February 10, 2008 06:00 pm

Thanks for the support

The “new guy”, Bryan, trained us on Saturday. I wasn’t too sure how it would go because he is so knew to us. I had heard that he had a lot of experience with training/workouts & he is a former Marine. I was a bit nervous, but I was glad that I had met him last week when we did a step class with Erin, as they were learning the new spring session. I found out that day that Bryan is a nice guy & good personality to work with. When we arrived to group training he had 4 items on the stage for us to get. As we were getting our stuff, my mom thought he said pick 1 of the 4. I thought to myself “Just one? I don’t think so. He is a Marine. He will make us do more than one I am sure”. Boy was I right!! Bryan did a GREAT job at training us. He told us each 15 minute session what we were going to do, showed us how to do it, & gave 4 alternate ways if your body couldn’t do it the highest impact way. And if we weren’t doing the tasks the right way, he would tell us the right way & why the wrong way wasn’t good for us. That really helped me understand why we are doing what we are doing. We stayed in the aerobic room for a while, went to the track for races. As you probably saw in Sunday’s paper, I am not a runner quite yet, but I will be one day. They always seem to get the “ugly running picture” of me…but I ran and that is the accomplishment.

We did all sorts of track races…the other team got the prize - a shake for each team member. Then we headed to the carpet room to do weights. We had 10 minutes left of the hour. Bryan didn’t want to keep track of the time. He went until the training was complete, an hour & 1/2. It was one of the best workout sessions I have had in group training. It was so detailed & thorough. Sunday at church Erin & I were talking about how sore we were, but we both knew that is a good thing & we clearly blame Bryan for that pain! I really appreciate the time Bryan took with us. Not knowing any of us, he was very willing to guide us in the last group workout. He was very encouraging to us; telling us we did a good job, good work & that he was very proud of all of us for making this lifestyle change. I would totally recommend him as a trainer.

Saturday as I left I felt a strain in my back, same spot as last weekend. I had to run to the Chiropractor again. He told me that I had pulled a muscle around my shoulder blade. So, I have taken the necessary actions to treat it. I have a 5K in Indy to participate in on Saturday. I will need to be “fixed” by then. So Helen will have to take it easy on me this week with that shoulder blade. HA! Helen, take it easy? Yeah right, taking it easy was not in her plan. I showed up about 30 minutes early, burned some cal’s on the elliptical. I was dripping with sweat before we even started training. I thought I would give Helen a name…she mentioned the number of pounds that she was lifting then Nick had given her during her training & asking me if I wanted her weights. So I thought would name her “Heavyweight Helen”. She started us off with Squats. My mom is good at them…I am not so good with that machine. Every set Heavyweight Helen added more weights. I lifted more weights on every machine last night. On some of the machines I didn’t think I could really do it, but I was willing to try it & I did everything she set me up with! I was so proud of myself! I also learned the importance of weightlifting gloves last night. Sunday my husband had detailed my car, but failed to tell me where he put my gloves. I went without them, what a big mistake. I still did everything, but my hands hurt so badly when I was finished. I came home & asked Roger where he put my gloves? Of course, THE GLOVE BOX, why didn’t I think of that??

Helen continued to add weights to both of our machines without telling us. She thought she was being sneaky, but we knew it, we saw that the weights were different. I knew we had a hard workout when I was terribly out of breath with the first set of reps. I worked so hard. I am so thankful for all of the workouts! Helen does her job in the training & I might seem a bit grumpy, but like a friend said “You know when the training is good, when Tara is giving dirty looks”. I was giving some dirty looks at the people I knew last night. Sorry Keith, don’t take those dirty looks personally. It was HARD WORK, everyone was watching the last days of the challenge & I was dripping with sweat like rain drops.

I am so thankful for this opportunity to be apart of this challenge. I have learned SO MUCH about healthy lifestyle change & working out. I have so many supporters that God has sent my way. I am so blessed to have them at my side. Be it thru a phone call, an email, a “getting skinny” comment as they pass me at church, a “MySpace” message, a “facebook” wall writing, a smile, a high five; I have had SO many people walk with me on this journey & I THANK ALL OF YOU FOR THAT!!!

You know who you are, you know what you have said & I mean that from the bottom of my heart! THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!!!

May 05, 2008 08:09 am

Thanks Chad

Group training was definitely a very good workout. Nick was our trainer. Thanks Nick for stepping out one last time to guide us thru, yet, another thorough workout!!
He had us moving fast. The whole training I was thinking that Chad had a talk with Nick because Nick was having us do crazy tasks. I enjoyed the workout, I tried very hard to keep up with every move he told us to do. I started off on the elliptical 15 minutes before the training started. Nick said to my mom and I to stay on the elliptical, we will be on it for 15 minutes to start training. We were glad we got there early enough to get our favorite elliptical…yes the good ones are worth fighting for. We were bumping up our resistance to stay at whatever number he told us to. It was a challenge on the elliptical to stay around that exact number. I had to bump up the resistance a bit from the number he told us b/c I was going to fast, so I made it a bit more difficult for myself. We went to the track for some workouts like “frogs” (as mentioned in my other blog), weighted ball bounce, rows, lunges, squats, bridge and curls, arm curls, push-up holds, the runner machine and a lot more. It was a good feeling to have a great workout!
Monday we had training with Helen. She has been doubling it up on me. More reps, more weights, more reps, more weights!!! I feel so good doing it and afterwards, even though it is difficult at times to accomplish the tasks. She set us up with some warms ups that included squats, step ups and lunges. Then to the squat machine…I was so glad when she said “Oh I guess we won’t be doing squats first, someone is using that machine”. I was so relieved to start off with another machine. We did a few different machines before we finally got the privilege to land on the squat machine. Helen knows is my least favorite, but she is trying to make it my favorite because of all the results we get by doing these machine squats. I was on a leg lift machine and she said “Tara, can you do more weights? Let’s try this” I said “All I can do is try…”
She continued adding more weights to each machine. She said give me less reps because I had more weight. So, I would much rather do fewer reps with more weights.
In the end of this eventful evening Helen made sure that I knew that b/c we know that I can do the higher weights, now she will add more reps. Well, I have to say that I didn’t think it would have ended up like that. Helen is really working me these last several weeks. I need it! I want it!! I want to learn as much as I can from her to continue this weight loss journey on my own. This challenge is almost over, but personally for me it is just getting started. I am on a task to lose weight. I am at my ? way point with pounds lost.
 Wednesday training was exciting. Helen is so on fire for me to do more weights and reps I couldn’t wait to see what she had come up with for tonight!!! I got in the gym earlier and did the elliptical as my warm up. Helen comes up and asks me “Are you we ready?” I said “I don’t know are we? You have the book with the plan”.
Yes she had a plan alright!! We started off in the training room doing rows and upright rows with a circle weights. Have you ever held a 25 lb. circle weight up to your chin then down to the floor X 30? It is a bit tough to keep a grip on the weight; Helen says that is the challenge for your arms, or else she would have given me a better shaped weight to row with. I figured that wouldn’t happen or it wouldn’t be work!
She had us doing all sorts of stuff; it was a fun and exciting thing to see what was next. Along with the rows, we did ball squats with weights, Sumo Squats (she added 25 lbs on me), the runner machine, T’s, worked our triceps, Russian twists, wood chucks, and so much more. YES, she crammed all that in a little ole’ hour. We were booking to accomplish everything on her list. I kept asking her “What’s next?”, and ya know, she continued to have a next in line. The training was very thorough, burned my muscles and I felt the pain…all for the outcome of the hard work! That is why I do it is for the RESULTS!!! We only have 2 training sessions left with Helen, I am so sad to see it come to an end. I have really enjoyed this whole experience!!
 Recently I saw an old picture of me from fall of 2006. I almost didn’t recognize myself. “That’s ME?” I shouted. Oh my! What a fat face. I had no idea that I ever looked like that. I have showed a few people and they can’t believe the change I have had in my life. I am so proud of where this challenge has taken me. Granted I lost about 50 pounds on my own before the start date, but I didn’t learn anything. I just lost the weight.
I have fought this weight loss battle for years. I haven’t ever learned the right techniques to stick with any program. Thru this challenge with Chad, interacting with David from Leanness Lifestyle, and training with Helen I feel like I FINALLY found a program that works. It is the LIFESTYLE CHANGE. I am so determined to lose all this extra weight and keep it off! Lifestyle change is not a diet. A diet is an eating plan that helps you lose the weight. A lifestyle change is a plan that helps you lose the weight and keep it off. It is changes in eating, schedule for workouts, emotional, spiritual, and physical; with the determination to work so hard to be transformed. I am now complete with this lifestyle change. Thank You Chad and Club Fitness 24! You have helped me change my life!!!

April 26, 2008 12:36 pm

11 years later

We had group training with Craig Saturday. My mom and I were talking that we didn’t know if he would have a voice to speak loud enough, we haven’t ever heard him speak, he always seems so quiet. But, he proved us wrong; he was a little louder than we had thought.
He still wasn’t loud like a drill sergeant, but it was a boot camp in the workout. We started out “warming up”. The normal jumping jacks, seal jumps, squat.
Then it led to bridge and curls, push ups, track running, skipping, long jumps…that was fun! We lifted some weights, with some exercises. Everything we did caused a higher heart rate and all of us out of breath. It was definitely a good workout. After that workout, my husband, daughter and I went to Indy to get my hair cut and had a family day. That was so nice since the Fitness Challenge has been the first priority for everyone in my family, even though I am the only one participating.
Sunday we all went shopping and I tried on a pair of jeans that were a size smaller (so I thought). I tried them on, modeled them for the FAM and was super excited because they fit, but were a little baggy in the butt and waist.
As I returned the unwanted clothing to the clerk, I realized they were the same size of jeans that I had bought a month ago. I was instantly disappointed. My husband said, “Tara go get the smaller size, just try them on and see how close you are.”
So, I rush back to the jean rack, sneaking away as my daughter is in the other dressing room trying on a shirt and she would flip if I wasn’t there to see the outcome.
I grab the smaller size and rush back, Layla was waiting for me, and she looked great. I tried the the smaller size on, amazingly they really fit!
They weren’t baggy on the butt, they weren’t loose in the waist, they actually fit! How exciting. I was so thrilled.
My husband then says “How long has it been since you have been that size?”
I gave it a quick thought and replied “I guess it has been at least 11 years; you haven’t seen me this small.”
How exciting a new size Tara! I am thrilled that I don’t have to go to Lane Bryant to buy clothes anymore! I can go to a “normal girl” store. That made this girl have a big smile on her face!
I am so thankful to have been chosen for this years Fitness Challenge. And to stop and think that I have made so many friends, have had so many accomplishments, I am 3 sizes smaller and I have enjoyed every minute of this challenge. I never thought so many exciting things could happen in 10 weeks.
I am excited to see what the last 3 weeks will hold in my weight loss adventure, as I prepare for the 5K in Indy in May.

April 18, 2008 09:01 am

The 'new' Tara

Training on Monday was a bit more difficult, which was a good thing. I know it is hard work, but that is why I am there. Helen was on fire.
She said from the start “Tara, get ready, your training will be a step up than normal.”
So as I mentally prepare myself I walked on the treadmill for some warm up cardio. We went into the carpet room for some warm-ups. She had me doing squats, squat jumps, step-ups, while my mom was doing another routine to “save her knees”. I was so out of breath I thought I was going to pass out. Helen told me to do squat jumps faster. FASTER? Are you kidding me?
So, of course little Helen had to show me how to do them FASTER. She got all ready for me, jumped in with me and did 20 squat jumps before I had my 20 done. I stopped so I could get a breath and she said “that isn’t 20 yet.” I was thinking “Wow, I was only catching a breath, and I wasn’t going to cheat.”
That Helen is a very active woman. Ever want to get out of breath, work until all your muscles are burning…call Helen and tell her Tara from the challenge sent you. On second thought, maybe not, she might put more weights on you if you say my name!
She joyously sent me out to the squat and rowing machined. That squat machine was nuts. I think she thinks that I like the squat machine or something. She keeps putting that on her training list for me. I know I need to like it; that’s the catch. I have to keep remembering that the more you practice the better you get. We went to the track and pulled 75’s down the track four times and 50 pounds two times. That was a bit rough after a tough workout. But, after the workout is finished once again, I feel so good.
My whole body feels different, more improved. It is like I just had a service appointment on my body instead of my car.
Wednesday training was good. After taking care of my sick child, I needed to relieve some stress. Again, to the carpet room…Helen loves this place. She had me doing these things, called “frogs.” OK they aren’t really called “frogs,” but that is what Helen said I looked like, as she cracked up laughing.
Then the Bosu ball upside down, on the ground, pick it up, raise it to the ceiling, arms stretched out, Bosu ball down to the floor, then totally kick your legs and feet out in a lay down position. Try that 20 times fast. Bridges, bridge and holds, head/shoulders on the ball as you lift weights over your head, stay balanced and oh yeah, suck your gut in!!
It works to hold it in. Off to the training room we go! Rows, leg machine, upright rows and more rows. I had more weight on that row machine this round. Helen said “do you think you can do more weights?” I answered quickly, “I can certainly try, give it to me.”
YES, I did it. I made myself do it. I give it my ALL. I am not there to be your friend; as Tyson told me in group training; I am here to train you. So, for me I am there to be trained, we can be social after the workout is complete.
Then Helen had us do speed skating. Now that was a funny sight. I am sure all the ones that stop in the window to watch us had a good laugh. I hear JUMP TARA, What? I can’t jump cone to cone 3 ft+ away from each other? Is she serious? I have done that ‘stunt’ before, but the cones were a lot closer together. But what matters is that I did it!! But the jumping??? Ha! Does the effort count? I am sure that was a sight to see. I ended the evening with a heart to heart with Helen and my mom. I had some emotions from this challenge that I need to express. I have fought this weight loss battle for so long. I haven’t ever learned the right techniques to stick with any program. Thru this challenge with Chad, interacting with David from Leanness Lifestyle, and training with Helen I feel like I FINALLY found a program that works. It is the lifestyle change. I am so determined to lose all this extra weight and keep it off! Lifestyle change means more than dieting. It is changes in eating, schedule for workouts, emotional, spiritual, and physical. With the determination to work so hard to be transformed. I feel so much better being that transformed ‘NEW TARA’ with this complete lifestyle change!

April 18, 2008 08:56 am

Changing a lifestyle

This week, I thought I would include some of my accomplishments within the Fitness Challenge:
1. I set a goal for myself that I would be in the gym more minutes than I had been. I checked my chart on the leanness lifestyle website and I have been in the gym 3 hours more per week, than when we started the challenge.
2. I can do more exercise moves than I have ever been able to do.
3. I walked/jogged the “Old Ben” 5K. I never dreamt I would have said YES to that.
4. I can fit in a clothing size that I haven’t been able to fit in for over 5 years. I have gone down 2 sizes, close to the 3rd one, since the challenge started. I have been burning lots of calories per week; because of that I have seen more weight loss, inches lost and better fitting clothes.
5. I have been able to hold a floor plank longer. In the beginning I could only hold myself up for about 15 seconds now I can for almost a minute.
6. I have had some horrible struggles with the squat machine. Monday night, Helen put us on it again. I definitely am getting stronger. Helen pushed me to another level and added 10 more pounds, I struggled but I did it!!!
7. I set a goal that I would lose 3 pounds this week and I lost 5 pounds!
8. I stopped drinking cokes and started eating healthier. I have worked so hard at changing my eating lifestyle. I have switched around all foods and have become a “water girl”! Now, don’t get me wrong, Vanilla Coke was my favorite drink. So from time to time I sneak a sip of my daughters. But the great thing about that is…. it isn’t a 45 ounce coke 3 times a day. It is a sip one time a week; if that. When I stopped drinking cokes before the challenge, I dropped 12 pounds in 2 weeks.
My body has slowly adjusted to these changes and I think it likes these changes.
I am proud of the accomplishments that I have made. I know this challenge makes it a bit easier for me now, I am determined that I will keep going and finish all my weight loss with more accomplishments. I am looking forward to not only what the next few weeks hold, but what the next six months holds.
This challenge has been a wonderful lifestyle change, I like it, I love it and I want more of it! AND I AM STICKING TO IT!!

April 10, 2008 04:39 pm

Seeing results

Wow! We had some great weather this weekend. On Thursday we had training with Helen. She was overbooked so we got to train with another gal…sorry for her, Helen worked us hard. As soon as she walked up to introduce herself she said “oh no, you girls are the ones who have to work really hard aren’t you?” We said YES!
Welcome to our training. It was nice to have a little bit of competition added in for our training. Helen took us to the new “Solo Ab” machine. WOW, I loved it! It works so well. We had been doing that type of exercise prior, only we sat on the ball. But this one you can do on your own, you don’t need a partner to work your abs.
Saturday we had training with Chad. Now that was some workout. I have a bruise on my shoulder from “dropping” a 20 pound weight on it. OUCH! He had us moving around quick. We accomplished jumping jacks, seal jumps, line jumps, squats, push-ups, speed skating, bridges, crunches, v-bridges, running, sledge hammer hitting the tire, rows, lunges…the list goes on to more that I don’t even know the names for. It was a GREAT workout. In the middle of it, it was exhausted, but afterwards I felt so good. I felt more in shape than I have ever felt before. That was a very effective workout! Of course, Chad trained us it was supposed to be….right?! Chad took time with us afterwards to talk with us (challengers) giving us some good “food for thought” advice. Thanks Chad for taking time out of your busy schedule to train us. That was some work in my body that I didn’t know I could accomplish.
Saturday and Sunday my daughter and I headed out to Jackson Morrow Park and I walked a mile while she rode her trike. That was great for both of us to go for an afternoon walk and play on the playground. She has been a trouper since this challenge started. I have had to put a lot of things in our lives on the back burner to get thru this weight loss adventure. So, I took some special time with her. It was well deserved time spent outside this weekend.
Monday was training with Helen. She wasn’t feeling very well, so she felt like she should bump it up another notch! We pulled sleds on the track. Then she took us to the machines. Helen told me she added like 10-20 more pounds on me. I do have to say, I was very impressed with the strength in my legs. She put me with the leg press about 10 days ago and I couldn’t move that press at the 110 weight. Last night, I did the leg press at the 140 weight. I was completely shocked! She pushed me so much further than I thought I could go. When I saw the weights she chose, all I could think was “That is a lot of weight to add within 10 days”. But I thought, Oh I will try it…we will see!! For you body builders that might seem like some weak weights, but for me that is a great accomplishment. We did machines the whole hour. I have to keep telling myself that this pain is a good pain, it will get me where I need to be and faster, than if I don’t do it at all.
Tuesday I got up at 5 a.m. and walked the treadmill. I have to make myself get up at that hour, but my whole day goes better when I do. I will head back tonight do accomplish more cardio. Della keeps asking me to do Zumba, but this girl isn’t ready for any type of dancing quite yet. We have training with Helen on Thursday night again for this week. I am sure she will feel a lot better, so she will jazz it up a bit.

April 08, 2008 10:05 am

The work is paying off

Group training bright and early 8am on Saturday. I really like having training at 8 am, a lot more than trying to drag myself in at 2pm, after eating lunch and already working out. My day is ? over by then. I enjoy the 8 am; it gets my day started off right. What more of a way to start your day than in the gym!!! We were “Back with Nick” last Saturday. Nick is a tough guy!
He is so funny! If you watched the “live video”, you knew he was funny. That was me laughing at Nick when the picture of the clock appeared. YES at 8:30 am, he was funny! He keeps the class alive with his loud crazy music & his funny self. We walked in we heard “grab a mat, a ball & weights”…because, I can never remember what amount of weights I should use. I was trying to think fast…. what did I do? I thought…. “Oh, look at Erin’s weights, get the same pounds as she gets, it can’t hurt”.  As I lift the weights, I think oh yeah…this is good, but I tell ya, by round three, it wasn’t as easy to get those arms in the air with “Erin’s weights”. That picture of me online had to be round one, I looked good and strong. Then after I was feeling like my arms were going crumble after we were all done, I remembered that Erin has been in three Fitness Challenge’s and she has taught way more classes than I would ever think of attending. But, that made me fight thru the pain, so I could in the end say to myself “Job well done Tara, you lifted as much as Erin did”. A little self encouragement always helps!
Nick had us do a lot of stuff. It was an hour crammed full. It was a GREAT workout. I feel so good after the training sessions. It is so hard to get it all completed in the middle of the training, but when that clock says 9am, I some how feel a breath of fresh air and a sense of accomplishment. Thanks Nick for leading us on a great workout. I appreciate all your time that you have given to us. I know this is your free time to be with your family and you committed to help us learn all new things, THANK YOU!
Monday was our training with Helen. It was a great one! It was very powerful for me. Helen raised the bar again on the weights. We did 90 percent new things. It was so good for my body to have a “shock” with training. Mom and I were exhausted come the end of the hour. We started off in the carpet room. I did jumping jacks, seal jumps, squats, planks, quarter lateral jack knives, machines, machines & more machines. It was so much work, I was totally out of breath, plus it was so hot in the gym that I had more sweat drippings. That is a refreshing feeling.
I went home Monday extremely exhausted. I am so thankful for such a GREAT workout. I have the feeling of accomplishment after taking a deep breath. I was in pain that night, so I knew by Wednesday my body would ache! Sure enough, I tried to get out of bed this morning and my body was all achy and sore. My whole mid section front to back, shoulders to waist…one achy girl. The great thing about this “good pain” is that I know that means I worked hard to make the workout effective. I can’t wait to see the results of that workout.
I am glad we had a schedule change; we will be training tomorrow instead of tonight for our second round this week. I think that is why Helen worked us so hard to make up for that extra day in between. THANKS HELEN for the entire time spent thinking if things for us to do during training. All the work is paying off and results are obvious.

April 03, 2008 11:01 am

Never be the same again

Last Saturday we had group training with Tyson. We did a whole hour of Parisi. All the stuff the students do! So I am sure you can picture all of us, all different ages and sizes trying to act like the teens do on the track. Actually, I thought we did pretty good. We showed some efforts in trying to be youthful. Tyson worked us so hard!! We had it coming though it was the half way mark in this challenge. I guess I kind of expected a harder training session.
I enjoyed the hard work, of course in the middle of it I kept thinking “Wow, can I really do these things that he is telling me to do?”
Then I remembered that the first time any trainer had me do a jumping jack or a seal jump, I was completely out of breath and couldn’t jump without feeling like Jell-o. Now I am glad to say that I wasn’t out of breath until round 3. I can jump higher, squat deeper, hold my butt up longer and all the fun things we do, I can do much better than I did six weeks ago. I can see a great deal of self improvements. Tyson was determined to give us a REAL workout Saturday, it was a very tough and fast hour, but I held up well and did everything that was asked of me. I felt so good afterwards. My calves were in so much pain until Tuesday morning. It is all worth it in the end….it was The Good Pain!
Easter Sunday was a great time to focus on Christ and all he did for us. We attended our church drama and we had a very healthy lunch at my mom’s house. I stayed in my limits with all fats, protein, carbs and calories.
I was very glad when I entered it in, it was a good balance. With Easter plans, my mom and I even fit in a workout session in the evening. Monday when I went to do my early morning workout, I weighed in and saw that I lost a few more pounds. I was very excited to see those numbers drop. It pays off to not eat the chocolate that I was stuffing in the 60 Easter eggs. So Monday evening I went in for our training session with Helen and I was rushing to get there, throwing my daughter in childcare, looking around for my mom — thinking that she was late.
Then when I got all settled on the treadmill, I realized that my training is at 6:30 p.m., not 6 p.m. as I had thought. So, I took a deep breath and started walking. Shortly joined by a dear friend, Stefanie, and we talked the whole treadmill time. Talking to a friend makes the time go so much faster and a lot more fun too. After the walk, we trained and worked very hard on a lot of floor/ball exercises. Helen had me doing a whole lot more than I ever had expected on a Monday.
It was all good afterwards, but I felt like I was going to fall apart in the middle of all the “give me 20s” I had heard that night from Helen. Then on Tuesday I went back in and totally impressed myself. I walked the treadmill to get warmed up and then jumped on the elliptical. I pushed myself so hard. I bumped the resistance up all the way, the crosswalk was high, and I did interval training the whole time I was on that machine. I felt so GREAT during that. I felt all the millions of sweat drips off my body, watched the calorie burning counter jump in numbers because I was working so hard. It was a great workout! I felt so powerful.
Wednesday was my day to go in the morning as well as training in the evening. I had a small amount of time to do something, so I did, I figured that burning 200 calories in the gym was a lot better for me than laying in bed awake! Training Wednesday night was so tough! We did all sorts of weight machines, including the squat machine. Helen decided to add 10 more pounds on us. It was tough doing it. I had to stop and get a new grip on that bar. Helen bumped up the speed and the weights on us. I am glad today that she has increased some of the things. I am thankful for hard and change in workouts…It keeps this girl going.
This week has hit the half way mark. It doesn’t even seem possible that we only have 5 more weeks in this challenge. I really don’t want it to end. I have truly enjoyed every bit of this challenge. I have enjoyed the workouts, the lifestyle change in eating, the 5K, meeting new friends, having all the support from my friends, my family, CF24’s staff and the public. This has been a complete change for me and my family that I have grasped with open arms. I am a new girl in my walk of health. Thanks to all my personal supporters and encouragers…… I WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN!

March 28, 2008 09:01 am

Training with Tyson

Group training for the first day in March was with Tyson! I showed up about 20 minutes early to get in some elliptical. As I am doing some cardio; straight ahead I see Tyson running on the treadmill. All I could think was “Oh no, he is running, he must be in a mood for difficult training.” After talking to him I found out that mood was true. “Everyone to the track” was the drill sergeant’s words! “Twenty jumping jacks”! Are you kidding me, I haven’t done jumping jacks since grade school. “Twenty seal jumps”! What? What is that? “Twenty squats” Oh I can do those, thanks to Helen. While I was thinking the comments after every instruction given, I also realized; the reason that I don’t know what it is or that I hadn’t done it in probably 20 years, is the very reason why I am in this challenge. Out next, you guessed it; he must have been talking to Helen….THE SLEDS. He gave us seventy-five pounds on each sled. We had a race like grade school. We all were instructed to do some crunches as we wait. So then I see my turn coming up, I jump up & grab that sled, walked pretty fast. I thought “Oh our side is going to win”! Until the moment; Tyson sees that I “have it easy” as he called it. He took a slapped another weight on there, I pulled one hundred pounds down that track! WOW that was twenty-five more than Adrian’s training day, I have gotten stronger. Then we had to shift our weight & feet, but keep our body in line on the white line, I thought I was doing good, until he said to another team challenger “back/butt down”. That is when I realized that it was a little bit easy…I should have known!

Then we went to the training room to do one hundred push ups and rows, when one got tired, we had to switch off as long as each team did one hundred of each. Off to the classroom to do some weight exercises. We walked in he says “nothing less than 20 pounds”. So I grabbed twenty five pounds. We lifted the weights above our heads, for shoulder workout. After we did some of the tough weight exercises, we went back to the track to race each other in running. We did the relay race back & forth. Chad Coy, owner of CF24, ran with us, (he ran a bit faster I might add). We ran back & forth. I noticed that I did the run faster than when I ran when Adrian was teaching, again improvement! Adrian got me started with some things I didn’t know I could do, like run! Tyson has put me thru the ringer on toughness. Helen is challenging every training session. Erin put me to the coordination test, I failed!

Everyone has been such a great help to get me where I am. I thank all of you for that!!

So Sunday rolls around, go to the gym, my whole thought was I will run. I have been trying to run weekly. It is very difficult for me to do, I never have enjoyed running. I did some interval training. I ran faster than I did last week, but my shins started to hurt, so I walked & ran on the track a few times. It will take me a while to get worked up to really run, maybe by the 5K that I signed up for I will get better, who knows. I know that I have to try it though. I have a new respect for runners!

Tonight is our training with Helen! Looking forward to seeing what she is coming up with for this week.

March 25, 2008 08:06 am