Let's move on to what I don't want to tell you. Since the last time I posted my progress there were 2 weeks that I only worked out once a week. That was disappointing for the fact that I'd love to push weights at a minimum of 3-4 times each week. Instead of making myself wrong I have learned to look at my schedule and how to make adjustments so I reach my weekly goal. I'm happy to report that I'm back up to 4 times a week. The idea of not making this a lifestyle of working out consistently is what made me recommit to my goals.
Here is what I have learned:
1) Prepare my gym bag the night before and take it with me to work. Go to the gym immediately after work.
*There is an important note for me to make here. In the beginning I had a "thing" (an excuse) about going to the gym during peek hours, it's too busy and I don't want to wait around for equipment. Well fuck that whiney excuse, what am I a 2 year old? No, I'm a 31 year old, and last I checked the reason I look like I do is because of the multitude of excuses I've made. So here's the new thing I have learned. I wait for the machine I want to use next. What a novel idea. The best part is, I've never waited more than 2 minutes, and usually the machine I am waiting for is my favorite one, the leg press.
Guess who I'm usually waiting to finish. Some young chic or scrawny dude who has been sitting on the machine texting his friends. Yah, I see you... you've been texting for 10 minutes and I've seen you do one half-ass set. Do you even lift bro? "Hey, are you almost finished? Can I work in with you?" Dude/Chick, "Oh yah, I just have one more set." Me, "Cool." When they are finished, I don't wipe it down because they didn't sweat. I slide in. Drop the pin 40 more elle-beezies and grin through my sweat. Because I lift bro.
2) Wear lifting gloves. Not because I'm saving my sweet, buttery-baby Johnson & Johnson palms, but because I don't have to focus on my grip of the weights. My mind focuses on my posture and technique. Am I engaging the muscle group that I should be targeting right now? Am I doing the lift properly?
3) Just wear the same gym clothes over and over, but be sure I feel damn good in them. I have 2 pairs of Nike shorts I alternate. I keep it simple, black and grey. I use the same sports bra and alternate my tank tops. I need my routine to be mindless so I don't get caught up in the non-important details of what-should-I-wear and does-this-look-good. I know what to wear. It looks amazing.
4) Grocery shop and food prep... and enjoy it. I have learned a lot from just a 45 minute convo with my amazing friend Dr. Elana Gelman. She's the queen of the kitchen, supermarket, and DIY YouTube channel. Many of my healthy-guru-southern-California-girls implement her ideas. She shops and preps her week's meals every Monday. I know, I know that sounds crazy, but after you think about it, you will agree it's a genius idea. She knows the science of easy food prep. My favorite trick I picked up from her videos is using your everyday mason jar with your blender to make your own pesto. What a curly-headed-genius.
5) Keep going. It's a lifestyle. Bad week? Whatever, it's still better than the last decade of fat accumulation. Get going.
Losses and gains
You can see for yourself what the numbers say, but my favorite 2 to point out are seeing a 1.5" gain in my bicep and a 1" loss in my hips. My arms are getting bigger!
Let's move on....
Weight, I am now down to 149 lbs. I need to clean up my diet even more to see faster progress. The thing is, is that I'm enjoying my non-strict diet. I feel a lot better than I used to. Honestly, I will probably start cutting though (losing weight) by eating healthier. You can't see a lot of change in the picture below, but I also just guzzled liquid at the pool in the picture on the right. You can see a little bit of abdominals forming though. This picture motivates me. All I can see is slow progress. Even though it is progress, I know I slacked in April.
My favorite part of this whole process is my back
Do you see some tricep and shoulder separation? I do. Weeeeeeeee!
Welp, I've been crushing it at the gym the last two weeks in hopes of seeing improvement in my legs and abs. I think I have been doing legs 3 times a week now. I am fairly good at targeting particular muscle groups on certain days, but lately after doing my rounds I find that I am still ravenous to push more weights for another 10 or 15 minutes. I end up getting a full body work out most days. I like it. We should see my cheeks a little bit higher in June.
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