So my best friend Mary posted two pictures of me this afternoon. They are from June of this year ... So just four short months ago ... My, my how things have changed ...
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Video collage I made to show how I've changed over the last year. Put your speakers on ...10/28/2012 Below is "THE PROJECT" I had planned for weeks ... it's a slideshow of pictures to show how far I've come during this challenge. The first picture from this year is the white water rafting picture. The rest are from within the 90 day challenge. Make sure you have your speakers on ... I used Green Day's "Good Riddance/Time of Your Life" song with it. I have always loved the song, but now more than ever, the lyrics are meaningful!! It was certainly unpredictable, but I did have the time of my life!!! Hope you enjoy the pictures!!! Oh, and all of those jerseys (you'll see the ones I'm talking about) are all HUGE on me now!!!!! I met Stefanie some time ago in my aqua class with her mom. Both, working hard in class but never stepped foot in a weight room of any sort. Stefanie approached me on training and we started. A few weeks later I presented her with this crazy idea...called the 90 Day Challenge, hoping for the best, still expecting the worst but that's just how I process information.
The challenge has finally come to an end...with a strong finish for that. Stefanie set her goal, she conquered the demons that have been tying her hands behind her back and keeping her from overcoming obstacles, she developed this personality to work hard, stay dedicated and achieve. Stefanie from just the short time I have known her has become a completely different person. She now holds days at her fingertips rather then running in front of them as they chase her into the ground. She took control of her life and really got a grasp on her happiness and overall that means more than all the weight in the world. She is an inspiration, her drive alone is inspiring. & by the way she lost 19 inches. Stefanie is going to continue to train, she is probably going to continue to blog and she is going to continue to work on herself which I don't think she's ever put this much time into. I am happy I trained her, she taught me patience, time and motivation. I am happy to be a part of this but i still stick to my words- STEFANIE YOU DID IT!! During the burpee video, which I didn't know that Stacy was RECORDING until I realized she said "ladies and gentlemen, these are burpees" ... and all I thought as "oh man, she's recording this, I can't stop ... I can't stop during the video!!" HAHAHAHAHA
And those weights ... yeah, they're TEN pounds each!!!! GO ME!!!!! I went to Weight Watchers this morning and I am thrilled to say that I lost 2.4 pounds THIS WEEK!!! I used the wrong starting weight on the blog last night ... so now my total weight loss during the challenge 25 lbs ... that's TWENTY FIVE POUNDS!!!! WOW!!!! And I lost a total of 19 inches!!!
At the beginning of the challenge, I was 203 pounds ... I am down to 178.2 as of today!!! I haven't been this weight since high school!!! It feels FANTASTIC!!!! Below is the chart of my progress!!!! So, the 90 days are over. I did it!!! I finished the challenge that was put in front of me!!! There were tough times throughout the challenge, but that's the point. Push me to my limit and see if I give up or keep going. Well, I didn't give up. I'm not going to say it was easy, because it wasn't, but I can definitely do WAY more now than I could 90 days ago!!
I couldn't do 10 jumping jacks without stopping; now 10 is a warm-up! I couldn't do a burpee, today I did 10 with a 10 pound weight in each hand!! I can run ... I CAN RUN!! And the running was definitely the biggest hurdle Stacy and I both had to overcome, and ... WE DID ... TOGETHER!!! I LOST 19" DURING THE CHALLENGE!!!!! WHOA!!!!! AS OF LAST SATURDAY, I AM DOWN 19 POUNDS!!!! Just to clarify, I have lost 35 pounds on Weight Watchers, but that started in May ... the 19 pounds is just during these last 90 days, and I hope that total goes up when I get on the scale tomorrow morning!!! I have never been the workout type. In High School, I joined ARMY JROTC to get out of gym!!!! And now look at me ... going to the gym 2-3 times a week to do a workout!!! I actually look forward to them now. They don't scare me anymore. I never played sports as a kid, I was never on a team in school. Now, I play floor (deck) hockey every Sunday and I'm a forward ... which means A LOT of running back and forth. Two years ago when I played Broomball (very similar to hockey), I HAD to play defense because I couldn't run; I didn't have the energy or stamina to play for very long; now I stay out there till I can't feel my legs, and even then, I only need a minute or two and then I'm back out there again!!! I know Stacy tells me I did this, and I did. But none of it would have been possible without HER. She is the driving force behind this success story. There was a huge bump in the road at one point, but we worked through it and got past it. It is behind us now - Hakuna Matata!!! I can't thank her enough for her patience, understanding, persistence, caring and enthusiasm!! She is an excellent trainer. She takes the time to listen to me and she respects my limitations. When I recently started on a new medicine, I told her I wasn't sure how much I would be able to do. I think she was more nervous than I was!!! When my leg was hurting pretty bad and I said I couldn't run, she didn't fight me on it, she said okay and we did other exercises. That is what a trainer should be, and she is the total package. Thank you Stacy - for helping me become the "NEW ME". That "old me" is a distant memory!!! below are just a few pictures ... "the project" is in the works and will hopefully be posted this weekend!!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!! Thank you to everyone who read my blog and supported me throughout my journey!! I won't let you down!! I am going to continue on this new path and continue to workout and stay healthy!! :^) And now I can say that ... for those of you keeping track, today is day 90. That means the challenge is technically over, but I'm meeting with Stacy tomorrow for our last session. That will mean final measurements, and I will provide the final weigh-in, and overall loss on Saturday morning. I am so proud of myself for sticking with it. I have such a feeling of accomplishment!!
The name of this blog is "90 Days to the New Me" and the person typing this blog right this moment ... is 100% a new person. I am not like I was 90 days ago. I am happier, healthier, more active than I have been in the last two years, and I actually look forward to my workouts now!! <-- that sentence right there is proof that people can change!!! It is so awesome to be at work and have coworkers say things like "hey skinny" or "hey slim" ... and my favorite is "the amazing disappearing woman" ... I can't help but smile when I hear that. I can fit into jeans again - jeans that I couldn't get my previously fat ass into for years are BIG now. I enjoyed this challenge (and the results) so much that I told Stacy I wanted to do another 90 days - I am ready for the commitment and all that comes with it. Some days I don't feel like I have changed all that much; maybe I don't see it all the time, or I don't feel it some days; but then I think about playing floor hockey every week. I couldn't do that a few months ago. And even if I did want to play, I would have to play defense (less running) and take frequent breaks. Now, I am a forward and at times, I am running from one end of the gym to the other - chasing after the ball and sometimes even beating the other player to the ball. I have played for the entire game (three 15 minute periods with a 2 minute break between periods) twice already. Sure I was exhausted, but I didn't have to come out of the game!! That is because I am conditioned. I have more endurance now - it's amazing!!! Finally, I am working on a project for the blog - and hoping to have it ready to post this weekend. In my head, it's an awesome idea ... I just hope it works as well in real time!!! Stay tuned ... :^) I had an awesome training session with Stacy tonight. Normally I start with a jog, but my leg was really bothering me today - I think it's a bone bruise from getting hit in hockey 3 weeks ago! The bruise and bump are still there, and I didn't want to take a chance at hurting it more. I told Stacy earlier in the day so she would know, but I told her I would do anything else. And that's exactly what I did ... a little bit of everything minus the running!
I did two sets of each: opposite hand/foot; high knees; squat down to step; jump up on step (3 blocks underneath); plank; knee to elbow plank; plank-hands forearm; burpees with 5 pound weight in each hand; shoulder press with 5 pounds; bicep curls with 5 pounds; tricep with leg kickouts Yup. I did all of that ... the spreadsheet from Stacy is attached as well. I was so proud of myself ... I did stop a few times, but I only took a few seconds then went right back to it. This was the longest workout in a while too ... I am quite sore, but it's all good!!! Last night I had a good workout - even it wasn't that long. I was meeting Stacy at 6:30, but since I went straight from work, I got there at 6:00 and starting doing laps on the track. I know I did more than a mile, but I lost count after a while. I know I ran more than i walked, but I definitely still had to some walking. I am still plagued by shin splints, or actually one shin splint in my right leg only! Plus, I have a lingering hockey injury in my right leg so that slowed me down a bit too. I still managed to run/walk for 40ish minutes though, so I was happy!!!
Then the workout with Stacy began. She had me go right into jumping jacks (regular kind), then jumping jacks into squats, side to side jumps (picture jumping side to side over a rope), then while in push-up position tap each shoulder with the opposite hand. I did this set 3 times. Then we moved to the track and while holding a 15lb bar across my back, I did walking lunges for one part of the track (shorter part). After this, I had to sprint as fast as I could from one corner of the track to the other (this was the long part of the track) and then run backwards the same length. This set was also repeated three times. My legs were KILLING ME, but I am so happy I did it ... I am so excited with the progress I have made and how far I've come |
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January 2016
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Stefanie Nocera's 90 day challenge & the story starts here...
A new start...
"I started this blog to take you on my road to recovering from ACL surgery. I can't begin to describe how helpful it was to write on this site throughout the entire process. I look back and think about the times I felt like the pain would never go away and that I would never heal. It was everyone who was following my blog that really kept me going! I can be especially be thankful for a new friend I met through my surgery who was once in a more severe situation and knows exactly what surgery feels like. She was my inspiration most of the time to keep going and now I am giving her a page on my blog to share her story with you..."
- Stacy Adams