Move It or Lose It

Well there I was, sitting on the couch again for the 6th night in a row. I thought to myself, "Why am I not at the gym?" My answer: "Im tired." Somehow I felt this was an acceptable excuse. Sure I woke up at 6:45am and then worked with kids all day, but was I really too tired to take an hour or so for myself at night? There are people up at the crack of dawn exercising, getting their kids ready for school, checking emails, and reading the news....all at once. Then there was me, slothing into the kitchen to pop my third K-Cup into the good old Keurig. What happened to me? I used to hop out of bed at 5:15, go swim, get to work, and then finish my night with a little gym weight session. My only explanation: I was lazy...simple as that.

Now you may be thinking, 'Shannon, calm down, you only took 6 days off.' Yes- this is true, but once I stop working out for even 2 days, it seems like the worlds biggest struggle to get back at it. Finally I was annoyed with myself and headed to lovely LA Fitness. I hopped on the treadmill and somehow made it through 4.5 miles and a light weight session. Ouch, are my legs still attached to my body?

I woke up Monday morning with ambition! I set my alarm for 5:15am and made it to Masters swim practice! As the BelVita commercial would put it, "MORNING WIN!"

The rest of the week went as follows:

Monday:
1-hour Swimming: Long Course Meters

Tuesday (Gym):
Cardio Warm Up: 20 Minute Stair Stepper

Weights:
Inner/Outer Hip Adduct/Abduct- 3X15 each
Following 3 Times-
15 Sqauts (2-25lb dumbbells)
20 donkey kicks each leg (1-25lb dumbbell)
15 Sumo Squats (1-25lb dumbbell)
25 Push ups

Cool Down: Run 20 minutes

Wednesday (Gym):
Cardio Warm Up: 25 minutes stair stepper

Weights: 
Inner/Outer Hip- 3X15 each (80lbs)
Chest Press (60lbs)
Pull Over (65lbs)
60 Donkey Kicks (30 each leg-25lb dumbbell)
40 Push Ups
Med Ball Abs (4X30)

Cool Down: Run 25 minutes

Thursday: REST

Friday (Pool/Gym): 
1-hour swimming: Long Course Meters

Weights:

Inner/Outer Hip- 3X15 each (80lbs)
Chest Press (60lbs)
Pull Over (65lbs)
45 Squats (2-25lb weights) 3X15
60 Donkey Kicks (30 each leg-25lb dumbbell)
40 Push Ups
Med Ball Abs (4X30)

Cool Down: Run 2 Miles


I have pretty proud of myself for getting back into it! Persistence creates success-you just cannot give up on yourself! You are capable of anything you want to do-just believe in yourself first!

Most importunity, make sure you are setting aside time for yourself each and every day. Although you may be busy, always remember you deserve a little time to forget your troubles, and focus on yourself.


NOW GET MOVING!!! :)


XXOO
Shannon

My Fitness Story: The Struggle and The Comeback

I should start out by saying fitness has always been a curtail part of my life. I started swimming competitively at the age of 6, and continued through 4 years at a Division 1 University in Wisconsin. I was always able to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted without even thinking twice---it was AMAZING! What was not so amazing was my first year after my college swimming career came to an end. I found myself continuing to eat the way I did while I was swimming 4+ hours a day. Lets just say my body was not very happy with me, and when I finally look at myself, I realized I had gained a good 25 pounds. I was shocked---how could I not realize what was happening?

The moment I stepped on that scale, I panicked. How did this happen? How am I going to get back to where I was just a few months ago? I was so mad with myself, I vividly remember going through my pantry throwing away a sleeve of Oreos, graham crackers, and left over candy from a friend's birthday. I wish I could say I took healthy steps in losing the excess weight, but my clementine for breakfast, apple and non-fat cottage cheese for lunch, and an egg white omelet with broccoli for dinner was not a sufficient amount of calories to keep my body healthy and nurtured. Not to mention I was doing Insanity workouts and swimming for exercise every night. Maybe I would allow myself to have a Dove chocolate square if I was really craving it….maybe.

The weight fell off at a rapid rate. Within a month and a half, I lost 30 pounds and was down to 107#. I could tell friends were concerned, not only because of their glares as I measured out exactly 6 tablespoons of liquid egg whites, but also because of my quick body transformation.

In Spring 2012, my best friend and I moved to Chicago. I had come to terms with the fact that I did not need to lose anymore weight, and that I should probably gain back about 10 lbs. This is where things went south again. I mastered quick weight loss, but had no idea how to gain weight at a healthy rate. We ordered pizza, drank wine and martinis on the regular, and I cut down on my workout regime. BIG mistake.

Fast forward a year…lone and behold, I was back up almost 30 pounds. UGHHH! I thought to myself, "here we go again!" I had a long and emotional talk with Kristen (my best friend), and it was decided- I could not take the weight loss route I had once obsessed over. Sure, I lost all the post swimming weight I had gained plus some, but it just went right back on once I stopped. It was time to do this the right way---healthy/filling meals, positive motivation, and efficient workouts.

With the amazing support of my friends and boy friend, I can proudly say I have lost 15 pounds in the past 6 months…in a healthy way. I created this blog not only to share my story, struggles, and progress, but to also inspire others in the same position. I know what it is like to yo-yo with weight, and the toll it can take on a person not only physically, but also mentally.

Just remember, you are beautiful and are capable of so much more than you could even imagine!

xxoo

Shannon