The past 94 days of my life

It all started on September 19^th, 94 days ago. The past 94 days of my life have been nothing short of a roller coaster ride.  94 days ago I started my dream job at the YMCA in Portland, Maine. It was 101 days ago that I began working 3^rd shift as a seasonal Frontline Supervisor at L.L.Bean. It was early August that I started working with a couple of new clients at Fitness Success in Yarmouth.  And in late August I started coaching varsity cross-country at Gray-New Gloucester High School in August.

The scenario was simple (ha!): L.L.Bean was relying on me to be responsible for the trainers who were responsible for training 700 seasonal workers. The YMCA was relying on me to jump headfirst in to the state of Maine run ME.First program (more on this to come in a future blog) and help state of Maine workers lose weight and get healthy. Theresa of Fitness Success in Yarmouth, the small personal training studio I operate out of once a week, was relying on me to cover classes for her and to continue to train several clients, one of which was a Miss Maine USA pageant contestant I had been working with since the beginning of August.  And the Gray-New Gloucester cross-country team was relying on me to help build a program that hasn’t seen much glory since its inception many years ago. Four jobs? No problem, consider it done! 

Wait as second…when was I going to sleep?

Up until recently, L.L.Bean had been my “day job” and fitness training, while being my true passion, was nothing more than supplemental income. However, I immediately jumped at the offer t join the YMCA in Portland, but I had already made several other commitments. Being the stubborn yet loyal person I am, I decided that I would sacrifice myself and my sleep in order to remain committed to everyone I had committed to.

The end of September was pretty easy, really. Working four jobs was somewhat exhilarating as I had found a new way to challenge myself—reduce the amount of sleep, increase the amount of working hours, and increase the amount of income.

But then October came. I would work at L.L.Bean from 8:30 PM to 4 or 5 AM, go to the YCMA 8 AM to 1 PM, drive to Gray to coach from 2 to 4 PM, drive back to the YMCA and train from 5 PM to 8 PM. Saying I was tired would be a gross understatement. The YMCA schedule was somewhat variable to meet client’s demands. 3^rd shift at L.L. Bean was ramping up and I was required to put in long overnight hours. The cross-country season was in full swing and my Miss Maine USA hopeful was gearing up for her pageant in November. There were many days that I literally slept for half an hour. There was only one day in October that I actually slept for 8 hours. Just one.

Once November rolled around, I was beyond tired. Fortunately the cross-country season had come to an end at the end of October, but it was now time for hunting season. The sleepless days and nights continued; I probably averaged 3 hours per night/early morning in November. My sanity may have been saved when the YMCA schedule still accounted for the 2-4 PM coaching I was doing. Since I wasn’t coaching I would go straight home, walk Lucy and eat lunch at the same time, then take an hour-long nap. An hour isn’t much, but it probably saved me.

As November came to a close, I could see the light that was the end of December in the distance. “Peak” (L.L.Bean’s busiest time of the year) was in full swing. I was still busy overseeing a different area of the operation (training the seasonal workforce had ended). It was on December 1^st that I gave my notice to L.L.Bean so I could pursue my dream job as a fulltime fitness instructor. I was completely worn out and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep.

Now here I am, still wanting to sleep, reflecting on the last 94 days of my life. While “whirlwind,” “roller coaster,” and “absolute craziness” are all understatements to the past three months, I don’t know if I would have changed a thing about it. I learned an incredible amount of how much stress the human body can endure. I’ve learned that sleep is often an under-appreciated time in our day. And I’ve learned that it’s important to stick to your commitments and values. It would have been extremely easy for me to bail on L.L.Bean, but I had committed to them and they relied upon me. I could have bailed on coaching or even my Miss Maine USA client in order to save a few precious hours in my day. But I didn’t because I had committed, and I believe I’m now a better person because of it.

Next time I hear someone say, “I’m too tired to work out,” or complain that they don’t want to do an exercise because they “didn’t get enough sleep last night,” (both excuses I’ve heard plenty of times) I am going to dial up the intensity on them because I know their bodies can handle it. I tend to joke that I’m a “physical specimen” to people who are close to me, but in the end we are all physical specimens. When we ask our bodies to perform or function a certain way, more times than not we can get a positive response from them and they'll do what we ask of them. It's just not always very pretty.

Alright, enough typing.  It’s time to start catching up on 94 days worth of sleep.

VROOOM goes the metabolism

What is this thing called metabolism? Everyone has heard of it but not everyone understands it, as much as they may think they do. Studies suggest that a person's metabolism is directly related to genetics and some people who have a hard time losing weight use this as an excuse as to why they can't lose weight. However, there are ways to increase your BMR (basal metabolic rate, or the rate at which your body burns calories while at rest) without worrying too much about genetics. One thing is for sure, though, and that is everyone would like their BMR to be "higher."

So what does it even mean to "rev" our metabolism and how do we do that?

Metabolism can be defined as the chemical reactions in the body's cells that convert fuel (food) into energy. A person's metabolism is determined by three things: how often they exercise, how much lean muscle versus fat they have, and their BMR. Metabolism is what determines weight loss. Nothing else does. A common myth amongst the general population is that if you stop eating you'll lose weight. WRONG! If you stop eating or severely limit your caloric intake, your body goes into starvation mode and actually lowers your BMR.

Want to know how to lose weight? Are you ready for the secret that will make me rich?!

Here it is: Consume less energy than you burn.

I'd better patent that idea...

This isn't a new concept but there is a little more to it than that. Increase your "burn" by adding some resistance work (weight training) to your workout routine so you can take full advantage of your metabolism. While cardio is an excellent way to burn a lot of calories at once, you need to have lean muscle on your body to rev and and keep your basal metabolic rate high so you can burn more calories at rest. I love chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. I love it even more knowing that my body is burning it off as soon as I put it in my mouth. That is what having lean muscle mass can do for you, and you get that by doing some pushups, curling some dumbbells, and doing some squats. Period.

Here are a couple of sure-fire ways to rev your metabolism:

1. As I just mentioned, weight train.
2. Exercise your cardiovascular system at least three times per week for 30 minutes per day.
3. Eat six small meals throughout the day to keep your metabolism high. Skipping meals will slow your metabolism down. These meals should include lean proteins, healthy fats, veggies, fruits, and/or whole grains.
4. Eat breakfast to wake up your metabolism. And when you do, eat foods rich in carbohydrates and dietary fiber.

So go rev your metabolism so you can have more energy, burn more calories, and perhaps have a piece of guilt-free desert!

A new you in 100 days!

According to Dr. Henry S. Lodge of Columbia Medical School, your body replaces about 1% of its cells every day. Think about that for a second. That means essentially after 100 days you will have an entirely brand-new you! The brand-new you would come at a cost, however. It is up to you to treat those new cells better than you treated the old 1% that died yesterday.

You have a choice. You can replenish your body with brand-new cells that are properly nourished, strong, and energetic, or you can replace them with unhealthy, slow, sedentary cells that are killing you. Personally I prefer the former.

Because of this incredible capability of your body, you could have a new you in 100 days. Most good fitness programs aim for a drastic change in your health and appearance within 90 days of starting (P90X, anyone?) This isn't a coincidence, people. If you exercise hard 6 out of every 7 days, eat right, drink plenty of water, and get 7-8 hours of sleep a night, then YOU can be NEW in 100 days!

Don't you want to look younger, feel younger, and perform younger in 2012? Of course you do! It's time to start building yourself all over again, the way you want to, 1% per day, one day at a time.