10.26.2011

Me vs. the flab.

Round two. FIGHT!!!

Sadly enough, the "fight" is more like me fighting to keep going. Holy s, but I'm tired and sore.

Yesterday's kettle bell class whooped my ass big time. 'Member last time, when I was all "it was hard, but not too bad at all"? Yeah. How optimistic and DUMB I was. Last night was just brutal. Squats, wall sits, walking figure 8s, and burpees. BURPEES. Oh, the humanity. I had even convinced coworker S that it was awesome and she would love it. Still sorry, girl... :)

It was tough. Really tough. I think part of my downfall was that I tried to be more accurately-times with Jody. That was dumb. She weighs, like, an eighth what I do, teaches a few classes EVERY day, and has been doing it for years.

I'm just SO impatient with this whole process. I'm frustrated that I'm nit in better shape and in a better weight class yet. I can't stop thinking ahead of myself. It's nice when life occasionally hands you exactly what you need. Today, it was in the form of something someone pinned on Pinterest. It read (roughly), "you didn't gain it all in one day; you can't expect to lose it all that way." So right you are, random Pinterest pin. I need to do a better job of just patting myself on my back and not obsessing over how I haven't dropped it all already.

So, here's a pat on my back. Not only did I complete that class, but I somehow managed to convince myself to take the yoga class today. GO TEAM!!!

Done anything awesome yourself lately? Do tell! PS -eleventy points if you can tell me which video game I referenced!

10.24.2011

Dang.

Lame.  Today was "super calorie" day.

As part of this whole process, I'm trying to be honest - mostly with myself, but since there's a person or two reading this occasionally too, I guess I'm being honest with you too!  :)

Today, we had some fast food for lunch.  It was friggin' delicious.  It was the new Wendy's burger - the Dave's Hot 'n' Juicy.  Hella good, in case you wondered.  They made a whole bunch of changes - from the bun to the meat to the onions and pickles.  In my (admittedly pretty novice now...) opinion, it's the best fast food burger out there.  They're really great.

But professing my love of that little patty of heaven isn't what this is about.  Sorry Wendy's, but this is about the caloric impact of your little burger of awesomeness.  I knew it wasn't going to be the best choice I made all day, but I wanted to give it a go.  At the time, I was thinking it would be okay.  That I could just have the burger (hold the mayo!) and it wouldn't be so bad.  And really, it wouldn't have - had I also had a salad with it.  NATURALLY, I did not.  According to Wendy's nutritional site, the burger I had (minus the mayo, remember!), was 530 calories.  Yikes.  Again, a 30-calorie salad would have helped with the situation.

Now, here's an honest assessment.  No matter how much I loved the burger, it didn't so much love me back later.  I spent the whole afternoon feeling all bloaty and generally yuck.  *sigh*  I think it's a combo of the whole fast food greasy burger thingy and the fact that I didn't have anything green that didn't sit so well with me.  Smarter eating habits, girl!

The lesson learned?  Maybe stick to eating the things you know aren't going to eat you back.

10.23.2011

Mother. of. God.

(written Thursday, BTW...I've been taking my time editing)  I'm currently huddled on the floor of my living room.  Huddled because I can't stretch my legs out.  Le sigh.  I guess this is my life, now that I'm a workout queen.  Or goddess.  Whichever you wish to use.

Recap.

Tuesday's Kettle Bell class whopped my ass big time.  It was a 45-minute class.  The first half hour was okay.  Not too horrible.  It was tough, but not painful or difficult.  I think I've blabbed about the Kettlenetics DVD before.  From what I understand, it's a modification of a kettle bell workout.  It's a pretty great workout - hard to complete for this chubby butt.  :)  A lot of the moves I was doing from the video were actually part of the workout we did.  So, a lot of those were easier, which made those first 30 or so okay.  HOWEVER...the last 15 minutes were hell.  They. Were. HELL.  I'm a stubborn woman (it's an Arnold trade, I've learned...).  It took every last bit of my will to complete this workout.
Here's the thing though.  It was TOTALLY worth it.  The woman who lead the class (Jody, I think...?) had the most amazing arms and shoulders I've ever seen.  Honestly.  Amazing.  I've decided that I'm going to get those shoulders.  Continuing this class is gonna make that happen, baby!
Did I mention that I'm still sore?  Sore but worth it.

Wednesday's yoga class was great!  It was nice and stretchy and awesome.  It didn't take all the sore away, but it definitely helped.  The stretching and relaxing was great.  I'm not so bad at it either.  The crazy Jillian Yoga Meltdown DVD seems to have helped prep me for an actual yoga class.  I even picked up a couple of pose names.  I've got the Sun Salutation I down.  It's hard to move from Downward Dog into Cobra without dropping my belly to the mat right away.  By the end of the hour-long class, though, I was able to do a pretty good job of it without much trouble.  Felt pretty nice.  The only thing that gave me trouble was all the time spent in Downward Dog and other moves that were heavy on having the hands on the ground, taking most of the body weight.  My poor little wrists were tired!  And, I learned that I need to quit using lotion so frequently - my hands were slipping the whole time.  I'm going to try it this week without a mat and see if it's okay on my knees and whatnot.  We'll see.

SO, there you have it.  It's now Sunday night, and I'm a day or two out of being crazy sore, and perfectly ready to get it all started again.  I'll be sure to let you know how week two goes!

10.18.2011

Bummer.

There goes THAT excuse.

I've said before that I won't do the ($2!!) exercise classes offered at work because they take place in our cafeteria area. All that public space working out?! No way. I'm iffy enough on the idea of getting all sweaty and gross with coworkers, and the thought of coworkers NOT working out catching a glimpse of all this is not cool.

*sigh* And now, the new workout facility at work is complete. More equipment, bigger spaces, and a dedicated space for the classes. A space with doors so that anyone in the machine area doesn't have to be tortured by watching me work out. Ha. Ceilings tall enough for jump rope, a pile of balance balls, more hand weights than the gym hubbs and I pretended to attend. And FREE. All of it. Classes are $2 each - kettle bell, yoga...there are four in total right now.

Tonight, after four years here, I'm taking a class. Tonight, it's Kettle Bells. I'm nervous - it's a 45-minute session. That's a long time for a totally out-of-shape chunk like me to work out. I'm going to hide in the back and so the best I can. I've got this weird ache or strain or something on my left side -from my lower back through my hamstring - that I'll also be fighting. I'm SO going to look like an awkward weirdo. Ha.

I'm hoping tomorrow's yoga class helps get it all out!

Wish me luck, and look forward to a little report if sorts this evening. :)

10.08.2011

Whoa.

Tonight, something extraordinary happened.

I was laying in bed and needed a gulp of water. I grabbed my water bottle (cats = no open glasses!) and sat up. I just SAT UP. No using my hands, no throwing myself back to get the momentum going. Just sitting up.

This may not seem like a big deal, but I seriously can't even pretend to know when the last time that happened was. No shakes from the exertion, nothing. Just simply engaging the 'ol core and sitting up like I've done it every day of my life. Craziness!

Patting myself on the back to commence. :)

Happy Saturday!