EDITOR’S NOTE: Jeanette Balmut has been selected to participate in the Year of You, a fitness challenge hosted by The Manteca Bulletin, CalFit Manteca and CORE Athletic Performance. Balmut is keeping a weekly journal, highlighting the strides and struggles of her fitness journey. These are her thoughts and feelings shared with you.
Day 127
Start of week 19, here we go. This week is going to be different since I will pretty much be doing my own thing. I will try to keep it interesting and something different each day. Working all parts of my body as well as keeping the cardio up. With it being graduation week and having a few games during the week for Mitch, it means I will have to rely on what Antonio has taught me so far. I manage to get to the gym every day and switch off with weight training and cardio for the next four days. Some days are harder than others but I am proud of myself for staying on track and keeping going.
Day 131
People ask me all the time “are you loving this, are you addicted to working out, do you need it” so let’s be honest. Do I love it…no! Am I addicted…no! Do I need it…obviously, yes! Last night I actually had a wakeup call. I had my day planned. Mike wanted to join me at the gym so I made my plans and appointments for me to go to work, go to appointments, go to the grocery store and then come home and go to the gym. Everything went fine until I was at the grocery store and saw that it was after 6:30 p.m. I wasn’t done shopping and still had to get home, cook dinner AND get to the gym. How can I do all that, what am I going to do? I can’t miss working out. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t. I walked through the door and had a complete meltdown. The thought of missing the gym almost put me over the edge. SO, the point here is, yes, I guess I am all of those things! My hubby calmed me down and sent me on my way to get my workout in. Whew, close one! After 130 days I have yet to miss a workout and I don’t want to stop now!
Today is the start of the weekend so I increase my workout so that I might be able to splurge a little. I do a full 4 miles today and finish strong. I only have a couple more weeks before my first 5K and I continue to do this distance at least twice a week so that I will be ready for it.
We go to the movies and once again I opt NOT to get my popcorn. It seems I can still enjoy a movie without having to eat all the way through it!
Day 132
Rise and shine and let’s get going. I get to the gym right when the trial B3 (Body, Butt, Boot) Boot camp is starting. I decide, OK,let’s try this. WOW, now that is a work out. I loved it. We worked every part of our body. We did upper body, abs, legs and butt. It was high energy and I can tell you it was tons of fun! I will definitely be doing this again. Actually, I will be looking forward to it.
We spend the day around the house, working, cleaning and preparing a nice dinner. I decide to do some meal prep for the week and start by making a recipe from “Fit Girl”. It is a balance of high protein and complex carbs. I make enough to last the week.
We finish the night with a great dinner of tri-tip, veggies, salad and for desert a small square of dark chocolate!
Day 133
We have two games this morning. That means it’s no gym time for me. I head to the ball park at 8:45 a.m. We pack a few healthy snacks and lots of water. Half way through the day Mike runs home and makes me a flat bread sandwich with turkey, avocado and spinach.
After the game McKenna and I go shopping and by the time I get home its 5 p.m. I have exactly one hour to get to the gym and complete my work out.
I do a warm up, then head to the back and do a new exercise I just heard about. Per Kelly Ripa, she said it’s her favorite. You take a medicine ball (I used the 10-pound one) and in a squatted position you hold the medicine ball out straight with your arms straight and write the full alphabet A-Z. I can tell you by the letter Q, I was dying. I did these three full times. BARELY able to complete the last set. I moved on to abs and then finished with 2 miles on the treadmill. When I got home Mike asked, “Are you ok”? Needless to say I was red and sweaty — workout accomplished!
Why I started
People keep asking why I started this journey so here it is, my original application that got me picked:
This is what I have been waiting for! I feel it in my heart that this challenge is meant for me. Every time I read Suzie’s story I kept thinking that should be me, that could be me, that will be me! Well, now it’s my chance, my golden opportunity and I am literally freaked out.
This could be my year. I have my niece’s wedding in August (I have to look good —mother of the bride, my sister…gorgeous! My mom —gorgeous.) I would be the “fat auntie”, ugh! The thought of that terrifies me! Then a month later is my 25th wedding anniversary. Of course I want to be even half as cute as I was 25 years ago. My husband just keeps getting better and better, me on the other hand just keeps getting bigger and bigger! Not to mention more out of shape, can only shop at the fat girl stores, can barely tie my shoes and I’m 46, how can that have happened to me?
Funny thing is— I have belonged to CAL FIT for 10 years and have literally stepped in the door less than 5 times in all those years. WTH? Who does that? I have many friends that belong to 209 CORE, they all seem to love it. I ran into a girlfriend of mine (hard core Cross Fit freak) that had just come from the gym and she was maybe a size 2, hard body, whatever! We chatted a few minutes and then I said “it was great to see you and you look amazing”! Her response “. . . and your makeup always looks so good”! NICE HUH!?
So here is the problem. All the above gibberish leads to the fact that I just don’t think I have the guts to divulge the details. My husband has never even heard my weight. How could I possibly post on the front page the details of my morbidly obese body:
Weight = RIDICULOUS
Waist = HUGE
Hips = MASSIVE
Arms = HUMUNGOUS
Legs = ENORMOUS
I seriously don’t think I can bring myself to divulge the info.
I think I could handle the rest — the workouts, the documenting of the struggle and the dieting (after all, I am a pro at that. I can lose weight no problem, its KEEPING it off that is the challenge).
Being held accountable is what would be the thing I would need most. I followed Suzie the entire year. I’m a faithful Bulletin reader, and loved seeing her success and challenges she faced. I loved the fact that she was real and talked about when she went to her son’s games at Oregon and the nachos, oh Lord that’s me! My daughter goes to USC and the football games are literally the highlight of my life. Who on earth can go to a football game and NOT EAT NACHOS — and then movies — I could go to the movies every day, but how on earth am I going to go to the movies and NOT EAT POPCORN, really? Is there such a thing? And I would say I am pretty known in town. I can’t go anywhere in town that I don’t know at least one person, so does that mean I will be monitored and ridiculed if someone sees me in the In and Out drive thru (of course it would be a protein style burger, no cheese)?
All of these things continue to run through my mind and I try to psych myself to jump in full force and take this challenge on and succeed. I think this is too good of an opportunity to pass up!