I want to do this

This is my kid.  Check out those guns!  She is learning aerial silks.  Once I lose enough weight I am going to try this too.  The workout is intense, but looks like so much fun!

Planet Fitness - my review

I don't know why this place gets such a bad rap online.  My experience has been nothing but positive.  I have really enjoyed myself.  I'm happy to have one close by that I can use.

The red light therapy is working wonders on my loose skin.  It also feels nice to get warm and toasty after a good workout.  I come out feeling energized.

I went from 5 minutes killing me to 30 min being ok Plus I can now do that AND 25 on the bike.  That's a huge improvement for me!  I've lost 5lbs and I've gained quite a bit of strength and muscle.

Our PF is clean and well maintained with a super friendly staff that I enjoy being around.  I don't know if others are the same, but I'm nothing but satisfied with my experience.  

Being Obese

Obesity isn't just a chart.

Being obese means you don't fit.  Not into clothes.  Not on rides at the park.  Not into booths at the restaurant.  Not between cars or through turnstiles.  Being obese means you don't fit into a normal life.

Being obese means you are always looking at judging to see if you are too wide or too heavy.  It's dreading the humiliation that comes from being too large or even worse, breaking something.

Being obese is being looked at.  Feeling the eyes of people staring.  It's hearing them joke about you.  It's accepting that the entire world feels free to judge you and everything you do.  It's being afraid of your children being ashamed of you for your size.  It's the sadness of knowing that sometimes they are.

Being obese is never feeling 100% clean.  It's not fitting into tubs and not being able to reach your entire body without assistance.  It's sweating in all the nooks and crannies.  It's using baby powder to keep the skin under your fat rolls from becoming irritated or infected.

Being obese is never seeing yourself.  It's the ability to look into a mirror and see nothing below the neck.  It's hiding from cameras and dreading photos.  It's being convinced that those parts of you that you won't look at are all anyone else can see.

Being obese is seeing people your size and judging them for the faults you find in yourself.  It's looking at the models and actresses in weight loss commercials and being angry at them because you know they've never actually been fat. It's wishing and praying that those diets and gimmicks work the way the ads say they will.  It's secretly believing that maybe they will for you.

Being obese is lying.  It's claiming to have eaten 5 cookie when you ate 7 or 9.  It's hiding food.  It's promising yourself you will start a fitness routine tomorrow - when you know tomorrow is not likely to come.  It's telling your kids you'll be at an event, but backing out.

Being obese is suicide  It's killing yourself one bite at a time.  It's feeling helpless and hopeless.

Being obese is a choice.  There are a millions reasons behind that choice, but there are more to change.

Overcoming obesity is dealing with the issues instead of sedating yourself with food.

Overcoming obesity is hard.  It's changing almost everything about your life.  It's not eating when you are hungry.  It's working out when you are tired.  It's not instant.  It takes months or even years.

Overcoming obesity is accepting that sometimes you will fail for a day or a week or a month. It's having a long term goal, but focussing on this day, or hour or even the next 30 seconds.  It's starting over sometimes it's frequently starting over.

Overcoming obesity is accepting all victories no matter how little and celebrating them.  It's being able to walk a flight of stairs without getting winded.  It's walking a mile, even if it takes an hour.  It's reaching for some fruit instead of ice cream.

Overcoming obesity means accepting that you can do it as readily as you once accepted that you can't.

Overcoming obesity is a choice, and not an easy one.

Overcoming obesity is worth it.

Planet Fitness - Day 9

The 17th was a work day for me so I'm on day 9 instead of 10.  :-)

Yesterday I gook a gym friend's advice and tried the Total Body Enhancement.  It's part of the black card membership, so why not.  I'm a bit skeptical about red light therapy, but I do love a massage and the vibration sounded like a good massage.

Basically it looks like a big, pink tanning booth.  This is about as close as I am going to get to entering a tanning booth.  this one says there is no UV light, so I was willing to give it a go.

I did have to ask someone how to use it.  Not 100% intuitive.

The lights were warm and kind of nice.  I made sure to get under extra skin since it seemed like that would be good for those areas.  The vibration was cool and I realized pretty quickly that it was forcing me to engage my core more.  The program lasted 12 min and I did get bored about 9 min in, but stuck it out.  

Leaving the booth I could tell that my abs and glutes were feeling it.  I have weak abs.  4 c-sections and a life time of avoiding sit ups will do that to a gal.  While I doubt the vibrations would be much of a workout for people with actual muscle in their core, for me they were.  Still feeling it today.

Today I did the hydro massage bed.  I don't think my abs were really ready for another go and after leg day my lower back likes a good massage.

I don't know what the red light did for me.  I think it will take a few uses before I can comment on that.

---

Today's workout was focused on the legs.  I got my husband to give the arc trainer a go.  I did notice that I won't be on the machines forever, not for legs anyway.  Not enough weight for what I want to do.  I had it on 180 for the leg press and it only goes a couple of bars higher.  While that will last for a couple of months I think, eventually I'll have to move to the free weight section.  I'm not trying to be a "lunkhead" but I do want to lift heavy.  My legs are already very strong, so I'm at the upper end of what their machines have.  My arms are another story.  It's going to be a very long while before I max out the machines.  I have weak baby arms - but I'm working on that!

Tomorrow is an abs/back day.  I'll give the total body enhancement another go then too.

Planet Fitness - Day 5

5th visit to the Purplasaurus known as planet fitness.  Seriously, I am not going to get used to that decor.  I like purple.  My hair is purple.  I just don't put it EVERYWHERE.  And somehow that is one of my biggest complaints about the place so far.  Not too bad.  I'm a difficult person who can be hard to please, but planet fitness is managing.

The staff has been super friendly.  Checking in is quick and they never miss saying goodbye when I leave.  The place is clean. I see the staff cleaning a lot.  Paper towels and cleaner are well stocked.  Most other gym goers use them faithfully.

I don't partake of the whole tootsie roll/pizza thing, but I did see a Sheriff's deputy snacking on them when he was there checking in on the place this morning.

My other complaint would be - less fox on the tv.  There are lots and lots of news stations.  Put fox on some of the tvs, don't put fox news then fox and friends then some other fox thing.  I think there were 3 tvs from each set dedicated to fox stations.  Of course in Belton that might be what the majority wants.   I have my music so it's not  huge thing either way.

Today was arms day.  I just finally got less sore.  Time to fix that!

Tomorrow I am going to feel all sorts of T-Rex!  It's a good thing.  I didn't push myself enough on legs day.  No soreness at all.  

Maybe that's a little extreme.  I do still have a life to live outside of the gym, but I want to feel my workout  and I want to have to push myself a bit further to feel it next time.  

I see people, mostly women, at the gym who do 10 reps on the lowest setting then move onto the next machine.  I don't think that method would work for me.  Partially because I have a lot of weight to lose and they are already thin, so they don't need to push as hard - but also because I get such a sense of satisfaction from lifting.  That's one thing I missed about a gym membership.  

Cardio is a different story.  I prefer my cardio to take place outside in the fresh air.  The machines bore the heck out of me.  I think today I shared about a couple of dozen songs from my playlist as they came up - via email to a very patient friend.  When he checks his email this morning he's going to have a ton of letters from me since each share went out separately.   A slight distraction for working hard and going nowhere.  I will head out later and get some road time in.  I like time on the road.  I'm working hard AND the scenery is changing.

Planet Fitness Day 3

Yesterday I ended up going by myself.  I just listened to music and did the Arc Trainer for 15 min before moving on to weight machines and an arm day.

Did some stretching and then inquired about the massage beds/chairs.  Found out how to use them and I am so glad I have a black card membership.  I would pay the $20 a month just to have access to the massage beds without gym equipment.  It was heavenly.

Today my arms are really feeling the arms workout yesterday.  Almost too sore to lift my coffee.  ALMOST.  I somehow managed.  :-)

The kid & I were back today.  We did the stair climber for a minute, but I had a hard time getting into the rhythm so we moved to the Arc trainer.  Did that for 10 min and then moved to bike for another 10.  I moved to weight machines for another 20 min, but she stayed on the bike and then did the elliptical.  Can't say I blame her.  She has a silks class tonight and that's going to give her quite a workout.  She isn't planning on going with me tomorrow.

I focused on legs and then tried the massage chair since I did the bed yesterday.  I think from now on I will do arms/chair legs/bed - based on how they felt.  

I seem to do the machines a bit differently than other people.  I do 3 sets on each machine instead of doing one set and moving on to the next one.  If there  is someone waiting for the machine I will get up and let them do their set in between mine.  I don't want to be that person who hogs the machine.  So far that has not been a problem.  The crowd isn't very thick at 4:30am and there are plenty of machines.  I've also noticed that the 30 min workout seem has a Biggest Loser theme.  I hate that show and that's enough to keep me from trying that section.  I've only seem women go in there and I've noticed very few women on the free weights or weight machines.  Not sure why since that section has machines equivalent to the ones in the main room.  I have not done free weights yet, but I will by the end of the week.  

I did go into a different section for the hip abductor machines.  My hips are a weak area and I found that I had to go down 20lbs from the last time I used a machine like that.  Most of the other machines I had to go up 10-20lbs,b ut like I said, my hips are a weak area.

So far the gym has been friendly, clean and well maintained.  I'm seeing the same people so I'm guessing there is a regular crowd of early morning gym goers.  I like that.  Gives a sense of community that can be harder to find in the busy times of the day.  I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone.

Going to the Gym

I decided to join a gym and I had two real choices.  The community center in my town which is a good deal and has a pool.  I like to swim.   I have worked out there before and they have free weights as well as machines and an indoor track.  They also don't have hours that work well with my schedule.  Not that finding time isn't possible, it's just not always easy.

The other choice was Planet Fitness.  They have great hours and lots of machines, less waiting for one to be open.  They don't have a pool but they do have massage chairs and some other kind of massage.  Another thing they have is a lot of bad reviews.  I don't know how much of that is location specific. I found mostly good reviews about the one close to me, but lots and lots of bad reviews over all.

I talked to some people who use Planet Fitness and got opinions from people I know who actually use it.  I also asked a few people who use the community center if they still have good standards and are maintaining the equipment.  Budget cuts can really hurt a publicly funded place.  Good reports on that front, so either place is going to work for us.

In the end I went with Planet Fitness because of the hours.  During the week I need to be in the place before 5 - 4:30 is ideal.  I have to be headed back home by 5:30 so everyone can get ready for their day.  My job keeps me from working out much on the weekends so their shorter hours don't affect me.

Sign up wasn't a problem.  I didn't have any of the difficulties I had seen online.  I took two precautions.  I used a prepaid card to pay an I set the reoccurring payment from a checking account that is not our main one.  I've heard that when cancelling it can be hard to get them to quit charging you and I wanted to head that off before it was a problem.  The whole "in writing" thing is a pain in this day and age, but not so much that I do it.  I actually READ the agreement.  More people should do that.

We did the online sign up and I got a black card membership so that the kid can come with me on days she's interested.  My husband got a regular membership.

I have zero interest in using the tanning bed.  I don't tan for a number of reasons, from its stupid to risk skin cancer to I like the way my tattoos are still bright.  However, to each his or her own.  I don't plan to do it and that leaves more bed time for other people.

After signing up online we went in to finish and get our cards + free t-shirts.

The lady helping us was super nice and it was a good experience.

This morning we got up and went in to work out for the first time.  Dan used the treadmill despite the fact that he needs something besides cardio and he hates the treadmill.  I have no idea why he won't lift or at least use the elliptical once in awhile.  He likes to run on the treadmill and then complain about it.  It's a hobby I guess.

The kid an I used arc trainers for some quick cardio.  Only 10 min.  Just enough to get us going and then we moved to weight machines.  Even with just 10 min my legs were feeling it.  I'm going to give that machine another whirl on Monday.  I liked the workout.  Later today I'll dance for awhile to get the rest of my cardio in.

Today was an arm day and that's what we did.  I love that the cleaning supplies are everywhere and people seem to be using them.  Also the number of machines meant no waiting.    It was nice to be able to switch out with the kid.  I did a set, she did a set.  It was also nice to find that we are stronger than we thought.  I moved the weight up 10lbs over where I was the last time I used these kinds of machines.

Day 1 was a success.  I will report back again after month 1 is over to see if I still like Planet Fitness.

For the moment I am feeling good.  I had almost forgotten how much I enjoy going to the gym.

Gym Fees

Anyone looking at this blog can see that I use Google Adsense.  Between the various blogs it gives me a little extra cash every couple of months.  I have decided to put that money to use by getting a gym membership.  I used to go to our community center every morning and I miss it. Plus the cheap elliptical I have at home broke, so that's a little more motivation.   

I stopped going to the gym when we were financially strapped, but now things are getting better and I would like to start up again.   The community center is a great bargain for a family, so we'll all be able to use it.  And now every time someone clicks on an ad off of my blog they will be helping keep our family fit and healthy.  :-)

Aerial Silks

My kid has started doing aerial silks and it's one heck of a workout.

I'm adding it to my list of goals.  Hopefully by the end of the summer I'll be ready.  It's good incentive to get rid of those baby arms and get some muscles!

doesn't that look like fun??

Heavy Lifting

I don't lift weights often enough.  Working on that, but not as consistent as I feel I should be.  Especially for my upper body.  I have pretty strong legs.

This weekend I got a chance to use my leg muscles and a reminder of how having something besides baby arms might be useful.  Well, arms and chest.  I just really need to work on my whole upper body.

We were in a minor car accident.  No other cars involved, just slid on some ice when my husband took a turn too fast.  (moments after I got told I was over reacting and he knows how fast he's going and it's not unsafe and just leave him alone)  The Fusion is out of commission right now.  Not sure if we need a new wheel or tie rods or something else.  But it's not driveable.  That meant we had to get the VW out of the garage.  It's been there for awhile because it needs some work and we just didn't have the money.  Still needs work, but we don't have a choice about driving it and hopefully the mechanic looking at it today will be able to give us a price we can work with.  Anyway - we had to get it out of the garage.  The battery was dead but it had been going bad and we knew it needed replacing, so driving it out wasn't an option.  We had to push.  Up a slight incline which felt like a mountain when pushing  a car.

We made no headway when just pushing it.  My husband is pretty strong, but pushing a car uphill isn't easy and like I said, I have the upper body strength of an infant.  Then I had an attack of the smarts and positioned myself to use my legs more effectively.  Largely without help I was able to push it up and out of the garage.

Years of being morbidly obese left me with really strong legs.  It makes sense.  For 15 years I was toting the weight of at least one other person around everywhere I went.  I don't carry most of that weight anymore but I do still have some pretty strong legs.

Now to work on my upper body.  I don't need to look like a body builder, but I would like the strength to eventually do silks with my daughter.  You need a lot of muscle and control to pull that off and right now I'm nowhere near ready.  By the end of the summer though.  That's my goal.  :-)

A little at a time

Just finished day 36 of my squats challenge.  Should be getting easier but I am in a whiny mood so it was haaaarrrrrddddd.

Moving along on the bike.  Will post the videos later tonight.  Still in KS, but after a week of being sick and then gout  so I am still in KS, but I have hopes of making it to Oklahoma soon.  :-)

I have also added elliptical to the routine - but I'm not pushing hard on that yet.  Doing a minute at a time for at least 45 sessions today.  I'm up to 3 as I write this.  I can do anything for 60 seconds, so whenever I switch activities I take a minute and hop on.  Only burns a few calories at a time but keeps my heart rate going during the day

OMG I have a half scheduled and I need to train

I know it's not until November.  Heck, the registration doesn't even open until April, but I am going to register on the first day and I am already mentally committed.  The opening of registration happens to fall on payday, it's fate, right?

I know I need to at least think about training because I really want to beat my last time.  However I also know I am NOT going outside in the cold.  I have deadly cold allergy.  During a period of insanity I said I would use the elliptical until the weather warmed up.  Now it's sitting there mocking me.  So after I finish my squats for the day I will hop on it and most likely let it teach me who is boss.  

Can't be worse than the very first time I got on one. I  was 300+ lbs and I said, I'll do this for 15 min and build up to an hour.  I last 45 seconds and it was the worst 45 seconds of my life.  I think it took me a week to get to 1 min where I didn't feel like I was going to die.  I have been pretty sedentary for the past few months, so I'm not sure how long I will last.  Again my goal is 15 min and then I'll get back to actual bringing in income work.  I'll do another 15 min after my workday and then another 15 right before bed.  Tomorrow I will do 4 sets of 15, giving me an hour with that particular machine.   It's a goal.  Not a lofty one, just a basic, get me through this week goal.  :-)

The mental health of staying on track

It's been one hell of a week.  I'm a stress eater and that is without doubt the HARDEST habit for me to break.  I did ok most of the week, but gave in today and ended up with 2500 calories under my belt.

I knew I was giving in and did it without as much guilt as in the past.  Sometimes when I would over eat it would cause more anxiety and stress and then I would eat even more.  I know I should have found a healthier alternative, but to be honest, I didn't want to.  I took a day off to give my inner 3 year old reign to do what she wanted and tomorrow she goes back into lockdown.  I'll adjust my calories so that the week balances out.  I figure that it's fine to be low one day, high another and that hitting the same number every day is not really something I have to be exact about.  As long as  I average less in than out I will be ok.  It's when I don't acknowledge my weakness and cheating and end up consistently taking more in than I am putting out that I have problems.

Calories in/Calories out  It really is that simple despite what I keep seeing on tv/facebook/magazines/every other place where weight loss solutions can be hawked.

That is the basic part.  Controlling my reactions to stress is the hard part.  For me at least.  Life is stressful.  I'm going to have to deal with that fact.  Beats being dead and stress free.  I can control how I deal with the stress even though I can't avoid it.

I can also remove some of the stresses.  I'm going to have to do that.

Virtual Bike Ride - Days 6, 7 & 8

Friday, Saturday & Monday.  I took Sunday off because my legs and butt were sore.  :-)

Friday was the big day.  I went 20 miles and ended up just past Ottawa, KS.  I think that's the last total street view video I do.  Too much of a pain to track where i am and it's also long.  I like the "fly over" version where you can see a wider view of what the country side looks like.  Especially in KS where the interstate is boring boring boring.

Once I go far enough to reach Whicita I will exit the interstate and kind of cut diagonal arcross the rest of the state until I reach New Mexico where I go west on I-40.  When we drove this it took FOREVER.  KS isn't a big state unless you are driving across it diagonally.  When we drive it again this year, it will again take forever, but we will be prepared with more than 1 cd.  LOL  I forgot them last time and we had Taylor Swift. (11 year old daughter with me) and that was it.  Took awhile before I could listen to Taylor again.




Friday - 20 miles

Saturday - 10 miles

Monday - 10 miles

Virtual Bike Ride - Day 5

I'm working my way through Kansas!  At 10 miles a day it's going to take me well over a year, so I'm hoping to work my way up to 50 miles a day eventually.

I decided to try doing a fly over video this time.  It's easier to track the roads and makes for a more interesting video because you can see the countryside.  I will probably also start adding notes about the places.  Just have to look at the youtube video editing and see what I need to do to add captions.

Anyway - for now I did 10 miles on the bike burned a couple of hundred calories and made it just past Garder KS in my virtual ride.

This is how far I've gone so far. 

Virtual Bike Ride - Day 4

I set a goal of making it to I35 in Olathe, KS today.  That means I had to give it 7 miles.

done and done!

Squats challenge day 14

Made it for two weeks!!

Virtual Ride - day 3

Today I got 5 miles in on the bike.  I've decided to add walking miles to the next day's video since who knows how many steps I'll get in tonight.

Made it to Kansas today.  Sounds more impressive than it is.  KS is only 10 miles from my house, I do there several times a week.

I drove this route once a few years ago and I will be in KS for a long long long time.  It felt like the state that would never end.  We kept seeing signs for Oklahoma, but were starting to think it was a myth.

And I'm on day 13 of my squat challenge

Getting my miles in

I've decided to bike/walk/run to Monterey, CA.  Well, not actually.  I don't have enough time or a high enough fitness level to do it IRL.  What I am doing is making a google earth video of the distances I did that day and making my own little log that way.  The first two days represent time spent on the exercise bike.

I couldn't figure out how to get the darn thing to exit at my exit and it looked like a truck cut me off, so that kind of worked.  Ended up having to make a u-turn.  LOL  Then I was on the wrong side of the road, but to heck with it.  I just left that one.

I also didn't start at my actual home, but rather the place we lived before this one.  I figure the miles are the same but then my address isn't quite so public.

On the second day I only went a couple of more miles.

now that I have my fitbit charger cord back I will start adding my daily miles from walking/running to the total .

catching up

I've been keeping up with my squat challenge - just not with the posting

so here are my pictures