"It doesn't have anything to do with how the world perceives you. What matters is what you see." - Gabourey Sidibe

Blogland, I've had a challenging week.

It all started last weekend, when I competed in my CrossFit box's in-house partner comp. I was decidedly nervous going in - having never competed in something like that before - but I had a stellar partner and felt like there were at least a few sections of it that I could excel at.

The day opened with a WOD that consisted of 5 minutes (each) to hit your 1 rep max in two lifts. For me it was back squats and dead lifts. I felt good going into this, and was really charged up by the community and friendly-competitive atmosphere and pulled some new personal records for myself - not to mention just some straight up respectable lifts: 263# back squat and a 340# dead lift (and, I'm happy to say I think I could've gone a little further with both of those, in a situation without the time constraint). I was beyond thrilled with both of those, as that was like a 15# gain on my last back squat PR and a 10# PR on my dead lift, that I hadn't really been working on. It was a GREAT way to start the day.

Although I was a little self conscious - being literally the heaviest person there that day - I felt like I had demonstrated some value with the lifts. Over the course of the day (and 3 more WODs), my partner and I worked really well together and complemented each other's strengths and weaknesses. Before the last WOD of the day, we sat in a solid 6th place out of 22 (fit people!) teams. Our last WOD was one that I knew I would struggle with... it was a long "chipper" that you just had to work through a little at a time with your partner. However, it had a large amount (for me) of burpees, which are my Achilles heel. I can keep moving all day, carrying heavy weight, but burpees immediately cut me off at the knees, so to speak. BUT... I kept working, I got through them (it wasn't pretty..), and I felt like I left everything out on the table by the end of it. It was literally all I had left.
That said, as ugly as it was, it was enough to finish us in 11th place (out of 22 teams) for the day.

For a fat chick, who's struggling with fitness, I called that a DAMN good victory.

Following the comp, I found myself looking forward to checking out the pictures... I was hoping beyond hope that there would be ONE picture of me doing something that looked strong or powerful. I was under no illusion that I'd look thin, or fit, or they'd catch my good side, but I was really hoping to be able to counter it by saying - eh, well, there's a shit ton of weight on that bar!

Then.... the pictures came out. They were beautiful (their photographer had a great eye for faces and moments). However, there was not a single picture of me in action. There were many pictures of me sitting with my partner, standing around waiting for our heat, etc.  I saw myself in these pictures and was HORRIFIED. I think we've probably all been there, right Blogland? I feel heavy, I know that I am heavy (and frustrated about it), but sometimes seeing that one picture feels like a concrete block to the face.

I won't lie. I didn't have a graceful reaction. I didn't think of what a good day it was, I didn't try and focus on just seeing my strong legs, I didn't feel happiness for having gotten out and done it.... I hardcore cried my eyeballs out, for a solid 15 minutes.

It was working so hard, following "the plan", working with a nutritionist, doing all the "right things"... and then seeing those pictures that confirmed all the things I was feeling - huge, uncomfortable, and no where near fit. I suppose it didn't help that all the people in the pictures around me are fit competitive crossfit types, either. The tears poured out of my face for a while I reflected on how frustrated I was on the lack of noticeable progress I've made in the last 2 years, because my body just isn't on board.

I've made progress - I lift a lot more, my cardio is much better, and my doctors gave me a "surprisingly healthy!" (not kidding) decree... which is all good. But it doesn't help what I'm seeing in the mirror. It doesn't help when I have to go clothes shopping and buy the biggest sizes I've ever bought.

Fast forward to yesterday.

I headed up to B-town to go shopping with my friend, Holly. The Man and I have a semi-fancy dinner date tonight for Valentine's day, so I was hoping to find something a little nicer to wear (when you work from home, somehow your waterbed morphs into a lot of yoga pants...).
I tried on a bunch of things, and then sat in the dressing room and worked through some quiet sniffling. The biggest size I've ever tried on didn't fit right, all the tops I put on seem to put giant glowing neon arrows at my ginormous spare tire, and none of it made me happy. There was a time that I really enjoyed shopping.... and let me tell you, this was not it.

Since then, I've been trying to reflect on all this and find a way to make peace and move forward. To add insult to injury, there's a Powerlifting comp I've been pondering entering in April. However, applications are due in tomorrow. I'm not afraid of the lifting, or the competition.... but I'm terrified at the concept of having to wear a weightlifting singlet. Literally, I kid you not BlogLand, the singlet is the ONLY thing holding me back from entering, and considering not entering.

BUT.... I don't want to be that person. I don't want to be the heavy person that stops doing things, and lets their weight prevent them from enjoying life and the things they want to do. However, I am not sure I can fully express to you how incredibly unimpressed with my body I am right now.

I will admit, I am proud of it that it has gotten so strong (340# Deadlift - you go, legs!). I feel accomplished there.
... but I don't like to look in the mirror. It seems to somehow diminish all the "gainz" I'm making at the gym, by emphasizing all the gains I've made on the scale. Ugh.

I'm in a place of frustration right now, Blogland. Angry at my body for not getting on board with the weight-loss plan. Sad that I can't do a lot of the things I could do a few years ago. Angry that stupid, superficial things (spandex singlet...) are holding me back.

Now, I know this is temporary. I'll figure a way through this. And hell, everything feels a little bit less significant once the sun starts coming out again, and the day time highs are once again above zero. Right now, though... I'm in a self-image hole. I feel shitty.

I have gone to all my workouts this week, got my squats in today, and I'm still putting one foot in front of the other.... But I don't know how to get my brain out of stupid, self deprecating mode, when I look in the mirror, or put on clothes.

Further more... How do I get over my fear of the singlet, so I can get my ass into this powerlifting comp and get myself a cool trophy?
(Because we all know it's about the bling, right?)

UGH. So, tell me, Blogland..... how do you get through your bad self-image spots? How do you learn to appreciate the things about yourself that are not where you want them to be?
What's your advice?

An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises - Mae West

Spartan Shape Up, Day 281 & 282:

So, I have to apologize, BlogLand. I've been combining updates like crazy lately, but I'm just TIRED. I work kind of a weird schedule and by the time all is said and done for the day, well, I choose between Blogging and Sleep. Given my inability to sleep like a regular human, any time my body decides sleep would be a good plan, I just GO WITH IT.

However, I think it's okay, the last couple of WODs were not anything too blazingly exciting:

Day 281:
So, I played with my schedule this week because my body just NEEDED a rest day a little sooner than usual (it was an action packed weekend!), and today ended up being a day for a home-wod. All things considered, with the equipment, etc. that I have now, "Home-WOD" doesn't really limit me anymore. However, my brain was tired, I couldn't think of what I should do, even though I knew it needed to be some sort of strength based wod... so, I did what any reasonable person would do; I consulted the all-knowing fount of knowledge, My GT.

Sometimes, though, consulting the GT is a little bit like passing up the money and taking door number 2. If you just "took the money" and did the straight forward home WOD that you thought of, you'd know exactly what you were getting into, and your potential suffering level. If you take door number 2 from the GT, you'll for sure get SOMEthing.... but you may not enjoy it.
Today... Door number 2.

His decree was that I should do a Power Hour: Push Ups.  Now, for the unfamiliar, a "power hour" wod means that you do something (assigned number of reps, for example) every minute, on the minute, effectively completing 60 rounds of something. He decided that for me, today, it should be Push Ups.

#*$&$"Y^%@@&*$!!!!

Sorry. My T-Rex arms had a little bit of a temper tantrum when they read that message. When I asked how many per minute (I assumed maybe like... 2... given the fact this is not my strong suit...), he answered: 4. FOUR!?.... I may die. He did give me the caveat that IF I absolutely needed to, I could cut that down as I go, but I better get to at LEAST 200 push ups in the hour (if I completed as instructed, I would get to 240.).

Okay. Challenge accepted. How hard could it be, if I'm only doing 4 at a time? (SOMEday, I swear, I will learn.)

First, I had to prep. I plugged in my phone (timer) and set it up on the floor. Got a glass of water. A pen and paper (have to make notes about progress)..... AND... get something good on TV. By some weird rationale, I decided the Boondock Saints would be appropriate viewing material for this. I figured it was a cult movie that I've seen lots of times, so I wouldn't need to "pay attention", it had an appropriate amount of humor and violence to set the mood and the soundtrack (lots of dropkick murphy's!) would be great push up music.

Here was the only dilemma. I was pretty sure I'd have to do this whole WOD on my knees. I can't do a on-toes "real" push up, really, yet, can I? I figured I better try first.

ELEVEN!!!! ELEVEN, BlogLand. I can do ELEVEN "real" push ups now. Granted, I failed completely after 11, but I got through 11! I used this as my first "minute" and decided to see what I could do from there.

Feeling good from my little victory, I did my first 12 rounds as real (on-toes) push ups. Apparently, I can in fact, do 4 at a time. YAY!!!!!! This is a big victory. Perhaps I better start pushing this a bit more in my WODs. To be honest, I've just been assuming that I still can't do it. Note. to. self.... DON'T ASSUME.

After round/minute 12, I couldn't handle the real push ups anymore and dropped to my knees for the remainder of the hour. I was feeling pretty good about this.... right up until about minute 46 or 47. Then my arms started to get tired, and I started to feel the push ups become way more effort.

Then, crisis struck.

So, minute 48, I'm on my knees busting out my 4 push ups. When you're doing push ups on your knees, your feet are up behind you. While I was struggling with the push ups, I must've started tensing my feet or something and BOOOM!!! triggered a huge seize in my calf. I instantly went into screaming fetal position, while breathing like a woman in labor and trying to force myself to move my leg to work it out, and feeling like it would be better just to cut my leg off.

I massaged it. I whimpered. I cursed. I massaged more. It eased up "enough". I needed to just finish out a few more rounds, then I could foam roll and such to my heart's content. I pushed onward, to the soothing sounds of guns and swearing emanating from the TV.

Minute 60. I survived!!! Although I did this WOD with pants on, my knees got pretty ripped up. I didn't notice it as I was going along, but apparently I rubbed off the first layer of skin on my knees. This is clearly further motivation to continue to chase down the ability to do more real push ups. No rug burns. haha

I went to bed last night expecting to wake up feeling run over by a truck.... but this morning... nothing. My upper body felt fine... Whaaaaaat?! My t-rex arms had no objections this morning?! In the sage words of the GT:
"It's a good thing. Don't question it. We don't judge workouts on soreness."
Touche, GT. Still... it was weird. 240 pushups, and my upper body was FINE today. Weiiiirddd..... Is this what more "in shape" people feel like?!?

Moving on....

Day 282:

Today was 5K training day with a couple of my co-workers. Everyone's working so hard to be ready for our upcoming Corporate Cup 5k in a little less than a month.

Our little trio (and the adorable wee munchkin stroller ride-along!) headed out today, *despite* the crazy weather. Last week, I was in a tank top and sweaty... today, there was a freezing wind and snow in the air. WTF?!

We were all sort of in our head-space today, which is one of the things I have found beneficial about running. It really helps clear the head. You just get into this rhythm and your brain thinks a little more clearly. Plus the happy-endorphins put a better light on most situations. We ran.

Momma decided to push her own munchkin today, so I was freed up to just run. So... I did. I just ran at what was comfortable... which I found was a lot faster than I have been used to running. After the first Ugly Mile of warm up (which is tricking when you're only doing 5K), my legs felt good, my breathing was on target, so I just let loose a little bit. I didn't push my pace, per se, but I just ran a little more to my capabilities. I just let me legs do what they could do.

Finally, as I saw the marker indicating my last mile, my body was feeling all warmed up and ready to go (despite the icy wind!), and since everyone was running at their own pace and space today, I decided it was time to push it and see what my legs could do.

I didn't go all out. I would say I went at about 85% ish for the last mile. I still could've gone faster, but I was pushing the "comfortable" line, into real work. This speed was much faster than I ever thought I could be. And I could maintain it.

I surprised myself a little bit. I can not WAIT to see how I do on my next 5K, between all the sprinting and running and training I've been doing. I should blow all my previous PR's out of the water. Today, I am pretty positive I would've come in under a half and hour. Woot!!! (and no... I didn't officially time it. We had distance markers, and I find that I do better on these regular 5K's if I just relax and run them. )

Upon finishing this run and feeling really awesome about the strides (get it?! hehe) I've made with my running, I text the GT my excitement over this victory. I credited Sprint WOD of Death (Schadenfreude Tuesdays!) with assisting to build this new found speed. He agreed, then added:
"You'll love the day I program 400's into your training."

...... I wanted to die thinking about that (currently, I do 200m repeats).

......... but oddly..... wondered when (with anticipation), I'd get to start tackling that next ungodly challenge....

“To be tested is good. The challenged life may be the best therapist.” ~ Gail Sheehy

Spartan Shape-Up, Day 108 & 109:


Well, BlogLand, I'm going to count this as a pretty successful weekend, in Spartan Shape-Up terms, all things considered.
Saturday brought Day 108, as well as No Bread Day 2. Saturday was slated to be my Bodyweight exercise day... and well, we all know how very much I love that one. However, in true Spartan-Chicked spirit, I decided it was time to "embrace the suck" and push that workout a little more. If I could do more, I probably SHOULD be doing more.
So, the WOD looked liked this:

• Squats - 100
• Push ups - 50 (still on my knees...)
• Split Squats - 20
• Dips - 50
• Calf Raises - 40 
• Lunges - 50
• Ball Crunches - 40
• Burpees - 20 (You know, just for good measure.)

Yes. 100 squats, plus 20 split squats, plus 50 lunges. My quads and my butt were burning like crazy. This is a good thing. LOL. I contemplated doing more, but I had run out of time (had to be somewhere. grr!), and I wasn't sure how sore I'd be after that.... and today (Day 109) was Run Day! 

I would like to take this moment to recognize that my burpees ARE actually getting better. WOOT. Limiting factor seems to be the arm-strength at this point (well, it is the biggest one). My freaking t-rex arms, while getting muscly and toned STILL are not entirely on board with the rest of my body, strength-wise. Which, I find hella-frustrating... BUT, they are progressing. I'm thinking that a winter of Crossfit (... complete with an inordinate amount of pushups, pull-ups, ring dips, etc.) should help that out a bit. If there's one thing I've learned from stalking the various Spartan Race blogs, etc. is that upper body strength is KEY, and everyone seems to underestimate just how much they will need. Note to self: Get upper body together. HMM.

Anyway, on to Day 109: Run Day!

Since it was the weekend, and I had some more time at my disposal, I figured it was probably time to get a little more mileage on the sneakers. Also, it suddenly occurred to me the other day, when I was lamenting the fact that I had no one to run with, that I DID in fact have a very enthusiastic buddy at my disposal, just waiting for me to say the word:

Spanky, my adorable 3y.o. Pitbull

 Having never run with a dog before, knowing that this dog had never gone running, I was a little perturbed about how this might go... but ultimately I decided this was probably good for both of us, so we'd try it. 

With a 2.25 mile out and back stretch in front of us, off we went. My dog ("Spanky", as my mother decided he looked like the dog from Spanky and Our Gang, with the eye patch.... who's name is actually Petey... but... hey.), was a little confused at first. A little squirrely on the leash, all excited and all like "WE'RE RUNNING... THIS IS AWEEESOMMMEEE!"... I swear to you, that was what he was saying. In a minute or two, he settled right in to a nice trot beside me (Cesar Milan, you'd be so proud. We were totally rocking out some good Pack Leader form.), and all was well with the world. I had a steady pace going, he looked to be enjoying himself, and the road was ours for the conquering. 

The first 2 miles were okay. I can hold a pretty steady pace, no stopping.... but then as we round the 3 mile marker (as I'm looking at my MapMyRun Graph..), I definitely have to start to push more, and my speed becomes much less constant. I do have to throw in a recovery walk for 10-15 steps, here and there.... and I am definitely slower overall, once I try and push close to 4 miles. Today I had a little bit of an excuse. My dog legit had to stop once or twice. LOL. And I was tired today, for some reason. I pushed on as much as I could, but this was not exactly a stellar run today. HOWEVER. I still lapped everyone that was on the couch today. HA. 

My Run looked like this:

Time: 51:58 min

Distance: 3.94 mi

Pace: 11:54 min/mi

Honestly, I think my body is still settling in a bit to this No Bread thing. I know that it will take a little bit for my blood sugar to even out and everything, and compounded with the fact that I slept like crap last night, I think I was just a little bit doomed to be a little low energy. However, still got the job done, and I had one tired, happy pooch, afterward. The last third of a mile or so, my dog was beginning to lag a little bit... so, probably he and I are about evenly matched, at this point, for runs.... lol. I am pretty psyched to find a running buddy, even if he is a little hairy.... 

And, with that, I think I should just touch on the status of No Bread time. It's the end of Day 3, and it's getting a little easier. I have a better idea of what I should and should not eat, and how to put that into practice. I'm finding that the tricky part really comes when you must leave your own kitchen, and find something to eat. Like, going out to a restaurant, or Sunday dinner at my Mothers.... You have NO IDEA how carb-laden these places are, until suddenly you try and figure out what you and and your no-carb self are going to eat. I got dragged to a Mexican place this weekend, which one might think is no-carb friendly, do to the proportions of beans, avocado and such that are typically found there. BUT THEN, I would like you to consider the tortilla chips, tortilla wrappers, rice.... Yeah. It was pretty tricky. I ended up going with a Taco salad that had chicken and beans and avocado on it, and (SO SAD) leaving the deep fried, crispy-shelled goodness behind. The waitress was so confused. 

I am most definitely in a better head-space about this food task though... Taking on day at a time, and just looking at it as an opportunity to expand my food/recipe horizons. I'm already pondering if my pumpkin soup might be tastey with some pureed white beans for a little more substance and protein... HMM. 

With that, I leave you Dear Blog, to remove my foot from the ice pack (it's a pre-emptive treatment, to hopefully make sure that weird foot ouchy doesn't flair up again...), and hit the hay. 

Incidentally, a new WOD schedule is coming down the pipe from the GT... Still working out the rest of the details, but I've officially been tasked with upping my Run days from 3x a week, to FOUR times a week (ack!), which is to consist of 3 "regular" three-mile-ish days, and one Long Run day, where I am to get to 4miles, irregardless of the time. 

My mind is a little intimidated by 4 run days a week... but, I just need to develop a new routine... What's one more day, REALLY?

Time to Spartan the *&^% Up, and get running.... :-)

“For changes to be of any true value, they’ve got to be lasting and consistent.” ~ Anthony Robbins

Spartan Shape-Up, Day 71:

Well, it was my least favorite workout day today - Bodyweight exercise day. Eh. I dunno. Couldn't tell you what it is I don't like about them... perhaps it is because they are the thing I struggle with the most (Burpees, why do you hate me?). Nonetheless, I do it. Today, I had all sorts of excuses not to do it - was running around like a crazy person after work - but, I remembered to prioritize me a little, and I squeezed in a workout while the laundry was running, and before dinner. Yeah!
I did get an exceptional raised eyebrow from the Paternal Unit, when he happened to come down the stairs just as I was overhead squatting the full laundry basket (just to see if I could...). He's afraid the pod-people have come for his daughter. Hmm.

Anyway, today's slightly shorter, but intense (did it fast, and hard!) bodyweight WOD is as follows:

• Squats x 60
• Push-ups x 50 (Still on my knees. Grr.)
• Dips x 30  
• Calf Raises x 50 
• Lunges x 50 
• Scissor Kicks x 80 
• Burpees (... of Death) x 20 (WHY do these suck so much?!)

And, that's that, today. Nothing fancy, but lesson of the Day: No matter how crazy life gets, you can MAKE half an hour to get sweaty, if you want to. 

How bad do you want it?

"Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they're supposed to help you discover who you are." -Bernice Johnson Reagon

Spartan Shape-Up, Day 58:

WHEW. The last 24 hours were intense. No sooner did I finish that blog post about not being a natural athlete, but doing it anyway, and finding your support system, when I was forced to put it to the test. I'll spare you the gorey details, but in a nutshell, I had part of my family corner me and lecture me on this new "extreme" workout stuff, and the "unrealistic" goals that I have, etc. It is immensely difficult to hear that from your family. Just because I have spent too much time being a couch potato, doesn't mean it always will be that way. I feel like I'm really finding myself now - and am amazing myself daily with the things I am growing able to do - and I wish they could embrace that with me. Maybe eventually they will, but until then, I've got to just do what I do, for me. That said, upon leaving the lecture, I got in my car, had a bit of a cry (because c'mon, I'm still a girl and that crap is hard to hear), and reached out to the people that I know would help. After a reassuring conversation with my GT (who has saintly patience with the mental/emotional side of all this for me), the most powerful thing came out of that.
Me: (recanting a sentiment that seem to be prominent from the family) Yes, but these activities are for other people. You know, "athletic" people.
GT: Well, that's you now.

I know that seems like a ridiculously simple thing, to many of you. But spent a lot of your life being some gradient of out of shape/chunky/heavy, and while I was 'active' at points in my life, never would I have been considered "athletic". Spend your life that way, then try (after 30 years) to see yourself in an entirely different light - despite what people close to you are saying. THAT can be a monumental challenge. However, to have someone that knows you well, that you trust, say matter of factly, that that *IS* me now is like turning on a light switch. Yeah, I guess maybe it is. Holy shit.
AND, not for nothing, but I made a comment to my Spartan Chicks, and was overwhelmed at the support-rally that I was showered with. Lesson learned: When the people in your life don't understand, or can't support you - adopt the ones that will.
A big cyberspace thank you, to my GT and the Chicks for helping me scale that particular mountain... Hopefully it's all downhill from here (or, more appropriately, uphill with a rock? lol).

ANYWAY, on to the WOD.

I was all excited because it was cold this morning, and it was going to be Run Day... and then I looked at my schedule... it's actually the dreaded Bodyweight workout day. Feeling rejuvenated, energized and just damn proud of myself for sticking to this, I decided to bust out a really solid workout today:

• w/u 300 turns jump rope

• Squats x 100 
• Pushups x 70 PLUS 10 full out on my toes, not knees! 
• Chair Dips x60 (legs out, no cheating!)
• Calf Raises x80
• Lunges x60
• Scissor kicks x110
• Ball Crunches x90
• BURPEES x 15 (15 solid, good form ones, damnit.)

So. There we have it. A good solid, sweaty day. I may feel those squats tomorrow. LOL. I must note, a few more improvements, though: I managed 10 whole pushups on my toes - not the girly knee way. YEAH. I had a moment where I wasn't sure I was going to get back up, lol, but dug deep. ALSO, in my quest to master the Burpee of Death, I did 15. Sounds low, but considering 2 of those were really difficult for me at the beginning, I'm happy. Plus, they were 15 complete burpees - pushup, jump up, the whole bit. 

In summary, emotional mountain surmounted (for now. lol), channeled into an awesome workout, and now I must go to the hardware store for supplies........... WAhahaha.... 

Oh, and note to self: Drink more water. Geesh.

"There is never a better measure of what a person is than what he does when he's absolutely free to choose." - William M. Bulger

Spartan Shape-Up, Day 43:

Ah, Bodyweight Exercise Day. While I, admittedly, loathe this particular workout day of mine (I find it really weird that now, I would much rather go bust my ass on a run, than do this sort of thing...), I noticed some distinct progress today. I wasn't as fatigued, I was able to do more dips correctly (not the modified easier way), squeeze out a few more burpees without dying... you know, little things.

The WOD:

• 300 turns (approx 5 minutes) of jump rope (I think I'm actually getting better at this!)
• Squats (40)
• Pushups (50) - Still on my knees. GRR. Real pushups, I'm gunning for you!
• Split Squats (60) 
• Chair Dips (40) - approx half of them done, unmodified! Yay!
• Calf Raises (60)
• Lunges (40)
• Scissor Kicks (40)
• Ball Crunches (80)
  .... AND.....
• BURPEES (of Death). ... (10).   Yeah. Gotta work on those. LOL. 

So, I've been having trouble with my hamstrings of late, so some of these things (lunges, squats), I did a little bit less than usual. It feels good to warm up the muscles a bit, but until I sort out the soreness, etc. I need to go a little easy. (and yes, I do have an official "Rest Day" coming up.)

Today's quest, go acquire a 12", 3-4" diameter PVC pipe. 

Random, I know. However, it will be for the purpose of rolling out my hamstrings. Between some thoughts from my TG (Trainer Guru), and some great info from the ladies on the Spartan Chicked group, I have some new ideas. Even got a .pdf of the 'right' way to self-roll out my muscles, while looking less like a beaching whale and/or a turtle on it's back. Nice! 

OH, and nice little ancillary benefit of all this training: I was trying on some killer new heels for a wedding I'm in in a couple of weeks, and got a comment on my "amazing" calves, in those heels.  LOL. Thank you running, calf raises, etc. Who doesn't love another excuse to buy more heels?

Some days, it's just a workout.

Spartan Shape-Up, Day 38:


Okay, so some days life gets in the way (like today, I spent most of the day at the Quechee Scottish Fest, watching burly men in kilts throw around heavy things. lol), and it is a challenge to fit in the workout. However, you MAKE time for things that are important.
I'm headed out tonight for a UFC viewing party, but I had a couple hours in between to get some stuff done, so I decided I would squeeze in a workout. Maybe it wouldn't be as long/complete as other, but some is better than none at all. I'm proud of myself, I reaaaallly just wanted to nap (a day in the sun will do that to you).

However, I rallied, and here's what I ended up with:

• Squats (50)
• Push ups (50)
• Split Squats (50 total)
• Dips (50)
• Calf Raises (with 40lbs) (50)
• Lunges (30)  - Time was up, and my knee felt tweaky
• Russian Twists (with 20lbs) (60)
• Ball Crunches (60)

Okay. So. I got it done today. Woot. Nothing exciting, nothing fabulous, but sometimes you just gotta get sweaty. My pre-workout 5 minute jump rope time is getting better, I have to say, though. I can almost jump a solid 5 minutes without falling on my face! hehe

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit." Aristotle

Today was Day 30 of the road to getting into Spartan Shape. Whew.

I'm reflecting a bit about habits today. At first getting on this "schedule" of 6x/week training was difficult. I had to do it purely on the drive and internal motivation I had to get this going (which, depending on the day, could be a real fight). Now, thankfully, my brain has switched over into "habit" and I don't have to think about it anymore. It is just part of the day. When I don't do it, I feel like something is missing. That makes life a bit easier.... Especially on body weight workout day. For some reason, body weight day kicks my ass. Not that I'm sore the next day kind of ass kicking, but the in the moment, struggling and pushing through, sort of ass kicking. BUT, I guess the more the struggle, the more the gain?

Anyway, 1 Day a week is reserved for body weight exercises. I'm always looking for new ones to add to my routines, and usually (this is a highly scientific method) I just pick a bunch of them, and Go! for about 40-45 minutes, or until I can go no more.
Today:

• Squats (60)
• Pushups (50) - still on knees, wide stance arms.
• Split Squats (80)
• Dips (50) - Legs out straight only for the first 10, bent for the rest
• Calf Raises (50) - Holding 2, 20ish pound DBs.
• Lunges (50)
• Russian Twists (80) - Holding 1, 20ish pound DB
• Scissor Kicks (80)
• Ball Crunches (80)

I generally do two rounds through, to get to the totals, but really, as long as I get it done (at least as much as the last time), it's all good.Yeehaw. Feeling the abs a bit. Wish I could see them. LOL. Eventually!

Today, I got trained on the front desk duties that I'll be doing at the gym (Green Mtn. Crossfit - see the link in the sidebar), in order to pay for my membership. Woot! My 2 hours a week starts on Tuesday, which means I'll be able to start Crossfitting a few days a week. That's a pretty intense 45 minutes, so I'm thinking that it will replace the body weight days, or lifting days, sometimes, and I'll keep the runs 3x week. Hmm. I will have to consult with my Trainer Guru on how best to do this. But, it just goes to show you - where there's a will, there's a way. I've been doing this consistently for 30 days, without a gym and with minimal equipment. Winter makes that trickier here, and I needed a gym, but have no money... but, with a little persistence and help of the Cosmos, I seem to have found a way to pay for my membership. Yes!

And so... Workout done for the day... off to hydrate (and Google why I'm SO Thirsty!), and chill for the evening. Tomorrow is Run Day! :-)