Cyndi: Reflection: Physique Challenge

Cyndi: Reflection of the Show

Now that the spray tan has worn off and the professional pictures have been taken, I have had some time to reflect on everything I have learned. I was really nervous about the tan because I didn’t want it to look bad. It didn’t. Actually. It looked great on everyone that did it. Getting the professional pictures done was a special treat and I am glad that I can use them as a comparison now. It’s definitely a rare opportunity.

I thought that everyone was very supportive during the challenge. Nothing compares to the day of the show. All of us really were in this together and were supportive of each other. Even the audience was a great support system.

I also realized that I probably should have practiced the poses more. When I got up there and was nervous I was hoping to rely on muscle memory…unfortunately my muscles and I forgot some of the poses and had to wing it.

Overall though it was an unbelievable rewarding experience and I have since seen my fellow contestants in the gym keeping it up, which keeps me motivated as well.

Photos below by Nevin Brown Photography.

Sandy at EARLY MORNING Small Group Training! (with Nicole!)

4:30 AM.  

This is not something I like to see on my clock.  I truly can’t imagine anyone looking forward to waking up at this time, unless it’s for something exciting like needing to leave the house to catch a plane to the Caribbean.  Last Friday morning I woke up before my alarm.  Actually I had a very restless night, tossing and turning in anticipation because it was on that particular morning that I had planned to be at The Works by 5:00 am to work out. 

One of the Personal Trainers, Nicole, challenged me to come to her Small Group Training class at 5:30 in the morning.  Nicole and I have a little history you see.  She has provided me with much entertainment when I am working in the office at the Works.  Nicole is a natural leader with a deliciously sadistic sense of humor.  She keeps me in stitches of laughter behind the scenes as I listen to her “motivate” her class with silly offhanded comments and downright hilarious phrases as she lays out the next round of challenging tasks for them to do.    

Perhaps Nicole figured that I have been getting too much enjoyment listening to her devoted attendees go through the trenches, grunting and groaning as they push themselves through the tough workouts Nicole had lined up for them.    Perhaps she just decided that I needed a kick in the butt because I was complaining too much about my inability to reach my goals.  Either way, I decided that yes, indeed, I would accept her challenge and join them at 5:30 a.m. on Friday morning. 

I got there early so that I could thoroughly warm up before hand.  My plantar fasciitis hasn’t been acting up since I’ve been stretching and resting it a lot, though I didn’t want to jump in too quickly by aggravating it, so I warmed up on the Concept II Ergo meter to keep the impact to a minimum.

When 5:30 came I met my fabulous “classmates”, a couple of them have been with Nicole for over a year, which is very impressive.   Obviously Small Group Training has been working for them, because they are strong and in great shape. 

Nicole set us up at different stations, where we were challenged with exercises that at first may have seemed deceivingly easy.  After a few rounds, as my body began to fatigue, I realized that not only is it obvious that these exercises work because the other members of the class were able to withstand, but that I am a wimp.  That’s going to change quickly with consistency though.

The best part about doing the assigned exercises is that they are timed intervals, so you know that the challenge will come at you in short spurts.  If you are competitive, then Small Group Training could be perfect for you.  Challenging yourself to go up against your classmates can be fun with some light competition.  If you are more like me, where I love to push myself to see if I can do better than my last round, but I don’t like to suffer alone, then this is also the perfect class of you. 

Nicole is very much a “go at your own pace” and “know your limits” type of instructor.  Yes, she is tough and she will push you to be your best, but she is also aware, knowledgeable and even kind when she needs to be.  ;-)

 I think the greatest thing about small group training is the camaraderie. I was accepted and welcomed into the group immediately, and it is reassuring to know that when my legs are burning, so is everyone else’s.  I look forward to this week, getting up before dawn (well, maybe not getting up before down) and going to Small Group Training again to suffer along with some new found friends. 

You can find out more information about Small Group Training Online.  Hope to see you there!

Check out our SGT

Looking to Train with Nicole?  She's go options at the following times: 

M,W, F @5:30amM,TR,F @9amM,T,W, TR @10am

Cyndi: This Last Week and a Little Spoiler Alert!

Week 12

This is the last week and I am carb depleting. All of a sudden, everything I was eating during the challenge is now suddenly bad. It took away my oatmealL. While this is very doable for a short period of time, I can’t imagine doing this for a long period of time. I don’t usually eat a lot of meat. I had just gotten used to the chicken, turkey, and fish. But…it’s just for a week and totally worth it.

I was told that I would feel weaker and a little drained. At first I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right because I didn’t really feel too tired. Then I tried to lift what I usually lift and that didn’t work so well. I ended up having to cut my weight down and my reps. Ironically I felt good about it because it meant that it was working.

My final reading was really good too. That always keeps me motivated. I lost a total of 17 lbs. of fat and gained some 7 to 8lbs of muscle. My body fat index dropped 8%. Not only did I reach my goal, I exceeded it. I’m ecstatic.

I hope everyone gets the opportunity to come out and see what everyone in the competition has accomplished. Maybe you’ll decide to do the next one. If you see me around and have any questions, please don’t hesitate to approach me. 

Spoiler alert – I’m going to say DO IT!

Cyndi: The Road to Body-in-the-Works

Week 9

One of my favorite fall comfort foods is mashed potatoes. I could do red potatoes on my cheat day, but I figured it would be a good time to try mashed cauliflower. It takes less time than potatoes and requires no peeling. The recipe I wanted to try called for almond milk and mozzarella. I was out of almond milk so I used a suggestion from another recipe, which called for Greek yogurt. Not a great idea. The flavor of the Greek yogurt was not what I expected. Now that I think about it I am not sure I like the idea of the almond milk either. It’s a work in progress I guess….

I am still struggling with cardio, but am keeping up with the weights. Some workouts last longer than others. My back work outs seem to be over faster while arms, chest, and biceps take the longest. The introduction of negatives has also had some effects. My abs hurt for days after the pull ups with negatives. No joke – I sneezed and cringed. Guess that’s why they say, “No Pain No Gain”.

Week 10

This past week and a half has been extremely stressful. I was the maid of honor for my friend’s wedding, which has left no time for work outs. On top of that, I am also in the final stretch of a class for my masters and then there’s still chores so my house doesn’t fall apart. 

The wedding came first this week and even though I didn’t make it to the gym, I got a little lifting in with the 30 pumpkins we hauled, moving stuff from car to car, decorating, and general running around. I danced at the wedding and kept my diet up for the most part. I probably could have paid more attention to my macros, but I feel like I did a fairly decent job. My only regret is not making it to the gym, but I had a blast and looked pretty good too. ;-)

I will say, when I finally returned to the gym I felt behind. It’s like my muscles had lost some of their memory. It definitely took a few days to get back on track. 

Cyndi: Physique Challenge Week 5, Food is Fuel!

Week 5

DIET and Exercise. I learned a valuable lesson about routine and diet this week. I have been very good about eating enough protein before and after my workouts. This week I ran out of the Almond Breeze Coconut milk (about 35 calories per cup) and so I skipped a protein shake as well as worked out late Friday night and then went back to the gym Saturday morning. The combination really threw me off and messed me up for the rest of the week. Talk about discouraging. I couldn’t understand why my weights were basically being cut in half. I keep hearing that food is fuel and diet is 80% of reaching your goal. This week’s experience really drove that home. NO MORE SKIPPING PROTEIN! 

This was also week one of phase 2 and I LOVE IT! This kind of routine is definitely something I could keep up when it’s all over. What I like about phase 1 was working the muscles in pairs, but phase 2 really focuses on the muscle group. I can really feel it and am starting to notice the buildup of muscle, and that is definitely good motivation.

Sandy: Lunchtime Fitness

Hi all, it's been a while, and I’ve missed you!  

I have had some incredible opportunities to meet some of you in person, slipping into classes here and there, and all I can say is that you are ALL crushing it! 

After speaking with many people, I would have to say that the general consensus is that there just isn’t enough time in the day to squeeze a workout in, then day after day goes by of having no time, then before you know it’s been weeks since you’ve seen the gym.

Well, did you know that you could get a very effective workout during your lunch break!  It’s true!  Even if you can squeeze in 15 minutes of time, it will help keep you on track.

If you only have time to stop in at the Works for a quick workout, check out the Expresso Bikes located in the "Keiser" room at the top of the stairs from the main entrance.  They have some short, yet challenging programs you can choose from that will really get your heart pumping as you climb hills and race the other riders on the screen. 

Are you more familiar with the treadmill or the elliptical?  Do some interval training.  Warm up at a moderate pace for 5 minutes, then do 5 – 8 minutes of intervals, increasing your speed or workload for 15-20 second intervals, and for those 15-20 seconds you give it your all, then rest for the remainder of the minute before you bring it up again, at the end be sure to cool down for 2 to 5 minutes.  All in all you are just doing 5 to 8 challenging, calorie burning intervals that will keep your body burning fuel long after you are done.

Want a full body challenge?  Try rowing on the Concept Ergometer, doing the same interval load I mentioned above.  Rowing utilizes all of the muscles in your body if you pay attention to form.

Time is no excuse for falling off the exercise wagon.  You don’t need hours to get the job done!   Give yourself 15 minutes  if you’re in a crunch for time. 

Rock on my friends!

Cyndi: My Fitness Pal- is it Really a Pal? Calorie Reality.

Getting use to the food. I made Turkey Meatloaf this week. It was interesting. I didn’t want to add bread crumbs to avoid the carbs. It wasn’t bad in the taste factor, but it kind of fell apart. I did put black beans and corn in it to try and help. It’s definitely something to work on.

Otherwise, I am focusing on the health factor of the food even though I am having a hard time balancing the right foods. My Fitness Pall was getting a lot of attention and it started to become discouraging. I just had to accept that I wasn’t going to get it perfect. Once I did that, it was actually much easier to eat healthy.

You also quickly realize how many bad choice options there are all around you. Especially when you go out to eat. The portions are always way to big and trying to find a healthy option takes some digging. Luckily, I have my husband to eat the other portion for me…or I can take it home for lunch/dinner the next day. I always thought I had good eating habits and allowed myself a calorie splurge now and then. It’s not until this program were I really took a close look and realized that I needed a few changes.

So for anyone else struggling with the food, just know…it’s you and everyone else too. You are definitely not alone.

Jesse: Fall is in the Air!

Sniff, sniff, sniff…. is that fall in the air? It smells like pumpkin spice and everything nice. I love me some pumpkin spice coffee, don’t judge.

Fall is here but where did my summer go? Who knew that dedicating myself to creating a better life would also mean that time would fly by. Summer classes taking away most of my yearly adventure time I feel like I am just getting started and now I have to return back to the books for the fall semester.

It is a lot more quiet now that all the young kids are back in school (don’t pretend you didn’t just nod your head and say ‘Thank Goodness’) so we can all really focus on our health and physiques before the holidays get here and ruin everything.

If only it were that easy, right? I know I have several classes this semester and me being the dedicated student that I am means that most of every day is filled with blocks of study or class time. So full, in fact, that if I am not at the gym by 530 every morning this semester then I can kiss an opportunity to crush a workout goodbye.

Such is the sacrifice I have to make right now. There is no opportunity to say ‘eh, I can do it tomorrow’ and if there was I wouldn’t feel right taking it.

My goals this fall is to continue to lose body fat even in the face of upcoming holidays. My first attainable step for that goal is getting in my workouts even if I have to wake up at the crack of dawn to do it. With this step I know that I will have a good start to the day allowing my body to burn its fuel at peak efficiency thus helping me study/learn better and lower my bodyfat at the same time.

As far as strength goes I still have goals I am going to try and reach. Those still are a 500lb dead lift, 500lb squat and 350lb bench press. Although, I am slowing down the speed at which I reach those goals so I can focus more on the kind of lifting that will help me burn the most fat (that is what I am trying to get rid of after all). Devon (You all know who Devon is right? If not you may want to find her! ) and I have decided to go with a higher repetition, lower rest between sets type of routines. So I will reach these goals but at a slightly slower pace.

So I now invite you to harass, hound, poke, or ridicule me if you do not see me in the gym working out by 530 in the morning. You’re not up at 530? Well that’s ok feel free to find me on Facebook or twitter and ask me if I made it to the gym. 

I’ll be honest.

See you at the gym.

Jesse: Sometimes you Just Need to Stop and Climb a Mountain!

Wake up, gym, study, work, sleep, wake up, gym, study, work, sleep. That was pretty much the essence of my summer. I barely got a hike in. The to-do list kept growing, work that needed to be done at home was being put aside and work that needed to be done on my car had all but been forgotten. I needed to spend time with my family, I needed to spend time with my friends, but those needs kept getting pushed back as the size of my plate and the things being put on it grew.

                  To top it off, I had gotten a reality check when I did a body composition test at UNH. I was not as far along in my quest for fat loss as I had thought. The thought of all the hard work that I had done didn’t amount to as much as I thought. Now, I’m not discounting my achievements I just didn’t come as far along as I hoped. This little fact added to the stress of all the things that were going on in my life. I needed to press a reset button.

                  So I decided to take a challenge from my fellow blogger Sandy which was to do something spontaneous. So this morning (Monday August 18^th) I did just that. Instead of waking up and doing my regular routine I decided to go hit my reset button. I did my favorite hike up Mt. Major and hung out for a little while. I forgot about the whole world for just a little while and enjoyed the views and being out in nature. It was just long enough for me to regroup my thoughts, clear my head of nonsense, and be reminded of why I am doing all this in the first place.

                  So now I can continue my journey with full steam and even step it up a couple notches. Be prepared for some videos. Why? Because I’m a nerd.

I’ll see you in the gym.

(P.S. You didn’t think I’d hike all the way up and not grab some good pictures, did you?)

Sandy: Life Goals, Success- The Elusive Element

Success – the elusive element.

I know we need to measure success in small increments, less we get frustrated by the overall picture.  However, there are times when you reflect back and realize that you really haven’t traveled that far from the starting line.

I was looking through an old journal from about 6 years ago, and much to my dismay I am still running around in circles with the same life goals AND the same issues. 

The two major issues in my life?  My weight and my career.  You see, 6-8 years ago was the dreaded time that my weight bumped up over the 200 pound marker. And it has been stuck there, fluctuating up and down between 17 pounds, and yet never back under 200 hundred pounds.  I don’t know about you, but 200 pounds seriously messes with my brain, being a woman who stands at only 5’7”.

My career issue, well, let’s just say that over the years I have begun many stories and even a series of novels all of which remain unfinished and unseen by anyone.  Ultimately I would like to publish my books and become a writer, officially.

On both aspects of my life, I realize that FEAR is what is holding me back.  The fear of change and, ridiculously, the fear of success. 

I was doing great with FitWorks, getting into the gym 3 days a week consistently and working on my diet.  It was a structured commitment, and I wasn’t doing it alone, so “success” was easier to obtain because I always had someone challenging me.  It was fun.  Then, as it always does, life has gotten in the way.  My children have dominated my schedule, I got a couple of odd jobs to juggle around, and once again there is no time for me.  No time for me to work out, and no time for me to write, so I get frustrated and angry at my life.  My world starts to lose its flow and I fall into that negative space.

So I pulled out some of my old self help books and decided to start working on the exercises available to me.  I’ve started with figuring out my Life Plan.  The purpose of a life plan is to figure out your ultimate, long term, reaching for the stars goals. I first began with writing my long term goals, and for me, I have a lot of very large, yet in my mind, very doable long term goals.  Then I proceeded to break down my list.  What can I do within the next year to work toward my ultimate goals? Then I broke it down further to see what I can accomplish over the next month, the next week, and finally, what can I do today to take me one step further toward accomplishment.  Sounds simple, right? 

Well, I find it rather interesting that I could break it all the way down to what I can do over the next month, but when it came to breaking it down further to a week and then to a day I hit a road block.  

There was that fear again, rearing its ugly head.  You see the issue is, when you break it down that far, you reveal the real meat of the issue, and you can see the changes that need to be made. All of a sudden, I have to commit to change. I have to actually do it! 

What does that mean?  I have to make myself the priority and to get MY things done first before I cater to anyone else.  Herein lies the problem.  I’m a mom, a giver, and a healer.  It’s so much easier to solve everyone else’s problems and to put mine aside. 

I’ve been doing this for years and because of it, I never make that ultimate commitment to change or to take that pertinent step forward.  I hide behind my excuses allowing myself to never have to go through the pain and challenges of creating new lasting habits, breaking old deep set ones that have become such a normal part of my life. It is easy and predictable to stay in my comfort zone (although, how comfortable am I really when I am embarrassed to be seen in public?) because I know what to expect.  I know that outcome of my actions of over eating, and not working out.

I am sharing this, because I know that I am not alone.  Also, it makes me realize just how much I NEED accountability in my life, so I can’t wait for the next FitWorks trial to begin.  I feel very lucky and privileged to have so many trainers and programs here at the Works, just waiting for me to take advantage of them (I just need to take that step to schedule the time in).

I am also very lucky to have such a following of readers. People have approached me to thank me for “putting it out there” and sharing my real life experiences. I feel like a celebrity now when people ask me if I am “The Blogger.” It’s so good to know that I’m reaching some of you who may be suffering from the same issues, or perhaps who may need a little insight as to what your loved ones might be going through.   

I’d like to suggest that you also write up a life plan, then, more importantly, schedule in your time to make those important changes in your life.  Don’t let fear trap you, and if you need accountability to reach your goals, find a mentor.  Be it a success coach, a trainer at the gym, or a friend who has already succeeded in what you wish to accomplish. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, because fear will only leave you trapped, and there are so many super friendly people out there just waiting to help.   

Who knows, perhaps creating a life plan will get you excited about pursuing something amazing that you never thought you could accomplish before.  Dream big my friends, and as always, thank you for reading.  Wishing you all the best!

Ready? Set? GO!!!!!!!!

Barbara has started journaling her time in PFP (Pro Fitness Program) and we'll be sharing her journal entries with you here!   Please leave comments and thoughts for both Barbara and The Works!  We'd love to hear from you!!!  

9/30/13 Like a pig being fattened for slaughter my trough was full of slop, never running low for even a moment, that I gobbled up over the past week. Oh yeah I start the program TOMORROW :)

10/1/2013 I can’t think of a better way to ring in fall and this fabulous month of October than to start the PRO Fitness Program. So today I went in for my consultation. I have done fitness programs a plenty. I noticed a difference right away. One of the things that I loved about PRO was how in depth and specific everything was to ME! It isn’t based on generalities it is specific to MY heart rate, MY BMI, MY body fat , MY strength, and MY flexibility. I have never started a program that did SO much testing and measuring. (Let us know if you'd like to see Barbara's numbers! ) Some of my numbers were a shocking horrible dose of reality that provided a wonderful jumping off point. Focus on the positive.

10/2/13 They have assigned me a trainer! I have been lucky enough to see and interact with Lisa for over a year at the gym. Her dedication and hard work is unparallel. 

Let me tell you a thing or two about Lisa. She is 4 foot 10 (FYI I am 6 feet tall) She out lifts me, out squats me, out runs me, out push ups me and out pull ups me and every second of every day! Lisa is chiseled. Not because she was granted great genes but because she works her *buttocks* off all the time. It is inspiring to be around her. Also she happens to be super beautiful! I know right! Then the knife in the heart is that she is super kind. Supportive, lovely and just an all-around fabulous person. Needless to say I was really excited to train with her. (Enough of that sappy stuff. You don’t need to mention to her that I said any of this.)

This morning I met Lisa for a “mini work out.” Please note the only thing that was mini about this workout was Lisa :) After maybe 15 minutes of plyo-metrics work I was overwhelmed and shocked at the amount of strength and stamina I have lost over the past couple of months. We talked about diet. MmmmMMMmmmm. Ben and Jerry, Pizza Hut and Kristi Black’s sweets (who make the BEST sugary treats of all time) have to, mostly, be banned from my mouth. If I don’t buy it, I won’t eat it. I do ALL of the grocery shopping in my house. No one to divert the blame, I mean attention, to. So I can either choose to be completely depressed about my numbers from yesterday and my outrageous lack of physical fitness today. Or I can choose to say (said with sarcastic enthusiasm that I hopes turns genuine) “hey what a great starting off point. I can only go up from here!” So here I go. I need a very tight and secure harness as I begin my accent up this mountain!

...stay tuned on Monday for more from Barbara's journey!   Comment away!!!!!!