Weights and Measures

In my mind, Thursday was the first day of the challenge.  We'd met as a group before. We'd asked questions and discussed food.  We have all thought and talked and written.  But Thursday was the day for our initial measurements; the day when our baseline was established.  It was the high-water mark, so to speak. 

Standing nearly naked (well, in a sports bra and shorts, but there was a lot of exposure) being measured, photographed, and weighed by people you barely know was not as uncomfortable as I expected. My 13-day stay in the hospital before my twins were born, unable to even bathe myself, really did a lot to diminish whatever small amount of modesty I ever had, so this was not a biggie.  However, hearing the measurements, seeing the numbers on the scale...ouch.  Suppressing the mental battle turned out to be the hardest part.  It was difficult to keep the self-deprecation to a minimum, but I was determined not to beat myself up over my weight or waistline.  The measurements only confirmed what I already knew: it's time for a change.

Once the physical measurements were complete, we had a little surprise.  I'm glad I didn't know about it ahead of time, because I would have built up a good bit of anxiety if I had.  Sure size matters, but fitness is a key component of this challenge, and so we needed to establish a fitness baseline, too.  That meant completing as many reps as possible in a minute on four different exercises.  I was so frustrated by the lack of strength in my body.  I was really disappointed in my results.  But the mental battle rages on, so I told my "inner  mean girl" to shove it - I didn't want to hear it, I'm only going to focus on where I go from here.  And from here, everything is only going to get better.