She Works Hard for the....

WEIGHT LOSS! Yes, folks that's right, weight loss. Today was officially 1 week in to the 5 week metabolic circuit. Today, I officially weigh 207 lbs (it was slightly under that, but rounding is so much easier). Was I expecting this, no. Am I thrilled, yes! There's nothing like seeing progression in anything you do to push yourself harder.

Some of you might be saying, “Well, is 2 pounds good? I mean, on the Biggest Loser they lose like 5 – 10 pounds in a week”. Simply, the answer is YES! First of all, I am not off on some remote ranch with people watching over every single minute of my life. Second, I am still working at my normal job, dealing with normal stress, and trying to still be social. Third, I do not have over 100 pounds to lose, and I am not someone that is in the “beginning” stages of working out. The more weight you have to lose, the faster it comes off, at first. Especially if you are someone that is going from a completely sedentary life, to one of adding at least 20 minutes of cardio to your daily routine. For the average human being, normal & healthy weight loss is 2-3 pounds a week. I have fit myself in to being normal (I'm sure that will surprise many of you)!

Michael pointed out to me last night that I refer to my workouts, but that I have never explained them. Part of the reason is that they are trademarked by the gym I work at. Like many other businesses, our industry has a lot of trade secrets. Each gym has to compete with each other, through equipment, training, and pricing. Me spewing all of our secrets would be very counterproductive. What I can tell you is the definitions of each type of training I am doing.

• Interval Training: training that involves bursts of high-intensity work interspersed with periods of low-intensity work. The high-intensity periods are typically at or close to anaerobic exercise, while the recovery periods may involve either complete rest or activity of lower intensity
• Metabolic Circuit: completing structural and compound exercises with little rest in between exercises in an effort to maximize calorie burn and increase metabolic rate during and after the workout.
• Circuit Training: form of conditioning combining resistance training and high-intensity aerobics. It is designed to be easy to follow and target strength building as well as muscular endurance.

Right now I am doing 5 days a week: 2 with my trainer doing intense circuit training, 2 on my own doing metabolic circuits (and usually at least 20 minutes of intervals on a treadmill), and 1 day of 30 minutes of cardio. I have my range for my heart rate, a goal for calorie burn, and a time frame I should aim for to do these workouts. My goal is to stay within these areas so that I can reach maximum training potential. Some days it is easier than others (yesterday felt great, but today was a tough one). However, on those days when I feel like my legs are rocks, or that I just don't have the juice, I push. I make myself uncomfortable. I have been close to vomiting, I have wheezed, and I usually have sweat dripping from me.

What each person needs to figure out when they start on any fitness journey is this: What do they want their end goal to be? For some it will be weight-loss, for some weight-gain, for some toning, and for some it will just be to have more energy. Each person has their own wants. The important thing is trying to make sure that your want is inline with your need. What the heck does that mean? It means that if someone walked in to our gym today and said they wanted to lose 10 pounds, but it would make them unhealthy by medical standards, we would try to educate & work with them. If someone came in and said they only wanted to lose 10 pounds, but medically they really needed to lose between 50-100 we would explain why and do our best to help them. Remember, always seek medical advice before starting any fitness program. Also, don't compare yourself to someone else at the gym. Every person's journey is different.

Okay – so enough harping. After all, I am sure you don't read this for me to give you medical definitions you could find online. So, today was week 1. Last week I made a commitment to myself that regardless of whether the scale moved or not, that I would judge my success on how I felt after 1 week. I must tell you, when I woke up this morning the first thing I thought of was getting my workout in. I feel stronger. I notice that I stand up straighter. I weigh food decisions without prompting. I am changing. I am on my way. I'm not perfect, and this past week hasn't been either. However, I did meet my goal of getting in to the gym at least 4 days during week 1. From Wednesday, March 21^st till today, I was in the gym every day but Sunday. Yep, folks that 7 days out of 8. Honestly, I really didn't even realize it had been that much until I sat down and thought about it today. I was just doing the workouts I had been given and following Kathleen's advice. She has taken some of the thinking out of it for me, and with everything else I have going on in my life, I need that.

Today was the first day of the second set of metabolic circuits that I do on my own. I loved the first set I was doing, so I think I underestimated this one...just a bit! Let's just say that I still hate burpees. In this circuit there are 3 cycles, each with 3 exercises. You are to do 12 reps of each individual exercise, 2-4 times through (meaning that you will do each cycle 2 to 4 times before moving on to the next cycle of exercises). I started by going through each Cycle 2 times, then finished it up with a 3^rd time through. Your goal is to get through 2-4 times through each cycle in 30 minutes. I finished 3 sets of each cycle in 32 minutes. I had no energy to do a 4^th, or I would have despite the time. I'm listening to my body. I was whooped! So, today I did 36 burpees, 36 recline pull-ins, 36 crunches on a stability ball w/ a 25lb medicine ball, 36 straight leg dead-lifts with 20lb weights, 36 rubber band chest presses, 36 rubber band bent over pull-downs, 36 squats (w/ 20 lbs on each shoulder) on a dynadisc, 36 overhead presses with 15lb weight, and 36 glute press with 30lbs on my hips. I did all that within 32 minutes, taking 15-30second rests between each of them, and I burned 417 calories. Then, despite being drained, I hopped on an incline trainer and did 20 minutes of intervals, finishing with a 2 minute sprint. Total workout ended up being 52 minutes with 638 calories burned. Yeah, it was tough. However, I did it. I DID IT. No one else can do this for me, they can support me, but they can't lose that weight for me. I am proving it to myself. I hope that I am helping you prove to yourself that you can do it too.

"Some people dream of success... while others wake up and work hard at it." ~Author Unknown

Testament to the Trainers Who Brought Me This Far:

Dinos Angelas



Yep, ladies & gentlemen, I worked out with this man.  Sure looks scary, huh?  Dinos is a former MMA fighter, and collegiate wrestler.  I worked out at the gym that Dinos used to work at for 6 years.  He was there when I started, and there when I left.  Even though I didn't start working with him until the last 6 months of me being at that gym, he always knew who I was, he always encouraged me.  Dinos taught me boxing, and helped me believe in myself again.  I truly believe that I was lucky to be getting some leg-lifts in when he had some free time one day and stopped to chat.  From that day forth, he pushed me.  He knew I was hurting, and that I needed help.  He was there daily to remind me I was worth it.  He pushed me.  I owe the first 29 pounds of my weight loss to him and his faith in me.  He looks scary, but he's one of the most caring persons I have ever met.  Don't get me wrong, he doesn't know the meaning of, "I can't" and will kick your ass (literally)!

Katrina DeCarufel

How could anyone this sweet-looking be a trainer? Oh, yeah, I thought that to myself.  Then I put on my gloves and took my first Strike Class (mixed martial arts, kickboxing, circuit style).  Whoa!  While Katrina is a true Southern Belle (she is from North Carolina, and sadly moving back there), she has found a way to make that southern sweetness push you past your limits.  Maybe it's just that no matter what she says, it just sounds nice, so you do it!  I adored working out with her, because she knew when I needed to get that stress out.  It was like she was a mind reader.  She definitely always had her hands full, Strike class was usually 8 laughing, loud ladies (well, we were laughing & loud at least).  Katrina taught me that strength can be beautiful. 

Kathleen Sickles

I have a feeling that Kathleen will not be thrilled about this photo, but I find it to be hilarious (and I am now sure I will pay for this).  Kathleen is my current Coach, and the person you will likely hear most about.  She's 11 years younger than me, and her faith in my ability pushes me.  She's patient with me, but she doesn't take no for an answer.  I chose to work with Kathleen after I watched her put herself through some crazy workouts.  I also have trust in her.  When you work with a trainer you have to be ready to divulge your deepest fears.  She's with me on this.  I could do this without her...maybe...but right now I need her guidance & support.  I know that Kathleen is there for me, and I enjoy our workouts (sicko).  I'm lucky to have her!

If you want to know where any of these fabulous trainers work, please message me.  They all are unique in their ways, and all have plenty of successes behind them.  I'm lucky to have gotten to work with all three.  It's due to them that I know that I can complete this journey.