I'm back!
I sat down with my dad and made a training plan for the Atlanta Half-Marathon on Thanksgiving. I’ve already done the first two days in the shoes/socks/superfeet I got before leaving Atlanta for the last time this summer. I’m a little concerned about the shoes being a little too big in the heel but I can’t exactly take them back at this point. They do, however, make me feel like a real runner even though I’m not.
Getting back in to town yesterday also meant a trip to the grocery store. I stocked up at Whole Foods. Dinner tonight was a baked sweet potato (I had forgotten how much I love them!) and a Mahi Mahi burger. I’m being proactive about combatting the overwhelming stress of my job this year and planning to work out and eat well from the get go. I’m ready to amp it up again.
Today’s Weight: 149.5
Oh Hiiiiii.
Well internet… I have not been working out and I have been eating things like pork chops, enchiladas, daiquiris, and grits. But not neccesarily in that order.
I’m so looking forward to ending this craziness and get back into a routine. I recently found out my mother weighs less than I do (granted she is about 8 inches shorter than I am) and as happy as I am for her, I need to get my butt in gear. So here we go again!!!
Three things.
1) I have defined calf muscles. Yes, you heard my correctly. There is definition in my calf muscles. First time… ever.
2) I am about 12 pounds fatter than my driver’s license says I am. I would like to change that so I don’t feel like a liar because I didn’t lie when I got it.
3) Strawberry Lager and crawfish. Two firsts for the day.
This week has been packed. My only workouts since the weekend have been a walk/jog at the lakes on Tuesday evening and 35 minutes on an elliptical tonight.
Tuesday’s walk/jog was meant to be a run but there were so many people at the lakes I spent a lot of my time navigating between exercisers and people-watching. I was also self-conscious. I do believe I should get myself a tan and fast.
Tonight’s elliptical workout was the only thing I could fit in but it’s better than nothing and made me feel better about paying for that YMCA membership.
I think the last four times I have eaten out has been to sushi. I’m not complaining since it is one of my favorite foods but I do wish Baton Rouge could get it’s act together on the sushi scene. The ocean is right there. Right there! Other than that I have been sustaining myself on pb&j and clementines at work and salads and veggie burgers at home.
This week’s stresses include a sick grandfather without much time left, another teacher resigning at school (one of my faves!), meetings about next year (blargh.), family drama, and an upcoming PRAXIS test on top of the normal things.
Saturday's gone?
My only complaint about Saturday step class is the time because I like to start my days off pretty early. After dinner out for my roommate’s birthday last night (Steak and Bleu Cheese salad with a margarita), I tiptoed around the air mattresses in our living room this morning to get to step class.
Class today was similar to last week but it was a lot smaller, probably due to the Breast Cancer 5k going on this morning. Afterwards, I went hunting for a replacement watch (my beloved Timex broke) and some new workout clothes. I found a watch at Target and hit up more than a few places looking for suitable workout clothes. Either I am too picky or this city does not have an adequate selection. Probably a little bit of both. I came home with just the watch (and a pair of flip flops I couldn’t pass up).
I’ve spent the rest of the day finishing a book and battling a huge cockroach in the kitchen. The cockroach won and is under the refrigerator. I am feeling like I need a nap but I haven’t actually accomplished anything today and it’s almost 5:00.
Today’s weight: fat
Slacker.
I almost missed spin class on Wednesday due to some work biz-nass. Little hint: don’t call emergnecy meetings for teachers who already work extended days at the worst school in the city.
I made it and we did strength intervals, kind of like the equivalent of a really hilly bicycle ride. Note to self: the instructors stretching sequence sucks. Do more by yourself.
Yesterday, the YMCA schedule failed me. I headed over there for a Step/Tone class at 5:30. I was running a little late (as in I got there at 5:30) and when I walked in the gym there were a bunch of women doing some sort of percussion workout (exercise balls set on top of step risers that they were pounding with “sticks” while standing still) that I just passed by figuring it was the Drums Alive! class. Yoga had already started and we all know how sacrilege it is to walk in late to a yoga class. There was “kid fit” on the other half of the gym. I have no idea where I went wrong because even the white board at the front said there was a step class. If it was the women banging on the exercise balls then I’m glad I just walked by because it looked a little… low-intensity.
I went and ran 3 miles on the treadmill instead. Running has become rare for me because of some crap I did to my knee while training for my half-marathon (that I never ran thanks to mono). I came home and did some abs and arms.
This is how I feel on the treadmill, except maybe add excessive sweat (gross), even though I can actually run pretty far.
As far as eating, yesterday I had my sesame chicken for both lunch and dinner but about and hour and a half after dinner I was hungry again so I made some scrambled eggs. I am not a fan of scrambled eggs but these…. oh these were deeelightful. Probably a bad choice for 8:00 at night but oh well.
So the conclusion is:
Feeling like Holly Homemaker.
After I got home form work I decided that I would not be working out today. I’m psyching myself up for spin tomorrow.
Instead of working out, I spent an hour in the kitchen making sesame chicken, broccoli, and brown rice lunches for the rest of the week. This recipe is something I tried for the first time with Andrew, the dear boyfriend, and loved. It’s a little time consuming but it comes out great. The chicken is always tender and juicy and the sauce is just the right amount of sweet and salty (a combo of honey and soy sauce with some garlic and sesame seeds mixed in). The steamed broccoli and brown rice, of course, reminds me of home as they are staples in my parents’ kitchen.
Then I went a ltitle crazy upon realizing that I had all the ingredients to make the brownie recipe on the back of the cocoa container. So… I made brownies. I will take them to work tomorrow to help ease the pain that is our jobs. See the toothpick holes in the middle? I had to triple check because I don’t think I’ve ever made brownies before since I don’t really like them.
Overall, I’m looking forward to spin class tomorrow and hoping that my homemade meals will help me through the rest of the week.
Step Class Dropout
I had plans to go to to Spin class with a different instructor last night but when my buddy had to cancel and I realized I wouldn’t make it to my friend’s birthday dinner on time, I opted for Step.
Long story short, I left about 15 minutes in because I was spending more time trying to hear the instructor (he was walking around in a gym of 50+ people) and follow his crazy combinations (what the hell is a diagonal cross-over?) than I was actually getting a good workout. I was so angry I hammered on the elliptical for about 35 minutes before leaving.
I got to enjoy the most delicious vegetarian meal (stuffed acorn squash, roasted brussel sprouts, and garlic toast) with a few people I hadn’t hung out with in a while. I left my World Peace Cookies with them and hopefully they get to pack them in their lunches for today.
I don’t know what today will bring as far as working out because I never know what awaits me after school. Work, meetings, bull honkey….
Yesterday’s Weight: 150.5 (didn’t weigh myself today and I refuse to weigh myself after first thing in the morning)
I was browsing CNN.com, as I do about thirty times a day, when I came across this article about Michelle Obama’s arms. I have to admit, I have definitely pondered her arms. They’re toned but still feminine (in that “I can still kick your ass” kind of way).
I have often found myself checking out my arms in the mirror when I wear sleeveless shirts and I get to thinking that I’m getting “wings”. You know… the kind of arms you remember your older middle school teacher having… the ones that jiggled when she feverishly pointed at the board trying to get you to understand something. As a young teacher, I would like to avoid the “wings” and so I picked up my weights today after I got home from a jaunt on the elliptical at the Y.
P.S. I realize this blog makes me seem very self-conscious, maybe overly concerned with my looks, possibly shallow or conceited. I’m here to tell you I’m just voicing what almost EVERY young woman my age has going on in her head almost daily no matter how much she denies it.
