Annnnd we're back...

Yes, I know it has been a while since I have written an article. It has been a strange summer, and I found my inspiration lacking with a wrist injury that kept me out of the gym for a month. It is hard when an injury prevents any real effort in the exercise world. Everyone kept telling me that I needed to just do cardio, but I loathe cardio.

Now in the end I did end up strapping on the baby carrying backpack and hitting the trails. I ran some and I even picked up a new sport, but I still didn't have much motivation. Now with my wrist healed I am headed back to the gym with goals that a mere 10 months ago I would have said were impossible. Closer to ever to new fitness abilities I am slowly gaining my motivation back. 

I think the major reason for this second wind of motivation is an up and coming S.C.U.B.A. trip. I did mention that new sport right? This trip is the second week of October and I find I want to be as fit as possible. Not really for aesthetic reasons either. This is the first time fitness hasn't directly related to a physical description of my body fat percentage in my head. I want to be fit because the better in shape because the better VAO2 capacity I have the longer I can stay down because I won't use as much air. This new correlation between fitness and goals is a good thing and one I am quite pleased to have. Hopefully it does not leave once I get back from my trip. 

For now though we will just be under the assumption that it will stay and that the writing will resume its course and that there will no longer be month long breaks between articles.

Glad to be back,

FitGirl

Lift heavy or go home!

As I mentally prepare for front squat push presses tonight I am plagued by the image of the women at my gym who go there to lift 5lbs of weight and then they go home. It really and truly frustrates me that these women are afraid of "bulking up". 

Let's follow the horrible bulking train of thought.

Doing some heavy weight lifting sets at the gym on a regular basis transformed a seemingly average woman into a freakish half-woman half-hulk hybrid.  Then because of the huge amounts of testosterone (because she would have to have high levels of testosterone to bulk up) she began to rage rampage around the city like a crazy female body builder version of Godzilla *insert T-Rex screech here*. Eating cars, babies and sheep she became unstoppable in her "looks like a dude" body. The end result is that her disturbingly bulky muscles left her alone and undesirable. Finally she will die a sad  death alone with her Mr. Universe physique and her 100 cats will feast on her ripped body for years to come. Because let's face it who is going to miss a hulkinator woman and all lonely women have cats...

Sound crazy? 

It is.

 
The worst part of the whole endeavor is how women define bulky. It isn't the she-hulk above, it is a body like that of Hillary Swank in Million Dollar Baby or Linda Hamilton in the Terminator movies. A body like this is what a good program like Crossfit and a good diet will do to a woman with genetics to look like Hillary Swank and Linda Hamilton. Sadly while I would love to look like either of these women, I must face the fact that I am not either of these women. I do not have their genetics. The only thing I can hope for is the best version of myself.

This brings me to my last point. If by going to the gym and lifting five pounds 1000 times someone hopes to achieve a body like *insert celebrity name here* then they are going to be sadly disappointed. Not only is that  workout ineffective and boring, one simply won't achieve that body because they aren't that celebrity. Our quest for fitness should be just that, a quest for fitness. Striving to be the best I can and the strongest I can is my ultimate quest. I stopped comparing myself to the women above a long time ago. I am not them. Neither are you.

I use my lifting time as a time where I become intimately familiar with my body. Learning my limitations, not aspiring to have the limitations of others. I know that I get better every repetition I do and no magazine or person or conglomerate can make me want to be anything else. It it my moment of Zen where nothing exists but myself and the olympic bar. I sweat, I grunt, I sometimes even feel like dying, but I do it. No one can take it away from me. That is what real lifting does.

Be more, be strong.

Self Sabotage and becoming Strong

I haven't been honoring my commitment to the site lately. I haven't been honoring my commitment to myself either. Don't get me wrong. I've been hitting the weights. I mean really hitting the weights, dead lifts, squats planks and the works.

The funny thing about this is that I have not been fueling my body the right way. How can I tell my body in one breath that I want it to perform and be this excellent machine of fitness and strength and in another eat Pizza and Doritos. Really? How does this message make sense?

Dear Body.

Please perform hard, work until you ache. Exceed my expectations.

P.S. You only get processed corn and trans-fats to be able to do this. Oh yeah and I am also going to have some wine about three times a week so that you can't properly heal or process cortisol.

That is the wrong letter to send to my body. It shouldn't be the one I've been writing and yet it is. It is time to take a serious look at the diet. The diet is the only reason that I am not seeing results. I am active as hell. It is a little bit like self sabotage. Somehow we all do this. We get so close to a goal and then we feel we don't deserve it so what do we do, we make sure it explodes in our face.

It partially has to do with the messages we are sent by those around us. All around us are messages that we simply aren't good enough. No matter how hard we try we will never be good enough. Surrounded by these messages, is it any wonder that we begin to come apart at the seems when we start to prove two principles: we are good enough and we are worth it. Everything underneath the conscience level begins to scream and the no processed food commitment we made becomes a lie. When we don't really believe we deserve things we set ourselves up to fail, proving that we really weren't good enough to begin with.

Reasons like these are why we need to reach out to those who will tell us we are good enough and we are worth it. I know that people like those with Strong is the New Skinny are the ones we should be listening to. People and groups that encourage us to be all that we can, to work as hard as possible and achieve everything we need and more.

It means that it is time to write a new letter.

Dear Body, 

I love you. Work hard, become great and I will give you everything you need. I won't give you the crap you don't. You are worth the effort and time to provide you with great nutrition and I promise I'll stop filling you with things you don't need. You're worth it. No, we're worth it.

What letter do you need to rewrite in your life?

Weight, weight, weight!

I thought I would share something with you, your weight does not matter. Not losing 1lb a week won't make or break you. If you plateau it is not the end of the world. It will be ok and the lbs will eventually come off.
I have been roughly 158 since the middle of march, I have lost a whole pant size and a half, and have stayed the same weight. People who haven't seen me proclaim that I have lost so much weight. When I tell them I haven't lost any they scoff at me.
What's my secret? I lift weights, eat healthy amounts of food, go on long walks, play with my son, and enjoy every activity I do.
Here are a few tips from me to you about how to enjoy your new lifestyle (because it shouldn't be a diet).

1. Find an activity you LOVE (hiking, bike riding, roller blading, backpacking, swimming). Do this activity instead of something you hate (walking on the treadmill at a hot crowded gym).
2. Find foods you love and eat them frequently. I eat pancakes 3-4 times a week for breakfast, they are multi-grain protein pancakes that taste better than buttermilk pancakes. They fuel my body and ensure I have the energy I need to go about my morning. They are nutritious and delicious. I am in love with brazil nuts, I eat them almost every day. I HATE hate hate hate beets, I never eat them. I wouldn't eat them if you told me that they would make me lose weight faster.
3. Make it a family/social event. Take your children/husband/girlfriend/friend/roommate with you when you do your activity. Since I have found a lifting partner, I lift harder and work out more efficiently because we push each other. I hike with my son and dog, they both beg me to go. My son is only 13 months and he will go to his baby backpack and try to get into it if we have not gone in more than two days.
4. Don't set weight loss goals. Set fitness goals. A goal of losing 1lb per week is a great lofty goal and can often lead to disappointment. Set fitness goals. If you can only hike two miles without being completely exhausted set the goal to hike 4 miles by the end of the month. If you can only swim for 10 minutes set a goal to swim for 20 by the end of the month. These are goals you have complete control over(assuming you don't hurt yourself). Weight loss is sometimes out of our control, because of hormones etc.
5. Most importantly do an activity that is going to build muscle. Lifting weights is a good idea, and there are some really great programs. Don't worry about bulking up because eating at a deficit you won't be able to. Strength training will however, prevent you from losing lean body mass when you lose weight. We all want to lose fat, and not lose muscle. Doing something to preserve your strength will help you not lose as much lean body mass as you would had you avoided the strength training. 

Do those five things for a month and you will be down in inches. You may weigh the same as you do right now, but your body composition will change and you will be healthier for it.
Remember the scale is a tool, if it is depressing, demotivating and deterring you than you should throw it out and get a new tool. A tape measure and body fat calipers are just a few of the many tools out there to help you assess your body composition. You are more than a number so don't let a number define your entire outlook on healthy eating and activity levels.

The suck

So I wanted to discuss the suck. I know for those of you who read my facebook page you have been hearing about the suck quite frequently. The suck is that moment in your work out where life sucks. Your body starts to hurt, your lungs are on fire, and to top it all off you really just want to pack it up and go home. Getting through the suck is an important part of becoming a better, stronger person. These are the moments in life that can define a person, or redefine them.

Photo from anamillerpsychic.com!

Recently I have been experiencing a whole heaping helping of the suck. It has plagued me like there is no tomorrow. I haven't wanted to even work out, but I have somehow continued to drag myself to the gym. Despite my best efforts the suck was there from the beginning to the end of the work outs. It haunted me worse than the a creepy little ghost. So this heaping suck has me down and out. I had actually started loathing my trips to the gym, a sign of a burn out soon to come.

Enter the box jump. I recently started doing box jumps. For those of you who do not know what a box jump is watch this video...

Wonderful now we all have a frame of reference for the next bit of conversation. In the video the box is about the size of the box I began to jump on. I understand that this looks like a tiny box, but in fact if you have never tried a box jump it can be tricky. That and the fact that I am a clumsy lug does not help. 

I had been struggling for going on two weeks with finding any resemblance of motivation as I set up my interval. Seated low rows with rest time filled with box jumps. The gym had moved my metal boxes that I was used to using and I had to set up some of the blue plastic boxes. I grabbed two without thinking that it was double what I had originally done. I sat down at the row without looking at the weight and began to do my rows. Little did I know I was lifting 55lbs, only on my last repetition did I notice this was 15lbs more than I usually lift. This put a tiny smile on my face, and the suck faded long enough for me to finish the rep and stand to face my box.

The box I had set up is about 12-18 inches. I think closer to 18 but I am not sure as I have never measured it. It is double what I had normally done. Standing there looking at the box the image of me crashing and busting my skull open on the row machine played on loop in my head. I took a deep breath and I jumped. To my surprise there was no crashing, no gasps from stunned gym-goers as I came tumbling down like humpty dumpty because I landed it. The smile on my face got bigger and bigger as I did my ten jumps. I had finally defeated the suck. Motivation took over and the suck was chased away like a scared little child instead of a big bad poltergeist.

What's the point? If you stick with it, even when everything in your body and brain are screaming quit, you will have the best feeling of accomplishment ever. Giving up is always an option. In fact I can usually find 100 reasons not to give myself my hour a day to strengthen my mind and body. Not giving in to the easy way out is the hard part. It can change who you are. I have always been a quitter. If something was hard I simply avoided it. If I wasn't naturally good at it I didn't do it. Now that has changed. I will take on the challenge. I know that I am capable of things I never thought possible, all because I can get through the suck.

How do you get through the suck? Knowing how to push through gives us strength for all areas of our lives.

Top tips to fight the flab

Since I have lost all these inches people have been asking me what I did and what they should or could do to lose weight. I thought it might be fun to do a series on tips for you on how to fight the flab. Over the next few weeks I will introduce some steps that you can take without altering your lifestyle too much to change how you look and feel.

At the end of the post are the names of the articles that I will be writing to help you do what I did. I am not an expert, and I am not yet at a healthy weight. So I don't have all the answers, but I am going to pretend. I am going to let you all speculate as to the nature of the articles by their titles, and am planning on getting out one a week (give or take). So now you have something to tell your friends about. Yes spread the word. See the Facebook button at the bottom of the article? Click it... No really, click the freaking button! OK well here is the first of ten... Click the button!

You gotta move-it move-it!

 

One of the most basic statements I have heard about weight loss is to eat less and move more. All the time when I discuss moving more people tell me that they don't have the time/money to go to the gym. I understand that it can be difficult to go to the gym, I KNOW that they are expensive, but you don't need a gym to move more. There are a few things you can do throughout the day to increase the level of movement without even taking extra time out of your day.

Park at the END of the parking-lot

It annoys the living crap out of me that people will circle the first five parking spaces at the local store in order to avoid movement. I park at the end of the lot. The end that seems to always have free parking. The one that doesn't have a traffic jam of overweight over lazy people vulturing the one open spot. I am sure that you have heard the joke "they should make fat people parking at the end of the lot so they walk more." Well, why not? I did, I know it's not a ton of space and it may only add four minutes of walking in a day, but if you make it a habit those minutes can add up, you can also walk faster than your mosey so that you get your heart rate up! This goes along with walking quickly wherever you walk. No more moseying.

Chores

No one likes cleaning their house. I hate dishes as much as the next person, but now when I clean my house it looks like a cross between an aerobics class and some cleaning commercial. I move a ton. I shake my booty and break a sweat. I don't just load the dishes or vacuum the floor. It becomes a little workout session. Take the chore that you are already doing and make it work for you. Yes you will look like an idiot. My husband tries really hard not to laugh at me when I squat to put a dish in the washer or when I do some Zumba mid stroke of the vacuum, but then again he hasn't complained either. 

Catalog downtime and make it movement time

 I don't believe people don't have time to exercise. There are plenty of hours in the day and unless you are working three jobs and raising kids by yourself you have no excuse. If you sit and watch TV for an hour a night that is downtime and time that you could go for a walk/run/bike ride/hike. When you are looking around the house wondering what to do, get moving. Do some jumping jacks, or eight count push ups or anything except sitting on your butt watching TV. If you don't move more you can't lose weight.  

Find a hobby that is outdoors or involves movement, change your TV time into hiking time or kayaking time or mountaineering time. Don't sit and do nothing. You have to take an active part in becoming active.

Heart Rate

Any chance you get to get your heart rate up do it. Standing at the microwave for two minutes? I do the modified push ups against the counter while I wait for my leftovers. Take the opportunities that life affords you. It will take a time to start to see these opportunities but once you start to see them, you will wonder how you ever lived without them. Any time your heart rate jumps you burn more calories. It takes a while for a max heart rate to drop to a resting heart rate. So if you do go for walks, throw some High Intensity Interval Training HIIT in there. Do jumping jacks or mountain climbers every block and then resume your normal pace. 

JUST MOVE!

Fitness blogs...

So along the way I have started collecting other blogs about fitness. Some I read and I love, others I read and I hate. 

One of the ones I love, not simply for the name which is epic in nature, is Strong is the New Skinny SINS. SINS links many other blogs, opening my eyes to the world wide web of internet fitness bloggers; we can talk about them later. I like SINS, I especially like their Facebook page. I enjoy the links and seeing others who value strength and fitness rather than a pant size. I am not saying that pant size isn't something to chase, but I could stay the same pant size if I could work up to running a 5k three times a week and doing  some of these

One of the articles linked by SINS from Practical Paleolithic discussed how the media set so many of us up for failure. They pump us full of the notion that we can have a full time job, raise a family, work out to maintain a body fat % of 5 while still sleeping our full 8 hours a day. I have been giving this a lot of thought and have definitely noticed that since unplugging from the evil idiot box (No cable television service, I do still watch Netflix) I have had fewer negative cognition's about the state of my body. I do think that some of us out there really need some media awareness on the side of our fitness order. Media want to make money, they cannot tell you that you are doing a great job, and then expect you to buy their product that will make you better/faster/stronger/anythingbutwhatyouare.

So while you dedicated five wonder over to SINS and Practical Paleolithic remember that they are great sites, but I am the person you actually know!

P.S. I hit the two mile mark running yesterday. 

Single digit size

So all of my recently bought size 12's are too big. I went to the store to buy some shorts today, and I am right in between a 10 and an 8. The 8 fit, but it gave me that muffin top that I have always touted means the pant doesn't fit. I decided not to get new shorts because I am so close to being a single digit size. I am going to wait until after I run my 5k in mid-April.

By the way, I am running a 5k in April. I never thought I would actually get to this point, but I have told my husband, and now the 5 of you who read my blog. I can only run 1.5 miles right now, but after Zumba tonight I am going to see what my new running wall is. I can book it with the baby back pack 2 miles. So I am pretty sure I can run 2 miles. I will see. I have a month. My goal is going to be to run more than I walk, but secretly I really want to run the whole thing. I don't care if it is the slowest freaking jog in the world. I don't want to walk it.

Body Image

I think everyone has a moment in their blossoming that defines their body image. Mine wasn't a very positive one, but luckily I had intelligent parents who would not tolerate the trend amongst young women of starvation. During my teen years I was not fat by any stretch of the imagination, never the less my body image was wanting. I could always find flaws with myself and thought I was severely fat (even at a gaunt size 0).

I was thin until about my senior year in high school when I decided to stop being an idiot (using recreational drugs) and go on the Depo shot. The combination of the two caused me to gain about 50 lbs in a month. Despite the gain in weight I always refused to do anything that caused me to exert myself. Breaking a sweat was not for me. EVER. My weight fluctuated from that point on, I would pack on the pounds, loose a few, put a few more on ect.

It wasn't until I was visiting at Christmas 2009 with my Dads family and my then going senile grandfather was quite sure I was pregnant did I decide that maybe I should look at my lifestyle. About a 6 months later I had lost a modest 20 lbs and was feeling pretty good about myself. I had this diet thing on lock-down! BAM Victor made his first appearance in my life with a + on a stick, this time I was pregnant. No more diet and no more exercise. I don't know why decided to not exercise while pregnant, probably because I just wanted an excuse to be lazy and pregnancy was it. I had horrid problems with my hips starting at about 5-6 months and started doing physical therapy (water aerobics) 3 days a week to alleviate issues. Luckily this helped and I only gained about 40 lbs during my pregnancy. This was pretty good considering that some people gain 100lbs when they get pregnant, talk about over-indulging! 

Well those of you who follow know that the beginning of this year I really decided that I was going to weigh what I did before I got pregnant before my son was a year. Which I do! The best thing is not the number on the scale. The best thing is how my perception of myself has completely changed.

For the first time in my life, I am not ashamed, disgusted, or embarrassed when I look in the mirror!

Many people, women particularly, go their whole lives without experiencing this. I no longer see what I saw a mere three months ago. Part of this has to do with the amount of activity I have in my life. Let's face it endorphins make people happy. I don't know where the other part came from, maybe it is the fact that I don't watch television or subscribe to any mainstream media productions. I don't let others define my standard of beauty any more, and never will again. I don't see the negative things anymore.

When I look in the mirror I see a body that:

1. can run a mile and a half without stopping
2. hikes at least 10 miles a week carrying a baby on a pack
3. lifts weights 3-4 days a week
4. has a resting heart rate in the mid 60's
5. has a blood pressure of 103/50
6. is well nourished and hydrated

All of those things make me very happy with what I see.

I <3 me!

Interval sore

I have crossed the threshold from regular exercise soreness into something that is beyond ridiculous. I did interval training with my personal trainer on Wednesday. This was some beefy stuff, and I can tell you honestly I have never worked out so hard in my entire life. When I left the gym I could hardly walk my legs were jello. It was insane.

Thursday I could hardly sit down because I was so sore. The pressure from my weight on my legs and glutes hurt. I have never been that sore in my entire life. It felt like I had been hit by a mac truck and was now recovering from total body bruising. Friday was a little better, though I was still sore. I went for a run to loosen everything up and get the blood flowing. Today is Saturday and I still hurt, I am sure a little of it is from running but MOST of it is from the interval training that I did 4 days ago. I know it will get easier as time goes by, but I cannot imagine a day where this becomes easy.

Running is getting easier, in two months I went from no running to running a mile. This interval stuff should too, right? The worst part about it is that tonight, I have more interval training to do.

Bring on the Zombies

Those of you who don't believe in the Zombie apocalypse, I hope you are in good shape. For those of you who understand the impending doom that is zombie infested horror, I hope you have one of these. The Zombie Survival guide notes that one of the critical elements to surviving a Zombie attack is fitness. Aside from subscribing to a general fitness routine Brooks advocates the always be prepared mentality. While I do not plan on stocking my basement with canned goods and bottled water, I do intend on being able to outrun a few brain hungry undead. The first rule for survival, is to be able to outrun, or outfight a horde of flesh crazed Zombies.

Secondly: I don't have to be fast, I just have to be faster than you. Surely we all know and understand that Zombies will attack those with the most flesh to quell their hunger, next they will go after those who are slower. Likely the two will intersect. Fat, slow meals are the targets for the hungry hungry hippos, er I mean Zombies. Today I am proud to report I will be neither.

I have succeeded in running one mile without stopping.  While this is not a huge feat in the world of ARMY men and women that I live in, it is gigantic in the rest of the population. So while I am not fast, I am probably faster than a few people in the fair city of Leesville. There are many out there who cannot run a whole mile; I for the first time in my life am not one of them.

Personal Trainers

So, for those of you who read this and don't have me on Facebook, I hired a personal trainer. Luckily my husband is in the military and through the Morale Welfare and Recreation program the gym on post offers personal trainer at a fraction of the price a civilian would pay. Because; no I'm not rich and really cannot afford a personal trainer. That's not the point I was trying to make.

For those of you out there who have ever considered hiring a personal trainer, do it! It is ridiculous how hard the program my trainer designed for me is. I did the first work out on Monday. I thought my Zumba class on Tuesdays is hard, I was mistaken. By the end of my 55 minute interval training I was so exhausted that my muscles were shaking. I had to stretch for an extra amount of time because I was quite certain if the cold air hit me on the way out of the gym I would expel anything that I had eaten.

Personal trainers should be able to design a plan that is right for your body and your fitness level. I know that I never would have even thought about the program she had me doing. It would not have occurred to me to do those exercises in that order. So if you are considering it, do it! Worth the money.

F-f-f-fooood.

Changing one's diet is definitely something that should be done when trying to lose weight. I have done this. More protein, less processed sugars, less bad fat more good fat. Its a good thing. Right?! Well not lately. My food has become the center of entire thought process. I think it is especially bad today because I am bored, its raining, there is nothing to do. That and I want to smoke. Smoke. Smoke. Smoking is bad for you! No smoking!



Holy yum!



Anyway, I have been looking for ways to satiate my incredible need to put things in my mouth (no jokes!) I have been eating dum-dum pops but at 25 kcals a pop it really isn't worth the 25 minute of yum. I discovered something that is pretty yummy. Werther's Original makes these ridiculous candies that are sugar free. They come in coffee caramel and plain caramel. If you don't mind the taste of artificial sweeteners this snack is where its at. 5 pieces is the serving size and it's 40 kcals per serving, so each piece is worth a whopping 8 calories. If one can avoid biting the into the pieces it is a great way to satisfy the need to eat your way to happiness.

Aside from the boredom hunger I am doing good. Egg whites for breakfast, mmm egg whites (right). Lean meats, lots of vegetables, tons of fruits, no ice cream. Not a ton of cheese. I really hate that last one. I am of the opinion that each and every food item would be better with cheese. Not loading everything with cheese almost makes me sad. Hopefully this will get easier, and not harder.

Turkey burgers for dinner!



Success!

I cannot even begin to explain what an amazing week I had, despite the fact that I had to start over with the whole running endeavor. So I think I should make a list.

1. Worked out 5 days this week
2. Found a buddy who wants to run a 5k with me
3. Discovered the difficult rowing machine, and subsequently fell in love
4. Kept up in Zumba
5. Discovered the epic hip-hop infusion class

See what I mean? It was a good week. I met a friend at Zumba last week, we can call her Mrs. Zumba. Mrs. Zumba and I have a ton of the same fitness goals. We have started doing the couch-to-5k program together as well as the Zumba and now the hip-hop class.

Not only do we do the running and the dancing but she also is into strength training. It is fun to have someone to help you with the weights. Technically you should have a gym buddy at all times but we all know that isn't always possible. The best part is to have someone yell at you when you don't think you could possibly do another one of these:

I really am sore today though. It is because I had a superific time at Hip-Hop Infusion. The instructor could possibly be a real dance instructor. It was amazing! I loved the people in the class, no one was super self conscience or anything dumb like that. So I got my swagger on. Yes I have swagger. Who would have guessed?

That is the latest from the fat FitGirl

Signing off-

The good, the bad, and the not so in-shape...

There are different aspects to every endeavor in life. Some good, some bad, and about everything in-between. With fitness there are two key aspects that seem to exist, motivation and injury.

Motivation

I am beyond motivated. I want to run, hike, jog, skip and whatever else will get me there. I -really- want to go and be all awesomely in-shape to make the kiddies drool at the epic level of fitness I have attained. A level of fitness not seen since the era of the Gladiator. The lean muscle mass will glean under a sheen of sweat as I run to the beat of P!nk... Or whatever...

Injury

Unfortunately in the past I had Achilles tendinitis. An evil little inflammation of the Achilles tendon that causes pain when walking or running. This little inflammatory injury is currently the bane of my existence, as after my last run it has reared its nasty horned head. The pain of stepping seeks to thwart my lofty gladiatorial fitness goals. There will be no awe inspiring lean muscle mass to glean because I can't run when injured!

Solution?

Well I simply must slow down. It makes me so angry. Why, when I finally have the motivation to run my heart out, do I need to walk!? Somewhere out there some little devilish thing is laughing at my frustration. I know it. It is as though the desire to run a 5k has raised some nasty injury giving creature from the nethers of planet fitness. Well guess what?! I am armed with anti-inflammatory, ice, and the will to walk through it until I no longer have an inflamed tendon. Frustrating as not being able to run until I want to collapse will be, I will beat you. No evil injury giving bastard will get in the way of my delusions of grandeur!

Fit Girl is Born

Hello World,

Hope you are doing well today, sincerely. I am fantastic. I have resolved, and determined to become the fit girl. You know who I am talking about, the girl who runs for an hour at the gym without looking like they are about to keel over and die. I want to be the one who goes to the Zumba class and wishes that the instructor will go faster, instead of having to stop because my thighs feel like Jello.

So this is my Blog. I always wanted to start a blog, but never had anything that I cared to write about. This will be my self discovery and hopefully I can share some of my to do's and not to do's with all of you. Maybe you can become that fit person that you have always wanted to be. I know there is one hiding within all of us. Somewhere... deep below the layers of fat and unused muscle...

Anyway, this isn't about how schlubby I am, this is about how fit I am going to be.

Current exercise program

• Couch-2-5k 30 minutes 3 days a week

• Zumba 60 minutes 2 days a week

I am not even close to running a 5k. Though I did run ten straight minutes yesterday. It was the best time I have ever had with the sweat and the panting, aside from the usual fun sweat and panting activities that one does. I Zumba, or try. I am not the best dancer and have never boasted a high level of coordination. But it reminds me of when I used to be able to go to the club and dance, so I go and shake my booty like no one is looking, because let's face it, no one is!

Stats:

5'5"

Female

168 lbs

Eventually that last number will lower. EVENTUALLY! But the goal here, I keep telling myself, is to be fit. Not lose weight, though that should happen if I become the fit girl I have always dreamed of being.

Diet:

Here

That is the only place to go for a diet. Moderation people, not starvation! I eat everything I want within the allotted amount of calories! Calorie counting is the only sensible diet and if someone tries to convince you otherwise you should probably take them out to the woods and leave them there for being less than smart.

Well there we have it.

Fit girl in training,

Signing out-