Berry juice & chocolate

I saw Thanksgiving stuff in the stores the other day. Because it's just around the corner. Isn't it? Ha!

Speaking of which, did you know that it can take up to 72 hours to digest your holiday dinner?!?! Or a really really big meal?

That just seems crazy to me!

Your digestive system works super hard to do its job. And we all need a little time off. Wouldn't it make sense to give your digestive system a little time off, too? I think so. And that's what I try to give it once a week. A little vacation day.

(photo credit: The Awkward Yeti)

There has been a lot of research around "intermittent fasting" and its benefits. A simple Google search will come up with a plethora of articles. 

But it's not for everyone. And there are some nutritionists that are not completely on board with it. 

So I say, do what works for you. Try it out, find one you like. If you don't like it or feel like total total crap (well, there will be some detoxifying going on), then don't worry about it.

I happen to like it. It works for me. And I have found one that my body responds well to. It's a nutritionally supported fast so it helps you feel nourished and energized rather than tired and run-down. Certainly you have your moments (especially mid-afternoon), but it passes pretty quickly.

AND the best part is that I get to drink a berry juice and eat chocolate. Seriously. It's the best.

In addition, I like to give my body a break from exercise. That often happens on the weekend anyway, but I like a little break mid-week, too. Five days in a row can be a bit much. 

Wait.

What?

Sometimes I have to pinch myself because in the past you would have NEVER heard me say "Five days in a row can be a bit much." LOL! How things change...

Embrace wherever you are.

And do what makes you happy. 

Drop it like it's...

Breakdowns.

Plate Stripping.

Down the Rack.

Running the Rack.

Up the Stack

Triple Drops.

Mic Drop.

(kidding!)

Drop it like it’s…what?

These are all different names for drop sets. One of my favorite variations of exercise. 

What is a a drop set, you ask?

According to Muscle & Fitness, "Drop sets are essentially a technique where you perform an exercise and then drop (reduce) the weight and continue for more reps until you reach failure. Called the "multi-poundage system", this method was discovered in 1947 by Henry Atkins, who was the editor of Body Culture magazine."

 

It continues, "The reason why drop sets work is that in any given set you are only recruiting a certain amount of muscle fibers. By then stripping the weight down and going lighter you recruit different muscle fibers, which should help the muscles achieve growth that couldn’t be achieved by sticking with the same weight."

Nice! I do enjoy me some good drop sets and try to incorporate them whenever I can. 

Today’s workout was mainly quad focused, with some calves thrown in. And I only had 40 mins, so it was short-ish.

I named this workout after my brother because he introduced it to me and I have no idea what to call it. I'm sure there is a name for it, so if you know it, please let me know! 

The “Andy Smith” Leg Press Upset/Dropset is one of my all time favorites. Because I love to torture myself. LOL! Not really. So I start with 45s on each side and do 10-12 reps, then I add 25s on each side and do another 10, then add another 25 and try to eek out 10 (usually 8). So that's 3 sets so far with about 10 seconds rest in between to add plates. Then I immediately go back down. So for the 4th set I take off the 25 and the 5th set I take off the last 25 and rep out until failure on the 45s. So it's 90/140/190/140/90. 

That's where I'm at right now having taken 5 weeks off. I used to be able to add another 25 and do 90/140/190/240/190/140/90. My goal is to work back up to that. I’ll get there eventually.

Oh, and here’s last night’s dinner that fueled it:

Yum!

Do what makes you happy.

Including drop sets. 

Baby. Got back?

Weekends always require good foods and good company. 

So we did just that.

We carbed up last night at my cousin/bridesmaid’s home with some pizza on the grill (YUM!) and wine. And whiskey. And good times. And 9 hours of sleep. It was glorious. 

 l love holiday weekends. 

As we made plans to look at tuxes today, I thought to myself “Man, my fiancé is so lucky. His tux will cover EVERYTHING.” But us brides? Nope. That’s why “Bridal Bootcamp” is a thing. Because there is much less that is covered. And with my dress….

Shhhhhhh, it’s a secret. But it’s pretty hot.

And let’s just say I get to work a body part that is very much a prominent feature when it comes to the figure division in bodybuilding: lats.

(that's me in there somewhere!)

Baby got what? 😃

Today’s workout included back and triceps:

A lot of the time I am really just making things up on the fly. A machine I want it being used, an attachment is attached that I am too lazy to switch out, whatever it is. I’m no fitness coach, but I like to mix it up and imagine that this is good for challenging my muscles? Force them to grow? 

Here’s hoping.

Do what makes you happy. 

Don't forget to eat!

Sometimes we all make rookie mistakes. Even when we know exactly what to do. And have been doing it for years. 

Like not eating before a workout. A late morning workout at that. 

And not having really eaten since 3pm the previous day. 

Which mainly entailed wine and cheese. And grapes. And more wine. And cheese. 

Did I mention the wine? 

LOL.

Not the wisest choice, but sometimes it happens.

This morning’s workout was in a fasted state with not the best nutrition left in my system. Well, not something that is ideal to fuel a kick-ass workout. Whoops!

So that didn’t quite happen. But I still attempted it. Lesson learned. 

Chest, biceps and a bit of abs were on tap for this morning. 

And then we ate well afterwards. Eggs stuffed with sweet potato and blue cheese. YUM!

Remember to eat.

Happy Sunday!

Do what makes you happy. 

Breaking Muscle

D.O.M.S.

Department of Management Studies?

No? 

Wait, I got it.

Department of Military Support?

Wrong again. 

Digital Objects Management System?

Oh, I know, I know!!!!

Devil on My Shoulder!!!

No? Seriously?!?! UGH.

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.

Ahhhhhhh...

Yes, I am all too familiar with that. 

According to Wikipedia (because that’s the first place we all go, right?): "Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is the pain and stiffness felt in muscles several hours to days after unaccustomed or strenuous exercise. Delayed onset muscle soreness is one symptom of exercise-induced muscle damage."

So, Breaking Muscle. Kind of like Breaking Bad. But not really. 

And when you go galavanting off in Europe and take 5 weeks off from lifting … yup. Not fun. 

Sore ALL DAY.

But that’s OK. Because I’ve been through this before. The starting and stopping of a workout regime is pretty familiar territory for me. This too shall pass. Just need to get my groove on. Which I am. Woot woot.

Speaking of which. Hammies & glutes today. 40 mins worth. Maybe 37 mins. 

I love supersets. 

That is all. 

Do what makes you happy. 

Have a FABULOUS holiday weekend!

Back at it

As I was in my half-asleep morning haze at the gym today, someone asked me “So, what are you training for?”

Uhhhhh… “My wedding?” 

That’s right. Bridal boot camp, here we come. Now it's getting real. 

With less than 100 days before the "Big Day" (cue wedding bells), this soon-to-be-bride needs a little motivation. Not that looking hot in a wedding dress isn't enough motivation (right?!?!). 

But still.

Now that I'm back to my early morning school routine, there is nothing more I would rather do then roll over and go back to bed. Especially with my sleeping fiancé next to me. :)

So I’ve decided I need to keep myself accountable. What?!? Me? I know, I know … on the surface I may appear to be very disciplined and routine. And this is true. For the most part. But I definitely have my moments of weakness. And many moments of temptation to NOT workout. And eat bad things. Very bad things...

My plan is too keep myself accountable by keeping an online journal of sorts (amidst all the wedding planning craziness and start of a new school year …ha! Let’s see how long this lasts…). But seriously, a part of me does miss writing (remember the “ironbikini” days?!?!) and sharing my learnings and musings along the way. 

Things have changed since my competition days. Gone are the long hours at the gym, working out nearly every day for 60-90 mins. Nowadays it’s more like 4-5 times a week for 30-45 mins. OK, sometimes three.

So here it goes…

The life of a full-time elementary school music teacher, who teaches piano after school, plans her wedding in the evenings, enjoys time with her fiancé during all the other pockets of her day, and drinks coffee and really good wine. Oh, and food. I love food. And eating it, too.

Today's shoulder workout, inspired by the Olympia-bound Nicole Wilkins...

Because shoulders are my fav. :) 

Remember to do what makes you happy. 

P.S. WOOHOO for my first post of 2017! 

Suck it up, buttercup...

I have dreams.

Big ones.

Goals.

Big ones.

And I have an idea of how to go about achieving them. Even the resources to do so.

But am I doing anything about it?

Not really. I mean, I'm THINKING about it a lot, and DREAMING, and making plans. Lots of that going on. But the actual DOING bit?

Nope. Nadda. Nothing.

Why is that? Why, when we have such big goals, dreams and ambitions, do we struggle with taking the DO-ing steps, the action steps?

Some would say laziness. Procrastination. Putting it off until the moment is "right." What is that anyway? What is a "right" moment? 

When we are inspired and motivated? When all the conditions are "perfect”? When we have all our ducks in a row?

Maybe. But I think there is something deeper beneath all the excuses.

I think it's fear. I really do. I think it's fear of failure AND fear of success. Because with success comes tremendous responsibility. And that shit is scary.

What if I don't want to be responsible? Or accountable? What if I don't feel like "adult-ing"? (my new favorite verb!) 

We get overwhelmed. We get caught up in the big picture and the massiveness of it. How can we possibly reach those goals? They feel soooooo far away. 

That's kind of where I'm at right now. Even though some would say I have accomplished some pretty awesome things in the past. That seemed quite unattainable at the time. I'm not new to this process. 

But yet it still bites me in the ass. I still find myself getting stuck in that same "fixing to get ready" loop. Not taking the next step. The small step. The consistent step. Getting stuck in the muck and heaviness of fear. UGH.

But here I am. Knowing what to do yet feeling resistant to do it. It's a curious place to be.

One of my favorite workout tanks has "Suck it up, buttercup" written on it. I love it because it's so true. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and do it. Do the thing you don't feel like doing. Workout when you don't feel like it. Make that phone call. Write that email. Type up that report. 

Just start. Suck it up and do it. Set a timer for 10 mins and start doing that thing you don't want to do. When the 10 mins are up, check in with yourself and see if you can keep going. If you can't, OK. At least you started. You took the next step, the small step. But if you can keep going, even for just a little bit longer...ROCK STAR. You are golden!

So what is that next thing you need to do that you have been putting off? What is that next step towards your goals and dreams that you just haven't been able to get yourself to do?

Get over yourself and all your excuses. They will always be there.  Plenty of them. Don’t worry. 

Just do it. (#bestsloganever) Suck it up, buttercup, and get 'er done. 

I promise you that that thing that you are working towards and dreaming about WILL make you happy. The sense of accomplishment of working towards it will make you happy. Achieving it will make you happy. Because we all want to do what ultimately makes us happy, right? (even if we don't enjoy the initial process of doing it!)

So go out there and kick resistance's booty and go after those dreams! 

(and remember to do what makes you happy :)