Posts Tagged ‘Workout

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21
Jun
12

Community and Support

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

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!

 

20
Jun
12

Amazing

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

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m an early riser.  Up with the chickens as they say down here in the south.  I’m up and getting ready to go workout at 4:30am every morning during the week.  That’s my “me” time.  The no excuses time that works out best for my life.

As I was running out the door of the gym this morning another lady looked over her shoulder and said “I am 48 and you’ll pass me in a minute”.  I jogged up beside her and I said “you are never to old to reach for amazing” besides I’ve got you beat by a year.

I gently reminded her instead of comparing ourselves to the ladies in the class who are 20-25 years younger we needed to remember to focus on how we stack up against our peers and more so than our peers, compare ourselves to who we were yesterday.  Better today than yesterday.

On the next lap which was in between dead-lifts/push-ups and air squats/sit-ups we continued our conversation about wisdom, discipline and consistency being the keys to staying at least within sight range of the younger crowd.  As we finished up the last run she looked over at me and said “now what was that you said earlier?”.  I said the amazing quote again.  I suspect she’ll be holding on to that one just like I have.

Wisdom comes with age.  And to this day I still greatly appreciate my friend you said “you are never too old to reach for amazing” to me.

19
Jun
12

The Thing

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

I read this today:

“Talking a lot about something that bothers you is a clear sign you’ve got something huge to learn, unrelated to “the thing.”  ~Mike Dooley

Seriously, over the past month my blog posts and conversations have been all over the board. 

After writing my post from yesterday the word truth stuck with me while I worked through my not so obvious thing.  

As of this morning I decided to re-label myself.  Up to now I’ve been a number of things.  An average mom with 3 little boys, morphed in to a morbidly obese single mom with 3 big boys, morphed into a before and after weight-loss success story, morphed into a masters level CrossFitter.

As of today, I am re-labeling myself a general bad-a$$.  How did I come to that conclusion?  Up to now I’ve blocked and tackled myself just before I reach that next step in getting better.   Notice I said blocked and tackled myself?  You see when you realize that you keep getting in your own way to success it’s now time for change.  Today, I’m throwing down the gauntlet for change.  The first thing that must change is how I see myself.  If I don’t see myself as a bad-a$$ then I will never be one. 

Raising the bar again, simply because I’m happier when I have to jump to touch a new goal.  

So what if I have to step up on a box to reach the bar from time to time?  So what if one of my friends has to say “here let me help you up”, so what if my son and his girlfriend have to count the last reps so I don’t have to think, I can just do. 

It’s all about getting better inside and out.   It’s about learning that it’s you that has to make the right decision for yourself.   No-one else can change you.  They can support you, train you, and listen to you, but you are the only person that can follow through.

 

15
Jun
12

Finally Friday!

By garagegym107 Leave a Comment
Categories: Living Fit Daily
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What a challenging week this has been!  My spousal unit has been battling kidney stones for the past 4 weeks.  Two trips to the ER and still no stone passage.  Talk about upsetting the whole apple cart and my training routine!   Long sleepless nights will do that. 

Dealing with someone in serious pain can wreak havoc on a positive attitude.  Out of respect and concern for my spousal unit I found myself keeping extremely quiet in an effort to prevent from disturbing him.  The quieter he got the quieter I stayed. 

I didn’t realize until just this morning that the effort has begun to take a toll on my mindset.  Normally I am a very positive person but the missed workouts, sporadic meals, trips to the ER and trips to the drugstore along with the medicine bottles and paraphernalia sitting in the bathroom, I realize even more how very precious a fit mind and fit body truly are.  I recognize even more how important it is to eat and drink the right things to properly nourish our bodies.

I’m resolved to make-up my missed workouts over the weekend and I actually look forward to spending some time in garage gym 107.  It’s got great MOJO.  It’s got a great way of breaking me down with a barbell and kettlebells and a pull-up bar, yet builds me up and makes me stronger.

This weekend I’m going to add something new.  I’m going to make some homemade Bulgarian Sandbags.  They look like just the ticket to mix things up a bit and will give me an outdoor project.

The interesting thing will be varying the material used to fill the bags so that I can make them full, but different weights.  I’ll report back and let you know how this project ends up.

If you are heading in to the weekend and feeling sad or down and out, get outside and move.  Whatever it takes to get some fresh air and renew your spirit!

14
Jun
12

It’s Not About the Weight

By garagegym107 34 Comments
Categories: Living Fit Daily
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Only DataI think back on the number of times I jumped on the scale and waited with held breath for that thing to tell me something I considered good.  And I remember the days I didn’t perceive the results as positive.  It took me several years to figure out that the scale is simply a data gathering tool. 

Have realistic expectations.  In the beginning I literally thought I could lose over 150# in 3 months.  Yes, I was that naive –Having or showing a lack of experience, judgement or information.  

My personal experience , which I am elated to share with you is that it takes more time than most women are willing to invest in themselves but that doesn’t have to be YOU.  

YOU can choose to be one of those women that resets your mind and commits to long-term success as opposed to a short-sighted solution. 

Women in general give so much credit and power to the scale that they will literally throw away months of hard work and effort if that scale doesn’t tell them what they want to hear.  I’ve been there.  The scale does not dictate your success or perceived failure.  STOP doing that to yourself!!

There are so many other things you are changing with fitness and clean eating.  

– Your body is getting healthier inside. 

– Your soul is happier because YOU are taking care of YOU and not waiting around for someone else to do it for you.

– You are gaining self-confidence with each workout and each clean meal you choose to eat.

– You can overcome set-backs.

– You are opening yourself up to new experiences.

– You are opening yourself to meeting new people.

– You can control your weight, your food and the outcome of both.

– You can trust and believe in YOU!

12
Jun
12

Don’t Worry Be Happy

By garagegym107 4 Comments
Categories: Living Fit Daily
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Sounds easy right?  Well during the night last night I tossed and turned and churned through a list of worrisome issues.  Guess what?  I didn’t solve a single one of the worries and lost a good nights sleep to boot.

What is really interesting though is that I got up this morning and was teetering on the verge of moody tears.  Everyone that knows me on a personal level knows that I’m not a weepy person.  I’ve raised three boys, I’m known for being rather terse at times.

I’m also known for being that hard*** person that gets things done instead of whining about what else needs to be done in addition to working out, working for a living,  clean eating, loads of laundry, groceries, dealing with a wrecked automobile, etc.  

I realized this morning when I got up that I had allowed myself to worry in to an uncharacteristic mood.  After acknowledging that I woke up in a dark place to one of my friends, I begin making a mental list of what is going on.

It is absolutely amazing to me that something as simple as a listing of what’s going on can help me see what takes priority. 

– What is needed to sustain life?  Got it?  Yep.  Asking myself that one question completely changed my mindset.  YES, IT’S THAT EASY. 

My goodness how quickly we can be sucked into worry and get lost.   We fail to see the positive by focusing on the worrisome issues.

– I have a healthy body and can take most of the physical load I place on it day in and day out.

– I have a day job that I choose to be good at.

– I love writing this cheesy little blog because it keeps me honest and reminds me of how far I’ve come. 

– I love reading other awesome blogs out there like Cultfit.com.

– I love proving to people you can overcome obesity once you stop playing the blame game.

– I love seeing the positive side as opposed to wasting perfectly good energy on worry.

Worry changes nothing outside of the wrinkles on your face.  Act on what you CAN change now.  Once you start acting on what you can change, you realize you are far more capable than you give yourself credit for.

 

 

 

 

11
Jun
12

Two Steps Forward, One Step Backwards

By garagegym107 Leave a Comment
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
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Over the past few weeks I’ve been plugging along doing my thing.  I’ve also noticed that I haven’t been as passionate about my thing as I normally am.

Just this morning I remembered that some times you take two steps forward and one step back. 

I used to think that this was a negative, you know, to take a step back.  Over time I’ve learned that in reality it’s my mental mojo getting a running start for the next round of progress getting ready to take place.  

Think about it.  We can’t always be on the high tide.  If we were, we’d lose sight of how awesome that high tide is.  Down time allows us to really think about where we are and what we want to happen next.  It doesn’t have to be a huge transition to another set of big goals.  

It can be something as simple as a commitment to yourself to do XYZ over the next 3 months.   

For me I tend to train hard and heavy for four months and then go into this feeling of limbo like training for a couple of weeks.  I believe that limbo is my mind and body taking a much deserved break from the cycle of training I put it through.

After that two week slow down, I feel a renewed surge of desire and passion to get back to the hard and heavy training.  It’s funny, until I started writing this blog I didn’t really pay that much attention to the cycle.  But looking back to have a clearer perspective to write from, I’ve had this cycle going strong for 4 years now.

Not too bad for a former yo-yo’er.  Perhaps the true beauty in this realization is that the old, fat, tired and lazy me would have used this limbo period as a reason to quit.  The commitment to what I’ve become won’t allow the limbo to be perceived as anything other than a short, less intense training phase.  

Life feels too good during the high tide to do anything other than just paddle until the next big wave hits.

08
Jun
12

Making Long Term Change

By garagegym107 Leave a Comment
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
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Over the last couple of days, I seen the reports of the 600# Virgin regaining 400# that he lost.  It’s been on my mind and I decided to write about when real long-term changes started happening for me and how they happened.

The mis-leading thing about all of these tv specials about weight-loss don’t really tell you about when everything is over.  I know I’ve seen one of the Biggest Loser’s, the pizza guy from up North gained all of his weight back.  

In a perfect world, every person could go to a fitness camp, have world-class trainers and chef’s preparing perfect food. 

But in reality we have lives that aren’t put on hold because we decide we want to get healthy.  It can be done but it won’t be without sacrifice. 

One of the hardest realizations I had to come to was that there were people who have always known me and they just weren’t willing to accept the person I was becoming. 

Whether they realize what they are doing or not, there will be the tempting lunch invitations, happy hour invites, your favorite cookies or candies showing up etc. 

It took awhile for me to realize that my change was making people around me uncomfortable.  Change is hard.  Not just for you, but for those who know the old you.  Some want to stay in the old comfortable place they’ve always been and they’d like to keep you there with them.

Change takes courage.  You don’t have to be mean or rude, just say “thanks for the invite, but I can’t make it”.  After the first decline it will get easier. 

You may lose a friend or two over it, but remember there ARE like-minded people out there who want to socialize with other fit people. 

One of my fondest memories was this past fall while watching a college championship game with a group of people who I had just met from a local gym.  Every single dish was healthy and tasted great!  I felt as if I were in a safety zone.

One of my clients is a young 24-year-old professional.  One of her greatest obstacles is hanging with her friends.  We plan her workouts and weekly nutrition goals around her social schedule so her free meals fall on the day of the event she has scheduled.  It allows her to enjoy life without feeling restricted.

Being fit isn’t about giving up everything you enjoy and feeling miserable.  It’s about having the courage to make the choices day in and day out to be better today than you were yesterday FOR YOURSELF not for anyone else.

07
Jun
12

Random Workout Thoughts

By garagegym107 2 Comments
Categories: Random Thoughts
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

– You have to start somewhere.  If you haven’t been working out at all start by walking.  Go just one block.  Every single day add another block to the previous days total until you are up to 45 minutes.

– On the day you don’t want to workout, do it anyway.

– People in the gym really aren’t really looking at you.  Don’t be insecure.  You deserve to be there.

– If you don’t know what to do in the gym ask someone.  Don’t strike up a conversation, just ask for help.

– If you don’t want to ask someone, there are plenty of forums that have demo videos.  http://www.exrx.net/ is one of my favs.

– If you’re bored do something different.  There are plenty of parks and places to get in a body weight workout.

– Yes, you will get sore.  In some cases more sore than you imagined.  Especially after walking lunges.  Lunges bring a booty back though and are well worth holding on to the bathroom stall walls.

– Someone will always be stronger, bigger or faster than you.  Keep going.

– Never forget there is someone wishing they could be where you are today.   Someone who is physically incapable of moving due to injury or illness, you should do it simply because you can and they don’t have that luxury.

06
Jun
12

Random Food Thoughts

By garagegym107 7 Comments
Categories: Random Thoughts
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–  You control food, it doesn’t control you.  It has no feeling, it’s not out to get you.  It doesn’t sabotage your efforts.  Get over it.

–  You can overcome emotional food issues.  It starts with accepting the statement above.

–  You can still have your cake and eat it.  It is far better to go to the store and buy one cupcake every couple of months instead of home-baking a whole dozen for the same price.  You don’t need a whole dozen of anything.  Get over it.  Well except maybe shoes.

–  You can live without mac & cheese.  In fact you’ll likely live a lot longer without it.

–  Healthy fat won’t make you fat. 

–  It takes about two weeks to get over sugar cravings once you relinquish your strong hold on sugar.  Try it.  You’ll see.

– You can always find an excuse or justification for eating poorly, don’t kid yourself in to thinking they are legit.

– It takes minimal planning to make sure you purchase what you need to make great, simple meals all week.  Failing to plan = planning to fail. 

– There is not one thing that you can put in your mouth that will make your emotions feel better so H.A.L.T. first.  Hurt. Angry. Lonely. Tired.  Identify if you are truly hungry or just messing around with a cover-up of one of the other emotions.

–  Remember, that fork doesn’t get up off of that plate and fly in your mouth.  YOU put it there.

– Water.  Sometimes you just think you are hungry.  Hydrate instead.

Vacation Food

More Vacation Food

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