It’s been a while since my new hunk has arrived, I mean my new hunk of steel has arrived.  Hopefully my arms will be made of steel shortly with all the exercising I have been doing.  Initially at the store, I was so awkard, clumsy and overpowered by the elliptical itself.  I had no idea how it worked, or how I was going to get my legs to move the machine, but let me tell you, fast forward one week and I have gotten myself down from ridiculously unable to totally able.  The changes I want to make in my life all start with me and trickle outward.  The biggest change is the need to tone, and clean up my body.  I have exercise before, but honestly my treadmill just died out on me and I have left exercise pile off to the wayside.  It is so important that I keep on thinking about striding towards my goals.  The death of the treadmill has brought on the delivery of the Octane Elliptical.

The Death Of A Treadmill 

This is a look into my first few weeks with an Octane Q37XI and MomMe Time, where I get Off the Chain with exercise. Before we can even discuss my new hunk of love, we have to discuss the old exercise equipment, a treadmill.  I was a treadmill girl, and I had been a kickboxing junkie, and  a cardio stepping queen which is kind of where it all ended.  My treadmill face-planted me into the tread, and died an overdue death(lol)  so then I tried starting up stepping again, only to feel the pain in my knees beyond anything I care to discuss.

When I talked to G&G initially we were talking about a treadmill, but after we discussed zero impact on my knees the choice was naturally made as the Octane Elliptical offers zero impact.  Age is not kind to body parts and I don’t care how much you use them, use is often the devil in disguise.  As things go, you know I have been on an Octane Elliptical and let me tell you, this is the workout of a lifetime.The Octane Q37XI  is the one Oprah endorses so you know it has some clout behind it.  Would it work?

The Octane Elliptical 

This is my first look at the control panel and I can tell you as a Mom I did not think that it would be hard to use and it really is not.  

I started to have a small panic attack when I saw my options: X-Mode random intervals directed by a built-in personal trainer, Glute Kicker- firms hips, glutes and thighs, and Arm Blaster for challenging intervals for toned armed.  Here is what I read this to be: A personal trainer who is going to kick my ‘butt’ into shape and just when my legs can take no more and I cry ‘MERCY’ my arms are going to get de-flabbed! Uggg, the elliptical may own me!

My First Strides

Strides are what your motions are called on the elliptical, when your feet move in the big pedal-like objects they are planted in.  First of all, this elliptical did not need me to set my strides, which I had misread in the book so, it the story so to speak is funny of my first workout.  Initially, I got on and started striding(moving my legs in the large pedal-like objects that  your feet rest in.  I kept on striding because I was looking for the way to set the stride, but I could not find it, as this model is NOT equipped with that and auto-adjusts.  Guess that’s funny because I did a mile before I found out that was the case.

With one mile under my hips, thighs and buttocks, I started thinking about, “this challenge is so much bigger than me,  can I really learn every facet of this massive workout at home fitness beast or will it beat me up?”  Intimidated I began, step, stride, stride, stride, and then, the truest disappointment set in:  My Mile, my first mile took me over 12 minutes to complete… are you kidding me?  What have I gotten myself into? How out of shape am I or is it really going to be this insanely hard to crank on an elliptical?

Don’t Even Go There – It’s Gonna Be Fine

Ken, the GM o f  G&G Fitness Pittsburgh Region has been my personal cheering section pushing me on, while my coach is off in NY and I have to impress him with great changes. The change is all for me, but the challenge of seeing if it is possible to get that great work out that moms crave from at-home fitness is the thing I have to prove.   MOMS out there, it can be done, we can do at home fitness and succeed, I am sure and I can tell you it takes the want to make a change in order to really have it happen. Ken said be a bit patient, it will all come together this is new equipment to you and you have to get moving with it before you start moving with it.  After really not feeling great about the first attempt and the taking forever to hit the mile, I did turn in my screen shot of the workout to Ken! Here’s my cheering section:

See it is not that I need pushed to workout but I don’t give myself any credit for even trying, this is often where I fall short even in life.  My pitfall is that I want too much out of what I am doing too quickly and results are not made that way, but as you can see, Ken already knows that and he forecasts my future and pushes me on.  It is the kick I needed.

I thought about my failed first attempt, and then realized it really was not failure, rather it was my first try on something new and I needed to cut myself a bit of slack.  So I did in fact I cut myself out More time the next day to piddle around with the control board, my app and the workout options.  I tried the arm  blaster, because seriously was I going to baby myself and keep trying beginner or was I going to get my ass kicked and try something to make a difference on my fat flabby body? I was off and running and felt like I was about ot have a heart attack, and I kept on going and at the end of 20 minutes, all red faced, sweated up, and parched I said hell yeah I  just got OFF THE CHAIN and did my thing the way it was supposed to be and since day 2, this has been the theme. Perseverance, reverence and a continued desire to lose that bench shelf on my butt and that handle around my waist.

My Markers for Measurement & My Set Up 

First off, I am measuring things by jeans, shirts, bras and tees because I think that tape measures are over-rated.  If my jeans are not fitting life is not good.  If my clothes are hanging right and I can rock it, I am happy.  This is MomMe time and it is going to be Off the Chain daily and it has been. You will see a large change in my body and my size as I can already see differences after just a few weeks.  I will show you my YouTube videos before and after, those that have been recorded lately so you can see my changing body shape and of course somewhere into all of this exercise I will show you some measurements.  I have personal goals set and I will beat and exceed them.

The Set Up 

I would not be able to do this exercise without music, so I have my Bluetooth Speaker with me always, as well as my iPad, water bottle and a few other goodies.  My Kettlebells, Medicine Balls and hand weights are at my side, ready and waiting and my iPad is preset with plenty of YouTube videos to help out on those Kettlebell and Medicine Ball workout challenges.

The 12 Minute Mile No More

I refused to give in to that 12 minute mile and after a few days more I have my miles down 8 minutes per mile.  While that may not be lighting your athletic world on fire, I am doing so much better than I was the first few days.  I also don’t feel like I am going to die from breathing when I am moving at a speed of 60!

I am moving on and continuing on, and Ken is moving me through the initial phase, which I will discuss in the next post! You will get to know what this Marathon is and how the elliptical provides this.

With each Stride I resolve to get closer and closer to my end goal. MomMe Time is great especially because I am moving my exercise time around my schedule, at my home when I can, which is the reason I am succeeding.  The equipment is nothing short of amazing and G&G Fitness in Pittsburgh has lots of amazing equipment for EVERY budget out there.  You never know, you might run into me in their stores as I go back and forth to learn more and get ‘trained’ by the staff, like I said they are knowledgeable and friendly.  Lavishly live MomMe Time Fitness out loud and check out all the equipment G&G offers both online and in the store! See you striding.