How I Workout These Days & Other Assorted Pictures Showcasing Me

People are asking me all the time, "Amy.  WHAT does your workout look like?  How do you maintain your bikini competition figure?"

Okay.  So no one asks me that.  Sometimes I make things up.  But that's why you like me so.

But I do find it interesting to see what others are doing...so I thought I would share what a normal week looks like for me.

How I workout has evolved tremendously from how I first started working out post-op.  My first foray into moving my body to get the scale moving was about a month post-op, when I decided to sign up for my first 5K (you can read about that here).  And then Tracey and I started to go to a bootcamp taught by a hard body little lesbian (revisit the moment when Heather was "just" Heather here). When I first started going to bootcamp, we went maybe 2 to 3 times a week.  I believed in things called "rest days".

Then I started dating Heather.  And I started working out a little more. Really focusing on lifting, but more in a circuit style set up.  I wanted to gain muscle mass.  I wanted to lose fat.

Then 4 years ago on January 1st, I started running.  At that point, Heather thought running was "stupid", and would say so as I drug myself out of bed to plod the streets alone.  I started running for me. Then running became a way to stay conditioned for all of the obstacle course races we were doing.  Tough Mudder, Spartan, Savage, Superhero Scramble...we were doing them all...and I didn't want to be the weakest link.

Which brings us to today.  Today I workout 6 days a week...with usually one "rest" day.  We run 3 days a week.  Depending on my goal for the month, I run anywhere between 12-15 miles a week.  Heather runs with me now...well...a long ways in front of me...because she realized she is an exceptional runner and thus, running is no longer "stupid". But what really keeps me motivated now is our puppies.  Let me introduce you to Bear & Cotton:

After my Shelby passed away last year (2013), my heart healed enough to start longing for another dog that would be "mine".  Yes we have Honey Mae and Bubba...but Honey Mae would get in the car with any stranger (she is a doggie whore) and Bubba loves me only when he wants to love me).  Well, our friends were in the market for a new puppy as well and they told me about these Australian Shepard/German Shepard puppies they were going to go look at. I asked Heather if I could get one and she sent me, with $50, to "look".  Did she expect me NOT to pick out an adorable 6 week old puppy?  DOES SHE KNOW ME AT ALL?  Well I fell in love with Cotton (on the right). ANOTHER friend decided to adopt the boy, Bear.  But after just a day, they decided they weren't dog people and asked if we wanted him. And that is how we went from 3 fur children (we cant forget Kitty), to 5 fur children.  But look how cute they were...

It turns out though..that in addition to being precious...they are also little bastards.  They chewed things.  They ate things (the wall, furniture, Heather's $200 Oakleys...on her birthday) and so with the voice of Ceaser the Dog Whisperer whispering in my head (dogs act up when they are bored), I started running with them. 

And they love it.  They run on a coupler.  We started with just a few miles, and now we are up to 7 miles, with stops only for water.

It's helped with the distruction...although they still will destroy something for no good damn reason from time to time.  I love running with them.  Please note I did not say I love running.  But it gives running a sense of purpose.  And I know they are having a great time...which brings me a little joy to an otherwise hateful situation.  Having canine running companions has been an immense motivator for me and my running.

So that's the cardio part.

Now for the lifting.

That's Heather's back.  Not mine.  I know you were briefly confused.  This was taken in our garage.  During our "retirement" we made a little gym in the garage.  Now my car lives outside.  Naked to the elements. But it was worth it.

So I lift now with a dedicated purpose.  The days I don't run, I am lifting.  Each day has it's own body part or body section.  Chest day, leg day, back day, etc. After finding employment, and thus receiving a paycheck once more, I rejoined Planet Fitness.  Heather is motivated to workout alone in the garage with no audience, but mama needs people around her to keep her pumping iron.  Well I don't need it, but I like it so much better.  And Planet Fitness is just 1 mile from our house...so off I go. My favorite day is leg day of course, because that translates to butt day.  And it's so true what they say.  Once you see progress...that's when it becomes an addiction.  

So many girls are afraid of lifting heavy because they don't want to look like dudes.  Well I don't want to look like a dude, or this lady here...

But I do want big muscles.  I want clear definition.  And because I do have fat on my body, my muscles are going to need to be big to see that definition.  And I love feeling strong.  I love knowing I am strong.  So I try to lift for at least an hour on those days.  I am always sore.  Which isn't always a good thing.  But I can usually feel my workout for days afterwards.

Here's me and my delt (shoulder muscle) painting our friends kitchen.  Hello delt.  I love you.

I became an official steakhead when I set up my damn phone and took a selfie at the gym.  I tried to be stealth and prayed no one saw me doing it.

Here we are after a run.  Heather, me, and my nipple.  I apologize about that.  But since the new girls got installed..my nibs after a run have a life of their own.

Here's a pic of me and my boyfriend Frosty.  This was part of a door decorating contest at work.  I won.  Duh. (Okay...so I tied.  But I won)

I also got a bike for my birthday in September!  A beach cruiser for...cruising the beach!  Which really means beach bar bike crawls.  Which is fabulous.  Her name is Blue Nelly.

I believe that is the day I introduced Rachel to the Monte Cristo sandwhich.  A deep-fried wonder that you dip in rasberry jelly.  It brought a tear to her eye.  One of the reasons I love that girl...she feels food in her soul like I do.

And speaking of Rachel and food.  She took me to the fair this year!  We live about a mile from the fairgrounds, but for some reason my real lifepartner hates the fair.  I mean...rows and rows of heart attack inducing food and rides put together overnight by gentlemen with no teeth that may or may not kill you (the rides, not the nice teethless gentlemen)...what's not to love?  So Rachel was my sugarmama and Heather dropped us off like she was our mom and we were going to the mall on a Friday night.  

We rode the ferris wheel.  We ate funnel cakes, weiners encased in cornbreading (aka corndogs), sausages, and ice cream.  I got stuck after my corndog and vomitted my pepsi up in public.  Rachel loved me anyways.  These are signs of a bestie you see.  We went on rides for hours.  Man...I can't wait until next year!

It should be known that Rachel and I have a problem when taking pictures like this.  She has a peahead.  I have a big head.  We tried to account for that...it didn't really work.  

You may recognize Rachel from a post last year...okay...you probably wouldn't recognize her because we looked a hot tough mess:

But over the past year Rachel and I have become great friends.  And after my other WonderWoman BFF Carmen left me to move to Alaska...

I was alone.  Who was going to appreciate fatty and naughty food with me?  Who was going to shuffle alongside of me when I ran?  Who would I share vastly inappropriate personal details with?...okay...so that last one could really be a vast majority of individuals...but you get my point.  So one day Carmen and Heather told me about Rachel.  She had been working out with them over their lunch break, she had Gastric Bypass many years ago (10), and was getting ready to have plastic surgery to fix her tubesock boobies and get a tummy tuck.  So I introduced myself and the next thing you know, Rachel is sending me pre-op and post op nudie pictures of her results.  I mean...once you see someones nipples...how can you not be fast friends?  Her openness with sharing her results was really the catalyst for me to finally go see a plastic surgeon.  After that, she joined our Gunz n Glutes race team and the rest is history!

So happy HumpDay readers!  

kisses