Quick update on Fitness!

Okay - I'm going to try to make this quick.  I will likely fail - we know how difficult "making it quick" is for me.

A few months ago, I mentioned that I have been mega-inspired by my amazing girlfriends who have been losing weight (another shoutout - ya'll ROCK!!!).  So I put on my copy-cat panties (ahhhh panties!), did some research, and decided to join a fitness program out here in Denver that's a little different than your typical 24-hour or LA Fitness gym.  I actually called my local gym and put my membership on hold for 4 months so I could take part in this program (sounds totally backwards, right?  Cancel a gym membership to get back in shape??).

Not to knock my little gym - I love them - but I just wasn't motivated to go by myself anymore.  I needed someone to kick my butt, so I took the plunge, dropped the cash, and joined BodyLab Fitness.

 (for kicks, my local gym is Powerhouse Fitness and I have to say, I love those guys and I can't wait to start going there again in June!  I just needed the fire and inspiration to actually GO there again)

BodyLab is different from most gyms - they run a weekly schedule with workouts that work your main muscle groups.  When you join, you commit to a number of sessions versus a monthly membership - and it's hard-core, marine bootcamp style stuff.  They change their workouts every two weeks (to prevent muscle plateaus), and they expect to see you 3-4 times per week. 

What's awesome is that they max out each session at 6 people - I've only been a few times and actually had a full class - which means a couple things:  1 - you get personal attention (which can be awesome...but can also really not be so fun!) and 2 - they get to know you VERY well (which again...is awesome but horrible at the same time).

Literally, if you don't show up, they call or email you (essentially it's harassment!) and tell you to get your booty back to the gym.  They also monitor your food intake, but not just in terms of calories.  They monitor where calories are coming from to ensure you're getting the proper ratios of carbs to fats to PROTEIN (I am now addicted to protein...).  Which is insanely helpful - I mean - I can eat 1200 calories a day and that's fine, but if I'm eating 1200 calories and over 1/2 of them are coming from fat, then what's the point - I'm not going to build any muscle or help my body rebuild itself and get into tip top shape.  It's totally made me change the way I think about the food I eat.  I used to worry about eating too much protein, and now I feel like I can't eat enough of it!

Okay - so the short post thing is out the window.  I've accepted that - let's continue...

My results.  They do a fit-test when you join just to see where you are from an overall fitness perspective.  It totally reminded me of the PE tests we did in elementary school.  The fit-test is comprised of:

• - # push-ups in 2 minutes
• - # sit-ups in 2 minutes
• - # pull-ups in 2 minutes (or how long you can hold pull-up position if you can't do one...like me *hehe)
• - # sprints in 2 minutes

They also take your overall weight and then calculate your % body fat to see where you are.

Here's the personal part - I won't disclose weight since I know that can be a sensitive subject - but let's say I started in February at my absolute heaviest I had EVER been in my life.

• - Body fat = 34%
• - 1 push-up
• - 30 sit-ups
• - 0-second pull-up hold (lame noodle arms!)
• - 40 sprints

Overall - not too shabby...but I was pissed about the push-up thing.  Oh and my % body fat...since mine means I'm obese.  Yes - for women, a body fat % of over 29-30 (depending on where you look) = obese.  The range I'm shooting for is in the mid-low 20's which is considered good for my age (as a comparison - in college I was at 22% body fat - which confirms that I was a total whale in February!).

Okay - so that's super personal.  I can't believe I'm telling you all this.

So that was back in February when I first started with BodyLab.  I had my 6-week fit-test back in April, and I was actually THRILLED with the results.  Which I will share =)

• - Body fat = 30% (still obese - but waaay lower!)
• - 29 push-ups (so pissed I didn't get 30!!!)
• - 35 sit-ups
• - 3 second pull-up hold
• - 43 sprints (and again - I'm actually quite angry about this - I couldn't breathe after my 40 sprints before and after 43 sprints I was totally fine...which means I didn't go fast enough...ARGH!)

And the weight?  I was down 7lbs - which I would have been super disappointed with if it wasn't for the body fat %.  I actually lost 11 lb's of fat and gained 4 lb's of muscle - which is absolute insanity to me!

At this point - I have one month left with BodyLab and I cannot WAIT to see where my final results will be.  I've been buying new clothes in celebration - only to have to return them mere weeks later since they are all too big.  Very exciting stuff!

So that's where I am right now.  Oh...also...I hadn't been able to run in over a year due to my huge-ness and it causing me immense pain in my knees.  After going to BodyLab, dropping some weight, getting some new running shoes and learning some new stretches, I'm proud so that I'm back to hitting the pavement 3-4 times per week!  I am loving all of this right now, and I can't wait to see how far I can push it =)

I seriously have re-discovering my passion for fitness and I don't know...maybe this will be the first step in a major life/career/priority shift for me.  Who knows.  All I can say is that right  now, I'm happy...and I have to go since I have a training session in an hour =)