Lindsay's Ramblings

Last week was my first week back to following some sort of a plan and my first time squatting, benching, and deadlifting since the meet! It was really kind of fun to bench and squat more than 3 reps! Bench felt pretty heavy with a weight that used to feel easier, but squats actually felt pretty good. I decided to work on sumo deads again for a little while just because I suck at them. And yeah...they felt really hard! From now on I'm going to start squatting twice a week, but I decided not to this week just because Saturday I was still sore from squats on Wednesday! I figure I'll ease myself into it. These last few weeks I've just been so sore from doing things I haven't done in a few months. My focus with these workouts is going to be on improving week to week in some way, whether it's an extra set, more reps, a heavier weight for the same reps, or just better/slower form. Building muscle is ALL about progressively challenging yourself-you just can't d...

I had a wonderful Christmas, and I hope that you all did as well. Not only did I "survive" the holidays(hate hearing people say that), I thrived! I enjoyed them to the fullest, yummy treats and all, and I wouldn't have it any other way!    We had a fun time this year watching Celeste open all her presents at Mom's house Christmas Eve.   Here are some of our annual family photos! I'm so thankful to have a family to spend the holidays with. I'm thankful that I have my "real" sister back and that Jesse isn't such a little meanie anymore. ;) 2 years ago we spent Christmas in the hospital not knowing if Mom was gonna make it, so I'm also thankful that she is alive and doing great! My sister and Celeste with her boyfriend and his daugter We couldn't get a good one with Celeste looking at the camera! Brother and sister! :)   My LOVE!  The day after Christmas is hard for me. I normally feel a little down and dep...

LET'S PUT CHRIST FIRST Let's put Christ first in Christmas For that's where he belongs,  Before the chorus of Jingle Bells Let's praise our Lord in song.  Before the merry ho! ho! ho!  Let's have a quiet thought Of that first Christmas long ago,  The changes that it wrought. We know him well when we see him A baby in a manger,  But when we see him as a man He then becomes a stranger.  Let's praise our Lord and Saviour As we celebrate his birth,  And when the season's over Let us still put him first. -Mary Melton      

Came home Friday from work to this from my sweet husband.  We don't do big birthday celebrations, just usually dinner at our favorite restaurant. Saturday we went to Longhorn since they have my favorite dessert ever-chocolate stampede!  I maaay have overdone it a bit, since I ate my whole meal plus my half of the dessert. But it was worth it. :) Sunday was my mom's side of the family Christmas get together, so I got to see Celeste, yay! Didn't stuff myself since I had so much food the day before. I just loaded up on turkey and green beans, with a a few bites of mashed potatoes. Okay...and maybe a bourbon ball or two. ;) Every Christmas party doesn't have to be a "free-for-all"! Last week was another week of not following a plan, pretty much just making up my workouts as I went. I realized later that I ended up doing a finisher after every workout, which I normally don't do. But because I still wasn't doing the big, heavy lifts this w...

Happy Friday! 1)Soo...I'm 30. That sounds weird to say. Ha! It's really not a big deal to me though, since I still feel and act like I'm 20....and that's all that matters, right? For my 30th birthday, everything in my workout today was 30 reps. It was fun! 2)I got a free birthday donut today from Krispy Kreme! Yup, I did. And it was delicious. 3)I have a new favorite thing-caramel rice cakes. Put some peanut butter on top, and oh... my gosh. My new bedtime snack! 4)Here are some of my fave articles I've read over the last couple months. Check check check 'em out! Good stuff. Stay True To Your Beliefs Stop Dieting 20 Ways To Train Smarter How You Can Stop Being a Cardio Bunny Today 5 Reasons You Aren't Getting Stronger 10 Rules of the Insanely Strong 5)I'm loving this song right now....I heard it at church last weekend and had to look it up. I just think it's so pretty, and I love her voice! Have a great weekend !

As I reflect more on my powerlifting meet, I've thought of a few things I'd do differently for my next one:   *Start heavier for squats, or at least go heavier on my second attempt to a weight closer to my max, so at least I can put a decent number on the board. *Figure out the sleep situation!! I don't know if that means taking something to help me sleep, or kicking my snoring husband out! ;) *Keep track of my calories and make sure to up them consistently, getting the same on training and rest days. I was not as diligent about as I should have been. I thought I could keep eating the same as I have been, or slightly up my carbs, but the fact of the matter is that I needed MORE to support all the heavy lifting I was doing. *Not do so many max/near max effort singles the last month of training. The only thing I can think of for my strength going down on bench that last month is that my CNS was fried.  *Keep in my farmer's walks and finishers. I cut back on my fin...

Since Sunday is food prep day for most people, I thought I'd share some of my favorite chicken recipes.  My meat sources are usually just turkey and chicken, so making my chicken a different way every week keeps me from getting bored with it. I usually cook my meat for the week ahead of time, unless we run out mid-week, then I'll just cook it up fresh for dinner. Hope you try and like some of them! Balsamic Crockpot chicken 2 pounds chicken breast Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, basil, oregano, onion powder, thyme, and garlic. Put 1-2 tbsp olive oil in crockpot. Add chicken to crockpot and cover with about 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar. Can also top with diced tomatoes. Cook on low for 8hrs or high for 4hrs. "Erin Stern" Chicken (I call it this since I found it on her YouTube channel!) For the marinade: 1- 2c water Splash of vinegar 1-2Tbsp sriracha 1Tbsp course-ground mustard Pepper 2 tsp salt A couple of shakes ...

Okay, well, I'm over my little pity party. Thank you all for listening to my venting! I'm always honest when I share my thoughts on here. I have my good days and my not so good days, just like everyone else. But I'm over it and moving on! It's been a while, so I decided to do a "What I Ate Wednesday" post...on Thursday, haha.  I don't track anything so I don't know how many calories or carbs this is, and I don't want to know! All I know is that every meal is satisfying and keeps me full, and I don't stress about my eating like I used to. I eat foods that I enjoy for the most part (I will never enjoy veggies, but I do try to add them in there!). 8:00 (Pre workout) 3/4 cup oats, scoop of protein, spoonful of pb +coffee w/cream 11:30 (Post workout)  2 chocolate chip pumpkin muffins + Platinum Iso-whey protein shake w/almond milk 1:00 Lunch 2 eggs, 2 whites w/mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, bowl of Puffins cereal(about a cup...

So yesterday I was all excited about the meet and talking about how fun it was and how I'm gonna get stronger...and then all of a sudden last night, I ended up having a melt down. Or a pity party, I guess you should really call it. The more I thought about the meet throughout the day, the more I started getting down on myself about my performance. Maybe it's just the post competition blues, I don't know. It's just I really thought that hiring a coach and training just for strength would get me stronger...but besides deadlift, I ended up not really any stronger than I was to begin with. And that is really frustrating! It almost validates my thinking that I've having reached my genetic limit for strength. It just sucks when this is what you love and you want to get stronger! Powerlifting is hard. Not just physically hard, but mentally hard. It's easy to get frustrated with your lifts, especially when you've been lifting for so long. The strength comes to a...

Well, my first powerlifting meet is in the books! I guess I can now call myself a powerlifter? ;) Ready to lift! The meet was held at the Sweatt Shop in Cincinnatti, a couple hours away from Louisville, so we had to get a hotel room for the night before. I was hoping to get get a good night's sleep...buuut that didn't happen. I slept maybe 2-3 hours, and that was on an off. It was horrible. I almost think I would have been better off not even sleeping! But regardless, I wasn't going to let that get me down and was determined to stay strong and kill the weights anyway! I figured the adrenaline would keep me going, and for the most part it did. Well, I know you all are anticipating the results, so on we go to the recap: First up was squats. I was in the first flight, which just means that I was in the first group to lift for each lift, since they go from lightest to heaviest weight. I was super nervous, but the opener was a light weight at 185lbs, so I new I'd h...

Welp, the weird dreams about the meet have begun! I had one dream the other night where we showed up at the wrong place or something, so I missed the first 2 lifts and was devastated. Then I had another weird one last night that I can't remember that well, but it had something to do with squats. I've got my "outfit" all ready to go! I mean, if you have to wear a singlet, you might as well try to make it as cute as possible, right? Socks are required for deadlifts, but I'm just going to wear them the whole time! As far as training this week, Monday I just did some really light singles of squats and deadlifts. Yesterday I just did some light bench singles and then a little light accessory work-face pulls, pushdowns, lateral raises, single leg hip thrusts and some easy sled drags. Nothing but a walk and mobility today and no workout on tomorrow. The meet is a couple of hours away, so we're leaving around mid-day tomorrow to check into the hotel and weigh in...

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I got my tree finished, ate a BUNCH of yummy food, and had a great time seeing family. Especially Celeste. :) I know I always say this, but she is just getting cuter and cuter!!!!  It's so purty! :) I had to sample everything!  All the yummy food! My sister and Celeste So sweet. Giving her Uncle Jesse kisses! Awww, cousin love! Loved her cute little outfit! Jesse and me with our grandma How cute is she in that dress? Sunday at Mom's house. The weather was so nice, we went for a ride in the wagon!