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!
March 16thThe little things like stepping on the scale yesterday and noticing another pound disappear. Good riddance I say, I hope I never get to see you again … ahem, pound. That officially puts me at 30lbs lost since October!!! That just makes me oh so happy!! I tried so many things to lose weight prior to joining Train with Ron and I was at a point where I thought nothing would take it off and something was wrong with me. 5 months with TWR and I am 30lbs lighter. (This makes me tear up a little.) Before, I would’ve yo yo-ed 10 pounds a couple of times within that time. So, this journal entry was going to be just that, my excitement over this extra pound, but then I got to thinking. I thought about all of the other ‘little’ things that have made me happy lately.
My overall attitude has certainly changed towards a more positive, open and happy one. I have tons of energy during the day and my mood is good the entire day. The latter benefits those around me as well 
Don’t get me wrong, things still do frustrate me sometimes. I am human after all. How I handle it and how I recover matters here.
When I went clothes shopping the other day I didn’t feel some of the anxieties I used to. The feeling of inevitability that I will ultimately walk out of the store depressed, upset and in-adequate were nowhere to be found. I actually had to leave the fitting room and get a smaller pair of pants than those I tried on. Thrilling!
I am happy that I am eating healthier foods and hardly even crave junk. I’m a night owl and snacking at night was always the norm. No mas!
There are so many other little things that go on throughout the day that I feel better about today than I did even just a month ago. I can’t wait to feel what it will be like after my next 30lbs. I believe that will reach my optimal weight. I’m working out harder now so I think these pounds will move along faster. Maybe that’s just wishful thinking. Regardless, I am savoring all of the little things within this process and making sure I retain it so that I can keep the weight off and not have to go through this huge process again. We’re talking life changing stuff here people!! …. OK, I have to share this. A facebook friend said something brilliant the other day. The first part I’m quite certain has been uttered numerous times in the past. it’s the twist at the end that sets this apart. Here it is: “When one door closes another door opens, but the hallway’s a bitch.” Anyway, I thought it was good.
I’m so happy that we found TWR. Such a great team of personal trainers. To give you an example, throughout this process I’ve been continually wanting to and have been thanking them for helping me with my goal. After one of my many thank yous the response was “Of Course, that’s what we’re there for!” I thought that was so fantastic, because lately, I see a lot of people be ‘there’ for things but not actually show up for it. These guys show up 110% for us, push us, motivate us and it’s just the normal thing. I’ve belonged to quite a few gyms from LA to Chicago and trust me it’s not the norm everywhere. TWR is a fun, productive and encouraging environment with a team a guys that know their stuff, love what they do and genuinely want to see you succeed.
A final note in this journal entry that was intended to be really short but then got out of control …. Got my new shoes, I had to go out right after my last entry and get a pair. They’re a cute blue pair of Nike’s. Worked out in them last night and they felt pretty good too.
Back in the gym Wednesday morning, update you after and let you know how I do in my week two of March Madness.
And oh yes, Ouch! My legs are sore
March 10thMy 7am workout went great! I didn’t have too much trouble getting up at 6am, walked Brady and instead of driving up to the gym as usual I ran/walked the mile up. It became the first part of my warm up. I think I’ll do that next week too.
I worked out with Ron and we did a lot of 30on 30off stuff. 30on 30off basically means you do an activity, like rowing, running, weights or anything else and you do it hard for 30 seconds and then take a 30 second rest period. Ron is so fun to workout with and really motivates me. Monday Dan and I worked out with Matt and he had us doing a combination of 1 weight activity and 1 cardio activity alternating between the 2 for 10 minutes. Then a couple minutes of rest and then another combination for 10 minutes. That was a really great workout too. Oh yeah and no stairs today! My backside thanks you TWR
I had a fun and strong workout. The morning group is a blast! Then I walked home had some fruit and a cup of tea for breakfast and now it’s off to the trenches (i.e. work).We’ll be back in the gym Thursday night for (my) round 3. Stay tuned …
March 5thI’ve been giving it some thought and I want to take advantage of this extra burst of energy I’ve been feeling lately. It seemed to come out of nowhere but it’s here so I’ve decided that for the remainder of March I will add an extra workout to my week. That will make it 4 workouts a week. I really want to do as much as possible this month and my body is telling me that I can handle it. I do have the motivation for Hawaii coming up next month but it is not my only motivation.
I have also adjusted my diet a bit and cut out bread entirely. Up till now, since October, I’ve been munching on Whole Wheat and Sprout breads but even that’s out now. My carbs are from a little bit of brown rice and my oatmeal. I’ve even been cutting those down. Push, push, push!
On top of my workouts I will continue my 2 mile walks every morning with our pup Brady. She’s a 63lb pit/lab mix with a strong will and the energy level of a power plant. She can offer quite a workout by herself. So this will be a nice little challange for me and I am very much looking forward to it. Can’t wait to see the continued progress!!!!
Have a great weekend!
Moni
March 2ndI’ll start by saying that the last few times we’ve gone to workout in the evenings, I’ve taken a short cat nap just prior to leaving for the gym. About 20 or 30 minutes. I’ve found that it helps me a great deal. I stare at a computer screen for most of the day and even though I may not be exerted physically, mentally, I am. Some days more than others …
Our workouts during the week are in the evenings at 7pm and when we go Saturday mornings I’ve found that I have more energy. Of course, nothing ground breaking there, a person is much more refreshed after a full night’s sleep. Anyhow, since my cat naps, I’ve had a lot more energy during the workouts. If you workout in the evenings and time permits it, I suggest giving it a shot, especially if you’ve stopped drinking coffee or other caffeinated drinks as I have tried to. Dan and I talk about the foods we eat on here a lot and that certainly does make a huge impact too.
All of this is to be able to work out as hard as I can when I’m at the gym for the hour or so. It has been paying off a great deal. I’ve felt being able to push myself harder and longer, taking less time to recover, less breaks and definitely a lot less than just a couple of months ago.
Each workout is unique and challenging. I think everyone has certain moves that make them cringe just a little bit. Well, for me they are running up and down stairs and ‘push up walks’.
For those not familiar, ‘Push up walks’ consist of doing a regular push up and then walking one step left or right without getting up. You’re just walking side to side with your arms and legs while keeping the pushup position, then doing another push up and so on. Either you count how many you do or by distance.
Now, back in October, when we started, I could barely do a regular push up so I did knee pushups everytime we had to do pushups instead. Back then I was barely able to step over 2 times before falling to the ground. Those things are tough! You try it! That was October 2009. Yesterday, one of my exercises was to do push up walks for about 30 yards, and each time that I had to stop because I could not continue I had to run up and down 4 flights of stairs. Of course when my trainer DB described this task to me I immediately made a joke because that is what I do. (If not always out loud, at least in my head.) Then I started to mentally prepare myself for the task. I knew it was going to be tough but I also knew that I wanted to get through it and not let it beat me. I started out by telling myself that “I can do this“. “My goal is to do as many push up walks as I can so that I’ll have to do less stairs. And I am going to do ALL full pushups and no knee pushups.” I started out strong and continued to talk positively to myself in my head. If I had the thought of quitting I immediately started thinking about pushing through it and motivating myself. I had to stop a few time in between and run the stairs but I never quit thinking that I could and will do it. On top of that, DB was encouraging and pushing me. When I finished I felt like the toughest workout to date that I’ve gotten through.
On top of that and a few other exercises I was also proud of myself for cranking out 50 sit ups while holding a 15lbs medicine ball without stopping. Man, it felt so great! Especially because I didn’t really feel that I was struggling with it. I was done and thrilled to have accomplished it. On to the next one!
Our trainers offer so much vital information, support, motivation and experience that it is invaluable. Our personal trainers at TWR don’t just go through the motions; they bring a new level to working out that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
You have to work hard, sure, but hey, that’s what you go for. I’ve so far lost 25lbs and March is going to be a strong month for me. I can feel it.
Till next time … Monika
