Plus-Sized Pin Up

At lot can be said for muscle memory. I was nervous heading into the gym. Being out of it for awhile made me feel a little more than intimidated. It took awhile to get up to the level I was at, and I felt pretty damn good about it. Now, I was going to head back into beginning territory, and I was feeling sorry for myself. However, other than a little shin splint on my left leg, once I got on the treadmill and warmed up my muscles, my body said, "Oh yeah, I remember this!" and I powered through! Granted, I was a little stupid and went to the gym too close to lunch, so my walk was only about 26min including cool down.

The weights felt like coming home! There was that nice burn, but I fell into sync just as easily as the treadmill. This goes a long way to boost my ego!

My knee is a little sore, but it doesn't hurt. Hopefully, a little more time spent walking will work me up to running again. Honestly, I miss it!

On my way home, I was bad and got myself a watermelon limeade at Sonic Now the drink, my book, and me are going to find our way to a nice bath. Nothing like a hot bath to soak away the soreness and a nap to get the muscles relaxed.

Heading back to the gym tomorrow. It's the first time in several months, and I'm nervous!

Here's the plan:

• 30 minutes on treadmill, walking
• Lifting, concentrating on the upper body
• Abs
• Stretching/cool-down

Here's the playlist:

• Tik Tik - Ke$ha
• Everytime We Touch - Cascada
• Trouble - Pink
• Get the Party Started - Pink
• Hot N Cold - Katy Perry
• California Gurls - Katy Perry
• Just Dance - Lady Gaga
• Don't Stop the Music - Rihanna
• Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Ting Tings
• September - Earth, Wind, & Fire
• Your Love Is My Drug - Ke$ha
• Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
• I Kissed a Girl - Katy Perry
• Genie in a Bottle - Christina Aguilera
• Poker Face - Lady Gaga
• U + Ur Hand - Pink
• Party In the U.S.A. - Miley Cyrus
• For Your Entertainment - Adam Lambert
• Who Knew - Pink
• Disturbia - Rihanna
• I Gotta Feeling- Black Eyed Peas
• Raise Your Glass - Pink
• Sing Ladies - Beyonce
• Dance, Dance - Fall Out Boys
• Teenage Dream - Katy Perry
• Only Girl (In the World) - Rihanna
• SOS - Rihanna
• Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne
• Tonight (I'm F***kin' You) - Enrique Iglesias
• Hello - Martin Solveig and Dragonette
• I Get around - Dragonette
• Run the World (Girls) - Beyonce
• E.T. - Katy Perry feat. Kayne West
• Last Friday NIght (TGIF) - Katy Perry

That is 2hrs of music! w00t! Tomorrow afternoon might be spent recovering, but I plan to get back into the routine of going to the gym. It's been too long, and I've noticed the difference in my energy level. However, seeing my old PT at the front desk tomorrow makes me a little more than self conscious about not attending the gym in a long time. But, hey, I was gone for 3 weeks and had a pretty nasty injury on top of that. The point is that I'm trying to get back.

Anyways, off to a hot bath with my book and then bed! Need to rest up before hitting the gym tomorrow. Plus, after spending my mornings sleeping in, getting up to take hubby to work is gonna take some work ^_~

Wish me luck!

Wow, I just started week 3!! It doesn't seem as though it has been that long! Looking back, even though I was increasing my run-walk time, things have been pretty much the same: sweating, shin splints, stopping to shake out my shins, etc. I don't feel any different. However, on Saturday, we took Juneau out to the Greenbelt (a nature walking trail around the town) and we walked a mile w/o any issues. Granted, I took a break to just enjoy the nice weather. My stamina has definitely improved.

Upped my run-walk time to 20min. After the shin splints of the last two weeks, it didn't happen today! I have been taking breaks during the 2min walk, but I didn't this morning. Man, did I want to!! It was really encouraging that I could push through the 20min. Man, I am so beefy

This post from fitsugar.com sums it up perfectly:

Going to the gym has been a little frustrating lately — it's packed, chaotic, and hectic. My normally overlooked corner of the cardio room is occupied whenever I'm there, and it seems that every hour is peak hour. I know that January is typically a crowded time for fitness centers: people are making good on New Year's resolutions, and the best membership deals are being offered. I just wish these resolutionaries knew a little more about gym etiquette. But, whining aside, I am glad that people are making their health a priority; here's hoping it keeps up all year long! How's life at your gym — are you bumping elbows in yoga class and waiting in line for the treadmill?

Since going to the gym, I've noticed that we all gravitate to our favorite machines. When I come up into the cardio room, I will find myself eyeballing someone if they are on machine. I know there are several treadmills, but I like that one. Yeah, the one with the slanted hand holds, sitting near the fan, and right in front of the TVs. I don't know, something about being able to zone out to music and watching some TV at the same time helps the time pass quickly. If the high school girls would come back for more competitions while I was at the gym, I would climb onto the same style treadmill in front of the windows overlooking the pool. While I started my elliptical adventures over there because I was too timid to be in front of everyone, it is rather boring watching one or two people swimming laps and the life guard occasionally walking around the pool area. That being said, screw being in front of everyone (in all reality, the treadmill I like is close to the back!) and park me in front of the TV!

What's your favorite machine? Have you noticed the increase? I figured it was coming, but . . . Man, it is even harder to get my treadmill strategically placed near the fan and in front of the TVs.

Today was the first day of week 2! I really pushed myself. My shin started to get a little upset at me, but it didn't hurt. I'm going to spend a little more time this evening in the running book and see if it discusses the kind of discomfort I'm feeling. When I hit the cool down, it goes away almost instantly. It seems it is due to lack of exercise in that way. *shrug* But I got through 18min of run-walk time! That put me on the machine for nearly 30min and got to .96 miles! w00t! I should hit 1 mile Wednesday. It isn't running a mile, but I think it is still a big milestone! Go me!!

Ug, I am so tired. Some of it has to do with forgetting to get my prescriptions refilled. Waiting for the paycheck, I have gone w/o my sleep meds and my Prozac for too long. The lack of sleeping pills is really starting to catch up to me . . . I feel dead on my feet.

The gym really kicked my ass this morning. I increased my run-walk by 3-5min. I barely made it to 13min run-walk. I was hoping to get all the way to 15, but that was too much to ask. My left leg started to hurt. It felt like the muscles around my shin were getting really, really tight. When I slowed back to a walk, it relieved some of the pain. However, it didn't go away until the cool down. I think my body was telling me that 13min was all I could do this morning. If I feel like this on Friday, I'll cut back the way the book suggests.

The weights were focused on my shoulders, chest, back, and abs this morning. The shoulder press and the overhead press were almost unbearable! Before the 2wk absence, I was shoulder pressing between 45-50lbs. I had to back down to 20lbs, and it was still a struggle. On the overhead press, I could only make it through a set with 8 reps. Usually I am up at 12 reps. Everything else was pretty good. On the machine for the lower back/butt, I was able to push my weights up to 100lbs. It was set on 115 when I got on. I might have been able to do it, but it would have put an unnecessary strain on my muscles. Hurting myself is not the goal!

The running book suggests eating a protein bar about 30min after your workout. When we went to Wal*Mart earlier in the week, I picked up a package. I completely spaced it after my Monday workout. However, when I came home this morning, I felt ravenous! Seriously, my stomach was digesting my backbone! After eating one of the bars, I felt really good Definitely a keeper!

After a workout, I'm in a habit of coming home, taking a long bath, and an hour nap before I get hubby for lunch. It was a struggle to make it out of bed . . . I'm thinking about reading a couple of pages and settling down for another nap. If I'm falling asleep typing this, I think my body is trying to tell me something.

Went to the gym for the first time in 2 weeks. Man, I could feel how long it has been. Muscle memory was showing up, which kind of helped my resolve to continue exercising. However, it was working against me They really wanted to get back into the groove of things, but being off the weight machines for so long, I needed to start at a lower weight than usual. A couple of times I had to stop and lower the weights. Sheesh, I was wasted!

I was really excited to jump on the treadmill this morning! It was exhilarating! To tell the truth,I was not disappointed! Even though he says otherwise, I was doing a little huffing and puffing. Honestly, without all the panting, I was still sweating like a pig! At first, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do the run-walk for the full 10min, but it was easy! It was really, really rewarding and encouraging to be able to do the run-walk without killing myself. Even though the running is only for 5-10sec, I still felt as though I was working and pushing myself. This book as be so pumped!!

Haha, being lazy, I decided not to change the weight on the ab machine, and it kicked my ass!! Usually, I have it around 30lbs., but the previous person left it on 70lbs. At 30, I had felt a little bit of a muscle twindge, but nothing really "oh my goodness." Wow, at 70lbs, I really felt it! The weight wasn't too high. I wonder why I never raised it before After that machine and the crunches I did, I could definitely tell I worked them while walking out to the car!

I'm trying to decide if I am going to brave the sidewalks and get some walking done tomorrow. The book suggests that you walk on your off days. Bringing Juneau out with me a couple of times a week (which would give her 2-3 extra walks a week) sounded like a good idea. Working myself, I know that the cold won't be too much of an issue. However, my Doc Marten's have crappy traction and the roads/sidewalks are still kind of messy. I don't know. We'll see how everything goes tomorrow.

After working hard at the gym, I got my hair cut and my eyebrows waxed (man, that was a long time coming!). I feel really good this afternoon! I've been in a real funk these past 2 weeks. It makes a difference getting up and working at the gym! I knew it was helping some of my depression down. But, after today, it is obvious how much it has been doing! I'm excited to finish out my first week with this book!

• God saved us and Juneau in our nasty, nasty car accident. There is no doubt in my mind that she should have died.
• We were able to buy a new car today -- a 2010 Mercury Mariner limited, sync/blue tooth for phone, surius enabled, USB port, etc. for only $500/mo payments (same as our Zephyr)
• I got an interview with the police department on Jan 13th!!!

Yes, ma'am, God is good! He is telling me to let and and allow Him to do His work. He is also telling me loud and clear how much He loves me.

In other news, the gym . . . Ouch, the gym! I decided to up my walking speed, so it was killer. Jogging for about 1 minute and walk 1 minute alternating sounded like a good idea. Um, yeah, my legs totally did not agree! I ended up just sticking to the kick ass walking. However, the jogging will commence next week. After that, I worked my chest, shoulders, and back on the weight machines. My ass has been totally kicked, and it feels damn good! I have a total high today, and I hope it's not a hard come-down.

On top of this, I think Dollhouse and V are waiting in my mailbox!!

**happy Snoopy dance**

My in-laws are coming into town tomorrow and want to take us out to dinner. One of their close friends just lost his wife last week. The memorial service is on Friday. I guess she had a hard battle w/ cancer. She didn't go through chemo. However, she raised her kids and saw her grandkids. I know she's still young, but it is almost a blessing. Anyways . . . Back to the high!!!

*Pats back* Yup, this new template rocks!

Spending the evening -- up until 4:30am (ish) -- trying to figure out how to create a template on Gimp was a pain! I found this awesome program called Artisteer. I really love it, so I downloaded the trial version of it. Sooooo excited!!! **happy white girl dance** After spending hours hunting down backgrounds, images, and perfecting the whole layout, I go to save the file and it tells me it cannot save in the demo! Shit, I guess I can just upload it. Score! . . . Uh, no . . . Every single page is covered with "trial" on it!! Ack!

While I was sitting up reading and waiting for the cats to finish eating, I started mulling the program over in my head. "Meh, it might not be too expensive." This morning I looked at the price lists. Aaak, $50?!

Later this afternoon, after puppy kindergarten, I decided to break down and buy the program. Between my saved up allowance and some leftover money from the tax return provided enough money. Yay!! And I have some left over for books and the like (*ahem* sports bra)!! Yay!!

Most of this evening, I've been sitting around watching the 'tube and making the new layout!! Hey, I did yoga this morning, walked Juneau down to the mailbox trying "heel", and working through her class doing "heel" and other things, so I reason I burned a lot of calories today!

In the words of Po, this layout has "awesomeness and attractiveness of which there is no price."

In other news, I went by the rec center this afternoon. I wanted a tour of the facilities, because I haven't seen what they have for a long time. Unfortunately, they were closed due to summer maintenance. Next week they will be done and ready for a tour. We figured that with the reimbursement from hubby's employer would make our bill $14/mo! Depending on what the tour shows, I'm getting a year membership next week!!

Tried two new recipes today. Both were a totally bust in my book. I thought they were both exceptionally bland. They had flavor, but . . . My husband enjoyed both. That's awesome, but I "get" to look forward to eating them as leftovers tomorrow. Ug!

I cracked 1,000 calories, but I didn't get close to the 1,500 point. The idea of fully counting them annoys me, so I'm just monitoring it.

We took Juneau to the park. Working on heeling makes it even more cardio, helps build strength, and will power lol!

For some reason, I keep coming into contact with something that is making my hand swell like an allergic reaction. Last week it gave me a killer headache. Once I took Benedryl (sp), the swelling went down, the redness was gone, and my headache disappeared. I wonder what caused it. After the park, it flared up again this evening. It is really annoying!!

Tomorrow I will try to get my weight. In the morning that is not the first thing I think about.

NOAA says that it is 84 outside. It feels hotter while walking a dog. You would think that walking her to the mailbox and back would be a simple endeavor. Hardly! She is in the process of learning "heel". Being a Husky, she was born to pull (we're teaching her to pull ONLY on a harness), so you can imagine the scene. I'm trying to walk while pulling her back saying, "heel." At which point, Juneau decides that "heel" means "pull" (or we say, "hike").

One step, pull Juneau back saying "heel" > One step, pull Juneau back saying "heel" > . . .

On top of that, we have a cluster mailbox approx a block and half. One step, pulling Juneau back saying "heel," plus an 84 degree high makes for an interesting walk.

Needless to say, I am very out of shape! Covered with sweat, I collapsed on the couch and drank nearly 1 pint in less than minute. It makes me feel better that Juneau is just about as beat. But, I have to wonder, how much is being out of shape or the heat. I could argue it was all of the above.

As state earlier, "DOG FOR YOUR HEALTH!"