A personal training & food journal. Read about our weight loss progress at Train With Ron in Chicago, our nutritional habits and the life changes we're making to get in shape and stay healthy!
April 11thAloha! We are back from vacation and trying to slowly get back into the norm. We had all day today to sort through our treasures that we brought back and start sharing some photos with friends and family. We had a truly amazing time. We also learned that by choosing to stay on the North Shore we experience a much more natural Oahu, rather than the hotel lined beaches of Waikiki. We learned a lot from the locals and had a spiritually rewarding experience.
Dan & Monika Kayaking at Turtle Bay in Oahu
Dan and I also enjoyed a lot of activities at the resort and on the island. We knew that none would match a Train With Ron workout but we wanted to make sure that we stayed active. We hiked, kayaked, golfed and went horseback riding. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of relaxing was mixed in as well. On the right you’ll see Dan and I kayaking in the cove at Turtle Bay (no sharks, only turtles were spotted). Behind us you can see one of the many rainbows we saw everyday that we were there. Our arms were in good shape from our working out so kayaking for a couple of hours was a breeze. It wasn’t too intense because it was a tour and it was in a shallow cove, but the difference was noticeable from the last time I kayaked. We did tons of hiking and sight seeing and our last night we went horseback riding. That was a new activity for me. I was 13 the last time I was on horseback and I was led around by someone so this was a first for me. I’ll let Dan describe his golfing experience, I only rode with him on his last round.
Monika at Turtle Bay
Eating well and healthfully at the resort wasn’t too much of a challenge and we did allow ourselves a little bit of luxury. A couple of times we enjoyed dessert and Dan found coconut macaroons to be a very delicious treat. It has always been one of my favorites. We also ate tons of local fruits and fish. The resort offered a buffet breakfast as one of it’s eatery options and Dan and I had that most mornings. It allowed us to fill our plates with fruit mainly and also have a little bit of scrambled or boiled eggs, waffles and sausages. Lunches were light most days because were were always out and about and it was pretty warm so the hunger factor went down. We just had to make sure we drank enough liquids. Evenings were the most indulgent I think. Only because most days we were busy with activities so by the time we got back to our cottage we were very hungry and ordered room service. We went to a Luau one of the nights and went out to eat a couple of nights. All in all I believe we did pretty well.
I neither gained nor lost any weight or body fat which is great because I kind of resolved myself to gaining maybe a pound or two on this vacation. Now I’ll head back into the gym tomorrow morning and start phase 2 of my weight loss journey with my personal trainers. I’m really looking forward to it. I missed the workouts and the guys and it will be great to get back in there and workout again.
April 1st
Well, the time is here and in about 24 hours from now we will be in Hawaii. I am so excited! It’s been a busy day-before and a turned-upside-down week before, for me.
So what is the last thing you would want before leaving for a 9 day tropical vacation? To get sick, right? Well guess what? Saturday I started coming down with a cold. Then I screamed and cursed it for an hour. Until Tuesday night I was still convinced that it would pass and that it was nothing. I was under the impression that if I told myself I wasn’t sick, then I wouldn’t be. Apparently the cold had other ideas. I awoke Wednesday morning and felt like I was hit with a sledgehammer. I had to skip the gym that morning (I hated to do it! But had to.) I spent the entire day resting, drinking fluids and trying to mentally will myself out of this cold. Luckily, with the help of some rest and medication, I was feeling better this morning. And I hit the gym first thing. Well, 7am. That’s as ‘first thing in the morning’ as I’m going to get.
Had a great workout with Matt. I let him know that I was feeling under the weather but to go ahead with the normal program and I’ll slow it down if I need to. The last couple of times that I worked out with Matt he had me do part of my workout with a tension belt around my thighs. It’s basically a wide rubber band strapped around both of my thighs so that as I walk it works out my upper legs and butt. You can vary the tension level based on your fitness level. I quite liked it actually. Some of the exercises I did with it on were to walk, in a squatted position, sideways up and down the 40 yard strip, in between, every few yards, pump some iron 
, curls, presses, push up curls (push up position but one hand is lifting a weight) and squat presses. All while wearing the belt. The belt really works your upper legs and butt. I think I pushed myself pretty good and had a great workout.
I stepped on the scale last night and I’m down another pound since Sunday. I was hoping that if anything, this cold would help me loose a couple of extra pounds. Wishful thinking, right? But I am really happy about where I am at and like I said looking forward to part 2 once we return. Matt told me that it’s not just about the weight I loose but also the muscle I gain. He’s right, I feel much more toned after this month than the 5lbs lost would have you believe. That’s part of the reason I don’t like those numbers. I mean 177? … I do not feel 177! I’ve weighed less and felt less toned than I do now.
But now I’m off to pack and take Brady to the doggie hotel. It’s going to be tough leaving her for 10 days.
ALOHA!
PS. I have given up on trying to beat the Shaun White Snowboarding Wii game before we leave. I unlocked Shaun last week and have been killing, just KILLING the scores. Dominating! And then I got sick and the 9 Respect levels I have left will have to wait until I get back. There are 54 total respect levels and the 9 I have left are pretty tough.
March 28thHere we go, one week, only 4 days actually, and we’re off to Hawaii. My workouts this week will be on consecutive days. I had previously only set up 3 days but after talking to a friend at the gym Saturday, I changed it to 4. She’s been going 5 consecutive days so I figured I can handle 4. And hey, I’ll get plenty of rest in Hawaii. Am I right?
Last week I had a pretty awesome workout week. I got a chance to workout with DB, Ron and Matt and got four fantastic morning sessions. My personal trainers are really in tune with where I’m at and how much I can handle. The levels of difficulty increase nicely over time and the next thing I know I look down and I’m knocking out 50 sit ups in a row. I’m taking one break in between 25 reps instead of 3. I’m running up 4 flights of stairs 3 times in a row and I’m running all the way through. Do I pant like a puppy on a hot day? Yes, but still … amazing leaps and bounds. Just this week I was doing some squats and realized Hey, my knees don’t hurt! It’s been something that I’ve just learned to workout through hoping my knees would get stronger and the pain would go away. And, now it’s gone. That’s going to open me up to be able to push a little harder now. I always let my trainers know how I’m feeling, if I have some aches and pains, they adjust my workout as necessary. It’s important to take care of aches and pains.
There is a new picture of me from last week rotating in the My March Madness banner on the right I’ll take one more next week before we leave for our trip. Also, as Dan mentioned, we’ll post an entry from Hawaii to share how we’re working in some activities and keeping up with the nutrition. He’s got 3 days of golf booked and I plan to play some tennis and do some swimming. I love swimming! I think this will be a great test to see how we handle ourselves away from the conveniences of home, trapped by succulent surroundings.
My weight loss this week was again minimal at just a little bit over a pound but I have lost size around my hips and waist. I went clothes shopping today and noticed that I dropped another dress size. Such a great feeling!
There is such a supportive group of people at the gym. It’s great to be able to motivate others around me and then get that same level of enthusiasm and positivity returned. I don’t see how anyone would not be able to reach their fitness goals working out with these personal trainers and this group of members. I am so happy and thankful for my progress so far and am already anxious to get started on part two once I return. Not sure if I will continue with the mornings or switch back to afternoons but either way, we’re kickin’ some butt!
January 21stHello All! Sorry for the long wait between posts, but I had to go to Orlando, Florida for a sales convention. I left on Saturday last week and just returned last night. Since I normally hit TrainWithRon on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, this trip really messed with my workout schedule. No problem though, I figured I’d work out at the gym in the hotel and push myself with my normal warm up and a few of the basic strength and core building moves that Ron, Matt, and DB frequently walk us through.
Much to my dismay, the hotel did not have a gym in it! I was kind of aggravated. What hotel doesn’t have at least a rudimentary gym in it? (Apparently, the Caribbean Beach Resort at Disney doesn’t.) So I had to improvise. I ran 1.5 miles on Sunday, with frequent stops for burpees, push ups, sit ups, and mountain climbers. I did 3 more on Monday (but no stops) and 1.5 on Tuesday (again, no stops). I was pretty pleased with myself, especially on Monday and Tuesday since I had to walk the show those days and probably did about 5 miles walking between the two days… minimum. I had blisters on both feet and they hurt like hell but I powered through the runs anyway. I felt so good about it…
Eating healthfully on the trip, however, was even more difficult.
Just about everything served was institutional (understandable since they were feeding 4000 people) – processed meats, everything was in some kind of sauce or gravy… they had salads but the greens and tomatoes and cucumbers weren’t really fresh, lots of white bread, some vegetables (cooked and soaking in some kind butter or oil without exception) fruits from time to time (which were excellent)… there were times when I was forced to eat less than healthful fare. I tried to stick to the veggies and fruits but I found myself starving quite a few times. (Even as I am writing this, Monika placed in front of me a very green, leafy salad with bright red tomatoes and delicious, sweet cucumbers… excellent!) I had two nights where I went to dinner with my account managers to Wolfgang Pucks and I had a steak, salad, potatoes, and vegetables. It wasn’t the most healthful meal, but I needed something of substance and OH GOD was that steak delicious. If I had to grade myself on eating well, I’d give myself a C+. I could have done better, but I could have done worse.
I ran into quite a few people who I hadn’t seen in 6 months and got quite a few “whoa, are you working out” comments – very satisfying! Also talked to a co-worker who hurt his ankle and gained some weight, and we talked about changing his diet and activity level together. I hope he does it!
Tonight I returned to the gym and DB took my weight upon arriving… 250 on the nose according to the TWR scale, so I only lost a single pound since about 11 days ago. I’ve kind of hit a bit of a plateau here, hopefully I’ll break through it soon because I’ve been in this 250ish range for quite a while now. I continue to lose size though… I’m taking about 4 pairs of my dress pants to be taken IN this weekend (TAKEN IN!!! NOT OUT… IN!!! WHOOOHOOO!!!!) and I’m very excited about that. None of my jeans fit at all anymore, even the ones that I finally got back into a few weeks ago… they’re all too big. When I started this I was kind of squeezing into a 46 waist… now a 40 is about right – so 6 inches off the waist!!!
Just gotta bust through this plateau…
