I had a Fabulous workout today. I emailed my training coach about the knee pain I had and she recommended warm up sets in addition to the cardio warm up. She said it sounded like my IT (iliotibial) band was irritated. I did all the warmups and was very careful with my form and I had no knee pain!!! Woo Hoo!!! I am so stoked about this :-)

5 min w/u on elliptical

Phase 2, Week 2, Workout #2
Weights
LEGS
Dumbbell Squats
15xbodyweight
15x7.5# each hand
12x7.5# each hand

Leg Curls
12x30#
7x30# (was trying to do 12 reps)

One Legged Leg Extension
8x20# (was trying to do 12 reps)
7x20# (was trying to do 12 reps)

One Leg Standing Calf Raises
15x7.5# (was trying to do 20 reps)
12x5# (was trying to do 20 reps)

BACK
Lat Pulldown
12x60# x 2 sets

Seated Close Grip Rows
12x50#
12x40#

BICEPS
Concentration Curl
8x10# (was trying to do 12 reps)
10x7.5# (was trying to do 12 reps)

CARDIO - 10 min stationary bike, 10 min treadmill

I will do crunches tonight at home along with Flatten Your Abs Core Level 1. I'm getting ready to move up to Level 2.

Tomorrow is going to be a rest day for me. I will finish assembling my new Bowflex Ultimate 2 machine and have it ready to go for my Sunday workout. Yeah!!!!

It's time for my Mid Term Goal check! My deadline for my Mid Term Goals was Oct 1. Here are my goals and results:

1) Be at 25% BF (pinching 14mm)
***I measured 15mm (26.1% BF)

2) Be 156 lbs
***I am at 160.2

3) Have lots of energy
***I feel very energetic and have lots of energy to complete my day

4) My size 12's are loose
***I wouldn't say they're loose, but they are definitely more comfortable and some days I could even say they are loose, but I'm not quite ready to get into my 10's.


This past week:
--Lost 1.4 pounds (down 4.8 total from week 1)
--Lost 1.7 pounds of fat (down 6.5 pounds total since starting to
measure with calipers in week 7)
--Gained 0.3 pounds of LBM!! Woo Hoo!! (up 1.1 pounds total since
starting to measure with calipers in week 7)
--Lost 1mm on the AccuMeasure (from 16mm to 15mm)
--Lost 0.25 inches on waist (1.5 inches total)
--Lost 0.25 inches on hip (1.25 inch total)
--Lost 0.5 inches on thigh (1 inch total)
--Performed cardio 6 days
----(20min, 16min, 28min, 25min) on weight lifting days
----(24min, 30min) on cardio only days
--Lifted weights 4 days
--Logged food diary for 4 days and averaged 1850 cals, 29%F/47%C/24%P

Weekly Improvements to Make:
--Log food EVERY day
--Perform at least 20 cardio minutes on weight lifting days and 30 minutes on cardio only days

I'm very pleased with my status. I think I ended up gaining more LBM than I really thought I would. My next goal date is Jan. 1 and I want to be at 20% BF. I'll have to do some calculations to decide what weight I would like to shoot for. I definitely want my size 10's to be fitting comfortably then and WOW wouldn't it be fabulous if I could get into my size 8's!

I was able to get in 30 minutes on the treadmill tonight.

4 minutes w/u
22 minutes intervals
4 minutes c/d

I think I finally am getting some momentum again. I had felt kind of slowed down the past week or so and it wasn't like it was anything out of my control. So I kind of feel like I'm doing pretty well in spite of myself.

Tomorrow is weigh in day and the end of my Mid Term Goal. I'm close, but don't think I'll quite get to 25% BF. I'm not letting it get me down though!

Tomorrow is also Legs day.

I had a GREAT workout today! I actually benched the bar for the first time! Woo Hoo!! My whole upper body is quivering. I had my co-worker who was at the gym with me spot me because I wasn't sure how heavy it was going to feel. I knew that I was ready to move up to it based on my weights up to this point.

The focus was more on shoulders today and I can tell that my right side is weaker than my left. Not surprising since I always carry the baby, purse, diaper bag, and anything else on my left shoulder. For some reason, I just can't seem to carry things on my right shoulder. Go figure!

4 min warmup on elliptical

Phase 2, Week 2, Workout #1
Weights
CHEST
Dumbbell Flys
15x12.5# each hand
12x15# each hand

Barbell Bench Press
12xbar
6xbar (wanted to do 12 here)

SHOULDERS
Dumbbell Front Shoulder Raise
12x5# each hand x 2 sets

Cable Lateral Raise
6x20# each side (wanted to do 12...right shoulder is weaker)
5x20# each side (wanted to do 12)

Barbell Shrugs
15xpreacher bar x 2 sets

TRICEPS
Dumbbell Overhead Extension (1 db held with both hands)
12x10# db
10x12.5# db (wanted to do 12)

ABS
Oblique Crunches
27 reps right, 22 reps left

CARDIO - 19 min intervals elliptical (138 cals) plus 6 min treadmill (25 cals)

Tomorrow is a cardio only day.

Today was the last workout for the first week of my new lifting routine. It concentrates on legs. I was very bummed out though, because severe right knee pain prevented me from completing the planned squats and lunges. I substituted leg extensions and leg curls but I hate having something like that show up when I've started a workout. It kind of throws all my timing off, if you know what I mean. I plan to email my coach and see if she has any suggestions about the knee pain. I really don't want to think about not ever doing squats or lunges again. Leg presses don't bother me, though. Anyway, today's workout.

4 min warmup recumbent bike

Phase 2, Week 1, Workout #4
Weights
LEGS
Dumbbell Squats
8x10# each hand (severe right knee pain stopped me)
2x5# each hand (just couldn't continue due to right knee pain)

Lunges
3xbodyweight (too much right knee pain to continue)

so I switched to
Leg Extension
12x20# x 2 sets

Leg Curl
12x20# x 2 sets

Standing Single Leg Calf Raise Dumbbell
14x10# left and right (was trying to do 20 reps)
10x10# left and right (was trying to do 15 reps)

BACK
Front Lat Pulldown
12x50#
12x60#

BICEPS
Barbell Curl
12x18# BodyBar x 2 sets

FOREARMS
Reverse Barbell Curl
20x9#
15x9#

Finished off with
CARDIO - 28 min, treadmill at 140bpm, 160 cals

I'll do abs tonight at home and tomorrow will be focused on shoulders.

I did cardio only today. I made it to the gym at lunchtime and did the elliptical for a total of 24 minutes. Originally I was going to do 40 minutes at steady state, but changed my mind and did intervals. Tomorrow is the final workout of my first week of working out with my personal coach at Global Fitness.

Elliptical Level 2
4 min warmup
1 min high (160bpm)
1 min med (140bpm)
1 min high
1 min med
1 min high
1 min med
1 min high
1 min med
1 min high
1 min med
1 min high
1 min med
1 min high
5 min med
2 min cooldown

Today is the 3rd workout of the first week of my workout program. I have 4 days each week that I will be lifting and I will do all cardio on 2 other days and rest 1 day. My rest day for this week was yesterday. My workout week is running from Wed to Wed. This workout works the Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps just like Workout 1 from Wednesday, but focuses on the Shoulders more.

4 min Cardio warmup - Treadmill

Phase 2, Week 1, Workout #3
Weights
CHEST
Incline Bench Press Bowflex
15x50#
8x60# (should have been 12 reps but couldn't get there)

Bench Press Bowflex
12x50#
12x40#

SHOULDERS
Shoulder Press Bowflex
12x30#
12x20#

Upright Row Bowflex
12x20#
12x30#

Shrugs Bowflex
15x40#
12x50#

TRICEPS
Kickback Bowflex
12x10# x 2 sets

ABS
Raised Leg Crunches
17 reps, 7 reps

CARDIO - Treadmill, 16 min, 85 cals

Tomorrow will be a cardio only day at the gym during lunch hour. I plan to do 40 minutes.

I heard back from my online coach at Global Fitness and I got my program from her. Her name is Dani Myers and I'm really looking forward to having an established routine vs. always putting it together myself. I'm only a week away from my goal to reach 25% bodyfat and I think that I'm going to make it! Woo Hoo! I'm very pumped up to keep things going this week and can't wait to see where I'm at next week. Anyway, here's today's workout. I was finally able to get back to the gym today at lunch and it was an AWESOME workout :-)

CARDIO - 4 min warmup on treadmill

Phase 2, Week 1, Workout #2
Weights
LEGS
Leg Press
15x50#
12x60#

Leg Extension
10x30# (was supposed to be 12 reps, but couldn't get there)
12x20#

Leg Curl
12x20# x 2 sets

CALVES
Seated Calf Raises
20x0#
20x20#

BACK
Close Grip Lat Pulldown
15x40#
12x50#

One Arm Dumbbell Row
12x7.5# x 2 sets

BICEPS
Dumbbell Curl
12x7.5# each hand
12x8# each hand

FOREARMS
Wrist Curls Barbell
20x9# x 2 sets

ABS
Seated Leg Lifts
10 reps, 8 reps

CARDIO - Elliptical 20 min, 115 cals, 75% MHR

I've decided to try a new lifting regimen. I'd searched around the web a bit looking for online training. While I would love to engage a trainer one-on-one (like Michelle Berger), I don't really have the money it would cost. So I settled for something less personal right now and chose Global Fitness which costs $20 per month.

I'm also finding that I can snap myself out of a slump much quicker now...positive thinking really works! I just keep reaffirming to myself that I am 25% bodyfat...I am lean...my size 12's are loose on me. Hey...it keeps me going! Anyway here's today's workout. It's a bit different...emphasizing Chest and Shoulders but also hitting Traps and Triceps in a secondary way. The bottom line is that I just needed something that I could "blindly" follow without thinking too much about it workout after workout...week after week. We'll see how it goes.

AM CARDIO - intervals on treadmill at 2% incline
4 min warm-up
1 min 3.0mph
1 min 4.2
1 min 3.0
1 min 4.2
1 min 3.0
1 min 4.2
1 min 3.0
1 min 4.2
1 min 3.0
1 min 4.2
1 min 3.0
2 min cooldown

Weights at night (2 min rest between sets)
CHEST
Bench Press Bowflex
15x40#
12x60#

Incline Bench Press Bowflex
12x50#
12x40#

SHOULDERS
Front Shoulder Press Bowflex
12x20# x 2 sets

Lateral Raise Dumbbell
12x2.5#
12x2#

TRAPS
Shoulder Shrugs Bowflex
15x20#
15x40#

TRICEPS
Pushdown Bowflex
12x30# x 2 sets

ABS
Core Level 1 from David Grisaffi's Flatten Your Abs

My focus today is cardio. I need to get those minutes bumped up to accelerate some fat burning here. So I did cardio before my weights and did intervals on the treadmill. I pushed myself and felt such a great sense of accomplishment afterwards! I had a meeting with the nutritionist as well this morning and my triglycerides had dropped unbelievably since I started working out and eating better. My total cholesterol had also dropped below 200! Woo Hoo!! Today's workout...

CARDIO - 24 min, intervals on treadmill

Weights
BACK
Wide grip pulldown Bowflex
12x80#
10x90#
6x100#
supersetted with
TRICEPS
Pushdown Bowflex
7x40#
4x40#
5x40#

BACK
Seated Lat Rows Bowflex
12x50#
10x60#
8x70#
supersetted with
TRICEPS
French Press Bowflex
11x30#
4x30#
4x30#

I went outside and jogged/walked yesterday. It's the first time I've actually exercised outside for some time. I usually just go to the gym or end up doing my workout at home at night. I was pleased that I stayed active but I didn't do any lifting and I missed it. Today I was so swamped with work at home (paperwork, bills, cleaning, etc. getting ready for the work week) that there was simply no time for any workout at all. I was also pretty tired so I'll just consider this my rest day. Tomorrow, the plan is to do Back, Shoulders, and Biceps and cardio intervals. I have less than 2 weeks left to my midterm goal of 25% bodyfat and I really need to concentrate to make some more real progress.

I really can't seem to get any real program going with my weights. Even though I am pretty consistent with hitting each body part once a week in a 4 day split, I just seem to flounder around a bit with the actual program itself. I mean, how many sets?, how many reps?, pyramid sets?, supersets?, drop sets? I really need to get with a trainer I think and discuss which program I should follow consistently. In my effort to make myself work out at 8pm (when all I wanted to do was just go to bed), I went to Toni's Training Station website and printed off an intermediate Chest and Delts workout and did that. It was different than anything I had ever done before and I will be interested to see if I can feel it over the next couple of days.

Weights
CHEST
Chest press Bowflex
20x20#
12x30#
5x50#
2x60#
4x80# (heavy set)
8x60#
13x50#
12x30#

Fly Bowflex
5x50#
11x40#
14x30#
16x20#

SHOULDERS
Shoulder press Bowflex
12x20#
5x30#
2x50#
4x60# (heavy set)
8x50#
11x30#
17x20#

Lateral (Side) raise Bowflex
0x40# (overestimated this one)
2x30#
10x20#
12x10#

I decided to take a rest day today. I originally thought that I would do Shoulders and Calves, but life intervened! I will pick it back up tomorrow at the gym. I plan to go during lunch hour as I shouldn't be having any meetings or tests to run in the lab. I'm about ready to change up my weight routine again. I still like the splits but I need to get some kind of program with more specific weight training goals established. I probably just need to break down and order some kind of training online. I keep thinking about trying out Jeremy Likness's program at MyNaturalPhysique. I would like to try and train once a month with Toni from The Training Station here in Indianapolis, but using the Jeremy's online program would allow me to get a program set up day to day, I think.

I dropped down to do push ups tonight and I did a new personal record...10 modified! I'm so stoked! I am halfway to my November 1 goal! WooHoo!! I will have to admit that I haven't been doing my Core Level 1 ab program for several days. I really need to get back on those.

I did my workout at home again today after work. The girls were good and let me get my total workout in with only a couple of interruptions! :-))

CARDIO - Treadmill 4 min warm-up, 17 cals

Weights (1 min rest between sets)
QUADS
Dbell Squats (All the way down)
12xbodyweight (right knee pain)
2x5# per hand (severe right knee pain...stopped these sets but came back to it after the Single Leg split squat)
10x5# per hand

Dbell Single Leg Split Squat
Left leg: 8x0# Right leg: 6x0# (still pain)
Left leg: 4x5# per hand Right leg: 8x5# (no pain now)
Left leg: 5x5# per hand Right leg: 4x5#

Leg Press Bowflex
12x180#
10x190#
15x200# (did this many for kicks! My current Bowflex only goes to 210# of rod resistance so I can't wait to get my new one with 310# of rods)

HAMSTRINGS
Dbell Straight Legged Deadlift
12x5# per hand
10x10# per hand OMG!
8x15# per hand OMG!!!

Leg Curl Bowflex
12x50#
10x60#
8x70#

CARDIO - Treadmill 17min + 3min cooldown, 96 cals


Man! My legs were like lead when I got on the treadmill to do my cardio. I started out with 1 min jog/2 min walk, but could only get in 2 intervals. I was wiped! So I just maintained steady state cardio the rest of the time at 75% MHR.

Tomorrow is Shoulders and Calves with more cardio.

Arrgghhh! The work Docker pants that were finally starting to feel comfortable were tight yesterday. (They’re actually Lee pants, not Levi, but you get my meaning.) I’m sure that I was just retaining some water but it still made it a bit disheartening. I read about all the buff ladies who are down at sizes 1, 2, and 4, and I wonder if my size 12’s are ever going to start feeling loose on me! I know they will as long as I keep doing what I should, but it’s such a long process. As a boost to my ego today, though, they weren't quite as tight, so I know it was just water.

I haven’t been able to get to the gym for quite a few days so I have been working out at home using adjustable dumbbells (the spinlock type), my Bowflex, and my own bodyweight (push-ups and lunges and squats). I don’t think it’s been a hindrance, though, because I’m still able to work hard and lift heavy. I had thought that I might get back to the gym during lunch hour today although I’ll have to say that I’m leaning toward just working out at home instead because now I have a new reason coming......a new Bowflex!!

Bowflex has sent me an offer to upgrade to their top of the line Ultimate2. You can see it here. It's actually a great deal. I bought my Bowflex PowerPro 7 or 8 years ago for around $1200 with lat and leg attchments. While it works pretty well, there are some design opportunities that it looks like have been addressed with the Ultimate2. There's also an integrated squat station...something my old Bowflex didn't have. Bowflex is basically buying back my old machine for $1000 and paying for shipping it back if I buy the Ultimate2. Oh, yeah! I jumped on that offer and added a set of their adjustable dumbbells with chrome stand! I've been looking at these kind of adjustable dumbbells for a while now as I've been trying to figure out a way to add to my dumbbell collection at home. You just dial in your desired weight from 2.5 pounds up to 52.5 pounds per dumbbell! They adjust in 2.5lb increments up to 25lb and then in 5lb increments thereafter. I'm getting free shipping on these puppies, too! Anyway, I'm quite excited to be doing this upgrade as for some reason, I've really taken to working out at home vs. going to the gym.

I really like the Bowflex layout because with Kelly and Kasie around, I don't have to worry with fingers getting pinched in plates or weights getting dropped on toes. I have a dedicated workout area but it's not a room with a door. It's in an open layout so if Kasie crawls up to me while I'm in the middle of a lift, I can left it go without fear of injury to her because there are no plates to worry about. The rods simply go back to relaxed state. The adjustable dumbbells can essentially be locked down too by dialing in different weights at each end. If there are different weight settings on each end, the dumbbell won't release from the stand. Nice peace of mind for me. Plus, Kelly gets a kick out of "lifting" and doing her exercises on the Bowflex. I can set it up on the 5 pound rod and she gets a lift or 2 in and "exercises like Mama does". Hopefully a good motivation for my girls.

Well, onto my workout from last night.

Weights
BACK
Wide Grip Pulldowns Bowflex
12x60#
10x70#
8x90# (meant to do 80# here but wasn't paying attention. In any case, looks like I need to go up on weight...WooHoo!)

Reverse Grip Pulldowns Bowflex
12x70#
10x80#
8x90# (looks like time to up this weight as well)

Seated Lat Rows Bowflex
12x40#
10x50#
8x60# (yeah...let's go up here!)

TRICEPS
Pushdown with Bar Bowflex
12x30#
6x40# (getting hard...)
3x40# (very hard...feel the burn)

Dumbbell Kickback
12x5#
10x7.5#
arms just shot here...

I'm definitely feeling it today in my back and tri's. It's not real sore as I always seem to have trouble getting a lot of DOMS in my back but it's definitely more than what I've had in quite some time! Very happy today!!

No weights today...just cardio.

I ended up taking yesterday off as a rest day. Mike had to work all day so it was just me and the girls. I wasn't feeling my best and 14 month old Kasie decided that she was not going to take much of a nap even though she needed it. So she ended up being extremely fussy most of the day and I was really pushed to the end of my rope.

I did do push ups last night before bed, though...still only got to 6 in my first set. I then did 4 "negative", where I went from starting position to down but not back up. It's the same principle as a negative pull up. I rested for about a minute and was only able to do 1 negative in the second set! Wow! My arms and chest need a lot more work. But I was able to do a PR in today's workout. Yeah!!!

I found myself kinda bummed out yesterday. Found myself starting to doubt if I'm going to make my Oct 1 goal. I guess we all have those days, but I managed to keep reaffirming to myself that I AM 25% bodyfat. I AM strong and lean. I AM full of energy. It really does help to do this even though at first when you start doing this type of positive affirmation it seems pointless. But after 3 months, it's finally starting to sink into my psyche and I'm able to stop the negative thinking a lot quicker...in fact, quick enough to prevent myself from going on a binge or some other behavior that would be destructive to my fitness goals.

Today is Core Level 1 abs, interval cardio, and chest and biceps.

CARDIO - 24 min...Intervals (Treadmill)

Weights
CHEST
Push Ups
8 (new PR!)
5
3

Chest Press Bowflex
7x60# (oops...put the wrong weight on! but we'll work with it and go backwards...)
11x50#
15x40# (getting too easy here...need to bump up the starting weight next time, Woo Hoo!)

Fly Bowflex
11x40#
10x50#
Couldn't do even 1 at 60#

Chest Press Twist Bowflex
8x40#

BICEPS
Dumbbell Incline Curl
12x7.5#
10x7.5#

Dumbbell Preacher Curl
12x7.5#
12x7.5#

Tomorrow is Back and Triceps.

I have done 2 nights of ab work per the Flatten Your Abs ebook. I had almost forgotten to do them and then remembered them at the last minute before I went to sleep! Oh, well, the important thing is that I did them. Last night I did Modified push-ups as my plan is to do push-ups for the Push-Up Challenge twice a week. I may have to up that to 3 times a week to meet my goals as I could only do 5 which doesn't even meet what I could do last week!

I’m paying more attention to my eating than I have been for over a week. It sure does help if I try to think and plan the night before what I’m going to eat the next day. Here’s what I ended up with yesterday:

M1: Egg sandwich (1 real egg and 1 eggbeater, 2 slices white bread), non-fat homemade caffe mocha
M2: Slim Fast drink and a Zone bar. OK, so not the best choice as far as whole foods go, but it’s better than a Mt. Dew and a Pop-Tart!
M3: Sweet potato and half of a tuna/cheese/tomato mixture. (That will amount to 3.5 oz of tuna and 1?2 oz of cheese).
M4: Rest of the tuna/cheese/tomato mixture, oatmeal
There was no M5 as I just wasn't hungry.

Grand total of 1500 cals, 20%F / 48%C / 32% P.

Workout today was done at home since I couldn’t go to the gym at lunch. I intended to do heavy legs...gotta get these puppies in shape. But my 4yo was all up under me the entire time and I didn't get near the workout in that I wanted to. I will have to edit this post later with the details as I left my workout book at home.

(edited 9/10/05)

QUADS
Squats
12xbodyweight
12xbodyweight

Alternating Lunges
6xbodyweight
5xbodyweight

Single Leg Extension Bowflex
Left: 7x20#, 8x20#
Right: 9x20#, 8x20#

Leg Press Bowflex
12x160#
12x160#

HAMSTRINGS
Straight-Legged Deadlift
12xRed Resistance Band

Leg Curl Bowflex
12x40#
12x40#

Today I plan to do cardio with shoulders and calves.

I did my cardio intervals today at lunch on the treadmill. I lasted for 30 minutes for which I am quite proud, because I really wanted to stop after 20 minutes! For my high intensity intervals, I ran for 1 minute and my heart rate would hit around 90% MHR. I would then slow down until my heart rate recovered to 65% MHR and would stay there for about a minute before starting off on another high intensity interval. Doing it this way allowed me to do 5 one-minute intervals in the 30 minute period. This gives me a nice tracking method to shoot for improvement on my next interval session (which is presently planned for Saturday or Sunday, depending on how my legs feel after Legs day tomorrow).

My plan is also to do abs today. I’ve been ignoring the abs really since I’ve started working out and trying to get fit. Not sure why, really except that I kind of felt there was so much fat to get rid of first that any work I did on my stomach wouldn’t be seen! But, I purchased the e-book, Flatten Your Abs, by David Grisaffi (see http://www.flattenyourabs.net/ if you’re interested) and am going to perform the beginner’s Abdominal/Core Level 1 routine tonight. His philosophy is a bit different from what I’ve been used to on abs. There are no crunches to start with…he focuses on developing the core and recommends doing Level 1 daily for 2 to 3 weeks before moving onto Level 2. Wow! Daily! That’s quite a commitment for me. I guess now is when the rubber is going to meet the road for me to find out if I’m serious about getting better abs. I know that I can work them in before bedtime since no equipment is needed (at least for Level 1) so getting them in every day shouldn’t be an issue. I just have to DO them! The Core Level 1 routine takes 9 minutes so it’s not a huge time investment either.

So I’ll commit to doing them and see how my midsection is looking after 14 days of doing the Core Level 1 routine. Buff abs, here I come.

Since I don't have to do any planning on what my weight workout will be tomorrow, I started thinking about where I have come in my life over the past 5 years. Having waited until my 30's to have kids, I found myself to be out of energy pretty quickly. That and my sedentary lifestyle packed on the pounds, increased body fat, and zapped my energy. I had 2 relatively easy pregnancies but Boy! was I ever tired. My youngest daughter is now 13 months old and I decided about 3 months ago that I needed to get in shape. I wanted to be healthy and fit and muscular and have lots of energy. I had lifted before in my life but not in a progressively increasing way and now I knew that I wanted to attack it with a vengeance. I started my research and realized that it's a 3 pronged attack...cardio, weights, and nutrition.

The nutrition was and still is my biggest challenge. I had not been eating nearly enough protein and I had spent most of my life being a confirmed refined sugar and processed food consumer. The cardio is my second biggest challenge. My body likes to hang onto its fat and I need lots of cardio to burn off that fat. I know there's lots of room for improvement here and I have a feeling that I'm going to have to step it up pretty soon to continue to see results. Weights are hard but fun to me and I love seeing the progress that I've been making. It took me only about a week to realize that *every* weightlifting workout was going to be Hard LOL! I think some part of me thought that it would get easier as time went by but then I had to admit to myself that if it wasn't hard, then it wasn't challenging my muscles to grow and develop.

With all my focus lately on fitness, I've not devoted any time to my former pursuits of knitting and spinning. During my last pregnancy, I basically had to stop as my carpal tunnel acted up pretty badly and I turned to cross-stitch. Of course during that time, I wasn't interested in fitness at all other than having a healthy pregnancy. I have found myself thinking about my fibery pursuits of the past (hence the name of my website Fiber Fever, which I've had for quite a few years now and was the result of my addiction to knitting, spinning, and all things fibery). I have unfinished projects (known as UFO's in the fiber world) and lots of *Stash* of fiber to spin and yarn to knit. But I find I either don't have the time or make the time to devote to it like I once did. I certainly can't manage the multiple projects I used to have going. Last night I pulled out a sweater that I've been working on...one that I started before my last pregnancy. I really love this pattern and intend to finish it. In fact, I would like to finish it by this winter. But I do know that I'm not going to finish it at the expense of my workouts. If it came to me having to choose between knitting and doing a workout, I would have to choose doing a workout. That's very surprising to see myself write those words. Prior to my fitness obsession, I would never have dreamed of giving up knitting time to exercise. But there it is...that's the truth of the matter.

I'm by no means at my fitness goals but I definitely have more energy and feel better about myself now than I did 3 months ago. My daughters see me exercise and my oldest (4 1/2 years old) "exercises" with me sometimes. But there's still a part of me that feels like I've abandoned something by not getting in my knitting and spinning projects. I mean, I was known by everyone around me for being a knitter and a spinner. Now that's not the case. I haven't been to the yarn store in months. I interact with a different group of cyber friends...those who are interested in fitness like I have become. I surf a completely different set of websites...those that are devoted to getting and staying fit. I read a different set of magazines...fitness oriented ones and not spinning or knitting related. Am I any less happy now? No. In fact, I would say that I'm happier now than I was before. Who wouldn't want to have more energy and feel better about how they look? I'm certainly not disappointed with my choice of "extracurricular" pursuits. In fact, I think it was really the only course for me to follow for my well-being, both mental and physical. I'm sure that I can carve out some time to keep knitting on that sweater and even if I don't get it finished this winter...well, there's always next year.

My chest and arms are pretty sore from yesterday's workout so I definitely did hit them pretty good like I thought. Today's workout was kind of a bust, though. I was still suffering the aftereffects of a migraine from last night and my head just wouldn't quit hurting. It really affected my lifting. But here goes...

CARDIO - Treadmill, 15 min at 70% MHR then Stationary Bike, 9 min at 70% MHR

Weights
BACK
Assisted Pull-up (Wide grip)
Set 1: 10x120# assistance

Seated Cable Low Row
Set 1: 12x50#
Set 2: 10x50#

TRICEPS
Dumbbell Kickbacks
Set 1: 9x7.5# (both left and right)
Set 2: 8x7.5# (both left and right)

Tomorrow, the plan is to do abs and cardio intervals. I'm also going to enter into a Push-Ups contest being held on the Michelle Berger BuffMother Yahoo group. My ultimate goal is to do 20 Standard push-ups by Jan 1, 2006. My intermediate goal is to do 20 Modified push-ups by Nov 1, 2005. Check the sidebar for my progress.

I am so proud of myself that I did my workout this morning! Mike was extremely supportive and encouraged me to do it as we both have lots to do today to get things ready for the upcoming work week. He was a doll and cleaned house yesterday while I was doing all the sewing/embroidery/mending that I had to to on his clothes. I have more sewing to do today, too. Anyway, on to my workout. My arms and chest were quivery afterwards, especially my arms, so I think I got a good hit on them.

CARDIO - Treadmill, 26 min at 65% MHR

Weights (30 sec rest between sets)
CHEST
Push Ups (on knees)
Set 1: 7
Set 2: 4
Set 3: 2

Incline Chest Press Bowflex
Set 1: 12x30#
Set 2: 10x40#
Set 3: 8x50#

Fly Bowflex
Set 1: 12x30#
Set 2: 10x40#
Set 3: 6x50#

BICEPS
Lying Curl Bowflex
Set 1: 12x30#
Set 2: 8x40#

Tomorrow, Back and Triceps with 20-30 minutes of steady state cardio.

Well, I didn't get a workout in yesterday, but I'd hardly call it a day of rest! I have lots of alterations to do to Mike's shirts and pants and I spent the day getting that going. Due to his short arms, I have to remove the cuffs and plackets, cut off the excess, and then remake the placket and sew the cuff back on. It takes me about 30 to 45 minutes per sleeve to do and there are 3 shirts to be done. I got 1 and 1/2 shirts finished yesterday so I will have to finish the shirts today and move onto the pants hemming. Uggghhhh, they're cuffed pants too. I hate those.

Oh, and don't forget that after I finish all that, I still have to adjust his logo bitmap that I created for his new company and get that embroidery done on the shirts. Gotta get bills done, groceries bought, clothes washed, house picked up...{Sigh}. I want and need to get a cardio workout in today but I also need some ME time. I'm just wondering if I'm actually going to get any actual REST on this holiday weekend. It's looking doubtful, and I get really crabby if I can't get any ME time when I'm off because I'm right back at it at my work on Tuesday.

I didn't do a real workout today like I'd planned. I did get some more walking in though, since we had to go to the mall to get some new clothes for Mike. The plan for tomorrow is to do cardio.

I didn't make it to the gym at lunch today to do my workout, but I did one when I got home. It was a bit difficult as I had to stop after each exercise to deal with kids, but Hey! I still got it done and I'm proud of that :-)

CARDIO - Treadmill, 18min at 70%MHR

Weights (~30 sec rest between sets)
SHOULDERS
Rear Delt Row Bowflex
Set 1: 12x20# (This is working here...)
Set 2: 10x30# (This is getting HARD!)
Set 3: 8x40# (This was HARD!)

Shoulder Press Bowflex
Set 1: 12x20#
Set 2: 10x40#
Set 3: 6x50# (Wow...this was really hard)

Lateral Shoulder Raises Bowflex
Set 1: 9x20# (Shooting for 12 reps...this is hard)
Set 2: 5x20# (Shoulders are just shot by this time)

CALVES
Bodyweight Standing Calf Raise
Set 1: 25 reps

I didn't get to do near as much calf work as I wanted...the perils of working out at home. The good thing is that my 4yo daughter really took an interest in what I was doing and did some "exercises" of her own.

Tomorrow is going to be cardio only day.