Weight Training - Update

Yesterday I started my 4th consecutive week of strength training.  As I've mentioned in previous posts, I love working out there for several reasons.  Primarily the reason is that I love the people I'm working out with.  There's the cute mother/daughter group that works out just before I get to the gym, the sweet middle aged man who always likes to give my trainer crap, the fun meatheads (a term I use lovingly) that scream loudly when bench pressing... ahhh it's just FUN!  I love my trainer and the owner of the gym too.  They're both so chill- that's the best word I can use to describe them.  Working out to them is clearly a passion and they take an interest in my personal story and experience with them.

I love working out.  It's come to my attention lately that I'm starting to look more toned and I'm really excited about that!  Overall I just feel better when I work out, usually because I know that I've done something to improve my fitness for the day. 

One of the challenges of working out with a trainer is that he's constantly pushing me to lift heavier weights and do more reps.  I call this a challenge because with running and doing other cardio I typically don't push myself beyond my comfort zone and I eventually fall into a pace that I find "easy" meaning that I'm not struggling as much as I once did.  With a trainer, he knows when I can move up a weight which means that I'm constantly in some sort of pain due to good ol Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).  This also means that I'm never going to have a leisurely trip to the gym where I lift leisurely weights and don't break a sweat or even run out of breath (who would have thought lifting can be so hard?).

So that's my opinion on lifting.  It's awesome, but in a painful way.

Furthermore, getting married in a few months has me thinking about the future and future mini-me's.  Of course I've had baby fever for about a year now and that's just for some reason NOT going away... unless of course I spend a weekend with some sugar fed kids that may or may not be my niece and nephews.  Anyways, I was reflecting on how fitness and eating healthy not only impacts me but will inevitably impact my future kids!  Eating right and living healthy for now - I think - gives me a better opportunity to be a good mother in the future, and to give my kids a healthy upbringing.  So next time I feel unmotivated, I'm gonna think about little Brunhilda or Sebastian (names I clearly won't use) and get my ass to the gym/not eat that 4th donut.

Weight on the scale

So, per the recommendation of my trainer, I've got to STOP focusing on the number on the scale.  The number is arbitrary when it comes to weight loss believe it or not especially when you're working on building muscle.  That's why I haven't seen it budge even though my pants are fitting better and my body is starting to look different.

I would like to see that number drop about 10 pounds so it would eventually be more like 140 but I am growing to understand that if I'm eating right and working out the way that I am and not seeing the results on the scale is discouraging.  Even though I'm not seeing a numerical result I need to look for physical results.  So that means you'll start seeing more pictures.  Lucky you.

Because let's be honest, on my wedding day and going forward it's not going to matter what I actually weigh, it's gonna be how I look.  Which is awesome btw.

Differences Between Men and Women - Wedding Preparation

Women (ME):
-Will go to the gym almost daily and pay thousands for training in order to look their best on their wedding day.

Men (MY FIANCE):
-Will attempt to eat 3 Lucky's Sandwiches in less than an hour in order to get his picture on the wall.

This plus two friends...

Life is extremely unfair.  :)

I lied

So yesterday I promised you all that I would to the elliptical machine.  I didn't.  I did you one better.

Did you know you can buy this on VHS at Amazon for a mere $16.95.

I thought back to my high school days when I was getting ready for prom and the workout I did back then.  Yessireedee, I used the 8 Minute Abs workout regularly.  Dammit, it was motivating.  Yesterday I wanted to do abs work after my incredibly awesome run so I thought to myself, "Self, how can I do a great abs workout in a short amount of time?"  I replied "Why, let's check out YouTube and see if you can do that amazing workout from the days of yore"

Sure enough this was just as cheesy as I remembered it being, but strangely soothing and motivating at the same time.  I love his "see you in 24 hours" at the very end of the video. 

Before working on my abs 'o steel, I did a pretty intense (for me) run.  I started at a 5.5 mph run and increased it 1/10th of a mile every 3 minutes until I reached 6.1 (all on an incline of 3 using the "random" mode).  I was pretty pumped that I was able to go that fast but at 6.1 I pooped out and walked at a 3.5 for a minute, then bumped it back up to 5.5 mph and increased it 1/10th of a mile every minute after that until I got to like 5.8 which wasn't all that impressive I know.  So I walked again at a 3.5 and then finished strong at 5.5 for about 5 minutes. 

I am running in my first 5k in a long time on April 2nd!  I'm extremely excited about it!  Less than a month away, I've gotta keep up on my training!

In other workout/fitness news, I have decided to continue doing group training after work 3 days a week.  The training is expensive, but not in comparison to the cost of personal training.  The cost averages about $25/session which is a lot to say goodbye to each month but I honestly think it's worth it to invest in myself and grow some MUSCLE!  My trainer, TJ, gets me really motivated and keeps pushing me to lift heavier and heavier weights.  I swear I can see definition in my biceps!  Every little bit helps and I can't wait to rock that wedding dress!

Just a quick note...

I am definitely working out tonight.  I'm going to the gym in 5 minutes.  Even though I don't want to and could really just go home and watch TV, I'm going to do 20 minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes running and spending the rest of the hour working on abs. 

Yes.  This is gonna happen.