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!

	Yeah, you’re right, it IS like air hockey, except …
	Posted by Monika Arturi | Comments

… that really, it isn’t.

The famous plate push at TWR, Oh! how I love thee, challenged me today. The task: push a 25lb plate on the ground 40 yards, run a couple of flights of stairs then push the plate back the 40 yards. Do that 4 times and walk 2 walls in between each round. I was on the last leg of round 3, pushing the plate back, a few yards from the wall when my thighs just would not cooperate and I collapse. It’s not  that much of a fall and maybe that’s why it’s also so inviting. The ground that is. I took a short break curled up over my plate, panting and trying to motivate myself when I heard “finish it! it’s easy, like air-hockey”. I’m hurting, so at first I roll my eyes, as if annoyed, then I look up and I see that it’s Bob getting me to laugh and push through it. It’s strange but it worked. I laughed and made it to the wall. All the while thinking what backwards evil air-hockey is this? Then for the final round, I can always count on DB to provide the essential motivation to finish strong. At least as strong as possible in the moment. Not sure if it works with everyone but if I’m reaching the end of a move and I feel like I can give no more, a little joke or even the challenge of a quick competition can really get a nice result out of me.

Which brings me to my news. I made the TWR Top Performers Wall!!!!! Dan just told me tonight. I haven’t even noticed because honestly I didn’t think I had it in me yet to make it on the board. There are so many awesome and strong people at the gym I just didn’t think it was a possibility yet. The wall basically shows off the highest performers at TWR. Individual numbers in lifting, running, decathlons and other various events and exercises. It’s pretty awesome. My name now shows up in the top 5 under 1 minute speed on the fan bike. Tomorrow I’ll see what number it is exactly but Dan said top 5. Yey! I remember DB telling me that he though .41 miles was a record on there but I never sought confirmation. I might also add that on that particular ride, DB rode on the bike next to mine and challenged me to beat my previous .35 miles with at least a .37 miles. Well, I did more than that! Thanks DB! (check out DB’s triathlon pictures and bio here as well as our trainers Ron and Matt.)

Dan and I have signed up for another 2 months of the Unlimited and I have been going 6 days a week. Definitely feeling it! Lots of icing of knees and shoulders and getting ready to go for a massage soon. Need it bad! And now for trying to get 8 hours of sleep each night and drinking enough water are two things that still need improvement. Here is to doing better tomorrow.

	March Madness Week 2 Round Up
	Posted by Monika Arturi | Comments

OK, I’ll come right out with it, I weighed in earlier today but got unchanged numbers from earlier this week. I rubbed my eyes, turned up the light dimmer, leaned over and took a second look and yes, the numbers were the same. Which if I considered my official weigh in would be 1 pound lost this week. Does this make me a little bummed out? Yeah, it does, but I know that during this part of the month (oh that joyful time for women) I experience some weight increase so I’ll wait a couple of days to do another weigh in. I cannot let it get me down because I know my body weight can fluctuate, especially when it comes to measuring just a couple of pounds of difference. I’ll do an official weigh in in a couple of days instead and that should yield a far more fair number.

All in all though, it was a pretty good week. The weather here in Chicago was beautiful during the whole week, in the 60s, so I (and Brady) got more outside time and sun. Oh sun, how we’ve missed you! Saturday, not so great, we got a snow storm so it was a nice day to stay indoors and relax the muscles. Which I needed. My legs felt really heavy during yesterday’s workout. Not sore really, just heavy. Worked hard through it and got it done. I worked out side by side with a friend from TWR and we pushed each other continually. Our Personal Trainer was Matt Saturday and he made the workout really fun. What great motivation! I love it!

I also got in some snowboarding on the Wii this week. I’m kind of hooked actually . My convincing reasoning is that it helps with my balance, which it does, and that it also help the soreness in my legs when I have some. And yes, it is the most fun! So there… Add a few hours of that, yes a few hours, I told you I was hooked. Plus the extra 10-12 miles of walking/running, both back and from the gym and walking Brady everyday. I am fighting for every ounce lost! Hey, I didn’t put all of this weight on in just a couple of months and I won’t take it all off that fast either. I understand that, I’m just anxious.

As a woman, this time during the month is the toughest during this whole process. Not only the water weight and bloating I feel but a lot of emotional stuff comes up too. I start to feel a little down about my progress if it’s not where I imagine it to be. I have to work a little extra to get back the positive. Some old demons are still lurking in the background waiting to pounce on my weakness. It drains my energy and offers a plethora of sorenesses.

I look very much forward to getting a nice day of rest today and getting back into the gym tomorrow morning to get a good workout.

More updates coming in a couple of days.

	It’s Better in the Morning
	Posted by Monika Arturi | Comments

That’s it! I’m officially switching to morning classes. I switched my evening class today to the morning and have also been there the past two Wednesday mornings. I have a lot more energy. I was flying up those stairs today even after the 3rd round and usually that drains me a lot in the evenings. Dan and I will still work out together on Saturdays but these mornings were just too productive to give up. Plus I’m home by 8:30am and ready to go. I meet new people in the morning than in the afternoon and I really like that. It also ads a 2 mile walk/run to the workout since I hike it up there by myself. So it’s all good stuff. Hawaii coming up around the corner and I’m looking forward to the relaxing and fruity drinks. The place we’re going to, has tennis courts so I will definitely be taking advantage of that. Maybe while Dan plays golf I can trouble someone for a lesson Overall my body is doing good, no soreness just a boat load of energy. Feels good!!

You should pick the time that fits your schedule and where you feel that you have the most energy so that you can give it your all! Try working out in the early morning, then in the afternoon and evening and see the difference you feel between them.

	My March Madness
	Posted by Monika Arturi | Comments

I’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