Tuesday - Day 16

I had just gotten out of the pool, dashed back to my room, threw on clothes, and was headed to lunch when I looked over and saw a group looking at the new gym that's under construction. I recognized everyone except this guy. Looked familar, did he work in the business office? I searched my mind. Then he waved. OH MY GOSH!!! That's Sione Fa!!!!! Too cool. Before I came here I messaged him on facebook and told him I was coming and he answered me back saying "Cool, he might be around during my stay." OK so what he didn't say is he had a job interview! He will be one of the trainers come August. He's so excited. Got to see his beautiful wife and adorable kids too. He might be around working out with us for a couple of days.

Our group getting ready to head out to Stop Sign Hike.

Julieann is my rock. We push each other. Today it was her pushing me to finish. Here we are at mini stop sign three miles into the hike. I would have stopped there, but she got behind me and led me in. That's what great friends do! We got to missing Hilda, Reg, and Frances so we started doing their voices and saying what they would say if they were there. It helped pass the time.

We made it!!!

Everything is looking yummy!

We actually do more than just hike, do classes, and eat around here. Two days a week Chef does a cooking demo. It's so fun to watch him fix 4 or 5 things in 45 minutes. Makes me think I can keep this up at home.

Our trainers, Robin and Annamarie, goofing off between classes.

And the Grand Finale? SARAH NITTA from this last season of Biggest Loser!!!! Today was a BL kind of day. I was so hoping to meet some of the people who inspired me all this time and it was worth coming for. Sarah came out to tell us her story and then we got to ask her questions. It was so much fun and she is such a wonderful person.

OK Kudos to Terrilynn for donating her muffin for being photographed. I pass these up cause they are wimpy and would leave me hungry in like 20 minutes.

Now that's what I'm talkin about!!!! Eggs, toast and my new personal favorite in the whole wide world...the green chili sauce. I could eat a whole bowl of it!!! We put it on everything. They ran out last week cause we ate it all:)

This is a new personal favorite too: Chicken coconut soup!

And don't get behind me girlfriend...the white bean chili! With loads of the green chili sauce of course.

And one of the favorite desserts: Pudding parfait.

I started the day out feeling like I was made of cement. Today marks the fourteenth anniversary of our marriage and it was rough spending it apart. I made it through Stop Sign Hike with Julieann's help. Took stretch class and H2O circuit with Gretchen and then had lunch. My next class was Circuit Training. You start out at your base and go up every 30 seconds 8 times and then you take off what you added every 30 seconds on the way back to base. Then you do a 2 minute sprint and then a 1 minute sprint. And then (as Sharon would say) "Guess what? We get to make it funner, we're gonna do it all again!" I didn't think I would be "playing big today" since the day had been so hard, but guess what? I pushed hard and pushed past the heavy feeling and ran farther and faster than I had before. I ran a 4 mph at 15 elevation for 2 minutes and ran at 5.7 for the last sprint of the day. It's getting easier and I'm starting to like it so much more. My saying for the day was one I got tonight from Sarah, "Every excuse is a reason to fail." She has a pretty tough testimony. It was very motivating to hear what she had to say. We were talking several times today about how much your mind speaks to you throughout the day. It tells you, "take the easy class; go slower; it hurts; eat more; do what makes you feel good not what is hard; you can't do that" I find myself fighting with myself all the time! "I can do this, I am worth it, I will not quit, I will push through the pain, I won't go back." It is as much mental as physical if not more. At the end of the day it's worth it. I'm in bed now finishing this blog because I know there are people who will wake up tomorrow morning and expect it to be there. Good friends, family, people I don't even know, and one husband of a lady whose here. I think that's cool. Rock on husband who wants to know how your wife is doing:) When I get home I want that kind of accountability. I want people who will keep me in check and motivate me to be the best I can be. I'm excited to play with my kids and exercise with my husband. I can't wait to try this new life on that I've learned is still there under all the fat. Less fat by the way;) Stop making excuses for your life. It's your life, be who you want to be!