Beautiful day

What are a some of the biggest day-to-day differences?

• Much more energy.
• Sleeping better.
• Feeling satisfied rather than "full" at the end of meals.
  

Scheduling (and moms as rock stars)

How does it fit into my schedule, working out 5x a week? I know that many of FT's clients do not sign on to work out as often as I am doing... but even slotting in 2x a week can take some serious planning.

My solution? I typically take my lunch hour to work out, then eat at my desk afterward. If I know I'll have a lunch meeting then I come in early morning or, last resort, after hours. Kyle (the manager at Frazier) and Grey (the manager at Gunbarrel) are both great about finding times that work for their clients.

But I admit, there are days that it does crunch my time. Like many folks, I have a lot on my plate at work and some days it would free things up if I pushed exercise to the back burner. On those days, I remember that I committed to this program in order to re-educate my mind, stomach and body on how to eat better, to get healthy and then to stay fit. This was worth starting, and it's worth seeing through to the finish.

And this is certainly not something that's limited to those with full time jobs. Out at the Gunbarrel studio last week, the trainers introduced me to Stephanie. Like so many moms (including my lovely wife), she manages not only her own schedule but also the often-crazy schedules of her kids. In the midst of a day spent shuttling kids from here to there, Stephanie sets aside time for strength training and cardio. Another reminder that moms are rock stars.

No wonder I feel better...

Next time you’re in the grocery store, pick up a five pound bag of flour. Then imagine strapping four and a half of those to your body, around your stomach, and wearing them all day, every day. While working, playing, resting.

That’s what I was doing, carrying 22 unnecessary pounds, 24/7.

Before and Halfway

Okay, I admit, this is a bit cheesy. The 'before' and 'after' shots. But it's all true... no photo retouching or sucking in of the belly or anything.

Of course, 'after' here means 'halfway'... but decided to show the progression.

I took the first picture on a timer and haven't thought about it since, but after my lovely wife snapped a picture of me on Saturday - to mark the halfway point in my transformation - I decided to set them side by side.

And it’s darn surprising. The two me's on the left are a month and a half ago; the two on the right are three days ago. 5 days a week of training - strength and cardio - and eating according to the trainers’ recommendations.

And look what’s right there in the photos. Or, NOT there in the photos: 22 lbs of chunk around my midriff.

Even more important, my resting heart rate has lowered 9 beats per minute. That means that my heart has much less struggle within every 24 hour period because it is beating 12,960 fewer times.

On balance

Here’s another thing that is quite cool. Part of my dynamic warmup (see “On stretching”) every day is a set of ten knee hugs. Simple enough... you hug one knee to your chest while standing, then drop that knee taking a step forward, and hug the other one. Funny thing is that when I first started with Fitness Together, my body was so out of balance that I often had to reach out with one hand to touch the wall, to stay straight upright.

No longer true. Now I can stand easily, because my legs are stronger and my body is re-finding its center of gravity.

It’s fun to have lost a bunch of weight, to be so close to my personal target weight and not even yet halfway through the program. But it’s these little things - like finding my balance literally and metaphorically - that are starting to add up, and make me realize that this is a life change, not just a change of pants size.

On breathing

Another part of exercise that seems obvious, but isn’t... when I started working out, I found myself often holding my breath during exertion. Heavy weight or big sprint? Somehow my body thought it logical to take a breath and hold it until the strain was over.

The trainers have taught me to breathe deeply with every exertion. Every time I push up the barbell, exhale. During a sprint on the treadmill, deep breaths. At first it felt like too much, like I was hyperventilating, but as I’ve learned to slow down during repetitions (keep your heart rate high, but don’t hurry through it), it’s become more natural.

The ‘why’ is simple: more oxygen = better for my body. No surprise there. But there’s an added benefit. The more oxygen I get flowing, the harder I can push my body. And the harder I push my body, the more calories I burn and benefit I get from each workout.

Having an in-body experience

May 15 was the 4 week anniversary of my start date...

Weight: from 191, down to 175 lbs
Waistline: down 2.5 inches
and even more importantly...
Resting heart rate: from 83, down to 75 beats per minute