Starting from Square One

Here's my first "Fit Friday" post, which recaps my fitness week.  I've divided this week's developments into The Good, The Bad(ass), and The Ugly.  For the most part, this week was really positive and a great start for developing my lifestyle changes of regular weight lifting, actual cardio, and clean(ish) eating.  Well, let's get started!!

The Good

Getting ready to lift some iron!  Can't forget the lipstick!

Regular Workouts:  I managed to workout 5 out of 7 days this week.  Even when I didn't quite feel like getting out onto the fitness floor I still made it happen.  I am using the Get Muscular workout from Muscle & Fitness Hers Sept/Oct 2011 issue (pg 36-38) and I'm really enjoying it.  It's a 4 day split, which is just perfect, as I work 5 days a week at the gym and Mondays are already reserved for ballet instead.  I hope to see some great strength gains in the near future!

Lipstick:  I have a theory that wearing a fun lipstick makes me more confident, and therefore I can handle more in the gym.  This week's workout lipstick has been Coralberry by Revlon, and it's done it's job of making me feel stronger.  I also tried Cherries in the Snow by Revlon one day, but it isn't a very good color on me.  I think I'd like to try a redder lipstick next, if only I can find mine.

Stir Fry:  Last night my friend Brigett, sister Veronica, and I made up a delicious (but cleanish) stir fry of multiple vegetables.  I also sauteed some tempeh marinated in a maple-cayenne teriyaki-like sauce from the latest Oxygen Magazine and cooked up some brown rice.  So good!

En garde!

The tempeh.  The marinade is soooo tasty.

Getting anxious to eat it!

The Bad(ass)

My New Nike Capris:  This week I bought a pair of Nike Dri Fit at my local Dick's Sporting Goods.  While they were more pricey than my usual workout attire, they were worth every penny!  They are super comfortable, make my glutes look great, and match my personality all at once.  I describe them as "I'm so strong that I can wear animal print" pants, and they certainly improved my confidence in the gym.  If this first month goes well I plan to treat myself to another pair since I love them so much.

Pain & Gain:  We pay-per-viewed Pain & Gain last night while we ate our stir fry.  What a weird but cool movie.  It reminded me a lot of Goodfellas, but had the added bonus of seeing hot actors lifting!  Definitely some funny moments involving fitness!

The Ugly

Everything wasn't sunshine and lollipops this week regarding the gym, so I have to admit a couple of "ugly" facts.

Pulled Hamstring:  Between swimming laps on Sunday and squatting pretty heavy on Monday I managed to pop/pull/sprain my hamstring.  This held me up from finishing my leg day, unfortunately.  BUT, I didn't give up and instead switched to back and biceps!  The leg is feeling much better and I was able to do all of my leg workout except squat by the end of the week.  I'll be back in full form on Monday for ballet and Tuesday for legs and calves, don't worry!

Weight Gain:  Despite great effort all week to eat clean, do cardio, and get sweaty, I still managed to gain 1.5 pounds because of my medicine.  Luckily, I went to the doctor this week and we're going to work up to changing my meds because of this rapid weight gain.  Hopefully things will be better on this front soon!

Well, life will always have ups and downs, and this week the positives certainly outweighed the few negatives.  Wish me luck on my journey to a better body and a stronger mind in the upcoming week!