#yayog

I managed to get all my PT exercises (except for the stretches) and 50 pull-ups done while watching tonight.

I’ve been using the You Are Your Own Gym pyramid workout for pull-ups and dips. You start with 1 for your first working set, and add a rep to each additional set until you hit your max, and then you subtract 1 rep until you get back down to a single rep. (You set the recovery based on the number of reps; it’s not set in stone.) You can then go back up in a smaller pyramid.

I find you can really crank the reps out, and it’s a little more exciting than a more typical workout (5x5, etc.). It’s probably not as good for max strength, but it’s good for strength-endurance.

(Today’s dips workout was 42 unassisted dips total; I started with 2x6 before remembering to pyramid, so I worked my way down, then back up to 4, then back down to 1 again. For unassisted dead-hang pull-ups, I did 1 to 7, back down to 1, with another single to make it an even 50.)

It has been a long time since I last posted and a lot has changed. I have a new job (which is much more sedentary than my last one) that makes more money, I now have a boyfriend turned fiancé, I moved up north where it is winter half the year, and I have gained all my weight back (according to the scale plus a few extra pounds although I may have gained some muscle mass). After the great progress I made last time I can't tell you how disappointed I am that I slipped. And thats what this is a minor setback. I have spent far too much time being sedentary and have been eating far too many carbohydrates (a recipe for disaster - although it tasted very good at the time).

So to help me get back on track I am going primal (paleo) for at least 90 days. This will be very, very, VERY, hard for me as I am a self proclaimed "carbivore". Not gonna lie! I will definitely detox, go through major carbohydrate withdrawal, and will probably be willing to sell pretty much anything I own for a cookie. But clearly giving into my cravings has gotten me to place I most decidedly DO NOT want to be (overweight, feeling like crap, and out of shape).

I have always flirted with the idea of going primal and now i am committing. I have ordered the "The Primal Blueprint 90-Day Journal: A Personal Experiment (n=1)" by Mark Sisson from Amazon.ca. I feel i will do much better and more likely to "stick-with-it" with a place to track everything (and of course sharing my experience here).

My plan of attack:

Breakfast

I eat back and eggs every day I work already

For a light breakfast I may have some yogurt (Greek of course)

Or I may go with a berry protein smoothie

Lunch/Supper

I plan to start eating soup which if I pair with protein if the soup doesn't have a significant source. 

Big salads

Meat and Oven Roasted Vegetables (which includes sweet potatoes)

As for exercise you ask? I plan to use body weight strength training. Checkout "Body by You: The You Are Your Own Gym Guide to Total Women's Fitness" by Mark Lauren. Also I have an exercise bike for cardio (which I will utilize especially when the weather turns too cold to go outside).

I will chronicle my journey here and share the good the recipes I have personally tested and approved. Time to put these excellent resources to good use.

Until next time

Week 4 - Day 2

Week 4 - Day 1

Unlike last week where I tried to do as much as I could on the first 2 sets of the first exercise, I paced myself, it was either the minimum amount of reps or the max. Worked out alright for me.

Exercise 3 was not close grip it was wide grip.