90 Day Weight Loss Challenge

Sign ups were this week for a 90 day weight loss challenge at work. It really is a huge deal. The challenge was open to the first 200 employees to sign up. They then divided us all into 4 teams of 50. Because my gym is owned by the company I work for, they are partners in the challenge. Each team (Green, Blue, Red, and Black) is lead by gym staff. They will be our coaches/teachers/encourage-rs for the competition. Each participant will have full access  to the gym for the 90 days, whether they are currently a member or not. At the end of the competition the team with the most participation will receive a $50 gift card. The individual with the highest percentage of weight loss will receive $500 and a free year membership at the gym. To be eligible for the prizes, participants must check in at the gym at least 2 times a week to work out and attend a nutrition class each week. We will have monthly weigh-ins along the way. At each weigh in, the top 5 people from each team, and the top 15 people from the team that is ahead will receive free group training for the following month. 

I heard about the challenge probably 2 weeks before it was announced. There is something to be said for being the gym's poster child. I found out that my support team was split between the different teams. I suppose it is only fair. If Andrew, Blake, Bria, Chance, Holly, Kevin, and Phil were all on the same team, that team would have an edge. Andrew and Phil are on the Red Team. Blue Team is in the hands of Kevin, Chance, and Holly. Green Team will benefit from having Blake and Bria to look to. I asked (rather loudly and repeatedly) to be on the Green Team. Chance says I'm a social creature. Much of what I do revolves around relationships. I already work with Kevin on a weekly basis, we have an awesome relationship! Chance and I go to the same church, so I've already got a good bond with him. While I have fun working out with Andrew, he is more fun to trash talk with. I worked with Bria for a short time in the beginning of my journey. That leaves Blake. While I consider it an honor to call Blake my friend, I have not had the privilege to WORK with Blake yet. My heart suddenly belonged to the Green Team.  

Once I declared my desire to be Green, the trash talk started. Andrew kept saying he didn't want me to be Red because he wanted to defeat me. Phil kept threatening to make sure I was Red so that I would be on his team. Kevin had to postpone one of my sessions with him last week, and jokingly blamed it on the fact that he was the Blue trainer and I wanted to be Green.  I bought neon green shoe laces, then found some new gym shoes (which I needed since I've lost enough weight that my shoes were loose) on sale that happened to have green stripes. I found out yesterday that I am OFFICIALLY on the Green Team! Now the trash talk can begin in earnest!!! They have no idea who they are dealing with. With Blake and Bria behind me, I will be unstoppable!!! GO GREEN!!!!

Launch

Ever so often, the powers that be release new music and moves for the classes at the gym, partly so that you don't get bored with your routine and partly for "muscle confusion". The gym always makes a big production out of the changes - costumes, theme, decorations, etc. This week was the "launch". Friday is usually my day for BodyPump. Around lunch time, I get a text from my friend Christa (who teaches BodyCombat on Friday night). Apparently, she was going to go out to eat after class, and wanted to know if I wanted to join her. You probably know by now that I can't ever say no to hanging out with friends. This changed my plans. 

Since I was at the gym anyway, I still did the BodyPump launch. The stage was filled with the BodyPump greats: Shawn, Melody, Crystal, Erica, and Mary. How could it be anything but AWESOME! Melody typically only teaches in the early mornings. Since Shelley and I had changed our morning routine, I had not seen Melody in about a month. Toward the end of the workout, she was leading the ab track. We were side planking, and she says from the stage "you are doing really well, Carolyn." After class, I went up to tell her how much I had missed taking class with her. She looks at me and says "You have really been doing well. You are so much better and doing so much more than when you first started. I can really see the difference in you."

Immediately after BodyPump was BodyCombat. These are my two favorite workouts (not counting my time with Kevin, which is always the highlight of my week), but doing them back to back like this was going to be a challenge. Again, the stage was set with all the BodyCombat stars: Christa, Crystal, Madison, and Erica (who by the way is six months pregnant and makes it all look so easy). I wore my new MMA kick boxing gloves that I got from my husband for Valentine's Day.  This time it was Madison that came to give me words of encouragement. She has only been teaching for the past two or three months, but she said that she could really see the way my body has change in just that short period of time. 

After class, we all met up at Jason's Deli. It was really nice to hang out with all these great people. There is something special about seeing people from the gym in a more social setting. Some of them I got to really talk to for the first time, while others I got to get to know a little better. Encouragement and friendship go a long way in this battle, and day by day I am able to draw deeply from that well.

Walking Lunges

I HATE walking lunges! Kevin really killed me yesterday. First we did walking lunges across the room and back again. Then he handed me a kettle bell. I had to hold the kettle bell in my right hand up against my shoulder while doing walking lunges across the room. Once on the other side, I switched hands to do walking lunges back. We did a few other exercises, and then went back to the walking lunges. This time I had to pass the kettle bell between my legs with each lunge step. Kevin is an evil evil evil man. We finished the workout stretching in the pilates studio. I was doing an inner thigh stretch and said "wow, my thighs are tight today." Kevin laughs and says, "yeah, it's all the walking lunges I made you do.".....BITE ME!!!