Nervous About Vacation?!

I had a good workout today. I did my usual cardio, 60 minutes on the treadmill at a 3.0 pace and a 7.0 incline. It's good for me right now. I work up a good sweat without over doing it. From the treadmills you can see almost the entire gym. It's a great time to people watch. Until you see something that makes you wish you were reading or watching your feet move. I noticed an older guy who was constantly "adjusting himself". If that wasn't bad enough, he decided to stick his hand down his pants to do it. I almost got sick. Some people are TO comfortable at the gym.

I did my leg workout today. It is no longer my favorite! I use the same machines but I have to do 2 sets explosive and 2 sets with holds. The explosives aren't bad, its the holds that make my muscles burn. I'm not so crazy about the 5 sets of 20 leg presses either. But you know what, I lost another pound, so you better believe that I am going to keep it up.

This is my last (routine) workout before we go on vacation. I have a plan to keep up with working out and not eating like crazy. I have resistance bands that I am taking with me, and a workout from my trainer that I will use. I will have access to a fitness center via our Hotel, on some days. On the days that I won't have access, I have my workout written out already. My problem will be the food. It will be hard but I hope to make it through the vacation without gaining any weight.

I will try to update my blog throughout my vacation, but no promises. I will be extremely busy.

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Chatter Box 2

Monday's are always the hardest. It's not that I don't want to go, I just don't like getting out of my bed. My warm, comfy, big, bed. Rest assured, I still went. Monday is just a cardio day and nothing worth writing about happened. Tuesday, is a different story.

I go to the gym at my usual time, dropped Mike off at the Kids Klub and headed upstairs for my cardio. While I was on the treadmill, little Ms. Chatter Box passed me and was on her way to the machines. Yep, you guessed it, she was on her phone the whole time. I watched her get on her first machine and sit there for a couple minutes before beginning. Then I had a great idea. I would time her! I set my timer and kept watching while I walked. Since I didn't set my timer right when she got on her 1st machine, I'm not 100% sure how long she was on it. I do know, that she was on it for 7.18 minutes from the time I started my timer. I assume it was almost 10 minutes total. Her next machine was the leg curl. I set my timer as soon as she got it on it this time. Three minutes passed before she did a single curl. She then did 3 curls and stopped. My timer was at the 5 minute mark before she did anything else. So she occupied a machine for 5 minutes to do 3 reps. After the 5 minute mark, she did 2 sets of 7 reps. She was on the machine for about 7-8 minutes. I didn't time anymore, I had what I needed. Not that I plan to do anything with the information I had gathered. I just wanted to know how long she keeping the machines from other people who would actually use them.

After my cardio I went downstairs to do my new chest workout. I mentioned before that Ben has me using more Freemotion machines now. I haven't mentioned how much I hate them.  Like everything else, I'll get used to it. While I was doing my lateral raises there was this sudden stench of cheeseburgers. I think some guy had eaten a cheeseburger before working out and then burped right by me. It smelled so bad! Maybe it was a good thing though, I was completely turned off to fast food for the rest of the day (not that I get fast food often).

I had another training session today. We didn't do an intense workout today. We just worked on resistance band workouts that I could use while I am on vacation next week.  I did 3 sets of each workout. Hopefully I can remember them. At the very least, I would like to try to walk each day. I think that as long as I keep up with my cardio, I'll be okay. 

Two little side notes: 

1. I've been thinking about those heart monitory watches again. I think that at some point, I would really like to get one.

2. I've lost 2 more pounds since my last weigh in. 

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Chatter Box

It's Friday! That means it's my last workout for the week. I went to the gym and did my cardio, as usual. Nothing to really talk about there.

Usually, Friday is a cardio only day. However, I had to make up for missing my "back" day on Wednesday. After my cardio, I went downstairs to do my back workout. I did my usual machines, sets and reps. While I was doing my Rear Fly workout, I noticed Ms. Chatter Box. I have mentioned this woman in a previous entry. She spends her entire time, on the phone. I wrote previously about how she will spent a lot of additional time on a machine because she is busy talking away on her phone. In the past, this was only a small annoyance because it had not directly affected me. Until today! I finished my sets at the same time that she finished her. We both got up and headed in the same direction. In my head I was begging and pleading that she not go to the Seated Row ; She did. She got there first and was still on the phone. OK, I thought, I'll go do my Preacher Curls and come back to this one. When I finished those, I headed back to see if the lady was done. She wasn't. I didn't really have time to wait, so I headed to the locker room to gather my stuff.

I picked up Mike and headed home. I may not have been able to do each one of my exercises today, but I bet I made up for it at the pool later.

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New Work Out

Today, I got to the gym earlier than I usually do. I dropped Mike off at the Kids Klub and headed to the locker room.

I hopped on the first available treadmill (not that there aren't a ton available). I set my incline to 7.0 and my speed to 3.0 and began my walk. It still amazes me how much easier this has all gotten for me. I don't need a book to cover the speed anymore. Once I finished my cardio, I headed downstairs to the machines.

I started my new leg workout today. I use the same machines but I do my sets differently. I do 4 sets on each machine. The first 2 sets are explosive (I do them as fast as possible) with a heavier weight and the last 2 sets are slow and hold. Man, did the last 2 set's burn. It was the good burn though. While I was working out there was another girl getting a training session. She sure was complaining a lot. I wonder what these trainers think when they get clients who do nothing but complain. I get that it hurts, it's suppose to. If it was easy, everyone would be healthy and at healthy weights. Her trainer put her on one of the hip/thigh machines and began another session of moaning and groaning. I chuckled and told her that that particular machine was not all that bad (I had just finished using it). She just complained more. Personally, I think she has the wrong attitude. When I first started my training sessions and going to the gym, I had the mentality that I would not tell my trainer that I could not do it. I would always try it to see if my body was able to handle it. To this day, I have yet to tell him that I can't do a specific workout and now, my body is getting used to it. 

Since I am a day behind because of yesterday, I am going to do my back workout tomorrow. Thankfully, Ben has not changed that workout (yet). He is changing my workouts to get me using the freemotion machines. This will help me when we transition into free weights. The last thing on my list for my new leg workout was 3 sets of 20 squats. Oh, how I love squats. That was sarcasm, if anyone missed it. I finished my squats and went to pick up Mike.

While I was waiting for Mike to put his shoes on, the lady behind the counter approached me. She informed me that Mike had let her know about the bird poop on our truck. I couldn't help but laugh. Mike and I washed the truck yesterday. This morning, as I was about to open the driver side door, I noticed that a bird had pooped on the window. I said out loud, "It figures that a bird would poop on the car right after I washed it." So of course, Mike shares it with his "teachers" (that's what he calls the ladies that work at the Kids Klub). How do birds poop sideways anyway?

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Today's Fitness Evaluation

Today was, well, FAN-FRIKKIN-TASTIC!

Matt's alarm woke me up this morning at 6:30am, Blah! I had mine set for 8:00am but I was out of bed before then. I had to time my gym arrival so that I could do an hour of cardio before my training session.

I got to the gym just in time to drop Mike off at the Kids Klub and start my cardio at exactly 9:30am. I did my walk at a 3.0 pace and my new 7.0 incline. I can definitely feel the difference. I'll give it about 2 weeks and then bump the inline up some more. I have really started to like walking. If I have something on my mind that is bothering me, walking helps me think it through. Sometimes, it just helps me clear my mind and relax. That sounds funny, "I feel relaxed when I am walking uphill and sweating."

I finished my walk right on time (10:30am). I went to the locker room and put my phone and earbuds away. Then I headed to meet up with Ben at the training desk. We began with checking my body fat *GULP*. He mentioned that he wanted to try something different when checking it this time. Apparently there are two different options to choose from on the machine, normal and athletic. He said that based on how much I am working out, we should check that option when checking my body fat. So, he put all the information into the hand held body fat checker and handed it to me. I almost cried when I saw the number. My body fat went down by 6% (in 3 weeks). I could not believe it. It was the best news I have heard since I started working out. After Ben checked my body fat, he took my measurements. Almost all of my measurements have gone down by an inch. I can't even describe how excited I am with these results. Anything I try to say to describe it would only be an understatement.

I may need to invest in some of those gloves that people use when working out. I am starting to form callouses on my hands.

I have another training session scheduled for next week since I will be out of town the week after. I forgot to mention that Ben changed my work outs today. I have a whole new chest workout and leg workout. Next week he will give me a new back workout. He is also going to give me a workout that I can do with resistance bands for the week that I will be gone. 

I can't believe that our vacation is coming up so fast; Next weekend. How great would it be if I would end up losing weight while I am on vacation?!

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Ausüben

Ausüben (German) - to practice, exert, or carry out 

The concept of ausüben as it is related to health is to practice healthy habit, exert positive support for yourself and others, and to carry out your own goals.

My friend Briana, a HUGE supporter in my efforts to lose weight, created this wonderful blog for me. She just started it, but it already has some great facts about exercising and becoming healthy. She is adding wonderful things to it on a regular basis. She is SO great for putting it together for me! I cannot stress how appreciative I am of her. She is a constant daily motivator for me. Please check out her blog, you'll love it!

 http://ausuben.tumblr.com/

I started with my cardio, same as always. Today I changed it up. I increased my incline again today. I pushed it up to 6.0, which didn't seem like a very big change. I walked about 2 minutes at that incline and then decided to push it up to 7.0. I could tell the difference. It wasn't to terrible. I could feel my legs working harder and I was definitely sweating a lot more but it was doable.

After my cardio I headed down to do my strength workouts. Today was back day. My 2nd least favorite workout day (out of 3 days). The only thing that makes me dislike this day is the Rear Fly. Yep, I don't like them one bit, but I do them. 

I have been home from the gym for about an hour and I can feel a little achy in my shoulders and my back. But I still feel great!

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Pretty Boring

I went to the gym yesterday and today. Yesterday was purely cardio. Today I did cardio and chest (my least favorite).


I got to the gym and went to the locker room. I was getting my stuff together when I realized, I forgot my ear buds at home. GREAT. At least I had my Kindle. I took it, my phone, my towel and my water and headed up to do my cardio. That was the most boring hour of cardio I have done in a while. It felt so long, like it was just dragging on and on. I tried watching some of the T.Vs they have mounted on the walls, but that was pretty much just reading with moving pictures (no sound, just subtitles). I focused mostly on my book, " The Total Money Makeover".  I think it's by Dave Ramsey. Of course, it wasn't very easy to read with the two chatter boxes behind me. I'm not bothered by people talking at the gym, after all it's not a library. I am bothered by people who feel the need to talk loud enough so that we can all hear every detail of the conversation. I usually try to avoid the area these two women are in, but today I didn't have a choice. I also cannot stand it when people talk loudly on their cellphones in the middle of the gym. Go to the locker room.


After my cardio I put my kindle and phone back into my locker and hit the machines. Everything seemed harder today than usual. I didn't change anything, I just did my workout and counted down the sets until I was done. Tomorrow I go back for Back workouts. My other least favorite. I'm okay with leg days.


Ben finally pulled me aside to schedule my next appointment. Next Tuesday. Dangit! I wish I would have pushed for Thursday. Oh well, at least I'm getting 'a' day. I mentioned to him that I would like to learn some exercises with resistance bands. I plan on using them on my vacation. I am actually dreading being without a gym for a week. I'm going to have to walk A LOT while I am on vacation. It helps that we are going to Charleston and Holiday World. Both require a full day of walking.


                                                                               

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Good Fit

I had a good leg workout today. Nothing really happened at the gym today that is worth me writing about. I walked my 60 minutes and did my leg workout. My sister and Briana were both texting me during my time at the gym, that helped pass the time.


After I left the gym I went home. I got changed to get ready to go to the store. It was a bit chilly today (very weird for June) so I wore my jeans instead of capris or shorts. When I put on my jeans (I haven't worn them since the beginning of spring) I noticed that they fit better. They didn't have that tight feeling that they usually have when I first put them on. I loved it! I felt so great. They looked better on me than they ever have before. I was really happy and it put me in a great mood.


At the store I stocked up on greens. Celery, broccoli, green peppers and sugar snap peas, those kinds of things. 

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