Still Going

If anyone is still following this....

I am still doing well. I kept it up until school let out for summer. But, I have managed to maintain during that time. Now that school has started back, I have started back to the gym. It was easier than I thought it would be, to get back into it. I just did cardio this week. Next week I will get back into the weights. I know I will experience all that soreness again. But am looking forward to it.

The End of the Competition

It has been a blessing to have been a part of this competition. I have learned so much. There are no excuses now. If I slip back into my old lifestyle, and become unhealthy again, I have no one to blame, but myself. I cannot use ignorance as a crutch either. I have the tools and knowledge. I also have a few workout buddies, so there goes that excuse, too.

I am very happy with my results to this point. We have worked so hard, and it paid off big time. I have seen my teammates after pic's, and they are amazing!!!! I said I had tried everything before and was unsuccessful. Obviously, I never truly changed my lifestyle.

It has been tough at times. Was it too hard to workout or eat the way I should.....no. It just takes being ready to put some effort into it. The hard part was to put other things on the "back burner" while I took the time to do something for me. It would have been so easy to put off a workout to get caught up on laundry, wash dishes, mop, etc. Who am I kidding, it wasn't that hard. I started to enjoy working out. Eating healthy was more of a challenge. There were so many temptations. I was able to resist most of them. I did have pizza twice and Girl Scout cookies. Moderation is key.

It all comes down to this..... I know I will succeed. I have already. This is not the end, though. It will be a lifelong journey. I have made some great friends along the way, too. I didn't experience any sadness when the competition ended, like I thought I would. Probably because not much will change. I will continue to workout. I will see my teammates, who will also be working out. We will stay in touch, no matter what. It is amazing how bonded you get with people while doing something like this. I have to say, I know some things about my teammates that would be considered TMI. I am sure that Mike will occasionally pass by while I am working out and throw out one of his famous "mikeisms". I will probably hear them in my head anyway. I think they are embedded in my brain.

I can not thank Kduv and In Shape enough. I am truly grateful for this opportunity. My teammates and our trainer Mike are just as responsible for my success as I am. I wouldn't have been able to do it without them. You guys are the best!!! Thanks also to my friends and family for their encouragement and support.

Thank you Almighty for the strength to endure.

I will admit, when I compared my before and after pictures.... I cried. When they are posted, you will see why. I am very happy to have made it to the top 5. If that is as far as I make it, so be it. I never thought I would get this far. We will see what Thursdays results bring.

As I said before, this is not the end. I'll keep you posted.......

The End Is Near...

Slowly but surely, I am making my way to the top.



I thought 1st place was mine. At least, that's what I was told this morning when I got the call. Then, I got another call. They had found a mistake in the #'s, so it put me in 2nd. Kari felt really bad, but I told her they will be calling me in two weeks to tell me I am in first place again. That is the one that counts. I am very optimistic. I was supposed to be in second place at the last elimination. There was another mistake with the #'s. I lost 2.5% body fat instead of 1.5%. That was a difference of 7 points, which would have put me at 32 points total for 2nd place. I think I am going to buy Jason a calculator:) Anyway, the next elimination is the most important one. Kari and Dale will be calling me again, and there will be no mistake. I am slightly competitive, in case you haven't noticed;)



I have learned a lot through this challenge. One of the major things is to trust in others. I have to say, in the beginning, I thought my trainer didn't know what he was talking about. (He is rather young) A lot of things he told us were opposite of what I thought to be true. But, I decided to trust in him. I noticed the other contestants talking about how long they were working out for, how many days a week they worked out, and how many times a day they worked out. I worried that we were going to fall behind. I voiced my concerns, and Mike assured me that if I stayed the course it would all workout in the long run. What do you know.....he was right. We have kicked into overdrive. There is no stopping us now.



Cyndi and I worked out together all week, over Easter break. It really paid off. We pushed each other, and had quite a few laughs. I don't know how many times we almost drowned in the pool last night. Who knew how hard it was to laugh and swim at the same time?! I think I might have a future in commercials. lol. Mike had made a comment about how much the two of us talk and mess around, but towards the end of our workouts on our group days we got less talkative. (Because we were gasping for air!!!) Despite Mike's efforts for us to be serious, we have proven that you can workout hard and still have fun in the process. We have even got Mike to laugh a couple of times. That was a challenge in itself.



I will let you all know that Cyndi and I will be taking 1st and 2nd place for the last elimination. Hanford will take this competition. Sorry, I haven't done much trash talking, so I figured I would get it in now.



To my husband, who told me in the beginning, if I win this he would get me a new car(neither one of us thought I would make it passed the 2nd elimination)......start shoppin'!!!!!

Look Out Ashley!!!!

I did it! I'm still in! I heard this morning that I am in 4th place. Wow! On one hand, it's a great thing, on the other, I know that our group days are going to be that much more intense. There are only two of us left, so Mike will be able to keep an eye on us at all times. I can only imagine to torturous things he is cooking up in his demented little head for us. He mentioned tears when we started, and I was a little confused(I know, easily done). I have a feeling it will all become clear to me come Saturday. But, hey, it's working, right! So what am I complaining about? I have seen amazing result in such a short time. This experience has been a blessing, and life changing. I am so appreciative of this opportunity.

Jennifer, I know you will achieve your goals! You work so hard. I know it has been tough with school and working out, but don't fall off the wagon. We all know how hard it is to get back on, so don't get off and there will be no worries. There is no stopping you now. I will be looking forward to continuing our workouts together.

The only other thing I have to say is, look out Ashley! I'm coming for your spot, #1! My youngest really wants that ipod touch. lol. I have a renewed energy. I can see the finish. I notice a big difference in my body, and so can everyone else.

In Mike's words "Failure is not an option!" Thanks for your hard work and laying awake at night thinking of new ways to make us hurt. But, remember how important sleep is!!

To everyone reading this, please pray for Cyndi and I in the weeks to come. I know it will become more difficult the longer we are in this. This has not been a piece of cake, by any means. However, all the work is so worth it. I am proud of my team, as well as the others, for all we have accomplished, so far.

This journey continues.....

Another Week Down

It's been a tough week, but it was worth getting to Saturday. Mike continued to torture us for our group workout. If you have never heard of "boot straps" consider yourself lucky. If someone mentions them, run away. We did get some revenge of sorts though. One of our "stations" was throwing blows at Mike. I have to admit, I enjoyed it a little too much. It was great to get some frustrations out. We missed you Kim. Don't worry, we didn't have to do 8 counts.

Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough. I am nervous, again, about this elimination round. My results were good, but I'm not sure if they were good enough. I lost lbs. and inches, but not much body fat. I was slightly disappointed. But I did my best, that's all I can do. You can see the difference in all of us every week. Our results are amazing!!! If it wasn't for this being a competition, I would be elated about my progress. There are quite a few people doing a lot better than me. I take that back, I am very pleased with my progress. I have never seen results like this with anything else I have tried. So personally, I am doing great, and that is all I need to focus on. Wow, I feel like I should pay someone $150.00 an hour for that session. ;0)

Whatever happens, I will continue this after my time in the competition. Probably at a more gradual pace though.

This is hard work!!!!

I know, no one said it was going to be easy. It really is a lot of work. I guess that is why there are so many Americans that are overweight. Soon, I will not be one of them! I was checking myself out in the mirror today, and was pretty proud of what I saw. Don't worry, I haven't become one of those people who check themselves out all the time. Honestly, I try to avoid glancing in the mirror. I know that all this work is paying off. It's the only thing that keeps me going. Well, that and my insane competitiveness. lol.

All in all, it is so worth it. The accelerated results help motivate, but I am so glad I signed up for this. Even though I may whine about it sometimes, I am so grateful for this opportunity. I wonder why I haven't been successful before, when I have tried to get into shape. I think I just didn't know what I was doing. It is so worth it to have a personal trainer. I wouldn't be able to afford one on my own, but the knowledge it a vital part of putting it all together.

Our group day was crazy exhausting. Every week, I think, wow, it can only get better after this. And every week, Mike kicks it up a notch(or two). I asked him where he comes up with this torture he calls exercise. He just chuckles. Cyndi said he lays awake at night thinking of ways to kill us. He went with that. I don't know where it came from, but we pounded it out. All the girls did awesome. I learned it is a lot easier to jump rope on a basketball court than on carpet. I cranked out 50 sit ups in record time for me. I don't recall doing 50 sit ups at one time, in my life. When we started I was not even able to do one. I was also reminded of why I didn't like doing "suicides" in basketball conditioning.

I ran into Jenn at the gym and we worked out together. It was great! I haven't been able to workout with anyone. I go in the morning and my teammates mostly go in the evenings. It was a good change of pace. I enjoyed the company and worked harder than I probably would have on my own. We busted through some hard stuff. It is so great to see the changes in each other, in appearance and strength.

I tried group cycling this week. I did one class on Thursday and then met Cyndi and Mike at 5:30am on Friday for another. It was worth getting up that early, just to see Mike sweat for a change! lol. I saw Cyndi's head bobbing a few times, so I knew she was still moving. It wasn't as bad as Joe made it out to be. I would take a cycling class over our group session, any day.

I am looking forward to this weeks weigh in. It will be rewarding to see how the hard work is paying off. One more workout day to go. Better make it count! It's late and I am tired, so it's off to bed for me. Hope this made sense.

I can breath, a little....

Okay, the first elimination is out of the way. And I'm still here!!!!! I will admit I was feeling pretty good about my progress until.....we saw everyone's results. I am tied for 12th. WHAT?! All that work and such a difference in my body and health and that's where I land?! Don't get me wrong, I am very proud of myself. But, I am way too competitive to let that go. I don't know how I can do more, but it will come from somewhere. This is unacceptable!!!! My inches and body fat % were great, but those lbs. that's what got me. I know I have built muscle that's why my number wasn't as high. Again, I can live with that. I am not focused on the lbs., just how I feel and how my body is looking.

It was a sad day on Monday when we heard the names announced of the eliminated team members. I have to say I cried when I heard Jen's name. Then I cried again, when I found out Hillary gave up her spot to Jennifer. We will miss your smiling face and cheerfulness. Then I thought, it's okay, we will all continue in this journey no matter how long we stay in the competition. We have the tools and knowledge to get it accomplished, just without the pressure. lol. I want to stay in as long as I can, because I learn new things every week.

This week has been tough so far. Monday and Tuesday it was a fight to get through my cardio. Today I prayed through it for strength. You know what happened? I made it!!!! Why do I sound surprised? I thought it was a silly thing to ask God for. However, I learned 'God will supply ALL my needs', no matter how small or insignificant in the grand scheme of life. (Something else I learned this week!)

I will keep following your progress Hillary. Keep up the good work!!!!! You are such an generous and awesome person!