Editor’s Note: Susan McCreath has been selected to participate in the Year of You, a fitness challenge hosted by The Manteca Bulletin and CORE Athletic Performance. McCreath will keep a weekly journal, highlighting the strides and struggles of her fitness journey. These are her thoughts and feelings shared with you.
Day 147
Monday. A day to be positive. Always a fresh start! Had a great workout tonight and the gym was full of some regulars and some new people. It is always easier to workout when you have a group of people around you, some good music blaring, and a trainer who both encourages and pushes you to be better. Thanks. Tommy! Not sure my legs will be thanking him in the morning, but I know that the burning feeling is my muscles trying to overcome my fat!
Day 148
Thank goodness the burning wasn’t too bad in my legs because after tonight’s workout I’m pretty sure my arms will be out of commission tomorrow. You know it’s been a good workout when your arms can barely hold yourself in the start position for a push up ... and you’re on your knees!!! I’m getting better at those diamond push-ups (hands close together making a diamond shape) but how do people seriously go all the way down when doing those? It’s like there is a stop button and my arms won’t bend any further.
Day 149
If you would’ve told me 149 days ago that I would be doing a handstand against a wall and holding myself in that position I (and everyone that knows me) would have told you that was not going to happen. But ... it did! I’m sure it wasn’t graceful or pretty but I crawled my wobbly legs up the wall until I was in a handstand position and held it. I would guess it was a good 10 seconds that I held that position ... even though it felt more like 10 hours! I was feeling pretty good about myself, but the moment was short lived as we had to start running ladders. That is still the one thing that is just not enjoyable for me running, jogging, etc. Even when I was in college and in great shape I despised running. The only reasons I can think of why I don’t enjoy running is because: 1. It hurts ... this body was not built for long distances; and 2. I get super bored running and think about all the body parts that are creaking and twitching while I’m running.
Day 150
Four days straight in the gym which gives me a sense of accomplishment. I’m really not sure how many lunges or squats I did tonight, but rest assured when I go down the stairs in my house tomorrow morning my body will remind me! I feel like my eating has been right on point this week, but everyday is a battle as people at work like to have “not so good choices” lying around the office!
Day 151
Road trip to Oregon to drop my son off at college. We find this cute little mom and pop restaurant to eat in. You know the kind where immediately upon walking through the door that it has a dessert case that spins around showcasing all their huge pieces of homemade pies and cakes! We sit down to order and my husband orders chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes, gravy ... the works. My son and daughter order the BBQ burger with fries. Luckily, I had a brave moment and my other daughter and myself ordered the organic spinach salad! I must say that it was incredible ... fresh, delicious and it made me feel really good about my choice.
Day 152
New city, new restaurants. You want to try the local restaurants and not the chain restaurants that you can eat at anytime. After moving my son in we finally got around to eating at 3. Late lunch or early dinner? At this point we decide that this will be our lunch and dinner so I decide I can eat a little bit more since it’s two meals in one! After eating we decide that we need to walk off some of our food so we walk around the campus...which is big. As we are walking around I start to notice how many people are out and about walking, jogging, running (hey, it is track town USA), rollerblading, skateboarding and cycling. It seems like such a healthy, active community.
Day 153
I had the unique opportunity to eat in the Oregon football facility. A place that prides itself on serving the most nutritious food for optimal performance. Today we would be eating the same food that the football players get to enjoy. The lunch menu was a burrito bar which initially caused me to panic, but it was amazing. As we walked through the line there was fresh fruit (watermelon, strawberries, orange slices) and fresh spinach salad. Next up was the burrito bar ... chicken or fish with the only toppings being salsa, fresh avocado, and grilled peppers. The food was amazingly fresh and tasty! They offered a dessert and I took it because it was a brownie and I love brownies. However, you should have seen my face when I bit into this supposed brownie and it was some sort of carrot tasting thing that was disguised as a brownie! Soon after I finished my carrot brownie thing I learned that when they serve the team mac-n-cheese the noodles are actually made out of cauliflower!
Connect with Susan McCreath and CORE Athletic Performance trainer Robert Iniguez on the Year of You Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/theyearofyouchallenge.
