6th Trapeze Class

As I alluded to in my daily post, the trapeze class last night was the most intense so far. There were only 3 of us in the class, and we got LOTS of trapeze time. We have an assignment for next week - to bring in 2-3 music selections to decide between for our performances. Our instructor was unsure if everyone is going to get to do an individual performance or if we'll have some groups. She is going to take our opinions into consideration, though. The guy in our class and I said we both wanted to do individual performances. The ballet girl said that either way was fine with her. So, I'll have to see. The music needs to be about 4 minutes in length. I think I have my choices narrowed down somewhat, but I'll have to get the music ready on cd over the weekend.

Onto the details of class...

We started with our warm-up. We did lots of stretching and high kicks with each leg.

Then, we quickly moved to trapeze work.

We started by doing a split under the bar, transitioning to a 1-knee hang (can we say ouch), and then down. I was actually really good at this one. My flexibility helped a lot. We went from the split position into pushing 1 leg against the bar to press the split even wider. The entire sequence was well-suited for me. This was our first experience with hanging from one knee. It puts a lot of pressure on that one spot. Losing extra weight will be helpful for this. We did that sequence twice.

Then, we went into a sequence where we did a 2-knee hang into a 1 knee hang, moving the free leg out to the side, back, back to the side, and then back on the bar. Then, we went straight into a 1-knee hang on the other side (moving the opposite leg to the side, back, side, and then back on the bar). This was definitely a killer (pain-wise). It was also difficult moving the free leg into the different positions. It felt like I was going to fall off the bar. But, I stayed on. We did this one twice, and the 2nd time was much more stable.

Then, I did some practicing on my own on a different bar while others took their turns. I did the double-up, squat to stand sequence where you put the leg forwards and then backwards. Then, I also did the angel sequence with the ankle hang.

Back to the lesson: We did the Front Pull-Over, front balance, catcher's hang sequence. We did that from the low bar and then on the higher one so that we had to swing to get into the Front Pull Over. I did pretty well on these. This time, I went straight from the front balance, diving into the catcher's hang. It was awesome, but I think it's why I have a nice bruise on my thigh today.

Then, we did the Angel Sequence with the instructor, without instructions from her. That went well.

Then, we learned a new trick - the Meathook. This takes place entirely below the bar. You hold onto the bar with both hands. Then, you lift both legs (keeping them together), so that the your body is completely folded up along 1 arm. The legs, then hang over at a 45 degree angle, pointing towards the floor. Then, you let go with the other arm so that you are dangling by just 1 arm. It was a difficult trick. It's similar to the lady bug, but with the lady bug, you're wrapped up tightly. Here, you just have to use your muscles to keep your body tight.

Then, we learned the X-Back Arch. This was a really cool trick. We doubled-up, 2 knee hang, L-Up to a sitting position, pulled up to a stand. Then, it's where the trick started. You wrapped each leg 1 at a time around the rope, putting your foot back on the bar. It was essential to keep your legs straight . Then, you reached your right arm behind your head and grab the rope on the opposite side. Then, you take the left arm and reach forward to grap the rope on the right side. Then, you push your body so that you turn and the ropes cross, forming an X. Once in that position, you lean back through the top part of the X and do a back arch. It comes out looking really cool. Then, you unhook your left foot and uncross the ropes to get out of it. Then, we got back to a sit, and then we came back down. This was a relatively easy trick, although it was complicated to do. It was easy physically, but difficult mentally - if that makes sense.

Next we learned "Skin the Cat". This was an extremely difficult trick physically, and it's one you have to be careful with so that you don't injure your shoulder. For this one, we essentially doubled-up but kept extending backwards so that we would up with our feet coming down towards the floor. Our shoulders stretched quite a bit. That part was fine. But, then you had to let go with one hand, leaving all the weight on your weirdly positioned shoulder, controlling yourself to rotate around and then grab back onto the bar after you're back in a normal hanging position.

And, finally we learned Crucifix. We did a sequence to get into a seated position. Then, we held onto the ropes just below shoulder level. We lowered ourselves forwards and down. So, we were being held up by our biceps on the ropes and the bar across our backs just below the shoulder blades. So, our arms were stretched out, and our bodies formed a cross - like a Crucifix. I did really well with this trick, but I had major issues with getting out of it. She said that normally we can transition into a front pull-over or something. So, this won't be an issue normally. But, she had us try to slide down the ropes with our hands. Since I was short, there was a long way to go. I knew if I slid all that way I would destroy my hands, so I wound up simply dropping higher then normally, which worked out fine.

So, that was all the trapeze work. It was a LOT. Then, we ended with conditioning - 20 push ups and 30 crunches. Our instructor said that we have 1 more week of learning new tricks and then we're going to work on creating our performances (which can also involve learning additional tricks). This is definitely starting to be an exciting time.

Friday, Week 16

I woke up this morning feeling SORE!!!! My trapeze class was brutal (but in a good way). I was very wrong about my body being finished with toughening up. I now have a new array of bruises, and my hands are still very sore (although I put some Blue Emu oil on them this morning, and the sting has gone away).

There are a couple of really cool things about today. First of all, it's Halloween! So, it should be a fun night. Our house is all decked out, and I'm dressing up to give candy to the kids. I'll have to post a pic of me in my costume. I'm going to splurge a bit tonight. Tomorrow, I'm going to kick off a new phase of fitness (more on that later).

A second cool thing is that I wore my size 4 jeans to work today!!!! I had tried them on a couple of weeks ago, and they were still a bit tight. They fit perfectly this morning! So, now I have 4 pairs of them that fit great. Also, 2 days ago, a lady at work commented on the fact that I had lost quite a bit of weight. So, that was nice to hear. It's great knowing that people around me are noticing the changes in my body composition.

Food:
Breakfast: IsoPure (75/18.75), Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5), Pomegrante (20/0)
Lunch: Salad (25/0), 2 Turkey (40/8.5), WW Salisbury Steak (200/19)
Snack: Clementine (50/1), South Beach Bar (140/10)
Pre-Dinner: Choc IsoPure (80/18.75)
Dinner: 1 wine (100), Chicken (120/20), Asparagus (50/1), Pasta (50/1), Potato (50/1)
Snack: Fudge Bar (35/2), Small Wendy's Chili (220/17)

Total Calories: 1390
Total Protein: 123.5

Exercise:
Rest Day!!!!! Much needed!
25 minute walk at lunch (another beautiful day)

Pilates

I just signed up for a free Pilates session at work during lunch on Monday. It will be interesting to try it out. It looks like it's a 50 minute class. Depending on the interest, they might have a weekly class just like they do for yoga. I've heard good things about pilates - really good for toning and strengthening the core. Since it would be on Mondays, it could work into my schedule nicely. Of course, I'll have to see how it is first, though. But, I figured that I might as well try this for free, though.

Afternoon Walk

It was such a beautiful day today that I couldn't resist taking a walk outside during lunch. There's a park within walking distance from my office building, so I decided to go there. It was a gorgeous 61 degrees outside. The sky was as blue as could be. It was simply a perfect afternoon. When I was coming to the end of my walk to start heading back, I saw this deer far down on the trail. I whipped out my iPhone and got a picture of it, which you can see above. Unfortunately, the iPhone doesn't have a zoom lens, though. If you zoom in really far back towards the end of the trail, you can make out a blob that was the deer. So, the picture didn't really come out. But, you can see some of the trail that I walked on. On the way back, I saw a tiny squirrel. I tried to get a pic of that, but it scurried away too quickly. But, it was a wonderful walk outside. Birds were chirping. The wind was whistling through the trees. It was a perfect mid-day break.

Thursday, Week 16

Who hoo! I'm finally back to 100% (I think) for my trapeze class tonight. Work has gotten busy, but I've still made time for fitness. This should be a good day today.

Food:
Breakfast: 1/2 Kashi Lean (70/6.5), 1/2 Milk (40/4), Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5)
Lunch: Salad (25/0), 2 Turkey (40/8.5), Chicken Breast (150/27), Clementine (50/1)
Snack: Boca Burger (70/13), South Beach Bar (140/10)
Post-Trapeze: IsoPure (75/18.75)
Dinner: Misquette Chicken (170/30), Cauliflower (60/2), Pear (100/0)
Snack: Pudding (60/2)

Total calories: 1185
Total protein: 128.25

Exercise:
30 minute walk outside during lunch
90 minute Trapeze Class

Wednesday, Week 16

Yesterday was a brutal assault on my lower body and abs (in a good way, though). The ice skating has gotten more intense on my glute muscles. I practiced forward stroking for a while (where you have to push off and lift your leg up backwards, using the glutes). We also practiced cross-overs on both sides heavily. And! We practiced stopping! That was very important. I really need practice with stopping. This alpha class is much more difficult than the basic 1 class (which is good).

Tonight I'm going to go with a lower intensity cardio workout, while watching the Biggest Loser show again. My lower body muscles need the rest, but I still need exercise tonight.

Food:
Breakfast: Choc IsoPure (80/18.75), Milk (20/2), Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5)
Lunch: La Plaza Mexican Rest - El Sopa de Pollo (chicken soup) ordered with no oil and no salt (300/20)?
Snack: Salad (25/0), 1 Turkey (20/4.25), Boca Burger (70/13)
Post-Cardio: Choc IsoPure (80/18.75), Milk (20/2)
Dinner: Tilapia (110/23), Cabbage (70/0), Clementine (50/1)
Snack: Skinny Cow (100/4)

Total calories: 1080
Total protein: 112.25

Exercise:
Morning Ab Work - 12 4-point crunches
Warm-up: Joint Rotations, 20 high kicks each leg, Light Stretching
Cardio: 4.5 miles total, 57 minutes.
Stretching

Tuesday, Week 16

I got some better sleep last night, which was good. So, I'm much better rested today. Plus, I feel almost 100% well, so that's really good.

Food:
Breakfast: 1/2 Kashi Lean (70/6.5), 1/2 Milk (40/4), Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5)
Lunch: Salad (25/0), 2 Turkey (40/8.5), Chicken Breast (150/27)
Snack: Pear (100/0), Fiber One Bar (140/2)
Dinner: String Bean Chicken (160/12), Mixed Veggies (80/3)
Post-Ice Skating: IsoPure (75/18.75)
Post-Weights: Choc IsoPure (80/18.75), Milk (20/2)
Snack: Pudding (60/2)

Total calories: 1175
Total protein: 110

Exercise:
No Yoga Class - work meeting ran an hour late
30 minute Ice Skating Class

Warm-Up: Joint Rotations, Light Stretching, and 20 high kicks with each leg

Lower Body Weights/Abdominal
4 Point Abs - 12 reg, 12 oblique
Leg Press 10/75, 10/85, 8/95, 6/105, 8/95
Leg Extension 10/20, 10/22.5, 10/25, 8/27.5, 8/27.5
Regular Leg Lifts 32, 26, 18, 13
Weighted Ab Press 16/35, 20/35
Squats 20/20
Inner/Outer Thigh 25/5 (each leg)
Crunches, Bicycle, V-Crunches 25 of each
3 V Holds

Heavy Stretching After

Running

Tonight I did the first "real" distance running that I've done since I've been sick. It's been 2 full weeks. I had intended to do 1 mile increments, so I started off at 6mph, and then quickly increased the speed to 6.5mph. I was feeling really good at the mile mark, so I decided to try to stick it out for the 3.1 miles (5K). My fastest 5K time so far had been 30:33. I had been beginning to think that it would be impossible to break the 30 minute barrier. I absolutely blew it away tonight, though. My 5K time was 28:46!

There were several key differences that I think played a role in my time (although by the end I was completely dying). First, I ran to different music. I played Evanescence's Fallen this time. Almost all the songs were extremely energizing. They have a trance-like beat, too. It was easy to get into a good stride. Second, I think my lower body strength training is paying off, as well as the ice skating. I think it helped quite a bit. And, finally, perhaps the 2 week break from distance running played a role.

I'm really proud of myself. This was a landmark run for me. And, I did it all on my own, which is huge.

Monday, Week 16

I'm almost well today. Probably a couple more days and I'll be completely back to normal. One thing to note, though. I tried going to sleep without NyQuil last night, and it didn't go well. I was coughing periodically, so it kept me awake late. So, I didn't get much rest. My muscles are sore today, but it could be because they didn't get the needed rest for recovery. Tonight I will focus on getting better sleep.

Food:
Breakfast: IsoPure (75/18.75), Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5)
Lunch: Salad (25/0), 2 Turkey (40/8.5), Roasted Pork (180/25), Cauliflower (30/1)
Snack: Clementine (50/1), Fiber One Bar (140/2)
Pre-Cardio: Blue Naked Juice (85/0)
Post-Cardio: Choc IsoPure (80/18.75), Milk (20/2)
Dinner: Cabbage (70/0), Tilapia (110/23), Jello (10/0)
Snack: Tilapia (110/23), Pudding (60/2)

Total calories: 1220
Total protein: 130.5

Exercise:
Abdominal: 10 4-point crunches, 10 oblique 4-point crunches
Light Stretching, Joint Rotations
Treadmill: 28:46, 5K (3.1mi), almost whole time at 6.5mph
Heavy Stretching

1st Ice Hockey Class

Ice hockey class was AWESOME! I sucked, but it was so much fun! There were a lot of us in the class - like 16 or so. I was the only female, and I was the one with the least skating experience, but it was still fun.

The instructor had us doing drills for the first 1/2 of class - practicing stopping (which I am really bad at), practicing forward stroking (which I was pretty good at), and practicing skating backwards (which I'm ok at, sort of). And, we did drills with the hockey puck, pushing it back and forth while skating forward.

Then, the 2nd 1/2 of class, we did lots of hockey specific drills. I was actually pretty decent with moving the hockey puck, weaving it in and out of a bunch of other hockey pucks lined up and a row. So, there were like 10 pucks with maybe 2 feet in between each one, and we had to push the puck we were working with, weaving in and out of the pucks in the line. We did that several times. Then, we did partner work, passing the hockey puck back and forth.

At the very end we practiced skating as fast as we could to the blue line and then stopping, then going to the next line and stopping, and then to the end of the rink and then stopping. I don't stop very well, so I couldn't go too fast. Then, we had to do the same thing back to the other side. Then, we did it backwards! On the way back going backwards, I actually beat one person there. So, I wasn't the slowest that time.

For most of the drills, I took longer than everyone, and I was definitely behind the curve with stopping. It was very different skating and stopping while skating with the hockey stick. One time, I didn't slow down enough, and I stopped into the railing (which comes about 1/2 way up), but I didn't fully stop, so I wound up flying 1/2 way over the railing (my feet actually both came off the ground). It was a little embarrassing. But, the instructor was encouraging, and the guys who had recruited me seemed happy that I was there. So, I stopped feeling bad that I was the worst one and just had fun.

It was the most vigorous skating class - definitely much more than the regular one. Perhaps it's because I had to carry the stick the whole time. And, it was 45 minutes rather than 30 minutes. And, we did a LOT of skating. I should get really good quickly since I'm skating so much. I'm going to have to practice stopping on Saturdays in the free skate. And, because of the helmet, my hair was drenched with sweat by the end of the class.

Oh! And, I almost forgot. I got my first skating injury today. (This is really sad.) I cut my finger trying to take my helmet off!!! Oops. Genius. I finally get an ice skating injury and it was while I was trying to de-helmet myself. But, it's good it was minor. It's really sad, though. I had to have help putting my helmet on and taking it off. The snaps are hard to do. Plus, you can't really see to do it. I'll have to practice to get better at that.

All in all, it was an awesome experience. And, afterwards some of us went out to a bar and socialized (although I just had a little of a diet soda). It was fun. They were talking about renting the ice for an hour after class to play ice hockey for real (well, kind of for real). It's $110/hour if the instructor is in on it (since he gets a discount), so split up between a bunch of us it would be cheap. So, we might do that sometime. I might actually get to sort of play hockey! I might need to get some more pads. Most of the guys tonight had all kinds of padding - way more than I did.

Sunday, Week 16 (with Progress Update)

I actually expected this post to be a lot different. I was expecting to write about how I gained this week because I was sick and couldn't push as hard. I was expecting to talk about the importance of persevering in the face of setbacks. But, this turned out to be a week of progress. I broke the 120lb barrier today, making this my 3rd milestone. Soon I'll be getting into uncharted territory regarding my weight. I think 115lbs will be my 4th milestone, and then I'll figure out my goal week. As I said, 117 is the lowest I've been in at least 6 or 7 years. So, I should be hitting that point soon.

Yesterday was a difficult day motivationally to stay on track regarding my nutrition. We went out to eat at LongHorn's because I was wanting a steak. The food didn't taste all that great, and while we were there, another party had this birthday cake. I just really wanted some cake. We left the restaurant and went to a grocery store to see what they had. There were numerous possibilities for cake. They had the nutritional information right on them, though. And, none of them were suitable for me to eat. So, I looked in the frozen food aisle and found this apple crisp for 100 calories. And, then I found these chocolate Hostess snack cakes for 100 calories for 3 little cakes. And, then I found these Weight Watcher snack cakes for 90 calories.

But, after agonizing for a bit, I put them all back. I realized that in reality, it was all just junk. It was nothing that I should really eat. I also realized why it was so hard for me on this particular night. For the past 2 days, I've been having headaches - like I used to get when I was having ear trouble. I realized that in the past I would cozy up with some wine and with some kind of rich dessert, and it would make me forget all about the headaches. But, I realized that I can't do that this time. I'm hoping my ear trouble is temporary - related to being sick, and that all will be well once I get over this bug. But, even if it's not. I have a goal to reach by mid-January for my trapeze performance. This may be my last chance to do this kind of thing. So, I need to stick with it.

Progress:
Weight: 119.8lbs (137.8 baseline, 120.6 last week, down .8 from last week!)
Waist: 27 inches (31.5 baseline, 27 last week, same as last week)
Below Waist: 29.75 inches (33.25 baseline, 29.75 last week, same as last week)

Food:
Pre-Weights: IsoPure (50/12.5)
Post-Weights: Chocolate IsoPure (80/18.75), 1/4 milk (20/2)
Breakfast: 1/2 Kashi Lean (70/6.5), 1/2 Milk (40/4), Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5)
Lunch: Egg Beater Omelet (100/16), Clementine (50/1), Baked Potato (110/4)
Snack: Cabbage (70/0), Boca Burger (70/13)
Dinner: Roasted Pork (180/25), Cauliflower (60/2)
Post-Ice Hockey: IsoPure (50/12.5)
Snack: Jello (10/0)

Total calories: 1085
Total protein: 122.75

Exercise:
Abs - 1 set 4-point crunches, 1 set 4-point crunches obliques
Weights: Full Upper Body
Warm Up - Joint Rotations, Light Stretching
Assisted Chin 10/40, 8/40, 4+2/35, 4/35, 6/40
Assisted Dip 10/45, 8/45, 6/40, 4/35, 6/40
Bicep Curl 10/25, 8/27.5, 6/27.5, 4/30, 8/25
Lat Pull Down 10/45, 8/50, 6/55, 4/60, 8/55
Shoulders OP 20/20, 11+7/20, FR 20/10, 16/10, LR 20/10, 14/10
Chest Press 10/45, 8/45, 7/50, 4/55, 7/50
Superman Holds (in seconds) 30/30/20/20
Heavy Stretching After Weights

This was the first time I've done really heavy stretching. I had become lax in my stretching since I got sick. It's good to know that I haven't lost flexibility. The weights today were particularly brutal. I had to give it my full effort to get the last reps in. I found myself grunting during the last reps of sets much more than usual. It was like I didn't have as much stamina. I'm sure I'll feel this tomorrow.

45 minute Ice Hockey Class

Saturday, Week 15

I'm still sick today, but hopefully this will get finished with soon.

Food:
Pre/Post Treadmill: IsoPure (75/18.75)
Breakfast: Kashi Lean Cereal (70/6.5), Milk (40/4)
Snack: Pear (100/0)
Post-Ice Skating: Choc IsoPure (80/18.75) w/ Milk (20/2)
Lunch: Cabbage (70/0), Boca Burger (70/13)
Dinner: LongHorn - Salad (50/0), 7 oz Sirloin (350/45), Broccoli (100/2), 1 red wine (100/0)
Snack: Sweet Freedom (35/2)

Total Calories: 1160
Total Protein: 112

Exercise:
Treadmill: 25 minutes total, 2.25 miles (3 intervals, took breaks in between to stretch)
2 sets of 4-point crunches (2nd set w/ obliques)
30 minutes Ice Skating Free Skate
60 minutes putting up Halloween decorations

Friday, Week 15

Well, I finally gave in to my body. I'm sick, and I stayed home today from work so that I can rest and hopefully get over this.

Food:
Breakfast: Chocolate IsoPure (80/18.75) w/ Milk (20/2), 1/2 Kashi Lean (70/6.5), 1/2 Milk (40/4)
Lunch: Salad (25/0), 1 Turkey (20/4.25), Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5)
Snack: Big Boca (100/18), Broc/Cauli (60/2), Sweet Freedom Bar (35/2)
Dinner: Chicken (150/27), Broc/Cauli (60/2)
Snack: Italian Wedding Soup (220/14)

Total Calories: 1078
Total Protein: 106

Exercise:
Rest

5th Trapeze Class

I had my 5th trapeze class last night. Our regular instructor was out, so we had a substitute teacher. He was a 61 year old man who has been involved in the circus for years. It was an interesting class. He had a different style of teaching, but I wound up learning quite a bit from him. And, he was pretty spry, too. He demonstrated the moves and everything. It was impressive. The only downside was that he talked a lot, so there was time we could have been practicing that we had to listen.

The class started with stretching and then some conditioning. He showed us these 4 count situps, which were awesome. You start on your back with your feet off the floor 4-6 inches. Your feet never touch the ground until the end of the set. Then, you crunch up (with no support from your hands) (1). Then, you extend your legs back down (2), Then, you bring you legs back up (knees bent). Your torso remains down (3). Then, you extend your legs back down (4). So, you do 10 of these 40-count situps. Other variations are to bring your legs to your left and then right shoulders for the 3rd count. So, it covers all of the ab muscles and the obliques. I'm going to incorporate that into my conditioning at home. He recommended doing some of that every day. I'm going to see if I can do 1 set of each kind.

The other conditioning was for the back. It was the superman position (so on your stomach, lifting everything up except for your belly button). But, it was holding it up for increments of time. It was a very good exercise, and I can feel it this morning.

For the trapeze work, we worked on the Angel sequence. We did that about 4 times, each time concentrating on the flow between the movements. We learned how to do the Angel straight from the Bird's Nest move. It was really cool.

Then, we learned a new sequence. We did a Front Pull-Over into a Front Balance into a Catcher's Hang. The Front Pull Over is simply a different way to mount the trapeze. In the Double-Up, our legs go under the bar, and then we can go into the Double Knee Hang. For the Front Pull Over, we simply jump/kick our legs up and over the bar. It was similar to the Uneven Bars Gymastics work that I did way back when. Then, the Front Balance was simply balancing with the trapeze just a bit away from the pelvis bones. So, the body had to be tight and not collapse, since the only point of contact is the bar and the pelvis area. Then, to go into the catcher's hang, you just V your legs and sort of fall forwards into it. It's a really cool sequence. After we did it on the low trapeze, then we took it to the higher one. On that one, we had to swing (or beat, as it's called) to gain momentum to be able to do the Front Pull-Over. I was surprised that I was able to do quite well with the beats and the pull-over. We just did 1 beat forward, 1 backwards, and then we did the front pull-over. The key is to keep the body tight.

After that, he talked to us for a while about the importance of performing the moves, not just doing them. He talked about telling a story with our bodies and how the music plays a role with artistic interpretation. He got us to start thinking about what music we want to use in our performance. It needs to be between 3 and 5 minutes. So, I'm starting to think about that. Overall it was a great class. We didn't do a whole lot in terms of practicing on the trapeze, but we gained a lot of knowledge and different perspectives. It was probably good anyway, though, since I wasn't at full strength. Hopefully, next week I'll have kicked this cold/virus and will be back to 100%.

Thursday, Week 15

Today is another trapeze class day. Wish me luck! I wish I could shake this cold. It would be nice to be back to full strength. Hopefully, my green tea will help. At least this recovery week should have helped my lower body muscles to fully recover. I've heard it's good to do that anyway every so often. Next week, though, I really need to get in a brutal core workout. I need to increase my core strength so that the double-up trick in piked position will be easier. The only abdominal work I've done this week has been in the yoga class, and that was pretty minor.

Food:
Breakfast: 1/2 Kashi Lean (70/6.5), 1/2 Milk (40/4), Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5)
Lunch: Salad (25/0), 2 Turkey (40/8.5), WW Chicken Santa Fe (140/20)
Snack: Boca Burger (70/13), Pear (100/0)
Pre-Trapeze Class: South Beach Bar (140/10)
Post-Trapeze Class: IsoPure (75/18.75)
Dinner: Tilapia (110/23), Cabbage (70/1), Broccoli (30/1)
Snack: Sweet Freedom Bar (35/2)

Total Calories: 1080
Total Protein: 113.25

Exercise:
90 minute trapeze class

Wednesday, Week 15

My weight has gone up a little since the weekend. I suspect it's because I've been sick. I've been good with my calories, but my metabolism is probably slowed. Also, I haven't done any of my heavy cardio this week because of being sick. But, getting sick was unavoidable. These things happen. So, I'm not expecting any huge losses this week. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised with an overall gain for the week. The important thing is for me to stay on track with my nutrition, to ease up on the exercise while I'm sick, but to push through and keep going overall. Once I'm fully healthy again, I can crank it back up and get back to making progress. I just need to hold steady for now.

Strangely enough, since I've gotten back from the wellness fair, I feel a lot better than I did early this morning. Perhaps the walking around was good for me. I might try some easy walking tonight when I get home - perhaps while watching the Biggest Loser.

Breakfast: IsoPure (50/12.5), 4 grapes (15/0), Sample of Veggie Soup (20/0)
Snack: Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5)
Lunch: Salad (25/0), 2 Turkey (40/8.5), Split Pea Soup (160/9)
Snack: Cabbage (70/1), 1/2 Kashi Bar (70/3.5)
Post-Walk: Choc IsoPure (55/12.5)
Dinner: Tilapia (110/23), Broccoli (60/2), 1/4 Bertolli's Chicken Rigatone (190/11.5)
Snack: Skinny Cow Bar (100/4)

Total Calories: 1100
Total Protein: 93

Exercise:
60 minutes - Walking around the Wellness Fair at Work
Cardio: 2.5 miles on treadmill walking, 15 minutes on Elliptical machine (watched the Biggest Loser while exercising - low intensity cardio, total of about an hour).

Note: The Biggest Loser was awesome this week! Bob's team went to an aerial acrobatics place, and they showed a bit of the static trapeze and the Chinese silks. It was cool seeing that promoted on the show.

Wellness Fair

At work, they had a company wellness fair today. It was pretty extensive, and I was quite impressed. There were all kinds of booths. I got a chair massage, and I had my body fat analyzed. It was 24.5%. I knew the scale at home was probably off. This was probably a pretty accurate measure. The lady had a thing that you held in your hands at arms length. So, I was in the "normal" range, of body fat and with BMI. That was good, although it shows that I have a ways to go still. There were ranges for "athlete", "lean", "normal", "overweight", and "obese". So, I suppose that it's good that I was in the normal range.

They had all kinds of free samples, too - fruit, health bars, Sandwiches, Cookies, Soup, Tape Measures, Pens, and on and on. One lady was trying to say that these new "whole grain" poptarts were healthy. I blasted that away when I looked at the ingredients and the 3rd was corn syrup, and the 4th was high fructose corn syrup. It was funny. I hate it when people try to pass off crap as health food. I also registered for a bunch of raffles. And, I won a 2 week free pass to Curves. One of the ladies at work said that we could go together during lunch for the 2 weeks (she won the free pass, too).

Ice Skating - Alpha Class

I started my first Alpha ice skating class last night. I have a new instructor, and the class is sort of a conglomeration of different level classes in one. One lady from my last class progressed forward with me into the alpha class, so that was good to have a familiar face with me. There were also 2 other new alpha level people. We were broken off into our own section to practice skills. There were about 6 other people who were higher level. They were in our class, but they were broken out into the "Beta" and "Gamma" levels. A lot of these people were the ones who convinced me to take ice hockey lessons. So, we're all lumped together with the same instructor, but it's like she's teaching several different classes in one.

This is good in some ways and bad in others. It's good because it looks like we're going to progress pretty fast in this class. It's bad because her attention is more divided. The lady who was with me in the last class said it best "it's like we're little fish in a big pond now".

So, we started out with forward stroking. That's one of the major skills in the alpha level. You push off with one foot and then extend it behind you after the push and glide on the other foot. Then, repeat with the other foot. This was the first time we've really done this before in a class setting. It was a bit awkward at first, but I soon got the hang of it. By the time we were finished practicing, the instructor said that we were all doing it at a passing level for alpha (and this was just on the first day!). She said that we would probably be up to beta level in a couple of weeks, learning beta skills.

After the forward stroking, we practiced our 1 foot glides, which I really love. Then, we practiced our 1 foot glides going around in the circle. We did that a long time (while she was teaching the other level group). Then, we went on to Crossovers. We tried them first on the wall, and then we moved into doing them on the circle. I was doing pretty well with them. This is where you cross one foot over the other - you can build up speed with it during turns. I was also impressed that I was able to do them while going in the reverse direction as well.

At the end of our class, we got our punch cards so that we can come skate on Saturdays for the free skate. Overall, it was a good class. It's a very different feel from the Basic 1 class. But, I think it's going to be good, and I think I'm going to learn a lot in these next 7 weeks.

Tuesday, Week 15

Yesterday I was hit the hardest I've been so far with this being sick. I wound up feeling so bad that I just wanted to rest after I got home. My husband went out and brought me some food so that I didn't have to cook, and I skipped my exercising altogether. I think it was good, though, because I was asleep before 9:30pm.

Tonight I'm hoping to do my yoga and my ice skating lesson. This will be my first class in the alpha level skating class. I was feeling horrible this morning, but I'm a bit better now - mid day. I'm going to go easy today - lots of liquids. Also, I'm just going to do the ice skating class - no free skate afterwards. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow. I just need to take it easy a bit to let my body heal.

Food:
Breakfast: IsoPure (75/18.75), Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5)
Lunch: Salad (25/0), 1 Turkey (20/4.25), 1/2 Kashi Lean (70/6.5), 1/2 Milk (40/4)
Snack: Fiber One Bar (140/2), Clementine (50/1)
Dinner: Split Pea Soup (160/9), Cabbage (70/1)
Post-Ice Skating: Choc IsoPure (75/18.75)
Snack: Split Pea Soup (160/9), Cabbage (70/1)
Snack: Fudge Bar (50/3)

Total Calories: 1140
Total Protein: 83.75

Exercise:
45 minute yoga class
30 minute ice skating lesson

Monday, Week 15

I didn't get my meal planning done for the week, but luckily I now have a good base in which to plan my daily food intake. My sodium tracking last week went quite well. I think I'm at a good sodium intake level in general. Some days are lower, and some days are higher. But, overall I feel good about that. I will continue to take note of sodium level (like I do with fat intake), but I won't record it each day. I'll just go back to recording calories and protein.

Unfortunately, I'm still sick. If I'm not well by Wednesday, I might just try to rest all day to finally beat this thing. It might be just what I need.

Breakfast: IsoPure (75/18.75), Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5)
Lunch: Salad (25/0), 1 Turkey (20/4.25), Chicken Soup (150/15)
Snack: Boca Burger(70/13), Clementine (50/1)
Dinner: Saganaki (40/1), Salad (50/0), Lamb Shank (200/30), Veggies (50/0), Rice (50/0), Small Baklava (175/2)
Snack: Fudge Bar (50/3), 1 break KitKat (50/.5), 1/2 Resees Pieces Cup (65/1.5)

Total Calories: 1255
Total Protein: 92.5

Exercise:
18 minute walk at lunch (slow, this route normally takes only 15 minutes)
Sick. Rest Day.

Strategy for the Week

I'm still a little bit sick. Luckily, I haven't gotten as sick as my husband had. He's almost over his, so his lasted about a week. I hope that by staying a bit active (but not pushing too much) and by having good nutrition, that I will get over this quickly.

To that end, I'm going to mix things up a bit for this week, to make it lighter exercise-wise. I can think of this as a recovery week. Athletes do that every so often to ensure full muscle recovery. And, I think my body could use that anyway, especially with my lower body muscles.

Sunday: Upper Body Weights
Monday: Light Lower Body Weights/Heavy Abdominal
Tuesday: Yoga and Ice Skating
Wednesday: Maybe try Zumba class at work or Simply Light Cardio
Thursday: Trapeze
Friday: Rest
Saturday: High Intensity Cardio (if well) and Ice Skating

So, I've moved my 2nd weight session to Monday, replacing a heavy cardio day. That makes Tuesday much lighter. Also, Wednesday will remain a light cardio day. I'm hoping that this will leave me at full strength for trapeze class.

Sunday, Week 15 (with Progress Update)

There was excellent progress again this week. My weight is down over a pound, and my waist measurements are down as well. So, this brings my total weight loss to 17.2lbs, with 4.5 inches taken off of my waist. Not to shabby. I'm hoping to break the 120lb mark (which is my 3rd level weight loss goal) at the end of next week. Then, it will be trial and error to see how low down I need to get. I know there's more to lose after the 117lb mark - which is what I achieved right before going to Hawaii 2 years ago. Perhaps 112-115lbs? That would put me back at my early college years level weight. We'll have to see.

Progress:
Weight: 120.6lbs (137.8 baseline, 121.8 last week, down 1.2 from last week!)
Waist: 27 inches (31.5 baseline, 27.75 last week, down .75 from last week!)
Below Waist: 29.75 inches (33.25 baseline, 30.75 last week, down 1 from last week!)
Body Fat: 29% (34% week 5 baseline, 28% last week, up 1% from last week)

Food:
Post-Weights: Chocolate IsoPure (110/25/160), 1/4 milk (20/2/30)
Breakfast: 1/2 Kashi Lean (70/6.5/43), 1/2 Milk (40/4/60), Apple (80/0/0), Yogurt (55/5.5/80)
Lunch: Egg Beater Omelet (100/16/500), Kashi Waffle (85/4/115), 1/8 cup syrup (20/0/50), Clementine (50/1/0)
Snack: Chicken Soup (150/15/400)
Dinner: Mesquite Chicken (170/30/590), Green Beans (30/1/0), Baked Potato (110/4/0)
Snack: Soy Beans (100/8/30), Fudge Bar (50/3/45)

Total calories: 1240
Total protein: 125
Total sodium: 2103

Exercise:
Weights: Full Upper Body
Warm Up - Joint Rotations, Light Stretching
Assisted Chin 10/45, 8/40, 6/35, 3/30, 5/40
Assisted Dip 10/50, 8/45, 6/40, 4/37.5, 7/40
Bicep Curl 10/25, 8/27.5, 6/27.5, 4/30, 8/25
Seated Row 10/45, 10/45, 8/50, 8/55, 8/55
Shoulders OP 20/20, 14/20, FR 20/10, 16/10, LR 20/10, 14/10
Butterfly 10/17.5, 8/20, 6/20, 4/22.5, 7/20
Pushups 10
Stretching After Weights

Even with being sick, I'm getting close with my pull-ups. Before starting, I was able to get over 1/2 way up un-assisted. I would hope that in the next couple of months I'll be able to do un-assisted pull-ups. Good overall workout.

Saturday, Week 14

I'm still a little sick this morning, so I'm going to take it easy with my cardio. Normally on Saturdays I run hard in the morning, and then go to ice skating for 12:30pm. Today, I'm taking it easy this morning. I am going to go ice skating. And, later in the day, I'll do some low intensity cardio on the elliptical and treadmill.

Food:
Breakfast: Glucosamine (0/0/161), 1/2 Kashi Lean (70/6.5/43), 1/2 Milk (40/4/60), Clementine (50/1/0)
Snack: Apple (80/0/0), Yogurt (55/5.5/80)
Pre-Ice Skating: 4oz Blue Naked Juice (85/0/5)
Post-Ice Skating: IsoPure (75/18.75/120)
Lunch: Homemade Chicken and Veggie Soup (150/12/300), Pear (100/0/0)
Post-Cardio: Choc IsoPure (55/12.5/80), 1/4 Milk (20/2/30)
Dinner: 8oz Diet Dr. Pepper (0/0/35), Turkey Tenderloin (200/38/430), Green Beans (60/2/0), Clementine (50/1/0)
Snack: WW Fudge Bar (60/2/40)

Total Calories: 1150
Total Protein: 105.25
Total Sodium: 1384

Exercise:
Stretching: Throughout day
30 minute Ice Skating Free Skate
Treadmill/Elliptical: 10 min tread/10 min ellip/10 min tread/5 min ellip

Friday, Week 14

Today is rest day, which is really good because I've finally gotten sick. So, it will be good to rest as much as possible (aside from working).

Food:
Breakfast: IsoPure (75/18.75/120), Apple (80/0/0), Yogurt (55/5.5/80)
Lunch: Salad (25/0/45), 1 Turkey (20/4.25/136), Chicken (150/27/300), 1/2 Baked Pot (55/2/0)
Snack: Clementine (50/1/0), Soy Beans (100/8/30)
Dinner: Salmon (202/34.5/50), Broccoli (60/2/40), 1/4 Bertolli's Chicken Rigatone (190/11.5/485)
Snack: Fudge Bar (60/3/45)

Total Calories: 1152
Total Protein: 118.5
Total sodium: 1331

Exercise:
Rest Day

4th Trapeze Class

We learned a lot of new things in our trapeze class last night. I knew I needed to go, even though I was starting to get sick with the same thing my husband has had all week. Luckily, I wasn't too sick, though. I wasn't coughing a lot of sneezing a lot - spreading germs and the like. So, I figured it would be ok to go. The only thing I was concerned about was feeling weak. Since the trapeze relies a lot on strength, I had to make sure I was careful so that I wouldn't fall on my head of something.

I felt a bit off at the beginning of the class. During the stretches, she told us to go down to the left, and I went to the right by mistake. I did that 2 times! It was like my brain was not connected properly. Then, the first thing up on the trapeze was actually the scariest thing so far. We used a different trapeze this time. It was a little more narrow and a bit higher in the air. The first trick was called the Egg and the Upside Down Egg. But, of course to get up to the trick, we had to double-up, double knee hang, L-Up, Pull Up to a Stand. On the first double-up, I felt weak. I was thinking, oh, no... Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. The reason is that the "Egg" trick is where you're standing on the trapeze and you pull up into a tucked position - like a ball or an "egg". So, the only contact you have with anything is holding onto the ropes with your hands. This part was ok. Then, to do an Upside Down Egg, you have to press your body over your arms (still in the tucked egg position), and hang upside down. I did the regular egg fine, but again I felt weak. So, I declined to do the Upside Down Egg on the first try. It was ok, though. I made a joke that I was a "chicken" instead of an "Upside Down Egg". However, on the 2nd go around, I felt stronger and was able to do the Upside Down Egg. The scary part is that you're way up there. Granted, the instructor was down below. But, if you fell while upside down, hopefully the instructor would be able to prevent you from falling on your head. But, maybe not. So, I wanted to make sure I felt comfortable with things before I attempted a trick like that. Luckily, after that 1st time up on the trapeze, my strength seemed to return, and I was able to do pretty well for the rest of the class.

After the 2 times up with the "Egg" series, we learned the Double Arm Flag. For this trick, we did the double-up series to get up to sitting on the bar. Then, we pulled up to a squat. We wrapped each arm (one at a time) around the ropes and held onto the bar at each end. Then, we took our feet off the bar and extended down. We pushed out and forward with our arms. So, our body made an upside down "L" shape (the "L" part being the arms being perpendicular to the rest of the body). It was a really cool trick.

After that, she told us that we could practice on the 2nd trapeze while she was working with us one-on-one on the other bar. So, I wound up doing the Hammock series on my own. The guy in the class was there as sort of a spotter. I'm actually pretty good at the Hammock series. It's a lot of fun. Another thing we learned from a girl who had previously taken the class was the "Catcher's Hang". This is the hang that you see on the flying trapeze where the person catches the flier. It was fun, too.

Ok, so back to the formal instruction. The next trick was the Free Handed Hammock. This is a build on from the Arched Hammock from last week. When in the Arched Hammock position, you take your right foot and wrap it around the front rope. Then, you let go with your hands! It looks really cool, and I was able to get into a really good position with it. I would definitely say that the Hammock series is my favorite so far.

And, finally she taught us the "Lady Bug". This trick is all done below the bar. In fact, we don't even get as far as the double knee hang. What this is, is that you double up. Then, you wrap your knees around one arm. Then, you let go with the other hand. So, you're wrapped up tightly, hanging from one arm. I was actually really good with this one, and was one of the few who was able to do it hanging all on my own strength.

Then, afterwards we did 20 push ups and 30 V-Crunches (those are such a killer). Overall, I had a blast. I'm progressing quite nicely, I think. Our instructor said that our class has already learned all the skills for the level 1 class, so some of these are already into level 2 skills. I'm definitely glad that I got into a more advanced level 1 class. We're all learning really fast. We each have our different strengths and weaknesses (although I have yet to figure out what the guy's weakness is - I'm not sure he has any), but overall we're all doing really well.

Oh, and I found out that the performance is going to be Friday, January 16th. She didn't know the exact time, but she said that it would be at night. So, that's good. It won't conflict with work.

Thursday, Week 14

Who hoo! Today is my trapeze class. I think the low intensity cardio was good last night. I'm still fighting off the illness that my husband has. But, I'm at work, and I'm hoping to kick this in time for my class tonight. If we miss 2 or more classes, we can't be in the performance. So, it is essential for me to make this class. The only way I won't go is if I'm hacking and coughing and would contaminate the other people in the class.

It seems like a lot of people here at work are getting sick. I heard lots of coughing throughout the day yesterday. And, several people are out sick today. I just need to hold off one more day. I can always get sick over the weekend, but I need to keep fighting this off today. To that end, I added some extra fruits/vitamins towards the beginning of the day. And, I have some awesome hot green tea for today. Wish me luck!

Breakfast: Glucosamine (0/0/161), 1/2 Kashi Lean (70/6.5/43), 1/2 Milk (40/4/60), Apple (80/0/0), Yogurt (55/5.5/80)
Lunch: Salad (25/0/45), 1 Turkey (20/4.25/137), Chicken Santa Fe (140/20/700), Strawberries and Grapes (50/0/0)
Snack: Big Boca Burger (100/18/400), Pear (100/0/0)
Pre-Trapeze Class: South Beach Bar (140/10/160)
Post-Trapeze Class: Choc IsoPure (80/18.75/120)
Dinner: Chicken (150/27/300), String Beans (30/1/0), 1/2 Baked Pot (55/2/0)
Snack: Sweet Freedom Bar (35/2/45)

Total Calories: 1225
Total protein: 119
Total sodium: 2251

Exercise:
90 minute trapeze class

Flu Vaccine

Well, I just got back from getting my flu vaccine. It was pretty painless, although, there was a scary part. When the nurse was finished giving the shot, she was blotting it with the cotton ball. Then, she said, "Wow, you're a bleeder. Let me get another cotton ball." It was a that point where I was like, uh oh. My pulse started racing, and I could feel my face starting to flush. So, I started trying to calm myself by taking a few breaths. Of course my body was going to be difficult.
But, she said I would be fine and sent me on my way. I didn't pass out or anything, so that was good.

Some ladies were talking to me afterwards. One woman who had the same nurse as I did, called the lady a "psycho" nurse because the nurse sort of did a backwards swing of the needle before pushing it into the shoulder muscle. She said she thought it hurt a lot. I didn't really feel much if any pain - just a slight pinch. Perhaps my pain tolerance is at a higher level, since I've had so many previous medical issues.

So, that was $18 spent. Hopefully, it was worthwhile. I'm not sure if there's really any way to know. But, hopefully I can stay well this season. I'm not sure why I was a "bleeder". The other lady said I probably bled because of the way she pushed the needle in. I don't know. I suppose it doesn't matter. I haven't been taking asprin or any kind of blood thinners. Perhaps I bled because I have stronger shoulder muscles than the typical person (although I wouldn't think that would affect anything, well maybe it would if I didn't have as much fat on my shoulders?). Who knows. Hopefully, I won't have any adverse side-effects from the vaccine, since it's my first time getting one.

Seasonings

I'm starting to experiment with different seasonings. On the chicken for lunch, I used Paul Prudone's Magic Seasoning, Oregano, and Rosemary. I'll have to see how it goes. I'm going to try the Magic seasoning and the Oregano on the talipia tonight, too. (I don't think rosemary would really work with fish.) This weekend I'm going to look in the spices aisle to see what non-sodium spices there are, and I'm going to start experimenting. It should be fun trying different things.

Update: The non-sodium seasoning I used on the chicken and the fish were amazing! I actually liked it better than what I had been using. And, apparently there's a whole line of "Magic" seasonings - e.g. for poultry and fish, so I might try some of them. The Magic seasoning along with the oregano and rosemary was awesome on the chicken. And, the Magic seasoning with the oregano and an Italian Spices seasoning was awesome on the tilapia. I didn't miss the salt at all. It brought entirely new flavors to the foods. I can't wait to try more.

Wednesday, Week 14

I have still been fending off the illness that my husband has. It starts to take hold overnight - I suppose since the germs are all right there. But, then after I start my day with my hot tea and IsoPure (with lots of vitamins), it's been warded off for another day.

At least he has a doctor's appointment today. So, hopefully he'll get some anti-biotics of something to help him fight this off.

Today I'm getting a flu shot. Work is offering them, so I figured I would get one. I think this might be the first time I've ever gotten one. Hopefully I won't have any kind of adverse reaction. And, hopefully it helps me stay well for the upcoming flu season.

Today is a cardio day. I'm going to try to keep the intensity lower today. Perhaps I might exercise while watching the Biggest Loser show that I taped last night. I still want to get a decent workout, but I don't want to push as hard as I did last Wednesday.

Food:
Breakfast: Glucosamine (0/0/161), IsoPure (75/18.75/120), Apple (80/0/0), Yogurt (55/5.5/80), 7 grapes (14/0/0), 2 strawberries (8/0/0)
Lunch: Salad (25/0/45), 2 Turkey (40/8.5/273), Chicken (150/23/300)
Snack: Clementine (50/1/0), Fiber One Bar (140/2/90)
Pre-Cardio: 4oz Blue Naked Juice (85/0/5)
Post-Cardio: Choc IsoPure (55/12.5/80), Milk (20/2/30), Baked Potato (110/4/0)
Dinner: Tilapia (110/23/35), Soy Beans (100/8/30), Broccoli (30/1/20)
Snack: Skinny Cow Fudge Bar (100/4/45)

Total calories: 1237
Total protein: 113.25
Total sodium: 1337 (awesome)

Exercise:
10 minute walk at lunch
Cardio:
I went with a lower intensity cardio today - alternating between the elliptical machine and the treadmill during the Biggest Loser.
12 min treadmill, 10 min elliptical, 15 min treadmill, 10 min elliptical, 13 min treadmill - total 60 minutes
Light stretching before and after

Graduated from Basic 1 Ice Skating

My ice skating class last night was the last one of the Basic 1 course. Our instructor tested us on the skills that we needed to learn in the class.

There were 7 criteria, rated on a 4 point scale:
1-Incomplete, 2-Needs Improvement, 3-Passing Quality, 4-Excellent

Class Participation 4+ :-) (She put the smiley, not me)
One food glide (right) 4+
One food glide (left) 4
Forward Swizzles 4
Backwards Wiggles 3
Backward Swizzles 4
Snowplow Stop 3

Next semester (which starts next week), I was recommended to take the Alpha class (which is what I am registered for). So, I'm all set. The next class continues skill progression, and we'll learn cross-overs (which I already know somewhat) and backwards cross-overs.

It's hard to believe that it's been 7 weeks already since my ice skating class started! I think I'll have a different instructor for the Alpha course, although I'm not sure who. I enjoyed the instructor I had for this first course. She helped us to progress beyond the Basic skills, so hopefully I'll get to continue learning a lot in the next class. Plus, I'll be taking the hockey class as well. So, I'll have a lot of skating practice - 3 times a week!

After the 30 minute class during the free skate, some of the guys were teaching me the hockey stop. It's pretty difficult. I think it was even harder because my blades had been freshly sharpened. I'll bet it will get easier after a couple of sessions on the ice. It was a blast, though.

Sodium

A friend of mine mentioned the idea that sodium intake plays a major role in health and in weight loss.

So, I did a little research on sodium. From what I can see, the American Heart Association recommends that healthy adults not exceed 2,300mg of sodium per day. It looks like the human body "needs" only about 500mg per day of sodium. Excess sodium is flushed out by the kidneys and then the liver (if the kidney's need additional help with it). If there's even more excess, then the excess sodium causes imbalances in the fluid of the body (e.g. water retention), and over the years can contribute to high blood pressure and potentially heart disease. Also, because the liver is being pulled in to help the kidneys flush out the excess sodium, the liver is less efficient at turning stored fat into energy. So, the metabolism can slow down, causing less fat to be burned than normally would be.

My friend proposed that "Sodium is the single biggest thing that causes long-term weight gain, surpassing even calorie count (although that is a close second)." I couldn't find anything online that supported this (although that doesn't mean it isn't true). (EDITED: Actually, I later found out that my friend's statement was regarding morbidly obese people and also specifically those with current heart, liver, kidney, or other disease-related problems.) Fitness professionals typically speak of weight gain in terms of calories in/calories out. Now, I certainly don't believe that it's quite that simple. I think that the quality of calories is important (e.g. the same number of calories of fatty meat vs lean meat - or worthless snack crackers vs a piece of fruit). I've always recognized that low sodium is important for high blood pressure and for heart health. It does appear, however, that sodium levels can impact weight gain - although to what extent, I'm not really sure.

I've taken a look at the typical amount of sodium that I have in a day. It looks like my sodium levels vary from about 1500mg - 2500, depending on any given day. Given the 2300mg per day recommendation, it's not too bad. Of course my overall intake of calories is pretty low, so my target sodium intake ceiling should probably be lower. I think I'm going to try to start targeting a ceiling of 2000mg.

Some of my biggest sodium offenders seem to be: Chili's Guiltless Grill Salmon (1080mg!!!!), WW chicken Santa Fe (800mg!!!, but I wonder how much is in the sauce that I leave behind), Boca Burger (280mg), Frozen Chicken (300mg), 2 slices of my deli turkey (273mg). 1/2 cup Egg Beaters (230mg).

My IsoPure protein powder isn't bad: 80mg for 1/2 scoop (12.5g of protein/50 calories for 1/2 scoop). My Kashi Cereal is low (42.5mg for 1/2 cup). My Kashi waffle is pretty low (115mg). My 1/2 cup plain yogurt is pretty low (80mg). And, my ice cream desserts are low (all seem to be 45mg or less). The fruits and veggies and baked potatoes (plain) are all very low in sodium (some don't have any). And, my tea that I drink daily (loose leaf tea) doesn't have any sodium.

Exercise also has an impact on sodium levels. Sodium is secreted from the body when you sweat. I've personally witnessed this when sweat ran into my eyes and started burning them (which is why I now have a towel nearby when I exercise). So, all the running and weights and athletic activities help me get rid of excess sodium.

Also, potassium, calcium, and magnesium can act to counter-balance sodium. So, all the fruits, veggies, potatoes, IsoPure, yogurt, and skim milk help, too, because they are rich in potassium and/or calcium.

It definitely looks like I will reconsider Chili's as a reasonably healthy option. Pre-packaged foods and most restaurant foods are all super high in sodium. Also, most soups are high in sodium. I typically only go out to eat once a week (usually on Friday night), so it should be pretty easy to switch things up. And high sodium once in a while isn't too bad. It's mainly the overall sodium content of one's diet that's the important thing. I might revisit Mimi's cafe. They have a turkey meal that is low fat and has only 115mg of sodium. It's on a heart healthy menu. Also, I might try asking for no salt and butter in food preparation at restaurants from now on.

At home, I'm going to try to start making some substitutions for seasonings - using rosemary, oregano, etc, rather than always tony cacherie's and salt sense for chicken and fish. Last night I tried this Magic Seasoning (which had no sodium) on my steak tips, and it was actually quite good.

Here are some of the websites where I got some of my information. If anyone has additional information to share, please feel free to comment. Overall, I think that having a reasonable sodium intake is an important piece of the puzzle regarding healthy nutrition.

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4708
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=538
http://www.runtheplanet.com/trainingracing/nutrition/salt.asp
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=90
http://www.femhealth.com/DangersofSalt.html
http://oto2.wustl.edu/men/sodium.htm
http://www.health.gov/DietaryGuidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter8.htm

Tuesday, Week 14

My husband has been sick the past 2 days, so much so that he's had to stay home from work. I've been fending it off so far. I think my healthy diet and exercising is helping. Wish me luck in staying well.

Today, Tuesday, is my big exercise day. It's my last ice skating class for this 1st session! So, next week, I'll be moving on to the next level. That's pretty exciting. Or maybe they skip a week in between. I'll have to check.

Food:
Breakfast: 1/2 Kashi Lean (70/6.5/43), 1/2 Milk (40/4/60), Apple (80/0/0), Yogurt (55/5.5/80)
Lunch: Salad (25/0/45), 1 Turkey (20/4.25/137), Chicken w/ Fiesta Veggies (150/23/720)
Snack: Boca Burger (70/13/280), Clementine (50/1/0)
Post-Weights: IsoPure (75/18.75/120), Bread (45/3/105), Jelly (40/0/0)
Post-Skate: Chocolate IsoPure (55/12.5/80)
Dinner: Salmon Burger (130/22/470), Broccoli (60/2/40), Bread (45/3/105)
Snack: Skinny Cow (100/4/45)

Total Calories: 1115
Total Protein: 122.5
Total Sodium: 2491 (Too high, but at least I'm finished with that chicken. I'm NOT going to be buying it again. It was a southwest chicken that I bought in the deli aisle at the grocery store.)

Exercise:
45 minute Yoga Class
Warm-up: Joint rotations, 5 minutes elliptical, Stretching Routine
Weights: Legs/Abs
Hanging Leg Lifts 6 (definitely dropping these, they are not working the abs - just my hands)
Leg Press 10/70, 10/80, 8/90, 6/100, 8/90
Leg Extension 10/20, 10/20, 8/22.5, 6/25, 8/27.5
Regular Leg Lifts 30, 25, 15, 12
Weighted Ab Press 15/35, 20/35
Lunges 20/20, Squats 20/20
Inner/Outer Thigh 25/5 (each leg)
Glutes: Raises 20 (each leg), Circles 20 (each leg)
Crunches, Bicycle, V-Crunches 20 of each
3 V Holds - 30 sec, 20 sec, 15 sec
Stretching After
30 minute Ice Skating Class, 20 minute free skate

I went a good bit heavier with my lower body weights this time. I think my leg muscles are getting stronger. I think this will also help with my running.

Tracking Sodium

Quick Note. As of yesterday (Monday), I've started tracking my sodium intake. I'm interested in seeing how I'm doing regarding that. I'll probably track it for a couple of weeks. Expect to see a more detailed post regarding sodium later today.

I've updated my Food Choices entry to include sodium:
http://joannafitness.blogspot.com/2008/09/food-choices.html

Monday, Week 14

Yesterday's upper body strength training was definitely intense. My upper body muscles are more sore than they have been in a while (which is good). I definitely worked them harder than last week. I've very pleased with this new weights schedule.

So, today I'm back to cardio.

Food:
Breakfast: Glucosamine (0/0/161), IsoPure (50/12.5/80), Apple (80/0/0), Yogurt (55/5.5/80)
Lunch: Salad (25/0/45), 2 Turkey (40/8.5/273), Chicken w/ Fiesta Veggies (150/23/720)
Snack: Boca Burger (70/13/280), Pear (100/0/0)
Pre-Run: Liquid Glucosamine (0/0/50), 4oz Blue Naked Juice (85/0/5)
Post-Run: Chocolate IsoPure (80/18.75/120)
Dinner: Steak Strips (160/25/60), Potato (110/4/0), Broccoli (60/2/40)
Snack: Skinny Cow (100/4/45)

Calories: 1167
Protein: 116.25
Sodium: 1959

Exercise:
15 minute walk at lunch
Warm-up: Joint Rotations, 5 minutes cardio, Stretching Routine
Treadmill: 3.1mi (5K), 30:33!!!!
Intervals (.1 mi/5.3mph, .5 mi/6.2mph - last .1 mi 7mph) - I was feeling really good towards the end of my run, so I decided to pick up the pace at the end. This could simulate a sprint to the end of the finish line in a real 5K race. This is my best 5K time by far (22 seconds). I'm making good progress with my running.
Post-Run Stretching

Sunday, Week 14 (with Progress Update)

I'm very pleased with my progress again this week! I must be doing things the right way. It's good to see tangible results for all of the effort that I've been putting in. My total weight loss so far for the 13 weeks has been 16 lbs.

Yesterday I tried on some of my older clothes. I can now fit back into my size 6 clothes and some of my size 4 clothes (some of these I bought when I was in college). So, I gained some additional pants that I can wear to work. It's also nice to gain some new correct-fitting blue jeans. With winter coming up, they will be really nice to have on the weekends.

Progress:
Weight: 121.8lbs (137.8 baseline, 123.2 last week, down 1.4 from last week!)
Waist: 27.75 inches (31.5 baseline, 28 last week, down .25 from last week!)
Below Waist: 30.75 inches (33.25 baseline, 31.25 last week, down .5 from last week!)
Body Fat: 28% (34% week 5 baseline, 29% last week, down 1% from last week!)

I'm still using the body fat scale functionality. I now have some caliapers to measure with, but they require a 2nd person to take the measurements (have to measure on triceps, waist, and thigh). There's no way to do the skin fold and measurement at the triceps area without 2 hands. So, maybe I'll get to do that next week. Regardless, the trend even from the scale is an obvious one. I'm not sure if the numbers are accurate (I suspect they are not), but it's useful to see the downward trend.

Food:
Pre and Post-Workout: Chocolate IsoPure (110/25), 1/4 milk (20/2)
Breakfast: 1/2 Kashi Lean (70/6.5), 1/2 Milk (40/4), Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5)
Lunch: Egg Beater Omelet (100/16), Kashi Waffle (85/4), 1/8 cup syrup (20/0), Clementine (50/1)
Dinner: Chicken (110/22), Stir Fry Veggies (50/2), Baked Potato (110/4), Wine (150/0)
Snack: Big Boca Burger (100/18), Skinny Cow (100/4)

Total calories: 1250
Total protein: 114

Exercise:
Weights: Full Upper Body
Warm Up - Joint Rotations, 5 min elliptical, Stretching Routine

Assisted Chin 10/50, 8/45, 6/40, 4/35, 4/40
Assisted Dip 10/50, 8/45, 6/45, 4/40, 6/45
Bicep Curl 10/25, 8/25, 6/27.5, 4/30, 8/25
Lat Pulldown 10/45, 8/55, 6/55, 4/6, 8/55
Shoulders OP 20/20, 12/20, FR 20/10, 14/10, LR 12/10, 10/10
Chest Press 10/45, 8/45, 6/50, 4/55, 7/45

Stretching After Weights
12 minute dog walk

Ice Hockey Equipment

I bought my ice hockey equipment yesterday at a store called Total Hockey. I already had my skates, elbow pads, and knee pads. I bought a helmet, gloves, a stick, ice skate covers (for the blade), and a jersey.

I was lucky that I was a female. I got an awesome deal on some gloves. They were originally $49.99 but were marked down to $29.99. Why, you may ask? Because they're pink! They did sell some cheaper looking gloves for $29.99, but they were too small. The sales guy was calling around to some other stores to see if they had my size (the 2 stores he called did not). Then, I saw these pink ones. They were much better made - leather instead of this mesh. And, they looked much better padded. They were $20 off, and the only reason I could figure is that no man would want to buy pink gloves! And, probably there are not that many female hockey players. So, I lucked out.

My helmet was also on sale from $79.99 to $59.99. I got it in black. My stick was not on sale, but it was only $24.99, so no biggie there. I had my skate blades sharpened for $6, and got some black blade covers for $9.99. The jersey I really didn't need, but it was on sale from $19.99 to $11.99, and I figured it would be nicer to wear than my fleece jacket. Plus, wearing it 3 times a week definitely justified the $12. It's a royal blue color.

So, I'm all set and am going to sign up for the class on Tuesday. This will be my last ice skating class this week from the 1st session. From here, I'll move onto the 2nd level class (at the same time - Tuesdays at 6:45pm), and my hockey class will be on Sunday night.

I'll have to get some pictures of me in my gear on the ice. Perhaps I can get one of the people there to take some with my phone for me.

Saturday, Week 13

It's so nice to be the weekend. My morning run was tough, but it was good. Then, I stretched my side split in my new stretching machine. I'm making good progress in it. I stretched mostly at 130 degrees. But, I did go up to 140 (not all at once) and held the 140 for about a minute at the end.

Today should be a good day. I'm looking forward to ice skating again in my hockey skates.

Food:
Pre-Run: 4oz Blue Naked Juice (85/0)
Post-Run: Choc IsoPure (80/18.75), Milk (20/2), 1/2 Kashi, 1/2 Milk (110/8.5)
Breakfast: Egg Beaters Omelet (100/16), 1/2 Baked Potato (55/2), Clementine (50/1)
Post-Ice Skating: IsoPure (75/18.75), Bread (45/3), Jelly (40/0)
Lunch: 1/4 Bertolli's Shrimp Penne Primivera (160/7.5), Broccoli (60/2)
Dinner: Misquette Chicken 170/30, Fiesta Veggies (50/3)
Snack: Boca Burger (70/13), Sweet Freedom Fudge Lite (35/2)

Total Calories: 1205
Total Protein: 127.5

Exercise:
Warm-Up: Joint Rotations, 5 min elliptical, Stretching Routine
Treadmill: 3.1mi (5K), 31:05
Intervals (.15 mi/5.3mph, .5 mi/6.2mph)
Stretching after run (in birthday present stretching machine for 10 minutes, got up to 140 degrees, so I'm making progress)
Ice Skating Free Skate

Friday, Week 13

I'm so glad it's my rest day today. My body is definitely screaming at me. :-) Luckily, my energy level was back up for the time of my trapeze class. So, the run the night before didn't hurt anything. I felt strong.

Lunch was good. I went with a co-worker, and we tried a new Chinese place - Fu Lin House. It had a lite menu, which had no salt, no cholesterol, and it was steamed rather than fried. So, I ordered from that, and it was really good. I was very impressed.

Today after work, I'm hoping that we can go eat at Chili's or LongHorn or somewhere that I can get something healthy with lots of protein. Then, I'm hoping we get to go to a haunted house. That would be tons of fun - plus, it would be good to be a bit active after dinner.

We didn't go to a haunted house. Instead we went and saw Religulous (documentary with Bill Maher). It was really good. Before the movie, I played the Dance Dance Revolution Game, so that was at least a little exercise.

Food:
Breakfast: IsoPure (75/18.75), Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5)
Lunch: Chinese Food - (Lite option) Chicken with Broccoli/Carrots (no rice),(350/25 - estimated)
Snack: Clementine (50/1), Salad (25/0), 2 Turkey (40/8.5)
Dinner: Chili's Guiltless Grill Salmon (460/52), 1 Wine (100/0)

Total Calories: 775 + 460 (dinner) = 1235
Total Protein: 62.75 + 52 (dinner) = 110.75

Exercise:
Rest Day
Stretching
15 minute walk before lunch

3rd Trapeze Class

The 3rd trapeze class was even more intense than the first two classes. We did a lot more. 2 of the people weren't there, so it was just 4 of us. That meant that we got extra turns because there was more time to work in the 90 minutes. We started off with the usual 30 minutes of stretching.

Then, we got into the trapeze work. Again, you can see what some of these moves are at this site:
http://www.fedec.net/fr/manuel%201%20-%20part%202.pdf.

Some of the moves are named differently (e.g. Double-Up = Tuck through to pike, 2 Knee Hang = Hocks Hang, Twisting Side Lay Back = Mermaid (Above the Bar)) , and the website doesn't have all the same tricks that we've been doing.

We started with the standard intro routine, which we did twice:
Double Up
2 Knee Hang
Birds Nest
L Up (to a sitting position)
Pull Up to Stand
Lean Forward - Toe to knee, Leg Out
Lean Backwards - Toe to knee, Leg Back
Lower down to sit (both feet come out at once)
Slide to knees
Double Up - lower to floor

Then, we did the Angel Routine twice that we learned last week (and I found out the proper names for the Angel hangs):

Double Up
2 Knee Hang
Angel
Reverse Angel
4 Hang
Ankle Hang
Strattle
Lower to ground in strattle

Then, we moved on to some new tricks. We did this series of variations on a trick called "Hammock". I couldn't find a picture of it online, so I'll try to describe it. Each of the Hammock routines started with the following to get up into a sitting position:

Double Up
2 Knee Hang
L Up (to a sitting position)

Then, we did the "Hammock". We turned sideways on the bar so that the hamstring muscle of one leg was parallel on top of the bar (the bar sort of almost rested in the our ass crack - lol). Our back was perpendicular to the bar, with one of the ropes of the trapeze going up along our spine. We had to work our feet up to the opposite rope so that our knees were at a 90 degree angle, and our shins were at shoulder level. The rope along our back came up and rested along our neck. The "Hammock" trick was when we pushed out, extending our legs. Our backs arched into a slight back bend. Our body weight was supported by the ropes only (we were not touching the bar). The ropes were supported by our feet and our neck. So, it was this awesome-looking position that was sort of like a hammock, except that instead of being arched down (like a real hammock does), our bodies were arched up.

Then, to get out of the "Hammock" routine, we did the following:
Back to a seated position
Slide to knees
Double Up - lower to floor.

We did 3 different routines of variations of the Hammock routine. For the first, our feet grabbed the ropes in between our big toes. The second had our feet more like ballerina feet. The ropes were more on our arches, with our toes pointed.

The 3rd variation was very different. It also included a balance pose. For this one, we had to scoot down so that our back was actually laying down on the bar. Our feet were higher up this time. So, when we pushed out, it was at a different angle. The points of contact were different. Instead of only being on the ropes, the point of contact at the neck area was actually right at the shoulder, too, at the corner where the bar met up with the rope. The balance pose (which we did before and after the Hammock) was called the Fetal balance. It was a balance when we were laying on our backs on the bar, with our feet on the rope (kind of like in the fetal position). We had to let go fully with our hands and put them out to the side.

Finally, we learned how to do the Twisting Side Lay Back trick (called Mermaid (Above the Bar) if you look at the picture on that website). It started with the same routine to get into a sitting position (just like the Hammock routine). Then, we did the Twisting Side Lay Back trick and then did it with our leg coming through, extending down.

And, then for our last routine, we all did different things. My instructor recommended the Hammock routine with the Fetal Balances for me, so I did that one.

Conditioning ended with 20 push-ups, 30 V-crunches (which were awesome, but extremely difficult - I'll be adding them to my abdominal conditioning), and 20 supermen (for the back - lifting both arms and legs up off the ground - like superman flying).

As for the double-ups, I was able to do them totally on my own in the tucked position. And, I was doing them pretty much on my own in the harder piked position. I think next week I'll have the piked position completely on my own.

After I got home from my class, I smeared my hands with Neosporin before I went to bed. They were in bad shape and had really started stinging. This morning, I found lots of fun new bruises. Now, along with the ones on the backs of my knees and right below my butt, I have a nice trail of bruises along my entire calf muscles. I'm pretty sore today, but it will be well worth it in January when I get to do my performance. Eventually my body will toughen up, and hopefully it will stop bruising so much. The ankle protectors that I bought were awesome. I was able to do the ankle hang correctly where you slide down a bit to lock in. And, it gives my feet a bit more support, since I have the flat arches. Overall, and excellent purchase - well worth the $20 at Walgreens.

Energy Slump

Ugh. I'm feeling fairly sluggish right now. It's 2pm, so perhaps it's just a slump from after lunch. I decided to get a Diet Dr. Pepper just now. Perhaps some caffeine will help. As of right now, it's not looking all that great for trapeze class tonight. I don't feel in optimal form. I will definitely scale back next Wednesday. My poor abs are NOT recovered. And, my legs are still sore, too. At least tomorrow is my rest day. Maybe I'll take it easier on my run on Saturday, too.

Perhaps I need to consider upping my number of calories again to hit 1200-1400 per day. Hmmm... It's so tough to know exactly what to do for optimal results. A lot of it is trial and error.

Thursday, Week 13

I think running so intensely yesterday was possibly a mistake. My abs are pretty beat still. My legs feel tired, but they should be ok. Hopefully, I'll be in good form for my trapeze class. I have a feeling my body is going to be yelling at me tomorrow (hehe). So, I think my plan needs to be to stick to light cardio on Wednesdays. That way it will almost be a full recovery day before my trapeze class on Thursday. Also, possibly the lack of sleep on Tuesday night was harmful. And, I was pretty intense with my weights on Tuesday. The "V" hold exercise with my abs is a killer. Regardless, I'm looking forward to trapeze class tonight. Maybe this will be the week that I can do the double up on my own (I'm not holding my breath, though, with my abs sore). Perhaps next week is more realistic.

As a note, I'll never buy this lean cuisine dinner again. It tasted good, but has way too much sodium (although I left most of the sauce, so I probably didn't get a lot of the sodium). I need to pay better attention to my frozen dinners. At least I don't eat them too often. I really like the WW Chicken Santa Fe one, but I ran out of those. It's high in sodium, too, but again, I don't eat all the sauce, which is where the bulk of the sodium is. Overall, frozen dinners aren't ideal and should be used only sparingly. I suppose I've become accustomed to more mild, clean tasting foods.

Food:
Breakfast: 1/2 Kashi Lean (70/6.5), 1/2 Milk (40/4), Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5)
Lunch: Salad (25/0), 1 Turkey (20/4.25), Lean Cuisine Garlic Chicken (180/20)
Snack: Big Boca Burger (100/18), Pear (100/0)
Pre-Trapeze Class: South Beach Bar (140/10)
Post-Trapeze Class: Choc IsoPure (80/18.75)
Dinner: Chicken (150/27), Broccoli (60/2), 1/2 Baked Pot (55/2)
Snack: Sweet Freedom Fudge Lite 35/2

Total Calories: 1245
Total protein: 120

Exercise:
25 minute walk during lunch
90 minute Trapeze Class

Awesome Deal on IsoPure

I've been taking IsoPure protein powder for a while now. It's been really pricey at GNC, even with the Gold Card that I have with them. I think this last time I paid like $47.99 plus tax for a 3 lb canister of it (and that was with it on sale AND with the gold card 10% off). I decided to check online to see if I could get a better deal.

At Vitamin Shoppe (www.vitaminshoppe.com), they're selling it for $35. If you order $99 or more, shipping is free. Plus, there's no tax. This special is only until the end of the month (not sure what the price will be after that). So, I'm going to make sure to stock up towards the end of the month.

Ice Hockey

I think the fates are telling me to play ice hockey. At my ice skating class last night, the guys were trying to convince me (like every time) to join the ice hockey class. I mentioned something about not being sure that I would want to put that much money into equipment. One of the guys mentioned that there was a pair of ice hockey skates in the back that someone had left there over a year ago. He suggested I ask about them to see if they were for sale. So, I asked, and they said if they fit that I could have them for free! I tried them on, and low and behold, they fit absolutely perfectly!!!! Then, one of the guys said that he had some extra small knee and elbow pads that I could have as well. I tried to pay him for it, but he said not to worry about it. So, I wound up with free ice hockey skates and free knee and elbow pads!

All of the equipment looks pretty much brand new! The ice hockey skates are awesome! They are black and silver. They look like they've barely been used at all. It was amazing! What are the odds that those skates would have been my exact size? I tried them out on the free skate, and they felt so natural on me. I felt in control and was able to skate as well as I've ever skated (unlike the rental ice hockey skates).

So, it looks like I'm going to start ice hockey classes at the end of the month on Sunday nights. I just need to pick up a face mask, gloves, and a hockey stick - oh! and the blade covering for the skates. They told me about a 2nd-hand ice hockey store, so I might be able to get it for pretty cheap. Who hoo! I'm going to be entering the world of ice hockey. Very exciting.

During my ice skating lesson, it was really cool. She was teaching us how to do turns. This waltzing music came on, and I was twirling around to it! It was so much fun! My instructor mentioned how I was getting fancy. I said "yeah, I'll probably get fancy right onto the ground!" But, I didn't fall. It was so much fun! It was like pure joy, twirling on the ice. (I'm sure from an outside perspective, it probably didn't look all that great, but it was tons of fun.)

I'll have to take some pics of my new hockey skates and pads. And, to think I had pretty much fully decided NOT to take the hockey class. But, with signs like this (not that I really believe in fate or anything), it seems like the obvious thing is to take the hockey class and see where it leads.

Birthday Present!

A birthday present arrived from my husband - the Century VersaFlex Stretching Machine (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EZYT7Q/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top). He put it together last night, and it is awesome!!!! This will help me get my side split much better. I'm going to incorporate it into my daily stretching routine. I tried it out last night, and it was very easy to use and was comfortable on my knees. Who hoo! Last night I was only at 130 degrees (the angle of my split). I didn't want to push it too much. I want to gradually work up with it. Perhaps in a couple of months, I'll post a picture of my progress.

Wednesday, Week 13

Yesterday got a bit out of order from what I had planned. I wound up having to stay later at work than I had planned, so there wasn't time to do my weights before ice skating. So, instead, I had dinner as soon as I got home. Then, I did the ice skating and free skate. And, then I did my warm-up, stretching, and weights after I got home. Tuesdays are tough days, scheduling-wise. At least now I have an alternate plan in case I have to stay late on Tuesdays from now on.

Food:
Breakfast: IsoPure (75/18.75), Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5)
Lunch: Salad (25/0), 2 Turkey (40/8.5), Chicken (150/27)
Snack: Clementine (50/1), Fiber One Bar (140/2)
Pre-Run: 4oz Blue Naked Juice (85/0)
Post-Run: Choc IsoPure (55/12.5), Milk (20/2), Bread (45/3), Jelly (40/0)
Dinner: Tilapia (110/23), Soy Beans (100/8), Broccoli (30/1)
Snack: Skinny Cow Fudge Bar 100/4

Total calories: 1200
Total protein: 116.25

Exercise:
20 minute walk at lunch
Warm-up: Joint Rotations, 5 minute cardio, Stretching Routine
Treadmill: 3.1mi (5K), 30:55
Intervals (.1 mi/5.2mph, .5 mi/6.2mph)
Decided to go full throttle today with running. I liked this interval set. Plus, it gave me my fastest time so far, by 30 seconds. Wow! That's impressive.

Tuesday, Week 13

Today is my busy day for activities - yoga at lunch, lower body/abs weights, and ice skating. Things are going pretty well, though.

Food:
Breakfast: 1/2 Kashi Lean (70/6.5), 1/2 Milk (40/4), Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5)
Lunch: Salad (25/0), 2 Turkey (40/8.5), Black Bean Soup (170/12)
Snack: Big Boca Burger (100/18), Clementine (50/0)
Dinner: Salmon Burger (130/22), Broccoli (60/2), Bread (45/3)
Post-Skate: Chocolate IsoPure (55/12.5)
Post-Weights: IsoPure (75/18.75), Bread (45/3), Jelly (40/0)
Snack: WW Bar (60/2)

Total Calories: 1145
Total Protein: 117.75

Exercise:
45 minute Yoga class
10 minute afternoon walk
30 minute ice skating class, 20 minute free skate

Warm-up: Joint rotations, 5 minutes treadmill, Stretching Routine
Weights: Legs/Abs
Hanging Leg Lifts 5, 4 (I think I might drop these, or only do 2 sets)
Leg Press 10/65, 10/75, 8/85, 6/95, 8/85
Leg Extension 10/15, 10/20, 8/20, 6/22.5, 9/25
Regular Leg Lifts 25, 20, 14, 11
Weighted Ab Press 20/30, 12/35
Lunges 20/10, Squats 20/10
Inner/Outer Thigh 20/5 (each leg)
Glutes: Raises 20 (each leg), Circles 20 (each leg)
Crunches, Reverse Crunches, Bicycle 20 of each
Crunches Using 5 lb Dumbbell 20
3 V Holds
Stretching After

Monday, Week 13

It was a good weekend. I had a 30 minute massage yesterday, which has me feeling very good this morning (much less stiff that I normally am in the morning). I'm looking forward to a good run today after work.

Food:
Breakfast: IsoPure (50/12.5), Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5)
Lunch: Salad (25/0), 2 Turkey (40/8.5), Chicken Santa Fe (140/20)
Snack: Boca Burger (70/13), Pear (100/0)
Pre-Run: 4oz Blue Naked Juice (85/0)
Post-Run: Chocolate IsoPure (80/18.75)
Dinner: Chicken (150/27), Potato (110/4), Green Beans (60/2)
Snack: Skinny Cow (100/4)

Calories: 1147
Protein: 115.25

Exercise:
20 minute walk at lunch
Warm-Up: Joint Rotations, 5 min elliptical, Stretching Routine
Treadmill: 3.1mi (5K), 31:25
Intervals (.2 mi/5.2mph, .55 mi/6.2mph)
Stretching after run

Sunday, Week 13 (with Progress Update)

My progress this week was awesome! I think mixing it up with the calories due to my birthday helped. Also, I think the general range of 1100-1300 is a good calorie range for me now. Before it was too low, when it was around 900.

My total weight loss so far has been 14.6 lbs - not bad for 12 weeks of effort. My body composition has improved so much. I'm enjoying wearing the fitted outfits required for my trapeze class - hence the pics I've posted.

Progress:
Weight: 123.2lbs (137.8 baseline, 125 last week, down 1.8 from last week!)
Waist: 28 inches (31.5 baseline, 28.5 last week, down .5 from last week!)
Below Waist: 31.25 inches (33.25 baseline, 31.75 last week, down .5 from last week!)
Body Fat: 29% (34% week 5 baseline, 30% last week, down 1% from last week!)

Food:
Breakfast: 1/2 Kashi Lean (70/6.5), 1/2 Milk (40/4), Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5)
Post-Workout: Chocolate IsoPure (105/24)
Lunch: Egg Beater Omelet (100/16), Kashi Waffle (85/4), 1/8 cup syrup (20/0), Clementine (50/1)
Dinner: Chili's Guiltless Grill Salmon (minus cheese and pico de galla) 460/52
Snack: Sweet Freedom Fudge Lite (35/2)

Total calories: 1272
Total protein: 115

Exercise:
Weights: Full Upper Body
Warm Up - Joint Rotations, 5 min elliptical, Stretching Routine

Assisted Chin 10/55, 8/50, 6/50, 4/35, 6/40 (back to old grip)
Assisted Dip 10/55, 8/50, 6/45, 4/40, 7/45
Bicep Curl 10/22.5, 8/25, 6/27.5, 4/30, 7/25
Seated Row 10/35, 10/40, 10/45, 6/50, 8/50
Shoulders: OP 20/20, 10/20, FR 16/10, 12/10, LR 10/10, 8/10
Butterfly 10/17.5, 8/17.5, 6/20, 4/20, 7/17.5
Pushups 7, 4, 1

Abdominal: V-position, 15 crunches, V-Position, 10 Leg Raises, 15 Reverse Crunches
Stretching Cool-Down

My workout today was extremely killer (in a good way). I went back to my old grip for the assisted chins. It feels more natural to me. Also, I added pushups back to the end of my upper body routine. Since it's at the end, I can't do nearly as many. But, I stick to my form and will continue the nose to the ground thing.

My extra attention to stretching is paying off. My splits are getting easier to do. I can really push down into them now. Hopefully, they'll be completely non-painful soon.

I have a 30 minute massage today at 2pm. I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully my muscles will thank me.

Saturday, Week 12

I think the influx of calories was actually good for me (not that I would advise eating a whole piece of cheesecake regularly - lol!). I woke up this morning feeling really good.

I almost had a leg cramp in my right calf muscle this morning. Normally, when this happens, I ball up into the fetal position and ride it out. But, this time I pushed out, straightening my leg and pushing out through my heel. And, it stopped it cold! I was so impressed with myself. I really didn't need a cramp today, since I have my running and ice skating. So, that worked out very well.

Today, I'm targeting a lowered number of calories to counter-act the big dinner last night (but again, not too much lowered). It's good to keep my body guessing sometimes.

Food:
Pre-Run: 1/4 Kashi (55/4.25), 1/4 milk (10/1)
Post-Run: IsoPure (50/12.5)
Breakfast: Egg Beaters Omelet (100/16), 1/2 Baked Potato (55/2), Pear (100/0)
Post-Ice Skating: IsoPure (50/12.5)
Lunch: Turkey Tenderloin (200/38), Stir Fry Veggies (50/1.5)
Dinner: Misquette Chicken (170/30), String Beans (60/2), Salad (25/0), 1 turkey (20/4.25)
Snack: Skinny Cow Fudge Bar (100/4)

Total Calories: 1055
Total Protein: 128

Exercise:
Stretching: Throughout day
Warm-Up: Joint Rotations, 5 min treadmill warm-up, Stretching Routine
Treadmill: 3.1 mi (5K), 31:30 - Intervals (.15 mi/5.2mph, .6 mi/6.1mph)
Cool-Down Stretching
Ice Skating: Free Skate

Friday, Week 12

Today is my rest day for the week, and I definitely need it after the trapeze class. My body is aching a bit all over - especially so in my hands and back of my knees, though.

Tonight I'm having the 2nd half of my 30th birthday celebration. We're going to a murder/mystery dinner theater. So, I'm not sure what kind of food will be available. My goal is to enjoy the entire experience. Hopefully there will be some healthy choices available. Regardless, I'm eating light for the first half of the day, so I have quite a few calories that I need to eat. I'm hoping to hit around 1300 calories today (which gives me 850 for dinner and drinks), but a bit more wouldn't be so bad either.

Update - I did pretty well for dinner. Unfortunately, most of the food seemed pretty unhealthy. I got a taste of the soup (which was really good), but it was a cream or cheese-based soup, so I only ate a few bites of it. The salad tasted awesome, too. But, it was soaked with Cesar dressing, so I only ate about 1/3 of it. Then, came the main course, which was actually very flexible for me. There was a small sirloin and a small piece of chicken. The chicken was breaded and had a creme sauce on it, but I avoided that, and luckily the breading was easily removed. It came with a side of rice with a few veggies intermixed (and by a few, I mean like 4 pieces of veggies). So, I ate the veggies, and I ate a bite of rice, which was really good - very spicy and tasty. I ate all of the meat, too. The main entree came with 1 glass of wine, so I had that, but I didn't get any additional alcohol from the cash bar. Dessert was my big splurge. I ate the whole piece of strawberry cheesecake. It was delicious. I took some guesses at the calories/protein for what I ate of the dinner. Overall, not too bad, and everything was delicious!

Food:
Breakfast: IsoPure (100/25), Apple (80/0), Yogurt (55/5.5)
Lunch: Salad (25/0), 2 Turkey (40/8.5), Soy Beans (100/8)
Snack: Clementine (50/1)
Dinner: Murder/Mystery Dinner Theater - 1/6 cup Cheese-based soup (50/0), 1/3 Cesar salad (100/0), 6oz sirloin steak (300/30), 4 oz chicken (removed breading and sauce) (140/20), 4 pieces of veggies (20/0), 1 bite of rice (20/0), strawberry cheesecake (400/5), 1 white wine (100/0) = (1130/55)

Total Calories: 450 + 1130? = 1580?
Total protein: 48 + 55? = 103?

Exercise:
Rest Day!
Stretching: Throughout day
20 minute walk at lunch

2nd Trapeze Class

My second trapeze class was as much fun as the first. We started off with 30 minutes of stretching. This time the instructor went around to each of us on several of the stretches to help push us deeper into the stretch. It's actually quite helpful having a partner for stretching.

Then, we got into the trapeze work. We started with the same routine from last time, with some added tricks while standing on the bar. Again, you can see what some of these moves are at this site:
http://www.fedec.net/fr/manuel%201%20-%20part%202.pdf

Double Up
2 Knee Hang
Birds Nest
L Up (to a sitting position)
Pull Up to Stand
Lean Forward - Toe to knee, Leg Out
Lean Backwards - Toe to knee, Leg Back
Hands a bit lower, back bend, leg back
Hands even lower, press back into split
Lower down to sit (both feet come out at once)
Slide to knees
Double Up - lower to floor

So, it was a bit more involved than what we did last week. Then, we got into the angel poses routine.

Double Up
2 Knee Hang
Half Angel Forward
Half Angel Backward
Angel Hang
Ankle Hang
Strattle
Lower to ground in strattle

We did this twice. It was hard to know what to do at first. It's a bit disorienting trying to figure out where each foot and hand goes.

Then, we did a different routine to help us feel comfortable moving on the bar.

Double Up
2 Knee Hang
L Up (to a sitting position)
Pull Up to Squat
Right Food Down In front of the bar
Right Food Down Behind the bar
Left Food Down In front of the bar
Left Food Down Behind the bar
Lower down to sit (both feet come out at once)
Slide to knees
Double Up - lower to floor

Then, different people did different things for their last turn. The instructor advised me to do the Angel routine again, so that's what I did. The third time around for it, I actually remembered what to do, and it flowed a lot better.

After the trapeze work, we did some conditioning. First, we held the push up position for 30 seconds. Then, we did 15 pushups. Then, we held pushup position for 20 seconds. Then, we did 5 more pushups. Then, we held pushup position for 10 seconds. After that, we conditioned abs. We got into the V position and held it for 30 seconds. Then, we did 10 crunches. Then, we held the V position for 20 more seconds. I was able to do the entire pushup sequence. Compared to my pushups where I do my chin to the floor, regular ones are easy. I was not able to hold the V position the entire time, though. I broke form once during the 1st 30 seconds and then twice during the 20 seconds. I think my abs were spent by then. The V position is definitely an ab exercise that I will add to my work at home.

I've found that the most scary part of the trapeze so far is when I'm standing on the bar. I don't trust my feet on the small bar yet. With my flat feet, I was afraid that they were going to cramp up - especially when I only have 1 foot on the bar. Between my turns, I felt my feet get cold, like they might cramp. So, I took out my shirt from my backpack, and wrapped it around my feet. From now on, I think I'll bring a small blanket or something to keep my feet warm. I definitely don't want them cramping up in the middle of class.

The drops below the bar were a little scary as well. They seemed to be the most scary part for the other students (which is interesting because I was more afraid of the standing part). The ankle hang is supposed to be done to where you start a bit high on the ropes and then slide down into the hang. However, I just started low so that I wouldn't tear the skin off my ankles this time. The instructor recommended that we get some ankle protectors to give us a bit of extra protection. So, I'll have to pick some up from Walgreens before the next class.

I was close to getting the Double Up with my legs straight completely on my own this time. Probably I'll have the necessary strength in my abs in another week or so. I could do it easily if I were tucked, but having the legs straight all the way requires more strength.

My outfit that I wore this time was definitely better. Having the pants covering the backs of my knees was very helpful, although I still got massive bruises on the back of them (as you can see in the photo that I took today). I tried taking pics of my hands, but the calluses/red spots didn't come out too well in the pics. It's been a fun time so far, though. I wear my bruises with pride. I can't wait until next week to learn some more.