Okay, let's get to the fitness aspect of this 60-day Challenge. This is definitely the element that I was LEAST excited about. For many, many reasons...namely, I don't like to do it. I knew I hated workout DVDs, and I didn't have a realistic space where I could complete these workouts. Plus, I just knew I didn't have the time. We had just come off the heels of the worst winter Chicagoland had ever seen, so I sure as hell was not going to go outside.
When I type that today, all I notice are the excuses...one after another, it is a list of reasons why I wouldn't let myself be successful. Thankfully, I didn't allow myself to be talked into that pattern of excuse making this time around.
Excuse #1: I hate workout DVDs.
As I mentioned here, I have finally found a program that I not only LOVE, but that I look forward to doing every single day. TurboFire is a cardio kick-boxing program with awesome music and a ton of variety. After borrowing a few DVDs from my friend, Jen, I knew I had to buy the program because I needed to try all of the workouts, and I was bummed out when my workout schedule said that I needed a DVD that I didn't have. That is a purchase that I know I will never regret, and Heaven knows that I have made my fair share of regrettable fitness related products...many of them at-home DVD programs.
TurboFire makes me happy, kicks my ass and leaves me confident that I have done something good for myself that day. It had been a long time since I intentionally made my health a priority, and this workout program totally clicked with me. One of my favorite lines from Chalene, the fitness instructor, occurs during the cool down of one of my favorite DVDs, and she says, "Realize just how luck you are to be able to workout this hard." Well if that isn't awesome, I don't know what is. This program is a blessing in my life. I'm lucky to be able to do this...absolutely and undeniably.
Excuse #2: I don't have a realistic workout space.
True, I don't have space enough for equipment or lots of stuff, but in reality not a lot of space is needed. Since I knew I didn't want to be punching, kicking and sweating in front of my family, I knew I had to take it to the basement...the freezing cold, dark, creepy, coal room-having basement. I didn't want to, but I had to. That was the difference. I had to. If I was going to make this work I had to find a reliable solution. It is far from ideal...water seeps in, the windows are drafty and old, the lighting is bad, it's freezing in the winter and humid as hell in this early summer heat...but it's now one of my favorite places. Crazy isn't it?
I swept the concrete floor, set up a card table for the TV, plugged it in, bought a yoga mat, and the rest is history. The program really doesn't need much space, and my basement has just enough to make it perfect.
Excuse #3: I don't have the time.
Well, who does have the time? Aren't we all over-burdened, over-worked, over-stressed, etc? Yet we still find time to check Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest dozens of times a day? Yes, like many mom's I run my kids to soccer and gymnastics, but I was starting to feel bad because I was doing the running after my afternoon commute, which is almost always an hour. How on earth could I manage to drive home, take kids to activities, make dinner, make lunches for tomorrow, bathe children AND squeeze in a workout? Not a chance, right? Wrong.
After, Angie, the co-leader of my Clean Eating Challenge, suggested that I join her Fitness Challenge group I really needed to think hard on those "no time" excuses. How could other moms do it? I had committed to eating better, why was it so hard to find the time to work out? So, I decided that I had to make it happen, and since I knew the afternoons were out of the questions, morning became my only option.
Early, cold, dark mornings...in my aforementioned cold (now humid), dark, creepy basement. But I did it. I laid out my workout clothes (or sometimes slept in them), set my alarm for 4 a.m., got out of bed by 4:15 a.m. and that was it. On day one I had completed my workout and posted my post-workout selfie by 5:20 a.m. Yep...selfie...posted to the group Facebook page, all for the sake of accountability. More on that later. So, after day one, I knew that it was possible. I woke up, worked out and made it to work on time without issue.
Fast forward to today, and I have completed a TurboFire workout 53 days since March 31st. Six of the 60 days were rest days and just one day was a skipped workout (but I did go for a walk on that day). And that was because we had water enter the basement and destroy the laptop that I used for my workouts...so there I was in the 4 o'clock hour sad, not that the laptop was destroyed, but angry that I couldn't complete my workout. Talk about a shift in perception?! But seriously, 53 workouts? I don't know that I can string together 53 leisurely walks to the park over the course of a summer. That's how I know I've busted my "no time" excuse. I made time. Plain and simple. It began to matter to me, so I made it work in my schedule.
In the midst of this early-morning craziness, my neighbor and friend, Marcy, and I have started spending about 45 minutes to an hour per day walking , when our schedules allow. So, not only am I committing time to fitness in the morning, but I've also managed to find time in the evenings that I had previously thought was non-existent. How awesome is that?
Why this Challenge Group has changed my life...
That sounds dramatic, doesn't it? Really, Sarah, it's changed your life? Yes. This group of 17 mothers has been a wonderful source of accountability and support. There was something in me that knew I needed to work out in the morning so I didn't let anyone down. Going in, I had no idea what to expect; I just knew I wanted to do it right. You want me to take a sweaty picture and post it...on the internet? I've never taken a cell phone selfie in my life, and now I was going to do it post-workout? But I did it...over and over again. And I gained confidence from the posts of others. I saw that other busy women took the time to care for themselves, so I continued to do so for myself. We posted our daily meals, confessed when we had a bad day with some cookies from Jewel (I might speak from experience), took snapshots of our heart rate monitors (yep, I bought one) and we supported one another day in and day out. I felt like I owed something to this group because they were sharing with me and inspiring me along the way. So, yes. It's changed my life. I now know that it's much, much less about the scale and measuring tape than it is about loving who you are and who you are becoming, and that is why I believe in the challenge group concept in a very real way.
As I mentioned in my "Halfway There" post, I thought that the infomercial-based workout program was a gimmick that promised more than it can deliver, and I'm proud to say that it's delivering its promises, and I'm proof. I'm not losing weight rapidly in an unhealthy fashion, and neither did the people you see in the advertisements. They're losing because they've made a commitment to themselves and because they have made their health a priority in their lives. That's what I know I'm doing here. So, yes. I'm all in. I believe in this fitness concept of building up others with love, support and a quality fitness program. I've already signed up for my next "Summer Slimdown" challenge because I can't wait to see what will continue to happen...I'm so amped to see where I'll be at the end of the summer!
Is it easy? Not a chance? Is it worth it? You bet it is.
If you might be interested in joining a challenge group or have any questions about this whole doing-TurboFire-in-the-basement thing, let me know. I would love to have my friends and family on this journey with me.
Results since March 17th Clean Eating Challenge:
Weight lost: -17 lbs.
Inches Lost
Waist: - 5.25
Hips: -2.5
Bust: -3.5
Left Arm: -1.5
Right Arm: -1
Thighs: -2 each
Left Calf: -1
Right Calf: - .75
Total Inches: 18.5
65 Consecutive days logging into My Fitness Pal
Until next time...
Click here to see what 60 days did to alter my focus on food.
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