Day 43 - And then there were 2...

Time flies when you're having... well I can't really call it 'fun' exactly, but in a way it sort of is once you 'learn to love the burn'. I'm somewhat amazed that I've come this far, and am now so close to the end of this challenge. I WILL find the measuring tape in a box tonight, so I can do a final recap of progress this weekend I swear. Just tomorrow and Friday left before I close out this 9 week experience.

I wish I had something inspiring to share, but as this has become a fairly regular routine now, I'm finding less and less to write about which is disappointing because this was such a huge part of the experience for me in the beginning. Now it's just kinda 'keep on keepin' on'. I don't want to write just for the sake of writing - I want to share something significant and motivational.

There was something new last week though, and I can't remember if I just thought about it, or if I wrote about it. Probably should have checked my last couple posts before I started into this story, but the holiday season is here, and I don't have time! :-P So forgive me if I'm repeating myself.

Last week, we had a brand spankin' new member in the FitCamp class. She was wide eyed and completely overwhelmed. Intimidated by the workout we were about to undertake (frankly, I was too as Kendra likes to throw in some more or less insurmountable tasks every once in a while... but at least it doesn't shock me anymore). She was understandably unable to complete some of the exercises and needing to take breaks during the sets. As I watched, I saw a mirror of myself from a mere 30 some classes ago. I smiled sympathetically, and encouraged her to try modified versions of each exercise she was struggling with. I told her "This was me, a few weeks ago. I promise, it gets better." I won't say it gets easier, because it doesn't... if it's easy, then you're not pushing yourself.

(Please note... this is not me. My hair is lighter.)

As I ground through that workout while watching our newbie - for the first time I really saw the progress I'd made. The warm-up doesn't leave me huffing and puffing and a purple sweaty mess anymore. (See day 1 when I thought I was SO screwed). I've upped my weights across the board, and don't even look at the 5lb dumbbells anymore, even though at the beginning I thought they may as well have been a half ton truck for my ability to lift them at the end of an upper body set. The thought of 'a minute of burpees' still makes me want to throw up a little, but only because there's no way I'll ever like burpees. But I can do it. (Albeit reluctantly). I've even more than doubled my 'row' weight on the machines, which earned me an "Atta girl!" from Chris! That was a triumphant moment.

So I guess mentally this is where I am at the moment: I'm not the new kid in class anymore. It wasn't an easy battle, but I've fought my way to somewhere in the middle and that's awesome as far as I'm concerned. I've progressed enough to be proud, but still have so much room to grow that I'll stay motivated and hungry for more. It's a good place to be. The flipside is that it takes away my excuses to slack. I KNOW I can make it through these workouts now, so I can't let up anymore. When I do, I'm being a wuss, not pacing myself.

I truly hope that all those who are just beginning their journey realize that it is just the beginning. There will be lots of help along the way, and if ever you feel alone in your crusade - know that you aren't. Never get discouraged if you're not making the progress you feel you should. That there are people stronger, faster, leaner than you. Eventually, the new kids will be looking up to you instead. But for now - everyone has to start somewhere. The important thing is that you start at all.



PS - This fitness thing is like the Mob. Or Hotel California. Once you're in this - there is no escape. While trying to spice up the blog using Thesaurus.com... check out the ad that appeared in the sidebar... My old nemesis - TRX. Made me laugh - which I guess, is better than the urge to cry. That was week 2.

Day 39 - So.... It's been a while...

Whoops again! Apparently blogging is just like working out - you give yourself permission to miss it just once, and all of a sudden it's a LOT easier to keep skipping (and skipping and skipping.... and I obviously don't mean with a jump rope). Lesson learned. Like anything else, a commitment only works if you stick with it.

So, here's a little catch-up on fast forward. Holiday season is pretty much upon us. That coupled with moving, unpacking, and a bit of brain drain trying to figure out what I could possibly have left to say that would still be interesting - led to a seriously major blog block.

But I'm back, for a little while anyway. And unbelievably, I'm down to my final 6 workouts of the challenge. If everything had been according to my original plan, tomorrow would actually be my last day, so I'm grateful for that bonus week, because I just don't feel done. I know for a fact I won't feel done next week either, but all good things must come to an end - or at least a pause. I fully intend to continue on this journey after the challenge, but it won't be quite so intense.

Rather unfortunately, two of the things that HAVEN'T been unpacked yet are: a tape measure and a scale. So I truly have no idea what my numbers are right now, but based on people's reactions who haven't seen me in a while - I'm doing okay. I can certainly tell in the way clothes fit and honestly, I feel like these have been the best forms of measurement I've come across. Watching people's eyes bug out of their head in surprise is ridiculously satisfying. Can't even pretend that I don't absolutely love it. It's a totally new thing to me though as I've always been terrible at accepting compliments, never feeling like I really deserved them, or that they were sincere - but now -- oh baby did I earn this!

If you're curious - 5am still sucks. I know right? People say "Oh you'll get used to it"... no, you don't. You never get used to it. At least I don't. I can't really explain what the feeling is at 5am when the alarm goes off - but it's sure not "well golly gee let's get this show on the road!". It doesn't make me want to burst into tears anymore though - but I think that's as close to "used to it" as I'm ever going to get. A gentle acceptance and a truce with the alarm clock. I'll take it.

One thing I am absolutely, positively, indubitably and irrevocably certain of - is that like the picture I posted above - I will never ever EVER let myself get back to the point I was at mid-September when this opportunity arose. I don't want to have to start over and fight tooth and nail to get back to where I am right now. Once upon a time, I was actually a somewhat elite athlete. That went to hell in a handbasket the moment I left home to go to college. Even with all the training I did back then - I'm pretty sure that I'm in the best shape of my life right now. At this very moment. And I never want to move backwards ever again. It just feels too good.

I will say this to you though. To you reading this who feels "I don't even know where to start". It's not a 'where' to start. It's a when. And that when, is NOW. Starting over sucks. But never starting at all is even worse. A year from now, you'll wish you started today - so do it. Invest in yourself. Your health. Your future. Do it now and never look back. Never start over again. Make sure that every step you take today, is taking you toward a positive goal, and then let inertia keep you moving, as long as it's in the right direction.

Day 30 - Whoops! Gapped out...

Okay - so a little scattered this week with packing, moving, working and life in general. Pardon the absenteeness of it all! I kind of had to choose between making time for workouts, or making time for the blog. Wasn't a tough choice. ;-)

I can always catch up on writing, but once you've given up a workout, you lose it forever. You can't just push yourself harder next time, because you should already be working to the max every time you step through the door. Now let me clarify that 'max' is different for everyone. Particularly those working with physical limitations (injury and illness being the big ones). But the bottom line is:

This is something that's tough for a lot of people to fathom, because they've already got ideas in their head about what their limits are. They're full of "can't", and "quit". And it's not so much a negative attitude, as a lack of belief in themselves. One thing I've been noticing even more than the change in my body over the course of this exercise, is the change in my mind. I've got a new level of belief, because every day I see/feel myself doing things I never thought I'd be able to. And the more I push myself, the more I realize how much stronger I was and am, than I ever thought possible. The best part is, I find it translating into every day life. This isn't just about how much weight you can lift, or how fast and far you can run. It's so much more than that.

99% of this battle is mental. Convincing yourself to make a commitment, setting your alarm, getting out of bed, getting dressed, getting to the car, driving to the gym in the dark... by the time you're actually there - all the tough stuff is done. After that, all you have to do is sweat. I struggle more with that daily break-up with my snooze button, than I do with deadlifts, squats, side dips, tricep presses... even burpees. Well, maybe not burpees - they're still pretty much the bane of my existence, but that makes my alarm clock a close second!

It's a daily battle that I'm proud to win though. It's a big boost to confidence, and mental strength when you can tell yourself that you've accomplished more in one day before the sun comes up, than most people bother to do in a week. You owe it to yourself to give your brain and body that kind of power surge! And forget your limits. Set a goal. Meet it. Beat it. Do it again. "Train like there is no finish line".

Day 26 - Remember remember, the 5th of November

I find it strange, that the weaker I am after a workout, the stronger I feel. I used to dread that rubbery legged wet spaghetti feeling that made me wonder whether I'd be able to push in the clutch on my car, or if I'd be trapped at the gym forever... but now, it's something I look forward to. It used to mean at least 3 days of barely being able to walk, and these days it's just another way to feel the progress. A way to know that I actually pushed myself, and that soon my wobbly limbs will be just that little bit stronger.

Today did nothing to derail my theory that Chris gets the butt whooping out of the way on Monday so we don't dread it all week... absolutely killer in the best of ways today! I had to thank Chris this morning, not just for the workout, but for Fitcamp in general, because with every giant moving box I pack and lift, I am so grateful for this journey - I would be dreading this move a whole lot more if my strength hadn't increased so dramatically in the last few weeks. I can't stand moving, but it's much more difficult when you're huffing and puffing trying to lift the box of plastic containers and paper towel...

So I've got that to "look forward to" at the end of this week, but at least I'm feeling far better prepared than I was before this all started. Double bonus - the new house is only a minute and a half away from Bodynetix! Now I have to find a way to keep going after I'm done the challenge! Not rain, nor sleet, nor being a broke homeowner, nor Christmas holidays (read: food) will stop me.

One thing that you can't help but notice is how quickly the group at Bodynetix becomes some strange sort of family. Even though I don't (and quite likely won't) know most of my groupmates' names, it's just kind of a silent understanding when you're in that room together. Chris will give you a tough set of exercises, or say "30 more seconds" for the 10th time... and there will be a collective groan, or sympathetic smiles between some members, and when it's all done, we quite often collapse to the mats en masse. If you see one another outside of the gym, there's usually a nod of recognition or even a quick chat if there's time. It's like a really good sports bra... tight knit support. 

Haven't tracked down a measuring tape yet, but I might be able to squeeze that into the schedule before we move. Stay tuned for a proper measure/weigh-in and hoping to see some readers take on a Fitcamp challenge of their own - even if it's just that first week to test the waters (and it doesn't have to be at 6am!) I'd love to hear about your experiences as well.

Day 25 - Friday, I'm in Love

Oooo baby - this is a TOTAL TGIF day. Up until this week, all the days have kind of blended together and before I knew it, the weekend was here... but this has been a very distinctly LONG week. I'm not sure if it's the weather, the seemingly 20 hours dark every day, the recent stress of buying a house, the fact that we're ramping up for Christmas at work and things are getting insanely busy -- or if I'm just having a mini pity party that I need to get over. But whatever the reason, I'm super glad Friday has arrived.

I guess this is just a little reminder for me that I'm not entirely bullet proof just yet. Darn eh? Mornings are still tough, and workouts are still killer. But I will give myself a little pat on the back (as soon as I can lift my arms again) - because today we did a lot more work with weights than we did the rest of the week, and I definitely noticed a difference in strength and stamina. I kept setting the weights at what I've been used to, and then a couple reps in, realized "This is too easy. OMG...YAY!". Even without the weights - the core work we were doing would have flat out leveled me a few weeks ago. Today, it hurt, it ached, it burned - but I can muddle through it now. I can push harder, for longer.

There is still a looooooooong way to go. Given that I've only just cracked double digits on the free weights, and I'm kind of maxed out around 20lbs on the machines - there's so much room for growth. I'm feeling a little like the Tortoise with slow and steady but I'm so beyond okay with that. I saw this on George Takei's facebook, and it was just too perfect not to share:

And then every so often, BAM a day like today! Oh I was still draggin' some serious butt - I sure wasn't a bouncing ball of energy. But there were moments of pseudo-glory where I didn't feel like I was going to fall over, or I could do 5 mountain climbers/jack knives in a row on the TRX instead of the 1 (or none) that I could do at the beginning. Today I could do deadlifts with 20lbs of weights on the bar. Last time we did them, I could barely do the bar on its own. I ran the stairs with 10lb weights instead of nothing. I did renegade rows with 12lbs instead of 8lbs. It's slow and steady and awesome.

I'm all about recycling material this week (because I'm tired and lazy - and not ashamed to admit it... plus there really are some things that don't sink in until you hear them a few times). So I will leave you with another quote for your wall of "Why bother...":

No matter how slow you go - you're still lapping everyone on the couch.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Day 24 - New and Improved: Now with more FitCamps!

So apparently, I miscalculated my challenge... It actually works out to NINE weeks of he--.... heavenly awesome training. Yes, that's exactly what I was about to say - fingers just stuttered for a second. ;-)

I was, in reality, quite excited at that revelation this morning - because I had been starting to worry about what I'm going to do after this is over. I've discovered that buying a house is "expensive", so won't have the disposable income to continue training once this challenge has wrapped up. At least not immediately. It's DEFINITELY an investment that I'll continue to make, the moment I'm able. But supposedly, having a (properly built and up to code) roof over your head is quote unquote "important". Sigh. Sometimes being an adult sucks.

I don't want to think about that right now though. I want to go back to this morning, while I was still shrouded in my morning brain fog, trying desperately to keep up to Kendra and my classmates as we pounded through another fantastic workout. (FYI - there seems to be lots of space Tuesdays and Thursdays, which is confusing, because Kendra is a kick butt trainer, so if you're having a tough time getting into classes the rest of the week - the 6am slot for T&T is widely available! Just sayin'... you could join us and see what it is I'm babbling about).

Right -- shiny things distract me-- back to the workout: Today I actually started to notice some significant strength increases in the weights I could work with. It seems to happen when you're not paying attention. Watched pot and all that. All of a sudden, you're like "Hey - this is the weight I usually use... and it's way too easy. I'm gonna pump this up a bit!". So across the board today, I was increasing my weights for presses, push downs, holds, and curls. It was EXCITING! It's those little moments that you're like "Yeah baby, I'm gonna keep rockin' this thing!" and it keeps you coming back for more.

Now as I've been chatting about this IRL (in real life for the non-nerds who don't speak geek) with people - the most common feedback I get is "Ohhh I could never do that, that early in the morning". To that I offer you this:

I covered that sentiment wayyyy back in the first couple weeks of this endeavor, but I find it ringing true more than ever. As we get nearer to the holiday season and things are just absolute madness at work, and after work, and pretty much ALL the time - the only time I really have to myself, FOR myself, is first thing in the morning.

I sure as heck still loathe 5am with every fibre of my being, but I know that by the end of the day, there is no amount of negotiating I could do between my brain and my body to force myself to the gym. There's laundry, and packing, and shopping, and paperwork, and too many things to do 'after work'. So this is how I make time. I suck it up a little bit. I miss a little late night TV while creeping Facebook, and in return, I get healthier, happier, stronger, leaner, and instead of my pudgy-face cuteness that I've had since birth - I'm working towards jaw dropping (and a jawline! Woot!)

Worth. Every. Sleep-deprived. Morning.

I'd do it 100 times over. And in fact, I might!

Day 23 - Head and shoulders, knees and toes...

No, today's title isn't a recipe for Hallowe'en Witches Brew - it's a line from the simple children's song - because I'm takin' it back to the basics this morning. The reason is, I'm learning that's all you really need when you want to get in shape. I really have to give credit where credit is due - and today, that credit is for Chris Ketch and his vision for Bodynetix.

Some people want fancy bowflex machines, and ellipticals, and a treadmill, and a full rack of dumbbells and weight belts, and 20 position adjustable weight benches, blah blah blah this list could go on forever. Today's workout involved a mat, and a single set of dumbbells - and quite often we weren't even using those. If you think for a second our workout was anything less than totally kick @$$, then you've got another think coming.We were challenged from head to toe several times over today (and every day).

You don't need to find a gym with the most high tech equipment, flat screen TVs, and latest cardio machines. What makes the workout is structure, and intensity. That's where we rely on our professional leadership. They take the 'thinking' out of the equation. We put our faith in them to guide us, and in turn, we get results. Do we ever. They also take interest in our progress and safety. Today my knees were bugging me after a high impact day yesterday. Chris came to check on me and make sure everything was alright. It's the attention to details like that, that you're not going to get from any machine, no matter how fancy.

So thank you Chris (and Megan, and Kendra, and my fellow FitCampers) for the constant motivation to move forward and strive for better, stronger, faster. I'm thinking Chris must have caught yesterday's post about squats burning more calories per rep than any other exercise, because we started the class today with 50 of them - so I saw it fitting to end the post with this sentiment, as it was the 'self talk' I had going on at about 6:05 this morning - (And for the record... DEFINITELY not me in the picture.... yet...)

Happy Hallowe'en! 

And tonight, remember - boils and ghouls - to burn off just ONE m&m, you need to walk the length of a football field. World's truest scary story.

Day 22 - In the words of Electric Light Orchestra...

E-EVIL WOMAN!....

Soooooo... I met Kendra. (In reality, she's lovely really, not evil. But she's definitely setting a strong precedent that even though she's new, there will be no letting up while she's at the helm!) Today was absolutely non-stop from the moment the music started, to the second we all collapsed on the floor to stretch at the end. Well played Kendra...

It's mornings like this that I have mixed feelings about my progress. There are moments where I think "wow, I wouldn't have been able to do this a couple of weeks ago. Go me!", and then there are others where I have the startling realization of "Wow... I still have SOOOOO far to go".

I didn't even realize until this morning, that there were that many different type of squat-like exercises you could do! OMG. Rocket squats, and star jumps, and side step lunge squats... and my brain just totally melted while trying to remember what else we had going on, because I'm in the process of blocking it from memory until Thursday morning when Kendra gets to take another crack at cracking us.

 And while we were doing all those squats and variations thereof - all I could think of was this:

Yup - we definitely made some fat cells cry today. Heck, I almost shed a tear of sympathy for them! Well, it might have been a tear of exhaustion and pain - but same difference really. And in the end, when it came time to stretch, I was proud to have made it through, and thrilled to have taken everything I could have from that workout. Kendra is a fantastic motivator, constantly giving you little benchmarks to work for, and the countdowns of 'halfway through!', 'Just 10 more seconds', '5..4..3..2..1..TIME' - help push you that little bit harder, because you know you've only got a few more seconds to milk it for all it's worth.


What a great addition to the team. Totally different rhythms and methods than what I've been through in the past 4 weeks, and perhaps just what I need to keep the progress going! Awesome to shake it up this morning. Now ask me how I feel about it tomorrow morning, and it might be a different story - but for now, thanks Kendra!

It's also a lot of fun to watch some others who are participating in Bodynetix challenges of their own. Currently Chris is running an agent challenge with local realtors, who are competing in teams to raise money for local charities of their choice while losing weight, getting toned, and aiming for some specific fitness goals. The end result will be tallied by a combination of scores: money raised, weight lost, body composition change and several others. Best of luck, and trust me you guys (and gals) - you will learn to love the burn! Particularly when it's earning you money for terrific causes :)

As Hallowe'en rears its most likely ugly head (if you're doin' it right) tomorrow night, try to keep your hands out of the candy bowl... A "fun size" Kit Kat bar is 80 calories. That's about 100 squats, give or take. That really doesn't sound like near as much 'Fun' as the packaging would make you believe. Just think about that when you play the 'One for the kids... one for me' game with the trick-or-treaters.

Day 21 - Zzzzzzzzz--whowaitwhathuh??

I am SO looking forward to setting the clocks back this coming weekend. An extra hour of sleep might not sound like much, but it's going to make a world of difference! After a busy weekend that wasn't actually much of a weekend at all in the end, it was up and at 'em again this morning on a dark wet Monday. Not exactly a 'hop outta bed and conquer the workout' feeling at 5am when my alarm went off.

The good thing about setting yourself up with a challenge like this, is that you dread skipping a day, more than you dread getting out of bed.

Oh - before we continue, I discovered that I absentmindedly packed my measuring tape this weekend, and I didn't want to dig it out of carefully packed boxes, so I'll either have to buy another one, or wait until we're moved into our new house in a couple of weeks to do a proper measurement day. I can tell  you that I'm sitting at 144lbs right now though, which I believe is down 3 from the beginning of this little endeavor. It sure doesn't sound like much - but I'll show you why I'm not in the least disappointed with that!

Grosssssss....I feel the same way about that yucky yellow stuff, as most people do about spiders in their hair:

"Getitoffgetitoffgetitoff!!!"

So many people are commenting about how much 'weight' I've lost (and thank you - I really do appreciate the comments/compliments!) but it's hard to explain that I've barely lost any weight at all... however, I have lost inches into the double digits, and completely changed my body shape. I'm a MUCH leaner 144 than I was the last time I saw the scale spit out these numbers. 

I feel like I'm just regurgitating earlier posts, but there are a few things that are important enough to say more than once.
 

Mainly: The scale is a liar. 

Measure yourself in energy levels (beginning of this post notwithstanding...) and inches first. I feel stronger, leaner, healthier, happier, and with the exception of early mornings, more energetic.

THOSE are the measurements that count the most. And for today's little victory - little tho it may be, it's major to me: I upped the weight on the dumbbells I use for chest/shoulder presses. I can now continuously maintain presses at that level without having to pause. So simple, but it's progress, and those simple things are what keep me coming back for more!

And more I will have - dark and early tomorrow morning with the newest Bodynetix trainer, Kendra. Excited to meet her finally, and see what kinda butt whooping she has to offer! But right now, all I can think is -- "How is it Monday already?". At least Hallowe'en is right around the corner. I think I could easily pull off 'zombie'...

Day 20 - Little Miss Can't Be Wrong

Thank you Spin Doctors, for writing a song just for me... too bad every once in a while, I am in fact wrong. There - I put it in writing. Everyone rejoice! I... WAS....wrong. Boo.

This morning, I got up to make my pre-workout shake, and was sadly out of rice milk with which to mix my protein powder, and there were no other acceptable substitutes in the house. Super sad face. But I thought 'meh... what's one day. I'll be fine'. W-R-O-N-G. SERIOUS lesson learned this morning. Do NOT... under ANY circumstances, skip your pre-workout shake. And if you're not currently drinking a pre-workout shake, you are cheating yourself HUUUUUUGE. 10 minutes in to the workout and I thought I was going to pass out. I was dizzy, and nauseated, and had absolutely no oomph at all.

Do yourself a massive favour and get on board the morning shake train. I guarantee from day ONE you will notice a difference. I'm not a professional in the department of what's best for you, but I'll give you my favourites that are both delicious, and extremely nutritious. Give them a shot if you want to completely change your fitness life. I kid you not. I NEVER thought a silly little swig of something so simple in the morning, could make such a difference in my day. I cannot emphasize this enough. And I'm not even remotely exaggerating right now.


My morning shake selection(s):
One cup of Ryza Vanilla Rice Milk
A scoop of Prairie Naturals Organic Rice Protein Powder (Cafe Caramel... YUM)
OR a scoop of Vega OneShake Chocolate (also YUM!)
And a teaspoon of Flax Oil which helps get the protein to your muscles faster (also really fantastic for hair and skin).

Advantages of the Rice Milk/Protein - WAY easier for your system to digest, meaning your body isn't wasting energy on processing food, so you get more effective energy going into your workout. I highly HIGHLY recommend skipping the dairy before and/or after workouts. I've heard several people recommend chocolate milk for after a workout, but in fact, your body has to work quite hard to digest dairy, which takes away from your workout and makes your recovery time longer. (As Will Ferrell said once upon a time... "MILK WAS A BAD CHOICE!") Now obviously I'm a little biased, because I do follow an almost completely plant based diet - but if you're interested in why I do that, and some of the advantages, check out one of my favourite websites - No Meat Athlete which has brilliant ideas, amazing recipes (Umm... chocolate avocado mousse? Ginger Pear Smoothie? Yes please!) and undeniable results for those who have used it for training.

Okay - so that's today's lecture: DON'T. SKIP. YOUR. SHAKE. Let me be a lesson to you. I can save you the agony and frustration of a really rough workout. Or help you realize how much more potential you've been hiding unbeknownst to you!

Alright - today officially marks the halfway point of my challenge. 20 FitCamps down, 20 still to come. I'm overdue for a weigh in and measure - so that will be Sunday's blog. If you haven't subscribed via email yet... the link is just on the right hand side. Right over there. Yup. *nodding to the right*. Just sayin'.

Now if you'll excuse me, I still haven't managed to ingest anything useful - so I'll leave you with this, and catch up with you this weekend:

Day 19 - Blind Melon Style: No Rain

Hilarious moment to start our class this morning, Kristin said outloud what I'd been thinking since my feet hit the floor shortly after 5am and looked out the window... "Oh man, no rain - that means we have to run!". My reaction was "thank gawd I'm not the only one thinking that!" The whole 'misery loves company' thing really rang true. But not the way that makes us all mopey, just in a way that allowed us to giggle together. Sometimes I feel like such a wuss - but having those shared moments of "uuuuuugh" snaps me back to reality. Not going it alone can make all the difference in the world.

I do try to keep that in mind when we're going through some of the tougher classes (and for me, they're ALL tough this week. I'm still adjusting to coming back after 2 weeks away. I swear that they're actually a little tougher though. I feel like Chris and Megan stepped it up a notch over the last couple of days!) On the 'Megan' side of things, I'm SO sad that today was her last morning class with us. She's such a great trainer, and an inspiration to be around, as she has committed her life to fitness in several ways. Megan - let me say again, all the best of luck in Winterpeg, and I hope you'll come back to visit and do some @$$ kicking guest sessions when you're around!

But back to what I was saying about shared misery - Some days, you'll feel like everyone around you is lifting weights like Superman lifts cars, and their stamina is never ending -- meanwhile you're struggling to breathe, let alone actually move... but trust me, it's not as bad as it appears. We all have butt-dragger days. When you just can't get your mojo moving, and you'd really just rather crawl back between your warm fluffy blankets, and stay there for a couple of days... that's when it matters most that you keep going.

Thus - I present to you this little ditty:

One of the biggest workout truths I've ever come across. Anyone can do a couple push-ups and sit-ups, and feel like they've accomplished something, but once you've pushed yourself to the point where you don't want to keep going, and you keep going anyway - THEN... and ONLY then, do you really start to see and feel the results you're craving.

We've all wanted to quit at one point in time. If you're doing things right - you'll want to quit at least once, every time you workout... but eventually, that 'quit' feeling turns into 'bring it on'. You wait for that moment, and when it arrives, it's almost (almost) exciting, because you know it's go time.

So I'm toeing that line of "yuck" and "Yay!" right now - but every day I'm getting stronger, faster, leaner, and it's only a matter of time before I crush some more milestones.

If you're having one of those 'woe is me' days - keep thinking about the fact that everyone at some point has been there, and more than likely, many that you know are there right now. But like my thoughts on the rain this morning, until someone says it outloud, you never really know how anyone else is feeling about it. Just believe that you're not the only one - and it all gets a little easier to bear. Plus, tomorrow is always another day - and maybe, just maybe, it'll rain. ;-)

Day 17 - Goodbye Ruby Tuesday

FitCamp for Tuesday October 23rd is square in my rearview mirror, as I near the halfway point of this little experiment. And today, to be honest, the hardest part of the workout - is figuring out what to write about! My brain is still on vacation, and thinking is a lot tougher than following directions blindly around the gym.

But, the show must go on, so I'm going to give it a shot to see what I can dredge out of my brain this morning. Yesterday, Marlee commented on my post, asking for inspiration to get back to the gym. Marlee, I don't know what I can tell you other than referring back to a couple of old posts, and some quotes that I try to keep in mind when I'm fighting the alarm clock, and the dark mornings, and the rain, and the general feeling of "do I have to?"... because the answer to that is - no - we don't have to. But we should find a way to WANT to.

"A year from now, you'll wish you started today" - and that rings true for much shorter periods of time. I regret every single sit-up I DIDN'T do while I was on vacation. Every squat, push-up, lunge and jumping jack that I pictured doing in my mind while I was away that didn't get done... once that time is gone, you can't get it back. If I'd managed to do even a little bit while I was away, I would be further ahead today than I am. Yes, I had a wonderful vacation, but in the back of my mind, I know I could have done more. So my goal is to not let that gap happen again.

"Know what I do on days that I don't want to workout? I workout. True story." - I assure you up down and sideways that even though I'm almost 4 weeks into this process, I have not fallen in love with early morning workouts. I HAVE however, fallen in love with the way they are changing my body, and my mind. The upside of these late sunrises, and early sunsets, is that with what feels like 20 hours of dark - there's really no difference between working out at 6am, or 6pm. So you may as well get it done and out of the way, so that no matter what happens during your day, you'll know you've accomplished something just for YOU.

"Work and reward" - give yourself something to work for. Your mind cannot grasp motivation without a goal. Is there a new fall outfit screaming your name? Office Christmas party coming up (yeah, I said the 'C' word, so sue me) and you'd like to drop a couple jaws? Or if you're motivated by numbers - start charting your progress, because I assure you, it's addicting when you see those numbers start to change. You'll just want more and more.

"The journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step" - That hasn't actually been a topic on the blog yet, but after yesterday's challenge of a thousand REPS, it seemed fitting to throw it in for today (given that I currently can't sit up straight from the core work portion, thanks for that Chris). Don't think about running a marathon, or dropping 10 clothes sizes, or powerlifting hundreds of pounds... start with a simple week of FitCamp, or a walk with friends in the beautiful fall air, anything to get you moving. As your body starts to adjust, so will the way you feel about making it a priority.

Alright - that's all I've got, so I'll end on a bittersweet note: Today was our second to last class with amazing trainer Megan Cofield. She's moving to Winterpeg, and I will dearly miss her sunshiney face kicking our butts every Tuesday and Thursday. All the best to Megan, and a warm welcome to Kendra, who will be picking up where Megan leaves off, next week.

Marlee - I hope this gives you something to latch on to. Talk atcha tomorrow. :)

Day 16 - Didja miss me??

I'm baaaaaack! And I certainly missed you! I will make no excuses for the lack of posting while I was away (other than the lack of internet access for 90% of my trip). My journey involved a birthday jack-o-lantern, lots of incredible food, my sister's BEAUTIFUL wedding, meeting a ton of new people, and I managed one whole workout while I was gone. (But I buggered my knee, and took it as a sign from the universe that I was meant to kick back for a couple of weeks, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of autumn in Nova Scotia. So I did.)

Now I've been back on Vancouver Island for 45 hours, so naturally it's time to get my butt back in gear. This morning, I actually wished I suffered from jet lag, because in theory, 5am here should have felt like 9am to me with the time differences. Spoiler alert: it didn't.

*Alarm Clock* (yeah we're back to this) -- What the what? Why is there an alarm clock? Where the heck am I? What's going ON!?

At least I had the presence of mind to get most of my stuff together last night, because I had a feeling that it was going to be a little disorienting, trying to get going this morning. I was grateful for my forethought. Patting myself on the back.

I will admit that I had to take it a little easy this morning, because I'm really not sure what I did to my knee while on vacation, but it's still a little wonky, so I stuck with low impact versions of the exercises Chris laid out for us. Also - I discovered that although two weeks isn't long enough to feel like you're starting from scratch, it's definitely long enough for everything to go a little soft, which throws off your rhythm quite significantly.

I'm proud to say that I actually managed to LOSE a pound while I was away, even though the two weeks I was gone encompassed Thanksgiving, my birthday and a wedding - so a veritable cornucopia of food... so YAY! BUT... judging by the way my body responded this morning, I'm thinking that pound may have been muscle. Boo.

Proper measurements and weigh-in coming soon!

With the halfway point of this challenge looming at the end of this week, I've got my work cut out for me. Nothing super 'revelation-y' today - just wanted to get back and say hey! Hope you're still ready to follow along for another couple of weeks.

How was your Thanksgiving? Let me know! And welcome back to the page. :)

Day 15 - Backwards and Inside Out

... today's post isn't a song title (at least one that I know of), but it is how I managed to put my shirt on this morning. Chris was kind enough to point it out as soon as I got in the door at Bodynetix - and based on the last few weeks, it just felt like an appropriate metaphor.

Life has truly turned itself backwards and inside out the last little while. Work, business, travelling, living arrangements, real estate shopping, training... everything is in semi-chaos, or at best, a state of flux. The one constant I've had is FitCamp. Now even that part of my routine will be changing for the next few weeks, and I'm going to be on my own to keep moving forward. I'm so excited to be going home for a visit, but I'm so scared of backsliding. I don't want to come back in two weeks and feel like I'm starting over.

Unfortunately all those things (and more) were on my very sleep deprived brain this morning, and as much as I wanted to push and make it the best workout yet - I just couldn't get my mojo going today which was disappointing and frustrating. So I wish I could tell you that I totally killed it and kicked total buttooski, 'Last chance workout' style, but I would be fibbing, and I'm trying to keep this blog as honest for you as possible. I still managed to get in more than most people do before 7am in the morning, heck more than most people do all day, and there was sweat (thankfully no blood or tears). So I feel good, just not WOOT level.

I know there are going to be more blips like this on this rollercoaster ride I'm taking... so I'm trying to remind myself that although this is only an 8 week challenge, in the long run, it is a long run... not a sprint. Even after this challenge is over, I'll keep going. I've had a taste of success, and I don't want to let that go anytime soon. This is for my forever health. This is week 3 of the rest of my life. I've still made significant strides towards some serious goals. I've already reached some milestones. And above all, I've had a LOT of fun, and met some wonderful people.

FYI - I will be blogging while I'm away for a couple of weeks. The posts will be a little less evenly timed, so I recommend subscribing via email, so you can get the updates directly and don't have to check for them. I'm going to Nova Scotia, not a tropical resort, so I unfortunately won't be blogging about sunrise yoga on a white sandy beach, but for those convinced it's too tough to workout on vacation, I'm going to do my level best to show you it can be done! (Notice I didn't say TRY my level best? This morning, all Yoda-y, I am.)

On that note - find an inspiring picture to leave you with, I must. Here's one shamelessly pilfered from the Bodynetix FB page.

(Is it bad that I can't read 'I workout' without hearing it in LMFAO voices? Haha, I workouuuuut)

I'm well aware this is also Thanksgiving weekend, so I'm sending you wishes of willpower, proper portion sizes, and no need for elastic waistbands. I know the temptation will be huge, but measure your portions in how many burpees or squats you have to do to burn it off, and it becomes a LOT less appealing...

Average Thanksgiving meal costs you about 3000 calories. That's worth about 4000 squats or 4500 burpees at a high intensity. Reconsider your second serving... ;-)

Anyhoozle - talk atcha you soon, from the other side of the country! I'll do another weigh/measure later this weekend (knowing full well that results will be skewed by water retention/jet lag issues... bear with me, and...

HAPPY THANKGIVING!

Day 14 - Who Needs Sleep?

A year from now, you'll wish you'd started today.

That one little phrase pertains to so many things. Fitness, business, saving money... and today, as I face just one more work-out before my trip home, I can't help but wish that I had just one more week. I wish I'd started earlier, worked harder, not waited so long to make these changes in my life. But at least I'm doing it now. I just need to keep telling myself that. And if you're reading this, having ever felt that way at ANY point in your life, then start now. Tomorrow is never going to be easier. In fact, tomorrow never comes. Because by then, you'll have 101 more reasons you shouldn't - but you only need one reason that you should:

You. Deserve. Better. 

Think about where you were a year ago. Have you accomplished all you thought you would in the last 366 days? (It was a leap year afterall... you even had an extra 24 hours!). I know I haven't, which is why I'm starting the process now, and not waiting ANOTHER year to get going. There's nothing clearer, or more frustrating, than hindsight when you're not seeing what you want to see.

Yesterday, Chris was posting on the Bodynetix Facebook Page about commitment, and how so many people can say they're going to do something, but then they quit on themselves. There are lots of great things to quit in your life. Quit smoking, quit drinking, quit drugs, heck -quit biting your nails, but don't quit on YOURSELF. I quit something a few weeks ago. It was the hardest relationship break-up of my life. It has been a struggle to just simply get out of bed every single day. It was a toxic relationship, and I've known for so long that I had to just walk away, but the time finally came.

I broke up with my snooze button.

I pulled out all the cliches. "It's not you, it's me. I just need some time to myself. We're just in different places right now". I know that occasionally, we might have an early morning rendezvous, but no more long term commitment. Sorry snooze button. My commitment is to myself. To change. To health. To fitness. But not to you. Okay fine - you can come with me on vacation to Nova Scotia for the next couple of weeks, but when we get back, you're back to the curb! :-P

ONE WORKOUT LEFT. 

As Flight of the Conchords said: It's Business Time

Truly, this is a last chance workout. For serious. For real. For -- OMG where did those 3 weeks go!? Well, as of a couple days ago, "the dress" zips, and for me, that feels amazing. Tomorrow will be my last total butt kicking for a couple of weeks. I'll continue to work at it while I'm away, but the schedule is a little demanding, preparing for my sister's wedding, so posts will be more sporadic, a lot less involved, and likely quite scattered in thought processes haha.

If you want to keep up with what's going on, and how 'vacation' feels right in the middle of this new routine, then subscribe via email, which you can do on the right side of the screen. This is going to be the ultimate test of will power, and dedication. Can I maintain forward momentum, and continue to make progress while surrounded by an abundance of delicious food, drinks, desserts, and party atmosphere? I know I CAN... but the WILL is the question.

I think most of my focus will be 'how to workout on vacation and still have time to party'. If there are any topics you think I should cover while I'm away, then leave a comment!

Stay tuned... and I'll leave you with this. Size matters.

Day 13 - Fly me to the Moon...

... let me play among the stars. (It'll make sense in a minute. Also, today is a bit of a departure from the FitCamp experience, but it all comes together in the end. 

Yesterday, I had an amazing visit with my friend, and Olympic Beach Volleyball Athlete - Martin Reader (find him on twitter @martinjreader). Nothing like a chat with someone who busted their butt for YEARS to reach their goals, to put a mere 2 1/2 weeks worth of working out into perspective. This guy knows work ethic. He knows what it means to earn your body, and reach your dreams.

When I first met Martin several years ago, he came to me with an idea for an event that he wanted the radio station to sponsor. The next time we met a few weeks later, the idea was a plan, and it was rolling fast. While we were working on the event together, he told me he was training for the Olympics. I came to the conclusion pretty quickly that this guy was a powerhouse both on and off the beach volleyball court. For the next several years I got to watch him rise through the ranks of Beach Volleyball around the world, following his incredible journey.

This summer, he achieved the mindblowing milestone of representing Canada at the London Games. Most of us can't even begin to fathom what that would be like. I never doubted he'd make it there, because from the moment I met him, he exuded confidence, and competence, and pure hard work. While we were chatting yesterday, he got a phone call from a company that wants to sponsor him. A company he'd been gunning for, for a long time. And they called him. It's amazing how the harder you work, the luckier you get.

Now he's on to about 100 different projects, while continuing to train - with eyes forward on more goals than I could even begin to count. No rest for the wicked... or the driven. (And because I realize it's mostly ladies reading this - this is for you)

I give you Martin Reader (There are more pics on his site :-P)

Okay, so that was my kick in the pants  yesterday, and now I'm down to my final 2 work outs before my trip. It seems a little piddley compared to all ^that^ stuff, but everyone's got to start somewhere, and this is my little personal podium to climb. After that, I can't very well complain about hamstrings that are tighter than an overtuned guitar. All I can think is how many squats, lunges, tricep dips, burpees, all of my least favourite things, did it take for him to get to London? I realize I'm not training for the Olympics, but I figure there are worse standards to push for, and as (yet another) one of my favourite quotes says:

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.” 

Incidentally - small personal victory last night. I was given a dress last year that I never thought I'd fit into. Ever. Well lo and behold... it zipped last night. It's not quite right everywhere on the body just yet... but that doesn't take away from the fact that it freaking ZIPPED! So giving myself a pat on the (apparently less flabby) back for that one. Also kinda slapping myself for ever telling myself that I'd never be able to wear that dress. So don't do that. You want it - go get it. Work it. Earn it. Love it. Live it.

Okay fine... before I go, here's ONE more shot of Martin... er, I mean an inspirational picture of what hard work can accomplish when you want it bad enough... ;-)

Day 12 - Take it to the Limit

Thank you to the Eagles for another musically appropriate post title!

Number/time crunch:
FitCamp Challenge - 30% Complete
Pre-Vacation Workouts - 3 classes remaining!!! (It truly is getting down to 'last chance workouts' now)

Now I'm going to shock myself for a minute and (prepare yourself brain, this is gonna hurt...) take some of my own advice.

Yesterday I talked about celebrating small successes, and giving yourself some benchmarks to acknowledge the progress you've made. Well today as I was FitCamp-ing, I was doing my level best not to think about how difficult it was to do whatever it was we were doing at any given moment... but instead think about how much MORE difficult it was a couple of weeks ago, when we started. I tried to imagine myself doing these exercises at the beginning - what would my pace have been? How many breaks would I have taken? How much would it have hurt the next day?

That actually gave me a little mental grin as I was otherwise gritting my teeth and feelin' the burn. I might not be power lifting triple digits, but I was doing stairs with dumbbells that I wouldn't have even tried to pick up without throwing my back out when we started. 

My goal today was simple - keep moving. I wanted to do every exercise continuously with no breaks. I realized that I may have to slow down from time to time, but I was determined to not stop completely - which is a HUGE difference over a couple of weeks ago, where it was all I could do to keep going for half of the exercise before I needed a breather and a 'shake it out' moment.

Happy to say that with the exception of running the buildings outside in between sets, I succeeded in finishing every exercise without taking a break. I may not have done the most reps, or lifted the heaviest weights, but I keep reminding myself I'm not competing with everyone else. I'm competing with ME. I am still finding that the runs, even though they're short, really bother my lungs - but I'm trying to fit in at least 2 of the quick 'fence and back' runs, and 2 of the 'around the buildings' runs, during the class, and will focus on increasing the number each week, until I'm able to do them all.

Another mini-goal I had was, when I did do those runs, to not be the last one back inside. This led to a few moments I didn't think I had in me... on the way back to the building, I actually pushed myself to pass people. These little personal victories for me are something that makes me want to keep coming back for more - so I think I'll start setting myself up with a daily challenge. Not knowing what the class will be each day, I can't really pre-plan it, but I'll make sure it's something that pushes my limits. I just keep thinking about how far a car can drive on fumes... and realize I'm a sub-compact, so I should be able to go even further than most! :-P

With vacation looming, and my to-do list this week growing instead of shrinking, I'm relishing a few more head-clearing mornings before I'm on my own for a couple of weeks. That will be a major test - how will I fare without Chris and Megan's awesome leadership? Where is my self-motivation level right now? I'm a little nervous, can't hide that. But I'm determined not to backslide while I'm home. I know it's only been 2 1/2 weeks, but I refuse to give up any of that progress. It just feels too dang good. 

Don't know where today's quote came from - but I love it, so I'll end with this - a nice summary of where I'm at mentally and physically with this journey:

"Be proud, but never satisfied."

Day 11 - I don't like Mondays...

Thank you, Boomtown Rats, for so succinctly singing what so many of us feel.

Ohhh boy was it tough to get out of bed this morning. Not sure why. Went to bed thinking 'bring it on'... and then Monday brought it. Or maybe it was October doing the 'bringing'. I'm not sure, but whatever it was, my butt was draaaaaagging this morning. I think, more than anything, it was just a reminder that I'm not Superwoman yet, and my body is still in a state of semi-flux. Reality check of 'Don't get too cocky little lady, gravity still applies to you'.

So here it goes: *Alarm Clock* --- Nope. Snooze it. Zzzzzzz *Alarm Clock* I SEZ NO! Aw crud, I still have to get my lunch and clothes together. Sigh. creak~groan~grumble. Sigh again. blink blink shuffle shuffle.

I have yet to figure out if Chris intentionally tries to kill us on Monday mornings, to get the worst out of the way... or if it just SEEMS that way, because it's Monday. I tried to keep in mind throughout the class, that I have only a few of these left before heading back to Nova Scotia for 2 blissful weeks with family. I would like to drop a few jaws when I get back there, so I've gotta buckle down.

I'm told I'll have "homework" while I'm away, and at first I thought 'ugh'... but now I'm seeing results, I can't imagine having 2 weeks away from these workouts. I'm pretty sure this is also the first time in my life I've been excited to go clothes shopping! Now I realize I've still got a LONG way to go, but knowing that I might actually fit into a single digit dress AND be able to zip it up, is just a teensy bit thrilling for me.

That's where my focus will be this week. How good it will feel to say "sorry, this one's too big, do you have it in a smaller size?". Everyone needs that light at the end of the tunnel. Something short term, and easily measurable to focus on. If you set your goals too far out, you can justify slacking off with "I'll work harder next week, I've got time"... but when you don't HAVE a next week, and you've got to get it done, it's what will get you to fit in that extra crunch, that deeper push-up, the faster jumping jacks, the one higher weight level on the machines.

Don't get me wrong, I've got long-term goals as well. I know where I'd like to finish up this little challenge, but it can be overwhelming to think "Okay, I want to lose 20lbs, and 20 inches, and be able to run 10 miles etc etc". (FYI - those aren't my goals lol) If you've got a long list of long term fitness goals, with no benchmarks in-between, your brain will just look at it and go "pfffft yeah right." So mix it up. Give yourself some reasons to celebrate at regular intervals. Give and take. Work and reward.

It's what keeps you going on the toughest days: when 5am comes way too soon, and instead of deadlifts, you're just dead to the world, and your feet won't lift off the floor. That was me a couple of hours ago - but you know what? I did it anyway. I got out of bed, and about 15 minutes later, I'd forgotten about my pillows and fuzzy blankets. They'll be there for me again tonight. Until then, I get to revel in a victory of will over weariness.

Sunday bloody Sunday...

Wait... what? Bedtime? How the heck did that happen!? I don't have gym clothes together, I don't have lunches packed, heck I don't even have stuff FOR lunches (I've been severely lacking this past week. Naughty. Not eating enough, is almost as bad, and sometimes worse, than eating too much!). Time is flying a little too quickly for my liking right now.

As for the upcoming week of FitCamp, I'm going to be treating every day like a "Last Chance Workout" on Biggest Loser. I have 5 days of butt busting, before

a) I fly home to see family for the first time in a couple of years

b) I have to stand beside my stunning sister as she becomes a beautiful bride

c) I face my 10 year high school reunion, that will also likely contain my high school sweetheart/ex-fiance whom I haven't seen since we broke up over 8 years ago.

If EVER there was a reason to be working as hard as I can... it's got to be one of those reasons above. So this is the summary of the plan so far: Week 1 - Survival, Week 2 - Adjustment, Week 3 - Kick some serious buttooski.

I'm about to throw some number out to the cyberverse, but let me qualify the quantifiable - although these numbers still show forward progress, it's nothing compared to how I've been feeling, and apparently that's shown outwardly as well. Lately, I've run into a lot of people whom I haven't seen in a while, and their reactions have been rather glee-inducing. Those unsolicited compliments pretty much instantly erase the memories of aches, pains and exhaustion. It's then that you realize it's all worthwhile. But here are the numbers anyway :)

Weight: 146lbs (Same - but much leaner!)
Waist: 32.5 inches (-0.5in)
Hip: 37.5 inches (-0.5in)
Chest: 38 inches (-1.5in)
Bicep: 12 inches (Same - but there's a bump now!)
Thigh: 22.5 inches (-0.5in)
Calf:15 inches (same - two weeks in a row. Apparently I need to start jumping more!)

Change this week: -3 inches/0 pounds
Total Change: -7 inches/1 pound

Nothin' to shake a stick at, but still lots of shrinking/strengthening/stamina-ing left to do. Also continuing to focus on the fact that muscle does weight more than fat, so the way my clothes fit, is more important than the number between my toes in the morning.

This week brings a lot to look forward to - 5 more fantastic work-outs, a visit from an Olympian (more on that soon), and a single digit countdown to a cross country journey. I love it when a plan comes together!

Now, time for some Z's, while visions of LMFAO dance through my head, reminding me that someday - I'll be sexy... and I'll know it. Darn their catchy and appropriate tune.

Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle... YEAH!

Day 10 - Edge of Glory

With thanks to Gaga for today's title. And also apologies on the late post again today. It was the United Way Kickoff Breakfast earlier this morning, and I boogied right there from FitCamp, but couldn't boogie back to the station quick enough to get this up as early as usual. Now for the important stuff

HUZZAH! I'm officially 25% done this challenge, and today has by far been the best day for progress. It was the first day I felt less like I was just trying to survive, and more like I was pushing through, and starting to challenge myself.

Breakthrough #2! (Hence the praise to Gaga - Definitely feeling on the edge of something glorious right now)

If you've been following along, Breakthrough #1 was on Day 3, so don't be disappointed if you're not hitting life changing revelations, or new levels on a daily basis. It takes time. A LOT of adjustments happening right now, both mentally and physically!

Speaking of which - at the end of class today while we were stretching everything out - we all got talking about early morning workouts vs. evening workouts and the pros and cons of such for us, personally.

*listen up if you're opposed to morning workouts... this may make some sense*

Now, I've mentioned on a number of occasions that I am a TERRIBLE morning person - and I am - but here's the thing... as a group we discussed how, during a workout it is SO much easier to face the physical fatigue of getting up early, than at the end of the day when the mental fatigue sets in. It's so much harder to get out of your own way at the end of the day, and it's way easier to justify skipping the workout because you had a busy/stressful/emotional/exhausting/s****y day.

If you start your day with a workout, then no matter what kinda junk piles on you for the rest of the day, at least you had one positive hour, moving you forward in the right direction. You've got that to return to mentally (and THAT is how I have come to crave that "me" time in the morning. Because somedays, the best thing that happens all day, is my hour at the gym.) That's where I'm at with it all. Still loathe 5am. But absolutely love what I have already accomplished, and how much I have to look forward to.

If you are considering trying a morning workout: Don't just do it for a morning and decide that it sucks and you can't do it. Your body needs a couple of weeks to get into it. I'm a full two weeks in and still adapting. If you're just joining this blog now, go back and read some of my earlier posts. TRUST ME - I feel your pain.

Frankly, I'm worthless at 6am in the morning anyway. I can't think, articulate, or for that matter - access any higher functions at all. So I may as well at least be moving my body in an environment where all I have to do is do as I'm told. If it sounds familiar - get thine booty to Bodynetix and join us! We're not as crazy as we sound. :)

Day 9 - Never Surrender

In keeping with the "song lyrics for blog titles" them - today's is with thanks to Corey Hart. (Needed to fit in some Can-Con somewhere!)

This is a bit of a frazzley week. (Don't even care that 'frazzley' isn't a word. You know what I mean).
1) We just found out we've got to move in a month and a half

2) We don't even have time to pack/plan/look for a place because we're about to go away for two weeks, (and anyone who's ever taken a vacation from work knows that it's not REALLY a vacation, because all the work you WOULD do in that time, has to be done before you go anyway!),

3) Tour de Rock is in town (which is totally awesome and I'm cheering them on with all I've got left in the tank!)

4) And today apparently I'm going to be part of a documentary/film about radio! (Oh yes, I still haven't had a chance to shower from this morning's FitCamp because we had a Tour de Rock event... and there's a film crew on their way... ACK!)

Believe it or not, workouts this week are more important than ever, but not for the reason you might think. The other day I mentioned how you can't take personal stuff to the gym. Well as this little vortex of stress temporarily tries to take over, I'm finding myself actually craving time at the gym to escape it. While I still don't look forward to the 5am wake-up call, I DO look forward to my hour away from reality, when the only thing that matters is whatever Megan and Chris are telling us to do.

It's SO easy to make the excuses of "I'm too busy, I'm too stressed, I just can't fit in a workout if I tried!". Know how I know that? Because I've been saying it for years. "Oh I couldn't find a spare minute if my life depended on it...". Well someday your life MIGHT depend on it - but hopefully you can find the time before it gets to that point.

No big revelations, or life lessons today - just gratitude for the Bodynetix crew and classmates who give me a place to 'get away' every morning. When you can clear your brain first thing, it sure makes the rest of the day less stressful, regardless of what your facing - because you take your workout with you.

When you're going through a circuit, you can't think about every single station that you're about to face because you'll just get completely overwhelmed. You can only deal with the one you're doing at that very moment. And when that one's dealt with - you move on to the next. That's how I'm facing this list the universe is putting in front of me right now. One station at a time. Deal. Move on.

A huge thank you to those of you reading and commenting as well. You will never know how much it means to know that there are people on the other side of this keyboard. Back at it with a more focused 'work-out' oriented post tomorrow. Promise!

Today's quote: "I never regret it when I do it, but I always regret it when I don't."

Day 8 - Hurts so good...

You know that moment when you hear a song on the radio, and out of the blue, the lyrics totally make sense? That happened for me today...

I'm on a song lyrics kick for post titles this week. Well, by kick, I mean two days in a row - but whatever. Today's is brought to you by John "Cougar" Mellencamp. I saw him at a toy store in New York once... but that's another story.

Right now - it's all about the fitness (or lack thereof as the case may be) journey with Bodynetix. So remember how the other day I said how great it felt to be past the point of 'pain'? Hahahahahahahaha yeah, I thought that was hilarious too. This morning, the hammies were screaming again. The difference this morning however, was how my brain interpreted that pain. Rather than "omg I must hobble"... it's more like "Yeah baby, that's some new muscle growin' right there!". It has also acknowledged that about 5 minutes into the workout, the pain will be more or less gone so it's not quite so daunting to show up to class when I've struggled to get out of bed.

For those who are facing some simple pains after their workouts, and like myself, dislike traditional 'painkillers', there are some great natural options for you - apart from the Icy Hot I bathed in on day two. :-P

I really like Arnica Gel or Traumeel. The Traumeel comes in both gel AND tablet form. It's all natural and apparently used by some of our Olympians. I originally got it for my mom who has some chronic pain issues, and it has been a very welcome addition to our household medicine cabinet. The gel is really good for tight/strained muscles, along with speeding the healing of bumps and bruises. As a total klutz, I really appreciate that feature. (Keeping in mind I am NOT a doctor, or professional in any way! These are just what I use personally. Ask your doc about these things first, and don't even think about suing me! There... that's my disclaimer)

Something else that kinda takes the pain away is the fact that Tour de Rock is in town this week - and I can't really complain about any pain I might feel from an hour long workout, or my early mornings, when this team of inspirational people are cycling 1000kms from tip to tip of Vancouver Island, and are sitting on their bikes up to 8 hours a day. Kinda puts things in perspective pretty quickly. So my hat is off to them, my heart is with their cause, and I know my sore butt is nothing compared to theirs, so back to the "Suck it up princess" phase.

Don't forget that if you'd like to check out FitCamp for yourself, you've got two more chances to win this week with "The Big Show" with Bob & Bill on 97.3 The Eagle. I'm still looking forward to seeing a few more Eagle-ites in class. ;-)

I will leave you with this view, which we were rewarded with after this morning's rather tough class. Thanks Universe. I think we all appreciated this little pat on the back:

Day 7 - Sunrise, sunrise...

... in the words of Norah Jones. (Or Duran Duran, if that's what floats your boat). Another gorgeous fall morning. I know they won't last forever, so I'm trying to enjoy them while I can! It's amazing how many beautiful sunrises I've missed in my lifetime... and in reality, how many more I'll miss when I don't have to get up at 5am. But after this experience, I might just be inspired to get up a little earlier, a little more often. If you'd asked me how I felt about mornings 12 hours ago - it would have been a different story. I'll tell ya why...

Lesson of the day for me: You can't bring personal crap to the gym. Well you can try, but it just doesn't last very long. I've got a few things going on outside the gym, that are totally stressing me out. Didn't sleep well last night because of it, and was just a bit on edge when I got there this morning. By the time warm-up was over, not one of those things was on my mind. Seriously - not a single one. It's SO easy to lose yourself in a workout. Your mind is mercifully wrapped in a bubble of sweat and burn. That might not sound pleasant at all, but I'm telling you - when life is weighing heavy - come pick up a real weight, and that'll disappear pretty quickly. :-) So not only is my body feeling better, but my mind is a lot clearer and calmer too. Yay endorphins!

Physically, it feels so good to be past the point of "OMG OW!" when I try to move. My muscles are now just battling daily workout fatigue, but that's okay - because that's the purpose of FitCamp. To push your muscles to the brink of collapse, then push a little harder. There is no more disappointing feeling than getting to the end of class, when Megan or Chris call "time", and feeling like you could have done even one more crunch, squat, lunge, or press. There is something to be said for pacing yourself, but I'm getting to the point where my body can more or less recover in the 23 hours between class, so it's time to start pushing a little harder.

I'm in what feels like a 'grey zone' right now - because I don't hurt anymore, but I haven't been at this long enough to really feel my strength or cardio increasing, so I WANT to go harder and I feel like I should be able to, but my body just isn't there yet. It's frustrating, but it's also kind of a good feeling, because the fact that things don't hurt anymore means there HAS been progress. Gotta celebrate the small successes, and know that the bigger ones are in the works, day by day, even when you don't notice them. (Write that down. It's so true, and we all forget about it!) Heck, at this point - I'm celebrating the fact that I've been up at 5am for 7 days, and I'm not completely burnt out! Frankly, that's nothing short of a miracle in my books.

Bottom line for today -- not much progress to report, but generally feeling pretty awesome. Learning to love that feeling of almost stumbling when my legs are wet spaghetti after class. Looking forward to hopefully seeing some new faces in class. Hey - if you can read this blog, you can do these classes.

Okay, let's see - Joey (who was in class again today *high five Joey*) likes motivational quotes, so I gotta find a good one to end on.... Oooo here's a good one for what I was saying at the beginning:

Day 6 - If there is no struggle, there is no progress

(Post title courtesy of one remarkable Frederick Douglass)

Wowza! Today was a toughie, but it was fantastic! I'd give Chris a round of applause, but I don't think I can lift my arms.

Oh whoops... I forgot to start at the beginning...

*Alarm Clock*... :-P

This morning, even though I was still very bleary eyed, I was also totally pumped to get back for class. After the first round of measurements/weigh in, I just wanted to get moving again. Anyone who knows me, knows this is kind of the antithesis of my usual mentality. Although I live a very 'get up and go' lifestyle, it's not really by choice most of the time, and in my own time - I'm an A+ Couch Potato.

But things are happening, and when you start to feel things tightening, and shifting, and strengthening, you just want MORE... which is exciting! (And sure makes it easier to get out of bed.Well... sorta-ish).

It was also very nice to have a familiar smiling face join the class this morning. My friend, and very talented local musician Joey Clarkson was somehow (*cough hand up cough*) convinced that this whole FitCamp thing is kind of awesome, so lo and behold, when her blonde hair bounced in to the Bodynetix studio this morning I couldn't help but grin. 

Proud of her for taking this on, and I'm looking forward to seeing her start to feel the way I do about it. Of course, she made the mistake of reading my first week's worth of posts before class, so she was a little worried... but if you've been following along, and at any point have thought "I couldn't do it" - give your head a shake, because you would be surprised what you can do when you get out of your own way.

For folks local to the Comox Valley area - tune in to our station this week 97.3 The Eagle for your chance to win a week of unlimited FitCamp. Does it hurt? Oh heck yeah, for a couple of days it sure does. But you can only ever feel two kinds of pain... The pain of change, or the pain of regret. I know which one I prefer right now.

Sunday Sermon: Wise Words from Winnie the Pooh

One of my favourite philosophers alive, dead, or fictional - is Winnie the Pooh. That fuzzy ol' bear always has the right thing to say. Today's words are a virtual high-five for all of those currently taking the FitCamp challenge themselves - and also even though there were a few bumps, week one is now behind me and I'm actually looking forward to week two.

An interesting thing happened in my (certifiably cracked) brain this weekend. As I was getting ready to head to the West Coast Women's show this weekend, my brain was absent mindedly coming up with a list of exercises, and arranging them in a circuit that I could do... at home... like on the weekends... That's when I realized that after 5 days, I'm already hooked.

So can anything really change in a week? In a word - Heck yeah!
1) My posture is probably the most pronounced change. SO much better. I'm a lifelong sloucher... being a little, well... "top heavy", it has always been more comfortable to hunch. So this is a rather surprising change for me. That would be thanks to the core, and shoulder work I'm guessing.

2) SLEEP. I've slept so much better. Apparently pure unadulterated exhaustion helps in the R.E.M. department.

3) It all comes down to the numbers in the end....

Weight: 146lbs (-1lb)
Waist: 33 inches (-1in)
Hip: 38 inches (-0.5in)
Chest: 39.5 inches (-1in)
Bicep: 12 inches (+0.5in)
Thigh: 23 inches (-1.5in)
Calf:15 inches (same)

So lost a total of 1 pound, and 4 inches in "problem zones", and put on a half an inch of muscle on my biceps. Yeah, that's right - you can all look forward to the gun show in the near future. ;-) All in all, not bad for 4 1/2 workouts! Gives me tons of hope for the future, knowing that as I get stronger, I'll be able to push harder, and strive for even better numbers.

And before I sign off for the evening, (given that it's past my bed time) - I have a product to shoot your way, after a couple of people were asking about protein sources on a plant based diet this weekend. (Thanks for asking guys! Love any opportunity to chat about this. :-D):

This comes with thanks to Edible Island Foods, and one of their product reps from Prairie Naturals who introduced me to possibly the most delicious protein powder I've ever had... it's called Organic Rice Protein - in Cafe Caramel Flavour. If you have the chance to give it a shot - do it. Om nom nom.Totally gives me something to look forward to in the morning!

With that, I bid you adieu. It's time to catch some winks, and get ready to take on day 1, week 2!

Day 5 - Super Sad Face

Today's level of frustration on a scale of 1-5? Sitting right around 100.

Yesterday I apparently got some mild food poisoning. At least that's what I'm assuming, since I went from fine, to so incredibly and totally not fine in about 10 minutes flat, and only one thing in my routine changed, which leads me to believe something I ate/drank was a little tainted.

Well I fought through it as best I could all day yesterday, and was still feeling pretty crappy last night. Woke up this morning, and felt more or less better, and I was pretty jazzed that my muscles were actually feeling awesome (compared to the rest of this week), so I couldn't wait to get to class and sweat out the rest of whatever my body was fighting.

Without going into too much detail, food poisoning, no matter how mild - dehydrates you a lot. So that was roadblock #1 to overcome. I was already behind the 8-ball before I walked in the door. Class gets underway, and I pretty quickly realize I'm not going to be able to sweat this out like I'd hoped. I put on my best brave face, clenched my jaw, and powered through for about half an hour, but at the first break, I knew I was done. I tried once more to keep going, but this was totally a "know when you're beat" situation. My head was spinning, my stomach was rebelling, and my heart was broken.

Right now it's all I can do not to burst into tears. Not just because I feel awful all over again - but because I'm so mad that my body is letting me down on the last day of week one. I had really been looking forward to posting how amazing it felt to have completed the first big uphill battle, and now all I want to do is go back to bed.

So -- Sorry if you're anywhere near as disappointed as I am. Don't give up on me yet though. I'm going to get through today as best I can, and start looking forward to next week. A setback is not a stop sign. It's more like a yield. I will yield to my body and better judgement for the moment. But Monday... it's go time.

***EDITED TO ADD*** I just realized why this situation makes me so mad. 90% of my body was "GO", yet the 10% won out. I don't like it when my body doesn't work democratically...

Day 4 - Beg for Mercy/Beg for More

*Alarm Clo---* You know what? Don't even bother, I'm awake. I'm up for crying out loud. But you know what else? I'm feelin' pretty good! Happy to say, I think I've rounded the first major corner. Still tight, still sore, but not to the point of total immobility. I've moved from raging burn, to dull ache of a good workout. Can I get a high five? WOOT WOOT!

Onwards and upwards fellow fitness victims.

Now for class:

... It's always the quiet ones. Megan is such a lovely, sweet, soft spoken girl. Until the warm-up starts. Then she's the spawn of Satan

I'm kidding of course. Megan is pure awesome, and runs a seriously kick butt class. But boy does she push your limits.

Have you ever done a minute of squats? How about a minute of JUMP squats? Minute of burpees? And I swear her minutes last about 300 seconds... Again though, for anyone who might be intimidated by that - you're encouraged to go at your own pace. If you need to take a quick break to shake it out, or modify the exercise, do it. On the flip side if you CAN push harder, and you're taking breaks/changing positions... the only person you're cheating, is yourself.

It's a very fine line between pacing yourself, and slacking, I've discovered (a line I tend to toe... *blush*). But I have to remind myself, it's still week ONE... day FOUR. I'm 80% done my first week, but I'm only 10% done the journey so far.

Tomorrow is the final push before my first break. Sunday is a weigh/measure day. I'm bracing for that, because I know I'll have put on muscle, which always pushes the scale in the wrong direction. So for the moment, I'm trying to focus on feeling my clothes fit differently. Everything tightening, and lifting. Energy levels rising. Body adjusting. That's the hardest part to remember. This isn't about a number on a scale.

For those who haven't read the comments sections of past posts, I'll leave you with one of my favourite quotes:

"No matter how slow you go - you're still lapping everyone sitting on the couch".

Cheers. And here's to earning my Pumpkin Spice Latte...