fitness – Page 17 – sassyfitnesschick

You Can’t Buy Health And Wellness

So I did it yesterday. I hopped on the proverbial “Christmas bus”.

Yes, once on, please be seated, fasten your seat belts and hold on for dear life. The ride will soon be over boys and girls.

No, no, no this isn’t anything anti-Christmas it’s just an awareness that things are going to be picking up for the festive holiday season and by that I mean, I jumped into doing a little Christmas shopping. It seems like once you start it all seems to be, well, if you will, a snowball effect 😉

I was actually a good girl and didn’t even buy anything for myself.

Ok, truth be known, I had two things I was searching out and I had no success… so that doesn’t count, right ?

So while I’m at the mall, I have to walk by these various kiosks that are set up like small little hamster houses along the walk way. Most of the vendors mind their business and let you come shop with them if that’s your desire.

Except one particular one… I know it… I see it each time I’m there…. I look for an escape route like a fox in a chicken coop… but there’s NO WAY around them to get to my favorite stores.

I try the “being busy with my phone and I’m not making eye contact with you” approach. I try the “I’m intently window shopping” angle. I even try the brisk walking and pointedly ignoring them as they call and lure me in with their beauty products they’re hawking.

One caught me and handed me a sample and I thanked him and kept walking… and he kept almost chasing me trying to get me back to his little nook to sell me products. Honestly, I ignored him as he wasn’t taking my “thanks but no thanks” response.

On my way back… there he was… again… and coming after me… till I finally said… “I’m not interested in your product” and kept walking. ( Poor guy, he doesn’t know who he’s come up against) ugh. so. pushy.

The products he sells are skin and face cream and other such stuff.

Dude, I’m a middle aged woman carrying an AARP card. Your creams and stuff aren’t gonna fix me up or change me 😉 Sorry.

Hang with me here….

it got me to thinking about other products people have tried to sell me on recently.. He was pedaling creams and such that were supposed to help you look younger etc. etc.

Yet because of my interest in health and fitness I am constantly asked to try and use products to “help” me since I’m well, into health and fitness. I mean, I must certainly need their product to help me, right?

No… I don’t.

I don’t need your pills, potions, videos, portion cups, shakes, patches, enhancements, supplements, special drinks or anything else. I don’t need to spend money to lose weight, sleep better, lower my blood pressure or improve my lab work. I don’t need “health” products to feel more energetic.

Why ? Because for the last 8 years I’ve worked hard and busted my tail to lose weight, learn to eat more healthy foods than not, exercise, and enjoy side effects of it, getting fit. It’s been a project that has been very satisfying…..satisfying ’cause I’ve done it.

Because I’ve lost the weight, my blood pressure is great, my lab work is (crazy good according to my doctor), my blood sugar level is even and steady, I sleep well, and have tons of energy. I’m stronger, leaner and in better shape than I’ve ever been. It always disturbs me when people brag on a product that supposedly does that when I never used products but had all the same results.

It’s the WEIGHT LOSS boys and girls that triggers all these things in our bodies….weight loss.

It’s really weird how losing weight and moving your body will reap some amazing good health benefits and it didn’t cost me a thing. On top of that, eating healthy foods, less processed foods and sugar has good benefits for your skin too.

Maybe I don’t need the stuff Mr. Kiosk dude is selling after all 😉

You don’t need products either to be strong, fit, healthy and energetic. Be patient, treat yourself kindly, take one day at a time, practice good habits, eat well, and move your body with your favorite activity. You will be so satisfied with what you achieve on your own.

Then go and use that money to buy some smaller clothes….. or buy Christmas gifts….. 😉

Tabata And Strength Training

Let’s talk a little about strength training. If you follow me then you know I incorporate it into my weekly workout routine. I do enjoy it mainly because it is a different kind of animal from running or cycling. It’s intense and specific … it’s hard work in a different way than cardio activities.

I have had the question come to me “what do you do, exactly?”

Yes, I do use weights most of the time (which is in about an hour workout) but I mix it up with runs of boxing ( ok, maybe I still need to get a little cardio in 😉 boxing is not only great cardio but it’s great for your core and upper body too. I remember when I first started a couple years ago… I could barely get through one song without being winded and ready to stop. Now I do 3 song segments… it’s work but I can slam it out. And hey, if you don’t have a bag, you can still do jabs and punches .

From that I move right into sets with my weights and then alternate to just body work ( trust me, using just your body IS strength training) I kinda move this way through the hour… boxing…weights…body work…

I know it’s been a good workout when I’m laid out on the floor breathing hard, sweaty, and can’t do one more rep.

Anyone can do something similar… there’s something called tabata.

Tabata is basically high interval training in a short amount of time. Although most of my strength training days are an hour there are days I’m super crunched and do a hard hitting 30 minute workout.

But what if you could knock something out faster? And feel like you’ve had a serious workout ? Tabata is intense 4 minute rounds that promise to leave you feeling whipped.

It looks something like this:

Workout hard for 20 seconds
Rest for 10 seconds
Complete eight rounds

You push yourself as hard as you can for 20 seconds and rest for 10 seconds until you complete eight sets.

Here’s where the creativity comes in… you can use any exercises you want =)

An example of a 20-minute Tabata workout looks like this:

Push-ups
Squats
Rows
Sit-ups

Start with push ups, do as many as you can in 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds. Repeat for a total of 8 sets. Once you finish all 8 sets rest for one minute and then move on to squats and follow same steps till you’re finished.

You can mix this up with any exercise you like following same pattern of work and rest.

Tabata is a great quick workout if you’re short on time or need to switch things up with what you’re doing… and it’s guaranteed to work you hard in a short time =)

Holiday Survival Tips

If there’s one thing I want to help people with on their health journey ( well I have more than one thing ) it’s navigating through these next couple months of amazing food and deliciousness that will be tempting us. It’s my plan to continue to offer you sane and sensible advice in these upcoming weeks.

I think people under estimate their abilities to keep pushing on to their goals even in the midst of festivities. It’s entirely possible to do. You don’t have to jump on the “diet band wagon” in January. I’ll tell you, nothing, nothing at all has felt more freeing to me the past few years than not thinking I have to “get on a diet”. When you live a lifestyle, it’s an ongoing thing, all the time.

This afternoon I flipped the TV on in time to see the Dr Oz show coming on ( which I’ve never seen) I was going to move on but they were talking about surviving the holidays and strategies to not gain weight.

Well… ok…they had my attention and I wanted to see what suggestions might be offered up.

A lot of it was similar stuff I already preach to you, my 1.5 readers. And again, good point brought up, people don’t gain weight just from Thanksgiving/ the day after or Christmas Eve/Christmas. Really, you won’t pack on pounds from some extra sweet potato casserole or the pie.

No… it’s all those days in between that people feel entitled to eat because it’s the “holiday season”. It’s all those not so important days of excess that over those couple months lead to weight gain.

They offered up a suggestion of having a “high calorie” day where you allowed yourself treats, followed by a “low calorie” day where you ate normally with a focus on eating well. Personally, I don’t think even every other day should be a feeding frenzy, but hey, that’s just me.

I thought it was an interesting idea… but when he said “keep your high calorie days around 2,000 calories and your low calorie days no more than 1200” I kinda balked at that… I mean… 1200 calories… you are gonna be more than ready to go off the wagon on your high calorie day ’cause you’re gonna be starving.

My thoughts? Just be sensible. Remember every day doesn’t need to be filled with cookies, treats, drinks etc.
Learn to be super selective in what goes in your mouth. Eat only what you truly love.
Continue to eat good, healthy foods.
Eat small amounts of things you love and don’t stuff yourself…. the food won’t be taken away from you if you don’t get it all at once…

Make exercise a priority… it does more than manage weight or help with weight loss. It will clear your head, reduce stress, and help you keep your focus on what matters. Not only that, you will feel like a Superhero when you’re done 😉

Being smart and careful will see you through the season without needing to increase your pant size in January =)

The Gift Of Running

running gift Running. Let’s talk running. I like it a tiny little bit haha

I shared with you awhile back I had picked up an injury that was really putting the breaks on my running. It seems like pushing it to a certain point just stirred it back up again. I’m starting to feel like it will never go away and get better. This isn’t a whining post, but more a reflective one.

As the photo states … running is a gift.

I had always thought that but never more than being sidelined and having to watch running from afar. This is the first season in the past few years I’ve been running I’m not doing a half or full marathon.

It feels weird not training. I love training for an event. I love the structure and planning of it. Probably more I love the discipline it requires to train well. Yes, I am dedicated to my daily workouts, but it’s a whole different animal to me when I’m training for something specific.

I haven’t always been a runner. I didn’t start easing into it until about the end of 2010- first part of 2011. And when I say “running” it was short running mixed in with more walking… but I started… and it moved on to full fledged running.

And one thing I love about running is there is never a limit on new goals to tackle and accomplish. You can always run a little faster, go a little longer, set your sights on bigger races. There is always the challenge to beat your own personal best and the huge satisfaction you get in doing that.

Running has taught me so much.

Perseverance. Dedication. Sacrifice. Big goal setting. Overcoming obstacles and challenges. Not being content to stay in one place without wanting more. It’s built a mental toughness in me that should scare you.

Running put a confidence in me that I really could tackle anything in life.

Along the way, I guess I just started identifying with it.

I’m a runner.

Of course for years, I was in the same non-runner shoes many of you are and many of my friends are. The concept of running unless my life was in danger seemed completely foreign and crazy to me. I laughed about running and admired runners in that way of awe and craziness.

Then I became one.

And I see those words “running is a gift” and I never realized it more than now…. now that I can’t. Now that I have to watch from a distance. Sometimes I’m left wondering if I’ll ever be back out running the miles I was running only earlier this year.

When I hear people joke about not running and know they have the physical ability to do so… I think… you don’t know what you’re missing. You have the ability… it’s a gift…..

Yeah, running is hard work… not gonna lie about it. But it’s the most rewarding kind of hard work I’ve ever done. And because it is hard people don’t want to step into that uncomfortable zone. It takes time and effort to build strength to make running …look…. effortless.

I went out this morning wanting to be on the road.

Wanting to feel the familiar things I’m used to… my running shoes under me.. the feel of the road under my feet ( and not my tires as it has been so much lately) embrace how my legs feel in that form of activity from cycling and have the familiar feel of sweat building up on me in a way that it doesn’t when I’m on the bike.

I vowed to walk briskly and only do small segments of “running” . After all, I started out as a walker, I figure I can push myself with brisk walking ( and a 12 min per mile pace, I think, is fairly brisk) I also set a short distance, a little over 3 miles and no more. I had no agenda and kept reminding myself that for now ( or a long time) easy, easy, easy is the plan.

I didn’t need to run the whole time, but for the love of all things running, I needed to feel my body go through those motions again. I was a good girl and kept my running segments very short. I have to. Oh how good it felt to be in that zone.

Yet, how quickly your running fitness can drop when you aren’t actively working it! I want to be back at that level of fitness I had earlier this year training for my 50K.

When 20 mile runs were starting to feel “normal” and I felt tired but exhilarated after finishing them. When mid-week longish runs were 10 miles that I crept out at dark thirty to get done before the kids were off to school. When my body had that lean, chiseled look from burning more calories in a day than I was taking in. I’ve never been at a more strong physical peak in my entire life than when I’m in the heavy part of training for long races.

And I love it all. I miss it like crazy.

I will get back to where I want to be.

I still have marathons to conquer, I want another shot at a 50k, I want to see if I can ever, ever get my half marathon sub 2:00. I want to get my personal best on a 5k down from 27 minutes to 25 or less. I want to do a duathlon and that requires running and cycling.

Gosh, I want a lot, don’t I ?

I’m determined and stubborn… it will happen…. and when I’m well and back at it again full speed… I’ve already reminded myself I will never, ever, forget this truth…..

Running is a gift.

Patience And Fitness

Happy “it’s a new week” boys and girls. Actually I’m writing this post on the eve of a new week meaning I am finishing out my weekend and thought I’d share some various insights and thoughts with you while they are still semi-fresh in my head ’cause we’re also dealing with the whole “time change” thing here in the USA which messes with my head for a day or two. If you don’t have to deal with that, consider yourself lucky, but I digress…..

Since we just finished off Halloween, it’s safe to say a good number of you reading this probably had a piece or three of candy and maybe some other treats as well. It’s also safe to say some of you might be going through self imposed guilt for having candy and treats.

*Stop that*

There is a candy poster that has been circulating for a while now with various candies and then the specific exercise you need to do to work it off and “negate what you ate”

I will say this again and again… you cannot go out the next day and “work off” what you ate. It’s plain crazy. And I can tell you that you didn’t pack pounds on over night from having a few pieces of your kids candy…. really.

What you can do is enjoy it, have fun, and then the next day just get right back on track with your eating and purposeful exercise. And I don’t mean crazy kill yourself workouts either, those won’t change anything but perhaps, make you sore.

So we’ve established this, right ? Don’t think you can “undo” what you did the day before… you can’t. You CAN change your next day, and the one after that. That’s what leads to success.

Ok my other thought is on our bodies and how we can build strength, endurance, and overall fitness in them through the physical activities we choose. This thought came to me today while I was riding my bike plowing out a 23 mile ride with hills, inclines and some flat roads thrown in for fun. It was a perfect and spectacular day and I just couldn’t stay inside and not be out “in it”

I was thinking how some of those hills were getting easier for me to peddle up faster, and less winded. I was thinking how when I started taking them on a few months ago they seemed harder to do….well probably because they were harder….then…

but I’ve also been incorporating this route in my long runs and my body is slowly been adapting to what I’ve put it through.

That is such a cool thing.

When I talk with people who are wanting encouragement or help on their health and fitness journey there can be frustration and disappointment because they don’t think results come as fast as they could or should.

It’s in our nature perhaps, to have high expectations or want some instant gratification. But our journey of health and fitness can be compared to a marathon and not an all out sprint.

We’re in it for the long, slow, steady haul.

In the beginning we might not even be able to run to the end of the block. We might barely be able to curl that 5lb weight for only a few sets before our muscles get shaky. The idea of doing more than one or two push ups seems almost impossible. Cycling for long rides and being able to power up big hills without feeling like you don’t have enough air or leg power seems to be just how it’s gonna be for you….

Until… one day…. you realize….

You’re running for miles now.

You can lift heavy weight for many reps before your muscles get shaky.

Push ups still suck but you’re into the double digits doing them now

Or…. the realization you’re taking on those big hills on a bike like a boss and killing it.

All of these things require time and time to allow our bodies to build and adapt to what we demand of it. The same can be said of changes going on inside of our bodies as they adjust to the physical demands we put on them. I told my husband I was feeling a lot stronger on the bike, especially taking on big hills. I think I’m pretty physically fit and I guess, other than perhaps elite athletes who I think of being in peak physically all the time, we all can continue to push and challenge our bodies to new levels of strength and fitness. I don’t think we ever really “arrive” at a level of fitness, there will always be room for more growth.

I try to remind people that even though they can’t SEE some changes for awhile, things ARE happening in their bodies.

You can’t give up or quit just because you don’t “see” things yet. You can’t measure your strength and physical fitness with your eyes but trust that the work you are doing will begin to show up when you realize you can push yourself harder and on to newer and tougher levels of physical activity.

Do you give yourself time to let your body change ? Is it hard to be patient or do you want instant, speedy results? Or can you view it as a marathon and not a sprint in your fitness journey ?

I Don’t Feel Like Working Out

Happy Weekend boys and girls =)

I shared this on my Facebook page yesterday and decided that maybe you, my 1.5 readers in blog world, might occasionally suffer with this problem too.

And the problem is? You get hit with the “I don’t feel like doing my workout” bug …. the following is how it went down….

Workout done. Soooo…..what’s new you think? You’re always working out…big deal.
Flat out… I didn’t feel like it…at all.

A restless night, up earlier than usual to get kid to first day of work, and a creepy, yucky morning had all the makings of me wanting to crawl in clothes two times to big, get a huge cup of coffee and watch mindless morning tv.

I think it’s important you know I have occasional times where I wrestle with wanting to make excuses to not get my fitness time in. I don’t always feel like being the Energizer Bunny.

Given todays weather I had decided it was strength training day. Then the ancient cd player I use out in my “gym” decided it didn’t want to spin discs which almost seemed FURTHER confirmation maybe I should be lazy…but no…

’cause now I was just …mad…. and that is definitely fire to move me.

Fine … I’ll take it in the house where I can use my Ipod.

Give me 30 minutes, my body, 35 lb weights and I will kill it. Add the fire of being super annoyed already…. hello sweat fest and a good ( fast) solid body workout.

And it’s done. There are ( occasional and appropriate times) where a workout just might not happen…. it’s life.

I gave up years ago making excuses to…. just…not do it… based on random feelings. Sometimes your mental muscle has to kick in and take over your body and determine you are going to go get the job done.

When I feel an excuse coming on it’s even more compelling for me to push through it and make it happen.

I know I will feel better afterwards mentally and physically. And I do. I feel amazing and am so grateful I did do it.

So will you. Don’t let excuses hamper you from positive forward movement.

If you have made exercise a habit in your life, do you have times you wrestle with doing a workout? How do you talk yourself through it? How do you feel when you’re done ?

Things You Never Knew About Running

The other morning I’m in my happy place at Starbucks drinking coffee, writing and pondering new blog ideas when I hear my messenger notification go off. Popping it open I start reading a message from a friend who begins sharing with me that he had been out for an early morning run and how glorious it had been ( I started secretly feeling jealous that he had been out doing it ) but I am proud of him ’cause he’s a new runner and has really been sticking with it.

The next part of his message had me choking on my coffee, almost spitting it out, and then, laughing hysterically.

I am using his message here exactly as I got it….

” But after about a mile, I felt something bad in the lower intestinal area. It was not a desperate situation; the Vikings were not at the back gate with a battering ram but they were fast approaching. I don’t normally need to poop before 6 in the morning but I must have shook something loose. I am sure you wanted to know that. At the very least, I gave you a new blog topic.”

I was dying. It was so his style to fire off something like this to me. I assured him he was right, it definitely added to my blog fodder of ideas… and here we are…. things you never knew about running.

So we’ll begin here since…. he started it 😉 I’m not gonna go all into the poop thing (eww gross) but I told him some runners did have issues with it, sometimes it had to do with what had ( or hadn’t been eaten) or what’s taken in during the run. Some runners just have super sensitive tummys and they deal with it all the time. It usually doesn’t bother me unless I’m running hard and fast for awhile. I mean honestly all that pounding and slamming your insides around can shake things up. It’s a risk you take running. Some runners develop a good skill of finding trees 😉 My poor friend got some personal experience with it haha… at least he now knows something else about running….ok… that’s all I’m gonna say on this topic….

You develop a love/hate relationship with it. You commit to a run and in that first mile you’re thinking… WHY? and then you ponder the fact running is hard work and that’s probably why everyone isn’t eagerly out on the street doing it and why your friends tell you that you’re crazy. To run requires work… and serious work. And then you realize you feel kinda bad ass ’cause you ARE out there doing it. And you finish beat up and exhilarated thinking of your next run….

Shoes. You will develop a fetish for new cool running shoes and you will spend more money on them than any other footwear you own. You will become committed to a brand and even a particular style. You will pout like a child when they decide to change up and “improve” your favorite style.

Running clothes. You learn terms like moisture wicking and dri-fit. You make sure those terms are on whatever you buy. You ponder how could a pair of barely there shorts cost that much ??? You buy them anyway ’cause when you know what you like, what you run most comfortably in, there is no guessing game. You don’t wanna have to think about what is on your body when you’re running.

Cotton garments and baggy shorts are the kiss of death. I wear neither of them anymore.

Gu’s, gel’s, sports beans and the like. You’ve most likely never even heard of these things till you start running. On a stand alone basis, they are almost gaggingly disgusting. Thick, gooey and super sweet you don’t intentionally make a meal of them. However, when you are out on a long run and your body desperately needs sugar and an overload of immediate high octane carbs, they taste like manna from heaven 😉

You will sweat like crazy and smell like a middle school boys locker room. And there isn’t a runner in the world who doesn’t take that as a sign of a successful run. We are sorry if you have to be around us before we hit the shower.

Oh yeah… showers…… never feel more amazing than when you are dead dog tired after a hard run. Seriously.

You learn to appreciate the aches and pain of sore legs muscles after a long run. Sounds crazy but you feel awesome even when they ache.

You never plan to be a runner. You don’t. You swear it’s only something your neighbor does or the crazy health nut across the street from you. But one day you’re out there on the road and you’re doing it and you wonder when THAT happened.

You get really, really testy if you can’t get your run in. You don’t really mean to be grumpy about it, but dang it, you want to be out there.

You won’t win any gorgeous foot awards. Thankfully I’ve never had the problem of toenails turning black and losing them ( many runners do) also through constant pounding of miles you can build up some serious pads on the bottoms of your hooves. Oh, well. I’d rather be a runner and have those than not.

Entering a race will bring out the competitive beast edge in you. Ok maybe not everyone. I see lots of well behaved happy, chatty, selfie taking people on the race course… and I’m thinking… “really? we’re in a race here” haha

After long runs or races you will feel your legs in ways you never have before. After running marathons I have to walk down TONS of stairs to head back to my hotel. That is a total blast. What sicko laid out that path for runners after a race?? 😉

Running becomes addictive. Relax, I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s a good kind of addiction.

It will build your confidence and empower you like nothing else. I remember after training for and running my first marathon thinking if I could run all those training miles and then do a 26.2 mile race, I could take on anything life threw at me.

You meet super cool and supportive people. Probably enough said there. Get involved in the running community and you’ll see =)

You will sport interesting tan lines. And you get the interesting comments like… “why are you always so tanned?”

99.9% of us know we’ll never “win” the race. However, when you cross that finish line and collect your medal, you’ve won. You’ve met your own goals, overcome obstacles, and have your own triumphs. We deserve that medal as much as the first one who finished.

We are a stubborn lot. Runners don’t give up or give in easily. We run early. We run late. We willingly leave warm toasty beds on cold mornings to go run in the dark. We’ve been known to run in the rain and cold weather. If we’re training… it’s even worse 😉

Running builds your body. Running can carve out some amazing legs, build your butt, lean out your abs and overall contribute to losing weight. It is the best cardio for losing weight… at about a 100 calories burned per mile… it’s a fat burner for sure.

And not just physically….. running also clears the mind, helps give clarity, brings peace and helps you refocus. I do my best thinking and creative brainstorming when I run.

Ok… so now that I’ve clued you into the secret truths of running…. you’re ready to get after it, aren’t you ?

Runners…. is there anything you’d add ?

Taking Up Space

This post is for every woman who has ever thought she has to move through this world shrinking, and not taking up space. For every woman who has thought if she were somehow some perfect small size her worth and value would increase.

Society pushes it at us.

Smaller this. Lesser that. Just ….be….less…..

I guess for years I chased that ideal.

In my youth, I had hit my height of 6’0 sometime in middle school. Not cool. Boys were a long way from appreciating long and leggy at that point in time.

I was as tall or taller than boys pretty much through high school. Did I mention how awkward and difficult that was at times ??

I longed to be like some of my friends who were 5ft something and 110lbs soaking wet. My mom would constantly remind me to stand up straight… keep my shoulders back… I wasn’t overweight by any stretch….

I just wanted to take up less space.

Once out of school in the real world I realized being tall wasn’t a liability. As I got older I appreciated it more and more.

After settling into life, marriage, and having babies I had gotten “comfortable” (which is my nice way of saying I had put on extra weight I didn’t need to have).

I was definitely… soft and fluffy.

Eight years ago I started on my health and fitness journey.

My goal at that point? Smaller. Take up less space. Shrink. Be less.

Being less meant being more, right ?

Now hear me… I knew for my health I needed to drop some pounds. I trust that you, my reading friend, know if you need to take those same steps…for your health.

And I did… I lost weight.. dropped sizes… lost inches. I got smaller. After all, isn’t that what the world tells us we should strive for ?

The scale, my judge and jury, applauded my efforts.

However, along the way, after I had lost the weight I desired and started building muscle I realized I liked having a strong, solid, powerful body and taking up some space.

I stopped thinking about numbers and what the scale said ( if you haven’t, be sure and check out my Scale Experiment post on that topic)

Until recently…. I had to start thinking about numbers and sizes and all things related as I prepared for my sons wedding.

I had found the “perfect” dress.

Seriously. Perfect.

At the wedding with hubby on left and my brother on right… and “the dress” 😉

A peek at the back during our mother son dance. Such a sweet moment that almost killed me.

If I wanted to make sure it was an absolute “fit like a glove dress”, I could send them my measurements and have a dress custom made for me.

That seemed like a plan. So there I was after ( forever long) of not thinking of sizes or numbers, getting my measurements for the dress.

Ok this isn’t a blog on the perfect mother of the groom dress ( although…. 😉 I might not give any thought to what my current pant size is ( ha what is it??) or my measurements, but more about what numbers do matter to me now…..

How many miles can I run ? What pace can I push and for how long ? Riding my bike, how many miles can I get into a ride? How fast can I keep my speed? Lifting weight… what’s the heaviest dead lift I can do? How many squats will my body handle before it says “enough!” ? How many reps can I do working my core with several different exercises? How many push ups? How long can I plank ?

Those numbers matter to me now.

Ironically, so many of the exercises I’ve been doing are building me and pushing me out of certain clothes… but I’m really ok with that.

I can take up my space in this world and don’t have to make a single apology for it.

Neither do you.

Be healthy. Be strong. Take up your own space.

What do you think? Have you ever felt like you needed to be “less” to be “more”? Have you had any struggles with that? Or have you moved through a point where you comfortable with taking up your own space in the world?

Share with me.

Brace Yourselves The Holidays Are Coming

It’s mid-October ya’ll. Just let that breathe over you for a moment… what the heck?? Today in Texas there is no sign of the anticipated Fall season and I am again, sporting shorts and a tank. That’s not a bad thing… it’s just…some brisk air would feel festive to honor the new season.

Soon, ghosts, goblins, Superheroes and other assorted creatures will be arriving on your doorstep mooching free candy.

Speaking of candy…. I was wandering down the aisle in the store the other day…one of my daily trips… and realized I had quick tripped it up the Halloween candy aisle.

I admit to still feeling like a kid… in awe of that much candy all in one handy place. Seriously.

You do understand don’t you, that candy companies have us firmly in their grips now through Easter, don’t you ? You will no sooner load up on cheap half price Halloween candy that the aisles will be filled with Christmas, and thus the merry-go-round starts.

Like, why can’t we use left over Halloween candy in the Christmas stockings?? Haha isn’t chocolate, chocolate ? 😛

Alright, where I’m going with this… we are moving full speed into the “holiday season” and I say that meaning everything that captures now through New Years Day.

And I want to address a common comment that I hear this time of year when it comes to weight loss.

Ready?

” I need to lose weight, but now we’re in the holidays so I won’t worry about starting until January”

No. Just no.

Don’t have that mentality.

I will remind you I started on my journey in October and went through all major holidays, enjoying things, faithfully exercising, not feeling deprived at all, and had lost 22 lbs by mid-January. It feels amazing every single year after Christmas and all the weight loss garbage is in every aisle I stumble into to know that I’m just doing what I’ve been doing… like never miss a beat moving from holiday festivities to staying in forward motion with my health and fitness journey.

It can be done.

So it might be a little early to offer some holiday survival tips but hey, why not ? I’ll probably post again when we’re more into the.. thick… of things… 😉

Ideas, tips and suggestions I’ve found to be helpful

First and most important, every day is not party day. Just because it’s November or December doesn’t mean you need to over eat or eat to much junky stuff every day.

Remember alcohol packs a whopping amount of liquid calories. Those count.

Yes, there will be parties. Learn to be selective and picky when you are encountering the feeding tables. Take only the things you really love, take small amounts ( at a buffet a plate fills up fast!) If you don’t really love it, leave it behind.

Add plenty of veggies onto your plate to off set the other stuff. You don’t need lots of that creamy dippy stuff either…

Make water your friend.

Desserts…same theory applies.

I love to bake. I bake like a wild woman. Because I don’t eat lots of sugar anymore a little goes a long way with me and too much leaves me feeling yucky so it keeps me in check. I do however allow myself a cookie or two along the way. It’s all I need. If you enjoy baking, set a limit for yourself and stick to it.

When it comes to the family meals for the “big” days.. I eat whatever I want. However, as per suggestion above, I am selective and eat my most favorite things. I can’t stand feeling “over full” so even on holidays I try and stop myself before I get there. Besides, it gives me room to graze later haha 😉

I never wear loose or stretchy clothes. Being in clothes that are more fitted to me makes me mindful of myself.

Yes, I get there will be days that it seems like you just eat all….stupid…day…long. That’s one day… cut your losses…pick it up and get back on track.

Exercise. You’ve got the time. The holiday season can get stressful, making time for yourself for an activity you enjoy is good for you mentally AND physically. The past several years I’ve gotten up early on Thanksgiving morning and gone for an hour sunrise run. It clears my head, allows me to think on my blessings and yeah, makes me feel good about eating a little pie haha

Careful moderation through out the celebratory season will allow you to enjoy yourself, even drop a few pounds, and come into the New Year already feeling victorious.

You don’t need to wait for January to get started. You can do it right now.

Transformation And Body Change

October… the month that heralds in Fall, crisp air (hopefully), hot coffee, big sweaters, leggings and boots.. well maybe.. here in Texas I’m hopeful for that 😉 October is always a milestone celebratory month for me as it’s one more year on my health and fitness journey to claim success.

It’s hard to believe it has been 8 years since I made a choice to do things differently. To get off my butt and make things happen.

20150909_202653-1 — Me circa… thicker days…. before I started my journey…in the double digit sizes…

As I’ve shared with you before the plan was simple.

Make more choices in my day that were good and led to my goals over ones that didn’t support getting to my goals.

Don’t beat myself up for days that bombed. Don’t make excuses for myself or any laziness that would hinder my progress.

Be realistic about what I wanted to achieve.

Learn to eat better foods all within appropriate moderation.

Listen to my body’s natural signals.

Move every day to work my body ( for weight loss and because our bodies are designed to be active and move!)

Don’t allow myself any sense of entitlement that I “deserved” to have something.

Love and be kind to myself on my journey.

Take one day at a time.

8. Years.

Heck yes, I’m thrilled. But you know, I’m not just celebrating the fact I lost enough weight to make a hefty size toddler, or the fact I dropped 6 sizes and who knows how many inches.

No, what I celebrate is that I’ve kept that weight OFF… it left… and never bounced back. That to me, is worth celebrating.

You know why it has ? Because along the way I was building new habits, rewiring my mind to embrace new things and make them so habit forming I wouldn’t be able to think of NOT working out or making the choice to eat veggies ( more likely, wanting to eat them now over other things) or learning to balance occasional treats, to look at food as fuel and consider the kinds of fuel I was putting in my body. To find physical activities I enjoyed and wanted to keep at. To learn to eat enough food to support my goals and satisfy my hunger, and stop when I was comfortable.

A daily, consistent, relentless, pursuit to reshape behaviors and habits that had been a part of most of my life.

Today, I am more convinced than ever, if someone wants to be successful and have a lifestyle change they must build new, consistent daily habits that will become second nature to them. Then the weight goes away… for good…

Is it challenging? At times yes.

Does it happen over night ? no.

My body’s transformation has been a slow, steady work in progress of losing fat and building muscle.

Consistency. Patience. Not being focused on it happening in a short time.

Besides the fact in 8 years I’ve kept off weight, gained muscle and strength, I also like to focus on new things I’ve been able to do. Challenges I would have run from and laughed at 8 years ago. Running for casual distances somehow morphed into distance running, which somehow led to me doing a second full marathon Dec 2014 and then on to two half marathons in March of this year (7 so far) followed by a 50k at the end of the month. I’m cycling more than ever now getting in 20-22 mile bike rides at least 3 days a week, sometimes shorter ones too. I can lift more weight and push my body harder than I could even a year ago.

I’m a woman smack in middle age territory and I have less body fat, more muscle, strength and mental toughness than I had 20 years ago. Basically, I’m in the best shape ever and look ahead to continuing that course.

So as I celebrate another milestone year…. I celebrate so many other victories and goals reached on top of “just” keeping my weight gone.

20150119_181146-1 — Feb. 2015… abs…. such a work in progress….

I would say to anyone, wherever they are on their journey, know transformation takes time. Settle in and know that other things are going on too.

How you mentally feel, your increasing confidence and empowerment, your new strength and abilities to take on new challenges, your thought process on eating better, your improving lab work, new habits that begin to feel “normal”… so many things that are good. It’s a win/win thing.

I want nothing more than to encourage you on your journey. To remind you that you can do it. That it’s a slow and steady process but more than worth it. Change does take time but really, are you on a time limit to make it happen? The goal is to get there… to get to your destination and celebrate your victory…. for a lifetime.

Are you on a journey to a permanent lifestyle change ? Where are you? Close to goals ? What steps are you taking to reach them ?

20151009_160415 — Oct 10, 2015…. it still freaks me out I can buy size 4 dresses now.