Morning People

I am not a morning person.

Those of you who know me can attest to that.  To me, "early morning" is generally anything before 10 a.m.  I rarely am out of bed before 8:00.  For the past few weeks this has all changed.  I am now up at around 4:30 every morning so I can be at the gym by 5:00 for my morning fasted cardio.  And here's the crazy part:

I love it.

Seriously.  I love it so much that I was even there a few times before the gym even opened.  How crazy is that?  Me.  Early for something.  In the morning.  Weird, I know.

I don't love getting out of bed at 4:30.  Especially on those freezing cold mornings.  But once I am up and dressed and brush my teeth I am wide awake and ready to go.  I am out the door before I even have time to think about crawling back in my nice cozy bed, snuggling with all my boys.  (Hubby, two toddlers and a dog). And once I get to the gym I never have to wait for my favorite cardio machine.  It's always empty.  Just sitting there, waiting.  No one else has sweated all over it yet.  It's all mine.

So, I hop on with a good book, set the program and read for 30 minutes.

It's so awesome!  I don't even have to worry about getting called to the daycare to get my kids or anything.  Just me, my bike and whatever novel I happen to be enjoying.  Some mornings I'm even a bit sad when my 30 minutes is up.  I've been known to stay and do 45 minutes on occasion.  Especially if I need to finish a really good section of my book.

When I get back home I am wide awake and ready to start my day.  No one else is awake yet, so I can sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee in peace and quiet while catching up with email and Facebook.  I can even do some housework!  It's pretty cool, this whole "Morning Person" thing.

A few things about my contest prep.  Obviously I am now doing fasted cardio in the mornings.  Other than that, my training hasn't really changed for now.  My coach has modified my diet a bit, mostly just by throwing in carb cycling.  It's going well.  I'm still really satisfied with the food and not hungry.  Usually.  I have given in to cravings twice.  Damn you, Cheerios and fresh cheese curds!  However, unlike in the past, I have a little cheat and then move on.  I don't just say, "Fuck it!" And throw in the towel and eat everything in sight.  This is a huge shift for me.

I missed the gym twice, due to inclement weather.  I did still train at home.  It's not ideal, but at least I'm still getting it done.

I took photos and measurements last week.
I cried.
But, I know where I'm starting now, and I have my goal firmly in mind.  Nowhere to go but up from here.

I also have started working on my posing.  Hopefully it won't feel so ridiculous once I lose some of the weight.  The posing is really freaking me out, to be honest.  It's just really foreign to me.  But, it will come with time and feel more natural, I know.

Enough for now.  I need to be up in 6 hours to head to the gym.


Curious about my coach, training or other stuff? Here's a link to my trainer, Coco Kissack, on Facebook.