Ok trying again...day 1

Here we are two years later. I've done a mega backslide so now it's time to get going. 8 week bootcamp and full on commitment. It's about getting out of my head again and focusing on a singular goal. Not weight loss but how to feel like my best self. So new day, new shoes and let's try this again....

A year later

Here I am a year later. A lot of good things have happened, but I did drop the ball. So now I am picking it back up!

In 2014 I completed multiple 5Ks, competed in all sorts of sports (football, soccer, basketball...) and most excitingly I completed my first AND second triathlons.

But, the waistline has gone back up. It's time to refocus. So bootcamp starts in a little over a week. I am committing to another 12 weeks of bootcamp. I'm also recommitting to clean eating with a new emphasis on cutting sugars.

So, here we go...

Holy crap I let em put it out there...

It is one thing to write this blog it is another thing to let someone put your info out there...but I did that. Today Fusion posted a blog post with my story. 

So there it is...for all the world to see...oh holy crap. But you know what, if one person reads it and decides to make a change then yay! That is paying it forward. That is good juju...so bring it!

Getting serious...

So I've been setting my training schedule for my new challenge. This past week was insane so settling in and shifting my mindset to focus on training again!

Today I got up and knocked out 3 miles on the elliptical (knees + short track indoors= no good) so elliptical it is. Hopped off and was in the water in 10 minutes...

Tri fit swim this week equalled about twice the distance of my Tri so yah I'm wiped out...but hell my body can do it! So that's a WIN!!!!

My new challenge...

It's time to start blogging about my next challenge...Triathlon!!!

Today I took my first Tri-fit swim class!!! And, my friend Dr. A is doin this journey with me! Guess what?! We didn't drown!!!

 

Walking into the room...

We had our company party the second weekend of December. It is generally a more formal event with a band and party dresses. First off let's talk dresses.

In years past, I would buy something that would cover me, tent me, hide me....and deal with it. This year I opted to show some skin. Yup I bought a little black dress. Sleeveless and short. I wore hot pink heels and I had a spray tan a couple days before! Yup totally different.

The most fun thing is that everyone I hadn't seen in a year or two was SHOCKED! And kept telling me how great I looked. But better than that, I felt beautiful. I felt gorgeous. I felt alive. I had no qualms about showing my arms and I stood up straight and smiled for all the pictures.

It was a good night :)

Catching up...

Yah December got away from me. Yesterday was Christmas and there is a LOT to be happy about.
My big brother is getting married, my parents are healthy and I saved my life in 2013. 2013 had ups and downs in our family but I'm happy to say mostly ups.
This project has been one that I don't think I can ever adequately describe but all I can say is I am not the same girl I was when this journey began so I will write a few observations I've had this month and what I have experienced that has made life so different.

Sometimes ya gotta let loose....

I went down to my alma mater for football the last few weekends. We were in the playoffs. I took a picture with my bestie and loved it...here is why...
Here is a picture of us about a year and a half ago....

And here is a picture of the two of us two weekends ago....

I love E! She has always been so supportive of me and she will never know how grateful I am for her friendship...and now I don't mind taking pictures next to my pretty friend! 

Inch by inch...

The scale hasn't moved.
I could tighten the diet even more but frankly I'm wiped out.
The scale hasn't moved.
I could do more cardio.
The scale hasn't moved.
What has moved? What has changed?

I reached a frustration level unlike any I have had in 11 months and so I sat down by the fire and drew out the change in my body on posterboard....

I've lost 36 inches on my body. That is 3 (pardon my language) fucking feet!
Fuck the scale...I am KILLING IT!!!

A very different Thanksgiving this year...

Last year on Thanksgiving I laid on the couch for a bit watching the parade. I ate a fatty breakfast and then went and had steak with the family. I struggled to find something to wear and didn't feel comfortable at the table.

This year, it is a new life. First off I was pushing for the 30-in-30 challenge so when they opened up a Fusion Fly Rush Hour class at 5:30am on Thanksgiving morning, I didn't think twice and signed up. Um WTF who am I? Then, I ran home and cleaned up (and layered up) and headed out to meet my WLBC All Star friends for the Ward Parkway Turkey Trot...and rocked out my very first official 5K!!! Yah burned a lot of calories but more than that....I felt so good about myself when I sat down for our family steak that the meal was that much more delicious!

On paying it forward...

There is a woman in our group this round whom I am very fond of. I see myself in her and I see the desire she has to have this to attain these goals and I want that for her. I think she secretly hates it when I come up behind her and make her run but that is what I want for her. I want women, friends and strangers alike, to feel like I do. To set a goal that is seemingly overwhelming and to push themselves to get it. And, when pushing themselves isn't working, I want to be there to push them. I want women to know they can do it and to feel that joy when they put one foot in front of the other a little faster every single day!

From last to first...

I think of that time in January when I turned to S, L and K who had all done this before and asked 'Will I ever be able to keep up?' I think of the day I was terrified and didn't think I could ever keep up. That is what makes days like that morning when N & I were doing a relay workout and the two of us finished before everyone. We had to take a picture. We both realised that 11 months ago we were always dead last, and damn it we were FIRST!!!!

I have to think that to feel defeated and remember that feeling makes victory that much sweeter!

30 in 30...

This year has been an expensive one. So, when Fusion Fitness threw down the challenge I couldn't say no to the reward! If you do 30 classes in November, you will get a tank top AND 10 Fusion Fly passes with a $150 value! So that is one of the reasons that I didn't write so much in November. I was exhausted. With a studio class almost every single day, there was no time to write. But I pushed and pushed and wanted to quit. I wanted to cry, I did cry....but I finished...with 1 day to spare!

Shopping Spree!!!!!!!

For years I have hated shopping. I used to say it was because it was pointless and boring but let's be honest, it was because I couldn't wear anything. I have a dear friend and neighbor who always told me 'Hey, shoes and accessories always fit.' But you know what, I wanted to wear those cute clothes and boots and to walk in a store and feel like I belong. I have never felt that before.

Well, after months of hard work my happy ass headed to Chicago for the KU/Duke game and planned it so I went shopping with my mom. That is another thing. My mom loves shopping and the woman can find awesome things. It was always sort of a sore subject for the two of us to shop because I was never happy doing it. Well times they have changed. We had a blast and I shopped and shopped and shopped some more....stores whose doors were always closed to me are now open. And while this isn't a vanity thing, we had a hell of a good time reaping the benefits!

Yah it's been a month...

So November got away from me and here we are in December. I have lots to write about from November so sit back and I apologize for not writing before....but here come a few posts your way....

Have you lost weight....

Without a doubt it is a question that cracks me up...

When people who I see every day just now say, 'Hey have you lost weight?' I think to myself..'um yah about 60 lbs...um how th F*** are you just noticing?' So I smile and say yes and thank you. But inside I'm thinking 'do you remember how huge I was?'

Riding above a 10...

So it's been a couple months since I first step foot in the Fusion Fly studio to try Spin. And yup, I still love it. When I started, riding at an 8 gear for my base was a struggle. Slowly I built up and worked hard....and no I am not a Spin rock star. BUT guess what...I know ride above a 10 for entire rides. And, TONIGHT my ass got up to a 20! a FRICKIN 20!!! Now my RPMs were crazy low at that point and I wanted to vomit...perhaps that was because of the pain or perhaps it was because the sweat was pouring so hard that I actually swallowed a mouthful of it. (Overshare??) But yah...my base is between an 11 and 12!!!!

A frustration...

There is no doubt that my life has transformed this year. I don't mean my outward appearance, I mean my mentality towards life and priorities. I am thrilled by this and want to spread the love. But, there is a drawback. Not everyone in my life has been on this journey nor do they understand. They don't understand when I say sorry, can't I have a workout. Then even more frustrating is when they say 'Oh come on...'

Here is the deal, this is my life now. This is my commitment and dedication and what I want and need. Please don't ask me to give up my priorities in favor of yours. Not right now. Worse then that, when people try to make me feel bad like I am selfish and spoiled for spending so much time on this. Here are some things I've heard...

"Oh I couldn't do that I have to take care of ___________." (Implying their responsibilities are more pressing than mine)
"Oh I can't imagine taking all that time to workout my kids/husband/job/volunteer gig need me.' (somehow implying I have no other draws on my time)

Here's the deal. Discipline. Yes I am getting on my soap box...Discipline is the only way I have been able to do what I need to do and meet my commitments. And guess what, I have a ton of shit on my plate!

I am my sole provider so I work a full time job (which is often more than 40 hours), I am president of an organiziation with at least one event a month, I sit on a time consuming committee for the Junior League, I take care of my home (cooking, cleaning, laundry, yard, maintenance), I sit on the organizing commitee for a major road race (which I will chair in the next two years) that often calls for additional volunteer time....so yah I'm busy. I also spend between 12 and 14 hours a week working out.

So guess what, I am just as busy as you. A different busy but busy...so don't tell me you can't find 30 minutes every other day to walk your ass around the block and then act like I am so selfish for going after what I want....

The 30 in 30 challenge...

So they are having a challenge at the studio. If you take 30 classes in 30 days in November you get a tank top and 10 passes to Fusion Fly! That is about $150 worth of classes so yah...GAME ON! Now you may think 'Hey you work out all the time what's the big deal?' 

Well here it is...Our Monday/Friday morning workouts don't count. Our Wednesday night group workouts don't count....The only thing that counts is a studio or fly class...and considering I will be travelling then yah...gotta be careful on scheduling and do a lot more double downs on studio classes each day...

So here we go I have planned out the month with a few days padding...wish me luck!

I'm in the fast group....

Ok so fast may not be the right descriptor.

This morning we did a new workout that I don't think I've ever done. We lined up on one side of the soccer field in groups of 2,3 or 4....our trainer S said she wanted the people that didn't modify and could do more reps at one end and those that needed to modify at the other end. Basically she was lining us up so that no one felt like they were too slow and weren't intimadated.

But, by the same token she told us to group with people that we know would push us. I was in a group 2nd to the end on the NON-modifying end. Now a word about modifications, there is nothing wrong with them. In fact it is better to do a move modified and properly than non-modified and sloppy. I still modify some things because I know I get a better burn and do it much better.

So there we were in our groups. Each group had a notecard of an exercise. Basically we were doing a circuit. But, after 20 reps of a move, you had to sprint across the soccer field and back then do another 20. We were at each station for 3 minutes. There were I believe 10 stations or so maybe 12...

I remember a long time ago when I was the slowest. Today I felt like I was FLYING across that field. I even heard one person in my group say 'Wow, Courtney is a great pusher.' BEST FEELING EVER!!!!