Running

Never in a million years did I EVER think that I would posting a blog post with the title RUNNING!
I have spent the last few weeks/months training for my 1st half marathon. I have been running quite a few miles each Saturday in preparation  for my big run in May. When I started my "getting healthy" journey two years ago, I NEVER, EVER wanted or dreamed that I would become a runner. In fact, I am pretty sure that I swore (up and down) that I would NEVER, EVER run for fun...ummm hello 5k(Nov. 2011 and Aug, 2012) 10k (Nov. 2012) and now a 1/2 marathon(May 2013). I wanted to lose weight, get healthy, feel better AND to be able to do it without running :). Funny how things change. Let me just preface this post with the "I still don't love running"! I am actually waiting to experience that runner's high that people/friends keep talking about.

Fitness MD has played a BIG part in my being able to just run. Most of our workouts incorporate cardio/running. When I joined Fitness MD, those first few months were B-R-U-T-A-L. When I had to run a large lap, or worse, being told to run two large laps(=1 mile), in a row, I would cringe. There were days I wanted to cry. There were days that I wanted to take the short cut(basically cheat). There were days that I wand to get in my car and just go home. After two weeks of not being able to run those large laps without stopping at least once, I made a deal with myself. I promised myself that I would never walk a large  lap EVER again. If I had to, I could run it slow but I always had to run it. To this day, I have run every single large lap I have ever been told to run at Fitness MD. You may be saying to yourself, "so, why is she talking about this?" There are two reasons. First, I ran 12 miles on Saturday. I RAN 12 MILES on Saturday. It was on my schedule and I did it. I got it done. Woot! Woot! Thankful that my friend Stephanie joined me...made it so do-able! That is just 1.1 miles less than I will be running on my 1/2 marathon day! I can do it! I know I can. The 2nd reason I am recording my running feats on my blog today is because I was so proud of myself today. I actually slept in and hit the 11:30 am Fit Club class instead of the 5 am . In the 11:30 am class today, there was a girls high school softball team training and doing to workout with us. At certain points in the workout, we had to run large laps(1/2 mile) for time. The 1st two large laps that we had to run, I beat every single one of those high schoolers. Beat them...meaning I was faster than them. Who knew :)??? For the last two large laps that we ran, I stayed even with their fastest runners. I am not bragging or anything(ok, maybe I am...just a little) but I was able to hang with those teeny boppers. Who knew??? As I have thought about my running self, this quote has played over and over in my mind.

And that, my friends is what I have learned...YOU JUST HAVE TO GO!

100

It is official! 100 is my new favorite number! Are you asking yourself, "why 100?" I am happy, proud, floored, ecstatic to announce that I have lost 100 lbs.. Can you believe that? I am still having a hard time wrapping my mind around it. 100 lbs.!!! When I wrote that goal down, a little over a year ago, that number almost seemed unattainable. I wasn't sure how I was going to do it but I knew that I had the determination and drive to attempt it. Honestly, I was a little unsure of my lofty goal. Just a little over a year later, I am there. There have been MANY heart to heart talks with John about what I wanted to accomplish. There have been MANY "you can do this" statements from John. There have been MANY early mornings spent at Fitness MD. There have been MANY afternoons spent at Fitness MD. There have been MANY friends cheering me on. There have been MANY Weight Watchers meeting attended. There have been MANY Weight Watcher Points Plus counted. There have been MANY habits kicked to the curb. There have been MANY new,healthy habits formed. There have been MANY miles logged (outdoors and) on my treadmill. There have been MANY tears shed. There have been MANY smiles due to triumphs/victories on that darn scale. There have been MANY weekly weight goals set by David at Fitness MD. There have been MANY people who have cheered me on! To you, I say thank you for the bottom of my heart. It has been quite the journey. A journey I am so glad I decided to take. Not only am I 100 lbs. lighter but I feel great!

Today was the day I officially stepped on the scale and hit that 100 lb. loss! It was exciting and very satisfying. The Weight Watcher leaders were excited for me and made a big deal about it. I was even called to the front of the room so the rest of the members/group could ask questions about my journey. I spent about 15 minutes in front of the group, sharing my story and answering their questions! And seriously, had I known they were going to do that to me, I would have dressed a tad bit cuter-ha! I went in my workout clothes.

This is my cute WW leader, Jan! She has been so positive and so wonderful! She has cheered me on each week. It has meant the world to me.



When I got home from my weigh in, this is what greeted me in our garage. As soon as I had texted John telling him that I had nailed my 100 lb. loss, without me knowing, he ran to the party store and purchased supplies to decorate the wall in our garage. As soon as I saw it, I bawled.




















Not only did he decorate the garage, I walked into the kitchen to find this. So fun!



I am so thankful to have John in my life. He has been so supportive and his love unconditional! I am so thankful to have that in my best friend, my partner in crime.

Now that I have hit my 100 lb. weight loss goal, friends and family are asking "now what?" Well, I have a few more lbs. that I want to lose and their are a few goals that are related to the gym that I want to kick some trash on. I can't wait to see what 2012 holds for me!

celebrating 1 year

So...I have gone back and forth a million times as to whether or not I would share this post, publicly! This is one of those posts that I knew I wanted to record and share at some point! As I looked at my before and after photos, I could not believe I was staring at the same lady. While my physical appearance has changed, my heart has remained the same. I am still the fun, life loving, happy person that I have always been. I have finally settled on sharing these photos via my blog in hopes that someone out there in blog land will be inspired...and simply for the fact that it is part of my story, my journey.

January 8, 2012 marked my 1 year anniversary with Fitness MD.I walked into Fitness MD on January 8,2011. My very first visit to Fitness MD consisted of participating in assessments. Every 6 weeks they assess your progress. I was starting from ground zero. They measured me, weighed me, pinched my fat and assessed what I was capable of doing(sit ups, timed 1.5 mile run, push ups,bench dips,pull ups, etc...). Honestly it was so humiliating and one of the most uncomfortable things I had ever done...for the simple fact that I was out of shape. The trainers in charge of the assessments were friendly and easy to work with. They weren't the problem. The main thing I learned about myself from that very first visit was that we all have to start somewhere. If I was going to make some BIG changes in my life, I would have to do things that pulled me out of my comfort zone and pushed to me to my limits...to places that I simply didn't want to go when I first started. I attended Fit Club(think Boot Camp/Biggest Loser style)Monday-Friday. The class is an hour long and I would walk out of there drenched in sweat. Some days, I would walk out of there, get into my car and cry! I am not gonna lie, it was hard! I was doing things that I never imagined myself doing in a million years. They were tears of joy, frustration, happiness, and pain. Knowing myself as I do, I knew that I had to give this 110 percent to make it work and happen for me. I committed myself to going 5 days a week and to NOT make ANY excuses as to why I could miss a day here or there. Again 110 percent. I am happy to report that 1 year later, I am still attending Fit Club 5 days a week(sometimes more). As of this week, I started attending the 1/2 hour Cardio Blaster class that is right before the Fit Club class that I attend. While I have not reached my final destination in the goal department, I am inching closer to it every day. Not a day goes by that I don't think about the HUGE impact that Fitness MD has had on my life. It may sound silly to some but for me, it has been a big part of my world and success. I am thankful for those who have cheered me on from the start(John, family and friends) and continue to do so. I am thankful for David and the opportunity I had to give Fitness MD a try. I am thankful for the entire staff at Fitness MD. They have pushed me and encouraged me to try harder and to do more. A year later, I can honestly tell you that I now look forward to those assessments every 6 weeks. It has been FUN watching my #'s decrease(weight, inches, and timed runs).

So without further ado, I give you the before and after pictures of my journey so far. Again, I struggled with my decision to put these out here for the public to view. It is a very personal thing. If these photos can help motivate someone else to find their happy/healthy place/self then it is all worth it to me! If anyone is interested in checking out Fitness MD, you can get a free 10 day trial pass. Let me know if you are interested and I will meet you down there for a Fit Club class :-).

Before(1-7-2011)...





















After(1-8-2012)...





















One final note. I want to share ONE quote(of the many) that has inspired me along this journey. It reads:
"There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when it is convenient. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses: only results."
Kenneth Blanchard

p.s. I if can do this...anyone can!

project life

This little calendar is what will represent May 31, 2011 in my Project Life album.














I am still going strong with my daily workouts. I did not miss a single workout this month(I go M-F). I am attending Fit Club at Fitness MD each morning. I love that it has become a habit, part of my daily routine. I may not love how I feel during some of my workouts but I definitely love how I feel after I have completed my workout. My clothes are baggy and I am discovering new muscles that I never knew existed on my body. There are some days on this calendar that I thought I should have given myself two gold stars...just for simply showing up and completing the workout. Some days are harder than others but I am sticking with it and getting it done.

Okay, I am going to be totally honest. I never thought in a million years that I would be posting about going to the gym :-). My friend (and GT boss), Kelly approached me and asked how I felt about going to a gym. We were getting ready to start our Green Tangerines Biggest Loser Challenge and we had the opportunity to try out Fitness MD. I had had gym memberships before. It has been about 10 years since my last visit/membership. Whenever I went to the gym, I didn't feel like I knew what I was doing when it came to the weights. So I would find myself on the bike and treadmill each day. I would get bored. I would miss a day. Then I would miss two days. Two days would become a week and that week led to a year. I would still pay for my membership and not ever use it. Well, that year led to the 10 year span without going to the gym. Those 10 years without the gym and 4 babies later led to an unhealthy me.

On January 8th I met Kelly down at Fitness MD in Rocklin. We were assessed by a trainer. By assessed, I mean our weight and measurements were taken. Our fat was pinched(my least favorite part-LOL). We had to walk/run a mile and a half. We did push ups, sit ups and were assessed to see how much weight we could lift. On January 10th, we attended our first Fit Club Workout. These workouts are done in a group setting with a Trainer(s) who leads the way. I am not gonna lie, I thought I was going to die during that first workout. I was using muscles that had not been used in years. I am happy to report that I didn't die after that first workout. In fact, I have gone to Fitness MD every day M-F(except the one sick day I missed because of a nasty chest cold). I look forward to the workouts. Each and every day is different. The workouts are never the same and I love that. For instance, this morning at 6:30 am, we worked on our upper body. Tomorrow we will work on our lower body. I actually look forward to my daily workouts. Our trainer Jaime,has been fabulous. He helps you when you need it. He motivates you and claps you on (to get you going) AND there are lots of whoop whoops :-). The entire staff has been friendly and helpful. After my first week of working out at Fitness MD, I lost 6 lbs.. Six lbs. people!!!!! The following week, I was down 3 lbs.. Can you believe that? I have continued to lose weight during the last month but the best part is the fact that I can feel my body changing. Muscles are beginning to surface and my clothes are getting baggy. As of tomorrow at 6:30 am, I will have completed my 4th week of workouts. I can honestly say that I am loving it! I haven't uttered the words "I am bored" once. I enjoy going to Fitness MD and especially love how I feel after a great workout!

Are you still with me :-)? I didn't mean for this to turn into a novel. I just really love the place...can you tell?
If you visit their website at Fitness MD, you can print a 7 day pass to try them out. Let them know that I sent you :-) and let me know if you want to meet down there. Seriously, you will love it!

Don't forget to get up and move today :-).