Truth
It’s time to party again!
Well, it’s that time of challenge season… Time to get down and celebrate! A LOT of hard work and life changing realizations have come about this challenge, and it’s that fact that is going to make this wrap party one of the best we’ve ever had.
Nobody lays out the details better than the main proprietor of the end of challenge wrap parties… Bobbi Rivera! So, here is all you need to know:
“Hey Rebels!
Since our end of challenge party is due to be celebrated the weekend before Turkey day, I think this would be the perfect theme.
Please join us in a day of thanks for all the awesomeness that is Rebel and celebrate with your other family 🙂
The details:
- Saturday November 17th
- 2:00 p.m.
- Location: Lomitas School House (Santa Rosa)
- Cost: $20 per person
[For those curious, the cost goes into spot and equipment rentals AS WELL AS the turkey, desserts, and drinks, which can all cost quite a bit unless teamwork is called. I just wanted to not only debrief you as to where the money goes but to also thank Bobbi for making something that could be MUCH more expensive, cheaper :). – Josh]
I think it would be amazing if everyone could please bring the side dish that your family loves most. Whatever is most requested at your thanksgiving table that you’d like to share.
I will be handling the turkey, desserts and drinks along with the details and I think this will be yet another fabulous day with my Hulksters.
We’ll have a keg (Thanks again to Tom Walton!) and wine and some other options.
Please message/text me, respond on the Rebe11ion page, or e-mail me (Aliveinaphoto@gmail.com) if you will be attending, also if you could please let me know if you’re bringing a guest or two (not only welcome, but hoped for!) and what side dish you’ll be bringing so we don’t end up with nothing but sweet potatoes and green bean casserole!
I will need full payment and RSVP’s by the end of October at the absolute latest so if there are any problems just let me know. Otherwise, I am super stoked to get this going!
Thanks!
– Bobbi Rivera“
I can’t wait to celebrate with you all! Awards, slideshow, good food, great people… it doesn’t get much better. AhhhOOOO!!!
– Rebel8
Hello eager reader! I’ve got some pretty big and exciting news! If you are interested in participating in a 6 week program starting November 1st that will not only provide amazing results for your body, but more importantly your mind then please read on!
What I need are 6 motivated Anytime Fitness members who would like to take part in this program with me. You will take part in 2 workouts a week (each workout being 29 minutes) with myself as well as a virtual workout on Anytime Health. I will be teaching you the ins and outs of AnytimeHealth.com so you have the proper tools to keep track of nutrition, educate yourself on various topics from stretching to proper rest and recovery, and much more.
There is only one catch… I can’t ever have worked with you before. If I have ever done any sort of training with you, then you are disqualified from being able to participate (doesn’t mean I don’t have other classes and programs going on :)). The goal here is to be able to get feedback from a completely neutral standpoint with people unfamiliar with how I train. If that’s you OR you know somebody this would be really good for, pass the word on and/or let me know! E-mail AllLevelsTraining@gmail.com.
Meet & Greet: October 27th @ 12pm. This is where all 6 team members and myself meet up, get familiar with each other, and I provide you with an in person account of what you’re in for as I prep you for your first workout that starts 5 days from this point!
Start Date: November 1st (Thursday @ 5:30pm)
End Date: December 15th (Saturday @ 12pm)
Workout times: Every Thursday @ 5:30pm and every Saturday @ 12pm for 29 minutes (virtual workout is something you can do on your own time OR you can plan to do it as a group… it will be your call!)
Cost: $180
I will be creating a Facebook group for the 6 super stars who are able to sign on board. I will be providing shirts hand made by myself, as well as testing your fitness progressions in a fun and unique manner. The style of workout is going to be cardio and function based. I guess what I’m saying is that I’m going to keep your heart rate up, blood pumping, and body working the entire 29 minutes. These workouts are all about working smarter, not for duration. I didn’t go with “smarter, not harder” because you better believe you’re going to be working hard! That’s the beauty of it though… if it were easy, it wouldn’t be special!
We WILL be cutting through Thanksgiving and various holiday rituals, parties, and plans. This is a prime opportunity to rebel against all that with sweat and determination. I’ve got faith in you 😉
Once again, e-mail me at AllLevelsTraining@gmail.com and I will provide you with more details as they come! Let’s get it!
– Rebel8
Forgiving others is hard… Forgiving yourself is harder.
This week, before our hell-on-wheels of a leg workout, I had all the Rebels write down two things… What they forgive themselves for on one card and what they’re fighting for on another. Two very important things that tend to be overlooked and forgotten when times are toughest.
On the forgiveness card, I wanted it to be as big or small as seen necessary. The one thing I DIDN’T want to happen though was for this to be taken lightly. No matter the issue, you need to learn to forgive yourself and move on or you’ll always be tethered to the shame of not feeling good enough. There is a strength in forgiving oneself of shortcomings and regrets, a strength that is far more difficult to implement than people either realize or are willing to admit.
Well when it was time to start boot camp, I shut the door, covered the windows, and turned the lights off. With everyone against the wall, I made very clear what we were going to do with these cards everyone filled out… I was going to read off every single one as the entire team did a wall-sit in the dark, then we were going to BURN those cards. Forgive and move on. This was a lesson in letting go so you can hold on.
At the end of the wall sit, after every single card had been read, there was a charged silence. Everyone was full of revelation and the realization that they related to more than 3/4’s of the forgiveness cards. When I asked for a show of hands to people who related to more than 1 card… hands shot up. All of them. Those very hands stayed up when I asked if anybody related to more than 3… 5… half… The point was proven.
If you saw my last video where I burned everyone’s card that had the thing they hated most about themselves written on it, then you’ve noticed a trend… All of these “mistakes” and transgressions people hate, are ashamed of, and are hard to forgive are universal to almost EVERY SINGLE PERSON. It didn’t matter the age, gender, occupation, fitness level, or goal… At a basic human level, everyone relates to the simplest of problems… The struggle to be healthy and happy.
If you take the time to watch the video and see any forgiveness cards you relate to, then attach yourself to it… Carry it with you the duration of the song and watch it burn away, setting you free of the burden that you’ll never be good enough. You’re ALREADY good enough, that’s not the tough part… The tough part is REALIZING IT.
There will always be mistakes to be made. Slip ups to be had. Moments of disappointment will lurk around every corner… Yet you are the one who has the ultimate say in the matter! What choice do you make? I say take what you need out of the situation and move on with your head held high.
After all, you’ve got to want it more than anything because anything can stop you.
– Rebel8
Suzanne accepting her MVH award at our Hillbilly Hoe-down
When I sat down with Suzanne Pelz, 43 years young, there was electricity that I’m certain I was the only one feeling. Suzanne is one of those special people that only comes along once in every 3 blue moons or so yet has no idea the spirit she is. Case in point… She couldn’t fathom why I wanted tell her story in the first place! This is why…
Suzanne has struggled with weight her entire life. Not to the severity that warrants an intervention or giving people that she’s on the verge of discovering a new form of diabetes, but rather the kind of weight issues that a lot of people have yet internalize for fear that it’s not TRULY a problem since other people have it worse. Kind of like when you’re in a bad mood over something that is really stressing you out, then a friend comes along and has a problem that is logistically even MORE stressful than your situation so you feel like you have to swallow YOUR struggle because your friend has it worse. We’ve all been in that situation, and we can all agree that it leads to this overwhelming anxiety that leaves you aching for someone to listen but you don’t feel it’s deserved, so you keep it in until it surfaces when you least expect it. The definition of “The straw that broke the camels back.”
What if you did that your entire life with your weight issue? It’s an issue to YOU, but slight in comparison to the morbidly obese. The fear of hearing someone say “YOU think you have a weight problem?! PSH!!!” triggers that anxiety feeling I talked about a moment ago, and Suzanne happened to be in this category. She never joined a gym or took part in group exercise because she wasn’t comfortable with HERSELF, so how could she be comfortable around other people in the environment that was focused around her insecurities?
Now, Suzanne had always attempted to take care of herself yet always seemed to slink back into bad habits. She’d found success for the first time 13 years ago when she took it upon yourself to learn more about weight management and exercise. She’d hired a trainer for one on one time, lost more weight than she ever had before, and was feeling pretty damn good about herself! To her, it was LEARNING about how her body worked that allowed her to start developing tools and skillsets to be healthy. She’d always WANTED to be fit, just didn’t quite know how to do it until she was proactive about it.
If I had a dime for every person that related to this next part, I’d be a millionaire… After some time, finances became a bit tough and Suzanne had to stop seeing her trainer. She was using the new tools she had developed and things were going smoothly for a moment… until she found herself in a wonderful relationship that added the kiss of death to someone like Suzanne; a comfort zone that gave her something else to focus on.
Cha-ching!
This is where a plot twist gets thrown in. 10 years ago, shortly after the rise and fall of her new healthier lifestyle, she started to feel a tingle in her foot and “off in her feet” when she walked. When the tingling crept up to mid-calve she started to get really alarmed. It was up to her knees by the time she had made it to the doctor. While assessing the situation, the Doctor noticed some eye twitching happening that prompted him to give her an MRI.
Diagnosis: Multiple Schlerosis.
For those not familiar, “Schlerosis” means scar tissue on the brain so “Multiple Schlerosis” means you have multiple areas of scarring on the brain. Due to the tricky nature of the brain and nervous system, everyone has slightly different reactions but the reasons why it is so difficult to deal with is the same… When your brain comes upon roadblocks in the brain (scar tissue) it needs to find a “detour” to get whatever message it’s trying to deliver to wherever the destination is. Similar to taking a detour in a car, it requires a longer distance thus takes more gas. Your brain and body is no different… These “detours” the brain has to take drains more energy than average and effects wherever these detours mainly take place. For Suzanne, it’s her right leg that gets the brunt of the difficulty.
4 years after her diagnosis, Suzanne found herself at the heaviest weight she’d ever been. Energy drained, motivation non-existent, and desperate for a change, Suzanne joined weight watchers. After losing 34% of her body weight, Suzanne found herself in a peculiar situation… She still felt fat and didn’t really feel healthy.
I’ve seen this happen often with people who eat for weight loss but don’t give their BODY the work that it needs to take care of itself as well. When this happens, you lose weight but your internal structure is still not in tune with itself. Losing weight doesn’t always mean your body is going to become “fit” and Suzanne experienced this first hand. Unfortunately, this caused a bittersweet back track that would be a low point for Suzanne yet ultimately be the lesson she needed to succeed in the big picture.
1 year ago, Suzanne was in dire-straights. She had gained almost all of her weight back. She found herself prying struggling to get out of bed with no energy, working a full work day, then going straight to the couch after putting her PJs on after work, do nothing, go to bed, and repeat the whole cycle all over again. This is another “If I had a dime” moments… Her Doctor even told her that if she didn’t get up and do SOMETHING her right leg would deteriorate.
It was a biggest loser program at her work that prompted her to take her body back. Suzanne has herself a competitive streak that would make an Olympian blush, and she coupled that with the realization that she didn’t do any exercising the last time she attempted a new, healthy life style. When you know the problem, you know the solution, and she approached that solution tentatively at first…
A turning point for Suzanne was actually when she tried to talk herself OUT of the program. She approached the director one day and started “excuse vomit” culminating with “I have soooooooo much going on I just really don’t think I can go through with this.” The director responded “That’s not good enough Suzanne, there will ALWAYS be a lot of things going on. It’s time to work past that.”
This opened up Suzanne’s eyes to something bigger than the comfort zone she was trying to maintain. She realized she couldn’t hold herself back anymore. She had a choice, and she was at a cross roads… Either choose to let her situation get the best of her or to get the best of her situation. Thankfully for everyone who knows Suzanne, she chose the latter.
After seeing a lot of posts and excitement regarding a fitness challenge called “Rebel X” she decided to ask her cousin, David Moody (already participating), about how she could become a part. After getting set up with the creator and trainer (myself) she was able to join a couple weeks into this 10 week challenge.
This is where Suzanne hulk smashed her demons in a very visible way… Even though she joined late, she lost the most inches out of everybody. Out of 75 people. Holy hell. Out of 3 possible “Most Valuable Hulk” awards (one per team of 25 people) she won hers in resounding fashion. She’s not only at a manageable weight, but the fittest she’s ever been. She took her journey and put it on display to everyone, become a beacon of light for others who, just like her, have only known darkness.
Suzanne is now off most of her meds. She is attempting to break the record for holding a plank out of all 11 of my challenges that I’ve done. She is the first to show up and the last to leave. She calls people out and enjoys getting called out if someone feels she’s not giving it all. When I leave on a trip, she’s one of the first people I ask to be a “team gluer” to check in with everyone and make sure people don’t stray when “the cats away.” There is NOTHING that can stop this woman from accomplishing whatever she wants, and not only does she know that now, but she screams at the top of her lungs to share to the world;
You have a choice to either let your situation get the best of you or get the best of your situation.
That’s why I wanted to tell your story Suzanne.
-Rebel8
This workout plan is designed to be done in an adequate space with adequate equipment. Whether that be a garage with space or your gyms local aerobic room when it’s not being used, this is NOT something that can be done at home but IS something you can use to educate yourself while getting a REALLY good workout (or, just get a really good workout if you’re familiar with these exercises).
The breakdown:
The 11th hour consists of 11 exercises put into an order that will completely work the entirety of your body while testing aerobic endurance, strength, conditioning, and the ability to keep going when you’ve convinced yourself you can’t. This format is essentially my Tough Mudder circuit class format, only this workout design doesn’t change week to week the way my class does.
You will do each exercise for 30 total seconds (no less) back-to-back-to-back until you’ve completed 5 rounds. The word “break” is not in this workouts vocabulary. You go STRAIGHT THROUGH 6 TIMES. Just wanted to make that very clear!
The Setup:
Listed below are the exercises in the order that you are going to do them, with the tools needed in parenthesis. Be sure to set all the stations up before beginning the circuit. If you have the tools to do MOST of the exercises, but not all, then do the closest equivalent. Don’t have equalizers to do push-ups? Do regular push-ups. Don’t have 2 BOSU’s to do squats on? Use air discs, balance boards, half foam rollers, or just the floor if in a crunch!
You can start ANYWHERE in the circuit you wish, as long as you complete the rounds entirely. You can click on the title of each exercise to get a video link on what the exercise is so you’re not left in the dark.
Be safe and have fun!
– Rebel8
The Fitness Rebellion 