30 Day Challenge ~ Exercise Edition

I am sore from yesterday's workout. But it's a good sore.

Today, I wanted to talk about what I am doing for exercise. I have tried so many things but I really like what I am doing now. 

Back in December, a friend of mine suggested I try Crossfit. She thought it would be a good match for me. It was hard core and the people there are very supportive. I liked the idea of doing something physically hard and challenging, so I signed up for the beginning lessons. I went to Crossfit707 in Benicia. They didn't have a group beginning program going on (called On Ramp), so I took some private lessons.

And I loved it! My trainer, Justin, was so amazing. It was hard, so very hard, but I was amazed at how strong I really was. My "I can't do this!" were turning into "I can do more...." and after each session, I felt empowered and so much stronger than I thought possible. 



I loved that Justin was so proper with me but one time, he wasn't and I will treasure that moment. I was attempting to do a modified box jump and it was so hard, I was jumping and Justin was cheering me on so hard & loud, he started shouting, "Go baby! You got this sh*t!" And then I almost threw up, but I loved it.

My two weeks were finished and I completed my personal On Ramp program. I was ready to join the main group for workouts. And that's when I had problems. Crossfit is a super supportive group, if you aren't finished working and are struggling, they will cheer you on until you finish your set. I fell behind running and three people turned around to run with me. You are part of a team and they will be there for you.

And that was my problem. I actually needed to walk because the running was too much for me. I felt like I stood out too much. I had 7 or 8 people come up to me to tell me I was doing great. And that is so kind but I needed to be invisible. I was too self-consious about myself to attract that much attention. I wanted/needed to blend in. I started to get anxious about attending classes and I just stopped going. 

I know there are some Crossfit haters out there, but I am not one of them. In fact, my brother is interested in trying Crossfit and I think he would do very well. It's not for everyone but if you like being strong and working with a group, then Crossfit707 is a great place for you! I have a friend who started going and he completely transformed himself: mind, body, & soul. I have nothing bad to say about Crossfit, it just wasn't for me.

So, I struggled....I bought some equipment to use at home, seeing as the group thing and working out in front of people didn't work for me. 

Then another friend asked me to be her workout buddy and take classes at Training Loft 714 in Benicia. They offer cardio kickboxing classes, sculpting classes, TRX classes, and yoga classes. At first, I said that I didn't want to take classes. But she asked me to just stop by and see the place with her. So I did and I met Denise. 

One thing that really impressed me in talking with Denise is that she knew her stuff. She has worked with several very overweight women who have transformed themselves with her. Her classes are tough, and they will kick your butt. But I thought I would go ahead and give a class a try. The first class was free to check out and I have always wanted to take a kickboxing class. 

I am not a big sweater. I will sweat when I workout but nothing too bad. Let me tell you, in Denise's classes, I sweat more than I thought was possible. After the first class, my legs & arms were sweating....I didn't know legs & arms sweat! I had sweat dripping off my face onto the ground, and when I was doing some ab exercises, some sweat ran into my ear. Ewww!

The studio is designed for working out barefoot. And I have always loved working out barefoot but the DVDs always say you need comfortable shoes. So I love that these workouts are on mats so shoes aren't necessary. 

I have only done the hour Cardio Kickboxing class and the Sculpt Fusion class. The sculpting one is a half hour of cardio and then a half hour of sculpting with hand weights. 

And I blend in! Everyone is so busy trying to keep up and focus on their form that no one is watching me! There are people of all sizes working out. I do notice smaller women struggle to keep up just as much as I do (some worse than me, I am lucky my dance experience helps me keep the rhythm a little easier at times). 

I love it when I go but I still struggle with the showing up part of it. Once I show up, everything's good  but I have to push myself to show up. My workout buddy can't make it as often as I would like so I have to push myself harder. But that's why I put it into my 30 Day Challenge....and Day 1 went great and Day 2 is looking to be the same!

30 Day Challenge

I am going to be frightfully honest right now: I don't have a support system for my weight loss goals. I can stuff my face and ditch the gym and I will not hear a single word about it. 

Don't get me wrong, I have people who will tell me "Good job!" when I am on track. But my problem is that I am rarely on track. And that is what I really need to work on: how can I stay on track?

So I have to look at myself, my strengths and weaknesses. If I try to do something that is not in my nature, like an online support group, as great as that group may be, it's not going to work for me.

So, that being said, what are some things I thrive on? Doing something "crazy" that not a lot of other people would enjoy ~ yes. Publicly challenging myself ~ I was very successful when I attempted a 28 day food challenge. 

And so I have decided to challenge myself for 30 days and blog about it. Because I need to be successful and I feel this plays to my strengths (vanity a strength? when you need to lose weight, it is!)

I have weighed and measured myself (which I am NOT posting online) but here are the rules of my challenge, keeping in mind that I have a camping trip and a trip to a Thirty-One Conference in Denver planned.

30 Day Challenge ~ Phase 1

* Exercise Every Day: When I am home, this means attending my gym (killer cardio kickboxing classes!) 5x a week and doing yoga 2x a week. When I am traveling: I can hike or use the pool/gym at the hotel. 

* No fast food, and no ordering pizza! I will allow myself a few slices when I am at a pizza parlor as long as I have a salad as well. When I am traveling, I will either pre-plan my snacks and/or choose healthy options like fruit, nuts, or protein bars if needed.

* No soda. I will replace soda with iced tea and crystal light. I will get my caffeine from tea and not soda or Starbucks (not that I drink a lot of coffee but when I do, it's loaded with bad stuff)

* No candy bars, cookies, or cupcakes. I will allow myself a reasonable dessert (paying attention to portion size & calories) but those big 3 items I tend to eat when I am not hungry and they are just bad.

* Water ~ I will drink a minimum of 3 bottles a day (I have several different types, it doesn't matter to me what type but I have to go through 3.)

Since I don't really have issues with bread or chips (as long as I don't buy them, I don't crave them), I didn't feel the need to put them into the challenge. I am attempting to eat cleaner and make healthier choices but this is my challenge. 

I intend to post updates regularly about how the challenge is going, especially when I am traveling. At the end of 30 days, I will post how many pounds & inches I have lost. 

Day 1 Starts Today!