Things That Are Scary

Things That Are Scary

• The price of a good pair of running shoes.
• That you have to walk two miles to burn off a Snickers bar.
• Flying off the back of a treadmill (done it twice).
• The amount of calories in an Olive Garden breadstick.
• 5K training...starts tomorrow.
• Carb cravings at 10pm.
• Facing the scale after eating Chinese buffet.
• The gleam in a trainer's eye when they say, "This is gonna be fun."
• Working out thirty minutes after eating chili (I have tested this theory and it is not a good idea).
• The birds out on the Riverwalk where we walk at lunch sometimes.  Okay, maybe they're just scary to me, but still. 
• Doing the treadmill at a 10 incline; I tried to explain to our trainers that I am not in fact a mountain goat, but up the treadmill went anyway.
• The sign outside KFC that says "everything is better with bacon."
• The dessert table at my church's homecoming.
• Any table at my church's homecoming (so much delicious Southern food).
• Paula Deen's new butter-flavored lip gloss. 
• All of this Halloween candy.
• The thought of what my abs are going to feel like tomorrow after Sculpt class today.

 Happy Halloween!

Beach 2 Battleship

It's amazing what can happen in a year!  Now that I am a year plus into my journey, it's becoming fun to look back and see how things have changed; it spurs me forward and keeps me going.   Last year this time, I was about a month into my weight loss program.  I had lost almost twenty pounds and was starting to feel a lot better. Even so, I was a little nervous then about volunteering for the Beach 2 Battleship Iron Man Triathalon, because it meant over three hours on my feet, something that I had not been able to do in a long, long time.  Last year I made it through my first triathalon volunteering, learned all about Heed versus water, managed to get myself covered in electrolyte gel and thus attracted the attention of nearby bees, and accomplished making it through those hours on my feet, though at the time it was very hard for me.

Fast forward a year to today when I headed out to volunteer again at the aid station for the Beach 2 Battleship Triathalon.   This year my table was at the top of the hill and I found myself with the job of making sure the cups stayed full of Heed and water and that we had an ample supply of electrolyte gel and pills.  Not only was I on my feet for over three hours, but I made countless trips up and down the hill with jugs of water, sleeves of cups, and several trips with a 5 gallon cooler full of Heed.  At one point I was heading up the hill with some water and Jeff jogged up next to me saying, "Let's run." So I ran because as I've said before, I do everything my trainers tell me to do.

It was inspirational to see all of those athletes who, if they were doing the full Iron Man, had swam two miles, biked over a hundred, and now were running a twenty-six mile marathon. There were people of all shapes and sizes, as well as all age ranges, including some senior citizens.  Just goes to show you that with determination, you can do anything. Whether it's completing an Iron Man or sticking with a diet and workout plan for over a year, if you keep plodding away, you can cross the finish line, and it feels amazing.

2011 Beach 2 Battleship with my friend Kim, sporting our pink for breast cancer awareness.

Me and my friend Heather, who is a champ and a fighter herself!

It Was a Dark And Stormy Night

It was a dark and stormy night.  Wind whistled outside the window like the desolate and foreboding wail of a banshee.  Inside the house even the roar of a crackling fire couldn't warm the bones or shake away the dread that was descending like a heavy cloak.  Lightning crashed and thunder shook the walls.  Fear caused the stomach to clench and the chest to feel like an iron belt was steadily tightening and tightening as the heart thump, thump, thumped a rhythm of terror.  It was coming.  There was no escape, there was no release, there was no where to run.  Sooner or later...we all must face...the scale.  Ah ha ha ha.  Scary but true.

Something else that was scary today, Tabata class. To find out what Tabata is, click here.  Freddy Krueger and Michael Meyers having nothin' on side plank Tabata intervals.  It's probably going to be scarier in the morning when I'm stiff and sore, but I felt amazing afterwards.

Happy early Halloween y'all!

Last Halloween, about a month into my program.

This Halloween.  Boo y'all!

You Know You're on a Journey When...

You know you're on a weight loss journey when:

• You take off everything decently possible before getting on the scale and wear your lightest clothes for weigh-in day.  I myself remove my glasses, accessories, and ID badge.  I once even saw an old lady shimmy down to her slip in the middle of a Weight Watchers meeting before getting on the scale.
• Have ever audibly said to the scale, "Seriously?!"
• You can recite the caloric content of each of Jared's favorite subs at Subway.
• You've given the treadmills in your gym Seven Dwarf-esque names based on their attributes: Squeaky, Creaky, etc.
• You realize that you have started talking in short words: quads, rep, carb, Step, squat.
• Waiters at restaurants you frequent hate to see you coming with all of your meal customizations and calorie inquisitions.
• You've become such a protein hound that you seriously start to wonder if maybe you've been bitten by a werewolf. Must. Have. Meeeeeat.
• You can tell 30 second increments without looking at a watch.
• You can pick something up and easily guess how much it weighs.
• You don't realize how strong you've gotten until you accidentally sling your groceries across the yard when unloading them from the trunk. (True story)
• You're not satisfied unless something hurts.
• You find a website online that tells you how far you have to walk to burn off different increments of Halloween candy. Yes, two miles for an average sized candy bar..trick or treat?
• You end each day with a George Jefferson limp, but realize its all worth it.

Out of the Cube and Into the Light

The beautiful day and mild temps lured us out of the gym today and into the sunshine. Cube rats that we are, we emerged blinking from the building into the wonderful weather outside.  Immediately Millie, Charles, and Flo took off running towards the River Walk, but with my pulled quad, I had to make do with a careful power-walk.  The old me would have felt frustrated and bummed out to be left behind, but the new me knew that I would catch up with them at our usual workout spot soon enough.

Sometimes I think people get deterred from working out due to lack of access to a gym, but there is so much you can do just using the space around you.   Outside areas are not just for running or walking, you just have to get creative.  On the River Walk we did several squats/plants/step-up/sprint (power-walking for the injured)/bench dips (100 of 'em) circuits, guaranteed to make you feel the burn.  And then we had to walk back to the building.

Squinting in the sun, but workout done: Millie, Flo, Me, and Charles.

It's fun to get creative with workout locations. You can pretty much find something to burn calories anywhere outside.  Need to add some strength training to your cardio routine but don't have any weights?  Using your own body weight with exercises like planks and bench dips is all you need. Keeping workouts varied and interesting is what keeps me motivated.  And the beautiful weather is just icing on the cake (pardon the cake reference).

Who am I? I am a champion!

My much needed new shoes were so ready to go today that they practically jumped out of the gym bag. Boy they felt good!  Eagerly I jumped onto the treadmill, cranked up my Ipod, and started to run.   The new shoes felt so good that I started running faster, and then faster, and then the fastest I've ever run.  Then, fifteen minutes in I felt something bad in my right quad and had to stop.  I hobbled off the treadmill and over to where my brother was working out to stretch my leg out.

Seeing me limping, Jeff came over to inquire, "Does it hurt?"

"Only when I move it." I responded then realized how dumb that sounded.

I looked around the gym, not ready to throw in the towel but acknowledging that the bike and the elliptical machines, and pretty much anything involving legs was out.   Then my eyes fell on my old pal the punching bag.  Cranking the music up again, I proceeded to pound the heck out of that bag until I felt like my arms were going to fall off.  Where there's a will, there is a way.

One of the best things I've heard in a long time is a speech by a high school football coach, pumping up his team.  If you want to get rallied, take about three minutes and check this out: I am a champion!  Some of the quotes that resonate in my head are, "I have trained my mind and now my body will follow" and "my heart and my mind will carry me when my limbs are too weak."   I've listened to that speech at least five times today, and its rally cry, "Who am I? I AM A CHAMPION!" carried me through my workout today.

Give it a listen, I promise you won't be disappointed.

I Have No Words

What do you say to the people who have saved your life? How do you begin to say "thank you" for such an amazing gift like the one I was given? Not an easy task.

Today was our wrap-up meeting for our Transformation program and Jeff and Marisa had created a movie presentation of our pictures and videos set to music.   As we watched it, there were a lot of laughs, some tears, and a lot of awe as we saw ourselves in action and remembered the amazing times we've had.

Then it was our turn to get up and speak about the experience.  Now, I am a trained Toastmaster and never at a loss for words, but my emotions felt very raw about this and I was nervous. As each one of my team mates got up and spoke, I found myself in their words.  I smiled and laughed and cried along with them.  It was impossible not to.

When it was my turn, I reluctantly stepped forward and found that I literally couldn't speak. Tears began to flow and I couldn't look anyone in the eye. But, these people are my family.  They've fought at my side, held me up, shared my triumphs and my challenges, dried my tears, cheered me on, and encouraged me every step of the way. I knew I could trust them.  Slowly the words came out in halting, breathy phrases and I hope that I was able to convey my gratitude to extent that this amazing experience deserves. 

To my team and my trainers: for every inside joke, every locker room therapy session, every friendly competition, every cheer, every high-five and fist bump, every drop of sweat shed together, every encouragement, and every victory dance beside the scale,  I am grateful.   I love y'all and I'm ready to take this journey to the next level with you!

My two heroes and the best trainers anyone could have, Marisa and Jeff.

I love this team! Back row: Mary, me, Sylvia, Millie, Jeff and Jeff M. Front row: Marisa, Frank and Florence