Survived week 1 - stronger, smarter and sorer

Hi all. Sorry it has been so long since I've blogged. Soooooo much has happened in the past 3-4 days at Fitness North! Where to begin. I think the week can be summarized by saying that I am a lot stronger, smarter and sorer. We said goodbye today to a few from our Fitness North Family and will miss Shari, Jim and Leslie, and Mark. We welcomed Gina to our house in Shari's spot for week 2.

Week 1 highlights:

Stronger: We climbed Oberg Mountain a second time on Friday and I did it faster and felt better, which allowed me to enjoy the accomplishment even more; pushed past my personal limits and so much pain in cardio circuits and on the Arc Trainer at Grand Marais Pumphouse where we worked out 2 days in a row; and,  perhaps most importantly, I managed to push through circuits with constant pain after climbing mountains and doing 4-5 hours of cardio -- sore back, knees, calves, shoulders, arms, tired legs...

Smarter: We had several informative sessions and talks on fitness, nutrition, body chemistry and metabolism, with Leif Anderson, our amazing program director and trainer. Plus, we learned to count protein, carbs, fats, etc and prepare our own healthy meals. Thanks to my amazing housemates - Sue, Carrie, and Shari - we did not starve! Had a special visit from Dr. Delrae Messer who spoke to us about toxicity, nutrition, weight loss and detoxification. And, we went grocery shopping in Grand Marais and learned how to read labels and choose healthy foods from the bad stuff - such as rice, peanut butter, oils, etc. All good. So helpful.

Sorer: By the time Saturday rolled around and we finished our last chance workout, I was so sore I thought my body would never return to a comfortable state. Everything hurt, but particularly my knees and back. And this is a level of pain that I can't even describe. But today after a day off and three spa treatments all or most of me feels better. Still sore but on a different scale.

Social: There's been some humor, some tears, some nausea, new friends from the Fitness North family to share the journey and more. We miss Shari tonight as she left us today. As did Jim, Leslie and Mark who all stayed for one week. And we welcomed Gina to our townhome.

I had a nice break and a great day off, but now learned tomorrow starts even earlier. 4:15 will come too soon so I sign off. I suspect another goal setting and breaking week. It will be hard. Wish me luck. Thanks so much for your well wishes and inspiration. I can't tell you how much it helps.