Gym Brat?

a woman was doing bicep curls next to me at the gym yesterday and i looked at her and thought, "ugh...she is doing that ALL wrong."

only a few short weeks ago i used to avoid the places in my gym that were designed to make you lift heavy things because i was afraid of people thinking things exactly like that. im still a beginner. i am still trying new things and tweaking my workouts trying to get it all figured out.

i remember how rough it was for me to start doing a real weight program. i studied the back pages of my Body For Life book and agonized over things like the the direction my elbows should be pointing when i do a tricep press.

and then i would get to the gym.... and swallow my pride as i carried my book and pen around the weight room. and i did it all wrong. the first time i did upper body i hurt my back... then i realized my butt was too big to get me in the correct position on the machines... so i switched to dumbbells... which is a huge challenge in itself. i thought id never get the hang of it.

and id come home from the gym some days and just cry. i did get the hang of it... well, at least enough to hold my own in a weight room. it took me a few weeks.... i wish i had had some one to help me.

and for all i know, this woman who was "doing it all wrong" may have been in HER first week sucking in her pride and telling herself that no one is REALLY thinking she looks silly....

and even if its her 100th week, she deserves mad props for being at the gym. im sure all those muscle-headed boys in the dungeon have an opinion or two about the way the chubby girl does her forward lunges with 2 lb weights... but who cares!

it's ok if i wana release my inner gym rat.....















but i think i better rein in my inner gym Brat

Upper Body

unlike my lower body workout, my upper body has been great at making me feel it. upper is definitely my favorite. (really?? i have a favorite exercise? is that an oxymoron?)

CHEST:

Dumbbell Flyes










Chest Press













SHOULDERS:

Shoulder Press









Front Raises













BICEPS:

Bicep Curl













Hammer Curl












TRICEPS:

Triceps Pushdown














Triceps Press













BACK:

Lateral Pulldown














Dumbbell Row










look at me knowing what all those exercises are called!!! im a total gym rat!

Attempted Murder

my workout tried to kill me.

sitting down isnt supposed to hurt!!

working out turns you into a bit of a masochist. i have been working out with weights for a while now and could not find a lower body routine that really made me feel it. and by "it" i mean pain. the next day. but "it" is a very specific pain. there is a very narrow window of the right pain. its not an injured pain.... just a "every time i move it feels like i just got done running a marathon" pain.

as people so kindly pointed out, people (especially females) who are extremely overweight have a hard time feeling it and getting a real good lower body workout because their legs are so used to carrying around large amounts of weight. im still sorting out if that is a compliment or an insult...

so, yes... i was super happy when i walked (hobbled) out of the dungeon yesterday morning with my lower body feeling like jell-o. and i was even more excited when i could barely walk down the stairs this morning. see? masochist.

here's what did it.

QUADS:

Ball Squats













Dumbbell Front Lunges











HAMS:

Hamstring Curl














Dumbbell Dead Lifts














CALVES:

Dumbbell Calf Raises













Single Dumbbell Calf Raises









ABS:

Decline Bench Crunches









Dumbell Side Bend















that's it! truth be told, i am still not happy with my ab workouts.... i dont really feel it there. i have been really careful with abs because i tend to hurt my back when i try to work them.

also, my hamstring curl wasnt so great. i am going to try this next time.

Ball Hamstring Curl













as much as i hate to say it, i think that people were right. i couldnt use a machine or weights as my resistance because it doesnt come close to my BODY weight which is what my legs are used to lugging around. so i used my body weight as resistance and it did the trick for my quads...

hopefully that will work with my hams with the ball ham curl.

here's hoping!

The Dungeon

i love my gym. but there are things in it i have common sense enough to avoid. like this thing for example...













and there are certain places in it that i avoid all together... like the steam room (icky) and the child care area (noisy).....

my gym is divided into sections. there is the cardio section (we know each other well) and a "fluffy weight area" with all the pulley machine things. it was only recently that i even ventured into this area. ya know... it looks like this....












but there is another part of the gym. i like to call it the dungeon. its
in the basement. and its full of scary things like big sweaty muscle-headed men that grunt and drop the weights dramatically between sets. and the weights dont have pullies... they are just weights... and not the cute pink and blue and yellow vinyl covered ones they have upstairs like this...










they are like just METAL. ugly black and silver metal. like this....









and the machines have poles for you to put on your own huge discs of weights....











its really quite terrifying. but i have found that the fluffy upstairs weight area with pink dumbbells that only go up to 10 lb just doesnt cut it. so i have to go to the dungeon. i slap on my game face and suck it up... and do it.

The Cheese Stands Alone

who doesnt like cheese? its delicious on its own and makes everything else even more delicious. i love it on everything from apples to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

but if you're on a diet, when you hear "cheese", instead of thinking this...
















you probably think of this....








it has a bad reputation.... as a notorious diet saboteur.


but this stuff is breaking all the stereotypical barriers. Cabot 75% Reduced Fat cheese. yum. 60 cals, 2.5 g fat, and 9 g protein make it a favorite "protein portion" of my snack. i usually have it with a piece of fruit for a filling and healthy snack.

its a bright spot in my day when i realize it's 11am and i get to have my cheese!!!! is that sad?

Green Chicken Chili

i love salsa verde. some times i go to this burrito place that has all you can eat chips and salsa just to chow down on a about a gallon of this stuff! its made of tomatillos and jalepeno and onions and garlic and crystal meth (probably)...







for lunches this week i made Green Chicken Chili which is basically the salsa with chicken breast in it. and wow. its awesome. and pretty simple. the trick was these little mexican tomatoes.

meet my new best friend, the Tomatillo.













Ingredients:

1.5 lb tomatillos, papery husks removed
1/2 jalapeno, diced (more if you like it spicey)
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 large onion, minced
3 chicken breast, chopped small
2 cans (4 oz each) green chilies
4 cups low sodium chicken broth (i used water and no-sodium bullion)
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp lime juice


Step 1:
puree the tomatillos in a food processor.










Step 2:
cook onions and jalepeno over high heat 3 mins. add garlic and cook 1 more minute.









Step 3:
add the chopped chicken breast and cook until browned.

Step 4:
add the green chilies, tomatillos, and broth. bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer uncovered 45 mins.









Step 5
remove from heat and stir in the cilantro and lime juice.


heaven in a bowl!

I'm a Believer

i look in the mirror and i cant even imagine how i REALLY look. like how im supposed to look without an extra 120 pounds of fat on my skeleton. and i cant do it. losing weight seems impossible. like the tooth fairy or santa claus. a lie that we convince ourselves is ok to tell because it sounds nice. this is why i give up.

because i dont believe its actually possible. and why keep working so hard for something that wont ever happen.

but it CAN happen. i know because it HAS happened.

i watch this from time to time to remind myself. i get goose bumps every time.

its my turn!!!!