The personality of Goodlife locations

Yesterday I went to the gym after work. I have a membership to Goodlife and I am so glad that I paid the extra amount to be able to have access to various locations throughout the city. I am discovering that each location has its own personality. I usually visit a Goodlife for Women in a Loblaws Superstore in North York. While I was unemployed I would attend during the day, the space was very chill, it only had a few ladies working out and the scent of baking bread was always in the air (which was slightly counter productive LOL). There was the occasional personal training session going on and it is very comfortable, almost too comfortable. It is nice to be able to pick up a banana and a protein bar on my way out. I’ve been to the location at Bay and Bloor in the Manulife Centre. That location is small and cramped, very much set up for the express workout. However they have a pool which is nice to get to use.

The one I visited yesterday was the at Queen and McCaul at around 5pm-6pm. The building is long and narrow which translated into an odd, but private atmosphere. There were a lot of working professionals and especially men at this location (approximately 20-30 people). There was a strong emphasis on weight lifting and there were about 10 personal trainers instructing throughout the gym. They had machines which I noticed were different than the ones I had seen at the women’s gym, these looked more targeted to men. It was a treat to try something new and the testosterone filled atmosphere made me want to push my work out a little harder. I had to find an empty corner to do any matt work as there didn’t seem to be an assigned area. I went on the bike for 15 mins and got my heart rate up an average of 135, then I did the weight machines and free weights for about 25 mins, then finished it off with matt work for 15 mins. Depending on the weather tonight I might go for a night run around the neighborhood.

To finish off the week I will leave you with this motivational quote:

“You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be.” David Viscott

Body, Mind and Will

Good morning readers! I have been successfully wearing my Weight Watcher Points Plus pedometer every day. My goal at a minimum is to walk 10,000 steps a day. Yesterday I managed to walk over 15,000 and Tuesday I managed a whopping 23,614 steps. I have been walking to the bus, on my lunch hour, to my Weight Watcher meeting and last night I walked to the Shambala Meditation Centre on Bloor Street West near Christie Pitts.

I have been attending and enjoying their Wednesday one hour open house meditation sessions off and on during the summer. My goal with their mindful meditation practice is to discipline my mind. In this day and age we have lost the ability to still our minds. I have discovered that it’s a lot harder than I thought it would be. For instance I try to focus on my breath; mantraing “Breathe in, breathe out” and then my mind drifts and I start thinking about the awesome sushi I just ate for dinner or how itchy my foot is. I feel like Julia Roberts in Eat Prey Love. I love guided meditation where someone leads your mind on a journey, however I need to grow beyond it. I also discovered that sitting cross legged for 30 minutes at a time is not easy, as my back began to hurt. First because I was slouching, then when I had proper posture the other muscles which I typical do not engage started to strain as well. I think this is going to take practice and I think I should throw in a few additional back exercises into my work out routine.

Finally I am quite proud that I got to work out my will power. Cakes and brownies were on display yesterday in the office and I resisted. On my noon walk I passed an ice cream truck and I resisted. After meditation there was tea and cookies and I only drank the tea. A friend and I went to a falafel place and I ordered a Coke Zero and not a second dinner/snack. I keep thinking that nothing tastes as good and thin feels and that I am strong. Lets see how I hold up today. I’m going to Goodlife tonight after work so tomorrow you will get to read all about that. :) Cheers and keep focused.

WW & Laughter Yoga

Weight Watchers Stats
Starting Weight: 303.2 lbs
Weigh in Weight: 192.0 lbs
Total Weight Loss: 111.2 lbs

Yesterday I met up with my friend Sabrina at the Lulu Lemon on Queen Street West near Spadina Ave. Turns out they have free yoga classes every Tuesday at 8pm. This week they did something called Laughter Yoga. It was more about improving ones mood, although there was movement and some stretching. When I entered the class I was feeling around a 6 and by the end my stress was gone and I felt better (around an 8). You have to embrace the experience and be prepared to feel like and idiot because you have to laugh as much as "The Joker" does. Afterwards we went to Fresh and had a tasty dinner. This felt a lot better then my typical Tuesday night gorge fest after Weight Watchers.

Workout Review

Last night my friend Christine and I did the Jillian Michaels "Shred it: With Weights" DVD workout. We like doing her videos because they are challenging and she doesn't annoy us during the workout. If you plan on attempting this DVD you will need a kettle bell weight. I suggest beginners start with an 8 pound weight. We have only attempted Level 1 so far and we find that we can do a few of the more difficult poses. Two days afterwards my arms and legs are killing me. We have also been tacking on additional core exercises, leg lifts and push ups at the end of our workout, as well as attempting to increase our flexibility (via attempting to do the splits LOL Not there yet).

Back to basics

Welcome

First I want to thank you for taking the time to read my blog. My name is Michelle, I am 28 and from Toronto. Here I will be chronicling the last leg of my weight loss journey. I will be blogging about my struggles, triumphs, as well as posting recipes and exercise routines that I enjoy, Now I say last leg because I have already lost 112.8 lbs and have around 15-20 lbs to go. You would think this would be a piece of cake, however I have discovered as with any marathon the last leg is the most difficult. I started my weight loss journey back in January of 2010, yes I was a "resolutioner". The previous October I went to a local amusement park and was unable to fit into the roller coaster seat. This crushed me. Due to the shame spiral which occurred as a result of the incident I managed over the holidays to get to a whopping 303.2lbs. I joined Weight Watchers and for the next year and a half I counted my points, exercised and shrunk.

I am now so close to my goal I can taste it, however for what ever reason I am not seeing the movement I want. I think my body, mind and spirit were tired. I need a reboot which is why I've decided to write this blog. I need to track like I used to, I need to feel that drive and determination again. I need to find the time for me because this journey is the most important one of my life.

What is my goal you may ask? I have a few. For Weight Watchers they want me to be at a goal weight of anywhere between 149lbs-179lbs for my height. I have decided to shoot for 175 lbs and see what that feels like. If I reach my goal and stay there for 6 week I no longer have to pay, which is incentive enough. My other goal is to work towards being like my TV and movie heroine idols like Buffy, Xena or the Bride from Kill Bill. A strong woman who kicks butt with style. Which means I would like to be able to do a few of the things that they do. I was thinking of joining a dojo, working on flexibility and toning.

What are some of my challenges? I just started a new job and I discovered that there are many food obstacles and by that I mean they seem to like having snacks around. I love brownies, cookies and cakes, so I will need to watch out for that. I think I am also going to have to set time aside strictly for working out. Say Monday's, Thursdays and Saturdays.

I think the most important thing to focus on right now is persistence. The ability to maintain action regardless of your feelings. To press on even when you feel like quitting. Until next time, I wish you luck on your own journey.