gone fishin'

Wish me & my bikini luck!

itsy bitsy

Dear bikini,

You'd better be worth it.

Love,
Peggy

you can't have an assessment without asses

STATS	17-Oct-06	22-Nov-06	23-Dec-06	22-Jan-07	26-Feb-07	26-Mar-07	21-Apr-07
Weight (lbs.)	166	166	162	157	155	154	151
Fat/Lean Mass (lbs.)	57/109	55.5/110.5	50/112	44/113	42/113	41/113	38/113
Body Fat %	34.5	33.5	31	28	27	26.5	25.5
MEASUREMENTS	17-Oct-06	22-Nov-06	23-Dec-06	22-Jan-07	26-Feb-07	26-Mar-07	21-Apr-07
Chest	xx	xx	xx	xx	36”	36”	36"
Waist	xx	xx	xx	xx	31”	30”	29"
Hips	xx	xx	xx	xx	37.5”	37”	35.5"
Upper Arm	xx	xx	xx	xx	10.5”	10.5”	10.5"
Thigh	xx	xx	xx	xx	21”	21”	21"
Calf	xx	xx	xx	xx	14.5”	14.5”	14.5"
TESTS	17-Oct-06	22-Nov-06	23-Dec-06	22-Jan-07	26-Feb-07	26-Mar-07	21-Apr-07
Sit & Reach	9”	1’2”	1'3”	1'5"	1'5”	1'7”	1'7"
Sit-ups	20	28	32	32	35	35	37
Push-ups	15	26	33	18	24	24	30
Pull-ups	15	29	23	26	9	10	10
T-test	14.97 sec.	14.22 sec.	13.62 sec.	13.60 sec.	20.52 sec.	19.65 sec.	19.46 sec.
Plank	59 sec.	1 min. 22 sec.	1 min. 45 sec.	2 min. 8 sec.	1 min. 20 sec.	1 min. 20 sec.	2 min. 2 sec.

A few things to note, if you’re keeping track (which I assume only my mom really is – hi Mom!).
PUSH-UPS: Jan-07, I graduated from on-the-knee to real push-ups.
PULL-UPS: Feb-07, I graduated from easy to medium. ("Hard" would be full bodyweight pull-ups.)
T-TEST: Feb-07, another 2 lengths of stuff was added in (lateral & sprint – whatever the hell that means).
PLANK: Mar-07, I graduated from forearms to extended arms (push-up position). February’s plank was shameful and shall never be spoken of again. But check out April's plank ... hello, nurse!

GOALS:
Get to below 150 lbs, w/ body fat at 25% by the end of April. ALMOST! So close I could taste it. But check out April's measurements. I feel really good.
Greater flexibility in lower back.
I’d like my fitness routine not to be the first thing I give up when life gets busy; make it an ingrained habit.
More intense cardio. For real this time.

crisis of faith (or, let me eat cake)

I have been SO GOOD over the month. I have been eating incredibly well, mostly staying between 1500-1700 kCals/day. (Only two days I broke it, and they were planned.) I have not been drinking alcohol. I work out with Cody 3x/week, and I do cardio 3x/week on my own. I have upped the intensity on my cardio.

And still ... I cannot break 148 lbs. And that's naked in the morning before breakfast. (Sorry for the graphic image. Oh, wait. No I'm not.) On my assessment on Saturday, I'll be clothed after breakfast, so I won't even make my 'below-150' goal.

My point is -- why do I bother being good?

*sigh*

I'm exaggerating for effect, of course. I know why. But some days it's really frustrating.

This, of course, is where Mom or Dad would helpfully pipe in with, "Well, kiddo, no one ever said life was fair."

in other news ... pigs fly

I jogged 2 miles around the track today.

"Uh, Satan? Yeah, Peg here. Dude, I'm really sorry about this --- but you might want to go shopping for some winter clothes."

a mile in my shoes

Yesterday, I jogged around a track 4 times. This means I jogged a mile. One whole mile. I want to be clear on this next point: It's not the mile that's the big deal. It's the fact that I ran it. ON PURPOSE. I chose to do it. In fact, it's even worse than I realized at first ... I actually wanted to. In fact, I may even do it again tomorrow.

Oh lord. I have to drastically re-draft the secret image I hold of myself. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, now it turns out I'm a jogger.

I jog.

Oof. I think I need to lay down.

aloha

My sweetheart and I are going to Hawai'i at the end of the month. I gave Cody carte blanche to kick my ass and make said ass just a little bit tighter before I head out with my adorable swim suit. He accepted the challenge with glee. Secretly sadistic glee.

This is now what I think during workouts:

"bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini i hate cody bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini ..."

Aww, Cody. Don't cry, I was just teasing. Here, eat this cheese ... it'll make you feel better.

Geez-o-flip. Now I want cheese.

bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini bikini

school of life

Okay, so I owe you two (TWO?! yes, two!) monthly assessments. But not right now. I'll do 'em later tonight ... unless I'm too busy smoking, drinking whiskey & eating cheese to bother. (I kid because I love.)

The thing about the assessments, though, is that they're kind of like getting a grade on an exam. The grade has varying degrees of import based on who you are (teacher, student, strict parent, etc.), but it's not necessarily wholly indicative of long-term and secret internal success. I study hard, I do my best; but at the end of the day, I feel as much about my assessments as I did about my grades ... pleasantly satisfied if I did as well as I hoped, slightly disappointed if I didn't. Either way, by the end of the day, it's forgotten. (This is why I was always a B-student who was smarter than most of the A-students.* And had more fun.)

Anywho, blah-di-blah blah blah ... off the top of my head, here's my baker's dozen of non-assessment successes since October 2006 (which I attribute directly to my fitness focus):

1. I quit biting my nails. Without any effort on my part. I just stopped. And, girl lemme tell ya -- I'm an old-school nail biter from back in the day. I've never had unbitten nails that weren't fake.
2. I quit smoking. This I did on purpose.
3. I have only been sick once this season. It was a bad one, but quick. Other than that - not even a sniffle. And people were dropping like flies all around me. Sick flies.
4. I can count on less than one hand the number of times I've had trouble sleeping.
5. I've joyfully given up clothes I loved because they didn't fit any longer ... I'm back to a very comfy size 10. Granted - the assessment does cover weight & measurements, but the joy cannot be adequately expressed in a number.
6. I stretch every morning (mostly).
7. Last summer, I barely made it around Green Lake once (blading). This season, I go around twice without even debating.
8. Even at my most busy & stressed (this past Feb/Mar), my anxiety level is extremely low. I haven't felt this overall calm since ... well since adulthood.
9. My auditions are easier. I don't mean easy like "piece of cake" - I mean that I have an comfort and ease in the audition room I've never felt before. I still get nervous, but I don't choke it to death. I can let it flow without much effort.
10. I'm saving quite a bit of money. Again with hardly any effort on my part. I don't eat out as much (and when I do it's a real treat, and worth the wait). I also am buying more food to actually cook rather than processed food to zap. This is way cheaper.
11. I haven't seen the inside of a hangover in months. I haven't given up drinking booze, and I seriously doubt I will. I'm not a self-deprivation kinda gal, and I was never a heavy drinker to begin with. But when I do drink, I drink less alcohol & more water. Again, not really trying.
12. I feel it just as much when I don't work out as when I do.
13. I just last week gave up diet coke. It just stopped tasting good.

So, yeah - right?! I am very pleased. Sometimes I pretend I don't want to do it anymore, but I really do.

(*Hmm. Someone's quite full of herself, huh? Oooh, fancy pants, all smart & shit.)

hi honey i'm home

Hello? Anyone there? My goodness. Everyone's gone. That's what I get, I guess. I should've left a forwarding address. My goodness, this place is filthy; it needs a good spring cleaning & airing. I'll just start here with these cobwebs, and then go through that huge pile of unopened mail & newspapers ...

There! Smells like possibility. Wha -? What the? Who's there?! BLOG! You startled me! What are you doing hiding under the couch? C'mon out, I'm so glad to see you!

Oh, blog --- I have so much to tell you. Would you like some tea? Hey, what's up? Are you mad at me? C'mon, baby ... don't be like that. I promise, it wasn't just you. I've neglected everything these past couple of months. Yes. Yes, I did. Yes. I promise. Oh, don't cry, my darling. I'm back. To stay.

Maybe.

Awwww! C'mon! That was a joke! Come back here!