JUNE 2014 - CHALLENGE DAYS 1-5

Okay, so I'm having some computer issues and having to post this from my tablet and it's a little time consuming so this post will just be for the first 5 days and then II'll make sure to get the complete month posted ASAP! Thanks for your patience and hope you join the challenge! :)

DAY 1 - 30 second plank, 15 lunges per leg
DAY 2 - 40 second plank, 20 lunges per leg
DAY 3 - 50 second plank, 30 lunges per leg
DAY 4 - 60 second plank, 40 lunges per leg
DAY 5 - REST

Are You Ready To Change? I Know Who Can Help!

I hear this a lot, "I wish I could do what all you do." or "You've got such great willpower, wish I could turn down food so easily.", and I used to think the same thing about others. Before becoming a part of the Fitness Together family, I really thought it was that I had no willpower or the ability to make the changes I needed to be successful. But, at 350 pounds, I thought I better find it! I've learned so much in the past three years, but one thing I've come to realize, is that it's not that I didn't have the ability or the willpower before; but, I just wasn't ready to change. We all have different reasons that will cause us to be ready to change, it could be family, friends, a health scare, etc. Or, as it was for me, you realize if you don't change you're at a high risk of being diagnosed with things like diabetes or heart diseases because these things run in my family. I'll admit, three years ago when I walked into FT and talked with Michael, I didn't know if I was going to be able to be successful and I even opted for the smallest three month package. But, I also went in there knowing I was going to do everything they told me to do, and at the end of that three months if I didn't go back I would know I gave it all I could. But at the end of the three months, because I was ready to change and I listened to the trainers, I was not only getting great results but I was feeling better than I had ever felt before! It was a no brainer that I continued to commit everything I could, not only to Michael and Fitness Together, but to myself!

Next time you see someone getting great results from working out and eating healthy and you think to yourself "wish I could do that",  just remember, YOU CAN DO IT!!!!! It's not a question of if you can do it, but the question is are you ready to do it! So, are you ready to change? If you are, I encourage you to contact Michael Watkins (owner) or Keith Jacbos (manager) here in the Tulsa area at Fitness Together Jenks/Riverside or Fitness Together Downtown. Not in the local Tulsa area? Then you can find a local Fitness Together by clicking HERE, I promise, you won't regret it!

Weigh-in Update - It's A Lifestyle Change

After two long and stressful weeks, this past week I was happy to be back to my normal workout routine, along with feeling better. I came across this picture from about 5 years ago, and thought, "WOW!!!! I've changed so much!" I see that picture and just really want to kick myself in the ass for ever allowing myself to become so overweight and unhealthy; but, I know I can't change the past, I can only continue to move forward and make sure I NEVER go back there again! A few things have inspired this blog post, besides it's weigh-in day, I also hit a new PR on my deadlift. But, more importantly I also want to address a comment that was made by a coworker earlier this week.

 

First, I'll report what everyone is curious about the most, and that's how I did on the scale this week. As reported last week, over the prior two weeks I had gained 5.2 pounds, and this week I managed to lose not only all that I gained but a little more! This week I lost 6 pounds, making my grand total weight loss of 139.6 pounds! And then on top of that, I hit a new PR on my deadlift this morning. I increased my PR by 10 pounds and deadlifted 275 pounds! Now I can't wait to participate in my first deadlifting competition June 14th. This competition is a to help raise money for a little 8-year old boy fighting cancer by the name of Sean Lynn. I'm actually going to be teaming up with my FT sister Charla and we are going to go in there and kill it! It'll be fun and it's for a great cause! :)

 

Now, the part where I give my opinion regarding a coworker's comment from earlier this week, and also what inspired this portion of the blog. I was in the break room getting my coffee when she walked in and this is how our conversation went:

 

• HER: Sherrie, you look great! Are you still working out?
• ME: Yep, six days a week, usually 2 to 3 times a day.
• HER: Are you still with Fitness Together?
• ME: Yep, but I train mostly at the downtown location, which is also why I'm able to workout at lunch.
• HER: (and this is the comment) Well, it looks like you're getting really close to where you won't have to workout anymore.

 

Don't get me wrong, I know she meant it as a compliment, but the thing is there are too many people who have this mentality about dieting and working out. I want anyone who thinks this way to really understand that eating healthy and working out isn't something that's temporary, but it's a permanent lifestyle change. Unless of course you want temporary results, but I don't. The problem with people being in this kind of mindset, is once they meet their health and fitness goal, they typically go back to their old habits and will eventually be back where they started. I don't EVER intend on being 350 pounds again! And the only way I can make sure that NEVER happens again, is to recognize this is my lifestyle and once I hit my goal weight, that the only way to continue to be healthy and strong is to continue to eat healthy and work out. So, when you set your own health and fitness goals, make sure you face them telling yourself it's not a phase, it's not temporary, but it's a permanent lifestyle change. Having this mindset, you're sure to be successful!

Weigh-in Update - With A Reality Check

I hear something along these lines all the time, "As much as you workout, you can eat whatever you want." Michael and I have even had conversations about how can we get this "theory" out of people's minds, because it's not true! There's a quote I've heard Michael say several times, "You can't out train a bad diet". This week I have an excellent example of how you can't eat whatever you want just because you workout a lot. In fact, I hope to also crush that other "theory" people have, "To lose weight you must cut your calories."

The past couple weeks I've had a lot going on, not sleeping well, lots of stress at work and in my personal life, missed a few workouts, and low appetite causing me to consume very few calories on several of the days. I didn't weigh in last week, but I did today, and from two weeks ago I was up 5.2 pounds. First thing I did was walk out of the fitness center and as I was texting Michael just broke down and cried. I expected a gain just from everything going on the past couple weeks, but I guess when I actually saw the actual gain, it was just more than I could handle. I just mentioned on our FT Client FB page that I have no problem at all being able to say the right things to motivate others when they are struggling and down, but for some reason I have the hardest time staying positive and motivating myself when it comes to myself and my struggles (Which is why I LOVE my Fitness Together family so much!).

Here's the point I want to make out of this post. Now, despite my bad weigh in, several Fitness Together clients had great results this week, including my FT sister Charla! She told me today Michael had given her suggestions on her calorie intake that included a couple days where she would eat up to 1600 calories, this made her nervous and wouldn't go that high. But, guess what, the past two weeks she decided to "trust the process" and ate the recommended calories and she lost 4.6 pounds, making her total in the past two weeks 7.8 pounds! She did put in a lot of hard work and getting in 22 workouts this week (yeah, she's officially crazy, in a good way, like me....lol), but those workouts would have been futile if she would have just eaten "whatever she wanted". Now, on the flip side....I did miss last Saturdays workout and two lunch workouts this week, but still made sure I got in there at least twice a day for my morning and evening sessions. But, I had four days in a row where I only took in about 500 calories each day and had several days where I barely got in over 1000 (and this included my high carb days). So, that theory "that you'll lose weight by taking in less calories" has just been debunked! If that theory were true, I should have lost weight this week, but instead I had gained 5.2 pounds!

You hear about keeping everything balanced, and this is exactly why it's important you're doing exactly that! And I know it's hard to know what or how to do this, but if you really want to make the changes it's up to you to take the initiative to figure it out. You have too many resources out there to have the excuse, "I don't know what I should be eating or how I should be working out" to continue your unhealthy lifestyle. You have nutritionist and personal trainers who are full of knowledge about this stuff you could hire to help you. Or, if you don't want to invest in hiring someone, then there's many resources online or even the good old fashioned library of books could possibly help. Either way, it's your choice, just don't expect a lot of sympathy from people if you don't get the results you want if you're not even trying to do anything about it.

So, if you get anything out of this post, this is what it needs to be:

You CAN'T eat whatever you want just because you workout a lot....and, eating less calories  DOES NOT mean you will lose weight. BUT.....IT IS about eating the right foods and making sure you're taking in healthy calories and working out regularly!

Rest Day?

When I first started working out three years ago, I only worked with the trainer two days a week. They didn't even suggest any type of cardio program. Being 350 pounds, they probably thought I was doing good to get in there twice a week. After a few months they started writing cardio workouts for me and gave me new meal plans, which this allowed me to get in there four days a week. Now, a typical week consists of me being at Fitness Together six days a week, and I'm there anywhere between two to three times a day, with Sunday being my only rest day. And for the next eight weeks I'm there four times on Monday and do cardio with my team on Sundays as I compete in a team challenge.


When I saw this quote, because my typical week I do only get one rest day on Sunday, this is exactly what I'm doing! This is the day, not only am I prepping my planned meals, but I also think about all the sessions and cardio workouts for the week. I'm actually going to be checking out a Zumba class a couple nights a week with some of my FT sisters, which I'm excited about.


You're probably wondering, "What was the purpose of her posting this blog?". Well, one I'm very proud of how far I've come in the past three years and what all I'm able to do. But, more importantly, I see other clients become frustrated or discouraged because they feel if they can't get in there as much as I do that they aren't doing good enough. What I want them and others to realize is, I didn't start working out this much in the beginning, I gradually worked my way up to this crazy and intense schedule. The important thing to remember is you need to continue to push yourself as hard as you can and do everything you're capable of doing. You will have days, and even weeks, that your best might seem less than other days. My PR on deadlifts is 265 pounds, but I've had days that I'm not able to get to that weight just because it's one of those days where my body just says not today. Even though the next eight weeks I'm not actually getting a rest day, it is important and okay to have a rest day. And if you're just getting into a fitness routine, it's even okay to have three or four rest days. Just make sure on those days you're at the fitness center you go in there with the intent to kick butt!

Struggling To Remain Positive

This past week has been really off for me, and even today still struggling to remain positive after experiencing a very bumpy emotional roller coaster. We all have our own personal struggles in life and we all deal with them differently. For me I tend to put my walls up and shut down. I planned on taking another day to myself, but after talking with Michael a bit, I realize shutting everyone out isn't the answer. I do still plan on taking a day off from work to deal with some personal things, but have decided to at least go in for my morning workout session hoping to feel a little better. Unfortunately, Michael might be working extra hard to keep me focused and motivated. I guess a lot of my frustrations are that I'm not sure how to move forward at times with my struggles. But, after seeing this quote, I can only look forward to something extraordinary!

Weigh-in Update - I'm So Close!!!!!

I'm staying really focused in my workouts and doing everything I can to stay positive so I don't get off track. I lost another 2.2 pounds this week, which makes 8.4 pounds in the last two weeks, and my grand total in the past three years 136.6! But, I have a challenging goal ahead of me, and I have no doubt I'll be able to reach it if I just remain focused and on track. I'm so close to being under 200 pounds, and I don't think I've ever been more determined to meet a goal. I am starting an 8-week team challenge at Fitness Together tomorrow, so I'm hoping by incorporating that into my regular fitness routine it will help me meet this goal. I just know, no matter what life tries to throw at me in my personal life, work, or my health/fitness journey, I can't allow nothing or anyone to get me off track. I think for the last few weeks I've been going on about all the people in my life who have supported and encouraged me, and it seems as each day goes by, that circle of people continues to grow. I'm blessed beyond belief with the people in my life. So, again, to all those who are constantly supporting me, even if it's just messages on FB, you are greatly appreciated and you are a big reason I keep going strong! THANK YOU!