For the *love* of the gym....

My son posted this on his Facebook page the day I wrote the title for this next post.  I found it a little ironic that he had posted it on the same day when he knows nothing of my blog.  The statement is really how I could describe my love affair with the gym.  

I have always been committed to working out ~ feeling dedicated but not as consistent as I would like to be with a workout program.  I need and like the accountability that I have to myself and to my trainer and friend.  Being accountable to my trainer may sound silly.  Yes I am paying him for a service ~ but he *brings it* every time!  Pushing me past the limits that I didn't think I could cross over with the energy to keep me motivated each and every time I train.  Whether it be in class format or one on one.  Our relationship has turned into one of mutual respect.  Not only is he my trainer but my friend, a friend that I want to put the work out for and make proud, a friend that has put the work into me. 

During this process I have learned to LOVE the gym again.  LOVE the feel of the burn. LOVE the gratifying feeling that the workout is over, but it was a great workout and I got thru it, completing it.  The LOVE/HATE relationship I still have with those damm burpees!!  LOVE the way I anticipate each workout and challenge that my trainer has set out for me.  LOVE the not so nice feeling of the sweat dripping down my back and off my face. LOVE of the anticipation to do it all over again!!

It's all in the MIND SET...

Here I find myself mid-week; I have not been as diligent in keeping my weekly journal about my journey ~ am I just coasting??

I don't think so ~ in fact I KNOW I AM NOT "coasting"!  At this point in this particular transformation/journey I am not suffering from feeling deprived of anything food or drink related ~ maybe that will change soon?  I have to admit tho ~ I am not a chocolate person, but the thought of a candy bar as I walked by it in the grocery store gave me second thoughts yesterday.  I HAVE cheated ~ much to my guilt  after wards. Guilt in this situation I think can be a good thing ~ and of course its mind control! The discipline NOT to have an extra helping, or have that carbohydrate that is not good for you or that alcohol drink that is full of sugar - discipline, and self-control.  I have had a couple of those small cookies that have Belgium chocolate - the Kirkland Brand.  I want to throw the tin out, but my husband has still been eating them...so....I am hoping that he *secretly* eats them all by the weekend - not in the house, means absolutely no temptation.

Now ~ thinking along those lines, I guess I felt that I could *cheat* a little only because Feb 1, will start to be crunch time - for the month of January my trainer has left everything the same.  Continuation along the same path at the moment.  Double cardio during the week, continuing with the bootcamp and spin classes, and the diet has remained the same as well.  With those perimeters in check, not only do I have the show to focus on as one of my goals, the 120 Day Challenge adds to the flair as well.   There are some great prizes if your name happens to be drawn.  120 Day Challenge consists of every millimeter of fat loss in the month, you get one ballet to enter into the box thru my gym, http://www.totalbodydevelopment.ca/
The prizes consist of first prize, $1000 flight center gift certificate. 2nd prize, 10 or 20 personal training sessions, and 3rd prize is 3 months worth of classes unlimited.  If that isn't motivation to *not cheat* ~ I don't know what is.  The biggest thing in my mind ~ *cheating* cannot be made a habit as *one cheat* can easily turn into 3 or 4 or the whole day.  Mind set is everything!!  Wow ~ did I say that??

It's amazing what tricks our mind can play on us, or what we perceive in ourselves and others.  I have had a very hard time seeing the physical changes in my appearance.  Of course, my clothes don't fit - but its the other details.  The muscles that have developed, the fat loss, the tightening of everything - this is hard for me to see.  This morning I had some different comments from customers that come in all the time.  One lady, *Wow - have you lost weight*?  *How much*?  *Why did I not notice this before*?  Another woman, *Wow - look at your arms, beautiful.  You should do a show*.  What nice compliments and funny just the same.  What people notice and when.  I have figured out with my illiterate computer skills how to do a side by side picture to compare and the change is more noticeable with this documentation.  My personality does not let me see how far I have come, it tells me that we have lots of work to do in a short amount of time.  Now when I look at my son who has put on lots of muscle ~ I can definitely see the change in him,  What we see in others we can not see in ourselves ~ or our minds are not ready for that at that particular time. Just one more thing I am learning thru this process.

As the week and months have progressed ~ I can't wait to get to the gym, I look forward to my meals ~ and my snack at night of berries and greek yogurt is the most gratifying.

                                                       Sept 2, 2012

                                                       Jan. 6, 2013

Happy New Year ~ and so it begins....

Happy New Year!!

Fresh starts, new beginnings, daunting challenges, and 365 days ahead to shoot for whatever mini and large goals one may choose to focus on.

My training resumed January 1st, 2013 after a mandatory 9 day break that I was to do absolutely nothing except hot tub, massage and maybe yoga.  Well, I did one of three.  Yes I was busy - but I just couldn't find the time to do the yoga or sit in the hot tub.  Thinking back, I guess I did the hot tub in the morning, so that counts.  This break solidified for me why it is important that I either join a club, have a pre-determined work out appointment, or have a class I have committed too.  For some it is easy to work out at home; I have no problem working out at home, my problem is finding and seeing everything else that needs to be done while I am at home.  The simple task of setting aside an alloted time for yoga get set aside by the other tasks that are waiting for me in the house.  The concept of paying ahead for something and not getting the service for the payment makes me want to/have to train.  I find while at home, its to easy to quit early, or choose to work out later, and *later* never comes.  I realized this, when I made my appointment for the massage; a commitment and confirmation knowing the massage therapist was waiting for me to show up at the pre-determined time.  Sometimes it was too late to go in the hot tub or I was just lazy and didn't feel like getting changed. As for the yoga; I just couldn't seem to find a *quiet time* to do what I needed to do.  Now if the instructor had been here and I had committed to the class - there would have been no problem at all.

It was interesting having a *mandatory break* and being aware of what my body was doing and why.  I found that my body was almost vibrating.  It was looking for the routine of cardio, or some form of exercise. I actually felt anxious.  I also was aware when I was having more of a hectic day, going to bootcamp or spin helped release that pent up feeling, and I would feel calmer by the end of class.  I did definitely norice a difference in not being able to release any of this extra energy.

My first training week back felt so good!  Even with the *pain of it all*.  It was a good pain.  I had some fatigue in my legs, but the worse came after Fridays, extra personal training session.  I had to do a few exercises I have never done before!!  OMG!!  My muscles told me over the next few days that I hadn't used these particular ones in a while.  Walking up and down the stairs with dumbbells in my hands - holy smokes....then Perfect Pullups.  I could hardly move in bed the next day.  Four days later, I am starting to recover from the aching muscles.  The pain again was a *good sore*.  A soreness that was sore to touch, but not painful that I could never do again.

I had my measurements done this past Wednesday.  Weigh-in and caliper body fat testing.  My body fat total on my body at the moment is 60%, this is the goal that we were trying to attain by the end of December. It went up a couple percent due to my break time.  I did however lose 1 pound, I have broken the 150 barrier, that I couldn't seem to get to before.  149.6, still its under 150.  My understanding is by the time show time arrives I will need to lose at least another 15% of that.  We have just found out the date is May18th, 2013.

At this time, I am to continue with the same routine of both cardio and the eating diet plan.  I am a stickler for routine - so I am ok with this.  The local gym is scheduled to open up in town the middle of the month, and at this time in between Total Body Development training, I will go and take advantage of them to use up the monies I had previously paid and decide after if I choose to stay and train there.

Goals for 2013 ~ are a little pre-determined at the moment.  I have already signed up for a half marathon in Fort Langley in February.   The body-building show in May will be held in Kelowna, and I am hoping to have enough critera and qualifications behind me to go for my next belt in karate.  The beginning of the year has also brought additional challenge which will help with a few other goals.  I have signed up for a 120 day challenge.  For every milimeter of fat we lose we get one ballot in the box for either a $1000.00 flight centre gift certificate.  Or personal training sessions or three months free training at TBD.  These are great prizes, great incentives, and good peer motivation to start the New Year off.

What are your 2013 goals?