Run Forest, Run!

I cannot believe that it has been 18 days since my last update. I assure you, it is not because I quit. I am still working hard to become healthy. I have not spent much time at my computer at all lately.  

It has been pretty uneventful at the gym the last couple of weeks. This week was really the only one worth writing about. 

Last Friday (the 24th) A friend of mine decided that she would come work out with me since she was off from work. We went in and began with 10 minutes on the stair master. We followed that with 50 minutes on the treadmill. I did my usual walk on the treadmill, 3.2 mph and a 7.0 incline, however, I decided to add something. I decided that I would jog the last 3 minutes of my cardio. When the time came, I decreased my incline to 0.0 and increased my speed to 4.5 mph. I jogged my little heart out. I made it the full 3 minutes and felt pretty darn good about it. 3 minutes may not sound like much to some people, but it was a great accomplishment for me. After that day, I decided that it was time for me to begin jogging. We finished up with a great leg workout and headed home. 

On Monday, my friend 'M' decided that she would join me at the gym.  We began with 10 minutes on the stair master and followed it up with 30 minutes on the treadmill.  I started with my usual walk. After 5 minutes and changed the speed and incline and jogged for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, I changed the settings back and did my usual walk to cool down (7.0 incline and 3.2 mph). I alternated the walking and jogging for the entire 30 minutes. It was a lot harder than I anticipated, but I pushed on and made it through. 

After the cardio, we headed downstairs to do a chest workout. We finished up and headed home. 

Tuesday, 'M' was really feeling it. She was extremely sore, but she did not let it stop her. We skipped the stair master but made up for it with an extra 10 minutes on the treadmill. Again, I alternated jogging and walking every 2 and 5 minutes. Again, I completed the entire 40 minutes that way. After cardio we did a back workout. 

Wednesday, 'M' was back for more! We headed up stairs and began our cardio. I jogged and walked the same as I had the rest of the week. It was tough but I had no plans to quit. When we hit the 40 minute mark 'M' looked at me with a smile and said, "50". Heck yea! So, we went for 10 more minutes and then headed down the stairs to do our last day of strength training. We worked on legs.

Today, I overslept and began rushing around to get ready. I have to be at the gym by a certain time so that I can get a complete workout in and have time to take my son home to get him ready for school. I sent M a text letting her know that I was running late. She replied letting me know that something had come up that morning. I asked her if she wanted to skip gym, she said she didn't plan on skipping. So, I had breakfast, picked her up, and we headed back to the gym. 

It was just cardio today. We walked on the treadmills and then headed down to talk to the manager about possible membership options for 'M'. He was a nice guy, but we are probably just going to get a quest pass added to my membership (hehe).

It was really nice having someone with me while I worked out. Even though I had over come my fears of going alone and do not mind going alone, it was really nice having someone to talk to during my time at the gym. 

'M' did great! I cannot praise her enough. The first couple of weeks at the gym are always the hardest and she is half way through it. It really does take a lot of strength to keep going back, and she kept coming back! I really hope that we can work something out so that she can continue to come with me.

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Feeling Fantastic!

Another week has past and again, I forgot to update my blog. I'm getting really good at forgetting about it. Rest assured, I have not been forgetting about the gym and my goal. Since I hit my 20 pound mark, I have lost 4 more pounds I am really excited about that. The closer I get to my goal, the happier I get. Last weekend, I was able to fit into a smaller pant size. I was also able to wear some of my cotton shirts that shrunk in the dryer (the same week that I bought them).

I went back to the gym on Monday, after a week off. I tell you what, I felt it! I'll be damned if I'm going to miss a week of gym time again. I felt like I had never been to the gym a day in my life. I started with my cardio workout. I started with 10 minutes on the Stair Master. I'm not going to sugar coat it; I wanted to die!  I finished my cardio with 50 minutes on the treadmill.

On Wednesday, I had a training session. I got to the gym later than I planned so I started with 40 minutes on the treadmill. I figured that I could do my 10 minutes on the Stair Master after my training session. We did a leg workout. While I was on the leg press, he got curious and wanted to see how much I could actually lift with my legs. We got to 345 lbs before we had to move on (we only have 30 minutes per session), but he is convinced that I could do more. Hopefully, he won't want to find out how much more. After my session, I headed to the dreaded Stair Master. About 3 minutes into it, I felt extremely nauseous. I got down and sat on the stairs for a couple of minutes to see if the feeling would pass. I wasn't feeling any better after 5 minutes, so I headed home. If I was going to get sick, I didn't want to do it at the gym.

I went back again on Thursday. The entire way to the gym, I was talking myself out of doing the Stair Master. I was attempting to convince myself that I just wasn't ready to add it to my workout. I had also decided that I wouldn't mention it to my trainer. He didn't need to know. Besides, I didn't want him to tell me to do it anyway. That was the plan anyway. I saw my trainer as soon as I walked into the gym. What was the first thing I did? I told him about the damn Stair Master. What did he say? "Do it before your workout". I have no idea why I opened my big mouth! Why couldn't I just say hi and keep on walking? Honestly, I think I did it because part of me knew that I needed to get back on that Stair Master. It was my way of making sure that I did it anyway. So, after I put my stuff in my locker, I climbed on the Stair Master and did my 10 minutes. Then, I did 50 minutes on the treadmill and my chest workout. When I finished my entire workout, I looked like someone had dumped a bucket of water over my head. I was sweating so hard that my pony tail was soaked. Despite the sweat, I realized. What I did at the gym that day (including the Stair Master) wasn't all that bad.

Friday I went back again to complete my back workout. I got on the Stair Master with no problems and then followed it with the treadmill. 

I don't hate the Stair Master as much as I did when my trainer first mentioned it. Don't get me wrong, it is tough. 10 minutes may not sound like much but it sure does feel like an eternity. The time did seem to go by quicker each day. I'm actually looking forward to going back tomorrow. 

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For You

Today I was talking to an old hometown friend about her recent gym membership. I am very proud of her for beginning her journey. I have a lot of faith in her and I hope she achieves great success!

I for one know how expensive gym memberships and personal trainers can be. I just happen to have gotten lucky by finding a gym that was willing to wave enrollment fees to allow us to join. When I first signed up, I thought that Personal Trainers were a waist of money. Of course, I had nothing to base this off of. After a free training assessment, I was in love with Personal Training. I wanted one! I just didn't want to pay an arm and a leg. I tried going back to the gym on my own but failed. I didn't know what I was doing and it discouraged me. Some people just need someone to push them and help them with working out. My husband managed to talk the manager into waving the trainer fee and lower the monthly cost. I only see my trainer twice a month but he made very sure that I had a complete workout plan. I remember what it was like walking into the gym that first day. I was terrified, nervous, self conscious and paranoid. Once I got my trainer and my workout plan, I returned with much more confidence. 

Now, I am not saying that a trainer is the key to success. I just wanted to give credit to my trainer. Without his help, I would be 20 pounds heavier and probably still gaining. I do think that if you have a plan to follow, you are more likely to succeed. You don't waste time guessing what machines to use and what workouts to do. 

In this post I am going to post my entire workout routine. It is 5 days worth. I will also be including little tips and additional info that my trainer has told me. Think of it as using my trainer for free!

"I will not say I can't do it. I will always try it."

Let's start with cardio. When I first began, I was told that I needed to do at least 3 hours of cardio (that increases your heart rate) a week. I could spread it out however I wanted to as long as I completed at least 3 hours of cardio within 7 days. There is no specific speed or incline that you need to use, duration is greater than speed. You can do any type of cardio that you choose. running, swimming, jumping jacks, bike riding, or even take an aerobics class. I had made up my mind that I would complete 5 hours of cardio a week. I began by doing 30 minutes of walking in the morning and 30 in the evening. After just a couple of weeks, I was walking for a full 60 minutes every morning. Once you feel that your body is getting used to the pace that you are walking (probably about 2-3 weeks in) try increasing your speed or your incline of your cardio. This does not need to be a huge change. For example. I walked at a 3.0 pace for several weeks. Once my body began to get used to it, I bumped the speed up to 3.2 mph. It does not sound like much, but you will feel it. You will know that it is time for an increase when it becomes easy. 

My cardio: 60 minutes on Treadmill at 3.2 mph and 7.0 incline (I have built this up over 3 months @ 5 days a week)

On to Strength. Including strength workouts into your routine will help tone your body while you lose weight. It helps in the prevention of sagging skin that may result from weight loss. Strength training builds muscle and muscle burns more calories than fat does.  This workout will not bulk you up. You will not end up looking like Rocky. It will help you build a small amount of muscle and to tone your body while you slim it. Ideally, you want to gain around 10 pounds of muscle. Do not let the word 'gain' throw you off. This is not 10 pounds that you will be unhappy with. This is 10 pounds that will show by the definition in your arms or in your legs. It will be what makes you look nice and tone. By building this muscle, you will increase the amount of calories that you burn, not only while working out, but throughout the course of the day.

When you do these workouts, don't get afraid that you will bulk up and get beefy.  If your goal is to bulk up, you focus on high weight, low rep sets. To tone, you do lower weight, higher rep sets.

Each muscle group is broken up into different days. With this workout each muscle group will have a full 7 days to rest before working that group again.

Reps: The number of times you complete the movement of the exercise. You want to keep this number between 12-15

Sets: The number of times you complete your reps. You want to keep this around 3-4

For example: 15 push ups, rest 30 seconds, 15 push ups, rest 30 seconds, 15 push ups. This would be 3 sets of 15.

Example1 Bulking: Bench Press 300 lbs x 6-8 x 3

Example2 Toning: Bench Press 60 lbs x 12-15 x3

The workout below is the workout that that I have been doing for the last 3 months. Each workout has a link that will show you a picture of a machine goes with the workout. Every gym is different and your gym's equipment may not look exactly as the image. If you cannot locate a machine that looks like the images, try matching up the names.

Monday: 60 minutes of cardio

Tuesday: 60 minutes of cardio & Chest/Shoulder

                 Chest Press: 3 x 15

                 Pectoral Fly: 3 x 15

                 Shoulder Press: 3 x 15

                 Lateral Raise: 3 x 15

                 Abdominal Crunches: 3 x 15

Wednesday: 60 minutes of cardio & Back

                     Seated Row: 3 x 15

                     Pull Down: 3 x 15

                     Rear (deltoid) Fly: 3 x 15

                     (Low) Row: 3 x 15

                     Preacher Curl: 3 x 15

Thursday: 60 Minutes of cardio & Legs

                  Hip Abduction: 4 x 15

                  Hip Adduction: 4 x 15

                  Leg Curl: 3 x 15

                  Leg Extention: 3 x 15

                  Leg Press: 4 x 15

Friday: 60 minutes of cardio

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Rest

 * The Pectoral Fly and the Rear Fly Machines look very similar, some machines allow you to use the same machine for both workouts. Be sure to rest for 30 seconds in between each set.*

To figure out which weight is best for you test different amounts. You don't want it to be easy, but you don't want to hurt yourself either. Ideally, you should be able to complete a full set, but not easily. Once you get to your last 4-5 reps, they should require a little bit of a struggle to finish. If you can easily complete a set, increase the weight one block at time (the machines weights differ from 5-15 pound increments). If you are struggling to complete 8-10 reps, decrease the weight one block at a time. 

Be sure to read the instructions on the machine carefully and ask a staff member for help if needed. Some machines may require you to adjust the seats or grips. Adjust them accordingly.

Also, remember that you can break up your cardio however you choose. 

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Celebrating 20 Pounds

I have reached my first milestone. As of yesterday, I have lost 20 pounds total since my journey began. I have been sleeping better, feeling better, eating better, and napping less. Some of my clothes are fitting a little better now and I am very excited about that. I have about 65 pounds left to go and I will be victorious! I CAN DO THIS...one pound at a time!

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Update

Again, I'm sorry I haven't  updated in over a week. Last week was a crazy week.

Monday: July 23 The Norm.
I went to the gym and completed my hour of cardio. The same as always (since my last change) 3.2 mph and 7.0 incline.

Tuesday: July 24  1....2...Freddy's Coming for You
I did my 60 minutes of cardio and then hit the machines to begin my chest workout. My first machine was the  Pec Fly. I sat down, set my weight and began. The pain was terrible. My chest felt like Freddy Kruger was ripping his claw through it. I only felt the pain when I was doing the exercise. When I stopped, there was no pain. I sent a text to my trainer to see if it was normal. Unfortunately, I didn't get the immediate response that I had hopped for. I thought for a minute and decided to continue with my workout. Since the pain was not constant and it felt more like a 'sore' pain, I kept going. After the Pec Flys I did not have anymore pain. Turns out, I was still sore from last weeks chest workout. Last week, I did my chest workout on Friday. My body didn't have enough time to rest before this weeks workout. I finished my workout with Ab Crunches (20@75 lbs x4)

Wednesday: July 25  The Ball!

I tried to get to the gym an hour before my training session so that I could get my cardio done before hand. I was 15 minutes late so I only did 45 minutes of cardio before my session. My trainer must have known this because he had me so more side step running.

We started in one of the racquetball rooms. I did side step running (that is what I'm calling it) while throwing a 10 pound weight ball back and forth. I was sweating so hard, I looked like someone dumped a bucket of water over my head. A 10 pound ball doesn't 'sound' heavy, but man, it was tough. Catching the ball wasn't a piece of cake either. It got heavier and heavier the longer we did it. Not to mention almost catching it with my face several times, thanks to my lack of coordination. Next, I had to take the ball and do squats with it. While coming up from the squat, I had to throw the ball as high as I could (which wasn't very high). We then began to do the squats while tossing the ball back and forth between my trainer and I. I now have nightmares about the racquetball room (haha). After that, we did a few machines. We started with the rear fly machine. My trainer decided that it would be fun to do power sets. Oh yay! After doing a set (15) of rear fly's I had to  immediately go to the pull down machine and do a set of those. The only rest I got in between the two machines was the short walk to and from the machines. They were right behind one another. After we finished the workout, we went to the desk to schedule my next appointment. During my workout, (begin sarcastic tone) my trainer gave me some fantastic news; I get to use the stair master for 10 minutes a day. This time, I couldn't talk my way out of it. I guess 10 minutes won't be that bad; Will it?

Thursday & Friday: July 26-27  OMG My Face!
I will start by letting you know that all week I was fighting a bad case of "chapped face". The creases of my nose and the areas around my laugh lines were chapped and it bothered the crap out of me. While at home, I would keep globs and globs of lotions and chapstick on my face. The lotions did not give me relief for very long so I would wipe my face off and place a cold wet rag, or ice on my face. That gave me incredible relief. Until I took the rag off. All it ended up doing was making my chapped face even worse.

I was miserable all week at the gym because I couldn't keep anything on my face without looking like an idiot. I put a small amount of lotion on before my workout but I sweated and wiped that away after my first 5 minutes of cardio. I ended up wetting the end of my hand towel so that I could use it for my face every few minutes. To everyone else, it just looked like I was wiping the sweat off my face. To me, I was getting a tiny bit of temporary relief.

Thanks to the gobs of Blistex Med that I put on my face, I woke up Thursday morning with a giant cold sore above my lip. I have been battling those crappy cold sores all my life. I get them a couple times a year. When the weather changes drastically or if I get extremely stressed out. This time it was caused by a chapstick over dose. After looking in the mirror again I noticed that the cold sore wasn't my only problem. My face had completely broken out.  I have never in all of my 28 years had a problem with acne. I would get the occasional pimple on my face but never more than 1 at a time. That morning, I had 12. Needless to say, I did not go to the gym. I spent a majority of the day in tears and afraid to go anywhere. The bumps stung and itched and my entire face felt tight. I spent a lot of Thursday in front of a mirror looking at the bumps. I convinced myself that they weren't pimples. They were something worse. I was convinced that they were tiny little cold sores all over my face.  I decided that if my face wasn't any better the next morning that I would call my doctor. Thursday night, rather than smothering my face in lotion, I washed it and went to bed fighting the urge to put anything on it.

Friday came and my face was the same, except that a few more bumps had appeared. Again, I didn't go to the gym. I called my doctors office and they were able to squeeze me in later that afternoon. I show up for my appointment and finally see the doctor an hour later. The wonderful doctor (not my regular doctor, but one I like much more) gave me prescription for some oral medication for my cold sore. He included refills so that the next time I felt a cold sore coming on, I could start taking them and it would begin treating it before it even appeared. THANKS DOC! Then he looked at my face and told me that they were not cold sores. Thank god! He informed me that more than likely, they were a bacterial infection from all of the stuff I was putting on my face (I was using about 5 different products for my chapped face). He gave me a steroid cream for it. I left the office and headed to pick up my prescriptions. The Medicines worked GREAT. By the end of the weekend, my face had cleared up and my cold sore shrunk to half it's size.

I haven't been to the gym this week but I have been going for walks with my son around the neighborhood. I am very self conscious about my cold sore and I'm waiting for it to get a little smaller.

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