Week 1 Reflections

This week has been one of the best weeks I’ve had in a long time, I think mostly because of my change in attitude. While week 1 of the challenge was definitely tough, I felt better and better as I progressed. The endorphin high kept me excited every night, looking forward to the next workout despite the pain.

I hadn’t done such high impact exercise in months and it showed; my body complained every day. I was sore in different areas throughout the week, especially my back and my calves. Wednesday I had to walk sideways down the stairs, crab-like, as it hurt so much.

But even in four days, I’ve noticed a marked difference. I could go a little lower on my pushups on Day 4 than I could on Day 1. I could take fewer breaks. When I looked down at my heart monitor, my beats per minute were usually in the 160s, now they’re in the 170s on level 3.

But the biggest change I’ve noticed is a mental one. I had a very tough time the first day, even with the warm-up and the fit test. At one point I fleetingly questioned, Is this even worth it? Wouldn’t it be easier to stop exercising and just eat whatever I want? But my stronger self chimed in and said, No! It’s WORTH IT. You can do it! Now that weak little voice is gone, and I concentrate on my goals and positive thoughts during the hardest parts. Or I hear Maia and think, Only 30 more seconds! You can make it through this round!

Nutrition-wise, eating regularly has improved my mood and my stress significantly. On Wednesday I was in a long meeting and accidentally skipped lunch, and within an hour I got a headache. I’ve learned that I need to come prepared with food or at least snacks when I’m out!

Case in point: my shakeology arrived on Saturday just in time. I went prepared to a friend’s house that afternoon, with my powder and my bottle. While everyone was drinking beers and eating cookies and chips, I sipped some water and then made my shake when a birthday cake was brought out. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on the treats.

Overall, I think I’ve been pretty successful in sticking to my goals this week. I’ve been eating the foods from the Get Fit list at the times Dell and Maia recommended (except for that one time Wednesday). I ate a lamb burger as a cheat meal, but got it wrapped in lettuce and asked for fruit instead of fries on the side. I’ve been to bootcamp early (no easy feat for a chronically late Latina!) and incorporated other exercises in my routine. And I even wore some shorts this weekend that felt too tight two weeks ago! :)

There’s still a lot of improvements to be made, however, which brings me to my next entry: my mini-goals for the coming week.