Thursday, Week 1

Today is going to be about strength training. Until now, I've only done very light strength training - 10 reps of assisted chins, assisted dips, and chest press (all at low weights). Today I'm going to do a comprehensive circuit of weights. I'm going to fully utilize my weight set in the basement, doing 2-3 sets of 10 reps on at least 6 different upper body exercises. I want to give a full blasting to my muscles to kick start my weight training. Tomorrow I expect to be VERY sore. From then on, I'm going to focus my weight training to the different muscle groups for different days (e.g. shoulders/back, biceps/triceps, chest, abs). Running will take care of building muscle in my legs, so I'm not going to focus on that with weights.

I'm a bit sore today. I think I had a delayed reaction from my strength training 2 days ago. I'm feeling it in my lower abs (I did 20 leg raises 2 days ago and the ab work from yesterday morning) and in my back (from the assisted chins). And, my lower body is feeling it a bit from the run yesterday. It feels good, though. It's the feeling of progress. The soreness (especially from the running) will get better as I get farther along.

The reason why I'm focusing on strength training throughout this process is that muscle burns more calories than fat. It will make my body more efficient overall. I'm not worried about getting "too" muscular. It's hard for females to get too muscular anyway, without massive amounts of supplements and extreme weight training. Getting some additional muscle will improve my body composition, appearance-wise. Plus, it's much easier hauling groceries in the house and moving heavy things when I'm in shape and have better muscle tone.

I was lucky today. There was still fruit left from "food day" yesterday at work. I had brought watermelon, and another person brought a mixed fruit tray. There was plenty left, so I can have fruit for a breakfast snack and an afternoon snack. I'm going to need to pick up another watermelon tonight or tomorrow.

My goal for food today is to load up on protein, especially after my workout tonight. I will definitely need it to rebuild muscle. I need to get to GNC to buy some IsoPure Protein Powder. Not all protein powder is created equal. Some kinds have a high amount of cholesterol. 6 or 7 years ago, I had high cholesterol (but, my ratio of good to bad was good, it was just that my body was having to work too hard - there was little risk of heart issues from it because of that) and I possibly still do, so I definitely want to take note of that. Also, the body can only absorb so much protein at one time, so I'm going to make sure to spread out my protein throughout the day. Also, some protein absorbs quickly, and some absorbs slowly (milk absorbs slowly, whey absorbs quickly, for example). So, that should be considered as well. I gained this knowledge in the past from hours and hours of research when I did my dieting before my Hawaii vacation (where I went from 135lbs to 115lbs) over 3-4 months. I was doing gymnastics at the time and got really toned, as well.

I've never really incorporated fruit into my diet this much before. I think it's a good thing. I'm going to take advantage of the watermelon while it's in season. It's better than any kind of rich dessert. Once watermelon season is over, though, I'll have to think of something else. Perhaps I'll switch to cantaloupe/honeydew melon. Buying fruit is typically difficult for me. Half the time I wind up with something that is bad. I've been pretty luck with the watermelon so far, though. Also, if you buy the whole fruit it's much cheaper. It's so expensive to buy it pre-cut. Perhaps I would have better luck if I went to a farmer's market. I'll have to see how that goes when watermelon goes out of season. I'm going to stick to that for now.

Food:
Before Leaving for Work: Luncheon Turkey
Breakfast: Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Blueberry, Strawberry, Grape
Lunch: 12 oz Beef Noodle Soup, Spinach and Romaine Lettuce salad
Snack 1: Fiber One Yogurt
Snack 2: Fruit (same as breakfast)
Snack 3: Grilled Chicken Breast
Dinner: Grilled Chicken Breast and Stir Fry Veggies (cooked with a little smart balance)

Exercise:
Total Time: 40 minutes
Stretching: Morning, Pre and Post Workout
Weights: 2-3 sets of 8 weights (assisted chins, assisted dips, chest press, standing arm curls, shoulder press, row, pull downs, butterfly)
Treadmill: 1 mile in 12 minutes, walking/running

Today worked out as I had hoped. Extra protein. Hubby and I left work later than expected since he had to work late, so we stopped at Mc Donald's on the way home, and I got 2 grilled chicken breasts. I sopped off the extra grease with some napkins. But, because we were leaving at 6:45, my afternoon snacks were not going to carry over to the workout. So, I had the chicken, which I think worked out well.