Project BeastBody: Week 2 Days 2 & 3

Monday night I had this grand plan that I would go to bed very early and sleep like a baby through the  night and I'd wake up and hit the ground running.  It was a great plan, but one that my dogs were apparently not aware of and my older one woke me up around 1am needing to go outside.  So, I finally fell back asleep just before that 4am alarm went off.  I decided to try to get more rest and I would figure out later when I'd get my workout in that day.  I usually am pretty good about telling myself that I will workout in the evening, but then get home and just put on my comfy clothes and call it a day.  So, this time, I prepared myself and took my clothes and E&E stash with me to my office and told myself that I WOULD workout after work at our office fitness center.  I actually was excited during the day and was really looking forward to my workout and was ready to go at 5:30 to get started.  It's been months since I last worked out in a public setting like that.  At first no one was in there so I had the whole place to myself and near the end of my workout, someone else came in, but I was in a pretty good zone so didn't feel too weird.  I did miss being at home though.   

 

Yesterday was the Build: Back & Biceps workout again.  This time I'd have to make a few modifications since I didn't have my bands that I use in place of doing chin-ups/pull-ups and also someone had hidden the 10 pound weights from me so I had to use less weight than what I had wanted on some of the moves.  The good news, however, is I did go up in weight on a few moves so yay for me! Each day I feel stronger and that's a great thing.  I came home and slept great too which I so needed.

 

Post-workout.  I promise there is some definition forming in that bicep, haha.

 

This morning I faced that Beast Cardio & Abs duo again.  Man, was it tough, but another victory is that I hung in there and got it done.  It may not have been pretty and I am still having to modify a few moves like burpees and plyo push-ups, but my heart rate monitor didn't tell me I died today and I'd say I busted things up a few notches.  It's a tough workout, but each week will start getting a little better each time.  I have no doubts about that.  For the abs workout, I was able to do everything except the hip up moves (similar to heels to heaven from P90X).  My lower back was a little stiff this morning so I modified that to do something I knew I could handle.  I kinda felt a little like I might puke after today's workout, but in a good way of course.  Tomorrow is Build: Shoulders and then my rest day.  Week 2 is blazing along and I am still really enjoying this program. 

 

Told you it wasn't pretty, but I survived!

 

I am still working on my nutrition which I need to start paying better attention to since that is key in seeing results.  Mainly I need to start keeping track of my calories and what I am eating better.  I haven't been bad during the week, but I am pretty certain that I am not hitting all of my calories I should be eating.  Part of it is because I'm still trying to figure out what works best for my body and part of it is fear and doubt.  Yes, those two evil monsters that like to rear their ugly heads just when things are going well.  I have had some fabulous non-scale victories this week, but I am not going to lie, it is hard to see that number on the scale staying put.  I know better.  I KNOW BETTER than to let that get to me with weight training, but I do worry I am eating too much.  To top things off, my hormones are doing their monthly thing today so, you can imagine how I am feeling.  The important thing is how I'm feeling overall since starting this program, with the exception of today where I went from 10 to -20 in about 3 hours on the post-workout high happiness scale.  This too shall pass.  Overall I know I am stronger each day, my clothes are fitting looser, I am gaining some muscle definition, I have more energy, I am in a better mood overall and I know things will continue to get better.  It's only halfway through week 2 and I have 10 1/2 more weeks to go.  I have goals that I am setting for myself and I will get there.  So, for any of you struggling, I get it.  Allow yourself to feel it, good and bad, but don't dwell in the bad.  You are what you think you are and I am going to continue thinking I am fabulous and awesome and am so going to rock these results! Happy hump day, everyone!

Eight Twenty-Six & 34 Things...Revisited

I wrote this post for my Loudest Sound blog on my birthday a year ago, but never posted it. Not sure why, I think I just wanted my posts on that blog to basically be about music and not so much about me or my personal life. Now that I have two blogs going, I feel better about posting this and think it's time to revisit some of these goals and see what I can cross off the list and think of some things to add for this year. I turned 35 this week, much to my chagrin, and even though it was a tough pill to swallow of me not being where I'd like to be or where I'd hoped to be at this point in my life, it is time to move on from the negative feelings and focus on the good that is to come. I was fortunate enough to mark off a few things over the last year, so let's see where the next year takes me!

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

Today marks 34 years since I joined this crazy world. I’ve always made such a big deal about my birthday and usually drive my friends and family crazy with a countdown and constant reminders, but this year I was actually pretty quiet on the subject prompting some of those close to me to ask if I was feeling well. Perhaps it’s because I’m getting older but in all honesty, I was just preoccupied with other things, mainly music and a certain trip I have coming up in a few weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I still thought about the day itself, but it was in more of a “reflecting” manner than a “hey, time to party” manner.

Thirty-three was not a bad year overall. I certainly accomplished one major thing which was to find a new job and I did that, but I’m still hungry for more. And when I look back at my life and everything I’ve said I would have liked to have accomplished by this point, I’m nowhere close. I would have to say that probably the best thing that happened to me this year was that I fell in love with music and writing all over again. Not that I ever stopped loving either, but that intense passion had started to wane over the last couple of years and I needed something to kick start my heart back in gear.

So, I decided to create this list of “34 Things I want to do While I’m 34” to sort of help me get more inspired to get to further points in my life. I believe that 33 was a great catalyst to get me here and now I’m ready for the next step. I’ve been thinking a lot about what I would tell the 17 year old me half a lifetime ago now, and the common theme I seem to keep coming back to is, “To live your life, no regrets, going after each dream and each moment.” Hopefully in a year, I’ll look back at this list and there will be many awesome things that I experienced and accomplished all while learning more about myself along the way. Life is a journey and when you get stuck in a rut or don’t know which path to follow, it’s always a good idea to take a step back and dig deep within your soul to find out what it is that truly makes you tick. For me it’s music and writing and so the journey begins to take that love even further.

34 Things I Want to do While I'm 34

1) Host a party (this might be more successful once I move back into Houston)

2) Read MTV book and find 3 other books to read (Hey, I did read a couple of books, just not that MTV book. )

3) Start Photography again (Now that I have that new camera, I need some help!)

4) Gain more exposure for this blog (And my Loudest Sound blog)

5) Get a press pass to one concert

6) Complete an art project

7) Take a road trip to a new place

8) Visit& Hike Enchanted Rock

9) Write more and submit items for publishing

10) Visit Houston’s art museums

11) Visit California

12) Meet my Black Rebel Motorcycle Club friends in real life ( Still have a few more so not marking it off just yet)

13) Meetand interview Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (still hoping for that interview)

14) Get my passport (Yes Liane, I know. Soon. )

15) Pay off some of my debt

16) Expand my record collection

17) Unclutter my life/apartment

18) Go to Colorado to visit family

19) Take a kickboxing class (Thanks to Kristen for inspiring this one even more now)

20) Take a dance class ( I did go to 1 ballet class, but I think I should continue)

21) Learn how to sew

22) Learn to cook better

23) Take the dogs to the beach (I don't count that 5K in Galveston, so we'll try again. Road trip to Cali, maybe?)

24) Save money to take a real vacation (Keeping this one because I still have yet to leave the country. See #14)

25) Visit New Orleans

26) Take a writing class or 2

27) Maintain a healthy and active lifestyle

28) Take piano lessons

29) Start ice skating again

30) Get a promotion at work

31) See Mazzy Star live (Sigh. I added this right after they announced the album last year, but there were no TX dates. Still hoping though.)

32) Write 2 short stories

33) Go to the observatory to see the stars (Hehe, I kind of did that in California.)

34) Learn to speak better Spanish

So what else should I add to the list? Hmmm...I realize some of these are slightly cheesy and maybe not what I want to do a year later so open to ideas.  I'll update the list soon!