My Quest to Lose Weight Without Surgery #13

Today was the first morning of a brand new plan for me. I decided that since I was having trouble getting to the fitness center every evening that I would start getting up around 4 a.m. and going. Wowsers! 4 a.m. is EARLY! Turns out I actually got up at 4:45 a.m. I try to time it just right so that I can get there, get in one hour of workout, and get back in time to shower without colliding with my husband. My husband gets up around 6:30 a.m. so this new plan of mine works out alright.

I got there and immediately did twenty minutes of weights. Now, I had a trainer in Germany tell me to start every workout with a 30 weight routine. As she put it to me, the first 30 minutes of any cardio workout is mainly 'warming' your body up. If you do weights first, you prime the pump, so to speak and burn pure fat during your 30 minute cardio that follows. This made complete sense to me so that is how I try to do it on my 'good days'. So, twenty minutes of weights was terrific. I am excited about getting my body built back up. Luckily, during the back-to-back pregnancies with my boys, I didn't lose a lot of leg or arm muscles so I've got a pretty decent base to work with.

After the weights I proceeded to this neat looking stair-stepper thing. It's way different than any stair-stepper I've ever used and let me tell you, it kicked my butt. I managed 5 minutes on it and decided it was time to move to the elliptical. You see, I do my cardio in 30 minute 'shifts'. I was hoping to conquer the fancy stair-stepper but I'll just have to work myself up on that one. I did manage 30 minutes on the elliptical however, and it felt wonderful. They have fancy flat-screen televisions mounted on all of their cardio machines (including the treadmills) so it helps the workout go along. I usually pop it onto the news channel (I'm a news junkie) but I don't listen to the tv. Instead, I focus in on my MP3 player. I have always told people, all you need for motivation is a good pair of running shoes and an mp3 player full of your favorite tunes. It works for me, it may be different for you. I do know that I am very vain when it comes to my music. I have actually gone to the gym, changed into my workout clothes, walked out and saddled up on a machine just to find out my batteries were dead in my mp3 player. I just stopped and left the gym, it was that important to me. It is very difficult for me to get through a workout without that music taking my mind off of what I'm putting my body through. Is that so terrible?

When I got back to our temporary corporate apartment, I had a shower but didn't enjoy it much. I started feeling a bit nauseous and light-headed. This is why they always tell you to consult with your Dr. before trying somethign new. My best guess, using my own medical experience and background, is that I probably didn't drink enough water during the workout, I may have overdone it, and of course my body is not used to being that active at 5 o'clock in the morning! I know that tomorrow will be easier, I just have to get through the adjustment period. Like anything else, what is important is that I am paying attention to my body, listening to myself and sticking with what I know is right.

I will say that I feel absolutely fabulous now that it is 9 a.m. (I suppose I forgot to mention that after my shower I went back to bed!) I have so much energy, my mind is clear and my attention span is wonderful. Today's goal is to eat well and not cheat on my diet. The one thing I have struggled with is knowing that if I had just buckled down and done everything by the book months ago, I would have already shed the extra weight I'm trying to lose now. It's the harsh reality of knowing that you could have already been done with this if you just would have dedicated yourself for 1,2, 3, even 4 weeks of consistent (and honest) diet and exercise. I'm pretty determined now though, I think my heart and mind are finally in the right place.