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This is Post 33 of my fitness/weight loss journey blogging. Today marks The End to something that has been very significant to me: My weight loss journey. Just under two years ago, I weighed almost 165 pounds and was chubby and pretty lazy. Today, I am smaller than I’ve been since high school and yet […] The post The End — Of My Weight Loss Journey appeared first on Have Media Will Travel.
This is Post 33 of my fitness/weight loss journey blogging. I did a Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim in May, 2010. Today marks The End to something that has been very significant to me: My weight loss journey. Just under two years ago, I weighed almost 165 pounds and was chubby and pretty lazy. Today, I am smaller than I’ve been since high school and yet stronger and more capable than ever. I weigh 129 and am not soft or lazy anymore. My trainer and I recorded data during the journey. Here’s the proof in numbers: <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-7656" title="SJ-ETC-SB-Anthropometrics1.31.11" src="http://havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/SJ-ETC-SB-Anthropometrics1.31.11-460x135.jpg" alt="" width="460" height="135" srcset="https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/SJ-ETC-SB-Anthropometrics1.31.11-460x135.jpg 460w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/SJ-ETC-SB-Anthropometrics1.31.11-225x66.jpg 225w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/SJ-ETC-SB-Anthropometrics1.31.11.jpg 1402w" sizes="(max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px" /> Baring it all. (It took courage to reveal my numbers early on) What a difference 22 months and a bunch of hard work, sacrifices and commitment make. Near the end of March 2009 – 22 months ago – I found myself in the office of friend and personal trainer Steve Bechtel, at his Elemental Training Center, in my hometown of Lander, Wyoming. I was at the end of my rope. In a health and fitness rut, a week earlier I stepped on the scale to see what I knew but what hadn’t been verified with real data – I was overweight. The scale indicated I weighed 164. Every night for about three years, I would retire to bed with this same, deep, nagging feeling – let’s call it what it was, REGRET – that didn’t just speak to me, it yelled, angrily at me: “Another day went by and you did nothing about it. You didn’t exercise. You didn’t eat the right things and you ate too much. You’re lazy. You feel like crap. You have young children. You’re operating a business and trying to expand it. You need more energy. You have to change things. As soon as possible. But another day went by and you, well, once again did nothing to change things.” Self-talk like this went on probably every night for three years. It was ugly. In fairness, I should point out that I did have a lot going on in my life. My husband, Jerry, and I had two young sons at the time, and a third on the way, we owned a business, of which I was the CEO. The business was going great and I was busy innovating and capitalizing on what was abundant opportunity. I loved my work and was passionate about our business’ potential. At the same time, I was pursuing prospective partners to help put wheels on the company’s expansion plans. I was probably investing 75 hours a week toward work, plus trying to be a great mother and wife. So if I needed excuses for my getting soft, chubby and lazy, I didn’t have to look very hard to find them. And they felt like plausible excuses, until each night when that nagging regret kicked in. I should also point out that most of my life, up until the space between March 2006 and March 2009, I was probably in above-average health. I played basketball in college, and after that, got into mountain biking, snowboarding, snowshoeing, backpacking, trail running, distance day hiking and cross country skiing. Hell fire, even while I weighed almost 160, I hiked the Shoshone Lake hike above Lander, which is a difficult, 21-mile hike. But I paid dearly for it for days following and certainly it was not the fantastic experience it is when I’m fit and have energy to spare and a “lighter load” to carry. <img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7803" title="ShelliSkiingP2210706-460x345" src="http://havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/ShelliSkiingP2210706-460x3451.jpg" alt="" width="426" height="305" srcset="https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/ShelliSkiingP2210706-460x3451.jpg 426w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/ShelliSkiingP2210706-460x3451-224x161.jpg 224w" sizes="(max-width: 426px) 100vw, 426px" /> Skiing on February 23 of last year. Outside of operating our business, I was no longer confident either. I was chubby and felt lazy, because, well, physically I was. My self-esteem tanked. We’d take family trips and I wouldn’t swim with Jerry and the boys at the hotel pool because I didn’t want to put a swimming suit on. I found myself turning down speaking invitations. I didn’t “go out” as much – meaning even to make simple trips to the grocery store, etc. I “hid” myself as much as possible while focusing on business and trying my best to be a good mom and wife. So, in March 2009, shortly after I ordered the size 12 pants, and upon encouragement from my friend, Sharon, there I sat on Steve’s couch in his office at Elemental Training Center. I won’t rehash everything here because I’ve covered my weight loss and fitness journey pretty thoroughly right here on this blog. (I’ve compiled a list containing all 33 posts with links to each here. Please check them out and feel free to share them if you think they’ll inspire others to get off the couch and add vitality and years to their lives.) <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-7797" title="familyphoto" src="http://havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/familyphoto1-460x368.jpg" alt="" width="460" height="368" srcset="https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/familyphoto1-460x368.jpg 460w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/familyphoto1-225x180.jpg 225w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/familyphoto1.jpg 604w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px" /> Family hiking photo at Blue Ridge Lookout, August 2010. But let me say this. Basically I let three years, at least, slip by in my life that – from a vitality and health quality standpoint – were less than extraordinary. Frankly, from a health standpoint, those three years were, at best, mediocre, and it bothered me then, and now, that I can’t get that time back to do over in a more healthy body and mind. So as I sat on the couch confronting my overweight and sloth-like status with Steve, I committed to losing weight and getting in excellent health. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7792" title="Shelli-GT100_3340-460x335" src="http://havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/Shelli-GT100_3340-460x335.jpg" alt="" width="460" height="335" srcset="https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/Shelli-GT100_3340-460x335.jpg 460w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/Shelli-GT100_3340-460x335-225x163.jpg 225w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px" /> Summiting the Grand Teton, August 2009. One of the most important realizations I had early on that was probably more instrumental than any other thing in my weight loss journey’s success, is that there is a (huge) difference between deciding and committing.) I have a poignant memory from that day that marked The Start of my weight loss journey: I was on my way home from my meeting with Steve and I was at a red light on Main Street waiting to turn left on S. 5th Street to head home. I thought first of the brevity of life. How short of time we have and all that’s important to me and how best can I live it to the fullest while honoring those I love so much and who love me. I realized at that time that the changes I was about to make were gigantic. They would be changes I would make for life. For eternity. Sure, I would have to eat more vegetables. Drink more water. Eat less junk food. Exercise harder and on a regular basis. (I eventually made the decision, on my own, to give up all grains/complex carbohydrates, which for the first few weeks required monumental will power.) I would have to get up super early in the morning. As I sat there at that red light thinking about all this, it may sound cheesy – and extreme – but I remember thinking: I am giving up frozen pizza not for a month or a year but probably for the rest of my life. The commitment was that big. I was signing up for changes that were to last a lifetime. The change I was committing to meant more than taking a few difficult-but-temporary steps. And, I was all in. So, in a nutshell, yesterday, Jan. 31, 2011, The End of my weight loss journey was met. On March 20, I weighed 158 pounds and my body fat was about 27 percent. Today, I weigh 129 pounds and have 10.9% body fat. More significantly, though, my life has gotten so much fuller and richer – on all fronts. I’m a better mother. I can not only play and romp with our three young sons, I have a fighting chance of keeping up with them on the slopes, in our wrestling matches and in foot races. I’m a better, happier, more loving wife. I am more confident in my work. I have enjoyed countless, awe-inspiring outdoor experiences during the last 22 months that I would have absolutely missed out on had I not embarked on my weight loss/fitness journey. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-7810" title="FAmilyskiing" src="http://havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/FAmilyskiing-460x297.jpg" alt="" width="460" height="297" srcset="https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/FAmilyskiing-460x297.jpg 460w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/FAmilyskiing-225x145.jpg 225w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/FAmilyskiing.jpg 604w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px" /> Family ski outing. Among other things, I climbed the Grand Teton, completed a Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim in a less than 24 hours, I placed third in my age group in the Rendezvous 25k Ski Race last year, I went on a dozen or more “epic” day hikes in my beloved Wind River Range that were 21-32 miles each. I also learned a lot about fitness and training. Steve Bechtel is a brilliant trainer who knows his stuff. As many would agree, he could be “a trainer for the stars.” He set the bar high and drove me hard, both things I required in order to push myself. He introduced me to high intensity and metabolic training. He helped get me strong without “bulking up.” The latter is proven by the reality that while I’m significantly smaller than I’ve been since I was in high school, I’m stronger than ever. I did 21 consecutive pull-ups, 30 dips, bench-pressed 132 pounds five times, dead-lifted 135 pounds 39 times, did 26 back squats of 135 pounds, and did 16 front squats of 135 pounds. Today, I often find myself close to (happy) tears when I think about how full and rich my life is. This is in very, very large part the result of my weight loss and fitness accomplishments. My weight loss journey has ended, but my pursuit of staying in great fitness will never end. I have arrived at a particular weight but I know it’s an ongoing effort to stay healthy. I can say this: I’ve tasted the Koolaid and I’m never going back. I’m saying yes to vitality, great health and a full life. I’m saying no to mediocrity and to just getting by when it comes to my health. Life is too short. And I love it too much. During these past two years, I also reinvented my professional self, and became a certified life and leadership coach, and was also recently certified by the American Fitness Professionals and Associates as a nutrition consultant. Many of my coaching clients have weight loss as a major goal in their life. I, for one, don’t underestimate weight loss as being something that’s of significant importance in one’s life. It’s not something to toss aside as a vanity item – quite the contrary. Everything in my life is better as a result of weighing less and being more “able” to live my life to the fullest. Being the best person I can be for those who love me and for those I love is absolutely related to the condition of my health and well being. (And okay, sure, it’s also great to fit into my designer jeans.) During the last 22 months I’ve often told people I was reinventing myself. But what happened during the last 22 months was a transformation. My sincere thanks to my husband, Jerry, and our sons, Wolf, Hayden and Fin, who were especially important in this journey; to my parents and other family members, to my close friends, to Steve Bechtel and his team at Elemental Training Center, and to all of you who have read this blog and/or support me with your friendship and positivity. I don’t take any of it lightly, and I am grateful to all of you. Thanks for following this journey. I will be happy to share any specifics about what I did during my weight loss journey with you, including tips and tricks. If you wish, I will also light a fire under you, if that’s what you’re needing. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-7800" title="P1111077" src="http://havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/P1111077-460x269.jpg" alt="" width="460" height="269" srcset="https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/P1111077-460x269.jpg 460w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/P1111077-225x131.jpg 225w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/P1111077.jpg 1424w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px" /> My main team. ———————————- Elemental Gym has a fantastic gym, some terrific programs and classes that will help you achieve better fitness. And, I might add, some great personal trainers: Steve Bechtel, Ellen Bechtel, Jagoe Reid, Sophie Mosemann and Lee Brown. The post The End — Of My Weight Loss Journey appeared first on Have Media Will Travel.
Don’t Eat Junk Food Just Because You Earned It
This is POST 29 of my “fitness journey.” For backstory, see Post 1, Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7,Post 8, Post 9, Post 10, Post 11, Post 12Post 13,Post 14, Post 15, Post 16, and Post 17,Post 18, Post 19,Post 20,Post 21, Post 22,Post 23, and Post 24, Post […] The post Don’t Eat Junk Food Just Because You Earned It appeared first on Have Media Will Travel.
This is POST 29 of my “fitness journey.” For backstory, see Post 1, Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7,Post 8, Post 9, Post 10, Post 11, Post 12Post 13,Post 14, Post 15, Post 16, and Post 17,Post 18, Post 19,Post 20,Post 21, Post 22,Post 23, and Post 24, Post 25, Post 26, Post 27 and Post 28. Here’s a short video blog I recorded after a recent epic hike: Elemental Gym has a fantastic gym, some terrific programs and classes that will help you achieve better fitness. And, I might add, some great personal trainers: Steve Bechtel, Ellen Bechtel, Jagoe Reid, Sophie Mosemann and Lee Brown. The post Don’t Eat Junk Food Just Because You Earned It appeared first on Have Media Will Travel.
This is POST 27 of my “fitness journey.” For backstory, see Post 1, Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7,Post 8, Post 9, Post 10, Post 11, Post 12Post 13,Post 14, Post 15, Post 16, and Post 17,Post 18, Post 19,Post 20,Post 21, Post 22,Post 23, and Post 24, Post […] The post Shelli: 1; Krispy Kremes: 0 appeared first on Have Media Will Travel.
This is POST 27 of my “fitness journey.” For backstory, see Post 1, Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7,Post 8, Post 9, Post 10, Post 11, Post 12Post 13,Post 14, Post 15, Post 16, and Post 17,Post 18, Post 19,Post 20,Post 21, Post 22,Post 23, and Post 24, Post 25, and Post 26. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-5218" title="P5100148" src="http://havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/P5100148-172x225.jpg" alt="" width="172" height="225" srcset="https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/P5100148-172x225.jpg 172w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/P5100148-352x460.jpg 352w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/P5100148.jpg 490w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 172px) 100vw, 172px" /> Fighting the temptation. It's hard! First off, to those of you who regularly follow my fitness blogging, thank you for your support and readership! I appreciate it. You help me in my fitness journey. I’ve lost 28 pounds and a quite a bit of fat in the last 14 months. I have never felt better than I do right now as a direct result of weighing less and being healthier. I’ve tasted the Koolaid, so to speak, and I’m not going back. Or, model Kate Moss said (and was criticized for): “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” I’m not skinny, and not trying to be. I’d rather have muscles and be able wrestle our three sons and do “epic” adventures. These things require more than skin and bones; they require a strong frame. Still, I think about what Kate Moss says a lot. Like, for example, recently, when there were two cartons of Krispy Kremes at our house. (We bought the donuts to support a local fundraiser). The “filter” my coach and friend Steve Bechtel, of Elemental Training Center, instructs me to apply to such food decisions, is “Will eating this bring me closer to my goal or take me further from it?” Unless I’m training for a donut-eating contest or an episode of the yet-to-be-produced The Biggest Gainer, that usually does the trick for me. But if and when it doesn’t do the trick, I recall the quote by Kate Moss. Donuts and similar foods are yummy — that’s why we fall off the wagon and consume them — but their benefits (of tasting so good) are pretty short-lived. In fact, most often, the enjoyment passes as soon I’ve snarfed the last crumb. You can only make a brownie last so long… And yet the negative impacts continue long after the snarfing is over. I often feel sluggish from the temporary sugar high, which quickly leads to a bit of a crash and energy suck, not to mention I am not happy with myself for eating something that I know has no nutritional value. So, think about this the next time you reach for the chips at a barbecue. Maybe grab some baby carrots instead. Just sayin’. Elemental Gym has a fantastic gym, some terrific programs and classes that will help you achieve better fitness. And, I might add, some great personal trainers: Steve Bechtel, Ellen Bechtel, Jagoe Reid, Sophie Mosemann and Lee Brown. The post Shelli: 1; Krispy Kremes: 0 appeared first on Have Media Will Travel.
What I Ate to Lose 26 Pounds in 8 Months
This is POST 17 of my “fitness journey” blogging. For backstory, see Post 1, Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7,Post 8, Post 9, Post 10, Post 11, Post 12Post 13,Post 14, Post 15 and Post 16.] The changes I made to my diet have been a significant factor in […] The post What I Ate to Lose 26 Pounds in 8 Months appeared first on Have Media Will Travel.
This is POST 17 of my “fitness journey” blogging. For backstory, see Post 1, Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7,Post 8, Post 9, Post 10, Post 11, Post 12Post 13,Post 14, Post 15 and Post 16.] The changes I made to my diet have been a significant factor in my loss of 26 pounds and 13.5% body fat in the last eight and a half months. It was probably the hardest part of my fitness and weight loss program, and yet the one that really helped me get fat and weight off quickly. Here is a video blog that takes you into my home and kitchen and shows you what foods I eat in a typical day, the amounts and when I eat them. (Be warned, this could be called the “Un Rachel Ray Show” or the “Non Martha Stewart Show.” LOL) What I Ate for 8 months to lose 26 pounds from Shelli Johnson on Vimeo. Elemental Gym has a fantastic gym, some terrific programs and classes that will help you achieve better fitness. And, I might add, some great personal trainers: Steve Bechtel, Ellen Bechtel, Jagoe Reid, and Sophie Mosemann. The post What I Ate to Lose 26 Pounds in 8 Months appeared first on Have Media Will Travel.
This is POST 15 of my “fitness journey” blogging. For backstory, see Post 1, Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7,Post 8, Post 9, Post 10, Post 11, Post 12Post 13 and Post 14.] I know, I’m a dork. This is hoky and I’m a big cheese. I’m also going […] The post I (Mostly) Like Kate Moss’ Quote appeared first on Have Media Will Travel.
Hi. I'm Shelli Johnson and I'm not skinny, but I have lost a lot of weight and it feels great. This is POST 15 of my “fitness journey” blogging. For backstory, see Post 1, Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7,Post 8, Post 9, Post 10, Post 11, Post 12Post 13 and Post 14.] I know, I’m a dork. This is hoky and I’m a big cheese. I’m also going to get in some hot water over what this blog post focuses on, which is a something model Kate Moss said recently: “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” I’ve been accused of writing too long, and I defend myself by saying I can type 150 words a minute. But I know how busy everyone is and that we all have limited time for reading. So, here’s another video blog from me. It’s short and it was fun to make. Thanks to my 9-year-old son, Wolf, for holding the video camera for me. And, thank you for following and providing support to me in my fitness journey. I love you for it, and hope my posts, and story, may inspire you in some way in your own fitness and health goals. I hope you enjoy this vlog. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-3344" title="ShelliFitnessStats120109" src="http://havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/ShelliFitnessStats120109-460x45.jpg" alt="My weight loss stats for the last 8.5 months." width="460" height="45" srcset="https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/ShelliFitnessStats120109-460x45.jpg 460w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/ShelliFitnessStats120109-225x22.jpg 225w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/ShelliFitnessStats120109.jpg 884w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px" /> My weight loss stats for the last 8.5 months. Elemental Gym has a fantastic gym, some terrific programs and classes that will help you achieve better fitness. And, I might add, some great personal trainers: Steve Bechtel, Ellen Bechtel, Jagoe Reid, and Sophie Mosemann. The post I (Mostly) Like Kate Moss’ Quote appeared first on Have Media Will Travel.
I tell Steve that I'm actually able to see some of my abdominal muscles now, but not all of them. "I can see the top muscles, but still not much near the bottom," I explain, pointing to my pooch belly. To this, he says, "Well the only way you're going to get rid of that is with intervals." The post Spot Reduction: We Can Stop Believing appeared first on Have Media Will Travel.
This is POST 8 of my “fitness journey” blogging. For backstory, see Post 1, Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6 and Post 7.] So, I’m at my personal training session with Steve Bechtel at Elemental Gym, in Lander, WY, yesterday. I’m hard at work on my last exercises of the session. They are abs-related. Incline situps to be exact. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-2368" title="P8290078_2" src="http://havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/P8290078_2-460x320.jpg" alt="Hiking up Cyclone Pass during a monster day hike from Sinks Canyon to Shoshone Lake to Baldwin Creek, above Lander, WY. According to my personal trainer, hiking hard up hills can help with fat loss." width="460" height="320" srcset="https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/P8290078_2-460x320.jpg 460w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/P8290078_2-225x156.jpg 225w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/P8290078_2.jpg 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px" /> Hiking up Cyclone Pass during a monster day hike from Sinks Canyon to Shoshone Lake to Baldwin Creek, above Lander, WY. According to my personal trainer, hiking hard up hills can help with fat loss. I tell Steve that I’m actually able to see some of my abdominal muscles now, but not all of them. “I still can’t make them out near the bottom,” I explain, pointing to my pooch belly. To this, he says, “Well the only way you’re going to get rid of that is with intervals.” <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-2403" title="Intervals-SJ" src="http://havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/Intervals-SJ1-225x185.jpg" alt="My training includes two days a week of intervals. This is one of my workouts." width="225" height="185" srcset="https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/Intervals-SJ1-225x185.jpg 225w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/Intervals-SJ1-460x379.jpg 460w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/Intervals-SJ1.jpg 1201w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" /> My training includes two days a week of intervals. This is one of my workouts. He must not have heard me, I thought. What do intervals have to do with my mid-section? (After all, “Don’t Stop Believing,” by Journey was blaring from the satellite radio…) “No… I mean my abs, the bottom front part of them,” I add, this time pointing more directly to my stomach. It was then that Steve asked me if I was asking about “spot reduction?” Spot reduction, meaning when you exercise and focus training on specific regions of your body so as to hopefully burn the fat off that area specifically. “Yes, exactly!” I said. “Spot reduction is a myth!” he exclaimed. Well, maybe not exclaimed, but he said it pretty emphatically. He explained how there have been countless machines built to promote spot reduction. Think of the ab devices we see on TV informercials during bouts of insomnia in the wee early morning hours. Also I think of the inner thigh and outer thigh machines you often see at gyms. I know as a woman, I’m the target audience of such machines. “SPOT REDUCTION IS A MYTH,” IN STEVE’S WORDS: As we wrap up my training session, Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing has (ironically) been replaced by Another One Bites the Dust, by Queen. Just great… Elemental Gym is a fantastic gym and has some terrific programs and classes that will help you achieve better fitness, and some great personal trainers, including Steve Bechtel, Ellen Bechtel, Jagoe Reid, and Sophie Mosemann. The post Spot Reduction: We Can Stop Believing appeared first on Have Media Will Travel.
So, you can see by this blog that I love the outdoors and adventure. This post is about my current pursuit of energy, fitness and fat loss. A little background information first… I was an athlete in high school and I attended the University of Montana on a basketball scholarship. I was raised in the […] The post A Mid-Life Training Program appeared first on Have Media Will Travel.
So, you can see by this blog that I love the outdoors and adventure. This post is about my current pursuit of energy, fitness and fat loss. A little background information first… I was an athlete in high school and I attended the University of Montana on a basketball scholarship. I was raised in the mountains of Lander, WY, where I live today with my family. From 1986-1992, I was in Missoula, Montana. Both were great places to help satisfy my craving for the outdoors and activities like hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, snowshoeing and running. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-557" title="dsc06993" src="http://havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/dsc06993-225x168.jpg" alt="Our family at Delicate Arch, Spring Break 2008." width="225" height="168" srcset="https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/dsc06993-225x168.jpg 225w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/dsc06993-460x345.jpg 460w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" /> Our family at Delicate Arch, Spring Break 2008. When I married Jerry in August of 1992, I married a distance runner who has the Ironman as a top item on his life list. (He’s also a Physical Education teacher.) So it’s perhaps no surprise that after I got married, I became a little more interested in running. Donâ€ t get me wrong, except for in high school when I ran the 400m, Iâ€ ve never been more than a jogger. Usually I would jog to maintain some level of fitness over the years. At the time of our wedding, Jerry had ran some road marathons, including Pittsburg, Chicago, Columbus and Couer ‘d Alene. Over time, I became inspired to try trail running and some slower, long-distance events. In 1999, we ran a 50-k trail run, the Big Horn, in the Big Horn Range of Wyoming. My goal was simply to finish. I did that, and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and experience – and ultimately the feeling of accomplishment. It was a good enough feeling that I knew thereâ€ d be more events like it in our future. In the years following, we had our first and second sons, in 2000 and 2002. I ran a couple other trail marathons, as well as attempted the Tahoe 50-mile in 2003, when our youngest at that time was barely more than a year old. I didnâ€ t train hard enough, with two kids under three years old and operating a business. But the lure of seeing a trail and part of the country I hadnâ€ t seen before made up for any lackluster training. Unfortunately, due to heat-related ailments, I completed only about 41.5 miles. Still, it was the furthest I had ever traveled on foot in 9.5 hours so I didnâ€ t view the DNF as a total loss. Soonafter, we traveled to Hawaii to do the the Run to the Sun, a 37-mile, from-0′-to-10,000′ event up Haleakala Volcano in Maui. That was in 2004. I opted out at the marathon mark, which was enough of a grunt, while Jerry persevered to the end, (exactly 22 months after his lumbar fusion I might add!) After the Hawaii event, I decided it was time to take a little time off from training for long events. Problem is, the “little time offâ€ turned into a “long time offâ€ and the rut of my non-fitness became deeper and deeper. And the deeper it got the more yucky I felt. I had to get out of it. The reality was that for the first time in my life, I was not very active. And this lasted for the last four years. Sure, we snowboarded hard here and there, and even did some 20-mile day hikes, but they were few and far between. (Iâ€ ve discovered that our bodies and muscles have a memory and that if at one time, especially if it was for a long time, you were very active, then you can still do crazy, long day hikes, running events, etc. Itâ€ s just that theyâ€ re not as pleasant as they could be, and recovery certainly is harder and longer.) <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-536" title="dscn0035" src="http://havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/dscn0035-225x168.jpg" alt="Snowboarding at Grand Targhee, Winter 2009." width="225" height="168" srcset="https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/dscn0035-225x168.jpg 225w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/dscn0035-460x345.jpg 460w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" /> Snowboarding at Grand Targhee, Winter 2009. So during the last four years I got kind of lazy. And oh, we had another son in 2007. I was getting soft, and honestly, kinda fat. Although it was one of the happiest times of my life, I became concerned that I would not be the fit mother I had always envisioned being. I want to be able to keep up with our three young boys. Frankly, I want as much energy as they have. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-568" title="dscn1534_2" src="http://havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/dscn1534_2-141x225.jpg" alt="Dogpile with my boys!" width="141" height="225" srcset="https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/dscn1534_2-141x225.jpg 141w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/dscn1534_2-289x460.jpg 289w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/dscn1534_2.jpg 1609w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 141px) 100vw, 141px" /> Dogpile with my boys! When I turned 40 last June, it was a good time for me to confront the way I was feeling – like a heavy sloth. I vowed to myself that my 40th year would be one of change with respect to getting myself in shape. At the same time, more and more people that I know in our town of Lander, WY, are looking great, glowing and looking like they are getting younger instead of older – like they are truly reversing aging. These many acquaintances, ranging in age from 35 to 65, have something in common. They have been going to Elemental Gym, and working with Steve Bechtel, his wife, Ellen, or Jagoe Reid on personal training programs. I was really impressed that this many people were going to Steveâ€ s gym, and most of all that so many of them were looking and feeling so good. Steve has been a friend for 13 years. Heâ€ s an exercise physiologist, certified personal trainer, hard worker, well-known climber and author. I was glad to hear of his success. But I wasnâ€ t sold. I had done some personal training and I lifted weights for many years in my life, and I just couldnâ€ t grasp that a weight training program, even if intense, would help me trim down and increase my fitness as significantly as I wanted. Also, as an aside, I am a fast-twitched fiber person, which basically means Iâ€ m built for speed, and can sprint and jump and build muscle pretty easily. (I bench pressed 185 pounds when I was 20) Being constructed of fast-twitch fibers, I was also skeptical that such a weight-lifting-related program would just beef me up and make me thicker, exactly the opposite of what I wanted. So… I wasnâ€ t an easy sell. And yet, the proof was in the pudding. All these acquaintances I know and trust couldnâ€ t be lying about the benefits they were experiencing. They looked great and had renewed energy. So, it was with all of this in mind, that I met with Steve Bechtel at Elemental Gym on March 23. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-559" title="steve-at-elemental" src="http://havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/steve-at-elemental-225x166.jpg" alt="Steve, at his stomping grounds, Elemental Gym." width="225" height="166" srcset="https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/steve-at-elemental-225x166.jpg 225w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/steve-at-elemental.jpg 397w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" /> Steve, at his stomping grounds, Elemental Gym. After some pretty cerebral discussions about exercise physiology and his philosophy when it comes to strength and metabolic training and training for fat loss, etc., I was compelled. It seemed like logical and smart and scientific proof that a training regimen designed by him could do the trick for me. I was sold. I signed up and asked for a program that would kick my butt. I didnâ€ t want a half-ass program. I had committed and was on board. Give me the toughest you got I was thinking. I wasnâ€ t scared. I was far more scared of continuing the way I was than anything Steve could throw at me. I was ready to change my life. There was – and is – no turning back. Itâ€ s that important to me. If youâ€ re looking for a walk in the park, Elemental Gym is the wrong place. But if youâ€ re looking for a new lease on life (sorry to steal Slimfastâ€ s slogan), it could be the right place. It has taken a lot of courage for me to do this. Itâ€ s not easy. Itâ€ s been humbling. Iâ€ m held accountable, I sweat, and he has me working my adiposity (fat) off. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-537" title="shelli-dosteveexercise2-at-gc1" src="http://havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/shelli-dosteveexercise2-at-gc1-225x159.jpg" alt="Doing lifts on my Grand Canyon vacation, April 2009." width="225" height="159" srcset="https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/shelli-dosteveexercise2-at-gc1-225x159.jpg 225w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/shelli-dosteveexercise2-at-gc1-460x326.jpg 460w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" /> Doing lifts on my Grand Canyon vacation, April 2009. But Iâ€ ll tell you something: when my heart is pumping like it never has before, and I canâ€ t lift my feet off the ground, or raise my arms in the air, and Iâ€ m breathing too hard to get a word out, I feel very alive, and thatâ€ s got to be a good thing, right? Iâ€ m on a custom program with Steve. Basically he lines out a 5-week program for me in advance. Four days a week Iâ€ m on my own, working out at the gym or outdoors, according to the workouts heâ€ s prescribed on my calendar. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Iâ€ m working out with him in the gym for approximately 45 minutes. Whatâ€ s fascinating to me is the philosophy that is employed. Steve says just 16 minutes of very hard exercise a day goes a long way to building strength and amping up your metabolism, which more easily leads to fat loss. You donâ€ t have to endure 45 minutes on a treadmill several times a week to enjoy significant fat loss. He explains that if you hit it hard and engage in high intensity exercise with little rest in between on a regular basis, your resting metabolic rate will increase and remain at an elevated level for longer. What this means is greater fat loss. Your furnace, if you will, will always be burning and burning hotter. Steve refers to this process/outcome as EPOC (excess postexercise oxygen consumption). This is basically oxygen debt – your bodyâ€ s need to consume oxygen at a higher rate as a result of intense exercise, all of which burns more calories in the process, which leads to fat/weight loss. This seems profound to me. Maybe the mountain air has gone to my head or my headâ€ s been in the scree – but the aforementioned is news to me. Iâ€ ve always been into fitness and lifted weights for years. I always believed, if you really want to lose weight you need to run or get on the treadmill, several times a week for several minutes. I asked Steve if the aforementioned shorter duration but higher intensity philosophy is a new one, or why had I never heard of it or known about it. He said actually itâ€ s been known for a long time but perhaps people didnâ€ t know how to put it to practice. He cited a study that was done back in 1994 (thatâ€ s right, 15 years ago) authored by A. Tremblay. Basically it was a small study that evaluated and compared the impact of two different modes of training on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism in young adults. There were two groups; one group of men and women were subjected to a 20-week “endurance-trainingâ€ (ET) program and the other group of men and women were subjected to a 15-week, “high intensity intermittent trainingâ€ (HIIT) program. Despite the fact the energy cost of the high intensity program was significantly lower than the ET program, members of the HIIT experienced a rate of fat loss that was nine times greater than the ET group. There are many more similar studies. Most of the workout days involve at least some high intensity, but the workouts with Steve on Tuesday and Thursday are the killers. This is when I get my moneyâ€ s worth, and feel a little humored that I would sign up and pay for such butt-kicking. The joke between me and my husband is I say “Iâ€ m going to talk to a guy about a sandbag.â€ (Disclaimer: I say these sessions are killers, but I keep going back for more, and feel good about the way Iâ€ m feeling. It doesnâ€ t hurt that Steve is a personable, knowledgeable and encouraging “coach.â€) Steve likes to say to me, and his other clients I’m sure, “If you do what you’ve always done you’ll get what you always got.” This makes sense. If a person reads the same story over and over again or skis the same blue runs over and over again, they’ll get really good at that particular story or ski run. To improve, Steve says we need to go beyond what we already know and are good at, and beyond what we’re accustomed to doing. For that reason, Steve is always mixing up my programs, and no Tuesday or Thursday session is ever the same. He is also fond of saying “Everything works. Nothing Works forever.” In other words, only by changing up the routine will our bodies be tested, and as a result, take us further. Basically I skip into the gym, and 45 minutes later, I crawl out. The sessions are intense, emphasizing mostly strength and resistance exercises with very little rest in between. Most of the work is done not on machines but with free weights, barbells, body weight, kettleballs, medicine balls, big rubber balls, and let me not forget to mention – sandbags. Every exercise works a great many muscles and my bodyâ€ s core is at the core of all the workouts. Nutrition is also a focus. As Steve explains it, protein digestion is 30% inefficient. In layman’s terms, when you eat 1,000 calories of protein, it’s a net consumption of only 700 calories. Protein is harder (read: slower) to digest than carbs, thus requiring more energy/calories to do so, and therefore making us feel full longer. The general nutrition plan I’m following under Steve’s training is to consume 10% x my bodyweight in calories, and to consume approx. 50% good carbs and 50% protein, with some good fat sprinkled in, such as egg yolks in the eggs I eat, nuts, etc. An additional important benefit is that because I’m following a high intensity training program, I’m elevating my resting metabolic rate, which means I’m burning more calories while sleeping or sitting back in a recliner. Let me add, the above doesn’t feel like a diet. I’m eating eggs (with yolks in them!), lean meats, great tasty salads and lots of fruits and vegies. I’m not starving and I’m not deprived. I want to emphasize, although mine is a particularly intense program, not all training programs at Elemental Gym are as intense. The programs are tailored to the individual’s goals in life. The commonality, though, is one must experience some discomfort and want to become more fit. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-512" title="img_5217" src="http://havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/img_5217-225x150.jpg" alt="Sandbag 1. Shelli 0. (That's not a smile; it's a grimace)" width="225" height="150" srcset="https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/img_5217-225x150.jpg 225w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/img_5217-460x306.jpg 460w, https://www.havemediawilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/img_5217.jpg 640w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" /> Sandbag 1. Shelli 0. (That's not a smile; it's a grimace) That first day when I had my consult at the gym, before signing onto my training program, Steve said his (and Elemental Gymâ€ s) goal is to get athletes, and anyone wanting to get fit, to work beyond their comfort zone. Um, about that…Good job. I think it’s safe to say you’re achieving your goal… Elemental Gym is located in Lander, WY, but Steve trains athletes all over the country. Email Steve or call the gym, at 307-332-0480. SEE POST #2. The post A Mid-Life Training Program appeared first on Have Media Will Travel.