No Pain No Gain: Update 1
So, here we are almost 3 months after my first "no pain, no gain" post, and I thought I'd provide a bit of an update. I am delighted to say that I have made lots of progress!
I am down roughly 14 lb so far and I dropped a dress size! Huzzah! For five months of dieting and exercising, that may not seem like a lot, however, I have also built up muscle and I have lost a significant amount of weight around my stomach. I'm particularly pleased about the latter development. I went from looking pregnant to almost flat belly! (no kidding!) In fact, yesterday, one of my girlfriends said to me, "hey! You look skinny." In my 24 years of living, I don't think ANYONE has ever called me skinny.
Now, when I say that I have built muscle, I don't look like Madonna or any of the Spartans from 300. Rather, I just feel stronger and my stamina has gone through the rough. I've noticed a significant increase in my energy levels during the day, and whereas I used to have to nap once a day to function, now I rarely nap!
My big achievement is the number of burpees I can get through. For those of you who don't know what those are, here is a video. (note: I don't do the push up part). Did I mention that the army/marines/air force is big on burpees? When I first started doing these, I'd say back in March, I could barely get through 10, maybe 15. Now, my trainer has me warming up with 70 in a row! In fact, starting this week, I'm up to 80 burpees in a row!!! I can usually get to about 50 without getting too tired. After 50, my quads start to hurt and I really start to sweat...still....I push myself to finish. I'm convinced my trainer has secretly signed me up for the marines...
My body strength has also increased. I can now do 8 pull ups on my own, after struggling to do just one! I have learned that I can bench press about 75 lb and I have quads of steel. (Which is ironic since my quads used to be so weak that my legs would occasionally buckle). I'm working hard and the benefits are showing.
I am most pleased about my dwindling belly. I don't think I've ever had such a flat stomach. It's still a bit wobbly, but now, it does NOT stick out like it used to! I can't tell you how happy that makes me. Then again, with all of those burpees and ab exercises, I would hope my stomach would be getting tighter!
Right, so after almost five months of working with my personal trainers, changing my diet, and trying to do cardio as often as I can, I am delighted by the results. Can't wait to see how I am doing and looking in a couple of months! My 2013 goal is to have a net loss of 30 lb (at least!) I am almost half way there! Wish me luck. ;D
I am down roughly 14 lb so far and I dropped a dress size! Huzzah! For five months of dieting and exercising, that may not seem like a lot, however, I have also built up muscle and I have lost a significant amount of weight around my stomach. I'm particularly pleased about the latter development. I went from looking pregnant to almost flat belly! (no kidding!) In fact, yesterday, one of my girlfriends said to me, "hey! You look skinny." In my 24 years of living, I don't think ANYONE has ever called me skinny.
Now, when I say that I have built muscle, I don't look like Madonna or any of the Spartans from 300. Rather, I just feel stronger and my stamina has gone through the rough. I've noticed a significant increase in my energy levels during the day, and whereas I used to have to nap once a day to function, now I rarely nap!
My big achievement is the number of burpees I can get through. For those of you who don't know what those are, here is a video. (note: I don't do the push up part). Did I mention that the army/marines/air force is big on burpees? When I first started doing these, I'd say back in March, I could barely get through 10, maybe 15. Now, my trainer has me warming up with 70 in a row! In fact, starting this week, I'm up to 80 burpees in a row!!! I can usually get to about 50 without getting too tired. After 50, my quads start to hurt and I really start to sweat...still....I push myself to finish. I'm convinced my trainer has secretly signed me up for the marines...
My body strength has also increased. I can now do 8 pull ups on my own, after struggling to do just one! I have learned that I can bench press about 75 lb and I have quads of steel. (Which is ironic since my quads used to be so weak that my legs would occasionally buckle). I'm working hard and the benefits are showing.
I am most pleased about my dwindling belly. I don't think I've ever had such a flat stomach. It's still a bit wobbly, but now, it does NOT stick out like it used to! I can't tell you how happy that makes me. Then again, with all of those burpees and ab exercises, I would hope my stomach would be getting tighter!
Right, so after almost five months of working with my personal trainers, changing my diet, and trying to do cardio as often as I can, I am delighted by the results. Can't wait to see how I am doing and looking in a couple of months! My 2013 goal is to have a net loss of 30 lb (at least!) I am almost half way there! Wish me luck. ;D
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