Week 6, halfway through this journey I started back in January. 6 weeks to go which means only 12 more workouts with Team Castanet. I can easily remember all of this because I love numbers. Its the way my mind works. I know how many stairs I climb, because I count them as I go up or down. At work, I want to know how many orders went through our printer each day and what the sales were. When we travel to Vancouver, I can tell my husband exactly where the half way point is, or how many kilometers we have left before we arrive and how long it will take us to travel those kilometers . He finds that strange and sometimes annoying, but its the way I think. I do the same thing with this journey.
Monday was a rough day for me. Work didn't go well, and I was tired, but I got myself ready for our team workout and the charity night. I packed food for the food bank and a donation for Canadian Mental Health in my gym bag and off I went. Our team workout was going well with nothing unusual until I tried to stand up after doing some push-ups. My right foot wouldn't let me put any weight on it. The pain kept up for the remainder of the workout eventually spreading to my ankle. I had no choice but to take it easy especially during the cardio portions. When Team Castanet's workout was over, I handed over my donations to Tracey and limped home. I was very frustrated and spent the rest of the evening icing my foot and pouting.
Tuesday my foot and ankle seemed to be better so after work I went to the gym and hit the treadmill determined to be mindful of whatever was going on. I did 30 minutes and then joined the power sculpt class. It was a much better day than Monday. I am able to do so much more in that class than the first time I took it.
Wednesday I went back to the gym and hit the treadmill. I decided that I would just do intervals and not try to run straight for any length of time. I warmed up for 5 minutes and then ran for a minute at 6. I then walked for 2 minutes at 4.2. I kept going back and forth like this for 30 minutes running anywhere between 5 and 6 and recovering at 4.2. I stayed on the treadmill for 60 minutes and did over 4 miles. It was a good workout.
Thursday, things didn't go so well. I woke up with a sore throat and at work I ran an orientation for some new associates which meant I was talking for most of the day. By the time 5:30 rolled around, my voice was almost gone, and I had no energy. I went to our team workout and did what I could, but I was frustrated with how little I was able to push myself especially during the cardio portion. I also didn't lose any weight this week which was rough. After 5 weeks of always losing something, seeing the scale stubbornly stay put was tough.
Friday I woke up with a full blown cold which explained why I couldn't give the effort I wanted to the night before. I wound up leaving work early and coming home to rest so no workout.
Saturday morning I got up and a cough had decided to join in with all the other things going on with my body so again I stayed home from the gym. I worked Saturday night and managed to push through my shift with the help of cold medicine.
Its Sunday which is usually my day off. My sinuses are plugged, and I'm still coughing so I don't know yet if I will attempt any sort of workout. I may venture outside later for a walk or I may play with my Wii fit. I want to move, but I don't want to overdo it and wind up allowing this cold to linger any longer than I have to. Its been a frustrating week. I have only been able to get in 4 workouts instead of 6 and of those I only felt like I could give 100% for 2. I rarely get sick so getting sick in the middle of this 12 weeks had not occurred to me, but in reality this is life. We all have things that we have to deal with that try to derail our efforts. The problem is not that I've had a less than perfect week. It will only become a problem if I let it completely throw me off track, and I don't have any intention of letting that happen. I've already come so far and this is meant to be a way of life, not just a 12 week blip. Tomorrow is the start of week 7, and I have every intention of giving it all I've got. As for my love of numbers, I am able to quantify everything I've been doing. The weights that I use during our workouts have gone from 5 pounds to 8 pounds and this week I will move on and try 10. My treadmill workouts have gone from 40 minutes to an hour, and the distance has increased from 2.8 miles to 4.2 miles. I know that I can do the first mile in 13 and a half minutes. My 3 mile time has dropped from 45 minutes to 38, and my clothes have dropped more than a size. The scale may not always show the results, but there are many other numbers that I can keep track of and use to show my progress. For a number loving person like me, looking at all those numbers shows that the first 6 weeks have been a big success.
Sunday, 24 February 2013
Sunday, 17 February 2013
Week 5
5 weeks! How time flies when you're having fun and how much progress can be made during that time if you dig yourself in and really focus. I now have well established routines in regards to my workouts and my eating. These new routines are producing results that people who don't know what I'm up to these days are noticing. All this hard work is paying off and that is what's making this so much fun.
Monday was family day, but our sold out, completely dedicated to us, trainer didn't want us to miss our workout. Since all the classes were cancelled at Global Fitness, our workout included a spin class and time in the cage. I don't know if I will ever become a fan of spin, but I am thankful that I got to try. I just don't understand how anyone can get used to those seats! :) I did enjoy the cage and the circuit Stephanie set out for us. I've watched them smash medicine balls on Biggest Loser, and now I can add that to my list of things I've done. It was an intense all over workout, and once again Team Castanet rocked! I love my team.
Tuesday I did 25 minutes on the treadmill. I am trying with the treadmill to somehow become something of a runner which was why my one month goal was to run for 5 minutes. Tuesday I ran 7 minutes at 5.0. Later during the 25 minutes, I pushed it to 6.0 and ran for a minute. I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with myself. Doing these intervals keeps me engaged during the workout, and when I'm finished, I know I've given it everything I have that day. After the treadmill, I went upstairs and did the power sculpt class. It was a new routine which included the bosu ball. My last experience with this piece of equipment didn't go as well as I would have liked, but this time was better. I can tell that my balance is improving along with other areas of my fitness level.
Wednesday I was brave enough to try the cardio funk class. It wasn't the easiest class I've ever done mostly because I had a very hard time figuring out the steps. I was describing the class later in the week to my daughter explaining to her all the different types of music we used, and how we ended the class gangnam style. It looked like to me that she was trying to picture her mom dancing gangnam style. That made me smile because I'm pretty sure she could not imagine me looking anywhere as silly as I actually looked.......well maybe she could.
Thursday was our team workout. We were back in the racquetball court doing a circuit of cardio, strength and core exercises. Half way through, we left the court and hit the stairs. There was another much younger group doing the same thing, and I have to say, we gave them a run for their money, at least some of them. Another great workout! Team Castanet just doesn't give up.
On Friday my workout was just the treadmill. It sometimes takes me awhile to settle into it especially when I know I'm on there for almost an hour. After a 5 minute warm-up, I put the speed up to 5.0. I wanted to run for at least the 7 minutes I had done earlier in the week. It was a weird run because at 2 minutes I had to dig deep and was feeling like I may only be able to make 5 minutes. I made the 5 and then took it one minute at a time. When I got to 7, I decided to try for 8 so that I could beat the previous effort. When I got to 8, I kept going and made 10 minutes! When I told my girl-friend that I had made the 5 minutes, she suggested that my new goal be 10 minutes. I told her I was afraid to say that out loud. We agreed that I would only say it out loud to her. lol. 10 minutes was hard, but the exhilaration I felt afterwards made it so worth the extra effort it took. On my way home, I realized that I had doubled my one month goal in just two weeks! At the end of my 55 minutes, I had gone 4 miles.
Saturday I did 35 minutes on the treadmill and used the elevation for my intervals. I am able to go as high as 6.0 and still keep my speed up at 4.2. After the treadmill, I finished week 5 with the yoga for beginner's class. I enjoy ending my week with the peacefulness of yoga, and I always leave with all my muscles well stretched.
If there was one thing this week that I found very frustrating, it's the new commercial for weight watcher's on-line. Have you seen it? Its the one where the lady who has lost over 100lbs talks about how easy it was. The first 20 came off and then the next. Just like that! I get very angry watching this commercial. Losing weight is not easy especially for anyone who has over 100 pounds to lose. I understand that the program is fairly easy to follow, but that is very different from saying losing weight is easy. It is not realistic to think that if you gained weight by eating cookies that you can still eat cookies and lose weight. I've lost 18lbs so far in 5 weeks, and I will not tell you its been easy. I am enjoying the process, I am enjoying pushing my own boundaries and I am enjoying the results, but it has not been easy, and I don't expect the next 18lbs to be easy either. I will talk to anyone about what I've done so far in as much detail as you want, but I will not tell you that you can eat cookies or that you don't have to make difficult choices to get where you want to go. I will tell you exactly what is working for me, but if you are hoping for something easy, you will be disappointed with the path that I am taking.
Monday was family day, but our sold out, completely dedicated to us, trainer didn't want us to miss our workout. Since all the classes were cancelled at Global Fitness, our workout included a spin class and time in the cage. I don't know if I will ever become a fan of spin, but I am thankful that I got to try. I just don't understand how anyone can get used to those seats! :) I did enjoy the cage and the circuit Stephanie set out for us. I've watched them smash medicine balls on Biggest Loser, and now I can add that to my list of things I've done. It was an intense all over workout, and once again Team Castanet rocked! I love my team.
Tuesday I did 25 minutes on the treadmill. I am trying with the treadmill to somehow become something of a runner which was why my one month goal was to run for 5 minutes. Tuesday I ran 7 minutes at 5.0. Later during the 25 minutes, I pushed it to 6.0 and ran for a minute. I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with myself. Doing these intervals keeps me engaged during the workout, and when I'm finished, I know I've given it everything I have that day. After the treadmill, I went upstairs and did the power sculpt class. It was a new routine which included the bosu ball. My last experience with this piece of equipment didn't go as well as I would have liked, but this time was better. I can tell that my balance is improving along with other areas of my fitness level.
Wednesday I was brave enough to try the cardio funk class. It wasn't the easiest class I've ever done mostly because I had a very hard time figuring out the steps. I was describing the class later in the week to my daughter explaining to her all the different types of music we used, and how we ended the class gangnam style. It looked like to me that she was trying to picture her mom dancing gangnam style. That made me smile because I'm pretty sure she could not imagine me looking anywhere as silly as I actually looked.......well maybe she could.
Thursday was our team workout. We were back in the racquetball court doing a circuit of cardio, strength and core exercises. Half way through, we left the court and hit the stairs. There was another much younger group doing the same thing, and I have to say, we gave them a run for their money, at least some of them. Another great workout! Team Castanet just doesn't give up.
On Friday my workout was just the treadmill. It sometimes takes me awhile to settle into it especially when I know I'm on there for almost an hour. After a 5 minute warm-up, I put the speed up to 5.0. I wanted to run for at least the 7 minutes I had done earlier in the week. It was a weird run because at 2 minutes I had to dig deep and was feeling like I may only be able to make 5 minutes. I made the 5 and then took it one minute at a time. When I got to 7, I decided to try for 8 so that I could beat the previous effort. When I got to 8, I kept going and made 10 minutes! When I told my girl-friend that I had made the 5 minutes, she suggested that my new goal be 10 minutes. I told her I was afraid to say that out loud. We agreed that I would only say it out loud to her. lol. 10 minutes was hard, but the exhilaration I felt afterwards made it so worth the extra effort it took. On my way home, I realized that I had doubled my one month goal in just two weeks! At the end of my 55 minutes, I had gone 4 miles.
Saturday I did 35 minutes on the treadmill and used the elevation for my intervals. I am able to go as high as 6.0 and still keep my speed up at 4.2. After the treadmill, I finished week 5 with the yoga for beginner's class. I enjoy ending my week with the peacefulness of yoga, and I always leave with all my muscles well stretched.
If there was one thing this week that I found very frustrating, it's the new commercial for weight watcher's on-line. Have you seen it? Its the one where the lady who has lost over 100lbs talks about how easy it was. The first 20 came off and then the next. Just like that! I get very angry watching this commercial. Losing weight is not easy especially for anyone who has over 100 pounds to lose. I understand that the program is fairly easy to follow, but that is very different from saying losing weight is easy. It is not realistic to think that if you gained weight by eating cookies that you can still eat cookies and lose weight. I've lost 18lbs so far in 5 weeks, and I will not tell you its been easy. I am enjoying the process, I am enjoying pushing my own boundaries and I am enjoying the results, but it has not been easy, and I don't expect the next 18lbs to be easy either. I will talk to anyone about what I've done so far in as much detail as you want, but I will not tell you that you can eat cookies or that you don't have to make difficult choices to get where you want to go. I will tell you exactly what is working for me, but if you are hoping for something easy, you will be disappointed with the path that I am taking.
Sunday, 10 February 2013
Week four
Week four is over, and we are officially a third of the way through. Wow! January is gone, and we are well into February, and I'm still working hard at this year's resolution to get fit and lose weight. I can't remember any other year where that has happened. So here is how my week went.
Monday is always a group workout with Team Castanet and Stephanie. I love Monday's at the gym. I find that starting my workout week with the team gives me a chance to focus after my day off. Stephanie never disappoints and this workout was as tough as any. We did a circuit of cardio and strength exercises and then ran around the cardio equipment in the gym in pairs passing a medicine ball between us. It doesn't matter what strength exercises we do, Stephanie makes sure we get plenty of cardio in. Once again we all left tired and sweaty.
Tuesday I decided to join Donna and Tracy for the power sculpt class. I wanted to follow Stephanie's example though so I hit the treadmill for 20 minutes first. The class was challenging, but I was surprised to discover there weren't any exercises I couldn't do. There were a few I couldn't do for very long, but I've decided to keep going to this class so that will change. Stephanie challenged us this week to try something new, and I'm glad she did.
I worked late again on Wed so my workout was at 6:30am. I hit the treadmill after seeing Stephanie's early morning group. It looked intense and Stephanie took a moment to let me know that we would be doing the same on Thursday.....yikes! I got started on the treadmill, and I just wasn't into it. It had taken a lot to get me to leave the house that early. I have to admit that I bribed myself by promising I would take it easy. I find myself doing that a lot. :) I did my 5 minute warm up and then decided I would try to run at 5.0. I figured that since my one month goal was to run for 5 minutes at 5.0 that I needed to work towards that. On Tuesday I had pushed it to 3 minutes, and I was pleased with that since I had only ever done 2 minutes before. I hit the speed control and started running. I got to two minutes and thought "ok, one more and I can slow down." When I got to 3 minutes I thought, "Let's try one more." When I got to 4 minutes my thoughts turned to, "Christine, you can do this. You can make it 5 minutes right now.", so I pushed through to 5 minutes before I turned the speed back down to 4.2. I was a little emotional at that point. I had just done something that a week ago I thought would be a huge stretch for me and something that 5 weeks ago I thought I'd never be able to do. I honestly wanted to cry, but I reminded myself that I still had 45 minutes to do before my whole workout was done. I spent the remainder of my time pushing the speed up and down doing the intervals that Stephanie recommended. So much for taking it easy.
Thursday was Team Castanet's workout again, and it was challenging just like I suspected after seeing a glimpse of it on Wednesday morning. It was cardio and strength including core. The room was hot, but our team is tough! We all pushed through. Stephanie never lets up, and I love it. I would never know how much I can handle if it weren't for her. I trust her, and I believe that if she says we can do it, we can do it. I will admit that after doing crunches and sit up's, the bicycle exercise was a lot, but we all did everything we could. I love it when we are all done, and we hit the change room together. It is great to hear everyone encourage each other and to know the support is there. If one of us is having an off day, the team is there to help push through.
On Friday I did 45 minutes on the treadmill and then 10 minutes on a bike. It was all part of trying something new. On Saturday I did 40 minutes on the treadmill and used the elevation for the intervals instead of the speed, and then joined the yoga for beginners class. I really enjoy the yoga class especially since it is the last thing I do before my day off. The stretching provided by yoga is a perfect way to end my stretch of 6 workouts.
This week was full of highs for me. There were days when I really didn't want to go to the gym, and like I mentioned before, I would bribe myself by deciding to go but to take it easy. I never once took it easy. Once I get myself to the gym and get focused on whatever I am doing, I am all in. As a result of that, I did a power sculpt class with weights and exercises that at first looked difficult, but I figured them out. I met my one month goal in a week, and on Friday I even surpassed it by running for 6 minutes. We weighed in on Thursday and took measurements. After 4 weeks, I am down 15.6lbs and a total of 10 inches. When I started this, I could not have imagined those results. My legs are stronger, my pants are a size smaller, and I am actually running on the treadmill. I am more confident that I can handle the workouts Stephanie gives to us, and I'm willing to try more than just the treadmill. I can't tell you that this is easy because its not. I still would like chocolate or cheese, and I would love to go home after work and have dinner with my family rather than go to the gym, but I am making all of this a choice. I am choosing to make the decisions each day that are leading to fantastic results. Getting chosen for Get it Back - Give it Back was a gift, and it is a gift that I am choosing to make the most of. Its Sunday, my day to rest and reflect back and as I do that, I am filled with gratitude. Its gratitude for the opportunity, for the choices I've made this past 4 weeks, and for the results I've experienced so far. Thank you Global Fitness, Stephanie and Team Castanet! Its been a great 4 weeks, and I'm excited to see what happens during the next 8.
Monday is always a group workout with Team Castanet and Stephanie. I love Monday's at the gym. I find that starting my workout week with the team gives me a chance to focus after my day off. Stephanie never disappoints and this workout was as tough as any. We did a circuit of cardio and strength exercises and then ran around the cardio equipment in the gym in pairs passing a medicine ball between us. It doesn't matter what strength exercises we do, Stephanie makes sure we get plenty of cardio in. Once again we all left tired and sweaty.
Tuesday I decided to join Donna and Tracy for the power sculpt class. I wanted to follow Stephanie's example though so I hit the treadmill for 20 minutes first. The class was challenging, but I was surprised to discover there weren't any exercises I couldn't do. There were a few I couldn't do for very long, but I've decided to keep going to this class so that will change. Stephanie challenged us this week to try something new, and I'm glad she did.
I worked late again on Wed so my workout was at 6:30am. I hit the treadmill after seeing Stephanie's early morning group. It looked intense and Stephanie took a moment to let me know that we would be doing the same on Thursday.....yikes! I got started on the treadmill, and I just wasn't into it. It had taken a lot to get me to leave the house that early. I have to admit that I bribed myself by promising I would take it easy. I find myself doing that a lot. :) I did my 5 minute warm up and then decided I would try to run at 5.0. I figured that since my one month goal was to run for 5 minutes at 5.0 that I needed to work towards that. On Tuesday I had pushed it to 3 minutes, and I was pleased with that since I had only ever done 2 minutes before. I hit the speed control and started running. I got to two minutes and thought "ok, one more and I can slow down." When I got to 3 minutes I thought, "Let's try one more." When I got to 4 minutes my thoughts turned to, "Christine, you can do this. You can make it 5 minutes right now.", so I pushed through to 5 minutes before I turned the speed back down to 4.2. I was a little emotional at that point. I had just done something that a week ago I thought would be a huge stretch for me and something that 5 weeks ago I thought I'd never be able to do. I honestly wanted to cry, but I reminded myself that I still had 45 minutes to do before my whole workout was done. I spent the remainder of my time pushing the speed up and down doing the intervals that Stephanie recommended. So much for taking it easy.
Thursday was Team Castanet's workout again, and it was challenging just like I suspected after seeing a glimpse of it on Wednesday morning. It was cardio and strength including core. The room was hot, but our team is tough! We all pushed through. Stephanie never lets up, and I love it. I would never know how much I can handle if it weren't for her. I trust her, and I believe that if she says we can do it, we can do it. I will admit that after doing crunches and sit up's, the bicycle exercise was a lot, but we all did everything we could. I love it when we are all done, and we hit the change room together. It is great to hear everyone encourage each other and to know the support is there. If one of us is having an off day, the team is there to help push through.
On Friday I did 45 minutes on the treadmill and then 10 minutes on a bike. It was all part of trying something new. On Saturday I did 40 minutes on the treadmill and used the elevation for the intervals instead of the speed, and then joined the yoga for beginners class. I really enjoy the yoga class especially since it is the last thing I do before my day off. The stretching provided by yoga is a perfect way to end my stretch of 6 workouts.
This week was full of highs for me. There were days when I really didn't want to go to the gym, and like I mentioned before, I would bribe myself by deciding to go but to take it easy. I never once took it easy. Once I get myself to the gym and get focused on whatever I am doing, I am all in. As a result of that, I did a power sculpt class with weights and exercises that at first looked difficult, but I figured them out. I met my one month goal in a week, and on Friday I even surpassed it by running for 6 minutes. We weighed in on Thursday and took measurements. After 4 weeks, I am down 15.6lbs and a total of 10 inches. When I started this, I could not have imagined those results. My legs are stronger, my pants are a size smaller, and I am actually running on the treadmill. I am more confident that I can handle the workouts Stephanie gives to us, and I'm willing to try more than just the treadmill. I can't tell you that this is easy because its not. I still would like chocolate or cheese, and I would love to go home after work and have dinner with my family rather than go to the gym, but I am making all of this a choice. I am choosing to make the decisions each day that are leading to fantastic results. Getting chosen for Get it Back - Give it Back was a gift, and it is a gift that I am choosing to make the most of. Its Sunday, my day to rest and reflect back and as I do that, I am filled with gratitude. Its gratitude for the opportunity, for the choices I've made this past 4 weeks, and for the results I've experienced so far. Thank you Global Fitness, Stephanie and Team Castanet! Its been a great 4 weeks, and I'm excited to see what happens during the next 8.
Sunday, 3 February 2013
Week 3
Wow! What a difference a week makes! Week 3 is over and so is some of the pain and emotions from week 2. Looking back to the beginning, I am so glad I pushed through those first two weeks. Week 3 made those first two weeks of emotions and pain so worthwhile.
Monday was group day with Stephanie. We did some cardio, but mostly we did strength training. I really enjoyed the opportunity to push myself in a new way. Using a bench and dumb bells, we got a really good work out. It was a different pace and different exercises which took more concentration from me, but it was exercise, and it was good. I so appreciate the effort Stephanie puts into keeping our workouts new and challenging. Before we left she asked us to write down a goal for the next month, and what obstacles we have that will keep us from reaching that goal. She wanted those on Thursday.
Tuesday I went back to the treadmill and pushed it to 55 minutes. I was back to running a bit and keeping my speed up over 4. I did 3.79 miles and felt great. Who would have thought that 3 weeks ago not only could I stay on a treadmill for 55 minutes but maintain a speed that would allow me to go 3.79 miles?
I had to work 10-7 on Wednesday so that messed up my routine just a little. I usually go to the gym around 4 when I'm finished work. I was pretty sure I wouldn't go to the gym at 7, so I headed down at 6:30am. I am a morning person, but I hadn't been to the gym that early yet. I wondered how busy it would be and how I would do at work afterwards. It was also only about 13 hours since I had last worked out so I wondered how my body would respond. None of those concerns amounted to anything. I got on the treadmill for another 55 minutes and managed to make it 3.83 miles. It was a great way to start the day, and if my work day didn't start at 6:30 most days, I could see myself making early morning work outs a habit.
On Thursday team Castanet was back together. We had all walked by the raquetball court that Stephanie had set up for us. If you were listening in the change room, you would have heard us wondering to each other what she had in store for us this week. First though we had to face the scale. I wasn't as apprehensive about the number this time. My clothes and my rings were fitting in such a way that I expected to be down and I was down again. Three weeks in a row, and every week its been enough of a loss that I can't explain it away. I am losing weight the proper way through proper food choices and exercise, and it is showing on the scale and in the way my clothes fit.
The circuit that Stephanie had set up for us involved a cardio exercise and a strength exercise at each station. We were to do each exercise for 1 minute and then the other one for 1 minute. Then we would switch stations. These were tough stations for us, and the strength exercises were designed to keep our heart rate up so there wasn't time to rest. After we would get half way through all the stations, Stephanie stopped us and led us in some extra cardio just to make sure our heart rate remained high. We did the whole circuit twice, and at the end, we were all dripping with sweat. It was a very challenging work out. One of the stations involved burpies using a step with two risers. You could put your hands on the bench on the way down and then either step back or jump back. Once you were back up, you could step onto the step or jump onto the step. On the way down I knew I could jump back and in, but when I got back up the first time, I looked at the step and had to make a decision. I really wasn't sure I could do a standing jump onto the step, but I also wasn't convinced that I couldn't. I paused briefly, and then the most amazing thing happened........I tried! I tried something new that I wasn't convinced I could do, and guess what? I did it! I surprised myself, and I kept doing it for the minute I was at that station and again when I came back to it. Some of my team members noticed as well and offered encouragement. I love my team! I left the workout very proud of myself and amazed at how quickly the human body responds to exercise.
Friday I was back on the treadmill for 55 minutes and 3.85 miles. I am looking forward to pushing that to 4 miles soon. When I'm on the treadmill, I do a 5 minute warm up and after that my speed stays at a minimum of 4.2 until I do a 5 minute cool down. I push it up to 5 when I feel I can run for a bit or 4.5 if I just want to walk faster. I use the sensors to monitor my heart rate, and this week I realized that my heart rate falls back much quicker than it did when I first started. Another measurement of how my fitness level is improving.
Saturday I did 30 minutes on the treadmill and 2 miles. Then I went to the beginner's yoga. It was much more challenging for me this week over last week, but I loved it. I learned how to do a modified pheasant or maybe it was some other bird. Regardless of what bird the pose is named after, it looked difficult but I tried and was able to at least get close to it. I left the gym well stretched and happy with what I accomplished not just in the yoga class but all week.
I had a lot of accomplishments this week. I started wearing a pair of pants a size smaller than my other ones. I surprised myself by jumping onto a step higher than I thought I could. I was at Global Fitness and worked out 6 times. I remembered to stretch after every workout, and I set a one month goal. I decided that my goal would have nothing to do with the scale. I want to be able to run for 5 minutes at 5.0. I can currently do 2 minutes at a time. I have realized that if I continue to work at my fitness level and my eating, the scale will respond appropriately even if its not as quickly as I'd like. This week my focus changed from how much weight can I lose to how much stronger and faster can I become? How things have changed in just 3 short weeks.
Monday was group day with Stephanie. We did some cardio, but mostly we did strength training. I really enjoyed the opportunity to push myself in a new way. Using a bench and dumb bells, we got a really good work out. It was a different pace and different exercises which took more concentration from me, but it was exercise, and it was good. I so appreciate the effort Stephanie puts into keeping our workouts new and challenging. Before we left she asked us to write down a goal for the next month, and what obstacles we have that will keep us from reaching that goal. She wanted those on Thursday.
Tuesday I went back to the treadmill and pushed it to 55 minutes. I was back to running a bit and keeping my speed up over 4. I did 3.79 miles and felt great. Who would have thought that 3 weeks ago not only could I stay on a treadmill for 55 minutes but maintain a speed that would allow me to go 3.79 miles?
I had to work 10-7 on Wednesday so that messed up my routine just a little. I usually go to the gym around 4 when I'm finished work. I was pretty sure I wouldn't go to the gym at 7, so I headed down at 6:30am. I am a morning person, but I hadn't been to the gym that early yet. I wondered how busy it would be and how I would do at work afterwards. It was also only about 13 hours since I had last worked out so I wondered how my body would respond. None of those concerns amounted to anything. I got on the treadmill for another 55 minutes and managed to make it 3.83 miles. It was a great way to start the day, and if my work day didn't start at 6:30 most days, I could see myself making early morning work outs a habit.
On Thursday team Castanet was back together. We had all walked by the raquetball court that Stephanie had set up for us. If you were listening in the change room, you would have heard us wondering to each other what she had in store for us this week. First though we had to face the scale. I wasn't as apprehensive about the number this time. My clothes and my rings were fitting in such a way that I expected to be down and I was down again. Three weeks in a row, and every week its been enough of a loss that I can't explain it away. I am losing weight the proper way through proper food choices and exercise, and it is showing on the scale and in the way my clothes fit.
The circuit that Stephanie had set up for us involved a cardio exercise and a strength exercise at each station. We were to do each exercise for 1 minute and then the other one for 1 minute. Then we would switch stations. These were tough stations for us, and the strength exercises were designed to keep our heart rate up so there wasn't time to rest. After we would get half way through all the stations, Stephanie stopped us and led us in some extra cardio just to make sure our heart rate remained high. We did the whole circuit twice, and at the end, we were all dripping with sweat. It was a very challenging work out. One of the stations involved burpies using a step with two risers. You could put your hands on the bench on the way down and then either step back or jump back. Once you were back up, you could step onto the step or jump onto the step. On the way down I knew I could jump back and in, but when I got back up the first time, I looked at the step and had to make a decision. I really wasn't sure I could do a standing jump onto the step, but I also wasn't convinced that I couldn't. I paused briefly, and then the most amazing thing happened........I tried! I tried something new that I wasn't convinced I could do, and guess what? I did it! I surprised myself, and I kept doing it for the minute I was at that station and again when I came back to it. Some of my team members noticed as well and offered encouragement. I love my team! I left the workout very proud of myself and amazed at how quickly the human body responds to exercise.
Friday I was back on the treadmill for 55 minutes and 3.85 miles. I am looking forward to pushing that to 4 miles soon. When I'm on the treadmill, I do a 5 minute warm up and after that my speed stays at a minimum of 4.2 until I do a 5 minute cool down. I push it up to 5 when I feel I can run for a bit or 4.5 if I just want to walk faster. I use the sensors to monitor my heart rate, and this week I realized that my heart rate falls back much quicker than it did when I first started. Another measurement of how my fitness level is improving.
Saturday I did 30 minutes on the treadmill and 2 miles. Then I went to the beginner's yoga. It was much more challenging for me this week over last week, but I loved it. I learned how to do a modified pheasant or maybe it was some other bird. Regardless of what bird the pose is named after, it looked difficult but I tried and was able to at least get close to it. I left the gym well stretched and happy with what I accomplished not just in the yoga class but all week.
I had a lot of accomplishments this week. I started wearing a pair of pants a size smaller than my other ones. I surprised myself by jumping onto a step higher than I thought I could. I was at Global Fitness and worked out 6 times. I remembered to stretch after every workout, and I set a one month goal. I decided that my goal would have nothing to do with the scale. I want to be able to run for 5 minutes at 5.0. I can currently do 2 minutes at a time. I have realized that if I continue to work at my fitness level and my eating, the scale will respond appropriately even if its not as quickly as I'd like. This week my focus changed from how much weight can I lose to how much stronger and faster can I become? How things have changed in just 3 short weeks.
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