Posts Tagged ‘change

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »
02
Nov
12

You Just Never Know

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

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.

 

 

 

29
Oct
12

Mmmmm…Eating Humble Pie

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

I love my life and I love my friends and family even more.

Friday I wrote about my little adventure with the magazine in my chair.   Pay close attention because here is where the humble pie comes in. 

Bright and early this morning one of my most favorite people from work came in to my office and closed the door behind himself.  And don’t miss that…He is one of my favorite people! 

He said “I left the magazine in your chair so you would READ THE ARTICLES in it”.   Talk about taking a huge bite of humble pie!!   HE READS MY BLOG!!  🙂

You see the insecurity of “what if they think I have too much muscle” came floating across my brain at the moment I picked up that magazine.  Not once did I think that there was an ounce of good intention associated with the magazine being left in my chair.

Shame on me.  Jumping to negative conclusions is an old habit that I’m obviously still trying to break free from.  I have to say that 99% of the time I believe in the positive.  In that 1% of negative I always find a lesson.

I thought about the “too much muscle” topic over the weekend.  Working through my own mindset to see if some how my goals would change.  My goals haven’t changed and now that this contemplation has worked through the process I’m even more convinced that I’m on the right path for me.

This is a perfect example of morphing.  Ever changing, ever-growing.

Thanks to my friend for not opening the door and walking out.  He is really great at helping me to see the forest beyond the trees.

24
Oct
12

Let’s Do Some Sprints

By garagegym107 2 Comments
Categories: Nutritional Cleanse Experiment
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Want to see a group of people visibly get better before your eyes?  Have them run sprints together.  Not just a couple of rounds of sprints but instead 6-10 rounds of 100 meter sprints.  It’s suckage to say the least.  It forces each person to work hard through the pain.  It creates personal growth.  Ages range from 28-54 and yes, they all ran together.

After you’ve finished the timing for them, have them  do the timing for you.  Little makes people feel better than to see the trainer suffer the same fate they have just endured. 

Nothing makes them feel better than to realize what they’ve accomplished when they finish.

Struggling together creates an unspoken bond.  You know as a trainer, deep down inside they are pushing each other to run just a tad faster than if they were running alone.

Lucky for me today, two additional people came up and ran with me.  Humbling and motivating that I didn’t have to run by myself, instead I GOT TO run with them.

Healthy competition is great as long as you are grounded in improving yourself more than anything.   I don’t believe that every workout has to be a competition. Some would say  that makes me soft, I disagree.  I believe that its me vs. me.  Not me vs. you. 

If I focus all of my efforts on beating someone else, the person I’m not watching is going to pass me. 

You vs. you, always.

22
Oct
12

Just Keep Going

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

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. 

 

 

 

22
Oct
12

Progress Report 1 of 18

By garagegym107 1 Comment
Categories: Precision Nutrition Certification
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I started the process of obtaining my Precision Nutrition Certification about a month ago.   I received all of my study material and slowly dove in.

After completing the required tasks of the introduction and chapter one, I settled down to complete the questions in the work book. 

At my age, things tend to stand out more than they used to, perhaps because I’m a bit more open-minded about myself.  I’m definitely one who retains more information if I write it down.  And I’m much more eager to learn at this point in my life than ever before.

I realized that I had been sitting at the table for almost two hours answering the introduction and chapter 1 questions when it hit me.  TWO hours will be the time limit cutoff for taking the full exam which covers 18 chapters.

When I voiced my concern to my spousal unit his response was simply “It’s not supposed to be easy”. 

He’s right.  The more difficult this process is for me, the more I will learn. 

 

19
Oct
12

Fantastic Friday!

By garagegym107 10 Comments
Categories: Living Fit Daily
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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!

11
Oct
12

Issues, We All Have Them

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

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.

17
Sep
12

Do You Inspire?

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

This morning after I finished my workout, I stopped by the grocery store on my way home.  All stinky and sweaty I walked in store and a gentlemen unexpectedly came around the corner “excuse me” I say in my normal post workout cheerful voice. 

I continued on down the main store front aisle.  I noticed him about ten feet to my right and he says “are you a bodybuilder?” and I don’t know exactly what came over me when I blurted out “Well, yes I am!”, technically speaking I’m building on this body every single day.   He proceeded to ask how long I’ve been working on it etc, I said a good 3-4 years.  He simply said “well nice work”. 

I could have gone in to the story of CrossFit and the story of being a personal trainer but in all honesty the answer I gave flew out of my mouth and so be it.

I’m not in great shape, I’m in good shape.  To the outside average observer, I guess they see something different.  It made my day.  Reaffirmed my desire to keep moving forward, obstacle after obstacle.   Goal after goal. 

I have always loved the following quote:

“Just remember, there is someone out there who wishes they were where you are today.”

Today I’d like to share a new friends blog.  It’s very inspirational.  And a big thank you to Lifting My Spirits for taking time out of her busy schedule to talk with me.

13
Sep
12

The Past

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

Every now and again I’m delightfully gifted with the opportunity to share my story and a few things I’ve learned to a live audience. 

I derive so much joy from having these opportunities.  Talking to others reminds me of various places I’ve been along my journey.  It also reminds me that I’m still on my own journey.

This past weekend I was reminded of one aspect of my journey.  The mind has a very powerful ability to replay old conversations years after the occurence.

That being said, I believe that we are in control of rewinding and re-recording over those powerful negative messages with positive new ones.

For example, I started running (well, what would be barely considered jogging to a runner) when I weighed just shy of 250#.  I remember the negative thoughts going through my mind step after step, “you’re too fat to do this, you are too slow to be running, you can quit this now”.  Over and over I would allow my negative thoughts to rule.  It took me years to clear the cobwebs enough to realize that I was, simply put, defeating my own purpose.

Once I began to understand that nothing has the power to impact me, unless I give it the power did I realize  great positive change from the inside.

I began changing my mantra to “you are strong and you are capable”, “you are strong and you are capable”.  Over and over, year after year, I’ve repeated those words many, many times. 

We truly are what we think we are so it is extremely important to make sure that we use “no negative self-talk, EVER”. 

I have that saying written in chalk in the middle of the chalk board in Garagegym 107.  My clients see it.  It’s a constant reminder of the way I live.  I see it every time I start my day.  I believe it.

Empower yourself to make changes to negative experiences from your past. 

Our past contributes to who we are, but our past doesn’t dictate who we become.

The chalk board project.  The humble beginnings of GG107.

24
Aug
12

Emotional Eating

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

Quite a few people know what emotional eating is.  Some folks think it is conjured up and an excuse.

I found this definition on the interwebz but it’s a bit harsh for my liking. 

“Compulsive overeating, also sometimes called food addiction, is characterized by an obsessive/compulsive relationship to food.”

You see in the South we celebrate every occasion with food and therefore tend to connect every type of emotion under the sun with food.  EVERYTHING.

Ironically I married a man who is NOT emotionally attached to food.  I’ve learned a lot from him. 

Food either tastes good to him, or it’s meh…  He never eats because he’s stressed or anything like that.  In fact I at times I put food in front of him as a reminder to eat.

It’s actually quite cool as an emotional eater to witness in reality that non-emotional eating really exists.  It has helped me come to the following conclusion on handling food.

-When you look at food you shouldn’t be trying to decide if it will make you feel better or worse.  You should only be thinking “it’s time for me to fuel my body with the best possible option, is that what this particular food will do?”

Once I accepted the responsibility that I managed food and it didn’t manage me, things really begin to change.

When you are caught up in the cycle of eat bad, feel bad so eat more bad and feel worse, it is totally up to you to break that mental cycle.  It has nothing to do with the food. 

You see when I first started losing weight, I had weight loss momentum on my side.  I ate clean 6 days a week, had a free day and I worked out 6 days a week and rested one.  The weight literally started falling off.  125# in the first year.

But the real changes for me didn’t start happening until I started unpacking my baggage chest.  For 8 years I went up 20 pounds and down 20 pounds.  Constantly yo-yo dieting and never really putting my finger on what the issue was.

One day I stood in my kitchen with my hand literally in the cookie jar, with my cup of milk about to commence in the Oreo dunking party when I realized that I was defeating my very own purpose. 

At that moment came the first epiphany.  That ah-ha moment when I cracked open the proverbial baggage trunk for the first time.  I was flooded with guilt and shame and all sorts of emotion from the shoe boxes within that chest. 

At that moment however, true healing began.

One shoe box of baggage at a time was revealed, acknowledged, ultimately forgiven and then released into that unknown space of healing.

I wrote letters to people who had wronged me, vented all of my frustrations, then burned them.  Somehow this process allowed for me to let go of bitterness and hurt I was holding on to.

I wrote letters of apology and requested forgiveness and actually mailed those. 

Once I had dealt with the process of letting go, surprisingly the emotional eating episodes slowed down and now are almost completely non-existent.

Never give up on yourself.  Learn to love and appreciate the wonderful things you are capable of and forgive yourself for the seemingly stupid mistakes you’ve made and move on. 

Life is so much better with a trunk filled with peace.

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »