Crystal Renn "I lost Weight" secret meaning.

God I am a blogger! This is a post from a blog I did two years ago... I just fell in love with myself <3 Read and you'll understand.  Crystal Renn is amazing.

Day 32: Yes, I have lost weight!

I stumbled across this article today about Crystal Renn.  She is a size 12 supermodel who started out like the rest of them, too skinny unhealthy and told they're perfect by societies standards.

She changed that real fast. Turned herself into what is beautiful by realities standards...(click here for the article)

This article was called "Yes, I have lost weight" and it goes through a multitude of photos from the beginning of her career all the way to where she is today.  It was very interesting the way they spun the "I have lost weight."  She didn't literally lose weight, she lost the concept of weight.  Something we all should do!  What I have said all along, the number on the scale is BULL SHIT!  Are you healthy? That's what's important!  I started all this not because of the number I saw on the scale, I hardly EVER step on the scale.... I started this because I had no energy, I felt frumpy, I had issues sleeping.....
I had already drastically cut back on my alcohol intake, quit smoking, started taking vitamins and was using exercise and my Yogi tea as a way to relieve stress... but I guess I also turned to eating WHATEVER I wanted.
That is not the way to be either.  So I changed my mindset.  My little sister had posted yesterday a quote:

"Change your thoughts and you change your world."

                          -Norman Vincent Peale


That is exactly what I have been doing and it has been working!  I feel healthy now, mind, body, and soul.  Life is great.  And it's not because of anything anyone said or did.  I didn't get a promotion, I actually got shipped to a very chaotic store which is very stressful.  I didn't win the lottery. Nothing spectacular happened in my life. I just started being grateful to be me. I look in the mirror and I like what I see because of me. I did this, and to feel good about myself BECAUSE of myself is the best feeling.  You should try it.
They say in the past people thought that mirrors had the ability to show you your soul..... so what does that say when you see something ugly looking back? Change your thoughts, and change your world. 

Thirteen!

So apparently jump ropes need to come with a warning label on them..........

My wonderfully athletic fiance had his daughter over last Wednesday.  She found my jump rope and wanted to have a jump rope competition with him.  So they are outside jumping rope and getting to about 15 jumps, he was getting to about 20.  So I go out there and say OK guys THIS is how it's done. I bang out 100 jumps and hand the jump rope off.
My wonderfully athletic fiance tries and fails then hands it off to his daughter and she gets 20 jumps.  GREAT for a kid, but not great for my wonderfully athletic fiance.
I say to him, I'm gonna kick your butt because this is what I do... I jump rope.... I jump rope almost everyday to get my cardio in.  I am now a PRO at jumping rope!  I tell him soon Frankie wants me to get double jumps in and he says "Oh you mean like this, watch Rocky Balboa style!" He does double jumps AND falls to the ground writhing in pain.... He has ruptured his Achilles tendon..... And now his daughter is scarred for life and will NEVER jump rope again....  Off to the hospital and yep, ruptured Achilles tendon.  He will now be a gimp for the next three months.  Shoulda left the jump rope to the pro ;)


Ok so I have moved my training sessions with Frankie to Thursdays... So much more convenient.   So Thursday comes upon me.  I go to meet up with Frankie.  Today is lifting day!  Woot woot no cardio!!! So excited!!!! So Frankie has me on the 'mens' side of the gym... I am always the ONLY female on the free weights half of the gym, it's so awkward!  But I'm there with Frankie so I could care less.

He sets me up with the 45 pound barbell.  We are doing something like a dead lift row... I can't remember what he called it.  Basically I do a dead lift but once I get the bar to my hips I shrug my shoulders and pull the barbell to shoulder height then flip the barbell up so it looks like I'm about to press it up, but then I just drop it.

He has me do 10 reps of this with the 45 pounds.  I am HORRIBLE at coordinating my movements, I think things through WAY too much.  So the first ten was another "was that it!??" "No" "how about that!??" "uuuh, almost"  "Did I do it!???" "Just keep trying"

After the 45 pound set he adds 20 pounds and now I have to do 65 pounds.... That was a struggle but I think i got the movement down!  Or Frankie just gave up and let me do whatever I was doing....  He says to me you should be feeling it in your hamstrings, I say yea I feel it right here I must be doing it right!  He says, yea those are your quads you need to squat less and dead lift more. Oops...  Silly me....

After that set he sets it up to 95 pounds!!! WHAAAAAAATTTTT you gotta be kidding me!   It was funny because this guy was sitting across from em watching and the look on his face was a replicate of the look on my face (but then I looked at what he was lifting and it made me chuckle).  So now that I have an audience I have to put on a show. I dead lift and PULLLL and it doesn't go anywhere... Frankie tells me I have to do it all fast or else that will keep happening.... (yea right) So I try it fasssssst and I DO IT!!! Holy crap it is heavy, almost throws me on my ass when I flip it, but I did it!  Now only 9 more.... phewww..... 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and done!!! I am a beast!

What's next I ask.... Oh some cardio... :(  I have to row 300 meters in 1 minute 20 seconds then I get a minute rest, BUT during the rest I HAVE TO PLANK!!! What kind of rest is that!?  I tell him I feel like I'm at work where I get a "One hour" lunch but I have to work through it!

I'd rather row than plank... and rowing 300 meters in a minute 20, what the hell is that about? I just have to do this 4 friggin times..... I thought today was a lifting day?

Anyway, I make it through rug burning my damn elbows.  I'm gonna catch a staph infection from those nasty gym rugs and all these planks. Too bad if I plank on the mat I slide off of it.... The price we pay to get fit.

Oh by the way, we took measurements today... I've dropped another inch off my waist and hips, 1 1/4 inch off my calves, an inch off my thighs and a half inch off my arms... and dropped 3% of my body fat.  No pain no gain!!

13/52  ***Going going GONE***

Eleven and Twelve....

Last Tuesday was a very frustrating day.  I wanted to punch someone in the face,   But I didn't.  There were just too many people that inspired my inner serial killer... but I subdued that inner devil and hit the gym hoping Frankie wouldn't kick my ass too bad.

It's like he knew I had a frustrating day... the workout he gave me was perfect for all the bottled up aggression I had!

For starters, I had left the house to go to the gym. Half way to the gym I realized I forgot a bottle of water and all I had in the car was an empty coke bottle.  Oh well, it'll do.  So I walk in at about 7:29pm and see Frankie with his 7pm appointment still working out.  So I hit the locker room and fill my bottle.    Once I head over to them they were sitting down and Frankie calls me Miss Late Pants.... I think to myself, oh shit I remember what happened last time I was late.... please don't punish me........

But he actually doesn't.  PHEW!!!

We do a quick workout (because I was late).  We're doing 3 sets of two different moves each time.

First move is with the 18lb medicine ball.  I have to hold it above my head and bounce it near my left foot, catch, lift and bounce down to my right foot.  Do this for 30 seconds.

THIS IS GREAT.  It is just hard enough to challenge me and just heavy enough to allow me to chuck the ball at the ground as hard as possible and get all that aggression out GRRRRRR!

Then after that I have to do mountain climbers.  Slowwwwwly.... He tells me to focus on pulling my knee as high to my chest as possible.  30 seconds of that.

Now I get to rest for a minutes.

Next is a move I will refer to as the Richard Simmons....
Too bad I left my fluorescent hot pants at home...

I have to do high knees. Left right left right etc.... all while holding my arms above my head straight and moving them down past my knees with each knee. So I look like Richard Simmons jazzercizing. "Ok people lets go!!!" 30 seconds of this.

Then is suicides.  Yep plain ol' school suicides.  Run backwards to a point, drop and touch the ground, push off and sprint forward, drop and touch the ground, then run backwards to a further point, drop touch the ground and sprint forward to starting point, then one last time run backwards to the furthest point, drop hit the floor then sprint forward to the start.  Done.

Rest for one minute.

This last one he has me do is the worst.  He has me stand on the treadmill, with it off.  I am to push the belt to move, with it off, and 'run' for 45 seconds.   That is one long 45 seconds, let me tell you. My calves, quads, hamstrings you name it it was on fire.

No rest for the wicked, straight to the next move!
Back to the medicine ball.  This time I have to lift the ball, bounce to my left foot, catch, lift, bounce to my right foot, catch, lift, bounce down the middle.  Then repeat for 45 seconds.

Then we were done.  I feel like I cheated myself out of a good workout because this one really wasn't that challenging.  Maybe that just means I'm turning into beast mode!  Killed it!

This Tuesday was all about cardio.  Not even enough to write!  It was a half hour of pure treadmill running.

Frankie texted me around 6:15 asking if I wanted to come in earlier, he had a cancelation.  Lucky for him I just so happen to be sitting around cursing myself for setting my training appointment for 7:30pm... So I jump at the offer, hell yea I'll be there at 6:30p.

So I get there and we get straight to work.  Frankie explains to me the end of October and November are all going to be about cardio.  Every other workout is going to be pure cardio.  So today is the first of them. 

All I have to do is:

Run .12miles... rest for thirty seconds

Run .25miles.... rest for a minute

Run .50miles..... rest for two minutes

Run .50miles..... rest for two minutes

Run .25miles.... rest for one minute

Run .12miles.... DONE

And So I did.  Running an eight of a mile is a piece of cake.  Following that with running a quarter mile is not so bad.  Following that with running a half mile is just a bit tiring.  Following that with another half a mile my body is asking ARE WE THERE YET???? Following that with a quarter mile is really not that bad and ending off with an eight of a mile is a friggin piece of cake. 

Now I am absolutely drenched in sweat I feel like I just ran through torrential downpours.  

But hey, we're done!! 

Torture Sessions: 11/52 and 12/52 KILLED

***BEAST MODE INITIATED***

Erasing Sunday Funday!

This is how Sunday went....

I started my day walking 3 miles at the American Cancer Society's Making Strides for Breast Cancer walk... 

Apparently I reasoned with myself that because I did so, I earned a free pass to sloth and gluttony...

Of course we were home just in time for 1:05pm kickoff and of course football goes hand in hand with ingesting calories.

Here's what was on the menu today:

Sweet and sour BBQ chicken wings

Spinach veggie dip w/ townhouse pita crackers

Buffalo chicken dip w/ baked tostitos scoops

Spinach pies

Chourico Pies

and

Bud light

Now all this was for 4 people......... I have always over prepared for Sunday Funday.

By 6pm I was ready for bed.  Had to force myself to keep my eye lids open and drink water to flush all the toxins I just ingested out of my system!!!  Ohhhhh why did I do this to myself????

So now Monday has arrived and, naturally, I am having a fat day.

So I created a 15 minutes kickass workout... if I do this everyday I can actually not feel SO bad about enjoying Sunday Funday....  and it's an at home workout where the only equipment needed is a jump rope.

This workout works everything... core, legs, arms, and butt.  Keep in mind this is a 15 minute workout so you have very little time to rest between moves.  

1. 30 seconds or 50 jumps with the jump rope.  I did 30 seconds and tried to see how many jumps I could get in. Easiest way to do jump rope: Keep your feet together and jump with your feet, don't use your knees.  Try to keep you legs straight with just a slight bed at the knee.

 Tops was 63 jumps today.

2. 10 burpees.... YES I had to throw in this torture move.  No pain no gain!!! Plus if I can get myself used to these Frankie can't torture me as much...  Now remember, the burpee move starts on your feet in the crouched position  Kick yourself out into push up position then jump back to crouch position, stand and jump straight up.  I have 8 feet ceilings so I made sure I touched the ceiling every time. 

3. 10 sit ups.  Feet together, knees to the floor, kinda like a diamond.  Make sure you keep your spine straight, otherwise you're not engaging all your core muscles. 

4.  5 push ups. Feet together arms shoulder width apart.  If it's too hard you can spread your legs further apart or drop to your knees.

5.  20 squats.  Make sure your holding your torso straight and chin up.  It helps me to hold my arms straight in front of me and focus on a point straight ahead.  That way my head and torso stay unmoving. 

Just do this three times and you're done.  SO basically you have 5 minutes for each set.  That's a minute per move, so if you want to figure rest in there you I would take it after the burpees and rush through the sit ups and push ups.  Rest after squats and blast through the jump rope and burpees again.

Now if you were really bad on Sunday Funday (like me) do ten sets in a half hour ;)

Ahhhh I feel better already.... and sweaty.... and my legs feel like rubber...

Ten.

Frankie tried to kill me.


The end.

Ok so here's how it went.  I had a great day off. I went kayaking, it was a beautiful day water like glass sun shining... perfect End of September....

I went home made some tune and had it with baked ruffles... just to tie me over until I get home and can eat.  Really was the littlest serving, but the biggest mistake....

Frankie texts me to let me know he's running a little late.  That's fine I hadn't left the house yet so I finished cooking my shepherds pie filling... smells great and I can't wait to come home and eat it.

So I show up about 5 minutes late and Frankie is already inside... so much for him being late....

And then the slow death began.... Straight to the treadmill. Run a half mile in 3-5 minutes.  No problem, I set the speed to 6.3 and start my run.  Then Frankie comes over and moves the incline to 3. Hey!  I did not agree to that!!!

From there he has me do 5 push ups followed by 20 squats...

 Oh my God did that run wind me.... It was all over at that point!


But it had only just began... We move over to the 65lb barbells again.... Ok so time for dead lifts... This time it's a dead lift row.  We're going to do 4 sets of 8, all gradually increasing the weight.... First we start we the empty barbell.  It's a slight struggle.  My rings always get in the way when we do these but I really don't want to take them off :(

After the first set he moves me to a mat and has me do "raccoons."  This is basically a crunch where you lift your head and knees at the same time, knees to head... It's called a raccoon because raccoons curl themselves into a ball like that... yea ok sure whatever you say.... 15 of these.  Wouldn't be so hard except every time I did one my whole body would slide down just a little bit so by the 15th one I was almost off the mat.

Now back to the dead lifts... Frankie has added 10 lbs... now onto 75lbs... I do the first one and my rings dig deep into the pad of my hand.  I have no choice but to take them off so I do and place them with my keys "Frankie you better be watching those!!!!!" He thinks it's funny....

So 8 dead lift rows... He keeps telling me to stick my butt out more and arch my back but it's hard to do that when your being weighed down with 75lbs... but I complete them and back to the stupid raccoons, I have to keep count this time because Frankie has to go find more weight.  I always lose track of my reps that's what I pay him for!!!!

So I think I did 15, it felt like I did 30... and back to the dead lifts rows where he has added 5 more pounds... now we're doing 80lbs... oh man this is starting to suck.  I wish I still wasn't out of breath from my half mile run up hill.

Back to raccoons, man after the 10th one those last 5 really SUCK!

Back to dead lift rows with 5 more pounds and now we;re at 85lbs... W.T.F.  Last set though I tell myself.  Ok so the last 4 were definitely a struggle and on to the last set of raccoons... and done!

Oh but wait, there's more!  Why do I feel like I've already been here for a half hour??

Frankie asks me to grab the mat and he grabs two 10lb plates and a 25lb plate... Not gonna lie I feel like I could kill him right now.

So we're doing Frankie's version of suicides.  25lb plate on the ground, lean down and push it about 20 feet then leave the plate and run back.  Do mountain climbers for 30 seconds, except this time place your feet in the 10lb plates and drag the plates with your toe, get up run back to the 25lb plate and push that another 20 feet.  Run the 40 feet back and do 30 seconds more of mountain climbers with the 10lb plates... finish that and run the 40 feet back to the plate and push it back 20 feet, leave it there and run back 20 feet and do 30 more seconds of mountain climbers.... get up run back to the plate and push it back to the starting line.

All I'm thinking is "you've got to be kidding me...."
So I start.  Pushing the plate is not so bad and neither is running back but let me tell you, those Goddamn mountain climbers f'n suck.  Like seriously WTF.  My friggin hamstrings were burning after ten seconds.  Not to mention those stupid plates slide all over the carpet so now I have to keep my friggin balance.  30 seconds is a long ass time!!!!!!!!

This is where the tuna for a snack turns into a horrible idea... you know when you start to feel your dinner in the back of your throat... and I still had to finish off these stupid suicides.  This literally was pure torture.  Now my head is pounding and I want to throw up... but I finished... Thank the lord I finished.........

I collapse on the mat panting trying to compose myself.

BUT WE'RE NOT DONE.....

Now Frankie wants me to jump rope. 100 jumps, if I trip up I have to do 5 sit-ups.This is the longest God damn session I have ever been through.  After those friggin mountain climbers my legs are like rubber. I attempt to jump and I just can't get it.  This is cruel and unusual punishment.  So Frankie says, ok you only have to do 50 jumps... I do this all the time at home I can do this. So I blast through 50 jumps, Frankie says ok keep going!  So I make it to jump 90 when I trip up... time for crunches he says... you mother f'er....... I tell him crunches REALLY are not a good idea right now unless he wants to wear my dinner.... so he lets me rest and tells me ok just do side crunches... you know the ones where you lift your elbow towards the opposite knee... alright let's just get this over and done with... but now I have to do ten because it's rotating sides. I finish that and Frankie says, you're not done yet you still have ten more jumps.

F YOU FRANKIE!
Ten jumps done and I throw the rope and say I'm going home.  Screw taking my measurements tonight, now I have to concentrate on keeping my tuna down...

Needless to say, I will not be having shepherds pie tonight. Thanks Frankie.

Torture session 10/52

***VOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER***

Number Nine.

So I show up at 6pm for my training session with Frankie.... 6:01...6:02....6:03.... No Frankie.... So I go to the desk and the same girl from Tuesday is there "No Frankie again???" I ask and she gets the gym owner.  He says he'll call Frankie and get back to me....

Frankie thought he said 6:30, he'll be here in 15 minutes.

My wonderful cousin who is the reason I joined the gym to begin with is here tonight though so I'll just find her.....Uh oh the trainers have found her first.  She made it through 2 months without them sinking their teeth into her.  It was inevitable, complimentary training session!!!!  Ok you have fun with that, hope you didn't plan on walking for the next five days :)

Frankie shows up and we get straight to work.  He grabs a bench, which is about 2 feet off the ground. He jumps up on the bench and says "Would you be comfortable doing that?" Sure, why not? Ok...

So I stand in front of the bench, when you're actually getting ready to jump up the bench looks a lot higher than it did when Frankie did it.... Oh boy, my coordination is not very good.... here goes nothing. I made it effortlessly!  Now just nine more.... Jump up, step down.... Jump up, step down.... ten times, made it!

Now sit on the bench and do sit ups, feet on the ground, butt scooched right up to the edge.... 10 of those.... piece of cake.....

Then he grabs that great 65lb barbell... dead lifts pulling the bar up to my chest... 10 of those.... not so fun but not so hard...

Now repeat!  This time on about my fourth jump my toe catches the bottom of the bench and I stumble... I catch myself, but I stumbled... Frankie doesn't flinch but he does compliment my wonderful recovery.  He says "Did you see how fast I moved to catch you!??"  I say "I didn't see you move"  "Exactly!  So don't let that happen again, I have horrible reflexes."   ........That's comforting......

I make it through four sets when my cousin comes over, all red faced and panting... her session is done lol.  So she watches me finish up my last set and Frankie asks her if she wants to do some planks with us..... WHATTT!!!!!!??? There's more????? Oh man I thought I was done......

She says "Sure!!" so over to the mat we go.... now these aren't your typical planks..... this is stand, walk yourself out with your hands into pushup formation with then onto your elbows in plank position, but don't plank, move back to push up position and do ten mountain climbers.... then back to your elbows and back to push up form then walk yourself back to standing position...

Really didn't seem that hard... so we both begin, my cousin now understands why I do not want to work out after I have completed a training session.... She's like oh screw this I'm done! So she takes off and leaves me alone with Frankie...

We go through five reps of the mountain climber push up plank move and then finish it up with 30 second planks... first one plank and extend one arm.... Made me feel like superman, this apparently is supposed to help engage the core... when you're not concerned with keeping your balance like I was! Next I switch arms and do the other side, next one i have elbows down and lift on leg off the ground (still extended straight) then the next with the other leg... last two are on the side one elbow to the ground one arm extended towards the sky.... and then rotate sides.....

Torture session 9/52


***DONE***

Seven and Eight.... and supposed to be nine....

I have had such a bust life this past month!  Work has kept me so busy.  We remodeled our store and completed a grand reopening.  I have been so exhausted!  14 hour days, sore feet, and sleep deprivation.

Even through all my exhaustion I have still kept with Frankie.  Made every single appointment and even dragged myself to the gym all by myself.

Session seven:

Frankie tried to get me to do this move holding a 65 pound barbell at my chest, then I was supposed to dip, rise and press the bar above my head, but then as I lift the barbell I was supposed to dip again while pressing the barbell all the way over my head.... I COULD NOT DO THIS!  Not because it was too hard but because my mind could not understand what he wanted my body to do!
Frankie actually made me put the bar down and simulate the move without the bar.... I think he found it humorous. I just could not get it.  Finally he says ok back to the bar.  So I try again, and try again, and try again each time saying "DID I GET IT!???" and Frankie saying "uh........no...." "DID I GET IT!!!????" "Well...... kind of....last one let's get it this time"  "Ok That HAD TO BE IT RIGHT!!!!?" "Yes! That was it! No, I'm lying you didn't do it.... just put the bar down." Ok... A for effort tight? :)

Looks something like that except imagine in phase c dipping again...

 Then we move on the Frankie's favorite three sets of three different moves.

We started with his the rowing machine. As we head over there I say "Oh good I like the rowing machine!" He mumbles "You won't after this......."
First I have to row 100 meters, Frankie says I have great rowing form.  Damn straight! This girl knows how to row. I wasn't lying when I said I liked the rowing machine....

Then he has me do 10 burpees... you remember these.... Frankie says he saw a poster imitating "The most interesting man in the world" you know the guy from dos xx beer commercials... (I don't always drink beer, but when I do I drink dos xx...) Well the poster said "I don't always do burpees; but when I do, I never do them for more than five minutes"
I.HATE.BURPEES. end of story. Here's my poster:

you try doing these ten in a row... and yes this pic depicts fluid motion... ready set go!

So after suffering through the burpees and my burning legs Frankie has me do his version of crunches, holding a twenty pound weight.  I couldn't do them last time but this time they seemed so easy!  Frankie told me they're not easy, I'm just progressing.  I like getting a figurative pat on the head (what a good girl!!).

We went through this three times.  My God I have never been so happy to get through a half hour workout.  Those Burpees are AWFUL!

Torture session 7/52

Session 8:

I really was not feeling well today.  I had the day off and cleaned the house top to bottom.  My allergies were thanking me for all the dust I fed them. I had my appointment at 7:30 and I fell asleep at 6:50... granted I woke right up at 7:05 but needless to say, I did not want to go see Frankie.

It's like he must have known because this was actually not so bad.
This was just a set of two moves.
Run a half mile and then do 12 reps on the assisted pull up machine.
So I ran at 5.8... did a half mile in about 3 minutes.  Then I did my 12 pull ups using just 90lbs this time, last time I had to use 100lbs (progress!!!)
Then back to running.... this time I put it to 5.9... Frankie did not like that.  He got a little sarcastic with me "Wow, really pushing yourself today aren't ya" So I shoot him the look and move up to 6.2.... "Now that's what I'm talking about" he says.
Then we go to use the pull up machine and this woman has decided to camp out on it.... Seriously lady? So on to plan B.  Frankie says you'll just have to do a pull up... I THOUGHT WE WENT OVER THIS FRANKIE!
Only he just wants me to jump up and add resistance rather than try to pull myself up or hold myself up. Not bad, I feel like I'm cheating myself though.  He has me do this 12 times.
Back to the treadmill, I set it to 6.5. Last set let's get this over and done with! "Tha'd a girl!"
Then back to the jump up pull ups, that lady was STILL at the pull up machine... come on now....

But that only took 20 minutes, we still have 10 minutes left. So Frankie moves me to a machine deep inside the elusive "Men's" section of the gym... you know that section, grunts and bulging veins....
We are at the cable machine to work on my tri's.
He has me sit on the ground with the cables set in the highest position and pull them down.  He says this will help me to be able to do a pull up (I told him that my goal is to be able to do one pull up by the end of the year).  He has me do three sets up ten strating at 40lbs moving up to 50lb and then 60lbs.  I struggled on the 60lbs but I did it!

Frankie then says he brought his own tape measure and asks if I want to take my measurements... Sure, why not?
I have lost:
1/2" on my waist
1/2" on my hips
1/2" on my thighs
nothing on my arms
and I have GAINED 3/4" on my calves???? I don't think that first measurement was right unless all my 1/2"s went straight to my calves...... and all this time I thought everything goes straight to your hips!!!

Torture session 8/52

Session nine:
This session is to be continued... I showed up but Frankie didn't :(
Guess he got in trouble for his tattoos and got sent home and no one called me.
I was not happy.
Rescheduled for tomorrow. He better have a good set lined up.


***REDO***