Lucky Loses It

I'm reaching the point where I can finally start to see some progress. It's strange, when others notice it too. I've been spending this month oddly proud and somewhat embarrassed. I was chosen by my health coach and gym to be their "member of the month". I wanted to make sure my blurb talked about persistence and really overcoming obstacles. I feel like that's all I've had. My write up mentions a few things I can now do (push ups, tricep dips), things I've done (lost some weight, gained some muscle) and some challenges I've had (car accident, surgeries etc). I will admit, it's a bit odd to see my picture in various corners of the gym. Thank god no one has approached me about it -- only my coworkers who also go to the gym there. My shoulder and arm are still bothering me so I've been back to running and squatting. I've tried to pick up the dead lifts again too, as long as my back plays along nicely. I'm still mad at my...

Things are just moving along in my world. I've still been consistent with my workouts and true to my promise of wearing loud(er) pants to the gym. My latest obsession are these wonderful orange ass spirals. (They aren't on the seller's website currently so I can't link to them - sorry! )  I call them my circus pants. You really can't miss me when I wear them. I am not hiding in the gym anymore! They are particularly fun on leg day, that I will tell you. I've been at a little plateau lately. I've been too lenient with myself and while I can feel myself getting stronger, my pants are not any looser. I'm standing in my own way, really. I enjoy my wine, I eat some carbs and have a life, so this process is taking a really long time, but it's all because of decisions I have consciously made.  That being said, cardio has been upped to 4 mile runs when I do them and I'm trying to incorporate more intervals in my workouts. My enemy the burpee is...

I woke up 2 pounds lighter today but I'm not going to get too excited. That is the equivalent of a lot of water, a ton of wine or maybe a giant bowel movement. I could be up 3 tomorrow, who knows. It was nice to see the scale actually move though, but I'm not going crazy until at least I'm out of the 180's. I realized today that even though I plan meticulously and dabble in a bunch of programs (both eating and workout related), I've never really followed one to the T. Back in the day, I tried Atkins and South Beach. And while I was 10 years younger and 20 pounds lighter, it worked for me then, but it won't work for me now. It also wasn't sustainable. A few years ago I had joined Weight Watchers. Again, while it worked for some friends famously, it did not work for me. I already ate healthily and exercised a lot and the program just didn't seem to boost me past any plateau I had hit. It was also a little too easy for me to have things just because ...

Back to the work week. Another case of the Mondays. We let a team member go at work today, so I have more duties to look forward to. Yay. Took yesterday as a rest day since it's been so HOT in the Bay Area and I was still sore in the calves from Saturday's work out, I knew not to push it. I worked out after work on Friday and just jogged for 30 minutes, did 70 push ups. I got up early on Saturday and hit chest/back/legs. I managed to PR on a bench press, 105 pounds. It was 3 reps, but I gotta take it easy on my tendinitis. I hate it! Again, I've been told by my PT to lay off heavy weights and any back exercises, so I'm sticking to upper body and lighter weights, higher reps. No dead lifts, no thrusts, no KB swings etc for a while :(, but I can surely work out my shoulders and upper back and glutes! I'm seriously obsessed with growing my ass. I try to squat at least 3 times a week seriously (at the rack) and try to incorporate a few body weight or light barbell m...

I really feel like I need to get into another program or start meeting with a trainer. There are days when I am strictly cardio, there are days when I work on particular body parts and there are days where I haphazardly go into the gym and do whatever I think won't make me hurt. Today was a mix of the later two. I'm giving my legs and back a rest today and went with upper body training. I decided to focus mainly on chest and triceps with a little shoulder work. I have also made a goal for myself to do 36 push ups a day every day for the month of October. That's just 3 sets of 12, or one day, I can do more than the 20 in a row I can do now. I just have to remember to NOT end my routine with the push ups like I did today, or else I literally feel like I am pushing the world away from me. Collapse was inevitable. It was a welcome surprise to see the weight area so empty on a Wednesday morning. I'm guessing the throes of men or sports fans who watched the wild card game...

I realized today I have a new favorite Starbucks drink. I also realized it is the longest name to ever order: "Sugar-free, Cinnamon Dolce Nonfat Coffee Frappuccino." That, my friends, is a mouthful --albeit a delicious mouthful. It's my latest obsession at around 110 calories for a tall. It's better than 200 cal for my beloved pumpkin spice latte though...the sacrifices I make. I'm stuck in the land of cardio these days. A bit of overuse or who knows what I did to my forearm, has given me some pain and therefore I'm laying off of any weight training :(. I can't even do dips or push ups really without straining my arm and causing inflammation and pain. It sucks, plain and simple. With my back being moody as well, I have to go easy on the treadmill and watch my movements. My "let's go September!" momentum has faded. I don't feel any closer to dropping a pants size, nor am I making any strength gains this month. I'm just in sustainin...

Crazy to believe I started this new blog one year ago today. I thought I would see myself a bad ass lifting machine by now, but that's not how life works, is it? I remember those first days in the gym after a 3 month hiatus due to the car accident and lots of chiropractic visits. I had just  literally already come off a month long hiatus prior due to hernia surgery before then, so it really did feel like starting from scratch. The days of just walking on the treadmill. The dread of going to the gym after work and hoping I didn't re-injure myself...I remember the hesitation and the feeling of being let down when I couldn't run or walk uphill due to back pain. I still have issues, but the more I remain active the more hopeful I am they will resolve themselves with time. I remember the day I took this picture. It was early September 2013. I had gone to the gym after work and really wanted to push past 30 minutes. I also bought this purple short sleeve shirt from H&M ...

This week has seriously been the longest.week.ever. I am excited to do NOTHING this weekend. All I plan to accomplish is the gym, a few naps, grocery shopping and house cleaning. After two crazy weekends in a row, mama needs some down time. The hermit in me cries out. I ended up taking a full rest day yesterday. Who am I kidding to think I'll actually make it to the gym during lunch or after work sometimes? My hatred of a packed gym and hunger override the desire to go. It happens. If you're starving and sore, chances are your body will thank you for not going to work out. After work we've been having lots of protests downtown so my natural instinct is to get the hell out of here as soon as possible to avoid any public transit delays. Once I get home, it's all snuggles with my dog, dishes and getting dinner ready. I just can't motivate hard enough (yet) if I don't work out in the morning. I still can't shake this constant exhaustion. Today was should...

My lovely veggie plate. That was my weekend. Apparently it's taken me 3 days to recuperate! I got to see one of my very best friends get married last Saturday and had a wonderful vegetarian reception to enjoy as well afterwards. I made sure to partake in everything and not feel any guilt! I took Sunday as a rest day and met up with some friends for a bit before doing a quick essentials only grocery run. I didn't do a whole lot of meal prep outside of boiling some eggs and making 3 lunches with brown rice/ground turkey with taco seasoning. I am falling in love with grilled scallions though...but I digress. Monday was back at the gym for 3 miles on the treadmill but my lower back is acting up again so it was a slow 3 miles. Tuesday was squats, chest and tricep day. I finally made my way to the big girl squat rack at my Monday-Friday gym near work. It's usually overrun with guys who take way too long or the rare girl who hogs it for squats and lunges. Tuesday that girl...

Well, I made it to Friday. I almost didn't work out today since the BF crawled back into bed post alarm and decided he was not. Given the fact I was already awake and two other alarms kept going off, I took it as a cue to get my ass out of bed and go to the gym anyway. I may try and pull a double if I can. I ran for 35 minutes on the treadmill, followed by some leg raises (3x10) and tricep dips (2x5). I then hit the mat and did 4 variations of push ups. Ugh. 10 at wide stance, 10 at narrow stance, 10 pyramid push ups and a very painful 8 reps in pike position . Those are the devil. While I was headed to the treadmill, I saw a woman I see mostly every day doing her thing, walking uphill. She does this for about 30-40 minutes each day, or sometimes hops on the elliptical next to me. What's different about her is that she is obviously going through or underwent some sort of treatment (my guess is chemo therapy). At first, her stature startled me. She appeared weak and frail, ...

Impressive stats for the morning so far: My breakfast had 42 grams of protein in it and I think I squatted my ass off during my work out. For some reason the dog woke us up around 3 am this morning and I could not for the life of me get back to sleep. I keep reading memories and clips and social media messages of Robin Williams to pass the time. I laid awake dreading the morning sun and the soon to be slog of getting my ass to the gym. I only had about 40 minutes to work with, and even with my pre-workout , I just could not manage cardio. I walked by the cardio machines and gave them the death stare. I thought to myself "It's time to work the legs. It's going to be leg day." I started with the leg extension machine and got 3 sets of 10 in but really had no desire to be on a machine. Ever since they reorganized the gym it's become a misguided, misdirected array of fitness machines and the set up irks me. I'd rather just be in the weights section, small as ...

I had the pleasure of attending a girls getaway weekend this past week for a dear friend before her wedding. It was great to get out of the city and head to Napa, CA. Car rides full of 90s music, tasteless jokes and grocery store field trips make me happy. Even though I ended up drinking a little too much vino the first night, I managed to pull off a great dinner for the seven of us. I seem to always overdo the first night with booze.  It's almost like I wake up that morning and act like prohibition has just ended and goddammit I'm going to make up for lost time! I'm too old for that crap. While sitting in traffic I pulled off a menu in my mind of an Italian rice salad with roasted vegetables and mozzarella balls, grilled portabello caps, artichokes and red onions with a garden salad and some roasted chicken added to the mix. Needless to say, dinner was a success and healthy. The Spread It was a weekend of girl time, a massage for my weary body since I had pretty...

This morning I successfully chugged down a scoop of protein powder with only water and ice. Not as gag worthy as I thought it would be. Baby steps. I've worked out for 8 days straight now. I need to take it easy. Granted, I'm only working out about 45-50 minutes each workout, so I should be ok. I've tried to keep some variety in there too. Friday I had my work event and lo and behold, I attempted to rock wall climb. It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. I seem to have selective fear of heights. Sometimes I'm fine, other times I get all freaked out and think the end of the world is near if I go up one step further.  Here's proof of my attempt: Check out that calf! I don't know if I'll be rushing out to get a membership to any climbing gyms any time soon, but at least I can say I did it once. My anxiety set in after I got to where that wall slanted. It doesn't look that high from this pic, but it's already about 8 feet in the air....

It's been a long week. I spent most of yesterday fixing everyone else's sloppy work or errors. I hate it when my job depends on the competency of others. Especially when it is non-existent. I slept in til 6:30 am (I know, the LUXURY!) and decided to hit the gym after work Thursday. I really had to force myself to enjoy it last night, but getting my frustrations out at that bar is much better for me than hitting up A bar after work. I did some assisted pull ups and tricep push downs, cable pulls, bicep curls with the 35# bar and skull crushers. I also managed to do a few sets at the bench: 2x10 at 55lbs 2x8 at  75lbs 2x8 at  85lbs 2x5 at  95 lbs I'm glad I haven't lost the ability to bench that weight with all the cardio I've been doing.  There were dudes all over though last night. I got to work out next to the mayor, that's always fun, but some of the other "dude bros" really piss me off. The slamming down of weights, the poor form, the nasty...

I've definitely burned some calories. Well, this tracking thing didn't go very well, did it? No updates since December and I admit, life gets in the way and sitting in front of a computer is not what I want to do after a full day of work. I haven't had a magical transformation yet, but I have come a long way in terms of strength. I had set some goals to achieve by my birthday in July and I did it. I've been steadily going to the gym, just staying consistent and while the pounds haven't melted off of me, I am definitely stronger. Six months ago I could not do a full push up but today I can: Do 15 real push ups in a row.  I can maintain a wall sit for 3:30 with a 25 lb weight on my lap.  I can bench press 100 pounds.  I can do not 1, but 5 unassisted tricep dips.  I remember how hard it was just to keep my body weight up on the captain's chair (or the Power Tower at some gyms) at the Y. Now, I can walk right up to the equipment, pump out a few l...

Things have been moving along quite nicely on the work out front. I'm not making any huge leaps and bounds nor am I seeing results (grrrrrrr) but I am being consistent. I got pretty down on myself the other day bc I was comparing a before/after shot of my back and arms that I thought was 3 months time. It literally had NO change. I was pretty peeved. For all the lat and back and shoulder work I've been doing, I was expecting something, ANYthing to slow my back rolls down. Nada. I flew into a self-deprecating rage and pouted for a while. A day went by and I realized upon closer examination, that it only been two months. Whew. I know better not to expect dramatic change in only 8 weeks of lifting especially if I'm not working out 6x a week. On good weeks I do, but most of the time it's 4-5, bc a body needs rest. I've definitely noticed gains in strength (90 lb lat pull down, assisted pull up and tricep dip) and I can do real push ups, not on my knees. My rows are up...

Well, it appears as if I'm as terrible at blogging about this journey as I am with tracking. That's not to say I have not been on track, but I just find it so tiresome to track my food, my activity, my thoughts, my anything sometimes. Life gets in the way, I sit at a computer all day and fear the wrath of corporate America watching over me. I probably shouldn't be blogging now, but I'm on my lunch break. I've been staying ahead of the day by planning out my meals like this: Steamed broccoli, chicken breast and white sweet potatoes. Mini breakfast quiches. I've been trying to cook more healthy "comfort foods" like this: Homemade vegetarian matzo ball soup! I've had days like this: If only every day could be this way.... And, I've had days like THIS: I've been making a better attempt at keeping things in line, grocery shopping, prepping my food and meals for the week, laying out work out clothes, getting up at ...

I haven't been to the gym since Saturday and it's bugging me. I need to be better at planning. Tonight I am going after work and have decided on 30 minutes of run/walking on the treadmill if my hips can handle it and back/shoulder/tricep work for strength training. This morning I had a green juice with my breakfast (an organic feta/spinach/egg white burrito) and some watermelon. My lunch/snacks at work today include cherry tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, half an avocado, chicken, romaine, red pepper hummus and a kiwi.I've been eating so many fruits and vegetables lately, I would think I should start feeling like Wonder Woman. But I don't. My skin is starting to freak out on me and I'm not sure why - little red bumps here and there on my chin and cheeks. I've always had great skin and I worry when things start to go awry. I thought with incorporating so many veggies into my diet things would start to clear up - where's my miraculous juice boost, peopl...

I managed to not kill myself today after work at the gym. It was my first attempt at a pseudo "leg day"! Today's workout included: Leg Press 12 reps, 3 sets, 120 pounds Leg Extensions 12 reps, 3 sets 40 pounds Leg Curls 12 reps, 3 sets 40 pounds Standing Calf Raises, 12 reps, 3 sets, 45 pounds Seated Calf Raises, 12 reps, 3 sets, body weight Squats with cables (30 pounds) 2 sets of 10 Abdominal Cable Twists, 2 sets of 12, 20 pounds 30 minutes on the treadmill, run/walk 5.0 mph. ran for 3 minutes walked for 1 Whew. I foam rolled to my heart's content after and sat in the hot tub at the gym for about 5 minutes. My body doesn't hate me...yet.