not the last to know: {Goal Post} Update

I've started this post several times, but am determined to finish it tonight.

You may recall that a few weeks ago I told you of a couple of summer goals that I have.

Reading

Today I completed 36% of a 90 day Bible reading plan. Surprisingly I've been able to keep up except for one day, but the app is set up so you can "catch up".

Generally I listen to the daily reading via the YouVersion app on my phone or Kindle. I listen and read along a good portion of the reading for the day on my bus rides to and from work. If there's any of the reading left, I can usually listen while I'm preparing dinner.

Fit Body

I've finished 4 weeks of my 6 week fit body boot camp! Last week I had an assessment and am officially down 3.5 pounds and also down a combined 3 1/2 inches.

I snuck in to weigh myself tonight and see that I'm down a total of 6.4 pounds -- so, yeah, I'm a little excited :)

I've been trying to go 4-5 times and I think I've averaged about 4 times per week. As part of the 6-week program, they want you to come 3 times a week.

Each workout is 30 minutes and is different every time you go. We've done certain exercises more than once, but the workout as a whole has been different each time. After the first workout, I would have described it as "you get down on the ground and then you get back up again. Then you get down on the ground and then you get back up again. Rinse and repeat."

Funny thing is that after the second week, the only guy trainer was in charge on Tuesday night. Right away he mentioned that he heard a rumor that people were describing his class as almost exactly what I would have said.

"So you won't leave the ground for the first 15-20 minutes of this workout," he said. And we didn't. We did 100+ push ups in less than 20 minutes. Of course we didn't do them all at once. We did 10 at a time, and then we flipped over and did some sort of exercise on our back.

Pain

Needless to say, I spent the next 3-4 days in pain. I woke up Wednesday and couldn't move my RIGHT arm without distracting pain.

My recovery tools: Max-freeze, Ibuprofen, Ice Pack

A co-worker told me to I needed to do more push-ups to help with the pain. I went in our conference room and did 20, and surprisingly noticed instant relief. I was still very sore, but I did not have the distracting pain like I had before.

I went to workout that evening taking caution with my right arm. I woke up Thursday (4th of July) morning and couldn't move my LEFT arm without distracting pain. I went ahead and did 10 push ups and immediately felt better. Still sore, but better.

On Friday morning I woke up with both arms equally sore, but did not have any of the distracting pain. I did more push ups just to be sure, and then had the thought that this was some evil ploy to get me to do more push ups! ha!

On Saturday I went to the workout and surprised myself with how much I could do. Finally on Sunday I woke up without any soreness in my arms.

Over the past week, I can tell my recovery time is getting shorter and shorter. I did 3 workout days in a row last week and only took a rest day at the suggestion of one the trainers. (I still went for a 3.4 mile walk on my rest day though.)

Move

Something else that has helped me with the soreness in general is my new routine to walk for 15-30 minutes in the middle of my work day. This means that I usually eat lunch at my desk, but it's been nice to get outside and enjoy the summer sunshine.

In addition to my mid-day walk, I've also been walking in the evening. The past week or more, I increased the walk from 30 minutes to about an hour. I can now do a 5k in 53 minutes, give or take.

Tracking

For the past year and a half I've been working out regularly. Last summer/fall I lost about 12 pounds (and went down a pant size) and for the most part kept it off with my workout routine. One of the reasons I wanted to try the boot camp was to get a kickstart to loosing weight again.

The day after I started the boot camp, I began tracking my food. If I bite it, I write it (down). It's really an easy habit since I can use the MyFitnessPal.com app on my phone. The app even has reminders that remind me to record what I eat. The app is especially helpful for me to work at getting the right balance of carbs, fat, and protein since it tracks all of that for me.