Better, nicer, warmer

What have been doing this last month? Well, my workouts have not been as consistent as I'd like - I missed a few days - but they've been more invigorating than usual. Those new exercises, including the parkour, the chin and pull ups and the french press, have all produced results. The parkour helps me core, the ups my back, the french my tris.

I weighed myself at home just now. 195 lbs. I can't really trust it but can compare it to my last weigh in. Which is the same.

I've been wearing my sleeveless shirts more often. I got a new one from my mom and some more 3/4 pants - love em. I can really notice a difference in my body shape, and I like it. I do feel better about myself, actually. I don't know though if it's the pride in my accomplishment or if it's I feel "hotter." Feels like the former.

Just one more thing. I'm waiting for my pecks to have that cut look. Not even close now. I'm doing bench and incline for chest. Maybe there's something else...

Oh, and today I ran with Old Girl (Same) to City Park. I knew I'd seen one of those exercise stations you see along running paths before - with the stretching posts and instructions. I wanted a pull-up bar. We finally found it behind the Museum. Gosta.

wearing my tan on my sleeve

I've been doing a few things that are out of character.

I've always been too self-conscious to take off my shirt. Getting in the pool was always a mental battle. I had to convince myself that it didn't matter what I looked like. I laid by the pool today shirtless.

I guess it started when I bought a sleeveless shirt from Amercian Apparel. Just going in there is like, I don't know, a practice in playing it cool. I know I probably stand out like square in a circle shop, but I try to keep it together. I may not be one of you, I think, but I'm sure as hell trying to act like it.

So I wore it to pick up Bek and she laughed, like I knew she would. It's all related to this body building thing. It'll be strange and funny but then it'll be normal. I'm trying not to take myself too seriously here.

Back to the point of this post, I wore my sleeveless Mexico jersey to Jazz Fest, laid shirtless in the park with Same, wore the AA shirt to the bike shop and then just now took off my shirt by the pool while I read. Oh, and I'm doing it to get rid of my tan line, not to show off. I'm not that comfortable with my body. I'll show the guns first, then maybe later the whole arsenal.

(By the way, I'm trying to reflect more, assess my feelings more in this endevour. Because I'm realizing, as I read a book for my summer course -the book is called The Ethnographic I- that the emotion is, actually, where it's at. If I don't reveal how this effects me, what I really think about it all, then you readers will never connect. Oh, and while I was hoping this book would help with my Peace Corps book, I am finding that this story will be a good candidate as well. Maybe even the bike building thing could turn into an essay. Also, this blog thing really is turning out to be a good way record my thoughts. And it'll be helpful to go back and see how I felt in contrast to how I feel when I read it.)

a change of pace

I haven't worked out for three weeks now. I took that first week off because my elbow felt funny. Then I just couldn't get back into the gym. There are a few reasons: since we moved I started taking the bus, which takes a long time to get anywhere, so I had to wake up earlier, thus I lost my work out time; also, it's the end of the semester and I've had lots of work to do. I plan on starting up again next Monday.

It's strange to think that my protein shake jar and blender have taken a break, too. And my workout towel and journal.

I'm sure my new weight and photos will show little improevment, if any, from last month. But after my last post I started putting peanut butter in my smoothies and pecans in my pancakes. I like the change.

Also, I bought chocolate flavored protein powder. I was getting bored with the vanilla, even though broseph warned me that the chocolate was nasty. When I bought it from Walmart I was carrying it around and a guy pushing a cart and following his wife stopped me.

"Where'd you get that?" he said.
"Pharmacy area," I said.
"Yeah, I need some of that. What kind you got?"
"Chocolate."
"Yeah, that's right. The chocolate's the best."

When I get back in the gym I'm going to vary my weights and reps and maybe exercises, too.

Oh, and I bought a sleeveless shirt for the summer. I like the look of my arms, except that they're white as ghosts.