Lucky Loses It

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...

Banner day, today. First I get told by dermatologist that losing weight would help with a skin condition (gee, thanks) and then I got turned down for a job I had gone through two phone interviews with. Coupled with not being able to work out this morning, forgetting my gym socks for tonight and other work woes, Monday royally fits the stereotype of suckage today. This weekend I rallied though and did my first 5k in a long time. I survived the 3.1 miles and did it in about 36 minutes. Not bad, not great. I got home and iced and rested and took a bunch of ibuprofen. I had done some mild weight lifting in the morning, so jazzing myself up for a 6pm run through the streets of Oakland was not on my list of favorite things, but it was fun. I'm glad I did it though. I ran it alone and made a new friend via Twitter. I enjoyed seeing all the other women run, in costume or not and just the vibe of being downtown on a Saturday night and not going to a bar, but sweating my ass off, pluggin...

Some days, you throw the shoes you wore to work in the trash by your desk because they are falling apart. Some days, you kneel in front of an open fridge after work and eat ham straight from the deli package in front of your dog. Some days, you rush home and go to the liquor store to buy wine because you've run out and dammit, now is not the time to be sober.  Last week I had all of those days and needless to say, I was thrilled the weekend came. I saw my physical therapist on Thursday to make sure my back was okay. It's been hurting me for the past week or so and I didn't want it to affect my workout routine. Even with a few days off, I managed to have a personal best on my squat on Saturday. 100 pounds! I also have been maintaining my bench press at a steady 105lbs so I'm not losing muscle. The only thing that sucks is that I haven't lost any fat either. I've been in that slump again. It started last week and I can't get the funk out. I'm falling ...

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 ...

To say I am looking forward to this upcoming three day weekend is an understatement. I only wish I was going away somewhere for a quick trip, but a staycation is probably just what the doctor ordered. I'm taking it easy this week on the weights since I seem to have given myself a tiny case of golfer's elbow somehow. The tendons between my forearm and bicep are not happy with me on my right arm. I may have been overdoing it with front squats or some bar action :(. My legs are also still killing me from my 90 minute workout on Saturday. For the first time in a while I was able to work out alone at the Y and do a good, solid 60+ min workout. I was in the zone. I did so many squats (sumo, goblet, bench) and lunges (side and reverse) with the 40lb barbell, along with some chest and back work. Someone was taking up the squat rack for the entire time, so I was a bit peeved, but I managed to kill it on my own in the free weight section. I sweat so much I had a little puddle where ...