Bright Spots | garagegym107

Posts Tagged ‘Bright Spots

Dec

That Space in Between

Today I find myself sitting in that space between Christmas and New Year’s. You know, that space where most people sit around nibbling on the goodness left over from Christmas while in wait for the celebration of New Year’s.

For some folks, that space in between is the black hole of every excuse under the sun for throwing months of hard work away with that “I might as well wait (weight) until the new year starts”.

How about committing to yourself to not waste (waist) these next few days with that mindset. You know who you are. Especially those who are totally out of the normal routine. Trust me, your routine is calling you just as loudly as those left-over treats. In fact your routine is probably calling you just a tad bit louder.

You know you want to feel good. So get up and moving. Throw that crap out, in the trash can, down the disposal, whatever it takes.

We are brought up not to waste food. If someone gave it to you, throw it out. If the person that gave it to you truly knows you and knows what your goals are, they won’t care if you throw it out. If they get upset, then ask yourself what their true intentions are. Because trust me, it is your goal at stake. Not theirs.

This two-week sprint through the holidays is not about moderation. If you ate treats in moderation for two solid weeks, then really, is moderation truly the ultimate goal?

Get your food cleaned up and get on with your goals. Goals, you know, those things you set long before the treats of the season started showing up in every nook and cranny.

Get on with bringing your mojo back! You know you want it!

Nov

Getting Lost To Find Yourself

By garagegym107 4 Comments

Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: BodyBuilding, Bright Spots, Community, CrossFit, exercise, goals, healthy-living, Inspiration, Weight Lifting, Working out, Workout

Funny how folks allow an event to alter their daily lives even when it is totally out of their own control. I’ve seen more morose faces today than I care to. But this is life and I’m going to live it.

There are several highlights already happening in my day.

I watched a beautiful sunrise this morning after successfully hang squat cleaning 100# for 5 sets of 5 reps.

I worked out with a group of ladies at lunch that are all showing improvement. They are happy about it.

I closed my office door and buried myself in my work while listening to music. Thankfully I have a boss that understands on occasion I need to tune out interruption and focus. Getting lost in music today was a blessing.

This song reminds me of when I was a young mother of three rambunctious little boys. In fact this reminded me of the day the youngest got a Nerd candy stuck up his nose.

There are greater things in our lives happening everyday. Choose to see the greatness.

Nov

You Just Never Know

By garagegym107 4 Comments

I have a very small personal training business with only out-of-pocket money for equipment and so on. That being said, I recently put together an order for some cool Garagegym107 sweat shirts (special order only). I must say I have been very humbled by the ladies who have gotten shirts. Just the sheer fact that they are wearing my blog name on their back is humbling.

This morning in the gym, I was asked to order more shirts. When I stop and think of the fact that my friends and family are willing to wear them I get all teary-eyed. It is a very special thing for me. You just never know who’s reading or who might be hearing a much needed message.

My little brother would probably laugh at me for being sappy. But deep down he remembers how unhappy I was before I started my weight-loss journey.

I want people to look at those shirts and google this blog from those fancy smart phones everyone has now-a-days and I want them to see the about tab.

I want people to know that this is me keeping it real and spreading the message that if you want to get fit YOU can.

If you want to beat the odds, YOU can.

If you want to take a step to a healthier life, YOU can.

But the real kicker here is YOU.

There are days that this journey isn’t easy, but it is always doable. The statement “how bad do you want it?” is often used.

For me it’s “How good do you want to feel today?”.

For me that feeling good comes from doing the right things for me. Whether that’s clean food, a hard workout, a free meal or a rest day. Getting to the point of even understanding what your body needs takes time and patience. But it’s so worth every single second and every tear you may shed. Anything worth having is worth working for.

Everyday we go through this life just trying to live through it. I ask you, what are you doing to really LIVE?

For now just keep moving forward.

Oct

Haters Gonna Hate

By garagegym107 6 Comments

Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: BodyBuilding, Bright Spots, Clean Eating, Community, CrossFit, exercise, fitness, gaining self confidence, Goal Setting, Long term weight loss, Motivation, nutrition, Weight Lifting, weight loss, Well-Being

I think too much. Yes I do.

Strange things happen that poke at me. They also make me go hmmm.

Today while out on the parking deck working out with the crew someone left an anabolic steroid catalog in my desk chair. I’m sure they were just being funny because that what’s people do when they think they will get your goat.

I’ve got my own goats, I don’t need their help with them.

I posted that little quote “I’m not strong for my age. I’m just strong” evidently there’s a bit of truth to that. 🙂

Good for me.

Over the course of changing my life from being just a total train wreck to being a fit woman, there have been many haters along the way.

The funny thing about that is I didn’t realize that those haters could come in the form of people who I thought really mattered in my life. So keep this in mind if your journey is just beginning.

It wasn’t until I began saying no to the buffet lunches, the weekly happy hours, the business lunches of pizza and the monthly birthday cake club did the original haters first appear. I don’t hesitate to take my own food in to any training session now. Once people got used to me being different, it became a non-issue. This goes back many years and even a past job. I am not the food police, I don’t criticize what others are doing. That is not my place.

It took me a very long time to realize that choosing to be healthy has a tendency to make those who choose not to feel guilty. Whether they ever admit it or not. At first it bothered me but not any more. Let ’em hate.

I eat clean food, I work out 5-6 six times per week and I’m perfectly happy with it. Not to mention that I am a much better wife, mother and employee. Does that mean I hate on peeps who choose not to? Absolutely not. Remember I’m married to the Junk Food King. He was that way when I married him, I changed. I don’t expect him to, if he wants to he will. He’s a grown man.

Back to the catalog left in my chair. What most people I work with don’t realize is that I get up at 4:30am Monday thru Friday and I march myself in to the gym and I devote time to working hard on my body. Whether it is Olympic lifting, body building or metabolic condition, I’m working HARD while most of my peers are sleeping, both male and female.

That’s a choice. I’ve made mine and my choice is clean eating and working my butt off. Literally.

Oct

Just Keep Going

By garagegym107 Leave a Comment

Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: BodyBuilding, Bright Spots, change, Clean Eating, Community, CrossFit, exercise, Inspiration, Motivation, Weight Lifting, Well-Being, Working out, Workout

I have such a hard time when confronted with a client or friend that gets emotionally upset by her performance.

You see, the sweet and kind me wants to coddle them and say “it’s ok, really it is”. And that isn’t a lie. It is ok because if you get emotional it just means what you are doing is very important to you.

But then the hard-nosed woman who came from that same place starts wanting me to blurt out things that could scare the bee-jeezus out of her instead. Yes, I always choose to inhibit my inner Jillian.

You see, I can be that person. I wish someone had been that person to me 12 years ago when I was shoving chili-cheese smothered tator-tots in my face just a little too often. But then, if they had, maybe just maybe I wouldn’t be here writing to you.

You see each person is different, each journey is for the person travelling it. It’s not for any outsider to change but instead to impact that journey in a positive or negative way. Each person has to change themselves. The lucky ones have others to poke and prod them.

That being said when I step back and think about my own journey, my most dramatic changes always followed some type of negative interaction with another person. Like a catalyst. And not in a good way.

It’s healthy to receive constructive criticism, not so on destructive criticism.

I’m my clients biggest fan and choose to remain that way.

Oct

Fantastic Friday!

By garagegym107 10 Comments

Categories: Living Fit Daily
Tags: BodyBuilding, Bright Spots, change, Clean Eating, Community, CrossFit, exercise, fat loss, fitness, gaining self confidence, Goal Setting, Motivation, nutrition, Training, Weight Lifting, Well-Being, Working out, Workout

Lets just start the day off here. Old School style.

If this doesn’t make you wiggle a little this fine Friday morning not much will.

This week has been a week of success for myself and quite a few of my friends.

My friend Melanie is seeing progress for the first time in a while, it’s given her hope and the belief that she can make changes… Here’s to you Melanie!

My friend Tami went to the doctor for a check-up and was told she is ridiculously healthy.

My friend Melissa is over her funky cold Medina crud she picked up after the Warrior Dash.

My client Sheena has made amazing progress since coming back after giving birth to her healthy baby girl 3 months ago.

My friend Mary who works out in our parking deck group has made amazing progress on her air squat ability.

My friend Jamelia, also of the parking deck club is shrinking before our very eyes.

Joanna sent the sweetest email of how much she enjoys the parking deck workouts.

My friend Carol came through her shoulder surgery and even though she knows there are months of struggle ahead, she’s up for it.

My friend’s son Jackson in Washington State was overjoyed with a simple box of freshly grown cotton that I sent from the deep south.

Let me tell you folks, it’s the smallest things in this life that matter most. Being healthy, having the ability to move your behind, even if not exactly to the movement you’d like.

But biggest of all is having the ability to stop and be reminded of all there is that is going right in this life more so than complaining about what is wrong.

And on a final note, high-five to the Madison, AL police officer that pulled over the driver that flew past a school bus that had its stop sign out this morning. Happy Friday peeps!! Make it a fantastic voyage!

Oct

Fear

By garagegym107 1 Comment

Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: Body-for-Life, BodyBuilding, Bright Spots, Clean Eating, Community, CrossFit, exercise, fat loss, gaining self confidence, Goal Setting, Inspiration, Long term weight loss, Motivation, nutrition, Weight Lifting, weight loss, Working out, Workout

I had a conversation with someone yesterday and unbeknownst to her I could detect a strong vibe of fear radiating from her. Self-doubt. As soon as the conversation started the list of health issues came tumbling out. As if in some way that list lessened the importance of her overall goals. She said “I just want to be healthy”.

Being healthy is a great goal. In the beginning using the term “I just want to be healthy” is ok.

Fear of thinking too far ahead is very natural in the beginning, especially if you have significant weight to lose. I understand that fear. I’m absolutely certain I emanated that fear myself 12 years ago when I started my journey.

But I learned the hard way that you shouldn’t allow yourself to stay in that zone for very long. If so, you become reliant on your excuses. I remember the big one… “my knees hurt”…yes, when you carry 168# of excess weight everything tends to hurt.

At some point that vague statement of “I just want to be healthy” must transition to a plan. The plan must transition to action. The actions them must provide measurable results. If you can’t measure your success, you are subject to relapse into old behaviors, often.

See yourself as you want to be, not who are today, but as the fit and healthy person you want to be.

Oct

Issues, We All Have Them

By garagegym107 6 Comments

I was chatting with a friend who is struggling this morning. As we chatted, I was thrown back in time to that exact point in my journey.

I don’t know where these things come from, they just seem to come from deep inside somewhere teaching me again, that I have learned some lessons over this journey of mine.

“We all have issues. My issues are not smaller than yours. I’ve learned not to use them as an excuse to crap on my goals” ~Garagegym107

There is so much meat in that statement, I immediately had to type it out and claim it.

For years I allowed my issues to be my excuse for chronically sabotaging my fitness efforts with poor quality food. It took me quite some time to figure out that when I ate poorly, I in turn felt even more poorly and my issues seemed ginormous (yes, I know that’s not really a word).

It happens in the lives of most women who struggle with dealing with emotional eating. You are not alone.

Sooner or later, you must confront your fears in order to move past these issues. It’s not about willpower so much as it is about willingness to change and will to let go.

Our issues can stay buried deep inside and something silly can pull one of them back to the limelight.

In example, I’ve written about the online trainer that literally told me I needed to rethink my goals regarding physique training. In that moment that little liar in my head came screaming forward saying “see I told you so”.

I could have let both the negative self-talking voice and the online trainer derail me completely. The old me would have allowed just that.

The stronger, wiser and much more at peace, and confident me simply said “watch this”. My goals are set, my countdown app on my phone is set and I’ve been busy doing.

Sure, I have issues, we all do. Step back and think things through. If you are reaching for food, you are still allowing those issues to rule your roost.

Oct

Warrior Dash My Version

By garagegym107 2 Comments

Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: BodyBuilding, Bright Spots, Community, gaining self confidence, Goal Setting, Inspiration, Motivation, Warrior Dash, Working out

Saturday I ran my first ever Warrior Dash. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect and Warrior Dash like. It was 66 degrees and started raining while we were in the starting chute waiting. Muddy slopes to slide down and hills to slip up. I had a blast.

But my Dash comes with another story. I ran with two friends, or better yet, they ran with me. You see I’m not as fast as they are and I am much more cautious, mainly out of fear of an injury.

My story is for all of the youngguns out there. You want to do something big in your life?? Wait for a friend.

The sacrifice my Warrior friends made by waiting for me didn’t go unnoticed by me. They are competitive, they like to do well at what they do. Who can blame them, they are both swift on their feet and great runners.

Saturday, they waited. They waited as I cautiously went over things that scared me. Laughed at mud running down my face when I slid down into a muddy pool. But they waited.

Do you know how much patience it takes to cool your jets long enough to think of someone else? They set aside personal goals and personal bests to wait for a friend.

This life will pass you by in the blink of an eye. Before you know it, life takes over and your internal Warrior gets set aside for kids and life. But it’s never too late to bring your Warrior back. Out of over 6,000 people, there were only 27 or so 49-year-old female participants. I was one of them and I had a BLAST!

I was one of them, and these two ladies are the ones who waited. They are the rock stars!

Before the Dash.

And after the dash!

Oct

Never Going To Steal My Joy

By garagegym107 22 Comments

Over the past month I have seen numerous postings of one of my best friends before and after photos. Ironically, these photos are being taken by people attempting to claim her success as being a part of whatever fitness and training quick fix they are pushing.

What’s been interesting about the whole thing to both of us is reading all of the comments associated with her transformation. Especially the nay-sayers. One woman claimed to be “a trainer with 30 years experience” she didn’t believe the photos were real.

In my humble opinion, I’d run from that trainer. If she doesn’t believe this type of transformation is possible then you sure don’t want to pay her to convince you that it is not possible.

That’s why I love my friend and I love my life. We live our transformations every single day of our lives. We don’t have to go around using other people’s pictures to build ourselves up. Instead we use our own photos to build others up.

You see, no-one can ever steal our joy, we built it, we earned it, it’s ours to share.

We can walk the walk not just talk the talk. Let me just say this, it hasn’t been a cake walk. It’s much easier now than it has ever been before for both of us. But were it not for the road we’ve traveled, I would not be writing this blog.

People want change but people want change for nothing.

For all the ladies in the house…grab a tissue because this is a good one!

Let me introduce you to my friend Michelle T. . She is real, she is authentic and she is my mentor.

She has listened to me sob over realizing that a goal I set wasn’t going to happen. She never said I wouldn’t, just said maybe now isn’t the right time.

She has stood by me and patiently watched me impatiently struggle with being too strict with food and over training myself in to the ground all the while knowing that in my own time, I would come out on the other side.

You see, here is the thing about all of that weight-loss. Everyone is different. With personal patience, self-awareness and a personal belief that never waivers, long-term successful weight-loss can happen.

Each one reach one…Thank you Michelle for paying it forward!

YES this picture is real! Yes I have seen her in a two piece! YES IT CAN BE DONE!

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