According to Lululemon’s manifesto I should do one thing a day that scares me. I think I should get bonus points for yesterday.

The reason?

Yesterday I found out how much I weighed after 10 years of not going near a scale.

This experience was incredibly scary for me- I now know that the feelings I have about going on a scale compare to my feelings about going on a turboprop. Symptoms included very sweaty palms in both circumstances.

So, why did I go on a scale after 10 years of successfully avoiding it?

The answer is simple: It was the start of my 4 week Booty Camp Fitness experience and this recruit was ready to finally embrace the numbers in all their glory. No more avoiding. It is time to get serious about my upcoming goal of beating Oprah’s time at Marine Corps marathon.

Initial thoughts

Aside from the scale and the other measurements I had a lot of fun last night. Although I had a friend with me for moral support I definitely feel that I could have gone alone and made friends – there just seemed to be an instant camaraderie with all the other women there. In a way I was having my own back to school experience – only mine involves running around and yoga mats!

I was a little bit concerned about working out in the dark but quickly got over it and found it kind of neat to be doing crunches while looking up at the Toronto skyline.

As for the workout itself – it was hard (no sugarcoating here), but doable in the sense that there was no pressure to be pushing yourself to the point of no return. You were just encouraged to challenge yourself. So, yes I am sore today, but all for a good cause.

For the next four weeks I’ll be sharing my experiences, so stay tuned. I have a funny feeling it’s going to get a lot harder but I’m looking forward to the challenge. I want to see those inches come off! Better make sure I do my at-home DVD workouts as well!

Flickr: adria.richards

I recently have realized that if I want to have any chance of beating Oprah’s Marine Corps marathon time in October I will need to up the ante a bit. Along with a good friend of mine I decided to hire a personal trainer for the months leading up to the marathon. (Note: Doing semi-privates with a personal trainer definitely cuts down on the cost, but make sure that you have similar goals and time availability as your friend before committing to do this together.)

Hiring a personal trainer is kind of like finding the perfect boyfriend as it takes some time to actually find one that you are compatible with. After a couple of “Mr. You aren’t quite what we are looking for” we found someone who has the ability to whip us into shape, challenge us to try new things and also put up with our “We can’t do this” whining. The best part is that after only a few sessions with this trainer I have actually seen improvements in what I can do. So, who is the trainer?

Meet Tara Postnikoff – Tara is the founder and owner of Healthy Eating Active Living (H.E.A.L.) and apart from being a kick ass personal trainer she is also a registered nutritionist (have since hired her to help sort out my nutritional needs). She has run a number of half marathons, marathon and triathlons, so really understands the needs of athletic people. She’s kind of like the female version of Tommy Europe from the Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp.

I recently asked Tara what her top 5 exercises were for getting into shape and here they are – no equipment (or no excuses) required:

1. Planks – builds great core strength and everyone needs a strong core
2. Walking lunges – great lower body workout for the butt, thighs and calves
3. Push ups – great for upper body and core strength.
4. Push planks – good core and upper body workout.
5. Burpees – total body + cardio- really gets the heart pumping

Why is it that all of the exercises I hate doing are the best ones for me?

If you are interested in finding out more about Tara and what she offers check out her website. She also works out of Absolute Endurance in the Davisville area.