Posts Tagged ‘fit’
Um… Time to bare it…
Posted on: May 6, 2013
I have been taking before and after shots since I started working with Nick. Just recently I had a meltdown because I wasn’t seeing/feeling any different. I knew I was getting stronger, but I didn’t feel like I was getting any leaner. I was frustrated and complaining to both Link and Nick about it. Frustrated doesn’t even really come close to how I felt to be honest.
I am all for getting stronger. I have been promoting the benefits of lifting for some time now. I love the benefits I’ve been reaping thanks to lifting. I apparently still need some help to get over my mental road blocks. I still find myself turning to food to help deal with stress. I still see myself as “chubby” and I am very critical of myself.
Here are my original before and afters:
It took Tom pointing out the difference because I honestly could not see them. I see them now and feel crazy for not having seen it before. No, they’re not drastic, but they don’t need to be! It’s progress and that’s what I need to be concerned with!
I showed them to Nick as well. He made a valid point… I need to get out of the shorts! How am I going to see the progress in my legs if I’ve covered them up? I have always had major insecurities with the “thickness” of my legs and booty, which is why I put the shorts on. So, I’ve got new before pictures. In a triangle bikini no less. I took them last night and it was like some weird form of torture. I like being on the seeing side of the camera, not the seen. I cannot thank Link enough for helping me with them. I felt awkward and exposed. Not the best feeling in the world, let me tell you.
But, after looking at them, I can see even without pictures to compare them to, I know I’ve made progress. Of course there are things I don’t like. I’m trying really hard to not focus on those parts. In order to keep with the whole honesty idea of this blog, I’m sharing these pictures with you. And I may or may not be planning to compete in an ACTUAL fitness competition come September which is where the poses are coming from.
oh, and um, don’t mind my crazy, it’s way past my bedtime hair 😉
Most recent workout
Posted on: April 28, 2013
First and foremost: LINK IS HOME!!! His two week “vacation” started this morning, so I was crazy getting the house and kids ready, which is more or less the reason I haven’t posted much in the past week (ish).
Now, onto blog business. A quick update with my “no scale” challenge. It’s been hard. Honestly. I hate not knowing how much I weigh. At one point, a couple of weeks ago, Nick wanted to get my stats, so I found out then what my weight was, and seriously, it was like getting taking a huge breath after you’ve been underwater to that point just before you know you might want to consider coming up for air. I haven’t looked since though. I’m starting to feel the “itch” though. LOL May 4th is the day my scale comes back out. One more week.
On Friday Nick decided it was a good day to work my entire back half. Wow. Lots of dead lifts. Lots and lots of dead lifts. I was actually able to do 185 pounds, whereas last week I could only do 165 pounds. 20 pound difference in a week? I’ll take it! I try to tell myself those are the numbers that matter, even if it doesn’t sink in every time.
We also did some ab work on the TRX. It’s a great training area/device/contraption/torture device if you can find the right form. Some of the exercises are a bit hard to find the right form, at least for me they are, but I think that’s what I’m going to start working on because I really do like how it works.
I’ve included a couple of pictures that Nick took while I was working with cables and while on the TRX.
—Take care of your body, it’s the only one you have!
Weight challenge
Posted on: April 20, 2013
I’m sure y’all have figured out that I really like lifting weights now. Well, while Link is off in LaLa land, he and his buddies created a weightlifting challenge of sorts. They have a reward system but I honestly can’t remember how it’s set up. The events are dead lift, squat and bench press. To get the lowest reward, their combined weight has to reach 500 pounds, the second reward is 800 pounds, and the top reward is for a combine weight of 1000 pounds. Crazy right?! I asked him what the standards were for women since there are women over there too (I’m all about EO)! He said he thinks the numbers are 300, 400 and 600 pounds.
I don’t have any idea what possessed me to tell Nick about this challenge but I did. The immediate effect I had after seeing his reaction was “uh oh!” Of course we wanted me to do it! I was thinking okay, I know I can get the 300 pound mark, but the others are way too far off… at least for now. Nick, being the awesome trainer that he is, said we’re gonna skip right over that 300 mark, and shoot straight for 400. I told him he was crazy! I started thinking either he’s seriously overestimating my ability, or I’m seriously underestimating them. We planned to go through it this past Friday. Well, between the squat and the deadlift, I was 325. So maybe I was underestimating myself a bit… The bench press proved to be really hard for me though.
during the warm up… 45’s on each side
There is apparently a proper way to do a bench press that quite literally engages all your muscles, not just your chest. It was a very awkward feeling, and he thinks that is the reason I didn’t lift more. I lifted 65 pounds. Here is an article that explains “proper” form.
I was really surprised at my weights! And we didn’t do the math until after we were done to figure out exactly where I was. Also, the chest press wasn’t my max because I was able to do six reps, as well as the squat, which I did three of. After he did his max calculations, he said that it would technically be 407 pounds. So, I actually lifted 390 pounds but maxed out at 407 pounds! I’ll take it! These are the measurements that really matter. Not just how much I weigh! There are so many other indicators to put my focus on to measure my health and fitness.
Nick warned me I’d be sore. He didn’t lie. Today I had a long run planned but once I woke up this morning I realized very quickly there would be no running. Today was definitely taken as a rest day! I will get my run in tomorrow morning!
My little obsession
Posted on: April 8, 2013
… is not such a little obsession. I was so focused on what that damn scale was telling me that I forgot to see the bigger picture. So, thanks to a good friend challenging me to put my scale away for the next month, we have started a challenge that seems to be catching. The main focus is to learn what our bodies are telling us. Oh, my jeans feel a bit snug today… maybe I should cut back the sodium/drink more water. Wow, I’m really tired today… I should stop blogging and get some rest. Etc etc.
People in general, but women in particular, have been basing so many opinions of themselves due to what the media and beauty industry deem to be the idea of perfection. My freckles for example… cover them up some say. Not me. I love my freckles and am always looking for that perfect foundation that covers the things I don’t like but lets my freckles shine through. Or what about stretch marks… eww… Those nasty, ragged silverly lines covering our breasts, bellies and hips. Well, that’s at least what I used to think of them as. Now, I call them my battle scars. I worked damn hard to make sure both my babies were safe and were growing while in utero. I earned every damn one of those scars.
Does that mean I want to show them off… no. There is a fine line that I’m still working with. So for now, I am concentrating on just listening to the things my body is telling me. I am going to the gym to relieve stress and get my muscles stronger. I do my cardio to keep my heart healthy and my circulation flowing. I fight off temptations (for the most part) because I know that there is nothing nutritional hiding in that little package of sugar, flour, and preservatives.
I say I lost sight of the big picture because the number on the scale wasn’t going down. I sat down and took my actual measurements. In one month I gained a pound but lost over 5 inches (total) from various places on my body. My hips alone lost almost 2 inches in a month. That’s significant. I’m getting better sleep. I feel more energetic. And yes, I’m one pound heavier. But, you know what? I’m better than a number! Think you’d be interested in taking the challenge with us??
How Nick tortures me
Posted on: April 7, 2013
I’ve been raving about Nick my trainer (and if I can convince him, I’m going to try to get a picture with him next week so you can put a face with the name) and I thought maybe at some point I should inform the blog reading world what it is I actually do when I’m with him. Here are just some examples:
warm up (10 minutes) –
walk (2.5 mph) walking lunges (1.5 mph) side skip lunges right side (1.5 mph) walk backwards (1.5 mph) side skip lunges left side (1.5 mph); repeat
“prehab” – (otherwise known as preventative exercises)
bird dogs, dead bugs, and supine bridges on bosu ball
THE PAIN –
squats, lots and lots of squats. we started on the smith machine and have since moved onto what Nick calls “the big boy” . We’ve done a couple of different versions of squats, but the “Linda” squat is by far the most, uh, challenging. Its like a one-legged hip check squat thing lol (note: I tried to find a picture, but I can’t. It may have a different name, and if it does I’ll post a correction.)
Lunges! Oh my god, Nick loves lunges. I’m sure it’s because I made it known how much I despise them! LOL Unfortunately, they give very quick results…
Superset Lat Pulldown with BillyJacks. I didn’t think they would effect me like the do but wow, my arms burn after the BillyJacks.
For chest/shoulders, we start on an inclined bench, do a set of presses and flyes, then go down one notch, repeat. We do this until I’m one notch away from flat. All with a natural grip, arms at a 45, instead of out to the side. Those little changes have made a big difference.
Lots of Kettle Ball exercise, to include: Double Arm swing, Single Arm swing, squats, deadlift into a row, around the worlds, suitcase grabs, figure 8’s and windmills.
Sometimes he’ll add some plyometrics or the dreaded rope!
And we normally finish up with 20-30 minutes of cardio depending on what I actually did. And cardio is almost always interval training.
So as I said at the beginning, these are just SOME of the examples, but this is not a typical day’s workout, except for the warm-up, “prehab” and cardio. The stuff in the middle alternates.
I honestly love my workouts with Nick. I’ve got that “hurts so good” feeling while I’m doing it. He’s always conscious of my right shoulder (which I really need to get checked out). He’s always pushing me. He’s always available for questions outside of training sessions. I hope you enjoyed reading about “the pain!”
Biggest Changes
Posted on: April 4, 2013
Since starting this adventure into the world of “fit living,” I’ve had to make some serious changes. Not just environmental, but mentally and emotionally. When a person endeavors to better themselves, the only way to achieve that goal is by changing and adapting. Here is a list of some of the biggest changes I’ve had to make in order to make myself the best person I can be.
1. Drinking close to, if not more than a gallon of water a day. I used to drink half my body weight (in oz) of any liquid. Now, I strive to drink at least my body weight (so 159 ounces) in water. If I drink something besides water, I don’t count it. Honestly, the only things I really drink are almond milk, coffee and water, so not counting liquids hasn’t been too hard.
2. My general mindset. I used to get frustrated when the results weren’t happening as quickly as I wanted them to. I used to “cheat” and say if I didn’t write it in my tracker I didn’t eat it. I used to think that I could never get to my goals. I know better now. I know that I am worth all the effort I’m putting into this. I know that great things take time to develop. I know that even if I don’t write it down, my body is keeping a very accurate journal of what I’m putting into it.
3. I need to eat. It’s very frustrating when you’re trying to lose weight to be told, “You need to eat more.” But they’re absolutely right. I’m eating every 2 -3 hours now. All my meals can fit on a small dinner plate. I’m getting 5-6 meals a day, and 1-2 of them of drunk. I am eating so much cleaner now. I can actually listen to my body and know what it’s telling me (for the most part).
4. My body needs the release it gets from lifting weights and/or getting a good sweat. “Sweat is just fat crying.” That saying has helped me more times than I can count. I now look forward to sweating, since I equate it to how hard I was working at the gym.
5. Emotionally, I’ve also had to change. I used to want this for other people. My husband, my daughter, my friends. No one likes being the fat girl. Now, I realize how much I want this for me! I don’t want to have to worry about diabetes. I don’t want to have to get on medication to control the functions in my body that should be handled with living a healthy lifestyle. And yes, I want to look good. I love fitting into my 8’s now. I love buying clothes that wouldn’t have fit me just two years ago. I feel better about so many other things now. That being said, I’m not overly thrilled with my lack of bust now, but I’ll take the no boobs over being fat with boobs any day! They make push-ups for a reason! LOL
I know that with each stage in this endeavor, new adaptations will have to be made. I look forward to making them and learning from them!
If not for the skinny jeans... 