Still chugging along!

So, I know my posts are coming less and less. But that does not mean that my fitness journey has seen its better day! I decided it was high time to tell you guys what I have been working on in the last couple months!

First of all, an update on me! Unfortunately, 6 days after I posted my last blog, I lost my day job to the economy. While it has been tough to keep my spirits high, I have succeeded on all fronts in doing so and am simmering on a low boil until something comes up to fill my days again. I did get a job with Tom Douglass Catering, and for those of you who know restaurants, or well known chefs, this is actually pretty cool! Fun Fact: He beat the chef on "American Iron Chef". Lucky for him though, the secret ingredient was king salmon. Lol. Anyway, With the time on my hands though, I'm definitely getting in my workouts! And in July, I gave my trainer enough for a very nice buffer, knowing I would be making less money. Little did I know the reality of that statement at the time, but, training is my sanity. I'm not that upset about it!

As far as my fitness goes: i've been getting 5 strength workouts in a week. One chest day, shoulder day, back, legs, and some rehabilitative work (ok, you're right, so not so 'strength' after all on that last day, but still!) and for fun,I'll throw in arms on any of the mentioned days to make sure they are the primary rather then the secondary targeted muscle. My cardio is not as amazing as it used to be. I do decide from time to time, "I feel like doing 8 miles today!" and I'll break it up into 4mile segments. Or, I'll go do some erg sprints. But, I will say, I really have been working on my strength. Working to get stronger. My knee was causing some issues for awhile, and while that doesnt affect my upper body, It did affect my workouts for a bit. For about a month and a half, I didnt work out much (maybe once, twice a week), but my diet was clean (errrr... enough) and I was still training my clients. My strength declined, I went from an incline chest press of 45 for 8 (spotted) to 37.5/40-ish. While my legs still need work, my last chest work out I warmed up with 40 for 12, and then did 45 for 10 and 8! Ready to hit 50! Woot!

 I'm also quietly, and slowly, working on a side project that I hope to be fabricating sometime in the near future! More details on that soon!

 ALSO! My trainer finally got her site up! If you want to check it out, visit:
 www.amandajarstad.com
 and give her some love! She is definitely one of the leading reasons I am where I am today! She has been one of the most inspirational, motivational people I've known!

 I know, quick short update! But, I just realized, you have yet to see who came out to play!!

My top two! YAY! haha

 Signing off, for now! Will be back hopefully sooner rather than later!

 Cheers!

Something worth showing :D

So, I felt that the weekly posts were becoming a bit redundant, as my rate of change is continuing to slow. But, I woke up this morning and decided that today, I had something worth showing. We can call this the 1 year, 1 month mark. And Id say, that yes, I am actually pleased with this!

Another reason for not posting much is that I have taken a job at 24Hr Fitness, where I started my own journey and have been slowly building up a client base. It is a nice feeling knowing that I am finally doing something that is honorable, and noteworthy, and to the benefit of someone else. WHICH, in turn, benefits me. The way my heart wrenches over the need to help people. And now that I am? My heart constantly has a smile! My workouts have been a lil slow lately. To be honest. I have been working 70hrs, and getting my place all packed up and ready to move. Takes a toll after awhile! But,I have been doing at least something outside of work and moving daily.

Anyway, here is my update!

11 Months (Do over!) and WEEK 49! - April 26

WOW! I have no idea where the time has gone! OR went! But, all of a sudden, I've missed my first week of blogging since I started blogging, and I forgot photos for this past weekend. Funny thing is I took photos last week, but not this, and I'm blogging this week, but not last. Yes, life has been slightly crazy. My brother has been in town, I've been working out more, I've been working more, I've been doing more, it was Easter. All these are a bunch of excuses as to why I forgot to write my blog last week. And I'm sorry for that.

This has been a blog in process. I start, then go away for a day, then pick back up. Alright, So. Short and sweet, so I can get something posted.

I went almost two weeks without doing much of anything. Was so busy, and tired. And then, I decided, I had no more excuses. I have to get back on the train. My trainer is getting ready for nationals in Vegas in July, and I've decided to give her the support team she had for Emerald Cup. So, I'm dieting and working out, just as much as she. We actually did stairs tonight! And it was awesome! So, we are going to start doing that frequently, I believe! I'm excited! Ew! You guys should see this photo! I love it :D



I still find myself openning up this photo and just thinking "wow, I have definition!" It's crazy! Hard work does indeed pay off! Anyway. Will post again, on Monday. With photos! For sure! :D

Off the Hook

This is going to be short. I just realized. I'm letting myself off the hook. I'm not sticking to my diet 100%, even tho I do follow it pretty well. And on top of it, I'm stretched for time, constantly, and if I have time, I relax into it so much cause sometimes I feel my life is just way to chaotic that the second I get a chance to breath, instead of run out and do something else with that time I just hang out. Relax, actually allow myself to unload for a moment. But, I realized. The reason I dont stay strict to my diet is part of me wonders "whats the point??" No matter what I do right now, my stomach will not change much. It has lost all it can lose and while it still may lose some, I was overweight for ohhh..... 7years? Maxing out at 195lbs and, well, I would say that I averaged around..... 185 for the entire 7 years. I got to 175 like 4 summers ago, and then went back up to 185. 190 ish. And i guess its slightly discouraging. I wonder how much of me is lose skin. the fact that I can lift my arm up now and there are stretch marks in my armpit, or the fact that I feel like when I sit down, there is oh... a good pinch (no not mm pinch/skinfold pinch but thumb to middle finger pinch) of what seems to be lose skin. It's all around my body. My legs never carried a lot of fat, so they I think will be just fine.

So, back to why I let myself off the hook. I guess you can say its discouraging. To know, I could be at the gym, doing various cardio routines, switching from distance to HIIT and just constantly requiring my body to perform differently, keeping it on its toes, but my stomach wont change. So, why even diet...right? WRONG. Given, and this is hilarious to me, my craving, my "cheat" is no longer a bacon burger, its no longer ben and jerrys, or cold stone or a milk shake, or a slice of pizza from the amazing hot mamas.... you want to know what I crave now? Trail Mix. that's right, I said it. Trail mix. Not cake, not doughnuts, nothing like that. They must throw some coke, or some addictive additive into their mix because I want it, all the time. I am healthier, but that doesnt mean that I slack on my goals, and what I want for myself.

My goals dont change. Wont change. It doesnt matter, my stomach will get taken care of eventually. And when it does, I wont have these thoughts. But, for now, accept the frustration. Live it. BUT, keep myself accountable!!!

WEEK 47 - April 12

It seems as tho my official post day has become Tuesday. Mondays i'm running around with my head cut off. Tuesday is a much more relaxed (considering) day! Last week went better than the previous week for me. I ahve been so busy lately with training, and working, there were 2 deadlines last week at the office and I worked through the weekend! But, I did manage to the get to the gym to do some cardio on....... either wednesday or thurdsay. And I rocked it. I hadnt done cardio in a week and a half, and I get back and I did the stair mill and treadmill. I did level 8 for 5, and then level 14 for 15 on the stairmill, and then I had the genius idea of doing intervals for 10 mins, from ummmm 10.0 to 11.0 I think. My legs forgot how to work. Well, that is, until I got to session on Sunday!

Friday first though! Man oh man, I got there and she basically had me jumping around, running up stairs, squating, very active fast paced goodness. We did close to the same thing on Sunday. Just active session. We did a little bit of interval training too and I got up to 12.8.... for 10 seconds, I think any more than that and I would have pulled a Molly Shannon into the hurdles behind me. lol.

My goal/mission for this week is to get to the gym, no matter how tired I am, and get in my workouts. I have missed them. And, even though its important to focus on my jobs, there will never be a day when focusing on myself becomes unimportant. My own fitness goals are just as important! Til next week. And I will post photos next week. Well, I guess I will have too, since, after all it is my 1 YEAR MARK!!!!!! WOOOOOOTTT!!!! :D




This is an after thought. It will be week 48.... aka 11 months. I need to figure out where I went wrong!

WEEK 46 - April 4

So, this week, Has been pretty good! Still super busy! My own training has gone well! I tested my leg press PR on.... Friday night maybe? and I put up 7 plates each side, aka 630lbs! I was slightly shocked to see that! I went up to Edmonds to train a friend of mine. And i threw him into the leg press, and was like "woah, i can do that whole stack" lol Thats pretty cool! I think. Ummm... Havent PRed anything else recently. My trainer posted a photo post-back-wrkt mid week and I texted her saying "ugh, i want your back. I keep going back to that photo" and so Friday, she gave it to me! Im finally starting to feel a bit back to normal! Yes, I think so! Just did the muscle poke test to verify. Haha.

My training, as a trainer, is going well too! Keep diving in and trying to learn all i can about program planning. I need to get back into the nutrition and anatomy side of things. Definitely need a refresher course! Seems like I have clients lining up, but need to get them into the gym! Which is excited. thanks to my amazing bro, I at least have something for a website now. So, its not just a "Coming Soon..." site. Now I feel i can get out there and start marketing myself... in all my spare time ;) I do know that, once the ball starts rolling, i better be able to keep up! May go around to different gyms in the area and work out, see if I can meet people that way. Make lil mail box things for the local residents where the gym is. SO MUCH! haha.

I think 2 weeks ago I said I was starting a strict diet again. And I let the trail mix take over that. Don't ask me, my cheat of choice is trail mix. And its goood... lol. But, I did start a diet on.... hm. I'm not sure, well I started SERIOUS again on Friday. And have kept it going, just fine. No trail mix, no nothing. I went for a drink on sunday, and yesterday, and this coming saturday. Meeting up with old friends. But, sunday i did have some tortilla chips o_O Damn those chips. Could have been worse though. I could have thrown some cheese, and beans, and turned my plan tortilla chips into nachos. So, gotta stay positive! Right!? haha

I am going to give a shout out to my trainer, Amanda J! Who is just 2 weeks away from Emerald Cup 2011 at Snoqualmie Casino and is looking AH-Mazing! I wont be shocked when she takes 1st! She'll def be standing on the podium, or whatever you stand on for top 3 at these functions! lol If any Seattle locals are interested, go ahead and check it out! April 15th and 16th (she's bikini and is on Saturday). The work that goes into getting ready for such a show..... not easy stuff!

Alright, onto photos. (like i said, these aren't changing, that much. I'm going to figure something else out....)
Sorry for the blur!!

WEEK 45 - March 28

Week 45 has been nuts. And yes, this post is late. I was just so exhausted yesterday, I went home and went to bed. Life is crazy! Busy! But good! As always! Started to actually train people. Had an orientation of sorts on Saturday and Sunday, and a session with a client, an orientation and a monthly Monday morning. Feeling better about all of it and building a little bit of confidence! I found that last week, I did do a lot of working out. But it was more so for the clients, and what workouts I was going to do for them. And that is good, because even though I didnt use as much weight as I could for the workouts, I was still going through them... almost nightly.

I did try to test my PR on the leg press while finishing up a late night workout at Fuerte. I had 5 plates each side, and was still able to do 12-15 reps. And I was out of plates at that point. So, I need to go to 24 and see what these legs are made of! Strangely, the more i go over these workouts for future sessions, the more i feel i need to have a workout for ME. And that may seem selfish. Fine. But, to just drop the note pad, put the headphones in, blast the music, and get lost in the world I wind up in when my heart rate gets going. I crave it when I go without it.

I do love training though. Yes, I've only really been doing it for like 2 weeks, and not as often as I will be. but its good, and feels good, and Yeah, basically read last post and thats how I feel. It's comfortable. I think the issues that are arising now, is yeah, I can do these monthlys where the member will be like "we did an upper session last time, lets do lower this month" And my goal is to give them a wide range of exercises that they can form their workouts around. But a client you see 2x a week. You have to be creative, and you have to keep it fresh. Ahhhhh.... oooohhhhh haha. And I will get that. I have been going over bodybuilding.com's exercises library any second I can. I have it on my phone so I can always whip out the app and write more down when I have a moment to spare. I finally have learned the value of having a writing notebook with you at all times. I'm always writing in it. Ah, I cant wait til the day when I can just run someone through an upper wrkt and not reference anything. I should make a program..... the "Workout Randomizer" I'd make millions.

Fun news! I also made Jamie Eason's "INSPIRATION" album! 42,000 followers and I was the 6th photo she uploaded. Nice. Figured if I can use my story and my progress to motivate and inspire others, then that is a good day! Anyway, I know, I'm not changing much, probably, but here is Week 45!