LOVE the new trainer!

I am loving my new training program and diet! I am working every body part at least once per week, with abs and calves two or three times per week. This kind of training makes sense to me. I am spending more time in the gym. I’m not lifting more weight per rep, per se, but overall, my muscles are experiencing more time under tension. The training entails a lot of supersets, which I like because that means I am getting out the gym a little more quickly than I would otherwise. What’s interesting with the program is that I feel more of a burn while working out but am not necessarily sore the next day. That being said, today my back, glutes and chest are sore.

The diet isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It’s actually pretty yummy. No dairy, but that’s ok. I am taking calcium supplements. I do eat about 1.5 servings of fruit per day, but it’s spread out through the day. I also replaced some of the items. For example, the menu calls for asparagus, but I found that I just wasn’t eating it, so I switched it out wiht green beans. I know my coach would not approve, but like I said, I wasn’t eating the asparagus because I really don’t like it. It’s slimy when it’s cooked and when it’s raw, it’s too chewy. I also think the diet includes more starches. They are smaller servings, but again, more spread out through the day. I love that I am never hungry and wondering when my next meal will be. Food comes every two hours.

I also bought a suit on divaexchange. It was such a good deal that I couldn’t pass it up. I’ll post pics later when I get it.

The Way Things IS

I’m finding it more and more difficult living in Bartlesville. It’s just a place, I tell myself, but still I cannot shake the feeling that maybe I would feel differently if I were living in Tulsa or anyplace bigger than Bartlesville. The other day I had just left my supervision meeting. I was in Tulsa. The weather was not as muggy as it has been. The sun was shining. It was the start of the weekend. And I really wanted to go out to dinner with John, sit on a patio somewhere, eating and drinking a glass of white wine, maybe go for a walk down by the river as the sun was setting. Instead John was making his hour-long commute south from Coffeeville to Bartlesville while I was just starting my 45-minute long commute north from Tulsa to Bartlesville.

Would it really be different if we lived in Tulsa or do I simply lack the guts to “make it” in a place like Bartlesville. And for a town of 30,000, you would think there would be more to do. There is one movie theater, one bowling alley, one mini golf place. The restaurants are not so much restaurants as buffets and diners, which leave foodies like me no place to indulge. Sure, I like chicken fried steak and pizza and BBQ. But I also appreciate a good steak, excellent service, and good wine. All of which seem lacking in Bartlesville’s restaurants.

I asked myself that same question—if it would be different if we lived in Tulsa—as I was finishing my cardio yesterday at the gym. I had sprinted until my legs felt like Jello. I wanted the endorphins to pump hard enough to make me forget for a moment at least how unhappy I am here. But I left the gym pondering the significance of place on our happiness. Would it make a difference if I was able to go to a spinning class and be surrounded by a bunch of people rather than working out by myself in an empty gym? At least in a gym full of active men and women (not just the big burly dudes who hang out at my gym), there is an energy that is contagious. People are socializing. They may or may not be working hard, but there is a sense of purpose. An excitement.

And I am not sure that life would be different if we lived elsewhere. I’ve lived in cities before where there was a sense of possibility and purpose, and yet I still felt as though I was just on the perimeter with no way of entering in. At some point, you have to stop looking for the source—whether the problem is in you or the place or your partner—and just admit: You are unhappy. There is no blame. It just is.

Some things I like about OK

Just a reminder for me.

1. Chicken fried steak :-)
2. My job
3. Being with John
4. Our little house
5. How fast and heavy the rain comes down
6. The country is beautiful
7. Jared's ice cream!! The BOMB!
8. My first time living in a small town (even if I do detest the experience, ha!)
9. The slower lifestyle
10. Having all three kitties in one house!

It took me a little while to come up with this list. I've been struggling with living here, so I thought maybe I should focus on the positive. And 10 is all I could come up with. I don't know. Something needs to change. John and I are talking about joining a flag football or a frisbee team to meet some people, do something social and get out of the house. We'll see how things go.

New Trainer! Now Part of Team Bombshell!

I finally switched trainers!!! I am now with Team Bombshell, which is led by IFBB Pro Shannon Dey! I will be starting with her program this Monday. It took a while for me to come to terms that I needed to switch trainers. Cathy Savage has an amazing team, but I got tired of some things that were going on. The first was communication difficulties. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back, as they say.

And maybe more importantly was my feeling that I wasn’t training enough to get the results I really wanted. Granted, I can be a little piggy which can set me back. So I decided to try someone new who offers a little more structure. There’s more volume with Shannon’s plans and she writes the meal plan. Cathy’s team does macros, which I think works great if you are disciplined, which I am not. So, we’ll see. Plus, Shannon’s a little better about getting right back to her clients. Now, don’t get me wrong. Cathy was a great start. It was a way to get my feet wet and see if I like training, but in the end, it’s not enough for me.

The only thing I don’t like about the new trainer is that … ironically, the lack of flexibility with the diet. I am used to eating certain things. Every morning I eat oatmeal with cottage cheese, protein powder and some fruit. No mas! Oh, and I can only do NPC. But, in the end that’s not really such a big deal. I think the reason I wanted to do Fitness America is that there are no requirements in fitness. With NPC, there are several mandatory fitness moves, two of whcih I can’t do. That just means that I’ll have to work that much harder.