FOOD:
Monday: 5 ounces apple (83), 15 ounces banana (391), cheese wrap (230), Fiber One cereal (120), 2 X Shakeology (280), 2 protein bars (360), 12 oz chicken tenderloins (330), Dove dark chocolate (42), 1836 total calories consumed, 3127 calories burned, 1291 deficit
Tuesday: 10 ounces apple (167), 13.6 oz banana (354), Cheese wrap (230), Fiber One cereal (120), Pistacchios (170), Shakeology (140), chicken tenderloins (110), Dove dark chocolate (42), 1333 total calories burned, 2599 calories burned, 1266 deficit
Wednesday: 5 ounces apple (83), 26.6 oz banana (693), 12 oz chicken (330), cheese wrap (230), Pistacchios (170), Shakeology (140), Dove Dark chocolate (42), 1689 total calories consumed, 3100 calories burned, 1411 deficit.
THURSDAY: 10 oz apple (167), Cheese wrap (230), Pistacchios (170), couscous (150), 2 X Shakeology (280), protein bar (180), 12 oz chicken tenderloins (330), Dove dark chocolate (42), 1549 total calories consumed, 3224 calories burned, 1675 deficit.
FRIDAY: 10 oz apple (167), Fiber One cereal (120), Cheese wrap (210), couscous (150), 2 Shakeology (280), 4 oz chicken tenderloins (110), Dove dark chocolate (42), 1079 total calories consumed, 2663 calories burned, 1584 deficit.
SATURDAY: 15 oz apple (250), cheese wrap (210), 2 ON protein shake (260), 1.5 oranges (92), CousCous (150), Shakeology (140), 2.5 oz chicken tenderloins (68), Dove dark chocolate (42), 1212 total calories consumed, 2479 calories burned, 1267 deficit.
SUNDAY: Shakeology (140), CousCous (300), 4 oz chicken tenderloins (110), cheese wrap (210), 5 oz apple (83), Dove dark chocolate (42), 8 mints (40), Pistacchios (170), 1095 total calories consumed, 2426 calories burned, 1331 deficit.
Calories consumed for the week: 1836+1333+1689+1549+1079+1212+1095 = 9793
Calories burned for the week: 3127+2599+3100+3224+2663+2479+2426 = 19618
Deficits: 1291+1266+1411+1675+1584+1267+1331 = 9825
9825 Total deficit for the week.
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My Dove dark chocolate comes with a saying. I'll be posting them in the weekly blogs now and again.
A smile is the best accessory.
Enjoy the small pleasures in life. This from a conveniently bite-sized individually-wrapped piece of dark chocolate.
Worry wastes wisdom.
MONDAY 9a Ann Zumba Michele
MONDAY Noon Agassi Lift Rachel
MONDAY 4:30p Cheyenne SET Kathy
MONDAY 6:00p Agassi Zumba Linda
MONDAY NIGHT: I am very disappointed in myself today. I did something very stupid. I was at Lift and I decided to go heavier for all exercises. So at the beginning for squats I put in 40 lbs, two 10 lbs plates on each side. I've done this weight before, first time unassisted loading and assisted unloading, and a few times unassisted loading and unloading. It was a bit heavy and I was having trouble lifting it and Rachel offered to help, and I decided to go for it myself, and heaved it up and back. It cleared my head but it missed my shoulders and went past my back. I have no idea how I got that bar off of me and safely to the floor. I am extremely lucky I was not seriously injured or that I didn't injure somebody else. Lessons learned: Don't have macho moments with weights and never ever refuse help. And Rachel's just about the most accepting, caring, and non-threatening instructor there can be. There's no reason to decline help, and I will never ever again decline anybody's help. I feel G-d was watching over me and this was a warning. Maybe I was going to seriously injure myself during boot camp and this was a warning sign to watch it.
The thing is is that I hate assisted loading, I feel I stick out like a sore thumb. And no one else needs assisted loading (oh, by the way, loading, getting the bar with weights from the floor over your head to the top of your back, right behind the shoulders.... assisted = someone grabs the bar and walks behind you and places it there while you grab it) because they never attempt a weight that challenging for them. And the legs can handle more weight than the arms, so there's positives for going heavy on squats and having assisted loading. But I hate it. So I'd rather stick with weight I can safely and easily load myself, even after that experience. I'd rather go down in weight than need to be helped with the loading.
So I have just one more Lift with Rachel before my hiatus, and she told me that I can try 40 again with her help next week and I told her I wouldn't be there next week and I asked her if we could go for 40 on Thursday and she said no. Her word is now gospel to me, along with the words of any instructor, so I'm going to go with whatever she says from now on.
I totally learned my lesson. I was irresponsible today and I am going to try my hardest not to let it happen again. More than hurting myself, I would be crushed if I hurt another person. I could have hurt Rachel who was right in front of me or the person behind me. See, there's pushing yourself and you then there's pushing beyond your limit, and I didn't know my limit today. I miscalculated. There IS a limit to my physicality. I just want to be really fit so badly and not be fat anymore.
I didn't majorly injure myself but I think I pulled a back muscle. If I lean back and to the left, I hurt, and I had to pull back some during Linda and only burned 395 calories today and I usually do 430-480. I think it'll be fine in a few days. I feel lucky and blessed and this is a lesson I will never forget.
TUESDAY 8a Ann TKB Michele
TUESDAY 10a Trop TKB Linda
WEDNESDAY MORNING: I didn't do all four classes I planned yesterday, skipped Anita B.'s Body Sculpt and Pam's TKB. I definitely pulled a muscle, but I think it's a small tear. It's on the lower left side. Hurts if I bend back or bend or rotate to the left (not to the right), so it's either the edge of the back or even the oblique. Doing a warm bath later today Wednesday with Epsom salts and skipping the BodyCombat. Going to try the TKB after all because I've been taking Ibuprofen and want to see how it goes. Cycle is easy to change the impact to almost nothing, so that's always a go, and I can try off the seat and go back down if it hurts, although bending forward there's no pain so I should be good at least cycling slowly. Zumba's always a go, it's the most modifiable "high impact cardio" there is, and you can go dancey instead of sporty when you're down and out. TKB there's a lot of leaning, zig-zags, and punches, so that's a tough one.
I pulled the muscle yesterday at noon. I went low weights during Kathy so I really didn't feel it there, but I felt during Linda and I had to slightly low impact and pulled in 395 calories or so instead of the usual 440 or so.
This morning during Michele's TKB I didn't feel it at all and had an all-out high impact class and it was awesome. Then I drove over to take Linda's TKB, and both were only an hour apart, and I was not able to go high impact the whole class because my back hurt. I tried stretching and it didn't help, got down on a mat and pulled my back up. Felt good but didn't do anything to make the class better. Burned 360 calories, so about 80 less than normal. I was surprised I burned that much for pretty much doing nothing the whole class. So I skipped the other two classes and slept.
Taking Ibuprofen (Advil) and it really does help. Since I only have one TKB it should be ok, and I really want to try Julie, she's a presenter for Powder Blue and those people tend to be wild and crazy and have wild and crazy classes. I hear hot baths work better than heating pads, so having two hot baths tomorrow with Epsom salts, first one after TKB and second one after Zumba and pill-popping Advils all day. There's no pill recommendation on the bottle, surprisingly, so I'm going with the industry standard of two every six hours. Lowers the inflammation.
Cancelled the Wednesday and Sunday BodyCombats (which I feel is not more high-impact per se, but it's harder on the body than TurboKick, which I'm not sure if it's a negative or a positive, and my body's more used to TKB so it responds more to BC right now, which is bad for a pulled muscle) and depending on how I feel tomorrow night might not go to Beth's SET and depending how I feel after Lift I may not try out Anita (first time). Pretty much taking it a class at a time, making a plan of what classes I would like to take but ready to drop what's needed. TKB and weights classes are really the only issue so other than Thursday I should be fine, going to go low on weights. Have to get rid of it by Monday so that I can go all-out on Boot Camp !!
Now that I hear how common pulled muscles due to lifting too much weight are, I don't feel so much down on myself anymore. Hey, it happens. I overestimated my ability, I refused help, I got hurt, I learned, I'll modify next time. Turn a negative into a positive. Allowing myself to be human.
WEDNESDAY 8a Ann Cycle Dallas
WEDNESDAY 10a Silverado TKB Nancy
WEDNESDAY 6:30p Craig Zumba Donalin
Went to try out Julie at Silverado but she had a sub. Great class. Back is A LOT better, doesn't hurt when I bend, twist, or go back now, taking 2 Advils every so often. Healing up fast and nicely. Compared to last week I've been taking it easy this week, skipping SET today and only doing four.
THURSDAY 6a Craig Cycle Kelly
THURSDAY 10a Agassi TKB Rachel
THURSDAY Noon Cheyenne Lift Rachel
THURSDAY 6:30p Craig TKB Anita
Back hurts more but is holding out. Now the OTHER side hurts, so I guess it's back to just the normal sore. I did the abs with Rachel's TKB since it was my last TKB with her until April but she did the same abs (brutal abs routine) for Lift and I skipped out, doing just crunches. My back felt it. Still Adviling it.
Yesterday when I had Nancy as a sub she went to the back for the first Turbo and I pretty much led it since I was front and center. No more freezing. I'm becoming comfortable with being in front of the class leading. Then today Rachel did the same and went to the back and sides for the second Turbo (she stayed in the front for the first one). I found out the instructor boss, the one that makes the decisions as to who teaches, was watching the Turbos. It would have made me nervous if I had known while it was going on. And I would have been nervous at my audition (when I perform a mini-class in front of her to see if I can be an instructor). But since I already know that she saw me doing the Turbos, I'm not fazed anymore. It was after the fact but it's like I already got over her watching me. So it was very good. Already got the jitters off, no need to have them anymore.
First and only injury in 8 months (knock wood) and mild at that AND got a lesson out of it, not a bad track record.
FOUR DAYS 'til boot camp!!
FRIDAY 8a Ann Cycle Dallas
FRIDAY 10a Trop TKB Beth
Back still hurts, but the back part of it, so I don't think it's the pulled muscle anymore, but just the regular back hurt. But now my right knee hurts, and the current TKB round is too high impact so skipping the TKB this morning and skipped Donalin yesterday to sleep and freshen up for boot camp. Two hours of cycle this morning, one hour tomorrow, and that's it for this week, 18 classes. Finish unpacking and burn some more calories.
So there was this cycle instructor who I took once in early December when I did my 24 classes, never took her again (Kerry). Finally decided to take Kellie (another cycle instructor) and we talked about me taking Kerry once. Then I added Kellie as a friend on Facebook and Kerry was on her friends list so I added her also, letting her know I took her class once in early December and I liked connecting with 24HF people on Facebook. That was on 2/21. I had been trying to get a sponsor for the $75 minimum donation for the 2-hour Ride 2 Recovery 24HF cycle event without success, and there's so many good causes I can't personally afford all of them. I had been trying for weeks to get a sponsor. Thanks to Kerry I found out on 2/26 that since I wasn't the only one put off by the high admission price, they were having low registration and opened it up to be able to participate with no donation. So I take her in early December once to build up classes and just because she has an early class, I decide to take another instructor I never take and we talk about her and they are friends on Facebook, I add her about two and a half months after I took her class, five days later she is the reason I am able to participate in an event I really wanted to do, and I'm supposed to believe there's no such thing as someone above orchestrating all this?
SATURDAY Ride2Recovery 2 hours Kerry and Pat, wife and husband. 9a-11a, Ann Road gym.
SUNDAY 9a Sahara Cycle Dallas
Some carry-over from Facebook:
And you can see my heart ... beating
You can see it through my chest
And I’m terrified ... but I’m not leaving
Know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger
-- Rihanna, "Russian Roulette"
I'd say that verse perfectly summarizes the last nine months of my life. Starting that Wednesday morning on 6/3/09 when they called to say that my dad was dead (perfect mental and physical shape, 69 years old, slipped down the stairs at home, hit his head, and died), to joining 24 Hour Fitness on 6/30/09 through the Internet in Venezuela, to coming back to the U.S. on 7/2/09, to my first day at the gym on 7/3/09, through two months of cardio and weights machines and home exercise DVDs, to starting Group X classes on 9/1/09 and continuing them through 2/28/10, to starting Boot Camp Las Vegas on 3/1/10, to coming back harder than ever on 4/1/10 and finishing it off with 24HF, Boot Camp classes, and BeachBody DVDs. I didn't do this journey, this journey happened to me. Each step revealing itself at the right time for me to take it. I'm not one of those that was thin and then gained weight and then lost it, been overweight/obese my whole life (mostly obese) and last time I was this weight I was like 10 years old or so. That's why when people ask me what finally made me choose to lose weight, I have no answer, because none of this was a choice. I know there's a purpose to all that has happened, to my whole life really, and all I have to do is wait and see what it is. Weight has been the least significant of all the changes I've gone through in the last nine months.
Russian Roulette by Rihanna
Take a breath, take it deep
Calm yourself, he says to me
If you play, you play for keeps
Take a gun, and count to three
I’m sweating now, moving slow
No time to think, my turn to go
And you can see my heart beating
You can see it through my chest
And I’m terrified but I’m not leaving
Know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger
Say a prayer to yourself
He says, close you eyes
Sometimes it helps
And then I get a scary thought
That he’s here means he’s never lost
And you can see my heart beating
You can see it through my chest
And I’m terrified but I’m not leaving
Know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger
As my life flashes before my eyes
I’m wondering will I ever see another sunrise?
So many won’t get the chance to say goodbye
But it’s too late to pick up the value of my life
And you can see my heart beating
You can see it through my chest
And I’m terrified but I’m not leaving
Know that I must pass this test
And you can see my heart beating
You can see it through my chest
And I’m terrified but I’m not leaving
Know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger
Giving back is why I want to be a Group X Instructor. But I would describe as more of a I HAVE to rather than I WANT to (even though I want to also, and I've gotten a bit of a taste of it from the trainings and I enjoy it). I want to give to others what GX has given to me.
And you know, there's two main changes I've noticed. People tell me how hard I work out, but I don't see it that way at all. I am just so happy that I can move and exercise and it feels so great and the more I can do the more I want. I can do things now I've never been able to do. And it really feels like a blessing each time I start a class. Each... See More day I can wake up and exercise is a good day. It just feels good. I view it as a priviledge to be able to exercise, as a treat. And I feel thankful whenever I'm able to, like I was given a gift.
The second is that through all of this I've faced many fears. Just fears we all have. The most recent is the fear of "performing" in front of people. I don't have that anymore. But it's not that you don't have the fear anymore, because fear is just an integral part of being human, it's rather that you get to a point in your life where you've gone through a series of experiences and you KNOW that fear will never again hold you back. You get to a point in time, get scared, look into yourself, go (in milliseconds) over everything that built up to that moment, and forge ahead, scared or not. You can't keep yourself from getting scared, but you can get over being scared. And that changes you profoundly.
SUNDAY MORNING: More Facebooking:
You know what's funny, this morning I was biking for wounded veterans and they had cookies and licorice in the cycle room, and at the end of the class I was next to the chocolate chip cookies talking to someone and we got to talking about the cookies. And a voice ran through my head, "How bad do you want it?" I.e. be thin or eat that cookie. But... See More cookies or any junk food at all don't do anything for me, they don't call out my name. In the past eight months I've eaten one large pizza and two Subway meatball subs and that's IT for "bad" food (and that was very towards the beginning). But I don't eat cookies (or anything else "bad") not because I have this burning desire to be thin. To tell you the truth, I don't even know why I don't. I keep track of #s because I like #s but this hasn't been about losing weight for the longest time. I don't know myself what it's for.
Drive? I have drive to go harder and faster, but I don't have a goal about WHY I'm going harder and faster, it just feels good to. So really I have no goal, I'm just enjoying a day at a time.
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The spinning event was awesome and I'm going to have to take Kerry when I come back. Still getting dizzy spells, this time I got dizzy while seated on the bike with my hands to my sides and had to grab on quickly, going to wait until I get the recovery drink and start taking a multivitamin and if THAT doesn't work, I'm going to the doctor.
The Monday injury I think is gone and now I'm back to just general back pain because of all the classes, but it's not TOO bad, taking 4 or so Advils a day. The right knee started hurting when I put weight on it around Thursday and hurt Thursday and Friday. During Beth's class I couldn't put pressure on it and Round 39 for TKB is very high impact so whenever I jumped I landed on my toes and that took the shock off the knee, but I skipped Sat's TKB because that Round is just too high impact for knee pain (and the ab section is just crazy for back pain, I stopped doing the abs section around Wednesday in Anita's class).
On Thursday's Lift dropped a dumbbell on my right index finger, still have a bruise, hurts if I put pressure on the bruise, no biggie. Hit somebody in the finger while I was flipping the bar to load it up on the other side. I'm kind of glad I'm skipping the gym for a month, scared of what might have happened next Monday.
I'm getting a lot more apprehensive about tomorrow, and I don't know why. Maybe even scared, although I'm not ready to label it that yet. They're going to work me to my limit so it's nothing I can't handle, but still. Reading Chalene Johnson's book Rock the House about how to be an instructor and learning A LOT from it, can't wait until I have my own class. The people seem really nice, though. I vacillate between apprehension and excitement. And I think a huge part of that is that I'm going to miss 24HF, and that in and of itself makes me want to scrap the whole thing, but there's no turning back now.
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SUNDAY NIGHT: Still have the jitters but it's all positive energy now, I can't wait until tomorrow. It's going to be a great experience.
See you next week. Debbie out.
