The first week is behind me, and I've done well. I have had a few oreos (like 2), but no other bad stuff. I'm averaging 4 cups of veggies and 3 cups of fruit a day.
The scale is down 1.6 pounds, but it's Friday ( statistically my heaviest day) and I'm super sore. I'm optimistic that I can drop another pound this weekend as my soreness goes away.
So I've tried to do a cut several times, and failed. Superman, bless his heart, has given me guidance, but I needed a little more.
I've seen a lot on the Internet about a program called "21 day fix". Basically, you get these colored containers...every day you eat a certain number of each --5 green (veggies ), 3 purple (fruit), 5 red (protein ), etc. The foods you put into the containers should be minimally processed, so frozen dinners, granola bars, etc are discouraged. Meal planning is encouraged. I decided to try it. Today is day 2/21 and I think it's going well. My biggest issue is eating 5 cups of veggies and 3 cups of fruit a day. That's a lot of volume!! I've cut down to one slice of toast in the morning, and added a cup of fruit. Since its been in the 80s around here lately, it hasn't been hard to talk myself into a big salad once a day. That's 3 cups of veggies and 2 protein right there ☺
I do feel like maybe my softer physique is making it harder to get a trainer job. Hopefully I'm wrong. It will be interesting to see how my body changes in just 3 weeks. I'm hoping to lose some belly inches!
For the last few years, I have posted a new picture on Facebook the week after school gets out for the summer. It's my way of being accountable, and showing people that I am making progress even though the scale may not show it.
It has been a crazy year since my last beginning of summer pictures. Last year I had just been working with Superman for a few months. I was just starting to feel strong and powerful. This year, we have been working together for almost 15 months! I know I'm strong and powerful, and I couldn't pick a better person to have my back.
The scale hasn't changed much. As a matter of fact, I've gained and lost and regained about 10lbs this year, but the measuring tape has shown small losses. Yesterday I put together a quick comparison of pictures to see how I've changed. Truthfully, my belly doesn't look much different, and that makes me a little sad. I did see changes in my booty and thighs. My thighs look a little thicker, but in a good way. To my eye, I see quad definition where I didn't have it last year. My booty looks a little fuller, but I am ok with that too!
Last year at this time I was still working up my nerve to order my NASM materials. This year I have been certified for 5 months, and now I'm working on continuing education. I've interviewed for 2 trainer positions, and I think I have a good shot at the second one!
When I got my certification, I wanted to work at "my" gym. I've had my application in for about a year, maybe more. About 7 months ago I was interviewed for an attendant position, but the job went to someone with "more fitness experience ". I recently found out that this was not entirely true.
Several months ago, in conversations with JC and Superman, I set a deadline. If I was not on staff at "my" gym in any capacity by June 1st, I would start applying at other gyms the next day. Last week, out of frustration with my current job, I filled out some applications on my day off. Much to my surprise, within 48 hours both places had contacted me! Tomorrow morning I interview at one of them (LA). I have mixed feelings about this interview--the position is in Hilliard, which is a 40 minute drive. But both JC and Superman had or currently have similar commutes. I've been playing phone tag since Thursday with the owner of the other gym (metro). Metro is 5 minutes from my house, so would be a more ideal commute.
Either way, I'm excited and scared. I'm finally going to get a chance to prove to myself that I can do this! But all my insecurities are coming to the surface too. Will people take me seriously? Can I write a program that my client will enjoy and see results from?
After I got my first tattoo, I got the idea to get a supergirl tattoo. Kind of as a reminder of all the obstacles I have overcome. From health and weight, to special needs kids, to an epileptic husband.
I was looking on pinterest, and I found a really sweet poster. It was a pink and black supergirl logo with roses and ribbons. That was what I wanted!! Very feminine. Then I got the idea to add a symbol of my physical strength--a barbell, kettle bell, weight belt, etc. When I'd saved enough money, I went to the tattoo shop and gave the artist my idea. What he came up with was awesome-- two big roses behind the top of the supergirl logo, and behind the bottom is a loaded barbell. It's bigger than I had originally planned (it takes up most of the top of my right thigh), but it looks really good.
This morning I threw on leggings and an oversized tshirt and ran to the grocery store. As I was walking up to the automatic door, I caught my reflection in the glass. I saw my legs first, and was quite pleased with the way they looked. The tshirt skimmed over the worst part of my belly, without looking too big. I looked normal size. It's times like these where I really feel like I am seeing myself the way the rest of the world does, and it feels so good.
It's the other times I hate. The times where my eyes are drawn to my belly. When I see the outline of my belly button through my shirt, or it seems like my love handles are the same size they were several years ago. When the front of my pants roll down because of my belly.Those times make me feel like Poppin' Fresh (the pillsbury dough boy) or the Michelin Tire Man.
For the most part, I try to focus on the positive stuff. Superman was so right when he told me my legs are muscular and firm. In a relaxed position, I can see the shape of my quadriceps, even though my legs are far from "defined". They have a little padding on the inner thigh, but it's been a few years since I've had pants ruined by "chub rub". When I'm doing rows or lateral raises, I can see a little muscle below my collar bone flex with every rep. When I flex in the mirror, I can see the start of definition on my back, in between my shoulders. Although the number on the scale is still high, I'm 2 sizes smaller than 2 friends who weight 5-10 lbs less than I do.
No matter how big I feel, I am strong. I can squat and deadlift more than bodyweight. I can run the rack with all kinds of dumbbell exercises. Women at the gym are motivated and inspired by seeing what I'm accomplishing. At work, I lift and carry cases of fries, boxes of lettuce, and buckets of ice with ease.
Yesterday I was feeling nostalgic, and reminiscing about the very first time I put an oly bar on my back. My sister had challenged me to a lifting contest (which she later bailed on...) and one of the rules was you had to use the oly bar. The power rack was in use...so I asked JC to put one of the bars off a bench onto my back so I could see what it felt like.
I shared this memory with JC just one day after doing an almost parallel, 240 lb squat. His response was "what a mountain you are climbing". He's right. And the "view" gets more breathtaking the higher I climb. This journey to health IS a mountain I'm climbing. It's steep, and challenging. I have no clue what I will find when I reach the summit. It would have been so easy to quit climbing, so many times. When my dad died AND I started a new job in the same week, I could have quit. When JC left...when Buff quit. When I ended up with horrible elbow tendinitis 2 months after I started working with Superman. But I didn't. Somehow, I know the view from the top is going to be amazing...and I REALLY want to see it.
As I am "climbing", the view is getting better. It's the little things. Having an off day and having someone walk up to me and tell me that seeing ME push through a workout has inspired them to keep pushing. Realizing that I look 40 lbs lighter than I really am. Throwing around 50lb bags of chicken feed and remembering when I could barely lift them. Realizing that it has been months since I used my asthma inhaler...the one I used to have to use before every workout. That I've gotten through a winter without a major respiratory illness. And then there is the gym stuff-- hitting PRs on the weights, being quirky and having to do my stuff on the unstable side of the BOSU (for some reason I fall if I stand on the round side), actually accomplishing tasks that make me wonder if Superman has lost his mind (I love him, but the man enjoys trying to break me).
If you're going to climb a mountain, you need safety equipment. JC and Superman are mine. I don't see JC often, but he's just a text away if I need a little wisdom, or encouragement. I would have never had the courage to become a Trainer if it he hadn't suggested it. Other people had, but not people who had seen me in action in the gym. Superman is my safety in the gym, literally. When I'm going for a squat PR, there is the potential for me to get "stuck in the hole". I need to have 100% confidence in my spotter, and I do. The other day when I did my 240lb squat, I got stuck in the hole. Twice. Each time, Superman waited for my cue, then gently stood me up and helped me rack the bar. The 3rd time, he gave me a verbal cue when I hit the right depth, then verbal encouragement until the bar was racked.
