With week one almost under my belt (and hopefully, soon there will be less under my belt!), I am happy to report I accomplished my first-week mission. Goal one: Survive. Goal two: Don’t cry. Hey, you have to start with achievable, reasonable objectives, right?
We have weekly meetings Thursday evenings. Our first meeting was Sept. 5, where Fit it In Fitness founder and health coach Danielle Tetreault introduced us newbies to the 8-week fitness challenge process, and nutrition expert Melinda Osbourne talked about the importance of probiotics to gut health (a key component of your immune system) and to weight loss. Danielle showed us the comprehensive Fit it In challenge website, where we will record our fitness and nutrition progress, and the goals and challenges we meet. There are workout videos, recipes and other tools – basically, no reason not to accomplish your goals.
She also took my beginning measurements. I have a BMI of 37.7. There, I said it. Ugh.
Each week, we have a nutrition challenge to meet. The first was to incorporate more water into your daily intake. That one was easy for me; the pending “no coffee” and “no alcohol” weeks may be a different story.
For the first month of the challenge, we were divided into two teams. Each team was given a list of fitness challenges they must achieve this month – some divided among the team members, and some we all must do. My team, the Best Bodacious Broads, are some of the most motivated and hard-working women I’ve met. I will definitely have to step up my game to keep up with these ladies. Many have done the challenge before and have been very enthusiastic and supportive.
Our official start date was Monday, Sept. 9. I started going to the group workouts that day, and man, that will whip you into shape! We did rounds of many different exercises, designed to hit all the muscle groups. Some rounds were done with tools like kettlebells, exercise balls, heavy medicine balls and dumb bells. Much of the exercises, though, were simply done with your own body weight, which makes it easy to replicate them at home (er, so far that’s theoretical for me …). There were sprints and squats, lunges and planks. I can now identify where all my once-dormant muscles are, as they are making their presence known. Yes, I’m out of shape; thank you for alerting me, gluteus maximus.
Workout coach James Goodwin was very encouraging and supportive to this new girl. He took the time to show me proper form and explain the different exercises. He and Danielle are very alert to each person’s level of fitness (or lack thereof), and really pay attention to helping you succeed. The fact that James looks like Adam Levine doesn’t hurt my motivation level, either.
What I really learned this first week (well, I already knew this, really) is that I absolutely have to get more organized where food is concerned. I’m only about 50 percent diligent about making my breakfast and lunch the night before. I think it’s really crucial when you’re trying to make healthy dietary changes that you PLAN AHEAD and do as much as possible to set yourself up for success (as I sit here eating seaweed snacks for breakfast). A favorite reminder for me is the expression “We don’t plan to fail; we simply fail to plan.”
My daughter put a note in one lunch I managed to pack in advance. It said (spelling hers) “Dear Mommy, I wish you will exsersize a lot and drink lots of water. Hope you lose some weight. I <3 u sooo!! much!” What other motivation do I need?
Kathleen Palmer can be reached at 594-6403 or kpalmer@nashua telegraph.com.
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