Chezon vs. the Hiney!

Team Body Solutions completed our first team charity walk on Sunday, May 23. Collectively, we covered 2.2 miles in the Walk for Autism at Atlantic Station. Not only were we able to support a great charity, we were able to get in some needed exercise. Getting cardio in on the weekends can be a chore, especially if you find yourself doing the same types of exercises that you did during the week. But the Walk for Autism was the perfect solution.

Because there were so many families walking with us, we started off slower than I expected. But further into the walk an incline was introduced and I was able to get my heart-rate up to the proper zone a few times. Yet, more importantly, I was able to support the Autism Awareness cause with great people. Our team consisted of our adorably cute baby mascot, Giselle; power mom and Body Solutions’ nucleus, Tauheedah; my supportive weight-loss guru, Dan (later nicknamed, Mr. Dan); his beautiful and ambitious girlfriend, Melissa; personal trainer and teeth-blinger, Mike; bubbly sweet Jen; funny and friendly, Jackie, warm and outgoing, Dawn; and my impossibly tall and handsome boyfriend, Jason. Halfway through the walk I was able to catch up with my favorite super-mom-friend, Pam, and her courageously creative son, James.

I’m telling you, everyone needs an active 5 year old on walks like this. James would look at all of the people behind us and excitedly exclaim “We’re winning! We’re winners!” He also motivated me to do the “Hiney!”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“When we walk, you gotta get your knees up high! Higher! Yeah, like that!”

I looked down at James and said “Mr. Dan put you up to this didn’t he? Mr. Dan has me doing exercises like this in his gym!”

“Nope! I learned this in school!” I looked at James suspiciously while lifting my knees. I’m still not convinced that James and Mr. Dan aren’t in cahoots.

Regardless, it was a perfect Sunday morning walk. There was only one thing missing: You! Promise me you’ll join Team Body Solution’s next charity walk.

Chezon vs. the Low-Tech Highs

On Mother’s Day, my father asked me if I would be free to hang out with him next week. Reminiscent of our Daddy Daughter Days we would have when I was younger, he asked if I could make some time to hang out with him. “Sure” I replied eagerly.

When we connected today, my dad inquired about my exercise regimen and I explained about the different types of cardio workouts I did outside of my gym time. He suggested we head over to Ikea and “walk around”. Seriously, that’s the thing I love about my dad. He’s so “low-tech”. All we needed was to keep it simple: let’s talk and walk.

We covered the Ikea showroom floor at a brisk pace. My dad’s always walked quickly, so I had to keep up. He’d ask random questions -- everything from schoolwork inquiries to dieting to comments about Ikea’s inventory -- which kept the conversation flowing. When we got to the stairs, I slowed down and asked if he’d prefer to take the elevator. He looked at me and said “You can handle this. I know I can!” And off he went jogging up the stairs. By the time we hit it a second time, no need for questions, I was already two steps behind.

Hanging out with my dad was the best kind of exercise I’ve done since I’ve started this journey. We walked through Ikea numerous times and when we were done, walked around the neighboring shops. Walking around with him, the time flew by, and before I realized it, more than 2 hours had passed.

Back home, my dad and I collapsed on the couch. Laughing and being silly all day with my dad had put a wide smile on my face. He turned to me and said he’d be headed back to his house soon. He got up to leave and turned to give me a hug. “You’re a good kid! You gotta keep this up! Okay?” Hearing him say that brought tears to my eyes. “I will dad, thanks! Thanks for everything! I love ya!”

I gotta be honest. My father’s comments today were worth more than any pounds I could ever lose!

Chezon vs. the Apartment Gym Treadmill

I absolutely hate the treadmill at my apartment complex's gym. Despite the time I've spent on it, we've developed no rapport. Truthfully, I think I'm spoiled by the equipment at Body Solutions. This one has less displays and I'm always unsure of my progress. For me, it's all about confirmation. I need to see an indication that shows how long I've been walking and the exact distance I've covered. It's a mental thing. Matter of fact: it's a "light at the end of the tunnel" thing.

Here's what happened before I got on my treadmill at home:

(Stage: at Body Solutions)

Dan: "So are you headed home to do your cardio?"

Me: "Yeah, I wanna be closer to home because I have to hurry to orientation at school afterwards."

Dan: "Okay, you're going to do 5 miles on the treadmill, right?"

Me: "5 miles? Can't we do 3 miles today and 2 miles tomorrow?" (Between you and I, I really believed this would fly with Dan, but I forgot, he had backup.)

Mike (another trainer at Body Solutions): "5 miles? Che, you can do 5 miles, easy!"

(Mike has this patent pending smile that he uses to convince people that they can do anything. I swear, as soon as he said that, he smiled and I actually saw his teeth bling like in the toothpaste commercials.)

Me -- mentally: "Did he really just bling his teeth at me? He did! He blinged his teeth at me!"

(Truthfully, the teeth blinging distracted me and I couldn't remember if I agreed to the 5 miles or if we settled on my compromise.) I headed home to the gym at my apartment complex in a daze.

When I jumped on the treadmill, I started watching "Up in the Air" (George Clooney's latest movie) and began walking at a brisk pace. Like I said, the most frustrating thing about my treadmill is it doesn't have accurate progress displays. If the movie's interesting, I'll soon forget about everything else, but if it doesn't hold my interest, I need constant place markers.

During the slow parts, I stared at the treadmill lights wondering what was really going on. How much longer did I need to walk? How far had I come? It wasn't until the credits rolled, the treadmill slowed and an hour and a half had passed, that the treadmill revealed I'd only walked 4.98 miles in 35 minutes. Apartment Gym Treadmill, welcome to my bad side!

Chezon vs. "THE STAIRS"!

Stairs are a sadistic plot created by the government to torment anyone who's out of shape. There I said it! And I don't care if the FBI is monitoring this blog! The truth shall set me free!

Mind you, I haven't perfected this conspiracy theory, but my gluts, my gut and my knees know it's true! And the whole world has bought into it. Look around! Stairs are everywhere!

And, unfortunately, I must report, Dan's fell for it: hook, line and sinker!! He loves 'em! He tells me to go to the top of a flight of stairs; when I arrive breathlessly panting, he asks me to come back down. When I get to the bottom to find out what he wants, he doesn't want anything, he doesn't give me anything. The only thing he wants me is for me to head back up to the top. Sheesh! Again and again with this torture!

And to add insult to burning thighs, he times me! He has this little red stopwatch of evil! It's evil, I tell you! I know this because this week I climb the same amount of stairs in a shorter amount of time than I did last week! Each week he reports that I'm getting more and more in shape, and although my heart rate recovers quickly, I'm still too winded to disagree. Truth be known, I'm afraid to disagree; from fear he might ask me to climb the stairs again to prove his point. He's stubborn like that! But don't tell him I said that. Tell him you heard it somewhere.

Chezon vs Busy Schedule (Let's Call it a Draw)‏

Dieting on a busy schedule is like trying to catch an eel with your bare hands underwater: it's not impossible, but it can feel that way.

The last couple of weeks have been difficult. Just when I believed my personal and professional schedule couldn't be stretched any further, we landed in the middle of a family emergency. My boyfriend's uncle had a sudden heart attack. Back and forth we drove over 50 miles to comfort family and offer support. Unfortunately, his uncle passed away a week later.

During this time, I struggled trying to remember to eat. And when I did remember, the chore lied in finding healthier alternatives within vending machines. After a day or two, I quickly learned, my sanity lied in packing my handbag with bottled water and nonperishable snacks.

Now, my life is trying to settle down. I'm still busy trying to play catch-up, but I'm proud that despite the challenges, I didn't completely fall off of my diet bandwagon. It's times like this where you embrace the small victories. Stay healthy, people.