This shit is hard.
Sgt. Ken is on vacation, so we are in the capable and cruel hands of Amber this week. I say capable because she is every bit as tough and demanding as Sgt. Ken; I say cruel because it's true.
I kid, of course. If I wanted an easy workout, I'd take a water aerobics class. What doesn't kill me makes me stronger. Of course, what kills me makes me dead, so there's a delicate balance thing going on here.
I was happy this morning to see some new recruits, but I was even happier to see many familiar faces returning after their two week trial. There's a real team dynamic shaping up in the class, and that's one of the things I really like about it. It's motivating in the morning to know that if I stay in bed instead of going to work out, I'll have people asking me next time where I was. That means I'll have to fess up and admit that I was lazy. I don't want to have to do that.
As for today's class, it was, as usual, balls-to-the-wall from start to finish. My brain plays cruel tricks on me during workouts like this morning. When the cardio starts to feel like I can't possibly do another second, and Amber instructs us to start something different, like push-ups, I'll think "Awesome, a cardio break will feel good!" Then once my triceps start peeling off the bone and my pectorals start to revolt, I think "Why on earth did I think this would be any better?" That thought pattern continues pretty much throughout the whole hour. I'm going to wind up in a padded room.
Now for a quick subject change; I'm getting this regular exercise thing under control, so now it's time to think about my nutrition. I don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. I know this; so I'm going to try to start working on it. I'm actually very knowledgeable about nutrition, I just don't put what I know into practice.
I'm going to try to start having a good salad for lunch most days. It will need to be filling, have plenty of veggies, include a protein of some sort, and most important, it's going to have to taste good. If it doesn't taste good, I won't eat it. Greens, chicken, and some kind of dressing isn't going to cut it for me for very long. So please give me your favorite salad combinations in the comments. I'll start off with a few that I like:
Spinach with grilled chicken, sliced strawberries, blue cheese crumbles, and dressing made with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and greek seasoning.
Spring greens with grilled chicken, chopped apples, feta cheese crumbles, and dressing made with rice vinegar, canola oil, and a pinch of mild herb seasoning (Penzey's Fox Point is good)
Spinach with chopped boiled egg, one crumbled slice of bacon, and dressing made from yellow mustard, honey, and a small splash of olive oil.
You may see a pattern there; I like to use strong cheeses like blue and feta, because it takes only a very small amount to give a lot of flavor. Same with the bacon; it only takes a little to really give a lot of bacony goodness. I also am not a fan of store-bought dressings. I prefer to make my own; that way, I know what's in them. If you have a favorite ready-made dressing, though, feel free to share.
Thanks in advance for any ideas! I'm hoping to bring all you lurkers out of the woodwork. :)
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
My Baby Girl and Her Band
Meet The Resistance. My daughter is the bass player.
They sounded so much better than this live; my Droid doesn't record audio worth a flying shitcake.
They sounded so much better than this live; my Droid doesn't record audio worth a flying shitcake.
Three Miles Forward, One Mile Back...
My new friend from Boot Camp, Jimmy Olander (What? Me, name drop? Noooo...) invited me to run today with his running group, Team Rio. They are training for the Country Music Marathon and raising money for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee. They were doing 8 (half-marathoners) and 14 (full-marathoners) miles, but since I'm not doing any distance training right now, Jimmy offered to put out a turn-around marker for me for whatever distance I wanted to go. I said I thought I could do four miles, so a two-mile turn-around marker was set.
Ted came with me, and it's a good thing, because I was just at the right speed that I would have been totally alone after about mile one. I'm faster than the walkers, but slower than the runners. Ted and I adjust pretty well to each other's abilities, so we stuck together. He is much stronger for the first mile and a half or so, and I tend to struggle in the beginning and get my second wind later in the run. I was having some pain in my right calf, but it was tolerable and felt like something that could be taken care of with ice and rest, so I pushed through it for a while.
We were doing really great up until about the beginning of mile four (that's my estimate, didn't have my Garmin on), when my right calf started to really hurt; by this time, it was starting to feel more like a something-is-wrong hurt rather than a push-through-it-you're-just-tired hurt. So we walked (I alternated between walking and limping) the rest of the way back.
What really sucks about it is that everything else on my body felt great; my lungs felt good, my legs weren't heavy, I felt like I could have run a lot of that last mile, if not for that damn right calf. I was wearing my fivies, and I hate to say it, but I'm afraid they are the culprit. I may not be able to wear them for running at all.
So, ice tonight, rest tomorrow, and hopefully I'll be able to make it through boot camp Monday.
Oh, one more thing. When we got back from the run, Ted and I used The Stick on each other to roll the lactic acid out so we won't be so sore tomorrow. I swear, I'm going to have an audio recorder on in the room next time we do that. I'm not sure whether it will sound like a sex tape or a murder scene, but either way, it should be very entertaining.
Ted came with me, and it's a good thing, because I was just at the right speed that I would have been totally alone after about mile one. I'm faster than the walkers, but slower than the runners. Ted and I adjust pretty well to each other's abilities, so we stuck together. He is much stronger for the first mile and a half or so, and I tend to struggle in the beginning and get my second wind later in the run. I was having some pain in my right calf, but it was tolerable and felt like something that could be taken care of with ice and rest, so I pushed through it for a while.
We were doing really great up until about the beginning of mile four (that's my estimate, didn't have my Garmin on), when my right calf started to really hurt; by this time, it was starting to feel more like a something-is-wrong hurt rather than a push-through-it-you're-just-tired hurt. So we walked (I alternated between walking and limping) the rest of the way back.
What really sucks about it is that everything else on my body felt great; my lungs felt good, my legs weren't heavy, I felt like I could have run a lot of that last mile, if not for that damn right calf. I was wearing my fivies, and I hate to say it, but I'm afraid they are the culprit. I may not be able to wear them for running at all.
So, ice tonight, rest tomorrow, and hopefully I'll be able to make it through boot camp Monday.
Oh, one more thing. When we got back from the run, Ted and I used The Stick on each other to roll the lactic acid out so we won't be so sore tomorrow. I swear, I'm going to have an audio recorder on in the room next time we do that. I'm not sure whether it will sound like a sex tape or a murder scene, but either way, it should be very entertaining.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Two Weeks
Today was the end of week two. I’m going to combine my two week wrap-up with my daily workout report, so this will be quite a bit longer and probably more disjointed than my previous posts.
I have just completed two of the most physically challenging weeks of my life. I haven’t lost an insane amount of weight; I haven’t dropped four dress sizes; I can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound. And that’s okay; because all three of those expectations are about equally unreasonable. This is not a miracle cure. This is not a hyped-up gimmick. This is real.
So, what are the things I have done? I have increased my muscular and cardiovascular endurance; I’ve lost a couple of pounds of fat (and a pound a week is just fine with me); I’ve even toned up enough that when Ted hugged me the other evening he said that he thought I’d already started to firm up. I’m down to 188 pounds today. That puts me only eight pounds to my first reward.
How do I feel? I feel proud. I feel excited about weeks to come. I feel nervous about weeks to come. I feel fatigued and a bit like I’ve been on that machine that they hooked Westley up to in The Princess Bride. I don’t have the intense muscle soreness that I had during week one; I have more of a muscle tiredness. My right quadriceps (Yes, the singular of that word ends in s; I didn’t know that until just now.) has a little tick in it at the knee that does a little jerk every now and then. My left knee is a bit inflamed and sore. My right shoulder is a little tender at the joint (I’m guessing that is a result of bad form on my push-ups at the end of class when I’m tired; I need to pay attention to that). My lungs are a little tight at the top when I take a deep breath in. I’ve worked my body hard, and it’s giving me cues as to what needs work and what needs TLC. It’s all part of the process of redefining my body.
That’s enough on the two week wrap-up; now for the daily report. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, Wednesday felt like one of my strongest, best endurance days. Today felt like the worst. I know that I probably did more than I was doing last week; but it felt like I just could not complete anything satisfactorily today. I couldn’t get into a good low squat on my shuffles; I couldn’t lift my body more than twice without resting on the up/downs; there was nothing correct about my inchworms; my knee started bothering me during the abdominal bicycles; and my push-up form deteriorated into oblivion as the class went on. It felt like a complete failure.
To make matters worse, Sgt. Ken made me squad leader for my group. My group consisted of Candace, Trey, and me. I’ll give you one guess who in that group is the weakest link (hint: it’s me). How was I supposed to be squad leader and motivate my group when I was the first to have to take a rest? How can I give advice to someone about their form when mine is nowhere near correct? How can I tell two strong, lean, athletic people to push harder when I’m standing there with forty-three more pounds to lose? How can I take charge and be a leader when I haven’t earned it yet?
Sgt. Ken told me that it didn’t matter that my fitness level wasn’t up to theirs yet; that it was my job to motivate the group to each individual’s best. Yes, that made sense. But I am not a natural leader. That is not me being modest or self deprecating; that is me being honest about my personality. Squad leader was a very difficult role for me today. I really think that as I get stronger and improve, that I will grow more comfortable with the idea of that responsibility. But right now, it’s terrifying.
I have just completed two of the most physically challenging weeks of my life. I haven’t lost an insane amount of weight; I haven’t dropped four dress sizes; I can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound. And that’s okay; because all three of those expectations are about equally unreasonable. This is not a miracle cure. This is not a hyped-up gimmick. This is real.
So, what are the things I have done? I have increased my muscular and cardiovascular endurance; I’ve lost a couple of pounds of fat (and a pound a week is just fine with me); I’ve even toned up enough that when Ted hugged me the other evening he said that he thought I’d already started to firm up. I’m down to 188 pounds today. That puts me only eight pounds to my first reward.
How do I feel? I feel proud. I feel excited about weeks to come. I feel nervous about weeks to come. I feel fatigued and a bit like I’ve been on that machine that they hooked Westley up to in The Princess Bride. I don’t have the intense muscle soreness that I had during week one; I have more of a muscle tiredness. My right quadriceps (Yes, the singular of that word ends in s; I didn’t know that until just now.) has a little tick in it at the knee that does a little jerk every now and then. My left knee is a bit inflamed and sore. My right shoulder is a little tender at the joint (I’m guessing that is a result of bad form on my push-ups at the end of class when I’m tired; I need to pay attention to that). My lungs are a little tight at the top when I take a deep breath in. I’ve worked my body hard, and it’s giving me cues as to what needs work and what needs TLC. It’s all part of the process of redefining my body.
That’s enough on the two week wrap-up; now for the daily report. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, Wednesday felt like one of my strongest, best endurance days. Today felt like the worst. I know that I probably did more than I was doing last week; but it felt like I just could not complete anything satisfactorily today. I couldn’t get into a good low squat on my shuffles; I couldn’t lift my body more than twice without resting on the up/downs; there was nothing correct about my inchworms; my knee started bothering me during the abdominal bicycles; and my push-up form deteriorated into oblivion as the class went on. It felt like a complete failure.
To make matters worse, Sgt. Ken made me squad leader for my group. My group consisted of Candace, Trey, and me. I’ll give you one guess who in that group is the weakest link (hint: it’s me). How was I supposed to be squad leader and motivate my group when I was the first to have to take a rest? How can I give advice to someone about their form when mine is nowhere near correct? How can I tell two strong, lean, athletic people to push harder when I’m standing there with forty-three more pounds to lose? How can I take charge and be a leader when I haven’t earned it yet?
Sgt. Ken told me that it didn’t matter that my fitness level wasn’t up to theirs yet; that it was my job to motivate the group to each individual’s best. Yes, that made sense. But I am not a natural leader. That is not me being modest or self deprecating; that is me being honest about my personality. Squad leader was a very difficult role for me today. I really think that as I get stronger and improve, that I will grow more comfortable with the idea of that responsibility. But right now, it’s terrifying.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Bonus Post
I'd like to introduce you all to a couple of people who have recently sparked a big change in my life.
First, meet Amber Hunter. She is Senior Instructor at START Fitness and an awesome one at that. She is inspiring, motivating, and incredibly dedicated and hard-working. Amber has some great blogs herself; they are here and here and here.
Next, meet Sgt. Ken. He is the fitness genius behind the program. It goes without saying that he is a great motivator, unbelieveably dedicated, and a BEAST of an instructor.
First, meet Amber Hunter. She is Senior Instructor at START Fitness and an awesome one at that. She is inspiring, motivating, and incredibly dedicated and hard-working. Amber has some great blogs herself; they are here and here and here.
Next, meet Sgt. Ken. He is the fitness genius behind the program. It goes without saying that he is a great motivator, unbelieveably dedicated, and a BEAST of an instructor.
He's really only about half as scary as he looks.
HOOAH!
Code Amber
This morning, Sgt. Ken turned the recruits over to his Senior Instructor, Amber. I think she led the entire class time, but I can't be sure because I blacked out just a few minutes after the warm up.
(Normally I would just assume that all readers would know I'm kidding about that and move on, but since I've been told that some prospective recruits are reading this blog, I'll go ahead and clarify; I didn't really black out. I'm trying to be funny. Laughter dulls the pain.)
We did what Amber called "Accumulators" (I think that's what she called them; it's honestly a bit fuzzy, and that's actually not a joke...), which were patterns of exercises that built on each other (do set 1; do set 1 & set 2; do set 1, set 2, & set 3; etc. to 10 sets. Repeat). It was honestly tough from the very beginning, and it did not let up at all until the cool down. Every day up to today has been very tough; but I honestly think today was the most difficult so far, even though I was able to complete more of the workout than any previous days. My body very nearly stopped functioning near the end; but it actually felt really good. I felt like I accomplished an extraordinary workout; I felt like I honestly, no-fooling-myself pushed my body to its limits; I felt like it was worth it.
Why is it worth it? Why is it worth being pushed to tears one day, then pushed to puke a little the next?
Because after your body survives those two days, it responds to a killer workout like this morning with more strength and endurance than you've ever had before. And you feel REALLY DAMN GOOD.
If being pushed to tears and/or puke sounds like a bad thing to you, then you don't want the same thing I want. And that's okay; I only very recently started wanting it. Take a Jazzercise class. Start taking a 30 minute walk in the evenings. Take the stairs instead of the elevator at work. There are lots of things you can do that will improve your health, and they are all better than nothing.
I don't want better than nothing. I want the best, most efficient way to improve my health, my strength, and my body. And that's what I'm getting.
(Yesterday I forgot to post my daily reason; so today I'll post two.)
Reason #6:
I love the feeling I get when I go to the doctor, they take my blood pressure, and immediately say, "You must be a runner!"
Reason #7:
If you're in good enough shape, you are never too old for tank tops, strapless cocktail dresses, or bikinis.
(Normally I would just assume that all readers would know I'm kidding about that and move on, but since I've been told that some prospective recruits are reading this blog, I'll go ahead and clarify; I didn't really black out. I'm trying to be funny. Laughter dulls the pain.)
We did what Amber called "Accumulators" (I think that's what she called them; it's honestly a bit fuzzy, and that's actually not a joke...), which were patterns of exercises that built on each other (do set 1; do set 1 & set 2; do set 1, set 2, & set 3; etc. to 10 sets. Repeat). It was honestly tough from the very beginning, and it did not let up at all until the cool down. Every day up to today has been very tough; but I honestly think today was the most difficult so far, even though I was able to complete more of the workout than any previous days. My body very nearly stopped functioning near the end; but it actually felt really good. I felt like I accomplished an extraordinary workout; I felt like I honestly, no-fooling-myself pushed my body to its limits; I felt like it was worth it.
Why is it worth it? Why is it worth being pushed to tears one day, then pushed to puke a little the next?
Because after your body survives those two days, it responds to a killer workout like this morning with more strength and endurance than you've ever had before. And you feel REALLY DAMN GOOD.
If being pushed to tears and/or puke sounds like a bad thing to you, then you don't want the same thing I want. And that's okay; I only very recently started wanting it. Take a Jazzercise class. Start taking a 30 minute walk in the evenings. Take the stairs instead of the elevator at work. There are lots of things you can do that will improve your health, and they are all better than nothing.
I don't want better than nothing. I want the best, most efficient way to improve my health, my strength, and my body. And that's what I'm getting.
(Yesterday I forgot to post my daily reason; so today I'll post two.)
Reason #6:
I love the feeling I get when I go to the doctor, they take my blood pressure, and immediately say, "You must be a runner!"
Reason #7:
If you're in good enough shape, you are never too old for tank tops, strapless cocktail dresses, or bikinis.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Get in My Head
Today's post is going to take a bit of a different approach; I'm going to take you through the workout with me, and share a little of what's in my head. Those who know me know that there will be profanity; those who don't, well, there's your warning.
(The times are guesses; I didn't have a watch on.)
4:30 AM: Alarm goes off. Damnit. That dream was just getting good... (None of your business)
5:00 AM: In car. This is too hard. Is it worth it? Seriously, I can't imagine having to do this for the rest of my life to just not be fat. 5:30 in the fucking morning? Seriously? This is what I have to do to just look like a normal human being? Other people don't have to work this hard to not be fat. It's not fair. Whaaah...
5:30 AM: Warm-up. Okay. Feeling better. I can do this today.
5:35 AM: Group jog to first checkpoint. Hey, I'm alright. This is awesome. Candace is very cool...I like this group.
5:40 AM: Look up and see the first hill. Shit. (To be clear, this is what I thought, not what I did...)
5:41 AM: Struggle up the hill. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. Everybody is encouraging me and they are awesome but they know that I'm having trouble because I'm so fat and they feel bad for me and I don't want people to feel sorry for me I can do this OKAY GET OVER YOURSELF NENA these people are on your side they want you to succeed we're all here for the same reason I'm going to die I'm going to die hey I'm at the top of the hill...
5:46 AM: Step behind parked vehicle and puke a little. ugh
5:47 AM: Run to park; do shallow lunges while everyone else does step drills on the bench. I HATE MY KNEES I HATE MY KNEES I HATE THEM WHY WON'T THEY WORK RIGHT ANYMORE DAMN IT ALL TO HELL I HATE MY KNEES
5:50 AM: Running drills up and down field. This is great...this sucks...this is great...this sucks...this REALLY sucks...this is great...
6:10 AM: Formation jog to cadence back to studio. Sgt. Ken is tough and mean...make you reach for your canteen...high-step, sprinting, mountain climb...push-ups 'till the end of time...
6:30 AM: Back at studio. I am so glad I did that. Holy shit...my heart rate is already back down! Woo-hoo, this shit WORKS...
(The times are guesses; I didn't have a watch on.)
4:30 AM: Alarm goes off. Damnit. That dream was just getting good... (None of your business)
5:00 AM: In car. This is too hard. Is it worth it? Seriously, I can't imagine having to do this for the rest of my life to just not be fat. 5:30 in the fucking morning? Seriously? This is what I have to do to just look like a normal human being? Other people don't have to work this hard to not be fat. It's not fair. Whaaah...
5:30 AM: Warm-up. Okay. Feeling better. I can do this today.
5:35 AM: Group jog to first checkpoint. Hey, I'm alright. This is awesome. Candace is very cool...I like this group.
5:40 AM: Look up and see the first hill. Shit. (To be clear, this is what I thought, not what I did...)
5:41 AM: Struggle up the hill. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. Everybody is encouraging me and they are awesome but they know that I'm having trouble because I'm so fat and they feel bad for me and I don't want people to feel sorry for me I can do this OKAY GET OVER YOURSELF NENA these people are on your side they want you to succeed we're all here for the same reason I'm going to die I'm going to die hey I'm at the top of the hill...
5:46 AM: Step behind parked vehicle and puke a little. ugh
5:47 AM: Run to park; do shallow lunges while everyone else does step drills on the bench. I HATE MY KNEES I HATE MY KNEES I HATE THEM WHY WON'T THEY WORK RIGHT ANYMORE DAMN IT ALL TO HELL I HATE MY KNEES
5:50 AM: Running drills up and down field. This is great...this sucks...this is great...this sucks...this REALLY sucks...this is great...
6:10 AM: Formation jog to cadence back to studio. Sgt. Ken is tough and mean...make you reach for your canteen...high-step, sprinting, mountain climb...push-ups 'till the end of time...
6:30 AM: Back at studio. I am so glad I did that. Holy shit...my heart rate is already back down! Woo-hoo, this shit WORKS...
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