Introducing...A New Trainer

It's been too long since I have posted. Trying to work on the dissertation, get my workouts in, long days at work, while planning and throwing a surprise 40th birthday party for my husband have left my blogging time limited. I have soooo much to catch you up on. First, let me introduce you to Brandon. In August, I was at the gym working on getting miles in. I had finished 5 on the stepper and decided to do some on the bike. This nice guy came up and introduced himself as a new trainer to my gym and asked if I wanted to do a free intro session with him. We ended up talking for a while and I gave him some highlights of my journey. I was up front with him and told him I had no intention of hiring a trainer. We ended up scheduling my intro session for a couple of days later. I felt an instant connection. He laughed when I was a smart aleck which is a huge plus for me. Seriously, if you aren't going to laugh with me, you're not my cup of tea. I came home and talked to my husband and we pondered it and decided that my health is worth the financial obligation. I decided to try it and see what happens. I needed to get through the month of September which kicked my butt because of after school obligations. This morning was my second official workout with Brandon. Last Monday, I sent him a text to thank him for the soreness I was experiencing. During the first workout, Brandon told me that I needed to keep a food log for the entire week. If I ate it or drank it I wrote it down. I realize this is good diet practice. However, I'm letting you know I've not done it. I record my workouts, but not my eating. Obviously, I tried to be EXTREMELY careful of what went into my mouth because...you guys that have been reading for a while already know this...I can't fail. NO!!! That would not be an option for Bunchy! EXCEPT...that's EXACTLY what happened! My mom and I talk every Sunday morning. Today I told her I was a little scared to meet with my trainer because I thought he might yell at me. Of course she wanted to know why. "Well, I didn't mean to, but there was a 29 hour period where I didn't eat at all." "TAMMY! You tell Brandon that he has MY permission to yell at you. Are you going to be honest with him? Even though I've been sick this week, I've eaten!" Way to make a girl feel MORE scared about going to meet with the trainer. Into the gym I went, not feeling confident. Knowing I had to turn the food journal over to the trainer. First words out of my mouth, "My mom said you can yell at me. Trust me, she already lectured me." I'm thinking I'm going to get reprimanded for this period from Thursday into Friday which I did, but there was more. There was only ONE day out of the week when I neared getting enough food. REALLY? REALLY? I completely missed the mark each day. One day would have been okay if I had switched my lunch and dinner. Brandon's philosophy is that I'm going to eat right so WE can get the workouts to be effective. If I don't get enough food or I eat too much food the workouts are for nothing. This is common sense right? Yet it's so freaking complicated. I didn't eat for 29 hours because I woke up on Thursday morning with pink eye in both eyes. A parent of three of our students died in a motorcycle accident, a nine year old student who is watching her 19 year old sister battle bone cancer, lots of people in my personal life dealing with health issues, lots of stuff going on at school. I think I was suffering a bit of compassion fatigue. I know I was because I totally lost it a couple of times. Thursday I totally didn't make time for lunch and by the time I arrived home, I was simply too tired to eat. And I was just telling a friend, I'm scared of food. Poor food choices led me being unhealthy and fat. I just don't trust it. Okay, I get that food is inanimate. I don't trust myself. I just can't get into the routine of eating 6 times a day. This is a huge challenge for me. It's mental. I'm typing this with tears in my eyes. WHY WHY WHY do I continue to make eating an enemy??? Guess I'm going to have to trust this process and realize I need food to lose weight. I do like Brandon. He takes my success personal. He told me that we are in this together. I need that. I'm very impressed with how far I've come. I'm very proud of my cardio this summer. 100 miles in June. 100 miles in July. 125 miles in August. 100 miles in September. Now it's time to get the resistance and strength training back in. Having Brandon to guide me is going to be a huge help. Let's talk about early morning workouts now. I hope you didn't fall over reading that. The last few weeks have been so busy and I haven't been home much before 7:00 with several nights as late as 8:00 or 8:30. It wasn't an option to not go to the gym so I started setting the alarm for 5:00 or 5:30 depending on my morning schedule. The first week Mom said, "Don't you love going to the gym early?" "NO! I HATE IT!" By the end of the third week which was last week, I was starting to like it. I think if I had the option, I would probably choose after work, but I do like going in and knocking it out before the day begins. Typically, the gym isn't that crowded at that time anyway. Still making progress. Still enjoying the journey. Still amazed at where I started and where I am now. Take a look... This pic was taken in April 2010

This pic was taken in September 2012

If you are struggling with your journey, don't give up! PLEASE! Don't give up. Message me. I will do my best to help you through. It's not all easy, but I wouldn't go back for anything. Being healthy, feeling good, and having energy is worth every challenge and obstacle.