2 Weeks In

Wow! 2 of 10 weeks are finished with my UBC challenge. It has honestly gone quickly. Already, I think of how intimidating it sounded when I was contemplating signing up, but it has really been a good thing! My husband likes to lift weights and has a gym pass at Cardinal Fitness. If he has his way, he will go 3 times a week and has been for over a year now. I used to go to Cardinal Fitness as well, but ended up giving up my pass due to the dust that it was acquiring. We were talking the other night about how different things work for different people. When I would just go to the gym, it was nice because I felt good about it afterwards. I knew it was a good thing to do and would help me stay in shape and all that. And sometimes it was good just to be able to be out of the house and away from the kiddos. But I can't really say that I enjoyed going to the gym. The treadmill is extremely boring. I don't like to run but I would like to like it, so I would just keep doing it just in case I'd wake up one day with a desire for it. I like lifting weights, but am really a light weight and without anyone to push me, when it would get tough, that would be a great time to stop. Plus, it is either really crowded (the first few months after the new year) with lots of people thinking this is the year to get in shape or there are the faithful regulars (about half way through the year and on) who take it all very seriously, look like they could run circles around me, and can at times be intimidating to sit down next to to lift my 40 pounds or whatever. So, inevitably, whenever I do the gym thing, I go strong for awhile, but the enjoyment factor isn't there and I trickle off.

I have told my husband more than once how surprised I am that I actually enjoy going to my classes! It has totally taken me by surprise. I've NEVER really enjoyed exercise before and when I signed up, it wasn't really with the thought that it would be fun. I knew it would be good for me, but fun did not cross my mind. So, I have been pleasantly surprised. I think it is because I enjoy it that going 6 days a week isn't a big deal. (It is hard working it into the schedule all the time, but it isn't hard to have the want to.) So what makes this a good fit for me? I think there are a couple of things. First of all, there are 6 of us who are comprise my UBC group. About half of us are die hards and there everyday regardless of what is going on. (We went out in the minus one thousand degree weather, I got a sitter one day when Dan had to work...) We are in it together. We want each other to succeed and we are taking the journey together. These guys are my friends and we just met a few weeks ago. But it makes it a lot more fun. We laugh and sweat together and if someone is late or missing, we notice. One lady, Tammy, was gone a night last week because she was sick, and she was missed! It just isn't the same. Sometimes I work out in the morning instead of the night if Dan had meetings that night and the whole group always knows ahead of time that I will be working out at a different time so they don't have to ride me for not being there. It is just a nice, homey feeling. Another aspect that I like is that most of the other people who attend the classes participated in the UBC at some point or another. Some have been going there for years and are now instructing and others may have just completed their UBC last year. (It isn't necessary for someone to do the UBC to attend the classes, but many who go through the challenge end up sticking with the classes from then on). This is really cool because they have all been there. Most started out with less than perfect bodies and a desire to get fit. They've all put in their time and sweat and they know how much work goes into it. There are no egos. There are no lifetime jocks strutting their stuff. It is a safe and comfortable place where everyone is so encouraging. Sometimes the karate students work out with us. They may be early teenage or something and they are encouraging us. It's pretty cool. I also think that the class format is good. I definitely get pushed a little farther than I would go on my own when I am in a class with an instructor or a coach. I'm less likely to give up when I see the other people working at it. If I have a partner who is just beating on the bag, I am more pumped up to beat on the bag. It is good. As I said, I have been working out at different times of the day and each group is different. The group at 6 am has a different personality and way of doing things than the 9 am group and they are both a little different than the evening group. I like going at night because that's when my UBC group goes, but I think it has been good for me to be able to go to different ones. Different instructors do different things and it is good to change things up so your bodies don't get used to the same things. Some instructors are harder and it is good to have that challenge, yet nice to have a still challenging yet easier to get into workout. In general, it has all been very positive.

Yesterday, I felt I had my worst workout yet. Though I am getting better, I am not overly coordinated with my kicking. Yesterday, we were rolling out kicks - starting with a front kick and turning to a round kick without putting our foot down. I can do a front kick and I can do a round kick, but ask me to put them together and we've got problems. Well, most of our sequences started with that combo so I struggled to ever get into a rhythm on the bag the entire morning. It was so frustrating!!! What do I do when I get frustrated? I cry. Hate that. So here I'm trying to pound on the bag and I'm mad and I feel my eyes welling up with water. Ugh! I just kept telling myself to take it out on the bag because kickboxing and crying do not go together! Thankfully, I pulled it together and composed myself. Saturdays are a mix of cardio (kickboxing) and strength (bands). The bands part went ok. Though I was really disappointed with my workout yesturday, I sure am sore today, so it must have been better than I thought!

As I have previously shared, we aren't supposed to get on the scale until 5 weeks into it. This is taking a lot of will power. I've been told that I may not even like what the scale says if I get on it now because my body is changing and though I should be loosing fat, I should also be gaining muscle and the scale will not reflect this. So, I am trying to be patient. But, my pants are definitely fitting better! Yeah! I haven't changed sizes yet, but there is a definite difference and I am confident that I will be out of 12s in the next couple of weeks. So far, the most noticable difference is in my waisteline. That used to mean more when jeans went up to your waistline, but it is really toning up. I look forward to seeing my abs at the end of 10 weeks. (They should be good - it is the only muscle group we work out every day!) So that's kind of exciting. If my rear end will just follow suit, I will be a very happy camper ;o)

So all is well. Thanks for following my journey! Hope you are having a fantastic new year and doing something for yourself! Have a great day.