Pros and Cons

I've been thinking alot about my new workout regiment. I suppose it's cause I'm reading tons of books about running (CHI running), weight training, swimming (Total Immersion), and cycling (Beginner Triathlon. Finishing your first Triathlon). It's started this domino affect of understanding and learning about a whole health lifestyle. All these books touch on, not only techniques and workout schedules (which is why I initially checked them out), but also discussed healthy diets, motivation, mental focus, camaraderie, tips, goals, and having fun, (which I never considered). Before, when it came to working out, it was all about weight loss, and hurrying to do my time at the gym so I could enjoy the rest of my life, (kind of like a prison sentence.) I think all the reading has changed my attitude in fitness for the better and it's made all of it make sense. I'm actually enjoying myself. I've set mini goals for each week to increase the speed, intensity, and weights and it's something I look forward to reaching and accomplishing. Anyways, all this info got me to thinking about the pros and cons of why I work out, so I listed a few below. Just my opinion, but I hope it helps.

PROS: I feel great, happy, warm, confident, strong, and fit after each workout session. The weight loss, the inches lost, my clothes fitting better and looser, working out with my Boo, my running shoes (I heart my Mizunos, just putting them on makes me feel strong!), sleeping better, noticing progress with my weight training, getting better with each swim session, running faster, feeling pretty, being less stressed, feeling comfortable in the gym, feeling like an athlete (even though I got a looooong way to go! ha ha!), getting fit for hiking season, how working out motivates me to eat healthier, and my favorite... Boo mentioning I'm getting smaller each time he wraps his arms around me.


CONS: Getting up at 4:30am each morning, falling asleep at 8:30pm each night! Looking fug at the gym every day, cause I have not make up on and my hair is slung into a ponytail. (I literally roll out of bed and walk out the door.) On days I do weight training, I can't lift my arms up til around 9am cause they are fatigued out! Talking myself into having a great workout every morning. I need some new motivational phrases! ha ha! and lastly... the extra loads of laundry I have to do every week cause of all the stinky, sweaty workout clothes and socks!

But it's all good. I think the Pros totally out weigh the Cons :)

Guest Post: Walking in the clouds

Hey! Today I have the pleasure of sharing with you a Guest Post by Anna, aka Mud Butt. For those of you that don't know who she is, she is the head Dame, the founding Dame of the outdoor women's group called Trail Dames. I've had the great fortune of meeting and hiking with her and many Trail Dames over the last few years. I can honestly say, I have never met a Dame I didn't like! Anna created an amazing group for introducing women to the outdoors. For more on the Trail Dames, check out the link under my Fav websites on the right. Now enjoy a page out of her Appalachian Trail Thru hike down below! Til next time... GET OUT DOORS!!!

Walking in the clouds (Excerpt from Mud Butt's AT Journal)

Well, today I learned what the inside of a cloud smells like. We walked up in the clouds most of the day and it was our best hiking day yet. We did 9.6 miles today and would have gone further except that the weather turned very nasty, very quickly. When the grey fog threatened to overtake us, we pulled into a great campsite out of the wind and hunkered down. The temperature was dropping very quickly, so I decided that the best place to be was in my sleeping bag! It was a great hiking day, though! It was alot of ridge walking, which was fairly flat, with just a few big climbs. We stopped for lunch at Low Gap Shelter and there was a group of fraternity guys there out doing trail maintenance with a member of the Georgia A.T. club. They were so funny, these self assured young men. You should have seen the look on their faces when we told them we were walking to Maine! It was priceless! We did take the time to thank them for the work they were doing on the trail. I for one, am so grateful!

After our lunch break, we enjoyed the rest of the days hike immensely. Bumpkin and I both agreed that it was our best hiking day so far. When the weather turned nasty, she found us a wonderful camp site out of the wind and off we went to find water. The neat thing about our water source was that it was actually head of the Chattahoochee River. You would think that it would be grand and big, right? Well, it was actually a small trickle coming out of the ground. But it does go on to become the Chattahoochee. I think that is kind of cool!

The not-so-cool thing was that it was a half mild hike down a very steep trail. And when I stay steep.... I mean steep! But like Bumpkin said... that is what hiking the AT is all about!

After we had retired to our tents for the evening, we heard two voices shouting out 'Hello!' It was two fellow thru hikers that were looking for a campsite. The combination of the deteriorating weather and signs of bear activity combined to make them pretty nervous and they were very glad to see others in the area. As they set up their stuff, we all introduce ourselves. It turns out that they are the Good Grass Consort, a bluegrass due that we had heard about on the trial. Needless to say, we had a ton to talk about!

The cold soon drove us all back to our sleeping bags and we settled in for a snug night on the trail. The temperature might be dropping quickly and my hands might be freezing, but in case I haven't mentioned it... I am having a really great time!

Love, Anna aka Mud Butt

Checking in

So it's been 1 month since Boo and I started working out 6 days a week. There's been alot of sweat, a lot of red faces, and lots of cussing. haha! The cussing is only at 4:30am every morning, cause that's what time the alarm goes off to get us up, dressed, teeth brushed, and at the gym by 5am. I secretly love getting there before the doors open at 5am. I'm sick like that. hahaha! On the occasion that we do get there b/f the doors officially open, Boo rants that he could of used the extra minutes (literally a couple of minutes) to sleep in. I just laugh and remind him to have a great workout today.

Here's what we've been doing:

Monday: Running and weight training

Tuesday: 45 minutes of cardio (elliptical usually)

Wednesday: Running and weight training

Thursday: 45 minutes of cardio

Friday: Running and weight training and at night swimming

Saturday: Off

Sunday: Swimming

I've mentally and physically have gotten used to the schedule. The first week was rough! I was tired all the time. But now I feel good all day long. I think for the next month, I'll add some spin classes in the evening. Sounds crazy and I can't believe I'm saying that. Hell, I can't believe I'm enjoying it so much. I think I'm becoming a gym rat! haha! Seriously though, I think you need to be working out for over 6 months or something to officially be labeled a gym rat. Right? Anyways, it's actually a nice and comforting feeling seeing the same people at the gym every morning. We share a smile, a slight nod, a bond in knowing that we are hard core for getting up so early to beat ourselves into shape. There is even an elderly man who walks around handing out peppermints to all us 5 am'ers every MWF. He's so sweet, he makes me smile and look forward to those little treats, like it's a reward or something. Anyways... off to the pool! Enjoy your day and make it a good one!

Slo-mming

Slo-mming, as in SLOW SWIMMING. That's what is on my mind today. My first experience back in the pool (competitive swimming, not recreational swimming) was a humbling experience. Let's just say if I kept score, it would look like this. Pool-1, Sweetpea-0.

Swimming kicked my ass. It's been a loooong time since I swam races. I was a swimmer in high school and had a pretty respectable freestyle, so going into this, I thought it would be alot easier than it was. After all, I've been running for 6 months, so I should be good cardio wise right? WRONG, so wrong. I could barely do 50 meters without choking on some water trying to breathe. I did eight 50 meter sets with rests between each set and I was beat when I finished the 400 meters. At least now I know where I stand. Looks like I got a good challenge to keep me going :) Til next time.... GET OUTDOORS!!!