This Is It

Day 42

Here we are. The end. Sometimes I felt like this day would never come, others I felt like time was moving too fast.

I set out on this project looking for an answer and I found one. Is it possible to get a six pack in six weeks? No. Not for me anyways. But that doesn't mean it can't happen for other people and it also doesn't mean it can never happen for me.

I refuse to give up on the elusive six pack. I still believe I will have one some day. For now though, I am happy with what I have accomplished. I feel so much better about my body and so much healthier.

I have also learned alot! I don't think I can keep up the intense pace of the past six weeks but my workouts have become much more effective and I have mastered the art of eating healthy foods. Over the past 42 days I have been collecting little bits of knowledge and now I'm ready to put them all together.

As a final thought I'd like to share what this experience has taught me.

TOP 5 THINGS I LEARNED FROM PROJECT SIX PACK

1. Don't believe everything you read. And if you're skeptical, find out for yourself if it's true! I wondered for years if everything the health magazines promised was possible. And while it was a bit sad to find out they are not a source of complete truth, I still love them all the same! After all, I'm alot better off than I would be if they had told me it was extremely unlikely that I would be able to achieve my goal.

2. Tuesdays are soccer days. If my motivation levels are not where I need them be, running around the track while the soccer team practices on the fields in the centre is the easiest way to make sure I get a good workout. All I have to do is pretend the coach is talking to me when he screams, "You call that a sprint?! Run! Run! Run!"

3. Fat is very good at hiding. When I started the project, I went through my grocery list and picked the low-fat alternative of nearly everything I buy. Surprisingly, I barely noticed a difference. Cheese made with skim milk for instance, or light peanut butter - it all tastes the same to me! My favourite trick: substitute fat free plain yogurt for sour cream. It sounds disgusting I know, but trust me as long as there are enough other flavours going on, you get the exact same effect. For instance, layer salsa on top and dip your nacho chips in it!

4. Matter over mind. Exercising nearly every day gets your body into some very good habits! Even when I was dreading going to the gym and all I could think about was getting home and taking a nap, as soon as my feet hit the stairmaster, they knew exactly what to do. My brain was saying "No, you do not want to be doing this right now!" But my muscles happily worked together and kept right on going.

5. It takes a village. Embarking on this challenge helped me realize that I have the most encouraging friends and family on this planet, not to mention the single most supportive boyfriend that ever lived. When I made excuses for not going to the gym, you shot them down and talked me into it. When I reached for the chocolate, you slapped my hand. When I wanted to give up, I knew you would never let me.

So thank you! I truly could not have done it without every single person who read my blog, commented on my posts, gave me advice and took an interest. It has been so amazing!

Project Six Pack is over, but my quest has just begun. Look for me in the summer. I'll be the girl walking down the beach with the gorgeous abs. That's a promise.

Exercise Pays. Literally.

Day 38

I am an avid coin collector. That's what I like to call myself anyway. I guess another way of putting it would be that I pick up every piece of change I see. Today, after finding two cents on the track -score!- I realized that this hobby is similar to working out in many ways.

To start with, you can look a bit silly doing either.

One time I was sitting on a bench waiting for a bus when I noticed a penny about 3 metres away on the ground. I walked over and bent down to pick it up. As I stood up, I heard "Hey Kelsey!" and looked to see two old friends who had watched the whole thing. Not how I would ideally choose to run into someone.

Likewise, the way I look when I am working out is not how I would want to present myself to people. The gym is a place that can make even the most confident people self-conscious. I always tried to comfort myself with that line: "Nobody is watching you, they are focused on their workout." However, over the past five weeks I have realized that this is a complete lie. I look at every person who walks into the gym, so I can only assume others are looking at me. And the whole baggy shirt with old highschool gym shorts, covered in sweat look is not really my thing.

Another thing "coin collecting" has in common with working out? It requires a lot of patience. My friends always tease me for picking up pennies and I guess it's because one cent seems pretty worthless. But twice a year when I count those coins up, it feels good to have a few extra dollars in my pocket.

Exercising works in the same way. One day of exercise is like a penny. Alone it isn't going to get you much, but keep adding more and eventually you will have enough to get what you want. Like a six pack, for example.

From January until now, the number of people in the gym on any given day has probably been cut in half. After Christmas, everyone is ready to try to get the body they want and this time they are determined! But a few weeks later, when nothing has changed, they give up.

It really is difficult to keep working out when you're not seeing any results, it seems pointless, like picking up pennies. But, eventually, it will all add up!

These pictures of my progress demonstrate perfectly. If you look from one week to the next you really can't see too much change (pun intended.) But between week one and six, there is a huge difference! (At least, I hope.)

*NOTE 1: These are pictures that I have been taking at the beginning of each week. So the first one is before I started the project and the last one is from this Monday. I will be posting a final picture of my results at the end of the week!

**NOTE 2: My camera does not show very much detail. My abs are actually more defined than they appear (I swear!) I will try to get a higher quality image for my final picture.

Endorphin Junkie

Day 36
You know that feeling you get when you're running and you stop having to tell your legs what to do? And it's like they are just carrying you? Like you are completely untouchable? Either you know exactly what I'm talking about or you are questioning my sanity.

But no matter what you think, I am a definite believer in Runner's High. How else do you explain that place of pure happiness you can only get to by sprinting as hard as possible? That place where no matter how many people pass you, you still think you are the fastest runner on the track?

I went to that place today. As I ran around the small indoor track at my school I couldn't keep myself from smiling. At one point I busted out my air guitar without noticing. And even once I noticed, I finished my mock jam before I put my hands back at my sides.

It's a priceless feeling really. Like falling in love, or getting something you've always dreamed of. And even if it only happens once every ten times I run, it's so worth the pain of the other nine times.

I wish I could bring everyone I know to this place, but I guess it's one of those things you have to do for yourself. Good luck!

Level 10

Day 31
The StairMaster and I have a bit of a rocky relationship. Initially, it was mostly filled with hate, from my end anyway, but now it's all love! No other machine in the gym can make me sweat like this one can.

I even have a particular StairMaster that I always use. Number 3. It appears to be the oldest of the four in the gym, but that means it's the simplest to program. It also means it was probably invented before obesity became an epidemic.

See, Number 3 has no comfort grips on it's handles, it's steps are not even big enough for a whole foot, and there is no place to put a magazine, or even a water bottle. It is made for the intense fitness buff...like me.

Number 3 has twenty levels of difficulty and my newest goal is to complete a fifteen minute workout at the highest level by the end of my six weeks.

Today I completed fifteen minutes at level ten. I had to stop three times. This is one serious machine. I think it was probably donated by a trainer for an Olympic athlete who said it was just too difficult.

I sweated off approximately ten pounds in those fifteen minutes. And according to Number 3's simple black screen with red lights, burned 130 calories. A number which is potentially accurate considering I have stopped lying to workout machines about my weight. Honesty is important in any good relationship after all.

See you tomorrow Number 3, and be ready to take it to the next level!

Professional Help

Day 29
As I begin the fifth week of Project Six Pack, I am pleased to announce that I now have a fitness consultant on board! My sister/kinesiologist extraordinaire has been giving me pointers that I think will really increase my chances of success.

Up until now, I've been developing my six pack strategy based on magazine and online articles, which are all very contradictory I might add. And while this information has proved fairly effective , advice from a real, live person (especially one I'm related to) seems a lot more trustworthy.

So I enter Week Five with more confidence than ever before and a sense of excitement, knowing that my goal may not be so outrageous as I once thought.

Also, a shout out to my naysayers - proving someone wrong is the most effective motivation you could give me.

You Gotta Have Faith

Day 26
My project is approximately 62% complete today and I'm feeling a little discouraged. I have made some good progress but those last 4 abs just do not want to show up!

Abs, if you're listening, now is your time to shine. Don't be shy! I thought estimating 2 hours of working out plus no junk food was a pretty safe plan. Turns out it takes more than that. I think maybe my mind and my body are not getting along. They are like siblings, one is saying, "Watch what I can do," and the other replies with, "We'll see about that!"

Of course, my brain wants a six pack, it just doesn't want to sacrifice it's pride and believe that it's possible. Brains don't like to be wrong. So my goal right now is to make sure my whole self is on board. You can't spell abs without team work. Okay fine, according to the english language you can, but not in my books.

So my mantra for the next weeks is: You can do it! You can do it! You can do it! I will also be using music from my well-developed playlists to drown out any negative thoughts.

Multi-tasking

Day 22

I am writing this post from class. Canadian Social History to be specific. Normally I don’t advocate multi-tasking but desperate times call for desperate measures.

School is starting to pick up: midterms, topic proposals and stories loom. And as I focus more on these assignments, I have begun to slack in other areas: namely laundry and keeping my room in a decent state.

You see, time management is really just math. Twenty four hours in a day divided by all the things that need to be done. So as school work begins to require more hours, there is less room for other tasks on the to-do list. But what if you could cheat? What if you could do two things at once, thereby theoretically increasing the number of hours in a day?

My sister passed on these wise words from a professor: “If you’re doing two things at once, you’re not doing one of them well enough.” And he was absolutely right. I have no idea what is happening in my lecture right now because I am writing this post.

Studies say it is impossible for the human brain to actually concentrate on more than one thing at once. Probably true, but I’m going to keep trying anyway.

As I attempt to manage my time more wisely, there are many decisions to be made. This class, for instance, lost out in the priorities battle because even when I do pay attention I don’t get much out of it.

One thing I won’t sacrifice: my work out. Everyday I see people pumping their legs on the elliptical while their eyes stare at a magazine, or notes from class. And I think ‘What’s the point?’

If I’m going to spend time working out, I am going to see results. And if I’m moving slow enough that I don’t have to wipe the sweat off my forehead before it drips into my eyes, those results are nothing but a faraway dream.