I am about 2 weeks overdue for a post, I know.  But that doesn’t mean I’ve fallen off the wagon.  I am still working out regularly.  The past few weeks have been a bit hectic with work, yet another trip to Atlanta (on business this time), and studying for the MPRE, I am just BEAT.

I have switched up the workout, yet again.  I decided that instead of doubling it up when I go and doing 30-40 mins of cardio followed by another 20-30 mins of strength training and abs, I’ve decided to dedicate entire sessions to each seperately to give my body a break in between.  Another good thing about this is that I can do more of each on those days.  So on cardio days I get in 45 minutes to an hour of cardio, usually rotating exercises (running on the track, elliptical, stairmaster, bike, etc.).  And then on my strength training days I do the same and by the time I am done I REALLY feel like I’m getting in a great workout.

I went to walmart and bought some free weights and a new exercise ball (since clearly I am not getting my old one back) because the school’s gym is going to be closed for term break from Aug 9-19 (about 10 days) and then when it does open back up again it will have limited hours from the Aug 20-25 when school starts.  So I had to go spend some money on some equipment to make sure I stay motivated, LOL. 

I am hoping the gym closing doesn’t really set me back… too much. *sigh*  Pray for me.

14 Weeks (to my 24th Birthday) and Counting. I’ve got 14 weeks to complete about.com’s 12 week program (or some variation thereof) and lose 20lbs. So here goes:

Day 1, Monday, 7/14/08 || Focus: Cardio (Interval Training)

Since I’ve been on this work out trip for a while, I decided to do the suggested intermediate/advanced cardio work out instead of the “beginners”. I did 35 minutes of interval training on the Elliptical. The resistence/intensity alternated between 0 and 9 every 2 minutes. By the last set, my legs felt like rubber (in a good way though, lol). So I did the cool down stretches suggested in the program. I felt really good afterwards and that is probably why I played brave and decided to go over and beyond! I picked up 8lb weights and started doing squats and walking lunges like it was nobody’s business for another 20 minutes or so, until I couldn’t do it anymore. Then I got down on the mat and did a few ab exercises, until I literally started feeling sick. Then I dragged my pathetic behind to my car and off to WalMart to get groceries and some other stuff. Lugging all that crap upstairs to my 2nd floor apartment was another workout in and of itself.

Yes, Monday was overkill times 10. I will know better next time.

Day 2, Tuesday, 7/15/08 || Focus: Strength Training/Active Rest

This day was painful. I woke up and my thighs were KILLING me. It wasn’t even the regular after workout dull ache. I literally fell out of my bed onto the floor. I will know not to play hero in the future, but today I decided to deviate from the program. The program suggested that I do a lot of what I had done the day before so it wasn’t so bad. It called for squats, lunges, bicep curls, tricep presses, and a few other things. You couldn’t pay me to do anymore leg work today so what I did instead was 30 minutes of ab workouts and tried to have an active day. I went to the library. I parked far away and took the stairs. Then I went to the lake. I could only manage to walk around it once since my thighs were singing a tune I did not know. In the interest of staying active and being out and about I got home and tried to go to the pool at my complex, but it was closed so I spent the rest of my evening inside reading. I tried to remember to get up and pace every hour or so… Sitting wasn’t painful at all, but the process of standing up and sitting down was pretty difficult.

Day 3, Wednesday, 7/16/08 || Focus: REST

My thighs still hurt, but I decided to suck it up. I got out of bed, did some leg stretches (ouch).  I still wasn’t ready to get back on the plan.  But I did do my 20 minute ab pilates routine, some tricep dips and some push ups.  That was about it.

Day 4, Thursday, 7/17/08 || Focus:  More Cardio (Endurance)

I had to double back and do the stuff I skipped on day 3 of the plan.  I spent 35 minutes on the elliptical.  I kept an almost constant pace.  After the first 5 minutes warming up, I set the resistance to 4 and got down to business.  After cooling down, I stretched.  Once again, I decided to go over and beyond what the plan dictated, but I was determined not to over do it.  So I got in a little bit of ab work and then I did some arm/(chest?) work on the bench press-type machine.  Then I did the lat pull down.  And then I did some work with the free weights focusing on my biceps, triceps, and shoulders.

Day 5, Friday, 7/18/08  || Focus:  Doing whatever the heck I felt like!

Since I did all the upper body strength training I was scheduled to do today, yesterday, I switched it up today.  I jumped rope for a bit with my weighted jump rope and just tried to stay active throughout the day instead of just sitting in front of my computer.  Before I go to bed in a few minutes, I’m going to do my 20 minute ab pilates routine and possibly work in the bun and thighs routine too since my legs finally feel like they’re back to almost 98%.

Over the weekend, my plan is to go to the gym 2 days in a row and put in some serious work.  I’ll keep you posted.

Thanks for your continued support!

I am back from HOTLanta. I had a GREAT time! I really think I might move there when I’m done with law school.

Here’s what my workout was like this week:

Day 1: I went to the gym. I wasn’t in the mood for my regular work out so I decided to do some swimming. I really forgot how much of a workout that can be. By the time I made it to the other side of the pool the first time, my heart rate was up. I had to rest a bit before heading back. I am not a great swimmer to begin with, so it really required more exertion than I’m used to. Also, I’m not much of a pool person. I am used to swimming in the ocean, where the salt water helps you float more and you don’t have to exert as much energy to stay afloat. But all in all, I thought it was pretty good. I did a couple of laps, then played around with the basketball in the pool.

After that, I went into the jacuzzi for about 10 mins, then I tried the sauna for the first time. It was absolutely UNBEARABLE, for me. You walk in and it’s just this dry, funky heat rising up off the rocks. I felt like I was in some stinky desert. Needless to say, I won’t be trying that again any time soon. I couldn’t breathe! I opted for the steam room instead. The moist heat was MUCH better. It was still crazy hot, but bearable. It felt more like a hot day in the Amazon Rain Forest in the steam room. After 10 mins in there, it was time to hit the showers and head home. Later on that night, I did my 20 minute ab pilates.

(I must say, my skin looked extra good the following day, I am attributing that to the steam room)

Day 2: I wasn’t back in my gym mode yet, so I jumped rope at home and later on in the afternoon, I went down to Lake Ella and did a couple of laps around that. Lake Ella is about 6/10th of a mile. So my 3 times around it was almost 2 miles. Not a great feat, but it’s better than nothing.

Day 3: I went back to the gym for my regular style work out. I briskly walked the mile or so from my house to the gym around 11am. The sun was pretty hot, but it wasn’t unbearable. Once I got to the gym, I hopped on the elliptical for another 30 mins of cardio. I kept my heart rate above the fat burn and well into the cario zone throught that time except for the last 5 mins, which served as a cool down.

Once I got done on the elliptical, I got in a few ab exercises and then I did some work on my shoulders, triceps, and biceps with the free weights; Sticking to my 10-12 reps in sets of 3. It’s getting easier, so soon I will be increasing my reps, NOT necessarily increasing the weight just yet, because my goal is toning and weight loss, not building muscle.

After that, I walked home in the high noon sun. I swear it felt like it was 100 degrees! But once I got done, I felt pretty good.

All in all, I feel like I did a good job this week, if not a great job. I think I will try to make it a habit of walking to the gym and back since I’ve got a little extra time on my hands right now. I’ll need to start going earlier though, so I can escape the worst of the sun.

That’s it for the work out this week.

Next week, I’m going to start the about.com 12-week work out so I can maintain some structure and give you some more specific updates on what I’m doing. I also bought a new tape measure, so my new measurements should be coming soon.

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I caught the season premier of Baldwin Hills last week and for a nice change the show had a positive message. Kirk Franklin made an appearance on the show and his message really struck a chord and resonated with me and some of the things that I am going through in my life right now. Here’s a summary of what he said:

Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. Because as Christians we have to remember, that’s what we signed up for… If you are not experiencing any problems in your life; if you are not having any hating, going on in your life; if you’re not having any backstabbing and people hurting you and people dogging you out, you may need to question whether you really signed up. Cause the BIBLE says (not Kirk), in this world, you’re going to have many troubles and tribulations because when you give your heart to Christ you are saying that “I am willing to be weird, different, and understand that hell is going to come my way.” That’s what I signed up for.

Being persecuted, lied on, being talked about, crying sometimes, walking by myself sometimes. That’s what I signed up for…

So with everything that I’m going through right now, I am going to keep reminding myself that this is what I signed up for. And I am going to keep my feet steady on the path that I have laid out for myself. All the obstacles, set backs, trials, tribulations, haters, distractions, noise… They’re just stepping stones and they will not deter me from my purpose. Because THIS IS WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR!

So now that my extended 4th of July vacation is over, I am back and more focused than ever on my goals.  I took A LOT of pics in ATL, and I realized that I really am not happy with certain aspects of my body so I’m rededicating myself to fixing those pesky problem areas once and for all so I can take pictures and not worry about whether my stomach is going to look poochie in them.  Tomorrow is D-day.  I’ll keep you posted.

So as I was talking about in my last post, I had issues with my car. On Monday the Mechanics back in Lansing, finally agreed to send a new part, once they got my old part. So I dropped my car off at the mechanic here in Tallahassee so they could take out my Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) and send it to the Lansing mechanics, who would then send the new one… As of yesterday when I called the mechanic here, they had yet to receive the new TPS, but they said that once they got it, it shouldn’t take them more than a few hours to put it in. I am worried that I won’t have my car back in time to drive to Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon, but I’m crossing my fingers. :((

So… what does this mean for my workout? It means, I have to change it up a bit since I can’t drive to the gym anymore… hence, the title^ LOL. Yes, I know I’m corny. Anyway, working out at home hasn’t been so bad. For cardio, I dug out this weighted jump rope I bought a few years back. Since jumping rope gets pretty redundant, I made sure to do it between 1 and 2 p.m. when I was watching Days of Our Lives. That way, I was sure to get in about an hour (off and on). As you know by now, I’m not much of a calorie counter, but it certainly felt like I was burning a lot. After a week of doing that, my calves feel like STEEL! They were actually sore for the first 3 days. Who knew? After jumping rope, later on in the day, I worked in some ab pilates (courtesy of Mari Winsor and her dvd’s). Followed those up with some squats, lunges, and push ups because they were the only thing I could think of to do to work my arms out, short of doing bicep curls with my soup cans.

Can’t really say much for results this week. I feel some tone coming back. I am also gaining back some of my self confidence. I realized that over the past 6 months, I have been through a lot that has left me emotionally drained and my confidence at at its lowest. I am working on getting myself back though. By my birthday in October, I am determined to shed everything that has been weighing me down, physically AND emotionally.

Between Monday-Saturday, I went to the gym 3 times. Got in some pretty good work outs. See blog supra for Gym Day 1 details.

Gym Day 2: For some cardio I jogged 1.5 miles on the track to start, then did some ab work on the mat, then I did a mixture of upper and lower body exercises on the machines and also got in some more ab work on some weird looking machine that twists you from side to side. Did more bicep curls and other arm exercises with some 8-15lb weights. Also worked in some lat pull downs. Toned arms are a must. I try to do everything in 3’s. Usually between 10-12 reps x 3 alternating b/w machines and exercises for variety during the time “between reps” that they say you should take. Then went back up to the track and jogged/walked for a cool down mile. All in all, I feel good about the work I did.

Gym Day 3: Between the elliptical and track, I got in about 45 mins of cardio. I dedicated most of the rest of my workout to toning my legs and glutes. Squats, walking lunges, leg extension machine (and the one that goes the other direction), and some other machines that I don’t really know the name of.

Since all the classes during the week are usually jam packed with barely any breathing room, I am going to try going to the Abs & Back weekend class today at 5:00p.m. in the hopes that I will be able to extend my arms without smacking someone. Here’s the description from FSU’s website:

“This is a class especially designed to target and strengthen weak abdominals and improve lower back muscles. The 30-minute session emphasizes safe and effective exercises for abdominal, oblique, and erector spinae muscles. Whatever your fitness level, our energetic instructors will provide a workout environment that will inspire and keep you back for more!”

Right… Anyway, there’s a step class right after that which I am considering going to, but am reluctant to do because I am the LEAST coordinated person you will ever meet. And step classes just remind me of Richard Simmons (who is making a come back selling the SAME workout videos he sold in the 80′S!)… not a good look. I will let you know whether I attempt it.

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A few random, unrelated thoughts…

-considering making this my main blog since it’s really time consuming to maintain both, this for strictly fitness related stuff and the myspace for all the other stuff…

-need to finish decorating the apartment… probably won’t get done until after my final on July 1… Make that after I get back from ATL on July 6.

-MUST INSTALL CURTAINS FOR BEDROOM WINDOW!! I couldn’t get to sleep last night until like 3:30a.m. and was awakened this morning by entirely too much light shining through the cheap azz blinds at 8:00a.m. and could not get back to sleep! I am a morning person and I like to be up early, but this is INSANE. My eyes are burning from lack of sleep.

-In need of a vacation… Planning to be in Atlanta for 4th of July (actually from the 2nd-6th) with BFF Ms. Felix. It’s going to be loads and loads of fun. Something that is sorely lacking in my life right now. It will probably be my last hurrah for the summer though if I don’t get a job and stop spending money like it’s going out of style! Speaking of style… I cannot wait to go SHOE SHOPPING there.

–Complication with trip… car has problems. Paid to get problems fixed back in January and apparently are still not fixed… Shop in MI that did the work is being difficult and won’t stand behind their “lifetime warranty” since I am in FL now… bastards… The war is not lost yet though. Going into battle again on Monday… developing…

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This entry is entirely too long, so I’m going to stop here, lol.

Yes, I am ashamed to say, I really fell off once I got down to warmer parts. Since I got to Tallahassee, 2 months ago, I think I’ve been to the gym 5-6 times. In between that, I’ve been working out sporadically at home, but not nearly as much as I should have been.

So I’m starting ALL over again. I was taking two classes this summer, one of which I took the final exam for on Friday (Consumer Law). So now I’ve only got State Constitutional Law to worry about. My final for that is in a little less than 2 weeks. So aside from studying for that and job hunting, I really have nothing else to do this summer. So I have no excuse not to work out and get back on track with reach my goal by my 24th birthday in October.

In my defense, I really did have a lot of other things going on in my life… I let other people and their issues make me lose sight of what was more important. But I’m not going to get into all that because then I’d just be making excuses for myself.

So anyway, I went to the gym today. I ran about 1.2mi on the track. Spent another 20 mins on the elliptical and then I worked on my abs (the biggest problem area) and toning my arms. For the ab work, I did a some pilates. I can always get a good burn going with those. For the arms, I did 80 bicep curls with 10lb weights. And then a few other variations on that (i.e. arm extension up and to the front, out and to the side, behind the head and up) with 8lb weights 15 reps x 3. So yeah, a pretty decent workout for my first day “back on the elliptical”, lol.

A short, quick update…

So I’ve been going to the gym.  The scale is still stuck, but things are definitely tighter and more toned.  I’ve upped my weights by about 15 lbs on average.  I’ve been adding 30 seconds to my cario each week (I know… slow, but steady).  It’s getting easier and easier and I feel like I’m building up my endurance.

Once I make the big move to Tallahassee, I really plan to kick it into high gear.  The big move is this Sunday.

Anyway, it’s supposedly the first day of Spring… Looking outside, you wouldn’t know it.   Damn this place called Lansing, MI.

The scale is stuck ya’ll.  I got down to 150 and now I’m back at 152.  I’ve been there for the past week or so.   On the plus side, I have noticed that I’m a bit more toned already.  Still trying to stick with the gym at least 4 times a week.

Having a desk job where people are watching your every move is HARD!  Being chained to that desk all day makes me feel really antsy and feeling like people are scrutinizing my every move makes me feel like smacking someone.

Anyway, I’m not mad at the added muscle.  Although muscle weighs more than fat, it does help burn fat and it looks a lot better than having a whole lot of jiggling going on, so it’s a nice trade off.

Hopefully now that Spring is supposedly here, I’ll be able to do more outdoors stuff rather than being cooped up inside that funky old gym all the damn time.  The smells in the gym are a HUGE motivation killer for me. Just thinking about it disturbs me… But ah well, a means to an end  *sigh*

I’m off to watch Smallville and then head to the gym around 9.  Then I’m going to try to go again first thing in the morning.  (See Leria, I am going!!!)

I’m going to try to update this once a week every Friday.

I’ve enlisted one of my best friends as my fitness buddy. We’re both trying to do this the right way so why not motivate one another and do it together? I’m excited already. She’s going to start posting as well. Her blog is here: http://blessedleria.wordpress.com

After about a week of doing the workout I outlined in the previous post, I’m at 152 (5lbs down). I haven’t changed my diet really at all and don’t really plan to. What I am going to do though is stop eating after 7:30p.m.

So basically my plan is to go slow but steady, so I’m not drastically dropping weight only to put it back on just as quickly when I can’t take eating salad anymore.Rob suggested that I should try the whole more meals throughout the day at consistent times to boost my metabolism. It will take some planning since my schedule is kind of hectic, but I’ll try it because the goal is realistic and it’s something I could see myself doing throughout life. HOPEFULLY, my body won’t take it as a license to really pack on the poundage. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes if/when I start it.

That’s it for now.

~B

P.S.: As we all know, weight loss isn’t always the best indicator of how effective your workout is going, so… I’m also going to track my measurements… Here’s what they are right now:

Body Part	Inches
Breast	38.5
Stomach	32
Hips	42
L Arm/Bicep	10
L Thigh	24
Calf	14

This is a tracker I made in Excel to track my progress… (Click to Enlarge)

*Sigh* So now you now EVERYTHING.