I didn't realize that I've gone a whole month without posting! The end of the school year gets so hectic that time just gets away from me. But, I'm back and have more things to take on!
Part of my summer plans always include working out. I know, pretty obvious right? However, over the summer I like to really dive into it. I've been known to do 2- or 3-a-days in the past. This summer I just wanted to make everything really count. Training for the Chicago Marathon has officially started, so I'm making sure I try to stick to that 100%, despite the heat and humidity we all know and love in the South. I'm also making sure that I keep up with ClassPass and continue my yoga/Pilates/cross-training routine. The one thing I haven't done in a while though is get some bio-metrics done. A few times in college I was lucky enough to be able to use a DEXA machine to get a full body scan for body fat and muscle mass. (If you've never had one, I highly recommend it. It's one of the most accurate tools out there.) So when I came across a studio in New Orleans that offers them, I jumped at the chance to do it again. Now, let me start by saying that I have a Garmin scale and will use it once or twice a month to keep track of progress. It does body fat and bone weight and all the other stuff, but I wanted to see how accurate it can be. Turns out, pretty darn close considering. Another thing about me though is that I hate seeing the results. I've dealt with disordered eating and body dysmorphia most of my life. The body dysmorphia started before the disordered eating, but both were pretty bad for a while. I still deal with the dysmorphia, but not so much with this disordered eating. (If you are unfamiliar with both, here are some links to check out: www.eatright.org/health/diseases-and-conditions/eating-disorders/what-is-disordered-eating and https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/other-related-conditions/body-dysmorphic-disorder-bdd ) I'm much better compared to what I was in college, but things still arise that trigger old habits. I saw some therapists in college, but stopped to try and deal with it on my own, which isn't always the best of ideas. Anyway, I went to Dexafit New Orleans to get the DEXA scan done. (They also do VO2 max testing and resting metabolic rate testing. (I'm going to go back for the VO2 for sure!) It seems to be a "chain", so there may be ones in your area too! It was a super simple process: You show up in workout clothes (no medal) and lay on the scanner. It takes about 10 minutes to do a full body scan and then the specialist goes over the results with you. It took all of about 15 minutes total. I loved that it was so quick and I was in and out. My only issue is that for someone who has never had this done or doesn't understand everything, they may need a more in-depth session to help them understand. He went over my results (posted below, which to be honest, I struggled with posting because it's such a sensitive item in my mind) and I was feeling a little deflated afterward. My weight was a few pounds more than I was hoping for and my body fat was much higher than I wanted to see. And while both of those numbers are in a normal range for my height and age, I just didn't like them staring me in the face. I could only think "I run and workout too freaking much to be average!" Once I calmed myself down I had to remember that while, yes, running is helping me build more lean muscle, in addition to a ton of other benefits, I'm not doing as much strength training as I used to. In my mind though, it's very disheartening when I see these numbers. I default to "you're not working hard enough" or "you aren't making any improvements." I even had a few days last week that were pretty self-degrading. I took a deep breath Sunday and said I'm turning it around. I'm promising myself that starting this week I'm going to work on changing these numbers and taking more control of the "situation." I'm going to add more strength training to combat the body fat. I'll work it into my day in a way that doesn't seem tedious. I'm also going to go back before school starts and get another reading to hold myself accountable. It's most likely going to have to be one day at a time, but I'm committed to making it work! Hopefully I can keep up with posting this summer, but definitely keep track on Twitter at @rachaelversus
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