I MADE IT!!

I was able to keep with the program until the final assessment. Although the program is over, I feel that it is just the beginning for me. I stuck with it and really got to the point that I enjoyed the exercise. Andrew did a great job of introducing us to new rountines and different workouts, which helped me determine what is going to work for me as I continue making exercise a part of my regular lifestyle.

Cardio interval training and the weight machines are my favorites. The program was structured enough to keep me coming back, but was also unstructured enough to keep it interesting and not become tedious and boring.

I was satisfied with my final assesment and was able to attain some of my goals and made some new friends.

Thank you Jacque and Heidi, I could not have done it without the two of you and your support and encouragement!

Is it really over?

Well it's been a good run. The program really got me into a routine and my group members helped hold me accountable for showing up. I look forward to continuing work outs and training on my own, hopefully I can maintain some of the good habits Andrew taught me. As far as numbers are concerned I knew at mid-assessments I wouldn't achieve my initial goal but I adjusted and focused more on trying to sculpt my body rather than hit a certain number weight wise. I still have a ways to go to get my body back to pre-pregnancy weight so I'll still be at it this summer. Hopefully I'll see some of you! Andrew you were great - thank you for adjusting the work outs and try to optimize our time together. I think you defintely grew as the semester rolled on and you can only get better. Thank you for your time and consistency.

It ain't over 'til it's over....

Yes it may have been my last workout with the Ready, Set, Goal program, but this is just the beginning.  I am really happy with how this program opened my eyes to personal training. I started the program a little skeptical about personal training.  I wasn't sure exactly how it was going to help me.  I considered myself physically fit, but wanted to do more - build muscle, endurance, etc.  What I realized is that there are so many ways to train and exercise.  Specifically for me, the only weight training knowledge prior to this program came from a short PE class in high school.  Working with Andrew has been great.  I have seen my progress over the months of the program and feel great.  I have learned several ways to work-out that I can continue after the program ends.  I hope to use this knowledge to continue my training and ultimately compete in an Ironman in the future. 

Thanks Andrew!

JacqueG

Assessment here I come!
I haven't reached all my goals, but I am happy to have had the opportunity to join the Ready Set Goal program. Andrew taught me several things but most important- no matter your age, skills, ability, strength, once you set your goals, you can attain them with determination and encouragement.
Thank you to my team mates. They made the program enjoyable even when the pain set in.
 I have decided to join the SRC, so Andrew you will be seeing me over the summer. When the program began, my husband joined the SRC as well, and he has enjoyed the exercise time while I have worked out with my team. I have learned several things but most important to me- stay focused, set achievable goals, expand on these once you have reached each goal.
 ENJOY the workouts. Our team had many fun times laughing with Andrew. He is a true leader and will be successful as a trainer.
 In the future you may see me rowing on Tempe Town Lake!! Hey anything is possible if you have the will and mind set. This program has helped me realize that my age is not an excuse not to attempt something that I really want to do.
Next year I plan to "run" the Tillman 4.2 all the way...no walking, and hopefully I will complete it under 1 hr. If anyone would like to join my team "Sparky's Tailgaters" let me know and our team captain will add you to the evite next year.

Thank you Andrew, Heidi, Tammy. You made the program FUN!

Assessment Time

I can't believe the program is coming to a close.  That can mean only one thing, FINAL ASSESSMENTS.  I can't wait to see how all of you have continually progressed since the mid assessments.  Next week will be wide open for me as far as scheduling goes.  I want all of you to email me a time that fits into your schedule.  It doesn't have to be your workout time unless that works best for you.  I can't thank you enough for such a wonderful experience this semester.  I also thank you for sticking with the program even when you wanted to quit.  That shows me that you can continue exercising on a regular basis even after this program is over.  This internship was definitely worth the wait, because training all of you who are at different fitness levels was definitely challenging.  This will prepare me in my future career to be able to train anyone who comes through the door.  I felt that I improved as the semester progressed and I bet all of you noticed a difference as well.  All of you were amazing participants, which made it so much easier to come in everyday even though I wasn't getting paid.  I will be training here in the summer, so if any of you wanted to continue training with me we could do one on one or buddy training.  Thanks again for how you contributed to the program. 

Wrapping up the semester

Hard to believe this is the end of April and the last week of the program. Wasn't it January just yesterday? The good news is, my body tells me I've made a lot of progress this semester thanks to Andrew, the program, and all of you. I have plans to keep it going, and backup plans for when the temperatures get so hot that I want to bail out. :) Keep up the good work, everyone, and know that you can create a healthier you if you put your mind to it.
Cheers and much aloha,
Teresa

Building and building....keepin' it going!

I am still feeling the leg work-out from Tuesday!  Free weights were once again on the agenda this morning, I was excited to discover that I've been lifting more weight every week.  Am I getting stronger?  I do feel stronger, I sure hope so.  I am starting to think about how to continue my work-outs when this program is over.  I actually think I will be continuing my membership at the SRC.  I'd like to continue these work-outs over the summer and keep going.  It's a good routine! 

I am excited about finishing "strong" next week, and I am also sad that the program will be ending.  Thankfully this program has really helped establish a great base to work from.  Cheers to working out!!

New Routine

On Monday Andrew had our group try a new routine where we alternated between the row machine and various exercises in fast paced intervals. I was so exhausted by the end of our session that I barely made it home. It was one of our better workouts and I really felt it the next day. I'm appreciative that Andrew is taking the time to change up or routines to continuously make our work outs more challenging. It was one of my favorite routines to date.

While at times I get discouraged, after a workout like Monday's I get reinvigorated.I feel like there is no way I could have finished that hour of training had it not been the build up from prior weeks sessions.

Proof of the Training Update

Wow, have been commuting by bike for a few days now and I'm SOO glad I did all the training earlier this term to build up to it! I can make the ride, even the hills (thanks for making me increase the resistance, Andrew!), and I have enough upper body strength to lift my bike when I need to now, something I couldn't do at the beginning of the year. The new place I'm living also has a weight room so I'll be able to continue working out and not let my training slide over the summer. I know the program is winding to a close but I'm committed to keeping up the good habits I've built this semester, and I appreciate the support.

JacqueG

Well I competed in the Tillman 4.2. Saturday.
Completed it in 1hr 3 min. My goal was 1 hr.
I am proud because last year I walked.
This year I jogged and brisk walked.

This has set  me up for next year. I am going to continue with the training and my goal for next year is anything under 1 hr.
The weekly workouts have truly helped me. My cardio has imporved.
I hate to see the class end.

JacqueG 

Free weights...what?

Ok...i've been working out on "machines" for several weeks, increased the weight, became comfortable, and felt stronger and stronger each week.  Today, Andrew said, "Oh yeah, we are doing the olympic weights today", it was now time for my workout on "free weights".  Holy moly, what a difference!  It was harder, more challenging, but I pulled through.  Working out with free weights really requires you to focus on form.  One thing I have learned is that it is good to switch things up (muscle confusion), so this switch was a GOOD one (muscles were confused). I had to focused on form, posture, and of course, had to have a spotter.  I am ready to finish out the semester strong, and I am continuing to look for opportunities to learn as much as I can before this program ends.  Back to work....

Proof of the Training

Well, my move is finished and on Monday (which is, by the way, Bike to Work Day), I will start commuting by bicycle! My goal for this semester was to be fit enough to stop driving to work and start commuting by bike every day, so I'm looking forward to experiencing the results of the training so far this semester. Wish me luck!

How Do We Keep You In the Program?

Hello again everyone,

I want all of you to tell me what can be done in the future to keep people in the Ready, Set, Goal Program.  I want you to be as honest as possible.  I will take some credit for the less then stellar assessment results, because some of you were already in pretty good shape and I didn't have you start doing higher intensity workouts until later, so for that I do apologize.  I know that many of the people have had really good reasons for dropping out of the program, but I want to know what questions we could ask to pick candidates that are not going to drop out unless something unforeseen occurs.  This isn't a knock on any of you that have dropped out this is simply asking you how we could improve the program and or the selection process.  Obviously life happens and things take us by surprise that we need to address.  It has been a pleasure to train all of you, and the ones that are not with us anymore your fellow Ready, Set, Goalers and I miss you and it is definitely not the same without you.  I wouldn't say it if it weren't true.  Thank you for your cooperation.

Food Diaries

I want all of you to write down everything you eat for the next 3 days.  I'm talking about sauces and dressings EVERYTHING.  I also want you to include how much your eating of each thing, is it a cup, tablespoon, ounce, etc.....  This will help me determine what foods are killing your progress and allow me to make suggestions.  When you write down what you eat I think it will definitely open your eyes to what may be causing the weight loss problem.  We should have done this sooner, but hopefully it will get you on track for the rest of your life.  Exercising and eating right does not stop when this program is over, but continues because it is a LIFESTYLE CHANGE not a 14 week change.  As always stay encouraged and I'll see you soon. 

Stepping up to the end of semester

Wow, the semester is really getting crazy as we push to the end; I'm sure everyone is feeling it. My boss called me this morning and said she had signed me up for a noontime seminar series (starting today) that would run for the next couple of months; I looked at the schedule, saw that it conflicted with Ready Set Goal, and asked her if I could either sign up for the next time the series is offered or do self-study instead, since I didn't want to bail on everyone. She said yes, so I'm still in the game. :) Keep up the good work on trying to change eating habits, everyone -- it really is the key to almost anything you want to accomplish in improving your body. I checked in with my endocrinologist yesterday and my insulin and sugar levels are better, so I'm going off diabetes meds, hurray! Next three months will tell whether exercise and diet alone will help me keep my health the way I want it to be. If I can do it, you all can do it too. :)

I still like Andrew.

When Andrew stated that he was going to be doing some changing up in our workout on Wednesday, I told him that I was looking forward to it, but I might not like him on Thursday. Well it is Thursday and I still think he is a good guy. Yesterday's workout was very challenging...and fulfilling AND I accomplished more than I thought I could/would. Working that hard really requires me to reevaluate my nutritional habits. It was much easier to eat healthy when I had children at home as it was imperative to me to give them the nutrition they needed to be successful. Now I need to consider myself as important as I did them. Andrew, thanks for the encouragement and the harping on our eating habits--it helps. Jacque and Heidi, I really appreciate you two; sorry I sometimes act like a

JacqueG

Returning from 1 week vacation and I was bummed.
I worked out and went on a 9 mi bike ride when I was away and worked out 3 times.When I returned on  Monday I felt a bit warn out. Yesterday I was not able to complet the workout. My BS was high. I am sure it was due to my lunch...tooo many carbs. YES Andrew what we eat makes a difference!! Being diabetic I know this, but sometimes we backslide. Hopefully friday I will be back in the groove. I have set my personal goals, and I feel with a little bit more diligence on my part with healty eating I will attain most if not all of them. I appreciate the reminders on the healthy eating.
Jacque

Update

well I have to admit I was extremely disappointed in my assessments numbers. So disappointed that I'd rather not include numbers but I'm continuing to go to classes and push myself as much as I can. I've also made more of an effort to eat healthier, I'm not cheating as much as I was since I haven't yielded the results that I'd like to get out of the program. I have started to attend the pumping iron fit classes and that has really kicked my butt! It is soo hard but I feel if I add that in with our regular routines it will help me achieve more results. I think part of the reason I'm not seeing the results I would like is because I was a college athlete and my body is used to very intense workouts. since I'm not able to duplicate a basketball practice the next best thing is to attend classes that focus on muscle fatigue which basically makes your body burn in places you never thought you could feel any pain :). It's different for me and I'd much rather play basketball which is a lot funner than burning your muscle's out but being that I'm a full time employee and a new mother I can't run to the gym anytime that I'd like so trying to incorporate more fit classes along with my regular workouts should help me get a little closer to my goals. At this point I know I won't reach the goal I set out to accomplish at the beginning of the year but I'd like to at least make it halfway there. Guess we'll see....Keep you posted.

Is He Talking About My Eating Again?

Yes I sure am.  You ladies and gents are going to get tired of me saying this if you not already are, but eating is the NUMBER 1 factor, NOT EXERCISE in any weight loss program.  I read some where the other day that nutrition accounts for nearly 80% of WEIGHT LOSS.  You all could have Jillian Michaels or Bob from the Biggest Loser as your trainers and not lose hardly anything if your nutrition is terrible.  Trainers are not magicians or miracle workers, if your not happy with your results then do something about it away from the gym, and it starts with what's on your plate.  I'm not a nutritionist, but feel free to ask me any questions and if I can't answer then there is a wealth of knowledge on the internet that can provide you with plenty of recipe's and nutrition tips to accelerate weight loss goals.  If I sound frustrated that's because I am.  I was just as mad as you guys were when you didn't see the results that you or I wanted.  Nutrition makes or breaks a weight loss program end of story.  Stay focused and encouraged and give me everything you got until the end.    

Away from ASU, but sticking with the program!

Aloha, all. I'm away from the office and hence away from the SRC this week, but keeping my commitment to the program. On top of moving (lots of walking, lots of lifting and carrying weight!) I'm also continuing my workout in other ways to keep from losing ground. Hang in there, everyone, and as Andrew has been reminding us, eat healthy!