My 8 Week Fitness Challenge – Week 1
September 3, 2008
What the HECK was I thinking?! A few girls from the Boot Camp class this morning convinced me to sign up for the Y’s 8 week fitness challenge. As if I didn’t have enough things on my plate, now I’m committed. In all honesty, I’m excited. I think this is what I need to get my butt in gear on my yearly goals. I really have been getting lax on my diet and I can feel old eating habits creeping in.
So tonight was day 1 and we did fitness tests. I have to admit the number on that scale got to me a bit. For as much as I preach about not letting that number affect your mood, I was a bit stunned for a few minutes. Then I got over it. I mean it’s ONLY a number right!?!?
So here are my stats as of today…
| Height | 5′ 9” |
|---|---|
| Weight | 151 - OUCH! (not ouch I’m fat ouch I’m 2 pounds over my goal!) |
| BMI | 22.3 |
| Body Fat % | 23.6 - up from the 19 I measured 2 months ago |
| Arm | 12in |
| Belly | 30.25in |
| Hips | 38.25in |
| Thigh | 19.5in |
| Flexibility Test | 32cm |
| Pushups (1 min) | 23 |
| Crunches (2 min) | 41 |
I’m really excited about this as I’ve never tracked measurements and body fat percentage before. Plus you know me, I need a goal and I like to be moving towards something. Now that I’m not trying to lose a significant amount of weight I really like to set fitness goals. It is such a confidence builder to see a progression in your level at the gym and you know, it doesn’t take much! Commit to something for a bit and before you know it you are faster, stronger, have more endurance then you did before. The key is consistency and variation, at least that’s what I’ve learned about myself.
My workout schedule is getting pretty intense My plan is 3 runs a week, 4 weight training sessions, and 4 boot camp classes. Now before you think I’m setting up a cot at the gym, the schedule isn’t THAT bad. I lift on the days I have boot camp, so it’s only one gym trip and my runs are at home in the evening (or I may travel to the park). Plus the toddler has soccer the same day I have one of the classes so I’ll be at the gym anyway. Ok, so maybe it’s pretty intense but what would I be doing instead? Watching TV? working? I’m really finding that working out is truly a habit now, I mean really, it’s a passion. I’m wondering if I should change careers! lol Web Developer turned Trainer?? maybe? who knows?!
Here’s my menu from today. During this 8 weeks I’m really going to TRY and post ALL food journals. It will very interesting to see my progression paired with my diet. I will give updates when we retest in class and of course I will post a final side by side comparison of my stats at the end of the 8 weeks.
| Food | Points |
|---|---|
| 2 hard boiled eggs and a 1/4 of the toddlers banana that he couldn’t finish | 4 |
| Poor Man’s Egg salad Sandwich with a side of carrots and pepper slices | 4 |
| leftover Mexican Inspired Okra Orzo Stew with a piece of corn bread | 4 |
| granola bar | 2 |
| handful of dried berries | 2 |
| Chick-fil-a grilled sandwich with fruit and fries split with the toddler | 8 |
| about 1/3 of a hot fudge sundae | 1 |
| Bowl of homemade chicken soup (made with beer chicken bones using my Turkey Stock Technique) | 2 |
| Another bowl of soup, I was hungry and nothing else "sounded good" | 2 |
| Total : | 29 |
| Activity | |
| WOW I don’t even think I can list it all! Day started with boot camp which entailed a mile run, resistance running, hill running and the push up/crunch routine starting at 14 then (as if that wasn’t enough) I did lower body weights. Then my fitness test this evening! OH! and I climbed the medium inclined wall!! | |
Want a food journal like this for your blog? Try the table generator.
On September 4th, 2008 at 12:11 am Annette said:
The fitness challenge sounds great. I would love to have a BMI like that! And your waist is in a great range for a women…..should be 32.5 or less. I think your stats are impressive. I have never had my body fat tested but I think it would be BAD! Maybe when I am closer to my goal it will be a gift to myself and something to keep an eye on while maintaining. Roni, you are one busy mama!
On September 4th, 2008 at 12:48 am Shanna said:
OH! I work @ the Y you will SOOOOOOOOOOO love this its RIGHT up your alley!
On September 4th, 2008 at 11:59 am Tricia said:
Does anyone know how accurate body fat measures are on scales? I have a scale at home that measures body fat, but it shows I have 33% body fat, which seems awfully high. How did they measure your body fat, Roni?
The 8 week challenge sounds perfect. I think I might do the same thing at my gym. Don’t let the scale get you down, Roni. You are building muscle!
On September 4th, 2008 at 12:12 pm Inny said:
Wow, Roni, that’s amazing! How do you manage to fil all that in a single week?
On September 4th, 2008 at 12:26 pm Shannan said:
It’s a lot to take one at once, but if it’s a passion of yours, it’s not work, right? You’ll do fine. I’m excited for you, and you’re going to reach your goals!
On September 4th, 2008 at 12:57 pm Elaine said:
You go, girl! You’re determination is so inspiring!
On September 4th, 2008 at 2:23 pm Jennifer said:
I belong to a Y in a suburb of Chicago….I wonder if they have an 8 week fitness challenge?? I have a hard time just going on my own, but if I had a measure of time where I could achieve something in a small amount of time, that could be cool! I’m going to look into it!
http://www.slim-shoppin.com
On September 4th, 2008 at 7:47 pm Biz said:
My old work had a fitness center and I signed up for the boot camp. It was the hardest thing I ever did! I remember we had to run with body bars, and I got there really early so that I could get a light weight bar. I looked everywhere, only to find out that the boot camp instructor “hid” all the light weight ones, and the lightest body bar was 15 pounds!
I do think that you tend to work out harder in that situation, if nothing but peer pressure from the other boot camp buddies!
Good luck!
On September 5th, 2008 at 7:01 am roni said:
Tricia - I have no idea! But I’m researching it a bit. I’ll post my results!
On September 5th, 2008 at 7:18 pm RooBabs said:
The 8-week challenge sounds really great. I love tracking things other than weight, because sometimes you see more progress than you would otherwise. And oh how I would love to have your 19.5″ thighs! I think diligence in journaling makes such a big difference (at least for me).
On September 8th, 2008 at 8:38 pm Sheila said:
Roni, good luck with your challenge! Sometimes we need the extra push from this type of positive pressure to get us moving in the right direction again and out of our comfort zone. I look forward to watching your success unfold over the next 8 weeks.
Sheila
http://www.livewell360.com