Personal Training NYC ClientA

Okay, so at long last I have finally joined the yoga bandwagon. I never thought that I would, but now I am definitely into it. I think that I was so reluctant before because yoga is actually really, really hard. It isn’t like a spin class where you might be tired and loosen up form, but you can almost get distracted by the music and you’re gauranteed that you’ll sweat and be able to check your cardio off for the day. Yoga is not like that.

It is pure concentration, making sure that you are perfectly lined up and doing even the smallest things right because if you don’t you will literally topple over. On top of that, I’m not and never have been particularly flexible. I did used to be in good shape when I was younger so that stuff isn’t particularly new, it is about getting it back, as my body remembers what certain actions felt like. With yoga, I’ve just flat out never done any of this sort of thing before so it makes things tremendously harder. I mean even a basic downward dog was painful!

However, a few things have gotten me hooked. First, now that I am learning the basic poses and movements that the harder ones are built on, I think to myself, ‘Wow, I want to be able to do that.’ I see people using their body to do all these cool things and I know that while I can’t do them right now, maybe if I work hard enough I will be able to do them eventually. For instance, Terri showed me the first step toward being able to do the bridge pose. Let me tell you, the first step is not easy, in fact it is actually very hard because there are so many different pieces you have to constantly be thinking about and you are continually making adjustments. However, I eventually want to be able to do the bridge. I want to get my body to do things its never done and that frankly, I didn’t I could ever do.

Yoga is just one of those things that you can constantly work at and towards. I mean, as little as it is, it feels great that I can finally get my heels all the way down on the floor in downward dog. That is something so small, but it is also something I can do now that I couldn’t do before. I know that all these little successes will eventually get me to the point where I can do all sorts of interesting moves and poses.

I’ve said it before, but working out and pushing myself just to look good or fit into some pair of pants can wear a bit thin. I think in the place I am right now, those sort of goals just aren’t motivating me. Yoga finally has me mentally engaged again. It is challenging me. I want to be able to do things that I can’t right now, so I have to get more flexible and stronger. As that happens I will get more fit and look better, however, for the first time those aren’t my primary goals, they are just byproducts of me trying to rise to these new challengs.

So many of these thoughts are things Terri has told me before, but while I heard her, I just wasn’t ready or capable of understanding how to shift these priorities. She is more than welcome to tell me she told me so, as long as she keeps helping me work toward that bridge!

Okay, so I faced it, I have gained six pounds. This is not the end of the world. I mean, it seemed like it a few days ago, but since then I have gotten back on track and feel like it will only be a short time before I shed those measly pounds. I worked out both Monday and Tuesday and actually lifted on my own. It has been ages since I’ve done that, but I really pushed myself and have the resulting soreness today to prove it.

I’ve also been taking care to eat a lot better too. It was 4th of July weekend, so I didn’t create any ridiculous and overzealous rules for myself. I was realistic and set eating goals I could achieve and feel good about, because god knows, I was on a slippery slope and setting myself up for failure would have been disastrous. Now I feel much more in control of things and that I’ve gotten myself back on track.

It really is funny, though, what a difference a couple of work outs makes. I know that working out two days in a row and eating better isn’t going to magically take off the recent weight I’ve gained, but it has put my head in the place it needs to be. I mean, I was walking around the city the other day in this cute dress, but all I could think off was how awful I felt and how upset I was that I had let myself slide back. I can honestly say that I felt horrible about myself and was mentally getting to a place where I hadn’t been in months and a place I never wanted to be again. So really, it isn’t the six pounds, tighter pants or an extra roll on my tummy that is motivating me. It is the fact that I really just get so unhappy when I’m not in control of my weight. I lose all confidence, I don’t want to talk to anyone, I don’t even want anyone to see me. It truly is miserable. I’m just too young to waste so much time being unhappy about something I can actually control. So anyway, that is my motivation and anytime I don’t feel like going to the gym or eating a second helping of anything I need to remember I’m making a choice- and I choose to be happy.

So I went to a work event last night and got a rocket size load of inspiration and motivation by the ridiculously flat and toned abs of Beyonce. I was standing about three feet away from her during her entire concert at this charity event and all I have to say is that she looked amazing. Her legs were completely toned and when she did her signature booty shake, let’s just say, there wasn’t much shaking. Her stomach looked rock hard, but still looked feminine and sexy. All I can really say is, “wow!”

However, pretty much all celebrities have pretty fantastic figures, but for some reason seeing Beyonce looking so fit really inspired me. I think she comes across as a person that isn’t just genetically blessed (I mean aside from a beautiful face and incredible voice, that is). It looks like she really does have to work out and made the right choices to have a body like that. As fit and toned as she looked on stage, there is no way she has achieved that without many long, hard hours in the gym. Sure, it is almost her job to look good, but the point is that she has to work at it and she has been working at it. It is by far the best I think she’s ever looked. Just by seeing her, it made me really want to push myself harder and start getting closer to my best. I know that I have improved my body and my overall fitness a bunch over this past year, but there is so much more I can do. There is so much more progress I can make. Sometimes you just need a very visual and blatant reminder of what it is you are working toward.

So basically, I want those killer abs and I realize that now, thanks to these months training with Terri, I can asnwer the How? Thanks to Beyonce, though, I can remember the Why?

Measurement day. This really can be the best or worst part of this whole process. I remember fondly my first time, at the end of my first set of sessions. I was so excited to get measured because I jsut knew that I had made progress, I could already see it on my body and I just couldn’t wait to get validated. I had worked really hard and I was ready to hear my results.

That first time was great. To hear about the inches I had lost made me even more motivated to keep going. It was like, “hey, this actually works!” I was so excited.

Fast forward a few months.

The good news is as you keep training with Terri you get in better shape and have less to lose. The bad news is, having less to lose makes it that much harder.

I remember my third measurement. I hadn’t been working out as much, it was around the holidays, etc. Basically, I already knew it wasn’t going to be good, but I still had that glimmer of pipedream hope that miraculously I would have lost all this weight. Stupid, I know, especially since it made it that much more crushing when my measurements pretty much came in as I knew they should. I was miserable. Sure, I still lost and any rational person would have been happy about any progress, but no, I was borderline hysterical. Why? Probably because even though I’m not an obese person I still want those Biggest Loser results. Realistic? Well of course not, but then that’s not the point.

This is when Terri is at her best. She knows how to bring you back to reality. SHe made me realize that progress is good, and huge, unrealistic numbers aren’t putting you on the path to life changing progress. Quick downs, quick ups. Of course, we all know this, I mean it isn’t rocket science, but sometimes having someone tell you things, and forcefully, can finally make you listen and accept.

So for this weigh in I’m nervous. I’ve already seen the progress or really lack of it for the past few weeks and I’m actually scared I might have taken a step back. At this point I just want to get it over with so I can see and know, yes, you ate too much cake and you didn’t make any progress, let’s move on now. Sometimes it’s the waiting taht will kill you.

I’ll let you know how it goes. Hopefully, by the time I write again, I will have gotten my token, “it’s all so hard, I’ll never be thin, life is unfair” whine and cry out of my system…

posted by Flab to Fab at Monday, May 01, 2006