Full Throttle - Day 141

This morning's workout was awesome, yet again. Today I worked on deadlifts for about 10 minutes before the workout began. Today's workout was an AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible). I used to despise the AMRAP workouts, but now I really like them because I feel like I push myself harder when we do these. Today we did 5 pushups (I did full pushups the entire time today), 10 ring rows, 15 squats and then a short run of about 200 meters. I completed 8 rounds, which means I did 40 pushups, 80 ring rows, 120 squats, and ran about a mile... all in 20 minutes. It feels so good to be able to complete these workouts that would have been impossible for me to complete just a few months ago. I am loving Full Throttle Athletics.

Full Throttle - Day 136

Today's workout was great. I started with deadlifts again and got up to 265 pounds. I love when the weight gets higher on the deadlifts. I am looking forward to the days I can lift 350 pounds as a typical workout. After the deadlifts we started the bootcamp workout. Today consisted of 10 ring rows, 15 pushups, 20 kettlebell swings, repeated as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes, and I completed 9 rounds. I felt like my arms were going to fall off about halfway through the workout. I am now able to do full pushups for the first couple rounds. When I first began I could not do 1 full pushup. I love seeing the progress.

Full Throttle - Day 135

It is funny how I have gotten so used to getting up at 5am to workout 3 days a week. I have discovered that nowadays I seem more tired on the day that I sleep until 6:30 or 7:00am without a workout. I love the feeling of getting to work Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (the days I workout) full of energy and knowing I have already been awake for 3 1/2 hours. However, on days like today, I seem to drag in to work tired. How did I do this everyday? Since beginning this journey I see so many results beyond anything a mirror or scale can tell me.

Full Throttle - Day 134

This morning's training was tough but I felt like I got in a really good workout. We did 50 seconds of workouts, then 10 second "break." The term "break" is used very loosely because those 10 seconds are barely enough time to switch to the next exercise. With going 20 minutes straight with no break, it can be a lot of work. But, I love the feeling of pushing myself and the feeling of doing more than I think I can do.
I took the day off work to spend the day with my kids on their last day of summer break. We had a really good time, and it is so great to have the energy to keep up with them now.

Full Throttle - Days 130-133

This weekend I went out of town. I find it most difficult to follow a healthy eating regime when out of town. The temptations seem to be stronger, and the opportunities to give in to them seem more available. For some reason my body does not take a break just because I do. I did not eat as healthy as I should have, but I still tried to limit eating too poorly. I plan to get back to eating very well this week as I am ready to see the weight really start falling off again.
Thanks Mark for holding me accountable and encouragining me to blog.

Full Throttle - Day 129

Today I saw a cousin that I have not seen in about 5-6 months. He had no idea I had been working out and losing weight, so seeing his reaction when he saw me was awesome. He told me several times how much weight I have lost, and it was very encouraging. With this blog and posting my progress on facebook, I feel like so many people are aware that I am trying to lose weight. So, when someone who does not know about my transformation sees me, it is always very encouraging.

Full Throttle - Days 120-128

Wow, missing one day of blogging can easily become 2 days, then 3 days, then 9 days. I think about blogging regularly, but I have found it is easier and easier not to blog with each passing day. I am thankful for accountability from those who encourage me to blog daily and chronicle my journey. I guess this is a lesson I can learn with any habit in life. With each passing day of not doing something, it becomes easier and easier to not do it the following day. This journey takes such constant focus and determination, and it is a bit scary how easily it could be derailed. I ask that anyone who reads this and notices I have not blogged for a day or two to call me out on it and ask me about it (Mark I know you will).
So, here are a couple things that have happened in the last 9 days:
The scale was not indicating much weight loss for a couple weeks, which became very frustrating to me. However, my measurements were still going down. Well, this last week I weighed 7 pounds less than I had 2 weeks previously, so that was a great sign. I have now officially lost a total of 53 pounds since beginning my training at Full Throttle Athletics, and 70 pounds overall since December 2008.
Second, I have been playing softball for several years and have been out of shape the entire time I have been playing. Well, this season I have really looked forward to getting on base and running the bases. I feel like I am faster than I have ever been and I am certainly in much better shape, so running the bases is so much fun. Well, on Monday night I did something I have never done before. I hit an inside the park homerun (no errors). When I hit the ball, it went over the centerfielder's head, and I knew I was going for it. I felt like I ran faster than I can ever remember running, and I rounded the bases as fast as I could. I was safe at home, and the best part was that I was not even breathing hard. A few months ago, I would have had to stop and take a break at second base.
These small accomplishments are what keep me going. I am excited to continue seeing more and more successes as my journey continues.