At least I didn't get a concussion when I fell off the wagon...

[ljk]

Fair enough.
I'm a walking talking ball of stress. I am trying hard to change that with specific strategies! But alas, I seem to be hard wired for stress -- I'm just very "go go go" with a CNS that seems to be stimulated at all times. Add that to an upbringing that was basically militaristic without the uniform and you get a pretty intense (bordering on maniacal ADD at times) Lauren.

[gregl515]

Originally Posted by UConnJulie

Ahhhh ... that Metric stuff was always confusing to me!! I don't know why, but I thought you lived in California ... hmmm ... where in Canada? It is supposed to be nearly 90 degrees here today too (Connecticut -- southern New England) ... YUCK! I am wanting nice cool crisp fall days!!

Good for you on the bra ... as a 34DDD I could NEVER go without!!!

Well hello Julie! How ya doin?

[gregl515]

Originally Posted by ljk

Fair enough.
I'm a walking talking ball of stress. I am trying hard to change that with specific strategies! But alas, I seem to be hard wired for stress -- I'm just very "go go go" with a CNS that seems to be stimulated at all times. Add that to an upbringing that was basically militaristic without the uniform and you get a pretty intense (bordering on maniacal ADD at times) Lauren.

I have been there and it helped make me sick. Please do yourself a favor and find a way to relax. Julie does yoga and meditation I believe. The lunch time naps are perfect but apparently not enough if you are still tense and stressed. If you are ADD, see about medication or behavioral modification. I can say from experience, if you find the right medication it will make a night and day difference in your concentration and thinking. If you are not it will drive you up the wall. You should look at the side effects of medication, because the most effective medication for me drove my blood sugar levels up.

[ljk]

Hi Greg!
Thanks for your kind concern. The ADD thing was a bit of a cynical comment -- I don't think I really have ADD. My mind tends to multi-task though. I really can think of and do several things at once, and all of them well.

I have trouble relaxing in the evenings. I want to shut down and just don't. The first step is being aware of that -- right? I went for a long time without even realizing I was *supposed* to have down time.

[ljk]

So I did cardio last night. I do insane stepmill madness -- it's quick and sweaty and keeps me from slacking. You can't cheat on this thing. I did about 12 - 14 intervals (lost count) of 20:40. And some core work.

I am sure most of you have 'characters' you see at the gym, whom you don't know but give names to or labels in your mind, perhaps subconsciously (for example, I have Richard Simmons-man who wears 80s shorts...or that overweight white guy who wears outlandish fake gold rapper-dude jewelry and big baggy sweatshirts, etc...)...I have no doubt that in at least one person's "gym cast of characters," that I am "crazy stepmill chick" or equivalent.


Today, I did a weight workout A (my trainer has me doing 2 different circuits) and I was pretty pleased that my shoulder presses seem to be getting stronger. It's actually a combination squat/DB press and my sets are getting better in terms of more 'solid' feeling reps. I'm also doing specific stuff to strengthen medial glutes and it seems to helping -- I feel less pain in certain areas that were bugging me (due to weak medial glutes) and some unilateral exercises are getting easier too.

So yay me.
I am exhausted after a day of running around, errands, groceries, work, the gym, etc., etc.

I will finally be falling into bed now. But i might do a bit of a geek puzzle first I think I'll scan one that I"ve finished just to show it to someone.

[ljk]

Workout B on Sat.
Sunday off - spent the whole day cooking for the week.
Monday off - did some core work though.

STILL sore today. Scheduled for workout A with my trainer at lunch and it's gonna hurt.

Oh, and I've finished 1 or 2 more dork-geek-cryptic puzzles. I'm moving into the leagues of uber-dork.

[UConnJulie]

Originally Posted by gregl515

Well hello Julie! How ya doin?

Ha Ha Ha!!! My eyes are up here!! :p

Originally Posted by ljk

Fair enough.
I'm a walking talking ball of stress. I am trying hard to change that with specific strategies! But alas, I seem to be hard wired for stress -- I'm just very "go go go" with a CNS that seems to be stimulated at all times. Add that to an upbringing that was basically militaristic without the uniform and you get a pretty intense (bordering on maniacal ADD at times) Lauren.

Originally Posted by ljk

Hi Greg!
Thanks for your kind concern. The ADD thing was a bit of a cynical comment -- I don't think I really have ADD. My mind tends to multi-task though. I really can think of and do several things at once, and all of them well.

I have trouble relaxing in the evenings. I want to shut down and just don't. The first step is being aware of that -- right? I went for a long time without even realizing I was *supposed* to have down time.

Lauren, you know, you would probably benefit from meditation ... there are some great FREE podcasts on iTunes that can teach you how to empty your mind. It is very stressful on your body to have your mind constantly on the go (especially if it is affecting your sleep) ... let me know if you want more info. It takes anywhere from 10-30 minutes to do and you will feel GREAT afterward.

[ljk]

Thanks, Julie. I sent you a message!

Okay, so. I’ve been thinking (dangerous practice, yes). I am really happy with my body composition right now. I’m lean and have quad separation, a lot of definition in my back and definite abs starting to happen. I know I can’t afford to lose any weight right now because I’m already pretty light. (I have some muscle but not tons.) But I love what I’m seeing and want to maintain this….While getting leaner I’ve managed to increase my strength and cardiovascular capacity and can honestly say I have never been this fit, while feeling the best I have in years. (My joints, back pain and digestion are all quite a bit happier than they have been in the past decade).

I’d like to stay this lean for a while since I have worked very hard to get here. Do I just “eat at maintenance” then? For me that’s the hardest thing. Dieting to lose is easy and eating more to gain is also a no-brainer (just eat more…).

Eating enough in general, for, me is tough because of my dietary restrictions. I basically eat no starches (long story). I feel like crud when I do. And when I don’t, it is like magic and a lot of things go away: joint pains, brain fog, and the worst gas / GI symptoms ever (I will spare details). I’ve experimented enough to know what I just can’t handle. And I am willing to avoid these foods because of the major differences I feel when I don’t eat them. My doctor knows about this (It’s called the specific carbohydrate diet). I know some people will say it’s bunk but I can’t argue with results.

What was my point here…? I guess I’m just reflecting and saying I need to make sure I eat enough because I often have a lot of VOLUME in my food but it’s really not that many calories. And I don’t want to sabotage myself by undereating.

Should I FORCE myself to eat post-workout if I’m not hungry? Or is waiting an hour til I am ravenous okay? I love food, but despise eating when I don’t have an appetite. I will always eat after my workouts, but must it be right away? I’m very careful to have good PREworkout nutrition. Today, I had carrot soup, basa (fish), and some canned pumpkin (protein and carbs!!). It really powered me through a hellish session with my trainer….

[Espi]

You can tolerate pumpkin then ? I seem to be OK with it too.

I hear you on the no appetite post-workout thing.
Is the lack of appetite because you are exhausted?
Or because you're on cloud 9?
In the former case, do force yourself to eat in order to recover. IN the latter case it's not entirely necessary to eat right away.
It is good though to eat your planned food on workout days, since appetite will catch up with you on rest days. Mine does.
And then of course, food eaten right after a workout is more anabolic than food eaten 1 day later. I acknowledge a lot of my final success with dieting to eating more on training days and then eating less on rest days. This has prevented overeating and has helped with speedier recovery.

Having said this.. I don't really believe in cramming in stuff within 2 hrs after a WO.
The food you eat on the entire training day is more important, esp. what you eat before a WO!

Oh, and major congrats about feeling at the summit of your life re leanness and fitness (as well as cryptic geekness )

[ljk]

Yes, pumpkin and squash are fantastic.

No appetite could be a combination of both. For example, I started getting hungry today about 2:15 (worked out from 12 to 1). So I'm eating chili (very lean beef right now. Home made, I ground my own beef...)

In the former case, do force yourself to eat in order to recover. IN the latter case it's not entirely necessary to eat right away.

Thanks, I do feel pretty good right now. But it varies from day to day. I'm volatile.

[Espi]

Right now I'm looking at a day on which I ate about 1500 kcal more than planned, while for 3 subsequent days I ate (far) less than planned. Somehow undereating for several days in a row always bites me in the tail. I'd rather overeat on workout days.
It's a rarity nowadays this happens to me on rest days, ever since adopting the overfeeding (or eating at maintenance) method on WO days.

If you find yourself eating more on rest days than on WO days, something is wrong.

I'm constantly amazed at how people manage to eat within a narrow range.. personally I can manage both 1000 kcal and 4000 kcal days almost as easily.

[ljk]

But why not eat right after a workout? That's what I didn't get.

I tend to eat about the same most days. If am going to eat a lot though I stick it on a training day. I hate being stuffed though. HATE it.

[Espi]

I do eat after a workout but it's rare that I ever feel hungry right after a workout. Only carbs or fluids are easy, so I like eating fruit like dates, grapes or banana when I get home. Appetite will catch up a few hours later though.
But whenever I eat less than maintenance on workout days, it does tend to bite me by having too much of an appetite a (few) day(s) later. And then it's too late.
I've never been and never will be someone who can eat the same amount of calories every single day, as there's wild surges up and down. I've literally lived for many years on anything between 500 and 5000 kcal a day. Forgetting to eat all day long and then just eating the bare basics and then stuffing my face another day. It still feels extremely weird to eat according to a schedule. It was outright torture to eat every 2-3 hours = eat when not hungry or starve when hungry it was. That's why intermittent fasting was so interesting, if it wasn't for the thyroid problem that makes skipping breakfast an absolute no-no.

I guess everyone finally finds their own optimum nutrition pattern and regardless of what your plans are, whether cutting, maintaining or bulking you should not deviate too much from that pattern. Just adapt the amounts.

[ljk]

I have trouble knowing 'how much' to eat - which is stupid. The answer should be "as much as I want to"...but that might not be right either because if I'm not hungry, the body needs fuel...and if I just eat a ton all the time, I'll be fat

Aaaaanywho, I woke up with a sore shoulder and foam rolled it for about 5-10 min. and it's much better now. Still stiff and ouchy but at least I can move my neck now. I went pretty hard yesterday at the gym so this is just a mini-DOMS I think....
I'm not at work yet; taking the slow route today. I'm sleepy!

I got a podcast via UconnJulie - thanks! - and downloaded it -- it was meditation. It is the first time I ever "podcasted"....I'm joining the 21st century.

[ljk]

Things are okay here.
I have a long weekend (yay for Thanksgiving!)
We had turkey at my parents' today and tomorrow I am roasting my own.

Here is a little mpg of me doing pistol squats. I give Galya the credit for planting a seed in my mind about one day being able to do these. There was a time that I couldn't.

I was actually just experimenting with the movie function on this camera so thought " why not?" ... my legs were a bit fried today (yesterday involved a lot of leg and glute work) so these are a bit shaky and I can usually do better ones. But whatever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mvxopowLZ8