Life Is Full of Surprises!

So, the triathlon came and went and I was not in it.

I realized about 2 weeks out that I might be able to physically do it, yet mentally I was just not focused nor prepared at all. In fact, my brain has been taxed lately. So much is going on in my personal life I am barely able to focus on one thing for more than an hour before I have to move onto the next.

This past week I really let things go. Family was in town visiting and they spoiled us with dinners out every night! I enjoyed having no commitment to the gym for the whole week! I went on a gluttonous rampage of enjoying everything and anything and being as lazy as I wanted.

Monday, I was back on track. In the gym, puffing my way through spin class. It felt sooooo incredibly good!

Tuesday I went to my exotic dance class and that is when it hit me. Ugh! I am working my way backwards here! The cute miniskirt I wanted to wear to class, the one that use to be too big for me, was skin tight and uncomfortable!


"No! What the hell are you doing to yourself?!?!"

I literally yelled out loud at myself.

Yes folks, I yelled at myself, in my empty apartment alone I looked in the mirror and yelled at myself. Then I grabbed my dancing shoes and said, "fuck this, I'm taking back control of myself!" As I walked out the door to dance class.

So, here I am now, committing on this 1st day of August to create a plan and stick with it! By September I will be at a place of happiness, were that skirt is too big for me again, and I am only yelling at myself in the mirror praises (or making silly faces)!

As well, I am trying to make time to write a requested post about how to plan for and eat healthy on a tight budget. I am sorry to say I just have not had the time. Yet, now that my focus is turning  back around to my health, well, I think it is time I made blogging and logging my successes a priority!

~TigressSky~

P.S. A reminder to myself ; "It is NOT the mountain that we conquer, it is OURSELVES!" HoooRAH!

A personal aside ...

Two pounds down and things continue to stay pretty plateaued for me. I know why this is though, calorie intake is high right now as the stress of life is just a little to overwhelming at times.

It is good life changing stress but stress none the less. I continue to eat healthy and get my fitness in during these times, but not at the levels I need and desire.

So it is that I push on and on, trying not to beat myself up to much, and enjoy this thing we call life.

As my triathlon approaches I feel weak and pathetic. Yet I am going to do this. I am going to stop focusing on being better than I was last year and instead focus on the fact that I am doing it and more importantly I CAN DO IT!!!

~TigressSky~

The Challenge

Well, I'm still plateaued but I did try the challenge this week and it lives up to it's name!

I modified it a bit because I was doing the exercises in the park, not at the gym, therefore I did not have free and easy access to weights and mats to aid in performance. Although, with the never-ending rain schedule we are currently controlled by, I'll most likely be doing it inside the gym rather than in the sunshine of the park for the next couple weeks.

My goal is to perform the challenge at least twice (hopefully three times) a week. I may modify it a bit, adding to it some exercises for areas I would really like to focus on more. For example, triceps, glutes and hamstrings. Otherwise though, I am going to spend the month of June doing this challenge and then change it up completely in July. Don't want to let my body get formatted to perform and stop gaining benefit from my workouts.


As an added bonus Craig purchased a FT40 Polar heart rate monitor for my birthday! Once I figure it out, I am excited for the potential gains I will make in my health and wellness by using it and training in targeted zones. I only wish I had the time and money to join the heart rate training group at my gym. Unfortunately they get together twice a week in the late mornings while I am working. Yet, it would be so much fun to discover the ways I can perform intensely for 30 minutes and get maximum results just by working within my heart rate zone(s).


Maybe when the next schedule comes out they will offer these classes in the evenings so I can hop on the band wagon and learn the tune!

I'm still having a hard time not beating myself up while doing my tri-training. I discussed it with a friend and I think we figured out what is going on.

Last year, when I signed up to do my first ever triathlon I was simply excited to do it and my only goal was to finish. This year however I have a "real" goal. I want to shave 10 minutes off my finishing time. Doing this will have me finishing as a "contender". Maybe even within the top 100!

It seemed like such a small goal - 10 minutes off of my previous time, that shouldn't be too impossible. It doesn't even require me to find comfort with or get better at swimming. (Which I still have fear of and do a absolutely horrendous job at!) If I can just finish my bike and run 5 minutes sooner each I will be successful!

Yet, I feel like I am not making any advancements in my running or biking. In fact I'm pretty certain I doing worse at both this year!

And, that's my problem. I have a goal and a desire to push myself yet that push just isn't going over well so I am frustrated and angry with myself. Hence the, "you are so slow, you can't do this, you are going to do worse than last year, why did you sign up for this," thoughts that run through my head while Im training. It is horrible and as of yet I still haven't figure out how to get the negative self-talk to turn off. Even though I know without it I will succeed and do soooooo much better.

So that is what I really need to put some focus on, or I for sure will do worse at this years event! Any suggestions on what I can do to get those nasty self-defeating comments to stop?

~TigressSky~

Shock Top!

So, it's happened.

After all those other times I falsely believed myself at some sort of plateau I can now say I truly understand what that flat top really is all about. Simply stated - plateaus suck! Almost as much as trying to orgasm when on prosac sucks, (but only kind of like that - because not orgasming is way worse than not losing fat!)

It has been 4-weeks though and I have simply not seen any movement in the scale AT ALL. No ups. No downs. Just a constant 177 pounds. Sitting there glaring at me, or well more like sitting there stoned, looking up at me like, "meh."

I think that is what sucks the most, plateaus are so bbboooorrrrrriiiiinnnnggggg!!! Nothing is happening, no matter what you try to do to make something change - you are just stuck; waiting. Like a car idling at a stoplight that is never going to turn green. Yet you remain determined to discover something you can do to get the light green - legal or not!

So of course, I have decided to take on the mission and discover a way off this flat top. Which, as it turns out, is just as fun as studying for a math exam full of choose your own adventure story problems.

Seriously, the abundance of "helpful" tips and tricks is somewhat obnoxious and yet always motivational! 

I have managed to sift through all the nauseatingly inspirational motivation and found, what I think, may be two solutions to the choose your own adventure math problem I am having here.

Solution 1 - is to more closely and strictly limit my diet.

Solution 2 - is to increase the intensity of my workouts.

Of course, because this is math (as is all of life) I am opting for the less challenging but more demanding * drum roll please* solution 2!

Now, I say less challenging simply because there are so many options available to increase my physical intensity levels during my workouts. Yet, there is really only one option when it comes to strictly limiting my diet. However, increasing my physical intensity is going to be more demanding on me, my body is going to be pushed harder, my time is going to be stretched thinner, and my ability to stay motivated is going to be drowning in "just not wanting to." Limiting my diet would also have the same affect in regards to the "just not wanting to" motivation, however, it is less demanding on me because it does not require me to push my limits nor find the time and resources to do so.

So, starting in June I will begin a more regimented and intense workout series focused on weight and strength training with a more minimal cardio routine. I am going to focus on interval training which will aid me in doing more work in less time. I'm thinking starting with a 10 minute run then pushing myself hard, on and off, for 30-40 minutes.


As to what I will push myself hard doing, well, that part I am still working on, however, I do have a starting point for this week!

The 100 Challenge - Just Do it!!!

A personal trainer I love to work with at my gym, Remy, gave me this challenge last fall and I never took it on. However, today I turn the page and choose to make it my adventure!

The Challenge

Warm up with some dynamic stretching and cardio for 15 minutes. Example: Jog in place. Walking lunges. Toe touches. Over the fence. High knees.

Time yourself for 35 minutes. Look at the exercise list and make sure you understand each one that is listed. There are demonstration videos online for most all of them.

100 Air Squats - get low, keep perfect form
90 Push Presses - use light weights, bend at knees and press weights over head
80 Russian Twists - side to side is one rep
70 Lunges - yes, thats each side, have fun
60 Push Ups - on your knees is fine
50 Core Leg Lifts - On your back lower straight legs until just above the ground, lift back up toes pointing to ceiling
40 Burpees - get all the way to the ground and hop up
30 Supermans - Use those back muscles
20 Side Plank Stars - Get in side plank, lift and lower top leg for one rep
10 Tuck Jumps - Knees up!
Take a water break and start again!

Can you get through the whole workout? Once? Twice? How far can you get?

Who knows? Yet right now there is no try just do!


I plan on modifying and trying new things every week to two weeks. One thing bodies are smart at is adapting to the physical demand put on them. Meaning that if you do the same thing over and over, soon enough your body is super efficient at doing it and you are no longer challenging yourself or getting any real benefit out of it. This is why my plan is to change my challenges up often and keep my body just as confused as my mind!

I am looking at changing up the adventure with workouts from BodyRock.tv as well as possibly incorporating the workout plan used to get those men in shape for 300. So, come on! Let's do this thing! Right after a small cup of tea? *giggles*

~TigressSky~

The Dehydration of Jitters

Well, another Tuesday has passed and I have weighed myself again. No changes, but I am remaining accountable and tracking my food as well as working out and giving my all. So, maybe next Tuesday I will see some change! :)

My Precious 

I had my first Triathlon practice this past Saturday and I was pretty pathetic. Not physically, but mentally. I was beating myself up the entire bike ride, telling myself how bad I was doing, and asking "why are you even doing this, you suck!"

However, the moment my run was over and the workout complete I said to myself, "look at what you just did! Who else gets up early on a Saturday morning to push themselves this hard? Go you!"

I can't fully explain the why's of my negative self-talk. Yet I know part of it stems from my hunger driven desire to do SO much better than I did last year. Yet, with my first push out of the gate, I felt like I was performing way worse than how I started my training last year! This aided my obnoxiously defeating self-talk to seem perfectly fine and deserved. Even though I know damned well that negative self-talk simply drains your energy and manifests itself into reality, I simply couldn't push past it.

So, this Saturday I WILL NOT beat myself up. I will enjoy the ride, I will enjoy the run, and I will tell myself, "you can do this!!!" Because, no matter what my time is, I can do this and that's what really counts.

Barbie Feet, Physical Therapy & My Love of Coffee

When my feet are flat on the ground
my toes are still raised up!

My feet are shaped like a Barbie dolls. Seriously. My toes are constantly "up" and ready to be slipped into a pair of high heels. As it is however, heels suck ass, they are genuinely uncomfortable on my feet - pinching and not having any padding in them what-so-ever (might as well be barefoot walking on your toes all day), they tear up my feet (literally) - leaving blisters, torn skin, and bruises, and, by the end of the day, my lower back feels like some little person has been continuously socking me in the kidneys all day.

With that said, I don't tend to wear heels - ever. Yet my feet appear to display characteristics as if heels are my shoe of choice.

My feet as well, have this little game they like to play called - "Muhahahahahaha! CRY! WIMPY GIRL! CRY!" As they cramp and contort all on their own without any real prompting or warning activity to lead them to do so.

This occurrence of my feet torturing me use to be less frequent and a lot more manageable. However, in the past few years, as my activity has increased and my demand on my feet has probably quadrupled, well, it has become a constant in my life.

That crazy muscle bulging in the front of my leg is caused
by a condition I like to call "Barbie feet." If you would like to develop
this muscle, just start walking and running with toes
pointed up all the time!

As this triathlon season began I decided that I really need to figure out if there is something, (anything), I can do to make this better. Hence my recent trip to the physical therapist where I learned my damned Barbie feet are the culprit of a lot more pain than just the pain in my feet.

In fact, I developed this crazy huge muscle in the front of my leg I never even knew existed in the body because of my Barbie feet. (I still don't know what that muscle is called.)

That muscle pulls and tugs directly on my knees, quads and hamstrings. Which indirectly pulls on my glutes. Which directly pulls on my back. Which then pulls on my shoulders.

Yes, Barbie is ruining my world in many more ways then simply being an impossible body shape girls of America strive to achieve.

So, thanks to my physical therapist, I am now informed as to what is going on with my feet - and body aches overall. I am also armed with a few stretches and strengthening exercises to do daily that should help relax my toes, stretch that muscle, and hopefully provide me with some overall relief. As well, I am adding some old lady arch supports to my shoes, since my Barbie Feet also cause me to tilt inward. This happens due to the fact that my big toe is always up in the air instead of flat on the ground offering me support. So my body adapts by tilting inwards to force the toe to support me, only kind of incorrectly, like a kickstand on a bike or something.

The physical therapist also talked with me about my nutrition and suggested I add a magnesium/calcium supplement to my diet. Low magnesium and calcium in the body can cause the types of cramps and sudden muscle flexing contortions I suffer from.

Those coffee cups are emptied everyday.
That water bottle is just there for looks!

Yet, so can dehydration - or in my case a game my body plays kind of like rock, paper scissors except in this version it is coffee steals water, muscles lose.

I drink what is equivalent to about 10 cups of coffee a day. Too which my physical therapist said, "that means you need to drink about 16 glasses of water a day. So, when your boss asks why you are in restroom so often ... well."

So begins my return to monitoring my water intake and ensuring I drink at least three (shooting for four) of my water bottles full of water a day (the equivalent of 12-16 glasses).

Coffee, while it has many, many, many (and I mean many), health benefits, is a dehydrator (and a diuretic - yeah more urine!) and can help steal water from your body. If you are already dehydrated it will steal it from your muscles. This can cause intensely severe cramping especially when you are working out and causing your body to shed even more water through sweat.

I already knew this part though and have been telling myself for a few months now that I HAVE TO get my water consumption back up to par. Seeing the physical therapist and having her reaffirm it just added to my gusto to do so.

Although the day is almost over and I have yet to pop the top on my water bottle yet!!! Boo!

*chugging water break*

Okay, that's better.

~TigressSky~

Accountability

Ugh! The dreaded accountability is about to start.

Since the Holidays my discipline in regards to healthy activities has severely waned. As a direct consequence my weight has fluctuated up, uP, UP!, the scale. Since November-ish, my weight has increased by 12 pounds. My measurements have also changed by an inch or two here and there. My pants size is up from a 7/8 to a 9/10 - a very snug 9/10 at that.

                 Current Stats -                   Stats Prior to Holidays

                    Weight: 177 lbs                        165 lbs

                    BMI: 25.4                                23.7

                    Lean Body Mass: 117.8         124.8

                    Body Fat %: 33                       24.4

                    Wasit: 33                                  31

                    Hips: 42                                    36.5

The hardest part about these changes is that I just slipped back into the "overweight" category. I don't plan on staying here long though! By my birthday, June 1st, I WILL be back in the "normal" category.

One of the biggest contributing factors to this gain was my sudden belief that I no longer needed to journal and track my food intake. I really felt I had it all under control and I finally just knew how to eat right. For awhile, that was the case, yet slowly and surely, (as all the experts I read regularly ensure and confirm will happen), I was overestimating portion sizes and taking more than just a nibble here and there.

Food journaling is resoundingly the one most important tool you will ever have in your fat-loss and healthy-living "tool-belt." There is almost no dissent or disagreement in regards to this fact. Honestly, if there is any actual dissent or disagreement in regards to the importance and success of food journaling I have never heard nor come across it. This article from Kristin Kirkpatrick, MD is a great piece on the benefits and how to start food journaling yourself - Food Diary: Why This Weight Loss Tactic Is So Effective

As for me, I am back at SparkPeople.com, monitoring my food intake, calculating and re-configuring recipes, as well as noting my portion sizes, and mapping out the entire days menu. It is never perfect mind you. Sometimes I go over. Sometimes I go under. Yet most of the time I stay within my ranges and enjoy my foods. Filling full and satisfied.

Here is a sample report from SparkPeople.com for just one day of food tracking.

As the above shows, I'm getting back in there. My choices are healthier yet most importantly I am once again being accountable for what I am putting in my body and boy do I notice the difference! As these daily reports have shown me I definitely need to get my protein intake up, but even being slightly off, my performance at the gym has significantly increased! I do not "bonk" out in the middle of work outs. I am not starving when I get home either. My energy level is increasing and I am feeling less tired and worn down.

Seriously, it is an amazingly noticeable difference.

It is also going to be extremely important that I balance this out as triathlon training starts this coming weekend! My gym time will increase and my body will need to be fueled properly to survive the rigors of training.

So, in order to help me stay on track and remain accountable I am going to start a "Tuesday Update" post series. This will focus on what my week was like. What my weight and measurements are like and, sometimes, include a picture of me in my (current) favorite bikini. (YIKES!!!)

As well, I hope that seeing the changes I make and the struggles I have, will allow some motivation to others who are on this path as well.  So, here is a picture of my starting point along with my current stats again.

Current Stats -                                       

          Weight: 177 lbs                                    

           BMI: 25.4                                         

           Lean Body Mass: 117.8                    

           Body Fat %: 33                                

           Wasit: 33                                        

           Hips: 42                                              

GAME ON!!!!

"Try and fail, but don't fail to try!" ~Stephen Kaggwa

~TigressSky~

Back - from a hiatus of sorts.

Priorities? What are those?

Life happens. Hell, more often than not life happens. For the past few months it seems to be happening all around me while I stand in the center trying to divide my attention appropriately.

Due to all this damned LIFE happening, my time to devote to my fitness has lessened. I still make it to the gym, yet it is only for about 5 hours a week rather than the regular (and healthier) 7-10 hours I had been devoted to. I find myself faltering between moments of feeling guilty and upset for not making fitness the same priority it was, to moments of "don't sweat it, this too shall pass and soon you will be back at it."
 

As well, my nutrition has fluctuated from being really good and well monitored to being so bad I try and ignore it! It is strange how eating healthier helped me to develop a sweet tooth. Seriously, prior to my discovery of how good unprocessed natural foods taste I never sought out sugary goodness. Now however, they are like ecstasy in my mouth!

Don't get me wrong, it is not candy and simple sweets that drive me. There can still be snickers bars and suckers in the house that will just get ignored. However, it is the homemade sweets that I am enjoying a little to much of. Having someone to cook for has brought back the experimenting baker in me. Cookies, pies, cakes and treats just get whipped up and devoured often. I need to find some healthier "treat" recipes to work with for my sweet intake - or more events to attend to rid myself of such temptations just lying around calling out to me.

For example this Dark Chocolate Ganache covered Guinness Stout cake!!!

The good news for all this subtle lax in my overall health focus -

TRIATHLON SEASON STARTS IN 2 WEEKS!!!!

2011 Girlfriends & Dudes Triathlon

Yep, that's right, as soon as I return from my May 4-5th vacation triathlon training begins and I will HAVE to be accountable for making the right choices daily. Any misstep I take could mean minutes lost in my triathlon finish and, since I am competing with myself to drop 10 minutes from last years time, every minute counts! 

For the next three months my Saturday mornings will be spent swimming, biking and running with the triathlon training club! We will spend 2 hours learning, practicing and supporting each other in our endeavor to kill our bodies at the end of July and complete the Girlfriends and Dudes Sprint Triathlon in Vancouver, Washington.

Of course, the triathlon training also requires me to focus on my own personal training to develop each element of the tri so I can be better, fitter, faster and stronger! That means my gym time will increase - dedicatedly so. My current idea for my gym schedule is:

Monday - 2 Hours - Run to Gym, Cycle Class, Treadmill Intervals, Run Home 

Tuesday - 3 Hours - Step n' Strength Class, Spin Class, Yoga

Wednesday - 1.5 Hours - Run to Gym, Weights, Run Home

Thursday - 2 Hours - Run to Gym, Definition Class, Treadmill Intervals, Run Home

Friday - 2.5 Hours - Run to Gym, Weights, Treadmill Intervals, Run Home
Saturday - 2 Hours - Triathlon Training Club

With all this said, I want to note I will be attempting to update my blog more regularly starting in May. As well, I am combining the FitTiggy blog into this one. This seems like the most logical idea, as my personal health journey should really be a part of who I am as a trainer. I still hold high hope to begin studying and get certified this Fall. We shall see on that one.

Crossing the Finish Line @ 2011 Girlfriends & Dudes Triathlon 

The brief hiatus I have had has brought me up from the ultimate low I reached last year at 165 pounds to sitting at the very peak of my healthy weight range 174. Therefore, I have also decided to take some progressive pictures and use the triathlon training to mark my first steps back towards my ultimate goal of 155 pounds!

I look forward to sharing my journey with you all. As well, I look forward to updating this blog more regularly with advice that goes beyond just me personally and, I hope, can help you on your journey to become a healthier and happier you! A you that you never knew existed!!!! 

"It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves!"

~TigressSky~