Monday! Well, I don't really know what the hell just happened, but I promised some guy that I barely knew in high school that I would train for a body-building contest. And it was a very SMALL high school. And he was in my middle brother's class. I think. Anyway, now we can all learn about body-building. Won't this be fun! Ack.
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group gives Kossacks a safe place to check in, a daily diary where we can let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, earthquakes, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. It also allows us to find other Kossacks nearby for in-person checks when other methods of communication fail - a buddy system. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, earthquakes etc.), we and your buddy are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a Kosmail and ask to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!
We do have a diary schedule. But, when you are ready to write that diary, either post in thread or send FloridaSNMOM a Kosmail with the date. If you need someone to fill in, ditto. FloridaSNMOM is here on and off through the day usually from around 9:30 or 10 am eastern to around 11 pm eastern.
Monday:
BadKitties
Tuesday:
ejoanna
Wednesday:
Caedy
Thursday:
art ah zen
Friday:
FloridaSNMOM
Saturday:
Most Awesome Nana
Sunday:
loggersbrat
So...this is going to be a year of huge changes for me. I've been sort of flailing around with this plan and that plan and this idea. But nothing concrete.
I am friends with a whole bunch of people from high school on Facebook. Better FB friends, in some cases, than I actually was with them in high school. It was a very small school. The maximum class size was 40, so the entire student body was 160 at most, usually less.
Out of the blue, a year or two or four ago, I got a friend request from somebody that I vaguely remembered, mainly for his unibrow. And today, after FB messaging and then texting for about four hours straight, he convinced me to agree to train for a body-building contest.
I am half kicking myself, and half thinking, "This will be a GIGANTIC pain in the ass, and I can't believe that I said that I would do this, but this will be awesome." I started working out with weights at 16, and hit my peak in my 20's and early 30's. Then...I got married, had children, and just didn't have the time or inclination to work out 5 days a week.
He sent me this link: Natural BodyBuilding
This is not the extreme, no-body-fat, huge muscles type of bodybuilding. This is toning plus SOME building. I refuse to shoot myself up with hormones or supplements. I loathe needles. Bad enough that I get acupuncture and have to donate blood.
Here are ten very simple rules.
There is an enormous amount of help out there. Since I have never trained for a competition, I am going to start at the very, very bottom. This seems practical AND doable:
This is the new training schedule you will be following for the next 2 weeks. After that, change the muscle groups you train on certain days around a bit to keep surprising your body, making sure it doesn't get accustomed to the training schedule and avoiding plateau.
Don't worry. I didn't make this training schedule for competitive bodybuilders, so it won't be too hard on you. You only need to go to the gym 4 times a week. That's 3 days off! Remember to train heavy, with weight that will allow you to finish the amount of reps you wish to do, and that force you to do less reps in the later sets or to drop the weight in order to finish the reps you wish to do (and do more reps with the decreased weight if you can).
Monday: Legs, calves
Tuesday: Training off
Wednesday: Back and biceps, abs
Thursday: Training off
Friday: Chest and triceps, abs
Saturday: Shoulders, calves
Sunday: Training off
Source
Diet is a VERY important part of training. One has to eat "clean." And no booze, no cookies, no gooey, cheesy goodness. I knew that, and as I was enjoying a final,
celebratory martini, I received a text from Whatshisname that sternly admonished, "No booze! You have to EARN it!" If I were a paranoid person, I'd think he was spying on me. But I'm not. And he's in another state entirely.
I'm pretty excited about this. I would rather work out than run, actually, which was his first plan for me. I like martial arts, too, and haven't abandoned that idea. But I am going to do boxing for my cardio. We have a heavy bag in the basement, and I have my own gloves and wraps. I just need to heal from my surgery before I can box. And remember how to wrap my hands. I'm sure there is something on YouTube.
What you eat is very, very important.
Nutrition Q & A
Eat Like a Body Builder with pictures!
Make your own protein bars!
3 1/2 cups quick oats
1 1/2 cups powdered non-fat milk
4 scoops low carb chocolate or vanilla protein powder
1 cup sugar-free maple syrup (Cozy Cottage, Cary's or Howard's)
2 egg whites, beaten
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 c. natural applesauce
Preheat over to 325 and spray a baking sheet or 9x12 baking dish with non-stick spray. The 9x12 baking dish will yeild thicker bars.
Mix oats, powdered milk, and protein powder in bowl and blend well.
In separate bowl, combine eggwhites, orange juice, applesauce, and the sugar-free syrup and blend well.
Stir liquid mixture into dry ingredients until blended. The consistency will be thick and similar to cookie dough.
Spread batter onto pan and bake until edges are crisp and browned.
Cut into 10 bars and store in airtight container or freeze.
Nutritional Information Per Bar: Calories-157,Carbs-23g,Protein-15g,Fat-.5g,Fiber-4g
Tips:
If you find you want a moister bar, use 1/2 cup of natural applesauce.
Kitchen Tip for Lowfat Baking:
Did you know you can replace the oil in a recipe with an equal amount of applesauce? Applesauce will add the same moisture of fat but not the added calories and it wont alter the flavor.
Source
These actually sound pretty good! I will try them tomorrow.
Does anyone else want to start body-building? If you're thinking, "BadKitties has lost her damn mind," I actually agree with you. But....there are competition categories for age 70 and up! There is NO excuse, really. Didn't Jack LaLanne keep working out and doing commercials into his 90's?
Let's put away our pom-poms for now and pick up our barbells:
Karyn Marshall, 1987
We can do it!!
What is your fitness plan for this year?? I really, really miss cactusgal. Can you imagine her response to THAT question? Lmao. Have a good one, everyone! I have a doctor appointment at 9:30 MST. Will host when I can.