Day 29: Top 10 Things I am Thankful for This Year

I cannot let this holiday pass without pondering and sharing that which I am thankful for. I hope you too will ponder and share because it is in fact what we’re asked to do: encourage one another and build each other up. May you and your family enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for:

1 The gym being closed on Thanksgiving.
2. Losing 5.4 pounds and not gaining any of it back.
3. The first 4 weeks of this crazy adventure being OVER, and my survival.
4. Laughing Cow Baby Bell Light cheese-a delicious treat!
5. Trainer Bob and his willingness to let me have caffeine without guilt.
6. My body (never ever thought I’d say that) and it’s amazing capacity.
7. Exercise doing wonders for both my mood and energy level.
8. For the opportunity to work at Christel House and see first hand all the good that is being done through it.
9. Turkey and that it is a lean protein.
10. FOR ALL OF YOU-I can’t tell you how grateful I am to each of you for your donations and your support. What a wonderful family and group of friends I have been blessed with!

Cheers,

Tracy

Day 22-Feeling Groovy

4.6 lbs down, 5.2 to go! I’m 3 weeks in and feeling groovy. My muscles aren’t SORE, I’m no longer hungry all the time and I am getting comfortable with sweat. Life is good!

So since I’ve nothing to complain about, I thought I’d take a minute to tell you all about the awesome charity you are donating to through your sponsorship of me in this crazy weight loss fundraiser.

Christel House was founded in 1998. The idea came when Christel DeHaan (the founder) was invited to visit an orphanage in Mexico City. After seeing the horrific conditions in which the children lived, Christel felt moved to do something. Yet, she also knew that while giving the orphanage money would help, it wouldn’t resolve the complex issue of poverty. It was then that the idea for Christel House was born.

Christel chose to build schools and provide the poorest of the poor not only an education but also meals, and healthcare, as well as character building and leadership opportunities. Students are selected with great care and parents are required to help in the schools. Christel House also provides workshops to educate the parents on a variety of topics.

The model works. Christel House now has 5 schools worldwide: a public charter school in Indianapolis, and learning centers in India, Mexico, South Africa, and Venezuela. Every school has excellent test scores and attendance (many top the home country’s public schools). Two of the schools have celebrated their first graduating classes and the graduates are going on to college, technical school or work/study programs. This year we’re building a high school in Indianapolis, and next year a second school in India. See www.christelhouse.org for more.

Part of my job at CH is to interview some of the children/families and write their stories. And all I can say is, when you put a face to poverty, it becomes very real. What you once thought of as an issue, becomes the life the person you are speaking with has, and somehow for me, that changes everything.

So thanks to all of you who are sponsoring me! Because of what you are doing, we can give some very hard working and deserving children a chance to lead a much better life. :)

DAY 15-Keep On Trucking

So Saturday, after waking up SORE for the 13th day in a row, I was just cranky. And worse then that, I had another appointment with Bob the trainer. Arghh! The last thing I wanted to do was exercise (isn’t eating healthy and drinking gallon upon gallon of water enough…wait, don’t answer that!). But what are you going to do? Nothing. You ignore your mood, you keep on trucking and you meet your trainer at the gym.

So of course, Bob, who’s not SORE at all is happy to see me. He’s happy to be at the gym on this absolutely beautiful Saturday afternoon. He’s also happy to raise the weights on all the machines for me. And while I’m on that subject, here’s another thing I’ve learned: no matter what you do, your trainer is going to continue to raise the weights on the machines. If you complete an admirable number of reps (repetitions of a specific exercise), he’ll praise you and then up the weight next time. If you don’t, he’ll have you do more sets to strengthen you. Either way-your workout gets tougher. Now, to me this seems totally unfair, I’m thinking ‘Come on, I just did a good job, now I have to do better?’ Of course, I guess that is the point. But, it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

And guess what? If I’m honest, after all my internal whining about being sore, I had a really good training session. It was hard but also worth it. I felt better after working out, and stronger. I went home, did all that I had to get done and ended up having a great day. Moods are moods, nothing more. They are moments in time that end, just like being SORE ends. If I want to get and stay healthy, I must learn to do so not only when I feel like it, but more importantly, when I don’t. It’s that simple.

For those who might want to join me in soreness and self-pity (just kidding-I really do like working with a trainer), check out Bob the Trainer's website:

http://www.precisionhealthandwellness.com/

DAY 8

Met with a trainer last week. This ladies and gentleman is a whole new experience for me (un-athletic, not very coordinated, terrible-at-sports me). Trainer Bob (yes it’s his real name and yes, I do think of the Biggest Loser show every time I say it) isn’t going to mess around when it comes to getting me in shape. He challenges me, pushes me, and makes me work harder than I would on my own. Basically he’s shown me that I’ve pretty much been living at wimp status for the last 40 years. It’s just what I need.

So here’s what I’ve learned: talking to your trainer is a bit like confession. He asks you questions like what you’ve had to eat this week, and did you drink your water and how much cardio do you normally do in a month. And there it is, your sin (junk food, more soda than water and no cardio) lying right there on the table between the two of you. You have this urge to rationalize it-to tell him there’s a reason you’re overweight and that it’s not your fault. He’s having no part of it: You can’t con the trainer. He nods, smiles and tells you how to repent (no junk, no soda and cardio, cardio, cardio). You can only hope that next time you meet, you'll gain his approval.

I'm no priest but still, I have my ways too. I may be overweight for a reason that can’t be denied (too much food + too little exercise=too much fat) but I’m here, I’m trying and I’m truly motivated. I’m doing this not only for myself, but also for kids of Christel House. And even Bob has to give me that. And he did...Guess who my newest sponsor is? Apparently even trainers have a heart.