Lessons Learned

So after today, we have two more weeks of Healthquest.:( Where have these 3 months gone? I remember the days leading up to this were anxious ones because I was so afraid of what the workouts would be like. I heard they were intense and wondered if I was in any kind of shape to last an entire class. Well, they were harder than expected, and my emotions have run from "no, can't do this" to "yes I can -push, push, push"!
I've learned that when you think you can't give do anymore, you find that last little energy to finish. That your body does get stronger, and those bear crawls are easier to finish (though some people are just more coordinated than others). After 3 months, I can actually see some muscle definition under all that fat. And even though that useless scale in my home doesn't register much weight loss, my clothes sure fit differently.
I've done many different types of aerobics in the last 20 years, and doing Carter's daily workouts have resulted in the best mental and physical change I've ever had. I know for myself that working out 5 days a week, in a row, has made a difference. It's been too easy trying to work out 2-3 times a week, because resting one day can quickly lead to 2 days, then 3 days of rest. I've learned our bodies were went to move and exercise every day.
I've always thought that I loved to exercise by myself, not in a group setting. Well, I've finally had to admit that has really never worked for me. I'm too lazy! I need the fellowship of a support group of people in my same shoes. My Healthquest will not really end in two weeks because I plan to continue on at D1 with Carter's workouts, and so many of my Healthquest team will also. It's reassuring when you see those supportive faces line up on the white line. Even though we are told to work at our own pace, seeing others complete sets sooner is an incentive to work harder and push ourselves just a little bit more. I wouldn't do that on my own. To see those strong mentors and other members that have been at it for a year and longer is also a great incentive. They have so much stamina and energy which gives me hopes that I can be like that in the next 12 months.
I believe we've all seen positive results. I can see it in our faces and attitudes. Most of us look like we've been laboring in the hot sun after a workout. T-shirts soaken wet (don't even go there), black pellets up and down our arms and legs, and bright, red, flush faces at the end. Always remarking how yet this was the hardest day. I know we feel energized when getting into our cars looking forward to making it to Fun Fridays, and actually laughing like kids while working out. (Of course Debbie finds something to laugh about everyday).
Great efforts bring great results! Happy Thanksgiving everyone, I'll be relaxing (and working out) in Destin next week.

Just chit-chatting

Who can believe we have finished 9 weeks today!!!! It really seems like we just started yesterday. Three weeks left and I guess one more dunking and more blood work. Who remembers that we are actually competing against another group? The real competition is within ourselves! Trying to push ourselves just a little bit harder this week, downing one more bottle of water when we're sure it's going to come right back up, passing up that second serving of food, or in my case, second glass of wine.
Other than seeing ourselves become stronger and leaner, the other positive aspect of Healthquest is the camaraderie among us middle-age women. I look forward to chit-chatting at the end of the workout. Yesterday, I believe we even embarrassed Toby Mac.
We girls, we'll talk about anything, and at our age we don't care. We cannot be modest at these workouts. T-shirts scrunch up our back as we do bear crawls, our rear-ends stick up in the air, the grunts and groans are unfeminine, we giggle when we attempt to try something new that our bodies just aren't coordinated enough to do, and other things occur not appropriate to mention in a blog. What wonderful support we have at these workouts (and on the blogs). My family is another source of encouragement and high fives, and as my daughter who visited this week said, "that was intense"! (She just sat and watched).
I still end the sets as one of the the last to finish, but I don't care. That I actually finished the entire set without shortening reps is a success. And maybe a year from now I can finish somewhere in the middle. That I'm jogging for the first time in my life (of course what I call a jog may be called fast walking to Carter) is incredible. My shins still ache so much, but with my visit to a podiatrist, hopefully that will diminish.
Today, after the workout as we were chit-chatting again, Debbie talked about how she recently broke out and cried after someone said an encouraging word to her. It was nice to know someone else still cries after these workouts. Earlier this week I was ready to shed those tears after an intense set and would have if someone looked at me or tried to give me a high five. The first week I cried in the car after each workout, and honestly didn't know if I would continue. But these are tears from intense emotion brought on from workouts we never thought our bodies could do. They're "I thought I'd throw up or pass out, but I finished"!
So, after 9 weeks and still feeling vulnerable and wondering if it will ever get easier, Carter talked about our minds, and how we can't be successful if our mindset is not on track to succeed. I know that in the past I wasn't committed because I reasoned I'll start "tomorrow". Just saying you want to lose weight or improve your health doesn't mean you'll do it with success. You have to have a honest conscious and a determination that it begins "today".
It started for me 9 weeks ago, and in 9 months I should, no, will be one of those success stories. (OK support group, make sure I say this to myself over and over).

Happy Results!!!!!

Well, can't complain tonight. I'm getting caught up on my blogging as I deal out candy to trick-or-treaters. Yes, I've had a few treats, but it stops tonight. I cannot reverse the good test results I received last week. Some of you wanted to know the results of my body dunking. Well..... body fat % dropped 2.7%, weight loss was 10.5 lbs, lean mass increased 0.7 lbs, and fat mass dropped 11.2 lbs.
Considering how depressed and concerned I was a couple of blogs back about weight loss, I was pleasantly shocked. However, this is just the beginning. My ultimate goal is to loose 100 lbs of fat mass. I have been using the nutrition tracking part of spark people. If you haven't used it yet, it's really simple, and has neat reports to track your progress. It's amazing how quickly the calories add up. I think I'm starting to realize that portion control is a big part of losing weight. I am also having a difficult time trying to keep the carbs, fat, and protein recommendations in the range. Most days I still eat too many carbs, and not enough protein. The hardest part of all of this is trying to down over 100 ounces of water. I've now taken a large jug, and filled it each morning with the amount of water I should drink each day. I refill my water bottle from this during the day, and usually succeed in maybe 8 cups, but rarely succeed in drinking it all. So this is my new goal. Many of you have told me that before starting each meal, you down a glass. I will have to try this also.
After week 7, I've come to look forward to the daily ritual of chit-chat with the girls, lots of laughing, group discussions of our aches and pains, and seeing what new ways of working our bodies Carter has developed. No more shedding tears after the workout, and starting to embrace those dreaded bear crawls and burpies. Shin splints and a chronic case of hip bursitis are my daily aches, and hopefully one more cortisone shot and a trip to the podiatrist for custom orthotics will help. If anyone has any suggestions for easing the pain other than stretching and creams, I'd love to hear about them.
O.k. got to go hand out more treats.

*Love is a powerful force*

"I remember my last days using on the streets. I walked up and down Dickerson Rd. until a car stopped for me. I got in the car, and the man asked me to have sex with him. I agreed because I wanted that next hit of dope so bad. After we finished, he dropped me off at the store on the corner of Dickerson Rd. and Hancock Ave. I saw the guy who I always bought my drugs from, and I bought dope. I went behind the store to take a hit. I smoked it on a glass stem and tried to forget what I had just done."
This is an excerpt from the book "Find Your Way Home - Words from the Street, Wisdom from the Heart," written by the women of Magdalene with Becca Stevens. Magdalene is a two-year residential community founded by the Rev. Becca Stevens in 1997 for women with a history of prostitution and drug addiction. Thistle Farms is a non-profit business run by these women. They create natural bath and body products. The sales proceeds go back into supporting the residents of Magdalene. Through Thistle Farms the women learn much needed job skills, and learn responsibility and cooperation. Their belief is that freedom starts with healing, and love can change lives.
Becca Stevens is an Episcopal priest, writer, and speaker. She is Chaplain at St. Augustine's chapel on Vanderbilt University. Her commitment to serve, has helped her to establish a partnership between St. Augustine's Chapel and San Eduardo in Ecuador to build and support a rural school, a nursing program for an AIDS hospice in Botswana, and a center for contemplative justice that houses programs such as a chapter of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, which serves the homeless in Nashville. She has won numerous awards such as the Frist Foundation's award for "Innovation in Action," Community Nashville's Human Relations Award, and the Academy of Women in Achievement. Becca has also written three spiritual books.
I have purchased many of Thistle Farms products because they make great gifts, and smell wonderful. I especially love their candles, lip balms, and room sprays. The products are all natural, beautifully packaged, and I know I help support a powerful community nurturing women's health. Your church can host an evening with Becca and Magdalene and hear about their journeys. It will bring tears to your eyes as you hear residents talk about their former, destructive lives. Afterwards you can treat yourself from the various products, or think ahead to gift-giving.
I encourage you to visit the Thistle Farms website at http://www.thistlefarms.org/ . You can learn more about the community, how to host a party, or volunteer. Becca Stevens is a sensitive, humorous speaker who tells her audience how she became a "thistle farmer".

Can I just vent a litle?

Today is the beginning of week six. Where has the time gone? I have to admit I've been pretty upbeat till now, but today I came home and felt like I'm not really making any progress. Poor Ginny and Debbie had to hear me whine today that I just couldn't do another set of those crunch pull-up/bear crawls; and to top it all off, jog two sets including the stairs. (Thanks girls) Why aren't these workouts getting any easier? Yes, I know that my body doesn't ache like it did in the beginning, and I guess there are things I can do now that I couldn't do at week one, but I still sweat like a pig, and my heartrate will exceed 200, and I still feel like I'm carrying 100 lbs(which I am). Today I left feeling so drained. Running up those stairs is still so hard, and those bear crawls - ugh! Someone commented today, "and to think that we volunteer for all this punishment".
The common sense part of my brain tells me that I'm not going to lose that much weight in 5 weeks, but the impatient part says "how about 3-5 lbs"? Well, I know I shouldn't have, but I weighed myself this morning, and I gained a pound! I promise (God can be my witness), I have been tracking my calories. If I were smart I'd put that stupid scale in the closet and forget about it. But it will always whisper out, "come step on me".
While I'm complaining, let's mention my shins. They are still really bothering me. My husband keeps telling me to stretch my calves on the stairs, so I've been trying that. But they still hurt everytime I jog! Of course I've never been a jogger my entire life, so I guess it will take many more weeks of jogging for my legs to become accustomed to this new activity. They did weather the Brentwood High Boogie Walk/Run this weekend, and I'm proud to say I came in last. But who cares, I jogged a little, walked as fast as I could, and shocked my daughter who had never seen me jog. My thanks to Ginny and Alison for walking with me part of the way.
There now, I feel better. Just had to get this off my chest. And speaking of chests.....

A New Habit

I had to say no to a mini-vacation with my next door neighbor because I would miss a day of working out. Who is this person? And why would I give up the chance to go to the mountains and chill out with "the girls". I never believed the saying that it takes _ weeks of doing something to form it into a habit. (Not sure of the #of weeks) However, it's been 4 weeks now, and I haven't missed a single day. I don't want to, even though I know in a few weeks I have to go on vacation with my family for fall break. (The sneakers and bike are coming). Before this all started, I could come up with a million reasons why I didn't have time to exercise or eat right. Now, my family is putting up with my nutritional advice - I think my husband is ready to have a talk with Carter -
or put out that I can't take them some place "right now" because I want to go for a walk instead.
My husband who never notices anything I do to myself - I could walk around in a straight, blond wig, and he wouldn't say a thing (those who know me, know I have curly, dark brown hair) - made a comment this morning on the way my pants fit, especially around the derriere. (Thank you Carter).
I guess those 10 million leg squats we're doing are finally doing their thing!
The point of all this, is that when I try to envision myself a year from now, I hope to do a few things I haven't done in over 20 years.

• I want to replace my wardrobe because nothing fits
• I want to be able to go hiking and make it up a hill without huffing and puffing and keep up with my fit friends
• I want to go on a Backroads.com trip with family and friends. This outfit organizes a hiking vacation in wonderful places around the globe and you can either camp or stay in 5-star hotels. (Check out the website)
• But most importantly, I want my children to see what their mother used to look like BC (before children). They have always seen me overweight. I've kept a few articles of clothing from my career days, and my daughter cannot believe how tiny I was. Actually, I can't either.

My biggest fear is that I'll go back to old habits once this is all over. But I pray that I will have instilled in my lazy mind a new habit. The mentors are inspiring because it shows how determined they are and that exercise is a priority in their lives. They are all so strong and supportive, and I know that if they are still coming, I too can continue this journey.

Thank you to our loved ones!

O.k., confession time. Yes, I admit it, I take my family for granted sometimes; especially my husband. He has afforded me the opportunity to stay home and raise my children, manage and organize the affairs of the house without a lot of interference, and provide a comfortable lifestyle. I, in return do what women find easy to do-whine and complain about our mishaps. That's because our girlfriends will listen to us, sympathize, then give us a hug. Well, yesterday, I came home very down after an intense, "Day One of Week 4" workout. I felt like I was starting over during the workout, and my fellow boot campers were cheering me on like never before. I let it all out to my husband and told him how out of shape I was and after 3 weeks nothing had changed - you know the routine, blah,blah,blah, please feel sorry for me. Well, he did something men don't usually do, he listened without telling me how to correct my shortcomings, then gave me a pep talk and told me how proud he was of me!
Just the perfect thing I needed to hear. Then I remembered how stressful his life has been the past two weeks. He's a portfolio manager with Merrill Lynch. If you follow the news, you know he now works for Bank of America, and that yesterday the market dropped around 700 points. I quickly got my attitude adjusted and gave him a big hug and kiss.
So this post goes out to thank and acknowledge all our family members who are supporting us, and giving us the encouragement we need as we make these positive lifestyle changes. If you are like me, this is the first time I've made exercise a priority in my life, and everything else now revolves around it.

No Surprise

Did any of the test results I've received so far surprise me? Absolutely not! That's why I'm here. Although I did think my metabolism would be next to slow. My VO2 test was ranked "fair" - not surprised here also. I can barely catch my breath as Carter does the cardio part of our workout. The body fat % -high. We can all see that. I've always told myself I have big muscles leftover from my swimming days as a youth. No, just layers of fat!
Can't wait to get the rest of the test results, and listen to Dr. Gupta and Carilu Robinson. Carter's daily talks are inspiring and usually come after I've just had a mental breakdown from not being able to complete another combination.
One problem I'm having is trying to eat 5-6 small meals a day. When you live in a car doing errands and chaffeuring kids around, it's hard to do. At least I'm hauling the water with me. Hopefully, Carilu will have some tips.
Got to go. It's a timely process getting ready to workout.

Body Aches Finally Gone!

Two weeks in and the daily aches and pains are for the most part gone. In it's place is a feeling of tightness. I even find myself trying to stand straighter. My initial goals of making exercise a top priority in my life and replacing horrible eating habits with wiser choices are still there; however, they have been kinda pushed aside and temporarily replaced my the following goals:

• Do a bear crawl all the way down the field (can someone show me how to do it correctly?)
• Do a lumber jack jump? (the one Carter pairs with the bear crawls) in full mode all the way down the field
• run up and down the stairs 3 times without holding on to the wall and my knees
• Hold the dreaded Plank without coming down to rest

In the two weeks I've done HealthQuest, it's the little improvements that have boosted my confidence; since I had none the first week I started. I can now jog (though barely) around the entire field. I've never been a jogger my entire life. Now I'm thinking what would happen if I started jogging on the nearby bike trail at home at the end of this 12 weeks? Another goal!

Anway, found out that Renee came up with the HealthQuest idea. Kudos to her and Debbie, and the rest of the crew. You all are great and keep us pumped up.

I'm also enjoying all my new girlfriends and finding out why we all look familiar to each other. Thanks to all who cheer me on when I'm the last to finish a routine or just can't go on.

And lastly, since I seem to be losing my memory these days, I told my family if they can't find me to just follow the little black pellets on the floor.

Sore wrists, swollen eyes and trouble!

Speaking of wrists, I now have a wrap on my left, because any movement is so painful. It's just a very sore muscle, so I applied the capazian crème to it and washed my hands like the directions said. Well, then my eye itched, and after rubbing it, it was on fire!!! After lots of water splashing, howling, and a red swollen eye, I can see again and the capazian is in the trash. The rest of the day can only getbetter. Right???

Day One at D-1

“Just hold back the tears!” – day 1 & day 3 reaction upon finishing the workout. (For some reason, I felt energized when leaving on day 2). I sure hope to have more of those feelings. Right now I’m feeling the pains of thrusting an intense boot camp on my body which has not participated in any consistent aerobics exercise in twenty years. As one of the slowest in my class, I’m wondering what I’m doing here as I try to catch my breath, and hope the next routine will be manageable. I keep expecting Carter to pull me aside and tell me to lose 100 lbs, and then come back. That’s surely what I’ve been thinking. To say that every single muscle in my body is aching, is a huge understatement. Even my wrists and fingers are sore most likely from pushing those huge tires. But…. even with the soreness, I’m feeling tightness in my entire body. I am looking forward to the day I can finish my jogging laps around the turf without stopping. Now I must go to bed and get much needed REST!