Archive for July, 2013

30
Jul
13

Reach Just One

By garagegym107 3 Comments
Categories: Living Fit Daily
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A little over a year ago I started working out with a woman at work, outside on the parking deck.  She started coming out and working out, never questioning anything she was asked to do, only trusting in the training and the trainer.  Over time another person would ask to join, then another, then another.

DW

My friend has since left the company and her family has moved back to her home state.  Today I am so vividly reminded of her joy and zest for life, her laughter ringing through the air as she pushed through the sometimes very difficult workouts.  People often breeze through our lives, not to stay indefinitely, but to make an impact in a very short period of time.

I continue to teach these classes on the parking deck and each week we seem to have another person join.  It’s so inspiring to me to have a new person slip up the stairs and out in the the open sunshine.  Some days are much harder than others, some days they question why they do what they do but then they always come back for more.

Each one reaches one.  I live by that statement.  I thank my friend Michelle Treichel for sharing that with me, it was a real sticker.

I love working out, love having changed my own life.  I love continuing to change it through fitness and proper nutrition.   All that being said, there is one thing that takes the cake and that is helping others.  It doesn’t matter the shape or size or age or whateva… they are welcome in my little world.

They inspire me.  They bring me joy.  They remind me of being better.  They make me better.

Here’s to the parking deck crew…many, many thanks to you all!  We miss you Daphne!!

Deck Group 4 07-30-13

23
Jul
13

Lazy Arse

By garagegym107 2 Comments
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This evening my spousal unit and I were driving down the road.  We were talking about health and well-being as we age.  I made a comment about getting my lazy behind up each morning.  He laughed and said “you are far from lazy”.

I haven’t thought about being lazy in a very long time.  Lazy created havoc in my world years ago and I refuse to go back there.  But enough of that.

I have often wondered what drives my desire to get up and keep moving day in and day out.  Maybe it’s simply my joie de vivre that keeps me moving.  Maybe it’s the people I get to see along my path.  The guy in the gym that sometimes beats me there, yet always nods.  The body pump instructor that teaches 5:30am classes and is always smiling even though I don’t take her class.

When it gets down to it, it’s the feeling of the iron in my hands, the strength it brings, the frustration on the days it breaks me.  Iron doesn’t talk back, it just keeps giving more challenge.  Iron doesn’t care if I am weak, it will wait for my strength.  Iron doesn’t care if I’m scared, it will wait for me to overcome my fear.

Lazy doesn’t live here anymore.

cropped-pink-garage-gym-107.jpg

 

11
Jul
13

Choose Wisely

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

I’ve learned a lot about fitness, food, workouts, etc.  The one thing that applies to all is to choose wisely.  In all aspects and remember that each facet of your fitness will flow over to the next.

If you are trying to find a coach/trainer to help you take it to the next level try digging a little.  I’ve often felt like I was being interviewed by the trainers that I talked to.  Almost as if they were trying to size up whether I was worthy of being taken on as a client.  Pfhhhtt, it’s my money, I’ll do the interviewing thank you.  Talk to people who know them, people who have trained under them, ask for references, call the references and get feedback.  If the trainer is good, they won’t hesitate to give you the information.  If they flat refuse, perhaps they are not the trainer for you.

Food is always such a hard topic to discuss because there are so many different “plans” for people to follow.  Choose wisely.  Simply put, the best foods you can eat are the foods that have been processed as little as possible.  Fresh veggies, fruits, lean meats, things that require very little effort if you learn the basics in the kitchen.  You want starches?  Choose wisely, a sweet potato or squash is a whole lot better for your body than a over-sized (eye-eyeballed) serving of pasta.  And remember, you can’t out train a bad diet.

Workouts can be just about as confusing as food.  Choose wisely.  Set yourself some measurable goals, measurable means specific things you can put a tape measure or mathematical calculation to and determine if you are progressing.

Measurable goal examples:

Reduce/increase inches: neck, shoulders, biceps, chest, waist, hips, thighs, calves.

Increase 1 rep max dead-lift to xyz.

Run 5 additional flights of stadium stairs before a x time cap.

If you struggle to go it alone, hiring a coach can be a great thing.  But don’t go into it blindly, don’t trust your outcome to someone you haven’t checked up on.  Ask around, if you are uncomfortable asking around the gyms, ask around the nutrition stores they usually know all of the local trainers.

Need a goal?  Set yourself an appointment with a professional photographer for six months from your start date.  Hold yourself accountable at the highest level.  Keep a log.  Take progress pictures every 4 weeks.

If you can go it alone,  and you feel confident in your own ability, write down your plan and follow it to the letter.  Hold yourself as accountable as you would expect a coach to hold you.  Educate yourself on nutrition, don’t blindly follow along.  What works for one doesn’t always work for another.

Help Wanted Sign

 

 

07
Jul
13

Unsung Hero’s

By garagegym107 Leave a Comment
Categories: Off Topic Posts
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At 4:27am July 5th, our family lost a great mentor, father, father-in-law, husband, grandfather and friend.  My post isn’t about mourning the loss, that’s a very private thing for me.

This post is about some things I learned that I never knew about before my father-in-law’s very short battle with cancer.

During the process of his care, I learned some things that I think are of the utmost importance to be shared with the masses.

1)  Never assume your loved ones will get the attention they need.  Stay on top of the daily activity and fight for their needs.  If you don’t they will fall to the bottom of the list, especially as they age.

2)  If your parents are older, go with them to the physician if they are diagnosed with cancer.  Ask ALL of the most critical questions regarding quality of life with and without treatment.

3)  Do your research regarding home care to determine what is best for the patient AND the family.

As I sit here writing this post, I think of the most helpful people of our entire journey.  No offense to my friends who are nurses.

These people are called “sitters” at least in our area.  They come in 4 hour shifts to help the family do things for their loved ones.  They bathe them, change the bedding, clothing, etc. They launder the sheets and will voluntarily do any light cleaning you may need them to do as well. People even in illness have a great deal of dignity, having someone other than a family member to “change them” means much more than you can imagine.

As I sat through the last days and nights with my father-in-law, I realized that these unsung hero’s were the most compassionate and caring people I’d had the pleasure of meeting through this entire process.

I also thought of the people out there who are sick and have no family, or those who do not have the means to hire a service like this to help.

Moving forward in my life, I will give this service as a gift when I can.  I cannot imagine how much more difficult this process would have been if it had only been the four of us that stayed with my father-in-law day in and day out without those wonderful people.  They came in shifts that we chose to split up by four-hour shifts we took ourselves.  If was relieving to be able to step into another room and not leave him alone.

At first we were concerned about “strangers in the house” etc., phfffttt.  Looking back we absolutely were blessed, grateful, and relieved by their sincere compassion and help.

One would say with cynicism “well you paid for a service” and my sharp retort would be “we paid for medical care that was not even mediocre at best” during our hospital stay and rehab stay.

These are very special people and grossly unsung hero’s.  Do your research, find a company that someone can recommend to you.  Give a shift or even better give a week.  Your gift will be far greater than anything you can imagine.

Nurse Cap

 

 

07
Jul
13

Using A Journal Part 2

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

As I discussed in my previous post I began using a journal to record everything again after six months off from my workout journal and I really can’t say how long it’s been with the food journal.

I’ve been on again, off again with the LOSE IT app.  I like Lose It.  Another thing that requires integrity, but at least you can scan bar codes and access that app from your phone and your computer.   I’m still a WRITE IT DOWN girl.  Something about writing it down is acknowledgement for me.  It’s personal accountability and I know that when I have a trainer get involved, that will be the first thing they ask for.

So after 9 days of keeping a daily journal, as per my expectations I see things that need to be tapped back in to place.  I do very well when my meals are planned and prepared in advance.

It’s easy to sit and type about greatness.  It’s easy to sit and type about rah-rah cheering people on.  When you have to get down and dirty and spill the truth about things you could be doing better, it’s really hard.

A friend said once…  “I’m not going to tell you this is easy because when you are screwing up you’ll think there is something wrong with you, there isn’t.  It’s just hard.”

No truer words were ever spoken.

I’m sitting here typing this blog thinking of all of the not on plan foods I’ve had over the last four days.   It’s not horrible.   But it’s not great either.   I’m not trying to be perfect.  I’m trying to be better than the day before.

I’ve noticed that when I eat something off plan, I tend to scribble it down almost illegibly so.  Ha!  Like I think “someone” can’t figure it out.  Uh…someone is ME.

I live with a junk food junkie.  That’s not an excuse, that is a fact.  I love Precision Nutrition.  They clearly say “If there is junk food in the house you will eat it…eventually”. I’m good about steering clear of it.  In fact 98% of the time I do.

The only drawback to any plan saying “get rid of all the bad stuff in your house”, well that is just not possible in every house.  My spousal unit ate the same way he eats now when we married.  I changed, that isn’t his fault.  He’s not overweight or unhealthy.  I’m jealous because I have the metabolism of a person who gained 168# in two years and proceeded to lose 125# of it in a year.  I don’t care what anyone says, that jacks up your system.  No excuse.

So is the 2% margin of error enough to screw up my goals?

Perhaps.

The question is not that, the question is whether the journal is helping me to stay the course.

Without a doubt.

It helps me to recognize and realize that I’m much more comfortable and relaxed when I do food prep.  THAT makes me feel more successful in and of itself.

WRITE IT DOWN.  You’ll learn a lot in the process.

journal leather