Posts Tagged ‘Working out



16
Jul
12

Want Something? Go get it!

Some days I step back and think about where I’ve come from, looking for the moments of clarity on when my greatest progresses have been.

I have found that happens when I turn off all external noise and I get busy actually doing.

Forming a plan and sticking to that plan 90% of the time.  Whether its training or nutrition.  That’s what has worked for me.

I’m happiest when I have a barbell in my hand, but I realize that I must work on skills that I don’t like even more.

I’ve been working on my strict pull-ups for two years. Yes, two years. Actually probably a little longer than that. 

It would have come sooner if I had been just a bit more strict in my weekly discipline of working on them.  So now it’s time for me to go get it.  Get the strict daily regimen that will result in those dead-hang pull-ups.  No excuses.

This is me two years ago on the biggest band I had.  Today, I am on the smallest band I have.  That being said my chin lacks 3″ from getting over the bar.  No more excuses.

It will be 2 years come this October since this picture was made.  The next picture will be in two months and with no band.  I am determined.

 

 

13
Jul
12

What’s Age Got To Do With It

Picture this:  One of my male coworkers who’s about five years older than I am wagging his finger at me all the while saying “you need to quit lifting all those heavy weights”.   I looked him straight in the eye and said give me one good scientific reason why I should.  He couldn’t. 

Just because he doesn’t do it perhaps?  You’ve got me. 

You all have no idea how close I came to throwing up all sort of stinging retorts, but I bit my tongue because I know better than to buy into someone elses thoughts on aging.  This is my life, my mind, my body and most of all my DETERMINATION. 

In my humble opinion if you are listening to your body, feeding it the proper amounts of clean healthy foods, staying injury free, and have determination there is not a reason in the world you should stop or even fear starting to work with weights. 

Perhaps it was that very statement that spurred me to swing a 2.5 pood (90 lbs) Kettlebell this morning just to see if I could do it.  YES. I. CAN.

1 pood

10
Jul
12

Trust The Process

I was having lunch with some friends today.  I love our lunches.  We are all fitness junkies and we all care about what we eat.  Most of the time that is.  I say that because as a collective group we are at different points in our fitness and nutritional journey.

Interestingly enough there is never, ever a case of “you know you should be doing better”.   There is talk.

Inquisitive questions that help each person think through why they are willing to give up weeks and weeks of good clean eating or consistent training for food culprits, ie. sugars, or processed food.

Ironically most of the time it usually comes back to not progressing as quickly as one would like.

I used to get so jammed up that I wasn’t progressing fast enough, getting stronger fast enough, getting faster fast enough.  All of these thoughts started hindering my ability to progress at all.

I finally came to the realization that trusting in the process is just as important as eating clean, working out and getting enough rest.  

A friend asked just yesterday:  “On a scale of 1-10 where are you in your fitness?”  I can soundly say I’m sitting at 7, I’m above average in both my clean eating and nutritional disciplines.  The interesting thing was the acknowledgement that I have no idea was levels 8, 9 and 10 are for me.  Not what someone else thinks my levels should be or are, but instead how do I define them.

Love that thought-provoking question and I’m working on identifying those levels.  Identifying them results in action.  Leaving them blank and unanswered leaves me right smack dab  where I am today. 

09
Jul
12

Be Weird. Be Random. Be Who YOU Are.

 

Love this saying.  I wish I had made this one up myself.  I see people, especially women hiding behind what they think everyone else wants to see.  The lucky few may get a glimpse in to who that person really is. 

This morning I was the woman laying in the gym floor rolling on a foam roller shortly after doing five sets of heavy dead-lifts.  I got stared at while doing the lifts.  I don’t care.  That is who I am.  By today’s standards seeing a woman dead-lift isn’t common place.  It’s weird.  AND. I. LOVE. IT.

Want big biceps?  Secretly behind closed doors flexing your guns to see if they’ve grown?  Show ’em.  Be proud of ’em.  You bet I want nice bulky biceps and shapely shoulders.  Side effect?  I can paddle a mean kayak when I want to.  I can also whip up a good omelet with those same guns.

I have a paddle board and a kayak to haul up a steep lot when I’m finished playing on the water.  Every single weekend when I’m doing that hauling I thank my lucky stars that I made the decision to shed 168# and get fit.

Some say I’m getting too old for all that.  Pfffhhhttt, I’ll never be too old.  The day I get too old will be the day I stop having fun.  Living this life today is the only choice we have, I’m taking full advantage of it by keeping myself in great shape. 

If you’ve got pounds to lose, don’t waste another day trying.  Get busy DOING.  Hold yourself accountable.  You are the ultimate keeper of your success!  DO. IT.

 

 

 

 

06
Jul
12

Drink Water Like it’s Your Job

I saw some helpful hints about getting back on track after a holiday, lets face it, not everyone is perfect all the time. 

“Drink water like it’s your job” was at the top of this list.  This one really stuck with me.  I’ve been at this fitness and nutrition thing for a while and I love it when an idea hits me like it’s brand new. 

Maybe it’s because I work at my day job really hard.  Putting the water into that perspective is a dead ringer for accomplishing it.

We are creeping up on another weekend already and I aim to keep this like it’s my job mindset for the entire weekend. 

Have a safe and well hydrated weekend!

Drink water like it’s your job!

28
Jun
12

Motivation

I’ve said it a few times and I’m going to say it again.  Motivation is not a constant.  It comes and goes and often times there are things going on in our lives that add to the loss of motivation.  I’m a firm believer in staying with my workouts (even if it’s 10 minutes of air squats in your office) and keeping my food at minimum 80% clean always.  

Doing some type of work-out even when you don’t feel like it add positive motivation to your mojo bank.  Doing nothing is just that…a big blank of nothing.  If you are serious about getting fit you should figure this one out fast.

Secondly, work-out your mind!  Positive thoughts, visualization and gratitude are three of the most powerful work-outs you have access too.

Positive thoughts include being kind to yourself instead of being critical of all of your perceived flaws.

Visualize yourself exactly where you want to be.

Make a list everyday of the top three things you are grateful for.  Challenge yourself not to duplicate them for 5 days.

A huge thank you to my friend Leah VanHoose for allowing me to use this positively beautiful photo today!!

Sunflower by Leah Vanhoose

 

27
Jun
12

Badonkadonks!

Celebrate your Badonkadonks today ladies!! 

26
Jun
12

Helpful Hints

I have some friends that never seem to have slip ups or slumps in motivation.  I’m not one of those people.  Although I’ve learned how to keep myself on task simply by adhering to my own set of rules.

When you fall off the wagon and eat or drink excessively, admit it and stop it.

Stop it you say?  That’s hard.  Yes it is.  But what’s harder is breaking yourself from the eat bad, feel bad cycle that can go on indefinitely if you don’t stop it.

Do it by committing to yourself that the next meal will be clean.  Once you start consuming clean food and WATER, yes a lot of water you flush out all of the nastiness you’ve consumed and you give your internal organs a nice clean shower.  Not to mention you mentally feel better for making good choices.

Another rule I have is no more than 3 days of wallowing.  Everybody has a woe as me time at some point.  Yes, me too. 

Share your concerns with a friend.  If they are truly your friend they will smack you right in the mindset with the excuses and what-if’s come back.  So you had better be tough enough to take tough love from your fitness friends, that’s what they are there for. 

What happens at the end of 3 days?  Get moving.  No matter what, set your clock, do your workout, pack your meals for the whole day and get on with acting your way to better thinking. 

Lastly, quit comparing yourself to other people.  It’s not about them, it’s about YOU getting better.

***Edited to add:  I realized after I posted this that the 3 day rule is incomplete.  That’s 3 days in a row ONCE every 4 months.  Not every week or even every month.  To take that 3 day rule more often means you need to dig a little deeper and figure out why you would sabotage your own efforts that often.

25
Jun
12

Just Get Busy Doing

I’ve been in the habit of resting on the weekends for quite sometime.  In fact I believe that I’ve developed a rather naughty habit of literally become lazy in the name of rest. 

This past week I decided to try something a little different.  I rested on Friday.  Friday is usually my favorite workout day of the week because everyone tends to be a little less serious about it and there is a good chance that you’ll hear lyrics such as “apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur” or “my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard”.  Just fun dance type music that creates a much lighter air.  So giving up my Friday workout was a mind game for me but I did it.

On to Saturday.  I was thinking of all the workouts my friends over at Cultfit publish everyday and decided to keep it fairly simple.  I managed a short 16 ish minute workout of KB snatches, pull-ups and push-ups.  That and the only activity related to fitness that I can coax the spousal unit into a 2.3 mile hilly walk.  It was just what the doctor ordered.  I felt great all day and didn’t veg in front of the tv set on HGTV.

Sunday was another scorcher, we’re seeing upper 90’s in the temps so I took my stand-up paddle board down to the water and decided that I would see if I could paddle board as far as I normally kayak.   I managed it.  I loved it.  Being out there in the early morning just me, the water and nature.  Talk about soothing to the soul. 

I didn’t have a plan of what I was going to do regarding workouts, I just got busy doing.  Some days that’s all it takes.  There doesn’t have to be a grand well written plan.  Just a willingness to do.

21
Jun
12

Community and Support

Community and support.  I had no idea what those two words really meant outside of community = neighborhood and support = a helping hand if needed.

Since I started my fitness journey, I’ve come to see both of those words in a completely different light.

Community now means a group of people who support each other in a common goal. 

That means the good, bad and the ugly too. 

There are some folks out there than can simply go it alone.   I’ve found that I am much better as part of a community.

Higher goals, higher level of accountability, higher levels of support, both give and take.

If you are just starting out, find a group to get involved with.  Whether its classes at your gym or online forums or joining a CrossFit box.   

Don’t expect everyone to coddle you, don’t expect everyone to check on you when you are down.  If you need support reach out instead of having a pity party. 

People cannot read your mind and know if you are having a lack of motivation, feelings of discontent or even a life crisis.  Your support group will rely on you to let them in on what’s happening.  And trust me, everyone eventually has a lack of motivation.

These two ladies are two of my dearest friends, they are from other states.  We’ve been a part of the same fitness support group for years.  We all met up in DC for the Marine Corps Marathon in 2011.  Here they are coming across the finish line. 

Community and support!  Get some!