I HAVE Figured It Out!

It's been a pretty good week to say the least.  As I  said in my post last week, I was having issues with eating enough calories.  I ended up upping them to 2,000 calories a day on the days where my workouts were strenuous.  The result at the end of the week??  A LOSS of 4.6 lbs!  I am totally back on track and feeling positive and upbeat. 

I'm also pretty happy about my new fitness routine.  I have found my "Niche" at the YMCA.  I attend classes there almost every day but Wednesdays...those days I save for my strength training.  I am making some new social connections and really enjoying it.

I've had a couple of people approach me this week and ask me how I stay motivated?  Well, I can sum it up in about three answers:

1.  I don't EVER want to go back to the way I was 2.5 years ago.  I am terrified of being over 300 lbs again. 

2.  My mother.  Even though she is gone, she is a HUGE driving force inside me.  In her own way, she let's me know when I need to step it up or smarten up or whatever. 

3.  I hired a personal trainer and a damn good one.  Ben taught and showed me so much about exercise and what I was truly capable of achieving.  I went from hardly being able to bench-press the bar, to pressing upwards of 120 lbs.  After I started seeing results, I wanted to keep going.  While I don't train with Ben anymore, my love of exercise continues.  Every time I get frustrated with something in my fitness routine, I think to myself "What would Ben do?"  A personal trainer can push you beyond what you never thought you could do.  I have made exercise a part of my life.  I no longer think of it as a chore.  It's what I am.

So those of you out there that need movitation - Believe in yourself, push yourself and most of all, just be yourself...and NEVER GIVE UP! 

Wish me luck for my weigh in on Friday!

Hugs to everyone!

K

Motivation

I had a pretty good week this week.  I mostly attribute that to the fact that I stayed active four out of the five days and maintained a positive atittude...oh ya - and my new job! :-)  I seem to be fitting in quite nicely at the DSC - the job is extremely busy, but I feel like I have contributed and done a good job.  The girls there are super great to work with...when I walked in on my first day on Tuesday, this was on my desk!

By the time Friday rolled around, I was exhausted...but I was happy...and that's the most important thing to me.

I really enjoyed my exercise routine this week.  Monday I participated in Damir's (my husband's trainer) bootcamp.  There was lots of spinning, and he set up stations for each person - I remember doing plank rows, jumping jacks (which of course I had to modify) Rock Star Pushups, burpees, and other exercises I don't remember offhand now...lol  I went home after that and collapsed and felt great.  Tuesday I did Kendra's class...I remember it being hard, but I finished every drill she asked.  There was a lot of leg work and my knee was not in great shape - but still I pushed through and got it done.  Wednesday was probably my turning point to the week.  I came home right after work and for the first time since I started my journey, I DID NOT WANT TO WORK OUT....and this upset me a little.  I sat on my couch for about 30 mins when I finally decided to change my atittude, and I reached out to a couple of people.  So I got up off the couch and headed down to Fish Creek!  I only intended to go for a short walk (like an hour long), but once I got down there and started walking, and I felt my heart going I pushed on.  Here are a couple of pics of my walk - the second pic is of the hill that I did right at the end - after walking for 90 mins - I wasn't so sure I could get up it, but I pushed myself and got er done!

This is the bridge where the C-Train goes over.

This is my own personal "Hill of Hell"...after walking for 90 minutes, this was kinda brutal...but I did it!

Thursday, I did Kendra's class again - Thursdays are fun...there is always some kickboxing drills with weight training of some sort.  Kendra does this drill called Tower of Power - kind of like drop sets - I love doing her Tower of Power and I had a great kickboxing partner too...Then I got a nice surprise, when Ben walked in at the end of the class - he was going to do a workout and asked me if I wanted to work out with him...I thought to myself...really?  I just did Kendra's class and you want me to workout again?!  So ya...I did...and it was so much fun!  My shoulders are still sore and that was three days ago.  Friday I took a rest day as I needed it.

I've learned a lot about myself this week...I've learned that I am willing to do what it takes to finish and get the job done...and I will keep proving that to myself until I am finished this journey.  I need to continue to motivate myself and keep going.

So...did I meet my goals from last week?  Well not really...I didn't do Wednesday's class - I wanted to give my knee a rest - but I did do the walk in Fish Creek...my sleep wasn't great, but not as bad as it has been...and the carbs in the evening?  Yeah I still had them.  I do know that I need to buckle down when it comes to that...and I will...

So this week my goals are:

1.  Cut back on carbs in the evening.

2.  Find some form of activity to do four out of the five days.

3.  Increase my water intake

Hope everyone has a great week!