I'm clearly having probs with the text size... so I guess the new surprise daily will be if I can get it 'right' :)

I love my team

It has been an interesting weekend - every time I make big work out plans, I get thwarted - well, maybe not every time - but it feels like a lot of times... Saturday I did Zumba with Leslie, Tasia and Sara D. - and it was A LOT of fun - imagine dancing in the club with great music and everyone's doing the same moves you are... FUN!! I was planning on going bike riding, but not only was the weather gross, but I had this horrible headache... so I just did stuff around the house, which in some ways was a huge plus - because there is plenty to do!!

Saturday night, Leslie, Betty, Tasia, Sara D., and Sarah G. (trainer) and I did dinner at Leslie's house (which is gorgeous - LOVE that house!!!). But it wasn't just dinner - we all brought something to share with the group for the week for meals! Leslie made chicken noodle soup with whole grain noodles (which I now have 4 servings of!!), Tasia made chili - YUMMY! (also, 4 servings :) ), Sara D. made some cool cabbage casserole, and Betty made to die for bran muffins - which will be perfect for pre-workouts in the morning... I made chicken kabobs with quinoa. I can't wait to do this again - we now all have several servings to get us through the next 1.5 weeks (11 servings total - not including muffins)! We decided it was so successful that we'd do it every 2 weeks or so. For dinner, we had salmon, asparagus, brown rice, and salad - yum! I love my group - not only are they so supportive and kind, they are a great group of people that are easy to hang out with! Jenelle and Tina - we missed you - we'll do it again so that you can make it!! :)

Today (Sunday) is really just a huge annoying continuation of Saturday's headache! I've moving through it to an extent, but I'm dizzy, too, so I think, unfortunately, that I will be taking a break today - HOWEVER, it is still early in the afternoon, so if I feel better later, I will head to the gym and get my obligatory 45 mins of cardio. Monday, I start working out twice a day - and I want to make sure that's a definite, so I'm resting up now!

Choices & stepping up to the plate :)

"Regardless of what came before or of what has yet to come, what matters most right now is how I choose to respond to the challenge before me. Will I lie down or will I fight? The choice is mine and I choose to finish strong." ~Dan Green

That was the quote on our weekly newsletter that came out today - this newsletter has all the results from the weigh-in and how the teams are doing and measuring up to each other. And though our team is not in the top 5, I am very proud of our team and how we have already accomplished great things. Leslie is still in the top 5 for women - she is in the number 2 spot and has lost 15 lbs in 3 weeks - GO LESLIE!!!

Eventhough I had an injury this week, I decided it was important to keep moving - and maybe that constant blood flow helped me heal faster? I don't really know how it works, nor am I going to pretend to, but I do know that I could have used the injury as an excuse to get out of exercise, and I didn't. I swam Tues, Wed, & did water aerobics on Thursday. I chose an activity that would keep the weight off my leg, but I still managed to get cardio and have a good work out. I'm not sure if I would have chosen those options had this happened to me before the program - but as the quote hints at - it doesn't matter what has happened in your past or what will happen tomorrow - what I am concerned about is TODAY and the choices I make today.

I did a spin class this morning, and was able to hold out for 40 minutes before deciding that pushing any longer would possibly further my injury - but 40 minutes, wow! And it was 40 minutes with Katie B. (one of the trainers - who has pretty difficult classes (as much as I love her, I think she's a little crazy... ;) there is not much down time or relief in between her crazy 'exercises'... that'll have to be a goal, though, to do everything she has us do when she does them... I tend to go at my own pace in her class...

Tomorrow our group is trying out Zumba at 9 AM - I'll let you know how it goes :) And starting Monday, I'm going to do '2-a-days' - I'll work out in the morning with the group, and then do a class in the evening... hopefully with at least 1 or more of my team mates... as of now, I plan on:
Monday - a.m. = elliptical or similar cardio for an hour
p.m. = Nia at MUSC
Tuesday - a.m. = light cardio with weights
p.m. = 'Cardio Power Hour' at MUSC
Wed. a.m. = Spinning with Catherine :)
p.m. = Taebo at MUSC
Thurs. a.m. = Water aerobics & swim laps
p.m. = HCC Weigh-in & meeting
Friday a.m. = Spinning
p.m. = break
Saturday a.m. = Walk the bridge with team - or another team activity
p.m. = Ride my road bike
Sunday p.m. = Group work out with all of HCC - usually = a type of cross training or mini cross fit class

I feel better when I write it out - feel free to not pay attention - but I feel like I'll do a better job of accomplishing these goals if I write them down. I was unable to accomplish the 'goals' of buying a heart rate monitor - it is definitely on my 'to do' list - but I'm short on $ right now and I probably shouldn't have made that one of my HCC goals - we talked last night about making short-term goals and following through. Following the above schedule is my goal for the next week.

I LOST 3.2 LBS - FOR A TOTAL of 6.6 LBS!!! YAY :) More from me tomorrow - but I'm excited, exhilarated and ready for the next day!!! Thank you, again, for all of your support!! Tomorrow I attempt spinning again - with the proper shoes, this time :)

Praise for (almost) healed appendages!

Swam this morning - and walked against the 'current' in the pool with Leslie... my hamstring is MUCH improved!!! It still looks ugly as hell, but it no longer feels like hell, which is clearly much more important that aesthetics! 45 minutes in the pool on the 'shallow end' (3 feet vs 4 feet where the lanes are) due to the quantity of people who apparently swim at 6 am is all the motivation I need to go swimming at 5:30 am - that extra foot makes a difference when you're cold :)

Today I was able to walk without a limp - their was a slight hint of discomfort, but not all out pain... so I went to Nia tonight to round out the day :) And after a day of hefty decisions and concerns, Nia was amazing! I really love this class - each is different and each is equally fulfilling for me - it always fits into the different-sized holes I have at that moment - whether it's a great cardio work out, or a need for some grounding on a mental or spiritual level, or just the need to be free - it fits all of these for me and leaves me calm, cool and collected. I really encourage everyone to try a class wherever you can find one... and if you ever want to come with me, I'd love to have you!! These classes are offered at MUSC Wellness Ctr as well, which I haven't tried, but plan to this coming week :)

Have been absent a couple of days... sorry!!

From my journal to blog...

SATURDAY

Today was Nia! And I still love it! Jen Merz joined me and loved it, too! If anyone wants to join me for a class of Nia, let me know - I believe your first visit is free :) Spirit Moves: http://www.spiritmoves.com/index.html

They have a schedule online but I'm not sure if it's right - so if any of you Charleston peeps would like to go with me, Nia is on Monday at 6:15pm, Wed at 6:15pm, & Saturday @ 10:35am. Also Luna Yoga (my fave) is on Tuesday at 6:15am. And monthly there is a community class on the 3rd Sunday of the month at 3pm for $3 and that donation goes to a local charity - right now it's going to Haiti in one form or another...

SUNDAY

I did spinning again today. Today = the BEST spinning class EVER! As I said before, I am encouraged by repeating classes and being able to push myself further - today, in the spin class, I was able to do ALL of the jumps, sprints, hills, rolling hills that Catherine threw at us - WITH the instructor (Catherine - who is my fave spin instructor - because she takes the time to make sure we all know what to do right then and she is VERY encouraging - and so far, she has the best music accompanying the class :) ) (I've actually treated Catherine as my 'assistant' trainer - she was Kaye's trainer last HCC and has been very helpul AND she used to work at 'V' and I remember her from there... well, she remembers me from my 2 week stint there - and she remembers Louisa...anyway, I digress - like that's a surprise - Catherine is really amazing :) ). So I've decided to do spinning on Sundays, Wednesday's and Fridays.

MONDAY

Started off a normal day (now that my normal days start at 5AM) - I finally remembered to bring my headphones AND ipod... leave it to me to remember only my headphones... I had planned on doing the bike in the cardio room for an hour. Sarah's been great about my wanting to train for the Century ride - on the days that I'm not spinning, she's encouraged me to do the bike... When I got to the gym, Betty told me she was doing spinning, and said I could come with her if I'd like... and I was torn - I've had a hard time turning down spinning these days - I'm really drawn to it... but I didn't have my shoes, and I much prefer using the cycling shoes than my tennis shoes... and I kind of didn't want to do spinning... Well, later I decided I should have listened to my body, mind or whatever.

SO I went to spinning and Katie B (instructor) was late... and I waffled while in there - but I stayed, somewhat committed to the class... when she came, we had all been spinning on our own for 20 mins - I wasn't really pushing myself, why the hell would I push myself, when Katie B was going to come and push us hard for an hour? When she go there, we started with uphill, standing and after 3 minutes, my right foot slipped out and I fell onto the bike - my left leg fell on the water bottle cage on the center of the bike and pulled my hamstring away from my leg. And then I kept spinning, until I realized that my leg was REALLY swollen. So I got off, went and found some ice and iced my leg... and it started looking really gross really fast... so I went to see the Dr. @ the gym, it's purely muscular and I've been icing my leg regularly for the past two days... and it hurts to walk which is stellar... I missed the workout this morning and will be going for a swim tonight to be followed by Luna Yoga tonight - if anyone wants to join me tonight... :) Otherwise, I've learned my lesson - one, follow the schedule (Spinning only 3 times a week) and listen to my body.

Wiped Out

I'm feeling better about my 0.2 loss today - because everyday is a new day and a new chance to prove that I can accomplish great things! :) I had a slow day - well, the morning was jam-packed with spinning - and this morning was a great spin class because I was able to do more. That's probably been the most exciting thing - noticing the little points of progress when I repeat a class. Yoga, for instance = scary hard the first time and not so scary the second time - in fact I could do a lot more poses (is that what you call them?) I've done 3 spin classes, and in the one this morning, I could do the jumps for longer and I could do the climbs for the whole amount of time allotted (versus sitting back down and cycling through - which is still good because you're moving), but to be able to do more with each class gives me a great sense of accomplishment and motivation to keep coming back to these classes and giving it my all :)

I did take a LONG nap this morning and grudgingly set about my routine today - I didn't have work, so I've been resting a lot :) Which isn't all bad for me - one my body probably needs it - and two, I am working tonight and Saturday night at the Comedy Festival from about 6pm-11:30pm/12am... and that is going to be QUITE the blow to my system, now that I've grown accustomed to 9:30 bed times - thank God it's the weekend! I can sleep *in* (til 9).

So today I was a tad bit wiped out - but there's a possibility that there will be one day - maybe every other week, when my body screams in protest and I take a nap - that's not so bad, is it?

I also want to give a shout out to my team mate Leslie, who is still in the top 5 of women overall who have lost the most weight in the program (and the most % weight...). She is in the # 2 spot (out of the top 5) and has lost a total of 12.2 lbs in 2 weeks!! GO LESLIE!!!

Oops! I forgot...

I lost 0.2 lbs :) and as I said before, a loss is a loss!!!

A loss IS A LOSS

That's what I have to keep telling myself. When going to the meeting tonight, I was thinking it would be fine just to break even... so I already knew that I had done some things that would warrant a smaller change - I didn't stay below 1300 calories every day.. but it was hard to balance the extra work outs with the calorie intake - I wanted to eat more to balance it out, so I did... So my total loss is 3.4 - all in all not bad for 2 weeks, but I'm determined for this next week to be better. Goals for this week: stay between 1200-1300 calories, buy and use a heart rate monitor/calorie thingy, balance my calories out better throughout the day. I can do it :)

Cravings... Part II

Spinning was harder this morning - whether because leg exercises yesterday, or squats the day before that, I don't know, but it was difficult. I loved, however, the fact that my whole team was there, because even though we were all struggling - the butt kicking was happening to all of us :) and we were there to check in with each other, which improved the class, in my opinion. I don't know if any of you have ever done spinning, but it seems (or at least the first few classes) to be a little more individual. The lights are off and you are challenging yourself - but with my team all around me, it felt less individual and more group oriented, which I hope was as great for the team as it was for me.

I had my second 'peer pressure' experience this evening - it's not really peer pressure, per se, because everyone's been really supportive - but I went to a meeting where they were serving Mellow Mushroom pizza and red wine... well, both of which I LOVE, so needless to say I wasn't going to trust myself to these odds... so I went to Whole Foods first on the way to the meeting, and got quinoa, black beans, spinach, and green (string) beans - and I took all the veggie toppings that the others didn't want - this way I was able to get the taste of the pizza without the calories of a whole slice - Brilliant!! SO I came out on the other side of the peer pressure issue and am feeling better for it :)

Now I'm heading to bed to get more sleep than I did last night :)

cravings...

This morning I was running late because I couldn't find my purse/wallet - so now I will not only lay my clothes out for the next morning (I'm not going to lie - I pretty much have been doing this since I was 5) - but I will also be laying out my water bottle, keys, wallet, shoes, etc. It was really frustrating to know that had I done this last night, I wouldn't be arriving late this morning! I arrived to a circuit training of sorts that Sarah was leading. Leslie and I had to punch it out on the bag while everyone else did free weights with their arms (Leslie and I tackled these yesterday)... and in between exercises we ran around the room - it's a large room - or did jumping jacks. Intermixed in there were leg exercises that made my butt feel the burn. It was a good 30 minute work out! (Would have been better if I had been there for the hour of madness.)

Today I was feeling the 'lows' of not wanting to eat healthy - I really wanted the caramel popcorn in the office kitchen. I cleaned out my pantry of everything unhealthy - why can't these coworkers I barely know do the same for me??? Just kidding... so this would be those real world situations where you just say 'no.' Except that I said yes and coupled the popcorn with raw almonds to get that protein in for a healthy snack... yes, my friends, this is that wonderful rationalization at work.... and I was exhausted after this 'healthy' snack - much more than I have been after lunch... good ol' sugars doing their job... So what am I going to do next time? I'm going to call someone on the team - this is where the HCC is a genius program. I've tried it on my own and it clearly hasn't worked - so here are people on my team who may be going through the same cravings I am - and we can lean on each other!!! So tomorrow after lunch during the normal valley-post-lunch-high-thingy, I'm going to call someone WHILE I get up and walk around. :)

I'm also going to break the rules right now and go to bed - usually we need to wait 3 hours post eating to go to bed - but I had Luna Yoga tonight (still AMAZING!!) and I stayed afterwards to chat with Sarah - and I told her I was breaking the rules - sleep = more important to me than digestion... well, tonight - just tonight - that's the case.

Legs are going to be SORE this week!!!

This morning I did 20 mins cardio and then did an arms/weights workout... tomorrow = legs. And Sarah changed up our schedule so that both Wed & Fri's = spinning... my legs are going to fall off - but dammit it's going to be fun and I'm going to smile :) I do love spinning. I do love spinning. (I really do - but I'm stinking SORE today after yesterday's circuit training). It hurts to sit down. Not to be sitting - but to sit down - and to get up... so public toilets are COMPLETELY out of the question. I also did something to my back yesterday, so no taebo tonight - in the hopes that I won't over exert and miss out on Tuesday's work out. I don't want to miss my 45 minutes of cardio daily. (And that was said in absolute seriousness... I have changed... crazy!!)

Bring it :)

Today was the first day I didn't start the day sore... But I'm about to start another week - so here's to using more new muscles and being sore! Pain = weakness leaving the body... that's what it said in my Grandfather's room where he did hip rehab... But I think Pain = the reminder that you have a body that wants to be worked :) - So I'm ready to be worked (more)! Bring it, week 2!

Life without beer = okay - even doable

I LOVED NIA this morning!!! It was like modern dance in college with the best music :) And I really wasn't expecting such a workout!! So Nia and Spinning are my two faves.

I went to an oyster roast today - and I thought it was going to be oh, so difficult to eat oysters, listen to good music and not drink beer - especially the good beers they had at this roast, but I not only made it through the delightful afternoon, I was just fine with no beer... of course, I had 1/2 a glass of wine with dinner - but it was red - and I am technically allowed to have one glass of wine a day. It's been interesting changing some habits and enforcing others - the things I thought I wouldn't be able to live without, I haven't craved (except for chocolate - but I think that's more a craving for the sweeter things in life :) ) and I have felt better overall each day. I am also no longer tired throughout the day - I am energized by my morning workouts and it positively affects my whole day. Except on the spinning days - they wipe me out - but I still feel better at the end of the day - just exceptionally tired.

Spin, Spin, Spin!

Spinning was this morning - and we had to get there at 5:30 to make sure that we could get a 'bike' - if that's what you want to call these VERY uncomfy machines! I am still not sure that the bike is set up for me - seat height: I've got - I know what to look for and how it should feel, but the distance between seat and stem and the height of the stem are harder to judge... and I'm pretty sure I had it all wrong this morning - so I'm going to have to spend more time figuring that out - because I want to do spinning at least once a week if not more!

Our instructor didn't show up - so someone in our class who has taught spinning before jumped up there and led our class - she was spunky - I liked her :) Jennelle and Betty from my group were there with me - along with one of our mentors, Carol. Jennelle was great about looking over and calling me out if I could push harder - thanks Jennelle!!

Today I also walked Chaco (Zach/Liz's dog) - we're going to have a lot of fun walking this weekend :)

One more thing - I forgot to add this in the last post - but the HCC staff also announced who had won overall for top 5 women and men (losing the most weight) and Leslie, on our team, was in the top 5 - she lost 7.4 lbs!!! GO LESLIE!!! Our whole team did a really great job!!

Overall weightloss for all 11 teams was also a record breaker - the most lost in the first week during any HCC - a grand total of 423.9 lbs!! I'm still enjoying it and have been constantly challenged - and instead of running in the other direction - I want to meet the challenge head on. Each day is a new exciting day - with new goals and activities :)

GO TEAM!!!

OUR TEAM DID GREAT!!!! We made the top 5 for overall weight loss and % of weight lost - with 33 pounds across 7 of us - and 2.19%!!!

I lost 3.2 lbs! I was (slightly) disappointed because I had weighed myself at home (this morning) and had lost 6 pounds - but it was a different time of day AND a different scale... So lesson learned: don't use the one at home on the day of...

Thanks for your support - and there are more posts to come...

Water Women :)

So our team of encouraging ladies braved the pool this morning and did a water aerobics class led by our very own Leslie - who teaches these classes regularly for the Wellness Center. What a treat! We get our own Leslie-taught class especially for us on Thursday mornings! Water aerobics, if done correctly by pushing yourself (really like you would with any activity), can be a great work out. It is a very strange sensation, however, to sweat in the pool. At the beginning, Leslie went over some basic do's and don't's and one 'do' was to remember to breathe - I thought that was strange - we're about to do cardio - of COURSE we'll be breathing... nope, wrong. She constantly had to remind us to breathe. In the water you are able to do exercises for longer than you can on land because of the added buoyancy... and the water is tricky - it's warm and you don't feel like you're getting a cardio workout, but lo and behold, you find yourself sweating and sore... It was one of the lighter work outs I've experienced, which was a nice break - and also means that on Thursdays I can add another class or spend more time on the elliptical if I need to. Tomorrow I'm switching out my 'normal' (which is funny considering that a week ago nothing about this was normal!) cardio routine to do spinning with Jenelle and Betty - we have to be there at 5:30 to ensure a spot in the class!

Tonight is the weigh-in! I'm excited to see how I've done - I stepped on the scales earlier this week and was pleasantly surprised - so we'll see what happens tonight! Tune in tomorrow for that bit of news. :)

And thank you to all who have been following my blog and commenting, emailing, and texting me your support, words of wisdom, and words of encouragement! I love it and it's keeping me going!

Woot! Woot!

SO... you know how earlier I said we'd add weights in a couple of weeks after we mastered cardio? I think we must have mastered it sooner than expected... This morning we only did cardio for 5 minutes - more of a warm-up - get those muscles moving. The best part of the 5 minutes of elliptical fun was our team in line on the machines - it was nice to look up and see Sara or Jenelle's smiling face - or Betty, Leslie, Allison, or Tasia -and Tina was rocking it out on the treadmill! I arrived at the gym not quite awake - and I really don't think that 5 mins was enough to wake me up - I wasn't prepared for the next 40 minutes.

We went upstairs to the 'crow's nest' and did 'stations' = hand weights (lifting them alternatingly out in front and to the sides), sit ups on those large balls (these are the kind of balls that should have been in those ball - play pen thingies when we were kids - much better than the small plastic ones... they are not as much fun for the sit-up scenario), a squats/pulling ropes combo station, and wall sits (yay) (kidding). We rotated through the stations, then went and did the whole flight of stairs (3 floors?) three times and then back to the stations... then back to the stairs... My muscles were on FIRE. It was the kind of work out that makes all of your muscles quiver afterwards.

It was HARD. But we ALL did it - and Leslie got us all hootin' and hollerin' on the stairs - it's true: climbing stairs is MUCH more enjoyable with a couple of loud 'Woot! Woot!' 's

Luna Yoga = Great!!

I'm glad I gave yoga another chance! I did Luna Yoga tonight with Sarah (my trainer) and it was a great fit. Luna yoga = phases of the moon and for whatever reason my body was more in tune with this form of yoga... and it was the best I felt all day. I'm going to go to Luna yoga every week.

HCC contract

Since I have no great work out story to tell, I'll fill you all in on the HCC Contract that we went over in orientation. I'm hoping to re-spark some motivation for me (today has been a chocolate-craving day) and maybe it can benefit others, too! :)

1 - I will eat 3 meals a day & 2 snacks daily

2 - I will maintain my calorie budget determined by my trainer

3 - I will not eat out of a container ever again! (Portion control)

4 - I will not drink a beverage with calories except for skim milk - this includes coffee/tea with sugar - honey is NOT an alternative

5 - I will drink at least 6 cups of plain unflavored water/day

6 - I will not eat fried foods - especially from a fast food restaurant

7 - If I do eat at a fast food restaurant, I will NOT get french fries or a high sugar drink & my sandwich will be of the grilled variety

8 - I will eat a high fiber & high protein breakfast everyday

9 - My fiber goal will be 30+ grams per day with a majority of fiber from veggies

10 - I will eat 2 servings of fruit daily, not more!

11 - I will exercise 30 mins/day

12 - If I consume alcohol, I will only drink 1 serving/day (men = 2 servings/day) & preferably red wine over beer or liquor

13 - I will not practice unhealthy weight loss tactics & fad diets during this program

14 - I will be strong mentally & physically TODAY!

Failure!!! ARRRGHH!!

I feel like a FAILURE! I slept in this morning! We have to wait 3 hours after eating before going to bed - and so I didn't go to bed until around 11:30. Apparently my body took the sleep that I wasn't going to give it. I am so sorry to all of my team members if I let you down by not being there! I let myself down... and I am so sorry to our trainer Sarah who was doing a special Nia class - not only am I totally bummed I missed the class - but I'm sorry I wasn't there for you or the team members! We have yoga again tonight and then I might be able to do 30 mins of cardio afterwards? Or maybe during lunch I could climb stairs at work? I don't know - I've never been to this office before - first day and all. Does anyone have any ideas for doing a brief work out during lunch at a typical office?

I suppose there are bad days

Today wasn't really a 'bad' day - it was a different experience than the past few - and it took me all day to write about it because I've been letting my thoughts percolate - trying to sift out why the day was rough. I did the treadmill for 40 minutes - it was okay - but not amazing. And then I had my first class of Yoga, which I didn't particularly enjoy, but would like to give it another chance.... In order to understand my discomfort, you need to understand some things.

First off, as a youngster, I had scoliosis - which I still have - but not to the extent that I had it when I was younger. The majority of my curve was straightened, but there is some 'residual' curve with a result in one hip being higher than the other. I have recently acquired a lift-type insert (that I really should have been wearing since 15 when I decided it wasn't cool) and things have been great - no more hip problems, no more knee problems, and so far, no more back problems. Well, you don't wear shoes in yoga - so no lift. And it was very painful at times to stretch at the different angles and positions - but I'm stubborn, so I pushed through - and for all you Yoga people out there - I BREATHED - through the WHOLE process. Even the resting position (child pose?) wasn't comfy - but new things aren't supposed to be comfy right?

Another thing is that I wasn't wearing the appropriate clothes and though this may seem trivial, I think it really stressed me out. I had to keep adjusting my shirt or my shorts and I'm pretty sure that took away from the whole breathing, relaxing thing. Lastly, I spent a lot of time measuring myself up to those around me. Our group was all together, but I was on 'the edge' next to a whole group of Yoga gurus and it was a little intimidating.

When I came into the program, I was aware that all of us paid to do the HCC - we are all in it together - we have all tried programs that don't work and we are all concerned about our health. So when we work out together, even though there are other peeps around us in the gym, I get into the zone, because I have my team with me and we are there for each other - and I can be confident in that. But in this foreign atmosphere (and I'm pretty sure any Yoga instructor would be offended that I called their space a foreign atmosphere), I lost some confidence and it really effected my work out - I couldn't get in the zone, and it actually really affected my day - as benign as it may seem.

In regards to my hips or any physical reasons I couldn't do it (I'm not so limber right now), I don't want these to be excuses. I've had years of making excuses for myself and landing myself back to where I hinder my own change. You probably know this about me but I can rationalize with the best of them. I don't want to rationalize that I can't do yoga because of these challenges. I want to conquer all challenges! So it really bothered me today when this happened.

When I got into the challenge, I told anyone who would listen that I'm 'in it to win it,' and I MEAN IT. So I suppose today was tougher because I really had to listen to my body and figure out what was going wrong. It wasn't an easy day - but not because some machine kicked my butt or because I couldn't kick as high in Taebo, but because I'm NOT in tune with my body. I know that I will become in tune as I discipline myself and reach new intensity levels. And this is definitely something *new* for me to work towards - but equally important as my other goals for this program and my life. Sorry for the long post - but it's been a thought-provoking day.

Today was intense. Everyone in the program was there - so around 70 (?) people - and we all started out together and then broke into groups... 20 of us did an intro to spinning for 20 minutes (that's my group), and the rest did an intro to taebo... then 20 more did spinning and the rest of us did taebo...

The taebo was manageable - I was out of breath and working hard , but my friend Kate and I used to do taebo during the "B.I" days, so it wasn't a shock to the system. SPINNING = INTENSE, but I think I like it. I was getting my butt kicked and I wanted more... something may be wrong with me.

Tomorrow after our 45 minutes of cardio, we're doing Yoga - led by our trainer Sarah - who is certified in Yoga, Pilates, & Nia. I've never done Yoga - so this will be the week of a lot of 'firsts'! And I may start switching out my 6am cardios on the elliptical machines for 6am spinning classes!! :)

This will be the shortest post ever: I didn't use my phone much today... Why - you ask? Because my arms are too sore to hold up the phone for long periods of time... WOW... can't type long either...

It gets harder??

My first day working out with the team was yesterday - 1/8/09 - and it was GREAT! I did the elliptical machine for 45 minutes!! I told my trainer, Sarah, that I had not done the elliptical longer than 30 minutes - and she told me to strap on in because I'm not getting off until the 45 minutes are over! The thing is - when I've gone to work out by myself, I don't stay on the machines very long - no one is watching me like a hawk to make sure I get my time in... so 10 minutes in I might just decide I'm done... Also I used to do the quick start... nothing wrong with the quick start, but if I pick 'complete workout' then I fill everything in and I have the clock counting down the 45 minutes... seems elementary, I know, but I am REALLY good at rationalizing... can't rationalize a timer or a trainer - especially Sarah :)

I felt great after yesterday's workout - I wasn't tired all day - which is HUGE. I stretched before bed... I slept GREAT... all good things...

THIS MORNING: VERY VERY SORE!! That's a good thing, right? I worked out a muscle or two in my body... I had a hard time getting out of bed (it was sooo warm!!) I went to work out with the group and it was difficult. First mistake: I got back on the elliptical... maybe that's not a mistake per se, but I think I could have fooled my body if I had tried a different machine... I did 30 mins on the elliptical and felt every step. OUCH!! I then did 15 minutes on the treadmill... much better. Sarah has me doing longer cool downs, because I have a hard time not pushing myself - so 15 min cool down today. LOTS of stretching followed.

I had my meeting with Sarah today for a personal consultation - things are looking good. Turns out that I have fairly good eating habits... I kicked the beer for a while... I love veggies... I'm not so good with the fruits - but I'm working on it... and the whole grains are growing on me :) My weakest link = CHOCOLATE - who knew? Well, I bet a bunch of you did... but I didn't realize how much I'd miss it until I couldn't have it... so I'm still working on that!

If anyone has any sweet craving hints, throw them my way!! Sarah told me tea and lemon with a little bit of 100% raw honey, but I'm not convinced. I think Sarah is unaware of the power of chocolate.

I would also like to give a little shout out to my mentors - each Team has a trainer, and 2-3 mentors. The mentors have done completed the HCC in the past. My mentors are Kaye (who is on my team because she requested to be with me - YAY KAYE!!!), Allison, and Carol (not Ms. Cope). They are all energetic and have great advice as they have done it before!! What a great program I have joined!! Also, there is Dietician/Nutritionist = Judith Herrin (she goes to my church!!) and she has 3 interns that have split their time among the 11 teams. There are also several other avenues of help - a sports psychologist, and others - I'm blanking...

But thanks to my mentors - especially Kaye :)

New Adventure = The Healthy Charleston Challenge

As most of you know, I have joined The Healthy Charleston Challenge, which is put on by the MUSC Wellness Center here in Charleston. As I was deciding on whether on not to do the HCC, several of you wanted to know how you could help support me - there were many offers for companionship on bike rides, bridge walks, etc. I really appreciate all the support you have offered and continue to offer and this blog is a way I can keep you all posted on how the journey is progressing.

What is the HCC? It is a program based on the t.v. show, "The Biggest Loser," and it is a way to adjust your perceptions on exercise, eating, and general health and well-being. We are not only adjusting our perceptions, but we are making the changes happen. This is not a fad diet or another 'attempt' at yo-yo-ing, but an approach to weight-loss and long-term health that I can utilize for the rest of my life! I am on a team with 6 lovely ladies who are going through all of the same things I am... we will be working out together EVERY DAY - these ladies are my 6 new best friends!! Our team is sponsored by Louie's Kids - a non-profit battling childhood obesity. Each of the teams is sponsored by a different local group that has partnered with MUSC to turn out healthier Charlestonians :). Our team's trainer is Sarah and she is awesome - I am impressed by her attitude towards well-being and by her dedication to help our team. Of course, I say that now, before the hell has really started... ;)

I've posted my schedule below - just to let you know what I'll be doing - and if you want to get together and do more, I'm sure I can squeeze you in... even if it's for drinks at the end of the day... and by drinks I mean water on the rocks for me!

My Schedule:
Mon: 6am-6:45am Cardio & 6:45-7:45am Yoga with Sarah (our trainer is a Yoga instructor, among other things :) )
Tues: 6am- 7am Cardio
Wed: 6am-7am Cardio
Thurs: 6am-7am 'Aqua Action/Aqua Fit' = Water Aerobics
Fri: 6am-7am Cardio
Sat: 9:30-10:30 Cooper River Bridge Walk with ALL participants - but walking with your group, specifically
Sun: 2:30-3:30 Whole Group Activity... when they introduce us to activities so that we can confidently enter a class and know what's going on - for example: spin class, taebo, ?? I don't really know actually, but I'm sure I will find out!!

In a couple of weeks we will add strenght training...
Oh, and walk/running the Cooper River Bridge Run is a requirement (I really thought I was done with that damned thing) - but we are all going as one huge group - so that'll be fun (?) I'm really not a fan of the crowds - I've done it twice... ah, well, looks like I will be doing it again.

HCC also encourages participation in local run/walks and that is the ONLY way you are dismissed from Saturday morning run/walks on the bridge!

Before you go feeling sorry for me, remember that (1) I signed up for this! All of this and I am ready to do it!!! and (2) I also signed up for the 6am slot - which is how they put our team together... we are the crazies that picked a 6am work out... my feeling being that I am much more likely to stay on target if I work out in the morning before I make all those bad choices I've made before... plus I'm a morning gal! :)

So this is the longest blog I'll probably ever do - but I hope now you have a good idea of what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. I'll put more in later - these are just my first thoughts. And if anyone wants to go riding or walking with me when it's not so brutally cold outside, I'm game for afternoon jaunts :)

Thanks for your support and stay tuned!!