Why Clay?

I'm often asked "Why Clay?".  If you've read past posts you can probably decipher that much of has to do with Hyam herself. I doubt she even realizes the ways she inspires me sometimes with the things she says and does.  It comes naturally to her - that's a pretty unique quality.

There are, of course, many other aspects of Clay that I love. I've found it hard, however, to put it into words.  Therefore I've decided to do a series of posts that feature photographss of exactly we do at Clay and why I keep coming back for more.  

I need to be clear that this is NOT an advertisement for Clay. Hyam had nothing to do with this.  It's much more self-centered than that.  This is my way of bragging about all the kick-ass things I do there so you know I'm not just talking smack (even if I am sometimes).  And, if you happen to realize how awesome Clay is along the way... that's a bonus.

To help me tell my story I've enlisted the help of local photographer extraordinaire Beth Daane of Daane Studios.  Beth will assist in chronicling my journey by attending my classes and personal training sessions and snapping live action shots of what I'm up to.  

I'm going to warn you.  I am NOT pretty when I exercise.  I make crazy, ugly faces (a common one has even been termed the "beaver face" by Hyam - see photos below from Clay a few years ago). My skin turns a very unnatural combination of red and purple that even Crayola couldn't create.  Seriously. I'm not fishing for compliments here - it's not pretty.  However, I feel it's necessary to truly show what we do and why I love it.  Yes, I'm taking one for the blog here.  You'll thank me later.  Or maybe not.

If you look closely here you will see the "Beaver Face".

(Photo courtesy of JMK Photography)

Some people are truly beautiful while working out.

I'm not one of them.

(Photo courtney of JMK Photography)

That Lovin' Feeling

As I posted earlier this week, Wednesday's class Clay it wasn't exactly my best workout.  This wasn't surprising as between illnesses (both of my kids and my husband contracted influenza, strep and some type of stomach virus in February), a mini-vacation to NYC and a mega-vacation to Panama I'd had close to three weeks off.  I struggled, to say the least.

Here's the cool part though - that class was so amazing that I've felt like a kid at Christmas waiting for Monday to come so I can jump back in again.  And no, it wasn't just the camera that pumped me up (Clay was featured on CBS 19's Make Dan Sweat last week)  - it was that amazing energized feeling that I had when I walked out the door that I love.  That is why I return to Clay week after week.  

Really, I love it!

This *#%! Works!

I've been asked several times recently why I'm such a big proponent for Clay Fitness & Nutrition and this quote, from a classmate of mine - "This shit works!" always comes to mind.  Stephanie made this comment while banging out push-ups in class a few weeks ago - something she couldn't do when our program started.  And while it probably won't make the "Testimonials" section of Clay's website or Facebook page, I personally love it. 


Stephanie was a beautiful person when she started working out at Clay, but when you see her now she knocks your socks off. She's lost a significant amount of weight and gained some really gorgeous muscle, but it's not just the physical changes that make her so stunning - it's the psychological ones.  Even though she may not realize it - she exudes a confidence that I didn't see in her 12 weeks ago.  It's truly beautiful.

I don't get paid to throw Clay's name around or say nice things about Hyam. This blog was my own idea - a way to hold myself accountable and, hopefully inspire other people with struggles similar to mine.  I asked her before I started, of course, but nothing I say here is ever officially prompted by her.  She creates content for the blog without even realizing it by saying and doing things that inspire me (and many other people) on a continual basis. 


I love what I'm doing at Clay because though I'm not breaking any weight loss records I'm having greater success than I've ever had with my diet and health.  I rave about Clay Fitness because I'm 25 pounds into my weight loss goals and still I'm having fun doing it.  I brag about Hyam because she has an amazing ability to push me beyond my self proposed limits while building me up instead of tearing me down.  I go on and on about my workouts because despite the fact that I'm there three days a week they are always different and I'm never, ever bored.  I blab about it because quite simply - this shit works!

Swim, Bike, Sleep

It's Monday, which means I got my butt kicked on the bike this morning.  I was a few minutes late to class because the kids didn't have school today and I actually had a wake KK up at 9:15 - which never happens (post-Halloween sugar coma?). I almost skipped class to let her sleep, but then I thought better of it.  Damn me and my public promises.

Then this afternoon I took the girls and a few friends to the new Smith Aquatic Center.  It's a nice pool with a great kids area, two water slides and a decent diving well.  One of the bonuses of having swimmers for kids is that they don't need (or want) me to watch them, let alone hang out with them in the pool.  But they are only 8 & 10 so I have to be there. So, what do you do when you're in you swimsuit at the pool, you don't need to be chasing little kids anymore and cocktails aren't an option?  Here's a crazy idea - how about swimming?  

I won't lie.  Even after all the miles I've logged running and biking over the past few months swimming laps wasn't easy.  Truthfully it was hard. I was winded after my first 6 laps.  I continued on, however, and completed 34 (with periodic breaks to check that the kids were still alive - I did have the neighbor kids, too, afterall) which is about 1/2 a mile.    

What are the chances that Hyam's kids, who happened to be at the pool at a birthday party, remember to tell her not only that they saw me there but that I was actually swimming? Because the way I see it that was a bonus workout - I deserve a little extra credit for it.

And as for the third leg of today's triathlon - [[sleep]] - I just swallowed my Lunesta and hope to be accomplishing it very soon too.  Good night!

I Have a Confession To Make

I think I am actually starting to enjoy this running thing.  Yes, me, who even in my fittest days would whine when we had to run laps at tennis and practically cried every time the coach made us do Killers in basketball.  Me - who just a few months ago could barely make it to the end of Elliott Street (where Clay Fitness is located) - is starting to actually enjoy it.  

Don't get too excited about this.  I didn't say I LOVED it and I'm not signing up for any marathons or crazy shit like that. I'm just not wanting to die, cry or curse Hyam's name as I'm doing it anymore.  I've been running three miles almost every day I'm not at Clay and I even signed up for a 6K in October (Real Girls Run - want to join me?).  It's insanity, I know.

Hyam's getting a big group together to run the Charlottesville Fall Classic 10K for Clay and I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet (mentally or physically) but who knows....maybe next year?

Inspiration

I ramble a lot about Hyam and my entire experience at Clay Fitness + Nutrition (btw, that's the studio above in another fabulous photo by Jamie Reincke) but I haven't given you a lot of information about what it is that we do. I've omitted this information partially because I'm not even sure where to begin and partially because I doubt my words could accurately describe it all well enough.  To say "we do jacks on the Bosu" doesn't sound like much, but when you see us doing it - along with the other 100 other things we do in that hour - well, that's much different.

So when Hyam included this YouTube clip of her demonstrating the ropes in her latest newsletter I knew I had to post it here, too.  I think you will see several things in this video: 1) just one example of the varied things we do in class, which is one of the things that I love about it so much - it's always changing, 2) how these crazy ropes are used for exercise (they are heavier than they look and are torturous but I love them and, 3) why I'm so inspired by Hyam from the outside (which is, believe it or not, nothing compared to what she has on the inside!).


Also check out this video from a few months back when CBS19 evening anchor Dan Schutte, worked out with Hyam for his Make Dan Sweat segment. Dan is an avid exercise enthusiast (biking, running, skiing, ballroom dancing...) and he's in great shape, so Hyam gave him a real Clay Fitness workout just like we do in class. You can tell, and I think Dan would attest to, that it's not your average gym class! (Even Dan claimed to be sore for several days after!).

Getting Started

I've been talking about getting serious about my weight and health for years.  It never seemed to rise to the top of the priority list, however (and if it did I just pushed it back down).  There was no secret that I had picked up a few pounds over the years, but somehow I continually found a way to justify it to myself.  I was happy and healthy - what did I need to lose weight for?

It wasn't until I started my Cville Plugged In TV gig that I realized how bad it had really gotten.  Watching my first appearance I couldn't even hear  myself speak -  I was so focused on what I looked like.  Who was that fat woman on the screen?  OMG - it was me!

So I attempted to get back into my routine at ACAC but soon realized that I was about as excited about that as I was about the salad I had for dinner.  We'd been members at the gym  since we moved here and the only thing I had to prove for it was a several thousand dollar debt and 5 more pounds than I started with.  It was clear I needed something different.  What that was, however, I didn't know.  So I went home to mull it over (along with a box of Thin Mints).

Several weeks and a few boxes of cookies later fate brought me to Clay Fitness + Nutrition. Ok, maybe it wasn't as much fate as it was work, but that sounds kind of boring...My intention was to interview Hyam Hosny, the owner of Clay, a new studio that opened in Belmont this spring for an article for SuzySaid.  Two hours later, however, I found that I had not only told her my entire diet history, but was ready to sign on the dotted line.

"What's different about your program?"  I asked her.  She blushed and stammered a little, "I'm not good at self-promoting," she responded at first.  But then continued to tell me how she invests herself completely in her clients.  She truly involves herself in their success - sending text messages - assigning homework - and, in a sense, riding their asses (in a loving way). This, I knew, was the "something different" I was looking for.