Finding a balance between work and working out

    So I'm a teacher and I've had off from school for the last 3 months. We went back 2 weeks ago and I realized today that training has become such a regular part of my daily life this summer that when it came time to go back to work for the new school year I was having a hard time getting into the right mindset for work. I mean, who would want to go back to work after 3 months off?? Seriously.  In my mind going back to work was an interruption of my new focus on healthy living. In reality, what I need to do is adjust to a schedule that includes work and training while making time for healthy eating. The first couple weeks were tough for me; getting up early, driving 40 minutes to work and having to write lesson plans again. And although every day I looked forward to going to the gym after work to train or do cardio, being back to work still feels a little surreal. Surreal because I am such a different person since the last time I sat in my classroom last spring. And to mix things up a little bit today the teachers in my district went on strike after almost three years of negotiations and no agreement. This morning it was raining, damp and cold. 2 hours on the strike line in the rain and I came home soaked with a stiff neck and a migraine. But in the 2 hours we walked 5 miles. I reached my step goal by 10am. But this interruption of the school year coupled with my lack of enthusiasm to begin with is just making it harder to find a balance between my training goals and everything else in my life.

    I started training in June right before the end of the school year. And even though it has only been a few months I am a completely different person because of it. And training was such a focus for me during the summer that I pretty much spent my summer in workout clothes and at the gym. In the past I looked forward to going back to school and a regular schedule because summers always got me out of sync as far as a schedule goes; sleeping in late, staying up late, eating at all hours. Going back to work meant going to bed earlier, getting up at an ungodly hour but getting done with work by early afternoon, and eating on a regular schedule. All those things I used to look at as benefits to my health just seem like a nuisance to my new focus on a healthy lifestyle and my time at the gym. In the first two weeks of school I barely slept 5 hours each night because I have been training in the evening and get to bed late. Part of me wishes I could change careers right now so that I could make my own schedule, go to the gym when I want and get enough sleep at night. But I'm not quite ready to give up my career in teaching. Not yet.

   So during this hopefully short interruption to the school year I will get my mind wrapped around a new focused schedule. A schedule where I find the balance I've been trying to achieve and make time for work, family, training, meal prep and healthy eating without going crazy. Or even worse getting overwhelmed and going off plan. I think that would be the worst. To come this far and then let a little stress and a busy schedule get me off track with eating right or let fatigue cause me to slack at the gym. Good thing I have a trainer that keeps me focused as far as that goes. And now with the Transformation Challenge underway I have even more reason to get focused. I can't lose site of my goals now. Balance starts with a goals and a plan. So today I sat down and decided what my goals are for training, nutrition, work, home and rest. I made a plan for each goal and a checklist to help me achieve that plan. I am hoping this helps me stay on track and have balance.

Fall 2018 Transformation Challenge...Initial weigh-in

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     So today it begins. My next goal. The next leg of this journey I am on. The Muscles Inc. Fall Transformation Challenge 2018. Brandon and I have been talking about this since last month when I heard about it. We've talked about how we will step it up and go hard, work with a specific meal plan and do high intensity interval training (HIIT) cardio. Today when I got to the gym I was anxious. Partially because I didn't know what to expect for the challenge but knowing I really wanted to do it and partially because I wanted to get the before weigh-in and pictures over with. I had a feeling I would weigh-in somewhere just above 200 lbs because that is where I have been hovering. Last night I went and had a cheat meal since I won't be doing that for 10 weeks. We got Chinese food and I had shrimp and broccoli with rice. I felt like crap after eating it too. More motivation to stay on program with this challenge. When they did the before pictures I asked  Bobby to take pics with my phone too so I had a frame of reference. Just looking at the pictures is motivation enough to take this challenge seriously. I told Brandon I was not liking my before pics and he said, 'good. you're not supposed to like them.'

     Bobby started the challenge with a meeting where he went over how the challenge will work, how often to check in with him, how to follow the meal plan and workout recommendations and he answered any questions. Because I have been working with Brandon, Bobby told me he was going to leave my challenge programming up to Brandon and I could check-in with Brandon as well. As we sat in the meeting I looked around the room at all the competitors and there were A LOT. Probably 20+ So many that it took over an hour to do weigh-ins, measurements and pictures. I was one of the last in line too. I weighed in at 204 lbs. My goal? to lose 25 lbs in the 10 weeks of this challenge. So at the final weigh-in on November 17 I should be 179 lbs or less.

     Thinking about this challenge I am getting psyched. Psyched mainly because I've never done something like this before with this kind of commitment and accountability. I mean, years ago when I did Weight Watchers I stayed accountable by going to meetings and checking in with my sisters each week. But it was a very private thing for me. How much I lost was my business. Any pictures were ones I took (and honestly I didn't take any pictures to document my progress). With this challenge it was a reality check (and a little intimidating) to stand in front of photography lights in sports bra and leggings to have pictures taken. I mean, Bobby said to wear what you feel most comfortable in and I could have been less uncomfortable having my picture taken with my shirt on. But to see the real difference the shirt had to come off in my mind. So I swallowed my pride and thought we are all here for the same reason, to transform our bodies and be a better version of ourselves in the end. As silly as it sounds, taking my shirt off to be photographed shows how much Muscles Inc really is a judgement free zone and the trainers really are interested in helping their clients improve.

    Another reason I am psyched is for the end result. I know this challenge is not the end of my transformation. I know I will still have more to do even after the 10 weeks. But I am excited to see the side by side pics of my transformation. Even if I don't win I can't wait to see how much I change. I've lost weight before. But this is my first time training to lose weight. So not only will my transformation be weight loss. It will also be building muscle and toning. I have thought about what I will look like once I reach my goal and its hard for me to imagine. But this challenge is a great way to slingshot me a little closer to that goal. Between training with Brandon, following the meal plan and doing cardio I plan to crush my goals for this challenge. I cannot wait!

Good trainers know how to talk you down...

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     Since I began this journey I have been telling myself that it is about more than just losing weight. It's a lifestyle change for me. I have tried to stay focused on how I feel, what I see and the changes in what I can do when we train. But for some reason today I got hung up on the number on the scale and I was feeling a little discouraged about my weight loss journey. I've only weighed myself once every two or three weeks and have seen a steady decrease in the number since I started training in June. That is until recently. Today when I weighed myself I didn't weigh any less than I did the last two times I stepped on the scale. I have been hovering at 202 lbs. Today I had hoped to break through and get below the 200 lb mark and when the scale didn't tell me that I let it get in my head. So of course I text Brandon to vent my frustrations.

      'I'm pretty sure I'm at a plateau.' I tell him and then go on to explain how frustrated I am that I've been working so hard at the gym, training 3 days a week, doing cardio 3 days a week, upping the incline on the treadmill each time, and trying to eat clean. I walk out of the gym feeling really good after working up a cardio sweat. Training is even more satisfying, especially on leg days. I explained all this to Brandon and how discouraging it feels to not see all my hard work pay off on the scale. I mean if it was only one week or even two I wouldn't be so hung up on the number but after over 3 weeks and no loss? I was on a downward spiral of self doubt. Brandon quickly reminded me that I need to put into perspective muscle weight gain especially considering the way we train. And I had considered that but still thought about how much I wanted to break the plateau and get under 200 lbs. Determined to make me realize that I was overreacting to the what the scale said he tells me that I definitely am looking different and asks if I've been getting feedback from people. A few co-workers had said something since we have been back to school and my husband has made a few compliments. So yes. I have. I tell him.

   Good. He tells me that I definitely will lose more but at times when it slows its generally due to muscle gain. Ok. So maybe I am overreacting. It's not just about the number. We both agree that the training is working. I am trying to not be discouraged. I'm just anxious to get below 200. Brandon tells me don't worry. It'll happen. And sooner than I think. Ok boss. I'll focus on other things like the Fall Transformation Challenge that starts tomorrow. Maybe not losing anything the last few weeks is a good thing. More weight to lose for the challenge. Brandon says yes and tells me "don't weigh yourself too often. We've got to set ground rules for that. LOL. During the challenge I only want you to weigh in every 2-3 weeks." So we agree that I will weigh in every other Sunday at the gym before we train. No more weighing myself at home. Deal.

     So after this pep talk I'm feeling more positive and ready to move on to the next leg of this journey. Tomorrow is the official start of Muscle Inc's Fall Transformation Challenge and I am pumped!