Weight Loss Wednesday 3.22.17

I was pretty fucking pissed after my last body fat test because I had lost even more muscle. I was so mad at myself for chasing a number on a scale and thinking it was a good idea to slash my calories to 1,200 - 1,500 for that Fat Loss Accelerator program. I knew it was a bad idea but I was so psyched to see 140 on the scale that I was hoping I'd get in the 130s and have abs and be strong and I was totally lying to myself. I was hungry all the time, prone to binge eating whenever the opportunity arose, and sucking at CrossFit. I also got really resentful towards stupidity. I know I'm blowing my macros when I sit down to a second dinner of tacos, choripapas, and a pitcher of margaritas. No one has to explain that to me. But I struggle to comprehend people who can't figure out macro tracking after a week. I don't care if Dr. Oz said olive oil is a healthy fat. If your stupid diet plan says you get 40 grams of fat a day, you can't douse everything you eat in olive oil and hit your numbers. And the complaints about not being able to eat enough to hit your numbers - well ma'am, you clearly don't look like you're starving so you've got to be eating something. Clearly I'm still not over this experience.

February 15, 2017 @ 146 lbs

February 22, 2017. In a hotel in Houston and didn't weigh myself.

My 3.5 Year CrossFit Anniversary is Saturday

So I was reading a member spotlight in another box's newsletter yesterday and the member says of her changes: "I can lift my stereotypically overpacked suitcase into the trunk of an Uber without the driver's assistance. They're always like 'let me help you with that' and I tell them 'NO I CAN DO IT BY MYSELF!'" And I felt exactly the same way. I was so dang proud of myself when I could casually toss my ridiculous suitcases above my seat on the LIRR. While I can certainly still carry my own luggage or multiple cases of seltzer in from the car, proving I can isn't that important to me. If you offer to help, go for it. That being said, I enjoyed watching two guys from PetSmart struggle with Daisy Mae's condo and was like here, let me do it. As they protested, I picked it up, loaded it into the car, and wished them a Happy Thanksgiving.

Some other things have changed in the years that I've been doing CrossFit. Six months into CrossFit and I was fitting into jeans I bought when I was 13. Three years and six months into CrossFit and I just don't fit in jeans.

April 2016 Goals

Life and Wellness goals: I slept more in April than I think I have in the rest of 2016. It was glorious. I've even managed to go to sleep without taking anything more than a few times. I've spent time with friends and enjoyed some time at the pool, because this is Georgia and yes, it is already pool season. The boyfriend and I have made our relationship even better, which is fantastic. Life is good and I am happy.

Pure Barre Goal: I took class 4 times in April, including the Row. Tone. Om. class in Piedmont Park. That's 35 classes in 2016. I bought myself a class pack and I'll probably use the 20 classes by the end of August.

CrossFit Goal: 45/200 WODs. I went to CrossFit 11 times this month. It is so awesome to be back in the box on a regular basis. I PR'd my hang power clean at 135# (10# PR) and got my very first strict pull-up. I've gotten 2 more since then. I'm also loving the opportunity to see my CrossFit friends on a regular basis and being included in fun things outside of the gym. Being away all of the time sucked because I felt like I wasn't a part of the community anymore.

Mileage: I ran 20 miles this month, including a 5K. I love my Garmin 360 and my Brooks Ghost 8s. You can also follow me on Strava, although I'm not exactly sure what that means.

March 2016 Goals

This month was humbling. I wanted to be someone who could accomplish a ton of things and be a ladyboss, but it became apparent that I had too many things on my plate. The quality of my work at my real job suffered. I was constantly tired. I even got so stressed out, I yelled at my dogs. I don't want to be a person who yells at her dogs. Even when one of them refuses to potty outside and the other refuses to stay outside long enough for the first one to consider going potty. I accidentally tazed myself this morning. I was so tired and it was 4 AM and instead of pressing the button that locks Frank's retracting leash, I pressed the button on my taser and I tazed the shit out of my hand. I was so tired that it took me a few moments to even realize where the pain was coming from. It was in that exact moment that I knew I had made the right decision. My first priority is sleeping enough to succeed at my job and to be a good dog momma.

I withdrew from my GMAT class because it became painfully obvious that I am significantly behind in the math content. Once I have become proficient enough in the work that pays my salary, I am going to get myself a math tutor. Veritas Prep told me I can re-enroll without penalty whenever I'm ready. I have also put in my notice at Pure Barre and will only work a few shifts this April. The 4 AM wake up on Wednesday and Thursday was killing me, especially since I produce my best work between 6 and 10 AM. By the time I got home, I couldn't concentrate and frequently needed a nap. I was also late for my shrink every Thursday. I am disappointed that I didn't get to enjoy a free membership. It seemed like I was asked to cover a shift every time I signed up for class - like legit, Hey we see you're signed up to take the 4:45 PM. Can you show up at 4 and leave at 8? I'm a hard worker and I understand that helping to pick up weights is a small sacrifice to make for free class, but I didn't want to get pulled in to cover the desk every time I went near the studio. I have a relatively flexible work schedule that allows me to exercise during a typical work day but that's only because I make up that hour before 9 AM or after 6 PM. It doesn't mean that I'm free to work 4 hours in the middle of the day or that I can drop everything to handle an apparel shipment at 11 AM. If it sounds like I'm pissed, it's because I am. I'm a big fan of the studio and the owners and everyone who works there, but working there isn't the right thing for me anymore. I'm going to buy myself a class pack and go back to being a client.

Life and Wellness goals: FAILED. I didn't sleep enough and I certainly didn't live in the moment because I was miserable and panicking on a regular basis. I got so stressed out that I tried to find things to give up that weren't GMAT or Pure Barre so I told Jenna I needed a break from nutrition coaching. Even thinking about my macros changing made me freak out. The good news is that I'm back on track and have a carb cycling and workout plan set for the month of April.

I'm looking pretty lean but I'm still working on losing more body fat.

Sustainable Goals

I've gained and lost 20 lbs several times. I'm really good at all or nothing, and my methods for weight loss were unsustainable. My workouts were long, high rep, low weight, and extremely cardio-focused. I am surprised I managed to function on what I was eating, now that I know more about nutrition. I am not surprised that I wrecked my metabolism. I've gotten some comments and I want to clarify - I do not think I am fat. I am working with a nutrition coach to lose body fat. For the amount that I workout, I think that I should have an athletic amount of body fat, 16-18%, opposed to the 20%+ I've got going on. This is both an aesthetic and performance goal. I want some visibly defined abs. It's also easier to pull up less body weight if you maintain your strength.

If your goal is not to have visibly defined abs, do you. If you think women should look soft and find a muscular physique to be manly, keep it to yourself. Luckily for you, you will probably never wake up and accidentally find yourself with abs. If you do, I'd like a detailed log of everything you did the day before.

Goals are not bad. Goals are not just for fat people, or slow people, or unsuccessful people. Successful people, in all aspects of life, have goals and work to attain them. A major reason that my weight yo-yo'd so much was that I didn't properly understand goals. I would work so incredibly hard to lose the weight, cut out food groups, panic at the thought of restaurants, and spend hours at the gym (no joke, I used to take 3-4 hour-long workout classes in a row), but then I'd be down 20 lbs and I wouldn't know what to do. Just because you reach a goal weight, you step off the scale and revert back to whatever terrible eating habits you had? No! By that point I was usually so exhausted, I would just crash and burn. Long-term and short-term goals are great. Having a plan to transition from one long-term goal to another will help you from feeling lost like I felt when I finally found my holy grail number staring back at me.

Fitbit emailed me this badge to congratulate me on losing 5 lbs. It's 7 lbs. Fitbit. It's 7.

Pact App

My manager at Teach For America introduced me to this awesome little app called Pact. It rewards you for going to the gym, tracking your food, and even eating your veggies.

Once you sign up, you set your goals and assign an amount of money. My goal is to exercise five days a week, and if I miss a day, I get charged $10. My other goal is to track my food five days a week, and I get charged $5 for missing a day. I don't really like tracking my food, but I know that I should, so I added it to my Pact.

You can check into a gym or sync your fitness tracker or phone to Pact. Sometimes I complete more than 5 workouts a day, so it will say that those workouts are uncounted, because unfortunately you only count one workout per day towards your Pact. It's BS if you ask me.

At the end of the week, everyone who failed to complete their Pact gets charged, and that pool of money is split amongst those of us who successfully completed their Pacts. The amount of money you assign to your Pact doesn't increase the amount you win. But I know that I keep my fingers crossed that the people who fail have assigned a high amount so there's more money in the winner's pot.

I started using Pact during the summer of 2014. After completing 781 activities, I had $110.62 in rewards money. I withdrew money to donate to a sweet little dachshund named Sally who is fighting a flesh-eating bacteria. Sally had her skin grafts last week and is doing well, but her vet bills remain very high. I am incredibly thankful that I had an extra stash of money to donate that I earned from things that I do anyway. The hardest part of Pact is remembering to check in at the gym.

If you need some accountability and you like making money, I highly recommend Pact. They have great customer service who deals with me on a regular basis. My phone was acting wonky for a few weeks and they were always helping me correct my Pact.

I Always Rx the Cheer

The best part of CrossFit is the community and the encouragement we give each other. Before CrossFit boxes were open on 7 continents (why yes, there is a box on Antartica!), CrossFitters came together on the main site to post their scores, share advice, and discuss the WODs and their progress. There isn't anything we do that we couldn't do alone in a random gym, basement, or parking lot. What makes us special, and causes some to call us a cult, is our love for each other and our commitment to lifting each other up when many fitness environments cause others to tear each other down. I was the meanest bitch in cardio kickboxing. I know what I am talking about.

left this fantastic sweat puddle after Tuesday's DT doubleunder variation

Loving and encouraging each other can be shown in many ways. We greet each other upon arrival. We share our fancy tape. We congratulate each other on PRs, good form, and fast times. But I think one of the best parts of our community is that we cheer for one another. I always Rx the cheer.

It is your moral obligation as a CrossFitter to cheer for me if you've called time and I am still doing wallballs. Of course there will be days when you need to get your stuff put away quickly so you can head out. Maybe you have an early meeting and you know traffic will be a bitch. Maybe if you leave right now you can see your kids before they go to school, and that is definitely reason to hightail it home. Maybe you just want to kiss your spouse before he or she heads out for the day. Whatever your reason, if it's meaningful to you, leave the gym free of judgment and go about your business. But if you're in the habit of packing up your stuff simply because you are done and therefore your reason to be at the gym has concluded, please reconsider.

We plan to be at the box for the duration of our scheduled class. At my box, that is one hour. Some days we finish early, some days we run over, but I expect to be there for that hour. If I call time 10 minutes before 6:30 AM, I can spend those 10 minutes cheering for my fellow CrossFitters and drinking my protein shake.  I am of the school that believes that no one* leaves until the last person finishes, as long as Coach calls time by the scheduled end of class.

*No one except people who have meaningful reasons. They are not obligated to share these reasons with the class. I think it is important to foster a community where people stay unless they have a meaningful reason, and other members know that if someone if leaving, she has a meaningful reason.

Rich Froning, the man who is nearly unbeatable at CrossFit, cheers for his opponents at Regionals and the Games. I've watched him finish way before members of his heat and go back out onto the floor of the tennis stadium to help motivate guys through. Carson is hot. He could be off in the shade, having a stable of PTs work on him, or at least enjoying some peanut butter and whole milk - but no. He's out there hollering for the other guys. If it's good enough for Rich Froning, it's good enough for me.

We are the only sport where the last person receives the most and loudest cheers. There were times when I used to get uncomfortable that people were cheering for me because it meant I was one of the last to finish. And then I realized that people were taking time out of their busy days to cheer for me. They weren't rushing out. They weren't breaking down their equipment and walking it in between me and my barbell (hands down the easiest way to make me want to throw a 5 lbs plate at your head). They were telling me I could do something when I didn't want to do it or know if I could. Our cheers show that we care. They help to reinforce the communities we have built and connect us to other CrossFit communities around the world. Our cheers can be the difference between a new person deciding he loves CrossFit or never coming back. Our cheers make us CrossFitters.

Jacinto Storm

Jacinto with his CrossFit Hell's Kitchen ladies

Prevention posted this beautiful video about my friend Jacinto Bonilla. Jacinto is such a badass. He's a CrossFit Games competitor, a CrossFit coach, and now he's opening his own box.

The video references Jacinto's birthday WOD - the Jacinto Storm. I had the honor and pleasure of completing the workout with Jacinto for his 75th birthday in 2014, and dude, let me tell you, that shit is no joke.

Jacinto Storm

For Time:
75 Double Unders
75 Squats
75 Push-Ups
75 Pull-ups
75 Wall Ball Shots, 20/14
75 Kettlebell Swings 24kg/16kg
75 Deadlifts 95/65
75 Double Unders

Jacinto is born July 3rd and July in NYC is a wet, smelly wasteland. This was before CFHK got air conditioning. I was so proud of myself for completing all 75 wall balls because they are totally my goat. I learned from watching the above video that we skipped the run at Hell's Kitchen. Oops.

It truly was such a special experience and I am really happy that I was up in NY and able to attend that class.

So if you're thinking you're too old or have health problems that won't allow you to CrossFit, perhaps you should reconsider.

The Return of the Morning Run

My friend Matthew deserves a big thank you for motivating me to get out of bed this morning and run a 5K. He has recently committed to adding 3 days of running to his current routine and yesterday he invited me to join him for a run. I had already done the WOD, the extra work for the WOD, and I was about to get in the shower so I declined. But his commitment stuck with me and so this morning, even though I didn't really want to, I got up, put on my spandex and hit the pavement for 3.1 miles.

Matthew! Isn't he handsome?

Fighting Post-Fourth Fatness

So it's the Monday after Fourth of July Weekend and chances are you're feeling a little more like Kim Kardashian than Kate Upton.

Just say no to refined carbs!
source

source

An excess of beer, cheeseburgers, and those delightful red, white, and blue cupcakes can wreck havoc on your bikini body even if you intentionally starved yourself maintained a healthy low-calorie diet for the past two weeks in preparation. What should you do to avoid looking like a heifer for the rest of the summer? I'm glad you asked.

1. Put down the hot dog! Stop eating crap immediately. For the next five days you should eat primarily meats and vegetables. Limit the amount of fruit you eat. Don't even think about ordering Chinese. Dairy is not your friend.

2. Put on the tightest workout clothes you own and go for a run. Feeling your thighs rub against each other and seeing your muffin top pop out of your tiny tank top is motivation to commit to clean eating and exercise. Do not wear anything that resembles a muumuu until August. Avoid leggings and other forgiving pants.

This just screams sad and bloated.
I didn't leave for my run until after sunset to beat the heat, hence the headlamp.

3. Shower and moisturize. If you spent as much time at the beach as I did, you will be finding sand in your bathing suit until September and your skin is browner than a coconut. Don't add insult to injury by being fat and scaly.

4. Drink Alka-Seltzer. Drinkable aspirin in seltzer form that helps with indigestion. This is God's gift to binge drinking food lovers everywhere.

DIY Tip: Use clear plastic shoe organizers for your toiletries

You should be back on track by this weekend, provided you don't plan to repeat last weekend's behavior.

Motivating Others

When I started this blog in 2010, I fully expected it to go the way of Creed's Word document and never be read by anyone besides me. Turns out I do have readers, although I've learned my primary demographic is twenty-something males. Might have something to do with the half-dressed selfies...

Anyway, I absolutely love when people reach out and tell me that In Shape Out of Mind inspired them to work out, try something new, or push themselves past what they thought possible. Sarah posted this to Instagram the other evening:

I am so proud of you Sarah, even if you now hate me for posting this on the Internet! Keep up the good work!

What's less cool is when you find out that the person you slept with for a few months who always acted as if he had no idea you had a blog was actually the person who sent you these messages months before you knew he existed. I knew his name sounded familiar.

WTF is a 25K mile?

Awesome or creepy, I am glad that I am having a positive impact on people and motivating them to push themselves.

Motivation When Running a Marathon

Welcome to Day 2 of answering your marathon questions. I really love this format, so please keep the questions coming.

Jenny of Lovely at Your Side (an awesome blog she runs with her sister Olivia) asked:

How do you keep yourself motivated on such a long run? Do you create awesome play lists? 

This is a major question, so I will begin with the easier part - I don't create awesome play lists because I don't listen to music when I run. I find it distracting, and I refuse to do it during races. I tried once and it ended badly. I will listen to music if I am running on a treadmill (almost never), or if I am having serious trouble motivating myself to get outside and run at all. I do listen to music for the mile between my apartment and the park on the mornings I meet T, but that's more to keep myself from getting scared of bumps in the night. I put on a loud, high energy song (frequently Duck Sauce's Barbra Streisand) and just haul ass over there.

You also don't need music for the marathon because of all of the live entertainment. Bands and performers of all genres were out on the sidewalks playing their music, and when there wasn't live music, someone kindly blasted music from speakers. There was a band playing near Kent Street in Brooklyn that was good enough that I wanted to turn around and go back to listen. I love Caribbean music (I know, you learn something new about me everyday on this thing) and there were a variety of bands that reminded me of my travels. Not every performer was any good (I'm talking to you disgruntled pianist with a voice of an ice pick on a chalkboard), but I appreciated the effort nonetheless.

Staying motivated on such a long run can be hard, but the ING NYC Marathon is an incredibly motivating experience. First of all, you're running THE NEW YORK MARATHON, and there are a bajillion people cheering you on. You never run the same portion twice and it feels like a journey through New York City. As a NYC resident who lives on the Upper Eastside, and has taught in both Brooklyn and the Bronx, I felt a connection to the route. My grandmother lives in Queens and my dad works there so I knew where I was when running miles 13-15. The best food is in Astoria and I got psyched to run in a neighborhood I frequent often with my dad. I have no connection to Staten Island except for that one time I brought my students there for a lame-ass rendition of Stuart Little, but we only ran the Verrazano Bridge anyway.

Before the start of the race, standing on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

We listened to Frank Sinatra's New York, New York while waiting for the race to begin and throughout the first mile. It was a special moment.

My all-star reader Samantha asked some questions that I found relevant to this post.

Samantha asked:

2. did you ever feel like you were going to stop? at which mile mark were you feeling the closest to stopping?


I ran the race very slowly by my standards because I simply wanted to enjoy the experience. I am crazy competitive and once I get a time goal in my head, I don't focus on anything else. When I felt like stopping, I got in line for a porta-potty, which is a convenient way to stop for a reason other than tiredness. So, I went to the bathroom six times...

I felt closest to stopping around mile 19 on the Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx.

Who doesn't love a good bagpiper?

5. did you really read and respond to my fb post comment while running through the bronx? do you always type on your iphone while running? does that slow you down?


I really did read and respond to your Facebook post comment while running over the Willis Avenue Bridge. I was tired, grumpy, and in desperate need of a cigarette. The crowd had really dwindled (but the crowd in the Bronx is awesome!), and I needed some support. I pulled out my phone to take a picture of the bagpipers when I saw that I had a lot of messages. I was so happy to read that my friends were thinking of me, but I only responded to yours. Feel special. I don't usually type on my iPhone while racing, but I have been known to tweet and respond to text messages on training runs. I do pull out the iPhone to capture good blog photos on longer races, but during a 5K I am too busy kicking ass to record anything.

I loved these t-shirts and had to snap a photo.

4. did you see any of the people who came to cheer for you and did you feel annoyed or motivated when you heard them cheering?


I saw my parents at 65th and 1st, and on Central Park West. I was annoyed with my parents for not understanding the vibrate functions on their phones and not answering when I was trying to call them. They had moved locations from where I had expected them to be and I got confused when I couldn't find them. My mom had my Ritalin. I needed to see her. 


The 34 year-old was MIA when I tried to call him from the 60s to let him know I would be passing our hood shortly. Although I was hoping to get a drag of his cigarette, I wasn't too upset. I also missed my co-workers who were watching in Queens and my friends watching in the 70s and 80s. It's really hard to spot people in such a dense crowd.


I saw a sorority sister of mine who was an alumna when we joined IVY when I was running down Fifth Avenue towards the park. She called out my name and I felt excited to see her. There were times when I was jealous of the people who had friends and supporters all over the race (you spend four hours with these people, you know), but overall I was happy with my experience. I'm kind of a solitary creature when I run anyway. If I run next year, I would consider putting my name on my shirt because random strangers cheer for you, but this year I was afraid I'd get annoyed and hit someone.

Accountability

One way to stay committed to reaching a goal is to put it in writing. Another way to stay committed to reaching this goal is to tell other people. So I'm tell you all in writing: My goal is to make it on the pages of Oxygen magazine in its Fat Loss: Success Stories section.

Now I know that I'm not fat. I'm actually in pretty awesome shape, but I do have a pretty high body fat percentage and I'm not as muscular as I used to be. By eating clean and committing myself to a regular strength training routine, I think that I could be chosen to be in my favorite magazine. (After GQ that is. No really. My favorite magazine is directed towards men's fashions and picking up chicks. Yes, I know I'm not a guy, but it's my dream in life to be interviewed by that magazine for an article about why I am so awesome. This fantasy has gotten me through about maybe 97 miles of running over the years.)

The next time I decide to make a sopressata and prosciutto sandwich right before bedtime even though I'm stuffed, I will think about this goal and how I have publicly announced it. Hopefully it will help me say no to the sandwich, even though it was delicious and is still sitting in my stomach.

What goals have you set for yourself? What type of fitness goals do you want to reach? How do you hold yourself accountable?

Miscalculations and Uncertain Situations

I don't handle uncertainty well. I like to know things, even if I don't like the outcome. Either I don't have a job or I do have a job. Or I got hired for the new job or not hired for the new job. The new job exists or it doesn't exist. The same goes for my personal life. We are in a relationship or we are not in a relationship. You are my friend or you are not my friend. What the heck is this "in limbo" crap? People need to start making decisions.

I was pacing around my house this morning, trying to figure out my next steps, when I realized I was getting nothing accomplished in my pajamas. I got into my running gear and hit the road. My training plan said six miles and I promised myself I would do six miles even if my feet hurt and my body felt like it was running on diluted whisky fumes... oh wait, it probably was.

I don't like to run with music that often, especially when I have thinking to do. Focusing on the run and my surroundings helps clear my mind, and around mile four, I started getting into a groove and was able to make some decisions. I had a plan of action for the rest of the day. I no longer felt like gnawing through my fingernails and pulling out all of my eyebrows (I'm weird. Get over it.) I was feeling ready to conquer the world when I finished up the six mile run, but low and behold, I was still 1.5 miles away from home.

What do you do when you finish your run and you realize you have miscalculated the distance? Obviously you have to get home somehow. These are some options:

1. Keep running. 

On days when this is just not going to happen:

1. Find the closest public transportation. This is probably most convenient if you live in a major city.
2. Pause your Nike+ GPS and use your iPhone to call someone to come pick you up.
3. Use the remaining distance to get your cross-training in.

Number 3 explains why motorists on 25A saw me doing walking lunges down the highway. I followed these up with some butt-kicks. Then I alternated for a bit. Never underestimate the power of an audience on your form.

UPDATE

* Things are looking up on the employment front.

** I still have commitment issues.

Flying Monkeys and Magic Wands

Last night I was lying in bed, ignoring my text messages, and basically wallowing in what my life isn't. I was being a lazy grump. I didn't set an alarm, and figured I'd sleep in and pad around in my pajamas all morning.

This morning I woke up in time to catch Tripp Doherty's 9:45 class at Woodbury. The class is magical, and we could all use a little more magic in our lives. Who doesn't want to attend a spin class that involves flying monkeys, a magic wand, and disco? I was running late this morning (I woke up at 9:05) and didn't get my morning coffee, Ritalin, or breakfast, but I still managed to find the energy to power through one of the best rides I've ever had. Tripp's inspirational commentary pushes us all to go past what we expect of ourselves. He has a dedicated group of followers for a reason. I only wish I got to ride with him more often.

Without my morning meds, I can't focus long enough to claw my way out of a plastic bag. The usually euphoric ride was even better because I could lose myself in the sweat and music. At the end of the class I could barely remember what had soaked my clothes and made my heart race. If I could stay on course, I'd definitely blow off the Ritalin for my long races.

Tripp tells us that his religion, what he believes in, is found inside the cycling room. All of us working together as one, showing what we can really do is a demonstration of faith. While I consider myself a Christian, I have to admit that the closest I've felt to Jesus in a long time is sweating in a spin room surrounded by a lot of Jews.

Can We Get a Quiet Car on the Express Train?

So I'm on the 5 train on my way up to my training session. Forgive me, but after a day trying to maintain order in the lawless world of 4th grade, all I wanted to do was read my Nelson DeMille book in peace. I'm developing intense upper body strength dragging that hardcover across boroughs and I'd like to find out what stunt John Corey is going to pull next. This is obviously too much to ask because this beastly high school senior is loudly and rapidly retelling her slutty escapades of the past week to her not-so-straight male companion. (He couldn't find a girl he liked while in South Africa... Right...)

As annoyed as I am right now, I am glad that I can channel this energy into my workout. When I hated my old boss with every fiber of my being, I was able to pummel through two hours of intense cardio and resistance training. I imagined his smug face making contact with my foot. Then I went for a series of right hooks. Made it easier to sleep at night.

Take whatever (and whoever) drives you crazy and use it to power your workouts. You're going to feel better once you start releasing the stress from your life, and you will see results. Of course, you better find new ways to get pissed off if you want to continue to push yourself. For some reason, I don't think I'll have a problem.