Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Pep talks are an acquired skill


Week 1 of The Biggest Loser contest at work came to a completion yesterday, full of weigh-ins and lengthy confessions: “I ate blank [30 cookies] because I was blank [stressed] because my blank [cat] blank [puked] on the blank [new carpet] and I was therefore too tired to cook.” Followed with, “I didn’t exercise because blank [I’m too busy with finals].” Fill in blanks with whatever you can dream up; 71 contestants, I heard it all. I just listened (I’ve come to the conclusion that we, as a whole, need validation. I know I fall into this category with my running and other aspects of life), nodded in agreement and then proceeded with a, “There are no excuses!” I know, I’m a warm and loving coach, pep talks are clearly an acquired skill (ahem!). By contestant #22, I was done with the sympathetic route and just told them: How bad do you want this? This is a lifestyle change. If you expect to see results, you cannot do the same thing you have been doing. You wouldn’t be here if you were happy with your weight, let’s move towards positive directions and find the solutions! It will NOT be easy; nothing we want so badly is, but the rewards are worth the sacrifices – let’s DO IT!

No one ever said I was soft with my words. Ha.

BUT overall the numbers were pretty good. I mean, we’re not talking Jillian (despite my name being very similar, I can sadly admit that her and I are not in the same fitness category. She’s sporting some pretty amazing arm muscles that I envy to death, amongst other muscle-y parts!) and Bob here; I give a basic workout along with a 6 small meal/day plan that honestly, no one admitted to fully adhering to. If they did, we’d be seeing amazing results. Nevertheless, here’s our results:

We lost 206 pounds this week or 1.53%
Average % lost per person was: 1.45%

The top 5 this week:
5. 3.75%
4. 3.83%
3. 4.03%
2. 4.32%
1. 4.59%

Those numbers aren’t anything to cry about. Sure, we had a few that actually gained (one, for his credit, was on a new thyroid medicine); a few stalemates; and some that barely squeaked by with a fraction of a negative number, but I’m very proud of those who got out there and gave it their effort!

I left each contestant with a little yellow piece of paper that read:
It’s precisely our busy, tired lives that require us to take care of ourselves for wholeness. Exercise keeps everything else in check, alleviating misplaced burdens and unaired emotions. It is purposeful for our own well-being as well as for those around us. We are better parents, friends, workers and everything in between because we have made the time to take care of ourselves. Every single one of us makes time for what is mandatory. For a runner, running is mandatory; it keeps us healthy, it keeps us sane. For me, running is mandatory; I have to make the time. Pay homage to the weight loss you truly want by determining you are a deserving individual. Make the time to achieve your goal and soon, very soon, you will wear that badge of honor and see the results you want!
“If you want something you’ve never had before, you have to be willing to do something you’ve never done before.”

Let’s see if that kicks a little fire in them or not. :)
Btw, my Floridian Friend, Adam, wrote an excellent blog here about just this very subject. He's getting ready to run his second marathon in Miami in a couple weeks (Jan 31st) - stop by and wish him luck (his first was just 7 weeks earlier than this one. What a stud!!! :) )

Running report:
Sunday: Went to the gym and did a bunch of leg weights, stretched a ton, and swam a few laps. Nothing earth shattering but I’ll take it.
Monday: Nada. Sore. Tired. Knew my body would fare better with rest. Okay, let’s not take the pep talk I gave with eloquence above and insert here. Our bodies need rest for fuel, too, and I knew I was going to do myself more damage by running than not. I chose not.
Tuesday: Still a tad sore from 3-way lunges on Sunday (will I ever get to the point of them not killing me for days after!?! Ugh) and got a late start so headed over to the gym for some hill repeats. 1 mile wu + 10 ¼ mile hills up and 10 ¼ mile hills down + 1 mile cool down. That was a good, sweaty workout. Good pace. Did a slew of arm weights and some ab stuff and 2.25 hours (omg!) after I entered the gym, I finally left.
Wednesday (today): Behind on mileage (I have a disease, is there runners-anonymous out there?) for the week due to an added recovery day Monday, I ran 8.3 miles at the state park by my house. 59 degrees and sunny – a perfect day to be outdoors (yea Vitamin D!). Wish I could have run on the trails but rapidly melting snow has left them extremely muddy; I don't relish the thought of mud running. I felt strong and steady but again struggled with that pace thing. For the effort I was putting in, I thought I was running faster. Nope. Avg pace: 9:03. It was suppose to be a recovery run anyway with my pace actually slower but it just “felt” faster. That little annoying “issue” behind my knee was there again but not screaming as loudly as Sunday. Still think it’s hamstring related. Fully intended to go to yoga this evening but some horrible stomach issues after so just went home. Will stretch before I plop into bed here soon.

Other News:
Obviously, the daughter has not fixed my girly baby shower blog. Sorry. Maybe this weekend.

Run well, y’all!!

38 comments:

Velma said...

Nice job at work and with all the running. It is good to take a day off if you need it. My cat puked on the floor today - can I eat cookies :)

Mel-2nd Chances said...

Fantastic results for the group, and what a great job you are doing at inspiring and motivating others!! Kudos to you! :)

Jenn said...

Stupid 3-way lunges! I am certain I will never be able to do them without pain for days! It's a wierd pain though, the kind that makes your legs feel tighter and stronger! Apparently tighter stronger feeling legs do not equate to 5:30 miles but nonetheless I will continue with the lunges. I love the excuses!! Nice job on the training this week. I'm still not 100% but getting back there! Hope your annoying "issue" disappears!

Becca said...

We're doing a biggest loser contest at work too!! Sounds like you have tons of people!

Anonymous said...

For the record, I think Jillian is slightly mongoloidian.

ajh said...

How many people are involved in The Biggest Loser contest? I am terrible at knowing when to take a day off. Good for you for knowing when to do it.

saundra said...

Great pep talk! Bob is a great trainer, but some people just need a Jillian (or Jill) in their lives!

Running and living said...

OK, so I don't even know what those 3 way lunges are... Hope there is nothing serious with the knee. I get twinges too and worry a bit about getting injured. love the idea of the BL contest. You just have to get Jillian to find out...she might sponsor:)

Pining for Pinterest said...

I think that is great about the Biggest Loser contest! How cool :-)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the mention of my blog. :) It would be nice to get more readership.

Sounds like the biggest loser went not so bad after all for the first week. Will be interesting to see what the future holds.

Your running ROCKS! of course it is OK to take a rest day. But don't punish yourself on the next run. I find that it cancels out the rest.

Marlene said...

Congrats all around on the Biggest Loser challenge success. Hopefully you'll have less excuses to field next week. :)

Great job on the workouts!

C2Iowa said...

I wish that I could log runs like you. Adam said it first -- your running ROCKS. Your weather is improving much faster than here. Great job on the workouts.

Suzy said...

It is good that some people are really taking the Biggest Loser Challenge to heart!

Diet Coke. I've given it up four times and always seem to go back to it. I just want the carbonation (which means I should just switch to carbonated water - but where's the fun in that?).

Teamarcia said...

I love what you wrote on that yellow slip of paper. I hope at least some of them will take it to heart.
Way to rock your workouts!

TX Runner Mom said...

Awesome job on the biggest loser at work! And great job on those workouts!

Katie A. said...

You are a great motivator! I am sure what I am about to type is going to piss some people off, but I feel like I have the right to since I was once in their shoes and decided to make a CHANGE! I hate whiney fat people who make excuse for their lifestyle choices. There is no excuse to be fat and unehalthy (unless of course there is medical reasons like the thyroid guy). ANYONE can change, anyone can loose weight when they decide to make a change for the good. I'm not saying go out and train for a marathon, in fact don't, they are croweded enough as it is with all the bucket list people, but get your asses off the couch and move and don't pile junk in your face everyday. I was once there - I made the change, you have to want it. And if you don't want it yet, if you haven't hit your "bottom" don't make pathetic excuses. No one wants to hear it. You make the time when you want it.
Go ahead and tell your BL peeps I said that - maybe you can include my little pep talk on the back of next weeks yellow piece of paper. LOL! Your side is the nice caring get your butt going motivation piece, mine is the one who says shit or get off the pot!
Don't worry about your miles this week - you are doing great! Lunges are a mother, and you worked out great! There is always time for you!
Have a good Thursday!
(((Huggss)))

Melissa said...

That is a great loss though!! I help with the WW at work group here and I feel your pain on the excuses.

Glenn Jones said...

The fact that your clients put up with your *ahem* pep talks also says a lot about their trust in you and their true desire! So many people just bounce from trainer to trainer to trainer looking for someone sho says what they want to hear. It's sad really.

Oh. The thought of dry Emergen-C has me scraping my tongue this morning.....

Heather said...

I think your pep talk was awesome! A 59 degree outdoor run sounds wonderful . . . I'm jealous!

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

Great pep talk! I had to stop reading a go for a quick run, I was so motivated!!

We wouldn't have the term morbidly obese if everyone was wired like we are. It is hard for some people to realize what damage even a little extra weight (fat) does to their bodies, minds and spirits.

I have a computer program for tracking my running/racing info. I have used it for years! I am already obessing about my mileage after looking at my month totals from last year (I fell short of 1800 miles in 2009 and I want 2010 for 2010). It's January 14th! But I am already crunching the numbers!!

59 degrees. Okay. I am not talking to you anymore. ;-) 59. I was 14 this morning. Two pair of tights, gloves, visor, 3 layers on top. So little skin actually sees the sunshine that I doubt I am getting any Vit D! Ugh. You are lucky and blessed to have the nice temps! Enjoy!!

Jennifer said...

Good pep talk, I think you HAVE aquired the skill! I like the trick with the little piece of paper, maybe something I should do with my students when they turn into sloths about half way through each semester. Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Hey Jill...sorry for the confusion...Jill from JILLWILLRUN won the give-a-way. Too many Jill's!!!!

Laura said...

Nice to see someone honestly giving feedback. I have already read on a lot of blogs from people making/giving excuses. Do it! :)

Anonymous said...

I think what you are doing to help others is awesome! And to be honest, I don't think Jillian's methods are realistic (hello she has her own line if diet pills now) and I think what you are doing is fabulous!

Generation X (Slomohusky) said...

Wow, such tough dictorial love and drama. Hope they enjoy what they are doing though. If one doesn't enjoy the process and/or enjoy the results most will fall back to previous habits. I keep running because, well, I like it. If I did not, I would do something else.

Anonymous said...

Good for you!
Yes, we all like to be heard, but that doesn't mean what we have to say is good for us.
Those folks you are working with need you and your are doing so great with them
Nice job 'Jillian'!

M2Marathon said...

I love your motivating message. It's all so true! And I FULLY get what you mean about things being mandatory. Running (and working out) is definitely mandatory for me--it's not about weight maintenance, though I'm sure it helps me to not have to worry about that--because it just makes me feel better and be a whole person.

Julie said...

Hi Jill,
You are so motivating:) No excuses, just do it!! Sounds like you have been working hard on training and getting it done!! Have a good one Jill!

Lauren Wang said...

Great pep talk :) We are doing a biggest loser too at work. Good luck!

Tina @GottaRunNow said...

I bet running in the state park was a pretty place to run, even if it wasn't on the trails.

Those mountain photos in the last post are beautiful!

Runshorts said...

I love a straight-shooting pep talk. No excuses is a great motto and I bet it sticks with them. Good luck with your biggest loser challengers!

Mikey B said...

Do you need me to come out there in my old combat uniforms and yell at them like a boot camp drill sergeant? I can do that. People say I'm good at yelling and being insensitive. You have my number, so call me when these people need a size ten combat boot upside their keesters.

Mikey B

Unknown said...

Whew, you let 'em have it! I loved the message on the yellow paper, it would be worth blowing up to poster size, framing and repeating as a mantral twice a day! Ugh, I'm ready to join your runner's annonymous group today, when do we meet??
megsie

Tara said...

Wow, you sound like a great motivator and you seem to have a lot more patience with all of the excuses then I would!

I hear it all of the time here at my work too (we aren't doing biggest loser). Everyone wants to lose weight at this time of year and everyone has all of these crazy ways that they are going to achieve their weight loss. Then I hear all of the exuses. It drives me nuts!

Keep up the motivation girl!

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...

Wow you have a BIG job...keep at it!

Jill I have known since Junior High and she just recently started running. Go say Hi she is AMAZING!!

Have a great weekend.

Tara said...

Hey Jill! I got your comment on my blog about running. I'm got your e-mail address and I'm going to e-mail you! This sounds like fun.

Christina said...

I attempted twice to get in an 8 miler and dropped it to 6. So I'm impressed that you got in a recovery 8 miler.

AZ said...

I hope the "stomach issues" didn't develop into anything. I can attest that it is going around.