Back to the Blog...

Sorry everyone for not blogging in a few days! The days just seem to be flying by and before I know it, it is 9:00pm and time for bed. I HAVE to go to bed by 9:00 so I can actually function when I get up at 5:00am. Anyway, by the time I get home and take care of the kids, supper, get things ready for the next day and actually get to sit down, the day is done. Yeah I know...excuses, excuses!
Soooo this week we saw our first cardio days. The workouts were super tough and pushed all of us to our limits BUT we pushed right back! We BROUGHT it, really we did! Tuesday Erica had four exercises on the board and a number of reps to aim for of each. She said they were "modest" numbers...oookkaaaay...Well we had to do as many as we could in 30 secs and report our numbers to Erica. Our goal was to not let our numbers drop and beat them! We all kicked butt! Nice job Moosers! I was determined to get 10 Burpees! I WANTED 10 Burpees. They are elusive creatures ya know. Well I didnt get it in the given workout cycles so Erica said I could still go for it. Shannon planked opposite me and counted out loud as I did them....AND I DID IT!!! I couldnt even do one last week. At our Thursday class for Metabolism Makeover we were sharing a success for the week and I knew that I wanted to share my Burpee success. Hell, I had been telling everyone at school! I would stop people in the hallway and say "Ask me who did 10 Burpees in 30 secs? That's right! This girl!" But during class when I started to share, I got really emotional when I started to say it. I was balling...and not quite sure why. Everyone there was very supportive and so happy for me when I managed to share my success with them. The tears and emotions were very unexpected and really made me reflect on this experience so far.
I think a big part of it was that I have never been able to do things like that. I was never an "athletic" kid. I think it just all the sudden sunk in that I can do this and I can be proud of myself.
We have the weekend off and I am going to concentrate on food. At home is always harder than at school because there are so many temptations and time to think about it. Wish me luck all!

Monday Frustration

Well this morning was back to Bootcamp. I found I actually missed it over the weekend and it was hard to get back to where I was Friday. Hopefully this will get easier as time goes. Today was cool though cause it was the first workout with Lisa. She was very sweet and helpful. I will admit that I would occasionally peek at her periodically when I felt like I couldnt do any more. It helped me keep going and push through. So thanks Lisa and I am looking forward to future workouts with you.
As far as the eating goes, I felt like it was much easier to stay in check during the work week then while at home all weekend. I slept in both days so that through my eating schedule off a bit. That may be one luxury I have to give up. I find myself eating more often at home just out of boredom and just because the food is there and easily accessible. So these are a couple of things I definitely need to work on.
I also took another look at my goal sheet from the Metabolism Makeover program. I will admit that I filled that out originally in about 2 minutes and then last Thursday during class I was listening to some of the other women and heard soem really heartfelt goals and how they were really putting themselves out there. So on my reflection sheet, the first thing I wrote down was to rewrite my goal sheet. I raised my goal and extended the time period beyond the 12 weeks. Ben said to set lofty goals and break it into small time frames. So now I have a lofty goal that I gave myself a year to get to and smaller goals in the months leading up to it. Definitely do-able!!
I am off today (snowday!) so I plan on taking some time to plan some meals and try Fitday.com. Enjoy today everyone!

Days 3 and 4...in the books!

Sorry I didnt write yesterday...still adjusting to my new schedule and trying to fit everything into a day. Anyway, day 3 I was just BEAT! Not emotionally but physically. I found myself nodding off a few times...not good during school hours! Today was much better. I did not wake up as sore and I felt like i had just a bit more energy during our workout.
The workout was tough but I felt like we were all having fun and supporting each other and giving Ben a hard time:) Today was also the first day I actually saw Ben with his video camera. It was funny cause Emily and I said we should come up with a code word for when one of us notices the camera. All joking aside, I had a really hard time watching the videos. I felt nauseated before I watched the first one. I forced myself to watch though. Of course it starts with me in the most unflattering position possible. I hope that gets easier. Today I think Ben was filming me from behind...thanks for that Ben!
Eating feels like it is going well...I am very anxious to start seeing results. I dont want to psych myself out and step on a scale though so I am trying to keep my head focused on day to day.
That's all for now folks!

Day 2...new pain

We made it through our second workout and were part of an ongoing class with Erica. She was great! And all of the women in the class were so supportive and helpful. I didnt feel intimidated or anything like that. I felt like I tried my hardest. My fellow Moosers were great and did an awesome job!
We started the Metabolism Makeover too and it almost feels a bit like learning another language ya know? It feels kind of un-natural and strange but I know with enough practice I will hopefully become "fluent". I am not missing certain things as much as I thought, like sweets and carbs. The eating every 3 hours is kind of tough.
I forced myself to watch the first video of us working out...that was tough. I HATE watching myself on video. It was painful. I dont think anyone really likes what they look like on video but you can never prepare yourself for it either. The funny thing is that I never even saw Ben with a camera! He's like a sneaky filming ninja! I'll have to watch for that;)
More tomorrow!

Day One...kicked our butts

Today was our first official workout...we all thought we were doing pretty well until Ben told us that he took it pretty easy on us...oh crap! I have never exercised like that or to a point where I felt like throwing up. Ben warned us about that and kindly helped us locate the nearest exit! I was sore after but I think that having a job where I am on my feet all day helps because I dont have that opportunity to stiffen up...Shannon was a bit worried about that with her job. Hope she is doing okay. I told Emily it helped to see her as I was working cause she would keep going so it made me keep going! We are all a bit nervous about being in a regular class tomorrow but Ben assured us that we would be fine.
Ben took us through a warm-up and then 2 sets of exercises. Some of those things have the WEIRDEST names! Burpees (oh how I loathe thee), Gobble Squat, Snatch something...yeah a little weird. Anyway, the time flew! I couldnt believe how soon it was over. I have to try and leave closer to 7:15 from now on cause I was 10 minutes late to work...hopefully it wont interfere with workouts.
Ya know, I think even if I had not made it into the final 4, I still would have been able to walk away with something pretty special...I had sooo many people rally behind me and support me. It was so heartwarming. My students were and are huge supporters and it became quite a community-building event. A lot of them read my story and were very empathetic to what had happened to me. I hope that someday down the road if they encounter a situation like that, that they will step in and help or not judge someone before they know them.
So many people have said that they voted for me or congratulations or how happy they are for me...it's a great feeling.
I'm hoping I am not too sore tomorrow for round 2...nite nite

1st day jitters

Today was our first official day as The Moosers. I got to meet Emily, Shannon and George, as well as Ben. I already have the feeling that it will be a very supportive group of people. I'm sure we all have the same worries and anxieties. I am just really excited about this first step and didnt even squirm when Ben measured and wrote down my measurements. Everyone needs a starting place right?
I want to invite friends, family, Mooser supporters to follow our journey through this blog.
Thank you everyone for your support.