Posts Tagged ‘Worry

29
Apr
13

Things Are a Little Dusty

By garagegym107 2 Comments
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Yes indeed things got a little dusty here in the land of blogging.  High stress day jobs and long hours tend to want to wreak havoc on my whole life, but I won’t let it.

Needless to say, when things blow up all around me, all I can do is focus on what I can do in the moment.  Staying in the moment these past several weeks has literally saved my MOJO and my sanity.

What I mean by staying in the moment is literally to stop worrying about what will be happening 2-3 hours or even 6-8 hours from now, much less, weeks and months.  I cannot change a single thing in the future as I have no crystal ball or time machine.

My day job hours have significantly increased upwards to 11-12 hour days.  When you add the coaching I do at our CrossFit Box, that leaves a shortness in my own training time.  Which leads to grouchy butt syndrome on my part.

I caught myself whining a little about it.   Then I reminded myself that I needed to put my big girl panties on and deal with things just as they are.  What if I get to continue to come in to work at 7:15 indefinitely…?  Well get up a little earlier.  So be it.

That one thought triggered several more reminders of what I can do to help myself remain consistent in all things I love when things get harried.

Meal prep and planning.  I spent three hours on Sunday taking away all excuses for not eating enough and well enough this week.  Everything is nicely packed in throw away Ziploc Freezer Bags so no dishes to whine about washing.

Workouts are shifted from AM five days a week to 2 AM workouts and 3 lunch time workouts one rest day and a new weekend workout.  No excuses.

Did these decisions come about easily?  Well no, of course not.  I spent three weeks trying to squeeze things in until I wanted to explode from being in a rushed frenzy before realizing that it was time to settle down and see things for what they are.

Changing.

Yes, the one constant will always be change.  Why on earth I fight it so much is beyond me.  My family would say stubbornness and I would agree.

Change is inevitable, but how we deal with it makes or breaks us.  When my poor spousal unit started getting tewky with me, I realized I have been riding around on my pretty little broom just a bit too often.

When you find change coming in a very fast and unexpected fashion, find a quiet place to reflect, even if it’s only for 15 minutes.  Write down what is really important to you and figure out how you will make change work instead of using change as an excuse to fail.

change

 

 

 

21
Feb
13

Have I Been A Slacker?

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

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

 

 

 

 

 

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.

11
Oct
12

Issues, We All Have Them

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

I was chatting with a friend who is struggling this morning.  As we chatted, I was thrown back in time to that exact point in my journey.

I don’t know where these things come from, they just seem to come from deep inside somewhere teaching me again, that I have learned some lessons over this journey of mine.

“We all have issues.  My issues are not smaller than yours.  I’ve learned not to use them as an excuse to crap on my goals” ~Garagegym107

There is so much meat in that statement, I immediately had to type it out and claim it.

For years I allowed my issues to be my excuse for chronically sabotaging my fitness efforts with poor quality food.  It took me quite some time to figure out that when I ate poorly, I in turn felt even more poorly and my issues seemed ginormous (yes, I know that’s not really a word).

It happens in the lives of most women who struggle with dealing with emotional eating.  You are not alone. 

Sooner or later, you must confront your fears in order to move past these issues.  It’s not about willpower so much as it is about willingness to change and will to let go.

Our issues can stay buried deep inside and something silly can pull one of them back to the limelight.

In example, I’ve written about the online trainer that literally told me I needed to rethink my goals regarding physique training.  In that moment that little liar in my head came screaming forward saying “see I told you so”. 

I could have let both the negative self-talking voice and the online trainer derail me completely.  The old me would have allowed just that.

The stronger, wiser and much more at peace, and confident me simply said “watch this”.  My goals are set, my countdown app on my phone is set and I’ve been busy doing.

Sure, I have issues, we all do.  Step back and think things through.  If you are reaching for food, you are still allowing those issues to rule your roost.

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.

 

14
Jun
12

It’s Not About the Weight

By garagegym107 34 Comments
Categories: Living Fit Daily
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.