If you know me you know I have become fit focused. I'm on Day 2 of my newest journey but was swamped with work yesterday so I'm going to double blog today; Day 2 will appear this afternoon. I am going to try to blog daily about the T25 experience for accountability and to encourage others. Today is about how I got to this point and why I'm doing it.
Setting the stage, I made a commitment to become fit, lose some weight, and make healthier choices when my dad passed away from Type II Diabetic complications in May 2010. Knowing this debilitating disease is managed by nutrition and fitness, I desired to make some major life-style changes.
I struggled for years but as we all know it's mental. I hit a weight that was totally unacceptable. I had a meltdown - I cried heavily in self-pity and seriously thought about going away for the weekend to a fat farm! I wanted to be re-programmed. After a long, encouraging chat with my wonderful husband Scott, I joined LifeTime Fitness and hired a personal coach and nutrition counselor on Memorial Day weekend. Having a support team and a real game plan made a significant impact on my biggest hurdle - my way of thinking. Failing was not an option.
Having success with the personal training, my coach and hubby encouraged me to run a 5K. Yeah right! But I'm kind of a competitive person so quietly I started training and eventually adopted that goal. I decided to train for the UTSA (my alma matter) Diploma Dash in February 2014; run non-stop, not walk. I regulate my metabolic system maximizing my caloric burn so I don't run fast, that would burn sugar not fat. I keep my heart rate in a target zone of maximizing the fat burn of Zone 2 (for me) which is a range of 145-160. It's not about speed. I moved to an apartment in Austin with a 4000SF gym under construction and sits on a running trail on Lady Bird Johnson Lake so I gave up the LT membership, a difficult decision as it was like safety training wheels.
I didn't quit running after I quit the personal training, and I pushed through the crappy frozen weather. I purchased several cold weather jackets and pants layering up several to push through temperatures of 35, feels like 27, with an average of 4 miles per run, 1 to 2 times a week. It's a lap around the lake. I didn't run the Diploma Dash since I moved, but better, I ran the American Heart Association New Year's Day Commitment Run - 5K on January 1, a month earlier than the Dash! I ran with only two short pauses (lots of hills in the hill country!) which was a little disappointing until I checked my time. I ran it in my record time, 38 minutes. I excused myself for the 2 short pauses. I almost threw up, but didn't. I was a winner! (for the pace not the non-vomit, lol!)
I launched the T25 Alpha system yesterday. Having met my running goal I decided to go back to focusing on overall fitness, but still run since now I want to do a 10K. After watching the SeanT commercials for years decided to go for it! I took my measurements and the before photos this weekend, scary, not fun!
All I'll say about yesterday's activity is - it's rough, but doable, even for somebody in her 40s, overweight, and hates exercising. I took a few personal breaks because I have a tough time with high impact and know my body limitations. 600 words later - join me on my journey!
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