Fun and Not So Much Fun

Whenever I ask my husband if he wants the good news or the bad news, he ALWAYS chooses bad news first.  So, let's start with the "not so much fun" first. 

Yesterday was "Jacked Up Thursday."  My cardio/HIIT workout was as follows:

30 seconds jumping jacks
15 seconds plank jacks
30 seconds jumping jacks
30 seconds rest

Repeat 5 times


It is during the cardio workouts that I really feel what poor physical shape I am in. This workout didn't sound like much, but it wrecked me. To be fair, maybe it wasn't all on this particular workout. Wednesday, I did an intense ab workout, by Thursday afternoon my ab muscles really began to complain about the prior day's treatment. You know the soreness...it is uncomfortable, but it does feel a bit like a badge of honor for the workout you did. However, when your abs are already sore the extra (I don't know how to put this delicately) let's call it ."flab" flopping around creates a much more painful jumping jack situation. I was probably 15 seconds in when I realized I was in serious trouble.

 

There was no way in my mind I could endure it for the full workout. Thankfully, my trainer agreed after the first set to let me do a line hopping move I'd done previously. Sadly, it was still quite difficult from a cardio standpoint, but not as painful. Thirty seconds seemed like an eternity every single set. 

Sorry there are no pictures of the "plank jacks" - there was a wardrobe malfunction and no one needs to see my hiney peeking out. Anyway, plank jacks are done in the plank position. Then hop your feet out to the sides and back in (like horizontal jumping jacks). They were hard and my toes kept slipping on the wood floor. Maybe it would have been better on carpet. I did my best, but it was not pretty. 

It turns out sometimes I get mad when I am working out and I vent. My poor trainer might need earplugs. Full disclosure - there was a post workout pity party complete with tears. Strength training makes me feel more empowered and cardio makes me feel like a failure because I am so out of shape. Gasping for breath and feeling every part of me jiggle seriously makes me feel bad about myself. I know it is a phase that I am going to have to power through and I will, but this is where I am with it at the moment.

What I really need is a way to improve my cardio without really doing cardio....let's see what my trainer has to say about that. Ha!

This morning was one of those fun workouts. A couple ladies from my fitness friends group decided to "meet" for an early (5a!) walk.  My walking buddies were fellow bloggers Desiree and Meg. Louisiana, Michigan and Illinois represented.  Heat and humidity represented. We started up a group text and away we went. My husband got me set up to voice text which definitely helped.

First a pre-workout selfie. Ninety percent of selfies I take have a glasses and no glasses version. With glasses or without?  

It was a bit surreal to be "walking" with friends hundreds of miles away. Not quite the same as actually walking together but close.

I think these blue lights are to show support of police officers. It is a nice idea, but for some reason I have always found blue lights to be a bit creepy. I don't know why, I just am weirded out by them.

Speaking of creepy, there is a little stretch of the loop with no houses because of a bit of a ravine. I am always on alert that someone could jump out of the bushes/woods there. And where does this "sidewalk" lead?  I think I will never know...not getting any closer. 

About 2/3 of the way through the walk my husband called to say he was finished at the gym and was walking to meet us.  Millie was so happy with my husband because I was a big ol' meanie and left her home. (too hard to walk, text, take pics and mind her.)  She was not happy with him, however, when they turned back for home and I went around another block or two.

Now I remember why I like morning walks so much.

 

Bunnies and squirrels were everywhere. Some even hanging out together.

  Look who is waiting in the window.  She forgave me pretty quickly :)

2.3 miles done. Here is a a little perspective on the humidity and the power of getting your sweat on.... (notice my "who-hair" in the before pic - in the second pic it flattened by sweat).

I can't wait to walk with these ladies again!  


I almost ended a blog post without any food pictures...gasp!  These two pics pretty much sum it up - repeats. For some reason the kale I bought this week does not wilt down much. Basically looks like I am having a breakfast salad...not necessarily a bad thing.

Lasagna again. I still like it, but I am a variety girl. The veggies this time were odds and ends - beans, asparagus, cucumbers and peppers. This particular meal was eaten instead of me ordering pizza with the work group. I felt good about that decision because this weekend we have a couple celebrations  (a birthday and a graduation) and I am not sure exactly what I will be eating for those. This gives me a little more wiggle room and less stressing.

On a final note:  I am SUPER proud of my husband. He just finished a 3 month exercise program - it is some seriously intense HIIT and strength training workouts. This morning he did the "final exam."  He had to do the following in less than 25 minutes to pass:  10 push-up burpees, 10 dumbbell squats, 10 inverted rows and 10 Russian v-up twists - repeated 12 times!!! He finished in 18 minutes 46 seconds!! I can't even begin to fathom that. I am ridiculously proud of that guy. For his celebration dinner he has requested homemade pizza. Let the pizza grilling begin :)

I am so ready for the weekend...what do you have planned?

Anyone?

I know I am obsessed with my sweet potato hash breakfast. Who knows how many times I have mentioned it here or on Facebook. But I am going to keep harping on it until someone tells me that they tried it. Seriously, how can you resist that place of yum?

This week I used the kale from the market. I admit I haven't been on the kale bandwagon and it is probably no longer a thing, but here I am trying it out in place of spinach. The chicken breast was sprinkled with cajun seasoning (this time C'mon Man) and then grilled. It is super easy to cook a couple extra pieces of chicken at dinner and then keep them in the fridge to use throughout the week. I simply microwave the sweet potatoes. Again, you can cook and cut them up in advance, so they are ready for a quick and easy breakfast.

Like all the leafy greens a huge bunch of raw kale cooks down to pretty much nothing. So keep heaping it in. I used about 3 cups to get this much in my hash.

Please excuse my pan - I promise it has been scrubbed clean a hundred times - that white inside surface stains terribly.

The kale maintained a chewier texture than spinach, which I liked. I didn't think it was as flavorful as the spinach.  Ultimately, it is pretty much a wash for me and I would use whichever is available. So have I convinced anyone to try it??

I have begun working on a baked version of the pumpkin oatmeal I mentioned in my last post. This morning, I made "muffins'.  I found a baked oatmeal recipe that called for bananas for which I subbed canned pumpkin.  I added ground flax seed to the recipe because my husband wants to be sure to get his Omega-3. The recipe called for an egg and baking powder to hold everything together and to give it a bit more rise and "muffininess." I am not going to mislead you and say they were exactly like muffins, but they were good and definitely an improvement texture-wise for me. My taste buds were calling for raisins, but I want to keep the sugar down.

First attempt recipe for 6 muffins (approx. 108 calories per muffin)

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp baking power
1 tsp cinnamon
1 chopped apple (I left skin on)
1 Tbsp ground flax seed (not pictured)

Mix everything together and divide among 6 muffin cups. Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes. The batter is thick and I just piled it in. They don't rise much so there is not a big overflow issue. Not the most beautiful because they don't rise like normal muffins.

My husband actually really liked them so I am sure we will be making them ahead for breakfasts and snacks. There will probably be a few other tweaks along the way. I'd like to try blueberries instead of apples. I am tempted to do half banana and half pumpkin, but I do like that pumpkin is about half the calories of banana.  Again, I am trying to reduce the sugar in my diet so pumpkin is better there too.

Double Light Recap

Monday night was tough. There were push ups - knee assisted push ups (girl push ups).  I managed three in the first circuit and 3.5 the second circuit. I really wanted four that second circuit, but couldn't make it happen. Next time...unless my husband has mercy on me and never schedules them again. So yeah, next time.

The inverted flys were harder than I expected and my muscles ached more from those than anything else. I used my two pound hand weights. I don't think it was the weight as much as the motion my body is not used to making.

Bench Squats - I don't think I am ever going to say I like squats, but I liked using the "bench" (in my case the couch with the rolled yoga mat on top of it.) The idea is for my butt to touch the "bench" when I squat. I have a hard time telling if my squat is deep enough and having a physical target to aim for is quite helpful. Apparently, I am not keeping my body straight enough (too much waist bending). It is hard for me to feel that, so I might have to head up to the wall of mirrors at the gym one day and watch myself. I am quite certain there are MANY more squats in my future so I need to be sure I am doing them correctly.

Tuesday was cardio. The workout out itself is very simple, but I obsessed about it all day because I knew it would be difficult for me. For the record, I hate that 30 straight seconds of cardio scares me. The concept was simple - 30 seconds X hops, short rest, 30 seconds lateral hops, short rest, 30 seconds X hops (opposite foot in front) - see abbreviated version in video below. I am not entirely sure if you are supposed to have short rest between the 30 second exercises or if my husband put them in so I didn't have a heart attack.

Then the entire circuit is repeated three times with about a minute between circuits. I admit, it was super hard and I was huffing and puffing like it was my job. I am not the most coordinated and got off balance a few times. I would not have finished without my husband - I was not going to let him down. Personally, I would have quit.

To a very serious subject. I am really struggling with the physical of these workouts, but more importantly I am struggling with my emotions. I am not proud to admit that my poor husband has his hands more than full with my meltdowns. Last night I asked him to record my feet doing a quick demo of the three types of hops. In my head it was perfectly clear, but I guess I didn't express it clearly. He stopped the video after each type of hop.  We finally got on the same page and got them all recorded together. Then he showed me the video and I completely lost it. It was showed my entire lower body. Like others, I am sure, I am SUPER self conscious about that lower stomach area....and it was AWFUL on video. I was completely horrified. I was upset that we had to redo the video again (NO WAY was I posting the other one). I was tired already from just demoing the workout - I hadn't even gotten to the doing the actual workout!  My poor unsuspecting husband was caught in the crossfire of my frustration and humiliation. Yes, there were tears again. It took awhile to get back to trying again (see video above). I can at least report that I finally got through the workout. Afterwards, my husband and I had a heart to heart talk. He is concerned that he is not the right person to "train" me. I get his point. We have a bond of trust that gives me the feeling of safety to express tough emotions and know that he still loves me. However, balancing that with being a good no-nonsense trainer is difficult when I need both. I know he is right that if I want this I have to do the work...and it will be hard. Truth is I know I have to do the work....but ideally, I just want the results without the work because it is SO difficult at this point. I am not giving up and I hope I can get my emotions in check so that he doesn't drop me as a client :) I can't do this without him. Any thoughts on how to get through this rough start and check my emotional side?

This is my first time really working with someone for workouts. In the past, I have just done my own thing - walking, swimming, etc. There is a definitely a different dynamic to have someone pushing (and encouraging) you each step. Since previous times have failed long term, I want to give this a real chance.

Disclaimer: I know I sound like a giant baby about this, but I am trying my best to be real about the process. I know from my own experience that this stuff does make people quit trying. If I can find a way to work through it and be successful, I hope that can inspire others to not give up.