K and I met J in the lobby of my apartment building and we went up to the fitness center. He put me on the treadmill and I was winded walking at a 3.0 speed at an incline of 2.0. My heart was racing and I was sweating just from the warm up. After 5 minutes of warming up, I got off the treadmill and wanted to be done. I was tired. I was sweaty. I couldn't breathe. But then the workout happened. It was only body weight work and maybe some 5lb weights were involved. It was the first day I have ever squatted and I didn't move very far. By the end of that 30 minutes, I was pouring sweat, could barely catch my breath, and my whole body shook from exhaustion. For 4 days after that first training session, it was hard to move; I was so sore!! But on March 21st, 2013, I was hooked. March 21st, 2013 was the death of the old me and the birth of who I am becoming.
This past year has been tough, without a doubt. So many life changes have happened, and it all started 1 year ago today. I used to think fitness/exercise was just a small thing that some people did in their spare time so they could get away with eating more. But I've learned that fitness carries through to every aspect of your life. It becomes a HUGE part of your life. It becomes something as important as eating and breathing. It makes you want to eat better, take care of yourself more. It gives you self confidence and the drive to push yourself in other areas of your life. It changes your attitude and your thought process. It makes you want to do better...it make you want to BE better.
They always say (and I am absolutely guilty of saying it...even just a few weeks ago) that it's 70% nutrition, 30% fitness. The more I think about it, though, I don't think that's completely accurate. If you want to physically change your body, nutrition does play a big role in that. But if you want to change your life? Well, eating a salad at lunch isn't exactly going to push you enough to quit your job to pursue your passion.
When I workout, that hour of time is focused on myself. If I'm on the treadmill or outside, the thoughts are all about who I am, who I want to be, and figuring out how to get from point A to point B. There have been days sitting at the chest press machine, trying as hard as I can to push out as many reps as possible until failure, just trying and crying. I wouldn't cry because it was hard. I would cry because working out would open something inside of me that needed to escape. It was a release. and sometimes that needed release involved tears. There have been yoga classes where we would take savasana at the end of class, and I would lay there in stillness with tears rolling down my face. There have been days in training where I wouldn't want to push myself or try....and J would notice and would stop and make me talk it out. I would get mad at him. He knows my angry face now....it's not a pretty face, and I feel bad he has seen it...but he has. Oops. But it made me push harder and go longer. And I've never regretted a workout. Ever. Even the hot days in the summer when we trained outside and I would dry heave in the park. Even the first day where he made me jog...outside...in front of PEOPLE....and my jog was so slow that J could have walked at a leisurely pace and still probably walk faster than the pace in which I was jogging (but he "jogged" next to me...well, it was more of a hopping walk with a slight skip to add effect. I appreciated it, nonetheless).
Never in my life did I think I would ASK to lift weights on training days. Never in my life did I think I would ASK to flip tires. Never in my life did I think I would ask to pull a truck. Never in my life did I think I would have a half marathon written on my goal sheet. Never in my life did I think I would have a list of goals that I would actively attempt to accomplish.
Now, I am out of Corporate America. I have gone to culinary school. I have started a business so I can do what I LOVE to do as a career. Who would've thought this all began from the decision to hire some random personal trainer that just happened to come into work one day to teach a yoga class at my place of employment. March 21st, 2013, gave me the motivation and determination to take those chances, to risk failure, to believe in myself, and to push the limits.
It's crazy how things work out like that. And I wouldn't change a second of it.
While I'm still not done, I'm on my way there. I still have a ways to go, but I'm over halfway through. If I got this far, I know I can keep going and I know I will get there. OOOO BOY, and when I do....just you wait!!
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In this past year, I have lost a total of 72 pounds. As far as measurements go (again, I measure each bicep, waist, hips, and each thigh), I have lost a total of 50.5 inches off my entire body. My waist alone, I have lost 18.5 inches this past year.
To reach my goal, I am working on losing about 40 more pounds and about 4-6 more inches off my waist. Oh, and to gain muscle and get super ripped and awesome ;) But really, I just want a bicep bump when I flex my arm.
Below is my Before and Current picture (It's not a before and "After" since "after" hasn't happened yet):
