I did 3 cardio's today...morning, afternoon and evening. I have been doing the elliptical but this evening I went back to running. I ran my mile and fast walked the rest.
A few people stopped me to tell me how good I was doing and they could see a big difference. Those kind of unsolicited comments are the best. I feel like I'm not just in this with the other 5 Amazing people, but I have a whole gym family that is behind us. For the most part, my life consist of work and my children. I have a few select friends, but in my job, it's hard to branch out to meet new people. I am enjoying seeing and meeting new people. Letting my guard down and accepting the support from everyone around me to help me accomplish my goals.
I mentioned earlier that the Army cadence songs have helped pushed me in my running. I imagine that I'm running with a platoon. When you are doing this for real, dropping out is letting your platoon, your buddies, down. You can't do that. At the same time, if you are struggling, it's your platoon that supports you through the run. On most occasions, the slowest person is put on the left front spot, they set the pace. You sing the cadence to keep focused on running and the people next to you encourage you to keep going and to push yourself. If you drop out, the platoon usually circles around and picks you back up. It's more than running, it's bonding. It's pushing yourself so your buddies don't have to run more. Dynabody is my platoon. I'm pushing myself so that other can see that they can do it too. Those more fit than me are picking me up and pushing me on to help me achieve my goals. Everyone that works the front desk and says hello...they always have something nice to say...they start my workout with a positive vibe. Of course I can't forget Drill Sergeant OTTO. The person who looks through my whining and my eye rolling and continues to show me that I can push myself further than I ever thought.
Thanks just doesn't even cover it!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Back to being focused
After my melt down, I realized I needed to re-focus. I'm always in control, even when I feel like I'm not. I was in control of the way I responded to OTTO and didn't say the things that I was wanting to say.....that took a lot of effort. :) So, it was only the illusion of not being in control that freaked me out.
I find with every work out, I am becoming more confident. People have noticed this change at work, although some are not too happy about it. As Colin Powell says "Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off"
My husband and I are running an exchange student camp for 3 weeks this summer. We have 8 German students flying in on Saturday. I won't be able to make the bike ride :( The next 3 weeks are going to be tough fitting in my workouts but I'm gonna do it!
My work out today:
Lat pull downs to back
3 sets of 15 with 70 lbs
1 set of 10 with 80 lbs
Drop set starting with 1 set of 8 with 90 lbs
I think I conked my head with the bar a few times with this one
Seated Row Machine
4 sets of 15 with 60 lbs
Lower back/Ab Circuit
Long day in general for me!
I find with every work out, I am becoming more confident. People have noticed this change at work, although some are not too happy about it. As Colin Powell says "Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off"
My husband and I are running an exchange student camp for 3 weeks this summer. We have 8 German students flying in on Saturday. I won't be able to make the bike ride :( The next 3 weeks are going to be tough fitting in my workouts but I'm gonna do it!
My work out today:
Lat pull downs to back
3 sets of 15 with 70 lbs
1 set of 10 with 80 lbs
Drop set starting with 1 set of 8 with 90 lbs
I think I conked my head with the bar a few times with this one
Seated Row Machine
4 sets of 15 with 60 lbs
Lower back/Ab Circuit
Long day in general for me!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Mental Melt Down
So my day started out pretty good. 16 lbs down. Not bad.
My workout with Otto started out bad.
We were doing Arnold Presses and I was struggling. I couldn't figure out why and felt really defeated by the time I got to the last set. I think that set the mood for the rest of my night. Come to find out, last time I did Arnold Presses, I did it with 8lb weights and tonight, I was using the 15 lbs weights. Duh, right? Still, my mood was off.
I could feel myself getting whinier by the minute which didn't phase OTTO...which is a good thing.
So, Arnold Presses--4 sets of 12 with 15 lbs
Front detloid cable raises 2 sets of 12 with 20 lbs and 1 set of 15 with 20
Lateral raises 30 lbs for 10, 20 for 10, 15 for 12, 15 for 12
Rear deltoid extensions 30 lbs for 10, 15 lbs for 12, 15lbs for 12
active rest in between sets
After this it was a circuit of exercises for 5 minutes. By this time, I was done. Mentally done and physically done. I didn't want to do anymore. Half way into this 5 minutes of hell, I just stopped and said "I'm done". Otto just blankly looked at me and said "what"...I said "I'm done, I don't want to do this anymore" At that moment he stepped in to say something to me about not quitting, I'm not really sure what, however the perceived aggressiveness of him stepping into "my space" set me over the edge. At that particular moment OTTO became "A man" trying to tell me what to do. I won't go into specifics in a public blog about the things that have happened to me in the past, but I can tell you that I have very good reason to feel the way that I do. I pride myself on being in control and vowed to never let a man ( or woman for that matter) dominate me ever again. Inside, I wanted to yell at OTTO, scream at him...snap his head off. I had to bite the inside of my cheek and I started doing the jumping jacks and finished the exercises but I didn't respond to really anything other than that. I laid there on the mat and he gave me my time to relax. I quickly was back into reality, realizing what had just occurred. I felt bad, really awful that I was about ready to snap on OTTO. I was just out of my comfort zone and in a place that I haven't been and vowed I would never be, which was not in control. I briefly told OTTO that I was in a place that I didn't like. He said he knew, that he saw something change in me. He said pushing me was going to bring up old emotions/issues and we'd work through them.
I left the gym, cried all the way home. My poor husband had no idea what was wrong with me. He grabbed my hands to pull me in to hug him. I looked up at him and said "Let go of my hands, don't restrict my movement right now. It's not you, it's me" He gave me my space and I explained everything to him later on.
I emailed OTTO and told him how I was feeling, why I felt this way. His answer was pretty simple, that I was always in control of how I react to situations. He's right. I also apologized for the things I was "thinking" I wanted to do to him and that I appreciated all the time and effort he was putting into me to see me succeed. I also asked for him not to ease up on me (which I'm sure he wouldn't anyway) as I need that pushing as I need to confront the past. When it all boils down to it, the past is the reason why I was comfortable with gaining weight to begin with. As confident as I can appear in my uniform, there is always a crack there. Now I have seen that, I'm gonna work hard on fixing it.
Thanks OTTO for not taking it personally. :)
My workout with Otto started out bad.
We were doing Arnold Presses and I was struggling. I couldn't figure out why and felt really defeated by the time I got to the last set. I think that set the mood for the rest of my night. Come to find out, last time I did Arnold Presses, I did it with 8lb weights and tonight, I was using the 15 lbs weights. Duh, right? Still, my mood was off.
I could feel myself getting whinier by the minute which didn't phase OTTO...which is a good thing.
So, Arnold Presses--4 sets of 12 with 15 lbs
Front detloid cable raises 2 sets of 12 with 20 lbs and 1 set of 15 with 20
Lateral raises 30 lbs for 10, 20 for 10, 15 for 12, 15 for 12
Rear deltoid extensions 30 lbs for 10, 15 lbs for 12, 15lbs for 12
active rest in between sets
After this it was a circuit of exercises for 5 minutes. By this time, I was done. Mentally done and physically done. I didn't want to do anymore. Half way into this 5 minutes of hell, I just stopped and said "I'm done". Otto just blankly looked at me and said "what"...I said "I'm done, I don't want to do this anymore" At that moment he stepped in to say something to me about not quitting, I'm not really sure what, however the perceived aggressiveness of him stepping into "my space" set me over the edge. At that particular moment OTTO became "A man" trying to tell me what to do. I won't go into specifics in a public blog about the things that have happened to me in the past, but I can tell you that I have very good reason to feel the way that I do. I pride myself on being in control and vowed to never let a man ( or woman for that matter) dominate me ever again. Inside, I wanted to yell at OTTO, scream at him...snap his head off. I had to bite the inside of my cheek and I started doing the jumping jacks and finished the exercises but I didn't respond to really anything other than that. I laid there on the mat and he gave me my time to relax. I quickly was back into reality, realizing what had just occurred. I felt bad, really awful that I was about ready to snap on OTTO. I was just out of my comfort zone and in a place that I haven't been and vowed I would never be, which was not in control. I briefly told OTTO that I was in a place that I didn't like. He said he knew, that he saw something change in me. He said pushing me was going to bring up old emotions/issues and we'd work through them.
I left the gym, cried all the way home. My poor husband had no idea what was wrong with me. He grabbed my hands to pull me in to hug him. I looked up at him and said "Let go of my hands, don't restrict my movement right now. It's not you, it's me" He gave me my space and I explained everything to him later on.
I emailed OTTO and told him how I was feeling, why I felt this way. His answer was pretty simple, that I was always in control of how I react to situations. He's right. I also apologized for the things I was "thinking" I wanted to do to him and that I appreciated all the time and effort he was putting into me to see me succeed. I also asked for him not to ease up on me (which I'm sure he wouldn't anyway) as I need that pushing as I need to confront the past. When it all boils down to it, the past is the reason why I was comfortable with gaining weight to begin with. As confident as I can appear in my uniform, there is always a crack there. Now I have seen that, I'm gonna work hard on fixing it.
Thanks OTTO for not taking it personally. :)
Show down with my Arch-Nemesis
I got to see my Arch-Nemesis today. We had a stare down for several minutes. I approached, feeling lost without my sidearm, but knowing that I had to confront this beast, even barehanded. I was confident in my abilities to take him down, I've been trained. However, I still had a bit of hesitation, and in my line of work, that will get you killed.
I finally did it and he was as cold and careless as I expected, however, he could not bulk at the CHANGE that happened this week. 4 lbs down....16 total so far.
I laughed at him when I walked away.......
I finally did it and he was as cold and careless as I expected, however, he could not bulk at the CHANGE that happened this week. 4 lbs down....16 total so far.
I laughed at him when I walked away.......
Sunday, July 5, 2009
07/03-07/05
OTTO is on a much deserved break from me. I know seeing me everyday has it’s perks, but I’m sure it gets to a person after awhile….ask my husband! :)
On Monday, I wanted to see if I could run. I hate running, never been very good at it. I did download some Army Cadence songs to see if they would help. So..on Monday, I ran a mile straight. This was a great accomplishment for me! The next day, I went 1.5 and the day after 1.7. Since last Monday, I have run 17.26 miles!!!! ( I did walk some of it) So this has been my new cardio that I’ve been enjoying. I’m staying focused!
Tried some clothes on over the weekend….they don’t fit! Bought two new dress, both size 14..haven’t seen that size in about 17 years. I told Drew that and he said “HMMMM, that directly correlates with my birth, right?” YEPPERS!!!
So, I did Cardio all weekend and the awesome pool work with Anna-Marie. I was off on Friday so I hit the water aerobics class. Zach and I got to be super heroes with resistance fins on our ankles while we swam. On Saturday Zach, Kristen, Missy, Todd and his wife El had a good workout in the pool. It was great seeing everyone! Everyone is working hard and noticing CHANGE! KEEP IT UP!!!
On Monday, I wanted to see if I could run. I hate running, never been very good at it. I did download some Army Cadence songs to see if they would help. So..on Monday, I ran a mile straight. This was a great accomplishment for me! The next day, I went 1.5 and the day after 1.7. Since last Monday, I have run 17.26 miles!!!! ( I did walk some of it) So this has been my new cardio that I’ve been enjoying. I’m staying focused!
Tried some clothes on over the weekend….they don’t fit! Bought two new dress, both size 14..haven’t seen that size in about 17 years. I told Drew that and he said “HMMMM, that directly correlates with my birth, right?” YEPPERS!!!
So, I did Cardio all weekend and the awesome pool work with Anna-Marie. I was off on Friday so I hit the water aerobics class. Zach and I got to be super heroes with resistance fins on our ankles while we swam. On Saturday Zach, Kristen, Missy, Todd and his wife El had a good workout in the pool. It was great seeing everyone! Everyone is working hard and noticing CHANGE! KEEP IT UP!!!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Banging my head!
Long day at work, went by too slow for a 3 day weekend. UGH.
Got to the gym and started my warm up.
I’m not really sure what happened but we didn’t write down what I did tonight.
It was some new stuff so I’m not sure of the technical terms.
For some reason, today, I was pretty whiny about everything. OTTO even asked me why I was whining so much. Had a bit of a stressful day at work and at work, I can’t whine. I explained that at times, I just whine. It doesn’t mean that our work out has to be changed in anyway but it feels better if I whine about it. He was good with it and didn’t let me slide. At one point he was torturing me with this stick I had to hold out in front of me and wind a weight up on. I had to control it on the way up and one the way down. On the last one, my forearms were screaming and my writs were done. I thought OTTO was watching the weight so I cheated a bit and let it down with my fingers…DRAT I was caught. I had to do it over again….he wound it back up but I was trying to do it and laughing at the same time and ½ way down, he wound it back up and made me do over for laughing too much. The punishment was well deserved….kinda like banging my head on that tree. Some of them, you just have to take.
Got to the gym and started my warm up.
I’m not really sure what happened but we didn’t write down what I did tonight.
It was some new stuff so I’m not sure of the technical terms.
For some reason, today, I was pretty whiny about everything. OTTO even asked me why I was whining so much. Had a bit of a stressful day at work and at work, I can’t whine. I explained that at times, I just whine. It doesn’t mean that our work out has to be changed in anyway but it feels better if I whine about it. He was good with it and didn’t let me slide. At one point he was torturing me with this stick I had to hold out in front of me and wind a weight up on. I had to control it on the way up and one the way down. On the last one, my forearms were screaming and my writs were done. I thought OTTO was watching the weight so I cheated a bit and let it down with my fingers…DRAT I was caught. I had to do it over again….he wound it back up but I was trying to do it and laughing at the same time and ½ way down, he wound it back up and made me do over for laughing too much. The punishment was well deserved….kinda like banging my head on that tree. Some of them, you just have to take.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Eating more=more energy!
Hammer Strength Chest Press
2 sets of 12 at 45 lbs
1 set of 10 at 50 lbs
1 set of 5 at 55 lbs
Incline flies (to get my boobs back)
2 sets of 15 at 15 lbs
1 set of 12 at 20 lbs
1 set of 10 at 20 lbs
I thought I was going to drop these on my head but OTTO was spotting me thankfully
Peck Deck
50 lbs
30 lbs
30 lbs
15 lbs
Drop set with pushup in between. YIKES
I’ve increased my eating this week.
730- Whole Wheat toast/egg- 140 cal
OJ/vitamins-160 cal
1030- Pudding 100 cal
1330-Spaghetti 220
1530-cheese stick- 60 cal
1630 Low Cal wrap-200
Cantelope-45 cal
2000 Protein Shake- 204
I’m feeling much better by eating more and having more energy for my workouts with OTTO. We’ve stepped my workouts up a bit and of he has changed a few things around. I am feeling really good and noticed an improvement in my moods as well. That’s a good thing all around for everybody!
2 sets of 12 at 45 lbs
1 set of 10 at 50 lbs
1 set of 5 at 55 lbs
Incline flies (to get my boobs back)
2 sets of 15 at 15 lbs
1 set of 12 at 20 lbs
1 set of 10 at 20 lbs
I thought I was going to drop these on my head but OTTO was spotting me thankfully
Peck Deck
50 lbs
30 lbs
30 lbs
15 lbs
Drop set with pushup in between. YIKES
I’ve increased my eating this week.
730- Whole Wheat toast/egg- 140 cal
OJ/vitamins-160 cal
1030- Pudding 100 cal
1330-Spaghetti 220
1530-cheese stick- 60 cal
1630 Low Cal wrap-200
Cantelope-45 cal
2000 Protein Shake- 204
I’m feeling much better by eating more and having more energy for my workouts with OTTO. We’ve stepped my workouts up a bit and of he has changed a few things around. I am feeling really good and noticed an improvement in my moods as well. That’s a good thing all around for everybody!
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