Next time... use superglue

Well my idea of keeping my fingers crossed in attempts to not getting sick was unsuccessful. Next time, I will have to superglue my fingers so they stay crossed... Wait, I have already done this once before! Ha, in first grade, two of the neighborhood kids and I were playing outside and we found a tube of something and the next thing I know, I am inside wearing mittens on a snow day because my fingers were super glued together! True story. Yes, I did get hit with whatever is going around and yes it took me down for the count. I ended up with a 102.8 temperature on Thursday evening and have battled a fever ever since. It amazes me how hard your body has to work to fight something off like this. I am exhausted and I have barely been able to do normal everyday activities let alone get a good workout in. I thought that hitting the gym for a good cardio session was a fabulous idea to "sweat it out". It worked, I had one down pour of a sweat going, but I think it had just kicked my fever into overdrive. Oops. But hey, its Monday (and Valentines Day at that) and I am pushing forward with my SuperWoman cape on. Tell all those who you love that you do in deed love them and enjoy today!

A pug with her SuperWoman Cape on!

xoxoxo,
J

Keeping my fingers crossed!

What an awful way to wake up... It was 2:30 am and I woke up coughing with a stuffy nose and an aching in my chest. I still had an hour to sleep so I dozed off before being rudely awakened by my alarm. Man do I hate that sound! Usually I am up and at em, buzzing around the house before getting my a.m. cardio in but today was NOT one of those days. It took me 5 times of hitting snooze and then proceeding to chuck the alarm across my room before peeling myself out of bed. I felt/feel like poo. I popped a couple Advil along with my pre-cardio vitamins and hit the elliptical. Now by no means was it the best workout BUT I did not talk myself out of it nor did I allow myself to snuggle in my bed and go back to sleep for an hour. I can not be sick. There is no if's, and's, or but's about it! End of story! Sooo packed some extra vitamin C and stopped off for cough drops and the day must go on.

I was trying to solve all the worlds problems the other day when I was running on the treadmill and this thought crossed my mind. Beyond the finish line there is always a new race, so never stop running. (Originally this is a quote I had heard but I applied it to this journey). I will make it to the stage in 7 weeks then again a couple weeks later but then what? What comes next? Do I stop training and dieting or do I switch gears to something else? For those of you who wonder what the answer is.... it is N-O. This is not an easy sport that I have committed too but I will tell you that I am addicted to the lifting, to the amazing self-discovery, to the mental toughness that I have developed, to the voice in my head whispering "just one more, one more minute, one more repetition, one more mile, one more percent...." For me, there is always going to be that 'One More' factor that will push me until my good is better and my better is best.

Almost 7 weeks out... Keep training :)

Ciao for now,  J

Jogging in Stilettos

And I survived... Back from Vegas and for the most part I am in one piece. I made it through security with my cooler, although the main security guy got a kick outta the fact that I also had a pair of heels in my cooler (not enough room in my suitcase) and made a few wise cracks that I had cold feet (even though it wasn't my bachelorette party and I was not the one getting married). The trip was a success and I followed my diet/exercise plan for the most part, getting up Saturday am with my sister and hitting the gym first thing for cardio then walking the Vegas strip about a million and a half times. No, its not the same as getting in some sprint work but walking (and at times running) in Stilettos is a killer calf workout so I am going to count it! I am not happy about how the diet went while away for the fact I missed a couple meals and I ended up getting sick from my cheat meal (total bummer)! The girls who I was with are such an amazing group of women and they had my back to say the least! Even when the group of creepy Australians tried to pet me, they were ready to throw some bows...

One of the conversations from the weekend that really hit home was with my sister. She told me that she was proud of me and what I was doing and also said that she can't believe the amount of self control I have. I have to admit, it does amaze me the lengths we will go to in order to achieve what we want. I don't see these little instances, or events in which I am dieting as a restriction to what I do. Sure the event might be a bit nicer if I could share in a drink, or even just a hamburger (without getting sick). I know that this whole process is worth the hard work and effort, and anyone who has been around me, and has shared a 'cheat' meal knows that I can chow down like the best of them.

In Vegas with my Sister

J

Do work!

Wow what a whirlwind 2 weeks it has been. Some good and some well, not soo good but I am back and ready to attack! I have a great story to share from Sunday and I know yall will appreciate this especially those who have been on low to no carbohydrates.

Sunday was crazy busy. Started at 7 am with dragging Stella around my apartment complex (no I was not literally dragging her but her max amount of cardio is about 500 feet there and back) and a scoop of protein powder in the shaker with pre-cardio vitamins. 8:15 at the gym for 45mins of cardio before sprinting out the door, still sweating to pick up a girlfriend and her daughter to sign them up for the gym! Yay, she just had twins and is all signed up to get back into shape, very proud of her! Next, drop them off and race home to quickly shower and pack meals for the day before jetting out the door to Costco. I felt like a New York Taxi driver at Costco weaving in and out of carts and people standing in line for cookies and bagel bites while I had salmon and asparagus on the brain. Completed the Costco run in about 20 minutes, loaded up my car and hit the road for Save Fitness Practice. Practice was awesome! Our team Image Consultant presented about quick and easy hairstyles you can pull off after gym sessions... Let me tell you, Dry shampoo and headbands have become my best friend! After posing practice, I skated back home to start food prep for the week and with a friends help we did better than Rachel Ray in the kitchen and I will show Emeril BAAMM. I had the oven and George Foreman going while she had the stove top and several batches of Broccoli steaming. Hey, we only set the smoke alarm off 3x in the matter of 45 minutes, not half bad! Throw all the food in the fridge or freezer and head to the gym for round 2. 30 minutes of Cardio, attempt to not look like a hurried gym rat and back in the car I go to meet a team mate for a cheat meal! This is where it gets good...



Stella after her walk.. Yep, sleeping while sitting up



We both had cheat meals, mine at 6pm and hers at 7:30pm so we compromised and met at 6:45pm. On my way there, she called to check my status and I kindly asked her to have an appetizer ready. Both of us had been depleted on carbs and lets just say our "sweet" side was starting to show. We ordered mozzarella sticks and asked the waiter to put a rush order on them in addition to her chocolate milkshake. Mouth's full of cheese sticks, we ordered a black and blue steak sandwich (with fries of course!) and a mushroom/swiss burger. The food came, we devoured like it was going out of style and the waiter just looked at us. Not sure what his thoughts were at this point but we decided to split a piece of peanut butter ice cream pie. The ooey gooey goodness was fantastic and the waiter's true thoughts were finally revealed. Just before placing the bill in front of us he asked, "Is there anything else I can get for you chubsters?" Bahaha we looked at him and my team mate offered him tickets to her gun show (she had a short sleeved shirt on). He said he was impressed to say the least and wondered how he could gain muscle himself. Nothing beats a big ol' cheat meal and a couple compliments from a gentleman.

The 5 D's of Life

At the end of the week, all I can think about is sleep and well... more sleep. My body hurts from the full week of workouts, am and pm cardios, not to mention I am mentally drained from the food prep, the lack of sleep, the stress from work, and all the bricks life throws at my head. Most of the time I am pretty quick on my feet and can implement the 5 D's... Ya know: Dodge, Dip, Dive, Duck, and Dodge. This week however, the wrench hit me smack upside the head just like in the movie.



 We all have em... Weeks that seem to drag on or in this case fly by but nothing went right. In fact, things seemed to go WAY wrong and all I could do was try to stay afloat. I am always worried about my progress and my success with workouts and eating on a daily basis and in this case, in the middle of a no good awful week, I am stressing.

Dun-da-da-daaaaa..... Batman and Robin to the bat mobile! I trained alongside these gentlemen this week as well as our new found friend, BoneCrusher aka. B.C. for short. B.C. is a power lifter that caught my eye in the gym a while ago when I saw him squatting solo with 6 plates (each side) on his back.. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor and wipe the "deer-in-the-headlights" look off my face. He's pretty rad and has added a lot of character to our daily gym time. Anywhoooo back to training... I will say that I amazed myself this week with the help of the boys. I was able to lift MUCH more than I thought I could in every single lift I executed. One of the things that shocked me the most was the sled...Now mind you, I tell Batman and Robin pretty much everyday that "I don't think I can lift that" as I get the infamous "You are full of crap" look. We loaded the sled up with '3 wheels' on each side and I managed a set of 8 followed by a set of 6. This is 270lbs! Yep basically I pressed a Bears Offensive Lineman! 

What I took away from this week especially when I had a hard time keeping things together is that when the going gets tough, I am tougher and it is ok to ask for help. 

Ciao for now,  J 

Chuck Norris Approved

In the small gym at my apartment complex, round 1 of cardio starts at 3:45am. Since it is early (and most everyone and their mom is snuggled in warm cozy beds) the main office is not open. No big deal except, the remote to the 1980's TV is held hostage and so I get stuck watching whatever channel the last person in the gym watched.. Yesterday was Sports Center, not soo bad but today started out with an infomercial for the NINJA Blender. Now when I think of ninja, I'm thinking like Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris.

Side note- My dad loves to go to Costco before Christmas and do all his shopping in one trip, which basically means you are bound to get some... lets say... Unique gifts. This year I opened my first present and it was a NINJA. I glanced at my dad with a confused look as my mom is saying "open it J and see what it REALLY is." Dad comes back with "No no it is true to the box, it is a NINJA. They had it on demo at Costco and it looked like you J."

Ok so have you ever watched an infomercial for its entirety? Those suckers can actually get ya hooked if your not careful and the next thing I know, I'm dripping sweat on my hands and knees trying to dig the NINJA out from under my bed... Only problem is is how am I going to use it unless I wanna have turkey and broccoli smoothies? Uhh...no thanks.

Ciao for now,  J

Almost 9 weeks...

Met with Pete da Man yesterday and received the new diet plan... Umm salmon and asparagus at 7am!! My stomach is doing more flips than an Olympic gymnast already! Not to mention double cardios which means I am getting up at 3:30am...Wait, is this even considered morning or is it still night time? Yep, its all worth it BECAUSE he still gave me a cheat meal! Woot Woot, Holla at cha girl! (Pretty excited if ya wouldn't tell).



Almost 9 weeks Out

Ciao for now,   J