I MADE IT!!!

My dear family and friends,
I am proud to announce that I survived the 4.2 miles today! I was the last on of 13 runners that started and finished the challenge today.... I was not sad for being the last one in.... I was sooooooooooooo happy that I accomplished the challenge before me! I don't think that I have EVER in my lifetime completed 4.2 miles... EVER! This was such a HUGE accomplishment and even more of a motivator to make me continue on this adventure I have set out to complete! I want to take a special moment and thank Adena OHare and my team! I watched each and everyone of you push to such a HUGE accomplishment today! Thank you all for meeting me outside at Newko to make the end of my journey today so AMAZING! At mile 3 I was more than ready to give up.... If it hadn't of been for the blessed encouragement from Adena the entire way, I would have had more of a struggle. When I was ready to say I'M DONE.... Adena said "turn around and look at where you came from"..... I turned around, tears filled my eyes, I turned back around and kept pushing forward! I will NEVER forget this day as long as I shall live..... I feel soooooooooo ACCOMPLISHED! To my team....... You are all so AMAZING! My cup overfloweth..... Thank you all so much! ♥

Here are some pictures of our adventure today.....

I will never forget this day as long as I am living! Thank you BLUE Team and the few RED team members that joined..... <3

Until the next adventure....
Accomplished Monica

Fat Kids Do NOT Run!

Good day to you all!
When my challenge began, I was told that one of our team outings would be running from Nampa Fit Studio to Newko Nutrition in Caldwell. This little journey is known to be 4.22 miles in distance! My first thought was "are you kidding me?" Then the next thought was.... Fat kids do NOT run! I have had a month to prepare for this outing as it is scheduled to happen on Saturday the 23rd (a short two days from right now...). In this time, I have been working out at least 5 times a week sometimes 8-10 times a week. So my personal abilities are getting better and my body is not so sore. However, running.... At this point, I am still a firm believer that fat kids do NOT run!

With that being said.... I knew that I needed to overcome the fear of the 4.22 miles and start truckin along to see just how far I could get and in what amount of time. My first walk/jog/run was for 2.3 miles and it took my 45 minutes to complete. So okay... Not too bad for my first time. My next run was 2.3 miles and it still took me 45 minutes. Again, not too bad... But I wanted to be quicker and be able to go for a longer distance. So tonight I was able to complete 2.5 miles in 45 minutes. Not much of a difference there; however, it is an accomplishment and I am one happy camper!

So my forever long saying of "Fat kids do NOT run" will have to be retired now! The upcoming run is headed by Kim Rose and the prizes are $20.00 for the first place runner and $10.00 for everyone else that makes it there to spend in the store! I happened to mention the run and the prize while I was at work today and two of my bosses stated they would offer me another $10.00 each and one of my co-workers stated she too would give me $10.00! I now have $40.00 to spend in the nutrition store as an incentive to make it there! I may not run the entire way... But I am determined and I will get there if it takes me all day! I look forward to the 4.22 mile challenge. I will congratulate the first place runner when I make it there and be more than impressed when I too get to walk in those doors!

Wish me luck because...... I will be RUNNING Jenny!
Stay happy, Eat healthy, Dream big, Concur your fears, and Keep on truckin!
Till the fat kid runs....
Monica

This was my run last Sunday! We were on the Boise greenbelt and went a little over 2 miles! I had such a great time! I was able to accomplish more than I had originally thought I could! GO ME!!!

Oh What BEAUTIFUL Obstacles!

Hello!
For those of you who know me well..... You know what I am saying when I say BEAUTIFUL Obstacles! :) As you all well know, anytime you choose to "diet", "eat clean", "live healthier", etc. there is ALWAYS going to be OBSTACLES! There was more than one day when this little lady wanted to throw in the towel and eat something she wasn't supposed to! However, she would turn the other cheek and make sure to have something she is supposed to consume.... I will have to admit, sometimes these "obstacles" feel more like hindering barriers that are never going to go away. Especially when you see everyone around you celebrating and you are left with your diet food and water! It gets a little monotonous at times.....

During times like that, I have to take a moment out to remember what it is that I am doing, why I am doing it, and the overall rewards that are being gained and will be gained for the constant goal. I have found that giving myself five minutes a day to congratulate myself on my accomplishments is definitely assisting me with my everyday successes. So my dear family and friends..... A little word of advice, if you are having a moment when you just want to let it all go and "give up", just remember.... YOU! Who you are, where you are and where you want to be, who you would be hurting, and where the overall hardship would lie. Then give yourself a pat on the back for loving YOU! Give yourself a hug, cry if you need to! And remember..... You can NEVER give yourself too many compliments. :)

Never give in to temptation when you know that the overall out come will be worth it to stick with your original plan. No one ever said it would be easy..... However, they all will say "it is worth it!"

Stay happy, Live healthy, Dream big, and Keep on truckin!
Till next time......
Monica

6 count them... 1,2,3,4,5,6 more pounds!!!

My dear friends and family,

I have been asked by my trainers and my food guru to weigh myself on a weekly basis. Therefore, today was the day that I needed to step back on that scale! ( I skipped last week.... And I got away with it! They didn't even ask!) I have to admit, I was scared and a little leery to see what the numbers were going to be today....

I cleaned out my pockets, took my shoes off, removed my jacket, and hopped on the scale like I was going to win something! The numbers began to click.... When they landed on ... ( You thought I was going to tell you! Ha! Ha!) Okay, well they did show me that I am another six pounds lighter than I was on my last weigh in.

What an AMAZING adventure I am embarking on. I can't even begin to tell you the difference I see in myself as well as the way I feel. Due to all of the successes thus far, I can honestly say that each and every victory fuels my fire even more! There is absolutely NO WAY that I could turn back now! I look forward to the rest of this adventure....

Thank you all for staying tuned in on my life as a weight loss loser! I hope to hear from you all soon... Until the next report...

Stay happy, eat healthy, DRINK PLENTY OF WATER, and live life to the fullest!
Monica

Team Workout # 3

Sunday Funday at Nampa Fit Studio! The third team workout was about to take place.... When I had to tell Kim Rose that I was having to be modified because of a damn sore knee! I sure wish this pain would GO AWAY!

Kim understands and was willing to modify the workout for me. At this point I have to know that I have to have patience and be kind to my body so that it will continue to get stronger and not end in a surgery. It is just hard to have to limit myself when I want to be going at speed of 100 miles a minute!

The workout was good! I certainly enjoyed it more than normal because it was CrossFit inspired as we did the dirty thirty! Kim had placed an exercise on the mirror with a sticky note. One for each person that was there to have the opportunity to pick the note and tell the team what they would be doing knowing they had to perform each task thirty times!

This was a really good workout! The team and I worked hard! I enjoy the team more than I ever thought I would! Good work on the workout team! Keep your heads up, your chests high, and be grateful we have such a great instructor to help us along the way!!!

Sunday Funday is ALWAYS a challenge! I sure wish everyone could join in on the fun! Have a WONDERFUL week my friends!

Be active, eat clean, sleep, drink your water, and live a better life!
Monica

Oh Knee Pain PLEASE Go Away!

Hello Friends!

I am in good spirits and in good health! I hope each of you are as well! This last week has been so busy! Working out twice a day, working all day long, going to school, doing homework, and raising my son by myself makes for a very very very busy life! Not that I would take a moment of it away!

I am now starting to feel a little bit of pressure on my joints that are making me VERY uncomfortable! I have a previous knee injury that was caused when I was pushed too hard by a personal trainer that wanted me to drop 100 pounds over night! This injury happened about five years ago and has continued to "bother" me at times. I can honestly say, I have tried to ignore the pain....

However, I am now unable to ignore the pain anymore. I have had to take more than 1000mg of Ibuprofen for the last three or four days. I had to tell Brent that I was in too much pain to do the regular workouts. It makes me cry! I don't want to be injured! I don't want to be restricted more than I am! I want to work hard! I want to lose this weight! And I want to be okay while I am doing it! I know that the more weight I lose the easier it will be on my joints, and I know the quicker I lose the weight the better I will fell; however, I am in it to win it and I am tired of being pulled down!

So please, please, please, PLEASE knee pain GO AWAY! And don't come back another day! I don't have time for you, I don't particularly like you, and I truly don't care if I ever hear from you again! I will continue to ice you, use heat on you when necessary, and elevate you just so that you will LEAVE ME ALONE!!!

I am impatiently waiting for you to leave... Please go NOW!
Monica

Team Workout # 2

Workout number two was intense!!! I thought Kim Rose was going to kill us all! She warmed us up good... Then she had the team set up different stations that were to be used for the days workout. There were multiple stations that consisted of Step ups, jump rope, power cleans, floor balls, latter runs, push ups, wall squats, running the parameter of the building, boxing, and so on.

Each person was assigned a workout buddy and the two of you went to each station together. I was paired with Rod! He was an AMAZING person to be paired with. He encouraged me through the entire workout, pushed me to go even one more time, and made things seem a bit easier! Thank you Rod for taking the time and encouraging me.

This workout was one of the hardest I have had to complete yet! It was hard, fun, exciting, and I was sure glad when it was over!!! Thank you to Kim Rose for the workout, patience, and willingness to "kick our asses into shape!" Working together as a team makes the exercise not seem so daunting and hard. Working with a 'buddy" for the day is also great!

A special thank you to my team mates! We are all in this adventure together and having you all there encouraging, pushing, and merely just being there makes this so much more enjoyable! Keep up the good work and good luck to you all!

I am super blessed...
Monica

CrAzY dAyS of CrossFit!

Crossfit is like a dream come true! I have always wanted to workout with a group of people. I thought it was something that would be less of a struggle and more of a "push" for me to keep moving! I was right! When joining CrossFit, I had a fear and a ton of emotions going on all at one time. I was hoping that I would eventually make it to the "real" workouts and not be so modified and secluded while everyone else got to work together as a team....

Three weeks into it... Brent says to me "Monica... I am going to have you join the group today to see how you are doing." A TON of emotions ran through me as I was excited and super scared to see what lies ahead for me.

The warm up was normal as usual, the therapy portion was a bit more challenging; however, it was okay, the strength portion... Well it was harder, yet it felt good to be pushing myself harder, then came the WOD..... I pushed myself to complete the tasks, yes some of them were modified for me, however, I finished each and everyone of them! I felt like someone had just handed me the world! I was able to accomplish exercises that I thought was going to take me a long time and many of mountains moved later. And there I was hot, sweaty, tearful, and proud all at the same time.

Everybody was congratulating each other on the evenings successes, talking about how hard the class had been, when Brent walked up to me.... He looked me in the eyes, gave me a high five with knuckles and said..... "welcome to the real world of CrossFit Monica! You made it!" I cried sweet tears of joy! I made it my friends! I made it! I could not be happier with myself at this moment in time. I have accomplished so much in so little of time!

All of the obstacles, the sore muscles, the long days, long evenings, tears, sweat, and lack of sleep have been worth it! I again want to take a moment and thank Brent Bearup and Tom McCullen for taking such good care of me! Also for taking the time to teach me the proper way to move my body, as well as the ins and outs of the wonderful world of CrossFit! These two are AMAZING men and have taught me so much. I look up to them! I am successful because of these two men that not only care about my health and feeling better... They also care about me as a person. I love you guys!

CrossFit or Die People,
Monica

Phase 2

Phase 2 of my diet has begun!

I thought the first phase was a bit of a challenge, this phase is proving to be a little more of a challenge for me! Just as I was getting used to eating the cottage cheese (and actually enjoying it) Richard took it away! I .had seriously just fell in love with cottage cheese with black berries and a packet of Stevia! It was like a fat kids dream of cake had just came true! Then two days later..... It was all over but the crying!

Oh well friends.... It was time to move on! The new phase proves to be a bit more challenging due to less nuts, no fruit, no dairy, and an addition of sweet potatoes (which I loathe), and an extra serving of meat and eggs! I looked at the phase and almost cried! You want to know something funny? I always said that I could live on meat alone.... I tell you this much, I lied! I never have been much of a bread and pasta eater, but I sure miss them now! At times I would give anything just to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

I have to be honest..... I don't get hungry! I eat a TON of food it seems and I am pretty good about spacing it out through out my day. Sometimes I find it hard to get all of it down before the day is over. It amazes me that I am able to eat that much food and still lose weight! Eating "clean" is a challenge when it is not something you are used to; however, I can say... I feel better, I sleep better, I play harder, I move easier, and I look better!

The adventure has just begun and I am completely consumed.... Thank you for following my successes! I will write again soon... Keep your heads up and know.... Life is what you make of it, so make good choices! Eat clean, drink plenty of water, exercise, sleep, and live better!

Until then,
Monica

Team workout # 1

January 27, 2013 was the first team workout! This is the time that my weight loss team gather together to have a "last chance" workout of the week. This week Kim Rose had a ton of information relating to weight gain, weight loss, challenges, facts, and statistics. The workout was not much of a challenge as she had a stack of cards with information on them. If the question or information pertained to you, you would perform the exercise that was required at the time for a two minute interval. Not all of the information or questions pertained to every person, therefore, the exercise was intermittent. Once the information was shared, Kim instructed the team to lay on mats on the floor and perform sit ups.....

She did not care if they were done correctly, she did not care if you could perform a 100 of them or if you barely got one. All she cared about was that each individual would try to complete as many of them as they could.

 I laid on the floor and began to sit up...... I counted as I was interested in knowing how many of them I could do. At 15 I began to feel as if I was not going to be able to go much more. I could here the people around me saying how hard it was and how many they could do. I.... Just kept sitting up! I know that I was not doing them all the "right" way; however, I was doing them! I started to give out a little when in the distance I could here people cheering me on. I heard Kim say is she going to stop? NO SHE IS STILL GOING!!!!

By the time I gave up I had done 40! That's right 40 sit ups! The whole team was cheering me on right till the end. A couple of the male teammates were so impressed, after class they stopped to tell me how I was "bad ass!" and that I am now one of their personal inspirations! Those were some of the best words to hear. I am not only in this adventure to better my life, I am also in this adventure to assist others with their struggles in hopes of inspiring them to join in on this amazing adventure.

I know I still have a long way to go..... But it feels damn good to know that I have had an AMAZING start at a new life! Thank you to all who are supportive and encouraging. You all make this adventure a lot easier to do!

Till then,
Monica

6 lbs and the tally begins!

The challenge began on the 26th, Richard switched me to the next phase of my diet plan on February 1,2013, and as of February 3,2013 I am down another 6 lbs  I have decided that I will only count the weight lost from the 26th of January through the rest of the challenge. Therefore, the first 6 lbs you already know about are not being included in the blog anymore. It was a true accomplishment; however, I want to only keep track of what is on paper and that is through the challenge. 

I am even more excited about the weight loss and the challenge as the minutes tick on and on everyday. I can feel a difference, everyone I see states they see a difference, and I feel so much better already! This is such an AMAZING adventure.....

Thank you all for your constant encouragement, without you all this adventure would not be nearly as much fun.

Till we meet again,

Monica

The Challenge Begins...

As of January 26, 2013 the challenge began! This is the day that I have been pining after for a few months now. I am more than ready to get this weight off and make life altering changes! I weighed in and walked through the health fair that was available to the contestants. This day was an AMAZING experience! Thank you Kim Rose for everything you do to place new avenues before me personally and my team as we start our journey.

This day marked the beginning of the new beginning. Even though I had started a week early with the exercise and dieting, I knew that I was going to be successful with keeping my promise to myself as well as my team and my trainers to make these changes. I have already made the diet and exercise a part of my everyday life. I consider myself to be "consumed" by the current love in my life. That love being my challenge, team, trainers, and changes. These thoughts run through my head all day everyday! I don't even have time to make a mistake as I am soooooo conscious of what has to happen next in my life.

I pre-cook and pre-pack my meals, I take my gym clothes with me everywhere I go, and I am ALWAYS ready for an exercise class, CrossFit, or a nice brisk walk! The only calories I consume are the ones that I have been told can go into my mouth. I will have to tell you though..... I am ready to start flavoring the water as it starts to get a little hard to drink that much.

Stay tuned as I shall be back to report in a few days....
Monica