40 Days and Counting

Hello friends,

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.

 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.

 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