The Gym Sandwich

How does one make a gym sandwich?

Start the day with nearly two hours at the gym.

Spend the entire afternoon at the carnival & street fair.

End the day with another 1.25 hours at the gym.

There you have it... one gym sandwich. :)


For everyone who gave me permission to quit after my last post, I'm glad you were so concerned for my well-being and I appreciate it, however I have to say thanks... but no thanks! I've come way too far to stop now. Whatever seems to have caused my body's meltdown on Saturday seems to have passed... I was totally fine today.

The StairMaster is DONE!!! Yay!!!!! 200 floors today... so I actually finished with 2107 floors! While we were at the carnival, we had to walk up a flight of stairs to get to the food/shopping area... and OMG, I thought my legs were going to fall off by the time we got to the top.

I managed to knock out another 4.5 miles on the treadmill in my second visit to the gym. At beginning, I was thinking I might end up hurling after all the crap food I ate at the carnival... but it was okay once I got going. And no, I didn't eat that much crap food... just ate it fairly close to when I went back to the gym.

There I was, trotting along on the treadmill... and everything came to a crashing halt... the power went out (I guess in the whole town). Its a good thing I was walking; the lady a few machines down was running & she crashed into the front of her treadmill. It was a short outage & I was able to finish up with no problem.

So for the final day... I have 8 miles on the treadmill & 36 free weight sets. Is it weird that those numbers seem easy to me?


The carnival was lots of fun. We let the boy one have a wristband and he amused himself on rides for a couple hours. The food was wonderful... I ended up skipping the corn dog. This BBQ place had a long line... which around here we assume to be a sign of good food. I had a BBQ Baked Potato topped with cheese, sour cream & beef brisket. Not sure how it compares calorie wise to the corn dog - but I can tell you with total honesty it was some of the best food I've ever had in my life! And because I planned for an indulgence today... I was able to fully enjoy it without so much as a smidgen of guilt or anxiety. :)

I'm off to get some rest... the next time you hear from me I will have successfully completed the Around the World Challenge for the second consecutive year!!!

What do you have planned for this final week of April? Will you reach your goals for the month?

Dear Accidental Fat Chick

Dear Accidental Fat Chick,



You asked me to cooperate with your demands for three more days. I grimaced & unwillingly agreed with this request. Now, you have the nerve to tell me I must perform for a fourth day!!! Who do you think you are? Why do you not understand the warning signs I'm sending your way?



Today alone I gave the following "hints" that I'm ready to call it quits:

• Muscle fatigue


• Aching in my knees


• Aching in my hip


• Sharp pain in my thigh


• My total inability to keep my heart rate in a productive zone


• Abdominal pain that keeps on going like the Energizer bunny


• Unquenchable thirst (three times the "normal" water while you subjected me to the StairMaster)

And now, at this late hour, I am presenting you with terrible back pain... hoping (though I suspect in vain) that you'll take the hint & give me a good LONG rest.

Your demands are unreasonable & I'm sure they must break some rule in the proper care and treatment of the human body! I am sick & tired of being treated this way!! Let this be your notice, I'm not gonna take it anymore!!! You can't make me!!!

- Your Body

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I swear to you... every part of my body is ready to quit - to be done - to throw in the towel. Today's gym experience was the kind I haven't had in months - and not in a good way. I started out with free weights, which were okay. Moving on to the StairMaster, I immediately had problems. Within the first 30 minutes I had to stop the machine to catch my breath. Throughout the whole time I was sweating way more than normal, couldn't regulate my heart rate for the life of me & drank about three times as much water as I usually do on it. It was so bad that I was stopping every 15 minutes & then when I'd start again it would take every bit of my strength to keep on going. At 250 floors... I called it a day. Its very disappointing because I had lots of available time to get stuff done there today & my body just wouldn't cooperate at all.

We put off going to the carnival (my corn dog experience) until Sunday. The weather is supposed to be better. It should also be a little less crowded. Saturday is always a crazy busy day there because it starts with a parade in the morning & people seem to hang around for hours after.

We did do a quick walk through the street fair part of the event. There were so many tempting things that I managed to resist purchasing... though it seemed like selection is way down from last year. I did buy a hat - which is way out of character for me - but I really liked it. For food, I had bbq chicken on a stick, 2 small pieces of lumpia, and 1/2 an elephant ear with cinnamon & sugar.

We're having a late dinner of shrimp, baked potatoes & zucchini... I want brown rice instead of the potato, but I'm too tired & hungry to wait for it to cook.

Time to go cook... but first... a special thanks to Melissa for keeping me company while I'm at the gym. Text messages are a great thing! :)

Dear Body... Dear Mind...

Dear Body,

Do you wonder what you did to deserve the torture you've been receiving the last few weeks? You did nothing, for a LONG time... that's the problem! Are you ready to throw in the towel & admit defeat? Well tough! That's NOT happening.

Your pain is evident & felt all over. Resistance levels & intervals that are normally met with mere moderate resistance now have to be pushed through with all your might. A few floors on the StairMaster & your knees are crying for reprieve. Scant minutes on the treadmill & your shins burn like they are directly over an open flame. Puny five pound dumbbells have become too much to lift over your head. Fatigue is apparent, as you fall asleep early & still have a hard time leaving bed in the mornings. I feel your pain & I'm ALMOST sorry for the burden that has been placed upon you. But I promise you it is all worth it.

Now, I have to ask you one HUGE favor... hang in there for another three days. You can do this for me! I know you're sore... I know you're tired... I know you're worn out... I know you long to languish in bed... but you will survive. I need you to do your part. Pretend your knees aren't crying. Pretend your shins are not burning from flames nipping at them with every step. Pretend your arms have the strength to lift to the sky. For just three more days, that's all I ask. Then, you can have a break, I promise. In the spirit of total honesty, it will be a SHORT break... but still a break.

By the way, I promise if you will agree to this arrangement for the next three days, I will supply you with a steady supply of medicine to calm your ailments. Good stuff, I swear it!

Thank you for your help in this matter,

The Accidental Fat Chick

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Dear Mind,

I've already spoken to the body... now its your turn. The body has been instructed on what it needs to do for the next three days. You need to do your part as well. Please stop sending messages to body parts that express anything other than relaxation and capabilities of endurance for the long haul. There is no time for the body to even think it hurts. So please, for the sake of the greater good... abolish words/thoughts/feelings like pain, ache, soreness, tiredness, etc from your vocabulary... just for the next three days. Then the whine-fest can commence. But until then, I need nothing but positive, can do messages sent to the body. Is this too much to ask for? I think not... and just think how pleased you will be when the last set is done, the last mile on the treadmill, the last floor! You can do this!

Thank you ever so kindly,

The Accidental Fat Chick

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Okay now that I'm done talking to myself... let me fill you in. I came home from kids group Wednesday night way too tired to even think of writing a post. I think I may have actually fallen asleep before my head hit the pillow. In the last two days at the gym, I did another 50 floors on the StairMaster, 55 sets of free weights & I FINISHED the elliptical (12.2 miles or so). So glad the elliptical is done... if you've been reading for a while, you might remember I spent four hours or so on it the last day of the challenge last year. That was so not happening this year, lol. I'm close enough that it feels doable, but still one heck of a challenge, to finish it up.

Thank you for all of the supportive, encouraging comments over the last several days. I am deeply honored that anyone finds me to be inspiring. I don't see it... I'm just struggling along like everyone else... but if my struggle helps or encourages someone else, then I'm happy for it.

Hope you're having a great week!