I was nervous heading into Fitness Together this Thursday. Not only was it my heart-beating-out-of-my-mouth fat busting circuit training, the one completely out of my comfort zone, but it was my evaluation. It has been about eight weeks since getting on Mandy’s nutrition plan. Evaluations are held after six weeks, but as the holidays were smack in the middle, she kindly extended judgment day.
I derailed over the holidays. We travelled to the northeast, and between the frigid weather, and the constant supply of cookies I took several steps back. But I love internet inspiration:
Back home in January, I got my act together. As I wrote here, fitness has now become a habit and I missed how I felt when I was making healthy choices. In no time, I felt as if I was back to where I left off. However the scale never cooperated. In fact, the scale continues to fluctuate around where I first started.
It doesn’t freak me out. I understand that muscle weighs more than fat, and that my weight may even increase during this #SixPackMami process.
A big aha moment came the other day while strength training at Fitness Together. Mandy made me do a high knee drill. I don’t usually look at myself in the mirror in part because I find it hard to focus, and also it ruins my neck alignment. Therefore, as I saw myself bouncing up and down in the mirror I realized I looked different. Different enough that I could see it! I mean, I had shoulders! Then I saw my legs, and for the first time EVER, there was a little line that shows a muscle.
I told Mandy and she looked at me as if I were an alien. “Of course you look different!”
She took out the calipers.
I went down from 20% body fat to 19%. I know that it is a healthy ratio, borderline “athletic” even. That is really cool, but the overachiever in me says I dropped only 1%. Though I am incredibly disciplined with the training, I didn’t follow the nutrition part of the program to the tee.
This weekend, I am having issues with my wardrobe. I am feeling “fat” and bloated; it’s all part of being a woman who has monthly changes to her body but when this happens it is easy to forget all the progress I’ve made. Yet I can confidently say I don’t have half of the negative dialogue I used to have at times like these. I know I am doing what I can towards my #SixPackMami goal. I know I am doing everything I am willing to do (more on willingness here) at this point in time.
Mandy assured me that 1% was good progress. I thought about it, and how I feel different when I run or bike. How I feel stronger in general. The process might be slow but it is working.
If I wanted to be unhealthy I could eat chicken breasts and protein shakes and my body fat percentage would drop must faster. But that’s not how I want to do it. I am taking the slow and steady route.
Tomorrow, I will run the Miami Marathon, and then I go back to triathlon training. I will focus less on building muscle and more on functional strength. My nutrition will be readjusted to account for the different training regimen … it will actually INCREASE, and I am looking forward to the next six week evaluation. Though I have a feeling that I will be just as nervous walking through the Fitness Together door.
