Week Nine

Wow! It is getting down to the nitty gritty here! I do feel like I've progressed this week and that week 9 was a better one for me than week 8 was. I've really focused on getting my weights up and pushing myself in the cardio sessions. I know my endurance is better now than it has been in a while. Gosh, I wish I was doing this while I was marathon training. I can hardly stand to run at 6.0 mph on the treadmill anymore. It feels like walking to me! My heart is obviously getting so much stronger and I'm proud of that.

I guess I tend to focus on the scale or the measurements or how I look in my photos but forget that there are positive changes happening to every part of my body (and mind for that matter) and those are all contributing to a healthier me, regardless of whether or not I can "see" the changes. Brandon tells me that if he was looking at my vital stats (blood pressure and resting heart rate specifically) without knowing me he would be seriously worried. But since he knows the extent of my workouts and what I eat, he says I'm in incredible shape. Much, much, much better shape than the majority of people, he says. And he sees a lot of humanity on a daily basis in the clinic and at the hospitals, so that too is good news for me.

When I look back at my week 1-4 workouts I almost laugh at the weights I was using back then. I'm making progress. I've come a really long way in such a short time. I need to stop beating myself up and start celebrating really how well I'm doing and how far I've come.

There is definitely room for improvement here too. I don't know why but I just can seem to find the same commitment level that I had going on in the beginning. For the first 4 weeks I did not "cheat" on my eating once! Since then it has been a different story! Nothing major, but I'm feel more comfortable with my new lifestyle and justify a little here and a little there. Those little slip-ups may not hurt all that much in the short-term, but they speak to my dedication and I really need to get back on track.

I think I'll do some photos and measurements next week to compare and to show myself that things are happening even if it feels like it is at a snail's pace. That will be my motivation to progress this week. Wish me luck!