The drama started Thursday. I came home from work and my husband said, 'did you hear the helicopters?'
“Why no,” said his wife who works in a cave across town (you think I'm kidding. Sadly, I'm not—no window for me... door closed so I can listen to obnoxiousness and not disturb my coworker. We could be bombed and I would not know.)
Big FREAKING double rotor helicopters—like eight of them, circling MY YARD! Okay, so maybe my yard was just on the flight path around the stadium but Holy CRAP!
AND NOW WE HAVE FREAKING SNIPERS ON ROOVES!!!!
So my neighbor... I'll call him Joe... works at a building near Michigan Stadium. His supervisor said, “if anyone needs to work this weekend, you'll need to get FBI clearance.” I'm DEAD FREAKING SERIOUS.
Then there was the morning thunderstorm that passed ON TOP OF our house... Thunder and lightning at EXACTLY the same time, but it has seemed to mellow a lot—the news says scattered showers the rest of the morning—I don't think I'd want to sit for 3 hours in it, but there you have it...
So if I am a little scatterbrained, you'll have to excuse me. I go back and forth between being giddy ObamaFanGirl and AnnoyedThisIsMyTown, YouPeopleGoHome. Because the town is PACKED. Granted, it is always busy graduation weekend, but BARRACK FREAKING OBAMA... HERE. AT MY HOUSE! Okay, not QUITE my house. But if he were a bomb I'd explode. He's pretty darned close!
And now... back to your regularly scheduled blog...
Here is the speech, if anyone is interested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcNXFz_QCVU
Downsizing
That is where I was this week. I am actually up a pound, but my dark grey slacks that I was WEARING, but weren't quite FLATTERING, HUNG Thursday. And yesterday I braved the capris I've mentioned—they aren't as 'hangy' across the butt as I'd like, but they cling NOWHERE, which means they FIT. I am back in my size 14s—officially! (not just the fat 14s) WAHOO!
I don't know what the mechanism is, that you shrink at a different time than you lose the pounds... I am STILL sticking with a tissue memory theory (“oh, I might need this space again soon, so I'm not yielding just yet”), but this has not been that unusual an experience in my life of dieting, and I think it is one of my favorite things because it is just so unexpected. It is also FINALLY that reinforcement you need when you stick with it in spite of no reward for several more weeks.
9 comments:
The weight vs "hang" (giggle) is usually attributed to a loss of fat AND a gain of muscle. Since muscle is more dense than fat the weight doesn't necessarily drop - bit tone is almost always apparent in how our clothes fit. And - CONGRATULATIONS! That's awesome! What are you doing for exercise? [I need to get motivated - my cardio is not so hot. :P]
I am not sure how much I've toned, as my routine is one I've been doing for years, though I HAVE added a 'hill day' to my power walk schedule (and solidly given up 'a day off now and again)--I suppose that might help. I walk to and from work daily (moderate pace, about 2.5 miles each way) and then 4 days a week I 'power walk'--sweating pace--I do 50 minutes Tu, Th, and then do a 60 and a 90 on the weekend--the 90 is the hill day, as I have to go that far to find really good hills.
If you are building muscles, the inches will drop but not the lbs, so much. YOU have to build a certain amount, the the lbs let go. I love to walk, I need to add some more sprints. Walking
sprints, I mean. I walk really fast to a mail box then walk normal and mix it up! Congrats on your success!
How fun to have your city, represented with Obama. I agree the security is crazy! We were at the Navy Exchange(NEX) when Michelle was going to show up...i have never seen a crowd like that, since they opened a Wal-mart in Anchorage. I was there, for that, it was insane!!! I think it was 1992! I'll never forget it~
Ellie, I'm giggling helplessly that a Walmart opening in Anchorage could be so exciting. *snort*
I am pretty darned muscular already, but I do think there can be some smoothing of it... I really would love my butt to become shapely and attractive, rather than drooping to my knees... doesn't seem so much to ask for how active I am...
You're a Michigander? Me too! (Rival school further to the north.)
We had Clinton visit the community college where I work once. We all had to be vetted by the secret service and stuff. And all of our art students went down to the sidewalk to watch the limos fly by... and one of the models (you know the _nude_ models) opened her robe as they went by.
Nobody got in trouble. We figure he probably appreciated it.
Yay for flashing Clinton!!!! Oh, that makes me happy! I have a novel that has the first line, "I slept with Bill Clinton." It is a smart alec answer to a question she doesn't care to address, but I just love it.
Farther north? Like... .3 degrees... or significantly farther north? Anyway, love to find other Michiganders! Actually, in the Blogosphere Pantsless Paul is my only other known Michigander until now! (Foodaddy is his other name, and he hates pants as much as I do.)
I'm up near MSU.
We do drive down to A2 to get Zingerman's on a regular basis, but otherwise it's, you know, enemy territory.
Improper breathing on the bench press is one of THE biggest reasons people are weak on this lift. If you breath wrong, you lose that stability (just like in the squat) and don't provide your body with a solid platform from which to move the weight.This technique applies to heavier to moderate-weight benching - it's not as critical on the lighter, higher-rep training to follow it as is because the load is a lot less.Picture yourself at the top of the movement with the barbell locked out. Now lower the bar, inhaling a deep breath as you come down. Here's the key...you should finish taking in that breath by the time you're halfway down (around your sticking point). This is important for torso stability.Hold your breath during the bottom phase of the movement, just like in the squat. If you start breathing out right at the bottom, you will not only destabilize your torso, which will change the leverage in your shoulders, it'll also sink down your chest and flatten your shoulder blades out (which should be held in tight behind you during the whole movement to maximize leverage).
Ha! Daring Novelist-those of us who have to pay the cost of living in A2 can't AFFORD Zingerman's *cough* Actually we went to the Roadhouse for my daughter's birthday and it's GREAT food... just spendy.
F.Lex-erm... thanks? Is this where you meant to post that? I try to do a little lifting but all I have is 5 pound and 6.5 pound hand weights.
Post a Comment