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Friday, February 18, 2011

Boot Camp


I signed up for 10 week boot camp. I used to think people who did boot camp were absolutely crazy, but obviously my attitude has changed and here I am allowing myself to be yelled at and threatened with hundreds of burpees if I don't bend my knees during weight lifting or if I'm late (which will never happen).

So why have I signed up?

For most of my life I have been very slim, I could eat whatever I wanted and I never gained a pound. I was also very active, taking my fitness for granted. I rode my bike everywhere or walked or was paddling on a dragonboat regularly. I am naturally a small person with a small frame, a size 6. So when I started putting weight on after I hit menopause, I just haven't felt 100% comfortable in my skin. I'm not overweight and at first glance I look healthy and "normal" sized (sz 10) but I know that I'm carrying more fat than I should be. My body fat index is 34%. Too high. I should somewhere between 16-20%. Menopause slows down metabolism and because I no longer have ovaries, my body holds onto estrogen in fat cells. I am also prone to high blood pressure and the more weight I carry causes that to go up. My heart wins. The fat is going.

After just three weeks there are some very noticeable changes and I'm very pleased with the results. I'm also getting to know myself better through this challenge. I never thought I was competitive but I am a perfectionist (I knew that) so this experience proves to me that I need to do my best. I hate running or any cardio exercise but I hate being last even more so I'm determined to be in the top of the class. There's still 8 weeks to go (total of 11 weeks) and I'm excited to see the final results!

I am not going to post my before pictures. Nobody needs to see those... but I have posted photos of what I will look like at the end of this. The old me, the real me but better!