I've been gone for a while

My apologies for being MIA for about the past month.  A thing called school has gotten in the way.  One word, intense.

Anywho, unfortunately working out [for me] has been put on the back burner during summer courses.  Every week is different and I do get in a work out here and there.  Last week, no workouts.  :(  This week however, we have a bit of breathing room and I should be able to get in 4 (!) days worth of consecutive workouts.  Needless to say, I'm thrilled.  Commuting to NYC doesn't help my working out cause, at least not during the summer semester when we are sitting in class for 8 hours, add to that 2 hours of commute time before AND 2 hours of commute time after class.  If only they would make one of the train cars into a gym.  Then of course there are these two wonderful kids I want to spend time with.  By the time they go to bed, I need to hit the books for at least 3 hours of studying [and usually that isn't even enough].  Rough.

Okay, enough there.  I went to the gym today and threw some weights around.  My arms/upper body is queasy, and I love it.  Before school this summer, I pulled back from working out my chest for a month or so b/c I honestly thought it was looking a little too cut.  So, today I started back with chest.  My strength has suffered!!!  But I will return, no doubt.  I started back with Day 1, Week 1, Phase 1 of the LiveFit Jamie Eason 12-week trainer from www.bodybuilding.com.  (www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html)

I've had some fabulous old friends (by old I mean from high school days) start the LiveFit program themselves recently and I'm so excited to see their progress.  If you want proof this program works, check out the progress pictures below.  Helen has been gracious enough to allow me to share these on the blog.  She looks amazing!  She began a couple months post-partum.  She was skeptical b/c the scale wasn't moving for her.  We all told her to ditch the scale and trust the program.  I never weigh myself.  I gage my body on how the tone and definition looks.  And in case you didn't know, I like muscles.

Helen's LiveFit 12-week progress pics...SO PROUD!!

Despite not keeping up with my workouts, I am trying to maintain the clean eating. Occasionally, I do stress/emotional eat, and I will admit I have had a Chipotle Burrito, more carbs then usual, and some S'mores.  Now I know why people gain weight in college.  Just saying.  However, for the most part I'm doing okay in the eating arena.  I am sticking to the simple rules:

1.  Eating every 3 hours
2.  Protein every meal
3.  Limit your carbs
4.  Eating complex carbs only every other meal
5.  Limit fruits to breakfast
6.  Watching my sugar intake
7.  No carbs after 7pm
8.  Limit alcohol intake (I have had a few glasses of wine)

Clean eating works.  Lifting burns fat.  Don't be afraid of the weight room.  Walk in there like you own it!