WTF?!

Monday, April 27, 2009

Work--163.5#

As I was milling through Gainesville's gym options for various and sundry reasons, I came across this pic...

This guy's one of the founders of that particular gym. I guess it's safe to say they don't have an RKC at that particular facility...

WORKOUT: Double 16kg C&P/Row 3 ladders of 4 rungs with 30 sec b/w rungs and 2 min b/w ladders. The last press of the last rung of the last 2 ladders was a pushpress. The last time I did this workout I was able to strictly press all the reps.

Double 16kg squats. 3 ladders of 3 rungs. Same rest scheme.

6 sets of 30 sec snatch L/30sec R/30 sec rest with the 16kg.--Got 9/side most rounds.

This was a solid workout if not my best performance. I'm not sure if my tad bit of residual nausea/illness was the culprit or if it was a result of my poor attendance rate over the last week or so. Regardless,I anticipate a better performance next time around.

Today is the first day in a week my nutrition has been spot on.

Cedar Key

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Work 8p-8a--161.5#

So here I am 4 days in a row without a formal workout. Friday was a seriously crappy dive day. Did I mention crappy?! Thursday I just didn't get one in, and Saturday I spent curled in the fetal position trying not to puke my guts up. I was only partially successful. Today I was partially recup-ed but seriously dehydrated, so I decided it wasn't wise to jump back into the workout just yet. I'll get back to it when I get up this afternoon.

I've been pondering what Mr.Whitley lovingly calls "General Badassedness" here lately. More on that later.

In the meantime, I thought I'd post these pics from our recent trip to Cedar Key last weekend...

After we took the frikkin' leftward bound kayak on a two-mile trip, we went on a sunset cruise. If you look closely, you can see 3 of the several dolphins who escorted us.

Here's the sunset we were rewarded with...

The Cedar Key pier. The next day we took the fraidy-dog out for a ride on a pontoon boat. After trying to convince us that the world was going to come to an end if we didn't get off the boat, she settled into it and had a good time. Here's proof.

My favorite pic from the week...I had to sneak it really fast.We stayed at the Gulfside Motel. Here's the office.

Here are our friends Wayne and Janet who just got married in January.

This great mosaic is in the middle of town, and the musicians were on site for the Old Florida Celebration of the Arts.A view of the streets with the booths...

The local Methodist church...

WORKOUT: Not a damn thing since that dive on Friday.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Work 8p-8a, 162#

...THAT'S what little girls are made of.

I've been thinking a lot the last few days about a premise that actually hit home to me for the first time over a year ago. It's simple, really, but nonetheless, it can be difficult to remember and even more difficult to apply.

You are what you eat.

Our bodies are constantly rebuilding from the inside out. About every 7-8 years (I forget the exact statistic, and I'm too lazy to look it up right now) we turn over almost all the cells in our body. Many of us work out in hopes of forming new muscle or honing the muscle we have, a task that requires our body to build. The only thing that our body has with which to build is what we supply it. What we consume in food and fluids is all our body has to use. If we feed our bodies junk, our amazing, wonderful bodies will do the best with what they have, but the result will not be optimum, and the effort our body has to expend to obtain even that suboptimum result will be far greater than if we gave it good things with which to work from the beginning. It's really that simple...and that complicated.

To lighten it up a little bit...Here are some more pics from my nephew's wedding. These are of the reception at the Bristol Bar and Grill at the Sheraton Hotel, Jeffersonville, IN. They did a fantastic job.

How cute an idea is this? And the cupcakes were much easier to serve than a cake is. The citrus fruit in these centerpieces made the reception hall smell wonderful.
A tour in Bahrain keeping America safe but she'll always will be Mama's little girl.

Yes, they really did do the cake smoosh that well! It was awesome, and Jess didn't sweat it for an instant.

The groom's dad (my brother) brags on his new daughter-in-law.

If you look closely, you can see the moon in the upper right corner.

The Louisville skyline... TODAY'S WORKOUT: Run 1 mile with Abbie in 11'7"--10 sec less than last week. Then 4 rounds of...

30sec of 20kg swings

sprint 40yards

5 burpees

jog 40 yards

Rest 2 min.

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT: "Better Me" Workout with planks thrown in--25 sec of plank, high plank, right and left plank. I'm adding these in hopes of their improving my pushup.

Today and yesterday I was just NOT feeling it. Both days have felt very uncoordinated and I just couldn't find a groove.

NUTRITION: Other than the 6 lifesaver mints I've had a work tonight, my nutrition has been satisfactory. Still needs tweaking, but the last two nights have been the best one's I've had with regard to nutrition in a long time.

Sunday, April 19, 2009
Off--164#

Our trip to Cedar Key was a much-needed break. We have had an amazing long weekend. We started out with a 4 hour, 5 mile, kayak around the other keys. The hubby and I are moderately experienced paddlers (albeit calm water paddling), and have never had an issue with our kayak persistently veering one way or another. For the entire trip through these little islands, though, this frikkin' kayak wanted to go nowhere but left. I'll bet we paddled 5 strokes on the left for every 1 stroke on the right. It was UNBELIEVABLY frustrating. Despite the frustrations, though, we had a fun time, and topped off the afternoon with a pontoon boat cruise to watch the sunset which was spectacular.
On Friday we actually even got our scaredy-dog on a pontoon boat and out to North Key where we played on the beach. I couldn't believe it! She's scared of her own shadow, hates to ride in the car, and the wind makes her tremble in her paws. She was such a brave girl, though, and eventually stopped trembling and maybe even enjoyed the ride. And seeing her walk the shallow water along the beach was hilarious.
We finished up the weekend with the arts festival on Saturday and a campfire tonight. It's been wonderful. Pics of lots of this to come soon.

Two weeks ago Saturday I went to Louisville to photograph my nephew's wedding as his wedding gift from me. It was my third wedding ever to have the opportunity to shoot. I had a great time despite the stress of it all. Here are some samples of the day...

This is Jess's friend Jarrod. Apparently he was a contestant at some point on American Idol--actually on TV.

TODAY'S WORKOUT: None
YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT: AOS Essentials test with 16kg. 16kg snatch tabata intervals x 2, 16kg swing x 9 minutes with 4 interspersed episodes of 30sec of rest.
FRIDAY'S WORKOUT: Double 16kg C&P/Row, 3 4-rung ladders, and 3 3-rung ladders of squats, then 6 rounds of 30sec snatch L/30sec snatch R, 30sec rest
THURSDAY'S WORKOUT: Paddle, Paddle, and more paddle
WEDNESDAY'S WORKOUT: Rest day

NUTRITION:...Okay, maybe we'll talk about the plan. I'll be starting my run at the Zone this week.

Really Quickly

Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Work--165.5#

Really quickly...I didn't post my diet last night or my workout. My nutrition was sound except for the piece of homemade chocolate cake. Yeah, I know, but at least I'm owning it.

Today's nutrition:
6oz Pork roast, 2tbsp feta cheese, 1tbsp low fat honey mustard dressing, 2 tbsp walnuts, 3c mixed greens, 1/2 small potatoes, 8 whole wheat ritz crackers. 2tbsp raisins.
venti nonfat latte (really bad mood going to work and thought this might help)
bionic whey protein bar, one dove caramel chocolate
1c strawberries, 1 string cheese
1 apple, 2tbsp PB
1630 calories 74.4g grams fat40% 135g carbohydrates32% 114.8g protein 28%

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT: Better Me workout= 5 rounds of...
2 purple and black band assisted pullups/5pushups AMAP in 2 min
...got 3 sets in 3 of the 5 rounds, 2 + a little in the other 2 rounds..
2/2 assisted pistols
run 100yards
5 burpees, 1/1 20kg C&PP, 5 box jumps

TODAY'S WORKOUT: VO2 max workouts 12kg 60rounds.--got 7 reps most rounds, in the middle of the workout got 8 reps for several rounds. The trick to increasing the reps is hip snap and really driving the bell--as well as being cocked and ready AS SOON AS the buzzer goes off.

Honesty

Easter Sunday, April 13, 2009
Work--162#
Few people who know me in the tangible world read my blog. Few even know it exists. I have hesitated to give the web address to people in my family; of my 3 siblings only one has the address. I think I am hesitant because I worry about these people seeing what truly transpires in the scary place that is my brain. These thoughts and words I share here are more honestly and purely me than any I share aloud. Writing my thoughts has always been easier for me than saying them. And writing them here has proven to be very cathartic for me. Through these "pages" and the feedback of friends I have made here, I have learned to be honest with myself in ways I'm not sure I could have otherwise. I have learned to accept myself and my actions and change the things I do not like, keep the things I do. In truth, I have learned that when I am not honest with myself, I am hurting noone but myself. And why would I put in all this work to do that? Some people are sometimes surprised by the things I share here; sometimes I suppose I am too. Honestly, though, I would have it no other way.

TODAY'S WORKOUT: 1 mile in 11'17"--with Abbie. She definitely slows my mile down, actually starts cussing me at a little over 1/2 mile. By the last 10th of a mile, I am letting out the leash to givemyself some lead time. She's worth it though. Despite all her grumbling she smiles for hours afterward.
16kg Tabata snatches, 1 min rest
20kg Tabata swings, 1 min rest
16kg Tabata swings, 1 min rest

NUTRITION:
3oz filet mignon, 2c of squash, zuchinni, onions, mushrooms.
1c strawberries, 1.5oz mixed nuts
1 banana, 1 string cheese
Bionic Whey Protein bar
Apple, 2 tbsp peanut butter
topping off one slice of pizza ( I REALLY wanted the whole piece!)
6 dove dark chocolate pieces.
1742 Calories, 100gm fat (51%), 131 gm carbohydrates (30%), 86gm protein (20%)

Floods

Saturday, April 11, 2009
Off--163.5#

Local rivers are flooding as a result of rains over the last 2 weeks in Southern Georgia, so we played redneck today and drove around looking at the high waters. Eventually, they are supposed to reach heights greater than the floods in 2004, and likely higher than the ones in 1998. The 1948 flood has us beat, though. Here are a few of the pics.

Suwanee River Bridge at Luraville

The Suwanee River at Branford.

If you blow this up, you'll see a sign that says "Hey, Obama, send me a bailout."

WORKOUT: 1 Go-round of AOS 1200--so I guess that makes it AOS 400. I did all the doubles work with double 12's, the snatches at the end of the rounds with a 12kg, all the other single kb work with the 16 except the suitcase deadlift and the high pulls which I did with the 20. I wasn't sure what the lunge cocktail was so I did a walking lunge with double 12's with a single alternating press between each lunge. The plank section sucked, and I'm wondering if that could be a significant contributor to my pushup issue. I did it in pretty much 44 min. This is a good workout. I definitely was sweating with it, feeling it. I like the way each round ends with snatches, and I like that it's definitely a butt-kicker. I've got mixed feelings about all the different exercises. In some ways the variety is nice, but by the same token, in some ways the progress seemed disjointed and a little schizophrenic. I think I've become accustomed to the feeling of progressing ladders through a few nice basic exercises-ones I used to think were boring. Funny, huh?

NUTRITION: 1/2 of a Subclub Salad with 4 Club crackers, a tbsp of olive oil and 2tbsp vinegar.
1.5 oz of deluxe mixed nuts, 1/2 piece sourdough bread brushed with butter, 1 serving fried okra, 1/2 c spaghetti, 1/2 marinara, 1 breaded chicken breast, 1oz mozzarella, 3 hushpuppies. 16 oz skim milk.
Yes, I know this wasn't optimal. It was a compromise. I did get groceries, but I also got a migraine AGAIN (4th day in a row). So I didn't cook. We ate out, and I didn't make the best choice there, but I didn't make the worst either--and knowing I was going to post it here DID make a difference. :)
Calories 1409, Fat 68.4gms/44%, Carbs 135gms/38%, Protein 62.5 gms/18%

Why is it SO hard to remember 2 very basic ideas: No good deed goes
unpunished. & You can't please everyone?

Sent from my iPhone

Off the Wagon? Relapsed? Out of Remission?

Thursday, April 9, 2009 (The 9TH? Really?! I hadn't even gotten used to putting March yet!)
Work--166# (Yep, keep reading.)

Getting on the scale every morning is a neccessity for me despite many "experts" saying that it is counterproductive. It grounds me for that day, gives me a dose of reality, reminds me I am not one of those people who is blessed with a naturally slender build. More importantly, when I stop weighing, I start gaining weight. I have tested this over the years and found it to be an absolute truth for me. Of course, on the days I know my weight is going to be down or unchanged, getting on that scale isn't difficult. Days like today, though, when I can feel the extra weight like sandbags packed around my middle, pushing at my thighs, rearranging my clothes, I find myself tempted to stray away from that dose of reality. Thinking that tomorrow will be better, that waiting a few days will be less painful, avoiding the scale becomes tempting. In the past, I have given in to that temptation and one day away becomes two which becomes 6 months and the next thing I know, I'm a whale. So today (and the last couple months) I fought the temptation and fought my demons on the scale. That 166 pounds I saw today was brutal, though.

I suppose that it should not have been. I know from whence it came. Gradually, since our arrival here, I have allowed refined carbohydrates to worm their way back into my diet. It started with croutons and crackers with my salads and progressed to white breads and breaded foods, and now has become full-blown debauchery as I cave to the candy and chips and other pure crap that sits around in the ER. Living 15 miles from the nearest grocery store, my routine of shopping to keep good foods available has fallen by the wayside, and I come to work with no food with me, leaving me open to poor decisions, more tempted by the junk since I have no acceptable alternative. My days start off focused and controlled and digress to complete embarassment. After all, it's easy to say it doesn't matter when you have little to choose from and gave up your food journal months ago, thinking you'd just see what happened without it.

And the salient points of failure become...
1. Not journaling my food.
2. Not routinely getting groceries.
3. Eating too many refined carbohydrates, not enough protein.
4. Failing to plan.

So to obtain different results, I must change these behaviors. To do just this, I must have a plan of action. That plan will be to...
1. Start my food journal again. I will be tracking on http://www.myfooddiary.com/, but I will also be posting a more basic food journal here at the end of my posts. I don't expect you guys to read it (though if you happen to, PLEASE send me a virtual kick in the ass if I need it). Posting a reference to it here will provide me a sense of accountability I lack otherwise.
2. Get groceries on my way home from work at the end of each work stretch, and maybe on my first day back if need be.
3. Get my macronutrient ratios back in control, and fuel myself well.
4. Always have a plan, and a backup plan.

As sad as this might be, you are my friend base. You, more than anyone other than my hubbie, hear my fears and concerns, suffer my tantrums and tirades. SO...my dear friends, please keep me honest.

WORKOUTS: Before today, I have taken the last week off. I had an unbelievable amount of stuff on my proverbial plate and the time in the cycle had come, so I just took the week off. I had planned to start back yesterday but woke up with a monster migraine. Sometimes I workout anyway, and they actually go away as a result. I didn't think that that was going to be one of those, though, so I took medicine and went back to sleep. Didn't help...So today when the same situation arose, I just got up and got to work. Waddaya know?... No more migraine.

TODAY: 3 4-rung ladders of double 16kg C&P
then 3 3-rung ladders of double 16kg squats
then 6 sets of 30sec 16kg snatch L, 30 sec R, 30 sec rest.

After the first couple of rungs, I fell into the groove and this really felt great. I only had to pushpress once. :)

NUTRITION: I started the day well with a salad without croutons or crackers, dressed with vinegar and oil and a chicken breast with salsa and cheese.
Then....I got hungry at work and had nothing good for me, sooooo. I have eaten 8 or 10 tortilla chips with salsa. 1/2 a piece of cheesecake, innumerable miniature (bitsized?) Butterfingers, one Reese's egg, 8 malted milk eggs and a McDonald's crispy Chicken Ceasar salad. 12 gummy bears. I can at least boost my protein for the day, so I'll also have a 2-scoop shake of Bionic Whey protein.
I wasn't going to admit to all this since I don't even know for sure how much of all of it I ate, but in the interest of sucking it up and making the change, here it is.

Busy Week

Monday, April 6, 2009
Work 8p-8a--163#

As busy as I seem to stay, this last week has been even busier, but it has been a great deal of fun. I went into the week with the knowledge that structured workouts would be few and far between but that the week would be an active one. I did manage to get in 3 "real" workouts, lots of swimming and one serious limb-wrestling session. Our friends, the hubbie and I started the week out with a day of kayaking on the river. Here are some photos from that expedition. They're taken with a disposable waterproof camera, so they're of less-than-perfect quality.

Me and the hubbie.

We spent the next day in St. Augustine, one rainy day watching movies and their last day snorkeling. It was really a good visit. I'll post more pics with this week's workouts as they come along.