Moving Mountains

I had a great spin class last night. While its really nice outside and some people would say I'm stupid for going to the gym and spinning, when I could go outside, I must say that I really get a lot out of this class. Last night there were about six people there, a very empty class. If you've never tried one of these classes, I highly recommend them. The lights are turned low, fans blowing the air around and the music is usually something that you can keep a beat to while riding. Its set up so you really feel like you're in there alone. A good instructor will keep you motivated and moving and will hopefully change up the routines to keep it interesting. For me, what I love, is putting my head down and imagining what the race will be like. Pushing as hard as I can so that at the end of it all I know I did my best.

Not every workout is like this. In fact they shouldn't be. I'm learning more and more about 'active recovery'. Working out six days a week at full throttle does more harm than good. I've actually had to scale back on how I've been training, and the amazing thing is - I'm in better shape for it.

I noticed that I was gaining weight. Understanding that muscle does weigh more than fat, I was still gaining more weight than I wanted to. About three weeks ago I hit my maximum of 130 lbs. I've never weighted that much. I'm 5'2" and average 115 lbs. Since February I gained 15 lbs. This was not good. I felt strong, but I also felt bloated and awkward, like I was moving around inside a body that wasn't mine. Clothes were not fitting, at all and it was really beginning to get me down. I kept thinking, I'm working my ass off, why am I getting fat? It was messing with my head quite honestly.

Then a friend of mine recommended that I see a nutritionist, T.J. Harrington at Pure Health Coaching. I've been eating well so I couldn't understand where this extra weight was coming from and why it kept coming. I was really freaking out. Without going into a ton of detail about the appointment I will say that I learned some stuff. One was that I was over training. And two was that my body was retaining water, gaining fat and gaining muscle as a result of over training and mineral deficiency. Over training? That's right. I wasn't giving my body enough recovery time between intense workouts. Six days a week of kicking ass was hurting my body. So now what? T.J. coached me on how to train smarter, eat a little better and be nicer to my body and ultimately I'll get more out of it. I'm also taking supplements that include a multi-vitamin and an Omega 3 Fish Oil. I'm training with a heart monitor to make sure that I'm not working out beyond my anerobic threshold (which I was). Since that first appointment I've lost a solid 5 lbs. It fluctuates a little bit based on PMS (duh) and other factors, but the weight is coming off. I'm hoping that in another few weeks I will have lost the rest. Next week I begin seven days of detoxification to further clean out my system. I'm still eating really well, just being a little smarter about when I eat.

Training for this event has been such a great journey. I'm learning far more than I ever would have expected. The funny thing is the area that I learning the most about, is myself.