Merry Christmas!

My gym attire for the occasion! 

Christmas breakfast casserole....broccoli, mushrooms, eggs, cheese.  YUM!

I've been getting in lots of GREAT workouts with Regina during my time off.   It is so nice to have someone who is just as motivated to work out with and push me to go just a little be further.  I don't know what we've been doing with abs, but they are super sore even though we've been spending just 10 mins or so working them.  It is going to stink going back to my normal routine without someone to work out with, but I am confident that I can continue to push myself!

Oh and YES....GOAL MET....110 lbs on Christmas Eve!  Wooohooo!

Latest Measurements

December  2012

• Weight: 111      (-7 lbs)
• Overall Bodyfat:  19.5% ??? don't think this is correct, but whatever
• Chest: 31.5 in.        (-.25)
• Waist: 25.5 in.        (same); smallest 24 (-1.25)!!!
• Hips: 35.5 in.       (-.25)
• Thighs: 20.5 in.   (+1.75)...probably different location this time (largest part)
• Arms: 9.5 in.      (-.5)

I'm more motivated than ever and had a great workout this morning.  I finally made yet back up to 95 lbs on the bench, although it was rather rough on the wrist.  115 lbs is the next goal! 

Get out there and lift heavy!!

Progress...

Down to 111.8 lbs....with 11 days left to get to 110 lbs.  It has not been difficult other than making sure I prep plenty of food for the week on Sundays.  I am starting to think a competition is possible....we shall see what the future holds!

Abs are coming in....just need to shed a bit more!  This was after cheating yesterday with some chic-fil-a fries....ooops.

New Goal!

Only 4 weeks until Christmas!  That means I am ramping up the workouts, eating cleaner than ever and setting a new goal.  I am FINALLY lifting a little heavier so I can drop my reps to the 6-8 range and put on some muscle.  Hallelujah!  I started eating cleaner on Friday and I am determined to keep it going until Christmas.

My workouts are going to look like this:

• Monday - Back and HIIT
• Tuesday - Legs and Abs, maybe some sprints
• Wednesday - Chest and 30 minutes of cardio
• Thursday - Arms and Abs
• Friday- Shoulders and HIIT
• Saturday- Legs and Abs
• Sunday - No lifting.... get in a long run

I'm getting in 6 meals a day....upping my fats and dropping the carbs. 

Let's see if I can hit 15% body fat or 110 lbs by Christmas....I hate even including a weight, but I think I have about 5 lbs of fat that needs to go!

Don't fall into the trap of eating junk and giving up on your goals....if you let your diet slide on one day, just get back up and start again!

Wish List!

Surprise, surprise 90% of my Christmas list is fitness related gear!

1.  Versa Gripps - need these to replace my ragged weight lifting gloves.

Versa Gripps FIT

2.  New pair of Adidas Supernova Glide 4 running shoes (size 7.5)  This may be my best shot at getting this color.  However, I'll take the cotton candy color that I have right now (Super Cyan/Metal Silver) or Sky/Sil/Pink or Blue/Silver/Pink.

Would love these is this color (lila), but I doubt there are any left!

3.  Firedaughter Clothing....super cute!  I definitely want these two tops! 

Size Medium

Size Large

4.  Wunder Under Crops - Lululemon (Size 6, gray)

Find them here

Happy Turkey Day!

Rich and I got our run on this morning at the Waynesboro YMCA Turkey Trot.  I realized after running that if I actually did some training, you know more than just two weeks, I could actually win some small races.  And, if Rich did any training at all it would be a miracle.  I'm not sure he has run since last year's Turkey Trot, but at least he got out there and ran the entire race:)

This year there were over 300 participants and the weather was a tad warmer than last year!  It was nice to actually have people there that we knew this year; Leighton and Laura, friends from the gym, were there as well.  Laura didn't run, thankfully!  She would have smoked me:)  Leighton is also quite the running beast, but he ran with Laura's 9 year old son so I didn't have to worry about him passing me.

I don't even want to talk about the end of the race...I was trotting along with my earbuds in and didn't even hear the woman who beat me sneak up and pass me at the last second.  Her time was 22:53.  Seriously?!  I am still pissed.

2012 Waynesboro YMCA Turkey Trot Results:
Dana - 22:54, 2nd in 30-39  division, 8th overall female
Rich - 32:17, 12th in 30-39 division 

A rare sight....Rich running

Finished!

Rich, Me, Leighton

Clean it up

Only 3 days until Thanksgiving so put in a little more effort this week in the gym and with the diet so you can indulge a little on Thursday!

I ran a hard and fast 2.5 miles this morning and did a quick arm workout.  That's right, some dumbbells were begin thrown around and my wrist held up just fine.  I know that I get a runner's high, but I swear I get more of a high when I am lifting.  It certainly changes my mood for the rest of the day and this morning made me realize that more than ever!  It'll be 6 weeks since surgery this Wednesday and I'm officially back to doing some upper body workouts albeit lighter than normal.  Thank the good Lord!

I Want My Guns Back!

Although things definitely haven't been as easy as I thought they'd be when I picked up dumbbells just 2 weeks post-op, I think I've finally turned the corner.  This is the first week where the pain and swelling have made a serious improvement.  I haven't lifted at all in two weeks and I'm trying to make it through the rest of this week without the temptation.

This has been EXTREMELY difficult for me mentally.  The strap for my iPod nano is getting noticeably more loose on my arm, the definition in my arms is fading quickly, and I just don't feel strong because I am truly losing some strength.  Logically, I know that all of these things can and will return and probably fairly quickly, but for now it is just depressing.  When things are depressing my motivation to eat clean goes out the window definitely take a beating as well, which then just becomes a vicious cycle of feeling guilty, etc.

I've had no problem hitting the gym every morning and changing up some routines, but I don't even want to look at anyone standing in front of the free weighst because I am super duper jealous.  I've been doing some 3 mile runs, some intervals with sprints and some cycling. But my main focus has been on doing circuit ab routines 3 times a week.  I've made sure to destroy them each time and love waking up sore!

Here is a short ab circuit that I did earlier in the week...

Soccer is OVER.

Ummm, yeah. 

Thank the good Lord that soccer is over for the season.  The pulled quad from 5 weeks ago still isn't healed, although it has improved with the use of electric stim and heat.  Our last game of the season was on Sunday.  We played the same team that we crushed the week before, but we were missing our main center midfielders which did us in.  The final score was 4-3.  And as luck would have it I strained my right quad this time.  I'm pretty sure it was because I was trying to baby the left one and had no choice but to attempt to sprint in our last game.  I also think that sprinting hills could be part of the culprit.  I didn't do many flat surface sprints which would have allowed me to extend my legs a little more rather than lifting them upwards.  We'll see what happens once I'm healed and try out flat sprints.  

I can't wait to be fully healed; between my wrist and my legs I'm a walking disaster.  I still need PT twice a week for my wrist and think that I may have to stop lifting all together for several more weeks.  Fun times.  

Lovely wrapped quad

On a positive note, I did do a nice 3.5 mile run this morning which didn't aggravate the quad.  It really only hurts when I stretch it or sprint.  I plan on focusing on running until the good old Turkey Trot in a few weeks!

  

Happy Halloween, Y'all!

Make sure you hit the gym hard today!  I did a few really light shoulder/chest exercises and then ran 2.5 miles on a .5 incline.  I did two fairly fast miles after the warm up in 15 minutes.  Somehow I've got to get some speed work into my training before the Turkey Trot!

This fricken strained quad is still strained...6 weeks later. Ugh.  We had our last regular season soccer game on Sunday and although I warmed up quite a bit and stretched all it took was one full out sprint for it to seize back up.  So annoying and painful!  I've been using heat, Advil, and doing lots of stretching.  I'm hoping that all of this pays off before the first round of our playoffs this weekend!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Cranberry Walnut Coconut Flour Muffins

I had plenty of time on my hands today due to Hurricane Sandy, so I started up the crockpot with some Balsamic Onion Pot Roast, threw some sweet potatoes in the oven, and roasted some asparagus.  My sweet tooth was getting the best of me, so I went on a search for all things "coconut flour" and eventually landed on these babies. 

Cranberry Walnut Coconut Flour Muffins

**Adapted from The Coconut Mama 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of coconut flour 
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup of coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup of raw honey 
• 2 tbsp stevia
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1.  Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients together and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and mix in melted coconut oil, honey, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Let sit for 3-5 minutes or until coconut flour has absorbed the liquid.

3. Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan. Fill each muffin tin 3/4 full of batter. 

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let muffins cool before serving. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. 

 

I Will...

Source

I love this message from the I Will Foundation!  Matt Long is an inspiring, amazing, incredible human being.  Please check out his story if you don't already know it.   If this doesn't make you want to get up and do something with your life, I don't know what will!

Now, let's get sweaty today!  Make a commitment to no longer wish or want, and just do it.

IT IS ON

Training, that is.  The stitches are out and I have the okay to start doing some very light lifting.  I have to pay attention to my body and take it slow, but I am getting my mojo back:)

So, here's to throwing out the Whole Life Challenge and the craziness of trying to get as lean as possible....and on to growing time.  I know that I can't lift heavy anytime soon, but I'm going to work my way up so that I can add some size over the winter.

Why throw out the Whole Life Challenge?  I just wasn't that in to it.  I do like the idea of staying away from most grains and dairy and I'll continue to do that, but the more strict things became the more I wanted to eat things that I normally don't even crave.  It just wasn't healthy for me.  I'd rather stick to a 85% clean diet and keep a fair amount of carbs so that I feel strong and I can grow.  Add into the mix that I ate whatever I wanted after surgery and just got into that downhill spiral of being depressed because I couldn't lift... Just not the right time for me to lean out.

I'm also incorporating more running so that I can hopefully PR at the Turkey Trot this year.  I had a great time last year, so this is going to be a challenge especially since I haven't trained much.   Lord knows, when I am running my appetite is a nasty beast.  Take away carbs and I'd be miserable to be around.

These babies are...

....coming out tomorrow!!

Maybe a little strength training later in the week?!

Hot tamale

Check out this too hot to handle wrist splint that my PT made me.  Pink camo all the way!  It's too bad that it is meant to be worn at night and my students don't get to partake in the fun.

And, as it turns out it is too uncomfortable to wear so I'm back to the old ace bandage at night.  It was fun while it lasted!

Good Thing...

...that I had that pity party a little ahead of time.  It turns out the pain killers that I took Friday night made me puke all night and half the day on Saturday.  Fun times.  I've only taken Advil since then.

I think I saved the best for physical therapy yesterday.  The first day at therapy has traditionally been rough for me.  I can watch surgeries all day on TV or online, but there is something about taking the dressings off for the first time and exposing the weak wrist that makes me queasy.  Luckily after just a few minutes I was doing a bit better with seeing my shriveled up limb.

The awful part of trying to get my thumb and wrist moving was finding out that a nerve had been compressed under the tight ace bandage.  Holy s*^& nerve pain is no joke.  I literally came out of my seat and let some special words fly.  The only way to get it to calm down is to massage the area which makes my thumb "zing", but that sounds way too calm for what it feels like.

So, welcome to the world of massaging, exercises, heat, and stretches.

On a good note, I made it to the gym Monday and Tuesday to do a little abs and legs.  I tried 20 minutes of cardio, but have opted not to do anymore because sweat can cause an infection.  The incision is WAY larger than I thought it would be.  It's about 3 inches long as opposed to 1 cm, which I was expecting.  I get the stitches out next Tuesday and then the cardio will be on:)

Still a little swollen and bruised, but so much better!

Pity Party

Yep, I'm going to have one for a few minutes and then move on.

 Let's see...I can't put my hair up by myself, button my own pants, can't dry my hair, write, shower without a bag on my arm, wash dishes, clean, vacuum, fold clothes, walk the dogs, type with two hands, pour dog food or fill water bowls, change the sheets, etc. etc. etc.

Sounds like a blessing to some of you...but a nightmare for me.  

Did you notice I didn't even complain about not being able to lift weights?  Yeah, that's how bad it is right now..not even on my radar.  Just took some pain meds, nausea meds, and getting ready to hit the sack with a pillow to prop up this throbbing arm.

Tomorrow WILL be better.  I promise.

Good night!

One-handed Baker

Woof...today was a lot worse than yesterday.  My fingers look like sausages and I'm definitely hurting a lot more, but I'm staying away from the drugs and sticking with Advil.  Other than sleeping and watching tv I didn't do much today.

However, I did get some dijon mushroom chicken going in the crockpot, cooked up some brown rice and invented a new cookie recipe.  And let me tell you, the kitchen smells amazing!

Choco-Walnut Banana Coconut Flour Cookies (long name I know:))

Makes 12 cookies

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 mashed banana
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp xylitol brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix all ingredients until well combined.
• Form into balls and place on cookie sheet (spray first)
• Bake at 350 for 24 minutes

Dijon Mushroom Chicken

Dijon Mushroom Chicken

Ingredients:

• 3lbs chicken breasts
• 1 family size can 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup
• 1 package of fresh sliced mushrooms
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard

Directions:

• Put chicken breasts in bottom of crockpot and pour the remaining ingredients on top.
• Cook on low for 6-8 hours
• Serve on top of brown rice.

Out of Surgery

Let me start by saying that I loved the new MJH!  Everyone was friendly and kind and the facilities were beautiful, including a huge nice OR.  The nurses listened to me about my tiny rolling veins and did their best to get the IVs in...one was successful, the other had to wait for the anesthesiologist bc we blew out one.

Surgery went well.  Apparently I was feeling some pain so I was given a little more "happy juice" and don't remember a whole lot.  The cyst was under and wrapped around my tendon so it was larger and more involved than Dr. D initially thought.

Of course I was starving afterwards so we ate at Sticks and then Arch's...YUM. I'm waiting for the block to wear off, but so far the pain is bearable. I know well enough that will change this evening. PT is set up for Monday and I hope to just miss one more day of work.  Until then I'll be icing and keeping this thing in a sling.

Thanks for all of the kind thoughts.

And, this hunting and pecking with my left hand sucks.  Just saying'.

Almost...

... this girl almost scored two goals!  One hit the crossbar and the other was barely stopped by the keeper.  I'm determined to get one in the back of the net.  

I hit up the soccer field this Sunday after taking a week off for my quad to recover.  Recover, it did not. I wrapped my quad, but it hurt during the first sprint and continued the rest of the game.  I iced it and took some advil afterwards....guess it is just going to take a little longer.  

The team we played against was NOT nice.  They were rough and rowdy and I hit the ground hard several times.  That'll happen when you are running into 200lb men!   My poor tootsie got stomped on which resulted in cleat bruises and a lot of swelling.  Bruises I can deal with! 

I have to take this weekend off since I'm having wrist surgery tomorrow.  I'm hoping to be back on the field next weekend!

I'll leave you with my fugly foot. :)

Apple Picking!

It was a beautiful day for picking some apples!  Oh and yes, eating some apple cider donuts...  There was no denying that I was going to inhale at least one or two;)  These are the times when I do not even feel like it is a cheat.  We get these donuts once year and I do not eat donuts any other time of the year, so what is there to feel bad about, seriously?

I can't wait to make some clean eating desserts with these bad boys:)  My wheels are already turning with ideas!  We came home with braeburn, fuji, golden delicious, and granny smith apples all ready to be eaten.

Excited after she got over her fear of being held up so high.

Laughing, but yep that's a tear running down her face...someone Rich knocked her head into a branch. 

Cheese

Look at those beauties

Time to eat 

The monkey in the group

I'm 15 1/2 apples tall! 

A Little Tupac

I thought I could use a little Tupac this morning after yesterday's events.  I saw the orthopedist about my wrist and have surgery scheduled for next Wed, the 10th.  He is going to do a De Quervain's release of my tendon and remove a cyst.  The x-ray did not show a bone spur but did show the soft tissue swelling.  The good news is that although everything I'm reading online shows a 6 week recovery, Dr. D is aggressive and wants me lifting in 3 weeks.  He even said if I'm up for it I can do cardio within 24 hours.  Heck yeah!

Anyone interested in watching a video of a similar surgery?  Yeah, didn't think so.  But in case you are a nut like me, here's the link.  At least this time I know exactly what they are doing on the other side of that blue sheet!

More info on De Quervain's Tenosynovitis.

Let's get this thing done and move on...  I plan on growing some legs over the next three weeks:)  Gotta stay positive!

Freakin Wrist

It's been 4 years since the original fracture of both the radius and ulna and internal fixation of with a plate and 7 screws.  Since then the plate and screws were removed (botched surgery...don't get me started) and additional surgeries were needed to clean out the joint, remove bone spurs, etc. hence the scar on the top of my wrist (the original is on the bottom).  I spent 112 days in therapy during the first year after the surgery, a record for the practice.  

It then took 2.5 years before I could even do a push up or start to lift anything heavy.  It's been just about a year now that I've been really pushing my wrist with pull ups, push ups, and dips.  Of course that means I was due for another issue.  

While doing weighted pull ups on Friday I felt a searing pain, but it was bearable.  It then got worse as I did push ups and continued with a chest workout.  When I got home it was killing me so I iced it and took some Advil.  I continued the ice and Advil all weekend, eventually putting on the old splint as well after calling the on-call doctor.  I even turned to tramadol on Saturday because I couldn't sleep, but even that didn't cut the pain.  

So, here I am waiting for the doctor to fit me in to his schedule this week, but pretty much positive that I have a raisin-sized bone spur in the same place that I had one before that is cutting into my tendon.  Fabulous....strained quad and jacked up wrist.  I want to get in for an appointment, set up surgery, and move on!  

On a lighter note, here's a meal that I enjoyed last week...chicken burger on spinach with a side of fresh green beans and bean salad.  

New Measurements

Here are the measurements that I took before starting the WLC.  Speaking of the WLC....it is not going so well!  Crap. Between Maddie's injury, my quad and now my wrist and some extra stress around this house we haven't done nearly as well as we could have.  For the most part the weekdays are fantastic with very few cheats, but the weekends are all over the place.  The bad thing is that I feel terrible after consuming the very things that are supposed to be "exciting" to eat.  I think I'm going to be able to get my act together this week though!

I also decided that I'm keeping oatmeal in the morning. There is just no other way for me to get around it and feel half way decent.  The whole dairy-free thing has been easy and really so has the grain-free...it's the whole eating out and cheating thing that has thrown me.  I think we are just going to go forward doing the best that we can do.  Eating almond butter and natural pb seems to make me put on weight and bloat much more than PB2, so despite the 1 gram of sugar I'm going to allow PB2.

From the last time I did measurements this is where I am:

Chest: 31.75   (same)
Waist: 25.5   (-1.0)
L Arm: 10 (-.75)
R Arm: 10 (-.75)
L Thigh: 18 (-2.0)
R Thigh: 18.25 (-1.75)
Hips: 35.75 (-1.0)

BMI:  20.9% (+1.4%)
Weight: 118 (- 2.5 lbs)

We'll see where I am in mid-November.

The Little Things

Nope, not going to talk about enjoying all of the little things in life, although I should probably slow my butt down and enjoy more of them;)

After the last hour of writing checks and paying bills, I realized that I probably do something that affects my fitness even when I'm paying bills, blogging, stalking people of Facebook, etc.  My computer sits on the "bar stool area" of our kitchen.  I hate sitting with a computer on my lap so I've spent the several years that we've lived here standing in front of my computer typing, as I am right now. This is also my place to stand and pay the bills, make my to-do lists, and hover around the kitchen.  When I'm working on something important I could literally be standing here, probably pacing back and forth too, for a couple of hours!

I didn't stand up one day and think "hey, this will burn more calories, help me work my core with good posture, etc." It just happened and although I've realized it in the past, it really just hit me.  There is NO way I could sit at a desk all day and type away.  You'd have to lock me up because I'd go nuts.  I guess this is my way of staying active even when I'm not.

What do you do that keeps you fit that you don't even realize?!

Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast

You have to try this recipe!  It was a little bit of heaven disguised as roast.  I got the recipe from Kayln's Kitchen, but as usual switched a few things up.  We devoured this roast and barely had enough for one serving of leftovers!

Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lb roast
• 1-2 tbsp steak rub/black pepper mix
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 1/2 c water to deglaze the pan
• 3 large yellow onions, sliced
• 1 c beef or chicken stock
• 1/2 c balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 c tomato sauce (I used 1 can of diced tomatoes)
• 1 tbsp coconut oil 

Directions:

• Pour olive oil in pan and brown the roast on both sides.  
• Add coconut oil to bottom of crock pot and then create a layer of onions for the roast to sit on top of. 
• Rub spices all over the roast and then place in the center of the crock pot. 
• Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup of water and pour over the roast. 
• Heat the vinegar and stock before pouring over the roast. 
• Finally add in the tomato sauce, pouring it over the roast. 
• Cook on low for 8 hours. 
• Enjoy! 

Poor Maddie Moosie

Another slipped/compressed disc, but this time it is worse.  The disc is higher on her spine, close to her shoulders, so it affects all four legs.  She can't get up or sit up without falling over backwards.  Her front paws try to push her up but they curl under so that she is using her "knuckles".  What a terrible feeling!  The only good news is that she isn't having the shooting nerve pain like she was last time.  She's obviously in pain, but not the acute kind like last time.  

Exhausting being a full-time nurse. 

After a pain killer injection and three types of meds, she is resting peacefully.  I'm taking the day off tomorrow to see how she does during the day.  We've turned the dining room into a vet office.  She has her own little space where the other dogs can't get to her and hopefully she will stay as still as possible. She will need to stay quiet for at least 4 weeks so this is her new home.  

I have no idea how we are going to get her to use the bathroom with going on herself or better yet get her to stand up and go outside.  It's a full-time nursing job except this time I'm not off for the summer!  

New home