Friday was a great day....Adam worked me out in 35 minutes usually what takes an hour. I am able to do squats and keep my form! For a lot of you reading this, that may not sound like a lot, but for me it is huge improvement. I have a long torso and short legs. When we first started, Adam would try and get me to do free standing squats (not on any of my favorite machines: the birther, the horse, and now the rocket launcher). Getting me to stay on my heels, keep my back straight, put my butt out and squat was very difficult and it actually took for a while, putting a cirque de sobo ball on the wall and I would slide down on it. Now I am able to do them, with 20 pound weights in each hand and keep my form. It felt good..well, at least it felt good to have improved! LOL! Friday as about doing more reps...and I did what I was told as fast as he went at me and I can assure you when I left, I knew I had worked out! As usual Adam is helping me get to the next level at a rate I can do and push me only enough to ensure my success. I have to add an aside here because I have definitely learned some things that i need to repeat here and I need to repeat for myself. It is a good thing to exhaust myself when I am doing my reps. It is NEVER ok to break form or to do something that changes the motion of the exercise in order to finish the number of reps that I am doing. NEVER. I got caught twisting my should to push out a few weeks ago when my arms were just noodles during a set. Adam got VERY serious and told me that losing form could cost serious injury and/or not be effective at all. By working to exhaustion, I am building and it is a good thing. I can't be so obssessed with the numbers..but focus on the progress and keep working at it. Still, i hear him on days when he is not say saying "push, push, push push"...like I am some pregnant women during natural childbirth...but what he is doing is encouraging me to use, with the right form, every bit I can, and focus. As a result, I am doing more than I ever thought I could and..knock wood...I am not hurting myself. In fact, I see the things he is trying to teach me in so many others and I understand how important it is..like:
1/) when using free weights, don't use the "bounce" of the rep to do the next rep...momentum is not helping me work my muscles are build my strength
2.) don't limit the range of motion on the machines. If I do not extend fully, I will limit the growth to the range I am limiting the motion to and not allowing for a full development.
3.) get my feet, hands, body or whatever in postion before I begin an exercise on a machine as I can pull a rotator cuff or hurt something else from trying to readust with the weights engaged.
these are just a few things..but it is paying off so far.
Friday night after work we went to the north end of Carolina beach and had a great time with Michael's colleagues and our friends. It was so nice to just relax around a fire and enjoy some time together.
Saturday was the day "off" this week and we did somethings around town, saw Mom and Harold and just had a nice day.
Sunday, I biked to church, then biked to get us lunch, then biked to the gym and did 30 on the ellipitcal and biked home. It was great!
Now, I am having a BIG time increased appetite this weekend. Perhaps from the stress of the end of the end of the semester and a little from the exercise. I am just saying it outloud becuase It helps to keep it out there so that I stay focused on my eating too. I am proud to say I have not fallen off the wagon as it were and ordered a pizza or anything (although, I had my first "pizza dream" the other night where I ate all sorts of crap in a dream..this was so wild as it is likened to a "drunk dream" for alcoholism"..seems the incidiouness of additiction and unhealthy behaviors are like freddy kruger sometimes..but unlike Freddy..these dreams cannot hurt me!). I am still surrounding us with healthy foods at home and I have healthy foods and alternatives at work. I would really have to go out of my way to do something not good for me.
Anyway...I am so grateful today...and look forward, if I am granted it, to tomorrow building on today
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