Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Getting my butt kicked...

So yesterday marked the start of week 5 and Phase 2 for me in Jamie Eason's live fit trainer which means I'm back to doing cardio! Yay! And without fail phase 2 is bringing new challenges for me. I'm pretty sure I've already said before that this program is pushing me out of my comfort zone because I'm doing exercises I've been too intimidated to try in the past. But I really want to push my body and get the most out of this program so I've been sucking it up and lifting with the big boys the past few weeks.
Today however was a big step for me, in my mind anyways. The workouts change a bit with each phase and I was liking the chest workout in phase 1. I've never really worked chest much (for obvious reasons lol) but the exercises Jamie has in phase 1 aren't too scary. Oh boy but what's this, today you want me doing barbell bench press? Whoa, I don't think I've ever dared to wander over by those benches with racks and grunting men. "Hmmm maybe I'll just do my normal dumbell bench press." No way! Had I chickened out and done the dumbell bench press that I was used to I would have been mad with myself when I left the gym. So I sucked it up, picked a bench far away from everyone, unloaded the ridiculous amount of weight that was on the barbell and got to work. By my second set I was getting the hang of it and it wasn't so scary anymore.
And boy oh boy did this workout kick my butt, I was sweating before I even did my cardio. Oh and cardio, man I missed it, nothing like walking out of the gym lookin like a hot sweaty mess.
"I am Hans." "Und I am Franz." "Und ve just vant to pump... (clap) ...YOU UP!"

Here's what I did today:

Chest/Abs

Superset:

End of superset; resume normal sets

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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Treadmills and Weights and Jump Ropes oh my!

Why do people dislike working out so much? I just don't get it. I'll be the first to admit that getting up in the am for my workouts is a STRUGGLE, but that's because getting up at 5am is stupid. But once I'm in the gym doing what I do I am so happy. I love every minute of it. Most days I wish I had the time to stay longer and just do a little more. But what is up with all these deprivation diets instead of just eating healthy and working out? Feels like most people around me are trying some sort of crazy diet and avoiding  the gym as a way to drop some lbs. Now of course I know this method will work, starve yourself long enough and you'll see the scale go down for sure. But if you're trying to lose weight, what is so gosh darn scary about working out? How hard is it to go for a walk, pick up a weight, jump some rope? I'm not trying to be mean here, I'm just confused.

As for me, I'm on week 3 of Jamie Eason's Live Fit 12 week trainer. I've got 1 week left and then I start phase 2 of the program and get back into some cardio. But I've gotta say these past 3 weeks of no cardio haven't been as hard as I thought they would be. Lifting is pretty rewarding for me. I'm really loving this program and it's up on bodybuilding.com for anyone to jump in and get started on at any time. Here's what I did today...

Workout

CHEST/TRICEPS

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Thursday, September 15, 2011

TWENTY-FIVE...with a bullet.

As my 25th birthday got closer and closer I really thought that once the day finally arrived I was going to have an anxiety attack or be on the verge of a quarter life crisis. Now had I not made the life changes I did this year and my outlook on things not changed, that anxiety attack may have really happened. But overall the inner me is in a really good place these days. I struggled a lot in my late teens and early twenties with creating my own happiness, trying to fit every square into a circle. I was always thinking, "Well if this & that happen, I'll be happy" "If this would just come together, I'll be happy" "If I had that, then I'll be happy."

I'm 25, I'm still in school, I still have the same job doing something I don't love or even really like, I'm struggling to hold on to certain friendships, I'm not where I saw myself being by 25. If I had woke up yesterday morning and thought all that, I would be going through a crisis.
Instead this is how I see it: I'm 25, I'm going to school for something I have discovered I love, I have a full time job, I have this amazing bond and friendship with my family, The MAN I love is my best friend, a three and five year old have stolen my heart and taught me the true meaning of patience and understanding, and for the first time in a long time I feel comfortable in my own skin.
The blessings in my life outweigh anything that I could view as a negative. Unlike in the past, today I have real goals set for myself and real motivation from within. So many of us want others to bring us happiness, we view it as something received. And I thought that way for a long time, but now I feel such a strong sense of peace in myself because I know that the part of the happiness I feel is from what I have accomplished, and set out to accomplish for the future.

So no quarter life crisis here, but I hope the next 25 don't fly by as quickly as the first :-)

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Thursday, September 8, 2011

My Recent Adventures...

Oh boy, lots of updating to do here!

Well, first backpacking. I don't think there's really a good way to plan everything out 100% for an area you've never hiked through and when you aren't really sure what to expect. Saying that I think we did a pretty good job. What was supposed to be 3 days of hiking turned into only 2 (partly because we're crazy and the other part because we had no where to camp). We got a late start on day 1 and didn't end up hiking all the way to Mt. Tallac, we sort of went up and around it and then camped for the night at the most mosquito infested lake I've ever been to. These blood suckers were mean, and deet did not scare them! After being attacked by them again the next morning we were off to Lake Aloha. Day 2's hike was BEAUTIFUL. We got to see so many amazing things, take some great pictures, and even hike through SNOW. We took a long lunch once we got to Lake Aloha and soaked up the sun and scenery.
Lake Aloha, lunch spot


Well after lunch we realized there was no way we would be able to camp out at Aloha. There was snow (so it would be freezing) and it was way to rocky and really no where to set up tents. So we were off to find another campsite along the way. We walked and walked and walked and ended up reaching Lake Echo which was our destination for the following day, only to discover there was no where to camp their either. By this time it was around 5 or 6 pm, I personally was HUNGRY and tired and my feet were aching. We pushed through it and hiked another 2 miles to the lodge where our car was parked. We ended up camping at Camp Richardson the remander of our trip and ate at Applebee's and had pizza delivered to our campsite. Who does that? Haha.

My backpacking trip was followed up by a week in Vegas and then a busy Labor Day weekend. I was well aware that Vegas was going to = some major slacking in the fitness department but heck its VEGAS and we only live once. So I indulged, and probably a little too much because some days I felt like a balloon about to pop! We managed to get in one great workout one of the days but that was it. We got some sun, ate what we wanted, drank what we wanted, and just had a great time overall.
Night 1: the nachos I ate at Margaritaville


The fun (and terrible eating) continued once we got back. Family parties, football, Giants game...more food, more drinks, more fun. I thought for sure I had gained 10lbs, but somehow by the grace of the fitness fairy I managed to not gain a single pound during my week long foodfest...phew!
But now I'm back on track, back to striving to eat clean every day at every meal. And this week I started a new 12 week trainer. In the past I've mentioned that I'm a big fan of bodybuilding.com and fitness model Jamie Eason. Well they got together and put together an amazing program that I hope will help get me to the next level. The entire 12 weeks is planned out for you, daily workouts, meal plans, grocery lists, It's pretty great anyone at any level can do it. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html
Check it out!!
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Thursday, August 25, 2011

My Motivation

One of the most common things I hear from friends and family is, "I wish I was as motivated as you." Most people make comments to me that its great that I do what I do, but they just don't have the time, or knowledge, or drive. My theory is either you want it or you don't. It's really that simple. Every other time I ever tried to get in shape failed because at the end of the day I wasn't truly dedicated, I didn't want it bad enough. I still wanted fast food and junk over a size 4. If my goal was truly to be healthy then I would have stuck with it. It all boils down to being sick and tired of being sick and tired. 5am workouts aren't as brutal when you're serious about your health. Giving up junk is a "piece of cake" when you've had enough of feeling bad about yourself. One of the things that helped me the most were all the blogs and groups I started to follow on my journey. Learing tips and ideas from other people who had the same goals as me gave me fresh ideas and a fresh outlook. Another thing was the way I felt when I started eating clean. I felt amazing after a few weeks of clean eating. Then once I eliminated dairy (which I didn't even know had been causing me all sorts of stomach issues) and excessive grains I felt even better.
Each person has to find their own motivation. Mine was not wanting to feel the way I did about myself for the rest of my life. I wanted to be active, I wanted to be energized. And when you're serious about it you'll make time to workout, whether it be at 5am or on your lunch break. When you're serious staying up late to make the nexts days food won't be a chore.








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Monday, August 8, 2011

Lions, Tigers, No Bathrooms? Oh my!

Damn right.


4 days of backpacking in Tahoe is quickly approaching. We are only 2 weeks away and I'm still very excited but there are several new things popping up in my head that I'm a little nervous about. Let me start by saying that I'm super excited for the challenge of hiking for 4 days with all my gear, this is just another way to push myself. I would consider myself a pretty outdoorsy girl, I've always loved camping and I don't have a problem going a few days without straitening my hair or wearing makeup, and I'm even ok with not being able to take a shower while we're gone. But this no bathroom issue has me thinking. I mean what happens if I have to go in the middle of the night? Just me and my flashlight forge out into the wilderness?? Haha. And we can't build camp fires so there goes any light or warmth we might need at night. These are currently my 2 greatest worries, I'm honestly not even giving any thought to bears. I'm just hoping that if one does roll through our camp that I'm fast enough asleep to not hear it. My "excitedness" does out way my worries and I'm hoping to come back with some great stories and pictures.

Ok, now I wanna talk about food. In my quest to eat clean I've discovered some new things that I really love. I try not to add sugar to anything that I eat or eat foods with lots of added sugar. So that means when it comes to oatmeal I've got to get creative, because lets face it, plain oatmeal just isn't that great. So after trying protein powder, cinnamon, vanilla, i've found that my favorite thing is fresh berries or bananas. Just enough sweetness for me to enjoy it. Another thing i'm loving is almond milk. I was really missing my shakes when I gave up milk, but this is just the same! I would prefer the unsweetened kind but Steve likes it too so I compromise and get the regular, with a couple grams of sugar. My next new thing is sauteing veggies. Whatever I've got a I'll throw together and saute with some olive oil, garlic and onion. Goes good with everything and is a good way to eat more than one veggie with dinner. I usually add them to some quinoa, which is probably one of the ugliest foods but its a good grain and it doesn't taste bad. 
I finally tried the whole kale chips thing that everyone raves about, but kale is NOT for me. I just was not a fan of the taste. But I can say I tried it. The more I try though the more I find I like, and that Steve likes. So until he complains I'm just gonna keep throwing stuff together. Haha.

Oh and I do have to get on my soapbox about one topic real quick...dried fruit. STAY AWAY. Just eat the fresh stuff and leave dried fruit alone. You might as well just buy a box of candy because the amount of sugar they add to that stuff is ridiculous!

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Wednesday, August 3, 2011

My self-image needs to shape up!

There is definitely some sort of mental disconnect between what I now see in the mirror and reality. Most girls have major self image issues in high school, I was lucky enough for whatever reason to not really worry much about my body then (at least I don't remember really spending lots of time worrying about it). It wasn't until after I graduated that I became pretty hard on myself. That's when I really started comparing myself to other girls and analyzing every "flaw" I saw in the mirror. I actually know exactly what my insecurities stem from, but that issue is no longer important. And so hating my body began. Things got worse around 2008 when I gained weight. I hated getting dressed because I hated the way I looked in everything I wore.
When this whole weight loss thing got started I thought to myself, "If I just lose X amount of weight I'll be happy, I'll like what I see." But now that I've shed the weight I feel like I'm harder on myself now then I ever was in the past. It's like my brain can't understand that my size 4 pants are < my size 10's that are in a bag in the garage. I'm not even excited that only a handful of clothes in my closet fit. I noticed this whole issue a few weeks back. It was one of those running into someone I haven't seen in forever moments. An agent at work tells me how thin I am and says, "you're not trying to lose anymore are you?" In reality I am so I told her, "only 10 more." And she says, "from where?! you don't have 10 more to lose!" I laughed but in my mind I was thinking this lady is nuts! I have this and that and my waist, and on and on I went in my mind. I couldn't take her compliment, instead it just made me think of everything I don't like.
I don't think I have delusional ideas in my head of what I want to look like, but I do think that I am way to hard on myself lately. And not only what I see but also about what I put in my mouth. I worry that every not so perfect thing is going to make me gain, I stress about an imperfect day.
This whole thing is so much more then just physical, I need to be putting just as much time and patience towards my mental growth and maturity as I am to changing the outside.
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