Day 235 - Tuesday at the Biggest Loser Resort Niagara!

Wow am I tired.  I thought I was exhausted after two hours of exercise.  Two days of 6 hours – I can’t even begin to describe the feeling.  I ache all over now, and hate to think what the morning is going to bring.  But, it’s actually kinda fun, and I am so proud of myself for what I was able to do today.  I’ll do a brief summary, but probably not as detailed as yesterday.

 6 am – Stretch class  -  If I could start every day with a 45 minute stretch class, life would be good.  She had the lights out; we were lying on the mats for a large part of class; and left for breakfast feeling less sore and ready to face the day.  Definite highlight of the day.

7 am – Breakfast – Yummy

8 am – First Chance Workout – This one was interesting.  The class was divided into two groups.  One group did exercises on the step (with one riser) and the other half used a bosu.  Then we switched.  It was 2 minutes at a time of intense exercise, with about 30 seconds of recovery in between.  The water breaks sprinkled through the class were wonderful. 

9 am – Cardio Intervals – This was a killer class.  We picked a machine and did huge intervals on it.  I decided to go with the elliptical.  Betty was great.  She knows I have problems with my knees, so she let me increase in smaller increments, and bump the intensity with speed.  So, I was able to follow along with all the intervals, get a wonderful workout, AND not get hurt.  At the end of the intervals, we all did a minute with the ropes.  After it was my turn I got the brilliant idea that I should have asked someone to video it for me.  So, I did it again.  If I can figure out how to post the video, I will.  The bad thing is I was already tired the second time, so I didn’t do as well.  But, it will definitely give you the idea!

Snack break!

10:30  - Choice of Stretch, Pool or Cinco Speed.  I chose stretch.  After the intensity of the first two classes, I just wasn’t up for another cardio class.  The stretch class was great.  I love how she mixed motivation in with the stretches.  Definitely a good choice!

11:45 – Lunch!

12:45 – Lecture – The Facts of Weight Loss  This was a good lecture.  It focused on sleep, digestion, and stress.  Not a whole lot I didn’t know already, but definitely a good use of time.

2 pm – Outdoor TOC Hike – TOC stands for trainer obstacle challenge.  The hike was all on paved trails, and most were clear of snow.  That was a big relief.  But, the obstacles were really, really challenging.  The hardest was a climb to the top of ‘Betty’s Hill’ that we had to do five times.  Some people walked up, some ran, and some carried Betty on their back.  I’d love to be able to do that one day!  The rest of the obstacles were more traditional – push ups, dips, weight bar presses/curles, squats, jumping jacks, crunches, etc.  After the hike was over I was dead. It was a good thing next up was a snack break!

3:30 – Total Body H2O – This was a great water class.  Lots of stuff that you would find in a typical water aerobics class, but some things that were more challenging.  We had a contest at the end to see who could swim the furthest underwater.  The winner got to be done and go to the hot tub.  The rest of us broke into two teams and had to collect dive rings from the opposite end of the pool.  Each ring had a number and the team with the highest total number was done next.  The losing team had to walk a long lap, and then they were done.  Another great class!  (Oh yeah, and the hot tub was wonderful)

4:45 – Lecture – Intuitive Eating.  This class had some good suggestions on how to deal with the various ways we eat, and how to be more in tune with our true hunger, and to really enjoy each meal.  It was definitely good.  What I got out of it the most was the HALT method.  If you are reaching or a snack, ask yourself these questions:  Are you HUNGRY?  Are you ANGRY?  Are you LONELY?  Are you tired?  Unless you’re actually hungry, walk away from the snack!

After that was dinner and free time.  Now, I’m just finishing this blog and getting ready for bed.  Tomorrow is going to be another long day.  There is a two hour hike in the afternoon.  I’m dreading that!

But, once again, I am so proud of myself for making it through the day.  This is so much more of a challenge than I have ever attempted before.  And, it’s not all physical.  So much of it is the mental game of pushing yourself just a little harder.  I have found that I really am stubborn.  Once I start something, I really don’t want to give up.  Before, I never would have started some of the things I’ve tried here.  Here, I just do it.  There are always modifications, if needed, but I do it.  I want to be someone who tries things, figures them out, and does the best she can.  That is a great lesson to take home with me.