An Apple a Day Keeps the Ambulance Away

Posted on 28 November 2009

Before you start with a personal trainer, you fill out a bunch of forms swearing you are healthy and promise not to sue the trainer if you die; which only makes you nervous. Then you get ‘assessed’ to see what kind of shape you are actually in and then a custom plan is created.  After my assessment meeting with the Muffin Top Slayer, several messages kept running through my head:

• Don’t work out to lose weight, eat to lose weight.
• Work out to shape your body into what you want it to be.
• If it’s a fruit, vegetable, or you can kill it; eat it.

I immediately implemented the Primal Eating plan. I went home, baked some brownies, and KILLED them.

Then I felt bad. For the next 3 days leading up to my first training session I followed the eating plan without fault. An hour before I left to get my muffin top’s butt kicked, I consumed a heaping plate of spring mix, bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and half an avocado. I was stuffed and proud of myself.

I went to the gym early to warm up so that I wouldn’t pull anything during the training session. The gym was freezing, so I kept my sweat pants and warm up jacket on during my brisk jog. At the one-mile point on the run I was on the verge of heat stroke. In order to cool down, I attempted to strip off the outer layer of clothing while running.

Word of advice: Press pause on the treadmill before taking off any warm up clothing. It results in less near death experiences.

We started the training session, which turned out to be a circuit of weight lifting with running mixed in. I anxiously completed the first exercise and started to feel rather nauseated. I really, really wanted to do well.

Then came the step-ups.

I was pouring sweat and we were only 3 minutes into the work out. Upon completion of the step-ups I started to see black dots and had to sit down. Then lay down.

My trainer looked quite concerned. I looked quite pale, deathly pale.

I drank some water and tried to get a grip.

Muffin Top Slayer: Are you ok? Do you need some Gatorade? You look really pale.
DL: I’m good. I just need a minute. GOSH.  Apparently I am totally out of shape.
MTS: It’s always eye opening for people, but I am surprised seeing how you workout every day. What did you eat today?
DL: I did really well. I even had a huge salad an hour ago.
MTS: Ahh…that’s the problem. You should eat a piece of fruit before a work out. Here eat my apple.

I sheepishly ate the Gala while sitting on an exercise bike and chatted about random things.  The black spots slowly disappeared and five minutes later I felt like a new woman. I completed the rest of the work out like a woman on a mission and felt fabulous at the end.

Another valuable lesson learned from the school of hard knocks. Eat an apple a day to keep the ambulance away!

Can you only imagine the chaos that would have ensued if I had fainted? Am I the only one that these things happen to?

3 responses to An Apple a Day Keeps the Ambulance Away

Anne says:

November 29, 2009 at 1:10 am

My guess is you would not have been the first person to faint in the gym and you wouldn’t be the last. That’s interesting about the apple before work-out. I generally work out on an empty stomach because frankly, I just don’t eat that much. If I did, I would gain. As it is, I am barely maintaining at a weight it took forever to get to, and I really want to lose 15 lbs. more.

What is this eating plan you are on? I always get frustrated when I look up those plans to lose weight because: 1) I do not have the time to prepare, much less eat all that food; 2) it is totally impractical for my lifestyle probably because of #1 above.

Anyway, good luck and if you have any tips you can throw my way I’d appreciate it!

Anne @alivenkickin

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• Donloree says:

  November 29, 2009 at 2:41 pm

  Probably not! Although, I don’t want to be in the fainting statistics.

  As far as the eating, it’s mostly fresh and whole foods. It’s about eating tons of vegetables and fruits and then meat and less carbs. The carbs that you do eat should be whole and complex – like brown rice. I went to the grocery store and bought a bunch of veggies and fruit and cut them up and then they are there for snacking on. Nuts, cheese, and low sugar yogurts are ok too. So really there isn’t much to prepare and lots you can do that is fast and easy. Fruit smoothies are a good meal as well. I don’t count calories, just eat the right kinds of food. Here’s a website that my trainer suggested I look at for recipes that are quick and easy. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

  I will keep you posted! Let me know how it goes for you.

  Reply

The Secret To A Long and Happy Life Must Be Fabulous Shoes | Donloree Hoffman says:

January 14, 2010 at 11:01 pm

[...] is why I am torturing myself by going to see my trainer for a near death experience once a week and eating [...]

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