Day 92 Get Fit Challenge...in a vacation state of mind

This morning was back day for lifting which went pretty well. I am getting pretty coordinated with getting up off the floor for the Seated Lat Cable Pulldowns all by myself without falling flat on my face so that's a win. 

imagine this but sitting on the floor for the cable pulldowns

I've upped the intensity on the stair stepper from 15 to 18 to challenge myself a bit and now between it and the elliptical I burn about 740-750 calories in an hour.

This is the machine I use at the gym. You can use it as a stepper or an elliptical.
I only use it for a stepper as you can't adjust the incline for the elliptical.

Tonight there was no gym as mom and I had to run around to get last minute things for our trip to Charleston Friday. After traveling outside of the US for the past three year I forgot how many restrictions on things you can and cannot pack, and since I refuse to pay $25 each way to check a bag I needed to make sure all of the liquids I'm taking meet regulations as I'd hate to have things taken away at the airport.

Day 91 Get Fit Challenge...If you are not here to work then go home

Today was chest day for my morning weight lifting. I went a bit later this morning in hopes to avoid some of the morning crowd which worked out pretty well minus the group of annoying high school football boys who did more talking and goofing around that lifting. I just don't understand the need for social hour at the gym. I mean why would you want to take 2 hours to do something that would normally take you 45 minutes at the most? At that point you're letting your muscles cool down so much you're not really getting much out of it. Also you are REALLY annoying to all the people around you when you stand around and take up space and machines that you really aren't using.

I finally got around to finding a great recipe for the fresh brussel sprouts that have been hanging out in the fridge and man oh man is that a keeper.

Here is the recipe if you want to try it out trust me even if you don't like brussel sprouts this will definitely change your mind. 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil

Prep brussel sprouts by cutting off the ends, peeling away any yellowed leaves and cutting them in half length wise (about two cups worth)

Dice 4 cloves of garlic

Thinly slice half of a red onion

Combine the brussel sprouts, garlic, and onions in a mixing bowl and add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper, and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

Give everything a good stir to coat and pour onto the cookie sheet

Give the mixture a good shake on the cookie sheet to put everything into one nice layer and put in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until fork tender

After they were finished in the oven I topped them with a bit of paprika and a bit of lemon juice and oh dear lord were they yummy.

The HIT workout tonight was pretty good minus all the a-holes that decided to stand around in the way not doing anything then when I would ask them to move or to put back things that we were using I would get stank face and major eye rolls. SERIOUSLY do not mess with me while I am in the middle of my workout I will drop your ass so fast. I may be a bigger girl but don't let that fool you I do work at the gym and it is paying off, slower than expected but progress none the less. Nothing pisses me off more than people that come to the gym and don't do work.

Day 90 Get Fit Challenge...Oh how I hate you leg day

So it's Monday which means it's Leg Day..uuggghhh

After yesterday's sad and disappointing weigh in I wasn't really motivated to go to the gym this morning let alone do one of the hardest workouts I have but I figured working out and hating it is better than not working out at all. 

Lifting in the mornings have been pretty interesting especially on leg day. Most of the people in the weight room in the mornings are 70+ years old, high school football players, or 30 somethings that think they are the shiz, oh and all male. Granted there are a few women here and there but they really don't do any work and stay for about 10 minutes before they jump on a cardio machine. Needless to say now that I have been added to the mix I am kind of a specticle in the gym. I am not sure if it's because I sweat more than all the men combined while I am there or the fact that I am actually lifting some pretty heavy weights. Either way being stared at is pretty awkward while I am trying to focus and get through my supersets and drop sets. 

Leg day did go better today and I didn't feel completely spent by the time my hour of cardio came around. However about 2 hours after my workout the soreness settled into my knee area. By the time evening HIT workout time rolled around I could barely move so instead of adding more pain to the mix I walked Max around the lake instead hoping it would stretch things out and help the pain that is store for me tomorrow for my morning workout. 

Day 89 Get Fit Challenge...Why is everything broken

So it's Sunday which means it's weigh in day. Sadly when I stepped on the scale this morning I only had lost a pound this week. Frustration and anger don't cover what I am feeling at the moment as it is more than that, but I just can't find the right words to describe it. I am kind of to the point now where I really feel like just saying, "F this I'm done!" You can only work so hard for so long with minimal results without feeling defeated and I am rapidly reaching that point. I just don't understand why this is extremely hard for me when it is easier for everyone else. I do so much more not only in the gym but diet restriction wise and the results I am seeing don't reflect the effort that I am putting in.

This of course did not motivate me at the gym this morning for my HIT and cardio workout and consequently it was a really hard workout. Since it ended up being a nice day the evening walk around the lake with Max was very pleasant since it wasn't so hot and humid. 

I have only part of the week this coming week to work out and really stick to the diet as I am flying to South Carolina for my "bachelorette" weekend and I am nervous about how well the diet plan will hold up there without having access to a gym or the pre-approved food. With the failure on the weight loss this week I am not really looking forward to the weekend anymore as I think all I will be thinking about is how I am not working out and eating correctly and how I am not losing weight like I should be. 

Day 88 Get Fit Challenge...A pretty productive off day

Today I didn't go to the gym this morning as I had an appointment at the bridal shop to find jewelry. It has been kind of nice going to try on my wedding dress about every month as I have really be able to see the difference each time I tried it on. I was able to find a gorgeous pair of earrings and necklace at the bridal trunk show, and I set the appointment for alterations for August 22nd. 

Afterwards we went out and about to find florals for the throw away bouquet and stuff to make the flower girl basket. I think we ended up with some really great stuff and it's nice to get some of the little things done and off the check list. 

After our full day of running around to all the different stores I made sure that I took Max for a walk around the lake to get at least some cardio in as I feel bad for not working out since this last month is crunch time and I really need to stay on track. 

Day 87 Get Fit Challenge...A sort of off day

My schedule has been pretty messed up this week so I am not really due for an off day but I have extended family in this weekend and wanted to be able to visit with them so I went to the gym this morning to get my lifting and cardio in as I knew I wouldn't be working out this evening. 

The new bicep and tricep workout was pretty killer and my arms felt like jelly quite a few times throughout the workout. The new superset at the end of the workout completely kicked my ass. You start out doing a close grip incline push up to fail off of the smith machine then automatically move into a 90 degree bicep curl hold to fail with 10 pounds on either side of the bar. You keep switching back and forth until you physically cannot get another set in. I made it to 4 sets before my arms just shook so much I couldn't do anything else. 

I am hoping to get my cardio in tomorrow but we have a pretty busy day planned running around doing wedding stuff but if we get back at a decent hour I could walk the dog around the lake at least. 

Day 86 Get Fit Challenge...incline push ups are my new nemesis

This morning was back day for lifting. It went pretty well with the new changes to everything and the bonus was that I didn't really feel too sore afterwards. 

The new fish diet is going ok. I really like cooking up the shrimp with a bit of this organic salsa that I found and then putting it over the cucumber, tomato, and onion salad. I don't mind the fillets of mahi mahi either. I just season them up a bit pop them in the oven and put them with some veggies. I am really excited to try cooking up these fresh brussel sprouts that I found and I think I found a pretty good recipe for them. 

Tonight's HIT workout went better but the only thing that I really keep struggling with are the new modified close grip incline push ups. It's something about being at a lower angle that really makes me struggle to reach 15 in the 30 seconds allotted. I did a lot better with the planks to fail as well tonight with both sets failing out at 2:30. However I cannot do them on the bosu ball like I'm supposed to as it really hurts my lower back so for now I am going to try to work up to that and keep trucking along.