Because it's Thursday

I wanted to post a pic of my arms for the sake of progress. They aren't where I want them to be yet, but I'm sure they will get there with perseverance. Honestly, I'm quite happy with them. But as long as I continue to try and build my legs, I'll do so with arms as well.

I had to edit the bottom of my shirt because I didn't want to show off the girls!


I take bad self portraits.

Did my new circuit routine for the second time yesterday. That was all for the first week. I did 5 rounds, 6 exercises, 90 second rest after each round. Each week I will lessen the rest time and eventually add 1 more round and 1 more day per week. WOW - that is all I can say. It's hard work. I can't wait to see the shape I'm in after 6 weeks of that! For real!

I'm still at my regular weight training 3 days per week also. Did the body weight workout Tuesday. I'm up to 40 push ups. They are still hard. I think I'm at 32 or 34 dips. Yesterday my triceps were a little sore. My legs weren't sore though. Today my quads are just slightly sore. I'm doing legs today so I'll probably be walking funny the next two days - same as every week.

I'm trying to follow a more strict diet plan while I'm doing this. It makes no sense to work this hard to blow it on junk food. Because no matter how much you train, you can't out-train a bad diet. I should know!! I'm proof that training hard produces no results when you aren't careful what you're eating. That part is even harder than the training! It's hard to say no to bad yummy food at times. It's definitely a sacrifice.

Basically I've really reduced my starchy carb intake. Instead of 4-6 slices of bread a day, I have 1-2 slices of sprouted grain. I also might eat oatmeal or a baked potato. The rest consists of as much protein as I can manage, lots of lean beef, eggs, Greek yogurt, etc. I got so sick of chicken that I don't eat much of that. And I also eat tuna (as much as I can without fear of getting mercury poisoning) and salmon. And of course, I'll drink a protein shake if I'm in a pinch where there's no meat readily available. I'm a real sucker for cheese. I love cheese. But I eat too much of it. So I found this really neat package by the shredded cheese that contains mini packets with little hunks of cheese. They are 100 calories each so it's a perfect serving and very convenient. Just grab and go. I've also been eating a lot of fruit and nuts for snack. It's a great tasting, easy snack combo. Usually for me it's a pear or green apple (or clementine, lately) and either cashews, pistachios or mixed nuts. Trying really hard to incorporate a vegetable into each meal (very hard for me), even been eating some raw broccoli and cauliflower.

Body re-shaping is a looooong process. It requires a lot of active thinking (daily) about what you are putting into your body and how and when you will get your workouts done, and even planning certain meals around hard training. I've got all the knowledge and tools I need to succeed. The rest depends on my consistency and persistence. I need to stay focused, stay motivated and I know I will get there.

Good lucky to you on your fitness endeavours! Keep training! Watch your diet! Never give up!