Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday...

I trained hard yesterday, to the point where my forearms and triceps made it difficult to lift my arms... I smiled to myself while I was walking into the grocery store to get milk. Lifting the milk was a challenge (to say the least) and I chuckled out loud. 

Today was all set to be a killer cardio session (in my head) but when I got to the gym I wasn't so sure my body was going to agree and do what I was asking of it. My iPod is my lifeline when doing cardio and of course, it was dead. I made do with my phone

Treadmill, hill setting, level 6, walked for 10 min, slow jogged at 5.0 for 20 min, 5 min cool down. 263 cals, 2.4 miles, 35 min total. 

Sweat is pouring down my head, chest, and back. It feels great. 

Bad Habits

Another week has gone by and I must have been pretty focused since I didn't even make time to blog!  Haha!

Yesterday's workout was a doozy and I'm definitely feeling it today.  Tomorrow should be fun!  Oy!

Weight still holding steady BUT that should be changing soon...

After reading a post on Facebook (one of the many health and wellness related 'friends'), I decided on Sunday that I no longer wanted to drink energy drinks.  This coming from someone who wakes up and has one then has ANOTHER one around lunchtime!  Yikes!

I started my Monday off on the right foot with my final energy drink and as of now, I still haven't had one.  not to say that I don't want one.  Yeah...  I want one.  LIke, BAD.  I've copied and pasted the below post from the Girls Gone Healthy Facebook page:

Question from one of the GIRLS ~ 

"What is the number one thing you did that helped you lose weight?"

There are so many things. One of the most important was getting the diet drinks and diet items out of my life. They are so full of chemicals and preservative and were really holding my metabolism back. Additionally they were harming my body! For the week it took me to detox from soda - yes, detox. I had intense headaches and felt physically ill. That in itself shows you how horrible they are for you. Trust me - I did not want to get rid of diet soda. I thought I had every right to it and held on to it like a life preserver for years. The week after I gave it up not only did my mind feel clearer but I lost 10 lbs - I would say a total win.

I've heard enough about kicking the aspartame and other artificial sweeteners.  I've had enough of working hard and allowing something so minor to possibly be tripping me up.  Would you give up your favorite food or drink if you KNEW you'd drop 10 lbs?  I sure as heck would!  And I have.  Obviously, I don't know that I'll lose even ONE pound from not drinking energy drinks, but I DO know that it sure won't hurt to try it and get healthier in the process!

What unhealthy habits have you successfully stopped or changed?  I know you feel better for it and would love to hear all about it!

Magnificent Monday!

Happy Monday!

I had a nice weekend with the family despite not feeling 100%.  Got some kind of weird jaw pain going on and I'm not sure what's causing it...

Anyway, I still made it in for this morning's Tabata style workout.  It was tough but good, and I know I'm sure to feel it tomorrow!

I'm having to modify this week's training since I know I won't be able to make it into the club in the mornings again until Friday.  Instead of allowing it to throw me off course (I've been doing SO well!), I'm going to plan out my workouts tonight and simply stick with it just like my morning appointments with myself during the week.  The exact same morning routine, except without burning the extra gas.  Haha!

I weighed this morning and was up about two pounds (like I am every month around this time).  I took my BMI and bodyfat measurements and am curious to see how they compare.  I feel SO much better, man!  My balance and flexibility have both improved though, outside of a handful of stability-focused exercises,  that has not been my primary focus.  I actually noticed it on vacation.  I was getting dressed and, being the less-than-five-feet-tall shorty that I am, I like to wear platform wedges.  (What?  They make me taller and elongate my legs!)  While I was changing, I easily bent over to adjust the strap on my shoes.  It wasn't anything difficult or amazing, I was just able to bend over without having to hold my breath and adjust my shoe.  And it was nice.

It was nice not to have to worry about finding a surface that was just the right height.  I just bent over and did it.

Sometimes it's just the simple things that make it worthwhile...  

Friday Finale!

I've gotten to the gym as planned this week. We managed to break my suv's front passenger window. Well, break sounds like an understatement. It was completely shattered...

Because "my time" is in the morning and with our having to drop off my SUV early to have the window replaced, I planned on doing something at home yesterday morning. I ended up knocking out some burpees. Didn't get all crazy sweaty or anything, but I did SOMETHING (which is always better than nothing). 

Today's workout was very challenging but it was awesome! I'm actually updating this as I walking the treadmill. It took me a good 10 minutes to catch my breath afterward. 

I have noticed in the past few months that I've made some good changes. First and foremost, I've gotten back in the routine of my weekday morning workouts. After being out of it for six months!!!, the challenge of working with trainers was exactly what I needed to make that happen. Now, my mornings don't feel complete without them. 

I've noticed that my clothes all fit again. I feel overall tighter and firmer -- legs, arms, midsection. My balance and flexibility have both improved, which is something I use on a daily basis. 

I'll be doing my second Spartan Race in October this year, too, and can't wait to see how well it goes now that I'm actually in a shape other than 'round'! Haha! 

Additionally, taking a break during our vacation was a good way to hit the reset button. I've come back refreshed and able to see things in perspective a bit better than before we took it. Taking breaks here and there are a good thing. A lot of the guys that come in have worked themselves to a point of burnout, so when they take a week or two off and come back in after having rested, they find themselves actually making gains on the gym that they weren't expecting. It's nice to hear them tell me about it!

Walking on Treadmill, 30 min, 1.38 miles

Anyway, I need to go wrap things up for the week. I hope you guys all have a great weekend! 

Cardioing!

Biked it today! 

35 minutes, 210 cals, 7.91 miles

Shoulders are sore from yesterday and now I'm all sweaty. Feels so good!

One Step Back

One step back always leads to two steps forward! I have worked out hard for three days--twice with weights, one hard cardio session--so after not stepping foot in the gym for 10 days, muscle soreness kicked in with a vengeance! The nice thing about having stopped and started working out several before is that I know to expect the soreness when getting back into my workout routine. 

Choosing to work through the soreness (and not allowing myself to use it as an excuse), is part of what I know is going to be the difference between success or another failure. I'd much rather add a notch of success to my belt, wouldn't you?! 

WALKED, slowly at 3.0, 35 minutes, 1.66 miles, 151 cals burned. 

I'm Back!

I've had a crazy busy few weeks that peaked right at time for me to take a vacation! Man, it came at the right time!

Now my vacation is over--one that also included a break from my workouts, but not completely from watching what I was eating a I enjoyed myself though not to an extreme.

I worked out on weights yesterday (Monday) and am feeling it today though I'm not surprised. Haha! Today was cardio. I wasn't sure what is be up to doing, so I just jumped on in!

Treadmill, hill for warm up (10 min at 3.5 mph), sprits for 20 min (3.2 jog speed, 8.5 run speed, mostly one minute intervals), 291 cals, 3.26 miles, 45 min total which includes a 5 min cool down. Feeling overall pretty good!

According to the scale I did gain 2 lbs over the vacation, but I'm sure a good bit is from water weight, so I'll up my water intake to try to flush that out. 

The vacation was just what I needed to recharge my batteries and I'm ready to get back to it!