Muscles

Hello everyone. During my workout today, I did an exercise called burpies. I've done these before using the core ball; however, today, I did them using free weights on a mat and had to come up and do a bicep curl. I have no idea why but they were so incredibly hard for me. I honestly think a tear fell down my face....or maybe it was sweat but nevertheless, my face was wet and those burpies killed me. My trainer asked how I felt. I said terrible and asked if I could get a "pass" on the second set. (Hey, it was worth a shot!) I'm sure you all know the answer to that. Guess what? I have a muscle!!!! OK, don't laugh but I've not had a muscle in over 20 years. I'm sure of it. I was doing the Popeye pose with my kids the other night and noticed mine didn't fall like they've done in the past. So I flexed again and felt it. Firmness!! Yes, yes, hold your applause.....I have more muscles coming. You can clap later. I've pretty much had anyone that would listen to me rant and rave about it feel my new muscle. It's the little things that mean a lot. This transformation is truly just that. A transformation, not only of my body but my mind, health, way of life and the way I learn and take in information. It's a continual learning process. I'm sure I'm not alone in the fact that EVERYONE has the answer to help me in my weight loss. I've received a lot of advice, books, websites, etc with information to help me. I appreciate all of it; however, I didn't gain all this weight overnight, so I certainly can't expect to lose it overnight.......although I would love to and have no patience for otherwise. I'm working on that....being patient with myself. When I train with Holly, I ask her a million questions and she's very knowledgeable and patient with me (as all the trainers are). The most important thing to remember when eating is portion control and the food pyramid. Follow the food pyramid, she told me, use it. Another thing she taught me is how to decipher good and bad advice. How to determine someone's motivation for writing a certain book or conducting a certain study. This has really helped me. Holly said if they wanted me to lose a ton of weight in 5 months just to win this competition, they could certainly do that. But the goal is a lifestyle change. A transformation. 5 years from now, my trainers would like to see me and I tell them "Look, I've maintained my weight, I'm still eating properly and I still exercise" I certainly look forward to that visit to the Whitefish Bay Fitness Together in 2014!. In closing, I'd like to share a few things: 1) Carrot cake is not a vegetable and in fact is one of the worse things to eat. Wow! 2) Banana bread is not a fruit and should also be avoided if you're trying to lost weight. 3 Don't take your child training with you because they will tell your trainer that you ate cake. Not just a taste but "a lot". Thanks Alexis! Thanks a lot! Until next time............ Alicia