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.