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.