My Life's Little Lessons: Part 7

 

Photo: Dad, Me, Chris at the Cincinatti Men's US OPEN Series Final - Federer def Fish. August 2010

Total Weight Lost: (since September 2009): 47 LBS!

Total Weight Lost on Nutrisystem (since November 2010): 7 LBS!

My Lesson: It was a 1 pound loss week and I'm happy with that! When you start doing what you really want to do in life, life starts feeling a little easier than it did when you were fighting upstream. For me, this is all about work and a little about weight. I’ve been seeking new work and looking to blend my athletic life into a job. I am a spinning instructor as of this week at the YMCA. I joined the Y, then got a brief 10-hour/week part-time job as a fitness advisor to get in the fit mindset and bond with more of the local community.

How I Landed the Spinning Position: I have always enjoyed the spinning workout and the calorie burn is amazing (800 – 1000 calories/hour) and the classes at the Y are 60 minutes long. After about a month of attending, I felt like I was strong enough to consider getting certified to teach the classes myself. (Plus, I LOVE great music and I already had dream set lists created.)

I began training my friend who had her first child 3 months ago and while coaching her through a private spin lesson, my Y boss came out and asked if I would like to take over classes starting Dec 28th every week. They’ve also asked me to join their stable of swim coaches next season. Working in the athletic industry seems to be defining this new South Carolina season of my life and I am loving it. Back to my old Aquatics Director college days, except this time around, I’m in better shape than I was in my early 20s!

My Nutrisystem: Nutrisystem Select is the bomb.com. There, I said it. Yes, I use that phrase occasionally and I really mean it! I get two weeks of the awesome frozen foods and two weeks of the regular Nutrisystem program, mainly “energy bar heavy”, which I need and happily use as quick recovery food right before or after a hard workout with fruit. Besides a bagel that I desperately needed for energy after an intense workout this week and a little slice of my own coffeecake made for a holiday breakfast, I’ve nixed almost all bad sugar and carbs out of my diet. I’m eating a lot, but I know it’s all good for me.

Words of Wisdom: Listen to your body and every tweak, minor injury or pain. I’ve had some early arthritis problems in my neck and shoulders that has gotten pretty severe and threatened my working out the last 3 months. I’ve been getting multi-weekly treatments, working on my acceptance of these injuries and giving myself a break from being angry at my body for not being able to always keep up with my mental drive to run, bike, swim or play tennis. I have changed my workouts to make my body happier and I am healing. Once I accepted the injuries and stopped being irrationally angry with myself, my body started to heal.

FTC Disclaimer: I am receiving the Nutrisystem program complimentary in exchange for my personal reviews each week.