Happy Gymniversary!

I did it!  I’ve been going to the gym consistently for a whole year!

A year ago, Chiara and I joined the Y and started going together and we’ve kept it up all year long.  I remember when we first went.  She talked me into trying Zumba, and I hated it with a fiery passion that consumed my soul.  I started spinning that week and I’ve gone consistently 2-4 times a week for the whole year.  I don’t even know how many miles I’ve logged!  Chiara and I tried out a bunch of different classes and found ones we both liked. She still goes to Zumba alone, and I still go to spinning alone, but we’ve logged many hours in Next Level, Power Yoga, and Boot Camp together. This is the longest either one of us has ever stuck with a gym program! We fucking rule.

Happy Gymniversay, Chi Chi!

P.S. Happy Gymniversary to our mysterious gym buddy who always wears the same clothes and is in every single gym class, who never seems to put any actual effort into the workouts.  We’re fascinated by you.  What makes you tick?

Working It Out: Goals for December

Hello, December 1st.  How did you get here so fast?  What’s that?  You want some new goals.  All right, if you insist, but let me review how I did with November’s goals first.  I vowed to do Next Level at least twice a week, to get back in the kitchen, to cut down on sugar, and to master real pushups.  The verdict?

Next Level: Fucking ruled. I went three times a week for the majority of the month, until I got sucked into vacation vortex, but at that point it didn’t matter because a bunch of the classes were canceled for the holidays.  Win.
Getting back in the kitchen: Fucking ruled. I did really well on this one due to the sugar ban and to Rachel’s Project Tasteless challenges. I’ve had a blast with Project Tasteless and I regret that I’m not able to participate in the last two challenges, due to an insane amount of bitterness on my part.  But as far as the goal goes, Win.

Sugar ban: Fucking ruled. I did a very successful week long sugar ban and was pleased with the results.  It’s something I think I’ll do at least once a month.  I felt like it really helped me beat general cravings to overeat.  Win.

Master real push-ups.  Fucking sucked. I tried, but I didn’t try hard enough.  Still working on it. Still, 3 out of 4 isn’t bad at all.

Onto December!  Oh, the Christmas cheer.

Goal #1: Back to yoga–I’ve taken a hiatus from yoga, mostly due to sore sore sore sore muscles from Body Pump and Next Level.  Honestly, I also just got kind of bored with it.  I know it’s good for me though, and I could probably use some Zen, so I’m going to start going at least once a week again in the month of December.  Power Yoga!

Goal #2: Write–Since I finished my MFA in May, I haven’t done much writing at all.  I was burned out from being in school for 20 consecutive years with no real breaks. I needed a break, real bad.  I miss writing though, I feel like I’ve had my break, and ideas have been swimming around in my head, so I’m going to dedicate at least one afternoon a week to getting my ideas on paper (or more realistically, the computer screen.)  I’m excited about this.

Goal #3: Cut down on guilt–especially workout guilt--I’ve gotten into the habit of going to the gym pretty much every day, just because I can.  I usually take Sundays off, but I go every other day and if I want a day off, I kind of feel guilty about not going, just because I have the freedom to go.  But just because I have the freedom to work out for three hours a day doesn’t mean I should. I took a break from working out for the last two weeks (due to traveling for vacation, Thanksgiving, and spending the last few days with visiting family members) and I magically didn’t gain any weight (despite the fact that all I really did was eat) and taking two weeks off didn’t send me into a downward spiral of never exercising again, which is what I’m usually afraid of.  I went to spinning today after my family left for the airport, got a 45 minute spin in, and had a sensible dinner.  It all worked out, and I feel good about getting back to my routine without any real hiccups.  I did have a lot of guilt about it though, especially for the last few days, and that really shouldn’t be the case.  I think I’ll make my writing day a non-workout day and not feel guilty about it.

Goal #4 is a secret.  We’ll see how it goes.  Send me positive vibes.

Cheers to goals, December, and the holidays.

Ho.

Ho.

Ho.

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Working It Out: Goals for November

I’ve been productive this week.  I voted. I consolidated my student loans (uh, why did I think going to graduate school would be a fruitful venture?)  I’m caught up on the majority of my work, I made a delicious salad for lunch, and my workouts are planned for the week.  Now…

Time for November goals!

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First, a quick look at October.  In October my goals were to eat smaller meals more frequently, to do Core Fusion 3 times a week, to start Next Level training, to be more punctual, and to be less self-deprecating.  I did so-so on the smaller meals thing; on the days I had to myself I did very well with it, but on days when I went out to eat with people, I didn’t do so well.  50% on that.  I started out really well with Core Fusion, but I HATED doing DVD workouts instead of being at the gym and I decided my time was better spent doing things I enjoy doing.  I was AWESOME at Next Level. I went to every planned session and I’m making more Next Level a new goal for November!  I was much better at being punctual (and I did a lot of waiting around for people) and I think I also did a better job at being less self-deprecating.  The circumstances were right. So I guess I’d give myself a B on October, since I gave up on Core Fusion and was wishy-washy about my eating smaller meals, but did well at everything else.

Now it’s time to set goals for November:

Goal #1:  Do Next Level twice a week, minimum: The trainer told me start out doing Next Level on Wednesdays only, but in the last two weeks I’ve been doing it at least twice and I’ve found that it’s doable for me and I’m seeing results.  The times for Next Level are limited and I still want to get my spinning and Body Pumping in, so I can’t go every day, but I can certainly go at least twice a week.  I’m going to shoot for three when I can and it helps that there’s a Next Level challenge for November and the person who goes to the most sessions gets a prize!

Goal #2: Get back in the kitchen.  Over the summer I was on a big whole foods, organic, clean eating kick.  It really is the best way to eat and I still try to put a lot of focus on eating clean, but I’ve found that lately I’ve been relying on convenience foods more often than I’d like.  I need a little less Amy’s and a little more real food. Luckily, Project Tasteless has been helping me get my cooking chops back in shape.

Goal #3: Cut down on sugar Yes, I spin for cupcakes and I found a sweet compromise for my froyo habit, but I do fear that I’ve been taking in a bit too much sugar lately, even if I have been balancing it with exercise.  Since I started Body Pump and Next Level training, my arms, which have always been a huge problem area for me, have completely transformed.  It’s amazing.  I can’t say the same for my belly.  I want to flatten it out and I know that in order to do that I need some more cardio and less of the sweet stuff.  I think I’ll do a 5 day sugar ban (starting next week, since I’m going out of town this weekend) to shake my system up.

Goal #4: Master real push-ups Oh man, this will be tough.  I have SUCH a hard time with push-ups. Body Pump and NL are definitely helping me build my arm and core strength, but I still drop to my knees for push-ups or I do weak little half push-ups in plank position.  I want to be able to do five real strong push-ups by the end of the month.  Since I’m doing a lot of traveling this month, I’m going to have to get some home workouts in, which will be the perfect opportunity to practice my push-ups.

So that’s that.  November is one of my favorite months of the year and Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, plus I have two fun trips planned (Atlanta this weekend, Seattle and Portland in three weeks), and my favorite aunt is coming to visit at the end of the month.  Stoked.

Totally stoked.

Get Pumped!

One of my October goals was to start this Next Level functional training at the gym.  I had my first class on Wednesday.  30 minutes of class, four stations, eight exercises, thirty seconds of an exercise, fifteen seconds rest, three reps each.  NBD, right?

Holy shit, am I sore today. I’ve been moving around like the goddamn Tin Man.

 

"Holy fuck, that shit is hard."

 

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The funny thing is, when I was actually going through the class, I didn’t think anything was that hard.  We hopped on a Bosu ball, we did some crunches and twists, we squatted, we did some shit with kettleballs, we did some pushups.  It really wasn’t that bad.  But man, oh man, am I feeling it today.

Even though you can hear me squeak with every step, it’s kind of thrilling to try new things and get that “I did a new exercise and really worked hard” feeling, which kind of goes away when you stick with a strict routine.  Meeting with the trainer for a quick review and her new suggestions really helped me shake things up in my routine and so far, I’m pleased with the results.  It always motivates me to keep up what I’m doing and try harder.  I’m glad I set this goal, even if I kind of want to die whenever I lift my arms.  It’s temporary, right?  Totally temporary.

Creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak.

Have you tried anything new recently?