It Works!

A few weeks ago I had the following conversation with an acquaintance of mine.

Acquaintance: You look great! Can you give me some tips for working on my legs/butt and my arms.

Me: Sure. One of the best exercises my trainer has given me for my butt is this: lay on your back with your calves on a yoga ball. Then lift your butt into the air and roll the ball in to touch your butt and then back out. Roll the ball in/out 15 times before you put your butt back down. Do 3 sets of 15.


Acquaintance: Great. I want to lose my baby weight, but I need something that will work super fast so I don't have to spend hours working out.

Me: :-/



Here's the thing...MIRACLE WEIGHT LOSS AND FITNESS PLANS DON'T EXIST!!!!! If they did, everyone would look like supermodels!!! But I digress...



Allow me to give a little back story. I had a baby in December. Before my pregnancy I was lazy and never worked out ever so I was about 40 pounds overweight, and I didn't have an ounce of muscle on my entire body. Then, during my pregnancy I bought into the "I can eat whatever I want because I'm pregnant" fallacy, and I gained 50 pounds. When I had Baby I did lose about 30 pounds in the hospital. That's what happens when you birth Eleven Pounds Baby. (Someday I'll get around to explaining that name...). Anyway, for all you math majors out there that meant I was still 60 pounds overweight.



In April I decided to seriously do something about it. Boo, who is always wonderfully supportive, gave me a smile and a check and sent me off to the personal trainer. On June 11th I celebrated the loss of my final pregnancy pound. Woot! I remember the day because I was so excited that I did it in under 6 months. Since then I have lost maybe 2 more pounds, but I always knew this would be a long hard journey.



The point is, when someone says "Great. I want to lose my baby weight, but I need something that will work super fast so I don't have to spend hours working out" I want to strangle them. Seriously?!? Are you kidding me right now?!? Don't look at me and say I look great and then insult all of my hard work by implying that I did this overnight with minimal effort. No. I've worked my ass off. Literally.



I have sacrificed my evenings with Boo to go to the gym. I've cut out all junk from my diet, and eat so much protein every day that I wouldn't be surprised if I turn into a chicken. I've sweated, and cried. I've made a complete ass of myself at Zumba. I've been so sore that I can't go up the stairs in my house while carrying Baby. I've had days where I struggled and days that I succeeded and on nearly every one I called my bathroom scale a bastard. But I am more than 30% to my goal and that feels really really good.



Then, I had an experience with . Please don't take this post as a product endorsement in any way. It's not.



The premise of these wraps is basically this: wrap this really really cold slimy thing around your trouble area (in my case my midsection which was recently demolished by Eleven Pounds Baby), wrap some cling wrap over top, bake for 45 minutes, remove the wrap and voila! your problem area will be transformed!



About a week after the previously referenced conversation was my body wrap extravaganza. My friend recently became a distributor and in an effort to expand her network invited me to try a wrap at a party she was hosting. In an effort to be supportive, I went. And I'll admit, part of me was really hoping that this magic wrap could make me lose 9 inches around my waist in 45 minutes. Because really, who doesn't want those kind of results?!?



Let's just say my results would never make the commercial unless they were categorized under "results may vary". At first I told myself it was fine, because I never really expected it to be some kind of miracle wrap anyway. Then, I was angry that I spent $25 on it. Now finally, after a few weeks, I've just accepted the simple truth..."It" doesn't work. "It" doesn't make you fit or thin or in shape or anything. "It" doesn't do anything. YOU do it. I DO IT.



What works isn't some magic pill that you take once a day, or a powder that you sprinkle on your french fries. It isn't a fad diet or one trip to the gym in January. What really works when it comes to fitness and health goals is a lifestyle that includes fitness and health. What really works for weight loss is commitment, dedication, sweat, and effort.



So I'm going to get that firm flat stomach and I'm going to lose those inches off my waist and hips. And I'm going to do it the good old fashioned way. I'm going to pass the fast food joints on my way to the gym. And I'm going to be honest with other people.



Acquaintance: You look great! Can you give me some tips for working on my legs/butt and my arms.

Me: Sure. One of the best exercises my trainer has given me for my butt is this: lay on your back with your calves on a yoga ball. Then lift your butt into the air and roll the ball in to touch your butt and then back out. Roll the ball in/out 15 times before you put your butt back down. Do 3 sets of 15.

Acquaintance: Great. I want to lose my baby weight, but I need something that will work super fast so I don't have to spend hours working out.

Me:Well, I don't know what to tell you. It takes work. I lift weights 3-4 times a week and do 3-4 cardio workouts plus an hour of yoga.
Full Post