Priscilla- No Cain No Gain

I am mid way through my last week of the Eleventh Hour Fit Camp Skinny Challenge.
How 11 weeks have flown by is beyond me. I recall talking about it to friends before starting, planning events, and going through my SoChi life in general. Now all those things are behind me. Events occurred, festivals had, cocktail parties attended and of course 11 weeks of intense workouts. I am left with a blur.

I decided to take a stroll down those stairs I have been climbing for 11 weeks, to the blog postings that started it all.

My PHAT is turning to FAT. Well that pretty much said it all. While my life is still busier than ever, I did lay off the grape for the first few weeks. But as I became more fit I decided to reward myself with a few glasses of my favorite vin from time to time. Lo and behold my muffin top is nothing more than a crumb now.

Sleep deprivation- While it is a good thing that I hop right out of my delicious bed at 5 AM when I have a morning workout, it is NOT a good thing that my body clock tells me to wake up at that hour when I don't. Especially after one of our MANY late night parties. No this isn't good at all! And as far as Vanity being a bigger bitch that me, we hashed it out and it's a tie.

Who is paying those water and gas bills? Well considering that we HAVE running water, I guess "Jimmy Leg" does or I'd be bathing in the neighbor's pond. I still stand under the scalding water with aching muscles but I find that I have to work SO much harder to attain that same level of pain. I know, it's nutty of me to WANT that soreness.

Did you hear that? When JL first made his cheeky comment to massage my thighs, I shot daggers at him through my eyes. It was the only thing I could muster given my total exhaustion. Now 2 a days are just part of the routine, and along with them came an increased energy level. I find I am the one offering the massage now! (Sorry you had to read that kids! No one wants that mental picture of Mom and Dad)

Gold bricking- I stuck through it. No excuses. Some nights I came home and the "Cankle" was grotesquely huge. Some days it was just tomato sized. But I learned to change somethings up if I knew certain exercises were going to irritate those torn ligaments. I'm am still no goldbricker. I won't ever be.

25 things- What has changed and stayed the same? I can now jump rope and do a plank for longer than a minute.
A 4 point push up is still the devil. Stairs are terrible but doable. People still fart when squatting. Rick Cain really is my friend. It takes 11 weeks to be rid of the muffin top. And strangely, I actually LIKE doing certain exercises because they are "fun". It's cuckoo!

6 inches...yes I can even take 6 inches now. Thankfully Rick never walked by and placed a sand ball on my ankles.
But now after writing that I am assured he will and even that's ok.

My ears are bleeding- I guess in those early weeks of working out I was so focused on the physical exertion and muttering under my breath that I didn't pay heed to what was on Rick's Ipod. Although I swear he has since changed the play list from the beginning of Fit Camp. Where as before it was insipid rap and metal, now I am finding Veruca Salt,the Fixx,the Specials,INXS and Linkin Park. Who knew, all bands I like.

I can keep going on about all the changes that have occurred over these past eleven weeks. From grabbing 7 pound weights now to actually liking those long treks across town (sometimes in the rain). I found that in having to write about what I was experiencing during these workouts, that I like to write! So the blog will continue in the "Fabulous SoChi Life" and so will the Skinny Challenge. Only now it won't be the 11th Hour's but my own personal Skinny Challenge. I am signed up for Round 2 and looking forward to it. But first I need a much deserved two week hiatus and a trip to the beach...then I'll be back at Gateway amongst my friends.


Thank you Eleventh Hour and especially you Rick Cain for the priceless gift you have given me. I have really tried to make the most of it and I hope I've made you proud.

Priscilla-Can You Spare Some Change?

It is so crazy to think this 11 week ride is coming to a close. It really does seem like yesterday that I went for my first weigh in. I think back to all that has transpired since Week One.
Has my lifestyle really changed that much?

In some ways YES!

I have ended my day at 5AM many a time. NEVER would I have thought to start my day at 5AM! Not even when we had tiny babies did I get up during the night or the wee morning hours. That was always Jimmy Leg's job (one of the perks of bottle feeding!) Now I hop right up and I am out the door by a quarter til six. Nutty!
When did green juice take the place of a cocktail? Well in all honesty it hasn't. But it has become a beverage I reach for more and more. Shocking!



Me lacing up my trainers everyday as opposed to strapping on a pair of heels? Preposterous! Before trainers were only worn when wearing cute velour jogging suits. Now it seems it's sports bras more often than push up bras.



With so many changes, I still would rather toss on a gown as opposed to workout wear.
Somethings about this girl will always stay the same!

Priscilla-Fit Camp Social Club

For a while now fellow FCers have wanted to have a little get together. Given my "Holly Golightly" ways I am always one to jump at the chance to entertain. So of course I offered to host. It took a while to narrow down a date given my crazy schedule of late. Following the MaGa Film Festival seemed like the perfect time to get together, relax, and enjoy talking with one another. Talking without the threat of being subjugated to the "Talking Step"!



So last night we gathered. How lovely seeing everyone in real clothes, the kind without the underwear sewn in. We ate some wonderful food, drank plenty of wine, and saw a "lighter" side of everyone...including Rick and Michelle.
I for one am delighted to be a part of such camaraderie and look forward to hosting our little group again.

Priscilla- Spring

It has been a long winter. As the weather slowly warms, the first sure signs of the changing season have begun to emerge. Like flower bulbs buried deep underground, pushing through the cold earth towards sunlight, my burgeoning hip bones are beginning to peek out from under the layer of FAT that they had been nestled under.

Aahh, Spring has finally sprung!

Priscilla- She Ain't Heavy...It's Just Her Head

It is really very frustrating not to be able to lose weight. Especially when one is working out like crazy and existing on green juice,tomato,and cottage cheese. My trainer tells me not to look at the scale. Ha! He obviously doesn't fully know me, so that is easy for him to say! He also doesn't know how obsessive I can be with those numbers. I hear others in class around me saying how much weight they have lost and it makes me crazy. Oh, I know the drill... muscle weighs more than fat. I've heard it a million times before. But what I want to know is why can't MY muscle be weightless and why can't I subtract the weight of my head from my body weight?

Priscilla- Stockholm Syndrome

Stockholm Syndrome is a strong psychological response sometimes seen in abducted hostages, in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker, regardless of the danger or risk in which they have been placed. I am almost certain I have developed this. Simply because in the past 7 weeks I have endured such physical pain at the hands of one man, yet I keep coming back for more. Now I even consider him a friend!
Being at the midpoint is even harder for me than when I first started this challenge. As "my captor" tells us, we must push ourselves if we are to see any results. Being highly competitive (with myself)I find myself reaching for heavier weights and am almost embarrassed to think of the day I grabbed those two pound dumbells. I have not reached the point of hitting two a days (yet). However it is crossing my mind more and more. Once my schedule lightens a bit, I am sure I will at least attempt them. So while I am no Patty Hearst, I am definitely hooked.

Priscilla- Mush (but not on my thighs)

Week 5

Normally I try and write something a little funny. A little wise crack here and there is just who I am. This blog is about as heartfelt as I get. I don't like mush, especially on my thighs.

Lately I have been snowed under with projects and events. The months of January through March have always proven to be swamped for me. These past few weeks have been crazy busy. Aside from all my regular SoChi duties and being a mom of four, I have managed to take on a few extra responsibilities.
MaGa being one. (By the way, a giant thank you all my Fit Camp volunteers!) Being an "agent" yet another (grrr...gp), and hosting a French family of 3 for one month is the icing on the cake. But somewhere in all the crazy that is my booked calendar, I have managed to find the time AND energy to make it to the gym 5 days a week. What has really kept me focused,aside from my upcoming beach trip, is the progress everyone has made. I really am so proud of you! (Kim you rock!)

I must say that after 5 weeks the stairs are not as daunting, especially when Ashley is pushing me on. What a doll she is!
And last night Coco my 17 year old daughter said, "Turn around Mom, I think you are getting a donk". HUGE!

This really has been a great experience. I am so glad to be a part of it. I am especially grateful for the friends (and donk) that have resulted.




This is the last bit of mush you will get from this girl.

Priscilla-Stairway to Heaven

I woke at 4:45 AM still "Grrr...y" from the previous night.
A little physical exertion was sure to get my anger out. So off to the gym I went. Where I was greeted with 18 spots on a circuit, 2 of those being stairs. It never fails though. No matter where I start out on a circuit, it ALWAYS seems that I come back around to the stairs one time more. Today however instead of swearing like a sailor as I ascended them I said a rosary. Granted it was a little huffy and puffy, but I managed to get through a good bit of it. I don't think God minded the heavy breathing. Who knew 24 flights of stairs would actually bring me some much needed peace of mind.




I guess this must be what Led Zeppelin was singing about.

Priscilla and the Duke

I am a John Wayne girl. I always have been. Something about the swagger, the voice and those hands just makes me swoon. Fall over, head over heels, knees to mush SWOON.
I was reminded of my JW this morning. This was the first sunny morning we have had in a while. I knew we would be going outside by Rick's cryptic facebook status.
Upon arriving to the gym, my deductions proved to be correct, we were going outside. Nice, I thought.
Then I found out where we were going. The Indian Mounds. Which is totally far away!
I thought of the many field trips the kids had out there and how I always got out of going. For some reason walking up a big mound has never been my bag. Now here I was,not only going but walking there! Double Yikes!

Then I started thinking about Indians and of course those thoughts naturally segued into the Duke.
Ok, maybe this wouldn't be such a bad walk. I thought of The Searchers, Ethan Edwards, and of course Debbie. I always wanted to be Debbie. Before I knew it we had gotten to the Mounds. Don't ask me how, I don't pay attention where I am going...I just follow. About the time we passed the "sleeping puppy" my legs began to feel that this was in fact becoming a work out. Suddenly my swoony thoughts of John Wayne left my head. I began to focus on the burning sensation in my thighs as we walked up a hill. And then there was another, and yet another hill before me. Before you knew it we had trekked around the entire place and I knew my decisions all those years ago NOT to go on those field trips were the right ones.

Walking back, my thoughts went back to JW. Not to The Searchers though, but to The Quiet Man, my all time favorite movie. In particular the line where Mary Kate tells Sean they are walking the 5 miles into town.

"Just a good stretch of the legs." she says.



Just a good stretch of the legs...indeed. Now all this girl needs is for Jimmy Leg to grab and kiss me like that when he comes in the door. SWOON

Priscilla's Ears Are Bleeding

Week 4-

What I dislike most about these workouts, aside from the stairs (that is a given) is the awful music we must listen to. I don't like like metal, rap or anything remotely close to those genres. Insane Clown Posse is not my bag. Clowns in general are not my bag. My guess is that Rick plays "music" that will get us moving. It does make me want to move, right out the door into the warm embrace of Chet, Stan, Ella, or Freddy. I not only leave class feeling the burn of a workout but with my eardrums singed as well. Yet listening to that is the price I must pay to be able to crack a walnut with my glutes.

What Priscilla Learned Today

A 26 station workout circuit is not very fun.

Dumb bells have the combined weight on them. They are not that number on the end each. (who knew?)

My scale at home is wrong...VERY wrong. This is highly upsetting to me.

Saturday board meetings are worse than a 26 station workout circuit.

I love a friend TONS to run back up 6 flights of stairs to take a photo of a paint splotch which looks like a heart.

A 15 year old girl NEVER wants to be asked if she and her mother are sisters.

And perhaps the most important thing...



Do not stick a wire coat hanger down the drain of a 100 year old sink.
It will get stuck.
I have a only a few hours until "Jimmy Leg" returns to try and correct this situation. I can hear it now....

Luuuucy!

Priscilla- Mmmmmm Stew!

stew
1   /stu, styu/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [stoo, styoo]
–verb (used with object)
1. to meld a mixture of things by simmering or slow boiling.
–verb (used without object)
2. to undergo cooking by simmering or slow boiling.
3. to fret or worry.
4. to feel uncomfortable due to a hot, humid, stuffy atmosphere, as in a closed room; swelter.
–noun
5. a preparation of meat, fish, or other food cooked by stewing, esp. a mixture of meat and vegetables.
6. Informal. a state of agitation, uneasiness, or worry.
7. a brothel; whorehouse.


Origin:
1350–1400; ME stewen, stuwen to take a sweat bath < MF estuver, v. deriv. of estuve sweat room of a bath
French estuver, possibly from Vulgar Latin *extūpāre, *extūfāre

Take your pick of any of the above definitions. That would describe tonight's class.
How, you may ask? I'll tell you.

I went to class this evening already wondering if I was going to be able to make myself workout hard, given the fact that I was so sore, achy, and stiff from the week. (stew definition 3 & 6)

We were informed at the very onset to be ready for a hodgepodge. A veritable olio of exercises.The rational being that since our entire bodies were already sore, we should make them sorer. So with trepidation I grabbed my mat, my step, my jump rope, AND my weights. This recipe called for a pinch of cardio, a dash of abs, some arms and a whole lot of leg work. (stew definition 1 & 5)

As we started, and the doors were closed, and it became very warm in the room. The air conditioner was not set at it's usual frigid temperature due to the chilly days we had been having. My ears began to burn. My ears have a tendency to get beet red and become uncomfortably hot. I began to swelter.(stew definition 2 & 4)

As the workout continued and I soldiered on, I began to notice the sounds coming from around the room. Grunting, panting, and moaning sounds. Heavy breathing and pained sounds. I lay on my mat and started giggling. It sounded like...

stew definition 7

Priscilla- Busted Chops

This morning started out much like the past two Wednesdays. The alarm going off at 5 AM. Today had a slight variation though. My best friend "Hair" was meeting me to work out. For the past two weeks he has read my blogs, heard my tales, and has been busting my chops. Calling me on those early morning workout days asking me "Are you up yet?". Mind you, this is at 9 AM, when he knows all too well I have been up for the past four hours.

So this morning I was hoping for a hard class, to punish Hair for his taunting and chop busting. Hoping he would come to recognize my efforts and give me the props I deserve for enduring so much. To my chagrin, class wasn't as difficult as I had wanted it to be. It was challenging but not painful. Not that I am complaining at all! Despite that, I know that Hair had a taste of the pain that is Cain.

Tonight Hair and I had a dinner meeting scheduled. While we waited for our meal we talked about the morning and how our legs still ached. I showed him how I could barely do a squat (yes we were in the middle of a restaurant and I was in a pencil skirt and 3 inch heels). We talked business and friend stuff.

Then dinner came, the waiter placed our entrees before us. I looked at my salmon, Hair at his ribeye, then we looked across the table at each other,that knowing look in our eyes. Reading each others thoughts as best friends do. It was obvious what we were thinking. If we thought this morning started out tough, it was nothing compared to Hair's steak.

Priscilla- Confessions

I've had this ever growing suspicion for the past 2 weeks. It started innocently enough, a little small talk, a few pleasantries, some joking around. Suddenly the mood shifted, he became a little more demanding every time I saw him. I gave in and did what he wanted.
It bordered on the obscene and masochistic. But it was new and exciting for me and he left me in a state of exhausted invigoration.
Tonight though, he was completely different. He had even shaved off the beard that I was so accustomed to seeing. There was a glint in his eyes. One I hadn't seen before. It made me a little afraid of what he would be asking me to do for him tonight.
When our session was through, after all the pain I endured, after 22 flights of stairs, he stood there grinning. It all became clear to me.


Rick Cain is trying to kill me.

Priscilla- 25 Things

25 things I have learned since working out.


1. A four point push up is the devil.
2. Green juice starts to taste good after a week.
3. My toes go numb mid way through a workout.
4. I can't keep my legs 6 inches off the ground very well.
5. Hip bones don't reappear after two weeks.
6. Muffin tops don't go away either.
7. There are no cute work out clothes.
8. Doing side squats up stairs looks retarded.
9. Medicine balls are still around.
10. I have forgotten how to jump rope.
11. That "plank" move should be deemed criminal.
12. Rick is not Satan.
13. Sports bras give you a uni-boob.
14. Leg lifts and squats make some people fart.
15. Some exercises are actually fun.
16. Most are not.
17. Going up 6 flights of stairs with a weighted ball over your head is scary.
18. Giving up wine with dinner is hard.
19. A Roma tomato has 17 calories.
20. Noodle arms and legs is not a good feeling, especially when driving.
21. My shoes weigh 1 pound, my fat does not.
22. Getting up at 5 AM is not any easier after 2 weeks.
23. V8 juice only tastes good with vodka in it.
24. I am not as big of a ninny as I thought.
25. No matter what, going up those stairs is NEVER easy.

Gym Class Heroes

Opening the door this morning felt like a slap in the face. A cold hard slap in the face! I went through my mental checklist. Water-check, ankle brace-check, car warmed- check, Facebook status updated-check. Having everything important done, I bundled up and headed to class, excited to be going after a 2 day absence.

Class reminded me of ninth grade gym without the kid that always smelled like BO. We were given a number and matched up with the person having the same number. Who doesn't remember having to do that as a kid? I always got stuck with Richard Thomason Jr. (see photo posted) Let me tell you, I got the raw end of the deal in ninth grade. After having to endure a year of PE with Richard, the Gym Gods smiled upon me and gave me the BEST partner today! Class was fun yet we were still challenged. Stairs were limited to ONLY one trip up! Albeit whilst holding a medicine ball over your head. And the best news was given to us at the end! Next week is bring a friend to class week! Now comes the hard part, having to pick who gets to come with me!

Debbie: Bootcamp Ain't for Sissies (from Jan 9)

Boot camp ain't for sissies so why am I going to one? Therein lies the rub - I'm trying to do something I'm totally under qualified for. I've been three times now and it isn't getting easier - yet. The first night was awful. I was having a terrible time trying to keep up with the trainer. Trainer, that's Latin for Evil Spawn of Satan.

The first night I'm thinking we would be doing this stuff at a level appropriate to our abilities - not so much. ESS had us up and down the step things, doing crunches, then up 6 flights of stairs, then stretches, push ups, step things again, crunches, push ups, and again with the six flights of stairs! Only one or two "water breaks" - 2 minutes which he timed! Oh yeah, and no smoke breaks - not a single one!

The second night wasn't quite as bad, by then Chris had told him about my previously broken bones and related injuries from the car wreck, so he modified what I had to do so it wouldn't hurt so badly. Mind you, it still hurt - just not as badly! We had to do lunges, weighs, more lunges, more weights, skipping rope, lunges, squats, crunches, push ups, and again with the six flights of stairs. Yeah we were feeling the burn!

The third night was freakin ridiculous - which is ridiculous squared. This time we had a bit of stuff from the previous nights, weights, lunges, stepping things, jumping ropes, crunches, throwing a heavy ball back and forth to a "fitness partner" (broke 2 nails on that one),
running relays up and down the hallway and of course those damn 6 flights of stairs!

There was a difference the third night - ESS came over to me and modified things that may hurt my previously broken bones, told me to slow down on a couple of exercises so I don't hurt myself "too much" and complimented me for sticking it out so well. He was actually very nice to me, quite compassionate in fact. It made me sort of bad about pushing all those long hat pins in that Rick doll I have. I pulled out a few of them when I got home - I can be compassionate too.

I've learned a lot of things since beginning this boot camp. Things I never knew before, like you have muscles in your arm pits, sports bra come in low, medium and high impact, and even your ear lobes can sweat. Anyway, that's how its been going. Thanks for all the support, encouragement and kind words. Its meant a lot and guilted me into trying a little harder and sticking with it a little longer.

Goldbricking

Noun: goldbricking 'gówld`bri-king
Usage: N. Amer

1. The evasion of work or duty
- shirking, slacking, soldiering, goofing off [N. Amer]


I don't believe in making excuses. The second I hear one coming on from someone I stop listening. Now mind you, I realize some are valid. But most of what I hear is goldbricking.

In all the years of watching my boys play sports, I found there is one on every team. A "goldbricker".
One in particular comes to mind. A boy on my "little guy's" wrestling team. This kid would always go out on the mat and eventually just give up early into the first period. He would then storm off the mat gesturing and throwing a tantrum making comments like "I almost had him". I would sit there and think what baloney I was watching and it would just get me mad. If this kid put a little more effort into wrestling and less in the after show he might have gotten a pin. One thing I have always told my kids is don't EVER be a goldbricker.

Careful what you say because it might come back and bite you.

When I started this Skinny Challenge and was filling out the required paper work, I mentioned to Rick that I was just coming off having a cast on my ankle for six weeks. Torn ligaments are no picnic. The thing that irritates my ankle most...steps. So here we are approaching week three and let me tell you those steps seriously kill me. When I feel like I want to make an excuse, I think of that kid on Stein's wrestling team. I won't be that kid. Ever.

Who new Commodore lyrics could be so prolific?

She's a brick----house
Mighty might just lettin' it all hang out
She's a brick----house
The lady's stacked and that's a fact,
ain't holding nothing back.

This brick house isn't made of gold.

Priscilla- Six Inches Is More Than I Can Take!

My morning after...a two hour workout from the night before brought me much more huffing and puffing than I anticipated.
It brought an hour of cardio. But packed in those little sixty minutes was an hour of step, a step twice as high as I had been using. Yipee, I had graduated! It also included the ultimate gift, a whopping 15 flights up (and eventually) down those stairs. All done on little bird legs that aren't used to such rigors. Walking on cobblestone in 4 inch stilettos, no problem! The workout mentioned above, "Houston, we definitely have a problem"!

The cherry on the little pain cupcake was the final cool down. "Cool down" in Rick Cain's vocabulary means ab work. Who knew I would learn a new language on top of losing pounds? (Don't forget "Water break=6 flights") I am well on my way to being quadrilingual!
But I digress, back to the refreshing sounding cool down. Ah, nothing says relax like lying on your back and keeping your legs elevated 6 inches off the ground for 1 minute. Excruciating! My legs however, were a bit higher than the required six inches. I had this pointed out to me by my trainer crawling underneath them saying "That's the biggest six inches I've ever seen". (Insert joke here)

Priscilla- Did You Hear That?

Day 10-

Yesterday was a long day. Between meetings, and dealing with a not so pleasant person, it put me in a mood.
A hunger induced bitchy mood. A head bashing, trash talking, I am jonesing for some pate, crabby kind of mood. Green juice just doesn't replace the loveliness that is a crusty baguette smeared with some fromage du chevre and a beautiful glass of port.

On the bright side it was also my baby boy's birthday. By "baby boy" I mean he is twenty three. My baby opted to go out with his little lady as opposed to spending the evening with mother. He's normal that way. So I found myself free for the evening class. Why not, I thought. Plus knowing that "Jimmy Leg" and I already had plans to attend a little cocktail soiree Thursday night it would make up for missing Thursday night's class.

Being the glutton, I prepared myself to stay for both sessions. The first hour kicked my ass literally. Glute kicks will do that to you. Squats and lunges up stairs will really do that to you. The second hour was a "cake walk". We were going around in a circle and performing the torturous exercises Rick had laid out for us. Needless to say I didn't win a cake yet I still walked away with a muffin top (not my idea of a prize). But I did manage to get some of that anger out by visualizing the aforementioned not so pleasant person's head in place of the 25 lb medicine ball we were hurling at the ground. Eek! That hunger rage was really kicking in!

Back in the welcome respite of home, nestled in my lovely bed, talking over the day's events with "JL", facing complete exhaustion, it happened. The following words rolled off of my precious husband's lips..."Do you want me to massage your inner thighs?"
It was the scream heard all over Macon. A resounding "NOooooooo.....!!!!!".