Treadmill again today. I decided to set the heart rate at 150. I'm torn about what to set this at. I broke a great sweat, and felt good afterward, and I think I could have even gone up a little higher. You can see, I burned a LOT less calories today than I did yesterday at the higher setting. Like I said yesterday, my target fat burning heart rate is between 109-127ish. So, will I burn less fat if I go higher? I don't know. I need to ask someone who actually knows what the hell all this means!
Treadmill
595 calories
3.22 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Ab coaster 2x(30/30/30)
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
12/4/13
Woo hoo!!! Four days in a row so far.... =)
I decided to do the treadmill again today, since I think it was a pretty good workout yesterday.
Yesterday when I was setting the machine, I needed to put in my target heart rate. Well, I had NO idea what to program in, since I have NO idea what it is. Back when I first joined the gym a year ago, I had a meeting with the personal trainer, and we used some formula to figure it out. I thought mine was around 145, so be in the "fat burning zone," so that's what I put in yesterday. But, I vaguely remember having to use your age and weight to get the number, and since I'm about 40 lbs lighter than I was when I first joined, I thought that just might be right.
So, when I got to the gym today, I asked the girls at the counter if they new the formula, or if they could find the worksheet we used. The gym manager found a sheet, looked at it, and told me, "Oh, it's 220 minus your age." Hmmm...ok. I guess. That would make my target heart rate 175. Ok, great.
I got on the treadmill, set it for "fat burn," and punched in 175 when it asked for target heart rate. Well, HOLY HELL, I think that broad was trying to kill me!! Yesterday, when I had put in 145, it was already quite a workout. This? This was HARD!
The machine kept upping the incline, in order to get my heart pounding, and so I'd hit that number. Yesterday, I said I wasn't sure if 11.4 was a high incline. Well, hell's bells, the machine went to 15 today!
I tried to keep up, I promise I did. But, it was just a little too much. I ended up only doing 35 minutes, instead of 65. BUT, I didn't stop there. I simply reset the machine for a target rate of 150, and did another 35 minutes. With that, here are today's numbers:
Treadmill (set for a target rate of 175)
388 calories
1.56 miles
35 minutes
Treadmill (set for a target rate of 150)
346 calories
1.73 miles
35 minutes
And, just because it makes me feel better to see the totals...
734 calories
3.29 miles
70 minutes
Isn't it interesting how I went less distance, but burned more calories, at the higher setting? I guess it makes sense, though, since my heart was working harder.
I added back one more machine today, too.
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Ab coaster 2x(30/30/30)
Because I did an "extra" five minutes on the treadmill, and I added back a machine, I figured I finally earned a massage. Man, oh man, did I enjoy the hell out of it, too. =)
~~~UPDATE~~
Ok, I went online and searched for the formula to figure out this heart rate thing. And, yes, according to this, that girl really WAS trying to kill me! According to what I read here, my target fat burning heart rate should be between 108.6-126.7!!! 175 my ASS!!
I decided to do the treadmill again today, since I think it was a pretty good workout yesterday.
Yesterday when I was setting the machine, I needed to put in my target heart rate. Well, I had NO idea what to program in, since I have NO idea what it is. Back when I first joined the gym a year ago, I had a meeting with the personal trainer, and we used some formula to figure it out. I thought mine was around 145, so be in the "fat burning zone," so that's what I put in yesterday. But, I vaguely remember having to use your age and weight to get the number, and since I'm about 40 lbs lighter than I was when I first joined, I thought that just might be right.
So, when I got to the gym today, I asked the girls at the counter if they new the formula, or if they could find the worksheet we used. The gym manager found a sheet, looked at it, and told me, "Oh, it's 220 minus your age." Hmmm...ok. I guess. That would make my target heart rate 175. Ok, great.
I got on the treadmill, set it for "fat burn," and punched in 175 when it asked for target heart rate. Well, HOLY HELL, I think that broad was trying to kill me!! Yesterday, when I had put in 145, it was already quite a workout. This? This was HARD!
The machine kept upping the incline, in order to get my heart pounding, and so I'd hit that number. Yesterday, I said I wasn't sure if 11.4 was a high incline. Well, hell's bells, the machine went to 15 today!
I tried to keep up, I promise I did. But, it was just a little too much. I ended up only doing 35 minutes, instead of 65. BUT, I didn't stop there. I simply reset the machine for a target rate of 150, and did another 35 minutes. With that, here are today's numbers:
Treadmill (set for a target rate of 175)
388 calories
1.56 miles
35 minutes
Treadmill (set for a target rate of 150)
346 calories
1.73 miles
35 minutes
And, just because it makes me feel better to see the totals...
734 calories
3.29 miles
70 minutes
Isn't it interesting how I went less distance, but burned more calories, at the higher setting? I guess it makes sense, though, since my heart was working harder.
I added back one more machine today, too.
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Ab coaster 2x(30/30/30)
Because I did an "extra" five minutes on the treadmill, and I added back a machine, I figured I finally earned a massage. Man, oh man, did I enjoy the hell out of it, too. =)
~~~UPDATE~~
Ok, I went online and searched for the formula to figure out this heart rate thing. And, yes, according to this, that girl really WAS trying to kill me! According to what I read here, my target fat burning heart rate should be between 108.6-126.7!!! 175 my ASS!!
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
12/3/13
Some biznitch was on MY elliptical machine today when I got to the gym. Some nerve, huh??!!
So, I changed it up a bit, and used a treadmill today. I programmed it for the "fat burn" routine, and got busy. The mileage isn't as high as what I do on the elliptical, but then I realized it's about how far I go when I go for a run, so I'm happy with it. Plus, the "fat burn" program changes the incline of the machine throughout the workout, so most of the 65 minutes was "uphill." (I don't really understand what the incline numbers mean, but the highest incline the machine gave me was 11.4. Is that high?)
Treadmill
647 calories
3.2 miles
65 minutes
AbCoaster 2x(30/30/30)
The last time I totaled my walk/run miles was back in July, so I'm not even going to bother, since 2013 is almost over.
So, I changed it up a bit, and used a treadmill today. I programmed it for the "fat burn" routine, and got busy. The mileage isn't as high as what I do on the elliptical, but then I realized it's about how far I go when I go for a run, so I'm happy with it. Plus, the "fat burn" program changes the incline of the machine throughout the workout, so most of the 65 minutes was "uphill." (I don't really understand what the incline numbers mean, but the highest incline the machine gave me was 11.4. Is that high?)
Treadmill
647 calories
3.2 miles
65 minutes
AbCoaster 2x(30/30/30)
The last time I totaled my walk/run miles was back in July, so I'm not even going to bother, since 2013 is almost over.
Monday, December 2, 2013
12/2/13
Elliptical
633 calories
5.91 miles
65 minutes
Ab Coaster 2x(30/30/30)
2013 Elliptical Totals
49,965 calories
436.49 miles
633 calories
5.91 miles
65 minutes
Ab Coaster 2x(30/30/30)
2013 Elliptical Totals
49,965 calories
436.49 miles
Sunday, December 1, 2013
How many times....
...am I going to say "I'm getting back on track!"?? I'm too tired to beat myself up over it right now. I'm just going to record today's workout, and call it a day.
Elliptical
622 calorie
5.73 miles
65 minutes
Ab coaster 30/30/30
I was only going to do cardio, and skip the machines, since it's been far too long since I've dragged my jiggly ass to the gym. I didn't want to overdo it, like I always do after a long absence. I only end up hurting myself, which makes me more likely to stay away. But after I did the stretching machine, I said, screw it, might as well do a little something for these flabby abs!
2013 Elliptical Totals
49,332 calories
430.58 miles
Elliptical
622 calorie
5.73 miles
65 minutes
Ab coaster 30/30/30
I was only going to do cardio, and skip the machines, since it's been far too long since I've dragged my jiggly ass to the gym. I didn't want to overdo it, like I always do after a long absence. I only end up hurting myself, which makes me more likely to stay away. But after I did the stretching machine, I said, screw it, might as well do a little something for these flabby abs!
2013 Elliptical Totals
49,332 calories
430.58 miles
Friday, November 8, 2013
11/8/13
I was really crunched for time today, as I had many errands to run, and Stud had an early morning doctor's appointment. I was tempted to just not hit the gym today, but I quickly realized what an ASS I was being, and got going.
I didn't do a "whole" workout, though, because like I said, I was really short on time. I cut my elliptical time in half today.
Elliptical
334 calories
3.33 miles
35 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Ab coaster 2x(30/30/30)
2013 Elliptical Totals
48,710 calories
424.85 miles
I didn't do a "whole" workout, though, because like I said, I was really short on time. I cut my elliptical time in half today.
Elliptical
334 calories
3.33 miles
35 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Ab coaster 2x(30/30/30)
2013 Elliptical Totals
48,710 calories
424.85 miles
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
11/6/13
I was afraid I'd be a little tired and sore after pushing myself yesterday, but I was pleasantly surprised to not wake up in pain this morning. I did, however, have to wake up at the butt crack of dawn to drive my parents to the airport (they left for a week-long vacation in Punta Cana, lucky dogs!), so I was afraid I'd be tired when I got to the gym. After all, I was up to give my baby his "birthday minute kiss" at 4:46am, and then left to pick up my parents by 5:45.
The point of all this rambling is to say that today actually was a good day! I did drink a cup of coffee on the way to the airport, so I'm still trying to figure out if that's going to be my new morning routine. I surprised myself by actually bumping up my numbers (just a tiny bit) from yesterday.
Elliptical
623 calories
6.55 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Ab coaster 2x(30/30/30)
2013 Elliptical Totals
48,999 calories
428.07 miles
The point of all this rambling is to say that today actually was a good day! I did drink a cup of coffee on the way to the airport, so I'm still trying to figure out if that's going to be my new morning routine. I surprised myself by actually bumping up my numbers (just a tiny bit) from yesterday.
Elliptical
623 calories
6.55 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Ab coaster 2x(30/30/30)
2013 Elliptical Totals
48,999 calories
428.07 miles
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
11/5/13
I got a call on my way out the door to the gym this morning. It was my brother, calling to see if I wanted to meet him, Monkey and my parents for breakfast. So...I did.
BUT, I did NOT blow off the gym. ;-) I went afterward, and had a great workout. I didn't eat, but I did have some coffee. I usually go to the gym on a completely empty stomach. I think the caffeine may have given me a little "boost," as I was really able to push it today.
Elliptical
621 calories
6.46 miles (I'm almost back to my 7+ miles!! Woo hoo!)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Ab coaster 2x(30/30/30)
2013 Elliptical Totals
48,376 calories
421.52 miles
BUT, I did NOT blow off the gym. ;-) I went afterward, and had a great workout. I didn't eat, but I did have some coffee. I usually go to the gym on a completely empty stomach. I think the caffeine may have given me a little "boost," as I was really able to push it today.
Elliptical
621 calories
6.46 miles (I'm almost back to my 7+ miles!! Woo hoo!)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Ab coaster 2x(30/30/30)
2013 Elliptical Totals
48,376 calories
421.52 miles
Monday, November 4, 2013
I think I'm getting my mojo back...
At least I hope so. I pushed myself a little more today, and hit the 6 mile mark. =) I'm still easing back into the machines, though.
Elliptical
620 calories
6.02 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Ab coaster 2x30/30/30
2013 Elliptical Totals
47,755 calories
415.06 miles
Elliptical
620 calories
6.02 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Ab coaster 2x30/30/30
2013 Elliptical Totals
47,755 calories
415.06 miles
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Did you remember to "fall back?"
I actually put that "extra" hour to good use today, and hit the gym before church. =)
Here's what's been going on the past few days:
11/2/13
Elliptical
612 calories
5.59 miles
65 minutes
11/3/13
Elliptical
611 calories
5.57 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Ab coaster 2x30/30/30
Obviously, I added a couple ab machines today. I'm going to slowly add machines until I'm back to where I was months ago.
2013 Elliptical Totals
47,135 calories
409.04 miles
Here's what's been going on the past few days:
11/2/13
Elliptical
612 calories
5.59 miles
65 minutes
11/3/13
Elliptical
611 calories
5.57 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Ab coaster 2x30/30/30
Obviously, I added a couple ab machines today. I'm going to slowly add machines until I'm back to where I was months ago.
2013 Elliptical Totals
47,135 calories
409.04 miles
Friday, November 1, 2013
Excuses, excuses....
It's no secret that I've been slacking off. Hell, the last time I recorded a workout here was JULY 6!! That's just ridiculous! I'm really so angry with myself, I could just scream.
If you ever check in over at the other blog, you know I've been dealing with a lot of "crap" in my life. But, EVERYONE has crap in their lives. I need to stop letting that screw me up, and I NEED to get back on track.
There ARE a few workouts that have happened that I just didn't post about. I keep a log in my phone of every workout, and I found a few I never listed.
7/10/13
631 calories
6.82 miles
65 minutes
(I have no idea why this was only an elliptical day. I have no machines listed.)
8/6/13
613 calories
5.67 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80
AbCoaster 30 reps forward, 30 on right, 30 on left
(again, I have no idea why I wouldn't have done the rest of the machines. This was only 2 days after I ran The Biggest Loser 5K, so maybe I was sore? Who knows...)
8/8/13
616 calories
6.01 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80
AbCoaster 30 reps forward, 30 on right, 30 on left
Inner thigh 2x30@100
Outer thigh 2x30@110
Pull Downs 2x30@50
Shoulder press 30@10, 4x15@10
Obliques 2x30@80
After this, there is LONG hiatus from the gym. It's really embarrassing. However, I DID start running at the park down the street a few times a week. As much as I actually enjoy the running (the park is pretty, it's peaceful and quiet, and I get a lot of good "thinking" done while I run) I was really hurting myself by JUST running. That's only half of my "usual" workout. It takes care of the cardio, but I really need to get that hour on the machines. I can see such a difference in my body. Despite the fact that I haven't gained any weight (somehow, I managed to lose 5 more pounds, but I can't explain it) I can tell my clothes are fitting differently. I'm getting rolls again, which tells me fat is creeping back in somewhere. Yeah, we all know "muscle weighs more than fat" so that worries me even more. Clearly I'm losing muscle, and gaining fat. I can tell my muscles are getting "soft" again, and I don't like it.
A couple weeks ago, I took my brother to my gym as a guest. It was when I went to log my workout that I saw it had been TWO MONTHS since my last visit to the gym.
10/9/13
605 calories
6 miles
65 minutes (30 backwards, 35 forwards)
My brother convinced me to try doing the elliptical backwards, since it works different muscles than doing it forward. Man, it was hard! I could only do it for 30 minutes before my knees couldn't take anymore. I did the last 35 minutes the "regular" way.
Then, like a moron, I decided to do the rest of my workout the exact same way I had done my last workout TWO months ago. Yeah....not so smart. I was dying the next day! So, naturally, that meant I didn't go again for a while. <hangs head in shame>
This week, I got my jiggly behind back in the gym. However, I only did the 65 minutes on the elliptical. I skipped the machines, other than the stretching machine, because I figured I should ease my way back up to where I was. I KNOW that if I push it, and hurt myself, it'll be that much longer before I go back.
10/29/13
603 calories
5.58 miles
65 minutes
10/30/13
609 calories
5.77 miles
65 minutes
I totally screwed up keeping track of my walking/running miles, since I didn't log all the runs at the park. I see that the last time I totaled my elliptical miles was back in JUNE. But, here are the new totals:
2013 Elliptical Totals
45,912 calories
397.88 miles
I'm REALLY going to make an effort to get back to my daily visits to the gym. I already missed yesterday thanks a bunch of "stuff," so I'm not happy with myself right now. I'm going to try like hell to get there as soon as I finish this post. Wish me luck!
If you ever check in over at the other blog, you know I've been dealing with a lot of "crap" in my life. But, EVERYONE has crap in their lives. I need to stop letting that screw me up, and I NEED to get back on track.
There ARE a few workouts that have happened that I just didn't post about. I keep a log in my phone of every workout, and I found a few I never listed.
7/10/13
631 calories
6.82 miles
65 minutes
(I have no idea why this was only an elliptical day. I have no machines listed.)
8/6/13
613 calories
5.67 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80
AbCoaster 30 reps forward, 30 on right, 30 on left
(again, I have no idea why I wouldn't have done the rest of the machines. This was only 2 days after I ran The Biggest Loser 5K, so maybe I was sore? Who knows...)
8/8/13
616 calories
6.01 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80
AbCoaster 30 reps forward, 30 on right, 30 on left
Inner thigh 2x30@100
Outer thigh 2x30@110
Pull Downs 2x30@50
Shoulder press 30@10, 4x15@10
Obliques 2x30@80
After this, there is LONG hiatus from the gym. It's really embarrassing. However, I DID start running at the park down the street a few times a week. As much as I actually enjoy the running (the park is pretty, it's peaceful and quiet, and I get a lot of good "thinking" done while I run) I was really hurting myself by JUST running. That's only half of my "usual" workout. It takes care of the cardio, but I really need to get that hour on the machines. I can see such a difference in my body. Despite the fact that I haven't gained any weight (somehow, I managed to lose 5 more pounds, but I can't explain it) I can tell my clothes are fitting differently. I'm getting rolls again, which tells me fat is creeping back in somewhere. Yeah, we all know "muscle weighs more than fat" so that worries me even more. Clearly I'm losing muscle, and gaining fat. I can tell my muscles are getting "soft" again, and I don't like it.
A couple weeks ago, I took my brother to my gym as a guest. It was when I went to log my workout that I saw it had been TWO MONTHS since my last visit to the gym.
10/9/13
605 calories
6 miles
65 minutes (30 backwards, 35 forwards)
My brother convinced me to try doing the elliptical backwards, since it works different muscles than doing it forward. Man, it was hard! I could only do it for 30 minutes before my knees couldn't take anymore. I did the last 35 minutes the "regular" way.
Then, like a moron, I decided to do the rest of my workout the exact same way I had done my last workout TWO months ago. Yeah....not so smart. I was dying the next day! So, naturally, that meant I didn't go again for a while. <hangs head in shame>
This week, I got my jiggly behind back in the gym. However, I only did the 65 minutes on the elliptical. I skipped the machines, other than the stretching machine, because I figured I should ease my way back up to where I was. I KNOW that if I push it, and hurt myself, it'll be that much longer before I go back.
10/29/13
603 calories
5.58 miles
65 minutes
10/30/13
609 calories
5.77 miles
65 minutes
I totally screwed up keeping track of my walking/running miles, since I didn't log all the runs at the park. I see that the last time I totaled my elliptical miles was back in JUNE. But, here are the new totals:
2013 Elliptical Totals
45,912 calories
397.88 miles
I'm REALLY going to make an effort to get back to my daily visits to the gym. I already missed yesterday thanks a bunch of "stuff," so I'm not happy with myself right now. I'm going to try like hell to get there as soon as I finish this post. Wish me luck!
Monday, October 21, 2013
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Tried something different...
Yeah, it's been a couple days. I know, I'm a loser =(
Thursday was the 4th (duh!) and then yesterday I just never got around to it.
But, today I got my jiggly butt to the gym. I was LIVID to see someone on my machine again! The nerve!! So I thought I would just get on "my" treadmill, and wouldn't you know it...someone was on that, too!! ARGH!!
So, I decided to suck it up and just get on a different elliptical machine. It was actually closer to the TV that I wanted to watch, anyway, so I figured, what the hell!
Well, guess what. The damn sound didn't work! I even tried the machine next to it. Nope, no sound for the channel I wanted to watch. Poop. I told the girl at the desk, who said she had just reset it that morning, and she'd do it again.
In the meantime, I moved down to the middle of the gym, to the other TV set to HGTV, and got on the treadmill in front of it. Yep, you guessed it...NO SOUND! I assumed the problem was with the machine, but it was with the TVs. Luckily about 5 minutes into my workout, someone reset them.
Ok, back to the workout. I decided to try and do something different on the treadmill. There's a setting that says "fitness test" that I had been wanting to explore. I figured, since I can't really watch the show I wanted, why not try it. The test is only 5 minutes long. However, I'm going to ask one of the trainers next week about doing it again. You set your own speed, which I thought was weird, and I don't think I set it high enough. I don't even understand the "results" that scrolled across the screen when the 5 minutes was up, but the last thing that scrolled was "low." I assume that means my "score" was low. Who knows!
By the time I finished the test, the TV was fixed, so I tuned into HGTV and got busy. I decided to try another new setting on the treadmill. There's a program called "fat burning" that has my name all over it! But, again, you set your own speed. I set it higher this time, but I wasn't really sure if it was "right." You also set your own target heart rate. I had NO idea what to put. I'm going to figure it out after I finish here. I know that when I first started at the gym, the trainer had me use a worksheet to figure out my target heart rate for fat burning, and if I remember correctly, it was 145. However, your weight is used in the "formula." Well, since I joined the gym, I've lost about 25 lbs., so I guess that's not accurate anymore. Like I said, I'm going to look it up in a minute.
This program basically keeps you in the fat burning zone, based on your heart rate. However, this program uses incline to keep your heart rate where it needs to be. Well, my lazy ass has never used the incline feature on the treadmill, Cuz, DUH! It's harder!!
It wasn't awful, but it was work. And, my back was killing me about half-way through. But, I finished the 65 minutes, no problem.
But, I was still feeling guilty about not doing any running today. My SIL and I made plans to go for a run tomorrow, since we're doing our next 5k in less than a month. (Yikes!) But, I planned to run on the treadmill today. So, I decided to try and run a little.
By now, my legs were a little wobbly, since I had already done 70 minutes of serious walking. I thought I could handle 15 minutes (which was perfect, since there was 15 minutes left of the episode I was watching of House Crashers!) Yeah, well, 15 minutes of RUNNING was not gonna happen. =(
I ran for 3 minutes, then walked for 1, then ran for 3, etc. until the 15 minutes was up. There was a 3 minutes "cool down" time, so I ran for the first minute, then walked the rest. I was going to run the whole thing, but the machine automatically slows down during the cool down, and it was hard to even WALK that slow, let alone run.
By the time I got off the treadmill, my legs were like noodles. I didn't do any machines today. Worse yet, I didn't get a massage today! The machine wasn't working when I was there on Wednesday, and it still hasn't been fixed. Grrr! The control screen doesn't work, so there's no way to change the settings. I tried the lowest setting on Wednesday when I was there, but it was awful. It just felt like I had bugs crawling on me. I hope they get it fixed Monday.
All together, I did 88 minutes on the treadmill. Not too shabby, right?
Here are the numbers:
Fitness Test
I didn't think to check calories burned, so I don't know =(
.25 miles
5 minutes
Fat Burning Walk
585 calories (now THAT'S what I'm talking about. Guess I should make more use of that incline, huh?)
3.66 miles
65 minutes
Jog/Walk
182 calories
1.24 miles
18 minutes
Today's Total
767 calories (+ whatever from test)
4.90 miles
88 minutes
2013 Jogging/Walking Totals
22.15 miles
Thursday was the 4th (duh!) and then yesterday I just never got around to it.
But, today I got my jiggly butt to the gym. I was LIVID to see someone on my machine again! The nerve!! So I thought I would just get on "my" treadmill, and wouldn't you know it...someone was on that, too!! ARGH!!
So, I decided to suck it up and just get on a different elliptical machine. It was actually closer to the TV that I wanted to watch, anyway, so I figured, what the hell!
Well, guess what. The damn sound didn't work! I even tried the machine next to it. Nope, no sound for the channel I wanted to watch. Poop. I told the girl at the desk, who said she had just reset it that morning, and she'd do it again.
In the meantime, I moved down to the middle of the gym, to the other TV set to HGTV, and got on the treadmill in front of it. Yep, you guessed it...NO SOUND! I assumed the problem was with the machine, but it was with the TVs. Luckily about 5 minutes into my workout, someone reset them.
Ok, back to the workout. I decided to try and do something different on the treadmill. There's a setting that says "fitness test" that I had been wanting to explore. I figured, since I can't really watch the show I wanted, why not try it. The test is only 5 minutes long. However, I'm going to ask one of the trainers next week about doing it again. You set your own speed, which I thought was weird, and I don't think I set it high enough. I don't even understand the "results" that scrolled across the screen when the 5 minutes was up, but the last thing that scrolled was "low." I assume that means my "score" was low. Who knows!
By the time I finished the test, the TV was fixed, so I tuned into HGTV and got busy. I decided to try another new setting on the treadmill. There's a program called "fat burning" that has my name all over it! But, again, you set your own speed. I set it higher this time, but I wasn't really sure if it was "right." You also set your own target heart rate. I had NO idea what to put. I'm going to figure it out after I finish here. I know that when I first started at the gym, the trainer had me use a worksheet to figure out my target heart rate for fat burning, and if I remember correctly, it was 145. However, your weight is used in the "formula." Well, since I joined the gym, I've lost about 25 lbs., so I guess that's not accurate anymore. Like I said, I'm going to look it up in a minute.
This program basically keeps you in the fat burning zone, based on your heart rate. However, this program uses incline to keep your heart rate where it needs to be. Well, my lazy ass has never used the incline feature on the treadmill, Cuz, DUH! It's harder!!
It wasn't awful, but it was work. And, my back was killing me about half-way through. But, I finished the 65 minutes, no problem.
But, I was still feeling guilty about not doing any running today. My SIL and I made plans to go for a run tomorrow, since we're doing our next 5k in less than a month. (Yikes!) But, I planned to run on the treadmill today. So, I decided to try and run a little.
By now, my legs were a little wobbly, since I had already done 70 minutes of serious walking. I thought I could handle 15 minutes (which was perfect, since there was 15 minutes left of the episode I was watching of House Crashers!) Yeah, well, 15 minutes of RUNNING was not gonna happen. =(
I ran for 3 minutes, then walked for 1, then ran for 3, etc. until the 15 minutes was up. There was a 3 minutes "cool down" time, so I ran for the first minute, then walked the rest. I was going to run the whole thing, but the machine automatically slows down during the cool down, and it was hard to even WALK that slow, let alone run.
By the time I got off the treadmill, my legs were like noodles. I didn't do any machines today. Worse yet, I didn't get a massage today! The machine wasn't working when I was there on Wednesday, and it still hasn't been fixed. Grrr! The control screen doesn't work, so there's no way to change the settings. I tried the lowest setting on Wednesday when I was there, but it was awful. It just felt like I had bugs crawling on me. I hope they get it fixed Monday.
All together, I did 88 minutes on the treadmill. Not too shabby, right?
Here are the numbers:
Fitness Test
I didn't think to check calories burned, so I don't know =(
.25 miles
5 minutes
Fat Burning Walk
585 calories (now THAT'S what I'm talking about. Guess I should make more use of that incline, huh?)
3.66 miles
65 minutes
Jog/Walk
182 calories
1.24 miles
18 minutes
Today's Total
767 calories (+ whatever from test)
4.90 miles
88 minutes
2013 Jogging/Walking Totals
22.15 miles
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Thank God for great friends
Yeah...so much for getting my mojo back...
I've been slacking again. I keep making excuses to myself to rationalize my missing the gym. But, I know it's all just bull.
The night I last posted, I went and bought a new bed. Istupidly set up delivery for the next day instead of waiting until I moved the old bed out, ripped out the disgusting carpeting and painted the walls. My delivery window was 9am-1pm. So, I clearly didn't go to the gym that morning.
I was up and moving first thing in the morning, to strip the old bed, take it out of the room, vacuum the colony of dust bunnies that took up residency under the old bed, dust all the furniture, and move some of it, as I decided to rearrange the whole layout of the room. I also brought the huge TV from my living room into the bedroom and replaced the little one that was in there. I then set up Magnum's ENORMOUS big screen in the living room. I tried to tell myself that all of that was a pretty good workout in and of itself. By the time they finally showed upat almost 1!, and set up the entire shebang, it was late afternoon. Then, I had to make the bed, and rearrange a few more things. I was wiped out by the time I finished. So, yeah, I'm counting that as a workout for the day!
I made it to the gym Saturday morning (numbers below) and then I had lunch with an old friend. He totally made my day with his reaction to my new size. I hadn't seen him in person since right before I started this little adventure, so he last saw me at my worst.
Sunday, I made more excuses. We go to church every Sunday, so unless I go at the crack of dawn, I can't do it in the morning. Then, this Sunday, after church, we went to Indiana to my cousin's house for a cookout. Another day shot to hell.
That brings us to Monday. I didn't mention that there was a little hole in my brand new mattress. I immediately called the mattress store, and they arranged for the replacement to be delivered on Monday. Same delivery window, so another morning I couldn't go to the gym. After the new mattress came (much earlier this time, and only needed about 10 minutes from start to finish) I decided to go shopping for new bedding. That basically took the entire afternoon.
Yesterday, I decided to spend most of the day in my new bed. I hadn't slept at all the night before, so I climbed into bed after Magnum went to work, and basically just stayed there. It was a dreary, gloomy, rainy day, which is perfect for a day in bed. I got up around lunchtime, though, and did some stuff around here, including making one of my favorite crock pot dinners. But, all and all, not a very "physical" day.
Now, today? I thought for sure I'd be missing the gym again, since my brother called me at about 7:30 this morning. He wanted me to meet him and Monkey for breakfast. That took a weird turn, and needless to say, we didn't finish until about 11. I decided I would run a few errands, which included a trip to Menards. When I came home, I did some things around the yard with the stuff I picked up at Menards. I started to accept the fact that this was going to be yet ANOTHER day of missing the gym.
I went so far as to put my workout clothes on, but just kept putting off the gym. But then, a friend called and turned the day around. (She's a fellow Hell-Hole escapee!) She called to tell me that she's been lurking here, and on my other blog, and wanted to tell me how proud she was of me, how amazed she is by my progress, and how great she thinks I look. It changed my whole afternoon. After we talked for a while, we said our good byes, and I headed straight to the gym for a hell of an awesome workout!
So, Liz, if you're lurking again, I just want to say "THANK YOU!" for getting me up and moving!!!
Ok, here are the numbers:
6/29/13
I tried the treadmill again, but it didn't go well. Between the workout on Thursday, and then moving furniture all day on Friday, I just couldn't do it. I only spent 15 minutes on the treadmill. 5 minutes walking, 5 jogging, then 5 walking again.
137 calories
1.13 miles
15 minutes
Elliptical
482 calories
4.57 miles
50 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80
AbCoaster 30 reps forward, 30 on right, 30 on left (Today, someone had left all 4 plates on the machine, so I left it that way. I didn't really notice a difference.)
Inner thigh 2x30@105
Outer thigh 2x30@100
Pull Downs 2x30@50
Shoulder press 30@10, 4x15@10
Obliques 2x30@80
7/3/13
645 calories
7.03 miles (again, thanks, Liz!!)
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80
AbCoaster 30 reps forward, 30 on right, 30 on left (There were only 3 plates on it today. Since I don't really know how to change it, I left it that way. However, today I think I figured out the secret to the machine, and I really felt it.)
Inner thigh 2x30@105
Outer thigh 2x30@100
Pull Downs 2x30@50
Shoulder press 2x30@10, 4x15@10 (woo hoo! I was able to add another set of 30 straight!)
Obliques 2x30@80
Walking/Running Totals
17.25 miles
2013 Elliptical Totals
42,235 calories
362.03 miles
I've been slacking again. I keep making excuses to myself to rationalize my missing the gym. But, I know it's all just bull.
The night I last posted, I went and bought a new bed. I
I was up and moving first thing in the morning, to strip the old bed, take it out of the room, vacuum the colony of dust bunnies that took up residency under the old bed, dust all the furniture, and move some of it, as I decided to rearrange the whole layout of the room. I also brought the huge TV from my living room into the bedroom and replaced the little one that was in there. I then set up Magnum's ENORMOUS big screen in the living room. I tried to tell myself that all of that was a pretty good workout in and of itself. By the time they finally showed up
I made it to the gym Saturday morning (numbers below) and then I had lunch with an old friend. He totally made my day with his reaction to my new size. I hadn't seen him in person since right before I started this little adventure, so he last saw me at my worst.
Sunday, I made more excuses. We go to church every Sunday, so unless I go at the crack of dawn, I can't do it in the morning. Then, this Sunday, after church, we went to Indiana to my cousin's house for a cookout. Another day shot to hell.
That brings us to Monday. I didn't mention that there was a little hole in my brand new mattress. I immediately called the mattress store, and they arranged for the replacement to be delivered on Monday. Same delivery window, so another morning I couldn't go to the gym. After the new mattress came (much earlier this time, and only needed about 10 minutes from start to finish) I decided to go shopping for new bedding. That basically took the entire afternoon.
Yesterday, I decided to spend most of the day in my new bed. I hadn't slept at all the night before, so I climbed into bed after Magnum went to work, and basically just stayed there. It was a dreary, gloomy, rainy day, which is perfect for a day in bed. I got up around lunchtime, though, and did some stuff around here, including making one of my favorite crock pot dinners. But, all and all, not a very "physical" day.
Now, today? I thought for sure I'd be missing the gym again, since my brother called me at about 7:30 this morning. He wanted me to meet him and Monkey for breakfast. That took a weird turn, and needless to say, we didn't finish until about 11. I decided I would run a few errands, which included a trip to Menards. When I came home, I did some things around the yard with the stuff I picked up at Menards. I started to accept the fact that this was going to be yet ANOTHER day of missing the gym.
I went so far as to put my workout clothes on, but just kept putting off the gym. But then, a friend called and turned the day around. (She's a fellow Hell-Hole escapee!) She called to tell me that she's been lurking here, and on my other blog, and wanted to tell me how proud she was of me, how amazed she is by my progress, and how great she thinks I look. It changed my whole afternoon. After we talked for a while, we said our good byes, and I headed straight to the gym for a hell of an awesome workout!
So, Liz, if you're lurking again, I just want to say "THANK YOU!" for getting me up and moving!!!
Ok, here are the numbers:
6/29/13
I tried the treadmill again, but it didn't go well. Between the workout on Thursday, and then moving furniture all day on Friday, I just couldn't do it. I only spent 15 minutes on the treadmill. 5 minutes walking, 5 jogging, then 5 walking again.
137 calories
1.13 miles
15 minutes
Elliptical
482 calories
4.57 miles
50 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80
AbCoaster 30 reps forward, 30 on right, 30 on left (Today, someone had left all 4 plates on the machine, so I left it that way. I didn't really notice a difference.)
Inner thigh 2x30@105
Outer thigh 2x30@100
Pull Downs 2x30@50
Shoulder press 30@10, 4x15@10
Obliques 2x30@80
7/3/13
645 calories
7.03 miles (again, thanks, Liz!!)
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80
AbCoaster 30 reps forward, 30 on right, 30 on left (There were only 3 plates on it today. Since I don't really know how to change it, I left it that way. However, today I think I figured out the secret to the machine, and I really felt it.)
Inner thigh 2x30@105
Outer thigh 2x30@100
Pull Downs 2x30@50
Shoulder press 2x30@10, 4x15@10 (woo hoo! I was able to add another set of 30 straight!)
Obliques 2x30@80
Walking/Running Totals
17.25 miles
2013 Elliptical Totals
42,235 calories
362.03 miles
Thursday, June 27, 2013
I think I'm getting my mojo back...
I had a great day at the gym today!! Well, except for a little "gym rage" incident, but I'll hold off on bitching about it just yet.
I wasn't sure how today was gonna go when I walked in because....
...some heifer had the unmitigated GALL to be on MY elliptical machine!! Can you even believe it?!
I know, it's one of my many OCD-like quirks. I HAVE to use the same machine every day. I don't know why, I just do. So, when I saw someone else on it, I got a little panicky.
Then, I just decided, hell with it! I'll change things up a bit! I figured today was as good a day as any to try running on the treadmill. After all, I DO have some other 5Ks coming up, that I'm not really in top condition for yet.
I went down to the very last treadmill, next to the windows, so I could look out, and sort of pretend I was running outside. (I know, lame.) I started out walking, of course, just to warm up. I increased my speed every 45 seconds or so, until I was walking along at 4 mph. I know, not super fast, but I didn't want to push it. You might remember that when I first joined the gym, I started off on the treadmill, and had LOTS of pain in my shins.
At near the 10 minute mark, I decided it was now or never. I had to try running. So, I upped the speed to 4.5 mph, and started a nice, slow jog. I was doing it!! AND, even crazier? I was enjoying it!! I was able to run for 10 minutes straight. Now, I know that sounds like nothing to you "real" athletes, but to me, it was huge. If you remember, the times that I ran outside, getting ready for the 5K, I would run from streetlight to streetlight, which takes what? Realistically, about 30 seconds? Then I upped it and went two streetlights, so what's that? About a minute? Minute and a half, tops?
I couldn't believe I was still jogging away after 10 minutes. I couldn't decide if I should keep running, or walk a bit. I figured since I walked first for 10 minutes, I would just alternate every 10 minutes. Sounded great.
Well, at some point during my jogging, a different heifer (and trust me, that the NICEST word I could use here!) got on the treadmill two down from me. Ok, no big deal, who cares, right? Yeah, well, about 5 minutes into my walking phase, the bitch GETS ON THE PHONE. Oh no she di-int!!!
Yeah, she did. It was like this broad thought she was out at a club or something. Even with my earbuds in, I felt like she was screaming in my ear. ARGH!!! I wanted to knock her ass right off that treadmill!!!
I knew there was NO WAY I was going to be able to take another 40 minutes of THAT. So, instead of walking for 10 minutes, I walked for 5, then jogged for 5, and got the hell out of Dodge. Ooo, I was SO mad! There are signs EVERYWHERE in the gym about no cell phone use. If the call is that important, step outside!!! (See? I warned you - gym rage!)
I ended up going back to "my" elliptical, since the otherheifer woman was gone now. I did 35 minutes, so I'd still get 65 minutes of cardio. It felt really weird to only do half my usual time. I was SO tempted to just do the regular 65 minutes, but I thought that might be pushing it. Plus, I figured, if I really felt good after the hour on the machines, I could go back and do another 30 minutes.
I ended up trying a new machine (finally!) today. I had decided the other day at the gym that I would add this machine on July 1, since I clearly need to step up my game. But, today just seemed like the right time to do it, since I had already tried something different by running. Plus, for some reason, the gym was really empty when I was there, so I didn't feel as intimidated. It's an ab machine that's always scared me a bit, because it looked really hard. Truthfully, I'm pretty sure I must have done it wrong, because it seemed way too easy. Maybe I need to add weight to it? I don't know. I'll try that tomorrow and see.
Anyway, it's the AbCoaster, which is supposed to work your lower abs. I need LOTS of work there, so I hope I figure it out soon.
Oo, I just realized, you can find ANYTHING on the internet!! This is the machine:
You can add weights to those bars under the seat. There were already two plates on it when I got on, but I think I may need to add more. Cuz, seriously, I want to eventually look like HER when I'm on it!
I don't know why I didn't think to look for images before. Maybe I'll bore you with pictures of all the machines I use. Hmmmm.....
Anyway, here are the numbers for today.
Treadmill
Walking 15 minutes (avg. 4 mph)
Jogging 15 minutes (4.5 mph)
263 calories
1.96 miles (that warm up cut into my mileage. poop)
30 minutes
Elliptical
340 calories
3.25 miles
35 minutes
Total calories: 603
Total mileage: 5.21
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80
AbCoaster 30 reps forward, 30 on right, 30 on left (I stupidly didn't look to see how much weight was on the machine.)
Inner thigh 2x30@105
Outer thigh 2x30@100
Pull Downs 2x30@50
Shoulder press 30@10, 4x15@10 (WHY does this machine STILL kill me!?!? I don't get it!)
Obliques 2x30@80
2013 Elliptical Totals
41,108 calories
351.75 miles
Walking/Running Totals
16.12 miles
(I guess I can't really track calories, since I really don't have a clue what I burned those first few times I ran.)
I felt like a million bucks when I left the gym today. Like I said, I think I'm getting my mojo back!! =)
I wasn't sure how today was gonna go when I walked in because....
...some heifer had the unmitigated GALL to be on MY elliptical machine!! Can you even believe it?!
I know, it's one of my many OCD-like quirks. I HAVE to use the same machine every day. I don't know why, I just do. So, when I saw someone else on it, I got a little panicky.
Then, I just decided, hell with it! I'll change things up a bit! I figured today was as good a day as any to try running on the treadmill. After all, I DO have some other 5Ks coming up, that I'm not really in top condition for yet.
I went down to the very last treadmill, next to the windows, so I could look out, and sort of pretend I was running outside. (I know, lame.) I started out walking, of course, just to warm up. I increased my speed every 45 seconds or so, until I was walking along at 4 mph. I know, not super fast, but I didn't want to push it. You might remember that when I first joined the gym, I started off on the treadmill, and had LOTS of pain in my shins.
At near the 10 minute mark, I decided it was now or never. I had to try running. So, I upped the speed to 4.5 mph, and started a nice, slow jog. I was doing it!! AND, even crazier? I was enjoying it!! I was able to run for 10 minutes straight. Now, I know that sounds like nothing to you "real" athletes, but to me, it was huge. If you remember, the times that I ran outside, getting ready for the 5K, I would run from streetlight to streetlight, which takes what? Realistically, about 30 seconds? Then I upped it and went two streetlights, so what's that? About a minute? Minute and a half, tops?
I couldn't believe I was still jogging away after 10 minutes. I couldn't decide if I should keep running, or walk a bit. I figured since I walked first for 10 minutes, I would just alternate every 10 minutes. Sounded great.
Well, at some point during my jogging, a different heifer (and trust me, that the NICEST word I could use here!) got on the treadmill two down from me. Ok, no big deal, who cares, right? Yeah, well, about 5 minutes into my walking phase, the bitch GETS ON THE PHONE. Oh no she di-int!!!
Yeah, she did. It was like this broad thought she was out at a club or something. Even with my earbuds in, I felt like she was screaming in my ear. ARGH!!! I wanted to knock her ass right off that treadmill!!!
I knew there was NO WAY I was going to be able to take another 40 minutes of THAT. So, instead of walking for 10 minutes, I walked for 5, then jogged for 5, and got the hell out of Dodge. Ooo, I was SO mad! There are signs EVERYWHERE in the gym about no cell phone use. If the call is that important, step outside!!! (See? I warned you - gym rage!)
I ended up going back to "my" elliptical, since the other
I ended up trying a new machine (finally!) today. I had decided the other day at the gym that I would add this machine on July 1, since I clearly need to step up my game. But, today just seemed like the right time to do it, since I had already tried something different by running. Plus, for some reason, the gym was really empty when I was there, so I didn't feel as intimidated. It's an ab machine that's always scared me a bit, because it looked really hard. Truthfully, I'm pretty sure I must have done it wrong, because it seemed way too easy. Maybe I need to add weight to it? I don't know. I'll try that tomorrow and see.
Anyway, it's the AbCoaster, which is supposed to work your lower abs. I need LOTS of work there, so I hope I figure it out soon.
Oo, I just realized, you can find ANYTHING on the internet!! This is the machine:
Anyway, here are the numbers for today.
Treadmill
Walking 15 minutes (avg. 4 mph)
Jogging 15 minutes (4.5 mph)
263 calories
1.96 miles (that warm up cut into my mileage. poop)
30 minutes
Elliptical
340 calories
3.25 miles
35 minutes
Total calories: 603
Total mileage: 5.21
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80
AbCoaster 30 reps forward, 30 on right, 30 on left (I stupidly didn't look to see how much weight was on the machine.)
Inner thigh 2x30@105
Outer thigh 2x30@100
Pull Downs 2x30@50
Shoulder press 30@10, 4x15@10 (WHY does this machine STILL kill me!?!? I don't get it!)
Obliques 2x30@80
2013 Elliptical Totals
41,108 calories
351.75 miles
Walking/Running Totals
16.12 miles
(I guess I can't really track calories, since I really don't have a clue what I burned those first few times I ran.)
I felt like a million bucks when I left the gym today. Like I said, I think I'm getting my mojo back!! =)
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Slacker here, just checkin' in...
My visits to the gym have been sporadic, at best, lately. I'm really angry with myself. I'm letting the "stuff" going on around here get to me, and mess up my program. I'm really pissed, too, that I seem to be stuck at this weight since March!!! If I'm going to be completely honest, I've been playing with 5 lbs, back and forth, for the past few weeks. (Today, I'm +2 from my -70) Argh!! Since I ran the 5K, I've been a complete slacker. I'm making myself sick.
I've committed to doing The Biggest Loser 5K on August 4, not to mention another 5K that I told my SIL I would run with her in July. (It's too late to officially register for it, but I'm going to run along with her and her friends, just for fun.) Yet, here I sit, NOT getting to the gym, NOT running inside OR out, not doing ANYTHING. I'm disgusted with myself, really.
I think I need to print out some of those awful "before" pictures I shared with you, and hang them up all over my house!
I finally got my big butt back to the gym 15 days after the 5K. I struggled the whole time. :( I only did the elliptical, stretched, and left. NO machines. I didn't let myself get a massage, either, since I didn't feel I earned it.
6/17/13
Elliptical
621 calories
5.64 miles
65 minutes
Then I didn't go again until the 21st. Oy!
6/21/13
Elliptical
628 calories
5.92 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60 (I couldn't remember what I did last time - this is 5lbs less
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70 (Again, couldn't remember, this is TEN pounds less! No wonder it didn't kill me to do it!)
Inner thigh 2x30@105
Outer thigh 2x30@100
Pull Downs 2x30@50
Shoulder press 30@10, 2x15@10 (I could only do 1 set of 30, and only TWO of 15!)
Obliques 2x30@80
I REALLY needed the two massages after that. It was the first "real" workout I'd done since the run.
Even though I planned to start the week off with a bang, I didn't get back to the gym until yesterday. I had Monkey on Monday, which was AWESOME. However, I didn't get in a workout, despite telling myself I would do it while she slept. The best laid plans...
6/25/13
Elliptical
630 calories
5.95 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65 (put it back to my "old" weight)
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80 (also back to the "old" weight. It almost killed me!)
Inner thigh 2x30@105
Outer thigh 2x30@100
Pull Downs 2x30@50
Shoulder press 2x30@10, 4x15@10 (I managed to get out 4 sets of 15 today )
Obliques 2x30@80
I felt like a million bucks after this workout. I earned every minute of the two massages I got.
When I left yesterday, I thought for sure I was back on track, given that I was really on an endorphin high. And, yet, I never made it there today. I kept saying, "Right after I ______ I'm going to go." It stormed for part of the day, which didn't help. Well, actually it DID help. It helped me make excuses!!
I KNOW the only way to work past this plateau I've hit is to step it up. Yet, I've been letting myself slack off. Why? Why can't I get past this? I need to do something drastic, I think, to get past this. Maybe some kind of "crash" diet/jump start thing? Juice fast? I don't know.
I DO know that as I sit here typing, my plan is to get to the gym bright and early tomorrow. Part of my problem is that I've fallen into the habit of waiting in the morning, in case my brother or Monkey's mom call me to take Monkey. Then I start doing other things, and before I know it, the morning is gone, and I find myself just saying, "Screw it! I'll just go tomorrow!"
In the beginning, when I was getting to the gym by 6ish, that wasn't even an issue, since I don't usually pick Monkey up until 8:30ish. So, now that I've put it out there in the Blogosphere, I can't use that as an excuse anymore!! I need to go back to getting to the gym EARLY. It really is a great way to start my day.
OK, enough whining. I think I'm going to make myself come here everyday, whether I make it to the gym or not. Ideally, I'd like to go back to coming here everyday to list my workout!
I thought you guys were going to keep me in check?!?! Feel free to leave menasty comments, asking why the hell I haven't been working out. Come on, folks, help me out!! =)
2013 Elliptical Totals
40,768 calories
348.5 miles
I've committed to doing The Biggest Loser 5K on August 4, not to mention another 5K that I told my SIL I would run with her in July. (It's too late to officially register for it, but I'm going to run along with her and her friends, just for fun.) Yet, here I sit, NOT getting to the gym, NOT running inside OR out, not doing ANYTHING. I'm disgusted with myself, really.
I think I need to print out some of those awful "before" pictures I shared with you, and hang them up all over my house!
I finally got my big butt back to the gym 15 days after the 5K. I struggled the whole time. :( I only did the elliptical, stretched, and left. NO machines. I didn't let myself get a massage, either, since I didn't feel I earned it.
6/17/13
Elliptical
621 calories
5.64 miles
65 minutes
Then I didn't go again until the 21st. Oy!
6/21/13
Elliptical
628 calories
5.92 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60 (I couldn't remember what I did last time - this is 5lbs less
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70 (Again, couldn't remember, this is TEN pounds less! No wonder it didn't kill me to do it!)
Inner thigh 2x30@105
Outer thigh 2x30@100
Pull Downs 2x30@50
Shoulder press 30@10, 2x15@10 (I could only do 1 set of 30, and only TWO of 15!)
Obliques 2x30@80
I REALLY needed the two massages after that. It was the first "real" workout I'd done since the run.
Even though I planned to start the week off with a bang, I didn't get back to the gym until yesterday. I had Monkey on Monday, which was AWESOME. However, I didn't get in a workout, despite telling myself I would do it while she slept. The best laid plans...
6/25/13
Elliptical
630 calories
5.95 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65 (put it back to my "old" weight)
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80 (also back to the "old" weight. It almost killed me!)
Inner thigh 2x30@105
Outer thigh 2x30@100
Pull Downs 2x30@50
Shoulder press 2x30@10, 4x15@10 (I managed to get out 4 sets of 15 today )
Obliques 2x30@80
I felt like a million bucks after this workout. I earned every minute of the two massages I got.
When I left yesterday, I thought for sure I was back on track, given that I was really on an endorphin high. And, yet, I never made it there today. I kept saying, "Right after I ______ I'm going to go." It stormed for part of the day, which didn't help. Well, actually it DID help. It helped me make excuses!!
I KNOW the only way to work past this plateau I've hit is to step it up. Yet, I've been letting myself slack off. Why? Why can't I get past this? I need to do something drastic, I think, to get past this. Maybe some kind of "crash" diet/jump start thing? Juice fast? I don't know.
I DO know that as I sit here typing, my plan is to get to the gym bright and early tomorrow. Part of my problem is that I've fallen into the habit of waiting in the morning, in case my brother or Monkey's mom call me to take Monkey. Then I start doing other things, and before I know it, the morning is gone, and I find myself just saying, "Screw it! I'll just go tomorrow!"
In the beginning, when I was getting to the gym by 6ish, that wasn't even an issue, since I don't usually pick Monkey up until 8:30ish. So, now that I've put it out there in the Blogosphere, I can't use that as an excuse anymore!! I need to go back to getting to the gym EARLY. It really is a great way to start my day.
OK, enough whining. I think I'm going to make myself come here everyday, whether I make it to the gym or not. Ideally, I'd like to go back to coming here everyday to list my workout!
I thought you guys were going to keep me in check?!?! Feel free to leave me
2013 Elliptical Totals
40,768 calories
348.5 miles
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Well, I'm still here to talk about it...
I survived my first 5k! It was actually kind of awesome. We already signed up for our next one. =)
My crazy SIL went all out to make this a memorable event for me. She secretly videotaped me as we crossed the finish line. (I won't be sharing that since it's the most embarrassing 30 seconds of my life! I look like I'm being pushed along with a cattle prod!) She made a secret sign that she passed off to Magnum and Stud to hold up as I crossed the finish line. AND, she made me a freakin' medal!
I
can't believe I'm even letting you see me looking like this. Can you
tell Stud was thrilled to be up and out at 7:15 on a Sunday morning?!
hahaha!
The boys presented me with these after the run.
Sweet,
right? After the run, we had just enough time to get home, shower and
head to church. The pastor had called and left a message on my phone
earlier in the week, to let me know he'd be praying for me for the run.
Again, sweet, right?
I wasn't as thrilled with him when he took time during the service to completely embarrass me by having me STAND UP while he told the whole church about how I had just completed my first 5K that morning! Aye! They were all very sweet, and most found me after the service to offer their congratulations. I'm thinking I probably should have told them ahead of time, and maybe I would have been able to bump up the total amount of funds raised for the Ronald McDonald House! :P
Anyhoodles, like I'm said, I survived, and I'm just glad I'm still here to tell you about it. =)
The next one we're going to do is The Biggest Loser 5K. I believe it's in August. I'll keep you updated. You're welcome!
My crazy SIL went all out to make this a memorable event for me. She secretly videotaped me as we crossed the finish line. (I won't be sharing that since it's the most embarrassing 30 seconds of my life! I look like I'm being pushed along with a cattle prod!) She made a secret sign that she passed off to Magnum and Stud to hold up as I crossed the finish line. AND, she made me a freakin' medal!
The boys presented me with these after the run.
I wasn't as thrilled with him when he took time during the service to completely embarrass me by having me STAND UP while he told the whole church about how I had just completed my first 5K that morning! Aye! They were all very sweet, and most found me after the service to offer their congratulations. I'm thinking I probably should have told them ahead of time, and maybe I would have been able to bump up the total amount of funds raised for the Ronald McDonald House! :P
Anyhoodles, like I'm said, I survived, and I'm just glad I'm still here to tell you about it. =)
The next one we're going to do is The Biggest Loser 5K. I believe it's in August. I'll keep you updated. You're welcome!
Saturday, May 25, 2013
I think I broke me...
I don't know what the hell I'm doing, thinking I can start running at this point in my life. I'm pushing 50, I'm still 60+ lbs overweight, I'm NOT athletic, what the hell am I doing!?!
I went for another run yesterday, after taking Wednesday and Thursday off. And, I mean OFF, as in no running OR gym. But, I was feeling like a million bucks yesterday. I got dressed and ready for a run to my parents' house. Stud was going to leave at the same time, in my truck, and meet me there. He threw our lawnmower in the truck and was going to cut their lawn while I ran. Perfect plan.
Well, things were going great. I actually was able to up my game a bit. Instead of doing one and one with the lightpoles, I was running two, then only walking one. I felt awesome. I was barely breaking a sweat, I wasn't feeling all that winded, but my left knee was getting sorer and sorer as I ran.
I was having such a good time, that I wasn't paying attention to where I was running, and ended up running about 4 blocks out of my way. No biggie, I thought, because now the run would be closer to the actual distance of the 5K. Unfortunately, when I finally turned around to head to my parents' house, I ran down a street that was basically under construction. I'm thinking running on that uneven gravely mess was my undoing.
I felt great when I got to my parents'. Stud was finished with the lawn, and they weren't home, so as soon as I got there, we left. In the less than 5 minutes it took to drive home, my knee started calling me an asshole. And, it only got worse from there.
Later, Magnum and I met a friend for dinner. We hadn't seen each other in a long time, so as soon as he finished eating, Magnum left, and she and I stayed for a while, catching up. When we finally decided we'd better call it a night, I tried to stand up, and almost fell over. I had to stand there for seriously almost 5 minutes before I could put any real weight on it. Truthfully, I was a little scared. I slowly made my way out of the restaurant (which, of course, included some stairs!) and it got just a little better. Then, being the ass that I am, I forgot where the hell I parked! I ended up walking about 3 blocks out of my way before I found my car! Eesh!
Anyhoodles, my knee was KILLING me by the time I got home (about a 20 minute drive). This morning, it's only slightly better. If I keep moving it constantly, it's better than being still. Lord help me, how the HELL am I going to do this run in a week!?
Just for fun, here are the figures from yesterday:
4,790 steps
2.78 miles
41:06 minutes
344.6 calories
I'm off to go find a knee brace :( Wish me luck!
I went for another run yesterday, after taking Wednesday and Thursday off. And, I mean OFF, as in no running OR gym. But, I was feeling like a million bucks yesterday. I got dressed and ready for a run to my parents' house. Stud was going to leave at the same time, in my truck, and meet me there. He threw our lawnmower in the truck and was going to cut their lawn while I ran. Perfect plan.
Well, things were going great. I actually was able to up my game a bit. Instead of doing one and one with the lightpoles, I was running two, then only walking one. I felt awesome. I was barely breaking a sweat, I wasn't feeling all that winded, but my left knee was getting sorer and sorer as I ran.
I was having such a good time, that I wasn't paying attention to where I was running, and ended up running about 4 blocks out of my way. No biggie, I thought, because now the run would be closer to the actual distance of the 5K. Unfortunately, when I finally turned around to head to my parents' house, I ran down a street that was basically under construction. I'm thinking running on that uneven gravely mess was my undoing.
I felt great when I got to my parents'. Stud was finished with the lawn, and they weren't home, so as soon as I got there, we left. In the less than 5 minutes it took to drive home, my knee started calling me an asshole. And, it only got worse from there.
Later, Magnum and I met a friend for dinner. We hadn't seen each other in a long time, so as soon as he finished eating, Magnum left, and she and I stayed for a while, catching up. When we finally decided we'd better call it a night, I tried to stand up, and almost fell over. I had to stand there for seriously almost 5 minutes before I could put any real weight on it. Truthfully, I was a little scared. I slowly made my way out of the restaurant (which, of course, included some stairs!) and it got just a little better. Then, being the ass that I am, I forgot where the hell I parked! I ended up walking about 3 blocks out of my way before I found my car! Eesh!
Anyhoodles, my knee was KILLING me by the time I got home (about a 20 minute drive). This morning, it's only slightly better. If I keep moving it constantly, it's better than being still. Lord help me, how the HELL am I going to do this run in a week!?
Just for fun, here are the figures from yesterday:
4,790 steps
2.78 miles
41:06 minutes
344.6 calories
I'm off to go find a knee brace :( Wish me luck!
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
So far, so good...
I decided, painful or not, I HAD to go for a run today.
Oo, I downloaded a really cool free app this morning for my iPhone. It's a pedometer, but also measures calories burned, time, etc. So as soon as it loaded, I was out the door.
I headed down the driveway, and started with a power walk, just to loosen up my muscles. After about a block, I decided to try a slow jog. ARGHHH!!! My legs were SCREAMING! I'm embarrassed to say, I abandoned my plan to run to my parents' house. I went a few blocks, then turned down a side street and headed back toward home. According to my cool, new pedometer, it was a half-mile in about 10 minutes. Not bad, considering it was mostly fast walking.
I came in the house, and immediately felt like a turd. And truthfully, after all that moving, my legs actually felt a little better. So...I headed right back out the door! I yelled down to Stud on my way out that he was going to have to come pick me up at his grandparents' house, and I took off.
I was really so afraid of hurting myself, that I took it way easier than I did Saturday. I just power walked until I was out of my neighborhood. Once I crossed the street that serves as the border between Chicago and my parents' town, I started running. I planned to use the same system I used on Saturday, with the street lights. But, since I hadn't run at all yet, I was able to run two lights down, before walking one. I kept that up until I was about 3/4 of the way to my parents'. Then I went back to the one walking, one running.
I called Stud when I was about 3 blocks away to let him know he should leave our house. Then I realized I could just have my dad drive me home. I told Stud I would call him back when I got there.
When I got there, no one was home! Eesh! I called Stud back, and luckily, he didn't listen (as always!) and was already on his way. I decided that instead of just standing there waiting, I would start running back toward home, and just meet him where I meet him.
Turns out I only got about 2 blocks before he was there. AND, the little angel brought me a bottle of cold water! I love that goofy kid! =)
We stopped at the store on the way home to get a few things. I actually had Stud snap a photo of me, so I could see if I was presentable enough to be seen in public.
He lied and said I was. The little wienie!
After we grabbed a few things and came out, I was still feeling the "high," and told Stud I was just going to run home. (The store is at the very intersection where I cross over out of the city into my parents' town.) I started across the parking lot, and then just stopped. "What the HELL are you thinking?!" is what I screamed in my head. I was going to do EXACTLY the same thing I did to myself on Saturday. Thank God I came to my senses.
I'm just happy I was able to get out at all today. I was in unbelievable pain on Sunday, and yesterday wasn't so hot, either.
According to my pedometer, I walk/ran 5,901 steps, 3.179 miles, in 54 minutes. This thing actually gives a calorie count, as well. (How the hell does this thing work?!) It says 349.4 calories. Not nearly what I burn on the elliptical, but that's ok. I'm just glad I did it!
Oo, I downloaded a really cool free app this morning for my iPhone. It's a pedometer, but also measures calories burned, time, etc. So as soon as it loaded, I was out the door.
I headed down the driveway, and started with a power walk, just to loosen up my muscles. After about a block, I decided to try a slow jog. ARGHHH!!! My legs were SCREAMING! I'm embarrassed to say, I abandoned my plan to run to my parents' house. I went a few blocks, then turned down a side street and headed back toward home. According to my cool, new pedometer, it was a half-mile in about 10 minutes. Not bad, considering it was mostly fast walking.
I came in the house, and immediately felt like a turd. And truthfully, after all that moving, my legs actually felt a little better. So...I headed right back out the door! I yelled down to Stud on my way out that he was going to have to come pick me up at his grandparents' house, and I took off.
I was really so afraid of hurting myself, that I took it way easier than I did Saturday. I just power walked until I was out of my neighborhood. Once I crossed the street that serves as the border between Chicago and my parents' town, I started running. I planned to use the same system I used on Saturday, with the street lights. But, since I hadn't run at all yet, I was able to run two lights down, before walking one. I kept that up until I was about 3/4 of the way to my parents'. Then I went back to the one walking, one running.
I called Stud when I was about 3 blocks away to let him know he should leave our house. Then I realized I could just have my dad drive me home. I told Stud I would call him back when I got there.
When I got there, no one was home! Eesh! I called Stud back, and luckily, he didn't listen (as always!) and was already on his way. I decided that instead of just standing there waiting, I would start running back toward home, and just meet him where I meet him.
Turns out I only got about 2 blocks before he was there. AND, the little angel brought me a bottle of cold water! I love that goofy kid! =)
We stopped at the store on the way home to get a few things. I actually had Stud snap a photo of me, so I could see if I was presentable enough to be seen in public.
After we grabbed a few things and came out, I was still feeling the "high," and told Stud I was just going to run home. (The store is at the very intersection where I cross over out of the city into my parents' town.) I started across the parking lot, and then just stopped. "What the HELL are you thinking?!" is what I screamed in my head. I was going to do EXACTLY the same thing I did to myself on Saturday. Thank God I came to my senses.
I'm just happy I was able to get out at all today. I was in unbelievable pain on Sunday, and yesterday wasn't so hot, either.
According to my pedometer, I walk/ran 5,901 steps, 3.179 miles, in 54 minutes. This thing actually gives a calorie count, as well. (How the hell does this thing work?!) It says 349.4 calories. Not nearly what I burn on the elliptical, but that's ok. I'm just glad I did it!
Monday, May 20, 2013
Naturally, I spoke too soon...
Wow, am I a big dummy. I TOTALLY overdid it Saturday, and I've been paying the price ever since.
My brother called me Saturday afternoon to see if I could work at the bar, as one of his bartenders ended up in the hospital overnight with an emergency appendectomy. I wasn't sure about being on my feet all night, after that run, but I said sure.
My legs were actually ok. It was my back and hips that were getting progressively more sore as the night wore on. All that pounding on the cement was probably not the best thing for these old joints. Plus, I'm still hauling around at least 60 excess pounds.
It was a long, busy night at the bar, and I didn't get home until 6am Sunday morning. (Ahhh, I miss the good ol' days when that happened EVERY Friday and Saturday!) I absolutely HAD to be up and out of bed no later than 10 for church, so I tried to go right to sleep. Well, when the alarm went off, and I tried to get out of bed, I very nearly screamed out loud. My legs were on FIRE! That would have been bad enough, but we had a very full schedule of events yesterday, so there was going to be no sitting around and resting. I spent the rest of the day hobbling around like someone who had both legs run over by a semi.
Today, I'm feeling only slightly better. It's the worst after I've been still for a bit. Once I actually get moving, and the muscles loosen up a bit, it gets better. But, stairs make me literally cry out, and there's NO way to avoid them around here. Even worse, Buster is now to the point where he can't do the stairs anymore, so I have to carry him down several times a day so he can go out. I've been terrified that I'm going to fall, and then fall on top of him and kill him. Thankfully, he can go up the stairs on his own.
I'm really pissed at myself for messing up my "training schedule" so badly. Like I said, my intention was to at least run to my parents' house every day until the 5K. Well, now I've already missed yesterday, and I seriously doubt I'll be doing it today. Ugh! I'm going to take Mel's advice and take a bath with some epsom salts, and pop some Advil, then see how I feel.
I feel like I let you guys down, which I know is silly, but I can't help it. I definitely let myself down.
My brother called me Saturday afternoon to see if I could work at the bar, as one of his bartenders ended up in the hospital overnight with an emergency appendectomy. I wasn't sure about being on my feet all night, after that run, but I said sure.
My legs were actually ok. It was my back and hips that were getting progressively more sore as the night wore on. All that pounding on the cement was probably not the best thing for these old joints. Plus, I'm still hauling around at least 60 excess pounds.
It was a long, busy night at the bar, and I didn't get home until 6am Sunday morning. (Ahhh, I miss the good ol' days when that happened EVERY Friday and Saturday!) I absolutely HAD to be up and out of bed no later than 10 for church, so I tried to go right to sleep. Well, when the alarm went off, and I tried to get out of bed, I very nearly screamed out loud. My legs were on FIRE! That would have been bad enough, but we had a very full schedule of events yesterday, so there was going to be no sitting around and resting. I spent the rest of the day hobbling around like someone who had both legs run over by a semi.
Today, I'm feeling only slightly better. It's the worst after I've been still for a bit. Once I actually get moving, and the muscles loosen up a bit, it gets better. But, stairs make me literally cry out, and there's NO way to avoid them around here. Even worse, Buster is now to the point where he can't do the stairs anymore, so I have to carry him down several times a day so he can go out. I've been terrified that I'm going to fall, and then fall on top of him and kill him. Thankfully, he can go up the stairs on his own.
I'm really pissed at myself for messing up my "training schedule" so badly. Like I said, my intention was to at least run to my parents' house every day until the 5K. Well, now I've already missed yesterday, and I seriously doubt I'll be doing it today. Ugh! I'm going to take Mel's advice and take a bath with some epsom salts, and pop some Advil, then see how I feel.
I feel like I let you guys down, which I know is silly, but I can't help it. I definitely let myself down.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
I did it, and I'm still here to tell about it...
I FINALLY ran outside!! I've been talking about it for almost a month, but didn't actually do it until today. I know I should have been doing it for a while now, to get used to it, since the 5K is clearly outside!
My excuse has been that I needed to get running shoes, but you know I did that Wednesday. Then Thursday, I tried my new shoes out at the gym, and found out they are magical! So, I took the plunge today and went for a run. (I skipped the gym yesterday, but still got in lots of aerobic activity. The fun kind ;-) Oops, sorry, I know, TMI!) Well, it was more of a walk/run, but still. Truthfully, I'm pretty damn proud of myself. I ended up going literally twice as far as I had intended, and I feel great!
I was only going to walk/run to my parents' house, which is 2 1/2 miles from my house. I ended up going from there to my Bestest Friend's house, cuz I figured she'd drive me home. She didn't answer her door!! (Turns out she was in the shower) So, I had to walk/run home.
As soon as I got home, I jumped in the car, reset my trip odometer, and drove the route I just finished. It was 5.1 miles! Woo hoo!! Again, I didn't run the whole thing, but I ran half of it. Since that is the first time I've run in 13 years, I'm pretty excited.
I switched back and forth between power walking and jogging. I used the street lights as my guide. I walked from one to the next, than would jog to the next, and so on. About 2/3 of the way to my parents' house, I was starting to wheeze, so I shot Magnum a text asking him to drop my asthma inhaler off at my parents'. He passed me in the car and beeped when I was about 2 blocks from their house. He's so cute. He waited outside their house for me, cheering me on. =)
I had originally thought I would just have my dad drive me back home, but I didn't anticipate feeling as good as I did. I didn't think I could go all the way back home, but I figured I could go the half-mile to Bestest Friend's house, and SHE could drive me home. Plus, then it would be almost the exact distance as a 5K. Well, like I said, she didn't answer her door! So, I walk/ran home.
The whole trip took me about an hour and 10 minutes. Not so bad. I do the elliptical for 65 minutes every day, so this was pretty good. About half-way home from Bestest Friend's house, my left quad started talking to me, but I think that had more to do with the 7.15 miles on the elliptical Thursday. And, my left knee started to get "pinchy," so I hope it doesn't kill me later tonight.
So, there you go!! I survived my first run! I actually felt like a million bucks when I got home, and was tempted to go back out, but then I smacked myself in the head, and reminded my big butt that this was the FIRST day, and I would probably end up hurting myself if I pushed too hard. I have 2 weeks before this 5K, so I'm going to just have to get in a run every day til then. I'm actually a little excited about it. Who the HELL would believe that I would EVER be excited about running!?! (M, I know you're so proud! I thought of you the whole time!)
Maybe I should track my running mileage, huh? Ok, well for today, I'm giving myself 2.5 miles! Yay!
Oh, and M, here are my cute new shoes. They're Asics.
PLEASE click HERE to donate to a great cause. (I mean, c'mon! I earned it today! ;-) )
My excuse has been that I needed to get running shoes, but you know I did that Wednesday. Then Thursday, I tried my new shoes out at the gym, and found out they are magical! So, I took the plunge today and went for a run. (I skipped the gym yesterday, but still got in lots of aerobic activity. The fun kind ;-) Oops, sorry, I know, TMI!) Well, it was more of a walk/run, but still. Truthfully, I'm pretty damn proud of myself. I ended up going literally twice as far as I had intended, and I feel great!
I was only going to walk/run to my parents' house, which is 2 1/2 miles from my house. I ended up going from there to my Bestest Friend's house, cuz I figured she'd drive me home. She didn't answer her door!! (Turns out she was in the shower) So, I had to walk/run home.
As soon as I got home, I jumped in the car, reset my trip odometer, and drove the route I just finished. It was 5.1 miles! Woo hoo!! Again, I didn't run the whole thing, but I ran half of it. Since that is the first time I've run in 13 years, I'm pretty excited.
I switched back and forth between power walking and jogging. I used the street lights as my guide. I walked from one to the next, than would jog to the next, and so on. About 2/3 of the way to my parents' house, I was starting to wheeze, so I shot Magnum a text asking him to drop my asthma inhaler off at my parents'. He passed me in the car and beeped when I was about 2 blocks from their house. He's so cute. He waited outside their house for me, cheering me on. =)
I had originally thought I would just have my dad drive me back home, but I didn't anticipate feeling as good as I did. I didn't think I could go all the way back home, but I figured I could go the half-mile to Bestest Friend's house, and SHE could drive me home. Plus, then it would be almost the exact distance as a 5K. Well, like I said, she didn't answer her door! So, I walk/ran home.
The whole trip took me about an hour and 10 minutes. Not so bad. I do the elliptical for 65 minutes every day, so this was pretty good. About half-way home from Bestest Friend's house, my left quad started talking to me, but I think that had more to do with the 7.15 miles on the elliptical Thursday. And, my left knee started to get "pinchy," so I hope it doesn't kill me later tonight.
So, there you go!! I survived my first run! I actually felt like a million bucks when I got home, and was tempted to go back out, but then I smacked myself in the head, and reminded my big butt that this was the FIRST day, and I would probably end up hurting myself if I pushed too hard. I have 2 weeks before this 5K, so I'm going to just have to get in a run every day til then. I'm actually a little excited about it. Who the HELL would believe that I would EVER be excited about running!?! (M, I know you're so proud! I thought of you the whole time!)
Maybe I should track my running mileage, huh? Ok, well for today, I'm giving myself 2.5 miles! Yay!
Oh, and M, here are my cute new shoes. They're Asics.
PLEASE click HERE to donate to a great cause. (I mean, c'mon! I earned it today! ;-) )
Thursday, May 16, 2013
They're magic!!
I finally got myself some running shoes yesterday. They must be magic! Look at today's numbers:
Elliptical
640 calories
7.15 miles!!!!!! (I'm SO gonna feel this later, I'm afraid. Well, maybe not, since I now have MAGIC SHOES! tee hee)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80
Inner thigh 2x30@105
Outer thigh 2x30@100
Pull Downs 2x30@50
Shoulder press 2x30@10, 6x15@10 (I couldn't do a third set of 30, but I kept the extra 2 sets of 15)
Obliques 2x30@80
2013 Elliptical Totals
39,510 calories
336.63 miles
Please click HERE to donate to a great cause.
Elliptical
640 calories
7.15 miles!!!!!! (I'm SO gonna feel this later, I'm afraid. Well, maybe not, since I now have MAGIC SHOES! tee hee)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80
Inner thigh 2x30@105
Outer thigh 2x30@100
Pull Downs 2x30@50
Shoulder press 2x30@10, 6x15@10 (I couldn't do a third set of 30, but I kept the extra 2 sets of 15)
Obliques 2x30@80
2013 Elliptical Totals
39,510 calories
336.63 miles
Please click HERE to donate to a great cause.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
5/15/13
Man, I'm wiped out today. I don't really know why. Maybe it has to do with upping the weight on almost all the machines? I don't know. But, I was dragging.
Elliptical
613 calories
5.66 miles (that sounds so sad now. But, trust me, I remember when 5 miles was my GOAL, so I'm not going to beat myself up over this!)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80
Outer thigh 2x30@100
Inner thigh 2x30@105
Pull Downs 2x30@50
Shoulder press 3x30@10, 6x15@10 (Wow, I don't know what happened here, but I was able to add another set of 30 (!) in a row, then 2 sets of 15!)
Obliques 2x30@80
2013 Elliptical Totals
38,870 calories
329.48 miles
Please click HERE to donate to a great cause.
Elliptical
613 calories
5.66 miles (that sounds so sad now. But, trust me, I remember when 5 miles was my GOAL, so I'm not going to beat myself up over this!)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80
Outer thigh 2x30@100
Inner thigh 2x30@105
Pull Downs 2x30@50
Shoulder press 3x30@10, 6x15@10 (Wow, I don't know what happened here, but I was able to add another set of 30 (!) in a row, then 2 sets of 15!)
Obliques 2x30@80
2013 Elliptical Totals
38,870 calories
329.48 miles
Please click HERE to donate to a great cause.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
5/14/13
Apparently, I pushed a little two hard the last couple of days at the gym. My legs were screaming at me today to take it easy. So, that's exactly what I did. Plus, I think upping the weight on almost every machine yesterday took its toll on my muscles. I just felt a bit drained today.
Elliptical
630 calories
6 miles (this was HARD to do today!)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80
Inner thigh 2x30@105
Outer thigh 2x30@100
Pull Downs 2x30@50 Shoulder press 2x30@10, 4x15@10
Obliques 2x30@80
2013 Elliptical Totals
38,257 calories
323.82 miles
Please click HERE to donate to a great cause.
Elliptical
630 calories
6 miles (this was HARD to do today!)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80
Inner thigh 2x30@105
Outer thigh 2x30@100
Pull Downs 2x30@50 Shoulder press 2x30@10, 4x15@10
Obliques 2x30@80
2013 Elliptical Totals
38,257 calories
323.82 miles
Please click HERE to donate to a great cause.
Monday, May 13, 2013
5/13/13
REALLY dragging today. My legs were like noodles.
Elliptical
635 calories
6.58 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80 (I took the plunge, and upped the weight the 10 lbs)
Inner thigh 2x30@105 (upped this 5 lbs)
Outer thigh 2x30@100 (upped this 5 lbs)
Pull Downs 2x30@50 (upped this 5 lbs)
Shoulder press 2x30@10, 4x15@10 (damn if this doesn't STILL kill me! It's the LOWEST weight you can set it at, and I feel like I'm going to pass out when I do it!)
Obliques 2x30@80
2013 Elliptical Totals
37,627 calories
317.82 miles
Please click HERE to donate to a great cause.
Elliptical
635 calories
6.58 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@80 (I took the plunge, and upped the weight the 10 lbs)
Inner thigh 2x30@105 (upped this 5 lbs)
Outer thigh 2x30@100 (upped this 5 lbs)
Pull Downs 2x30@50 (upped this 5 lbs)
Shoulder press 2x30@10, 4x15@10 (damn if this doesn't STILL kill me! It's the LOWEST weight you can set it at, and I feel like I'm going to pass out when I do it!)
Obliques 2x30@80
2013 Elliptical Totals
37,627 calories
317.82 miles
Please click HERE to donate to a great cause.
Friday, May 10, 2013
HOLY #@&*
I was excited about YESTERDAY'S record, but TODAY, I blew that out of the water!
Elliptical
637 calories
6.9 miles [I started out REALLY slow and easy, since I was a little wiped out from yesterday's workout, but then I just kept pushing. I did my "new" thing again, which I haven't quite figured out how to describe yet. I'm loving it! I'm pissed that I didn't just push from the beginning, because I think I could have hit 7 miles >:( ]
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@100
Outer thigh 2x30@95
Pull Downs 2x30@45
Shoulder press 2x30@10, 4x15@10
Obliques 2x30@80
2013 Elliptical Totals
36,992 calories
311.24 miles
Please click HERE to donate to a great cause.
Elliptical
637 calories
6.9 miles [I started out REALLY slow and easy, since I was a little wiped out from yesterday's workout, but then I just kept pushing. I did my "new" thing again, which I haven't quite figured out how to describe yet. I'm loving it! I'm pissed that I didn't just push from the beginning, because I think I could have hit 7 miles >:( ]
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@100
Outer thigh 2x30@95
Pull Downs 2x30@45
Shoulder press 2x30@10, 4x15@10
Obliques 2x30@80
2013 Elliptical Totals
36,992 calories
311.24 miles
Please click HERE to donate to a great cause.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
5/9/13
Elliptical
Tried something new today, instead of the interval training I've been doing. LOVED it! And, I hit a new record:
630 calories
6.5 miles!!!!
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70 (I SO want to add more weight to this, but this machine goes up in 10lb increments, not 5. I think 10 is too big a jump right now)
Inner thigh 2x30@100
Outer thigh 2x30@95
Obliques 2x30@80
Shoulder press 2x30@10, 4x15@10 (this was WAY harder today, probably from adding that extra set yesterday)
Pull Downs 2x30@45
2013 Elliptical Totals (I forgot this yesterday, those numbers have now been added)
36,355 calories
304.34 miles
Click HERE to donate to a great cause, please.
Tried something new today, instead of the interval training I've been doing. LOVED it! And, I hit a new record:
630 calories
6.5 miles!!!!
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70 (I SO want to add more weight to this, but this machine goes up in 10lb increments, not 5. I think 10 is too big a jump right now)
Inner thigh 2x30@100
Outer thigh 2x30@95
Obliques 2x30@80
Shoulder press 2x30@10, 4x15@10 (this was WAY harder today, probably from adding that extra set yesterday)
Pull Downs 2x30@45
2013 Elliptical Totals (I forgot this yesterday, those numbers have now been added)
36,355 calories
304.34 miles
Click HERE to donate to a great cause, please.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
5/7/13
Ok, I know today is actually the 8th, but I forgot to post this yesterday. Today, I spent the day with Monkey, so I missed my gym time. I may go later tonight. Or not. I don't mind, since spending the entire day with my baby was the best birthday present ever.
5/7/13
Elliptical
630 calories
6.19 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65 (added 5 lbs today)
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@100 (added 5 lbs today)
Outer thigh 2x30@95 (added 5 lbs today)
Obliques 2x30@80
Shoulder press 2x30@10, 4x15@10 (I was able to add another set of 30 today. It's finally going somewhere!)
Pull Downs 2x30@45 (added 5 lbs today)
5/7/13
Elliptical
630 calories
6.19 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@65 (added 5 lbs today)
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@100 (added 5 lbs today)
Outer thigh 2x30@95 (added 5 lbs today)
Obliques 2x30@80
Shoulder press 2x30@10, 4x15@10 (I was able to add another set of 30 today. It's finally going somewhere!)
Pull Downs 2x30@45 (added 5 lbs today)
Monday, May 6, 2013
5/6/13
Elliptical
630 calories
6.3 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@95
Outer thigh 2x30@90
Obliques 2x30@80
Shoulder press 30@10, 4x15@10 (I was able to add two sets of 15 today. I'm getting there!)
Pull Downs 2x30@40
Feeling a bit tired and sore today from cleaning the garage for 6 hours yesterday :(
2013 Elliptical Totals
35,095 calories
291.65 miles
Click HERE to donate to a great cause
630 calories
6.3 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@95
Outer thigh 2x30@90
Obliques 2x30@80
Shoulder press 30@10, 4x15@10 (I was able to add two sets of 15 today. I'm getting there!)
Pull Downs 2x30@40
Feeling a bit tired and sore today from cleaning the garage for 6 hours yesterday :(
2013 Elliptical Totals
35,095 calories
291.65 miles
Click HERE to donate to a great cause
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Friday, May 3, 2013
5/3/13
Elliptical
626 calories
6.31 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 15@65, 15@ 50, 30@60 (tried upping this one, but it was too much, then I lowered it too much by accident)
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@95
Outer thigh 2x30@90
Obliques 2x30@80
Shoulder press 30@10, 2x15@10
Pull Downs 2x30@40
2013 Elliptical Totals
34,465 calories
285.35 miles
I tied my previous record for distance, but I see that I burned less calories this time. I guess because I weigh less now than I did the first time I hit 6.31 miles. Oh, and I finally was able to move that damn ticker. It's only a pound, but it's something.
Click HERE to donate to a great cause
626 calories
6.31 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 15@65, 15@ 50, 30@60 (tried upping this one, but it was too much, then I lowered it too much by accident)
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@95
Outer thigh 2x30@90
Obliques 2x30@80
Shoulder press 30@10, 2x15@10
Pull Downs 2x30@40
2013 Elliptical Totals
34,465 calories
285.35 miles
I tied my previous record for distance, but I see that I burned less calories this time. I guess because I weigh less now than I did the first time I hit 6.31 miles. Oh, and I finally was able to move that damn ticker. It's only a pound, but it's something.
Click HERE to donate to a great cause
Thursday, May 2, 2013
5/2/13
Elliptical
630 calories
6 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@95 (upped this on Monday, edited Monday's post)
Outer thigh 2x30@90
Obliques 2x30@80
Shoulder press 30@10, 2x15@10 (still the same overall number of reps, but went 30 straight first)
Pull Downs 2x30@40
2013 Elliptical Totals
33,839 calories
279.04 miles
Click HERE to donate to a great cause
630 calories
6 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@95 (upped this on Monday, edited Monday's post)
Outer thigh 2x30@90
Obliques 2x30@80
Shoulder press 30@10, 2x15@10 (still the same overall number of reps, but went 30 straight first)
Pull Downs 2x30@40
2013 Elliptical Totals
33,839 calories
279.04 miles
Click HERE to donate to a great cause
Monday, April 29, 2013
Saturday, April 27, 2013
4/27/13
Tired today...went easy...no intervals
Elliptical
623 calories
5.56 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@90
Outer thigh 2x30@90
Obliques 2x30@80
Shoulder press 4x15@10
Pull Downs 2x30@40
2013 Elliptical Totals
32,559 calories
266.94 miles
Click HERE to donate to a great cause
Elliptical
623 calories
5.56 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@90
Outer thigh 2x30@90
Obliques 2x30@80
Shoulder press 4x15@10
Pull Downs 2x30@40
2013 Elliptical Totals
32,559 calories
266.94 miles
Click HERE to donate to a great cause
Friday, April 26, 2013
4/26/13
Elliptical
633 calories
6.17 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@90
Outer thigh 2x30@90
Obliques 2x30@80
Shoulder press 4x15@10
Pull Downs 2x30@40 (upped the weight, cut down reps, may go back down on weight)
2013 Elliptical Totals
31,936 calories
261.38 miles
Go HERE to donate to a great cause.
633 calories
6.17 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@90
Outer thigh 2x30@90
Obliques 2x30@80
Shoulder press 4x15@10
Pull Downs 2x30@40 (upped the weight, cut down reps, may go back down on weight)
2013 Elliptical Totals
31,936 calories
261.38 miles
Go HERE to donate to a great cause.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
4/25/13
Elliptical
626 calories
6 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@90
Outer thigh 2x30@90
Obliques 2x30@80
Shoulder press 4x15@10
Pull Downs 2x60@30
2013 Elliptical Totals
31,303 calories
251.22 miles
I know I've been gone a long time. If any of you are still out there, please go HERE and see what I've gotten myself into recently. I hope you're feeling generous....
626 calories
6 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@90
Outer thigh 2x30@90
Obliques 2x30@80
Shoulder press 4x15@10
Pull Downs 2x60@30
2013 Elliptical Totals
31,303 calories
251.22 miles
I know I've been gone a long time. If any of you are still out there, please go HERE and see what I've gotten myself into recently. I hope you're feeling generous....
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
4/8/13
Elliptical
562 calories
4.35 miles
65 minutes
pushed too hard, after 5 weeks off, could hardly move by the evening
4/15/13
Elliptical
610 calories
4.45 miles
65 minutes
4/16/13
Elliptical
608 calories
4.65 miles
65 minutes
4/17/13
Elliptical
630 calories
5.5 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 30@60
Straight Arm Ab 30@70
4/20/13
Elliptical
627 calories
5.64 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
4/21/13
Elliptical
631 calories
5.92 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
4/23/13
Elliptical
630 calories
5.87 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Obliques 2x30@60
4/24/13
Elliptical
633 calories
5.9 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@90
Outer thigh 2x30@90
Obliques 2x30@80
2013 Elliptical Totals
30,677 calories
245.22 miles
Elliptical
562 calories
4.35 miles
65 minutes
pushed too hard, after 5 weeks off, could hardly move by the evening
4/15/13
Elliptical
610 calories
4.45 miles
65 minutes
4/16/13
Elliptical
608 calories
4.65 miles
65 minutes
4/17/13
Elliptical
630 calories
5.5 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 30@60
Straight Arm Ab 30@70
4/20/13
Elliptical
627 calories
5.64 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
4/21/13
Elliptical
631 calories
5.92 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
4/23/13
Elliptical
630 calories
5.87 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Obliques 2x30@60
4/24/13
Elliptical
633 calories
5.9 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@90
Outer thigh 2x30@90
Obliques 2x30@80
2013 Elliptical Totals
30,677 calories
245.22 miles
Monday, March 4, 2013
Yes, I know it's been 4 days...
...and yes, I've been a slacker. But, let me try and explain.
The last time I was here, which was Thursday, I told you I missed my gym time because my sister locked herself out of her house. Well, the next morning, as I was walking out to head to the gym, she called me again. This time, it was because she had a flat tire! I immediately went to get her, and then I had to take her to run some errands that HAD to be done that day. Then, we ended up going shopping. Clothes shopping. Those of you who have been around awhile know that I'd rather have a root canal than go shopping for clothes! Unfortunately, it's a necessary evil right now, as I have NOTHING in my closet that fits me. And, Friday night, my dad's work threw him a surprise dinner, and I needed something to wear! By the time we finished shopping, and I drove my sister back home, I barely had enough time to get home and get dressed myself.
The dinner was nice, my dad was very surprised. However, the dinner was held at a restaurant near his work, which means it was not close. By the time we got home, it was very late. I let myself sleep in on Saturday, and yes, I missed my window of opportunity to get to the gym. By the time I got up and dressed and drove my lazy self there, the place was PACKED!! I didn't even go in. I drove back home, but not before deciding that I WOULD be working out.
I pulled out my trusty Tae Bo Advanced tape, and got to work. Man, oh man, that tape kicks my ass! I seriously almost pulled out my phone to take a picture of the puddles of sweat on my floor, but then I came to my senses and realized how repulsive that is, and NOBODY needs to see that!
I was SPENT when that hour was over, let me tell you. While I was doing the last exercise, which involves squats, I was thinking that I wished I knew where the hell my step aerobic tape was. I REALLY loved that tape! I stepped my way to an 80lb weight loss back in the day, right before my sister's wedding. I have my step, but I can't find the damn tape. I've even tried going online and finding it, but so far, I haven't had any luck.
While I was thinking about all this, I remembered another form of exercise I really enjoyed in the past. My Wii Fit! If you've been around my little part of the Blogosphere for any length of time, you might remember when I got that. You might also remember how I spent that 6-week summer break walking and Wii Fitting my way to a 25+lb weight loss.
Well, after getting a cool, refreshing drink of water, I took my happy self down to the basement, and pulled out my Wii Fit board, and found the disk. Then, I spent the next hour and a half working out! The actual minutes of exercise (which the game tracks) was more like an hour, since some of that time was spent trying to remember what the hell I was supposed to be doing! Plus, I did the "body test" which weighs you and tests your balance, etc. I was SHOCKED to see that since the last time I had stepped on the board, I had lost 27.8 pounds. WTF?! I then went back through the calendar (in the game) to see exactly when it was that I last used the Wii Fit. Imagine my surprise (and, yes, disgust!) to see it was August 2009! That was the summer I got it, and when I lost that weight. I think I need to add my Wii Fit into my exercise rotation. I had so much fun, it doesn't feel like exercise. Well, the rhythmic boxing felt like exercise, and left me sweaty as hell, but I loved it! That was always my favorite exercise/game.
Ok, so, now we're on to Sunday. Let me tell you, when I woke up, I could hardly move! My legs and rear were SCREAMING. Man, I love Tae Bo! I was even more sore than I was the first time I did the advanced tape a couple weeks ago. I think it's because, like I said before, now that I can actually DO it, I can focus on form, and actually squeeze those muscles, etc. And, my arms were sore, too, from the boxing on the Wii Fit. I was just a hot mess!
Still, I had every intention of going to the gym, and just going easy. Well, wouldn't you know it, as I was leaving the house, Magnum called to see if I could drive his mom to church. Her car was dead, and he was trying to get it started. So, I had to go back in the house, and get dressed (in "street clothes" as opposed to my icky gym clothes) and then went to in-laws' house. They were having some sort of function at church after the services, so my mother-in-law needed to go shopping before church to pick up some desserts. We picked up some cookies and cupcakes from the bakery of the local grocery store, and headed to church. I planned to drop her off, then go back home, change back into my gym clothes, and get to the gym. Yeah, well, you know what happened, right? My sister called as I was leaving the church, and long story already too long, I ended up picking her and my niece up, and going back to my house to make the centerpieces for my dad's party.
Next thing I knew, it was dinner time, and Magnum and Stud were waiting for me to go to dinner with them. So, there you go. No workout on Sunday.
That brings us to today. I MADE IT TO THE GYM! And, I made it earlier than I've been going lately (but not as early as when I first started going, which was 5:30-6am) so it was pretty much empty. Sadly, my legs were even more sore today than they were yesterday, so I still went kinda easy on the elliptical. The first few minutes were ROUGH! I seriously almost got off the elliptical, thinking I would just do the machines. But, as my muscles warmed up, it got a little easier, so I did my full 65 minutes.
My sore arms came into play when I got to the machines. I'm going to have to keep doing the Wii Fit boxing just for the effect it had on my arms! It did more in 10 minutes than those machines have done in weeks. Well, ok, I'm sure the Tae Bo had something to do with it, since there's a lot of boxing in that, too, so I guess I'd better keep doing both!
So, here's today's numbers:
Elliptical
643 calories
5.67 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight arm abs 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@90
Outer thigh 2x30@90
Chest Press 6x30@10
Shoulder Press 8x15@10
Pull Down 4x30@30
Obliques 2x30@80 (I upped this weight today. I definitely felt it!)
2013 Elliptical Totals
25,746 calories
202.94 miles
Hey! You're still here?! Well, as a little reward for sticking it out through this LONG and rambling post about nothing, I have a surprise. Many of you have been hounding me to post some photos. Well, I'm going to share just one for now. It's from my dad's party Friday night. It's actually a really crappy picture of me and my cute sister. My niece took it, and it's at such a weird angle, we look like bobble head dolls!! But, I promise, I will post some of the pictures from my dad's party Sunday. We're having a professional photographer take pictures, so hopefully they won't look as goofy as this one!
I suppose you need a "before" picture to make a comparison, huh? Here are a couple, not so great, ones.
I will eventually post some that I have from my Italy trip, which are true "before" photos. I started this journey the day we got home.
The last time I was here, which was Thursday, I told you I missed my gym time because my sister locked herself out of her house. Well, the next morning, as I was walking out to head to the gym, she called me again. This time, it was because she had a flat tire! I immediately went to get her, and then I had to take her to run some errands that HAD to be done that day. Then, we ended up going shopping. Clothes shopping. Those of you who have been around awhile know that I'd rather have a root canal than go shopping for clothes! Unfortunately, it's a necessary evil right now, as I have NOTHING in my closet that fits me. And, Friday night, my dad's work threw him a surprise dinner, and I needed something to wear! By the time we finished shopping, and I drove my sister back home, I barely had enough time to get home and get dressed myself.
The dinner was nice, my dad was very surprised. However, the dinner was held at a restaurant near his work, which means it was not close. By the time we got home, it was very late. I let myself sleep in on Saturday, and yes, I missed my window of opportunity to get to the gym. By the time I got up and dressed and drove my lazy self there, the place was PACKED!! I didn't even go in. I drove back home, but not before deciding that I WOULD be working out.
I pulled out my trusty Tae Bo Advanced tape, and got to work. Man, oh man, that tape kicks my ass! I seriously almost pulled out my phone to take a picture of the puddles of sweat on my floor, but then I came to my senses and realized how repulsive that is, and NOBODY needs to see that!
I was SPENT when that hour was over, let me tell you. While I was doing the last exercise, which involves squats, I was thinking that I wished I knew where the hell my step aerobic tape was. I REALLY loved that tape! I stepped my way to an 80lb weight loss back in the day, right before my sister's wedding. I have my step, but I can't find the damn tape. I've even tried going online and finding it, but so far, I haven't had any luck.
While I was thinking about all this, I remembered another form of exercise I really enjoyed in the past. My Wii Fit! If you've been around my little part of the Blogosphere for any length of time, you might remember when I got that. You might also remember how I spent that 6-week summer break walking and Wii Fitting my way to a 25+lb weight loss.
Well, after getting a cool, refreshing drink of water, I took my happy self down to the basement, and pulled out my Wii Fit board, and found the disk. Then, I spent the next hour and a half working out! The actual minutes of exercise (which the game tracks) was more like an hour, since some of that time was spent trying to remember what the hell I was supposed to be doing! Plus, I did the "body test" which weighs you and tests your balance, etc. I was SHOCKED to see that since the last time I had stepped on the board, I had lost 27.8 pounds. WTF?! I then went back through the calendar (in the game) to see exactly when it was that I last used the Wii Fit. Imagine my surprise (and, yes, disgust!) to see it was August 2009! That was the summer I got it, and when I lost that weight. I think I need to add my Wii Fit into my exercise rotation. I had so much fun, it doesn't feel like exercise. Well, the rhythmic boxing felt like exercise, and left me sweaty as hell, but I loved it! That was always my favorite exercise/game.
Ok, so, now we're on to Sunday. Let me tell you, when I woke up, I could hardly move! My legs and rear were SCREAMING. Man, I love Tae Bo! I was even more sore than I was the first time I did the advanced tape a couple weeks ago. I think it's because, like I said before, now that I can actually DO it, I can focus on form, and actually squeeze those muscles, etc. And, my arms were sore, too, from the boxing on the Wii Fit. I was just a hot mess!
Still, I had every intention of going to the gym, and just going easy. Well, wouldn't you know it, as I was leaving the house, Magnum called to see if I could drive his mom to church. Her car was dead, and he was trying to get it started. So, I had to go back in the house, and get dressed (in "street clothes" as opposed to my icky gym clothes) and then went to in-laws' house. They were having some sort of function at church after the services, so my mother-in-law needed to go shopping before church to pick up some desserts. We picked up some cookies and cupcakes from the bakery of the local grocery store, and headed to church. I planned to drop her off, then go back home, change back into my gym clothes, and get to the gym. Yeah, well, you know what happened, right? My sister called as I was leaving the church, and long story already too long, I ended up picking her and my niece up, and going back to my house to make the centerpieces for my dad's party.
Next thing I knew, it was dinner time, and Magnum and Stud were waiting for me to go to dinner with them. So, there you go. No workout on Sunday.
That brings us to today. I MADE IT TO THE GYM! And, I made it earlier than I've been going lately (but not as early as when I first started going, which was 5:30-6am) so it was pretty much empty. Sadly, my legs were even more sore today than they were yesterday, so I still went kinda easy on the elliptical. The first few minutes were ROUGH! I seriously almost got off the elliptical, thinking I would just do the machines. But, as my muscles warmed up, it got a little easier, so I did my full 65 minutes.
My sore arms came into play when I got to the machines. I'm going to have to keep doing the Wii Fit boxing just for the effect it had on my arms! It did more in 10 minutes than those machines have done in weeks. Well, ok, I'm sure the Tae Bo had something to do with it, since there's a lot of boxing in that, too, so I guess I'd better keep doing both!
So, here's today's numbers:
Elliptical
643 calories
5.67 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight arm abs 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@90
Outer thigh 2x30@90
Chest Press 6x30@10
Shoulder Press 8x15@10
Pull Down 4x30@30
Obliques 2x30@80 (I upped this weight today. I definitely felt it!)
2013 Elliptical Totals
25,746 calories
202.94 miles
Hey! You're still here?! Well, as a little reward for sticking it out through this LONG and rambling post about nothing, I have a surprise. Many of you have been hounding me to post some photos. Well, I'm going to share just one for now. It's from my dad's party Friday night. It's actually a really crappy picture of me and my cute sister. My niece took it, and it's at such a weird angle, we look like bobble head dolls!! But, I promise, I will post some of the pictures from my dad's party Sunday. We're having a professional photographer take pictures, so hopefully they won't look as goofy as this one!
I will eventually post some that I have from my Italy trip, which are true "before" photos. I started this journey the day we got home.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
If I were an only child...
...I might not keep missing my workouts!!
The other day, it was my brother calling because his car broke down. This morning, it was my sister calling because she locked herself out of her house! Which means she had no car keys, either, so I had to drive to her house (way south of my house) and then drive her to the train station (north of my house!) so she could get to work. In between, though, we did stop at a store near the train station, and took care of the centerpieces for our father's party, so that worked out well.
Once I was dressed and out of the house for my sister, I figured I might as well go pick up my mother so we could go to the restaurant where we're having the party to finalize the menu. After dropping my sister off at the train, I drove back the other way (again!) to my mother's house, and we then went almost all the way back to my sister's, to the restaurant. That's a lot of driving around when gas is nearly $5 a gallon here!
But, most of the big stuff is done for the party, which is awesome. There are just a few minor details for us to take care of, and it won't take long to do. In the meantime, the entire day went by, and I never got to the gym. That's what I get for answering my phone!
Truthfully, I know it's just an excuse, and I'm not really blaming my family for my not getting to the gym. But, I'm a creature of habit, and once my routine gets knocked out of whack, my whole day is off. I need to learn to be more flexible, I guess.
Hopefully, I'll have something gym-related to post tomorrow!!
The other day, it was my brother calling because his car broke down. This morning, it was my sister calling because she locked herself out of her house! Which means she had no car keys, either, so I had to drive to her house (way south of my house) and then drive her to the train station (north of my house!) so she could get to work. In between, though, we did stop at a store near the train station, and took care of the centerpieces for our father's party, so that worked out well.
Once I was dressed and out of the house for my sister, I figured I might as well go pick up my mother so we could go to the restaurant where we're having the party to finalize the menu. After dropping my sister off at the train, I drove back the other way (again!) to my mother's house, and we then went almost all the way back to my sister's, to the restaurant. That's a lot of driving around when gas is nearly $5 a gallon here!
But, most of the big stuff is done for the party, which is awesome. There are just a few minor details for us to take care of, and it won't take long to do. In the meantime, the entire day went by, and I never got to the gym. That's what I get for answering my phone!
Truthfully, I know it's just an excuse, and I'm not really blaming my family for my not getting to the gym. But, I'm a creature of habit, and once my routine gets knocked out of whack, my whole day is off. I need to learn to be more flexible, I guess.
Hopefully, I'll have something gym-related to post tomorrow!!
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Hmmm...could there be a connection...
...between the fact that I upped my weight on the leg machine yesterday, and the fact that my legs were dead this morning?
I felt like I was dragging the minute I stepped on the elliptical. As a matter of fact, about halfway through my sluggish workout, I started to think it might have something to do with the fact that I got my period this week, which always makes me feel sluggish and tired. I even decided I would come home and check back through my posts to the last time I posted about feeling like this to see I also had my period then.
But then, when I got home and was getting ready to get in the shower, the soreness in my legs reminded me that I upped the weight on the leg machines yesterday. I really felt it today, too, as I was working out, but I didn't make the connection then.
Well, despite feeling like I was dragging, I still had a pretty good workout. I couldn't even do my interval stuff today. I tried at the first 9-minute mark, but I could barely get through the full minute. So I just plugged along until my 65 minutes was up. Here's how it went.
Elliptical
642 calories
5.93 miles (not too shabby, right?)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight arm abs 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@90
Outer thigh 2x30@90
Chest Press 6x30@10 (added 2 sets today, since I really need to work on these arms!)
Shoulder Press 8x15@10
Pull Down 2x30@20 (I upped this from 10 to 20 today, but it still felt way too easy, so I upped it a bit and did 2 more sets)
Pull Down 2x30@30 (I'll see how 4 sets at this weight feels tomorrow)
Obliques 2x30@70
2013 Elliptical Totals
25,103 calories
197.27 miles
Do you want to read a silly story related to Operation Shrink-My-Ass? Go here.
I felt like I was dragging the minute I stepped on the elliptical. As a matter of fact, about halfway through my sluggish workout, I started to think it might have something to do with the fact that I got my period this week, which always makes me feel sluggish and tired. I even decided I would come home and check back through my posts to the last time I posted about feeling like this to see I also had my period then.
But then, when I got home and was getting ready to get in the shower, the soreness in my legs reminded me that I upped the weight on the leg machines yesterday. I really felt it today, too, as I was working out, but I didn't make the connection then.
Well, despite feeling like I was dragging, I still had a pretty good workout. I couldn't even do my interval stuff today. I tried at the first 9-minute mark, but I could barely get through the full minute. So I just plugged along until my 65 minutes was up. Here's how it went.
Elliptical
642 calories
5.93 miles (not too shabby, right?)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight arm abs 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@90
Outer thigh 2x30@90
Chest Press 6x30@10 (added 2 sets today, since I really need to work on these arms!)
Shoulder Press 8x15@10
Pull Down 2x30@20 (I upped this from 10 to 20 today, but it still felt way too easy, so I upped it a bit and did 2 more sets)
Pull Down 2x30@30 (I'll see how 4 sets at this weight feels tomorrow)
Obliques 2x30@70
2013 Elliptical Totals
25,103 calories
197.27 miles
Do you want to read a silly story related to Operation Shrink-My-Ass? Go here.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
I've been a bad girl...
I know I've been AWOL for a few days. And, unfortunately, that's because I didn't get to the gym. (If you want to see part of the reason, go over here.) But, since there's a raging snow storm going on right now around here, I'm hoping to make up those missed workouts by shoveling my ass off later. ;-)
However, I did get to the gym this morning. Good thing I got there early because the storm was starting just as I was leaving.
I've been trying to add something new every week this month, whether it's a new machine or more weight/reps. I added some new stuff today, and noted it below. I took it easy on the elliptical, though, because for some reason, my legs have been sore the past couple of days. I don't know if it's because I really pushed it on Saturday, or what. I did wake up with my period yesterday, which always drains me, so maybe that's it? Whatever it is, like I said, I went a little easy today. I figured I'd be shoveling later, and didn't want to over do it, either.
Elliptical
650 calories
5.85 miles (It seems pretty silly that 5.85 miles is "taking it easy" now, huh? I guess that should make me proud of how far I've come, right?)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60 (I think I'm going to up my sets here soon. For the longest time I could do all 30 of the first set, but the second set had to be 15/15 because I couldn't get through all 30. But, now I can! Woo hoo! So I think I may try 3 sets tomorrow.)
Straight arm abs 2x30@70 (same here, I think I'll do 3 sets tomorrow)
Inner thigh 2x30@90 (bumped this up today)
Outer thigh 2x30@90 (bumped this up today)
Chest Press 4x30@10
Shoulder Press 8x15@10 (added 2 more sets today. It almost killed me!! I wonder how much longer it's going to take for me to build up some strength here.)
Pull Down 4x30@10 (New machine! I'm going to bump up the weight, though, tomorrow. This was just a little too easy today.)
Obliques 2x30@70
I totally earned my 2 Hydro Massages today. I just may have to do THREE tomorrow if I end up shoveling tonight! ;-)
2013 Elliptical Totals
24,461 calories
191.34 miles
However, I did get to the gym this morning. Good thing I got there early because the storm was starting just as I was leaving.
I've been trying to add something new every week this month, whether it's a new machine or more weight/reps. I added some new stuff today, and noted it below. I took it easy on the elliptical, though, because for some reason, my legs have been sore the past couple of days. I don't know if it's because I really pushed it on Saturday, or what. I did wake up with my period yesterday, which always drains me, so maybe that's it? Whatever it is, like I said, I went a little easy today. I figured I'd be shoveling later, and didn't want to over do it, either.
Elliptical
650 calories
5.85 miles (It seems pretty silly that 5.85 miles is "taking it easy" now, huh? I guess that should make me proud of how far I've come, right?)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60 (I think I'm going to up my sets here soon. For the longest time I could do all 30 of the first set, but the second set had to be 15/15 because I couldn't get through all 30. But, now I can! Woo hoo! So I think I may try 3 sets tomorrow.)
Straight arm abs 2x30@70 (same here, I think I'll do 3 sets tomorrow)
Inner thigh 2x30@90 (bumped this up today)
Outer thigh 2x30@90 (bumped this up today)
Chest Press 4x30@10
Shoulder Press 8x15@10 (added 2 more sets today. It almost killed me!! I wonder how much longer it's going to take for me to build up some strength here.)
Pull Down 4x30@10 (New machine! I'm going to bump up the weight, though, tomorrow. This was just a little too easy today.)
Obliques 2x30@70
I totally earned my 2 Hydro Massages today. I just may have to do THREE tomorrow if I end up shoveling tonight! ;-)
2013 Elliptical Totals
24,461 calories
191.34 miles
Saturday, February 23, 2013
I know, I know...
...I already blew it. I said I was going to post every day, but I just didn't get around to it yesterday. However, I DID get to the gym, so don't worry!
I really pushed it on Thursday, when I hit the 6 1/4 miles, so I figured I go a little easier on Friday. Plus, we had snow overnight on Thursday into Friday, so I figured I'd get plenty of exercise shoveling. But, I just couldn't deal with not hitting 6 miles, so I stepped it up a little more than I had originally planned. Turned out to be a good thing, since I hardly did any shoveling after all. My neighbor did MY driveway, Magnum did our other neighbor's (the 89 year-old sweetheart) and my brother did my parents'! Poop! I really was looking forward to shoveling. Oh, well, like I said, good thing I didn't totally slack off at the gym.
Elliptical
630 calories
6 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight arm abs 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@80
Outer thigh 2x30@80
Shoulder press 6x15@10
Chest Press 4x30@10
Obliques 2x30@70
Today was a good day, as well.
Elliptical
645 calories
6.31 miles (yeah, that's right, baby! I'm gonna feel that tomorrow, I'm afraid.)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight arm abs 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@80
Outer thigh 2x30@80
Shoulder press 6x15@10
Chest Press 4x30@10
Obliques 2x30@70
2013 Elliptical Totals
23,811 calories
185.49 miles
There was FINALLY a little movement on the scale today. It's only a pound, but hell, I'll take it!
I really pushed it on Thursday, when I hit the 6 1/4 miles, so I figured I go a little easier on Friday. Plus, we had snow overnight on Thursday into Friday, so I figured I'd get plenty of exercise shoveling. But, I just couldn't deal with not hitting 6 miles, so I stepped it up a little more than I had originally planned. Turned out to be a good thing, since I hardly did any shoveling after all. My neighbor did MY driveway, Magnum did our other neighbor's (the 89 year-old sweetheart) and my brother did my parents'! Poop! I really was looking forward to shoveling. Oh, well, like I said, good thing I didn't totally slack off at the gym.
Elliptical
630 calories
6 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight arm abs 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@80
Outer thigh 2x30@80
Shoulder press 6x15@10
Chest Press 4x30@10
Obliques 2x30@70
Today was a good day, as well.
Elliptical
645 calories
6.31 miles (yeah, that's right, baby! I'm gonna feel that tomorrow, I'm afraid.)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight arm abs 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@80
Outer thigh 2x30@80
Shoulder press 6x15@10
Chest Press 4x30@10
Obliques 2x30@70
2013 Elliptical Totals
23,811 calories
185.49 miles
There was FINALLY a little movement on the scale today. It's only a pound, but hell, I'll take it!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
2/21/13
Good day today!
Elliptical
650 calories
6.25 miles (woo hoo!)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight arm abs 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@80
Outer thigh 2x30@80
Shoulder press 6x15@10
Chest Press 4x30@10
Obliques 2x30@70
After my two delightful Hydro Massages, I made an appointment with the trainer for tomorrow. We're going to work on my arms, which are just so pitifully weak. She's really sweet, and we talked for a while today about what we're going to do tomorrow. I'm excited. This is a different trainer than the one I met with when I first joined the gym. Not sure what happened to Meg, but now Alison is the trainer. At least I think that's her name....I'll find out in the morning!
2013 Elliptical Totals (that's better, and more accurate, right?)
22,536 calories
173.18
Elliptical
650 calories
6.25 miles (woo hoo!)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight arm abs 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@80
Outer thigh 2x30@80
Shoulder press 6x15@10
Chest Press 4x30@10
Obliques 2x30@70
After my two delightful Hydro Massages, I made an appointment with the trainer for tomorrow. We're going to work on my arms, which are just so pitifully weak. She's really sweet, and we talked for a while today about what we're going to do tomorrow. I'm excited. This is a different trainer than the one I met with when I first joined the gym. Not sure what happened to Meg, but now Alison is the trainer. At least I think that's her name....I'll find out in the morning!
2013 Elliptical Totals (that's better, and more accurate, right?)
22,536 calories
173.18
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
2/20/13
Ok, I'm trying to keep my promise to myself to get back to posting here everyday. So, here I am!
Sadly, I have nothing else to tell you, since I never made it to the gym. : ( If you're the least bit curious as to why, go over to the other place.
Sadly, I have nothing else to tell you, since I never made it to the gym. : ( If you're the least bit curious as to why, go over to the other place.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
2/19/13
Good day today. =)
Elliptical
649 calories
6.13 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight arm abs 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@80
Outer thigh 2x30@80
Shoulder press 6x15@10
Chest Press 2x30@10
Obliques 2x30@70
2013 Totals
21,886 calories
166.93 miles
I'm starting to think I shouldn't bother keeping a running total of calories anymore. I'm obviously burning additional calories when I do the machines, but I have no way of knowing how many, so that total isn't really accurate, anyway. Eh, for now, I'll just keep doing cuz I like to see that number. =)
Elliptical
649 calories
6.13 miles
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight arm abs 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@80
Outer thigh 2x30@80
Shoulder press 6x15@10
Chest Press 2x30@10
Obliques 2x30@70
2013 Totals
21,886 calories
166.93 miles
I'm starting to think I shouldn't bother keeping a running total of calories anymore. I'm obviously burning additional calories when I do the machines, but I have no way of knowing how many, so that total isn't really accurate, anyway. Eh, for now, I'll just keep doing cuz I like to see that number. =)
Monday, February 18, 2013
C'mon, ChitTown, get with it!!
Man, I have REALLY dropped the ball over here, haven't I? So much for my vow to post everyday! I'm going to have to strain my brain to remember what the hell has happened the past week.
Ok, so last time I was here was last Tuesday. On Wednesday, I got a last minute call to watch Monkey. So, short story, no gym.
Thursday I also got a call, early this time, to take Monkey for the day. So, again, no gym. However, while she took a nice long nap, I DID do the hour-long, advanced Tae Bo tape. I really wanted to the half-hour one, too, but I was afraid she was going to wake up before I could finish and shower. If Magnum or Stud had been home, I wouldn't have worried about it, but since I was alone, I didn't want to take the chance of being in the shower when she woke up.
Now we're at Friday, right? No Monkey that day. Sadly, no gym, either. I gotta say, though, that that one-hour, advanced Tae Bo tape kicks my sorry ass! I was so sore on Friday, I could hardly walk. There is some serious glute work going on in this workout, as well as leg work. My rear-end and quads were screaming all day.
Saturday I got my ass back into gear. See for yourself.
2/16/13
650 calories
6 miles (yeah, baby, I hit it again!)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight arm abs 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@80
Outer thigh 2x30@80
Shoulder press 6x15@10 (when the hell am I going to get past this lousy 10lbs?!)
Chest Press 2x30@10 (Yes, I added a new machine!!)
Obliques 2x30@60
Sunday I was feeling the lingering reminder of the Tae Bo workout, combined with really pushing it the day before. I decided to just take it easy. I skipped the interval work, and just kept it steady.
2/17/13
640 calories
5.5 miles (not bad for taking it easy, right? Truthfully, I was shocked to see that number)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight arm abs 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@80
Outer thigh 2x30@80
Shoulder press 6x15@10 (when the hell am I going to get past this lousy 10lbs?!)
Obliques 2x30@60
(No chest presses today thanks to the TOTALLY annoying bitch holding up the machine. She was far too busy texting on her freakin' phone to actually do any exercise. It took everything in me to not go over to her and tell her to get the f off the machine. This is one of the few machines that there is only one of, most of the others are in pairs. Ugh!)
That brings us to today. I had a great morning at the gym. Once again, I was channeling some serious anger, and used it to my advantage.
2/18/13
648 calories
6.05 miles (uh huh, that's right!)
65 mintues
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight arm abs 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@80
Outer thigh 2x30@80
Shoulder press 6x15@10
Chest Press 2x30@10
Obliques 2x30@70 (I upped this one today. It felt great!)
So, here are the new totals...
2013 Totals
21,237 calories (plus whatever I gave Billy!)
160.8 miles
I hate to make excuses for my lack of posting here, but I really think it is kinda tied to the fact that I committed to NaBloPoMo for February on the other blog. When I first started this one, I pretty much only posted here, and neglected that one. Now, the opposite is happening. This week's goal is to be more diligent here. I'll try my best, I promise!
Ok, so last time I was here was last Tuesday. On Wednesday, I got a last minute call to watch Monkey. So, short story, no gym.
Thursday I also got a call, early this time, to take Monkey for the day. So, again, no gym. However, while she took a nice long nap, I DID do the hour-long, advanced Tae Bo tape. I really wanted to the half-hour one, too, but I was afraid she was going to wake up before I could finish and shower. If Magnum or Stud had been home, I wouldn't have worried about it, but since I was alone, I didn't want to take the chance of being in the shower when she woke up.
Now we're at Friday, right? No Monkey that day. Sadly, no gym, either. I gotta say, though, that that one-hour, advanced Tae Bo tape kicks my sorry ass! I was so sore on Friday, I could hardly walk. There is some serious glute work going on in this workout, as well as leg work. My rear-end and quads were screaming all day.
Saturday I got my ass back into gear. See for yourself.
2/16/13
650 calories
6 miles (yeah, baby, I hit it again!)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight arm abs 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@80
Outer thigh 2x30@80
Shoulder press 6x15@10 (when the hell am I going to get past this lousy 10lbs?!)
Chest Press 2x30@10 (Yes, I added a new machine!!)
Obliques 2x30@60
Sunday I was feeling the lingering reminder of the Tae Bo workout, combined with really pushing it the day before. I decided to just take it easy. I skipped the interval work, and just kept it steady.
2/17/13
640 calories
5.5 miles (not bad for taking it easy, right? Truthfully, I was shocked to see that number)
65 minutes
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight arm abs 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@80
Outer thigh 2x30@80
Shoulder press 6x15@10 (when the hell am I going to get past this lousy 10lbs?!)
Obliques 2x30@60
(No chest presses today thanks to the TOTALLY annoying bitch holding up the machine. She was far too busy texting on her freakin' phone to actually do any exercise. It took everything in me to not go over to her and tell her to get the f off the machine. This is one of the few machines that there is only one of, most of the others are in pairs. Ugh!)
That brings us to today. I had a great morning at the gym. Once again, I was channeling some serious anger, and used it to my advantage.
2/18/13
648 calories
6.05 miles (uh huh, that's right!)
65 mintues
Ab crunches 2x30@60
Straight arm abs 2x30@70
Inner thigh 2x30@80
Outer thigh 2x30@80
Shoulder press 6x15@10
Chest Press 2x30@10
Obliques 2x30@70 (I upped this one today. It felt great!)
So, here are the new totals...
2013 Totals
21,237 calories (plus whatever I gave Billy!)
160.8 miles
I hate to make excuses for my lack of posting here, but I really think it is kinda tied to the fact that I committed to NaBloPoMo for February on the other blog. When I first started this one, I pretty much only posted here, and neglected that one. Now, the opposite is happening. This week's goal is to be more diligent here. I'll try my best, I promise!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Oo, ouch...
Ok, I know I didn't check in yesterday. BUT, don't think that's cuz I skipped yet another workout!
I have been going to the gym later than usual the past couple of weeks, which is something I need to fix. I NEED to get back to getting there between 5:30-6 am. Part of the reason I've been waiting is because I've been trying to spend a little more time with Magnum. You may remember that he hurt his back about a month ago, and he hasn't been back to the gym since. He's also been picking up more and more shifts at the delivery job he took, which means he's been gone at least 4 nights a week now. Between that, and the fact that he's at his parents' house 7 days a week, taking care of his father, we don't get to spend a lot of time together right now. So, I've been putting of my gym visits until he leaves for his parents' house.
Anyway, back to yesterday. I ended up really pushing my gym time back. I finally was able to get there around 4:15. I was hoping I'd still be able to beat the after-work rush. However, when I pulled into the parking lot, I could see the place was PACKED! Without exaggeration, there had to be at least 10 times the number of people there than I'm used to seeing. I just couldn't go in there. I decided I would turn around and go home, and pull out one of my trusty Tae Bo tapes.
I had mentioned on my other blog that I had been doing Tae Bo before I joined the gym. I was doing the half hour tape (along with a half hour walking tape), and it was kicking my ass. Truthfully, there were parts that I sort of skipped. Well, not skipped, but didn't do at the intensity level it should have been. For example, there's a part where you're supposed to be "On your toes! On your toes!" which basically means you are jumping around, on your toes, while punching. Um, yeah, that wasn't gonna happen. I just couldn't do it. So, I stood in one place and just did the punches.
Anyway, you get the idea. So yesterday, I figured I would go crazy and try the hour-long advanced tape. Now, back in the day when I did Tae Bo religiously, I did this tape everyday. But, I wasn't sure how it was going to go now.
I popped it in, and went to work. After about 10 minutes, I was shocked that I was actually keeping up. Yeah, I had sweat pouring down my face, but I was doing it! At the half-way mark, I was feeling great! But, that's when Billy kicks it up a notch. I think I did pretty well, but admittedly, I probably only did about 80% of the moves as they were done on the tape. Same situation as above. If I couldn't do the exact move, I'd do something else, but I kept moving.
I had forgotten that the last 10 minutes of the tape was done on the floor. It targets the abs and glutes. And holy cow, I did NOT remember it being so freakin' HARD! But, I made myself push through. I literally had sweat dripping of me and puddling on the floor. I know, so gross, but true!
When that tape ended, I was feeling like a million bucks. I mean, ya, I wasn't able to do 100% of it, but I'm determined to get there now. I decided I would do the half-hour tape, too. Now, the last time I did it, like I said, it kicked my ass. Now? It was a piece of cake!! Well, ok, not a piece of cake. Tae Bo is no walk in the park. But, I was actually able to do it. ALL of it! Even the jumping around parts.
What I DID notice is that now that I actually have some kind of core strength and muscle tone, I felt the moves even MORE. I made sure to focus on the moves, and keeping my stomach tight, just like Billy says the whole time. Before, I was just trying to get through the tape without passing out. Now, I can squeeze the right muscles, and keep focused on my form. And, man, I'm tellin' ya, I felt every bit of it.
Now, all that being said, I gotta tell ya, I'm sore as hell today!! Mostly my glutes are screaming, but my legs are a bit sore, too. I was moving pretty slow this morning. I made the decision to not push it too hard today at the gym. I certainly don't want to hurt myself. So, despite my screaming muscles, this is what I did today.
Ellitical
637 calories
5.56 miles
65 minutes
Ab Crunches 2x30@50
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70 (I upped this one today)
Inner Thigh 2x30@80
Outer Thigh 2x30@80
Shoulder Press 6x15@10 (I added 2 sets to this today, cuz my arms suck. I REALLY need to work on them!)
Obliques 2x30@60 (I upped this one today, too)
Obviously, I have no idea how many calories I burned with Billy yesterday, and there were no miles to log, so I can't add them to my totals. But, here's where I am so far.
2013 Totals
19,299 calories (it's probably actually over 20,000 thanks to Billy!)
143.25 miles
I think I'm going to do those Tae Bo tapes every other day, or at least 3 days a week. Based on the way I'm feeling today, I'm gonna have Buns of Steel by bikini season =)
I have been going to the gym later than usual the past couple of weeks, which is something I need to fix. I NEED to get back to getting there between 5:30-6 am. Part of the reason I've been waiting is because I've been trying to spend a little more time with Magnum. You may remember that he hurt his back about a month ago, and he hasn't been back to the gym since. He's also been picking up more and more shifts at the delivery job he took, which means he's been gone at least 4 nights a week now. Between that, and the fact that he's at his parents' house 7 days a week, taking care of his father, we don't get to spend a lot of time together right now. So, I've been putting of my gym visits until he leaves for his parents' house.
Anyway, back to yesterday. I ended up really pushing my gym time back. I finally was able to get there around 4:15. I was hoping I'd still be able to beat the after-work rush. However, when I pulled into the parking lot, I could see the place was PACKED! Without exaggeration, there had to be at least 10 times the number of people there than I'm used to seeing. I just couldn't go in there. I decided I would turn around and go home, and pull out one of my trusty Tae Bo tapes.
I had mentioned on my other blog that I had been doing Tae Bo before I joined the gym. I was doing the half hour tape (along with a half hour walking tape), and it was kicking my ass. Truthfully, there were parts that I sort of skipped. Well, not skipped, but didn't do at the intensity level it should have been. For example, there's a part where you're supposed to be "On your toes! On your toes!" which basically means you are jumping around, on your toes, while punching. Um, yeah, that wasn't gonna happen. I just couldn't do it. So, I stood in one place and just did the punches.
Anyway, you get the idea. So yesterday, I figured I would go crazy and try the hour-long advanced tape. Now, back in the day when I did Tae Bo religiously, I did this tape everyday. But, I wasn't sure how it was going to go now.
I popped it in, and went to work. After about 10 minutes, I was shocked that I was actually keeping up. Yeah, I had sweat pouring down my face, but I was doing it! At the half-way mark, I was feeling great! But, that's when Billy kicks it up a notch. I think I did pretty well, but admittedly, I probably only did about 80% of the moves as they were done on the tape. Same situation as above. If I couldn't do the exact move, I'd do something else, but I kept moving.
I had forgotten that the last 10 minutes of the tape was done on the floor. It targets the abs and glutes. And holy cow, I did NOT remember it being so freakin' HARD! But, I made myself push through. I literally had sweat dripping of me and puddling on the floor. I know, so gross, but true!
When that tape ended, I was feeling like a million bucks. I mean, ya, I wasn't able to do 100% of it, but I'm determined to get there now. I decided I would do the half-hour tape, too. Now, the last time I did it, like I said, it kicked my ass. Now? It was a piece of cake!! Well, ok, not a piece of cake. Tae Bo is no walk in the park. But, I was actually able to do it. ALL of it! Even the jumping around parts.
What I DID notice is that now that I actually have some kind of core strength and muscle tone, I felt the moves even MORE. I made sure to focus on the moves, and keeping my stomach tight, just like Billy says the whole time. Before, I was just trying to get through the tape without passing out. Now, I can squeeze the right muscles, and keep focused on my form. And, man, I'm tellin' ya, I felt every bit of it.
Now, all that being said, I gotta tell ya, I'm sore as hell today!! Mostly my glutes are screaming, but my legs are a bit sore, too. I was moving pretty slow this morning. I made the decision to not push it too hard today at the gym. I certainly don't want to hurt myself. So, despite my screaming muscles, this is what I did today.
Ellitical
637 calories
5.56 miles
65 minutes
Ab Crunches 2x30@50
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@70 (I upped this one today)
Inner Thigh 2x30@80
Outer Thigh 2x30@80
Shoulder Press 6x15@10 (I added 2 sets to this today, cuz my arms suck. I REALLY need to work on them!)
Obliques 2x30@60 (I upped this one today, too)
Obviously, I have no idea how many calories I burned with Billy yesterday, and there were no miles to log, so I can't add them to my totals. But, here's where I am so far.
2013 Totals
19,299 calories (it's probably actually over 20,000 thanks to Billy!)
143.25 miles
I think I'm going to do those Tae Bo tapes every other day, or at least 3 days a week. Based on the way I'm feeling today, I'm gonna have Buns of Steel by bikini season =)
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Sunday Mornin', Rain is Fallin'....
It's been raining since last night around here. I kinda love it.
I ended up skipping the gym on Friday. I really pushed it on Thursday to hit that 6 miles. I felt it kinda all over. Plus, for some reason, I seemed to be feeling some after-effects of all the shoveling I did this past week. I have this twinge thing going on in my back.
Saturday, I had a memorial service to attend. The librarian from the Hell-Hole passed away. I was gone the whole morning. From the service, I went straight to Sam's, then to lunch with my brother. Before I knew it, most of the day had gone by! So, yeah, this was the long way to say - I skipped Saturday, too. I know, I suck. I had every intention of leaving my brother and going to the gym, but by the time I got home, I was wiped out. I don't know if it was the emotional drain of the service (it was a complete shock to find out she passed away, I didn't even know she was sick [pancreatic cancer], and seeing my former coworkers was emotional. I was SO happy to see the ones I miss, but I did NOT want to see New Principal!) or just the fact that I really pushed it on Thursday. I just felt completely lethargic. Maybe it was the rainy weather? That always makes me want to hunker down with a good book/movie/TV show. Well, whatever the hell it was, I missed another day of the gym.
But, today, there was going to be NO skipping the gym. However, I was still feeling kinda blah. My legs were a bit sore, and I just felt like I had no energy. It was really hard to get out of bed this morning. It was pouring outside, so maybe that didn't help? But, I made myself get up and get going. I just decided I would take it nice and easy. I didn't even do my usual interval thing. Just nice and steady, for 65 minutes.
Elliptical
626 calories
5.17 miles
65 minutes
Now I know that 5.17 miles seems like a pittance after hitting 6 miles the other day. But, I reminded myself that just a couple weeks ago, I was struggling to even hit 5 miles. So, I'm cutting myself some slack, and just rejoicing in the fact that I got my big butt to the gym, and was able to do 65 minutes on the elliptical! I didn't skip the machines, either.
Ab Crunches 30@60 (I tried to up it today, but I was losing form, so I went back down on the 2nd set)
Ab Crunches 30@50
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@60
Inner Thigh 2x30@80
Outer Thigh 2x30@80
Shoulder Press 4x15@10
Obliques 2x30@50
2013 Totals
18,662 calories
137.69 miles
Then I went home and had a yummy breakfast. =)
I ended up skipping the gym on Friday. I really pushed it on Thursday to hit that 6 miles. I felt it kinda all over. Plus, for some reason, I seemed to be feeling some after-effects of all the shoveling I did this past week. I have this twinge thing going on in my back.
Saturday, I had a memorial service to attend. The librarian from the Hell-Hole passed away. I was gone the whole morning. From the service, I went straight to Sam's, then to lunch with my brother. Before I knew it, most of the day had gone by! So, yeah, this was the long way to say - I skipped Saturday, too. I know, I suck. I had every intention of leaving my brother and going to the gym, but by the time I got home, I was wiped out. I don't know if it was the emotional drain of the service (it was a complete shock to find out she passed away, I didn't even know she was sick [pancreatic cancer], and seeing my former coworkers was emotional. I was SO happy to see the ones I miss, but I did NOT want to see New Principal!) or just the fact that I really pushed it on Thursday. I just felt completely lethargic. Maybe it was the rainy weather? That always makes me want to hunker down with a good book/movie/TV show. Well, whatever the hell it was, I missed another day of the gym.
But, today, there was going to be NO skipping the gym. However, I was still feeling kinda blah. My legs were a bit sore, and I just felt like I had no energy. It was really hard to get out of bed this morning. It was pouring outside, so maybe that didn't help? But, I made myself get up and get going. I just decided I would take it nice and easy. I didn't even do my usual interval thing. Just nice and steady, for 65 minutes.
Elliptical
626 calories
5.17 miles
65 minutes
Now I know that 5.17 miles seems like a pittance after hitting 6 miles the other day. But, I reminded myself that just a couple weeks ago, I was struggling to even hit 5 miles. So, I'm cutting myself some slack, and just rejoicing in the fact that I got my big butt to the gym, and was able to do 65 minutes on the elliptical! I didn't skip the machines, either.
Ab Crunches 30@60 (I tried to up it today, but I was losing form, so I went back down on the 2nd set)
Ab Crunches 30@50
Straight Arm Ab 2x30@60
Inner Thigh 2x30@80
Outer Thigh 2x30@80
Shoulder Press 4x15@10
Obliques 2x30@50
2013 Totals
18,662 calories
137.69 miles
Then I went home and had a yummy breakfast. =)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)