YOU'RE ALL INVITED!!!!!!!

If you wish to continue following my fitness journey, particularly "GETTIN' BUFF" again, then head to my new blog. Round 2 baby, let's DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) Thanks for all your support!
MUCH LOVE~
EM

EM'S GET BUFF PURSUIT: TAKE 2!

Wedding PIX!!!!!!!!!!!

WELL HELLO THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so thrilled to be back to the U.S. and soooo excited to start sorting thru all our wedding pix and Greece pix!
It's awesome, not only do we have over 700 ceremony & dance pix, but there are plenty of other shutterfly albums from everyone elses' camera.
Again, I don't have a chance right now to re-cap the wedding or the honeymoon (still have to upload those pix!) BUT......I didn't want to leave you hanging: so here are a bunch of pix for ya!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll update Hopefully tmrw or sunday! GOOD TO BE BACK~!~ I miss my blog buddies! :) :)
LOVE YA ALL!!
Rehersal Dinner. Mom, Dad, Sis, B-in-Law

Church pic

Love him!


My Nephew Gavin (just turned ONE!!)

My husband

My Mom & Dad! Aren't they goodlookin'???

my G.o.R.g.E.o.U.S. BRIDESMAIDS!!!!!!!! LOVE THEM!!!

Something blue...

The big exit

Hummer limo

Bussle it

Seesters! :) :)

Wedding

I can't possibly take enough time right now to tell you how absolutely fabulous May 24th 2008 was. Simply everything I could have asked for and more!!!!!!
I had so many family members that were able to make it in from out of town (kansas & AZ in particular!!!!) and they made my day even that much more incredible!
I didn't get any good pix on my camera, so those will have to wait, but I do have a few sneak peaks of my hair....which I loved...perfect!!!!!!
I'll upload and have links to our photographer when we get back.......but until then...it's my bedtime. We head to the airport at 4am.....yikes.
GREECE HERE WE COME!!!!!!!!!!! I'll be on blog hiatus until June 14th. LOVE YA'LL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Huh-larry-us

HI GUYS!!!!!!!!
Well, you can imagine how fun it was sorting thru SIX camera's worth of photos from my bach. party!!! :) Too funny re-capping everything! :)
Here's one the first night. I thought it was a perfect time to show off my flexibility, and you can allllmost see the effle (spelling??) tower at our hotel Paris. haa haa
I can't believe this time next week I'll be a MARRIED WOMAN!!!!!!! And a week from this Tuesday we'll be in GREECE for 2 weeks!!!!!!!!!! HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!!

Love you all, and fellow bloggers, I'm still checkin' on ya! :)
EM :)

UPDATE, FINALLY!!!!!!!!

HEY ALL!!!!!!!! Here's a quick update with some pix from Vegas, too! (which, by the way, was A.W.E.S.O.M.E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So much fun!)
Wedding, work, workouts: Everything is going GREAT! I can't believe that I started this blog ONE-YEAR-AGO!!!!!!!!!!!! Holy cow! The year not only has FLOWN by, but it's been pretty dang wonderful! :) :)
Here's ya go:

HEY-O!!!!!!!!

I swear the days are just flyyyying by.
Here's a glance at my next 36 days:
20th:
Bridal Shower this weekend (and the last dress fitting???)
26th:
MY 24th!!!! :) :)
May 2nd:
Las Veeeegas w/ my favorite girls
May 10th:
Final Meetings w/ vendors
May 18th:
Family in town!!!!!!!!!
May 24th:
MRS. ARGER!!!!!!!! :) :)

Holy cow. I really ought to keep a journal (or blog more) because the next 5 weeks will be a whirlwind, I just know it!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, apparently my updating here is getting thrown on the backburner so I can focus on other stuff. Just FYI! :)
I'm still working moderately on fitness & diet. I feel really good, that's all that matters right now!! :)
I taught Turbo last night and we had a record 30-some people. Sooooo amazing. Loved it. I wish I could VLOG that. I think you'd be impressed at my class participants. They rock! :)
Much love to all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

VLOG #5

HELLOOOO!!!!!!!!!! HOPE EVERYONE IS WELL!!!!!!!!!!! HERE'S MY FIFTH VLOG. Today was wonderfully sunny & I just LOVED it!! :)
HAVE A FAB. FRIDAY!!
MUCH LOVE~
EM

Add this to your favorites list..........

If you have 10 seconds a day, you should really add this site to your list: http://greatday.com/

Here's a snippet of todays motivation:

Have a goal

When you're not headed in any particular direction, that's where you'll end up arriving -- nowhere. When you have no specific goal in mind, that's what you'll end up accomplishing -- not much.

Pretty good, huh?!? Read the rest HERE

Are you bummed???

HI GUYS!!!!!!! As you may know, I have many blogs that I 'frequent.' And I have to tell you, I get really bummed when they don't update their blogs!!!!!!! So, I'm sorry if you get bummed about my page.......i've been slacking! But I tell ya, once I started VLOGGING, I found my normal posts were kinda boring. That's no excuse, though, so I'm working on it!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
All is swell in sunny spokane. However, check back in 10 mins. and it could be raining. Or snowing. or windy........................
Yah, not kidding. Sucky weather, but exercise totally helps that!!!!!!!
I have a cardio challenge against my fiance. I have a habit of doing my cardio at the gym because I really love the stairs, BUT we have nice equipment at home that I need to be utilizing!!!!!!!!! So, the challenge has begun. One checkmark/slash for each 20 mins. So far I'm winning! :) :) I'll keep you posted!
This Saturday we are 6 weeks out from the wedding!!!!!! Really Getting EXCITED!!!!!!!
That's all I've got for now. Do check back for a vlog tomorrow or Thursday! Yahh!!!
MUCH LOVE~
EM
SONG OF THE DAY: Mary J. Blige: JUST FINE

Perhaps my calling?!?!

I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!! She makes everything look soooooo easy! This is 'sport aerobics' and I think it's way more prevalent in Europe. Anyway, she rocks!
I want my routine to look this flawless & efforless!!!!!!!

I have a trainer!!!!!

YEAH YEAH YEAH! I'm sooooo pumped I've been working with a trainer the past two weeks and she's kicking my booty! We are just doing weekly core-strength/full-body work until the wedding & then she's gonna train me all the way up to my next comp!!! (end of sept./early oct.) I'm still using Mike Davies (Fitness Factory) for diet, but Fiona will train me! This is such a good thing! The last time I did all the training myself, and I just really prefer having someone do a program for me!
Fiona just competed in Figure this past weekend at Tanji's show & WON her class. Next up for her is the E-cup. She's a really great trainer. Here's a pic from her show.

Tonight I taught Turbokick. It was an excellent class, again, just rockin the house!!!!!! Soooooooo fun!!!!!!!!!!! :)
Everything on the fitness front is going really well! Diet, for the most part......is going well, too!!!!!!!!
MUCH LOVE~
EM
SONG OF THE DAY: Destinys' Child: NO NO NO!
P.S. Thanks for all the nice comments after each VLOG! I really appreciate it! I sure get a kick out of doing those! They're sooooooo much fun! :) I really try and make them interesting! But, I'd love any ideas!!!!!!!
GOOD NIGHT!

Vlog #3 & #4

EAT, PRAY, LOVE

By Elizabeth Gilbert.
Really great book. Highly insightful & thoroughly entertaining & comedic!! :)

Anyway, here's a GREAT GREAT excerpt from "Book II; India" (pg. 178)

"Learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select what clothes you're gonna wear every day. This is a power you CAN cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on the MIND. That's the only thing you should be trying to control. Drop everything else but that. Because if you can't learn to master your thinking, you're in deep trouble forever."

"...Admit to the existence of negative thoughts, understanding where they came from and why they arrived, and then -- with great forgiveness & fortitude--dismiss them."

Again, this book is so interesting. An easy read & very thought provoking!
Let me know if you've read it and what your thoughts are!
MUCH LOVE~
EM

Funny conclusion

I stole this off of Debbie's blog (Jessica's trainer I think!)
Anyway, I totally got a kick out of it!!!

THE FINAL WORD ON NUTRITION
After an exhaustive review of the research literature, here's the final word on nutrition and health:
1. Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
2. Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
3. Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
4. Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
5. Germans drink beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.

CONCLUSION:
Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

***I'm sorry, but isn't that FUNNY????*** We are such an over indulgent nation. Which is okay in moderation, but we don't know TRUE moderation, really, do we????

Oh, and thanks so much for the awesome comments on my VLOG! It's really fun and I plan on doing many more, so stay tuned!!! But, just like Krissa said, the Handstands aren't as hard as they look. Try them!! I think the key is keeping your core "zipped up", use your feet to find balance, and then DRIVE through your shoulders not your forearms or wrist! Let me know if you have success!!!
MUCH LOVE~
EM
SONG OF THE DAY: THIS IS HOW WE DO IT, montell Jordan :) :)

VLOG #1 & #2: Finally!

Okay, here you have it! I did this last week & I'm working on another one, so have fun watching! :) Oh, and I'm uploading the handstand vlog as we speak, so hold on!!!! Vlog #2 features a cameo by my kitty, Nash. :)
MUCH LOVE~
EM

PIX!!!

HELLO!! No time to write, just wanted to post some pix!! I'm having a blast & will be back to a regular schedule in a couple days!
MUCH LOVE~!
EM
______________________
My Mom & Dad! :)

My Maid of Honor, KOKS!!

My seester & Matron of Honor! :)

Gavin Michael!!!

9 months!!

Sister in Law to be: Stephi

M.O.H. Koks

Well, DANG

That's it, guys, I'm sooo sad, like I said, I have TWO quick clips to upload and it will NOT let me!!!!!! i'm going to have to try it on the actual video camera instead of my digital camera w/ video mode. So sorry!
Still hitting the workouts & tonight I taught. Great class, bunch of fuN!
I'm heading home in TWO days for my bridal shower!!!!!!! WHOOOO HOOOO, so pumped! SOOOOOOOOOOOOO pumped! :)
Hope you're all well! I'll keep ya posted on the video. It was really good, too...... :( :(
MUCH LOVE~
EM

Success

Well, I tried my sprint/interval/incline workout (at the gym) AGAIN and stepped it up a notch. THIS time: I did both a 1-minute walk (4.0) AND a 1-minute sprint/run (6.0) at each incline and there are 15 total inclines. And I did the same on the way down. So, basically I DOUBLED the workout. Heckkk yeah. It was awesome. It's def. not a cardio workout I can do more than a couple times a week because it is TOUGH. C- is probably right, it's the increased carbs now that I'm not in contest prep :). I'm a carby, what can I say. I really thrive on them! :) :) Who doesn't? I'm sure it's the popcorn before I go to bed...........

So, I finished my morning cardio (downstairs). Did 50 min. of the ellip. while watching What A Girl Wants. Just finished Devil Wears Prada yesterday. I love watching movies while doing cardio. Makes it go super fast.

Song of the Day (yestrday) PRETTY YOUNG THING (P.Y.T.) Michael Jackson
MUCH LOVE! Have a AWESOME weekend, I'm trying to vlog (video blog) this weekend. We'll see how that goes............
EM

KILLER SPRINT/INTERVAL

So, day before yesterday (same day I announced my retirement! haa) I had TONS of morning energy, so I wanted to 'test' myself. Here was my workout. I'm attempting to do it again tomorrow. Again, I don't know what got into me, but I felt extra energetic. I'll let ya know if I make it thru again, tomorrow morn! :)
(Not much of a warm-up. So don't pay attention to that. I was just ready to go!!!)
Incline Speed
1% 4.0mph
2% 6.0mph
3% 4.0mph
4% 6.0mph
5% 4.0mph
6% 6.0mph
7% 4.0mph
8% 6.0mph
9% 4.0mph
10% 5.8mph
11% 4.0mph (once I get to where I can't keep up, don't worry, I hold on!)
12% 5.6mph
13% 4.0mph
14% 5.0mph
15% 4.0mph
Each of those were one minute interval. Then.....i worked my way back down, same way I worked my way up. I was drenched, I was huffing and puffing, but DANG it felt good! if I couldn't make it a full minute sprinting, I'd just go 40-45 sec. and walk the extra 15 sec.

Does this workout make sense the way I wrote it out?
It was a doozy!!!
Much love~
EM

Pulled a Val

Well.......here's the news.
I'm retiring. As Em Reed, that is.

Yup, you read correctly, I've chosen to hold off on competing until after the wedding!
My 2nd competition (this fall) will also be my debut as Em Arger, so that's pretty cool!

Anyway, I honestly am great with the decision! My workouts will still be fun & intense! I will keep my blog updated, so don't think I'm pressing pause on this!

I will let everyone know my plans for fall when they happen! Heck, maybe I'll just show my face on a national stage; I did qualify by getting 2nd last Oct.....

Thanks for all your support and don't think this is the last of me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MUCH LOVE~
EM

Excitement & Cardio Ala carte

The last couple nights I've had a little bit of trouble falling asleep. Okay, so I know I'm kinda craazzy, but right before I'm falling asleep I get excited about what cardio I'm gonna do in the morning. :) Is that funnY?? I'm serious, though. I thnk of all of these fun combos I can do, and it's affecting my sleep. :) Wow. Issues. ha ha
Anyway, this morning for my cardio I did what I call Ala Carte (i'm pretty sure I'm not spelling that correctly.) So, I did ten minutes on 6 diffent machines (I'm like a kid in a candy store with so much equipment to choose from!)
I did the treadmill, Full Body Elliptical, Stairmill/Gauntlet, Natural Runner (like an elliptical, but more of a running motion) Stair-stepper, & ended with the regular elliptical.
Yeahhh, awesome workout. I'm eating breakfast right now, then I'll head back for Shoulders around noon. I don't work until 2pm so I'll get everything done before that!
Song of the Morning: SONIQUE-It Feels So Good
MUCH LOVE~ ENJOY YOUR DAY!!!!!!!!!!!
EM

Friends in Cyber

So, I know this sounds odd, but it really means sooooooo much to me to get comments, even from those of you I've yet to 'officially mean'. C & Jess you guys rock. I obviously read your blogs & get plenty of tips & inspiration from them. Meg, you're my fellow phat camper and I'm so happy you're following this fun journey. To my family and almost family (Robin) thank YOU guys so much for commenting. You guys HAVE to know that sometimes those words drive me to kick a little harder! :) Since I've changed my options so that I have to view comments before I post them, it's been like christmas, every time I sign in, I have new comments to moderate! So, I can't thank you enough, but do know that it's taken to heart.
LASTLY, both of my grandma's read it and since they don't know how to post, I'm going to put a snipet of their comments to me. :)
From G'ma Diana in Kansas: Em, we read your blog every other day and it's just AWESOME. We have so much fun & it really keeps us posted on all you're doing! (P.S. She just had knee replacement surgery & is doing very well!!!)
From Mimi in Arizona: I just finished looking at your blogs and enjoyed the pictures of Schwetty's. What a great place to exercise if you feel so inclined (which I seldom do) but might if I had a great place like that. I also still think it is strange for anyone to enjoy all of those torturous things when they could be curled up on the couch reading a good book! But I do say "You go girl!". (hee hee, too cute!)

Well, enough about how much I love comments. Just thought you all needed to know!
ALL IS WELL ON THE TRAINING FRONT. KICKING BUTT, TAKING NAMES! :)
Song of the Day: Rihanna: Breaking Dishes (Meg, her whole CD rocks!) :)
MUCH LOVE~~
EM

212

PB

No........get your mind out of the gutter that's not Peanut Butter. :) ha ha ha ha
It stands for personal best. Although I don't think it's REALLY my personal best, because it wasn't a one rep max, but ANYWAY: I single-arm pressed a 40 lb. dumbbell during my shoulder workout last night and I was pretty psyched!!! :) I do them single arm (while standing & holding on to an upright seat for balance) because I like the isolation. I got nice and warm, esp. thru the rotator cuff muscles, and then started with 30's, felt strong, moved it up, and moved it up again. I'm thinking I could do more but would certainly need a spot! :) I use different gloves when I do shoulder work. I use the ones that wrap around your wrist, too, keeping it in neutral position which is a big saver! Anyway, I felt really good and after that I did a handstand against the wall (belly facing the fall) and alternated hands--I brought one arm up to the quad, held it, switched, and then did just quick hand lifts. Reallllllly killed the shoulders. Yup, finished the work with 5 lb. plates doing front/lat. lifts and could barely lift my arms. SUCCESS!!!!!!!!! :) :) :)
So, I know that weight to some may be easy & to some it may be hard, that's why it's called MY PERSONAL best! :) :)
Off to the gym for some stairs & boot camp. Yeahhh, great way to end your week!
Much Love~
EM
Yesterdays' song of the day: Janet Jackson Feedback. Oh please, have you seen this video? I LOVE her dance skills. Seriously, you-tube it! :)

Turbo Wednesdays

I know in the past I've always raved about my Turbokick class. Well today we broke an attendance record: there were over 30 people there. It was frickin' AWESOME! Just an amazing workout and so much fun. I hope the class likes it as much as I do. Dang, it felt great!
This morning we were at the gym by 6:45. Did my hour of cardio while Gene lifted, oh and by the way, my IPOD is all charged up again. Yesterday during my morning session it pooped out about 5 mins into my hour on the stairmill. Shoot me now (then) I almost cried! I have a back-up walkman radio just in case, and it breaks into fuzz every other min. NOT AWESOME. so Today I was glad to redeem myself and get in a killer workout, because you know I can't effeciently workout without my IPOD!!
I'm feeling really great. Just hoping day by day to see new muscles *POP*! Yeahhhh! :)
SONG OF THE DAY: Dr. Feelgood by Motley Crue :)
MUCH LOVE!!!!!

BEAUTIFUL WEBSITE/MOVIE

Thank you Mom, for sending me this AWESOME link. Please check it out if you have a few minutes. I'm a sucker for motivational/inspirational quotes & the like, and this just moved me. I loved it, and I hope you will, too!

***************NO GLASS CEILING****************

Much love~
EM

Song of the Day

Hi guys!!! Hope your Sunday is/was enjoyable!
I did 65 min. cardio this morning, have Legs this afternoon, then cardio wihle watching the GLADIATOR finale tonight! Yeah!!! :)
Almost everytime I'm doing cardio, there's a song that I keep repeating because for some reason, during that session, it pumped me up. It may not be a favorite song, but it kept me going when I needed it! What I'm going to do is list a song for the day so you can know what I'm jamming out to! I swear people probably think I'm crazy, bopping around on the stairmill or ellip. ha ha, hopefully I make them laugh! :)
60 days to go! Like C said, "SHOW ME WHAT A BODY CAN DO IN 60 DAYS." That sounds like a challenge. BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
MUCH LOVE~
EM
SONG OF THE DAY: Do Somethin' Britney Spears (I know...but listen to this song and try and sit still!)

:)

I love both Jess & C's funny stories. It's funny because my carbs aren't technically that LOW, but after any workout, I sure focus in on getting food in my body as soon as possible!!! And yes, Jess, I'm moderating comments just so no more "randoms" post. How lame, huh??
Anyway. Today I did 60 min. on the stairmill/guantlet at the gym. Fasted. Yikes, that is TOUGH! I do 30 min. on the Fat Burner level 8. Then I do 3 seperate 10 minute programs. TOday it was sprint intervals for 10, then aerobic training, then Fat burner II. I like the shorter 10 minute ones because then each level or bar is like 7 seconds long. I can handle that at high level. It's trying to do like 30-40 seconds continually at level 8 that really gets me........ Who knows...... :) I guess I like variety.
Went home to eat & shower, had three appt. this morning, then head back to the gym for shoulders and guess what, more cardio! :)
I'm like 63 or 62 days out, which basically means I have over 110 cardio sessions left. That puts it into perspective. But, other way to look at it, is, being 9 weeks out, I really only have 8 more Leg workouts, 8 more Back, 8 more Shoulders, 8 more Chest workouts, and PLENTY of routine/gymnastics practice. WOW. Enough ramblings for today.
Hey, Did I mention, I'm loving every minute of this???? :) :) :)
Much love!~

LOW CARBS?? Or just an airhead for the day??

Alright. I've heard some funny pre contest prep stories from fellow competitiors. Like, dropping things (keys, EGGS) locking yourself out of the house/car....funny.
Had my own day before yesterday.
I'd just finished a BOMB leg workout with cardio and had to hit the grocery store before I went home to get Eggs, water & green beans (sound inticing??)
Well, I didn't want to bring my purse in so I just grabbed my little black pouch (koks) that holds my Id, debit cards, business cards. Simple, right?
Well, I buy eggs in a huge cardboard box (like 60 eggs I think) and had 2 gallon sized water jugs, and plus the green beans (STAY WITH ME, AM I LOSING YOU, YET?)

Long story short, I payed, threw the wallet in the bag (with the greenbeans) because my hands were full & headed out.

The next day, I'm on bodybuilding.com to order supps and I, for the life of me, COULD NOT FIND MY WALLET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh. Freakin out. Dumped my purse out. Looked thru my car, did it fall between the seats? I almost called the grocery store.

Then........I Remember......My damn wallet is with the green beans, which I haphazardly chucked into the freezer right when I got home. Obviously, All I was worried about when I got home was EATING!!!!!! :o)

ANYWAY, I REALLY got a kick out of myself. I thought, wow, that's pretty funny! :)

So, there you have it, I hope you made it to the end of the story. And I hope to you it's as funny as it was for me. :)

HAPPY Valentine's DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MUCH LOVE~
EM

A DOUBLE POST: Part II

SCHWETTY'S (Also known as the Hawks' Nest......it's decorated with SEAHAWK gear!!)
I absolutely LOVE this space. It's amazing! Three pieces (well, four if you add the trampoline) of cardio, weights, ball, decline bench.....music, TV, my VISION PAGES! :) Just LOVE IT!!!!!!!

DOUBLE POST: PART I

This is a pic update (10 WEEKS OUT TODAY!)



P.S. To fellow bloggers......how do I disable clicking on the pix (to make them GIANT size? yikes....) Let me know! THANKS!

My 100th post!

Wow, this is the 'hundreth' time I've posted since May 6th 2007. Such a journey....and so much ahead of me! :) EXCITMENT!!
All is well on the training front. Diet has been close to perfect....gotta work on that! I can train my rear off all day, I love that aspect of it. I just always fall a little short in the diet. BUT, that gives me something to work on. It's a challenge everyday!!!
I did my 60 min. fasted cardio this morning at the gym (because we're still getting carpet laid down in Schwetty's. By THURSDAY it should be up and ROCKIN!)
I'm heading back this morning to lift and finish up cardio. THEN, I have 5 appt. in a row. It's gonna be a busy day! I've already finished laundry, food prep and random chores. YEAH!!!!!!!!
Anyway, MAKE IT A 212 DEGREE DAY! (google it)
MUCH LOVE~
EM
Ohhh, Claudine, thanks for the comment, PIX this thursday, 10 weeks! YEP!!!

Schwetty's is BLUE!!!

Like I last reported, our basement gym is almost finished. The snow here (it's out of control) kept the guys from working a few days.........BUT, the paint is on the walls and they're doing the trim today. It is beautiful. I just love the color, it's a GREAT BLUE! Walls, ceiling, everything! We picked out an industrial grade carpet that is very similar to the kind my Mom & Dad have in their gym. It's gonna be so nice!
We braved the elements this morning and I had an AWESOME cardio session. 15 min. stairs and then 45 min. treadmill, hoping off every 2 minutes for quick bi's/tri's/pop squats. Lots of fun; I was drenched! :)
Today my boss closed the office, but I still have a few appointments for those patients that are able to make it in. We had another snow day today. Seriously, this is goin on my 3rd winter here, and.........this has been the worst!!!!! :(
Anyway, nothing like cardio & lifting to boost that MOOD! :) I don't need no stinkin sun! I've got edorphines!

11 WEEKS OUT!!!!!!!! YA YA YA!!!
MUCH LOVE & STAY WARM~
EM

NEW LIFTING SCHEDULE...Yea! :)

My new lifting schedule looks like this:
Sat. *****SHOULDERS
Sun. *****LEGS
Mon. *****CHEST
Tues. REST
Wed. *****BACK
Thur. *****ARMS/Light Legs possibly
Fri: REST

So, my "week" begins on saturdays and I do a three day on, one day off, two on, one off. LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!! :)
I must say, I don't personally understand why people don't lift on the weekends. I find it gives me WAY more time to focus. I only lift 3 days during the week and feel much less stressed trying to get everything it. Just personal preferance I'm sure! :)
MUCH LOVE!!!!!!!!!!

S.E.T. Master Class

Today was great, I woke up early, got in an AWESOME Jen Hendershott shoulder workout, worked 3 hours, got my hair cut (FINALLY!) and have been home ever since. Oh, and in that time it snowed about 5-6 inches. They were huge flakes just coming down! Snow is all well and good in December when it's festive, but now, ALMOST Feb. it's just annoying! :(
Tomorrow I have my instructor Master class and this month it's Strength & Endurance training. Lots of fun, this is what the class is comprised of:
Warm-up
Testing. 1 min. each: Push ups/sit-ups/quick feet step ups.
Lift: 3 min.
Cardio: 3 min.

Alternate lift & cardio.
Typical lifts go: Squat, chest, back, lunges, bi's, tri's, abs. Goal is to be 6-7 R.P.E. (Rate of Perceived Exertion out of 10)

Cardio: interval drills possibly incorporating light weights. R.P.E. 7-8

This class is a ball, it's actually one I subbed last monday. Usually a HUGE class at my club, members love it.

I'm also doing a killer leg workout tomorrow. Yeah, I'll let you know if I can't walk in a couple days. That's the goal. Sick huh? :) ha ha

Ohhh, by the way, did I mention I'm less than FOUR MONTHS AWAY FROM MY WEDDING?!?!?!?!?! Talk about a busy time! Life issss goooooood! :)
***MUCH LOVE***

A home gym called......................

Schwetty's
Yup, you read correctly, our newly finished basement (okay, ALMOST) has and will always be called Schwetty's (think sweaty, with a "sshh")
:) I just love the name......although I think it came from an inappropriate SNL skit.....anyway, I like it and OH MY GOSH, it's almost done!
We've used it as our cardio/storage room for the last 17 months but just this past Monday the guys started finishing it. We (I) picked an awesome blue paint. I just imagine "air/breath/water". Perfect for my new workout room. We're also getting mirrors, so that'll be great for posing practice.
When it's all finished, we'll have our Treadmill, Full body-elliptial and upright (slightly ghetto) bike. Plus our 'perfect pushup' handles (awesome) fitness ball, random weights/barbells. So, we're ready to rock it!
And Schwetty's will live up to its name.....................

p.s. Training is fantastic! We started our early morning sessions, so it's awesome to have 1/2 your workout done by 8am!!!!
Much LOVE!!!!!!! HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!

SORRY---More Pix

Per request: Melissa. In the middle. Bridesmaid & the Hostess with the most-est!

Zoolander

***Pix***

Training is going VERY WELL!!!!!!!! I'm happy with my progress this past week and I am determined to keep it up!!!!!!!
Here are some pix for ya:
My sister & I at Z-Tejas in Scottsdale: An action shot: I was dancing, flippin the hair :)
Jen & Heather Bear
Lynn, my fellow Washingtonian!

PHAT CAMP

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Really, the BEST fitness weekend you could ask for. Jen Hendershott & Heather Bear just rocked the ENTIRE weekend. I highly recommend this experience for anyone, competitor or not; it'll get you on track for SURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday night we did an seminar & boot camp; saturday we did cardio, seminar, shoulder, seminar, then chest; sunday was a sprint workout, back, seminar, finished with legs. Then I sat on a plane for over 3 hours.......ohhhh my. I still have DOMS! :) BUT I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :)
I'm 13 weeks out today and I'm feeling great! I'll upload pix this weekend.
So, I've kept the momentum since Friday night. Monday I did 45 min. cardio intervals, Tuesday I traveled back home and RESTED! :) Wed. I did 1.45 min cardio and a shoulder workout, then today I've done 1 hour cardio, thus far!
Tomorrow is cardio & Legs. Time to bust ass and get stage ready; I keep telling myself that! YOU ONLY GET OUT WHAT YOU PUT IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MUCH LOVE!!!!!
P.S. I spend about 5 days with family in Phoenix before camp. I love to go hiking, and so I volunteered to take Gavin in the front pack so we could all go. He's 22 pounds........that's a LOT of baby to carry up a mountain. :) :) But I love him!!!!

Down to Double Digits Days

Okay, I'm officially under the 100 day mark and I'm FREAKIN OUT!!!!!!!! :)
Just kidding, I just noticed before I signed in that yep, I'm 99 days out!
I'm enjoying sunny Phoenix and can't hardly WAIT for PHAT CAMP on Friday. I got a pass for 24 hour Fitness ($10 a day!) and did an awesome upper body routine, then, the next day (still within the 24 hour time limit) I went to Turbokick and did a quick leg routine. Other than that, we did a great hike and that's about it on the fitness front. Nutrition has been spotty. However, I have been eating my oats, ground flax, psyllium and protein powder for breakfast!

I'm ready to be back on a set schedule. I thrive on a set schedule, don't we all??!
I'm been awful at checking everyone's blog so when I get home I have a LOT of catching up to do!

Much love from Sunny PHX!

Got it!

YAY! I got my diet on the 31st. I really tried to follow the plan, but I wasn't totally on.....New Years Eve was my last cheat meal, it was great, had an amazing lobster dinner.
So, that leads us to Jan. 1st. I think I joined millions of others who "resolute" (is that a word???) to stay on track with diet and extercise.
Okay, back to the diet. It's great, I'm loving it for sure. I stay with this for 3-4 weeks and then we tweek it as needed. Since I am (obviously) holding on to some precious fluff, I'm actually doing 2- 45 minute cardios almost daily (I do have my rest day) That's no problem because I got an ELLIPTICAL for Xmas!!!!!!!!!! It's so badass I love it, it's full body and is sturdy as the gyms'.
Tonight I'm off to teach Turbokick and I'm doing either Chest or Back before....haven't decided.
Anyway, to everyone attempting a new plan: DOMINATE IN 08. Why not! Make it happen!
My motto for the next 100+ days is: TIME TO BUST ASS AND GET STAGE READY!!!
Much love~
Em