The Many Levels of Hell...er, I mean Exercise
I am posting a quick blog as I sit here, dripping with sweat, trying to cool down. Jillian Michaels just kicked my ass. There is an hour-long video of hers on demand, Metabolism Boost, and it is basically calisthenics the entire time. Like that book I bought, but in video form. I have done it three days in a row now and it has barely gotten any easier--which I guess is a good thing, since I want to get a good workout in when I do it.
I have been thinking a lot recently about levels of fitness. I have lost 70 pounds. I remember last summer barely being able to walk up hills in our neighborhood that I can now run up (albeit with some difficulty!). I honestly in my life don't think I have felt as attractive as I do now. There have been so many days recently where I have gotten dressed for work or to go out and I thought, "Wow, you really do look cute today." So it has been wonderful to hit these milestones and know what it really feels like.
But these goals are only part of my journey. My body fat% is around 24.5 at the moment, and I am so glad I decided to use body fat as one way to gauge my progress, because it is a realistic, tangable way to see how far I have come and where I still have to go (15-18% baby!!). At my heaviest it was around 38 or 39, so the progress is phenomenal. But I set out not only to feel better about myself and improve my health, but to see what my body can do. It is amazing and overwhelming how many levels of fitness there are.
My good friend Jackie is a double black belt, and frankly I am in awe of her. I know she can literally kick someone in the head, and there is a picture of her on facebook with someone breaking a board on her ABS. I know, right?! We made a deal--I am going to help her learn Photoshop this summer, and in exchange she's going to teach me self-defense. I have always wanted to learn how to defend myself, and frankly I am curious to know what it feels like to be attacked and actually know what to do. But while I was doing this video, part of it was kickboxing, and it left me completely exhausted. All I keep thinking, every time I do it, is the level of fitness I will have to start to enter into if I want to learn from Jackie properly and get the most out of her teaching. How, just when you think you've arrived at the top of the hill, you see you are only at a resting point.
I will admit, I wish it wasn't always so bloody difficult! But, as Jillian says, you have to make your body uncomfortable in order to change it and see results. So I'll keep at it, building up my endurance and strength, preparing my body for the intensity of Jackie's training, and hopefully shaping my body into bikini-worthiness while I'm at it... though I think I'll draw the line with someone breaking a board on my abs, not matter how strong they get!
I have been thinking a lot recently about levels of fitness. I have lost 70 pounds. I remember last summer barely being able to walk up hills in our neighborhood that I can now run up (albeit with some difficulty!). I honestly in my life don't think I have felt as attractive as I do now. There have been so many days recently where I have gotten dressed for work or to go out and I thought, "Wow, you really do look cute today." So it has been wonderful to hit these milestones and know what it really feels like.
But these goals are only part of my journey. My body fat% is around 24.5 at the moment, and I am so glad I decided to use body fat as one way to gauge my progress, because it is a realistic, tangable way to see how far I have come and where I still have to go (15-18% baby!!). At my heaviest it was around 38 or 39, so the progress is phenomenal. But I set out not only to feel better about myself and improve my health, but to see what my body can do. It is amazing and overwhelming how many levels of fitness there are.
My good friend Jackie is a double black belt, and frankly I am in awe of her. I know she can literally kick someone in the head, and there is a picture of her on facebook with someone breaking a board on her ABS. I know, right?! We made a deal--I am going to help her learn Photoshop this summer, and in exchange she's going to teach me self-defense. I have always wanted to learn how to defend myself, and frankly I am curious to know what it feels like to be attacked and actually know what to do. But while I was doing this video, part of it was kickboxing, and it left me completely exhausted. All I keep thinking, every time I do it, is the level of fitness I will have to start to enter into if I want to learn from Jackie properly and get the most out of her teaching. How, just when you think you've arrived at the top of the hill, you see you are only at a resting point.
I will admit, I wish it wasn't always so bloody difficult! But, as Jillian says, you have to make your body uncomfortable in order to change it and see results. So I'll keep at it, building up my endurance and strength, preparing my body for the intensity of Jackie's training, and hopefully shaping my body into bikini-worthiness while I'm at it... though I think I'll draw the line with someone breaking a board on my abs, not matter how strong they get!