Have Media Will Travel

A blog about outdoor adventure, family travel, national parks, media, technology, marketing, fitness and me.

Fitness

This is My First Video Blog: How I Lost 24 Pounds and 12.5% Body Fat

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This is POST 13 of my “fitness journey” blogging. For backstory, see Post 1,
Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7,Post 8, Post 9, Post 10, Post 11 and Post 12.]

In my last post, you’ll recall I told you how I fell off my good nutrition wagon and snarfed 12 small candy bars on Halloween. That was a rare incident. For most of the last eight months I’ve remained committed to eating only healthy foods. I promised to share some of my tricks for fighting off cravings for junk food. After providing a recap about my current fitness regimen in this clip, I share what helps me win the battle over cravings.

This is my first “video blog,” so please be kind. I realize I probably write posts that are too long. So I’ll give you a video this time. Thanks for following my fitness journey.

Shelli Johnson shares some of her tricks for avoiding junk food from Shelli Johnson on Vimeo.

Elemental Gym has a fantastic gym, some terrific programs and classes that will help you achieve better fitness. And, I might add, some great personal trainers: Steve Bechtel, Ellen Bechtel, Jagoe Reid, and Sophie Mosemann.

Fitness Update: Got Motivation?

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Hi. My name is Shelli and I have a temporary motivation problem.
Hi. My name is Shelli and I have a temporary motivation problem.

This is POST 12 of my “fitness journey” blogging. For backstory, see Post 1,
Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7,Post 8, Post 9, Post 10, and Post 11.]

Okay, so this is the I NEED MOTIVATION post. For the last seven-and-a-half months, I’ve embarked on a serious fitness and nutrition journey.

On March 23, I hired Steve Bechtel, of Elemental Gym, to be my personal trainer. I started training five days a week, two of which are high intensity strength, cardio and metabolic sessions with Steve and three of which are Intervals, epic long day hikes and more endurance-type stuff.

I drastically improved my diet. I’m only eating healthy foods, and on most days I’m limiting my calorie consumption to 10% of my body weight. I’m not eating much bread. I’m not eating pasta, potatoes, rice, chips, and for the most part, no desserts or sweet treats. I feel great and have more energy as a result.

If you’ve been following my fitness posts, you’ll recall that in the last seven months, I’ve lost 23 pounds and 12.5% of fat. I’m thrilled. I’m where I want to be with my weight and am in pretty good physical condition. I grateful for my progress.

Then Halloween happened. And yes, I got the memo. (That is, Steve’s ETC November newsletter dated Nov. 1 that featured a photo of candy corns on the front cover with the caption: Halloween is over. The leftover candy either goes in the trash or on your butt).

Didn’t matter. I figure I probably ate 12 small candy bars on Oct. 31.

Darn it. Until now, I’ve been steadfast in my discipline when it comes to my improved diet changes. And interestingly, on Oct. 31, I felt strong enough to resist the temptation of the candy, but for some reason I felt like punishing myself, which meant indulging and then paying the price for it.

By price, I mean the mental anguish I would put myself through for straying and giving in to crap food, which ultimately made me feel physically crappy and mentally crappy. I’m talking about the “wrath of Shelli” that I’m capable of placing upon myself. Trust me it’s far worse than the pound I may have gained as a result of snarfing a bag of baby candy bars. Still, I looked the candy in the face, and I ate it, 12 times. And it was delicious, thank you very much.

Having fun during a personal training session. Or, carrying an 80-pound sandbag up and down the stairs.
Having fun during a personal training session. Or, carrying an 80-pound sandbag up and down the stairs.

This fact, combined with the fact that I’ve already achieved my immediate weight and fitness goals, and the fact that the days are shorter, it’s dark earlier, winter’s coming — and let’s see, what other reasons can I come up with to justify falling off the wagon? – made me think this might be a swell time to write a post about how one can keep motivated to stick to their fitness and nutrition regimen.

Because how to keep motivated is a challenge for me right now.

Don’t get me wrong. I know too well how I felt before achieving my current fitness level and weight goal. I will not let myself return there. That, I know.

But I do worry about how I’m going to retain the will and discipline between now (Nov. 6) and when the snow clears and the long days return so I can continue my epic, 25-mile day hikes in my beloved Wind River Range (mid-June). Sure, I will skate ski and snowshoe a lot this winter, but we need snow for that. Right now there isn’t enough snow for that. And yet the hills are muddy or have just enough snow to keep me from going too far into them. I know, woe is me.

The gym, well I like it. In fact, as far as gyms go, I love Elemental Gym. But I’m working out there five consecutive days every week. I’ve been in a serious relationship with both the Elliptical Trainer and the Stepmill for almost eight months, and frankly, I’m running out of ways to keep the excitement alive in those particular relationships. We’ve moved well beyond the honeymoon phase.

Thankfully, my two sessions with Steve each week are still something I look forward to, even if he does have me doing several sets of dead-lifts that equal my weight. (Deadlifts are not my favorite exercise. I prefer to call them  dreadlifts.) As a coach, Steve mixes it up for me but always drives me to become stronger and work harder. And, he holds me accountable. These are all reasons I look forward to my two workouts with him each week — even if they do scare me a little.

Check out this recent workout with Steve, some of which he captured on video. Does this look like fun, or what? Just think, this could be you:

So right now, I know I need my personal trainer more than ever. After all, he is my “coach.” If lack of motivation is an issue for any of you reading this, I would suggest you consider hiring a personal trainer. If you’re one of the 6,937 lucky people living in Lander, WY, Elemental Gym has several great coaches. I know them all, and I have several friends who are reaping benefits from their tutelage. (See bottom of this post for their contact information)

In addition to having a personal trainer to coach you and keep you working at a high level, having a specific goal to shoot for is another trick to overcoming lack of motivation. In the past I’ve trained for trail marathons and 50k trail running events to fulfill this need. Pick a 5k or 10k snowshoe or skiing event, or travel somewhere tropic for Spring Break and start the vacation with a running event.

One March we traveled to Hawaii to do the 37.2-mile Run to the Sun for this reason. It was a great way to start our spring break vacation and it kept us working out hard during the winter months. I’m looking for a similar event for 2010, but very importantly, I have six Wind River Day Hikes that range in distance from 24-32 miles each lined out on my calendar for next summer. These hikes are posted on our refrigerator as a reminder that helps motivate me.

And, I do still have my goal of doing 20 pull-ups. It definitely can’t hurt to have a very specific and measurable goal to work toward. I’m not yet able to do 20 pull-ups so that keeps me going back to the gym for more.

By the way, this motivation slip just started a week or two ago. During that time I tweaked my back a little, and our dog of 14.5 years, Taiga, passed away. Also, we experienced turn-your-clocks-back-an-hour, which truly marks the onset of Fall in my world. So maybe I have a case of Seasonal Affective Disorder, or “Winter Depression.” In which case, I may just invest in a “Feel Bright Light Visor” and be good to go. Regardless, I’m hoping this lack of motivation I’m experiencing will be short-lived.

The point of this post is that at one time or another all of us lack motivation to become or remain fit and healthy, for one reason or another.

I’d love to hear how some of you confront lack of motivation in your training and health. Share with me if you’d like…

In the meantime, just talking about all this has been helpful. I’m feeling better already. Thanks for your continued reading and support. Yours in fitness, Shelli. xoxo

Up next, I will write about one trick I use to confront – and successfully fight off – junk food temptations. Because, other than the aforementioned Oct. 31 candy bar consumption episode, I’ve managed to do pretty well at fighting off all junk food for the last eight months. I will share one of my tricks for achieving that. :>

Elemental Gym has a fantastic gym, some terrific programs and classes that will help you achieve better fitness. And, I might add, some great personal trainers: Steve Bechtel, Ellen Bechtel, Jagoe Reid, and Sophie Mosemann.

Deep Creek & Ice Lakes hike is epic

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As I write this blog post, it’s Oct. 4 and we’ve had 18 inches of snow fall on my hometown of Lander, Wyoming.

Stopping to pose by one of many beautiful lakes on a recent 25-mile day hike in Wyoming's Wind River Range.
Stopping to pose by one of many beautiful lakes on a recent 25-mile day hike in Wyoming's Wind River Range.

Boy, I’m sure glad I was able to do the epic hike to Deep Creek and Ice Lakes in the southern Wind River Range a week ago. Last Saturday, on Sept. 26, we had a stellar Autumn day. Bluebird sky all day long and the trail — all 25 miles of it — seemingly to ourselves.

Holly Copeland, Leann Sebade, me, Milo the dog, and Florian Herrmann, in front of the first lake in the Deep Creek Lakes basin.
Holly Copeland, Leann Sebade, me, Milo the dog, and Florian Herrmann, in front of the first lake in the Deep Creek Lakes basin.

The hike was epic because it was beautiful. But also it was epic because it was long for a day hike. At 25 miles, the hike was one I thought I’d be taking alone. My husband, who is usually my companion on these long day hike efforts, is recovering from a 4-level neck fusion, so he was out. And, when I asked some friends if they’d be interested, one said: “Hmmm. How do I say this? I would do it if we had 2-3 days.”

But by some miracle, within a couple of days, I had 4 takers. I had a “group” to accompany me on this long day hike.

The cast of characters included Florian Herrmann, Leann Sebade and Holly Copeland, and her black lab, Milo.

Holly and her dog, Milo, Leann and Florian, hiking through the Deep Creek and Ice Lakes region.
Holly and her dog, Milo, Leann and Florian, hiking through the Deep Creek and Ice Lakes region.

We departed down the Sheep Bridge Trail from Worthen Reservoir at 6:15 am with headlamps on.

We hiked to Sheep Bridge, then up the Middle Fork toward Pinto Park before taking the Deep Creek and Ice Lake Cutoff Trail. Then, for several miles we hiked amongst lakes and granite cirques and tundra. We returned via the Tayo Park, Middle Fork and Stough Creek Lake trails.

Oh oh, girls and a map. Trying to find our way. And we did, thank you very much.
Oh oh, girls and a map. Trying to find our way. And we did, thank you very much.

It was a spectacularly beautiful hike. I was inspired by the stunning sights, the effort and the good company.

It was another remarkable day in this paradise in my back yard, the Wind River Range of Wyoming.

It’s tough to beat seeing so much of our magnificent Wind River Mountains as I can in one day while getting a great workout and spending time with great friends who are positive people and who are a great influence on my life. I feel very lucky.

By the way, my husband and three sons were able to track our progress and whereabouts all day long thanks to the Spot Satellite Messenger I had attached to my backpack. It logged GPS coordinates throughout the hike and Jerry and our sons watched us on Google Maps. Very cool. Here, I mapped the trip on Backpacker.com:

One of several beautiful lakes we hiked by.
One of several beautiful lakes we hiked by.

Here are some video clips captured on the great hike. Enjoy!

Exercising at Dark-Thirty a. m.

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This is POST 11 of my “fitness journey” blogging. For backstory, see Post 1,
Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7,Post 8, Post 9 and Post 10.]

Getting fit is hard to do. Especially if you’re me, because that means three times a week your alarm clock blares at 4:30 am.

One of the most common excuses for putting off our fitness and exercising is lack of time.

On a recent day hike in the nearby Wind River Range of Wyoming.
On a recent day hike in the nearby Wind River Range of Wyoming.

I know for me, this has commonly been an excuse. During the last few years I was a business owner, wife and mother of three young sons. Even though we sold our business last September, I remain on board as a consultant. And, as our sons grow, life is getting busier.

I want and need to be fit, but I also want to maximize my time with my family. Don’t get me wrong. I have an extremely supportive (and very fit) husband, and my boys like to see their mommy healthy and happy. Still, I do feel guilty if my exercising takes away ant of my time with them.

To overcome this self-imposed conflict, I’ve been waking up at 4:30 am to work out at the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

This isn’t easy. I love sleeping. I operate best on a full 7 or 8 hours of it. But, at least for me, that 45 minutes of hard exercise yields more benefits than an extra 45 minutes of sleeping. And, when I get home, at about 5:30 am, my boys are still sleeping. I don’t feel like I’ve shorted them, or me, of any family time. So the dark thirty workouts work for me.

There are 3-4 other women I have gotten to know, all also mothers and full-time professionals, who also often work out at dark thirty. Recently we had a little fun and shot some photos of what we really do when we’re at the gym in the wee hours of the morning.

They are below.

My early morning workout friends, Sarah Sweeney, Misty Atnip and Leslie Calkins.
My early morning workout friends, Sarah Sweeney, Misty Atnip and Leslie Calkins.
This is a complex set called "Getting Rid of the Rolls."
This is a complex set called "Getting Rid of the Rolls."

DonutPartyatETCgym3

DonutPartyatETCGym4

Elemental Gym has a fantastic gym, some terrific programs and classes that will help you achieve better fitness. And, I might add, some great personal trainers: Steve Bechtel, Ellen Bechtel, Jagoe Reid, and Sophie Mosemann.

The Down-Side of Losing Weight

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This is POST 9 of my “fitness journey” blogging. For backstory, see Post 1,
Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7,Post 8 and Post 9.]

In the interest of being transparent and offering full disclosure, there are a few negatives associated with my loss of 23 pounds and 12.4% body fat during the last six months.

Been hiking long on Saturdays in the nearby Wind River Range.
Been hiking long on Saturdays in the nearby Wind River Range.

I often work out to songs that make me feel like I need to go to Confession afterward
For one, much of the music I listen to on my iPod during the past months and currently, lacks integrity. It’s a fact. I’m not proud of it, but it’s true. I can’t do intervals effectively if I’m listening to the music I typically listen to, which tends to have some integrity. Now I’m listening to songs with titles like Boom Boom Pow, Hypnotize, Juicy, She Wolf, Poker Face, Dangerous, Single Ladies, etc.

Music my mother would not be proud of. I'm not either...
Music my mother would not be proud of. I'm not either...

Some of the lyrics are so unbecoming that I feel as if I might need to go to Confession after leaving the gym. Fortunately I am able to order a “clean” version of some albums and songs. But this means that in one particular song’s case, there are very few words!


I now qualify for a “2 for 1” special when getting a mammogram
The other downside that comes to mind has to do with my female upper body anatomy that is a pair. (Sorry, not sure how else to refer to this part of my anatomy without coming out and saying what they are, which I’m not comfortable doing in this blog).

But, suffice is to say that in six months I have lost inches from my body, including from my chest. This isn’t welcome news for me given I was only “average” before, and happy with that, thank you very much. Now, when I get a mammogram, I could/should qualify for a two-for-one discount.

My trainer, Steve Bechtel, of Elemental Gym, says we can’t specify where the fat melts off, that fat loss is systemic, and it’s a reality that most of us carry surplus fat in this particular area of our anatomy. Darn’t anyway. You win some and you lose some I guess. Or, sometimes, you can’t win for losing.

Elemental Gym has a fantastic gym, some terrific programs and classes that will help you achieve better fitness. And, I might add, some great personal trainers: Steve Bechtel, Ellen Bechtel, Jagoe Reid, and Sophie Mosemann.