Butt hurt cream?

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150458661332444&set=a.10150458660507444.359148.157348267443&type

That is if the comments were not removed, between the two former Marines who are so glad they’re out and don’t have to deal with the “bag nasties”. 

Because it’s other people’s fault that you can’t control your behavior and get busted down the ranks? Granted there are those who do cry wolf and blow it for the rest of us. I don’t know their story, but it’s the shit attitude the two first commenters are displaying that makes me realize that some people are just so butthurt they will carry those feelings with them for the rest of their lives. 

And that is sad.

Still Alive!

School has me swamped! Speaking of school, next semester will be my last semester. I've decided that since I'm so close to the end I might as well finish before boot. Speaking of boot....

I'm close to my max weight, I've been passing every IST my way, and I even did a 10K last month on Thanksgiving! Holy crap 6.2 miles!

I'll update more, but I have finals to study and projects to complete.

Stay motivated!

I have this really awesome story....

.about male poolees bitching about how unfair it is that females have to do the flex arm hang instead of pull ups. As if it is our own personal fault that pull ups are not part of the female IST/PFT scores, yet. Rumor mill has it that pull ups will be implemented for females starting January of 2012, ironically the year the world is suppose to end. Which is fantastic for those ladies who can crank out pull ups, their work will finally be factored into their scores. 

I’ll document this morning’s events when I get over my NyQuil induced coma, but I will leave you my feelings of today and the whining I had to endure earlier here:

I'm fucked....

I just made some awesome double chocolate chip cookies for my mother's work bake sale.

And I make some damn good cookies let me tell you.

It's just one cookie right...?

And I'm below my calorie count.

And if I pair the cookie with a protein I can lower it's GI.

Oh fuck it. GET IN MAH BELLY.

*EDIT*

Regret, but only for the sugar rush I'm getting now. It was delicious of course. 

Note that if you do experience a sugar rush the best way is drink a lot of water to help flush it up faster.

Not self induced vomiting. Fool. 

Oh hey fat loss plateau, I haven't seen you in awhile.

Which is a lie.

I feel like I’m always starting back at square one. 

The past few days I’ve lost my appetite, but that can’t explain the sudden surge of weight gain at all. 

It’s like I have a fucking monkey on my damn back.

20 Hours of Exercise in a Week Challenge - Day 4

I. Am. Beat.

Saturday I was lucky and had two hours of PT in the morning including the IST (passed). So it was just my duty to find something for an hour. I may or may not have danced in my living room. With no pants. 

Today was an easy two miles before a photoshot for my portfolio and helping a friend move. I figured I’d spend a few hours helping her move and wrap up tonight with a short card workout. Except out of the the five people she had there, two us weren’t pregnant. An 11 year old and me. So for the first hour I definitely pulled my weight lifting and carrying and running and trying not to scratch the walls, pretty much by myself. I was then promptly put back in my “woman place” when some of the guys (not pregnant) came by with the bulky furniture. I was directed to all the light items while they insisted on getting the heavy ones. Do you see my biceps?! I’m sure they were just being polite…

I’ve had to up my caloric intake to about 2,800, drink more than a gallon of water, sleep at least 7, and make a daily schedule and match it to a ‘t’. If I didn’t follow any of that, shit went bad fast. 

So I have about 20 minutes left I need to cram in for this evening, not bad, but damn am I sore from the move. 

20 Hours of Exercise in a Week Challenge

Day 3

This is what I can tell you after completing eight hours of exercise in three days, obviously not including my workouts from Monday to Wednesday, it takes a lot out of you.

So far the key points I have learned are: time management, hydrate more than usual,  EAT and eat even more, and sleep.

I'm writing this with a slight headache and feeling light headed. I didn't sleep well enough nor did I hydrate like I should so cramming in another hour today is going to be a bit of strain, but it'll get done.

20 hours of exercise in a week?

I guess I should hit the sack and wake up all bushy eyed for tomorrow's training. 

Six days will be a guarantee of three hours of exercise and one day of two hours. 

As Tim Gunn says, "Make it work!"

Five miles nothing to it (August Workout of the Month)

Okay I lied. The last two miles of that five mile run were more of a trot and that's being generous.

In weight loss news, I'm STILL at a plateau. In the heat of the crazy moment of getting of the scale, I had a mental lapse and toyed with the idea of getting one of those thermogenics. But that idea went out faster like my temptation to toss out the scale through the window.

This...this is nearly a break down.

But enough of my bitching, I bet you're all dying because I didn't post a July WOM.

Well motivators, here is August's WOM

August Workout of the Month

30 Side straddle hops
5 Push ups
25 High knees
7 Burpees
10 Sit ups
10 Squats
5 Push ups
10 Sit ups
5 Push ups
10 Squats
30 Side straddle hops
1 Minute wall sit
5 Push ups
25 High knees

Do this 2 - 3 times.

I sadly cannot take credit for this. I found it on Tumblr, did it, and loved it so much I wanted to share.

Four Mile Run...pffft

Since when did running four miles become a welcoming challenge?

With hills.

And sprints?

I'll take it.

True story

Someone asked me how I lost all my weight. What program I was on, what gym, was I seeing a personal trainer, was I taking thermogenics (!^*&@#!^@&*@^), and doing any cleanses.

I told her this: I did (and still do) hard work. No pill. No magic juice. No starving. No shakes. Trainer I saw weekly, yes. I go to a locally own no chain gym. I know them and they know me.

I worked out when I could. I ate as best as I could and as often. In fact, the more I ate, the more I lost. Funny, eh? I ate 1200 calories and didn't lose a damn pound. Jumped it up to 1600-1900 and I started dropping. I ate when I was hungry, even before bed time. Tuna sandwich right before hitting the hey? Hell yes. Did I balloon out like so many people thought? No. I worked out my huge redwood size legs even though I was repeatedly told not to because working them out would make them bigger. No. They're getting smaller (ever so slowly).

I drank water, tea, coffee. Nothing added. Nothing special. I ate my veggies. I ate my protein. I ate often. I worked out often. I rested when I needed to. It's taken me awhile to get to where I am now, but I guarantee this will last till the end of my days.

So stop looking for a fast and easy way. BECAUSE IT DOES NOT EXIST. Anything worth having, is worth working hard towards.

Tough times don't last, tough people do.

I'm STILL waiting on a med waiver. Backup and such? Whatever it maybe it certainly has me down. I panic silently to myself keeping cool front and assure to others, but mainly to myself, that the paperwork will get approved.
It is a bit hard to see people enlist and ship soon after. Pooles come and go. Some drop out of DEP from injury, some sort of bad behavior, or somehow lost the cajones to go through it all. It's the people who have a problem with their IST, ones who don't do their research, their knowledge reading, or who lack integrity that go through boot camp and come back as Marines. Here I am maxing out on strength with a passable run, 11 General Orders and JJ DID TIE BUCKLE down, you name it.

But anything worth having is worth fighting for, right?

Of course I go through these valleys of weakness thinking I'll never get through and I'm an "old" lady according to recruit standards and immediately afterwards I'm on a motivation high. Tomorrow is a new day. I'll run further, lift heavier, etc. And that is where the silver lining is, the more time I have as a civilian the more time I have to improve on my weaknesses. I can be thankful for that.

Now finishing up school, well, that's a toughie. This autumn semester, if I don't leave before October, I'll be cramming five fifteen week classes into seven just so I can ship out this year. No pressure right?

Stats

Today I am definitely feeling my workout from the previous day(s). I'm sitting on a heating pad with a pillow propped up behind me. Some arnica and ibuprofen and in a few hours I should be feeling decent.

I'm sure you're all very curious about my recent IST stats, as of last month:

Run: 13:34
Crunches: 128
FAH: 82

My goal is to get my run down in the 10 minute range, up my crunches to 140 or more, and my FAH to 120 seconds (that's 2 minutes folks).

Still waiting on the damn med waiver to clear and drop more pounds. And both are going snail's pace. What can you do? Run, run, pump some iron, read some knowledge and find someone to finish all my math homework.

Any takers? Any? Bueller? Bueller?

Stay tune for Part Two of the Leadership series! Rah!

Leadership: Part 1 Intro

Leadership

Entry from World dictionary

Pronunciation:/ˈliːdəʃɪp/

noun

[mass noun]

• the action of leading a group of people or an organization, or the ability to do this: different styles of leadership
• the state or position of being a leader: the party prospered under his leadership
• [treated as singular or plural] the leaders of an organization, country, etc.:

the leadership was divided into two camps

                  Marine Corps Leadership Traits

J.J. DID TIE BUCKLE

JUSTICE

Definition: Justice is defined as the practice of being fair and consistent. A just person gives consideration to each side of a situation and bases rewards or punishments on merit.

Suggestions for Improvement: Be honest with yourself about why you make a particular decision. Avoid favoritism. Try to be fair at all times and treat all things and people in an equal manner.

JUDGMENT

Definition: Judgment is your ability to think about things clearly, calmly, and in an orderly fashion so that you can make good decisions.

Suggestions for Improvement: You can improve your judgment if you avoid making rash decisions. Approach problems with a common sense attitude.

DEPENDABILITY

Definition: Dependability means that you can be relied upon to perform your duties properly. It means that you can be trusted to complete a job. It is the willing and voluntary support of the policies and orders of the chain of command. Dependability also means consistently putting forth your best effort in an attempt to achieve the highest standards of performance.

Suggestions for Improvement: You can increase your dependability by forming the habit of being where you're supposed to be on time, by not making excuses and by carrying out every task to the best of your ability regardless of whether you like it or agree with it.

INITIATIVE

Definition: Initiative is taking action even though you haven't been given orders. It means meeting new and unexpected situations with prompt action. It includes using resourcefulness to get something done without the normal material or methods being available to you.

Suggestions for Improvement: To improve your initiative, work on staying mentally and physically alert. Be aware of things that need to be done and then to do them without having to be told.

DECISIVENESS

Definition: Decisiveness means that you are able to make good decisions without delay. Get all the facts and weight them against each other. By acting calmly and quickly, you should arrive at a sound decision. You announce your decisions in a clear, firm, professional manner.

Suggestions for Improvement: Practice being positive in your actions instead of acting half-heartedly or changing your mind on an issue.

TACT

Definition: Tact means that you can deal with people in a manner that will maintain good relations and avoid problems. It means that you are polite, calm, and firm.

Suggestions for Improvement: Begin to develop your tact by trying to be courteous and cheerful at all times. Treat others as you would like to be treated.

INTEGRITY

Definition: Integrity means that you are honest and truthful in what you say or do. You put honesty, sense of duty, and sound moral principles above all else.

Suggestions for Improvement: Be absolutely honest and truthful at all times. Stand up for what you believe to be right.

ENTHUSIASM

Definition: Enthusiasm is defined as a sincere interest and exuberance in the performance of your duties. If you are enthusiastic, you are optimistic, cheerful, and willing to accept the challenges.

Suggestions for Improvement: Understanding and belief in your mission will add to your enthusiasm for your job. Try to understand why even uninteresting jobs must be done.

BEARING

Definition: Bearing is the way you conduct and carry yourself. Your manner should reflect alertness, competence, confidence, and control.

Suggestions for Improvement: To develop bearing, you should hold yourself to the highest standards of personal conduct. Never be content with meeting only the minimum requirements.

UNSELFISHNESS

Definition: Unselfishness means that you avoid making yourself comfortable at the expense of others. Be considerate of others. Give credit to those who deserve it.

Suggestions for Improvement: Avoid using your position or rank for personal gain, safety, or pleasure at the expensive of others. Be considerate of others.

COURAGE

Definition: Courage is what allows you to remain calm while recognizing fear. Moral courage means having the inner strength to stand up for what is right and to accept blame when something is your fault. Physical courage means that you can continue to function effectively when there is physical danger present.

Suggestions for Improvement: You can begin to control fear by practicing self-discipline and calmness. If you fear doing certain things required in your daily life, force yourself to do them until you can control your reaction.

KNOWLEDGE

Definition: Knowledge is the understanding of a science or art. Knowledge means that you have acquired information and that you understand people. Your knowledge should be broad, and in addition to knowing your job, you should know your unit's policies and keep up with current events.

Suggestions for Improvement: Suggestions for Improvement: Increase your knowledge by remaining alert. Listen, observe, and find out about things you don't understand. Study field manuals and other military literature.

LOYALTY

Definition: Loyalty means that you are devoted to your country, the Corps, and to your seniors, peers, and subordinates. The motto of our Corps is Semper Fidelis!, (Always Faithful). You owe unwavering loyalty up and down the chain of command, to seniors, subordinates, and peers.

Suggestions for Improvement: To improve your loyalty you should show your loyalty by never discussing the problems of the Marine Corps or your unit with outsiders. Never talk about seniors unfavorably in front of your subordinates. Once a decision is made and the order is given to execute it, carry out that order willingly as if it were your own.

ENDURANCE

Definition: Endurance is the mental and physical stamina that is measured by your ability to withstand pain, fatigue, stress, and hardship. For example, enduring pain during a conditioning march in order to improve stamina is crucial in the development of leadership.

Suggestions for Improvement: Develop your endurance by engaging in physical training that will strengthen your body. Finish every task to the best of your ability by forcing yourself to continue when you are physically tired and your mind is sluggish.

          Marine Corps Leadership Principles

·         Know yourself and seek self-improvement.

·         Be technically and tactically proficient.

·         Develop a sense of responsibility among your subordinates.

·         Make sound and timely decisions.

·         Set the example.

·         Know your Marines and look out for their welfare.

·         Keep your Marines informed.

·         Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions.

·         Ensure assigned tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished.

·         Train your Marines as a team.

·         Employ your command in accordance with its capabilities.

Read all the above. Learn it. Love it. LIVE IT.  


*This is obviously not my material. All this can be found in your Marine Corps knowledge books. And if you don't have one, do 20 push ups and get one. 

June Workout of the Month

Here it is folks. I did this and yowza. Loved it! And proud to say I came up with this on my own. Of course if you need to modify the workout to give you more of a challenge or you're just not ready for weights, do so by adding heavier dumbbells/medicine ball and/or adding more reps or more sets. Do this workout as fast as you safely can with little rest as possible within the super set, but do take a minute long break between the super sets. Unless you're a hard charger, then go through the whole thing at full speed non stop, killer.Obviously rest when you really need to do so.
Knock yourself out!


12 minute warm up of your choice

1.) Three sets, 10 reps each
Thrusters with dumbbells (YouTube video no sound. The only difference I would recommend is to bring the db all the way down to the floor)
1 arm dumbbell swing (work both sides)
Frog jumps with medicine ball    (YouTube video w/sound)

2.) Three sets, 15 reps each
Push ups
Box split jumps (YouTube, no sound)

3.) Three sets, 10 reps each
Side bridges w/crunch (YouTube video w/sound)
Flutter kicks
Russian Twists
V-ups

20 - 30 minute cardio of your choice

Cool down stretch

My Fitness Pal important info!

For those of you keeping track of your food and exercise, whether to loose a few pounds, gain a few pounds, or maintain for the Marines (or what have you), below is very good information on how to use the site and what you should be doing with your food!

My Fitness Pal

*******

I got this from a user and what she wrote is very valuable about using this site!

I noticed that 90% of the posters on this thread either just joined, have a very low post count, or both...which is FINE, but also means that most of you are new at this and uneducated in the ways MFP calculates your goals. 

Please listen up: 

Your daily calorie goal already includes a sizable deficit. You do NOT need, or WANT, to make it bigger by leaving calories uneaten at the end of the day. Your goal is a goal to REACH, not a goal to stay UNDER. 

If you chose the recommended 1 lb per week your goal is 500 calories less than your maintenance amount, which is the amount you would eat to stay the same weight. 

You need to EAT all the calories you are given to maintain that reasonable deficit. If you eat LESS than your goal, you are making that deficit way bigger and possibly hurting yourself in the process. 

Your NET calories are shown on your homepage in that box right in the middle. At the end of your day, that NET should be equal to what your original goal was to start the day. 
Your calories in your diary should be equal to zero remaining, or within 100 regardless of if it goes red or not. 

RED does NOT mean failure. You have a 500 (or more, if you chose 2 lbs per week) deficit. You would have to be RED by 500 to break even and maintain for the day. 

You goal is based off of regular daily activity NOT including exercise, so on days you DO exercise, you HAVE TO eat them back to maintain the same daily deficit. it is NOT counterproductive, it is fueling your body for your workout! 

If you DON'T eat them back you are creating a much larger deficit than you intended and are not getting adequate nutrition. 



To the OP: 
you say you have an 800 calorie "deficit" at the end of the day...what you really mean is that you have 800 calories left to eat. If your goal was 1 lb per week, you already have a deficit of 500, so the 800 left uneaten makes it 1300! That is WAY too little to be holding back from your body each day. 
I understand that you get this and are trying to figure out ways to eat more, but it really isn't hard, just eat more. Healthy food. It's quite simple. 

To the people who say they don't eat their exercise calories. That's all fine and good when you're morbidly obese and have a ton to lose, but once you are within 50 pounds of goal you need to be at 1 lb per week and EAT a LOT more. 
Within 20 lbs of goal, people need to be at .5 lb per week and eat even more. 

To the person who is looking to bulk up: 
You need to eat a calorie SURPLUS to put on muscle. Calculate maintenance calories, set your diary to that amount, and aim to turn it RED, and with a LOT of protein daily (1g per pound of your weight is good). Lift HEAVY weight near to the point of failure. 

Also, I must point out, WOMEN have a MINIMUM net of 1200 a day to be healthy (unless you are under 5 feet tall and under 100 pounds, then you MIGHT be able to get away with a little less) 

MEN, on the other hand have a BARE MINIMUM of 1500 a day, and this site can't differentiate between male or female on the goals page so it uses 1200 across the board. If you are a man, please be sure to NET OVER 1500 a day bare minimum, preferably more. 

Trust me, I maintain at 1800-2200 a day as a 5'2" 108 lb female. 

*******

5'2, 108lb, 30 something woman, who eats about 2,000 calories a day. Now that is impressive! 

Now go do some push ups and chow down on raw steak. 

Crazy, wacky, insane, it just won't work fat loss tips: Part Two

And so it continues, the endless bad advice with good intentions.


You need 1200 calories a day to lose weight.

This boggles my mind so much that I'm sure I have suffered more damage from the above line than that  horrible night of binge drinking on ouzo. The amount of research done of starvation and caloric requirements is in the hundreds and a quick Google search will get you some reliable answers. 1200 calories for a very active person is pretty low. Too low. My BMR is about 1600 calories. So if I sat on my ass all day and did nothing, I would burn 1600 calories. If you're a quick thinker you would get that me eating 1200 calories would put my body into starvation mode. And I don't sit on my ass for a good chunk of the day; I PT at least an hour 5 - 6 days a week.

Check out your BMR. If you like cross checking, you can go to Fat2Fit Radio's BMR calculator.

For a female to have a BMR of 1200 calories they would be tiny. Appromatiely, (I used 20 years for this) 5 foot tall and weighing between 80 and 90 pounds. So for someone who is an athlete or going into Marines (or any military for that matter) you see that the weight is well below standards.

One would think I over eat, I don't, in fact I had the opposite problem for a good long while. I under ate and I didn't eat back my exercise calories. But over the past thirty days I have been using My Fitness Pal, which has been a great tool. If you need lose, maintain, or even gain; I highly recommend the site.

Because remember, if you're starving, your body will grab onto whatever you take on and pile on the fat. Regardless if you are working out.


Fruit is evil and carbs are for fatties.

Any diet that tells you that fruit, whole grains, and veggies are bad for you and you need to nix them, walk away. Fruit should be taken in moderation, whole grains are a good source for those two hour PT sessions, and veggies eat them non stop. Your colon will thank you. Some people, like myself, thrive on a diet low in grains. There are things I miss at times, but I feel good and I'm not deprived. Notice I wrote "low in grains" and not grain free. I love oatmeal, oatmeal is m crack for those running distances and endless barrage of burpees.

So don't shun the good things! You want those! An apple is better than a Snickers, I say. Hearty whole grains and veggies will power your workouts. Just remember to keep fruit in moderation, if you need to cut out some grain products then do it, and fill up on all your veg. It's no rocket science.


You should try these heart damaging diet pills! They work!

Okay no one has ever told me they were heart damaging, but that is what diet pills (aka theromgenics) do. I've ranted about them before, I'll rant about them again. If you have the over whelming sense of desire to collapse in the middle of your IST run, feel like having a heart attack at random moments, sweat non stop, not sleep for long periods of time, damage your liver and other organs, and basically looking for a fast track to self destruction that will most likely have you end up in the ER; then I say go for the diet pills.

But if you don't want the above, drink more water and up your cardio. Don't be a dumbass and look for a solution to your problem in a bottle...of pills and/or booze.

*I do not have formal training in nutrition. Everything is based on my own research through conversations with those that do hold professional training/degrees in nutrition or exercise/sports/health.

Crazy, wacky, insane, it just won't work fat loss tips: Part One.

I have hit another fat loss plateau and this is a doozy. Of course I’m bummed about it. I’ve been losing weight the right way, slow and steady, and doing what I should be doing, and this bump in the road comes along and fucks it all up. Adapt and overcome, I got it, I got it. While struggling to find a way to beat the dreaded plateau I always come across some very helpful and at times colorful men and women, who with best intentions, dole out bizarre, unsound, and outdated weight loss tricks. So below you will read some of the advice from very helpful and at times colorful men and women, who with best intentions and want to see me become a Marine, dole out bizarre, unsound, and outdated weight loss tricks.

You need to sit in a sauna wearing a plastic suit!

            No I don’t. That’s not fat loss, that’s water loss. And I’m not looking to lose water weight. If I have a serious case of monthly bloat, I still wouldn’t follow this. Mainly because I don’t have the time to sit in a room and sweat, secondly it’s just water weight. But if you’re that close to your max weight as long as you don’t keel haul in the sauna you are an adult.

No eating after 6/7/8/…4pm?

            Your body doesn’t know the difference between 0600 and 1800. It really doesn’t. So you had a cup of veggies at 1830, your body is not going to say, “Sucker! I’m storing this as fat! Hahaha!” Or even if he cup of veggies was two bowls of ice cream, day or night, an hour after you wake up or an hour before you go to sleep, your body processes it just the same. At the end of the day it’s all about the calories in and the calories out.

Just take some laxative.

Because ruining my lower intestinal tract is exactly what I need. I look forward to being constipated 24/7/365 in my senior years or wearing a diaper because I no longer have control of my anus.

You gotta do the Master Cleanse! (Or any cleanse for that matter.)

Those juice cleanses are jokes. Jokes! Yet, they’re not funny. Speaking of jokes; two peanuts were walking down the street, once was a salted.

Cleanses go by the theory that the body needs to be rejuvenated every so often. What most people don’t know is that the body does just fine as long as you treat it right. That means knock it off with the soda, fast food, and high processed junk you keep shoving in your mouth. During a cleanse you are starving your body of the food it needs. The result is a loss of water and muscle weight. Once you resume your normal eating habits, you’ll gain the weight back and then some because you have slowed down your metabolism. And I’m no fool, I don’t want that. So take that natural holistic misguided crap somewhere else, preferably the trash.

If you feel the need to undo damage, take a day to eat as many servings of veggies, water, and lean proteins. It’s that simple.

*I do not have formal training in nutrition. Everything is based on my own research through conversations with those that do hold professional training/degrees in nutrition or exercise/sports/health.

Twinkie Diet?

Twinkie Diet

Old news article from last year, but still relevant. If I did what Haub did I would gain weight in the time he lost it.

Not that I would ever eat a Twinkie, which is made up of nothing but chemicals.  

Running: An abusive relationship

Running, even after a year of doing it one would think I would be awesome….no AMAZING at it, right?

No.Well...yes. Getting injured puts a stop to it. 

I sprained my ankle middle of March and did everything but run on it for a month and a half. I remember the incident. Spring was showing its mood with clear skies, a warm sun, and a gentle breeze. Buds were sprouting, ice and snow gone from earlier in the month, and I was aching to do SOMETHING outside. Running on a track and on the treadmill already grew dull at this point. I expressed my boredom to a gym pal and he talked me into doing a trail run. Running! Outdoors! Mother Nature! Yes! I had planned on doing a 5k in April that coursed over farmland and some woods and that’s different than the usual pounding on pavement or treadmill. Trail running would be perfect.

We’re both horrible runners, mainly because we’re just not “built like runners” so to speak or find it that thrilling….most of the time. The run started off pretty nice, hills, rocks, broken tree branches, and other nature-y things cluttered the trail. Along the way I let the new sensation of running OUTDOORS IN MOTHER NATURE, got the best of me. Sure enough stepped on a rock and twisted the damn ankle inwards. Same story goes: rest, ice, compress, elevate, and repeat.

While I didn’t do full out running, I did sprints. We all know I did burpees , that caused some distress but nothing I couldn’t handle. I am one of those people that endurance just is not my thing. It’s probably why I stuck to sports like softball, camogie, and soccer. I sprinted, waited around for ball, sprinted, waited around for ball, and so forth. Track and Field and Cross Country were just not on my radar. Too boring! So trust me when I say it’ll take me some time to get my endurance back up.

I’m back in the saddle and while it pisses me off I’m not at my old three mile time right now, I will for sure by the end of this month.  Hopefully sooner, but I’ll take what I can get. Running daily? You betch’ya. Putting in 110%? You better believe it. Giving up? FUCK NO.

I’ve worked too hard and too long to give up because of a stupid injury. I lost 30lbs of fat so far this year alone, I’m waiting on a med waiver, damnit I will not let a little boo-boo get in the way. And if I did?  In layman's terms, that's just stupid. 

The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.

Yes, yes, yes I owe ALL OF YOU a May Workout of the Month. We're 10 minutes till June and I still haven't gotten around to it.

BUT, if you go here. You won't be disappointed. I had fun with the drills.

I've been busying finishing up school, PTing like a BOSS, and reading up on Marine Corps knowledge. Which is exactly what all of you are doing right?

Right?

That's what I thought. Now go do some pushups. When you're done with those, do flutter kicks until I get tired.

New Marine drops 130lbs!

I had to share this article! Talk about MOTIVATION!

May 6th issue of The Boot.

Depending on when you click on the above link, you may need to search the archives for May 6th, 2011.

And here I'm thinking my 50+ is an achievement. Holy shit! Amazing!

Now hit the deck readers.

Marine Corp Knowledge

While I'm busy constructing May's Workout of the Month we should probably get our nasty brains pumped with some good ole Marine Corps knowledge.

If you click on over here at USMC Hang Out, read some knowledge. Test it out here.

Sit tight for May's WoM. If you crave speed then May should be a doozy!

Running for a new logo

Not exactly, but I placed a poorly made logo as you can see on the top of this page. It will suffice until the good one is ready! Also note that the web address for this blog has changed to http://janewarrior.blogspot.com

Ran outside once today and it sucked. Though if there is one thing I've learned about running, besides knowing when to rest, it is to celebrate any achievement no matter how trivial it may seem. Busted ankle be damn!* I'm running longer and better! I would not count speed yet.

Happy Friday and get running!

*In cased I failed to mention I sprained my ankle during a trail run in March and have started back up to regular running. Hence the suckage.

Achievement

Brief News

After a month of doing daily planks, tonight I was able to pull off a 4:10 minute plank. Straight shot.

Feels good! Working on a five minute plank is up on the slate!

Running still sucks. However, I've been order to get to PT location at 0600 for running work. I can only assume I will die blissfully at 0630 in a pool of my own sweat. Looking forward to it!

Oorah readers.

Challenge Month: Wrap up! THE SUSPENSE!

Oh I bet it's killing you.

Did I accomplish the 10,000 seconds of planks and 1,000 burpees in a month's time?

I fucking owned it! I've managed 10,000 seconds of planks, that's 2 hours and 20 minutes.

I've managed 1,000 burpees, and not a burpee more.

I feel pretty successful and proud. I also feel extremely sore. My shoulders, all of my core, heck even my joints, feel achy. I have definitely been popping fish oil capsules the past few weeks. There were many times I didn't think I could pull this off. There were days I slacked and paid for it dearly the following days. If I slacked one day, I had to make up the missing reps the next few days or I would have really slipped up. I couldn't give up! Not when I had thrown myself out there for all to see! But I did it, it feels great!

What I have learned this past month:
I can do it!
I may have better time management skills than I have previously thought of myself possessing.
The challenge is entirely mental. (Like boot camp right? Speaking if you are in some semblance of physical shape)
Doing a 10,000 challenge during a month with finals...may not have been the smartest idea, but doing burpees and planks helped me stay awake during the all nighters.
I still fucking hate burpees with a fiery passion and I hope to never do one again for a long long time.

I'm definitely looking forward, I say that now, for the next challenge!
Are any of you planning challenge months? DO IT!

Challenge Month: Days 8 - 26

I honestly didn't mean to let the blog slip during a challenge month! School is wrapping up with finals this week and next and I've been pulling some nasty all nighters to make up for my procrastination. That includes falling asleep mid-writing, with my laptop in my lap, and with drool was coming out of the side of my mouth.
Besides the insane amount of caffeine to keep me awake at 3am, I've sprinkled my evenings and days with planks and burpees to keep the blood moving and staying semi focused. And that has helped me keep on track...for the most part. 

I'm 40 burpees and five minutes of planks behind where I should be. I won't lie, I'm sore, I'm beat, but I have a few more days left before I can drop dead. And that makes me go on, seeing the finish line in sight!

In the end I should have some killer core stability.

But I still hate burpees. Fucking burpees.

Challenge Month: Days 5 & 6 Sacrifice EVERYTHING for discipline

No lie, it's tough. With no real rest days my body is feeling the work.

I have a total of 38 minutes of planks and 215 burpees (!!!!!) under my belt. I still hate burpees with a fiery passion and my core shakes madly when I do the planks. At this point it's all about discipline. It always is! Didn't I learn this from last year's challenge?

I happened upon a phrase I am really liking, Sacrifice everything for discipline. Regardless if I ache or I'm tired, I'm working out. It's CrossFit every day! I love it, but it leaves me sore like nothing else. Honestly at times I don't want to do it, but I do. I look at my butt, the source of my fat woes, and there's nothing mortifying yet motivating to run than looking at it and moving on to better myself for bootcamp. My trainer gave me a swift kick in the rear this past Tuesday and it's his attitude I have to thank. I don't want someone to baby me and tell me, "Good job. You're doing great." Tell me I have to run faster. Tell me I have to do more push ups, ball slams, etc. Tell me I'm not good enough and I could do more and better. Because I will.

I will get there. I will sacrifice EVERYTHING for discipline. If that's what it takes and it does, I'm doing it. That's what I told my recruiter, it's what I'm telling you now, and what I tell myself everyday. I am sacrificing everything for discipline. Now if only I can apply to homework..ugh.

PS. Lost (easily) three pounds last week (as of Tuesday) due to the powers of cutting out grains (for the most part) and drinking a gallon and half of water daily. Try it.

PPS. I hate burpees.

Challenge Month: Days 3 & 4

The planks are getting easier mentally, but physically they are getting tough. My muscles tremor near the 45 second mark now and I hold out as long as I can, usually to the 2:30 mark before collapsing and trying again.

Burpees....fuck that noise. Though I have discovered an "old" muscle strain in my right hip tonight while doing them. Not entirely fun and of course the tube of arnica gel is no where to be found.

Days 3 & 4: Okay.

I have also started tracking my eating and since I have cut out (the majority of) grains I fell a few hundred calories short of what I should be eating a day, which is 1400 calories. Happens when you eat nothing but veggies, fish/chicken/eggs, and some fruit. So I had to cram some food in tonight before working out.

My new favorite move: side straddle hops with a 10lb body bar. Instead of clapping your hands when they get to the top, you thrust the bar above your head and back down when you bring your feet together. I had sweat pouring off of me in seconds.

Important Link

Poolees and those interested in joining the Marines.

Future Jarheads

Good site with good information!

*EDIT* Future Jarheads Wordpress Blog

Challenge Month: Day 2

I won't lie, today sucked. I sat on my ass for the good part of the day for the end of the semester crunch getting chapters done, which I should have done earlier. I did manager to squeeze in three minute planks and I'm about to do another three.
Burpees?
Guess who will be working on doing 71 burpees tomorrow? That one is for yesterday's lack of moto to get to 35. Hell I'll just make it 75 burpees.

Today: Fail. I feel like a beached whale.

There's always tomorrow. And there's always burpees.

Challenge Month: Day 1

34 Burpees completed.
6 minutes of planks completed.

I had to psyched myself up for today's workout, mainly because of the burpees. I did a warm up and then powered into a two minute plank, followed it by 200 meters on the rower, a minute plank, jumping jacks, minute plank, 10 burpees (hate), minute plank, 200 meters on rower, minute of plank (struggle), cranked out 24 burpees.
Yeah 24. Not 25. 24. Do I suck? yeah. But...I did 34 burpees. One more and I would've punched something fluffy and cute. No joke. We'll see how tomorrow works.

Today is: successful.

Still hate burpees.

Challenge Month!

Well, it’s been nearly a year since I’ve started this blog and let me tell you, I’ve come a long ways. I still have a ways to go but the finish line is in sight. And whew!

And what better way to celebrate a year of this lonely little blog and another year above ground with a Challenge Month! Last year I accomplished 10,000 push-ups in 30 days! I did full push-ups, decline push-ups, incline push-ups, dive bombers, modified (yes…), and more.

What is this year’s challenge?

10,000 seconds of planks and 1,000 burpees. It roughly averages 6 minutes of planks a day and 30 burpees. 30 (est) burpees a day? That’s not tough! I hate burpees with a burning passion. Hell hath no fury like my scorn for burpees. 1,000 burpees in a month makes me want to punch something fluffy and cute. Bright side is this, I will get better at doing burpees during this month. Burpees will become easy. I will (hopefully) enjoy doing burpees. And when I do enjoy doing burpees, I will do more than 1,000 burpees. I hope my logic holds true.

Question is…what is your challenge for April?

I use to sit at home all day....

I use to sit at home all day
I let my life just waste away
Then one day a man in blue
Said, "Girl I've got the job for you.
A free room and board with paid up boots.
and a brand new tailored business suit.
There's travel and adventure and loads of fun
You'll even learn to shoot a gun
Free medical and dental benefits
And light weight aluminum camping kits
Athletic events to keep your body tight
Eight hours of sleep each night".
"Believe me girl" he said with a grin.
"Sign these papers and I'll get you right in."
As I got on the bus he winked with his eye
I never knew a man could be so sly.
I'm not complaining don't get me wrong
I've enjoyed myself growing big and strong.
But two things the recruiter didn't promise me,
One rose garden and a cup of tea.

I found a lot of cadences here at this youtube link, marinegurl1388.

March - Workout of the Month

Warm Up - Cardio of your choice for 11 minutes

20 reps of Swing Squats using a challenging weight (I used a 30lb dumbbell)
10 reps of box jumps
10 reverse pull ups
45 second plank (forearms on the ground, back straight with no arching or dipping in back and butt)
Repeat three times.

Cool down cardio of 20 minutes.


I would be lying if I said my biceps weren't killing me after this workout. I did this on Tuesday and it's now Friday. Workout courtesy of my trainer!

Getting funky

I don't mean getting "down" "funky", as in "groovy" or anything remotely fun.
Whatever illness/funk I was in earlier this month is dragging on down the rest of February. It's putting a damper on the workouts. Yesterday I got through two sets of upper body and only one set of lower body and just had to stop. Thankfully I continued with cardio, but punking out on strength is highly unusual for me. I have to wonder how some people get through workouts when they feel like shit and can't perform at a high rate they usual perform at, because it gets me down. Running this month has not been good and I have no excuses. I have to find something that's mucking up my run, fix it, and charge on. It doesn't help that I'm not a big fan of running in the first place. Right now the weather is crisp at a 51 degrees, sunny, and the snow is dwindling. I should really hit the road.

There is no brighter day than the one that shines light on the knowledge that true strength lies not in self, but unity. That others answer to the same cruel tormentor. And that together, they can shoulder the anguish. This is the hot forge that will make Marines, because at last there is no questioning of why, no wondering how. There is only determination. There is only single-minded desire. Not one among them is willing to give up. Not one among them would exchange torment for comfort. Finally, they have found the will to be Marines. 

Workout of the Month

50/40/30/20/10

When I first saw that as the WOD from CrossFit I was intrigued. "What is a 50/40/30/20/10?"
"That's not what I think it is..is it? Oh it is. Fuuuuu!"

The numbers signify reps. Yes reps. 50 reps. 40 reps. And so on.

What the 50/40/30/20/10 is this; pick out three workouts that work the upper, core, and lower body, and a cardio exercise like jumping rope, side straddle hops, high knees, jumps etc.
You'll start the workout with 50 seconds of your cardio of choice, say jump rope followed by 50 reps of each exercise. After the 50 reps of the last exercise, start back with your cardio for 40 seconds and followed by 40 reps of each exercise; you'll work your way down to 10 seconds and 10 reps.
Now CrossFit has their method and it's intense. I love it and there's a great sense of accomplishment when you are done. Don't take long breaks or if any if you can manage during the workout. I did this on Saturday following my recuperation and had little breaks of no more than 10 seconds.

I modified the workout from CrossFit to fit my need but here's February's WOM:

11 minute warm
50/40/30/20/10
Weighted Squats (20lb)
Crunches
Upper Body 15/14/12/10/8 each of side lat raises(10lb), arm curls(20lb), and triceps extensions(20lb)
High knees

I followed this by a 3 mile stint on the bike.

What free time?

School has been keeping me rather busy and I apologize for the lack of updates.

I just got over an odd illness, stomach bug or something like it. It unfortunately kept me from eating, exercising, let alone thing thinking clearly. After a week of not doing much I jumped back in the saddle today and as expected sucked at my timed runs. 1.5 miles in 14:18??? Ew. That's a far cry from my usual 11:00 to 11:30 time. (And I finished today at 2 miles in 19:02 another far cry from the usual) I think this proves that when it comes to running, I need to be consistently doing it.

However, before the illness struck me down I did a Cupid 5k! I got 9th best in my age group with a 27:35! The race wasn't too packed so I had a little advantage. I was literally the Black Sheep so to speak as a race participant. The Cupid Run had tons of couples dressed in Valentines Day colors and I was a loner wearing all black. Hey, I don't need anyone holding me back!
I was really pumped for this race! I had that feeling I got before a Roller Derby bout; extremely excited, nervous, and antsy. I was also worried if anyone would laugh at me, no joke. The run itself was "easy", it was a cool day, flat surface on asphalt, and the best part was all the motivational signs onlookers made! It really made the run enjoyable and there were moments I really didn't care about the time. I kept plugging away until I hit the finish line. I got myself a fancy (little) medal too for being in the top ten of my age group. Quite nice. Definitely looking forward to the Shamrock Run next month!

As far as the fat loss goes, I lost about seven pounds in two weeks. Not sure how, but I'm certainly not complaining.

By the way, I still hate running. But it's always good to know I can out run zombies.

Confidence Course at Parris Island

Found this while looking for some motivation. A tour group is guided through the confidence course on Parris Island this past July. Video clips #7 - #11 feature the different obstacles, though I think the camera man misses out on the Arm Walker course.

Parris Island Confidence Course

Interesting Links

Google Alerts can reap in some interesting finds.

Health/Fitness

The Chocolate Milk Diet from Women’s Health Magazine.  It's worth a read at least. 

Peak Performance Online. Lots of good info on athletic training. 

Brilliant Athlete, another athletic fitness site. 

Military

Women Marines at Wordpress 

AMC Sundance Blog entry on “Hell and Back Again” a documentary on a Marine’s time in Afghanistan.

Women in Uniform at Tumblr  Collection of photos in military uniform from around the world. 

Twitter

I succumbed to the pressures of Twitter. Ew.

http://twitter.com/janewarrior

In case you just can't get enough of memememememe here on Blogger. I have no idea what I'll post there. Probably how much I hate teenagers standing around at the gym flirting with each and pretending to do crunches and lift weights.

Failure is not an option

Running is not everyone’s favorite; in fact it takes a particular mindset to do the simple motion of putting one foot in front of the other and doing it really really fast. It wasn’t that long ago, about a year and half, I couldn’t run a couple of yards. I could skate for miles and miles and miles, but running wasn’t something I could do. If I were to get mugged, I hope it would happen if I was on a pair of roller skates.

Starting out running is kind of funny, especially if you never ran before or it has been years since your last jog. I played soccer in high school, but that was fun! Soccer isn’t just about running, it’s about getting the ball away from the other team and scoring points! That’s fun! Running, by itself? Not so fun. So why would someone like me start running? And why the hell would someone like me run in the rain or in 20 something degree weather?

I want to be a Marine. That’s why I run, why I work out, and why I keep going. There was a turning point late last year for me as I sat on the gym locker room floor feeling somewhat sorry for myself. My weight hadn’t budged and I was working out really hard. I thought, “Come hell or high water, I will do what it takes to be a Marine. Through discipline and dedication I will get to and through boot camp. Quitting is not even in the books. Neither is failure.”

I’m so close.

2011 is the year. 

I wrote it before, I'll write it again. I should have done this years ago!