Movie review/workout/it's hot.

I finally watched Juno last night. I really liked it! Ellen Page is adorable, I must say. Anytime a movie's or tv show's plot includes premarital sex, the radar starts to buzz. Obviously it's because I have a conviction about it that it's not the right thing to do (for many reasons). Lots of times it's viewed as something that's not that big of a deal; like daily life, you know? What I did like about Juno is that it proved this crucial point: It only takes one time to conceive. It baffles me that a married couple who wants a baby so bad can try to conceive a baby for years to no avail, yet for some couples it only takes once. I also liked the part about the baby having fingernails. I don't think that was what initially drove Juno to decide not to abort, but it did give the thought that she's not just carried a group of cells but a life. I thought that was cool. Anyway, I'm not going to pick the movie apart and tell you what I thought or if I approved or disapproved. I thought the movie was well written, had an excellent cast and I kinda teared up at the end. Oh, and I think my favorite character was Brenda, Juno's step mom. She was boss.
After watching the movie, I went to the gym for some cardiovascular exercise. I thought the elliptical trainer was best for this at the time. I slept like a rock last night.

Today I'm going to lift weights for lower body then meet up with a friend for espresso later on. There's a new coffee shop in downtown that I've heard a lot about so we're gonna hit that one up.

It's getting hot outside. Real HOT. Summer's here everyone. I guess thanks to global warming our planet's weather is a bit off, however thankfully the south eastern region of the US actually got to enjoy what's called Spring this year. I liked it.

Slooooowwwww

It's been maybe two years now that I've become more health conscious. There were many times I had quit something "cold turkey". That gung ho attitude worked...for about 72 hours. So I decided to take it easy on myself and start making changes slowly. Instead of going from a lethargic life to working out at the gym 6 days a week I decided to pick up running, doing it 3 days a week. It took me all of 2007 to build up a good base and I completed 2 5ks! The first one was a doozy. I had to run/walk the course. It was very hilly and I had trained on flat roads. The second one was a flat course and I ran the whole thing. A little while later I ran 3 miles as a workout. However, this past February I started to feel some bad knee pain and decided to do something else. I've listed my new program in an earlier post.

A few months before I decided to pick up running I started to tweak my foods. I began to read books on nutrition and joined a great health message forum. It all began with the coffee, y'all. I was consuming up to 3 cups a day, on average. In those cups I put in a sweetener and flavored creamer. I decided to quit that cold turkey and I promise I had a headache for 3 days. I didn't drink any coffee for 6 months or so. Once I picked up a part time job at Starbucks, I decided to drink it again, but even now I don't have more than one cup a day. I can go a week without any and feel just fine. That may sound like a small feat, but it was a big deal for me.

Now, around a year and a half ago I began to minimize the amount of red meat I ate, replacing it with ground turkey. I'm eating more fish now and fresh foods. I barely buy anything canned or pre-made. I have found that convenience foods aren't the way to go if one is concerned about their health. For me, it's not all about how I look, but how I feel. I want longevity of life.

I have been recording all my foods (even the stuff I'm not proud of, you know the minimal snacking here and there) through Sparkpeople. See the link to the left for a spin. It really helps me keep track of what I'm doing. If I am not seeing results I can look to past weeks and see what could be the cause.

I am down 3 pounds from last month, so this is encouraging. It doesn't sound like much to some, but I've been at the exact same weight since late 2006. I think I'm definitely getting somewhere, but it's taking a very looooong time.

My goals do not include a huge weight loss. In fact 10 less pounds on my body would be ideal. I do like to workout so I think that's something I'll keep doing even if I don't get those fitness magazine type results. I love to eat healthy food. There's something about it that makes me feel better about myself.

New Workout Program

I’m putting together my grocery list, here’s what I have so far:
Sugar for tea
Oatmeal
Peanut butter
Bananas
Pita
Brown rice
Can tomato sauce
Can stewed tomatoes
Apples
Salad stuff
Broccoli

Here’s my new workout plan. I have to do each exercise 4 times before moving to a new program. So, basically I have to do Workout A 4 times, and Workout B 4 times, alternating them on my weight lifting days then I get to move to something else. I do 15 minutes of cardio intervals after each lifting session, then on my non lift days I do a full session (35-45 mins) of cardio. Lately I’ve been favoring the bike or cybex trainer. It’s like an elliptical. Here are the workouts:

Workout A

Front squat to a push press
This is basically the movement you see alot of Olympic lifters doing. I'm a little scared.

Step up
Yay. I can’t tell you how much I hate these. But I do them anyway. Dot would be proud.

Dumbbell one-point row
I couldn’t find the correct illustration for this, but basically you are balancing on one foot, making a T with your body. Stomach and one leg is parallel with the ground. You pull the dumbbells to your waist in a row motion. This will be interesting to see people’s response.

Static lunge, rear foot elevated
Um, I hate lunges too.

Push ups
I actually like push ups.

Plank
I love these!

Cable horizontal wood chops
I really like that I can do an exercise called a wood chop! Basically this is where you stand next to the big cable machine thing and in motion pull the cable away, twisting your body. These will be fun.

Workout B

Wide grip deadlift

Bulgarian Split Squat
What makes this a Bulgarian? Well, it's just a nice term for the worst lunge you'll ever do.

Underhand grip lat pulldown
I love exercises for my back!

Reverse lunge from box w/ forward reach
Yes! More lunges… ((groans))

Dumbbell prone Cuban snatch
Um, yeah, I don’t really know what this is either. There’s a picture in my book somewhere..

Swiss ball crunch
Reverse crunch
Lateral flexion

And that’s it!
So you may be wondering… What are Paige’s goals? Great! I’ll tell you. It’s basically what a lot of people are on the constant search for:
Stronger muscles
Leaner body
Less fat
Stronger bones
….well basically I just wanna get ripped…in a feminine sort of way.

This will be interesting.

Y - M - C - Hey!!! Get off that treadmill!

I've been going to the "Y" for 2 months now, I think. I have worked out at gyms before, never really noticed anything strange. I mean, you always see strange things at the gym, but I didn't pay attention to how the genders worked out. I went on Thursday after work to lift weights and do some cardio on the elliptical machine. It was then that I had noticed something I had never realized before. ALL the women at the gym were in the cardio area (treadmills, bike, elliptical, stairmaster) or they were in spinning class. I was the only female in the weights area. Now that I was thinking about it, I'm always the only female there. Yeah, I'll see women on some of the machines and ab devices, but it's rare. My mom works on those when she can, so I'm excluding you from this thought, m'kay? Love you.
So, why don't more women pick up free weights, plates on barbells and do some REAL push ups? Those aren't just men exercises. They're just exercises. I understand that intimidation could easily be the factor. Well, that and the fear of a woman getting 'all jacked up'. I too get intimidated, but I have to get over it if I'm going to workout like I want to. I usually stick to the cardio area on Mondays and Tuesdays because the weights area is so packed, I am too impatient to wait. But later in the week I am over there 75% of my time. I love cardio, it's so good for you, so definitely do it! But don't let the men intimidate you. Get in there and do this for yourself. That's what I have to tell myself. I'm not there to impress anyone. (The only person I want to impress is my husband, anyway.) Me being there isn't going to make someone think I'm weird. I'm there because I want to be in better shape. There are studies out stating that lifting weights regularly DO aid in stronger bones in women. That's pretty good motivation, I think. I'm short already, I don't want to be even shorter as I get older. I'm sure it's inevitable to some extent, but I'd like to halt it as much as possible, you know?
I know that for myself, I just feel better after lifting weights. It's like I get an ego-trip or something. After doing a set of push ups I want to flex my arms and Ggrrrrr!!!!!! But I don't. That would be weird.
But, going to the gym is a great way to meet people and make friends. It's definitely an "exercise" in social skills. At first I went in a little on the defensive, not making eye contact, avoiding conversations, but now I want to enjoy it more so I talk to people in between sets and it's more fun that way. It also helps me relax when I'm initially intimidated. I would recommend lifting weights to any woman, unless her doctor said, "no". It's good for the heart, it's good for the bones, it's good for your muscles and overall physique, and it's good to just make new friends.
Right now I'm going through the New Rules of Lifting for Woman program. It's a good book, I recommend it. There's a wonderfully illustrated section in the back of exercises and it's puts the reader on a lifting schedule, moving in phases. I'm starting phase 2. You do a phase for 4 weeks, increasing your weight to be lifted each week. I think there's 6 phases total. It also includes cardio if you want faster results, which I would feel odd going to the gym, lifting weights and going home. I mostly feel like I need to do something else.
Now hear this, I'm not downing any woman, or man, for that matter who sticks to the treadmills or bike. Some people simply prefer that. Maybe building muscle or losing weight isn't a goal for you. I'm really putting this thought out there for those who have thought about lifting, or would like to, but are too afraid too. After researching some benefits, you're going to want to. The hard part is getting past some initial intimidation. At least, that was (and still is) my issue sometimes. I think all people should involve themselves in some type of activity (socially is possible) on a regular basis. I think it helps clear our minds and shed some stress. I'm thinking about joining a tennis league. My sister has inspired me to do it. She really has a great time doing it, and I know she's been able to meet some people doing it too.
That's just my thought for the moment. Maybe you disagree, that's fine. Trust me, I'm not always right. You may leave a comment, but please make it nice, I'm a little sensitive.

I don't know...maybe these cardio people know something I don't....