Mel Def's Journal

I am going to the gym somehow today. My husband came home from the base and getting checked out and that throws me off my game sometimes. :) I just want to be with him and hang out- but I have to maintain those parts of me that make me individual and independent. Who wants a boring and flabby me?! I don't most importantly.

So, I shall pack up my gym bag and leave work a bit early and do a session of cardio/stepmill and lift a bit and then pick up the kids and come home. Sounds good.
 
Three days in a row of working out. I feel good. I have lost weight but also muscle mass- which I should have expected going from such hard core training to my own thing. I will need to get lighter to be tight like I want to be.

Much more focus on cardio. I want to train glutes and hams a good bit but I don't want mass in my legs- even at the expense of them not being cut. I is too fine a line between bulging and cut with extra fat covering the muscles. I wish there was some formula for building body- I want lean and long and slim looking- plug that in and get a ready made exercise and diet plan. It is all so individual.

I am going to the Saints/ Falcons game today but willl try to get to the gym after.
 
No work out today. Oh well. Back at it tomorrow. Running- probably SFP 2.0. That seems right.

Diet was not great today- not much food but not great choices. Holidays, so to be expected. Hoho. :)
 
This AM, back in action. The fact is, you cannot let something important to you rest in the hands of anyone but yourself. You have to be willing to take another path and sacrifice to get what you want. I didn't do any exercise for 2 days and let it be the fault of things outside of me. I am learning to speak up for myself and make time for the things that are important to me.

I moved offices yesterday and there is a gym directly across the street. I want to join- I already belong to a gym and I should NOT spend money on another one but I that one is so close and convienent. Going to look into it. Can't hurt to look. :)

I love working out. Keeps me sane and grounded and happy. I feel wonderful after my run this AM. Just marvelous! I think I will bring a big salad in addition to the shrimp and grits I made for the party at work today. Seems wise.
 
Shrimp and Grits you eat together but make seperately... how's this for healthy? I made the grits with cream, butter and 3 different cheeses. It was amazing! The shrimp are cooked with bacon and andouille sausage and cream. IT was a big hit.

So today... I didn't get on the treadmill but will prep to go to the gym since we are baking cookies tonight and I am sure that a couple might end up in my mouth. :) I want to decorate a few to bring to the parties I have coming up and to give to people. It will be fun! I am going to ask my mom over to help.

Those ab ads in the banner make me feel guilty. I feel a million miles away from abs right now. Oh well. I just need the happy medium of enjoying the food but not wreaking havoc on my body.
 
OK, so I have been hit with the holiday madness the same as many. Sigh. I haven't even gotten on the scale because I know I will become severely anxious and what will that do for my getting back on track??

Incentive: in just 10 days I will be in shorts walking around Disney with my husband. I want to look somewhat good! Heck, I want to look great. Plus I don't feel very good eating all this rich and fattening food. All systems down and I feel depressed and blobby.

Today is the day to start back- treadmill this AM. 45 minutes. Some pullups. Later the gym- going to see if I can get the family membership at the Y back for free using the military thing. Onward and upward!
 
What is it about this time of year? I think it's why so many people escape to the Caribbean if possible. I am going to do my treadmill action shortly and some push ups and crunches on the stability ball. I have not done squats in so long and my butt looks like it. Ugh. Time to get back to basics but just not motivated to do it. I think I might freeze my membership at Core Body and join the LA Fitness across from my office. It would be so nice to have it convenient and to head there at lunch instead of trying to get over to my gym near home. I wish I could have 2 memberships.

Since I have moved to the new office and also since having my husband home, I have learned that I am going to have to be vigilant and even more disciplined than ever about eating and exercise. At home, my husband keeps all sorts of junk food about, can eat like a truck driver and not show the wear and tear that doing it has like it does on me. I have to stick to my stuff or I will blow up like a balloon. At work, there is always some sort of bread, pastry, cookie or what not in the breakroom. Diabolical. I have brought my oats and cabbage to put in the fridge and on the way in I will get more water plus bring in my packs of salmon to keep on hand. I think I am giving up the SF Jello- it seems to make my stomach upset and who needs all the chemicals anyway?

When I launch my new plan after the holidays I am going to carb cycle and try that out for awhile. UP the exercise, eat clean but more variety and aim for some body composition goals outside of weight. Weight doesn t seem to match with how I look. Suprise! I have been told this for years but I finally see it.
 
Been forever since I posted! Back in the swing of things with new challenges and goals. I signed up for the 2010 in 2010 Nike Plus challenge. I don't think I will make it to that mileage but it is good to overreach. I have 10 lbs to lose to be back to my desired weight. It feels like a big goal but I have don't it before.

This year I would like to find the place where I maintain and don't battle the weight. I don't want to feel deprived and restricted and I don't want to look indulgent. Sigh. I have been exercising and the intensity is there for the cardio. Now I need to add back in the weights which I began yesterday. Joined a new gym and I think it will help. I need balance in all areas of my life and to do the things that scare me that build me up.

Time to hang the little jeans out as incentive again. :) I think 2 months should show changes.
 
Packed up to go to the gym today. Nothing yesterday. I was still sore from the day before and mentally off with the redeployment and work related stress. Neverending is it? I am going to be fine but stress gets the better of me at times.

Today I will do the stepmill and squats and lunges. Also show Carole the treadmill stuff. I will get a good workout in.

I will be outstanding come Summer!
 
Legs and stepmill at the gym. Good workout if not a bit short since I had a coworker along and we drove together. I am best at the gym all by myself intense and working fast.

I said I would run when I got home but didn't do it. OH well. Ate a bit off plan so need to go back to stringent Fitday tracking. I seem to forget things I eat unless I do that. Blah. January is a dull month. I enjoyed waking early this AM and getting to the gym in the afternoon. I do best when I am structred and keeping busy. Found out I can get school for FREE via the Military spouse's program! Hooray! I am looking at a ISSA cert to start and then maybe another later. Get my feet wet. I need plans and goals.

I am going to begin training for the Army PT test so when my sweetie comes back from deployment I can show him my excellent fitness achievement.

Run 2 miles in 17 minutes or less
76 sit ups in 2 minutes
48 push ups in 2 minutes

Proper form on the push ups too or they don't count! I am tackling the run first and am not too worried about the sit ups but the push ups will take some doing.

Good to aim high.
 
My first day of training for the 2 miler for the PT test went well!! I managed to shave off almost a minute from my average time. I have to set my Nike Plus challenge to the new level so I can motivate that way too. Considering I felt like a bag of dog poop this AM I thought this a wild success. I have a long way to go on the time though. Hohum. Can't be negative.

I am going to do another run in a bit- something just to get some miles in with an easy pace. A 45 minute round I think would be decent.

I am also going to research some new eating plans but thinking that for now it is best to go the LM route of the RFL diet. Brutal but effective. I am thinking along the lines of doing it 3 days on with a slight modification to breakfast ( I really don't want to give up my oatmeal) and then maybe add in a day of additional calories in form of a couple pieces of fruit. I want to do this for 30 days and see what comes of it plus keep doing the workouts. I have to modify this diet a bit if I plan to train for the run time and lift too.

I am going to add in my supps that I have been off forever too. BCAA's for sure and look and see what I have in the fat burner department. I have a big bag of stuff in the kitchen I haven't inventoried forever.

The run invigorated me and made me feel less fat and blobby. I am ready to take on the challenge!
 
In response to your quote of trying to get some miles in... a waste of energy if your goal is to reduce your overall time in the race, or to run faster. Don't do it as it is a waste of time. Next time do your run training at a much higher level so you won't feel the need to run again in the same day. Interval training, as you know, is the way to increase your run performance... not simply adding miles at a slow pace. If you train your body to run slow (i.e. logging miles at a slow pace) then you'll race slow because your body doesn't know how to go fast when it's tired.

If you are simply trying to burn calories, then go for it.

See alwyncosgrove.com... in his 'articles' link and then look for an article on distance training a new perspective... or something to that effect.

My food for thought.
 
tcajim said:
In response to your quote of trying to get some miles in... a waste of energy if your goal is to reduce your overall time in the race, or to run faster. Don't do it as it is a waste of time. Next time do your run training at a much higher level so you won't feel the need to run again in the same day. Interval training, as you know, is the way to increase your run performance... not simply adding miles at a slow pace. If you train your body to run slow (i.e. logging miles at a slow pace) then you'll race slow because your body doesn't know how to go fast when it's tired.

If you are simply trying to burn calories, then go for it.

See alwyncosgrove.com... in his 'articles' link and then look for an article on distance training a new perspective... or something to that effect.

My food for thought.
Click to expand...

Agreed and wise advice. As it was, that hard run left me unable to put more miles in- I had just finished the run so it hadn't sunk in yet. Yeowch. Running at high intensity brings about the soreness and today I am still sore. Do you think a easy pace today would be in order? Yes, I am always trying to burn calories but not at the detriment of becoming faster. I am going to PROVE that 40 does not mean I can't run a sub 8 minute mile. Thoughts?

I will definitely read the Cosgrove article, and have been looking at articles online regarding methodology of increasing speed for the Army PT test. Good stuff by a SEAL written about it and concurring with you about slow long runs being counter to the goal. I suppose doing other activities to burn calories would be better- swimming or biking is the recommendation.

I would like to add in the swimming to help my recovery better. I have been having some serios soreness lately- I must be deconditioned a good bit and not stretching as much as I should.

Thanks Jim, I always appreciate your advice! I wish you were here in Georgia so I could work with you in training. :)
 
Thanks for the comments - I'm glad that I can help. For recovery, and what I do now to remove lactic acid buildup, is do leg extensions and leg curls at the end of my workouts when I do the intervals. Just like cyclists riding a bike after their race, I simply do light weight leg extensions, and I try to do sets for more than 30 seconds.. sometimes a minute or more. I usually do 4 sets of them, and one two minute set of leg curls. I don't get sore after that.

For burning calories.. I would swim. I swim when I'm in my training mode because I have to swim in my competition, but I think swimming is the best cardio exercise there is, and therefore burning calories with very low impact on the body. It's just hard to swim for a long period of time because it's such a tough thing to do. An aerodyne bike would be my second choice for calorie burning, followed by eliptical. That's assuming a low intensity, long duration time frame.

Those are my thoughts on it. Make sure you run at a 1.5% incline or more when you train on a treadmill... that's the approximate simulation of running outside. I train on a 3% incline so when I do 'race' on pavement it is even easier. I never decrease the incline, always at 3%.

Jim
 
tcajim said:
Thanks for the comments - I'm glad that I can help. For recovery, and what I do now to remove lactic acid buildup, is do leg extensions and leg curls at the end of my workouts when I do the intervals. Just like cyclists riding a bike after their race, I simply do light weight leg extensions, and I try to do sets for more than 30 seconds.. sometimes a minute or more. I usually do 4 sets of them, and one two minute set of leg curls. I don't get sore after that.

For burning calories.. I would swim. I swim when I'm in my training mode because I have to swim in my competition, but I think swimming is the best cardio exercise there is, and therefore burning calories with very low impact on the body. It's just hard to swim for a long period of time because it's such a tough thing to do. An aerodyne bike would be my second choice for calorie burning, followed by eliptical. That's assuming a low intensity, long duration time frame.

Those are my thoughts on it. Make sure you run at a 1.5% incline or more when you train on a treadmill... that's the approximate simulation of running outside. I train on a 3% incline so when I do 'race' on pavement it is even easier. I never decrease the incline, always at 3%.

Jim
Click to expand...

Egad. 1.5%. I suppose that will prepare me. When I was doing the sprint intervals this summer to prep for contest I did a 1% incline that was for the timed ones where I stood on the treads to the side after 2 minutes running. Recovering from the tempo pace now is going down to 4.0 mph for as long as it takes to get my heart rate down to just under 140 and then I go back to the max I can run.

I ended up doing nothing but stretching yesterday. I am now stressed I did nothing which is pointless but so ME. I need to tell myself that every step counts and that I will get there. Honestly I SO miss having a trainer. It is my lament every year at this time. I need to be able to mentally train myself! Reading books to help me with that and noting some things about myself that hinder and help.

I commit today to doing my practices for the pushups, the situps AND the run. I am strong and I can do it.
 
Tangentially related perhaps but my nutritionist/trainer uses traditional cardio as a last resort for body recomposition. He prefers to use strength training (via strength endurance) to up the heart rate.
 
For my recoveries I slow the speed down to 2.5 or 3 if I'm going to walk. Sometimes I'll back it down to 5mph for a slow jog. I usually rest for no more than half of my interval... so if I run for 7 minutes hard, then I rest NO MORE than 3.5 minutes if I'm doing the jog recovery... I am pretty good now with my recoveries, and only need less than 2 min. rest.. and if I'm pushing it I'll rest less than 1 min. no matter how tired I am for my recovery when I walk.

You'll get there, you just gotta do it... and that's why two run training's a week are all you'll be able to do... therefore, you'll really be up for the run training because you'll be very rested.

For your two mile run... do 1/2 mile intervals on the treadmill... four of them - HARD.... at the incline of 1.5 this week, and up the incline to 2 the following week and stay there. Decrease the rest between intervals each week... that's how your endurance will increase. It works.... just trust the training.

My food for thought.
 
OK. Good advice! I don't feel I can handle 1/2 mile quite yet but I will try. When I start reaching 95% of my max heart rate, I have to back it down. I don't think I am recovering long enough or at a low enough pace according to your comments above. I am getting racheted up to the 165+ mark within the first couple of minutes and then hitting 170 not long after- I get sort of scared and worry I will have a heart attack or something. I have a strong heart so probably not :)

Stingo,
I have to train for the test specifically and it isn't for just increasing my stamina cardiovascularly or your advice would be true. To pass the test, I have to get my pace and all the other mechanics working.

Today I haven't done any cardio but I did an assortment of pushups, sit ups and chins. Those alone seem to have quite an impact. Life is getting in the way and junk like the Social Security office and health insurance junk kept me busy and by the time the day was through I didn't get to the gym officially. I could go tonight but I won't. I am tired and ready to go to bed EARLY tonight. I have my bag packed for tomorrow's foray and am looking forward to getting in the run and some leg work. On an up note, I ate responsibly today! Hooray! I resisted several moments of contemplating some delicious things.Thank goodness I had on my tight skirt that made me mind my manners.

Back to the 2's!!!!
 
Nothing. A day of doing nothing. Sigh. I did take care of a myriad of personal, financial and work things but no exercise and I am so worried it is becoming a habit. I did make an appointment to meet a trainer for an interview tomorrow. I have heard he is excellent ( from the staff at the gym though, what else would they say?) but I feel he is probably worth checking out and if I know one singe thing it is that I NEED a trainer. It makes the rest of my life work and more productive and gives me drive to do many other things. It would be good to have one I could see and be onsite at the gym too so I would be accountable.

I feel so unsettled and anxious and pained right now. My mind has me pulled in so many directions and questioning so many things. I know life always works out and lesson learned help me to the next place but I am uncomfortable and operating from the place of fear. Never a good place to work from.

Tonight when I get home from church I will journal and try to figure out what is going on in my head and get all the fears out in the open. Worst Case Scenario play where I cna really figure out if it is all that scary. I can figure this out. I always do.

I am looking forward to meeting the new trainer and I hope I can figure out how to pay for him and get to work!
 
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