Fit Chick

Like most girls, I have no upper body strength what so ever. I can barely do a real push up and watching me attempt a pull up is like watching a fish flopping on the line…But my goal this year is to do a real pull up without cheating or support (my husband picking me up).

How am I going to do this? By starting with baby steps, or in this case a ball. I call this exercise the Ball Up and I am going to attempt over the next 2-3 weeks to train my upper body to pull myself up on a door hanging pull up bar.

So I challenge all you ladies out there to the Ball up challenge…

Here is the plan for Week one, two and possibly three:

2-3 x week – palm out pull up using giant workout ball as support (knell on ball and pull yourself up to bar)

Since this is a new experiment I’ll post my progress in the next weeks and go from there… wish me luck!

So I guess it’s time to do some updates to this site. I should probably change the title to Fit Chick 2010! So far I’ve had a descent start to the year for working out, though I’m about to kick it into high gear tonight with my new 4 week cardio/resistance training plan:

I’ll be doing the Intermediate plan from the Summer 2009 Oxgyen Abs issue “Complete Fat-Blasting Guide” – Two levels of Cardio on the plan

Steady-State Walk/Jog Program:
Minutes | Speed | Incline
0-5 | 3.0 | 0.0
5-10 | 3.5 | 2.0
10-15 | 4.5 | 3.5
15-20 | 4.8 | 4.5
20-25 | 4.8 | 5.0
25-30 | 4.0 | 3.0
30-35 | 3.0 | 0.0

Interval Walk/Jog Program:
Minutes | Speed | Incline
0-5 | 3.0
5-10 | 4.0
10-11 | 5.0
11-13 | 3.5
13-14 | 6.0
14-16 | 3.5
16-17 | 6.5
17-19 | 4.0
19-20 | 6.5
20-22 | 4.0
22-23 | 7.0
23-25 | 4.0
25-30 | 3.0

Monday: Cardio 40 minutes steady state program – resistance training

Tuesday: Cardio 30 minutes interval program

Wednesday: off

Thursday: Cardio 40 minutes steady state program – resistance training

Friday: Cardio 30 minutes interval program

Saturday: Resistance Training

Sunday: Cardio 45 minutes steady state program

So I just wanted to share the new and improved home gym.
Week one down and 3 more weeks of the first month’s training to go!
Time for some upper body weights.

As I stare at the last page hanging on the wall calendar I wonder where this year has gone. So far 2009 hasn’t been all that bad for me. I have been lucky for the most part in my personal life compared to most Americans this year. I did though put my fitness goal on hiatus while I re focused my career priorities and with doing that I’ve relapsed into some bad habits. Habits I am not proud of and have been quite angry at myself about. I stood in front of the mirror last night assessing the damage I have done to myself over the past 5 months, measuring tape and all. Overall I have put back on almost 10 lbs and 1.5 inches to my waist, not good. My lack of interest in working out and bad eating has started dragging me back to my old ways.

I stood there and verbally told myself “It’s time to change, time to get back on track. I can do this and I will.” To my surprise, speaking aloud to myself actually helped my moral. It has been 2 years this month I started my body makeover. I achieved so much in that time by eating clean and working out that I can not give up because I’ve started to fall.

Today I have been good so far. I started my food journal again and in a few minutes I am starting a new weight/cardio plan from the January 2010 Oxygen magazine. I really want to stick to this and finish my final chapters of my body make over. I also want to get back to writing on this site more and give it a face lift.

I am not going to let this setback ruin what I have done so far, and I am not going down without a fight!

I’m really mad at myself right now. I keep making promises to get motivated and eat clean and I keep falling back into bad habits. Sugar is my weakness and is one of the reason my belly is coming back. I’m angry because I was doing so good. And what happened? Life happened, I guess. Busy with work, stuff at home, stress. Muddy buddy is in two weeks… and I’m not ready. To be honest, I’m kind of scared. I haven’t trained for it like I should of.  I hate this feeling. Why can’t I control my sugar cravings. I think, one Kit Kat won’t hurt. This cupcake… I’ll burn it off. But I  haven’t… I haven’t gotten on the treadmill, I haven’t cut back my bad eating at all.

I’m paying for my weeks of bad eating now. Weeks of a deep sugar problem. I’ve put on 10 lbs that I worked so hard to take off for my May goal. 10lbs!!! I need to make a choice now. I need to stick to a clean diet and start training like I’ve never trained before.

Can I do this? Can I train for a 6 mile bike and run race in two weeks? I guess I’m about to find out… the hard way.

As I see the scale needle creep back up I bounce back onto the treadmill today to get back on track. The river trip has come and gone and I pigged out beyond words… but the guilt and motivation has no set in and I’m ready to get that needle back down to my goal weight! So here is my new 6 week workout plan to fit into my busy schedule:

The Plan: You Time-Saving Fitness Plan (brought to you by Oxygen Magazine – October 2009)

What you need:
>Flat Bench > Two sets of dumbbells (light & heavy) > Place to do some cardio (road or tread) >kick you in the ass motivation

Workout week overview:
Monday > Resistance workout
Tuesday > 30 min cardio
Wednesday > Off
Thursday > 45 min cardio
Friday > Resistance workout
Saturday > 60 minutes
Sunday > Off

Resistance Workout:
Legs:
1. Dumbbell squat > 2 sets 8-10 reps (heavy) 2. Bench step-up > 2 sets 12-15 (light)
Chest:
1. Dumbbell bench press > 2 sets 8-10 reps (heavy) 2. Dumbbell flye > 2 sets 12-15 (light)
Biceps:
1. Bicep curl > 2 sets 8-10 reps (heavy) 2. Hammer Curl > 2 sets 12-15 (light)
Shoulders:
1. Arnold press > 2 sets 8-10 reps (heavy) 2. Lateral dumbbell raise > 2 sets 12-15 (light)
Abs:
1. Dumbbell crunch > 2 sets 8-10 reps (heavy) 2. Bicycle crunch > 2 sets 12-15 (light)
Back:
1. Dumbbell bent-over row > 2 sets 8-10 reps (heavy) 2. Dumbbell straight-arm pullback > 2 sets 12-15 (light)
Triceps:
1. Bench dip > 2 sets 8-10 reps (heavy) 2. Seated dumbbell overhead extension > 2 sets 12-15 (light)

So I’ve fallen into a huge rut over the last month. It started slow and before I knew it I’ve almost blown a year and half of hard work for a couple weeks of bad eating and the fine art of couch denting. Last week it hit hard when my new pair of shorts I bought for beach were a bit too snug. I know I picked up on the eating a bit more and my exercise habits have decreased with some reason work stress, but I just feel tired and just plain unhappy with myself and my desire to get into shape. I took one good look at myself in the mirror and felt a flood of self conscience emotions coming back. This has to change, I have to do something. I am so close to my goal. Just 10 or so more pounds.

I need a goal. Some inspiration, something to get out of this sluggish mind set! So where do I begin? I decided to make a home gym and work on my treadmill situation since I had quit my gym membership after I’ve become unhappy with the facility. Trey and I ended up buying a semi used treadmill from a family member super cheap. I moved my purple weight bench that I got for my birthday into our spare room with the my yoga mat and treadmill. I also put up a cork board and started posting workout tear sheets.

I then found a running magazine I had picked up that advertised the Muddy Buddy race my friend Veronica told me about. Trey and I had talked of doing it, but hadn’t committed. This would be the perfect project to get me back in the saddle, so I signed Trey and I and now we have to do it or I’m out $150!  So far I’ve logged 5 days of training. Here is the new plan for the next 6 weeks and I’m pumped! Look out muddy finish line, here I come.

Monday:
run 1 Mile
Total body weight circuit

Tuesday:
run 1 mile
bike 2 mile

Wednesday:
run 2 Mile
Total body weight circuit

Thursday:
run 1 mile
bike 2 mile

Friday:
run 1 Mile
Total body weight circuit

Saturday:
run 1 mile
bike 2 mile

Sunday:
Rest, Phew!

Total body weight circuit breakdown: Sets of 12 with two 10lb dumb bell weights. Do each workout back to back three times in 20 minutes:
no incline bench press
front squat
single arm overhead extensions
squat with back row
no incline chest flye
stationary lunge
standing shoulder press
standing bicep curl
weighted ab crunch on ball

Oh My Sugar!

Putting this out there for all you soda lovers…

http://www.sugarstacks.com/

Quit that sugar fix! Decrease your sugar and you’ll decrease your waist. I quit the soda almost 2 years ago!