30 days in…

Wow. Today marks the 30-days in mark towards the 60-day barre n9ne challenge my sister and I are neck deep in at the moment.

<Editor’s note: I realize my post today will sound eerily similar to my sister’s guest post from earlier in the week, but bear with me – sometimes I gotta blog it out, even if my words sound alike to that of my sister’s -what can I say, we *are* related afterall!>

Honestly? Tanya was so right to call this a 60-days a “transformation” because that is indeed what it’s become for my sister and I.

…I’ve re-learned how to listen to my body.

…To eat when hungry versus eating because it’s “time” to eat, or because I’m bored and feeling munchy vs. true hunger. <—very hard for this self-professed foodie, I love, love, LOVE to eat. 

…To work hard, harder than I admittedly ever have in any other challenge I’ve committed to before.

…To let my mind go, watching my body change before my very eyes.

…Running harder and more consistently than ever and enjoying every moment of those runs (which bodes well given we’re also three weeks into half marathon training, too!)

…And feeling damn proud. Of me and my sister (who looked damn fine at the wedding she went to this weekend lemme tell ya – she looked HOT. Maybe she’ll let me post the pic here if you all beg and plead…hehe).

…For the first time, all of the effort I’ve put into my workouts and healthy eating is finally showing.

Probably most notably? I stand taller – something my husband noted just this weekend, in fact. I stand taller because I am more confident. Overflowing with pride.

…Because I’ve done this. Something that truthfully scared me when we first started out – the changes I needed to make seemed a little daunting and unnatural to me. But 30 days in and it doesn’t feel scary anymore. It’s become my new normal. 

And we’ve still got 30 more days of this challenge to go. I honestly cannot fathom what that will feel like/look like, but I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be transformative.

30 days in…

**********
Schedule for the week (inquiring minds wanna know, right?? Plus this keeps me honest, kinda like Jess from Fit Chick in the City’s “say it do it” – works wonders!):

Sunday – rest day (legs were feeling all 7 of those rainy miles from Saturday!)
Monday – 5 miler in the AM; barre  n9ne signature method
Tuesday – speedy 5k in the AM; barre n9ne lean & tone
Wednesday – 5.5 miler in the AM (seeking bunnies along the way!)
Thursday – “run-date” with the sister in the AM – 6ish miles; barre n9ne long & lean legs (dimly lit??) and barre n9ne fusion
Friday – possible second rest day (likely!)
Saturday – long run, 7.5 or so planned plus barre n9ne TFFR at the park (toned firm fit and ready at the park)

<whew!>

Me – “refined”

Thanks to a certain blog friend, Melissa – who inspired this very post today. Her “new inspiration” post is what did it. If you haven’t checked it out yet, please do.

As you know, I’ve been thinking a lot about my body, the changes I’d like to make, the honesty I’m dealing with in facing some habits and such that I’d like to see change – all thanks to the Barre N9NE challenge my sis and I just kicked off this week.

Well? I’ve come to a conclusion – about what my goal is coming out of this challenge, in just 58 days from now.

I’d like to be me – “refined.”

So what does that mean, exactly?

Similar to what Melissa mentioned in her post today, this is about me looking to simply refine who I am. Sure, this has to do with how I look, but it also has to do with how I feel, perhaps even more so…

I’d like to feel as healthy and strong as I deserve to feel.

I’d like to feel confident in my body, trusting that it’ll never fail me (especially when running when those mind games always kick into high gear for me).

I’d like to look just a little bit more fit – feeling as good as the work that I put into my workouts (and into my eats).

I’d like to feel more like the “me” I’ve always wanted to be, but sort of feel like I’ve always come up just shy of. As if I’ve been holding back a little bit. Not allowing myself to reach as far or as high for the stars…as if I don’t trust myself enough to own whatever it is that I put my mind to. (reminds me of something I heard on Biggest Loser this week about Austin…who always gave up right at the end of whatever challenge he faced – a soccer game, a class assignment, whatever)

You’ll notice that none of this is quantifiable. No numbers. No scales. Nada.
Sure – I was measured earlier this week to see where I’ve made changes in the shape of my body. And that’s fine. But it won’t define “success” for me at the end of this challenge.

Success for me at the end of this challenge is simple…

I want to be “me – refined.”

And I can’t wait to meet her.

And so it begins…

Whew. 

Last night marked the first day in the 60 day Barre N9NE transformation.

It was exactly what I’d hoped it would be.

Challenging. 
Uncomfortable. 
Intense. 
Detoxifying.

The long & lean legs class? Um, hello – EVERYTHING was on fire at one point or another, my ass, my thighs (if you’ve never heard the term “thigh dancing” – trust me, you don’t want to, holy fire in the thighs!), my calves, my ass, oh wait – I said that already. You get the idea. 😉 For those of you wondering what this class is all about, it’s all body weight based – and almost entirely floor work. Yes, floor work. My nemesis. I  have a love-to-hate affair with floor work. But this? This was unreal. And I LOVED it. The groans when Tanya said “hold up – you thought you were done? One more set!” were hysterical – not one of us kept quiet at that point.

And then we met with Tanya. Talked about the food log (which, I gotta be honest, I’m not hating nearly as much as I thought I would…), talked about the next couple of weeks worth of workouts (LOTS of workouts, woohoo!), and yes – we took measurements. I’m excited to see those numbers change – but haven’t decided how much of that I’ll share here. I’ll get back to you on that…

After our meeting, we went into round II – Barre N9ne method express. This is a slightly shorter version of their method class but is so close to the full hour that I didn’t feel like I missed much at all. This was taught by Juliana – who I love, she is so bubbly and energetic, and motivating. Between her and Tanya, we’re gonna have a blast, I’ve decided. I’d call this class the most similar to Core Fusion, for those of you who have taken that class or done that DVD at home. Upper body toning, lower body barre work, stretching and ab work.  Great music, btw.

And then? We were done. With day #1.
Pooped. Starving (the second class ended at 8:15pm).
But done. 

Here’s to day #2, #3, #4…and #60.

Weee! 😉

Barre N9NE 60-day challenge – let’s get ‘er done!

I am ready…

…to embrace change.

…to reinvent myself.

…to surrender.

Barre N9NE 60-day challenge: I will kill it.

Just got back from meeting with Tanya at Barre N9NE and wow, the thoughts are swirling through my head like crazy. I’m not really even sure where to begin, I just know I am so ready to get started.

But, as promised, I wanted to give ya’ll the details on what this 60-day challenge will look like. In a nutshell – this is how the next 60 days will pan out (with variation week-to-week depending on schedules and such):

Monday: 7:00pm Barre N9ne method and possible AM run
Tuesday: 7:00pm lean & tone and possible AM run
Wednesday: 6:30pm B9 Barre Fusion
Thursday: 5:30pm long & lean legs; 6:30pm barre fusion OR 7:30pm barre n9ne method express <—we will likely always do two workouts on Thursday, either with a break in between to have a check-in with Tanya or back to back, skipping the 7:30 session
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Run and either 11am B9 at the park (this is an outdoor version of their signature class); or 1:1 session with Tanya
Sunday: Run

So, if you’re counting along with me – that’s an average of 5-6 Barre N9NE workouts each week. Bring. It. On.

You’ll also notice something- which I fully anticipated – but there are no other weight workouts in here, nor does Kick or Ride appear on the schedule. This is by design (partially my own). My two goals are to KNOCK this 60-day challenge out of the park and to focus on my running. Which means buh-bye to anything that will interfere with that focus. And I dig that, so much.

Something else new to the regime (and this is a biggie): I will be keeping a food log.
For the first time in at least four or five years.

And that scares me a lot less than I anticipated. I now know how to avoid letting numbers mess with my head. I am stronger, mentally, so I feel prepared to re-introduce a food log into my daily routine. And honestly? I think I could use a little more accountability. I am pretty sure I have been giving in a little bit too easily on the weekends than I should lately. At least if I want to see better/bigger results, anyway.

And right now? That’s right for me. The food log, that is. I don’t think I’ll use it/need it forever. In fact, I know I won’t. But it fits with my goals for this challenge. And I’m ready to surrender to it. Even if that means finding a way to work in my beloved glass or two of wine here and there, because let’s be honest – I could never give that up for good. 😉

Ahhh! So much to think about!! And so much more to share. In due time.
For now — May 12th is our official start date (Thurs) and we end on July 12th…but somehow I doubt that will be the “end” but truly the beginning of an awesome new phase in my life. And I cannot wait.

On Barre (n9ne)-raising expectations

Now that the initial fitgeek freak-out is mostly behind me, I’ve had time to think about what this Barre N9NE 60 day challenge means to me, what my expectations are, and other rambling thoughts in between. <thanks sis, for the blog topic idea!>

In no particular order…

I’m excited. For change – in body, but even more so in mind. I want this to reset my thinking on what I believe my body is capable of.  Far too often I think I sell myself short in this area. I have doubts. I don’t always trust my body to carry me through whatever challenge it faces. I want to see that end.

I’m ridiculously ready for something new. Even if that means rethinking my current workout regime…something that I know is bound to happen with the amount of barre-work I’ll be doing in the next 60 days. I am willing to give up my “usual” weight training routine, for sure. I’m not so ready to give up running…spinning, maybe, running, notsomuch. So that will be a challenge for me – fitting in my love of running – without overtraining.

I expect…

…this to be hard.

…Challenging.

…Sometimes even a little bit intimidating.

…but so much fun. 

The ladies over at Barre N9NE have years and years of dancing, ballet, and fitness experience between them – and they are stunningly strong, long, and lean. <they are also the cutest, nicest and most-welcoming women I’ve ever met, I swear>  I love that – but it also kind of intimidates me somehow. It’s kind of a control thing – I’m used to controlling my own “destiny” if you will, when it comes to my workouts, so letting someone else take control seems crazy to me.

But I’m ready.
To embrace. 
To let go. 
To learn. 
To transform.  

I’m SURE I’ll have an entirely different set of feelings/expectations after we meet with Barre N9NE on Saturday to walk through the 60 day plan…so maybe I’ll update this post then. For now – I’m super-duper excited and STILL fit-geeking it out, big time. Don’t mind me. 😉

And, thank you all for being so excited right back for me and my sis, I love that. So much. You guys are the best!