It Burns (in more ways than one)

     Tonight was tough. My food choices weren't very good today and haven't been this entire weekend. Because of that, my acid reflux has been terrible! I can tell you that swinging a bell while feeling acid bubble up your esophagus is one of the more unpleasant sensations that this world has to offer. I've been forgetting to log my food here as well, so I'll it quickly at the end of the post. 

     Here was tonight's torture:

10,000 Swing KB Challenge (35lb bell):

Each cluster tonight consisted of the following:

10 swings, 4lb high knee / rear leg raise x2

15 swings, knee / rear leg x3

25 swings, knee / rear leg x5

50 swings

Starting Time: 6:42pm

CLUSTER 1:

Time4:42 min
Rest: 3 min.

CLUSTER 2:

Time: 4:59 min.
Rest: 3 min

CLUSTER 3:

Time: 4:32 min.
Rest: 4 min.

CLUSTER 4:

Time: 4:45 min.
Rest: 3

CLUSTER 5:

Time: 4:27 min.

Ending Time: 7:17pm

     

     Even though it felt slower, I still came in at 35 minutes which is right around the other times as well. As I'm sitting here typing this up, the acid has retreated back to my stomach, which is a good thing. here is a simplified list of what I had to eat today:

regular coffee; ham/egg/cheese on a bun; diet gingerale (2); ice water; 5 marshmallows; banana. I look at that mess and it's no wonder my gut hates me. I had been doing well but just fell back into old habits. Tonight's dinner is a chicken and veggie burger with a side of quinoa and a small cucumber/tomato relish thingy. 

     I wanted to take a minute to discuss some of the mind games that I play to get through a workout. I've talked about this before, I believe, but it bears repeating. Sometimes, we have boundless energy and getting through a session is easy-peasy. Other nights we have to fight our mind to et through each and every rep. I have different ways of dealing with this but lately, I've been using the mantra "deep water".

     There is a training method by John Anderson called the Deep Water training method. I won't go into the whole schpeel about what it is - you can research about it over on the Google. But what stands out in my mind about it is a story he tells about swimming across a pond when he was a kid. Something to the effect of he wanted to be one of the big kids and swim this pond, so he started swimming. He got about halfway and realized he was literally over his head, exhausted, and wanting to turn back. The problem was that turning back was going to be just as much work as going forward. If he turned and actually made it back to the starting shore, he would be disappointed and a failure. If he just kept swimming, he would accomplish the goal. 

     On some nights, I tell myself just get to one rep past halfway. Once I do that, then I tell myself "deep water". If I make it past halfway, I have to keep going; I have to. That's how I've been getting through this lately. So, if anyone knows John Anderson, tell him that this middle-aged, out-of-shape, ding dong says thanks!

My Kind Of Pride

     I surely did not want to go downstairs tonight. But I did. It was a struggle but I'm proud of myself for getting it done. Here is the breakdown:

10,000 Swing Challenge (35lb bell)

Each cluster tonight consisted of the following:

10 swings, 4lb lateral leg lift x2

15 swings, leg lift x3

25 swings, leg lift x5

50 swings

STARTING TIME: 6:57pm

Cluster 1: 4:41 min

Rest: 3 min

Cluster 2: 4:14 min

Rest: 3 min

Cluster 3: 4:33 min

Rest: 4 min

Cluster 4: 4:05 min

Rest: 4 min

Cluster 5: 4:23 min

ENDING TIME: 7:32 pm

(35 total min)

     My clusters were a little slower it appears, but the accessory was different so that plays into it. The leg lifts were done with ankle weights and I'm fairly certain they're 4lbs a piece. The instructions on the website said to use squats as one of the accessories, but I'm trying to avoid squats fo the time beings. That being said, I still need to do some lower body work so I thought these would be good. It also needs to be something fairly straightforward that doesn't take up a lot of time, room, or equipment. Also, my rest times are approximate because I stop the timer to reset it for the next cluster, etc. I know most people probably don't give a rat's behind about the specific times, but my stupid brain works in odd ways. I like to be as exact as possible. I feel like it keeps me honest!

     As I said, I'm proud of myself for getting it done tonight. I really would like to see this through to the end and then keep going! I want so badly to be "good" again. The only thing in my way is me. 

Work Through It

Tonight was a stressful day. Em & I spent 7 hours in the ER with my mom (nothing serious and all is well). The only thing I had eaten were 3 whole wheat pumpkin waffles and a cup of coffee. I got home and didn't want to miss day 2, so I headed to the basement to relieve some stress. 

Here's what got done:

10,000 SWING CHALLENGE - DAY 2:

Each cluster consists of:

10 Swings, 15lb DB OH Press x1

15 Swings, 15lb DB Press x2

25 Swings, 15lb DB press x3

50 Swings

STARTING TIME: 8pm

CLUSTER 1:

Time:  4:15 min

Rest: 3 min

CLUSTER 2:

Time: 4:02 min
Rest: 3 min

CLUSTER 3:

Time: 3:52 min
Rest: 4 min

CLUSTER 4:

Time: 3:44 min
Rest: 4 min

CLUSTER 5:

Time: 4:03 min

ENDING TIME: 8:35PM

     Not too bad tonight. A few minutes faster and I also added the strength accessory in the last cluster. I also rested more in between sets so my actually movements were faster.

     I just finished eating some chicken and sweet potato, and yes, a little ice cream for dessert.

I feel good. I feel like it's helping, and I feel like I can continue. Tomorrow is a rest day so Saturday will be day 3.

Challenge Yourself

     Okay, so, a coworker of mine said she was going to start trying to walk and get in more exercise every day. I told her that if she walked, then I would workout. Yesterday, she walked, and I did.....nothing, lol. Well, I can't be an asshole (about this anyhow), so I'm declaring that I will be "TRYING" to complete the T-Nation 10,000 swing challenge again. I've done it twice before, but that was quite some time ago.

I can't promise I will start off with a bang, but I promise I will start. So go easy on me, don't judge too harshly (I can do that well enough on my own) and if you want, join with me (because I can use all the help, support and motivation that I can get!)

This one's for you Caitlin! lol

STARTING TIME: 4:10pm

Each cluster consists of:

10 swings, 2 Bench Dips

15 Swings, 3 Bench Dips

25 Swings, 5 Bench Dips

50 Swings

Cluster 1:

Time: 4 min

Rest: 3 min

Cluster 2:

Time: 4 min

Rest 3 min

Cluster 3:

Time: 4:48 min

Rest 4 min

Cluster 4:

Time 4:39 min

Rest 4 min

Cluster 5:

Time: 4:45 min

ENDING TIME: 4:48pm

     Truthfully, I'm surprise I actually finished. Were these powerful, picture-perfect swings? Hell to the no! They were, however, more swings than I have done in literally years. I may not be able to walk tomorrow, or especially the day after that, but this was a really good mental boost for me. I've been very down on myself for quite some time now. It's not a good place to be and maybe, just maybe, this will help push me on to a better mental state. 

     I didn't really rest in between the individual sets until the last 2 clusters. I took probably about 30 seconds between the 25 and 50 swings. Looking back at the instructions, I see now that I was supposed to rest more between the sets. Maybe that's why I feel like dying! But hey, I guess my conditioning isn't too bad! I also completed this with the suggested 35lb bell. I remember, eons ago, I had the goal of completing this with the suggested men's weight. I think that's still a worthy goal.

If you'd like to follow along and see what you can accomplish over the next 5 weeks or so, you can find the workout here

     I'm a little nervous for tomorrow. I know it will be slower (I'm taking the prescribed rest periods). I just want to complete it though. I'm going to try like hell to stick to the 2 days on, 1 day off and then see what the results will be. It has to be better than doing nothing!

Back On Track

     Em hasn't shown much interest in working out lately. I'm chalking it up to being a 14-year-old teenage girl. I'm doing what I can, staying active mostly by being outside in the yard and garden. When I get the gumption, I lift. When I don't, I don't. I'm trying to let go of the guilt and self-loathing for that lol.

     The other day, I was talking with a woman at work whose husband is having some health issues. I told her if she, or anyone for that matter, wanted help with getting their nutrition on track, I would be more than willing to help. I'm by no means a professional, but I do have some knowledge and experience. So, we all had a discussion about macros and food journals and such. Well, it got me to thinking that maybe I should also hop back on that wagon. I had success once before with it and I actually kind of enjoyed it. The analytical side of my mind got to enjoy the structure of it all. I got out my old notes and a notebook and started yesterday. Food journaling and meal planning and tracking. I think I have Frank on board again too. We both need to get real about our health. 

     I thought that while I'm still feebly trying to train and get stronger, I could also keep my food journey here too. I even made my notes a little more technical with a google spreadsheet for food nutritional values. I shared the link on my Facebook page and I'm putting it here as well. It's a work in progress, I add to it as I go. I'm also adding nutritional values for entire meals and snacks that I may have, and I may also link to the recipes I use. That way if anyone wants some ideas / inspiration, it's easy to access it all. 

     My hope is that maybe somewhere, someone may get some help from it. I know how overwhelming it can be to try and change your eating habits, but I also know how rewarding it is. I'm certainly not trying to replace anyone's doctor and I do make the caveat that the nutritional values at the top of the sheet are for me, personally and SHOULD not apply to everyone. But at least there's a starting point for people.

   Here's a list of some the websites that I've found helpful:

Eating Well, American Diabetes Association, American Institute for Cancer Research, and Clean Food Crush

     There are loads of others, but this is where I've a lot of the good recipes and info.