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