Arailah gets Raid Ready

[Arailah]

So, I’m about as noob as can be when it comes to having a proper healthy lifestyle. 
 
I used to never have issues with my weight.  Being 5’0†and petite with my mom’s Filipino frame I could eat anything I wanted without worries.  I was an "unhealthy-skinny" person; where my metabolism happened to offset my terrible diet of soda and chips.  That being said, I was never fit.  I was that stereotypical inconsistent-gym-go’er who sat on various machines because it looked about right.   I didn't have a plan, no predetermined amount of sets or reps; I had absolutely no clue what I was doing.  So I would do a few of the machines, walk a few laps, give myself a pat on the back and grab a venti latte from Starbucks as a reward.
 
Then the inevitable:  Hello 30s.
 
Having three babies within 5 years took a toll on my body.  The yo-yo weight gain & loss, a pesky hyperthyroid condition that would creep up and then disappear, the lack of sleep and mediocre nutrition has left me at the heaviest I’ve ever been. 
So here I am at 5’0†carrying 145 pounds on a frame meant to carry significantly less fat. 
 
I began my research since everything I had tried prior (including the calorie counting + run until you faint diet) resulted in no change.  I hate distance/treadmill running with a passion; it’s really difficult for me to just run long periods of time before wanting to burst into tears.  I had set myself up for failure and discouragement.
 
In my desperation of frantic fitness site link hopping I once again stumbled upon Nerd Fitness.  I found this website a few years ago, signed up but forgot all about it.  However, something clicked this time with the introduction to strength training and I immediately became hooked.  I’ve decided that strength training to become stronger + burn fat + better diet is the direction I want to go. I’ve dropped calorie counting and picked up a modified primal diet. I’ve opted for strength training + interval training which is what I think makes me fall into the warrior (with a dash of ranger) way of life.
 
So this is me getting raid ready...
 

TL;DR?

I'm not happy with myself.

I'm finally making changes.

For the Horde. 

 

Updates Here:

Stats Here:

[Arailah]

Current:

Fitness:

• Stronglifts 5x5 ( M / W / F )
• Interval Training / PiYo / DDP Yoga ( T / Th )

Diet:

• Modified Primal Diet

Goals:

• Learn new recipes that allow me to eat more paleo/primal meals
• Stay on track with the Stronglifts 5x5 plan – stay on par with weekly weight increases
• Get to sleep earlier: With a 4 year old, 3 year old and 9 month old – interrupted sleep / 5am wake-time is inevitable. 

Challenges:

• Lifting with proper form and technique
• Performance anxiety – am I even doing this right?
• Time management – juggling a full-time job, family life and my love for goofing off in WoW is going to require lots of discipline on my part to go to the gym and properly meal plan. 
• Financial ability to support a wholly nutritious diet for family and myself

[Arailah]

Stronglifts 5x5:

2.23.2016
Barbell Squat: 45lb
Bench Press: 45lb
Barbell Row: 45lb

 

Stat History:

2.23.2016
Weight: 145.5
Arm: 12"
Chest: 35"
Waist: 37"
Hips: 39"
Thigh: 23"

[Scooby Chick]

Day one down, and day by day. Congratulations   Sending you positive vibes as you journey onward. 

[Arailah]

Monday was my first Stronglifts 5x5 set, I think it went well.  Since I haven’t done this before, the app started me at the bar (45lbs) for my squats/bench press and 65lbs for my barbell row.  Struggled a bit with my squat technique and had no issues with the bench press weight.  Dropped the barbell row down to 45lbs (just the bar) as I didn’t feel I could do them properly with the extra weight.

 

 

Initial thoughts: 

·         Am I doing this right?  Hubby said my form was correct but the whole thing just felt weird.  Noobishness I guess. 

·         Could have started the bench press off heavier, I don’t feel any type of fatigue/soreness in my arms – perhaps I wasn’t flexing enough during my reps.

·         My quads are still really sore – do I just push through with squats again tonight?

Today should be my second session on the Stronglifts 5x5 program.  However – my spotter and training partner (AKA my husband) is under the weather.  I don’t want to lose momentum but I’m not going to do this alone.

There is an assisted squat machine at the gym that I was eyeing but I know it’s not the most ideal choice, so I may wait resume it next week when hubby is feeling better and do the body weight set covered here on NF to keep my groove going.

 

 

 

Situational Awareness:

Last night I was supposed to do some type of at-home cardio – planned on flipping on some PiYo and finally giving it a shot.  Then I got distracted with WoW and spent way too long in a raid – thus neglecting my workout plans.  Whoops.

 

 

 

Food Buffs:

Sunday: Teriyaki Chicken + Brown Rice (brown rice is surprisingly good – but I miss my jasmine rice)

Monday: White Chicken Chili w/ Avocado (too spicy, pull back on the salsa verde a bit)

Tuesday: Pesto Chicken + Wheat Noodles (get better chicken – flavor was good, chicken meh)

[Arailah]

Well - I haven't made it back to the gym since Monday.  Husband is still under the weather and I'm not ready to try the stronglifts program without him.  I've been trying to stay active at home and continue eating right to stay motivated.  I haven't had a chance to do any type of body weight exercises / PiYo sessions at home, I've allowed time to get away from me. 

 

I've also realized that this deep soreness in my quads is directly related to me not squatting properly.  I had the wrong definition of "parallel" in my mind so I wasn't going deep enough.  Glad I was able to troubleshoot that.

 

Been reading almost every page on Stronglifts' website to learn as much technique as I can on these exercises, excited to put it into practice. 

 

Still staying strong with avoiding the soda and chips - lunch was leftover wheat pasta + pesto chicken + baby spinach + Olive Garden dressing and was darn delicious.