The Gauntlet Part Dos

If you read my blog you may recall a post entitled "The Gauntlet."   If you don't remember it, here's a link: The Gauntlet.  Today was my first workout back with Jeff and with the new team.  Before we split off into two teams, Jeff and Marisa gathered all of us together for a meeting to get everyone on board for the last sixty days of our program.  They asked us, besides the obvious benefit of losing pounds, what was better in our lives because of this program?

"Being able to move" was a popular answer around the room as well as "getting strong. " Also was "the knowledge of what is healthy and what is not when it comes to food."  "The ability to resist the chips." Roy said.  When it was my turn, I felt like I could go on and on but in summary I said, "There is not one aspect of my life that is not better because of this."  Frank also summed it up with, "I just feel better!"

After our meeting we split up into two groups and Jeff led us over to the ellipticals.  I knew he was going to get us good today.  I fully expected a hard workout.   I was prepared to go the distance.  What I wasn't prepared for was...the gauntlet part two.  

Do you ever watch horror movies where the carefree teenage babysitter has just put the kids to bed and has gotten on the phone with her friends, chatting and laughing away, totally unaware that Jason or Michael Meyers or that hooded guy from Scream is just outside, lurking in the bushes, preparing to bust in the windows and rip her to shreds?  Follow that analogy on into the gym today.   There I was, gliding along on the elliptical, chatting and laughing away with Sylvia on one side and Dana on the other, when here comes Jeff, armed with his gauntlet workout, preparing to rip me to shreds.  Well at least my muscles that is. 

Oh it was on today! Its only been several hours ago, but I can't even remember the sequence of speeds, times, and levels he put us through, all I know is that he would call out a speed and a resistance level and we would do it for however long he told us. It was probably one of the toughest cardio workouts I've ever done.  I simultaneously wanted to throw up, call for Jesus, and cry, but I made it through it. The funniest thing of the day happened at one point; Dana started singing that old song from the tournament scene of Karate Kid, "You're the best around, nothings gonna ever keep you down...."  I almost fell off of my machine, for several reasons.

Yes, Jeff channeled his inner Cobra Kai, because we weren't done yet.  Again, can't remember how many rotations or how long each rotation was, but we had to hold ourselves in plank position until I felt like my arms were going to break, then stand up and hold a static squat until my legs felt like they were going to collapse underneath me.  And then go right back into plank, then right back into static squats, and then again and maybe even again.   Can't remember, it's all a blur of ragged breathes and quivering muscles and sweat that dripped off of me to puddle on the floor. 

All in all: one awesome workout.  I survived the gauntlet again...and went on to do 30 more minutes of cardio with Sylvia afterward.

We Go Girls!

The results of the battle of the sexes are in and....Team Reesy (the girls) won the challenge!!!  It was by a three pound margin, but we still emerged the victors!  Thank you so much to all the wonderful ladies on the team and to our fearless leader, Marisa. I know that we have developed friendships for life.  You have all given me so much encouragement and drive.   We've laughed together, sweated together, and cried together.   We've cheered each other on and helped each other up. When I didn't think I could go on, you all stood around me in a circle and told me I could.  You helped me dig down deep and find the strength I needed to persevere. You allowed me to bare my soul and my deepest fears in front of you with no shame. We all come from different demographics and walks of life, but together in this, we are sisters. 

For this next and last phase of our transformation year, Jeff and Marisa put all the names (guys and girls) into a hat a drew for teams.  I'm on Team Jeff along with Dana, Roy, Sylvia, Laks, and George.  It's a fun group and I'm looking forward to the next three months.   I had a long talk with Jeff to determine goals and our mission for this phase.   We are basically going to go all out, push harder than we have before.  I'm ready.  I've been coasting on this plateau for the past two months (but hey, maintaining "ain't" gaining) and it's time to kick it into high gear, and I now have the self confidence to know that I can do it. 

No Ma'am.

I was raised in the South and taught always to have nice manners and to be polite.    Southern girls don't say something untoward without blessing someone's heart first.   Southern girls say "please" and "thank you" and always "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am."   I'm down with all of that but what happens when you've said "no thank you, but I appreciate it" to the bearer of homemade lemon pie, but the baker is persistent? 

As Southerners, we always want to be hospitable to our guests and offer them refreshments.  As proud cooks, we always want to have our cullinary masterpieces appreciated and complimented.   So what happens when you're trying so hard to get off of a plateau, your resolve is weak, and you're in a polite face-off with a  hostess who just insists that you try a piece of their mouth watering lemon pie that is famous in three counties?  You politely decline saying, "I'm sure it is so good, but I have to get on the scale on Thursday. I know I'm missing out!"  Then she says, "Oh, but you have to have some! I'll get you a small slice!"  And then she returns with a big whoppin' slice that's falling all over the plate, probably is around 600 calories, and if eaten, means you'll have to skip dinner and possibly breakfast and lunch the next day too.What does one do in this situation?

I'm sure this happens everywhere, not just in the South.   I don't understand why folks who know you're dieting insist on forcing high calorie treats on you. Don't they understand what a thin ledge you're teetering on anyway?  Do they not know about that false theory we subscribe to from time to time that tells us, "well I've eaten this slice of pie so I might as well have pizza for dinner, since I've screwed up this much"?  It might just be a piece of pie to them, but it could mean the beginning of the bad food spiral for you. 

These folks don't have mean intentions, they just don't understand how when you're on a journey such as mine, you have to stay strong.   You can't decide to give yourself a treat every time the opportunity presents itself.  You can't approach each meal like it's the last time you might have a chance to have pie or a side of fries.  That's how many of us get where we are.   So, you have to learn to politely stand up for yourself and eventually folks will get the picture.  Just make sure to add a "ma'am" to your "no thank you."  : )

Do What You Like

If you are into working out regularly, you know the feeling that a great workout gives you.  You feel revved up, exhilarated, giddy, and confident.   On the flip side, if you feel like you didn't do your best, or your workout was just so so, you feel let down and unsettled.  Today was the good kind for me.  We had an awesome kick boxing class that is still making me feel great hours later.

I can keep up in pretty much any exercise class these days, but am by no means the best in the class.  In step, I'm on the lowest riser.   In Zumba I'm doing most of the moves, but my salsa step is very lacking.  But in kick boxing, I feel right at home.   Today Pam led us in some turning kick, jab-cross combos set to a fast paced play list that included the old school Mortal Kombat theme.   I never missed a beat. I'd slurped down two iced coffees prior to class and I was amped and ready to go!  My fists were flying, my feet were kicking, the bass was thumping, and I thought to myself, "I kick a&*! I have the eye of the tiger. I am a ninja." 

In all seriousness, I'm no Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan, but after class as I stretched out my muscles on a mat and slowed my heart rate down, I realized that when we find something we're good at, we like it, and when we like it, and get into it, we push ourselves harder and get better results.   I don't know what it says about me that I love to fight so much, or that I've been excited ever since Millie's husband (a former dojo master) told me he could teach me to break a board with my hand, or that I have worn through my first set of pink Everlast gloves on the heavy bag at the gym, but whatever puts the fire in you, you should go with it.  For Millie and Mary, learning to run and find their stride has done it for them.   Sylvia excels at Step class.  Lakshmi quickly found a love for Zumba.  My thing is fighting I guess.  Whatever it is that gets your blood pumping, like Nike says, "just do it."

Pad Thai or Toned Thigh?

I've really been into the show Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition because it focuses on a year-long transformation, like my own weight loss program.  I really study it closely and pay attention to the psychology behind everything because I've heard over and over, whether pertaining to running a marathon or breaking a board karate style, the body gives out long before the mind and the heart, and the majority of working out and dieting is mental. 

It's interesting to me because they break the year up into four three month phases, and every one of the folks on the show has had a stumble around Phase Three, which is where myself and my team mates are currently.  We've all had a bit of a stumble currently; some have plateaued and some have gained a little back. It made me feel less anxious about my plateau to see that show and know that it is very common.

Sylvia and I had a discussion today about pressing the "re-set" button and getting back down to business.  We decided we're going to switch our food around, get strict, and go at this full force for Phase Four.  Today together we did the treadmill, bike, elliptical, hit the punching bag, did squats, hammer curls and squat curl presses, and threw some leg presses in there for good measure. It really does bring home the transformation aspect into play when I realized how much knowledge we've gained from our trainers and the different mindset we have now than the two girls we used to be.  A year ago our favorite thing to do together was to hit up the Thai restaurant near work for some chicken pad thai.   Now our favorite thing to do is exchange some sweat and gossip every day down in the gym. Giving up pad thai for toned thigh,  I'd definitely call that transformation!

Independence

We had a great weekend at the beach, celebrating the Fourth of July with family and friends.  A friend from Atlanta, who I only see this time of year at the beach, is a photographer.  As soon as he saw me this weekend, he handed me a picture that he took this time last year of me and said, "See how far you've come."  As hard as it is to look at that picture and share it on my blog, I feel like I should, so here goes:

Last July the Fourth, 2010

This Fourth of July, 2011

I am by no means finished with this journey.   I have a long ways to go. This is the time when I need to not rest on how good I feel, but dig down deeper and push harder.   On Independence Day I am declaring my freedom from old bad behaviors and the ways that created the person in that first picture.  I am going to visualize these bad behaviors as chains that bound me up in an unhealthy body and held me back last year from the freedom to enjoy my life the way I do now, and the way I will even more so in the future.

It was cool to see how far I've come and made it a lot easier to resist that homemade chocolate cheesecake!

Sangria, Sand and Sunset

The fourth of July always means one thing in our family: Topsail Island.   Every Independence Day of my whole life has been spent on this little slice of Heaven.   Today, the second of July, is my brother Charles's birthday.   Last weekend we celebrated my husband's the same way, a birthday party at the beach and a homemade chocolate cheesecake.   Ditto today.  

Hard to resist Momma's chocolate cheesecake!

Once again I resisted. It was hard too because of the collective ooo's and ahhh's and "man this is delicous"s from everyone else.  I ate watermelon for my dessert and stared longingly at the rich, creamy cake my family was indulging in.  The thing about food is this: it tastes wonderful and satisfying for about five seconds in your mouth, then the pleasure is gone and you have to eat more to get it back.  Then it's another five seconds and the feeling is gone again.  Ah, but the pounds on the scale and the inches around your thighs are here to stay!

Happy Birthday Charles!  Love you brother!

I saved my calories for some peach sangria Momma had whipped up from a South Carolina recipe.  Woo those peach slices were potent.  We all took our drinks outside for sangria at sunset by the ocean.  Can't get better than that!

Old Glory flying in the Topsail breeze.

Kicked back, relaxed on his birthday.

Sangria with the Sister

Post-sangria smile (and I look like I'm about to leap frog over her head)