Clothing in the Gym

Hey yall, 

Today while I was trying to workout some worker came in with jeans that had dried pant on it. I mean I’m all for not judging people and what they workout in but jeans? Those would be tough to do some workouts plus it makes it challenging to move. On top of that the paint flasks off and gets on everything. Anyways it made it kind  of interesting to watch. 

Today I ended up running for half an hour. My plan is starting to increase in time, which makes me every so happy. It was fun to go that long. I mean I still ran the 3 minutes and then walked 2 minutes. It felt like the 30 minutes went quicker than they used to. I’m not sure if it’s because I renewed my love for running or because I was doing a run and walk thing. It could be both. Who really blows but I enjoyed my time and that’s what counts. I still ran the last 5 minutes, even though I wasn’t sure I could. Mainly because I had increased my time, so my body was getting a little worn out. 

Today for lifting I had to do shoulders and chest. My chest didn’t appreciate getting worked out today. But it felt good to get those muscles worked. My shoulders hated me today. I’m not sure why the were so quick to get tired today but they were. I was only about half done with my sets before my shoulders just wanted to give up. However, I kept pushing forward. My shoulders hurt like crazy and I felt like i couldn’t lift anything. For my shower it was a struggle because my shoulders were already starting to feel sore from the workout. But at least I know I had a good one. 

Hope everyone had a great Monday! 🙂 

Joys of Being Active

Hey yall, 

I figured now it is respectable for me to talk about Christmas, since Thanksgiving has passed. It got me thinking about some of the joy I get from working out. For one thing it naturally gives me more energy. I mean it’s crazy to think about how exhausting your body can give you energy, but it’s true. Because of my job I don’t get a lot of sleep, since I’m an early riser and I have an evening shift. Working out helps me out a lot. I mean I do get roughly 8 hours of sleep, but I start waking up about 7ish (sometimes earlier). Another not it brings me is the satisfaction that I just lifted that much weight. Now, I’m not crazy strong by any means but knowing I can do that makes me feel good. Another joy working out brings is the fact I know I’m making my body healthier. Getting into this habit now, and hopefully keeping it when I have kids (which is a long way off), makes me feel good about being a good influence on them. Another joy I get is when people tell me I’ve inspired them to be healthier. Not a lot of people do, because most people I know are healthy. However, once in awhile someone comes along and says that. One last joy I get (there are many more) is that I can do it with my hubby. There are not a lot of physical activities that we both do together. He enjoys playing  softball and basketball with the guys. I, however, do not have great hand eye coordination and it can be a challenge. But those are just a few reasons why I get joy out of working out. 

My hubby added lights for me. He’s the best

Today I did run before my workout. It is leg day so I really didn’t want to run after. I just did my short 15 minutes with the walk two and run three pattern. Except the last five minutes of it I just straight up ran it. My legs felt pretty tired while I was running but I pushed threw it. I knew it was because of my walk from yesterday and doing incline. Plus I ran everything at a one percent incline. They say that’s similar to running outside, and I just figured it gave me some resistance as well. While my legs didn’t appreciate how tired they were, I’m glad I finished my run out strong. 

After running, I did go lift. It was leg day, which is always great fun. My legs didn’t feel quite as jelloey (because that’s a word) during my workout. I’m not sure if it’s because this is the third time I’ve done it or because I ran first. I generally try to run before lifting, especially if it’s leg day, I’m order to warm up a little bit. It is freezing outside, so on my walk to the gym I tend to get cold. Anyways I guess I’ll figure out what the cause is the next time I have leg day. I also worked out my abs. They didn’t seem to feel it as much either, which makes me think my body is starting to get used to it. However, for most of my ab workouts I can add weight, which will help it be more challenging. Don’t get me wrong I still felt the pain but it took longer to get there. 

After doing all of that I walked with my hubby. He had asked me yesterday if I would, and if course I said yes. I’m always willing to walk with anyone, if it is possible for me to have time. I love to walk. It’s relaxing (unless you’re like me and add incline) and not as intense as running. Plus if you are walking outside you get to enjoy nature, and that is always relaxing. I walked with him for about 15 minutes. We enjoyed each other’s company. He said he was sore from when he walked yesterday. I was proud of him for going again and pushing through his own pain. 

Active Rest

Hey yall, 

Today I was rest day from lifting. I did truly do that and not lift anything. I greatly wanted to. It was so hard to not go pick up a dumbbell or something. Anyways so I decided I could at least do cardio. My plan said I was so supposed to do my 15 minute run, but I figured if I’m resting from lifts then I can from running. Especially since the past few days I still did some light jogging. In turn I decided to walk for about 40 minutes. It was really all I had time for because I got distracted with my puppies. 

I mean how can you say no to those eyes. He was in trouble here and knew it. I can’t stay mad at him.

She’s so precious

For my walking, I didn’t just go in there and set the speed. Oh no, I still had to feel like I was doing something. I did set my speed at 15 minute mile, which is a decently quick walk for my little legs.  In turn, I decided to add incline. For the first ten minutes I had it on the two percent incline. After that I increased it to the four percent for the next ten minutes. I then decided to go for it and do the six percent incline for ten minutes. All of this was still walking at the 4mph speed. I then dropped it back down to the four percent incline for about five minutes. My last five minutes were at the two percent incline. It was a good walking workout, and I burned about 400 calories. I felt pretty accomplished for my rest day. 

Thanksgiving Day Lifts

Hey yall, 

Hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving day. It’s all about being thankful today, even though we really should be thankful everyday. I’m so blessed to be married this year, have a fantastic family, and be blessed with everything God has given me. I have the joy of being able to go home for Christmas, which makes me oh so happy. Plus I’m thankful I got to workout today. 

Just your classic Thanksgiving selfie

I got up early to workout this morning. I almost didn’t because we were traveling today for Thanksgiving. We purposely planned on extra traveling time in case traffic was crazy. It honestly wasn’t too bad all things considered. In the beginning of the workout I ended up doing cardio first. I had been debating on if I really wanted because it was supposed to be rest day from running. So I decided to do the interval program on the treadmill. It was a little brutal because I went at an easy 10 minute pace for the fastest I would go,but didn’t realize that it also included incline. Seems to be the theme for these programs. I kept it up though and did the 20 minutes of intervals. Plus  It actually felt pretty good once I finished. 

Today’s lifts were all about the arms. It worked my biceps and triceps. I feel like my arms are still jello. I kept trying to drink coffee on the car ride and my arms just kept giving out on me. Clearly I had a good workout and for that I’m thankful. My biceps are shot, so it’s a good thing I don’t do the whole crazy black Friday shopping thing. I would need some strength in my arms and I have nothing. 

I had the joy of having Thanksgiving with my hubby’s family. It was a lot of fun and a ton of good food. My parents did the Turkey Trot and worked out after they finished. Hopefully next year I can join them in that race. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is continously thankfully throughout their lives. 

Guys, Tomorrow is Thanksgiving

Hey yall,

Today while I was working out I realized tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I know that sounds funny and kinda ridiculous but it’s true. I’ve been so caught up in work and starting a new fitness plan that I’ve just been busy. So I haven’t really thought too much about the holidays. I mean I knew it was coming up but it came up quicker than I planned. I’m excited for Thanksgiving,  because I have the joy of spending it with my hubby’s family. 

Today for my workout it was back and abs. It was a challenge but I finished. My workout included a sumo dead lift, my cheat version of chin ups, lat pull downs, rows, reverse bent over grip rows, back extensions, and one armed dumbbell row. I did manage to figure out a way to do back extensions. The first time I thought the machine was going to fall apart. However, I got it so it doesn’t sound crazy. I felt pretty accomplished. 

For abs today I did lying leg lifts, bicycle, some twisty thing, and side planks.  My abs were already sore from the previous workout and today didn’t help. But hey at least I’m working them until it pains me. I also managed to do the fat burning option in the treadmill. I went for the full 30 minutes this time because I planned better. It was pretty fun to do. I slowed down my speed for this, since I kinda knew what to expect. I only set it up to go at a 4.5 mph pace. This worked much better with the 5 degree inclined, plus I could do the whole thing without stopping. 

While today’s workout was fantastic, it was also annoying. Some children with nothing better to do kept coming in and bothering me. I pretty much ignored them but I did tell the apartment manager. I guess they’ve been having problems with them anyways, and this was just one more thing. I get children are on Thanksgiving break and have nothing else to do, but bothering paying apartment renters is not a good thing. But at least everyone has been notified about the problem. 

Hope yall have a wonderful turkey day tomorrow. 

Body Image

Hey yall, 

Today while I was working out I was talking to my hubby about my goals. One being able to fit into one pair of my jeans comfortably and feel good about it. We got to talking about how I have the body a lot of women want. I’m not saying that to brag, but I was blessed with a classic little Italian woman body. In other words, I have the hour glass figure without trying hard. It can be a curse at the same time because they don’t make pants for my body type, at least none I’m comfortable in. I’m all about being comfy and modest. Plus it can be easy to  gain weight in the areas I don’t really want to. Anyways all that to say that everyone should be happy with their body, and it takes time to accept our bodies as they are. I hope everyone out there is happy and confident with themselves. Any who rant over and on to the rest of my day. 

It was my day off, so glasses and frizzy hair are my thing

Today was shoulders and chest. My abs are sore from yesterday so doing push ups was a challenge. Plus I did Arnold press, incline dumbbell press, dips, dumbbell flyes, seated side lateral raise, and front two dumbbell raise. For the side lateral raise and front dumbbell raise I had to drop weight for the last two sets because my shoulders had it. I believe in doing the exercise correctly, so I got lighter dumbbells and did it correctly. My shoulders still felt it. For a few of the exercises,  I’m going to have to increase the reps because my gym is missing dumbbells (free apartment gym) and I need slightly heavier ones. 

I also ran today. It felt amazing and was a lot of fun. I only did a short 15 minutes. Because I had to restart my plan on my phone, I’m still in the run 3 minutes and walk 2 minutes. However, I ran the last 5 minutes just to see if I could. Generally when increasing distance  I’ll decrease the speed, but I didn’t. I felt accomplished. Plus I’m still struggling with a slight cold (I think, I have some congestion) and I still managed to do it. It is always good to feel like your run was fun and not just something you have to do. 

Hope yall had a great Tuesday. 

Sleepy Monday

Hey yall, 

Does it ever seem like Mondays are the one day that can drag on forever? I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve worked 6 days in a row or that I’ve got my one cold for the year. It could be a combo of both. The one bad part of my job is you can’t really be sick. Like those DayQuil or NightQuil commercials about parents not taking sick days. Anyways I’m ready for my day off tomorrow. I sleep hard through most nights, so I’m not sure why I feel so sleepy. But it probably has something to do with the cold and the weather. 

Today I did work out. My hubby told me only if I felt up for it. It’s not so much that I feel completely like crap, but my head and nose despise me. My husband told me I sounded like a man this morning. It cleared up slowly, plus I drink coffee and I’m positive that helped. Anyways it was leg day today. My legs felt super weak by the end. I was walking like a baby deer. I did the same exercises as last time. They were: squats, dead lift, one legged squats, leg press, calf press, leg curl, and lunges. Everything was 4 sets with 10-12 reps. I always enjoy leg day because it works my strongest muscles in my body. I feel pretty accomplished by the end.

I also had to do abs today. They consisted of 5 sets with 20 reps, except my planks. My planks were just one rep each set but I always held it as long as I could. The other exercises were incline crunches, Russian twist, and hanging leg lifts. About my 4th set I was ready to be done but I dug in and pushed out of me another set. My abs didn’t appreciate it. 

Pretty much how it goes. My dogs are strange

I also jogged for about 15 minutes. I wanted to try the fat burner setting on the treadmill. Mainly out of curiosity and because I can. It has you set your max speed that you want to go and then you go. I set it for the 5mph because I had no idea what to expect and I figured that’s a good slow jog. What really happened was the incline went up to 5 degrees and it had you jogging at the 5 mph speed. Now if I had known it was going to be all crazy on the incline, I probably wouldn’t have had me jogging. I’m comfortable at that speed but at a steep incline for over 20 minutes. No thank you. Someday I might do that but as for today, nope. I did set it for half an hour but only ended up going 15 minutes because my hubby had early lunch. I wanted to see him and today was supposed to be my rest day from running anyways. It was fun, so I guess that’s what counts. 

Hope yall have a great week. 🙂 

Rest Days

Hey yall, 

Today was my rest day from everything. It is always good to rest from working your muscles, but I have a hard time doing that. Even on rest days I want to go out and walk for an hour or more. It’s not just for my benefit either. I would take my puppies as well,  because when I work I only walk them for about half an hour each time I take them out. Probably why they enjoy it when I take them out so much, but it’s starting to become a shorter walk due to the cold. 

However, my hubby kept me occupied by taking me out to lunch today. It was delicious and healthy… At least for the most part. My hubby really wanted calamari and it’s fried. I did eat some,  but I figured if I don’t eat some things that are bad for me I’ll end up binging one day. Everything has to be done in moderation. I did eat some red snapper with shrimp, broccoli, and carrots. It would’ve been pretty healthy except the snapper had a little clam sauce on it. It wasn’t enough to cover the whole fish, but I’m sure there was butter and stuff in there. It was good and I’ll probably get it again. 

My oldest puppy finds it necessary to be up in our space

Felt stylish. Lol no idea if I am but I was comfy

The other reason don’t have time to ruin my rest day with a long walk is I have to work. Originally I had it off but people get sick,  and I don’t mind overtime. My client is adorable and made the shift pretty easy. Yesterday we had lots of fun coloring. She’s autistic but don’t let that ever fool you. She knows what is what but it just might be a challenge for her to explain it. My client smiled close to the whole shift yesterday. It just made my heart melt. I’ve always had a heart for the disabled but working with them makes it that much more real. 

Workout Partner

Hey yall! 

My husband didn’t have to work in the morning, which meant we got to spend the morning together. He was super nice to me and we went to Chick Fil-A for breakfast. I don’t know if yall have ever had their egg white chicken sandwich, but it is amazing. After breakfast, we enjoyed going to the wonderful Walmart. We originally went to get me some more hair product,  because he didn’t believe he would get the right stuff I guess. To be fair they are always changing how it looks. My hubby remembered that I hadn’t been able to find my workout gloves and needed new ones (they were on rollback :o). I honestly have no idea what happened to them but I’m sure now that I got another pair I’ll find them. We also got a Christmas tree topper. It’s an adorable angel, which makes me think of my family because that’s the kind of topper we used. 

He wanted to see how tall he was. Lol

Once we got back from our store adventures, I convinced my hubby to go to the gym with me. It didn’t take much since I work tonight and he wants to see me. He had hurt his hip the previous day from walking somehow, but he decided to workout his shoulders instead. Thankfully he didn’t push that too hard and hurt himself again. There was a few things I wished he wasn’t in the gym with me, because he gets weird and tries to get me motivated to keep going. I don’t mind the support, but what I do mind is interrupting my concentration while I lift. Anyways while he did that I ran. I was going to try for outside, but with the wind it was way to cold. Today I just went for a short 20 minutes but I enjoyed every minute of it. I wasn’t originally planning on running according to my plan, but I like it and enjoy it. 

Post workout selfie

I also lifted just like my hubby. However, it was biceps and triceps today. The first exercise I was shocked on. It was curls with 4 sets but each set had 21 reps. Needless to say I was feeling the workout. I also had to do hammer curls, lying tricep extension, incline curls, close grip bench press, lying triceps press, reverse curl, and triceps extension. All of these exercises had 4 sets with 10-12 reps. I always tried going for the 12 reps if possible. By the end I  could tell my arms didn’t have any muscle left in them. It was good to workout with my hubby, even if he gets weird. I’m pretty certain it’s because he’s got endorphins being released. He went and worked out, which makes him happy whether he relizes it or not. 

She’s just a blanket hog

It was a good Saturday either way. My client told me she had a blast today and was thankful for the activity. Plus I got my new Lularoe leggings in! I love this brand and will be always buying this clothing. So other then freezing with this weather, it has been a good day. Hope yall have a good rest of the weekend. 

You can kinda see my leg muscle, even in my leggings 😀

Fabulous Friday

Hey yall, 

Today was quite an exciting day. For one thing, I moved crazy slow this morning. It might have to do with finding a workout program that actually challenges me, plus working until 11pm. On top of that my pup managed to knock over my Christmas tree. He was backing up, while trying to play with my other dog and hit it just right. Needless to say the tree got moved. Thankfully no ornaments were on it yet, but still it did do the slow motion fall and about hit the TV. My wonderful father called me twice, which was delightful. We just get to talking….a lot and I’m grateful for that. My morning just went by so quickly. 

This is one of the faces I got after scolding him for knocking the tree down. The picture isn’t from today.

I did workout before work, but that ended up being after lunch. I talked to my dad the first time into about lunch time, so you know I decided to eat. Anyways today was back and abs. For my back I had to skip the hyper extensions because I don’t have access to the equipment. Instead I did straight legged dead lift with dumbbells. The other exercises were sumo dead lift, one arm dumbbell row, lat pull-down, cable row, reverse bent over row, and chin ups. The chin ups I kinda cheated on because I do not have that strength at all. The reverse bent over row would have been much easier to do with a barbell, but I made do with dumbbells. It was great workout, so that’s what matters. 

I didn’t have time for any cardio 😦

I also did abs. My abs officially hate me. They still hurt from two days ago and didn’t appreciate being worked again. Today’s exercises included: incline sit ups, Russian twists, inline crunches, and planks. I had to do 5 sets of 20 reps of all of them, except the plank. My goal was just to hold the plank for a minimum of 30 seconds each time. I was getting short on time so I couldn’t push the plank too much. However after about my second set my abs decided they had had enough. My muscles started giving out on me and I didn’t appreciate it. I realize that’s a good because it means they are getting worked but still. Hey I finished it all, even with the complaining muscles, so go me. 

Hope everyone has a fabulous Friday. 🙂