Tonya Bester

 

"Give yourselves a round of applause…’cause you’re IN!” the coach at the BHIP orientation session congratulated us. I felt happy to be a part of something that I hope will change my life forever. I’ve been thinking about ways to improve my health for some time now. I’ve even explored alternative diets, such as vegan. I’ve enthusiastic about exercise, but after being away from the gym for a long while, it’s been tough getting back on the wagon. Well, my friends, I’ve just gotten back on and I’m a happy camper!

 

In today’s workout, in addition to learning the basics of squats, my coach giving me the confidence to go lower to the ground than ever before — something I didn’t think possible for someone my age and body type. We performed the plank — in my opinion, way too many times. And we did something unusual: We learned good posture. Who knew that standing correctly could be so painful? Read the complete post....

 

Song of the Day: "Eye of the Tiger," Survivor, 1982: “Risin’ up straight to the top, had the guts, got the glory, went the distance, now I’m not gonna stop.”

I really dug into my inner Rocky yesterday. The Workout of the Day was dead lifts (50 @75 lbs), pushups (50) and sprints around the gym (10 laps)! I did it in less than 15 minutes! My opponent was me, of course. I had to mentally overcome negativity and focus on the prize. Who knew that I would be capable of such an intense workout? My coaches knew. They were there for all of us. I have to also admit that our class is full of rock stars. Their efforts were impeccable.

 

BTW, I know this song is so clichéd. However, it fits exactly how I felt: “I’m not gonna stop!”

 

Song of the Day: "Eat It," Weird Al Yankovic, 1984. 

This song title sums up what I want to do after each of our intense workouts: EAT.  However, I must remind myself of the other component of this program: nutrition.

 

In our first nutrition class, we focused on the importance of what we eat and how it affects our life. Most BHIPsters may be pretty savvy with nutrition already, but this class will no doubt take it to the next level. I’ve already compiled all my reference material into a binder for useful reference later. This week we will be learning about The New American Plate (serving sizes) and learning all about food labels. Yippee!

 

Why does food have to be so complicated? 

 

P.S.  Did you know that Alfred Matthew (aka Weird Al) Yankovic graduated from Lynwood High School, received a B.S. in architecture and is a vegetarian?

 

Song of the Day: "All the Single Ladies," Beyonce’, 2008. “If you like it then you should have put a ring on it.”

 

Well, my husband did put a ring on it many years ago. Problem is I can’t fit it. It’s a cute little ring but nothing like the new one I conned him into buying. Let’s be honest with ourselves, married people. When we tell our significant other that we deserve a bigger, better more expense ring, what we’re really saying is that we can’t fit the original one anymore!

 

No more cons. It’s time to get moving and be proud of the first ring we were given, because although diamonds are a girl’s best friend, being able to fit the ring we received 21 years ago is priceless. Wear it as your badge of health and fitness. My goal is to be able to wear that ring again. BHIP is helping me attain that goal.

 

Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart!

 

 

I’m breaking out of my comfort zone. In fact, today was a breakthrough moment for me. From the beginning of the program, I’ve been resisting the heavier weights. Today was different. Coach Russ asked if anyone wanted to change to a heavier medicine ball. My first inclination was to say, no thank you, 16 pounds is heavy enough. However, he explained that we needed to challenge ourselves. Then, all of a sudden, a moment of revelation...I realized that I had to move out of my comfort zone to improve my fitness. Coach was impressed with my complete attitude adjustment in a matter of seconds. ... Read Tonya's complete post here.

 

Workout of the Day: Rescue the pilot of a plane that crashed. Accomplish this by completing different exercises that simulate shooting at the enemy. If you stop, you risked being killed. ... For me, this was the most intense workout to date. ... The first task was to climb Janss Steps, then go down and up the adjacent sidewalk, then down Janss Steps — this horseshoe pattern three times. ... Next, go up and down the grass alongside Janss Steps. The first time, bear-crawl up, then walk/run down. Read Tonya's complete post here. 

 

 

 

So I’m running to Drake Stadium trying desperately not to be late again, thinking about how much I really didn’t feel like working out. I was so hoping it was going to be an easy day. As I made it to the class, I was kind of bombed to hear from Coach Russ that the Workout of the Day was Death-by-10-meters. Oh my — my nightmare come true. After a long pep talk by the coach, we all scurried over to the track where orange cones were placed 10 meters apart. Coach never uses a measuring tape but I’m pretty sure he’s accurate… ’cause he says so. Read Tonya's complete post here.