Posts Tagged ‘Clean Eating



27
Mar
13

More Evolving

The month of March has been absolutely crazy in terms of how many balls can be juggled.  New boss for the day job,  medical age related test (clean results), full on family vacation, and the CrossFit Open sectional with two weeks remaining.  All of these things combined haven’t left much time for writing.

Finally today I have a bit of a breather.

The title of this blog is most fitting for my thoughts this week.

When I stop long enough to think back to the early months of my journey I recognize the pattern of losses as more linear.  Here lately and over the past couple of years progress looks more like the lines on an EKG.  Progress for me isn’t in terms of weight losses as much as it is about gains, strength gains, confidence gains, and awareness gains.

There are months that I see no gains at all in strength, but a conversation with someone else will result in confidence gains, that person may have seen something I accomplished that I took for granted and the reminder is priceless.  Gains come in every form and fashion.  Often times I will fail on a strength lift.  What I forget to acknowledge was that I overcame a certain level of fear to attempt the action in the first place.

Awareness gains usually come when I’ve been in a social setting of some kind or when I’ve made some poor nutritional choices that impact an outcome.  Awareness gains are not necessarily good or bad, they just are what they are.  That always means I’m more in tune with an action or reaction.

Sounds like a bunch of babble when I go back and read it but the bottom line message is that progress comes through consistent action.  Both positive and negative.  Keep and open mind, keep moving your body, keep nourishing your body with good clean food, and allow your soul some time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished and what you fear.

black white gray

 

 

05
Feb
13

Be Beautiful

For ALL of the beautiful ladies in my life, I write this blog.  You know who you are, you are near and far.  The ones who, at the drop of a hat send a kind word or do a kind deed.  You are the ones that simply place a heart on my FB page.  You are the ones who send a card for no other reason than you want to make someone smile.

With all of the noise surrounding the perfection of  women, be it in the fitness industry, the beauty industry, the clothing industry, remember that we are each in our own way simply beautiful.

Imagine a world with no commercials or billboards bombarding you with thoughts of what you should be, how you should look, or telling you what material thing you should have before you consider yourself beautiful.

Get up tomorrow and let it all fade to black.  Find the beauty you were born with, IT IS IN YOU, I know, I’ve seen it with my own eyes and felt it with my own heart.   Be the beautiful women that you are!

Please take 3 minutes and 20 seconds and watch this video.   A huge shout out to Karen Walrond for posting this on You Tube.  And a huge thanks to my Precision Nutrition coach Jennifer Koslo for sharing this.

Please, please, share this with every beautiful woman that you know!

Beautiful

19
Jan
13

Taking Those First Steps

In fitness no matter where you are, taking those first steps always seem to be the most difficult.  Most people know that I am not new to fitness and they know that I will change things when I’m not seeing progress.

Taking those first few steps, whether just beginning the journey to get fit, or taking stats years down the road and not liking the results of them.  Either way, taking those steps can be difficult.

This morning was my first measurements and progress picture posting day for the Precision Nutrition Lean Eating program I’m following.  Even after all this time and all of these pictures, those steps are still very difficult for me. 

Reasons:

1) I’m older and will never again have the body of a 20-year-old (I don’t care how much money I were to throw at it, my 20-year-old body is gone) so I must find peace with what I’m working with.

2) In my mind, I always see myself in a better place than I am in reality.

3) Changes always, always create insecurity for me.  What if I’m not good at it? What if it isn’t the answer?  Blah, Blah, Blah…

Negative self talk happens to the best of us, those are the moments when we are terrified but we know we must take the risk to improve. 

I’ve stayed pretty close to the same weight and definitely stayed the same over-all size for several years now and it’s time for me to move along done my path to my next goal.  No more excuses, just actions that speak louder than words.  Another journey has begun by taking the first step.

First Step

 

09
Jan
13

The Power of Food

This post is dedicated to those who struggle with emotional/stress/OMG it is just so good food issues.

I was born and raised in what is now known as “the deep south”.  I’m not sure when we went from being the south to the deep south, but whatever.

In the south everything is celebrated with food.  Birthday’s, weddings, deaths and everything in between.  It’s just courtesy.  We want folks to feel the love and feeding them has always been the best way to do that.

I used to live by that same thought process.  Food fixed or healed everything.  That is so not true so banish that thought from your excuse list.

For some people there is an illusion that food has power.  BIG power.  They can’t have a small portion, piece or serving.  They end up plowing through multiple servings before they realize what they’ve done.

This is a perfect example of giving food power.  Notice I said giving the food power.

Food is simply food.  It is there for the nourishment of our bodies.  It is not there to defeat us, we do that on our own.

Some how we decide we are not worthy of greatness so we in turn, give over the power of our greatness to food instead.

There is absolutely no food that we can put in our mouth that will fix a broken heart, a broken relationship or broken self-esteem.

How do you break the cycle of giving your greatness over to food?

First there must be the acknowledgement that the fork doesn’t fly in to your mouth without your own assistance.

Secondly, when you start randomly grabbing this or that to eat mindlessly, it is usually because you want to become numb.  You give the food the power to make you forget, even if but for a very brief moment.

Phhhfffttt…that never works.  Food won’t fix anything, in fact it will likely make it worse.  That vicious cycle of eat bad, feel bad so I’ll eat more bad is a very tedious cycle to break.  That being said GET TEDIOUS right back with it.

You will find things that hold you back are often so much greater when you leave them stuck in your head.  Get them out of there.  Write them down and burn them if you don’t want anyone else to know.  Better yet, hold on to that notebook because one day you’ll have the ability to reach another person who may be struggling with what you have already overcome.

Each time you stop yourself from reaching for food to solve your problems, the more empowered you will become.

YES, you may have a set-back or twenty set-backs; just keep asking yourself the hard, painful questions and the result will start showing.

The only power food has is the power that you give it.

backwards

08
Jan
13

Motivation & Momentum

I have had several conversations of late regarding “I’ve lost motivation”.  This isn’t coming from new folks beginning a New Year’s Resolution diet.  This is coming from long-term fitness friends that are simply a little burned out.

It happens.  This thing called burn out.  It usually shows up a few days after you know you should be back to your fitness routine but for some reason only you know, you just can’t muster your mojo.  You know, that old feeling that creeps in and settles after holidays or some other stressful happening in your life.

This is a list of a few things that have helped me push past that burn out phase each time it happens.

-1  Remember why you started all of this in the first place.  For you and only you.  That place deep inside that drives you to be better than you were yesterday.

-2  Change things up a bit.  It could be as simple as downloading new music for your workouts.  It could be a hard as switching from lifting to CrossFit or group fitness classes. 

-3  Get to the gym and spend 15 minutes working out.  Odds are you’ll stay for a whole lot longer.

-4  Get together with your fitness friends.  Have everyone bring a healthy dish and let them help you remember what you want to accomplish.

-5  Get off your butt and quit making excuses.  You know you want it, just get busy.

believe

03
Jan
13

Shedding

Shedding:  a. To lose by natural process:   b. To rid oneself of (something not wanted or needed):

First impressions would lead a reader to believe that this blog might be about dieting.  Ummm…Not so much.

After sitting here today realizing that I somehow had missed the new in this New Year, I realized that I’ve had some burdens that I’ve been allowing to weigh me down over the past couple of weeks.

Today I decided it was time to acknowledge those burdens and let them go.  Shedding the negative and focusing solely on the positive. 

Our lives are too short to dwell on carrying baggage, whether it’s a situation, a relationship, loss of material things, loss of motivation, and most importantly, the loss of self-esteem.

Everyone is not always going to do things the way you do them.  That doesn’t make your way wrong, it makes your way different. 

Be objective enough to step back and determine if perhaps your way has backed you into a corner or if it has truly brought you to a successful outcome.  If it hasn’t, be open-minded enough to say so.

Shedding old habits, old stuff you have no need or use for, old hurt feelings, and old baggage is quite the positive way to start a new year, perhaps even a new way of life.

Just as snow melts and sheds the water away from the earth, do the same for things weighing you down, things holding you back from accomplishing your goals.

Hat Tip for the photo: TheOvenbird2337109017_ea2ca7e9e0

02
Jan
13

It Is Supposed Be Hard

As I got about halfway through an hour of rowing this morning, I started that little mantra in my head “Yes, it IS supposed to be hard and yes, you WILL finish this”…  Funny thing about this cardio thing, I’d rather lift weights all day than to do a cardio workout for an hour.  That being said, personal growth is found in discomfort.

Really, I’ve learned over the years that there is very little in the scheme of being fit that is truly easy.   I have realized though that I get stronger as time goes by.  

In the old days of battling for big losses, doing an hour of any type of cardio was mentally not possible.  I was lucky to get through 20 minutes. 

Who knew that 12 years later the battle for tiny losses would surpass the previous battles.  I love it.  Getting stronger and more fit is my end goal.  Both mentally and physically. 

As I pulled that rower handle over and over all sorts of things went through my mind.  I started out facing my garage door, then I jumped off the rower and turned it so I could face my Vision Wall (a wall in GG107 filled with memorabilia). I realized that it has been quite sometime since I’ve updated it.   It’s time for new motivating pictures and quotes.

Motivation isn’t always available in our endeavors.  Discipline must come in to play at some point.  It’s not always what I want to do and self-discipline is what pushes me to do what must be done.

Looking back over my journey, progress has never come when things are “fun”.  Progress comes after the most challenging discomfort.  Whether it was a personal struggle, work struggle or a fitness struggle there has always been growth during the greatest of challenges.

Hat Tip For Photo: Good Movies List.

Famous words of YODA: 

YODA

 

27
Dec
12

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!

go after it

 

05
Dec
12

Don’t Tell Me It Can’t Be Done

And don’t tell my friend Sharon that either.  Sharon and I have walked this journey together for quite some time.  Back in 2009 we spent the whole year encouraging each other via internet.  In October of 2009 we got to meet face to face.  We got to share our excitement and enthusiasm for fitness together with many other friends. 

Over the course of the years since, we’ve gotten together a couple more times.  Since our last get together Sharon decided to set the goal of becoming a Fitness Competitor.  She has since taken the stage twice.

Was her journey easy?  Well of course not!  Was she disciplined?  Absolutely.

I’ve spoken with Sharon countless times and the one word that she has repeatedly used is perseverance.

There have been times along her journey when those who claimed to be her friends attempted to bring her down by making negative comments.  She persevered.  There was a time during a storm when she lost power, she ate her food cold, but she stayed her course.  To some that may seem silly, to her it was following her dream.  Just because something isn’t YOUR dream doesn’t mean it isn’t right for someone else. 

Please share this with your friends who need support and encouragement.  Photos are very powerful.

I’m very proud of this woman to say the least.  Congratulations Beautiful Sharon on a job very well done!

 

SJ before    SJ AFTER 2sj after

20
Nov
12

Female Body Building

I have a crush on female body building.  I have since I was in my early twenties when Cory Everson and Rachel McLish were so popular.  I still admire both of these women greatly for pushing the level of fitness for women.

Is it right for me?  I believe doable for me.  I’ve put my body through an incredible trauma by increasing my body weight to 328# over a two-year period.  That left marks, both physically and emotionally.  I used to consider those marks a negative reminder of the things I’ve been through.  These days, I just consider them reminders of victorious battles fought.

Anyway I digress.  Here is a picture of one of today’s more popular female body builders.  Her name is Dana Linn Bailey and she is awesome.  What’s more awesome than Dana?  The fact that my friend Katie wore one of the garagegym107.com sweat shirts to Xtreme Nutrition’s latest grand opening and Dana posed with her.

My friend Katie put this little photo together for me.  I adore it.  The poster will now be hanging in GG107.  It makes me feel famous and we all know that I’m not.  Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. 

If you want it, get after getting it.