102 Days until the Spartan Sprint

I skipped my workout and food was only so-so. I'm in a bit of a mini funk but I think I will be able to pull out of it quickly.

103 Days until the Spartan Sprint

Today's workout was 3x5

bench press - 70 lbs
deadlift - 100 lbs
bent over dumbbell row - 25 lbs
jackknife

Food:
coffee w/ creamer & mill
cheese pizza w/ cream of potato soup
cereal bar
cheese & nuts

Not a stellar food day but I did turn down a second cereal bar.

104 Days until the Spartan Sprint

I admit that I spent the entire day sitting on my ass. I drank coffee, I worked on my National Novel Writing Month book (50,000 words by 11:59 PM on Wednesday - I did 7700 words today and hit 50,008 at 7:20 PM today), I read on my Kindle, I did nothing physical except laundry and dishes. And those were just unloading the dishwasher. I feel no guilt whatsoever.

105 Days until the Spartan Sprint

I'd planned on doing the Saturday Fitness Beatdown but stuff came up. It's been a really lousy day and I need to go to bed and wait for this current stress to pass. It's not even something I brought on myself. It's something I have to help clean up though.

Food was so-so. I took Sebastian to the park. I need to go to bed.

106 Days until the Spartan Sprint

Today's workout was 3x5:

shoulder press - 25 lbs
squat - 115 lbs
suspended row
atomic push up

I did all my lifts in between cleaning sections of the weight room. I cleaned on my rest periods. I spent the entire day cleaning my house and was worried I'd be too tired for my workout, or run out of time. So I squeezed it in.

Food was pretty decent. I didn't eat anything horrible. I did go to McDonld's and get a small fry & bacon cheeseburger. That's not terrible. I skipped the ice cream. I had a homemade dinner of grilled steak & roasted potatoes with garlic and rosemary.

107 Days until the Spartan Sprint

Today was the first annual OBX GO FAR Turkey Trot 5K & Fun Run. I didn't run it. I was there as a volunteer. I did have to haul my ass all the way to the turn around point, which is not the halfway point. In fact, this turn around was not even a mile from the start line. Poor runners got there and were all like "YEAH, HALFWAY BABY!!!" I didn't have the heart to tell them that they were not even a third of the way there. I had a wonderful time though. I love GO FAR. I'm so glad I got involved. Though this was a fundraiser race and not one for the GO FAR kids, there were a few who did participate. I was so happy to see them, and their parents, out running today.

I was pretty good about food today. I did not cook a big Thanksgiving dinner. We were going to grill some steaks but we changed our minds and ended up going out to eat. I didn't stuff myself and I did not hit the dessert bar. I had a few bites of pumpkin pie, but that was it.

I even managed a short bike ride today. I feel good.

108 Days until the Spartan Sprint

Food wasn't stellar today. I'm not going to say much about it. I didn't gorge, but I could have made better choices.

All day long, I actually looked forward to my workout. I couldn't believe it. Today's lifts were all 3x10.

bench press - 65 lbs
deadlift - 80 lbs
bent over dumbbell row - 25 lbs
jackknife

Again, I love this workout! Even at 3x10. I am sure I will love it more on Monday when it's 3x5!

109 Days until the Spartan Sprint

I had some pepper slices and a banana after I blogged last night.

Today was cardio. I did HIIT 15 from Turbo Fire. I really like the short workouts. I didn't do it as high impact as I normally do because I didn't get a chance to wake up and gather my energy. I only burned 76 calories. Boo. I know I can go harder.

Food:
coffee w/ creamer & milk
apple & cottage cheese
cheese burger on whole wheat bun w/ sweet potato & mixed vegetables
banana & red pepper slices
veggie salad w/ avocado ranch dressing & cheese
nuts

110 Days until the Spartan Sprint

Okay, I greatly dislike lifting weights to videos so I've changed things around a bit. I'm lifting three days a week, with a new routine I found by my favorite person, "Built". It's very simple, and I'm going to keep the cardio (Turbo Fire & Turbo Jam) that I had planned.


shoulder press - 3x5x25 lbs
squat - 3x5x115 lbs
suspended row - 3x5
atomic push up - 3x5

I love, love, love this workout!!!

Food:
coffee w/ creamer & milk
apple & cottage cheese
homemade vegetable soup
vegetable soup w/ grilled cheese

It's the weekend!

My intention for Saturday was to get up early, do Turbo Jam Fat Blaster, then take my son to a museum in Virginia. I took my son to the museum...

Sunday I did my Saturday workout. I can really tell how out of shape I've gotten. I used to be able to do Fat Blaster with no problem. Today I had to do it low impact. It sucked. I burned 159 calories.

Food was not stellar. Damn, I need to buckle down. I don't know why I can't get back on track. I never should have let myself lose focus. It's been months. I need to something. GAH!

ChaLean Extreme Burn Circuit 3

Sumo Squat w/ Overhead Press - 15 lbs
Lunge w/ Calf Raise - 15 lbs
Squat w/ Lateral Raise - 10 lbs
Lunge w/ Frontal Press - 10 lbs
Squat w/ Calf Raise - 20 lbs
Sumo Squat w/ Deltoid Raise - 10 lbs
Squat w/ Double Overhead Press - 15 lbs
Extreme Overhead Press - 15 lbs
Lunge w/ Lateral Raise - 10 lbs
Extreme Lateral Raise - 10 lbs
Sumo Squat w/ Calf Raise - 20 lbs
Extreme Sumo Squat - 20 lbs

Bad food day. I hate working in a school cafeteria. I hate having no self control.

Turbo Fire Fire 30

I think this was my first time doing this one - I can't tell for sure. I was terribly slow and uncoordinated. I hate myself for taking so much time off working out. It made my diet spiral out of control. Anyway, I burned 179 calories.

I didn't do very well with food today. I'm glad I worked out in the morning because after the chaos that was the elementary school cafeteria's Thanksgiving dinner, I was too worn out to do anything when I got home.

ChaLean Extreme Burn Circuit 2

I had two mozzarella sticks after I blogged last night. I don't know why I did it. I was not hungry.

I am not a fan of the Burn Circuit. Including the upper body movement with the lower body movement hinders my lower body progress. I can squat and dead lift much more than I can curl and row.

Sumo Squat w/ Bicep Curl - 15 lbs
Lunge w/ One-Arm Triceps Extension - 10 lbs
Dead Lift w/ Row - 20 lbs
Sumo Squat w/ Overhead Triceps Extension - 20 lbs
Dead Lift w/ Reverse Grip Row - 20 lbs
Bowler’s Lunge w/ Single-Arm Row - 20 lbs
Bicep Curls w/ Abductor Balance - 10 lbs
Extreme Bicep Curls - 10 lbs
Forward-Lean Lunge w/ Dbl Row - 20 lbs
Extreme Double Row - 20 lbs
Triple Threat Push-Up
Extreme Pushups

I really, really dislike doing these kind of movements. My balance is horrible and I slide all over the floor and even out of my shoes. I have to find some weight lifting shoes.

Food:
coffee w/ creamer & milk
apple & yogurt
philly cheese steak on tortilla w/ onions & peppers
string cheese
turkey & cheese sandwich w/ mixed vegetables

Turbo Fire HIIT 15/Abs 10

I had an apple after I blogged last night.

Today I did a quick workout. I love HIIT 15 so much. It's short and ass-kicking. I only burned 111 calories but it totally drained me. Then I did Abs 10, which I hate. I hate any ab work that requires me to lie on my back on the floor. I doubt I will keep doing the ab workouts. I would much rather plank, jackknife, pike, and roll out.

Food:
coffee w/ creamer & milk
turkey breast & cheese on whole wheat bun w/ refried beans, salsa & cheese
sugar free Jell-o chocolate mousse
another round of turkey & refried beans

I got about 48 ounces of water.

ChaLean Extreme Burn Circuit 1

I'm shifting gears a bit. I"m still counting down to my Spartan Sprint, but I had to get with an actual program if I'm going to get back in shape. So I'm doing my own ChaLean Extreme/Turbo hybrid. I'm doing all the lifting from CLX, some of the Turbo Fire workouts and some Turbo Jam. I'm very happy with what I've put together.

Today was Burn Circuit 1. If you're not familiar with ChaLean Extreme, it's 9 exercises, each done 12 times in the Burn circuit. You're supposed to lift very slowly, as heavy as you can. There are also "extreme" exercises, which are 3 reps done super, super slowly. I always have a problem with the slow part.

Again, all of these are 1 set of 12 reps, except for the extreme exercises, which is 1 set of 3 reps.

Sumo Squat w/ Hip Lift - 25 lbs
Lunge w/ Posterior Fly - 15 lbs
Push-Up w/ Leg Lift
Dead Lift w/ Posterior Fly - 10 lbs
Lunge w/ Core Rotation - 25 lbs
Bench Press & Leg Lower - 25 lbs
Squat w/ Side Bend - 20 lbs
Extreme Squat - 20 lbs
Forward Lean Lunge w/ Dbl Arm Posterior Fly - 10 lbs
Extreme Fly - 10 lbs
Chest Fly w/ Hip Lift - 15 lbs
Extreme Pushups

It felt really, really good to do this workout. I can't wait for tomorrow's!

Food:
coffee w/ creamer & milk
vegetable soup
salad w/ red peppers slices & fat free dressing
omelet w/ salsa, cheese, onions, peppers & garlic

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 9 - Thursday - Weekend

Busy, busy weekend. Thursday was our final GO FAR session and my son had a sleepover. I spent most of Thursday night working on my NaNoWriMo stuff, and figuring out a workout schedule for the next 12 weeks. I am going to do a Turbo Fire ChaLean Extreme hybrid, but I didn't like any of the ones I found online so I made my own. I'm hoping to get back in the habit of working out first thing in the morning.

I haven't decided if I want to continue Weight Watchers and count points, or if I just want to count calories. Calories are a pain in the ass. Points are easy. I do know that I have to focus more on protein, no matter which way I go. I have looked over my blog a lot and it seems like I do best when my protein is higher. And by protein, I mean lean meats. I have a hard time getting enough protein on Meatless Mondays, while keeping the carbs in check. Even beans and whole grains make me hungry. I need my chicken and tuna.

Oh, and yeah, I completed my first 8K on Saturday. I knew going in that I would not be running the whole thing. My goal was to finish in under 75 minutes. I finished in 1:05:07 with a pace of 13:08 minute mile. Not nearly as good as my 9-10 minute miles for the 5Ks in April & May, but hell, I'm really out of shape now and 25 pounds heavier. I have a 5K in December. I won't be running that one because my son will be doing his first 5K, and I promised I'd stay with him. So I'll walk/job that one, and I'll try to find another 5K to squeeze in before the Spartan Sprint.

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 9 - Wednesday

I tried to be good with the food yesterday. I really think I'm going to have to go back to logging everything in SparkPeople. Ugh. I hate logging.

Food:

coffee w/ skim milk

apple & yogurt

turkey sunshine salad w/ fat free dressing

meatloaf & green beans

I'm tired and in a bad mood.

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 9 - Tuesday

Today was our mock race with the GO FAR kids. I think they are ready for Saturday. They are really excited.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
apple & yogurt
chicken nuggets, tater tots, coleslaw & baked beans - Ugh. I'm so mad at myself. Sometimes I hate my job.
salad w/ black beans & almonds - This was me redeeming myself. I also did NOT have the GO FAR snack, which was some peanut butter & jelly on a graham cracker sandwich.
tea

Crappy food day. I was planning on having a salad, then I ate that stupid nugget, then another, then another...

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 9 - Monday

I'm done pissing around. Shame is a powerful tool. I got on the scale yesterday. Midday. Fully clothed and hormonal. It wasn't pretty. I have gained 30 pounds since I finished Insanity at the beginning of June. Or hell, maybe it was the end of May. I don't really remember. I sent a text to my fitness friend so I would have someone to be accountable too. I was going to keep it between us. But I can't do that. It belongs in my blog, where I've bared my soul for four years.

My eating was out of control all summer. I didn't exercise. I continued to eat badly once school started and I only got a little bit of activity. I've noticed that Sebastian's behavior has gotten worse since school started and he's gained a little bit of weight, too. He had been slimming down in the spring. And then I fell apart, and I took him with me. I can't remember hating myself as much as I do now. I have to stop the junk, for myself and for him. It's just so, so, so fucking hard.

So here I am. I can't let this continue. My work pants are uncomfortable. I feel like crap. My 8K is Saturday. After that, I am back to training. I have one week to decide what I'm going to do. I need to pick a program. I'll have 17 weeks before the Spartan Sprint, so I can pick a 12-13 week program and still have room to do other stuff. I think I'm going to do the Turbo Fire/ChaLean Extreme hybrid.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
apple & yogurt
salad w/ black beans, corn & fat free dressing
omelet w/ onions, peppers & cheese
tea

I didn't get any water today. I need to work on that.

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 8 - Thursday - Weekend

I don't know how I lost track of my blogging but I did. I've been so busy with the PTO cookie dough fundraiser, NaNoWriMo, a last minute trip out of town. Food has been out of control. My Spartan Sprint is in 125ish days. I have not been on the scale. I'm too afraid to get on it. I don't know how to regain the control I had for 4 years. Sure, I had lapses now and then, but this has been going on for over four months. I think I need to go back to a high protein diet. That's what gave me the best results and kept my hunger and cravings under control.

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 8 - Wednesday

No workout today - for the next two weeks I am only doing my GO FAR stuff. I might try to squeeze in a Turbo Fire HIIT 15 here and there but it's not something I'm focusing on. I have another PTO fundraiser to deal with this weekend, my GO FAR race next weekend, and I'm doing that insane NaNoWriMo thing, trying to write a 50,000 page novel in 30 days. That's 1667 words per day. Ugh.

Okay, actually, I did get some exercise - shoveling rotten pumpkins. My pumpkin fair chairperson duties are officially over now.

Food:
coffee w/ cream
apple & cottage cheese
turkey sunshine salad w/ fat free dressing
beef, bean  & vegetable soup

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 8 - Tuesday

I forgot to mention yesterday that I was able to cross something fitness-related off my bucket list. After a few Saturday Fitness Beatdown attempts, I was determined to not come in last at some point. Well this weekends squat jumps did the trick. I came in 5th out of 8 LOL. My son came in 6th. It was his first try. I'm so proud of him.

I ran with my GO FAR kids today. I had the one-mile Fun Run group and they did really well. I'm looking forward to our race on November 12.

Food:
coffee w/ cream
mixed vegetables, oriental chicken salad
apple & cottage cheese
cheese burger w/ carrots
Cheerios & a small candy bar

I raided the Halloween bucket. I didn't eat too much though!