Discussion Time

Alright, all my fellow fitties! I need to know what you think: 

I have been doing the same routine for a little over a year now with not much change! Yes I've revved up my cardio for race training but when it come to weight lifting I have been consistent in my efforts to sculpt my arms, legs and abs! Legs are look FANTASTIC and my booty is following right along (I think this has more to do with the increase in running.) My arm and ab routine have been the same since I started. Even though I have upped my sets and reps and the amount of weights have gone up its been the same movement over and over and over again. I've never had a paid personal trainer and the only class I've ever taken is yoga based!! So my new goal...see major arm and ab definition. The plan: do 8 weeks of Roc Fit and cut carbs out of my diet. (I have a weakness for carbs so its all or nothing! Moderation is not a word when it comes to carbs!) I'm hoping by shocking my diet and my routine a little I can see some major results. I have plateaued and it's no fun...working out is still fun, plateauing is not fun! :) 

Plus I need a training program for the Warrior Dash in August so this would be a great start :)

So my question for you: have you ever made a dramatic change in your workouts to make gains in your fitness goals? Please share and help me figure all this mess out! 

Vacation Review!

Ah finally...the long awaited post! Sorry I've been MIA for the past week...vacation recovery is hard. I'm still trying to reset my sleeping schedule and get back to normal. Also, I'm having to detox my system from all of the "crap" food I ate. Well...the out of normal food and an awful schedule! Not eating breakfast until 11am or not eating lunch....takes a while to get back in track. Ok so a recap!! NC was as beautiful as ever and it was great to see my family after 9 months apart. Also, a lot has happened since I last seen them. My great grandma passed away the day after I was told about my miscarriage. My grandma has been sick off and on. Just a lot of up and downs; it was great to see everyone and laugh again. Oh and my beautiful nephews. How fun it was to play and laugh with them..they love their aunt leighleigh! Saturday we had a BBQ with family and close friends as a welcome home. I stayed up until midnight just catching up and talking talking talking. Sunday we went to see my great-grandmas burial site and I said my good-byes. After that we spent the afternoon at my grandparents. That night we met up and had a few drinks to celebrate my 21st birthday. I never drink so it was ok to waste a few calories on bar food and beer! 

(Across is my BFF Sarah) 

Monday was again a chill day; spending time with my family! Tuesday was our pack up day and saying our good-byes. It's so hard to say bye to my nana and pawpaw. They are my entire world and I try not to think about their limited time left on Earth! We get to Charlotte airport only to find a delay due to storms. Our connecting flight was missed in Detroit so we had to stay the night to get back home. We were supposed to be on the 900am flight to Des Moines but of course that was overbooked. So I had a boring day sitting around the Detroit airport until 430pm. (Check out my Vine @justaskinnybtch) We finally make it home to Iowa. Thank God! :) 

Pookie as Superman 

Me, my TWIN sister and my two adorable nephews! 

It was a fantastic trip but I missed Iowa and my home and was more than ready to get back. Family will drive you crazy you know! :D So there you have it, the fun in NC...well not fun but family time and memories made! Hope you all are having a great Sunday!! Ill be getting in a few miles run today after the rain lets up!! 

Question of the day: Do you live far away from family? How often do you get to visit?

And the Joys Of Traveling....

We have been stranded in Detroit since 10:30 last night. Finally, I've made it to the airport to wait on my flight back home. I'm tired and my body is so out of whack from being so off my eating schedule! I'm going to do a 3 day detox to clear my system on and start fresh :) that's always the best thing, for me! I need to juice my system into tip top shape. I hope everyone has had a great weekend/beginning of the week! I miss you all and will be back tomorrow or later tonight with some pictures and how my trip went. Warning: it will not be fitness or health related in anyway...well maybe a little. 

Question of the day: help me out!! Comment with a time your traveling plans didn't happen as they were supposed to? May make me feel better about my experience! :D

Hi!

From NC!! I made it safe, trip post coming soon!! 

Yesterday's Workout

Yesterday I decided I would do arms and core at the gym. So I strapped on my heart rate moniter and headed out to the gym right after work. I wanted somehting that was going to be quick yet effective.
This is what my work out looked like:

100 Crunches (Mixed)
For a variety I did V-Crunches, Bicycle crunches, Regular crunches, and weighted decline crunches (reg. and twisting.)
3 sets of 20LB Skull Crushers
100 triceps pulldowns (increasing weight.)
100 Biceps curls (alternating 20LB weighted bar and 30LB weighted bar.)
50 each side weight side bends.
50 burpees (in-between sets.)
3 set triceps pushdowns (50, 60 and 70LBS.)
A .25 mile run on TM.

I was dripping sweat by the end of this. My monitor showed a 35.20 minute work out and 284 Cal burned.

It was also my 21st birthday yesterday so it felt great to reward my body for 21 years of hard work!
There will be a few drinks on Sunday after I am safe in NC and not taking care of my kids. :)

Also, I picked up this months Women's Health magazine and there was an article on Elsa Patakys, who is an actress. In the article she said something that stuck out to me and I just love it. She said, "Exercise is like an addiction. Once you're in it, you feel like your body needs it." I wonder if I'm the only one who would AGREE with this statement. I can tell when I haven't been to the gym for a few days. I actually start to ache all over. I know my body needs to go for a run or lift something heavy to satisfy the itch. That's the great thing about this lifestyle. There are so many positives and very few, if any, negatives. This "drug" is what wakes me up in the morning before any normal person to go run. It's what pushes me to go to the gym after a long day at work. The feeling of completing something I once thought was never possible is the high I love.

Fitness has lead me to kick so many bad habits (including the most recent, smoking. Nicotine free since November 2012!!) Soda, fast food, processed foods, my sugar addiction....these are all things that I would consume on a daily basis before I made this lifestyle change.

I love this lifestyle, the community that supports you and the positive reinforcement!

Question of the day: Do you agree with Elsa? What habits had the fitness lifestyle helped you kick?

Happy....Happy

Birthday to me!!!! :D
Today is the big 21 for me and my beautiful twin sister. No big plans today just lunch with Jeremy and the kids. This weekend is when the celebrating happens...I'll be traveling back to NC after 9 months away from my family! It will be amazing :)

I'll be posting tonight just wanted to say Hi on my birthday!

Question: Any other Geminis out there? Don't you just love being a Gemini? I DO!

What the World Is Wrong With People?

I read a post of a fellow bloggers page http://fitnessista.com/ this morning that disturbed me and should become a real issue to everyone. Of course this isn't the first time I've seen something like this but I feel like it should be spoken of over and over again. Why do we, as women, put other women down? I don't understand why we do this but it has to stop. Think about it...all the nasty things you say about others are probably the same thing they say about themselves. I have known some of the prettiest women but they are still self conscious and vulnerable to every mean thing that is said about them. 

Why, especially, would any woman in the fitness community tear down another woman for trying to achieve a goal! My philosophy is if you are off the couch and trying, you have all my respect! Whether you are 100 pounds recovering from a ED or 400 pounds just walking the block! If you are trying to work on your body and your health, there is no need to be torn down for it! 

I know it's going to take an awful lot or get this to stop. Either women are just too blind to see how their comments effect people or care. In my mins it takes a whole lot of insensitivity to bring another person down instead of building them up! I wish I could say I had never done it, of course I have! It doesn't make me proud or happy to bring other down. I feel like its become imbedded in our society to be perfect that anyone who isn't gets a finger pointed at them! Life is already cruel enough, lets stop bringing others down and start empowering women to make fitness goals! Whether they are starting for the 1st time or have hit a plateau we need to help push them in the right direction instead of pulling them down. You wonder why women are so scared to walk into a gym for the first time? Ok so today my message is...lift people up and help them reach their fitness goals or try new things instead of discouraging them! 

And because I missed it on Friday...her are my motivational pictures for last week! I hope they can help you thins week too! :D 

How many times have you psyched yourself out of doing something or cutting your gym session short? That was your mind controlling your body! As I say, you are way too smart to be the only thing standing in your way!

Bahahaha! A little weight lifting humor there :)

Oh this reminds me! A new change in my work out plan is going to add 2 days instead of 1 on arm day! They are lagging behind everything else :( 

I'm sure I've said it over a million times and every time I've made it to the other side! Have faith in yourself!

This is the only way you are going to be able to do it! No one else is going to do it for you...quit making excuse and complaining and do it! Every day. 

Question: what new exercises or classes are you putting into your routine? 

Busy Monday Morning!

Hello! Sorry about the lack of blogging this weekend! It all has seemed to whirl by me! I will be back tonight with a full blog post but for now just wanted to pop in and say HEY! How was your weekend? Hopefully not as busy as mine! Have a great Monday!!

My Gym

My gym is my sanctuary, my home away from home, my therapist office. It's where all my anger and frustration go! I am myself at the gym; complete and whole. Other than running alone, it's the only place I really feel at peace. (Oh and yoga!) At the gym, I am my only competition! And that is nice. Most of my days feel like its a battle between me and the world! 

Every time I think about quitting or ask myself why I'm doing this, I look back at all the months of hard work and the sweat and tears. I know I can't stop! If I stop now, everything I have done will be a waste. 

Speaking of looking back, I wanna take you guys back and tell you all the things I've accomplished, that I never thought I could:

*finishing P90X alongside my best friend! 

*running my very 1st early morning run before work (and then continuing to do that, rain or shine, for months!)

*the first time I walked into the gym and wasn't terrified (this one took a little while but I did get there.) 

*make it a year with no soda at all (I'm over a year and a half now.) 

*make it over a year with no fast food, no slip ups! 

*going vegan for my body and for the planet and to save animals lives! 

*Making new PRs for dumbbell bench press. 

*seeing my quad muscle pop in my leg (my absolute favorite!!!) 

*running my very 1st 5K :) 

The major thing that the gym and weightlifting have showed me of how to love my body of what it will do, not how it looks. I never dreamed I could lift 105 lbs off the ground, let alone do it 6 times! 

I never knew my legs could push 210 lbs! The body is an amazing thing and ill be damned if I'm going to sit back and let mine waste away! I love lifting and I will do it until I can't do it anymore. It's ok if I never go pro or become a fitness model, I will know I gave my all every day to make myself baby! 

Question of the day: what is your greatest accomplishment in your weight loss or fitness journey?

Happy Running Day!

YAYAY! A day that celebrates one of my favorite things to do?! My therapy? My release? My way of saying thank you to God for giving me this amazing body? What could possibly be better :)

Source

My celebration for this great day will be spent logging in a few miles with my kids. We have a quiet path that we run almost every day and if we keep up like this, they will both be ready to run 5K's in no time. Some days they ask me to go for a run before I can decide whether I want to or not. Ah those words are great to hear! That and their refusal to eat fast food and willingness to try all of my crazy vegan cooking.

Also, since today is National Running Day, I will set my goals for this month. Here are last months running stats. I use MapMyRun app every time I run or walk during lunch at work and it sends me weekly and monthly reports and it also sends me when I break a previous record. I love the app, couldn't imagine using anything else. It does exactly what I need it to do.

So May's results:

27 miles divided between 17 workouts; that's not bad. And it's def. an improvement from previous months. Now, on to June goals.

• Double the miles ran. So in June, I want a total of 54 miles under my belt. That is more than doable.
• Cut down on carbs. I am a carb addict...and while I see nothing wrong with carbs, I do believe they should be used sparingly. This week has been going ok. Not the best but hey, I just started! :)
• Do 1 day of yoga a week, no exceptions. I want to start doing new moves and improving on the moves I know and yoga really is wonderful. I will make time to fit it in.
• Continue with my less TV, more reading. I am seeing a much better change in my sleep patterns when I read before bed instead of being on Twitter with NCIS is the background. Makes my nights easier and I feel like I have a better purpose!
• Try Crossfit at least once!!! <This is a big one for me.
• Keep adding the variety into my workouts with the Summer Shape Up I mentioned in Monday's blog. My legs are still sore and I love it!

Question of the day: What are your June goals? Have you set new ones for yourself or improving on old goals? I'd love to hear them! :D

Race Recap and Other Fun Things

Happy Monday everyone!

Ill start out with a question: what have you done today to reach your fitness goals? 

Today I set a new pattern for my workout and changed up my work out to challenge me. I mixed the new work out from http://fitnessista.com Summer Shape Up with chest day weight training that I usually do. It's free to sign up and the work outs are very doable! I am loving the cardio HIIT workouts she has posted with the other workout! I'm a huge believe that you need both cardio and body weight/weight training! 

I also have decided to start going to the gym straight after work. With the kids out of school, it's so much easier for me to just go straight after work. Plus it doesn't give me the excuse of coming home and getting lazy on the couch. It worked great today...we'll see if I can hold strong the rest of the week!! 

Okay race recap time. I have been planning this is my mind for days. To say I'm disappointed in myself would be an understatement! I wanted to do 9 minute miles on minimally trained legs. I had logged about 30 miles so far of running and walking but no set training! That was a huge mistake!!! After mile 1 I lost all wind. It went downhill from there. I passed mile 3 at 36 minutes and finished the race in a little over 41 minutes. That's a 13 minute mile split! 

Liz Irwin :) 

But then my thoughts went to "well at least I finished." I didn't give up even when my brain was fighting against my body. I also finished before the awards ceremony, which started about 4 minutes after I crossed the finish line. So there are the bright spots. 

The race course went through a neighborhood in town. It was a mile and a half down with a quarter mile loop and them back the same way to finish. The weather was amazing...couldn't have been better; sunny and low 60's. The running path was shaded most of the time so it kept things cool. 

I'm so proud of Jeremy...he finished 9th in his age group and 88th overall! Katie finished 6 behind me and pushed herself the whole race!! 

At the finish line they had bottle water, bananas (for cramps; a runners dream snack) and bagel bites. I ate a few bananas and drank 2 waters and watch the awards! It was a great 1st 5K and I learned a lot: 

 *dont beat yourself up, just use that to motivate you for next time! 

* TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN! You have to get your body accustom to new things! 

*enjoy the moment! I almost cried as I passed the finish line and seen my kids there cheering me on! Ill hold that memory forever.

Doesn't he look happy to be there? Me and Katie sure are!!! 

Starting line 

Our race bibs :D

Good night everyone!! Hope you enjoyed a peek into my thoughts tonight! 

What Do You Do.....

When you forget your breakfast oatmeal!!

Freak out?

Throw a fit?

Metabolism; plummets!

Call Jeremy to bring it to you? He's asleep.

Eat the fruit I brought like I'm never going to eat again? CHECK!

Crisis Averted. Well until snack time comes and there's nothing to eat....then things will get rough around here.

5K update coming this afternoon. Starting a new 6-week exercise program to get over this plateau of boring work outs!! :D More on that later also!

HAPPY HAPPY MONDAY