Look at all I did this morning!

Went to bed around 6:20 last night. Got up around 4:30 this morning. Slept pretty well. Hamstrings are sore and tight this morning.

8th day in a row of training in the morning!

Morning training:
Walk to gym.
25 minutes on elliptical trainer. Not pushing it too hard, just warming up.
70 minutes serious upper body strength workout! 3 sets each (some to failure in less than 5 reps, others in less than 8):
-pull-ups (assisted negatives)
-chest dips (assisted)
-chin-ups (assisted negatives)
-push-ups (box position, diamond hand position)
-lat pullovers (w/lat pull-down machine)
-dumbbell shoulder presses
-incline dumbbell flyes
-dumbbell biceps curls, extended by raising arms to shoulder height
-bent-over rows
-flat bench dumbbell flyes
-lateral raises
-posterior delt flyes (on an incline bench)
-hammer curls
-tricep extensions (on a flat bench)
-leg raises on a flat bench (one set only)
-decline bench crunches (one set only)
-3 sets sit ups (2 with twists)

Wow, that was really a lot of work! It didn't feel like I had done much when I left the gym, but when I list it all...wow!

At the gym this morning, somebody told me "I've been watching you, and your weight loss looks good on you." That was really nice to hear, especially since I feel sort of puffy and don't see it myself. In fact, I'm about 8 pounds heavier than I was at the end of October (marathon time). I'm willing to believe that 3 or 4 pounds of that is muscle, since my upper body is definitely bigger and stronger, but the rest... Anyway, even after that compliment, I still didn't see it, and I still feel a bit puffy when I look in the mirror. Anyway, it felt good to know that someone else thinks I look smaller, not bigger. He's wrong, though...

Wasn't that hungry for breakfast.

Breakfast (7:30 a.m.)- 4 medium bananas. 2 hachiya persimmons.
10:00 a.m. - 20 fairchild tangerines
12 noon - 6 valencia oranges (cut up, sucked the juice out), 1 large head green leaf lettuce
3:00 p.m. - 48 oz. tomatoes

Have I mentioned that I feel puffy today?

6:00 p.m. - 2 cups blood orange juice

Evening bellydance class. was a bit grumbly about going, because I wanted to go to bed, but I ended up really enjoying it.

Bed by 8:15.

FINALLY! It's sunny in Chicago!

Went to bed last night just after 9 p.m. Got up this morning just before the alarm went of at 6:45 a.m. Hit the building stairwell for a short morning workout:

Stair workout -
Started at the top, walked down 8 flights.
Walked back up, taking the stairs two at a time.
Down.
Jumped up all 8 flights (one step at a time)
Down.
Walked up, 2 at a time.
Down.
Jumped up, one at a time.
Took about 20 minutes, total.
Stretched.

Breakfast - 2 maridol papayas (they were on the smaller side for maridols, but still pretty big, since that's the nature of the beast). Delicious!
Lunch - fruit kabobs at a lunch meeting (melon, pineapple, strawberries, grapes), followed by 6 fuyu persimmons (those ones that are imported from Israel...)
Mid-afternoon - 1 head greenleaf lettuce
Before leaving work - 2 small mandarins

Went to a bellydance class

Dinner - 2 papayas, 1 persimmon

Went to bed by 9 p.m.

A strategy note: sometimes logic works wonders (i.e., reasoning with myself). For example, last night I told myself that even if I don't feel like going to the gym for a class after work, it was definitely a better use of my time than staying home, since all I'd be doing at home was surfing the internet, eating too much, and stressing out over everything. Sometimes when I don't really feel like pushing hard, I tell myself that it's only for a few minutes, and after that, I can sit down and be lazy the rest of the day. So, talking to myself sometimes works when I'm not feeling up to things.

Back to happy!

By the time I was walking to work, I realized that I'm back to my ever-increasingly-happy self! Exuberance abounds! Happy Friday!

Went to bed last last night (just before 11 p.m.).

Woke up around 6:00 a.m., didn't feel like intense training (still digesting bell peppers, nut butter...they tend to slow everything down).

I started by playing some music and practicing some bellydance moves from class last night. I interspersed the dancing with one set each sit-ups, twist-sit-ups, pushups, and lunges. Didn't do this for very long...maybe 20 minutes or so?

Got off the bus early and walked to work (35 minutes). Felt full of joy and exuberance. =) Really happy, even though it was gray outside.

Lunch - big bowl orange salad (cara cara, navel, blood, valencia). hachiya persimmons
Dinner - big papaya. hachiya persimmons. followed later by lots of salad - green leaf lettuce (3 heads!) with some pumpkin seed/orange/tahini dressing. 1 spoonful mac nut butter.

Resolutions in Action!

Today I put my new years goal of exercising before the first meal of the day into action! I went to bed last night at 9 pm. Should have gone to bed earlier, as I really wasn't doing anything important. Woke up this morning tired, went back to bed until 6:00 a.m., then got up. Did yoga from 6:30 - 7:25 a.m. - sort of an abbreviated ashtanga half-primary series (skipped some of the jump through/vinyasas). Felt very nice.

Breakfast - 5 cara cara oranges. it was my first time trying these. Wow, are they good!

Walked to grocery store before lunch (about 25 minutes), and back (about 25 minutes, with about 30 pounds groceries - organic valencia oranges are on sale!)

Lunch - 12 small bananas, blended into a smoothie. 5 medjool dates.

Felt sleepy in the afternoon.

Tried a bellydance class this evening. This was hard, coordination-wise. I'm not used to moving this way!

Dinner - lots of valencia oranges. 3 large tomatoes.

Later - 5 bell peppers. a few bites celery. 1 spoonful tahini, 2 spoonfuls mac nut butter