Mom to Supermom in 90 Days (Week 1)

I survived week one, of my 90 day “Mom to Supermom” challenge, at Rise Up Personal Training! Wahoo!!! Week one was much more challenging than I expected. I definitely ran into a few obstacles I needed to climb over. I faced some mental, physical and medical issues. However, I also gained will power, strength, tackled a tech fit tracker, and didn’t let my medical issues define me or my abilities.

I started the week very sore, tired and already struggling with my mind. Every morning getting out of bed was the biggest challenge. I found myself coming up with excuses to retreat back to sleep before I even opened my eyes or turned the alarm off. “It’s cold on the outside of the covers…. It’s Olivia’s birthday and I should be here when she wakes up…. I’m volunteering at school today….. Will I be back in time for the Halloween walk?….Maybe, I need another rest day.” Luckily a tiny sleepy voice inside me pushed all those excuses out the window with whispers of, “I was genetically engineered to be brave and free, to discover what’s next, to find your magic, to have energy to keep up with anyone, to live fully charged… I dare you!!!” I am not super competitive, but I do enjoy a good dare. So, with that, I got out of bed and head to Rise Up Personal Training.

When I first entered Rise Up Personal Training this week, I felt half asleep and stiff, still surprised and proud of myself for getting there. Within moments of starting each workout I forgot how much I missed my bed. I didn’t have a single thought about packing a diaper bag, snacks, work, schedules, my messy house, if my husband needed his Gi for class, or if Olivia had brushed her hair and teeth. It’s a solid hour of “me” time. I’m truly able to focus on what rep or set I’m in, how well I’m breathing, or accidentally holding my breathe. (I do this a lot!) I can feel every muscle in my body working, fatiguing, strengthening, stabilizing or stretching. It’s crazy empowering to feel deeply in tune with your body. The exercises are hard, but at the end of each session I feel like my body is thankful for my efforts. I know my efforts will be rewarded in return.

Speaking of efforts rewarded, I was also introduced to a MyZone heart rate monitor. It’s the most accurate and versatile wearable available. The device tracks your workout with 99.4% EKG accuracy. At any given moment during a workout I can glance at the TV screen, phone, or third party device and see what zone my heart rate is in. Each zone is color coded. I’m learning how different types of exercise increase or decrease my heart rate. Slamming (or attempting to) the ropes effects my heart similar to that of a sprint, while dead lifts keep my heart rate at a slower, steadier pace.

FYI, ropes are hard, really hard. I almost puked at my third workout this week. I didn’t, but I had like a 3 second window that I wasn’t sure about. I was also experiencing a fair amount of vertigo this week. Being that it’s positional, it poses a big challenge sometimes. Matt Clarke was awesome at accommidating this medical issue. He modified a few movements and understood that I needed a little longer recovery period with some exercises. I also really struggled with box jumps earlier in the week. The box is another mental hurdle for me to achieve. I was a cheerleader for 13 years of my life. There isn’t a single excuse as to why I shouldn’t be able to master box jumps. I’m working on it! That’s all you can do, right? What are you working on? I’d love to hear about your journey from Mom to Supermom. Email me!