Hitting the Wall

There is a phrase in the runner's world called "hit the wall", this refers to a point during a marathon where the runner basically runs out of energy and experiences great fatigue. One runner described it as though an elephant fell from the sky and she had to carry it for the rest of the race. Approximately 50% of non-elite Marathon runners hit the wall at least once; some go on to finish the race and some don't.

Sometimes I feel like my weight loss journey is a marathon. I didn't have 10 pounds to lose (a sprint), or 30 pounds to lose (a 5K) or even 60 pounds (a 1/2 marathon) but I had 100+ pounds! I knew that this would take time, I knew that it would be hard but the last few weeks have been tough. The scale will not seem to move and I feel like I have hit a wall! It is so discouraging because at the same time I feel like I am in better shape. I mean, I just finished my first 5K, I had an awesome workout this week....yet the scale still remains the same.

I know that the biggest problem is my diet. They say that you can't out train a bad diet. That is the problem though. My diet isn't bad; it's just not great. I let little things slip! That might be okay once I am maintaining but I am only 2/3 through this race and I have a long way to go. I still need to be losing 2 pounds a week. I keep committing to a food journal and I am still not doing it. Not much of a commitment, huh? Now I know Easter is this weekend and we will eat foods we aren't supposed to. Moderation in all things..right?

Is the last leg of this race even possible? I feel so close, yet so far away. I am finally getting into normal sizes, bought a size 12 pair of jeans recently! But I don't want to be a size 12..I want to be a size 8! This is where the biggest difference is made. This is where it needs to happen! I know that I can do this but it is hard and I just thought I would share my thoughts. We are going to Orlando, FL the first week of June; I really want to hit a goal by then. It was 20 pounds but now I am running out of time. It is 6 weeks away! Should I set a realistic goal and shoot for 12 pounds? While it's not 20, it would be great to be there.

Get Richer...literally

If you get in shape you may be able to improve the shape of your finances too! It has been proven that it is much more expensive to be unfit. This is mostly due to the fact that overweight people tend to be sicker and often have to pay for higher medical bills. Those that are obese are more likely to have cancer, diabetes, heart disease, infertility and ; all expensive to treat diseases.

Fat discrimination is a terrible thing! Many people think that if you are fat that you must be lazy, unmotivated or lack determination and drive. This is so not true! I have been so motivated in my career and school and that was some of the reason that my body went to poot. I was spending all my energy on other things. However...discrimination is a real thing and it does exist. It has also been shown that when you lose weight that your employment prospects will improve. Sadly, in the job market, appearance can count for a lot and sometimes people that are overweight are overlooked and not hired. Employers a lot of the time think fat people are going to have poor attendance, that they are slow moving or even incompetent. Studies have shown that fat people are paid less than employees of average weight.

So don't lose weight just to look better, feel better and be healthier...do it to make money! Get rid of the pounds now and maybe it can help your earning potential. I can tell you right now that there have been jobs that I knew I was qualified for, that I knew I would be good at..but I didn't fit the mold. I have strongly considered medical sales. The money is great and I have worked on the other side of the desk for years. I have negotiated medical contracts, device sales, etc. It is my expertise. There is way more money though in sales than working for the hospital. Have you seen medical sales women? They are all in shape and beautiful. I have yet to see an ugly one or one that is grossly overweight.

I am excited to see my body and life changing!

Great Workout

So today I went to my hip hop zumba class at 11AM and my friend Susan joined me. It was a great workout. It is pretty much all cardio and I hadn't done a strength session in a while. I ran the race Saturday, I went hiking Sunday, and then last night I used my living social voucher at Ladies total fitness and attended a class. I usually meet with Tammye on Mondays for a strength circuit but my husband had to mow the lawn last night and I needed childcare. So, truth be told I ditched Tammye and joined my friend Brianne for a class called Bodyvive. The class was a pretty good workout. I definitely sweat but my trainer would have laughed at it. I felt good though and I felt strong. Did I mention that my Bodyvive instructor was as old as my grandma? haha :)

Anyways, I did not want to do a Bootcamp strength class tonight...I mean I already worked out once today right? But I knew that I needed it. I totally went begrudgingly. However, on my way to workout, I was illegally reading my email when I saw this email on facebook.

Cheryl,
I don't know if you remember me. I was a year younger than you in high school. I came across your blog recently and it is so inspirational! After three babies, I need to lose 100+ pounds. It has seemed so overwhelming that truth be told, I haven't even taken the first step. Your blog has really made me want to change that. Thank YOU!!
P.S. You look FANTASTIC!

I didn't ask permission to share this, so I am not going to share who it was from but can I just tell you that getting that email made my workout tonight! I went from not wanting to go to wanting to give it my all! I worked really hard and gave it a good effort.

It was a beautiful day today. It was 84 degrees...not great workout weather. Tonight my class was a bootcamp class with Tammye through Parks & Rec; so we worked out outside. It actually felt great and I gave it my best effort. Almost all the people that were there tonight were new and I actually felt like one of the stronger/faster ones in the group. I mean one girl left to get a piece of candy cause she thought she was going to pass out. I still feel weak & slow but tonight there were lots that seemed weaker & slower and it felt good. Is that terrible? Well even if it wasn't my hardest workout...I kind of felt like I had a break through. I just felt great and I still do!!

Your Face or Your Ass

I hate to break it to all of you that have recently lost a lot of weight or for those of you that are grossly skinny but you probably look older than you think. A famous quote often attributed to Catherine Deneuve says, "When you get older, you have to be ready to trade your ass for your face." This isn't the case for everyone but have you checked out the people on Biggest Loser. At the finally they look awesome and their make-up covers a lot but a lot of the time they look about 3-5 years older. Why is this?

I recently read that in twin studies they have found that the sister with more weight was judged to have looked more youthful. A gaunt, thing face can definitely add some years, so carrying an extra FEW pounds can help create a more youthful appearance. It also helps to fill out those wrinkles that scream aging. It's the reduction of volume in your face that create jowls and wrinkles. Losing just 10 pounds could age your appearance by four years. I mean so women pay thousands of dollars to have fat injected under their wrinkles to make them look younger so this totally makes since.

This has totally happened to me! Its like my face was stretched while I was over-weight, now that I have lost the weight the extra skin is creating wrinkles. Oh no! You know what though?? I am choosing my ass...I will just try to take better care of my face. Speaking of taking care of my face I have started a new regimin. In the past I have always had pretty good skin. I didn't get break outs or dry patches and I never really had many blemishes or wrinkles. While I was in Chicago though, I was really dry. My forehead was peeling. After visiting Macy's and the MAC make-up counter I decided to go by the Clinique counter to see if they could give me some tips on my skin.

The lady at the counter was a great sales lady and very convincing. She convinced me that I had just spent money on a new outfit and make up but I was neglecting my skin. She told me that I was prematurely aging myself. When she asked what my skin regime was, I was almost embarrassed to say that it was taking my make-up off with a baby wipe and putting some vaseline intensive care lotion on my face (very rarely). Surprisingly a new face with new skin only cost $30...so I bought it! I must admit that I have been very strict about doing the steps and taking care of my skin and I can tell a big difference. It used to be splotchy and dry and it is starting to feel really good. The good news for all of you that were teased for your acne as a kid, you will get the last laugh because your oily skin will make you wrinkle less and look younger.

A friend of mine posted on facebook asking if I wore make-up to run the race. The answer was yes. I used to say that "when all you had was your face, you made sure it looks good". That is just who I am...but it will be nice when all my hard work really pays off with this body of mine too.

Race Day

A week ago my trainer asked me to run the Spring Sprint with her. It is a 5K race and I had not trained for this event at all! I mean I go to dance class and weight training but I hate to run and I never do it.

I could not of done this without my friend Deanna (pictured with my trainer and me above). She stayed back with me and ran next to me side by side. She talked to me the whole time and pushed me to the next level. When I wanted to walk, she encouraged me to run. She is an amazing woman and has overcame a lot in her own life. She was awesome! My trainer Tammye ran it in about 24 minutes so she came back to meet me and run me in for the last quarter mile. Congrats to my friend Kelly who won 2nd place in her age bracket. Here she is. She also came back and ran me in. It was great to have all the encouragement. Tammye kept telling me "put your shoulders back, take long strides, smile and show the finish that you made this look easy!"

I was really happy with my first two miles. I ran the first mile in 12:05, got the second mile marker by 25:45 but then there were tons of hills. They killed me and forced me to walk more. So I didn't finish until 40:50. Not much of a sprint but I tried. I bought a new shirt for the run, it said "Pick a Fight"...I know several people that are struggling with sickness right now and I wanted to do this run to honor them and their fight.

Here are a few of my friends, add them to your prayer list:

• Megan Schmidt is under 40 and struggling with Breast Cancer for the past year
• Win Apel has ran a marathon in every state and every continent and was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor
• Kyle Mules our young neighbor has been struggling with Guillain Barre Syndrome for a year now and still unable to walk
• Graham Shippen, only 4 months old and recently diagnosed with Leukemia
• Evan Hepp struggles with severe seizures and has been in and out of Vanderbilt hospital the past several months
• Benson & Claire Skinner, ages 3 and 5, both have a rare disease that affects their kidneys. Claire had a transplant last year and Benson is still on the waiting list

I have been following all of their progress thru blogs, caringbridge, email, etc. I can't even imagine the struggles that they and their families are going thru. When picking out my shirt for the race I was thinking how I too had an illness. The disease of obesity but how lucky I was to have something that was curable and that I could be in total control of. As I crossed the finish line, I thought of my friends, each of them struggling and fighting and for life...it was emotional and I began to cry. I just thought about my accomplishment and how I have a strong and able body and how I need to use it and cure my own disease. I have already planned to run the next 5K with my friend Jordan in August. I am really hoping to shed 5 minutes off my time and be able to run it in 36 minutes. I guess I better start training.

Did I fail to mention that after running the race my trainer to me to these 120 stairs and told me that I should try to run them. I did them four times; at the end of May we are having a challenge to do them 10 times. It will be hard but I know I can do it. I teased Tammye and told her that contestants on the Biggest Loser win new cars when completing in crazy challenges like this. While a new car would be awesome; I am just thankful for a new me!