Off to the gym this morning. There was frost on the car! I was at the gym a little later than normal by 7:30. There were only a hand full of people there. I am liking that a lot. And nobody really annoying either – bonus!
| Exercise | Set/rep/weight | Muscle worked |
| Barbell Chest Press | 3 sets of 10 with 50# bar | Chest |
| Stiff-legged deadlift | 3 sets of 10 with 55# bar | Lower body |
| Seated Cable Lat Row | 3 sets of 10 at 50# | Back |
| Decline Sit ups | 3 sets of 10 | Core |
| Lying Leg Press | 3 sets of 10 at 100# | Lower Body |
| Arnold Press | 3 sets of 10 with 10# DBs (20# total) | Shoulders |
| Triceps Push Down | 3 sets of 10 at 30# | Triceps |
| Standing Calf Raise | 3 sets of 10 at 70# | Calves |
Then a wee bit of treadmill walking before I came home to breakfast!
Lisa had asked me about the bench press and having wobbling happen when using the bar. Here is a video of me doing the bench press:
I love the bench press with the bar because it is very stable once you get use to it. When you first switch from using a machine to either dumbbells or the barbell, you will probably have to drop down the weight. The machine will always do some of the work for you and actually will compensate for your weaker non-dominant side. When you go to free weights, there will be an adjustment period as the weaker side catches up. This is more noticeable with the barbell than the dumbbells as the arms work in tandem. An empty bar is 45#, so work up to that with dumbbells first – or if your gym has lighter bars, then go for it (although they are usually short bars so you won’t have a rack). When you push, concentrate on keeping the bar even and go slow, which will make your non-dominant side work.
Lunch time included veggie time.
I made an omelet with some ham and laughing cow. Broccoli on the side because with dinner out, veggies likely not to happen.
After lattes today, we headed out for a blood donation. They were giving away free tickets to Fright Fest at Great Escape for donors.
Normally I don’t like to talk too much about problems that I have donating because I don’t want to scare anyone out of doing them, but I am finished donating blood.
I had a supervisor do the stick as per usual, but it ended up being a dry stick and pain shot all the way down my arm to my hand. It was a searing pain. She must have hit a nerve. Then she was trying to move the needle and I just told her to take it out. I couldn’t even get the actual donation done, and then I started crying because it hurt- which I absolutely hate to do in front of strangers (or really to do at all). I then got an ice pack and settled down (my hands were shaking terribly). I went to the snack table to wait for John, where I just had water because there were no raisins today.
I have to say that I was fairly traumatized by today. So, that was it for me. I have never stopped a donation before, but it just isn’t worth it. Even for free tickets (which I did still get, BTW). I don’t have to try to save the whole world.
Anyway, after John finished donating, it was time for my football dinner since I won the picks! That perked me up so I wasn’t feeling so sorry for myself. We went to Rock Hill Bakehouse. They bake all of their own bread and use local meats and other products here. There aren’t even big corporate drinks there. No Coke or Pepsi products.
I had a grown-up grilled cheese, which is sharp cheddar and smoked mozzarella and pesto on grilled semolina bread.
Served with cracked pepper potato chips. Man is this sandwich good! John and I then split a maple walnut biscotti for dessert. I forgot to take a picture of that. They are huge biscotti, so you really need to split them LOL.
As you can see, not steering clear of gluten as much this week so far.
Pink item of the day? My sunglasses!
Tonight is Project Runway. We are off to watch that with my mom. We’ll have to kick dad out since he doesn’t like it 😀 Party time!
Question: What is your TV weakness?
Sorry about your pain today. I don’t donate blood because it an ordeal for anyone to find a vein on me and it usually takes a few people to get a couple of vials. I have had them poke my in some weird and painful spots.
Yay to football dinner! I love that you have dinner every week for football picks. The Boss and I are in the same pool and whoever has the most wins at the end buys…I think I owe The Boss three dinners so far! 😉
Cracked pepper chips are great and your sandwich looks really tasty.
My TV weakness is Glee!
P.S. Thanks for the nut thins recommendation. I will have to look for them and give them a try!
I checked and the brand is Blue Diamond Nut Thins. Hopefully you can find them in Canada
I donated today to get my free ticket too. 🙂 Sorry to hear you had a rough go at it, I have to say I had a pretty positive visit considering how busy they were when I got there, although the guy did mark that crap out of my arm with one of those markers. 8|
Rockhill’s ham and cheese sandwich is YUM!
Grey’s Anatomy for me, although I’m not so sure I’ll be able to stay up and watch, I’m beat!
I have donated so much over the years that my veins just can’t take it any more, I guess. At least I got my ticket LOL
I swear, sometimes they forget that there’s a human being that they are sticking the needle into – and moving it around? Oh hell no. Don’t blame you one bit for stopping the torture – er, donation.
That grown up grilled cheese looks so good. Two of my favorite foods – pesto and cheese! How could you go wrong? 😉
Indeed – grilled pesto and cheese, you can never go wrong!
Sorry you had to go through the pain today, I gave blood once and it took me 3-4 times longer than anyone else to give one pint of blood, guess i was a slow bleeder at the time LOL
Ouch on the needle ordeal – I have a terrible time with donating blood – small slippery veins that don’t want to get poked!
A grown up grilled cheese seemed to be just what you needed to recover. It looks wonderful.
Love those pink shades!
Hi Lori! That’s so great that you bench press! I’m so glad!
🙂 Marion
I knew you’d love Lori doing bench presses! I was impressed by Lori too. 🙂
Thanks Marion – the barbell press is one of my favorite moves!
I’m sorry that you had such a horrible experience donating today! I haven’t had anything like that happen before.
Thank you for supporting breast cancer awareness this month. My mom was first diagnosed with breast cancer as a result of routine mammogram, and her second incidence was also discovered during a routine mammogram. I am only 26 and have a very high risk to also have breast cancer at an early age, so I just had my first mammogram this summer. It is so very important that this screening method is available to ALL women regardless of their ability to pay.
You are very welcome!
You have really good form! I’ve tried the bench press a few times and it’s hard for me to balance it. Not like it weighs too much but I can’t stay rigid when I lift.
It’s just practice – you’ll get it. It makes you feel like a badass using the barbell for the press, too. Even with little plates on it LOL!
Oh that is just terrible about the bad stick AND the continuing to try (moving the needle around.) Even though they were babies, I tried to be kind with the IV’s. But there are some nurses who, like Shelley said, forget there is a human attached, and just want to succeed. Ack. I’m glad you got a good dinner after that. And I think I remember you talking about that grown up cheese sandwich before and me thinking it sounded heavenly. If I ever come visit, that’s what I want to have!
Please come visit! That would be fun!
Ugh, I got the shivers when I imagined them moving the needle around your vein(s). I’ve never donated blood because I don’t think would accept my blood!
Where’s Pixie? I need to get my cat fix! 🙂
I will put a picture of Pixie up today for you 😀
If donating is so much trouble to get it done right for you, you are right to stop giving blood. There are other ways that you can tribute to society.
Your dinner looks great, I love these kind of places, not to commercial.
I have a lot of TV weaknesses but I guess the biggest one is Glee 🙂
good gosh my tv weakness is a blog post or a book.
Lets just say I dont like vampires and devour all else 🙂
ALL ELSE.
You do plenty to add good to the world so don’t beat yourself up over the blood donation thing. My tv weekness is HGTV. I can really get sucked into watching multiple episodes of House Hunters, Yard Crashers, My First Place, etc.
I was precluded from donating blood for years because of anemia and then once I could I started having the thyroid issues. Is it selfish of me that because I have to get stuck every 3 months, I don’t want to donate blood? I rarely have a ‘good’ stick so I dread it each time. This last time with the 18 vials was awful and they were good sticks. The tech was very gentle but I bruised up and my arms ached for 2 days anyway. I said all that to say, I completely understand and I am so sorry that it actually made you cry.
I think your literacy project is a great way to contribute to society and can take the place of blood donation!
I’ve never donated blood. I tried once in college and got turned down due to low iron (I ate a lot worse back in college) and for whatever reason the needle prick for that alone hurt like heck!
It took me until I was 18 to work up the courage to get my ears pierced.
If I had an incident like you had… I would be traumatized for LIFE I am sure.
We don’t have a t.v., but we manage to watch The Biggest Loser every week online. I love it…with all it’s drama and non-realistic weight loss when they have an emotional breakthrough moment I can so relate and am motivated to keep losing.
My husband watches football online too..thanks to ESPN3 and the like.
I’m so sorry about your donor experience. I totally understand why you’ll never do it again. I wouldn’t either.
Have a great weekend!
Oh, and I haven’t seen your candy corn bowl? Have you used it yet? I think of you every time I see candy corn too. 😛
So sorry about your bad stick! Nothing worse than piss poor phlebotomy skills.
What do you think of Project Runway this season? Definitely jumped the shark and the overpraise of Anya (verging on tongue baths) is so irritating.
So sorry about the blood stuff Lori! OUCH! I am the exact opposite & they tell me I will bleed to death if I am hurt & too far from anyone since I fill the bag so fast PLUS I am very veiny so they find my veins with no prob. You do so many other things so not to worry!
Did someone say homemade bread! 😉
I was going to ask about Pixie but saw you got another request! 😉
Whenever I donate blood I tell them not to go far – the bag fills up in a matter of minutes – so weird – so I hope I don’t get in a bad car accident or anything, I may bleed to death before an ambulance comes!
Tosh.O is our guilty pleasure – do you watch it?? Its on Comedy Central – totally stupid videos but it’s hilarious. 😀
I love the Rock Hill Bakehouse. We always try to eat there at least once when we are out in Glens Falls. Their cookies are enormous (and yummy!), too.
I am enjoying watching “The X Factor”.