Becky's Body Challenge: From Puff To Buff Through Food & Fitness

43 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-27T20:16:00.000-05:00

I was cranky by the time dinner rolled around and decided to go to McDonald's. I couldn't decide what I wanted. I wanted everything, so I ended up getting nothing. And by the time I got home, I was just so pissed that I couldn't even enjoy McDonald's that I didn't want to bother with dinner. I ate enough lunch to use up all my Weight Watchers points for the day anyway.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
hard boiled egg & banana
macaroni & cheese w/ whole grain roll, green beans
ground turkey w/ light ranch dressing, cheese & lettuce - I knew if I didn't eat something for dinner, I'd regret it.

I didn't get my healthy oils in today.

44 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-26T20:36:00.000-05:00

I've decided to tart P90X+ on Sunday. I'll do it for 6 weeks, then after the Spartan, I will do something else. Maybe Insanity Asylum, if I can get back into shape.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
hard boiled egg & banana
random school lunch stuff - It was just little bits of everything on the menu. I didn't overdo it.
Mexican pulled pork w/ broccoli
homemade milk shake - It's amazing what a cup of milk, a tablespoon of pudding mix and some ice will do for a girl.
Triscuits w/ cheese

45 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-25T20:15:00.000-05:00

No workout today. I got absolutely no sleep last night, and it was a truly shitty day that I would just love to forget about.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
hard boiled egg & banana
sweet potato fries & cake - A coworker brought in a slice of her birthday cake for each of us. No guilt!
baked chicken w/ mashed potatoes
homemade mocha frappe

46 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-24T21:38:00.000-05:00

No workout today, but I did spend the day watching Real Steel repeatedly. I took my son to see it when it was in theaters and it was the best movie I'd seen in a long time. We both cried, and I promised we'd get it on blu-ray the day it came out. Fortunately, today was another teacher work day, so we were off and able to enjoy it. Over and over and over again. It's like The Karate Kid - you can't help but feel motivated to do great things.

So, I was motivated to put together a six-week workout plan for my Spartan prep. Training starts Saturday, which is six weeks from the race. I'm not feeling confident about participating but like all things that challenge my fitness, I will regret it if I don't do it.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
fortified French toast w/ turkey bacon
ham & cheese roll up
carrot sticks
lasagna w/ salad (no dressing)

47 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-23T21:06:00.000-05:00

I had some cantaloupe after I blogged last night. It was so good.

Today I took a walk with my son. It wasn't too hot out, not too cold. Just right for a walk.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
eggs & light English muffin w/ light cream cheese & sugar free jelly
oatmeal w/ peanut butter & banana
cantaloupe, pepper slices & carrot sticks
bulgur stuffed peppers
apple & cottage cheese

48 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-22T21:03:00.000-05:00

Today was the first chance I had to sit in my recliner all day, read and watch the last three Harry Potter movies. I felt guilty so after we watched one of them, I did Turbo Jam Fat Blaster. Then I was lazy the rest of the day.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
apple & hard boiled egg
nuts & carrot sticks
ham sandwich w/ cheese & mustard
cheese omelet w/ onions & peppers, light English muffin w/ sugar free jelly

49 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-21T20:54:00.000-05:00

We were out of town (state) for the day. Food was typical good-times fare. I came home late and did this week's Saturday Fitness Beatdown - one-legged lateral leap squats. Here's my submission.

50 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-20T21:32:00.000-05:00

Food was bad, and something I ate made me really, really sick. I didn't get any reps in today. Now I have to start my Hundred Day Challenge all over again.

51 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-19T21:08:00.000-05:00

100 reps again. I really need to put together a routine and stop using "100 reps" as an excuse to not exercise well.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
apple & cottage cheese
turkey sunshine salad
cheese omelet
ice cream - BOO!

52 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-18T20:05:00.000-05:00

Minimal activity today - I did 100 random reps of crap. Not a good day but I'm pretty sure it's not going to get worse.

Food:
smoothie & a cookie - Not the best breakfast, I know.
navy bean soup w/ brown rice
turkey sunshine salad w/ fat free dressing
apple & cottage cheese

53 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-17T21:03:00.000-05:00

100 reps today - 10 squats, 10 squat jacks, 10 burpees, 10 push ups, 10 jackknives X 2.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
hard boiled eggs
chicken nuggets, tater tots & coleslaw
three bean turkey chili

54 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-16T20:34:00.000-05:00

I was off today, and completely lazy. I did 100 mountain climbers on a stability ball. That's not me, for the record. Just a demo.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
apple & cottage cheese
carrot sticks & pepper slices w/ vidalia onion dresing
three bean soup
half a scone
carrots & string cheese

55 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-15T21:15:00.000-05:00

Today's 100 was step ups. My legs are so sore from yesterday. Well, not painful sore, but stiff sore, and I need to keep moving. I also spent a huge chunk of time on some heavy cleaning of the house. We're getting new furniture (recliners!!!) Wednesday and I have a four-day weekend next weekend. Guess where I'm going to be!! My house is now worthy of being lazy in!

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
skinny chocolate chip buttermilk scones
carrot sticks
omelet w/ guacamole, turkey bacon
oatmeal w/ peanut butter & banana

56 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-15T10:02:00.000-05:00

I woke up today not feeling at all like running in 33 degree weather. I popped some ibuprofen, texted my VWB for advice on whether I should go, and of course, she said I should, unless I really felt like I was dying. Since I didn't feel the need to write my own obituary, I sucked it up. I had no plans to actually run, being as out of shape as I am and with a sore IT band. So I wore jeans and a sweatshirt and a zip up sweater. I took my clip on mp3 player and my fancy magic ear buds that are guaranteed not to fall out and figured I'd get a nice, brisk walk in. I got there and immediately the adrenaline kicked in. I desperately wish I'd dressed to run. There was no way I was going to break my PR from last May but I wanted to run. So I half-assed ran intervals, in my jeans. The course went right by my house so I texted my husband to bring me the bottle of water I had forgotten to take. Speaking of forgetting, I realized on my last mile that I hadn't eaten anything before I left either. It was all good though. I finished in 40 minutes (I think, I wasn't really paying attention) then just walked home. I didn't realize how much I miss running. Well, I hate running, but 5Ks are a different beast. I love them. I am going to do another next month. My goal is to make one official race event per month for a whole year. I did an 8K in November, a 5K in December & January, and I have the Spartan (5K) in March. So next month I think I will do the Sweetheart 8K. There's also the Running of the Leprechauns 8K the week after the Spartan. I would like to do that, too. After all, I am an official member of the Outer Banks Running Club now, since today's Frostbite was a membership run. We'll see. I'm poor and running these gets expensive. I'll wear your logo if you sponsor me :p

Food:

coffee w/ skim millk

eggs & turkey patties, banana

turkey patty w/ cheese, baked potato

homemade mocha frappe
salad w/ turkey, cheese & fat free dressing
carrots

57 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-13T21:29:00.000-05:00

I went for a walk today. It wasn't long or intense. I have a 5K in the morning.

Food:
apple & cottage cheese
chili w/ salad, cheese & baked potato
turkey & cheese burger, homemade corn tortilla chips w/ guacamole

58 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-12T19:55:00.001-05:00

Today's workout was 100 reps in the dish room at work. I did squats, hops, jacks...I forget what else. It's been a long day.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
apple & cottage cheese
turkey sunshine salad
coconut chicken salad w/ honey mustard vinaigrette dressing - OMG, this was awesome. Everyone loved it. My picky 7 year old had seconds.

59 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-11T21:31:00.000-05:00

My IT band is still bothering me so I did some foam rolling and stretching again. I hate not being able to exercise hard, due to the injury and lack of energy. I think things will get better in both of those areas.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
apple & cottage cheese
turkey burger (no bun), salad w/ avocado & fat free dressing
cube steak w/ salad
string cheese & pepper slices

60 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-10T20:01:00.000-05:00

Two months from today is the Spartan! I am not freaking ready. It's my own fault. I haven't been vigilant, or motivated. I think I will try to kill myself for two months and then deal with the consequences when I get back from Georgia. Oh, who am I kidding. I will be lucky if I even finish the race.

My only workout today was some jump roping in the gym while I watched the 4th & 5th graders. Somehow (and it was either Rockin' Body or Turbo Jam), I hurt my IT band. And of course, I have a 5K this weekend.

Food:
apple & cottage cheese
salad w/ almonds, avocado, hard boiled egg & fat free dressing
apple
Mexican ground turkey & bulgur skillet - This was so freaking delicious, I wanted seconds and thirds. I only had firsts though.

61 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-09T18:09:00.000-05:00

Today's workout was a much needed stretching session. No video but I spent about 20 minutes stretching and foam rolling.

Food:
banana
salad w/ cheese, avocado, hard boiled egg & fat free dressing
cheese & almonds

It looks like I didn't eat much, but trust me, I ate a lot. I probably overate. I also took a sleeping pill so I'm going to bed early.

62 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-08T21:35:00.000-05:00

Today's workout was Turbo Jam 20 Minute Workout. I remember when I was able to do this one without breaking a sweat or taking a hard breath. I didn't bother with my heart rate monitor. I don't care to know how few calories I'm burning anymore. It felt good to get a good sweat on, but damn, I am out of shape. I hope I bounce back quickly.

Food:
apple & cottage cheese
bagel thin w/ cream cheese, almonds
string cheese
orange
salad w/ turkey breast & homemade honey mustard dressing
jalapeno poppers (unbreaded, made with light cream cheese & turkey bacon)

63 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-07T20:51:00.001-05:00

Today's workout was Mark, Move & Grove from Shaun T's Rockin' Body, then I did the Saturday Fitness Beatdown challenge for this weekend, which was the Ryan Sphinx Twist Crunch. You can see my pitiful attempt here.

Food sucked. That is all. Oh, we did go to Sam's Club and stock up on healthy shit. I also bought some almonds covered in cocoa powder. I love almonds. I love chocolate. I thought these things were disgusting.

64 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-06T22:48:00.000-05:00

I had a horrible, horrible food day. I won't go into the details about the donuts and the candy bars. I just won't. I did manage to pull together a respectable dinner but that's like putting a band-aid on a slit throat. Melty says I need to detox, and she's right. That bitch is always right. That's why I keep her around.

I wasn't going to do my 100 reps. The intention was to wake up and immediately do burpees but screw that. I spent 10 hours at work eating crap, came home and bought more crap. And all of this crap, it didn't come from inside my home. I went out and bought said crap. There is no junk in my house. There was cheese, but I ate all of that. There were nuts. There still are nuts but I'm afraid to have any because I'll eat the whole bag.

So, the 100 reps...I ended up doing mountain climbers. Sebastian wanted to do 100 reps, too, so he did wall push ups. I love that kid.

65 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-05T19:25:00.000-05:00

I wasn't going to do a real workout, just 100 reps, but I changed my mind because I don't want to have to lift tomorrow. So I lifted today, 3x5.

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

Food was horrible. I really think my job in the school cafeteria is not good for me. I know I'm in charge of my own choices but when you're faced with temptation five hours a day, it's really hard. And of course, I let one little slip up spiral out of control. I am rethinking my employment, which sucks because I absolutely love my job. I just don't have the self control to not eat the corn dog nuggets or the chicken tenders. I can say no to the pizza because it's too greasy, and I don't like greasy food. But spiral fries and chicken nuggets? Forget about it. I hate that I can't trust myself to eat well when I'm there.

66 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-04T20:10:00.000-05:00

Today's workout was 100 jumping jacks. I have been so freaking busy and trying to get to bed at a decent time because I've been positively exhausted lately. If it weren't for this 100 challenge my friend issued, I'd be doing jack shit on non-lifting days.

Food:
hard boiled eggs & turkey bacon
chicken fajita w/ sweet potato
tilapia w/ sauteed onions & peppers
cheese & nuts - I probably overate these.

67 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-03T19:45:00.000-05:00

Today's workout - 3x5:

bench press - 80 lbs
deadlift - 100 lbs
bent over dumbbell row - 30 lbs
jackknife

I did my workout, and halfway through I remembered that I planned on doing it tomorrow. Oh well.

Food:
turkey bacon & hard boiled eggs
black beans, salsa & cheese, dried cherries
Korean meatballs w/ Asian medley vegetables
almonds

68 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-02T20:10:00.000-05:00

I'm all signed up for the Frostbite 5K on January 14. I don't plan on running it - just a brisk walk. I'm hoping to be back in running shape by our April GO FAR event. I miss the adrenaline rush. Right now, it's overcome by chest tightness and panting.

I unexpectedly had to sub in the after school program (and will be subbing all week) so my only workout today was the 100 reps I wrote about yesterday. I did:

10 bodyweight squats
10 suspended rows
10 suspended chest presses
10 jackknives
20 overhead sandbag presses
40 jumping jacks

Food:
hard boiled eggs
vegetable soup, veggie salad w/ fat free dressing
Oreo truffles - When the head custodian brings you goodies, you eat them!
cream of broccoli soup
hard boiled egg

I drank too much diet pop today.

69 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2012-01-01T21:34:00.000-05:00

Today's workout was 3x5. All of the workouts are going to be 3x5 from now until the Spartan Sprint

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

I followed up with some intervals. I picked 3 different cardio moves from various Beachbody workouts and did each of them for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of rest, for 5 cycles - that gave me a total of 10 minutes. I burned a whopping 76 calories but I was too worn out to do Turbo Fire HIIT 15. I feel like I'm starting completely over with my fitness journey. I'm out of breath, weak, fat. I feel like I've said it a million times - I am never letting myself get this bad again. And what do I do? I get worse. Well, I mean it. This is the last fucking time.

My friend and WOB (that's workout buddy) threw down a challenge, because she knows I can't say no to a challenge. 100 consecutive days of exercise. If no formal workout, get in 100 reps of something, and the reps can be broken up into sections, so they don't need to be done all at once. It's on, bitch!

And I love that I can be freer (more free?) with the profanity on my blog now. Back when I belonged to SparkPeople, I had to censor and it sucked balls.

Food:
apple
scrambled eggs w/ onion & 1 slice of turkey bacon
tuna patties (made with flax meal) & carrot sticks w/ fat free honey dijon dressing
apple
sloppy joe on corn tortilla
carrot sticks
string cheese - So much for cutting back on dairy. Those carrot sticks just weren't cutting it.

I didn't get a whole lot of fluids in today - just 20 ounces of water, 24 ounces of tea and 16 ounces of diet ginger ale.

Good Riddance to 2011

2011-12-31T19:13:00.000-05:00

It's been a shit-tastic year and I'm glad to put it behind me. I'm hoping 2012 brings renewed motivation. I don't know how much I have gained in the last six months - it's at least 30 pounds. I'll have an official weigh in tomorrow. I'm scared to see what the scale says. I'm embarrassed and angry that I did this to myself after three and a half years of busting my ass and overcoming the minor setbacks. I deserve better than this. The only positive thing I can say is, at least I didn't start smoking again.

And as of tomorrow, there will be 69 days until the Spartan Sprint.

79 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-22T20:25:00.000-05:00

Today was a 3x5 workout:

bench press - 80 lbs
deadlift - 100 lbs
bent over dumbbell row - 30 lbs
jackknife

My metabolic workout was burpees + swings (25 lbs). Started with 10 of each, then 9 of each, then 8 of each, all the way down to 1 of each. I did take short rests as needed. And for good measure, I threw on a tabata at the end, with my jump rope.

Food was, um, not good. I ate myself sick on chocolate. Again.

80 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-21T20:33:00.000-05:00

Food was not all that great today and exercise was non-existent. I did go spend quite a bit of money on fitness stuff, though, so that has renewed my motivation a bit. I bought a speed rope and an agility/speed ladder, as well as a power training bag that goes up to 100 pounds (you put bags of sand in it - BodyrockTV uses them a lot). I also bought some fancy ear buds that are guaranteed to never fall out. I went for a very short run and they didn't move, so I'm hopeful they will hold true to their word. My cousin swears by them.

I ended up testing out the jump rope I bought and it's a bit too long for me. We adjusted the handles a bit but I still like my old jump rope better. I was going to return the new one and get my $10 back but my husband said he will use it. Yeah, right. The Spartan is in 80 days, pal - you better get jumping. I can't do a double under. I'm going to put that on my bucket list. I even jump roped with my new ear buds. Awesome. I hate cords though. I need an mp3 player implanted in my brain. Better yet, wireless, so I can access the entire internet in my head.

81 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-20T20:43:00.002-05:00

This race is getting too close for comfort. And I need to sign up for the Frostbite 5K on January 14. Yuck.

82 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-19T20:21:00.000-05:00

Food sucked today, and I'm so sore from Saturday's workout that I can barely move. I think I will go to bed. Or lie on the couch.

83 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-18T19:33:00.000-05:00

No workout today. Food was better though. I didn't buy junk at the movies.

84 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-17T20:41:00.000-05:00

Today's workout was 3x10. Yuck.

shoulder press - 15 lbs
squat - 75 lbs
suspended row
atomic push up

I followed up with dumbbell (25 lbs) swings - 12 swings (then rest for the remainder of the minute) for 10 minutes. These are much less taxing than the stupid burpees I did Tuesday. I also did today's Saturday Fitness Beatdown, which was max reps, Russian Twist with a weight. I used a ten pound plate. I don't know how many clean reps I did, and they use a multiplier for the women, so I won't know my official score for a couple days. I just wanted to do it. And I actually did it twice because the first time we recorded, I was recording to tape instead of memory stick and I had no way to transfer it to my laptop. My second attempt was better. Sebastian made five attempts! He kicked ass.

We won't talk about food.

85 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-17T09:58:00.002-05:00

See yesterday's entry.

86 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-15T19:12:00.002-05:00

Not only did I not work out, I also ate badly. I don't care.

87 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-14T19:31:00.000-05:00

No workout today. I'm completely exhausted and my chest hurts from coughing. My appetite is coming back a bit though. I almost lost control. I brought home the cookie dough I bought and I really, really wanted to sit down with a tub and a spoon, but I didn't. I also didn't eat the two pounds of chocolate chips in my freezer. Unfortunately, I did eat a lot of carbs and cheese.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
hard boiled eggs & bread stick
turkey burger w/ cheese & cream of broccoli soup
string cheese
whole wheat pasta w/ homemade cheesy garlic bread, roast

88 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-13T20:41:00.000-05:00

Today's workout was 3x5:

bench press - 80 lbs
deadlift - 115 lbs
bent over dumbbell row - 30 lbs
jackknife

I also did a ten minute metabolic workout from the New Rules of Lifting for Abs book. Today was burpees - 6 per minute (rest until the end of each minute) for 10 minutes. Why so few reps? you ask. Because my son decided I needed to add a little twist. When down in plank position, I have to bring my knees in then back out again, before completing the burpee. So it's like a squat thrust within a burpee. Sebastian calls them double burpees. Whatever. I call them brutal. I don't know if they would have been so bad if I were not so out of shape. I need to get back to where I was at the beginning of June. I hate myself for this horrible, horrible backslide. It's the worst I've had in almost five years. I never want to have to dig myself out of this bullshit again. This is hard.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
apple & cottage cheese
cheeseburger on whole grain bun w/ mixed vegetables & grapes
carrot sticks

This cold is kicking my appetite in the ass. When I recover, I will eat like a pig.

89 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-12T20:25:00.000-05:00

Today was most definitely a rest day. I'm still sick and just going to work wore me out.

Food:
coffee/ skim milk, whole grain breadstick
baked potato, baby carrots & apple
carrot sticks

I wasn't that hungry today.

90 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-11T20:07:00.000-05:00

I'm still sick but I can't afford to take any more days off, so it was back to the grind. I did a 3x5 workout today.

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

I think I need to change my suspended row to a negative chin up for the 3x5 days because the rows are too easy now. I also think I'm going to start adding some of the metabolic workouts from the New Rules of Lifting (for Women and for Abs) to the end of my strength training.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
tilapia & cheese w/ cauliflower & broccoli
carrot sticks
pork chops & brown rice w/ onions & green peppers - I probably ate more rice & vegetables than I should have but it was so damn good.
apple & string cheese

91 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-11T07:41:00.002-05:00

Still sick. It really sucks. I didn't even get my Saturday Fitness Beatdown done.

92 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-10T09:40:00.001-05:00

No workout. I was really sick. I ate whatever I could that didn't hurt to swallow.

93 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-08T20:08:00.000-05:00

Today was the dreaded 3x10...

bench press - 75 lbs
deadlift - 85 lbs
bent over dumbbell row - 25 lbs
jackknife

The last thing I wanted to do when I got home from work was anything that required me to move. I hadn't been feeling well all day, I was cranky and tired. I managed to get myself into my workout clothes, and that helped a lot.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
protein shake
turkey salad w/ fat free Italian dressing & whole grain roll
grapes
Philly cheese steal w/ potatoes

94 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-07T21:22:00.000-05:00

No workout today. I knew I would be pushing today's workout to tomorrow because of my cookie dough delivery. I suppose I could have done it, but I just didn't want to, so I went ahead and scheduled it for tomorrow. Food was decent. I'm completely exhausted.

95 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-06T21:18:00.000-05:00

No workout today.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
apple & cottage cheese
(turkey) taco salad w/ refried beans & cheese
grilled cheese sandwich

96 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-05T21:19:00.000-05:00

Today's workout was 3x5:

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

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
vegetable soup
chocolate Shakeology
vegetable soup
apple & cottage cheese

I completely forgot to take my breakfast to work. I was going to take an apple & cottage cheese. I was okay until lunch, and I just had some vegetable soup. When I got home, the Shakeology my son won was waiting, so we tried that. It's really good. I don't know if I would pay for it, but it does taste good. I had more vegetable soup for dinner.

97 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-05T07:52:00.000-05:00

No workout today. Food was so-so.

98 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

Today's (well, yesterdays, which I did today) workout was 3x5. I do love it.

bench press - 80 lbs
deadlift - 110 lbs
bent over dumbbell row - 30 lbs
jackknife

Before this, we went to the Jingle Bell 5K - a charity walk/run. It was my son's first 5K. We walked most of it. I won for best costume in the adult female category. I wore a tree skirt & garland, as an afterthought. I needed to kill some time this morning so I stopped to buy those for my tree and decided to wear them as my costume. I was the only adult female who dressed up. The guy who won was also the only one who dressed up, too.

99 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-02T18:19:00.000-05:00

I did not get my workout in today - I will tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is my son's first 5K. It's a charity event, and we're walking it. Well, he might run a bit and I will try to keep up. I plan on wearing jeans. We have a birthday party to go to immediately after it.

Food sucked. That is all.

100 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-01T20:26:00.000-05:00

No workout today. I'm completely drained from some shit that's going on that I can't talk about. It sucks.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
apple
carrot sticks
turkey & stuffing
nuts

Not a stellar day.

101 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-12-01T16:32:00.000-05:00

Today's workout was 3x10 - not my favorite range!

shoulder press - 15 lbs
squat - 75 lbs
suspended row
atomic push up

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
turkey sunshine salad w/ fat free dressing
taco salad (w/ ground turkey)

102 Days until the Spartan Sprint

2011-11-29T20:21:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-28T21:08:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-27T19:55:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-26T22:27:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-25T21:42:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-24T20:17:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-23T15:42:00.003-05:00

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

2011-11-22T20:02:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-21T21:18:00.001-05:00

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!

2011-11-20T15:52:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-18T22:58:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-17T18:49:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-16T21:01:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-15T20:19:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-14T20:29:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-13T16:38:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-09T20:42:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-08T20:40:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-07T20:55:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-06T08:58:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-02T22:11:00.000-04:00

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

2011-11-01T20:38:00.000-04:00

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!

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 8 - Monday

2011-10-31T17:12:00.000-04:00

No workout today but I was fairly good with food. I'm not feeling well and I have to take my kid trunk-or-treating, so I'm cutting this short, getting that done, and going to bed.

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 7 - Friday - Weekend

2011-10-30T18:51:00.000-04:00

No workout Friday. On Saturday, I did the Saturday Fitness Beatdown - max squat reps in 2 minutes. [http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150427316961368]. On Sunday, I just tried to stay awake all day. I imported recipes into my Living Cookbook software and it made me want to eat real food again, so I actually cooked - stew meat & roasted butternut squash.

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 7 - Thursday

2011-10-27T21:54:00.002-04:00

No GO FAR today because it was a half day of school, and no school tomorrow. Food and exercise? Hahahahahahahahahaha!

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 7 - Wednesday

2011-10-26T18:47:00.000-04:00

I started working out and on my second set of squats, I hurt my quad somehow. I didn't dare try to finish the workout, not with my 8K in just over two weeks.

Food sucked today. I cant get a handle on any of this. It's making me miserable.

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 7 - Tuesday

2011-10-25T20:43:00.000-04:00

Go Far today. I'm exhausted and stressed. I don't even remember what I ate. I had to oversee a PTO function and now I'm going to bed.

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 7 - Monday

2011-10-24T20:50:00.000-04:00

I managed to squeeze in a workout. I was going to shoot for three weight sessions this week but I'm only going to get two. Again.

squat 3x5x115 lbs
bench press 3x5x70 lbs
deadlift 1x5x125 lbs
supinated grip suspended row 3x12
jackknife 3x12

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
vegetable soup w/ potatoes & bread stick - I probably should have skipped the bread.
vegetarian chili
apple & yogurt

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 6 - Friday - Weekend

2011-10-23T16:36:00.000-04:00

Busy, busy, busy weekend! We went to the state fair on Saturday. Surprisingly, I didn't eat all that much junk. I walked around all damn day. I've been feeling kind of queasy since Thursday. I don't know what's up.

Back to it tomorrow...

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 6 - Thursday

2011-10-20T20:14:00.000-04:00

I ran with my GO FAR kids today, then came home to lift weights.

squat 3x5x115 lbs
dumbbell shoulder press 3x5x30 lbs
power clean 5x3x70 lbs
pronated grip suspended row 3x12
plank 3x60 sec

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
apple & cottage cheese
turkey sunshine salad
cake & ice cream
pizza

Obviously, I'm not dieting...

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 6 - Wednesday

2011-10-19T20:41:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning planning to take a rest day, then changed my mind and decided I'd do Plyo X when I got home. I looked forward to it all day and by the time I got home, I wasn't in the mood for Plyo and wanted to Turbo instead. So I tried a Turbo Fire workout I hadn't done yet - Fire 45. I am not a huge fan of Turbo Fire just because the choreography is much faster than Turbo Jam. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it, but it's just frustrating the first few times. But, if I'm going to get my Turbo Kick certification, I need to start practicing.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
navy bean soup
turkey sunshine salad w/ fat free dressing
turkey burger w/ cheese on sandwich thin
Cheerios

Too heavy on the carbs today...

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 6 - Tuesday

2011-10-19T07:50:00.000-04:00

We were a bit short handed at GO FAR today so we kept all of the kids in the gym and ran various sprints. They even wanted me to race them. I ran against some of the faster kids and beat all but one. But my 2nd and 3rd graders ran their asses off today. I'm so proud of them. I love this group of kids.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
chicken w/ cheese & potato
peanut butter sandwich
roast w/ carrots

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 6 - Monday

2011-10-17T20:53:00.000-04:00

I wasn't going to work out today because I was called to sub in the after school program, and I had my errands to run after, and I didn't get home until much later than normal. I decided to go ahead and do it anyway. Yay me.

supinated-grip suspended row 3x12
squat 3x5x115 lbs
stability ball jackknife 3x12
deadlift 1x5x125 lbs
bench press 3x5x70 lbs

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
apple, cream of potato soup
salad w/ fat free dressing, black beans, corn & cheese - I made this way too spicy and ended up eating less than half of it
eggs w/ sauteed onions & peppers
yogurt

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 5 - Friday - Weekend

2011-10-16T19:52:00.000-04:00

Busy weekend, all fun stuff. Food was just okay. I did lots of walking on Saturday. I think I'm going to move up to 3 full-body workouts a week. I need to kick up the cardio, too. I have an 8K in less than a month and my Spartan Sprint is creeping up. I feel very out of shape.

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 5 - Thursday

2011-10-13T20:39:00.000-04:00

I ran with my GO FAR kids for a warm up then came home and lifted weights.

squat 3x5x115 lbs
dumbbell shoulder press 3x5x25 lbs
power clean 5x3x65 lbs
pronated grip suspended row 3x12
plank 3x60 sec

Food sucked. That is all. Oh, I did drink lots of water today. Well, more than usual.

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 5 - Wednesday

2011-10-12T19:30:00.000-04:00

Rest day. I did a little stretching for my sore legs but that's it.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
stuffed shells
peanuts
turkey sunshine salad

Not a stellar food day.

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 5 - Tuesday

2011-10-11T20:48:00.000-04:00

I am so proud of my 2nd & 3rd grade GO FAR runners. They did such a great job today. We ran relays and the all gave 100% effort. It was so great. I was exhausted after trying to keep up with them! I wasn't planning on exercising at home, but I decided I needed something, so I did Turbo Fire HIIT 15. I have to say, I don't know how I survived Insanity with those cross-trainers I wore but I can't stand them now. I can't wait until payday so I can go buy some new running shoes. I need new running shoes for my 8K anyway, and I want a second pair for wearing at home for workouts. I am never getting cross-trainers again.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
apple, cottage cheese & turkey bacon
burger w/ cheese on whole wheat bun
burger w/ boiled potatoes & baked beans

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 5 - Monday

2011-10-10T20:41:00.001-04:00

I actually lifted weights today. I've lost so much strength due to my break. It really sucks. I knew better. I don't know why I let things fall apart the way I did. There's no excuse, other than I was lazy and didn't care. Now, 20-25 pounds up and out of shape again, you better believe I fucking care.

Here's the workout. It's based on Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength but I made a few modifications.

squat - 3x5x115 lbs - I could barely hit parallel with these. It really, really sucked.
suspended row (supinated grip) - 3x12 - These should have been chin ups, 3xMAX but since I can't do chin ups anymore....

barbell bench press - 3x5x65 lbs - I can go up to 70 lbs next time.
stability ball jackknife - 3x12 - This isn't in SS but I like them and need the core work

deadlift - 1x5x125 lbs - My deads need work.

Even with a quick warm up, this was a nice, short workout. Just the way I like them.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
salad w/ cheese, black beans, corn & fat free ranch dressing
apple & baked potato
scrambled eggs w/ sauteed onion, green pepper & cheese
apple

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 4 - Friday - Weekend

2011-10-09T13:29:00.000-04:00

OMG, what freaking day is it? I have been so damn busy!!! Good busy, not annoying busy. I ate like crap all weekend but I was active and had a very long overdue, much needed girls night out with some ladies I adore and hope to have many more evenings with, even if they include alcohol and naughty foods! I am absolutely back on the wagon tomorrow, I promise.

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 4 - Thursday

2011-10-06T21:07:00.002-04:00

GO FAR whooped my butt today. I'm exhausted. I ate too much ice cream. I must stop this crap.

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 4 - Wednesday

2011-10-05T20:47:00.000-04:00

I wasn't going to work out today - I was not in the mood for strength training - but I decided pretty last minute to do some Turbo Jam. I did Cardio Party 2. I'm not all "wow, I feel so great and I'm so glad I worked out" but I'm at least glad I wasn't a lazy slug.

I've struggled with food today. I really need to go grocery shopping and have decent stuff handy.

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 4 - Tuesday

2011-10-04T19:24:00.000-04:00

We had GO FAR today. Some of the kids don't like to run. Some of them don't even like to walk. I don't know why they are in the program. We're going to work on ways to motivate them. Sometimes the first session is rough for some kids, but if they return after doing the 5K or Fun Run, they are usually more involved. Right now, a lot of the kindergartners and first graders (okay, mainly the kindy kids) just do not want to do anything. So it's hard to try to accommodate everyone. Fortunately, we have a lot more adults involved this year. Last year, it was just two coaches and 60 kids. Now we have 6-8 coaches and about 50 kids. It's much more manageable. The entire group went to the beach, and I played Follow the Leader with my K-1 kids. They seemed to like that. There was a lot of chicken walking, marching, and silly running. Then we just let them run on the beach - they run to the pier and back. They did really well today.

Food:
hard boiled egg, coffee w/ skim milk
turkey & cheese sandwich on whole wheat bun w/ black beans, salsa & cheese
roasted pork tenderloin w/ potatoes, carrots & salad
ice cream & cookies (not a lot)

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 4 - Monday

2011-10-03T20:54:00.000-04:00

Back on plan today, though I wasn't even all that hungry. I was busy, busy, busy though! I worked in the cafeteria then subbed on short notice in the after school program. I didn't even eat all my lunch because I wasn't feeling so great. Well, I felt okay - just queasy.

Today's workout was a quick session on the suspension trainer, everything 3x10 with 30 second rests in between circuits.

single-leg squat
suspended push up
suspended row
suspended plank (45 sec)

I was going to do a one-legged suspended burpee tabata but believe it or not, I didn't have 4 minutes to spare.

Food:
apple, coffee w/ skim milk
baked potato, part of a salad w/ lettuce, tomato, onions, corn & black beans w/ fat free dressing
onion omelet

I was really, really not hungry today. I got my oils in with my omelet but I only got one dairy serving.

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 3 - Wednesday - Weekend

2011-10-02T20:15:00.000-04:00

The insanity of the last month is finally over!!! I'm exhausted and relieved and ready to start a new exercise routine tomorrow. I'm going to some suspension training 2-3 times a week and run with my elementary kids twice a week. Weekend are hopefully for biking if a) my son will get his ass on his bike and try or b) my husband is home to stay with him while I ride.

I had my first experience with a dunk tank yesterday at my school's pumpkin fair. It was so, so awesome. I loved it. It was a bit chilly out and I was warmer in the water than I was on the seat. But wow, it was the most fun I've had in a very long time. In the 30-40 minutes I was on deck, the kids probably dunked me 20 times. I hope we get a dunk tank next year. I am definitely getting in!!

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 3 - Tuesday

2011-09-27T21:14:00.000-04:00

I had some yogurt & a banana after I blogged last night.

Another hectic day of pumpkin fair preparations. That wasn't so bad. GO FAR went well today. We actually had enough adults around to actually get the kids organized for a run right out of the gate. It was awesome.

Food:
banana, coffee w/ skim milk
roasted pork w/ beans & coleslaw
baked potato, meatballs & salad w/ light dressing
apple & cottage cheese

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 3 - Monday

2011-09-26T20:51:00.000-04:00

Ok, this Primal challenge isn't working out for me and my Meatless Mondays. I'm trying to do to many things (Primal, Weight Watchers Simply Filling Technique, and Meatless Mondays), so I'm just going back to WW SFT and MM. But I'm going to try not to eat bread & pasta, even whole grain stuff because I have no portion control with those at all.

I got called into work early again and was non-stop go, with last minute preparations for the pumpkin fair and for GO FAR, which starts tomorrow. We have just over 40 kids, which is down a bit from the spring, and we have more coaches, so it should be much more manageable this year.

And for crying out loud, I am so sick of this damn rain!!! I can't get outside to do anything!

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
apple
navy bean soup
salad w/ light ranch dressing, light cream of broccoli soup
apple & cottage cheese

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 2 - Friday & Weekend

2011-09-25T16:55:00.000-04:00

What a long, exhausting weekend! I worked late Friday then had a bunch of running around to do. Saturday, I needed get my house clean enough that I could concentrate. A dirty house is distracting. It's been raining cats and dogs here for days and our roof started leaking again. Before that, I asked my husband to clean the refrigerator. While he was doing that, the tempered glass shelf he was cleaning shattered, so we had to run around and get that cleaned up, get the roof to stop leaking in the bedroom, all the while it's still pouring out. We came in from the rain, messed up my mostly clean house, so I had to do a lot of re-cleaning.

Food sucked but I really don't care. I just want to get through the next week without losing my mind. My give-a-crap will kick in after the pumpkin fair, but for now, the only thing that matters is surviving the week.

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 2 - Thursday

2011-09-22T21:09:00.000-04:00

I didn't get much sleep last night and I think that's going to be the case for the next week. I woke up not feeling well. I was hungry, but the thought of eating made me gag.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
apple & cottage cheese
salad w/ roasted chicken breast & fat free dressing
green beans w/ olive oil & Sweet Heat Addiction
omelet w/ turkey sausage

I'm exhausted from trying to get our fundraiser stuff organized. 10 more days to get through.

Spartan Sprint Countdown - Week 2 - Wednesday

2011-09-21T20:46:00.000-04:00

I had an apple and some almonds after I blogged last night. Probably ate too much. The good (?) news is, I'm out of almonds.

I managed to squeeze in a short workout today - HIIT 15 from Turbo Fire. It's probably the last formal exercise I will get until Monday. And really, depending on when all the pumpkins and straw is scheduled to be delivered, I may not get any formal exercise until after the Pumpkin Fair. I know it's important to try to get it in, but really, my priority is our fundraiser. I was an exercise machine for 4 years. Being active but not "working out" for a while isn't going to kill me. Plus, GO FAR starts Tuesday, so I will be getting out and running a bit with the kids. We only have 7 weeks to train for our 5K and Fun Run. Well, I'm doing the 8K, I hope. I don't plan to run the whole thing - a very brisk walk is my goal.

Food:
coffee w/ skim milk
apple & cottage cheese
turkey burger (no bun)
cheese omelet w/ onions & peppers

It was a pretty low carb day. I have to make sure I get some vegetables tomorrow.