Core!!!

O.M.G!!!!

Last Friday my trainer asked me what I felt like doing, I replied my core!  He smiled then said core huh? you're gonna hurt tonight....you'll hurt tomorrow too I won't lie!!  Thanks for the honesty Andrew and you were right!

I figured I have upper and lower so I need the core/abs right?!?!?!

Two days later and I'm still sore....I have no names for what he had me do, torture maybe? :) I did leg raises, hold them, some type of half push up and sit up, touch the right leg to the right arm, left leg to right arm and then went up and down the stairs, many times!

On our next meeting I shall tell him my goals and that I want to know most if not all the machines so I can vary my workouts and not have my body get use to anything...state of confusion=burn baby!!

Upper body day...

Pictured above, the chest press.

Adjust seat so hands on horizontal handles align with top of chest. Grasp handles, palms out, and press forward and up. 
Main-chest
Secondary-shoulders and triceps

Pictured above, seated row

With this one you grip with your palms facing each other. Take hold of the handles place your feet firmly in front of you, extend your arms all the way forward, feeling the stretch, then bring handles back.
Main Muscle: Middle Back
Other Muscles: Biceps, Lats, Lower Back

Pictured above, chest fly
Sit facing forward, grasp handles, pull out with your arms. Keep back straight and chest fully out!
Main-chest

Pictured above, reverse/repose fly
same machine, same moves you just face the other way
Main-shoulders

Pictured above, arm curl
sit so chest is under the the rest cushion. Place hands facing you and bring weight up towards you (curling)
biceps  and triceps

Pictured above, triceps ext
Sit facing the handles, place elbows on cushion, grasp handles and push forward bringing the weight up.
triceps

Leg day machines...so far!

Above....v squat/hack squat

this one really works those quads! You have to push up with your legs and this one will hurt or make you sore. First time with my trainer he had me do 70 pounds thought I was gonna pass out! I'm do to 3 sets, 10 reps each, the first 2 sets at 70 pounds the last set at 50 pounds.
Main-quadriceps
other-calves, glutes and hamstrings

Above....leg curl

One leg at a time. So you put your knee in one and with the other you curl lol My sheet says to do 10 pounds but the guys were using that weight on other machines so I did 25 pounds, 3 sets 15 reps each.
Main-hamstrings

Above....leg extension

The way I have to do "sounds" sooooo easy, but it can be daunting.  I start out only going up about a quarter of the way 10 times.  Then I go up to the middle point and down about half way 10 times. Then I do a complete 10 set of all the way up and down.  You can get kind of shaky. I have to do 2 sets 15 reps each with 55 pounds.
Main-Quadriceps

Above...standing calf raises

set the weight and let your calves to all the work. Stand and lift up with those calves!!!  I'm able to do 75 pounds. My sheet says 55 but I upped it :) 2 sets of 12 reps.
Main-calves

Now the funny thing that I just realized while typing this....on everything but the v-squat I was only supposed to do 2 sets.  Guess what I did??? 3 sets!!!  Oops!  Maybe if I had read that correctly I could of done the 70 pounds on the v-squat :)  All my other exercises are 3 reps so.....I guess I made up for it all. 

I'm going to start adding pictures of all the machines I do with instructions on how to use them.  I'm sure they are not the best instructions but you will get the drift, and of course in my opinion a picture ALWAYS helps!

Today was my second day in a row, going back tomorrow and I shall write down the darn names of the dastardly machines :)

2 years ago...

I was working at a crappy job, my hubby was out of work due to an injury; a broken arm.  Life was looking black indeed.  I weighed 250 pounds and my blood sugar numbers were about 170 average.

I want this blog to be a reminder to myself that things can get better, I want it to show others that all is not hopeless.

I found a great job, it took me 2 years of searching and I owe my thanks to Stephanie and Sam for forcing me to apply. In that job I am now taking classes to become a certified dietary manager.

My hubby got better, his job was still there even tho his injury didn't happen on the job.  He's still at the same job, he was promoted several months later.

My blood sugars? My average now is 95-105. I owe half of that to working out, which all of it is on me.

This is in part my story of how I came out on the other side.....

Fitness!!!!

A fitness blog???

Last year I joined Curves for women. In six months I worked off thirty pounds and 18 inches :) I went down four pant sizes.  I stopped going to Curves because of some life choices that I was going through at the time.  Instead of going back to Curves when I was ready to rejoin a healthy lifestyle I made the decision to go to an actual gym, with weights and stuff.  I chose the gym I attend because several people I work with go there and a friend and I wanted to work out together after work; also because it has a pool and a hot tub!

One of the perks at my club is you get a free session with a personal trainer once a month. They will help you to set up an exercise routine and whatnot. After I met with mine the first time I decided to join up for 3 months seeing him weekly.  I knew starting out that I would need help to become motivated again and in my mind this was the best option for me.

Our first time out we went over my nutrition and thanks to Curves I learned to eat healthier.  He did tell me about www.nyfitnesspal and that site is amazing. You log in your foods for the day and it tells you calories, fat, carbs. It really keeps me on track!!!  

Second time we worked on upper body.  I wanted to work on my core and have more strength in my arms.  I was sore the next day but I good kind of sore, the kind you get knowing it's good for you.

Last Friday we worked on legs.....OMG leg day!!

Yes it's true!  Even my trainer made a joke about it :) I didn't know if my legs would hold me up!!

You really know you have legs when you get to your car!

Of course then there is the day after leg day...

DOMS..delayed onset muscle soreness, little things you take for granted; like using the bathroom, going upstairs, squatting down to pick up your pen you dropped.  These all require thought because they all hurt!!

I want the pain tho!!!! 
I want to be kinda bulky!
I want to be in shape!
I.CAN.DO.THIS!

I have decided that I'm going to hit the gym 5 days a week. Am I crazy??? Will I cry? Will I wonder WTF I'm doing? YES! I have at least 65 pounds to work off..oh! did you know you don't want to LOSE weight? If you lose something you generally look for it, correct? I don't want it back, so I'm working it off :)

My friend Amy suggested my blog be about fitness. This way I can write what I want and not bore my facebook friends. I can keep track and stay motivated.

Speaking of motivation.  I was just looking at before and after pictures of people who have lost weight.  I want to be one of them sharing my success story! I want to be a motivator for someone else. I want people to know that yes you can do too.

This first entry is long, but if you know me you know I'm a chatty Cathy.  The first few entries in here are not fitness related but I'm keeping them there and if you read them you'll understand why.

To help me and show others (who may be here or not) I will be posting pics of myself on my fitness weight loss journey.

October 2009

September 2013

From October 2009 to September 2013 I lost 85 pounds! 45 of those came off without me doing anything.  Why? I had type 2 diabetes and didn't know it.  When I got diagnosed I knew I had to make life changes but it took me quite some time to figure out what I should be doing.  I'm on the right track now!  It's a good possibility according to my doctor that I will be able to get off my diabetes medication as long as I continue on the right track, that is my goal. 

Make it so!!

A friend of mine earlier today put up a post about a reality TV star who chose not to get her kids vaccinated. Another friend of his started the discussion by saying that vaccine were killers and he's against him. A few of us replied only to be named called then (to me anyway) all bets were off.

I believe in getting our children vaccinated, to put others at risk because you believe the media hype causes more harm than good.  If it was just you and yours to maybe suffer I wouldn't care, but you put OTHERS at risk.  The anti vaxers have now brought back measles!!  I had to get a damn booster shot last year for whooping cough.  Thank you so much for putting so many at risk, I hope you sleep well at night knowing some people will die because of a poorly made choice. 

annnnnd I forgot, how rare!

I forgot I had a blog!!!  No wonder considering when I started it my life had been ripped open :(  I am better today but I'm still raw from the pain, because of the hurt I put those thoughts in a locked box deep inside and rarely let them out. It's the only way I can cope.