Author: Tonya Hill

ASSESSMENT

I was finally able to weigh in and do my assessment yesterday morning. I am so looking forward to this journey. I kind of wish I hadn’t had surgery so I didn’t have limitations, because I want to be able to do the things my teammates are doing, but baby steps, I keep telling myself. I’ll get there! I just don’t want to lose momentum. Right now the doc has me on limitations of low impact walking only, so praying he will increase that some come Wednesday! I am really trying to focus on my diet right now maonly since that is almost all I can do. I am trying to do low carb, gf, paleo… I know it is a lot but I have had a gluten sensitivity for years and I really need to force myself to follow a gf diet, but I want to eat as clean as possible, so I am trying to stay away from bad carbs, and eat paleo style as closely as I can. Hopefully I will start to see some pounds drop soon!

I am so proud of the determination I see from my teammates at Team GIT!! They are all working so hard and I am proud of them!!

Go TEAM GIT!!! Git ‘er done!!!!

 

 

 

Second Chances!

I never imagined when I started this journey last year how significantly different my life would be come this year. I ended up being unable to really participate last year at the end because of some major medical issues that came up within my family, but thankfully I was chosen to be a part of the team again this year. God knows what he is doing. I started last year with the goal to lose weight to start a family,  but this year it is so much more than that. I want to be able to share the gospel with people all over the world and I need to be able to travel to do that. I want to be able to fit in an airline seat without being uncomfortable, and to be able to ride the rides at a theme park. If I need to climb a mountain then I want to be able to do that too.

My weight has really become a reality this year. My blood pressure is teetering being high, and I recently had to have my gallbladder removed, all signs that I am unhealthy and my body is at the point where I need to do something about it.

So here is to a second chance for change! Today is day 1 of the rest of my life. I strapped on my fitbit this morning, and I am drinking my water. I am gonna make healthy eating choices and eventually that will turn into a habit. I am gonna focus on including God in my challenge this year too. I can do this. I can do ALL things through Christ!  I look forward to seeing the new life that the next 12 weeks brings!

 

I am back…

Hi everyone!  Sorry I haven’t written in a while. I had to take a step back from RBL for a few weeks. I apologize but I had good reason. For those of you that don’t already know, my dad suffered a massive stroke 3 weeks ago and spent several days in ICU. The night it happened they called the family in and didn’t know if he would make it. I thank God every day that my dad is still here. On top of that,  I got sick with bronchitis the following week, and I was back in the hospital the third week with my nephew. Needless to say, it was a very eventful 3 weeks. Overall I missed about two weeks worth of gym.
I was nervous about how it would go the first time I went back to meet with my group. I felt like I was starting over at square 1 again and felt like I had let the team down. I was stupid to feel that way because once I saw the group I felt like I had come home again. I am so serious when I say that I love my group and my gym. I even had members of my team come by the hospital to visit me while we were in ICU. I was immediately hugged by everyone with concerns for my dad and I knew I had made the right choice to come back.

I chose to not let that setback set me up for failure. That is what has always happened to me. I am always obsessed with eating healthy and working out for a while and then something else comes along to distract me. I didn’t want to waste this opportunity that I have been given so I determined in my heart not to let it get the best of me and I forced myself to go back.  I am so glad I did. I had my first weigh in today since before this happened and I maintained my weight loss so I am pleased with that.  Before I would have gained everything back and then some.

For those of you that did know about my dad,  I just wanted to say thank you for your prayers and please keep praying for him and my mom. He has  long road ahead of him.
I am back and I am not going anywhere.  I am sure I won’t win the competition but that isn’t why I am here. I am here to get healthy again and be happy in my own skin. At least this gets me started on that path!

Setbacks…

Wow. What a week!! I told you guys before I am a stress eater…well between a back injury, an ice storm and being stuck at work, and now my dad in icu,  i have had it. I haven’t been able to get to the gym.in a week and i am finding my resolve for eating gluten free and healthy slipping. The hospital is an expensive place to eat, much less eat healthy. I have still been trying but it doesn’t get easy when.you are sleep deprived, bored, and stressed. You figure the hospital would have some decent gluten free food, but there is little choice. Oh well. I will accept this set back but plan to be back in the gym before long. I miss my rbl 2015 group. They are running tonight without me. They have been very supportive.

Valentine’s weekend

So this weekend hasn’t gone exactly as expected… my hubby (love him to death) surprised me and took me to my favorite Thai restaurant for Valentine’s Day. Thrilled!! Only thing is my favorite dish is filled with carbs,  something I am trying to avoid, but I didn’t stress out as this was a special occasion,  then he took me to get my favorite,  cheesecake… my ultimate weakness- needless to say I didn’t do so well last night, but I was still thinking that everything would be ok because I was going to get up today and do my cardio 5k and my weight routine at the gym.. FAIL!! Woke up to a back spasm thst has kept me sidelined from exercise all day… boo. Really praying that my back will be better tomorrow so I can at least get a decent workout in prior to the massive snow storm next week that will also keep me from the gym. The week isn’t looking so hot for me. Thankfully there is a small gym where I work, and there is enough hall space that I can get some cardio in too. Hopefully I will have some time to work out while snowed in. Gotta get this week back on track and not let a few setbacks derail me!!

Short and sweet

So my hubby has been asking what I wanted for Valentine’s this year, and I told him I really wanted a good pair of running shoes instead of the typical flowers and chocolates. He gave me money yesterday to go and pick some out and I got a pair that I really got to test out tonight. Love them!! They don’t look so hot on my feet, but that isn’t what they are for. … comfort and endurance is the name of this game. Ran farther tonight that have before. YAY!! Building that endurance.

Our group is so good together. We are planning to keep up on 5k’s and 10k’s even after this is over to keep the momentum up and not lose the drive to workout.

GO GIT YMCA RBL’S!!!

Week 3 Already…

Wow! Time Flies!!  I cannot believe we just entered week 3!  It is going by so fast.  I did notice my neck and face looks ever so slightly thinner today!  I was also able to wear a different pair of jeans on Friday.  They have been snug the last couple of times I tried to get them on, and Friday, I wore them all day. Same size still, but it was still a nice accomplishment.  I have still only lost 6 pound officially, but I was down an additional 3 pounds on Saturday morning.   Can’t wait to see how the inches are coming.  Hopefully we will look at them again soon.

I have been making some hard decisions here lately, but they are decisions that will make me a better person in the long run.  I am determined once and for all to put myself first- besides God anyway.  I have had to make decisions that I never wanted to make and I feel like I will have to make more before it is over.  Nothing will stop me from being who GOD has called me to be, and focusing on myself this year though. It is only February and I have already had some breakthroughs, but more are in the making.  As my pastor and friends have said, this is going to be my WOW year. 

I managed to walk my first 5k on Saturday night. I can’t quite walk/run the entire thing yet.  I have a history of knee surgery and I have to go slow on my progress in that department.  Sue ran us through a killer circuit workout at the gym yesterday afternoon, and then I managed to walk an additional 2 miles after that.  I was jello the rest of the day yesterday.

If the weather permits, I plan on getting in another 5k walk tonight if I have time.  I want to work on getting my time down, now that I have walked my first one and eventually be able to run the entire thing!

 

 

 

Randomness of thoughts…

I am down 6 pounds in two weeks. It doesn’t seem like much compared to some of my teammates, but I am still glad for the loss. Making a decision on  Saturday to get up early and go to the gym is hard for me,  but I am doing it today.

I have found that I like endurance activities- even though they kill me, I would much rather be outside running/walking and alone with my thoughts,  than stuck on a treadmill or on a bike, or lifting weights. I do it though because I want to see progress. You have to have a combination of all activities to get to goal. 

I finally got to meet some of my teammates this week who have been sick. I love all of my teammates. They are very motivating and we push each other to do things harder,  faster,  and stronger. I do love working out in a group setting. it pushes and drives me.

I am not a veggie person, but I am trying this week to eat less fruit and eat more veggies. I think I might be eating too much fruit and the sugar and carbs are causing me to not lose as much. I have been eating cauliflower, broccoli, and cucumbers this wek, instead of apples,  strawberries, pineapple, and grapes. Hopefully I will see a better number on the scale this week.

Decisions…

So I made a decision not to exercise tonight. I was very tired and I felt like maybe my body needed a rest, my joints (muscles are sore too, but I worry about my knees and ankles) are really sore after that zumba class and run last night. Well, I didn’t, and now I am regretting that decision. I am laying here, wide awake, unable to go to sleep.  This brings back to remembrance what it was like prior to working out. Ugh. So I decided to put my time to good use and write. Haha.

I love the way my body is beginning to feel stronger, and the fact that I have so much more energy. I have now completed 4 walk/runs up the “beast” (the hill at TR YMCA). Although I still  haven’t conquered it, I feel like I am beginning to. I noticed as I walked up the hill by myself last night that I wasn’t as out of breath and my legs weren’t crying out of sheer torture for me to stop. For the first time, I was talking to myself and telling that hill… I am going to conquer you. You are just an obstacle to my victory and you can’t hold me down. I did still have those thoughts that I wasn’t going to make it without stopping, but each time I thought that, I would immediately say “nope,  come on Tonya, you got this girl!!” And keep on walking. If only we all could look at all our situations in life the same and just tell ourselves to keep on walking,  and that God had it. We can,  but we choose to take so much responsibility on ourselves.  I am learning a lot about myself through this process.  Not just about weight loss, but I find God speaking to me and talking to me while I am working out alone. I like the “me” time. 

It is hard to get adjusted to never being home and seeing my husband, but I will be so much better for him if I can barrel through this and take care of me.  Now if only my body will produce results and be more accepting of the changes I am making (no.more achy joints and backs), I might make progress a little quicker!!

The Y…

I love the YMCA. I will be the first to admit that I came to the TR YMCA and looked to join early last year, but I did not like it. It seemed like there were lots of body builders in there at the time that I went,  and I just didn’t think it was the place for me. Let me tell you how wrong I was. The staff there is so friendly and encouraging. I have been in several of the group classes now and the instructors really break the classes down to a beginner level for you. If they see you struggling on the floor with a machine, they will come right over to assist. Even the other guests are very friendly. I have had a lady invite me to another group class with her, and someone randomly struck up a conversation with me today as I was leaving and it wasn’t even about the gym. I have been blown away by the outpouring of support from everyone there. Never judge a book by its cover they say, well, I learned that lesson. Love this gym. 

I also want to say that I have been overwhelmed by the support I have received from my family, friends, coworkers, church, and
gym buddies. I just want to say thank you! You guys rock, and make me know this is a feat I can conquer!!!

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!!
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