Today we went for a four mile hike at 6 am and then did some intense cardio circuits, another four mile hike, another round of intense cardio and then a pool workout. At the end of the day my heart monitor says I burned 5000 calories. I am hopeful this will bring change into my life. We are eating 400 calorie meals and they are good and we are learning about pushing through…I am tired AND I am hopeful….
So, as we climbed the mountain today, 1220 feet of elevation and 4 miles from start to finish, I was struck by a number of things.
First, the ten of us met yesterday and today we are a true community. We encouraged and cheered each other on with every hill, rocky or tree roots section. It reminds me so much of the quote by CS Lewis ~ ”Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” There is a sense of understanding with each other, even though our stories are different and our day-to-day environments unique. I feel blessed to be on a journey with this new community and am thankful for the ongoing friendships and accountability we will enjoy.
Second, as we hiked the mountain, the beauty that was supposed to be magnificent, was not visible to us due to dense fog. We listened to our trail guide tell us of the beauty and i realized this was a good analogy to what I am feeling as I journey this season at Fitness North. Lief, who is in charge of our nutrition and workouts, is confident we will see results. I want to believe him, but there is a sense of a dense fog, in that I can not yet see the beauty. I believe there will be beauty in the outcome, both internal and external to my being, but right now, as I anticipate day two, I feel like I am choosing to believe it and will see it more when the fog clears.
And on that note, it will be six am soon and I must be ready to hit the ground running. There is rumor we may be having a middle of the night workout sometime this week as well as some guests from Biggest Loser, so the days feel full of surprises. I am trusting the process and living it fully….it is a true adventure!