Day 15: Memorial Day

I woke up at 7.30 am this morning and went for a run crossing the Golden Gate Bridge to the Vista Point and back. Altogether, I ran 7 miles, it was a good run. I just wish I would be better at hills, especially as I know it’s just a mental block. I met a creepy runner on the bridge today, I got really annoyed. A guy caught up with me, so far so good, happens a lot. But usually they just pass. But instead of passing me, he kept running super close behind me, I really didn’t like it. Eventually, he then passed me, stepped right in front of me and slowed down significantly so that I had to pass him again in order to keep my pace. This scenario repeated 3 times, I got really angry. I thought I either have to punch him in his face or take a short “walk break” in order to get some distance in between us... So of course I didn’t punch him (I should have!) and started walking until he was farther away – he turned his head to look for me and slowed down again! I just couldn’t believe it. The weird thing is also that this “runner” didn’t even wear running shoes, just regular shoes and also regular pants. It freaked me out! But also I wanted to continue my run, so the only way for me to get away from this guy was to speed it up. Really sad that I need an annoying guy in order to run faster, but it worked! So when I passed him I swore that this would be the last time and I took off. It was quite hard but it worked and I had it in me. I didn’t stop at the water fountain even though I was really thirsty but I was too afraid that the guy might catch up and follow me…Crazy! But anyway, I made it and had a faster run than ususally. I finished my run with 4 short but really fast sprints, I was surprised about myself how fast I can actually run. It was fun.

I had another bar method class with Julia one hour after my run, that wasn’t the best idea. I usually don’t sweat in the bar method but today I did. May be my body was still exhausted from the run…I talked to the instructor Julia after the class, she is always very encouraging and said that she thinks that she is seeing a change in my body already…that was really nice (especially since I didn't ask for a feedback). I am not sure if I can expect to see much after 2 weeks but my abs feel pretty strong at the moment :) And I also have to mention that there were somre really nice women in the class today - they talked, they smiled and they didn't all were Lululemon outfits ...yes, they do exist! I mean I really like Lululemon and I have a couple of things from that store, too, but it is very noticeable that this seems to be "the brand to wear" when you go to the Bar method in the Marina. Anyway, in my opinion any other shirt is just as fine (and you don't run the risk that there is another person wearing "your" lululemon"-shirt...).

I needed a nap in the afternoon, I was really tired. It feels so good to sleep an hour in the afternoon…

Major goals for this week:

- Focus on breakfast again, I didn’t do a good job last week
- No carbohydrates after 4 pm
- Push through bootcamp with a positive attitude
- Log my foods on caloriecount.com

15 days down, 27 to go! I am looking forward to Basic Training tomorrow morning, I will definitely give my best and push myself as much as possible.

Day 14: Two weeks are over already!

I had an easy Sunday today, didn't stress too much. I think it is important to give my body a break every now and then so that I can be more efficient on my harder "bootcamp days". I went to a bar method class this morning again, it was challenging, especially on my abs and inner thighs, but it was fun. My legs felt totally fine today, no pain, no soreness. I visisted a friend afterwards who lives on the Peninsula, I haven't seen her for a while. I had to escape in the afternoon because they had a BBQ with all their neighbors coming over. As they started preparing nice drinks, guacamole, chips, burgers and pulled pork (I LOVE pulled pork...) I knew it was time to go...Can't believe I actually left! Now I am sitting here with my brown rice tuna avocado Sushi roll but somehow I can still smell the pulled pork....But I love Sushi, too, so it's all good :)

Two weeks are already over, unbelievable! My food choices at the beginning of this week weren't the best, there is definitely room for improvement. I have to find the healthy, sustainable intermediate. I am glad to say that I am eating significant fewer sweets now, that's probably the most important diet change for me.

Tomorrow is a public holiday, so I will start the day with a run (aiming for 7 miles) and I have another Bar Method class later in the day. Overall, I am positively surprised how great I feel and that I actually stick with my workout plans. May be two weeks isn't long enough to see changes in my body's physique, but I am sure that if I can keep it up for another month, it will pay off!

Two weeks down, 28 days to go!

Day 13: Beautiful run to the Cliff House

Today was a really relaxing Saturday. I got up at 8.30 am, the sun was shining, a beautiful day. I jumped in my workout clothes, grabbed my ipod and took off towards the Golden Gate Bridge. I love running the bridge and I run it quite often, but today I decided to run to the Cliff House along the Coastal trail. It is a a very scenic run, but there were quite a couple of hills that my legs were not willing to run today…but that’s ok, it was supposed to be my recovery day today, and running 6 miles on an “off-day” isn’t that bad, right? I wanted to run 8 miles but it just didn’t happen, the Lyon Street steps were still imprinted in my glutes…. So I ran 6 miles but also walked two more miles, so it’s all good. I ate a lot of fruit throughout the day, treated myself with a tall whole milk latte in the afternoon and a big bowl of salad for dinner. Yumm! I feel pretty fantastic!

13 days down, 29 to go!!! Unbelievable!

Day 12: A killer workout on Lyon Street

I woke up this morning and my legs felt sore, not too bad though, but I was really hoping that we would do some exercises for the abs and arms today at Basic Training and don’t focus too much on the legs. But of course that didn’t happen…! If I would have known about today’s workout upfront, I swear I wouldn’t have gone to class...I think we were 12 people today, so the group was much smaller than yesterday which was nice. And we had two instructors, so we definitely got a lot of attention. After our regular warm-up we started running… ”Just follow me!” were the last words I heard from Charles as the group took off. And then this feeling inside of me started creeping up…Are we running to the Lyon Street stairs…? Again…? After “leg day”…? No, we must go somewhere else, right…? Yeah, keep on dreaming Sue! We indeed ran to the stairs! This time, the hill seemed a little bit easier to tackle than last week, but still, when reaching the bottom of the stairs, my heart rate was probably at 180 already…I walked the lower part of the stairs, Charles made me run the second part up to Broadway (which alone are more than 100 stairs…yes, I started counting…). By then, my heart rate was probably 220, I am not kidding, I felt sooo exhausted. I didn’t have time to recover because I found myself doing push ups and all kind of things mixed up with jumping jacks and burpees in order to “bring the heart rate up again”…Seriously? I mean it never had the chance to come down! When Michael then told us to run up another hill to Pacific Street, I thought this is must be a nightmare. Luckily, the group is really motivating so you just do it. Being on the top of the hill, everyone was partnered up with a workout buddy again (HOORAY!!! That way I got a 30 sec break…) and when they told us that we jog down to Pacific @ Presidio and race back up against our buddy I felt like crying…It doesn’t sound so bad but if you know which hill I am talking about, you would feel my pain (see picture above). Good thing that there was no time to whine or protest, we jogged down and raced back up the hill. I only saw my race buddy from the back…Back on the top of the hill, we did some pull ups, chest presses and bicep curls which almost felt like a recovery. Who would have ever thought a pull up could be considered a recovery…? And then, we did the whole thing again – race the hill. This time, something changed in my head. Either my body switched in “survival-mode” forgetting to transmit pain signals to my sore legs or may be my brain simply shut down…I have no idea why, but I took off and sprinted up the hill. I guess I just wanted it to be over…We did another set of upper body workouts to then do another hill sprint. And again, it was almost like a miracle, I was much faster than expected rocking this hill. My running buddy was super nice and said “Girl, what happened??? You kicked my ass twice! Great work!”. That’s the thing, even though they sometimes set up little races, everyone supports each other, there is no jealousy or serious competition. I guess most people (including me) are there to push their own limits, the purpose is not to be better than others. Of course I am happy when I don’t come in last (because I am the slowest person quite often), but it’s really more about improving your own performance and not to beat someone else. And the group spirit makes you do things you never thought you could possibly do (and I swear I would never run those hills by myself without the group!). We then jogged back to the Palace of Fine Arts, running all the way downhill felt like a breeze.

I had another Bar method class 9h later, I have to admit that it was really hard on my legs and I am very much looking forward to tomorrow – no bootcamp, no bar method, just a simple, relaxing, old-fashioned run along the coast!

Honestly, I am really knackered now. I pushed as hard as I possibly could, and even though I almost felt like crying at some point during bootcamp today, I felt like I can achieve anything once the class is over. It sets my mood for the whole day, I feel balanced, happy and proud.

Lastly, I would like to mention that I resisted our weekly Friday treats in the company which are free bagels and donuts. I had high fiber cereal and a banana instead :). I really hope that I will see results soon and that it is all worth it…

12 days down, only 30 more to go! Looking forward to take it easy this weekend and relax!

Day 11: Bootcamp and Bar method

Today was a really exhausting day. I went to bootcamp this morning, the group was huge! We were 22 people. Honestly, one instructor wasn’t enough for such a large group but who was supposed to know that we would be so many people. But I guess you have to design the exercises differently if you have to work with so many people compared to groups of 8-10. Anyway, we were a large group but I certainly got my butt kicked! We ran quite a lot considering it was Thursday and not really the “running-day”, I think we ran a total of 3 miles. In between, we did a million lunges (at least it felt like a million), wall jumps, upper body work with the resistance bands again, crunches and many more exercises. Again, I was in pain and it felt really hard for me to do, but I like to be challenged and pushed beyond my comfort zone, it was a really good workout. They made us partner up today, everybody had to run with a buddy. I felt quite sorry for Lisa who was my running buddy because she is much faster than I am…But I tried to push myself and for a change, I didn’t come in last but left 4 people behind me :) Ok, rank 18 out of 22 isn’t exactly brilliant, but I have hope that I will get better eventually. It started pouring at 7 am when the class was over…that was lucky! My legs were slightly sore all day but I felt so good about myself once the workout was over. It is addicting! I went to another bar method class tonight. Don't even ask how much my muscles were shaking during the exercises since my legs were already tired before the class started...but I always feel very relaxed and calm after a bar method class in the evening. I had a small portion of low-fat chili con carne with brown rice for dinner (to load up carbohydrates and protein to fuel well for tomorrow's workout) but now I am really done for the day and need some rest…

11 days down, 31 to go!

Day 10: Another bar method class

As Wednesdays are the "bootcamp-free" days, I went to a bar method class at 6 am this morning. Man, I was really tired, I need more sleep. My food choices start drifting a little to the unhealthy side, I need to get better control again. I noticed that I eat a lot more when I sleep less than 6 h. Bar method in the morning was great but I went for a 20 minute run on the treadmill afterwards and I have to say I felt a bit guilty (since I came straight out of class and headed to the gym and the biggest "NO" that the bar method is giving away is to running...). But in the end you have to do what feels good for you and I wanted to squeeze in a short run. I have to run more miles a week if I want to survive the marathon in october but at the moment my schedule is pretty packed...

Whooohooo, 10 days down, 32 to go. I didn't really eat very healthy the last 3 days, there is definitely room for improvement. But tomorrow is another day and I love my workouts!

Day 9: Great friends, Pizza and cookies...

5.20 am this morning, the alarm goes off…I am feeling a relief because I can’t hear rain, fantastic! I am not really in pain but my legs feel kind of stiff... After a good warm up at the Exploratorium, everyone got a resistance band and the group did an “Indian run” to get down to Crissy Field. We stopped for some “push up burpees” on the way. At the beach, we did more push ups, mountain climbers, sun salutations, sprints, dogsleds, more push ups, more dog sleds, exercises for the arms and upper body using the resistance band and a couple of really painful (=efficient) exercises for the abs. It all happens so fast, there is almost no break in between the exercises which is great because even though I am in pain, I don’t even have time to think about it because the next task has started already. After all this, we ran back to the parking lot. I think I did a little better with the running today even though I was the last person again, but the gap between me and the other people in the group was a lot smaller compared to the other days (unfortunately, the new girl didn’t show up today…). It started raining at 7 am for the rest of the day...perfect timing!

One thing I do like about bootcamp is that the people are really nice and many of the exercises are done in teams of two, so you automatically get to know new people and possibly make friends (the pain ties you together…). I feel like everyone cares and respects the fellow bootcampers, there is a really good vibe amongst everyone. Our trainers constantly motivate us and also push us (without yelling…), I think they are doing a great job. They also run back and forth in between the group when we are running, so I never feel lost when I am at the very end of the group, they watch out for me. It was a great full-body workout this morning in a beautiful setting, but now I start to feel sore and I think even though I took a shower, I still have sand in my ears…

In respect to food, today turned out to be a little bit tricky…I had some high fiber cereal, low fat milk and a banana for breakfast - that was the good part. For the rest of the day I have been eating “socially” which means I had great company but also way too much food. But sometimes you just have to live by the moment! I was invited for lunch (as a belated birthday present) to Crepevine in Burlingame. Hmmm, I love their tuna melt and their roasted potatoes! But I tried to be good and ordered a salad with grilled salmon. I ate a lot more then I should have but it certainly was the better choice (I even managed to ignore the baguette and butter that came with the salad). It was delicious! Tonight I faced a second challenge… I met friends for dinner and they bought pizza...another friend joined and she brought what she called “the best cookies ever”. I had two slices of veggie pizza and half a cookie…the cookie really wasn’t planned but after all, it had to travel all the way from New York City to San Francisco, I had to try it. It had chocolate chips and walnut pieces in it, it certainly was the best cookie I ever had. But probably also because I didn’t have any sweets the last 8 days…At least I didn't drink any alcohol, you always have to see the positive side of things..I had a great evening with great friends !

9 days down, 33 to go! Today wasn’t really a "perfect" day as far as my nutrition is concerned. I made poor food choices but I had a great time with my friends, it was worth every calorie :)

Day 8: "Superstar of the week" with serious food cravings

Monday morning, 6 am – what better way to start the week than with a workout?? Good thing I didn’t realize it was raining before I was out the door, I might have had a different view on this otherwise…And no, for all you critical minds at work, this is not a “Yuppie-Marina bootcamp”, we actually do work out hard, we do meet rain or shine and we also "dig in the dirt" if necessary! As I mentioned last week, Monday is Basic Training “running day” – we ran to the Aquatic park, did some pull-ups and trizep-dips, ran hill-repeats near Fort Mason, did some more pull-ups and dips and jogged back. Overall, I think we ran approximately 3 miles, not too crazy, but it was a good workout (especially with the hills). A new girl joined the bootcamp today so I wasn’t always the slowest (what a nice change). Yay. I tried to put in more effort to keep up with the group, but honestly, I have no idea how to do it. Should I do longer strides or faster steps? It just doesn’t work! I talked to Michael, our instructor, and his advice was to do interval training...I guess I knew the answer before but I have been trying to avoid fartlek speed runs for a while and that is probably why my speed is not increasing with time. But he promised me that he will try to help me to work on it, I will definitely give it a try.

I had a “Quinoa Vegetable Tofu bowl” for lunch (can you believe it? Who would have ever thought I would order this voluntarily…but it was good, even the tofu!), however, I got some SERIOUS sugar cravings at 4 pm… I ate a cup of strawberries but that didn’t do it, I chewed fruity gum, that didn’t help either…By then, I really wanted some sugar so I decided that after a completely “treat-free”-week, a cookie would probably be ok. In low-sugar panic mode, I went to the desk of my coworker and said “You know, we really have to get a cookie. Or a muffin. Or a brownie. Anything that is sweet! NOW!”. He just said “Alright then, just give me 10 minutes” (I think he is somewhat scared of me when I am having low blood sugar and he knows when I am serious...). The good thing was that by the time we finally got to Starbucks to get me my treat (which was almost 30 minutes later), my cravings were gone. I was a little mad with myself because of my 3 year old habit, I automatically ordered a “tall skinny vanilla latte”. No!!! I am trying to get away from sweeteners and non-fat milk, so this order was a complete failure. I didn’t enjoy my drink and therefore, I only had half of it. And I would like to point out that I didn’t buy any pastry (but I was really close…).

I had another bar method class at 7 pm, I walked in the class room and Julia welcomed me speaking in her microphone with “Susanne is back! She is the superstar of the week!”. THE SUPERSTAR OF THE WEEK. That sounds sooo good and made up for all the sugar I resisted today. Thanks Julia!! I am really starting to like the bar method it won’t take long and I’ll be hooked. It is very relaxing after a long day at work. But it is a lot harder on my muscles after a day with a bootcamp workout in the morning…Altogether, I had a somewhat rocky start in week 2 with quite serious food cravings, I think I will allow myself a treat every now and then so that this won’t happen again. I weighed myself this morning and I was happy to find out that my current weight is 2 pounds less than last Monday. That’s a good start! There is definitely hope to fit in the dress in a couple of weeks!

8 days down, 34 to go, week 2, here I come!!!

Day 7: A lazy Sunday

Nothing really exciting to report today. I set my alarm for 7.30 am (on a Sunday!!!) for a bar method class. I know it's crazy and there are several more classes throughout the day, but Julie so far is my favourite instructor, it's worth getting up early. After class, I spent the rest of the day painting my furniture...it's kind of therapeutic but also symbolic in a way. First I decided to improve my exercise- and eating habits, then I decide to change the design of my room, what's next? Watch out! There are a couple more things in my life that do need a makeover and some things are just perfect the way they are =)

7 days down, 35 to go! I can't believe that one week passed so quickly! I am excited to go to Basic Training again tomorrow morning!

Day 6: A nice run across the bridge

I felt much better again this morning, the cold is under control. Sunshine coming through my window woke me up this morning at 7.45 am...there was no way to not go for a run! Saturday usually is the day where I am trying to get a "long" run in (which is app. 7 miles at the moment...). I definitely have to increase my mileage from week to week now. But after the cold, I decided to take it easy and just see how it goes. Sometimes, a run feels like torture but today I enjoyed every minute of it. I ran along Crissy Field, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and ran down the Coastal Trail for a mile or two. Altogether, I logged 8 miles, not bad at all. It was at a slow pace and also I walked some of the hills on the trail but considering I have been sick the last 2 days, I felt really good about my run. I had some high-fiber cereal after my run, a whole grain bagel with roasted chicken breast and avocado for lunch, a peach and some strawberries as a snack and one serving of whole grain pasta with pesto and sundried tomatoes. Sounds like a lot of food but somehow I am still hungry. I was hungry all day, I guess it's a sign that I am healthy again :)

Already 6 days down, 36 days to go. Not sure if my body has changed yet but I am definitely feeling good!

Day 5: My take on low-fat products and sugar

Unfortunately, I had to cancel Basic Training again this morning – I just felt too sick to go, it probably doesn’t make a lot of sense. As I have signed up for 3 classes a week and only went twice, there is only one way to make up for it: I’ll go 4 times next week! I am planning to go to Basic Training Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (after all, I want to share the full bootcamp experience with you!) and in the evening, I will try to squeeze in a couple of bar method classes. I went to the bar method 4 times this week and the more often I go, the more I like it.

Today, I spent a lot of time in bed trying to fight my cold. I went for a short walk, I enjoyed being outside. I felt envious when I saw all the runners along Crissy Field, but I know I have to get some rest. I am feeling much better now though, I am hopeful to be back to normal by tomorrow again.

Since I couldn’t work out the last 2 days, I tried to focus more on healthy food choices. Honestly, I wasn’t really that hungry because of my cold, so it was easy to make good choices. I especially tried to avoid excess amounts of sugar. Usually, I am a “sweet tooth” and I have some sort of chocolate, candy or cookie every day…Not this week! It was kind of difficult during the first 3 days, but the spirit of the challenge and the upcoming cold made my cravings go away. Sometimes I even think that I am addicted to sugar, but luckily, it doesn’t take that long to break a habit if you really try. I started reading more food labels in the supermarket, and I was quite surprised…I am usually the kind of person who orders a “nonfat latte”, drinks diet coke or buys the 0% fat yoghurt…but did it make me skinny??? When you read the label more carefully, you will realize that in many fat-reduced products, the lack of fat is compensated with increased amounts of sugar. Have you ever looked on a nonfat Yoplait cup…?? Even though it is fat free, some of them have 30 g sugar (which equals almost 1/3 of the serving) in it. I also bought one of the vitamin fruit smoothies today, I thought I’ll help my immune system with some extra vitamins… Don’t get me wrong, I like those drinks, and I keep buying them, but I am more aware now about their sugar content. The picture posted above shows the amount of sugar that is in one bottle (two servings, but I honestly finish the whole thing as one serving usually…). Just something to think about! Despite these observations, I think that in the end, it is all about a right balance and enjoying the food you eat. In that spirit, I traded my “grande non-fat latte” for a “tall whole milk latte” today. The barista at Starbucks looked at me and said “Whole milk? You mean full fat???”. Yes, that’s what I want! No soy milk, no nonfat-milk, just real milk. In my opinion, a food containing 3.5% fat can still be considered “low fat”, right..? After having this “full fat” (…) experience, I am not sure if I will ever order a non-fat latte again. It tasted so much better than the nonfat-latte that I have been ordering for the last 3 years….!

5 days down, 37 days to go and hoping to pick up the workout again tomorrow!

Day 4: Sick in bed

What a bummer! I am really frustrated! I woke up this morning and felt really sick. As much as I wanted to go to bootcamp and stick with my workout plan, I had to listen to my body. In the end, that's what it is all about, right? I spent the day in bed with a big cup of tea and a lot of water. Slept a lot, tried to focus on light, vitamin- and zinc-rich food to give my body the best support to get healthy again. I hope I'll feel better again tomorrow, the challenge continues and I am 100% motivated! 4 days down, 38 to go!

Day 3: Getting a cold

Wednesday is a “bootcamp free” day. I woke up at 5.45 am (feels almost like sleeping in…) and drove to the gym. I haven’t been in the gym for a long time, and ever since I started running and outdoor-training I really have a hard time going back to the gym. But I actually enjoyed it this morning. Initially, I wanted to run to the Ferry Building (one of my Wednesday's favourite runs), but then I decided to give my body a little break since my cold is getting more serious, unfortunately. Also, I have been working out quite a lot for the last 3 days. So I have been on the crosstrainer for 30 minutes with a low/moderate intensity followed by 15 minutes of free weights, that was it.

Probably because of my cold, I really craved tea this morning (which usually never happens…), so I had no coffee and I have to say that I felt much better throughout the day. That makes me really sad because I can’t imagine a life without coffee. May be I shouldn’t make it a daily habit. It’s only day 3 in my challenge but I am getting used to drinking a lot of water, that’s good. I went to another Bar Method class tonight, it was great. I guess I should have just stayed at home and get some rest, but I really enjoy going there. And since I won’t be able to afford more classes after the “special offer for new clients” is over, I have to make use of it now. Somehow I have the impression that the Bar Method is a lot about routine, I almost feel like the instructors use the same phrases, intonations and words…I mean it’s great because after a couple of classes, you almost know what will happen next (which can be good or bad), I wonder if my posture will be good enough after a month that I could may be get the DVD and do the workout at home…would safe me a ton of money! We’ll see, but as of now, I really enjoy going to the class. I hope I feel better tomorrow, I am not sure how I could push through a Basic Training workout with a serious cold and a running nose…Argh, I really don’t want to get sick…but I can feel it coming :(

3 days down, 39 to go! And I'd like to point out that eating healthy is a lot easier than I remembered…

Lyon Street Stairs craziness

I woke up this morning with a weird feeling in my throat/nose…feels like a cold creeping up. I really hope that I won’t get ill because the challenge is challenging enough as it is now…Fantastic, I swop chocolate and red wine for fruit, whole grains and vegetables and I get sick right away…haha!

I arrived at Basic Training 5.58 am, that’s still 2 minutes earlier than everyone else ;-) Today we did a “Lyon Street workout”. Jesus Christ! The Lyon street steps are hard enough to run on its own, but running up to the steps from the Palace of Fine Arts provided an extra challenge (=serious hill). As a consequence, I was already knocked out before the “real” workout started. Needless to say that I was still the slowest runner even though we were 16 people in class today. Oh well, I guess I have to get used to it during the next 6 weeks. And it’s not that I am not trying, I just CAN’T run faster (especially not uphill). So we got to the stairs finally (that was the warm up), we ran the lower set of stairs followed by some serious abs-exercises and upper-body workout. And push-ups. While my sweat was literally dropping down from my face onto the pavement, Michael (who is one of the instructors) asked me how I am feeling… At this point I could barely talk so I squeezed out an ironic “great”. The guy working out next to me started laughing and said “Hey Sue, you don’t have to lie!”. Very true! I indeed didn’t feel great at that point. Well, may be I’ll be more honest once I know the group a little better :) It definitely seems to be a nice and fun crowd (yes, they actually smile and crack jokes even when they are in pain…).We ran more stairs and more hills, did more abs, arms and more push ups. Honestly, for a while I thought I was in hell. I can’t remember when I sweat that much the last time… But, even though I was in pain for 60 minutes, I have to say that I feel AWESOME now and I am already looking forward to the next class! Surprisingly, I went for an easy 5k-jog after work - wasn't really planned but I really wanted to go for a run. Made good food choices today and drank water like a horse, so it's all good :) 2 days down, 40 days to go!

Day 1: No, I won't post my "before"-bikini-pictures ;-)

Whoohoo, I survived day 1! And I am feeling pretty good but also exhausted… I got up at 5.20 am this morning to get ready for day 1 of Basic Training – honestly, I was quite afraid, because usually day 1 of each session is dedicated to a fitness-assessment-test…but not today, I was lucky! Most clients didn’t really like that test so they now offer them on demand but not by default. Thanks!! We met at 6 am, Monday is ususally the day which is dedicated to running. We ran quite a bit. We started heading out towards the warming hut where we did some pull-ups and then kept on running to the Golden Gate Bridge. I don’t mind running in general, I guess the problem is that my pace is a lot slower than the pace from the rest of the group (I think they were at least 20-30% faster than me…), so I was quite exhausted afterwards since I tried to keep up with them (but clearly couldn’t). Luckily, there was another girl sharing my problem, so I didn’t feel all that bad…I definitely got my muscles worked this morning! I think we ran a total of 4 miles. And of course, I ran into my "old" bootcamp, right on the first day. I feel a little bit guilty.

At work, I was incredibly proud of myself for resisting free pastries that we got offered during a meeting in the morning (they looked soooo good though…). As far as my plan for “having breakfast every day” is concerned, that didn’t work out too well and needs to be improved tomorrow. Even though I bought whole grain toast and oven-roasted chicken breast (yes, I know...but I prefer savory stuff in the morning), I didn’t have the time to eat it. Of course I had my daily fix of coffee but it only came with an energy bar. Oh well, I was really in a rush. But I managed to drink 1.5l of water and a cup of tea – hurray!! That really wasn’t easy for me (I guess I usually drink 0.7l of water a day at the most…) and the worst part about it was that I had to go to the bathroom probably every 30 min… I am clearly not used to drinking that much. Oh, and I had my home-made thai soup for lunch today - it was horrible! Luckily, I also brought some fruit so I had enough to eat and didn't feel hungry.

After work, I went to a Bar method class; I wonder if any of the women working out there are able to smile outside of the class room (because clearly they don’t look very friendly during class. Or before class. Or after class). But it doesn’t really matter because the instructor is great and I got a good workout. I am tired now!! I wanted a good start for my challenge, I ate healthy (I had no chocolate today! I can't even remember the last day I had no chocolate or some kind of candy...but to be honest, I would probably kill for some M&M's right now…), drank a lot of water and got a good workout in. A good day!

Some of you asked me if I would post my current weight and before/after pictures...Claiming that this would encourage you to read my blog...Sure...! I am crazy, but I am not THAT crazy! I don't think I am ready to post my bikini-pictures (but yes, I took some "before"-pictures), but I will keep you updated on my progress :) One day down 41 to go!

Getting ready for week 1!

Now I am officially 31 years old!!! After a great birthday with LOTS of food and many drinks, I am trying to get in the right mindset for my challenge today. “Day 0” – the challenge starts tomorrow! I am really excited about it but also quite nervous… I went for a 6 mile trail run today – I love San Francisco’s coastal trail down to Baker’s Beach, it is one of my favorite runs. I broke in my new trail-running shoes, they don’t feel quite comfortable yet… I hope it will get better with more runs. Also, I went to a Bar method class this afternoon – oh boy! It was a lot of fun and it is a really hard workout, I don’t think I ever had my muscles trembling that much from exhaustion. Pretty impressive! It involves a lot of stretching, too, so it might be a good addition to the bootcamp and the running. “Basic Training” starts tomorrow morning 6 am, I am praying for a miracle and hope that I won’t be too sore to begin with…

Also, I went to the grocery store and bought a lot of fresh fruits, vegetables and high-fiber bars. I cooked a pot of the thai soup tom ka gai with lots of fresh vegetables, low-fat coconut milk and cod fish. It tastes healthy but also quite delicious; I hope I will feel the same way about it tomorrow when I’ll have it for lunch.

Tonight I will take measures of my body so that I will be able to document my progress during the next 6 weeks. I will also control and note my weight starting tomorrow morning (hey there is NO chance that I would step on the scale after dinner…). I put all the remaining German chocolates in the very back of my closet to have them out of sight. I should probably just give them away, that would be a safer way to deal with it… I feel ready!

So as for week 1, I have a couple of things I would like to focus on:

- Drink at least 1.5 l of water every day
- Have a healthy breakfast every morning (coffee alone doesn't count...!)
- Reduce my daily sugar intake

I guess together with bootcamp 3 times/week and bar method 3 times/week, that’s already a good plan. We’ll see how it goes… Wish me luck :)

Getting ready for a 6 week challenge!

A couple of months ago, one of my best friends in Germany - Andrea - told me that she would get married in July (yes, Olli, it really was about time…). That was fantastic news! A couple of weeks later, I realized that my favorite dress (which I wore at my sister’s wedding) doesn’t quite fit me anymore. I mean, it does fit, it’s just that I can’t really move once I am squeezed into this fantastic dress and there is a certain risk also that it might not make it through the night (and I don’t want to be remembered as the "friend from America" who made her dress explode!). Of course, there is always the option to buy a new dress, in fact, that would be a lot of fun (and I might end up doing that anyway). But I have decided to take this event as an opportunity to get in great shape for Andrea’s and Olli’s wedding (and that even though Andrea told me that there won’t be any hot single men at the wedding…really??). Plus, summer is just around the corner, there are so many good reasons to get in good shape now. As I am a Scientist by heart (which is difficult enough on its own), I decided to not just make this a “pre-wedding diet” but to start an experiment. A real experiment. Sue’s 6 week challenge.

How much can you transform your body in 6 weeks with hard exercise and healthy food?

So this is nothing like the “biggest loser” and luckily, I don’t have 200 pounds to lose… In fact, I have been quite active throughout the last year, I go for a run twice a week, I joined a bootcamp twice a week, I ran a marathon and I sometimes go the gym. I enjoy working out a lot, but I think I can kick it up a notch by pushing myself a little harder and especially by watching my diet a little closer. I don’t want to blame you, America, for putting weight on my hips but indeed I have to mention at this point that it was much easier to maintain my weight back in Europe (and we all know Bavaria isn’t exactly known for its skinny people!). San Francisco certainly has many great food options and the major problem is probably the portion size…oh, and the gigantic cookies, they are friend and enemy at the same time. But yes, in the end you have to eat the food yourself, so there is no one else to blame.

The 6-week challenge… not only will this be helpful to look brilliant at the wedding (don’t worry Andrea, I won’t try to compete with you at all!!) but also in order to kick start my marathon training. I just recently found out that I got in the Nike’s women marathon again, so I will take this project quite serious. Not too serious though. It will be interesting to document how much a body can change in 6 weeks…

So what's the game plan?

I just signed up for a 6 week bootcamp program called “Basic Training”, starting May 17th. That is when my 6 week-challenge will officially start. This is not the bootcamp I used to go to the previous months. I did a free test class at Basic Training recently – I thought I would be totally fine because after all, I have been with my other bootcamp for months running stairs and hills like a crazy person and this was Day 1 of the Basic Training bootcamp session of the “Newbies/Beginner” group… Bloody hell, I thought I will die from a heart attack! On day 1! It was so much more challenging than I imagined…so for sure, the next 6 weeks won’t be fun and you will hear me moaning and complaining quite a bit, but I am happy to share my experience with you. I will join Basic training 3 days/week and in addition, I will try to squeeze in as many runs as possible in order increase my mileage for the marathon. I was thinking to sign up for the San Francisco Half Marathon (which takes place end of July), so I better get running. I hope that I will be able to run though, I have no doubts that my muscles will be quite sore from Basic Training. In addition, I have a month worth of unlimited classes for the Bar Method…I know it sounds like a lot and it will be a lot, but it is for 6 weeks only and I am serious.

So thank you Andrea for inspiring me to this project. You have been such a great friend for me throughout the last 12 years! This experiment is an expensive one, so I better make it work….I spent $315 on Basic Training, $100 for the Bar method and $200 for two pairs of running shoes. But hey, wouldn’t you be willing to pay $600 if someone would promise you that you’ll look fantastic in 6 weeks…?? I would. Well, I did. Now we just have to figure out if I indeed will look "fantastic" in 6 weeks...Will it be easy? No. Definitely not. But I stick with the “no pain, no gain”-principle. Will it be worth it? Absolutely! I can’t wait to stand next to Andrea in a nice dress for the most important day in her life. I am very excited to start this 6 week long journey!