Small Epiphany

Monday, October 19, 2009

165#

I think that sometimes we cruise along oblivious to change. Sometimes that change is around us. Sometimes it is within us. Perhaps we are too busy evaluating other areas of our lives, scrutinizing them, trying to change them, that we miss important changes in other areas, changes that are really right under our noses.

In a lot of ways I have been a small bit of an emotional basketcase lately--for no reason at all really, except that estrogen is a bitch. As always, at least a piece of this dissatisfaction manifested itself in a frustration with how I look. A few days ago, though, I tried the pullup with only the black (~10-15#) band for assistance and darn near got my chest to the bar (My chin was there for sure)...almost got a full pullup with only that little bit of assistance, so I was dancing around, playing with my workout buddy, and generally being a fool when I started thinking about the workshop this weekend and how maybe, just maybe, with a little tweak in form I could do a full pullup this weekend (!). I have been quite excited, actually, about the possibilities this weekend holds for me both during the weekend itself and later as I apply the principles I hope to learn and come closer to mastering. As I was thinking about the almost pull up and the possibilities of the weekend, it hit me, that teeny epiphany, that small glimmer of personal insight. My journey has changed its course. In the beginning of the journey, I desperately wanted the aesthetic benefits. They were the focus of thought and planning while other, more performance-oriented goals, were secondary benefits I knew would come. I have by no means reached my aesthetic goals. On the contrary, I find my being so far from them a constant source of frustration. But...I find myself more concerned with losing the 25 or 30 extra pounds I need to lose more because doing so will most definitely make pull ups easier. Heck, if I were currently that light I'd be doing pull-ups! I find myself thinking more about the day I can do multiple pistols and pull ups and push ups at will than the day I look rockin' awesome in a bikini. Maybe that is more because right now the pull ups and pistols seem more attainable, but I like to think it's because in some small part, I have changed and come to see that function is way more fun than form.

TODAY'S WORKOUT: 5 5-rung ladders of black and purple-band assisted pull ups and perfect elevated pushups.

Between rungs:

1st ladder-knee together squats with one-legged pulses at the bottom.

2nd ladder-partial pistols 1/1

3rd ladder-plank x 30 sec

4th ladder-knee together squats, laddered reps

5th ladder- 4 burpees

Finished with 16 burpees.

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT: 75 Burpees, 5 min of 16kg snatches (80).

SATURDAY: No workout

FRIDAY'S WORKOUT: 5 rounds of

20kg press 2/2 Double 16kg press x 2

I'm getting 2 strict 20kg presses on the left for 3 rounds usually, then having to go to a push-press for one of the presses. On the right, I can do two strict presses for 1-3 rounds. I'm still not back to where I was with this before the pneumonia, but I'm getting there.

20kg Goblet squat x 5

Perfect pushup x 3

double 16kg OL Dead 3/3

High Plank x 30 sec

Burpee x 5

After the 5 rounds, I did 8 burpees to get my challenge numbers for the day then did 20kg Tabata swings.

THURSDAY'S WORKOUT: See today's workout, but add 45 burpees to the end.

WEDNESDAY: No workout.

TUESDAY'S WORKOUT: See Friday's workout, add 5 burpees at the end of the 5 rounds, and add 2 12kg TGu per side to the end.

Heart Attack Grill

Sunday, October 11, 2009

http://www.heartattackgrill.com/media.html

Maybe some of you have come across this place before now, but my first exposure to the Heart Attack Grill (see link above), was tonight at work when I walked by the television playing the Travel Channel as I was going to the restroom. At first I couldn't figure out what they were talking about but I hung around until I did. Burgers were smothered in cheese and mayonnaise. Instead of a salad bar, they have a french fry bar on which the fries are cooked in lard. People over 350 pounds eat free--every day. I was fairly taken aback, honestly, but then I applauded the owner for his originality. His was a marketing strategy to do what he can to make a buck. I get it, and "it" is brilliant. As they interviewed the patrons, however, I was disheartened. As one would expect, they were all corpulent, but they were also deluded and complacent, often stating in their brief interviews that they were glad they were already on cholesterol medicine.

I wonder, though, if these restaurant patrons even remotely begin to understand that even one meal like this has an immediate effect on their system. We tend to think of things like our nutritional intake in the cumulative, and ultimately, that is the most important thing. I, like most active and health-oriented people, believe in the mental health behind an occasional "cheat day" or "cheat meal." Complete glutinous debauchery like this, however, can have immediate ramifications. Within minutes of completing a high fat meal like this, our body is bombarded with its contents and is forced to deal with them. For some, the result is fat-laden blood like this (you might remember this pic from last year on my blog):

The blood on the right is what blood is supposed to look like after it's gone through the centrifuge. The blood on the left is the blood of a woman who had, in the last few hours, had a high fat meal. That stuff that looks like a cream layer on the top?...it's, well, a cream layer, a layer of fat on her blood, fat that was dispersed in the blood before the centrifuge.

How well do you think that blood functions? How smoothly do you think it flows through the tiny vessels of your heart, brain, kidneys, feet, and eyes? It functions so poorly in so many ways, in fact, that research is showing that the hours following a meal like one at the Heart Attack Grill actually show an increase in heart attacks (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0813/is_n4_v21/ai_15224643/).

Please don't misunderstand me. I appreciate capitalism and originality. I think the fellow who came up with this concept is absolutely brilliant, and I wouldn't picket or protest his business. Heck, I might even visit it on a cheat day. :) I wish, though, that ours was a world where a concept like this would wither and die for lack of business while the parking lot in front became the town's rowdiest tire-flipping, kettlebell swinging, rope flinging gathering place of people.

TODAY'S WORKOUT WAS A SHORT ONE: 6 minutes of 16kg snatches, 30 burpees.

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT: See the press/squat/push up/dead/plank/burpee workout above...BUT I got 3 (count them...THREE rounds of 2/2 strict presses with the 20kg!). I had to add some burpees to total correctly for the burpee challenge, too.

Proud To Be An RKC--A Year Later

Monday, October 5, 2009

163.5#

Though some people likely do not understand, being an RKC brings me as much pride as any other intellectual or physical achievement in my life. In many ways, I am more proud to be associated with the RKC than I am to be associated with other M.D.'s. This goes far beyond the physique most often seen on an RKC, but speaks more to the character that most of them have. RKC's are, as a rule, quality people on multiple levels who just happen to look awesome when scantily clad. So this weekend as I was posting flyers thru the gyms in Gainesville, I found myself feeling self-conscious. I was fixated on my flaws, preoccupied with wishing that the muscles in my arms were showing more, wishing my belly were less round. It's been a long time since I was embarassed to be me, but I blushed and ducked my head as I shook the hand of a very nice trainer at a boutique gym in Gainesville. All I could think about was how I wish I could represent the RKC better. I am 36 years old. I am a physician. I have a happy marriage, and I live life by my own rules (albeit with the occasional bit of guilt). By many standards, I am a very successful woman. I think it speaks pretty highly of an organization of people when I want so desparately to represent them well. (Now that I've reread this, it sounds a bit arrogant. I think you guys know what I mean, though.) I've thought a lot about this the last few days. To my fellow RKC's, I am still humbled to be in your midst.

TODAY'S WORKOUT:

5 rounds of:

20kg C&P/PP x 2/2, double 16kg C&Px2

I actually got 2 strict presses per side in 2 different rounds.(WOOHOO!).In the other rounds I got one strict press per side and one push press.

5 20kg goblet squats

3 perfect pushups

double 16kg one-legged deads x 3/3

high plank x 30sec

5 burpees

Rest 2 min

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT: 12kg VO2 Max Protocol. First 40 sets, 7 reps, Next 8 sets, 6 reps, 5 for the remainder of the 80 reps. (I'm thinking I need to reset my pace for this workout and work back up.)

43 burpees

SUNDAY: NO WORKOUT

Now for a little eye candy. ('Cuz everything's better with pictures, right?)...

I never thought Florida would have such wonderful wildflowers, but it does. I missed getting pics of the ones in the spring, so I wanted to make sure I got a few of the sweetpeas when I saw them this fall. They are FANTABULOUS! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. I took these about 200 yards down the road from my driveway.

The Y Factor

Monday 9.28.09

I suspect you've heard of "the X factor." In TV circles it is a British talent show. In my world, it is what I call that unexpected factor that threatens to derail well-laid nutritional plans--temptations at work, an unexpected celebratory dinner, unusual stressors. I suspect you know exactly what I mean. The X factor is a post unto itself.

This post, however, is about what I call my "Y factor," another term for how my mom and dad factor into my diet. Somehow around them I revert to the chubby little 13-year-old, ready to gobble up every morsel of food in sight. They offer, and I find my ability to politely decline completely absent. Part of this is a conscious decision on my part. I have made a deal with myself. My mom is 78-years-old; my dad is 73. No matter how badly I want time to stand still, they will not be a part of my life forever. One day, my mom's dinners and my dad's breakfast will be a savored memory, a dream that is the gift of peaceful sleep. There will be no more of Mom's cornbread, pecan pie or chocolate pie, no more of Dad's omelets and bacon. Sharing a meal with them will not be possible. So with them, I let things slide. I take every chance to eat their cooking, enjoy every bite eaten at the table with them. But then there are liberties I shouldn't take... Mom is as much of a sugar freak as I am, and I allow her to enable me a little much. Dad is a snacker, and I join in a bit too frequently. This is my Y factor.

For the last 26 days, I have been tussling with my Y factor. I don't regret it. I never really thought Mom and Dad would come see me, much less stay 26 days. I have enjoyed this time and treasured it. Today, though, they have gone back to Tennessee, and it's time to put the hammer down.

Mom taking an ice cream break in St. Augustine. The flag and light above are in the background.
St. Augustine Lighthouse

The 219 steps to the top of the lighthouse. Notice that not only do they not have backs to them, they also have holes in them--truly a test of my mettle.

Proof that I made it to the top and didn't flip completely out as I navigated those stairs. There was a time in my life when I would have had to crawl up them if I made it at all. As it was I was seriously hugging the tower and avoiding the rail at the top. LOL

Mom and me in front of the Fountain of Youth. Over my right shoulder, you can sort of see the hole in the ground that Ponce de Leon sought as the source of eternal youth.

TODAY'S WORKOUT:

5 rounds of:

20kg C&P x 1 then C&PP x 1 R then L

Double 16kg C&P x 2

Perfect pushups x 3

20kg goblet squat x 5

double 16kg single leg deads 3/3

high plank x 30 sec

5 challenge burpees

rest 2 min

17 burpees

YESTERDAY: NO WORKOUT, spent the day with Mom and Dad.

SATURDAY'S WORKOUT:

Black and Purple Band assisted pullups/elevated perfect pushups: 4 5-rung ladders.

knee together squats with one-legged pulses at bottom

partial pistols

plank x 30 sec

burpees (15 total)

FRIDAY: NO WORKOUT

Merging Passions

September 24, 2009
164.5#

I have been comtemplating taking my camera gear to the upcoming Hardstyle Ventura workshop and offering to do some photography work for the other RKC's there. Since I hadn't had a fellow girevik to use as a subject, I wanted to beg someone into being my guinea pig for use not only as a learning experience for me, but also as an example of what I'd have to offer those who might be interested in having some photos done. Fellow RKC Jon Alford and I have been working on getting together for a workout for a few months now, so when it looked like we'd be able to get together, I asked if he'd be sport enough to be my guinea pig. Not only was he sport enough, but he also was willing for me to share them with the world. Here are some of the results. To see the rest of what we got, check out http://oncearoundvenus.photoworkshop.com.

I really had a great time working out with Jon and his former client Gonzalo. Being a self-motivator has its advantages, but sometimes it's fun to be with others of a similar mindset. I'm sure it would be an amazing motivator to have folks like that around all the time.

WORKOUT:

5 Rounds of:

20kg C&P 1/1, 20kg C&PP 1/1, 12kg C&BUP 2/2

Perfect Pushups x 3 (Yes, I know that's totally wimpy, but it's mine and I'll own them)

20kg Walking lunges x 12

double 20kg deads x 7

High plank x 30 sec

rest x 2 min

16kg Tabata snatches--5 per set

30 Challenge Burpees in 3'58"

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT: 12kg VO2Max--76 rounds, the first 40 rounds were 7 reps, then I dropped to 6 reps for rounds 41-55, then I dropped to 5 reps. When I hit 4 reps at round 76, I just put the bell down. Hopefully I'll get back up to 80 soon. :(

12 challenge burpees

TUESDAY'S WORKOUT: Pullups/pushups, pistol work, burpees. See similar workout below. I'm still on 3 5-rung ladders.

NO WORKOUT MONDAY

The Ultratimer

Sunday, September 20, 2009
Off

As a friend recently brought to my attention, I do love my gadgets. As simple as I love my workouts to be, there is one gadget that is consistently by my side--my iPod. One obvious thing it contributes is the music. BUT the other thing that I have come to love is my Ultratimer application on my iPod. Don't get me wrong, I love the Gymboss. It's a fantastic gadget, and I'd still recommend it to anyone who asked. But the Ultratimer is a step beyond. I can set up a workout with as many intervals for as many different lengths of time as I like, AND I can save those workouts under a specific name to be used ad nauseum in the future. There are also multiple different sounds to use to start or finish an interval or round. Here are a couple of screen shots from my iPhone so you can see a bit of what it's like. The ap is $2 and worth 10 times that.WORKOUT:
None today.

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT:
Black and Purple Band Assisted Pull ups/Elevated Push Ups: 3 ladders of 5 Rungs each.
1st ladder had rungs separated by knee together squats with one-legged pulses at the bottom.
2nd ladder had partial pistols with 12kg counterbalance (also used in ladder one).
3rd ladder had 30 sec of plank per rung.

Then 3'47" of 30 Challenge Burpees.

FRIDAY: No workout.

THURSDAY'S WORKOUT: More to come about this little treat later.

WEDNESDAY'S WORKOUT: None

TUESDAY'S WORKOUT: VO2 Max Workout Ass-kicking. 12kg for 66 rounds. 1st half for 7 reps, second for 6. It seriously kicked my butt.

MONDAY'S WORKOUT:
20kg C&P/PP x 2/2, 12kg C&BUP x 2/2
5 Elevated Perfect Pushups
20kg Walking lunges x 12
Double 20kg deads
high plank x 30sec
rest 2 min

I actually was able to get 4 strict 20kg presses on the right and 5 on the left.

SUNDAY'S WORKOUT:
See yesterday's workout.

Immersion Therapy

Wednesday, 9.9.9
Off-161.5#

I hate spiders.

I don't mind most other creepy, crawly critters. Snakes? No problem. Ok, I hate scorpions, too, but spiders, well, they are Satan-spawn. Hate 'em. And you see, Florida is spider heaven. They're frikkin' everywhere! I was well aware of this fact when I bought into this deal, and decided just to suck it up and deal with it. Spiders eat mosquitoes, and the only thing more plentiful in Florida than spiders is mosquitoes. Hate them too. As a rule, I try not to kill things. Bad karma. Everything is here for a purpose and all that jazz. Spiders and mosquitoes are fair game--especially if they're in the house. As a part of my attempting to overcome my aversion, a few months ago when this gal (look at the white space just to the right of the word "Cameo") moved into the neighborhood in and around my pull up bar, I chose to just leave her there and see what came of it. We made an agreement: I would leave her alone. She would leave me alone. Thus began my tenuous relationship with an arachnid workout buddy. The body on this joker, with NO exageration, is as big as my thumb. I almost renigged on our original agreement today, though, when I got ready to start my workout and she was fighting a hornet that captured in her web. As creepy as that was, it was nothing compared to watching her spin a web around the hornet, carry it to the center of the web then suck its bug guts out. I get chill bumps just writing about it! She's still there, though, and with the help of her friends (see video below), I'm slowly growing less repulsed by the 8-legged critters in our yard.



WORKOUT:
3 5-rung black and purple band-assisted pullups/elevated perfect pushups
Ladder 1: squats with single leg pulse at bottom on each rung
Ladder 2: partial pistols
Ladder 3: 30sec plank.
30 Challenge Burpees