Friday, November 04, 2011

The Biggest Loser can change your life!

Even if you are small.  You see I LOVE me some TV that tells people's stories, and somehow even though it's annoying I can get past the edited drama and watch these shows.  SO now why write about it?  Because I am not kidding you, it has changed my life.  I have always been quasi fit, I mean I went to the gym occasionally and I kept myself somewhat in shape.  But quasi means I NEVER really pushed myself, I never ran, and getting my heart rate up for maybe 10 minutes was all I did.  I still got winded when Tom took me hiking, dreaded his idea of a relaxing weekend outdoors, etc.

But then last year I watched 2 seasons of the biggest loser, and at the end they ran a marathon.  A marathon?  That's 26.2 miles!  How can they do that after a mere 3 months or whatever on the ranch?  I'm kind of fit, and I would DIE.  Meanwhile Tom had read the book Born to Run, and was talking to me about it, and starting to run "barefoot".  I always said, "I can't run, I have a bad knee"  Really I tried it in college, it was painful and I hated it.  Tom seemed to think I could do it if I went the minimalist route.  Bob(Biggest Loser trainer) kept telling these folks that they never have pushed themselves, and have always stayed in their comfort zone.  SO while I watched and sat there eating my ice cream, lamenting about how I didn't have time to  learn to run, I started thinking, "If these people can do this, I should certainly be able to run, say 3 miles, right?"  hmmm.  Then I started hearing about this couch to 5K program you could download to your iPhone and all these self proclaimed "non-runners"  were becoming runners. 

If you know me you know I like to set goals AND I am stubborn, SO I downloaded it.  And when I felt like I was going to die while running for ONE MINUTE at a time, I thought to myself. God made our bodies to run, I have watched people much more out of shape than I am run 3 miles, Bob would be telling me to push myself and I kept going.  BUT it was December and cold, and I run at the crack of dawn.  SO I needed some other motivation.  OK sign up for a 5K race...check...and run it.  I DID IT!  It felt great...then I stopped running for a week or two OR a month...SO I signed up for a 10K and started running again...3 miles, not 6...TWO and a half weeks before the race, I was still at 3 miles...AND we went to Connecticut!  BUT thankfully while listening to worship and sermons, and once while running with my favorite person (Tom), God got me through to 6 miles.  After we got back I ran the race, and finished:-)  

How do I know I am a runner now?  If I have an injury and can't run, I am sad, I miss it, and I can't wait to get back to it.  I never thought my body could run, I never thought my knee would hold up.  So far it is, and I can run, and I love it!

So does the biggest loser still challenge me?  Let me tell you.  As winter approached and Holden is in school, getting up at 5:30 and running, has been hard, it's dark, mornings are always rushed...it's getting cold:-)  SO I was thinking of joining a gym, and I received a free day pass in the mail.  SO I went, the lady at the front asked if I wanted to try a class.  My response, "Is it hard?"  She said no, she LIED.  I ran 20 minutes, and then the class started, I should have known, it's called, "Belly,Butt, and Thigh Bootcamp" It was 25 minutes of lunges and squats with 5 minutes of plank.  As I am dying after 10 minutes, I keep hearing in my head, "You can do this!  If you were on the Biggest Loser Bob would be yelling at you right now, you can do ANYTHING for 30 minutes!"  Did I mention I was stubborn?  At least 3 people left the class in the middle, but I kept going, even with my muscles rebelling I heard "Bob's" voice.  I finished it, and then I could barely walk for 3 days...I'm not kidding, we have stairs, Tom laughed at me as I mentally prepared myself to walk up EVERY STEP.  It was a slow process, the ACT of sitting down was the worst!  But eventually I recovered and I am thinking of taking that class again:-)  Did I ALREADY tell you I am stubborn?

Why does this merit any sort of RANTINGS?  I just think it is amazing that a show my husband HATES has had an impact on my life.  I can run 6 miles (while talking!) and not die.  I am thinking of running a half marathon, I am trying to train for a triathlon (started swimming laps a couple months ago for the first time), and now I LOVE that my husband wants to hike and be outside ALL weekend!  I am no longer afraid of a hike Tom picks:-)  AND I no longer get winded, I am not afraid to push my body, because it has done things I never thought it could:-)  So really the biggest loser can change your life...even if you are small;-P
The End:-)  or NOT

4 comments:

Marilyn Hartwell said...

I love the way you wrote that, Anna. I've started watching The Biggest Loser this season with my daughters. It's fun. Keep up the good work!

April said...

You inspire me! I was running at 5:30 in the morning as well and swimming 1 mile at least 2 days a week. Then I went back to work and made a million other excuses why I couldn't work out anymore. Maybe it is time to get back to it. Keep running my friend!!!

Staci said...

I've been a BL fan for years and anytime I feel like quiting in the middle of an exercise...I hear one of those trainers in my head! I hear them saying, "If you stop now we're gonna start this whole exercise over again!" and that keeps me going ;) I agree...it's a great show for everyone...even if you're small ;)

michael said...

Cool post! For me, as difficult as it is to sometimes get motivated, I'm happy to take inspiration wherever I can find it.

Like Tom, I really like minimalist running too. I was convinced after watching slow motion videos of how running form changes. I wish I had some minimalist shoes for it though, so I don't feel as weird about running through my neighborhood barefoot.