My Boyfriend...
So, I do all this training with my Boyfriend. He's already getting frustrated because he's not seeing the results he would like to see. Um, it's not been two weeks yet! Maybe it would have been better if we had both started out like 100lbs overweight. That way there would be obvious weight loss each week. But we did not start out 100 lbs overweight. In reality, neither of us would be considered any lbs overweight by most people's standards. Flabbyish, sure. So, it's going to be a difficult journey for us both, because I don't think we'll really lose any weight. I actually think I'm gaining weight. When I stepped on the scale this morning, my weight was up but my body fat % was down. That's what we need to focus on. It's hard, though. We have to look for improvements in other ways that aren't as obvious. Like being able to run at a faster pace without getting winded or being able to lift heavier weights each week. Still, we both love the instant gratification of being able to see physical differences and I think that's still a few weeks off from happening. I think he imagines himself waking up one morning to find himself 10 years younger, free of body hair, and sporting a six-pack (I suppose I have to admit that I imagine waking up to him like that too sometimes). But, alas, it is not an overnight process, so we will plod along on this journey to one day be able to complete a half Ironman. Though, I do occasionally ask myself why I couldn't have met someone who had ambitions of one day being able to watch an entire season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
in one weekend or napping the most days in a row. The Workout...
Chalean Extreme Burn Intervals should be renamed Chalean Extreme Vomit Intervals. I feel that would be a much more accurate description of the workout. For 46 minutes, Chalean alternates between vomit inducing cardio and "active recovery" light weight exercises. During the cardio portions, I think at one point my heart rate was like 180. According to the interwebs, there are like 50 different ways one can calculate Max Heart Rate. So, using all those different ways, it appears that my Max heart rate is somewhere between 176-188 beats per minute. What is Max Heart Rate, really? Is that the max number of beats per second my heart can beat no matter what I do? Or is that like the safety threshold? I should really Google what happens when you go over your max heart rate. I'd hate to be doing all of this just to find out that by consistently working out at or over my max heart rate, I could drop dead. It was safer sitting on my couch, smoking cigarettes and eating Cheeto-s
. *Drools* Delicious, Delicious Cheeto-s.....The second workout of the day consisted of 200 yards of swimming then a 20 minute run. I'm still a terrible swimmer. I get winded so very easily. I really really need to focus on my breathing. I did an extra 100 yards with my head up to start getting the neck and shoulder muscles needed for spotting. I'm aggressive like that. The running was interesting. We jumped on the treadmill since we were already at the gym for the swimming and because it was like the <insert name of really effing hot and humid place on earth> outside. I really didn't want Day 11 to be the day that I pass out while exercising. I'm saving that for like day 43. (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA...Side note: I am sitting here typing this blog when I look down at my fingers and notice my thumb all around the nail is all red and crusty. I was like "what the eff, did I cut myself and not notice because the rest of me is already hurting?" It took me a second to realize it was just Pomegranate Lemonade Crystal Light powder that had gotten on my wet hands when I was shaking my water bottle to mix it. Hahahahahahahaha..) Any way, during the jog was a 9 minute warm-up of alternating walk/jog at 4mph/5mph, then 11 minutes of 3min jog/1 min walk at 6-6.5mph/4mph. I couldn't believe that I could job at 6-6.5 mph for 3 minutes without dying. That may not seem like a lot, but it is for me. I guess that sort of improvement happens fast when you used to smoke 1 pack a day.
The Food...
I'm trying so hard, but the M&Ms keep calling out to me. Curse you, delightful hard shell candy! I made a delightful bean salad for dinner with fake crab in it. It had lots of fresh ginger in it which is increasingly becoming one of my favorite roots. My pickle obsession from last week seems to have subsided a bit, seeing as I haven't consumed an entire jar of them this week like I did last week. I only eat the kind that you buy already cold at the store, btw. They are way more crunchy, and I find that, like a child, I like noisy food. This weekend I think I will make my own hummus. And sleep. But not at the same time cause that could get awkward. I'm also feeling good that my renewed Starbucks addiction is only adding 130 calories to my day and like 12g of protein and 0g fat. I drink Skinny Vanilla Lattes. I would prefer to be drinking Grande Coconut Mocha Frapps, but that's like 410 calories and 16g fat and it's delicious, but I just can't do it. There's a pleasantly plump girl trapped inside of me, screaming for freedom, but I have to deny her.
Feelings...
I feel like this is my hardest workout of the week. Between Vomit Intervals and swimming, then running, there was a lot going on and it's all the hardest stuff. I was thoroughly exhausted by the end of the day, yet could not get to sleep until like midnight. Also, the "active recovery" parts of Vomit Intervals consists of doing like a billions reps (i'm quoting Chalean there), so even though I'm only using 3 lb weights, I felt like my arms were going to fall off at the end of it. I can only hope that no one at work noticed that I didn't move my entire upper body all day. Like instead of waving when someone walked by my cubicle, I had to rock the head nod. So they either think I'm hip and cool or that I have some sort of tick. FYI, bowler's lunges were probably created by the Devil in trade for Chalean's soul. Just saying, they suck.
Day 12 Workout: Chalean Burn 3, Bike 6 miles
Jenn - I need to learn how to sleep with my eye's open so it will just look like I'm reading email...
As you start to exercise, your body begins to put on muscle (weighs more than fat), hold onto water (I read that for every gram of glycogen your body stores, you need 2.6 grams of water), and lose fat. It takes a while for all that to iron itself out.
ReplyDeleteI doubt seriously that that is your max HR. I've gotten mine up to 188, and I'm old(er) and a male. Young people and females in particular have higher heart rates. The best way to determine your "zones" is to do the test. If you google heart rate zone test protocol and look for the thirty minute test, you'll have a good way to set your training zones 1-5.
No, you can't exceed your max heart rate. As a matter of fact, getting to your max heart rate is potentially dangerous. That's why we use the testing protocols to estimate it. When you go to the labs for performance testing, they have experienced medical personnel on hand.
Keep up the good work! The swimming will come. Swimming is the biggest deterrent/limiter in triathlon. The more you do it, the more comfortable and better you will get.