What a week!

I knew this week would be busy, but did not anticipate that I would not be able to update the blog until tonight!

I am pleased to report that I did really well on my fitness test - with noticeable improvements across the board. The same was true for my blood tests - with only two that fell slightly outside of the normal range. My uric acid is still above normal but is lower then when I first arrived and my white blood cell count was slightly below normal.

It was also great to see changes in my measurements (chest, waist & hips) - the combined total reduction is 14 inches - with 6 1/2 in my waist! I credit the changes to both Pilates and Strength Training - as both target my core muscles.

I have worked hard and was really psyched to see tangible results for all of my efforts. I am a little nervous about keeping up the momentum when I leave tomorrow -and so have been working to create a plan to keep on track. I started a few weeks ago - I picked up a notebook and have started to log my activities as well as my strength training settings and work outs. I picked up NIA DVDs and Cd's - so I can continue to do it on my own. I have identified two places that offer Pilates and was really psyched to see that one of them also offers Gyrokinesis - so will be ale to incorporate them into my weekly schedule.

I will also need to find a gym and perhaps a personal trainer. I have worked enough with Randy Weiss here at Structure House that I can train on my own - but have come to realise that there are clear benefits with working with someone like Randy. On my own, I can easily do the basics - but will miss out on the slight variances that Randy throws in to keep me on my toes, as well as the assisted stretches between work outs.

Here at Structure House - they have various lectures that are all designed to help prepare us for the "real world". The nice thing is that they do encourage you to ask questions and establish a plan. It was in one of these sessions that I discovered that one of the other leavers this week is also an in-house lawyer. We were able to relate on the challenges that we had factoring in exercise or eating properly with our busy schedules. We exchanged emails and have agreed to keep in touch.

The environment here is very supportive. I've met some really wonderful people (staff as well as participants) who have made my stay here memorable.

Up on the second floor (where most of the lectures are held) they have a "Wall of Success" - they showcase stories of past participants that have achieved their goal and maintained success. The were getting ready to update them on Friday afternoon, and it was nice to see that most of this months' success stories were from women. They are really inspirational - I found myself resolving to have my story appear on the wall. (Brings back memories from when I was in high school in Canada. OLC - now Trafalgar Castle - had boards throughout the school that listed people from previous years that had achieved certain awards. I vowed that my name would be there before I left ....and sure enough it was! It meant a lot to be able to show it to Katrine & Tish years later :-))

I'll be back for a week in September (part of my strategy of keeping on track) and am ready to see how I fare on the "outside". I fly to Bermuda on Tuesday - and will be there for a week. I'll then head over to Geneva for the ICF's ECC 2008 and then up to the UK + Continent for a few weeks before returning to Bermuda.

I will use this time to focus on what my next steps will be - I've been tossing around a few ideas but haven't landed on anything specific right now. It feels as if phase 1 is coming to an end and it's now time to roll up my sleeves and dig into phase 2!! :-)

What can I say.... my dance continues! Thanks so much for all of your support and encouragement. I really appreciate it!

Lots of love,

Norma