The number says it all...

Last night was Bootcamp workout # 2 with the trainer. Gone was the initial excitement I had the previous week. In it's place was anticipation filled with both fear and anxiety. Had I not forced myself to leave work and head directly to the gym, I might have chickened out on the workout entirely. Arriving at the gym earlier than the others, I had time to talk to the trainer about my weight loss & fitness concerns. I wasn't sure if I should be doing more cardio or more strength training in order to get the most out of this month long competition. Interesting enough, he told me that I needed a little bit of both. He also told me that I shouldn't bother working out at a moderate pace on the treadmill, which is my usual "go to" workout. Running for an hour is great because at least I'm exercising, but he said that the second I step off the machine my body stops burning calories at the same rate. He suggested that I do interval training. Quick bursts of running that get's my heart rate up, followed by strength training then repeat. He said that the hours following my workout, my body will continue to burn more calories as it's trying to adjust itself from the workout. Huh? Sounds like I'm tricking my body into working long after I put the 5lb weights down...How cool is that? He then gave me the key advice to successful weight loss. All I need to do is burn more energy than I take in. In more simple terms, I need to move more & eat less. Sounds easy enough, right?

Then why am I overweight?

Oh, and I'm not just overweight but I am officially F.A.T. I know, the big "F" word that I try to never say, but last night the number said it all. Not only did I get great advice from the trainer, but he also gave me the hard facts....My actual body fat percentage. Ouch...The number was surprising! Purely because this was the first time I've ever been told how much body fat I had. I guess I knew it all along without really knowing the actual number. Muffin tops are not made up of overly developed 6 pack abs, now are they? I initially took this information all in stride. All I can do is improve it now, right? Right. But as the evening progressed, the number really began to settle in. I haven't been bothered by a number in quite a while. I'm at the point in my life where I understand that the number on the scale does not define who I am as a person. But THIS number! It doesn't make me think less of myself, but it makes me think of how unhealthy I really am! I need to change it and PRONTO! My goal for the month is to lose at least 4% of my body fat. My trainer thinks that this is an obtainable goal. It's a start anyway, a start to getting my body fat percentage down by building more muscle & losing more weight. I owe this to myself, plain & simple.

I will need to take this journey one day at a time. One meal at a time. One work out at a time. Hopefully, little by little, I can chisel away at the number that is embedded in my mind. And maybe, JUST maybe, along the way I can chisel myself out a 6 pack stomach as well!

I say bring it!