Wedding Blog

I mentioned the other day that I have a few New Year’s resolutions that I feel compelled to tackle before the wedding. I call these my wed-solutions! My biggest wed-solution this year is one I’d still put on my list even if I weren’t getting married in less than 5 months, but I doubt I’d approach it with such determination and focus without the specter of my wedding dress hovering constantly in my mind.

That’s right, it’s the fitness, y’all! My goal is to become a triple-S: Slim, Straight, and Strong, in time for the wedding and in a way that will be maintainable as a lifestyle for years to come. I want to be super-fine in 2009! Welcome to my journey from Flab to FAB! Won’t you join me?

I know I am not alone in this quest. I see your bloggy resolutions echo mine, I hear your need for healthful change, and I am ready to share my experience as I climb the hill of transformation. It may not always be pretty, and it definitely won’t be easy… but I’m taking this opportunity to not only get in shape before the wedding, but to also address (and put to rest) some long-lived life issues that I do not wish to carry forward into married life.

A little background: My history is rife with laziness, stutter-starts, brief romances with exercise followed by complete abandonment, and over-eating.

• I’m the girl who has resolved to take control of my fitness every single year for as long as I can remember, but has never once accomplished it. I’m sick and tired of feeling trapped in this cycle.
• I am notoriously the girl who “just needs that set of weights” or “can’t do it without a gym membership”, but then my new weights become shelter for dust bunnies, who furtively glare at me in an accusatory “you’re lame” dust bunny manner (dust bunnies are mean y’all)… and my gym memberships sit untouched in a drawer.
• I’ve been the girl who became completely obsessed with Bikram Yoga and quickly burned out on the heat, the dogma, and the price tag…. and just.stopped.going.altogether.
• I’m the girl who is always “starting my new life tomorrow” and then eats everything in sight as if it were my last meal.
• I’m the girl who has a love-hate relationship with food. Honestly, I have an unhealthy relationship with it, and facing up to this is a breakthrough in itself. I think about it way too much, binge eat far too often, and make rationalizations about deserving unhealthy food too much. I’m an emotional, semi-obsessive eater. It’s taken me 30 years to realize it, but like they say, admittance is the first step, right?

Basically, I’m the girl that lacks the moderation gene. I’m an extremist, and I’m ready to learn to find a balance. All-or-nothing, ready to become little-bit-(but-not-too-much)-of-everything.

But I can’t do it alone. So, I’ve enlisted the help of a personal trainer (the amazing Tiger) to work with me 3 times per week and teach me what my body needs to achieve my goals, make sure I stay in good form and don’t cheat, and help me develop a sustainable, maintainable and realistic lifestyle. And I’m sharing the journey with you, to make myself more accountable, and hopefully help some of you who share my goals!

Tiger is a perfect match for me because she’s all about planning, and has created a system that seems pretty foolproof. First, we identify my S.M.A.R.T. Goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. This is key because it forces me to get specific on things like “drop down 2 sizes in 5 months” which feels quite manageable to me. Then we create a path to those goals and transfer that onto a calendar, so I can map out my workouts, and reward myself with a gold star each day I succeed! I’m the kind of girl that lives for gold stars, so I think this is a great method for me. She also provides a food diary, so we can get a real feel for what I’m taking in each day, and address my diet issues.

She’s also all about being outside as often as possible, which I just love, and she has a wonderful style of creating fun in the fitness. Our first session was yesterday and the hour just flew by… most of the exercises were games, and while it was challenging, it sure beat the hum-drum of repetitive cardio and boring weight machines. My achy muscles this morning tell me it worked, and I can’t wait for more!

I’ll keep you posted, regularly, and promise to share my favorite workouts, recipes and tricks as I go along. I’d love to hear yours, as well, so don’t be shy… share your fitness finds!

Any other gals out there with me? Go team Flab to FAB!