I just came to sweat

Today was spin class with yelly Mel and she was surprisingly not evil today. At least it seemed that way...maybe I'm just getting into better shape so it doesn't seem like I'm going to die during class anymore! After the workout I did a few ab and back things and now I'm in for work to get things done.
I'm a bit creaky in odd places from yesterday, but overall? I feel fantastic!!

Must run -just wanted to log things in for the day. Hope you all have a fantastic day :)

spider pushups are hard!

This morning I came in for class but the instructor was a no show (lame) so altho I had no music or interval timer, I made the best of it and tried to make up an overall workout on the fly with the weights in the classroom.

I ended up doing 3 rounds of:
-10 "dragon" curtsy lunges with 10Lb (both sides)
-20 deep squats
-10 bicep curls (18Lb bar)
-20 one legged deadlifts  2 X 10 Lb dumbells (both legs)
-10 squats + side leg raise (both sides)
-20 clean and presses (18Lb bar)
-20 bent rows (18Lb bar)
-15 bird dogs (each side)
-15 back leg raises (from hands and knees)
-5 ab/pushup combo: 2 full pushups + 2 planked knee to opposite elbow (both sides) + 2 spider pushups (1 each side) + 2 planked sides knee to elbow (both sides)

Than I hopped on the performance program of the elliptical for 25 minutes and called it a day. Just wanted to log before I got busy...Gotta run. It's gonna be one of those days...
Later taters.

spin

This morning was spin class. Our old awesome bootcamp instructor was back for a sub for the guest class...missed her. Fun but evil...she had us do all these things with crouching and hamstrings on the bike that...well, that made my bum sore. Solid sweaty workout. She even did 5 minutes of abs at the end as a bonus. She will be working at a new fitness place downtown that will have bootcamps. I miss her bootcamps. I may have to sign up for them...I love bootcamps and functional fitness classes...there aren't enough of them in town...

And then at coffee someone at work gave us each a yummy hand made belgian filled chocolate....the kind that make you swoon. So very good. I refuse to turn down that. I can ignore cookies and other things but a high end belgian coffee buttercream filled dark chocolate? Divine...

Last night I made up some multigrain nut muffins in my head with Red River cereal and they turned out great. I will have to make them again. Healthy and tasty...yum.

repititions

This weekend was strange but good. Lots of relaxing and celebrating and a bit of sewing too. Even saw a movie or two. J's show aired it's first episode friday night...we celebrated with mead and cupcakes (chocolate irish creme with coffee buttercream...I outdid myself this time). So proud of him. He's working so hard and it's so cool to see his hard work pay off. :)

This morning I crawled out of bed and came in to workout and plopped into the spin and sculpt class. It was a solid workout, but it kind of annoyed me. This sculpt class was lots and lots of reps of movements...which drives me nuts sometimes. I just plain don't enjoy when I have to do 100 of something in a row. My form starts to suffer and in the end I can't do everything I'd like to because my muscles just can't do that many reps of something. Why not variation? And by variation I don't mean change in rhythm of how I move my limbs in a bicep curl - I mean other things....or cycles of things, where I end up doing the exercise, say, twice for less time? Why do I have to curse the instructor's family, heritage and soul as I struggle to keep moving? In the end I'd get more done and hate it less. Don't get me wrong - I'll still do it. I just won't enjoy it as much. I just wonder what the mindset is behind it...

Anyways. I should get busy.
Later taters...

Lightbulb moment

I was reminded again this morning of the power of 3 little words: do it now.

They can transform your life. Even for chores you hate and little things to be done...what to do with your stuff when you're finished. Just take 2 seconds and put them away. You'' be glad to not do a lot at once later and you'll actually know where things are then too!

Even with a morning workout. A tough one. DO you whine? do it half assed? Think you'll "do better tomorrow"? I used to...but I've come to realise that a lot of life is living in the present. It *IS* life. And all of it, even the parts that make me uncomfortable, need to be done, not ignored or shrugged off in a half assed way. When I get up at 530 to workout I am not going to cheat myself. If I was going to do that I might as well have stayed in bed and gotten a bit of sleep instead...

This AM was spin and sculpt. I focused on maintaining strong movement. Keeping good form. Dropping down a set of weights if I had to but not quitting and not doing a half assed job. It was hard for some, as I'm still stiff from wednesday, but it was a good class. And now it should be a good rest of the day. J and I both have a free night and so we may (joy) get to spend it together. Doing what? Who knows...we may end up just falling asleep early, but at least we can have a night off together.
Meep.

alarming

This morning my alarm didn't go off. Now I am unsure if I may have turned it off in my sleep (which would be troubling to say the least) but regardless, I woke up 2 minutes before I usually catch the bus. So I was a bit late today. Still though, got up and ready as usual, just caught the next bus 30 minutes later. I figure consistency is the key, and even tho I didn't make spin class, I did still get in with plenty of time for a 35 minute elliptical workout on the performance hill setting, going full out to some high BPM dance music. I still had a decent workout so I'm pleased enough. I am rather stiff in my shoulders and leggy bummy bits form yesterday's pyramid workout (well more of a one sided pyramid really...just sounds cooler than a "hill compound" workout) so it's a good level of workout for the day I think.

I tried something new with my protein shake. I figured if instant coffee was good, why not try some matcha powder. And...well...I dunno. It wasn't bad...but I didn't love it either. As J would say "I'm forgainst it"...think I'll try it once more to try and decide. Seems a shame to waste matcha powder on this if it's not anything to get excited about.

Last night I just relaxed. My friend who had heart surgery has had trouble with his heart beating irregularly so he's been flown back in here from where they live up north for a few days. He and his wife (one of my oldest and dearest friends) are exhausted, so I haven't gone to visit yet now that things are more settled. Sometimes you need just time together as a family, and I don't want to intrude. I remember when mum was in the hospital sometimes I just wanted the well intentioned friends to go away so I could be with my family...I've just asked them to let me know when they want a visitor and I'll wait patiently. It's been a tense few days for them trying to get him stable. Thankfully after a few electric shocks (eep) they got his heart beating normally again (down to ~90 bpm from over 200!), but he'll be in for observation and rest for a few days before they let him go home again. Scary. Makes me hug my J more lately and be grateful for my health. While on the elliptical today I tried to get my heart rate up as fast as I could and it still, according to the machine, never got above 168...I can't imagine over 200...especially after just having a heart valve replaced...yes. I am grateful in so many ways for my health...

I'm feeling pretty zen at the moment. J had to work all night so I did a few chores but mostly I just lined up all the different fabrics i had for ideas to make bellydance stuff. No inspiration came so I listened to music and watched cooking shows and futzed around until bed time. Right before bed I got my poster reviews back form my old MSc supervisor....She (*shock and amazed*) liked them. Minimal edits.

*smug mode*
:)

Time for another day. I am grateful.

pyramid schemes

I slept hard... like a brick last night. I don't even remember J coming home from work at night...usually I wake up to talk...last night I was dead to the world... It actually took a bit to mentally figure out what my alarm *was* this morning...but thankfully I crawled from the fluffy duvet and quickly figured it out :)

Came in for a sculpt class - it was a pyramid workout. I like them. Progressive repetitions of reps of the following, adding one item every round through:

-10 pushups

-10 forward lunges (each leg)

-10 squat woodchoppers (each side)

-18 bicep curls

-20 squats (some rounds had extra pulses at the end...killer)

-20 tricep extensions

-something that I can't for the life of me remember (?!seriously I got nothing?!)

-18 shoulder presses

-18 upright rows

-20 plank oblique crunches each side.

Then we finished it off with some planks and bicycle crunches and a good stretch. Solid. I find I can do more with more weight and focus on my form with this kind of workout, since there's not a zillion of something all at once. In the end I I ended up doing 100 pushups today! I sweated...I know it was tough. I have a feeling those woodchoppers are gonna make me stiff tomorrow...

Last night I had time to make good veg chili with cornbread for supper and some muffins and mexican chicken bean soup for my lunches for the rest of the week, so I'm feeling back on track.

Today is a bit of a rest day compared to the last few. Just gonna take it easy and see where it takes me.

I'm sure there's lots just waiting :)

Have a great day!!

All the to the park. All to the park...

Ha HA!
I am done my 3 poster drafts and my journal article draft. They are in for proofing by appropriate gurus and godesses and now I can relax and do other things while I wait for the red ink to flow :)

I'll take it. After a crazy few days it's a nice feeling. I'm nomming on some homemade cornbread, listening to old Wax Mannequin albums, sipping some glorious Chinese green tea and feeling rather proud and contented. I will do a tiny bit of sewing I promised a friend to put her bellydance belt together for her to sew things onto, and then...well...then I sleep!



"...all of the time....all of the time..."

Mee hee.
*grin*
Night taters!!

quick one

Fast post to log -I must run.
Worked all weekend.
In for spin class plus some ab bonus.
Must dash.
See ya!

Clocks are not working today

Yesterday I attempted to have a kick-ass day that got derailed by the end...but I tried! Got up early for spin class, then to the farmer's market, fabric store and for a haircut before coming home to lunch with J. Felt great.. After a nap though what was supposed to be a quick few hours of work helping him build a set took much much longer... until 830 PM...so we didn't eat supper until 930. Because we were so tired and hungry it was a giant plate of cheese tortellinis...not  the healthiest but at that point I didn't care what I ate. I was starving and tired. Then I tried to work on MY work which I wanted to do, but didn't do much before I fell asleep at my desk and gave up for the day.
Today was more of the same. Got up early and went in to help J again...but due to ridiculous life events and such, instead of getting home at 11 AM to work all day on my stuff again, like yesterday, there were delays. I just got home now...at 2 PM. And so I am almost 2 days behind on my deadline of crazy work.
GARGH.

His set looks awesome though.

I am inhaling some steamed vietnamese pork buns from the market and getting down to work to try and get some work done...

I have until 7 to get some serious sh*t done. Then I have to go back and help him again.
Oh lordy. I hate weekends like this.
Here we go...