Quinn is another amazing Flex member who comes to class with a full spirit and tons of supportive energy. Not surprisingly, he is achieving nearly every one of his personal fitness goals: an increase in lean muscle mass and a decrease in body fat, but most importantly a greater sense of health and wellness. Today, we salute you Quinn!
Bart has lost so much weight that we’ve frankly given up on tracking it!
In addition to the healthy new body, Bart’s performance has shot through the roof. When he started 10 months ago, he could barely do push-ups. Today, he was seen pumping out multiple sets of bicycle pull-ups.
Here he is seen with Team 1000 cohort Andrea, who is also responsible for keep Bart moving at “cheetah pace” during every workout. Keep up the great work. We are very proud.
The people of the IC are the real stars and heroes that continue to inspire and motivate our community. It was wonderful to catch up with you guys this morning. I have missed hearing your incredible stories of triumph! It’s not that I have forgotten about my peeps — trust me on that one, I have just been very busy behind the scenes. Btw, no, I’m not pregnant, despite the ease in which my body weight fluctuates. Luckily, I have already put my emotional eating issues on the table for you to devour so I can continue being my authentic self around you. One thing I know for certain is that coping with an emotional relationship with food is dynamic (sometimes great, sometimes horrible) and is dependent upon far more than exercise.  But, and this is a big butt (hello), exercise always pulls me through my worst days. It reminds me how great my body is to me and how lucky I am to be in it. Today, this message was most clearly sent by two Ice Chamber members, Ruth Pardee and Amanda Tung.
We last heard from Ruth a couple of months ago when we published our version of college girls gone wild… Ha, I knew you’d look. Remember how determined she was to meet her weight loss goals this summer at the IC? Well, with the support of her parents, IC celebs Stephanie and Craig, Ruth ended up losing 30 pounds in time for her Fall semester at Vassar (sadly, her last day with us is Wednesday). Congratulations on meeting your weight loss goal Ruth! What a source of inspiration you have been to your fellow 6 am bootcampers! You will be greatly missed.
Amanda joined the IC in March 2009. She’s still new at this in many respects, but you’d never know it based on her stats! In that short amount of time, she has lost 20 pounds and what I appreciate most about talking to Amanda this morning is her no-nonsense honesty. “I was very inspired by your postpartum comeback video,” she told me, “but my story isn’t about pregnancy… I went through a bad breakup.” Say no more Amanda. We salute you!
We would also like to send a special thank you to Danielle for providing unwavering support and guidance to everyone at the IC, but particularly to Ruth and Amanda this summer.
-Maya
After connecting with the 10′amers yesterday, I was able to catch-up with several IC veterans I haven’t seen in recent weeks. First off, from outward appearances you guys have really reshaped your physiques since I last saw you! Even those of you who complained to me about not meeting your weight loss goals should know with absolute certainty that your hard work at the IC is obviously paying off. Jessica and I conversed in private afterward about how cool it is to see your developing triceps, deltoids, and of course best of all, the ‘toosh’ lifts. …and don’t get us started on your athletic achievements, which are nothing short of amazing. Push-ups and pull-ups galore! Nearly every person I spoke to yesterday had the most delicious glow of health beaming off of their face.
The reason I chose this picture however, is because I learned during some of those brief conversations between classes that lots of folks are going through challenging times these days. A few of us are nursing loved ones through their final breaths of life or are already in mourning, others are desperate to conceive new life, some are painfully ending relationships, and nearly everyone is nervous about the financial current swirling the globe.
I know from my own experience that being an ideal weight, size, and shape are big reasons we all work out and care about our health as fanatically as we do, but I also want to remind us of moments like the one captured here, when simply cultivating a brief moment of inner quiet and sharing a collective intention of peace can be just as vital to our wellbeing as improving the image staring back at us in the mirror.
-Maya
Our Body Change Challenge was our most self-directed event to date. It was also one of our most successful because it helped illuminate the diversity of the “it” factor here at the IC. How can five people (Tracy Lenihan was too ill to take the recent photo) on five different diet plans achieve such amazing results in the same amount of time (60 days)? Each one of these winners prioritized performance & nutrition on their own terms and discovered what worked best for their needs along the way. We welcome you to initiate a dialogue with any of them about their path to success because supporting and learning from each other is part of the magic of this community. In the meantime, check out this awesome “after” photo…
What have you gained in this process?
Jason: “While dropping a whopping 18 lbs. (to date mind you!), I have greatly increased my physical strength, learned good eating habits, and most importantly, gained confidence in myself. (CHEESY, but true).”
Tracy: “I have a great sense of accomplishment. I feel so much better about my body, and happier to ‘be in it.’ Also, I have a deeper desire and commitment to exercising and challenging myself physically.”
Mary: “It’s very important for me to reach my goals with regard to weight and fitness, but now my focus is to be consistent in my attendance. I’m glad to have this healthy outlet to relieve stress and feel better emotionally.”
Craig: “I’m back in the saddle.”
Saturday Core group getting busy: band circle intervals mixed with DB clean and press.
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TOTAL amount of pounds shed at the IC by 61 people in 60 days: 310.5 lbs
Average % Decrease in Body Fat: 5.72
Average Weight Lost (lbs.): 5.09
Earlier this week I asked you what an ideal weight for myself might be, you were noncommittal and tried to focus me on other things instead. Do I feel good? Do I have lots of energy? Specifically, one of the things I remember you said was “If your clothes fit…” Let me finish that thought for you now.
No. They don’t.
Yesterday I started going through my closet and removing the things that were too big. This picture (in which Kaia kindly posed to establish perspective) is what I took out. And actually this isn’t everything. I had to keep a few things so I’d still have something to wear (I may work at UC Berkeley but even they draw the line at nakedness sometimes…) I am not a shopper or a clothes horse (athletic apparel accepted)– this stack represents a pretty good snapshot of what was in my closet. Now it’s full of empty hangers.
I was probably within range of my current weight in college 15 years ago, but I question whether I looked or felt this good. Sometimes I don’t even think I was this strong. My problem then was that I tended to balance out being a Division I athlete with my general all-around lazy attitude towards everything, an attitude that surfaced whenever I could get away with it– from eating and drinking habits, to dogging it in workouts. Now? Maybe I’ve learned a few things.
So I get what you were trying to say. My weight will never tell the whole story. But I think my clothes are starting to.
-Mel Dixon
Congrats Jason – you just won six months of Flex Access! Jason lost 15 lbs. and went from 18% body fat to 13.9%
This challenge brought out the best in so many of you. Out of 129 registrants, 61 completed the challenge successfully. Here are the top five contenders:
Jason Mooney: 22.78% reduction
Mary Dang: 19.25% reduction
Tracy Tingle: 18.32% reduction
Craig Sterry: 18.31% reduction
Tracy Lenihan: 17.45% reduction
You all deserve great recognition for your effort and determination.
I joined the Ice Chamber last June with the excuse of needing to lose the “baby fat†with my baby hitting seven by the end of summer. The irony is that after I had both my children, my weight was at all time lows, simply because of breastfeeding and daily walks, holding my children and weekly yoga. But in the past few years, I’ve found it more difficult to maintain a real exercise regiment. I went in waves where I was working out multiple times a week to absolutely nothing for weeks, even months on end. By last spring, I knew I needed to find something that would keep me engaged, that I could commit to at an hour in the day that would not impact my family time. My weight was higher than it had been, but more importantly, I didn’t feel comfortable in my own body, clothes didn’t feel or fit the way they should, and the belly area was just, well, let’s say, sort of out of control!
Anyway, since joining the IC I’ve lost just over 10 pounds, have gained lean muscle mass (loving my arms these days!) and have dropped a full dress size. But the most significant benefit about my time with the gym is a renewed sense of confidence around my physical capabilities; I feel stronger and more confident about pushing my own limits. I know that no matter how tired I might feel during a given exercise or activity, that I can still try to push through. I exercise during my “off days†from the IC (6am class, 3 days/week). As we have access to a fitness center at my work, I go and do my own little circuit of extended jump roping or running, squats, lunges, push-ups, sit-ups and work with medicine balls. On the weekends (when the weather is nice) I try to go running in the neighborhood. This past fall and winter, I ran two races, (a 7k and 5k), something I had always wanted to do, but had been too intimidated to try. Now my goal is to work up to a 12K, so that I can keep my runner of a father company. Finally, I know that I’m modeling good practices for my children, and that encouraging them to be active isn’t hollow anymore, because they see their mama active right next to them. I do the monkey-bars, climb play structures and jump rope with them.
In terms of eating patterns or potential changes, I haven’t really altered much. I still enjoy all foods, eat balanced and well-proportioned meals, but I don’t really deprive myself of anything, except that I don’t eat anything after 7:30pm. I love to cook and am surrounded by a community of cooks so preparing food and eating with friends and family are part of our routine. The other key for me is that I minimize caffeine and I drink endless cups of hot water (it’s the Chinese in me!) throughout the day. Green tea is my drink (on the way to the IC) each morning and ginger tea is my ritual nightcap. Also, almonds and dried cranberries make up my favorite snack at my desk during the day.
Thank you Steve, Maya, Jess and Danielle for inspiring and challenging me. I’ve loved every moment of it.
Here are some of the infamous members of the 7 am Pull-up Club. This devoted crew deserves their own customized IC T-shirt! Stay tuned…
