A Leg-Trembling Workout

On Friday morning, Paige and I had a workout set up at 8am.  We were to meet at the Lock and Dam (remember that park that was closed last time we tried to use it, due to the government shut down?).  Well, the park is only a few miles away from Paige's house, literally, just down the road.  It's actually my favorite park to get in a good workout.  There are stairs, a running track, benches to use, basketball courts, and a lovely view of the Columbus Dam.  I always say, if you close your eyes, you can pretend you're on Cape Cod, with the sound of the water and the seagulls ;)

So, I wanted to introduce Paige to this park, as we near the end of our journey. I want her to have options for things she can continue doing on her own, just down the road.

At 8am, I arrive and set up the mat and medicine ball we'd be using during our workout.  Then at 8:01, Paige still hasn't arrived. It's a long road to drive down to get to the park, so I figured she was on her way.  So, I waited a minute. 8:02 came around, and I decided I didn't want to sit and wait, so I started running up and down the stairs that lead down to the river.  (about 40 stairs down).  At 8:03, I get a message saying: "Running a few minutes late, but I'm on my way."  So, I figured she'd be there by 8:06.  At 8:07, after completing several laps on the stairs, and breaking a sweat, I began getting perturbed.  But, nevertheless, at least I knew she was on her way, and lived less than 5 minutes away.  So, several more trips up and down the stairs.  As I come up the stairs at 8:13am, I see Paige at the top.  I'm in a full sweat now, having been running up and down the stairs for 10 minutes straight.  So, without further ado, we begin our workout.

We start with a 1 lap jog around the paved track at the park.  It's 1/2 mile long. I told Paige that it was 1/3 of a mile, but I was wrong. It was .5.   I wanted to understand why Paige was late, and how she's going to maintain this fitness and healthy plan over the holidays. She was late because her alarm never went off.  And then she had no clue how she'd maintain her exercise during the holidays.  Basically, in her unspoken words, she wasn't planning to exercise.  That's NOT music to my ears.  So, I had her promise to me, that if she didn't workout in the morning next week, she'd do it before coming home from work.  Let's see how this challenge goes. (There are only 2 or 3 work days next week because of Christmas! So, not a hugely overwhelming challenge in my opinion).

We then jogged over to another set of stairs (about 20 stairs in this set), and I told Paige she'd be going down and up 13 times.  13, because that's how many minutes she was late.  This took us about 10 minutes, and by lap 8, Paige's legs were trembling. Plus, I made her step up 2 steps at a time. She knew she wasn't getting out of this one!  With a bit of light headedness along the way, we slowed down and finished and took a water break.

Now, it was time to start the circuit.  We began with 10 Bench Pushups. Then we did Medicine Ball Rolldowns, V-Sit Twists, Bench Dips, and then Bench Step Ups.  Upon finishing those, we went down and up the longer set of stairs (the ones that I had been running before Paige arrived).  That was our circuit.  We got back up, and repeated it from the beginning with the pushups.  We got through the circuit just two times, due to the late start, and the additional trips up and down the steps.

And, of course, I forgot my fortune cookies, so I told Paige I'd pick one for her, and here it is:

Fitness is not a fluke. It's the result of hard work.  You get better the more you practice. But when you don't practice, you can't expect to get better.  I hope Paige realized that she needs to push herself harder on her own, and hopefully, enjoying the fresh air, was a great option for her to continue with, once she's got to be self-reliant.  (I hope I hope!)

16 Days Left

With 16 days left in our 6 month journey, I feel like I've lost control.  I am scared that Paige is avoiding me like the plague, and has zero interest in continuing on this health journey with me.  (Though I hope she continues this journey on her own for the rest of her life, and I am always here to help her when she wants help and is ready to ask for it!)  Maybe it's because of my video blog, where I laid out my truth.  I've never heard her side of the story, though.  We've worked out since. But there almost a dead-ness in her desire and motivation.  Paige's energy was dismal, at best, and I could tell she would have rather been anywhere, but there, with me, working out.  Even in our small group personal training class, I could tell she would have rather been anywhere else but there.

I've had to let go of taking it personally, but I do.  Is there something more I could have done? Could I have made it more fun?  In fact, others in the class (who are also following this journey), have come up to me and said how great of a time they have working out in the fun class environment, but that it looks like Paige was miserable and didn't want to be there.  Usually, I say, well, if you don't want to be there, then don't go.  But I care. I care about Paige, and I want her to succeed.  I want her to have fun too.  What's going on? I have no clue. I have lost control.

In fact, Paige hasn't put any effort into scheduling our weekly personal training session, for the past several weeks.  At this point, I had hoped she would be making sure that she got in every training session she could fit in, and make sure that we came up a time to workout each week together.  I tried to give her options to workout on Friday, as our usual agreement, but it didn't work out.  She had other commitments that were more fun. So, skipping the workout is the first thing to go.  Has this every happened to you?  It's a sad reality, but when time is tight, usually the first thing to go is the workouts... Well, that's not my reality. Sometimes when time is tight, you have to see the workout as being as important as a doctor's appointment.  Because, essentially, it is.  You wouldn't skip a doctor's appointment if you had one.  That's how I feel about workouts, especially workouts with someone else.

At the beginning, Paige agreed to write 5 short blog posts per week about her journey.  Lately there have been none. It's been several weeks since a post.   So, if she's not living up to her end of the bargain, why am I?  Well, I'm trying to, because I care.  I just want her to care as much as I do.

16 days left in this journey, but a lifetime left in her own journey.  It's crunch time, but I can't crunch for her.  She has to find the "crunch" within her self.

Why Did Abby Consider Throwing In The Towel?

Watch this video to find out the three things that have been bothering me lately, and the reasons why I considered throwing in the towel with the entire project.

Find out three reasons why Abby's been frustrated as the trainer in Paige's journey. Learn why Abby almost threw in the towel and said forget it.

It's Still Progress, And It's Still Forward Progress.

Wow, I realize it's been an entire month since I've posted to keep you updated on Paige's journey.  I apologize!  We've had a very busy month.  Tons of challenges, of which I will be letting you know about in video format very soon.   Some of those challenges I'll talk about, will include my struggle of almost cancelling the remainder of this program all together. Stay tuned to see what has happened over the course of this month, and why I almost said "forget it."

But, in the mean time, I would like to share one huge accomplishment that Paige achieved this past week.  I had Paige meet me outside of my work one evening (in the dark), dressed to exercise.  She had no clue what we'd be doing, but I can only imagine the trepidation, as she drove downtown.  She knew she couldn't skip out on this one (reference the above paragraph).  We only had about 20 minutes, as I was in between personal training clients that evening at the gym.

As soon as I walked out the door and saw Paige who was meeting me out near the parking lot, I said: "We're going to run a mile."  I could see her brain churning like "hell no we are not!"  But, I knew she could do it, so I wouldn't let her create any excuses, at least out loud.  1 mile would be just about 4 laps around the block.  Since it was dark outside, we decided to just do that.

Paige giving me the finger after completing 1 mile.
At least it's just to signify "one" mile done!

Now, if you remember, it was back in June/July when Paige took the 5 Weeks to 5k running clinic. Technically, she should be able to run 3 miles, at this point.  That would be if she stuck to the training schedule.  She even started the schedule over at least one more time from the beginning, but I don't think she made it past the first week of runs.  Paige can probably correct me on that if I'm wrong.

So, it's been a lesson to me, on patience.  Not everyone will accomplish the tasks I set out for them, on the timeline I set out for them.  So, I cannot be mad at Paige for avoiding the running schedule homework.  It may be 5 months to 5k, but that's still fine.  It's still progress, and it's still forward progress.

I tend to beat myself up when my clients aren't achieving the results they (or I) think they should be achieving, on a timely basis.  It frustrates me to no end, as I think, "what did I do wrong?"  Could I have done something differently? I probably could have done a million things differently, but I didn't.  So, my lesson is to remember that forward progress is still progress, no matter how fast or slow it goes.  It's so important to not stay stagnant.   And that's why I pushed Paige on this 1 mile run.  I know she felt stagnant in her running. She still doesn't like running, and that's fine with me.  After this 6 month journey, she's off the hook from running with me if she wants to. But during it, she's all mine, which she often forgets ;)  So, I knew Paige needed to not only feel, but SEE her progress, even if she's disappointed that it's not as much progress as she hoped for either.  

Running a mile is a trackable, recordable, notable accomplishment for someone who has never run that far or long ever.  In fact, Paige ran the mile in 13 minutes!  I, however, didn't tell her until we finished that she ended up running for over 15 minutes, and actually did 1.18 miles.  (We had to get back around the block, so it ended up being a bit longer than a mile).  I am hoping that now, Paige sees her progress.  I see her progress, but that means nothing, if she doesn't see it.

So, for the next month, Paige will be doing "activities" that help her to understand how far she's come, even doing the small baby steps along the way.  She needs these small accomplishments, now that she is  sort of  beginning to believe in herself.

One Proud Moment, Two Not-So-Proud Moments

One Proud Moment: 

As you all know, during this 6 month journey, it hasn't been all perfect workouts and meal plans (as I'm sure you know by reading Paige's blog!).  But one thing that I'm really happy that Paige has tried, and seems to be enjoying, is the weekly yoga class at the Mississippi Modern Homestead Center. Paige and I sometimes carpool out there to take yoga with Lindsay, a wealth of yoga, meditation, herbal goodness!  Paige had never done yoga before our journey began, and sometimes in yoga, it's about finding the right fit.  When I first took Lindsay's class, I loved it, therefore I go once per week to her class.  Now that Paige is going too, we can spread the yoga love.  I mean, if Paige can do it, anyone can do it! (haha, right Paige?)  In fact, we were on our way to yoga back in June, when Paige got that phone call from her doctor saying that she needed to go on diabetes medication asap!   Now, look where we are!

Paige & Abby in our Downward Facing Dog pose.

Not-So-Proud Moment 1:

I'll start off on the most recent one. And yes, I'll go on my soap box for a bit here, and will be complaining just a bit, out of frustration.  Here goes: So, I am offering this program to Paige, for FREE, in return for her best effort in participating.  That means, I'm giving her a free membership to my weekly Small Group Personal Training Class (SGPT), and scheduling a free individual personal training session each week.  In addition to access to my Trainer In Your Back Pocket program, and 5 Weeks to 5k clinics.   So, what happened last night when I got to my SGPT and Paige was no where to be found?  I'm the type of trainer who plans personal training sessions and classes ACCORDING TO WHO WILL BE THERE!   Paige was supposed to be there for our class that meets just once per week.  Everyone knows that they are supposed to text, call, or email me if they will not be there.  Those  who actually pay for the class do so (well, most anyways), so why not Paige? Where was she? I still don't know.   I feel a bit taken advantage of.  I don't always feel great to go workout. Sometimes it's hard getting out the door. But, you know what? I do get out the door.  I pull myself up by my bootstraps (or rather, Asics running shoes), and I put on a smile, and go workout.  Especially if others are counting on me to be there.

Not-So-Proud Moment 2: 

This happened about 2 weeks ago.  A bunch of the ladies in Columbus, MS, who also participate in my online Trainer In Your back Pocket program, were gathering together on a Tuesday night to do the October Core workout together.  I knew Paige would be there, since, well, I saw her respond on facebook that she would be there.   So, when I finished work early, and headed down to the Riverwalk to join the ladies for the core workout (they didn't know I was coming), I was a bit pissed off that Paige was not there.  Apparently she was too "mentally tired."  See that empty spot in the picture? That's where Paige was supposed to be.   Wasted opportunity.  

How the Government Shut-Down is Affecting Paige's Journey

This post is not a political post.  I'm not going to talk about my view of the government shut down.  (I can't believe it's even still going on, by the way).  But it irks me when the shut down is influencing things as unrelated to government as this healthy journey that Paige and I are on.

Yes, you heard it right.  The government shut down is affecting Paige's Transformation.

It was our weekly scheduled workout, when Paige and I meet on Fridays for our workout.  This time, I was going to show Paige my favorite park to exercise in, in Columbus, MS.  Ironically, it's only a few miles from Paige's house, and eventually, she'll be able to run there (more on the future running star to come).  So, it never would have occurred to me, that a park, in the middle of Columbus, MS, had any ties to the federal government.  Well, apparently the Lock & Dam is a federal park, and the driveway was chained off.  We figured that there'd be no park rangers there to patrol (since they're not working either), so we walked past the "park closed" sign.  Not 10 seconds later, but an old retired man and his yippy dog, from his trailer outside the park, waved us down, as if the world was ending, and told us that the park police would "get us" if we used the park  (maybe not exactly in those words, but that's what I heard).  No one was allowed inside, and apparently the park rangers (whom I've never ever seen in 2 years), have asked him to be the "park police" in their absence.

It's not that Paige and I wanted to break any rules, but I really wanted her to experience what a "lock and dam" workout would be like. Those of you who've been there with me, know all the fun stuff we can do in that park!

So, we left and headed back to Paige's house, where we did the October Trainer In Your Back Pocket Total Body Workout.  Well, first we ran 5 minutes to "warm up" then we did walking lunges up her driveway.  Then we began the workout.  The whole time, I mentioned how this workout was nothing, compared to what we were going to be doing at the park.    Needless to say, Paige was probably quite glad that the park was closed!  So, thanks government, for helping Paige out, this one time!

From the Diabetes Expert

Lauren Korshak is a clinical exercise physiologist and diabetes expert. She's spent years working in cardiac rehabilitation at the VA in Washington, DC, as well as instructing at the George Washington University, and creating her own Wellness Coaching Business. She's done numerous studies on diabetes and diabetes management, and therefore, in my mind, she's the expert. I always go to Lauren for my questions that are more of a "clinical" nature. But not only is Lauren an amazing expert in her field, she's also a great friend, and colleague from GW, where we both attended for our degrees in Exercise Science. She was even a participant in my Masters Research Thesis on Running Form and Efficiency! (She's my true "you can overcome plantar fasciitis with proper form" test subject, and she'll verify that!)

Lauren Korshak, M.S. Clinical Exercise Physiologist

Lauren in 2006 at the Marine Corps Marathon

 So, upon doing Paige's 3 month assessment and labwork results, I thought I'd ask Lauren to take a look at our blogs and give some quick thoughts and feedback. Here is what she said:

"Once someone has a Diabetes Mellitus diagnosis, they have that diagnosis because they're prone to elevated blood glucose levels. There are many different ways that type 2 diabetes can be managed - oral medications & insulin, healthy food choices, carbohydrate counting, and regular exercise. The latter must be included in ANY diabetes treatment plan.
Paige has made HUGE changes - going from an A1c of 8 to 6 is really a tremendous accomplishment. I think it's important to remember that she's technically a lifestyle controlled diabetic, and that the diet and the exercise are the forms of "medication" that she's using to control her condition. If she starts to slack off, it's the same as not taking medications as directed, resulting in blood glucose levels starting to climb and increasing the changes that she'll need to start oral medications - most likely metformin, sometimes combined with a second oral or insulin depending on blood glucose trends."

So, Paige, we're not out of the woods yet, as your diabetes WILL rear its nasty head again if you EVER go back to the way things were. No turning back now! But, hey, you knew that anyways, right?

The Half-Way Point Assessment

The results are in!  Paige and I met up last Friday morning to re-do the assessment that we began our journey with.  It included Weight, % Body Fat, BMI, Circumference Measurements, 1 Mile Walk Test, Pushup test, Wall-Sit test, Plank test, as well as questions about energy, sleep quality, and stress levels.  

Who thinks, with all the setbacks over the past two months (as noted in Paige's blog), that Paige is doing well? Who thinks she's fallen off track too much, and it will show in her assessment results?  Read on to find out!

Weight: Down 13lbs!

BMI: Went from an "obese" 31.1 to an "overweight" 28.8!

Body Fat % estimate: 34.4%

Inches: Down 9 inches in circumference all over body (includes a half inch increase in her arms! Check out those guns!)  Most notably, she's down 2 inches in her upper waist, 2 inches in her chest, 2.25 inches at her belly button line, and 1.75 inches in her hips.

1 Mile Walk Test: Estimates Aerobic Capacity, and hers went from 24.17 ml/kg/min (poor) to 27.82 ml/kg/min (fair)

Pushups: From 7 to 18!  And her form was a million times better than the first time!

Wall Sit: From 42 seconds to 54 seconds (we'll be working on more leg strength definitely!)

Plank: from 23 seconds to 1 minute 6 seconds!

Energy: from 3 to 6  (immediately after initial cleanse, this was a 7.5)

Stress Level: same (immediately after cleanse, this was lower)

Sleep Quality from 4-5 (immediately after cleanse, this was 8)

With all of the set backs, Paige has still made HUGE improvements!  You can definitely see the difference in the photos too!  I'm so proud. Now, imagine what we'd see if she was on track 100% instead of the 60%! The next three months are not going to be easy, and we have a ton more work to do, but for now, I'm really proud of the accomplishments she's made.  She's definitely much healthier than she was just 3 months ago.  Go Paige!

Relapse From Rehab

Rehab of a Fat, Lazy, Coke-Drinking, Butter-Eating Girl.  That's the title that Paige chose for her blog of this 6 month journey, and all of those things are what just happened, 3 months into our wellness journey.  Paige was lazy (no exercise), binged on coke, [fried] butter, fried foods, cakes, pizzas, the list goes on.   We are definitely going to need more rehab to get things ironed out if Paige wants to make a complete transformation.  In this post, I'll be referring often to Paige's post: Dirty Delicious, so if you haven't read that yet, go ahead and read that now, before continuing. 

It's as if an outside power has taken over Paige's mind and body.  Here she is "enjoying" fried butter.

Now, I'm not going to trash talk Paige's choices of last weekend. (well, maybe I will at points), but I'll just be honest about what I see from my perspective. Which is the point of this blog- to follow Paige, but give you my perspective on her transformation process.  

We'll start with the seriousness of this "binge weekend."  These are the types of events that just simply cannot happen if Paige wants to eliminate diabetes in her body.  Nutrition plays such a huge role in blood sugar handling in the body, and she knows it.  For an otherwise healthy adult, with no health issues, the once a year binge weekend like this is fine.  In fact, it's usually a great reminder of why NOT to eat that way.  Imagine how your stomach feels after eating so filthy! The toilet is not a fun place to be stuck at.  For those with health issues, remember, that the body is already stressed, so adding in such stressful foods and binges, only adds to the stress, creating even more dis-ease in the body.  It basically makes things 10x worse, whereas the healthy body will just simply eliminate the "problem" and move on, as eating returns to healthy.  It understand that this is just a fluke situation and that it won't continue. The unhealthy/dis-eased body, on the other hand recognizes it as normal, and reacts by continuing to stress out the system. 

Binge weekends like this can be a slippery slope for most folks trying to overcome a food addiction, which is what Paige is overcoming, as she changes her dietary lifestyle completely.  3 Months ago, this binge weekend would have been a normal occurrence  so I'm grateful that she now recognizes it as an occurrence that should rarely happen.  

Now, I couldn't be too hard on Paige, because she already knew, in her heart, what she did was wrong. She knew it at the time. She just basically threw everything she'd worked for out the window, and once it was out, why not keep going.  One thing leads to another, and once you're so far down the rabbit hole, you may as well keep going... (I'm sure many of you reading this can relate).   I also couldn't be too hard on Paige because I have, in the past, also tried fried butter and fried oreos at the California State Fair (those of you who've been, know what I'm talking about!).  It's delicious disaster for the body.   So, I couldn't be a hypocrite, but I also don't have any dis-eases that I'm trying to heal from, making my situation and occurrence of having eaten those foods previously a bit different.

However, Paige knew that her 3 month assessment was just a few days after this Dirty Delicious Weekend, meaning that she couldn't continue on the dangerous path. She had to quickly pull herself out of the rabbit hole, revamp and get back to clean eating as soon as she returned home.   She recognized it as a specific event that had happened, and she moved on (at least as far as I know).  Her binge weekend really lived up to her blog title: Rehab of a Fat, Lazy, Coke-Drinking, Butter-Eating Girl.   As any addict, she still needs more rehab to fully gain control of her wellness.  We will continue to rehab Paige. I won't give up on her, and I know she won't give up on herself either. (though at times, she may beat herself up still).

This is Out of Control.

Let's be honest.  I'm worried.  I left Columbus yesterday (haven't seen Paige since Monday night's small group personal training class, which was only 4 days ago) and just read Paige's last two blog posts. (I'm typing this on my iPhone so pardon any typos to come!). We are just 1 week away from the 3 month mark on our journey, and its not going so hot, apparently. If not for Paige's complete honesty in her posts, I don't think I'd ever know the truth behind what she's eating.  Her last two posts were filled with things that a diabetic, or rather any human being, should never eat! Coke, fried chicken, buttery casseroles, bottles of wine, cakes, desserts, etc.  no wonder she's up almost 5 pounds from what she lost.

Folks, that is how you yo-yo. It's also how you kill your body from the inside.  We had planned on having Paige do a 3 month check up with her doctor, and I feel like it would go terribly wrong if she went right now.  One month of healthy eating, followed by two months of not so healthy eating, will not heal the body.   In my ideal mind, I believed that if Paige followed the plan, she'd go to the three month check in, and her numbers would be all in the healthy range. But no ones perfect.  This will just take more time.

It's time to bet back on track. Doing another full cleanse would be way too soon. Generally they should be no sooner than 6 months apart. But we've got to do something. This is out of control!  I'm praying that in our 4th month together on this journey, Paige will combine the efforts of exercise and healthy clean eating.  Paige, remember how you got here in the first place. Those behaviors are not how to get out of it.

This Is Just A Test. This Is Only A Test.

So, it's been a few weeks since we've been getting back into the groove of things.  Paige has been working out 100% more than she did last month (well, anything is greater than 0), and she participated in the 21 Days to Bliss program that I put together with a few other wellness colleagues of mine.  (See more about the 21 Days to Bliss program in Paige's blog: 21 Days To Bliss.)  Not only did Paige complete her first 5k, but she made it through a few "Abby Workouts" and even got together with a friend to do a Trainer In Your Back Pocket workout on her own!

It's a great feeling to get back on the wagon after being off of it for so long.   But here's what I see happen all the time when folks finally put that effort forwards.  Once they finally find that motivation, that desire to commit full force and do things right.   BOOM! Something comes along to stop you.  I see it all the time with my marathon runners. All the time with my personal training clients.  Even myself.  Usually it can be a major life event, a stressful situation, or an injury.  We finally get over our first stumbling block, and then life throws another one at us.  I've come to believe that life's just throwing something at us to REALLY TRULY make sure we're committed. It throws us an extra hurdle to make sure we're really committed this time, and to challenge our reaction.  We now have the choice to react to the stumbling block as we did before (allowing us to fall off track again) or we have the choice to view that stumbling block as just a test to make us stronger.  To put more fire in the stove.

On Friday afternoon, Paige and I met at the riverwalk.  I wasn't feeling 100% so I figured a nice light jog would be a great workout for us to do together.  11 minutes down (the longest Paige has ever run at once, by the way!) and Paige mentioned that her knee hurt.  We walked a little, then began running again.  Again, her knee began to hurt.  It hurt enough that I could see the frustration in her eyes.  She wasn't kidding.  She wasn't just saying her knee hurt so that she could walk and wimp out (something that she would have done a month ago).  If given the choice, Paige would have wanted to jog, I believe.

She was given direct orders to go home, foam roll, ice, and take a hot shower.  And continue foam rolling then icing several times per day.  Hopefully this will take care of whatever was going on in that knee.  My guess is IT Band inflammation, but we'll see in a few days how she feels.   This injury is one of Paige's tests.  It's a test to see how she'll react. Will she go back to "black and white" and just give up on exercise? Or will she modify in the gray. Focus on upper body and core workouts.  Give the knee some time to heal, and not get discouraged.  The choice is hers, but I'm guessing that the lesson she learned last month has put her in a more powerful position with her health.  Paige WILL be stronger because of this test that she's going through with her knee pain.  We will continue to monitor the injury and keep you posted as we go.

Now, anytime time one of my clients or myself has any sort of injury or symptom, I go to my handy dandy Louise Hay Book,  Heal Your Body  (also a great App In iTunes ).  This booklet describes the mental causes of physical illnesses and gives an affirmation to say.   I've looked up this one before, but it's always interesting to note what it says.  Maybe all you knee pain folks can relate:

Knee Problems:
Probable Cause: Stubborn ego and pride.  Inability to bend.  Fear. Inflexibility. Won't give in.
New Thought Pattern: Forgiveness. Understanding. Compassion. I bend and flow with ease, and all is well.

So, Paige, if this sounds like something you're going through (and I strongly suspect it's right on the nose), try saying this new thought pattern to yourself for 5 minutes a day.  Sit quietly and say/read it over and over again.  Let it get into your subconscious.  Memorize it.   It's amazing how our thoughts can create physical symptoms in the body.

Once we get that running form perfect, your IT Band foam rolled out, and the thought patterns perfect, I think your knee pain will disappear forever!

Remember, this is just a test... This is only a test.

The First 5k

Last weekend was Paige's first 5k.  This is an event that we'd been looking forward to since early on in the journey. It was the Streetcar 5k, held in Columbus, MS, and I just happened to be the race director of this particular 5k for the 2nd year in a row.  So, of course Paige would be running it if I had any say!  

Paige was all set with her running form, having taken the 5 Weeks to 5k clinic.  Only thing is, her homework runs were kept on the back burner, and the one run we did together was similar to pulling teeth (just kidding Paige, you did great).  Nevertheless, Paige showed up on race day (it surely helps that the race had been paid for in advance, something that I encourage if you know you're likely to drop out or quit your training half way through, that way you've got no excuse to not show up).

And they're off!  What great form!

After the race started, I had a few minutes of quiet before the first runner came around the finish line.  Then, before I knew it, Paige came sprinting down the final stretch! I  was quick enough to have my phone ready for a photo, but boy did she have the energy to finish strong! I was so proud of her finish!  I knew she had just run up a major hill, but with a finishing kick like that, you would have never known!  So, Paige, congratulations on your first 5k finish!  Next time, you'll be even more confident, and as you keep practicing, more running and less walking!

Finishing Kick!

Homework for Paige

No, it's not a workout. No, it's not a new nutrition challenge. It's to watch this video.  To watch, again, in her own words, why she's on this journey.  It's great to plan for the future, it's great to appreciate the past for the lessons it taught.  So, Paige, I want  you to remember why you needed to begin this journey, and I want you to recommit to yourself over the next 4 months.  Soak up these 4 months into as much as you can get out of it.

The First Workout Back.

It was the quietest I'd ever heard Paige.  From 6:15am-7am this morning, barely a peep came out of her mouth as we hopped back on the fitness wagon again.  Part of the silence was simply due to the fact that I made her run harder, step up higher, pushup lower, squat deeper, rolldown slower, and row stronger.  She had barely any breath to speak with.  The other part was that, deep down, she knew that this time, there really were no excuses.  There is no excuse for 31 days of no structured exercise. (Unless you're sick in the hospital.)  One week? 10 days? Maybe.  I'm sure I've gone a week or two here and there throughout my life without exercising.  But really, there's no excuse for an entire month.  That's 1/6 of our journey gone that we can never get back.   She may have been cursing me in her mind, but at least she didn't vocalize it ;)

To say the least, I was very proud of Paige (and Nickey) this morning. I didn't hold anything back in the workout, and I was super thrilled that I didn't have to encounter any excuses.  In fact, this workout would have been a tough workout for anyone,even if they hadn't taken a month off! (It was one of the workouts where I was glad that I was the trainer, not the trainee).  Even though I do those types of workouts often, they're tough, and I know that from experience.

There were a few tears.  (I like to think that they were tears of joy from her body telling her how thankful it was that she was back to exercising!) But, sometimes, within a tough workout, emotions get the best of us.  It can bring up all the other negativity that could possibly be surrounding our life.  We all have challenges.  A tough workout will bring those emotions up.  But they bring them up so that they can be dealt with.  The body sometimes cries out, and that's our opportunity to change. Nothing in our lives will change, unless we change ourselves first and foremost. Every workout is an opportunity to change yourself for the better.  You always leave a different person than when you walked in.  So, good job Paige!  Now, only you can take control of those emotions that came up in the workout! You are strong enough to deal with them, and ANYTHING else that comes your way!

Here's a taste of what Paige, Nickey, and I encountered this morning: (sorry I didn't have my camera to take a photo)

4 minute warmup jog
10 sit & stands
10 bench pushups
10 step ups each leg
30 sec. run to the bridge
Walking lunges across bridge (about 30 yards)
10 more sit & stands, pushups and step ups
2 minute jog
Tubing Rows & Tubing Straight Arm Pullbacks.
100 Yard easy x 100 Yard sprint
More tubing rows & pullbacks
3 minute jog
Water Break
Rolldowns
V Sits
Dead Bug Holds
Bodyweight Starfish
Ladder Runs (suicides) under the bridge for 2:12 of  pure "fun"
Cooldown walk

31 Days and Counting...

That's how long it's been since Paige and I had our last workout together.  Now, that doesn't mean she didn't have a plan to follow, workouts to do, and goals to reach. It's just since the last time I saw Paige to workout together.  What's happened in the past 31 days? Well, I sure hope that she got in those workouts, videos, and runs that I stressed the importance of... But I have a feeling that didn't happen.

Now, as part of Paige's contract with me on this 6 month journey, she's supposed to write a blog post 5x per week.  These blog posts don't have to be lengthy, in depth, or time consuming at all. They can be short little briefs about her day, her workout, or anything else related to her journey.  Her last post? August 5th.  That was 22 days ago.   This is the way I can learn about how she's doing, from her words, written from her hands.

It worries me.  Did I do something wrong and not hold her accountable enough?  This happened to be a month where I was gone for 2+ weeks training folks in California, and then upon my return, Paige left town for over a week, leaving us with 3+ weeks of not being able to meet in person.  But, she still should have been working out!  In fact, I challenged her to find a running/walking path in her cities of travel, and take a photo or video of her working out on it.  But, as you can guess, nothing appeared on her blog, or in my email.

I see it all the time in the fitness world.  Right off the bat, there's so much energy, enthusiasm, and motivation to make the lifestyle changes.  As the months go on, and the reality sets in that yes, this is something you'll have to do for the rest of your life, those old "demons" creep back in to tell you that it's just easier to go back to the way things used to be.  Those voices that say, "a piece of cake won't kill me" or "a bottle of wine is actually a fruit" and "I need rest, so I'll just sit after work and not get back up."  They try to rationalize that the old way of living will be better, easier, and thus the hard work on the new path, seems to diminish.

Now that Paige is back from her trip, I hope we get to see more blog posts. I hope she can find the courage to get back on track, holding herself accountable with her workouts.  She needs to find the motivation from within.  I cannot be there every day to workout with Paige.  She's not alone though. She has Nickey, and a community who supports her journey.  But it is up to her to make the time, and simply do the workouts.  Its' a conscious choice to do them (or to not do them).

Please, if you read this, help support Paige's workout program. Ask her how her workout went today.  Remind her that this is her once in a lifetime opportunity to get her life back on track.  This is no joke.   Paige, I  need you back!

1 Month Check-In Video Blog

1 month down, the rest of her life to go!

Here's a video blog with Paige and I, discussing the first month of the journey together.  We discuss the ups, the downs, the easy things, the hard things, and what results she's seen so far.  Note to all readers and watchers, I had just put Paige through the ringer with a Trainer In Your Back Pocket workout, so there was no makeup involved in the making of this video.  Raw and real, like our journey!

Exercise can be efficient, effective, and affordable.

Ball Crunches as a part of the TBP @home Core workout.

Working out doesn't require a gym membership.  It doesn't require going somewhere else to do it.   It doesn't have to be expensive.  These are some principles of exercise that I truly stand by. Sure, I make my living off of other people paying me to exercise, BUT, my goal is to teach them what they need to know, so that they can then be set for the rest of their life.  Learn to do it right the first time, has always been one of my mottos. Making exercise efficient, effective, and affordable is something I stand by, and that's why I created my Trainer In Your Back Pocket  (TBP) online program.  (www.trainerinyourbackpocket.com).

The TBP plan always has an @home, and an @gym version.  As part of Paige's journey, her primary exercise plan will be coming from the TBP monthly workout plans and the weekly workout videos.   The at home version requires just minimal equipment, such as a stability ball and a set of dumbbells.  Both of which can be purchased practically anywhere.  

Paige is loving the Ball Squat Weekly Workout Video set (and by loving it, she wants to kill me for it)

Besides joining my 1x per week Small Group Personal Training class at the Columbus YMCA, Paige is following the workouts from the TBP plan.  Each month, she gets a new Total Body, Upper Body, Lower Body, Cardio, Core, and High Intensity Interval Training workout.    She also gets weekly workout video challenges.   Her goal is to get in as many of these workouts as she can each week on her own at home.  

Cobras to strengthen the back and shoulders

It's amazing how little you actually need in order to get in a great workout.  The key is to have a plan, knowing exactly what to do, how much to do, and when to do it.  That's what the TBP plan offers Paige.  So far, she's killing it with the plan!  The best part: She doesn't even have to leave home to do it!  (of course, she loves when I come over to do the workouts with her and hold her accountable!)

What's Worth All The Marbles?

Why are we (as a western society), taught to believe that drugs and medication will make us well and heal us of our illnesses, when the real fact is, that exercise and proper nutrition are the true medication we need?    Hippocrates himself, stated:

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”

Didn't he also create the Hippocratic Oath, that all doctors must swear by?  My, oh my.  Where have we gone all wrong?  

I've known it for years, but nutrition has been my "health insurance" since I left graduate school (and thus had no health insurance coverage for about 6+ years).  If I had to choose one program (giving up all exercise classes, marathon training, running clinics, etc that I teach), for one program that would HEAL the most people, I would have to choose the Standard Process 21 Day Cleanse.  I've been doing this cleanse myself every year since 2008, and I've guided hundreds of people through the program.  It's not a cleanse in the sense of "eat only this and that for 21 days, while drinking lemon water with cayanne pepper."  It's a purification program, based on eating real, whole foods like fruits and vegetables, select proteins, and eliminating all of the garbage that we so often consume. 

I know first hand the powerful results that can heal the body within such a short amount of time.  This is why  I wanted Paige to begin following a 21 day nutrition overhaul.

We didn't do "the cleanse" exactly as the book says, since, well, I didn't think Paige would survive it right away.  To be honest, Paige's eating habits were probably the worst eating habits I've ever seen from a client.  I knew if we went "all-in" that she'd be miserable, and most likely give up.  I had to modify the program so that it would be manageable for her, but still quite a challenge, looking at her past behavior.  

In just 21 days, Paige is really beginning to heal her health.  If I had to say so myself, Paige went from diabetic to not diabetic, in just 3 weeks.  Now, I'm not a physician, and Paige won't have bloodwork done until the 3 month point, but it's just my hypothesis.  

I could care less that Paige "only lost 8lbs" in the 21 days.  What I'm about to mention next, is worth all the marbles in the bag.  Paige's energy level went from a mere 3 (on a scale of 1-10), to a 7.5 in just 21 days.  Her sleep quality doubled from a 4 to an 8.  And her perceived stress level went from a 7, down to a 6.  

Clearly, Paige's body is beginning to work again.

IN JUST 21 DAYS! 

Food = Comfort & Love

From my perspective, Paige seems to be doing amazing so far!  We are coming up on 2.5 weeks since our journey began, and my expectations are already being exceeded, both nutritionally and exercise wise!  I was nervous that Paige wouldn't be sticking to the meal plans as well as she is.  I know she's craving her "meat and potatoes,"  her cheese and dairy, snacks and baked goods of all sorts.  Even when she made her quinoa tabbouleh salad, full of veggies and fresh herbs, she would have rather it had feta cheese on it (as would I, but that's not going to help us reach our goals right now, and yes, in the future, she'll be able to add some cheese back into her diet.)  Of course there are other tastier foods we can add to our meals, but right now, we need to break the bad habits of just automatically adding those foods to our meals.  In the future, they will be "treats" that get added in once per day.  Paige didn't get to her current health condition overnight. It was years of poor food choices, and adding that "feta cheese" just because it would make the food taste better.

  I know that baking is one of Paige's loves.  In fact, for many folks all around the world, baking goodies is perceived to be sign of "love."  We are always baking tasty (unhealthy) treats to give our friends to show our love.  When someone dies, is born, is going through a rough patch, we make them meals and desserts that generally aren't healthy.  Food = Comfort and Love.

If you think about it, it's true.  We show our love via food.  I remember going home from college, and eating all of the "fat foods" (that's what I call the foods I ate when I was a fat girl too).   My mom would make our favorites.  We'd have homemade Mac & Cheese, all sorts of canned-soupy-type casseroles, pasta galore, a freezer full of desserts, etc.  To my mom, at no fault of her own, making those "favorite" meals was her way of showing us love.

But we're looking at it all wrong.  When you truly love someone, don't you want them to be healthy & energized?  You'd probably die for someone you loved, so why are we killing our loved ones?  (Slowly, and legally, through our food).   We should actually be showing love via healthy foods, the kind that will keep us around longer with healthier bodies, minds, and spirits.

So, to anyone out there reading this, next time you're making someone a dish of some sort, think whether you're actually killing the person you love, or if your food will help to heal and nourish them.

Think of this every time you eat.  Is the food you are eating nourishing your body? or is it an act of self-suicide.  (morbid, but true).

The Assessment

On day 1 of our journey, Paige, Nickey, and I met at 8:30am at the track to get our starting measurements.  It was a bit hot and humid out, but nothing unbearable.  Maybe, for the first time, Paige would actually HAVE to drink water!  At this point, I hadn't seen Paige's blog post about her "last supper."  Make sure you check that one out! It was her first post in her blog about this journey: http://www.changeforitall.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-last-lunch-and-supper-and-video.html

Paige's Before Photos from 6/29/13

We would do several circumference measures, as well as BMI, Resting Heart Rate, and before photos.  We'd also do several fitness assessment pieces for baseline numbers, such as a Wall-Sit test to analyze leg strength/endurance, a pushup test to measure upper body endurance, a plank to measure core endurance, and a 1 mile walk test to estimate V02max, an indicator of fitness level.  

Paige completing her 1 mile walk test

Ironically, when Paige had joined my bootcamp class back in January for those 2 sessions, we had done several of the same measurements that we did for this assessment too.  So, on one good note,Paige was 7lbs less than she was in January.  BUT, her upper waist measurement (smallest part of waist) was 1 inch bigger, and her lower waist (at belly button) was 2.25 inches bigger!  This is definitely a sign of metabolic syndrome, which we clearly know Paige has.  Waist measurements are a huge indicator of health.   In fact, all of Paige's circumference measures were the same or larger than they were in January with the exception of the shoulders.  So, weighing less, but actually bigger!  A lot bigger.  Time to reverse this! I'd rather Paige weigh MORE, and be smaller!  Boy, do we have our work cut out for us.

 

Paige and Nickey enjoying their Wall-Sit

I also ask 3 specific questions during every assessment I complete.  On a scale of 1-10, what's your energy level?  On a scale of 1-10, what's your sleep quality?  and On a scale of 1-10, what's your stress level.  Paige answered: 3, 4, and 7, respectively.  We MUST improve these numbers, and good thing that a proper diet and proper exercise are the two best ways to improve all 3.   Weight loss will rarely take place if you have low energy levels, poor sleep, and high stress.  So, we have to take an all encompassing approach to this journey, and not ignore these important aspects.

Paige and Nickey doing their Pushup assessment

With our assessment done, we can now begin the plan.   I am excited to repeat this assessment every 6-8 weeks to determine progress and what we need to work harder at.  

Ready. FIRE! Aim.

Ready. FIRE! Aim.

So, for those of you who don't know, I write a column for the Real Story Publishing, here in Columbus, MS.  My column is called Tales From A Former Fat Girl (titled from the fact that I also, used to be a fat girl, as shown in the below image).  I decided to write my latest column about my experience BEFORE deciding to get this program with Paige off the ground. I realized that I'd never have all my ducks in a row before beginning. There would never be a perfect time to start. (since it'd been in my head for almost 2 years). Essentially, if you wait for what your brain thinks is  the perfect time, you'll be waiting for a long time.

Here's the link to my article: http://thisisrealmedia.com/2013/07/01/tales-from-a-former-fat-girl-ready-fire-aim/

Here's my before and after pictures. I  can't wait to get all of Paige's before pictures uploaded (and then I really can't wait for the after pictures coming in 6 months!)

The Food Plan- The First 10 Days

When Paige and I first met for our consultation, (just 1 hour before we got the official "diabetes" diagnosis), we had agreed to a gradual nutrition change. Paige would start by creating a 3 day food log, where I could then investigate some habits, nutritional deficiencies, and changes we would start with.  I had already told her that her Coke's were going to be a big no-no, and that would be one of the first changes.  We'd then go grocery shopping together to discuss new foods she'll be getting into the habit of buying, and I'd also go over to her house to clean out the pantry.

This all changed within the hour.  Once we got the diagnosis, I knew that nutrition was going to be our biggest and most important starting point.  We couldn't just "ease into" nutrition changes.  We had to make a plan where we'd go "balls to the wall" in an all-in type effort.  It got real in those moments, when we knew there was no room for fooling around anymore.

Luckily for Paige, I've been a Standard Process health care provider for about 5 years now.  If you don't know about Standard Process, visit their website at www.standardprocess.com.  There, you'll learn the truth about using whole-food based supplements and how important they are to our health.  They are the highest quality, top of the line, food-based, organically grown, supplements out there.  I'd never recommend something I don't believe in, use, or know know is 100% real food.

About 10 days ago, I attended a new webinar that Standard Process put on for their health care providers about a new 10 day Blood Sugar program.  It's very similar to the 21 day Purification Program that I've used as my own "health insurance" over the past 6 years, and have guided many of my own clients through.  In a nutshell, it involves eating vegetables, fruits, lean protein, whey protein, and healthy oils... only.  The biggest thing will be 2 vegetable servings to 1 fruit serving, minimum.   In addition to the foods that are eaten, there are a few supplements used to aid in the blood sugar handling, such as the SP Cleanse (a whole food based cleansing supplement, basically combining all of the cleansing foods, and putting them into a capsule), Gastro Fiber (a soluble fiber used to help inment for the diabetic or pre-diabetic patient to help with blood sugar handling imbalances).  Since I didn't have cleansing out the body), Gymnema (an herbal blood sugar handling supplement), and Diaplex (the #1 supple any Diaplex on hand, I decided to modify the 10 day Blood Sugar Program to at least get Paige started, and we'll add the Diaplex in when it arrives.

Here's an image of the types of food that Paige will be eating for the first 10 days.  I told her "if it's not on this list, she cannot eat it for these first 10 days."

As you can tell, there's no Coke, cake, cookies, or alcohol involved in this plan.  I told Paige that if she was going to do this, we'd have to do it right.  So, for the first 10 days of our program, we are going to be as rigid as possible with the diet.  There is only one slight snag.  Paige is going out of town on the 5th day.  So, all we can do is hope for the best, and she'll have to make the healthiest choices, plan ahead, as she travels.  So, our 10 days may turn into 14 days, making up for the days of travel.

After the first "cleansing" phase of the diet, we will continue the eating plan, maybe adding in a few more foods such as steel cut oatmeal, sprouted grain bread, etc.  We won't veer too far, since we have a big problem to fix.  The longer you've had the problem, the more time it takes to truly heal.  We have years of bad decisions and poor eating choices to "fix."

If you'd like to learn more about the 10 Day Sugar Handling Cleanse, or the 21 Day Purification Program that Standard Process Offers, please contact me.  I will help guide you through it.  They are designed to heal the body from the inside out.   Email me at liveforitallfitness@gmail.com

The Night Before: Paige's Thoughts, Worries, Fears, and More.

I thought it would be really important to have Paige film her thoughts and fears before beginning this 6 month journey.  I gave her no rules or guidelines to talk about.  She had the freedom to say what she wanted.  Hopefully, if you can relate to her story, then maybe, just maybe, you will begin to make changes to your life too, along with Paige.

The Journey Begins...

It's the eve of Paige's transformation.  I can only imagine what's going through her mind right now.  Oh wait, we'll find out on her blog: www.changeforitall.blogspot.com.  Part of her obligation for going through this transformation process will be to blog about her experiences on a daily basis over the next 6 months.  That's going to add up to a lot of posts, so follow along!  I urge you to also follow along with her side of the story, not just mine.  Of course, Paige's blogs will probably be wittier, funnier, and better written than mine.  But again, my job here is to help Paige overhaul her life. I'd rather be a better trainer, than a better "blogger." (Just putting that out there right off the bat).

Paige and I met up today for her pre-start consultation.  We went over the entire program, such as what I expect of her, what she'll expect of me, and so forth.  It's a lot. My expectations are high.  If I were her, I'd be optimistic, and terrified, all at once.  To completely change your lifestyle is an exciting and scary process.  But we came up with a plan for our first month.  We'd begin with some specific exercise programs such as my 5 Weeks to 5k running clinic, where she'd learn proper posture and form for running (to reduce any risk of injury as we increase her exercise from a big ole goose egg 0).  She'll also participate in my small group personal training sessions, as well as one private session per week.

I'll let you read more about Paige on her blog, and I'll stick to my side of the story here.  But, in a quick nutshell, Paige has been letting her health slip over the past 6+ years.  She's ignored warning signs.  She's ignored her health, all in the name of "doing what she wants."  When you spend years eating whatever you want, drinking whatever you want, and avoiding exercise at all expenses, your body begins to turn on you.  Most of the time, it gives you warning signs first.  When those signs are ignored (as is Paige's case), it turns into disEase.  I call it "dis" Ease, because that's what it is. The body is not at ease, and it's fighting back.  We each have our own warning signs, and our own "symptoms."  For Paige, her body's way of saying it's in "dis" Ease, is by developing a wide variety of symptoms.  Simply put, her metabolic profile is way off. (You can read about her symptoms and what she shares on her blog).  If she doesn't change now, it's a life and death situation.

After our consultation, I was headed out to the Mississippi Modern Homestead Center in Starkville, MS, where I take a yoga class weekly.  I invited Paige to join me.   On our 30 minute drive to yoga, Paige got a phone call.  It was from her doctor. This was bad news.  Paige has, just that moment in the car, been diagnosed with diabetes.

Being one who believes that everything happens for a reason, I believe that the stars aligned for me to hear that conversation with Paige's doctor.  I now knew we had to revamp our starting point.  If Paige was going to participate in my 6-month transformation program, we'd have to start with exercise AND nutrition.  I had hoped for a more gradual nutrition change, making small changes each week, but with the new news, I now realized we had to go "balls to the wall" and go all in with a dietary overhaul right away.   Proper diet and exercise ARE THE MEDICINE for diabetes.   In both of our words "$h*t just got real."

Right there, in the car, Paige had the choice to choose drugs to solve the problem or choose diet and exercise.  One path is quick, easy, and simple, but doesn't fix the problem, just puts a bandaid over it.  The other path is long, challenging, time consuming, but will heal the cause of the problem, thus healing the body from a state of "dis" Ease, to a state of ease.  I will only help someone willing to take the "road less traveled."

She made the healthy choice.  She's stuck with me now.  We begin our journey at 8:30am tomorrow morning for our first assessment and workout.   Right now Paige is borrowing my video camera to document what it feels like on the eve of her transformation journey.  I can't wait to see it and share it with you all.

Wish us both luck & let our journey inspire you.   Here we go!