Triple Challenge

5K run, 1200 stairs, and a strength circuit. This is the triple challenge. I think my trainer gets bored easily. She is always changing things up and always up for a challenge. Her newest idea is this "triple challenge". She is having training sessions on the weekends and the challenge will be the first Saturday in June. The idea is just to complete the challenge; there really is no winner. The sad part is that I will be in Orlando, FL the weekend that she is hosting this challenge. It was hard to still have the perseverance to go to training sessions when you wont even be able to participate but I figure that since I am going to FL I need any additional help I can get to lose another 8 pounds before I go.

This morning was my first session. We ran about 2.7 miles, I did the stairs five times which equates to about 600, and then we ended with our strength session. This included things like wall sits, resistance bands, tricep dips, push ups, plank, sit ups, and more. The hardest part is definitely the stairs and the running for me. The running I struggle to keep up and feel like I need to take breaks. The first 3/4 of a mile kills me; my legs feel like they are made of lead; then as they warm up I can go a little better. I think the hardest part for me though with running is the cardiovascular part and the breathing. My legs can go but I don't feel like my lungs are in shape. I think my mind hold me back too. I don't believe I can do it sometimes. The stairs are the most physically hard because your legs literally start to feel like jello after a few rounds. My legs were so sore already because of my workout Wednesday night I am not sure how they will feel tomorrow. I am going to try and go do the stairs some more with a friend on Monday if I am able to walk. I only did 50% of the stairs today (in the challenge we are supposed to do them 10x) and I am not sure how I could of done them 5 more times! I guess that is why we train.

I can't say enough how much I love my girls. All the girls that I workout with are so motivating. This morning when I walked in the gym they all shouted "Cheryl" . It was kind of like the greeting that Norm got when he walked into the Cheers bar. Am I showing my age? Did any of you watch Cheers? I seriously felt famous as I gave them a curtsy and said good morning. They are excited to see me when I show up and I am excited to be in their company. We all started out as complete strangers and now I can say that they are all my friends. I really do think having friends or a workout partner is crucial to your success. I got lucky. I just found this group and we have all bonded and became buddies. All of us are at different levels but it doesn't seem to matter.

More training coming soon. I'll keep you posted. I'll be doing the triple challenge on a different day since we will be out of town but my goal is to complete it.

POW Camp

This morning was brutal. I spent 100 minutes with my trainer and a bunch of other exercise enthusiasts. Saturday sessions are called "Weekend Warrior" but I teased Tammye today and told her that I felt like a POW not a Warrior. Haha. Yet, somehow I keep coming back for more. I also went to a session on Wednesday; it is her advanced group which I try to avoid but I couldn't go on my regular Thursday so I tried it. A couple things I have done this week for either the first time in a long long time or never before: I jumped rope (don't think I've done that since 6th grade), ran at 8.0 on the treadmill (even though it was only a minute it almost killed me), walked at a 15 incline on the treadmill, and did one legged gliders (see pic below).

When I first started working out I could not even do two legged gliders more than once. This week I did one leggers 15 times on each side. Yay! When I did this I thought my trainer might cry. She was like "Cheryl I am so proud of you, this is a major breakthrough for us". It was a proud moment. If you'd like to try these at home, you can use paper plates to imitate as the gliding disk. It is better if you are on carpet. You can also do them with a paper plate under each leg and that is an easier modification.

I know that I am the strongest I have ever been in my whole life. I have been trying to take some pics of some of the crazy things we do and I'll be doing a post soon with several pics.

Today we did several exercises. We started out with some circuits using elastic bands, jump ropes and medicine balls; this included exercises such as lunges, squats, rows, chest press, overhead press and all sorts of crazy jumps with the rope including normal jump rope and then some drills wear we laid the rope on the ground and did mogul jumps, speed skaters and a modified football run. Then we went for a little run. We ran 4 minutes and then did 50 air squats, ran 3 minutes and did 30 air squats, ran 2 minutes and did 20 air squats, ran for 1 minute and did 20 air squats and ran for 30 seconds and did 10 squat jumps. (this may not be exactly but close enough). We also did a series of ab exercises such as bicycle crunches and reverse crunches. The torture never ends. We then hit the stairs at the amphitheater doing mountain climbers with torso twist, spider man push ups, tricep dips and box jumps.

The weather was so beautiful we did our entire workout at the park today. It was awesome! After all of that...I thought I'd die but then the group headed to the parking lot for more drills, we did a combo of running, shuffling, high knees and running backwards, then did some elastic band bicep curls, followed by firewalkers. These freaking hurt. It is just a little elastic band you put around your ankles and you walk side ways (step together, step....ouch these make your entire leg burn) and then did some lunges while holding the medicine ball over our head. Did I mention that after all that we did it all again??

This is serious torture. I am not sure what water boarding is like but this has got to be close. Not really but you get what I am saying. However, when you are done you feel so good. There are people of all different strengths, shapes and sizes in the group and we all keep each other motivated. It is fun and motivating to see some of the true athletes in the group.

80s Party Power Hour

Today was a power hour class at the gym. It was an 80s theme and we were encouraged to dress up. It was pretty fun and pretty hard. I am really loving my ladies and my trainer. I am totally addicted. When Travis used to get mad at me he would make comments about me needing to "get up and go do something" now when he gets mad at me he is like "hope you enjoyed your four sessions at the gym this week". Hee hee. I know he is supportive but sometimes I think it is hard for him to work and watch the kids frequently. Here is a picture of my outfit today. Don't I look like I just stepped off the cover of a Richard Simmons Video? I was really sad I didn't have any tube socks. I almost went to Walmart this morning to get some but decided I better not go inside looking like that. haha.

Right now though I have to just finish this goal. In the long run it is not only better for me but it is better for our whole family as I know I am also getting healthier and stronger through this journey. In todays class we did 1 minute of weights and then 1 minute of cardio drills and then 1 minute of rest, repeat. It is tough but I can totally tell that I am getting stronger and have more endurance. I still need to work on my running. I still kind of suck at that. I just don't love to run.

I rewarded myself for getting to 179 with the digital display that accompanies the bodybugg. I LOVE IT. It can be worn like a watch and gives you up to the second accuracy regarding the calories you've burned, steps you taken, minutes of activity, etc. Before, I had to plug it into the computer to see my results. Now I have them right then. Nothing like the satisfaction of NOW. It really helps to push me harder too. If I look down at the end of the day and I haven't met my burn then I go for walk or do an extra workout, etc. Hopefully it will continue to aid in the loss.

Starting Weight for Biggest Loser Competition

Well, let the competition begin! Here is my weight as of yesterday. I had to get a new scale and I think that this one is a little more accurate to the one at my doctors office. I think it is about 2 pounds lighter than my last scale but that still means I lost 2 pounds. Now that the competition has began, it is my goal to

1) Eat Breakfast

2) Drink more water

3) Bite it...Write it (keep a food log)

4) Exercise daily, even if its only 20 mins

5) Wear the bodybugg

I have been doing really good with the exercise. I haven't exercised every day but I have done the "Shred" video several times and worked out with Tammye. Yesterday was weekend warrior. I made a big mistake! I had posted on Facebook one night after doing my video, "that I wasn't sure who was tougher..Tammye or Jillian". When I got to Weekend Warrior, Tammy told the entire group that I had challenged her and that she was going to show me who was tougher. She wins! The power hour almost killed me. My body is still weak when it comes to endurance. It is getting better. I feel strong and more in shape but need to work more on my higher intensity cardio and endurance.

After leaving the gym, I headed to the Maryville Mom's event "The Holiday Hangover". I got there late but in time to do the last 25 minutes of yoga. Felt so good to stretch out after my hard workout. We had healthy breakfast, yogurt parfaits and had a little time to visit. It was fun. I talked about the biggest loser competition and several people signed up. Then there was a lady that talked for a while about nutrition. I will be posting some of her ideas and tips very soon.

On my way from leaving I got a text from a friend. It said, "by the way, thanks for all the encouragement. I couldn't do this without it. You are not only motivating, but a source of inspiration. Just thought I'd give you a shout out! Thanks friend!" It feels so good to be motivating other people and with that I also know that those people are watching me. How can I be motivating or an inspiration to others if I myself am not doing what I need to do. I have really been slacking on my food log. I know that this is one of the most important things for me to do. If you don't log it then little things sneak in! That has got to be my number one priority. There have been tons of studies that show that just writing it down can make a huge difference in your weight loss success! I encourage all of you to write it too.

Holiday Blitz Weekend Warrior

(My trainer Tammye and me...she looks nice in the picture...looks are deceiving)

Yesterday was Weekend Warrior. It was great. I swear it almost kills me every time but I am always thankful that I went when it is over. This weekend was the first time that I had my bodybugg (I burned over 650 calories). What a great workout! There were quite a few of us in the group yesterday. It is interesting to see all of the different ages, body types, etc. There was one girl in my group, Kelly, she was amazing. She did all of the exercises with great form and she never quit. She did all of them for the entire minute. She was my inspiration.

I took several pics yesterday. Here are a few.

I was teasing Tammye that I need to teach CPR toa few of the people in my class....that way when I need someone to save me, someone will know how. I am just proud of myself that I even go to this. It is intense 90 minutes of working out. There are several different stations with a specific exercise. There are approx. 4 people per station and usually around 12 stations. You do the exercise for 1 minute and then have a short recovery and move to the next station. There is also a warm up and post work out stretch. Some of these stations feel like the longest 60 seconds ever. Tammye walks around the room very cheery, singing and keeping us motivated. It is kind of mean. She knows she is torturing us and then she smiles about it. I guess it is what we are asking for. I may not do every exercise perfectly or be able to do each of them as many times as some of the gals but I am there and doing what I can. Last weekend warrior a girl passed out....this is not for sissies.

Any local friends want to join me? You'll be glad you came....

Pics from Weekend Warrior

So my post from yesterday talked about our pumpkin workout but a friend posted some pics on facebook and I thought I would give you a better idea of some of the stuff we did. Here they are!

Witchy Warrior

So today was another weekend warrior but in spirit of halloween it was "Witchy Warrior". My friend Jordan was in from Nashville and joined me. She was a good sport! Actually she was awesome. She is in great shape and pushed herself to finish all of the exercises strong. Her push ups were the most impressive to me.

Yesterday was a 2 hour workout. We did a warm up & stretching, a 4 minute walk, jog, run, sprint, 8 strength circuits 2x, relay sprints, 8 more strength circuits 2x, 8 cardio circuits 2x and then stretched out. It was hell! It was damn cold too. We were outside at the park.

Tammye, my trainer was very creative with our exercises. We jumped over hay bails, and used pumpkins for all sorts of exercises. These were no mini pumpkins either. They all ranged between about 8-10 pounds. By the time we were done, I was spent! I try to do everything but sometimes it is so hard. My core strength is just not strong enough so I over compensate by using my back and/or legs and then I fail. I am looking forward to the day that my core can be stronger. The good news is, that my friend Jordan says she can notice my legs changing. She can see a little definition in my calf and shin.

I am trying to stay positive although I am discouraged at my weight loss. It has been very slow lately. I know what I need to do. Now I just need to do it! As I carved pumpkins yesterday I looked at the 8 pound pumpkins and had to be proud that I have lost 7 pumpkins. Do you know how much that is. Think about it! Now the goal is to lose at least one more 10 pound pumpkin by Thanksgiving. When I look at the size of a pumpkin it is a rude awakening to where I came from and that I still have a long way to go. It is unbelievable to me that I could still easily lose 7 more pumpkins and still be in the normal weight range.

Weekend Warrior

So today was another session of weekend warrior. It was a fun time of team building, mountain climbing, hiking and a good cardio workout. We laughed a lot, there was a lot of "what the hells?" and quite a few battle wounds. I have posted a link to the hike that we did from my friends garmin, it shows the elevation gains and so forth. However, it was supposed to take about 1.5 hours and it took us 3. We climbed 1000 ft in the 1.4 mile up but majority of it was in the last .4 miles. It was straight up, almost like stairs but with nothing to put your foot on. It was about 3 miles total by the time we got the trail head from Shannon's house and did the trail round trip.

We met up at Shannon's house. It was a beautiful, cabin style, home with gorgeous views of the Smokies. They are on there way to being so pretty for fall. A few more weeks and they will be spectacular with all of the changing leaves. We arrived around 9 and hit the trail (if you can call it that) by 9:30.

The beginning was the hardest part for me. This is probably different than everyone else. The first 3/4 of a mile was a lot of rise and fall, mostly rise and because there was a trail the girls were trucking it. They were going fast, no stopping and I thought I was going to die. There were a few times I wanted to quit but my girls "T" and "JRo" wouldn't leave me behind. At one point, Teresa told me that if she had to "push my butt up that hill" I was making it to the top. We finally got to a little flat resting point and Shannon says "well, that was the easy part; it gets much harder from here". I thought she was kidding but she wasn't!

The next part of the hike was mountain climbing. It was straight up, no trail head and going through lots of brush and trees to make it to the top. It took a long time and the whole time we were going up all I could think about was how are we going to get down? We can't possibly be going down the same way that we went up. While the mountain climbing was hard, I was okay...we had slowed down, my heart was no longer trying to escape from my chest and this was mind over matter. One leg in front of the other. It was beautiful along the way. At one point we looked out and you could see Shannon's house....way, way down. It was gratifying to know that we had accomplished the mountain. Going up required you to be on all fours. The ground had lots of leaves on it so it was pretty slick. Also there had been a fire in the woods about a year ago, so several of the trees were burned or rotten and were not good foot or arm holds.

(if you look very closely you can see a white house under the bottom branch of that tree,

it is a little bit down and to the right from the other houses...

that is Shannon's where we started)

We finally reached the top! I can't lie that the summit was not as impressive as some of the other vista views we got along the way because of the trees. However, I decided to take that into my own hands. There was one good view but there was a measly tree in the way. I knew that all the trees were weak so I decided to push it down to make my picture better. It pushed right over with a little effort. We stopped long enough to get some pictures and then headed back down.

(After taking down the tree)

(the top)

Now the decent down the mountain is where the fun really began. This is when everyone began cursing. I was so glad that I had worn my hiking shoes. They had said we were going for a hike so wore my trusty hikers. Every other girl had on their beautiful white ASICS tennis shoes. Well, let me just tell you...they aren't white anymore. The ground literally had no good foot holds and you couldn't really hold on to the trees or stumps as 90% of them were not secure. Going down the mountain had lots of scooting on your butt and just hoping that you didn't get killed. Had I known what we were going to be doing, I would have brought my trekking poles. This would of made the entire hike about 10 times easier.

At one point, I must slid down the mountain and hurt my leg. I have been bruising more easily lately and it looks pretty bad. Yet, I was not the only one with battle wounds. Lots of us got scrapes and scratches but our "Sherpa", Teresa gets the award for wound of the day. At one point I looked over and she literally did a cartwheel down the hill and starting sliding head first with her hand in front of her down the mountain. Thankfully she didn't get too hurt. She got a pretty good puncture wound in her hand and some pretty good scrapes but she was a good sport. From that point forward, I tried to take on the role of Sherpa. I think I did fairly well. I was able to kind of slide the earth down under my feet and create little ledges to hold. We all found good sturdy sticks and used them as a walking staff. I can say that if I had not had my stick, I might have died.

(This is the bruise on my leg...ouchy)

After we got down from the mountain we still had to hike back to the house. At this point we were all tired and ready to eat. We got lost at this point for about 10 minutes but then found our way back. Everyone had brought some "healthy" food to share. Tammye, our trainer, brought a really yummy dip. It was good, tasted fresh and healthy. Here is the recipe.

• Can of corn drained
• Can of black beans drained
• Can of black eyed peas drained
• Can of tomatoes drained
• One onion chopped
• One green bell pepper chopped
• A little fresh cilantro and lime
• Garlic powder
• 1/2 C of light Italian dressing

It was so yummy. I stuck around and ate a few snacks and then had to head home to my sweet family. It was definitely an adventure. I did have fun. I would of been much better off in a healthy forest with something to hold onto though, or if I would have had my trusty trekking poles. One of the girls had a nice SLR camera and took several pictures. Tonight while looking at them on Facebook I almost cried because I was laughing so hard at us coming down the mountain. There were some pictures where she had taken so many that scrolling through was almost like watching them animated...and I got to relive the whole experience.

My ankles are pretty sore and the rest of my body just feels like it has been beat up. Hopefully a good night's sleep will take care of some of that.

Weekend Warrior

So today was Weekend Warrior and I went. By far the hardest work out that I have ever done in the past 10 years. I was tired after the warm up! So here is a very condensed version of how it worked.

We did a warm up of squats, lunges, stretches and then paired up with a partner and did football runs and touched the ground repeatedly. After the warm up there was 6 stations with two exercises each. We did each exercise vigorously for one minute, had 15 seconds to recover, did the next exercise...switched stations and repeated. We did all 6 stations twice. A lot of these exercises are not your typical things you see but I am going to try and give a summary of them the best I can. Mostly, just so I can remember.

1) Turn the bosu ball upside down flat side up (A bosu ball is half dome; ball on one side, flat on the other) then in a push up postion do mountain climbers back and forth (these are pretty much alternating lunges)...doesn't sound too bad but did I mention that we had these little gliders on our feet that resemble slippery paper plates.

2) Kneel on the bosu ball with the dome part up. Point your toes and do not allow them to touch the ground. Alternating dumbbell press with 8 Lbs in each arm.

3) With a light barbell lift it straight above your head with your arms straight. Squat down, while bending your torso and let one side of the barbell touch the floor right in front of your foot. Stand back up straight and do it to the other side. Alternate.

4) Put the same barbell on your shoulders behind your neck. Do a lunge back to knee lift, alternating sides.

5) On the floor slide side to side imitating a speed skater. Lunge your leg diagonally behind the other leg, touch the floor and slide to the other side. Repeat side to side.

6) Skiers. With your feet together squat down and jump side to side twisting your torso to imitate a downhill skier. (doesn't sound hard..but try it for one minute with out stopping)

7) Swimmers. Lay on your belly and imitate the breast stroke. Put a glider (the slippery plastic plate) in each hand and lift your shoulders off the ground at the end of each stroke. Make circles moving away from your body 8 times, the rotate directions and make the circles moving toward your body.

8) Frogs. These were impossible for me to do. It was the same as the swimmer but in a plank position with the gliders on your feet. I had to modify and do jack knifes with the gliders instead. Even this was almost impossible for me to do.

9) With cables or the rope pull down, using 35-40 Lbs, do rows by pulling the rope into your body around the belly button region.

10) Same as #9 but do high rows by pulling the row more into your chest region.

11) Using a step platform with two risers underneath, hold plank position for 10 seconds and do a push up, repeat 6 times. For the more advanced girls in my class they walked from corner to corner of the step with their hands while doing the plank and did a push up at each corner. (This again..was impossible for me)

12) Lay on the same step with your back down. Lift your pelvis off the step to be in the bridge position, squeeze your glutes. While doing this, do dumbbell flies with 10 pounds in each arm.

Now...repeat all of these stations again!

Then after all of this, feeling as though I need to barf...she says lets run to the park about a block away. At the park she had us run sprints from cone to cone, the cones were about 15 feet apart. We would run to the first cone and do 10 squats, run back to the beginning, run to second cone and do 10 lunges, back to the beginning, run to the 3rd cone and do alternating mountain climbers, back to the beginning and to the fourth cone. We finished the work out with a 4 minute lap around the park. The first minute was power-walking, second minute was jogging, third minute was running and fourth minute was sprinting. (I must say that my sprint and jog look pretty similar..haha).

Back to the gym, did some good stretching and got to go home. Pheewww. I am tired just writing this post. It was exhausting but I felt good at the end. A big thanks to my friend Olivia for joining me. She did great but I bet she is sore tomorrow!