Go Gaia!

Shoulder day: Went early in the morning to do the 45 minutes of treadmilling and I also tanned (feel a little red now at evening. Oops!). Went to the gym around 4 PM and noticed that my shoulders were sore from yesterday's yoga class (and the obliques - twisting poses!). Mixed up this routine alittle too - getting bored.

Hammer Strength Shoulder Press: 50/25warmups, jumped to 90/10 and did another 90/10 (couldn't do the 13 like last time and didn't try to go up to 100).

Dumbell Laterals: 20/15, 25,15, 30/8

Dumbell Rear Flyes: 15/15, 20/15, 25/8

Military Press (Smith): 50/15, 70/10, 80/6 (+1tlt)

Icarian Shoulder Press: 80/15 (+3tlt) , 90/8

Dumbell Press: 25/15, 30/8

Shoulders are fatigued and I feel tired. No pump though. And no burn. Just heavy lifting with strict form.

Rest day: 45 minutes on the treadmill this morning and that is all. I gave into pasta and garlic bread for dinner tonight also. I feel so full that it almost hurts, and all I had was a small pasta with tomato sauce with mushrooms, garlic bread (homemade) one piece, and steamed broccoli. Usually I would have had the tomato sauce over my brown rice topped with the broccoli and some protein source (tempeh probably with the tomato sauce). It is taking all my discipline not to eat my daughter's vegan chocolate chip cookies! All four of them that are left. Yummmmm.Droooolll. All I have to do is tell my sons that they are left and they will be gone and my temptation will be gone too. Problem solved.

Back and Tricep day: Went to my yoga class today instead of treadmilling. Alot of backbends today. And went to the gym around 3 PM.

Hammer Strength Back Row: 90/25warmups, 180/15, 230/15 (+5 tlt), new weight 250/10.

Cable Pulldown: 120/15, 130/12 (+2tlt), new weight 140/8

Cybex Back Row 162.5/15 (+3tlt), 175/8

Cybex Pull-Up w/straps: 13/15, 12/10, 11/10 (+2tlt)

HyperExtensions: 35/25 X 4 supersetted with

Shrugs: 250/25 X 4

Rope Pushdown: 5/15, 6/10, 6.5/6, 7/6 (+1tlt)

V-Bar Cable Overhead Tricep Extension: 5/15, 6/13, 7/6 (not up to the weights I did last last time - left shoulder is tweaked).

Bench Dips: Bodyweight/25 X 4 (getting too easy- plate on the legs next).

Feeling pretty strong today, probably due to the garlic bread I had yesterday (calories over yesterday). Or without the 45 minutes of treadmilling today can also make me feel stronger today.

Leg Day: Started the day with the 45 minutes on the treadmill (up to 3.75 miles) and tanning. Then I proceeded to fall asleep for most of the day. I get this way when I am dieting and/or when I am fighting something that my kids have past on to me (two of them are just now getting over a sinus cold that went into their lungs and they coughed up some nice phlegm). Had to run kids here and there after school (Friday night friend night) so I didn't get to the gym till 6 PM. The gym had hip-hop playing so I danced in between sets .

LifeFitness Leg Extention: 90/25warmups, 180/15, 210/10, 225/8 (butt kept coming off the seat, so I had to grab the bars harder to hold myself down!).

Icarian Leg Curl: 90/25warmups, 160/15, 170/10, 180/8 (getting harder to squeeze at the top).

Leg Press: 450/15, 540/10, 600/8 (I was freaking some guys out with my twelve 45 plates on the press. I just smiled and winked at them).

Seated Calf Raise: 90/25 X 4 supersetted with

Power Squats on the Smith: 140/25 X 4 and supersetted with

Leg Press Calf Raises: 450/25 X 4

Very fatigued by this time. Ever try to walk and your leg (or legs) just gives in and you start to go down but it recovers in time for you not to fall. Like you are stumbling when there is nothing to stumble over . Well did that a couple of times. Good leg day even though I still did my 45 minutes of cardio and the weights are not going up but I am still maintaining them.

Saturday was Rest day: I still did 45 minutes on the treadmill.

Sunday is Chest and Bicep day: Went to my son's futsal (indoor soccer) 4X4 game this morning at 8 AM, and then went to the gym to treadmill for 45 minutes. Did some chores around the house, feel asleep for a nap around 1 PM and woke up sick! Nose running and sneezing constantly. Great. Made it thru a workout though with Kleenex by my side and then toilet paper when I ran out of my stash. Not fun. Remembering how much I dislike being sick. So here it went:

Hammer Strength wide Chest Press: 90/25warmup, 180/13+3, 200/10 (+1tlt)

Cybex Flyes (hurt my forearm again): 80/15, 90/10

Smith Incline #3 Chest Press: 90/10 X 2 (fatiguing already).

Cable Flyes 50/12, 60/8

LifeFitness Chest Press (Dumbell Grip): 105/12 (-3tlt), 120/8 (-2tlt)

(Sneeze ! ! ! )

Cable Curl: 100/15, 110/10, 120/8 (+4tlt - sickness helps with biceps?).

Hammer Curls: 25/15, 30/15

EZ Bar curls: 20/15, 30/15 (+3tlt), new weight 40/6

Overhead Bicep Curl: 5/10

Something new: Rope Curls: 50/15, 70/15, 80/10

And I took my sickly self home. The gym's toilet paper was making my nose all red and raw! Kleenex is so soft, but did I pick out its sickly green color? No, I do not think so!

You have a great training log! Thanks for being so consistent and detailed with it. It is awesome to see!

I hope continues to go well with everything. Keep on rockin!

Shoulder Day: Still a little sick. Slept for three extra hours this morning and the pressure in my sinuses went away! Still have a slight sniffle, but feeling up beat. Didn't do any yoga or treadmilling this morning, due to the sleep in after taking the kids to school. I did run with them around the high school indoor track for 30 minutes before heading for the gym around 4 PM.

Hammer Strength Shoulder Press: 50/25warmup, 70/15, 90/12 (-1tlt), and another 90/10.

Icarian Standing Delt: 20/15, 30/15, 40/10

Icarian Rear Delt: 60/15, 70/8

Military (Smith) Press: 50/15, 70/10

Icarian Shoulder Press: 80/12, 90/8

Dumbell Lateral Raises: Descending set: 25/20/15/10 @ 10 reps.

Shoulders now hurt, and ended the gym time with a little UV/tanning. I hope I am over this sinus sickness tommorrow, if so it may be a new record of me being sick for just a day! Cool .

Rest day: 45 minutes treadmilling (extra 10 minutes to watch the end of Charmed, but I walked). Very cold today and more snow on the way. Kids are expecting a snow day (school closed) tommorrow. Geesh! They had two snow days last week, and they get Friday and Monday off for Midwinter Break! Do they ever go to school for a whole week? . Today is my firstborn's 18th birthday. I have one going off to live her life this summer! Three more to go, every two years thereafter!

Wednesday: 45 minutes treadmilling. No workout. Alot of emotions going on inside. Don't feel like doing this anymore, but I know I will tommorrow. So I will let this one slide for today.

Thursday: Anusara 2 Yoga class. Felt so much better. Later on in the day, I did Back and Triceps. It was back to my ligament cycle again, so it will be 4 sets of a medium weight in the 15 to 25 rep range.

Cybex Back Row: 100/25 X 4

Cable Lat Pulldown: 100/15 X 4

Hammer Strength Back Row (dumbell grip): 160/15 X 4

Cybex Pull-Up with straps: 14/15 X 4

Shrugs: 250/25 X 4

Did some backbends up and down the wall. Lower back pretty sore already from the yoga I had (we did back bends in the class).

V-bar Tricep Pushdown: 5/15 X 4

V-bar Cable Overhead Tricep Extension: 5/15 X 4

Bench Dips: Bodyweight plus a 25 lb plate/25 X 4

Feel very pumped after the workout. Liked the feel of that as oppose to the fatigued feeling I get when I lift heavy for short reps and short sets.

Friday: Rest day: 45 minutes of treadmilling and a tanning session. Not focused today, and probably alittle on the low side again. Cabin fever perhaps? I have no motivation to lift weights (Leg day. Not a good time) but at least I ran on the treadmill today. Tommorrow will be better.

Leg day: Started the Saturday by treadmilling for 45 minutes again. It is getting a little bit easy to do the cardio now. I might have to up it a notch, so instead of 3.75 miles, I will have to make it to 4 miles in the time alotted. Michelle was next to me, who is a fitness competitor, does 90 minutes of cardio! And she does not compete anymore, and she still does it just to keep in shape! Went to the gym around 4 PM. Ligament cycle still, so 4 sets of 25 or 15 on a weight that pumps my legs up and makes my legs scream on the last five reps! I would do 2 sets back to back, then walk around the gym, and then finish the last 2 sets back to back (supersetted means 4 exercises right in a row without a break). BooYa!

LifeFitness Leg Extension: 135/15 X 4 supersetted with

Icarian Leg Curl: 110/15 X 4

Leg Press: 410/15 X 4 supersetted with

Power Squats on Smith: 140/25 X 4 (the usual).

Leg Press Calf Raise: 450/25 X 4 supersetted with

Seated Calf Raise: 90/25 X 4

Sunday was a rest day of everything! No treadmilling. No lifting. I planted tomatoes and tomatillos, and had to take a break. I start thinking about why do I want to do this, and how sore I am from the ligament cycle (back, triceps, and legs all hurting today!) and am sick of watching what I eat (luckily there was no junk food in the house! I did have organic white bread (Rudy's Rosemary and Olive oil bread yum!) and orange juice! But instead of dwelling on the negatives, I just said it was a rest day and left it at that. Otherwise I would whip myself into a frenzy and let all discipline go out the window. I needed a controlled melt down .

Monday (today) was Chest and Bicep day: I got up and did 45 minutes of treadmilling. I also went to the gym early (around 1 pm). Time to do ligament training with chest and biceps.

Hammer Strength Wide Chest Press: 140/15 X 4 supersetted with

Cybex Flyes: 60/15 X 4

Smith Incline #3 Chest Press: 70/15 X 4 supersetted with

Pec Dec: 60/15 X 4

(Chest fatiguing already so I went to biceps with coming back to do the last two chest exercises afterwards).

EZ bar Curls: 20/15 X 4 supersetted with

Hammer Curls: 20/15 X 4

LifeFitness Chest Press (Dumbell Grip): 90/15 X 4 (very hard on the last 2 sets) supersetted with

Cable Flyes: 40/15 X 4

Then I played around and did pull-ups on the Cybex assisted machine on 14 and 16 for 15 reps, and then bicep cable curl on 70/15 for 2 sets also. Then I was done and the chest was pumped and the biceps fatigued. Will try to go back tonight before Heroes comes on at 9 for some UV tanning.

Tuesday: Treadmill for 45 minutes. No weights. Sore from doing chest and biceps though.

Wednesday/Shoulder day: Treadmill for 45 minutes in the morning. Did the shoulders around noonish. Still doing the ligament cycle for the shoulders (last body part).

Hammer Strength Shoulder Press: 70/15 X 4 supersetted with

Dumbell Lateral Raises: 20/15 X 4

Military (Smith) Press: 50/15 X 4 supersetted with

Icarian Rear Delts: 50/15 X 4

Icarian Shoulder Press: 60/15 X 4 supersetted with

Cable Lateral Raises: 10/15 X 4

More of a feeling of just getting through it: relief settles in, instead of feeling pumped or fatigued. Oh well. Made it through it at least.

Thursday: 45 minutes of treadmilling. No weight lifting today. I am getting so sick of it (throwing a tantrum today).

Friday: 45 minutes of treadmilling. Don't want to lift weights anymore! My tantrum seems to be continuing! !

Back and Tricep day: 45 minutes of treadmilling again this morning. Uping the speed so I can make 4 miles in the 45 minutes. Went back to the gym around 1 PM to lift (renewed my lifting passion; just needed a break).

Hammer Strength Isolated Low Row: 50/25warmup, 70/15, 90/15, 110/12, 120/10 (new exercise machine).

Cable Lat Pulldown: 120/15, 130/12 (same as last time).

Cybex Back Row: 137.5/15, 150/12, 162.5/10 (went down to get a better range of motion and a good peak hold with my arms back and the shoulder blades squeezing in the back).

Cybex Wide Lat Pull-Up with straps: 13/15, 12/10, 11/10 (same as last time).

HyperExtensions: 35/25 X 4 supersetted with

Shrugs with straps: 250/25 X 4

V-Bar Tricep Pushdown: 5/15, 6/15, 7/8

V-Bar Cable Tricep Overhead Extension: 5/15, 6/15

Bench Dips: Bodyweight/25 X 4

Back hurts already. The new exercise did work some muscles that were deep down inside that I haven't felt before. Holding the peak contraction really ripped some muscle fibers too.

Trying something that I read in Natural Bodybuilding Magazine about fenugreek seed powder and gymnema powder. Suppose to take it after workout with your protein and a simple carb like fructose or glucose shake. It increases insulin and insulin sensitivity on the cells, getting more nutrients into the cells. I shall try it and see how it helps to keep my muscle cells strong while dieting.

Rest day: No treadmilling, and no lifting. Didn't eat very much for breakfast (protein drink) and my body is so sore from yesterday's workout. I spent the morning watching my son kick some soccer @ss in two futsal games at 8 in the morning. I also took a two hour nap around noon (I woke up to one of my kids squealing with laughter, and then my husband reminding them that I was still sleeping. I just smiled and went back to napping). I wanted to go and do legs, but I think I will listen to my body and back off. I will do Legs and Shoulders tommorrow (hopefully).

Monday was Leg day: Woke up committed again to dieting and lifting. Went to the gym and did the 45 minutes of cardio, after getting some tanning in. Up the cardio miles to the now usual 4 miles. Went back to the gym around 3:30 PM, and saw all my old buddies. Today I could handle all their teasing of me. I perceived that their teasing of my veganism is something that is easy for them to do. Just like it easy for me to tease them about the amount they lift (like telling them that the pink weights are in the aerobics room if that 20 pounder is too heavy for them - I am so bad!). I am out of the mentality that they are attacking my being vegan, and that they are just trying to pull my chains. Even if they have not gotten far along the path of evolution as I think I have, they are still great friends all around and would do anything for me, and me for them. I will choose love and compassion unconditionally (for today at least ), over being right and proud. (I will just have to get around to evolving them slowly ).

LifeFitness Leg Extension: 90/25warmups, 180/15, 210/10, 225,8 (same as last time).

Icarian Leg Curl: 160/15, 170/10, 180/8 (same as last time).

Leg Press: 450/15, 540/10, and 600/8 (same as last time but way easier).

Power (Smith) Squats: 180 (new weight)/15 X 4

Seated Calf Raise: 90/25 X 4

Leg Press Calf Raise: 450/25 X 4 (this was done really fast so the calves were screaming).

Did not get to shoulders. All the above took me just a little over an hour! I am still taking long rests in between sets and exercises (and not for talking though ).

Shoulder day (Tuesday): 45+ minutes on the treadmill again. My body is getting use to this. It was easy, even though I did legs yesterday, and was alittle stiff starting out. Went to the gym around 3 PM, and had a headache going in, and just a dull pain coming out.

Hammer Strength Shoulder Press: 50/25warmup, 70/15, 90/11 (weights are starting to go down).

Icarian Standing Delt: 20/15, 30/15, 40/10 (same)

Icarian Rear Delts: 60/15, 70/8 (same)

Military Press (Smith): 50/15, 70/10, 70/10 (same, but doubled the last set).

Icarian Shoulder Press: 80/12, 90/8

Now that it is the next day, I can see that the last rep on that Icarian Shoulder Press of 90 in which I arched my back to get the last rep up, produced the back pain between my shoulder blades this morning. Just one little tweek of form and now I shall pay for a day and half. The little voice that politely reminded me of the importance of form was not as loud as the voice of ego that had me fight to get that last rep up over my head.

Chest and Bicep day: A little late today, did the 45 minutes on the treadmill at 11 AM today. Came home and ate lunch instead of breakfast. Went to the gym around 4 PM, and the weights are going back down on some of the exercises.

Hammer Strength Wide Chest Press: 90/25 warmups, 160/15, 180/12 (no 200/10).

Cybex Flyes: 80/15, 90/10 (same).

Incline Chest Press (Smith): 70/15, 90/8 (-2tlt)

Pec Dec 75/15, 90/8 (-2tlt)

LifeFitness Chest Press (Dumbell Grip): 105/8 (this is all I could do; chest is done).

Cable Bicep Curl: 90/15, 100/15, 110/10 (no 120 today).

Hammer Curls: 25/15, 30/12 (same)

EZ Bar Bicep Curls: 30/15 X 2 (decided to two sets of medium weight, instead of increasing to 40/6).

I will be gone for three days, as I am to be a chaperone on a Biology Field trip to Chicago, IL for my daughter's senior class.

I've finally recovered from the biology Chicago trip. That BodyWorks 2 was pretty awesome. I liked looking at the different body parts in their normal state and then in their diseased state. The plastinatized whole body specimens that were artisitically dissected were a little too unreal in all the preparation and dessication that the whole body went through. Also the little typed up notes on the body parts was so Roman font on see thru paper that it was like a dry biology book. Needed a little pizaaz in my opinion, to keep me interested in the two hours we had to look at everything.

Slept all day Sunday to recover.

Monday I was feeling a little better, but thought another day was in store before getting back into the routine. I still went to an Anusara 2 yoga class though. Alot of revolved poses, so I know that my obliques will be screaming tomorrow at me.

Tuesday woke up with sniffles and sore obliques. Thought about switching my routine up. I will lift heavy in the morning, and do cardio in the afternoon.

Back and Tricep day: Went around 10 AM. Fitness girls were working out with the trainer. Makes me want to lose some weight in a hurry. But then I see them only lifting the 20 lbs barbell, and I am not too jealous anymore , cause I know that when I do get down to that weight and even under more, I will be lucky to even lift the 20 lbs weights! I will be making friends with the pink weights in the aerobics room hopefully soon .

Hammer Strength Back Row: 90/25warmups, 140/15, 180/15, 230/8

Cable Lat Pulldown: 120/15, 130/8 (not as much as last time of 12).

Cybex Back Row: 137.5/15, 150/12, 163.5/10 (focused more on form this time and holding the peak contraction for a sec. still not as much weight as last time, which was 175/for8).

Cybex assisted Pull-Up w/straps: 13/15, 12/10, 11/8

HyperExtensions: 35/25 X 4

Shrug Machine: 250/25 X 4

Rope Tricep Pushdown: 5/15, 6/8

V-Bar Cable Tricep Overhead Extension: 5/15, 6.8 (left shoulder still getting tweaked when I let the bar go far back down behind my head and try to lift it back up).

Bench Dips: Bodyweight/25 X 4

Done for the day at the gym with the weights. Cardio was keeping up with the kids at the High School track for 25 minutes (20 times around the track). It is funny when the football team comes in and runs around for two times as a warm up for their off season practice. We all run really fast to stay ahead of the pack! One time I didn't and was shoved into the wall on the curve . Who said running on the track inside was boring? And don't even get me started on the volleyball girls who come in for their warm up!

Sniffles turned into sinus pressure and body aches, so I am taking it easy today. So no treadmilling, no yoga, and no lifting weights. I am just napping and watching DVD's. I get restless and start doing something and then my body retaliates with sneezes, coughs, and fatigue (which makes me go back to my napping mode ). I shall try again tomorrow.

Way worse than yesterday. The sinus pressure has gone into my ears and behind my eyes. I am one sick puppy. Haven't been this sick in a long time. Something I picked up at Chicago? Or one of the kids on the 7 hour bus ride probably. And to top it off my panic attacks have come back too (although they are not full blown attacks. . . . . yet ). Those two things just don't miss well. I am strong on the outside and on the inside, but trying to use meditation to calm myself down and trying to breath is not working due to the stuffed up nose and sinus pressure behind my face. I broke down and took some Benadryl for my sinuses, and Valerian for my panic anxiety (I'd rather not go on Xanax again. Took me three months last time to wean myself off that stuff. And all the turmoil I went through the second time, with what Paxil and Zoloft did on my body, with Ambien thrown in to help me sleep, but the migranes never went away. Geesh. I gave it all up after a month and replaced it with yoga and valerian).

Today, life sucks. And that is OK with me. . . . for the present time being.

Leg Day: Went to the gym early and did only 30 minutes of treadmilling. It is 40 degrees out, but the ground is still covered in snow and slush. I will have to wait just alittle while longer to get outside to run. Went to the gym again around 4PM to work out the legs.

LifeFitness Leg Extension:90/25 warmups, 180/15, 210/10, 225/8 (back to what I was doing).

Icarian Leg Curl: 90/15warmups, 160/15, 170/10, 180/8 (still the same).

Leg Press: 450/15, 540/10, 600/8 (same as last time).

Seated Calf Raise: new weight 105/25 X 4

Leg Press Calf Raise: 450/50 X 4 (higher reps in the set)

No Power Squats. Feeling fatigued and not over my sinus problems yet, so I am not going to push myself to hard.

Friday was a bad day. Ended up having to go to the doctor and getting on Klonopin again. I felt like myself again today. A little on the tired side, but after being sick and not sleepy well for the passed two days, it is to be expected (though Klonopin makes me feel tired sometimes). Have to see how this works with my dieting and exercising.

Sunday: Klonopin has me still sleepy. Have to get use to the dosages I guess. Plus I am still sick, so I will take two hour naps to get over this illness. Went and saw my youngest play soccer (and get his @ss kicked, but of course he played awesome in my eyes no bias mom thinking there). So I did no cardio this morning. Started to paint the kitchen and then went to sleep for the two hours. Woke up and ate lunch and then headed for the gym around 4 PM to do -

Chest and Bicep Day:

Hammer Strength Wide Chest Press: 90/25w, 160/15, 180/11 (didn't quite make it to 12. Oh well. And I didn't do the 200).

Cybex Flyes: 80/15, 90/10 (same)

Incline Chest Press (Smith): 70/15, 90/8 (same as last time, but not PB)

Cable Flyes: 50/15, 60/8 (same as last time)

Cable Bicep Curl: 100/15, 110/10, 120/8 (strong in the arms today).

Hammer Curl: 25/15, 30/8, and another 30/8

EZ Bar Curl: 30/15 X 2 (just cause I didn't want to switch plates around and it was just sitting there and my biceps were pumped already).

Did some tanning. With the Klonopin I can handle my claustrophobia in the tanning booth pretty well. The UV felt wonderfully warm on my skin. I like the lay down ones better cause I can pretend to sleep instead of these standing ones where all I do is dance around which is tiring after working out for an hour and half!

Lost some more weight. Now down to 163.0 lbs. Only 20 more to go.