It’s been a good week.
Since starting this journey 44 weeks ago, I’ve officially dropped 40lbs. In the process, I know I’ve also gained quite a bit of muscle mass, too. Here’s the most important thing: I’ve learned that the weight number is just that…a number. Yes, I’m ecstatic I’ve hit this milestone and it definitely motivates me to keep going – but if we’re comparing other times in my life where I’ve lost weight (though never this much!) I can tell you that there is one, very distinct difference at play: I feel stronger on the inside. This could be the powerlifting or it could be the countless hours I’ve spent on my therapist’s couch…who knows. Most likely it’s a combination of the two. It’s taken 44 weeks…the better part of a year…but I’m here. It’s such a new place to be for me, and I’m not sure how to put it into words. So many times in my life I had thought about starting a workout regimen or a new eating plan, and, I’d do it for a few weeks only to give up. Then, I’d find myself months later thinking, “if you would have kept with it, you’d be so successful by now.” Ugh. Self sabotage. There is something to be said about being surrounded by a community, made up of folks on their own paths to health and fitness, to keep you motivated through support, friendship, and accountability. To know my pal Hannah P is going to the 6:30 class makes me show up to hang out with her. Knowing the Saturday 9am crew expects my presence gets my rear end out of bed. Hilarious texts, Facebook messages, and even our own Solcana CrossFit Homies group on Facebook fosters all of this. I’m in it, I’m a part of it, and the results don’t lie.
Here’s something crazy, too: I managed to hit the gym for a record 6 days last week. THERE ARE ONLY SEVEN DAYS PER WEEK. This is a huge contrast to my prior post where I had only made it in twice, but after a chat with Coach Hannah about the new olympic weightlifting progression we will be starting in the next couple of weeks and decided I’d really like to get more comfortable with those. Last week, I had the privilege of working out with Coach Hannah when testing our 1RM (one rep max) split jerks. Meaning, she saw my form and told me that it looked “…good…” but, it was obvious I wasn’t super comfortable with it, so I should plan on coming more in this next progression. I had a 1RM of 115# which is awesome considering I started the progression in January doing 65#. So, yes. My new goal is to hit the gym a minimum of 5 days a week. As for that 6th day? Yoga.
Yoga.
I use to say, “Nah, I’m a stay in bed” but after last Sunday’s 10am yoga class with Sally, I just have to embrace my inner alasya and FULL ON NAMASTE. (p.s. I’m really sorry for that terrible joke, but my name is Jenn and I am a comedian and you can see me perform in town this week Friday and Saturday INFO HERE). Up until now, I really protected my Sunday mornings because it was the one day of the week I didn’t have to be anywhere or do anything and I need that to keep my sanity. I’ve been experiencing lots of stress lately, though, and have started treatment with the ever wonderful Amy Kuretsky of Amy K Acupuncture which has really helped me feel more centered and in tune with my body. If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting Amy K, you know that she is so calm, so warm, and so grounded. She really inspired me to try yoga as an extension of the work we do, and I’m grateful. There is something really wonderful about stretching and breathing and opening my heart to yoga that just really seemed to set the rest of my Sunday on the right path. So, I’m a convert. This couldn’t come at a better time since Solcana Yoga just launched yesterday – four yoga classes each week!
The weather is also…obviously…getting warmer. This is fantastic. In fact, I didn’t even wear a jacket to work today! At the gym, this means we’re gearing up for running season – whether that means for warmup or for the metcon (metabolic conditionting) and I’ve been nervous. You might remember that we ended “running season” last year – after Saturday upon Saturday upon Saturday of conditioning – by running a 5k. And, I did that. But I haven’t run since, so, you can imagine how excited I was to lace up my shoes last night when Coach Jake told me we had to run for our warm up. Granted, it was only a 400m jog. You guys. I had no idea how this was going to go because my brain immediately launched into crisis mode. “RUNNING OMGAH. I COULD NOT RUN 400M LAST YEAR REMEMBER HOW HARD IT WAS NOW YOU HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN JENN YOU PROBABLY CAN’T OH GOD YOU DIDN’T EVEN BRING YOUR INHALER TODAY.” – my brain. And then I did it. Without stopping. I WAS ALSO STILL BREATHING. I mean, I even carried a conversation while running with Hannah P and Colleen…showing once again the progress I’ve made both mentally and physically.
I’ll take it.
It’s been a good week.