Making It Count

Where do I even begin?!  Tonight was our final regular group workout.  It was the most intense workout yet and it was worth every second. We were all asked to bring a backpack and towels, then meet Adrian at the bottom of a hill.  We were all worried that Adrian would make us carry the weight that we had lost.  We've been told that it's supposed to feel empowering but we didn't think so!  We were just guessing at what was to come and I was feeling really intimiated.

The hill we were meeting at is where Adrian and Kathy took us on our night out in the limos.  That night we stopped half way up the hill and all got out to look at the horizon and reflect on how far we had come.  Tonight we met at the bottom and had to face our past.   Our backpacks were loaded up with weights amounting to how much we have lost over the course of Biggest Loser Ottawa #2.  I had a 16 kg kettle bell in the bottom of my bag.  We then had a long hike ahead of us up the entire hill.  People driving by were amazing and either honked or shouted out the window (or from their motorcycle) to show support!  The weight was very hard on the back because it was so heavy and would push into my back.  I had towels to pad it but they don't really stand up very well against that much weight.  A mattress on the other hand could have done a much better job!

I was the last person to make it to the top of the hill.  Normally I would have felt discouraged and disappointed but I didn't feel that at all.  I MADE IT!  That was all that mattered.  Many of my teammates came down the hill to meet up with me and offered motivational support.  I only stopped a couple of times for a few seconds to catch my breath.  Not only did I hardly stop, but I also didn't take my inhaler at all tonight.  I can't believe I did it on my own!  As I reached a couple of meters from the top, one of the women put her hand under my backpack to take some of the pressure off of my lower back and then helped me remove the backpack at the very top when I felt like I could barely move.  I cannot express how much everyone means to me.

After we got to the top of the hill, Adrian had us all remove our backpacks and walk futher across a flatter stretch of road.  What an amazing feeling.  He wanted to show us how that weight weighed us down before and how much easier it is now without the weight.  I felt like jelly but walking without that weight sure gave me a bounce in my step!  All of my thoughts about it not being a good idea were tossed out the window.  I feel so empowered now.  I am so glad that weight is gone and never coming back.  Tonight I said goodbye to that weight for good and then burried 6 feet under!

Our workout did not stop there.  We had to do kettlebell swings, push ups and plenty of additional walking.  Now that we were at the top of the hill we had to walk back down but this time without the backpacks.  A lighter back was good but the problem was that this time getting to the bottom only meant going back up again...pushing Adrian's TRUCK!  Yes, as a team we had to PUSH a pick-up truck UP a hill while it had all of our backpacks in it (which added another 400 + pounds to the weight of the truck)!!!

Adrian was careful and drove up the steapest incline so that we wouldn't get hurt.  It was hard but we make a great team.  My parents were there so that my mom could take some photos for me and without knowing, they became our target!  We had to push the truck up to where my father was parked on the side of the road.  Unfortunately my father didn't know that so as we got closer, he would inch forward a little bit.  Luckily, I convinced my mom to run and tell my dad to stop moving!  They did get some amazing photos though. 

After having carried our weight, moving a truck, and walking a couple of kilometers uphill, of course we couldn't possibly be done yet.  We walked back down the hill and then we were loaded back up with the weights again.  To finish off our night we had to carry those backpacks down the road to where all of the cars were parked.  It was flatter but a bit of a distance.  It was such a great workout and I am absolutely exhausted now!  I feel like I could sleep for a week.  I wish I could convince the new Principal to implement nap time at the high school where I work!  I just have to get through one more crazy day at work.  Luckily we have a long weekend this weekend and then I have my infusion to look forward to.

Tuesday morning, right before my infusion, will be my final weigh-in.  I am hoping to make it into the top 3 but having gained some weight two weeks ago I got bumped into 5th place.  We won't know until Tuesday whether I manage to squeeze back up there.  Luckily, because it is a long weekend I am secretly hoping some of the others ahead of me cheat a bit!  I have no plans to go anywhere or do anything that could blow me off-track so I'm glad.  We have also been given the opportunity to participate in a Last Chance Workout on Monday night at Green's Creek (the dreaded tobogan hill from earlier in the program).  There is no way that I am missing out on that!  Not everyone can make it out that night so those of us who do definitely have a bit of an advantage.

On Tuesday we had our fitness test to compare where we started to where we are now.  Tonight we had to face that ugly past by carrying all of that weight all over again.  On Monday we will face our fears and take on Green's Creek one last time during this program.  I really hate that hill but I'm anxious to see what I can do now!

I still have a long way to go but I am very proud of how far I have come.  Take a look at some of my workout photos below to see what losing 35 lbs looks like:

Week 1                                                                           Today

Week 2                                                                           Today

I will be sure to post good "Before" and "After"photos next week after the final weigh in.  That way you can get the full effect!

Goodnight and God bless!!!

The Final Push

We are now only one week away from the final weigh-in.  There was no weigh-in tonight so we are essentially doing it blind for the last week.  I snuck in a weigh-in tonight at home on my Wii beause I've been worried.  I was not pleased with the number but my scale is off from the one at the gym.  I'm trying not to let it bother me and I won't step on it again.  I have got to push so hard right to the end.  My meals will be crutial this week because we only have one more workout left and a long holiday weekend this coming weekend.  Luckily I don't have any major plans for the wekend so it should be easy to stay on target.

Tonight we were a much smaller group at our workout.  There were quite a few people missing so I hope I get to see them one last time on Thursday at our final workout.  Having a smaller group made us easier targets for the trainer to push us extra hard.  Pedro is a very focused trainer and I always find his workouts to be intense, but tonight was absolutely brutal!  I was sure I was going to be sick to my stomch tonight, that's how hard we worked.

We did about 4 different workout routines all back-to-back!  We started out with a nasty cardio "warm-up".  Then we went inside for a fitness test (more on that in a bit).  That was followed by being divided into pairs and groups where we did a circuit of medicine ball slams, weighted balls against a wall and pushing the "sleigh" (a steel frame with two 45kg weights on it).  We had to push the sleigh 100 meters (50 x2) across the parking lot in pairs.  Luckily one of the awesome friends I've made in the program has been my saviour.  She paired with me even knowing I'm, what I call, the weak link.  I pushed so hard and as fast as I could!  When we'd hit some rocks and get stuck a moment she would push even harder and even push my side as well as hers to get us going again, without getting upset with me.  She is such a great friend and teammate!  After that circuit we went inside to "play a game".  Let me just say, it wasn't a fun game.  It's was alot like hot potato but sitting in a "v" for an ab workout and the "potato" weighed about 15-20 lbs!

Now to explain the fitness test...

Around our second week of Biggest Loser Ottawa we did a fitness test.  We had to do 100 each of sit-ups, squats, inverted rows and push-ups.  I do a slightly modified version of the inverted rows, crunches rather than full sit-ups and my push-ups are still on the wall rather than the floor.  These modifications are done because of my joints (except for the crunches which are just because full sit-ups are too difficult with a belly in the way)!  We can do the exercises in any order and as many reps as we choose.  We simply have to complete 100 of each by the end.  This is all done while we are timed. My initial time was 19 minutes and 50 seconds a couple of months ago and at that point I was one of the first to finish.  Tonight we did it as a comparison to see how far we have come from where we were.  My time tonight was exactly 13 minutes!  I shaved almost 8 minutes off of my time.  Amazing!

I feel amazing because we had such an intense workout.  It makes me feel better about my final weigh-in coming up.  However, for the first time since starting the program, I feel like I overdid it tonight.  My joints were very sore and flaring before walking into the gym.  I often feel stiff and worse on Monday nights or Tuesday mornings because that is the longest time I go without a workout.  Tonight though, I feel worse now than when I walked into the gym.  There is a difference between good sore and bad sore.  Yes, I have some "good sore" but I also have the "bad sore".  I am having trouble lifting my arms because of my shoulders.  I am having trouble straightening my right arm because of my elbow.  My fingers are stiff and swollen.  My feet and knees are hot and painful.  To explain it better, if things don't improve tonight I may not be able to brush my own hair in the morning or I may have trouble dressing myself.  Hopefully things will improve after I get some rest.

I also did one other thing tonight...I recorded my video for the voting to get into Biggest Loser Ottawa #3.  The voting will begin next week!  I've been told that voting may begin on Monday so keep your eyes and ears open.  Without winning this time, I would be lost!  I have so far to go mentally and physically.  I will need your help to get literally hundreds of votes.  You have all been so amazing.  The feedback I have received about my journey has been so overwhelming.  I will post the link as soon as it is available online...

Goodnight and God bless!