Abs Inspite!

I got to the gym a little late today because I had to stop off at the dentist for an adjustment. As we age, our teeth move out of alignment, especially mine because I have such a small mouth and protuberances called torus mandibularus that make everything very crowded. I've resigned myself to losing my once perfectly straight teeth (I never wore braces as a child), but the discoloration is a bit disconcerting. So, I'm resorting to (sigh) bleaching.

Mirror shots can be distorted

According to the body fat web sites, Asians in general have higher body fat contents due to porous bones. One web site claimed that tests showed Asian bones floated. (So why do I swim like a rock then?) I wonder how this affects teeth, and bleaching agents. I guess I'll find out in the next few weeks.

30 minutes of cardio (3.34 miles) later and I'm blissfully knocking out twisting situps and lower ab kickouts with a few sets on the "torso rotation" station. Lately, I find that when I overeat, I'm extremely uncomfortable because my stomach muscles are so tight that there's no expansion room! It's quite an incentive to eat small portions! Almost like wearing a girdle made out of your own body!

This is also the lightest I've ever weighed as an adult without feeling deprived, or like I'm trying too hard. Now I can state that having lost all this weight isn't a matter of self-control or will power or mind games anymore. It's become a lifestyle, so now it's easy. What a relief! Really!

Almost a 6-pack! No, that's NOT cleavage. Those're pecs.

I remember my parents nagging me about being too chubby as a teenager, and not "feminine" enough, as if I had any control over whether I developed a bustline or not. High school was a constant battle with my parents for independence as well as self-esteem. I'm just not a "girly-girl" (no kidding, eh?) and being stuffed into tiny princess-seamed dresses which I could only fit into if I didn't eat for a few days, didn't help me develop a healthy relationship with food. NOW however, I feel as if I can eat whatever I want as long as I exercise, and I find that I'm just not all that interested in a lot of foods. Just the ones that taste REALLY good! Like arugula. I love arugula. Bitter things to balance out the sweet, like honey and licorice.

Today was a Pull Day so I did my standard back and biceps work out. I even remembered to do the new Bent Over Reverse Grip Barbell Rows. I had to start with the 40 lbs barbell because the 50 lbs was in use, and the 45 lbs Olympic bar (the ones on the bench press uprights) are too long and unwieldy for a small person to balance. Five sets later at 16 reps, the bar I want is finally available so I do another 5 sets with that one for 15 reps. The last 3 reps for the last 3 sets are a difficult, but because I'm bent over and the back is vulnerable in this position, I move very slowly, and deliberately, so as to avoid injury.

The only thing that's actually sore today are my glutes, and I reckon it's been two days since Leg Day, so that's appropriate. I'll definitely have to add Squats to my leg routine on Wednesdays.