Rest if you must, but don't you quit

Yesterday's (evening) workout was not good. There were a few times I thought "okay, I'm about to quit" but it wasn't the joking manner in which I would normally say or think something like that. I was seriously ready to walk out of the gym. I was not feeling it at all. I don't know if my body is tired, if the workouts are getting harder, if it's simply a mind thing, or some combination of all three. I can't tell if the workouts are getting harder because I'm pushing the whole time. From the time I finish the warm-up till I leave, I'm pushing myself. There's never a "this is easy" moment. Since I'm always pushing and everything is challenging, I can't tell if the intensity has increased or not over the past 2 weeks. I know that may not make sense.... :-/

My shoulders were hurting so badly yesterday, my trainer let me skip the last set of exercises in my second set. I didn't skip it though. For some reason, I felt like I had something to prove to myself. After catching my breath, I did the last set on my own after we had finished. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. I like how self-motivated I was yesterday with the morning workout and continuing after I was given permission to stop. I'm proud of myself.

I have a very hard time catching my breath during workouts. I've never been asthmatic, but it feels that way when I'm working out. A lot of the times when I have to stop, it's because I haven't had sufficient time to catch my breath. Hopefully my breathing gets better during the challenge.

As far as the title goes, it's from an old inspiration poem. I have to tell myself that I can rest, but never quit. Resting and quitting are far from synonymous and I remind myself of that whenever I beat myself up about having to take a break. (You can read the entire poem if you click here.)

Have a great day!

Love more, Laugh a lot, Live healthily.

Pleasant Surprise

I woke up this morning very early (3:30am) and could not fall back asleep. After watching a few episodes of Family Matters (Don't judge me lol), I decided the time could be better spent at the gym, so I went. I had been telling myself since the beginning of the challenge that I was gonna hit the gym in the mornings, but I never managed to make it. I don't know what came over me this morning, but I went in and did cardio for 45 min. It was a pleasant surprise and I'm happy with myself. I am, however, worried that I'll be sore for my workout with David this evening... yikes!

I saw Tori (http://tori-ellis.blogspot.com) at the gym this morning and she was happy as usual. I swear Jamie (http://jamiebatten.blogspot.com) and Tori are the happiest people I know lol. I'm not really a group person, but those two are so positive and encouraging, it's hard to be reclusive. I weighed myself when I got to the gym today and was SHOCKED to find that I'm 3 lbs heavier than I was Monday. WTH!!! I'm not sure what happened there, but it was a definite motivator for me to push harder this morning.

I finally went to Smoothie King and got some protein mix, a multi-vitamin and some kind of recovery mix that's supposed to help your body recover more quickly after workouts. I'm excited about all 3 and I will let you know how they work. Tom owns the Smoothie King from which I purchased those items, and he knows A LOT. He gave me some great advice and I'm glad i have him as another resource.

Well, it's time to get my day started. Until next time....

Love more, Laugh a lot, Live healthily.

Not a good day...

Today was not a good day. I went in for group cardio, but I didn’t give 100%, so I was down when I left the gym. I’m getting to the point where I don’t mind cardio, but I really don’t like the aerobics we do after we get off the machines. I’d rather hit the machines for the whole hour. Anyway, that’s neither here or there.

My diet has gotten better; although it’s not completely where it needs to be. We weighed in Monday and I’ve lost 8 lbs total. Not thrilled with the amount, but I’m glad the number’s coming down nonetheless. I probably could’ve lost a little more, but I ate poorly on Saturday while I was visiting a friend.

Anyway, I have a lot of work to get done. TTYL.

Love more, Laugh a lot, and Live healthily.

Week 3?!?! Wow

I can't believe it's the start of week 3 already. Let me catch you up...

Friday my trainer had some business to take care of, so I had to train with Lindy. "UGH!!! No!!" was my first thought b/c she has a reputation as the hardest trainer. lol. It actually turned out not to be so bad. I was drenched when I left the gym though. I pushed through some tough parts of the workout and that's the most rewarding part. I really hate I missed the group training Saturday. Everyone in the group is so much fun and that's the only time we get to see everybody at once.

In addition to not working out, I ate poorly on Saturday while I was visiting a friend. That's been the most challenging part. Because my friends don't struggle with their weight, they pretty much eat what they want, when they want. That makes it difficult when I hang around them for extended periods of time. I don't say anything about the Challenge when I'm out with friends or anything because this lifestyle change I'm trying to achieve goes beyond the Challenge. I'm going to have to learn how to deal with the temptations b/c they'll be there after the Challenge is over.

I'm looking forward to the workout today b/c I haven't worked out since Friday. I know I'm going to have to push. Wish me luck.

Love more, Laugh a lot, and Live healthily.

still going...

After our group training session Thursday, my group decided to stay and do some extra, yes extra, cardio. I couldn't believe I actually stayed b/c I usually RUN (figuratively) to my car after the workouts. Jackie, who's probably the most fit member of the challenge, suggested it and Becca and I agreed to stay. I only stayed an extra 15min, but it still felt like an accomplishment. Becca is a really encouraging person and I'm glad she's in my group. When I want to stop, and even though I do have to sometimes, I look at Becca and see how hard she's working and it motivates me. She's a very positive person, as well as everyone else doing the challenge. I'm happy to have a couple days off b/c my body feels like a huge block of cement. Nothing in particular hurts b/c everything hurts. lol. Anyway, have a good weekend.

Love more, Laugh a lot, and Live healthily.

1.5 Weeks Down

It’s been a week and a half and I still HATE the gym. LOL. I thought I would learn to love it, and I’m still hopeful that I will, but I hate it. Monday my trainer weighed me in and I only lost 2 pounds. Sucks right? I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was more than two. I did lose 1% of body fat too, but I was expecting more there also. I told myself, “if you expect more, do more,” but I just don’t know how right now. Well, actually, that’s a lie. My diet is a problem. As I told you last time, I feel like I don’t have time to eat and was only eating 1 or 2 times a day. Now, I’m trying to eat more like my trainer said. Yesterday, I had breakfast, lunch, and 3 snacks…. not exactly the way my trainer wants it done, but I’m getting there. The thing is, the more I eat and incorporate the snacks he suggests, the hungrier I feel throughout the day. IDK what that’s about, but I’ll ask him today. Anyway, I’m off to get some work done.

Love more, Laugh a lot, and Live healthily.

Week 1

Finally, it's Friday. This week has been so busy and I can't wait to enjoy my weekend. Today, my trainer, David, pushed me more than I expected. I hated him while I was in the gym, but when i got in my car to go home, I felt great about the workout. I can tell he really cares about my progress. I've had a hard time eating this week, and David got on me about it today. It's really hard to eat 5 times a day when you're constantly on the move. I think that says a lot about why I ate so much fast food... it's a very easy solution to hunger when you're on the move. I'm still working on finding quick, easy ways to eat, but David assured his help.

On Tuesday and Thursday, I got a little discouraged from some looks my group was receiving from this group of 3 guys in the gym. I just had to remind myself of why I was there. It's crazy that people think it's ironic that overweight people are in the gym; where else should they be? It's important to encourage people, not gawk at them when they're working toward something positive.

Anyway, tomorrow is an optional day, but I'm pretty sure I'm going. The past 5 days have been pretty rewarding. I actually find myself getting excited about going to the gym, formerly known as Hell.