Pain (and a giveaway)!

Let me tell you, I could not wait for Wednesday to get here. I have been planning my post since Saturday!

I have some stories to share that will all lead to my concluding thought (and a giveaway!). Here we go:

Story 1. Do you ever watch weight loss shows? Like The Biggest Loser (I used to be addicted to The Biggest Loser, but I am kinda over it now)? There is a new show on A&E named Heavy...or there is one on MTV, I Used To Be Fat....

The other day my roommate and I watched I Used To Be Fat. In every show it highlights a kid the summer before going to go to college. The show provides a personal trainer who teaches about nutrition and exercise and mentors the kid. Last week's episode was about a kid named Jordan. I won't go into too much details, but Jordan's transformation was AMAZING!! He lost 67 lbs in 110 days. And he was such a sweet kid, you could tell he really looked up to his trainer. 

Here is the link if you want to see the episode: Click Here

Story 2: Do you ever watch movies and wish you could do what the main character could do? Like when Step Up 2 came out, I wanted  to get my dance crew together and take it to the streets (and I did!). Or when Mighty Ducks came out, I want to be a hockey star (a little difficult, considering I lived in Florida, but not impossible). 

When Million Dollar Baby came out, I wanted to become a boxer. I looked up boxing training and everything. And then I realized that I was too lazy...and there went that idea.

But last week I went and saw The Fighter. You know, the Mark Walberg movie, where he plays Micky Ward, a boxer. Its a true story about how he won the Welterweight Championship in 2000. Anyway, I saw the movie and I become inspired again by my boxing idea....

Story 3: A few years ago I joined a gym and with the new membership I was able to get some personal training sessions at a really low cost. I bought 5 and was paired with Manny, a trainer for the Puerto Rican Boxing team. A nice guy who made me work really hard. And I really liked it when he put boxing gloves on  me and went through some of the training for boxing (no sparring, just a little punching). After our sessions ended, I continued to work out at the gym, but accomplished little.

You may be asking yourself...so what? 

I have come to realize that I need someone else to push me at the gym in a way that I cannot. I am finding that I put in 30-45 minutes of cardio and call it good. But when I have people telling me to do something (or screaming at me) I tend to do it and push myself harder.

So I have hired personal trainers. One is a boxing personal trainer (Keith) and the other is a regular personal trainer (Jamal). Don't misunderstand me, I have NO intention on pursuing a boxing career (I am too much of a wimp for that. Plus I like my job.). But I like the way they train and I enjoy punching something, especially when I am stressed.

Monday was my first session with Jamal. I am still in pain. I have another session today. I expect to be in more pain.Thankfully, I only purchased a six week program. After the six weeks, I will reevaluate and see if I need/want more training and if I can afford it.

The next question is: why am I doing this? Well, I have three events over the next six months that I am preparing for. The first is a Jane Austen workshop in March (in about 6 weeks). The second is Memorial Weekend (my friends and I rent a cabin near a lake). The third is going to Barcelona again for the summer (I think I am leaving June 25th). I have goals that I want to reach as I attend each of these events, and I am hoping with the help of my trainers I will get there!

Now here is the fun part. I want  you to be in pain too. I want to give you a copy of Jillian Michaels' DVD, Banish Fat Boost Metabolism. I have worked out with this DVD in the past and let me tell you, she  makes you sweat! For the giveaway, be sure to leave a comment under this post. A winner will be picked on Wednesday, February 9th.

Good luck!!