Today was our FitPar assessment and although I only have a few minutes to share, I thought I'd fill you all in:
I did reasonably well. I would've loved to have been able to get up this morning with no injury but the fact remains that my foot is still a stumbling block and some of my scores reflect that. I did try my hardest today to do my personal best and I am pleased with my results. I know that there is nothing that I can do to make my foot better faster so I'm taking each day as it comes and working harder with focus on other areas of my body.
I'm still loving every single morning and would not trade this experience for the world!
So here's my latest scores compared with the last ones:
1 Mile
8:28 8:36
(I did much better on this than I thought I would.)
Dips
41 43
Push Ups
27 34
Squats
58 60
Crunches
88 101
Front Plank
2:20 3:35
Rev. Crunches
70 74
Shuttle
38 27
(Ouch! Hmmm, not sure why I was so behind in this one...)
Jump Rope
158 138
(I had to do some today one-footed so it did slow me down...)
Today's Intensity Level : 9
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
R2 D18
This morning, after the usual get up, get ready stuff, I headed downtown. I arrived on time and saw lots of new faces. It was bring a friend day and lots of people brought friends. I, however didn't have anyone show up to work-out with me...Sigh...Boo :-(
Anyway, we started out with a circuit warm-up of forward and backward sumo walks and hoops. Then we moved on to a full obstacle course circuit.
We did forward and backward lunges, Star (death) jumps (still one of my least favorite of all Boot Camp exercises), ammo can lifts, push ups, dips, undulations, PVC lifts, resistance band pushes and pulls, and jump rope. It was a great circuit and my goal was to get through it twice which I did (minus the dips second time, I'm not sure if I forgot on accident or subconsciously left them out, oops! I guess I'll be doing those on a chair in a minute...).
It was a great circuit! Challenging, but do-able.
After the circuit, we did some team rope work with squats then finished off with a little bit of core.
Today's class was good and it moved fast because of all of the activity changes. I felt full of energy afterwards and did a quick Victory Lap over the bridge and back while enjoying the beautiful morning sky. During my quick "lap", I reflected on tomorrow's FitPar assessment test and although I can't say I'm excited for the assessment because of the mile, I am curious to see how I'm continuing to progress. I am feeling physically stronger. I'm beginning to understand what it means to have my core "engaged" during work-outs and I'm hopeful to break the 3 minute marker on Plank.
Intensity Level Today : 8.9
Anyway, we started out with a circuit warm-up of forward and backward sumo walks and hoops. Then we moved on to a full obstacle course circuit.
We did forward and backward lunges, Star (death) jumps (still one of my least favorite of all Boot Camp exercises), ammo can lifts, push ups, dips, undulations, PVC lifts, resistance band pushes and pulls, and jump rope. It was a great circuit and my goal was to get through it twice which I did (minus the dips second time, I'm not sure if I forgot on accident or subconsciously left them out, oops! I guess I'll be doing those on a chair in a minute...).
It was a great circuit! Challenging, but do-able.
After the circuit, we did some team rope work with squats then finished off with a little bit of core.
Today's class was good and it moved fast because of all of the activity changes. I felt full of energy afterwards and did a quick Victory Lap over the bridge and back while enjoying the beautiful morning sky. During my quick "lap", I reflected on tomorrow's FitPar assessment test and although I can't say I'm excited for the assessment because of the mile, I am curious to see how I'm continuing to progress. I am feeling physically stronger. I'm beginning to understand what it means to have my core "engaged" during work-outs and I'm hopeful to break the 3 minute marker on Plank.
Intensity Level Today : 8.9
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
R2 D17
Once again, I got into bed about an hour later than what I should've so this morning came too soon. I did push the snooze but I was up before the second alarm went off.
I was able to get myself ready and have a small bowl of cereal before heading out the door.
When I arrived, there were no mats out so I assumed that we would be traveling again and guessed that we would be doing the mile loop with some pit stops. I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed campers with black bags in their grasp. I soon found out that today would be a TRX day. I instantly felt surge of excitement and adrenaline shoot through my veins. Today was going to be a very challenging work-out. And I was pumped.
We made our way downtown. We ran about a half a mile (the most that I've run without stopping on my foot) and I did pretty well keeping up. I was annoyed by my foot but it was not the focus of my morning.
We got to our location and attached the TRX suspension system to some light posts. They felt pretty secure however, I must admit, I was a little apprehensive of how much weight they would be able to handle. We did arms, legs, shoulders and backs on the TRX. It's amazing how hard it is to utilize your body's strength when you're working against it's weight. Every exercise seems easy in theory but once you're doing it, it pushes each area of your body to it' physical limit. It challenges your core strength and your focus. It pushes you to see just how far you can go into a stretch or exercise while still maintaining good form. And I LOVE it!!!
I was happy that none of the posts fell down and have to admit that I was a little sad that we were done when it was time to put the TRX's back into their bags to return to home camp.
When we returned, we did some core exercises and stretching.
I feel good. I feel accomplished. TRX targets muscles that some of our other classes don't and I know that I will be sore tomorrow but I feel good knowing that I did a good job today and worked extremely hard.
Today's Intensity Level : 9.5
Tomorrow is bring a friend day. I don't know of anyone coming out to join me yet but I hope someone will. But this is for me and that's all that matters so if no one shows, I'll still work my hardest. I'm still feeling great and still excited for each new day's challenge. Yes!!!!
I was able to get myself ready and have a small bowl of cereal before heading out the door.
When I arrived, there were no mats out so I assumed that we would be traveling again and guessed that we would be doing the mile loop with some pit stops. I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed campers with black bags in their grasp. I soon found out that today would be a TRX day. I instantly felt surge of excitement and adrenaline shoot through my veins. Today was going to be a very challenging work-out. And I was pumped.
We made our way downtown. We ran about a half a mile (the most that I've run without stopping on my foot) and I did pretty well keeping up. I was annoyed by my foot but it was not the focus of my morning.
We got to our location and attached the TRX suspension system to some light posts. They felt pretty secure however, I must admit, I was a little apprehensive of how much weight they would be able to handle. We did arms, legs, shoulders and backs on the TRX. It's amazing how hard it is to utilize your body's strength when you're working against it's weight. Every exercise seems easy in theory but once you're doing it, it pushes each area of your body to it' physical limit. It challenges your core strength and your focus. It pushes you to see just how far you can go into a stretch or exercise while still maintaining good form. And I LOVE it!!!
I was happy that none of the posts fell down and have to admit that I was a little sad that we were done when it was time to put the TRX's back into their bags to return to home camp.
When we returned, we did some core exercises and stretching.
I feel good. I feel accomplished. TRX targets muscles that some of our other classes don't and I know that I will be sore tomorrow but I feel good knowing that I did a good job today and worked extremely hard.
Today's Intensity Level : 9.5
Tomorrow is bring a friend day. I don't know of anyone coming out to join me yet but I hope someone will. But this is for me and that's all that matters so if no one shows, I'll still work my hardest. I'm still feeling great and still excited for each new day's challenge. Yes!!!!
Monday, July 27, 2009
R2 D16
Got in bed somewhat early after 2 night this weekend of 4 hours of sleep. I really needed the sleep but was surprised that I got up right after the alarm went off with no difficulty.
I had time to eat some shredded wheat, have a glass of water and get myself ready with a few minutes to spare. It was nice.
I was really excited to get back into the swing of things this morning because I did not do anything physical this weekend and did indulge in a few no-no's courtesy of a barbecue and a sleep-over for my son and his friends.
Today, I renewed my commitment to eating healthy and I will not dwell on the weekend. However, I must say that I am realizing that the weekends tend to be where I struggle the most so I need to think of some new strategies to at least do better on one of the days.
We began this morning with a jog in a new direction. We found out upon arriving that today was going to be a "heavy leg" day. We jogged North this morning which we haven't done before and I noticed that the river was purple and beautiful today. It was extremely humid and again, the sweat flowed. We did wall sits, resistance band work, lunges, drive-down lunges, step-ups, squats and a few more exercises before making our way back to home base. We did more leg work with weights, alphabet traces and some core work to finish up.
My heel was really bothering me again this morning but I did make a commitment to work through it and I did notice that towards the end of class, it seemed to bother me less. I must admit that even though I am determined, feelings of discouragement and frustration are still ever present during my work-outs. I wonder if I'll ever have the same strength in my foot/ankle as I did in the past. I'm very nervous about the timed mile on Thursday. I haven't ran straight through a mile since my injury. I know that my speed is not where it was because my stride is still way off so I'm setting a goal of 9 minutes, 28 seconds which allows me a full minute grace.
Intensity Level Today : 9.1
Tomorrow is a new day but I'm going to enjoy the rest of today!!!
I had time to eat some shredded wheat, have a glass of water and get myself ready with a few minutes to spare. It was nice.
I was really excited to get back into the swing of things this morning because I did not do anything physical this weekend and did indulge in a few no-no's courtesy of a barbecue and a sleep-over for my son and his friends.
Today, I renewed my commitment to eating healthy and I will not dwell on the weekend. However, I must say that I am realizing that the weekends tend to be where I struggle the most so I need to think of some new strategies to at least do better on one of the days.
We began this morning with a jog in a new direction. We found out upon arriving that today was going to be a "heavy leg" day. We jogged North this morning which we haven't done before and I noticed that the river was purple and beautiful today. It was extremely humid and again, the sweat flowed. We did wall sits, resistance band work, lunges, drive-down lunges, step-ups, squats and a few more exercises before making our way back to home base. We did more leg work with weights, alphabet traces and some core work to finish up.
My heel was really bothering me again this morning but I did make a commitment to work through it and I did notice that towards the end of class, it seemed to bother me less. I must admit that even though I am determined, feelings of discouragement and frustration are still ever present during my work-outs. I wonder if I'll ever have the same strength in my foot/ankle as I did in the past. I'm very nervous about the timed mile on Thursday. I haven't ran straight through a mile since my injury. I know that my speed is not where it was because my stride is still way off so I'm setting a goal of 9 minutes, 28 seconds which allows me a full minute grace.
Intensity Level Today : 9.1
Tomorrow is a new day but I'm going to enjoy the rest of today!!!
Friday, July 24, 2009
R2 D15
Sorry to all my daily readers. Yesterday was a full day and no time to get on the computer to blog.
But Yesterday's class was again, amazing. The Intensity Level was about 9.3. This week, I feel like Rob is really pushing us to a new level of personal best and I LOVE IT!!!!!
After another restless night, I got up, and got ready with a determined attitude and a willing spirit.
When I got downtown, Stephanie did a light warm up with us, we did a small drill to get our blood pumping and then we were given a series of exercises to complete.
We were given directions to do 100 reps of each task. I found myself wondering if I'd be able do it and doubting myself before I even began. I almost caught myself thinking "I can't..." But I resolved to do it and I was determined to finish whether I did it in the allowed time of had to stay after to complete the tasks.
I started out with what I thought would be the hard stuff for my body. I broke down each task into 25 reps each. We did undulation (not sure it that's the right term) which is basically using a heavy rope to drum on the ground, TRX rows (which I could not do 25 of at a time without a rest break), dips, crunches, reverse crunches, curls, push ups, military presses (OMGosh, 100 reps of this one was really hard!!!). I think that's all of them but I may have forgotten one? I did have to make some adjustments throughout class because my arms were burning and feeling fatigued at many points during the circuit. The sweat poured profusely today (Gross!). And once again, in the distance, I swear I could hear Beyonce's Survivor and the Rocky Theme Song. There were a few times that I had to stop for a moment but I was able to keep a strong attitude, a steady pace and a determination to finish.
And I did, with a few minutes to spare!
I AM STRONG!!!
I DID A GOOD JOB TODAY!!!
AND I FINISHED WHAT I STARTED!!!
I'm ready to face this last day of a very tough week and I'm thankful that this week, I've been able to use Boot Camp as a stress and frustration outlet. I love the fact that I still get excited about what's to come daily and continue to crave the self-motivation and accomplishments that I continue to achieve daily.
Intensity Level Today : 10!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wooohooo!
But Yesterday's class was again, amazing. The Intensity Level was about 9.3. This week, I feel like Rob is really pushing us to a new level of personal best and I LOVE IT!!!!!
After another restless night, I got up, and got ready with a determined attitude and a willing spirit.
When I got downtown, Stephanie did a light warm up with us, we did a small drill to get our blood pumping and then we were given a series of exercises to complete.
We were given directions to do 100 reps of each task. I found myself wondering if I'd be able do it and doubting myself before I even began. I almost caught myself thinking "I can't..." But I resolved to do it and I was determined to finish whether I did it in the allowed time of had to stay after to complete the tasks.
I started out with what I thought would be the hard stuff for my body. I broke down each task into 25 reps each. We did undulation (not sure it that's the right term) which is basically using a heavy rope to drum on the ground, TRX rows (which I could not do 25 of at a time without a rest break), dips, crunches, reverse crunches, curls, push ups, military presses (OMGosh, 100 reps of this one was really hard!!!). I think that's all of them but I may have forgotten one? I did have to make some adjustments throughout class because my arms were burning and feeling fatigued at many points during the circuit. The sweat poured profusely today (Gross!). And once again, in the distance, I swear I could hear Beyonce's Survivor and the Rocky Theme Song. There were a few times that I had to stop for a moment but I was able to keep a strong attitude, a steady pace and a determination to finish.
And I did, with a few minutes to spare!
I AM STRONG!!!
I DID A GOOD JOB TODAY!!!
AND I FINISHED WHAT I STARTED!!!
I'm ready to face this last day of a very tough week and I'm thankful that this week, I've been able to use Boot Camp as a stress and frustration outlet. I love the fact that I still get excited about what's to come daily and continue to crave the self-motivation and accomplishments that I continue to achieve daily.
Intensity Level Today : 10!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wooohooo!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
R2 D13
This morning, I didn't wake up before the alarm but I did get up with it and felt good. I went to bed a little bit earlier than I have been and that makes a big difference. I got myself ready, toasted a piece of Sesame Ezekial and was on my way.
I arrived downtown a few minutes early which was nice because I didn't feel rushed. I noticed that there were no mats out. Yes!!! Today was going to be traveling day. I knew I was in for a challenging hour.
We did some light stretching and a very short warm-up then we were off. We headed downtown by way of a new route. I love the usual route that we take but it was nice to have a change of surroundings. We ran through downtown pit-stopping for lunges, sumo & platypus walks, Calder jump-ups, resistance band work (lost some hair out of my ponytail on this one today...OUCH!!!), push ups, step ups (on a very high step for my 5' 1 1/2" body but it really pushed me!), reverse crunches, up & down steps, dips, and probably a few more that I can't remember, and headed back to home camp. I realized a few minutes after we left home camp that I had forgotten my Ibuprofen this morning which did cause a nagging annoyance but the pain was not strong enough to hold me back. The words "Determination", "You are STRONG!!!", and "You CAN do this!!!" played through my mind though out our journey today. I never got to a point today where I wanted to stop. From the beginning, I made up my mind to work hard the whole class and I would not allow myself to be cheated out of any valuable time.
We ran back at our own pace and even though my own pace isn't as fast as it may have been a few weeks ago, I pushed hard and when I could see the park, I dug deep and sprinted through to the end. The sprinklers were on and I rewarded myself to a nice, refreshing cool-down. It was extremely humid this morning and I was plentifully covered with a thick layer of hot sweat so the cold water felt like a shower from heaven as it hit my face, head and arms. I took lots of deep breaths and smiled to myself feeling accomplished and STRONG. After Rob returned, we did a very challenging plank series, and some other ab work before stretching.
Intensity Level Today : 9.6
The past few days have been challenging but amazing!!! This is the Boot Camp that I love!!!
Give me more!!!!!!!!!! RRRRRRarrrrrrrrrr!!!!!
I arrived downtown a few minutes early which was nice because I didn't feel rushed. I noticed that there were no mats out. Yes!!! Today was going to be traveling day. I knew I was in for a challenging hour.
We did some light stretching and a very short warm-up then we were off. We headed downtown by way of a new route. I love the usual route that we take but it was nice to have a change of surroundings. We ran through downtown pit-stopping for lunges, sumo & platypus walks, Calder jump-ups, resistance band work (lost some hair out of my ponytail on this one today...OUCH!!!), push ups, step ups (on a very high step for my 5' 1 1/2" body but it really pushed me!), reverse crunches, up & down steps, dips, and probably a few more that I can't remember, and headed back to home camp. I realized a few minutes after we left home camp that I had forgotten my Ibuprofen this morning which did cause a nagging annoyance but the pain was not strong enough to hold me back. The words "Determination", "You are STRONG!!!", and "You CAN do this!!!" played through my mind though out our journey today. I never got to a point today where I wanted to stop. From the beginning, I made up my mind to work hard the whole class and I would not allow myself to be cheated out of any valuable time.
We ran back at our own pace and even though my own pace isn't as fast as it may have been a few weeks ago, I pushed hard and when I could see the park, I dug deep and sprinted through to the end. The sprinklers were on and I rewarded myself to a nice, refreshing cool-down. It was extremely humid this morning and I was plentifully covered with a thick layer of hot sweat so the cold water felt like a shower from heaven as it hit my face, head and arms. I took lots of deep breaths and smiled to myself feeling accomplished and STRONG. After Rob returned, we did a very challenging plank series, and some other ab work before stretching.
Intensity Level Today : 9.6
The past few days have been challenging but amazing!!! This is the Boot Camp that I love!!!
Give me more!!!!!!!!!! RRRRRRarrrrrrrrrr!!!!!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
R2 D12
So this morning, I did push the snooze again. I guess tomorrow's goal will be to get up when the alarm goes off. Still felt pretty tired when I got up but my foot felt pretty good again this morning.
I got myself ready and had time for piece of toasted Ezekial with a smidgen of plumb jam then headed out the door.
When I arrived, we did a short warm up then rob told us to do a warm-up run. I was a little bit apprehensive about running a distance because I haven't done that since my injury first occurred. But my foot felt good and I had relatively no pain, so I took a huge deep-cleansing breath, did one more really good foot and leg stretch and I was on my way.
This morning, the air was crisp and cool. The sky was still deep midnight blue and the water was still. I ran much slower and more carefully today and really took in my surroundings. I noticed a lot more ducks than usual and a few birds. The weatherball was glowing and the city lights were beautiful against the dark backdrop. After I turned around to head back, I tried to focus on my form and push myself to increase my speed just a little bit. I made it back and still had no real pain. My foot is still a little bit unstable and a bit uncomfortable but I do feel like I am healing and that with every day, I'm able to do more.
When we got back, we were given a circuit obstacle course with heavy focus on legs. We did push ups, dips, squats, lunges, resistance band work, hoops, free weights, reverse crunches, and sprints (Wow, I really noticed on this one that I've lost lots of speed...). I focused the most on form and endurance through the circuit. I was moving a bit slower than some of the other girls but I did complete each task and I do feel like I did a good job today. After we finished our circuit, we did some partner core work (Thanks, Annie, for your encouraging smile!), and a bit of stretching.
Rob gave us a challenge today to try to eliminate all processed food for the rest of the week and see how we feel. I'm going to try to stick to the challenge because I already know that I feel better when I'm eating more fruits, veggies and whole grains.
I'm looking forward to getting up tomorrow and starting my day out with an awesome, energy boosting workout!!!
Intensity Level Today : 8.5
I got myself ready and had time for piece of toasted Ezekial with a smidgen of plumb jam then headed out the door.
When I arrived, we did a short warm up then rob told us to do a warm-up run. I was a little bit apprehensive about running a distance because I haven't done that since my injury first occurred. But my foot felt good and I had relatively no pain, so I took a huge deep-cleansing breath, did one more really good foot and leg stretch and I was on my way.
This morning, the air was crisp and cool. The sky was still deep midnight blue and the water was still. I ran much slower and more carefully today and really took in my surroundings. I noticed a lot more ducks than usual and a few birds. The weatherball was glowing and the city lights were beautiful against the dark backdrop. After I turned around to head back, I tried to focus on my form and push myself to increase my speed just a little bit. I made it back and still had no real pain. My foot is still a little bit unstable and a bit uncomfortable but I do feel like I am healing and that with every day, I'm able to do more.
When we got back, we were given a circuit obstacle course with heavy focus on legs. We did push ups, dips, squats, lunges, resistance band work, hoops, free weights, reverse crunches, and sprints (Wow, I really noticed on this one that I've lost lots of speed...). I focused the most on form and endurance through the circuit. I was moving a bit slower than some of the other girls but I did complete each task and I do feel like I did a good job today. After we finished our circuit, we did some partner core work (Thanks, Annie, for your encouraging smile!), and a bit of stretching.
Rob gave us a challenge today to try to eliminate all processed food for the rest of the week and see how we feel. I'm going to try to stick to the challenge because I already know that I feel better when I'm eating more fruits, veggies and whole grains.
I'm looking forward to getting up tomorrow and starting my day out with an awesome, energy boosting workout!!!
Intensity Level Today : 8.5
Monday, July 20, 2009
R2 D11
So last night, I got in bed at a decent time and went right to sleep.
This morning, I did not wake up before the alarm and I did push snooze, but only once, and did not fall back asleep after I had pushed it.
I got up, got myself ready, had a mini bowl of granola, made myself some coffee, and I was on my way. My foot was still a little achy this morning but today was the first time since my injury that I didn't feel "real" pain in it when I stepped out of bed. I felt happy, even relieved knowing that even though I took the weekend off, I was fully physically ready for the week ahead of me.
On my way downtown, I shook off the weekend and prepared myself for a challenging day. When I arrived, I still felt physically tired and not quite awake yet but after our warm up, I was good to go.
The air was cool this morning but perfect for me. We started with some stations of jump rope (hadn't done that since the injury...started out on my good foot only), resistance band arms, hoops, push ups, running, shuffling, and weights. The only time I noticed pain in my foot was when I attempted to do something on that foot alone and then I made adjustments to complete the task.
Rob kept us moving today and we did many things today that were more physically challenging to me. I kept up with commands, completing everything that was asked with everything I had in me (other than the V-ups, which I have to admit I cheated a little on...).
Today was another physically "hard" day. I felt accomplished, but drained at the end of class. I love the challenge!!!! I strive to work harder when I find out that I can do things that I didn't think I could do. When we have a work out like we've had for the past few work outs, I leave smiling, feeling like I put my whole self into the full hour and could not have done anything differently that would have pushed myself more.
I'm ready for my week. I'm ready for tomorrow's class. And I'm grateful that I can focus on my whole body without pain getting in the way. I'm hopeful that at the end of this week, I'll be ready to run again.
Intensity Level Today : 9.5
Wow, we're over half way done with this session! Booooo :-(
But I'm excited for tomorrow.......
This morning, I did not wake up before the alarm and I did push snooze, but only once, and did not fall back asleep after I had pushed it.
I got up, got myself ready, had a mini bowl of granola, made myself some coffee, and I was on my way. My foot was still a little achy this morning but today was the first time since my injury that I didn't feel "real" pain in it when I stepped out of bed. I felt happy, even relieved knowing that even though I took the weekend off, I was fully physically ready for the week ahead of me.
On my way downtown, I shook off the weekend and prepared myself for a challenging day. When I arrived, I still felt physically tired and not quite awake yet but after our warm up, I was good to go.
The air was cool this morning but perfect for me. We started with some stations of jump rope (hadn't done that since the injury...started out on my good foot only), resistance band arms, hoops, push ups, running, shuffling, and weights. The only time I noticed pain in my foot was when I attempted to do something on that foot alone and then I made adjustments to complete the task.
Rob kept us moving today and we did many things today that were more physically challenging to me. I kept up with commands, completing everything that was asked with everything I had in me (other than the V-ups, which I have to admit I cheated a little on...).
Today was another physically "hard" day. I felt accomplished, but drained at the end of class. I love the challenge!!!! I strive to work harder when I find out that I can do things that I didn't think I could do. When we have a work out like we've had for the past few work outs, I leave smiling, feeling like I put my whole self into the full hour and could not have done anything differently that would have pushed myself more.
I'm ready for my week. I'm ready for tomorrow's class. And I'm grateful that I can focus on my whole body without pain getting in the way. I'm hopeful that at the end of this week, I'll be ready to run again.
Intensity Level Today : 9.5
Wow, we're over half way done with this session! Booooo :-(
But I'm excited for tomorrow.......
R2 D10
So Friday and over the weekend, because of circumstances beyond my control, I didn't get a chance to blog. So I'll share today about Friday, the weekend and then I'll do a post for today.
Friday morning, once again, I was extremely tired getting up. We got in bed too late and Chad ended up having to go in early for work which caused an issue with timing and the kids. I would like to thank my mom, who so graciously stepped in when i asked to take them last minute so that I could still attend boot camp.
When I arrived, there were only a handful of campers. I wondered what we would be doing since there were so few of us. My foot was still hurting and I was feeling pretty discouraged but determined to do everything that was planned for the day.
We started with a light warm up then we were introduced to a new "tool" for working out. Rob had created homemade "body bars" out of large PVC pipe, sand and water. We were instructed to pick up the bars with a partner and were led on a series of exercises throughout the entire hour. We also utilized medicine balls and ammo cans. The ammo cans are awkwardly shaped and heavy and they are very physically draining to work with.
We did jogging while lifting the bar, jogging with the bar on our shoulders, jogging with the bar up, and then did several exercises utilizing the bar. We did rows, squats, lunges, partner assisted triceps, curls, and ab work. Because the bar was filled with water and sloshed with movement, it was extremely difficult, at times, to complete a task which, at first, seemed easy. Especially because I got to a point where I was dripping sweat and my hands were sliding off the slippery pipe. My stability was definitely tested and my core was pushed to the max.
It was an amazing work-out and I felt great when I left!!! I'm glad our classes are an hour because I definitly had very little energy left in my "tank" when we were done. I love feeling like that!
Intensity Level : 9.4
On Friday during the day, my foot throbbed and was hurting most of the day. I made a decision that was excruciatingly hard for me. I decided not to do the 5K walk on Saturday. I felt very discouraged and like I had let myself down. But at the same time, I knew that my body (mainly my foot) physically needed the rest so I sighed the big sigh and resolved to take the weekend off. And I did, I wouldn't say I had a relaxing weekend but I did try to stay off my foot and elevate it when I had the chance.
Friday morning, once again, I was extremely tired getting up. We got in bed too late and Chad ended up having to go in early for work which caused an issue with timing and the kids. I would like to thank my mom, who so graciously stepped in when i asked to take them last minute so that I could still attend boot camp.
When I arrived, there were only a handful of campers. I wondered what we would be doing since there were so few of us. My foot was still hurting and I was feeling pretty discouraged but determined to do everything that was planned for the day.
We started with a light warm up then we were introduced to a new "tool" for working out. Rob had created homemade "body bars" out of large PVC pipe, sand and water. We were instructed to pick up the bars with a partner and were led on a series of exercises throughout the entire hour. We also utilized medicine balls and ammo cans. The ammo cans are awkwardly shaped and heavy and they are very physically draining to work with.
We did jogging while lifting the bar, jogging with the bar on our shoulders, jogging with the bar up, and then did several exercises utilizing the bar. We did rows, squats, lunges, partner assisted triceps, curls, and ab work. Because the bar was filled with water and sloshed with movement, it was extremely difficult, at times, to complete a task which, at first, seemed easy. Especially because I got to a point where I was dripping sweat and my hands were sliding off the slippery pipe. My stability was definitely tested and my core was pushed to the max.
It was an amazing work-out and I felt great when I left!!! I'm glad our classes are an hour because I definitly had very little energy left in my "tank" when we were done. I love feeling like that!
Intensity Level : 9.4
On Friday during the day, my foot throbbed and was hurting most of the day. I made a decision that was excruciatingly hard for me. I decided not to do the 5K walk on Saturday. I felt very discouraged and like I had let myself down. But at the same time, I knew that my body (mainly my foot) physically needed the rest so I sighed the big sigh and resolved to take the weekend off. And I did, I wouldn't say I had a relaxing weekend but I did try to stay off my foot and elevate it when I had the chance.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
R2 D9
Again, got in bed too late last night so had a difficult time getting moving this morning. I hit the snooze but only once, then decided to get up and get myself ready. I popped a piece of Ezekial Raisin bread in the toaster, made coffee (really needed the X-tra boost today), brushed my teeth and out the door I was headed.
I was determined to get the absolute best work out possible today and when I arrived, I remembered that Rob told us yesterday that he would not be here today.
Because I have such a hard time with change and crave consistency, I was apprehensive about the workout that we'd be doing with Stephanie this morning.
We started with a basic warm up and then did a circuit, we had a "heavy arm" day today.We did push ups, dips, lots of separate work with the resistance bands, lunges (still have a hard time with my left leg and foot), military presses, shoulder work, WITY's, curls, and a few others. We ran laps in between. We also did "horse pulls" and some core work before finishing with stretching. Stephanie did an excellent job of varying the exercises and really pushing us to our physical limit today. I felt very strong and accomplished at the end of class.
Although my foot was bugging me today and now my knee a bit too, I made it through the work out with very little modifications to the regular exercises. I felt good about that.
Intensity Level Today: 8.9
I am excited for tomorrow and looking forward to the weekend. I probably won't be running but am walking the 5K this weekend and I feel ok about that. Even though I hate running so much, I'm finding that I'm missing it, believe it or not!!! I can't wait until my body is restored and I can make it through workouts unaffected.
Although I can't say "I'M back!" quite yet, I will say "Watch out!" cause that wall is getting pretty tipsy and it's gonna fall down any day now. And when it does, I'll be right there waiting to stomp my way through the rubble!!!
I was determined to get the absolute best work out possible today and when I arrived, I remembered that Rob told us yesterday that he would not be here today.
Because I have such a hard time with change and crave consistency, I was apprehensive about the workout that we'd be doing with Stephanie this morning.
We started with a basic warm up and then did a circuit, we had a "heavy arm" day today.We did push ups, dips, lots of separate work with the resistance bands, lunges (still have a hard time with my left leg and foot), military presses, shoulder work, WITY's, curls, and a few others. We ran laps in between. We also did "horse pulls" and some core work before finishing with stretching. Stephanie did an excellent job of varying the exercises and really pushing us to our physical limit today. I felt very strong and accomplished at the end of class.
Although my foot was bugging me today and now my knee a bit too, I made it through the work out with very little modifications to the regular exercises. I felt good about that.
Intensity Level Today: 8.9
I am excited for tomorrow and looking forward to the weekend. I probably won't be running but am walking the 5K this weekend and I feel ok about that. Even though I hate running so much, I'm finding that I'm missing it, believe it or not!!! I can't wait until my body is restored and I can make it through workouts unaffected.
Although I can't say "I'M back!" quite yet, I will say "Watch out!" cause that wall is getting pretty tipsy and it's gonna fall down any day now. And when it does, I'll be right there waiting to stomp my way through the rubble!!!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
R2 D8
Have 10 minutes to blog so this one will be short:
Got up this morning feeling a bit groggy and tired but ready for a challenge. Did my usual morning routine and then headed Downtown.
When I arrived, I noticed that there were no mats on the ground today. Immediately, I felt a burst of excitement and adrenaline. I knew that today was going to be an intense day.
We began with a little warm up then headed out. The sky was dark and full and the air was humid and heavy. We did long run with lots of pit stops. We did wall sits, hill bursts, push ups, dips, calf-raises and a few other things before a hill sprint and heading back to home base. I focused on completing the tasks and pushing myself but my foot was definitely still getting in the way. I was able to do most of the tasks that we were given today with little pain, mostly just an annoyance, but was operating at a much lower speed. I am still EXTREMELY frustrated and let-down, almost angry (although I don't know why I'm feeling angry or where that feeling is coming from and certainly don't have it directed at anyone?). I just want to be able to do everything at full capacity. I did get a great challenging work out in this morning and I do feel good about that. I actually think that even though I'm running slower (really, walk/jogging), it's pushing me a little bit more because it's harder physically and it makes my other muscles work a bit harder. I know that this will pass, I'm just having a hard time waiting...
One of the night bootcampers has on her page "PAIN is WEAKNESS leaving the body". I am going to store that thought in my heart and my mind so that when the going gets tough, I can remember that this whole foot issue is only going to make me STRONGER.
Intensity Level Today: 8.75
Tomorrow is a new day and it's thundering and lightning outside but the sun will shine soon and I can't wait! I CAN DO THIS!!!!! AND I WILL NOT QUIT!!!!!!!
Got up this morning feeling a bit groggy and tired but ready for a challenge. Did my usual morning routine and then headed Downtown.
When I arrived, I noticed that there were no mats on the ground today. Immediately, I felt a burst of excitement and adrenaline. I knew that today was going to be an intense day.
We began with a little warm up then headed out. The sky was dark and full and the air was humid and heavy. We did long run with lots of pit stops. We did wall sits, hill bursts, push ups, dips, calf-raises and a few other things before a hill sprint and heading back to home base. I focused on completing the tasks and pushing myself but my foot was definitely still getting in the way. I was able to do most of the tasks that we were given today with little pain, mostly just an annoyance, but was operating at a much lower speed. I am still EXTREMELY frustrated and let-down, almost angry (although I don't know why I'm feeling angry or where that feeling is coming from and certainly don't have it directed at anyone?). I just want to be able to do everything at full capacity. I did get a great challenging work out in this morning and I do feel good about that. I actually think that even though I'm running slower (really, walk/jogging), it's pushing me a little bit more because it's harder physically and it makes my other muscles work a bit harder. I know that this will pass, I'm just having a hard time waiting...
One of the night bootcampers has on her page "PAIN is WEAKNESS leaving the body". I am going to store that thought in my heart and my mind so that when the going gets tough, I can remember that this whole foot issue is only going to make me STRONGER.
Intensity Level Today: 8.75
Tomorrow is a new day and it's thundering and lightning outside but the sun will shine soon and I can't wait! I CAN DO THIS!!!!! AND I WILL NOT QUIT!!!!!!!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
R2 D7
So last night, worked late, got home late, got in bed late, didn't get to sleep til almost 1. Bad news! The alarm went off just before 5 and I did, in fact, hit the snooze. I actually fell back asleep this morning and I have to admit that I considered for a millisecond turning the alarm off all together and drifting back to dreamland BUT I didn't do it. That inner Wendy, the voice of reason, but still nagging sometimes, would not have it. After fighting the "internal battle" for a few minutes, I realized that I wasn't gonna win this one so I took a deep breath, put my feet on the floor, wiped the sleep out of my eyes, splashed some cold water on my face, got dressed, grabbed a piece of toast and was on my way!!!
I wrapped my foot good this morning and I'm excited that each day, the pain level seems to be going down. I am still taking regular doses of Ibuprofen and doing about an hour of good stretching during the day. Yesterday at the salon, I was on my feet for most of the day. I did notice that the pain got worse at the end of the day after standing on it. I'm missing my high heels. I'm still looking for some other shoes that will provide comfort, support for my foot, and look good. I'm not sure they're out there...
Okay, so back to the morning, we started out with some light cardio, did some "animal walking", which was actually pretty hard, I haven't "crab-walked" since I was little and I remember it being much easier. Then we did some partner exercises, team circuits with running in between (I jogged today for the first time in almost a week.), then some core.
My foot definitely slowed me down but I was able to do 90% of what we did in class today and that was encouraging. I still have pain when I try to do most things requiring me to use just that leg so when I feel the pain start, I do ease off. I'm amazed that in just under a week, I've lost so much strength. I'm still hopeful that I'll be able to complete the 5K scheduled for Saturday but I'm thinking I'll probably have to walk it if I do.
Today was a better day. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and being able to do even more. I do long for "the challenge" but I want to be able to do it with no physical limitations. I know I'll get there and I'm encouraged that I'm finally able to work on getting over that "wall". I just can't see the other side yet.
Intensity Level Today : 7.5
Tomorrow, I hope I can say it was a 10!!!!!!
I wrapped my foot good this morning and I'm excited that each day, the pain level seems to be going down. I am still taking regular doses of Ibuprofen and doing about an hour of good stretching during the day. Yesterday at the salon, I was on my feet for most of the day. I did notice that the pain got worse at the end of the day after standing on it. I'm missing my high heels. I'm still looking for some other shoes that will provide comfort, support for my foot, and look good. I'm not sure they're out there...
Okay, so back to the morning, we started out with some light cardio, did some "animal walking", which was actually pretty hard, I haven't "crab-walked" since I was little and I remember it being much easier. Then we did some partner exercises, team circuits with running in between (I jogged today for the first time in almost a week.), then some core.
My foot definitely slowed me down but I was able to do 90% of what we did in class today and that was encouraging. I still have pain when I try to do most things requiring me to use just that leg so when I feel the pain start, I do ease off. I'm amazed that in just under a week, I've lost so much strength. I'm still hopeful that I'll be able to complete the 5K scheduled for Saturday but I'm thinking I'll probably have to walk it if I do.
Today was a better day. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and being able to do even more. I do long for "the challenge" but I want to be able to do it with no physical limitations. I know I'll get there and I'm encouraged that I'm finally able to work on getting over that "wall". I just can't see the other side yet.
Intensity Level Today : 7.5
Tomorrow, I hope I can say it was a 10!!!!!!
Monday, July 13, 2009
R2 D6
Over the weekend, I rested, wrapped and iced my foot. All in all, it felt "better" this morning. The pain was still there but not as intense and I got up determined to do my very best at Boot Camp today.
When I arrived, I got out of the van and was mentally ready for as much action as I could physically do.
We started out with a little bit of cardio then the class was off for a short run. I knew that it probably wasn't a good idea for me to run so I stayed back and did arms and abs. I really had to fight the feelings of discouragement and frustration. I tried to not focus on my foot but to focus on getting the most out of each task I could complete. We did a circuit today and in between stations, instead of running, I walked briskly with the added resistance of weights. I did reverse crunches, curls, push ups, dips, squats, resistance band pushes and pulls, squats, step-ups (slowly), presses and some other arm exercises. I had to omit the running, star jumps (yeah, that one broke my heart), hoops, shuffles, skipping and lunges today. When we finished the circuit, we did a short drill around the mats. When I started Boot Camp, I had 4 lb. weights, then went to 5's then 8's and working my way to 10's. I didn't realize how much physically stronger I am until I used those 5's today. It was a piece of cake (oooooo, I said cake...that might be push ups...) and I could do so many more reps with them. That was encouraging because it was a true sign that I am moving forward and making progress.
We finished off this morning with some short, but good, core work and stretching.
I definitely felt better this morning than Thursday but for me, this is extremely hard. I hate limitations. I am not someone who likes to wait and unfortunately, I think that time is the only thing that is going to heal. I am suppose to be doing a 5K on Saturday. At this point, I am thinking that it is probably unlikely but I am continuing to pray and hope for a complete recovery by Friday so I will see how I feel Friday, check with my doctor and wait to make my decision until then. I'm trying to be smart and I do realize that pain is a sign from my body that I probably need to back of just a little bit, at least until I'm back to full working capacity. So, for now, I'm taking each day as it comes, doing the most that I can and keeping high expectations for every new day and every new work out, but staying within the boundaries of what is realistic for my body to allow healing.
I still feel strong, but limited. I AM determined. I KNOW I can push through this. I WILL NOT let this bring me down. And I WILL continue to work on being healthy and in MY best physical design.
Intensity Level Today : 6.5
When I arrived, I got out of the van and was mentally ready for as much action as I could physically do.
We started out with a little bit of cardio then the class was off for a short run. I knew that it probably wasn't a good idea for me to run so I stayed back and did arms and abs. I really had to fight the feelings of discouragement and frustration. I tried to not focus on my foot but to focus on getting the most out of each task I could complete. We did a circuit today and in between stations, instead of running, I walked briskly with the added resistance of weights. I did reverse crunches, curls, push ups, dips, squats, resistance band pushes and pulls, squats, step-ups (slowly), presses and some other arm exercises. I had to omit the running, star jumps (yeah, that one broke my heart), hoops, shuffles, skipping and lunges today. When we finished the circuit, we did a short drill around the mats. When I started Boot Camp, I had 4 lb. weights, then went to 5's then 8's and working my way to 10's. I didn't realize how much physically stronger I am until I used those 5's today. It was a piece of cake (oooooo, I said cake...that might be push ups...) and I could do so many more reps with them. That was encouraging because it was a true sign that I am moving forward and making progress.
We finished off this morning with some short, but good, core work and stretching.
I definitely felt better this morning than Thursday but for me, this is extremely hard. I hate limitations. I am not someone who likes to wait and unfortunately, I think that time is the only thing that is going to heal. I am suppose to be doing a 5K on Saturday. At this point, I am thinking that it is probably unlikely but I am continuing to pray and hope for a complete recovery by Friday so I will see how I feel Friday, check with my doctor and wait to make my decision until then. I'm trying to be smart and I do realize that pain is a sign from my body that I probably need to back of just a little bit, at least until I'm back to full working capacity. So, for now, I'm taking each day as it comes, doing the most that I can and keeping high expectations for every new day and every new work out, but staying within the boundaries of what is realistic for my body to allow healing.
I still feel strong, but limited. I AM determined. I KNOW I can push through this. I WILL NOT let this bring me down. And I WILL continue to work on being healthy and in MY best physical design.
Intensity Level Today : 6.5
Friday, July 10, 2009
R2 D5
Okay so today I will be completely honest in my blog.
I am frustrated! I rested on the couch last night, soaked my foot in an Epsom Salt bath, stretched, iced, massaged and believed that I'd wake up back to normal.
When I woke up, I circled my foot around and still felt a little bit of pain but it seemed to be much better. Then I stepped on the floor and realized immediately that I was not miraculously healed over night as I had hoped.
I took several deep breaths, got myself ready, had some breakfast and headed out the door still hopeful that it would just "go away" once I got there.
When I arrived, we did some light cardio and I felt pretty good. I actually thought for a moment that it was going away. The class did some walking, jogging and sprinting and I pretty much did light jogging and walking. I completely scaled back on how much I typically do but towards the end of the 10 minutes, I realized that the pain was still there every single time my heel touched the ground.
Next, we did some arm resistance band work, carrying ammo boxes and pushed Rob's van from one end of the parking lot to the other (I stayed on my toes...). Just about the time I started to feel like I was accomplishing something, I even almost forgot the pain was there, something "snapped". The pain worsened. I felt like there was a rubber band in the back of my foot that snapped but instead of releasing tension and pain, it seemed to create more.
My frustration quickly grew to defeat. (Massive sigh...)
Just at the time when I'm feeling like I'm "at the top of my game" and getting healthier, being able to do more than I've ever been able to do, getting stronger and faster, something is standing in my way. And it's not something that I can bust through or trample over. I'm not gonna lie, this really sucks (sorry, Mom if you're reading this, but it does!).
I am NOT a quitter, I am more determined than ever to continue to move towards a healthier me. Even though I feel frustrated, sad and honestly, a little depressed, this can't stop me. In fact, I'm probably more determined now than before. And I'm still really enjoying every single day's work-out. It's become part of my day and I can't imagine my day without it I'm headed to the doctor this morning and I'm hopeful it's something simple that will heal if I rest and slow down. I'm praying that God will take this away so that I can continue to push and challenge myself and do what's right for my body and for my health.
I'm hopeful that this is just simply a stumbling block, a hurdle that is slightly higher than some of the rest. I finished the class doing everything that I could without my left foot. I can still do abs, arms, and use my other leg to it's full ability.
So if you're reading this and you believe in God, after you thank Him for this beautiful day and some of the other blessings you've been given, and come before Him with the important things weighing on your heart, if you think of it, send up a request for a full, quick recovery for Wendy, please!
I am frustrated! I rested on the couch last night, soaked my foot in an Epsom Salt bath, stretched, iced, massaged and believed that I'd wake up back to normal.
When I woke up, I circled my foot around and still felt a little bit of pain but it seemed to be much better. Then I stepped on the floor and realized immediately that I was not miraculously healed over night as I had hoped.
I took several deep breaths, got myself ready, had some breakfast and headed out the door still hopeful that it would just "go away" once I got there.
When I arrived, we did some light cardio and I felt pretty good. I actually thought for a moment that it was going away. The class did some walking, jogging and sprinting and I pretty much did light jogging and walking. I completely scaled back on how much I typically do but towards the end of the 10 minutes, I realized that the pain was still there every single time my heel touched the ground.
Next, we did some arm resistance band work, carrying ammo boxes and pushed Rob's van from one end of the parking lot to the other (I stayed on my toes...). Just about the time I started to feel like I was accomplishing something, I even almost forgot the pain was there, something "snapped". The pain worsened. I felt like there was a rubber band in the back of my foot that snapped but instead of releasing tension and pain, it seemed to create more.
My frustration quickly grew to defeat. (Massive sigh...)
Just at the time when I'm feeling like I'm "at the top of my game" and getting healthier, being able to do more than I've ever been able to do, getting stronger and faster, something is standing in my way. And it's not something that I can bust through or trample over. I'm not gonna lie, this really sucks (sorry, Mom if you're reading this, but it does!).
I am NOT a quitter, I am more determined than ever to continue to move towards a healthier me. Even though I feel frustrated, sad and honestly, a little depressed, this can't stop me. In fact, I'm probably more determined now than before. And I'm still really enjoying every single day's work-out. It's become part of my day and I can't imagine my day without it I'm headed to the doctor this morning and I'm hopeful it's something simple that will heal if I rest and slow down. I'm praying that God will take this away so that I can continue to push and challenge myself and do what's right for my body and for my health.
I'm hopeful that this is just simply a stumbling block, a hurdle that is slightly higher than some of the rest. I finished the class doing everything that I could without my left foot. I can still do abs, arms, and use my other leg to it's full ability.
So if you're reading this and you believe in God, after you thank Him for this beautiful day and some of the other blessings you've been given, and come before Him with the important things weighing on your heart, if you think of it, send up a request for a full, quick recovery for Wendy, please!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
R2 D4
This morning, I did not wake up before the alarm. In fact, I did push the snooze and had to force my body up and out of bed.
I was excited about today's challenge. But my body was tired.
I took my time getting up and ready this morning, had my breakfast and was out the door.
I tried to charge myself up on the way downtown, took lots of deep breaths and focused on the events ahead.
We began the morning with dips and the mile.
I did not have music today and was a little sad about that but it did allow me to focus a little bit more on my breathing, relaxing my shoulders, neck and wrists, and keeping my stride consistent. The first quarter of the mile was tough. I still felt physically tired and had to really focus on "pushing through". After I crossed the bridge and knew that I was about half way, I tried to pick up my pace a little bit and really pushed myself hard. About 3/4 of the way through, I felt my usual urge to walk for just a second and my mind was saying "You can't, You can't...) but I forced those negative thoughts down deep and repeated to myself "You can, YOU CAN!!!" And I swear I heard "Ten Thousand Fists" somewhere in the distance. I pushed harder and harder until I got to the bridge and didn't stop to walk. Before I knew it, I was to the homestretch and once my feet hit those wooden planks, I picked up my pace even more and sprinted to the end with everything left in me. My time today was 8:28. I managed to take another 30 seconds off and I was excited about that but more importantly, I ran the whole way. Now I know that I can do it so no more walking in The Mile for this girl!
After the mile, we did the rest of our Fit Par challenges. I did well until we got to jump rope. About half way through jumping, my left heel started hurting with every jump. I did my best to complete each task but the annoyance of heel pain definitely hindered the rest of my scores.
According to what I've read online, it could be because my body isn't use to the pounding of pavement on my feet and because I'm overweight, it causes extra stress. I also found out at Gazelle that I am a pronater which means that my ankles roll inward and that I don't support certain areas of my feet properly so I did purchase shoes specifically for that. Also according to what I've read, I may have to get a heel insert to help take some of the pressure off when I do activities that require excessive heel pounding. So I guess I'll be visiting Gazelle again soon.
Anyway, not much time left before work so let's get to the scores. This time, I'm listing my previous final Fit Par score compared with today's scores. I improved some in most areas but there was not as dramatic of a jump today as there was last time.
1 Mile Run
8:58 - 8:28
Dips (60 seconds)
37 - 41
Push Ups (60 seconds)
29 modified - 1o regular + 17 modified
Squats (60 seconds)
47 - 58
Crunches (60 seconds)
81-88
Plank
3:00 - 2:20 (yes, this one went down...hmmm...)
Reverse Crunches (60 seconds)
71 - 71 (hmm, the same?)
Shuttle (2 minutes this time, so I really can't compare scores)
38
Jump Rope (2 minutes)
149 - 158
So all in all, I did good today. I am disappointed about the plank and I know the shuttle would've been better if my heel didn't hurt but other than that, I feel pretty good. I had a goal to beat my mile by 15 seconds and I beat it by double that so I am proud of myself. My heel is still very sore when I touch it and step down on it so I guess we'll see how work goes and if it's still hurting after that, I'll be visiting Gazelle tonight so I can hopefully resolve, or at least help this issue before tomorrow so I can be at my fullest potential for class.
Now, I'm off for another day. And tomorrow is a new day and I hope my heel heals by then!
I was excited about today's challenge. But my body was tired.
I took my time getting up and ready this morning, had my breakfast and was out the door.
I tried to charge myself up on the way downtown, took lots of deep breaths and focused on the events ahead.
We began the morning with dips and the mile.
I did not have music today and was a little sad about that but it did allow me to focus a little bit more on my breathing, relaxing my shoulders, neck and wrists, and keeping my stride consistent. The first quarter of the mile was tough. I still felt physically tired and had to really focus on "pushing through". After I crossed the bridge and knew that I was about half way, I tried to pick up my pace a little bit and really pushed myself hard. About 3/4 of the way through, I felt my usual urge to walk for just a second and my mind was saying "You can't, You can't...) but I forced those negative thoughts down deep and repeated to myself "You can, YOU CAN!!!" And I swear I heard "Ten Thousand Fists" somewhere in the distance. I pushed harder and harder until I got to the bridge and didn't stop to walk. Before I knew it, I was to the homestretch and once my feet hit those wooden planks, I picked up my pace even more and sprinted to the end with everything left in me. My time today was 8:28. I managed to take another 30 seconds off and I was excited about that but more importantly, I ran the whole way. Now I know that I can do it so no more walking in The Mile for this girl!
After the mile, we did the rest of our Fit Par challenges. I did well until we got to jump rope. About half way through jumping, my left heel started hurting with every jump. I did my best to complete each task but the annoyance of heel pain definitely hindered the rest of my scores.
According to what I've read online, it could be because my body isn't use to the pounding of pavement on my feet and because I'm overweight, it causes extra stress. I also found out at Gazelle that I am a pronater which means that my ankles roll inward and that I don't support certain areas of my feet properly so I did purchase shoes specifically for that. Also according to what I've read, I may have to get a heel insert to help take some of the pressure off when I do activities that require excessive heel pounding. So I guess I'll be visiting Gazelle again soon.
Anyway, not much time left before work so let's get to the scores. This time, I'm listing my previous final Fit Par score compared with today's scores. I improved some in most areas but there was not as dramatic of a jump today as there was last time.
1 Mile Run
8:58 - 8:28
Dips (60 seconds)
37 - 41
Push Ups (60 seconds)
29 modified - 1o regular + 17 modified
Squats (60 seconds)
47 - 58
Crunches (60 seconds)
81-88
Plank
3:00 - 2:20 (yes, this one went down...hmmm...)
Reverse Crunches (60 seconds)
71 - 71 (hmm, the same?)
Shuttle (2 minutes this time, so I really can't compare scores)
38
Jump Rope (2 minutes)
149 - 158
So all in all, I did good today. I am disappointed about the plank and I know the shuttle would've been better if my heel didn't hurt but other than that, I feel pretty good. I had a goal to beat my mile by 15 seconds and I beat it by double that so I am proud of myself. My heel is still very sore when I touch it and step down on it so I guess we'll see how work goes and if it's still hurting after that, I'll be visiting Gazelle tonight so I can hopefully resolve, or at least help this issue before tomorrow so I can be at my fullest potential for class.
Now, I'm off for another day. And tomorrow is a new day and I hope my heel heals by then!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
R2 D3
So this morning, I got up early!!! Even before the alarm went off. I enjoyed a few minutes at home before having a quick bite and getting myself ready to head out the door.
It was a very cool morning this morning and I was anticipating the work out ahead of me. I knew that today was going to be a challenging day because Rob informed us yesterday that we'd be introduced to the Mile today which meant we'd be doing "exercise pit stops" along the way.
When I arrived, I felt good, charged up and ready. We started out on our way and made stops for wall sits, squat jumps, push ups, rev. crunches, calf raises, touch downs, dips, lunges, and step-ups. I maintained a good pace today and really concentrated on pushing myself to reach new limits today.
When we were on Michigan bridge and doing our touch downs by Varnum, I couldn't help but marvel at the awesomeness of the morning sky. It was bright, baby blue with electric white streaks and sheets of pink, purple and pale yellow. Truly magnificent! What a beautiful painting for me to enjoy throughout the whole work out this morning!!!!
When we were on our homestretch, I pushed myself hard to get to that finish line. It was great!!! There's is something truly exhilarating about crossing that "line" and knowing that you just completed the tasks set before you and that you accomplished every single one!
After the course, we did some core work and stretching. Once again, during our stretching, I looked around me. The painting had changed. The full moon was in view across the river and the colors of the sky had changed. The oranges and pinks that I noticed earlier were fading away revealing more blue. I even noticed that there was actually a "silver lining" on some of the clouds. I smiled to myself and took a huge refreshing breath enjoying every piece of creation that surrounded me. As we were finishing stretching, I swear I heard a "Good job, today!" followed by a breath of crisp air on my cheek.
I hope tomorrow morning's weather is as nice as it was this morning. I have a new goal set for the mile and will be setting new goals for my other Fitpar tasks tonight. I will make sure I post results tomorrow.
Intensity Level Today: 8-9 (Love it!)
Last night, I did get "the numbers" results from measurements and weight. And I'm on track. I have lost some inches and pounds. But I also gained inches in certain areas. I am using these measurements as a mere tool, a gauge, to make sure that I'm eating properly and doing what I need to be doing to get to the goal of a healthier me. I no longer have a "number" goal that I'm working towards. I no longer have a "magic size" that I'm trying to get to. I'm truly enjoying my mornings and the daily "high" I get from physical exercise. I'm working on feeling comfortable where I'm at and feeling good about me, regardless of what negative remarks I "hear" coming from the mirror. My "friend", Mr. Scale is developing quite a layer of dust and I'm sure he feels neglected. I'm not ready to smash him into a million pieces yet, but I definitely don't feel the emotional bond anymore that I have lived with for so long.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Today, I feel strong, motivated, and ready for the day!!!!!!!!!!
It was a very cool morning this morning and I was anticipating the work out ahead of me. I knew that today was going to be a challenging day because Rob informed us yesterday that we'd be introduced to the Mile today which meant we'd be doing "exercise pit stops" along the way.
When I arrived, I felt good, charged up and ready. We started out on our way and made stops for wall sits, squat jumps, push ups, rev. crunches, calf raises, touch downs, dips, lunges, and step-ups. I maintained a good pace today and really concentrated on pushing myself to reach new limits today.
When we were on Michigan bridge and doing our touch downs by Varnum, I couldn't help but marvel at the awesomeness of the morning sky. It was bright, baby blue with electric white streaks and sheets of pink, purple and pale yellow. Truly magnificent! What a beautiful painting for me to enjoy throughout the whole work out this morning!!!!
When we were on our homestretch, I pushed myself hard to get to that finish line. It was great!!! There's is something truly exhilarating about crossing that "line" and knowing that you just completed the tasks set before you and that you accomplished every single one!
After the course, we did some core work and stretching. Once again, during our stretching, I looked around me. The painting had changed. The full moon was in view across the river and the colors of the sky had changed. The oranges and pinks that I noticed earlier were fading away revealing more blue. I even noticed that there was actually a "silver lining" on some of the clouds. I smiled to myself and took a huge refreshing breath enjoying every piece of creation that surrounded me. As we were finishing stretching, I swear I heard a "Good job, today!" followed by a breath of crisp air on my cheek.
I hope tomorrow morning's weather is as nice as it was this morning. I have a new goal set for the mile and will be setting new goals for my other Fitpar tasks tonight. I will make sure I post results tomorrow.
Intensity Level Today: 8-9 (Love it!)
Last night, I did get "the numbers" results from measurements and weight. And I'm on track. I have lost some inches and pounds. But I also gained inches in certain areas. I am using these measurements as a mere tool, a gauge, to make sure that I'm eating properly and doing what I need to be doing to get to the goal of a healthier me. I no longer have a "number" goal that I'm working towards. I no longer have a "magic size" that I'm trying to get to. I'm truly enjoying my mornings and the daily "high" I get from physical exercise. I'm working on feeling comfortable where I'm at and feeling good about me, regardless of what negative remarks I "hear" coming from the mirror. My "friend", Mr. Scale is developing quite a layer of dust and I'm sure he feels neglected. I'm not ready to smash him into a million pieces yet, but I definitely don't feel the emotional bond anymore that I have lived with for so long.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Today, I feel strong, motivated, and ready for the day!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
R2 D2 (Round 2, Day 2, not Star Wars)
Got in bed at a good time last night, woke up with the alarm. Layed in bed for a couple minutes before getting up and getting myself ready without much effort. Had a quick breakfast (Save-a-Lot Shredded Wheat isn't too bad), then out the door.
Arrived at 5:29. We began with some jogging in place and mixed leg and arm exercises. We started out with some Cardio by way of 3 stations of activities. The first were hoops, we jumped with high knees straight through and sideways. Then, we did some cone shuffle drills. Then some lunges and more shuffles. It was a great way to get my heart pumping. Then, we headed over to another area and did arms. Resistance bands, Push ups 3 ways, and Dips. Then we did some team-assisted lunges and squats and played a glorified game of Keep-Away-Duck-Duck-Goose. It was silly but kept our heart rates up. After that, we did lots of ab work and finished off with stretching. Today was a good work-out.
I'm excited but nervous about tonight. We will have our fitness assessments so I will see the concrete evidence on paper of how I'm doing. I am determined to not get wrapped up in the numbers but again, am hopeful to see at least a small amount of change.
Rob told us that tomorrow we will be going out on the mile course and stopping along the way for different exercises. For me, it's much easier to get to my "Full Exertion Level" on these types of days. Although I'm not looking forward to actually running the mile on Thursday, I am looking forward to the challenge and have set a new time goal for myself.
I'm still feeling great and starting to think about what I can do over the weekend for exercise. It seems to work better if I plan ahead for it.
I'll be adding another thing to my daily journal. I'm going to try to keep track of how "intense" the training is on each day. So each day I'll be rating the Intensity Level of the session from 1-10. 1-no activity-10-Maximum, Full-on, Nothing Left To Give
Today's Class Intensity Level - 6.5
Arrived at 5:29. We began with some jogging in place and mixed leg and arm exercises. We started out with some Cardio by way of 3 stations of activities. The first were hoops, we jumped with high knees straight through and sideways. Then, we did some cone shuffle drills. Then some lunges and more shuffles. It was a great way to get my heart pumping. Then, we headed over to another area and did arms. Resistance bands, Push ups 3 ways, and Dips. Then we did some team-assisted lunges and squats and played a glorified game of Keep-Away-Duck-Duck-Goose. It was silly but kept our heart rates up. After that, we did lots of ab work and finished off with stretching. Today was a good work-out.
I'm excited but nervous about tonight. We will have our fitness assessments so I will see the concrete evidence on paper of how I'm doing. I am determined to not get wrapped up in the numbers but again, am hopeful to see at least a small amount of change.
Rob told us that tomorrow we will be going out on the mile course and stopping along the way for different exercises. For me, it's much easier to get to my "Full Exertion Level" on these types of days. Although I'm not looking forward to actually running the mile on Thursday, I am looking forward to the challenge and have set a new time goal for myself.
I'm still feeling great and starting to think about what I can do over the weekend for exercise. It seems to work better if I plan ahead for it.
I'll be adding another thing to my daily journal. I'm going to try to keep track of how "intense" the training is on each day. So each day I'll be rating the Intensity Level of the session from 1-10. 1-no activity-10-Maximum, Full-on, Nothing Left To Give
Today's Class Intensity Level - 6.5
Monday, July 6, 2009
Second Round Boot Camp Day 1
I did well over the weekend. Friday, I took the day completely off for a day of rest. Although it seemed nice to have a lazy day and lay around the house, I was sooooooo tired that I couldn't keep my eyes open and I didn't get anything accomplished. I think that for me, a day of rest is important but it still needs to include some form of physical activity, even if it's just a brisk stroll around the neighborhood a few times. When I "take a day" and do nothing for my body, I end up feeling lethargic and depressed and I don't like feeling that way. Saturday, I got up, with a good attitude knowing that I needed to get right out there and start the day off treating my body to the exercise it needed. I jogged/ran/walked a 3 Mile course stopping along the way for elevated push ups, dips, lunges, sprints, squats, shuffles and crunches. I felt much better the rest of the day and throughout Saturday evening. Sunday, I got up and started some projects around the house but then we moved to the couch for a movie which caused me to go down that same path of dozing and non-motivation. After a snooze, Chad did remind me of our plan to do a family hike so we packed up and headed out to the Comstock trails. About 1/4 Mile into the trail, the mosquitoes came out, they were HORRIBLE!!!!! We walked, maybe a couple miles but it wasn't an enjoyable hike. We made our way back to the van then headed over to Kent Skills for a short hike around the gardens and ropes course. I felt good but was a little disappointed that we didn't have fun as a family. Next time, we'll definitely apply HEAVY bug repellent before embarking on a trail journey.
Last night, I got in bed early but had a hard time falling asleep. I felt anxious and excited to start a new Boot Camp session and I wondered what we'd be doing today. Even though I did a pretty good job of staying on track alone, I was very relieved to know that I'd be back to a regular daily schedule and that I'd only have to do self-guided exercise on the weekends.
This morning, I woke up before the alarm, waited for it to go off then got up and got myself ready. I was very excited and ready a few minutes early, made sure I had all my stuff, left the house and arrived downtown.
There were a few familiar faces this morning and many new faces. Rob started us out with the business end of things reminding us about nutrition and expectations for the class, all good reminders and I tried to focus on them but I was ready to get moving. After a few minutes, we started out with some heart-rate raising punches and leg exercises. We partnered up and did a cone drill, a running drill, then did a resistance band drill. We ended up with new partners. It was a good drill but it was hard to be paired up with someone who didn't match in arm strength. I'm learning that we all have different strengths and abilities but it's very hard for me to depend on a partner when they don't have abilities above mine. I tend to stop pushing myself if the motivation to "keep up" isn't there. I need to realize that everyone pushes themselves differently and just because someone doesn't do things the same as I do, that doesn't mean they're not working hard or to the best of their ability.
We did some upper body work, core and stretching. When we were finished, I did a quick 5 minute run to make up for the time we spent standing in the beginning of class. I feel good this morning but I'm ready for tomorrow. I know that tomorrow will bring new challenges and I can't wait.
Tomorrow evening, we will have our re-assessments. I already know where I'm at on the scale (went to the doctor last week), so even though I haven't lost pounds, I am anxious to see where I'm at as far as measurements go. I know that it's only been one month since I've been working on this change to my lifestyle so I do NOT expect HUGE results, but I am hoping to, in the least, see a slight change in inches and percentage of body fat. I already know that I genuinely feel better and that I'm getting stronger but I have to share honestly that I'm hoping to see concrete evidence that I've made at least a little progress toward improvement from the appearance point of view. I think that would help me KNOW that I am succeeding in this change. But I will remind myself that it CAN NOT be the change in outward appearance that I focus on but how I FEEL that needs to be the most important thing. And I continue to feel energized, strong and full of life and I LOVE it!
Last night, I got in bed early but had a hard time falling asleep. I felt anxious and excited to start a new Boot Camp session and I wondered what we'd be doing today. Even though I did a pretty good job of staying on track alone, I was very relieved to know that I'd be back to a regular daily schedule and that I'd only have to do self-guided exercise on the weekends.
This morning, I woke up before the alarm, waited for it to go off then got up and got myself ready. I was very excited and ready a few minutes early, made sure I had all my stuff, left the house and arrived downtown.
There were a few familiar faces this morning and many new faces. Rob started us out with the business end of things reminding us about nutrition and expectations for the class, all good reminders and I tried to focus on them but I was ready to get moving. After a few minutes, we started out with some heart-rate raising punches and leg exercises. We partnered up and did a cone drill, a running drill, then did a resistance band drill. We ended up with new partners. It was a good drill but it was hard to be paired up with someone who didn't match in arm strength. I'm learning that we all have different strengths and abilities but it's very hard for me to depend on a partner when they don't have abilities above mine. I tend to stop pushing myself if the motivation to "keep up" isn't there. I need to realize that everyone pushes themselves differently and just because someone doesn't do things the same as I do, that doesn't mean they're not working hard or to the best of their ability.
We did some upper body work, core and stretching. When we were finished, I did a quick 5 minute run to make up for the time we spent standing in the beginning of class. I feel good this morning but I'm ready for tomorrow. I know that tomorrow will bring new challenges and I can't wait.
Tomorrow evening, we will have our re-assessments. I already know where I'm at on the scale (went to the doctor last week), so even though I haven't lost pounds, I am anxious to see where I'm at as far as measurements go. I know that it's only been one month since I've been working on this change to my lifestyle so I do NOT expect HUGE results, but I am hoping to, in the least, see a slight change in inches and percentage of body fat. I already know that I genuinely feel better and that I'm getting stronger but I have to share honestly that I'm hoping to see concrete evidence that I've made at least a little progress toward improvement from the appearance point of view. I think that would help me KNOW that I am succeeding in this change. But I will remind myself that it CAN NOT be the change in outward appearance that I focus on but how I FEEL that needs to be the most important thing. And I continue to feel energized, strong and full of life and I LOVE it!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Week-Between Thursday
So I woke up this morning less than enthused about going back to the "other" camp but I knew that my sister was going to meet me there so I got up, dressed, had my oatmeal, brushed my teeth and made my way downtown.
When I arrived, I realized that there was no one else there. Hmm, waited a few minutes and a few cars showed up. We ended up with 5 people which was about 15 less than on Tuesday. Maybe because of the Holiday weekend?
I headed over where we were informed that this would be a "traveling day" and that we'd be doing steps. Then, with resistance bands in tow, we were off. We began jogging towards Plainfield. We did jogging, galloping, sprints, knees-ups, and more running until we reached "the steps".
Now, I've lived in GR all my life but I never knew these steps existed. They're tucked away on Plainfield and go up the Huge hill into a small neighborhood. After a few instructions, we were on our way up, I'm really not sure how many steps there were but it sure didn't seem as big of a task until I was about half way up and had to slow my pace to a walk. But I made it. We all did. Once we got to the top, we did elevated push ups, whew! Hard work but that inner G I Jane wanted to push me to get through them. Candy told us we'd be doing 20, I've never even done 10 regular push ups. How would I do this? But I pressed through. The numbers don't matter as everyone is at different strength levels but for me, I soon found out that I was able to do more than I thought I could do. And it felt good!!! I felt accomplished!!!
After the steps, we made our way back and did some core work before stretching and cooling down.
Today was a much better experience for me in a camp that I don't call my "home base". And I am considering doing some "drop-in" Saturday sessions. I was proud of myself and Rachel for finishing this class today. I know that we were both feeling drained before we started out.
I am worried about the weekend ahead. I know that the area that I still struggle with the most is food over-indulgence. I'm scared that with all the irresistible "options" that will be within my grasp, I will sabotage the work that I've put in to create a healthier body. But I want to see loved friends and family and be able hang out and kick-back. I realize that I am creating distance between myself and the people that don't support my efforts for a new healthy lifestyle. But I do I miss them. I'm trying to develop the willpower to say "no thank-you" or a strong "enough" but if I'm honest, I have to admit that I don't say "no" or "enough" until after I've had "too much".
So I'm trying to be continually aware of things around me that I know I need to stay away from. And I will work on that this weekend. I know that I can not be a hermit my whole life but maybe distance and separation is something that is okay right now while I'm in this time of re-training. Still hoping for a work-out buddy for tomorrow morning but haven't found one yet so I might head out to the gym that I am a member of and try to explore the surroundings with "new eyes" and create a heart-pumping work-out with a fresh perspective. But I'm still holding out for that partner!
Next week is a new session. Rob attended a training event since our last session so I am eagerly anticipating the new tasks that will await me. I am excited, ready and determined to begin a new month of challenging personal growth and physical successes! I CAN and I WILL!!!!!!!
When I arrived, I realized that there was no one else there. Hmm, waited a few minutes and a few cars showed up. We ended up with 5 people which was about 15 less than on Tuesday. Maybe because of the Holiday weekend?
I headed over where we were informed that this would be a "traveling day" and that we'd be doing steps. Then, with resistance bands in tow, we were off. We began jogging towards Plainfield. We did jogging, galloping, sprints, knees-ups, and more running until we reached "the steps".
Now, I've lived in GR all my life but I never knew these steps existed. They're tucked away on Plainfield and go up the Huge hill into a small neighborhood. After a few instructions, we were on our way up, I'm really not sure how many steps there were but it sure didn't seem as big of a task until I was about half way up and had to slow my pace to a walk. But I made it. We all did. Once we got to the top, we did elevated push ups, whew! Hard work but that inner G I Jane wanted to push me to get through them. Candy told us we'd be doing 20, I've never even done 10 regular push ups. How would I do this? But I pressed through. The numbers don't matter as everyone is at different strength levels but for me, I soon found out that I was able to do more than I thought I could do. And it felt good!!! I felt accomplished!!!
After the steps, we made our way back and did some core work before stretching and cooling down.
Today was a much better experience for me in a camp that I don't call my "home base". And I am considering doing some "drop-in" Saturday sessions. I was proud of myself and Rachel for finishing this class today. I know that we were both feeling drained before we started out.
I am worried about the weekend ahead. I know that the area that I still struggle with the most is food over-indulgence. I'm scared that with all the irresistible "options" that will be within my grasp, I will sabotage the work that I've put in to create a healthier body. But I want to see loved friends and family and be able hang out and kick-back. I realize that I am creating distance between myself and the people that don't support my efforts for a new healthy lifestyle. But I do I miss them. I'm trying to develop the willpower to say "no thank-you" or a strong "enough" but if I'm honest, I have to admit that I don't say "no" or "enough" until after I've had "too much".
So I'm trying to be continually aware of things around me that I know I need to stay away from. And I will work on that this weekend. I know that I can not be a hermit my whole life but maybe distance and separation is something that is okay right now while I'm in this time of re-training. Still hoping for a work-out buddy for tomorrow morning but haven't found one yet so I might head out to the gym that I am a member of and try to explore the surroundings with "new eyes" and create a heart-pumping work-out with a fresh perspective. But I'm still holding out for that partner!
Next week is a new session. Rob attended a training event since our last session so I am eagerly anticipating the new tasks that will await me. I am excited, ready and determined to begin a new month of challenging personal growth and physical successes! I CAN and I WILL!!!!!!!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Wednesday Week-Between
This morning, I invited everybody I could think of to meet me for a work-out at the park.
When I arrived at 5:28, there was one lone car in the lot. After I parked, I realized that at least one brave soul decided to join me. Hooray!!! I wouldn't be doing it alone today. Thank-you Diana!!!!!
We waited until 5:32 then started out with a nice warm-up run, at a slight bit faster pace than I typically go so it was a good challenge for me.
We decided to run the mile with stops along the way. We ran the course backwards and stopped along the way for push ups, dips, calf-raises, reach-touch-downs, surge jumps, wall sits, and water. We finished the work out with a quick sprint, some stability and core work and stretching. It was much cooler this morning but I was still sweating. I definitely pushed myself today! It was so encouraging for me to have someone there to talk to and to work through the exercises with.
Tomorrow, we're doing one more free class at the traitor camp. I'm not looking forward to it but I know it will be a good work out. So far, I'm planning on being alone Friday morning but I'm hopeful that someone will join me for one last body blast before the Holiday weekend. I plan on hopefully doing some family walks and bike rides this weekend. Then Monday, I start my new session and I can't wait!!!!!
When I arrived at 5:28, there was one lone car in the lot. After I parked, I realized that at least one brave soul decided to join me. Hooray!!! I wouldn't be doing it alone today. Thank-you Diana!!!!!
We waited until 5:32 then started out with a nice warm-up run, at a slight bit faster pace than I typically go so it was a good challenge for me.
We decided to run the mile with stops along the way. We ran the course backwards and stopped along the way for push ups, dips, calf-raises, reach-touch-downs, surge jumps, wall sits, and water. We finished the work out with a quick sprint, some stability and core work and stretching. It was much cooler this morning but I was still sweating. I definitely pushed myself today! It was so encouraging for me to have someone there to talk to and to work through the exercises with.
Tomorrow, we're doing one more free class at the traitor camp. I'm not looking forward to it but I know it will be a good work out. So far, I'm planning on being alone Friday morning but I'm hopeful that someone will join me for one last body blast before the Holiday weekend. I plan on hopefully doing some family walks and bike rides this weekend. Then Monday, I start my new session and I can't wait!!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
