So it's no secret I've been a lazy lady since Quinten was born. Previous to having him, my besties and I were working out on a regular basis even through most of my pregnancy. If I'm being honest these workouts were usually half efforts by me and more important to me as some social time with my girlfriends. Well the year after I had Quinten I lost all the baby weight and then some because of my gallbladder troubles and my determination to avoid surgery. Losing weight because you are afraid to eat is not synonomous with being healthy. So as you might guess as soon as I was forced to have the gallbladder surgery and my pain all went away I overcompensated by trying to eat enough to make up for the last 8 months of deprivation. Yup. That's not a joke. In fact, I ate enough chocolate and sweets, especially brownies to last a lifetime. So no shocker when I gained somewhere around 25 pounds in 2010. Good times, good times. Well even less shocking was how tired and BLAH I felt. I worked out occasionally...very occasionally. Well in December I saw on facebook a friend who was doing a "Get Fit Challenge" - she happens to be a marathon runner and my first thought was how much I wished I had the will power to do something like that(the fit challenge not the marathon!). I like to make excuses for myself and didn't actually think I would do it. Then I started to think how much I look like a sausage in my clothes and how much I wanted a family picture where I didn't look like a sausage. The awful free family picture we had done earlier that month was part awful cause Q was screaming, part awful cause the backdrop was a cheesefest, and part awful cause I looked like Java the Hut. That was about the time I asked my girlfriends Sha and Kristen if they wanted to do the Fit Challenge with me. We slowly convinced each other we could do it and it was settled.
It started January 3rd and works like this. There are 4 teams with 9 or 10 members on each team. Six out of seven days a week you can individually earn points by working out, drinking at least 48 oz of water, eating at least 5 fruits/veggies, no sweets, no eating after 9pm, and making contact with a team member. At the end of the week you get additional points for any pounds lost. At the end of each month you get additional points for any inches lost around waist and hips. The first week of workouts and diet change were a drastic change in lifestyle for me but I was determined to max out my possible points and was rewarded by losing some poundage which I lovingly refer to as my goo. Week 2 and 3 same story. That really isn't the part I'm most excited about or even all that excited about though it is satisfying to see some results after working hard. In a nutshell I've stuck with it and am loving it.
Now to the point of this blog post.
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| A man who appears to love exercise; whose mullet makes him stylish as well as crazy |
I always have thought that people who workout for the love of it are either liers or a little screwy in the head, note the image above. There have been times in my life when I've worked out somewhat consistently but usually as a result of life circumstance or along with a desire to lose weight or just rise to a challenge; never about long term health and personal daily energy. Well I am shocked to find that after 3 weeks of working out 6 days a week the little connections in my brain are beginning to rewire. Dare I say I'm beginning to enjoy myself and look forward to the sweat and burn.... All I'm willing to admit right now is that I guess those workout loving folks aren't all that crazy after all! I mean that within reason of course, my brain still lumps marathon runners in that catagory of nuts. Even though I admire you girls and look up to you I still think you're crazy!! Now I am a hyper aware that as quickly as my attitude has changed it could certainly unchange in a few short days of laziness. I know for sure I'm committed to this 12 week get fit challenge but I need to be realistic and ask myself how I'm going to prepare for life after the challenge when it's just up to me to do it without points and a team. It's easy right now to say I'll keep it up because I am loving it but I have a feeling that's a little naive. Nothing worthwhile comes easy!! Any suggestions from my vast crowd of readers?? (Crickets chirping....)
7 comments:
Way to go Kristin!! Rich and I are doing someting similar with just ourselves. I don't have any advice and I'm not quite to the "loving it" point, but I will get there and I WILL loose weight! Good luck babe! You can do it! Love you!
I wish I had advice, but I'm still trying to convince myself to exercise. It doesn't help that I've been soooo tired lately. Of course, exercising may end up helping that. Just getting there is hard... So I definitely understand the problems and I'm so happy for you now! :) Hopefully someone else can give you some good advice for staying on it after the challenge. :)
You go girl! Bri and I worked-out at least three times a week, every week, last summer and both had significant weight loss. We both kind of got a little obsessed with it and I remember feeling like you, enjoying it (for the most part) and wondering why I hadn't ever done this before. After month 4, I started losing my drive. It was such a time commitment, the weight loss had stopped, and I wasn't enjoying the same fitness routine anymore. Fall/winter was approaching, Brian started school again and was working over-time, and we both just gave it up, even though it had become such a routine for us. Maybe we'll get back on board this summer...But you'll be stronger than us so when you get sick of whatever exercise you're doing now, switch it up. And you don't look like "Java the Hut", btw. Love you!!!
I have to admit that I am not quite there yet. I do love that I feel better physically and mentally, but it is still hard for me to get excited to exercise-at home anyway. The morning we meet I am excited.;)
All I can say is that I want to do this Get Fit Challenge! How did you get so many people together to make these huge teams? I have been working much harder to get into shape since the beginning of January and I think the more support you have around you, the easier it is. What about extending the challenge? Or having a check back time set up for a couple months down the road? If you are lucky enough to have so many people around you working on the same thing, then don't let that fall to the wayside. Keep the conversation and support going! Sounds like you are doing awesome though...way to go. :)
You make me laugh! Right out loud...Carl kept asking, "what are you readin?" Love you, girl. Sorry I'm not ready for the challenge. I'm going to try being a sausage for at least another month...but then I should really start to do more!!! Thanks for the reminder.
When the challenge ends, just keep thinking about that time we grabbed our belly fat and our bellies "kissed"...(shudder). That will motivate you!! I wish I had the motivation you do. I keep thinking about the time some friends and I became hardcore runners for a few months and ran a half marathon. It was exhilarating but super exhausting. Since Liam came I've been relying on being-a-mom workouts: lifting the baby, chasing him, talking him for walks, etc. It worked for a while and lost my baby weight but not my pregnancy shape.I've definitely hit a plateau and still have some love handles that seem like they are here to stay. Lately I've been starting to crave junk all the time. It's bad but I think I'll wait till I'm teetering on the edge of obesity before I do something. Besides, I just got my girls scout cookies. Yum! Yum! ;)
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