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.
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