A Second Chance

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Going to the gym and forgetting my purse is becoming a habit.  A bad habit. This morning I was so focused on getting to the gym that I did it again.

Five minutes away from the gym, I realized I did not have my purse, but I wasn’t about to return home.  That would have cut into my workout.  I would rather take my chances and get stop by the local police.  Slow your roll girl!  I made sure to follow the speed limit, especially in the 25 mph zones.

My day blew by!

Nearly two hours working mostly on my back and a little shoulder.  I have no idea why, but today a couple of folks wanted to stop and chat.  Me… Mrs. Chit Chat was trying to get through my workout.  Ear buds neatly tucked in, head boppin and all… it did not stop them from getting my attention.

One was a couple.  The guy age 65 (he told me), who looked every bit 10 years plus younger.  Nice body!  I could tell he knew what he was doing in the gym.  The girl… well… nice. Huge 80’s style hair, very thin, and bright eyes and pretty smile.   The gentleman complimented me on my physique.

Moving from the cable equipment to the back machines, a 50ish looking male with a solid body stops me… his white hair gave his age away.

“I’ve been watching you!  Your form is excellent! You are doing everything right!  Keep doing what you are doing kiddo!”

“Kiddo!”  Lol!  He has not idea I’m well over 40.  Love it! I thank him and go to put my ear buds back in.  He leans over to tell me that he is or was (I forget) a personal trainer for years.  It took me like 4 or 5 attempts before he finally stopped talking.   Although I did respond, I needed to get back to my workout.

Yes, I finally got through it.  I got home by noon, just in time to meet “Arnold” who runs a home cleaning service.  I need someone to clean my home.  I can’t do it anymore.. truthfully, I don’t want to do anymore, so I’m not. We were suppose to me to discuss my needs, prices, and availability.

I race in the door, quickly fix my post workout meal (oats & eggs) and wolf it down.  15 minutes later.  Where’s Arnold?

I can’t wait, I’ve got things to do. In 2 1/2 hours, I did Shoprite, Bed Bath & Beyond, BJ’s, Macy’s, and the dreaded Walmart.  Hold up…  I don’t hate Walmart, but there are certain times that you do not shop at Walmart in my area and I was in the heart of it. But since I have a busy week, I put my music in my ear and braved the madness.  Lol!

Once home, I cooked a big pot of chilly and prepped a pot of kale.  I called the nail salon. It was 3:45 p.m., the salon’s last appointment was 4:30.  I turned the chili on low and tell hubby to watch it.  It’s Sunday afternoon football; that was a dangerous move.  I was smart enough not to turn the kale on. I called him on my way home from the salon to turn the pot on.

I raced out the door 10 minutes later and got to the nail place at 4:16.  The best thing about driving on a Sunday afternoon is that, at least here in South Jersey, everybody is somewhere watching football.  The roads were clear.  Thank God!

nails

Yay I got my nails done!  Those sparkles on the black polish are still growing on me, but guess what.  This chica is #happy about getting my nails done today.

#100 Happy Days Challenge #Day 26

Question.  How do you not engage in conversation at they gym?  The social butterfly that I am, loves to chat; however, on most days, I need to skip the chatter.  Should I buy BIGGER headphones?  Any  tips?  Oh please do share.

Geez… do you know what time it is?  Oh gosh… it’s past my bed time.  I really must go.

I hope you had a great weekend.  I did.  B’Dazzle’s JV football team beat another team 36-0!  Sweet!  He did his job as nose guard very well.

Okay.. I’m going this time.  For real!  Lol!

Oh  wait… at 6:54 p.m. Arnold (the owner of the cleaning service) texts me the following:

Wow, I just remember(ed) now, supposed to be there noon time today, completely forgot.  It’s Arnold.  Apology, do you want me to go (come) another time?  Really sorry.

OMG!!  LOL!!  Arnold came highly recommended by a neighbor. Everyone makes mistakes.  I believe in second chances, so I did reschedule. If he forgets this time, it’s a wrap and I will move down my list of recommended cleaning companies.

Serious… Sweet dreams!  🙂

Balancing Fitness

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Just when I think I have this balance thing down something else gets added (by me of course) to the mix!  Lol!

If you follow Lexa’s Journal, you know that in May I competed in my first, and what I thought would be my “only” figure competition. “One and done,” is what I said.  Whelp!!!  Ya know, I’m already focusing on competition #2.  Ha! Ha!!  Will this be the last time I walk on stage??   Truly, only God knows! Lol!

Anyways, with this 8 month goal in mind, I must be careful about indulging in two of my favorite summer activities:

  1. CrossFit – Shape.com research estimates an average of 12.3 calories burned per minute in CF.  That’s just over 738 calories in one hour’s time.
  2. Running – According to the folks at sparkpeople.com, if I run 10 miles (which is a summer average for me), I’d burn close to 1,000 calories!!

If your goal is to burn calories and simply to lose weight, great, but…

 That is waaaay too many calories and muscle mass burned.  That’s a no-no for my fitness goals.

Does strength/weight training burn calories?  Absolutely, but it depends on the type of exercise, the weight, and the duration, but typically, you won’t burn as many calories as CF and running.

For now, balancing my fitness regimen focuses on my current goals (competition #2). Weight training four or five days a week and CrossFit one or two days and at least one rest day. Sounds like a lot?  Well…

Hard work pays off and I’m willing to put the time in. Are you?

So, I looked at the WOD for today and decided it wasn’t too bad. (I’m smiling)  I was sore from yesterday’s shoulder workout and Monday’s back, so this WOD was perfect:

SWOD:
rope climb practice

I am a work in progress when it comes to the rope climb.  Technique gets you up the rope, so I worked on my foot positioning.  I sweat like something crazy doing this, but I loved working with my favorite instructor Lisa.  She’s detailed oriented and never allow you to compromise on form.  Look for that quality in a CF instructor.  It matters. You’ll be thankful when you avoid injuries.

WOD: 20 min EMOM (every minute on the minute)
min 1 – 2 rope climbs
min 2 – 25 abmats (situps)
min 3 – 10 kbs swings + 10 kb push press 5l/5r 53/35
min 4 – 7 burpee box jumps

I did the modified rope climbs… 4 ground to standing. Everything else was cool. Sore shoulders prompted me to go lighter on the kettlebell exercises, so I used a 26lb KB.

While the workout wasn’t intense, it served as my cardio day and took one hour. Tomorrow is leg day, they’ll be ready and refreshed.

I’m going to try to get to the gym early tomorrow because we’re having a yard sale on Saturday and I have a lot of work to do.

garage

I’m all about de-cluttering and getting rid of stuff we don’t use.  I want to simplify everything in my life.  During the 10 years in our current home, we’ve accumulated too much and I just have to get rid of it.

I also need to get rid of clothes that no longer fit. About four to five months into my training, my body composition began changing.  My blouses grew tight around the back, shoulders and arms.  My pants started sagging in the rear, while others grew tight in the thighs.  My beautiful Calvin Klein winter dresses suddenly looked like they belonged to an older sister.

I no longer fit 99% of these clothes.

pants

I can put these pants on and off without unzipping or unbuttoning them. I had no idea this was going to happen!

dresses and tops

Look at this lovely pile of mostly spring and summer dresses and a few blouses!  It’s not like I lost 50 pounds or anything.. heck I didn’t really lose weight… I just developed muscle, loss fat, and sculpted a new physique.  Jeez!!  I’m still amazed.:)

CK dresses

This pile makes me want to cry!  I’m not a brand name person, but here lies beautiful designer suits and dresses.  It would cost more to pay for alterations than to buy new ones.  Sheesh!!

What doesn’t sell, I’ll give to a charity. Then come the fall, I have much shopping to do and I am going to have a blast shopping!

It’s getting late and I have a busy day.  Sweet dreams and thanks for stopping by! 🙂