My Last Full Day at the Biggest Loser Resort Fitness Ridge

This morning I woke up feeling bittersweet. It was my last full day here at Fitness Ridge. I was sad to leave while being excited to go spend Christmas with my son. Part of me wanted to stay because it would be easier to meet my fitness goals here then it would be at home, or so I thought. I met Sarah, a former contestant on the Biggest Loser at Fitness Ridge and she is just an amazing human being. She said something about motivation that really struck me as something I never thought of before. I don't remember exactly how she said it, but it was along the lines of motivation being great, but temporary. Determination is staying motivated even when times get hard. I would be leaving Fitness Ridge with a determination to change my life for the better. Since this time I was determined I could not fail. I would take it one small step at a time. Focusing first on making the healthy food choices that I have learned and become accustomed to eating here. Each small step would be a win for me and I will celebrate every single win. Each step I take, no matter how small, is still a step toward my goal.

I felt awesome! I was doing this!

Today's hike was called West Canyon. I was looking forward to it because it is another go at your own pace kind of hike. I would use the hike to reflect on my life and the choices that have lead me to where I am. As I was walking I felt myself start to think negative thoughts about bringing up the rear. I should have been able to keep up with the others, but I was not. I knew there was a bathroom at about 1 1/2 miles in and it had been an hour already and I had not reached the bathroom as of yet. I was starting to feel like a failure, like I should just stop, turn around, and go back to the van. Then out of nowhere this older gentleman came jogging down the path wearing  an iron man shirt (like iron man the triathlon, not the comic book iron man). He waved at me and must have noticed my distraught look because as he passed me he said, "You're doing great! Keep it up! You can do this!" Then he was gone. He was jogging after all and I was walking. That just just the pick me up I needed. It seemed to put a pep in my step and I picked up my pace. It was then that I rounded the bend and noticed that the bathrooms were right there. I still had time so I kept going with a faster pace than before. I could do this. I WAS DOING IT! I got further on the path and by 9:15 AM it was time to turn around and head back to the van. I took a few pictures and turned around. It took me an hour to get to where I turned around, but it only took me 45 minutes to get back to the van. I was energized. I got this.

After the hike there were no lectures to attend. Just the Last Chance Workout. It was a hard one, but none of the workouts this week had been as bad as I had expected. I really thought that I would be pushed until I threw up and then pushed some more. They were nowhere near that hard, but they were still hard. Although I felt myself getting stronger and I was looking forward to tomorrow mornings weight in. I knew I had made progress even if it did not show up on the scale. I had found myself again and I was feeling very optimistic about my new lifestyle. After Last Chance Workout and lunch was graduation. That was nice. There was a DVD made that was shown of different classes and such throughout the week as well as pictures that the trail guides had taken of us on the hikes. It made me sad knowing that I was going home. I would miss Mrs. Purple the most. She is an amazing person and I look forward to staying in touch with her. After graduation was dinner and it was amazing, like all the other food I had been served this week. I learned that I loved red peppers. Yes I did just say I loved red peppers. I spent the rest of the night talking with Mrs. Purple and some other people and it was nice to just relax and talk to people that had been though everything I had been through. Mrs. Purple thank you for everything, you are amazing!