The Bee Blog

It's not what you're thinking.  Trust me, much to the hubs' dismay, I do not spend 20-30 minutes three times a week doing THAT.  I'd probably be a much more laid back person if I did yoga so often.  What?  That's what you were thinking, right?

So if you've seen "ickybella burned 180 calories doing 20 minutes of rolling around on the floor like a weirdo" and were curious (and I'm sure you were, you perv) this is what you're missing.  Please prepare yourself for this excitement.

It's four circuits consisting of 8 exercises.  It's not a terribly well-thought-out plan, but it's doing the trick for now.  I do plan on adding to this and changing the order of/removing some of the ab exercises.  It definitely needs more balance.

                                     Circuit 1       Circuit 2       Circuit 3       Circuit 4

Push-ups                        6                    6                    4                    4

Squats                           19                  24                  19                  19

Sit-ups                            21                 27                  21                  21

Dips                                13                 15                    9                    9

Oblique Crunches       16                  16                 12                  12

Supermen                       6                    6                    4                    4

Side Raises                  12                 12                    8                    8

Reverse Crunch           19                  24                  24                 19

Plus a couple of Ab Holds.  The end.  I've been using the 100 push-ups/squats/dips/sit-ups programs for these and just copying the numbers for things like supermen and side planky things.  Tuesday, I was so sore I thought I'd end up taking a rest day but I went for a run anyway.  Today, I was still a little sore, so I did day one (look up) over.  I plan on progressing with this, but I'm not going to make past mistakes like adding reps/exercises when I'm already so sore it feels like I've done the workout and then some before I started.

I had more to say, but I'm really tired and my neuroses and body-image issues can wait.  Good night!

In six weeks, I plan on going to Tenerife.  Last October, I went to the same place, with the same bikini (hey, it actually fits now...) but in much worse shape.  Now that it's six weeks away (and the hubs is finally working out with me.  Only took a year of nagging.) I have a few goals and a little plan.

Today, I decided to do a little fitness test.  I am severely disappointed in the results.  By the way, this is  by no means a cry for sympathy.  I don't want any pats on the back, telling me it's ok I have become so out-of-shape.  It's not.  I used to be able to do 25 normal push-ups followed by 25 with my feet on a chair.  Today, I did 10.  That's it, 10, feet on the floor.  I almost cried.

Work-out                          Goal for October             Today's result

Push-ups                       100                                     10

Squats                            200                                     86

Ab hold                           2 minutes                          30 seconds

Dips                               150                                      20

Superman                    100                                      10 (kept feeling like I would throw up)

Oblique crunches       100/side                             15/side

Side-plank raises       50/side                               10/side

Reverse crunches      50                                        40

Overall, pretty embarrassing results.  I'm definitely looking forward to getting back to where I was three months ago.  I am so sick of feeling flabby!

I'm going to be following the hundred push-ups plan and similar for all the other things.  We'll do circuit training for all of these, three times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) with two short runs during the week and one long run at the weekend, plus a rest day on Sunday.  I've got my half-marathon at the end of September and Tenerife in October.  Looking forward to the new challenge!

"It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change."  Oh, eff off.  Saying "I've been on this lifestyle change for six months" is exactly the same as saying "I've been on this diet for six months."  It's just a word.  Call it whatever you like, but don't call it a lifestyle change.  Are you really going to eat 1200 calories for the rest of your life?

"It is what it is."  Oh, really?  Is it?  Is it really the exact thing it is?  Is chicken really chicken?  Yeah, thanks.

When people call this weight-loss thing a journey.  As a very wise (and now forgotten) MFP member once said, you're trying to lose weight, not drop the ring in the fire of Mordor.

Whistling.  Shut up, hubs, not every Lady Gaga song warrants whistling for five agonising minutes.

People telling me I can't eat something because I will "get fat again."  Eh?  The women at work do this to me.  I think I know what to eat and what not to eat at this point in my life, thanks, though, Miss Crash Diet.   Let me know how day three of the liquids-only-for-a-month plan goes for you.

Shakeology in my face.  (And I am so aware of the amount of people who will be pissed off by this.)  If you like it, buy it.  Drink it.  Bathe in it.  Whatever.  Stop trying to get me to buy it, though.  I'd rather spend that money on shoes.  I've said it before and I'll say it again.  I don't care what's in it.  I don't care if it makes you pee gold.  I don't care if it contains Tony's sweat.  I'm not doing it.  Leave me alone.

People telling me I don't need to work out anymore.  Oh, really?  That's how it works, is it?  Get to your goal weight and just quit?  Yeah, I'll get right on that.

H&M dress shirts.  I didn't lose all this weight to still be a fricking 16 in those shirts, H&M.  Please fix this.

The never-ending debate about exercise calories.  You know what?  I don't even care, anymore, if you eat your exercise calories or not.  Just stop asking.  And use the goshdarned search function!  

The bafflement of my gender regarding their menstrual cycles.  Yes, you will eat all the chocolate in yours and all surrounding counties.  Yes, you will gain five pounds.  Yes, you will cry cry cry when you stand on that scale.  Yes, it will go away in a week.  And guess what?  It's going to happen all over again next month.  I know, total shock, right?

But, most of all, you know what I hate?  Intolerance, complainers and hypocrites. ;)

I have to tell you, this makes me really nervous.  I went into maintenance in May, in order to do some work on my brain.  I met my goal weight the week of my 26th birthday and was so excited that I immediately dove into all the cupcakes in the world.  I am still struggling with my eating habits.  It seems I have two modes, obsessive, weighing every single thing and adding it to my diary before I even consider eating it and binge-fest.  Two extremes, and not a good way to live my life.  I'm working on it, I really am.

Anyway, when I went into maintenance, I knew it might not be permanent.  At 5'7" and 140 pounds, I was "perfect" according to the BMI scale (and no matter what anyone says, for us mortals, it's not a bad guide.  If you are obese by the BMI scale and that's because of your demi-god muscle status, then rock on.  Eff that out-dated BMI chart.  If you're like me, though, just a regular girl trying to get fit, then I think it's all right to use.) but still not happy with the way I looked.  I have probably put on some weight since then.  I don't know.  I don't bother with the scale.

Now, those pictures...see, they don't show the huge difference I was hoping for, but I know there is a big difference.  I'm not sure why I don't see it, but there is.  I have dropped several jeans sizes and lost about 30 pounds since this was taken.

Last November, in Tenerife, at about 180 (I think?)  I really had no business in that bikini!

Today, somewhere between 140 and 150.  Looking at these pictures, I know that I am still not completely happy with the way I look.  Unfortunately, some of the issues I'm dealing with are skin-related and that is only going to shrink up with time, so I'm not focusing on the scale at all anymore.  I am just working on trying to re-think the way I feel about and handle food and my emotions.  I would love to be more muscular and there's still a flat tire hanging around my belly which I would love to murder.  I think it's a mixture of skin and fat, and it's not coming quietly.  

All-in-all, though, I like the way I look with my clothes on.  Now, to look good naked.  That is the next step.  I don't want to be thin, but I am far from what I consider to be perfect, and I will stop at nothing less than perfection.  I know a lot of people don't understand that, but I have never loved the way I look, and one day, I am going to.  Don't try to talk me out of it; I will only work harder.

Now, to put things into perspective, 2009:

2011:

Not bad, eh? ;)