Not much happened these two days. I made certain to relax, clean a bit, get to bed earlier, etc; Got to walk around St. George and see a movie as well. The weekends pass by far too quickly here. Sometimes you just need an eensy bit more rest than you get. At least I do.
Contrary to popular belief, I don't stay up really late or anything. I normally get to bed around 10 o'clock or so, which at home for me is completely unheard of. 10PM at home, I might not have even had dinner yet!
Now to answer some questions, here are some rumors I've heard about the new Biggest Loser Resort:
* It's going to be located in Malibu, California
* It's going to open sometime in September of 2010. I believe I heard September 26th but I could be wrong.
* They purchased an exisiting place called Casa or Casita something or other.
* They will have the people that will be working there, train here at FR and learn how everything works here and bring the same program over there.
* This place will only have single rooms, no more shared rooms unless you bring a family member or friend with you. (apparently they have too many complaints about roomies here at FR)
* The prices will be roughly $500 higher per week. Could be more though.
* It's going to be exactly like FR... just with a different view
That's all I've got folks! I'll let you know if I hear anything else!!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Day 19: Revelations
6:30AM: Hike (I went to the gym instead)
9:30AM: Breakfast
10:15AM: Stretch
11:15AM: H20 Intervals or Cardio Intervals
12:15PM: Lunch
1:15PM: Prep for next week at FR
2:30PM: Liquid Moves
3:30PM: Circuit Training
4:30PM: Cardio Disco Jam
5:45PM: Dinner
I hit the gym today instead of the hike and did more than I've ever managed before. I went longer on the elliptical, I ran a bit on the treadmill, I did lots of weights and just enjoyed myself in there. It was completely empty today and I was able to hook up the sound system to my ipod. There's nothing more enjoyable than having an entire gym to yourself and being able to listen to your music pumped up on a nice speaker system. ;)
So I planned on weighing myself again today. I tried to make certain that I had optimum weighing conditions present again before I weighed in but unfortunately I'm pretty sure I have my period. I say this because I've been experiencing some spotty periods in the past few years when before I had always been super regular, on time, etc; As I've gotten older though, I've noticed that I spot a bit between periods (sorry to be so graphic) which makes me think I have my period but I really don't. I believe this is what happened at the beginning of the month when I thought I had my period.
Don't worry folks, I had it checked out and I don't have uterine fibroids or anything like that. The doctor hasn't really said why it's occurring but I've been monitoring it and a friend of mine is going through the same thing. Maybe it's just something that happens as you get older. I'll keep an eye on it though.
Anyhoo.. so I have my period so I don't know if that affected my weigh in but the weigh in was a bit of a disappointment. If you recall, my first weigh in, I didn't want to know my weight. I got weighed, didn't look and they adjusted my polar watch for me. 3 days later I couldn't wait any longer and weighed in and saw that I had lost 8 pounds in my first 10 days. I was happy but not ecstatic about that but it was a good enough number to keep me motivated.
So 7 days later I weighed in again and this time, the scale told me I had lost 3 more pounds. I was very disappointed with those 3 piddly pounds but I guess I should be pretty happy considering that I have my period and I also did miss a few days when I was injured and then sick. I also didn't eat almost anything and may have screwed up my metabolism during those days. Who knows. So my total weight loss is currently 11 pounds, which is nothing to sneeze at but compared to a lot of people here, it's only alright. Granted, the heavier you are the more you have to lose but it's still disappointing when you hear that other people have lost 10 pounds in a week etc;
Since I weighed myself in, I missed breakfast and just managed to grab a banana to tide me over until lunch. I headed towards my stretch class with my banana in hand and placed my precious banana by my side as I enjoyed my stretch class. I reaaaalllly need to find something similar once I get home. Stretch class is always wonderful no matter what instructor you have.
After stretch I opted for cardio intervals because it was pretty cool and windy out. Note to my blog readers: If it's a cold day, get to class EARLY if you're not going to go into the pool. Most likely the gym will be nearly full. Cardio intervals is a tough tough class. Don't think you're done once your intervals are done. Oh no. After you're done 'interval-ing,' they throw in some speed and resistance drills. They do this by asking us to visualize that we're going over little hills. Going up the hill is when you increase your resistance... once you reach the top you coast for a minute or so and then going down the hill you are going super fast. They even make us positively compete with the other people in the class who are on different machines. It's great though because cheering each other on really does spur the other group to push harder.
I had some work to do in my room so I called the front desk to request to have my lunch boxed so I could eat in my room while I worked. It was an ok lunch. It was 2 slices of whole wheat toast with a bean, oats and turkey mixture on top with a side of salad and a broccoli soup. Let me tell you now that that bean sandwich concoction wreaked havoc on my system. I was breaking wind all day long and a friend of mine who had been constipated for nearly a week finally had a BM because of it. lol. The power of beans!
I decided to skip the lecture for next week's prep because generally the same stuff happens at all of those meetings. We're told to be nice to the newbies, we're given our schedules and we have a roundabout discussion about what happened and what we learned during the week. I was able to pick up my next week's schedule later on and catching one class worth's of shut eye really helps out in the afternoon when you've got 3 tough classes in a row.
The only problem was that I ended up missing my pool class as well. My roommate found me face down on the bed fast asleep. That's when she told me she was going to challenge me and make sure I made every single one of my classes next week (barring lectures and hikes/gym can be supplemented for one another) To be honest, I had originally been planning on doing that for my last week as well BUT to be completely honest, that intent doesn't mean that I would have done it. Being tired and sleep deprived can really take a toll on you and weaken the hell out of your will.
My roomie's been so great and such an inspiration that I really don't want to disappoint her. She has been so positive and has had such faith in me that I'm going to try my darndest to not miss a thing. So after my nap I had plenty of energy for my next two classes.
Circuit was circuit. It's an enjoyable class. I made certain that every time I was on the treadmill for the 2 minutes that I was running. Unfortunately, I don't think that I'll be leaving FR with the ability to run a mile but I'm definitely going to be on my way!
Cardio Disco Jam was a lot of fun this week. Apparently John has a lot more moves and outfits in his closet and repertoire than I expected! Today he was wearing a holographic zebra striped shirt and pleather bell bottoms. Truly fabulous. :) He also mixed it up by throwing in some new dance moves as well. I kept my shades on during the class to keep it cool. lol. I think I did better this time than I did last time; the moves were much more dancey and fun. I'm never going to be able to do that two-way pivot he always throws in for extra flair though.
I had my dinner wrapped up again and ate it in my room. This time I was just being anti-social I think. My roomie says that being in my room and hibernating is just too comfortable for me so I need to break out of it. She also mentioned that a lot of people are asking where I am. lol. She's a wise lady with many good points. ;)
Here are some random points I'd like to touch up on:
* There's a lot of Canadians here at FR and all of them have been super nice so far. Must be something in the water. :) It's also way cute when they say, eh?
* The arch on my foot has become more defined. Cool, eh?
* I over packed and am now contemplating having my luggage shipped home so I don't have to suffer on the way home. Lots of the stuff I brought with me I never even used. It would have been wiser for me to leave my lotions and potions at home and picked up mini versions of them during the Target runs that they have on Saturday.
* Unless you sweat a lot, try to think up outfits that you can wear once a week if you're staying for multiple weeks. Socks can be washed in the sink so don't buy too many pairs. We also have a drying line for clothes in our showers so you don't really need a drying rack or anything like that.
* On Sundays, people leave things in the laundry room that they brought but don't want to bring home. You'll find lots of handy things in there. It varies each time you're there because you just don't know what people are going to leave behind. Don't just take though, share the love so this tradition can keep going. I've seen:
Dryer Sheets
Laundry detergent
Theraflu
Shampoo & Conditioner
Antiperspirant spray
Packets of tissue
Epsom Salts
Tampons
Bath Oil
Baby Powder
Lotion
Hangers (FR provides you with a piddly 4 hangers when you arrive)
* Reading over previous posts from the past few days, it seems I really did officially hit my wall. That wall can be emotional for some, physical for others and for me, I think it was both. Your body does get run down and if you let it, your spirit can get broken down too.
Onwards and upwards!
Calories burned: 3457 not including pool classes.
9:30AM: Breakfast
10:15AM: Stretch
11:15AM: H20 Intervals or Cardio Intervals
12:15PM: Lunch
1:15PM: Prep for next week at FR
2:30PM: Liquid Moves
3:30PM: Circuit Training
4:30PM: Cardio Disco Jam
5:45PM: Dinner
I hit the gym today instead of the hike and did more than I've ever managed before. I went longer on the elliptical, I ran a bit on the treadmill, I did lots of weights and just enjoyed myself in there. It was completely empty today and I was able to hook up the sound system to my ipod. There's nothing more enjoyable than having an entire gym to yourself and being able to listen to your music pumped up on a nice speaker system. ;)
So I planned on weighing myself again today. I tried to make certain that I had optimum weighing conditions present again before I weighed in but unfortunately I'm pretty sure I have my period. I say this because I've been experiencing some spotty periods in the past few years when before I had always been super regular, on time, etc; As I've gotten older though, I've noticed that I spot a bit between periods (sorry to be so graphic) which makes me think I have my period but I really don't. I believe this is what happened at the beginning of the month when I thought I had my period.
Don't worry folks, I had it checked out and I don't have uterine fibroids or anything like that. The doctor hasn't really said why it's occurring but I've been monitoring it and a friend of mine is going through the same thing. Maybe it's just something that happens as you get older. I'll keep an eye on it though.
Anyhoo.. so I have my period so I don't know if that affected my weigh in but the weigh in was a bit of a disappointment. If you recall, my first weigh in, I didn't want to know my weight. I got weighed, didn't look and they adjusted my polar watch for me. 3 days later I couldn't wait any longer and weighed in and saw that I had lost 8 pounds in my first 10 days. I was happy but not ecstatic about that but it was a good enough number to keep me motivated.
So 7 days later I weighed in again and this time, the scale told me I had lost 3 more pounds. I was very disappointed with those 3 piddly pounds but I guess I should be pretty happy considering that I have my period and I also did miss a few days when I was injured and then sick. I also didn't eat almost anything and may have screwed up my metabolism during those days. Who knows. So my total weight loss is currently 11 pounds, which is nothing to sneeze at but compared to a lot of people here, it's only alright. Granted, the heavier you are the more you have to lose but it's still disappointing when you hear that other people have lost 10 pounds in a week etc;
Since I weighed myself in, I missed breakfast and just managed to grab a banana to tide me over until lunch. I headed towards my stretch class with my banana in hand and placed my precious banana by my side as I enjoyed my stretch class. I reaaaalllly need to find something similar once I get home. Stretch class is always wonderful no matter what instructor you have.
After stretch I opted for cardio intervals because it was pretty cool and windy out. Note to my blog readers: If it's a cold day, get to class EARLY if you're not going to go into the pool. Most likely the gym will be nearly full. Cardio intervals is a tough tough class. Don't think you're done once your intervals are done. Oh no. After you're done 'interval-ing,' they throw in some speed and resistance drills. They do this by asking us to visualize that we're going over little hills. Going up the hill is when you increase your resistance... once you reach the top you coast for a minute or so and then going down the hill you are going super fast. They even make us positively compete with the other people in the class who are on different machines. It's great though because cheering each other on really does spur the other group to push harder.
I had some work to do in my room so I called the front desk to request to have my lunch boxed so I could eat in my room while I worked. It was an ok lunch. It was 2 slices of whole wheat toast with a bean, oats and turkey mixture on top with a side of salad and a broccoli soup. Let me tell you now that that bean sandwich concoction wreaked havoc on my system. I was breaking wind all day long and a friend of mine who had been constipated for nearly a week finally had a BM because of it. lol. The power of beans!
I decided to skip the lecture for next week's prep because generally the same stuff happens at all of those meetings. We're told to be nice to the newbies, we're given our schedules and we have a roundabout discussion about what happened and what we learned during the week. I was able to pick up my next week's schedule later on and catching one class worth's of shut eye really helps out in the afternoon when you've got 3 tough classes in a row.
The only problem was that I ended up missing my pool class as well. My roommate found me face down on the bed fast asleep. That's when she told me she was going to challenge me and make sure I made every single one of my classes next week (barring lectures and hikes/gym can be supplemented for one another) To be honest, I had originally been planning on doing that for my last week as well BUT to be completely honest, that intent doesn't mean that I would have done it. Being tired and sleep deprived can really take a toll on you and weaken the hell out of your will.
My roomie's been so great and such an inspiration that I really don't want to disappoint her. She has been so positive and has had such faith in me that I'm going to try my darndest to not miss a thing. So after my nap I had plenty of energy for my next two classes.
Circuit was circuit. It's an enjoyable class. I made certain that every time I was on the treadmill for the 2 minutes that I was running. Unfortunately, I don't think that I'll be leaving FR with the ability to run a mile but I'm definitely going to be on my way!
Cardio Disco Jam was a lot of fun this week. Apparently John has a lot more moves and outfits in his closet and repertoire than I expected! Today he was wearing a holographic zebra striped shirt and pleather bell bottoms. Truly fabulous. :) He also mixed it up by throwing in some new dance moves as well. I kept my shades on during the class to keep it cool. lol. I think I did better this time than I did last time; the moves were much more dancey and fun. I'm never going to be able to do that two-way pivot he always throws in for extra flair though.
I had my dinner wrapped up again and ate it in my room. This time I was just being anti-social I think. My roomie says that being in my room and hibernating is just too comfortable for me so I need to break out of it. She also mentioned that a lot of people are asking where I am. lol. She's a wise lady with many good points. ;)
Here are some random points I'd like to touch up on:
* There's a lot of Canadians here at FR and all of them have been super nice so far. Must be something in the water. :) It's also way cute when they say, eh?
* The arch on my foot has become more defined. Cool, eh?
* I over packed and am now contemplating having my luggage shipped home so I don't have to suffer on the way home. Lots of the stuff I brought with me I never even used. It would have been wiser for me to leave my lotions and potions at home and picked up mini versions of them during the Target runs that they have on Saturday.
* Unless you sweat a lot, try to think up outfits that you can wear once a week if you're staying for multiple weeks. Socks can be washed in the sink so don't buy too many pairs. We also have a drying line for clothes in our showers so you don't really need a drying rack or anything like that.
* On Sundays, people leave things in the laundry room that they brought but don't want to bring home. You'll find lots of handy things in there. It varies each time you're there because you just don't know what people are going to leave behind. Don't just take though, share the love so this tradition can keep going. I've seen:
Dryer Sheets
Laundry detergent
Theraflu
Shampoo & Conditioner
Antiperspirant spray
Packets of tissue
Epsom Salts
Tampons
Bath Oil
Baby Powder
Lotion
Hangers (FR provides you with a piddly 4 hangers when you arrive)
* Reading over previous posts from the past few days, it seems I really did officially hit my wall. That wall can be emotional for some, physical for others and for me, I think it was both. Your body does get run down and if you let it, your spirit can get broken down too.
Onwards and upwards!
Calories burned: 3457 not including pool classes.
Day 18: :) Smile smile smile
Hey everyone! Sorry to leave you hanging but since I've been back in the saddle, I've been really tired. So the next 4 days will be written in retrospect. Good thing I took notes! (very short brief notes but notes nonetheless!)
Schedule:
6:30AM: Hike (I went to the gym)
9:30AM: Breakfast
10:15AM: Open Gym
11:15AM: Liquid Moves or Gym Class
12:45PM: Lunch
1:45PM: Open Gym
2:30PM: Ball Works
3:30PM: Treading
4:30PM: Total Body H20
5:45PM: Dinner
6:15PM: Increasing Your Income
Soooooo. I overslept today. Yup yup. My body said,"I iz tired." So I listened and got another hour or two of sleep in. Since I missed the hike, I made certain to go to all the rest of my classes and pumped it up a notch to make up for the slack.
Breakfast was that yucky muesli so I had cereal again. For open gym I did 35 minutes on the elliptical and managed to squeeze in a few minutes in of weights Generally, all classes here last for 45 minutes. Breaks (I say that loosely) are 15 minutes between classes. If you don't need to change for a pool class, you can usually get a quick bathroom break or sit down for a few minutes before you should file in to prep for your next class. As one of the instructors say, "If you're on time, you're late." Most classes you need to grab stuff to start the class or just center yourself or something. You may have to grab mats, weights, take off your sneakers, etc; No one yells at you for being late but you can miss out on your favorite machine or a good spot for your mat if you're late. I would say I'm late as often as I'm on time. Usually only by a few minutes but still! I have work to do while I'm here so I pop up to check work emails between classes a lot.
Gym class is different from Open Gym. The way my schedule looked, it seemed like it'd be a full day in the gym but gym class is intense. It's like a mixture of cardio intervals and circuit. Burned lots of calories in that class.
Wow, really trying to wrack my brain for what exactly happened but I can't remember exact details. This is why you need to write down things as they happen otherwise the details just slip away!! Sorry folks!
Ever since we switched to this new summer schedule, I've noticed that the pool classes are more difficult than they used to be. Variation is good. Strangely enough though, it's actually been cooler than it has been in the past few weeks. So the pool classes are a bit more uncomfortable since the air is so cold. Remember though, you always have the option to jump into the hot tub for a few minutes to warm up if you need to. There's also saunas (both a wet and a dry one) to the right of the hot tub but you almost never see anyone in there.
Another thing regarding the weather. Since I'm from the east coast and it can get quite humid there, the temperatures have been throwing me off a bit. When I see 75-80 degrees, I know that in NJ, it's a really comfortable warm temperature. However, here in Utah, 75-80 degrees can be pretty cool if you're not in direct sunlight. When I had originally tried to book my trip, I wanted to book in April because I saw that the standard temperatures in May were in the 90s. Well... temperatures in the 90s normally is terrifyingly hot for heat sensitive-moi but here in Utah, temps in the 90s is divine. Just don't forget the sunscreen!
Lunch was yummy. It was a turkey sandwich that they pump up with alfalfa sprouts (you don't even taste them and they are super nutritious) and the most delicious mushroom soup. It was chunky and very flavorful. For lunch today, I opted to sit by myself. I walked into the dining room and saw that there weren't too many people there and I really didn't feel like talking. So I just sat down at an empty table and ate. It was nice surprisingly. It was peaceful and I finished my food way faster than if I had sat with anyone else.
Ball works.. I still don't really like that class too much. Perhaps it's my lack of core strength and balance but even with a great instructor (Sharon), it's not a class that I look forward to. Had treading after ball works and it was AMAZING. Seriously, I absolutely love that class. It's hard as heck but you can NOT beat the euphoria and feel good endorphins you experience after the class is done. I've always strived towards that runner's high or exercise endorphins you hear about all the time but it wasn't until this class that I ever experienced it. I always leave that class smiling. ;) It was exciting because I got up to 130 rpm on the recumbent bike that I was on and when I got off, there was actually 2 baby drops of sweat on the back seat! (I NEVER sweat, I'm a freak of nature I swear, I can be working my ass off and no droplets will appear on my body) Those baby drops of sweat thrilled the heck out of me. lol.
Another thing about treading is that we are advised to only do it once per week. It's a class where we go anaerobic and it's supposed to help us over plateaus that we may experience while we're losing weight. Doing it more than once per week isn't good for you and you can lose out on the benefit of the session.
Total Body H20. We kick, we work with weights. It's a pool class. he he. (I can't remember exactly what happened)
Dinner was soooooooooooo good. It was green beans and two stuffed peppers. It was HUGE and so filling and yet it was less than 400 calories. The peppers were stuffed with a ground turkey, corn, oats and veggies stuffing and they were fantastic. Since I was chatting through dinner with another guest, my dinner ran into the lecture and when I saw the dessert real quick (I thought it was warm fruit), I opted to leave it and go. I found out later from my roomie that her friend was wondering why I left the dessert untouched and she joked that people were all thinking about fighting over it.
So funnily enough, after my enthusiastic waterpik post, my darn waterpik stopped working. hmph.
I'm really thankful for my new roomie. Her drive and positive attitude and just the fact that she's so genuinely nice has really improved my experience here. I can't say enough good things about her. I guess just one person who totally has your back here CAN make all the difference.
Anyhow, on to the next post!
Calories burned today: 3438, not including my pool class.
Schedule:
6:30AM: Hike (I went to the gym)
9:30AM: Breakfast
10:15AM: Open Gym
11:15AM: Liquid Moves or Gym Class
12:45PM: Lunch
1:45PM: Open Gym
2:30PM: Ball Works
3:30PM: Treading
4:30PM: Total Body H20
5:45PM: Dinner
6:15PM: Increasing Your Income
Soooooo. I overslept today. Yup yup. My body said,"I iz tired." So I listened and got another hour or two of sleep in. Since I missed the hike, I made certain to go to all the rest of my classes and pumped it up a notch to make up for the slack.
Breakfast was that yucky muesli so I had cereal again. For open gym I did 35 minutes on the elliptical and managed to squeeze in a few minutes in of weights Generally, all classes here last for 45 minutes. Breaks (I say that loosely) are 15 minutes between classes. If you don't need to change for a pool class, you can usually get a quick bathroom break or sit down for a few minutes before you should file in to prep for your next class. As one of the instructors say, "If you're on time, you're late." Most classes you need to grab stuff to start the class or just center yourself or something. You may have to grab mats, weights, take off your sneakers, etc; No one yells at you for being late but you can miss out on your favorite machine or a good spot for your mat if you're late. I would say I'm late as often as I'm on time. Usually only by a few minutes but still! I have work to do while I'm here so I pop up to check work emails between classes a lot.
Gym class is different from Open Gym. The way my schedule looked, it seemed like it'd be a full day in the gym but gym class is intense. It's like a mixture of cardio intervals and circuit. Burned lots of calories in that class.
Wow, really trying to wrack my brain for what exactly happened but I can't remember exact details. This is why you need to write down things as they happen otherwise the details just slip away!! Sorry folks!
Ever since we switched to this new summer schedule, I've noticed that the pool classes are more difficult than they used to be. Variation is good. Strangely enough though, it's actually been cooler than it has been in the past few weeks. So the pool classes are a bit more uncomfortable since the air is so cold. Remember though, you always have the option to jump into the hot tub for a few minutes to warm up if you need to. There's also saunas (both a wet and a dry one) to the right of the hot tub but you almost never see anyone in there.
Another thing regarding the weather. Since I'm from the east coast and it can get quite humid there, the temperatures have been throwing me off a bit. When I see 75-80 degrees, I know that in NJ, it's a really comfortable warm temperature. However, here in Utah, 75-80 degrees can be pretty cool if you're not in direct sunlight. When I had originally tried to book my trip, I wanted to book in April because I saw that the standard temperatures in May were in the 90s. Well... temperatures in the 90s normally is terrifyingly hot for heat sensitive-moi but here in Utah, temps in the 90s is divine. Just don't forget the sunscreen!
Lunch was yummy. It was a turkey sandwich that they pump up with alfalfa sprouts (you don't even taste them and they are super nutritious) and the most delicious mushroom soup. It was chunky and very flavorful. For lunch today, I opted to sit by myself. I walked into the dining room and saw that there weren't too many people there and I really didn't feel like talking. So I just sat down at an empty table and ate. It was nice surprisingly. It was peaceful and I finished my food way faster than if I had sat with anyone else.
Ball works.. I still don't really like that class too much. Perhaps it's my lack of core strength and balance but even with a great instructor (Sharon), it's not a class that I look forward to. Had treading after ball works and it was AMAZING. Seriously, I absolutely love that class. It's hard as heck but you can NOT beat the euphoria and feel good endorphins you experience after the class is done. I've always strived towards that runner's high or exercise endorphins you hear about all the time but it wasn't until this class that I ever experienced it. I always leave that class smiling. ;) It was exciting because I got up to 130 rpm on the recumbent bike that I was on and when I got off, there was actually 2 baby drops of sweat on the back seat! (I NEVER sweat, I'm a freak of nature I swear, I can be working my ass off and no droplets will appear on my body) Those baby drops of sweat thrilled the heck out of me. lol.
Another thing about treading is that we are advised to only do it once per week. It's a class where we go anaerobic and it's supposed to help us over plateaus that we may experience while we're losing weight. Doing it more than once per week isn't good for you and you can lose out on the benefit of the session.
Total Body H20. We kick, we work with weights. It's a pool class. he he. (I can't remember exactly what happened)
Dinner was soooooooooooo good. It was green beans and two stuffed peppers. It was HUGE and so filling and yet it was less than 400 calories. The peppers were stuffed with a ground turkey, corn, oats and veggies stuffing and they were fantastic. Since I was chatting through dinner with another guest, my dinner ran into the lecture and when I saw the dessert real quick (I thought it was warm fruit), I opted to leave it and go. I found out later from my roomie that her friend was wondering why I left the dessert untouched and she joked that people were all thinking about fighting over it.
So funnily enough, after my enthusiastic waterpik post, my darn waterpik stopped working. hmph.
I'm really thankful for my new roomie. Her drive and positive attitude and just the fact that she's so genuinely nice has really improved my experience here. I can't say enough good things about her. I guess just one person who totally has your back here CAN make all the difference.
Anyhow, on to the next post!
Calories burned today: 3438, not including my pool class.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Day 17: Breaking Through That Wall!!
A Brand New Day!
So I didn't go on the hike today and opted instead to go to the gym just in case I needed the bathroom. I had a really productive time in the gym and managed to burn lots of calories in there! Btw, 'Evil D' arrived at the same time I did. We were the only ones in the gym for the first 45 minutes or so until some of the other trainers came in for their morning workouts. I ignored her and she ignored me. Cool beans.
So, I warmed up and did 30 minutes on the Nustep and then I did 45 minutes of weights. I worked on my abs, obliques, triceps, biceps, deltoids, chest muscle thingies, glutes, inner thigh and hip abductor muscles. After the 45 minutes worth of weights workout, I hopped back onto my exercise nemesis (though he's quickly becoming a buddy), the elliptical machine! I did 30 minutes again and was even late for breakfast because I wanted to do a minimum of 30 minutes again. I felt great afterwards. :)
Brekkie this morning was an english muffin with a turkey 'sausage' and eggs and salsa. It was pretty good but my stomach started lurching a bit so I only ate half. The turkey sausage was more like a teeny tiny ground turkey meat patty. It was a little bit larger than the size of a half dollar. Seriously. lol. What's neat was there were tiny bites of apple in it. You'd think it be strange but it really went well together. Will definitely be trying this at home.
After breakfast, we had a nutrition workshop that was new where we learned to read our labels properly. Seriously, the FDA is one corrupt mofo letting all these horrible companies get away with murder... literally! There are so many different names for all sorts of unhealthy stuff like sugar and fats and whatnot. It really seems far better to just stay away from all processed foods and really try to stay true to the source. There's so much unhealthy crap in all processed foods it's freaking scary.
Saw one of my friends walking to class in a dazed state today. Asked her how she was. Exhausted was her answer. She was telling me how tired she was and how badly she wanted to take a nap. She's here for 4 weeks as well and I told her that if she really needed a nap, then she should take a short nap. I don't think they mean to do so but the fear of missing classes is really strong here. That and the peer pressure/group mentality. It's both helpful and hurtful in a way.
Our schedule here is so tough on our bodies and if you're here for a long period of time, it's truly unrealistic and possibly even unhealthy to be sleep deprived and physically exhausted for so long. If you speak to any trainers about it, even THEY will tell you to listen to your bodies. So listen to your body!
After the workshop, we had stretch. Aaaaahhhhh. Love it. They've really been incorporating more stretch classes into our schedules which many would agree is a good thing. The only thing is that because there are so many people here and limited workout space, we can't all technically have stretch at the most opportune times. Stretch would be perfect after hikes or after other rigorous classes when our muscles are warmed up but unfortunately it's not always possible. Oh well.
I did notice that it seems like they're prepping for another construction site. There's been whispers of them building an indoor pool too. Don't know how much truth is in the rumors but this place is booked out so far ahead in the future that they really should and CAN expand.
Had lunch right after stretch and it was pretty good. A barbecue 'pizza' (you know it's faux if I use those quotes) and beet soup. Also pretty good. Since they've changed our schedules recently, it's kind of annoying that breakfast and lunch are so close together. Another oh well.
For those that are worried about any of the foods here staining your braces. (Probably a very small percentage of you, lol) You are good to go! I was worried mostly about the beet soup that they have here staining my ceramic braces or my bands but everything was fine. Thankfully! I would be mortified if I had to walk around here for another 2 weeks with neon pink teeth.If you can spring for it though, I highly recommend bringing your waterpik to FR. All these veggies and stuff get stuck in the braces like no tomorrow. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have my waterpik! I've already walked around here like several times with food stuck in my teeth while talking to people. Embarassing!!
So after lunch there was an optional trip for us long timer folks to go to the grocery store with the nutritionist to learn about shopping for groceries. I saw that 'Evil D' was going so I decided not to go. I know all that stuff anyway. Being on a diet for most of your life, you pick up things. Stay on the outskirts of the supermarket, don't venture into the middle, that's all processed stuff, whole wheat, fresh veggies, frozen veggies. I know it all already. I'll talk with one of the ladies later to make sure I didn't miss anything.(update: I didn't miss anything.)
After lunch, I had mountain, which is my least favorite class. I got there a bit late so I had to use one of the treadmills. I gave it my all but by the end my calf started getting tight and hurting again. Crapola.
After mountain I ventured into the pool for the H20 Circuit. It was with John and it was intense! The water was chilly but thankfully the air was warm today. I stayed in the shallow end and floated/sat on a noodle while doing the exercises. Water circuit goes a bit like this: You do a few minutes of cardio (kicking in the water for a few minutes while holding onto the edge of the pool or running back and forth in the pool) and then you do a few minutes of weights. (We have water weights here that you hold underneath the water and do regular weight type exercises like bicep curls, tricep dips, etc;) That's the gist of the class. John also lets us do this thing he calls frolicking at the end of class where he plays music and we do a few synchronized movements with the noodles in the air. Fun stuff. ;)
After the pool class I headed towards kickboxing. That's always a fun but very intense class. Sharon is a bundle of energy, it's amazing. We punch, kick, hit, jab these upright bodybag type things and hop around. It's more intense than you would think and gives a great workout. The class always goes by super fast too which is great. Also, during the class you get a mini massage. You hold the upright bodybag with your back and your partner pummels the crap out of it. A free massage! So when you get a partner, look for one that looks strong. lol.
After kickboxing was dinner. It was a salad. Meh. You really had to dig deeply into the salad to find the 3 slices of chicken breasts hidden within. It wasn't the most filling of dinners that's for sure. Dinner was a mango sorbet that was pretty sour. It was cold though so I ate it.
One great thing though is that my roomie and I will be in the same room for the rest of my stay so I'm looking forward to that. We get along really well and she's super cheerful and sweet. A real inspiration too, she's been kicking @ss in all her classes, it's amazing. Anyhow, going to relax for tonight. I don't think I'm going on the hike tomorrow because it's one of those scary, high intense hikes but I'll make certain to be kicking bum in the gym.
I really think I'm over what they call here, 'The Wall.' Apparently it hits all of us that are here for an extended period of time. Those that come for just a week or two can't understand. That wall can be a mental AND physical block depending on your personal experience. Who knows though, I've still got another week and a half to go! I'm excited about getting home and continuing everything I've learned though. Really excited. I can't wait to get all this fat off me. :) Good night!!
3435 calories burned today!
So I didn't go on the hike today and opted instead to go to the gym just in case I needed the bathroom. I had a really productive time in the gym and managed to burn lots of calories in there! Btw, 'Evil D' arrived at the same time I did. We were the only ones in the gym for the first 45 minutes or so until some of the other trainers came in for their morning workouts. I ignored her and she ignored me. Cool beans.
So, I warmed up and did 30 minutes on the Nustep and then I did 45 minutes of weights. I worked on my abs, obliques, triceps, biceps, deltoids, chest muscle thingies, glutes, inner thigh and hip abductor muscles. After the 45 minutes worth of weights workout, I hopped back onto my exercise nemesis (though he's quickly becoming a buddy), the elliptical machine! I did 30 minutes again and was even late for breakfast because I wanted to do a minimum of 30 minutes again. I felt great afterwards. :)
Brekkie this morning was an english muffin with a turkey 'sausage' and eggs and salsa. It was pretty good but my stomach started lurching a bit so I only ate half. The turkey sausage was more like a teeny tiny ground turkey meat patty. It was a little bit larger than the size of a half dollar. Seriously. lol. What's neat was there were tiny bites of apple in it. You'd think it be strange but it really went well together. Will definitely be trying this at home.
After breakfast, we had a nutrition workshop that was new where we learned to read our labels properly. Seriously, the FDA is one corrupt mofo letting all these horrible companies get away with murder... literally! There are so many different names for all sorts of unhealthy stuff like sugar and fats and whatnot. It really seems far better to just stay away from all processed foods and really try to stay true to the source. There's so much unhealthy crap in all processed foods it's freaking scary.
Saw one of my friends walking to class in a dazed state today. Asked her how she was. Exhausted was her answer. She was telling me how tired she was and how badly she wanted to take a nap. She's here for 4 weeks as well and I told her that if she really needed a nap, then she should take a short nap. I don't think they mean to do so but the fear of missing classes is really strong here. That and the peer pressure/group mentality. It's both helpful and hurtful in a way.
Our schedule here is so tough on our bodies and if you're here for a long period of time, it's truly unrealistic and possibly even unhealthy to be sleep deprived and physically exhausted for so long. If you speak to any trainers about it, even THEY will tell you to listen to your bodies. So listen to your body!
After the workshop, we had stretch. Aaaaahhhhh. Love it. They've really been incorporating more stretch classes into our schedules which many would agree is a good thing. The only thing is that because there are so many people here and limited workout space, we can't all technically have stretch at the most opportune times. Stretch would be perfect after hikes or after other rigorous classes when our muscles are warmed up but unfortunately it's not always possible. Oh well.
I did notice that it seems like they're prepping for another construction site. There's been whispers of them building an indoor pool too. Don't know how much truth is in the rumors but this place is booked out so far ahead in the future that they really should and CAN expand.
Had lunch right after stretch and it was pretty good. A barbecue 'pizza' (you know it's faux if I use those quotes) and beet soup. Also pretty good. Since they've changed our schedules recently, it's kind of annoying that breakfast and lunch are so close together. Another oh well.
For those that are worried about any of the foods here staining your braces. (Probably a very small percentage of you, lol) You are good to go! I was worried mostly about the beet soup that they have here staining my ceramic braces or my bands but everything was fine. Thankfully! I would be mortified if I had to walk around here for another 2 weeks with neon pink teeth.If you can spring for it though, I highly recommend bringing your waterpik to FR. All these veggies and stuff get stuck in the braces like no tomorrow. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have my waterpik! I've already walked around here like several times with food stuck in my teeth while talking to people. Embarassing!!
So after lunch there was an optional trip for us long timer folks to go to the grocery store with the nutritionist to learn about shopping for groceries. I saw that 'Evil D' was going so I decided not to go. I know all that stuff anyway. Being on a diet for most of your life, you pick up things. Stay on the outskirts of the supermarket, don't venture into the middle, that's all processed stuff, whole wheat, fresh veggies, frozen veggies. I know it all already. I'll talk with one of the ladies later to make sure I didn't miss anything.(update: I didn't miss anything.)
After lunch, I had mountain, which is my least favorite class. I got there a bit late so I had to use one of the treadmills. I gave it my all but by the end my calf started getting tight and hurting again. Crapola.
After mountain I ventured into the pool for the H20 Circuit. It was with John and it was intense! The water was chilly but thankfully the air was warm today. I stayed in the shallow end and floated/sat on a noodle while doing the exercises. Water circuit goes a bit like this: You do a few minutes of cardio (kicking in the water for a few minutes while holding onto the edge of the pool or running back and forth in the pool) and then you do a few minutes of weights. (We have water weights here that you hold underneath the water and do regular weight type exercises like bicep curls, tricep dips, etc;) That's the gist of the class. John also lets us do this thing he calls frolicking at the end of class where he plays music and we do a few synchronized movements with the noodles in the air. Fun stuff. ;)
After the pool class I headed towards kickboxing. That's always a fun but very intense class. Sharon is a bundle of energy, it's amazing. We punch, kick, hit, jab these upright bodybag type things and hop around. It's more intense than you would think and gives a great workout. The class always goes by super fast too which is great. Also, during the class you get a mini massage. You hold the upright bodybag with your back and your partner pummels the crap out of it. A free massage! So when you get a partner, look for one that looks strong. lol.
After kickboxing was dinner. It was a salad. Meh. You really had to dig deeply into the salad to find the 3 slices of chicken breasts hidden within. It wasn't the most filling of dinners that's for sure. Dinner was a mango sorbet that was pretty sour. It was cold though so I ate it.
One great thing though is that my roomie and I will be in the same room for the rest of my stay so I'm looking forward to that. We get along really well and she's super cheerful and sweet. A real inspiration too, she's been kicking @ss in all her classes, it's amazing. Anyhow, going to relax for tonight. I don't think I'm going on the hike tomorrow because it's one of those scary, high intense hikes but I'll make certain to be kicking bum in the gym.
I really think I'm over what they call here, 'The Wall.' Apparently it hits all of us that are here for an extended period of time. Those that come for just a week or two can't understand. That wall can be a mental AND physical block depending on your personal experience. Who knows though, I've still got another week and a half to go! I'm excited about getting home and continuing everything I've learned though. Really excited. I can't wait to get all this fat off me. :) Good night!!
3435 calories burned today!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Day 16: I WILL Survive! (Emphasis on Will)
Hello everyone!
Just wanted to give you a quick update during the day regarding my status.
I'm feeling better but I'm not yet 100%. I've taken a few more doses of my aqua friend Imodium AD and I've made certain to stay hydrated but my belly is still burbling like a brook every now and then.
The staff here has been really kind and there must've been some sort of announcement because everyone's asking how I feel. I no longer feel guilty. I appreciate their concern.
I didn't make it on the hike today but I headed to the gym to test the waters a bit. I was really worried that I had lost my fitness during my sick break from FR and while it may have dimmed a tiny bit, it's not gone thankfully. :)
In fact I was really proud today because I did something I've never been able to do! After I did 30 minutes on the Nustep recumbent elliptical, I managed to do 30 minutes on a regular old elliptical machine!!! It was hard but I pushed through and I think I might have been able to keep going if I didn't have to stop for breakfast. 'P,' you know how I've always had a mental block against the durn machine! For years I had never been able to do more than 5 minutes at one time on the elliptical... even when I was thinner. I had worked my way up to 10 minutes, then 15, then 20 minutes during my time here at FR and today even with a broken belly, I did 30 minutes!! Yay!! I have an open gym later today so I think I'm going to do some weights and attempt my couch to 5k program though to be honest, I don't know how that's going to feel on my stomach. I'll give it a try though!
I ate just a bit of my breakfast. Today it was an english muffin with a smoothie but I opted out of that and had my old standard cereal with a banana. After a few bites, my belly wasn't reacting too well. So I stopped eating. I'll eat a bit more at lunch and see if I can handle that. (really random but I just had an extreme sense of deja vu... like I had dreamed about FR before I ever came here. Weird)
So I've made a decision regarding my stay here at FR. Since everyone has stressed to me the importance of 'ME' and 'MY' experience here, I've decided that I'm going to follow the program that they have set up here on my terms. My ultimate goal is to leave FR a few pounds lighter but fit enough to handle a workout regime at home and wiser about my choices regarding food and portion control. I want to lose at least 50 pounds if not more and that's going to take time. Months and possibly even a year or more in fact. I know this and I accept this and I will do my darnedest to make it happen.
The schedule here is ridiculously rigorous. Add the social factor in and it was causing me a lot of stress. I'm naturally a bubbly and social person but I've been a bit washed out personality wise since I've been here. This was my first time completely alone and away from home and this crazy regime on my body had me reeling. I think my getting sick was the break that my body was telling me I needed mentally and physically. On one of my days off here, I found a Barnes & Noble and I stayed there from opening to closing and just read and I really enjoyed myself. Being here makes me really value the alone time that I need to be centered and balanced.
Anyhow! So I will be going to some of my classes but not all of them. My first week here I burned myself out. I missed just the one class and I felt horribly guilty. My second week here my body got sick and my will just gave up. I really felt horrible and I wanted to just hide away from everything.
Well, I'm back... but on my terms. I'm going to push my body because I want to get stronger. I'm going to push myself because I'm happy that I'm making my family and friends proud. However, I'm not going to push myself out of wack just for the sake of this schedule or a t-shirt. I value my happiness and I value my sanity. I value myself.
With that said I just want to say that I really enjoy my solo gym jaunts. I also really enjoy the classes where I can be quiet and just focus on breathing, be it something calm like stretch or something intense where I'm trying to catch my breath like cardio intervals.
I'll update later on the rest of my day but I think my drive is back. ;) Now as long as my belly behaves...
**Update**
After my solo gym jaunt and breakfast, I headed towards stretch. No matter who teaches it, it's always a great class. I really hope that I'm getting more flexible but this is definitely a class that I'll want to try to find once I get home. I'm not flexible at all but I hope to be! It's just so nice and relaxing and is perfect after working out.
I avoided all pool classes today because my stomach is still sensitive and I attended the free weight workshop last week so afterwards I headed towards lunch. Once again, I could only eat a little bit before my stomach started acting up. Lunch was a butternut squash soup with what they called a rainbow sammie. It's just a sandwich with a lot of different veggies in it. I just had the squash soup and a slice of wheat toast to be easy on the belly.
After lunch we had a calorie challenge and a cooking demo lecture. Chef Cameron always makes it all look so easy! I can't wait to get home to try some of these recipes out. :) After the demo, there was a pool class and cardio intervals. Since I was skipping the pool classes today, I headed up to my room to take a quick nap. Slept through my alarm but thankfully my roomie woke me up in time for Total Toning. Speaking of which, I'm really loving my new roomie. My last two roomies have been really great. 'K' is a bundle of happy positive energy and I really hope that they let us stay together for my last two weeks here. :)
Total toning with Ann-Marie was great. A difficult class but not impossible. She's so smiley too. After TT, I had dinner but I could only have a few bites again. I'm guessing that I'm going to be ravenous tomorrow. Good thing that we're calorie controlled here!
So instead of watching The Biggest Loser downstairs with everyone, I opted to come up to my room to watch it a bit. Going to rest soon and looking forward to tomorrow!
Calories burned today: 3087
Just wanted to give you a quick update during the day regarding my status.
I'm feeling better but I'm not yet 100%. I've taken a few more doses of my aqua friend Imodium AD and I've made certain to stay hydrated but my belly is still burbling like a brook every now and then.
The staff here has been really kind and there must've been some sort of announcement because everyone's asking how I feel. I no longer feel guilty. I appreciate their concern.
I didn't make it on the hike today but I headed to the gym to test the waters a bit. I was really worried that I had lost my fitness during my sick break from FR and while it may have dimmed a tiny bit, it's not gone thankfully. :)
In fact I was really proud today because I did something I've never been able to do! After I did 30 minutes on the Nustep recumbent elliptical, I managed to do 30 minutes on a regular old elliptical machine!!! It was hard but I pushed through and I think I might have been able to keep going if I didn't have to stop for breakfast. 'P,' you know how I've always had a mental block against the durn machine! For years I had never been able to do more than 5 minutes at one time on the elliptical... even when I was thinner. I had worked my way up to 10 minutes, then 15, then 20 minutes during my time here at FR and today even with a broken belly, I did 30 minutes!! Yay!! I have an open gym later today so I think I'm going to do some weights and attempt my couch to 5k program though to be honest, I don't know how that's going to feel on my stomach. I'll give it a try though!
I ate just a bit of my breakfast. Today it was an english muffin with a smoothie but I opted out of that and had my old standard cereal with a banana. After a few bites, my belly wasn't reacting too well. So I stopped eating. I'll eat a bit more at lunch and see if I can handle that. (really random but I just had an extreme sense of deja vu... like I had dreamed about FR before I ever came here. Weird)
So I've made a decision regarding my stay here at FR. Since everyone has stressed to me the importance of 'ME' and 'MY' experience here, I've decided that I'm going to follow the program that they have set up here on my terms. My ultimate goal is to leave FR a few pounds lighter but fit enough to handle a workout regime at home and wiser about my choices regarding food and portion control. I want to lose at least 50 pounds if not more and that's going to take time. Months and possibly even a year or more in fact. I know this and I accept this and I will do my darnedest to make it happen.
The schedule here is ridiculously rigorous. Add the social factor in and it was causing me a lot of stress. I'm naturally a bubbly and social person but I've been a bit washed out personality wise since I've been here. This was my first time completely alone and away from home and this crazy regime on my body had me reeling. I think my getting sick was the break that my body was telling me I needed mentally and physically. On one of my days off here, I found a Barnes & Noble and I stayed there from opening to closing and just read and I really enjoyed myself. Being here makes me really value the alone time that I need to be centered and balanced.
Anyhow! So I will be going to some of my classes but not all of them. My first week here I burned myself out. I missed just the one class and I felt horribly guilty. My second week here my body got sick and my will just gave up. I really felt horrible and I wanted to just hide away from everything.
Well, I'm back... but on my terms. I'm going to push my body because I want to get stronger. I'm going to push myself because I'm happy that I'm making my family and friends proud. However, I'm not going to push myself out of wack just for the sake of this schedule or a t-shirt. I value my happiness and I value my sanity. I value myself.
With that said I just want to say that I really enjoy my solo gym jaunts. I also really enjoy the classes where I can be quiet and just focus on breathing, be it something calm like stretch or something intense where I'm trying to catch my breath like cardio intervals.
I'll update later on the rest of my day but I think my drive is back. ;) Now as long as my belly behaves...
**Update**
After my solo gym jaunt and breakfast, I headed towards stretch. No matter who teaches it, it's always a great class. I really hope that I'm getting more flexible but this is definitely a class that I'll want to try to find once I get home. I'm not flexible at all but I hope to be! It's just so nice and relaxing and is perfect after working out.
I avoided all pool classes today because my stomach is still sensitive and I attended the free weight workshop last week so afterwards I headed towards lunch. Once again, I could only eat a little bit before my stomach started acting up. Lunch was a butternut squash soup with what they called a rainbow sammie. It's just a sandwich with a lot of different veggies in it. I just had the squash soup and a slice of wheat toast to be easy on the belly.
After lunch we had a calorie challenge and a cooking demo lecture. Chef Cameron always makes it all look so easy! I can't wait to get home to try some of these recipes out. :) After the demo, there was a pool class and cardio intervals. Since I was skipping the pool classes today, I headed up to my room to take a quick nap. Slept through my alarm but thankfully my roomie woke me up in time for Total Toning. Speaking of which, I'm really loving my new roomie. My last two roomies have been really great. 'K' is a bundle of happy positive energy and I really hope that they let us stay together for my last two weeks here. :)
Total toning with Ann-Marie was great. A difficult class but not impossible. She's so smiley too. After TT, I had dinner but I could only have a few bites again. I'm guessing that I'm going to be ravenous tomorrow. Good thing that we're calorie controlled here!
So instead of watching The Biggest Loser downstairs with everyone, I opted to come up to my room to watch it a bit. Going to rest soon and looking forward to tomorrow!
Calories burned today: 3087
Monday, May 17, 2010
Day 15: Getting frustrated
Last night I felt almost completely better and I was really excited about our new schedule and jumping right back into everything. However in the evening something went wrong with my stomach. It's been gurgling and twisting and I can't stop making bathroom runs. I have no appetite either and though I woke up at 5:30AM gearing up for the hike this morning, the thought of being somewhere without any access to the bathroom deterred me.
So I decided to go to the gym but right before I left I had to make another bathroom run. (sorry to be so graphic) The thought of moving, much less jumping up or down was making my stomach react badly so I think today may have to be another day of rest for me. My new roomie (yup, they keep switching roomies around on me even though my last roomie is still here) was very nice and offered me some Immodium AD. I don't really feel like eating so I'm just going to keep myself hydrated today and stay close to the bathroom.
I've been lucky with my last two roomies, they both have been very sweet. What's even better about my new roomie is that she loves to read like me (She has one of those Sony Reader/Amazon Kindle things that I want soooo badly!!) and she says that compared to her husband, my snoring is nothing and she slept easy. Just in case, I also provided her with a fresh pair of new earplugs but luckily she doesn't need them! Whew! She's also ok with my baby nightlight. (Yes yes yes, I have a nightlight. The shame! It's a Tinkerbell one too. :P)She seems very nice and I really think we'll get along.
So I did learn something today that I can share with my blog readers. Here's a new tip:
* If you plan on missing any classes here, call the front desk to let the appropriate channels know. This way, you can rest without anyone calling you to see why you're not in class. Also, if you want to stay in your room for the day, let them know and they can bring your meals to your room for you.
I'm really disappointed in my body today and I'm so worried that I'm going to start to lose out on any of the fitness I've gained since I've been here. As long as I'm ok tomorrow, I'm going to throw myself back into everything with a vengeance. I'm going to make certain that I'm going to leave FR a few pounds lighter and in shape. I swear!!
Alright, I'm going to crawl back into my soft bed now. Please send my belly good vibes.
So I decided to go to the gym but right before I left I had to make another bathroom run. (sorry to be so graphic) The thought of moving, much less jumping up or down was making my stomach react badly so I think today may have to be another day of rest for me. My new roomie (yup, they keep switching roomies around on me even though my last roomie is still here) was very nice and offered me some Immodium AD. I don't really feel like eating so I'm just going to keep myself hydrated today and stay close to the bathroom.
I've been lucky with my last two roomies, they both have been very sweet. What's even better about my new roomie is that she loves to read like me (She has one of those Sony Reader/Amazon Kindle things that I want soooo badly!!) and she says that compared to her husband, my snoring is nothing and she slept easy. Just in case, I also provided her with a fresh pair of new earplugs but luckily she doesn't need them! Whew! She's also ok with my baby nightlight. (Yes yes yes, I have a nightlight. The shame! It's a Tinkerbell one too. :P)She seems very nice and I really think we'll get along.
So I did learn something today that I can share with my blog readers. Here's a new tip:
* If you plan on missing any classes here, call the front desk to let the appropriate channels know. This way, you can rest without anyone calling you to see why you're not in class. Also, if you want to stay in your room for the day, let them know and they can bring your meals to your room for you.
I'm really disappointed in my body today and I'm so worried that I'm going to start to lose out on any of the fitness I've gained since I've been here. As long as I'm ok tomorrow, I'm going to throw myself back into everything with a vengeance. I'm going to make certain that I'm going to leave FR a few pounds lighter and in shape. I swear!!
Alright, I'm going to crawl back into my soft bed now. Please send my belly good vibes.
Day 14: Rest Rest Rest
Nothing exciting to report today,I still have the sniffles a bit today but will be spending the day reading and resting. I feel like I'm almost completely better so this is good. Thanks for your support everyone!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Day 13: Arrrrrgh!!!
I am sick. Very very sick. Tossing and turning all night long. Coughing, stuffed up nose. Fever. Hot and cold all day. Lost my voice and missed out on karaoke night. :( I did nothing but sleep and rest & get cold medicine. Sucks.
Day 12: A Better Day
Sorry for all the typos and improper grammar folks! Trust me, it bugs the heck out of me but normally when I'm writing these posts I'm half awake and just struggling to keep my eyes open, much less my brain functioning.
So I couldn't wait any longer today. It's been killing me all week and I decided not to wait until Sunday to weigh in. After I woke up, I put on the same clothes (minus the sneakers) that I had worn when I originally weighed in and shockingly found out that according to the FR scale that I was 193.
So I went into the office and took off my jacket and flip flops and weighed in. I weighed in at 185. :) !! Still a long way from my goal but I was very happy. I hadn't seen any difference in any of my clothes or anything and I was worried that I hadn't lost squat but I lost 8 pounds!! (If I was on my scale at home, it would've read 179, even more exciting, lol) It really boosted my spirits. I had hoped for more in 2 weeks but I'm still very happy with what I got. I also reminded myself that I was able to keep up better in my classes and that my overall fitness has improved since I've been here which is very important in being able to keep this going once I get home.
I went to breakfast and shared the news with a few ladies and got a hi-five from Wayne who said, "I told you your cheeks looked thinner!." lol. If I can manage to lose another 8 pounds while I'm here and not get injured and improve my cardio health even more, I will be pleased as punch. Had a nice chat with a nice lady at brekkie as well. Very thought provoking stuff.
So breakfast today was another one of those fruit parfaits. It was berries, Greek yogurt (Hi Stefy!) and granola and came in at 485 calories. I opted out once again (I'm not a huge fan of the breakfasts here to be honest) and had their cereal with some banana slices. I probably even saved a few calories there.
My leg and feet also felt better this morning so I was thinking that I might be able to do the hike if it wasn't too intense. So I headed up to my room, called 'N' and my parents to tell them the good news and then headed downstairs at 7:59. Well... apparently they were all super early in heading out to the hike today! All the vans had left but thankfully Wayne was still around and was about to set out on his walk around the neighborhood.
It was a nice walk. I think we covered about a mile and a half or so but during the walk, I felt my calf start to feel funny again. Shiz!!! (I'm icing it right now) The walk was nice, we decided to walk to the playground in hopes of finding some swings. Wayne said he hadn't been on any swings in like 30 or more years or something but lo and behold, they had everything, even a kiddie rocking climbing wall and sprinklers but no swings! It was still fun though. On our way back we saw a pretty horse that was super friendly and came up to us and even passed by a chicken farm that had some loose roosters running around.
I headed into the gym with Wayne afterwards so I could get some cardio on and burn some calories. There were just a few people in there and Wayne requested to hear the theme song for The Biggest Loser which I had on my ipod. So I put it on the sound system and he and 'O' danced around to it. Right after the song ended, my arch nemesis Big Evil 'D' who had been walking on a treadmill literally screamed out, "_______, turn down your music, I can't hear my ipod." Holy hell. Granted she had her music on but there were 5 people in there who didn't have any music to listen to and it wasn't that loud. I turned it down and then said to her that she could ask me to turn down the music more politely and she retorted, "I WAS polite."
Afterwards, Wayne taught me some spanish curse words that were very apt about the situation and the person involved. It made me laugh. If she's rude like that to me again, she'll hear it from me. That's a promise. I'm not going to have one woman ruin my experience here. Several other people have told me that they don't like her either because she's rude and mean and walks around like her sh*t don't stink. Just because you have money, doesn't inherently make you a better person.
Anyhow! I did a lot of cardio and weights (did 15 minutes again on that durn elliptical! will try for 20 later) and was in the gym for a bit more than an hour.
Cardio Intervals was next and once I was warmed up, my leg felt a bit better and I really gave that class my all and then some. The class was very positive and I felt really good afterwards. It amazes me that just 2-3 weeks ago, I wouldn't have been able to believe that I'd be able to keep up in classes like this.
Lunch was next, sat with a fun group, which made it even more pleasant and we had parsnip soup and the chicken breast caesar salad. Both were great and I'm very full right now. Throat is still a bit itchy, scratchy but the sniffles are gone at least. I really hope this sore throat goes away!
I found out at lunch that I'm not the only person who's had problems with Evil 'D.' Apparently, she's been giving a lot of people grief and nasty attitudes. Hmph. Doesn't surprise me!
After lunch we had a meeting for the guests that were staying over for the following week and I left a bit early when they started doing the go around where people talk about things that they've learned etc; I was tired and I need a tiny bit of rest before my next class but the main reason I left was because Evil 'D' was there and I don't have any interest in sharing what I have to say with her there, nor do I have any interest in listening to her speak. Don't worry folks, I'm not letting 'D' ruin my experience. It's what I chose to do and how I felt about the situation. I didn't want to be there so after I received my schedule for next week, I left.
The air conditioning wasn't working in our room so the maintenance guy came up to fix stuff. By the time he was done, I was already late for my circuit class so I decided to take a nap until my NEXT circuit class.
So a few random things. We get to sign up for our Saturday hikes here and this Saturday I signed up for Stop Sign. I don't know if I'm nutty or what but I want to give it a try again. With my leg and feet being all sorts of crazy, I don't know how far I'll get but at least I'll give it a try. It's either hike or a 2.5 hour "last chance workout" in the gym.
Another random thing but I've stopped getting acid reflux since I've been here. That's a good thing. It's pretty sad but I know the reason why I was getting it in the first place. I was eating too much, way too late at night and then going to bed. If you've ever had acid reflux, you know how horrible it is. Not being worried about it or experiencing it anymore since I've been here really makes me aware that I DON'T want to experience it anymore once I get home. No more bingeing or eating late at night. Those days are OVER. I want to stick with a get up earlier and workout schedule that I'm on here. Not to the extreme that it is here but a similar modified concept.
Anyhow, it's late and I'm really tired and sicky feeling (nose is stuffed AND running) and we've got no AC so I'm going to try to head to bed. Night!
calories burned today: 3291
So I couldn't wait any longer today. It's been killing me all week and I decided not to wait until Sunday to weigh in. After I woke up, I put on the same clothes (minus the sneakers) that I had worn when I originally weighed in and shockingly found out that according to the FR scale that I was 193.
So I went into the office and took off my jacket and flip flops and weighed in. I weighed in at 185. :) !! Still a long way from my goal but I was very happy. I hadn't seen any difference in any of my clothes or anything and I was worried that I hadn't lost squat but I lost 8 pounds!! (If I was on my scale at home, it would've read 179, even more exciting, lol) It really boosted my spirits. I had hoped for more in 2 weeks but I'm still very happy with what I got. I also reminded myself that I was able to keep up better in my classes and that my overall fitness has improved since I've been here which is very important in being able to keep this going once I get home.
I went to breakfast and shared the news with a few ladies and got a hi-five from Wayne who said, "I told you your cheeks looked thinner!." lol. If I can manage to lose another 8 pounds while I'm here and not get injured and improve my cardio health even more, I will be pleased as punch. Had a nice chat with a nice lady at brekkie as well. Very thought provoking stuff.
So breakfast today was another one of those fruit parfaits. It was berries, Greek yogurt (Hi Stefy!) and granola and came in at 485 calories. I opted out once again (I'm not a huge fan of the breakfasts here to be honest) and had their cereal with some banana slices. I probably even saved a few calories there.
My leg and feet also felt better this morning so I was thinking that I might be able to do the hike if it wasn't too intense. So I headed up to my room, called 'N' and my parents to tell them the good news and then headed downstairs at 7:59. Well... apparently they were all super early in heading out to the hike today! All the vans had left but thankfully Wayne was still around and was about to set out on his walk around the neighborhood.
It was a nice walk. I think we covered about a mile and a half or so but during the walk, I felt my calf start to feel funny again. Shiz!!! (I'm icing it right now) The walk was nice, we decided to walk to the playground in hopes of finding some swings. Wayne said he hadn't been on any swings in like 30 or more years or something but lo and behold, they had everything, even a kiddie rocking climbing wall and sprinklers but no swings! It was still fun though. On our way back we saw a pretty horse that was super friendly and came up to us and even passed by a chicken farm that had some loose roosters running around.
I headed into the gym with Wayne afterwards so I could get some cardio on and burn some calories. There were just a few people in there and Wayne requested to hear the theme song for The Biggest Loser which I had on my ipod. So I put it on the sound system and he and 'O' danced around to it. Right after the song ended, my arch nemesis Big Evil 'D' who had been walking on a treadmill literally screamed out, "_______, turn down your music, I can't hear my ipod." Holy hell. Granted she had her music on but there were 5 people in there who didn't have any music to listen to and it wasn't that loud. I turned it down and then said to her that she could ask me to turn down the music more politely and she retorted, "I WAS polite."
Afterwards, Wayne taught me some spanish curse words that were very apt about the situation and the person involved. It made me laugh. If she's rude like that to me again, she'll hear it from me. That's a promise. I'm not going to have one woman ruin my experience here. Several other people have told me that they don't like her either because she's rude and mean and walks around like her sh*t don't stink. Just because you have money, doesn't inherently make you a better person.
Anyhow! I did a lot of cardio and weights (did 15 minutes again on that durn elliptical! will try for 20 later) and was in the gym for a bit more than an hour.
Cardio Intervals was next and once I was warmed up, my leg felt a bit better and I really gave that class my all and then some. The class was very positive and I felt really good afterwards. It amazes me that just 2-3 weeks ago, I wouldn't have been able to believe that I'd be able to keep up in classes like this.
Lunch was next, sat with a fun group, which made it even more pleasant and we had parsnip soup and the chicken breast caesar salad. Both were great and I'm very full right now. Throat is still a bit itchy, scratchy but the sniffles are gone at least. I really hope this sore throat goes away!
I found out at lunch that I'm not the only person who's had problems with Evil 'D.' Apparently, she's been giving a lot of people grief and nasty attitudes. Hmph. Doesn't surprise me!
After lunch we had a meeting for the guests that were staying over for the following week and I left a bit early when they started doing the go around where people talk about things that they've learned etc; I was tired and I need a tiny bit of rest before my next class but the main reason I left was because Evil 'D' was there and I don't have any interest in sharing what I have to say with her there, nor do I have any interest in listening to her speak. Don't worry folks, I'm not letting 'D' ruin my experience. It's what I chose to do and how I felt about the situation. I didn't want to be there so after I received my schedule for next week, I left.
The air conditioning wasn't working in our room so the maintenance guy came up to fix stuff. By the time he was done, I was already late for my circuit class so I decided to take a nap until my NEXT circuit class.
So a few random things. We get to sign up for our Saturday hikes here and this Saturday I signed up for Stop Sign. I don't know if I'm nutty or what but I want to give it a try again. With my leg and feet being all sorts of crazy, I don't know how far I'll get but at least I'll give it a try. It's either hike or a 2.5 hour "last chance workout" in the gym.
Another random thing but I've stopped getting acid reflux since I've been here. That's a good thing. It's pretty sad but I know the reason why I was getting it in the first place. I was eating too much, way too late at night and then going to bed. If you've ever had acid reflux, you know how horrible it is. Not being worried about it or experiencing it anymore since I've been here really makes me aware that I DON'T want to experience it anymore once I get home. No more bingeing or eating late at night. Those days are OVER. I want to stick with a get up earlier and workout schedule that I'm on here. Not to the extreme that it is here but a similar modified concept.
Anyhow, it's late and I'm really tired and sicky feeling (nose is stuffed AND running) and we've got no AC so I'm going to try to head to bed. Night!
calories burned today: 3291
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Day 11: The Doldrums
7:00AM: Breakfast
8:00AM: Hike
11:15AM: Stretch
12:30PM: Lunch
1:45PM: Open Gym
2:30PM: Treading
3:30PM: Pool
4:30PM: Ball Works
5:30PM: Dinner
6:15PM: Increasing Your Income
Today today today. Today I kept entertaining thoughts of going home early. I know that I can't and that I won't but I couldn't stop thinking about it. Breakfast was that Fake Bacon/Salsa/Egg Thingie from before. It was good and filling. My foot and calf wasn't 100% this morning so I opted out of the hike. Paige, the director here was very nice and gave a bunch of us options on other things we could do. I told her how my leg and foot felt and she warned that it seems like it's better because it's warmed up but that I should be careful not to re-strain it. I ended up walking around the neighborhood with Wayne and some other ladies and then heading back to go into the gym until the other hikers came back.
Whenever I started exercising, my foot and leg were giving me pain but after a few minutes after it would 'warm up,' the pain would go away. So I plugged along. I was good though and did about 25 minutes on the recumbent elliptical, 15 minutes on the standard elliptical (a new record for me, I have a mental block against the durned machine) and 20 minutes on the recumbent bike. Afterwards I felt pretty good but was still favoring my right leg a bit to give the left side a break just in case. I was sad that I couldn't continue my couch to 5k but I'm hoping that I'll be close to 100% tomorrow so I can give it another go.
I don't know why but whenever people asked me how my leg and foot were, I felt a bit defensive as if they didn't believe that I was hurting. I know that wasn't the case at all, they were all being nice to me and concerned about how I was. I guess it was because I felt so guilty that I wasn't able to do what I really wanted to do. I felt like I was wimping out. I know they were concerned and I do appreciate that they were, I guess I just felt angry at myself.
So after everyone returned, I tried to participate in the rest of the activities for the day as best as I could. I did stretch, which felt really good on my foot and calf and then ate lunch, which was a yummy french onion soup made of sandwich thin croutons and a somewhat decent Greek style pita sandwich with turkey, feta cheese, olives, artichokes, etc; in it.
I was really proud though that I did treading today. I remembered how great I felt after class last time and though Paige told me to take it easy for the next two days, I really tried my hardest. Once again, once my foot and leg got warmed up I felt better, so I did the first set of 5,4 on the recumbent bike and then moved over to the elliptical to do the final sets of 3,2,1, 2. I gave it my all and once again felt fabulous after the class.
I got into the pool after treading and stayed in the pool until dinner. I skipped my ball works class because the water just felt really good. I let Robyn know that I was going to stay in the pool and then I did the best that I could for the second pool class. I couldn't help but feeling guilty again and like I was wimping out. I did give it my best though I swear!
Dinner was pretty good. We had stuffed chicken breast with spinach and cheese and some wild rice with craisins (picked those suckers out) and carrots. The carrots were too hard on my braces and the wild rice did seem a bit undercooked but the chicken was really yummy. Dessert was a peach cobbler that had a bunch of berries in it. I opted out again. Me no likey warm fruit. I added a bit of salad to my dinner instead.
After dinner, there was a lecture for departing guests and one for those that were remaining on. I was actually jealous of those that were leaving. I wasn't the only one either. 4 weeks is a long long time. There are people who are here for even longer periods of time and that takes some mental dedication, let me tell you. I will be absolutely thrilled when it's my last week. I'm also really sad that a lot of the people that I've grown to like here are leaving this week. :(
I think I'm getting the sniffles right now too. My throat is a bit dry and itchy and my nose is a bit stuffed. That couldn't be helping my mood either. I really want to get out of this funk. I know that this journey that I'm on right now is supposed to be 'me' focused. But 'me' is losing the focus right now and I've got to bring it back. I hope that this Saturday and Sunday I can relax enough and re-center myself. I really need it. Reading other people's blogs from the past makes me wonder if I'm just mentally weak and unable to handle everything as they did. I don't know. Sorry for the depressing post folks. I'll try to get it together and bring the peppy back.
2100 calories burned up until treading and then I took off my hr monitor for the rest of the day.
8:00AM: Hike
11:15AM: Stretch
12:30PM: Lunch
1:45PM: Open Gym
2:30PM: Treading
3:30PM: Pool
4:30PM: Ball Works
5:30PM: Dinner
6:15PM: Increasing Your Income
Today today today. Today I kept entertaining thoughts of going home early. I know that I can't and that I won't but I couldn't stop thinking about it. Breakfast was that Fake Bacon/Salsa/Egg Thingie from before. It was good and filling. My foot and calf wasn't 100% this morning so I opted out of the hike. Paige, the director here was very nice and gave a bunch of us options on other things we could do. I told her how my leg and foot felt and she warned that it seems like it's better because it's warmed up but that I should be careful not to re-strain it. I ended up walking around the neighborhood with Wayne and some other ladies and then heading back to go into the gym until the other hikers came back.
Whenever I started exercising, my foot and leg were giving me pain but after a few minutes after it would 'warm up,' the pain would go away. So I plugged along. I was good though and did about 25 minutes on the recumbent elliptical, 15 minutes on the standard elliptical (a new record for me, I have a mental block against the durned machine) and 20 minutes on the recumbent bike. Afterwards I felt pretty good but was still favoring my right leg a bit to give the left side a break just in case. I was sad that I couldn't continue my couch to 5k but I'm hoping that I'll be close to 100% tomorrow so I can give it another go.
I don't know why but whenever people asked me how my leg and foot were, I felt a bit defensive as if they didn't believe that I was hurting. I know that wasn't the case at all, they were all being nice to me and concerned about how I was. I guess it was because I felt so guilty that I wasn't able to do what I really wanted to do. I felt like I was wimping out. I know they were concerned and I do appreciate that they were, I guess I just felt angry at myself.
So after everyone returned, I tried to participate in the rest of the activities for the day as best as I could. I did stretch, which felt really good on my foot and calf and then ate lunch, which was a yummy french onion soup made of sandwich thin croutons and a somewhat decent Greek style pita sandwich with turkey, feta cheese, olives, artichokes, etc; in it.
I was really proud though that I did treading today. I remembered how great I felt after class last time and though Paige told me to take it easy for the next two days, I really tried my hardest. Once again, once my foot and leg got warmed up I felt better, so I did the first set of 5,4 on the recumbent bike and then moved over to the elliptical to do the final sets of 3,2,1, 2. I gave it my all and once again felt fabulous after the class.
I got into the pool after treading and stayed in the pool until dinner. I skipped my ball works class because the water just felt really good. I let Robyn know that I was going to stay in the pool and then I did the best that I could for the second pool class. I couldn't help but feeling guilty again and like I was wimping out. I did give it my best though I swear!
Dinner was pretty good. We had stuffed chicken breast with spinach and cheese and some wild rice with craisins (picked those suckers out) and carrots. The carrots were too hard on my braces and the wild rice did seem a bit undercooked but the chicken was really yummy. Dessert was a peach cobbler that had a bunch of berries in it. I opted out again. Me no likey warm fruit. I added a bit of salad to my dinner instead.
After dinner, there was a lecture for departing guests and one for those that were remaining on. I was actually jealous of those that were leaving. I wasn't the only one either. 4 weeks is a long long time. There are people who are here for even longer periods of time and that takes some mental dedication, let me tell you. I will be absolutely thrilled when it's my last week. I'm also really sad that a lot of the people that I've grown to like here are leaving this week. :(
I think I'm getting the sniffles right now too. My throat is a bit dry and itchy and my nose is a bit stuffed. That couldn't be helping my mood either. I really want to get out of this funk. I know that this journey that I'm on right now is supposed to be 'me' focused. But 'me' is losing the focus right now and I've got to bring it back. I hope that this Saturday and Sunday I can relax enough and re-center myself. I really need it. Reading other people's blogs from the past makes me wonder if I'm just mentally weak and unable to handle everything as they did. I don't know. Sorry for the depressing post folks. I'll try to get it together and bring the peppy back.
2100 calories burned up until treading and then I took off my hr monitor for the rest of the day.
Day 10: Owwies stink
Day 10:
7:00AM: Breakfast
8:00AM: Hike
11:15AM: Circuit
12:30PM: Lunch
1:45PM: Open Gym
2:30PM: Pool
3:30PM: Kickboxing
4:30PM: Mountain
5:30PM: Dinner
I could barely drag myself out of bed this morning. I got enough sleep, at least 8 hours worth but I was just beat. I can't wait for this week to be over. After this just two more weeks!!! Thoughts of re-scheduling the next two weeks keep popping through my head but I know I need the two weeks and I KNOW (or at least I keep forcing myself to believe) that I can do it and that it'll fly by. Thank goodness it's Wednesday is all I'll say.
I'm already starting to think about what I'm going to do once I get home to maintain this healthy lifestyle that we have here. I still have a ways to go so I hope you all will follow my journey. I HAVE to lose at least 50 pounds but I would absolutely love to lose 70 or more. I know I'm going to slip up here and there, after all, we're all human but I'm hoping that FR has given me the jump start that I need to be fit.
So brekkie today was that yucky Muesli with all that dried fruit again so I opted for cereal with half a banana sliced on top again and almond milk. I think I'll continue this cereal/oatmeal/eggs & veggie style breakfast once I get home. I think I'm also going to make a fresh veggie puree type soup in bulk once I get home that can last through the week and then just alternate healthy lunches like salads, sandwiches, etc;
There's a really nice bunch of people here this week and I'm enjoying myself because the atmosphere is just more pleasant. I guess it really depends on who is here on which week that the vibes just entirely change.
My feet really have been killing me lately, I've been using a tennis ball that a trainer gave me to roll my feet on to ease the pain a bit but today we did West Canyon, which I really enjoy and on the way back I think I may have pulled something in my left calf. I took it easy on the way back but it really made me feel nice when the people in my Van (Hey Van 5!) were giving me encouragement because I jogged a few times during the hike. It was REALLY windy today though and I didn't make it to the third substation because I turned back about 5 minutes earlier than I had to because of my calf. Oh well! Next time West Canyon, next time!!
After the hike we had circuit and I got through it but my foot and calf were feeling more and more painful. I was limping a bit and favoring my right leg and after lunch (we had that yucky Greek pizza thing. It's alright but I really don't like Feta Cheese) I felt bad but I spoke with John the trainer about needing to rest for the rest of the afternoon. So I did. I went back to my room and didn't come out until dinner. Trust me, I felt really really guilty. I felt even guiltier when another one of the trainers called to check up on me. They tell us not to feel guilty here when we need a break. That we need to listen to our bodies and that though we are missing class, it's not like we're at home binging and relaxing. We're just resting....
You still feel guilty though.
John was really nice about it though and told me to ice my calf, which I did and stretch and massage it a bit.
Dinner was delicious though. It was a salmon fillet on top of a bed of wheat orzo that had been bulked up with veggies. Filling and delicious. I wanted more. Dessert was a bunch of fruit on a bbq stick. I passed. I believe it was strawberries, kiwi and pineapple. At least it wasn't grilled this time with a balsamic vinegar sauce. ::shudder:: So after dinner I went to Target just to get off campus for a bit. I pushed a cart around and helped my friend Wayne do his shopping. Leaning on the cart was like my form of crutches. Wayne was very happy because he tried on a pair of size 38 shorts and they fit. We were all very happy for him. :)
While I was at Target, I saw some people that looked like they were from the 'compound' on the show Big Love. V. interesting. It's like seeing the Amish. You don't expect to see them walking around Target. They were wearing long prairie style dresses and had their hair french braided like on the show.
So after Target (it was only like 45 minutes) I went back to my room and went to bed early. Couldn't fall asleep for quite some time though.
For those that were mentioning about being tired. We're ALL tired here. It's understandable considering how much exercise we're putting our bodies through. The schedule here really is quite rigorous.. and for many of us, it's the first time in a long long time that we've really even put our bodies to use. The people that are here for a longer period of time aren't wholly excited about being here for so long. The routine gets monotonous and it's tough to keep motivating yourself. The thing is, we all know that we NEED to be here. Many of us try our best to make it to all the classes but physically for some people, you just need a break and you can take one when you need one.
Anyhow, that's it for this day. It's done. Goodbye Day 10!
2531 calories burned today.
7:00AM: Breakfast
8:00AM: Hike
11:15AM: Circuit
12:30PM: Lunch
1:45PM: Open Gym
2:30PM: Pool
3:30PM: Kickboxing
4:30PM: Mountain
5:30PM: Dinner
I could barely drag myself out of bed this morning. I got enough sleep, at least 8 hours worth but I was just beat. I can't wait for this week to be over. After this just two more weeks!!! Thoughts of re-scheduling the next two weeks keep popping through my head but I know I need the two weeks and I KNOW (or at least I keep forcing myself to believe) that I can do it and that it'll fly by. Thank goodness it's Wednesday is all I'll say.
I'm already starting to think about what I'm going to do once I get home to maintain this healthy lifestyle that we have here. I still have a ways to go so I hope you all will follow my journey. I HAVE to lose at least 50 pounds but I would absolutely love to lose 70 or more. I know I'm going to slip up here and there, after all, we're all human but I'm hoping that FR has given me the jump start that I need to be fit.
So brekkie today was that yucky Muesli with all that dried fruit again so I opted for cereal with half a banana sliced on top again and almond milk. I think I'll continue this cereal/oatmeal/eggs & veggie style breakfast once I get home. I think I'm also going to make a fresh veggie puree type soup in bulk once I get home that can last through the week and then just alternate healthy lunches like salads, sandwiches, etc;
There's a really nice bunch of people here this week and I'm enjoying myself because the atmosphere is just more pleasant. I guess it really depends on who is here on which week that the vibes just entirely change.
My feet really have been killing me lately, I've been using a tennis ball that a trainer gave me to roll my feet on to ease the pain a bit but today we did West Canyon, which I really enjoy and on the way back I think I may have pulled something in my left calf. I took it easy on the way back but it really made me feel nice when the people in my Van (Hey Van 5!) were giving me encouragement because I jogged a few times during the hike. It was REALLY windy today though and I didn't make it to the third substation because I turned back about 5 minutes earlier than I had to because of my calf. Oh well! Next time West Canyon, next time!!
After the hike we had circuit and I got through it but my foot and calf were feeling more and more painful. I was limping a bit and favoring my right leg and after lunch (we had that yucky Greek pizza thing. It's alright but I really don't like Feta Cheese) I felt bad but I spoke with John the trainer about needing to rest for the rest of the afternoon. So I did. I went back to my room and didn't come out until dinner. Trust me, I felt really really guilty. I felt even guiltier when another one of the trainers called to check up on me. They tell us not to feel guilty here when we need a break. That we need to listen to our bodies and that though we are missing class, it's not like we're at home binging and relaxing. We're just resting....
You still feel guilty though.
John was really nice about it though and told me to ice my calf, which I did and stretch and massage it a bit.
Dinner was delicious though. It was a salmon fillet on top of a bed of wheat orzo that had been bulked up with veggies. Filling and delicious. I wanted more. Dessert was a bunch of fruit on a bbq stick. I passed. I believe it was strawberries, kiwi and pineapple. At least it wasn't grilled this time with a balsamic vinegar sauce. ::shudder:: So after dinner I went to Target just to get off campus for a bit. I pushed a cart around and helped my friend Wayne do his shopping. Leaning on the cart was like my form of crutches. Wayne was very happy because he tried on a pair of size 38 shorts and they fit. We were all very happy for him. :)
While I was at Target, I saw some people that looked like they were from the 'compound' on the show Big Love. V. interesting. It's like seeing the Amish. You don't expect to see them walking around Target. They were wearing long prairie style dresses and had their hair french braided like on the show.
So after Target (it was only like 45 minutes) I went back to my room and went to bed early. Couldn't fall asleep for quite some time though.
For those that were mentioning about being tired. We're ALL tired here. It's understandable considering how much exercise we're putting our bodies through. The schedule here really is quite rigorous.. and for many of us, it's the first time in a long long time that we've really even put our bodies to use. The people that are here for a longer period of time aren't wholly excited about being here for so long. The routine gets monotonous and it's tough to keep motivating yourself. The thing is, we all know that we NEED to be here. Many of us try our best to make it to all the classes but physically for some people, you just need a break and you can take one when you need one.
Anyhow, that's it for this day. It's done. Goodbye Day 10!
2531 calories burned today.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Day 9: Meh.
Day 9:
7:00AM Breakfast
8:00AM Hike
11:15AM: Free Weight Workshop
12:30PM: Lunch
1:00PM: Calorie Challenge
1:30PM: Lecture: Cooking Demo
1:45PM: Open Gym
2:30PM: Cardio Intervals
3:30PM: Total Toning
4:30PM Pool
5:45PM Dinner
I was too tired last night to write out what happened during the day, so this will be brief and written in retrospect.
Breakfast was a peach muffin with a plate of fruits and berries. With my aversion to any cooked or warmed fruit, I opted instead for the cereal once again with my banana. I heard lots of people say that the muffin was pretty good though and very cake-like, so this may tickle your pickle if you like that sort of things. It was pretty big too.
The hike yesterday I think is what just plain tuckered me out for the rest of the day. It was Fern Gully and it was very pretty. According to our guides, it was a great day for Fern Gully because it had just rained, which would make it more beautiful and a bit easier. Why easier, you ask? Well the durn hike was almost completely incline, lava rock and SAND. SAND SAND SAND. I will never complain about walking on the Jersey Shore ever again. I can't believe how many miles in deep sand we walked... continuously. We were
going up and down and side to side, over rocks, down rocks, etc; It WAS beautiful, I'll give it that. It's also located in Snow Canyon, like many of our hikes are but this one was actually between the mountains so it was very lush with flora.
Since it had just rained, the sand was a teeny tiny bit more compact but I swear, the sand must've sucked up all the moisture because it still seemed pretty dry to me. At the end of the hike, we were supposed to be greeted by a beautiful waterfall that only appears when it rains. Well. We didn't make it that far. lol. My group never seems to make it where it's supposed to. Our group was a nice bunch but Jay-sus, it was difficult because of the sand. I had to empty out my sneakers twice during the hike and then once, once I got back
to the room. Each time I emptied out my sneaker, there was a minimum of 2 tablespoons of red sand in each shoe. No lie.
So after the hike, I went to a Free Weight Workshop held by John. To be honest, I didn't learn anything that I didn't already know and because I was watching him while sitting on a chair of one of those weight machines, I started to fall asleep. Not good.
So I had a bit of time in between the Workshop and lunch so I decided I would take a 20 minute nap. Being the ever mindful person I am, I made sure to set two alarms. One for 12:45 and one for 12:48. My roomie saw me napping and tried to wake me up around 12:44 but I told her that my alarm was going to go off in another minute. It did and I shut it off thinking, oh, I've got 3 minutes left. Well, I don't know what ever happened to that alarm. Either it went off and I didn't hear it or it didn't go off at all. By the time I had woken up, it was already 1:45!!!
Thankfully, there was an extra lunch and they served it to me while I watched the cooking demo. The lunch was meh. It was 3 quinoa balls wrapped in lettuce leaves with a tortilla/tomatoey sour soup. I didn't finish it but I ate enough so that I wasn't hungry but then I rushed to the room to use my waterpik. That quinoa does a number if you've got braces on!
So I missed most of the open gym and headed for cardio intervals. I think the nap gave me the energy to complete the rest of the day because cardio intervals didn't seem to be too bad. I had it with Ann-Marie(?) and it was over pretty quick.
Next was total toning with Sharon and it was tougher than last week. I have no muscle or core strength to speak of so any of these weights classes are pretty tough for me. Sharon's great, she makes you laugh and she likes to do this thing where she'll mention someone's name and say that 'THEY' want you to harder/faster/longer, etc; So she mentioned my name and said that I wanted everyone to hold it for longer. Someone made a joke (a positive one so I laughed) but I guess that I was so tired that my censor button was off nd I said oh d*amnit! Whoops! Felt bad about that afterwards. I've really been trying to watch my mouth here. :P
I was dreading the pool class because it was freezing outside and because I had missed out on most of my open gym from earlier, I spoke to John about doing Open Gym instead of pool so that I could work on my couch to 5k program. He agreed and I had a really nice session at the gym. I felt great afterwards.
Dinner was super yummy!! We had the FR version of Shepherd's Pie. It had lots of veggies mixed in and was made with turkey meat. We also had the ever lusted after chocolate dipped strawberries. :) Someone saw that I had cut off all my chocolate and asked if I was going to eat it. :) I said of course! I just wanted to savor it.
I watched the Biggest Loser in the evening with a group of people in the aerobics room. People here are BIG BIG fans of the show. People were clapping, cheering, crying and laughing as the episode went on. It's always more fun to watch stuff when people are really enthused about it.
So after the show was done I pretty much went straight to bed. I was very tired and this long long period of time can be mentally draining. The excitement of the first week is over and the next few weeks just seem like they're really going to stretch out on you. I'm happy and excited about my progress so far but it just seems like it's going to be a long long time until I'm done. Especially since I haven't weighed myself yet. I don't really see any physical changes but my friend Wayne says it looks like my cheeks thinned out a bit. I hope so.
After hearing about so many dramatic weight losses, I'm scared about the number I will see on the scale. I know it's not going to be anything crazy, my body just doesn't work that way. Years and years of yo-yo dieting and my thyroid condition have really messed with my metabolism. If I see a small number it will be very discouraging and yet that's what I think I'm bound to see. I plan on getting weighed in this Friday before breakfast if anyone is in the office. Anyhow, that's it for now!
3808 calories burned
* Video Update!
Fern Gully Photo Op
Fern Gully: Sand
Fern Gully: Ohio!
Fern Gully: Whining
Fern Gully: Photo Op: Chatter
Fern Gully: Break
Fern Gully: Group Shot
7:00AM Breakfast
8:00AM Hike
11:15AM: Free Weight Workshop
12:30PM: Lunch
1:00PM: Calorie Challenge
1:30PM: Lecture: Cooking Demo
1:45PM: Open Gym
2:30PM: Cardio Intervals
3:30PM: Total Toning
4:30PM Pool
5:45PM Dinner
I was too tired last night to write out what happened during the day, so this will be brief and written in retrospect.
Breakfast was a peach muffin with a plate of fruits and berries. With my aversion to any cooked or warmed fruit, I opted instead for the cereal once again with my banana. I heard lots of people say that the muffin was pretty good though and very cake-like, so this may tickle your pickle if you like that sort of things. It was pretty big too.
The hike yesterday I think is what just plain tuckered me out for the rest of the day. It was Fern Gully and it was very pretty. According to our guides, it was a great day for Fern Gully because it had just rained, which would make it more beautiful and a bit easier. Why easier, you ask? Well the durn hike was almost completely incline, lava rock and SAND. SAND SAND SAND. I will never complain about walking on the Jersey Shore ever again. I can't believe how many miles in deep sand we walked... continuously. We were
going up and down and side to side, over rocks, down rocks, etc; It WAS beautiful, I'll give it that. It's also located in Snow Canyon, like many of our hikes are but this one was actually between the mountains so it was very lush with flora.
Since it had just rained, the sand was a teeny tiny bit more compact but I swear, the sand must've sucked up all the moisture because it still seemed pretty dry to me. At the end of the hike, we were supposed to be greeted by a beautiful waterfall that only appears when it rains. Well. We didn't make it that far. lol. My group never seems to make it where it's supposed to. Our group was a nice bunch but Jay-sus, it was difficult because of the sand. I had to empty out my sneakers twice during the hike and then once, once I got back
to the room. Each time I emptied out my sneaker, there was a minimum of 2 tablespoons of red sand in each shoe. No lie.
So after the hike, I went to a Free Weight Workshop held by John. To be honest, I didn't learn anything that I didn't already know and because I was watching him while sitting on a chair of one of those weight machines, I started to fall asleep. Not good.
So I had a bit of time in between the Workshop and lunch so I decided I would take a 20 minute nap. Being the ever mindful person I am, I made sure to set two alarms. One for 12:45 and one for 12:48. My roomie saw me napping and tried to wake me up around 12:44 but I told her that my alarm was going to go off in another minute. It did and I shut it off thinking, oh, I've got 3 minutes left. Well, I don't know what ever happened to that alarm. Either it went off and I didn't hear it or it didn't go off at all. By the time I had woken up, it was already 1:45!!!
Thankfully, there was an extra lunch and they served it to me while I watched the cooking demo. The lunch was meh. It was 3 quinoa balls wrapped in lettuce leaves with a tortilla/tomatoey sour soup. I didn't finish it but I ate enough so that I wasn't hungry but then I rushed to the room to use my waterpik. That quinoa does a number if you've got braces on!
So I missed most of the open gym and headed for cardio intervals. I think the nap gave me the energy to complete the rest of the day because cardio intervals didn't seem to be too bad. I had it with Ann-Marie(?) and it was over pretty quick.
Next was total toning with Sharon and it was tougher than last week. I have no muscle or core strength to speak of so any of these weights classes are pretty tough for me. Sharon's great, she makes you laugh and she likes to do this thing where she'll mention someone's name and say that 'THEY' want you to harder/faster/longer, etc; So she mentioned my name and said that I wanted everyone to hold it for longer. Someone made a joke (a positive one so I laughed) but I guess that I was so tired that my censor button was off nd I said oh d*amnit! Whoops! Felt bad about that afterwards. I've really been trying to watch my mouth here. :P
I was dreading the pool class because it was freezing outside and because I had missed out on most of my open gym from earlier, I spoke to John about doing Open Gym instead of pool so that I could work on my couch to 5k program. He agreed and I had a really nice session at the gym. I felt great afterwards.
Dinner was super yummy!! We had the FR version of Shepherd's Pie. It had lots of veggies mixed in and was made with turkey meat. We also had the ever lusted after chocolate dipped strawberries. :) Someone saw that I had cut off all my chocolate and asked if I was going to eat it. :) I said of course! I just wanted to savor it.
I watched the Biggest Loser in the evening with a group of people in the aerobics room. People here are BIG BIG fans of the show. People were clapping, cheering, crying and laughing as the episode went on. It's always more fun to watch stuff when people are really enthused about it.
So after the show was done I pretty much went straight to bed. I was very tired and this long long period of time can be mentally draining. The excitement of the first week is over and the next few weeks just seem like they're really going to stretch out on you. I'm happy and excited about my progress so far but it just seems like it's going to be a long long time until I'm done. Especially since I haven't weighed myself yet. I don't really see any physical changes but my friend Wayne says it looks like my cheeks thinned out a bit. I hope so.
After hearing about so many dramatic weight losses, I'm scared about the number I will see on the scale. I know it's not going to be anything crazy, my body just doesn't work that way. Years and years of yo-yo dieting and my thyroid condition have really messed with my metabolism. If I see a small number it will be very discouraging and yet that's what I think I'm bound to see. I plan on getting weighed in this Friday before breakfast if anyone is in the office. Anyhow, that's it for now!
3808 calories burned
* Video Update!
Fern Gully Photo Op
Fern Gully: Sand
Fern Gully: Ohio!
Fern Gully: Whining
Fern Gully: Photo Op: Chatter
Fern Gully: Break
Fern Gully: Group Shot
Monday, May 10, 2010
Day 8: 30-8 = 22 Days of Healthy Torture Left!
Day 8:
My schedule is a bit different now since I'm a 'second weeker' so I'm going to put down my own schedule. This week, I'm on Team Blue. I think Team Green has a better ring to it though. :P
So second weeker's are required to add one additional workout class to their schedule since we don't have to participate in most of the lectures. We're given two options per day and you get to choose which you'd like to do.
6:00AM: Yogalates (2nd week)
7:00AM: Breakfast
8:00AM: Hike
11:15AM: Stretch
12:30PM: Lunch
1:45PM: Open Gym (2nd week)
2:30PM: Step-n-Pump
3:30PM: Pool
4:30PM Circuit Training
5:30PM: Dinner
The schedule looks nicer doesn't it? :) More working out, less falling asleep during educational lectures. :)
I was dreading today like there was no tomorrow. lol. The beginning of the week is always tough for me and the thought of another long week of tough exercise stretching out before me seems impossible..... .... (a few more for good measure) but I can do it!! I hope this week flies by as quickly as last week did.
Unfortunately for my blog readers, the video upload didn't work out quite right here. I tried all last night but the internet connection here is just a bit too slow to upload videos. What I will do is once I get home, I'll upload it all and put it in chronological order with my blog postings. The blog will be a lot prettier again, rather than just plain text.
Breakfast was yummy if not a bit tough on my braces. I think I'm going to put something on my preferences card that says 'DO NOT TOAST MY BREAD.' They toast the sandwich thins here and they get pretty hard which makes my braces/teeth hurt. So breakfast was a small plate of fruit (melons, canteloupes, and pineapples, oh my!) and FR's version of PB&J. They used almond butter, I don't know what kind of jelly (I believe it's in the cookbook, I'll check) and slices of strawberry and banana. It was good but I was still a tad hungry afterwards.
So for the first hike of the week they once again put me on Anasazi Ridge. This time we took a different route and so we had to get into the van to get there, so it was like we sort of went up the same mountain the opposite way. Difficulty-wise, it was the same as last week but guess what?!! I didn't feel like I was going to die! It was no cake walk, the inclines were still tough and some rocks still had to be traversed but I managed it and it just felt easier. Last week I was huffing and puffing and thinking, what did I get myself into?! Today I was huffing a bit but thinking, wow, I think I'm improving. :) It was a GREAT feeling. I hope that they put me once again into the 'no heights' group though. There's a bit of a dropoff on Anasazi Ridge and though you're about 5-6 feet away, it still freaks me out.
By the way, a friend of mine says that I'm starting to sound like a cult member full of happy thoughts. Thought it was a bit funny and that I should mention it. :/
I can't even begin to tell you how much I love the stretch class after hikes. So far this week, my legs feel great, there's no pain in them at all BUT my feet kinda hurt so I'm going to make sure to rub 'em a bit and give them a massage. :) I'm really surprised that my legs recovered so quickly, I seriously thought I was going to be in a lot of pain for a long long time. I'm not complaining though!! (actually, hallelujah!) I guess I've been lucky because I haven't had any blisters. BUT, I've been super vigilant about taking care of my feet so you should do so as well. Blisters take awhile to heal and they just suck in the interim.
For those asking for an update about what's going on with 'D.' I've decided I'm just going to ignore her, it and everything that's associated with it. If anything else happens, THEN I'll say something. I hope nothing happens though. I hate negative vibes. What's funny is that one of the guests here asked this morning how my roomie is dealing with my snoring. ::sigh:: (She's been great by the way! Or she's just too nice to say anything negative. :) )
Thank you all for your support and kind words though, you don't know how much I appreciated all the comments! Thanks as well to the people who read my blog who actually physically came up to give me a few words of encouragement at FR. It meant the world to me. I'll be taking all your advice and just take the high road. ;) Besides, my mom's already got a back up plan in motion. She said if anyone else harasses me, she's hopping a plane to Utah to kick their @ss. :)
Random aside:
I'm kinda excited about getting home and trying out all my fun workout videos that I wasn't able to keep up with before. I'm wondering now if they'll still be super difficult or if they'll seem easier than before. :)
- Back to Reality -
Lunch today was pretty good. We had a turkey sandwich with a salad. The salad was sweet and had bits of fruit and nuts in it which I'm really not too partial to (I think salads should be salty) so I made my own mini salad from the salad bar of my usual toppings of mushrooms, tomatoes, beets and cucumber. The sandwich was topped with onions, tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts and a tomato basil vegan 'mayo.' Good eating.
So I decided that my extra class for this week would be the open gym and that I would use the Couch to 5K program as my guidelines for the open gym. This isn't the first time I've ever attempted this Couch to 5k program. I've attempted it at home in the past without much success. 60 seconds of running at home felt impossible at the time and I quickly gave up. Today however, the 60 seconds wasn't super easy but it was a hell of a lot easier than it has ever felt. I may up the 'speed' of the program. You're supposed to do this for the first week, every other day:
5 minutes warm up
60 seconds running/jogging
90 seconds resting
(repeat until you reach 20 minutes)
Then 5 minutes cool down
Stretch
Since what I did today felt pretty good, I think I may do the above recommended schedule for 3 days worth of open gyms and then move onto the second phase, to round out this week. This is the second phase which is this:
Brisk five-minute warmup walk.
Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
I'll keep you guys updated so you know how it goes. I'm excited though!!
So after open gym, I had Step-n-Pump. I had it last week with Sharon and I was already dreading the class because it's a toughie but 'dun dun dun!' I had it with John today and it was THE MOST DIFFICULT CLASS I've had so far here at the Ridge. For such a peppy, rhythmically engaged man, you'd never expect the level of pure physical horror he can inflict upon our bodies. Saying the class was tough was an understatement. People were moaning and groaning, grunting and sweating all around the room. I felt terrible for all the newbies that are here this week. Erik Chopin of The Biggest Loser was right in front of me and the sweat was just dripping right off of him. As I was doing a million squats, I kept looking at the drippy drops of sweat falling on the floor by him. It is pretty neat though that I was working out as hard as one of 'The Biggest Loser' winners. Motivating indeed! Maybe that's why they have the contestants here from time to time?
The rest of the day's schedule was pretty tough. I had pool afterwards which felt nice on my achy muscles and since most of the work was done in the deep end, I was just doing laps in the shallow end with my other fellow non-swimmers. Dragging myself out of the pool class and into my next class, Circuit, was difficult. I could not wait for the day to be over. Circuit's turning out to be a class that I really enjoy. I get the opportunity to push myself and yet because you're only punishing yourself for 2 minutes, then you switch to punish some other body part, it just seems to be more tolerable.
We had the best dinner tonight that I've had so far at FR. It was a small chicken breast on top of a roasted red pepper polenta and grilled eggplants. Sooooo good and it was only 216 calories! Everyone kept saying, "Compliments to the Chef! We should have this EVERY night!" This meal is definitely something that I want to attempt once I get home. Dessert was delicious as well. It was a vanilla and chocolate mousse served in a champagne flute with some berries on top for 195 calories. To be honest though, I would much rather have had a second serving of the chicken and bypassed the dessert. Yum yum yum.
So the day is over, (thank goodness!) and I'm tired. Once again, I'm scared about tomorrow even though I know I can handle it. I guess for me, 11 hours of physical torture just isn't something I look forward to, even though once the day is done, I feel nice and accomplished. I had a good day and I hope you did too. :) Until tomorrow!!!
By the way... I burned 3944 calories today and I ate roughly around 1100 calories. ;)
My schedule is a bit different now since I'm a 'second weeker' so I'm going to put down my own schedule. This week, I'm on Team Blue. I think Team Green has a better ring to it though. :P
So second weeker's are required to add one additional workout class to their schedule since we don't have to participate in most of the lectures. We're given two options per day and you get to choose which you'd like to do.
6:00AM: Yogalates (2nd week)
7:00AM: Breakfast
8:00AM: Hike
11:15AM: Stretch
12:30PM: Lunch
1:45PM: Open Gym (2nd week)
2:30PM: Step-n-Pump
3:30PM: Pool
4:30PM Circuit Training
5:30PM: Dinner
The schedule looks nicer doesn't it? :) More working out, less falling asleep during educational lectures. :)
I was dreading today like there was no tomorrow. lol. The beginning of the week is always tough for me and the thought of another long week of tough exercise stretching out before me seems impossible..... .... (a few more for good measure) but I can do it!! I hope this week flies by as quickly as last week did.
Unfortunately for my blog readers, the video upload didn't work out quite right here. I tried all last night but the internet connection here is just a bit too slow to upload videos. What I will do is once I get home, I'll upload it all and put it in chronological order with my blog postings. The blog will be a lot prettier again, rather than just plain text.
Breakfast was yummy if not a bit tough on my braces. I think I'm going to put something on my preferences card that says 'DO NOT TOAST MY BREAD.' They toast the sandwich thins here and they get pretty hard which makes my braces/teeth hurt. So breakfast was a small plate of fruit (melons, canteloupes, and pineapples, oh my!) and FR's version of PB&J. They used almond butter, I don't know what kind of jelly (I believe it's in the cookbook, I'll check) and slices of strawberry and banana. It was good but I was still a tad hungry afterwards.
So for the first hike of the week they once again put me on Anasazi Ridge. This time we took a different route and so we had to get into the van to get there, so it was like we sort of went up the same mountain the opposite way. Difficulty-wise, it was the same as last week but guess what?!! I didn't feel like I was going to die! It was no cake walk, the inclines were still tough and some rocks still had to be traversed but I managed it and it just felt easier. Last week I was huffing and puffing and thinking, what did I get myself into?! Today I was huffing a bit but thinking, wow, I think I'm improving. :) It was a GREAT feeling. I hope that they put me once again into the 'no heights' group though. There's a bit of a dropoff on Anasazi Ridge and though you're about 5-6 feet away, it still freaks me out.
By the way, a friend of mine says that I'm starting to sound like a cult member full of happy thoughts. Thought it was a bit funny and that I should mention it. :/
I can't even begin to tell you how much I love the stretch class after hikes. So far this week, my legs feel great, there's no pain in them at all BUT my feet kinda hurt so I'm going to make sure to rub 'em a bit and give them a massage. :) I'm really surprised that my legs recovered so quickly, I seriously thought I was going to be in a lot of pain for a long long time. I'm not complaining though!! (actually, hallelujah!) I guess I've been lucky because I haven't had any blisters. BUT, I've been super vigilant about taking care of my feet so you should do so as well. Blisters take awhile to heal and they just suck in the interim.
For those asking for an update about what's going on with 'D.' I've decided I'm just going to ignore her, it and everything that's associated with it. If anything else happens, THEN I'll say something. I hope nothing happens though. I hate negative vibes. What's funny is that one of the guests here asked this morning how my roomie is dealing with my snoring. ::sigh:: (She's been great by the way! Or she's just too nice to say anything negative. :) )
Thank you all for your support and kind words though, you don't know how much I appreciated all the comments! Thanks as well to the people who read my blog who actually physically came up to give me a few words of encouragement at FR. It meant the world to me. I'll be taking all your advice and just take the high road. ;) Besides, my mom's already got a back up plan in motion. She said if anyone else harasses me, she's hopping a plane to Utah to kick their @ss. :)
Random aside:
I'm kinda excited about getting home and trying out all my fun workout videos that I wasn't able to keep up with before. I'm wondering now if they'll still be super difficult or if they'll seem easier than before. :)
- Back to Reality -
Lunch today was pretty good. We had a turkey sandwich with a salad. The salad was sweet and had bits of fruit and nuts in it which I'm really not too partial to (I think salads should be salty) so I made my own mini salad from the salad bar of my usual toppings of mushrooms, tomatoes, beets and cucumber. The sandwich was topped with onions, tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts and a tomato basil vegan 'mayo.' Good eating.
So I decided that my extra class for this week would be the open gym and that I would use the Couch to 5K program as my guidelines for the open gym. This isn't the first time I've ever attempted this Couch to 5k program. I've attempted it at home in the past without much success. 60 seconds of running at home felt impossible at the time and I quickly gave up. Today however, the 60 seconds wasn't super easy but it was a hell of a lot easier than it has ever felt. I may up the 'speed' of the program. You're supposed to do this for the first week, every other day:
5 minutes warm up
60 seconds running/jogging
90 seconds resting
(repeat until you reach 20 minutes)
Then 5 minutes cool down
Stretch
Since what I did today felt pretty good, I think I may do the above recommended schedule for 3 days worth of open gyms and then move onto the second phase, to round out this week. This is the second phase which is this:
Brisk five-minute warmup walk.
Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
I'll keep you guys updated so you know how it goes. I'm excited though!!
So after open gym, I had Step-n-Pump. I had it last week with Sharon and I was already dreading the class because it's a toughie but 'dun dun dun!' I had it with John today and it was THE MOST DIFFICULT CLASS I've had so far here at the Ridge. For such a peppy, rhythmically engaged man, you'd never expect the level of pure physical horror he can inflict upon our bodies. Saying the class was tough was an understatement. People were moaning and groaning, grunting and sweating all around the room. I felt terrible for all the newbies that are here this week. Erik Chopin of The Biggest Loser was right in front of me and the sweat was just dripping right off of him. As I was doing a million squats, I kept looking at the drippy drops of sweat falling on the floor by him. It is pretty neat though that I was working out as hard as one of 'The Biggest Loser' winners. Motivating indeed! Maybe that's why they have the contestants here from time to time?
The rest of the day's schedule was pretty tough. I had pool afterwards which felt nice on my achy muscles and since most of the work was done in the deep end, I was just doing laps in the shallow end with my other fellow non-swimmers. Dragging myself out of the pool class and into my next class, Circuit, was difficult. I could not wait for the day to be over. Circuit's turning out to be a class that I really enjoy. I get the opportunity to push myself and yet because you're only punishing yourself for 2 minutes, then you switch to punish some other body part, it just seems to be more tolerable.
We had the best dinner tonight that I've had so far at FR. It was a small chicken breast on top of a roasted red pepper polenta and grilled eggplants. Sooooo good and it was only 216 calories! Everyone kept saying, "Compliments to the Chef! We should have this EVERY night!" This meal is definitely something that I want to attempt once I get home. Dessert was delicious as well. It was a vanilla and chocolate mousse served in a champagne flute with some berries on top for 195 calories. To be honest though, I would much rather have had a second serving of the chicken and bypassed the dessert. Yum yum yum.
So the day is over, (thank goodness!) and I'm tired. Once again, I'm scared about tomorrow even though I know I can handle it. I guess for me, 11 hours of physical torture just isn't something I look forward to, even though once the day is done, I feel nice and accomplished. I had a good day and I hope you did too. :) Until tomorrow!!!
By the way... I burned 3944 calories today and I ate roughly around 1100 calories. ;)
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Day 7:A Day of Rest
So I was upset all evening about what transpired before. One nice thing though was that since the roomie was now gone, I had a room all to myself for a few hours. I finally managed to clean up to prep for the new roomie and I stayed up watching some t.v. after speaking to family and friends. I even got the new roomie a pair of earplugs. lol. As a sidenote, I just checked FR's website and the prices have gone up quite a bit! As of right now, they're booked until next April or May I believe... so I guess that's why they've raised the prices. When I signed up it was 1,400 per week for double occupancy and now it's 1,600 per week. Yikes! As another sidenote, if you're interested in staying off campus to save a bit of money, leave your email in the comments because I can direct you to some alternatives that are available to you.
So this morning I got up and really dreaded heading downstairs. While waiting to get weighed in, I had a nice chat with a lady that's here from New York. I've been holding in being upset in all this time so I decided that I'm not going to hold in all this negativity in anymore. I told her what happened and she offered her support. It was a nice gesture and I appreciated it. I was surprised that when I was telling her what happened and how it made me feel that I began to tear up a bit. I held it in because I hate showing weakness to others (it's a personal thing) but I realized that I shouldn't bottle this stuff up. I've decided I will have a chat with 'D' later but I'm not going to fly off the handle or anything. I'm simply going to ask, what the deal is and how I don't appreciate their actions and that they need to leave me the hell alone and focus on their own issues.
I decided to get weighed in today but didn't put the sneakers I had on when I weighed in last time. I asked the trainer John to weigh me but not tell me what it was but to enter it into my heart rate monitor. So he did and he asked if I really didn't want to know my weight. I really didn't want to know because I was afraid of being disappointed. Like I said previously, I have my period right now and I've never really had a great track record with losing weight. He did tell me that it was 'good' and that I had gone down. Now, did I go down down or did it just go down because of my sneakers? lol. I have no clue. I did hear about some other people's weight loss though! One lady lost 12 pounds, another lost 10 pounds, etc; I also heard about another lady who had been here in the past who told me she didn't weigh in this week because the first time she came, she gained a pound her first week (water retention probably) and then lost 7 pounds the next week. You just never know! What's most important is that people are getting fitter.
One really great thing though is that I'm not really in pain anymore. I don't know if it's because we only worked out yesterday for part of the day or if I'm just getting used to it. I really hope it's because I'm getting used to it. :) While at home in the past, I never seemed to ever make it past the sore stage. Then again, at home I never worked out every single day at this intensity either! At home, I would usually do what you read about in books and stuff and alternated cardio and weights every day, sometimes doing cardio every day but I was always sore. One thing for certain... I'm not stopping when I get home, no matter how much I want to. I never want to have to make it through the sore stage again because without the support of the FR staff, I don't know if I'd be able to break that barrier again!
Another thing is that according to my schedule, I have an extra 'Open Gym' in my daily schedule. One of the goals I had here is to be able to run. I'd be extremely thrilled if I could leave this place being able to run 2 miles continuously. In the past, I had once worked up to being able to run/jog 1 mile due to my friend P's insistence that I could do it. She was right. However, I did it only for about a week and then stopped and haven't done it since. Stupid me!! Anyhow, that's my goal during the Open Gyms for this week. I'm going to look up and follow the Couch to 5K program that's available all over the net. (google it) That's one of my goals for this year. As of right now, I can only IMAGINE being able to run a 5K. I'm going to make that dream a reality if it kills me.
I've also started getting hungrier while I've been here. One of the ladies here, her name is 'T'. T has been here for 4 weeks and she looks amazing. She says that she can't wait to get home and show off her new body. Well T has said that since she's been here she hasn't restricted herself when it comes to the salad bar and that she's just fine. On top of the salad bar, there's a piece of paper that tells you just how many calories are in each of the items. It's really very minimal when it comes down to it so I agree with her that calorie-wise, it's not going to hurt. It's better for you to intake a few more healthy calories than to be suffering and hungry all the time. At dinner, I've been usually getting a small plate of mushrooms, grape tomatoes, beets and cucumbers. Instead of dressing, I use the soy sauce substitute that they have here. Calorie-wise, I think it's probably less than 100 calories. Here are the items that are usually in the salad bar:
spinach
lettuce
spring mix
chickpeas
cauliflower
pickles
mushrooms
alfalfa sprouts
beets
cucumbers
carrots
oranges
bananas
apples
celery
peppers
onions
and a few other items that I can't remember.
Another thing that I've been doing to stave off the hunger is saving my piece of fruit. During the hike, we're allotted a piece of fruit to eat before, during or after our hikes. Hikes are normally right after breakfast so I never find myself to be too hungry during that time. So instead, I save my piece of fruit (usually a banana) until the evenings when I'm hungry. Dinner is pretty early here, around 5PM usually. I normally don't get to bed until around 10 or so because I'm trying to finish up blogs or keep up with work stuff, etc; So maybe around 8 or 9, the hunger pangs start and the banana comes in handy.
Today was our day of rest and my original plans included resting, doing my laundry and uploading my videos. However, Wayne suggested to a group of us that we go to the outlet mall to go shopping for the day. I decided to go with them and I had a nice time. One sort of bad thing was that the outlet mall is right next to a Carl Jr's. Now, ever since I got here, I've been scheming about trying out Carl Jr's & In-N-Out Burgers. We don't have these on the east coast and I've always heard about how tasty their burgers are. Um. I couldn't resist. I went in and I ordered a baby burger. I say baby burger because most of their burgers are GINORMOUS and 7 dollars to boot! It looked so delicious. I mean, I'm not a fast food person, I have fast
food maybe once every 2 months or so but maybe if these west coast burger places existed in the east, I'd be in trouble! They had burgers with guacomole on it, burgers with huge portobello mushrooms, burgers with jalapeno peppers, burgers with pineapple!! The list goes on! It was a burger fiesta! They had fried zucchinis, waffle cut fries, onion rings... and an amazing assortment of desserts as well.
So I was good and ordered just one of their 99 cents burgers, the Bacon Ranch Cheeseburger and it was really really good. I had about 3/4 of it and tossed the rest away. For me, the main thing was just about tasting it. I don't feel guilty because I made sure to eat a little bit less of dinner and I know that my main problem with my weight has nothing to do with fast food burgers. It's mainly to do with far too much red meat (steaks... yum) and carbs and a sedentary lifestyle.
So! After I arrived back with Wayne & Di, I once again dreaded going into FR. I couldn't help it. Trust me though. I don't WANT to feel this way. FR was a dream/fantasy I held in my mind for months after all. Anyhow, I was in the lobby of FR and approached by one of the staff members. I don't know if they read my blog or if they heard about something through the grapevine about what happened with me but I had a small chat with them and I really say kudos to FR. The staff members care and they want all of our individual experiences to be great, in spite of what may or may not happen between guests. She offered to make an announcement regarding 'bullying,' but I requested that she didn't, that I could handle it on my own but I did appreciate the fact that she took time out on Sunday (their busiest day) to talk to me about it. I have absolutely no complaints about any of the resort staff whatsoever. They're great.
I headed back to my room in anticipation of meeting my roomie, I really wanted to get off on the right foot with her and on the way bumped into a very nice lady named 'R' who recognized me from my blogs. She was a sweetheart. I'm excited about all the new blood here. I really hope that the dynamic will soon be changing. While it was relatively pleasant last week, I KNOW that it can be even better. Afterwards, I ran into my friend 'B,' who is one of the sweetest ladies here. I helped her set up her Polar heart rate monitor and also spoke with her about why I had left graduation early the evening before. She told me she hadn't heard anything and that she had my back. :) The kindness of a lot of the people here is really overwhelming. It almost restores my faith in humanity. lol. Good CAN conquer Evil!
So I arrived back in my room and my roomie still wasn't there so I was chatting with 'N' a bit while I worked on my blog. Skype is an amazing invention, let me tell you. It allows you to be close to your loved ones even though you're miles away. It's nice. Anyhow, my new roomie arrived and she's one of my FB blog readers. :) I hope I made a good impression and that everything works out. She seems very sweet so far. What I absolutely love was the fact that she noticed that I had left her a pair of new earplugs. The best part was that she had brought her own as well! lol. So, I let her know as much as I could about the resort and the schedule and things like that and then we headed over to the main building so I could give her a small tour. I introduced her to Wayne and some of the other people here and met some of the other newbies here as well. We then had dinner.
Dinner was an FR version of a Cobb salad with feta cheese, turkey, onions, cucumbers, avocados and salad mix. Yummy but not the most filling dinner we've had here so far. Dessert was a chocolate tofu 'pie' with a soggy grape nuts crust. It tasted a bit odd but it was good enough that I'm not complaining. :) After dinner, the welcome orientation began and the mike was being passed around for people to speak. I saw 'D' there and I felt like she was giving me the 'stink eye.' Maybe she was, maybe I imagined it, I don't know. I've decided to take the advice of some of the people here and speak with her if I encounter any other problems. I'm not going to let one person ruin my experience here. Also, one of her friends from home arrived here to join her. Greeaaaat. Birds of a feather, right? Yech. I'm just going to stay away from negative vibes unless their behavior impacts me. I hate dwelling on negative things so I'm going to try my best to not mention it anymore. (notice the word try.)
So I'm back in my room now and blogging this to you. I'm going to attempt to upload some of my videos (wish me luck) so you guys can kinda see what you've missed so far. I think I'm going to do my laundry sometime tomorrow as I'm already getting pretty sleepy this evening. Today was a day of rest and I think we all needed it. This next week's schedule looks intense. Every day I look at the schedule for the next day, I look at it with fear and apprehension... but take comfort in the fact that I've survived every day thusfar and if I can.. you can too. :)
So this morning I got up and really dreaded heading downstairs. While waiting to get weighed in, I had a nice chat with a lady that's here from New York. I've been holding in being upset in all this time so I decided that I'm not going to hold in all this negativity in anymore. I told her what happened and she offered her support. It was a nice gesture and I appreciated it. I was surprised that when I was telling her what happened and how it made me feel that I began to tear up a bit. I held it in because I hate showing weakness to others (it's a personal thing) but I realized that I shouldn't bottle this stuff up. I've decided I will have a chat with 'D' later but I'm not going to fly off the handle or anything. I'm simply going to ask, what the deal is and how I don't appreciate their actions and that they need to leave me the hell alone and focus on their own issues.
I decided to get weighed in today but didn't put the sneakers I had on when I weighed in last time. I asked the trainer John to weigh me but not tell me what it was but to enter it into my heart rate monitor. So he did and he asked if I really didn't want to know my weight. I really didn't want to know because I was afraid of being disappointed. Like I said previously, I have my period right now and I've never really had a great track record with losing weight. He did tell me that it was 'good' and that I had gone down. Now, did I go down down or did it just go down because of my sneakers? lol. I have no clue. I did hear about some other people's weight loss though! One lady lost 12 pounds, another lost 10 pounds, etc; I also heard about another lady who had been here in the past who told me she didn't weigh in this week because the first time she came, she gained a pound her first week (water retention probably) and then lost 7 pounds the next week. You just never know! What's most important is that people are getting fitter.
One really great thing though is that I'm not really in pain anymore. I don't know if it's because we only worked out yesterday for part of the day or if I'm just getting used to it. I really hope it's because I'm getting used to it. :) While at home in the past, I never seemed to ever make it past the sore stage. Then again, at home I never worked out every single day at this intensity either! At home, I would usually do what you read about in books and stuff and alternated cardio and weights every day, sometimes doing cardio every day but I was always sore. One thing for certain... I'm not stopping when I get home, no matter how much I want to. I never want to have to make it through the sore stage again because without the support of the FR staff, I don't know if I'd be able to break that barrier again!
Another thing is that according to my schedule, I have an extra 'Open Gym' in my daily schedule. One of the goals I had here is to be able to run. I'd be extremely thrilled if I could leave this place being able to run 2 miles continuously. In the past, I had once worked up to being able to run/jog 1 mile due to my friend P's insistence that I could do it. She was right. However, I did it only for about a week and then stopped and haven't done it since. Stupid me!! Anyhow, that's my goal during the Open Gyms for this week. I'm going to look up and follow the Couch to 5K program that's available all over the net. (google it) That's one of my goals for this year. As of right now, I can only IMAGINE being able to run a 5K. I'm going to make that dream a reality if it kills me.
I've also started getting hungrier while I've been here. One of the ladies here, her name is 'T'. T has been here for 4 weeks and she looks amazing. She says that she can't wait to get home and show off her new body. Well T has said that since she's been here she hasn't restricted herself when it comes to the salad bar and that she's just fine. On top of the salad bar, there's a piece of paper that tells you just how many calories are in each of the items. It's really very minimal when it comes down to it so I agree with her that calorie-wise, it's not going to hurt. It's better for you to intake a few more healthy calories than to be suffering and hungry all the time. At dinner, I've been usually getting a small plate of mushrooms, grape tomatoes, beets and cucumbers. Instead of dressing, I use the soy sauce substitute that they have here. Calorie-wise, I think it's probably less than 100 calories. Here are the items that are usually in the salad bar:
spinach
lettuce
spring mix
chickpeas
cauliflower
pickles
mushrooms
alfalfa sprouts
beets
cucumbers
carrots
oranges
bananas
apples
celery
peppers
onions
and a few other items that I can't remember.
Another thing that I've been doing to stave off the hunger is saving my piece of fruit. During the hike, we're allotted a piece of fruit to eat before, during or after our hikes. Hikes are normally right after breakfast so I never find myself to be too hungry during that time. So instead, I save my piece of fruit (usually a banana) until the evenings when I'm hungry. Dinner is pretty early here, around 5PM usually. I normally don't get to bed until around 10 or so because I'm trying to finish up blogs or keep up with work stuff, etc; So maybe around 8 or 9, the hunger pangs start and the banana comes in handy.
Today was our day of rest and my original plans included resting, doing my laundry and uploading my videos. However, Wayne suggested to a group of us that we go to the outlet mall to go shopping for the day. I decided to go with them and I had a nice time. One sort of bad thing was that the outlet mall is right next to a Carl Jr's. Now, ever since I got here, I've been scheming about trying out Carl Jr's & In-N-Out Burgers. We don't have these on the east coast and I've always heard about how tasty their burgers are. Um. I couldn't resist. I went in and I ordered a baby burger. I say baby burger because most of their burgers are GINORMOUS and 7 dollars to boot! It looked so delicious. I mean, I'm not a fast food person, I have fast
food maybe once every 2 months or so but maybe if these west coast burger places existed in the east, I'd be in trouble! They had burgers with guacomole on it, burgers with huge portobello mushrooms, burgers with jalapeno peppers, burgers with pineapple!! The list goes on! It was a burger fiesta! They had fried zucchinis, waffle cut fries, onion rings... and an amazing assortment of desserts as well.
So I was good and ordered just one of their 99 cents burgers, the Bacon Ranch Cheeseburger and it was really really good. I had about 3/4 of it and tossed the rest away. For me, the main thing was just about tasting it. I don't feel guilty because I made sure to eat a little bit less of dinner and I know that my main problem with my weight has nothing to do with fast food burgers. It's mainly to do with far too much red meat (steaks... yum) and carbs and a sedentary lifestyle.
So! After I arrived back with Wayne & Di, I once again dreaded going into FR. I couldn't help it. Trust me though. I don't WANT to feel this way. FR was a dream/fantasy I held in my mind for months after all. Anyhow, I was in the lobby of FR and approached by one of the staff members. I don't know if they read my blog or if they heard about something through the grapevine about what happened with me but I had a small chat with them and I really say kudos to FR. The staff members care and they want all of our individual experiences to be great, in spite of what may or may not happen between guests. She offered to make an announcement regarding 'bullying,' but I requested that she didn't, that I could handle it on my own but I did appreciate the fact that she took time out on Sunday (their busiest day) to talk to me about it. I have absolutely no complaints about any of the resort staff whatsoever. They're great.
I headed back to my room in anticipation of meeting my roomie, I really wanted to get off on the right foot with her and on the way bumped into a very nice lady named 'R' who recognized me from my blogs. She was a sweetheart. I'm excited about all the new blood here. I really hope that the dynamic will soon be changing. While it was relatively pleasant last week, I KNOW that it can be even better. Afterwards, I ran into my friend 'B,' who is one of the sweetest ladies here. I helped her set up her Polar heart rate monitor and also spoke with her about why I had left graduation early the evening before. She told me she hadn't heard anything and that she had my back. :) The kindness of a lot of the people here is really overwhelming. It almost restores my faith in humanity. lol. Good CAN conquer Evil!
So I arrived back in my room and my roomie still wasn't there so I was chatting with 'N' a bit while I worked on my blog. Skype is an amazing invention, let me tell you. It allows you to be close to your loved ones even though you're miles away. It's nice. Anyhow, my new roomie arrived and she's one of my FB blog readers. :) I hope I made a good impression and that everything works out. She seems very sweet so far. What I absolutely love was the fact that she noticed that I had left her a pair of new earplugs. The best part was that she had brought her own as well! lol. So, I let her know as much as I could about the resort and the schedule and things like that and then we headed over to the main building so I could give her a small tour. I introduced her to Wayne and some of the other people here and met some of the other newbies here as well. We then had dinner.
Dinner was an FR version of a Cobb salad with feta cheese, turkey, onions, cucumbers, avocados and salad mix. Yummy but not the most filling dinner we've had here so far. Dessert was a chocolate tofu 'pie' with a soggy grape nuts crust. It tasted a bit odd but it was good enough that I'm not complaining. :) After dinner, the welcome orientation began and the mike was being passed around for people to speak. I saw 'D' there and I felt like she was giving me the 'stink eye.' Maybe she was, maybe I imagined it, I don't know. I've decided to take the advice of some of the people here and speak with her if I encounter any other problems. I'm not going to let one person ruin my experience here. Also, one of her friends from home arrived here to join her. Greeaaaat. Birds of a feather, right? Yech. I'm just going to stay away from negative vibes unless their behavior impacts me. I hate dwelling on negative things so I'm going to try my best to not mention it anymore. (notice the word try.)
So I'm back in my room now and blogging this to you. I'm going to attempt to upload some of my videos (wish me luck) so you guys can kinda see what you've missed so far. I think I'm going to do my laundry sometime tomorrow as I'm already getting pretty sleepy this evening. Today was a day of rest and I think we all needed it. This next week's schedule looks intense. Every day I look at the schedule for the next day, I look at it with fear and apprehension... but take comfort in the fact that I've survived every day thusfar and if I can.. you can too. :)
Day 6: Rotten Apples
Thank goodness it's Saturday! During breakfast today, they had a fruit parfait but I opted for cereal, some of my friends got weighed in. One lady lost 9 pounds this week and her husband lost 14 pounds! Amazing stuff. I don't think that's typical by the way. I don't think my weight loss will be nearly that good but I do feel stronger and that matters a lot to me. I've always wanted to be stronger and fit.
This morning after speaking with some people, I decided that I wasn't ready for Camelback and opted to do West Canyon since another van opened up. I'm not a fan of heights and my focus is to get a serious calorie burn, not a great view. I'd much rather be on safer, solid ground than somewhere struggling in fear. A good thing I did today too. My friend 'J,' the poor girl, got injured and sprained her foot badly on the hike. Since she refused medical transport, it took 4 hours to carry her down. she's a strong girl though and she finished the day with a smile in her improptu wheelchair, an office chair. Also, on my West Canyon hike, I managed to get about 10 minutes further than I did on my last hike so I was very happy about that.
After the hike, I opted for Circuit. I really feel like I'm starting to be able to handle more. I'm pushing myself bit by bit every day and it seems like it's starting to work. I'm nowhere near athletic yet but what I'm doing for me, is quite amazing. I took off my heart rate monitor after my circuit class today but just the hike and the circuit class burned 2043 calories!
This afternoon, I signed up to visit Coyote Gulch, a small artist's shopping center a few minutes from Fitness Ridge. Our van driver, Fletcher told us that he'd pick us up in 30 minutes and if anyone wanted to stay longer, he'd come back in an hour as well. When I heard we had 30 minutes, I was a bit dismayed. It meant that there wasn't too much to see and I was right. There were only about 5-6 shops and a cafe and while many of the items were beautiful one of a kind pieces, it was quite pricey. A lot of items were also glass or quite large and would be difficult and expensive to ship home if I had chosen to purchase anything. I wanted something small to remember the trip so I opted for a pair of earrings that were kinda cheap. They're hot pink and made of aluminum but they're unique!
After I returned from Coyote Gulch, I saw that there was a sign up sheet for a free wagon ride. Originally, the wagon ride was supposed to be $25 per person but since no one signed up, the wagon ride became free.. and nothing's better than a free ride, right? lol. So when I arrived at the wagon for my free wagon ride, I was dismayed to see my former '5 minute roomie, 'K' there. Thankfully, she's leaving this Sunday. Someone else was teasing her earlier about being rich. I guess she talks about her money a lot. (In fact, later at dinner, she was talking about Rodeo Drive in Cali) Nice character trait. Anyhow. Sorry but I'm not in the best of moods today, you'll understand why in a bit.
The wagon ride was interesting, a bit hot and very bumpy. We were pulled along by two mules and I felt so sorry for those poor mules since they were pulling along a heavy load. During the wagon ride, we listened to some pre-recorded historical information about the area and how the Mormons came to settle it. It was educational but I was held aback when I heard the tape recorded person referring to Native Americans as 'Red Men.' Sheesh.
Well, during the wagon ride, one of the ladies, 'D,' brought up the fact that I snore after I mentioned that my nose was itchy. Of course at that point, I'm sitting across from my 5 minute roomie 'K' and it was a good thing that I had my sunglasses on because I was rolling my eyes. 'D' asked if anyone else had brought up the fact that I snore during this past week and I said no and she looked surprised and then snickered. Hmm. I guess some people were talking about that in the evenings? 'K' possibly or my roomie? What surprised me is that I've been nothing but nice to 'D,' and even 'K,' and you'd expect more mature behavior from women in their 50s.
Now, my former roomie, I don't mind. She's suffered through it. lol. So I can cut her some slack... esp. since she's the one who had encouraged me to socialize.. possibly so that I could do damage control after she had spread the word about my snoring but my 5 minute roomie? Nah. No cake. Being the polite person I am, I didn't say anything, since she's older than I am and you're supposed to respect your elders and all that. But I sure was thinking a hell of a lot of nasty things. Making fun of a person who snores is like making fun of a person because they're overweight or unhealthy or even because they have a different skin color; it's something that you can't help and is just petty. We're at an adult fat camp, people. People who are overweight tend to snore more BECAUSE of their weight. Why else do they sell ear plugs in the guest shop? (According to one of the employees here, they sell quite well too.)
Seriously, get a group of women together who have nothing but hunger in their stomachs and things get nasty. If you're one of those ladies that read my blog, come and talk to me about it in person, rather than behind my back. Be sure that I'll have plenty to say to you. I grew up in NY and live in NJ, you don't think I can defend myself if you have something to say to my face? I may be a nice person but even I don't take crap from others. My mom taught me well. Never take crap from others peeps. It just allows them to keep crapping all over you. So now you'll understand my bad mood.
So after the wagon ride, I went back to my now empty room to talk with 'N' about my day and how I was bothered by what that woman, 'D' said. He advised me to curse them off in a foreign language and walk away. lol. While it made me laugh, I decided instead that I will have a word with 'D' when I see her next time. I came here for a good experience and I don't need something like this to hang over me and make me upset. Being upset only allows others to 'win,' so to speak... and I'm not going to let a few gobby gossips ruin my
experience here.
When dinner rolled around, my dinner friend Wayne, waved me over to sit next to him. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with that but he was sitting next to 5 Minute 'K' and 'D.' Fun. I sat down and ate dinner and thankfully some of the nicer people that are here sat down next to me and dinner was pleasant.
Graduation festivities was the next event on our lineup today and they played a recap of videos and events and photos from the past week. It's a nice effort but wow, I look really horrible when I'm working out. We all get a copy of this disc to take home with us when we leave. If you stay for multiple weeks, you get multiple discs. They had a shot of me working out and 'D' and her cohorts laughed when it came up. Yup, they laughed. Now were they laughing because it was a bad picture or something else? This really bothered me and so when they began to pass around the mike for everyone to 'share' their experiences I left. I've made a few friends while I've been here but as I said earlier, it only takes a few sour apples to ruin the wonderful atmosphere here. You'd think that these stupid cliquish attitudes would stop as people enter their 50s but apparently not.Thankfully, most of the people here are better than that.
I got back to my room and spoke to 'N' and my friend 'P' and even my mom about it. All had varying opinions about how to deal with the situation. 'N' advised me that the next time they had this video recap to cackle as loudly as possible when 'D'and her cohorts pictures come up. Once again, it was funny, but I don't think I could do that. 'P' advised me to make friends with them no matter how difficult it was. My mom told me to curse them off. :) Varying opinions for sure. I still don't know what I'm going to do, if in fact I'm going to do anything at all but it's really disheartening when you're trying to have this wonderful life-changing experience and some people want to ruin it for you because they are sad and miserable and take pleasure in knocking others down.
So I signed up for bowling this evening but I found out that both 'D' & 'K' will be there which I'm not looking forward to. So I think I'm just going to clean my room for this evening. Tomorrow I have the entire day off so I'm going to get my laundry done. It's really piled up this week. You'd be surprised how many sets of clothes you'll go through while you're here. If you sweat a lot (which I don't), you may go through several sets in just one day. Since I barely sweat (honest) I change my clothes only once each day. However, I've heard some women here say they change their clothes 4-5 times each day. So once again, plan accordingly.
This morning after speaking with some people, I decided that I wasn't ready for Camelback and opted to do West Canyon since another van opened up. I'm not a fan of heights and my focus is to get a serious calorie burn, not a great view. I'd much rather be on safer, solid ground than somewhere struggling in fear. A good thing I did today too. My friend 'J,' the poor girl, got injured and sprained her foot badly on the hike. Since she refused medical transport, it took 4 hours to carry her down. she's a strong girl though and she finished the day with a smile in her improptu wheelchair, an office chair. Also, on my West Canyon hike, I managed to get about 10 minutes further than I did on my last hike so I was very happy about that.
After the hike, I opted for Circuit. I really feel like I'm starting to be able to handle more. I'm pushing myself bit by bit every day and it seems like it's starting to work. I'm nowhere near athletic yet but what I'm doing for me, is quite amazing. I took off my heart rate monitor after my circuit class today but just the hike and the circuit class burned 2043 calories!
This afternoon, I signed up to visit Coyote Gulch, a small artist's shopping center a few minutes from Fitness Ridge. Our van driver, Fletcher told us that he'd pick us up in 30 minutes and if anyone wanted to stay longer, he'd come back in an hour as well. When I heard we had 30 minutes, I was a bit dismayed. It meant that there wasn't too much to see and I was right. There were only about 5-6 shops and a cafe and while many of the items were beautiful one of a kind pieces, it was quite pricey. A lot of items were also glass or quite large and would be difficult and expensive to ship home if I had chosen to purchase anything. I wanted something small to remember the trip so I opted for a pair of earrings that were kinda cheap. They're hot pink and made of aluminum but they're unique!
After I returned from Coyote Gulch, I saw that there was a sign up sheet for a free wagon ride. Originally, the wagon ride was supposed to be $25 per person but since no one signed up, the wagon ride became free.. and nothing's better than a free ride, right? lol. So when I arrived at the wagon for my free wagon ride, I was dismayed to see my former '5 minute roomie, 'K' there. Thankfully, she's leaving this Sunday. Someone else was teasing her earlier about being rich. I guess she talks about her money a lot. (In fact, later at dinner, she was talking about Rodeo Drive in Cali) Nice character trait. Anyhow. Sorry but I'm not in the best of moods today, you'll understand why in a bit.
The wagon ride was interesting, a bit hot and very bumpy. We were pulled along by two mules and I felt so sorry for those poor mules since they were pulling along a heavy load. During the wagon ride, we listened to some pre-recorded historical information about the area and how the Mormons came to settle it. It was educational but I was held aback when I heard the tape recorded person referring to Native Americans as 'Red Men.' Sheesh.
Well, during the wagon ride, one of the ladies, 'D,' brought up the fact that I snore after I mentioned that my nose was itchy. Of course at that point, I'm sitting across from my 5 minute roomie 'K' and it was a good thing that I had my sunglasses on because I was rolling my eyes. 'D' asked if anyone else had brought up the fact that I snore during this past week and I said no and she looked surprised and then snickered. Hmm. I guess some people were talking about that in the evenings? 'K' possibly or my roomie? What surprised me is that I've been nothing but nice to 'D,' and even 'K,' and you'd expect more mature behavior from women in their 50s.
Now, my former roomie, I don't mind. She's suffered through it. lol. So I can cut her some slack... esp. since she's the one who had encouraged me to socialize.. possibly so that I could do damage control after she had spread the word about my snoring but my 5 minute roomie? Nah. No cake. Being the polite person I am, I didn't say anything, since she's older than I am and you're supposed to respect your elders and all that. But I sure was thinking a hell of a lot of nasty things. Making fun of a person who snores is like making fun of a person because they're overweight or unhealthy or even because they have a different skin color; it's something that you can't help and is just petty. We're at an adult fat camp, people. People who are overweight tend to snore more BECAUSE of their weight. Why else do they sell ear plugs in the guest shop? (According to one of the employees here, they sell quite well too.)
Seriously, get a group of women together who have nothing but hunger in their stomachs and things get nasty. If you're one of those ladies that read my blog, come and talk to me about it in person, rather than behind my back. Be sure that I'll have plenty to say to you. I grew up in NY and live in NJ, you don't think I can defend myself if you have something to say to my face? I may be a nice person but even I don't take crap from others. My mom taught me well. Never take crap from others peeps. It just allows them to keep crapping all over you. So now you'll understand my bad mood.
So after the wagon ride, I went back to my now empty room to talk with 'N' about my day and how I was bothered by what that woman, 'D' said. He advised me to curse them off in a foreign language and walk away. lol. While it made me laugh, I decided instead that I will have a word with 'D' when I see her next time. I came here for a good experience and I don't need something like this to hang over me and make me upset. Being upset only allows others to 'win,' so to speak... and I'm not going to let a few gobby gossips ruin my
experience here.
When dinner rolled around, my dinner friend Wayne, waved me over to sit next to him. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with that but he was sitting next to 5 Minute 'K' and 'D.' Fun. I sat down and ate dinner and thankfully some of the nicer people that are here sat down next to me and dinner was pleasant.
Graduation festivities was the next event on our lineup today and they played a recap of videos and events and photos from the past week. It's a nice effort but wow, I look really horrible when I'm working out. We all get a copy of this disc to take home with us when we leave. If you stay for multiple weeks, you get multiple discs. They had a shot of me working out and 'D' and her cohorts laughed when it came up. Yup, they laughed. Now were they laughing because it was a bad picture or something else? This really bothered me and so when they began to pass around the mike for everyone to 'share' their experiences I left. I've made a few friends while I've been here but as I said earlier, it only takes a few sour apples to ruin the wonderful atmosphere here. You'd think that these stupid cliquish attitudes would stop as people enter their 50s but apparently not.Thankfully, most of the people here are better than that.
I got back to my room and spoke to 'N' and my friend 'P' and even my mom about it. All had varying opinions about how to deal with the situation. 'N' advised me that the next time they had this video recap to cackle as loudly as possible when 'D'and her cohorts pictures come up. Once again, it was funny, but I don't think I could do that. 'P' advised me to make friends with them no matter how difficult it was. My mom told me to curse them off. :) Varying opinions for sure. I still don't know what I'm going to do, if in fact I'm going to do anything at all but it's really disheartening when you're trying to have this wonderful life-changing experience and some people want to ruin it for you because they are sad and miserable and take pleasure in knocking others down.
So I signed up for bowling this evening but I found out that both 'D' & 'K' will be there which I'm not looking forward to. So I think I'm just going to clean my room for this evening. Tomorrow I have the entire day off so I'm going to get my laundry done. It's really piled up this week. You'd be surprised how many sets of clothes you'll go through while you're here. If you sweat a lot (which I don't), you may go through several sets in just one day. Since I barely sweat (honest) I change my clothes only once each day. However, I've heard some women here say they change their clothes 4-5 times each day. So once again, plan accordingly.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Day 5: I can't believe I've got 25 more days to go.
Day 5:
6:00AM: Kickboxing (optional)
7:00AM: Breakfast
8:00AM: Hike
11:15AM: Stretch
12:15PM: Lunch
1:15PM: Prep for next week at FR
2:30PM: Total Body Conditioning or Circuit
3:30PM: Cardio Disco Jam or Circuit
4:30PM: Pool or Cardio Disco Jam
5:15PM: Dinner
I woke up this morning feeling less sore than I have in the past few days. Mind you, I still ache all over but it's not as intense as it was thankfully. Right now, I'm just dealing with the effects of the 'crimson tide.' Otherwise known as, 'That time of the month.' It's not a great way to feel while you're here. I actually spoke with one of the trainers about it as well and they told me that they don't recommend I get weighed this week in case I get discouraged about the numbers on the scale. When you have your period, a person tends to retain water and be bloated and the numbers can be all haywire. As a side note though, my roomie did say that during your period, you burn 30% more calories than normal. Guess there's a flip side to everything.
Another ridger actually suggested I get weighed and just have them input the numbers into my polar heart rate monitor so that it can be more accurate. I think it's a great idea, I really don't want to get discouraged or start feeling down. One of my fellow ridgers found out that she had actually gained a pound this week! How horrible would you feel if you worked out like crazy all week and then gained a pound? It would make me feel like giving up! Soo... sorry folks, I'm not going to weigh in until at least next week. I'll report the stats then.
So breakfast today was a slice of wheat toast, salsa and eggs with a bit of ground turkey. It was good and pretty filling but I've started to get just a tad hungrier lately. One of the trainers mentioned something about fat burning zones and whatnot. It makes sense. We're doing far more than we ever did and our bodies need more calories so it's screaming out for you to feed it.
John, one of our guides, introduced me to his son-in-law (I think that's what he said), who can speak Chinese. It's always nice to meet people who are interested enough to learn Chinese. So we bantered a bit in Chinese for fun and he told me how he had gone to Beijing in the past. Nice guy.
So the hike we did today was called 'Overlook.' On the way to the hike today, my new friend Wayne, who was featured on The Biggest Loser because he lost 400 some odd pounds all on his own, said something to me that made me laugh and also made me feel nice. He told his wife, "I met this amazing woman who likes to put soy sauce on her pickles!" Now, I know that's not something that most people would find really complimentary or anything, but it touched me. I've never been called an amazing woman before, so I appreciated it a lot. :) By the way, I believe Wayne said he was going to be on The Biggest Loser's finale on May 25th or 27th. Check it out!
So about the hike, it was not the most scenic of hikes. On one side, you're surrounded by a gorgeous high point on top of a mountain... and the other? The highway. :P lol. The fumes weren't too pleasant when you're trying hard to breathe because you're climbing inclines. It was mostly on a paved surface so it wasn't too bad but today because of how I feel... I did well but I didn't push myself as hard as I did the past few days. It must just be because it's Friday. I can't believe I have 3 more weeks of this! I'm also starting to think that I signed on for too many weeks. This could only be a good thing though but I am starting to miss my family and home.
We had stretch today right after our hike and I seriously wish that they would consider having this class for everyone after every single hike. You feel amazing afterwards and it's just so relaxing. I don't think proper stretching is stressed enough here, especially before all the hikes. Granted, we do stretch in class but I never feel as if it's enough. I'd like to try to get into the habit of stretching for a good 10 minutes or so every morning and evening, I just feel it helps your muscles recover faster than anything else.
So today right before lunch they posted up the Saturday sign up sheet for the hikes. Stop Sign hike was the very first to go and then West Canyon, Camelback and Anasazi Ridge. I decided to try Camelback because someone mentioned that it was a beautiful hike and though it looks perilous, it's not. I'm really hoping that I can keep up!
Lunch today was a mushroom soup and a tortilla style dish with lots of veggies and tons of beans. It really wasn't my favorite. I finished eating the tortilla and a few bites and asked if I could switch it for cereal since it just wasn't hitting me the right way. Unfortunately for me, they deemed that I had eaten too much of it (:P) and should just eat from the salad bar in order to fill up. Poo. (and with beans, you'll have lots of it. blech!)
After lunch, we had a mini seminar lecture for all the guests that were staying on until the next week and it was great. A bit cheesy, I can't help but admit, but it was very nice. People talked about how the experience has affected them and we all did the group clapping thingie and we were told how we should help the newcomers adjust when they first arrived. Maybe I haven't made the best of friends while I've been here but it is generally a pleasant bunch. There's a few sour apples here and there but that's life. We were once again told how the focus is on us and not on anything else and it really is true. We all came here to finally give ourselves the 'me' time we've needed for so many years. Once we've got the 'me' down, we'll be able to help everyone else we love and care about.
After the lecture, I opted to do Circuit, which is becoming one of my favorite classes. Doing 2 minutes and switching back and forth between machines isn't as torturous as consistently being on just one machine. After circuit, I did two sessions of Cardio Disco Jam. I have absolutely no rhythm but the class does work up a sweat. John teaches it and he has rhythm enough for all of us. He's got a great disco outfit too.
Dinner was 'meatloaf.' It seemed to be made out of ground turkey or chicken and filled with lots of veggies. It was filling but kinda dry. Dessert was pretty bad in my opinion. I took a small bite but couldn't stomach it. It was a grilled slice of watermelon with some sort of balsamic vinegar sauce on it. Yuck. By the way, if you opt out of the dessert, they don't offer any alternatives. You can always grab a piece of fruit though!
So for the first time, after dinner, there was no lecture! So I headed up to my room with the intent to relax. Spoke with 'N' and family for awhile and just decided to relax. You get very little time to relax here, so enjoy it. A lot of the guests congregate outside by the pool to socialize but to be honest, I have no interest in doing that. Others go to their rooms to relax as well. My roomie came upstairs a bit later and suggested that I go downstairs to mix with the other ladies but we talk all day long here and are constantly surrounded by other people. Besides, I've heard that conversations can get quite catty sometimes... what do you expect when it's mostly women? Solitude and a break from everyone else is nice once in awhile. After all, we're all here for 'me' time, right? I came here to better myself, not to make a million new friends and please others. If I make close friends, all the better... but I'm not going to force myself to do it. I have friends at home and I'm here to please ME. You can knock me for it but I'm just being honest. You spend your life pleasing others, when else do you have the opportunity to please yourself?
So that's it for today! I can't wait until Sunday and I have the entire day free to relax. ;) Looking forward to meeting some of the newer guests on Sunday as well.
Hey P, just wanted to say that I hope your exams are going well!!
Calories burned today: 3783
* Video Update!
Overlook Photo Op
Overlook: Pose
Overlook: Break
6:00AM: Kickboxing (optional)
7:00AM: Breakfast
8:00AM: Hike
11:15AM: Stretch
12:15PM: Lunch
1:15PM: Prep for next week at FR
2:30PM: Total Body Conditioning or Circuit
3:30PM: Cardio Disco Jam or Circuit
4:30PM: Pool or Cardio Disco Jam
5:15PM: Dinner
I woke up this morning feeling less sore than I have in the past few days. Mind you, I still ache all over but it's not as intense as it was thankfully. Right now, I'm just dealing with the effects of the 'crimson tide.' Otherwise known as, 'That time of the month.' It's not a great way to feel while you're here. I actually spoke with one of the trainers about it as well and they told me that they don't recommend I get weighed this week in case I get discouraged about the numbers on the scale. When you have your period, a person tends to retain water and be bloated and the numbers can be all haywire. As a side note though, my roomie did say that during your period, you burn 30% more calories than normal. Guess there's a flip side to everything.
Another ridger actually suggested I get weighed and just have them input the numbers into my polar heart rate monitor so that it can be more accurate. I think it's a great idea, I really don't want to get discouraged or start feeling down. One of my fellow ridgers found out that she had actually gained a pound this week! How horrible would you feel if you worked out like crazy all week and then gained a pound? It would make me feel like giving up! Soo... sorry folks, I'm not going to weigh in until at least next week. I'll report the stats then.
So breakfast today was a slice of wheat toast, salsa and eggs with a bit of ground turkey. It was good and pretty filling but I've started to get just a tad hungrier lately. One of the trainers mentioned something about fat burning zones and whatnot. It makes sense. We're doing far more than we ever did and our bodies need more calories so it's screaming out for you to feed it.
John, one of our guides, introduced me to his son-in-law (I think that's what he said), who can speak Chinese. It's always nice to meet people who are interested enough to learn Chinese. So we bantered a bit in Chinese for fun and he told me how he had gone to Beijing in the past. Nice guy.
So the hike we did today was called 'Overlook.' On the way to the hike today, my new friend Wayne, who was featured on The Biggest Loser because he lost 400 some odd pounds all on his own, said something to me that made me laugh and also made me feel nice. He told his wife, "I met this amazing woman who likes to put soy sauce on her pickles!" Now, I know that's not something that most people would find really complimentary or anything, but it touched me. I've never been called an amazing woman before, so I appreciated it a lot. :) By the way, I believe Wayne said he was going to be on The Biggest Loser's finale on May 25th or 27th. Check it out!
So about the hike, it was not the most scenic of hikes. On one side, you're surrounded by a gorgeous high point on top of a mountain... and the other? The highway. :P lol. The fumes weren't too pleasant when you're trying hard to breathe because you're climbing inclines. It was mostly on a paved surface so it wasn't too bad but today because of how I feel... I did well but I didn't push myself as hard as I did the past few days. It must just be because it's Friday. I can't believe I have 3 more weeks of this! I'm also starting to think that I signed on for too many weeks. This could only be a good thing though but I am starting to miss my family and home.
We had stretch today right after our hike and I seriously wish that they would consider having this class for everyone after every single hike. You feel amazing afterwards and it's just so relaxing. I don't think proper stretching is stressed enough here, especially before all the hikes. Granted, we do stretch in class but I never feel as if it's enough. I'd like to try to get into the habit of stretching for a good 10 minutes or so every morning and evening, I just feel it helps your muscles recover faster than anything else.
So today right before lunch they posted up the Saturday sign up sheet for the hikes. Stop Sign hike was the very first to go and then West Canyon, Camelback and Anasazi Ridge. I decided to try Camelback because someone mentioned that it was a beautiful hike and though it looks perilous, it's not. I'm really hoping that I can keep up!
Lunch today was a mushroom soup and a tortilla style dish with lots of veggies and tons of beans. It really wasn't my favorite. I finished eating the tortilla and a few bites and asked if I could switch it for cereal since it just wasn't hitting me the right way. Unfortunately for me, they deemed that I had eaten too much of it (:P) and should just eat from the salad bar in order to fill up. Poo. (and with beans, you'll have lots of it. blech!)
After lunch, we had a mini seminar lecture for all the guests that were staying on until the next week and it was great. A bit cheesy, I can't help but admit, but it was very nice. People talked about how the experience has affected them and we all did the group clapping thingie and we were told how we should help the newcomers adjust when they first arrived. Maybe I haven't made the best of friends while I've been here but it is generally a pleasant bunch. There's a few sour apples here and there but that's life. We were once again told how the focus is on us and not on anything else and it really is true. We all came here to finally give ourselves the 'me' time we've needed for so many years. Once we've got the 'me' down, we'll be able to help everyone else we love and care about.
After the lecture, I opted to do Circuit, which is becoming one of my favorite classes. Doing 2 minutes and switching back and forth between machines isn't as torturous as consistently being on just one machine. After circuit, I did two sessions of Cardio Disco Jam. I have absolutely no rhythm but the class does work up a sweat. John teaches it and he has rhythm enough for all of us. He's got a great disco outfit too.
Dinner was 'meatloaf.' It seemed to be made out of ground turkey or chicken and filled with lots of veggies. It was filling but kinda dry. Dessert was pretty bad in my opinion. I took a small bite but couldn't stomach it. It was a grilled slice of watermelon with some sort of balsamic vinegar sauce on it. Yuck. By the way, if you opt out of the dessert, they don't offer any alternatives. You can always grab a piece of fruit though!
So for the first time, after dinner, there was no lecture! So I headed up to my room with the intent to relax. Spoke with 'N' and family for awhile and just decided to relax. You get very little time to relax here, so enjoy it. A lot of the guests congregate outside by the pool to socialize but to be honest, I have no interest in doing that. Others go to their rooms to relax as well. My roomie came upstairs a bit later and suggested that I go downstairs to mix with the other ladies but we talk all day long here and are constantly surrounded by other people. Besides, I've heard that conversations can get quite catty sometimes... what do you expect when it's mostly women? Solitude and a break from everyone else is nice once in awhile. After all, we're all here for 'me' time, right? I came here to better myself, not to make a million new friends and please others. If I make close friends, all the better... but I'm not going to force myself to do it. I have friends at home and I'm here to please ME. You can knock me for it but I'm just being honest. You spend your life pleasing others, when else do you have the opportunity to please yourself?
So that's it for today! I can't wait until Sunday and I have the entire day free to relax. ;) Looking forward to meeting some of the newer guests on Sunday as well.
Hey P, just wanted to say that I hope your exams are going well!!
Calories burned today: 3783
* Video Update!
Overlook Photo Op
Overlook: Pose
Overlook: Break
Friday, May 7, 2010
Day 4: Stop Sign Kicked My Ass But I Kicked It Back!
Day 4:
6:00AM: Total Body Conditioning (optional)
7:00AM: Breakfast
8:00AM: Hike
11:15AM: Pool or Gym Class
12:15PM: Lunch
1:15PM: Lecture: Cooking Demo
2:30PM: Pool
3:30PM: Ball Works
4:30PM: Treading
5:15PM: Dinner
6:15PM: Increasing Your Income
7:00PM: Jewelry Expo
I woke up this morning exhausted, drained and feeling like I was totally out of gas. I know most people say that Wednesday is their hump day and the most difficult day but today was MY hump day. I could barely wake up and I was just wiped out. But I dragged my fat @ss out of bed and got dressed and ready.
Breakfast was good today: It was a wheat English muffin with egg whites and facon on it. (Fake Bacon) There was also some salsa that you could put on top of everything. I did and it was great. Not spicy, just flavorful. The facon was kinda hard to chew though... especially with my braces, lol.
So of course, today when I felt like I was exhausted and done for, it's announced that my group was headed towards the Stop Sign Hike!!!! Holy hell. I was NOT looking forward to it and didn't know if I'd be able to do it. This is the Stop Sign Hike in a nutshell:
Pure TORTURE!!
Nah, I'm kidding... no I'm not! lol. It's worse than you can imagine. The hike is a paved hike clocking in at around 4.3 miles one way. That's not bad at all, right? What's bad is the inclines!!It's pretty intense with many many inclines for the first 3 miles or so but the worst comes later. The last 1.3 mile feels like a freaking stairway to heaven or hell, depending on how you look at it. It was STRAIGHT UP. What?! I managed to make it but I did have to take frequent breaks. When you take these breaks, make sure to drink water and breathe deeply. Most of all, turn around. It blows your mind how high up and how beautiful the scenery behind you is. So I made it up to Stop Sign in 1 hour and 35 minutes. Only 5 people out of my group were able to make it up to the top. John, my guide (The older, spry, mountain goat gentleman), who is absolutely
great, love the guy, said to me once I was done that in 4 weeks, he wants to see me do the Stop Sign Hike at under an hour. I'll try my best John!!
I didn't manage to take any pictures during the hike, I was too busy trying to breathe and psyche myself up, but I did take some video of us riding in the van on our way down that I'll post this weekend.
So after this grueling hike, we still had other classes to go to!! Can you believe it?!? I got back to the room and changed for my pool class, which I was looking forward to after the hike. However, today the water was COLD! I was miserable and shaking during the entire class. I tried my best to keep up during class in an attempt to stay warm but to no avail.
I hopped into the hot tub after class (and let me tell you, running from the pool to grab the robe and my nametag/schedule was like an ice dip in the winter. The hot tub felt great but it really made me extra sleepy.
Lunch was a broccoli and potato soup, quite good (you can't go wrong with the soups here it seems) and a tomato & basil/veggie sandwich. It was good but I kept thinking... where's the meat? After lunch was the cooking demo but someone told me that since I was here for multiple weeks, I could always go next week if I was super tired, which I was. I went back to my room and took a much needed nap.
So I missed my first class today. I know I know!! I really feel horrible and oh so guilty. It was the second pool class of the day and after freezing my arse off in the first class, I really could not do it. I was exhausted and could barely stay awake during lunch and the thought of being really cold and having to change again and all the effects of just getting my period was just not workable. My body and mind were telling me that I needed a break. I'm not going to get my t-shirt anymore :( which I'm really really upset about but I will say this. I felt a lot better after my nap. I mean lookit. My brain is functioning right now and I actually caught up on my blogs! After this, I think I may even clean up my room just a bit before bed. I really needed that 1 hour nap.
Ballworks. I think my arms are too short for it. lol. The ball is huge and the class is harder than you'd expect. We swing the ball around, do weights on it, do pushups, stuff like that. It was intense but because I have pretty crappy balance, I didn't enjoy it that much.
Treading just blew my mind. I think I dreaded this class the most out of every single class I had heard about. It's basically this: 5 minutes at the highest intensity and level you can possibly handle. 5 minutes cool down, 4 minutes at the highest intensity and level and then a 4 minute cool down, etc; all the way down to one minute. Just when you think you're done, she has a 'surprise.' An extra 1 minute and 25 seconds. Yeah yeah, I know it doesn't sound like much but trust me, it's INSANE. Our trainer Robin (Robyn?) was just amazing. She played some fabulous music to keep us going (I was particularly excited to hear Zombie Kernkraft 400 and Scooter's Fire, which I've never EVER heard played in this country) and she ran around the room checking on all of us to pump us up and push us even harder. I was on this neat machine that's like a seated elliptical, loved it, but I made sure to give it everything I got. I really truly felt AMAZING after class.. and I totally
did not expect that.
Wow, just when you think you've had the best meal here, Chef Cameron up and surprises you! Dinner tonight was so good. It was a chicken breast on top of a potato salad made of all different kinds of potatoes (I even saw a purple one in there!), 4 asparagus spears and some other greens. Filling and delicious and the chicken was very juicy! I normally don't like Chicken Breasts because they always come out so dry.. but it was just right. The dessert however... blech. lol. I had one bite and that was it. It was a berry crumble type dessert that was very tart. Some people were adding truvia to it and loving it but since I'm not really a mushy, warm, cooked fruit kind of girl, it didn't appeal to me.
After dinner we had a really great lecture given by Sharon (one of the trainers) and Jen. (a life coach here) It was very inspirational actually. The lecture was supposed to be regarding food intake and exercise but it lapsed into a discussion about personal discovery, boundaries and the importance of taking time for yourself. If you don't take care of yourself well, you can't take care of others properly. Very true.
Later on for a few short minutes, I moseyed on over to the lobby to take a look at the Jewelry Expo that they have every week here. A lovely lady who designs her own jewelry has a table set up with creations that she designed herself that are inspired by local culture, antiques and her own personal background. Very pretty stuff, she has a great eye. The prices ranged from $40 and up. I might get something before I leave but I'm trying to watch my pennies while I'm here because I want to partake in some of the services that they offer here before I leave. She had a gorgeous bracelet with a little gecko on it (there's lots of geckos running around on our hikes) that would be a great reminder of my trip here but I balked a bit at the price tag. I believe it was $95.00.
I feel great about today. When before there were lots of things that I wanted to try like dance classes, Zumba, water aerobics, etc; and was too afraid to try, I now know that I can do all of it if I want to. Maybe not well but at least that I'll be able to handle it. I know you guys will follow my adventure in trying all sorts of new things in the future as well. ;)
I accomplished things today that I didn't think that I'd be able to do. For months I read about the Stop Sign Hike and I didn't think that I'd be able to finish it on my first try.. AND I FR*EAKING DID! I read about that treading class and I was dreadin' treadin'... but afterwards, I felt fabulous, like I could do anything. I'm thinking back now to what I said in my earlier posts about keeping it real and saying that I doubted all those amazing things that other people had said in the past. I know I haven't hit my wall yet (and Sharon says everyone will eventually hit a wall and I believe it!) but I really am starting to believe what others have said. My parents have also said how proud they are of me and how surprised they are that I'm doing so well and haven't quit because they thought I'd be crying, whining and moaning.. so that felt great as well. :)
So today was an amazing day. Even though I feel guilty about skipping my second pool class, I'm glad I did. I'm coherent enough now to catch up on my blogging, I'm a bit less sore and I just feel refreshed. I'm sad about the t-shirt but when it comes down to it, would I really wear it? Maybe just around the house... and as my friend 'H' said, "You can buy your own d*amn t-shirt, they sell it in the gift shop." :)
Tips:
*If you are exhausted and need to take a break, you just have to do it. Your health is most important and the trainers are understanding. If it's the difference of missing one class and your sanity? Choose sanity. Really. T-shirts and jackets, etc; with the Biggest Loser logo and Fitness Ridge logo can be purchased in the gift shop. ;)
* The Stop Sign Hike is physical but mostly mental. You CAN do it if you take frequent breaks. Talk yourself into walking until the next bush before you take a break but just keep moving. Don't stop for too long otherwise your body will want to give up. Have some great music on your ipod with a fast beat and remember to hydrate. If you can't make it up your first time, you may make it up your second or third.
*If you feel yourself breathing extra heavy during your hikes, try this trick that John taught us: Breathe in deeply and exhale everything out of your lungs twice. The third time, only exhale out halfway. This way you expell all of the carbon dioxide out of your lungs and get some oxygen in. You'll need it. Trust me!
* Update with video!
Stop Sign Hike: We Did It!
6:00AM: Total Body Conditioning (optional)
7:00AM: Breakfast
8:00AM: Hike
11:15AM: Pool or Gym Class
12:15PM: Lunch
1:15PM: Lecture: Cooking Demo
2:30PM: Pool
3:30PM: Ball Works
4:30PM: Treading
5:15PM: Dinner
6:15PM: Increasing Your Income
7:00PM: Jewelry Expo
I woke up this morning exhausted, drained and feeling like I was totally out of gas. I know most people say that Wednesday is their hump day and the most difficult day but today was MY hump day. I could barely wake up and I was just wiped out. But I dragged my fat @ss out of bed and got dressed and ready.
Breakfast was good today: It was a wheat English muffin with egg whites and facon on it. (Fake Bacon) There was also some salsa that you could put on top of everything. I did and it was great. Not spicy, just flavorful. The facon was kinda hard to chew though... especially with my braces, lol.
So of course, today when I felt like I was exhausted and done for, it's announced that my group was headed towards the Stop Sign Hike!!!! Holy hell. I was NOT looking forward to it and didn't know if I'd be able to do it. This is the Stop Sign Hike in a nutshell:
Pure TORTURE!!
Nah, I'm kidding... no I'm not! lol. It's worse than you can imagine. The hike is a paved hike clocking in at around 4.3 miles one way. That's not bad at all, right? What's bad is the inclines!!It's pretty intense with many many inclines for the first 3 miles or so but the worst comes later. The last 1.3 mile feels like a freaking stairway to heaven or hell, depending on how you look at it. It was STRAIGHT UP. What?! I managed to make it but I did have to take frequent breaks. When you take these breaks, make sure to drink water and breathe deeply. Most of all, turn around. It blows your mind how high up and how beautiful the scenery behind you is. So I made it up to Stop Sign in 1 hour and 35 minutes. Only 5 people out of my group were able to make it up to the top. John, my guide (The older, spry, mountain goat gentleman), who is absolutely
great, love the guy, said to me once I was done that in 4 weeks, he wants to see me do the Stop Sign Hike at under an hour. I'll try my best John!!
I didn't manage to take any pictures during the hike, I was too busy trying to breathe and psyche myself up, but I did take some video of us riding in the van on our way down that I'll post this weekend.
So after this grueling hike, we still had other classes to go to!! Can you believe it?!? I got back to the room and changed for my pool class, which I was looking forward to after the hike. However, today the water was COLD! I was miserable and shaking during the entire class. I tried my best to keep up during class in an attempt to stay warm but to no avail.
I hopped into the hot tub after class (and let me tell you, running from the pool to grab the robe and my nametag/schedule was like an ice dip in the winter. The hot tub felt great but it really made me extra sleepy.
Lunch was a broccoli and potato soup, quite good (you can't go wrong with the soups here it seems) and a tomato & basil/veggie sandwich. It was good but I kept thinking... where's the meat? After lunch was the cooking demo but someone told me that since I was here for multiple weeks, I could always go next week if I was super tired, which I was. I went back to my room and took a much needed nap.
So I missed my first class today. I know I know!! I really feel horrible and oh so guilty. It was the second pool class of the day and after freezing my arse off in the first class, I really could not do it. I was exhausted and could barely stay awake during lunch and the thought of being really cold and having to change again and all the effects of just getting my period was just not workable. My body and mind were telling me that I needed a break. I'm not going to get my t-shirt anymore :( which I'm really really upset about but I will say this. I felt a lot better after my nap. I mean lookit. My brain is functioning right now and I actually caught up on my blogs! After this, I think I may even clean up my room just a bit before bed. I really needed that 1 hour nap.
Ballworks. I think my arms are too short for it. lol. The ball is huge and the class is harder than you'd expect. We swing the ball around, do weights on it, do pushups, stuff like that. It was intense but because I have pretty crappy balance, I didn't enjoy it that much.
Treading just blew my mind. I think I dreaded this class the most out of every single class I had heard about. It's basically this: 5 minutes at the highest intensity and level you can possibly handle. 5 minutes cool down, 4 minutes at the highest intensity and level and then a 4 minute cool down, etc; all the way down to one minute. Just when you think you're done, she has a 'surprise.' An extra 1 minute and 25 seconds. Yeah yeah, I know it doesn't sound like much but trust me, it's INSANE. Our trainer Robin (Robyn?) was just amazing. She played some fabulous music to keep us going (I was particularly excited to hear Zombie Kernkraft 400 and Scooter's Fire, which I've never EVER heard played in this country) and she ran around the room checking on all of us to pump us up and push us even harder. I was on this neat machine that's like a seated elliptical, loved it, but I made sure to give it everything I got. I really truly felt AMAZING after class.. and I totally
did not expect that.
Wow, just when you think you've had the best meal here, Chef Cameron up and surprises you! Dinner tonight was so good. It was a chicken breast on top of a potato salad made of all different kinds of potatoes (I even saw a purple one in there!), 4 asparagus spears and some other greens. Filling and delicious and the chicken was very juicy! I normally don't like Chicken Breasts because they always come out so dry.. but it was just right. The dessert however... blech. lol. I had one bite and that was it. It was a berry crumble type dessert that was very tart. Some people were adding truvia to it and loving it but since I'm not really a mushy, warm, cooked fruit kind of girl, it didn't appeal to me.
After dinner we had a really great lecture given by Sharon (one of the trainers) and Jen. (a life coach here) It was very inspirational actually. The lecture was supposed to be regarding food intake and exercise but it lapsed into a discussion about personal discovery, boundaries and the importance of taking time for yourself. If you don't take care of yourself well, you can't take care of others properly. Very true.
Later on for a few short minutes, I moseyed on over to the lobby to take a look at the Jewelry Expo that they have every week here. A lovely lady who designs her own jewelry has a table set up with creations that she designed herself that are inspired by local culture, antiques and her own personal background. Very pretty stuff, she has a great eye. The prices ranged from $40 and up. I might get something before I leave but I'm trying to watch my pennies while I'm here because I want to partake in some of the services that they offer here before I leave. She had a gorgeous bracelet with a little gecko on it (there's lots of geckos running around on our hikes) that would be a great reminder of my trip here but I balked a bit at the price tag. I believe it was $95.00.
I feel great about today. When before there were lots of things that I wanted to try like dance classes, Zumba, water aerobics, etc; and was too afraid to try, I now know that I can do all of it if I want to. Maybe not well but at least that I'll be able to handle it. I know you guys will follow my adventure in trying all sorts of new things in the future as well. ;)
I accomplished things today that I didn't think that I'd be able to do. For months I read about the Stop Sign Hike and I didn't think that I'd be able to finish it on my first try.. AND I FR*EAKING DID! I read about that treading class and I was dreadin' treadin'... but afterwards, I felt fabulous, like I could do anything. I'm thinking back now to what I said in my earlier posts about keeping it real and saying that I doubted all those amazing things that other people had said in the past. I know I haven't hit my wall yet (and Sharon says everyone will eventually hit a wall and I believe it!) but I really am starting to believe what others have said. My parents have also said how proud they are of me and how surprised they are that I'm doing so well and haven't quit because they thought I'd be crying, whining and moaning.. so that felt great as well. :)
So today was an amazing day. Even though I feel guilty about skipping my second pool class, I'm glad I did. I'm coherent enough now to catch up on my blogging, I'm a bit less sore and I just feel refreshed. I'm sad about the t-shirt but when it comes down to it, would I really wear it? Maybe just around the house... and as my friend 'H' said, "You can buy your own d*amn t-shirt, they sell it in the gift shop." :)
Tips:
*If you are exhausted and need to take a break, you just have to do it. Your health is most important and the trainers are understanding. If it's the difference of missing one class and your sanity? Choose sanity. Really. T-shirts and jackets, etc; with the Biggest Loser logo and Fitness Ridge logo can be purchased in the gift shop. ;)
* The Stop Sign Hike is physical but mostly mental. You CAN do it if you take frequent breaks. Talk yourself into walking until the next bush before you take a break but just keep moving. Don't stop for too long otherwise your body will want to give up. Have some great music on your ipod with a fast beat and remember to hydrate. If you can't make it up your first time, you may make it up your second or third.
*If you feel yourself breathing extra heavy during your hikes, try this trick that John taught us: Breathe in deeply and exhale everything out of your lungs twice. The third time, only exhale out halfway. This way you expell all of the carbon dioxide out of your lungs and get some oxygen in. You'll need it. Trust me!
* Update with video!
Stop Sign Hike: We Did It!
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