Sunday, December 14, 2008

Back in the fight...

It's nearly 5 a.m. on Sunday morning. I just got back after my 10-day trip to Green Mountain Spa. How am I feeling this morning? Well...conflicted. Not enough sleep last night, headache, and I'm hungry. I'm just a teensy bit disappointed in myself for having capitulated to the charms of Col. Sanders, but I am happy to report that the man just doesn't do it for me like he used to. (I stopped at KFC last night and got a two piece meal with biscuit, mashed potatoes and gravy and a small cole slaw. I got a bottle of water with it. I ate all of it! I was hungry!) I'm going through withdrawl symptoms from having left another great group of women and I'm feeling isolated again.

On the bright side, I'm off to L.A. this morning, to see my dearest friend for a few days. We'll be having a lot of fun together. We'll go to the gym, 24-Hour Fitness in Manhattan Beach. We'll go shopping at Nordstroms. We're going to a taping of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on Monday (I ADORE him!). I'll have some time alone to practice mindfulness, which is an individual's effort at being aware in the present moment, an exercise that is truely a feat for those with ADD. But I just found a website that gives some guidance with that...http://www.mindfulnessforadd.com/. By the time I get back to my house, my soul will be super nourished!

And then I'll get to really hit the fitness trail. My consultation with LynnAnn at Green Mountain went really well. I appreciated being able to troubleshoot some issues and to get a reality check on the what I can actually perform with the knees I've been given. I'm happy to say that I can move forward with the upper body weight training. I had dropped nearly everything involving my arms and shoulders due to my shoulder injury, but after some physical therapy, a lovely cortizone shot, and some healing time, I'm using the 8 lb. and 5 lb. weights to do upper body, three sets of 12.

One of the best classes that I attended at Green Mountain this time was the Abs Clinic. For the first time, I actually felt my abs, all of them, every square inch! For two whole days! In the past, that would have created an inclination to avoid ab work altogether, but now I'm determined to engage those abs on a daily basis. And I can do it from the comfort of my own bed!

Lynn Ann is having me step up the amount of exercise I'm doing throughout the day. I have the time to do that. She thinks I can lose at a rate of two pounds a week with increased intensity and broader variety in my workouts. I'm up for it, I think. I hope.

According to the scale at Green Mountain, I lost 3.5 lbs during my 10-day stay. According to my measurements, I lost 1/2" off my upper arms, 1" off my waist and 1.5 " off my hips. I definitely lost fat and gained muscle!

The trip back to Green Mountain was totally worth the cost for me. I'm refocused and back in the fight with enthusiasm.

And now I'm hungry, and I want bacon!!!

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