Batman & Robin

Yesterday, I found myself knee deep in research... AGAIN! I started out in a Facebook group, clicked a link which led to an eBook that I finished, then clicked away to the author's site, which lead me to 8 other sites, and now I've forgotten that run-on sentences are a big no-no.

By the time I went to bed last night, I felt a lot better about the planning I put into Operation Sweaty Summer, and I'm very optimistic about my as-yet-unnamed Fall project. My favorite quote from yesterday's research is this one:

"Diet is Batman, exercise is Robin. One is more important, but both play a key role in your awesomeness." @RogLaw of Rog Law Fitness.

Geek world, meet Fitness world. I think the two of you will get along swimmingly!

I just love it when two worlds collide! That quote had me laughing for a good while last night. The benefits of diet have been laid out and hammered home so many times that I think I've become numb to the message. Seeing it explained in this way has absolutely solidified in my mind the way I should approach weight loss. Now, instead of me repeating that "abs are made in the kitchen," you better believe I'm going to be talking about Batman and Robin A LOT more!

With the end of Operation Sweaty Summer on the horizon, I feel it's best to start my wrap up posts now. I would hate to write a post that's the equivalent of 18 pages (FRONT AND BACK!) for y'all to read through (or skim through).

I'll begin with the biggest mistake I made for this month...

The focus for September is endurance. I planned my workouts to be longer and to include more strength routines into each day of HIIT. Well, what I failed to consider was how my body would react to the longer training days. I had been so focused on fewer rest days that I forgot rest days are when your muscles are built! Without sufficient rest between intense sets, I'm only hurting my own progress.

I have read a few articles that say women recover faster than men, and I must have taken it to heart. I also think I'm planning my splits based on the level in which I will eventually be, instead of my current level. Which, I have to say, I admire my own optimism! But, that's dumb. Outright dumb! I have to remember to train to my current ability.

Yes, I build progression into my calendars, but going from 12-15 minute routines up to 30-45 minutes without adding more rest was just silly. And I should probably stop thinking that I'm lazy just because I added a rest day here or there. A lot of the weight lifting women I talk to only do 3-4 heavy workouts a week.

One thing I've been able to do this summer is learn to listen to my body. I know when my knees need a break, I know when I need more rest between sets because my chest is tight, I know that I shouldn't do anything to failure two days in a row, and I know when to stop to avoid getting sick. I have learned so much about myself this summer, but I've surprised me more than I imagined I could!

Mind if I get personal for a minute? Back in 2008, my very first weigh in ever, I was noted at 44% body fat. Yikes. I haven't been measured since 2009, but I'm sure the percentage is still fairly high (mid to low 30s). I've noticed what I thought was sagging skin, which is really discouraging! So I set out to find what options I had to get rid of it (without surgery). Well, I came across good bad news. Yes, good bad... not good news and bad news, just good bad news.

That good bad news was that excess skin is thin, like your eyelids or the back of your hand. If you can touch skin and it conforms to the shape of your hand, there's still fat under there. So the good bad news was that I didn't have excess skin... I've still got lots of fat to lose. Awesome! Sorta... =/

This next phase is the hard part. I'll have to start making the distinction between weight loss and fat loss. My end goal is to look more like this (What? Doesn't every girl want to be a tall, hot, leather wearing, gun toting badass???) or this, especially THIS and not skinny fat like this.

Some days, I catch a glimpse of my bum in the mirror and think, "Hey! What a cute ass!" Other days I avoid mirrors at all costs. This journey has its up and downs, and without those bad days, the good ones wouldn't feel so great.

Whoa. I just put a whole lot out there. Remember my last post, where I told y'all I was 100% honest 100% of the time on WW? With that outlet gone, I'm airing it all out for the whole, wide interwebs. As they say in Rent, "Take me for what I am!"