ANGELA SWIFT

10/28/05 Journal Entry - Week 1

I was so nervous about meeting Coach Chris, but he is awesome!! He did all the testing and measurements and "before" pics for the file, and he was gracious about everything. Not once did I feel uncomfortable or embarrassed about being overweight - he just make me feel excited about getting in to shape. We discussed a plan of action that surprised me - I was afraid it was going to be like boot camp, but Coach Chris is very gentle in his approach, he is all about easing our way in to getting in to shape, results without injury. My talk with him was very encouraging and made me feel like, for once, I really am going to have the support and guidance that I need to change my life for the better, starting with my weight. I look forward to working with him and the other trainers, as well as having the wonderful opportunity to work out at LA Fitness to meet my goals that Coach Chris and I set. I am looking forward to meeting the other ladies on Saturday, as we have been emailing each other and already setting up our support systems within the group. I don't know how else to describe my joy, excitement, exhiliration about this program, I want to shout it from the rooftops!! Coach Chris just has this way about him, he is motivational, supportive, and has so much knowledge about nutrition and fitness that I could sit and talk to him for hours and hours. Even just having the short time (well, I did talk his ear off so I think I went way beyond the time I was alloted) with him made me want to get up and change my life. I went to the store on my way home to stock up on healthier food options, and as it was a little late I decided to wait until today to go to the gym. I set up an eating plan for the day to be sure I made healthy choices, and I started my journal that Coach Chris wants us to write in every day to log our successes, challenges, thoughts, feelings, etc. that we are to bring to our Saturday sessions. I can't wait for Saturday to get here - it feels like Christmas!!

11/04/2005 Journal Entry - Week 2

So far this week, I feel pretty great. My muscles are screaming, what the heck are you doing to us!! But I feel pretty good. I have been following the work out routine that Coach Chris has set for us daily, and I have been doing pretty good at making healthy food choices. I did blow it a little with all of that Halloween candy around - I have a huge sweet tooth - but overall, I didn't really eat as much candy as I normally would have. And I still did my exercise routine every day. I am excited that I have gotten my whole family involved. My husband, who is diabetic, is now eating healthier away from home on his own. My son is choosing fruit over chips, and drinking water or diet soda rather than gallons of sugary soda and kool-aid. Everyone is getting out and walking in the evenings, even when I am at the gym they still go for their 30 minute walk. The best part is that my mother, who has arthritis in her knees and back problems, is coming to water aerobics with me twice a week. Her doctor has been telling her for a very long time that she needs to go do water aerobics, since that is the gentlest form of exercise for her conditions, but she never did. She told me that I was an inspiration to her, and that if I could do it, she could do it. How cool is that?? I actually get to be an inspiration to my mom. (Who, by the way, is the greatest woman on earth - I adore her). If it wasn't for this opportunity for me to join the BOB-over Body Basics challenge, nobody in my family would be making any type of change. Now we are all changing for the better - eating healthier, exercising, changing ALL of our lives - this is just awesome!! I will forever be grateful to everyone at BOB and the great coaches at Body Basics.

11/11/2005 Journal Entry - Week 3

Before I say anything else, I want to say for the record that there isn't a stain on my shirt, I spilled my water bottle on my shirt right before the pictures were taken :-)

This week was definitely much easier than the previous two. I am getting in to the groove with my workouts, and it's definitely easier to pass by the non-healthy food choices that three weeks ago I would have just ate and then have regretted later. I have lost a little weight so far, which is great, but the best part is that I feel so much better. I can walk up the stairs at work without getting out of breath. I can walk on the treadmill at higher speeds for longer amounts of time without feeling exhausted. I also like seeing my family still excited and still making healthier choices. I was at the grocery store with my daughter last night and she was looking at food labels, to check the calorie/fat/sodium contents of the things we were buying. It is so cool to see her getting involved - at 15, she is learning things that have taken me this long in my life to learn. I am so happy that she will be aware of nutrition and exercise as she grows up, and doesn't have to learn it the hard way like her mom. She is a joy to me anyways, but I feel that we have had an opportunity to bond even more with this challenge. She went with me on Sunday to walk Tumeric Hill (even though I curse that hill LOL) and she enjoyed it so much she is going to start walking it with me every other Sunday. I did notice that it was much easier to climb this time, and that I had to stop less frequently to catch my breath. So I have already noticed that change in my physical condition. It's so exhilarating to notice so much improvement in the relatively short time we have been in this challenge.

The more time I spend with the other Bobettes and the trainers at Body Basics, the more I like everyone. We are all getting along great, and I'm glad that I had this opportunity to make such nice new friends. I am sure that we will all stay friends even after the challenge is over.

Coach Chris and his entire staff are just awesome - EVERYONE who wants to seriously change their life and improve their health needs to call Body Basics (498-0359) and schedule an appointment to talk to them and see how great they are. Definitely check out their website at http://www.bodybasics.biz/ and get a feel for the way they do things - they are the best and I recommend them to everyone in Tucson.

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