49 Week Stats

Go to this link to check out my updated stats.  Hopefully, I'm back on track and on schedule!!  :)

7 lbs lost
21.75 total inches lost
:)


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ak5dw7gXHvW9dHNFVUhvVFk2X1l2ZDNoS2RWZXFfTFE&usp=sharing

Army Fitness Test #1

Some days in life are to test how strong you are.  Well...that's what today is - Army Fitness Test Day!!  Yayyyyy!!  I will admit, I'm not looking forward to running two miles today, but I am looking forward to seeing if any progress has been made towards my goal.  I really, really, really hope there has been!  I'm also planning on checking my measurements today as well.  I'm really, really, really, really hoping there's been improvement there, too!!!  ;)   I think that's what brings me down about running - knowing I am working my ass off, sweating like I don't know what, only to see I burned like 150 calories.  I think treadmills should get rid of the "calories burned" button - THAT is depressing!!  I feel like I burn thousands of calories whenever I run - sweat drips in my eyes, my arms and hands get sweaty, my knees get sweaty - hell, even my feet get sweaty!  lol - Oh well, what is it I always say?  It is what it is.  :)

The last time (and first time) I did the Army Fitness test, my scores didn't even make the chart!  Anyway, this is what I was able to do on July 15th:

2 mile run - 34:07 

   - needs to be done in 24:00 to make the minimum passing grade of 60

2 minutes of:  

   - push-ups - 1 Army (2 regular) - 10 Army (20 regular) needed to make the minimum grade of 60

   - sit-ups - 16 Army (32 regular) - 30 Army (60 regular) needed to make the minimum grade of 60

Like I always say...let's do this!

*************************
Can you say PR???  Can you say it twice??  How 'bout three times???  I can!!!!!!  WOO-HOO!!!  Very happy girl - I could be even happier, but I am just TOO tired right now!  lol

2-mile run - 33:27 - I didn't beat my time by much, but I DID beat it by 40 whole seconds!  Woot-woot!!  I ran the first 200 meters, then walked 100 meters, and ran 100 meters all the way through to the end.  So, obviously I need to run a few more meters each run segment and walk less.  Duh!  ;)

2 minutes of:
- Push-ups -
4 Army (8 regular) - these were un-modified "boy" push-ups.  According to Army guide lines you have to start your count over any time your knees or stomach touch the floor.  I started strong (for me, anyway) and did eight in a row, but stopped and rested.  I did periodically try to do more, but my arms were just too tired!  I would get in 2 or 3 at a time, but overall not a whole lot more.  VERY happy with my "4"!!
-Sit-ups -
22 Army (44 regular) - I do not do these with my feet anchored, instead I do CrossFit (butterfly) sit-ups.  I'm very happy with these as well.

Overall - yay me!!  Who doesn't like progress?  Y'all have a great Labor Day weekend!!!  Look for my post of updated stats, as well.  :)

Take rest...

Take rest...a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.

Today is rest day for me because tomorrow is test day.  I'm doing my Army Fitness test tomorrow.  I know I haven't been doing the Army Fitness training, but CrossFit is so much more fun!  lol  I'm hoping to see some sort of improvement - especially in my running, but we'll see! 

Y'all have a good day!!!

Helen

Helen

3 Rounds for Time:
   Run 400 meters
   21 Kettle-bell swings
   12 Pull-ups

8/28/13 - subbed push-ups for pull-ups
   Total time - 18:42
   Total treadmill time - 11:48

The goal is to get fit.

The goal is to get fit.  Make it the best hour of your day, stay safe, turn up the music, high five some people, and blow off some steam.  So remember that.  Relax.  Have fun.  Work out.

This is what I do...I turn up the music (my daughter said she didn't want to hear me complain of the t.v. being too loud after seeing how loud my workout music is!), and I just get it done.  Some days are more fun than others, but I have to admit it is fun.  Why else would I stick with it for so long if it wasn't?  Oh yeah...to get fit!  ;)

Of all things that have ever been sore on my body, there is a new one this morning - my ankles/feet!  I guess from all of the running I've been doing.  I got out of bed and almost fell with the first step I took - my feet didn't want to bend!!  Then, I finally took a step or two and landed on a nail head that is apparently coming up in the floor.  Talk about pain!  I've got to get my hammer out and fix that sucker - that really hurt!  I'm not a morning person, but then factor in not being able to walk and stepping on something - NOT a good morning so far!  lol 

I have to decided to do my own workout today and not any of the other sites that I follow.  I'm going to do a modified version of "Helen".  The real Helen is supposed to have pull-ups, but I'm going to substitute push-ups instead.  My goal is still to be Army fit by the end of the year and I do my first "test" on Friday, so I really feel like I should do another running workout today.  I wouldn't mind doing some sort of running every day - I can tell a difference already, but of course, I haven't done any type of distance without breaks in between so I guess I should throw one of those in there every now and then, huh?  Anyway, there will be no workout tomorrow - there is always a rest day in the fitness manual before "test" day, so I'm going to see if that helps me out any.  Anyway...here's today's workout:

3 Rounds for Time

   Run 400 meters

   21 Kettle-bell swings w/25 lbs

   12 Push-ups

:)

*************************
18:42 - Not bad...not great, but I'll take it 'cause I KNOW I worked my ass off!!!  My total treadmill time was 11:48.  No, it did not take me that long to do kettle-bell swings and push-ups.  Most of that extra time was catching my breath and blowing my nose - mostly catching my breath!  lol  I am very glad to say I did not have to stop for breaks during the kb swings nor push-ups, so YAY me!!  I ran the majority of the time on the treadmill - like yesterday.  I would run 200 meters, walk 100 meters, then run 100 meters - except on the last round.  I ran 150 meters, walked 100 meters, ran 100 meters, then walked 50 meters.  I really wanted to push it and run the final 150 meters, but I was sucking wind...big time!!

Before starting today's workout, I did a warm-up walk on the treadmill for 400 meters.  This was NOT included in my workout time.  So far this week, I have put in 3.25 miles on my treadmill - not too shabby!  Tomorrow is a rest day for me because I'm doing my Army Fitness test on Friday - running 2 miles then counting how many push-ups and sit-ups I can do in two minutes each.  Hopefully there will be some sort of improvement.  :)

I'm also going to create separate blogs for the named CrossFit workouts so I can keep up with my times easier and see if there is any improvement or not.  That should be easier, don't you think?  Me too!  :)

A good man can make you feel sexy, strong and able to take on the world.  Oh, sorry...that's exercise...exercise does that.  You know?  This is really true.  I mean, yes...a good man can make you feel like that, but exercise really does this as well.  A lot of times after I workout (especially after a tough workout - like yesterday's!) I feel SO energized, like I could do anything 'cause I had an awesome workout!!  So, yeah...exercise really does do that!  :)

It looks like today is another run day, so let's see if I can do this two days in a row!  Honestly?  The only thing that looks intimidating to me today are the burpees - lol!!

For time:

   25 Burpees

   Run 400 meters

   25 Knees-to-elbows

   Run 400 meters

   25 Push-ups

   Run 400 meters

   25 Sit-ups

   Run 400 meters

   25 Burpees

Let's do this!!!

*************************
Wow.  Just.  Wow.  THAT was tough!!!  So, I started this - did 25 burpees and got on my treadmill.  Twenty-five burpees took me almost five minutes to do.  I thought to myself - I really want to run as much as possible, so I decided to split this into two rounds.  That being said...my time was 41:09, with a treadmill time of 15:00.  VERY happy with my treadmill time, but honestly?  I felt so much happier with my workout yesterday than I did with today's.  Crazy, huh?  I actually accomplished WAY more today.  Maybe I'm just tired?  Exhausted?  Oh yeah...definitely that!  Here's what I did:

25 Burpees
Run 200 meters - ALL running!
13 Knees-to-elbows
Run 200 meters - ALL running!
13 Push-ups - modified, "girl" push-ups
Run 200 meters - ALL running!
13 Sit-ups - easy, peasy!
Run 200 meters - ALL running!
13 Burpees - blegh, burpees  :/
Run 200 meters - ran 125 meters, walked 75 meters
12 Knees-to-elbows
Run 200 meters - ran 125 meters, walked 75 meters
12 Push-ups - modified
Run 200 meters - ran 125 meters, walked 75 meters
12 Sit-ups - still easy!
Run 200 meters - ran 125 meters, walked 75 meters
12 Burpees - blegh, burpees again!  :)

Very proud to say that of the 1600 meters prescribed to run, I ran all but 300 meters.  THAT's definitely progress!  One day I'll be able to jump on my treadmill and go.  I'm proud of my workout, just not energized like I was after yesterday's workout.  Go figure!  

Oh yeah...I got to see my baby today.  I called Katy this morning and told her I didn't think I could wait until Thursday.  Luckily, she did not have anything going on so Gramps (Honey-Buns) and I went for a quick lunch/visit before I had to get back to pick up Hayley.  All in all, it's been a great day!!!

You don't have to be great to start...

You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.  No truer words have been said!  Crazy week last week with both my daughter and granddaughter here.  Friday was one of my busiest days in awhile!  We had lunch with my bestie, so she could meet Addy, then I took Katy grocery shopping, dog food shopping, then we visited with one of my other friends, then I had to take them both back home to Athens.  Then, once I got back in town we went to Honey-Buns' best friends birthday party.  I was so tired and so happy that my bladder finally let me sleep in on Saturday!  I slept until 9:30 on Saturday and about 9:15 on Sunday.  We also got to race on Saturday night - the first time since before Addy was born!  Two weeks in  a row of no racing drives Honey-Buns crazy.  He was okay that first weekend 'cause we spent it with Addy when she came home from the hospital.  We've just had so much rain this summer, it's been crazy!

I'm kind of playing around with CrossFit Whitehead's workout for today.  Just moving some things around and changing the number of reps on box jumps.

For time:

   Run 200 meters

   15 Box jumps

   Run 400 meters 

   10 Box jumps

   Run 800 meters

   5 Box jumps

   Run 400 meters

   10 Box jumps

   Run 200 meters

   15 Box jumps

White Head had for you to run 800, 400, 200, 400, 800 meters and also to do 20 box jumps after each run.  I can't face doing that today - one...it's Monday, and two...Mother Nature has called.  I figure I'll be doing good to do what I've written down.  Y'all wish me luck!!

*************************

30:43 - I'm VERY happy with my time.  I told Honey-Buns I would be at least 30 minutes, probably more - so I think I did very well!!  I'm also extremely pleased with my running today - don't know why, but I actually just did it - didn't think about it being hard or anything...I just ran!  I've also discovered box jumps and running actually go pretty good together, but I'm glad I didn't do 20 of those suckers after every run segment.  They were manageable the way I split them up.  I wasn't dreading getting back on the treadmill afterwards, so that is definitely a good thing!  Below is the breakdown of my running/walking:

200 meters - I ran 200 meters!

400 meters - I ran 200 meters, walked 100 meters, then ran 100 meters!!

800 meters - I ran 100 meters, walked 100 meters x 4 - I was surprised by how easy this segment was to do.  Usually I'm getting pretty tired at this point of most of my runs, but running/walking 100 meters at a time was do-able.

400 meters - I ran 200 meters, walked 100 meters, ran 100 meters!!!

200 meters - I ran all 200 meters!!!!

I ran 1400 meters out of my total 2000 meters prescribed, walking only 600 meters total!  VERY happy with that!!  Great start to my week so far - let's hope it keeps getting better and better!!

I forgot to mention - my little Addy went back to the pediatrician today to be weighed - just to make sure she's eating good and all.  She now weighs 5 lbs, 12 oz!  She weighed 4 lbs, 8 oz two weeks ago when she went for her first doctor visit - so very happy with that as well!!  :)

Believe in yourself and all that you are.  Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.  This is SO true, but if you ask Honey-Buns, he'll tell you that sometimes I believe in myself too much and that I hate, hate, hate when I discover I can't do something!  lol  As much as I don't like to admit it, I am a little, teeny, tiny bit narcissistic - BUT at least I know it and that makes it better, doesn't it?  I am extremely proud of the fact that my parents raised me to believe in myself and they gave me so much self-confidence, but honestly?  Sometimes even I get on my nerves!  lol

Well, I did not get a workout in yesterday.  I ended up working longer than I planned in the morning, barely had time to shower before going to lunch with both of my children and I did not want to get sweaty yesterday afternoon before Girls Night Out last night.  Of course, that was fun - it always is!!

I believe I'm going to do yesterday's workout today, which was:

   AMRAP in 18 minutes of...

       15 box jumps

       12 push press w/20 lbs

       9 knees-to-elbows

Or, I may decide to do today's workout, which is:

   21-15-9-9-15-21

      Deadlifts, 60 lbs

      Burpees

Whichever I decide to do, my plan is to work out either on Saturday or Sunday to make up my missed day yesterday.  I more than likely will just keep things in order and go from there.

*************************

How I feel working out - this is especially true on run days!  lol   I have to admit I am very proud of myself so far this week.  I could skip working out so easily this week with my girls here, but I have made sure I get up there and do it!  Even today, I'm having lunch with my son (it's our normal Wednesday thing since this is usually his day off), then tonight is GNO (Girl's Night Out) and I could so not work out today, but I believe I'm going to do it this morning sometime so I can shower before lunch and not get sweaty this afternoon.  

Today's workout is AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) in 18 minutes:

   15 Box jumps

   12 Push press w/20 lbs

   9 Knees to Elbows

Wednesdays are supposed to be a run day for me, so I'm not doing the HIITMamas workout today, but running instead.  I plan to do some sort of run/walk combo - not sure if I want to do the Army one or 5k training one.  Right now, I'm thinking I'm going to do the Army one, which is walk 4 minutes then run 2 minutes for 5 reps.  I'll decide once I get upstairs!

*************************

I didn't make it to the gym today.  That makes five years in a row.  Okay, okay - this makes me laugh, but at the same time it makes me realize how quickly time goes by and how easy it is to skip just "one day" and then that day turns into two, then three.  Before you know it, it's been five years since you've worked out!  I'm trying to be very conscious of working out - especially this summer since I have seen how easy it is to get off schedule and miss days.  I don't want my missed days to turn into months and years, so I need to always be aware.  I truly enjoy working out and I really enjoy seeing the difference in how my clothes fit!  I don't want to go back to "muffin tops"...nope, nope, nope!!

Well, my baby girls are here and needless to say, I did not get much done yesterday afternoon!  I'm so glad I decided to go ahead and work out early yesterday.  I plan to stick to my normal schedule today and do not see a reason why anything should be in my way to keep from working out this afternoon.  :)

Today's workout is for time:

   100 Lunges (50 each side)

   100 Push-ups

   100 Sit-ups

   100 Squats

I'm going to split this up into 4 rounds - yes, I know you're not supposed to do it that way, but I really don't see me doing this all in 1 round - especially the push-ups and sit-ups.  So, I'm going to do it my way today!

*************************
17:23 - WOW!  That was tough!!  I am so proud of my push-ups, even though they were "girl" push-ups!  I made it the farthest ever without having to stop and stretch it out - yay, me!!  I did split this into 4 rounds of 25 reps each.  I did front lunges the first two rounds, then rear lunges the last two - all rounds without stopping/breaks.  No problems with squats - did all four rounds without breaking them up!  Push-ups and sit-ups are as follows:

Round 1 - 16 push-ups, then 3-5 at a time until I reached 25
              - 25 sit-ups without stopping!
Round 2 - 14 push-ups, then 3-5 at a time until I reached 25
              - 18 sit-ups, then finished to 25
Round 3 - 11 push-ups, then 3-5 at a time until I reached 25
              - 14 sit-ups, then finished to 25
Round 4 - 12 push-ups, then 3-5 at a time until I reached 25

              - 15 sit-ups, then finished to 25

Overall, I'm impressed.  Of course, I haven't compared my time to the others yet but I'm hoping I'm within everyone's range, or at least close to it!  Great workout!

Be stronger than your excuses.  I really, really, really need to remember this!  I've got to stop giving in to my "I don't wanna" and learn to tell myself to SHUT UP and SUCK IT UP and just do this!  lol  I'm only hurting myself when I don't!

Well, that being said...today IS a busy day for me, but tough luck - I'm just going to have to fit in a work out.  I cleaned carpet on Friday afternoon, was a lazy bum on Saturday, and cleaned upstairs yesterday afternoon. I actually cleaned my hall carpet again.  I shouldn't be amazed at how dirty it was/is - I don't believe I have cleaned it (other than with the stuff you spray on and let dry before vacuuming up) since we've lived here - which, sad to say, has been since 2001.  It just does NOT seem like that long!  My hallway looks a LOT better, but I'm still going to clean it again and again and again and again until the water comes out looking better than it did.  So, for those of you out there who haven't cleaned your carpets, do it!   Even if it doesn't look bad, it probably is!!  lol  I also got the crib put together yesterday and the new quilt put on the guest room bed.  Katy and Addy will be here all week - I'm going to pick them up sometime today since Katy was advised not to drive for three weeks after Addy's birth.  That's what is going to take up most of my day.  After I pick them up we are stopping by my sister-in-law's house so she can visit with her great-niece.  She offered to pick them up and bring them here, but she has personal "issues" going on and neither Katy nor I want her driving with them in the car.  Sad situation...but I'm super excited I have my baby girls for a whole week!!

I had decided to run today and then do whatever workout was scheduled with HIITMamas, but turns out it's a run day for them as well!

3 Rounds for time

   Run 400 meters

   21 Kettlebell swings w/20 lbs

   12 Pull-ups

*Compare to 5/21/13 - only I did this on 5/22/13 with a time of 20:24

I looked back and saw that I ran the entire 400 meters in round 1, so I will do that again today.  I'm really going to try to run all of it in the other two rounds as well, so...fingers crossed!

*************************
Short and sweet today - my baby girls are here!!  I worked out before lunch, since I knew I would be super busy this afternoon and I just got a chance to update.

Time today:  19:47!!  Woot-Woot!!  SO proud of that!  I ran the entire first round of 400 meters, walked 1 minute, ran 1.5 minutes for round 2 until 400 meters complete, then walked 1 minute, ran 1 minute for the last 400 meters.  My total treadmill time was 17:08, but 5 minutes of that was from my warm-up walk of 400 meters - I actually did 1 mile on the treadmill today.

Kettlebell swings w/25 lbs
Attempted actual pull-ups - no assists

Go do something that makes you sweat.  Well, I plan to!  lol  As you probably have already guessed, I did not get a workout in yesterday.  We stayed at Katy's longer than we thought we would.  We ended up taking everyone to lunch, then had some more Addy-loving time.  We got back in town just in time to pick up Hayley from school, then I had to run my usual errands - post office, bank, store.  I went to Wally-world and bought a much needed carpet cleaner, then when I got home I put it together and cooked supper.  Then, my day was done.  I had originally planned to rent a carpet cleaner, but saw one at Walmart for $140 - rentals run anywhere from $25-40/day.  I thought "you know, with Addy here it's not a bad idea just to have one".  Plus, Katy can borrow it if she needs to.  Kids are messy!  lol  I'm not sure if I'm going to work out today, because I am going to clean carpets.  I'm cleaning the hallway and my guest/Addy room.  After cleaning the guest/Addy room, I have to put together the crib and get it ready.  Katy and Addy will both be here all next week while Katy's hubby, Andy, is going to his last week of school for work.  I'm super excited I get them for a whole week!!

So, if I do get to work out I plan to do the workout that I missed yesterday, which was:

   2 rounds for time

      30 thrusters w/20 lbs

      30 knees to elbows

Y'all have a good weekend - looks like ours will be rainy, rainy, rainy!

*************************

I do because I can

I do because I can.  I can because I want to.  I want to because you said I couldn't.  - This is SO me!  If you really want me to do something, tell me I can't.  I will try like hell to do it, I might not be successful, but I will give it my all before quitting.  I don't know why I'm that way, but I do know I'm not the only one!  ;)

I am so, so, so, so sore!  I'm still blaming it on the burpees I did on Tuesday.  I can't believe how sore I am from just two days of CrossFit workouts, compared to the ArmyFit workouts from last week.  Craziness!!  I'm still planning on swapping the workouts out, so next week is ArmyFit ones again.  Can you keep a secret?  I like CrossFit better!!  ;)

Today's workout sounds intimidating, but only because I'm so sore right now!  lol

2 Rounds for time

   30 Thrusters w/20 lbs

   30 Knees to Elbows

I'm not looking forward to the knees-to-elbows - again, mostly because of my sore abs...yes, they are still sore!  I think I'm going to do one round of knees-to-elbows on the bar and the other on the floor since that seemed to really work those muscles!  Wish me luck!!

*************************

Sore as hell and back for more!

Sore as hell and back for more!  YES!  Yes, I am!  Sorrrrrrrrreeee!!!  OMG - this is ridiculous!  So...last night, my butt started aching (surprised, right?) - then it was my right shoulder blade area (but in all honesty, that has been kind of achy for about a week) - this morning?  My abs are SOOOO sore!  I know it's from the knees-to-elbows on the floor from yesterday.  I left my bar in the basement from the day I did Military Movements and also pull-ups.  I've seen several versions of knees-to-elbows on the floor and I do not do the ones that are like planking, then bringing a knee to an elbow - alternating legs.  That one just seems too easy to me.  I lay on my back on the floor and grab onto something over my head - normally my treadmill - then bring my knees up to my elbows and straightening my legs back out but I do not put them all the way down on the floor (about 6 inches off).  This simulates the actual knees to elbows from the bar, but jeez-Louise are my abs sore today!  I could feel them burning yesterday when I was doing them, but I was okay for my sit-ups so I didn't think too much about it.  Well, I'm thinking about it today!  :)  I was also SO tired yesterday after working out.  It's because I did not have lunch before working out and I could not believe how exhausted I was.  I even took a nap (50 minutes) yesterday afternoon and still went to bed at 10:30 and slept all night!  VERY unusual for me - if I ever take a nap, then I'm either up really, really late or I wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep.  My body was just tired and it showed even while working out - I wanted to just stop so bad.  So...no more working out earlier in the day without a decent meal in my body!

I did not go see my little Addy yesterday.  The wheelchair guy was here for about an hour and half and still could not repair the joystick.  Wouldn't you think if you were going to repair a joystick (knowing this without a doubt) that you would throw an extra one in your vehicle to have "just in case"?  Yeah, me too - but apparently they don't think like I do.  It appears the issue is the on/off button is worn out.  He said he had a "loaner" one at the shop I could use until a new pad arrives and even suggested I might want to just go there myself today and pick it up since it would probably be quicker than waiting on them to bring it to me.  My first thought?  THAT is what I wanted to do in the first place!!!!   AARRGGHH!!  I'm just so frustrated with them - mostly because Hayley is missing school while we're trying to get this repaired.  You can put her chair on "push" mode, but it's SO heavy - 400 lbs with her in it.  Her teachers will NOT push her around the school.  Luckily this is just the beginning of the year, but still...it's crazy!  Okay...enough ranting.  Back to my workout!

I'm a day behind on the HIITMamas workouts this week.  I'm sticking with those for the week, then next week I'll see what I want to do. 

5 Rounds for Time:

   21 Sumo Dead-lift High Pulls w/20 lbs

   21 Bench Dips

I'm also going to do the walk/run Army training thing on my treadmill today since it's a short, quick workout.  So, I'll be doing 5 rounds of walking 4 minutes then running 2 minutes.  I got this!

*************************
First of all, let me say that I SO did not want to work out today and was trying really hard to come up with legitimate reasons why I wouldn't.  Don't worry...I got it!  I made myself get up and go work out - telling myself "I'll just do HIITMamas and no treadmill."  So,  I did that workout and that was tougher than I thought it would be and yes...my biceps are quivery and sore!  Then, when I stood up my butt was not as sore as it was (I'm guessing the sumo deadlift high pulls loosened it up) and neither were my thighs (ditto with the SDHPs), so I thought "what the hell!" and got my lazy butt on the treadmill.  I then decided not to do 5 rounds of walking 4 minutes and running 2 minutes, but I did do 5 rounds of walking 2 minutes, running 1 minute.  This brought me up to .84/mile, so I walked until I hit the 1 mile mark.  YAY me!  I feel so much better right now!  Crazy how that works out, isn't it?  lol

HIITMamas workout time:  9:01 (!)
Treadmill time:  17:52, 1 mile total

Can't wait to see what's in store for tomorrow!   I do know I'm going to see my little Addy and we're taking her to meet her great-grandmother, but I have to be back before 2:00 since that's when I have to pick up Hayley from school.  By the way - the wheelchair is working now!  The "loaner" joystick did the trick!

Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans - John Lennon.  I love this!  It seems that lately things have gotten in my way, when in actuality it's just life.  I feel so bad about not getting all of my work outs in, but sometimes things happen and it just doesn't work out the way I want it to.  So, I'm just going to let it all go and do the best I can.  I know "life" will settle down soon and I'll be back in my normal groove and everything will right itself.  Argh - obstacles!!  :)

As you can see, I did not work out yesterday.  Honey-buns was at his mother's all afternoon and I finally heard from the wheelchair people.  They were going to try to fit us in yesterday afternoon/early evening, but apparently couldn't.  I didn't want to be in the basement working out, nor upstairs working out because I can't hear the doorbell.  Anyway, I should have just risked it because they didn't make it after all.  So, it looks like they are coming today sometime before 1:00 - which means they should NOT interfere with my workout time.  

Sounding a little wishy-washy here, BUT...I think I'm going to do CrossFit workouts this week.  I plan to do the one HiitMamas posted yesterday, because it was a "compare to".  I love those!!

Filthy Fifty - or Fat Fifty as Mamas called it

   Jump rope

   Burpees

   Wall Ball

   Back extensions

   Push press, 20 lbs

   Knees to elbows

   Walking lunges

   Kettlebell swings

   Sit-ups

   Box jumps

We did this workout on January 29th, so I looked it up on my blog.  It took me 31:35 to complete, using 24 lbs for push press, 15.5 lbs for kettle-bell swings, 4 lbs for wall ball, and I did knees-to-elbows on the floor.  I'll use the same amount of weights again today, but I will do the knees-to-elbows on the bar instead of the floor.  Gosh, let's hope this turns out okay!  Last Tuesday was the last time I worked out!

******************************
So...I got my workout done early because I'm hoping to head to Katy's house to visit my beautiful granddaughter after the wheelchair guy leaves.  I figured I go ahead and do it, since this is a kind-of planned but not planned event!  lol  I have to say...wow...so depressing!  My time totally sucked compared to last time - 1/29/13 time of 31:35; today's time 35:41.  Four (4!!!) whole minutes worse!  I will admit I was hoping Honey-Buns would come knocking on the door telling me wheelchair guy came early just so I wouldn't have to do those box jumps at the end!  MAN!  I've really got to get back with it - let this be a lesson to y'all.  Don't stop working out or you'll suck again just like me!!  Oh well...looks like I'm back on this horse!  Giddy-up!!!

Your workout is your time.

Your workout is your time.  Be selfish.  Take what you need.  This is SO true!  I love "me" time, I just haven't been able to fit it in lately, but hopefully (hopefully, hopefully!) my schedule will go back to normal soon.  :)

Yes, I'm still on a high from my beautiful, granddaughter being born!  What a crazy week last week turned out to be!  Katy went for her regular check-up on Wednesday, and they did her scheduled ultrasound.  They said the baby was small (only 4 lbs 14 oz) and they didn't see her take any "practice" breaths, plus Katy's blood pressure was up and would not come down after relaxing for a few minutes - so they sent Katy to the hospital for monitoring.  As soon as she laid down on her side, her blood pressure came down to normal right away, baby's heart rate was perfect but they wanted to keep Katy overnight just to monitor both her and the baby.  An ultrasound specialist was going to be in town on Thursday and they were going to have him come and do a "full blown" ultrasound on Katy while he was there.  When I arrived Thursday morning, the midwives came in and said "change of plans".  The baby wasn't as active as they'd like to see, and since she was small they thought it would be best to induce labor by first inserting something to soften her cervix, then administering Pitocin (?) through an IV.  Well, they checked Katy and she was already dilated to almost 4!  So, another change of plans - insertion thing was called off, Katy went straight to the birthing center and was given Pitocin.  They said dilating to 4 takes the longest, then it's about a centimeter an hour and we should have baby by sundown.  Well, little Miss Addy had other plans.  This was a very fast labor and I must say Katy made it look so easy.  I'm such a proud Mama and Grammie!!  Addy was born at 2:42 on Thursday afternoon - teeny, tiny thing - 4 lbs, 10 oz - but absolutely NO problems!  Gorgeous!!  Of course, I'm a little partial.  Both Katy and Addy came home on Saturday - they stayed an extra day so Katy could get some rest and get the hang of breastfeeding.  I have to stop myself from going to her house now...I just want to hold her and spoil her!  We did not go by there yesterday, however, they made a surprise visit to us!  :)

Here's a picture of Addy with the Snuggle Monkey that I bought her:

See what I'm talking about with her being tiny?  Snuggle Monkey is bigger than her!  Precious!!

I do know I will more than likely have to go to Atlanta today.  Hayley's joystick that controls her wheelchair has stopped working - we've put the chair in "push" mode, but jeez!  That thing is hard to push!  With her in the chair, it weighs 400 lbs.  I definitely have to get that fixed - I know they won't want to push her around school like that, so she's staying home again today.  I kept her home on Friday thinking Katy was coming home from the hospital, but that didn't work out - so we just stayed all day visiting Katy.  On top of everything else, my mother-in-law has been in and out of the hospital as well, only in a different one from Katy!  They changed her blood thinner medicine and the new medicine makes her sick to her stomach - she was dehydrated and admitted earlier in the week last week.  Then, she went back to the emergency room on Friday morning for the same thing.  Perry was at one hospital in Athens while I was at the other!  I told you it was a crazy week!

Okay - back to work.  I'm doing Week 1 of training again this week, since I missed the majority of last week.  

Warm-up:  Conditioning Drill #1

                  Military Movement Drill

Activity:  5 reps

                   Walk 4 minutes

                    Run 2 minutes

Cool Down:  Stretch Drill

Even though I haven't done a whole lot of working out, I do know my weight has come down some since last week - that's always a plus, right?  When I weighed yesterday afternoon, it was 248 - so that's a  pound less than when I started last week.  I'll take it!

******************************

Adelae Carla Nguyen

Adalae Carla Nguyen is here!!  She decided she could NOT wait to meet her Grammie and Gramps - "Ain't nobody got time for that!"  lol  -  She's tiny, but beautiful and healthy - no health issues that I know of as of bedtime last night!!  

4 lbs 10 oz - 17.5 inches long

head full of hair

As you can guess, I'm not working out today.  Since Addy made her debut three weeks early, I am going to Katy's house this morning and get everything in order.  I believe they are coming home from the hospital today and she doesn't even have a cover for the changing table yet!!  Yikies!!!  Lots of work to do, but I am already in awe of this little girl!!!  Looks like I'm going to start over again next week - y'all have a good weekend!!!

Hello! My name is Consistency.

Hello!  My name is Consistency.  I make it happen day in and day out.  You might know my good friend, Success - we're always hanging out!

My new motto - be consistent!!  I know without a doubt that if I just stick to my plan, I will reach my goal.  I know this.  I will do this!  :)

Today is "back to school" time for Hayley, so today's blog will be short and sweet.  Mostly because I'm always running behind.  It's going to be weird to actually put on clothes before 11:00!  I've gotten so used to wearing my pajamas until I go out and do my errands.  Oh no!  This means I must wear a bra!!!   Oh well, that also means I get the pleasure of taking it off later.  I don't know about you guys, but taking off my bra just brings out calm and peace in me - my body knows it's definitely time to relax when the bra comes off!  :)

Katy goes to the doctor today and they're doing an ultrasound.  Unfortunately, her husband is able to go - he always gets to go do the fun stuff!  :)  They're going to get accurate measurements on my little Addy and make sure everything is okay.  They don't believe anything is going on - just with Katy's blood pressure going up they feel the need to be positive.  She's doing great with her movements and kicking, but Katy is measuring right on track - they just said they want to be absolutely positive, even though right now they're "pretty sure"!  Regardless, the count down is on - August 27th will be here before I know it!

My legs were just a little bit sore last night, but nothing too bad.  I didn't need to take an aspirin or anything and everything is fine this morning - so far, so good!

Today's workout:

Warm-up:  Conditioning Drill #1

                  Military Movement Drill

Activity:  4 rounds of 30:60s

Cool Down:  Stretch Drill

I'm not going to list out the Drill exercises today - it just takes too long!  I'll only list them out if it's a different one.  I'll be glad when I know the exercises completely by name and don't have to refer to the manual to see what they are.  My workout will go much faster!  For those of you who don't know, 30:60s is a speed running drill.  You sprint as fast as you can for 30 seconds, then walk/recover for 60 seconds.  You do that today four times.  It doesn't look like today's workout will be too long, but you never know!

*************************
Well, I guess I spoke too soon - being called "consistency" and all.  My daughter went for her ultrasound this afternoon and left the midwives' office to go directly to the hospital.  Katy's blood pressure was up and did not go down and little Addy's only measuring around 4 lbs 14 oz, so they wanted to hook her up to a fetal monitor just to make sure everything's okay.  Katy's blood pressure went way down after laying on her side for a bit, Addy's heart rate is great and stable, but after Katy ate they were concerned that Addy wasn't moving as much as they'd like.  She is moving like normal according to Katy, but the midwife said they like to see even more movement.  Needless to say, Katy is staying overnight for monitoring and an ultrasound specialist will be in town tomorrow and they're going to have him (or her - I don't know which) do a full-blown ultrasound to rule stuff out.  They think Addy's smallness could be genetic - I was a 6 1/2 lb baby, Honey-Buns was 6 lbs, and Katy was 6 lbs 12 oz.  We should know more tomorrow after the ultrasound.  I'm going straight to the hospital in the morning after getting Hayley up.  Perry will take her to school and pick her up after as well.  Say lots of prayers!!  :)

If you don't sweat, you are doing it wrong.

If you don't sweat, you are doing it wrong.  Good to know!!  I don't know about you guys, but I sweat.  I mean - drip, drip, drip!  I was so sweaty doing my cool down stretches yesterday after my run/walk thing - sweat had dripped into my eyes while I was doing one of the stretches and it burned like the dickens!!  I have to say I'm a little excited about my new workouts.  Of course, everyone gets excited on the first days of anything, don't they?  So far, so good.  My butt is a little sore, but it's been worse.  The bottom of my feet were a little achy/sore when I first got up.  I thing that's because I was barefoot when I did the warm-up and military movement drills in the basement.  The basement floor is pretty much carpeted concrete - a little padding underneath, but typical basement flooring - so  I think that was just a little too hard on my feet.  I'll be sure to wear shoes the next time I do those.  The hardest part is just remembering everything.  I have the training book downloaded onto my Nook, so I can just scroll to the pages I need and look at the pictures (a lot!)  Hopefully, I'll learn them fairly quickly and won't always have to refer to the manual.  Today's workout is different from yesterday - so, yay!  :)

Warm Up:
   - 4 for the Core
        Bent Leg Raise*
        Side Bridge*
        Back Bridge**
        Quadraplex**
   - Hip Stability Drill
        5 reps each side
           Lateral Leg Raise
           Medial Leg Raise
           Lateral Bent Leg Raise
           Single Leg Tuck
           Single Leg Over - hold 20 seconds each side
   - Conditioning Drill #1 - listed yesterday
        5 reps each
           Bend & reach
           Rear lunge
           High jumper
           Rower
           Squat bender
           Windmill
           Forward lunge
           Prone row
           Bent leg body twist
           Push-ups
*Hold each for 1 minute - if you can't hold, go back to starting position rest for 1-2 seconds and try again until you reach 1 minute
**Hold for 5 seconds each leg, alternating until you reach 1 minute

Activity:  Conditioning Drill #2
                   2 sets
                      5 Push-ups
                      5 Sit-ups
                      2 Pull-ups

Cool Down:  Stretch Drill - hold for 20 seconds each
   Overhead arm pull
   Rear lunge
   Extend & flex
   Thigh stretch
   Single leg over

Sounds like a lot, doesn't it?  I already know Conditioning Drill #1 doesn't really take that long and it doesn't look like any of the other stuff will either.  I'm thinking total time of 30 minutes?  Sounds about right!  To quote yesterday "Let's do this!"
*************************
Wow!  I have to say I am surprised at how tough some of these exercises are - especially since they're considered "warm-ups"!  The side bridge is ridiculously tough - I was quivering!!  AND I couldn't go the full minute, but only 35/40 seconds before I had to drop and start back.  It's going to be fun watching those improve!  The back bridge would have been tough except you alternate your legs every 5 seconds - so that made them better, but still...tough!!  I am doing real, "boy" push-ups and still count them even though they aren't all the way down to the ground - they have never been down to the ground, so I'm okay with that.  I have seen improvement in the fact that I can start off doing 2 without stopping, which is really like doing 4 for normal people - why does the Army use a 4-count?  I like the sound of 4 better than 2!  :)  My sit-ups are still good, it's just weird counting differently.  Pull-ups were attempted, but I can now at least bend my elbows when doing a pull-up.

I'm really looking forward to seeing my progress and improvements.  It's very strange counting differently (no more counting down - that would be too confusing!) and not going as fast as I can to get a good time.  Strange, but still fun!





   

Stats - 45 weeks - Start of Army Fit

Okay - here they are.  Disappointed, but I CAN improve!!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ak5dw7gXHvW9dEJlQmVmeUw4VmduWkEtSk5iN01BakE&usp=sharing

Okay Monday, let's do this!

Okay Monday, let's do this!  Finally - a normal week is planned and I believe I can do this!!  So, this time (for real) I'm starting my Army Fitness Training.  I plan on seeing how things go this week, but I'm actually thinking of doing the Army training one week, then CrossFit the next, back to Army training, etc.  I'll see - I just don't want to get bored with it and feel like it's too repetetive.  I haven't looked too closely at the 12-week program, but I really do enjoy doing CrossFit and don't want to "decline" in any of my CrossFit accomplishments so far - which is why I will more than likely switch it out every week.

I don't know about you, but I had a very nice, relaxing weekend.  Honey-Buns won his race on Saturday night...win #8 for the year!  He's so cute - he's had a couple of little kids that have asked for his trophy the past few weekends, so he's been giving it to them.  Too sweet!  Other than going to the races, I did absolutely nothing and I must say...it was wonderful!!  :)

Just a reminder of what I will be doing today - I know you've probably forgotten, I know I have!

Conditioning Drill #1

   5 reps each

      Bend & reach

      Rear lunge

      High jumper

      Rower

      Squat bender

      Windmill

      Forward lunge

      Prone row

      Bent leg body twist

      Push-ups

Military Movement Drill

   1 rep each - 25 yards

      Verticals

      Laterals

      Shuttle sprint

Activity

   5 reps

      Walk 4 minutes, run 2 minutes

Stretch Drill

   Hold each for 20 seconds

      Overhead arm pull

      Rear lunge

      Extend & flex

      Thigh stretch

      Single leg over

This is not a timed workout, but just the activity alone is 30 minutes, so I figured another 15 or 20 minutes for the other exercises - possibly longer.  I know I'll be doing the conditioning and movement drills in the basement.  I have more room down there for the movement drill, so instead of doing stuff upstairs, then going down to the basement, then back upstairs for the rest - I'm just going to start in the basement and do the activity and stretching upstairs in my exercise room.  

I'm going to be updating my measurements today and I have to admit, I'm not looking forward to it.  I know they haven't improved, I'm just hoping they haven't gotten worse.  I know my weight is up a few pounds, but I wasn't ever concerned about my weight as long as I was losing inches.  Scary stuff - but it is what it is and I know once I get back in the groove of things, it will all improve.  As today's blog is titled....let's do this!!

*************************

I DID IT!!  Yay, accomplishment!!  :)  As I mentioned earlier, this was not a timed workout - however, it did take me close to an hour to complete.  The conditioning drill exercises weren't hard, just awkward to do.  The military movement exercises got my heart rate going - especially the sprints!  My basement is 25 feet (8 yards), so I did the movement exercises 3 x across - except for the sprints because you were supposed to sprint 25 yards, touch the ground and turn around and sprint 25 yards, touch the ground and turn around and sprint 25 yards - I had to do those 9 x across.  I was surprised how quickly my heart rate jumped doing the laterals!  Then, I went all the way upstairs to my exercise room for the activity exercise on the treadmill.  VERY proud to say I completed it as prescribed - 5 times of walking 4 minutes, running 2 minutes.  I SO wanted to stop running on the 4th run segment, but I was already up to 1:40 and figured I could do 20 more seconds.  Then, I REALLY wanted to stop on the last run segment, but was at 1:29 and forced, forced, forced myself to continue to the end.  Thirty minutes on the treadmill for a total of 1.75 miles and 246.7 calories.  That's just not right - it really should be more than that!  The stretching drill was one of my faves - it felt really good to stretch, except my cat thought it was "her" time while I was stretching.  I don't know about you, but to me there's nothing worse than being hot and sweaty and having a furry cat trying to rub on your arms, legs, and face!  Horrible feeling!

I took my heart rate every time I completed a run and am surprised at what my results were - they actually weren't too bad (I don't think anyway).

   1st run segment - 126, then 131

   2nd run segment - 130, then 112

   3rd run segment - 99, then 118

   4th run segment - 123, then 101

   5th run segment - 111, then 101

I figured it would have been worse than that, but am glad it's not.  GREAT workout = HAPPY girl!!  :)

It is what it is.  I believe this is pretty much my philosophy on life.  I mean...c'mon!  It IS what it is!  :)  So, I've been very bad this week and have not worked out but just once.  Today doesn't look good either.  I'm taking my daughter back to her home in Athens, then I'm staying there for most of the day to help her put some baby things away since her doctor's want her to rest as much as possible.  AND...I know her - she'll try to do all kinds of stuff once I'm out the door, so I'm going to do my best to make sure there's not much left for her to do!  She really has taken it easy while here.  Pretty much the only "getting up" she's done is getting dressed/showered, going to the bathroom, and trips back and forth to the kitchen.  I was with her yesterday when her doctor called with her test results - NO pre-eclampsia, YAY! - but she does have gestational hypertension.  They told her to lay on her side as much as possible and I'll be damned if she didn't want to get up and try to do stuff!  I told her "NO, you're laying down!"  My child...  Anyway, if I don't do things for her I know she'll do them herself - especially while she's left alone while her hubby is at work, so I have to keep an extra close eye on her.  I will be glad when things get back to normal next week!  :)  In the meantime, y'all have a good weekend!!

Never quit.

Never quit.  If you stumble, get back up.  What happened yesterday no longer matters.  Today's another day so, get back on track and move closer to your dreams and goals.  You can do it.

This is perfect for me this week!  I'm determined and excited to get my workouts back on track.  I know it's only been the last couple of weeks that I have really been skipping the workouts, but I feel like it's been all summer!  I really will be glad when school starts back and my schedule is back to normal.  I have to take my daughter back to Athens today, but it should be just a quick trip - she just needs to check her mail and see if any packages have been delivered.  Several people have told her they were having her baby gifts shipped to her home, so we're going to check that - but don't worry....I'll be back in time to work out today!  :)

Both CaliFit Mamas and Brand X have the same workout today, so I guess that's God's way of telling me I need to run, so that's what I'm going to do!!

CaliFit Mamas and Brand X:

   Run 5k

CaliFit says to compare this to 12/13/12, so I looked back and guess what?  I walked this in the park - apparently it was a beautiful 60-degree, light & breezy day!  Anyway, it took my an hour to walk 3.2 miles - 5k is 3.1 miles.  I was thinking I did a 5k since then, so I was looking back and saw that I did a 6k run on July 4th.  My treadmill time for that was 64:05, which averaged out to 17.08 per mile.  So....I'll see if that improves.  Y'all DEFINITELY wish me luck!  :)

*************************