Archive for June, 2012

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15
Jun
12

Finally Friday!

By garagegym107 Leave a Comment
Categories: Living Fit Daily
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What a challenging week this has been!  My spousal unit has been battling kidney stones for the past 4 weeks.  Two trips to the ER and still no stone passage.  Talk about upsetting the whole apple cart and my training routine!   Long sleepless nights will do that. 

Dealing with someone in serious pain can wreak havoc on a positive attitude.  Out of respect and concern for my spousal unit I found myself keeping extremely quiet in an effort to prevent from disturbing him.  The quieter he got the quieter I stayed. 

I didn’t realize until just this morning that the effort has begun to take a toll on my mindset.  Normally I am a very positive person but the missed workouts, sporadic meals, trips to the ER and trips to the drugstore along with the medicine bottles and paraphernalia sitting in the bathroom, I realize even more how very precious a fit mind and fit body truly are.  I recognize even more how important it is to eat and drink the right things to properly nourish our bodies.

I’m resolved to make-up my missed workouts over the weekend and I actually look forward to spending some time in garage gym 107.  It’s got great MOJO.  It’s got a great way of breaking me down with a barbell and kettlebells and a pull-up bar, yet builds me up and makes me stronger.

This weekend I’m going to add something new.  I’m going to make some homemade Bulgarian Sandbags.  They look like just the ticket to mix things up a bit and will give me an outdoor project.

The interesting thing will be varying the material used to fill the bags so that I can make them full, but different weights.  I’ll report back and let you know how this project ends up.

If you are heading in to the weekend and feeling sad or down and out, get outside and move.  Whatever it takes to get some fresh air and renew your spirit!

14
Jun
12

It’s Not About the Weight

By garagegym107 34 Comments
Categories: Living Fit Daily
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Only DataI think back on the number of times I jumped on the scale and waited with held breath for that thing to tell me something I considered good.  And I remember the days I didn’t perceive the results as positive.  It took me several years to figure out that the scale is simply a data gathering tool. 

Have realistic expectations.  In the beginning I literally thought I could lose over 150# in 3 months.  Yes, I was that naive –Having or showing a lack of experience, judgement or information.  

My personal experience , which I am elated to share with you is that it takes more time than most women are willing to invest in themselves but that doesn’t have to be YOU.  

YOU can choose to be one of those women that resets your mind and commits to long-term success as opposed to a short-sighted solution. 

Women in general give so much credit and power to the scale that they will literally throw away months of hard work and effort if that scale doesn’t tell them what they want to hear.  I’ve been there.  The scale does not dictate your success or perceived failure.  STOP doing that to yourself!!

There are so many other things you are changing with fitness and clean eating.  

– Your body is getting healthier inside. 

– Your soul is happier because YOU are taking care of YOU and not waiting around for someone else to do it for you.

– You are gaining self-confidence with each workout and each clean meal you choose to eat.

– You can overcome set-backs.

– You are opening yourself up to new experiences.

– You are opening yourself to meeting new people.

– You can control your weight, your food and the outcome of both.

– You can trust and believe in YOU!

12
Jun
12

Don’t Worry Be Happy

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

Sounds easy right?  Well during the night last night I tossed and turned and churned through a list of worrisome issues.  Guess what?  I didn’t solve a single one of the worries and lost a good nights sleep to boot.

What is really interesting though is that I got up this morning and was teetering on the verge of moody tears.  Everyone that knows me on a personal level knows that I’m not a weepy person.  I’ve raised three boys, I’m known for being rather terse at times.

I’m also known for being that hard*** person that gets things done instead of whining about what else needs to be done in addition to working out, working for a living,  clean eating, loads of laundry, groceries, dealing with a wrecked automobile, etc.  

I realized this morning when I got up that I had allowed myself to worry in to an uncharacteristic mood.  After acknowledging that I woke up in a dark place to one of my friends, I begin making a mental list of what is going on.

It is absolutely amazing to me that something as simple as a listing of what’s going on can help me see what takes priority. 

– What is needed to sustain life?  Got it?  Yep.  Asking myself that one question completely changed my mindset.  YES, IT’S THAT EASY. 

My goodness how quickly we can be sucked into worry and get lost.   We fail to see the positive by focusing on the worrisome issues.

– I have a healthy body and can take most of the physical load I place on it day in and day out.

– I have a day job that I choose to be good at.

– I love writing this cheesy little blog because it keeps me honest and reminds me of how far I’ve come. 

– I love reading other awesome blogs out there like Cultfit.com.

– I love proving to people you can overcome obesity once you stop playing the blame game.

– I love seeing the positive side as opposed to wasting perfectly good energy on worry.

Worry changes nothing outside of the wrinkles on your face.  Act on what you CAN change now.  Once you start acting on what you can change, you realize you are far more capable than you give yourself credit for.

 

 

 

 

11
Jun
12

Two Steps Forward, One Step Backwards

By garagegym107 Leave a Comment
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Over the past few weeks I’ve been plugging along doing my thing.  I’ve also noticed that I haven’t been as passionate about my thing as I normally am.

Just this morning I remembered that some times you take two steps forward and one step back. 

I used to think that this was a negative, you know, to take a step back.  Over time I’ve learned that in reality it’s my mental mojo getting a running start for the next round of progress getting ready to take place.  

Think about it.  We can’t always be on the high tide.  If we were, we’d lose sight of how awesome that high tide is.  Down time allows us to really think about where we are and what we want to happen next.  It doesn’t have to be a huge transition to another set of big goals.  

It can be something as simple as a commitment to yourself to do XYZ over the next 3 months.   

For me I tend to train hard and heavy for four months and then go into this feeling of limbo like training for a couple of weeks.  I believe that limbo is my mind and body taking a much deserved break from the cycle of training I put it through.

After that two week slow down, I feel a renewed surge of desire and passion to get back to the hard and heavy training.  It’s funny, until I started writing this blog I didn’t really pay that much attention to the cycle.  But looking back to have a clearer perspective to write from, I’ve had this cycle going strong for 4 years now.

Not too bad for a former yo-yo’er.  Perhaps the true beauty in this realization is that the old, fat, tired and lazy me would have used this limbo period as a reason to quit.  The commitment to what I’ve become won’t allow the limbo to be perceived as anything other than a short, less intense training phase.  

Life feels too good during the high tide to do anything other than just paddle until the next big wave hits.

08
Jun
12

Making Long Term Change

By garagegym107 Leave a Comment
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
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Over the last couple of days, I seen the reports of the 600# Virgin regaining 400# that he lost.  It’s been on my mind and I decided to write about when real long-term changes started happening for me and how they happened.

The mis-leading thing about all of these tv specials about weight-loss don’t really tell you about when everything is over.  I know I’ve seen one of the Biggest Loser’s, the pizza guy from up North gained all of his weight back.  

In a perfect world, every person could go to a fitness camp, have world-class trainers and chef’s preparing perfect food. 

But in reality we have lives that aren’t put on hold because we decide we want to get healthy.  It can be done but it won’t be without sacrifice. 

One of the hardest realizations I had to come to was that there were people who have always known me and they just weren’t willing to accept the person I was becoming. 

Whether they realize what they are doing or not, there will be the tempting lunch invitations, happy hour invites, your favorite cookies or candies showing up etc. 

It took awhile for me to realize that my change was making people around me uncomfortable.  Change is hard.  Not just for you, but for those who know the old you.  Some want to stay in the old comfortable place they’ve always been and they’d like to keep you there with them.

Change takes courage.  You don’t have to be mean or rude, just say “thanks for the invite, but I can’t make it”.  After the first decline it will get easier. 

You may lose a friend or two over it, but remember there ARE like-minded people out there who want to socialize with other fit people. 

One of my fondest memories was this past fall while watching a college championship game with a group of people who I had just met from a local gym.  Every single dish was healthy and tasted great!  I felt as if I were in a safety zone.

One of my clients is a young 24-year-old professional.  One of her greatest obstacles is hanging with her friends.  We plan her workouts and weekly nutrition goals around her social schedule so her free meals fall on the day of the event she has scheduled.  It allows her to enjoy life without feeling restricted.

Being fit isn’t about giving up everything you enjoy and feeling miserable.  It’s about having the courage to make the choices day in and day out to be better today than you were yesterday FOR YOURSELF not for anyone else.

07
Jun
12

Random Workout Thoughts

By garagegym107 2 Comments
Categories: Random Thoughts
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– You have to start somewhere.  If you haven’t been working out at all start by walking.  Go just one block.  Every single day add another block to the previous days total until you are up to 45 minutes.

– On the day you don’t want to workout, do it anyway.

– People in the gym really aren’t really looking at you.  Don’t be insecure.  You deserve to be there.

– If you don’t know what to do in the gym ask someone.  Don’t strike up a conversation, just ask for help.

– If you don’t want to ask someone, there are plenty of forums that have demo videos.  http://www.exrx.net/ is one of my favs.

– If you’re bored do something different.  There are plenty of parks and places to get in a body weight workout.

– Yes, you will get sore.  In some cases more sore than you imagined.  Especially after walking lunges.  Lunges bring a booty back though and are well worth holding on to the bathroom stall walls.

– Someone will always be stronger, bigger or faster than you.  Keep going.

– Never forget there is someone wishing they could be where you are today.   Someone who is physically incapable of moving due to injury or illness, you should do it simply because you can and they don’t have that luxury.

06
Jun
12

Random Food Thoughts

By garagegym107 7 Comments
Categories: Random Thoughts
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–  You control food, it doesn’t control you.  It has no feeling, it’s not out to get you.  It doesn’t sabotage your efforts.  Get over it.

–  You can overcome emotional food issues.  It starts with accepting the statement above.

–  You can still have your cake and eat it.  It is far better to go to the store and buy one cupcake every couple of months instead of home-baking a whole dozen for the same price.  You don’t need a whole dozen of anything.  Get over it.  Well except maybe shoes.

–  You can live without mac & cheese.  In fact you’ll likely live a lot longer without it.

–  Healthy fat won’t make you fat. 

–  It takes about two weeks to get over sugar cravings once you relinquish your strong hold on sugar.  Try it.  You’ll see.

– You can always find an excuse or justification for eating poorly, don’t kid yourself in to thinking they are legit.

– It takes minimal planning to make sure you purchase what you need to make great, simple meals all week.  Failing to plan = planning to fail. 

– There is not one thing that you can put in your mouth that will make your emotions feel better so H.A.L.T. first.  Hurt. Angry. Lonely. Tired.  Identify if you are truly hungry or just messing around with a cover-up of one of the other emotions.

–  Remember, that fork doesn’t get up off of that plate and fly in your mouth.  YOU put it there.

– Water.  Sometimes you just think you are hungry.  Hydrate instead.

Vacation Food

More Vacation Food

05
Jun
12

Change “IS” Hard

By garagegym107 9 Comments
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I talk to so many people about fitness, health and weight-loss.  Interestingly enough I have found that on average when the going gets tough, people literally stop as opposed to getting uncomfortable. 

It’s the rare occasion when someone will choose discomfort and success over the just giving up on themselves. 

The thing that I’ve found to be most common even with myself is I get to a crossroads and have to decide to get more uncomfortable.  I’ll ponder for a day or five about “what now?” and those moments usually come when I feel like my progress is stalled out.  I’m not talking about scale progress.  I’m talking about fitness progress of getting stronger or faster or it’s as simple as if my form has improved.   And of course the ultimate goal is always to remain injury free.

I came to this fitness game a little late, mainly because I spent 10 good years battling the shame and insecurity of being heavy.  Sure, I shed the weight consistently, but it took me a bit longer to shed the insecurity. 

A really good friend told me this morning that she had recently seen a young woman with a tattoo that read “I am the hero of this story, I don’t need to be saved”.   Every person should feel that way about themselves and be that confident in their own ability to take care of themselves. 

I believe that most people have the ability to choose whether they get fit or not.  And the average person sometimes needs a good nudge from someone who will be brutally honest with them to get them jump started.

All throughout the process I had to learn to stop taking things so personally all the time.   When you get really fat, you get really sensitive whether you willingly admit that or not. 

Sometimes that sensitivity can become a crutch and it will hold you back.  It takes courage to step back and ask yourself “I am being the best that I can be or am at a least headed in that direction?” from an objective stand point.

I do this on a regular basis now but in the beginning it took a couple of objective people to kick me in the pants.  One was an internet acquaintance that I met while doing multiple Body-for-Life Challenges.  He basically said “If you don’t like your results, what are you going to do about it?”.  

After I won the 2009 Body-for-Life challenge another friend took me to a track and showed me beyond doubt that I was a long, long way from my physical limits and potential.  Initially I took this process very personally because I was overly sensitive.  The fat chick in my head said “you have a ton more work to do so why don’t you just quit now?”  The fighter in me said “I will not quit, not now, not ever!” and off I went to get even better. 

And most recently was one of my very best friends Michelle (see the link to the right) said to me “what if this is as good as it gets for you?”  It was at that moment that I realized I was not where I wanted to be, but at some point in my life I will inevitably get that point. 

It was a great moment of realization.  Fitness doesn’t always have to get tougher and tougher, heavier and heavier or faster and faster.  Sometimes it just has to get healthier and healthier from the mind, not the food you eat, not the workouts you do but from the thoughts you think. 

Your actions are driven by your thoughts.  Be sure you’re thinking the positive thoughts that will take you to your goals.

04
Jun
12

Square Peg in a Round Hole

By garagegym107 2 Comments
Categories: Living Fit Daily
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I love reading.   In fact it’s not uncommon that I have more than one book going at a time.  Sometime there is fiction/drama and it’s generally counter balanced with something that is non-fiction.  Right now I have two non-fiction books going at once.  One is Switch by Chip Heath and Dan Heath and it’s about making lasting change when change is hard.   The other is a book called Paleoista by Nell Stephenson.   

I bought Paleoista because I was interested to see a woman’s perspective on Paleo eating.   I’m just over halfway finished and so far I find it rather idealistic. 

In example…”you’ll no longer need that microwave so go ahead and donate it to the thrift store” and in the same chapter, “plan your meals so there is enough for lunch the next day”. 

Ok in a perfect world of having access to a working stove and a skillet to reheat lunch meals at work would be great.   Not using a microwave is fine if you eat salad every day. But realistically does this author always eat her leftovers cold?  Leftovers that she discusses how wonderful the meals are fresh and hot off the stove?

Ok, so I’m nit-picking.  Or am I?  I eat a very clean diet.  I have for several years.  One of my greatest discoveries was that I was eating too many cold meals and wasn’t satisfied 50% of the time.

Instead of telling people to ditch the microwave (I’m not trying to start a debate here so hold your comments on the damages of using a microwave) why not instruct them how to properly re-heat those awesome leftovers?

I live in the great state of Alabama.  North Alabama to be exact.  The land of fried, smothered and covered, eat everything on your plate, and “thanks for dinner, I enjoyed it”.  We don’t have a Whole Foods.  Thankfully this time of year we do have a farmers market.  I’ve found one source for a grass-fed cow, but I’ve yet to jump on the 6-12 month waiting list.

Another hot button?  Squeezing all women in to the same one size fits all box.  Ironically, I do eat a Paleo style diet mainly because I have a wheat intolerance and it takes exactly 3 days for strange things to happen in my body.  I do include the occasional dairy, wine, dark chocolate,  and sweet potatoes. 

That being said IT TOOK ME YEARS to get here from morbid obesity.  Attempting to make Paleo appear to be the fashionable thing to do rubs me a little.  When you are 168# over weight, you don’t really feel very “ista” anything, instead you feel lost, lonely and perhaps even a bit broken.

I would not recommend this book to one of my clients unless I knew in advance that they had their head on straight. And that there was no yo-yoing going on.

What I mean by that?  Heavily restricting the diet of a person that is extremely overweight can wreak havoc on that persons emotional eating issues not to mention their metabolism.  Some folks don’t do so hot with cold turkey.

I’ve never been able to understand the statement “eat until your full”.   Some people just simply do not have that “full” mechanism until they learn to become mindful.  And trust me, that is a process and depending on the person they could see results quickly or as in my case of strong denial it could take much longer.

Ok, I’ll settle down now and finish reading the book this week.  If nothing more than for the sheer humor of it.

When I’m further in to Switch, I’ll let you know my “opinion” on it. Remember, we all have opinions and you are free to consider it or not.

01
Jun
12

Speed Bumps in The Road

By garagegym107 Leave a Comment
Categories: Living Fit Daily
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Thank goodness for auto insurance!  Needless to say, the boy has learned a whole lot about responsibility from his decision to not notify the police of the accident. 

Note to all of my friends and anyone that I don’t know who is reading this blog:  I assumed my child understood that no matter what, when there is an accident he must report it to the police.  Don’t make the assumption that your kids know this. 

Explain to them that no matter what, it matters when it comes down to who pays the bill for repairs.  I’ve raised my kids with the understanding that in every situation they have choices and no matter what choice they make, they must be prepared to handle the consequences   The boy is better for the experience although his summer will be spent paying off the deductible debt he owes me.

I have been sitting here thinking about the rather crazy week I’ve had.  I’ve managed to get all but one of my workouts in.  I do intend to make up that workout at some point this weekend.  I usually take both days as active rest days.  I’m going to have some pull-up skill work and 10 x 100m sprints.   That ought to work me over pretty good and then I intend to stand-up paddle board if the mound of laundry will allow for it. 

My eats have been pretty close to 90% clean which I’m ok with.   I’ve run the gamut of the eat bad, feel bad, eat bad cycle and then transitioned over to the perfectionist cycle of 100% clean 100% of the time and plenty more phases smashed between the two extremes. 

These phases I now see very clearly and understand how they came about.  It has only been since I realized the difference between 90% and 100% is minimal in terms of my results that I’ve become more comfortable.  Now my body, mind and soul are a lot happier when I selectively choose my 10% meals.  

I do believe that 80% clean eats is a good solid goal for everyone.  I’m personally not as comfortable with that being my choice.  I prefer to keep a slightly tighter reign because I am more comfortable with that structure. 

For those struggling to find balance out there, it’s doable.  Just be patient with yourself and don’t be afraid to fall down from time to time.  Just don’t stay down because no-one will come along and pick you up.  You have to do that for yourself. 

Have a great weekend!

 

 

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