Keeping my Chin Up...

Here I am with another exciting edition of my blog. Hopefully I can keep it down to just one of my various personalities speaking out today. Just kidding. Yesterday's post about my "voices" in my head was super fun and I just think it's important for us to pay attention to the crap we tell ourselves all day long.

Today I wanted to start off by saying thank you to Sean for the very kind mention in his blog the other day. I have been so inspired by his story. I've started giving his blog out to patients who need a little motivation. If you don't read his blog, and I find it hard to believe that anyone out here in bloggerville doesn't, you HAVE to now. He recommends reading from the beginning and I totally agree. I've almost got it all read now. A-Maz-Ing.

Also to Christine for saying I inspired her on a post this week. How kind. She is so nice and has been helpful to me. Knowing that I might have helped her feels great. If you don't read her. Start. And I agree with Shane, who is relatively new to all this that we're here to help each other. To inspire each other. And so many of you do that for me. He must have read my mind because just today I started a list of quotes which have been speaking to me. Some from blogs, others not. I'm planning a post on those at some point.

Yesterday, I ended with the yelling coach inside me stating that I'd bought myself a two-a-day. And I woke up this morning, determined to do it. I noticed on my log that my exercise numbers while still good, were down from where they were. Part of that is due to the "elbow incident". I realized I haven't done a push up in a week. Hummph. This morning I woke up and was soooo tired. Mainly because I was up all night with various interruptions.

I went to bed late, I was hyper for some reason. Maybe because I didn't exercise yesterday? Tsk. Tsk. Power was out for about an hour. It's hot here. Did I mention that? PLUS the beep beep beep of the battery backup on our various electronic devices. This is what happens when you marry a computer geek. (And thank goodness I did! I loves me some TIVO and what not. Love you hunny)

Then it started with the, "Mommy I had a bad dream." Over and Over again one or the other of my daughters (4 and 6) were in my room. Until the last week, they had been crawling into our bed uninvited. Then they had been sneaking in and sleeping on the floor. We're trying to get them used to sleeping in their own beds again before school next week. They did great until...vacation and then illnesses which led to the lapse. Tonight we had a long talk about sleeping like big girls. Parenting is just plain hard.

Anyway, so I woke up and trotted, okay dragged, up the stairs to my bike. I rode nearly 7 miles on one of the harder programs. Felt so good. I hadn't ridden since last week. I was sweaty. Really sweaty. I stopped there knowing I had an appointment with the trainer at noon and did my stretching. Legs just now recovered from that massive meany leg workout with the trainer on Thursday.

Breakfast was a Jimmy Dean d'lite sandwich. I was running late post-no sleep. They're pretty good if you haven't tried them. Only 260 cals 8g fat. That and my coffee and I was good. Had a snack on the way to the gym, string cheese and big ole Sooner cup filled with water. Yumm. Good idea to hydrate prior to training. My trainer kicks my butt. He'd better. That's what I pay him for.

Son joined me again this time. His last one before school. He'll be getting plenty of workouts with football. Has 2 hour workouts before school every day! He's in 7th grade. This is Texas people. Football aint for sissies. I'm so proud of him for wanting to do that. I didn't do sports, girls didn't as much way back in my day. I'm old. None of my cousins played ball. Pretty much running was punishment. I would've rather gotten spanked.

The trainer had an upper body and ab/core day planned today. Yippee. Fun. After my elliptical warm up, I was ready to go. So the first thing he says is,"Today we'll start with chin ups" Ha ha ha ha! I know, right? Ha ha ha.... See it's still funny. And he said it without grinning. He's good. I have not even attempted a chin up since 5th grade when they make you do those for that damned president fitness whatever the hell. I'm pretty sure I couldn't do it then either.

So he walks over to this giant machine contraption, which btw I'm almost too short to climb up on. I must have been looking at him like he was from Mars or other much hotter place, because he told me to, "just give it a try." Then he hit me with the motivational, "Come on, Ann. You can do this. Think of all the other things you've done that you never thought you could." Oh. All right. You had me at "Come on."

So I, yes me the fat over 40 woman, climb up on this thing and then proceed to FREAKIN DO FIFTEEN CHIN UPS!!! Oh hell yeah! In fact, young and buff jock-type dude couldn't use the machine because I WAS ON IT. Take that.

Granted, it is a counter balance weight pulley thingy which my physics major husband could explain way better than me. BUT. I. Did. It. He had the weight set on 85 pounds the first set. This means I was actually lifting 132 pounds of my weight. Wow. AND. I just realized, just now, that that is what I'll feel like doing one when I'm over a 100 pounds lighter and almost to goal. Wow, again.

So here's how the rest of the workout rounded out:
First Circuit: Rotating through each one 3 times each
1) Chin ups: 15, 15, 12
2) Dips (like reverse push ups?): 15, 15, 12
3) Military shoulder press, 30#: 15, 15, 12
4) V-ups or supine jackknifes with 7.5 pound weight: 20 x3

Second Circuit:Rotating through each one twice
5) Bicep burnouts: Yep as bad as it sounds. 30# weight x 10, 20# weight x10, 10# weight x20. It burns. Apparently this is supposed to "cut my muscle" or give me more cut or...well it's supposed to be good. It better be.
6)Close grip chest press: 30 pound bar, x20
7)Bench leg raises holding the 30# bar x20
8)Shoulder rotations: 7.5# weight and hold it through complete backstroke, like swimming x10 each arm

Last circuit:
1)Ball situps: 4# medicine ball, sit up, holding ball, throw it and catch at top x20
2) Standing rows with bands red and green together: 40 reps x 2

Yep. It was hard, but how powerful do I feel saying I did all that? Lunch was the ham sandwich wrap I had packed this am and another string cheese. Then, left over tomato salad from night before and a new treat, Motts flavored applesauce with fiber. I love love the cran-raspberry I had today, only 60 cals. AND the pomegranate is super good also. Lunch topped out at 508 cals, which is more than usual, but I burned over 600 during my workout.

Dinner was pasta cooked by our nanny. She's Italian, what can I say. I had 1 cup whole wheat spaghetti, 1/2 cup sauce and some steamed veggies. Also finished up the zucchini from Sunday. I was stuffed after and I am still full, even though talking about all this food got me thinking of snacks just now. (Not gonna happen. Forget about it) My calories finished at 1379, minus the 882 I burned working out today. Awesome.

Tomorrow is my official weigh in day. I'm hoping to see a loss and should assuming the scale trends the way it has been. I plan a C25K run tomorrow. Starting week 7, that's 25 min runs, no walking. I added some new, "angry running" music so I am looking forward to it even if I have to use the treadmill this time. No childcare in the am. For some reason people frown on you leaving your kids alone at 6 am. Who knew? I haven't done a long run on the treadmill. We'll see how it goes. Never know till I try, right?

So what have you done lately that has made you feel strong and powerful, physically or mentally? Any new fitness goals on the horizon? Tried anything new lately?