Day 39: Going for the Golds

I have always been afraid of Gold's Gym.

Maybe it's just that I'm expecting a bunch of meatheads to work out there, you know, the ones that are all brawn and no brain. The ones that "feel the burn" all the time, lol. (Trust me, I feel the sweat a lot, the burn, not so much.) Nevertheless, I just had one of those days where I thought, "Shellybean, let's do something adventurous with ourselves today." However, with my limited funds there is only so much adventure I can pack into one day. :-) So I decided to go to a different gym.

Granted, there are a lot of places to go where I would blend into the background. The place I go right now is very much a place where you blend into the background. Plus, the cardio equipment kind of sucks and the weight room is very small. I wanted more of a place to work out as opposed to playing basketball or hockey or swimming. So, I mustered up the courage and went to Gold's Gym.

It actually wasn't so bad. I was given a tour by a chick who seemed kind of laid-back, not who I would expect to be giving the tour. It's a nice place, they have all kinds of protein drinks and bars, some protein powder and all kinds of shirts! I am a t-shirt junkie (as anyone knows who gives away a free one, I'm all up in their business, literally, lol) so having a Gold's Gym t-shirt would be a total geekout moment for me. :-) Even if I never went back there, it would be a pretty sweet reminder that I came, saw, and conquered. :-)

If I got one, this would be one I'd like:

 

Pink is my favorite color, so I would geek out to have one of these little tank tops. I am totally in love with racerback tees, especially since I live in sports bras most of the time and the typical tanks don't really cover the bra in the back. (By the way, ladies, if you don't wear proper gear when you run, I'd recommend it, you'll kill your back if you wear a regular bra.)

 

I am also going to a running store to check out some running gear, I tried to find the one in O'Fallon yesterday but I couldn't find it cause Verizon Navigator sucks, lol. Thankfully, I have figured out that the Google map app has it on there. So I will find it today and get all geeked out about running.

 

Speaking of geeked out about running, I did C25K W3D3 and it was much easier, presumably since it was on the treadmill. I think I will do an extra day of Week 3 this week, so I can get used to running that length outside. It was super hard last time I did it outside, and I was wheezing a little bit, so I think I need to get where I can run it a little better before I move up to the next level. :-)

Not a bad run on the dreadmill, lol.

 After my run, but so what?

Got a nice sweat on today. Guess there was something interesting to the left.

 

I only have a three-day pass to Gold's Gym then we'll see from there, but hopefully I will be able to get a full membership and not have to worry about can I pay it, etc. :-) But I'm keeping my fingers crossed that a job will come my way eventually. Especially at a running or supplement shop. I love my supplement shops, as though you couldn't tell. I almost asked for a job app at GNC but I chickened out, but next time I will ask. I may even go into *gasp* Complete Nutrition! I'm not sure though, that place reeks of upsell. :-P

 

Anyhoo, I hope everyone has a fantastic day, I'm out and about yet again. Be blessed all. :-)

Day 29: Neighborhood Watch

I conquered a huge fear today and went running around my neighborhood. I have not ran or walked around my neighborhood since I was 17, when someone called me Pillsbury Doughgirl and said they were going to kick my @$$ if I went running through again (mind, this was my neighborhood in Memphis, not here in St Charles). Needless to say, never really been super keen on running even though I switched neighborhoods several times. Nevertheless, I started up and began running.

My accountability photo #1

 



I have been taking these photos for several days now, mostly just to show that I wasn't lying or anything, and apparently these pics and the sweat pics have caught on. But I love the accountability of them, and I love showing off the improvement in my body!

 

The weather wasn't too bad, maybe mildly humid but not like it was yesterday where the humidity was so thick you could bottle it and sell it. I ran for about 20 minutes, more like around 19:20 with around 6-7 minutes of running. I have been doing the C25K along with my friend from high school who is also doing it, just because I have used it in the past and liked it. Running outside was definitely different, but not too bad. Even running up the hill was sort of okay, but I was only able to do it for about a minute, which was what the app required of me. (And I made it up the hill too!) I ran around a cul-de-sac which is maybe a half mile around and then ran back to my neighborhood. I then realized that I had run back to my house and basically would have ended up halfway down the street when I got done, so I ran around the block a few times and called it. I wish I wouldn't have though cause I didn't realize I only had six minutes left on the main workout! Silly me. But tomorrow I am definitely finishing the workout! It's about a 20-minute workout plus a 5-minute cooldown on each side, for a total of 30 minutes.

 

Red faced and sweaty again. Gotta get some more done tomorrow!

 

 

I also did day two of the arm challenge, which consisted of:

 

8 push ups

8 dips

15 bicep curls

15 seconds of weighted punches

 

I have to say that it was a bit more difficult after a long run, but it was still fun! Can't wait to do some more this evening!

 

I hope everyone has an awesome day! Be blessed all.

Day 22.5: Ticker Tape Parade!

I love the Newsboys! I stole that phrase from "Million Pieces," which has to be my favorite song. I remember seeing the Peter Furler-led Newsboys in 2005 and they shot confetti everywhere when they sang that song. Good times. :-)

Kind of the way I feel today.

I had my every-other-day cardio/strength combo today. If you've never heard of this particular brand of madness, I have my running every morning and then I go back every other evening for cardio/strength combo. I do my strength training first, doing different muscle groups each time. On the first day I do arms/shoulders/back/abs; and on the second day I do butt/chest/legs/thighs. I usually do free weights at the end of every workout for 3-4 minutes. Then I bike for 25-30 minutes. The total damage is usually 30-40 minutes and very sore whatever I'm working out. It's especially true on the second day when I'm running, working my legs, and biking! I usually can't walk comfortably for several hours afterward. :-)

I hope you like my tickers on the side! The bottom one is the 50 days of running challenge. My friend initiated this whole thing and I think it is absolutely brilliant. I have made it through 11 days thus far and I admit there are some days where I don't want to do it, but I always feel so good afterward that I continue. The second is the Onederland by Halloween. For those of you who don't know, Onederland means that you are out of the 200s, usually 199 when its being measured. By October 31st, I would like to be to 199. It's not too lofty of a goal, it's about 16 lbs from where I am now, but it would be super cool to see a 1 before the last two numbers! I haven't been 199 for about 3 years, and I would love to see that number again. So anyway, the two tickers measure the progress I have made each day. I host my tickers at LilySlim which is has a number of tickers, not just for weight loss and exercise. Go check them out and add them to your FaceBook or blog!

I am keeping it simple this evening, since I have some chemistry homework to take care of. I hope everyone has a fantastic evening!