WHEW What is that Funk???

I admit, I am not a good fitness blogger. When Lithe introduced its Passport I thought for sure I would blog my progress but I haven’t. Though the good news is I have just 6 classes left to go, with this week being the most intense. 6 classes in 6 days, with 3 down and they are all the ones I’ve been avoiding. Monday it was Fat Free, Tuesday Pom, Wednesday Twiggy, tonight its Hot Legs, tomorrow its Higher Power and finally on Saturday its Walk Star, after that I am hitting the beach and AC and boy will I deserve it.

So what is that funk? When you sweat, hard in the more intense cardio classes, its not uncommon to have to wipe your brow constantly because you can’t see and your expensive, gorgeous, technical clothes from Lululemon begin to stink and HARD.

I care for my clothes as instructed, always hand washing cold and hanging dry to keep the wicking and stretching properties of the clothes lasting. But it doesn’t really wash away the stink, well for me it’s especially in the gusset of the pants (gross, I know.) I walked into Lululemon to ask them what’s up with this, they have a new line of running shirts that have silverescent fiber that fight bacteria but unfortunatly, they don’t have it in pants yet and yes, if you sweat a lot the clothes will stink, even when washed. So what do I do to take out the smell? If you peruse internet forums there are a host of methods athletes use, baking soda rinse, vinegar in the wash, specialty detergents but all have mixed reviews. I’ve decided to wash my pants in hot water once and rub some baking soda on the inside of the gusset, let’s see if it works.

What methods do you use to clean your technical, athletic clothing?

The Pits!

So Lauren linked my blog on their facebook page, so i guess this means I should write more often than every 3 months.

This post is about the pits, arm pits to be exact! I think I’ve mentioned before, my arms have always been the part of my body that I am most aware of. When I was young and thin, I would look at my arms and cringe at huge I thought they were. When I was at my largest, I refused to wear tank tops or dresses with thin straps, sans cardigan. And after losing weight,my arms sort of just hang there. I’ve lifted weights on and off, always liking the immediate results of being able to flex and feel muscle but like all things fitness, I usually drop it in no time. My arms are something that I will forever want to work and I am trying my hardest to do 1 arm class a week. That usually means Arm-istice, which is a super fun workout and my favorite mid-day class because you really don’t need to shower afterwards. I tried Wings, for the second time this week. Wings is intense but its also super hard to get into, its a staple Monday PM at Northern Liberties and always seems to be on the schedule BUT the same ladies show up every week so fighting for a spot is almost as hard as the workout. Well my thigh arms, they are still jiggly but I noticed something different this week. The arm pit, its pulling in at that point. Overall my arms are about an inch smaller and becoming more toned, so by the time I lose the fat they are going to be killer!

On Losing Inches, Not Pounds

Well, I’ve been hard at it at Lithe Method.  Yesterday, I did a bright and early Skinny Jeans (my first) and my instructor, Cori, asked if I was in her 101 a few weeks ago.  She commented that it looked like I am getting stronger and by month 2 and should really have it down, that felt great.  What also felt great was wearing a pair of jeans the fit me snugly a few months back that are now hanging off me.  And not just looser in the waist and still tight in the thighs.  All over loose.  I have been admiring myself in the mirror and even made my buff little bro feel my muscles yesterday, he told me I am doing great.

So I decided to do it today, finally weigh myself.  Granted, yesterday was a holiday and I did go to a big family dinner, with tons of rich foods and I did have pizza and wings on Saturday night but I am looking thinner so I must have lost weight.  Well I’ve lost nada, zilch, not a single pound. I stepped on and off a few times  to make sure I was getting a good read.  Yup, its true, I haven’t lost any weight.  Now part of it could be water weight from crappy foods for 36 hours, another part could be I am gaining muscle but either way, I wasn’t ecstatic to see the number.  I am still proud of myself, going to class 4 times a week.  Trying to stick it out as much as possible and seeing physical results are great.  Hopefully I will see the actual pounds drop soon.

Sometimes the Enemy is at the Grocery, Sometimes She’s in the Mirror.

I’ve been back at Lithe Method for the past few weeks.  Although sometimes I feel my stamina growing, other times I feel like I could run out and collapse at any moment.  Then I step up to the barre, here it comes, liberties, lunges, sumos and curtsies.  My quads and calves cramp up in a second.  My breathing gets hard, sweat pours into my eyes.  I look at the image in front of me, in the mirror.  There she is, chubby, doughy, my arms are like meat shanks.  I cringe, then I look around as I stop for a second.  More often than not, I see plenty of women with sculpted arms, flat stomaches.  I doubt I will ever look like that.  I don’t have faith in myself and more importantly the environment I am currently in is not exactly conducive to eating healthy.  Every day trays of soul food are brought into the office I spend 10+ hours, 7 days a week in.  If it’s not soul food it junk food, bagged salty snack, COOKIES, and yes people bake us cakes.  It’s so hard to say no, especially when you are stressed and tired.

I was at Whole Foods the other day, buying a cup of coffee.  I walk up to the register, there she is, my worst nightmare.  The beautiful, statuesque blonde, with the tulip skirt on that emphasizes her tiny waist.  I want to die, she represents everything I’ve never been.  I want to believe in myself, readers, but sometimes it’s so hard.  I am going to keep on going, every day is a struggle and perhaps I will succeed.

See-Saw, Thighs, etc.

The one thing I learned from my weight loss journey a few years ago is that the body chooses where it wants to lose fat, you can’t wish away fat from any particular body part.  But you can also work muscle groups and notice changes in how the muscles look and feel.  I am happy to report to you today is that my thighs are getting smaller and harder!  Its been just 7 classes but I feel the difference in my thighs the most, especially since going up and down those stairs is a daily struggle!  I also noticed a slight reduction in the double chin!

Another big victory is that last night, I was actually able to do See-Saw on my feet!  I wasn’t able to do all the reps but I did as many as I could!

Day 6

Here I am embracing Day 6, on the 3rd day of January 2011.  Day 1 started about 45 days ago with a 3 class pass purchased from Living Social.  My legs are still a little sore from the Thursday night/Friday morning back to back classes.  I cancelled yesterday because I was still in Atlantic City, I already scheduled a replacement.  5 Lithe Method classes a week is my goal.  Here’s to setting and keeping goals!

There never has really been a time in my life where I was “fit” persay.  I was never the chunky kid in class but I certainly wasn’t able to run laps either.  Most of my 20s have been spent over eating and gaining, some of my 20s have been spent dieting and losing.  I’ve also tried some gyms but those were short term relationships.  As an adult I still don’t like running laps, especially not on a treadmill.  My first class was killer, I didn’t think I would survive it.  Yes I thought I would actually pass out and die.  I was surprised that after the class I felt invigorated, then the 4 days of soreness set in.  Walking down stairs was.the.worst.  And I walk up and down stairs constantly.  My bed is on the 2nd floor of my 2nd floor bi-level apartment.  Oh and my office is at the top of a long set of stairs.  But then class 2 happened and everything was easier, by class 3 I was hooked.  I can visualize my future body, the slim waist, the high, firm buttocks.  My arms no longer jingling but slim and cut.  I have to do the work though.  I’ve got to do this.