running |

Last week, I wrote about how finding your people can have a tremendous impact on finding your way to fit and I got a lot of “hey NOWs” from a group of people I left out of the post. My work peeps. Of course I understood why they took offense – I work out with them three days a week and that’s a lot of time to spend with people you didn’t call your people. Reason is, though, I was already working on a post that would be a massive shoutout to the the fun we all have working out at work. So, my work people, this is that post. Enjoy!

The company I work for has (in my time here) always been good about encouraging us to work out. Our last office had a small gym and they brought a yoga instructor in once a week. I’m guessing it’s because healthier employees maybe means lower insurance rates but either way, I thought it was a nice gesture and great resource. However, our office moved downtown at the beginning of the year and that is when our collective fitness kick really took off. It all began when one person in particular – I’ll call him Tim because that’s his name – started a Run* club as we now had access to some cool city running routes and better scenery than our last office gave us.

The Run* Club runs* on Tuesdays and Thursdays at lunch and welcomes runners and walkers of all speeds, hence the asterisk on “run.” The formula is simple: we take off in one direction and run/walk for 15 minutes then turn around and come back. Some days I run 3+ miles in that half hour, other days I choose to power walk with the walkers. But each time I go, I have a blast and get a nice break in what are usually very busy days. We Run* Club-bers don’t take ourselves too seriously though and truly just enjoy getting some fresh air. We even made t-shirts and entered a 5K together. Our tag line (as we are a clever bunch) is “Your Pace or Mine” and if you see us on the streets of STL, give us a shout or a high five.

But that’s not all. There’s a bootcamp in the middle of all that running. Since the big office move, they’ve kept us moving as there is company-wide fitness initiative by hiring a personal trainer to come in on Wednesdays and kick our butts for an hour. The best part is it’s FREE to any employee who wants to go. Free personal training? That’s a helluva perk if you ask me. So what if we’re a big pile of goo when we return to our desks and our arms might shake as we eat our lunch because we held planks forever and did a million pushups… we’re getting fit, dammit. And work is paying for it. Hooray!

Sure, we already spend a lot of time together as colleagues but you really get to know people when you sweat with them. And I just want to say, from the bottom of my healthy heart, that I work and work out with some awesome people. Cheers, Momo.

Adages are old for a reason. Turns out universal truths are fairly spot on. At least I’ve found that to be the case when it comes to fitness. If you work hard and eat right, you’re going to see some positive results.

I’ve been at this whole fitness game for a few months now and I’m starting to see some major changes. Since my last (somewhat frustrating) “Results” post, things have really turned around. I’ve lost 13 pounds. And while I’ve still got a way to go on the scale, the real difference is in my body composition. I’ve lost fat and gained lean muscle. I’m smaller, faster, fitter. (Is that even a word? I hope so.)

Those fitness goals I devoted my second post to? I’m ticking them off one by one. I’ve shaved 30 seconds off my mile and have worn a bathing suit in public. While I’m not quite ready for a bikini contest, I now feel comfortable enough to walk around one of the chicest pools in town in a two piece.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve conquered fitness fears I didn’t even know existed until I found myself doing them with ease and confidence – like becoming a regular on the free weights benches and navigating the circuit training area like a pro. I might be a disaster when it comes to step aerobics but I know six ways to Sunday using the TRX bands, how to load up a squat bar, and just recently blew my own mind by doing one-armed burpees. Whaaaaaaaaaaat?

And the real kicker? I didn’t flinch at my last weigh-in/measurements session when Trainer said “off with the tank top!” and broke out the fat calipers. Why? I knew there’d be less fat for him to pinch. And there was. When he did the math and delivered my results his exact words were, “Absolutely crushing it and doing it the right way!” It’s one thing to feel like you’re making progress but to have that progress validated by your favorite fitness guru is another thing entirely.

Which brings me to the Oscar speech portion of this entry where I thank the people who’ve helped make my success possible. In no particular order, because they all play a valuable role, I’d like to thank:

Trainer, for his brutal – but still kind – honesty, showing me the way and believing in me. He’s even started doing me a major solid when Gym Crush is nearby and I’m working out on my own by chatting me up and making me look good in front of him. Bonus!

Which brings me to Gym Crush. He may not know it but he has provided some serious motivation for getting my ass to the gym and working out like a champ when I’m there. My goodness, the man is perfection. *swoon

And last but certainly not least, my Gym BFF. She is my rock. Everyone should be so lucky to have a gym buddy like her. Not only is she my constant companion through brutal workouts and every type of fitness class you can imagine, she is my comic relief. She makes me nearly cry laughing as we plié and plank our way around the gym. (Seriously, she deserves own post and will have one soon so the world can learn all about our gym antics.)

So there you have it. A few of the keys to my success so far . I used to feel like the first image was an accurate depiction of what I looked like when I ran. But the pic that follows is actual proof of where I am now. And it feels pretty great.

little girl running meme hb running