Friday, August 31, 2012

Day 25

Holy crap, Week 4 is almost done.  I really feel like time is rushing by, this is crazy. Time flies when you're having fun incredibly focused on what you're doing and not just farting through life.

Today is a rest day, though I'll probably do a bit of yoga and stretching here in a minute. Made sure I updated my website today. Most importantly, I booked my head shot photographer to do a reshoot in early mid October; right around when I wrap filming on the feature. This is perfect; I planned on continuing the diet and work out regime for a full eight weeks, so this is the final goal post at the end. I will be getting new head shots obviously, but I also told him I want some full body shots in athletic wear (sports bra, gym shorts) and possibly a bikini or something, so there's no backing down now. COMMITMENT HOLY CRAP. *hides*

Really starting to see the changes in my body, these last few days without sugar of any kind.  That is so definitely a huge factor.  I also swear my cellulite is vanishing (TMI? TOO BAD), though that's the kind of thing probably only I would notice.  And holy shit, is sugar hard to avoid.  It is literally in almost everything we consume.  That's kind of scary. 

Alrighty, time to get productive; more room cleaning and organizing today.


Thursday, August 30, 2012

Day 24: CatsCatsCats

I'm officially adopting a new cat, which means I am upgrading from Cat Owner to Cat Person.  If I get a third cat of my own(the roommate's cat doesn't count) then I will officially be a Cat Lady.  Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Anyhow, I went to Target and miraculously managed to buy only one thing I didn't go there to get (colorful shoelaces!).  I got a litterbox, catfood, a large plastic bin to store all cat-related things in as well as two smaller plastic organizers/bins for my papers/notebooks and bills/office supplies.  Tomorrow the organization shall commence, as I have to go waitress in an hour or so.

Finished a GREAT workout; I feel really awesome about it; I pushed myself to my limit but not beyond and sweated my butt off.  I started up a warm up of 25 jumping jacks, 5 push ups (which I cranked out with relative ease compared to yesterday; progress!) and some moves to open up my hips and get my legs warmed up.  Then I did 4 circuits of

-20 body weight squats
-30 second Superman
-30 second static wall sit
-10 one armed dumbell rows (8lbs/my gallon Tropicana bottle)

Finished the fourth circuit around 14:25.  I really liked this combination of exercises, I may stick with it for a while.  I get bored easily so I've been changing the workouts a lot; maybe too frequently.

Diet is going well; currently trying to scale back the amount of artificial sweetener I use in my coffee.  I went out and bought some less cheap coffee, hoping this will taste better than Folgers (it was disgusting with nothing in it.).....after some intense assessment, yes, this stuff does taste better.  A brand I picked up at Target called like 8 O'Clock or something, their French roast.  I put maybe a teaspoon of splenda substitute in it.  Not bad!

I don't mind shelling out for coffee, so this may be the start of a beautiful adventure into gourmet coffee land. Away!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Day 23: The End of Running (for now)


Just finished today's workout, though more on that in a second.

I woke up at 9 am, unassisted! I even tried to go back to sleep but to no avail. Kind of awesome, actually.  I made coffee, ate five eggs (as I was out of bacon I upped the quantity), did about 30 minutes or less of internet nonesense.  Then I spent at least 20 minutes working on acting stuff (so far so good!) which included beginning to create an index of everyone I have ever worked with, been cast by or been taught by. This was a suggestion of my dad's, and a pretty good one.  I'm putting EVERYbody on it.  Even if I only met you once, if we exchanged emails or info of any kind, you're going in it.  It will help me keep track of useful contacts, resources, cool people I might want to reach out to work with in the future, etc.

Oh, and I wrote myself a new bio last night for my website, and I think it's pretty solid and professional sounding. Feel great about that. Check it:

So, my workout.  The plan was to do four circuits of .08 mile Sprint /5Burpees /20Lunges/30 second Plank.  I took my time warming up and stretching.  The new running shoes feel AMAZING, so I was pumped and confident.  But the moment my left foot hit the ground in my first sprint, I could tell something was off.  I pushed through it anyway, though I readjusted my weight distribution and didn't strain very hard, but it was clear something was off.  So I walked around for a little, then did the 5 burpees, 20 lunges and 30 sec plank.

My left knee would, uh, twinge, I guess.  There was no one particular movement that did it, it was almost random seeming.  I could walk and feel nothing, do burpees and nothing and then maybe on one lunge it would feel weird.  That's a really vague description, but alas that's what it was.  So, I abandoned the sprints then did:

25 Jumping Jacks x 2
20 lunges x 2
5 more burpees x 2
30 sec plank x 2

After the last lunge set the knee twinged again, so I decided to finish off the workout by just doing upper body/abs.  So I did:

5 Push Up x 3 (REALLY stoked about that, progress!)
30 Sec Plank x 3

Then again, took my time stretching and cooling down.  Bout to take a hot shower, then I'm going to ice and elevate later tonight after I'm done cooking my food for the week.

Being super productive today, though I have more to do and it's already 5 pm, so I better get crackin'.  I still need to head to Target for some plastic bins and maybe a tool kit, as well as organize some shit in my room.

For the 6 Week Challenge one of my goals was to run 3k without stopping.


It seems to me that the wisest thing to do would be to abandon the Run 3k goal for the remainder of this challenge.  With how physically intense my job can be I really cannot afford a blown out knee, and running might be really dangerous (as my near-panic attack of last week showed us).  So, while I am disappointed about that, it seems the only option.

That goal, goal #3, will now officially be to continue the remaining two and a half weeks of the challenge , AND the two weeks after that before filming, sugar free.  I already committed to doing that for this week's homework and I was kinda sorta trying it before, but now it is official.  No. MOAR. SUGAR. At all.  This is so hard for me because I have a sweet tooth like nobody's business.  But then, I also love salty shit, so maybe I can substitute? Like, instead of getting a sugary beverage/snack I can eat...something salty? I dunno. Anyway.  I'll think of something.


-C

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Week Four Homework from NF


This is this week's Challenge from NF:
This is another thinking man's challenge. It's meant to build on the challenge put forth to you last week. Ask yourself a question: what's stopping you from being the best you you can be?

Those goals that you considered last week, why haven't you accomplished them yet? Your health goals, your fitness goals, what's holding you back from doing what you want? Are you not getting enough sleep? Are you not prioritizing exercise, or eating right? Are you not studying enough? Are you watching so much Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood that you can barely function in life (can't say I don't know how that one goes)?
What's going on in your life that you can change, just for one week, to improve your quality of life?
Find that weakness, pinpoint it, and destroy it - just for one week. One week of 8 hour rests, one week of consistent training, one week of financial management.

For example, I don't sleep enough, at all. My mission this week is to get 7.5 - 9 hours of sleep every night (that's my sweet spot).
Your reward for accomplishing this mission will be +1 WIS and +1 STA.
Your deadline is Monday, September 3rd, at 11:59PM.


Serendipitous, as two things became clear to me today. I don't spend enough time on my real career because I'm usually wiped out from the day job. And I haven't totally cut out sugar from diet and I think that's what's impeding weight-loss progress. So I'm going to make this a double goal, and I will only award myself a half point for each (if I complete the first goal I will get  +.5 WIS +.5 STA, so that only in completing both goals will I get the full point for each category.

Okay, here goes (deep breath of commitment):
1)For this week I will not consume ANY sugar. Nada, nothing, not even fruit. I kinda tried this last week and failed miserably.  This will make me super vigilant about what I put in my body, because sugar is everywhere and I will probably save money because I will be eating out on the town less. Werq!
2) I will spend AT LEAST 20 minutes, every day, working on acting related stuff.  That can be working a monologue, writing cover letters, combing audition listings, creating my industry contacts list, whatever.

Okay, now I really am going to bed.

-C

Mind Over Matter

I was typing up an update to my NF Challenge Thread and thought I'd post it here too:
RE: Sugar Cravings, I just read Joel's article on said topic! Could not have arrived at a better time.
It reminds that yes, while cravings are inevitable and understandable, there are ways to cope without totally destroying the work you've done. Made me think again that this whole challenge is really you versus yourself. No one is force-feeding you that tub of chocolate icecream (that's what I was craving today, heh). Next time I get that craving, I'm going to go grab some dark chocolate. Yut.
One interesting aspect of this diet/challenge is my relationship with food. I have had various relationships with it. Some really unhealthy, though I was fortunate enough to never develop an actual disorder and endanger my health (I might add that i saw more than a few friends do this, sadly). Because of seeing my friends struggle and harm themselves, I've always sworn to myself to make sure my pursuit of health is just that, a pursuit of HEALTH.
Now, I would be lying if I said that my current regime is totally about health. Yes, I want to be in the Badass Shape of Badasses. But I also want to look amazing naked. There. This is totally about my ego. And that's okay, because it turns out that the path to actually getting in really awesome shape for the first time in my life is down Ego Trail. I want to look good, therefore I have to work out and put good, healthful things into my body. Luckily, I have learned that starving myself and taking ephedrine will just fuck you up, possibly for life.

So, on this whole "Deny your cravings" subject, it's tough, because I want to treat myself well and not feel in a perpetual state of deprivation or denial, because then it seems a slippery slope to anorexia, body dysmorphia, etc (for me, not everyone). I'm just super aware of it, I guess. Anyhow, I figure the main way to avoid this is focus on treating my body with love and attention, as well as setting more goals.
A) LOADING UP on protein etc during the day. I upped my egg intake to 4 this morning and felt great all morning. So guess what? Four eggs it is!
B) Figuring out more yummy ways to cook. I have been pretty lazy with this, and cooking the same shit over and over again, because I'm too lazy to do anything differently than throw it in a pan and sautee it with olive oil. I just need more variety.

C)I've discovered that I am really enjoying the feeling of doing difficult shit. When I complete a longer set or go another day with no sugar, it's kind of like proof that it really, truly is mind over matter. I think the root of this entire experiment is Control. This whole thing is something that is under MY control. No one else has any influence of any kind. The outcome is truly up to me, and me alone. And that is pretty damn empowering.

That's pretty much it.  Obviously, the eating guidelines I follow are tough when you realize how saturated with processed sugar and crap our food is.   When you think about how much sugar and god-knows-what-else is in our food, it's really no wonder people get sick so much and suffer so many health problems.  I would be very interested to see a long term study on people who eat strict paleo etc and what their health looks like in the long run.  I know it would be really hard to pull off and control for different factors, but you know.  ANYWAY.

When it comes down to it for me, this is about control.  This is about being utterly and totally responsible for and to myself.  No one else can force me to eat crap, no one can trick me into giving up or thinking "it's just too hard."  I believe in the power of the human mind to Get. Shit. Ton. And this is the ultimate test of that for me.  How badly do I want this? How much do I want to prove that I can do WHATEVER I set my mind to?

The answer? Very.

And I mean to.

On that note, time to dick around on tumblr and watch some Supernatural.

-C

Day 22: Week Four Underway

Today is Day 2 of Week 4.  At the end of this week, I will have been doing this for ONE WHOLE MONTH, YOU GUYS. A MONTH.

So I have not been totally happy with my progress in week 3, and so I did some evaluating to see what I need to shake up. 

The little big thing I realized is that the vinaigrette dressing I had been using on my salads at work has sugar in it.  This should have been a no-brainer, but I guess I didn't -want- to know, because the thought of eating salad plain was not particularly appetizing.  What I may start doing is bringing a little tupperware with a tiny mix of oil and vinegar and just use that.  Or suck it up. We'll see. 

I was still eating fruit and drinking a Naked juice in the morning.  This week I am definitely going to cut out that sugar and see what happens.

I think last Thursday's Drink-a-thon 2012 REALLY set me back more than I thought it would.  Sure, it was just one night and hungover morning, but when I think about how many different things I consumed over that 10 hour period, I wince a bit.  Lots of gluten based stuff.  Lots of sugar.  And beer, and beer just doesn't usually sit well with me and causes major bloatage.  So...I do want to go out at least one night a week with my friends, so I need to figure out an alternative. One, is drink less.  This actually won't be that hard.  I think I just got carried away last week because it had been a WHILE since going out. Probably JUST stick to tequila + water.  Sure that means I won't get in on whatever drink specials, but that's actually okay because I'll drink slower and end up saving money.

I also got new running shoes and work shoes, and my legs feel better already. Another no-brainer, but never having been super athletic before, shit like "Oh maybe these shoes I've been running around in every day for six months are worn out" isn't my first thought.  Now it is.

Today was a rest day, but yesterday my work circuit out consisted of:

Wall Sit: 4 Sets of 30 Seconds
Push up: 4 sets of 3
Superman: 4 sets of 30 seconds
Jumping Jacks: 4 sets of 20
Seated Dips: 4 sets of 10

I haven't done any burpees for a while, so tomorrow I'm going to take my new kicks for a spin with burpees and sprints in the park.

Also, I started up with my food journal again. Write it down during the day, Google Docs type it up at night. Gonna go do that now.

-LION ROAR-

-yawn-

Out!

-C

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Day 20: THREE WEEKS IN.


Hey! Three weeks! BAM. I can't believe the challenge is half over.  I'm keeping the regime up for two weeks past the actual challenge, as two weeks after it ends is when filming begins, so I want those last two weeks to be the final push.

But. Taking a second here.  I've been doing this for three weeks.  I don't think I've ever been this disciplined about something, ever. I know I've said that before, but holy shit, it's really sinking in.  I'm killing it.  And I feel absolutely confident that this will, as it has been doing, continue to sharpen the other aspects of my life.  I get shit done.  Very little dillydallying going on anymore.

Just finished morning workout; 3 and 1/2 circuits of 20 Squats, 3 Push Ups (CORRECT FORM!), 30 Sec Plank, and 10 Bent Over Dumbbell Row.

Grand total of 60 Squats, 9 Push Ups, 3 Planks and 20 Rows.

Because my legs get worked out virtually all day when I'm working, I took particular care to pay attention to how my knees were feelings etc, being careful to listen to how my muscles were feeling, and where I was focusing my weight.  Helped a lot.  Today should be an easy work day, so hopefully tonight I'll have enough energy to get some acting stuff done, as well as tidy up a bit.

FOR THE REBELLION!

-C

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Day 19: Urgh tired.

Okay I know it's technically Saturday, but for my intents and purposes, it's Friday.

SOOO I went out with two friends on Thursday night and absolutely broke a lot of the rules of my diet. WHOOPS.   But I had a rad time, so I'm okay with it.  Back on track now; and though I slept the day away, I got home from work not long ago and managed to squeeze in a teeny tiny workout.  At 2 AM. What. UP.

Literally:

3 Push Ups
30 Sec Wall Sit
30 Sec Plank
10 Seated Tricep Dips
2 Push Ups
30 Wall Sit
30 Sec Plank
10 Seated Tricep Dips

Sleepy time, and bed early tomorrow night for sure.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

DAY 18

Whoo! So, Tuesday morning I strained my left knee a bit in a workout, promptly freaked out and thought I'd sprained it, calmed down, rested it yesterday and today my workout was all upper body stuff.  Tomorrow I'll see how it feels because doing any full body stuff.

Yesterday was my sort-of "Cheat Day" which may or may not have involved treating myself to dinner (Guac and fried calamari with chipotle mayo! Wine!) and then getting tipsy on hard cider and yelling at my laptop while watching Supernatural (-gasp- DEAN! NOOOO! SAM! SAM! SAMMMYYYYYY!!!).

Though I was not hung over this morning, my body aches from the alcohol, which is odd, though unsurprising.  My weekly alcohol intake is very low, so when I do drink my body gets angry with me.  Which is good, because is discourages me college-style pointless partying and hang overs.  I am wimp about hang overs. I would rather never drink again than be hung over and have to do stuff. It sucks.

Just finished working out; I created a new circuit for upper body and light leg stuff.  I'm working on perfecting my form on push ups; realized I was not going down as far as I ought and my elbows were pretty far out.  So I only did 3 per set, but damn they were hard.

Push Up [3]
Wall Sit [30 sec]
One Arm Bent Over Dumbbell Row [10 per arm per set]
Plank [30 sec]

Completed 4 circuits in fifteen minutes.  Broke a sweat! And my knee is feeling much better, though I may wear my ace bandage when I go out tonight, just in case, as I have to waitress tomorrow.

I also think I need to buy new running shoes.  I wear the same sneakers for work that I do for working out, so they're probably shot (bought them in March-ish).  I need to buy new ones and ONLY wear them for exercise and walking around, NOT at work.

Also, I started some serious research for acting stuff and realized I have A LOT of work to do.  More on that later.

-C

Monday, August 20, 2012

Week 3; Day 15: Refocus

I've started Week 3 off well; just finished a low impact circuit workout; 3 and 1/2 circuits of 20JumpingJack/10Lunges/10PushUps/30SecPlank/10SeatedDips.  It's funny what a night of good sleep can do a body; I swear I look more cut up this morning than I did before going to sleep (though I'm sure there are many potential reasons for that, ie water weight etc).  Anyhow, I feel utterly badass and am making myself take some bigger steps this week.

I have been diligent with my work outs. I am on the strictest diet I have ever tried and it is going swimmingly; aside from a few daydreams of mocha frappaccinos, I have not strayed.

But. I have done nothing about Goal #4; reaching out to agencies.  Time to do that.  I don't want to leave it until Week 6 and be all rushed.  So this week will be Research Week! I will comb backstage; bust out my business class notes (if I can find them), and perhaps call up a few old professors. I am going to use this solidified confidence in my ability to Get Shit Done to fuel my career as well as my fitness goals.

-C

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Day 14: Week 2 Completed!

You guys.  I have been doing this for TWO WEEKS. IN A ROW. I worked out on ten on the fourteen days.  Not bad for a big comfortslug like moi, eh!?  And not only have I been sticking to my diet and work-out regime but I have also been super duper productive on the acting front and in general.  

Yesterday I rearranged my entire room (not an odd occurrence for me, really, I do it about every six months) and because my brother left an awesome metal clothing rack here I have twice the space for my hordes of clothes.  So I finally organized almost ALL of my clothing.  I have far too much.  I have the main stuff I wear, most of which I bought in the last year, then I have all these clothes from high-school that I either wear -very- rarely but still wear and thus justify keeping or has too much nostalgia attached to to throw away.  Then there's clothes I accumulated from house guests, old roommates, etc.  I have found plenty of t-shirts that I never thought I would wear because I went through a phase wear everything I wore had to be black or red and sexy, but thankfully I got through that alive and now wear other colors again. Phew.

BEHOLD THE GLORY

All my crap. But on shelves/in drawers/on hangers!

My classy, classy, DIY shoe rack
So I spent a lot of today just looking around my room, being generally impressed with myself.

Then I had an audition/interview view via Google+ Hangout, which, while I usually feel awkward about video interviews, seemed to go very well and I will say no more than that, except I hope I get the role because it seems like a really cool project and the two guys running it seemed rad.  Fingers crossed, people!

Now, for the final day of Week 2 of Operation: Beast Mode, I battled cravings for sugary drinks all day long and contented myself with a peach.  Though maybe the sugar in the peach was what triggered the craving? Egg, or chicken? Whatever, I didn't cave. I have made  it this far, and I would love to be able to go up to people in bars and say "One time I went six weeks without a single mocha frap. Why, yes, you may buy me a drink, how nice!"  They will be so. Impressed.

Anyway, before the interview I was not looking forward to working out, but the audition seemed to go so well (I read a bit from the script) that I was full of adrenaline after and practically leapt into exercise.  There have may have been some Ricky Martin inspired impromptu sexy dancing. 

I did four and half circuits of 20Squat/7PushUp/30SecPlank/10DumbbellRows.  I felt a weird, er, spasm, in my right quad in the second to last circuit of squats.  I paused, and nothing hurt; it was almost like an electric current ran through my leg. I don't know how else to describe it.  I finished that set with no issue but then it happened again in the last set. I paused again, waited a few seconds.  I checked my breathing to make sure I was taking full, deep breaths, and finished the circuit, only going MUCH slower than before.  Does anyone know what I'm talking about? It was really weird.  Anyway, I'm going to just make sure I take my time in future squat sets. AND I made sure I stretched A LOT after.

Alright, bring on Week 3!

-C


Friday, August 17, 2012

Day 12

Almost to the two week mark which means a third of the Six Week challenge is almost over.  I cannot believe -- CANNOT-- believe that I have been this consistent for so long.  I am super proud of myself.

On the flip side, I am fucking beat right now and have to head to work in less than an hour. Normally this would be fine except I have been up since 8 AM because I filmed all afternoon; which consisted of walking around the park in stilettos (NOT FUN OR EASY) and dragging my suitcase full of costume changes around. I had a great time overall, I'm just wiped out  because I went to sleep around 2:30 AM last night because of work.  And I have to be up early again tomorrow for more filming (different project) though I get an early evening. Fortunately I shouldn't be working past 10 30 PM, which puts me home around midnightish at the latest (fingers crossed). And I have all Sunday off, thank god.

This morning I wasn't feeling doing squats, so I created a new circuit which was

Jumping Jacks - 20
Lunge - 10 /leg
Push Up - 10
Plank - 30 sec
Seated Tricep Dip - 10

Completed it 3 1/2, so I got in 40 lunges, 40 pushups, and 60 JJs and 30 Dips.  Not half bad.  Tomorrow will be a rest day methinks; I'll just got for a walk in the evening because my body is already hurting from the workout and unexpected traipsing in the park in heels.

Loading up on food now; and eating again in like an hour or so when i get to work where I will be sure to get a burger or something high protein.

Been doing well on the diet still; sugar intake is very tricky to control/abolish.  My mom brought me peaches from Pennsylvania and they are so fucking good I have to eat them all.  I didn't even know I liked peaches. Anyway! Definitely sleeping hard tonight.

Rah!

-C

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Day 11

Yesterday, Day 10; my mom drove up to pick up my little brother and move him out of my apartment where he's been staying for the past two months, so I took a rest day.  Though I technically had a rest day on Sunday, I was up at the ass crack of morning and walked/ran around ALL DAY, so it was hardly restful, and as I mentioned before; working on on Mon and Tues was incredibly difficult. My muscles weren't particularly sore, I was just running on fumes. Bad.  So yesterday instead of working out I slept in, then got up and cleaned my place in prep for La Madre.  We went out to eat with some of my friends a bit on the late side, so I vetoed my No Eating After 7 PM rule. I ate mostly really healthfully; had a little sangria and tequila, but nothing crazy, so I felt great this morning even though I was up late and woke up early to see my fam off (7 AM).  Now it's only noon and I already worked out, swept and rearranged my room and started some organization projects.

Also just worked out, and I FELT. AWESOME. And strong.  I did my Superhero Circuit and almost completed a sixth circuit, meaning I did THIRTY. BURPEES. THIRTY. Yes. I feel awesome. Now, I have to clean myself up and get on with my day, but I am incredibly boosted in my confidence in my workouts.  Oh, also, I improved my sprint time by a skosh.  Of the four sprints, my first time was 25.6 and my last was 21.05. SUCKA PLEASE.

I now know the power of taking your rest days seriously. Phew.

-C

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Day 9

Full disclosure, folks, it is nine days in and I am fucking ready to sleep for a year.  Just finished my morning(!) workout, Sqt/PshUp/Rw/Plnk circuit, and I could only complete four circuits in 15; when I did it on Friday I completed six circuits.  I know it's early in the game and I shouldn't feel bad because it just means my body it exhausted; but I still feel like it's back-sliding? I guess it's important to realize that not every day will be an Aha!Progress Moment.  Some days you'll just be tired as all hell and you just have to keep going.

Yesterday when I got home from work; I could barely walk up the three flights to my apartment.  I was destroyed; and work wasn't even that busy. I need to make sure I take Wednesday and actually rest up a little.  I'll still squeeze in a light workout; but I need to give my legs a break I think.

Diet is going really, really well though.  After Saturday's drinking escapades I am determined not to let peer pressure to party (alliteration!) undo all the hard work I am putting in.  I am going out tonight with my brother again to karaoke and again on Thursday for my friend's birthday; it will be a good test.  I think I may just cut out alcohol completely.  Weight aside, it makes me bloat and does my skin no favors.  Plus, I am filming something on Saturday and don't want to be puffy-faced, so I have many reasons to abstain.I  I cut booze out for about two months earlier in the year with a couple of cheats, so this should not be too difficult.

On Goal #4 zero progress has been made; so this week I will begin by looking at listings as well as asking one of my acting school professors to lunch to pick his brain.  On the upside; Sunday I got to be featured in this super awesome photo-project being collaborated on by three artists and an art historian about the Highline Parkway.  I cannot wait to see the photos.

I get into this habit where whenever I delve into something new I feel super zealous about it for like, two days, then lose interest and eventually abandon whatever the project is.  I can feel my attention wandering from my goals, but I am determined not to give in. Same deal goes for my novel and songwriting.  I plunged into both with vigor; only to start neglecting them a few days later.  Consistency is my biggest issue.  I am working on dividing up my leisure time between working on the aforementioned projects and vegging.

FOR THE REBELLION!

-C

Monday, August 13, 2012

Day 8; Week 2 Begins!

Oof. Day 8 begins with an incredibly hard workout. I did the Burpee/Spiderman/Superman, and only managed three circuits instead of five where I left it last week. My body is just totally spent. Probably because I didn't actually rest enough on my rest day? I got about seven hours of sleep; I guess it wasn't enough. I threw 10 push ups in there to feel somewhat more accomplished. But yeah, it wasn't even that I was sore; I just had no energy and ran out of breath almost immediately. I am definitely regretting how much I drank on Saturday night as I feel somewhat bloated from the alcohol still.

Definitely feeling set back a little; I just have to keep my eye on the prize. I have resolved to cut sugar out of my diet completely as well; I kinda-sorta doing that already, but I'm am going to be even more stringent about it.


-C

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Day 6: Ow.

So last night was probably the worst waitressing shift of my entire service industry career.  It was like every anxiety dream about work I have ever had (beer running out, new set up and not knowing where anything is, food taking hours(!)).  I have never been so embarrassed to waitress in my life.  I basically didn't stop running around for 6 hours and I. Am. Exhausted. BUT. I would not be on the path to Badassery if I let a little thing like being tired stop me, so when I got up I worked out and did ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY SQUATS, MOTHERFUCKERS. That's right. I added a seventh circuit (Or Seventh Circle of Hell, if you like) to my Squat/PushUp/Plank/Row circuit. Not a full seventh circuit, just the squats; didn't have time for the full one inside the 15 minutes.

And now my legs are super tired. Like, ow.  So for tomorrow (Day 7!) I will doing a very light workout; not one of the circuits( SqtPshUpPlnkRw(SPPR) or Superhero). So many parentheses! Sorry, I love them. I have decided that because of the way my schedule is set up with work, Wednesday is my rest/errands day; so starting this upcoming Wednesday I will take a break from working out.  Six days on, one day off seems sufficiently hardcore for Beast Mode Standards.

I'm going to start taking torso photos tomorrow as well.  I can already feel and see the difference from evena  week ago though, which is remarkable. And feels absolutely AMAZING.  I do need to remind myself to make sure I'm resting enough and eating enough protein to keep going at this pace so that I don't burn out; my usual non-commitment to fitness has turned into rabid-commitment; I don't want to hurt myself. Also, MORE STRETCHING!

As Ryan Lochte would say, "Jeah!"

-C

Friday, August 10, 2012

Day 5

Day 5 of Operation: Beast Mode, and I'm going strong.  Excited to finish the week out with a bang; only two more days to go, and every day my goals seem more like possibilities and less the daunting phantoms that they were.

I was supposed to have an audition/interview at 1 PM (it just got pushed back to 5 PM) so I got up at 9 AM, little rough after bartending late and not getting into bed until 2:30 AMish, but I wanted to make sure I worked out today. I did my Burpee/SpiderMan/Superman circuit (I should call it the Superhero Workout), and managed to add a complete circuit (making for a total of five circuits).  Progress!

I moved onto sprints from there; my overall time is improving and I realized that I have a tendency to lead with my chest, which leaves me totally out of breath and puts strain on the wrong places.  I focused on my pushing my legs into the ground more, with attention on my quads, and that improved my feel and performance significantly. I also added two sprints; going from doing three to five.

Growing up an internet and fantasy geek, I never understood how "jocks" my age had so much confidence and just seemed to put their best foot forward most of the time (not saying that people who play sports/workout are more well-adjusted, just a casual observation), and now it's obvious.  When you push your body to your limit and go past it, not only have you achieved real, tangible results, but you also build mental discipline; you know that when you want to, you CAN do it, you can push yourself and accomplish your goals.  I'm sure not every athlete feels that way, but that has been my primary take away from five straight days of training: I can do whatever I put my mind to.

-C

Thursday, August 9, 2012

O: BM - Day 4

Day 4 of Operation: Beast Mode

Woke up, read an article on NerdFitness and then thought, "Wait, why am I just sitting here, I have shit to do!" So I got up and worked out.  Not only did I workout, I added half a loop to my Squat/PushUp/Row/Plank circuit. That's Almost 50 pushups, which is one of my Goals for the 6WkCh; granted those 49 were not consecutive, but still! So feeling really pumped.

Bodyweight Squat:
20 reps
Push up:
7 reps
One Armed Dumbbell Row:
8 lb x 10 per arm
Plank:
20 sec

I completed 6 1/2 circuits; finishing around 14:35 with 7 circuits of Squat and Push Up, and 6 circuits of the Rows and Plank.  Saturday goal: complete 7th Circuit!

-C

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Sprinting; Green Things

So for the workout today I took it to the park so I could get some sprinting in.

I did my 15 minute circuit; doing only burpees, Sidermans/mountain-climbers and Supermans. I did one set of each, then immediately went into the next set.

Looked like this:

Burpee (5)
Spiderman (8)
Superman (30 sec)

Burpee (5)
Spiderman (8)
Superman (30 sec)

Burpee (5)
Spiderman (8)
Superman (30 sec)

Burpee (5)
Spiderman (8)
Superman (30 sec)
Burpee (5)

That extra set of burpees were brutal, but I'm glad I squeezed them in (finishing around 14:35).

Then I walked around for a bit to catch my breath, then started sprints. I picked a fairly short distance (.08 mile/129 meters)(I guess? Is that short for sprinting? I really don't know, but it's working for me so far).
My times:
27
26
24
23.6

I hadn't sprinted in a while, so the first two were really warm ups and then I pushed myself to 90% energy for the second two.  I feel good about them, but I don't want to push myself too hard and hurt myself, obviously.

Then I came home, went to the grocery store and bought half the vegetables section.  Took that shit home, chopped the crap out of everything, cooked a ton of chicken and BAM now I'm prepared for the next couple of days.  I know the key to not eating crap is to be PREPARED which has always been a challenge for me.  I am determined not to let poor planning get the best of me.

So say we all!

-C



For the time being this blog is going to be a place for me to publicly record my fitness life without blowing up my FB friends' newsfeeds (you're welcome!).  I was just cast (!) in an indie film, and there is a decent chance  that I will be in a leotard or something similar; this prospect is more than a bit daunting, so I decided to use this as motivation to push my fitness to the next level.  I've been working out every here and there and eating fairly well, but I know I can do more.

I have never been particularly healthy or in shape, though I live a pretty active life now (I live in a walking city).  I played some sports as a kid, but they definitely did not require any rigorous training outside of practice.  Running for more than a block left me really short of breath and I was always tired.  In the last two years I started to put on a little bit of muscle from bar-tending and waitressing at a busy sports bar (running up and down stairs, carrying four pitchers of beer at once, etc).  Then my big sister discovered NF and became a complete fitness guru and the bug bit.  I've always looked at athlete's prowess with envy, thinking "Man, they're so capable and badass, I wonder what that feels like?" Well, time to find out!  I've been eating loose Paleo since around January (including dairy and lots of fruit), and I started working out every so often (maybe twice a week). I used to smoke, but I quit in February, been pretty much smoke free since then with a few lapses.

So, because I am PAF (Poor As F***), I don't currently have a gym membership, which is sad because I really want to get into lifting.  That will happen eventually, like in the next few months when I can find an affordable gym.  But in the meantime, I need to be able to workout NO MATTER WHAT, no matter where or when, no excuses; so I've been trying circuit bodyweight exercises and really loving them.

Coincidentally, NerdFitness is starting another 6 Week Challenge; the timing could not be better!

 I realized that the reason I have never been in shape is because I have never committed to it; I didn't think it was really possible.  Screw that. I have exactly 48 days as of today until we shoot this thing, so this 6WC really is serendipitous.

Alright, this post is already super long, sooooo 6WkC GOALS:

1) Be able to do 50 consecutive pushups
2) Be able to run 5k without stopping
3) Be able to do one pull-up
4[lifegoal!]  Contact at least 5 agencies about getting representation.

Plan:  I'm working out every day, with one break day a week (probably wednesdays or thursday, though that will start next week).  I've realized that I'm the kind of person that needs to go all out; no moderation on this one for me.

Diet: Strict Paleo(started 8/4); basically meat, veggies, eggs, with occasional fruit (but only early in the day), and almonds.  I don't want to give up coffee, so artificial sweetener and almond milk for my morning java (though eventually I would like to wean myself off....though I'll probably have to go cold turkey knowing me).

Running: 2-3 sprint sessions a week, 1 long distance run in the park.
Full body: 15 minute circuits; squats, burpees, push-ups, core strengthers (supermans, planks, etc).

This is Day 3, and I'm feeling great and motivated.

Till next time,
C