And We Are Back...

Hey guys,

First things first. Big apology for the sudden disappearance of this blog. There were several factors involved in it – technical glitches, my unexpected emergency trip and Melissa’s business travel. I hope that this “road bump” into our (Melissa’s and mine) journey did not result in a reciprocal move on your side.
You see… that’s the thing about life. You will get going on something, you will make progress, everything will be going smoothly… and then… a curve ball comes your way. Your child gets sick, your best friend gets dumped a month before her wedding, you get a promotion at work and have to double your workload overnight… You know the list.
As much as the fitness magazines try to tell you that “you shouldn’t let these things distract you”, the reality of life is that they will. I mean, how many of you will leave your child alone at home with a fever because the plan was to go for a run at this time and I have to do it, no matter what?

The good news is that falling off the proverbial wagon is nowhere near as important as it is made out to be. Everyone falls off. I have fallen off and I am an ex pro-fitness competitor!
What really matters, though, is how quickly you get back on. That’s what separates the achievers, the winners, the aces from the crowd. So, if you happen to take the break while we were putting out fires – finish reading, dust off your tekkies and set up your alarm for gym session.

Now, let’s hear Melissa’s journey over the last two weeks…

Melissa:
I am so happy to be back! Let me first apologize for storming off without letting Jeni or anyone else know what is going on. I know that I made certain commitments about three and a half weeks ago and I am by no means backing out. But as you might have figured out by now… my work is hectic. I work in the film industry where things change hourly (if I am lucky) and sudden trips during filming season (which ends in 4 weeks) are the norm rather than the exception.
I went on a film shoot in Mozambique for 10 days and unfortunately wasn’t able to fit in the blog with my work load. (I barely made my workout sessions!)

I think I did really well on the trip – under the circumstances (catering companies that don’t offer much choice and very limited exercise opportunities). Exactly 4 hours after I landed back in CT, I had my first session back with Jeni and we did some measurements – just to assess the damage. The results are bitter-sweet for me.

I have gained 0.2kg. I have lost about a centimetre on each of the measurement points. And my body fat is stable – no movement. On the one side, I am happy I didn’t gain (heaven forbid!) but I am also a bit disappointed. You have no idea how hard I worked guys! I did not miss a single workout on the trip! Sometimes I had to modify the routine based on what was available, but I would say I was 80%-90% on plan. The same with my eating… Yes I did have 3 capirinias and 2 glasses of wine on closing night, but overall, I maintained and stuck to the plan pretty much. And I get a 0.2kg gain! I mean, I didn’t expect the same results as what I had in the first 10 days (2.7kg loss) but still…

Anyway, “no point crying over spilt milk” my mom used to say. I am now looking forward and maintaining a positive attitude! I just went to buy myself some more meal replacement shakes and bars and all the healthy stuff that my fridge should host and I will see you all at gym – bright and early!

Mel