“We ought to get out more...”

A few weeks ago, I was asked to write an article for the Times Colonist's Healthy Living Magazine...exciting...and the only parameter was that the magazine was centred on outdoor living.  With all the sunshine we'd been having, and the fact that I'm stuck in a gym for workouts around 8 times a week, I thought I'd explore the subject of being active in nature.  You don't have to be a ninja-in-training to do it, you don't need specialised shoes or clothing, and you don't even need any money, all you need is a sense of adventure and a fabulous cityscape to get the job done.  Here are my thoughts on getting out more.

Exercise in the morning before your brain figures out what your body is doing - that has pretty much been my mantra for the last couple of years. As much as I love Crystal Pool & Fitness Centring, there's something to be said for playing outdoors. It keeps things interesting, it's great for mind and body, it's free, it's fun, and it's nearly impossible to find an excuse as to why you can't fit a little bit of nature into your day. So, when's the last time you tried swinging on the monkey bars in Central Park or wandered through the rose garden at Beacon Hill? When did you last take the scenic route in something other than a car?

Walking or running around town gives you an entirely new perspective on where you live. Go on, really listen to the music being pumped through the Gates of Harmonious Interest, search out the sculpted bronze Hands of Time - first a filigree fan, then the last spike, binoculars - can you find all 12? Take advantage of pedestrian-only pathways, sneak by Fisherman's Wharf on your way to taste the sea salty air as it whips around you on the breakwater, wave at cruise ship tourists then visit Emily Carr and other residents of Ross Bay Cemetery. Who says exercise has to be a chore - hours of gym time logged under fluorescent lights? I say, get out, and increase feelings of well-being, activate your brain, stimulate your senses, raise your serotonin levels, fill you lungs with oxygen, and get some vitamin D.

Hop on a bike and take a spin around the Inner Harbour, Dallas Road, really see where you live, follow the coastline, climb up that hill by the old observatory, catch your breath and then lose it again at the viewpoint as you look out over the Strait of Juan de Fuca towards the Olympic Mountains. Pedal your way through Victoria Golf Course, keep going until Oak Bay Marina, buy some bait, feed a seal, don't stop until you've immersed your feet in the frigid waters off of white, sandy Willows Beach, then take a different route back, explore. Healthy living is loving what you do in life, don't you dare get bored.

All this spring weather and unbelievable sunrises have got me thinking that I should venture outside with my yoga mat to salute the sun as it illuminates this amazing city. It may be that I need to lay off Googling fitspiration pictures of fancy asanas in fabulous places or it may be that I need a bit more fitness freedom. Time to think outside the gym, get active, and smell the roses simultaneously. There are no rules, you don't have to get up super early or even come home when the street lights turn on, just take your time, enjoy, and play in gratitude. There's no place like OM.

The article came out this past Saturday in the Times Colonist's Healthy Living Magazine's supplement. 

All hail the new TIMES COLONIST HEALTH CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS 2015 (of which Stéphane is not one.)

The Times Colonist Health Challenge changed my life and subsequently changed the life of my husband.  In 2013, he hopped on board the health and fitness bandwagon with me and thereafter got a gym membership at the Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre to support me.  He ate the meals I prepared, honoured my extensive new rules...such as, "No junk food in the house!"  Stéffi put up with my griping about delayed onset muscle soreness and being hungry all the time.  And, without too much effort except for the grueling workouts he set for himself at least 3 times a week and our almost nightly walks through Victoria, he lost weight.  He started 2013 at 217 pounds and by April he was down to a svelte 187 or so...he continued to lose, as I did, and managed to lose 40 pounds in the time it took me to lose 100.  He was the perfect partner in crime, not only did he back me mentally, but he also took on the responsibility of assisting me financially.  Throughout my weight loss he congratulated my success, but reminded me that it never really mattered how much I weighed because he had always loved me and would continue to love me no matter what the future had in store.  That's just the kind of guy he is.  Insert "AWWWWW" here.

In theory, the 2013 Health Challenge afforded me 2 fitness assessments complete with skin fold tests (before and after the 3 months), a basal metabolic reading, a personal trainer twice a week for 12 weeks (though I saw Jonathan much more than that), 2 nutritional consults with a dietitian, a group session and a one-on-one with a psychologist/mental coach, and a free pair of sneakers - a prize valued at over $2000.  Of course, there was also the accountability that comes with being featured from time to time in the paper - priceless!  That, my friends, was a pretty good deal considering I was off work on unpaid medical leave (I'll share that story with y'all later, it's a doozy).

After the Health Challenge was over for me...I kept going, kept up with my training sessions with the MIJO Sport ninja twice a week, did at least an hour of morning cardio 6 days a week, and supplemented with once or twice weekly yoga and taekwondo classes.  I dedicated pretty much a year and a half of my life to getting fit and healthy.  And so did the man of the house, Stéphane.  But, it wasn't only about getting into shape for me (and the weight loss that came from all that exercise and healthy eating), but it was about getting well-conditioned, mentally and physically.  Over the course of a year, I regularly saw my family doctor, had a session with a psychiatrist, attended the Eating Disorders Programme weekly, went to my usual physio appointments, and pretty much took the best care of myself ever...full stop.  Fabulous for me, not so fabulous for my partner-in-crime.  Stéphane went a year and a half paying for absolutely everything.  He took no vacations nor could he spend his money frivolously as he was now the only bread winner in the family (mmmmm bread).  How do you pay a man back for that?  Well, I can tell you how I tried.    

I have always been proud and will always be proud of Stéphane.  He is fun, hilarious, enthusiastic, handsome, goofy, clever, artsy, and a bunch of other adjectives as well.  I have always seen him as "L'homme de ma vie" - he and I are true kindred spirits...so how do I reciprocate?  Well, hopefully my clever writing could do something, especially now when I am again on an unpaid medical leave (because of ACL replacement surgery).  I decided I would fill in an application, on his behalf, to be a participant in the TC Health Challenge.  This is what I wrote:

My name is Stéphane Gagnon.  I am a mild-mannered project technician for a local company by day:  I get up way too early in the dark, drive to work with a brown-bagged lunch, and begin my coffee drinking.  I come home (again in the dark) after 8 hours of sitting in front of a computer and have every intention of going to the gym.  Sometimes I make it, sometimes I don't.  Sometimes I just drive my wife to and from.  And if that's the case, I know I can get away with eating 2 packs of ramen for dinner before I have to pick her up.  I like noodles...a lot.  Almost as much as I like poutine.  This is what my weekdays look like, for the most part. 

Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad life.  But, I feel like I need more...where's my energy, vitality, and joie de vivre?  

Enter the weekends.

Come Friday?  Well, I shuffle off this weekday mortal coil and become Deejay Cheeky Tiki - a garage punk spinner with an encyclopaedic knowledge of music that you don't even know you like yet.  Or I pick up my pen and paper and step into the role of Stéffi G - a drawer of pictures and writer of words for my own form of "bande dessinée" - I like to think of it as graphic poetry.  I read voraciously, I get up early on Saturdays and Sundays to sit on the couch with the cat and pour over the countless novels I have stashed in my E-reader.  And then, batteries charged and healthy breakfast eaten, I hit the gym.  I attack the treadmill, the elliptical, I do sit-ups, and push-ups.  I give it my all.  I return from the gym high on endorphins and ready to conquer the world!  I need more of that in my life.

I am the everyman.  I am 47 years old, 5'7", and about 207 pounds, which means I have about 50 pounds to lose, but don't most people?  When I look at myself in the mirror, I see a keg and not a 6-pack and as much as I like beer, I know that has to change for my life to be healthy and happy.  I have it in me to transform from fat to fit, I am determined.  After all, I lost 100 pounds years ago going from obese to manorexic in a matter of months.  But this time, I want to do it right.  I want to eat clean and train dirty, as my wife calls it.  I need the accountability, the resources, the community, and the guidance that the TC Health Challenge provides - I know the effects this challenge has on its participants first-hand, and I want in!  I had a supporting role a couple years ago in HC 2013, but 2015 is my time to audition for something bigger than back stage!  

Guess I should use my stage name for this one.

"Good afternoon.  My name is Stéffi Spitfyre and I will be auditioning for the role of 'Health Challenge participant 2015.'" 

In my experience, the Health Challenge is what you make it.  Stéffi wasn't chosen, and he didn't expect to be, he told me later.  Simply put, he didn't think he had enough to lose.  Don't most middle-aged men have a few pounds to drop?  I guess that doesn't make for as interesting a story, or does it?  We'll see.  In the weeks that follow, I'll post updates on Stéffi's progress...because, frankly, a lot of us out there are challenged with losing around 40ish pounds, and it isn't easier because the number is smaller.  Sometimes it's harder, it's easier to take more liberties when you are faced with a smaller amount.  I buckled down and lost 150 odd pounds in just under a year and a half, but trying to lose the last 10 pounds was the hardest, and it's easy to get complacent.  My husband has regained the 40 pounds that he lost in 2013, and I am currently 20 pounds up from my lowest weight in June of 2014 - in the next 3 months, we will embrace the spirit of the challenge and commit to being losers again.

Let the countdown begin!

High Maintenance.

It's time to get off this dark horse and ride a unicorn or something.

At least that's what the ninja said to me a while back. And, in all seriousness, I have been in a bit of funk as of late.

Why in the funk, Suzie Spitfyre!?

I don't want to talk about it.  (Because when I do I get weirdly emotional and cry. WTF!? Ninjas shouldn't be all teary...and broken.)

As you know from previous posts, for the last little while I've been bouncing around at about 145 pounds...I've come as close to goal as 138 pounds and gone as far away as 163. It is very hard for me not to obsess about this. “Focus on how you feel, ninja,” if I feel fit and strong, I'm cool. If I feel wildly out of control, I'm not so cool. In fact, I panic, doubt myself, and fall a downward spiral of junk food and other bad choices. Then I get over it, buckle down and take care of business. I got this, I know how to do it...in fact, I'm pretty good at it...when I focus.

 

That's my resent history...no crazy drops in weight, but no huge gains either. This is the boring part. No celebrating 7 pound losses, no surprising victories over push-ups, no mayor wearing his chains of office to congratulate me for being the biggest loser...just maintenance. And maintenance sucks.

I know, I know, I really don't have problems if these are my problems right?! Nonetheless, this stuff weighs heavy (pun intended) on my psyche. For the last year and just over a half, I have built myself up by leaning myself down, so going in the opposite direction scares the sh!t out of me. And the reason the scale is going in said direction...well, it's because of me. But, just as I had decided to give up drinking wine on the balcony, Bum Biter BBQs, and sneaking in a bag of Doritos while watching True Blood on my Croatian Conscience's couch...

I left the Shimmy Shack and embarked on a run along the Westsong Walkway. The run I do is around 7K and includes the stairs of death (there are 100 of them, and I try and do them at least 5 times..and lately I've been doing them a few more times than that...um...10 times, I'm a keener). So out I go on my merry little way, feeling particularly strong and fit...running to the beat of all these songs on my play list that are all obviously written specifically for me...when SNAP! Limp, limp, limp. Oh crap.

My little injury (ruptured ACL) has reared its ugly head yet again. Apparently, at the time of the MRI there were possibly two little strands holding on for dear life, and what I just did took care of at least one of them. Normally I wouldn't be such a cry-baby, but I was out on a trail about 2 kilometres from home and I was sore. I walked back along the pathway to my house...dragging my leg, ruing the decision I made to leave my mobile phone at home.

Realising that walking home in such a gimpy way ate into my precious get-ready-for-work-time, when I finally got home, I showered very quickly...but how was I going to work a shift if I couldn't even walk properly!? And to top that off, thou shalt wear heels on counter is practically written in the MAC dress code. I called my manager. “I don't think I'll be able to come into work today, I just felt something in my knee pop and there's a lot of swelling. I should probably ice it and keep it elevated, at least for today.” Damn, someone beat me to the punch, so no sick day for me. Already one man down. In pain, I put on my knee high combat boots, a skirt, button down shirt 'n' tie, braided my hair into two tight French braids, and took the bus two stops to town. Suck it up, Princess.

On a side note: As I “toughed it out” on counter, one of the department’s staff told me I looked less Wednesday Addams bad-ass private school girl (the look I was obviously going for) and more, well, how do I put this!? Nazi. Oh good. I wonder if that's why my sales were so high...”Buy this make-up or I invade Poland!” I know, I know, not funny...sorry.

The point that I am trying to make is this...when I feel out of control or upset, an easy fix for me used to be to lose myself in food. And now, it is to find discipline and focus at the gym...even if it's after losing myself in food because I'm not going to lie and say that never happens.  It does. Still. So what happens if you take the gym away?! Well, nothing good.  I get a little down in the dumps.

The gym is my meditation station, my decompression session, my opportunity community.  I

feel safe, and loved. Before embarking on this journey, I regarded gyms as places where hyper fit and annoying people hung out and tried to out-do each other. These gym-types were judgmental and exclusive. And then I walked through the doors of the Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre...and I realised, it was the opposite. I was the bitter, annoyed person...I was judgmental and exclusive.  I was not looking forward to entering the gym, I didn't know what to wear, how to do anything...and the people behind those doors, well, they became a huge

support system, my mentors, teachers, my friends...they welcomed me to the health & fitness community with open arms, smiles free of judgement with a pat on the back for all my efforts. I had never experienced such a sense of community. My knee, on occasion, takes all that away, and I am left to stew. I start shutting down.

As soon as I was well enough to start gymming again, the Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre closed for maintenance.  I told you maintenance sucks.  But, at least I found my unicorn.

Congratulations, it's a food baby!

Sushi Spitfyre

My tummy.  My stomach has been relatively flat (considering all the excess skin) for the last few months...but lately, I have noticed something.  Something that happens after a big meal or after a weekend of indulging...the food baby.  I remember when girls at MAC would complain about their "food babies" and I would have no idea what they were talking about, except for now.  You see, at 294 pounds, if you eat a big meal, there's no way to notice any sort of difference in your physique...other than the mild discomfort that comes with overeating.  Now, I get it.  When I have larger portions, or if I have a weekend of indulgence, then I am inevitably blessed (for lack of a better word) with a "food baby."  This is not something that I can take a pill for, nor can I utilise any sort of contraception to negate any unwanted consequences...the only way to avoid this procreation is abstinence.

Is it time to revisit correct portion sizes?!  I think so.

In the last few weeks, I have been with child.  One that only becomes apparent after eating too many potatoes and sometimes, to my chagrin, after fabulous weekends of imbibing.  Mondays and Tuesdays are when I get some serious bloating and the telltale swollen abdomen that comes with progeny begat of wine and rich fare.  Am I preggers?  No.  Does my husband notice?  No, not if he knows what's good for him.  BUT, someone else does.  Someone I see regularly and who apparently looks me up and down a bit more than I thought he did.  Sneaky ninja.

I have been fighting the good fight for about a year and half now...and looking down at my cereal bowl the other day, I think perhaps my portions are creeping up on me.  Breakfast means 1/3 of a cup of high-fibre, sugar-free cereal, 100g of fat-free, sugar-free yogourt, 1/8 of a cup of nuts, and some sort of fruit.  So, how could I possibly let this get out of control?!  Well, I was free-pouring the cereal, I was scooping the yogourt with a giant spoon, cutting up however many nuts I wanted, and then adding A LOT of fruit...not just 1 green banana, more like 2 bananas and possibly a bunch of strawberries too.  Is this bad?  No, none of that black and white thinking for me...but perhaps I was being a bit too generous with the free-stylings of this dish.  And, I'm not going to lie, I have also been eyeballing a lot of other portions as well.  Is this okay?!  Yes, of course, intuitive eating is something I wish I could do.  Am I ready for it yet?!  Possibly not.  Not if I want to get to my goal of 137 pounds.

Yesterday was my weigh-in day, and I was up...up from last week...up to a February/March weight...up the most I think I've ever been up actually.  What am I having?  Twins!?

Starting weight - January 16th, 2013 - 294lbs
53rd weigh-in - January 22th, 2014 - 151.8lbs

54th weigh-in - January 29th, 2014 - 144.3lbs

55th weigh-in - February 5th, 2014 - 154.8lbs

56th weigh-in - February 12th, 2014 - 146.1lbs

57th weigh-in - February 19th, 2014 - 143.7lbs

58th weigh-in - February 26th, 2014 - 145.7lbs

59th weigh-in - March 5th, 2014 - 141.4lbs

60th weigh-in - March 12th, 2014 - 145.1lbs

61st weigh-in - March19th, 2014 - 149.4lbs

62nd weigh-in - March  26th, 2014 - 143.3lbs

63rd weigh-in - April 2nd, 2014 - 147.1lbs

64th weigh-in - April 9th, 2014 - 147.4lbs

65th weigh-in - April 16th, 2014 - 140.7lbs

66th weigh-in - April 23rd, 2014 - 141lbs

67th weigh-in - April 30th, 2014 - 149.3lbs

Time to get down to my "pre-pregnancy" weight of 140.7...that's the lowest I've been so far.  I know I can get there, I've done it before, and this is how I'm going to do it:  

1. Clean eating:  I will eat well balanced, appropriately portioned meals.  I will not eat processed foods (or as few as possible), only whole grains, lean proteins, and fruit and veg.  For extra accountability, I will also blog everything I eat...enter SEE FOOD!  A photographic journey of accountability.  
2. Clean drinking:  No more alcohol!  At least not until my birthday, I may have a sip or two then, but for the next 10 days I will be drinking loads of water, and a whole bunch of tea.  All will be featured in SEE FOOD!
3. Dirty Training (that sounds a whole lot better when I say #eatcleantraindirty) Haha...how about just "training:"  I will follow the ninja's instructions, I will double up when I need to, and not go into over-training mode because I feel guilty for something or another. 

I know you're not supposed to eat seafood when you're "with child" but I am going to SEE FOOD it up so that I am held accountable...nothing like laying it all out there.  If I eat it or drink it, you will see it...which is kinda the way I feel about this food baby that I have strapped to my front right now.  No more whining (or wining) about this, now is the time for action! 

"Burpees are killing me."

That's the first text I received this morning.

The second was, "I just accidentally msged ninja that, not you.  Ooops.  Haha."

Good morning, Suzie Spitfyre!  This is the kind of message I get first thing in the morning from my partner-in-crime and fellow ninja-in-training, Jacqueline.  Remember, when I said surround yourself with positive people?  Jacqueline is one of my positive people.  She has been training with the ninja for 4 months or so...and she gets it.  We gripe about which body part hurts and why, and we also celebrate our mastery of certain exercises...burpees aren't her favourite, obviously. 

This morning I woke up to an achey chest, wrists, arms, sides of legs, and a bunch of other stuff.  Damn those Bosu flyer tilt things.  It's been a while since I have felt the pain of working out...and not because I haven't been working hard, but because I have gotten into better shape.  Now I have to push even harder to get that good hurt.   

And for the record...I heart burpees, and those flyer tilt thingies too.

#WeWereWinter, now it's time for a #SpringFling

There's nothing like the Olympic Games to make me power up stairs harder, win sprint faster, lift longer, burpee better, spin stronger, etc. etc. etc.  I have always loved watching the Olympics, but I have a new found respect for the athletes this year.  I am not exactly training for the Olympics, but I have dedicated the last 14 months to becoming an athlete.  Back in high school I wanted to be on the first Canadian women's bobsleigh team...because that wasn't even a possibility...and now, well, don't think I didn't go crazy when Humphries and Moyse won gold at back to back Olympics!

So now what?  It's all over, and I (like the rest of the world) have 2 years to wait until our Summer Games athletes don the red and white and march proudly into Maracanã Stadium.  And, also my impending return to work is looming.  How do I deal with that?  

Time to make the most of the time I have left.  That sounds ominous, and it is.  I am looking forward to returning to the working world, but how do I deal with being at work for 9 hours a day 5 days a week without a set schedule?  Retail means working out with the ninja twice a week with set times will most likely be a thing of the past, and I don't think I'm ready to give that up.  But, I may have to in order to keep my job.  So what to do, what to do?

Well, I can tell you what I'm not going to do.  I'm not going to watch terribly scripted "reality" shows (as the Olympics...including the Paralympics are over) on telly, it's time to focus, act like a real athlete after the Olympics and set some goals for my real world life!  Perhaps you've heard of post Olympics depression (POD as one of my friend's husband calls it)?  Well, I feel like I'm going to go through post TC Health Challenge and subsequent unsustainable insane workout schedule depression...TCHC&SUIWSD for short.

Time to get over #WeAreWinter and think about having a #SpringFling.

True friends run stairs, while you do weighted burpees...

"What keeps you motivated?"

And, my answer is a myriad of things...but most recently, it's been my gym peeps.  

I've been seeing the ninja twice a week for personal training for the last 13 months, and I believe I have only called off one session due to illness.  There was that accountability, i.e. someone waiting for me to show up, warm up, train, and then do some cardio after - but he also works at the Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre most mornings, so if I were not to show up...he'd notice.  My own health and fitness is ultimately my responsibility, but it's nice to have someone else at the gym that knows what I want, and how I am going about getting what I want (because he's most likely told me what to do and when to do it and designed the circuit training, weigh routines, and cardio combinations that I am doing).  So, what has changed lately?  Well, I have continued with the personal training, and ninjas are extremely motivational as I wish to be one some day, but it's the other people that have become involved in my workout routine who are inspiring me to push harder.      

Enter, my friends in fitness.  Whether it's Skylar, Barb, Dawn, Dana or anyone else at the front desk of the Crystal Pool, or Michele (one L) on the treadmill around 9AM most days, or her mother Doris with a pool noodle, or Kombucha Geoff sweating up a storm on the spin bike and then a yoga mat, or kickboxing Nathan on the bag, roaming the halls, or giving pointers in the weight room, or anyone, for that matter, that has stopped to talk health 'n' fitness with me, run next to me on a treadmill while egging me on, or high-fived me after a session on the big ropes, these people are my new community...my extended support system...my fitness ninjas.  People who make time each day at the gym for themselves, for self care, and in turn give me strength to do the same.     

I will tout the praises of having a personal trainer (Jonathan Carpenter of MIJO Sport), a yoga teacher (Taryn Strong of Anahata Moon Yoga), spin instructors that make me push harder than I ever thought possible (Mary-Kay and Teresa of Quadra Sport & Fitness), and every other expert that I see on a regular basis to challenge me physically, but it's also the comradery that I feel with people in the same boat as I.  Yes, I'm talking about the workout buddies.  Namely, Jacqueline and Troy at the moment.

I have about 10 pounds to lose before I reach yet another goal I set...weighing 137 pounds (remember, I like odd numbers!)  Yes, folks, it's the last 10 pounds.  And it's always good to stack the odds in your favour, right?  So not only do I have a lot of sport professionals involved, but I have some die-hard workout neophytes in my corner as well.  We're all in the similar situations when you break it down.  We want to lose weight by eating clean and exercising.  Are these guys going to pry the Doritos out of my hot little hands after I lose my inhibitions after a girls' night?  No, that's all on me.  Are they going to notice if I'm not at the gym when I say I'm going to be?  Yes.  Am I going to make plans to meet them regularly so we can walk, run, bike, stair-climb, box, kick, elliptical, burpee, lift, circuit and cross-train together?  You betcha.  And, should you find a workout buddy or two to inspire you?  If you're in it for the long haul, then yes, yes you should!

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."

Buddha said that.  And, I must remember to:

Be present.

Be mindful.

And..well...just be.

Find happiness and contentment in the moment.  संतोष Santosha for the yogini in me...finding satisfaction in everything.

What does this have to do with my quest to find health and fitness?  Well, time has past...and I don't want to dwell in it, because on my 53rd weigh-in...I went up 5 pounds.  And then one week later, I went down 7.5.  And then the week after that went up again...and then down...like this:

Starting weight:  292.1 - A very long time ago...January 16th, 2013

52nd weigh-in 146.8 - 1 year later!

53rd weight-in 151.8 - January 22nd, 2014 - 5lbs up?  Oh dear.

54th weigh-in 144.3 - January 29th, 2014 - And down 7.5...pheuff! 

55th weigh-in 149.2 - February 5th, 2014 - And up 4.9 again?  Fantastic.

56th weight-in 146.1 - February 12th, 2014 - And down...but only 3.1 so, still up 2...

But...

"Concentrate the mind on the present moment."  

So where am I now?

I am here.  I am hovering around the same weight, some weeks I go up, some I go down.  Does it bother me?  Not really.  Should it?  Not really.  Do I still have pounds to cut?  Yes.  That goal of 137 pounds is just so friggin' close.  Is it because I'm slacking off?  Hell no!  In fact, I am working even harder.  So when the scale doesn't go in the right direction, what do I do?  Well, I grumpily stomp around a bit and then I get over it and hit the gym even harder.  I bike to the Crystal Pool daily for my morning workout, get my arse on the some form of cardio equipment, or train circuits, or box, or spin, or aqua-fit...that's my mornings, and at night?  I go back to the gym with my lovely husband and do it again, and/or go to taekwondo even though I can't participate (because of my hanging by a thread ACL), or I take a lovely yoga class with Taryn.  I am a hard core ninja in training, and I can't let what the scale says dictate how I feel from moment to moment.  I'm chalking my gain up to muscle mass.  And besides, I took my measurements and even though I went up in weight, my measurements stayed the same...and my bust, waist, and hips shrunk 6cm.  

Om.

 

My complicated relationship with gravity.

Just when you think everything is easy peasy and you can't lose (or can...as the case may be)...you go up.  Gravity sucks.

Weigh-in Wednesday #53 was on January 22nd, 2014 and I went up - first weigh-in of year 2 on the programme too!

Went up 5 pounds.  Exactly.  Not good.  But, not the end of the world either.

It sucked.  And, I don't know why it happened.  But, I do know this:  I worked out hard, I ate properly, and I gained weight.  It happens.

So what next?  Well, business as usual of course...and by that I mean hitting the Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre hard and eating healthily.  No emergency juice cleanse for me, I don't believe in that.  Only thing fancy cleanses do is clear out your wallet.  Perhaps I should amp up the cardio a bit...morning and night workouts, do something that I haven't been doing lately...enter indoor and outdoor cycling...and public speaking.  That'll make me sweat.

I was invited by a certain amazing friend to attend one of his Weight Watchers meetings last Saturday.  Hadn't been to a group session since I lived in Montreal.  I remember my first weigh-in in that creepy old building on Ste-Catherine's, I cleverly wore a thick leather studded belt with my jeans and checked in at 226 pounds.  The following week, I wore leggings...see what I did there?  Haha...9 pounds gone and all I had to do was change my clothes. 

Even though I was up 5 pounds as of last Wednesday, I didn't feel like a failure at the meeting.  I went in feeling confident in the knowledge that I had lost 142 pounds...and no one could take that success away from me.  Sure, I wasn't at 147 pounds lost like the previous week, no...but I was still a loser!  I will not let one single weigh-in define me.  And, I still had tonnes of insight and experience to share with people on a similar journey to my own.  That's one thing I love about Weight Watchers meetings...there is an almost overwhelming sense of community.  There we were all fighting the same fight, and ever story that was shared was relatable.  Very inspiring!

Okay, piping up at a WW meeting last Saturday isn't exactly public speaking...but I have been invited to talk about my health, fitness, and weight loss experience again today.  It seems that there are groups of people all over the place trying to shed a few pounds and adopt a healthy lifestyle...and one of those groups gets to hear my musings at 3PM today - I even got "Special Guest Speaker" status in the email that was sent out.  Now that just got my heart rate up...I didn't even have to step on a treadmill!

Wish me luck.

I'd like to make a toast...

...to me.  

Realistically, I would like to make some toast for me...but bread is so 2012.

I am raising that proverbial glass in celebration of 1 full year of healthy lifestyling.  It was exactly 52 weigh-ins ago that I started this journey, and what a ride it has been!   

Starting weight:  292.1 - January 16th, 2013

1st weigh-in:  286.8

2nd weigh-in:  280.1

3rd weigh-in:  276.4

4th weigh-in:  274.1

5th weigh-in:  270.6

6th weigh-in:  266.2

7th weigh-in:  262

8th weigh-in:  261.4

9th weigh-in:  257.7

10th weigh-in 251.4

11th weigh-in 247.3

12th weigh-in 243.6

13th weigh-in 241.7

14th weigh-in 235.4

15th weigh-in 235.4

16th weigh-in 227.7

17th weigh-in 223.5

18th weigh-in 223.5

19th weigh-in 221.6 

20th weigh-in 221.6

21st weigh-in 215.6

22nd weigh-in 213.2

23rd weigh-in 207.9

24th weigh-in 206.6

25th weigh-in 200.1

26th weigh-in 199.7

27th weigh-in 197

28th weigh-in 191.3

29th weigh-in 189.9

30th weigh-in 180.7

31st weigh-in 183.4 

32nd weigh-in 186.4 

33rd weigh-in 186.3

34th weigh-in 174.8

35th weigh-in 174.8

36th weigh-in 170.1

37th weigh-in 169

38th weigh-in 170.2

39th weigh-in 174.7

40th weigh-in 166.4 

41st weigh-in 162.8

42nd weigh-in 159.9
43rd weigh-in 166
44th weigh-in 161.7
45th weigh-in 158.5

46th weigh-in 156.5

47th weigh-in 154.1 

48th weigh-in 153.4

49th weigh-in ???

50th weigh-in 151

51st weigh-in 148.7 - January 8th, 2014

52nd wiegh-in 146.8 - January 15th, 2014

In celebration of this accomplishment, what did I do?  Well, I'm not going to lie, if there is a treat to be had - though nowadays it is usually something like 100g of red meat with chimichurri sauce for dinner rather than an an assortment of classic savoury junk food to be had throughout the day- I'm going to indulge on a Weigh-in Wednesday.  So, what did I Weigh-in Wednesday do?  Well, I Weigh-in Wednesday went to the gym.

I power walked from my place to the Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre...searched out the other ninjas-in-training who had already worked out, chatted for far too long (long enough to cool down completely), and then caught a really bad case of lazy.  My internal monologue went something like this:

Why do I have to work out on a Wednesday, of all days, that should be my day off...shouldn't it?  What if I took today off and then worked out on Saturday (which actually is my 1 day off a week).  I have already worked out, I have walked...and walking is cardio, I mean I was sweating when I got here.  And I'm hungry now, I've run out of carbs.  I can't work out right now...but I could power walk home and then have some lunch.  Tha'd be an hour of working out...though I wouldn't be doing it at the gym...but it still counts, right?  

And then I remembered a habit I adopted back in Montreal when I was going to Marc Gagnon's (speed skater Olympian guy) gym...I made a promise to myself that come Hell or highwater, I would always go to the gym.  I would go, and I would do 10 minutes of working out...and if that was all I could muster, then I would allow myself to stop and do whatever else it was that I needed to do.  But, you know what?  More often than not, if you do 10 minutes, you can do an hour, and if you can do an hour, then you have just tricked yourself into completing a cardio workout...so that's exactly what I did.  It may have also helped that I met a wonderful woman yesterday who stopped for a wee chat as soon as she recognised me from the TC.  Her name was Verna, and she told me that she and her friends had been following my progress.  She then proceeded to call me a goofball and said that goofballs could talk their way out of anything...including exercise.  Little did she know what was going on in my head...so then I really had to work out.  Can't let Verna, who was shopping around for an appropriate rec centre in which to work out herself, down...could I?

No.

In the morning I posted my Weigh-in Wednesday results on Twitter (@suziespitfyre):

Weigh-in Wednesday #52 -1 year later- I am down to 146.8 from 294, that's 147lbs lost! Feeling #healthy, #fit, & #fabulous. #yyj @MIJOSport

Then I posted this:

Now, how am I going to celebrate my 1 year anniversary? Well, by going to the gym of course..still have 10lbs to go. No rest for the wicked!

Then I had one of those "A-ha" moments:

Lightbulb: I just realised..I now weigh less than the amount of weight that I have lost. Whoa. #weightloss

 

Which lead eventually to this:

2 celebrate my being 1/2 the size I used 2 B & my 52nd weigh-in..I ran 6.6K in a row..without stopping. Yup, I know how 2 party.  

And with that, I say...PARTY ON, good time girl!  (By the way, when I raised my glass earlier, it was full of water.)