Group Therapy - Why I Love It!!!!

This last week after finale has seen me very flat.  I came e down with a chest cold and this meant I was not a happy camper all week. Coughing and barking like a seal (more like a walrus) is not fun for anyone, but add to that I went back to work, which also hasn’t been fun and it adds to the downer.  I did nothing training wise, and I wasn’t very good with my nutrition. Wine, chips (hot and cold) as well as a few other naughties were consumed, which I know I will pay for later. 

Knowing that I was not in a good headspace, I decided that I needed to go back to the one thing I new worked for me.  Group Therapy.  Yes I attend weekly sessions of group therapy that allow me to be with like minded people and just get it all out of my system.  So I had Julie schedule the appointment for me and I knew that once this had been done I would be back.  No more dark cloud or finale hangover, just a fire burning in my belly to get out there and smash it out and hopefully get to my goal weight this round and rip my half marathon time a new hole!!!

So, this morning came and I jumped out of bed threw on my duds and off I went.  Met up with the usual crowd and smashed out a 5km run and then back for the Western Warriors garage session at my house.  This is my version of group therapy.  Nothing but sweat, grit and determination from everyone to smash out our SSS and then whine about the DOMS tomorrow.  LOVE IT!!!!

Western Warriors with Michelle at finale workout

Why do I love the garage sessions so much?  This great bunch of people that we have met since being on the 12WBT have become such a huge part of our life.  It is a massively supportive network that bonds together, laughs together and has a fair dinkum blast.  Our group is massively eclectic in that we are of such differing fitness levels, but we don’t care.  There are no judgments being made of people, no expectations, no prerequisites about joining us. Our motto is “The more the merrier”, and we have new people joining us all the time.  Some don’t come back, some ask if they can bring new people along.  It doesn’t matter, we are not trying to build a business here, just burn fat.

Smashing out a group therapy session.

These sessions are designed to be able to fit everyone in.  We have people with injuries, but they are told as everyone else is when you first come, just do what you can.  You know your body and I am not a PT.  There are those that probably don’t push themselves hard enough, those that like to have a chat instead of busting a gut and then those that go crazy.  I have always said you only get out of this what you put in, so if people want to bludge or not put in the work they are only cheating themselves.  Shit, I have even been in that category on the odd occasion.

Well this is a new round, so I wanted to try and mix it up this session and get some people moving, mainly my wife.  Julie is a determined woman when she wants to be, but has sometimes let her leg injury stop her from having a crack at certain things.  This is not saying she is lazy, she certainly isn’t but I just think that she has not done everything she could in the last few rounds in our workouts that she could have.  We spoke about this a few nights back and I told her I want to help her smash this round, because she deserves it.  This meant I had to come up with something new for her.  She broke through last round by being able to do full sit ups and her first push up on her toes.  Now we need to push it out a little further.

Using our new friend the tyres today.

During the week I drove past a neighbours house and they were throwing out some car tyres.  These little beauties found their way into my car and then into my pergola.  Rustic workout gear pieces 1 through 4.  Now to figure out what we are going to do with them.  I also saw on the Biggest Loser on Tuesday night Shannon putting his team through “Death from Squats” which looked like a killer. Beauty, that one was in also.  This was a 15 minute exercise that would entail each person doing 455 squats if they could beat the timer.  I am happy to say that there were 5 of us that got the entire way through it.  Butt is not happy Jan right about now.

We had the tyres, some other exercises and the Death from Squats exercise, which was going to be followed up by some boxing.  Needless to say we had so much fun with the exercises that boxing didn’t fit in today.

Death By Squats. Ouch!!!

This bunch of people are amazing.  Sometimes there are others that take the sessions, but mostly I organise each workout.  No one complains, well not to me anyway, and they all just work their toosh off, in most parts.  This sort of session was just the therapy I needed and has me rearing to go for the next 12 weeks.  I have a half marathon to train for as well as my first of 6 bike rides just after next finale, so it will be busy.

I would also like to throw in here that my cycling group, Vision Crusaders has a campaign going at the moment, in which we are trying to get Sir Richard Branson to ride with us.  If you can click on the below link and like the photo, we would be greatly appreciative.

Our Campaign to have Sir Richard ride with us.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=144247545759070&set=a.140556556128169.1073741831.139513666232458&type=1&theater

I look forward to hearing the complaints tomorrow about sore arms and legs and I will be one of them.  I feel sorry for the ladies doing the mother’s day classic, but hey, suck it up princess.

Thank you WARRIORS, YOU ROCK!!!!!!!