Still Going...and Going

If I'm being completely honest, I have to admit that when I started this latest journey to fitness, I never thought I'd end up where I am right now. Where am I, you ask? Well, that would be at the minus 48.75 pound mark, that's where. Yep, you read that right:

Almost 50 pounds!

I really can't get my mind around that. The good news is that it doesn't seem to be messing with my drive at this point, so I'll just leave the questions out there in the background until they become an issue.

In other news, I've been playing around with my cardio goal for a few months, and I've finally reached a weekly target that works: 210 minutes per week. In the event you are math challenged, that's 30 minutes a day, every day. Now, I don't want to walk every day, so that means I have to absorb the extra 30 minutes in other walks throughout the week. Also, on strength-training days (M,W,F), I'm only scheduled to walk for 15 minutes, so I have to make up that time, too. Sometimes I do an extra 15 minutes after I work out; other times I add 10-15 minutes to my other daily walks. So far, it's working pretty well.

Another thing I've been doing is going through my closet and getting rid of what doesn't fit. Which is damn near everything. Several people have suggested I box things up and store them, "just in case." I can see some sense in that, but at the same time, it feels almost like a sign that I don't believe in myself. And I do believe in myself, but I confess to a swirling fear somewhere in the background. Maybe the answer is to pick ten favorite things to keep, but get rid of everything else. I'll have to ponder that, but not for long. This stuff has to go sometime soon.

Why am I making this a sad thing?

Seven Forms of Torture I Highly Recommend

A friend asked me this morning what exercises I recommend as "must do" for a beginner. My mind was blank at that moment (it was early), but later I remembered a great article on Sparkpeople.com that covered a lot of the exercises my trainer forces me to do on a regular basis. There are seven exercises listed and we do five of them. I loathe every single one of them (along with planks!) It's partially for that reason that I recommend every single one. They're tough, but they make me stronger. (I have to keep reminding myself of that while I'm doing them.)

Here are the exercises listed (the Sparkpeople article has a neat little demo of each one):

7 Exercises to Work Your Whole Body The Ready-to-Order Workout -- By Zach Van Hart, Staff Writer
Ever gone through a workout and afterwards said, "That was great, except I forgot to work my triceps," or "I should have done a set of leg lifts," etc.? Here’s a workout that will have you thinking, "Why haven't I done this routine before?" The following 7-exercise workout will take care of every major muscle area.

1. Hamstring Flexion with Ball The hamstring flexion is a great exercise to strengthen your hamstrings and calves, and improve your stability in your core. To start, lie on your back and place the Swiss ball underneath your feet with your arms to your side. Raise your hips off the ground until your body is a straight line on an incline. Then, roll the ball towards you with the
bottoms of your feet, which will cause your knees to shoot up. Roll the ball as far underneath as you can, then roll it back out and repeat. It’s important to do all the work with your legs and not to cheat by using your arms. Do two sets of 10-12 reps. (Cammy notes: We did this one tonight, but I had to do 2 sets of 20!)

2. Wall Squat with BallThis exercise is an awesome workout for your quads and can also help with posture. To start, place the Swiss ball against a wall and lean against it with your back. Stand straight up with your legs shoulder-width apart and bent slightly at your knees. Then, lower straight down until your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle. Stand up and repeat for
10-15 reps. (Cammy notes: I haven't done the 'reps' version of this one in a while. The trainers usually make me squat and hold it for some ungodly length of time, like a minute. They also like to make me do something with my hands like lifting weights, or sometimes just holding them. One thing I've learned from this exercise (and the trainer) is that whenever I do them, I feel better the next day if I do a little bit of easy walking on the treadmill for 5-10 minutes when we're finished with the workout.)

3. SwimmingThis is a great workout for your lower back, one of the more neglected parts of the body. It requires no equipment so you can do it anywhere. Start by lying face down on the ground, with your hands and legs extended so you make a skinny X. Simultaneously lift your opposite arm and leg (right arm-left leg, left arm-right leg) 6-12 inches off the ground. Lower and
lift the other arm-leg combination to the same height. Do two sets of 20-30 total reps, 10-15 of each combination. (Cammy notes: I actually like this one. Well, okay, maybe that's going too far. I'll put it this way: I don't hate it.)

4. Crunches with Swiss ball By exercising with the Swiss ball, your typical crunch has a little kick added to it. Start by sitting on the Swiss ball just a little forward from the top, with your feet in front of you on the ground and your knees at a 90-degree angle. Then, lie back until your back
covers the ball. Place your hands to either the side of your head or across your chest, but not behind your head. Come up until your body is at a 45-degree angle with the ball. Release back down and repeat, 10-15 reps. (Cammy notes: This is definitely an easier way to do crunches!)

5. Reverse Flys with Swiss Ball and DumbbellsThis is a great workout for the shoulders and upper back, areas that can be neglected. To start, sit on the top of a Swiss ball, holding the dumbbells to your side and your palms inward. Have your feet on the ground, your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and lean over until your chest is close to your legs. Keeping your arms straight, raise your hands up until they are perpendicular to the ground and even with your shoulders. Bring them back down and repeat 10-12 times for two sets. (Cammy notes: We don't do this one, but I might have to suggest it.)

6. Dumbbell Lateral RaisesThis exercise will work both your shoulders and arms, and dumbbells are required. Start by standing with your legs shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides. Then, raise your arms until they are even with your shoulders and perpendicular to the ground. Keep your elbows as straight as possible. Do two sets of 10-12 reps. (Cammy notes: Another one I don't hate--it depends on the number of reps. I don't think I get to do 12 of anything anymore.)

7. Pushup with Swiss ballThis is the classic chest exercise, with a little bit of a twist. Start in the typical push-up position, facing the ground while your hands keep you off the ground, but place the Swiss ball under your knees. Then push up until your arms are straight, lower, and repeat. Do two sets, 10-15 reps. (Cammy notes: Another one I haven't done, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to.)

Those are the seven forms of torture covered in the article. I would add an eighth one: planks. We did a couple sets of those tonight. I never did link together more than one thirty-second hold in each set, but I did try!

I'm sure none of these exercises is pretty when I do them, but they're all effective and at the end of it all, I feel good--really good--for having done them.

Even when I haven't done them particularly well.

I Iz Dead

Walked for an hour with the FT group this a.m.

Early, this a.m.

I am not an outdoor person (all those bugs and such), but it feels really, really good to have done it.

Now, for a celebratory...nap.

Thanks to morguefile.com for the image.

Blame It on the Heat

At the end of this, the second week of temps in the high 90s, I finally cracked. At least, that's all I can think of to explain this most unusual behavior. Usually when one thinks of rabies and other end-of-summer diseases, it's frothing at the mouth or stumbling about the town snarling at people that are the headline grabbers. Me? I go wild and join a gym.

Yes, you read that right. I joined a gym, a real one. Well, it will be real in a couple of months. They're in the process of remodeling an old store (which earned them bonus points from me for re-using existing space rather than building something new). The best news is that it's about a half mile from my house. I can walk there. Or, if I break down and buy a bicycle, roll over there within minutes.

I've thought about joining a gym or fitness center before, but I was always afraid that I wouldn't be able to actually do anything once I got there. Now, I know I can get a good workout without looking like a total idiot. Plus, the timing is right. In a couple of months, I should be ready to step down to two trainer sessions a week and begin working out at the gym twice a week. I don't really like to think too much about the day when I'll be on my own, and who knows, maybe I'll win the lottery and be able to stay with my trainers forever, but the reality is that the gym is so much more affordable.

Huh. Me, with a gym membership. Gotta be the heat.

Fuel for the Fire

More people are noticing my weight loss success and mentioning it in the nicest ways. Over the past few days, four people have said something nice about the way I look. One comment came from a VP at my company, who said I'm inspiring him. Wow. That was huge. Only a miraculous surge of willpower kept me from bursting into happy tears. I think of all the compliments I've received that was the best. Not because it came from a VP, but just the idea that I could inspire anyone...

Last night when I was working with the trainer, I realized that while some exercises make me feel strong, others make me just feel fat. When I'm doing arm work, I feel great, but when we do any core work, I feel like a big fat blob. Any sort of wall sitting and planks are the worst. Jumping Jacks are a bitch too. I can hardly focus on the exercise for the chanting in my head: You'refatYou'refatYou'refat! Not the best frame of mind to build a future on. It makes the work that much harder.

I was pondering today, trying to figure out how to get myself into the right frame of mind, and I think I'm going to start substituting the last great compliment I received from someone in place of the nega-chant. I inspire, I inspire, I inspire! might be much more helpful in keeping me focused on the fight at hand. I certainly hope so!

Lessons from the Road

One of the reasons I love to take road trips (besides the whole anti-flying thing) is that I think a lot. I think about myself and the world around me. I solve all my friends' problems, and I write delicious stories in my head. It's a great way to unwind.

On this trip, I once again did not come up with solutions to any of the world's pressing issues, but I did figure some things out:

• Despite knowing better, I'm really still hung up on the numbers on the scale. I've had my blood pressure medication reduced by half, I've lost 20 pounds and almost 20 inches, my resting heart rate is down to 72 (from 80), and I've dropped 1.5 clothing sizes. But for 500 miles, I obsessed about the fact that I'd only lost 10 pounds in the six weeks I've been working with the trainers. I don't know how to fix this, or even if it can be fixed, but I do know I don't like it.
• Something I have long suspected, but only verified with this trip, is that convenience stores and truck stops haven't caught the clue bus on healthy living. I stopped at six different stores on my trip, and other than a few bruised bananas, water, granola and energy bars (most the high-cal variety), and a few other items, there wasn't a healthy item in sight. Where are the individual 100-calorie snacks, low-fat yogurt, apples and oranges, and soy milk? These folks could make a fortune off of this stuff. (I feel a letter coming on.)
• McDonald's catches a lot of flak for their mostly-grotesque menu, but they saved my bacon on this trip. So to speak. Between the fruit & yogurt parfait (160 cal./2 g. fat) and the apples (35 cal./0 fat), I was able to have healthy breakfasts and snacks on the road. (We're not counting the "country breakfast" I had on Sunday, my free day.)
• Exercising on the road is a hit-and-miss prospect for folks like me. My first hotel didn't have an exercise room (boo LaQuinta!), but since I was in a first floor room, I did some tricep dips, some old-fashioned jumping jacks (trying to atone the lack of cardio), and some push-ups. The second hotel was connected to an athletic club, but I never made if over there. I got all dressed to go, but I just couldn't make myself do it. I factored in all the walking I'd been doing, threw in a few crunches, push-ups, and bridge lifts, and called it all exercise. The last hotel did have an exercise room (yaaay Holiday Inn Express), and I did some time on the treadmill and the bicycle.
• The aforementioned hit-and-miss exercise schedule will make you pay when you return. I did my first trainer session today, and I thought I would DIE. I have so far to go.

See? No major revelations or resolutions. Just random thoughts and observations.

Mind Fritz

Okay, so the second workout was harder--nauseating, demoralizing, painful at times. And that's not even factoring in the actual exercises. I knew it would be tough, but I hadn't counted on the mental/emotional side of it. My mind is constantly at war with itself, with one part chanting, "You can't do this," while the other side says, "But you ARE doing it." I'm so busy trying to help the right side win that I find it difficult to focus on the important things like breathing and strength. I hope that changes over time. Next week would be good, since I have three workouts scheduled.

Speaking of other workouts...I bought three pairs of exercise capris today! One of them is even a size large (not XL). Of course, they kind of look like a pair of larges on a still-XL body, but I think it shows a sense of commitment. And won't it be fun growing into them. :)

It's hot here in Memphis and still no rain in sight. Hungry Girl sent out this recipe just in the nick of time: Cookie-rrific Ice Cream Freeze. Seeing that made me realize it's time to head out for dinner. And not a moment too soon.

Still Breathing

I survived my first session with the trainer, and I'm happy to report that I didn't die, nor did I want to die. I'm taking that as a very positive sign.

Today's workout was on the gentler side; tomorrow will probably be more of the same. They're easing me into it, and I appreciate that.

Per yesterday's post, I'm definitely going to be buying some more workout clothes. I' m tired of washing my single pair of exercise shorts, for one thing, plus I hadn't realized there would be m-e-n at this place. Granted, there's no socializing since we're in separate rooms, but you never know when you might bump into someone at the water fridge. Maybe if I'm wearing a cute top, they won't notice my beet-red-from-exertion face or the lovely aroma that proves I'm burning some calories.

I'm kind of proud of me right now.

Costume Change

I have a friend who teases me about my need for the appropriate attire for exercise. I tried to explain it to her the other night. In my yoga clothes, I'm tall and graceful. It doesn't matter that the woman in the mirror is dumpy and wide. If I put on my exercise shorts and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I wonder why that person isn't on the treadmill. Even if I hadn't planned on walking, I lace up the shoes and hop on the treadmill. I'm the suburban equivalent of FloJo, or perhaps one of those women wrestlers from Russia. I'm treadmilling for my country and I'm out front (there's no one ahead of me, so I must be winning). It's a costume. A chance at as if. As if I'm an athlete, as if I'm in charge, as if I enjoy excercising, as if I'm already at my destination.

But I'm not at my destination, not even close, and today I did something about that. I went to meet the folks at Fitness Together. They weighed and measured and did some godawful pinch test and wrote it all down in a red folder. Then they told me what it was going to cost. Ouch. It's in line with other trainer fees, but the kicker is that I have to pay it up front. You understand what that means, don't you? They're asking me to commit. They're asking me to invest in myself. That's low.

It's a lot of money, but in the end, not really a tough decision. My checkbook is in my purse, and I have my first session with a trainer tomorrow after work. Now I just have to figure out what to wear.