Day 0 (maybe)
It all begins tomorrow—8 weeks of intentional and intensive training. I have the plan, the tracking apps, and the new workout gear I got on clearance at Target. I’ve got some pre-game jitters for sure. I’ve done the Transformation Challenge twice; I won the first time and failed to stick with the routine the second. I’m definitely in a different headspace than either of those times. I’ve been working on my mental health after recognizing that I was in severe AuDHD burnout. I have been steadily incorporating healthier choices in daily life. Physical and mental challenges have forced a steady routine of tracking my hormone levels, blood pressure, heart health markers, water intake, etc. Some of those data sets have been kept for over a year! For the TC, I’m going to add dietary tracking (calories and macros), which I’ve done before and am prepared for the time-consuming, tedious work it can be.
The biggest thing on my mind today is how much I’ve lost in the time I haven’t worked out. I used to work out pretty regularly and had very healthy cardiovascular fitness—so healthy that I would be frustrated when my heart rate barely budged during workouts. I had an athletic body and felt good. Then I took a break when money got tight and school hours were shorter than daycare hours. I was more focused on mom-mode and making it through each day, which is very difficult when experiencing a depressive episode and burnout.
I’ve lost about 8 lbs of muscle mass and all of my cardio fitness. Five minutes of doing chores sends me to the red zone. That said, knowing I had been fit at some point, I went from a max of 210 lbs during pregnancy to 150 lbs (63% muscle) by his second birthday. I CAN gain 4 lbs of muscle in the next two months and hope to gain the whole 8 that I lost by this summer. If I don’t, I’m okay with that, too. My motivation is coming from a different place this time; I want to build healthy habits that serve myself. I want to be the best version of me and choose to spend my time bettering myself.
We had a massive snowstorm last night and again today, so it’s possible I won’t make it to class tomorrow. Whenever this Transformation Challenge starts, I’ll be ready!
