Lose fat, gain muscle

This guy!

I will never be the World’s Strongest Librarian, but may I could shoot for County’s Strongest Librarian? Eh? Eh?

I’m going to do it again on Friday, and again on Sunday.

I’ve not been eating 100% awesome (fell off the wagon briefly here and there with some honey and a few small treats at work), but overall I’ve been doing OK I think. I need to eat a lot more vegetables though; I eat a fair amount now, but I’d like them to make up a much large percentage of my diet. Sometimes I get annoyed with how much prep fresh vegetables require (sometimes just peeling a carrot seems like too much work)...and I really can’t abide a lot of store bought frozen veggies. I’d like to some up with some vegetable ideas that don’t need much prep at all, or ways that I can pre-prep a lot of vegetables at once. Oh…I REFUSE to buy pre-cut produce from the supermarket, it’s overpriced and usually dried out.

The upcoming challenge is my grandma’s 90th birthday party this weekend. There will be cake for certain…and I’m gonna have a little (I feel OK making an exception for this type of thing, assuming the cake is homemade which it likely will be). I’d really like to make sure that I stick to the plan as much as possible otherwise (no soda or chips, for instance). I really don’t know for certain what type of food will be available, though, so I’m having a hard time planning ahead. I may just hog the heck out of the relish plate. :)

Except I added calf raises (b/c I like them) and did exercise bike sprints instead. I think I’m gonna rotate machines for the interval part every time that I do it – that should help stave off boredom a bit. I love that this workout is so fast (about 40 min. total) and yet remains genuinely challenging for me, at least for now.

One mistake: since I did an earlier workout today, I thought it might be fun to have coffee prior to it. Caffeine makes me really want to move, and makes it easier to push harder. However, I forgot that LOTS of caffeine also makes me jittery, nauseated, and generally unhappy, especially during/after anaerobic exercise. I did the whole routine and really did push myself hard, but felt somewhat uncoordinated for the whole thing, and uncomfortably shaky and pukey for the last bit of it. Kind of ruined the fun of the endorphins.

Oh well, live and learn. I won’t be doing that again any time soon. Gonna go make some iced ginger and lime tea to calm everything down a bit.

I went to the Y yesterday and today after work. I think after work is going to be my default workout time. Mornings don’t really suit me. Working out in the morning means I need to cast off my comfy pajamas extra early, and that just ain’t happening. Also, working out and then eating a meal makes me tired and sleepy.

But…going straight to the gym after work could definitely work. I just need to throw my bag into the car in the morning, and go straight there (if I go home for my bag, I won’t leave to go to the gym). It feels good to run around after a mostly sedentary day. And most days, free on-street parking goes into effect right around the time I get to the gym.

Today I did this workout again. It’s simple and fast and challenging enough for now (plus I found out that I really like sprinting intervals and want to do a lot more of them – weird!). I’m going to try to do it 2x a week for 3 weeks or so. In addition to those 2 workouts, I’m going to choose a third day each week to do something else physical, preferably something newish and/or stimulating. Like maybe I’ll actually check out the Y pool one day, or go for a hike or a bike ride. The idea is to get slowly back into my natural state of moving around regularly without worrying too much about routine etc.

I need to find a way to motivate myself to work out more frequently. I always enjoy it when I go, it’s just getting there that is difficult. Perhaps the solution is to think of it as a standing appointment, just like all my other duties and errands.

Anyhow, today I did this workout – went through the strength part of it 2x, and used 10 lb. dumbbells for the row and bench press, mainly to ensure that I don’t screw up the shoulder again. I used the elliptical to do the sprinting thing at the end. It was nice; quick, but definitely a workout. Doing planks was kind of difficult, as my shoulders and arms were tired by the time they came around. So far my left shoulder is not particularly sore.

I am making an appointment with myself NOW to be at the gym tomorrow at 8 AM. I will a 30 min. run/walk session on the treadmill.

Only a 30 min. elliptical session, but since I’ve been away for several months, that’s about all I could handle today. I am super-proud of myself just for GETTING there, though (and to be fair to myself, I did work up a good sweat throughout). This morning, I woke up at 4 and couldn’t get back to sleep – not terribly anxious, my brain is just filled with logistics for work and can’t shut down. PLUS work was crazy-busy of course, and I had to run an errand directly afterward.

BUT. I went to the gym! And it was just what I needed. The first 10 min. or so were not really fun, but it got 100% better after that. I also think going to the gym after work is a good plan, as long as I can keep my workouts short and intense (which is what my goal is anyhow). It was easy to find a parking space nearby.

Now it’s time for dinner – I’m STARVING!

I really need to do this, but I’m having a hard time getting motivated to go to the gym. I think what I may need to start doing is going right after work, as I just can’t seem to manage to get myself out of bed early enough to exercise. I can park for free on the street after 6 – if I dawdle a bit leaving work, I should be getting downtown right about then.

The only thing left to do is pack a bag! So I’m packing one tonight, and it’s coming with me to work tomorrow.

I’ve been looking for quick, no-equipment, yet challenging workouts that I can do from home on the days when I can’t bring myself to go to the gym. Last night I found some good ones! And this morning, I tried one out.

I did Workout A from this page . It didn’t take long at all and I DEFINITELY worked up a sweat! I only went 4 rounds and did at most 10 squats and 5 push-ups each time (except for the first round of squats, when I did 25)...but it was still a challenge. And it was actually kind of fun! I don’t think I’m going to do that whole plan, but it gives me a ton of options for things I can do away from the gym with zero equipment.

I’m starting to realize that I need to take advantage of the Y classes, if only because I need the motivation of fun and interaction. Strength training will probably have to be solitary still, but no reason to limit myself to the treadmill and other exercise machines.

Back on the horse! (FINALLY!!) Did the C25K Week 2 run today. Even after a month away, it wasn’t too bad.

A month away did not agree with me. Two weeks wasn’t terrible, but this week I felt largely out of sorts, emotionally and physically. It is a strain on the body and mind to not move much. And when I’m not exercising, I have no motivation to eat properly, either.

It feels incredibly good to be back. I set out a schedule for myself last month, and this week I’m going to try to stick to it. Shouldn’t be too much of a problem. I will have to change it up a bit next week because I’m making a quick trip to DC to see my sis…but…I’ll try.

If I can stick to my schedule for the whole month of May, I’m rewarding myself with a student clinic massage at the massage school. :)

Shoot. I haven’t been to the gym since I started my new job. Consequently, I’ve not been feeling all that good, physically or mentally, lately.

Bah! There is no good reason for not going. While my job is busy, I do have a decent amount of free time. It’s just that I’ve been filling it up with a lot of nothing.