Tuesday, January 31, 2012

I made it through the first training session at SNAP!

I can do this! Starting off with twenty minutes on the elliptical, 45 minutes training with Drake, and then twenty minutes on the treadmill. I am turning into a fat-burning machine before my own eyes!

Finding out I had muscles where I didn't think they existed was a real surprise. Drake worked me hard doing core exercises with weights and a six pound medicine ball...something new to me. I did floor work as well. He pushed me and I complied. You should have seen me doing all the fancy leg work, I felt like a superstar!

Other members working out at the gym actually cheered me on for making it through the session and that really boosted my confidence.

Needless to say I slept like a baby last night!

My next training session is this Friday.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

The Best is Yet To Come!

I know now I am not alone anymore into my journey to become well and whole again. Myself and many others met today at Slim and Fit for the introduction into The News Herald's 2012 Lighten Up contest. We were interviewed, photographed, weighed and measured. I currently work out at Snap Fitness in Mentor-on-the-Lake with trainer Drake Delande who has faith in me and will assist me to reach my personal goals. I have started doing nearly an hour of cardio on a daily basis. I am using the Octane elliptical and Matrix treadmill. Tomorrow I am meeting with Drake for my first training session.

A bonus of this contest is the participation from Slim and Fit in Concord and Pulse Group Fitness Studio Center in Painesville Twp which have offered a series of classes gratis. The Lake County General health District is also participating with nutritional support.

I will continue to work with my endocrinologist and the nutrition department of the Cleveland Clinic to manage my health issues.

Today I weighed 185. My goal is in the 140s. I have a long way to go. Wish me luck!

Today is the big day!

I woke up at 7am, or should I say Cosmo woke me up. I took him outside, fed and watered him and then put my gym clothes on and headed off to SNAP FITNESS http://www.snapfitness.com/mentoronthelake for a quick work-out. Ten minutes on level four of the Octane elliptical http://www.octanefitness.com and 30 minutes on the Matrix treadmill http://www.matrixfitness.com. was all I had planned to do so far.

I'm home now and will start to get ready for my noon appointment at Slim and Fit Center in Concord, OH. http://slimandfit.com/ I will be weighed and measured for the News Herald "Lighten Up 2012" contest. I will visit Slim and Fit once per month for a weigh-in and to record my progress.

I purchased a few gym clothes yesterday. I would have bought another pair of pants, however they were out of my size. No more XXL or XL for me!!! It feels good to be able to fit in regular sized clothes again. For such a long time, really for several years I could only squeeze in plus sized clothes.

Friday, January 27, 2012

It is totally amazing!

I was really looking forward to my fitness test/evaluation at SNAP Fitness 24/7 today. Feeling pretty motivated I arrived early and completed a 15 minute program on the elliptical at level two.

Now comes the hard part and I had no idea what this evaluation encompassed. Well, I was worried about nothing!

I passed my fitness test with flying colors. My heart rate after one mile on a treadmill going 3.5-3.7 was 124. I did thirty sit-ups in one minute, and my stretch test was good. My strength test was normal. My blood pressure was normal. My BMI states I am "overweight", not "obese". I did weigh however 2 pounds more than this morning, but I was fully clothed and of course had food in my system, but I'm not going to worry about that. Now my fat level was pretty bad, and I have a lot to work on if I want to reach my goal of 135 pounds in six months. I have 52 pounds to lose!

Drake did an excellent job of testing me. On Monday I start training after work.

Tomorrow morning I will have blood work done at Cleveland Clinic. The quarterly A1C, Vitamin D level, and urinalysis. I have to fast after midnight, but in all reality I finished my dinner at 8:00pm, and the only thing else I'll consume is water. My left knee was a bit sore as I have a past injury, so I took some over the counter pain pills.

Tomorrow is another day.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

The time is now!

I am a contestant in the News Herald's "Lighten Up" contest which starts February 1st, 2012. I am currently training at SNAP FITNESS 24/7 Gym in Mentor-on-the-Lake. My trainer's name is Drake Delande,ACSM and the manager is Brian Salvatore,ACSM. I am following a revised weight-loss program from The Cleveland Clinic nutrition/dietary department which will provide me with everything I need to manage Type II diabetes. I am also under the care of a CCF Endocrinologist. I have quarterly blood work. I take the following supplements: Potassium Rx, multiple vit tab, Vit D, MegaRed, and calcium.

For the past week or so I have been doing cardio on the treadmill and elliptical only until I start training. it has been a long time since I have been in a gym and I am ashamed I have been such a slacker. I have a health assessment at the gym tomorrow. I have four sessions scheduled for training over the next two weeks.

I weigh in and have another assessment at Slim & Fit Personal Weight Loss & Fitness this Sunday. I will be required to weigh in once a month. I believe the contest ends sometime in August.

I am determined not only to lose weight, get fit, and to rid the scourge of diabetes from my body. I am planning on winning the contest as well.