Skinny Jeans

I haven't felt this great in a long time. On January 15th I started Skinny Jeans with Amy Black at the Spokane Club. I was ready to transform myself from the couch potato that I had evolved into. Everybody has their excuses as to why they haven't been working out, but I had a list of excuses! Mostly it was due to stress and an illness I had last year. I was incredibly disappointed in myself after the Boston Marathon and I lost all of the drive and motivation that I had. Couple that with a job loss, etc. and the pounds packed on quickly. I love my husband, but he can be the worst influence ever when it comes to eating. He would much rather hit Arby's or have a costco hotdog then eat at home. Arby's more than once a week is not good!

The last couple of months I was feeling pretty unhappy with myself. My clothes weren't fitting and everytime I looked in the mirror I was just disgusted in what I had become. I couldn't believe that I had gone from being a talented runner to being fat! Cameron encouraged me to sign up for Skinny Jeans at the Spokane Club. I drug my feet a little, but I knew that I really needed it at the same time. After talking with Amy Black, I knew that it was I making a good decision by joining her class and that she could help me get healthy and reach my goals.

What exactly were my goals?
#1 Eat healthier
#2 Lose weight
#3 Get back into shape
#4 Train for a 1/2 marathon
#5 Gain more self-confidence

I started the class with an extremely positive mindset. I knew I could accomplish all 5 of my goals and then some if I really focused. I decided that no matter what, I was going to follow Amy's plan as closely to 100% as I possibly could. I wanted to see just how far I could get by taking in all of her advice and attending class on a regular basis.

My first class with Amy was a rude wake up call! I was even more out of shape than I had imagined. I made it through the 60 minute session and could barely move afterwards. It hurt to breath! The class was insane; I actually felt like I was a contestant on the Biggest Loser. There was running, running, and running. There were ropes, weights, and stability balls. The list could go on. I felt amazing (tired & sore), but amazing after the class. As soon as I got home I slept for like 3 hours. The next day I could barely get out of bed. I just layed around the house all day. Muscles hurt that I didn't even know existed! I had 2 days to recover from class which was much needed. The whole next week I was still sore. I shuffled around everywhere, I am sure that people got a good laugh watching me.

Amy signed me up for Fatsecret, which has been an incredibly useful tool. I know that I wrote a blog about it earlier that describes it's features into more detail. The main thing I got from Fatsecret was accountability. Since it is so accessible and user friendly I was easily able to keep track of my eating. It helped having Amy check in on my account and give me tips about what I should and shouldn't be eating. There is so much to remember when you are trying to eat healthy. Watch the fat, calories, carbs, sodium.....it isn't easy sometimes!

On top of the class Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings I have workouts that I am responsible for completing on my own. I mostly used the workouts for running since I wanted to sign up for a spring half marathon. Possibly with the goal of running a full marathon by the end of this year.

There were days that I was so sore and tired I could barely move and there were days that I just wanted to sleep in, but I didn't. I kept on pushing myself even when I didn't think I could. After my first week I could already tell that I was improving and I was eating much healthier and losing weight. Each week I have seen improvements in myself.  I am faster and much stronger than I was a couple of months ago.

This week is the start of my next session with Amy. We ended our first 10 week session this past Saturday. In 10 weeks I lost 23.8 lbs and 17.25 inches (hips, arms, legs, etc.). Not only do a I feel a million times better, but I am much more focused and motivated now. All of my "skinny" clothes are starting to fit me again and I have a crazy amount of energy. Without Amy, I don't know what I would do. She is simply amazing and an inspiration to me. I am looking forward to taking more Skinny Jeans classes from her and setting more goals for myself. I haven't decided what exactly those new goals will be, but I know I still want to get leaner and faster of course!

Check out Amy's website at http://amyblackfitness.com/

--Tasha