2012-08-11 - Ketchup!; Changes; Disappointment; Blood Donation

So, it's been a while. It's not that I haven't been exercising, or watching what I eat, I've just been... non-bloggy. And my activities have been pretty much mediocre, at best. And, since this is kind of a pain in the buttocks, I've decided to nix the blog-every-workout thing and just do general updates. Mmmkay?

I did kick my weight-lifting up a notch. That happened on/around August 6th.

My cardio has been almost non-existent. My diet has been like, really awesome except for every afternoon at 3 pm, and except for 3 dinners per week and except for 2 lunches per week... Totally unsatisfactory.

Also, I fell off the wagon and started stepping on the scale. Unsurprisingly, my weight hasn't budged, aside from the normal ups and downs. Neither has my BMI, or my bone density, or my body fat percentage. Why do I do this to myself? Admittedly, this supports my point about not getting on the scale. I can see the definition in my muscles. I can lift more, and I can tell that my arms are bigger and my legs are bigger. So how can my scale say I'm the same weight and the same BMI? It must be lying. I'll get a kid or DH to take a picture when we go to the water park next weekend. I swear there's change. Just, not nearly as much as I had dreamed of.

I talked to my trainer about stuff. We'll get together this week, I think. He's super-busy. So am I.

We talked diet. I thought he had some low-carb plan, or something, but it turns out, it's mostly common sense stuff: you need carbs, but not too many; calories aren't bad, you need those, too, but watch the calories from fat; the more processed something is, the worse it is; you need extra protein, because you're building muscle, but eat lean meats; salmon is good for women, as it has more estrogen and it's a lean meat full of the good-for-you fats; sausage is never good; if you have to eat bread, go for whole-grain; white bread is always evil; a surprising number of foods have been fried (that's bad), and have extra sugars added (also bad); enjoy dessert by looking at the pretty pictures on the menu; but there's no need to go all crazy-vegan-paleo. And he wants me to keep a food-log for a week.

We also talked exercise. The weight training and cardio ups your metabolism better than cardio alone. It's been researched and proven - you build the muscles and they help with your metabolism. But you have to keep the metabolism up... which means doing something almost every day. This three-days-a-week thing isn't going to help me that much. My trainer recommends 5. So I need to figure out at least two low-sweat workouts I can cram into my lunch hour. And get serious about this.

Oh, and if you're an athlete thinking of doing double-red-cell blood donation, don't. My routine has taken such a hit. I'm tired all the time, and even two weeks later, I'm only just now getting close to where I was before the donation. I noticed it on the stairs. On Tuesday, I got up all six flights just fine - I was a little out of breath at the top, but that was normal for me. On Wednesday, I was totally gassed and had to stop and rest on the 4th floor landing, and again on the 5th floor landing, and got to my desk panting. Maybe I'll do this again in the summer, since there's a crisis every year at that time, and I'm O-, but certainly not every donation cycle. This is nuts. I saw a blog from a marathoner who views it differently: he's O+ and knows the blood is needed, so is more willing to take the hit on his training, but even he said it'd likely be a few weeks. I'm seeing a lot of pro-donation sites saying that studies have shown no additional side-effects, but all the athlete blogs are saying that the fatigue can be brutal for a week or two.

New weight-training plan looks like this:

Dead Lifts
15 reps @ 40lbs - 10 reps @ 50lbs - 8 reps @ 60lbs

Bent-over Rows (using dumb-bells)
15 reps @ 15lbs - 10 reps at 20 lbs - 8 reps @ 25lbs

Goblet Squats (using one dumb-bell)
15 reps @ 25lbs - 10 reps @ 30lbs - 8 reps @ 35lbs

Medicine Ball Slams (5-kg medicine ball)
12 reps - 12 reps - 12 reps

Straight-leg Dead Lift
15 reps @ 40lbs - 10 reps @ 50lbs - 8 reps @ 60lbs

And then some cardio. At least 20 minutes of good work. I still need ab work. My trainer indicated last we talked that he thought he had given me a core work-out. I think I'll be getting that from him this week.

2012-07-15 - Hot Circuit; Please No Photos

According to Blogger, most of my traffic is from Russia. If any of you Russians need work-out tips, I know a guy, I could maybe introduce you. Call me. We'll do lunch or something.

My one-month point was the 13th. That'd be one month working out (more or less) regularly and eating smarter, and two months no smoking. Since I don't believe in scales, I'm supposed to track with pictures. But frankly, I'm not feeling it. It's not a good-body day. There are times when I'm totally impressed with my own progress, and I feel good about the way I look. Today, I feel fat and weak. So, no pic.

It was hot in the house. I'm hoping that's why this circuit sucked so bad.

Prisoner Squats, 30 reps: Check!
Push-ups, 15 reps: Check!
Jumps, 10 reps: Check!
Push-ups, 15 reps: Check!
Swiss-Ball Leg Curls, 10 reps: Check!
Swiss-Ball Pikes, 10 reps: Check!
Step-Ups, 4-ct, 20 reps: Check!
Chin-ups, 5 reps: Planks, 8-ct, 5
Forward Lunges, 30 reps: Check!
Tucked-elbow push-ups: 6 up, 14 knees
Inverted Rows, 15 reps: 0
Prisoner Squats, 15 reps: Check!
Chin-ups, 5 reps: planks, 8-ct, 3

2012-07-12 - New Yoga Mat

I missed doing them at the gym last night, so I did them in my living room this morning. Even though it wasn't hot yet, it was a good bit warmer (about 78 degrees) than my gym (about 70, most days), and I think between doing it the morning and not having A/C, it made a huge difference. Also, brand-new yoga mats smell bad.

Prisoner Squats, 30 reps: Check!
Push-ups, 15 reps: Check!
Jumps, 10 reps: Check!
Push-ups, 15 reps: 10 up, 5 on my knees
Swiss-Ball Leg Curls, 10 reps: Check!
Swiss-Ball Pikes, 10 reps: Check!
Step-Ups, 4-ct, 20 reps: Check!
Chin-ups, 5 reps: Planks, 8-ct, 5
Forward Lunges, 30 reps: Check!
Tucked-elbow push-ups: 15 up, 5 knees
Inverted Rows, 15 reps: 0
Prisoner Squats, 15 reps: Check!
Chin-ups, 5 reps: planks, 8-ct, 4

2012-07-09 - Post-dated

I did do this workout. I skipped the cardio. It was kinda blah.


Dead Lifts
15 reps @ 30lbs - 10 reps @ 40lbs - 8 reps @ 50lbs

Bent-over Rows (using dumb-bells)
15 reps @ 10lbs - 10 reps at 15 lbs - 8 reps @ 20lbs

Goblet Squats (using one dumb-bell)
15 reps @ 20lbs - 10 reps @ 25lbs - 8 reps @ 30lbs

Medicine Ball Slams (6-lb medicine ball)
15 reps - 15 reps - 15 reps

Straight-leg Dead Lift
15 reps @ 30lbs - 10 reps @ 40lbs - 8 reps @ 50lbs

2012-07-07 - Breaking the Streak; Back to the Start

So, I went ahead with my plan to do my circuit, and was pleasantly surprised both that the heat prior to arriving at the gym (which is, unlike my house, very well air conditioned) did not seem to negatively impact my workout and that contrary to my worries, I've actually made progress on my ability to do my circuit.

I took my husband's advice and instead of refusing to do either chin-ups or drop-downs, I got on the chin-up-assist machine and set it so that I was pulling up a little over 100lbs of my own weight each time. This was way more satisfying than just refusing to do it.

All-in-all, I had an excellent work-out. I should have stayed to do some cardio, or gone through the circuit another time, but it is Saturday.

Now, the only question is, do I rinse off in the shower before putting my swim suit on for some sun-bathing and reading, or do I throw a swimsuit on this sweaty body and rinse off in the hose so I can dry off on my beach towel?

Prisoner Squats, 30 reps: Check!
Push-ups, 15 reps: 10 up, 5 on my knees
Jumps, 10 reps: Check!
Push-ups, 15 reps: 9 up, 5 on my knees
Swiss-Ball Leg Curls, 10 reps: Check!
Swiss-Ball Pikes, 10 reps: Check!
Step-Ups, 4-ct, 20 reps: Check!
Chin-ups, 5 reps: lifting 100lbs on the assist machine, check.
Forward Lunges, 30 reps: Check!
Tucked-elbow push-ups: 15 up, 5 knees
Inverted Rows, 15 reps: 5 chin-ups on the assist machine
Prisoner Squats, 15 reps: Check!
Chin-ups, 5 reps: on the assist machine, check.

EDIT: I looked back at the last time I did the circuit, and there is definitely progress there. Last time, I had 4 reds and 2 yellows, so it is getting better.

Also, I think I liked how planks we working not just my arms, like the chin-ups, but also my core and quads. I think instead of the inverted rows, or the assisted chin-ups, I'll add in the planks in their stead. And maybe some light-weight oblique workout. Swiss-Ball obliques? Or maybe something with that 20lb bar-bell...

2012-07-06 - Bad Weekend, Continued

Like the title says, the bad weekend went right through the week. Work-out number one was on Tuesday (should've been Monday), which would dictate that workout number two be on Thursday, but I was sick on Thursday, so, here it is Friday, and I just did workout number two. Workout number three will be tomorrow. Onward and upward for next week.

The knee pain I was having, probably as a result of going too far down on the dead lifts and squats, has lessened - a good sign. Also, I'm once again not feeling this workout as much as I think I should. I'm just not as sore as I think I should be. And I'm a little worried that this weight workout isn't doing as many different things as my circuit was doing. I think tomorrow's workout will be my circuit followed by half an hour on the elliptical.

I totally wanted a cigarette at work this afternoon. It was after lunch. A slow Friday. I had an intellectual problem to solve and I just needed to sit down with a cigarette and think a bit. But I didn't. I sat at my desk, without the sunshine, without the other smokers around me, without a cigarette, and tried to think, instead.

Again, my normal gym doesn't have 2.5lb weights for the bar-bells. So, I had to adjust the amount of weight lifted a bit.

Dead lifts:
15 @ 30 lbs - 10 @ 40 lbs - 8 @ 50 lbs

Bent-over rows (using dumb-bells):
15 reps @ 10 lbs - 10 reps @ 15 lbs - 8 reps @ 20 lbs

Goblet Squats:
15 reps @ 20 lbs - 10 reps @ 25 lbs - 8 reps @ 30 lbs

Medicine Ball slams (6-lb medicine ball):
15 reps - 15 reps - 15 reps

Straight-leg Dead lifts:
15 reps @ 30 lbs - 10 reps @ 40 lbs - 8 reps @ 50 lbs

And 30 minutes on the elliptical. I burned 287 calories (Yay!) and went 2.36 miles with the 1-1 interval program and the upper left at 4.

2012-07-03 - Bad Weekend; Great Workout

So, Friday came and, as usual, I decided to blow off my workout and do it Saturday. And that usually works great, except that Friday night we had a storm that knocked out power through Sunday night. So, I totally missed that workout. And I completely busted my "diet" when we went out to eat two nights in a row because the power was out.

In the mean-time, the only shorts I have are a size too small (or maybe more) and I have to really work to button them, and once I do, I feel awful in them. Not only are they uncomfortable, I feel super-unattractive in them. So, while we were out for dinner, we swung by Marshalls, and I got new shorts, in the size I usually wear these days... Only, I didn't try them on, and they turned out to be just as tight (if not tighter) than my other shorts, which were a size smaller. So did the summer-weight slacks I bought. I wasn't, apparently, feeling bad enough about my body, so I stepped on the scale, which only made me angrier. It was a bad, bad weekend, health-wise.

Monday I was ill and had forgotten to print out my work-out. So I did it yesterday. This week, workouts will be Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. And I better make myself on Saturday! On a happier note, this workout seemed much easier than the first time I did it with my trainer. Maybe because my muscles had time to completely heal up? Maybe because the AC was turned up higher? Who knows?

This was a different gym - one that didn't have 2.5lb weights. So, I had to adjust the amount of weight lifted a bit.

Dead lifts:
15 @ 35 lbs - 10 @ 40 lbs - 8 @ 50 lbs

Bent-over rows (using dumb-bells):
15 reps @ 10 lbs - 10 reps @ 15 lbs - 8 reps @ 20 lbs

Goblet Squats:
15 reps @ 20 lbs - 10 reps @ 25 lbs - 8 reps @ 30 lbs

Medicine Ball slams (6-lb medicine ball):
15 reps - 15 reps - 15 reps

Straight-leg Dead lifts:
15 reps @ 30 lbs - 10 reps @ 40 lbs - 8 reps @ 50 lbs

About 23 Minutes on the elliptical, doing 1-1 intervals. The higher resistance was at 6, the lower resistance was at 2. It said I burned about 203 calories.