Realization and a Compliment

I don't know if it's because I refueled on Saturday evening or if it's just because of the crazy busy day I had at work, but I just rocked it at the gym tonight. Shane always tells me I do too much cardio, but he said as long as I'm monitoring my heart rate and keeping it in my Fat Burning Zone, it's okay to do as much as I like. Well....today I had some SERIOUS stamina! I started with a 5 minute warm-up on the treadmill, did a hard 30 minutes on the bike, did another hard 30 minutes going backward on the elliptical, and then ended doing a powerwalk on the treadmill for a final 30 minutes. And I wanted to keep going except I was starting to get hungry!

I'm noticing that my body is getting used to the work I've been doing. It used to take only 3.5 mph on the treadmill to get my heart rate up high enough, now it takes 4.0 mph. I can up the resistance on the bike and elliptical machines while keeping the same speed as before, if not faster. Today, while on the bike, I realized that even though I could feel my quads burning during my ride, I wasn't letting up. Old Gina would have lightened it up so she couldn't feel that pain. But now I push through it thinking "Good. That means it's working."

It's strange, I've come to learn that pushing out my comfort zone is 100% necessary to this transformation. Being in the comfort zone is what got me to 240 lbs. Working out isn't SUPPOSED to be comfortable. It's supposed to be WORK. I don't know why but I've always been afraid of pushing myself to the point of soreness or to the point of getting sick. Yknow what? After 6 months of working hard with Shane, I have yet to throw up. And only once, towards the beginning of our sessions together, was I ever so sore that I was incapacitated. Why was I ever scared of that feeling? Admittedly, I still kind of am. It's strange because I'll push myself to work for longer, but not necessarily to work harder. I don't know what that says about me...

On a side note:

I felt pretty good today in clothes that actually fit. There was a fire drill in my office building and all the faculty and staff came out together, holding their ears from the blaring siren. As we're walking out, Joe Miller sees me and his jaw drops and he says "Wow. Gina, you look fantastic!" It means a lot coming from a gay man with high standards. Trust me. It's just a nice reminder that my hard work is paying off and people can notice.