Monthly Archives: April 2012

From Matt:  With only 5 days remaining in the competition, it is a race to the finish. My guru mechanic has gotten the 64 Chevy hitting on all cylinders. The question is whether or not there is going to be enough fuel in the tank at the finish line. There is no holding back now. It is time to run the engine as hard as you can and hope for the best. I don’t want to look back and think there was something that I could have done that I didn’t risk. Pedal to the metal and head for the finish line. If you are looking to get your classic machine out of the garage and running, get in touch with my guru mechanic Mark Trapp at Push Fitness Schaumburg.

From Karen:  Same as the past three years,  I head to University of Illinois for Moms weekend. This being my last, it was an emotional adventure. I see a student that I have known for 3 years and he says “Mrs M. You look great! what are you doing?” I looked immediately at my son and said “you told him about my fittest loser.” My son said ” no.”  OK,  then it hit me…this 21 year old college student can see it…see the new me..the shrinking me coming out of the heavy me….I guess its true.. I now can say I do believe , I believe that it shows more than in the sagging clothes. Time to get back to fitness,  no time to blog …  its crunch time!

From Karen:  OK,  everyone I really need help here. I am beginning to worry about what my life will be like when this is all over! Its freaking me out.  I need a fitness center! I love the pool and want group exercise classes. I haven’t given up on the chances I can still work out at Push but I need other choices as well. This is stressing me out and all us LOSERS know stress is not a good thing in weight loss. I am OCD with planning and have things in order so now is the time to set up the next few months of my life.  Suggestions?????

From Matt:  We are in week 9 and feeling strong. Last week I was experiencing some intestinal cramping. They said that may have been a withdrawl from the statin that I was taken off of. The cramping has ended and I am feeling gooooood! My wellness guru has stirred the pot one more time and added some new treats into my exersice menu. This week there were more weight and muscle confusion circuits. He told me to grab two 20-pound dumbells and head for the stairs. When we got to the stairs he told me to climb up to the 6th floor and come back down, You know you have complete faith in your trainer when you don’t even question what he tells you. Three sets of those and I was gasping for air. I apologize to the maintenance department who probably thought there was a broken pipe from all of the water in the stairway from my sweat. The great part of working out with weights is that you are burning hours after you are done working out. That is the good burn.

From Matt:  That is how I felt during my workout last Thursday. In the middle of my workout, my eyes rollled back and I knew I was going to hit the floor. Fortunately for me, Mark was there to make sure I was OK.

It can be an uneasy feeling when you know you are going to pass out. I sat there on the floor with sweat pouring out of my body trying to figure out what I did wrong to have this happen. After 2 bottles of water and an apple, provided by my guru body mechanic, things started to clear up.

From Karen:  I have been getting emails talking about the finale! I thought when I committed to this adventure, it was ending May 2013! Was this not a year long journey? I am not at all happy about this adventure being over. This is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life but its has been my “routine” and I do admit I kinda have enjoyed every moment of this “Me” time I have made for myself. The entire food thing is a challenge, the workouts are CRAZY but I amaze myself at what I am able to do. Tony has grown on me and has helped me prove to myself I can do many things I NEVER thought I would be able to do, and that I am worth every moment that I invest in ME! Just under 4 weeks to go and I am fighting to the end to reach my self made personal goal! I KNOW I will do it!

From Katie:  I KNOW that running burns more calories. I have known this for a LONG time, and yet, still, I hate it! There isn’t anything about running that I enjoy (except the calorie burn). Every time I pick up the speed (whether it’s on the treadmill or outside), it’s agony. However, I feel like I could walk for days!
Why is it that all the activities I enjoy don’t have very high calorie burns (biking, swimming, walking, playing volleyball)? I miss bike riding. It’s been almost two years since I’ve been on my bike (I had pregnancy to thank for that last summer), and I am SO looking forward to getting back on! The pool? Well, I’m too embarrassed to put myself into a bathing suit so that shall have to wait until maybe June?
As I was watching The Biggest Loser the other night they were talking about how exercising can be fun! There are times that I really do enjoy my workouts (especially Saturday morning boxing boot camps), but when running is involved, that’s simply not the case! Any tips out there on how to make it more enjoyable?