The title of this post may sound a little bit like a line from the Wizard of Oz. That is not by accident. But, as I tell this story, you will understand how I would rather face the Wicked Witch of the West and the Flying Monkeys, than to think about repeating this particular workout in the future. But something, just something tells me that I will face it again and will ACCOMPLISH it again!!
Our normal training group bounced into the gym on our normal workout on a Wednesday with Brandon. I’m always the one that either, before we get there, or while we are warming up asks, “What are we doing tonight?” My answer this particular night was, “sandbags.” Hmmmm… Sandbags … sounds interesting. But then we all see his little sly smile, and the rubbing of the palms together, and the chuckle going up the stairs to our workout area. Oh my!!!
We proceed into our room we often get to use for our workouts. The overhead fans are on, the exercise music is playing, and we see our floor mats and SANDBAGS ready and placed for us. We have never seen the sandbags before. Just a little sand-filled long tubular bag, with a handle on it similar to a gym bag handle. A sandbag! Brandon then begins to demonstrate that we are going to hold these sandbags, end to end initially. We are going to do sumo squats first, and when we come to standing position out of the sumo squat, we are going to press the sandbag over our heads. Kind of like an arm press with weight. Well allrighty then! Sounds pretty simple. And remember, his famous saying, “you can do anything for 30 seconds.” So we start out with our sandbag, squat, press, squat, press, squat press … 30 seconds!! After about 15 seconds, that sandbag was beginning to get on my nerves. He tells us to “rest.” We’ve heard this word many times before, and it always sounds like a gift from heaven when it is heard … just sayin’. So four rounds of the squats and overhead presses with the sandbags. Yes, the arms, quads, and bootie are burning a bit.
Not to be outdone by the sumo squats and presses, Brandon then demonstrates that we are going to do either a regular burpee or a reverse burpee, and yes holding the SANDBAG. Burpees have to be one of the hardest exercises ever, let alone with a SANDBAG. And, yes, you are correct in your assumption … four rounds of 30 seconds each. Now, not only are the arms, quads, and bootie burning, but now we wheeze, and huff and puff, and appear to be an asthmatic in the final throws of a major attack. Just a little cardio to get our bodies going!!! Mine feels like it has already went.
Now we journey to the track, and you guessed it, with our SANDBAGS. Our direction now is to run, RUN, a lap carrying our sandbags. We can carry them by the handles, we can carry them on our shoulders, or, we can carry them like footballs. Doesn’t matter how we carry them. Just carry them. Then to add insult to injury, after we RUN this lap, we are to stop and do triceps curls holding a sandbag in each hand, by the handle. Well, let me tell you … all that sand sinks to the bottom, and you feel like you are carrying and lifting the weight of the world!!! I might mention, that I did ask a few times, “How much do these weigh?” My answer, “not sure.”
The first lap, I carried my sandbags by the handles. Oh my!!! I could have just had easily drug a dead body along with me. We got all kinds of sympathy from others just walking or jogging the track. Many looked at us and said, “Bless your hearts.” Yes, indeed, bless them!!
I was so happy after the first lap, because I was so tired from running that I actually looked forward to the triceps curls. My mistake. Triceps curls with SANDBAGS are the demon!!! I didn’t know anything could hurt like that. That first lap complete, we are then told, “first lap down, two more to go.” My response, “Seriously? Seriously? SERIOUSLY?? Oh, yes, seriously!
The second lap, I tried putting the sandbags on my shoulders. Well my shoulders are about 3 inches from neck to end, and I made it all of about 25 yards before they both fell off. Now my sandbags are in the middle of the track and I’m trying to heft them back into my arms. I think I should have gotten extra credit for this extra maneuver, but I don’t think I did!! I approach the end of the second lap with one sandbag slung over my forearm, and the other one dangling from my hand. What a site!!! Thirty more seconds of triceps curls, and then one more lap.
The third lap, I just draped both of them over my forearms, and drug my poor tired body around the track for one more lap. Then one more set of triceps curls.
Sounds like cool down time to me. But, nope!! Back to our little room. Now we are going to work on our core and abs. Oh joy!!! Down on our backs we go for flutter kicks, yes holding our SANDBAG over our chests with arms extended. Four rounds of 30 seconds each. I’m trying to remember that I can do anything for 30 seconds!!! Then followed by full sit-ups, again holding our SANDBAG in our hands with arms extended with each sit-up. Four more rounds of 30 seconds each.
For the grand finale, we are asked to put the sandbag on our shins, legs straight, lay flat, and do leg raises. I'm not sure, and I don't remember when someone nailed my feet to the floor, but they surely did!! I could NOT MOVE MY LEGS!!! No amount of effort or grunting or groaning helped me get my legs off the floor. Not even one-quarter of an inch. A mere one-quarter of an inch!!!! I'm told that just trying was working, so just keep trying!!! That, I did!
Workout complete!!! Good job!!!
Now, I’m one of those folks that avoid a scale at all cost. But I was determined to find out just how much those sandbags weigh. I happily jumped on the scale, weighed myself, then got off, picked up my sandbags, and reweighed. I weighed 20 pounds more!! So each sandbag was 10 pounds. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but believe me, it was AMAZINGLY A LOT!!!!
But here is the real story behind this story … It seemed absolutely ominous to us, as we were doing this workout, the weight of those sandbags. They did weigh a total of 20 pounds. But last year, I carried not only 20 pounds around that track, I carried 77 pounds around that track. Not only around that track, but each and every day of my life, for 15 plus years, I carried 77 pounds around with me. Yes, that is my total weight loss to date. So, when I have those days that the scale is being a brat and showing a little gain, or when I want nachos, or candy, or egg rolls, or pizza, or meatballs … I think about those SANDBAGS and that workout designed for us by Brandon. I didn’t think those sandbags were my friends, and I thought Brandon had really challenged us, but now I realize they are both my friends . The sandbags put into perspective the unhealthy weight I had carried for far too long, and with Brandon’s guidance, my body has very healthily and very efficiently been taken to a new level.
God put me in the right place, at the right time, with the right people. Sit-up's and burpees and sandbags … oh my!!! I’ve never been happier!!
Friday, September 25, 2015
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Not Always The Real Story
The scale doesn’t always tell the story …
Gravitaphobia/Gravitophobia ! Have you ever heard of the word? I hadn’t either until I wanted to write this blog post regarding my fear of the scale. I googled, of course, to find out if there was a true phobia, and who knew? I find both of these words, actually in two separate articles, by the same author, Yoni Freedhoff, M.D. It is described in his article as the irrational fear of the scale and, therefore, avoidance of said scale. I may not be in that particular spot, but I am hovering along the edges. Maybe, mini-gravitaphobia! He speaks in his article of people that will not make eye contact with their bathroom scale, when they go into the room. I don’t have to worry about that. My scale is buried in my walk-in closet under my shoes. And for anyone who knows me, that would mean it can’t be easily or readily seen under my pile of shoes. It would probably take at least 2 hours to shovel it out, and think of all the exercise credit I would get for that maneuver? I think there may be another name for shoe addiction, but that is for another time!!
When I started my Wellness Journey, I of course, had to weigh in. Even though embarrassed by my weight, the first night was ever so easy to do so, as was the second week, the third week, and maybe even into the fourth week. But, I found as I progressed through my journey, I became more and more anxious. I was lucky enough to lose 5 pounds the first week, then 2, then 3, then 1.5. Even small increments were victories. But I found, as I progressed, I became more and more anxious each time I weighed, for fear that one weigh-in may show an increase. Any increase, any increment of an increase put the fear of disaster in my mind, and it hovered close to the skin like needles pricking each week. Our Health Educator, Brandon, often speaks to these scale numbers. He says over and over again that our bodies do very strange things, and that the number on the scale is simply put, just that!! A number on the scale. He reiterates over and over again that as long as we do what we are supposed to do, eat the healthy foods, the right combinations, exercise the way we should, drink a healthy portion of water, and get adequate sleep, that the number on the scale is simply a number. That number may go up, it may go down, it may go up again, but it will always correct itself, if we stay the course! I don’t know why this is so hard for me to embrace, but all I can say is that it is extremely hard for me. But, the scale doesn’t always tell the story …
I went 32 weeks in my journey, before I stepped on the scale and showed a gain. A “gain” … yes, a “gain” of … THREE-QUARTERS OF A POUND!!! Sounds miniscule, doesn’t it? I don’t like to get upset in front of people. It was ever so apparent by my facial expression that I was upset, and when others tried to talk with me, all I could say was “don’t be nice to me.” Trying to be nice anyway, they were, and well, it resulted in tears, and feelings of “oh my gosh, all this weight is coming back.” I was almost inconsolable. As much as my brain knew I was just fine, my heart was broken, I felt that ever fear of past failures, and to be quite honest, was really ticked off because I hadn’t done anything to gain anything!!!! But, the scale doesn’t always tell the story …
My wellness class is always on Monday night. That is the worst day in the week to weigh! I don’t “cheat” on the weekend, but let’s face it … my schedule is completely different on the weekend than it is Monday through Friday. During the work week, I exercise at the same time in the morning, eat breakfast at the same time, have my mid-morning snack at the same time, eat lunch at the same time, have my mid afternoon snack at the same time, exercise in the late afternoon at the same time, have dinner at the same time, and have my bedtime snack at the same time. Sound regimented. Well, yes it is!!!!! But on Saturday and Sunday, even though I eat the same foods, the times are different for everything. I often will not even start eating until later in the afternoon, and stop eating later at night. My sleep habits are completely different on the weekend. So Monday rolls around for weigh-in, and what should I expect? I expect to lose weight or stay the same, but that doesn’t always happen. Then, here comes the fear again. But, the scale doesn’t always tell the story …
Because of my fears, Brandon in his wisdom, asked me to do a little study for our class. He asked me to weigh myself for 4 days throughout a week, and to try to weigh myself every hour or so. I started on a Sunday, and weighed myself Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I tried to weigh as close to every hour as I could. I even had a scale in my office at work. What a roller coaster!!! I weighed upon awakening, before exercise, after exercise, before eating, after eating, and before bedtime. My weight fluctuated throughout any given day as much as 7 pounds. SEVEN POUNDS!!!! So, why in the world am I stressing over one-half pound, one pound, or whatever on any given Monday night? Another point, with this daily weight documentation, was what my weight did with stress. Brandon had told me, in particular, and the class as a whole on several occasions that cortisol can do crazy things with weight. My worry, fear, whatever you want to call it … was probably making my cortisol go nuts every Monday night!! Sure enough, on one of my days of weighing every hour, I was particulary stressed, so I purposefully weighed. I had weighed one hour before, and when I weighed during my stress time, I had GAINED THREE POUNDS!!! One hour later, it was right back down. Point proven! But, the scale doesn’t always tell the story …
Even though I have gotten braver, as I like to call it, with my weigh-ins, I still have my moments of dejection, fright, anger, grit my teeth, keep my mouth shut moments when I weigh. On my last weigh-in, I showed a TWO POUND “gain”. I looked at Brandon and said, “but I didn’t do anything.” His immediate response, “that’s why you shouldn’t be worried.” The right words, at the right time, with the right smile, and the right firmness. Just go sit down, Sharon!!!
I’ve said many times during this post … but, the scale doesn’t always tell the story. The scale certainly helps write the story, but here is the REAL story:
77 pounds lost!!! In mostly no bigger increments than 1.5 or 2 pounds per week. To quote another success story, “celebrate every quarter pound lost, but for those quarters, you wouldn’t be where you are today.” So I celebrate my 77 pounds lost!!
Completely off my cholesterol medication. I have a familial tendency for this, so I may not be able to maintain on my own without medication. But I celebrate that I was taking 20 mgs. of Lipitor daily, then 10 mgs., then 5 mgs., and now none!!!
I have reduced my blood pressure medication to one-half the original dosage, and may be tapered completely off of it in a few weeks. I celebrate that I am able to reduce and possibly stop this medication!
My exercise level has gone from ZERO to HIGH INTENSITY on several days each week and moderate exercise daily. I celebrate the new-found movement of my body. It is a beautiful feeling!
I feel younger than I have in years. I could choose to beat myself up for being unhealthy for so long, but I choose to celebrate my health and how I feel every morning when my feet hit the floor.
I look different ! I celebrate when people see me, who haven’t seen me in a while. I first get the stare of “I know I should know you.” Then I get the “oh my, I wouldn’t have known you.” I celebrate it is the same me, but I just look different. It’s the difference of looking healthy!! How beautiful is that?
I now can go to mostly any restaurant or any event and make an informed decision of the right choice. I celebrate the knowledge of this decision-making, but mostly the freedom that this knowledge affords me. My decisions are better today than they were yesterday. I celebrate my new found freedom!!
I feel braver and more competent in my skin. With each step, of each day, of each month, and now into more than a full year, I get braver with each “success.” I celebrate my bravery!!
And most importantly, when I started this journey and was asked why I wanted to join this program, my immediate response was, “I’m just so tired of going to bed every night and being so disappointed with myself.” I celebrate now when I lay head to pillow at night and I’m not disappointed with myself!! I’ve learned it is true, that you need to love yourself first! I celebrate that first!!!
So these are the real stories. The scale doesn’t always tell the story. It is a small part of a journey that I will be forever grateful to have taken and continue to take. I will forever celebrate and have gratitude to my support team and the folks that have taken this journey by my side. I love them all dearly. They are gifted by God and grace-filled, and they have shared their gifts and grace with me. I celebrate their grace!
My God put me in the right place, at the right time, with the right people. I lay head to pillow at night with no disappointment but with prayers of huge gratitude. That, my friends, is not only the real story, it is the ULTIMATE STORY!!
Gravitaphobia/Gravitophobia ! Have you ever heard of the word? I hadn’t either until I wanted to write this blog post regarding my fear of the scale. I googled, of course, to find out if there was a true phobia, and who knew? I find both of these words, actually in two separate articles, by the same author, Yoni Freedhoff, M.D. It is described in his article as the irrational fear of the scale and, therefore, avoidance of said scale. I may not be in that particular spot, but I am hovering along the edges. Maybe, mini-gravitaphobia! He speaks in his article of people that will not make eye contact with their bathroom scale, when they go into the room. I don’t have to worry about that. My scale is buried in my walk-in closet under my shoes. And for anyone who knows me, that would mean it can’t be easily or readily seen under my pile of shoes. It would probably take at least 2 hours to shovel it out, and think of all the exercise credit I would get for that maneuver? I think there may be another name for shoe addiction, but that is for another time!!
When I started my Wellness Journey, I of course, had to weigh in. Even though embarrassed by my weight, the first night was ever so easy to do so, as was the second week, the third week, and maybe even into the fourth week. But, I found as I progressed through my journey, I became more and more anxious. I was lucky enough to lose 5 pounds the first week, then 2, then 3, then 1.5. Even small increments were victories. But I found, as I progressed, I became more and more anxious each time I weighed, for fear that one weigh-in may show an increase. Any increase, any increment of an increase put the fear of disaster in my mind, and it hovered close to the skin like needles pricking each week. Our Health Educator, Brandon, often speaks to these scale numbers. He says over and over again that our bodies do very strange things, and that the number on the scale is simply put, just that!! A number on the scale. He reiterates over and over again that as long as we do what we are supposed to do, eat the healthy foods, the right combinations, exercise the way we should, drink a healthy portion of water, and get adequate sleep, that the number on the scale is simply a number. That number may go up, it may go down, it may go up again, but it will always correct itself, if we stay the course! I don’t know why this is so hard for me to embrace, but all I can say is that it is extremely hard for me. But, the scale doesn’t always tell the story …
I went 32 weeks in my journey, before I stepped on the scale and showed a gain. A “gain” … yes, a “gain” of … THREE-QUARTERS OF A POUND!!! Sounds miniscule, doesn’t it? I don’t like to get upset in front of people. It was ever so apparent by my facial expression that I was upset, and when others tried to talk with me, all I could say was “don’t be nice to me.” Trying to be nice anyway, they were, and well, it resulted in tears, and feelings of “oh my gosh, all this weight is coming back.” I was almost inconsolable. As much as my brain knew I was just fine, my heart was broken, I felt that ever fear of past failures, and to be quite honest, was really ticked off because I hadn’t done anything to gain anything!!!! But, the scale doesn’t always tell the story …
My wellness class is always on Monday night. That is the worst day in the week to weigh! I don’t “cheat” on the weekend, but let’s face it … my schedule is completely different on the weekend than it is Monday through Friday. During the work week, I exercise at the same time in the morning, eat breakfast at the same time, have my mid-morning snack at the same time, eat lunch at the same time, have my mid afternoon snack at the same time, exercise in the late afternoon at the same time, have dinner at the same time, and have my bedtime snack at the same time. Sound regimented. Well, yes it is!!!!! But on Saturday and Sunday, even though I eat the same foods, the times are different for everything. I often will not even start eating until later in the afternoon, and stop eating later at night. My sleep habits are completely different on the weekend. So Monday rolls around for weigh-in, and what should I expect? I expect to lose weight or stay the same, but that doesn’t always happen. Then, here comes the fear again. But, the scale doesn’t always tell the story …
Because of my fears, Brandon in his wisdom, asked me to do a little study for our class. He asked me to weigh myself for 4 days throughout a week, and to try to weigh myself every hour or so. I started on a Sunday, and weighed myself Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I tried to weigh as close to every hour as I could. I even had a scale in my office at work. What a roller coaster!!! I weighed upon awakening, before exercise, after exercise, before eating, after eating, and before bedtime. My weight fluctuated throughout any given day as much as 7 pounds. SEVEN POUNDS!!!! So, why in the world am I stressing over one-half pound, one pound, or whatever on any given Monday night? Another point, with this daily weight documentation, was what my weight did with stress. Brandon had told me, in particular, and the class as a whole on several occasions that cortisol can do crazy things with weight. My worry, fear, whatever you want to call it … was probably making my cortisol go nuts every Monday night!! Sure enough, on one of my days of weighing every hour, I was particulary stressed, so I purposefully weighed. I had weighed one hour before, and when I weighed during my stress time, I had GAINED THREE POUNDS!!! One hour later, it was right back down. Point proven! But, the scale doesn’t always tell the story …
Even though I have gotten braver, as I like to call it, with my weigh-ins, I still have my moments of dejection, fright, anger, grit my teeth, keep my mouth shut moments when I weigh. On my last weigh-in, I showed a TWO POUND “gain”. I looked at Brandon and said, “but I didn’t do anything.” His immediate response, “that’s why you shouldn’t be worried.” The right words, at the right time, with the right smile, and the right firmness. Just go sit down, Sharon!!!
I’ve said many times during this post … but, the scale doesn’t always tell the story. The scale certainly helps write the story, but here is the REAL story:
77 pounds lost!!! In mostly no bigger increments than 1.5 or 2 pounds per week. To quote another success story, “celebrate every quarter pound lost, but for those quarters, you wouldn’t be where you are today.” So I celebrate my 77 pounds lost!!
Completely off my cholesterol medication. I have a familial tendency for this, so I may not be able to maintain on my own without medication. But I celebrate that I was taking 20 mgs. of Lipitor daily, then 10 mgs., then 5 mgs., and now none!!!
I have reduced my blood pressure medication to one-half the original dosage, and may be tapered completely off of it in a few weeks. I celebrate that I am able to reduce and possibly stop this medication!
My exercise level has gone from ZERO to HIGH INTENSITY on several days each week and moderate exercise daily. I celebrate the new-found movement of my body. It is a beautiful feeling!
I feel younger than I have in years. I could choose to beat myself up for being unhealthy for so long, but I choose to celebrate my health and how I feel every morning when my feet hit the floor.
I look different ! I celebrate when people see me, who haven’t seen me in a while. I first get the stare of “I know I should know you.” Then I get the “oh my, I wouldn’t have known you.” I celebrate it is the same me, but I just look different. It’s the difference of looking healthy!! How beautiful is that?
I now can go to mostly any restaurant or any event and make an informed decision of the right choice. I celebrate the knowledge of this decision-making, but mostly the freedom that this knowledge affords me. My decisions are better today than they were yesterday. I celebrate my new found freedom!!
I feel braver and more competent in my skin. With each step, of each day, of each month, and now into more than a full year, I get braver with each “success.” I celebrate my bravery!!
And most importantly, when I started this journey and was asked why I wanted to join this program, my immediate response was, “I’m just so tired of going to bed every night and being so disappointed with myself.” I celebrate now when I lay head to pillow at night and I’m not disappointed with myself!! I’ve learned it is true, that you need to love yourself first! I celebrate that first!!!
So these are the real stories. The scale doesn’t always tell the story. It is a small part of a journey that I will be forever grateful to have taken and continue to take. I will forever celebrate and have gratitude to my support team and the folks that have taken this journey by my side. I love them all dearly. They are gifted by God and grace-filled, and they have shared their gifts and grace with me. I celebrate their grace!
My God put me in the right place, at the right time, with the right people. I lay head to pillow at night with no disappointment but with prayers of huge gratitude. That, my friends, is not only the real story, it is the ULTIMATE STORY!!
Friday, September 11, 2015
My Spirit of Power
2 Timothy 1:7
7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline.
For the first time ever, when I started my Wellness Journey (I refuse to call it a diet!) I was also required to do physical activity, along with the healthy eating plan. I have participated in, been successful, been unsuccessful, and gone back and forth in all points between on every other “diet” I have embarked upon. But this time, for the first time, I was given a structured exercise plan, in a gym, with a trainer!!
My first night of exercise with our trainer, Brandon, was quite an eye opener. During my years, I have always been very active. I danced in my younger years, A LOT!!! I played tennis, swam, walked, and participated in extra-curricular activities that involved physical activity. But, I had probably become the consummate couch potato for well over the last 15 years. I had ballooned to a higher weight than ever, had aches and pains that I just accepted, and found it more and more difficult to move without pain and shortness of breath. Again, I had decided to accept this. My physical activity consisted of working all day, walking my dog a bit, cooking, EATING, and sitting on the couch with my favorite book. It had been so long since I had actually gone to the gym, that I went bouncing in there the first night under some pretense that I was going to just be great! Oh my …
My trainer …
Brandon is an excellent trainer! This has got to be the first step in any good exercise program. Find the right trainer that understands the body and all the moving parts. We found early on, that Brandon could watch our movement and help us to proceed more effectively. He also knew intuitively what we would be capable of doing or even to be able to attempt to do. He is not a Jillian Michaels trainer. There is no screaming, no belittling, and no barking. And thank goodness … that would never have worked for me!!! He is a mentor. A wonderful mentor and a coach. He mixes fun with good hard work, and is a gentle soul, with a firm guidance. And, of course, he has a favorite saying … “You can do anything for 30 seconds.” That’s really hard to believe most of the time, when you think you may die in the next 5 seconds. Why is it that 5 MINUTES on a snooze alarm seem like a nanosecond, and 5 SECONDS of burpees seem like an hour? Crazy!!! But back to that first night … I remember we were to warm up on the treadmill with a little cardio. I walked on the treadmill at about 2.5 MPH for 10 minutes, and I could hardly breathe. My back hurt so badly I wanted to cry. I looked at Brandon and said, “Well that sucked.” His response, “What?” “ You did great. That was better than I even imagined.” I will never forget that response. I went from feeling totally and completely inadequate to feeling like I may just have this thing. I may just be able to do this. I may be able to exercise again. In reality, it really did suck!!! But, Brandon wouldn’t let me feel that way. Because of his answer, his mentoring, his coaching, and his concern, I moved right on to the next round of required “sit and stands.” Sit on a bench, stand up, sit back down, stand up, sit back down. And repeat 3 rotations of 30 seconds of each. After all, “You can do anything for 30 seconds.” We probably exercised that first night for about 45 minutes, with some of it being instruction in proper technique rather than actual movement. But it was the perfect basis, for the perfect first session, for the perfect send-off to exercise, and is probably one of the main reasons why my group still, 17 months later, still has training sessions weekly with Brandon. Yes, we found, we indeed can do most anything for 30 seconds. At least the things that Brandon challenged us to do and continues to challenge us to do. Because as a good trainer, he knows what is not possible for us …. Just yet!!!! Was it or is it easy? Absolutely not … but doable!!!!
Endurance …
When I say endurance, I don’t necessarily mean endurance with actual exercise. I mean endurance with continuing to exercise on a most regular basis. For the first month or so, after I would leave the gym, I would say to anyone that I came in contact with, whether I knew them or not, “I don’t believe any of these nuts that say they love exercise. That’s just bull!! I may do it, but I will never like it.” Well, eat my words. Thank goodness my words are not chunked full of calories!!!! I LOVE exercise now!! I exercise multiple times a week. I even exercise twice a day on many days each week. The exuberance of feeling movement in my body again is almost indescribable. I am more active, can do more, and have more flexibility and muscle control than I have had for many, many years. And, I LOVE it!!! Now instead of coming home after a busy day and falling onto my couch, I look forward to heading to the gym, and hitting the cardio or the weights. It’s amazing how this is now my relaxation and stress releaser. When I don’t move, don’t participate, don’t exercise, I actually feel more tired. Now I know how all those “nuts” that were saying how much they love exercise really feel. I’m one of those “nuts”!!!!
In future posts, I will share funny stories of certain sessions. This is just my overview and my opinion of exercise. Why I do it, why I love it, and why I am so thankful it is a part of my healthy lifestyle and my wellness journey.
Again, all things are made possible through our God. God placed me in the right place, at the right time, and with the right people. I am forever grateful.
2 Timothy 1:7
7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline.
My spirit of power!!
7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline.
For the first time ever, when I started my Wellness Journey (I refuse to call it a diet!) I was also required to do physical activity, along with the healthy eating plan. I have participated in, been successful, been unsuccessful, and gone back and forth in all points between on every other “diet” I have embarked upon. But this time, for the first time, I was given a structured exercise plan, in a gym, with a trainer!!
My first night of exercise with our trainer, Brandon, was quite an eye opener. During my years, I have always been very active. I danced in my younger years, A LOT!!! I played tennis, swam, walked, and participated in extra-curricular activities that involved physical activity. But, I had probably become the consummate couch potato for well over the last 15 years. I had ballooned to a higher weight than ever, had aches and pains that I just accepted, and found it more and more difficult to move without pain and shortness of breath. Again, I had decided to accept this. My physical activity consisted of working all day, walking my dog a bit, cooking, EATING, and sitting on the couch with my favorite book. It had been so long since I had actually gone to the gym, that I went bouncing in there the first night under some pretense that I was going to just be great! Oh my …
My trainer …
Brandon is an excellent trainer! This has got to be the first step in any good exercise program. Find the right trainer that understands the body and all the moving parts. We found early on, that Brandon could watch our movement and help us to proceed more effectively. He also knew intuitively what we would be capable of doing or even to be able to attempt to do. He is not a Jillian Michaels trainer. There is no screaming, no belittling, and no barking. And thank goodness … that would never have worked for me!!! He is a mentor. A wonderful mentor and a coach. He mixes fun with good hard work, and is a gentle soul, with a firm guidance. And, of course, he has a favorite saying … “You can do anything for 30 seconds.” That’s really hard to believe most of the time, when you think you may die in the next 5 seconds. Why is it that 5 MINUTES on a snooze alarm seem like a nanosecond, and 5 SECONDS of burpees seem like an hour? Crazy!!! But back to that first night … I remember we were to warm up on the treadmill with a little cardio. I walked on the treadmill at about 2.5 MPH for 10 minutes, and I could hardly breathe. My back hurt so badly I wanted to cry. I looked at Brandon and said, “Well that sucked.” His response, “What?” “ You did great. That was better than I even imagined.” I will never forget that response. I went from feeling totally and completely inadequate to feeling like I may just have this thing. I may just be able to do this. I may be able to exercise again. In reality, it really did suck!!! But, Brandon wouldn’t let me feel that way. Because of his answer, his mentoring, his coaching, and his concern, I moved right on to the next round of required “sit and stands.” Sit on a bench, stand up, sit back down, stand up, sit back down. And repeat 3 rotations of 30 seconds of each. After all, “You can do anything for 30 seconds.” We probably exercised that first night for about 45 minutes, with some of it being instruction in proper technique rather than actual movement. But it was the perfect basis, for the perfect first session, for the perfect send-off to exercise, and is probably one of the main reasons why my group still, 17 months later, still has training sessions weekly with Brandon. Yes, we found, we indeed can do most anything for 30 seconds. At least the things that Brandon challenged us to do and continues to challenge us to do. Because as a good trainer, he knows what is not possible for us …. Just yet!!!! Was it or is it easy? Absolutely not … but doable!!!!
Endurance …
When I say endurance, I don’t necessarily mean endurance with actual exercise. I mean endurance with continuing to exercise on a most regular basis. For the first month or so, after I would leave the gym, I would say to anyone that I came in contact with, whether I knew them or not, “I don’t believe any of these nuts that say they love exercise. That’s just bull!! I may do it, but I will never like it.” Well, eat my words. Thank goodness my words are not chunked full of calories!!!! I LOVE exercise now!! I exercise multiple times a week. I even exercise twice a day on many days each week. The exuberance of feeling movement in my body again is almost indescribable. I am more active, can do more, and have more flexibility and muscle control than I have had for many, many years. And, I LOVE it!!! Now instead of coming home after a busy day and falling onto my couch, I look forward to heading to the gym, and hitting the cardio or the weights. It’s amazing how this is now my relaxation and stress releaser. When I don’t move, don’t participate, don’t exercise, I actually feel more tired. Now I know how all those “nuts” that were saying how much they love exercise really feel. I’m one of those “nuts”!!!!
In future posts, I will share funny stories of certain sessions. This is just my overview and my opinion of exercise. Why I do it, why I love it, and why I am so thankful it is a part of my healthy lifestyle and my wellness journey.
Again, all things are made possible through our God. God placed me in the right place, at the right time, and with the right people. I am forever grateful.
2 Timothy 1:7
7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline.
My spirit of power!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)