Friday, August 27, 2010

And the work begins...

I can tell you that I am a whole new person.

First of all, I am tracking everything I eat on FatCounter app on my IPhone - it totally helps make sure that I do not eat anymore than 1500 calories a day. I want to lose some more weight before Chicago to make it easier on my joints; especially my ankles, knees and feet.

Also, Lennie has been so supportive. He has been shopping and cooking up a storm for us - all healthy, small meals and delicious stuff.

Next, my Stash Tea has arrived. I love the stuff and it was so helpful at Fitness Ridge. I took some to my parents and Megan - all who love it too. I ordered 300 bags of the Vanilla Nut Cream decaf - awesome.

I have run 2xs this week too and feel great - very strong - Megan even commented that my breathing is so much better - we ran a 7km last night in our fastest time and were quite proud.

I have my longest run on Sunday - 32km and am looking forward to the adventure - that would mean that I only have to do a 10km after that to finish the marathon - cross your fingers for me that I can mentally handle it.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Results and Home again

I am home, I am home! I could not be happier to have slept in my own bed last night.

I got up at 6am on Sunday to have my test out completed, said my goodbyes to everyone, caught the shuttle to Vegas, had some spa treatments, flew to Detroit, hopped on another shuttle to London and got home to my husband carrying 2 dozen yellow roses - my favourite.

I am thrilled with my results - the blood (leg and elbow cuts), sweat (unbelievably hot) and tears (from shame to forgiveness) paid off big time!! Here are my 21 day results...

Weight - down 20 pounds
Chest - down 2.25 inches
Belly - down 3.5 inches
Hips - down 4 inches
Body Fat - down 2.4%
Body Mass Index - down 2.9%

I got up this morning to find that Lennie had made us breakfast in bed and had already gone grocery shopping for all our healthy choices.

I just relaxed with Tigger who had no idea who I was and just kept meowing.

I had a chance to download all my pictures, videos and unpack all my literature. I am excited to use the cookbook again and make the wonderful food at home for us.

I then spent some time in the garden checking out our tomatoes, peppers, onions, celery and cauliflower - it had all grown so much. I am so happy that my parents and the Purvis' were here to make sure everything (even Tigger) survived my time away.

I have used my IPhone app today called FatSecret (it is a free download). I am tracking my food and even showed Lennie how to scan bar codes to confirm calories and update the meal plan.

I am excited to go back to work tomorrow and use my skills in real life. I must remember the 90:10 rule - it is great to be good 90% of the time and 10% of the time you can have more fun and forgive yourself if you go off a bit. I must continue to workout - I think we are less than 50 days to the marathon. I have imagined myself crossing the finishing line a million times and can hardly wait to do it for real. Now to only figure out what I am going to wear - something red for Canada colours for sure.

Thanks again to everyone for there support, encouragement and love. I truly am so proud to have gone and survived for 3 weeks at Fitness Ridge. I continue to call it "Life Rehab" it makes me put things in perspective, chill out and get fit - really quite priceless if you ask me.

Thank you to my parents for keeping everything at home in great condition. Thank you to Lennie for allowing me to go on this crazy adventure again while you got to do your cool trip with Rich. Thank you to Lindsay for being a great roommate for the first 2 weeks and to Kim for a hilarious last week as roomies. I really appreciate Robert's generosity with his car and stories about being in the navy. Daniel, you were such a great motivator and so helpful at pushing me through all the tough stuff. Thank you to the Fitness Ridge staff as always for caring for each and everyone of us that is there to make a change.

I would like to go to the Malibu Fitness Ridge next time and have Lennie come for a week. I would love to see how hard he can push himself with such a busy workout schedule.

Stay tuned for running updates and pictures from the marathon.

Cheers for now.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Day 21 - Last moments

Calories in - 1221
Calories out - 2000

Breakfast - bowl of fruit with granola
Lunch - Pumpkin soup and Hummus
Dinner - BBQ Chicken Sandwich Chocolate Bananas

Got up at 4:30am and ran my 18 miles again. I did the same route as last week - the 3 sets of 6 miles. It started great but by the 3 trip around I was DONE!!! We are all done. Everyone is tired, pooped and ready to go home. We didn't get home last night till after 11:00pm from the Tarzan show - which was amazing by the way - so I am working on very little sleep. I did my laundry, got packed and hair done this afternoon and then went to the dinner and graduation.


We all shared our successes here at Fitness Ridge and there was not a dry eye in the house when several speeches were said. Lots of hugs and love in the room. I am still shocked at the hikes that I participated in - especially this last week with 6 very fast crazy people. I am also proud that I continued to train for the marathon while doing all of the activities. Lastly, I never missed a class, lecture, meal or cheated in anyway. I kept to the schedule and even though near the end I was truly "done", I kept on going - yahhho me!

After grad we all went bowling and kicked some butt even winning $20 - 5 from each player in the last game.

These photos are from some of our hikes this week. As you can see, it is a tad scary in some places as it is steep and you can slip at any time, but it is so great when you get to the top and get the group shot.
Also, I have attached the photo of my buds Robert and Daniel - they were so much fun to hang with and made me laugh most of the time!!!

I am very excited to leave tomorrow morning on the shuttle to Vegas for the flight to Detroit. It is going to be a long day but I will be happy to sleep in you own bed with my family and see my cat.

I will post my 21 day results as soon as I am home so we all can celebrate but really it is not about the numbers this time. I am feeling so strong, positive and full of knowledge to continue to create a healthy lifestyle for myself. Thank you everyone for your support and love while I was away.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Day 20 - Last full day :(

Calories in - 1209
Calores out - 3074

Breakfast - French toast, fruit, eggs and sausage
Lunch - Chicken stew
Dinner - Meatball Sandwich and a Parfait

Hiking Guides - Sandy, Kendal, Jordan and Deb

Training Schedule
Hike - seriously hard and dangerous - sorry mom and dad
Stretch
Cardio Intervals
Lecture
Liquid Moves
Circuit Training
Zumba - awesome dancing - know all the moves now

I am so happy to have gotten up at 5:00am this morning and booked a RMR test. You can get your resting metabolic rate calculated so that when you are at home you know how many calories your body burns in 24 hours if you just sit and do nothing. The test took about 20 minutes with a trainer. You blow into a tube for 16 minutes and relax while they type your information into the computer. My RMR is 1901 - that is awesome because if I stick to a 1500 calorie a day food diary then I will always be losing even if I can not get to the gym. That is 500 calories at each meal and totally doable!

Now for the hike...I am not exaggerating but I thought I was going to die trying to climb down a thin little ledge between 2 huge gorges. I will have the picture for tomorrow - it was the first time on the adventure when I looked at the guide and said, "there is no f@#$ing way that I am going to be able to do this. Well, I did and I was scared to death - ironically I was not even going to go hiking today. I was so tired and rushed from the RMR test that I didn't think I was going to make the van. I am so happy that I sucked it up because this was a huge test of ability and mind over matter.

Food today was not so great except for the breakfast which was amazing and filling after a really tough hike. We are just back from the Tarzan production at Tuacahn - amazing - great special effects and singing.

Must get to bed as I have the 18 miler tomorrow morning.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Day 19 - Nice Day

Calories in 1139
Calories out - 2980


Breakfast - bowl of fruit with a peanut butter, jam, and banana sandwich
Lunch - Hawaiian pizza with Tortilla soup
Dinner - Stuffed Chicken with wild rice and chocolate dipped strawberries


Hiking guides - Sandy, Kendal and Don


Training schedule
Hike - 9 miles argggg
Nutrition workshop
Gym class - went 2 - 1 in kickball - was not happy to have lost
Planning strategies workshop
Open Gym
Ball works
Treading - got to level 9 on the treadmill for the first time!!!
Total Body H2O - was hurt'n by this time but we are finishing strong
Increasing your income workshop


Last night before I went back to the room I ran into Marie the reflexologist and massage therapist here. She asked if I had been sleeping and I send no so she gave me a massage, new pillow and some meditation to work through - I feel asleep right away and slept 5 hours - really good for me. Plus, there was a huge thunderstorm and I didn't hear a thing.

This morning the rains had washed a lot of the trails so it was a bit easier to hike. We did the Anasazi trail plus walked back to Fitness Ridge - just under 9 miles total. Cool.

The rest of the day went really well. We kicked butt in Core class and I used the 5 pound weights and did not cheat. Then we went to Treading class (the one where you go hard for 5 minutes, rest for 5, go for 4 minutes, rest for 4 etc. ) and I was able to do the 1 minute and 30 second intervals on level 9 - the trainer was on 12 and it was unbelievable to see - Daniel did it too and it was a riot to see how fast your feet must go.

Food today was terrific and the jewellery lady came - I wanted to get Megan a gift but I ended up buying myself a ring - sorry Meggie!! Lennie called and let me know he comes home tonight so that makes me happy that the cat, house and pool can now have someone there full time. My mom has spent a lot of time with Tigger this summer so he has had his 'grandma' time.

Tomorrow we are hiking "Central Park" apparently for our last hike it is tough but beautiful. For sure I am going to get pictures as this will be it for the hiking. I am not going to do the stop sign route as I feel I have hit my goal of improving my time - plus I want to hike for the last time with my buds in van 2.

I am feeling great and can not believe that tomorrow is our last full day - great news is that we get Zumba tomorrow - the Latin dancing class - and we all love it! I am getting my hair cut on Saturday before graduation so I should look decent for the first time since being here. I didn't bring any nice clothes and have looked like a drowned cat most days - sweating does wonders for your looks :(

Tomorrow night we are off to see Tarzan and several people now have been able to get tickets so it will be fun to be at the theatre together.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Day 18 - Yucky start - Great finish


Calories in - 1199
Calories out - 3320 (1500 on the hike alone)

Breakfast - fruit with an egg sandwich
Lunch - French onion soup with a Greek pita - yucky - ate the cereal instead
Dinner - Salmon steak with grilled pineapple

Hiking guides - Sandy, Zac, Kendal and trainee Matt

Training schedule
Hike
Open Gym - took a nap - see below
Stretch
Open Gym - tennis at the park
Mountain
H2O circuit
Kickboxing

I am not going to lie to you, I did not want to get up this morning and hike. I totally woke up on the wrong side of the bed. We had the hardest hike to do called Awesome Chasm It started with a 1.6 mile hike through sand, then 1000 feet straight up in which I fell and scrapped the crap out of my side, arm and leg, then 2 miles of sand/rock to the van. I was so grumpy the whole time!!! I did get 2 nice pictures at the top but my group is so fast that I just hung at the back with trainee Matt and we chatted the whole time. There was the most beautiful yet dangerous scenic sights but it really didn't help get me out of my funk. It is really hard to push yourself when you can not get to a positive talk spot. I tried but this was so hard, high and long. We didn't get back till 9:50, ate breakfast and had no down time before open gym.
Then I looked at today's menu and knew that I would not be liking the lunch OR the dinner :( So, I decided I needed to take a minute or I was going to kill someone so instead of open gym I went back to the room and got under the covers for 15 minutes to regroup. I changed and came back out for stretch class a new woman!!!

The rest of the day was terrific. One of the trainers in one of the classes yelled out "what is everyone else doing for themselves today?" and we all cheered as we know just how lucky we are and that we must continue to embrace this opportunity. Another one in the last class of the day reminded us that we are still working out after all that we have done earlier in the day - I felt so strong. Mom, I even ate all the salmon at dinner - it wasn't THAT bad. (one of the dietitians here taught us that we need to try something 15-20 times before we decide if we do not like it - well, I am on try #13 for the salmon and it is starting to grow on me.
I plan on having a great sleep tonight as another tough hike is right around the corner - 2 more hikes to go and 3 more workout days. I can't believe it is coming to an end. I am so happy that I am here for 3 weeks. It has helped me realize that it is ALL about eating. You can eat whatever you want but you must be prepared to work it off - do you know how hard it is to burn 500 calories - try a hike in Utah!!!!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Day 17 - Stop sign AGAIN!!!

Calories in - 1201
Calories out - 3141

Breakfast - Yogurt and fruit parfait
Lunch - Tomato soup with Turkey sandwich
Dinner - Enchiladas with Coconut/Chocolate sorbet

Hiking guides - Sandy and Kendal

Training Schedule
Hike - Stop sign route
Stretch
Pool
Calorie challenge - got 2 answers correct this time
Open Gym - went for bike ride with Robert
Pool
Cardio intervals - killer class
Total Toning - too tough to do after killing ourselves in Cardio
Movie night


So I am now in Van 2 with the fast crazy hikers but today we had our pavement route aka - stop sign. I was thrilled because I was so tired and dehydrated from yesterday. We got to Snow Canyon and I was not feeling it this morning to try and break 1 hour on Stop Sign. I started slowly but my friend Daniel said to take it easy on the bottom and kill it on the top section. He is nuts so I really didn't listen to him because the running was so hard. I got to the turn and just kept on running as I knew I needed to make up a lot of time - I was last at this point anyways. I kept going and saw the top where Daniel was walking back down - not a good sign as that means I am way over an hour. Then Don and Pat from Denver were walking back down too but to my surprise they all started running back up the top with me cheering me on - pretty cool as last week we got to do that for someone. They were yelling and telling me to have a longer stride so I just kept going and when I hit my watch it read 1:03:18 - unbelievable as that is the fastest ever and I felt so lousy - well not once I saw my time - I was thrilled. Daniel then said that we would walk all the way to the bottom to finish it off - holly smokes - 2 hours and 15 minutes of running/walking and we walked right to the bottom and got picked up - I am always shocked at what the body can do. I know I have not broken 1 hour yet so Daniel suggested that I sneak onto a different van on Friday and try for the 59 minutes - I think I will do that but do not tell anyone :)

The food today was my favourite - I adore the breakfast parfait as it is so big, the tomato soup was amazing the the enchiladas were delicious. I really believe the food is so much better than last year - Chef Cameron is still here but has published another book and so his focus is always to be improving.

Something else cool this week is that I am in red group - they put us in groups each week so that the classes are evened out - ie when we are in the pool, some other group is in stretch etc. The cool thing is that our group has had perfect attendance at all the classes - this is a huge improvement from last week when guests really didn't understand that the classes were not a choice but mandatory. This week's guests are really motivated and fun.

Someone told me today that I look terrific and fit - I loved that description. So far my skin and feet are still surviving. I am so pleased that I have been wearing lotion and a hat all day everyday and that really helps.

Tomorrow we are off for a tough hike again but apparently it is beautiful with lots of things to climb up and over - cool.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Day 16 - Tough hike - long day

Calories in - 1189
Calories out - 3321

Breakfast - Egg and bacon sandwich with a bowl of fruit
Lunch - Artichoke soup :( with Tilapia Tacos :(
Dinner - Wasabi potatoes and chicken with Cranberry sorbet

Hiking guides - Deb, Marjorie, Zac and Robert

Training Schedule
Hike - 9 miles - see below for tough start to the day
Emotional Eating lecture
Mountain class - level 15 on the treadmill - yahoo
Open Gym - tennis at the park
Cardio Circuit
Core Class - my abs are killing me
H2O Deep water

Today's hike was the most difficult so far. Firstly, I was in a van with VERY fast hikers. Secondly, we went to hike Gila which we have done before but that is not what we did. Gila is normally an out and back hike but this time we continued over the mountain and got on a new trail called Chuckwalla. Then just for fun the group was so fast they continued back around the mountain and did turtle rock and Jen's hill - holly smokes!!!! It ended up being 2:45 minutes and 9 miles - my feel hurt for the first time this trip. I finished last and a good .2 of a mile behind the group :(. I had a bit of meltdown and then decided that I would think that this week will be like the last 6 miles of the marathon. Take each day as well as I can and get through it and then move to the next day like the next mile.

The van lists are posted for this week and I am with the same crazy fast group for the week. The good news is that "stop sign" is tomorrow so I do not have to worry about the speed part as it is just get up as fast as you can to the top.

The temperature is also very hot this week. With no wind and lots of sun it was tougher in and around the gyms/pool.

I got to talk to Lennie last night on is golf adventure and he sounds like he is having a great time.

Off to bed so I can prep for "stop sign" - will be tough as I am pooped.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Day 15 - Rest Rest Rest

Calories in 1201
Calories out - 2000


Breakfast - bowl of fruit and a huge apple muffin
Lunch - bag of stuff - chicken sandwich, apple, veggies and soup
Dinner - Waldorf salad wraps and chocolate pie


No activity what so ever today!! Well, I did read 3 chapters in my book, the paper, laundry and saw 2 movies. We went this afternoon and saw the new Sly Stallone movie - I slept through most of it and then today after dinner we went and saw the Kids are Alright with Annette Benning and Julianne Moore - terrific.


Lindsay left this morning on her shuttle and got her results done - I can not share them as I am sworn to secrecy until she shares on her blog but I can tell you that she did AMAZING and did ever better than she thought - she runs like the wind and look terrific.


My new roomie is here from California and is nervous - we will get her through tomorrow and will be fine. At dinner everyone got to introduce themselves and we have 72 guest here this week. Some from US and some from Canada. This being the last week we are really excited to push ourselves.


Tomorrow we start again with an assessment hike but we know we will get to be on van 4 again with some intermediate hikers - looking forward to 4 new routes this week. I do have to run the 18 miles again on Saturday but now that I know I can do it and the route is great, I am looking forward to it.

Off to bed and will chat again tomorrow.

z

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Day 14 - 18 miles or 29 km done!

Calories in 1156
Calories out - 1,000,000

No hike today as Lindsay and I had a long run.

Check out the menu photo - it is located everyday in the dinning area so you can count your calories and check out what we will be eating. Best food day so far!!!

I woke up this morning at 4:30am as I needed over 4 hours in the cool to run our 18 miles or 29km as per our marathon training. I am shocked to say that I completed it, feel fantastic, did it in just over 4:15 and then went on a day trip to Zion National Park - amazing when just 6 months ago I was just running 10km and thinking that was far. Robert had mapped us out a 6 mile loop so we were able to return and refill with water and head out again. The sun came up as I finished my 2nd lap and then full sun for the 3rd lap. It was great and safe as I saw Lindsay on all the laps and even the hiking vans went by a couple of times. What a great feeling to know that I will be able to finish the marathon in October.

Zion National park is gorgeous. We took the shuttle to different stops and when we got to the top we found that you have access to the Virgin River and can wade in and out. This helped my feet feel better as they were a little tired from this morning. We learned at the park the oldest rocks at Zion are the youngest at the Grand Canyon - unbelievable when you see these one to imagine that some are older.
I learned an interesting trick the other day that I would like to share - it is called HALT - stands for hungry, angry, lonely or tired. We have been throwing it around when you see that someone is a little down - you ask them - "which letter?" and they tell you and it seems to get people out of a funk.

Tonight was Lindsay's graduation. This weeks video is very good and everyone said some good speeches. I am trying to think what I will say next week as I bid adieu on Fitness Ridge 2010.

Next week we have the new location Malibu trainers here doing the program with us. I think they will be a big motivator for all of us as they really want to be here and it is there job.

Tomorrow we are resting all day and hitting the movie theatres again :)




Day 13 - Stop sign Take 2

Well, Friday the 13th was a great day. We are totally burned out - today we had the dreaded "stop sign" hike and I was going to get up that hill as fast as I could. Last night I spoke with this great guy named Jim from San Fransisco who is a retired firefighter. He gave me some great running advice and it worked!!!! I ran the bottom section really fast as he says the top part you can only do so much with. I never looked at my watch once until I hit stop at the top. It read 1:03:39 - sweet or what. That is 6 minutes off of last weeks time. (Lindsay ran it in 51 minutes and Daniel was just behind that.) The best part of the day was when our friend Janet from Washington finally got to the top on her 2nd try under 2 hours. There was lots of tears and hugs.

Tomorrow Lindsay and I have to run 18 miles as part of our marathon training. Tonight we had the dreaded salmon burger for dinner and I ate the whole thing knowing that I need the energy for tomorrow.

After our 1/2 day program tomorrow we are driving to Zion National Park to take some photos and hang out with Lindsay on her last day - boo hoo - my new roommate is named Kim from California.

We hit the movies again tonight to see the new Julia Roberts movie Eat Pray Love - a book I really enjoyed. It was a good movie with some fabulous looking sights (and men).

Off to bed as I am getting up early to run in the cool dark for the first couple of miles - we found a 6 mile loop that returns to Fitness Ridge and that way we can hit the bathroom and restock water.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Day 12 - Saddle and Treading

Calories in 1091
Calories out - a ton!!

Breakfast - Hot Muesli with fruit
Lunch - Mushroom soup with a turkey sandwich
Dinner - Stuff Peppers with vanilla pie

Hiking guides - Kerry, Tracy and Alex


Training Schedule
Hike - Saddle - the toughest but most beautiful one.
Nutrition workshop
Stretch Class
Open Gym - went biking up the ridge
Treading
Treading (not a typo I did this class 2x)
Ball work

Treading is the killer class, it is the one where you pick a piece of cardio equipment (the first time I chose a spin bike and the 2nd time I chose a treadmill). You start off going as fast and hard as you can for 5 minutes then you get a 5 minute rest, then you go hard again for 4 minutes with a 4 minute rest etc. down to 30 second intervals. The spin bike was tough but I knew that I could have pushed harder so instead of going to the pool class I went back in for a 2nd go. The treadmill was tough but really fun and I was able to run faster for longer than I have ever!

Our hike to today was amazing. We did one called Saddle - which is named for the formation between to mountains. It literally starts off never the outdoor theatre build into the mountain (Tucahan) an you climb and I mean climb for 35 minutes. We all made it to the top and this is our photo. The rest of the climb is over, under and even through unbelievable petracliffs and land formations. We got to the end and we crossed West Canyon road so some of you ran back 1 more mile. It was a very great morning.

Did I tell you that we went bowling last night - well tried to...Robert threw his first ball and slid over the line, slipped and fell back hitting his head and needed an ambulance. It was very scary for a very moments but he is fine today. He did not hike and took it easy during the classes. Poor guy, his eyes had rolled back into his head and he had no idea what was going on - they asked him what day of the week it was and we all laughed because really, we have no idea what the date of day it. Oh, it is my big bro Johnny's b-day today so that means August 12th. Happy birthdayJohnny.

Tomorrow we have the "stop sign" hike so you know what that means...I will be going as fast as I can to get closer to that 1 hour mark.

Oh, I also was able to get us all tickets to see the Broadway show Tarzan at the outdoor theatre again this year. We are lucky as it was sold out but I was so how able to snag some tickets on line. We are going next Friday to celebrate almost being done.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Day 11 - Tetter Totter

Calories in - 1211
Calories out - 2850

Breakfast - Strawberry muffin with a bowl of fruit
Lunch - BBQ pizza with beet soup
Dinner - Chicken Fajita salad with mango sorbet
Hiking guides - Dennis, Tracy and Alex - we have them all week

Training schedule
Hike - 6KM - Teeter Totter Rock - my favourite, favourite favourite!!!!
Stretch class
Circuit
Open gym - swam in the pool after I had a little nap
H2O circuit
Kickboxing
Mountain

Did anyone see the unbelievable meteor last night. We were sitting out and saw the most amazing comet/meteor go across the whole sky. I have never seen anything like that before and know that it is bringing me good luck. I finally got some sleep and had a great hike today. We got through to 3rd ravine, up to the bat cave, teeter totter rock, the cliff hanger and back down again. It was my favourite from last year and continues to be challenging and fun. Lots of great photos taken today. When we got to the bat cave the camera guy was there to capture all of us together - it was fantastic as another group was coming up in the opposite direction so we all got to be together for photos and fun. The other group was really challenged to get to the bat cave and my buddy Janet even cried when she made it to the top so we were all so happy for her. The hikes are not easy and I take for granted my crazy stubbornness to push through the muscle pain, heat and rocks to get to the top. It was really emotional to see some people who have never been able to walk this far let alone hike up this distance to enjoy the cool geological sights of Utah - totally made my week.

Someone asked if we get snacks during the day...nope, nothing other than the food at the 3 meals. Now, there is fruit out all day and they expect you to eat 1 piece sometime (I eat mine before the hike) Also, there is a small salad bar during meals but it is all extra so I have never touch it. Lindsay and I hit the great place today where we have no cravings, are really full after the meals and are not that hungry. When you eat whole foods, lots of fibre and slowly, guess what...you to not overeat!

Someone finally said I look like I have lost weight - thank goodness (OK it was Lindsay but I will take it) as I see everyone else melting before me. Really I do not care as I know that I am so much stronger and faster than I have been in years and that is why I am here so the thinner part is a big bonus.
Oh, I forgot to mention - my feet are PERFECT and not a blister or any soreness in sight. Also, I am not having any skin issues like I did last year. Mostly because I am not in the water as much, they have a shower to rinse off now and I get to the room shower before dinner so that I can moisturize!!!!! I am so happy as that all wrecked my time here last year. Today makes the 1/2 point and we are all feeling so strong and happy.
See you tomorrow.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Day 10 - 2 months till Chicago

Calories in - 1229
Calories out - not sure as I did not wear my Polar today but it was a lighter day

Breakfast - Tropical Smoothie and English Muffin
Lunch - Tomato sandwich, salad and Squash soup
Dinner - Penne with chocolate covered strawberries

Hiking guides - Dennis, Alex and Tracy

Training schedule
Hike - Camel back - my favourite
Emotional growth workshop part II
H2O circuit class
Calorie challenge - we lost again
Open gym - went and played tennis
Cardio Intervals
Total Toning
H2O Intervals

Today was weird. Everyone was in a grumpy/ weird mood. It all started on the hike when I couldn't get my mind to communicate with my legs and I was slow but then I got into it and went farther into this hike then I did last year. I completed the whole hike, including the "dragon's back" part and the final incline. The photo is of me, Lindsay and our friend Daniel on the top by the part they call the vortex. We could not go down in it this week as it was full of rain - maybe next week. The other photo is of me and my friend from Alaska Robert. He is a 56 year old retired navy guy and so nice to me and Lindsay. He is the one that rented the car and drives us to the movies and shopping. He is losing a ton of weight and feeling great - I think I have lost some weight - I noticed my ankles this morning :)

Food was pretty good today but I didn't really like the dinner - it was over cooked. The photo is of yesterday's dinner - amazing!!! They are teaching us to leave a morsel of food at each meal to get use to not overeating. We are continually be taught that food is fuel and nothing else. So many of us talked about how it is love. We love to cook, eat and spend time with our families eating but I will not be eating as much now as I am learning that it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your head that it is full so if I eat slower than I will not eat as much. Still get the love and the fuel needed but not overdoing it.

We had a great toning class today and I used heavy weights than I have ever before. I also loved going and playing tennis - totally loved being outside and smashing the ball back and forth.

Tonight I realized that we are 2 months to the Chicago marathon. This Saturday we are running our 29km long run in preparation. I am really looking forward to it to test how fast and how long it will take me. Got to get to bed as I have not really slept again this year - argggggg.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Day 9 - Wall Street

Calories in - 1089
Calories out - 3215

Breakfast - Bowl of fruit with a spinach fritatta
Lunch - Chili with corn bread - amazing!!!!!!
Dinner - Chicken, mustard potatoes and pineapple skewer

Hiking guides - Sandy, Zac and Annie (6 months pregnant - see photo)

Training schedule
Hike - wall Street 7k
Mountain class - get on a treadmill and bump up the resistance 12 times in 3 minute intervals
Stretch class - ahhhhh
Open Gym - we all went biking for 12 km
Core training - my abs still hurt from last weeks class
Deep water suspension - float float float
Circuit training - our favourite

So, I was feeling great and thinking I was looking amazing until Saturday when we got to see the week's video that is made for each guest. It is a great video; lots of photos, fun, and memories but it also reminds that still have a long way to go - if the camera adds 10 pounds, exactly how many cameras were on me :( I was upset Saturday and a bit of a suck yesterday but a day of rest has helped. And then we went on the hike and our guide was a pregnant chick. Nothing like working your ass off, climbing huge rocks, slugging through sand to find the pregnant guide leader way ahead with no a sweat drop in sight - arggggggg.

The Biggest Loser stars are here and they look terrific - much smaller than they look on TV - so nice, friendly and knowledgeable.

They have posted the van assignments for this week and we are all together again on van 4 - yahoo!!!
We found an amazing recipe today in More Magazine for some delicious snack cake. it looks like it comes from Kellogg NA co. as it uses All -Bran cereal, here it is...
Lemon Poppy Seed Snack Cake
Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 cup All Bran original or 1 cup All-Bran Bran Buds
1/4 cup fat free milk
2 egg whites
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup low fat lemon flavoured yogurt
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
Directions
1. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds - set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine cereal, milk, egg whites, oil, lemon peel and yogurt. Let stand for about 5 minutes or until cereal softens. Add flour mixture, stirring only until combined. Spread evenly in 8x8x2 inch pan coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
We are planning a trip to Zion National Park this Saturday as it is Lindsay's last day. We are so happy that our friend Rob rented a car and we can see more sites.

Off to bed as 5:45am comes soon enough.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Day 8 - Movie day

Calories - 1211
Calories out - ?? didn't even wear my watch today

Breakfast - granola and bowl of fruit - long story read below
Lunch - bag lunch of chicken salad, veggies, soup and an apple
Dinner - chicken with spaghetti squash, broccoli and tiramisu

Training
None - thank goodness

Last night we sat out till 1:00am watching the incredible storms travelling through this part of the country - unbelievable lightning, rains and winds. Today we woke up to continual storms and no power - it never came on so at lunch we hitch a ride to the airport where our friend Robert rented a car for the week and we got to go to a movie 'The Other Guys", Costco and Best Buy. It was great to get off campus again. While at Costco we looked at all kinds of food we have talked about in our classes and got a better idea about calories, healthy choices and not so healthy choices.

We came back to the ranch to do laundry and greet the first weekers, and have dinner. Then we had more time so we hit the movie theatre again to see Charlie St. Cloud. Even the guys cried while I only shed a few tears. Did I mention that we did NOT consume ANY snacks - amazing when I always did the all you can eat bucket and all you can drink soda - amazing - we just ate our bagged lunches in the PM and fruit in the evening - great practicing of our learned skills.

The 1st weekers look excited but nervous like everyone was there first time here but again, lots of Canadians are here so it is fun to meet and greet them all.

Tomorrow it all starts over again with a hike assessment. Van 4 returnies hope that we are together again.

Cheers to all.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Day 7 - The 12 miler!

Calories in - 1211
Calories out - ?? as I took my Polar off at lunch at 2000 calories

No hike today (see below) :(

Breakfast - bowl melon, granola and soy milk - delicious
Lunch - Asian Chicken wrap with roasted pepper soup
Dinner - Tamales with Banana Cream pie

Training Schedule
12 mile run with Lindsay on the treadmills as the local hikes were canceled due to a lightning storm.
Water volleyball
Reflexology and tanning by the pool
Graduation ceremony and DVD watching
Laser Quest and games

We were very disappointed this morning when the hikes were canceled as Lindsay and I had a 19km run schedule as per our marathon training. We were going to run an easy hike for 8 miles and then finish the rest back at the ranch - no luck so we were stuck running on the treadmills - we did well but our legs feel like lead today - I finished much stronger after hitting a wall at 6 miles.

Had my reflexology appt. this afternoon so my feet and body feel great now. We all rested, read and chatted by the pool after that waiting for dinner and the graduation fun.

At 7:15 we all piled in the vans and headed to the local Laser Tag and mini golf place and had a riot for 90 minutes running around shooting each other.

I got to watch a movie outside last night - Brothers - it was so cool being under the Milky Way watching a movie - first time I have ever watched a movie without consuming 3 buckets of popcorn - kind of refreshing actually. After the movie, we laid on the pool deck looking at shooting stars and an unbelievable sky.

Tomorrow is my favorite day - we get to rest and watch all the new people arrive. It is fun to think about where we were a week ago and think about the tough week ahead for week 1ers. I don't want to jinx it but I feel so great, thinner (my shorts did up very easily today) and tighter. I am so glad that I booked 3 weeks to really get my weight, attitude and strength where it needs to be.

Thank you to everyone for your well wishes, I am so glad that everyone is on this adventure with me. I know that it will make my Chicago marathon so much more successful and enjoyable, not to mention more positive and healthy choices the rest of my life.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Day 6 - Bye Bye Van 4

Calories in - 1289
Calories out - 3326
Hiking guides - Megan, Alex, Zac and Robert

Breakfast - delicious yogurt, fruit and granola parfait
Lunch - Parsnip soup with a Caesar salad
Dinner - Turkey burger with coconut sorbet

Training schedule
7.5 k hike (one of the hardest) White Rocks
4 mile bike ride
Stretch class
Lecture - preparing for next week
Circuit class
Zumba
H2O moves
Heba - Guest speaker

Today was a TOUGH hike. We are so tired and we had to start in Snow Canyon and walk to the top but through miles and miles of sand while climbing huge mountains/hills. Thank goodness that I decided to wear my hiking boots today as there was a ton of volcanic rock. Last year I did this hike but is was called "reverse" because we walked from the top to the bottow - not today!! we did the bottom to the top - tough stuff. This is a photo of our van at the beginning of the hike and there is also a photo of our team at the top of piano rock.

This is the last day for van 4 as tomorrow we can sign up for any hike we want and Monday we get reassessed again with the new guest. Several of our van mates are leaving so we will have some new ones - hopefully they are fun and funny too.

We got to do "open gym" today which means you get 45 minutes to do any activity you want. Last year, lazy sore feet me would always chose the pool, today I got on the bikes they have here and pedalled up to through the houses to the base of the huge mountain park behind here - what a great feeling and I burned 420 calories doing that plus, it is an activity that Lennie and I can easily do at home - they like you to learn the transferable skills.

Tomorrow afternoon after all our activities, I am having reflexology done (I love it as I have had it done before at the Elmhurst) Then I am off to play doubles tennis for the first time in a million years.

My buddy Daniel snapped this photo of me climbing through some very tight caverns this morning - thank goodness we had shade.

Tonight, Heba the at home winner of the Biggest Loser season 6 spoke to all of us as this is her last day. She told about her adventures, the show and what she and her husband are up to now. It was motivational and she speaks well.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Day 5 - Stop sign :)

Calories in - 1209 + an apple
Calories out - 3245

Hiking guides - Alex, Janna, and Pam

Breakfast - Bacon and Egg sandwich with a bowl of fruit :)
Lunch - Greek Pita with French onion soup :( gross so I had toast, banana and almonds instead
Dinner - Stuff chicken with Peach Cobbler :)

Training schedule
'Stop Sign" hike - 4.3 miles from 3100 feet to 4300 feet
Stretch class
"Gym class" - Kick ball at the park
Cooking Demo
Total Body H2O
Ball Works
Treading - the killer incline class
Lecture - Increasing your calorie income
I know everyone is wondering about how I did on the hike since I have been focusing on doing a great time for over a year. I did great 1:09:58 - I know it is not 1:05 as I wanted but really, it is Thursday, we are all very tired, and I was slower on the bottom section then I wanted to be but... I never stopped, I never put my hands on my hips, I did not lean on my thighs and I ran my 10:1s for the first half and ran the last 1/4 mile with my bud Lance from Montana cheering me on PLUS I felt great at the end - again, I am so happy with my fitness level that I was only disappointed with my time for about 30 seconds and then I was so pleased with myself. Next week we are doing it again and I know I will reach my goal. (Lindsay ran it in 56 minutes - sweet time or what - I told her she could break an hour!!!) The photo is of our team today, Lindsay, Lance from Montana and Daniel from Milwaukee at the lookout which is at the top of the hike.

This morning we got to do something cool and new. They have a class called "Gym Class" we had no idea what that meant so we chose it over the pool. It literally was a gym class from when we were in school. The trainer took us to the park and we played kick ball - kind of like soccer baseball in Canada. We had a riot. It was hot but we ran through the splash pad on the way back. Our team won and here is our group photo.

We just heard some great news for next week as Michael Ventrella, Season 9 winner, Koli Palu, the at-home winner, and Ashley Johnston are coming and staying for a week. I think this is awesome as I enjoyed meeting the contestants Fillipe and Sione last year. They will get to learn and experience the Fitness Ridge 4 point philosophy of nutrition, fitness, education and relaxation.

We are very tired tonight but continue to feel terrific. Lindsay feet are driving her a little nuts as she has some blisters and I twisted my ankle today playing kick ball but that will not get us down. We are still continuing with our marathon training schedule and will be doing a 19km run here on Saturday (we are not suppose to do anything on Sunday - serious day of rest - no problems here)

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Day 4 - The great volcano


Calories in - 1209 + 1/2 a banana
Calories out - 3224 - 1200 on the hike alone!!!
Hiking Guides - Marjorie, Sandy, Janna, and Alex

Breakfast - Fruit and a PB&J panini - delicious!!!
Lunch - Greek Pizza with pumpkin soup
Dinner - Salmon with Orzo and a fresh fruit skewer - the dreaded salmon yuck - did I eat it? Look down to see.

Training Schedule
6.5 km hike - Volcano - really tough but beautiful
Core strength & posture workshop
water Aerobics
Lecture - Emotional Eating Part II
Kick boxing
Mountain treadmill
H2O Circuit
Lecture - Intuitive Eating

Another terrific day here at Fitness Ridge - really tough hike up a mountain they call Volcano. It was 4 miles long while going from 4000 feet to 4500 feet elevation. I had never completed the hike last year as I was in a slower group so we only went so far - but this year, I made it all the way to the top and the cinder cone which was a tad dangerous - many people fell coming down. I only hit a volcano rock and cut my leg but we are all good - it was also very sandy and had sooooo much sand in our shoes by the end. I hiked with Van 4 today and my friends Pam from Chicago and Molly from Georgia kept me going -thanks girls.

We had a lot of classes today so the dreaded Wednesday tiredness has set in and everyone is a little quieter. Not me, I feel amazing!!!! little tired, but amazing. The food continues to be wonderful and it is so nice to have someone cooking and telling me what to eat. I know that my choices when it comes to what I eat and how much is the problem. Coming here takes all that away and allows me to learn and feel what appropriate amounts are.

Look mom I ate the whole bowl - yucky stuff but I put a ton of pepper on it and a ton of Tabasco to cover up the fish flavor.

Tomorrow is going to be great as we have another 6 hours of classes and the weather continues to be gorgeous. I have been wearing sunscreen, my visor and glasses all day long and it has really helped with the skin situation from last year. Also they added a shower by the pool so you can quickly get the chlorine off. Because I have not been as tired, I have been able to shower BEFORE dinner and then get moisturizer on as to not be sitting for dinner and the lecture with sweat or chlorine on - great changes all around.

Today is Lindsay's birthday so we had everyone sing happy birthday to her and they brought her dinner's fruit skewer with a candle in it. It was fun.

Tomorrow we are doing the "stop sign" hike (the reason I came back!!!) so I will report my results - 1:05 or better this week is the goal - I can do it!!!!!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Day 3 - Gila Monster

Calories in - 1149 + an apple
Calories out - 3250 (just the 13 hours that I wore my Polar)
Hiking Guides - Marjorie, Travis and Alex - awesome and fun

Breakfast - Bowl of fruit and Peach Muffin
Lunch - Quinoa and lettuce wrap with tomato soup
Dinner - Sheppard's pie with chocolate covered strawberries :)

Today's workout schedule
9 km hike - Gila - really tough but beautiful
Emotional Growth Class
Stretch class - love doing it after our long hikes
Calorie Challenge - we lost badly
Cooking Demo - love to learn about the products they use
Total Toning - weight training
H2O Intervals - tough lap swim
Cardio Intervals - holly smokes - run on a treadmill as fast as you can for 45 minutes - kill me
Lecture - Spending calories Part 2 - "we eat stuff and we need to eat food"


Well, what an awesome day. I have been put in the fast intermediate hiking group so I got to hike the Gila trail - trail my ass - how about 6 miles through volcanic ass, up 50 stairs to a cave and then another 1000 feet up - holly smokes. Burned 1200 calories just on the hike itself. We learned about "desert varnish" which is the photo to the left. The early native people drew on the rocks and this is a beautiful example.


We had a great lecture today after breakfast called Emotional Growth Workshop. It was led by Jennifer the life coach. It was pretty teary to hear everyone's stories as she made us make a chart about how we view ourselves - the healthy views and the unhealthy views. It made me sad to hear how people view themselves when they are all beautiful and special/ Most of the time while people were sharing I was thinking about how mean people have been to them or kids at school at an early age making fun of the way people look. My list was more about my personality traits that I do not like about myself so I was able to reflect on how likely I really am having such a great childhood, marriage and life now.

Lindsay and I are having a great time. Our room is beautiful, cool and so clean. She makes a great roommate. I am so thrilled with all the people here this week. Daniel from Chicago and Robert from Alaska are wonderful buds to compete with during our classes. The other great thing about this year is that I am so much stronger - mentally and physically, mind you, tomorrow is going to be a long workout day.

My feet are perfecto - no blisters or bruises. My ankles, knees and shoulders are great - so far Catherine 1 Fitness Ridge 0.

Good night all.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Day 2 - What a difference a year makes


Calories in - 1167
Calories out - 3245
Hiking Guides - Don, Pat and Megan

Breakfast - Egg and sausage sandwich with a bowl of fruit
Lunch - Tortilla Soup with a turkey sandwich
Dinner - Chicken and Polenta with a fruit parfait

Today's workout schedule
9 km hike
Stretch class
Mountain treadmill class
Lecture - Body Budget
Deep water Suspension
Circuit training
Core training
Lecture - Spending calories

I know everyone is dying to hear what my time for the "stop sign" route was well... we didn't do it! I was so mad because that is a big goal of mine. They have changed the hiking assessment to a group hike and they then put you into groups for the rest of the week based on your ability. I was put in van 4 with Lindsay, Daniel from Milwaukee, and Pam from Chicago. We did the Anastasia route and it was beautiful. When we were done, we were all placed in the fast intermediate hiking group for the rest of the week - awesome as last year I was a beginner. Apparently, we will be doing stop sign later in the week - stay tuned.

We are pooped - good night and cheers to all.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Day 1 - Keys to success

We made it!!!! After a fun filled time in Vegas we arrived at the resort today and what great changes since I was last here last year. With the Biggest Loser now associated it has created some great changes; new staff, updated classes, smoother transitions and great updates to the facilities.
I am so excited as my friend Rina from last year is going to be here and as Lindsay and I were on our tour guess who is here from the TV show the Biggest Loser - remember Heba - season 6 winner - she is here and looks terrific.
I got weight in and here are this year's stats.

Weight - a lot
Chest - double something
Belly - round
Hips - they don't lie
Fat - unfortunately
Body Mass Index - still big

So you are probably wondering why I haven't put the actually numbers, well...it is because I do not care about the actual numbers. I have set different goals this year and focusing on the numbers is not part of it. Getting healthier, fitter and mentally stronger are this year's keys!

Another amazing thing is that my best bud from last year Rauni and her husband Kal are here from Vancouver - best surprise ever as she and her sister in law were the ones who got me doing the tough hikes and really pushed me last year. What a great day we have had.

There are 11 Canadians here this week of the 60 or so guests. There is even a guy from Alaska. Another interesting point is that the staff from the new Malibu Fitness Ridge are here this week as guest so that they get the "guest experience". Neat.