No Pain No Gain?

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Well, I had a good week with working out and then Sunday night went to bed in tears from back pain. I'm not sure if it was biking, weight lifting or if it was the reverse crunches that messed my back up. I didn't lift anything too heavy so I am pretty sure it was the reverse crunches since the pain is more around my tailbone than just my lower back. Also, I'm inclined to believe it had nothing to do with muscle since Advil and back pain medication did nothing for my pain. A friend gave me her leftover T3s (there were only 5) and these didn't help with the pain, but did help me get a good nights sleep at least.

It's now Friday after work and I'm on the bus as I type this. My back still hurts, but no where near as badly as the first few days. I wanted to take 2 days off and start again, but at this point I don`t want to further mess up my back. I'm going to start fresh after the weekend.

I've continued to try and limit my food intake. I still haven't had any cookies,  but I had a hefty piece of buttermilk pie Sunday night. I admit that there were a few times I used my pain as an excuse to eat. However, I did not use it as an excuse to eat poorly every day all day. I`m not sure that I'll lose any weight this week without the working out, but I'm sure I will have at least maintained what I've already lost.

I'm still enjoying my new outlook on life. I've been craving healthier foods a lot more than the fattier foods. I've got hot sausages in the freezer that I haven't wanted to eat because of the grease. Just one example of small changes I`ve notices in myself lately.

I will keep you posted on my return to fitness.

Week 1 Complete

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Sunday: Lower Body (Weeks 1-4)

DAY:	5
DATE:	July 25, 2010
TIME:	Cardio 6:30 am Weights 10:30 am
CARDIO TODAY?	YES
EXERCISE	Biking
DURATION	28:40 (3.28 miles)
LENGTH OF WORKOUT:	1 hour
WEIGHT:	65 lbs
LOCATION:	Home
MOOD WHEN STARTING:	Didn't want to do cardio this morning, but I did it anyway. Felt much better about working out when it came time to do my weight training.

EXERCISE	Set #1	Set #2	Set #3
Deadlift: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	15x12	15x12	15x12
Barbell Squat: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	15x12	15x12	15x12
Dumbbell Lunges: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	5x12	5x12	5x12
DB Seated One-Leg Calf Raise: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	20x12	20x12	20x12
Dumbbell Shrugs: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	10x12	10x12	10x12
Reverse Crunch: 3 sets of 10-15 reps	15	15	15
Superman: 3 sets of 10-15 reps	15	15	15

TRAINING, NUTRITION & SUPPLEMENT NOTES:

Today went really well. I'm exhausted yet energized! YAY for exercise highs! I had a hard time with the ab work because my abs still hurt from Wednesday's workout. I wanted to give up while doing Superman. Funny, it's the "easiest" of all the exercises for the day but mentally the hardest. However,  I DID IT! I completed WEEK 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Something to Smile About

Well, I promised that I would tell you all how my trial with Yaz goes. So, just a quick note to keep you all up to date. 

I have to say things are better. I still had a few bad days but overall life is manageable again! I'm nearing the end of month 2 so I'm feeling confident that this is the solution for me. I've also started exercising again which can only help with my PMDD symptoms. My caffeine consumption overall is a lot less too. I know I'm not "cured" by any means.

I'm just happy that I can enjoy life more! Life isn't much fun when you're angry all the time. For now, I'll leave you with a fun song by Lily Allen. Until next time! Enjoy!

Working Out...Again

Hello Peeps! We bought a weight bench AND  I'm actually enjoying using it! I found a 12 week workout for women from BodyBuilding.com called The Female Training Bible. There is a lot of information to go through and somewhere in the middle is the 12 week training guide. I absolutely love the Body Building site because it has everything. You can look up exercises and find other exercises that work the same muscle group. I especially find this useful since there were some exercises I'm not able to do yet. Like pull-ups and dips. My muscles are definitely not ready to hold up or pull up 243.6 lbs!

So far I prefer the leg workouts but that`s because I have more muscle in my legs and find it easier. I`m excited to see how my muscles are going to form. 

Alright let me break down the 12 weeks a bit for ya`ll. In general I`ll be working out 4 days a week. Cardio in the morning, weight training at night. The 12 week program is separated into 3 sections:

Weeks 1-4: 3 sets of 8-12 reps

Weeks 5-8: weight increase and 3 sets of 6-8 reps 

Weeks 9-12: weight increase and 3 sets for 4-6 reps

Each week will break down something like this:

Monday: cardio a.m. upper body weight training p.m. 

Tuesday: cardio a.m. lower body weight training p.m.

Wednesday: Off 

Thursday: cardio a.m. upper body weight training p.m.  

Friday: cardio a.m. lower body weight training p.m.  

Saturday: Off

Sunday: Off

Now my week will change depending on what days I am working in the office. Usually, I work from home 4 days a week. I`ll be figuring out my next week`s schedule when I get my work schedule Friday`s. Regardless, I will be working out 4 days a week.

Here is today's workout:

Friday: Upper Body (Weeks 1-4)

DAY:	3
DATE:	July 23, 2010
TIME:	11:30 am
CARDIO TODAY?	YES
EXERCISE	The Barefoot Dancer
DURATION	20 minutes
LENGTH OF WORKOUT:	40 minutes
WEIGHT:	65 lbs
LOCATION:	Home
MOOD WHEN STARTING:	Optimistic

 

EXERCISE	Set #1	Set #2	Set #3
Reverse Triceps Bench Press: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	15x12	15x12	15x12
Bent Arm Barbell Pull Over: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	15x12	15x12	15x12
Side Lateral Raises: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	5x12	5x12	5x12
Incline Barbell Triceps Ext: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	15x12	15x12	15x12
Barbell Curl: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	15x12	15x12	15x12

TRAINING, NUTRITION & SUPPLEMENT NOTES:

Had a migraine last night that left me exhausted this morning. I didn't do my cardio, but at 11:30 I found I had the energy to work out and followed a TV workout The Barefoot Dancer.

I didn’t work as hard as I could have but I was trying to get used to the selected exercises. I'm sure the next workout will be better.

NOTE - I realized that I haven't had any cookies in a few days. I have had mocha's from Starbucks but usually I have several cookies a day. Now that I've realized it I notice I'm not craving them either. I really hope to continue with this!