Archive for May, 2012

31
May
12

Bumps In The Road

By garagegym107 7 Comments
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Last night the boy comes to the garage door that leads in to the house and says “mom, I need you to come here for a minute”.   There was something in the ashen color of his skin that gave away the truth that he was up a creek.

I walked outside to discover that the back drivers side bumper of his car was pretty darned crumpled up.  Then came the bad news. 

Me “honey, did you call the police?”  the boy “Uh no, but I got her name and phone number”.  Me “so no accident report?”  they boy “Uh no, I didn’t know I was supposed to”.   At that moment I had a flash to Bill Cosby saying “you know, I brought you into this world, I can take you out”.   But that would just make me sad. 

So this morning starts the search for Catherine C.  Ironically in the past an event like this would have resulted in the soothing food coma but my how things have changed.

Nope, nadda, ain’t happen in this house.  Clean eats for breakfast and lunch and not even the remote desire to be in a food coma. 

I used to use food to fix everything.  Food doesn’t fix things, it’s not out to get us with temptation, it’s not good or bad or even evil.  Food has no power.  It only gets power from us giving it power.   And for those of you who’ve never struggle with food, just remember you don’t know what trauma someone else may be going through.

For so long I lived as if food could literally make all of my problems disappear.  Unbeknownst to me at the time, it was just playing head games with me.  It has been a great part of the morphing of a fit woman.   At times it has been painful but over the past several years things have fallen into a good place.  Awareness is huge.

30
May
12

Changing My Way of Thinking

By garagegym107 4 Comments
Categories: Living Fit Daily
Tags: , , , , ,

As I was working out with a trainer this morning I was discussing my loss of that loving feeling about CrossFit.  He asked me if I knew why it wasn’t fun anymore?  Very good question.  Ultimately I’m sure the whole “timed” workout stressors along with the job stressors will do that.   But what is truly the root cause?

As the morning has gone on I have pondered that question.  I began to wonder if I am putting too much mental weight on the fact that I have many weaknesses to overcome in order to compete.   I also questioned whether I will be willing to make the much-needed sacrifices.

Then I realized I’m just over thinking about things that are not even here yet.  Worrying about tomorrow.  That is such a waste of perfectly good today.

At that moment of realization I changed my way of thinking from a negative to a positive.    What does that mean exactly?   Instead of spending my time dwelling on whether I want to compete or whether I’m even good enough to compete, I need to be doing the workouts I need to do to prepare.

Getting lost in the noise of a major decision can literally paralyze us to the point of doing nothing. 

So I have put on my big girl panties and decided that I would make a list focusing on the things I can do as I move forward. 

I will note the big picture, but then narrow it back to what I can truly do in pursuit of the goal.  I’m already doing things to help.  But focused intent hasn’t been one of those things for over a month now.

I haven’t always been a list person but have found lately that the better my list, the more focused I can be.  Will that help me revive my love for CrossFit?  There is a great possibility.  I will move forward focused on today, rather than worrying about tomorrow.

29
May
12

Old Behaviors Die Hard

By garagegym107 4 Comments
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

In the process of morphing in to the fit woman I’ve learned some powerful lessons.  One of them is that old behaviors die hard. 

It’s not for lack of will power or discipline because I have a pretty good set of both of those tools.  It’s changing what used to be a normal behavior in to a new one.  

For the most part I do really well with the newer versions of behavior.   I prefer the taste of fresh clean foods over all others.  I prefer the flavor of water or water with lemon over the taste of anything artificial.  But inevitably boredom or even lonliness kick in from time to time.

All of that being said, the old behaviors like to live dormant.  They don’t simply disappear or find someone else’s head to live in.  They stick around but I’ve had to learn to control them as opposed to allowing them to control me.  I’m not perfect. 

All it takes is a weekend of inconvenience to have those old behaviors yelling “drink me, I’m diet, I’m refreshing, you are sweating puddles, come on, I won’t hurt you!” and in all seriousness, that diet soda tasted good for a few minutes.   The next thing I know I’m bloating up with water retention when water would have been just as satisfying. 

Or the other example, those famous sandwich cookies in the golden version, which used to be my favs.  One wonders what are they doing there in the first place?  The spousal unit is still a junk food junkie no matter what I do.   Yep I reached in to the cookie jar and pulled out a couple of cookies and proceeded to test the waters.   To my delight (yes seriously), all I tasted was the fact that those little devils were processed and that I could taste that clearly!  

Part of me had that little nagging thought of “you should feel guilty for eating that” but the morphing of a fit woman doesn’t allow for guilt or shame.  Neither of those are permitted to reside here.   Only acknowledgement of eating them and analyzing of data.    I ate them, yes.  Did they make me feel bad or good, no.  Will I do it again, not likely.   I analyzed the data and it says don’t waste your food pleasure on something that tastes like crap!

Those old behaviors will always be lurking.  Usually they are lurking with temptation in an effort to lure me back to the fat person that never really cared whether something was good for me or not.    

Now I practice “love me some me” instead.  I know that sounds so cavalier, but it’s not meant as such.  It’s meant as truth. 

This life attempts to beat us down from every direction.  It keeps us confused with too much data, it holds us back with thoughts of fitness being too demanding, both in time and financially and my favorite is why bother.   

I’ve seen so many people come and go from the gym because things eventually get hard or boring and they don’t get instant gratification so then they answer the call with “why bother” instead of sucking it up.

I bother every single day because I know how much better it feels living in the light of happiness and with the ability to help others.   When you start actually looking at all of the bright spots in your life, you realize this really is a great life. 

And just when you think you’ve got it bad remember that there is always someone else wishing they could be where you are today!

 

27
May
12

Why I do What I do

By garagegym107 5 Comments
Categories: Living Fit Daily
Tags: , , , , ,

It is a hot one today!  You would think being on the lake for the long weekend would be full of fun and games. 

Today was tree removal day.   Since  starting CrossFit almost two years ago I have been the tree hauler.  Any time we need to take a tree down, the spousal unit does the cutting and I do the hauling up the steep lot to the street.

Today was a wonderful reminder of why I train.  Why I love CrossFit and why I became a trainer. 

If I can help one person become as functionally fit as I am
then I can’t really ask for more.  Today I never doubted for a moment the purpose of the farmers walk or the waiter’s carry and the 400m of walking lunges.  Going up and down the steep slope reminded me that agility and balance are taken for granted until you do a WOD like I did today.

I challenge ALL of my friends to put your CrossFit training to task and do something major, something around your home to improve it.  If you’ve been training like I have you are ready, no doubt. 

If you aren’t doing CrossFit in a box, I recommend going through a fundamentals course just to see if you like it.  If you don’t have access to a box then I highly recommend that you take a look at Cultfit.com and check out some of their workouts that can be done just about anywhere.

Get yourself started on a path to fit.  Take it one day, one workout, and one clean meal at a time. 

There is no going back for me.  I live with intention, with purpose even if at times the purpose may be a little clouded, I still focus on living today being a better person than yesterday.

25
May
12

One of Those Moments

By garagegym107 4 Comments
Categories: Living Fit Daily
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Rewind to yesterday.  I was driving home from the gym after my workout and noticed a large gentlemen slowly making his way down the walking path next to the road.  He wasn’t walking, he was doing his best to jog.   He’s heavy, really heavy. 

That little voice that gets me in trouble some times started whispering “pull over, pull over and tell him don’t quit!” but the rational side said “that man will think you’ve lost your mind” so I kept going.  But I never stopped thinking about that guy.  All day yesterday I thought about his red and black clothing and I remembered my first year in the gym.  I wanted to cheer for him.  I wanted to be his biggest fan yesterday.

This morning I was working out and I turned around and thought “OMG!!  That is the dude that was running down the street!!”.  He was there in the gym in the flesh.

I waited for him to finish his time on the elliptical and went over to him and asked if he was the guy going down the road and he said yes.   

I know he thought I was pretty close to crazy because my eyes filled up with tears and I just looked at him and told him a little bit of my story and I said “just don’t quit, no matter who or what interferes with what you are doing here today or any other day, just don’t give up because if I can do it, you can”. 

I left him to his workout and went on to finish mine.  He’s probably never going to set foot in that gym in the early morning again thinking that crazy woman might be there.  But I don’t think he’ll ever forget that. 

You know I think back on the people who have encouraged me and it humbles me every time I do.  People I have met either in the gym or online.  Many of the online friendships developed in to real life friendships.  Support groups, friends, mentors all in it to help one another along.  One of my friends said to me “Each one, Reach one”.  I know she will read this and I know she will know I’m talking about her.

Living fit daily can be challenging, but those challenges can be overcome.  Every single day I get up with the intention of being more fit today than I was yesterday, mentally, physically or emotionally in some way.   I’m not always perfect, but I am always consistent.  Consistency wins the race.  I’m living proof of that.

24
May
12

Lost That Loving Feeling

By garagegym107 6 Comments
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Strange title for the morphing of a fit woman, but it’s so fitting.   I haven’t shared this with my friends and some will likely read it here first.   Of late I’ve lost that loving feeling for CrossFit.  insert a sharp intake of breath…

I’ve heard that it’s just a phase and will pass but in the meantime I want that feeling back.  That joy of having my booty handed to me on any given day.   That joy of accomplishment, that passion for beating me yesterday.  It’s been almost two weeks since I set foot in the box.   That’s just not me.  I’ve been going at least 3 times a week for almost 2 years and suddenly I’m drawn to something just a little less stressful.

I finally had an epiphany this morning and I’m relieved.  Over the past two months my day job (as I call it) has gotten exponentially more stressful.  Our company acquired another company and blah, blah, blah which is equal to my work-load almost doubling.  I’m good for it, up for the task.   What I realized just this morning is that I may not be cut out for two stressful activities at once.

I feel certain that my crossfitting friends reading this will now set about an intervention.  They all know how hard I’ve worked over the past 2 years and won’t allow me to sit by the way side.  I just need to determine exactly the right mix of stressors for me between the day job and the CrossFit.

The sheer fact that I finally figured out that I had lost the loving feeling and why is huge progress.  People get bored and need a change.  I don’t get bored with CrossFit.  I love it, I have loved it since day one.  

Now to figure out the path back to that loving feeling.  

You see, doing nothing to isn’t an option.  I’ve been doing strength and skill work and all the while eating clean but it’s just not CrossFit or the excitement surrounding it. 

I spent too many years fighting my way out of the mess I made of my body to not care for it and nurture it every day.

23
May
12

Random Thought

By garagegym107 3 Comments
Categories: Random Thoughts
Tags: , , ,

Want an eye opener?  Go sit in an emergency room for four or five hours.  Then leave there and make a list of what you can do to improve your overall health.   Start checking things off that list one at a time.

I spent four hours in the ER plus an hour at the pharmacy last night with the spousal unit and his pet kidney stone.  Needless to say I left with a renewed interest in my mission to help others get fit.

I’m in the pull-up your boot straps mood today and if you are easily offended stop here. 

Rarely do I get up on my soap box but come on people.  If you really want to make changes in your life YOU have to be the initiator.  No one is going to swoop in and rescue you.  

This is your life, you must be the one to change it! 

Sure it’s hard, but not any harder than paying our bills and being responsible for all the other stuff we do. 

It takes committment.  It takes a strong resolve that will ebb and flow. 

When we’ve got our motivation everything is easy.  When you first start your fitness program, no matter what it is, you are all excited and filled with determination (much like dating).  

Next thing you know you realize this is HARD and it takes work (much like marriage).  It takes a commitment to yourself to take care of you first.  What will you do to make it happen?

I’ve been working out at 5:00 or 5:30am for years because that’s my me time.  Everyone else is still snug in the bed and I’m busting my booty because I’m committed to a healthy lifestyle.

YES, the odds are stacked against us.  Foods that may seem healthy by someone’s marketing standards really aren’t.  Learn to live by these two rules when it comes to food and it will solve a lot of your trouble and questions.

  • If it will spoil in 3-5 days, eat it. (meats, veggies, fruits, healthy fats, nuts & seeds and little or no sugar.
  • If it keeps for months or years in your pantry in bags or boxes, just skip it. 

If you don’t know how to cook, then find a local cooking class.  Just make sure the class doesn’t specialize in fried chicken!

22
May
12

The Morphing of a Fit Woman

By garagegym107 3 Comments
Categories: Living Fit Daily
Tags: , , , , , ,

People in the gym see me and most would never know that I weighed 328# at one point in my life.   Most days I don’t think about where I came from just because I don’t live in the past.  I prefer to keep my eyes peeled on what’s happening today. 

That way I see more of the good stuff.  Worrying about tomorrow before it gets here solves nothing.  Hanging on to crap that happened in the past only serves to keep me there so I tend to let yesterday go and live in today.

Ever looked up the definition of morphing? 

  • Undergo or cause to undergo a gradual transformation: “it began as an online magazine and morphed into a book”.

This suits me perfectly. Gradual transformation.  What started out as a seemingly impossible task has become a reality.   From fat to fit.  I used to bristle at the term fat for fear of hurting someone’s feelings.  

The truth is I WAS FAT and I blamed it on everyone and everything.  Bad  divorce, hated my job, not enough money, I had three kids, I was too busy to go to the gym, my knee’s hurt (ya think??  what body part doesn’t hurt when you pack 170# of excess weight on it?).   In reality, I was scared.  What if I failed.  What if I didn’t follow through.  What if I didn’t stay with it.  Notice I never said “what if I can’t”.  Subconsciously, I always knew that I could and I would.  Where I got into trouble was wanting major results all the time.  I’ve learned that the minor changes are just as important. 

It’s in the details.  We lose ourselves in where we want to be instead of what it takes to get there.   My best progressions have come when I stopped focusing on when I get “there” and started wholeheartedly focusing my attention on where I am and what I can do to be better today than I was yesterday.

It’s not easy, but I promise you when you get “there”, you’ll move the bar to somewhere else.     That’s morphing. 

Gradual transformation is difficult mainly because of our instant gratification society.   For me, gradual transformation has forced me to embrace the journey. It’s the journey that makes it possible to endure the necessary sacrifices to achieve any goal worth having.

21
May
12

Results Nutrition Cleanse Experimenting

By garagegym107 5 Comments
Categories: Nutritional Cleanse Experiment
Tags: , , , ,

Before I get to the nitty-gritty and completely lose your attention, I want to talk about aftermath. 

Most people are geared toward instant gratification and the thought of what’s next rarely crosses their mind.  Until the aftermath has come and gone.  What do I mean by aftermath? 

It’s been my personal experience in the beginning and middle of my transformation that any time there was extended strict discipline it was usually followed by a make-up date with the things I missed.  Not binging, but just over indulgence for multiple meals and snacks  for two or three days.   So my advice is to think ahead to how you are going to manage your food the days and weeks following a nutritional cleanse.  It serves no purpose if you are going to go get a burger and fries for lunch the Monday after you finish. 

Again, that’s my experience and part of being caught in the emotional cycle of deserving success but being scared to death of actually becoming successful.  It’s so much easier to fail and stay mediocre.  Seriously.  When you do that, you are just staying stagnant in the comfort of where you are.  It takes courage to move beyond your comfort zone and change those cycles when you become aware of what you are doing.

Ok, on with the good news.  On the program you measure both arms and legs which to me makes the results a bit higher than I normally qualify so I’ve done it both ways just because I don’t want anyone saying “well that’s just BS”.

Standard Measures in my norm:  Neck, Upper Arm (right), Chest, Waist 2# below rib cage, Abs at hip bones, Buttocks, Thigh Upper (right), Calf upper (right)  Total inches lost 14.5

Using the measurements included with the program the total is 21.4 which includes both arms and the extra measurement of upper knee and diaphragm.

Total pounds lost 10 on the money.  Even if 5 of those pounds are water weight, that’s still a 5 pound loss over all.

I’m an optimistic realist.  I believe in looking for the bright spots in this life.  I also know from a realistic stand point there are no miracles in weight loss.  This is no miracle.  This is strict dietary discipline for 11 days.  It’s taught me that I have work to do dialing in my whole foods and healthy fat portions and it’ s taught me that stimulants may cause me to hold on to fat that I’m trying to lose.

There are benefits no doubt.   I feel better, my skin is very clear, I’ve been sleeping like a rock, and my cravings have been for eggs and fresh veggies.  The most notable result is that even though I’ve been in caloric deficit, my workouts haven’t suffered.  

I don’t necessarily think that the “two-day” cleanse cycle is best for me because of my personal goals for building muscle.   On future cleanses I will rotate with one day a week cleanse days.  I spend on average 1.5 hours per day working out for my specific goals.   That takes balance.  I don’t eat a lot of processed foods and when I do they are usually in the form of ice cream, dark chocolate and red-wine.  With the occassional cup-cake thrown in for pleasure.  

Off to another challenge!  Have a great day.

21
May
12

Experimenting Day 11

By garagegym107 Leave a Comment
Categories: Nutritional Cleanse Experiment

Today has been a good day.  I made sure that I had things to keep me busy this weekend since I knew that busy is better on the cleanse days.

It’s really so much easier when you have a list and things lined up to accomplish.  There is quite a bit of truth to the “idle hands” saying.  I managed to gather some old clothes and linens and take them to the thrift store.  Nothing feels better than removing clutter.  Both mentally and literally.

I’ve noticed the time around 3-5pm on these cleanse days seems to be the toughest for me but I haven’t yet dialed in exactly why that is.  No matter, I bravely did my grocery shopping during those hours today so now I won’t be running to the store when I get off work.

I debated going to the store when in this state of mind because I’m convinced that the human brain only has so much will-power stored up before it’s subject to cave.  I decided I would challenge mine to the fullest.  Ever noticed how many people go from sample station to sample station in Costco?

It was fun because I took the college kid with me and at his request we discussed healthy nutrition the entire time.  Win.  He now understands why it’s more beneficial to eat the whole orange over have a glass of OJ.  He also knows the hierarchy of carbs and why some are good, better & best and which ones he should really avoid altogether.  He actually listened too.  He’s working too hard in the garage gym to not care about what he eats.  Baby steps!

Tomorrow morning is the stats check.  Again it’s about collecting data for me.  I’ve learned so much through this process.

  • Read the directions.  If you don’t you can make things harder than they need be.
  • A nutritional cleanse has nothing to do with a colon cleanse.  Absolutely nothing.  Don’t be fooled by the word cleanse.
  • Caffeine isn’t a required nutrient, I just like it.
  • People who think you shouldn’t do a nutritional cleanse are the same ones that tell you that you carry your weight well.
  • The mind is the most powerful fitness tool we have, hands down.

 

 

« Previous Entries