Abs Challenge Reflection
After having twelve and ten pound babies, I figured my once lean midsection was but a distant memory, but with when I heard about the Team Fit abs challenge, I figured it was worth giving it a shot. Anytime I have a goal, I break it down into smaller tasks so as not to lose the forest for the trees. With this challenge, I realized I needed to change my eating habits as well as my workout patterns. In regards to eating, like a lot of naïve people, I thought, “hey I’m doing well, I eat lean cuisine and low calorie snacks, I’m eating healthy.” I’d taken note of the approach the Team Fit members took to clean eating. In particular, I did away with processed carbs and cut out gluten generally. Cutting out the gluten wasn’t as hard as I expected, as I was familiar with the expectations, being as my son whose 11 has thrived on a gluten free diet for eight years. I was cutting out snack foods and my beloved English muffins. Tracking what I was eating was another step. I was surprised by my caloric intake. I scaled back from 2300 to 1500 calories a day and was surprised that I was actually less hungry than when I was eating more. I had added more lean protein and vegetables and had cut back on the carbs and sugary foods as well as the massive amount of fruits I ate, stemming from the misguided “fruit is free” rhetoric I’d adopted from other weight loss regimes. In cutting out the extra sugars and carbs I was impressed how quickly most of my cravings disappeared. I started eating more at breakfast and throughout the day and discovered I no longer felt the endless need to eat really big dinners followed by an evening of snacking. I added healthy fats to my diet, and having grown up in the 90s, to this day, I think a lot of people in my generation thoroughly fear fat. In finding the Team Fit page and hearing a lot of the members speak highly of Quest Bars, I ordered some and found they were great to eat at about 4:30 when I was running errands and trying to get things done. They kept me satiated during that time at night when dinner is drawing near and I was no longer mindlessly snacking while preparing dinner or overeating at dinner because I was ravenously hungry. In regards to working out, sadly I was that person at the gym every day doing the elliptical. I never really questioned why I wasn’t getting results because I was comfortable with what I was doing . I was initially fearful that by doing more weights and putting my time into that, that I’d gain weight from my lack of cardio, but it didn’t happen. I asked the trainer I see at the gym once a week for suggestions and read up on what I could find in magazines, books and various articles people on the Team Fit page uploaded on weight lifting and strength training. In addition to the weight training I really wanted to spend extra time on my abs. I created a list of exercises I could do at home and compiled various ones to do each week, probably 10-15 minutes, 6 days a week. I’d squeeze different things in here and there throughout my day from Russian Twists to crunches to planks. Each Sunday I’d revisit my list and either add extra time to my planks, more reps of an exercise or change the exercises in themselves. As crucial as diet and exercise were to my progress I could not have gotten there without a support network. My husband was amazing. He was happy to adjust recipes so I could eat them, he didn’t bring food home that tempted me and on the rare occasions when we‘d go out to eat, he was happy to go out to places that made eating clean possible. In all honesty, I have to owe most of my success to Vicki Royer and the amazing members of the Team Fit group, she has cultivated a really unique group, predominately of women and whose members are strong, smart and who desire not to be thin but to be healthy and strong. It was really empowering to discover a group that shared this sentiment. This group is wonderful in that they encourage each other, offer one another advice and guidance in a non judgmental zone. They are always happy to congratulate people on their successes and lend a sympathetic ear when others are struggling. This area is such an amazing outlet and a wonderful place to get motivation on working out to recipe ideas to dealing with the struggle that sometimes come with this lifestyle.
On a final note, I thought it was important to share that throughout the twelve weeks I stepped on the scale at the beginning and the end of my challenge and my weight didn’t change. Had I been stepping on the scale more throughout the process, I probably would have thrown in the towel and said I’m not accomplishing anything as the physical changes over the twelve weeks were gradual and I didn’t notice them in the mirror. With the conclusion of the challenge at this point I had dropped two clothing sizes and seeing the before and after picture I was able to see my accomplishments. My core is so much stronger, and from week to week I’m able to push myself more in my training. Through this challenge I’ve accomplished something I didn’t think possible and not only do I feel I‘ve improved the shape of my body, I also feel healthier and more confident in myself.
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