Week 2: Monday and Tuesday

What a difference a week makes. Monday was a great day for me. I started out at the 6am pilates class. Breakfast was a very tasty peanut butter and jelly with banana panini (yummy), it was wonderful. Went on a new hike today that I loved. It was approximately 5 miles and I went at a much faster pace than I did on the 1st day. I even had a hike guide tell me that I was flying compared to the week before. It is amazing how fast the body can become stronger. Had a fabulous stretch class after the hike and then lunch which was a turkey sandwich and tortilla soup. I then had my 3 afternoon classes which were circuit training, pool, and then step and pump (some call this class step and puke). Dinner was chicken and polenta, brussel sprouts, and desert was a parfait. All in all I felt strong today.

Tuesday started out with alarm going off and I did not want to get up. Sooooo tired this morning. I went to a 6am hardcore class that only worked on our core...killer. Breakfast was a yummy apple muffin and fruit. Hike followed and I did a hike that I did last Tuesday called "Goloot", it is most walking up three sandstone hills and it is really beautiful. I had the same hike guide as last week on this guide and I did the entire thing plus 1 extra uphill section. She told me after the hike that she was really impressed with how fast I was doing today.

I had a free weight class today that was very informative and makes me want to get some kind of routine with free weights at home. My final 3 classes were circuit intervals, total body toning, and then pool. Tuesdays seem to be my hard day because I seem to be extra tired on Tuesdays. Finished up the day with dinner (shepards pie, broccoli, and chocolate dipped strawberries).

Fitness Ridge is really great. There is absolutely no judgement by anyone here and I'm making some great friends.

Thanks to everyone for their support and words of encouragement. Night all.

Friday and Saturday

Friday:  Started my day with breakfast and then left for the hike.  I did a hike called "West Canyon"  It is a path that you can just put on your Ipod and go.  There are a few inclines, but for the most part it is a beautiful walk or run that you can really get your heart rate up.  After the hike I had a stretch class for 45 minutes.  Lunch was next and it was a tostada and mushroom soup that was really good.  

Then it was on to the 3 hours of exercise:  Circuit, Cardio disco jam (it was a blast), and then pool.  Fun day with workouts.

Dinner was meatloaf and veggies.  Home to bed.

Saturday at Fitness Ridge started out with breakfast for me.  It was a fruit parfait that was granola, yogurt, and fresh fruit on top.  I will say that it is was not my favorite.  Next you had the choice of going on a hike or getting killed in the gym for 2 1/2 hours.  I chose to get killed in the gym.

Marjorie was our trainer, we pick a piece of cardio equipment to work out on for over an hour.  I choice a piece that is like a recumbent bike combined with eliptical so, your arms are going as well as your feet, but it is not hard on your knees.  We started at a fourth of the level for five minutes and then went up to half for 5 minutes then to 75% for another 5 minutes and finally be at the top level for five minutes.  After that you went down to 75% for 4 min. and up to full for 5 min. and so on.  I will have to say that I don't think that I have ever worked out that hard in my life.  I had sweat dripping off the end of my nose.  After finishing with the cardio which was over an hour we had a 5 minute break and then back to the aerobic room.

In the aerobic room we had different stations we rotated through.  I started on the ball then kick boxing and finally stepper with weights.  We then had everyone on a ball (I can't believe everything you can do with a ball for exercise) working our cores.  We moved to the floor and layed flat on our backs with legs in the air and passed the ball to each other with our legs.  All I can say about that entire workout was WOW!!  I felt like I was having a last chance workout on the Biggest Loser. 

Fifteen minutes later I found myself in the pool doing an arm workout.  After pool it was lunch which was butternut squash soup and a turkey sandwich(yum).  

Because it is Saturday we are free do lounge around until dinner and graduation.  I went back to mom and dad's for the afternoon and just relaxed.  I fell asleep sitting up on the couch watching golf and listening to the fountain they have in the backyard.  

Back to the Ridge at 5:30 for dinner which was a yummy turkey salisbury steak and pea pods with pineapple sorbet for dessert.  We then got to listen to everyone tell about their accomplishments for the week.  This place is inspiring and feels so safe.  There is no judgement just encouragement.  Your fellow guests inspire you to do things that you thought you weren't capable of doing.  

Sunday is a rest day so, the only thing that I will be doing is eating  my meals at FR.  

Days 4 and 5

My schedule for Thursday was:

6am- breakfast- it was english muffin with scrambled egg on top with a bowl of fresh fruit.

8am-10:45- hike, I did a hike called chukawala.  It is a pretty basic hike, but I struggled on the inclines of it today because it felt like I couldn't catch my breath.  I did this same hike on Monday, but went farther this time.

11:15am-Pool class

12:15pm- lunch- it was soup and a tomato sandwich.  Really good.

1:15pm- cooking demo from chef Cameron.  He showed us how he made the potato salad that we were having for dinner that night, turkey meatloaf, and chocolate pudding.  

2:30pm- pool again

3:30pm-ball works (this is a class that where you use an big ball the entire time.  He does a lot of arm work with it just by holding it over your head and moving it all different directions.  We also lay on it stomachs facing down, and do pushup.  It was a very good class.  

4:30pm-treading class (this is where you pick a cardio machine and you go all out as fast and as hard a level as you can for 5 min., cool down for 5 min, all out again for 4 min, and cool down for 4 min.  It goes on like this all the way down to 1.  It is a very hard class, but I'm finding that I can do more than my brain says is possible.  

5:15pm-dinner (it was really good potato salad, chicken breast, cauliflower and carrots.  Dessert was apple cobbler)

Friday:

Breakfast today was a toasted enlish muffin, smoothie and a bowl of fruit.

Started out with a hike to West Canyon.  This hike is a walking path through Snow Canyon that has some inclines.  You can just put on your ipod and enjoy the scenery as you walk as far as you can in 1 hour and then turn around and go back.  It is not a hard hike, but I have come down with a chest cold so if I got going to fast my breathing wasn't great.  Coughing a lot today.

After the hike I had stretching class that is fabulous because our trainer finds muscles to stretch that I didn't know existed.  

Lunch:  was a tostada and mushroom soup.  It was wonderful and very filling.

After lunch we had a lecture for people that were staying on for another week.  Everyone got to tell the group what their biggest accomplishment was for the week.  It was very motivating and emotional for some people.   My biggest accomplishment has been hiking for 5 days and I'm not a hiker.  

I then had my 3 workout classes:

First was Circuit training.  I walked out of that class drenched.  Fifteen minutes later I had cardio disco jam, it was a blast and also a great workout.  And the last class of the day was pool.  

Dinner:  It was turkey meatloaf with fresh green beans.

The food here is very good.  

My first week here is almost done and I would have to say that it went very fast and I'm feeling stronger every day.  The trainers are fantastic and they really care about every single person here.  Not one judges anyone because we are all here to overcoming fears and make lifestyle changes.  I'm making some great new friends and they almost feel like family because you spend so much time with them.  It is hard to see people go home that you have become close to. 

I decision I made to come here I believe will change my life for the better.  Thanks for the comments that you all make on my blog and Facebook.  It helps me more that you know.

Day 2 and 3 completed

I need to start by saying that this is the greatest place for fitness that I have ever been. The staff is so incredibly accommodating. Day two started out with a hike that was beautiful, but also challenging. I had 5 people on my hike with 3 guides (the guides are fabulous). It was approximately 3 miles. Back to Fitness Ridge for a 45 minute stretching class. I stretched areas that I didn't know needed to be stretched, it was great. After lunch we had a cooking demo from Chef Cameron where he showed us how he made salmon burgers, and a homemade dressing from mango's, vinegar, sesame oil, and water (yummy). Total toning class was next, it is nothing but a step w/risers, a weight bar, and weights. This class kicked my butt, but I know it will help tighten muscles that I didn't know I had. Pool was next and can I just say that I LOVE the pool classes. The water is warm and the air cool and the class really gives you a great workout. Fifteen minutes later I was in a circuit interval class where you pick a cardio machine and every 30 seconds you need to increase either your speed or your level. You do that 8 times and then decrease every 30 seconds until you get to the lowest level. Then you do an all out sprint for 2 minutes, rest for 2 minutes, all out sprint for 1 minute and then start the process all over again. It was a great workout and my legs were shaking when we done. After dinner we had a lecture on nutrition that was very enlightening. I will be changing some things when I get home on how my family eats. (get ready family..lol),

Day 3:  I started the day out in the gym doing my own thing for approximately 15 minutes to get warmed up for the hike.  We headed out to vans to go to the starting point of our hikes.  My hike was called Barrel Roll due to all the barrel cactus.  It was very skinny trail that just wound around and up and down.  I'm struggling today because I'm so tired...I haven't been sleeping well and they also say that day three is usually a day you hit a wall.  Got back to the ridge and went to a circuit class.  After lunch I did my first ever kick boxing class..WOW it is a workout, but I loved it.  We were paired with a person for one part of it where one person would hold the bag while the other person hit the bag as fast and hard as they could for 30 seconds.  Then we would switch.  My partner was Brittney from season 5 of the Biggest Loser..She is here for 3 weeks and we are getting to know each other pretty well.  FUN!  Next class was 15 minutes later and it was cardio machine for 45 min. and every 4 minutes increasing the level intensity.  The last class was pool..I love the pool!  

The meals here are fantastic.  I have posted some pictures of what I'm eating, and some landscaping scenes.  It is 8:30 and I'm going to bed.  

Maybe I will get better at posting pictures before this trip is over.

1st day completed

Well today was my first full day at fitness ridge.  It started out at 6am for a intro to circuit training (it was to show us how all the equipment worked).  Then breakfast which was a bowl of berries and melon and a frittata, it was very good and filling.  We were then assigned a hike to go on and mine was really beautiful.  I hiked for 5 miles.  After arriving back to Fitness Ridge I went to a class called "Mountain", it is a class where you get on an cardio machine and every three minutes you increase the intensity.  It was great and I rode 7.5 miles on the incumbent bike.  Lunch was next and it was a really tasty bean and rice burrito, salad, and ginger carrot soup (yum).  We then had a lecture on food budget...calories in verses burned.  It was then time for the pool...It was rainy, windy and very cold, but that doesn't stop the class from going on.  The water was warm and the workout was very good (I would have to say that I loved it).  I was then in circuit training and the last class was step and pump (it kicked my butt).   I burned over 32oo calories today.  Dinner was a salmon burger with brussel sprouts (excellent).  And, then a lecture on nutrition.  Very tired, but also proud of myself that I accomplished all of that in one day.  On a side note:  Brittney from Biggest Loser season 5 is here also and she will be here for 5 weeks.  She is in my group and so we had all our classes together today.  I forgot to take my camera with me today so I have no pictures, but I will try to get some for tomorrows post.  Well it is 8:30 and I'm going to bed...Very tired.  

So much love and support

I boarded the plane early yesterday morning for my flight out to Las Vegas.  Bob works for the airline so he was able to walk down to the gate to give me one last hug and words of encouragement before I took off.  I had an entire row to myself so it was a very comfortable flight.  When I arrived in Vegas I was getting on the escalator to get my bags and I spottted my Dad at the bottom waiting for me.  What a wonderful sight..Mom was standing at the baggage carousel waiting for my bag.  Hugs all around.  We spent a few hours at the outlet center in Vegas before making the drive to St. George.  I found some great flip flops at the Croc store that I will be able to wear to the pool at Fitness Ridge.    Upon arriving at my parents home I walked into the spare room that I will be calling my own for the month and I see all kinds of emotional support hanging on the walls.  

I went to the computer to look at e-mails, etc. when my mom told me that she had something to show me...I walked back into the room and there on the dresser were three baskets full of little gifts, poems, cards, letters, and a lot of love.   My parents, and 3 sisters had each made a basket filled with their encouragement for me.  I was so overwhelmed by their love and support that it was difficult to even get through the letter that said "open me first".  I would like them to know that their love and support mean everything to me and I love them very much.  I would also like to tell my husband Bob and children Jessica and Alex that I will miss them very much and that I know they are with me in spirit.  Also, a big thank you to all you following this blog for your encouraging words and support.  I start my Fitness Ridge journey in 4 hours.  

thanks for all the support

Today is my day to get all the last minute shopping done and get it into the suitcase. So excited that I am able to stay with my parents for the month. It is great that I will have people at Fitness Ridge with the same goals as mine, but I'm also so grateful for two great parents and their support. It will really be nice to be in their home and have them all to myself for 4 weeks. Thanks Mom and Dad for always being there for me. I'm flying out on Saturday to start my 4 week adventure. I know that is going to be hard and challenging, but I am determined to push myself and get to a place where I know that I can continue this at home. I have given myself this year to get healthy and lose all those unwanted pounds. Thanks to everyone that is in my corner, I couldn't do without all of you. Love to you all.