From dancer's pose to no more running woes!

Nike/Nalgene inspired workout day.

August 24th.

Today was an extra enforced rest day (meaning I did my hair for once and when I straighten it, it tucks into my waistband!… so obviously, I didn’t want to ruin it for at least 12 hours). I threw on some compression shorts though so I could still do yoga in random places (like the bathroom!… super weird when someone walks in as if I wasn’t an outsider at work already). Maybe you can’t tell but these shorts are getting kind of small. In a good way. My quads are starting to explode out of them. I’m expecting my running pace to improve any day now. *fingers crossed for my long run tomorrow*

You know how I threw away a stupid, average jelly donut earlier? I KNEW something more worthwhile would take its place. Salted peanut butter gelato with espresso. The end.

August 21st.

(cool things are happening again in the body composition department and check out my dinner of champs… veggies, feta, chicken, avo, and a piece of dark chocolate and pb)

I have my training session every Tuesday night. I was feeling so MEH about it because per usual, I stayed out too late last night. A cup of coffee perked me up nice for it though and now I’m high off endorphinsss, awwww yiss. I need to plan my food better. I definitely did not eat enough before this session and was feeling woozy afterward. A shake lifted my spirits before I could get home and cook. BEST SHOWER EVER. Now I sleep so I can recover enough to run in the AM.

• Running (treadmill):
  • 0:14:00 || 1.5 mi || 0 bpm || 1 % (+140 pts)
  • 0:10:00 || 1 mi || 0 bpm || 1 % (+78 pts)
• Barbell Squat:
  • 45 lb x 20 reps (+61 pts)
  • 65 lb x 12 reps (+64 pts)
  • 65 lb x 12 reps (+64 pts)
  • 95 lb x 12 reps (+79 pts)
• Barbell Deadlift:
  • 45 lb x 15 reps (+58 pts)
  • 65 lb x 12 reps (+64 pts)
  • 95 lb x 12 reps (+79 pts)
  • 95 lb x 12 reps (+79 pts)
• Stiff-Legged Barbell Deadlift:
  • 45 lb x 15 reps (+58 pts)
  • 65 lb x 12 reps (+64 pts)
  • 75 lb x 12 reps (+69 pts)
  • 85 lb x 12 reps (+74 pts)
• Thrusters:
  • 25 lb x 15 reps (+64 pts)
  • 25 lb x 15 reps (+64 pts)
  • 35 lb x 12 reps (+66 pts)
• Standing Barbell Shoulder Press:
  • 50 lb x 15 reps (+83 pts)
  • 50 lb x 15 reps (+83 pts)
• Plank:
  • 100 sec (+45 pts)
  • 100 sec (+45 pts)
• General Yoga:
  • 0:10:00 (+39 pts)
  • 0:10:00 (+39 pts)
• Light Walking (secondary e.g. commute, on the job, etc):
  • 1:00:00 (+15 pts)
• Foam Rolling:
  • 10:00 (+23 pts)

August 16th.

Had to get my run in before work. There’s no way I’m running when it gets over 85 degrees. There’s a reason I thrive in Seattle, people. I was slower than normal but I’m still sick ish so w/e. My sweaty self finished the morning off with a coffee/coconut milk/banana/cottage cheese/cookies and cream whey shake (250 kcal and 30g protein? Oooookay.)

Yoga in the weight room. Why not?

August 7th.

Ootds (official-outfit-of-the-days) are so much better in an inversion.

Other highlights: I didn’t forget anything today in my home to work to gym commute. I packed enough food. I remembered socks. My friend/trainer took me out to sashimi/sushi and wanted to follow me around while I went grocery shopping (lol?). I can hold my handstand off the wall for longer. FOAM ROLLING THE IT BAND HURTS SO GOOD (crying).

• Barbell Deadlift:
  • 45 lb x 20 reps (+61 pts)
  • 65 lb x 15 reps (+67 pts)
  • 95 lb x 12 reps (+79 pts)
  • 95 lb x 12 reps (+79 pts)
• Assisted One-Arm Pull-Up:
  • 10 reps (+108 pts)
  • 10 reps (+108 pts)
  • 10 reps (+108 pts)
  • Woof.
• Lat Pulldown:
  • 20 lb x 20 reps (+19 pts)
  • 25 lb x 15 reps (+19 pts)
  • 27.5 lb x 15 reps (+19 pts)
• Upright Cable Row:
  • 20 lb x 15 reps (+18 pts)
  • 20 lb x 18 reps (+19 pts)
  • 20 lb x 20 reps (+19 pts)
  • AKA “squat row”? Idk.
• Split Jump Squat (Iron Mikes):
  • 12 reps (+12 pts)
  • 12 reps (+12 pts)
  • 12 reps (+12 pts)
  • I fell over in the second set. Pylo n00b.
• Deficit Barbell Deadlift:
  • 45 lb x 12 reps (+55 pts)
  • 45 lb x 12 reps (+55 pts)
  • 45 lb x 12 reps (+55 pts)
• Renegade Row:
  • 15 lb x 20 reps (+45 pts)
  • 15 lb x 20 reps (+45 pts)
  • 15 lb x 20 reps (+45 pts)
• Stretching:
  • 0:15:00 (+3 pts)
• Foam Rolling:
  • 10:00 (+23 pts)
• Running (treadmill):
  • 0:15:00 || 1.5 mi || 1.5 % (+129 pts)

Idk what this horizontal chest definition business is (subclavius?). Diggin’ it

The day I rocked an Olympic volleyball braid, wore an Under Armour shirt with white pants (five bucks say they’re filthy by noon), and pretended like this was an acceptable work outfit.

This is me today. I slacked for a good two weeks of July. My workouts were half assed and my eating was even worse. I felt I back pedaled in progress six months. A couple days of clean eating proves false. It only gets better from here!

Excuse my mini weight freak out earlier. This was the same day. 150 pounds of solid awesome. Of course I’m content after seeing this.

Hard, gluten-free work is paying off so I bought myself a new pair of pants! I’ve been dying for this color and they’re stretchy enough to do yoga in randomly! (Size 2 from Gap.)

Compared to two weeks ago, not bad.

Sorry (kinda) to keep posting pictures of myself but I just CANNOT believe this is me. Dying. This is just a month of extra good nutrition, sans gluten and the same if not less exercise. (Having a real job cuts into my fitness, annoying, I know… I kid.) I’ve wanted a flat stomach. Now I have abs. They’re starting to peek out. Sweet.

Excuse the cat. She likes to photo bomb.

The left is a picture of me in New York TWO years ago for the 4th of July. The right is me today. Same shorts. Today, these vanity sized 6’s are falling off me when before they barely fit. I wasn’t fat but I sure wasn’t healthy or happy. This is the difference of about thirty pounds (but the more important thing is that I lost more in fat and gained muscle) but I really don’t care how much I weigh as long as my new clothes fit. This is consistent yoga, running, resistance training, trying new things, learning how to eat well in moderation (I still have so many treats). This is happiness I found in myself. Maybe my progress was slow but the cycle of restricting, binging, and wanting to purge is over. It’s a lifestyle change and it’s only getting better from here.

I posted a progress picture of my stomach earlier (which was difficult because my stomach is my biggest weakness/insecurity). This one, I’m pretty proud of. I tend to just build upper body strength more easily and it shows in my back. I’m getting a more defined waist too.

I’m surprised at the progress a week of really watching what I eat has done. I still eat quite a bit. I’m not even working out as much (with the new job and all). Is it really physical progress or do I just feel better? Idk/Idc. Whatever works.