Posts Tagged ‘gaining self confidence

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12
Nov
12

The Fat Chick In My Head

By garagegym107 5 Comments
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today I had a visit from my old friend, the fat chick in my head.  The old me.  As I stood in the gym during my lunch hour she decided to pay me a visit.  She doesn’t come around as often as she used to.    As I stood there looking in the mirror, she said to me “I know you can see me” and in all honesty she was right.  I could see images of the old me flash in my mind.  Times when I wasn’t so comfortable in the gym, times that I wept thinking I would never get the weight off.

The fat chick in my head will always be a part of me, but she will never again be all of me. 

The days she shows up in the gym are few and far between.  It’s doubt that I might not get where I want to be.  It’s a reminder that in order to achieve what I want there must be sacrifice willingly given.  It’s a status check above all else.

Perhaps it’s just the fat chick looking for the long-awaited gratitude for looking out for me and keeping me safe all of those years.   So thank you for that.

I’ve got it from here, I promise you can trust me now.

08
Nov
12

Body Image

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

I talk to a lot of women.  Both young and a little further along in their young.  Women who are fit and some who are just starting their journey.  The most common thread I find that intertwines all of us are body image issues.  Seriously, I have some BEAUTIFUL friends that allow themselves to see only their own perceived flaws.

Having traveled the journey I’ve traveled I have a whole bunch of stuff that I could go on about.  Sure, some of them I’m darned tempted to surgically change, I mean really.  You don’t go from 328 down to 165 without a thing or two hanging around.  But that’s not what I’m talking about today.

Today I want to talk about embracing your body for the things you don’t see…yet.

Over the past 12 years there have been numerous things I’ve wanted to change about my body.  I’ve worked really hard to change them.  Some have changed, some have not.  Ironically, the one thing I wanted to change the most still hasn’t really changed much at all. 

I have a friend who suggested that instead of constantly focusing on what I want to change, that perhaps I should focus on what is good about my body instead. 

Great things happened over the course of the following months.  Each day I would write down 5 things that I appreciated about my body with the one rule that I couldn’t repeat the same thing.

For example I have very wide clavicles.  I had someone say to me “I’d love to have your clavicles”.  Hmm who knew.

This exercise taught me to love things I’d never even paid any attention to and to not be so very critical of my own flaws.  You can bet there is someone out there right now that wishes they could be where you are today.

So start that little exercise today.  Write down 5 things you truly appreciate about your body.  If you can’t think of 5 try harder.  The way you look isn’t all that matters.

On a completely different topic, here is my friend Caroline rockin’ the GG107 sweat shirt.  She lives in Washington state and reads my blog and talks to me on FB and lets me send her son cotton fresh from the fields of Alabama.  Thank you Caroline!

aka RockStar

02
Nov
12

You Just Never Know

By garagegym107 4 Comments
Categories: Living Fit Daily
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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.

26
Oct
12

Haters Gonna Hate

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

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.

 

 

25
Oct
12

State Of Mind

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

I have no idea who said that.  At this point, I like it so much it doesn’t really matter.  I believe I’ll be painting that on the wall of Garagegym107.

I’ve noticed a pattern among my peers.  At least among the ones willing to give working out a try.  It takes a good month or two for a middle-aged female to get off the cardio equipment and past the strong mental desire to lift no more than  5# dumbbells.  I understand, I used to be intimated by strength training too. 

The average woman spends hundreds if not thousands of dollars chasing youth through creams, clothing, and accessories.  Try investing in strength training for your body instead.  It will respond and not only will you look younger and more firm, you will feel younger too. 

Is it off the shelf quick like a pair of spanx?  Well no.  In time your jeans will be way more comfy without the spanx.

Perhaps we will be one of the last couple of generations of women that have been lead to believe that women shouldn’t lift weights and be strong.

I choose to set the example for my boys.  It’s quite acceptable to be strong even fiercely strong.  Not for a mom (a girl, an old lady), but strong in general.

Age is mind over matter.  If you don’t mind; it just doesn’t matter.

 

 

 

24
Oct
12

Let’s Do Some Sprints

By garagegym107 2 Comments
Categories: Nutritional Cleanse Experiment
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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

Progress Report 1 of 18

By garagegym107 1 Comment
Categories: Precision Nutrition Certification
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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!

15
Oct
12

Fear

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

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. 

 

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