JulieeFit

Good Morning Pound Posse!

I hope you all had a wonderful week and are looking forward to the weekend -- which is so close and is looking to be beautiful!

This week was really awesome getting back on track in terms of my fitness goals. Monday I woke up, did my Pound Tune Up, and worked from 10-4. Tuesday was really beautiful outside. I worked in the city and got home around 6, ate dinner with the fam, rested a bit, and jumped into PoundCore which is my favorite routine from the Pound Workout for some reason. I just love working my abs. 

Wednesday was really special because it was the first morning of the season I was able to wake up early and go for a job around my neighborhood. The sun was shining, flowers are budding, and it just felt so invigorating to be out of a house, out of a gym, and feel the warmth of the sun and the earth below me. It really is spectacular to combine your body work with nature. 

I then worked from 10-5, taking an extra article because I was so excited for the story that broke that it HAD to be written. After that, I headed to the gym for an hour of leg work and by the end of the day I was satisfyingly exhausted. 

Yesterday I worked in the city from 9-5, again getting home around 6:15 and caught up with one of my best friends over Panera for dinner. It was really lovely to see her, two weeks is far too long of a gap, and I felt happy going to bed.

I know what you’re thinking. Where was the Pound in all that Panera? Well, there wasn’t because I decided to switch my day off this weekend with Thursday. Because as long as I do the workout, I am still on track. Sometimes it is necessary to  put your workout on hold for quality time with your loved ones. As long as you pick yourself up and make sure to fit in that workout another day, you’re still being true to your goals.

Today is a half day at work -- yay! -- so I will finish up around one and do my workouts after. Boyfriend is feeling sick today, so I’m hoping he can feel better enough to come down this evening. But I guess we will have to wait and find out!

How is your #poundtour going? Would love to hear about your progress!

Obviously I have been MIA, but for good reason, I promise. I have officially reached the 12th day of my Pound Tour to Summer! 

On Tuesday, I worked all day in the city but made sure once I got home from work and had given my stomach time to digest dinner, I hopped into my Tune up, which I love because for some reason when it’s just the pound ladies on screen, there is a lot more silliness. Typical.

Wednesday I woke up early -- at least by my standards 7:30 is early -- and hopped out of bed to fit in some Pound Core before work which started promptly at 10 o’clock. I finished up with enough time to shower, make an omelette and brainstorm content ideas for bustle.com.

Yesterday -- was different. A lot of unfortunate news has been circulating around my family and as much as I love Pound and am dedicated to this challenge, when in difficult times, family always comes first. As my father was out and about for work, I enjoyed a nice girls night in with my mother, picking at Chinese food and watching television. The company was nice and I think we both enjoyed simply being there for one another.

Which leads to today! Happy Friday all! I woke up at 8:15, tuned up with my Pound Posse, showered, and was ready for work at 9. I will be enjoying this rainy spring day by grabbing lunch with my God Father before heading up to the boyfriend’s house for a movie night! 

This weekend is extremely hectic and I am so excited for all the fun. I am feeling 100% better from my cold and can finally relax. 

Until next time, all.

Day 4/60 - POUND CORE! Sorry to have interrupted that episode of the Big Bang Theory parental units, but when the beat calls, you answer.

This is my favorite workout routine from Pound, which is ironic because I have a very weak core. As I went through the motions, I felt my own beast mode kicking into gear! And the more I felt it, you better believe the harder I collided my ripstix.

I love to exercise, and I make sure to wiggle in at least a mini session once a day. There are some routines you fall in love with that make working out not only worth the effort but fun to do!

After a full day of work and places to be, I made time to pound and I think that is really what working out comes down to. All you need is a half hour. There are twenty four hours in a day. That is 48 half-hour segments. I understand a lot of us have a full plate, but health should be a priority. You can have your cake and work it off too! Making the time is key.

Finally I am exhausted and with new medicine I expect a full nights sleep. Until tomorrow!

Day 3 of the Pound Tour to Summer was a hit-the-streets pick, and because I missed my gym family I decided to take a back and chest day as my filler. I’ve been feeling really congested and hope that maybe by working and opening up the chest I’ll be able to breathe and sleep better tonight. Time will tell.

Today was also very special because I started my new job as a fashion news reporter for bustle.com! Slowly but surely my dreams of making it into this industry are coming true! Two articles are up on the website under my author profile – eek – and though I’ve been blessed with the fantastic internship experiences I’ve had, there is no better feeling than seeing your original work published.

I was twenty years old when I first signed up for Planet Fitness. I was given a membership card, a t-shirt, and celebrated with a medium coffee – light & sweet – and a donut from the Dunkin across the way. One last hoorah?

It’s been quite the ride. In between my senior year of high school and sophomore year of college I had been to four doctors, had a colonoscopy and MRI before finally being diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. IBS is a horrible digestive disorder where my body struggles to break down food and often results in severe stomach pain. This can be triggered by outside sources, such as anxiety. I checked into therapy my freshman year of college only to learn that as a result of a toxic relationship and years of bullying, I had developed high anxiety levels. All the pieces were coming together.

My body has gone through more dramatic changes than a teenager in puberty.

The summer before I turned 21, a series of emotional meltdowns were taking their toll. My IBS was on overdrive and I lost 20 pounds in a year. The scale blinked 103 for about a year as I hardly picked at food and spent most of my time experiencing panic attacks and crying hysterically over things I could not control. Emotionally, I was miserable. However, I secretly loved the skinny body I was living in. I was no longer crying in dressing rooms or pinching the excess skin on my stomach and hips in disgust. On vacation, I didn’t care that I was spending more time in the bathroom with a stomach ache because the next morning I felt even lighter than the day before and it felt good to slip on the little black bikini I would never have dared to even try on in years past. 

After my relationship ended in the fall, for awhile, so did my IBS. I was happy and suddenly had an appetite. I was partying with my friends at least three times a week. Eventually, though, the alcohol and late-night binges caught up with me. 

It wasn’t until I walked in my Alma Mater’s annual spring fashion show surrounded by beautiful, fit, and thin young women that I realized my body had changed again. I stepped on the scale back home, only to see a haunting 125 pounds. The number was blinking, laughing, at me. I had gained over 20 pounds in less than a year. 

I reached out to one of the models I had walked with and asked if I could shadow her at the gym. We started working out 2-3 times a week. I looked to her for a healthier diet. By the second week I was starting to feel better. I knew I was no where near my goal, but I felt confident the more I worked toward it. However, people will be people, and while I was proudly posting progress pictures on Twitter of the two of us in the gym, flexing our arms and stomachs, I was still bullied and, as the term goes, “fat shamed” over social media.

That was the start of a rickety roller coaster. I was eating 600-900 calories a day. My visits to the gym became frequent and lengthy. If I wasn’t at the gym, I was obsessing over what was going into my mouth, and if that wasn’t the first thing on my mind, planning the next time I was able to exercise was. I hated looking in the mirror. All I could see was enhanced arms and legs and a stomach that needed to be sucked in; a body that needed too much work. 

It wasn’t until my senior year of college that I made the decision to recover. I wanted to be healthy and happy. I was tired and felt defeated. 

Something amazing happened in September. I fell in love with a wonderful boy, Mark, who stood, and continues to stand, by my side, holding my hand through the dark. Through his support and the help of my friends and family, I have chosen fitness. I have chosen recovery. 

I choose recovery every single day. I choose to love myself.

I have lost weight through a healthy diet, treating myself, focusing on exercise and believing in the power of a positive attitude. I surround myself with those who raise me up. 

When Mark would tell me I was beautiful, I struggled to believe him and he knew. He wasn’t telling me to boost my ego or make me feel better; he was reminding me that he saw what truly made me beautiful and by not only telling but showing me his love, he made me feel beautiful and capable. We started cooking healthy meals together almost every night. If I had an episode, he was my rock. He was the first person I told when something felt wrong, and he was the first person I told when something felt absolutely right. 

He was the first one I told about Pound. With two ripstix (¼ of a pound weighted drumsticks), a yoga mat, and it’s creators Kirsten and Cristina instructing through a 45 minute routine that combines yoga, Pilates, isometric movements, plyometrics and Isometric poses, I was hooked after the first session. 

I have followed Kirsten and Cristina and have been a member of the Pound posse from the very beginning. That is why I have joined the Pound Tour to Summer; a 60 day fitness challenge that started today and will take me through to the beginning of my favorite season. Kirsten and Cristina encourage us to journal each day, so I decided to take this opportunity to establish my fitness blog and take you along for the ride. 

I have proven to myself that my body is strong. I will never again make the mistake of underestimating its potential. I am joining this tour to only better myself and continue my journey. 

My first day was a struggle because, of course, I have a very bad cold and my sinuses were not making anything easy. Was I modifying the moves? Yes. Did I still sweat? Absolutely. Taking it easy is still taking it somewhere. I may not have had the strength to weight training this afternoon, but I am proud of myself for waking up, getting as much of a workout as I could under the circumstances, and earning my shower.

Treat your body kindly, and it will return the favor.