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Showing posts from July, 2012

Jazzercise Vs. Lifting Weights

Almost every time I see my mom she says something about needing to start working out. My mom is really not in bad shape, besides having a belly. She stays really active but just doesn't do any type of structured exercise. Well, she says to me the other day that she wants to start doing Jazzercise and Yoga. Now, I have nothing against those things at all, so don't think I'm bashing Jazzercise....BUT I told her that what she really  needs to be doing at her age is strength training, especially because she told me she already has low bone density. Jazzercise is all fine and dandy to stay active, but it's just not the best program for building muscle, gaining strength, or building bone density-all of which are extremely important as you grow older. Many older people think that walking or doing aerobics is just as good as lifting weights, but the truth is, it's not the same thing at ALL. There's nothing wrong with aerobics, and it should be included as part

Family Time :)

We went out to my mom's house yesterday, and I was finally able to see my sister after 6 months! She seems to be doing pretty good...just wish I could see her more!

Things I Learned From Mary:

-I absolutely despise pistol squats and am horrible at them. -If I ever thought burpees were my least favorite exercise, I was wrong. -I need to do more pistols. -I LOVE handstand pushups! -I have gotten SO much better at kipping pullups...even though I haven't done them in over 6 months! -Doing 115 pullups in 20 minutes will wreck your hands. Ouch. -I have missed this "sore all over can't walk or straighten my arms" feeling! -I always surprise myself by what I can do! -Working out in a group is not as scary as I always thought. -I don't see how I used to do this to myself every day!

CrossFittin' Friday

I was so excited to get my new Live Love Lift tank from Fashletics in the mail yesterday! I entered a photo contest they were doing on Facebook a while back and won, and this was my prize! LOVE the color. :) So tonight I'm going to do CrossFit again! I'm hoping that I'll be less scared the more I go! I am going to try to do it every Friday. The WOD today is "Mary", and it's one that I never did back when I was CrossFitting. Mary: -20 min amrap- 5 handstand pushups 10 pistols, alternating 15 pullups I know all those pullups are gonna be tough, AND I am horrible at pistols. So it should be interesting! Aaagghhhh, I'm scared!

What I Ate & Workout Wednesday

Today's workout: ( Leg day, woo hoo!!) Warmup & abductor exercises Box jumps: 4 sets of 6, ~24" Back squats: warmup sets, then 135x8-7-7(kept these lighter today and didn't push the reps) Barbell glute bridge 4 sets of 10 (first time using 135lbs!) 1 set each of : super high bench step up, low step up, reverse lunge from deficit: 20lb dumbbells x10 reps on last two exercises Situps, leg raises(2 sets each) superset with seated calf raises(4 sets of 15) Here's a vid of me doing barbell glute bridge with 135lbs for the first time. I've been practicing these for a few weeks now with just bodyweight and light weights to make sure I'm really getting a good glute contraction and not using my lower back. The weight felt pretty good, however, from watching the video, I think I need to get a little more hip extension at the top. My hip flexors are super tight, so that may be part of the reason. I'll probably drop the weight next time, but it wa

Fitness Shoot

An old friend from highschool who does photography wanted to use my husband and me as guinea pigs for her first fitness shoot. I think we got some pretty cool shots!

It's Mental

So I'm not gonna lie-some of the food I ate this weekend consisted of zebra cakes(LOVE those things!), Oreos, Sunchips, and fried fish! I guess it really is true that when you tell yourself you can't have something - you just want it even more! For the past few weeks I cut back on some carbs and calories for some photos I was having taken this past weekend. My mindset most of the time is that I can eat anything I want, I just choose not to for my health and physique goals. I've never really ever been on a strict diet as far as restricted calories or extremely low carb or anything-I've just always tried to make healthy choices without worrying TOO much about calories and macros. So, of course, knowing that I "couldn't" have little bites of something here and there, or a piece of chocolate after dinner, or a treat throughout the week if I wanted to, made me crave things more than I normally would. I had all of these foods that I "couldn't"

If God is Enough, You'll Always Have Enough!

 I just thought I'd share today's devotional from Max Lucado. It spoke to me, so maybe it will speak to someone else who needs to hear this today!  God is Enough   Let’s face it–anxiety or worry have no advantages! They ruin our health, rob us of joy, and change nothing ! Our day stands no chance against the terrorists of the Land of Anxiety. But Christ offers a worry-bazooka. Remember how He taught us to pray ? “Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 6:11” This simple sentence unveils God’s provision plan: live one day at a time. Worry gives small problems big shadows. Corrie ten Boom said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows; it empties today of its strength.” And Romans 8:28 affirms: “Every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” Most anxiety stems, not from what we need, but from what we want. Philippians 4:4 says, “delight yourselves in the Lord, yes, find your joy in Him at all times!” If God is enough, you’l

How I Train Abs

I have a confession: as much as I love to work out, I hate training abs! It has never been fun to me or something that I focus on. I do have to admit though that all through middle school and highschool I did tons and TONS of crunches all the time...because back then I had the mindset that the more crunches I did, the better my stomach would look( if only )! Well, now of course I know that's not really true and that's it's mostly nutrition that produces 6 pack abs. I didn't realize that I couldn't get the stomach I wanted because I was eating Happy Meals and Reese cups every day( oh, to be a teenager again )! Now that I eat much healthier, I can finally see the abs I was never able to see before. Although I have now come to the conclusion that I will never have 6 pack abs, as that would require extremely strict dieting and very low body fat and is just not worth it to me. So a 2 or 4 pack will have to do. ;) My abs routine when I was doing bodybuilding

Hodge Podge....

And the winner of the CrossFit games for the 2nd year in a row is....Rich Froning! I have to admit I've had a little crush on Rich since I first started doing CrossFit. ;-) I love the fact that he is a Christian and not ashamed of it! So anyways, I just had to note that I had a lady tell me at the gym today that I was "skinny as a rail." Well, thank you very much, I really appreciate that! Exactly the look I'm going for....NOT.  It's hard for me not to let comments like that get to me. I don't want to look skinny, dang it! Uuggghhh! I may be having some photos taken this weekend, but as soon as that is over with it's back to stuffing my face again. Sooo....I hope everyone had a great weekend! One of my cousins got married Saturday, so that was all that our weekend consisted of. It was good to see some of my family since we haven't gotten together in a while. Here are a few pics: My hot date! My cousin and 2nd cousin-they ar

CrossFit!

So last night I got up the guts to do another WOD with Black Label CrossFit , the CrossFit box at the gym where I work.  I conquered my fear of training with a group when I did a workout with the class a couple of months ago, but that didn't make it any less scary yesterday! I was nervous and anxious all day, with a nauseous feeling in my stomach whenever I thought about the workout. That feeling of fear I think is part of the reason why I quit doing CrossFit regularly! It got to the point that I was more nervous and sometimes even almost dreaded my WOD because I knew it was going to hurt so bad! CrossFit is such a mental thing, and that's why I wanted to do it again yesterday with the group. It's not so much about the actual workout for me but about getting out of my comfort zone, and pushing myself past the point when I would usually stop. It's about getting mentally stronger. And even though I wouldn't want to go back to doing workouts like that every sing

Leg Day and WIAW

I love leg day!!!!!!!!!!  All my back/hip issues are pretty much gone, so I am thrilled! I just have to keep up with my stretching, foam rolling, mobility, and glute strengthening and not slack on it so that I won't have those issues ever again-it was horrible! Today's workout started with hang power cleans with some split jerks thrown in with some of them. Here's me doing a clean and jerk with 120lbs, which is around my bodyweight right now: I really LOVE Olympic lifts!! Wish I had someone to coach me on them to really get my technique better, though. I know there are some things I need to work on. After the cleans, I did back squats working up to 160lbs(getting back up there!), barbell hip thrusts(added more weight this week-workin' on this booty!), back extensions, and then box jumps and ball pikes. It was a fun workout! So here's what I'm eating today: 8:00 1/2 cup oats, 1 scoop Syntha-6, 2 tbsp PB2 11:00 PWO-almond milk, vanilla

Do You LIVE in the Gym?

I was walking out of church the other day, and I saw this lady keep looking at me. Finally, she came up to me and said, "Please tell me you LIVE in the gym!" I laughed and said something like, "No, not at all!" I'm sure she probably took that comment as me being sarcastic and that I really DO live in the gym. But the truth is, I  DON'T !! I go to the gym 4 days a week. My workouts don't last over an hour. That's only 4 hours out of 168 hours in a week!! I don't spend even HALF of my day in the gym(well, I kind of do since I WORK at a gym, but you know what I mean)! My workouts are short but effective. I lift heavy, sometimes walk a few times a week(although I haven't even done that in the last month or two), and eat as healthy as I can.  I've been doing that consistentl y  for a LOT of years, and that is how I've gotten results. 

Sometimes

Sometimes.... I have anxiety over food. Not  about the structure of my eating or anything like that, but because sometimes... I just want to eat bad! Sometimes... I just want junk food!  Sometimes... I just want a bowl of cereal for a meal instead of a perfectly balanced amount of protein, fat, and healthy carbs! Sometimes.... But most of the time , I love the way I eat. Why? Because it makes me feel good and look good. I'd much rather have occasional anxiety because I can't eat certain foods than to have constant anxiety or feeling down about myself because I hate the way I look and feel. Sometimes.... you gotta give up what you love for something you love more . I love sweets and junk food and would seriously live off cereal, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Doritos, if I could. But what I love more is being fit, looking lean, and feeling good. And that's not just sometimes, but ALL the time.

Banana Shake and Healthier PB & J

Happy Friday! :) I just got back from the gym and thought I'd share something new I tried today for my post workout protein shake. Banana pudding protein shake: 1/2 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk A few ice cubes 1/2-3/4 banana ~1 tbsp banana flavored instant pudding 1 scoop vanilla whey protein Blend and enjoy! Okay, so....I  LOVE peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I mean, who doesn't? That's one thing I probably miss the most since I started eating healthier! Lately what I've been having for my post workout meal along with my eggs is a healthier variation of a pb & j sandwich-raw almond butter and all natural fruit preserves on Ezekiel bread. It's yummy! Not quite the same as a pb&j...but close enough! So anyways, today was deadlift day! I was able to work up to 165lbs with the trap bar for 5 reps. Still trying not to do too much too fast, but they didn't bother my back at all. I also practiced some sumo deadlifts for th

I Am Not a Fan

I recently read the book, "Not a Fan" by the pastor of our church, Kyle Idleman, and I just wanted to share what it spoke to ME. This book opened my eyes to the way that I've been living as a "follower" of Jesus Christ.   I thought I was doing pretty good, living the Christian life, trying my best to put Him first, reading the Bible every day, tithing, and all that good stuff. But after reading this book I was forced to ask the question: was I really living my life as a true follower of Jesus....or just a fan ?? Reading this book made me view my life in a different way. I realized that life is not just about ME , MY pleasure, or MY happiness, and that's not what we should be seeking in life. What it's really about is thinking outside of yourself. It's about serving others, putting others above yourself, and  getting rid of your selfishness. Being a true follower is about glorifying and honoring God in everything that you do every single day.

Haha ;)

Ya'll know how much I LOVE cardio! ;)

Workout Plan and Frozen PB Protein Cups

Last night I made some of my yummy protein "Reese cups". These are sooo good and perfect for a summer treat! I use 1 scoop chocolate peanut butter flavored protein(Syntha-6), 1 big spoonful of peanut butter, 1 tbsp cocoa, and 4 oz water-just blend and freeze for about an hour. Super easy! So here is my current training plan: Monday: Upper body+5-10 minute finisher Tuesday: OFF Wednedsay: O-lift +Lower body+finisher Thursday: OFF or sprints Friday: Upper body Saturday : O-lift+Lower body+finisher My reps are usually between 5 and 10, and I like using the  reverse  pyramid technique(heaviest sets first, then decreasing weight and increasing reps on each set). Or sometimes I do a few heavy sets(4-6 reps) and then one light set after that for higher reps. I'm still not using my workout log, but I am trying to stick to somewhat of a plan in my head, just not obsessing over following it exactly! Just going by how I feel and what I feel like d