Sooooo…..in early February I started my session with the Trainer. Of course I’m old enough to be her Mom. She’s super fit and thin and clueless about a Middle Aged Mom (MAM) who is in boss mode 24/7. We didn’t necessarily hit it off. BUT in her cluelessness about ‘who I am’ she doesn’t seem to realize that I’m not capable of doing some of those exercises and gives them to me anyway. And Damn if I could do it!!! No Way……is she right? In one of the early sessions she actually said ‘Wow your plank is great!’ and with such genuine surprise that I knew she meant it. I took that as a compliment. I pay her to compliment me, but when it’s genuine it is much better. Another compliment she gives is when she can literally see (because my face is completely red) I am working hard so she cuts back my last circuit. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want to deal with the paperwork required when the MAM has to be taken out on a stretcher.
On the first day of training I got the special privilege of being weighed AND measured, plus subjected to a Body Fat Percentage device that somehow magically tells your percentage of body fat when you hold it in front of you for 10 seconds. I have no clue how what looks like a Playstation control knows this, but I couldn’t really argue the results. I was pretty happy it was under 50%. How sad is that for a goal? Chanting ‘Please don’t be over 50’ in your head while waiting on the number to pop up. It was 43.6%, definitely nothing to brag about.
I set my trainer times at once every three weeks and she gave me circuits to use in between. I clocked 12 visits in February and only 6 in March thanks to an awful round of the flu (AGAIN). The good news is that I was so sick I lost weight, not what my original plan was, but I’ll take it. I could definitely tell I was getting stronger and my workouts were getting easier each time. When she did the weights and measurements the second time at the beginning of April I lost 11 pounds and over 10 inches!!! AND…..2% on my Body Fat Percentage!! Holy Cow Batman!! I quickly told them it was the illness that caused the weight, they quickly said I wouldn’t lose those inches without work. They asked me to give a trainer testimonial and I gladly did.
Seeing the results and the fast approach of summer fueled my motivation for April. I was starting to feel the difference in the way my clothes fit and also noticed a difference in the way I felt. That’s also when I started thinking about this blog to share the ups and downs of this journey. I began forming the concept in my mind and jotting down notes on my workouts and some thoughts I had. My gym visits increased to 18 for April and my confidence in what I’m capable of is increasing also.
Random Thoughts I Wrote Down in April
April 15th(ish)
While listening to Gretchen Rubin’s book Better than Before I started to wonder about the ability to have fixed habits while living a not so fixed life. Should the workouts be on a fixed schedule or do I need to make sure I’m flexible in when I get there to match the rest of my life. In March I tried moving my workout times around so I could come home, eat, do my normal household chore kind of stuff and then go to the gym after 8:00pm. I did that for a week and it didn’t really work for me. Making the workouts fixed seems like (in my mind) I’m making them a priority.
April 23rd
Went to my first Boom class. I’ve avoided fitness in groups since high school. But it was actually Fun! Yes F U N!! There was a mix of ages and even those I thought would be able to do the circuits with ease struggled here and there so I felt better about me. They encouraged me, I encouraged them and we did high fives at the end. Go Girl Power! I walked out dripping with sweat, steamed up the car windows, but smiling. I plan to do all the Free sessions offered until April 30th.
April 24th
Worked out with the trainer today. As usual she didn’t read the MAM manual and had me do crazy stuff like BURPEES!!! Going to feel that tomorrow, but love the mental aspect of knowing I did it.
April 26th
Today was a really tough day mentally. I’m not exactly sure why, I couldn’t put my finger on it. I got to the gym for a class that I thought was at 6pm and found out it was at 5:30pm and I missed it. I had to really push to make myself stay for the Boom class at 6:30pm, but I knew I needed the class to help cure this funk I’m in. I started on the bike and it genuinely hurt, I don’t know if it was mental or truly physical. Feeling a little WTF about it, the bike is supposed to be the easiest. I moved to the treadmill and trudged through about 15 minutes before the class. I have to decide whether to pay for the classes since the free trial expires on the 30th. Should I stop the individual sessions and only do Boom or do both. If money were not an object I’d do both. So my Badass books would say to manifest the money. Working on that now! 🙂
April 27th
As I was getting dressed today I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I SWEAR I SAW MUSCLES ON MY BACK!!! I need to figure out how to see my back and if this is true or just a hoax.
April 30th
Today was the perfect storm to force me into making a decision about my training stuff. It is the last day of promo pricing for Boom, and oddly enough I really like the class. Also tomorrow is my final paid session with the trainer. I spent all afternoon trying to figure out what I should do, it’s a lot of cash to spend each month. I don’t typically spend like that on myself. Of course all the blogs/podcasts/self improvement books/pinterest quotes/motivation sites on Instagram and Facebook say that I have to start by loving me and investing in me. They obviously don’t donate to the cause though. I got some amounts to ponder and told my trainer and the manager I’d catch up with them after the class tonight to figure out my level of commitment. I know that I have to increase my level of commitment if I’m going to see the results I want. This place I’m at now I’ve been at several times in the last five years and this is where I block myself. I start in with the you look good, a size 8 is not everything and this is beauty too, how long can you maintain this, is this really your lifestyle. This time I recognize it and told myself to zip it! I wonder how strong I can be and what another 30lbs off looks like. So I paid for the class and increased my trainer time to once a week! Best of all I walked out with zero guilt. My tentative weekly plan is class twice, trainer once and on my own once. This leaves 3 days a week of chill which is plenty. Also, tonight I learned that regular burpees are easy compared to Box Jump Burpees!!
April in Summary
April is when I committed. I’m seeing a difference in the inches and that’s great, but the scale is NOT moving at all. In May I have to figure out food.
Daring To Do This 