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Hello, hello! Today I woke up refreshed at 5:45 AM. Never thought I would see the day. If you remember from my last post, I was having issues falling and staying asleep. I was absolutely miserable. I am happy to say that I am slowly moving out of this phase. I am still not sure if it was due to my body adjusting to weight lifting or if I just needed to increase my protein intake, which I have done. Either way, I am starting to sleep better and only waking once or twice a night at this point. So that is progress!!
Guys, I am feeling REALLY good. I can feel my body getting stronger and I just overall feel better. When I started weight lifting, the lowest weight I had on the adjustable dumbbells was 20 lbs. You can take the bars off but I haven’t cared to learn how to do that so just went with it. Probably not the smartest idea but I did it anyway. My left shoulder was really weak. I always have knots throughout my shoulder and into my neck. So you can imagine the struggle trying to lift a 20 lb dumbbell with a weak shoulder. Now that we are a month in, I can more comfortably lift that weight. My shoulder is no longer cramping and I can happily say those knots are gone. Hallelujah! I am still not ready to move up to the next weight for any exercises over the head, but I am almost there!
Today I switched it up and did a kettle bell workout. I bought these adjustable kettle bells, https://amzn.to/40I3wEU over a year ago (one of those failed New Year resolutions). When I was using them, I could barely get through a workout using the lightest weight being 5 lbs. Now I can lift and workout with the whole 12 lb weight like it’s nothing! If you are just starting out, I would highly recommend this. They are lighter and easier to handle. Again you can find so many good YouTube videos to follow. I really like to follow Caroline Girvan. She has great easy to follow routines.
As I stated earlier I have started to increase my protein. After my workouts I started drinking Ghost protein powder. I talked about this in a previous post. The fruity milk cereal is my absolute favorite so far. It really does taste like fruit loops or fruity pebbles. I’ve also tried to incorporate some different breakfasts and snacks with more protein. I’ve enjoyed making overnight oats for a quick easy breakfast. You can add some plain or vanilla/chocolate protein powder in for that additional boost. I’ve also been making homemade granola bars and energy bites, incorporating chia seeds and peanut butter. They are delicious.
I decided to post this update below. Excuse the dirty mirror (kids, ya know). I was hesitant about posting these because they are not flattering at all. They are directly post workout and I am bloated and crampy as well. Love this part of being a woman. I can also notice the dimple in my butt cheek which I hate. But then I realized, that’s not what my blog is about. I am not here to put filters on my life. As I said in my very first post, I am here to improve myself mentally and physically. I am here to motivate others just like me into finding their best selves. That is why I am posting these real, raw, unfiltered photos. If you feel like you have already failed, don’t give up. Get back up and start fighting for yourself.
