Friday, July 30, 2010

The Photo Finish

When is the challenge really finished? With your last session with your trainer? Twelve weeks from the day you started? For me it was yesterday, with the "after" photo shoot.

I don't love the camera as I'm not terribly photogenic but when I set my goals at orientation with Mariah I agreed to do the shoot because it was something very tangible that I could work towards and also something very public as she is a master marketer and plasters those pictures all over Facebook, etc... so your motivation remains high to look your best.

I took the day off work but still rolled out of bed at 5:30 to meet Keith. Not to work out this time but for coffee to talk about the next twelve weeks. Besides just an awesome workout a few days a week what do I want to accomplish over the next twelve weeks? Really just reinforcing the healthy habits I've developed while easing back into a more normal social life.

After coffee I enjoyed a pedicure then met Joel for a quick trip to Nordstrom's then on to meet Keith and the photographer.

The shoot was actually alot of fun. Bikini, sports bra/shorts, and a cute sundress. Lots of weights, a bench and a bosom ball. Hopefully in the hundreds of snaps she took there will be a good one or two that I can choose from to tape to my closet wall to remind myself why I'm out there running, lifting or cycling every day. Here is a pic that Keith snapped with his camera before he left...


After the shoot I went to Hem and bought two new pairs of jeans. 12 weeks ago my jeans were a size 31/32 and the low-rise ones gave me that dreaded muffin top. Yesterday size 27/28!

Finally, to celebrate, I met Joel for dinner and drinks at Mulberry and Justine's (two of my favorite Austin spots) and enjoyed a few well deserved glasses of wine!

So let's talk about those goals...
  • I didn't run the Twilight 5K as it fell when I was nursing that bruised knee but I have no doubt I could go out and run a 5K any night of the week. In 30 minutes? Probably not, I'm still as slow as ever, but the fact that I can walk out my door and run 3 miles if I choose to feels great.
  • At 5:30 am the scale read 127. Down 26 pounds, 4 more than what I thought to be a ridiculous goal of 22 pounds in 12 weeks.
  • The dress I wore for the shoot was a size 4, down from a typical 8/10 AND was safety pinned in the back to keep it from falling off!
  • Body fat at the shoot was 11.5% , 14.5% down from 26% at orientation!
When I walked away from the shoot with those numbers and a photo on my phone I finally felt I'd completed the challenge. Not just completed it but knocked it out of the park.

No comments:

Post a Comment