Look what I got…. + Jack Lalanne + injury update

    I knew it was coming.. I used the tracking number to check it since the day I ordered it.. and I was growing impatient! Morning workout went well and I didn’t have any plans for the early part of the day and I wanted to get started….
    But then, just as I was standing outside hanging wet clothes out on the line unable to feel my fingers, (Because hello Coco it’s February in New England and it was somewhere in the low forties- FYI we don’t have a dryer and line dry our clothes all year round- if it is below freezing we hang stuff on lines and racks in the basement) Anyway.. where was I…. Oh yeah… The UPS truck pulled up! I was so exited (by now it was 1:30pm and I was anxiously waiting) that I met him as he was climbing the steps. we made some small talk, I signed the little signy thing, and then I practically ripped it out of his hands.. Ha! Like I said I was excited..

 OK the backpack is a tad bit dorky.. I can’t imagine myself strutting around with this strapped to my back.. but hey I appreciate the sentiment.. All that was in the box was that paper up there and this backpack. The textbook was hiding inside...

I feel like I’m in high school all over again.. This thing is at least 10 pounds. I wonder if I should cover it with a trader joe’s paper shopping bag- make it more official.
     So there we have it, the studying has already begun. I guess the ADHD meds are working because I read, took notes.. lots and lots of notes.. and made flash cards for over 2 hours and I was so caught up in it, I almost forgot to put my class together! I feel like I’m learning already..  one of the more surprising things? Jack Lalanne. You know the dude with the juicer: 
   As it turns out, he had a huge part in the fitness industry surge.. A few key points:

- He opened his own health club at 21 years old
- He hosted America’s first fitness show “The Jack Lalanne Show” From 1951-1984!
- He was the inventor of the cable pulley weight training system AND the Smith Machine (which I personally use almost every time I’m at the gym)

   And as it turns out he was a pretty handsome man in his day (I’ll spare you the naked photo that I found while searching his name!)
    

Injury Update:

    While my inner thigh is still pretty sensitive to the touch, I’ve been foam rolling it faithfully and stretching it out, which seems to be helping. I was a bit nervous about teaching last night and going to the gym this morning- because I knew I would be running interval sprints- but everything was fine.. so I’m going to keep it up- and I’m probably going to apply some KT tape before I teach tonight.
   In case you have never used this stuff before, I’m here to tell you that it is amazing stuff.. It’s expensive and kind of hard to apply on yourself- but it can really help to shorten heal time.. I’ve used it on multiple injuries, most recently this past summer when I pulled my IT band while rock climbing:

(4th of July- I may or may not have been drunk- and when that does or doesn’t happen, I tend to do backbends, handstands and handsprings.. I have no idea why…)

 Yes it looks a little silly the tan lines I had when it finally came off (after about a week) were hilarious..   However, it helps increase blood flow to the area (which we all know is the key juices we need for happy healing) and can even give just enough support so you can continue to be crazy and ridiculous :) It’s breathable, stretchy and safe to keep on overnight (unlike regular sports tape that will cut off circulation) Depending on the location it will stay on anywhere from 3 days to a few weeks..

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Have you ever used KT tape?

Did you know that Jack Lalanne was that awesome?!

What was your workout today?
     Week 10 day 65 of Livefit trainer- I can’t believe there is less than 3 weeks left! 


Have a great day!!
   

Upgrading my wedding band, stretching..

    I’ll be honest, I didn’t stretch and foam roll another two time yesterday- I did it once, and 50% is still pretty good after a day of work and running around with James when he got home from work. We grabbed a coffee at Starbucks and headed to the mall. I’m not usually a fan of the mall- but I needed to bring my wedding band to be resized… again. 

      The thing is, I got married when I was 21 years old- 5 years in July!- and when we bought our wedding rings all I wanted was a simple thick band. I didn’t care about diamonds or having anything super girly- I just wanted us to have the same bands. I got my wish and never took it off until we separated last May. When James and I got back together and I moved back home in November I put my rings back on. Well over the course of those 6 1/2-7 months my finger got fatter and my rings were tight and uncomfortable- which was when I resized the wedding band- only half a size (I kept the solitaire the same size because it’s a much thinner band and it slid on and off much easier- plus the sales lady told me that I should keep it the way that it was so I wouldn’t lose it.) 

    During the two weeks that I was without my wedding band while they sized it, wearing only the solitaire, I started to see that the wedding band was really taking away from the beauty of my engagement ring instead of enhancing it. So after a lot of talking it over (our bands really have a lot of sentimental value and James really wanted us to keep the same ones) and a suggestion from a friend I finally figured out what I would do. I am having the band resized to fit my middle finger on my right hand (so I still always have it with me) and wearing the solitaire alone until I find a band that I like. (Best of both worlds!) 

    While we were at the mall we went around and I tried some on- and then last night when I couldn’t sleep (I woke up at 12:30!) I searched online a bit.. Here are a few that I like:

     

This is what my solitaire looks like:

 I’m not sure what changed in 5 years.. but I totally want to be super girly and have a sparkly band! 

Moving on….. 

    Todays workout was legs which made me a bit nervous. I didn’t know how my boo boo was going to handle it since it is still very sensitive to the touch and foam rolling it makes me scream. James made me heat, ice and Tiger Balm it last night, but I still woke up feeling the same. Because I’m a klutz I had a knee brace lying around from a previous injury- so after a bit of foam rolling I slapped that bad boy on there and went to the gym. We walked to warm up for a little longer than usual- hoping that extra blood flow would help to loosen it up. Thankfully it didn’t cause too much discomfort and I pretty much did everything the same weight as last week, except for the walking lunges.. between walking, balancing and weight on your shoulders.. it just seemed like a bad idea- so I skipped the weight and did body weight instead. 

    First things first- I made myself stretch before I did anything.. I spent about 45 minutes stretching and foam rolling.. 

 I hate stretching.. it gets kind of boring when your sitting in “Log Stacking”pose (like sitting indian style but your shins are parallel to the front of your mat- stacked one on top of the other) MAJOR hip opener.. especially when you hold it for a long time..
    Finally I was able to have my smoothie- and just made it to the refueling window by 10 minutes… MMMM so good-

I was pretty excited about it!
   In todays blend:
1 scoop Isopure Strawberry and Cream
1 T flax seed oil
1 T Unsweetened shredded coconut
8 frozen Strawberries
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
      Blended until Wendy’s frosty consistency.. devoured in minutes..

Happy Monday People!
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Tell me about your wedding rings!

Which ring above to you prefer? Do you have any other suggestions?

Ut-oh… I think I pulled something..

     After my treadmill intervals yesterday morning I was feeling a little… twinge on the inside of my lower thigh-

After doing a bunch of research online and trying to figure out exactly what I irritated, my best guess is the sartorius- shown above in the bright red. Mind you I could totally be mistaken- as there are quite a few little muscles in there, but the way this guy comes down the “inseam” of the leg suggests that it could very well be the one causing the discomfort. Who really knows… either way it’s not feeling so good and really hurts when I touch it or bend my knee or sometimes just the action of walking forward.. What a bummer. 

   I know it is totally my own fault.. I’ve been super slackin’ with my yoga practice and I haven’t been stretching.. like at all. I know I know- what was I thinking? So I’m doing my best to take care of the problem, and hoping that it isn’t too late. I foam rolled this morning before work and did some light yoga/stretching- and I plan on doing it at least two more times before the day is out. Man it hurt like hell- I’m glad James had already left for work because I was swearing up a storm, haha.. I was mainly focusing on this and feeling so ridiculous.. 

I also did a bunch on my upper back

                                        

It has been super tight and feeling very weird.. Thankfully the foam rolling eased a lot of that.

    So for the rest of my “rest” day- there are a few household chores I need to get done; vacuuming.. again.. (why do my dogs have to shed so much?!) and some picking up.. But the hardest thing of all is actually figuring out what we are going to have for dinner.. 

   

     For a while now I’ve been having some trouble figuring out what to eat.. Nothing ever sounds good and I never crave anything (except maybe ice cream, hah) I eat the same old stuff day in and day out.. which is fine- but I just feel very uninterested and uninspired what it comes to eating. I just want to get the job done and move on.. Some of that is the meds for ADHD- I have mentioned that they make me “forget” to eat.. I don’t really feel hungry, but I want to drink about a gallon of water. Yesterday I started taking a double dose (as per docs orders) and I notice that the lack of appetite is strong.  I’m just hoping that there will come a time when I will actually care about food again. I used to write a food blog for goodness sake! These days you give me some greek yogurt, a smoothie, some broccoli or Kale, brown rice, eggs, and salad and I’m pretty much set. I hate being bored with food.. Maybe I just need some new ideas? Do you have any?! 

Week 9- Check!

    This morning started at the usual 5 am wakeup call. Yes I realize that it is Saturday- but I wanted to get it moving and over with. This workout wasn’t so bad- it actually went by really quickly with all of the active and super sets. By the time we got to the running intervals- I was so hot and sweaty.. and I just couldn’t take it anymore.. I finally did it.. I ripped my shirt off and ran in my sports bra

     Yes I was that girl- and I didn’t even care. It was actually kind of liberating to throw caution to the wind and go for it and really if someone doesn’t like it, they don’t have to look.  We were out of there by 7:45am- and I rushed home for my daily smoothie.. It’s just not the same without my chocolate whey protein..  :( For the next couple hours following I didn’t do anything but waste time on the internet reading blogs, articles and of course I had the Wonder years on in the background. I finally took a shower around 10 and managed to get my butt out of the house around 11. It’s not that I actually had plans- but I did want to go to the book store so I could look through all the magazines that I don’t have the money to buy.. for free.

(well the truth is that I ordered my subscription a few weeks ago and I have yet to get an issue)

    I looked through 4 different magazines, all with my handy dandy piece of paper and pen (so I could take down any interesting information) I love how no one cared that I hung out there for over an hour without buying a single thing. Perfect :) Now if only I could get my body to look that good… hmm.. work forever in progress! 

Factoid Friday- A New Tradition

Factoid 1

    On February 29th 2012- I applied for the CPT (Certified Personal Trainer) certification. I had the site book marked for a week and I knew I was finally going to go for it- I just hadn’t actually purchased it yet.. But then I got an email that informed me NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) had a sale going on- $70 off! Well that settled it- what better way to celebrate a day that comes once every 4 years than to start on my next path?! (The textbook and other materials are being delivered to my house next week- YAY! But I do have access to the online course materials until then) 

Factoid 2

    I don’t have TV.. I mean I have a television- but I do not get a single channel. We rely on Netflix and our friends houses. 

Factoid 3

     This is my childhood best friend- 

        we lived 3 houses away from each other and were inseparable from kindergarden until 5th grade when she moved away. We lived in Providence RI and she moved about 20 minutes away to North Kingstown- but at that age its kind of hard to keep contact. Although we haven’t spoken in years I’m so excited and proud of her!!!
    Nothing can give you more motivation than seeing someone you grew up with making their dreams happen.. You get it girl!!!
   Please Please Please- if you watch this show or just want to vote for her.. please do it.. She totally deserves it :)

Factoid 4
    This mornings workout took us OVER two hours.. Holy crap woman.. Your trying to kill me! Actually- truth is, while the workouts are challenging and long as hell this week- I feel like it has been more of a mind game. The whole time I have to remind myself that we have come so far- almost done with week 9!- and that the end isn’t far away, we have to keep pushing.

Factoid 5
    I’m the biggest dork ever- who bought a bunch of “school supplies” for Factoid 1.. I’m pretty excited about it.

Factoid 6
    As of tomorrow I will be doubling my ADHD medication..

Well this is the first installment of Factoid Friday.. What factoids do you have for me?!

But… Spring is almost here- and the end of the bag...

    If you’ve never lived in New England- you don’t get it.. and if you DO live here.. then you hate it- I’m talking about the unpredictable weather… Well I’ll speak for myself on this one- I hate when people say that they like living in New England because we have all of the seasons.. Seriously?! What’s wrong with you people.. Winter sucks- and maybe someday I’ll live in a place where all the shitty seasons get skipped… But until then I have to deal with this.. You know the fact that it was in the 50’s earlier in the week- I have FLOWERS coming up in my yard already!  And then it started snowing yesterday afternoon.. poor little flowers... We were so close! While we haven’t had much snow this year.. I’m still going to complain about it.. but it didn’t stop me from making a smoothie so thick that my spoon stood up in it. (see that crappy snow out there?!) 

     

 Mmm.. So good- we can forget that I had to eat it under a blanket. In today’s blend:
2/3 cup water
8 frozen Strawberries
1 T flax oil
2T unsweetened shredded coconut
1 scoop EAS chocolate Whey protein---> which led to the second disappointment of the morning

   That’s right.. I’ve finally burned through my 5 pound bag of EAS Chocolate Whey.. I’m not happy about this..  and Please excuse my sweaty, messy head..
   
    But I just returned from the gym- and we completed day 60 of Livefit trainer.. Today was a first for us too. While we were warming up on the treadmill the power went out.. At first it was just for a moment- but then it stayed off. We had already gotten 5 minutes of warm up in so we just decided to work out in the dark and silence. Well it was mostly dark- there were a few emergency spotlights on but they were so dim it barely mattered. About 6 of us kept working out- because we don’t make excuses! Haha.. It was actually kind of nice working out in the dark- but it did start to get REALLY hot in there. I guess we take the climate control for granted most of the time, so midway through our workout I was down to my sports bra! Fortunately for the last 15 minutes of our workout the power kicked back on and cooled us off to finish out the day.. but I was still left with that sweaty head!

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Have you ever worked out in the dark?

Day 58

…. Holy Crap… My legs HURT.. 2 days into Phase 3 ( plus teaching a class where I did a whole lot of squats- very DEEP squats)

source

and I have no idea how I’m going to teach class tonight- or what I’m going to teach for that matter.. No worries thought, I had a great day with my friend Meghan! She and I met over 4 years ago during my first teacher training; she is an awesome chick!

    But lets get back to the workout:

EXERCISE	Set #1	Set #2	Set #3
Superset:	XX	XX	XX
Wide-grip Lat Pulldown: 3 sets of 15 reps	85	85	85
Underhand Cable Pulldown: 3 sets of 15 reps	70	70	70
Working Set Active Rest:	XX	XX	XX
One Arm Dumbbell Row: 3 sets of 15 reps, per arm	15	15	15
Exercise Ball Pull-in: 3 sets of 15 reps
Working Set Active Rest:	XX	XX	XX
Seated Cable Row: 3 sets of 15 reps	55	55	55
Jackknife on Bench: 3 sets of 15 reps
Working Set Active Rest:	XX	XX	XX
Bent-Over Barbell Row: 3 sets of 15 reps	30	30	30
Mountain Climber: 3 sets of 20 reps
Superset:	XX	XX	XX
Standing Alternating Dumbbell Curl: 3 sets of 20 reps	15	15	15
Bench Dip: 3 sets of 12 reps
Superset:	XX	XX	XX
Preacher Curl: 3 sets of 12 reps	25	25	25
Narrow Push-Up: 3 sets of 12 reps
Working Set Active Rest:	XX	XX	XX
Triceps Pushdown - rope attachment: 3 sets of 12 reps	20	20	20
Mountain Climber: 3 sets of 20 reps
Working Set Active Rest:	XX	XX	XX
Cable rope overhead triceps extension: 3 sets of 12 reps	15	15	15
Air Bike: 3 sets of 25 reps
Cardio:	XX	XX	XX
30-second sprints on treadmill; Level 8; 30 seconds on/30 off; 30 minutes total		XX	XX

    Today was the first day that we actually did interval running and as we started I felt like it was going to be a cake walk.. WRONG… by minute 16- I was panting like crazy and was that girl pulling my shirt up because I was sweating like a pig (EWW gross) it took all of my will power to keep that shirt on.. source

    I slacked on stretching (and have been all along.. I know, I know… bad Coco) I’m feeling the regret now… Note to self.. Stop being a slacker… 

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What was your workout today?!