Exciting News/Jill's Revenge

   I am so excited to announce the newest contributor to our blog, Tee (also affectionately known as "TOD" or the Other Daughter). You can find her amazing introductory post here. It has been an interesting last few weeks going through this experience with her, and I'm excited she can share her perspective; not just on this journey, but in her life. I'm also stoked to announce my mother's comeback post! It's been a trying few months for her, so I'm glad she got to start contributing again.

                                 
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     Stoked! My neighbor O and I finished two weeks of workouts! We initially committed to working out three times a week together, and I'm thrilled to say we've done it! I'm sad to say it doesn't reflect too much on the scales, but I see the improvement in other ways--I've gotten stronger and some of my clothes are looser now than a few months ago. Yes!
     O and I decided to do the Biggest Loser Cardio dvd again a few days ago and added Sculpt, the weight training dvd. This time I was able to actually keep up with Bob and the gang and felt that my strength and stamina increased. And the weight training dvd was a joy compared to the cardio. Give me weights over cardio any day.
      I felt great. I overcame my commitment issues and fear of that cardio dvd. I could do anything.
      Then came Jillian.
     While I was moving mountains with Biggest Loser, my mother decided to to dust off the Jillian Michaels Shred dvd (you can read her awesome post about it here). When I got back, her face was red and she was exhausted. She told me what she had done, and I was blown away. I remember doing that workout once at my Aunty's house. I couldn't recall all the details, but I remembered the pain. I must've blocked it out at the time because it was so traumatic.
     This morning O texted she was taking a rest day, and mentally I decided I would do the same. I planned on catching up on my blog posts and sipping a cup of coffee--black coffee. I rarely drink coffee unless it's infused with cream and sugar, topped of with whipped cream and a generous caramel drizzle, but I heard black burns fat. Unfortunately it tastes like burnt water. While I was planning my morning of leisure, my mother and Tee had other ideas.
     I saw our pink foam mat placed on the ground in the livingroom and Tee putting her socks on. The furniture was pushed back and mom left to get her workout clothes on. Decision time: do I continue on my path of cool, sweat-less comfort or a painful, breathless twenty minutes? I know I would feel guilty if I didn't show solidarity in my mother and sister's efforts by working out with them. But I also really didn't want to shower twice.  In the end, I (reluctantly) got up from the table and put my gear on.
    Two minutes into the workout, I was dying. The dvd combines cardio and weights, both standing and on the ground. Pushups, jumping jacks, butt kickers, rows, the whole gammit. I think Jillian Michaels herself adds extra pressure. She literally says during the workout "the pain you're feeling is weakness leaving the body" and "I want you to feel like you're dying." Since I am an emotional powder puff made of spun sugar and rainbows, hearing that scares me.
     Somewhere between the chestflyes and reverse crunches, I looked over at my workout mates and saw them beasting it like champs. It's still a process for us all and we had to take rests sometimes, but no one gave up. In the last five minutes I was able to find some strength to finish out the last cardio combination without stopping. (The bicycle crunches at the very end were too much so I paused on occasion, but nevertheless...!)
     There's a fitness quote floating saying "you'll never regret a workout." In this case, it was right.  Jillian's dvd did everything a good workout is supposed to do: work your body, push your mental limits and put the fear of God in you. All and all, it was a'ight. I'm scared to do it again, but it was a'ight.

For those about to shred, we salute you.

Cheers,
The Daughter




  

JM Shred with TD and TOD

Good morning all,

This morning, two days after the Jillian Michaels "Shred" workout, I was more sore than ever.  The only thing that makes sense, since I spent most of my day yesterday stretching those sore muscles, is to do Jillian again.....Call me crazy, but I don't think I can positively effect my sore body without doing the work out again.  It's the only way to hit those muscle groups and possibly get some relief.

To my surprise, my girls consented to do Jillian Michaels with me this morning.....I was stoked!
As we started our ascent up the mountain that IS a Jillian workout, we realized that her warm-up is simply not adequate enough in terms of giving one enough time to prepare for the "butt-kicking" of your life.  Then, like she heard us talking, she slapped us with a barrage of cardio jumping jacks, windmills, and some type of boxing move....I can't really recall what it was because I was just trying to breathe and stand upright.  Before we could mentally process it, we hit the sheer rock-face, of Jillian's strength circuit which consisted of AB crunches,  reverse crunches, back up to J Jacks and shadow boxing then squats with hand weights.  This went on for a while.... I was grateful that my ear hadn't gotten plugged like the workout before, but my harsh exhaling and deep groaning were an indication that I was holding on for dear life.  We were giving it our all; the sweating, the panting, the cussing (not out loud) was slowing becoming a frenzied escalation of panic and about to spill over into a psychotic fit of rage.   All of the sudden, Jillian said "this is the end of the cardio, strength and resistance segment".....We had arrived atop  the breezy summit of our workout!  Ecstatic smiles washed over our faces as we began to stretch and cool down.  It was like looking down from heaven onto the earth below.  You notice the beauty of the oceans and landmasses and cloud formations, but your view is not obstructed by wars, climate change and the requirement of political correctness which has destroyed our ability to tell a joke, give an opinion, or even tell the truth. ( It's amazing how profound you become when your life has been spared by Jillian Michaels).  I felt like a million bucks.

Breathing returned to normal and muscles stopped quivering.  I even noticed that the severe soreness had vanished which made sense on some level to my body.  We congratulated ourselves on our survival.  It was truly a treat to workout with "the daughters." I felt myself trying to keep up with them.  They are very motivating to me.  I hope they had a good time too.

Progress:  20 minutes of Jillian Michaels.....Like climbing a mountain......maybe more activity later.

The Day After a Jillian Michaels workout.

Yesterday I did a workout called "Shred" by Jillian Michaels.....during the workout, while doing the Ab strength exercise, I got a cramp in my stomach.  Today, everything hurts.  You know how bodybuilders talk about leg day and can't walk the day after.....this was similar to that.  My neck was cramping because I pulled on it too much during the Ab portion of the exercise....my biceps, flanks, quads and thighs were sore.  I  figured I would try to stretch and maybe do some other kind of exercise later in the day.

The kids wanted to go to the toy store, so I thought I'd pick something up for them to play with since it wasn't beach weather.....They each got a toy which I thought, would free me up to get a walk in or  maybe I could do a fitness tape.  I ended up becoming more sore so I looked around at my yard and thought that yard work would be the best exercise for today.  It was a beautiful summer day  but I had hoped that there would have been more of a breeze.....anyhow, I grabbed my sickle and headed out to weed the " Bird of paradise" in my front yard.  Tropical plants are so beautiful and after the last pruning session, the birds were really starting to bloom.  TD came out to weed as well.  Earlier that morning TD went to work out with " O " so she really didn't require an extra work out but she did it.

We both started on the Ti Leaf plants and with the lack of breeze and sun beaming down on us started a nice sweat and full body stretch.  I feel so blessed to live where I live with all this beauty to behold.  The muscle pain started to subside and when the sun went behind the clouds, it was very pleasant.  I spent a good 45 minutes outside and felt confident I had a good stretch at the very least.

When dinner came, I was a bad girl.....too much of everything....the only saving grace is that I had not used all my calories from yesterday.....still it was bad but it's over and I hope I can redeem myself tomorrow.  I think that I'll use pictures to fill up my post because it might better describe how I feel today and might be more entertaining.

Progress:  45 minutes of yard work and a Thank you to Jillian Michaels for the effects on my body the day after working out with her....I can still feel it.

Love, Envy, and Other Ponderings While Nursing My Cramping Triceps

Me Right Now

It seems pretty comical, doesn't it? Cramping triceps? It is, honestly. I feel like I've never felt those muscles there do anything before, much less cramp up. I'm almost proud of myself for going that hard. It was during my third (and last) circuit, during the fourth tricep dip, suddenly I felt a tightening of my arms and then OWWWWW the pain hit. I frantically tried to stretch it out; I tried to remember the procedure for side pain. "Do I stretch toward or away from the pain? Toward? MAYBE NOT. Away? MAYBE NOT." All I could to was pace up and down the small space I made for myself in the room I share with The Daughter until the shooting pain seemed to subside to a dull ache. I finished my set promising myself to not "go too hard" and not to make my injury worse. I survived my set, and after logging my exercise, I decided to decompress a little while longer and check my Facebook for notifications I know aren't there. 

So here's the thing that gets my goat, has anyone else noticed the alarming trend of couples going on expensive trips together? All over my newsfeed; Vegas, California, even fricken' Australia! AUSTRALIA?! A FOREIGN FRICKEN' COUNTRY?! I can't even afford to buy a new bra (RIP Lace Black Strapless), and there are people out there, my age, who are going on these big, expensive trips with their sig oths! "Oh, Tee, you're just jealous" UMM YEAH, OBVIOUSLY! However, you all should've known I would be complaining in my blog posts; it's what I do. 

I know, I know

Let's get down to the root of it. Why am I jealous of these guys? Well first of all, I'm not satisfied with my life at the moment. Let's be fair, though. Who actually is? Don't get me wrong, I have a great family, and even a boyfriend. I'm not saying those things don't mean anything, it's just that... don't you want more to your life? Like a job? The ability to go where you want when you want? A new bra as soon as you need one so you don't have to get stabbed by the underwire every time you put your arm down? I'm not discounting my blessings, just wishing for more of them, I guess. To be completely honest with you all, I have these thoughts pretty often. So what can be done about feeling like this? Well, let's put everything into perspective:

PROS AND CONS OF NOT GOING WITH DKK (BOYFRIEND) TO AUSTRALIA

PRO: I'm not sharing a life-changing experience with someone who may not be in my life forever

CON: I'm not sharing a life-changing experience with someone who may be in my life forever

PRO: I'm saving money

CON: I'm not actually saving money because I have no money to save

PRO: I don't have to deal with all the crazy wildlife Australia is notorious for

CON: No con. Ain't nobody got time for poisonous reptiles and flying foxes

Exactly

See! The pros have it! Now aren't we glad we made that list to help us out?! In all seriousness, it's definitely hard to see your peers have all the things you think you want. But when I think about it, none of those things would ever be on my personal radar, anyway. I wasn't raised in a culture of privilege. I don't know what it's like to "live for now". I want to work toward a goal, not wander aimlessly through part-time jobs in order to save up only enough for the next trip, as is the current trend right now among our generation. I'm not saying we should worry more about the future than the present, but instant gratification isn't the way, either. I hope we can all find a balance in our lives, including me. 

Progress: Feeling less sorry for myself than I did yesterday. And three-full push-ups. Yay me! 

With Love,

Tee

Jillian Michaels.....Angel of Death!

Good morning,  Great morning!

After publishing my last post, I felt some relief about revealing the life-issues my family is facing currently.  Identifying that my Mother's condition was having a profound effect on my outlook made a change in me.  It's important to accept that the changes my own family has faced these past months does,  have an effect on your normal and you should not  feel guilty that you have to create a new way of dealing with your life to accommodate them.  Anyone you value, like parents and grandchildren,  impacts not just the day to day, but it gets inside you and challenges the core of who you are and who you need to be for them.  These changing roles put pressure on who you were but due to circumstances, can't be anymore.  These people are valid reasons to reassess and restructure your life and they are truly worth all the changes.  That being said, I do look to God to help me with this new frontier knowing that I, even in weakness have help from something/someone bigger then me.  I am God's child and know my Father will not abandon me, He will make me able to cope and care for those who need me.

I am so grateful that TD has a workout partner that can challenge her in new ways.  I myself sense that my fitness needs are changing and don't what to hold anyone back.  The accountability is vital to seeing results.  Blogging our experiences is part of that process.

I am happy to report that while TD was working out with our wonderful neighbor " O ", I too, did a workout.  Jillian Michaels....one of the most dreaded names in the fitness world and the creator of the 30 day shred, was my choice for today.   I did this workout months ago, but didn't remember just how hard it was.  The sweat was intense and the circuits of cardio, resistance and strength were dizzying.  You really need to breathe during these sessions or YOU WILL PASS OUT!  Jillian is crazy, and crazy is as crazy does.
During this session, I became very aware of the tissue tear I have in my left biceps brachii muscle, shoulder area.  Windmills are difficult.  Any kind of hyper-extension of that area creates tenderness. I finished the 20 minute workout and it was ugly; this is not the kind of thing you do in front of others.  My hair was a mess, clothes were saturated and my face was unrecognizable.  I was not misting, I was full-on, out-of-breath, red-faced, slap-a-veil-on-it SWEATING.  I am still sitting here waiting for one ear to become unplugged.  The good news is I survived and was able to release some of the negative emotions I expressed in my previous post.

It is true, working out is the best way to alleviate stress.  It also changes the thought process because you go from being overwhelmed by circumstances into a place where you are trying to breathe, stay alive and standing, then finally just grateful you have survived the workout.

I am even thankful for the Angel of Death, she does care in her own "whack-job" way.

Progress: Workout done....Outlook good....Rest of the day, to be determined.

The Return

RETURN:  1. To go or come back as to an earlier condition or place.

First, I would like to apologize to "The Daughter" for being MIA for the past few months on our blog project.  We have a surprise to share which is part of my motivation for mustering up the courage to return to our blog..." The Other Daughter" is now on her own fitness journey and has graciously decided to share her experiences in "Blog" format with our faithful and true host "The Daughter."

I have read some of the recent blog entries and am grateful that TD continued in my absence.  There are no excuses to give.  I simply got busy, distracted, unmotivated and so forth and so on.  I pretty much have not accomplished anything during this past few months for myself physically.  I think this is what happens when you allow yourself to become distracted by "life" and then end up realizing you should not have let go of moments that could have afforded great strides in health and well-being.  I try not to dwell on my failures because I am making an attempt to pick up where I left off.  So, here we go again and I hope to do better this time.

My walking routine was interrupted, but there were several good walks and workouts that thankfully are in recent memory.  The great thing about life is that everyday is a new start, if you want it to be.

We went for a walk yesterday, TD, TOD and myself.  Mind you, summer is in full swing and the Hawaiian trade winds were simply nonexistent so, it was a sweat fest of sticky, itchy yuck.  There was just enough incline on the hill we encountered to give the glutes quite a sting and the calves a bit of a stretch.  Overall, the distraction of pain overcame my guilt over not doing the daily thing.  I felt that familiar voice telling me "okay, keep it up and we'll forget about the past."  The walk was a nice stretch of the legs and ended with a few minutes of resistance exercise.

This blog, I hope, will be something that blows new life into my desire to share my fitness experience with my daughters and maybe others.  To be honest,  lately I have felt old and unable to overcome some of the thought patterns that have shaped my life into it's current state.  I feel like my thought processes at the beginning of the year have changed.  The BS of trying to trick myself into doing something I need so desperately is lost.  The harsh reality I face today is that if I don't change, I might never be able to. That is not funny.  There is no way to trivialize or rationalize this.  Thinking I'm too old is deadly for me.  They say you are as old as you feel, well today, I'm feeling very old and don't like it.  I find myself raising my grandchildren and also occasionally caring for my own mother.  My mom has taken care of herself for the majority of her life, but now needs help remembering what day it is and requires pep talks every few minutes just to make it through the day.  The peace she once knew and deposited in me is now gone.  Mom can't remember what peace and happiness feels like.  We have a very strong belief in God and even that is being challenged by the day to day struggle to find something positive to hold on to.  I feel pressure on all sides and am searching for a new normal for myself.  These are the harsh realities that have affected me the past 4 months.

I know this one thing, if it wasn't for my daughters, I would not be writing this post today.  I appreciate them for valuing me, helping me, and encouraging me.  I hope my playful, carefree self re-emerges, but for today I am returning and this is where I've been.

Progress: I'm here.

What Exactly Is a Swolemate?

Apparently I'm supposed to introduce myself. I'm Tee a.k.a. The Other Daughter (TOD), the youngest of this clan, the newest on this fitness journey, and the world's best macaroni and cheese and scrambled eggs chef (according to my nephew and niece) (also, separately. Mac and cheese in scrambled eggs or vice versa sounds gross). I hold the distinction of being a college graduate, unemployed, and having abnormally tight muscle groups, all of which you will be hearing about throughout my posts. I also enjoy romanic candlelit dinners and long moonlight walks on the beach. Just kidding; I need to be able to see my food before I eat it and sand is a bitch to get off your feet in the dark.

It's been an interesting journey for me since I graduated in December 2014. Having no jobs lined up, everyone said, "Oh, enjoy your time off", "It won't last forever!", "You're so lucky you have nothing to do!" But what pretty much every single person failed to mention was that after being at home for six months straight, you'd develop a minor social phobia, shaky self-esteem, and resort to cutting your own hair due to lack of funds. However, I'm not here to complain. I've been fortunate to learn a lot about myself in this time at home. For example, I validate myself by what I'm doing with my life outside my home, which is not a good thing, obviously. Also, I should not be allowed to cut anyone's hair, including my own. 

I've also learned how ridiculously difficult it is to get a job nowadays, even for college graduates. Since January, I've applied for everything under the sun to no avail. It's like, even the jobs that don't require experience want someone with MORE experience than what I have. Basically, everyone seems to be hiring, but no one is hiring me. Or The Daughter. The Daughter is in this boat, too. Since the beginning of the month, I've experienced an influx of calls for interviews from people who are actually considering hiring me. So far, nothing much has come from it. I'm still waiting to hear from a few places but I'm less than confident. Part of it is completely discouraging, but if there is any silver lining to this cloud, it's that I'm pretty sure the rejection entitles me to a level of dissatisfaction and bitterness than an employed person isn't allowed.

Other than that, I don't know what started me on a fitness binge at the beginning of this month. Part of me is pretty sure it happened out of sheer boredom, or maybe there's a greater force drawing me to the prospect of sore muscles and multiple showers a day. I'm nearing the end of my second week of this "challenge", but I know I should be treating this more as a lifestyle change than just something I'll do for a month and then see what happens after that. One important thing I've learned is that most stuff has WAY MORE calories than I initially thought, and I eat WAY MORE calories than I initially thought. That, I think, is the biggest challenge right there. The eating.

You all need to know this right now; I LOVE FOOD. I LOVE TO EAT. I love the way I feel when I eat something totally delicious. I reward myself with food. I reward others with food. My day revolves around what I'm eating for dinner, or lunch, or breakfast. Food is my bliss, and I like to follow my bliss. I have a debilitating weakness for chips, particularly Pringles. I find that pastries have a calming affect on my life. I look to red meat as everything I want poultry to be. Chocolate anything and custard pie are my true friends. According to my neighbor and good friend, food is fuel. My problem is I see food as anything but that. Food is a celebration of all things lovely. Food is a companion. Food is love. And to be brutally honest, when so few things in my life give me joy, I'm not sure if I'm willing to change my mindset toward the charms and allure of high-fat, low nutrition treats. I need something, yadamean? Please please PLEASE don't take that away from me!

So to close this introductory post, let's recap: I'm Tee a.k.a. The Other Daughter, I'm not physically flexible or employed, I'm bitter, and I love food. I also have a bad haircut. Okay, that's not totally true. I'm not bitter all the time, just at the moment. I apologize. I had another job interview today. Don't worry though, the haircut bit is true. Anyway, I look forward to sharing my journey with you, and I hope I provide you with someone you can relate to. I wish you luck on all your adventures, fitness and otherwise.

With Love,
Tee