4 Ps: Plateau, Portions, Pumpin' It Up + Playlist

Hey y'allll!  I'm checking in tonight as I passively absorb some of the first plays of college football this season.  What a wonderful time of year...really wanting it to be Monday night.

The purpose of tonight's post is this: I had a not-so-great weigh in earlier this week with a 2lb. gain.  Ugh.  I have been faithful gyming it up, but had started straying on the whole no drinking thing and no eating when you get stressed out thing.  Honestly, straying.. but not that much.  Not two pounds much. So I am speculating that I might be hitting my first plateau in my loss.  Or maybe it just feels better to call my lapses in progress a plateau.

And what a better time to hit a plateau than when I am about to kick my life into the highest gear (sarcasm)?  Student teaching officially starts Tuesday.  What does that mean for me and my fluffy badonkadonk?  My thoughts are this:  the routine of school will help the diet portion.  I control my packed lunch and do not have spare time in which to inhale too many whole grain crackers dunked in hummus as a "snack".  That's my thing.. it's not that I don't eat what I should, but if I have too much time of my hands, portions become the issue.  I know I am not alone in this struggle.  I think portion control is one of the hardest aspects of healthy eating.  Now,  I am taking a moment to remind myself that this is an area I need to focus on.  And although this sounds insane, but just typing that out does something special to keep me accountable to myself.


Secondly,  I cannot let myself pass over Brambleton on my way back from Salem in the afternoons without next taking the next left to roll into Gold's.  I plan to pack my gym bag every night in order to make this happen.  If I go home, it's over and my ass is on facebook and scheming over some trial run recipe for dinner, likely pantless and lifeless.  This is the perfect time to pump it up!  It's time to up the ante of my exercise routine.  Typically, I do 50-60 minutes of cardio + 10-20 minutes of weights/abs, depending on my time...  I think the cardio times are okay.  I can't see any sense in more than an hour of cardio.  My attention span could not hang and my cardio is ass-bustin' cardio and sometimes most efficient kept to 50 minutes, if I have pushed myself hard enough.  It's the weight routine I plan to keep extended.  I have been trying to focus on abs more, incorporating the ab machine into each workout.  However, I have been neglecting my lower abs.  This area has plagued me, possibly more than any other body part, pretty much since I can remember being pubescent and probably before that if I had any thought of body image.  It's not that that I don't work the lower abdominals, but that I am not doing it every time I go. That is about to change.  On a lighter note, I have fallen back in <3 with the hip adduction/abduction machine.

What's pumpin' it up without a positively perfect playlist?!


Bossy by Kelis
Buttons by the Pussycat Dolls
Naughty Girl by Beyonce
Girlfight by Brooke Valentine
Enter Sandman by Metallica
My Prerogative by Bobby Brown
Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes
Get Low by Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz
Like a G6 by Far East Movement
Break My Bank by New Boyz
Back that Ass Up by Juvenile, etc.
Another Night by Real McCoy
Don't Stop Til You Get Enough by Michael Jackson
Shake me Like a Monkey by Dave Matthews Band
Opposites Attract by Paula Abdul


XOXO,

Why Am I Still Tired?

For the past three days, I have been tired.  Not just a little sleepy, but just generally energy-less.

And I was thinking working out would be my salvation Tuesday (As has been the norm for the past few weeks, I skipped Monday's gym trip because I was a little sore from being on my feet all weekend at work).  So I woke up yesterday in this same sleepy fog that plagued me Monday and this morning.  I dressed for the gym and went about my routine, just knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt that working out would give me that amazing boost I needed like it normally does.  So it turned out that I actually yawned during my cardio workout and did not feel one lick revitalized after I left.
This could have been me:

That was supposed to be kind of funny...but it could have happened (not really).

Anyway, I even had a second workout later that day power-walking with girlfriends.  While it was enjoyable,  I was still feeling blah when I got home.  I did have a bad day yesterday, but I'm not having one today and Monday was great.

I've been eating my fruits and veggies.  What's wrong with me?  Has anyone else ever had this happen?

XOXO,

That's Right, Put in Work, Move Your Ass, Go Berserk...

I had another mini weight loss victory yesterday as I was getting ready for work.  It was one of those days where I sigh to myself and say " I have absolutely nothing to wear."  I was struggling to clothe myself and on a whim decided to try an old (but worn maybe three times) pair of cute summer dress pants (3 sizes smaller than my wedding dress) I bought a couple years ago.  And, to my pleasant surprise, they fit!  Truthfully, I am pretty sure these pants never fit me well until now.  I think I snagged them up in a sale without trying them (disastrous idea, I know). I can remember that the pockets used to kind of bow out (annoying to anyone else with hips?) and they don't anymore!

These little celebrations are incredibly motivating to me as I continue down this path.  It's a better measure to me of how far I have come than weighing in.  Although I will say I am verrrrryyy curious to know my current weight.  Like seriously, the suspense is almost killing me.  I don't check in with the doc until the 26th.  I might cave and have to check before then to see where I am...at least my home scale is calibrated the same as my doctor's scale.. but I have to promise myself only to weigh at home one time.

With all this in mind, I'm getting ready to go have a serious work out.  A couple additional gems entering onto the July playlist maybe only for the day:

Kanye's Workout Plan Kanye West (see blog subject line)

Bulletproof- La Roux

I Believe in a Thing Called Love  The Darkness

Happy weekend!!

XOXO,

July Cardio Playlist

I need a change of pace in my ears...  Here's my July list.

1. Pretty Boy Swag Soulja Boy Tell'em- This song cracks me the hell up.  And it's good to warm up to.

2. Hello Good Morning Diddy-Dirty Money feat. T.I.- It's only appropriate I hear Good Morning since my workouts are typically always AM workouts!


3. Round and Round Selena Gomez and The Scene-  Great beat.  Very poppy, but I eat it up.


4. Teach Me How to Dougie Cali Swag District-  Who knew my playlist would have the word "swag" on it twice?


5.  Misery Maroon 5-  I like this song a lot.  I've always enjoyed Maroon 5's distinct sound.


6.  OMG  Usher feat will.i.am- Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Myyy Goshhh.. This one is overdue to make the cardio cut.


7.  My Own Worst Enemy  Lit-  Blast from the past.  You know you love it.


8.  Rude Boy Rihanna-  Even though the rest of the world is tired of this one,   I'm not ready to take it off yet.


9.  Uprising Muse-  Lance got me into Muse.  Their stuff is good for the gym because it's such a progression from kind of chill to intense.


10.  Great White Buffalo Ted Nugent-  Heck yes!  Guitar is OOC.


11. Graduate Third Eye Blind-  Another 90s gem!


12. Carried Away Elisa Schwartz-  Heard this for the first time on The Hills.  Like it a lot.


13.  Try Again (Mash-up)  Aaliyah, Destiny's Child, DMX-  This remix has a great beat and also throws a couple other songs in there, too.


14.  Day Tripper The Beatles- Classic. Maybe the least cardio of my cardio songs, but I like it.


15.  Crazy in Love Beyonce-  To help pick up the pace again


16.  Take Me Out Franz Ferdinand-  Love it.


17.  Bodyrock  Moby-  Very repetitive, but at the end so I can call it quits whenevs I want to.

XOXO,

May Cardio Playlist

1. Hard by Rihanna and Jeezy

2. My Chick Bad by Ludacris and Nicki Minaj

3. Winner by Jamie Foxx, JT and TI

4. Eenie Meenie by Sean Kingston and Justin Beiber (trust me, it's not because he's in it.)

5. Rude Boy by Rihanna

6. Telephone by Lady Gaga and Beyonce

7. Your Love is my Drug by Kesha

8. Say Aah by Trey Songz and Fabolous

9. Fergalicious by Fergie

10. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga

11. Shake It by Metro Station

12. Diva by Beyonce

The playlist is a little on the short side for time, but luckily I love most of these and am willing to have repeats.

XOXO,

Aud

New SM Playlist 3-31

Because I am absolutely restless with the current one...

1. Black Dog, Led Zeppelin


2.  Motownphilly, Boyz II Men


3. Baby It's You, Jo Jo


4. Monster, Lady GaGa


5. Little Secrets, Passion Pit


6. Butterfly, Crazy Town


7. Want It, Danity Kane


8. P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing), Michael Jackson


9.  Chop Me Up, Justin Timberlake


10. Jumpin' Jumpin', Destiny's Child


11. Fergalicious, Fergie


12. How We Do, The Game


13. Anna Molly, Incubus


14. Rompe, Daddy Yankee


15. Take Me Out, Franz Ferdinand


Total Time: 1 Hour 29 Seconds


Have a beautiful day, friends.

XOXO,

Aud

StairMaster 60 Minute Playlist

Yesterday I reached a goal.  I can now stay on the Masta for an hour.  I needed some new tunes.  Here's what I am thinking:

1.  I'm in Miami Bitch  LMFAO


2. American Boy  Estelle Feat. Kanye West


3. Around the World   Red Hot Chili Peppers


4. Skinny Little Bitch  Hole


5. Love You Madly  Cake


6. Poison  Bell Biv DeVoe


7. She Wolf  Shakira


8.  Resistance  Muse


9. Control  Janet Jackson


10. Seniorita Justin Timberlake


11. Little Lies Fleetwood Mac


12. Waiting for Tonight Jennifer Lopez


13. Thnks Fr Th Mmrs  Fall Out Boy


14. Don't Stop Believin'  Journey


15.  Take Me Home Tonight Eddie Money


Playlist Total Time 1 hour, 2 minutes, 13 seconds.


What do y'all think?

XOXO,

Aud

New SM Playlist 3-13

Okay so, I don't know how the hell it happened, but I need a new playlist for 40 minutes on the Masta.  Here it goes:

1.  The Sign, Ace of Base, 3:09

2.  Are You Gonna Be My Girl, Jet, 3:37

3. Take It Off, The Donnas, 2:42

4.  Rehab, Amy Winehouse, 3:33

5. Desperately Wanting, Better Than Ezra, 4:37

6. Crazy Bitch, Buckcherry, 3:23

7. Damaged, Danity Kane, 4:07

8. Beat It, Fall Out Boy (ft. John Mayer), 3:53

9. What Are You Waiting For?, Gwen Stefani, 3:43

10. Gotta Get Through This, Daniel Bedingfield, 2:45

11. I'm Real, JLO+JaRule, 4:19

For a grand total of 39 minutes and 42 seconds.  I won't start the playlist until 20 seconds in.

XOXO,

Aud

The Tall Mythical Creature in the Corner of the Gym..

And no... I'm not trying to pick up a second boyfriend at Gold's.

I'm talking about the StairMaster.  For years I have yearned to incorporate this calorie burning profesh into my workout routine only to feel downtrodden as it rejected me five minutes in.  Or did I think I might die if I continued on?  It still kicks my ass daily.  Look how scary it is!

No machine in the gym is as intimidating.  The treadmill, bike and elliptical are pie.  Yesterday I saw a man on the Masta with a drenched shirt.  He looked like he had been roaming in the Sahara for 6 months.  I did it for ten minutes and it looked like I met him 3 months into his journey.

My doctor who is helping me in my weight loss suggests doing the Masta every time I set foot in the gym, gradually adding time to it... adding 5 minutes/day is her suggestion.  This sounds hard to me.

So, I decided that I will create a specific playlist for this machine so I won't be watching that time like drying paint.

What's more disheartening than trying to push yourself to stay on the machine and then hearing some lame N*SYNC song that you can't recall adding to your gym mix in the first place... what was it doing in the gym mix?!  Shouldn't it have been on the guilty pleasures playlist?

So today I should be doing the Stair Masta for 15 minutes according to plan.  Here is my debut Stair Master playlist that I hope will keep me motivated:

Song One:
Forever
Lil Wayne, Eminem, Kanye and Drake 5 minutes 57 seconds

Song Two:
Misery Business
Paramore, 3 minutes 32 seconds


Song Three:
Get On Top
Red Hot Chili Peppers, 3 minutes 19 seconds


Song Four:
Four Minutes
Madonna and Justin Timberlake, 3 minutes, 12 seconds


TOTAL TIME OF PLAYLIST: 16 minutes
(and I will be getting down at fifteen...)


XOXO,

Aud