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Rough-Fit April / May Newsletter
I can't believe it's May already and we're fast approaching summer!
Be sure to read Lindsey's story on how she went from "fat to fit". I'm sure we can all identify with at least one of her "realities / resistances".
We're also featuring 3 Rough-Fit members this month: One from each class (6am, 9am and 6pm).
If you have any feedback, please e-mail us. Have a wonderful May! |
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From Fatty to Fitty
With so many new people in Rough-Fit I thought this was a good time to reintroduce my journey of healthy living. From the picture below it is evident that I can relate to your health challenges!
I grew up on a farm and was super active and ate whatever I wanted – full cream milk that I would scoop the cream off the top and mix it with sugar for a snack! We were all lean and extremely active in sports. Then came university and the ups and downs of dieting began. I always remained very active but I never got control of weight management.
When I first arrive in the US, I was a babysitter for 5 boys under the age of 6. Yep, that’s why I never had any of my own :-) One of the kids called me Yinny and another Winsy. |
I was healthy at the time I was Yinny because the kids had me running around all day. Then I moved to California and I got even leaner because I was running more in the weather instead of relying on Y’s as a reprieve from the frozen winters. But then I moved back to working in the real world. Some people carry the corporate world on their shoulders; I carried it on my rear end – a lot of it! I got married and continued to yoyo despite being active. One thing that also stuck with my step daughter (who’s about to graduate from college) was my nickname - Yinny.
Below is the tale of the two Yinny’s and the Top 10 reasons I morphed from Fat Yinny to Fit Yinny again:
Reality / Resistance |
Fat Yinny |
Fit Yinny |
| Doctor told me I was obese and needed to lose weight. |
WHAT ME? |
How did I not see myself that way? I’m eternally grateful for Dr. Walkers honesty, “you’re obese and need to lose weight!” |
| Tried every diet in the book, grapefruit, apple, Atkins, WW. |
YEP ME? – Obviously they didn’t work. I even paid to be wrapped every day at lunch time because it guaranteed to melt the fat away. |
It has to be a way of life – moderation and pole pole – slowly slowly. The only way that fat melts is in a pan on the stove and when you move. |
| Back pain beyond comprehension - there must be a problem. |
Could not get out of bed some days – my fat was the problem. |
Manage back with foam rolling, weight management strength and massage. |
| Ran with things on my knees thinking they would “help”. |
Every pound I had extra on my body added 10 times the weight to my knees – so each step was an extra 350lbs. |
No black thingy’s on knees – strength in my booty and core means healthy knees. |
| Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. |
Another disease associated with obesity. |
Last blood tests revealed no RA. |
| Diagnosed with Hashimoto’s – thyroid autoimmune disorder. |
Another disease associated with obesity. |
Manage it with no medication. |
| Bronchitis two to three times a year. |
Body inflamed from internal fat and unable to maintain healthy immune system. |
Rarely get URTI. |
| Had 3-4 sizes in the closet. |
Gotta accommodate the losses and gains. |
One size only, if it doesn’t fit, make it! |
| Exercise was hard. |
Always injured and broken and always finding excuses that something must be wrong. |
Managing how to keep having fun – niggles are fine and not setting limits is fun. |
| Always tired and cranky. |
Body exhausted from lugging around the extra lbs and having to work overtime. |
Now I’m only tired and cranky once a month! :-) |
| Run marathons |
Thought I'd only run one |
Love them - over 20 |
| Kick boxing class |
Got kicked out for bad form – cried in the parking lot. |
Will kick butt with great form!! |
The story below outlines the Top 20 choices of the two Yinny’s:
Behavior |
Fat Yinny |
Fit Yinny |
| Work out hard |
Yes |
Yes |
| Eat breakfast |
Most times 2 |
One, healthy, under 400 - 500 cals |
| Eat snacks |
Always, all the time, good and bad. |
Small in between meals: 100 - 150 cals. |
| Eat perfectly |
For short bouts on diets and then all hell would break loose. |
70/30 rule: 70% of the time it’s all good - 30% of the time - thank goodness I run marathons. |
| Soda |
Sometimes |
Never |
| Diet soda |
Diet Coke (tons) and Snapple |
Rarely |
| Work like a dog |
For someone else |
For myself and balance |
| Plan my weekly meals |
Hardly ever |
Weekly |
| Eat out at delicious restaurants |
Ruth's Chris - several times a month |
Selectively - enjoy fresh, light food much more. |
| Blamed everything around me |
Had to be someone else’s fault - work, too busy, achy, too stressed. |
Indulge in problem solving rather than problem rehashing. |
| Happy Hour every Friday |
Definitely - all the snacks and then a rich dinner. |
Happy hour with friends, split portions and healthy choices. Maybe a shared workout instead of a meal. |
| Count calories |
On WW counted points but thought it was too hard. |
Figured out that balance of what I fuel my body with is important - cal book is on the kitchen counter. |
| Weight loss is easy |
Yep, if you stick to a gimmick for a week |
No, you have to make choices every day but it definitely gets easier. |
| Self conscious, always hiding the butt |
Always - insecure! Hard to hide the butt tho’- black only goes so far. |
Confident that life is soooo worth living. |
| Stuck in a rut |
Routine was my comfort zone but that didn’t mean it was good. |
A good routine is good but spontaneity is fun. |
| Hang out with healthy people |
Yes, and thankfully so. But, when I hung out with the not so healthy, I joined in the crowd. |
Healthy lifestyles mean healthy friends are by default more present in your life. |
| Focus on what’s wrong |
The list is too long to recall |
Focus on what’s great |
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We’d like to welcome the newest contributor to With-U - Celeste Jamison. Celeste is a fitness “boff” as we would say in South Africa. US interpretation: She’s highly qualified in the field of fitness and we’re privileged to have her helping us out. Celeste will be managing the incentive programs for With-U. We’re delighted to have her on board! She’s another gem. Celeste recently completed the Pasadena ½ Marathon in a very respectable time.
Jeannine designed a workout that is featured in this months SHAPE Magazine - this is the 3rd time Rough-Fit has contributed to SHAPE. Congrats to Jeannine for her creativity on this workout. Jeannine recently became a Divemaster and has been helping Boy Scouts get scuba certified in the Seattle bay - brrr.
Greg recently PR’d in a 5k and came in 4th with a stunning time of 15:51. He also came 2nd and first in the two Winter Chili Race series runs. (1st runner was the national trail running champion!) Greg completed Wildflower tri and placed 10th in his age group and 40th overall – this is an outstanding achievement.
Jenni won the women’s division of the same race with a 17:30 for her 5k. Jenni also placed 2nd in the Napa Valley Marathon.
Lindsey placed 3rd in a training tri and completed Wildflower tri.
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Last month we did a survey on the contents of the newsletter. 95% of you read it which is great news.
Some requests:
Feature a member of Rough-Fit: We do this every month, it’s generally the last item of the newsletter so if you’re not seeing it, please scroll down. Also, please visit the Testimonials page on the website to see some of the past people featured. Due to the growth, we will try to feature one person from each class over the next few months.
Include tips: We include a specific topic each month with tips and ideas.
Tips we’ve included so far this year:
- January: Tips to stay healthy in the workplace.
- February: Top 10 tips to lose weight and tips on Geocaching.
Newsletters from the past 7 years include tips on:
- Stress
- Sleeping
- Counting Calories
- Planting a garden
- Blood Pressure
- Diabetes
- How fat makes you sick
- Training tips and techniques
- How to set goals
- Depression and Exercise
Remember that this year we’ve added workshops to help give you face to face tips once a month – check out the topics and sign up for the sessions. This upcoming workshop is May 16th - HEALTHY LIVING IN THE WORK ENVIRONMENT.
Also, each incentive program we run includes weekly tips and ideas to support you with healthy behaviors.
Finally, don’t forget that we have e-learnings on the following:
- Counting Calories: How many should you eat? What ratio? Tips and info on why it matters.
- Blood Pressure: Why should you care? What should your numbers be? How to eat healthy?
- Fiber: How much should you eat? Why does it matter? What are good fiber foods?
- Fat: How does it affect your body's functioning? Why do your knees hurt? How does it affect your back?
All these and more are in the e-learning section of your POG’s.
Exercise ideas: Coming soon we will upload about 40 different workouts that we’ve designed for clients over the past few years.
General questions: If you have checked these resources and still have questions, please post them under Q&A in the discussion group. This way we can effectively help many of you at the same time.
Stretching tips: Don’t forget we have videos in the e-learning on foam rolling and static flexibility.
We appreciate your feedback and hope this helps you locate info that is always available.
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OC Half
We are SO proud of Jo Anne F, Jill S and Sue B for completing the OC Half Marathon. What a great achievement! Congratulations to Jo Anne who did it in 2:12, Jill in 2:04 and Sue broke 2 hours to finish in 1:54!
Hike
Thanks to Val P for sharing her pics of their recent hike. According to Val: “Jo Ann was for sure the well prepared one. She had a little pharmacy with her.” And it came in handy when Traci N scraped up her knee!
The ladies: Cathy M, Tracy M, Jo Ann S, Jill S, Val P and Traci N
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Jo Ann to the rescue |
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This year the annual Rough-Fit “Gardening” workout went live at the TMA garden. The 6pm and 9am classes sweated away while helping the TMA Organic Garden Group with weeding, sorting manure and general clearing of junk. The 6am-ers will participate in their garden workout soon now that daylight allows us to see.
Below are the pictures of the classes:
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Bill H
Bill joined Rough-Fit in “the fall of 2004” and after almost 5 years continues to amaze us. He just finished his first triathlon even though the swimming was a new challenge for him when he started training for it.
What exercise did you do prior to joining?
Tennis maybe once a week when I was lucky and some hiking & backpacking in the summer.
What do you enjoy most about the program?
Working out with friends and doing something different every day. It is a good way to start the day and get the exercise in before other things get in the way. I'm an outdoors person too, so I prefer working out outdoors. Running indoors on a treadmill doesn't appeal to me.
What is the most challenging part of the program for you?
The “ups”. That would be the push-ups and pull-ups. You might not know it today, but the running was not so easy at first either. I could not run around the sports park without stopping when I first joined. |
What progress have you made to date?
Never did any running growing up unless the PE teacher made us. I was usually among the last around the track in school. Didn't want to run even a 5K when I joined Rough-Fit. Now I have 8 marathons behind me and recently an Olympic distance triathlon. I'm about 30lbs down from my heaviest weight. My push-up form is much improved, so I'm told.
Have you learned anything about / made any changes to your nutrition?
I do eat more fruits and try to eat more veggies. I now avoid fast food or choose something relatively healthy like El Pollo Loco or Subway. Ok... Ok... I will stop at In-n-Out sometimes for a double-double animal style (extra veggies!) but usually after a long hike or run when I feel I deserve it and can afford the extra calories.
Has it been easy to stay committed?
It definitely helped that Mary and I were both attending the 6am class when I first joined. When the alarm went off, we knew we were both going to get up and go to class. Now Mary's commute means she's on the road before 6am, but now I'm in the habit of going to class every day. Oh, and being a morning person helps for sure. I think the exercise has improved my outlook on life too.
What are your long term goals and how do you see Rough-Fit complimenting those?
I've gone far beyond my initial goals when I joined. There are many things I'd still like to accomplish like finishing a 50 mile ultra-marathon, or possibly a half or even ...gulp... full Iron man triathlon someday. Guess I've got to get serious about the training that it takes to get there. Rough-Fit workouts help with core strength, agility and much more that I wouldn't get if all I did was run. I would not have met so many good friends who have been encouraging me every step of the way.
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Cathy M
Cathy joined Rough-Fit a little over 2 years ago and besides her running talents she consistently shows up as one of our top 2 POG achievers!
“The main reason for joining was for my health. I didn't want to have the medical issues my parents were having, and I knew I had to do something I would stick with.
I have tried the gym and working with a personal trainer there, but something was missing. I decided to join because I was tired of going to the gym and wanted to work out with a group. I LOVE working out with the great group of people in my class. It's never the same and I'm always entertained! I also enjoy the Saturday runs (& breakfast) with people from the other classes.
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The most challenging part is focusing on my form without mirrors. In the gym, I relied on the mirrors to check my form...now I have to rely on how my body feels to check my form. Another challenge is my balance...still working on that!
I have made many changes to my nutrition. I eat a lot more fresh fruits and veggies, drink a lot more water, and drink less soda. I now bring healthy lunches from home to work instead of fast food daily. I cook at home more often using fresh veggies, lean meats, and more whole grains. I read labels now. My family is also benefiting from my changes.
It hasn't always been easy to stay committed. Being a mom and working full time made it easy to make excuses to take the easy way out. Last year I FINALLY made ME a priority. If I'm not healthy, I can't help my family be healthy."
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Jo Anne F
Jo Anne joined Rough-Fit in February 2007. She just completed another half marathon (see OC Half above) and we’re sure to see more great things this year.
What exercise did you do prior to joining?
I was in a rut; I had not exercised regularly for a couple of years.
What do you enjoy most about the program?
I love that it keeps me accountable and the work-out is never the same. I get bored easily and since the work-out is not the same I really have to think about what I am doing and it is a distraction from the pain. I also love working out with friends, which is a nice distraction too. |
What is the most challenging part of the program for you?
Greg’s Turkish whatever it is called exercise (I call it Turkish torture). It has too many movements it is hard to remember and hard to do. I also hate downward dog.
What progress have you made to date?
Huge progress, I’ve lost a lot of inches and a few pounds. My skinny jeans always fit and I have toned up. I can do regular push-ups (Yeah!). One of the most important things Lindsey has taught me is to always have a goal. I am training for my 3rd half marathon right now. I would have never imagined that I would ever run that far. Having a personal fitness goal is a great distraction from the stresses of everyday life.
How has this impacted your daily living and how are you different today vs. when you first started Rough-Fit?
I am much more relaxed, less anxious and I sleep really well. Rough-fit is something I do for myself, to take care of myself. I have a lot more energy and I feel well, which makes me a better wife, mother, friend etc.
What are your long term goals and how do you see Rough-Fit complimenting those?
I want to continue in being consistent with exercise and I want to get stronger. I also would like to be more toned and to maintain a healthy weight. Rough-Fit will keep me moving forward in achieving my goals and it will keep me accountable. I would never push myself to do what I do on my own. I would have too many excuses and other things to do.
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