Posts Tagged ‘Mental-Heath

21
Feb
13

Have I Been A Slacker?

I realized when I sat down to write this blog I’ve begun to allow too much time to pass between blogs.  I’ve got way too much to talk about to not sit down and make it happen.

Anyway, one might wonder if I’ve been slacking.  Fat chance on that.  I work a full-time professional day job and then I step out with my favorite evening job, personal training.

I long to find a way to support myself with my first love.  Eventually I’ll get there, just not while I have a kid in college.

So, enough of my ramblings.  Have I mentioned lately how much I adore working out?  I really do.  Most people cringe at getting up at 4:30am to be at the gym around 5.  Not me.  I started my days off like that long before I ever allowed the fat chick to rule my world.

Back in those days I wasn’t over weight, really not even pleasantly plump.  After the birth of my 3rd son, I decided that working out at 5:00am allowed me to work out guilt free.  Everyone was still sleeping and I didn’t feel like I was taking away from the older boys baseball, etc.

Fast forward through the trauma of divorce and massive unhealthy weight gain, through the amazing and a times heartbreaking journey of weight loss and the release of  emotional baggage I find myself now older, wiser and still loving the 5:00am workouts.

The key in all of that chatter is find what works for you and your family.  It may not be the ideal time, but if this is really important to you, you’ll do it whenever you can make it happen.

I’ve discovered lately that having a fit mind is just as important, perhaps even more important than a fit body.

Someone in your life causing drama?  That doesn’t make it your drama.   Someone having a bad day?  That doesn’t make it your bad day.  Your friend decided to make an excuse not to go to the gym this morning?  That’s not your excuse.

My message and one of my own personal favorite lessons has always been “Just because someone else is having an issue, that doesn’t make it my issue”.  I’ve learned over the last 20 years that if you take it, someone will keep giving it to you to carry for them.

Put on mental rubber suit and let the excuses of others roll off like rain on a freshly waxed car.  Take care of yourself and six months from now your drama filled, excuse making friend will be asking YOU how you did it!

You’ve got enough to handle keeping yourself fit and fabulous.

Change or Not

 

 

 

 

 

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

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

22
Jun
12

Mirror Mirror

This morning I stood in front of the mirror criticizing my perceived flaws.  As I realized what I was doing I stepped back and thought “hold on now, lets take a look at what we really have here”. 

I have a healthy body that allows me to trash it working out 5-6 days a week.  It doesn’t give up, it doesn’t quit.  It just keeps responding to the physical challenges I dish out everyday.  

Did I get there overnight?  Absolutely not.

What’s even more important than what I see staring back at me in the mirror is what I’ve built up on the inside. 

My mind, confidence, willingness to succeed, discipline and consistent dedication to living a healthy lifestyle.   Being able to stop myself from comparing my physique to that of another is invaluable.  I am me for a reason.  Why would I change that?   

You want instant gratification?  Get yourself moving.  There is nothing more gratifying than taking that 30 or so minutes a day to work on your goal of getting fit. 

Want more instant gratification?  There is a tremendous feeling of empowerment that comes from making healthy food choices every day. 

Need more instant gratification?  Stop comparing yourself to other people and focus on becoming the very best you that you can become.

Sooner or later your instant gratification vault will be running over with results.

01
Jun
12

Speed Bumps in The Road

Thank goodness for auto insurance!  Needless to say, the boy has learned a whole lot about responsibility from his decision to not notify the police of the accident. 

Note to all of my friends and anyone that I don’t know who is reading this blog:  I assumed my child understood that no matter what, when there is an accident he must report it to the police.  Don’t make the assumption that your kids know this. 

Explain to them that no matter what, it matters when it comes down to who pays the bill for repairs.  I’ve raised my kids with the understanding that in every situation they have choices and no matter what choice they make, they must be prepared to handle the consequences   The boy is better for the experience although his summer will be spent paying off the deductible debt he owes me.

I have been sitting here thinking about the rather crazy week I’ve had.  I’ve managed to get all but one of my workouts in.  I do intend to make up that workout at some point this weekend.  I usually take both days as active rest days.  I’m going to have some pull-up skill work and 10 x 100m sprints.   That ought to work me over pretty good and then I intend to stand-up paddle board if the mound of laundry will allow for it. 

My eats have been pretty close to 90% clean which I’m ok with.   I’ve run the gamut of the eat bad, feel bad, eat bad cycle and then transitioned over to the perfectionist cycle of 100% clean 100% of the time and plenty more phases smashed between the two extremes. 

These phases I now see very clearly and understand how they came about.  It has only been since I realized the difference between 90% and 100% is minimal in terms of my results that I’ve become more comfortable.  Now my body, mind and soul are a lot happier when I selectively choose my 10% meals.  

I do believe that 80% clean eats is a good solid goal for everyone.  I’m personally not as comfortable with that being my choice.  I prefer to keep a slightly tighter reign because I am more comfortable with that structure. 

For those struggling to find balance out there, it’s doable.  Just be patient with yourself and don’t be afraid to fall down from time to time.  Just don’t stay down because no-one will come along and pick you up.  You have to do that for yourself. 

Have a great weekend!

 

 

25
May
12

One of Those Moments

Rewind to yesterday.  I was driving home from the gym after my workout and noticed a large gentlemen slowly making his way down the walking path next to the road.  He wasn’t walking, he was doing his best to jog.   He’s heavy, really heavy. 

That little voice that gets me in trouble some times started whispering “pull over, pull over and tell him don’t quit!” but the rational side said “that man will think you’ve lost your mind” so I kept going.  But I never stopped thinking about that guy.  All day yesterday I thought about his red and black clothing and I remembered my first year in the gym.  I wanted to cheer for him.  I wanted to be his biggest fan yesterday.

This morning I was working out and I turned around and thought “OMG!!  That is the dude that was running down the street!!”.  He was there in the gym in the flesh.

I waited for him to finish his time on the elliptical and went over to him and asked if he was the guy going down the road and he said yes.   

I know he thought I was pretty close to crazy because my eyes filled up with tears and I just looked at him and told him a little bit of my story and I said “just don’t quit, no matter who or what interferes with what you are doing here today or any other day, just don’t give up because if I can do it, you can”. 

I left him to his workout and went on to finish mine.  He’s probably never going to set foot in that gym in the early morning again thinking that crazy woman might be there.  But I don’t think he’ll ever forget that. 

You know I think back on the people who have encouraged me and it humbles me every time I do.  People I have met either in the gym or online.  Many of the online friendships developed in to real life friendships.  Support groups, friends, mentors all in it to help one another along.  One of my friends said to me “Each one, Reach one”.  I know she will read this and I know she will know I’m talking about her.

Living fit daily can be challenging, but those challenges can be overcome.  Every single day I get up with the intention of being more fit today than I was yesterday, mentally, physically or emotionally in some way.   I’m not always perfect, but I am always consistent.  Consistency wins the race.  I’m living proof of that.