It's been too long...Monday weight traning session

So, I've been keeping up with my workouts. All except last week, when I thought I might be pregnant...which I am not. So, I'm back at it again. Only this time, with a vengence. We've decided to put baby on hold at least through December, since we're heading to Vegas in late December. So..I thought it was a good time to give my diet a little jump start and get back to the basics for a while (I'm back on my Southbeach diet and in phase one - strangley enough it's not that hard this time...) It's been interesting so see how very addicted I've been to sugar. It's only been two days since I've had sugar and it feels like an eternity!! Here's what I did last night (if I can remember correctly)

Giant Set #1

Bicep Curls / Shoulder Press
12lbs x 15
15lbs x 10
17.5lbs x 8

Outer Thigh Raise
12lbs x 15
15lbs x 10
17.5lbs x 8

Overhead Tricep Ext.
12lbs x 15
15lbs x 10
17.5lbs x 8

Crunches / Obliques / Leg Raises
3 sets of 15

Big Step Ups
15 steps per leg x 3


Giant Set #2

Seated Rows
100lbs x 15
120lbs x 10
140lbs x 8

Lying Leg Curls
40lbs x 15
45lbs x 10
50lbs x 8

Tricep Dips (bodyweight only)
3 sets 15 dips

Leg Ext.
80lbs x 15
90lbs x 10
100lbs x 8

Tonight I will be doing cardio again. Not sure what the set up is going to be but I'm trying not to run so much. So I think I will do the stairmaster and the elliptical along with my normal situps. Read More!

AWESOME HIIT Night!!!

Last night, I worked out with my cousin. We did abs and 30 minutes of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) Man o man, that was a great workout. Not only was my weight down by 2lbs this morning (even AFTER eating a large meal last night) I slept like a baby. Just not sleeping enough, because I was up late again last night wrapping up freelance work. But still, I just can't get over how great I felt after my workout. I think I need to step up my HIIT nights more often. I'm tired today only because I didn't get enough sleep, but otherwise I feel great. My diet is in check, I don't have overly zealous plans for cooking anything extravagent tonight, and I feel like life is just..well...manageable. Isn't that strange? I must be *buffing. I really do feel on top of eveything. I've been working out a lot harder than normal this past week and I can feel it. I took my measurements last night, and I was bummed to see that I've actually increased in size in comparison to the last time I took them. (July 09) So its been some time. But even though the scale is stagnant and the measurements are roughly the same give or take an 1" to 1 1/2" I "feel" lighter. I can't explain it. I keep pulling up my jeans even though hubby thinks I'm just being funny. I feel like they're falling down. And these are new jeans! I think I'll try on my old trusty Abercrombie jeans tonight. Those are the most telling ones. If I can't zip them up, then it's really all in my head :)

*Buffing refers to the 1st half of hormonal cycle. Days 5-19 (need to double check the actual days), Boosting is the second half of the cycle.

Here's what we did last night:

Abs (we did our own individual workouts)

full situps
0 x 25
0 x 25
0 x 25

Oblique crunches (each side)
0 x 25
0 x 25
0 x 25

Roman Chair leg lifts
0 x 25
0 x 25
0 x 25

HIIT - Treadmill 10:30
Highs: 8.3-8.5
Lows: 6.0

HIIT Stairmaster 10:00
Highs: ?
Lows: ? - this was one of the older machines

HIIT Stairmaster 10:00
Highs: 7-8
Lows: 7 - this is the newer big stair model.

After my workout, I wasn't really that hungry. I never am actually, I just know I'll get hungry hours later so I forced myself to eat something healthy. It's funny how when you're not that hungry you seem to make better choices. I definitely think if I wait too long to eat, I eat hastily and messy. So planning is definitely key to my success in eating better. Tonight, is weight training. Can't wait! Read More!

Over-Indulging, sore and tired...Monday's Workout

I'm not sure I could squeeze anymore complaints into that title if I tired. So there...In reality, I had a great workout last night, but find myself inundated with stress today. It's raining outside, which is nice for a change, its raining a lot actually. I have some ugly little leaks in my roof, and I swear that my dog just flipped me off because he can't go outside...What's a girl to do? Eat chocolate of course. LOL! Not to mention that I have work coming out of my ears. Hmm, lets see, there has to be SOMETHING good about today. Oh yeah! I know, I bought chicken curry over the weekend so no cookin' for me tonight! Still, there's gotta be sumthin else....Oh wait, I know...God is watering my plants. Thank the LORD, they were dying a painfully dry death because of my inability to remember to turn the hose on and water them.

So, back to the wonderful world of fitness and nutrition (I'm bound to snap out of this funk eventually) I delightfully bring you....TADAH!!!~The Workout~ ...(here's where you applaud me) Here's what my old bones cranked out last night.

Warmup Elliptical cross trainer 10 minutes

Giant Set #1

DB Squats
20lbs x 8
25lbs x 8
30lbs x 8
35lbs x 8

Stiff Legged Deadlifts
20lbs x 8
25lbs x 8
30lbs x 8
35lbs x 8

One Arm DB Rows
20lbs x 8
25lbs x 8
30lbs x 8
35lbs x 8

Push Ups - YEHAW, been a long time since I've done these!!!!
0 x 10
0 x 10
0 x 10
0 x 10

Giant Set #2

DB Shoulder Press
15lbs x 8
17.5lbs x 8
20lbs x 8
22.5lbs x 8

Standing Calf Raises
20lbs x 15
0 x 15
0 x 15
0 x 15

DB Curls
12.5lbs x 10
15lbs x 10
17.5lbs x 10
17.5lbs x 10

Overhead Tricep Ext.
25lbs x 8
30lbs x 8
35lbs x 8
40lbs x 8

20 min. HIIT on the Stairmaster
highs: 8
lows: 6ish

It was a great workout overall, but I just took too long I think. I had to come home and keep working last night. So I didn't get to bed until waaaay too late. I think that's going to be my goal moving forward...At least until after tonight. Is to start getting 8 solid hours of sleep. I think my tiredness might be contributing to my overeating. Because I'm in buffing mode and my weight hasn't moved an inch. Read More!

Today's Eats

Today was a little harder to follow than yesterday... I think it's because I've been stressed out and a little dehydrated. It's CD27 for me, and it's starting to show, I'm getting more and more sluggish as the hours pass. I'm not even that sore, just really foggy-headed with a mild headache. I've been grumpy all week, so the irritable mood isn't a surprise..I've been following my eating plan for the most part, and my workout plan to a T. I had a treat today. The funniest thing, is that my treat was a gigantic bowl of fruit. I was craving something sweet and juicy. So I had melon and peaches! I don't typically keep chocolate in the house, so I guess today that rule of thumb has served me well. Here's where I stand....

The plan

M1: P, C, F - 2 scrambled eggs - made w/ olive oil, and strawberries
Acutal: scrambled eggs w/ sausage, potatoes, and pepper mix. , 1/2 peach

M2: P, C, G, F - canned tuna fish mixed w/ LF mayo on a bed of lettuce, and sliced almonds. 1 plain rice cake.
Actual: canned tuna fish mixed w/ mayo, on a bed of lettuce, sliced almonds, dressing and 2 rice cakes w/ blackberry jam.

M3: P, C - turkey jerky, and 1/2 banana
Actual: reduced fat turkey bacon (3 slices) 1/2 banana, 1 tsp. of organic pb. (borrowed this from my last planned meal)

M4: P, C, G, F - sloppy joe's made with lean ground beef, on a slice of brown rice bread, mixed green salad w/ dressing
This meal hasn't happened yet, but I do plan to stick to the menu here...

M5: P, F - Eggwhite shake and 1 tsp. organic pb.
I think if I forgo this meal, it won't be the end of me.

My craving still cracks me up, I'm hoping it means that I'm preggers. But I'm not going to hold my breath..I still have about 5 glasses of water left, of which I will blow through during my workout, as normal. I still have to hit the gym, and honestly at first I wasn't that jazzed about it, but now, I am actually pretty amped. I don't like days like this where I don't get to see the outdoors until after 5pm..which is most days...At least it's Friday! I'll update with my workout later. Read More!

Eats

So today...I've done really well with the diet. I've been crossing off my P's, C's, F's, G's and no T's :)
The goal for today - and moving forward is: (at least until I get to the buffing stage)

(daily)
5 proteins
4 carbs
3 fats
2 greens - or more
1 treat - if needed

Here's how I've done today - so far..

M1: 2P, 2C - egg and ham sandwich from Starbucks - no cheese (can't eat dairy) decaf soy latte. I'm not 100% positive, but I think soy milk counts as a protein and a carb...

M2: P, C, G, F - very large arugula salad w/ strawberry slices, cucumbers, prociutto (slices) and almond vinegarette. 2 Mixed seeds crackers.

M3: P, C - eggwhite protein shake, and 1/2 peach

M4: P, G, F - (I haven't eaten this yet, but am planning on it) Lemon Pepper chicken, sauteed garlic spinach - sauteed with olive oil. 1 tsp. organic pb. (dessert) :)

Water intake so far: 6 glasses, which I will definitely put a dent in while doing my cardio tonight. I'm also taking a prenatal (in prep of getting preggers) so I don't worry too much about any extra vitamins, as I'm getting plenty of calcium, etc. I should start taking my fish oil pills, I just have such a hard time digesting them after a meal...

I think tomorrow, I will plan this out better so I can spread it out over 5 meals instead of 4.

This is a lot easier than I realized. I guess by default you do kinda have to plan it out just to make sure everything's in check.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's the plan for tomorrow (while I still have time to think about this)

M1: P, C, F - 2 scrambled eggs - made w/ olive oil, and strawberries

M2: P, C, G, F - canned tuna fish mixed w/ LF mayo on a bed of lettuce, and sliced almonds. 1 plain rice cake.

M3: P, C - turkey jerky, and 1/2 banana

M4: P, C, G, F - sloppy joe's made with lean ground beef, on a slice of brown rice bread, mixed green salad w/ dressing

M5: P, F - Eggwhite shake and 1 tsp. organic pb.

It's hard for me to get the fat I need because I can only eat so many nuts / pb. I don't eat dairy so that's been a challenge. The carb consumption isn't hard at all as I LOVE fruit and rice, and stuff like that.

Actually, this is good because I have to go to the groccery store tonight, so this sort of forces me to do one big trip instead of many small ones. This way I have dinner for tomorrow night planned out too. YAY! Maybe we can rent something and just chill out...it's been a long week..I'll need to squeeze in a weight traning session in there somewhere... Read More!

Wednesday's Workout + Lunges...and then some

Last night was the ABSOLUTE BOMB workout. I dont' think I've ever pushed myself quite so hard. Upping my sets to 4 was a phenomenal idea. I can see where I need work though. But this is good, it's really starting to show my weaknesses. So I plan to improve in those areas. With time, I will rock, I just need more time..And more focus on my diet. The 5-4-3-2-1 diet by Buffmother really inspired me. Now I just need to put it into play. Here's last night's breakdown.

10 min. bike warmup

Leg Press
90lbs x 8
100lbs x 8
120lbs x 8
140lbs x 8 -this is the first time I've broken the 100 mark!! I think I was ready cause I went far past it!

Overhead Tricep Ext.
22.5lbs x 8
25lbs x 8
30lbs x 8
35lbs x 8 - I thought I was going to drop the dumbbell on my head, it was so heavy. But I cranked out 8 reps..

Lat. Pulldown
70lbs x 8
80lbs x 8
80lbs x 8 -I seem to be stuck at this weight right now...
70lbs x 8 - I felt too shaky at 80 so I dropped it down to 70 again

Calf Raise
40lbs x 8
50lbs x 8
60lbs x 8
70lbs x 8

Lateral Shoulder Raise
12.5lbs x 8
15lbs x 8
15lbs x 8
15lbs x 8 - This was harder than I thought it was going to be at this weight.

Dumbbell Curls
15lbs x 8
15lbs x 8
17.5lbs x 8
20lbs x 8 -I think if I am going to go heavier on these, I need to do them more frequently than once per week

Lunges
(Stationary and walking)
15lbs x 25 -per leg
(Reverse)
15lbs x 25 -per leg

Abs (the machine where you lay down on - forget what it's called) total = 5 sets of 50
crunches
100
Obliques
50 -per side
crunches with knees pulled in
50

Leg Extensions
90lbs x 8
100lbs x 8
110lbs x 8
130lbs x 8

Leg Curls
40lbs x 8
45lbs x 8
50lbs x 8
55lbs x 8 - It's been a long time since I've been able to go this heavy.

So there you have it. Not sure where all this strength came from last night. I'm in my boosting phase, so naturally you'd think I'd be a little out of it? I had SO much energy after I got home, I found it difficult to go to sleep until about 12. I did go home, have a healthy dinner and then just passed out on the couch w/ hubby. I can definitely feel it today. I think I can do 200 lunges, and be okay with it. I think I will try it tonight after my cardio. Here's to a new day of clean eating and great fitness accomplishments! Read More!

Tuesday's Workout + Lunges

Last night's workout was more fun than normal. I got to do cardio with my cousin!!! I don't normally workout with anyone, so this was really nice. I didn't realize how fast the time flies when you're gabbing away. I was still tired and sore from Monday night's 200 lunge mania. Here's what I did.

Abs: (3 sets of 25)
crunches
obliques
leg lifts

Treadmill: 30 min. run

Lunges:
walking lunge
10lbs x 50 (per leg)
(during that time I also added in a reverse lunge and an angeled stationary lunge)

Tonight is weight training. I've been thinking about this, and I think I'm ready to bring it up to 4 sets. (heavy sets). My eats were good today all the way up until the afternoon, when I completely messed it up by eating a danish. I've been eating carbs today because I've been feeling a little "empty" not sure why. So I allowed myself this cheat day. Tomorrow, it's back to business. Clearly I can't take a cheat day right now without going overboard.

Although, I HAVE managed to avoid the stupid candy dish that I pass about ten thousand times / day. :) YAY for one little victory! Read More!

Friday's always a kicker -Workout Detailed

So, it's the end of the week. I'm pooped. Now, that is (after my workout) This new workout circuit that I'm doing is fewer reps. I'm so used to doing high reps, that I'm stuck scratching my head..thinking...."well, I can't lift that little amount of weight, if I'm only doing 6 reps." So in a way, its kind of genius, because it really forces me to focus on my form, and to go heavier. A lot heavier. I think it's going to push me up to that next level of lifting. That's my wish..

The eating...okay, this has been out of control this week. This "no bread" rule has spun off into something totally mind boggling to me. I've transitioned my ridiculous love affair with all things carb-related to sugar related. I mean really...This has to stop..I think I'm starting to see my problem...I am going to start breaking up my meals. I eat three pretty large meals regularly. In fact too regularly. I think I'm eating too much..I've eaten smaller meals in the past and have proven to myself that it is possible to lose weight with diet modifications alone...But that's not going to be my approach. I think what I'll start doing is breaking up each of my three meals in half. Although there is something comforting and warming about having a nice full belly. The way I look at it is....If there are movie stars, singers, and famous people that can do this..Well, so can I. Dorky, I know. But they're doing something right..At least some of them. (not of the drug-taking kind)

Here's what I did tonight. I hit the weights harder than normal because again, it was that whole mental "only 6 reps" thing going through my mind..

10 min. elliptical warm up. (that weird cramping thing happened again, this time at the end of my warmup..not sure why this keeps happening)

Deadlifts (with barbell)

35lbs x 6 (warm up set)

40lbs x 6

50lbs x 6

60lbs x 6

Incline Dumbbell Press

20lbs x 8

22.5lbs x 8

25lbs x 8 - I thought I was going to drop the dumbbells at this point. But this little guy next to me kept grabbing heavier weights..Competitive, I know...its my ego lifting acting up. I WASN'T going to be shown up by some little man...

Barbell Row

20lbs x 8 (warm up set)

25lbs x 8

30lbs x 8

35lbs x 8 - these bad boys kicked my butt, they're a lot harder than they look!

Smith Press Machine Squats

50lbs x 6

70lbs x 6

80lbs x 6

0 x 10 - ghost squats (no weight squats all the way to the ground) I don't know why, but this last ghost set feels really good at the end of squatting kinda heavy..

Dumbbell Shrugs

15lbs x 10

17.5lbs x 10

20lbs x 10 - I felt ridiculous doing these, they look really dumb...

Hip Abduction Machine (inner thighs)

90lbs x 8

110lbs x 8

130lbs x 8

Abs - Crunches (with medicine ball)

4lbs x 25

6lbs x 25

8lbs x 25

Abs - Obliques

4lbs x 20

6lbs x 20

8lbs x 20

Leg lifts (on chair thingy)

0 x 25

0 x 25

0 x 25

By the last set of abs, I was ready to keel over and die. It was a great workout. After recovering for a bit, I even mozied on down to the cardio room. Call me crazy, but I considered taking a class after all this...Which leads me to believe, that 1. I'm either totally insane, or 2. I might not be going heavy enough....

Ok..Time to map out tomorrow's trail run. I've downloaded the latest Grace Lazenby (sp?) ipod workout for Livestrong. I hope I can make it through a 45 min. run, it's been a while since I've run for that long.

Read More!