Mondays are probably the hardest day to workout. Especially Mondays like today. It was pouring out and even though I love rainy days, it's hard to get motivated. Boot camp is never cancelled because of weather (unless I'm assuming there's a blizzard). I knew I had to get up and go. It would have been so easy to stay in bed. The kids were all sleeping and I wanted to crawl back under those covers. But actually I got up early enough to eat a small, light breakfast of fruit salad and cheese, and I even had time to do my morning pages. If you've never read "The Artist Way" by Julia Cameron, I would highly recommend it especially if you are a creative person. In the book she suggests you write 3 pages of stream of consciousness when you first wake up in the morning. It gets rid of all the busyness and crap in your head. But I digress.
Dressed, fed physically and mentally, I made my way to boot camp. Not one person from my group was there and it was five of nine. Cyndi figured the rain was keeping them away, then one of the young girls showed up and Cyndi called us "die-hards." I had to giggle...me a diehard?? Eventually a few more showed up plus a couple from another class. After a short run in the rain we were able to stay inside for today's main event which was a ladder/progressive workout. We split into teams of 2 and we had a list of exercises to do until the count of 10 but we alternated. The first person in the team did one push-up then the other member did one, back and forth until a team reached 10 and 10. We did burpees which I still struggle with, Russian twists, jumping squats, lunges, jumping jacks, over head dumbbell press. I found the overhead press, even with only 10 lb weights in each hand, difficult to do. It seems my right arm is weaker than my left which surprises me since I am right-handed. But whenever we do something where my right hand has to hold my weight or 10-15 lb weights, I struggle, my arm shakes, I can feel slight pain. I can do bicep curls with no problem most of the time. As usual the workout was fabulous and I left feeling very energized.T he main event went quick today and we got into our stretching and the day was done. YAY! Week 2 day 1!!
I went home, had a brunch with one of my daughters and afterwards we put up the Halloween decorations. I love the orange lights on my porch, very festive yet soothing. Lighted haunted houses, black cat candleholders and some wall hangings complete the decorating.
On my way home from boot camp I had stopped at one of those little vegetable stands people have in front of their homes and bought some fresh corn that we would have for dinner tonight. Corn is not the best food because it is a high carb food but we never have it and let me tell you, it was the most delicious corn on the cob I have had in a long time! We had chicken and salad with it so the meal wasn't too carb-licious.
Gut Instinct: One side of your body may likely be stronger than the other. Work out both sides equally and eventually the weaker side will catch up.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Aaahhh, today is a beautiful cool, grey October day. My kids and I were all able to sleep in and it felt great. I woke rested and ready for the day. No work or outside obligations...or boot camp. However, I thought, THIS is workout weather.
My body feels a little ache-y but strong and alive. I'm aware I have muscles where all I could see was fat before. Slowly peeling those layers off pound by pound. My angel therapy practitioner-hypnotherapist-teacher gave me an image, while under hypnosis, of me standing and unzipping the fat layer off exposing the true me, a thinner, healthier me. I love that image. Makes me think of SuperWoman.
Yesterday I pulled a muscle as I turned around to back my car into a space at work. Here I am twisting, jumping, lifting weights at boot camp and I pull a freaking back muscle by driving. A little better today but I also noticed I have a couple of bruises on my ankles and upper arms. Not sure what they're from but I wonder if it's from exerting too much.
Tomorrow, Columbus Day, I have boot camp. No holiday from boot camp. They have boot camp on Thanksgiving morning if you do the November boot camp. Hard core. Mondays are probably the hardest days of any workout. But the body remembers and responds because it likes the work and the attention. I can almost hear my body saying, "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You love me You really love me (a la Sally field)."
Gut Instinct: Our bodies were divinely designed to move. Thankfully, we're also designed to rest and renew after we move. Move. Rest. Renew.
My body feels a little ache-y but strong and alive. I'm aware I have muscles where all I could see was fat before. Slowly peeling those layers off pound by pound. My angel therapy practitioner-hypnotherapist-teacher gave me an image, while under hypnosis, of me standing and unzipping the fat layer off exposing the true me, a thinner, healthier me. I love that image. Makes me think of SuperWoman.
Yesterday I pulled a muscle as I turned around to back my car into a space at work. Here I am twisting, jumping, lifting weights at boot camp and I pull a freaking back muscle by driving. A little better today but I also noticed I have a couple of bruises on my ankles and upper arms. Not sure what they're from but I wonder if it's from exerting too much.
Tomorrow, Columbus Day, I have boot camp. No holiday from boot camp. They have boot camp on Thanksgiving morning if you do the November boot camp. Hard core. Mondays are probably the hardest days of any workout. But the body remembers and responds because it likes the work and the attention. I can almost hear my body saying, "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You love me You really love me (a la Sally field)."
Gut Instinct: Our bodies were divinely designed to move. Thankfully, we're also designed to rest and renew after we move. Move. Rest. Renew.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Boot Camp: Week One Done!
Day 5
The final day this week for boot camp. Yay! I made it one full week. Only three (gulp) more weeks to go! I can do it. I can do it.
My body didn't hurt at all this morning. Wow, I'm surprised. But I can feel my muscles getting stronger every day. Amazing.
Apprehensive about what to eat before camp. I didn't get up early enough to eat 2 hours beforehand. So I went light. I had an apple and BabyBel cheese. Cyndi is away today for a wedding in Cleveland, so Kara, a client and some time assistant, is leading boot camp today. I met her my first day. She's cute, motivating and fun. A heavy set younger girl assisted and I spoke with her afterwards. She did boot camp all summer and has been working with Cyndi since February. She's now in the advanced Metabolic Training and has lost 35 pounds. She did all the exercises with no problem. She's very inspirational.
We did some fun stretching exercises across the parking lot such as those programs football players do...shuffles, high kicks, butt kicks and karaoke (walking sideways with one foot crossing over the other).
Today we would be broken into two teams (and we had a few missing women but a couple of different women from another boot camp) and we would be playing cards...well using cards....here, let me explain. Each card number is the number of reps of an exercise that you'd do and the suit represents a particular exercise. One exercise for each suit. For example, hearts were squats, diamonds were sit-ups, clubs were burpees, and spades were push-ups. So a ten of diamonds meant you did 10 reps of sit-ups. When a joker was drawn you'd run a lap and come back and all reps would be doubled until another joker was pulled. Each 4-woman team had their own deck and who ever finished going through the deck first would choose 4 new exercises to do. Actually I found this to be extremely fun, yet still challenging. The sun once again beat down on us and it got to be so bad I did most of my exercising inside the gym where it wasn't really cooler but shadier. Luckily, I didn't get nauseous. My stomach wasn't 100 per cent but much better than the past two days.
So week one is complete. I can rest. There was a quote on the white board again at Cynergy. "The weekend is here, you can rest then, but not now."
I am proud to say that I finished week one and I'm still standing. One day at a time as the saying goes. This boot camp is exactly what I've been looking for. I'm already thinking about November. Not sure if I could do another month so soon. More importantly, I may not want to spend the money...it is close to Christmas. But I would like to do something so I stay working out at Cynergy, that's how much I like it. I will have to talk to Cyndi about it.
The final day this week for boot camp. Yay! I made it one full week. Only three (gulp) more weeks to go! I can do it. I can do it.
My body didn't hurt at all this morning. Wow, I'm surprised. But I can feel my muscles getting stronger every day. Amazing.
Apprehensive about what to eat before camp. I didn't get up early enough to eat 2 hours beforehand. So I went light. I had an apple and BabyBel cheese. Cyndi is away today for a wedding in Cleveland, so Kara, a client and some time assistant, is leading boot camp today. I met her my first day. She's cute, motivating and fun. A heavy set younger girl assisted and I spoke with her afterwards. She did boot camp all summer and has been working with Cyndi since February. She's now in the advanced Metabolic Training and has lost 35 pounds. She did all the exercises with no problem. She's very inspirational.
We did some fun stretching exercises across the parking lot such as those programs football players do...shuffles, high kicks, butt kicks and karaoke (walking sideways with one foot crossing over the other).
Today we would be broken into two teams (and we had a few missing women but a couple of different women from another boot camp) and we would be playing cards...well using cards....here, let me explain. Each card number is the number of reps of an exercise that you'd do and the suit represents a particular exercise. One exercise for each suit. For example, hearts were squats, diamonds were sit-ups, clubs were burpees, and spades were push-ups. So a ten of diamonds meant you did 10 reps of sit-ups. When a joker was drawn you'd run a lap and come back and all reps would be doubled until another joker was pulled. Each 4-woman team had their own deck and who ever finished going through the deck first would choose 4 new exercises to do. Actually I found this to be extremely fun, yet still challenging. The sun once again beat down on us and it got to be so bad I did most of my exercising inside the gym where it wasn't really cooler but shadier. Luckily, I didn't get nauseous. My stomach wasn't 100 per cent but much better than the past two days.
So week one is complete. I can rest. There was a quote on the white board again at Cynergy. "The weekend is here, you can rest then, but not now."
I am proud to say that I finished week one and I'm still standing. One day at a time as the saying goes. This boot camp is exactly what I've been looking for. I'm already thinking about November. Not sure if I could do another month so soon. More importantly, I may not want to spend the money...it is close to Christmas. But I would like to do something so I stay working out at Cynergy, that's how much I like it. I will have to talk to Cyndi about it.
Gut Instinct: Food is Fuel. Just make sure it is the right fuel for the exercise.
Boot Camp: Day 4
Day 4
Woke up to a foggy morning, like my brain. Late night because of the ball game and had to make myself get up, but at least this time I wasn't grunting. I actually felt good and my muscles did not hurt like they did the day before. Once again running around to get ready but I knew I had to eat something lighter because I didn't want to be nauseous again. I made myself a smoothie with whey powder and raspberries. I had a little mini BabyBel cheese with it.
By the time I got to Cynergy it was probably close to 80 degrees and HUMID...this is October; I thought it would be nice and cool. The heat and I are not good friends and exercising in the heat is the last thing I want to do. Usually I look for shade. I've started wearing a sweat band around my head because I was leaving boot camp with a totally wet with sweat head. Gross. It dripped into my eyes and burned. I felt like Olivia Newton-John when I put it on. "Let's get Physical, physical." I may look like an 80s throwback but it works, I can leave not looking like a stringy, thin-haired yucky sweat ball. Like the visual?? Not attractive.
After the usual round of warm-ups we got ready for the main event. Relay races...well sort of. Today we were broken into teams of two and Cyndi the trainer was my partner. No losers, only winners because we were doing it. There were 3 stations set out and at each one you would do an exercise for 10 reps and then back, and your partner would go to the same station and on return you'd go to the next station and so on. The three exercises were the kettle squats, 15-lb weight arm raises and sit-ups. We did that for 8 minutes. I'm happy to say that it was great that Cyndi was my partner because she called out encouragements as I struggled to complete the exercise and I think if I had someone else as a partner I'd be slowing them down. At one point I was struggling to get the 15-lb weights up and above my head. Cyndi yelled out, "Dottie, you're doing great. Remember why you're here. Push! You can Do it!!" And I did!!
Then we did 3 different exercises for 8 minutes again...they were burpees (which now I do modified until I build up my hip flexors, squats with weights and arm raises, and the Russian Twister (sit on your butt with your legs bent and preferably not touching the ground, holding a 5-lb medicine ball and twist side to side). Because alot of those exercises involve the core, I got nauseous again!! Plus the sun beat down on us and the air was so thick and icky. "Eat earlier," Cyndi reminded us. I told her I thought an hour before was good but she said even 2 hours would be better. I have a hard enough time getting up at 7:30 to leave by 8. Jen, the new girl who started the day before, was extremely nauseous. She had oatmeal for breakfast and felt very ill. She couldn't do the cool down. She said her head hurt too. She felt lots of pressure. It was so damn hot and humid I understood completely.
However, we took a walk before cooldown and I walked with Cyndi and Jen. "I have a hard time not weighing myself every morning," I said to them. And Cyndi said, "Don't, because you may not show a loss. You're building muscle and some people even gain weight after the four weeks of boot camp." Inside I was screaming, "WHAT!" Muscle weighs more than fat. But still, how can I not lose weight by doing the amount of cardiovascular exercise and weight training that we've been doing all week?? This is hard work and my body hasn't worked this hard in a long time, if ever! Cyndi went on to say that I will notice inches lost on my waist, hips, legs and arms after the 4 weeks. Which is good, no, great...but I really really want to see lots of pounds lost, well at least 8-10 pounds would make me happy.
We all left camp that day knowing we worked our bodies hard. But you know what? I am having a blast! It has been so much fun! It feels good to move my body and challenge it like it has never been challenged.
Gut Instinct: "If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you're right." Mary Kay Ash.
Woke up to a foggy morning, like my brain. Late night because of the ball game and had to make myself get up, but at least this time I wasn't grunting. I actually felt good and my muscles did not hurt like they did the day before. Once again running around to get ready but I knew I had to eat something lighter because I didn't want to be nauseous again. I made myself a smoothie with whey powder and raspberries. I had a little mini BabyBel cheese with it.
By the time I got to Cynergy it was probably close to 80 degrees and HUMID...this is October; I thought it would be nice and cool. The heat and I are not good friends and exercising in the heat is the last thing I want to do. Usually I look for shade. I've started wearing a sweat band around my head because I was leaving boot camp with a totally wet with sweat head. Gross. It dripped into my eyes and burned. I felt like Olivia Newton-John when I put it on. "Let's get Physical, physical." I may look like an 80s throwback but it works, I can leave not looking like a stringy, thin-haired yucky sweat ball. Like the visual?? Not attractive.
After the usual round of warm-ups we got ready for the main event. Relay races...well sort of. Today we were broken into teams of two and Cyndi the trainer was my partner. No losers, only winners because we were doing it. There were 3 stations set out and at each one you would do an exercise for 10 reps and then back, and your partner would go to the same station and on return you'd go to the next station and so on. The three exercises were the kettle squats, 15-lb weight arm raises and sit-ups. We did that for 8 minutes. I'm happy to say that it was great that Cyndi was my partner because she called out encouragements as I struggled to complete the exercise and I think if I had someone else as a partner I'd be slowing them down. At one point I was struggling to get the 15-lb weights up and above my head. Cyndi yelled out, "Dottie, you're doing great. Remember why you're here. Push! You can Do it!!" And I did!!
Then we did 3 different exercises for 8 minutes again...they were burpees (which now I do modified until I build up my hip flexors, squats with weights and arm raises, and the Russian Twister (sit on your butt with your legs bent and preferably not touching the ground, holding a 5-lb medicine ball and twist side to side). Because alot of those exercises involve the core, I got nauseous again!! Plus the sun beat down on us and the air was so thick and icky. "Eat earlier," Cyndi reminded us. I told her I thought an hour before was good but she said even 2 hours would be better. I have a hard enough time getting up at 7:30 to leave by 8. Jen, the new girl who started the day before, was extremely nauseous. She had oatmeal for breakfast and felt very ill. She couldn't do the cool down. She said her head hurt too. She felt lots of pressure. It was so damn hot and humid I understood completely.
However, we took a walk before cooldown and I walked with Cyndi and Jen. "I have a hard time not weighing myself every morning," I said to them. And Cyndi said, "Don't, because you may not show a loss. You're building muscle and some people even gain weight after the four weeks of boot camp." Inside I was screaming, "WHAT!" Muscle weighs more than fat. But still, how can I not lose weight by doing the amount of cardiovascular exercise and weight training that we've been doing all week?? This is hard work and my body hasn't worked this hard in a long time, if ever! Cyndi went on to say that I will notice inches lost on my waist, hips, legs and arms after the 4 weeks. Which is good, no, great...but I really really want to see lots of pounds lost, well at least 8-10 pounds would make me happy.
We all left camp that day knowing we worked our bodies hard. But you know what? I am having a blast! It has been so much fun! It feels good to move my body and challenge it like it has never been challenged.
Gut Instinct: "If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you're right." Mary Kay Ash.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Boot Camp Days 2 and 3
Day 2
Woke up a little sore and stiff, but feeling good mentally and excited about the second day of Boot camp. I UGHed and GRUNTed my way out of bed and showered (why do I shower before camp?? seems silly), ate two pieces of 12 grain bread with natural peanut butter again. Have to find some other good, filling, healthy quick breakfasts. Made my way to camp and when I got to Cynergy I checked out the white board. Each day, Cyndi posts the camp's activities. And all I could see was the word "run" written about 3 or 4 times. YIKES! Run? Me? Can't remember the last time I ran...I think I tried jogging in the 70s when everyone was doing it.
We did warm-ups such as jumping jacks, burpees and lunges. Next was interval training...short sprints and a walk back to recover for 4 minutes then one minute of a mat exercise. Not sure of the distances but it probably was something like 100 yards progressively increasing to 400- 500 yards. In between each 4-minute sprint we went to the mats and did sit-ups, prison push-ups (plank position and one at a time lift one arm up to your chest--I had a hard time getting my left arm up, I guess my right arm is weaker than my left which surprised me), squat and jump-ups and butt wiggles (love the name, lie on your back, lift your hips and legs and "wiggle" side to side. Each run I gave it my all or as much as my all is as compared to others. I ran each time. My breath would be labored but my legs could keep on going. I have strong legs but not the lungs to match. Cyndi told me about a woman who had severe asthma and after 2 boot camps she needed less meds. Impressive. Cyndi reminded me that I am building endurance, strength and cardio/aerobic capacity.
To cool down we walked to the end of the parking lot and did some wonderful stretches. AAHH! Day 2! I did it!
My lovely friend, Michelle B, invited me to shower at her house after Boot Camp because I had to be at work at 11 and I would never make it home and shower in time. Thank God for Michelle and her home that is only 10 minutes away! She set out some soft towels and lit a delicious smelling candle. The hot water as it poured over my body relaxed all my tense and sore muscles. I could have showered all day. Got dressed for work but I forgot my shoes. Michelle wears a size 10 and I wear a 7 but I went to work wearing a pair of her shoes...felt like I was five again and wearing my mommy's shoes.
Made it to work on time, thanks to Michelle's proximity to the gym and to the bookstore where I work. With my big shoes on I helped customers and tried to shelve, but every time I had to squat to put a book on a lower shelf, I had a hard time getting back up. It took holding on to bookcases to push myself to a standing position. Pretty funny to look at but not funny to my sore body. Went to my writer's group later on that night and even though we were just sitting there, my arms would start to ache and
I'd have to stretch. Went home and right to bed instead of watching the TV shows I DVRed. At least I can say I'm getting a good night's rest now. Haven't had insomnia for the past two nights.
Gut Instinct: Warm-up before exercising and cool-down afterwards. Like appetizers and desserts--oh so good!
Day 3
When I woke up today, it took effort to roll over. Every inch of my body felt stiff and my muscles ached. Literally I could barely move. Every inch of my body hurt. Cyndi warned us that the third day would be the hardest. Damn it, she's right! To get dressed took every effort as I tried to hook my bra and raise my arms to put my T-shirt on. "How the hell am I going to exercise today feeling this much pain and stiffness?" Not ready to quit on myself, I managed to get dressed, get my sneakers on and out the door. Veeerrrrryyyy slowly however. Because it took me so long to get ready I didn't eat and knew that would be a mistake. I went to Dunkin' Donuts and got a whole grain bagel and cream cheese. I figured the carbs would be good for a workout. No coffee. Water.
When I showed up at Cynergy I could barely walk. Everyone else felt the same way and Cyndi's response to help that was to keep moving and exercise. She explained that the lactic acid is built up around the muscles causing them to ache and exercising moves the acid out of the muscle (or something like that).
Woke up a little sore and stiff, but feeling good mentally and excited about the second day of Boot camp. I UGHed and GRUNTed my way out of bed and showered (why do I shower before camp?? seems silly), ate two pieces of 12 grain bread with natural peanut butter again. Have to find some other good, filling, healthy quick breakfasts. Made my way to camp and when I got to Cynergy I checked out the white board. Each day, Cyndi posts the camp's activities. And all I could see was the word "run" written about 3 or 4 times. YIKES! Run? Me? Can't remember the last time I ran...I think I tried jogging in the 70s when everyone was doing it.
We did warm-ups such as jumping jacks, burpees and lunges. Next was interval training...short sprints and a walk back to recover for 4 minutes then one minute of a mat exercise. Not sure of the distances but it probably was something like 100 yards progressively increasing to 400- 500 yards. In between each 4-minute sprint we went to the mats and did sit-ups, prison push-ups (plank position and one at a time lift one arm up to your chest--I had a hard time getting my left arm up, I guess my right arm is weaker than my left which surprised me), squat and jump-ups and butt wiggles (love the name, lie on your back, lift your hips and legs and "wiggle" side to side. Each run I gave it my all or as much as my all is as compared to others. I ran each time. My breath would be labored but my legs could keep on going. I have strong legs but not the lungs to match. Cyndi told me about a woman who had severe asthma and after 2 boot camps she needed less meds. Impressive. Cyndi reminded me that I am building endurance, strength and cardio/aerobic capacity.
To cool down we walked to the end of the parking lot and did some wonderful stretches. AAHH! Day 2! I did it!
My lovely friend, Michelle B, invited me to shower at her house after Boot Camp because I had to be at work at 11 and I would never make it home and shower in time. Thank God for Michelle and her home that is only 10 minutes away! She set out some soft towels and lit a delicious smelling candle. The hot water as it poured over my body relaxed all my tense and sore muscles. I could have showered all day. Got dressed for work but I forgot my shoes. Michelle wears a size 10 and I wear a 7 but I went to work wearing a pair of her shoes...felt like I was five again and wearing my mommy's shoes.
Made it to work on time, thanks to Michelle's proximity to the gym and to the bookstore where I work. With my big shoes on I helped customers and tried to shelve, but every time I had to squat to put a book on a lower shelf, I had a hard time getting back up. It took holding on to bookcases to push myself to a standing position. Pretty funny to look at but not funny to my sore body. Went to my writer's group later on that night and even though we were just sitting there, my arms would start to ache and
I'd have to stretch. Went home and right to bed instead of watching the TV shows I DVRed. At least I can say I'm getting a good night's rest now. Haven't had insomnia for the past two nights.
Gut Instinct: Warm-up before exercising and cool-down afterwards. Like appetizers and desserts--oh so good!
Day 3
When I woke up today, it took effort to roll over. Every inch of my body felt stiff and my muscles ached. Literally I could barely move. Every inch of my body hurt. Cyndi warned us that the third day would be the hardest. Damn it, she's right! To get dressed took every effort as I tried to hook my bra and raise my arms to put my T-shirt on. "How the hell am I going to exercise today feeling this much pain and stiffness?" Not ready to quit on myself, I managed to get dressed, get my sneakers on and out the door. Veeerrrrryyyy slowly however. Because it took me so long to get ready I didn't eat and knew that would be a mistake. I went to Dunkin' Donuts and got a whole grain bagel and cream cheese. I figured the carbs would be good for a workout. No coffee. Water.
When I showed up at Cynergy I could barely walk. Everyone else felt the same way and Cyndi's response to help that was to keep moving and exercise. She explained that the lactic acid is built up around the muscles causing them to ache and exercising moves the acid out of the muscle (or something like that).
A new girl came to camp today. She's so sweet and she is about my size but not my age..much younger. She is a nurse and has never done boot camp before either. To be honest, I am glad she's there. We chatted about the Biggest Loser and weight issues. During the workout, I think we motivated each other to do our best.
Started the day with a short run to the end of the parking lot and back and we always do some stretching to get our bodies ready for the workout such as neck rotations, leg stretches and plank position, lifting one leg at a time up and back. Always feels great. Today's "main event" as Cynergy calls it was 5 stations with different exercises at each one and we would perform each exercise for 30 seconds and immediately move on to the next exercise to increase our heart rates and keep it there..we did this for 30, 40, 50, 60 seconds progressively. By the time we got to the third or fourth rotations you could see we were all fading and having more difficulty. The 5 stations/exercises we did were: 1)Kettle squats (a 10-lb weight that looks like a kettle thus the name) and as we squatted we swung the kettle up and down to between our legs, 2) sit-ups, 3) burpees (bent over you jump your legs back and then forward-I struggle with these), 4) push-ups (I did modified), and 5) bicep curls and lifts with 10-lb weights.
We went on to do this again with 5 different exercises. Surprisingly my muscles ached less than when I started. But remember that bagel I had for breakfast? Not a good idea. My stomach felt upset and every time I did any exercises that involved my core or abdomen I would get a wave of nausea making it difficult to do the exercises well. When I mentioned that to Cyndi and she asked what I had for breakfast, she said it would've been fine except that there wasn't enough time for my stomach to digest it because I ate too late. She said to try eating lighter and simpler carbs like a banana, a smoothie or an egg and toast. A couple of the other women felt nauseous too so we are all learning. To cool down we took an "Indian walk" where everyone lines up and you walk in a line and the first person starts by throwing a 5-lb medicine ball over their head to the person behind to catch it. and when the ball gets to the end of the line that person has to run to the front. I liked that walk; it made it more fun and challenging.
Thank God I could go home and rest because my stomach still felt queasy. I had a bottle of Coke in the car left over from one of my kids and I took a few sips and it helped. I vowed that tomorrow I would eat earlier and better. My body still hurt a little but nothing like earlier. We had tickets for the first Red Sox play-off game against the Angels and I was worried I wouldn't be able to walk but I did well. I had the end seat so I was up and down all night letting people out. I could feel my quad muscles every time I sat back down- felt like squats.
Side note: Red Sox won 4-0 and Beckett had a complete game!
Gut instinct: Eat small amounts of protein and carbs before your work out and eat 1-2 hours before.
Monday, October 1, 2007
I Survived my First Day of Boot Camp!!
One week since my last post and I've missed telling you all everything. I'm working double the amount of hours I usually work at the bookstore because I need to make more money and until I get serious making writing my career, that's where I'll stay. It could be worse. I love the books, my coworkers and customers. What book lover wouldn't love talking books all day?
Today I started the Boot Camp at Cynergy Coaching!!!!!!!!!!!
Before I went to bed last night I did some exercises I saw on the videos Cynergy has on their website. Could only do a couple. Dear God, I need your help. I prayed, please Dear God, don't let me be the fattest, oldest or most out of shape there.
When I got up this morning, I felt excited and nervous, made myself eat two pieces of whole grain toast with natural peanut butter because the trainer said to eat because my body will need the fuel for the workout. Showered, dressed and ready to go. As I drove there, I prayed some more, please God keep me safe as I work out today. Fleeting thoughts of turning around flashed in my head.
When I pulled into the parking lot of the industrial park where the gym is located in a garage bay and saw the door open, I took a deep breath, got out of the car and walked into the gym. I looked around for people my age, my size. A couple. But they were in a different class before mine. I saw the trainer who was busy leading the class that would end before Boot Camp. I realized I must be the first person there for boot camp. A young girl my oldest daughter's age showed up. She looked like an athlete. I asked her if she had done the boot camp before and she said she did in August but took a month off. She said it was a great workout. Two more 20-somethings showed up. Oh God. They knew each other because they both did September's boot camp. Two more women closer to my age but pounds and pounds and pounds away from my size came next and I found out they also did the August boot camp. One is a runner in fabulous shape and the other woman is doing the boot camps to stay in shape. Two more women were expected when finally one made her way to the gym. She is the owner of a holistic center and is a yoga teacher. She is close to my age but she has less weight and much more flexibility. At 9 a.m. we started and that other woman never showed up.
On a white board at Cynergy this quote (as well as I can remember it) was posted, "If you don't have the commitment to yourself to work hard, then leave. It will save you the embarrassment of quitting later." UGH. I thought to myself "Should I leave?" Damn it! NO! I have the commitment. I want to get in shape and this is the place. Out of 7 women I was the only one never to have taken the boot camp, the only one over-200 and the only one completely and indescribably out-of-shape. I'm there and I'm going to do it...work my hardest and to the best of my abilities as they are today.
We started by warming up doing giant knee lift marches across the parking lot which led into kick backs to our butt the way back, on to skipping which I hadn't done since, what?, 1972, then side sweeps back and forth like football players train, and ended with a short run back. Just like in junior high, I was the last one back. But now I don't care about what others are doing, I'm competing against myself, like my friend, Michelle B. reminded me.
Since it was the first day we did some training tests to see how many we could do, such as push-ups (not the modified ones the full plank ones--did 11), sit-ups (15), burpees (bend, jump feet back and then front and jump up--hard only did 6). A half-mile run was next, which I ran down the slope but walked back. Last one back is out of shape--oops--that's me. However, the women were cheering me on and I felt good. Cyndi, the trainer, commented that at least I was still smiling. I can't remember the last time I ran so I consider the run successful. As the sun beat down on us, we did more exercises with names like spiderman, mountain climbing, dive bombers, squat thrusts and push-up twists. Cyndi said only 5 people threw up at the early morning boot camps. But that was because they didn't eat breakfast. Thank God I did because I could see how your stomach could turn.
However, my hair was totally soaked with sweat..really need some sweat bands; when my hair gets like that you can see my scalp because my hair is so damn thin. My face was beet red too. Luckily I warned Cyndi of that but she did ask if I was okay. And I was fine. I'm fair-skinned and Irish with a tad of rosacea. Combined makes a lovely shade of red...or magenta.
Finally...Time for cool down...YAY!! we did a short walk and I actually got to chat with some of the women. Stretching came next which felt glorious. I survived the first day of BOOT CAMP!
I was so excited I didn't want to go home. I wanted to tell someone about my day so I called my friend Michelle and stopped by. I was still so pumped I am sure I told her everything a mile a minute but sharing this experience with her made me believe that I did it and I can continue to do it!! Even if it will be hard to drag myself out of bed tomorrow morning. Ugh. Grunt, Crack. Snap. Pop (Sounds of my body waking up.)
Went home, had a protein smoothie to help muscle recovery, watched the View and wrote this blog. Working tonight but I can tell that I will sleep so well tonight. I am physically and mentally exhausted!!
Gut Instinct: Even when you want to quit, keep going, it will be worth it.
But I digress-the real reason for today's post is.....drum roll please.....
Today I started the Boot Camp at Cynergy Coaching!!!!!!!!!!!
Before I went to bed last night I did some exercises I saw on the videos Cynergy has on their website. Could only do a couple. Dear God, I need your help. I prayed, please Dear God, don't let me be the fattest, oldest or most out of shape there.
When I got up this morning, I felt excited and nervous, made myself eat two pieces of whole grain toast with natural peanut butter because the trainer said to eat because my body will need the fuel for the workout. Showered, dressed and ready to go. As I drove there, I prayed some more, please God keep me safe as I work out today. Fleeting thoughts of turning around flashed in my head.
When I pulled into the parking lot of the industrial park where the gym is located in a garage bay and saw the door open, I took a deep breath, got out of the car and walked into the gym. I looked around for people my age, my size. A couple. But they were in a different class before mine. I saw the trainer who was busy leading the class that would end before Boot Camp. I realized I must be the first person there for boot camp. A young girl my oldest daughter's age showed up. She looked like an athlete. I asked her if she had done the boot camp before and she said she did in August but took a month off. She said it was a great workout. Two more 20-somethings showed up. Oh God. They knew each other because they both did September's boot camp. Two more women closer to my age but pounds and pounds and pounds away from my size came next and I found out they also did the August boot camp. One is a runner in fabulous shape and the other woman is doing the boot camps to stay in shape. Two more women were expected when finally one made her way to the gym. She is the owner of a holistic center and is a yoga teacher. She is close to my age but she has less weight and much more flexibility. At 9 a.m. we started and that other woman never showed up.
On a white board at Cynergy this quote (as well as I can remember it) was posted, "If you don't have the commitment to yourself to work hard, then leave. It will save you the embarrassment of quitting later." UGH. I thought to myself "Should I leave?" Damn it! NO! I have the commitment. I want to get in shape and this is the place. Out of 7 women I was the only one never to have taken the boot camp, the only one over-200 and the only one completely and indescribably out-of-shape. I'm there and I'm going to do it...work my hardest and to the best of my abilities as they are today.
We started by warming up doing giant knee lift marches across the parking lot which led into kick backs to our butt the way back, on to skipping which I hadn't done since, what?, 1972, then side sweeps back and forth like football players train, and ended with a short run back. Just like in junior high, I was the last one back. But now I don't care about what others are doing, I'm competing against myself, like my friend, Michelle B. reminded me.
Since it was the first day we did some training tests to see how many we could do, such as push-ups (not the modified ones the full plank ones--did 11), sit-ups (15), burpees (bend, jump feet back and then front and jump up--hard only did 6). A half-mile run was next, which I ran down the slope but walked back. Last one back is out of shape--oops--that's me. However, the women were cheering me on and I felt good. Cyndi, the trainer, commented that at least I was still smiling. I can't remember the last time I ran so I consider the run successful. As the sun beat down on us, we did more exercises with names like spiderman, mountain climbing, dive bombers, squat thrusts and push-up twists. Cyndi said only 5 people threw up at the early morning boot camps. But that was because they didn't eat breakfast. Thank God I did because I could see how your stomach could turn.
However, my hair was totally soaked with sweat..really need some sweat bands; when my hair gets like that you can see my scalp because my hair is so damn thin. My face was beet red too. Luckily I warned Cyndi of that but she did ask if I was okay. And I was fine. I'm fair-skinned and Irish with a tad of rosacea. Combined makes a lovely shade of red...or magenta.
Finally...Time for cool down...YAY!! we did a short walk and I actually got to chat with some of the women. Stretching came next which felt glorious. I survived the first day of BOOT CAMP!
I was so excited I didn't want to go home. I wanted to tell someone about my day so I called my friend Michelle and stopped by. I was still so pumped I am sure I told her everything a mile a minute but sharing this experience with her made me believe that I did it and I can continue to do it!! Even if it will be hard to drag myself out of bed tomorrow morning. Ugh. Grunt, Crack. Snap. Pop (Sounds of my body waking up.)
Went home, had a protein smoothie to help muscle recovery, watched the View and wrote this blog. Working tonight but I can tell that I will sleep so well tonight. I am physically and mentally exhausted!!
Gut Instinct: Even when you want to quit, keep going, it will be worth it.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Trigger Foods
Last week I wrote about my sister bringing cookies into my house. I managed to avoid the Milanos until last night...I wanted to eat the whole bag just to get them gone but I managed to eat only 2, but we still had the Oreos hanging around. However, they got a little stale and were soft. Now that doesn't bother me...I'll eat them anyway. I took a few (maybe 5) and threw the rest of them out reasoning that they were stale and no one would want them except for me. Well I was wrong because my 14-year old went looking for them and when I told her I threw them away she got upset and said she likes them soft because she usually dunks them in milk so it doesn't matter. Oh well. I had to do what I had to do so I wouldn't eat anymore Oreos.
Having these cookies in the house has triggered me. I've been craving sugar and sweets. Which leads me to craving carbs and not the good complex kind, but the simple, turn into sugar, kind. For example, I had a MacDonalds hamburger for dinner tonight at work because it is quick and easy. I also got a side salad though, instead of fries so it could have been worse. But then later a coworker bought me a chocolate mint Lindt ball which I have been avoiding. Worse than that though is that I got home at 10:30, my kids were in bed, but my 17 -year old middle child who wants to be a chef left me a note saying dinner was in the oven. I figured I'd wrap it up but when I took it out, the smell of it made me want some...she made a pasta and chicken, pesto, tomato sauce casserole with melted cheese on top. I took a small scoop. Microwaved it and chowed down. YUM...seconds....yes I had a larger bowl and still not done. I had a weight watchers ice cream bar. UGH Now I am full but I should be getting to bed. Why didn't I listen to my body??? I was not hungry at all...but seeing food made me want it and I couldn't stop. No excuses. I just had a minor binge. Back on track tomorrow.
The crazy thing is I am still exercising almost every day. For the past couple of days I've worked out with a tape AND gone for a 20-30 minute walk. The weather has been sooooo beautiful I wanted to enjoy it while it's here. I also take my journal notebook and do my morning pages (a la The Artist Way by Julia Cameron) at the sea wall. There is no way to describe the bliss of writing by the sea, with the waves as background music, the sun and sky as your light and the salty air caressing your skin. Aaahhh!!
Thank goodness I'm exercising otherwise I'd be gaining all my weight back as it is I have gained a pound as of this morning. I will have to avoid the scale tomorrow after my late night pasta and WW ice cream mini-binge.
One more week until the Boot Camp begins!! Can't wait!!
Gut Instinct: Avoid trigger foods. Ask sister to take cookies home with her.
Having these cookies in the house has triggered me. I've been craving sugar and sweets. Which leads me to craving carbs and not the good complex kind, but the simple, turn into sugar, kind. For example, I had a MacDonalds hamburger for dinner tonight at work because it is quick and easy. I also got a side salad though, instead of fries so it could have been worse. But then later a coworker bought me a chocolate mint Lindt ball which I have been avoiding. Worse than that though is that I got home at 10:30, my kids were in bed, but my 17 -year old middle child who wants to be a chef left me a note saying dinner was in the oven. I figured I'd wrap it up but when I took it out, the smell of it made me want some...she made a pasta and chicken, pesto, tomato sauce casserole with melted cheese on top. I took a small scoop. Microwaved it and chowed down. YUM...seconds....yes I had a larger bowl and still not done. I had a weight watchers ice cream bar. UGH Now I am full but I should be getting to bed. Why didn't I listen to my body??? I was not hungry at all...but seeing food made me want it and I couldn't stop. No excuses. I just had a minor binge. Back on track tomorrow.
The crazy thing is I am still exercising almost every day. For the past couple of days I've worked out with a tape AND gone for a 20-30 minute walk. The weather has been sooooo beautiful I wanted to enjoy it while it's here. I also take my journal notebook and do my morning pages (a la The Artist Way by Julia Cameron) at the sea wall. There is no way to describe the bliss of writing by the sea, with the waves as background music, the sun and sky as your light and the salty air caressing your skin. Aaahhh!!
Thank goodness I'm exercising otherwise I'd be gaining all my weight back as it is I have gained a pound as of this morning. I will have to avoid the scale tomorrow after my late night pasta and WW ice cream mini-binge.
One more week until the Boot Camp begins!! Can't wait!!
Gut Instinct: Avoid trigger foods. Ask sister to take cookies home with her.
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