FL- MsMarvel's March Challenge

[MsMarvel]

My first post, seeing if I can figure this out.

A bit about myself....I am a 41 year young single mom of two boys age 16 and 13. I have always been active, however I have had to struggle through many challenges over the past several years. In 1997 my life started to change, my energy level dropped and I was in constant pain. I stopped working out and barely had enough energy to get through the days. In 1999 I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. With diet, exercise and changes to my sleep schedule, I began to get control of my life again. In 2001 I was involved in a car accident which resulted in a triple cervical fusion (C3/C4/C5), I was told I had a 75% chance of never walking again. Well, not only did I walk, I meet a very special man and he started me on a weight training program. I was doing great and we even talked about competing this spring but lower back injuries from the car accident were aggravated in July of 2006 (not from my training but believe it or not, due to a chair slipping out from underneath me while getting up). I ended up with a ruptured disk and the disc above and below had both slipped more than 1-2 cm, there was severe swelling and damage to my nerves. Needless to say I was in pain and training stopped. I had my second fusion surgery (L4/L5) Feb 28, 2007 and have been limited on what and how much cardio I could do and I only just received a green light for some light weights last month. My boyfriend was not only my life partner but he was my trainer. He spent hours researching diet, programs, supplements and I trusted him completely. We both knew that until Superbowl Sunday had past, there was no way we would stick to a clean diet so we had set a date to start Feb 10.

This was not to happen. On February 10th I had a police office show up at my door to tell me that Troy was in the hospital. He was unconscious and in a coma. He had suffered a massive brain aneurysm and passed away February 12th. I made a promise to him that I would begin my training as planned and one day, get up on stage in his memory. I have been having a hard time getting started due to the fact that he was my wealth of information. All our workout programs and diets plans that he made up are on his computer and I have not been able to figure out the passwords yet. I thought that it would take me months to figure stuff out and get back on track but when I told my story to Linda she said, "your in" - what a true angle she is. I just found out a few hours again so it is rush rush to try to be ready to start tomorrow but when I feel overwhelmed I will think of troy. I am going to have a picture on my clipboard that I take to the gym and him will be my motivation!!!!

Will take measurements and post soon.

Good luck to all participants and may the journey be a wise one for us all.

[Italianangel]

welcome to the challenge and board, I will adjust your title for you to match the challenge!
Linda

[MsMarvel]

Thanks Linda for taking care of me

It is so exciting reading through the journals of my fellow challengers. I know there is no way I will be able to check in on all of them everyday but I promise to cheer each and everyone of you on along this journey.

Due to my late entry I just got my ebook today. Spent the morning reading and then ran out to do some groceries. Took my pictures (ugh) and sent them of to Linda with my measurements. I have a longer way to go than I thought . It is so true that the scale only tells half the story.

Off to check out a few more journals then finish preparing my meals for tomorrow. I work 10:30 am to 7 pm and then will be heading to the gym for my first work out.

Good luck to everyone,

Cindy

[Wen73KYGAL]

Hi Cindy! Stopping by to read your blog. You've been so supportive and motivating to me already. Thank you, I do appreciate it. I'm glad you entered the challenge. I'm glad this started over the weekend so I can get used to the many meals. Tomorrow will be a true test because I'll be at work, but I can do this as long as I prepare ahead of time. Good luck!!

[TrimminTracey]

Hi Cindy! I am so glad that you are part of this challenge...your story is incredible! You are a true trooper and your strength and determination is going to get you amazing results in everything that you do in your life...YOU are an amazing person!! Welcome!

Tracey

[jsnamaste]

Hi Cindy,

Wow, you are such a strong woman and such an inspiration!
I know your journey of life has been very hard and I am so sorry for your loss. But one can tell that you are a fighter and have come through these experiences even stronger.
I want to thank you for your words of kindness and support. They mean a lot. I will be here to give you any type of support I can and am so excited to see you succeed.
Lets kick some butt girl and cheers to you !!!!!!!!!!

[MsMarvel]

First of all THANK YOU for all the support and encouragement. I have had such mixed emotions these past few days. I am so excited about his challenge and getting back to the gym but I also have huge waves of guilt - like I shouldn't be doing this, I should be at home crying. Troy's mom has been great, she calls me everyday to give me words of encouragement and to remind me how proud Troy was of my accomplishments.

Second, I am sorry but due to a sick son I am running way behind schedule (should be in bed already) so I will not be able to check out any of your journals tonight but I will find time tomorrow. I am eager to see how everyone is doing.

Struggled a bit today to get to the gym. It is my first day back to the gym in over a year and a half and it is my first day in almost four years working out by myself. Troy was an amazing partner, he would always push me for that extra rep I didn't think I had in me, he could change my work out on the fly and knew exactly what weight to use depending on how many reps he wanted me to get out. I didn't get a chance to look at the work outs completely as I was focusing more on my meals so I grab a circuit workout that I had done before.

Barbell Routine
Dead Lifts 35x20, 35x20
Bench Press (HS) 35x10, 25x16
Squat 35x15,35x15 ( can't believe how much strength I lost here !!!)
Bent-Over Rows 35x20,35x20
Military Press 35x20, 35x20
SLDL 35x20, 45x20
Upright Row 35x20, 35x20
Incline Bench Press (HS) 25x12, 25x10
Lunges BWx20, BWx20 (will add weight next time)
WG BB Curls 35x15,35x12
Decline Skull Crushers 35x20, 35x16

(HS) Hammer Strength Machines - labels are missing to show what starting resistance is , weight listed is plates per side.

Completed one circuit with no rest between exercises
10 minutes on treadmill 5 incline/speed 4
Completed second circuit with no rest between exercises
15 minutes cross trainer

1. 3 minutes level 5/ speed 60
2. 2 minutes reverse, level 15/speed 30 (focus on calves)
3. 1 minute forward, level 15/speed 30 (focus on glutes)
4. 2 minutes forward, level 5/speed 60
5. 2 minutes reverse, level 15/speed 30 (focus on calves)
6. 1 minute forward, level 15/speed 30 (focus on glutes)
7. 2 minutes forward,level 5/speed 60
8. 2minute cool down

stretches

Total time 1hr 20 minutes
Total calories burned 1084

Meals well didn't go as planned as I had made my meals last night and when my son got home from work he decided they looked good and ate them on me
1. protein shake
2. 30g fiber one with 1/2 unsweetened soy milk and 1/2 cup blueberries
3. chicken stir fry with broccoli, zucchini, red onions and mushrooms, small amount of whole wheat pasta
4. medium sized apple
5. spring salad mix with can of tuna, walnuts, dried cranberries, celery, red & yellow peppers, cucumber, little bit of goat cheese (Udos Oil & Balsamic Vinegar)
Pre Workout shake (hydrolyzed whey protein and BCAA)
Post Workout Shake (hydrolyzed whey protein, WPI, BCAA, Dextrose)
6. Bedtime Shake (Casine, benefiber)

Missed a meal due to loosing track of time at work. Have to remember to bring my watch, it has 3 alarms setting and a count down feature that I can use to remind me when it's time to eat.

Off to bed, I am tired, a GOOD TIRED.

Life is way too short to just blend in.....make your mark on the world!!!

[Wen73KYGAL]

Hey Cindy! I haven't figured out the signature option either. Never found the spot for it. What I did do was copy the code from the weight ticker site and just paste it into my post after I'd written it. It's something that will have to be done with each post, but it's there for now. I'm sorry your son ate your meals. Great job on your workout. I can't imagine what it'd be like to lose your training partner and boyfriend. Many prayers and hugs for you ((((())))). Good luck today!

[MsMarvel]

Well so much for me not getting whatever Nicholas has. It hit hard last night and my stomach has been queasy all day. Lots of bathroom breaks

Have some cleaning up to do and meal preps for tomorrow then will do some cardio and abs (hopefully they are up to what I have planned for them tonight . Hoping to have an early night to bed and feel better tomorrow.

Todays meals, still need to work on this,

7:00 AM WPI shake
7:30 AM 30g Fiber 1 mixed in with 100g yogurt (Danone Activia, still had some left and didn't want to just throw them away.)
10:30 AM Egg White Omelet with spinach and mushrooms
1:30 PM Sliced turkey with low fat skim milk cheese (didn't finish - stomach no likey)
3:30 PM Ambrosia Apple (yummy - if you like a crisp, juicy, sweet apple, try this one)
6:30 PM my mind says to eat again but my tummy is saying no way, so instead of my chicken salad as planned I will just have a meal replacement shake.
???? will finish day off with my bedtime shake

[Wen73KYGAL]

Get better soon (((((Cindy)))))!!

[MsMarvel]

Originally Posted by Wen73KYGAL

Get better soon (((((Cindy)))))!!

Thank you!!! Kitchen is still a mess but have decided to just leave it and gonna head off to bed.

Take care

[Wen73KYGAL]

Good choice. I hope it helped!

[MsMarvel]

IT DID!!! Still not 100% but much much better, thank you.

Was up at 6 so went for a walk. Worked 8:30 am - 5:00 pm, home, dinner for kids, helped with homework, my work out, take some time to post, then help with more home work.

Meals
6:00am protein shake
7:00am 1/2 cup egg whites with 1 whole egg & tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach
30g Fiber 1with 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
10:00am yogurt with benefiber added
11:30am spring mix with 2 small grilled chicken breasts, red & yellow peppers,
cucumber, celery, chopped walnuts, dried cranberries, Greek dressing
2:30pm 100g extra lean turkey kielbasa with 30g low fat skim milk cheese
smart pop popcorn
4:30pm meal replacement shake
6:30pm pre workout shake
8:00pm post workout shake
9:00pm 100g extra lean ground beef, 170g green beans with hot sauce
11:00pm bedtime shake

Workoutcircuit training with dumbbells
DB Deadlifts 20x20,20x20
Incline DB Press 30x20,30x16
Step Ups with DB 20x20,20x20
One-Arm DB Rows 20x20,20x20
DB Lunges 5x20,5x20
Romanian Deadlifts with DB 20x20,20x20
Overhead DB Press 20x18,20x16
Side Laterals 5x20,5x20
Hammer Curls 10x20,10x20
Kick Backs 10x20,10x20 (first 10 with wrist to side, second 10 with wrist down)
DB Squats 10x20,10x20
Inner Thigh Raises 10x20,10x20
Outer Thigh Raises 10x20,10x20

Completed first set of each exercise with no rests
10 minutes on Gazelle Sprintmaster
Completed second set of each exercise with no rest
20 minutes on Gazelle Sprintmaster

Need to get some more dumbbell bars so I can have different weights set up, some exercises where too easy and others too hard. I am slowly increasing my weights each day, back is feeling good but being really careful not to push to hard too fast.

Meals still need some work but I can't afford to throw stuff away. Will eat up what I have and replace as I go along.

Took a while to finish this post due to kid interruptions (grade 12 advance functions - rather bang my head against a brick wall but we struggled thru it). Will check out how everyone else is doing tomorrow. Good night and sweet dreams to all.

Oh ya, just wanted to say - my pants feel looser all ready

[MsMarvel]

OK, so we got hit last night and this morning by a nasty rain/ice/snow with gusting winds. Woke up to a complete white out and school closures. Luckily the kids are old enough to stay home alone so I didn't have to scramble to make arrangements for them as I still had to go to work for 10:30 AM. Being the nice mom that I am, I let them sleep in so it took me over an hour to shovel my driveway and clean off my car.

Needles to say, I am considering that my cardio/core work out for today.

Meals
7:00 protein shake (then went back to bed)
8:30 30g Fiber 1 cereal (14g of fiber, 0g sugar) mixed with 100g yogurt
10:30 meal replacement shake with an apple
1:30 100g extra lean turkey kielbasas with 30g low fat skim milk cheese
4:00 spring mix salad
6:00 2 pollock filets with real lemon juice and pepper, 170g green beans
8:00 3 eggs with some extra lean ground beef, cheese and salsa sauce
10:00-10:30ish bedtime shake

Started reading the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. Haven't got very far into it but I think it is gonna be a good read.

Off to bed and some reading, take care ladies.

Cindy

[Belsicilia]

Snow sucks, but our sexy tight butts don't!!! ha

so we will get through this winter, and when its all over and everything is melted and all the green grass is needed to cut, we will smile with our new size jeans and tighter tushes!!

we can do this!!

have a great day tomorrow, looks like we won't get snow till the weekend this time LMAO

Piera

[MsMarvel]

Oh Piera, you are just way to cute!!!!

I cannot wait for spring, although I do hate the rain, but that means summer is one step closer and by that time, watch out beach, HERE I COME!!!

[MsMarvel]

OK LADIES, HOWS IT GOING???

I had an amazing work out today and feeling really pumped!!!!

My goal is to be able to do unassisted pull ups again and bench over 100lb again. Starting back at scratch so my plan of attack is once a week to focus on each exercise. I do 24 sets of 1 with 60 second rest between. During those rests periods I do various ab, calves, inner/outer thigh, and butt work. Today, being the first day doing this, I started of on the assisted pull up machine with 60lb ass't and the HS Flat Bench Press with 40lb each side. Each week I will try to decease ass't on pull ups and when I can do unassisted, rest time will be shortened each week.

6 minute warm up on treadmill (3 minute light jog - and they said I wouldn't run again, puhh - guess they don't know me very well
Pull Ups 24x1 finished with 10 x-reps (will decrease ass't next time)
Bench Press 23x1, 6 for last set (will increase weight next time)
15 minutes treadmill 15 incline/speed 4.2 ~ 200 calories
stretches

Had a nice steam sauna afterwards and feeling MsMARVELOUS

Time for beddy bye, night night.


What we are communicates far more eloquently than anything we say or do

[jsnamaste]

Hey Cindy,

Thanks again for all your great advice. Wow are you ever doing great. I cant even imagine doing one pull up right now. But once I get rid of some of this weight I'm going to go for it My arms would have to be the size of my thighs to pull up all this weight , lol. You are doing so awesome, keep it going girl
talk to you soon,
Jeannette

[orientalkid]

Hi, just happen to chance upon this tread. I got to say you have a hell lot of moltivation and will power. The kind of setback and the frequency it occurs would have detered many from their goals. I think we all (both guys and gals, not sure if this is a gals only tread) have something to learn from you.

[orientalkid]

oh i juz notice this is women fitness discussion haha. Hope you dun mind i chip in