Day 26 - Challenge number 2...........................

On Sunday I really pumped it up at the gym (listen to my new gym vocabulary - not sure what the heck it means :))....but I knew the weight loss wasn't that great and weigh in day was coming on Tuesday....I was soaked when I left the gym and headed for a quick run into the store for some veggies and stuff.......apparently, I still don't have that "gym look" even with my sweatpants and t shirt on, as the guy that checked me out, (not "check me out" as in "hey Mrs. Robinson - of course not, "check me out" as in "your bill is $29.12), asked me why I had a towel around my neck! COME ON BUDDY, THROW ME A BONE!

So we come to Monday, Challenge day....this is the 2nd challenge, I wake up early at 6am to get ready as I had a conference call from 7a-8a (on my 1/2 vacation day :( ) and then tried to eat 1/2 english muffin with some peanut butter to salvage some energy for the challenge! I got up to the gym a bit after 830a so I could "warm up" first as our challenge was YIKES outside - 28 degrees outside! I looked like I had gained about 30 pounds as I had a few layers on along with gloves and tights under my sweats! We headed outside and I quickly peeled off the top layer of fleece.....I had to be able to move whatever the challenge was...I was so nervous - I just wanted to do well.....

So they had us form a circle and seriously, if you could have seen us, you would have thought that was the challenge - pretty funny trying to make that happen! Once the circle was formed, they told us the challenge....basically the trainers would take turns getting into the middle of our circle and give us an exercise to do for a minute, without any stopping and if your form was wrong, they would correct you but if wrong after that, you were out! So it began....

Squats OF COURSE, squat down and come up and lift your knee to 1 side and then squat down and come up on the other side - up and down, up and down - amazing how long a minute feels...
Lunges - first lunge and up and lunge and up on 1 side and then repeating on the other side....
Push ups - WHAT? Glad I had some gloves on because my knees were crying from the parking lot pavement already.....but keep going, you can do this...
Then holding our hands out - I think he figured our arms would be tired from the push ups, but that one was actually a great one to catch your breath (please don't mention that to the trainers.....we appreciated the tiny break!)

At this point, I was happy I seemed to be finding some energy somewhere.....let's keep going...

THEN IT HAPPENED...MR SIMON SAYS TRAINER stepped in the ring......with his "squat down and hold, hold, hold, and then jump up....down and hold, up, down, up....down and hold....up...down and hold...up...down and up...down and up.....
so basically he was doing it and as you looked around the circle, some were up, some were down, and at that point, they said, if you don't stay with him, you are out!!! At that my, my 2nd grade observation skills kicked in....and suddenly I was up but all else were down :( -Man, I was soooooo bummed...I still had lots of energy and really thought I was going to keep it going...

Oh well, I wasn't the first out.....and I tried...so at this point, I stepped out of the circle and decided I would just keep going with them...I needed the workout and plus they needed the support to keep it going....

So I scooted back out of the circle and kept going from the "sidelines"....eventually it was down to 3, 2 and finally a winner! The last 2 were from my team, Kathleen and Katie and Katie won and ended up with 2 tickets to Mamma Mia at the Fox! We all congratulated everyone and headed inside, as we THOUGHT the challenge was OVER................

On the way outside, JC, the head trainer, had asked us if we all knew everyone's name, which we do and wondered why he was asking....so once inside we found out...he asked us all to write down the name of a fellow contestant that showed lots of support....well, we all do....so you can imagine my SURPRISE and EXCITEMENT when he gathered us up after the "voting" to tell me I had WON that vote and that the challenge outside was really a "facade challenge" (tell my knee's that :))....At that moment, I didn't care what I had won, I just knew I had WON..... and it meant the world to me......

And then he continued as he mentioned my prize.........................IMMUNITY AT THE WEIGH IN ON TUESDAY!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT?! Are you kidding me????????????????

I knew I had spoken to the man upstairs, His mother Mary and the Holy Spirit on my drive to the challenge....I had prayerfully explained to them (I knew I needed to call them all in for this prayer....) that while I realized that the LOSE A TON challenge was not at the top of any "prayer list", I just wanted to say a prayer that whatever they thought best would happen and that I would be fine as well....I learned long ago not to pray for what I want.....there are bigger decisions out there.....

I was in SHOCK - happy and excited, but feeling bad too, as all of the girls deserved this too!!!
But I also knew I was concerned about my weight loss this past 2 weeks (or lack thereof!) so this IMMUNITY would keep me in until the next weigh in, which is delayed due to 2 weeks of olympics coverage on channel 5............wow,this gives me my trainer for another MONTH!

After the challenge, 4 of us from my team, jumped on the treadmill and we were running at 5 MPH! Only 30 seconds at a time, but come on, that was big! And it was FUN! I can hardly believe I'm saying that, but it was!

As I showered and left the gym, I headed for work....i felt incredibly blessed and grateful.....
but at the same time, DETERMINED and hopeful, that I really didn't NEED the immunity after all.............................

Turns out at the weigh in today, I lost 4 pounds, so the total since January 7th is now 14 pounds gone! Lots of hard work and healthy eating for sure, but worth every minute of it! And, good news, I didn't need the IMMUNITY after all!!!! But as far as who is up for elimination, tune in to Show Me St. Louis tomorrow, 3pm, on channel 5 to see the results! It's hard as we are all getting close and it's sad to see anyone go! Good news is at the end of April, everyone will be back on the show for the finale.....

Until tomorrow, celebrate some accomplishment in your life....enjoy the moment....I am!!!