Friday, August 9, 2013

Week 8 #bestbodybootcamp Wrap Up

It’s week 8 ALREADY and this round of Best Body Boot Camp is almost over. 


Best_Body_Bootcamp.jpg


It’s Friday, but instead of doing my last strength workout of this session of BBBC, I went for an early morning run with The Captain… I am going to do my my strength workout tomorrow morning instead. I intend to really savor it… to get my teeth into it… to give it all I have. I can tell you it includes lots of burpees so I am also getting myself mentally prepared.

I really enjoyed my run this morning... we got up early, had coffee with some Ripped Cream Protein Coffee Creamer in it and shared a banana... then laced up our running shoes and did an easy 5 km along our usual neighborhood route.  There were lots of dogs out for their morning walks and the picture of sun shining on the peaks of the Olympic Mountains across the Strait with the fog laying on the water below was so pretty.  I was happy just to be out there.

W3 R35:50 @10/1 W4
stretch 5 minutes

We enjoyed pancakes cooked with fresh strawberries after our stretch.  Mmmmm.

This has been my second round of BBBC.  I was lucky enough to win the entry fee for my first round in a giveaway that host Tina Reale sponsored... and I loved it so much that I paid the fee to take part in this current round.

It has been worth every penny.

What did I get out of it?

Other than the obvious.... well-planned workouts designed  by certified fitness professional, Tina Reale, and the links to the exercise demos, the videos of Tina doing the exercises herself, the access to the Facebook group for support and motivation, email access to Tina herself who answers questions and offers personal attention/motivation…

On a very personal note I have learned a lot about ME:
  • I love to do my strength workouts first thing in the morning… it helps me get my day off to a good start and encourages me to make good decisions throughout the rest of my day'
  • I like to workout on an empty stomach unless there is a lot of lower body or cardio work involved – I need to eat/drink some protein first if that is the case.
  • I love to sweat and challenge myself physically.
  • I love to feel spent and achy and weak after a hard workout.
  • I love love love the reward of seeing changes in my body as a result of my hard work.  This is very important to me.
  • I am impatient (no surprise there) and I want results NOW.
  • I would rather work my arms and shoulders than ANYTHING else.  
  • I like learning new exercise methods and moves.
  • I need to mentally prepare myself before my workout and be fully informed about the moves I will be doing.
  • I have learned that there is a fine line between not being able to do a given exercise and not WANTING to do it.  This is a biggie for me!  I have erred on both sides of this line and sometimes really tried to push myself to do something I am just not capable of and been too stubborn to do the modifications…. and other times I have just assumed I cannot do something and jumped to do the modification without trying the given exercise at all.  This is something I continue to work on.
  • I have been surprised by, but finally come to realize, just how important the mental aspect of all of this really is for me.  I need to be in a positive frame of mind to focus and enjoy the workout or I just don’t put enough of ME into it. If I hate what I am doing, I am not gonna do it... or not do ENOUGH of it.
It has been a really interesting, and challenging 8 weeks for me.  And I am looking forward to finishing strong.

How do you feel about your strength workouts?  Are they mentally challenging for you too?

4 comments:

  1. Arms?! Really?! You can have those moves! I really loved BBBC too.

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  2. Glad you enjoyed the challenges & learned so much! How was the ripped cream?! I have a sample & keep forgetting to taste! Glad it was a great run...I haven't run in over a week-heat here in TX is unbearable!!!

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  3. Looks like a fun program! I definitely struggle mentally with some workouts, especially when they include exercises I don't like because I'm not good at them or they are just plain hard, i.e. snatches. I always repeat the phrase, "Mind over matter," because I find this to be SO true when working out, especially doing CrossFit. We certainly need to listen to our bodies and know the difference when we can't physically perform the exercise without injuring ourselves versus not wanting to do them. When you get through a tough workout (mentally and physically), the feeling of accomplishment is almost euphoric and a makes it all worth it!

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  4. Congrats on finishing your boot camp! love strength training and weight lifting, but metabolic work can be mentally challenging! I remind myself that if I don't like it, I need to do more of it!

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