Our Last Class

This was the final class in our eight week journey together. :'( It was definitely bittersweet. It has been so fun to see these ladies twice a week, even though we moaned and sweated more that we would've liked. This was such a great bonding experience that encouraged us to grow and challenge ourselves and each other.

Our Body Back group. Pre-workout.

I had my final weigh-in tonight and I met my goal of 10 pounds! Exactly. That's just over a seven percent loss! Pretty wild in eight weeks. (Especially considering it took me a few weeks to kick some of my poor eating choices.) We also did my measurements before class, and I lost four inches in my chest (11.11%). : / It's kind of hard to be excited about that. Of course I'm excited to be losing, and I understand that that particular area is basically comprised of fat. But still. It'd be nice if you could pick and choose how you lost the weight... I also lost four inches in my waist (12.12%), an inch and a half in my hips (3.9%), and an inch and a half off my thigh (6.82%). I do have my before and after pictures. I've been procrastinating posting them. A lot. But before we go there...

Our final workout consisted of "1000 Reps." You can see in our 'after' picture what we completed. Exercise after exercise in the evening heat. We did have a nice shady spot, but it was still hot. What a great way to end it all and really feel like we accomplished something big!

You know it's hot when the camera is nice and steamy. It's also a little hard to tell if we were working out or just trying not to die...

1000 Reps

On to the dreaded pictures... I've had a lot of anxiety about posting these. Yes, I'm proud of my progress. But to put it all out there is so scary.

Without further complaints, here are the before and after pictures.
 

Ugh! Deep breaths... If I can get through this without having a major panic attack all will be well. I purposely wore as little clothing as possible so I wouldn't be hiding under my clothes. I wanted to see the changes! I've gotten pretty good at camouflaging my middle, which is undoubtedly, my trouble spot. My regret is my shorts in the 'after' pictures. I guess I wasn't aware how snug they were. I thought they were a good option, but I definitely think they are creating an extra roll or two. I'm also not sure why I felt I needed to stand with my legs and arms so far apart in the 'before' pictures. Wow, that really makes for an attractive photo. 

So if I can just block out my midsection (which I definitely see a change in the side picture), I'm pretty happy. I think that will always be my insecurity. No bikinis in my future. But I'm okay with that! 

Since I never see my backside (obviously), it's really neat to see the changes in my back, shoulders, and arms. In the 'before' picture, I can't see any definition. It's just blah. But in the 'after,' I was surprised to see things. What is that?! Muscles?! REALLY?? Or maybe it's just all this stress I've accumulated over posting this.

Another thing I noticed right away was my face. I was surprised at the changes in my face, more specifically my neck and jawline. And collar bones? I didn't even realize those were missing before!

I feel like I need to take after-after pictures now. I've lost another five pounds or so since Body Back ended, and I think the physical part is finally catching up with the numbers on the scale. I am so happy with this healthier lifestyle that I'm leading.

Here's to a whole new life of eating better, exercising, and being happy!!

Celebration Dinner

Finally, a picture of us not dripping in sweat! We got together for dinner and drinks this week  to celebrate our accomplishments.

Final Assessment

Well, that was that! We had our final assessment two weeks ago and repeated all of our exercises from day one. And I have all of my numbers to share with you! Here's a quick rundown of my progress during this eight week session. The goal was to do as many, or hold for as long as you could for one minute (except for the run, of course). Maybe I should have taken it easy the first time so there would be this HUGE improvement? ; )

Exercise   ---   Week 1   ---   Week 8

Situps                 20                28

Squats                40                62

Pushups              21                32

Bicep Curls         34                40

Run, seconds     111              105 

(apprx. 1/4 mile)

Plank, seconds   180(3min)     241(4min, 1sec)

Side Plank, sec    30                60

I'm pretty happy with my improvement in just eight weeks. I'm most proud of that plank time! When I first tried a plank I could barely hold it for 30 seconds, so to have a time of 4 minutes is just crazy to me. And the run time...I really wasn't expecting an improvement, as I said before. But I guess luck was on our side tonight. The field where we ran the last two times hadn't been mowed - in, like weeks. The grass and weeds were up past my knees, and for once I wasn't the only one complaining. : ) The moans and groans were enough for Bethany to allow us to run on the street, right next to the field.

Regardless of these numbers, I KNOW I have gotten stronger and am in better shape. I cannot wait to see the final numbers for my weight and measurements. I'm not quite as excited about the before and after pictures, but I've never been one to like pictures of myself. I'll post the rest very soon!