Saturday, October 25, 2008

Boot Camp II-The first week

Well, I have finished my first week of my second round of fitness Adventure boot camp. It wasn't much of a week because I had to miss a day of boot camp and another work out day because I had family visiting and a shower to go to for me future niece....both good reasons to miss because I wanted to spend time with them all, and I did go running one night, so it wasn't all a loss.

Anyway, so I finally made it to boot camp on Thursday and Friday and I hit the ground running. Have I ever mentioned that I am NOT a runner? In fact, when I was much younger and just out of college, I met a cute boy who was a runner so I thought..."Hey! I can be a runner!"...and I had him do some running/training with me so that I could become a runner like him....ahem...failed miserably! My body just wasn't cut out to be a runner...my short legs had to do double time to keep up with his longer sleeker ones and I just could never quite "get it". I did a 5K run/walk and probably ended up walking more than running because I started suffering from leg cramps the week of the run...but anyway, I decided then and there that I was NOT a runner...never would be, just have to face the facts ma'am...not a runner am I.

So, when I joined boot camp, you have to pick which group you are in...the runner group or the walker group. Ha! No problemo--those runners were looking pretty fit and fabulous anyway---I will stick with the walkers...my people...the slower heal-toe people are my friends! I stayed with the walker group all of the first boot camp and am at home there. Like I said earlier

Heather=not a runner

So, Thursday when I was at boot camp, I was going to push it extra hard since I had missed some workouts and was needing to get back in the swing of things. So, when they split us into groups, I went with the runners.....huh?....what was I thinking? Remember?...not a runner! but for whatever reason, on Thursday, my something thought I was a runner and walked me over to that group.

.....I actually did it...I competed with the runners and wasn't lousy....I am no FloJo...but I wasn't an embarrassment either. I was so proud of myself! I felt quite a sense of accomplishment...and tiredness...as I proudly drove home from my workout.

I am so glad I did this whole boot camp thing...if you have the choice to live healthy or not...why choose not? This way, if I ever do want to have a chocolate chip cookie (my all time fave) than who cares? Its just a cookie and I will work it off later. Before, it was never just a cookie, it was just a batch of cookies or a plate of cookies or a ....I will never be able to work this off if I do jumping jacks the rest of the day kind of cookie eating. But now, by golly, if I am going to work out, I might as well feed my body the things it needs to get through the day and give it the nutrition to do so! I have found that my whole mind set has changed. I can eat just one cookie...I do throw a heck of a lot more vegetables on my plate or in my dishes when I cook them. I do try to make more tomato based pastas instead of cream based....it all is coming together!

Click! The light is on! Someone IS home! And its not that fat girl that I hate in the mirror....its a healthier version of myself that DOG GONE IT will be healthier and more fit and will do her darndest to get back down to a single digit size! I don't care if it takes a while...I didn't get this way in 3 weeks so I can't expect it to fall off in that amount of time. In actuality, it took 6 years of infertility medications and a TON of stress having to do with the infertility meds that did this (in addition to the aforementioned cookies).

Its not instant....it does take hard work....and planning... and energy...but I feel FAB-U-LOUS! Better than I have felt in a really really long time.

One of my dorm-mates in college was trying to loose her "Freshman 15" and had some motivational quotes up on her door. One of my favorites was "Yell it! Spell it! Fat is hell!"

I agree, its no fun to be fat! While I am not overly fat, I still hated being flabby or muffin top-ish in jeans....or sausage like in some things. Now, things are firming up....muscles are under those layers and I feel them on a daily basis...my clothes are fitting better and I am anxiously awaiting when I can go down a size and get one step closer to single digit clothes.

I have a dress...you all probably have something similar...its a dress that I LOVE and that I could wear when I was skinny...or at least skinnier. I am not sure how long I have had this dress, I bet its been at least 11 years...believe it or not, If I could fit in it today then it would still look stylish because it was one of those classically beautiful dresses...its black and red and lovely at Christmas time (probably won't be worn this year but maybe next)....I can only fit in it when I am smaller and the size I am probably supposed to be per the doctor's books. I want to wear that dress again...and I will. I will take a picture when I do and post it. Me and that dress have a date with destiny.

So, do something healthy...make yourself feel better....then do it again the next day and then add to it and keep it up. I think I have mentioned that I had to "get used" to being sore every day. I still do after a month of boot camp. In fact, there have been times today that I probably looked pretty awkward picking up things in the grocery store because I am unusually sore today. I just look at it like that is my body saying THANKS in a little bit of a painful way....but it tells me I DID SOMETHING...I didn't sit and watch tv or eat a plate of cookies or cupcakes...I went and sweat a pool's worth of sweat and at times felt like I couldn't do one more thing and I pushed through it and did it! And WOW did I feel good afterwards (those endorphins are amazing!).

So just do it...yes, you! Just do it! Step away from the computer and tv and go for a walk, a jog, get some green beans cans and start lifting them over your head and doing tricept reps so your underarms don't flap in the wind....just DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!

Be beautiful...it becomes you!

Who loves ya?!! That would be me!

P.S. the next day at boot camp I went with the walking group and did a super fast walk and jog combo...the runners were all the trainers for boot camp and that intimidated the hoo hoo out of me and so I went back to my crowd. But fear not, I will be a runner again...I might even become a runner permanently...wow, strange things happen when you stop lying to yourself. :)

Be good, be happy, and be healthy!

Beautiful Basics

Life is about a journey, and you are the only one who can make yours... So, embrace life: the good, the bad, and the ugly...it is the only one you've got.

Here's to being Beautiful, inside and out!