Getting Ready

I just got back from work at Plymouth Country Club and now I’m out of the cold. All day I listen to my iPod and think about going to the gym, and as soon as I get home I become exhausted and I don’t want to go. It’s currently 3:06 PM and I’m going to shower and then talk myself into going. As usual, if I come back and write later how I was lazy and didn’t go, I’ll be very disappointed. I was 207 pounds this morning, so down 2 this week and my lightest in quite some time. I feel skinny. My diet this week has been near-impeccable (other than a little bit of garlic mashed potatoes and a very tiny crescent roll with dinner last night), and I should have a protein/gatorade shake and go to the gym to continue the momentum.

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Now playing: Coheed & Cambria – Blood Red Summer
via FoxyTunes

Nearing the Finish Line

I FINISHED my final clinical outplacement today in Ashland today. I ended up accruing 148.75 hours, reaching all my minimums for ages and disorders, and Sharon signed all my paperwork. I have a meeting with the clinic director on December 5th, and my Records Check meeting on the 7th.  We also have a Completion Ceremony on Sunday, the 9th.  That will signify the end of my graduate education and the beginning of my next education: a career.  The University of Life.

I start my new job in Bourne on January 3rd of the new year. I will be a speech-language pathologist clinical fellow and I will have an off-site mentor from my company who will supervise me once per week for an hour.  I’m excited to start, but I am also very nervous. The nerves didn’t hit me until last night in class during job talk amongst classmates, but I feel a sense of urgency to prepare and review all of my dysphagia/cognition/aphasia material until I think I have it mastered. It’s been a while since I’ve looked at any adult speech-and-language stuff, so I feel a little rusty. Much like studying for the Praxis, I’ve already set-up study sessions to review everything and scheduled them in my planner.  I need to look and sound as professional as possible, because I think there is little room for error.

I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself as I’m right out of grad school with a lot to learn, but this will be extremely different from New Bedford in terms of responsibility and I’ll need to respond accordingly.  Marcia always made the final decisions about patients, but all of that is now on me.  I’ll have a mentor, but the supervision will be minimal compared to New Bedford.  From what I hear, the nursing home will be much like the hospital in terms of patient population, but much slower-paced.  My new boss , who previously worked in a hospital, used the word “tame” when comparing long-term care facilities to a rehabilitation hospital. I hope “tame” means “manageable” as opposed to “boring” but I’m sure it will go very well. I’m anxious to start my real life.

Also no gym today. I got home around 3:30 and I’m just relaxing for the evening, getting ready to watch the Packers/Cowboys. Good times.

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I Am Legend

I want to see this movie, but I really want to read the book.  I’m a sucker for any End of Days/Zombie/Vampire media, and this involves all three.  Plus, is this or is this not the scariest book cover you’ve ever seen?

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Now playing: Jonathan Katz – “HEY WE’RE BACK” Episode 4
via FoxyTunes

Kill Broccoli!

This morning I bought a bag of raw broccoli on the way to school and I’ve just been munching on it all day. It hasn’t quite induced a gag reflex yet, but it ain’t tasty. I’ve eaten at least 3-5 medium-sized  florets with each one of my meals today, which is a great start. I need a raw vegetable to compliment my protein/fat meals, and I think this might do it.  The Soylent Green shakes I made earlier in the semester died out, as I could no longer find motivation to make them when I knew full well that I wouldn’t drink them during the week.  The key for me is to eat something that I can stomach and eat a serving of without wanting any more.  This has been why almonds are my best friend during my healthier times. I can eat a small handful of almonds and not quite enjoy them but not physically reject them at the same time. Other than a few times on the weekends, Food Is Fuel. I’m off to a great start this week.
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Now playing: John Mayer – Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
via FoxyTunes

Workout B = Puking

Back from the gym a while ago, puked as soon as I got out of my car. Never had that happen before. I managed to get through a little over 2/3 of Workout B before packing it in and hitting the road. I got through more than I did the last couple of times, so I can take that as consolation. My numbers were pretty good compared to the last couple of times. Here they are:

1A) Snatch-grip deadlifts: 205×12x3

1B) T-Pushups: bwx12×3 (threw in some regular pushups after finishing each of those sets)

2A) Bulgarian split squats: 15×12x3

2B) Underhand grip lat pulldowns: 110×12x2; 120×12x1

2C) Arnold Presses: 15×12x3

3A) Romanian deadlifts/Bentover rows: 45s x 12x 1

….and this is where I took off after about 45 minutes. It might not look that hard on paper (believe me, I keep looking at the sheet and thinking, “how can this be so punishing?”), but this is ridiculous. I felt like I was going to die. I came home, got out of my car, walked over to the woods, and let it loose. Remnants of blue Gatorade and strawberry whey. I have no idea what Fat Loss III is going to be like, I assume it will feel like I am being kicked in the balls, over and over. I’ll find out in 6 months or so.

Funny thing is, I feel fantastic now. I’m full of energy and I feel a weird sense of pride in the fact that I just worked out so hard that I hurled a protein shake right next to Molly’s car (sorry, Sis).

I would, obviously, rather not have that happen again. I can’t make a habit of vomiting after every gym session, that’s too hardcore for me. But, I made it farther into that monstrosity of a workout than I had before, and I feel better about it now. I got a post-workout shake down easily, and now I’m eating my omelet. I feel great. Good times!

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Now playing: Jay-Z – Can I Live
via FoxyTunes

Talking Myself in to the Gym

In my experience in the last 5 or 6 years of lifting weights, I’ve realized that it’s a hell of a lot easier to go to the gym 5 days a week than it is to go 2-3 times. The momentum factor is huge, and that’s probably been the hardest part about this semester. This will be my last week of 2-times-per-week gym sessions, as my internship in Ashland mercifully comes to an end Thursday. This is my last time having to pack 3 days worth of clothes, meals, and other essential belongings into suitcases and coolers. I like staying at my aunt Kathe’s but I’m very ready for this to end. Like I said, I was always much more motivated going to the gym doing the typical Monday through Friday, Chest-Back-Legs-Shoulders-Arms split each week than I am doing this Monday Part A, Friday Part B, all the while staying dialed into my diet during the week at somebody else’s house. It’s so much easier to think “Wow, that was a great workout, I can’t wait to come back tomorrow!,” as opposed to sitting around for 3 days and then having to get back on the horse and losing the edge mentally. While my diet hasn’t been great lately and I’ve stalled a bit on the weight loss, I’ve done pretty well considering. I definitely didn’t gain anything back. Thanksgiving is now behind me and I can focus a bit more, at least until Mom makes Christmas cookies and shoves them in my face every night. (Can’t wait for that guilt trip!)….Anyway, I’ve eaten some turkey, a protein shake, nuts, and vegetables today, and I’ll probably have an omelet when I get home from the gym. Good start to the week.

I’m going to bump it up to 5 times per week once this is done, and do the routines 3 days, and intervals and other stuff on the off days, plus the weekends for rest. I haven’t decided if I will train early in the mornings before work (whenever I decide my hours) or at the end of the day. I’m going to add 2 (maybe 3) extra weeks of Fat Loss II to this program since I took a week off earlier in the month and my diet hasn’t been as good as it should have been. I think that gets me to New Year’s, and I should be 200 pounds by the end of this phase.

Somebody said that the best sessions are the ones when you didn’t want to go in the first place and that those are where you really make your progress, because anybody can go to the gym when they want to go. Lately it seems like I never want to go. I just showered off the grime from work and I’m warm in this house. I do NOT want to go. But I have to.

Waiting for my wind pants to dry, off to the mall to buy a tub of chocolate protein, then to Planet Fitness. I’ll post numbers when I get back.

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Workout A

Back from the gym, really good session today. I hit all my reps and I’m really winded. I didn’t get to do intervals like I had planned because my legs were so fatigued. I can go back to doing those on off-days when I’m more rested. Here are the numbers:

1A) Goblet squats: 65×15x3 (I had read about these after being frustrated with not being able to get any squat form down thus far, but I really like them. As pictured, you hold the dumbbell like a goblet which forces you to keep your back more upright. The only problem–and I think it will be a big one down the road–is that Planet Fitness has no dumbbells that go above 65 pounds, so this is as heavy as I can go with these. My hope is that strengthening my form will allow me to do front or back squats in the future without falling over backwards.  Either that or I join a real gym with heavier dumbbells.)

1B) Bent-Over Wide-Grip Barbell Rows: 140×12x3

2A) Hamstring Curls w/ Swiss Ball: bwx12×3

2B) Push Press: 90×12x3

3A) Lunges: 25×12; bwx12×2

3B) Russian Twists w/ Chair: 25×12x3

Also, just for kicks in between sets, I weighed myself on the scale in the abdominal area. It was a real scale with the little weights you move from side to side and it said I was 209, actually a little less. I was in the middle of workout, fully clothed with shoes, and full of water. My scale at home will NOT say I am 209 pounds.  Therefore, henceforth I shall use the gym scale and the gym scale alone as my means of weighing myself.  Actually, whatever scale tells me  weigh the least will be the most accurate. Whatever tells me what I want to hear, right?

Also, the aforementioned playlist lasted exactly the length of my workout. Convenient.

Measurements + Gym Time

Ok, After cleaning the basement and surfing the internet all day, I’ve summoned the will to go to the gym and get a hard workout in. First, I’m taking the measurements I’ve been telling myself that I would take for about 2 months. Since the scale hasn’t moved to the left at the speed I would prefer, this is another way to measure progress. So, here they are according to my measuring tape:

Body Measurements: 11/23/2007:

Waist: 37″ (which doesn’t make much sense because my 36″ jeans are falling off and I can just about fit into my 34″s. Maybe I’m doing it wrong. Oh well, my pants are fitting much better than they were.)

Chest: 42″

L Thigh: 25″
R Thigh: 25″

L Calf: 16″
R Calf: 16″

L Bicep: 14″ (unflexed); 15.5″ (flexed)
R Bicep: 14″ (unflexed); 15.5″ (flexed)

L Forearm: 12″
R Forearm: 12″

I should have a body composition test done at Planet Fitness, if they even do that there. In any case, I’m making a shake and heading off to the gym. I’ll post the results after.

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Here’s the playlist for today’s session:

-50, Jay-Z, Diddy, “I Get Money (remix)”

-My Chemical Romance, “This is How I Disappear”

- Eminem, “The Way I Am”

-Jay-Z, “Stick 2 Da Script”

-Deftones, “Hole in the Earth”

-The White Stripes, “Icky Thump”

-Nine Inch Nails, “Somewhat Damaged”

-Wolfmother, “Woman”

-Coheed & Cambria, “No World for Tomorrow”

-Rage Against the Machine, “How I Could Just Kill a Man”

 

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Now playing: 50 Cent – I Get Money (Remix) f. Jay-Z & Diddy
via FoxyTunes

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. This year was a bit different for me, as it was the first major holiday that Jaylynn and I spent together. I went to her house for Meal #1 in Berlin at 2, then drove down to Swansea for what was supposed to be Meal #2 at my aunt’s house. We were both pretty stuffed after the first meal, so other than a cup of coffee we didn’t eat anything extra. Luckily (diet-wise, at least) I wasn’t tremendously hungry, therefore I only had one plate full of turkey, potatoes, meat stuffing, green bean casserole, and a crescent roll. I had a cup of punch (has anybody ever seen sherbet floating in a punch bowl before? I had never had this but I guess they do it every year), 2 glasses of Cabernet, and a coffee. I think that’s relatively tame for Thanksgiving. Of course, I get home and my mom has brought my brownies from my grandmother (I missed that side of the family this year), so I just ate one of those for breakfast. I’ll have an omelet in a bit.

Probably no Christmas shopping today, never been a fan of Black Friday. I’ve got to write a report and finish up some paperwork. I NEED to go to the gym later today. I wanted to go Wednesday to finish my workout from Monday, but it was closed early. I wanted to do a bodyweight workout at home to compensate (also to add something to my repertoire when I don’t feel like going to the gym) but I didn’t have it in me. I always have plans of doing far more than I actually accomplish. Right now I have no motivation to train, but it’s only 8:20 in the morning. Once the day gets going I’m sure I’ll get there. If I come back later and write how I never made it to the gym, I’ll be very disappointed.

But anyway, happy Thanksgiving and happy start to the holiday season to everyone.

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Now playing: ESPN – The B.S. Report: 11/19
via FoxyTunes

Serial Blogging

I just downloaded this awesome attachment for Firefox (which I have used for 2 years, but am just now understanding why it’s far superior to Internet Explorer) called ScribeFire that allows me to pop up a window on the bottom of the screen and automatically post to my blog without logging in the old fashioned way. This makes it so much easier to just up and post an entry if I have an idea about something. It doesn’t affect my work or web browsing, other than giving me another distraction (It’s current 7:45 AM and I’m trying to update all my graduate hours and get ready for my final meetings and Records Check). After discovering all of these free add-ons from Mozilla, I’m addicted to them. I’ve got one that allows me to control iTunes within my browser, weather updates without going to weather.com, and a pop-up indicator that shows me price comparisons automatically when I’m online shopping. Granted, I’ve survived this long without them, but I’m trying to find as much useful crap as possible. Progress, indeed.

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Now playing: Fiona Apple – Across the Universe
via FoxyTunes

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