6 years, my how time flys!

Well, would you lookie there. It’s May 23 all over again. This makes 6 years, 6 years since my life changed forever. Today makes 6 years since they wheeled me into an operating room drilled a hole in my skull, played with my brains a bit, and shipped me back to my parents blind. At the time we all thought it was temporary, but here I am 6 years later and not much has changed. Well, at least not with my eye sight, but my life has changed in so many different and interesting ways. If someone would have told me in December of 2005 that 6 months later I would have horrible headaches, blurred vision, then little to no vision, and this was all part of a disease that would plague me for the rest of my life, I might have just told you that I’m going to jump off a bridge and that my life will be completely over. I was a dramatic teenager, but who isn’t? I had a bright future, made the drill team at a local private college, scholarships to help my parents with the costs; I wouldn’t have to live in a dorm because the college was driving distance from home… I had friends and lots of them. We partied, I thought I was in love, Ah, the graduating class of 2006 was a force to be reckoned with and we were prepared to make the world see that. We had a lot of smart people in my class, and I would like to consider myself to be a part of that group. I learned early how to manage my party and study time so that my grades didn’t suffer. I was president of the school’s chapter of DECA (business and marketing club) and I was district secretary. I had composed a monster paper about my favorite charity and made a kick ass PowerPoint to go along with it. I was smart, bright, and ready to take on the world. I feel grateful that I got to have the experiences I did while I was in school. Being able to do the business and marketing competitions, be on the drill team for all 4 years of high school, run wild and crazy with my friends, and be able to be a normal teenager. But now let’s fast forward, its 2012. I’m now 24 years old and its 6 years to the day that I lost the majority of the eye sight that I have lost up to this point. I’m really mostly happy with my life and the turns and changes it’s had. I didn’t get to go to that private college, or be on that college’s drill team, but I really think that I’m ok with that. I think that this way has been better now than it’s ever been. I got myself out of a dangerous and horrible relationship. (This relationship was the same one from high school where I thought I was in love.) I’m in a new relationship, this one just helped me and Taylor celebrate our 5 year anniversary in April. I know I’m in love this time around. I’m older, wiser, and more aware of the hard knocks that life can throw at you and feel that I’m mostly more prepared for that now. My parents live in Oklahoma City, I live outside the DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) area, and my sister still lives in the town we all grew up in. I’m content for now. I’m close to finishing my bachelor’s degree in business administration; I’ve got the green light to get my masters after I take a semester off. This whole going blind thing really hasn’t been too bad. This way I’ve saved myself and my parents a ton of money because the state of Texas pays the costs of my classes, I get financial aid for my books, and I don’t have to buy my own technology unless I want to. (I usually do buy my own tech) I’ve got a wonderful guide dog that I love with my whole heart and wouldn’t trade her for anything in the world. This is all brought to me by going blind. If I hadn’t lost my sight, I might have not met Taylor; I might be like my sister and still live in the same hole in the wall town, and may just be stuck. I also wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet lots of cool, interesting, nice, and awesome people. I wouldn’t have heard about Guide Dogs for the Blind, or received Leah. I also don’t think that I would have come to love sports as much as I do without going blind. If it weren’t for going blind I might not have met RO, and then may not have been such a huge Rangers fan! Baseball and football make my life so much better, it’s nice to enjoy a game and only care about the game for a few hours! I really can’t make myself sit down and try to figure out where my life would be if I had not lost my sight. Comparing my way of thinking to my 18 year old self’s way of thinking, I think that going blind could’ve been one of the best things that ever happened to me, and I can’t say that I would change anything if I could. My 18 year old self is screaming at me from the inside calling me all kinds of ugly names, but just give her time... she’ll grow up and realize that things are pretty good from where I’m sitting. I’ll admit there have been drawbacks to the blind thing, and yes they can be frustrating. This doesn’t mean that I spend my days longing to have my sight back. This just means that yeah, every once in a while I find myself saying that if I had my sight this task wouldn’t be as hard or impossible without help. I love my life, surgeries, crazy friends, up and down emotions, grumpy boyfriend, crazy loveable pup, twitter friends, network of friends and family from my hometown on Facebook. I enjoy visiting my parents whatever part of the country they might be in at that time. I love Taylor’s family even though they drive me up the wall sometimes; I love my family even though we would like to wring each other’s necks sometimes. But mostly I love life. I can’t wait to finish school and see what life has in store for me outside the institution of school’s walls. I’m thankful for the people that have entered and left and stayed in my life. I think that by having such great friends it has made it possible for me to love my life this much. I thank Taylor for loving me and being there for me in his own special way. I thank Taylor’s family for doing what they do for us, because it’s honestly more than I can name. I thank my parent’s for not giving up on me when things didn’t look so great. I thank Twitter, without Twitter I wouldn’t know the awesome Canadians I know. I love my Canadians, and you guys are awesome! I thank all of you guys, all of you have contributed in some way to help make my life as great as it is. Thanks everyone for being a part of this melting pot I call life! Here’s to another 6 years and many more to come! Lots of Love, Amanda Ellen

Day 17 of workouts, a life lesson learned, and the surprise revealed

Just a tip for anyone who cares, *do not get completely shit faced the night before a workout, it will not end well in the next days workout* lol
Yeah, learned my lesson the hardway... but I managed to muster through it.
And now on to the workout for today:
Set 1:
1 ab circuit 6 reps
20 girl push ups
1 set of lunges 10 reps
6 regular push ups
25 crunches

Set 2:
1 ab circuit 6 reps
20 girl push ups
1 set of lunges 10 reps
6 regular push ups
25 crunches

Cardio:
4 minutes at 2 MPH
14 minutes at 3 MPH
Betcha thought that I forgot that today was reveal the surprise day didn't ya?
Nope, I didn't, I'm just stringing you along :)
But yeah, today's workout was extremely difficult for me,
and I can only come up with 2 reasons, 1 was because I got shit faced last night,
or 2 is because I did a little more cardio yesterday to compensate for the ice cream I had for supper last night :)
Before you go assuming that I did extra cardio on the treadmill, I'm going to say that you are wrong! hahaha
I did my extra cardio on my surprise that I got yesterday! Best part is the surprise was free :)
Well, guess I've strung you along long enough..
and the surprise is...
a new to me excersise bike!!
Taylor's grandparents bought it a few years ago at a garage sale and they weren't using it, so it's "on loan" to me...:)
I think they were happy to find someone who would use it and give it a good home.. and I'm happy to do both of those!
So, of course with every new toy, you've got to try it out.. so I did it!
I managed to do 10 minutes at a brisk pace yesterday.
Riding the bike really works a whole new set of muscles I haven't used before!
But to settle my off day antsyness, I'm going to ride my bike on Tuesday's and Thursday's...
I'm hoping to be able to move past 10 minutes once my muscles learn the routine with the bike!
I'm so excited, this is something I really wanted!
I even made myself a bicycle playlist to randomly shuffle through so I have good music while I ride!
Well, I guess that is it for today!

See you on Monday,
Amanda Ellen

Day 16 of workouts, a hint at a surprise, and the letter of the day : )

So kids, todays letter is S.
Using "S" in a sentence, I'm sweating my ass off today! :p
Its been a rather mild day outside today, but its sweat time in my house.
Think today's theme is sweating, sweating, and more sweating!
But no complaints, I think of the drops of sweat as little drops of calories dripping off my body :)
So, here's today new and improved workout:
Set 1:
1 ab circuit 6 reps
1 set of lunges 10 reps
3 sets of 8 reps for the weight work out
25 crunches

Set 2:
1 ab circuit 6 reps
1 set of lunges 10 reps
3 sets of 8 reps for the weight work out
25 crunches

Cardio:
4 minutes at 2 MPH
14 minutes at 3 MPH

Keep in mind that weights are a wednesday thing and have not yet become a permanent part of the routine for all work out days :)
I'm really sweating today!
I only did a back to backer today because I hate to get my self off schedule, so this was my attempt on keeping myself on the Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule!
I have a surprise for my readers on Friday!
This surprise is a new toy, one that I'm excited to add to my household :)
I supposed it could be said to be on loan, but if I play my cards right, it'll be mine for all intensive purposes!
Sweating, sweating, and more sweating...
Oh, and my legs still look great today :)
I upped the treadmill time today, I'm now at 14 minutes at 3 MPH on the treadmill!
I'm also getting better with my eating habits, and I'm starting to learn that I need at least 3 meals a day, not just 2.
Today really kicked my ass with the weight workouts, my arms are resembling something close to jelly, but it's ok because it feels great!
Oh, and this is day 2 of the antihistimine/decongestant experiment, and I have to say that I started to get a headache around 12, but I took the meds at 1 and no headache!
This makes me hopeful that this is all sinus/allergy related after all!
So, after all this sweating, its time for me to hit the showers, finish up getting supper cooked, and relax with some TV time!

Until Friday,
Amanda Ellen

Day 15 of workouts and I love my legs! :)

I'm in love with myself because I finally memorized the ab circuit!
This makes me happy, and it gives a much more satisfactory burn when there is no break between ab circuit exercises!
Feel the burn! lol
Here's what I did today/tonight with a little commentary :)

Set 1:
1 ab circuit 6 reps
20 girl push ups
1 set of lunges 10 reps
6 regular push ups
25 crunches

Set 2:
1 ab circuit 6 reps
20 girl push ups
1 set of lunges 10 reps
6 regular push ups
25 crunches

Cardio:
4 minutes at 2 MPH
13 minutes at 3 MPH

Wow, waited late for this one, but I needed a make up for yesterday.
The return of the monster headaches put a damper on yesterday's workout.
I am however being proactive and trying to find the root cause of my headaches.
Today I got Allegra (an antihistimine) and some Mucinex D (a decongestant) in hopes that these headaches are somehow allergy/sinus related.
Man, I love the feeling that this workout seems to get the slightest bit easier every time I do it.
I did however, find out that my regular push ups are the cause of my frequent lower back stiffness.
Guess this just means to be careful with those, and make sure I stretch my lower back out really good when I'm done for the day.
And 1 last little thing I noticed today, when sitting on the floor with legs straight out in front, my calfs look freakin sexy. They are rock hard!
I haven't had calfs like this since Jr. High! lol
This post is really rather short as there isn't any thing else to update on, except for that I most likely will push the treadmill time up tomorrow to 14 minutes.
I'm getting ever closer to my 1st goal of 20 minutes over all on the treadmill!
Then my next goal is 20 minutes at 3 MPH alone. :)
Well, guess that is it for tonight, we'll have to see what tomorrow brings us :)
I'll see you all tomorrow :)

Amanda Ellen

Day 14 of workouts, 2 weeks of just workout days, and monster headaches!

Hooray! This marks 2 full weeks of just work out days!! This makes me happy!
*happy dance*
I feel very accomplished, and I love milestones :)
Sorry, but I ended up unable and slightly unwilling to do my workout yesterday.
I had a monster of a headache that would not leave me, despite the amount of Advil I ingested.
I didn't really want to take a chance on making it worse, and with a headache of that magnitude, I didn't really want to workout.
So, I'm making it up today!
Here's what I did:
Set 1:
1 ab circuit 6 reps
20 girl push ups
1 set of lunges 10 reps
6 regular push ups
25 crunches

Set 2:
1 ab circuit 6 reps
20 girl push ups
1 set of lunges 10 reps
6 regular push ups
25 crunches

Cardio:
4 minutes at 2 MPH
13 minutes at 3 MPH

My abs are loving me today, feeling the burn!!
I love the burn, its comforting to me.. its like a sign that I'm headed the right direction.
Also, my arms are burning... those push ups are just extremely intense for my arms :)
No dance cardio today because I just craved treadmill time.
I love the feeling I have while on the treadmill, and the feeling afterwards.
Treadmill time is more satisfying to me than dance cardio, but this doesn't mean I'll never do dance cardio again.
This just means that if I want a change that dance cardio is there as an option, or if I'm at 1 of the parents house, I can do dance cardio since they have no treadmill :)
God I love treadmill time.. today I listened to the Rays Vs. Red Sox game..
I almost thought they were going to call the game about 2 minutes after I started listening lol.
But, all in all.. I am happy I could get my missed workout from yesterday in today.
Working out always makes me feel good :)

Well, guess I'll catch you all on Monday :)
Amanda Ellen

Day 13 of workouts and a minor injury

Yay! It was increase day!
I only increased the treadmill time since I'm happy with where everything else is right now.
So, now treadmill is up to 13 minutes at 3 MPH!
I'll be extremely happy when I can reach an over all time of 20 minutes. This includes warm up and cool down periods.
So, I guess here's what I did today!
Set 1:
1 ab circuit 6 reps
1 set of lunges 10 reps
25 crunches
Weight routine 2 sets each (8 reps each)
Set 2:
1 ab circuit 6 reps
1 set of lunges 10 reps
25 crunches
weight routine 2 sets each (8 reps each)
Cardio:
4 minutes at 2 MPH
13 minutes at 3 MPH
I added a weight routine in this week.
It gives me an alternative to the push ups.
It is made up of 6 different workouts, but I forgot how to do 1 of them.. oops? lol
So, this week I only got 5.
I plan to try doing this weight routine 1 time a week and see how it goes... if the pushups continue to be brutal to my shoulders, I may increase the weight routine to 2 a week if they don't kick my ass!
I'm using two 3 lb weights if anyone was curious, and I'm starting out with 2 sets for each total set.. and each set has 8 reps for each excersise normally totaling 48 reps in total per set.
So, for each total set, I'm doing 16 reps for each individual excersise wwith the weights.
Ouch! I think I tweeked a groin muscle today.. probably with the lunges, not sure how I could've done it on the treadmill.
Although, I didn't feel it till I was done with the treadmill, so it either exascerbated it or that is where I did it. Strange.
Also, I'm not even sure girls can tweek groin muscles, but that is where the general pain and tenderness is...
Its right there on the panty line... that is putting it nicely I think lol.
I will just keep an eye on it, take a anti inflammatory, and try to stretch it out a bit.
Also if I have time tomorrow, I'll try to fit in a hot bath, that is the best thing for sore and strained muscles in my opinion!
Maybe next week I will pick up some Icy Hot... that might be good too.

Guess that is it for today...
Hope I'm better to workout on Friday!

Amanda Ellen

Day 12 of workouts and sorry for the late post!

Sorry, I got caught up in life in general around here and forgot to post this!
But yes, this is day 12 of workouts! Oh, my shoulders are sore, but thats the worst of it :)
Its Monday, its the last normal Monday I'm going to have for a few weeks, so I thought I better enjoy it.
After this week, my workout schedule and general life schedule will be in complete disaray until April 26.
This is because I have my final major project due by then, and I've got to dedicate some real time in to coming up with a 12 page marketing plan!
*I hate marketing* lol
Anyways, here's what I did today:
Set 1:
1 ab circuit 6 reps
20 girl push ups
1 set of lunges 10 reps
6 regular push ups
25 crunches

Set 2:
1 ab circuit 6 reps
20 girl push ups
1 set of lunges 10 reps
6 regular push ups
25 crunches

Cardio:
4 minutes at 2 MPH
12 minutes at 3 MPH

Feeling very blah today, so I had hope that the workout might make me feel better.
My problem is too much on my mind and it is makeing me feel very claustorphobic, because I feel like I have no real outlet for all my questions and concerns.
Also, Google doesn't help answer my questions quite as well as I would like :)
Did Yoga yesterday, and I wasn't as sore the day after like last time! That's a yay! :)
I did however not notice what it did to my abs this time around until I went to doing abworkouts and noticed a fair amount of soreness, it was a nice surprise!
No game until 8 or 9 tonight, so this means that Lady GaGa was what I settled on for my cardio on the treadmill today.
Working out is just what the doctor ordered, I feel slightly less crazy!
I think I'm on schedule for another treadmill increase on Wednesday, but the rest of my work is actually almost perfect where its at for now.
Now, I should be off to find out about a free set of 3 or 5 pound hand weights! Just another option for my arm work outs :)
P.S. I should have said weights tomorrow :) YAY!

TaTa For Now,
Amanda Ellen

Day 11 of workouts and just some random musings

So, its day 11, and here's whatI did today followed by my musings.Set 1:
1 ab circuit 6 reps
20 girl push ups
1 set of lunges 10 reps
6 regular push ups
25 crunches

Set 2:
1 ab circuit 6 reps
20 girl push ups
1 set of lunges 10 reps
6 regular push ups
25 crunches

Cardio:
4 minutes at 2 MPH
11 minutes at 3 MPH

Feel the burn!!
Yes, today was an ass kicker!
I needed it after yesterday, and it feels great!
My abs feel abused, but thats alright by me :)
Its nice to know that this current regimine still makes me out of breath and makes me sweat like no one's business!
This means somethings burning :)
I got me some new Lady GaGa for the treadmill and even made a playlist with specific songs just for treadmill time!
You know the treadmill may not feel so killer if I learned to just jog on it and not feel the urge to dance lol.
I blame it on Lady GaGa, which whos new CD I'm not impressed with.
Gramted I didn't get to hear it all but a lot of it I only listened for 1 minute and skipped to the next... very weird and not the up tempo beat I was looking for.
I'm also on the hunt for anexcersise bike. Thought I found 1 on Amazon that sounded perfect, and it was decently priced, but once eye balls looked att, the verdict was cheap, looks non sturdy and unsafe.
This made me sad, the rest I seen are all upwards of $300 and up, plus they don't fold up like that 1 did. Oh well, probably wouldn't want to pay shipping on that sucker anyways, it weighed 50 lbs lol.
Oh, and note to self, try to find a way to avoid BHH's questions about how the workouts going, her reactions will only piss you off.
But on the other hand, was pissed when I got on the treadmill, and it felt really good to be in my own world.. hmm...
Anyways, I guess thats it for now...Catch you all on Monday maybe, I think I'll take another stab at this whole yoga thing on Sunday :)
TaTa for now,
Amanda Ellen

Day 10 of workouts, small increase, a neat article, and Woo Hoo I've made it!

So, its day 10 of working out! This is a small milestone for me,this means I've been working out for 3 days a week spanned out over 3 weeks!
This is the longest that I've stuck to any kind of excersise since graduating highschool. So, Woo Hoo I've made it! I think I'll have my little milestones on workout days of 10. So, next one is 20!
I honestly can't wait to write that post, and start looking back at where I was when I started compared to then!
So, here is today's workouts and notes of interest :)
Set 1:
1 ab circuit 6 reps
20 girl push ups
1 set of lunges 10 reps
6 regular push ups
25 crunches

Set 2:
1 ab circuit 6 reps
20 girl push ups
1 set of lunges 10 reps
6 regular push ups
25 crunches

Cardio:
4 minutes at 2 MPH
12 minutes at 3 MPH

Holy moley! This workout is hard, but I think its going to be just hard enough to get what I want out of it!
I also didn't see any problems with getting the whole thing done today either.
I was really unmotivated today because of some recent sleep issues, but RO was right, I'm feeling better after the workout, thanks for the motivation!
Then Nic was there to tell me how bad I would be for not getting my workout in, guilt is always a good motivator :)
I had no problem bumping treadmill time to 12 minutes at 3 MPH today surprisingly, given the other increases I've already made.
So really, think thats it.
Oh, I suggest anyone who is working out or thinking about starting to check out this link I really enjoyed what it said, and it made me feel much better about what I'm doing with my workout regimine. Although, it seems to support daily workouts, something I'm not completely in agreement with, it is still a good article.
I feel good, and notice a little more strength today, so that is always nice!
Here's hoping that I can learn to sleep through the night soon :)
Also, please forgive me if this post goes up and down, I'm trying to make sure the link shows up properly!

Can't wait for Friday!
Amanda Ellen

Day 9 of Workouts and stepping it up!

So, on the suggestion of someone's opinion I value very much, I've decided to step the workouts up a notch!
Here's what I did:
Set 1:
1 ab circuit 6 reps
20 girl push ups
1 set of lunges 10 reps
6 regular push ups
25 crunches

Set 2:
1 ab circuit 6 reps
20 girl push ups
1 set of lunges 10 reps
6 regular push ups
25 crunches

Cardio:
4 minutes at 2 MPH
11 minutes at 3 MPH

Sweet jesus, this work out plan does it! I'm sweating my butt off, and only after the 2 sets of non cardio!
Not to mention, I'm actually out of breath for a change!
Takes me about 10-12 minutes to do each set, and I have a 5 minute break between them!
I think I found my thing!
But I'm also afraid that I don't know if I can do this rigourous of a workout 3 days a week.
Guess I'll find out on Wednesday!
Darvish pitching made treadmill time go quickly!
Also, holy crap, I've got stretch marks, I didn't have those a couple of weeks ago, anyone got suggestions on how to make them disappear? Very unsexy hahahaha
I think I'll probably be sore tomorrow, but its alright.. my legs are already feeling better on the treadmill!
Oh, damn, the Rangers just lost another spring training game.
Well, guess thats it for today, off to finish cooking fajitas for supper!
Yum!

Amanda Ellen

Day 8 of workouts, and yay its Friday?

So, its Friday, and I just finished my workouts.
Working out is the only that has kept me sane this week. I was supposed to be on spring break, but instead I spent the week working on major projects.
Thats another story in its self, and this a work out blog!
I will note that I didn't do dance cardio today because I'm trying to figure out what contributed to my massive cramps on Monday, yoga or the dance cardio.
So, I cut them both out for this week, and I'll add 1 back next week, and if all goes well I'll add the other back the week after that.
So, here's what I did today:
1 ab circuit (6 reps)
25 girl push ups
25 crunches
7 regular push ups
4 minutes at 2 mph on the treadmill
11 minutes at 3 mph on the treadmill
Really feeling the burn today, I'm noticing a slight increase in my upper body strength, but really its just very slight. I'm not sure I'd notice if I wasn't being fully aware of my body during workouts.
It feels really good to be able to do my full work out these last couple of days, but honestly, I'm not seeing much increasing much but my ab circuit and crunches next week.
I think I can increase my cardio by a minute, but its really about building endurance, which I have little of at the moment. :) I did notice that doing 11 minutes on 3 MPH today didn't even cause me to break a sweat, or make me out of breath. My legs on the other hand seemed to wear out quickly today. So, I'm hoping by next Wednesday that I can tack on another minute to my 3 MPH time.
Lady GaGa makes my treadmill time much more pleasurable, I almost want to dance on the treadmill hahahaha. I tried listening to baseball today while on the treadmill, and I think that could make treadmill time better when it goes to regular season games, this spring trining mess does not capture my attention all that much :).
I know this might be all in my head, but I think I'm noticing a definition in the curve from my rib cage to my hips.
Like I said, this is probably me wanting to see some difference, but all the same, it makes me feel good :)

So, thats it for Friday, I've now done over 1 total week of working out, not counting the off days :)
Time to relax,
Amanda Ellen

Day 7 of work outs and Hooray for being back to somewhat normal!

So today, I'm actually back to somewhat normal. But I didn't increase much of my workout because of the problems I've been having.
I did increase my ab circuit because 4 reps weren't do anything for me anymore.
So, here is what I did:
ab circuit 6 reps
25 girl push ups
7 regular push ups
25 crunches
4 minutes at 2 MPH
11 minutes at 3 MPH
No all around increases this week since I've had problems this week.
I did increase the ab circuit because 4 reps weren't cutting it any more. Glad to say at 6 reps, the burn is back and it feels great!
Thinking part of my problem might be lack of electrolytes, so I bought myself some gatorade, and I drank it before and after treadmill time, lets hope this resolves the recent problems I've been having.
My body acting 9 kinds of weird is unsettling, but its not going to stop me from working out.
I also started eating 1 banana a day just to keep my potassium up, because those cramps are awful, and are preventable.
I'm feeling really good after my treadmill today, and I think it might be partly because of the gatorade. Thinking it was the low electrolytes that had me all screwed up.
My workout partner is a bit under the weather, and I hope that I worked out enough for her and I both today.
I also hope she gets to feeling better soon :)


So, maybe next week I'll increase the whole workout, but just playing it safe for now.
I also will not be doing yoga this week because I'm not sure I can handle soreness like that again so soon from the last lol.


Thanks for reading and supporting me in my journey!

Amanda Ellen

Day 6 of workouts and the fight I lost

1 ab circuit 4 reps
15 crunches
20 girl push ups
4 minutes at 2 MPH on the treadmill
9 minutes at 3 MPH on the treadmill
Work out is abbreviated due to yesterday's fight.
Yoga vs. Me
I'll tell you I don't think I won that fight lol
Everything from hammys up are sore.
Couldn't do regular push ups because when I tried, my body just flat out said no.
Didn't want to run the risk of injury so I did a lighter workout today due to the soreness.
I did yoga yesterday because I was too lazy to do it Saturday, and it taught me a lesson, lazy people pay for that laziness some how and at some time, and I'm paying for it in major soreness, and I'm paying for it today. lol
I can say that I'm amazed at the core strength increase I see everytime I workout, I can't wait for the day that my core is finally reached a good strong plateau!
I think that instead of doing yoga on Sundays I will be moving it to Saturdays, at least until I can reach a pplace in my fitness plan that yoga doesn't kick my ass!
I started taking Vitamin D supplements, and they seem to help a lot with weekend fatigue I seem to be prone to.
As the day progresses, the soreness becomes more pronounced, and damn does it hurt! I really would like to be able to find somewhere and just lay still...
Been laying on the floor when I can just because hard, flat surfaces seem to feel the best.
I thought for a few minutes that I would be able to make my normal treadmill time, but about 8 minutes in I went from fine to total leg cramp up.
This is very unpleasant, so I finished at 9 minutes, and went to immediate stretching.
I think I'm going to make myself a nice place to lay on my living room floor for my Monday night television watching, and only hope that the stretching I've done through the day helps the soreness ebb away a bit by tomorrow!

The yoga abused and sore,
Amanda Ellen

Day 5 of workouts and time to change it up! :)

So, today is Friday, and day 5 of my workouts.
In honor of that I decided to change things up just a little :)
I followed the example of my friend/workout buddy/ accountability partner (lol) (Poking fun at my favorite baseball player and certain people know who that is and what that was in reference too)and made myself a cardio playlist.
As of now, the playlist includes:
Cotton Eyed Joe (Asleep at the Wheel)
Boot Scootin' Boogie (Brooks and Dunn)
Cha Cha Slide (DJ Casper)
Legs Dance Remix (ZZ Top)

All of those songs have a dance associated with them, Cotton Eyed Joe has the Cotton Eyed Joe dance, Boot Scoottin' Boogie has the boot scoot dance, Cha Cha Slide has the Cha Cha Slide, but Legs does not have a dance that I am aware of.
So, since there is no known dance for Legs, I decided to do the electric slide.
It's been a while since I did it, and it took a minute to remember how, but I got it!
Dance cardio makes it so easy to do 25 minutes of cardio, that it is unreal!
So, from now on, Fridays will be known as Dance Cardio days! Its so fun, and Leah loved running around me as I danced in my living room! lol

So, here is the total list of what I did today:
1 ab circuit 4 reps
25 crunches
25 girl push ups
7 regular push ups
25 minutes of dance cardio

Sad to say, that the 4 reps for the ab circuit are already losing their burn.
But the good news is, that I'm noticing a little more core strength, or more than I had when I started!
This is a good thing, and I love the feeling to know I'm getting stronger! YAY!
Push ups were still the arm killers that they always are, but hey, its a good thang :)
Also, once I finished everything I stretched for about 10-12 minutes, and god does it feel good!
I always stretch before cardio, but its a light stretching, just to try and wake up the muscles and let them know what they are in for :)
The stretching I do after cardio is a more deep stretching and it makes my muscle sing with enjoyment when cardio is over!

I thank all of you guys that are helping me with support through this, it really is amazing!
I couldn't stay on track without you!
Thank you all so much!
Amanda Ellen

Day 4 of workouts and 1st increase day!

I had to do workouts around everyday life today, but I was proudd of myself for making it fit in my schedule!

I've def noticed that this week isn't as hard as the 1st (last week).
Here's what I did today:
1 ab circuit 4 reps
25 girl push ups
25 crunches
12 regular push ups
11 minutes on the tread mill at 3mph
4 minutes at 2 mph

Holy crap! It feels like I started all over again today. Increasing feels great!
All my normal burns are back!!
Noticed that I had a bit of difficulty doing the extra 2 regular pushups, but my arms feel very good with the burn still tingling!!
Doing the extra 5 girl push ups was interesting, didn't find it all that difficult, but did notice an increased burn when I did them!
I also noticed when I finished the treadmill that I didn't feel near as exhausted when I was done!
I love this, I'm building endurance!
Also, noticed that I have a extremely increased appetite, eating more meals and snacks than my normal 1 a day now!
It def feels weird to be this hungry so often lol
I love this feeling! I really feel great!
I have to thank RO for all this, I finally have a healthy addiction, and I love it!

All I can say, is give me more! lol

Thanks for your support,
Amanda Ellen

Workout Day 3

So, today is day 3 of the workouts and I can tell a lot of difference from when I started last Wednesday.

But first, here's what I did today:
2 ab circuit 2 reps (done at different times, not consecutively)
20 girl push ups
20 crunches
10 regular push ups
10 minutes at 3 MPH
4 minutes at 2 MPH
arms still feel the burn, but think its come time to up the ab circuit reps, not really feeling much, if any burn now.
Only did 10 regular push ups because I worked with Taylor on perfecting my crunch and girl push up stance.

I was really sad when the normal 2 rep ab circuit didn't give me that satisfactory burn that I have become a customed to.
Wednesday will be known as increase day!!
This means that I will do the following:
Increase the ab circuit to 4 reps
Increase my treadmill time by 1 minute
I will increase my regular push ups by 2
Increase my girl push ups by 5
Increase my crunches by either 2 or 5, I have to see which will be better.

So, really that is the biggest thing for the workouts today :)

I am anxious to up my workout on Wednesday!!

Amanda Ellen

Day 2 of workouts, and man do I feel it!

I was talking to RO at some point between yesterday and today, and I felt sort of smug that my legs weren't sore.
Well, lets say that they sought to prove me wrong when I got on the treadmill today! Man, did I feel that burn, more than Wednesday, and I hope this means that those muscles are waking up!
So, here's today's workout:
1 ab circuit 2 reps
5 regular push ups
20 girl push ups
20 crunches
4 minutes at 2MPH
10 minutes at 3 MPH
So, I cut down my overall total time on the treadmill today because:
1. I had to make a 2 minute break last time to make the whole overall 20 minutes
2. My legs just were on fire once I got started and didn't want to push my luck!

So, I made a few observations after workouts today...
My pecs felt the burn today more than arms like on Wednesday with push ups.
My abs def felt it with the ab circuit and crunches today. (this must mean those muscles are awake right? lol)
I sleep so much better on the night of a workout, maybe it's because I'm getting everything tuckered out and expending a lot of energy!
And like I also pointed out, my legs certainly made a liar out of me once I got going on the treadmill.
One other thing, I noticed a huge difference today from Wednesday.
I actually got to eat before this treadmill round, and I don't feel nearly like I did on Wednesday. This means I don't feel nearly as close to death as I did then lol.
I scrounged up a few more line dancing songs in case I want that option, and not sure what I'll do with 2 off days in a row!
I may find some kind of excersise to do on my off days, but I'm not pushing it. Every person's body needs down time, even if I don't want it.
See you all on Monday!

Amanda Ellen

First Day of Workouts!

So, today was the first day of workouts.
This made me realize that I was really in no shape but round! HAHA!
So, here's what I did!
1 ab circuit at reps of 2
20 crunches
10 sit ups
20 girl push ups
5 regular push ups
1 round of the "cha cha Slide"
and
16 minutes on the treadmill at 3 MPH
and
4 minutes on the treadmill at 1 or 2 MPH
plus normal stretches!
I think my body is in a bit of shock, but I can already tell you that I feel better!

Thanks RO for helping me out!
This is awesome!

Can't wait till Wednesday, think I'll up my Ab Circuit reps to 3 and see how that goes!

Amanda Ellen

The all new format for this blog, I think :)

Hey guys!!

I'm back, I didn't totally forget about my blog.
But, I'm changing the way I'm going to be doing things around here a bit. I think from now on, this blog will have a lot more excersise and weight loss content, than my regular life updates.
I have recently decided to make a life change that makes me believe its time to lose a few pounds. Who knows, maybe I'll start to feel better and need less shunt revisions.
This could even earn some people that I have daily involvement's approval. I won't name names, because I'm sure they would prefer to remain nameless.
I do know that those who care about me agree with me, on the its time to drop a few pounds.

I have to thank RO for helping me with this.
Her wonderful insight into the excersise world and a few dieting tips will be extremely helpful.

So, here is where hopefully starts a new chapter in life.
A chapter that doesn't come with so many pounds :)
Wish me luck!!

Amanda Ellen