Fit and Fabulous

As I sat with my cup of coffee this morning I looked back over my two week journey and realized that the majority of my audience are people who are nearing or past the big five-oh. Perusing comments and personal messages from those rooting for me, I have realized a few things.. 

*We are all in the same boat with the same questions and fears

*We will all hit the big "five-oh" and hope we dont find its the big five"-uh-oh".

Now that the fear has passed and I'm finding my niche in this 12 week challenge I am comfortable enough to look around at my fellow trainers. We are not all the same. To expect us all to be on one curve would be ridiculous. What we have in common however is the same....the pursuit of fitness and health.

If i had to break us up into groups I think it would look something like this....

Prior Challengers. Its easy to pick out the men and women who have done this program before. They are the ones who don't look like a deer in headlights when the trainer yells the name of something as he directs us to the next torture chamber position with rep's. They are also the one's who get a little more attention from the mad scientist and win the prize of added weight on their back while doing a plank.... or heavier barbells while working out .... or a three pronged rubber band around their middle held by said mad scientist who is holding them back as they sprint. I say, your go gurl as i duck behind the closest person I can find to hide behind.

These prior challengers have been there and done that and you can tell that while they are not "there" yet, they were once where we newbies are now. These are the ones who beat their bodies into submission and gained a semblance of fitness and are now finessing it.

New Challengers. These brave souls are easy to spot. They are the ones who are breathing the loudest...stopping the "mostest" but have a fierce determination to keep moving forward. They just don't give up. They, like the prior challengers, have faced down their demons and shoved back hard.  Do you wonder what they look like?

Me - Im fast approaching 55 in December. I've been a type 2 diabetic for 10 years. Because of diabetes I am fast following in my precious mom's footsteps meaning, I am on 2 diabetes meds, a cholesterol med and a blood pressure med all linked to my diabetes. I also take a heart med due to an irregular heartbeat attack back in 2003. That med is just to "keep my heart beat happy". When my mom passed away she took over 10 meds. So why am I in the challenge? To take my life back from the clutches of disease and LIVE STRONG.

Lady #1- This gal looks to be about 30'ish. She looks like for fitness sake she wants to lose about 20-30 lbs. She's your average gal. I started talking with her the other day and she told me her story. For 18 months she lay in a hospital bed with liver failure as she waited for a liver transplant. In that time of waiting she lost all of her strength and muscle and fluid accumulated in her body. She was blessed to receive a new liver. She has been pursuing LIFE ever since. She took on this challenge to rebuild and renew her life. Its obvious that she is not your typical "I'm just trying to look sexy" lady, but she, like me, is pursuing health and fitness and desires to LIVE STRONG. She was sad that she had hardly lost any weight last Monday but when I heard her story I high-fived her and said, “This is more than the numbers on a scale girlfriend!!! This is about taking back your life and LIVING! YOU GO GIRL! WOO HOO!

Lady #2- She is in her mid to late thirties. She is very overweight. Because of her excess weight, some of the things we are doing are hard for her. Many of the moves we do have to be refined for her because she has not hit that spot yet where she can do them in all their glory. But she will. She's the one to watch in this "biggest loser" pursuit. She's got the determination of a pit bull. She is tired of being tired all the time. She is tired of what her lack of energy and extra weight are keeping her from doing.

Lady #3 - She is small and trim. I don't think she has weight to lose. She appears to be about 60. She's learning right alongside of us. She has a bad back so when we have to do push ups she leans against a beam and does them that way. I don't know her whole story but one thing I do recognize in her is that she has flaws and defects (from injury, age or disease) in her package  ie: the body in which she is living in. But, like the rest of us, she wants it to function as prime as it can.

Lady #4- She is 65. She grabbed hold of me the minute I walked in the door for orientation and in front of everyone she exclaimed.."ARE YOU HERE TO DO THIS TOO? OH IM SO GLAD. YOU LOOK ABOUT MY AGE! OH IM SO GLAD YOU ARE HERE BECAUSE IM INTIMIDATED BY EVERYONE BEING SO MUCH YOUNGER." ha. Yeah that was the day I took extra care with my makeup too. She thought I looked her age? She's 65...Im 54...back to my make up drawing board. She was there with her late 20-something daughter recovering from having a baby 6 months ago. She told me that she had tried this before and quit. It was too hard. But her daughter talked her into doing it again. We were going to work out at the same time but their schedule changed. Instead we see each other when I am crawling to my car and she is showing up for her class. We high five each other each time. She says its hard. She does her best. But she has not given up.

Though we at the"12 Week Challenge" can be put into one of the two above categories, we are all bound by common threads. At some point we all got tired of being tired. We all got to this point where we decided enough is enough and drew a line in the sand and said "Bring it!". When I look around the room at a workout I see we are all sweating and grunting. We are all facing off with the giant and pushing hard to take back the ground he consumed. Though we all have had a different journey getting here, we are all headed the same direction...forward -- or is it back? We are taking BACK the ground...we are pushing BACK. We are regaining our vitality and youth as we cheat the triple “D” – Disease, Depression and Death.

People its never too late to start! The first step is deciding ITS TIME. You, too, can take back the ground. You can feel better next week by applying yourself in the next 7 days to do something, anything..just

So here are a few helpful hints on how to TAKE BACK the ground:

ACKNOWLEDGE SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE!

As I watched my sugar numbers rage out of control I KNEW something had to give. Disease and age were gaining the upper hand. For five years I've been on and off Weight Watchers, which is an awesome program! We do not realize how out of proportion our eating is so this trained me to be aware of portion control. I lost 35 pounds as I approached 50. When I lost my Dad, Mom and recently my Uncle Brother..grief knocked me off balance. I lost all determination and motivation to exercise. My weight fluctuated up and down 7-lbs. Over the summer with my sugar numbers so high I grew exhausted and winded just walking across the lawn. I knew my body was saying “Change or lose”. What is your body saying to you?

ACCOUNTABILITY. In this program the accountability comes from turning in my food diary each week, weighing in once a week and having co-challenger-friends around me who expect me to show up. Once I paid the $50 deposit I said "Okay girl.  You paid 50 bucks.  No turning back now."  I needed a way to lock me into a commitment this time.  What accountability do you need? If you need accountability, build it into whatever you pursue but pursue something!  Book a date for yourself several times a week to de-stress and get strong. You are worth it!

ENLIST FAMILY AND FRIENDS. Their encouragement is irreplaceable! When I came home after my first day I turned to my sister, husband and daughter. When I cried,  my sister was there to brush me off and send me on my way. When my body screamed out in pain that first week it was my husband, daughter, mother in law and friends who encouraged me forward and would not let me think about stopping! Thanks you for keeping me moving when I did not think I could!

BE REALISTIC! Your best effort at 55 isn't going to be what your best effort was at 20! We need more time to recover after hard workouts and we need more sleep. The three best words of wisdom are “be realistic, patient and consistent” as you train. You may also want to chant, “I am no longer 20!” as you go. It will take longer to lose body fat and build muscle but its do-able.

ZERO IN ON ACTIVITY.  It's movement that it is important.  Pick something that you enjoy doing and something that makes sense.  Find a gym or a class offered by the recreation department.  Find a group of ladies to walk with and start a group.  I knew a group of ladies who decided to get together three times a week and walked around a nearby lake.  That time offered them much needed girl time and they were able to get their exercise and girl time that is so important.

SET A GOAL.  Start out by setting an attainable goal.  You decide...three times a week I am going to (fill in the blank).  Or, for the next month I am going to (fill in the blank).  My commitment is 12 weeks.  For something like this turned out to be, it IS a little daunting.  But here is how I see it....I can do anything for 12 weeks. Right?  SO. CAN. YOU! The choice is up to you. 

So, what are you waiting for?

In closing... I think Dr. Seuss says it best...

Embracing Your Beautiful Self.

Woo Hoo!  Two weeks down and ten to go.

It's been a week.  As most of you know, after class Monday my knee swelled.  I've worked out using a compression brace since then and it helps.  I'm not a nurse or doctor., but from all the research I did I think I might have water on my knee.  If it gets bad I will go see my Dr., but will continue to workout.  

They had encouraged us to aim for five workouts this week but I felt it was wiser for my body to have the day in between workouts to repair the knee.  So i did the required three!  Next week I will grab my three before leaving for Kalispell on Wednesday after class and the following week I will try and add in an extra workout or two.

Pretty amazing each week as every day the routine we follow is different from the day before.  So far no two exact workouts on any given day.  Today we worked out with weights and focused on our arms, shoulders and upper back, rotating every 5 min or so to another pose and angle.  Moving stretches, squats, push ups, Mt. Climbers, Planking and this class ended with cardio.  We bounded side to side doing ski moves...sets of jumping jacks...and a move where you plank then lift one hand off the floor (thereby holding your body up with one arm and you reach toward the sky with the other turning your upper body sideways.  Yeaaaaa....THAT wasn't easy.

In spite of my knee I can tell you that I feel better today than I did two weeks ago.  More energy...more limber...smaller.  I am still wearing my 14's and i love how they are feeling bigger and bigger on me.  When I want to feel "svelte" I shimmy in to my new 12's.  And hey guess what...though its not across the board, i even purchased my first MEDIUM shirt.  WHAAAT????

As i said its not across the board, but it was amazing to buy a medium.

Thing is, I am focused not on what the scale says on Mondays, but on how I FEEL!  Some of us gals are talking and sharing and not everyone is losing a lot of weight.  The heavier you are, the faster the weight is coming off.  But that is only one measurement.  I know that I am peeling inches off and sweating off fat which is decreasing my BMI.  

RIGHT???

But since we're talking about MEASUREMENTS...here is one that is hard to beat as a diabetic.  All summer my blood sugars raged out of control while on medications.  Think about that.  The meds were not helping.  My fasting morning blood sugars were anywhere from 240-300.  AWFUL! 

My doctor switched up my meds and very slowly we saw the numbers begin to come down.  But here is the GREATEST news.... two weeks on this program of exercise and............drum roll.....................

MY MORNING FASTING BLOOD SUGAR IS NORMAL!!! 

I am looking forward to letting my knee heal over the weekend as I HIGH FIVE myself for another week conquered!

As I close this week I am mindful as women of the self talk we deliver to ourselves.  It doesn't help that the media and society is constantly reminding us of the list of qualifications that - according to them,  make someone beautiful.  Trust me when I say that their list is unattainable AND full of lies.  As women we are so guilty of talking to ourselves in a way we would not talk to others.

So take a good, long look in the mirror and study the beautiful person looking back at you.  Do you realize there is no one else in this whole wide world that can even come close to you?  YOU are so Unique!  Awe Inspiring.  Breathtakingly amazing.  You are worthy of being loved.

Go ahead...Embrace yourself!

And remember...

Don't let anyone dull your sparkle!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Guess Who I Ran Into Today...

WEEK 1  

One week ago i walked into my first day of the 12 week challenge not realizing just how much I was about to change my life!  It was a tough week, particularly the first 3 days where my body ached and hurt worse than I think it ever had.  By Friday, and my third intense workout, I found my stride.

All who started made a commitment to attend AT LEAST three 45 min workout session and maintain your caloric and water intake as set by the nutritionist.  I also had to keep a meal diary which I turned in today.  Check.

Last week I learned that I was not competing against anyone but myself.  I realized I was stronger than I believed and able. .  

As the week progressed and my muscles repaired themselves and grew stronger...various words began to make themselves known to me.... ABLE, DISCIPLINE, ENCOURAGEMENT, DETERMINATION, PERSPECTIVE and definitely these hashtags  #YOUCANDOTHISTHING  #IMTURNINGTHETIDE  and #WHATTHEHECKISABEARCRAWLANYWAY?  

My pursuit of health and strength began with one step.  One choice. Its rebuilding my body and my health, one building block at a time.

5 blocks the first week 

pain faded,  

lost 1 lb, 

one bear crawl lap,

 gained muscle 

and 

sliding into size 12 pants!

WEEK 2.

Today I discovered I've lost 1 pound of fat.  I know I've gained muscles and shaved off some size, so its a win, win.  Remember, its all about PERSPECTIVE.  I mean, check this out.

ANOTHER VICTORY!

Today I did my first pull up ever.  Like, ever EVER!  

In our rotation, we went from one thing to the next...wide spaced planking hold for one minute...to running, to jumping and twirling in the air, bear crawls #growl  and then to the pull ups.  Four times.  It was on my first attempt to do a pull up that I did it.  I know my face glowed as i held myself above the bar.  Always wondered what that view looked like.  I waited 45 years to find out.

Completed 2 laps of bear crawls w/o stopping!

A funny thing happened toward the end of my workout.  At the end of the workout as I ran my laps I ran into someone I have not seen in years.  Her name is Dori Albright.  As i jogged and then sprinted my mind was full of memories of that Dori who shed 70 lbs in high school.  

As she emerged she found that she could jog and stop. jog and stop. Little by little, one step at a time, her endurance built and she came into her own jogging several miles at a time just because she could. That Dori faded away after high school graduation and I've missed her.  As my heart pounded and i ran I smiled with familiarity because here we were melding together some 37 years later with each stride.

Finishing Strong

Thank God I Finished!

One week down -- 11 more to go.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED

This week I've learned a lot about myself.  I've learned that I am stronger than I thought.  Though I am approaching 55, I am still able to set my sights on things physically and accomplish them...even if it takes one moment at a time, one day at a time, one week at a time.

I have also learned I do not drink enough water.  I kind of knew that.  I dont like drinking water and really do not have a high thirst when i compare it to my husband and kids who drink like camels.  My goal from this day forward is to try and drink more water.  Did you know we are supposed to drink HALF our weight in ounces of water?

I've also learned to pace myself and the importance of pushing forward but listening to my body. This is a 12 week challenge so they are hoping to push us enough to garner the results that you can in 12 weeks which means, engaging your large muscles.  So, in pushing you will encounter pain because you are breaking and building muscles.

Following is a list of foods that encourage fat loss, decrease inflammation and helps your body detox.

1.  Cold water fish, specifically salmon, whitefish, mackerel, sardines and anchovies

2.  Nuts - specifically Walnuts and Almonds

3.  whey Isolate Protein

4.  Berries, especially blueberries, strawberries and raspberries.

5.  Avocado's

6.  Cabbage and Cruciferous Vegetables

7.  Eggs

8. Coffee and Green coffee extract. (Arent you glad this made the list?)

9.  Vinegar.

MY ACCOMPLISHMENTS THIS WEEK!

* Though i cried on my way home Monday, I went back and did it again Wed. and Friday.

*  I snuck on the scale at home Wednesday and discovered I had broken through a plateau mark Ive been stuck at for over 4 years!  Not only that but that means I weigh now something I have not weighed in about 33 years!!!

*The Bear Crawl.  When I first did them on Monday I thought I was going to die.  I had to stop about 5 times in my "crawl" down about 30 yards.  My accomplishment?  I was able to bear crawl without stopping the entire 30 yards!!!  WHAT!!!???  OOOOrah!

*I met a gal I've become friends with and we have hooked up as a team to encourage one another along.  In our 45 min workouts we workout alongside of each other and encourage each other forward.  I need it and I suspect she does too.  Next week I'll take a picture of us to share with you.

To sum up my week I started out struggling and feeling like a loser for being the oldest and coming in last.  I felt so unable.  I finished my week stronger, more able and crawling across the floor like a bear.  

Its been a great week.

Turning The Tide

There is a life lesson I've taught my kids from the time they were small.  Nothing in life is free.  Everything costs something.


Its a concept we understand in the tangible world and it works.  If you want something -- you pay for it.  Good parents are teaching their kiddo's from a young age...if you want something -- you have to earn it.  What a disservice we do our young if we give them what they want for nothing!


At some point the life lesson has to morph to include morality, relational and integrity issues.  That is where this next phrase nails it on the head -- you reap what you sow.  You have a good work ethic, you reap a raise and high fives on your "honor and integrity" counter.  You treat others with fairness and compassion you gain friends and a good reputation.  You lie -- you become known as a liar and most often lose your friends and certainly cannot be trusted.


I was thinking about this on my way to the gym and realized that our choices are also ACCUMULATIVE -- that is, over time our choices add up and often times we do not understand the cost until time has passed.  And the greater danger is when our bad choices gain in power due to accumulation and suddenly become habitual.


Take type 2 diabetes.  This disease hits later in life and usually in someone who has carried around too much weight, for too long, if you are predisposed to it.  This dragon sneaks up on you, "out of blue", but does it?  In high school I hit a normal weight for my stature when I lost 70 lbs and was very active.  I walked 3 miles to and from school.  I had my gym class each day.  After school I got back into my gym clothes and started jogging for fun and worked up to jogging 5 miles each day.  Five days a week I did this and slowly the weight melted off.  Too bad I did not keep it off after high school.


With graduation came working full time.  I was tired after work and gradually I began to slow down.  I figured I was getting enough activity working. Yeah...not so much.  Don't get me wrong, I was very active working but it was not purposeful-keeping-in-shape-for-health exercise.  By the time I got married at age 23 I'd regained 30-lbs.  By the time I was 40 I'd gained another 20.  The thing is it was gradual.  I did not set out to accomplish this.  Truth be told, I was busy taking care of my family and was active full time in ministry. 


I did not have time to take care of myself because I was so busy taking care of everyone else.  Women are so prone to this!  During that time that little dragon-gene sat in my DNA getting bigger and stronger until BOOM!  He roared to life.  


I realized just as the adage I taught my children was true so was this one.... I was suffering from the choice of complacency.  Accumulative complacency.  Isn't it just like a human to think, there's always tomorrow?  TOMORROW I will start my diet.  TOMORROW I will go for a walk.  TOMORROW I will work out.  And there you are... every choice costs you something.  The question is....can you afford it?


So here I am with ice on my shoulder and heat on my thighs embracing the pain when I realize...I'm turning the tide.  See this works both ways.  The current has been running the other direction...an accumulation of seemingly small, insignificant choices that had me heading toward death.  Each little choice of complacency was accumulating in strength and I was headed the opposite direction of where I wanted to be.  Alive and healthy.


So now I must go against the flow.  I'm moving against the motion of diabetes as I head toward vitality.  And no wonder my legs are sore!  it's hard work creating new momentum but its doable.  And it all started with one choice.  And I remember its all about perspective.  This month is better than last month because last month I decided to join the 12 week challenge.  Last Saturday was better than the day before because I overcame my fear and walked through the doors of Physique Gym.  And today I am stronger than Monday because of the accumulation of my choices...I've got 2 hard workouts under my belt and my determination is even stronger as I fight to turn the tide. 


It's all about pursuing health and life.  With each class I attend and every day I follow the plan I will push back against the Dragon. I enter class with a sense of trepidation knowing my weakness will once more be challenged.  But its then I am reminded of 2 Corinthians 12:10 which says,


"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong".


How does this apply?  When we are in training, though we hate to fail, isn't it good to find out where our weaknesses are?  It is, because we learn.  We learn how to strengthen our weakness.  And I know from experience that there are many times I do not have the strength to push through and it is THEN, I rely not on myself, but upon the strength I garner from God!  It is HE who makes me strong when I cannot be.


I know there will be other days when I do not think I can do this.  There will be days of low tide.  And I think that is when we have to hold and remember the following words of wisdom:

"the lowest ebb

is the turn of the tide"

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

~and~

"Never give up!

For that is the place and time

that the tide will turn".

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Sidenote - though our weigh ins are every Monday, I jumped on my own personal scale today and hit a wonderful benchmark.  Today I weighed the lowest I have weighed in over 33 years.  How is THAT for hard work??

Perspective is Everything.

When I woke today I felt good...until I moved.  Oh how my body hurts.  My upper back muscles, chest, upper arms, thighs, butt, stomach.  I feel like I was hit by a truck.


It was hard to get out of bed.  I discovered my want to had gotten up and hightailed it in the night.


The 12 week challenge requires that we attend at least 3 body beating sessions and to try and aim for five.  After I rolled out of bed and was dropping myself onto the toilet I realized....I was in trouble.  I had all the best intentions of going this morning and putting in five sessions this week but.... struggling to get on and off the pot made me think twice.


Today I decided that I am giving my body one more day to recover from the cruel and unusual punishment I put myself through yesterday.  I mean...if yesterday was bad enough and I was last...were I to put the Dori of today against the Dori of yesterday --- yesterdays Dori would feel phenomenal as she beat the marshmallow stuffing out of today's Dori.


I will be honest with whoever is reading this....the thought of quitting has flirted around the corners of my mind.  Maybe I took on more than this diabetic, 55 year old gal can handle.  Maybe... diabetes has done enough damage that Im expecting too much of myself.  Maybe I need to aim a little lower and join the KROC center gym and work out at my own pace.  Maybe I need to listen to my body.....Maybe I'm just doubting my own ability here as my body screams in pain.


And here's the lesson of the day...IT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW YOU LOOK AT IT.  Perspective is everything.


I called my sister yesterday and balled on my way home and I like what she said and has said again to me today.  You are not competing against anyone...you are competing against yourself.  This is true in more ways than one.  Suddenly I have morphed into two people...the angel and the devil.  The mature woman and the teeny bopper lacking self esteem.  The aged competitor against the young I-can-do-anything Albright girl that used to be.


So I realize this...I could look at my pain and say -- oh no.  This pain is my body telling me I can't do it.  This pain is telling me this is too much, too fast.  Or I can choose a different perspective.  The pain I am feeling is Diabetes dying.


That is how I choose to see it.  So every time I move and hurt I am telling myself...you feel that?  YOU FEEL THAT?  THAT IS THE DRAGON HURTING.  THAT IS YOUR DIABETES FEELING THE PINCH. 


And that, folks, is how I've chosen to see it today.


Die, dragon, die.

Week One, Day One

Today I experienced the hardest 45 minutes of my life.




Today was my first workout in the 12 week challenge.  I had no idea what I was getting into.  For 45 minutes we went through a routine of various exercises...burpee's,  jumping jacks, push ups of varying degree's, sit ups of various kinds, running in place, walking stretches -- did I say burpee's?  And squats.  I never knew 45 minutes could be so long.  High intensity, no stopping.




I have to be honest and transparent here and say that this was a very hard day.  I was the oldest person in today's class.  I came in last with each endeavor.  I discovered as time has passed that I can no longer do a sit up and struggled to do push ups.  Staying in continuous motion for 45 minutes was pure hell.  There.  I said it.  As the minutes passed all I could do was focus on getting on the floor and making sure I could get up OFF the floor. 




I was made very aware of how my body has changed in the last decade as my body has been damaged by diabetes. There were times I was struggling to keep my balance!!


Not only did I push my body beyond its ability but my emotions and spirit were being stretched.  By nature I am a very competitive person.  Finding myself unable to do something humiliated me.  I found myself struggling not to sit down and cry like a toddler.  My pride took a beating. 


When I was in junior high school I was miserable because teens can be mean and every day they told me how ugly I was.  Going to gym class was just as brutal because some very mean girls were there to taunt me with cruel remarks.  How I hated middle school gym!  Today, though everyone was encouraging, it was my inner jr higher who remembered what it felt like to be last and unable to finish and it was both painful and overwhelming.  Throughout my adult years my self esteem has only flourished so to be reminded of that young girl was surprising and emotional.  Every two minutes when we were directed to start moving, or getting on the mat or standing back up I wondered if I'd make it another minute.  But I did.  And though I took a few breaks and had to minimize my movements, I did it.  I finished.





Tonite I can hardly move.  Im aching and hurting.  I don't know how im going to do this.  But I have to because I realize my life depends on it. 




What did I learn today....As I waited to weigh in I stood watching the next class go through their hellish workout.  Though they made it look effortless I knew they were feeling it.  I saw that the younger they were the easier it was.  I realized that I had once been 20 and had been able to do so  much more.  To people who are in their twenties, stay fit!  Don't ever take it for granted.


I also learned that though the odds are high, nothing worth obtaining is pain free.




My greatest accomplishment today  -- finishing and not giving up.

The struggle you're in today

is developing the strength you need for tomorrow.