Last Week Equals Fail, Fail, Fail

 Burnin' Fat & Gettin' Fit with FireMom, Goals  2 Responses »
Sep 222008
 

Remember when I set some not-so-strict fitness goals last week, citing scheduling conflicts as the reason? Well, that was prior to the phone call letting me know that my grandfather had passed away. And let me tell you, it caught me off guard so much that even my simple goal of three days at the gym and four other days of “staying active” was too much for me to handle.

So much so that I made it to the gym zero days. I didn’t even go to my fitness class. I meant to go, knowing that the physical exertion would help me get through some of this emotional trauma but, well, I also neglected to mention on the blog last week that our sewer backed up into our basement. (I refrained from sharing pictures.) And on Thursday morning, when my Step & Sculpt class is scheduled, the plumber was here, wasting our money. Gee, the scheduling conflicts I wrote about on Monday morning weren’t even the scheduling conflicts that ended up keeping me down and out all week. It’s life, isn’t it?

I feel awful having done nothing but take one (just one!) walk with the boys last week. I feel like a big, fat, sloppy mess. And I don’t like it! Especially when you add in the fact that I turned to comfort foods almost immediately in the wake of my loss. Did I also mention that my monthly cycle hit, too? What a horrible, horrible week for fitness, healthy eating and general goal-reaching.

I know I’m being hard on myself. But someone has to or I’m not going to get myself back into a schedule that works for me, my butt and my family. I need to set my daily goals. I need to stick to them. And I need to keep working towards a healthy me. Right now? I’m not feeling healthy. I ate too much all week. (Have you been to a Polish after-funeral dinner?) I didn’t move. I didn’t push myself. And I don’t even want to try on my jeans. Not this week. Not again.

Goals:

Monday: Elliptical and arms.
Tuesday: Elliptical and yoga at home. Walk with boys.
Wednesday: Pilates at home and ab workout. (Can’t go to gym this day.)
Thursday: Step class.
Friday: Elliptical. Walk with boys.
Saturday: Elliptical. Walk with boys.
Sunday: Ab workout at home. (Likely no gym.)

I really do so much better when I set out a specific day-by-day list of what I plan to do. I still haven’t found shoes. I didn’t have much time to consider it last week. You know, with death and raw sewage and Polish food. Such is life. I’ll find a pair soon. My foot hopes so.

I Can Almost Move

 Burnin' Fat & Gettin' Fit with FireMom, Goals  7 Responses »
Sep 152008
 

I didn’t get a chance to write about where I stand with my fitness goals last week. It’s not because I’m behind. Exactly. I have learned int he past two weeks how important it is to go to the gym first thing in the morning before things come up and excuses are made. But I have also forced myself to remain active at home on days that I haven’t made it into the gym.

But the real news here is that: I WENT TO MY FIRST FITNESS CLASS. And three days later, I can almost move! Alert the presses! So, here’s the rundown.

I got to the gym with enough time to drop the boys in childcare, sign in, switch my shoes and have a short conversation with a firefighter my Husband works with at the Fire Department. Then I walked down the hall and into the fitness room. The happy surprise was that there was only one other person (a woman with two kids the same ages as TheBrothers) as some couldn’t make it the first week. The unhappy surprise was that the male teacher wasn’t there and a female was teaching. That made me nervous.

But we got to moving. We did some stretching. And breathing. And then we started stepping. And, let me tell you, we got to stepping. If you think the Advanced Step on Wii Fit is even remotely hard, don’t take a Step class at your local gym. I was able to keep up with the footwork. And I was able to push myself past some comfort levels for some repeaters. But, by the end of that first half hour, I was sweating. And fully aware that I was going to feel it in the morning.

But it didn’t end there, folks. Oh, no. Because it’s not just about cardio. It’s about building muscle, too.

So we got body bars and did some arm workouts. And chest workouts. And more arms. And some squats. And then we ended the class with abs. ABS, I TELL YOU. ABS OF DOOM! Okay, I may be exaggerating a bit. But, still, as we neared that hour mark, it sure felt like movement of doom in general.

I left the fitness room and went to change my shoes. My firefighter friend told me that my face was red. Then I pointed out that his was as well. I changed shoes. Picked up the boys. And went home. I felt pretty good. I was proud of myself.

And then I woke up the next morning.

That was my first mistake. Waking up on Day Two Post Step Class was my second mistake.

I’m happy to say that I can walk today without thinking my calves were going to revolt and just separate themselves from my legs all together. I’m still aware that I worked muscles that I forgot I had but, can I tell you something? I AM SO PROUD! I was able to keep up. I was able to finish. I was able to keep going. I was able. Period. And that feels great. I’m going to get in shape. I’m going to fit back in my thin jeans. And I’m going to be HEALTHY while doing it. And that’s totally awesome folks.

However, I am still in desperate need of shoes. (Want me to review a pair? Send me some! I have high arches.) I went to try on a few last week and, let me tell you, I have weird feet people. So far I haven’t found anything that initially strikes my fancy. I’m going to maybe have to purchase a pair and just hope/pray that they work on my weird shaped foot. More suggestions, please. Specific models, not just name brand! I’m planning on a blog about my shoe buying experience this next trip out!

But the bad news is: still no weight loss. Things do fit differently. My arms look shapelier and my legs look, well, nice. But no movement on the scale. I know. Muscle weighs more than fat. And yadda yadda yadda. But it’s kind of heartbreaking. And discouraging. But I keep on keeping on.

This week’s goals are a little more loose as we have some scheduling conflicts going on. My goal is to hit the gym 3 days (fitness class included) and stay active at home for the other four. Whether that’s with yoga, the stability ball or an evening walk (sans-ice cream) with the boys, I don’t yet know. But activity (and not just up and down the stairs to do laundry) is the goal on those four days. Stop by Go Workout Mom and tell her your goals for the week.

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