*Mahomet Curves purchases advertising space on the sidebar of the Mahomet Daily. My decision to workout at and talk about my experiences at Mahomet Curves was not influenced by the advertisement on the Mahomet Daily. Instead, I chose to make a decision for my body and to be with my friend, Jan Smith, owner of Mahomet Curves because I trust her. In no way is this content promoted by or scripted by Mahomet Curves or the Curves organization.
This week I have learned when a woman puts her weight on the internet for all of her friends and basically the world to see two things happen:
- She is emailed and texted with encouragement and camaraderie because she has been very vulnerable-and because other women are in the same boat. These people leave wonderful comments when she puts a picture of her large body working out on Facebook.
- She is repeatedly told how brave she is because she’s put her weight on the internet. She’s also told how brave she is for putting pictures of her big body working out on Facebook.
Interestingly enough, both of these things motivate me to continue.
The encouragement and sharing of stories motivate me to share more of what I am doing because I know so many men and women out there are also thinking that they need to make changes in their life. Not because they are unhappy, but because the extra weight is not benefitting who they are and what they want to do.
The comments about how brave I am by being so transparent also motivate me because I am so sad that we are still in this 1950s mindset where we only share the perfect. I weigh 213 pounds. I could go through this process and only share the before and after-but where is the authenticity in that? It’s important to share our successes, but it is also important to share our struggles.
And trust me, that is not the worst thing about me. It is also not the best thing about me.
At 213 pounds, I am more myself than I have ever been. 213 pounds comes from many dinners full of laughter with my friends. It comes from not starving myself because I am so unhappy. It comes from a full life-and I’d rather be me at 213 pounds then me at 170 pounds when I was 25, 26 or 27. I remember a friend pulling me over in the pick-up line to tell me how wonderful and put together I always looked. And I literally asked her, “Are you kidding me?” There’s no way I was put together. I was, at best, just making it through the day.
Even at 213 pounds, I am still creative, kind, responsible, unique, curious, full of love. I am still the same person at 213 as I was when I was 10 years old. Being authentically who I am is actually a braver process than sharing my weight because (and this is where I get really brave) every time I show my real thoughts and dreams and lifestyle, I don’t feel accepted.
Sharing my weight does not make me brave because I am not ashamed of my weight. It’s where I am right now. Maybe you are ashamed of your weight, your lifestyle, your dreams-but I challenge you to ask yourself if you are ashamed because that’s not where you really want to be or if it’s because the world tells you that you need to be someone else.
Anyway, I know people were just trying to share their admiration because it’s something that’s difficult to do. And I appreciate that. But, for me, my weight is not the worst thing I could share with you.
I’m not sure if I’ve lost weight or inches this week. Jan, the owner of Mahomet Curves, said it’s better not to measure week to week because I may not see the results I am looking for. But my goal actually wasn’t to see results this week. Jan said it took me more than a week to put this weight on, and it will be more than a week to see it come off. My goal was to work out four times, which I successfully did. And to drink 72-ounces of water, which I almost successfully did.
Let’s talk workouts at Curves first. I went to Curves with my mother-in-law one time about 12 years ago when she lived in Mahomet. I told myself I was looking for something more than some hydraulic weight machines and a 30-minute workout, although I never did anything else.
Going into this week, I was worried about the hydraulic machines. In high school, I used the free weights and we pushed ourselves to increase weight regularly. I actually am fairly strong, so I was worried the machines would not be enough for me.
And after day one, I knew that the hydraulic machines mean business. Within the 30-second interval, I feel myself really making gain on them-and some of them are actually fairly difficult for me to do. But what I really like about the machines-and the circuit-is that it is a no-brainer. Curves has set up a program to work every major muscle in your body, and you don’t have to worry about reps or how much weight or adjusting a machine. You just do the workout.
I worked out 4.5 times this week; completing the boxing and Jillian Michaels class, along with a Monday “Strength Training” day. Jan was there with me through all five circuits, telling me which muscles I was working on, and helping me remember the placement of my feet or arms.
I really enjoyed the boxing class. It really got my heart-rate up, I felt the burn throughout my muscles, but I left energized and ready to tackle the day. I also really enjoyed doing the Jillian workouts. Here’s the deal with Jillian: I’ve tried several of her home workouts where she literally tells you that she wants you to feel “like you’re going to die.” And those home workouts do make you feel like you want to die. So, I stopped doing them.
Now, the Jillian Michaels Curves workouts are a little different because they are intense and she talks to you in a kinder voice than she does on her home videos, but she also provides modifications for each set so that anyone can do the exercise. I did this workout two times, and each time I tried to do all of the unmodified versions, and I think maybe I took things a little too quickly because I got pretty tired throughout the day.
But here’s the flip side: I don’t sleep well. For months, I’ve had so much trouble sleeping because my mind and nerves won’t shut off. I’d fall asleep at 8 p.m. and then wake up at midnight and work all night because I couldn’t shut down. This week, I’ve slept so well. I haven’t woken up in the middle of the night, and as a result my thoughts and nerves have really calmed down throughout the day. I really, really appreciate this.
I have also recognized that I have a food problem. Even though I spent time meal planning this week, I did not follow the plan very well. Part of it is that I don’t really know what to make or how to make it, and the other part is that I have regular lunch dates with friends and clients. I eat out a lot. So, I need to figure out a way to change that.
I also did not drink as much Pepsi this week. I carried a big movie theater cup full of water around quite a few times this week, and that helped (one day I did drink 72 ounces of water) but other days it was hard to drink that much. You pretty much have to be consuming water all of the time. So, I am proud of my gains, but know that drinking 72-ounces of water needs to be on my list again this week.
Here are some recipes that I found that I do really, really enjoy:
Alton Brown’s Steel Cut Oatmeal
Plant-Powered Families Sunday Morning Pancakes
Overall, I’m feeling really good about working out at Mahomet Curves. I am getting a great workout and Jan, Karen and Annie are very helpful and encouraging. It is actually one of the highlights of my day-and I didn’t think I’d ever say that.
