April 1, 2012

2012 | Day 92: Being strong, holding on...I won't give up that easily...


MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE OF THE DAY

"I am one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do." - Edward Everett Hale

For the complete Motivational, review I AM ONE | WPM Women.

TRAINING

Elliptical 20 min

Stretch 20 min

New hotel, new Fitness Room, so very different to the one before. But, before that...Last night I was not able to sleep. Ended up going down to the pool, alternating between hot and cold, the spa and the pool, trying to relax my mind (and it was good for my body). The coolness of the pool was welcome after the heat of the spa, being under the water so very calming. I help myself under the water as long as I could, pushing it (as I do with everything), coming to the surface only when I was at the point of opening my mouth to breathe, before going back under. Almost silence beneath the water, the only sound (or feeling rather), the beating of my heart, becoming more urgent as I forced myself to stay under longer and longer, wanting to STAY there in the stillness, even as I knew that even if I stopped, Life would continue on. Anyways, the hot/cold helped my legs, and my knees have been fine today...When I eventually drifted off, sleep was disruptive and disturbing, and even on waking several times, I just went back to bed and wanted to stay there...Right, the Fitness Room. Did 20 minutes on the Elliptical (since it was all they had - that and a treadmill, and I will NOT use a treadmill). "Stumbled" after ~8 minutes and "fell" against the moving handles (no, I don't hold them, but have my arms at my sides, almost as if I was running), hitting the left lateral tip of my collarbone against it, so just another hurt to add to all the pain, LOL. My right knee was fine with the Elliptical, which was interesting, because usually they hurt my knees in general, because of their pattern of movement. So, from now on, all pm cardio sessions will be done running - distance anywhere from 3-7 miles, knowing me, likely to be seven...

OTHER NOTES

Body Composition

9% bodyfat - another 0.5% bodyfat INcrease from last week (0.1% gain for each "bad" day of eating). Despite my best INTENTIONS of NEVER wanting another week like last week re nutrition, although not as BAD as last week, this week was still NOT good - although my training was MORE intense than last week, which IS a good thing. Definitely feeling (and seeing) the change from the 8% bodyfat I was two weeks ago - believe me, 1% bodyfat can look so very different when you get to this level, and to the individual, it can feel like you've gained a HOUSE...I've gained a little more muscle mass in my shoulders, and my upper body has actually started looking LEANER despite the INcrease in body composition, so that is a small comfort...Vascularity (like last week) has also been getting better and better - definitely my elevated body temperature and high carbohydrate intake playing roles there...I have two weeks to get UNDER 8% bodyfat (because I WANT to be that lean, for those who always ask why I want to go so low), and there IS hope yet, because I KNOW that I CAN do it in the timeframe I have - I have done it in the past (twice!), and I WILL do it again (and being a higher body composition should make it "easier" to get leaner again)! I MUST!

Supplements

I continued using G8 this week - stopping it though on Saturday, because aside from the changes in sleeping patterns and my nutrition, this is the ONLY thing that has changed over the last two weeks - which could give rise to the thought that it might possibly be the "cause" of those changes, but is only speculation. Either way, I have chosen to stop using it...I also used the last of my Recompadrol yesterday and will have no more of that until the end of April (when more will be available)...

Supplementary Notes

Appetite has continued to be HIGH-HIGH this week, and no, I was not as disciplined as I SHOULD have been (even though inside my head I was screaming at myself "WTF ARE YOU DOING?!", hating myself for every second of it!), but it has helped in the gain of a little lean muscle, so looking on the "bright" side, was "worth" it...Sleep has continued to be disrupted, moreso the latter half of the week, but sleeping periods have "calmed" down from the ridiculous 12-13 hours of last week to a more "normal" 4-5 hours (with the exception of last night - where I allowed myself to just go back to sleep after waking up after ~5 hours, wanting to stay in bed and not particularly want to get up)...Body temperature has continued to be elevated this week, and every day I've been so hot (no beanies worn during training this week, LOL). That said, I've suddenly got surprisingly cold, almost shivering at one point in the afternoon to evening almost EVERY day, which is a little unusual... Joints have gradually gotten worse. Both my right AND left shoulder/biceps' tendons have been an almost constant ache on waking, during training, and throughout the day, even attempting sleep, the pain growing to become a sharp, stinging bite that does not leave, so I am going to have to watch them closely, because I do NOT want to be "put out" again! Right knee has been in pain, swollen and tight for the most part, but being pushed to see what it will take. Left wrist requires a little watching, since there has been a deep pain in the scaphoid region during a few exercises...

April MuscleBombshell Contest

Thank you to everyone who supported me in this contest. It was eventually stopped at the discretion of the person running it, but I WILL be the Cover Model for July (yes, YOU know why I picked that month).

Rosie Chee Fitness Newsletter April Edition

This will be up later today.

So much for "no more falling behind". Although I'm left at the end the week feeling so completely emotionally exhausted and mentally mashed-to-pieces, this week has been a definite learning curve, the starting point of several surprised and exciting projects. Yes, my "time out" for myself is now over, and it has certainly been interesting - much needed and very valuable, and I come out of it knowing my strength and my direction. Life still continues to throw me curveballs, but I know what I will allow and what I will no longer tolerate - that, with a light heart cast in shadow and God by my side, I can and WILL face ANYthing!