur and it is so frustrating! I'm thinking about making a chore list, but I'm not sure how on-board Chris would be. Or how on-board I would be for that matter. Some days I just don't care enough to clean anything. My kitchen and living room are clean right now and I love it. I need to vacuum the couch though...*sigh* it never ends and I don't even have real children yet.

I am trying to decide something healthy and different to try to make this weekend. To pinterest I go!

Birthdays, Food, etc...

This week was my birthday so it was a lot of fun and food and beer. Workouts have been good with the exception of cardio. I have to incorporate it more, but sometimes, after I have been at the gym for so long, I just want to go home. As the wedding gets closer it is something I may adjust. I may cut out a few of the strengthening exercises (do I really need to do 3 different triceps exercises on Sat) so I have more time for cardio. We will see. I know how important the strength training is and I love how I feel with it. I have been more into the HIIT with my cardio. It makes me less bored and really forces me to work hard. Today is leg day. After that I am meeting my mom and grandma for coffee.

Yesterday Chris and I made kebabs. They were delicious! I want to make them against, but with steak and more mushrooms! Summer is officially here in Tucson. The high yesterday was around 104. Today will not be much better.

Yummy yummy!

Body Weight Workout

Today I did a body weight workout and it was very difficult after yesterday's leg day. Here is what I did:

- 30 Burpees
- 30 Knee is on stability ball (these have a real name, but I cannot remember it)
- 10 Burpees
- 30 Plank w/ elbow to opposite elbow tough
- 10 Burpees
- 10 Plank w/ opposite arm and leg reach
- 50 Mountain climbers
- 10 Burpees w/ push up
- 50 Lunge kicks (25 on each side)
- 60 Russian twists
- 30 V-ups
- 50 Plank Jacks
- 30 Push ups

Then did 10 minutes on the stationary bike. After the very difficult leg day yesterday this was just brutal. Also, I'm exhausted from being up late and waking up so early. A nap will definitely be in my future today!

What I Plan to do Today.

Today is Saturday and I love Saturday. I woke up really early because when 5 dogs are fighting over the bed space, it is tough to sleep! In the interest of getting back on track, I made a very healthy, vegetable filled breakfast.

There is red cabbage, spinach, egg whites, yellow and orange bell peppers, and garlic. I ate it with ketchup because I will never be able to give that up. So this was pretty healthy. I like making the effort to cook something because I feel like I appreciate it more. However, I do not appreciate dishes. The other day I was so frustrated by all the dishes that I just wanted to go eat out so I wouldn't have to worry about it!

I am back to tracking foods with myfitnesspal.

Gym today is a must! I am feeling much better! I need to do abs, chest, triceps, shoulders, and maybe some cardio. Next week I will need to hit the gym with full force to make up for this pathetic week of inactivity and eating and drinking too much crap. I am happy I have managed to stay away from fast food, but it was just barely.

Bad Week

This was a bad week. I got a wisdom tooth pulled then I got a little sick. I missed the gym for 4 days which is the longest I have gone without going in many many months. I went today to try to do back/biceps and had to drop every weight by about 10-15 lbs. It was pathetic

I bought my mom this cup for Mother's Day and feel like I am drowning a giraffe.

Tomorrow I need to get back on track with the gym and with eating. I weighed myself today and actually lost weigh...probably muscles disappearing. I still don't feel 100% so we'll see when I am able to get back to normal at the gym. 

I'm watching 5 dogs this weekend. My 2 dogs and my parent's 3 dogs. It should be entertaining! Also, they have a pool so maybe I can get something resembling a tan! Hah, I doubt it, but it will be nice to get some sun!

Bad Day and the Need for Rest Days...

Today was just a bad day. I was 30 minutes into the day when a patient yelled at me because he wrote down the time wrong for his appointment. Also I just woke up exhausted. Today was just tiring for me. I was also bitchy to Chris without meaning to be. I guess sometimes a person will just have a bad day. I'm home and it's over and I feel better. I did not work out today even though I brought all my stuff. I have just been exhausted. I don't know if I need to up my calories or just take a bit of a rest. I think I just need to rest. I have been going full force with almost every workout and last week I only took one rest day. Tomorrow I am getting a wisdom tooth removed. It's just a simple extraction, nothing crazy. I am, however, being banned from work due to possible novocain- induced blood drool. All my days off are a result of a flu/tooth extraction/car accident/lung infection. Last year, for the whole year, I had 6 days off that were actually for fun.

So this whole bad-day/tooth pulling thing will be interfering with my workouts. Tomorrow I will not go (and be a good little patient).

Wednesday will have to be back/biceps/abs.

Thursday will be this workout which I attempted last Friday. I say attempted because I could not do it all. I'm in pretty good shape, but DAMN it was hard.

I made stuffed bell pepper for dinner with ground turkey. I don't even like bell peppers, but I'm trying to be healthy and it was healthy. All I really wanted was a big mac all day. It's like I have actually gained some self control over my binge eating habits. This is what I ate:

I think I would still rather have a big mac.

A Request~

I have had a request from my mom to start a blog with my workouts for her to follow easily. So luckily I already have a blog that I sometimes talk about exercise is so there we go!

Update on Yesterday:

Chest/shoulder/triceps:

1) Bench Press: 4x10 (warmup set + 3 strength sets)
2) Dumbbell Incline Press: 3x10 (35#, 40# last set, each dumbbell)
3) Front, Lateral, and Rear Deltoid Raises: 3x10ish
4) Supine Chest Flys (using cables): 3x10
5) Skull Crushers: 3x10
6) Triceps Extensions with the Rope: 3x10
7) Dips: Body weight to failure, 3 sets

So it was exhausting yesterday. My bench went up to 115 lbs. Now that my plateau is broken, I'm going up steadily which is nice.

My body feels exhausted today, but I think it's because I only had one rest day this week. BUT today is leg day so we can't stop now!

I have been really good with strengthening, but bad with cardio this past week. I have had a friend and Chris wanting to work out with me and I wanted to continue my normal workouts so my strengthening has been increased a bit. I did discover an awesome new cardio torture device today; the stepmill thing (where the steps just keep moving). I did 20 minutes at level 7-10 (level 10 did not last long) and I was sweating buckets. It will help with the hike I have coming up. My eating was so-so this week. Yesterday I sort of binge ate and it reflected on the scale this morning. Also, I need to not drink beer. Yes, it's worked its way back into my life and is so detrimental to my caloric intake. So I need to get back on the bandwagon because I lost more weight without it. I have started using http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ to track my calories. I have just started today so hopefully I can keep up with it to help me drop a few unwanted pounds. I only want to lose about 5. I cannot get below 140 and it's bothering me. I know my body has changed as I have gained muscle, but now I would like to slim down. It might help if I didn't skip cardio. Tomorrow is leg day then will start a new week. I'm going to focus some more on legs next week since this week was so much upper body. Legs and making sure to not skip cardio.

Here's a picture of my dog chewing up some toilet paper. He's cute, but needs to get out of his chewing stage!

I Love Saturday Mornings!

It is Saturday morning and I have been up since my usual 5:30 am time. I love these mornings. They are so peaceful. I just get to drink my coffee, eat my oatmeal, and watch "The Biggest Loser" in peace. Yes, I am obsessed with that show. It motivates me to get my ass to the gym. I've been pretty consistent about getting myself to the gym 5 days a week. Not every workout is fantastic, but every workout happens and sometimes when you have a full life and full-time job that is the best you can ask for. Chris has come with me 2 times this week and says he will come today. I am so happy, but I am skeptical that he will keep it up for more than this week. I hope he will. As I have been working out more, I have grown much more attracted to a muscular physique. Also, I think the biggest issue for me is that I want someone to have the determination to want to better themselves. Today is chest/triceps day at the gym. Since my normal workout partner is on vacation, I have changed up my workout routines slightly. I know there is advantages to changing the routine and keeping your body guessing. I will probably weigh myself today even though my weight rarely changes. My diet has still been getting better and better each week. It's nowhere near perfect, but I know for a fact that I cannot do a major overhaul or I will fail miserably. Next week I am going to cut out sour cream, mayonnaise, and cheese (to an extent). I am going to add in more vegetables and brown rice. My biggest issue is that at work I do not get lunch breaks so it is important that I prep a lunch before. I usually just end up with pb&j or some sandwich. Or sometimes nothing. I just need to prep better on Sunday or something.

On other notes, I got a little taste of baby fever yesterday when I went out with a friend and co-worker who has a 4 month old. I'm glad I don't have a kid yet, but he was so cute. God, Jillian Michaels has fantastic arms. I need to do more cardio today. I have been slacking a little just because Chris doesn't have the endurance that I do. Oh well, I will take it if means he comes with me. I just really hope he sticks with this.

Weekends go by too fast...

I'm proud to say my diet has been pretty on point today. Yesterday also. Considering I spent the whole week binge eating, this makes me feel better. I will have only had 4 workouts this week instead of my usual 5, but at least I am getting back on track. My motivation and energy levels are still low though.

Chris bought me a grill as an early birthday present and I could not be happier! I LOVE grilled food! He grilled me some chicken and it is just so fantastic.

Right now I am trying to get him to go get frozen yogurt with me. It's a Saturday night...most couples are doing something a little more exciting. However, he will not get off his goddamn video game. I like video games, I understand they are fun, but for fuck's sake, there needs to be a limit. That reminds me, I need to call my old therapist who also does couple's counseling...I still worry about this wedding thing. Maybe I wouldn't worry so much if he acted like he wanted to do anything with me. Oh well, no sense in depressing myself right now. I have decided for my 27th birthday to climb up Mount Wrightson again. I may party a bit the weekend before because it is Memorial weekend.

Workouts and Cheez-Its

God damn I love CHEEZ-ITs. I'm eating them right now and they are delicious! And no, I do not care if they make me fat. I may go on a diet 3 months before my wedding, but for now I will eat whatever and just workout a lot. I have frustrations to vent and I am going to do that here because I can. I get off work, come home and walk the dogs. Then I make dinner (which Chris doesn't eat because he eats crap at work). Then I go to the gym, come home, and then do the dishes. What did my husband-to-be do while this was happening? Nothing. Not a damn thing that didn't involve video games. I did try to get him to come to the gym with me for the 3000th time to no avail. Yesterday he did something really nice. He cooked me dinner since my back was killing me from dead lifts. I know it is pointless to keep score, but that barely makes up for Saturday when he slept all day while I went to the grocery store, picked up all the dog poop, cleaned the kitchen, and steam cleaned the living room. Now I know I am high energy, higher than most, but I do expect some level of work to be put into the relationship and I am just not getting that. I guess it is important for me to remember that I can only change myself and I can only control myself. Oh the plus side, I have still not had a drop of alcohol. The beer in my fridge is calling me though. I know I am eating more as mental compensation for the lack of alcohol. My brain needs something. Exercise is, of course, always something I turn to (these days anyways), but food is also. I think if I did not exercise like I do, I would be really fat.

Rough Time

I am having a rough time right now. I've realized I needed to quit drinking. The fact that it has only been one week and it is this difficult reminds me that I do have an addictive personality and I do need to be careful with these things. I have always assumed since my first time in rehab that I would probably be back at some point (although my first time in rehab was not substance related). Last night a bunch of people, including Chris, went out. I wanted to go, I did, but I did not want to be up late, I did not want to be tempted to drink or smoke. What I wanted, and what I did, was to go to bed early, to wake up early, and to get a good workout in. I am thinking about signing up for a 10k that is May 5. I am terrified though. Running has always been so hard for me. I don't know what I am afraid of though. I could just walk if I needed to. I did run 4 miles for the first time in forever on Tuesday. I ran 3 miles today. I think I may do it. Mostly right now I need an excuse, for myself and for others, to not drink. Plus every time I am unhappy with Chris, it helps me to sign up for an event. I know I cannot change him, but I want him to try harder in the relationship. At the store I bought time a steak...he didn't even deserve it. Oh well.

I've been bad at updating...

I have obviously been very bad at updating. Life just got busy and pretty confusing for awhile. I am getting married in October, but it is hitting me that there are some very serious relationship issues that we need to work on. This has affected both my eating and my workouts. Also, I have been drinking too much beer which, as everyone knows, is very bad for the waistline. Fortunately on Tuesday when I weighed myself I was at my comfortable weight, but who knows what I am today after going to a beerfest yesterday. I've been cycling on Sundays instead of doing leg day, but today I will probably go do some legs. I feel a little too sluggish to try to get on a bike. I do need to stop this whole drinking thing. I don't need to drink much to feel blah the next day and I don't like it. Plus with my history it is a little dangerous for me to be drinking regularly. On the plus side, I have not been binge eating this weekend like I normally do...at least until I got home from the beer festival last night.*sigh* I need to get my shit together because I feel everything is slightly unraveling and that scares me.

Well I finally had my first wedding nightmare. The nightmare was me looking through my wedding photos and realizing how fat I was. However, in the dream photos I was huge. In real life I am not huge. I sometimes  binge eat, but I am in no way huge. In my dream I was probably 60 lbs heavier than I am now. This dream did get me out of my workout rut that I was feeling. I was just losing my motivation and not wanting to work hard. Today I did a mish-mash workout:

- 50 squats
- 50 mountain climbers
- 50 lunges
- 50 bicycle crunches
- 50 squat jumps
- 50 russian twists
- 50 jumping jacks
- 50 sec plank
- 50 pushups (I did on knees and not all 50 because tomorrow is chest/shoulder day)
- 50 second wall sit
- 50 bridges on a ball with hamstring
- 50 second high knees

I finished it off with a mile run. I probably could have run more, but I wanted to get home to clean my house. My house is in dire need of needing to be cleaned so I did some stuff. Now I am procrastinating by writing this and not cleaning more. Also, I am drinking beer which is not good for my wedding nightmares.

Friday is finally here!

This was a very fast week, but a week where I am exceptionally glad that it is Friday! The main reason why is because I am going to the Renaissance Festival tomorrow which is one of my favorite events of the year. Here are a few photos from last year and I plan on reliving every wonderful moment. This does however mean I am going to eat like a pig all day tomorrow. I went to the gym today in anticipation, but I probably could have worked harder. It is difficult to go to the gym right after work on a Friday. I am missing my normal chest/shoulder/triceps day so I did it today. I did a complete half-assed job though. Then I ran, but only a mile. Yesterday I ran 3 miles and did some abs. Well not all weeks can be spectacular.

I am doing this run on March 16. My company is paying for our registration fee which is awesome. I haven't done any sort of event since November (El Tour de Tucson) so I have been feeling the itch for a race of some sort. Not that I ever care much about time for anything, I just like finishing these events and getting a T-shirt.

Oh My Leg Day.

I am EXHAUSTED! Leg day was rough...a little more rough than usual. I blame dead lifting. Here's the workout:

Leg Day

1. Squats: 4 sets, max weight 155 lbs.
2. Dead Lifts: 3 sets, max weight 105 lbs.
3. Hack Squats: 3 sets, 100 lbs.
4. Single Leg Press: 3 sets, 160 lbs
5. Calf press (on same machine as single leg press): Don't remember weight
6. 20 minutes on stationary bike, pushing hard.

I will need to remember to stretch so my hamstrings don't tighten up terribly, even though they will anyways.

My diet has been bad still and I need to fix it soon. I have an idea for dinner which should be okay. I'm going to use this recipe and modify it slightly. Or a lot...we'll see what ingredients I have around. All I know is garlic + everything = amazing.

On another note I am so ready for summer and warmth. Okay, I live in Southern Arizona and it is 72 degrees today, but I am yearning for some 90 degree weather by a pool. I'll probably take my dog for a walk since it is so nice out. Also I could use the sun.

I'm busy cramming rice cakes in my mouth. I love love love the white cheddar ones :)

I am obsessed!

I Wear Makeup at the Gym

Yes, I am an annoying person that wears makeup at the gym. Not a lot, not foundation, but mascara and sometimes eye shadow. I don't care if it gets sweated off, I like to look normal at least when I arrive. This leads to me talk about my day of bench pressing. I despise bench pressing because it is so hard and I feel it's completely unnecessary, but I do it because the person I work out with does it. Anyways, today an old man complimented me on my bench press, "for a woman." Bench pressing makes me feel like Robin from "How I Met Your Mother" in the episode where they all go to the gym. So I wear my makeup to counteract that feeling. I wear makeup during leg day too, because I can squat 150ish lbs and that feels manly. I don't like feeling manly. I was able to do 5 unassisted dips today (which I do at the end of the workout which I will list below) so that was good.

Chest/Shoulder/Triceps Day:

1. Bench Press: warm up set with just the bar. Then 3 sets of 10, ending at 95 lbs (I only got 7).
2. Chest Press: 1 set of 10, 25 lbs. 2 sets of 10 with 30 lbs.
3. Some shoulder crap: Flexion, abduction, bent over fly...I don't know what to call any of it, but I don't like it.
4. Flys supine on a ball: 3 sets of 10. Used the machine and don't remember weight.
5. Military Press: 20 lbs each hand, 3 sets of 10.
6. Skull Crushers: The bar thing with 15lbs added to each side. I don't know what the bar weights (it's not the big 45 lbs one). 3 sets of 10.
7. Triceps with the rope: 3 sets of 10.
8: Dips: 5 unassisted, set of 12 assisted with 40 lbs, set of 10 assisted with 30 pounds. Burn out set, only got six.

Also we started with abs. Also I ran 1.5 miles before we started all that. Saturday and Sunday I am at the gym for awhile. There's a good deal of procrastination going on and also I have a gym buddy that day so we switch off and it takes longer. I like my Saturday routine. Oh and my biceps are starting to show more. They are little, but that line is starting. Woot! Next goal, get abs like this girl below haha. Not going to happen, I eat a crap diet.

Why Are Titles So Hard?!

This week has been rough. Work has been so chaotic and busy. I like busy, I really do, but I feel this week I have been stretched too thin. I have still made it to the gym regularly. I've had no energy. With work being so busy I haven't had a chance to eat lunch all week. I'm still drinking my protein shake in the morning, but then having no food until the evening has just drained me. BUT now it is Friday and the week is over and hurray!! I have no serious plans this weekend aside from the gym. Tomorrow is my least favorite day; it is chest/shoulder/triceps day and I dislike it so much because I am so bad at it. Then Sunday is leg day and if you ever need motivation to do legs, here you go:




I need to go to the grocery store and try to get some easy foods that I can eat really fast so I don't die or crash out anymore.

Some day I am going to start taking pictures to see how my body is changing between now and my wedding, but at the moment I just ate a bunch of chips and salsa so that is not going to happen now. I did weight myself today and I am at a weight I am happy with. My weight has not changed overly much in recent months; it's been within 140-144 lbs and I am comfortable there. I would like to go down a little lower so I have been starting to run some more recently. I am pleased because back in May my weight was 151 and that was just too much (I'm 5'8" so it's not terrible, but I like to be lower). I would like to be down to 135 in a little while. The problem with gaining muscle is you don't necessarily lose weight, however, I like how my body is looking. I definitely need to improve my diet though. Someday I may start taking photos to document.

My muscles are ALIVE!

So I don't like starting out new blogs, but I have some fitness goals that I have been working on for the past few months and I want a place to document my progress because I have been making some awesome progress. Let's start from the semi beginning; I've done some triathlons, lots of cycling, but have recently (well in the past 4 months) have started doing some decent strength training.

Today was a leg day and I LOVE leg day! It's hard, yes, but vastly preferable to chest/shoulder/triceps day which kills me.

Leg Workout

1. Squats-4 sets. Warm up set was bar only. Sets were #115, #125, #135, #145.
2. Deadlifts - 3 sets; first 2 were 95 lbs, last set was 105 lbs.
3. Hack Squats- 3 sets, all at 180 lbs.
4. Single leg press on a machine I call the pelvis crusher since it is above you and tried to kill me once. 90 lbs at the end, 3 sets.
5. Calf raises-3 sets plus burnout at the end, 155lbs (my highest yet)
6. 20 minutes of intense cardio on the bike at the end

Then I went to Wildflower with my mom and it was delicious.

In addition to strength training I have been trying to increase my cardio to drop some extraneous flab. I have a wedding to get ready for after all! In all seriousness, weight loss is  not my goal. My goal is to get stronger and more cut. I know for a fact my diet needs work, but I have been working on getting better recently. I have added a protein smoothie to my morning routine (a vast improvement over eating nothing for breakfast) and I have already noticed such a difference in my energy levels and workouts. I am high energy anyways, but the protein smoothie has helped a lot. I also had the flu twice this year so recovering from both of those was slow going, but now I feel better than ever and am on par with my previous weights for everything. My next goal is to continue to add miles to my run. I am finally back at 3 miles after being sick for a month (which ended on me being on strong antibiotics). Anyhoo, this is where I am at. I am going to go try to stretch my hamstrings since deadlifts make it so I can't walk the next day!