My 1st Walk/Run

Brian and I agreed to meet at Fitness Together at 9 am Monday morning. We must train for this Newcastle fun/run. We begin by stretching and warming up. I don't want to injure myself again or irritate it more.
Here we are walking on Lake Washington Blvd. We plan on doing 2 miles today. He set a goal for me to walk this 2 miles in allowed time. When finishing up the first mile and coming back, Brian noticed we were behind the time he set for us. Great I am thinking, and how is your personal trainer gonna make you make up this time?? Run Fat Girl Run. We came to the agreement that he would help me do spurts. Brian set a goal to walk to one stop sign and then run at my pace to the next stop sign. This is where the fun began:
As I am slowly running (I felt like I was running in place, in hind site I probably could have walked faster) I had an outer body experience. I was watching myself run down the lake. At that moment I felt like a super star. Look at me everyone I am running, I am running outside in the public. From that moment on I really did think I heard clapping. It was like the crowd was cheering me on with claps!! I looked up and saw nobody clapping. In my head I was thinking where is that noise coming from. Nothing or nobody up.... so look down, you know you hear clapping. I looked down and realized it was my fat that was clapping..... This is truly where my journey began. At that moment I had Brian next to me leading me on and all I wanted to do was die of embarrassment. Luckily it was almost to the end of my 2 miles. Though it took my breathing... I lost all breathing, I began to hyperventilate. We finally got to our marker...I believe we made it on time, I recall him saying 10 seconds and I got more strength and jogged to the stop. But in the back of my head I was thinking of this clapping. He coached me into stretching after this and while this was taking place it made me think "Oh My God" that was sooooo funny. I have got to tell this story. But to who?? Then a light went on.... I WILL BLOG IT. So that is how this entire blog came into my head...

Skinny Secrets

I would like to call these "treasures" or "skinny secrets" if you will! This is were I will let you know of something that I find that helps me make wiser choices in eating or being healthy. So look for my "secrets" often. Here is my first find: Yoplait Whips. Get a few of these and pop them in the freezer. They are 2-4 grams of fat and 120-160 calories. They have Strawberry Mouse. Raspberry Mouse. Chocolate Mouse. Key Lime and the newest addition Vanilla. I oddly love the key lime one. They taste and feel like your eating ice cream!!! These hot summer nights this was a nice little treat.
Here's another little found secret of mine, which is easy for me in the morning. I hate breakfast or no... I love breakfast; I hate mornings. In the mornings I seem to have A.D.D and I cant seem to stay focused on what I should be doing and that is getting to work on time. Every morning I have to take a thyroid pill. Once you take a thyroid pill you can"t eat anything for an hour after and 4 hours before. Making breakfast hard for me and another reason I can't seem to workout in the morning. So I found a new love for breakfast/meal replacement.
I purchased a "Magic Bullet" which one is a small little treasure on its own. Small cups that you throw your ingredient's in and tap tap and you got your smoothie.
Here's my breakfast for champions now: 4 frozen strawberries half of banana scoop of protein whey and 2 oz of fat free milk to the rest water. Screw on the bullet blade tap 4 times and I got breakfast on the go. The Bullet comes with lids and lips too.
The other smoothie I make is Chocolate Protein Whey and fat free milk. (you can add a banana in there too)
So many smoothie options but the secret is the protein whey and the Magic bullet for keeping size down. Making your own smoothie you can control the sugar and carbs. They taste better and more real, not commercial like.

Beginning Fight

I began to really train hard. I was told I was over doing it. How can I be overdoing it? I was finally moving and eating healthy? Brian informed me to ease up. He saw me hitting a brick wall. He and my body was saying ease up you haven't been active in many years. You must do these activities long term not instantly. I was having problems sleeping. I had to much energy. I didn't want to fail nor be fat anymore, in the back of my head I wanted those pounds to shred right off and the inches to drop. I wanted everyone to notice right away my progress. I went at it balls to the wall. I have since learned. With a small injury to my calf muscle I found myself limping out of the gym half way through my training secession. I cried all the way to the shower. Feeling let down, knowing this was gonna take some healing. I felt at that moment a failure. To Brian for going to strong, and to my body why did I let myself get this heavy to not be strong enough. But with weakness somehow I am strong. I told myself that this will only make me stronger not weaker. I am in for long term and not short term weight loss. If it takes me 5 years to take off 2 pounds I will still be active.... I just wont be a bikini model. I took two weeks off from training. I continued to eat healthy. When I went back to training I was and still am careful. I never want that feeling again. When you put yourself out to be monitored and encouraged you never want failure. I now know I need small steps, and small steps are better than no steps.

Talking about it keeps me Accountable!

I feel like talking about my training and what I am doing for myself keeps me accountable. I want to be under the microscope. I need the ass kicking. I told all my family friends and clients. I would even tell a stranger if they wanted to know or listen. So this begins my next story. I was talking to Lori Bratz (i need to give credit to her. She too is a strong willed woman that i look up to). She got my wheels turning. She was telling me about how she did a 5k fun run. She bragged that she has alot of fun and feeling of accomplishment. What got me thinking was she loved them and was signed up for more. Whats a fun run I asked?? Lori explained that this was a race that you could walk or run or do a little of both with not much pressure. I began to think in my head I could do this right? I am very competitive and if she could why couldn't I? I asked her how i learn about signing up for these 5k "fun runs" and her response was http://www.active.com/ . She informed me that Newcastle is having a 5k fun run August 29 2009. I did some foot work and looked into this and convinced myself that this is a goal I want for myself. I began like any normal chubby weight girl doubting myself. I asked Brian if I was ready for this. He instantly said Yes! Without thinking about it he told me yes. We had no more than 6 weeks to train for this. I quickly asked him why he saw strength in me and felt like I could do this. He said , "Amy you can do this, there is no question in my mind that says you can't". With those words I found the strength to tell everyone that I was doing this race without even signing up for it.
Though before I continue I have to share with you the thoughts in the back of my head when I learned more about this race.
1) I pay someone to run.... yeah run....a chubby girl pays to run.
2)5k is equal to 3.2 miles that I have to pay for to run in.
3) Its early in the morning that I pay for this 3.2 mile walk/run
4) I have to do this 3.2 mile run/walk in the morning in an hour that i paid for or I get disqualified for.
I found it odd that I was wanting to sign up and pay which wasn't much just that I would rather buy a few eye shadows (they come in my size) than pay for something that might not be in my size to begin with.
It was official everyone knew I was doing this race. I posted it on the famous white board in Fitness Together as a goal or some post accomplishments. Somehow I found a team of 4. Actually I found 3 more that wanted to be on my team and support my goal but later when I was signing up I had to take the first 4. They only allowed 4 on a team. They only reason you would want a "team" on paper is the fee goes down 5-10 bucks other than that everyone there was on my "Team" So my team official name was "Fitness Together". The people in my group were Brian Wehner, Larissa Klein, Rachel and I. Though Fitness Together had a few people out there with us Mona and Beth. I gathered all the papers and money together since this was my goal and took it to Foot Zone. (I did all the foot work, and the only reason I am saying this was it helped me from backing out of my own goal. How could I... I had people depending on me, to get the money in, They wanted to race!)

The Beginning

Late June I was introduced to Brian Wehner the owner of Fitness Together. Fitness Together is slightly different than other training gyms. Their philosophy is "1 Client 1 Trainer 1 Goal" (http://www.ftnewcastle.com/) What drew me to this place was two reasons 1 its very close to my work (which if any chubby girl knows its hard to drive to a place that's gonna make you work and sweat) I knew if I walked to McDonald's which shares the same parking lot as my job it would be like picking off a very bad not healed scab. 2 They work you out based on a fitness test that they give to you prior to kicking your ass. With these two perks and walking through the door and welcomed with a warm smile and the idea that "Amy yes you can!" I signed on the dotted line and committed myself to 6 months.
Brian sent me home with a little journal that I was to write down everything that went into my mouth. The only thing I got free and did not have to write was dried spices and gum. Neither of those were a problem nor what put this weight on. My struggle is juice or sweets. I assume carbs are a weakness too. But really I am not worried about my eating habits quite yet. Lets make small steps. I began each week with a goal a personal goal of my eating habits. For example my first week was cut out all juice from your life and only drink water. Which was hard if anybody knows me, I loved High C orange drink with the entire cup filled with ice. I wanted that juice COLD! Well now its a faint memory I haven't had any, none , it has been banished from my personal eating menu.
Day One of the Beginning: The fitness test. I knew I would struggle with this; both mentally and physically. I allowed a person to measure my body and weigh me. This was not for him to giggle at, this was so he could watch the progress. I am officially accounted for. Brian began taking my heart rate sitting down. Measuring my lung capacity and blood pressure. I was thinking my blood pressure was gonna be sky high with the thought of someone knowing the "real me" (sort of like does these jeans make you fat, NO you make the jeans fat). But on we go... were he makes me reach and bend. This little fitness test takes a good solid hour hour and a half. If I was Brian I would have just wrote down fat next to all the questions and answers and hide the paper from me. He was patient with me and did it all. Even if my body struggled and I was off the charts.
So Fitness Together has me on a workout schedule Monday Wednesday and Friday after work. I find I am better mentally and physically at night. Though books and specialist say its better in the morning. I personally whine and bitch and don't feel very strong in the morning. So asking Brian and fighting with the idea they say its better in the morning for me its better in the evening.
I had one little bump in the road at the beginning of this journey. I needed to fly to Boston for a funeral. I was torn I was very dedicated to making this work this time but my devotion to Eugene and his family I knew I had to support him and go to Boston. But that deep down chubby girl feeling I knew Boston didn't come with carrot sticks and a treadmill. For this was not my time, I was there for support him and his family. I went to Brian and explained my concerns and sort of freaked out on him. But he assured me I will do fine and make wise choices on eating and it will be fine. It was fine. I would never had done it different.
So let the workouts Begin! Either Brian or Rachel train me. Either one I truly enjoy. Each one comes with a different way to hold my hand and get me through this hour of training. Both I enjoy sharing smiles and jokes with. They have me doing ball squats and wood choppers. I have been told that my training is based on my fitness test and when they see me progress my reps or weights increase.