Posts Tagged ‘exercise

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »
22
Aug
12

When The Obstacle is The Mind

By garagegym107 7 Comments
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I was having a conversation with a coworker this morning.  This girl has done an amazing job of losing about 40# over the last 4 months.  Ironically, she says to me this morning “I’d be happy if I never lost another pound”.  Maybe. 

Here is the question I ponder though…  why set self-imposed limits? It’s not about losing pounds, it is about losing insecurity and realizing just what you are capable of.  It’s about getting fit.

I’ve been there, I’ve been to the point of saying “I’d be happy if I never lost another pound” but then I found fitness. 

Fitness truly begins when scale watching ends.

Feeling healthy and strong far surpasses what it feels like to diet down to “thin”.  

My message is this, when weight loss begins you will inevitably put self-imposed mental limits on what you can accomplish. 

Mainly because you will fail to believe in all that you are capable of.  Set those thoughts behind and set measurable, obtainable goals. 

It may take you a lot longer than you initially think it will, but let me tell you this…the journey is so much more adventurous than you can imagine when you begin. 

Get out of your own way and get busy doing things you never dreamed you could.  The only obstacle is your mind.  

Who would have ever thought that this:

 

Could transform in to this:

And the beauty of this is that I’m just getting started on learning how to stop letting my mind become the obstacle. 

BELIEVE…

 

 

20
Aug
12

You Already Know What To Do

By garagegym107 3 Comments
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: , , , , , ,

Recently, due to an unexpected financial hiccup I’ve had to make some decisions that I wasn’t really comfortable making.  As I pondered the whole “what now?” and “what should I do?” I picked up a book of motivational sayings and staring back at me from the page were these simple words. 

“You already know what to do.” 

Kind of hard to argue with the universe when something like that happens.

So although it’s not my first choice of things, I’ve sucked it up and made some financial changes that will lighten the burden slightly. 

Along with that decision came some melancholy of what I’ll be missing over the next few months.  

Then that good old gratitude and solid resolve kicked in full force.  This morning my feet hit the floor grateful for what really matters.  I’m healthy, I get to continue to workout, I get to continue to eat clean, wholesome food and I get to keep moving forward.

You see, you can’t always get what you want.   But it’s what you do when you can’t that matters most.  Set new goals and adapt to what you have to work with.  Life goes on. 

Black eyed susans in field
photo by Martin van der Grinten

13
Aug
12

The Only Constant is Change

By garagegym107 3 Comments
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I’ve found over the course of my fitness journey that the only constant is change.  How we deal with that change makes all of the difference.

We can get all jammed up, or torn up, or even give up, but change will keep coming.  

I used to wallow in change.  It gave me the excuse to eat what I wanted, skip workouts, feel sorry for myself.   Ha…those were the days of backsliding down the slippery slope to set-back!

Learning to keep it together when we want to fall apart is just as important as work-outs and nutrition.

And learning not just to keep it together but how to adapt so that future change doesn’t hit us like a sledge-hammer. 

I’ve learned to separate my emotions from the facts.  Instantly I feel more capable of adapting.  List the facts in black and white and tackle them one by one.

Sure feelings get hurt or ego gets bruised, but change is still coming.  So taking the emotion out and dealing with the remnants makes change a bit easier to swallow.

One of my favorite quotes by Maya Angelou:

“If you don’t like something change it.  If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”

 

 

 

 

08
Aug
12

No More Crap Reps

By garagegym107 4 Comments
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pull-ups, push-ups.  Give and take.  I’m so stinking close to the perfect pull-up it is not even funny.  What I’ve learned through the process is that I’m about 5# off from getting them both.

I’ve had this terrible habit of worming my push-ups.  I get within 2″ of having my chest to the deck and find myself unable to push out of it.  What does this have to do with pull-ups?  I get my eyeballs at eye level with the bar and then stall, lacking the strength to pull that last 2 inches of my chin over the bar from the dead-hang.  Kipping yes, no problem, but strict pull-ups two inches off. 

Maybe I’m naïve but they must be connected.  They simply must be.

No more crap reps for me.  If I’m worming a push-up I stop.  Even if it means using a harness made out of resistance bands to keep perfect form, I’m doing it.  Crap reps get me further behind.  Instilling in my work bad form & bad habits.  Is it humbling? Absolutely.  Is it necessary? Absolutely.

Letting go of ego enough to recognize your own weaknesses is vital to improvement. 

I tell my friends that want to start CrossFit to focus strictly on the technical part of the movement for the first six months to a year.  No one listens.  We go in and rush more weight on the bar, thinking that some how makes us better.  

Wrong.  

Technique or lack there of will catch up to you.  By then you will have developed bad habits from rushing through the technique to lift heavier.  Then comes the agonizingly slow process of retraining and unlearning.

So I’m a slow learner.  I’m still doing what I need to do to get better.    My mantra has changed to “NO. MORE. CRAP. REPS.”

No matter what the movement is.  Air squats, clean & jerk, snatch, overhead squat, dead lift, push-ups, pull-ups.  No. More. Crap. Reps.

 

06
Aug
12

Sulking Over Silver

By garagegym107 4 Comments
Categories: Random Thoughts
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I’ve got to rant for just a minute and then I’ll leave it alone.

What are our young daughters and granddaughters and nieces to think when they see our beautiful and talented gymnasts sulking over silver medals? 

I mean really? 

Our baby girls are already bombarded by outside influences telling them from the earliest age that perfection is the only acceptable.  Acceptable what??

 Acceptable body, acceptable hair, nails, clothing and now gold for the athlete.  Pishaw!! 

Smile your little glorious behinds off for being an Olympian!! 

Good grief have we ever lost sight of the accomplishment because sponsorships, etc. are determined by all or none? 

I’m so stinking proud of every single American Athlete that has stepped totally out of their comfort zones for most of their young lives to go before the masses and lay it all on the line.   Win or not, they are Olympians! 

Shame on the all or none attitude surrounding those young people setting perfectionists goals and creating self-doubt and sulking over silver!

Have you heard all of the Brits singing their national anthem after each and every gold?  Not the athletes but the whole crowd!!

Hat Tip: selihpxe8

 

 

 

 

03
Aug
12

Let’s Talk About Time

By garagegym107 4 Comments
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How long did it take you to lose all that weight?  I get that question a lot.  Through clean eating and working out 6 days a week in 12 week cycles, it took me the better part of a year to lose the first 125#.  

I’m sure there are people out there thinking “That’s like forever!”.  Well it may seem like an eternity but in reality that was pretty fast and consistent.

What other choice do you have?  You are not going to wake up one morning and be magically thin, so just get busy doing what must be done.

Don’t think I’m unkind or harsh, that’s not it.  But the truth is it is just a waste of precious time sitting there saying I’ll start Monday.  Or I’ll start when I finish this exercise book.  Or I’ll start working out after I lose 10# or 20# or 30#.  Or I’ll start once little Johnny starts school. 

Does it really matter how long it takes?  I used to think that I had to have spectacular results in x amount of time.  Now I just focus on doing the work each and every day and the results naturally follow.

It’s time to get busy!

01
Aug
12

It Is Not About Them

By garagegym107 1 Comment
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In the world of weight-loss it’s easy to play the victim.  Blame all of our shortcomings and lack of results on our upbringing, our past relationships, our lack of relationships, our jobs, our family time, our lack of money, and the list could go on for a full paragragh.  In all honesty, it is not about them, it is about you.

You can make valiant attempts to make lasting change, but until you realize that you are ulitmately responsible for your food intake and moving your butt, you are playing victim.  Sure life will give us lemons on occasion and we’ve got two choices, sit and sour along with the juice or make some lemonade.

Today I was heading outside to work-out with a coworker.  As I turned the corner to go down to the locker room I glanced to the left and saw two gentlemen coming into the facility to enjoy lunch in our cafeteria. 

One was suffering from health related issues, I have no idea what, but he struggled to walk slowly with his friend supporting his arm on one side and walking with a cane in the other hand. 

I smiled and nodded as I usually do and as I continued on to the locker room I was overcome with gratitude.  Gratitude that the man had a friend to lean on and walk with and emmense gratitude that I am now healthy.

When I weighed 328# I used to see the obstacle of weight-loss as  chore.  I used to pout when I would have to eat a salad and someone around me would be eating crap, that whole “why me” thing. 

Over time (not overnight) I realized that I was starting to feel better, my clothes fit better and then it got easier.  My mind shifted from this is a chore to this is a choice.  That one little switch changed everything.  The sooner you acknowledge that you are willing to do whatever is takes willingly to succeed the easier this path will become.

Hat Tip: Elements of Your Life

 

27
Jul
12

Do You Have Commitment?

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

“Commitment is what transforms a promise in to reality.  Commitment is the words that speak boldly of your intentions and the actions which speak louder than words.  Commitment is making time when there is none.  Commitment is coming through time after time, year after year, after year.  Commitment is the stuff character is made of, the power to change the face of things.  Commitment is the triumph of integrity over skepticism.” ~unknown

I wish I could remember who wrote this so I could give them credit.  It has been hanging on my bulletin board in my office for years now.   I moved it higher so I could read it daily.  Do you have commitment to your health and fitness? 

26
Jul
12

Patience Grasshopper

By garagegym107 3 Comments
Categories: Nutritional Cleanse Experiment
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

When I first started doing CrossFit two years ago this month, I was fanatical about it.  I went all the time, trashed my body as often as I physically could whether I needed to or not.  For whatever reason (my age most likely) I felt like I had to get better faster.  I felt literally like I was watching an hour-glass as the sand passed through.  I wanted to get better overnight. 

No one was forcing me to lift heavier or go faster except for me.  Over time I went trough a bunch of cycles of self awareness, self-awkwardness and most importantly self-protection.  I wanted to remain injury free so I could keep doing what I love to do.

The one thing that no one can train in to you is patience.  Patience for progress is the skill I’ve needed the most.  And it’s been the most hard-fought internal battle.  Getting better at any skill requires practicing of that skill.  Repetitive movement over and over until you can do it to the best of your own ability is what reaps the rewards.

Sure, there will be days you leave with a stinging ego because we are all superhero’s in our own mind.  When reality shows up and teaches us that we are flawed and we require more work it’s hard on our MOJO.

For me, I take that time to reflect on the journey. Where I’ve been, the people I’ve met, and exactly why I started getting fit in the first place.  It keeps me grounded and it reminds me to be patient.

This morning patience paid off for me.  After several months of practicing this movement, slowly and methodically increasing the weight in small increments it felt just right this morning.  I finally broke the 100# plateau for multiple reps.  Patience grasshopper.  A big thanks to my friend Christina Barnett for catching this photo!

 

 

25
Jul
12

Leaning on Accountability

By garagegym107 3 Comments
Categories: Nutritional Cleanse Experiment
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Some of us require accountability.  Not someone to police us, but instead a person that knows our intent and that will call us out when we are not holding ourselves to the standard of which will take us closer to our goals.

I have a couple of these accountability buddies.  They know who they are.  

Recently I talked about a goal I had and made the comment to my friend “What if such and such is still there?”.   It took her all of 3.2 seconds to send me a response that simply said “Oh, I didn’t realize we were living in the world of “what if.”

I love her for it.  It was an eye opener of the underlying lack of belief I still carry in some areas.  That just means there is more work to be done on my personal belief system. 

I have another accountability buddy that shares daily meal structure along with pictures of her meals.   We strive for small balanced meals every 3 hours.   I’ve begun to do the same with her.  It keeps my meal plans fresh because I know she will call me out for not having a variety of fresh veggies. 

I also have hard-core friends that never ever need anyone to hold them accountable, they don’t judge me just as I don’t judge anyone else.  It’s not my place.  Weight loss and fitness are a process, that process is different for everyone.

I like having someone to lean on from time to time.  It makes leaning solely on myself much more doable. 

Want to eat cleaner and work harder?  Find someone that will call you out, even if it stings a little.  You’ll be better for it!

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »