Didn't want to but did

Last night Shawn and I both struggled with going to the gym. It was one of those nights when you get home from work and your just ready for bed. We pushed ourselves out the door and to the gym. I think I had my hardest treadmill workout yet last night. I did what is called Zone Training. The treadmill tells you what your goal heart rate is and when you reach that it gives you a new goal and increases you incline to make you work harder. The first heart rate was 124, then 134, then back to 124, then up to 144, then back to 124, then it was supposed to go up to 154, but my time ran out and I did my cool down. I felt like I really had to work hard to make it. I was thinking about it this morning and how scared I have been of the treadmill. I honestly think before I started I thought it would literally kill me to workout on a treadmill. To my amazement, I haven't died yet. :-) Tonight I do 28 minutes so we will see if I make it. :-)

New Goals

This last week I gained... LAME!!! I know I totally blew it last weekend. It was Shawn's birthday and I let that be a huge excuse to be a big pig. This week I have started a new cardio plan where I increase my time on the Treadmill by 2 minutes a day. I have been doing it so far this week with the exception of Tuesday. I was feeling really good so I did my 22 minutes in the morning and then I did another 33 in the evening. I may have pushed myself a little too hard... but I still went and did my 24 minutes last night. I am going to do 26 minutes tonight 28 minutes Friday 30 minutes Saturday, and then take the day to rest on Sunday. This cardio program I am working on is from the Biggest Loser 30 day jump start book. It is cool 'cause it tells you just what to do every single day. The only part I am following right now it the cardio plan. When I first started on Monday I did 10 minutes in the morning and 10 more in the evening. I felt like that really kicked my butt and I didn't think I could do more. Then Tuesday was the day I felt so good and did so much. I like breaking my own belief barriers. Makes me feel accomplished. :-) Anyway, I am not going to be taking weekends off from exercise any more. Just Sunday. I feel like I really need it every day... besides, I actually have been liking it. :-0

Healthy Life Challenge

Okay, so I have been slacking on posting here. We have a new challenge going. Instead of being a competition we are just continuing with the support group thing.

I am sore today and was most of last week. We have been faithfully working out at the gym. My favorite thing to do is swim there, so I am trying to get in at least a mile a week. That equals two 25 minute sessions for me. I don't work until 10 in the morning twice a week, so it works really well for me to go on those mornings and then just get ready for work at the gym after my swim. I also love lifting weight with Shawn. I find myself laughing because we take turns on the same machines and my weight that I use is like maybe a third of what Shawn does. Then I realize that it totally doesn't matter how much I can do as long as I am pushing myself to my own limits.

I am really having fun with this stage of my weight loss life. :-) My body feels like it is getting back into the old strides it had when I was a teenager and I loved to walk the long bridge or bike the long bridge and it was never for exercise... it was honestly just for fun. I feel like that with the gym...even though I am sore the next day, I feel like it is a lot of fun. Plus because Shawn and I lift weights together I feel like every night is a date night too. :-) I like that part a lot.

I'm going to take my measurements tonight. It has been a few months since I have taken measurements, so I need to see where I am and how much further I would like to go. I'll have to post how I've done.

Final Weigh In

So today was the final weigh in day for our three month competition. I am so happy to say the I lost a total of 17 pounds over the course of this. I feel so awesome about it I can't hardly stand it. I have mixed emotions over this time period being over. I guess I struggle with thinking of it as over. Honestly, I feel like I have just started, so that is how it will be. I will not look at this as an ending, but as a successful beginning to the rest of my life. I have some really good times to look back on. I have been completely honest with myself and how I have been feeling as I have had to go through a difficult process. I feel like I have been able to break through some mental barriers that have been in my way. I got a membership to the Life Time Fitness gym for Shawn's birthday present. I don't know if that is really fair since it is probably mostly for myself. :-) We went last night at a family and on our way home Shawn was saying how much he enjoyed it and how he could see himself turning back into a "Gym Rat" really easily. I feel like it is a great thing we are doing, and I really don't see an end in sight. I still have a lot of weight I would like to lose, so I'm sure I'll still be using this blog as a place to post my feelings along the way. I hope to be better about using my blog in the future. It has been a great place for me to come and reflect. I think I will figure out a way to print my posts so I can put them in some sort of weight loss journal. Well, my lunch hour is over and I must get back to work. :-) So for now...