Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Weekly Updates 2/2/11 - 2/10/11

2/2/11: Great Day!
It was so nice outside today - 80 degrees, blue sky, pretty clouds. Too bad I was indoors most of the day catching up on housework stuff, painting and decorating.

I had a super leg workout tonight. I did some pre-exhaust sets and then quite a bit of single leg work. I like to add that in every so often. Not just for balance, but because it really keeps the heart rate up to have to basically do all of your sets twice.

Tuesday Workout Stuff:

AM - yoga 30 minutes

Afternoon - Dance 50 minutes

PM - Weights

Single Leg Exts - 45x10x4 each
DB Squat & Press - 15's x 6 x 2 (back felt funky, finished up with DB deads)
DB DL's - 15's x 15, 20's x 12, 25's x 10
Single Leg Squats - BW x 6 x 3 each
Single Leg RDL's (each leg) - 15's x 12, 20's x 10, 25's x 8
Bulgarians - 15's x 6 x 3 ea (first time I've been able to use weights in months without bothering my back)
RB Adductors - Blue x 15 x 3 each
Side Lying Leg Lifts - 25 x 12 x 3 each

Elliptical 30 minutes

It was an active day! I think I'll enjoy my day off tomorrow, besides the yoga and cardio thing.


Yesterday was good. Monday Workout Stuff:
Did 30 min yoga. Ran/walked 1.5 miles with Jake.
Then Chest workout:
BP 45x10, 65x8, 45x10;
DBBP 15's x 10, 20's x 10, 25's x 8;
Flyes 15's x 10, 20's x 6 x 2; Inc
DB BP 15's x 10, 20's x 10, 25's x 8;
Pushups (knees) 10x3;
DB Pullovers 15x10, 20x10x2.
Then elliptical while watching an episode of Dr. Who - so about 45 min. Prior to that I had done some pilates abs & glute work for about 30 minutes.

Weight is up today. We'll see how it goes the rest of the week. I do tend to go up a tiny bit around days 9-11, but not a whole lot.

~Darcie

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2/3/11: Weight's going up
Ah, the lovely battle with the scale! I've been eating great since Monday, done my workouts and cardio every day, and the scale is climbing. I'm up to 127.6 today. I'm not upset though. I know if I keep up the good eating and workouts and follow through for the next few weeks it will change direction. I have 9 weeks to lose 8 pounds. Once I get my groove on there'll be no stopping me :)

Today I did a bunch of garden work. Things are growing again out there and that makes me happy :)

On the schedule today is Back, and some cardio. Not sure what I'll do for that today. Maybe run down to the park with Jake and do some basketball. I hope no one else is down there, i love to let the dog just run around while we play. We had a huge storm last week and that dumb plane didn't budge. I think its gonna stay there unless we can get a cherry picker down there.

Last night I did 30 minutes on the elliptical, but that was the extent of my workouts for the day (besides AM yoga sesion). That's okay, it was my off day! :)

Today I skipped the yoga and went back to sleep. I only got about 4 hours last night and needed some more.

Ok, Jake's home. Gonna head out!

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2/5/11: A little jumpstart
This weekend I'm doing a protein / veggies / fruit plan to give myself a little jump start. I'm halfway through this first day and I feel pretty good about it - no headache or shakiness or moodiness. I wanted to post it so that I'd be more likely to follow through with it. Oh, and a little coconut oil for fat, or some olive oil on my salad - gotta keep some fat in there :)

Mentally I also feel great about how it is going. It's making me feel like I do have some control over my diet a little better. The first week of the challenge I didn't do well on the eating front. This past week I really improved although it wasn't perfect. But today I feel mentally ready to really dig in and eat clean.

This next week I'm going to eat as if I'm prepping for a contest. Then the week after when I'm boosting I'm going to relax the diet again for those 2 weeks. My overall goal will be to treat every buffing period as a strict contest prep, and I will follow through with that. :)

That's all! I cut my hair yesterday, just took four inches off the bangs so that I actually have some right now. Its kinda weird having them again, but I'll get used to it. I did my hair 60's style last night when we went out to dinner, that was fun. So I'm thinking maybe a 1960's themed photo shoot at the end of this contest.

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2/8/11: Great Start
My week is off to a great start! The 'jump start' worked well this weekend. I was 130.2 on Saturday morning (dinner out Fri night) and I was 125.6 on Monday - yay! My weight will probably go up a bit this week as I eat more cals and carbs, but not nearly as high as it was getting. My goal is to be under 125 by Sunday. Might happen, might not, but I'll give it my best!

Yesterday's eats were very good, and I got in a nice workout. And here is where I say - AGAIN - that I'm changing my routine. Just 2 weeks ago I changed it to be more relaxed. Well that gives me only one leg day a week and let me tell you my legs are getting squooshy. Not squishy as in fat, but squooshy as in my muscles are not nearly as hard. I like that hard quad feeling! So it's back to 5 days a week. The thing is, I really loved having an "arm" day so that on my other days of lifting I focused only on the big muscle. But that's not going to work. And if I do back/shoulders/bi's then inevitably I'm run down by the time it gets to bi's and they don't get done. So I'm going to try - chest/tri's, back/bi's, legs/shoulders. And my thought is that I'll do legs in the AM, and shoulders in the PM. Because everything with shoulders that I do can be done while watching a movie with the family. If I have time and energy i'll do it all at once. If not, I'll do shoulders at night. So let's see how that goes! Actually any of my days can go like that with the auxilliary stuff. I'm open to fitting it in however I can (except for early morning, I don't believe in "early" LOL)

Okay, onto the workouts.

Monday - Chest
BP
45x12,
65x8x2,
75x6,
45x10

Inc BP
45x10x3

DBBP
20's x 10,
25's x 10 x 2

Db Flyes
15's x 10,
20's x 8,
15's x 10

Abs - 20 minutes, various
Elliptical intervals, 21 min

Tuesday - Legs/Shoulders
Squats -
95x10,
115x8,
135x6,
155x4x2,
95x15

BB Lunges - walking - 5 forward, 5 backward
45x10x5
BW x 10 x 5

RDL's
95x10
115x8x2

Exts
90x8x3

Curls
25x8
30x8
35x6

Then tonight during Biggest Loser I'll do:
Adductor - Resist band (blue) x 15x3 ea
Lying Leg Lifts - 25x15x3 ea
Mil BB Press (behind)
DB Shoulder Presses
Lat Raises
Front Raises
SS Ellip

Today's eats started off bad, got better, got not so good, will end perfect! :)

Alrighty, I'm off to do something, probably get dinner ready. Have a GREAT evening.

~Darcie

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2/10/11: Booty Jiggle
Wow, I have some serious booty jiggle going on. I really need those lunges this week! Which, by the way, I totally spaced on yesterday. So I'm doing 200 today to make up for it.
Anyway, I was putting on some tanner because I am extremely pasty right now and when it got to doing my backside I was surprised at how... unfirm it was. I didn't think my pics were that bad at the beginning of the challenge, but I'm beginning to think I was slightly blinded to myself. That means it is time to get a little tighter than I have been. I haven't done great on the 'competition strict' eats this week, but they haven't been bad eats either beyond one small meal's worth (half a bagel and some snickers bite size). Weight jumped up right after my jump start, then it began dropping again, so I feel good about the direction I'm going. I just need to be patient and keep making those better choices.

Tuesday night I finished up my shoulder workout with:
Mil BB Press - 45x12x3
DB Sh Press - 20's x 8, 25's x 6 x 2, 20's x 8
Lat Raises - 15's x 10, 20's x 8, 25's x 6, 15's x 10
Front Raises - 15's x 8, 20's x 6, 25's x 4, 15's x 8
Then did Elliptical for 30 minutes, and abs for 25 minutes

Wednesday was Back/Bi's day:
Chin Ups (band assist) 4, 6; Pullups (band assist) 5, 6
Lat Pulls 55x6, 75x6x2
Cable Rows 75x6x3
BOBBR 45x10, 65x10x2
Rev Flyes 15's x 10, 20's x 8, 25's x 6
Rev Grip BOBBR 65x8x3
BB Bi Curls 45x8x3
DB Bi Curl 15's x 8, 20's x 6, 25's x 4
Conc Curls 15 x 4 ea (while in squat position)
Elliptical Intervals 20 min, plus 10ss
Abs- 10 min

Today is my day off! Yay :) I did Dance Central for 60 minutes today. Did all of the songs I've unlocked on hard, then did 3 more levels of new songs (breaking it down, then performing). That was fun! I wanted to do more but I needed to get in the shower and get moving on the day. Lunges only at 20 so far, but plenty of day to get them all in.

Ok, gotta go find some food. I'm hungry!

~Darcie

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Update 1/22 - 1/31

1/22: What Rest Day?
3 AM - blood sugar check since Jake took some insulin at bedtime snack

6 AM - wake Jake up for insulin and breakfast

11:00 AM - 3:30 PM - paint at grandparents house, up and down the ladder all day again.

3:30 PM - 5:30 PM - yardwork, paint mailbox, haul border stones around

5:30 to 6:00 - clean up, shower, get ready to head to parents house for dinner. i'm in my comfy fuzzy eyeore pants and fluffy robe - very dressy, hehe.

It has just been a non-stop day. My parents are getting pizza tonight. Yep, I'm eating it! Might as well get it out of my system because there will be no pizza during the next 10 weeks.

Tomorrow is stats & pics. I'm sure I'll be a puffy mess from the pizza and stuff (cheesecake last night). But that's okay, they're BEFORE pics LOL. It'll just make the afters look better :) .

Gotta run, time to chow down and relax and hang out after a long busy day.

~Darcie

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1/23- The Rally Room - SuperStar Success Challenge 2011 - Starting Stats:
Starting weight - 126.6. CD - 26
Shoulders (relaxed) 40 1/2
Chest 34 3/4 relaxed, 36 1/2 flexed
Waist 27 1/4
Hips 36 1/2
Thi Hi - 20 3/4
Thi Lo - 18 1/4
Calves 12 1/2
Bi's 10 1/2 relaxed, 11 flexed

Starting Thoughts:

1. Do you remember how great you both physically and mentally when you were at your peak physical condition? When was that?There are a few times I have been at my best physically. The first was after my initial online training with Michelle back in 2007. The most recent was this past Sept & Oct for my competitions.
Mentally I am at my best RIGHT NOW. I have been feeling great mentally ever since making the decision to get on stage. Jesus has totally been working in me these past few months - well actually he always has been, But I'm feeling it spiritually, mentally and emotionally. I love how I feel each day. I am thankful for each day.

2. List 3 specific things (solutions) you have to change about your current daily habits to attain results like that again?

More water. I am really lacking in water during this cold weather. I keep saying that and I need to make it happen.
Less treats. I need to make more of the healthy treats from my EFL book instead of going out for cheesecake LOL.
Have easy to make food on hand. If I can throw together a spinach tortilla or something easy I am more likely to eat healthy than if I have to make a more complicated meal.
3. What is your #1 goal for the next 10 weeks? What is the #1 solution you must stay focused upon in order to attain that goal?
My number one focus for the next week is to work on my abs. I really dislike ab work. I do it, but I feel that it is a waste of time and I will skip it to work other areas. While I generally have nice abs when I am lean I have never actually had the 6 pack look. That is what I want to work on. Solution? Just get it done. No excuses, just do it and move on.
Other Goals:
Work on my shoulders & arms still. I'm seeing some improvement
Lost 7 pounds - totally doable in 10 weeks
Raise the Titanic as Julie says! :)
Do all of that on a relaxed schedule of only 4 lifting days a week.

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1/24 - Day 1 SSS
Ok, Day 1 was not stellar. But it could have been worse :) I already posted my eats over in the clean eats challenge. Have I made it even one day clean yet on that? Ugh.

Today was another busy one.
Worked on some jewelry this morning.
Then headed over to grandparents to do touch up paint from what the rest of the family did on Sunday.
After two hours of that it was up to Lowe's for soil & mulch for all of the plants and pots we bought.
Then to the grocery store & meat market.
After that it was home to unload, put away, grab a bite to eat, then out to the yard. I planted and mulched for 3 1/2 hours today. Yesterday was about 2-3 hours. I can't even remember LOL. The yard is looking pretty though :)
After that it was clean up, eat dinner in about 1 minute, then up to the school for PTM.
Wish I was done but then once we got home I had to make the protein powder mousse pie so it would be ready when snack time hit me. Gotta be prepared!
Then I did my workout, and in between sets I loaded and unloaded (in reverse) the dishwasher.

Today was chest
BP 45x10, 65x8, 75x6, 85x2, 65x10
Inc BP 45x10x3
DBBP 20's x 10 x 3
DB Flyes 20's x 8 x 3
Resist Band Horiz Push Press - Red & Blue x 10 x 3

Was going to do cardio, but honestly after 3 hours of yardwork and all that other stuff I am beat. I'm boosting so I'll take the lifting workout and be happy with it. I will do some abs while we watch a show in a bit.

that's all. i'm off to relax a bit :)

~Darcie

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1/27: Birthday Weights
Ted & Jake got me a pair of 25# db's for my birthday. I am so excited! I have really missed those since I sold off my last set of db's a few years back. Ted has been very hesitant to get me weights for a gift - worried that it is like giving appliances (there was a tough lesson for him when he got me a vacuum our first Christmas. I had to set things straight if we were going to have happy holidays in the future LOL). But I told him I would LOVE weights for gifts. More than jewelry. So yay! I have some 25's again. I can't wait for Friday when I do shoulders/bi's & tri's. I've been wanting to use 25's for my lat raises and bi curls. The Kettlebell is just too awkward for those moves. And I'll probably work them in tomorrow for reverse flyes during my back workout.

Weight was up today. I ate clean yesterday so I'm sure it is the leg workout and the fact that CD2 came on very hard. Lots of bloat & cramps. Eats today were okay - they're over in the eats forum post and I'm too lazy to go get them :)

I relaxed most of the day. Went to Jake's basketball game - he scored twice so that was cool. Then came home, made dinner and got a huge craving for a birthday dessert. But nothing sounded good and I ended up eating oreos. Oh well. Jake & Ted got ice cream from the little ice cream place down the road. Actually the dog got a pup cup too. She goes crazy when we drive in there.

We watched The Expendables tonight which was extremely boring and stupid. I ended up browsing the app store on the ipad. Not even playing anything, just browsing the store, that's how bored I was.

Last night did Legs during Biggest Loser.

Squats 45x10x3. I felt my back twinge on the first set so I didn't even bother adding more weights. Just used it as warmup.
Deadlifts 45x10, 135x8x3, 1 set of db dl's 20s x 10
RDL's 135x8x3
Bulgarians BW x 10 x 2 ea
Exts 90x10x2, 115x10
Leg Curls 25x10x3
Resist Band Adductors - Blue x 10 x 3 ea
Lying Leg Raises 25x15x3 ea
Calf Raises 45's x 10, 20's x 10

Then the elliptical for an episode of Buffy, so about 40 minutes.

A little bit of dancing today for cardio but pretty laid back. It's my off day so I'm happy with that :)

Catch ya later!

~Darcie

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1/31 On to Week 2!
Last week was a bust. I was all over the place with workouts and eats - TOTALLY hormones. I did do my weights every day, but I think only 2 cardio sessions. Lets not even talk about the birthday cake. Ok, lets talk about it - 3 pieces, and I'm talking the corners with the big frosting flowers on them!! However, I'm feeling so good today and ready to attack it.

Got up and had my crockpot oatmeal and then did a yoga program that I streamed from Netflix. I generally don't do yoga stuff because I hate all the spiritual junk involved, so I'm picky about which ones I do. I have a sports yoga from the place I got my PT cert and I like that one. The one this morning was pretty good - mostly focusing on stretching which was exactly what I was looking for. I needed an easy wakeup and I have been so tight from all of the painting and planting last week. Then I cleaned up the kitchen and then fell asleep LOL.

Food is going okay. The actual contents have been great, its just that with the little nap and then the grocery trip i haven't gotten enough food in. It was breakfast at 6:30am and then lunch at 2pm. More of a gap than I'd like.

POA for the week:
Think I'll do the yoga-stretch program every morning

Mon - chest/abs/cardio - i think a run outside tonight.
Tues - legs/abs/cardio (ss)
Wed- abs/cardio
Thurs - Back/abs/cardio
Friday - Arms/cardio
Saturday - active rest
Sunday - active rest, maybe some ss ellip while watching a show (lazy cardio)

Yep, its a cardio week for me! I need to really step things up after my bad week last week. I'm also going to do some of the other streaming workout programs that I have in my queue. They're not really cardio, but they're not weights either. They're just...extras I guess. Gonna do the booty one this week :)

Ok, I'm off to check out the burlap coffee sacks that I ordered. Going to put them on my plant shelves and maybe frame some. I will put up pics soon of the new kitchen decor because if I wait til its done it may be next year LOL. I still want more metal wall art and some vintage coffee grinders for the plant shelves. But no $$$ to spend right now :) . So I'll at least put up pics of the new paint job and what I do have up.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Weekly(ish) Update ~ 1/13 - 1/21

Next Update! Probably the last one for today. Then tomorrow I will try to finish up through January. If the weekly thing goes well I will try to break it up into 2x/week and see if I can be consistent with that.
1/13: Eat, Eat, Eat & Be Lazy
This cold weather is making me eat too much. I just want to eat warm yummy stuff and not drink my water. I wouldn't be surprised if the scale read almost 130 tomorrow morning. I know its not real pounds, I was just 125 yesterday, but still !!! It's got to stop. So my goal tomorrow is to eat clean. I've got the stuff here, I'm just not interested in it.

I also skipped my arm workout yesterday and haven't done it today. I think I need to make my off day on Wed, and move wed stuff to Thurs. I keep running out of energy on Wednesdays, its a busy day for us with Jake's basketball and stuff. I may even still get the arm workout in tonight, so I'm not totally writing that off. But no cardio today either. I wanted to be a complete slug and just snuggle.
I did go to the new bingo place with my mom today. I thought that would be fun. The last time I played was about 15 years ago. They opened up a little bingo place about 5 minutes from my house so we checked it out. The problem is I can't take the cigarette smoke. My eyes were all dry and I felt dehydrated after about 20 minutes in there. My throat was so sore. It was odd too because last time I played we had paper sheets and ink daubers to mark them. The ones today were the old style cardboard boards and chips. If you bought more "cards" you got an electronic thing, but I didn't want to spend that much money. We stayed about an hour and it was fun, but can't take the smoke. Neither of us won, but we did come close a few times. Too bad they don't have any non-smoking hours or days.
Okay here it is again. Tomorrow's goals:
Eat clean! No treats at all. Not even a piece of chocolate

Workout! Get in some good cardio and and upper body workout

Drink water! Add some herbal tea to help meet the quota, stay warm inside :)

Alrighty all, have a great night :)

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1/15: Revamping my plan, Again
k, I've decided I need to pull back a bit on my workouts for a few months. All too soon I'm going to need to hit it extra hard for summer competitions so a little break will be good. For the next 2 months I'm going to drop down to a less intense schedule. Monday Chest, Tuesday Legs, Thursday Back, Friday Arms. Right now I'm working out 6 days a week, hitting each part twice a week. Moving to four days a week and only hitting each part once will give me more down time and more recovery time (physically and mentally). And more importantly i won't feel burned out when it comes time to get serious.

I'm proud to report I did great yesterday on my eats. No treats at all. If anything I did fall short a meal due to taking a really long nap in the afternoon. But I feel good about how i did. The scale was nice too and the fluff pounds were gone. I'm back down to 125.6. And I'm going to run with Julie's idea about another clean eats challenge. I know many of us are struggling so maybe a 2 week eats post to stay accountable.
I got in a good upper body workout yesterday, but no cardio other than running down to the park to check on the plane in the tree. I don't think I wrote about that here, but last weekend Ted flew Jake's new RC plane into a tall pine tree and got it stuck. It's about 80 feet up at the top and hooked on a limb so even in the wind it just blows like a flag but doesn't fall. We've tried shooting rope on an arrow to get up over the lowest branch, which is 30ft, maybe 40ft up. Then I was going to climb the rope, but we couldn't get the rope to fall over the other side of the branch, not enough weight. Then we built a huge pole out of pvc pipe but it got to bendy and started wiggling all over the place. Next Jake & I tried to throw tennis balls at it but I can't throw anywhere near 80ft up LOL. Anyway, I think it's trapped until we get a huge storm.
Alright, gonna find something to do today. Probably chores, and a nice geocache hike tomorrow. Weather is beautiful today, almost 70.
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1/19: Beautiful Day!
It was so nice today, in the 70's. I love that!


I did garden work for about 90 minutes - weeding, prepping beds, digging and filling, mixing compost, thinning plants, stuff like that. Growth so far is peas, onions, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, radishes, cabbage, 2 lettuce types, and I think the carrots are poking through. There are a frew things I've planted that haven't made an appearance, the watermelon and some of the other lettuces, i think the romaine is being stubborn. So hopefully we won't have any more freezes. I'm trying really hard to stay on top of the garden this year.

I also did about 30 minutes raking out front because our stupid HOA sent a letter. We just raked but the leaves fell again and they sent a dumb letter. I was SO mad. I really can't stand having these property police come by and nitpick about every little thing. I also have to clean the mailbox (it was getting a bit dirty so I get that one). And they sent a notice about our fence needing to be all one color. Well we are replacing it and we've done the front section and part of the side so of course the new boards are looking great, but the old ones are still old. And we can't afford to do it all at once so we're buying a few boards and replacing on the weekends. That just pissed me off that they would send me a notice about it. So I'm really mad and grumpy right now and trying to get over it.

I had two good workouts so far this week. I am loving my new schedule. Glad I was off today for the other stuff that needed doing and for Jake's basketball game.

Monday - Chest (128.6, eek)

BP 45x12, 65x10, 75x8, 65x10, 45x12

Inc BP 45x10x4

Inc DBBP 15's x 10, 20's x 10

Flat DBBP 20's x 8 x 2

Inc Flyes 15's x 8 x 2

Flyes (flat) 15's x 8 x 2

RB Horiz Press - Red & Blue x 10 x 4

Cardio - 1 hour kinect games with Jake

Tuesday - Legs (128.8- yikes! the burger and fries killed me...)

DB DL's 20's x 12 x 4

KB Swings 25x15x4

Bulgarians BW x 10 x 3 ea

Ext's 90x10x4

Curls 25x10x3

RB Adductor - Blue x 12 x 3 ea

Lying Leg Lifts 25x15x3 ea

Cardio - 16 min ellip

I had no energy left for cardio. Monday I base coated the kitchen and Tuesday I spent almost 6 hours painting it with the new colors. It was up and down the ladder all day long. I'm changing it up from spices to coffee shop. I have tons of cute coffee wal art on my bday list so I'm not putting up any pics until I get it totally decorated. I'm watching ebay right now for some old vintage coffee grinders to put up on the plant shelves, and some burlap coffee sacks to stuff with paper and put up there too. I need to get some warm lights though. I hate these cfl's.

Tomorrow my grandparents are moving up here from Ft. Myers. I'm so happy. Now I can see them more often without having to board the dog and find a weekend where Ted is off and we can go down there.

Ok, that's enough this blog is getting long. Catcha later!
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1/21: Rest Days
woke up yesterday with a swollen gland on the right side of my neck and my right ear feeling stuffy/clogged. Other than feeling a bit run down I don't feel sick at all. No sinus issues, no coughing or sore throat. I was very "out of it" yesterday. I kept forgetting things and felt generally fuzzy brained. So I just did a rest day. I want to start the next contest off good, not worn out. Then last night I had a fever and was hovering around 101. Today was the same - minus the fever - so I got some errands done and played some basketball with Jake, but no workout again.

I plan to rest all weekend. Well, rest meaning that I'm doing a bunch of yardwork and helping my grandparents paint their new place, but no lifting or real cardio.

So no workotus to report. Eats are weird. I was so on the go today that I've only eaten one clementine and two reese's pb cups and its almost 6pm. I slept in late to get as much rest as possible. Then I made lunch and got dinner in the crockpot but didn't have time to actually eat the lunch LOL. Yesterday I did well all day until Ted brought home a hot apple pie from McD's.

I think my weight is 127ish. I weighed in twice today because I couldn't remember what my weigh in was at 6am. So I weighed in again at 11am. And now I still can't remember what it was LOL, but i think around high 126/127. See what I mean about fuzzy brained? LOL.
Ok, I'm going to go eat some dinner finally. Have a great weekend!
~Darcie

Weekly(ish) Update 1/4 - 1/12

Here I am, falling behind again on this blog! I think at this point I will just attempt to do a weekly update. Here are my journal entries for 1/4 - 1/12.
1/4: Changing my POA:
I did pretty good last week. I only missed one real workout, which I ended up doing 3 1/2 hours of yardwork in its place so I don't feel like I lost out.

This week is going to be mostly the same. The thing I am changing though is my cardio plan. I was only going to use Dance Central for my cardio. But I've decided that isn't going to be enough because it is going to get boring. I am having fun with it, but I'm getting through the dances a little faster now that I know alot of the moves, so it isn't taking me as long. I did a few songs this morning - almost an hours worth. But that pushed me through 2 new songs, plus some old ones I've done. I don't want to get all the way through the game that fast. That means I need to find more stuff to fill in my cardio time. On that note I've decided to add in any videos that I can stream through netflix. That should give me more variety. I did one this afternoon and I couldn't get through all 45 minutes of it, just 30. It was a dance one and it was fun. I didn't quite grasp all of the moves, but I just kept moving along anyway :)
Tonight I'll do legs and abs during biggest loser. I'm excited to see the new couples starting the show. I'm going to try to like everyone LOL. That's hard for me :) .
Yesterday was upper body and I'm feeling it today! Sunday I did shoulders/bi's/tri's. And I'm keeping up quite well on my new schedule. Now that we're back at school today I need to adjust a little, but it will all work out :)
Have a great day!
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1/6: Fantastic Week!
I'm having a great week getting back into the school schedule. My little organization binder is helping me stay on top of things - yay! Workouts are going good, food is going good (not great, but still good), weight is barely dropping, but it is so that's....good. :) It's all good!

Workout breakdown:
Monday - Chest/Back 126.6

BP 45x10, 65x8, 75x6x2

BOBBR 75x8x3

Flyes 15's x 10, 20's x 8 x 2

Rev Flyes 15's x 10, 20's x 8 x 2

Cable Rows 55x10x3

Resist Band Chest Press (standing) Red & Yellow x 10 x 3

Cardio - Dance Central 30 min.

Tuesday - Legs 126.6

Squats 45x10, 65x10x2 (was out watching BL so only squatted what I could shoulder press)

Deadlifts - 65x10, 135x8x3

RDL's - 135x8x3

Exts - 90x10, 100x10x2

Curls - 25x10x3

RB Adductors- Y x 10 x 3 ea

Side Leg Lifts 25 x 15 x 3 ea

Lunges (stationary, forward, backward) 10x3 ea

Cardio - Dance Central 55 min; Dance Video (Crunch dance party) 30 min

Abs - crunches 20x3, rev crunches 15x3, side crunches 10x3 ea

Wed - Off 126.2

Cardio - Dance Central 30 min, Dance Video (crunch dance party)15 min

Thurs - Arms 126.2

Mil BB Press 45x10, 65x6x2

DB Sh Press 15's x 10, 20's x 10 x 2

Lat Raises 15's x 10, 20's x 7, 20's x 8

Front Raises 15's x 8, 20's x 6, 15's x 8

BB Curls 45x10, 55x8, 65x4

DB Curls 15's x 10, 20's x 8 x 2

Tri Pushdowns 55x10x3

Tri Kickbacks 15's x 10 x 3

Cardio - DC 40 min, Dance (crunch dance party 2) 15 min

Abs - Net Video - Killer Abs & back - 20 min (yes, it did kill LOL)

Now I'm going to go hit the shower and maybe get in a little nap before Jake's home from school. Check the garden - it poured this morning and I'm wondering if all my little seedlings washed away. And maybe get in the craft room for some jewelry making.
Have a terrific day!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
1/8: It's Your Life
It's your life.... so why live it according to everyone else's expectations? I've been thinking alot this week - that's very dangerous LOL. I do alot of thinking and reflection while I'm gardening. I would say that gardening is the best meditation ever. When I weed I think about weeding junk out of my life, and as I plant and prepare I think about possiblities. This week what has been in my mind is LIVING. Not being afraid to just be who I want to be or do what I want to do. Not caring what everyone else might think of whatever choices I make. There's only ONE who I want to please so I want to live for Him. I've been feeling expectant so far this year, like something is about to happen. I'm not sure what it is, but I just feel I should be ready. I want to be more bold about my life, my faith, my love, my friendships - just put myself out there and risk rejection and failure. Ok, so that's enough of that! :)

Seeing Michelle get her hair done put the bug in my ear about coloring my hair. I'm thinking of going red again for a while. I really love being a redhead and I can pull it off. But I wanted to do something fun, something a little different, maybe a bit bolder. Feb/March I'll probably do the red. But yesterday I decided to put blue tips on the ends of my hair. I've always wanted to do unnatural colors. I missed my chance in high school, then I thought I was too old. Then I decided - who says I'm too old? Why should I care what our society says I can or can't do? Why should I stay in the little box they want me in instead of climbing out and being me? Why should I crawl when I can soar? So I bleached the ends and put on blue. I will probably need to redo it again next week to see if I can get the color to hold a little better.
The pic doesn't show it too well, but there's blue all along my bangs too. They're just curled under. I think it is FUN and definitely something a little different :) .


I almost missed my workout yesterday. I slept in too late, went to the mall to pick up some makeup, spent way too long at the beauty supply store trying to pick my color, then back home to start the process. First I tried it on some hair swatches I cut off so that took an hour to test bleaching and color hold. Then it was several hours of bleaching and dying the hair that was still on my head :) . Then up to mom and dad's to watch Clone Wars with them (finally an episode that wasn't boring politics and peace policies!!). It was 10pm by the time we got home, and I grabbed my weights and dragged them to the family room so I could watch an episode of Lost while I worked out. (we haven't watched the full show yet, just on the final season 6, so no spoilers please!!) I did back/chest.
BOBBR - 45x10, 65x8, 85x6x2

Floor Press - 45x10x2, 65x10x2

Rev flyes - 15's x 10, 20's x 8 x 2

Flyes - 15's x 10, 20's x 8 x 2

RB Lat Pulls - All bands x 15 x 3

Pike Pushups - 10 x 3

RB Rows - all x 15 x 3

RB Standing chest press - red/yellow x 10 x 3

Abs - crunches 15x3, rev crunches 15x3, side twists 15 x 3 ea
That was it. No cardio or anything. Some chips and dip up at my moms, and ate the tex-mex bean salad around midnight so weight was up this AM. 126.6 again. I think it will finally start to drop this coming week. I'm getting past ovulation and expect to see some drastic number drops in the next week.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
1/12: Brrrr!
Its just getting too cold here again in FL. Supposed to be 29 tonight- yuck! I just went out and covered my seedlings that have sprouted so they don't die.

Workouts for the past few days:
Monday Upper 126.0

BP 45x15; 65x10; 75x6x2; 45x15

DBBP 20's x 10 x 3

Flyes 20's x 8 x 3

BOBBR - 45x10, 65x10x2

Rev flyes - 15's x 10; 20's x 8 x 2

Cable Rows 55x10x3


Tuesday Legs - 125.6

Squats - 95x10; 115x10; 135x10

DL's 135x10; 155x8; 185x6; 135x10

RDL's 135x8x2

Exts 90x10x3

Curls 25x10, 35x8, 45x6

RB adductors - yellow x 10 x 3 ea

side leg lifts 25x15x3 ea

45 min ellip

Video - 10 minute solutions pilates abs

Today is arms, will do that during the movie tonight. Tonight is also $5 bang bang shrimp from Bonefish. I love that! Its our every other Wed dinner.

Wt - 125.6 again - not bad since i went out to lunch with mom & sis, then ate the leftovers for dinner.

Mil BB Press

DB Shoulder Press

Lat Raises

Front Raises

BB Bi curls

DB Bi curls

Tri Exts

Tri Kickbacks

abs

Cardio? I've done about 25 min dancing so far today, not sure if i'll do anything else tonight.

I went back to bed this morning about 8:30, I felt drained and exhausted. I woke up at 11:30! Yikes, I wasn't planning on sleeping that long but I guess I needed it. Tomorrow is an off day for weights, and I'll probably do some cardio. Mom and I were going to go walk in the morning but neither of us are cold weather people so I don't think we're going to.

Have a great evening,
~Darcie

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Oh Goodness, time flies!

Wow, has it really been over 3 months since I posted here? Life gets BUSY! So this is also just a very quick update.
I didn't place at my competition on 9/11, but that's okay. I got up there and I DID IT!  I was very happy to just follow through with it and am proud of myself for doing it.
I ended up doing another competition on Oct 4th I think it was - basically it was 3 weeks after the Sept comp. I did get to walk away with a trophy from that one! But even if I hadn't I still would have enjoyed the whole process.  I loved it. I had a great time with the other girls who were competing. It didn't even feel like we were going up against each other- at least to me it didn't. I was going up against myself.
This year I'm looking at 3 comps - june, july & oct. I'm sure I can bring an even better body to the stage this year. As long as I don't win LOL. I don't want to have to keep moving up the competition chain. I like the idea of just doing these local comps to keep me in shape. Not interested in traveling all over trying to go pro.
So that's where I'm at. I'm currently about 10 pounds above my competition weight - that was the fault of the holidays LOL.  By the end of Jan I hope to be just around 5 pounds over. More if I can add some muscle to this stubborn body. I'd like to not have my ribs stick out so much. For my Oct comp I came in a pound heavier and I felt I looked more healthy. So I'm looking to gain a little so that when I lean out I don't have to go so low.
Here's a pic from the Oct show, standing next to my trophy :)

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

What if I had givern up? Part 4 of 4

I'm calling this last part "Even if it takes a year". Because what if you knew it would take you a year to get in shape? Would you give up? Would you say that it wasn't worth it to only lose 12 pounds in a year? Gosh, that's only 1 pound a month. Why would I work so hard for only one pound a month? There are women around me on "insert fad diet here" losing 5 pounds a week. Really, how long does that weight stay gone? A year later do they still look good? And do they just look good in clothes but not in a bikini?
Here's why you should not give up, even if it takes a year. (not that old pic from sept again!!! hehehe)
Sept 2009:

Sept 2010:


Sept 2009:


Sept 2010:


So, what would you do?

Would you give up? One pound (on the scale) a month not worth it?  To me it was worth every single moment of hard work and clean eating. And honestly, you dont have to eat perfect. You should enjoy cheats here and there. With me when I have a good cheat like pizza or burgers and fries, or desserts it just revs my body up for more weight loss.
But you can't just do this with diet and cardio. If you want to get lean and have curves you MUST LIFT WEIGHTS. And you have to lift them heavy. Obviously starting out you want to be careful, but you need to challenge your muscles. As Michelle (BuffMother) always says - Challenge=Change. If you are not lifting heavy (for you) to challenge yourself you will NOT see change. You will just get a smaller skinny-fat body.
So get started! Grab your weights, clean up your diet, work hard, lift heavy, add in some cardio and get to it.
Even if it takes a year girls!!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

What if I had given up? Part 3

I'm talking a bit about momentum today.If you don't work at it, you can't build it up and use it. It makes me think of power ups in games. You have to do certain combos and moves to get your power up, then you use it to do even better moves. Same thing - except you only get one life here in RL, and you can't defy gravity and jump 50 feet in the air, or be a half-elf, and slay monsters... Ok, rabbit trailing a bit. Anyway....  You workout and you eat right, you keep doing it until you see results, you gain more confidence in what you are doing and you do better, lift heavier, run faster/farther (further?), eat cleaner, and you see even more results! That's how it works.
So I didn't say "why bother". I have felt like "why bother" at times, but luckily those days pass by.
And so we move onto the next challenge! Yes, there's almost always a challenge going on in the BuffMother Rally Room, which is great to keep you on track. The next one was... Sexy in 70. 70 days to work hard and see what you can do. I was determined to make more progress this time around than back in the SSS2009 challenge.
You see, that momentum builds. If i had given up after the sss I'd still be struggling. But I kept at it, kept joining challenges, kept myself accountable to my fitness friends, which kept me building that momentum to succeed.
Ok, where did I start for sx70? Here it is. I was 125.6. That's good because it means I was losing between contests. Yay!  My goal was to get under 120. I really like being around 118 when I have a good amount of muscle. The more muscle, the more I get to eat!! :) And since I love to eat I have to build the muscle. I am really rambling off track today. Sorry!  I ended the sx70 at 119.2. Hurray, goal met!
Pics.  Let's go back to Sept 2009 again - we're all going to get tired of that pic, but hey, this is the way it goes, because everything relates back to not giving up at that point. I think I was 129 at start of sss2009. So this is now a 10 pound difference. (scale weight, body comp is much different)
Sept 2009:

June 2010:


Sept 2009:


June 2010:


I was quite happy with my results. But now a thought begins to tumble around in my mind.
Could I do a competition? So many of my friends are doing competitions. My dad mentions a customer doing competitions. Competition just seems to be everywhere. So I pray about it. And I make the decision to do it. And oh my gosh, I felt a physical weight just lift from me. I hadn't realized how oppressive the enemy had been until that moment. I felt free when I decided to go for it. And ya know, I'm only 3 days away and I'm not nervous at all. I'm really just excited. I think it is going to be fun. And after the competition is when the final blog of 'not giving up' is going to happen. Because you are going to see a total transformation from Sept 2009 to Sept 2010. And I hope it will motivate you to not give up!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

What if I had given up? Part 2

Obviously my answer from the previous post - part 1 - is that I chose not to give up. I continued lifting more consistently and eating (a bit) better. I try not to go crazy about clean eats - just more good choices than bad. But I completely believe in moderation on my eating and I do enjoy the good (bad) stuff now and again.
Anyhow, when the next BuffMother RR challenge came around at the turn of the year I was ready to get at it. My weight was basically the same as the ending of SSS2009, mainly because of the holidays. So I started the 6 week Just Do It challenge at 129, and ended at 126.6.  Yay, progress finally! Well, scale progress. My body was making progress all along, it just hadn't shown up yet. Add in all of the holiday meals and treats and I was pretty happy to maintain those few months.
Do I give up yet? Well let's see.... from Sept to April I've only dropped 3.4 pounds. Is that even worth it?? That's not even a pound a month.
Pics-
End of SSS2009 - Front:

End of Just Do It - Front:


End of SSS2009 - Back:


End of Just Do It - Back:


Pics aren't showing much difference, not for over 6 months of work. Should I say "why bother?"
Check in tomorrow, I'll show you why you need to keep on going even when the going seems slow.
~Darcie

Monday, September 6, 2010

What if I had given up? Part 1

This is part 1 of a several part blog. I don't know how many yet LOL. But as I count down to the show (5 days) I have found myself thinking about what if I had given up last year.
I see people all of the time getting upset about not losing much weight after just 1 week of turning things around. I am one of those people at times as well. I'm hoping to not be one anymore. I want to take a look back over this past year to show that you can't (or shouldn't!) give up over a week of no visible progress. In fact, you can't (shouldn't!) give up even when a month goes by with no big scale drops or measurement changes. There's stuff going on INSIDE that's getting fixed too, and sometimes it takes a while to show up outside.
Today's blog I'm talking about last September when the BuffMother Rally Room contest "Super Star Success 2009" started. I have always done the RR contests, but for the almost 2 years prior to SSS2009 I hadn't been giving it my all. When this one came around I was ready to start trying again. I was tired of being fluffy, again.
So for 10 weeks I cleaned up my eating, was good about doing my workouts and my stellar results were.... 0.6 pounds. No way!! 10 weeks and only 0.6 pounds?
Here are the before and after pics.
Before Front:

After Front:


Before Back:

After Back:

Okay, so obviously that wasn't a great performance during the SSS2009. But I did give it all I could give. What are my choices now?
1. I can say "That's just the way my body is supposed to look at this age". I tried, but it didn't work. It isn't worth the time to keep trying and not see results.
2. I can say "That's 0.6 pounds down, if I keep it up I can lose more". Because if I give up now it isn't as if the pounds will magically fall away on their own. I will not be better off if I quit. I'm going to keep trying.

Hmmmm, which one did I choose?

Sunday, September 5, 2010

1 Week Out!

Saturday 9/4/10:
Wow, I'm really struggling with the legs lately. I'm sure its the lower cals as we get closer. Only 1 week away!!! I'm so glad. I'm ready to eat a big piece of red velvet cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory. That's on my list for after the show next Saturday. Yum!!!
Anyway, did wimpy legs today. Just 3 isolation exercises. I have to do legs again on Monday and I didn't want them sore for my last real leg workout before the show. On Monday I'll kill them with squats and deadlifts, but for Saturday it was just sets of Leg Ext's, Ham Curls & Calves. A bunch of sets with different weights and some single leg, some both legs. Too lazy to write it all out - nothing special LOL.
Tomorrow I start a much more strict diet, with no grains at all. No more oatmeal (cry). No brown rice. Just fruits for my starchy carbs this week. I'm doubling up on my oatmeal today since it's my last for a week. I hope the rest of the family survives my diet this week.
Since it's actually Sunday when I'm posting this - today is my day off. Yay! I am trying to rest and really be ready to go this week. Tomorrow is a bit off schedule because it's labor day and we'll all be gathered together - and there will be snacks everywhere. But it is going to be my butt up on that stage that is getting critiqued and I'm not sabotaging that with a few chips and dip. Clean, clean, clean eats this week.
Watched a bunch of npc figure clips on youtube last night. It was a great confidence builder. Those girls aren't perfect either. So I feel really good going into the show. By the time I'm dehydrated and prepped by Saturday morning I think I'm going to be shocked at myself. Can't wait to post some pics here!
Have a great holiday weekend.
~Darcie

Last of the Catch Up Posts!

8/30/10: Rested up and Ready to go!
I am ready to tackle the week. I had a good rest day on Sunday. I only did a little pilates and stretching when my back got tight from sitting at the computer gaming with Ted & Jake.

Saturday was hams/glutes and I focused on single leg exercises - so not very many. They take forever LOL.
warmup rbike 10

booty bulgarians - 20's x 6 x 4 ea
with RB Lat Raises - Blue x 10 x 4

Single Leg RDL's 20's x 6 x 4 ea
with RB Front Raises - Blue x 10 x 4

Ham Curls (single) 10 x 12 x 4 ea
with RB Bi Curls - Blue x 20 x 4

Stat. BB Lunges 45x8 ea - Knees said no more!

Then today was back/shoulders/bi's
warmup rbike 10 minutes

BOBBR- 45x10wu; 65x10; 75x8x2
with Mil BB Press 45x8x3

Cable Rows 75x10; 85x8x3
with Lat Raises 15's x 8 x 3

Lat Pulls Wide grip - 55x8x3
with Rev Flyes 15's x 8 x 3

Front Plate Raises 25x8x3
with Bi Curls 15's x 10 x 3

10 min rbike afterward, moderate speed. Pilates after that.
PM - Hill Sprints. Walked to hill, 6 sprints uphill, walked home. Total distance 2.5mi

And I was super-productive today. Only got 4 hours of sleep and thought for sure I'd be crashing after Jake was at school. But instead I continued packing up his old toys, rearranging stuff, cleaning out the toy room/storage room / everything goes here that we don't know where to put somewhere else room. I was going, going, going all day long.

And now it's time for me to go game with the family :) Have a great Monday, the week is just starting and there's so much you can accomplish!

~Darcie

9/1/10: Try, try again
Yesterday was leg day. Was supposed to be leg day at least. I just could not get this workout going. I started in the AM and did a few sets of squats and leg ext's. But my back was so tweaked from some booty bulgarians the previous Saturday. So I ended up rolling it out on the tennis ball. Started mid back and ended up going all the way down my glute and into my hamstring. That whole area was a tight mess. But wow did it feel much better afterward. Had to head out, but tried to do the workout again in the PM and it just didn't happen. I ended up with: 10 min rbike wu. Squats 45x10, 95x10x4. Exts 90x8, x7, x8, x10. That was it. Needed to do some ss cardio but that was a no go too. I think Monday's super productive day caught up to me. So on Saturday when I do legs I will do it all instead of just hams/glutes.

Today was senior picture day at school so I was there all morning. I brought my food but just didn't have time to eat it. When I got home I thought I might be doing a workout, but no energy. Picked up Jake, came home and ate, still no energy. Decided I needed a nap, so had a nice 30 minute rest. And FINALLY got my workout in.

wu rbike 10

BP
45x10
65x10
75x8x2
80x6x2
85x4x2
90x1
75x6

Paired those with:
tri kickbacks 15's x 8 x 3
tri exts 15 x 20 x 3
flyes 15's x 10 x 3
db press 15's x 10

Intervals: rbike 20 minutes
Ab Boot Camp - 2 rounds

I felt better after I got it done. I had such a hard time getting motivated and getting started. Just had to push through it today. Tomorrow is long cardio day, some walking lunges, and calves.

Have a great evening!

~Darcie

9/3/10: Leaning out
I can tell I'm leaner than I've ever been, because well parts of me are just getting, smaller. LOL.

Today was back/shoulders/bi's.

wu rbike 10 min

BOBBR's 45x10, 65x10, 75x8, 85x6
with Mil BB Press 45x10, 65x6x2, 45x10

Single Arm Rows 45x6x3 ea
with Lat Raises 15's x 8, 20's x 5 (only got those halfway up), 15's x 8

Lat Pulls 55x8 wide, 65x6, 55x8 wide
with Bi Curls 20's x 8, 15's x 8 x 2

Rbike - 21 minutes with some intervals. I forgot I was doing intervals LOL. Was just going along doing SS when I realized I was supposed to do intervals.

Then Ab boot camp afterwards - 2 rounds.

Yesterday I went up to the park and rode my bike for an hour. That place is always windy. It can be still everywhere else but the wind there blows against you no matter which way you are going. Even when you swing around the loop its always against you.

Tomorrow is legs, ss cardio and abs. Looking forward to a nice long weekend. Hope you all have a fun one!

~Darcie

Wow, Still more stuff From August?? Yes!

8/23/10: Abs are looking great today!
Abs are looking awesome this morning. I love that!
Today was chest/tri's. yesterday was off day and I did 4 sets of booty lunges.

WU - rbike 10min
BP - 45x10wu; 65x8; 75x6; 85x2, 1; 75x6; 80x4
Tri Kicks - 15's x 12 x 3

Inc DB Flyes - 20's x 8 x 3
Dips 10, 10, 6

Inc DBBP - 20's x 10 x 3
Tri Pushdowns 25x10x3

Tonight is sprints. If it isn't raining. It rained all weekend. And I will do pilates and some extra abs after sprints. I was doing pilates in the AM, but I really like doing it after cardio.

I was very productive yesterday. I finished putting stones on my suit this weekend. Not a lot, just a nice amount I think. I caught up on all of the dishes, ran laundry, and even got to play some games with the family in between! It was nesting day :) .
School started today. Got a call at lunch saying Jake had forgotten his lunchbox in Ted's car. So we scrambled to find stuff there that would get him enough carbs. They are a private school and don't have a cafeteria (food is ordered and brought in for lunch each day) so it was quite a jumble of stuff LOL. But at least he ate :) Then I called Ted and he says he doesn't have the lunch box. So I called the school back and they found it up in his classroom. But both Jake and his teacher looked for it and couldn't find it. So either someone accidently grabbed it then brought it back, or it got shoved behind a backpack or something. But at least we know where it is. What a way to start! LOL.

Ok, I'm gonna clean up from my workout and veg out a little bit while I have the house to myself.

~Darcie

8/24/10: Not even a taste!
I made oatmeal raisin cookies today for Ted and Jake and I didn't even take one tiny taste. Not a nibble, not a lick of a spoon or finger, nothing! When we were at the grocery store the other night Ted was actually looking at boxes of cookies. I was like "are you kidding? store bought cookies?" That's just nasty. Those things are dry and disgusting. But since I've been on a pretty tight diet I haven't done as much baking as usual besides bread. So today I thought it would be nice for them to have a little treat around. And you know what? I'm just not even tempted. I SO thank Jesus for that. I know it is him who is giving me the strength and discipline to get through this training. I'm so thankful!!

Today was leg day. I got it done early today since I have things to do this afternoon. It's a bit hard adjusting to school year schedule, but it will get better after a few weeks. Still, with it being earlier than usual, and CD2, major cramps both tummy and back... I was proud to even get anything done today! LOL.

Warmup rbike 10

Squats 95x10; 135x6x3
w/ Ext's 90x10x3
w/ Calves - single leg bw - 10x3ea

Squats - feet together - 135x6x3
w/ Ext's - toes out - 90x10x3
w/ Calves - single leg bw - 10x3ea

Lying Side leg Raises- 25x20x3ea

Then 20 min ss on the rbike. Then pilates/abs.

And I'm done!! :)

I made those cauliflower "mashed potatoes" today that Kermane has in the recipe section. Well, without the butter, but they were still good!! Made me feel like I was getting some good carbs - mentally.

Now I'm off to vote in the primaries today. Then to go get Jake and we'll rent some movies for tonight. It's dark, rainy and stormy. Love that, but wish I could nap today and take advantage of the good nap weather. There's just no time today!

Have a terrific afternoon!

~Darcie

8/25/10: Back Day!
Had a blah workout this morning. I didn't really give it my all. Actually, I just didn't have much to give. I felt like I was getting an ear infection last night and I'm still a bit stuffy feeling on the left side today. It's STILL rainy and dreary out. And it's CD3. Put them all together and what do you get? Tired and run down. And back/shoulder/bi day always feels like it takes forever.

Back/Shoulder/Bi
wu 10 min rbike

BOBBR - 45x10, 65x8, 85x6x2, 65x8
w/ Lat Raises 15's x 8 x 3

One Arm Rows - 45x6x3ea
w/ DB Shoulder Press 15's x 12 x 3

Lat Pulls 55x8, 75x5x2 (actually these were negatives. this weight pulled me off the bench LOL)
w/ Rev Flyes 15's x 8 x 3

Front Plate Raises 25x8x3
w/ bi curls 15's x 10 x 3

15 min intervals on rbike
15 min pilates/abs

Then did some work. And I started packing away all of Jake's star wars toys. We were in his room the other day and I asked if he even played with it anymore and he said no and that I could pack it up. I can't tell you how much stuff there is in there. I've filled 4 big boxes and I'm not half way done. I hope Ted can find some more boxes to bring home today LOL. But it was kinda sad packing it all away too. Some things we haven't played with in years, but I can remember how much fun we had with them. Still, it is time to move on to a new stage. His room is going to be so empty though. He's actually excited to get one of the bookshelves free now so he has more places to put his books. He is like me in that way. We love books.

Weight was 119.6 today. i wasn't expecting that at all. I always sit at 120 forever so I was shocked to see something different. And I still haven't had a cookie :) Eats are good, but just the same old thing. You can't imagine how excited I am at my last meal of the day for my prot powder/pb mix LOL.

Gotta go pick up the kid. Catch you all later.

Oh, my sparkly clothes came. They are the best!

~Darcie

8/27/10: Another Tired Workout
Ugh, it was all I could do to get through the few exercises I had planned. Just so tired today. I went back to sleep this morning after Jake was at school. I didn't even get my first meal until noon - which is probably why I just feel weak and tired today. Anyway, here's what I did.

WU rbike 10 minutes

BP 45x10; 65x8; 75x6; 80x4
with Bench Dips 10x3

Inc BP 45x10; 65x6x3
with Tri Exts 15x10x3

Inc Flyes 20's x 6 x 3
with Tri pushdowns 25x10x3

Then just 12 minutes on the rbike with 4 intervals. I don't feel too bad about those. I did cardio every day this week.

Tonight I will do some resist band stuff for shoulders and maybe some light chest stuff. Tomorrow is leg day and I get more carbs, so that should help too. Then Sunday I'm totally off and I'm taking advantage of that and just resting. rest, rest, rest!

Alright, so I'm 2 weeks out! I'm getting really excited!!

~Darcie

Yep, More August Stuff!

8/17/10: Tuesday means LEG DAY.
I had to do legs early this morning so we could head over to Bok Tower Gardens for the afternoon. So here's how it went...

Legs & Shoulders/Bi's (didn't get my extra shoulders/bi's in last night)

Squats 95x10, 135x6x3
with
DB Shoulder Press 15's x 10 x 3
with
Abs 10x3

Squats Feet Together - 95x10, 135x6x3
with
Lat Raises 15's x 10 x 3
with
Abs 10 x 3

Deadlifts 135x6x2 (back started feeling tweaky after previous squats, so only 2 sets)
with
Front Raises 15's x 8 x 2
with
Abs 10 x 2

Leg Exts 90x10x3
with
Bi Curls 15's x 10 x 3
with
Abs 10x3

Then it was off to Bok. We were there for 2 hours, had lunch, walked the trail and grounds, hung out at the reflecting pond for a while. A nice relaxing afternoon. A photographer there took pics of Jake & I at the reflecting pond for a magazine he was doing a shoot for there. That'd be fun if they use them in the magazine. He said he'd send us a copy. That's the second time for us getting asked for photos. Last time we were at a park looking over a bridge to the river and a photographer from the local paper stopped us to take some photos for his story. I don't get the paper though so I don't know if we made it in there LOL.

Yesterday was back/shoulders/bi day. I did some compound stuff in the AM with plans to do isolation in the evening, but that didn't happen. A rainstorm rolled in and I got all lazy :) No sprints either. Gonna have to do those Wed. But what I did get in was:
BOBBR - 45x10x4
Lat Pulls 45x10x3
Cable Rows 45x10x4
Mil BB Press 45x10x4
BB Bi Curls 45x10x4
PM- Rev Flyes 15's x 10 x 2 - then the laziness kicked in.

I'm on low cardio this week. I talked to Michelle yesterday morning and she said I could keep building right now and not try to lose weight this week so yay! If you are going to do a competition you SO have to train with her. Even if you can write your own program, there's just a huge relief in knowing someone can guide you through all the way to the show, who knows what exactly to do and how to do it. And don't wait til the last minute to do it like I did :)

Last night I ordered some custom yoga pants, hoodie & tank top from a site called Custom Glam Girl. Oh my gosh! If you love sparkly stuff and rhinestones you'll love this. I had all of those items made with Team BuffMother on them. The hoodie is black with pink sparkly writing. The yoga pants and tank are black with the writing in rhinestones. I'm wearing them to the show. I think I'm going to be addicted to making my own stuff there. Hopefully they will be good items. I'll let you know.

Okay, gonna veg for the rest of the evening. Everyone keep up the great work on the 30 day challenge!

~Darcie

Oh, my suit came yesterday!

8/18/10:Rainy Day
I love rainy days, but they make me feel so lazy. After our errands this afternoon I came home and changed into my jammies to hang out and relax. I'll need to get some energy for sprints if it clears up. Only problem with sprints after rain is that the sidewalks that are under the trees out on the main road get slippery from mildew. I don't think it is going to let up though. That's my second day this week that sprints have been rained out. I guess I will at least need to do intervals tonight.

This morning was chest/tri's.
wu - rbike 10 min

BP - 45x10wu, 65x8, 75x6, 85x4x2
with Tri Kickbacks - 15's x 12 x 3
with Abs 10x4


Inc BP - 45x10, 65x8, 70x6x2
with Tri Exts - 20 x 12 x 3
with Abs 10x4

Flyes - 20's x 8 x 3
with Tri Pushdowns 25x10x3
with Abs 10x3

Weight is back down to 120.4. It keeps going up in down in a two pound range. I'm feeling good though and looking good so I'll ignore that for now. Of course my butt, hips and thighs are the most stubborn part and they don't seem to want to cooperate with the plans I have for them. Too bad! Compliance is not optional.

Eating is going great! I had my lindt truffle "cheat" today - ahhhh. I made it last a long time LOL.
M1 - oatmeal w/blueberries, eggs
M2 - salmon, green pepper
M3 - turkey, spinach, strawberries
lindt treat
M4 - tuna, brussel sprouts
M5 - some dessert-y type thing that isn't a REAL dessert but tastes like it LOL

I've been trying to come up with some creative bedtime snacks because I love sweet stuff at that time. Since I'm off bread and dairy for now the cottage cheese thing is out, and the yogurt thing is out. No cinnamon toast or pbj toast. The last 3 nights I've mixed canned pumpkin, prot powder, spices, 1/4 of a graham cracker and pecans together. Eh, it's okay. But I'm out of pumpkin now. I can probably do some applesauce thing. Peanut butter is calling my name though. Maybe some pb, pp & a little water to make it like brownie batter. & some peanuts. Well, i'll think of something.

Have a great evening. Oh, I think I see blue sky. Drat, sprints! LOL

~Darcie

8/20/10:Friday Already?
Wow this week flew by. Our last week of summer vacation. I am going to miss our lazy schedule. Now its back to school and packing lunch and snacks and getting clothes ready. Today I have to go pick up school supplies. LOL, I know, last minute huh? That's me. I do my best work last minute

So I just finished up my back/shoulders/bi's workout. I am currently boosting/buffing. Boosting my big moves, buffing the smaller ones, buffing eats, boosting cardio.

BOBBR's
65x10
85x6x3
with
DB Shoulder Press
15's x 12 x 4

Cable Rows
45x10
75x8
95x5x2
with
Front Raises
15's x 8 x 3

Lat Pulls
55x10
75x5x2
with
Lat Raises
15's x 8 x 3

Seated Calves
Single Leg -
45x10ea
90x10ea
Both Legs -
90x10
135x10
150x10
with
Seated Bi Curls
15's x 6 x 3

Donkey Calves, single leg
10x3ea
with
DB Curls
15's x 8 x 3
(saw my vein come up for a visit on these sets! )

How do calves fit into back/shoulders/bi's? LOL. They don't. But I they need some extra attention.

No sprints today. I'm not getting rained out this time, but my shins are sore from Wednesday's sprints. Normally I wouldn't do them that close together but the weather was uncooperative this week. Anyway, I'll do some intervals later and I'm going to do some pilates after since I skipped abs during the weights today.

Today's tasks are housework, school supply shopping and groceries. I need to restock. I'm getting to the point where I'm going to make bad choices since nothing sounds good.

Have a great weekend!

~Darcie

More August CatchUp

8/10/10: Legs, Legs, Legs
Got them done! I did my pilates this morning, but no extra am cardio today - yay! I'll do a little ss elliptical tonight.

Leg workout - PreExhaust SuperSets

Leg Ext's - 70x20x3
with
Squats (feet together) 115x10x3

Let Exts (toes out) - 70x20x3
with
Deadlifts - 135x8x3

Triple Burnout Circuit:
KB Swings 25x10
with
Step Ups 15's x 10
with
Walking Lunges 15's x 10
3 times through
Legs were TOAST!

Eats are great. I got to have my little lindt truffle cheat today - one a week! LOL. Lots of greens going down today.

I ordered a new comp suit. The other one was too small up top. I can't remember if I wrote this already? LOL. Anyway, it should be shipping out tomorrow, and is for my measurements instead of just guessing. I still got it through diva exchange for a great price. I'm only putting a few stones on it for a little extra bling, but not much.

Oh, and i ordered a GREAT video. If you are doing a comp for NPC and have never done one, I highly recommend it. It's called What Judges Are Looking For in Figure, Bikini, Women's Bodybuilding & Fitness, 2010. Lots of things like - don't try to flare out your arms on front pose - if you don't have the Vtaper they know it and you're not fooling them. And good stuff like that.

Ok, off to play some games and eat. It's a dreary rainy day. It's supposed to be that way the rest of the week. And I have to stay home for some package that's coming tomorrow, but only have to wait between the hours of 7am to 8pm - how nice of them to narrow it down like that. So convenient for me. LOL

Have a good one,

~Darcie

8/12/10: Summer Bowling Party
Today we had a summer party at the bowling alley. We invited all of Jake's class and about half could make it so that was fun. We did about 2 hours of that. Then we played some pool until all of the kids were picked up. It was a fun morning. I did not eat any of the pizza. I did however end up going a long time without food because I never had a chance to get out to the car to grab my salad. I was STARVING!!

I'm glad it was just cardio day because I didn't have to try to fit in a weight workout somewhere in there. Did 30 min on the rbike this morning and will do a walk through the neighborhood tonight. I keep pulling my groin muscle slightly every time we go bowling. I'm not sure why because I haven't changed my bowling style in 20 years. But I'm going to have to stay away for the next few weeks. i can't be down and out of commission at this time.

Yesterday was back/shoulders/bi's/cardio/some abs

AM - Pilates
40 min Ellip
Back:
BOBBR - 45x10, 65x10x3
Cable Rows - 45x12x3
Lat Pulls - 45x10, 55x10x2
Rev Flyes - 15's x 10 x 3
Single Arm Bent Over Rows - 25x6x3

PM -
Shoulders/Bi's:
DB Shoulder Press 20's x 8 x 4
Lat Raises 15's x 8 x 4
Front Raises 20 x 8 x 4
Bi Curls 20's x 5 then 15's x 5, 3 sets
RB Lat Raises Blue x 8, 10, 12
Ellip 30 min

Looks like alot, but just because I split it up. I like to split it so I can do some stuff quick in the AM, then we can go do stuff, then later at night I can finish up. I usually do big muscle moves in the AM and hit the auxillary stuff in the evening. Except that yesterday we didn't go anywhere at all LOL. We had to stay home and wait for that mysterious important package that required a signature. You know, the one they dropped at the front door without even ringing our doorbell and left and the only reason we knew it was there was because we heard the truck. And it was so important - a free game from MicroSoft since Ted did some survey's. LOL.

Eats are awesome! I am not tempted to eat the good (bad) stuff. I haven't completely eliminated everything yet because I'm still losing weight. Well, I'm not losing fast, and some days I am a slight bit higher, then drop again, but i'm leaner so who cares what the scale says. Anyway, this weekend I will probably cut my dairy down a bit....just a bit :) I'm slowly weaning off some things so it's not all at once. And I had to do a nice high cal day on leg day because I needed a jump start.

Alright, that's it for me. We've been having a Harry Potter movie marathon this week. I think the last one I had seen was number 3, so that's 3 new movies for me to watch (3 new movies to keep me occupied while I do the elliptical!)

~Darcie

8/15/10: Weekend Stuff
Let's see, last post was Thursday night so catching up...

Friday was chest/tri's. Just did a regular style workout, no supersets that day. I just wasn't up to it.
Did
bench 45x10, 65x10x3,
incline bench 45x10x3,
incline flyes 15's x 10 x 3,
resist band flyes blue & yellow x 10 x 3,
tri pushdowns 25x10x3,
tri exts 20x10x3
& bench dips 10x3.
Did I do cardio? I must have. Oh, yes right after lifting I went out and did sprints. 8 sprints in the hot FL afternoon. They felt a bit wimpy but I gave what I had. Did 2 miles total with the walking part between sprints.

Saturday was hams/glutes. I kept putting it off ALL DAY until about 7:30pm. Things just kept popping up - grocery shopping, playing computer games with Jake LOL. Anyway, I only got in 4 major exercises.

Sumo Squats 95x10x3
SLDL's 95x10x3
Booty Bulgarians 15's x 10 x 3 ea leg
Cable Pull Thru's 25x10x3
Calves between each set.

I don't know what it was - maybe because it was so late in the day or something - but after the booty bulgarians I was shaking. Not just my glutes and legs, but my arms too. It was like they got my whole nervous system. We went for a walk after my workout and I was so slow and sore already. I've done them with heavier weight so I'm not sure what was going on. My glutes are killing me today. Tried to do my booty lunges today and only got in 2 sets of 10 with the 15's.

Today was an off day. No cardio or weights (besides the lunges). It's also my day to drop bread and dairy for the next 4 weeks. I think I'll be fine. I've been weaning off them all week. And yesterday I had my high cal day, and some toast and milk for my last hurrah LOL. Eats are going great! Today I ended up with all greens and fruit for my carbs, weird.

Weight only dropped .4 pounds this week. All that extra cardio and stuff??? Bah. Whatever

Played with the tanner Friday night and it looked bad. Not sure if there was still some leftover of the spray stuff on me, but some areas would NOT accept the tanner at all and just rubbed off. Very blotchy looking too. And I've been exfoliating for 2 weeks now. Just not sure why it is being so stubborn, but I need to get it figured out soon. At this point I like the ultra 1 better than the hi-def, but I think I'd put on 2 coats of it. It sure covered way better. New suit shipped out yesterday so will get a few stones for it this week.

Ok, that's all that is going on here. Well besides a little "freak out" that I'm not going to be ready in time that hit me on Friday. Michelle reassured me I would be. I needed that.

Catch ya later.

~Darcie

So Far Behind!!!

Wow, I'm almost a month behind in posting my blogs here. Ok, well these next few posts will be more catch up posts.

8/6/10: All carb'd up, nowhere to go
That was me yesterday. I ate most of my carbs that morning knowing I'd be doing a longer cardio session, then we changed our plans for the day. So instead of 60 minutes of cardio it was to the bank; to the school; to the movies (Sorcerer's apprentice, fun!); to wal-mart; to the grocery store; to the video store. Too many errands!
So later yesterday evening I did 60 min elliptical while we watched a movie.
Today was back/shoulders/bi's. I did back this morning: Pre-exhaust supersets
warmup rbike 10 min
Bent over rev flyes 15's x 10
then resist band rev flyes blue x 10
w/ BOBBR's 50x10x3
w/ abs 10x3

Cable Rows 25x20; 35x20x2
w/ Lat Pulls 35x10, 55x10x2
w/ abs 10x3

Single Arm Rows
25x15, 12, 10
w/ abs 10x3

Then it was off to do sprints. I did 4 good sprints before I started feeling bad in my right foot. It was the feeling that said "you're about to get an avulsion fracture of the 5th metatarsal if you do one more sprint and you will be off your feet for almost 2 weeks" (yes my feelings are quite lengthy and wordy). So I walked the rest of the way home, which then took forever because I couldn't run LOL. And it is hot out there at noon!
Next I went out and weeded the garden for 10 minutes (did I mention the heat?)
Then it was off to pretend I was getting ready on comp morning so that took me a little over two hours to shower, shave, tan, hair, makeup, play with the bikini bite, pose for a while, etc.
Now I'm all pretty and tan and don't want to do the rest of my workout LOL. But it needs to be done. So I'll be heading off to do shoulders/bi's/(intervals -to make up for quitting earlier):
pre-exhaust shoulders
Lat raises __ x 20 x 3
w/ Mil BB Press 45x10x3

Front Raises ___ x 20 x 3
w/ DB Press 20's x 10 x 3

Bi Curls 15's x 10 x 3
Hammer Curls 15's x 10 x 3
Some extra bicep stuff with resistance bands.

Intervals on rbike.

OH, and JanTana FTW! The protan stuff sucked. I was barely tan, it splattered and ran down my body. The JanTana Ultra1 that you put on the morning of comp - it rocks. I am actually DARK right now. :)


8/7/10: No rest for the booty
My poor glutes have been sore since last Saturday! They just can't catch a break. Last Saturday was glutes/hams, then Monday they got killed with sprints, Tuesday was quads but squats always work those glutes, Thursday was walking lunges with a glute focus, and just when they thought they might recover it was more sprints on Friday, and today was hams/glutes again.

So, I worked my posterior chain today - I can already feel it so will I be mobile tomorrow? Lower back got some great work in too during the good mornings and cable pull throughs.

More pre-exhaust supersets: Glutes/Hams

Leg Curls 15 x 20 x 3
w/ Good Mornings 95x10x3
w/ Calves 20x3
w/ Abs 10x3

Cable Pull Thru's - 25x20x3
w/ RDL's 95x10x3
w/ Calves 20x3
w/ Abs 10x3

Booty Bulgarians - 15's x 5 x 3 ea leg
w/ Calves 20x3
w/ Abs 10x3


Yesterday I did not get in my other set of intervals to makeup for my lack of full sprints. And this morning I forgot to do my fasted cardio. Oops! Although I have been doing my pilates every morning. So tonight I'm thinking some intervals, then add some SS. But I'm feeling SO super lazy I can't make any promises on that.

Today was domestic day- laundry, dishes, Jake made yogurt, I made bread.

Eats are good! They've been good all week. Since today was legs it is my favorite day because... more carbs! That way I was actually able to eat a piece of the bread I made :)

Weight is good. I started the week Monday at 123.0 and today I was 121.6. Not sure how I'll end the week tomorrow because I tend to weigh a bit more after leg day. So I might go up. But it will drop right back down so it's all good.

Ok, was going to list eats this week but this post is getting long. Have a great evening!

~Darcie

8/9/10: RR is on fire today!
Wow, it is crazy busy in here today - lots of fun!

I am in the contest, but have a different workout schedule setup, so I'll be following along to my own little tune LOL.

Starting the week off GREAT! Today was chest/tri's/cardio/abs. I'm working twice as hard this week so lets hope I make it to Sunday :) . Weight is 122.0, looking to be in the 120.x range by Sunday.

AM fasted -
Pilates 20 min
Rbike 40 minutes, easy pace

Later AM - PreExhaust Supersets

DB Flyes - 15's x 20 x 3
w/ BP - 55x10x3

Resist Band Flyes - Blue & Yellow x 20 x3
w/ DBBP - 20's x 10 x 3

Around the Worlds - 5's x 10 x 3
w/ Pullovers 10 x 10 x 3

Then this evening I finished up with:

Tri Pushdowns - 25x10x3
w/ abs 10x3

Tri Exts - 20 x 10 x 3
w/ abs 10x3

Tri Kickbacks 15's x 10 x 3
w/ abs 10x3

Light Lat Raises - bluex10x2

And sprints outside. 8 sprints, total distance 2miles.

Eats were great at dinner out last night. Salad w/chicken, very little dressing. Saved up my carbs so I could have the croissant that comes with it :) . There must have been about 10 cups of mixed greens in that salad. I had the 2nd half at home as late night snack. Totally passed up the cake and appetizers. Today is great also. In fact it has been a perfect week of eats.

Hope you all are having a spectacular start to your week!

~Darcie

Monday, August 9, 2010

The BuffMother "30 Day Get Buff" Contest

The 30 Day Get Buff Contest Starts today! Head on over to the BuffMother website and sign up there. The contest takes place in the paid only portion of the Rally Room, but there is a 30 day free trial - perfect for this challenge!

Basic Contest INFO-

This contest is FREE!!!

TEAM start date Aug 9th, 2010 (you can start late- just sign up and follow the plan on your own)

Location of the Contest is in our "Women Only" Team Buffmother! Rally Room- you can join FREE using the "30 day free trial" option

Daily workout plan- a link will be e-mailed to you daily, however, you can opt to do your own alternate workouts

Support, info, instruction, videos and downloads will be available to contestants via the Rally Room.

4 Simple steps to enter and WIN:

1. Take your starting stats (pictures optional)

2. Blog in the Rally Room at least 3 times during the duration of the Challenge

3. Take your ending stats

4. Submit your entry to michelle@buffmother.com by Sept 25th- Entry= starting stats, final stats, a written paragraph sharing your thought about the contest, and at least photo of yourself.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Chest/Tri's & Grapes

I didn't sleep very much last night. Ted was the on call tech and so calls were coming in quite a bit. When I woke up I did not want to do my pilates. I was tired!! But I did it anyway. It's a great relaxed pilates workout dvd - Caribbean Workout. I love the music in the background.

Then we went grape picking. The ones that we ended up liking weren't quite ripe yet so we'll have to go back in a few weeks. But it was fun to walk through and taste them, even if I did get covered in spider lines that were going across from one set of vines to the other.

After that we went swimming. It felt really good after walking around in the heat.

Came home, took a nice nap, then onto the workout.

Chest/Tri's, Pre-exhaust supersets
+ Abs, & SS cardio

warmup rbike 10 min

DB Flyes - 15's x 20 x 3
w/ BP - 45x10x3
w/ Abs 10x3

RB Flyes - Blue & Yellow x 20 x 3
w/ DBBP - 20's x 10 x 3
w/ abs

Pushups 10x3 (knees)
w/ Abs 10x3

Tri Pushdowns - 25x10x3
w/ abs 10x3

Tri Kickbacks - 15's x 10 x 3
w/ abs 10x3

Elliptical 30 minutes

Walk dog 20 minutes

Eats were good. A little low on greens, but all still in line with the numbers I'm looking for. Yay!

Have a great night :)

~Darcie