A Year of Athleticism

A particular good day at the gym

Last year, as part of my movement to build my habits, I created some monthly goals to really push the best out of myself. August was Athletic August and I had a serious of things I wanted to focus on over the course of the month:

• Do 30 burpees a day
• Do Pull-ups 
• Work out every day of the month
• Show a noticeable increase in the things I do already
• Try to do well on my kickball league
• Take advantage of promotional month at a gym we'd been wanting to try

For the most part, it all went really well. Nothing was perfect but it was probably an A- (except pull ups - anything that ends in "up" is still the bane of my existence). 

The biggest thing though - was that it didn't end when August ended. I used the month as a jumping off point for a whole lifestyle centered around fitness.

AND GUESS WHAT - I had the foresight to take a picture of how I looked on August 1st 2017!!!!

8/1/17

Honestly, not too shabby. To be really real here - I wasn't out of shape when I started this project. I was already going to the gym about 3 days a week and going on a hike or walk another 2. So 5 times a week, I was doing something active. I ate healthy. I was skinny. For most people, this was already goals.

But I had bigger goals. I always wanted to get the Spartan Trifecta. It went on and off so many resolution lists. I wanted to be better at things - faster, lift heavier, climb harder climbs, have more endurance. Athletic August wasn't about being really awesome for a month - it was about making a habit of fitness so that it was easy to keep it all going.

So here's where we are a year later!!

8/1/18

It's probably hard to notice a lot of differences but I can definitely tell. There's more muscle definition, I'm standing more confidently, I love the shape of my arms, and, most importantly, my clothes still fit. My goals have never been to lose a ton of weight - I always wanted to just build muscle, but it goes both ways. You can work out a lot without becoming stick thin or turning into a hulk. Those things take a lot of focused effort. You can exercise and still look feminine.

But that's not all! Obviously people work out to be really sexy, but like I said, I already started out fit. Changing my looks wasn't my main goal and frankly, it's not the main thing I got out of this.

So here are all of the other things I've learned or accomplished from my year of fitness.

Actually Work Out Everyday - OR MORE!

We even workout on vacation! - like once

In the lead up to the Spartan Beast, I really wanted to push my fitness to the max as well as challenge my endurance (it was a half marathon length obstacle race after all). I really wanted to try to get to the gym or do something every day. Some days I'd come home from the gym and still have energy so I'd pop on a workout video that was more cardio and stack my workout. That would give me two hours of high intensity fitness time.

By the last few weeks I was doing 12-14 workouts a week and just feeling like an actual beast. I'm sure I should have taken more rest in there. Some of the second workouts were yoga or walks so it wasn't all craziness. I'd also take it easier if I felt like my body was actually maxed out.

Stay at the Gym We Tested

I mentioned that we did a 30 day gym trial that August. Well, near the end of that month, we decided to sign up for a 6 month membership... which then rolled into another 6 months. We're pretty regular fixtures at the gym now and the owner jokes that we're on the lifetime membership plan. We've made a bunch of friends at some of the regular classes we attend, participated in competitions with them, and are part of their obstacle racing team. When we don't show up for a few days, they ask where we've been (which is actually tricky when "No Excuses" is in the name of the gym). It's nice to mix something I love with a sense of community and having my fitfam has been a big positive presence in my life.

Do What You Love

For the longest time, that was rock climbing for me. I did it because it was fun and I never took myself too seriously. I would constantly learn things and slowly improve but mostly I liked the level I was at because I enjoyed those climbs.

However, over time, I noticed that the climbing community isn't ok with that. I constantly felt pressure to be more and do more. If I didn't jump on the extra climbing wagon, I was left behind and made to feel less than because climbing wasn't my whole life. It finally came to a head when someone actually told me that I couldn't possibly know something about climbing that they didn't because it wasn't my number 1 hobby. That definitely began a lot of reflection for me and I realized that after joining NXPT and feeling a really supportive gym community, it made the lack of that in the climbing world glaring to me. I wasn't excited about doing something where I constantly felt judged or like I could never give it enough. It wasn't fun anymore and after almost a decade, I decided to no longer be a rock climber.

I like being in a community where we hold each other up

 Hit a Wall and Climb Over It

At some point, in the beginning of this year, I was worried I was hitting a wall. I knew I hadn't reached my max potential but I felt like things I'd been working on for months were still challenging. I mentioned it to one of the trainers and to Dan and they were both like "nonsense." They started putting heavier weights in my hands during classes or pushing me to push harder during my workouts. I started attending the lifting class more regularly. I used any frustration and motivation to fuel my climbs. I dug deep and after a few weeks of really pushing myself I noticed I'd pushed through that wall. On days when barbells were set up, I noticed I wasn't always going for the lightest ones, I was burning calories faster on the assault bike, I was non stop on my ab work while others had to rest. It felt good to jump over my hurdle and seeing that progress helped motivate me to continue to want to push harder.

Within the last couple of months, I really shattered that wall. I noticed that I was keeping up with some of the really athletic members of the gym when we did free flow circuits. I finished the warm-up first one class. I started lifting weights I couldn't even consider before. It felt great to go from feeling stuck to feeling like I'd risen to the top of the athletes at the gym.

Weight Gain

Take a look at my before and after pictures again. I look pretty much the same right? Well, I actually gained about ten pounds in the last year. That is 10 pounds of pure muscle gain. It's also one of those reminders that weight is not the most important thing. There has been this chart going around about acceptable weight for you height. 1) it's bullshit to begin with 2) according to the chart, I'm overweight. There is not a doctor or mentally sound person who would think I was overweight. That's because weight doesn't tell you everything. If you want to start a fitness plan, I'd recommend doing a body scan every few months to track how your size changes. These will help you determine how much of your weight is fat vs. muscle and more accurately reflect the changes in your body. Don't have access to a scanner or can't afford one? You can do it manually by measuring key areas of your body and tracking that over time. There are a lot of resources online to help you do that.

Power of Positivity

When I started Athletic August last year, I wasn't really in a great place. In hindsight, I was probably depressed. I had so little confidence, I was upset about several losses in my life, and I was feeling generally unsure about a lot of things. By the end of the month, I could tell I was already in a better place. A year later, I feel like a different person. Working out makes you feel better mentally. It gives you more confidence (not just because you look better and are stronger). Sometimes I feel like my friends here are still getting to know me because the me today is more like me than the me they met a year or two ago. It also makes me feel like its ok if they don't like this side of me. I'll be ok.

And sometimes you just feel better when you get to punch something

TRIFECTA

An obstacle I'd never been able to do before

Of course this is my pride and glory. The Trifecta has been a goal for years and I kept thinking that I couldn't really do it or I'd never really be fit for it. A couple of years ago, I'd decided that it probably just wasn't ever going to happen for me. Joining NXPT changed that for me. It brought out a fire and showed me I really can do more than I think I can. The longest race, the Beast, definitely was the hardest thing I've ever done. I definitely walked off the course ready to retire from Spartan. A few months later - I'm still on indefinite hiatus but I know I'll be back on those courses some day. I just don't recommend doing a Beast at elevation - that was too much for me.

Other Accomplishments

4th class of my 6 class day

I've also been able to do so, so much more. I finally got to the top of the rope in class (which is scary when you have a cement floor 8 feet below you). I've been able to run up hills (something that I always claimed to be allergic to). My Spartan finishes were in the top 10% - amazing for someone who loves to quote Baymax's "I am not fast." People at the gym see me as someone who works out hard. I did a whole day of working out (6 classes) FOR FUN. This year has been completely crazy for me in a good way. I did so many things I was afraid of and it's made me so much stronger physically and mentally.

Lastly, it's probably important to mention that this has all been great for Dan and I as a couple. We did all the Spartan races together and try to go to the same gym classes as much as possible (one of us insists on getting her beauty sleep which makes it difficult). I've heard frequently that working out together is great for couples in which case we're in for a long haul. It's also nice to have someone to always push me. On my own, I probably wouldn't always be as motivated as I should be but since Dan eats exercise for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, he doesn't really put up with my crap when I say I'm too tired to go to the gym. So... thanks my love!

So What's Next???

That's a great question! And I don't have a lot of answers for it. The past two months since I finished the Trifecta have been meh for me in regards to the gym. I think between finishing a really difficult goal, going on vacation, and getting a lot more responsibility at work, it's been really hard for me to get back into this intense gym mindset. I also don't have a goal right now. There are some good reasons for that, but I'm starting to think that a solid goal is really what I need. I'm a goal oriented person and while I love working out, it can be hard for me to go to the gym just because.

I'm thinking about signing up for another half marathon so I can focus around that goal. I also have some ideas on how to train better knowing everything I know now and I'm excited to try it out.
I still have to make a decision but it seems like a good idea. Otherwise (or in addition to), I need to start making some training goals for myself so I can keep up all the hard work I've accomplished in the last year.

I also think some basic goals around exercises I don't like would be good. I still struggle with pull-ups and push-ups (those up exercises kill me) and making a solid effort to improve them would be really good for me. In fact, I think I'm going to start thinking about all the things I struggle with and don't like and come up with some plans to target those trouble areas.

Guess I might be doing this noise again

Also, I haven't (or have... whichever) forgotten about the World Cup Eating Challenge. Life has been crazy lately and it's frankly just not high on my priorities. I'm trying to focus on a few different things that are making it harder for me to want to take on a new project.