About fitness boot camp

A lesson I learned today: When you are the slowest sprinter, just know that when the coach tells everyone to stop and run back… you’ll be the first to the finish line. I won.. and I rock…

I just wanted to give a quick explanation of fitness boot camp. Anyone who is considering starting a workout program, seriously look into a boot camp near you. It’s fun and seriously challenging all rolled into one. It’s been awhile since I actually enjoyed exercising. Now I look forward to it. I attend an all woman’s class. If you are interested in joining one, go to YouTube and search boot camps in your area. Many of them will have video’s of their members working out and you’ll get a good idea of exactly what it is. The best part is that it can all be modified to your fitness level.

With that being said: Today rocked. It was very tough.. very very tough..  and I loved it, never actually thought I’d say that. As my fingers are typing these words.. I almost don’t recognize myself in this statement.  But I really enjoy working out now. I don’t think I could ever live sedentary again and be happy. It’s been a long time since I worked out and loved it. My first boot camp I attended in Jersey really paved the way for this. I had a hiccup in between camps but life is back to normal again.

Now that I’m full of all of this energy, think I’ll go clean the house.

Best intentions

My ADD is clearly affecting my ability to read correctly. This morning I woke up all excited to make my new Pumpkin Muffins. I open up the cabinets and realized I purchased a can of organic sweet potatoes.. not the same thing. After another trip to the store, I came home to realize I mistakenly picked up red cyan pepper.. in lew of pumpkin spice. Again.. NOT the same thing. It’s quite clear that my ADD is affecting every aspect of my life. Maybe, I hope, that a change in the way I eat will fix this problem as well.

I made them anyway. They weren’t terrible, but would have tasted MUCH better with the right ingredients. Duly noted for next time.

What is Paleo? 

I hope you understand, I am not doing a diet. I found a plan that best fit how I wanted to live. My goal was to cut out processed foods. This means wheat, grains, all breads, potatoes, and most dairy. Well, to sum it up.. cave man style. I am working on cutting out caffeine, but for now I’m sticking to one cup in the morning before the gym. I plan on stopping that once I really get the hang of this.

Menu for the day:

If you want recipes for any of this, please just comment and I will provide them.

B: Pumpkin Muffins and Ham

L: Taco Salad (no shells obviously)

S: Paleo style PB&J (1/2 cup blueberries and 2 tbs. of sun butter.

D: Cajun Cat Fish and Salad

For exercise today we walked at the park. I didn’t get everything I really wanted out of it because my puppy seemed to have forgotten how to walk on a leash and Peyton (4-year-old daughter) was taking her time. I think we walked about 1.5 miles.  That’s okay, I have boot camp tomorrow morning and 5am comes early. Overall, I consider the first day a success.

Side note about me to give you prospective into my life.

I’m always in a hurry. I’m always busy. For those that don’t know me, my life is sometimes ultra-challenging just to get through the day and keep my sanity in tact. I’ll explain real quick and try not to bore you with details. For purpose of understanding why I’m sometimes scattered brain. In early summer my husband had a job offer in Wilmington, NC. We really wanted to get out of the high cost of Jersey. We jumped on it. But during the middle of the move his new job fell through. Long story short, I am here with the 3 kids, 3 dogs, and 1 cat and he is in NJ, missing his 3 kids, 3 dogs, wife, and cat (not necessarily in that order I hope). 

 

The day of reckoning

Yes, this is the day. This is the day that things have completely sunk in. Time to stop living under this shadow of half commitment and lack of awareness. My eyes are open. This is my day of reckoning.

My goal is be fit by 40 and transform the lives of myself and my children. I started this blog so I can track my journey. I am not going to post my weight in this blog, quite frankly it’s only the business of myself, my coach, and my doctors. I will however post the numbers of pounds/inches I have lost. I’m going to try to minimize stepping on the scale. This blog isn’t about dieting. It’s about transforming. The weight loss is only a side effect.

Let me explain, but first.. a little background. My name is Becky. I’m 38, married, 3 kids, 3 dogs, 1 cat. Overall, I’m fairly happy with my life. My children and husband are everything to me. I’m 110% devoted to them. My husband and I work hard to provide a good life for our kids. Especially my husband, Allen, who sacrifices so much for all of us.

With that being said, I have come to realize over the last year just how unhealthy our lifestyles are. My father, died at the age of 36.. of heart disease. My mother, overweight/obese herself, also has faced challenges with some health issues. Growing up I swore my mother was the best cook in the world. We never really lacked for much, yet they struggled financially. Especially when my father died and she worked.. a lot. Our family really started eating a lot of processed foods. This is what I knew. I was taught to cook hamburger helper, mac and cheese, and any other boxed foods you can think of.

Now I sit here, at the age of 38.. dare I say… obese. I hate that word. But really, how I look in my jeans isn’t really my major concern. The way I look in my jeans is more of a side effect of my overall health. My children are ages 13, 4, and 8 months. At the rate I’m going, I’m honestly not sure I’ll see them grow up to have kids of their own. More than that, I’m teaching them how to live.. unhealthy.. just as my parents taught me. It’s a crazy cycle. Enough is enough.

What was my breaking point? Well, early this year I joined a fitness boot camp. Strive Fitness for my Jersey friends. It was the toughest thing I’ve ever done.. EVER. I loved it though. I loved the kinship I found there and the way I felt while doing it. It was so difficult for me, I was very weak really. But every day I grew stronger. My coach, husband, and my friend who I joined with had complete confidence in me. So why didn’t I? The day I moved to NC, I actually chocked up thinking about leaving that gym behind.. It was a life changing experience.

Now I’m in Wilmington, NC. I found another gym, headstrong fitness boot camp. So far it seems great. Much like the one I left behind. What changed my opinions and thoughts on everything was a talk I had with my new coach. She asked me on a scale of 1-10, how committed are you. I have to be honest in these situations, I said 8.. maybe a 9.. I gotta say, she looked a little concerned and then said she wanted me to be a 10 soon. She also directed me to a new nutritional plan, the paleo diet. Basically, the cave man diet. Eating like my (thin) ancestors did. I went home and researched.

Yesterday’s boot camp was great. I’m so glad to be back there again. It feels like I’m home, once again. But something was bugging me. I finally figured it out. My answer on how committed I was. Why am I not at 10? Again, I have to be honest with myself. If I answered 10, it doesn’t give me an out. I’m a “all in or out” kind of gal. I can’t be one or the other, if I’m not completely and entirely devoted to something.. I end up giving up.

How can I get myself there? The answer was clear. For my kids.. for my family.. for myself.. I really don’t have any other options. I want my children to be raised believing that physical fitness and healthy nutrition is a way of life. I want them to think about how strange it is that someone else is cooking out of a box. I want my family to be the ones that are out every day, walking, riding bikes, enjoying the sun.. and loving every second of it.

Today I went shopping. My house is now full of fresh produce and meats. I have recipes, grocery list, and menus. I’m set. 1 year.. 7.5 months… of complete transformation. No cheats.. no breaks.. no giving in.. Here we go!