Fitness Case Study - Week Seven Recap

What do chocolate and salted caramel ice cream with brownie, Kit Kat and graham cracker crust mix ins have to do with this post?  LOTS!  I ate them!

At Cold Stone Cream Creamery totally enjoying
 my first and last treat / cheat of the case study.

 In case you're wondering, I didn't break any rules by indulging in this magnificent deliciousness.  Tab and Chelle actually allow us one treat / cheat meal per week.  This was just the only time that I wanted (make that was WILLING) to cheat.  There have been lots of times I've WANTED to cheat, just a bite won't hurt me, right, but I have chosen not to.  I've actually been planning this little treat party for a while now and it happened this weekend for a reason.  The goal thru the program so far has been for me to build as much muscle as possible.  Trust me when I tell you that this happens at a much slower rate than fat loss and the body makes very specific demands regarding what type of nutrition it's willing to work with in order to build said muscle.  If I had been living it up, having a treat meal every week, that would have been seven meals of muscle building fuel that my body would have missed out on!  Seven whole meals!  That's a lot of fuel to give up!  Now for the second part of my formula: why I chose this particular week to have my treat.  Next week, if I understood  the bosses correctly, I begin my leaning out phase.  That's when the fat burning happens and my little baby muscles (I say baby muscles with a lot of affection, I'm excited about them) will start to show.  This is just my opinion, based on research I've done, take it or leave it - anytime you eat clean for a while and then have a treat, your metabolism gets "shocked".  It's kind of like waking up a sleeping dragon, give it a nudge and it starts to breath fire.  Now you might be asking, "Why didn't you wait until you're actual leaning out phase to do it then?"  Because I knew I was going to eat c-r-a-p!  I didn't want to give my body unnecessary, empty, useless calories to have to burn up when the point of my training will be to burn the fat I've already got right now. 

So, that's my soapbox speech on treats.  Now on to more important things, like the case study!  

I'm explaining to the Cold Stone gal that participating in
the case study and that this is the first treat I've had since the end of summer.  Can you tell how excited I am? 

Week seven was full of the usual: weights, food and love.  I'm loving going to the gym at 4:30 am and having the place almost to myself.  No one's in my way, I don't have to share equipment and I can grunt and groan as loud as I wanna!  Oh the joy!!!  I got to try a couple new exercises too: "cross over lunges" and the "iron cross".  Zowie!  They're both tough and I have a feeling they're also very effective.  

As my workouts get harder and I'm more tired toward the end I find myself thinking, "What if this is the last time I get to do this exercise?  What if Tab doesn't put it on a later program?  Have I given it everything I have?  Used it to it's full potential?"  I'm really trying to focus on the fact that every single rep counts.  The ones in the beginning when I feel the strongest, they count.  But the ones at the end that feel impossible, the ones I barely squeak out?  Those count the most!

This week, I wish you peace and success in all you do.  MAKE EVERY REP COUNT!

Happy Monday, dear reader!