Here's To..."Bootcamp"

Here it is October 1st already.  What in the world?!?!  How did September fly by so fast?  We are loving fall here in the Rowe house.  Every part of me loves fall except for my allergies, which I try to just ignore as much as I possibly can.  I love this weather, having the doors open, and going on walks.  We haven't gotten to all the fall stuff we had hoped, like Vala's and the zoo, but there's still time.  And if we miss out we will survive and probably be at a better age to enjoy it next year anyway.  We continue to work on the basement office, too.  Dave has made awesome progress so we're spending a lot of free time working on that, too.

Last weekend we went to Aurora where we were totally spoiled.  I love my mom and dad-- and their great food, Husker football on Pay-Per-View, the way they change Dekker's smelly diapers and spoil him while I nap.  They are INCREDIBLE grandparents, which doesn't surprise me because they are incredible parents.

Well, this blog post is dedicated to a little adventure I am on called "bootcamp."  Awhile back I went to Women of Faith with some friends and we talked a lot about working-out.  My friend Jackie challenged me that I can keep doing what I'm doing (which was lots of excuses for nothing) or I could make a change.  Well I really pondered on that.  I really focused on the choice I had.  I switched my thinking so that working out was no longer something I "should" do, to something I "could" do.  So I started searching for options.

My first thought was our gym.  Okay back up.  I love organized fitness classes.  They are a great workout for me, and I love the beginning and the end and sticking to an hour.  Different things work for different people and this really works for me.  So I started contemplating the 9:15 classes at our gym (they have a pretty good, inexpensive daycare), and the 12:00 classes over nap-time.  But neither.  Call it an excuse or whatever you want.  But on my days off I wasn't interested in hauling Dekker out and putting him in daycare again.  And I knew he would be my excuse... when it's cold, when he's sick, etc, etc.  And I knew I wouldn't sacrifice my nap time consistently with a work-out and shower.  By that time in the day all motivation has passed.  So this left mornings.

I am not a morning person but I kept thinking about Jackie's encouragement.  And I remembered that this is a choice.  It's not something I HAVE to do, but it is something I WANT to do.  So 6:30AM it is, at a nearby community center that charges a fraction of the other bootcamps in town.  I'm not so sure it's really "bootcamp."  The work-outs are pretty moderate and sometimes super hard and sometimes pretty easy.  It is a great group of girls and two very nice, skinny, young leaders fresh out of undergrad.  I laughed on my first day there-- I wasn't sure if I was at the right place until I saw all the mini-vans.  Yep, all the participants are just like me-- Mom's, some work and some don't, just trying to get in better shape.  There are no models, no body builders, and frankly, no one cares.  Recently, I got dressed in the dark and wore my work-out pants inside out.  They gave me a little joking about all the literature across my butt, and seriously no one said another word because... who cares?  I honestly don't even comb my hair before I go!

Today was the end of week three.  It is a six week commitment so we are half way through.  And today I moved from 5lb hand-weights to 8lbs.  That was excellent.  AND I did all my push-ups without my knees.  The instructor said I had "great form," which made me super happy.  Sometimes we run on the treadmill, sometimes in the indoor track, even outside in the parking lot-- I caught my breath about noon that day.  Today we did a circuit.  The intensity is really increasing as the learning curve gets smaller.  They have already announced a second 6 week commitment and you bet I am in!

I have lost 1 lb.  Yep, one.  Totally sucks.  But I am reminded that weight often comes last.  And in the mean time I'm not gaining :)  And I am getting stronger.  And I am consistently working out, which feels great!  And, I'm learning that early morning work-outs have lots of fab benefits-- like one shower for the day, getting it done first thing, still having nap time to myself, etc.  If you are considering how to fit a regular work-out plan to your lifestyle, you might consider getting up earlier to do it.  I am more tired at night, and go to bed before Dave, which stinks.  But in general I have more energy throughout the day and am waaaayyyy more productive on the days I work out.

Welp, that's it.  It's not the best bootcamp ever made, but it's great for me right now!  Here are a few pics, not associated with bootcamp in any fashion (no one needs to see that), that I thought might be fun to share.  Enjoy.

On the Journey,

Mae