Hey There!
Let me tell you how last week started with my workout. I couldn't find my 21 Day Fix dvd anywhere. I looked high & I look low. I also looked in unlikely places to know avail. I thought I hit the jackpot when I seen the 21 day fix box and quickly put the DVD in. Little did I know, I put in 21 Day Fix EXTREME! Yikes! If you are not familiar with either program, 21 day fix is the baby sister to 21 Day Fix Extreme. 21 Day Fix is for people like me who are getting back into a fitness routine while Extreme is for those who are getting ready for a bikini contest...It's just a "little" step above the other. haha. I didn't feel like going on another hunt to find the regular 21 day fix so I chose to suck it up and just go Extreme. Go big or go home right? Ha! Wrong. I died. Okay, maybe I am being a baby but I am not going to lie when I say I am extremely out of shape. Which brings me to my next thought. I never posted my stats!
As with anyone else who isn't happy with their body weight, it is a vulnerable feeling posting everything for the world to see. So why am I posting them? Well, a big symptom of Hashimoto is weight gain. Since it is something many of us with Hashimoto struggles with, it is imperative to our health & well-being to start losing the weight. When it comes to this journey, it is multi-faceted. Everything is working together on different levels to achieve one ultimate goal - to put this disease into remission. This fitness journey is every much a part of the bigger picture as nutrition & stress management is. I am posting this for 2 reasons: 1. To track my own progress as I am using this blog as my personal journal. 2. I want to share what is & isn't working for me so it may help others in the process.
So here is where I was before I started my workout last Monday:
Weight: 157.5 Lbs.
Chest: 37"
Left Arm: 12.5"
Right Arm: 12.5"
Waist: 36"
Hips: 41.5"
Left Thigh: 25"
Right Thigh: 25"
It has been so long since I have been at my ideal weight. I cannot remember what my measurements were but I can remember my weight. At my healthiest, I was at 125 lbs. At my heaviest, I was 165 lbs. At 40 lbs overweight, you would think that would be enough to change. Sadly, it wasn't. So as I tell you this, you will see my motivation for losing weight isn't so I can look good in a bikini, although it's a great perk! My motivation is to get healthy. I want the best quality of life for myself. They say if a woman's waist size measures more than 35 inches, she is more than likely to develop heart disease, high blood pressure & diabetes. When I was at my heaviest, I know my waist measured more than 36 inches so I was well on my way. If your only motivation is to lose weight so you can look better, I can tell you temptation will always win - Unless you stay firmly dedicated. You have to have a deeper reason. I like to think of it as a surface reason & the real reason. Surface reason is to look good in that dress, to lose weight before that trip, or because you are getting ready for summer. These reasons are temporary, fleeting & not rooted in any deep reason. The real reason: To get in shape for your health, to be able to play with your kids & keep up, to prepare for a sporting event, etc. This is the reason that is going to motivate you and keep you going when you feel like giving up. This is the reason you will meet & exceed your goals!
Looking back over last week, I can tell you it was hard. I stopped more times during a 30 second interval workout than I care to say. I felt like my lungs were going to explode, my body was going to run out of water to sweat & I was going to pass out - all at the same time. You know what? I pushed through. It was hard BUT it wasn't impossible. At the end of last week, I felt more accomplished, stronger & healthier than I had felt in a very long time. It is a great feeling. In fact, it is such a great feeling, I am crazy enough to come back for a second round this week. The difference between this week & last week though, I am just a little bit strong. I can go for a little bit longer. I have gained momentum to build upon what I did last week. It's the compound effect - do a little each day which will compound to something greater. Of course, I didn't see instant results the day of the workout but by the end of the week - huge results! Here are my stats at the end of the week:
Starting Stats: Current Stats: Results
Weight: 157.5 Lbs. Weight: 153.5 Lbs. -4 Lbs.
Chest: 37" Chest: 36" -1 Inch
Left Arm: 12.5" Left Arm: 12.7" +0.2 Inches
Right Arm: 12.5" Right Arm: 12.7" +0.2 Inches
Waist: 36" Waist: 35" -1 Inch
Hips: 41.5" Hips: 40.5" -1 Inch
Left Thigh: 25" Left Thigh: 24.5" -0.5 Inches
Right Thigh: 25" Right Thigh: 24.5" -0.5 Inches
I don't know about you, but those are some pretty great results for a week worth of work. It certainly surprised me. I was expecting to maybe have lost 2 lbs. Nope! 4 LBS!! 1 pound equals 3500 calories. That means between eating a much healthier diet, working out for 30 minutes a day, going on evening walks around the block, giving my body the nutrients it needs to run optimally, & getting better sleep than usual - I have burned 14,000 calories in 7 days. Astounding! I have to put a disclaimer here now...shooting to lose 4 lbs a week is neither healthy nor normal. I have made some pretty drastic changes in my lifestyle which resulted in such a rapid weight loss. I am not aiming for this drastic of weight loss but a more slow & steady kind. I want to keep this weight off. I cannot expect these results will happen every week because at some point I will plateau. If you are aiming to lose weight, 1-2 pounds is healthy & optimal as it will help you keep it off for the long haul. Losing weight & getting in shape is NOT a destination - IT IS A JOURNEY! It took months, if not years, to get to the weight where we do not want to be. It is unrealistic to assume we can get back to where we want to be in 1 month. And once we are where we want to be, we have to maintain it or else we will end up back where we were. This is why being in shape is a journey.
I am excited to see where my results are at the end of this week. I have kinda turned it into a fun game for myself. Are you currently on a journey to weight loss? Do you want to lose some weight? Need guidance? Ask me and I will tell you all I know. :)
Mahalo!
Brittany Bowman
"Want something you've never had, you have to do what you've never done!" - Autumn Calabrese
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