January 12, 2011 - Boot Camp Day 5: My New Posse Member

Hi All,

For those new to my blog, you may not realize that in order to get and stay healthy I formed an army (sometimes referred to as my posse) to assist me in accomplishing what is required to lose weight and get healthier. My posse is quite large, but at certain points in time I add members or occasionally kick members to the curb. All posse members have differing skills and motivational tools that keep me on track.

Today I am going to focus on Portia and Tod.

 Portia

Since Portia has a vested interest in if I win this struggle, and the fact that she likes having control, certain rules for my life were put in place as part of the Indy’s Biggest Loser at Indy Boot Camps. The rules are documented on a post-it in Portia’s cube, in her poor penmanship.

Much like when I first started losing weight, I am focused on gaining gems (see My Cup Runneth Over). These gems are actually plastic balls, but the fake stuff is quite lovely!

 I gain a gem when I do any of the following (all rules are subject change without notification):

• In the office before 9:00 AM.
• Attend Boot Camp.
• Bring my lunch (and eat it) to work.
• Each pound lost.
• Each ½ percent body fat lost.
• Have no fast food that day.
• Attend a personal training session. 

I lose a gem when I do any of the following:

• Drink a Diet Coke
• If I am in the office after 9:30 AM.
• Go to bed after 10:00 PM.

I have no idea why I am accumulating the gems, but arguing over whether I earned gems is a pleasurable pastime. Portia sure does like to be right!

Tod

Tod. Poor Tod. He did not know what he got himself into when he asked me to write about my experience at Indy Boot Camps. He was not quite aware how snarky I can be. I also love to take out my aggressions on my posse members. It is MY posse after all. LOL! Fortunately, I have only threatened to kick Tod once. Come on! I KNOW he can do a pull-up! Sheesh…

In reality, Tod is the reason I like Indy Boot Camps. He is motivational without being pushy. Tod knows just about how hard an individual troop member can work, but also if the troop member is slacking. I have pushed myself a little harder than I have in quite awhile. I also have never felt that just because a certain drill is beyond my capabilities that I am an idiot. Priceless!

Soooo…

Welcome Tod. You are the newest posse member! For better….or worse.

Til Tomorrow,

Kristi
Published to http://kristiasher.blogspot.com

January 10, 2011 - Boot Camp Day 4: Music and Boot Camp

Hello All,

I woke up this morning ready to rock it at Indy Boot Camps. On the way there I listened to my favorite songs and two songs I consider motivating. "Fat Bottomed Girls" from Queen and the polka hit; "She's Too Fat for Me" both make me giggle. 

When I got to Indy Boot Camps, Tod was playing a rendition of Ricky Martin's; "Livin' La Vida Loca." Of course, this is one of the songs I played on the way to Indy this morning because how can you not wake up when listening to the beat of that song?

Today I struggled  after about 40 minutes of Boot Camp. The room began to spin for some reason (could be lack of sleep), but the best thing to do is push through it. However, I was a bit discouraged because I thought the second week was supposed to be easier. At one point I fell to my knees (bruising my knee). The frustration lasted for the rest of the class. I did get excited when I checked my heart rate monitor in the car and noticed it documented that I burned 790 calories today!  Woot! Woot!

Guess what song was playing when I turned on the car...The Grateful Dead's; "Touch of Grey."

Sing it with me now!

"It's alright
I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive"

Quite appropriate...

Til Wednesday,
Kristi
Published to http://kristiasher.blogspot.com

January 7, 2011 - Boot Camp Day 3: Transformations

 Hi All,

I notice in my Indy Boot Camp sessions that the individuals attending are from all walks of life. There are moms, dads, blue collar, white collar, unemployed, young, and forever young troop members. We unite for one purpose - to transform. The quest may involve the desire to look even more stunning for a wedding, to fit into a size 8, to just plain feel better, or to keep up with the children. 

I envy Tod, of Indy Boot Camp, for getting to see the changes and excitement that take place when a troop member completes a round of crunches for the first time or finally completes a full pull-up. I do not envy Tod for watching when occassionally a disappointed troop member does not make it to complete the month. Sometimes, in any aspect of life we quit when true change is just around the corner.

Today, I make the commitment to stick with the Indy Boot Camp sessions no matter obstacles may discourage me. When I am at my most frustrated I will lean on my troop members for support. I ask that my fellow troop members depend on me when they feel they cannot do one more crunch or those daggone pull-ups. We are in this together. I promise we will enjoy watching each other truly transform both physically and mentally. For change truly comes from the struggle to reach it.

Til Monday,
Kristi

January 5, 2011 – Boot Camp Day 2: Indy’s Biggest Loser

Hello All!


I did make it to Boot Camp at Indy Boot Camps again this morning. I know it is hard to believe, but it actually has been relatively easy to get out of bed this week. O f course, getting ready for Sleepy Town at 8:00PM does help! Soon I will be hitting up restaurants for the 4:00PM early bird suppers.

As I mentioned on Monday, I signed up for the Indy’s Biggest Loser contest offered through, and as part of, Indy Boot Camps. It was on a lark that I decided to sign up for the competition. Basically, I followed the mantra “in for a penny, in for a pound.” However, I did not want to spend a pound.

So….I devised a plan.

My longtime blog readers will remember that as part of accomplishing the first Half Marathon I had people pledge to their favorite charity any dollar amount they wanted, but they had to tell me first. In the end I had over 1000 dollars pledged. The reason I did this was to create an insurance plan to finish the Mini Marathon. I had people “counting” on me to finish. Therefore, I was going to finish the half marathon no matter what happened.

On Monday, I had the same anxiety. I needed a motivation to complete, and compete in, the Indy’s Biggest Loser competition. The competition requires a 90 day commitment which is thirty-six 6:00AM boot camp sessions! DID YOU HEAR ME?!?! THIRTY-SIX days over the next 3 months I am to be out of the house by 5:15 AM, at the latest.

Portia was called in to assist. Through much negotiation and selling of my soul to Portia she agreed to the following (my entire original plan that was presented persuasively):

-She paid for the Indy's Biggest Loser competition and the remaining Indy Boot Camp classes.

-After I win, proceeds will be donated to the program Girls On the Run. If I do not win, I have to hand over the money for the competition from MY OWN MONEY!

So….

The next three months of my life are now owned by (not just working hours, but my whole life) by my employer….

If you are also competing in Indy’s Biggest Loser please send me your name and address. As a gesture of camaraderie, I will sign you up for a Dessert of the Week Club (my treat)!


Til Tomorrow,
Kristi

Published to http://kristiasher.blogspot.com