Surprise! So I said I wasn’t going to give you a weekly update now that I’ve completed my 10 Week Challenge. And I’m not. But I couldn’t let this first week as a FIT member go by without telling you all about it.
First of all, I’d like to thank all the instructors from the past week for letting all of us newly minted FIT members know that we are indeed FIT members now. There is no, “I’m just a 10-weeker” excuse to hide behind any longer. We’ve earned the FIT badge, and let me tell you—it’s a heavy load to carry.
There are two primary things I wanted to share with you after my first week as a FIT member.
Commitment
I’ll have to be honest and say that as the week started, I was worried about my commitment. There was no longer a 5 or 10 week check-in hanging over my head. I was no longer going to have a weekly blog to pour out all my pain/successes/insecurities/etc. Basically—the accountability now rests only in my hands. I’ve not done so well in the past when I’m the only one to own up to. I look the other way, I let excuses creep back in to justify eating something off plan, I give a little slack in the rope since there’s no deadline or rush to meet expectations.
There are challenges that FXB offers, and one just started this weekend. I thought about it, but decided I needed a little time to challenge myself. I’m not ready to fly solo, but I suppose I’ve graduated from a tricycle to training wheels. I’ll probably sign up for some of the future challenges, but I sat this one out. There is also a corporate wide challenge I can sign up for. I’m thinking about it—not because I expect to win. It’s not about winning a prize for me. It would be for the accountability and to have someone still looking over my shoulder every so often, making sure I’m still on track.
I do know that I am committed to this plan. That’s not my concern. My concern is that I’ll let it slack and not get to where I want to be in the time frame I hope to achieve it.
How do I know I’m committed?
My fingernails.
If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you might remember from my post Take Time to Smell the Nail Polish that my nails have long been one of my favorite physical features. I love my long nails and will protect them at all cost. What does this have to do with my commitment to FXB? Well, in the first 10 weeks the boxing gloves we use are large and well padded. This means I’ve had no issues with my long nails getting in the way. There was a special going on when I signed up for FIT, and I was able to select a new set of gloves from two options. One set was similar to the 10 week gloves, just smaller and lighter. The other set had the fingers exposed and allowed the hand to flex. I really wanted those gloves. They look cool (and those who wear them look like they really know how to kick some a..) and they would allow me to do the floor exercises without having to remove my gloves. The issue was I was afraid I’d break a nail. They’d be exposed and I’d likely snap one on the bag. So I opted for the other set.
I’m happy with my new gloves. However... they are smaller and my long nails are still not as protected. They cause my little finger nail to pinch my ring finger, and I can feel some of my nails getting bent with a few of my punches. I could switch back to the old gloves, but I do like the new ones better.
The result is that I’ve actually considered cutting my nails shorter. I haven’t done it yet, but I’m willing to do it. That’s my level of commitment to this program. If you don’t know me, let me tell you—this is huge.
Lifestyle
The other thing I wanted to share was my first experience with a holiday week at FXB.
I’ve always said that for me to be successful I have to have a program that fits my lifestyle. This is not a diet for me. I actually believe that ‘diet’ should be considered another 4-letter word. So from here on, I will refer to it as the D-word. I could write up an entire post on why the D-word should be stripped from your vocabulary, but for the sake of keeping this post to a reasonable length I’ll remain focused.
I’m on a lifestyle change. That means my program has to fit with my beliefs. I’ve been on programs before where they approach a holiday with the idea in mind that holiday food is the enemy:
- Constant reminders of exactly how many minutes on the treadmill it would take to burn off that piece of pie, and how that certainly is not worth it.
- Encouragement to eat before the big meal so you won’t be tempted to eat all the bad stuff.
- Approval to starve yourself in the days prior so you can enjoy some bad food, but only if you agree to carry the guilt that comes along with it.
I’m not saying these strategies are wrong—if they work for you then go for it. But it doesn’t work for me. When food is treated like an enemy, the “Love thy enemy” mantra becomes my number one priority. It just doesn’t work for me.
How did FXB approach the Thanksgiving weekend? They made us earn it.
We were worked hard in the days before Thanksgiving. The reminders weren’t, “Don’t waste all this effort by eating pie on Thursday!” It was, “You just earned that slice of pumpkin pie!” It was said with such conviction and pride that I wanted to eat a slice of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, even though I don’t like pumpkin pie. I didn’t have a slice, but I did have a roll with some apple butter and it. was. good!
How about the actual holiday? Since it was on Thursday it was a strength training day. Classes were not canceled. They were offered early in the morning so that members could burn off some calories before consuming more. AND—a kickboxing class was added. Yep, that’s right. No day off, instead I did back-to-back classes. And I’m not talking about just a few die-hards in the gym that morning at 6:30. I’m talking nearly 50 people, burning it out together. Yeah, I earned that roll and there was absolutely no guilt about it.
This fits my lifestyle. I like that food is not the enemy. I like that I don’t have to feel guilty for eating something special on a day that’s not Fun Day.
Yeah, I think I’m gonna’ be all right.
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