Today my swimming buddy, Pam, met me for a lesson on weight training. We had a blast! I joke that it was "pay back" but truly, I was thrilled that I had someone to work out with. I really pushed myself hard; I always work out harder when I have a partner. She was really a great sport and I could tell that she was nervous and uneasy about her abilities. We were careful and I was sure to start her with little to no weight. I don't know if my body is just reacting from all the new activity I've been doing, or if I'm really pushing myself harder than I have been in the past, but I'm really sore!
Today, we warmed up with lunges. Three sets of ten on each leg. I love that warm-up. It wakes up the whole body and gets your heart rate up. Then we did chest press and chest flies. We also did cardio intervals between sets. Pam was brave and even did squat jacks on a bench with me. Our goal was to do 25, she made it to 15, but that's great that she even tried!
We did a little work on biceps and triceps and then finished strong with abs. I am sore and I know that tomorrow and Friday will be exceptionally painful/stiff for me. Pam has already texted me telling me her ass hurts. Its the lunges...I tell you...they get you EVERY time!
I'm meeting her tomorrow for swimming again. Wish me luck; I may be so sore I drown!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Stepping Out (in heels) of Comfort Zones
Yesterday for a pre-bachelorette party workout, 10 lovely ladies (including my gorgeous niece who is the bride-to-be) survived an hour lesson on Exotic Dance. WOW. It was intense!I won't post pictures of this post because...well, that's just raunchy. However, I will tell you that all of us are feeling the pain today! That could also be because after the hour class, we did spend the rest of the evening and into the wee hours of the morning on our feet in heels like we were preparing for the remake of "Flash Dance". What a great night!
But back to the exotic dancing class. We did some great dancing with chairs, learned some very difficult floor work and moved our bodies in ways I truly believed should only be seen in the bedroom! It was such a great kick off to the bachelorette party festivites; by the time the class was over, we all felt very comfortable with each other. Bachelorette parties can be nerve racking, especially when you don't all know each other but you're there to support the one person you all have in common...the bride.
My abs are killing me today; along with my inner thighs, buttocks and calves. I attribute all that to the difficult moves we learned in the class. My feet hurt too, but I blame that on the hours spent in 5 inch heels and the dance clubs. :)
Between the swimming and then exotic dancing, this week has been loaded with pushing myself to experience new and challenging workouts. I'm thrilled that I'm feeling it, but I'm looking forward to my traditional weights and HIIT tomorrow morning.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Ouch, ouch, ouch.
Yes, that is the sound of me trying to walk. I am so incredibly sore today, but also EXCITED that I really pushed myself this week! Let's just pray I make it through my busy weekend without being in too much pain.
The good news is that the soreness is definitely paying off!!! I lost all the weight I gained while on vacation and then even a couple pounds more. Hard work is definitely worth it!
The good news is that the soreness is definitely paying off!!! I lost all the weight I gained while on vacation and then even a couple pounds more. Hard work is definitely worth it!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Sink or Swim
Today I had my first swim lesson. It wasn't really a lesson, per say, but my daughter's "BFF"s mom invited (actually challenged) me to join her at the gym to swim some laps. I've been toying with the idea of giving it a try. So I bit the bullet, and put on the swimsuit.
I'm not a good swimmer, not at all actually. I've never had formal swim lessons, and my mother couldn't swim so we never spent any time in a pool or around much water while I was growing up. Having kids of my own now and since we are always around water, I feel very strongly that my children learn how to swim. I also believe that we should practice what we preach and lead by example, so into the pool I go!
Mistake #1, not all swimsuits are created equal. I happened to run into said BFF's mother at SAMs club and when she invited me, I told her that I didn't really have a suit that would work for swimming laps. She pointed to the Speedos hanging in the clothing section...hmmph. Speedo is a good swimsuit right? Right! If you buy the RIGHT Speedo! I bought a nice purple one. In the size I normally wear in swimsuits. I get to the gym, put on the suit and BLAH, its TIGHT. This one was also low cut. Hello, cleavage! Just what I needed; it made an already uncomfortable situation...uncomfortable. Nevermind the fact that the life guard immediately commented on my hourglass shape and ta-tas. I thought if she stared any longer she'd have to buy me dinner! Well, I guess the good point to having the suit feel tight is that it will be a reminder that I cannot gain any weight ;)
Mistake #2, bring swim cap and goggles. Thankfully, my friend brought me extras, but it would have been great if I had come prepared. I felt bad borrowing, so I only used the goggles. My eyes were thankful; my hair suffered.
Mistake #3, rushing to catch breaths. I swallowed more pool water than I'd care to admit. Apparently, learning to breathe and swim is not as easy as one might think. My friend says that once I get this down, swimming will be much easier.
Mistake #4, working your legs the day prior to swimming. I was so sore! I'll know better next time.
Mistake #5, lifting weights AFTER swimming. I didn't realize how sore my shoulders would be. I probably could have skipped the weights afterwards.
So that's day one of swimming. I definitely plan to keep it up. I am so glad I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and I beleive that with months, years, decades of practice, I might actually be good at this. Here's hoping!
I'm not a good swimmer, not at all actually. I've never had formal swim lessons, and my mother couldn't swim so we never spent any time in a pool or around much water while I was growing up. Having kids of my own now and since we are always around water, I feel very strongly that my children learn how to swim. I also believe that we should practice what we preach and lead by example, so into the pool I go!
Mistake #1, not all swimsuits are created equal. I happened to run into said BFF's mother at SAMs club and when she invited me, I told her that I didn't really have a suit that would work for swimming laps. She pointed to the Speedos hanging in the clothing section...hmmph. Speedo is a good swimsuit right? Right! If you buy the RIGHT Speedo! I bought a nice purple one. In the size I normally wear in swimsuits. I get to the gym, put on the suit and BLAH, its TIGHT. This one was also low cut. Hello, cleavage! Just what I needed; it made an already uncomfortable situation...uncomfortable. Nevermind the fact that the life guard immediately commented on my hourglass shape and ta-tas. I thought if she stared any longer she'd have to buy me dinner! Well, I guess the good point to having the suit feel tight is that it will be a reminder that I cannot gain any weight ;)
Mistake #2, bring swim cap and goggles. Thankfully, my friend brought me extras, but it would have been great if I had come prepared. I felt bad borrowing, so I only used the goggles. My eyes were thankful; my hair suffered.
Mistake #3, rushing to catch breaths. I swallowed more pool water than I'd care to admit. Apparently, learning to breathe and swim is not as easy as one might think. My friend says that once I get this down, swimming will be much easier.
Mistake #4, working your legs the day prior to swimming. I was so sore! I'll know better next time.
Mistake #5, lifting weights AFTER swimming. I didn't realize how sore my shoulders would be. I probably could have skipped the weights afterwards.
So that's day one of swimming. I definitely plan to keep it up. I am so glad I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and I beleive that with months, years, decades of practice, I might actually be good at this. Here's hoping!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
AHHHHH!
Ok, so I've got to stop obsessing! Since the competition, it has been really hard for me to keep up my motivation. I'm not sure what has changed. Perhaps I just got sucked back into life and all the bullshit excuses people make to over eat and not workout. Who knows. I had a major reality check this week though when my clothes were too tight and I was experiencing extremely low energy. I think my hormones are all out whack and I'm just not feeling like myself.
While on vacation, it was extremely hard to clean eat. I missed it terribly and today when I started my meal planning and cooking, I hit the ground RUNNING! I bought great veggies and meats, got out my favorite tried and true recipes and prepped for the weekend/week. I'm super excited about the meals and really looking forward to just diving back in. I will NOT struggle with my weight. Period. Now that I know how great I feel when I'm healthy and taking care of myself, I really really feel like shit when I let myself go. Its not a good feeling and I will NOT allow myself to go there.
Today, I had an AWESOME HIIT session while the kids rode bikes around me outside, I'm roasting a chicken and packing lots of snacks and healthy go to items for my busy weekend. I'm frustrated in myself for not keeping up with my health goals, but today is a new day and I'm not going to obsess.
No time for excuses, NOW is the time for results!
While on vacation, it was extremely hard to clean eat. I missed it terribly and today when I started my meal planning and cooking, I hit the ground RUNNING! I bought great veggies and meats, got out my favorite tried and true recipes and prepped for the weekend/week. I'm super excited about the meals and really looking forward to just diving back in. I will NOT struggle with my weight. Period. Now that I know how great I feel when I'm healthy and taking care of myself, I really really feel like shit when I let myself go. Its not a good feeling and I will NOT allow myself to go there.
Today, I had an AWESOME HIIT session while the kids rode bikes around me outside, I'm roasting a chicken and packing lots of snacks and healthy go to items for my busy weekend. I'm frustrated in myself for not keeping up with my health goals, but today is a new day and I'm not going to obsess.
No time for excuses, NOW is the time for results!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
"Moving Meditation"
I put the title of this post in quotations because it was a statement that my first trainer, Kelly Gonzalez http://www.kellygonzalez.com used to explain what exercise was to her. I didn't quite understand her then, but since I've been working out alone it makes total sense to me and now, I can't imagine not having that time to myself. Now, I crave it. I devote that time to myself; to be alone in my thoughts, wrapped up in good music and the only thing that is in need of my attention is making decisions about how much weight and how many reps I can push myself to pick up and pump out.
My husband told me a couple months ago after he had missed several weeks of working out due to an injury, that what he really missed was his music. How funny! You can listen to music anytime, right? I think his point was that he missed turning the world off and just allowing himself to turn into his thoughts and the music while he worked his body and blew off steam from the day.
I get it! I find myself getting so pumped up as I turn into the parking garage of our gym. I thinking, "is today a rock day, or am I going for club mix...perhaps its going to be a eighties day ..." I pop my earbuds in and the world melts away. I'm no longer Alice Anne, mom, wife, boss, daughter, educator (pick a hat, any hat) I'm muscle, sweat, callused hands, heart pumping, skin burning, thoughts running "push hard, push harder, YOU CAN DO THIS!"
Thanks, Kelly, for explaining exercise in such a beautiful way! "Moving Meditation" I release myself of my thoughts, I concentrate on my body, my soul and my spirit. I find strength within and I push myself to break my own limits. No wonder I feel so much better when I exercise regularly!
My husband told me a couple months ago after he had missed several weeks of working out due to an injury, that what he really missed was his music. How funny! You can listen to music anytime, right? I think his point was that he missed turning the world off and just allowing himself to turn into his thoughts and the music while he worked his body and blew off steam from the day.
I get it! I find myself getting so pumped up as I turn into the parking garage of our gym. I thinking, "is today a rock day, or am I going for club mix...perhaps its going to be a eighties day ..." I pop my earbuds in and the world melts away. I'm no longer Alice Anne, mom, wife, boss, daughter, educator (pick a hat, any hat) I'm muscle, sweat, callused hands, heart pumping, skin burning, thoughts running "push hard, push harder, YOU CAN DO THIS!"
Thanks, Kelly, for explaining exercise in such a beautiful way! "Moving Meditation" I release myself of my thoughts, I concentrate on my body, my soul and my spirit. I find strength within and I push myself to break my own limits. No wonder I feel so much better when I exercise regularly!
Update on New Year's Resolutions
Since it is now February, I thought I would check in and update how things are going with my New Year's resolutions. If you read both my blogs, I apologize for any repeat information; I won't mention too much about my "general life" resolutions and try to stick to my "fitness" related goals.
#1 Creative Cooking
This is going very very well! I am clean eating about 85% of the time and I've done a lot of research (online, cookbooks, iPhone Apps) on new clean eating recipes. I've been very adventurous with vegetables, spices, seafood and I'm doing a lot more cooking that I've ever done before. I've always loved to cook, but cooking fresh whole foods is SO much different! I feel absolutely no guilt, I'm proud and happy when my family is eating because I know that good things are going in their bodies. I feel empowered; I don't worry about what I'm putting in our food, I don't think about hormones, perservatives, or additives. I just feel like I'm doing the absolute best thing for my family's health.
I bought a new multi-pot http://www.crateandbarrel.com/kitchen-and-food/individual-cookware/calphalon-contemporary-stainless-multipot-with-lid/s305980 ; I use it mostly for steaming various vegetables and seafood; it has made cooking so much easier! I've been loving my edamame, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, shrimp, mussels...oh the list goes on and on! I have no idea why it has taken me so long to make this purchase. I can't imagine cooking dinner without it now!
#2 Blog More
I feel like I'm keeping up with the blog. This is a much easier blog to work on. I feel like I could talk about health, food, and exercise all.day.long. I just love it so much and I'm learning every day and I cannot wait to get on here and share with everyone.
#3 Get My Kids Active
This is going pretty well. We've done indoor gyms, ice-skating, bowling, swimming and they have been playing more outside (despite all the snow). I think when the weather gets nicer we'll be able to really get moving outdoors! My daughter will continue with lacrosse this spring and I'm hoping my son can get involved in soccer soon. I think he doesn't quite make the age cutoff, but hopefully I can find a peewee level or beginners group.
I should probably do an update on my Biggest Losers Challenger that I've organized for about 20 people. Its going ok. We haven't had any real significant weight loss, most of us have stayed the same (why is it that I worked so diligently to lose 50lbs, but I can't lose this last 5?????) We're only in week #3, so I'm hoping we kick it up a knotch soon!
Overall, I think 2011 is right on track and I'm sticking to my goals. I'm completely happy with my lifestyle and I feel fan-freaking-tastic! February is going to be a month of hard workouts, more clean-eating and lots of prep for spring; its time to start planning all the awesome things we can do as soon as the weather cooperates :)
#1 Creative Cooking
This is going very very well! I am clean eating about 85% of the time and I've done a lot of research (online, cookbooks, iPhone Apps) on new clean eating recipes. I've been very adventurous with vegetables, spices, seafood and I'm doing a lot more cooking that I've ever done before. I've always loved to cook, but cooking fresh whole foods is SO much different! I feel absolutely no guilt, I'm proud and happy when my family is eating because I know that good things are going in their bodies. I feel empowered; I don't worry about what I'm putting in our food, I don't think about hormones, perservatives, or additives. I just feel like I'm doing the absolute best thing for my family's health.
I bought a new multi-pot http://www.crateandbarrel.com/kitchen-and-food/individual-cookware/calphalon-contemporary-stainless-multipot-with-lid/s305980 ; I use it mostly for steaming various vegetables and seafood; it has made cooking so much easier! I've been loving my edamame, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, shrimp, mussels...oh the list goes on and on! I have no idea why it has taken me so long to make this purchase. I can't imagine cooking dinner without it now!
#2 Blog More
I feel like I'm keeping up with the blog. This is a much easier blog to work on. I feel like I could talk about health, food, and exercise all.day.long. I just love it so much and I'm learning every day and I cannot wait to get on here and share with everyone.
#3 Get My Kids Active
This is going pretty well. We've done indoor gyms, ice-skating, bowling, swimming and they have been playing more outside (despite all the snow). I think when the weather gets nicer we'll be able to really get moving outdoors! My daughter will continue with lacrosse this spring and I'm hoping my son can get involved in soccer soon. I think he doesn't quite make the age cutoff, but hopefully I can find a peewee level or beginners group.
I should probably do an update on my Biggest Losers Challenger that I've organized for about 20 people. Its going ok. We haven't had any real significant weight loss, most of us have stayed the same (why is it that I worked so diligently to lose 50lbs, but I can't lose this last 5?????) We're only in week #3, so I'm hoping we kick it up a knotch soon!
Overall, I think 2011 is right on track and I'm sticking to my goals. I'm completely happy with my lifestyle and I feel fan-freaking-tastic! February is going to be a month of hard workouts, more clean-eating and lots of prep for spring; its time to start planning all the awesome things we can do as soon as the weather cooperates :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)