It’s raining and a little chilly today.

Although I live nowhere near the Smoky Mountains, the song Smoky Mountain Rain by Ronny Milsap popped in my head for some reason… which brought back a horrifying childhood memory. My sister, brother and I used to put on the goofiest “shows” for our parents and their dinner guests. Once we sang a medley of Ronny Milsap songs. WE WERE THE BIGGEST DORKS. None of us can carry a tune by the way. What torture it must have been to sit through one of our performances. Ugh.

Tracker Finalists
Cheryl’s (averismommy) story is going to be really amazing – I just know it. I read her updated profile and it broke my heart into tiny aching pieces. I’ll have to read the other finalists essays, but can’t imagine I’ll be voting for anyone other than Cheryl at this point. What an amazing way to honor her son and continue on with her life. I was so excited when I read her post that she had received a call from Porter – you would’ve thought he placed the call to me.

C1W6D4
It still hurts to sneeze. My new ab exercise ROCKS. I don’t know what it’s called. A guy at the gym showed me how to do it. I used a 10 lb. plate and on the decline bench, did a decline crunch and extended my arms over and behind my head. On the way up, extend your arms out and up with a little push. Not a very good explanation...

This morning I did my UB workout and this afternoon I did 50 minutes of steady state cardio. I started feeling twinges of pain in my shins so I finally broke down and stopped by the running store for some new shoes. Man, running shoes are so ugly.

Today’s UB workout:

Chest:
DB Chest Press
1x12 – 15 lbs.
2x10 – 20 lbs.
3x8 – 25 lbs.
4x6 – 25 lbs. (tried 30 lbs but failed)
5x12 – 20 lbs.
DB Fly 1x12 – 15 lbs.

Shoulders:
Arnold Press
1x12 – 10 lbs.
2x10 – 15 lbs.
3x8 – 15 lbs.
4x6 – 20 lbs. for 3 reps and 15 lbs. for 3 reps
5x12 – 10 lbs.
BB Upright Row 1x12 – 40 lbs.

Back:
Cable Row
1x12 – 60 lbs.
2x10 – 70 lbs.
3x8 – 80 lbs.
4x6 – 90 lbs.
5x12 – 70 lbs.
1 Arm DB Row 1x12 – 20 lbs.

Triceps:
Overhead Extension/Press (don’t know exact name…)
1x12 – 25 lbs.
2x10 – 40 lbs.
3x8 – 50 lbs.
4x6 – 60 lbs.
5x12 – 45 lbs.
1 Arm Cross Over 1x12 – 10 lbs.

Biceps:
Barbell Curls
1x12 – 25 lbs.
2x10 – 30 lbs.
3x8 – 35 lbs.
4x6 – 40 lbs.
5x12 – 30 lbs.
21’s 1x12 – 10 lbs. (1st time I tried these - I like 'em!)

Meals:
M1 – Chocolate oatmeal
M2 – oatmeal and protein
M3 – pear and string cheese
M4 – chicken breast and pear
M5 – chicken breast, green salad, ½ sweet potato
One gallon of water.