a tour de force of self-absorption

cx day 5.

clairebee — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 03:09:24 +0000

Today went well. I did Burn Circuit 2, and it was quite a bit easier this go round. I’m already looking into heavier weights to get – perhaps in a couple of weeks. I’m using my heaviest (15 lbs) for things like squats and rows- it’s true that I’m stronger than I think. There were still several exercises that were really hard, though- especially the bowler’s lunge… that one is killer. And the pushups! Argh. I do feel as though I’m slowly getting better at them, though.

I felt so chilled out and relaxed afterwards. Now I feel way too energized for it being bedtime. I just feel happy that I’m making time to do something good for my body, and I’m definitely not feeling bored with the workouts. So far, they’ve been well worth the money. Hopefully, by the end of the month, I’ll have some inches lost to show for it. I’m resisting weighing myself or taking measurements until then.

My diet was not very good today- lots of carbs. Although I did redeem myself at dinner time by eating a healthy wrap with laughing cow cheese, some cucumber and red pepper, and turkey and ham slices. It was really yummy! I need to remember these meals when I think I have nothing good to eat.

cx day 4

clairebee — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:57:03 +0000

Okay, so I took 2 days off. One, because I was hungover. The next, because I was lazy and all spun up about life lately. Neither are really an excuse, but there it is.

I am proud of myself for starting again today. I decided that I should go on with the program, even though I hadn’t done Burn 3 yet. So I acted like it was a normal Monday and did Burn 1.

I also realized that part of the reason I may have felt so worn out and lazy this weekend was because I didn’t take a day of rest from Wednesday to Friday, and Burn 2 was especially hard. And I hadn’t been working out much before that. So hopefully that will change, and I figured it was a good idea to start over, in a way, with all the rest days I’m supposed to be taking.

Although I’m hoping to add some light cardio to my rest days, eventually.

Today was a good workout though. I generally lifted a bit higher than last week, or added more reps. I did ONE more push-up this time- they’re so freaking hard!

I also didn’t take a nap today, which was amazing because it was my first day back at work and I had a hard time getting to sleep last night. So these are all victories and I’m feeling good. The workout actually energized me… that’s something to remember.

But now I must go to bed early-ish. Tomorrow’s a rest day, but I want to get back into a good sleep schedule.

cx day 3

clairebee — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:41:34 +0000

Today was Burn Intervals and Ab Burner. I couldn’t find my strength band before I started to workout, so I mainly used my 8 lb weight and sometimes some teeny 1 lb weights when my shoulders felt like they were going to give out. In the past, not being able to find my band would have made me delay my workout until ‘later’ (meaning not doing it at all) so I was proud that I still went ahead and did it. I really do need to find the band, because it was hard to do so many reps with 8 lb weights.

I liked the workout a lot. I like how varied the moves were and how quickly you changed from one to the other… I never got bored. There were definitely times when I needed to take a break, but I’m fine with that- it gives me something to work up to. And the Ab Burner was tough for me, as I predicted. But that’s another thing I can work up to. So far, CX has challenged me enough, but I’m encouraged that one day I *will* be able to do it all with no breaks, and with heavier and heavier weights. I just believe it. Something feels different.

The only thing is that I feel wiped out after a workout. I’m sure it’s just to do with not being used to it yet. My muscles are so, so, sore… especially my arms. I’m pretty sure that when the school year starts, I’ll have to do the workouts in the morning. I’ve never been good at working out after work. Hopefully by then, I’ll be less sore and tired after I workout. I may even feel energized! By then, I’ll be six weeks into regular workouts and on Push week 2.

Also, I’ve been drinking a lot of kombucha lately. I’m planning to make it, by hopefully getting a scoby from a friend. It’s funny, when I drink it I don’t immediately think it’s yummy- but I still crave it. The tartness of it is satisfying and it just feels healthy. I hope I can make it good enough to enjoy, because it is soooo expensive to buy at the store. I got it on sale for 2.50 for a 16 oz bottle the other day, but that’s not cheap enough to drink daily!

chalean extreme!

clairebee — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 04:09:16 +0000

Today was my second day of Chalean Extreme… my new lifestyle.

Yesterday I did Burn Circuit 1, which was challenging but didn’t totally kill me. I ran off to buy some more weights before my workout because I only had 8 lb and 15 lb, and I knew I’d need some medium sized weights, at least until I was able to use the 15 lb weights in the future. So I ended up getting some 12 lb weights, which are still quite challenging for many exercises.

I had been waiting for my Chalean shipment to come in for what felt like FOREVER, so I was ready to start when it came in on Tuesday. Therefore, I started the program on Wednesday, which meant no rest days this week. I thought I’d be fine, but realized today that that meant I’d be lifting *heavy* weights two days in a row. And Burn Circuit 2 was especially challenging! But I made it through most of the exercises at least to 10 reps each. It wasn’t the best thing to do (it’s important to take a day of rest between lifting weights) but from now on, I’ll be more on schedule.

Tomorrow, I’ll do Burn Intervals and Ab Burner for the first time. I previewed Burn Intervals and it looks pretty hard. I don’t have lighter weights than 8 lbs, so I plan on using an exercise band for a lot of the exercises. I haven’t previewed Ab Burner, but I’m not looking forward to it. I hate ab workouts… probably because I need it the most out of anything. But I’m going to power on through.

I’ve been eating fairly healthy the last two days. Although I did go out to eat last night- semi-healthy tacos with corn tortillas, two and a half glasses of wine, and a White Russian… maybe I haven’t been doing as well as I thought! But other than that, I’ve been eating smoothies with frozen berries and whey protein powder; veggie burgers with light cheese; salad with chicken breast, a little goat cheese, and homemade olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing; and lots of strawberries and blueberries.

The only issue is too many carbs. I did pick some really good multi-grain English Muffins with 5 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber (Thomas Better Start) but those did make the carb count go up a bit. The berries make it go up too… but I’m trying not to worry too much about the carbs in fruits- they’re so healthy! On my next grocery visit, I’ll get some Ezekiel bread. I thought it would be gross, but I tried some the other day, and it was pretty yummy. And very healthy- probably worth the carbs.

It’s just very challenging for me to eat low-carb. I’ve tried before and it made me feel weak and foggy. I think it’s best to cut down where I can, rather than to just go cold-turkey. And if most of my carbs come from fruits and vegetables, I don’t think I’ll do too badly at all.

The other challenge will be when I start work again, on Monday. I’m a teacher, so while I supposedly have summers off, I’ve been teaching summer school. Thankfully, it’s only mornings so I’m thinking I’ll be able to maintain my healthy eating pretty easily. And it’s such a busy day, I don’t have time to snack on crappy foods. Hopefully, it’ll be a good transition time until I start teaching again full time in August.

The exciting thing for me about Chalean Extreme is that I enjoy her personality and the workouts. I’ve always preferred lifting weights to cardio. There is a fair amount of cardio in the program, but more weight lifting if you follow her plan. I do plan to supplement with Turbo Jam or 30 day shred when I can, on rest days. I also plan to continue on with yoga, especially in the evenings. It’d be a nice idea to walk around town lake on the rest days…. but it’s *brutally* hot this time of year in Texas, so I’ll wait until it cools down (in October, ha!).

I have a strong feeling this is going to work for me. I lost about 20 lbs on Turbo Jam several years ago. I’m always better at working out at home. And when I work out, I lose weight. I really can’t do it on diet alone- I’ve tried that and it was pointless. My body builds muscle pretty easily, so I’m thinking in a few weeks, I’ll see some results. I already feel stronger- which is probably all psychological after only two workouts, but I like the way it feels.

On to better things in my life. I can do anything I set my mind to.

101 Things to do in 1001 Days.

clairebee — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:24:48 +0000

from Day Zero

1. Learn to sew a dress
2. Visit India
3. Do a shoulder stand in yoga
4. Knit a sweater
5. Document a day in my life in photos
6. Plant a vegetable garden
7. Complete Project 365 for one year
8. Bake a cake from scratch
9. Stop biting my nails
10. Go on a blind date
11. Get a tattoo
12. Lose 30 pounds
13. No TV for one week
14. Go to the beach
15. Exercise at least 3 days a week
16. Buy a new digital camera

17.

almost always never.

clairebee — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 17:38:34 +0000

One of my goals for the last two weeks was to clean out my closets and throw away anything that I didn’t want or need anymore- a new year, a new start, I suppose. I did manage to clean out my bathroom cabinets and my mom graciously got my car detailed for me (which is amazing and totally worth it and I recommend it to everyone).
But not much else was cleaned out. I did knit a lot, sleep a lot, learn how to sew badly on my new sewing machine, and thankfully, I did a lot of yoga and pilates. Oh, I also quit smoking, for good. And I almost fell for a boy before he moved to San Francisco.
But he moved on, and I’m still here, in a cluttered apartment full of fabric and yarn and nicotine gum.

Instead of tackling that today, I decided to create another journal to write in. I took my old one down about a year ago, and I miss writing.

And so, here I am. Another stranger using the internet as some sort of therapy.

True. I probably need therapy for real- but until then, this is cheaper.