Not so New Year's Resolution

Started back at the 5:30 a.m. AIM workouts.

Monday 25th: 10,9,8,7,...1
1 circuit repeated with 10 reps of each exercise, then 9 reps, then 8, etc down to 1 rep trying to increase weight on the way down the reps.  There were so many people at this workout that no matter what, I ended up waiting between sets and I had to leave for the bus at rep 2. It was still so tough.

Deadlifts-  started with 45lb, ended with 75
bench press- started with 65lb, started and ended with 75 after rep7  but did an 85 at rep4
single arm snatch- started with 20lb but moved to 30lb from 7 rep down
push press- 65lb for 10-7, 75lb 6-end
chair push ups to max  avg was 6

Tuesday 26th:  7 rounds of
300 meter sprint outside
20 kettlebell swings 6 x 20lb 1 x 30lb
lat pulldowns to max- I switched each set between 70-80lbs and did 4-11 reps each set


Wednesday 27th:  warm  up with ab workout
15 x 15 sec sprints!  started at 8.5 mph increasing every 2 sprints up to 12.5 mph

Thursday 28th: warm up with abs again
5 rounds  1 min at each station, 1 minute of rest after completing a full round
push press 65lb, last set  was 45lb but doubled the reps
box jumps on 12 inch
wall balls 10lb ball
weighted wall sits 10lb plate overhead for 30 sec, in front of chest  moving like driving a car for last 30 sec
plyo jumps w/ 90lb

Friday 29th: snow day. went sledding some and did a 30 minute resistance band workout



Saturday 30th got NADA but sitting and watching the ice melt. Too slippery to get out much but not enough to sled.

Sunday- 31st Today we're heading to my favorite outdoor gym- Pinnacle Mtn right after lunch!!!

Too Happy?

Stress is not healthy, but stress usually encourages me to work out more. And I tend to make an effort to stay away from certain things that spell doom for me when I'm stressed out. Mainly dessert and alcohol. Lately life  has been too good. Is there such a thing? Despite a few hiccups and a big worry over the realization that we're about to dump a ton of money into renovating our kitchen- life is good. I hate to say it's noticeable, but the last few years have been extremely stressful both at work and at home. Have we found our groove? Am I cursing the happiness by actually saying it out loud? Last night the question was posed to me - "Skinnier but unhappy or Fatter and happier, which do you prefer?"   uh, I would prefer to be able to eat steak, baked potatoes, pasta, cobbler and banana pudding without ever gaining a pound. But since that won't happen...crap, it's back to writing down everything that goes in the mouth. I hate that more than exercise.

Saturday 16th:  Got up and cleaned the garage. Then once I loaded my car with good but no longer needed items, I sent the boys to Goodwill and immediately went upstairs to commandeer the one working TV in the house to do a Wii workout for 40 minutes. Realized that the weather had actually improved after several days of sub 30 Degree days and I should have been outside running hills.

Sunday: should have been a bike ride but the whole house was sick with some sinus crud. Except me. So instead of working out, I took the small one, who was recovering nicely, out to buy a dress for Homecoming Court. That was a workout for my patience. 5 stores. And we still have to get shoes.

Monday: Finally got that bike ride in. Short but Sweet. About an hour worth of mountain biking out at the CARP trails on Camp Robinson. J was still feeling pretty sick so I was afraid the ride would be short. I decided to single speed it. yucca, portapotty, freeway, 2 (10) bridges.
Added 25 minutes of upper body work with a resistance band at home in the p.m.

Fatter but Happier it is then. I'm okay with that. I think.

I'll forget if I don't...

write it down.
Tuesday- 25 minutes on the step mill, 20 min at 65-100 steps/min. 5 burpees followed by 3 x 45 sec "sprints" @ 8 mph. not really a sprint pace for most people :(

Wednesday- 40 minutes of Wii Sports Active. Ouch. I've now broken 2 resistance bands trying to get them to feel like I'm actually doing something. Ugh. Must go get REAL band this weekend. Then got smacked playing balance games on Wii fit. I am the most uncoordinated member of the family by far.

Thursday- 20 minutes on the step mill followed by:
12 pushups to plank 30 sec, 1 slow pushup, plank 15 sec, 1 slow pushup plank 15 sec
4 x 45 sec sprint @ 8 mph
bench press 10 x 45lb, 6 x 65lb, 4 x 75lb

What Good is Cold Without Snow?

This past week we had record low temperatures here in our Southern hamlet. I do not enjoy single digit temps. Yes, I do realize it is January but what good is cold without snow to play in?
Saturday I needed to be in my office for a couple of hours but before leaving I hit the fitness center for a quick 25 minute treadmill workout-uphill. When I got home, I talked the man into a Wii workout. We did a 30 minute full body circuit followed by a 25 minute upper body circuit. Nice :) At least it felt like I was somewhat better than a comatose sloth bear that afternoon.
Sunday when the temperature finally reached above freezing (barely) we went out for a stroll in our favorite urban park.  There were more people at Pinnacle Mountain than I expected. I guess after a few days of teens and tens for temps, 35 was downright balmy! We got about 6.5 miles in, but not as much running as I would have liked. Still a better workout than I've been getting since the Holiday Haze of Laze set in.

This is part of the Base Trail back in November. It didn't look much different yesterday, except for the occasional patch of ice.

Ah, the bliss. Except for the random unleashed dog and wild haired hippy runner. That's a different sort of trail entertainment.

Busy or Just Plain Lazy?

I've been skipping the "intense" workouts since Christmas. Instead I've substituted playing games on the Wii with my family, walking instead of driving sometimes and a few hikes.
I bought a Wii Fit balance board with the Wii Fit Plus game and the Biggest Loser game just before Christmas. We were having a really good time playing the balance games but the workouts left me a bit Meh. I've only tried the Biggest Loser game once, it too left me a little cold. But my sweet man got me the EA Sports Active bundle for Christmas. THAT, I like. Since then I've purchased a second nunchuk and leg strap so we can do workouts together if we want. I thought the resistance band was way too weak so I used another one I had that was not as stretchy and got one with the new leg strap that is really good. I also bought a pair of 2 lb weighted gloves. That doesn't sound like much but I was trying to hold dumb bells during some of the upper body workouts but that prevented me from holding the remote and nunchuk in the proper position so it "yelled" at me to do it right, or else.  : ) Even 2lbs makes a difference, especially if it's a 20 rep exercise.
Thanks for the present J. Much better than all the cookies I made you. Merry New Year's Resolution!

Pedestal Rocks

On the way up to Eureka Springs we wanted to stop and stretch our legs while checking out a trail neither of us had been on before: Pedestal Rocks Scenic Area close to Pelsor, Ar. We were coming up on Hwy 7 from Russellville so we took a East turn on Hwy 16 to get there. There are 2 short loop trails here, the Kings Bluff 1.7 mi and the Pedestal Rocks 2.2 mi. J had his "big" camera equipment with him so I knew this hike would be all about the photo ops. It was a cold but luckily sunny day and we decided to try the Kings Bluff trail first.  After a few minutes of typical scenary we see the sign reminding parents to keep a close eye on kids. Danger Ahead.

The trail opens up to the bluffs and one of the first sights is a tall waterfall. The icicles were beautiful.This is an area that was hit very hard by the ice storm in Winter of 2009. Much of the damage to the woodlands is still visible. Next came the formations the area is named for- the pedestal rocks. So pretty, so many caves and breakaways and even in the dead of winter the color was magnificent with all the moss, lichen and weathering of the rocks.  It took us a ridiculous amount of time to finish that 1.7 miles. We were so caught up in the ice and rocks.

We spent so much time playing and taking pictures that we decided to eat our sandwiches and head on up to Eureka with plans to do Pedestal Rocks on the way home. The weather was still cold but it was also overcast so the light wasn't great for pictures. I expected fewer people to be there since it was a Tuesday at lunchtime but there were several cars including a large family gathering all bundled up to have a picnic. Much of the ice had melted away and there wasn't as much water flowing but we did find some cool "chimney" formations and a "natural bridge". All in all, a really cool place to stretch out your legs.

While the Kid's Away, the Parents...

Since the small one was 4 years old, her grandparents have taken her to Disney World sometime in December nearly every year. They've skipped a couple of years, I didn't go every time, and this year would be the first year that they would be there for a big holiday like New Year's. The day after Christmas off they went, the small one and one of her very good friends (the one she went to Minnesota with this summer) with Grandma and Mark. J and I decided it was a good time to go spend some quality time together. I insisted that it would not involve bikes. I got that part but lost out on "no hiking! sweetness only!".  Yes, we stopped on the way up and on the way home for a very short but beautiful hike at Pedestal Rocks near Pelsor, Arkansas off Hwy 16. I think I'll save those photos for a different post. But while in Eureka- it was pure non athletic bliss. Good food, good wine and spirits, good shopping and even better company.

We stayed at the Historic Crescent Hotel. This hotel is allegedly haunted. Ghost tours and TV shows love this place. I don't know how I feel about that but we took the Ghost tour once. The only thing that I found a little creepy was the area in the basement that used to be a morgue. Okay, creepy but cool, cause we're weird like that.  We actually attempted to make this trip in late December of last year but the area was hit with one of the worst ice storms in recent history the day before we were scheduled to leave and we had to cancel. We arrived at the hotel late in the afternoon and the staff I must say, was wonderful. We settled into our rooms, showered off the trail dirt and got dressed up for a night out. It was Sunday and it's winter so I have to say that there was not a lot going on as far as Nightlife. I hear the scene, if that's what you're looking for, is much better in warmer weather. Nonetheless...our room was just a few steps from the upstairs bar Dr. Baker's Extraordinary Bistro and Sky Bar which has a balcony looking out on the city. We spent exactly 0 minutes out there. We just watched others go out to smoke and come back in shivering. I'm sure it's wonderful in the spring and fall. We indulged ourselves in a few pre dinner cocktails before setting off to Rogue's Manor. I can't say enough good things about our experience at this lovely dining room. The food was excellent, the service was great and best of all, we had the dining area to ourselves that cold Sunday night and we LIKED it that way. I highly recommend a visit to this establishment if you are in Eureka, especially if you're staying downtown on Spring and can walk back to your hotel.

The next day we slept in (a real luxury as of late) and went for a late breakfast buffet in the Crystal Dining Room.  They did have eggs and omelets to order but we stuck to the fare already out: oatmeal, bacon and sausage, biscuits with white gravy. And lots of coffee.  The plan was to hit Spring Street on a walk from our hotel to shop and people watch. Years ago, J and I came to Eureka and wandered into a wonderful old antique store that specialized in Maps. We spent a lot of time in that store that day. Unfortunately we found that the shop has since closed but we continued to make our way down Spring Street, window shopping and enjoying the day together. We found some deals, had some lovely coffee at Eureka Daily Grind, and continued our walk back up the hill to the hotel. We decided to hang out for a while in our room relaxing then cleaned up to go back over to the bar where we ended up being seranaded for far too long by a woman yelling her life story across the room at people she'd just met at another table. Some really nice folks from Kansas and Michigan who spend every "after Christmas broohahah" together at the Crescent invited us in to their card game but we opted to go take pictures on the Charity Christmas tree competition lawn and watch TV. Yawn. It may not have been filled with excitement but that is a nice change of pace for us. No bikes, no races, no rush.