Yes, I Ritmeyer, bought into the excuse that somehow lifting weights heavier than 8 lbs would turn me into a man-woman. But NO MORE!
I finally jumped in the deep end. I am all about the cardio and body weight moves, but I have been putting off weight training for years! So I decided to do this, bought a copy of The New Rules Of Weight Lifting for woman, and into the gym I went.
I brought with me, my dear husband and a training log. I needed some help with my form on a squat and the deadlift. I've never ventured near a squat rack, so I was already a wee bit tense. As our track record in any competitive or "teachable" moment goes...we fought. In the squat rack. Yeah, the others in the gym, a'hem, MALES, stared. He suggested I do it a certain way, I say "like this", he says "no, like this"...fighting, fight, I almost take my toys and leave the sandbox. I'm super mature like that. So, we solve this problem by me going to the gym by myself.
I'm on week 4 and I have to say, I feel bad ass!!! I own the squat rack and deadlift like a beast. I've been hovering between the same 5 lbs for months as well as being in-between dress sizes. I am happy to report that while my weight is still the same, I am now firmly down a size and getting stronger! Also, I'm eating more. Momma likey! My 3 year old is also enjoying "Eating the pro-team powders".
Monday, August 27, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Now I run, now I blog. Maybe you read...
Yep. Another running blog. By a mom. Me. Ritmeyer. Here's my story...
I quit smoking 7 years ago. How did I do this you ask? With willpower, my friends. Def: willpower -Ben & Jerry's Half Baked Ice Cream, Jack & the box taco's dipped in buttermilk ranch. With a side of stop working out.
Needlesss to say, I gained some weight. Like 60 lbs of some. Then I lost 40 lbs of it. Then I got knocked up. When I gave birth to my son, I was floored when a 90lb 6th grader was not placed in my arms. 3 months later it really hit me, I was sleep deprived and I was fat. I joined a stroller fitness class, started running a little while cutting my calories and fat. I ate fat free bars and yogurt. Why thank you, I will indeed eat that 100 calorie snack pack of cookies. Yummy, rice cakes. I made different meals for the hubby and kiddo, and at the end of the day I wanted to eat my fist. But still, I plugged away. A year later, I had only lost 40 lbs (uh, 25 of which came off simply by expelling the infant from my womb) and became pregnant with my daughter. What?! I was scared. Terrified! I was starting out at 225 lbs this time, so I could not put another 90 lbs on top of that. Panic set in. What was I going to do?
I began to just eat food. Real food. I cut out the processed stuff. I kept moving. Keep running. Ran a 5k at 33 weeks, went to my stroller fitness class the day before I had my daughter. I left the hospital with a beautiful babe in my arms, weighing 210 lbs. October 27, 2010
I set a goal of competing in a race called conquer castlewood in May of 2011. 1 mile canoe, 6 mile mountain bike, 4.5 mile trail run. My friend and I began training in Jan 2012. I was running 2 miles at 5 mph on the tread mill. Oh, did I tell you... I HATE running. HATE! Remember how I quit smoking with all that willpower? My husband quit smoking by taking up running. Yeah. Wuss.
So, we trained and trained. I had never mountain biked. In April I became an instructor for my stroller fitness class. I was 175 lbs.
After the race, I began to look at other challenges I could set for myself. I had played sports my whole life, so having a goal really keeps me motivated. The running (eye roll) hubbo had been trying to get me to sign up for a half marathon. My response was always "Hey, I can find much better things to do with my time than run for 2 hours". Which was code for "running 3.1 miles is torture for me, I can't imagine going a step further without my soccer coach screaming at me to keep running since we lost that game." So I signed up for the warrior dash in October. Then the hubbo pulled out the big guns. Yep. He went all Marty McFly on me.
"I see, you're just chicken" Um. Excuse me? Me? Chicken? "No I'm not!" Soon to my first husband "I get it, you're scared. It's ok. Just admit it." Me "Am not! Let's do this, jack! You name it, I'm there." Him "Ok, the Rock n' Roll marathon series is coming to St. Louis. Let's do that." Me "Great. But I'll tell you one thing, I'm doing this and I'm going to hate every minute and I'm NEVER running another half marathon again."
So I googled Hal Higdeon, printed off his novice training plan, and wrote my runs in on the calendar. In red. Red. The color of pain and fear. I diligently went out for my runs. And hated every minute. HATED. I also told my husband how much I hated it. But Look, I'm NOT a chicken. I pushed my kids in the jogger on my short runs, ran by myself on the long sunday run. I would spend the first 1 mile telling myself to stop. Why are you running? Why are you doing this? No one is chasing you...hehehe. The last mile was spent telling myself I wasn't going to die. Really. You. Won't. DIE. 4 weeks into training, I was 160 lbs. 8 weeks into the training, something clicks. I'm trudging away through the first mile. "Keep going. QUIT! Just keep going. STOP!" Then I felt like I could keep going. So I did. No internal fight. I focused on my form. My footfalls. Next thing I knew I was 7 miles in, working towards my last mile. I felt amazing. I felt...that runners high. How lame. I always thought that was just crap runners fed you so you would go out and run like them. Misery loves company, right.
Hi, I'm Ritmeyer and I love running. I've run 3 half marathons since and I'm training for my 4th. This May I beat last years time by 20 minutes. During 5k races, my husband and I trade who gets to push the kids. My 3 year old will yell "Beat him/her Mommy! Go faster! You can do it!" at every person that is infront of me. Yes. A ridiculously large competitive nature is hereditary. I now have my own class with my Stoller Fitness group and I'm currently getting my pre/post-natal excercise certification.
I am currently 155 lbs, working at reaching my goal of 145. But, I'm happy with where I am. My goal with this blog is to have a place where I can put my love of fitnss and health, maybe connect with others who are equally passionate about these things. Maybe someone will find something here that will help them.
Something clicked in my brain while pregnant with my daughter. I didn't want this for her, this hatred for her body. This end of day reflection hinging on whether she ate "GOOD" or "BAD". I want my kids to have a healthy view of themselves and treat their bodies well. I was on my first diet in the 7th grade. I am a tall girl at 5'9, but I always thought I should weigh 120 lbs. I want my daughter to respect and love her body for all the amazing things it can do. Today I look in the mirror and see a body that is strong! It has grown and birthed 2 children. It has run 3 half marathons in 8 months, smashed out a 6 mile trail run just for fun, can bang out 29 push up jumps in a minute, can carry a 27 lb 21 month old on her back for a 5 mile hike, and can eat a peice of cake without guilt.
I quit smoking 7 years ago. How did I do this you ask? With willpower, my friends. Def: willpower -Ben & Jerry's Half Baked Ice Cream, Jack & the box taco's dipped in buttermilk ranch. With a side of stop working out.
Needlesss to say, I gained some weight. Like 60 lbs of some. Then I lost 40 lbs of it. Then I got knocked up. When I gave birth to my son, I was floored when a 90lb 6th grader was not placed in my arms. 3 months later it really hit me, I was sleep deprived and I was fat. I joined a stroller fitness class, started running a little while cutting my calories and fat. I ate fat free bars and yogurt. Why thank you, I will indeed eat that 100 calorie snack pack of cookies. Yummy, rice cakes. I made different meals for the hubby and kiddo, and at the end of the day I wanted to eat my fist. But still, I plugged away. A year later, I had only lost 40 lbs (uh, 25 of which came off simply by expelling the infant from my womb) and became pregnant with my daughter. What?! I was scared. Terrified! I was starting out at 225 lbs this time, so I could not put another 90 lbs on top of that. Panic set in. What was I going to do?
I began to just eat food. Real food. I cut out the processed stuff. I kept moving. Keep running. Ran a 5k at 33 weeks, went to my stroller fitness class the day before I had my daughter. I left the hospital with a beautiful babe in my arms, weighing 210 lbs. October 27, 2010
I set a goal of competing in a race called conquer castlewood in May of 2011. 1 mile canoe, 6 mile mountain bike, 4.5 mile trail run. My friend and I began training in Jan 2012. I was running 2 miles at 5 mph on the tread mill. Oh, did I tell you... I HATE running. HATE! Remember how I quit smoking with all that willpower? My husband quit smoking by taking up running. Yeah. Wuss.
So, we trained and trained. I had never mountain biked. In April I became an instructor for my stroller fitness class. I was 175 lbs.
After the race, I began to look at other challenges I could set for myself. I had played sports my whole life, so having a goal really keeps me motivated. The running (eye roll) hubbo had been trying to get me to sign up for a half marathon. My response was always "Hey, I can find much better things to do with my time than run for 2 hours". Which was code for "running 3.1 miles is torture for me, I can't imagine going a step further without my soccer coach screaming at me to keep running since we lost that game." So I signed up for the warrior dash in October. Then the hubbo pulled out the big guns. Yep. He went all Marty McFly on me.
"I see, you're just chicken" Um. Excuse me? Me? Chicken? "No I'm not!" Soon to my first husband "I get it, you're scared. It's ok. Just admit it." Me "Am not! Let's do this, jack! You name it, I'm there." Him "Ok, the Rock n' Roll marathon series is coming to St. Louis. Let's do that." Me "Great. But I'll tell you one thing, I'm doing this and I'm going to hate every minute and I'm NEVER running another half marathon again."
So I googled Hal Higdeon, printed off his novice training plan, and wrote my runs in on the calendar. In red. Red. The color of pain and fear. I diligently went out for my runs. And hated every minute. HATED. I also told my husband how much I hated it. But Look, I'm NOT a chicken. I pushed my kids in the jogger on my short runs, ran by myself on the long sunday run. I would spend the first 1 mile telling myself to stop. Why are you running? Why are you doing this? No one is chasing you...hehehe. The last mile was spent telling myself I wasn't going to die. Really. You. Won't. DIE. 4 weeks into training, I was 160 lbs. 8 weeks into the training, something clicks. I'm trudging away through the first mile. "Keep going. QUIT! Just keep going. STOP!" Then I felt like I could keep going. So I did. No internal fight. I focused on my form. My footfalls. Next thing I knew I was 7 miles in, working towards my last mile. I felt amazing. I felt...that runners high. How lame. I always thought that was just crap runners fed you so you would go out and run like them. Misery loves company, right.
Hi, I'm Ritmeyer and I love running. I've run 3 half marathons since and I'm training for my 4th. This May I beat last years time by 20 minutes. During 5k races, my husband and I trade who gets to push the kids. My 3 year old will yell "Beat him/her Mommy! Go faster! You can do it!" at every person that is infront of me. Yes. A ridiculously large competitive nature is hereditary. I now have my own class with my Stoller Fitness group and I'm currently getting my pre/post-natal excercise certification.
I am currently 155 lbs, working at reaching my goal of 145. But, I'm happy with where I am. My goal with this blog is to have a place where I can put my love of fitnss and health, maybe connect with others who are equally passionate about these things. Maybe someone will find something here that will help them.
Something clicked in my brain while pregnant with my daughter. I didn't want this for her, this hatred for her body. This end of day reflection hinging on whether she ate "GOOD" or "BAD". I want my kids to have a healthy view of themselves and treat their bodies well. I was on my first diet in the 7th grade. I am a tall girl at 5'9, but I always thought I should weigh 120 lbs. I want my daughter to respect and love her body for all the amazing things it can do. Today I look in the mirror and see a body that is strong! It has grown and birthed 2 children. It has run 3 half marathons in 8 months, smashed out a 6 mile trail run just for fun, can bang out 29 push up jumps in a minute, can carry a 27 lb 21 month old on her back for a 5 mile hike, and can eat a peice of cake without guilt.
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