Rewards

Last week I had my first training session. So far, so good! I really like my trainer and if I get the results I want, then I will start saying how much I love him!

Speaking of results, I think its important that you have a reminders of your accomplishments and that you celebrate reaching your goals. Typically, as Americans, it seems we like to celebrate with food. We graduate and we party with food. We get a raise, we go to dinner. You have a baby and people bring you lots of food and in the South, that also means casseroles, desserts and such to get you through those first few weeks (and we wonder why we don't see the pounds drop as quickly off the scale).

I think as Americans, we should change our thinking on how we celebrate. Maybe we take a trip for graduating from school,  we buy a new pair of shoes for getting that raise, and when someone has a baby we shower them with some well-needed assistance (babysitting for an hour so they can take a nap for example) instead of unnecessary foods like sweets.

Out of the goals I have planned, I will likely reach losing 10 pounds first. So what should be my reward? Well NEW running shoes of course!!! While losing 10 pounds is fantastic, its only about halfway to my goal weight. New running shoes will remind me of how far I come every time I lace them up, will help me reach my ultimate weight loss goal, and help me accomplish another goal of my list.

PERFECT!!!

Starting Stats

So last week, I started working with my personal trainer (PT). If you never have worked with a PT they always start by taking statistics so that in a few months they can re-take those same stats to prove they are earning their keep.

These stats are fun to hear only when you know they are going to be good. After 9 months of pregnancy, my intuition told me me that I was going to be in need of much improvement and I was right, of course.

So here is the ugly of the situation.

Starting Weight : 137 lbs.
BMI:                  24.3 kg/m^2
Max VO2:         30.3 ml/(kg min)
Bicep Strength:  43 lbs
Sit & Reach:      14 in
Body Comp:      32.7% fat
Overall Fitness:  52%

As if this wasn't hard enough to take, part of the statistics of my particular trainer's assessment is Body Age. It is supposed to give you an understanding of the shape your body in comparison to your chronological age. so for now, I will leave you with that number (remember...I am 29)

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Goals

I am the kind of person that does best when I set goals for myself and work towards them. By doing so, I find that I tend to be more accountable to myself.

I also think its important to set goals other than those that start, " I will lose XX pounds by.." The reasoning behind this is that I like to earn rewards for my accomplishments. For me, a t-shirt from running my first half marathon is a better reminder of what I can do than those size 4 pants that fit me before I was pregnant. I am more likely to fit into those pants again because I ran a half marathon than I am to run a half marathon because I am a size 4.

Its also extremely important to set goals that are reasonable and you can accomplish. For example, don't set the goal of completing an Ironman if you have never run a 5k. Start small and work your way up!!!

The question is then, what goals do I want to accomplish. I will break them up by categories...

Athletic Endeavors

Compete in and finish my first sprint triathlon (There is a local one in August that I am considering.)
Finish a fall marathon (I am eyeing one at the beginning of November)

Weight

Lose 10 pounds before I go back to work in 3.5 weeks
Get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight (120 lbs) and ultimately my ideal weight (115)

Let's talk about these weight goals for a second though. They are trumped by clothing size goals. As we all know, muscle weighs more than fat. Its quite possible that your weight goals can be difficult to attain if you are gaining muscle. Therefore, its always a good idea to buy yourself an outfit in the size you want to be as a way to judge your progress as well. You have to take small steps though. If you are a size 10, don't buy a size 2 outfit even if that is your ultimate goal. Seeing that outfit sit in your closet for months doesn't do you any good. Instead, buy a size 8 and celebrate yourself when it fits. Relish in that accomplishment and treat yourself to a night of dancing (Not food...Americans always celebrate with food. That is another topic for another day though). Then if you still want to continue on your journey, then buy a size 6 and so on and so forth.

So for me, I just want to fit into the wardrobe I have already so I don't have to spend money buying clothes to go to work in. Most of my clothes are a size 4 so that is my goal before I go back to work but if I can't attain that then I will buy whatever size I am at the time and work my way down.

Where am I starting at though...more on that tomorrow. I start with my personal trainer tonight and will have all of those statistics posted tomorrow.

Meet Me

My name is Stephanie and I am new to blogging. I have tried it a couple times and have been unsuccessful in my endeavers but I am giving it a go again. Why will it work this time? This time, this blog is meant to keep me accountable to accomplish the goals I have set for myself. I plan on sending this link to friends and family hoping that they will help me ensure I meet my goals.

If you have stumbled upon this documentation of my accountability, then I hope this blog is an encouragement to you if you are going through the same things that I am.

So what is this blog about exactly? Its about fitness. Its about regaining what I have lost.

I have always been an fitness enthusiast. I am not a guru though I wish I were. I started playing soccer at age six and played competitively until I was a junior in high school. I probably could have played in college, though not for the UNCs of the world but a smaller school which gave out scholarships to athletes based on academia rather than pure athletic talent. Instead, I spent my college years at the most wonderful university that exists, Texas A&M....WHOOP! There, I earned my BS in Mechanical Engineering. Admittedly, I spent most of my time studying and did not keep my fitness level up. Since graduating, my athletic endeavors have involved boot camp, riding and finishing the MS 150 twice, and running two half marathons.

So what exactly have I lost....my fitness... again. This time, I have a pretty good reason though. I gave birth to my son about 8 weeks ago. I am one proud Mama of that cutie! Now I will tell you that I have a ways to go because I didn't keep up my fitness routine while I was pregnant.

I promise that this blog will be an honest account of my struggles (including trying to avoid Blue Bell Ice Cream especially now that its summer and is going on sale) with getting back in shape, with food, and with being a new mother.

Tune in tomorrow. I will talk about my goals, my plans for getting to where I want be, and where I am right now (pictures, stats, etc. to come).

Stephanie