It’s been a while since I have blogged about my weight loss
progress, but I assure you I have a good reason and it’s not because I’ve been
slacking.
In fact, I’ve been doing the opposite thanks to the folks
over at the Institute of Health and Fitness, AKA Body By Bobbie.
If you recall in my last blog I was selected as one of six
candidates in the 90-Day Fitness Challenge to receive free nutritional and
personal training. Their goal is to help me reach my goal by teaching me how to
eat properly and providing lots of support and encouragement.
It’s too good to be true, right? Why would someone offer up 90 days of free
services to six people they don’t know?
Well, because they want to give back to their community in a
way that allows them to use their God-given talent to help people like me who REALLY need help. I knew that I was in the right place when I
walked into the gym and saw a small sign that reads: Exercise
Daily. Walk with the Lord.
Not only am I walking with him, but I’m lifting weights,
running, boxing and doing all sorts of exercises with him. And there’s not a moment that I don’t call
out his name when I am tasked with doing pull-ups, push-ups or burpies.
In fact, my most recent talk with him was this past Saturday
at about 20 minutes into my boot camp class.
You may have seen me if you happened to be driving by Fenton and Lane. I was one of about 10 people running down the
street with a plastic chair on my head.
Lucky for us it was a downhill trot.
However, our return trip was not so easy. We were tasked with 20 walking lunges while still balancing the chair on our heads. The saving grace was the pause that we were given every 20 lunges.
However, our return trip was not so easy. We were tasked with 20 walking lunges while still balancing the chair on our heads. The saving grace was the pause that we were given every 20 lunges.
After the 20 lunges
we were able to put the chair down and balance our bodies on the arms of the
chairs for 10 push-ups. Then we repeated
the whole process all the way back to the gym. Did I mention this was all on an up-hill-climb?
Despite the complexity of the task, I was determined not to
be the last boot camper to return to the gym.
And I was starting to get a
little full of myself knowing there was one other person trailing behind me;
placing me at second-to-last, but not dead last.
It’s funny how God has a way of humbling me when I lose
focus of what’s important. My head was
starting to swell when I heard the person behind me say, “Excuse me if I cheat
a little bit,” and take a few steps to walk ahead of me. It quickly deflated when I saw that the
person was pregnant and she probably needed to go around me because I was the
one getting in her way.
It was quite the reality check and I had to chuckle as my deflated head floated back to my body and realized that this is my journey and comparing it to that of others is not what it’s all about. I did finish last, but the important part is that I finished and I have the aches and pains to prove it.
It was quite the reality check and I had to chuckle as my deflated head floated back to my body and realized that this is my journey and comparing it to that of others is not what it’s all about. I did finish last, but the important part is that I finished and I have the aches and pains to prove it.
What can I say? No pain, no gain, right? I have lots of pains, but they are certainly
worth the gains I have experienced these past six weeks. I am 14 lbs. lighter and several inches
smaller with a 3.5 percent decrease in body fat. My gain is the knowledge about how to better
take care of my body through proper nutrition.
Despite my success thus far, I am only halfway through the
program and have so much more work to do, so it’s no time to celebrate. I guess I will have to continue to walk with
the Lord as I exercise daily.
Be sure to check out my progress by visiting: http://TheInstituteofHealthandFitness.com/blog
