My opinion of line drills

Today DH and I went to a local track in a county park, where we can also use the football field. A lot of tracks at local high schools are open to the public, but you have to stay off the field. So anyway, we warmed up by doing MBG style line drills on the field...3 sets of 15 yards for each exercise, just as if we were at the MBG.

Then we did the workout:

100 meters walking lunges
800 meter run
100 squats

I got this workout from Crossfit, and the objective was to get this done as quickly as possible. I wasn't too terribly pleased with our time. We finished in 13:32...I did the whole thing; DH stopped at 75 squats. Its OK though...I'll improve....this is definitely a workout to keep.

So here's my opinion of line drills...they're awesome. They are really, really, really good for fitness. I know people at the MBG complain about doing line drills too much, but they want to be fit, right? Then tell them to do their line drills and eat their broccoli and stop complaining. I have to admit that I have been bad...very undisciplined. I haven't done REAL MBG line drills since I moved down here...until today. And they kicked my @$$!!!!!!! I felt like I was losing a little of my fitness edge on the FIT side of things, and I think I know why now. Yeah, I run and I row, but I haven't done line drills... I decided that this week, one of my workouts is going to be a pure line drill workout. I think I will do 5 sets of line drills...and maybe a set of burpees or something like that between each full set of line drills. Or maybe I should do that line drill pyramid workout, but with all the line drill stuff, plus frog hops, and traveling burpees...that would be good...what do you guys think?

Still on that green tea...

Have been fighting something off... Hope it's not what burpees and smash have/had, but it was feeling like that Tuesday. Went home from work, slept deeply for 3 hours, ate a little dinner (don't remember what) slept for 9 hours, and have slept 9 hours each night since then. I've been keeping (more or less) to the fruit and veggie fast, and between the sleep and diet, I feel really good!! I'm knocking on laminate. Oh yes, and tea. Lots of green and white tea. I basically need massive quantities of a hot beverage especially in the morning. Taking yoga tonight. Be strong!!

I'm Baaaack

I feel amazing! Getting sick sucked, but I took that opportunity to do a fruit/veggie fast like guns did. Then I went back to a real diet, but have really been upping the veggies. I gave myself a full week off of working out (exception: long walks whenever I wanted and stretching).

Diet so far today: raspberry/strawberry/kale/banana smoothie, couscous with veggies and shrimp, and a plum. And a Diet DrPepper, those are such a problem for me!

I came back to workouts Tuesday. I was supercharged; I haven't gone that hard in FIT in forever! I woke up this morning and my butt/thighs hurt from our lunge to sprint combo. Hurt in that good way, you know?

Today I went to the noon BP, which was static holds. I left there both spent and refreshed, I felt really activated holding poses and it really did good things to my posture.

I think my body needed the break, so in some ways I'm glad I got sick. I've been working out maybe too much. At any rate the intensity was gone, but I think I've got it back!

Free for All

I had a great workout yesterday. I didn't feel like doing the regular class so I did my own thing.
I did three sets / 10 reps each of the following:

cable cleans w/ green cable
cable presses w/blue cable
snatches with 12k's

Then I did 50 reps of the reverse burpees. The ones where you squat and roll back on your shoulders and then stand up. I LOVE THOSE. I love them because they don't hurt my hips or knees and I can really feel my legs working. I also did the burbees that are like dips, but I did them like BBG by lifting my legs up instead of putting my heels down.

Diet has been great. Yesterday I ate yogurt with source of life and fresh strawberries, left over guacamole chulupa with Black beans, a banana, edamame, a salad, some 7 grain crackers, a green naked juice, steamed kale, and a mint chocolate truffle :)

Be strong!

Monday

DH and I worked out together tonight. I did:
1. KB Swings :D
2. Pushups
3. Chinups (with DH's assistance)
4. Presses
5. Sit-ups

DH has a torn tendon in one of his fingers, so he did pushups and HEY.
Yes, I got my KBs!!!! Whooooo-hoooooo!!! I got two 12kgs. When Lifeline has theirs available, I'll probably get two 16s too. So needless to say, I also played around doing random cleans, bottoms-up cleans, and snatches as well.

DH and I had a nice track workout planned for tomorrow morning (er, this morning)...but I don't think its going to happen. Its now 3 a.m., I can't sleep, and I just puked my guts out a little while ago. Yeah... My feet feel a little achy and my head hurts a little, so I think I'm sick. I'll probably have to take tomorrow off...but we'll see. Even if I don't, I won't be able to go to the track before DH goes to work...grrrrr...

Alrighty ladies...hope you are having a better night than I am!

Protein Power

Hola! Had a great weekend. My weekend started with a card deck workout on Friday night. The exercises were push-ups, chins, squats, and choice of extensions, sit-up and reach, touch downs or cable cleans. I did a combo of all of those. I forgot how much I like cable cleans and decided that I should do more of them. My push-ups are getting better everyday and I did full range for most of the workout, only giving in to halvsies a few times. BBG pointed out that I collapse at the bottom and let myself hit the floor hard, so that is something to work on.

I got up early on Saturday morning and went to FIT. It was also a great class, really tough, but good. I am noticing that the FIT classes are getting easier, but are still really challenging for me. The workout was all burpees and some of the variations were actually fun :) After FIT, I shadowed the yoga class. I got home and felt just completely spent, so I thought I would lay down for a bit and wound up sleeping for 4 hours. oops!

Thanks for the link to that nutrition web sit burpee girl. I really stepped up my protein intake. We went out to eat on Friday night and I had steamed scallops and a salad. On Saturday I ate a grilled chicken breast after working out and yoga and then I made the anti-cancer soup after my nap. It is really yummy. It is a lot of work, but worth it. And it makes a lot, so I froze about half of it! I bought some frozen soy walnut burgers from nature's bakery and had one of those, with some soup and strawberries for dinner.

Yesterday we made a lovely brunch of scrambled eggs with veggies and whole wheat organic pancakes with organic raspberries. I had a banana and peanut butter for a snack. For dinner I went out for a friends birthday to the El Dorado. I had the guacamole chalupa.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Be strong-

Sunshine and Green Tea

Had a terrific week last week, and Saturday was awesome. FIT workout---all different variations on burpees. Taught yoga, then went to a Kari Tomashik HEY workshop for the afternoon. She is such a wonderful teacher, and I always learn so much at her workshops. I was toasted from my workout in the morning, but it was still good for me to work with the poses, and with my own issues around form. I really feel the need, more than ever, to get back to the Thursday night class at Mound Street. I'll also say that my hips are still sore---I always end up finding muscles that are not used when I take an intense HEY class. I had thought I had made a lot of progress with my hips, and Kari said I had made progress when she looked at my back, but I still have a lot of instability and underactivation, especially along the outer hamstring. Of course, my feet and ankles are another story. HEY is such a humbling practice. I can only come away from poses like side warrior feeling like my feet and ankles are an abomination.

Let's see. Took Sunday off. Made a yummy soup---creamy garlic with one bag of dried white northern beans, covered with boiling water in the crock pot, one whole bulb of garlic, cloves peeled and put in the soup whole, 2 teaspoons of tarragon, and salt. I set it on low and left if for 5 hours. I mashed the soup a little with a potato masher. I'm loving it!

Triumphant Day

I went to a free community workout given by Crossfit Central. They are having a big fundraiser workout next week to raise money for prostrate cancer research, so today's workout was a practice for next week. Next week they are doing Crossfit's "Fight Gone Bad" workout.

So we had five stations, and we spent about 5 minutes at each station, rotating within our small group and getting coached on technique.

Stations:
1. Rowing on the Concept II rowing machine
2. Box jumps
3. Push presses
4. Sumo deadlift highpulls
5. Wall ball

First station was a nice warm up - I need to learn to go faster on the machines though. I did 3 x 1 min on an ~18 inch box for the box jumps. Felt good. Third station was push presses with Olympic bars. I did my first minute interval with 55 lbs. Then in the second and third minutes, another lady and I traded on and off with the 45 lb bar. One of the coaches pointed out that I stopped doing push presses and started doing military presses with the 45 lb bar.
Highpulls were very challenging for me, as I haven't done those before with the bar, and I had this fear of smashing the bar into my knees...I'm sure I'll be better at it next time I try it. Wall ball was OK. I was tired by that point. This workout actually made me feel very out of shape. I was thinking that I really had to step my training up a notch.

After the Crossfit workout was over, I headed down to Town Lake to go rowing. I almost didn't go because of the weather, but I decided to go see how the water looked. It looked fine, a little choppy, but not bad, so I went out for a little over an hour.

So why, if I felt out of shape, was this day triumphant? This morning when I got up, I was very, very close to wimping out and not going to Crossfit...and if I hadn't gone to Crossfit, I probably wouldn't have gone rowing either, because the weather looked iffy...but I told myself "no excuses!," got my butt out the door and got both workouts done, and now I can enjoy the rest of this beautiful day!

Oh yeah, and I did three sets of pushups before I hit the shower! Alrighty ladies, be strong!!!

Feeling the change of season

Worked later than planned yesterday and missed FIT. Figured that I needed an extended night at home anyway...Bernie (my 20 pound housemate) has been missing me. Feeling really sluggish. It's hard to get going in the morning, hard to find energy. I know it's just an adjustment to lost daylight, at least that's what it feels like. On the plus side, my allergy symptoms are gone. Won't say the allergies are though, taking too much medication to pretend that! Looking forward to a hard workout tonight. (Gunshow? 5:00?). That's all I have. Have been drinking a lot of coffee lately, compensation for my low energy levels due to allergies and now change of season. I'm contemplating switching to green tea---I know it's better for me. I'm not in a place to force anything yet though.

Bon Courage, Mesdames!

Wed. and Thurs, workouts

I've been feeling really tired lately. I don't know why...

Tonight DH and I went for a run. The route was 3.4 miles and moderately hilly. None of the hills were extremely steep, but they were loooooooooooong!

Yesterday I was super tired, so I did two rounds (instead of three) through this circuit:
1. hindu pushups
2. body rows
3. stability ball pike-ups
4. cable presses
5. 90 degree assisted chins
6. stability ball curls
7. situps

I found the stability ball pikes to be much harder than the power wheel pikes. I think its just a matter of getting used to the ball...you guys should try it and tell me how you think they compare.

My eating is fairly decent...kale-blueberry smoothie for breakfast, half an acorn squash for lunch, a raw cookie (made with apples, cashews, cranberries, and something else - don't remember - got it at Whole Foods), an apple and some almonds, and for dinner, whole wheat and flax pasta with tomato sauce, steamed broccoli and homemade meatballs. The meatballs were really good - 95% lean beef, shredded zucchini, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder...I think that's it...and I baked them. My downfall was some salt-water taffy...don't know what possessed me to give in to the refined sugar, but it was good. Yesterday I had oatmeal for breakfast. I can't remember what I had for lunch - it was either a watercress salad or a hummus-veggie wrap. I think I also ate a nectarine, and dinner was chicken breast baked with tomatoes, onions, and red peppers, and steamed broccoli. I ate something else yesterday too - I think I ate some of that Optimum Power cereal during the day. Like I said, I was REALLY tired....

Alrighty...be strong!

Feeling Frustrated

Thanks for the workout yesterday BBG. I did enjoy myself, despite the fact that I spent most of it feeling frustrated.

I tried to do hindus and my shoulder hurt too bad, so I did down dogs for most of our sets and at the end I switched to the green cable and just did presses. The body rows felt challenging and I can feel myself wanting to cheat my way through them. Then my knees were hurting on the lunges. I wanted to do the hang and v-up, but BBG pointed out that I couldn't even get close without collapsing my shoulders. My ego took over and I just felt frustrated for most of the workout. GRRRRRRR. I decided to do some snatches at the end and those made me feel better :)

Thanks again for the feedback BBG, I really appreciate it and know that I won't get stronger if I continue to cheat!

My diet has been great. Yesterday I ate yogurt for breakfast, salad for lunch and veggie soup, edamame, and strawberries for dinner. Today I have eaten two plums, a cucumber w/hummus, some low fat plain yogurt with source of life mixed in, and left over veggie soup. Oh, and some dried fruit and nuts!

Be strong

Sick

This all started Monday, with my mediocre 100 yard workout. I made it through only 40 yards of everything, and had to leave before cooldown when I wrenched my neck lifting the 70# DBall.

Tuesday, still couldn't move neck, so I didn't workout. Later in the day, started feeling queasy. Ended up throwing up dinner, threw up all night and into Wed. Started having explosive you-know-what too, so was having stuff coming out both ends. Absolutely disgusting. I've never been this sick before. Still unable to eat anything but saltines and 7up, still feeling nauseated but at least the vomiting's over. To make matters worse, still can't move neck properly, which adds to the fun of sprinting to the bathroom.

Just thought I'd share. Not sure where I caught this bug, but I hope it leaves me alone soon. (Haven't eaten spinach, in case that's what you're thinking. Have eaten kale, though?) At any rate, no working out for the rest of this week, I get teary when I think of it. Haven't had this much time off in, oh, EVER. It's killing me. But if I do anything more than sit up in bed, I feel nauseous. Grrrr

On the upswing!

Good workout yesterday with gunshow. Had a 15/15 that we adapted to counting reps for 10 sets of each exercise so that we weren't locked onto the clock. In the end that was:
5 hindu push-ups
6 body rows (with the rope rather than jungle gym so I could work my grip for aerial dance)
5 hanging leg lifts with straight legs
8 lunges each leg (no resistance) jumped for last 3 sets

We took a break after our ten sets of the first two exercises and then did the lower body/core. I felt refreshed, could have pushed harder, but it was good overall.

Nutrition wasn't so good. Had a breakfast social/staff meeting at work which, when everyone is asked to bring something is basically a fat and carb feast. Need to plan better how I'm going to approach those situations so that I don't lose the social experience. Ate a very light dinner much later. Will have a delicious salad today for lunch. Taking FIT at 5:00.

Be strong!!

It's all about the goal...

Funny story K-smash! I can imagine how someone who's been rowing for 34 years might not be interested in feeling a tug, but I find resistance gratifying... Had a great workout yesterday---FIT pyramid of reps 15-20-25-20-15 for 6 stations: r-twist (2 70# cables), high bounce 6K med ball, resisted running (reps X 2) with blue cable, burpees, box step ups, cone jumps. I finished in time and didn't have to shave any reps on any station! I can remember when I couldn't finish this workout. It feels good to be at this point, even knowing that I've lost fitness over the last few months. Forgot to use my inhaler before I started and felt the effects of it by the end of class. Won't do that again, but I'm also appreciating learning my symptoms.
Food: splurged for breakfast---coffee, bacon, croissant (delish!)
Penance for lunch: salad--romain, beets, carrots, chick peas, sunflower seed, vinegar, olive oil
Veggie stew (again!) for dinner. My veggie stew was made in the slow cooker with about 5 whole garlic cloves, 6 small potatoes, 4 beets, 6 carrots, chicken broth, 1 bunch of swiss chard. I've been eating it since last week, not everyday but still, I'm ready for it to end. I should have just frozen a bunch into servings the day after I made it instead of taking this endless voyage to veggie stew land, but on the otherhand I don't have to plan a menu or cook when I get home.

Working out with guns tonight!!

My oars are idiotic

Today was a good day. This afternoon I went to the track and did 10 x 100 m sprints. I didn't let myself rest nearly as much as I did before. I did two sets of 5, with a short water break in the middle.

Then this evening, I went rowing. This time I decided to select a pair of oars that had the collar closer to the boat, and thus a longer lever arm...all that's important about this is that the oars I picked made the load heavier. It was a little more challenging to row, though not straining or difficult in any way. The air temperature and humidity were absolutely perfect, and the water was as smooth as glass. I had a GREAT row.

Here's where it gets funny. I found this quite amusing. I was putting my oars away in the boathouse, when this woman with a British accent starts talking to me.
British Woman: "How did you like the collar set that way?"
Me: "Very well. It felt good."
BW: "How old are you?"
Me: "30"
BW: "Well, as a very experienced rower, who's been rowing for 34 years, I will tell you that those oars are idiotic."
Me: "Oh?"
BW: "Well, come on. It's a simple lesson in physics. You want to take advantage of the lever. You don't want to feel like you are tugging every time you row."
Me: "Oh, OK. Thanks."
BW: "Fix that collar next time."

Wow. I don't think she was trying to be friendly. I tried to be respectful, especially since she's experienced. I figure people who have been doing something longer than me deserve some respect, even if I disagree. Anyway, I liked the way these oars felt, and it was one of my best rows so far. I felt much more in control of the boat. I still intend to experiment with different oars, but I will say that oars with less load feel like air to me. Sometimes that's OK, but sometimes I want to feel my muscles working more. Anyway, I found the whole exchange very amusing.

Alrighty, girls! Have a good night! Be strong!

Feeling Great

I actually quit caffeine. I haven't had any since Friday morning. Saturday and Sunday were pretty hard, but I have felt great for the last two days. I started my fast on Friday evening and continued through Sunday afternoon. I decided to ease back into eating by just eating fresh veggies and fruit for the rest of Sunday. My diet has been excellent for the last two days.

I didn't work out much at all over the weekend, as I was fasting and felt like shit from no caffeine. I couldn't get out of work in time to go workout and make it to my class last night :(

I am planning on doing BP on Wed and Fri and FIT on Thurs and Sat. I should go to yoga too... sometime :) I know I need to be doing more of that.

Still Improving...

Had a good workout last night...100 yards of alligator push-ups, d-ball carry, cliff hangers, with some box step ups (not too heavy on that yet because of my ankle). Really kept focused on form with the alligators, I can feel myself make a cheat with the position of my right elbow on the "short side." I lever it into my body instead of stabilizing from the shoulder. Used the 20Ks for the overhead carry on 30 yards, then lost the kettle bells to some rope pullers and dropped to the 16s (tried the 24s, but that was too much, 16s were too light, going to "guard" the 20s next time, arrrrrh!). I didn't actually travel 100 yards with the cliff hangers, did go up and down 8 times total. Hands and forarms are a little stiff this morning!! Still getting better with the feet and ankle, but it's still twingy.

Had veggie stew with chamomile tea for dinner. Like a little old lady. Went to bed at 8:30. Maybe I should get a cat and start going to church to complete the personna.

Back into it

Alrighty...went for a hard 3 mile run with DH this morning. That was awesome. It seems like he really wants to start training with me...which makes me VERY excited!! I really, really, really hope this keeps up!

Tonight, I did a workout by myself... 3 rounds of:
20 pushups
15 chins (90 degrees)
10 overhead squats (with a cable)
45 situps

I wanted to use my two 23 lb dumbbells for the OH squats, but when I pressed them overhead, I felt that sharp pain in my left shoulder again. Grrrrr!!!! I thought that was gone!!!!

The workout tonight was OK, but I feel like I've lost some ground. While I can do pushups with heavier loads on my back, I don't feel confident that that approach is helping my pushup endurance. Tonight's workout felt harder than I think it should have felt. I think for the next few weeks, I am going to go back to workouts specific to the PFT. I was thinking two PFT-specific strength workouts per week, and one "cross-training" strength workout with other exercises. Then about three days of running, one day of sprinting, and one day of a FIT class type workout. Suggestions or ideas on this? I want to get to the point where 30 pushups in a row feels easy...

Nutrition is so-so...really bad when I was home visiting my family...then last week I had to be on this really weird diet because of some medical tests for my physical...annoying...no raw fruits or veggies allowed. I hated it. Now I am starting to get back to normal. Dinner last night was wrap made with hummus, avocado, tomato, cucumber, and lettuce. Breakfast today was a blueberry smoothie. Lunch was sauteed rainbow chard and a garden burger wrap. An apple and some almonds for a snack. Dinner was a half acorn squash and a glass of soymilk with some soy protein powder. I was going to make a veggie curry, but ran out of time. I can't wait until fresh spinach is available again too. I need to go to the store tomorrow and pick up some kale and watercress....mmmmmm....yum!

Happy Monday!

Friday's LOBO was good! I appreciated the chance to do some yoga. I had a really good meeting with my allergist, and I think I finally have the treatment plan that will keep me feeling healthy and energized so that I can get back to training without fear of stressing my body and heading into another downturn. My feet are starting to feel better, but the nerves are still sort of twingy and activated. Going to keep working on that situation. Working out at 5:00 tonight. Planning on a big HEY weekend coming up!

Quitting Caffeine

Ok, so I am totally addicted to coffee and after many, many years of nuturing this addiction, I have decided to stop it. Oh yes it is going to be awful :) You may be asking yourselves what has brought this on? I am tired of being a slave to my morning cup . I am going to embark on a 4-5 day fruit and veggie juice and herbal tea fasting cleanse. My plan is to start fasting tomorrow morning and by Thursday, I should be as good as new or something like that.

The workout on Wednesday was good. We did broad jumps, vertical jumps and box jumps. Followed by a 5x5 of chins and push-ups. My shoulders were pretty sore from Tuesday's arsenal of one arm snatches so I only did a 4x5.

I am excited for tonight's LOBO and then plan to take it easy during my fast by just doing yoga.

Bad week for working out - great otherwise

Hey guys,
I don't know what's been wrong with me since I've gotten home, but I have been totally exhausted every day, to the point of not working out AT ALL!!!!! I have no idea what is going on.... It could possibly be recovering from the trip...two 20 hour car rides, and several nights of very little sleep.

It was wonderful to be home see a lot of people, and it was fun sitting up talking with my Mom all night (thus, very little sleep while I was home). The wedding was great. My brother and his wife are both such wonderful people, and I was so happy for both of them. I got to spend some time at their new house too, which I really enjoyed. I wish I lived closer so that I could spend more time with them. We really didn't have enough time in WI to see everyone that we wanted to see or to spend enough time with my family or at the MBG.

I am going to try to go for a run tonight after I get home. Tomorrow, I am going to get myself out on the water to row, and try to do a strength workout with DH.

I'll keep you posted....be strong!

Getting better...

Getting Better...

Slept great again last night!! Sleep is my favorite part of training, sometimes, especially when I've been struggling. Started the FIT class last night, and left shortly after the warm-up started. My foot and ankle are still bothering me. I find it much harder to practice what I preach than preaching what I preach : ). Can feel that I've lost ground over the last two months... I know I will recover my fitness, etc., but this feeling is not one I enjoy. Anyway, I did my little yoga pose this morning and it worked, once again, so that makes me happy. Had a veggie stew from my crockpot last night, spinach salad with tofu for lunch... So good! Want to plan for a LOBO this weekend... Anyone?

What a great day

This week has been going great. I have class for 3 1/2 hours on Monday evenings so I only had time for a quick workout. I did cable cleans with the blue cable, presses with the green cable, renegade rows with the 20k's, pushups and squats. I did 6 reps and went through it as a circuit 4 times. I finished with 4 minutes of 1 arm snatches with the 12k for 30 sec on 30 sec off.

Yesterday I was going to do the 5:00 FIT, but shadowed the STA-FIT instead and did the 6:00 FIT. I find that I am really frustrated in the FIT classes. BP comes so easy for me, but I really have to work at FIT and I feel like I am going to die :) Which I probably won't and that feeling is a clear indication that I need to keep going to them. We did alternating swings and squats for 6 sets each with 1 min on and 30 sec off. I did some swings and some snatches and then the squats. Then we did alternating box step-ups and jump rope. I only did half of this part and stopped as I felt like I was overdoing it and was beyond fatigue.

My heels are still sore, but are getting a bit better.

Nutrition is always a struggle but I am winning the battle. We have been getting lots of edamame in our CSA, which is such a treat. Last night I made brown rice with peppers, onion, tomatoes, and hot red pepper. Yum!

Oh and the reason it is such a great day is that I received the go ahead to start teaching the STA-FIT classes. YAY! I can't wait. I remember how scared I was to start working out at 29 years old for the first time and how comforting it was to realize that no one was judging me and that they were there to lend a hand and now I get to "pay it forward" by being that person.

Be Strong!

All about my feet...

Did the body power class last night... Still having trouble with my feet, especially the right one. We were doing 20 reps in each set of down dog, hindu, or dive bomber presses, renegade rows, and lunges. The renegade rows and lunges were 20 total, ten each side. Then 200 jump rope forward and backwards. Then repeat as many times as possible in 30 minutes. I didn't push myself too hard. Did hindus, renegades with the 16 Ks. and lunges with the 16s as well. Instead of jump rope I did hindu squats to save my feet and try to work the extension through the back of my heel. Jonny helped me with some high energy yoga and we worked on having me stand with my heels to the wall, and bend my knees, staying straight, and really maintaining the action back through the heel against the wall. It really helped set my alignment. This morning when I woke up, limped over to the wall, did the action for about a minute, and then was able to walk, without any pain (!!!!!) even down the stairs. How amazing that is. That is the first time in many months that I have not had pain walking down the stairs in the morning. Another thing Jonny recommended was that I keep returning to the pose in order to reset my ankles and feet rather than trying to change how I walk, or mindfully find the action as I'm doing an everyday thing. That is different for me, because my tendancy is to try to train my mechanics all the time. So, I'm giving that a try. My ankle feels tweeky again already. Maybe I'll take my shoes off and stand against the wall for a while in the little cubicle farm where I work. Tonight I'm doing the 5:00 FIT. (Hope you try it out guns... we can meet a little early or later to work on what might help your feet!).

A fool for FIT

I did my second fit class ever on Saturday morning. It was really awesome! I was dreading going and was making up stories about how it was too hard and that I wouldn't be able to do it and that I would look funny...well all of that was for nothing, because it felt really good and was fun. I have decided to start going at least once per week and am hoping that it will help reverse my recent weight gain.

My heels have been hurting though and all of that running and jumping did something horrible to them. I could barely walk by Saturday afternoon and they still hurt. I have always had flat feet, but before my surgery was never really able to run, jump, or walk very far so have never really had any foot problems. I read some stuff on the web that basically said that lack of arch support leads to heal pain and all sorts of yucky stuff. I bought some shoe inserts with the hope that they will help until I figure out what I should do. All I know is that I am not willing to give up activity. Do any of you have any suggestions?

My diet was good all weekend until last night when I ate pizza. It was a veggie pizza, which makes it a tad bit better, but not really :)

Be Strong!

And one more thing...

I also wanted to say that when I woke up, I felt a little more energized than I have for a long time. Feeling a little better gives me motivation to treat myself better. It's when I'm tired of feeling badly that I find all the good forms of self nurturing break down. If there are any suggestions for getting through that rough patch, I'm all ears!!

Machines are for Sissies

Feeling Good!!

Terrific workout last night!!! Not too much soreness for me... I know I was using a lighter weight for my cleans, swings, and squats than I normally would, but I need to respect my health/energy right now. I was feeling a lot of tightness in my hip flexors and tweaky feet, which I know happens when I do cleans. That move must really activate my "old" script for over-compensating on my hamstrings. I think that if I were to really focus on some action back through the heels and the thighs I would work that differently, but I direct a lot of my attention to my coordination of the movement itself...

Talking and catching up as we went through the workout was fun, despite the chauvinism from the peanut gallery. True, we might call the work out "salon of pain" rather than "house of pain." I think it was probably more elegant the way we did it than as described by Jonny. K-Smash, do not stress over your fitness. You will find your stride at your new digs in Texas. It is so cool to hear about how your standards for fitness compare to those of the other folks you've connected with since your move.

Today, so far, I've had cereal (Natures Path Energy Start) with nonfat yogurt and blueberries, a slice of carrot nut pumpkin bread, and about 5 cups of coffee. I'm not going to editorialize about any of that. I'm tired of feeling like a crackhead when I have a dinner of wine and pasta. I know I feel better when I eat healthier, but I also know that compulsion is what it is...O.K. I guess I did editorialize. Getting a massage tonight. See you all tomorrow for a good workout!

Machines are for Sissies

Feeling Good!!

Terrific workout last night!!! Not too much soreness for me... I know I was using a lighter weight for my cleans, swings, and squats than I normally would, but I need to respect my health/energy right now. I was feeling a lot of tightness in my hip flexors and tweaky feet, which I know happens when I do cleans. That move must really activate my "old" script for over-compensating on my hamstrings. I think that if I were to really focus on some action back through the heels and the thighs I would work that differently, but I direct a lot of my attention to my coordination of the movement itself...

Talking and catching up as we went through the workout was fun, despite the chauvinism from the peanut gallery. True, we might call the work out "salon of pain" rather than "house of pain." I think it was probably more elegant the way we did it than as described by Jonny. K-Smash, do not stress over your fitness. You will find your stride at your new digs in Texas. It is so cool to hear about how your standards for fitness compare to those of the other folks you've connected with since your move.

Today, so far, I've had cereal (Natures Path Energy Start) with nonfat yogurt and blueberries, a slice of carrot nut pumpkin bread, and about 5 cups of coffee. I'm not going to editorialize about any of that. I'm tired of feeling like a crackhead when I have a dinner of wine and pasta. I know I feel better when I eat healthier, but I also know that compulsion is what it is...O.K. I guess I did editorialize. Getting a massage tonight. See you all tomorrow for a good workout!

LOBO

Thanks for the LOBO workout! I am sooooooo sore today, but feel really great. Sorry you couldn't make it Burpees girl.

My diet was pretty good yesterday, aside from the popcorn I had for a snack. I ate a salad for lunch, some trail mix, and for dinner I had vegetarian chili. This morning for breakfast I ate some yummy kale and garlic :)

Be Strong!

Mom is gone

What a week! My mom left this morning after a week full of shopping, eating, and being lazy. I feel a bit guilty that I didnt workout while she was here, but only get to see her once or twice a year so it was worth it to spend all of my time with her.

We stayed at a motel, so it was a struggle to eat healthy. I am eating a salad right now and feel like I am back on track. I cant wait for body power tomorrow and LOBO on Thursday! Yay!

September 5, 2006

Allergies still kicking my ass.

Went on vacation last week. Spent most of the time on the couch trying to breathe... Want to get back into working out, but need to stay mindful of my condition. I know the allergy-related challenges of the last 6 months will help me train better, live better, but right now, I'm feeling so ready for this to be over, or at least better. More than anything, I'm tired of feeling tired, all the time. Did get some classes in while on vacation last week, but not many. Ate a lot of pasta and other carbs. Bad for me, I know, but wanted to momentary pleasure, so indulged. Will see the allergist in a week and a half. Am calling to let them know that it's not going well. Looking forward to a LOBO on Thursday!

Kickin' it with kettlebells

So Steve and I are having a great time hanging out with Chad and Nancy! Its so fun! Nancy looks great! We even could see the baby kicking when we were sitting around talking!

So last night, Chad and I went to the kettlebell school here that I found. We showed up and there was only one student there. Apparently the place is really a Wing Chun Kung Fu school, and the kettlebells, clubbells, and Olympic lifting are a smaller part of the school. Its really casual too - the owner had family plans last night, so students were just showing up to work out on their own. So the one cool student, Chad, and I ended up doing a workout together. We did a card deck (because Chad ALWAYS has a deck of cards with him). We did KB swings, cleans, presses, and d-ball slams.

So what did I discover? I am out of shape!!!!!!!!!! OK, not really. What I really discovered is that I have gotten stronger in some areas, and much weaker in other areas. I need some kettlebells. I mean, I really NEED some kettlebells now!! I've decided that I am going to buy one adjustable KB from US Kettlebells in Rockford (http://www.uskettlebells.com/)...thus I can pick it up on my way back for the wedding, and save on shipping costs. Now I need to break the news to DH that I am going to spend more money....eeeek!!!

(Oh yeah - and I went rowing yesterday for about an hour and a half...not sure what I am going to do today, if anything....my back is super sore from the swings, which I haven't done in two months. I am doing sprints tomorrow morning and rowing tomorrow afternoon...)