This weekend has been quite productive. Friday we were able to spend a good amount of time in the gym, where I increased my reps and the weight I lifted. So that was good. Saturday, Derick ran nearly six miles without me, then out of the kindness of his heart, poked along aside me as I ran. It was a really nice day to run outside, and I feel much better running outside than inside on a treadmill or in redundant circles on a track.
I thought it may be a good idea to make a schedule this week and try my best to stick with it. I am going to try to make it to the gym every night this week, and that's my number one goal. I'm only working one job now, so I have a little more time on my hands. We'll see how it goes.
But as for my schedule, I just want to record basic guidelines, just to keep myself somewhat on track and motivated:
Monday: Zumba at 6:30 and ab workout to follow
Tuesday: Body Combat class and ab workout?
Wednesday: pyramid workout that I normally do
Thursday: abs and arms, machine workout
Friday: pyramid workout again
Oh, I also want to add some runs in there, depending on the weather. If possible, I'd really rather run outside.
I don't think my schedule is too much to ask of myself, and I really think I've come a long way. When we first started the gym, just making it there twice a week was accomplishing a goal for me! I'm glad to see that I've begun to expect more of myself. An important thing about goals is to continue setting and reaching them. When we reach a goal, it's easy to become casual about them and to cease our hard work. We should be proud of our accomplishments but remember to keep striving for more! I know I've accomplished things before, and I was so excited about that I thought, "Ok, I made this big feat, so I can slack off a little now." We shouldn't have that mindset. Our accomplishments should encourage us to reach higher!
Everybody have a productive and safe week! Keep working hard:)
"Everyone waits on a walk. Some are long and some small, but all of them tall. And everyone must make a choice. Will I go for it all, and possibly fall? The tightrope is thin, I could possibly win on the walk" --Hanson
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
be stronger than your strongest strength
Monday and Tuesday were pretty nice workout days. Monday night was Zumba, which is always always fun for me. It makes me miss high school cheerleading, making up dance routines and such. There is a girl in my Zumba class, totally fit. I don't know her name, but I'm so jealous of, not so much her incredible body, but more so her dedication. She is always in that gym and her appearance proves just how hard she works. Anyway, just wanted to mention her because she inspires me!
Tuesday a friend and I went to the gym and did a basic workout. It was fun to workout with someone. We also shot hoops??! And if you know me, you know that it was disastrous on my part. I'm sooooo not a basketball player. When I finally made my first shot and the 12 year old obvious athlete missed his first, I said to him, "Yeah! I made mine and YOU didn't!" So I won.
Circumstances didn't permit me to workout today, and tomorrow I'm working all day long. I hate that I can't find the time to exercise everyday. I plan on walking during my lunch breaks once it gets a little warmer, so at least that's something!
I just deleted a humongous ranting paragraph about my "current emotional state" and my "proneness to worrying and despair." I deleted it because I am more than that. There is more to me than a brief season of stress. There is more to me than recalling the day's events and only seeing the negativity and the anxiety. I am not defined by the bad things in life, and I think when we let those things affect us so greatly, we cut ourselves short. Don't do that. Be positive, whatever you're going through, even if it's the worst, most impossible, least anticipated thing ever. Even if you're in no way prepared for it. Even if you do not see any possible way of getting through it. Don't let the darkness in your life swallow up all the sunshine. Isn't sunshine a lot more fun anyway!?
I have worked hard to keep this blog strictly fitness/health related, but it's true that our emotions have an effect on our health. Sometimes we can get so caught up in the yuck of our life that we forget all about the yum. And the yum is the best!
I've found that it's much harder to make intelligent health decisions when we're stressed out or angry or sad. We can't eat our worries away, we can't sleep our troubles away, and we can't sit our problems away. We can decide to just be better and more. "Mas que ayer" has kind of been a phrase I adopted a few years ago, and I have it tattooed on my foot. Even if we fail hard over and over, we should always strive to be more than what we were yesterday, and yesterday I wasn't so terrible:)
Unless I'm mistaken, this is my 7th blog, and 7 is my number. With that, I hope that I've somehow inspired someone in someway. Even if it's simply been through the little quotes that don't even belong to me, I hope that at least one person has thought about their health or fitness state and either decided to change, maintain, or strengthen. My exercise and eating habits changed partially because I was inspired by the habits of others. I hope that I can inspire someone else.
Oh yeah! It's almost the weekend! Be happy!
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be."--Shel Silverstein
Tuesday a friend and I went to the gym and did a basic workout. It was fun to workout with someone. We also shot hoops??! And if you know me, you know that it was disastrous on my part. I'm sooooo not a basketball player. When I finally made my first shot and the 12 year old obvious athlete missed his first, I said to him, "Yeah! I made mine and YOU didn't!" So I won.
Circumstances didn't permit me to workout today, and tomorrow I'm working all day long. I hate that I can't find the time to exercise everyday. I plan on walking during my lunch breaks once it gets a little warmer, so at least that's something!
I just deleted a humongous ranting paragraph about my "current emotional state" and my "proneness to worrying and despair." I deleted it because I am more than that. There is more to me than a brief season of stress. There is more to me than recalling the day's events and only seeing the negativity and the anxiety. I am not defined by the bad things in life, and I think when we let those things affect us so greatly, we cut ourselves short. Don't do that. Be positive, whatever you're going through, even if it's the worst, most impossible, least anticipated thing ever. Even if you're in no way prepared for it. Even if you do not see any possible way of getting through it. Don't let the darkness in your life swallow up all the sunshine. Isn't sunshine a lot more fun anyway!?
I have worked hard to keep this blog strictly fitness/health related, but it's true that our emotions have an effect on our health. Sometimes we can get so caught up in the yuck of our life that we forget all about the yum. And the yum is the best!
I've found that it's much harder to make intelligent health decisions when we're stressed out or angry or sad. We can't eat our worries away, we can't sleep our troubles away, and we can't sit our problems away. We can decide to just be better and more. "Mas que ayer" has kind of been a phrase I adopted a few years ago, and I have it tattooed on my foot. Even if we fail hard over and over, we should always strive to be more than what we were yesterday, and yesterday I wasn't so terrible:)
Unless I'm mistaken, this is my 7th blog, and 7 is my number. With that, I hope that I've somehow inspired someone in someway. Even if it's simply been through the little quotes that don't even belong to me, I hope that at least one person has thought about their health or fitness state and either decided to change, maintain, or strengthen. My exercise and eating habits changed partially because I was inspired by the habits of others. I hope that I can inspire someone else.
Oh yeah! It's almost the weekend! Be happy!
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be."--Shel Silverstein
Sunday, February 14, 2010
MY w.o.d.
As for crunches, I wanted to add a little advice that has really helped me out. I have always had an issue with seeing results from crunches. I have been doing crunches for years, and I've always thought I was proficient at them, but if done incorrectly, you will never see results.
A problem that a lot of people face with crunches is failing to work the core. This problem was constant with me until I learned how to do a proper crunch. I have always placed my hands behind my head during a crunch. This can be beneficial once you get out of the habit of pulling your head up. Your head should rest gently on your hands; its weight shouldn't be completely supported by the hands. When crunching up, you should not feel the most pressure in your neck and shoulder area. This probably means that you're not working your core, which negates the crunch and pretty much wastes energy.
What has really helped me with my crunching, especially by training me to use my core rather than my arms, shoulders, neck, head, etc., is using the ab bench at my gym. I posted a photo of a similar machine below. The foot props allow easy oblique workouts. By using the handles, your head has constant support from the bench, instead of your hands, allowing a more core-oriented crunch. However, I've found that just by using this machine does not permit less focus on the core. To feel results, you still really need to crunch with your abs and try to maintain good breathing and timing. A good workout that my husband taught me is to keep the feet in the air, crossed at the ankles. Do 10 crunches holding the handles, then 10 holding behind the head rest. Do sets of 10 until you reach 100. Also! Keep the feet in the air the entire time. If you drop your feet, start all over! 100 gets easier the more you do it, so add on more!
One day, I noticed that my husband rocks slightly when he does these crunches, and he found it strange that I didn't do that. Not because I was doing it incorrectly, just that he can't do the workout without rocking a little. So I tried to incorporate the small rocking motion into my crunches, and it was really hard at first. When he crunched up, his legs came closer toward his head, maybe an inch. Once I learned how to do that, I found that it really helped me feel results. I can't do it with every crunch throughout my entire workout, but it does help when I think of it, to pull my legs slightly as I crunch up. I'm not sure why that makes a difference. I guess it just makes me tighten my abs a little more.
Ab bench:)
This week, I plan to pay more attention to my ab workouts. It really takes a lot of discipline to work on abs, maybe because most ab workouts take a long time to complete, and you won't see results after one day of ab workouts. Derick tells me that belly fat is the toughest to get rid of because you have to strengthen all the muscles underneath, then get rid of the fat. But, it's possible! I'm seeing inklings of results!
I also wanted to encourage all of those who read this (if anyone besides my husband does that) to stay motivated with whatever fitness plan you're doing. Even if it's just parking at the back of the parking lot, that's a really good start! I, as much as anyone, understand how tough it is to really get into a routine of being health conscious, and it's something I still struggle with daily. Just know that the results are worth the hard work. Better choices make us feel better! Have a good week!
"You're never beaten until you admit it."--Patton
- four sets of 10 arm presses
- 150 crunches, which i will elaborate on later
- ten to two pyramid circuit with 30 pound curl bar. (ten squats, ten over-the-head presses(?), ten squat-to-press; then eight, six, four, and two) if that makes any sense whatsoever!
- in between circuits, side bends with a 20 lb. dumb bell and 10 knees to chest on the Captains chair (* you can also incorporate pikes and obliques on the chair by doing knees to chest while lower torso is twisted to the side)
- 50 lunges
- three-30 second planks
- two sets of 10 sit ups with medicine ball
- 25 flutter kicks
- various styles of leg lifts
As for crunches, I wanted to add a little advice that has really helped me out. I have always had an issue with seeing results from crunches. I have been doing crunches for years, and I've always thought I was proficient at them, but if done incorrectly, you will never see results.
A problem that a lot of people face with crunches is failing to work the core. This problem was constant with me until I learned how to do a proper crunch. I have always placed my hands behind my head during a crunch. This can be beneficial once you get out of the habit of pulling your head up. Your head should rest gently on your hands; its weight shouldn't be completely supported by the hands. When crunching up, you should not feel the most pressure in your neck and shoulder area. This probably means that you're not working your core, which negates the crunch and pretty much wastes energy.
What has really helped me with my crunching, especially by training me to use my core rather than my arms, shoulders, neck, head, etc., is using the ab bench at my gym. I posted a photo of a similar machine below. The foot props allow easy oblique workouts. By using the handles, your head has constant support from the bench, instead of your hands, allowing a more core-oriented crunch. However, I've found that just by using this machine does not permit less focus on the core. To feel results, you still really need to crunch with your abs and try to maintain good breathing and timing. A good workout that my husband taught me is to keep the feet in the air, crossed at the ankles. Do 10 crunches holding the handles, then 10 holding behind the head rest. Do sets of 10 until you reach 100. Also! Keep the feet in the air the entire time. If you drop your feet, start all over! 100 gets easier the more you do it, so add on more!
One day, I noticed that my husband rocks slightly when he does these crunches, and he found it strange that I didn't do that. Not because I was doing it incorrectly, just that he can't do the workout without rocking a little. So I tried to incorporate the small rocking motion into my crunches, and it was really hard at first. When he crunched up, his legs came closer toward his head, maybe an inch. Once I learned how to do that, I found that it really helped me feel results. I can't do it with every crunch throughout my entire workout, but it does help when I think of it, to pull my legs slightly as I crunch up. I'm not sure why that makes a difference. I guess it just makes me tighten my abs a little more.
Ab bench:)
This week, I plan to pay more attention to my ab workouts. It really takes a lot of discipline to work on abs, maybe because most ab workouts take a long time to complete, and you won't see results after one day of ab workouts. Derick tells me that belly fat is the toughest to get rid of because you have to strengthen all the muscles underneath, then get rid of the fat. But, it's possible! I'm seeing inklings of results!
I also wanted to encourage all of those who read this (if anyone besides my husband does that) to stay motivated with whatever fitness plan you're doing. Even if it's just parking at the back of the parking lot, that's a really good start! I, as much as anyone, understand how tough it is to really get into a routine of being health conscious, and it's something I still struggle with daily. Just know that the results are worth the hard work. Better choices make us feel better! Have a good week!
"You're never beaten until you admit it."--Patton
Friday, February 12, 2010
Oh Canada!
I'm just relaxing at home with my husband watching the Olympics, and I have to admit I felt great pride for the Canadians. For a split second, I thought, "I'd like to be a Canadian," and the phrase "American-Canadian" started dancing through my mind. Then I saw all the snow and coats and remembered that I belong in the sunshine!
This entire week has been a struggle. First, all the snow makes everything difficult. That may sound like a complaint, but it's not. It's just a fact, and I'm not bitter. I'm thankful for the snow, and I'm tired of everyone complaining about it because those same people complain when it isn't snowing. They complain when it's hot outside and when it's raining. I get so sick of hearing complaint after complaint, and I do not want to be like that. Let's just take what we're given and be full of thanks that we are alive and capable and blessed!
Snow wasn't the only thing that made my workouts difficult this week, but my own laziness contributed a lot. Wednesday was probably the roughest day. I just felt completely drained of energy. I don't get like that really often. I may feel tired, but I have never almost fallen asleep while walking! Needless to say, I did not head to the gym quite as much as I should have this week, and I'm regretting that now.
A positive from this week is that I paid closer attention to what I eat. I think that is a really important step in being healthy. Even if we eat a ton of unhealthy stuff, it is a good thing to take note of that. Perhaps the more we notice the unhealthy things we eat, the more determined we may become to change that. My problem this week has been the evil chocolate cake that currently resides in our fridge. I made it last weekend, and I've been eating it ever since. It's so yummy! I've never been a great lover of junk, but chocolate cake is not junk. It's precious. Haha! I also do not think that eating chocolate is technically a bad thing. Some chocolate is actually good for the body, but it's important to be cautious. I need to be much more cautious around chocolate. It's so weird because growing up I would rather have a salad than chocolate any day, but the older I get, the more chocolate I want!
This next week should be a little easier. My schedule won't be so packed, and hopefully, I will get some rest this weekend. It's so important to make time to take care of ourselves, and I sort of feel like I've slacked on that this week. Tomorrow's another day though, and it's also important to stay positive and to seek success! Caring for ourselves is not negative, and it shouldn't give us negative thoughts or feelings, but that's a whole other blog!
Happy early birthday to the love of my life! I love you!*
"Don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork." ~English Proverb
This entire week has been a struggle. First, all the snow makes everything difficult. That may sound like a complaint, but it's not. It's just a fact, and I'm not bitter. I'm thankful for the snow, and I'm tired of everyone complaining about it because those same people complain when it isn't snowing. They complain when it's hot outside and when it's raining. I get so sick of hearing complaint after complaint, and I do not want to be like that. Let's just take what we're given and be full of thanks that we are alive and capable and blessed!
Snow wasn't the only thing that made my workouts difficult this week, but my own laziness contributed a lot. Wednesday was probably the roughest day. I just felt completely drained of energy. I don't get like that really often. I may feel tired, but I have never almost fallen asleep while walking! Needless to say, I did not head to the gym quite as much as I should have this week, and I'm regretting that now.
A positive from this week is that I paid closer attention to what I eat. I think that is a really important step in being healthy. Even if we eat a ton of unhealthy stuff, it is a good thing to take note of that. Perhaps the more we notice the unhealthy things we eat, the more determined we may become to change that. My problem this week has been the evil chocolate cake that currently resides in our fridge. I made it last weekend, and I've been eating it ever since. It's so yummy! I've never been a great lover of junk, but chocolate cake is not junk. It's precious. Haha! I also do not think that eating chocolate is technically a bad thing. Some chocolate is actually good for the body, but it's important to be cautious. I need to be much more cautious around chocolate. It's so weird because growing up I would rather have a salad than chocolate any day, but the older I get, the more chocolate I want!
This next week should be a little easier. My schedule won't be so packed, and hopefully, I will get some rest this weekend. It's so important to make time to take care of ourselves, and I sort of feel like I've slacked on that this week. Tomorrow's another day though, and it's also important to stay positive and to seek success! Caring for ourselves is not negative, and it shouldn't give us negative thoughts or feelings, but that's a whole other blog!
Happy early birthday to the love of my life! I love you!*
"Don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork." ~English Proverb
Monday, February 8, 2010
brrrrr....
So the cold, nasty, snowy weather didn't stop me from heading to the gym today, but it didn't stop me from having two pieces of chocolate cake tonight either!!
Do you ever have those weekends that you just can't remember? Like, you can't remember where you went or what you did, and the harder you try to remember, the more of your life you forget, and soon enough, you're like, "Man, what's my birthday?" or "What's my middle name?" or "Where am I?" Ok, so not so much the latter.
This has been an issue for as long as I can remember. Someone will ask me, "What'd you do this weekend, Kem?" and with a puzzled, dazed and confused look on my face, I rack my brain to remember any minute detail of the previous two days and nights. All the while, the inquirer is thinking, "Yep, she totally got wasted!" Reading their mind, I blurt out, "NO! I didn't get drunk this weekend!"
I was reliving this all-too-familiar problem before I wrote that story, but now I remember exactly what I did this weekend, so bam.
Anyway, my workout went really well today. That is, after I switched it up a little. Derick and I began with the WOD from the crossfit Memphis website, but I started feeling extremely sick. Not the workout fatigue that comes and goes sometimes, but I seriously thought I was going to lose my stomach right there in the middle of the gym, and we'd only just begun (to live, white lace and promises). Ok, so if you know that song, 10 points to you. I think there is a huge difference between working out hard and feeling a little queezy. Derick does that sometimes because he really pushes himself, and I guess it's just one of those things that happens, but today's sickness was not because of physical exertion.
I left Derick to the WOD and worked on arms and abs, which I was really pleased with. But I realized that I had started to feel sick after running a few laps, so I began to wonder if it has something to do with my cardio. I jumped rope, too, and got the same feeling. I don't think I'm extremely under-conditioned, so it may have just been the day. Hope so, anyway! We swam a few laps, and I felt a lot better, so it was probably just a brief sickness. I have been sick off and on lately.
OK, enough about my illnesses! I wanted to brag and say that I looked in the mirror today and saw, what I like to think of as, some kind of results! My weight is still the same, which is fine! I really like seeing what a little bit of dedication can do! Just think what a lot of dedication could do!
So, the roads were getting pretty terrible as we were on our way home! Everyone be safe, please!
"Fall seven times, stand up eight." --Japanese proverbial:)
Do you ever have those weekends that you just can't remember? Like, you can't remember where you went or what you did, and the harder you try to remember, the more of your life you forget, and soon enough, you're like, "Man, what's my birthday?" or "What's my middle name?" or "Where am I?" Ok, so not so much the latter.
This has been an issue for as long as I can remember. Someone will ask me, "What'd you do this weekend, Kem?" and with a puzzled, dazed and confused look on my face, I rack my brain to remember any minute detail of the previous two days and nights. All the while, the inquirer is thinking, "Yep, she totally got wasted!" Reading their mind, I blurt out, "NO! I didn't get drunk this weekend!"
I was reliving this all-too-familiar problem before I wrote that story, but now I remember exactly what I did this weekend, so bam.
Anyway, my workout went really well today. That is, after I switched it up a little. Derick and I began with the WOD from the crossfit Memphis website, but I started feeling extremely sick. Not the workout fatigue that comes and goes sometimes, but I seriously thought I was going to lose my stomach right there in the middle of the gym, and we'd only just begun (to live, white lace and promises). Ok, so if you know that song, 10 points to you. I think there is a huge difference between working out hard and feeling a little queezy. Derick does that sometimes because he really pushes himself, and I guess it's just one of those things that happens, but today's sickness was not because of physical exertion.
I left Derick to the WOD and worked on arms and abs, which I was really pleased with. But I realized that I had started to feel sick after running a few laps, so I began to wonder if it has something to do with my cardio. I jumped rope, too, and got the same feeling. I don't think I'm extremely under-conditioned, so it may have just been the day. Hope so, anyway! We swam a few laps, and I felt a lot better, so it was probably just a brief sickness. I have been sick off and on lately.
OK, enough about my illnesses! I wanted to brag and say that I looked in the mirror today and saw, what I like to think of as, some kind of results! My weight is still the same, which is fine! I really like seeing what a little bit of dedication can do! Just think what a lot of dedication could do!
So, the roads were getting pretty terrible as we were on our way home! Everyone be safe, please!
"Fall seven times, stand up eight." --Japanese proverbial:)
Friday, February 5, 2010
hip hip!
This will be a short entry because I have things to do other than type. I'm a busy lady! I am so thankful that the weekend has arrived. Although mine is pretty booked, it will be nice to sleep in a little in the morning! Actually, I have found that I feel better throughout the day when I wake up early. I guess it makes me feel more accomplished, but I sure do love to sleep!
I was really dreading my workout all day. I really just wanted to come home and pile up on the couch. I'm glad I didn't do that, though, because today was one of my best workouts in a long time. I have realized that I do need to run more often. I'm just not a runner; I never have been, so running and wanting to run is a challenge for me. I have said that I would love to run a marathon one day, but I just feel so undisciplined that running one seems unrealistic. So I am going to take it slow. I'm not going to shoot for marathons until I've completed a half marathon; no halves until I've run a 5k; and no 5k's until I have actually ran a couple miles a few times. Some people are just naturally skilled runners, but that doesn't make people like me incapable of being good runners. It just takes determination and practice, and I plan to apply both of those to my workouts.
My meals for the day are pretty boring to report:
Breakfast: peanut butter and apple jelly sandwich on whole wheat, glass of grapefruit juice
Lunch: 10" rice and bean burrito on flour tortilla with chips, salsa and fruit tea
Supper: spaghetti and a piece of bread with butter and some Kool-Aid
My workout:
two sets of 50 rope jumps
4 sets of 10 downward arm presses on the machine (set at 90, that's a record!)
100 crunches on the rocking ab machine
2 sets of squat presses with 35 lb. curl bars (yeah, I accidentally picked up the 35 lb. instead of the 30 lb. What a difference five pounds can make!)
Circuit 1:
(Five rotations)
side bends with 15 lbs on each side (10 bends each side)
planks
crunches and leg lifts
Circuit 2:
(Three rotations)
20 lb. barbell triceps exercise (behind the head, extended above the head) 10 lifts
Captains chair (10)
barbell again
Captains chair
increase to 25 lb. barbell
Captains chair
25 lb. barbell
Captains chair
50 lunges
Like I said, I felt really good about this workout. Even though it wasn't the most challenging to complete, I still left the gym feeling conditioned.
Well, happy weekend everyone! And good luck to my little niece, DeAnna, who will be in her school's pageant tomorrow! You are a beauty queen!!
"Fitness - if it came in a bottle, everybody would have a great body." ~Cher
I was really dreading my workout all day. I really just wanted to come home and pile up on the couch. I'm glad I didn't do that, though, because today was one of my best workouts in a long time. I have realized that I do need to run more often. I'm just not a runner; I never have been, so running and wanting to run is a challenge for me. I have said that I would love to run a marathon one day, but I just feel so undisciplined that running one seems unrealistic. So I am going to take it slow. I'm not going to shoot for marathons until I've completed a half marathon; no halves until I've run a 5k; and no 5k's until I have actually ran a couple miles a few times. Some people are just naturally skilled runners, but that doesn't make people like me incapable of being good runners. It just takes determination and practice, and I plan to apply both of those to my workouts.
My meals for the day are pretty boring to report:
Breakfast: peanut butter and apple jelly sandwich on whole wheat, glass of grapefruit juice
Lunch: 10" rice and bean burrito on flour tortilla with chips, salsa and fruit tea
Supper: spaghetti and a piece of bread with butter and some Kool-Aid
My workout:
two sets of 50 rope jumps
4 sets of 10 downward arm presses on the machine (set at 90, that's a record!)
100 crunches on the rocking ab machine
2 sets of squat presses with 35 lb. curl bars (yeah, I accidentally picked up the 35 lb. instead of the 30 lb. What a difference five pounds can make!)
Circuit 1:
(Five rotations)
side bends with 15 lbs on each side (10 bends each side)
planks
crunches and leg lifts
Circuit 2:
(Three rotations)
20 lb. barbell triceps exercise (behind the head, extended above the head) 10 lifts
Captains chair (10)
barbell again
Captains chair
increase to 25 lb. barbell
Captains chair
25 lb. barbell
Captains chair
50 lunges
Like I said, I felt really good about this workout. Even though it wasn't the most challenging to complete, I still left the gym feeling conditioned.
Well, happy weekend everyone! And good luck to my little niece, DeAnna, who will be in her school's pageant tomorrow! You are a beauty queen!!
"Fitness - if it came in a bottle, everybody would have a great body." ~Cher
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Day Dos: Vanity
Day two of my blogging, and let me tell you, it has been one heck of a day! I have felt somewhat drained all day, and I keep experiencing this weird eye issue, but I'm sucking it up for the moment.
What has really been on my mind today is vanity, or the lack thereof. A lot of times when we think of our health and of working out in general, we imagine our bodies, of course. Our physical appearance is certainly a huge aspect of fitness, but it's not everything, and I have learned that it really should not be our primary focus.
Learning this was really a process because it is natural, especially for girls, to be overly concerned with appearance. It's quite a cliche to say that "we live in a society that considers body image extremely important," but that's a true statement.
Growing up, I was not really one of those girls who tried to look like every other girl. I had my own style, and I was always happy to be different. Similar to most girls, though, the numbers on the scales and clothing tags were important to me, and they have remained important until lately. That's actually really stupid, though, and I hope I never again make a flat stomach the main reason for exercise.
Our bodies are all different, and it is not what we look like that deems us healthy, but how we treat our bodies. Not all "skinny" people are healthy, and a lot of not so skinny people are in great shape and could run a marathon without slowing for a breath.
I have decided that I do not want to wear a size zero jeans, and I do not necessarily have to meet my weight goal of 120 lbs. or so. If my body is in good shape, if I have strong endurance, and if I'm feeling healthy, I choose to be content--proud!--even if the scales do not say what I once envisioned them to say.
I think that a lot of times, we begin workout programs or diets with the wrong intentions, usually just wanting to be thinner, or weigh less, or wear a smaller size. That's probably why a lot of my previous attempts at fitness have failed hard. But good health should not be like that, and I propose that we stop being so vain to obsess over physicality. Because, think about it, if we feel good, we will look good. When we accomplish something, we will look in the mirror and see a strong, motivated bad 'a' who can defeat anyone and anything! I think that when we worry solely about our appearance, we are really worrying about how others perceive us. We are not in front of a mirror all day, but most of us are in front of people during the day.
So here's what I say:
To heck with setting an ideal weight,
To heck with staring lustfully at a pair of jeans that we may or may not ever fit into,
And to heck with being so concerned with how other people judge our bodies that we cannot even love ourselves!
Setting goals and working hard will result in results! If we feel accomplished and motivated, I think we will probably see more beauty than we ever would with our butts in a tiny pair of pants! Long live big booties! :O)
*I really want to add that I do not think there is ANYTHING wrong with wearing a size zero, being "skinny," or anything else of the sort. It's great when people can maintain a healthy size, be it via workout or even if they are just naturally small. I am just trying to emphasize the importance of not being completely driven by image. I guess it could go the same for people who want to gain body mass. Being healthy and strong is not strictly defined by size and appearance.
Daily Log
As said previously, I hope to keep a log of my daily food intake, exercise, and other contributors. Mostly for myself, but feel free to offer advice:)
Meals:
Breakfast: three small blueberry pancakes with fat free syrup, a glass of milk, and a cup of orange juice
Lunch: (don't laugh, it's the same as yesterday's) 12" spinach burrito with rice and pinto beans, cheese, tomatilla salsa, a handful of chips, and mango fruit tea. also a brownie from my favorite British girl, and a chocolate something or other (it was round and had an almond inside??)
Supper: half a ham and cheese sandwich with pickles, half a turkey sandwich with pickles and mustard, a few chips, and sweet tea.
*I failed to include my workout from yesterday, and since today lacked one, I will add yesterday's:
CIRCUIT:
~10-to-2 curling bar pyramid (30 lbs.)
(squats, standing overhead press, and squat to press) --note: I'm not certain on the official terms of certain moves, so I just try to be as specific as possible.
~50 crunches each rotation (so 250 altogether)
~side-bends with 15 lbs. each bend
~triceps (25 lb. barbell extended overhead, then behind the head). I did 5 sets of 10.
~Downward (?) arm press machine. (5 sets of 10 with 80 lbs.)
~Captain's chair- legs to chest (3 sets of 10)
Everyone have a wonderful night!
A friend shared this quote with me, and she added that it has really changed her thoughts on how people envision her. I thought it was a great quote:
"What others think of me is none of my business." (thanks Rebecca, if you're reading this!)
What has really been on my mind today is vanity, or the lack thereof. A lot of times when we think of our health and of working out in general, we imagine our bodies, of course. Our physical appearance is certainly a huge aspect of fitness, but it's not everything, and I have learned that it really should not be our primary focus.
Learning this was really a process because it is natural, especially for girls, to be overly concerned with appearance. It's quite a cliche to say that "we live in a society that considers body image extremely important," but that's a true statement.
Growing up, I was not really one of those girls who tried to look like every other girl. I had my own style, and I was always happy to be different. Similar to most girls, though, the numbers on the scales and clothing tags were important to me, and they have remained important until lately. That's actually really stupid, though, and I hope I never again make a flat stomach the main reason for exercise.
Our bodies are all different, and it is not what we look like that deems us healthy, but how we treat our bodies. Not all "skinny" people are healthy, and a lot of not so skinny people are in great shape and could run a marathon without slowing for a breath.
I have decided that I do not want to wear a size zero jeans, and I do not necessarily have to meet my weight goal of 120 lbs. or so. If my body is in good shape, if I have strong endurance, and if I'm feeling healthy, I choose to be content--proud!--even if the scales do not say what I once envisioned them to say.
I think that a lot of times, we begin workout programs or diets with the wrong intentions, usually just wanting to be thinner, or weigh less, or wear a smaller size. That's probably why a lot of my previous attempts at fitness have failed hard. But good health should not be like that, and I propose that we stop being so vain to obsess over physicality. Because, think about it, if we feel good, we will look good. When we accomplish something, we will look in the mirror and see a strong, motivated bad 'a' who can defeat anyone and anything! I think that when we worry solely about our appearance, we are really worrying about how others perceive us. We are not in front of a mirror all day, but most of us are in front of people during the day.
So here's what I say:
To heck with setting an ideal weight,
To heck with staring lustfully at a pair of jeans that we may or may not ever fit into,
And to heck with being so concerned with how other people judge our bodies that we cannot even love ourselves!
Setting goals and working hard will result in results! If we feel accomplished and motivated, I think we will probably see more beauty than we ever would with our butts in a tiny pair of pants! Long live big booties! :O)
*I really want to add that I do not think there is ANYTHING wrong with wearing a size zero, being "skinny," or anything else of the sort. It's great when people can maintain a healthy size, be it via workout or even if they are just naturally small. I am just trying to emphasize the importance of not being completely driven by image. I guess it could go the same for people who want to gain body mass. Being healthy and strong is not strictly defined by size and appearance.
Daily Log
As said previously, I hope to keep a log of my daily food intake, exercise, and other contributors. Mostly for myself, but feel free to offer advice:)
Meals:
Breakfast: three small blueberry pancakes with fat free syrup, a glass of milk, and a cup of orange juice
Lunch: (don't laugh, it's the same as yesterday's) 12" spinach burrito with rice and pinto beans, cheese, tomatilla salsa, a handful of chips, and mango fruit tea. also a brownie from my favorite British girl, and a chocolate something or other (it was round and had an almond inside??)
Supper: half a ham and cheese sandwich with pickles, half a turkey sandwich with pickles and mustard, a few chips, and sweet tea.
*I failed to include my workout from yesterday, and since today lacked one, I will add yesterday's:
CIRCUIT:
~10-to-2 curling bar pyramid (30 lbs.)
(squats, standing overhead press, and squat to press) --note: I'm not certain on the official terms of certain moves, so I just try to be as specific as possible.
~50 crunches each rotation (so 250 altogether)
~side-bends with 15 lbs. each bend
~triceps (25 lb. barbell extended overhead, then behind the head). I did 5 sets of 10.
~Downward (?) arm press machine. (5 sets of 10 with 80 lbs.)
~Captain's chair- legs to chest (3 sets of 10)
Everyone have a wonderful night!
A friend shared this quote with me, and she added that it has really changed her thoughts on how people envision her. I thought it was a great quote:
"What others think of me is none of my business." (thanks Rebecca, if you're reading this!)
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