Losing A Sense

After my post from earlier this week, I talked with a few people about what kinds of changes I should make. Heard a lot from do more HIIT, to eat fewer calories (=/), do more cardio, and stop weighing in weekly.

Well, the very next day, I sprained my foot, which meant half of the new options got thrown out the window. Now 3 days after the initial sprain and I'm walking *almost* normal. I was able to do an upper body workout yesterday, which felt great, but no impact activities, and certainly NO MORE RUNNING.

Every Friday for about a year and a half now, I've been weighing in first thing in the morning. This is the first time that I'm skipping that weigh in. I'm going to be giving that route a shot. I won't weigh in again until June 14th. They say when you lose one sense, the rest get stronger. I'm going to test that theory out, but I'll be honest... I'M TERRIFIED.

That Explains A Lot...

My two year anniversary came and went, completely unnoticed by me. I wasn't expecting that. Last year I had a grand plan about where I would be when the two year mark rolled around and how there would be a grand celebration because I'd be done! Life had other plans. And by life, I mean me.

Let's Begin Again

A few weeks ago, I realized that I was "different" than I used to be because compliments drive me to push harder instead of making me feel complacent. The compliments make me want to work harder in the garage, sweat longer, walk farther and faster... They push me to be better physically.

But I've let myself slip in the kitchen. Using the excuse "too many social events" as a free pass to indulge too frequently. I don't think I'll ever go back to my old eating habits, but I have definitely been misbehaving.

It's never too late to start over, right? Now that I've got some significant trips on my calendar, it's time to get my ass back in gear!

Finding My Inner Gladiatrix

February may be the shortest month of the year, but it was enough time to produce great results! All of Spartacus themed routines for the month turned me into a leaner, meaner Gladiatrix! I lost 3 inches and showed a 67% improvement on the fit test, specifically on the agility moves.

But the best part? I earned my mark!

Weapons Training - First Video!

In keeping with my Spartacus theme for February, today was the first day I had a bit of "weapons training" thrown into the workout mix. They use all kinds of weapons on the show, and today I decided to start with my machete.

Yes, I have a machete. =)

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger!

Today's routine is one that I've done at three times before. The first time was June 12th, and I completed 3 rounds in 31:33min. The second time was July 21st, I didn't finish on this day but did two rounds in 17:33min, which was definitely on pace to beat the first one. Third time was August 7th, and I finished 3 rounds in 26:02, which was the best one...

Until today.

Today I absolutely KILLED all my previous times. ON TOP OF best my times, I did an extra round and was STILL FASTER than the first time I'd done this routine!!!!!!!!!!!! My fastest time today is 1:26 faster than my previous best from Aug 7th.

I feel pretty great right now! I'd also like to point out that the June routine was modified, where I was doing burpees and the pendulums from an 18in platform instead of off the ground.

As our President says, let me be clear: I fully expected to beat 31:33 when I walked into the garage this afternoon, even with the extra round. This new-found confidence in my abilities is kinda awesome. I've got to make sure it bleeds into other aspects of my life.

There just aren't enough !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! to convey how happy am I at this moment. =)

Progress To Be Proud Of

Yesterday's routine is one I've done a few times before. It was actually one of the first, way back from Day 8 of Operation Sweaty Summer! Knowing it was an old routine, I walked into the garage 100% confident that I could lift heavier and finish faster.

Ha! Wrong on both counts...

Inaction Is Still Action

How many times have you bought something, put it away, then forgot about it? And when we don't bother to think about something, what happens?

If your response is nothing, that's wrong.

I Love The 90s!

After the tremendous success of Operation Sweaty Summer, I began Project Autumn Leans with open arms and high hopes. The first month went swimmingly well! The second and third, not so much. The overly ambitious goal of Autumn Leans was 20lbs in less than 3 months (hey, a girl can dream!). The realistic goal was 15lbs by the end of 2012. What I wound up with was 10lbs and another pant size lost.

Wanna know what's great about 1990?

19 months. 90 pounds lost. BOOM!

There Is No Room For The Weak

I am a masochist. There, I said it.

How did I get here? It was a gradual road at first. Just me trying new things and when I learned I didn't like it, I stopped doing it. After a year of just dabbling in pain, I decided to go all in because I wasn't as happy as I thought I could be.

It started out simple enough, with a ball, some ropes and cords, and a lot of sweat. Now I'm a bona fide member of  a whole new (to me) world, where there is yelling, bruises, wraps, suffocation, and the coup de gras, not being able to sit down.

It Could Happen To You

I had two WW friends that I found to be so knowledgeable and inspirational after their journeys to loose 100+lbs. I checked in last night, and they'd both posted blogs about how they'd been off track, for almost a year and the other all summer and they'd gained 20lbs and 12lbs back, respectively. I'll be honest, it rocked me. These women are so strong, so resolute in their healthy habits... How could this happen?

It freaked me out. I'm not knocking them, or belittling them in any way. They are both back on track, back on point, and back to working out. But it just goes to show that it doesn't take much to let it get away from us. I still think these women are rock stars, and I know they'll pull it together.

I spend a lot of time talking about working out and the different types of routines I'm doing at any given time. Thought it'd be a nice change of pace to talk about what I'm eating. After all, I've taken my new found mantra to heart.

October Completed

OCTOBER 2012 - Month 1 : Strength
#ProjectAutumnLeans

SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY
	1 Fit Test DONE! results	2 Standing Shoulder Press (Week 1) + Hot Body On Me DONE! results	3 Walking DONE! PR! 13:56min/mi, fastest .25mi was 8min, bested previous walk by 0:50sec/mi	4 Deadlift (Week 1) +Assistance Work DONE! results	5 Walking DONE! 14:30min/mi on the trail! 3.23 mi in under 47min, another PR!	6 Bench Press (Week 1) +Assistance Work DONE! results
7 REST	8 Shoulder Press (Week 2) + ZWOW #24 DONE! results	9 Custom Routine DONE! results	10 Deadlift (Week 2) +Assistance Work DONE! restuls	11 REST	12 Bench Press (Week 2) +Assistance Work DONE! results	13 Dirty Girl Mud Run SO MUCH FUN!!! =D Pic
14 REST	15 Shoulder Press (Week 3) + You Da One DONE! results	16 REST	17 Deadlift (Week 3) +Assistance Work DONE! results	18 Walking Did this instead of walking. DONE!	19 Bench Press (Week 3) +Assistance Work DONE! results	20 REST
21 REST	22 Shoulder Press (Week 4) + You Make Me Feel DONE! results	23 Hot Beastie DONE! results	24 Deadlift (Week 4) +Assistance Work DONE! results	25 ZWOW #26 DONE!	26 Bench Press (Week 4) +Assistance Work DONE! results	27 Walking DONE! 14:03 min/mi, First cold run, 2.33mi.
28 REST	29 ZWOW #25 Bum wrist, didn't buy in results	30 1,000 Rep Challenge Bum wrist, on the bench today. =(	31 Fit Test DONE! results

September marked the end of Operation Sweaty Summer. Welcome to Project Autumn Leans! Super cheesy name, I know. Previously, I'd been doing lots of body weight routines and using my sandbag as my "heavy" weight. I wanted to get into some real weight lifting, so I've started with Wendler's 5/3/1 program.

I know full well that I've modified it before I've even started, but his structure is still the backbone for this month. The biggest modification I'm making to his 5/3/1 is that I'm not doing squats. My garage isn't setup in a way where I would be able to front or backload a barbell. So I've tried to throw in more more walking and some BodyRock and ZuzkaLight routines to compensate for lack of heavy squatting I'll be doing. Truth be told, my quads bulk up faster than anything else on my body. I don't think I'm doing a disservice by skipping his version of the squat (because I'll still be squatting in other routines).

I'm very excited to see how this goes! Who am I kidding, I've been wanting to try my hand at the deadlift for a while now, so I'm excited that I've finally incorporated them! I've also been wanting to do hill sprints so I've left room for that on my walking days.

So, here's the big breakdown for my 5/3/1. There are 4 main moves: Standing Shoulder Press, Deadlifts, Bench Press, and Squats. Each week is a different progression. You're supposed to first figure out what your 1 Rep Max (1RM) is for each movement. Then calculate what 90% would be. Working with that 90% as your base number/weight, here's how the 4 weeks should look.

 

This was taken from an article Bryan Krahn wrote for T-Nation. Here's the full article, it's LOADED with helpful info that can explain 5/3/1 much better than I can.

I learned a lot about myself and my body during Operation Sweaty Summer. I plan to carry that knowledge into Project Autumn Leans, and I fully expect to learn a LOT more! You may be wondering what is my project goal? Well, essentially, I'd like to lose 20lbs by New Year's. Though I feel like that's unrealistic as it's over 1.5lbs per week, and I'm currently averaging 1.1lbs per week. I apologize for not having a more specific goal, but I still want to lose weight. 20lbs would be great, but I'd be happy with 15! And I really want to see more fat loss.

I've got 82 days to make this most of this endeavor!

DISCLAIMER
Days in red are my weigh in days. I didn't create any of the routines on this calendar. It's a combination of The Abs Diet, BodyRock.TV, Zuzana Light's ZWOWs, and Jim Wendler's 5/3/1.

I am in no way, shape, form, or fashion an exercise or diet or nutrition expert. I'm simply sharing with y'all what I'm doing this summer to get in shape. I do not recommend that you attempt anything I'm doing. I do, however, suggest that if you like the routines, look into them for yourselves. And please, consult a doctor before you begin any fitness regimen.

Vocabulary Check

Remember taking vocab quizzes in grade school? It was always one of my favorite quizzes because I always aced them. That's not an exaggeration. Not because I'm incredibly smart, but because I was always really good at rote memorization.

I've been taking positive self-talk seriously on this journey because I believe words have power. There are some days where I don't always buy into what I'm selling, but I say it aloud on purpose so I can hear it. The more I hear it, the more it'll start to sink in. "Fake it 'til you make it!"

September - Completed

SEPTEMBER 2012 - Month 3 : Endurance
#OperationSweatySummer

SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY
						1 Fit Test
2 REST DAY	3 Super Hot Booty DONE! results	4 REST DAY	5 Show It Off Didn't finish last time. Can I finish this time? YES! DONE! results	6 ZWOW #14 (Been trying to do this one for 2 months!) DONE! results	7 Booty Lover DONE! results	8 REST DAY
9 Sexy Beast DONE! results	10 Breakin' A Sweat Didn't finish this one, lower back pain was too bad 18 min in.	11 Breakin' A Sweat DONE! results FINISHED what I started yesterday!	12 REST DAY	13 Thong Shape Up DONE! results	14 REST DAY	15 Custom Routine  DONE! Got my footballin' bro to workout with me!
16 Custom Routine DONE! TWO footballers today!	17 REST DAY	18 Live My Life Didn't finish, interrupted by a work emergency. Blah! But I got 240 reps in!  results	19 Fit Test LAST DAY OF OPERATION SWEATY SUMMER!!!	20 Vacation!	21 Vacation!	22 Vacation!
23 Vacation!	24 Vacation!	25 DELOAD WEEK	26 DELOAD WEEK	27 DELOAD WEEK	28 DELOAD WEEK	29 DELOAD WEEK
30 DEALOAD WEEK	Back to work on a new venture! ;)

(((43,200,000 / 60) / 60) / 24) = 80

Now, my math skills aren't spectacular. And if you worked out the problem above, you may have reached 500 instead of 80.

We're both right, and here's why.

111 Days, 20 Pounds, and 12 Inches

Of the 111 days this project lasted, 83 were training days. That means I very nearly sweat the summer away. I couldn't be more proud of myself! The goal was 20lbs, and, amazingly, I hit it!!! Suffice it to say, Operation Sweaty Summer was a complete success.

I learned more than I could have imagined: about me, about the people I'm closest to, and about the sheer amount of BS "diet advice" one can find on the interwebz.

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!

Graduation

With school having recently started up again (not for me, just in general), graduation is a term that I've been hearing a lot. When I think graduation, I think the end of something. After all, you don't graduate from 9th grade. Progression between years is not celebrated. And it makes sense since you're not done yet. Right?

August and My Baby Bicep Bump

The focus of August was progression. I had hoped to see more muscle definition as well. I've got some fun(ny) pics to share later, so keep reading!

I had been working on step 1 of Convict Conditioning for the push-up, leg raise, and bridge. At this point, I'm very close to finishing the 3rd progression of step 1! I'm up to 3 sets of 20 for each of those. As far as progression goes, I think August was excellent!

August Completed!

AUGUST 2012 - Month 3 : Progression
#OperationSweatySummer

SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY
			1 Fit Test DONE!	2 REST DAY	3 CC 1-5:1 400 Rep Challenge Can I beat my last time of 14:48? DONE! Finished in 14:18... with an extra round!	4 CC 1-5:1 400 Rep Challenge Did the wrong moves yesterday, so I did this one again! Finished 4 rounds in 11:12!!! 3:36 faster!
5 ZWOW #13 DONE! results	6 CC 1-5:1 Tighten It Up DONE! results	7 CC 1-5:1 ZWOW #4 Can I beat my last time of 31:32.9? DONE! SMASHED old time, hit 26:02 this time!!!	8 REST DAY WOO!	9 CC 1-5:1 Show It Off Didn't finish routine. I'll be doing this one again soon...	10 CC 1-3:1 300 Rep Challenge DONE! results	11 CC 1-3:1 ZWOW #16 DONE! results
12 REST DAY	13 ZWOW #15 DONE! results	14 CC 1-3:1 Bikini Bunny Workout DONE! results	15 CC 1-3:1 Commit & Succeed Pyramid Challenge DONE! results	16 CC 1-3:1 Custom Routine DONE! results	17 CC 1-3:1 Bikini Body & Beach Ready Rep Challenge DONE! results	18 REST DAY
19 SICK DAY =(	20 CC 1-3:1 Do It Like You Workout DONE! results	21 CC 1-3:2 Stronger Can I beat my last scores? DONE! results (and yes, I beat some scores!)	22 CC 1-3:2    Soon or Never DONE! results	23 CC 1-3:2 Turn Up the Music (Intermediate) DONE! results	24 REST DAY 75lbs LOST!	25 CC 1-3:2 ZWOW #19 DONE! results
26 REST DAY	27 CC 1-3:2 Glad You Came (Intermediate) DONE!	28 CC 1-3:2 ZWOW #20 DONE! results	29 REST DAY	30 CC 1-3:2 Hot Girls Sweat DONE! results	31 Fit Test Check out my results!

August is all about PROGRESSION! Built the exercise habit in June, focused on nutrition in July, now we're moving on to tracking strength gains. While, of course, continuing each of the previous month's lessons.

You may be wondering what the CC's above mean. Well, I'm adding some body weight exercises from the book Convict Conditioning by Paul Wade. He breaks strength down into 6 major moves (push up, squat, pull up, leg raise, bridge, and handstands). Within each major move, there are 10 steps, or progressions, if you will. Each step is more difficult than the previous, with the 10th step being the coup de grâce of its category.

Let's be real, I'm no where near ready to do any kind of moves that involve me standing on my head... YET. So I'm not even starting on the 6th major move of handstands. Each step has its own progressions as well. The first is 1 set of 10 reps (usually), followed by 2 sets of 25 reps and finally 3 sets of 30 reps. Once you can do 3 sets of 30 reps, with perfect form, you are ready to move on to the next step.

CC 1-5:1 means I'm doing step 1, progression 1, of the first 5 major moves. After 7 days, I'm going to reassess each move and see if I'm ready to move on to progression two, and so on.

I can't believe the first two months flew by the way they did! In July, I stopped doing incline pushups, I reduced my rest time from 15 seconds down to 10 between moves, and I finally got a sandbag and started doing more weighted routines.

July produced a lot of sweat and some really great numbers on the scale. I expect a lot from August as well. I would LOVE to see more muscle definition by the end of this month. Only time and effort will tell!

DISCLAIMER
Days in red are my weigh in days. I didn't create any of the routines on this calendar. It's a combination of The Abs Diet, BodyRock.TV, Zuzana Light's ZWOWs, and Convict Conditioning by Paul Wade.

I am in no way, shape, form, or fashion an exercise or diet or nutrition expert. I'm simply sharing with y'all what I'm doing this summer to get in shape. I do not recommend that you attempt anything I'm doing. I do, however, suggest that if you like the routines, look into them for yourselves. And please, consult a doctor before you begin any fitness regimen.