2012 in Review

Wow….it’s hard to believe another year is over.  Where does the time go? I am really starting to think the older I get the more the time flies by.  So, what kind of year has it been, well, it’s been year of lots of ups with a few downs (new challenges) as well. 

 I had the awesome opportunity to help Paul with some bootcamps, both setting them up and talking at them as well.  It was at these bootcamps that I was able to meet some fantastic people, many of whom have become good friends and people I am in contact with all the time.  I got to share my story with many of them but more importantly I got to hear some of theirs too.  For me, these bootcamps allow me to prove to myself that I am much stronger than I ever thought.  For the talk in PEI I think I was freaking out for two whole days before and on the morning of I so wished Paul would “forget” that he asked me to talk (I would have been devastated if he would have but you know what I mean) as I had so many fears running through my head.  What if I forgot what I was talking about, what if I got up there and couldn’t do it, what if I passed out?  Funny what goes through my mind sometimes. Graham made the trip with me which made it extra special. . At least if I passed out I knew someone would be there with my medical info if it was needed.:) So, after making a 5-6 hour trip, on roads that were passable with caution at the best we got to PEI and I stood in front of Paul and 140 other people and talked about what I‘ve done.  I am pretty much convinced that if I can do that I can do anything. 

In April I ran my fastest 5k race (just over 26 mins).  As you may or may not know I am trying to get my run time for a 5k to 25 mins so I can be considered “a fast chick”.  That has been my goal since I started running and although I’ve had to put running on the back burner at the moment that is still at the top of my list as a goal.  In May I ran my first 10k race at the Blue Marathon.  Although I had a few melt downs on the bridge and didn’t meet my goal time of 55 mins I was still under the 1 hour mark (58 or 59 mins) so I was ok with it. Next year I will show the Bluenose who's boss…I hope! 

Probably one of the highlights of my year is when a friend asked me to be her “pace bunny” at a 5k race in Enfield.  She really wanted to set a personal best for herself and had been following my times and thought I was the person to help her do it.  I met Suzanne back in Sept. 2011 at Paul’s bootcamp in Sackville and after talking with her for a bit (she was recovering from an injury, preventing her from running in an upcoming race) I told her that when she recovered and started racing again that I would be happy to run with her.  She said she’d hold me to it hence the race we did together.  I remember on race day she told me what she wanted to do for a time (I think it was around 29:30) and I told her what I wanted her to do…29 or under.  She thought I was crazy, and maybe I was but I wanted her to push herself.  I coached her the whole way by reinforcing that she was indeed doing a great job/pace, that she was doing stuff some people only could dream of etc. When we hit the half way mark (turn around point) is when I started pushing her.   I think once she said she couldn’t do it, and I told her she could and was going to do it whether she liked it or not.  At first I told her to go to her happy place (a vacation she had recently) and think of that, not what she was doing.  When I knew we were in her final km I told her to get mad, get pissed and run like she had never run before!!  I told her to “See the Devil). I remember asking her if she wanted to know her time and she said no.  I yelled at her for the last ½ km non stop…I have never cheered for someone like that before.  I held back and let her cross the finish line on her own, this was her race after all!!  Did she reach her goal……yes indeed she did.  I don’t remember the exact time but I believe it was something like 28:20 ish.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone work so hard, and give it their all!!!  I’m not even sure she was “with me mentally” at the end but she did it!! I was SO PROUD of her and I still am.  In fact, I’m tearing up as I write about it.

 

Things were pretty quite after that as I didn’t want to cause any injury to myself before our Canmore Fitness weekend in Canmore Alberta.  I knew lots of hiking was ahead of me and I wanted to be in tip top shape. I was fortunate enough to be invited out to Edmonton a few days early to spend two days with Paul and his awesome “Custom Fit family” at the studio to see how real pro trainers train their clients.  I am studying to become a personal trainer and to me this was my opportunity to learn from the best.  What I met was a great group of guys who made me feel totally welcome from the minute I walked through the door.  If I can be half the trainer these guys are I’ll be doing alright!!

After those two days it was off to Canmore.  This is one of my pieces of Heaven and I would live there in a heartbeat.  Just something about being in "my mountains” that makes me feel at peace.  Strange since we are always really busy when we go out there.  I got to meet lots of great people that weekend and have made some very strong friendships.  I also got to share my story with these guys, again something that was really powerful for me (all the tears that night should have been proof of that…haha).  I got to talk about things I never talk about with others so it was nice. Just the summer before I was petrified to attend this camp, amazing what a difference a year can make.  Unfortunately, it was at this camp when my body started falling apart.  I had some heel issues for a few months but nothing that I couldn’t handle.  After doing a workout at the bootcamp it was obvious that something was wrong that I couldn’t ignore any longer.  I was told to walk out the rest of the workout and not run but I had to look strong and continued to run and hop, bad choice on my part. Hardly being able to walk afterwards is not being strong, it’s being stupid, but I soldiered on, hiking I think 3 or 4 mountains afterwards.  Those last few mountains meant everything to me because I had to dig REALLY deep to hike them.  The scene from the tops were worth every minute of the pain I was feeling. :)

 

After returning from that trip (3 days later) I went to see a Specialist as my dr. was concerned that I didn’t have as much range of motion in my hips as she thought I should have.  The heel issue was just perfect timing for the Specialist to have a look at.  He told me I have a certain type of bursitis in my heel.  I was off my feet (as much as I could be) for 3 weeks. Then he looked at my X-Rays and told me that I have arthritis in both my hips and one he thought I should have operated on sooner rather than later (its bone on bone). I thought my fitness life was over.  I felt doomed.  I was doing things right, how could this happen to my body now??  The Specialist said it was probably 98% because of my heavy weight in the past that I developed the arthritis.  I was truly heartbroken.  From time to time I still curse at my body but I’m learning to adjust.  I can’t always do what I want the way I want to do it but I’m still getting by.  Some days I have no pain, some days my heel hurts, but thankfully my hips don’t hurt, they are just extremely stiff some days.  I’ve come to accept that if I want to be active I have to deal with the fact that I will have injuries/pain…its part of an active person’s life.  It doesn’t mean it doesn’t piss me off, it just means I have to realize it for what it is and find ways to adjust. For the most part I’ve been able to do that.  I have a new trainer now who is working with me to fix the heel and to get some of the range of motion back in my hips.  My heel problem will probably never completely go away and the other option for my hip is to have some fluid injected into it which I’m not totally ready to commit to yet, although I know the time is coming.  

Graham and I also took our annual trip to North Conway, New Hampshire in Sept.  We hiked Mount Washington at 4AM again and that is the most beautiful sight I have ever seen.  The sun coming up (it’s the only time I see a sunrise) and seeing the mountain turn to an orange/pink glow is a sight I will NEVER forget.  Mount Washington is the first mountain I’ve ever hiked and it will always be considered my baby. We also hiked Mount Lafayette again this year.  I did a bit better this year than last year.   Last year I had a complete meltdown a few times hiking up.  This time I did the hike and had a meltdown at the top as I thought we were at the summit only to find out the summit was about 45 mins away. At that point I was tired and getting hungry so a meltdown couldn’t be avoided. I wonder if chance #3 next Sept. will be meltdown free…don’t they say the third time is the charm?

So, all in all it was a great year!!  I got to do some pretty exciting things and learned lots about myself in the process.  If you know me you know I don’t believe in setting New Year’s Resolutions as I think most people don’t follow through.  I set goals, these are something I want to do, or something I want to improve on.  So far my goals are to become a Personal Trainer (most important one!!), to start rock climbing (I will be climbing the face of a mountain in Alberta the summer of 2014 so I better get training), I plan to take part in my first sprint Triathlon – hopefully in Alberta this summer, I plan to start running again on March 21 or whatever day Spring falls on, I want to do my first 5k race of the year in April, a 10K in May, and my first ½ marathon in Oct.  I want to bike my first 100k bike ride this summer (already training for it) and I want the chance to share my story with anyone who will listen.  The more people I can help get to their happy place in life and feel like I do now the better. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the past year.  I have met some truly fantastic, amazing people and each and every one of you has helped keep me going in some fashion.  

Some of you have been with me on this crazy journey for a while now and I TRULY thank you for not getting bored with my craziness....when some were smart and moved on you guys stuck by me….sometimes thanks just isn’t enough…this is one of those times. 

I wish everyone all the best in 2013.  Let’s make this the year of YOU!! 

“Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever” – Paul Plakas

My journey....how it started...

Hey everyone, it has come to my attention that some people who are along with me on this journey have no idea how it really started.  I said it would be a great thing to blog about so here goes. 

My journey started with me at 243 pounds in July 2009.  At that point I didn't think I had any weight problems so losing weight wasn't something I was considering.  My friend next door emailed me at work asking if I would do an aqua size class with her at the pool.  I said sure as I've always wanted to do something in the pool but was too afraid to do it on my own (at that time I wasn't into doing things on my own, especially new things). It wasn't until I thought about it for a bit that I got nervous.  I would have to be in a bathing suit in front of all people, and my friend too.  Would they all look at me, would they laugh, would they make fun of me, what would they say? Hell....did I even have a bathing suit big enough to fit?  Ugh...we'll I gave my word to my friend and my word is something I never go back on. If I say I'm doing something then I'm doing it.  I found my bathing suit and although I didn't look good I put it on and off I went. To my surprise nobody looked at me, said anything or made fun of me.  They (well...most of them) were in the same spot I was.  About half way in the workout I realized something...even though I had no idea what I was doing, didn't know the moves etc. I was actually having fun, most importantly...I was moving and I WASN'T dying!!  It really made me wonder what else I could do. That is where the weight loss idea came in.  I decided that I was going to lose some weight.  Yeah,  100 pounds sounded good.  Hey, that seems to be "the" number on The Biggest Loser so why not.  I decided I would do more Aqua size classes with my friend and walk with Graham.  Yup, that's how I was going to lose all my weight.  I played around for about 7 months on my own.  I lost about 30 ish pounds so I guess for someone who had no idea what they were doing I was doing ok.  That Jan. there was an article in the local newspaper about the National X-Weighted Challenge and how they were looking for participants.  All you had to do was measure your inches, add you height and weight in on their site and they would tell you how much you had to lose.  I decided that I was going to do this, what did I have to lose by doing it??  The number I had to lose shocked me, I think it was about 66 pounds. I had to record all my activity everyday and record my weight once a week.  Did I think I'd ever follow through with that....nope...not a chance as I usually have big ideas for a while but they grow old quickly.  But I signed up anyway and decided to give it a try.  I lost on an average about 2 pounds a week but there were also times when I'd lose less or even gain.  I kept going regardless of the results on the scale and I think that is very important for everyone to know....never give up because of what you see on those scales.  You can't have a big loss every week and there will be weeks that really suck...trust me!!  It's worth it in the end though.  It's almost 3 years later and I'm at my goal but I'm still a very active member of that site and I don't plan to leave it any time soon.
So...on to the part I'm sure EVERYONE knows!!!  I followed the  X-Weighted Challenge site very closely and one day I seen that Paul Plakas was doing a bootcamp in Cambridge.  My first thought was that of excitement, but then I realized that it was probably somewhere in Ontario as "tv stars" never come to NS. Upon finding out that he was actaully coming here, about a hour from where I live I was SUPER excited!!  I started asking all my friends if they'd go with me but unfortuantly they didn't share my excitement.  Graham said if I wanted to go that he'd take me up and do his own thing for the 3 hours and then come back to pick me up. He has stood beside me 100% and this was just another way for him to show that. Now I was excited, scared, and nervous all at once.  I finally decided this was something I wanted to do for ME and if nobody else wanted to do it with me that was ok. I think I started to realize then that I had to do this journey for myself and nobody else.  I actually tried avoiding Paul at the event. What if he talked to me, asked me a question I didn't know the answer to, what if he made me feel bad because of my weight (my own insecurites...hell...the man worked with people just like me)?  So many fears went through my mind that day that nobody will ever know.  As I was sitting there listening to Paul I guess I was surprised by his level of passion.  He wasn't there to be mean to people but to help them.  As the seminar went on I was less nervous.  He allows people to ask questions as he goes and I was brave enough to do that.  Again, never something I would ever do!! I didn't like some of his responses but it was stuff I needed to hear. We had a workout afterwards that was intense but at my weight I didn't expect anything different.  I should add that I really wanted to be under 200 pounds that day and I was 200.2 so I was so close.  Anyway...after the event I went over to have my book and DVD signed and got to chat for a bit. He didn't make me feel bad about my weight (I didn't even feel like he noticed although I'm sure he did), and guess what...at this point I wasn't nervous anymore at all. It was something in the way he delivered what he was trying to teach us. As I thought about it the things he said made perfect sense.  I asked if I could touch base with him from time to time to share how I was doing and he said sure. I left that day knowing that I wouldn't get to speak with him again.  It was so easy to tell me sure to my face but he was too busy to deal with someone like me.  I was ok with that though as I walked out of there for the first time knowing the direction I wanted to go in, knowing what I wanted to do and how to do it but most importlantly I knew I COULD AND WAS GOING TO DO THIS!!!  As time went by Paul was true to his word, returning every email I ever sent him and he's still true to that today..
I moved onward and upward from that day.  I am 102 pounds lighter and now I am doing things that I never thought possible.  I do things on my own, I'm not afraid to take on some new challenges although sometimes it's tough. I learned there is no such thing as quick fixes.  The only way to do this journey folks is through hard work, dedication and some tears (hopefully no blood..haha). You may not want to believe me but it's true.  There were times when I didn't want to do a workout, I wanted that extra snack or I just wanted to sit on my ass and do nothing but if you want the results you have to work for them.  The easy things don't usally have lasting results.  There are even times even now when I hear certain things I drop Paul an email thanking him for keeping me on the straight and narrow, never allowing me to get caught up in the fad diets or the easy way out. Giving up was never an option for me. I seriously live by the quote "Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever". Yes, there are times when I get back from a workout and my entire body aches (in a good way after a workout)  but I feel so much better for doing it, and not letting anything get in the way.  I am much stronger than I ever thought possible and it's becasue of what I learned that day back in April 2010.  

Summer 2012

Wow...I didn't realize it was so long since I last blogged.  Lots has gone on since then!  We had an amazing vacation in Alberta. We wnt to Paul's bootcamp and I got to do a talk and share some of my story which was quite an honor. At times I didn't hold it together very well but i think there may have been one or two others who shared a few tears with me  Unfortuantly I used up most of the evening so Paul didn't get to do much of his talk. That's what he gets for not giving me a time frame to stick to. You'd think he'd know me by now!! :)  Thinking back I remember a few things that blew his mind too. The bootcamp was never a dull moment, as always.  We hiked, went out for dinners, and just hung around getting to know each other. Fun times for sure!!
Graham and I stayed in Canmore the following week hiking a few more mountains. Mount Fairview being  the highest we've ever hiked at 9001 feet, was proably the best hike of the whole trip.  I wasn't sure I could do it as I had been suffering from an injury but I remember looking at the mountain from the Saddle Back and thinking to myself....a little bit of pain will be nothing compared to the disappointment you'll feel if you don't go to the top. I said a silent prayer "legs, don't fail me now" and they didn't.  We took it nice and slow but I got up and down in one piece.  We did a few other hikes after that too, all with beautiful views. We spent a few days in Jasper before returning to Edmonton.  On the way back to Edmonton we stopped in Hinton to visit with Graham's dad and stepmom which was fun as always.  It was tough to get back on the plane the next day and head back here as we always enjoy ourselves so much out there.  Coming back here is coming back to a reality that neither of us like.
As soon as I got back I found out I had an appointment with a Sport Medicine Specialist to see what was wrong with my heel and also to see why my range of motion is so limited in my hips/legs. What I heard was not what I was ready for.  The dr. told me the heel would take at least 3 weeks to heal and that meant I couldn't be as active as usual.  Then we chatted about my stiffness in my hips and the lack of range of motion.  He looked at my X-Rays and told me I had arthritis in both hips, with the left being really bad.  He said I could face an operation in 1 to 1.5 years.  I heard that and thought it meant my active lifestyle would have to stop.  I paniced and basically zoned out and didn't hear anything else he told me.  I held it together until I got out of the office and while talking to Graham on the phone but fell apart right after.  I was sure that meant I wouldn't be able to do anything anymore which really freaked me out. It didn't take long for a few of my peeps to come to my rescue, a few telling me that they also suffered with arthritis and that they could still do every thing they wanted to.  They may have to adjust things from time to time but they can still do it.  My friend said to start swimming, and biking as it would be less impact on my heel and easier on my hips for a while.  He also told me to start skiing and snowshoeing this winter to keep me active and sane since I can't sit still.  I was also told to not even think of running until Spring.  That was a killer as I run twice a week, had a goal I was trying to meet and some races coming up.  However, my friend knows best (I think..haha) and once I give him my word that I won't do something I won't do it, no matter how much it kills me!! I think it was a tough few weeks for Graham too as he tried to keep me as still as possible but it's hard when your body says one thing but your mind says something else.  I stayed as still as I could.  When I went back to the Specialist he said my heel could take another 2-3 months to completely heal and would probably hurt anytime I didn anything really active.   Upon looking closer at my X-Rays the Specialist said I could make an appointment for the operation on my hips anytime as I am progressing quickly with the stiffness in my hips.  He assured me with the stiffness getting worse the pain probably wasn't far off. Tough to hear and I still haven't made any decisions yet as to what I want to do.  There isn't any real pain yet, just lots of stiffness.  Certainly something for me to think about though.  I slowly got back into some of my routine again, but still no running! :)
The past 3 months have been difficult.  I can't always do things as easily as I want and I find that very frustrating.  It not only plays on the body but on the mind too.  But at the same time I have been able to find more things that I am interested in. Things that I never would have tried if this wouldn't have happened to me.  I have taken up biking, swimming, spinning and even a TRX class.  So if I have to look for something positive in all this crappy stuff that would be it.  Oh...and I decided to train for a Sprint Triathlon next summer in Edmonton. 

Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever. - Paul Plakas 

That phrase has come into play even more now. Quitting still ISN'T an option for me!!!

Custom Fit

Wow, what an amazing trip so far!!  I have been in Alberta for 5 days now and in the mountains for 3 of those.  My trip started off with an awesome few days at Custom Fit.  Paul, and his team (especially Craig, Steffan and Jeff) made me feel more welcome than I've felt anywhere in a long long time. Even though I am not a trainer yet nobody made me feel out of place. In fact, it was very much the opposite.  They took the time to help me, answer all my questions, and point out things I never would have thought of. They explained what I should be looking for in form, what muscles were being worked (and yes they use the technical names for the muscles) and how these moves would help the client in every day life movements. Paul also went over a few of the "office side" of being a trainer which was helpful. I certainly got to meet a wide variety of clients.  Two of Paul's stick out in my mind.  One was a lady who complained about almost everything he asked her to do. I have to admit I gave Paul a bit of a problem during this workout too as he asked me to be a part of it for a few things. One of the things I was asked to do was allow her to give me a piggyback ride to the end of the field we were at. I told him I was going to crush her and didn't feel comfortabe doing it. She said she was afraid she'd drop me and didn't want to do it. I asked him to allow me to give her the piggyback ride and Paul's quick response was"now Stacey, as a trainer, think about that....how does she get a workout if YOU are giving her the piggyback ride? Ok..ok...I didn't think that one through! :) She suggested Paul give us both a piggyback ride and he said as much as he liked that idea the answer was no and we WERE going to do it so to stop complaining and just do it. She voiced agan that she was scared she would drop me and he said I would have a short distance to fall and wouldn't hurt myself.  Ok...so we gave up and did it. I had no idea how to jump on her back but after a second of coaching we were on our way. The client did very well. At one point Paul said to me that this wouldn't have been possible 2 years ago and he was so right. This client told me a few times that she thought she should bow to me as I have accomplished so much. She said she was so thankful to have met me and wished me luck in the future. I have to admit that it felt really good when Paul would tell his clients about what I did. It made me feel like I accomplished something great (sometimes I get so wrapped up in helping other people that I forget about myself). A second client really pulled on my heart strings. He was overweight, had some health issues and just wasn't as fit as most of the other clients I had met. However, this guy worked hard to do everything Paul asked and more importantly he never complained!!  He said a few things were tough and Paul did adjust certain things a bit but for the most part the client did as he was asked. I told Paul that I felt what this guy was going through.  Without the health issues (shoulder and ankle problems if I remember correctly) he really reminded me of myself when I was starting my weight loss journey.  Him and Paul seemed to have a certain bond and I hope to have that with my clients some day. Even though these were two who really stood out in my mind all the clients I met were really awesome. On the second day Paul and I started talking about the stability ball and what you could do on them. I got to see something that blew my mind....Craig stood on the ball without using any hands to get up. I know it doesn't sound hard but Holy God, it is!!  I yelled to Paul that I have a new hero and guess what...yup, Paul had to do it for me too (he had to use his hands though..haha). I guess I have room for two hero's! haha Knowing that I will be spendng some time with Paul in the gym while on vacation I told him he was going to teach me how to do that. He said no, and we went back and forth with yes and no for a bit. Finally he said if I can prove that I can do another move he would help me stand on the ball (and do a squat too). I guess we'll have to wait until next week to see how that plays out. :)
Going back to NS my eyes are more open to certain things than they were before I come out here. I learned more about the type of trainer I want to become and am now more motivated than ever.. I know nobody from Custom Fit will ever read this but I still want to say thank you for making me feel very welcome and like I belonged there.  When Paul invited me out for a few days I said I would be learning from the BEST, and I was bang on with that comment.  Their clients are more lucky than they'll ever know!

Thoughts on the Ottawa Bootcamp

It's been one week since the Ottawa Bootcamp and time to share my thoughts about it.  Most are pretty much the same as every other bootcamp I've done for/with Paul.  It was an awesome experience as always.  This one was a bit more special because I had and some friends join me. A few were from out of town and a few were friends on facebook who I was excited to finally meet in person. I think we all had a great time! :)
The seminar portion of the bootcamp was awesome!!  The event was held at the Chateau Laurier and although it was a bit more than we needed (ok..way over the top) it was a beautiful location and one that will be hard to match at any other bootcamps.  We had 44 people there and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Hopefully they put into practice everything they learned.
I was asked to do a talk and although I didn't say everything I wanted to I think I got my point across that everyone can achieve their goals through hard work, determination, some sweat and maybe even a few tears. Mainly I wanted everyone to know that the very bootcamp they were at that morning was the same type of bootcamp that changed my life.  I think by the time I was done they understood. :) I intended to speak about Paul's meal plan and fitness plan and the success I had with them but if I remember correctly I caught a glimpse of Paul doing something beside me which made me want to laugh and I kind of lost my train of thought. I can't say for sure but I think he was doing squats and lunges beside his chair while he was listening to me talk.  I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure that's what he was doing. :)  All in all I'm happy with the way it went though.
The bootcamp workout portion was held on Parliament Hill and it couldn't have been a more beautiful spot to hold the event.  We were trying to break a record for the Guiness Book of World Records of having the largest bootcamp.  Unfortuantly that didn't happen (we needed 314-318 people and we had between 150-200) but eveyone who was there had a BLAST!!!  I remember a few kids who were really kicking butt and I remember as we were doing our stretches at the end  there were two seniors who were watchig from closer to the Parliament building and doing the stretches with us. I'm  not sure why they stick out in my mind but they do.
After the bootcamp was over Paul had lunch with the Prime Minister's wife and a group of 8 of us went to The Black Tomato to have lunch.  It was nice to kick back and talk with the girls about the bootcamp and to get to know people I've only chatted with through Facebook or on the phone, and some I've haven't seen in almost a year and a few ladies I met for the first time.  Meeting some cool new people is quite often a hightlight of these events for me with this one being no different. :)
It seems that when one door closes another one opens for me.  This bootcamp was no different. Graham and I are heading out to Alberta for Paul's Canmore Fitness Weekend in a few weeks and Paul asked if  I (we) wanted  to help out by being  mountain guides and just generally helping with anything else he may need.  The big surprise for me was also being invited out to the bootcamp in August to help.  I'm really hoping we can go as I want to hike "MY" mountains again, meeting 15 new people would be awesome and having the opportunity to help would be a pretty cool experience!! Being invited to do this doesn't sound like a big deal to most but for anyone who knows me knows differently.

What a difference a year can make! :)

Ottawa Interview

Why did you take this seminar in Halifax?

I took this seminar in Halifax because I was a fan of the show and had just started my own weight loss journey. And part of me also wanted to see if the Paul Plakas you see on X-Weighted is the same Paul Plakas you see in real life, and yes, it is indeed! 

What makes a boot camp a great form of exercise?

For me as a participant, a boot camp is a great form of exercise because it allows me to work at my own pace and to do what I feel comfortable with. It also gives me a chance to mingle with people who may be at the same fitness level that I am at. 

What is your role in this event?

My role was touching base with Kathy to see if she was indeed interested in hosting the boot camp for Paul and discussing his fees etc.  After there was an agreement between Kathy and myself I passed her contact info on to Paul. Over the last week I have been doing whatever I can to help the rest of the team make this event a huge success which has mainly been advertising to as many people/places as I can possibly think of. 

 Why should people consider taking the seminar? 

I walked into my first seminar/boot camp knowing very little about weight loss; healthy eating and I came out of the boot camp determined to change my life. Paul gave me the tools I needed to lose weight, and to become the person I really wanted to be.  I think everyone owes it to themselves to experience this.   

What makes taking a seminar with Paul Plakas worth it? 

When you come out for this seminar you are not only getting someone from X-Weighted, the tv show,  you are getting someone who is very highly educated, who owns his own personal training studio and has been in the business for 20+ years.  Most of all you are getting someone who is very passionate about what he does. When I attended my first boot camp I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I was completely uneducated about losing weight, eating healthy and I really didn’t have any idea where to start.  I was able to ask questions during the seminar (actually that is encouraged) and never once did I feel any less important than someone who appeared to be in great shape. For me as an overweight person that was an awesome feeling. Paul takes the time afterwards to meet with anyone who wants to ask questions, have a picture taken with him, or just wants to say hello. Of all the events I have attended with Paul (3) he is ALWAYS the last person to leave the room/gym and I think that says a lot about his character but most of all it says a lot about how much he cares about the people he is trying to help. 

The seminar is rather expensive, is that why there is a free boot camp on Parliament Hill? 

I don’t look at this seminar as expensive at all.  When I consider everything I have learned and how I was able to change my life it breaks down to about $1.00 a pound (I’ve lost 102 pounds), that’s less than most people pay for their first morning coffee. 

 What can people expect?

For the seminar people can expect to be educated about improving their health, and lifestyle, but they can also expect to be left with some things to take home and think about. Sometimes we know the tools needed to make the changes to improve these areas of our lives we just need to have someone to remind us. For the boot camp portion of the event people can expect to have a pretty good work out but nothing so intense they won’t be able to do it. I feared that at my first boot camp. Now that is one thing I try to stress to everyone who wants to come out. You can do this; there is nothing to fear about the toughness. However, for those of us looking for a challenge Paul can/will be more than happy afterwards to tell you how to increase the level of difficulty. Come out expecting to be educated, and to learn lots of new things but most of all come out with an open mind and expect to have fun.

 Any surprises?

Nothing that I am aware of. 

Anything they need to bring? 

Water bottle, comfortable workout clothes, pen or pencil, snack, camera, but most importantly an open mind.

I would like to stress to people that what they are going to learn at this Fitness Seminar and Boot Camp really does work. I was overweight all my life and didn’t really see it as a big deal.  When I decided to start losing weight I was really lost about what to do. I didn’t realize how lost until I attended Paul’s boot camp. Paul makes every person feel important and for once in my life I felt like I wasn’t being judged on my weight.  I felt like I was actually talking to someone who was listening to me. I had the opportunity to chat with him briefly after the event as he was signing something for me.  The things he told me in those few minutes along with what I learned in the fitness seminar itself really has changed my life!!  I am happy to say that because of the boot camps I have attended and the things I’ve learned from Paul I have been successful reaching my weight loss goal, kept my weight off and am now living an extremely active, exciting life, doing things I never would have thought possible.  I am finally living life to the fullest…and it all started with my very first Paul Plakas Fitness Seminar and Boot Camp.  Everyone needs to experience this at least once in their lives.  If you are thinking about making the lifestyle change, need some help, motivation or direction this is the event to find all those things.  Paul has a way of making everything seem possible and I am living proof that what he says at the seminar really does work. I will be at Paul’s seminar next month and I am looking forward to it as much as I looked forward to the first one!!  I hope to see you all on June 9^th. 

Are there any questions I have not asked, any information you would like to mention about the event/boot camps or the seminar?

Thanks so much and I do hope we connect and then you will be ready for all my tough questions J

Michelle

Reporter and Photographer
Ottawa- East EMC
Metroland Media - Ottawa Region

5k record at the Lung Run

I did my first 5k race of the season last Sat.  I had set a personal goal time of 26:45.  This is a time I've been working towards during my weekly runs and the closest I have come is 26:57 so I wasn't sure how it would turn out.  I did everything on race day that I was supposed to. I did a warm up, stretched a bit and waited anxiously to get started.  It's a pretty cool feeling to be standing there with other runners. Unlike last year, I felt like I belonged this year!  I was mentally reminding myself not to start off too fast, to watch my pace times, and to have fun. How I can have fun when I'm trying to kill a race I'm not sure but I did think about it. Graham and I decided we'd run our own race as he wanted to really kill his time from last year and I didn't want to hold him back (he did just that too...running it in 23:24, almost 6 mins off his time from last year...way to go Graham!!)  so this time I was truly on my own with nobody else to be accountable to.  So the gun goes and we're off.  I have to chuckle because everyone around me is looking at their watches and then I clued in that they were doing the same thing I was doing, checking their pace on their heart rate monitors.  I had paces set for me so I knew exactly where I had to be.  I nailed the first km exactly!  I was pretty excited about that.  It was a great way to start!! Then I had to increase my speed a bit in the second km, which I did.  At that point I'm thinking this could be possible but not getting to excited yet. Just before the 3rd km I was running by a much younger lady who looked like she was struggling a bit. I looked over at her and said she was doing well and that we were now over half way done. Sadly I lost her at some point, I hope she did well..  I was now running a pace of 5:10-5:15 and I felt pretty good. As I was coming up to the 4th km I started thinking, hell...I really may be able to do this.  I started to think about a motivational video I watched the night before.  I played over in my head that I can do this, I have to give it my all, that I can't quit now, that I have to push to the end.  Yup, I had lots of time to think as I was running!! Maybe that means I should have been running faster. :) I ran most of the 4th km with a kid and my God he was really moving! At one point I was running at a 5:10 pace and he was just a bit a head of me.  No worries though, I blew him away in the end. :)  When I seen the finish line, something clicked.  I told myself that if I wanted to reach my goal that I had to run faster.  I promised to give it my all and it was absolutely time to do it!!! I ran faster than my legs have ever gone.  A friend told me to" see the devil" as I was running my last km and then I'd know I was indeed working hard enough. When I was about to cross the finish line the devil appeared. I gave it my all last Sat. and I did better than I had hoped.  My goal was 26:45 and my actual time was 26:25.  I knocked about 3 mins and 25 seconds off my time from last year.  It just goes to show what hard work, motivation and lots of determination can get ya. Bring on the Bluenose and the overall goal of being called a "Fast Chick"!!

Ok,,,so never challenge me!!

Hey everyone!
Three weeks ago I started training with a different trainer while my trainer was away on vacation.  I wasn't sure how it would go as he was someone new who didn't really know me.  He is my trainer's twin brother so I hoped the personalities would be close to the same and they are. I did a 5 mins plank for him during our first session and he said he's never seen anyone do that before. I emailed Paul later and told him and he said the same thing which made me feel even better!! :)  I felt pretty good about it. When I went in the next week there was a note on a whiteboard saying the name of a client who holds the record of 6:29 sec. for a plank and I said I needed to beat that.  I had a sinus infection but still wanted to try.  Mitch (the trainer) said to go for 10mins but I was really going for 6:30. :) When I got to 6 mins. he said I made that look easy and not to quit at 6:30.  At 8 mins he really started talking to me making me concentrate on other things besides the pain I was starting to feel and by 9 mins he was really coaxing me to get to 10mins. I did it!!!  I was pretty tired afterwards but I did it!!  I got up and had a full workout session afterwards too.  I felt pretty damn awesome!!! So, later in the week I got an email from my trainer (Matt) saying  the other girl beat me again. Her time was 10:49.  I was mad because I was told my 10min record would be pretty safe!!(good for her for doing it though). SOOOOO...I went in yesterday with the intentions of doing a 12 min plank. Mitch kept saying 15 mins but I thought he was crazy.  I wasn't sure I could do it as I wasn't in "the zone" to start but I got there. When Mitch started counting for me (at 5 mins) I thought there is no way I can hold it for that long. Then I remembered....pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever (Paul Plakas) which is something I live by now and have for the last 2 years.  My body CAN do this and it will recover but I'll hate myself if I quit!!  I asked Mitch to start talking so I could focus on something else and he did.  I remember only bits and pieces of the story because I was focusing all my energy on not dropping. He started counting for me regularly for the last min and every second for the last 10 secs.  When I rolled over after 15.01 he asked if I was ok, I nodded my head yes, he then asked if I was laughing or crying and I said I didn't know.  I was seriously in another land.  I can't explain it.  I knew I just did something that was WAY out of my comfort zone, my body was exhausted at that split second, but I was so very proud of myself!!  I pushed my body beyond anything I thought I could ever do. I'm convinced that is one of the best feelings ever!! Again, I went on to finish my regular session which consisted of 40 pushups (which were tough at this point), 40 pull ups on a bar, 40 one arm rows (20 pound weights), 40 arm raises (8 pound weights...these are tough any time), 40 weighted squats (15 pound weights)  and 40 bicep curls with the machine (30-40 pounds) and then a few stretches to cool down.  So....there you have it, my plank story. I'm hoping the girl won't beat me this week but you know what...if she does it just means I'll have to dig a bit deeper and find the strength to do a 20 mins plank. I've come this far so I have to keep defending my "Plank Title"!!  By the way, the world record for planks is 34 mins. I'm almost half way there!! :)

PEI Bootcamp

Wow...time flies.  Two weeks ago I was in PEI at Paul's Fitness Seminar/Bootcamp. I usually blog about these kinds of things right away but time has gotten away from me. Either way this was a great event and one that I won't soon forget.  This bootcamp was a bit different for me as I was asked to talk and share a bit of my story with everyone. Although I knew since late Nov. that I would be doing this it never really hit me until the week before that this was going to happen.  Of course the week before didn't go without any stress.  I had the "oh my God I can't do this" thoughts, what if I passed out, what if I forgot what I was talking about, what if I looked like a fool etc. This group (140 people) was by far the largest group I've ever talked with. I knew I couldn't back out but I was scared to death!!  I guess "Do one thing a day that scares you" would be taken care of for a while on this day! :) The weather sounded like it was going to fail me leaving me with the decision of leaving earlier in the morning, going over a day early or taking my chances that the weatherman would be wrong.  That could never happen though, they are never wrong. :) I also had to consider the thoughts of two other girls who were traveling with me. This was something that was very special to them so if it happened that I made the wrong choice I not only would be crushed but so would they.  Well...this time the weatherman wasn't wrong.  On Friday we got a snowstorm and I had to decide if we should leave in the middle of it, drive slowly and stay in NB for the night of if I should wait it out. Myself and Renee decided to wait it out but to leave earlier than planned on Sat. morning.  We decided to leave at 4AM, then 3:30AM (when Paul invited us for breakfast) and then finally decided to leave at 2AM so we could still meet our 7:30AM breakfast date. Lucky for us the storm ended at supper time on Friday allowing the plow drivers some time to clear a path for us on the highway.  Although road conditions were far from perfect we still did it. Crazy as it sounds I think we'd all do it again too. Everything worked perfect that morning.  Renee met me at the house earlier than planned, Lori-Anne met us at the NB/NS border earlier than planned allowing us to get into PEI at 7:05AM.  We sat in the lounge area at the hotel and relaxed for a bit before Paul came downstairs.  We couldn't have planned it any better!! :)
On Friday evening Graham decided that because this was such a special event for me that he wanted to be there to support me. It meant everything to me knowing he wanted to be there.  He was the best source of support I could have asked for as I sat in the gym before the bootcamp started.  I can't remember ever being so nervous!!  Having him right beside me telling me that I would be fine went a long way for sure. I remember whispering to him that perhaps since Paul and I hadn't talked about me talking in a bit that he had forgotten about it and I wouldn't have to face all these people. I swear Paul "felt that vibe" as it was then that he came over and told me when he was going to introduce me.  Holy crap...this WAS happening!!  Funny thing was as I listened to Paul introduce me (first time I'd ever been introduced for anything) the nervousness went away.  Graham knew I could do this and Paul felt I could or he wouldn't have asked so I knew I was going to be ok.  When I got up and started to talk I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I can't explain the feeling any better than that. I felt comfortable, almost like I was talking with friends. I had a period of time to convince as many people as I could that they could make the same change I did and that losing weight was a fight worth fighting for. I got an applause in the middle of my talk when I mentioned I was able to accomplish a dream of mine by climbing Mount Washington.  That's when I knew they were really listening. :) At the end I looked back to thank Paul as he was coming towards me for a high-five. That was the best high-five ever and a great way to end my talk. It was my way of saying "hell ya, I did it"!! :) After the bootcamp there was a meet and greet and I met lots of people who said they were inspired by my story, some who had their own stories (that inspired me) to share, and some who just wanted to thank me for sharing and congratulate me on a job well done. Either way it was great meeting every one of them.  The day ended with a great lunch with Paul before we took him back to the airport.  We had lots of laughs, the girls got to pick his brain a bit and of course it wouldn't be a visit with him without some "interesting" conversation topics.  After all was said and done I'm sure the girls enjoyed the visit as much as Graham and I did. They got to meet someone they didn't think they'd ever meet and Graham and I got to visit with a friend.  Would we do it again, absolutely!!
A few days later after when some of the excitement died down I got an email from a lady that brought tears to my eyes.  I forwarded some of it to Paul and he replied by saying "that's why we do this".  At that very moment I realized something.  I looked at my weight loss journey as coming full circle now because it really started with Paul's first bootcamp and now I was talking at a bootcamp so I had nothing left to do, but I was wrong.  My journey has turned to a new chapter.  I'm not so worried about my own loss anymore, it's about making sure others know THEY can reach their goals too. It's about trying to pass on what I've learned in the last two years, making suggestions on what has worked for me. Most of all, it's about being there for motivational support for people who feel they are going through this journey on their own.  They are never alone, I'm always there to lend a hand, an ear, or a kick to the butt, whatever they need, I'm there. 

243 pounds and how I let it happen

As everyone knows I have been doing some speaking events over the past few months.  I thought it may be kind of cool to talk about here what I talk about when I'm there. These blogs are going to be mainly about my weight loss journey but it may include how I've grown as a person too. It has been quite a journey and to say I haven't changed as a person would be crazy, I've come to accept that finally.  I like the new me. I'm happy now and I feel like I'm living life to the fullest (well...almost..there is always room to do something more). I hope you enjoy reading a bit about my journey and I look forward to sharing it with all of you.

I guess the best place to start is how I let myself get to 243 pounds. I would love to have some really deep story to explain this but I don't.  I was lazy!! That's right, I was lazy!! I went to work at my desk job, I came home, ate garbage for supper, at night I sat my butt on the couch and watched tv while eating more crap and then I went to bed. Gee, however did I become overweight. My typical meal would consist of 3-4 chocolate chip cookies for breakfast, with a glass of coke. No morning snack. Lunch would be any fast food establishment that was around, MacDonalds and KFC being my favorites.  My afternoon snack would usually be a bag of chips or more cookies.  I don't drink or smoke but I very rarely went anywhere without a bottle of pop attached to my hand. Coke was my liquid gold!  Graham always joked that if I ended up in the hospital he was going to tell them to put that through my body instead of medication.  It was funny back then but not so much now. A typical supper for me would be KD...at least 3 times a week and sometimes more..  Probably my worst supper would have been nights when I had french fries, 3 deep fried weiners cut up on the fries and then everything was smothered in gravy and seasoning salt all over it.  I used to look forward to that meal...my God, what was I thinking!! I wasn't thinking and that's the problem. What goes better in the evening while watching tv than having our favorite snack in front of us?  Mine was a huge bowl of chips and a chocolate bar and of course this would be washed down by a glass (or two or three) of coke. Then it was off to bed so I could do the same thing the next day. You have to understand that I thought this was normal.  My typical meal now consist of cereal for breakfast and a piece of fruit if I think about it, veggies for my morning snack (OMG...I LOVE yellow peppers!), lunch is usually a small amout of something from the night before or soup and a piece of fruit. My afternoon snack is organic almonds and grapes.  Supper is still a work in progress some days but I aim for my proper amount of meat, veggies and rice/pasta and my day usually ends with  4 dark chocolate almonds (they are the best thing in the world...almost as good as yellow peppers :) ). Do I follow this plan perfectly? No, because I'm not perfect and I never willl be but I have a guide now to refer to and for the most part I do follow it. I think I said in my video that I follow it about 90% of the time. As for that other 10%...damn it, I've earned it!

When Graham (my husband) and I would go for a walk we would do the loop around our cul-d'sac taking all of 5-10 mins and after that we were usually ready to call it quits. The only time we went for a longer walk (20-30mins) was if we could stop at the corner store and get ice cream or chips and pop to eat on the way. Again, I thought this is what "normal" people did. None of the people in my circle appeared to be overly active and whenever we went out to eat it was always to the local fast food joint. I didn't see anyone hiking or climbing mountains or eating clean.  That was almost like a foreign concept to me. Only a select few did that kind of stuff and although I admired them I knew I would never be one of  them.  Being active and eating right wasn't a concern for me for most of my life. I always had an excuse why I couldn't do something. Hell, I think I wrote some of those excuses.

I'm glad and lucky my body didn't just quit on me as it had every right to. As most of you know it is almost impossible for me to sit still without going crazy now. I don't know what it means to sit on the couch and watch a tv show anymore. Believe it or not I don't really miss it either.

I came to realize when I injured my back a few weeks ago that I was willing to treat my body like crap for almost 35 years but now when it was asking me to stop and take a break so it could rest and repair itself I didn't want to grant it that respect.  I had a hard time sitting because I looked at it as going back to the "old me" and the thought of that scared the hell out of me! I had to step back and realize that this wasn't the case, I wasn't going back to the old me because although I had lost the control of my healing my back, it had to do that on it's own, I had control of my choices and it was MY CHOICE to not go back to the time in my life when I was waking up day after day just going through the motions. MY choice is to live life to it's fullest, always looking forward to my next challenge and making the most of my life! That is MY choice and I hope after reading my blogs it becomes your choice too!!