6.29.2009

Eek!

No boot camp for me today. I was seriously drained from a long weekend of drinking and golfing. There was a mini family reunion mixed in there as we all met in Portage to see my Uncle's Band play! It was a really great time seeing everyone and listening to the band!

Golfing on Sunday was brutal. Waking up after only four hours of sleep and going golfing in the hot sun took a toll on me. We went with a co-worker of mine and his girlfriend. I played awfully (hole numbers 2-14). I was getting super frustrated and just needed to concentrate on my swing and trying to not miss the ball! Ugh. It was bad. But hopefully we can go again and straigthen that out!

The doctors office called back on Friday. I was unable to return their call until today. Everything was fine with my ultra sound and pap smear, but they are concerned about my Prolactin levels in my blood. She said they were very high and tomorrow morning I am going in to get another blood test done with that.

Apparently prolactin is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland. Mostly women who are breast feeding produce this, which is why women cannot get pregnant who are breast feeding because it stops ovulation. (or something like that). And since I am not pregnant and have not been, it generally causes lack of period and infertility. Ugh. I read something somewhere about women with high prolactin levels generally have a small (benign) tumor(s) on their pituitary gland. Double ugh. There are some drugs out there to take to shrink it or resume it back to normal function, but those have awful side effects.

Anyhoodle, I will (I think) know tomorrow about my levels as I am getting them tested again. From there, they can tell me what needs to be done so that I can resume to normalcy.

YAY! Something is being done!!!! 6 years!

6.24.2009

Sweaty eyes

HOLY MOSTACOLLI! Its a HOT one out there. Today was a brutal day. We stayed as much as we could in the shade, but sometimes, it just wasn't possible.

We started off by doing circuits around the parking lot. We ran around the parking lot and once we got to a certain tree, we had to do curb push ups, or tricep dips. This took up about 15 minutes (which doesn't seem long until you're doing it). From there, we went to the trees. From here, we each had a partner and while one of us was doing tree sits (wall sits), the other would have to run to a picnic table and do some various (hard!) workout there. Once they were done they would run back to us and we would have to go do the same thing. We did this about 6 times. LOTS of leg work. Lots. The tree sits got harder and harder as we went on, too. First it was just a normal tree
sit. Then, we would do curls with our weights while sitting there. Then Ashley told us to hold our weights out in front of us while sitting. Ugh. Meanwhile, I don't think I've sweat so much in my life. It was literally dripping into my eyes! It was pretty awesome.

We finished with our usual ab work out. The work outs have been getting seemingly shorter, but I think its because I am enjoying it more and more. Ashley will all of a sudden say, " Come on, girls! We only have 10 minutes left!" I am amazed every time she says that!

I weighed myself today. I have gained 5 pounds. Five!!! I thought the old saying of, " Muscle weighs more than fat " was debunked. Perhaps it isn't. I know I shouldn't worry about what the scale says or anything, but when you have a goal weight in mind, its heartbreaking to know you're going the opposite way on the scale. Question to all you workout buffs: Does this happen? Will I just continue to gain weight while losing fat? Or will I eventually be 145lbs and lean?

For now, I am going to try and get ahold of my friend Nick to go hit some golf balls. I don't like coming home and sitting around. That should get me out (in the HOT HOT HOT sun!) but somewhat active.

6.22.2009

Chicago and Week Two, Day One

This weekend was a blast! Becky and Tivis wanted to go to Chicago to spend the weekend there for their anniversary weekend. They asked us if we wanted to come and it was totes obvi that we did! (haha!)

Andrea, Aaron and myself caught the 5:45 train out of Milwaukee. We should have gotten to Chicago around 7:15 but that wasn't the case. We were stuck in delays from almost the moment we got on there. First it was a signal out which was most likely from all the storms happening around us. Then there was a tree on the tracks. And finally, there was flooding. So we didn't get into Chicago until around 8:30. We met Scott there and he took us to the bar there as Aaron and I waited to catch another train to Oak Lawn, which was where our hotel was.

Friday night we just hung out at the hotel bar, grabbed some pizza, and headed upstairs to bed. It was a long day and could barely keep my eyes open!!

Onto Saturday. Saturday was SO.MUCH.FUN. I was in a bit of a funk for awhile there....Not quite sure if it was the traffic from Oak Lawn to Chicago or if it was the simple fact that I had not eaten breakfast that was making my head foggy. I just hate being late and when traveling with other people, it's hard to keep them on track.

We arrived to Union Station where Lori (YAY!) and Andrea were waiting for us...patiently (or maybe not so). We were all pretty hangry at that point and decided to get some food. ASAP. We ate at Elephant and Castle which was very tasty!

From there, Becky and Tivis went to the Shedd Aquarium and etc...while Andrea, Aaron and I walk to Millennium Park with Lori. We just walked around there for awhile, sat in the shade, and watched as one hundred, or so, people dressed as Pokemon characters filed to the Bean. Interesting.

From there, we dropped Andrea off at Union Station and off Lori, Aaron and I went to Printers Row to sit outside and drink some cheap beers. It was a fantastic afternoon of just sitting outside, talking, catching up...etc....Awesome.

Slowly, our group of three turned into 8 people by the end of the night. Should have been 9 (Tim), but whatevski. And 7 hours later (perhaps more?) we were done drinking and needed to head home. The sun and beer and walking around REALLY takes a lot out of a person! Wowsa!

Sunday was the basic travel day. Nothing major. Came home, took a quick nap, got some food and pretty much went to bed! Great way to unwind from a great weekend!


BOOT CAMP Update:

Today was pretty brutal. The sun was out and beating down on us. We did, again, a lot of running so trying to stay dry is never really an option. Ashley set up a cone way off into a soccer field that after we were done doing works outs that targeted certain areas, we had to run out to and back. But, on the way back, there were also other cones set up that we had to stop at and do the exercises printed on them. 50 jumping jacks, 30 Nordic Track Moves, 20 Jump and Squats. So. hot. I've been done for an hour with boot camp and my shirt is STILL wet!!!

I can already tell I am much stronger. I know I'm working out harder already, but it just doesn't feel as tough as it did on Monday. All of a sudden during our workout she yells out, " Alright...we have ten minutes left...really push it! " ....WHAT!? Just ten minutes left? I was thinking we were about 1/4 done with the work out! Perhaps I'm just enjoying it more?

Ashley handed out registration forms for a 5k on July 11Th. You can just volunteer or actually run it. Not sure what I'm going to be doing just yet....but if anyone who reads this is interested in doing it with me, let me know. Its a $25 registration fee. Of course you get a t-shirt at the end ....but there is also food! YAY!


Well, that's all she wrote for now. I need to get some laundry in before work tonight. Busy, busy week ahead. From Wednesday through the end of the weekend, we are booked at the hotel. It'll be busy, but hopefully worth it ($$$$).

More on Wednesday! Taking tomorrow off!

6.19.2009

Testing

The rain held off for the class this morning! It was, and still is, pretty muggy. Last nights' storms left a lot of people, including us, without power. I was pretty nervous that my phone would die and I wouldn't hear my alarm. Good thing I can no longer sleep past 7am.......!!

Today was the mile run, push ups, and sit up test. I wasn't good, I wasn't bad. I was pretty much right down the middle. I ran the mile in 11:40 (Awful time!) and did 25 sit ups and 19 push ups in a minute. Ashley swears that we will not have the same times at the end of the four weeks. I believe her. I am already feeling stronger!

After the tests we did a lot of work outs with our weights. She took us over to picnic tables where we proceeded to get our butts kicked. Stepping up on the seats with weights, push ups off of the bench parts. It was killer!

We did more with lunges and modifying how we use the weights. We are incorporating a lot of movements we were taught earlier this week with weights....which is making it harder and harder.

I guess from there we went into ab work outs and we were pretty much done. Doing the testing took up a half the work out so it felt a little short! But I'm ready for a day off and Monday to come again!

Ashley told us they have bundles we can buy. You get $50 off your package if you buy the boot camps in bundles. So if I buy a 3 month membership to the boot camp, it's at a discount rate. There are two weeks in between boot camps and one of those weeks you'd also, because you bought the package, get one-on-one training with Doug (the owner of Peak Performance) for a week. Almost seems worth it. I'll simmer on that for awhile.

Anyhoodle, off to Chicago for the weekend! I'm SO HUNGRY for crepes! I've been talking them up to Aaron so its a must!

Also, I go in for an ultra sound of my pelvic area today (not for babies, Andrea.) I'm trying to get to the bottom of my pelvic pain and I found a doctor who is going to do whatever it takes. AMEN!!



*hears thunder again* Ack!

6.18.2009

Field Trip Day

Today we had a smaller class. Boot campers can pick either 3, 4, or 5 days. I picked 4 (always average, I am) so majority of the girls were not there, as most picked 3 days. It was really nice having that small of a class. Apparently the night class has 40 women in it!!!!!! 40!!!! I couldn't imagine that!

Today was pretty rough. Thursdays are field trip days so we met at a park in Hartland. Nice park. Easy to get to. It was cloudy and it looked like it was on the verge of raining as we all arrived ....but BAM! Sunny. Beautiful. HOT...right as we started our workout. We started today doing walking lunges, kick lunges, and any other kind of lunge you can think of. We also had to do a work out called "Suicide". That right there should have clued me in. It involved sprinting one at a time to 5 different sets of cones spaced apart from each other vertically (all out sprint..not a faster jog) and then jogging back. Never stopping, we were instructed to do 25 sit ups after each jog back....or 25 push ups, or walking lunges. Crazy!!!! We did that twice.

We were near a baseball field so we had to jog over to the dug out area and do triceps dips on the benches as well as push ups off of them....meanwhile, the sun is BEATING down on us. I've never, EVER, sweat so much. It was AWESOME. Anyhoodle, we then were instructed to sprint to first base, do a set of squats....side shuffle to second and do push ups there....side shuffle to third base and then monster walk home with our elbows on our knees. HARD. Hard hard hard!

After that, we went back to our mats to "cool" down in the shade with v-sit ups and bicycle crunches. Once those were completed, it was off to the trail. There was a little bridge that we had to do more triceps dips on, hop across as if both feet were tied together, and on the other side do 25 jumping jacks. After that was completed, it was time for a run in the woods. It was actually a really nice run because the ground was real soft. But of course, it wasn't just a walk in the park! She had us running backwards at one point and at the end of the trail there was a hill. It was pretty steep and of course, she said, "Once you get to the top, 25 push ups! " Ugh. By this time I was actually feeling dizzy.

We make it back to the bridge and she has us do the same routine again on the bridge. We finish there and it was back to our mats in the shade to do more ab work. Once we finished with that, it was a quick jog over to a different baseball diamond where she has us do wall sits against the fence. Another base to base circuit and we are off to run around the entire area of the field!!

By this time we are all pooped!! We jog over to our mats and we are in the home stretch! Its a bit more ab work outs and stretching and we're done!

While today was hard and during the workouts I have to continually tell myself, " You signed up for this. This is what you want. This is what you NEED. You love this! " I actually really do enjoy it. There are some fantastic women in the group who are funny (one who thinks I'm a hoot...so that always draws out more lolz from me) and are very encouraging. Its going to be a fun three weeks ahead!

Tomorrow is the mile run test and sit up and push up tests. Wish me luck!!

6.17.2009

Boot Camp

We did it!! We got married! I'm sure everyone who reads this blog already knows that .... but its still fun to say we're married! Doesn't feel any differently than dating. Aaron just wears a wedding ring now. But, according to Waukesha County, we are legally bound! Yahooo!!!!

I wouldn't have changed a single thing about that day; The weather, the people....nothing. It was the most amazing 12 second day of my life (or so it felt like that, anyway)!

But on to new things. I was sitting here at the computer about a week ago thinking, " Alright....I'm married now. That doesn't mean I get to "relax" and get fat. " So I was just looking online for any kind of "Boot Camp" that I could find that was in the area. I ran across a Hartland Boot Camp. I was looking up all the info on the page and, what I thought, was just requesting more information. Turns out, I registered myself. It was the best mistake I've made! All of a sudden I'm doing it. I'm really registered for class....and I'm doing it by myself, FOR myself.

The class started on Monday. I didn't really know what I was in for. I showed up late (!!!!!!) because I couldn't find the school. Thank GOD I have Andrea at my disposal because she looked up the number to call so I could get there. But I show up and they are under way. There are about 15 of us in the class (all women). Some have done it before, mostly we're all new. We started off the day taking turns doing the obstacle course (think stations). And while that one person is doing the stations of jumping jacks, jumping over things, etc....the rest of us are doing lunges, ab work, arm workouts. We all took turns and we each did the little course twice. There isn't a time where we are standing still!!

I woke up yesterday and I couldn't walk. I am still not able to really sit down on the toilet without some assistance of something near me. But the work out today (which involved a lot more running) didn't make my legs hurt. They were sore when I got there today and when I left...but during was no problem! Weird how that turns out. But today consisted of more circuit training. It involved more running, more movement all over. We still worked on our legs and upper body, though. Its only an hour long class (4 days a week!) but I have a feeling I'm going to see some awesome results!

Tomorrow I go in for a weigh-in and get measured before class. They want to get our numbers this week so that by the end of the 4th week they can chart our results! I'm not so nervous to weigh in ...but the measuring its going to make me want to throw up, I think! *crosses fingers*


Well, I must shower. I haven't showered yet and I'm pretty stinky. I was drenched in sweat today and am smelling a bit epic.

Will write more on this as I go!!