SuperMom 4: "This Girl is on Fire"

This Girl is on Fire

Come on. Everyone knows the song by Alicia Keys. I love belting out the chorus whenever I can. However this week, the words were a little different. Instead of "This Girl" it was "my butt is on fire, my calves are on fire, my back and abs are on fire, etc." You get the point. I was pushed this week in my workouts. And I was/am sore. I’m still feeling it in my lats from standing lat pulls and upright rows. Oofta. I squeezed that grape good. (For those of you that have never done any lifting with weights, imagine squeezing a grape between your shoulder blades. The muscle you are targeting is the latissimus dorsi, or lats for short). My oldest child made me laugh today and it hurt. Thank you woodchops.


The point system that I use to keep myself on track is getting easier to use. My strength points (weight room) were under par, but a huge improvement from last week. A few more tweaks this week and I will be on course. Cardio points were there, and the miscellaneous points were close. This week has a few scheduling conflicts with the workout routine, but hey, things pop up all the time and we have to learn to make the best of it.


Eating. Ah yes, my favorite pastime. I cut back on the reporting my meals to Hallie. I did fairly well in keeping my major meals on point. Midafternoon is where I start to waver. I have found that by keeping a bowl of almonds and reduced sugar craisins on the counter I will distract myself with a small handful of those instead of heading for the pantry. I have bagged up the Halloween candy and it is resting comfortably in the freezer.


Speaking of freezer, the upcoming snowstorm could wreak havoc on my week. My solution: my oldest loves to time me with my stopwatch. We will be doing our own at-home tabata, if need be, and I’m sure she will love it. Then again, she loves burpees. I could be in trouble working out with her. The treadmill will be seeing some Mommy time as well. Thank goodness for Netflix. 

I debated on whether or not to tell this next part, but I think I need to. For the first time in a while, I felt "skinny" the other day. I put on a pair of jeans, a pair that is still the size I’m trying to get out of, and there was no muffin top. My shirt, which was kind of snug, showed no bulge. My confidence level was through the roof. It was fantastic. I was on Fire, and it felt awesome.

SuperMom 4: The Amazon

   Wow, I can't believe how many phenomenal women have stepped up to be SuperMoms! They are providing inspiration for so many people, and that is amazing. Our next SuperMom I have nicknamed "The Amazon". She is powerful. She demonstrates such strength in the weight room that its down right unreal! Her presence is strong. When she stands in a group she stands out, and she's earned it. She worked her ass off as a farm kid growing up, and continues to work just as hard as a mom. She speaks nothing but the truth, and fears no opinion. I took it as a huge compliment when she volunteered for the SuperMom Project. I worked to design a program for SuperMom 4 that is tailored to her personality and needs. She is constantly on the go, volunteering for her children's programs and taking them to sports, so we are approaching her plan as many chunks throughout the day vs. one, big exercise chunk. She also has a great handle on nutrition, just needs the accountability. So starting off, she is highly accountable to me for her meals, and we will taper off as we go.
   But enough talk from me, lets hear it from The Amazon herself!

Dirty Four Letter Word

   Oh my.  Where to begin?  This is my first blog entry, ever.  To say I’m a little nervous and apprehensive would be an understatement.  So, if you can find it in your generous hearts to bear with me and look over the extra commas, run on sentences, and grammatical errors I would be forever grateful. 

   This week, and the half of the previous one, has been a big change for me.  You see, I’m in this

predicament because of a dirty little four letter word.  FOOD.  Here’s another one that got me in trouble, CARB.  I love them both.  Sometimes a little too much, and here I am because of them. 

 

Change #1:  Less bad food, i.e. bad carbs.  Sounds easy, right?  I learned very quickly that this journey was going to be harder than I thought.  I grew up eating meat and potatoes almost every day.  I didn’t have to worry about portions.  Now I’m making a conscious effort to reduce the amount of bad carbs, replace them with better carbs, and eat more green stuff.  All while making sure I’m getting enough protein and water. 

  Change #2:  More sweat, i.e. cardio.  This is a word I have never liked.  I still don’t.  But, if I want this to work, I have to do it.  Thank goodness for a wide variety of fitness classes.  I could hang out in the weight room, pumping iron, all day.  I would rather get hit by a bus than to run a mile.  That said, I have been getting my sweat on with no trouble.  Now I just have to keep going and stick with it.  I recently read an article on Sophia Vegara and I’m stealing her workout motto.  No pain, no cake.  I like it.  Fits me perfectly.

  This week of workouts have been a lot of circuits, intervals, arm work, leg work, and handstands. 

Pushups are starting to like me again.  I’m finding out that I’m stronger than I think I am, and I can push myself a little harder now that I have a goal in mind.  Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away.  I’m going to be in my old jeans come hell or high water.  I know what I have to do.  Thank goodness there is Hallie to give me a kick in the rear when I get lazy.  She is my key player in this game of weight loss/better food choices/getting my sweat on.  She knows exactly what buttons to push, and she knows how I think.  Accountability is a hurdle that she is helping me stride over.  Whenever I’m beginning to falter, she’s right there to help get me back on track.

 

This week I have my work cut out for me.  I have my set routine of classes that I will attend, and I will be rocking it in the weight room again.  I am going to do more exercises at home, earn more points, and improve my numbers by this time next week.  The good Lord willing, my family will stay healthy and huge obstacles will be at a minimum.  Until next time, wish me luck and happy healthy thoughts!