What’s your why? Why do you do what you do? All of us have “whys” for things we do in our lives.
Let’s take that to our health and fitness goals.
Why do you want to do it? Or why are you out there every day going after it ?
More energy? Better health? To do something you’ve never done? To build your confidence? To daily activities easier? To be strong and empowered?
If you are like many I talk to, they want to but haven’t nailed down their “why” for getting fit or losing weight.
I think, it’s a reason many people start, stop, and quit.
I was talking to a young woman the other night. She’s half my age. The conversation started that she didn’t believe I had ever been heavier or not fit. ( my daughter had informed her of that 😛 )
I’ve taken pictures since I started my health journey because it tells a much bigger story than numbers on a scale. I showed them to her.
8 years ago I was a much softer, fluffier version of me. I was also quite a bit heavier. My arms were soft with no muscle definition as were my legs.
I hadn’t looked at the photos in awhile so it was like a rapid fire look through my transition of the past few years.
Change definitely takes time.
Then she asked me..
“So why did you do it? What made you start?”
I have my own “whys” for getting started on my health and fitness journey.
My check up with my doctor that year was my turning point. It became my “why”.
I knew I was packing pounds I didn’t need, and I knew I wasn’t getting the exercise my body needed.
I also knew my family history and that my mom and grandmother were both obese and had many health problems associated with being to fat. My grandmother had a heart attack at 50. Her and my mom had high blood pressure and diabetes. My mom eventually developed kidney issues, having two transplants and ultimately being on dialysis. My father, although having really no contact with him, I knew he was overweight and had diabetes. He ultimately died of a heart attack.
I was 46 the year of that check up.
Knowing I was still healthy and had the power to change things settled on me.
My “whys” became so I didn’t walk the same paths as family members before me. To be healthy for myself and for my family.
My “why” for starting was fairly simple and uncomplicated.
Lose weight. Stay healthy.
I had no idea the journeys I would go on in the upcoming years.
I guess the rest, is history. I made the choices I did and in that I found activities I love and have become passionate about.
Never, ever would I have thought I’d become a runner. Or a cyclist. Or that I’d be pursuing both at the same time for a race.
I’ve learned to eat more good foods than not. It’s all worked together.
My “whys” turned into, “why not’s”.
She started telling me her story, one that is familiar to me now as many people have similar ones.
She just wanted to lose weight. She wanted to get back to working out.
So I asked her… “Why? Why do you want to?”
One of her first responses was “well I want to get back to the weight I was in high school”
I told her that was great, but what was so wonderful about that weight? Did she think it would make her happier or more successful? Why did she think that was a reason for getting started? (And for the record, your high school weight was great when you were 17 but it might not be where you need to be today in the body you are in now)
Talking it out for a bit she finally admitted “well I know I was pretty thin and wasn’t taking care of myself like I should”
Maybe that isn’t a good why reason.
We kept talking and she said “well I would like to lose weight because I’ll just feel better about myself, and doing that makes me feel more confident”
Ok, good reasons. Now we were slowing getting somewhere.
She talked about her son and how she wanted to be healthy for him and how she wanted to be able to do things with him. She mentioned how she bought him all these healthy foods and she didn’t focus as much on her own nutrition.
I asked her why she thought taking care of herself wasn’t a priority. (note… you get no bonus points in life for putting yourself on the back burner)
We continued talking and brainstorming as I listened to her share her story with me.
She finally admitted she needed to consider her health as a priority as much as her sons was.
Now… now we were getting somewhere.
She was getting to her “why” for wanting to do it. More than just a vague acknowledgement of wanting to lose weight.
We all need to come to the point where we can answer our own “why” for wanting to lose weight and get fit. Then we must begin to remove the excuses that keep us from moving forward to our goals.
It might be fun to think of getting to your high school weight or losing 10 lbs before a class reunion but is that going to be enough to get you going?
To keep you going ?
You have to examine it beyond a surface thought of “I just want to lose weight” to a deeper level that will keep you motivated to reaching your goals.
Making your own list of why you want to get healthier and fit is a good way to move towards making it happen.
As you make a list think of how losing weight will help you. How will you feel? What will you be able to do easier that you can’t now? What health needs do you need to address? How will losing weight improve them? How do you feel about yourself right now? Would losing weight help you with a more positive attitude about yourself?
You can apply similar thoughts to getting fit and eating better. Losing weight doesn’t just change our bodies, but it changes how we feel about ourselves and that in turn affects the rest of our lives.
Getting to your own reasons for why you want to lose weight, get fit or stronger and healthier is a key step to actually accomplishing those things in your life.
What was your “why” reason for weight loss and getting in shape?
Exercise ~ activity requiring physical effort carried out especially to sustain or improve health and fitness.
Exercise. I might have made some attempts to sell you on the idea 😉
Ok.. maybe I feel a bit passionate about it. Maybe I know once you get started, get over that “obstacle” that holds you back from committing to it and making it a new habit in your life, you will not be able to imagine not doing it in your day.
I don’t know what your “obstacle” is. But if you aren’t doing it and make excuses not to, you have an obstacle.
Exercise really isn’t something that we naturally and inherently flock to… like… “ohhhhh yes! Of course I want to feel uncomfortable and sweat and breathe hard and have my heart pounding out of my chest!”
No one does. This is the point we can see, feel and know … ugh… we are really out of shape. In turn, this makes us feel worse, feel inadequate and that we’ll never “get there”.
We quit before we start.
Exercise then, is something we must teach ourselves to do. We have to push through our own personal obstacles. We must do it until it begins to feel weird if we don’t do it.
We’ve got to turn it into a new habit.
Building new habits my friends, takes time and a healthy amount of determination.
I recently ran into an woman I had gone to school with. I don’t think I’ve seen her in person since then ( she’s only seen me via social media). We chatted about many things when the convo turned to exercise and she commented on my physique telling me how inspiring I was. When I mentioned I didn’t start exercising till I was 46 she was shocked. I told her it was a few years later that my athletic side really started to kick in… when I started getting more serious about running and ultimately training for marathons.
She asked how I did it and I told her I just kept at it and didn’t quit. The rest is history.
When you press on and exercise every day ( or almost every day) your body responds in wonderful ways and there are tons of health benefits that come with it.
Here’s a few:
controls your weight, reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease, reduces your risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, lowers blood pressure, reduces risks of some cancers, strengthens bones and muscles, improves your mental health and mood, increases your chance of living longer, and improves your ability to do daily activities and prevent falls, if you’re an older adult.
Let’s not forget things also like gaining new energy, confidence, and overall feeling good. If you’re looking for the fountain of youth more and more research suggests exercise is the key to it. In order to stay healthy you have to keep your cells young. Exercise forces new cell growth and turn over in our bodies causing an anti aging effect ( this is sooo simplified right now. Maybe I’ll do a blog on just this idea … stay tuned!)
Let’s just say this.. our “chronological” age is pretty well set and that’s something we have no control over. Our “biological” age… we have a huge amount of control over.
This is why two people the same chronological age can look years different.
Ok if all that isn’t enough let’s just focus on the part about being older and still being able to do daily activities and being strong and balanced so you don’t fall. Falls are one of the leading causes of death in older people and reasons as well why they are in care homes.
You don’t want to wait till you’re “old” to start exercising. You start now wherever you are. Being fit and strong is something that you will draw from as you get older. There is a huge misconception that getting old means you get weak and frail. That you lose strength because you are.
No. You get weak and frail because you’ve stopped using your body and the old saying is true “use it or lose it”. But at some point in your 30s, you start to lose muscle mass and function. The cause is age-related sarcopenia or sarcopenia with aging. Physically inactive people can lose as much as 3% to 5% of their muscle mass each decade after age 30. This is what contributes to weakness and not being able to do things as people get older.
You must counteract all of that to preserve and build muscle. Enter strength training and muscle building exercise.
You can’t wake up old and decide to pop some Geritol or some magic pills and hope they will carry you through. Ideally you work out and you work hard, most days of the week. Then as you age your body is used to labor and the things you’ve done help you maintain balance and strength ( hopefully protecting you or totally keeping you from falling) you then live a strong, energetic, and independent life doing the things you like and want.
But… you’ve got to start now. It’s like saving money. You don’t have any to draw on if you don’t save it.
Goes like that with exercise. If you want something to draw on years from now, you need to start now. You work your body every day and let it do things that will help you live strong and independent when you’re older.
If you don’t know where to start, start walking. Everyone can do it and it’s generally safe for most people. Be sure to walk briskly and move at a steady pace for at least 30 minutes. You will seriously want to incorporate some strength training in your week too.
Think of activities you like that you might want to try. Experimenting is one of the best ways to find your passion.
Focus on taking one day at a time. Don’t allow yourself to make excuses to not do it. Think of how you’ll feel when you are finished… strong, accomplished, clear headed and moving forward to a healthier more fit you now, and in the future 🙂
I thought we’d talk about food today. I like eating it and I’m fairly sure you do too 😉 last week I did a blog on veggies so if you missed it check it out before you go ( Veggie Tales).
Like veggies, this other food gets a bad rap and many people don’t like it or have horrible childhood memories of their mother forcing them to eat it.
This particular food has interested me for awhile but I haven’t really investigated it much until recently.
Ok I know you’re sitting on the edge of your chair in eager anticipation wondering what it is…..
Oatmeal my friends. Oatmeal.
This may or may not be my childhood picture 😉
Now stay with me… don’t get out of that chair and leave just yet. There’s a new kid on the oatmeal block called steel cut oats, and maybe like Goldilocks from the Three Bears story, I’m in pursuit of the oatmeal ( or porridge 😉 that’s “just right”.
This isn’t your moms oatmeal you could paste walls with. I can say that ’cause I’ve had it too. Often it comes in little packages already loaded with sugar and you add hot water and stir till mush. Oh I know they’ve upgraded to little cute containers now but the operations are still the same. Maybe you like the idea of oatmeal but you just can’t get past the gooey consistency of it.
Let’s talk about steel cut oats and the difference between them and rolled oats.
The difference between rolled and steel cut oats is that while both contain whole grain oats, they are processed differently. Rolled oats are steamed, rolled, steamed again and toasted, ending up as thin flakes. Steel cut oats are made from oat kernels that have been chopped into thick pieces.
Quick or instant oats are the most processed of the varieties. They are pre-cooked, dried, then rolled and pressed slightly thinner than rolled oats. They cook more quickly than rolled or steel cut but retain less of their texture and can cook up mushy.
Steel cut oats are oat groats that have been cut into 2 or 3 pieces for a relatively unprocessed product.
Nutritionally, steel cut oats are almost identical to old fashioned oats. Regularly eating steel cut oats gives you the same health benefits as eating rolled oats. A diet that includes oats may decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.
So if all varieties offer up very close, similar nutrition, why eat steel cut oats?
What sets steel cut apart is how they compare on the glycemic index. ( this is how slow or fast foods process in the body which can cause blood sugar up’s and downs)
The less-processed steel-cut oats have a much lower glycemic load than higher-processed quick oats. Low-GI foods slow down the rate that glucose (sugar) gets introduced into your body, and in contrast, high-GI foods cause a spike in your blood sugar as well as insulin, causing you to crave more sugary foods when your glucose levels drop. The best option then are the steel-cut oats, with rolled oats a great second choice. They’ll keep you feeling fuller longer, which will keep your energy levels up and help you lose weight.
This also makes it great for diabetics who need to monitor their foods more closely.
Ok and another selling point ? As mentioned above, quick oats can be very mushy which causes many people to stay away or remember bad childhood experiences with them.
Steel cut oats look like chopped up rice, take the longest to cook, yet maintain a slightly chewy consistency, which I found out I really like. Once it’s cooked it still has shape to it.
I decided to try these oats in a quest for a food that would give me long lasting energy and not bother my tummy when I took off for long endurance workouts.
Anytime I’m going to be on the road for over an hour, especially an hour and a half or more, I know I need to get a “mini” meal in. I used to feel like I shouldn’t do that… like have a pre-meal and then come in hours later and eat… eat twice?!
Sigh. How crazy my thinking used to be. Much like taking off on a trip in your car with almost no gas, it’s as crazy to think of hitting the road for miles on foot or bike and not be properly fueled.
A pre-meal is usually a couple hundred calories. My usual choice for breakfast involves plenty of protein and veggies. However, I need some solid carbs in my system more than protein before I do long endurance workouts ( remember boys and girls, carbs, are energy 😉 ) so I save the eggs for after my workouts.
I had tried a half a bagel but after I had been out for awhile felt like it was expanding in my tummy. I tried various cereals. Some things worked better than others. I tried the standard banana but that was just teasing my stomach after it had been fasting all night.
I got quite good at going on empty but that only works so well before my performance starts to suffer.
I know my limits of what workout/distance I can go empty on and what distance/workout I need a pre-meal.
Traditional steel cut oats take a long time to cook and there are lots of slow cooker recipes and tips to cook them. However, I found a faster cooking one in the store. These take about 4-5 minutes to cook.
They have no added sugars so I can add what I want. Typically, it’s some dried low sugar Craisins, a few raw nuts (almonds or walnuts) a dusting of brown sugar for a bit of sweet, and some milk to blend it together.
It makes for a solid, hearty pre-breakfast for me before running or cycling…or both 😛
I love the consistency as it definitely retains its shape and the texture is a bit chewy but it definitely takes it away from the mushy category. Steel cut oats definitely shine in the texture and flavor departments.
One tip I’ve read to enhance the flavor is lightly toasting them before you cook. I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to try that 😉
Once you cook your steel cut oats, the topping ideas are endless and you can be as creative or basic as you want.
Consider some of these choices:
Peanut butter, or almond butter.
Jelly, jam or apple sauce.
Yogurt or a splash of cream
Fresh or frozen blueberries, blackberries or raspberries.
Dried fruit like craisins, cherries, blueberries etc
Toasted chopped nuts like almonds, walnuts, or pecans
Flax seed or chia seeds
Toasted or raw coconut
The ideas are endless. Adding in healthy combinations gives you a solid meal to start your day and give you energy.
If you need a good energy source before a hard workout, this is a great source of long lasting carbs.
Now… I hope I’ve sold you on the idea of steel cut oats… forget the old mushy oatmeal idea and be like Goldilocks and go experiment with the new kid on the block. You might find steel cut oats are “just right”.
I will admit this publicly. Maybe I shouldn’t. You might be shocked.
But I’m semi-horrified when someone tells me they don’t eat veggies or don’t like them.
I’m like… “What did your mother DO to you??”
Oh, I get it. As parents we do try. I had one son who never really got into the veggie thing even though I fed him assortments of veggies as an infant (even then he wasn’t crazy over them) he has select ones he eats now, but at least he eats them.
As my kids grew up I made sure to present them with all varieties of food. I wanted them to at least try it before pronouncing they didn’t like it. I wasn’t a member of the “clean your plate” club like I grew up in but they did need to sample it.
My Mom used to delight in telling a story how I wanted scrambled eggs for breakfast but then changed my mind and didn’t want to eat them. When I stubbornly refused ( ah I was a bit head strong even then 😉 ) she evidently kept them around….
All. day. long.
They made an appearance at lunch… to which I refused to eat them… they were again brought out later.
Isn’t that child abuse or something ?! I had to take her word for it as I guess the trauma of having to see eggs that were becoming older and older by the moment was somehow blocked from my mind.
It’s a miracle I still eat eggs.
Needless to say, I didn’t grow up being allowed to be a picky eater and I was offered a wide variety of foods. It’s pretty much how my kids have been raised.
So when I’m confronted with the revelation someone doesn’t eat them ( more common than you may know) I’m honestly floored.
Upon deeper probing sometimes that person reveals that the only veggies they may have known come from a can or they would be so steamed/overcooked by mom they turned into mush.
ok… well maybe then I’d be down on veggies too. I’ve been in numerous buffet or banquet lines where the veggies in the pan were loose memories of what they used to be.
But beautiful, colorful, fresh produce?
Crisp green veggies perfectly steamed or better yet, roasted? There is no comparison in how delicious they are.
Roasting veggies has to be by far, my favorite way to cook and eat them.
I can eat my body weight in roasted veggies. You think I’m joking….
Roasting is such a simple quick way to prepare them while not killing off the nutritional value. I usually use some olive oil, lots of cracked pepper and some sea salt. Roast at about 450 and stir occasionally to let them crisp up.
Pure. Heaven.
Ok I’m giving you a cheat sheet for common ones so you have no excuse to not try them 😉
Ok maybe you like steamed. Some veggies are lovely when steamed till crisp tender. Steaming also helps retain all of the vitamins and minerals present in them.
Some humor for you ’cause well.. it’s how I roll 😉
And to help you out… here’s a short list of steaming, boiling, and for the always handy micro 😉
And for the record, all of those will roast up quite nicely too.
One of my favorite roasted combos is sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts.
Ok… stop turning up your nose and making gagging noises. I hear you.
Seriously, I’ve turned my kids into brussel sprout eaters by roasting them. If the only memories you have are of Sunday dinner and grandma cooking the life out of them and watching them roll around your plate…well.. leave those memories behind and get in the here and now.
The sweetness of the potatoes blends so wonderfully with the sprouts… yummy. Let them cook long enough to get crispy with the potatoes.
I have some friends who chop up a little bacon and cook them together. Now if you go this route be mindful your also adding additional fat to otherwise healthy veggies…but it is really good 😉
Roasted cauliflower is another favorite. In fact, I have to watch myself ’cause I’ll just nibble at it while I’m finishing dinner then wonder.. “didn’t I make more of this?” haha
It’s another kid favorite too. I’ve now gone to making two heads when I do it to ensure everyone can have what they want. Not only that, leftovers make great additions to my salad lunch the next day.
Ok maybe now I should try and sell you on WHY you should be consuming vast quantities of these.
Keep in mind, this is no where near a comprehensive chart.
Veggies not only fill you up for minimal calories, they deliver incredible health benefits to your body in the way of vitamins and minerals.
They can help protect/prevent many diseases. You can eat wheelbarrow loads of them and not worry about calories.
They do amazing things for your skin, hair, and many offer anti-aging benefits as well as help keep you lean.
A diet high in veggies/fruits also ensures that your internal systems all work regularly and properly.
Eating plenty of veggies also gives you energy and keeps you from that sluggish feeling of to many higher carb foods in a meal.
Listen to me. Just eat your veggies.
Your body wants them. Your health will improve with them. It will help you lose weight. It will help with the appearance of your skin and hair. Oh yeah, and remember me mentioning many have anti-aging properties?
How many reasons do you need to eat them? All you need to do is be willing to be open to try some new things and experiment. If you make a valiant effort with something you don’t like, move on to the next one.
Has it ever made you wonder why there are sooooo many veggies and fruits? It’s because we were made to eat a whole lot of them AND they are amazingly good for us!
Do you have favorite veggies? How do you cook them? Share your veggie tales with me 😉
As a writer I often have multiple ideas bouncing through my head at any given time. I have random papers with ideas, thoughts, or titles scratched out on them. I do have a writing…uh “journal”. Journal might be the wrong word… it’s like my writing BRAIN.
Don’t judge me. A writers brain can kinda look like this at any given time 😉
It has research notes, future blog ideas, and tons of random, misplaced words all over pages that no one would get but me.
Uh…hey… sometimes I don’t even remember what they’re either 😛
The bad thing is when I’m out on the road…bike or running… which can be some of my most creative thinking times… and an idea comes to me. I have nothing to write it on so it kinda becomes my mantra till I finish so I don’t forget it.
If I’m fortunate enough to have a title come first, that gets written down to be saved for the body to come and fill it out.
Todays topic has been a slow work in process. I’ve read and scratched out research notes and tried to compare the best sensible ideas and now… hopefully… put it into a readable format.
Todays topic is one that still mystifies me as to why, in this day and age, with the “anything goes” attitude, why it’s still so “hush hush”.
Oh the topic for today? Menopause.
**Gasp** I know. I’m going there.
I am a pretty open straight forward person and am not put off by much. To me, it’s simply one more natural part of life.
Well, for women that is. Yet even in todays “whatever goes” world this is still treated in hushed silence with an overarching attitude that says this topic should only be quietly discussed behind closed doors… and certainly not around… men.
Guys, you can bow out now if you want. Or read. I’m pretty sure you have some woman in your life that will experience this. Maybe you’ll glean something useful.
How did I get started on this topic ? It’s certainly something I personally haven’t given much thought too. I mean, I know at some point it will happen. I’m just to busy living life to think much about it.
However, I’ve had a few women reach out to me asking for help/ideas… how did I deal with it etc. etc.
I’d also see posts or hear conversations with women who were quite a bit younger than me complaining of “the change” and complaining of symptoms ( peri menopause, the years preceeding menopause.)
The thing is I had nothing to offer. I haven’t gone through it and I seemingly haven’t struggled with horrible symptoms leading up TO the big event.
Based on some things I’d read, and things my doctor had said, I was curious if my lifestyle had an impact on this.
Did a healthy diet, an appropriate weight, and regular vigorous exercise contribute to not dealing with so many of these issues that bothered women?
Obviously, I was curious and began to read and explore this thought. Perhaps, if there was truth to this, women weren’t helpless victims to symptoms but would actually have some measure of possible control over them.
Ok but first.
There’s a lot out there on this topic. I’ve tried to wade through hocus pocus stuff, weird fixes, overall “off beat” ideas, and just bring something simple and easy to digest for the average woman reading.
This is about managing symptoms women deal with, not stopping or preventing menopause.
As stated earlier, this is a natural part of life. It’s largely genetic as to when it occurs in every woman. Other factors can come into play as well as to when it occurs. The median range in the U.S. for women to experience menopause is 51. Although there is also an age range of 48-55. A woman is considered menopausal when she has gone a full 12 months with no periods.
It turns out doing research, and weighing that against my own experiences, that there are things we can do to help with those annoying and sometimes, difficult symptoms.
First, a quick biology lesson. Menopause is when a woman’s body stops producing female hormones, estrogen and progesterone and monthly cycles cease.
Peri menopause refers to the years leading up to menopause. It is during this time that women can have symptoms or problems associated with declining hormones.
When you have low estrogen ( because it’s not adequately produced) it can lead to symptoms such as hot flashes, rare periods, anxiety, bone loss, insulin resistance, and elevation of bad cholesterol. Moodiness, low sex drive, changes in skin and hair are also other things that are reported.
Women also complain of weight gain and a slowing metabolism but that can possibly be connected to a lifestyle of inactivity.
So are there ways to keep our super power longer? Estrogen IS our super power. Are there ways to help our bodies produce it longer? Ways to supplement it naturally?
There are definitely things that a woman can be proactive in doing that can possibly help her during this time. It just requires some adjustments to her lifestyle and choices she makes.
What have I learned ?
Exercise IS important!
in fact I believe hugely important. Aside from the obvious benefits of helping maintain weight or losing it there are a plethora of other things to consider.
Exercise helps reduce stress, anxiety and depression. It can help with moods and aches and pains, all common complaints of post menopausal women.
Exercise also contributes to good blood flow through the body. Regular exercise keeps blood flowing and the immune system normal. Proper body function through exercise increases the bodies hormone production naturally. Estrogen production levels are kept normal for longer than usual.
This is important as imbalanced hormones are behind most symptoms.
Physically active women experience less stress, anxiety, and depression during this time.
Due to a decrease in estrogen women can also lose muscle mass, which can also mean a loss of strength.
Post menopausal women are also at an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
This is believed to be due to the loss of estradiol during perimenopause and at the onset of menopause. Estradiol may have antioxidant properties, and the loss of this can be why oxidative stress levels rise in postmenopausal women and can ultimately lead to cardiovascular disease.
Women who are more active experience a decrease in oxidative stress due to increase in enzymatic antioxidant levels. While this might be true, it is still important to remember that problems with heart health could also be tied to the stress that many women experience around menopause due to lack of sleep, lack of understanding, and a lack of a solid support system. Regardless, training for a healthy heart is so important.
The recommended amount of cardio exercise each week is at least 150 minutes.
Action plan:
If you don’t currently exercise consider what you might enjoy doing and begin to pursue it. If anything, start getting out for daily vigorous walks. And I don’t mean walking like you’re with grandma on a Sunday afternoon. Move quickly. Move your arms. You should really be putting some effort into it.
Add some type of strength training/weight bearing exercise to strengthen and build bones and prevent muscle loss. Women post menopause can expect to lose 2-3% of bone density in a year and physically inactive people can expect to lose 3-5% of their muscle mass after 30. A healthy diet and exercise can help the slowing of bone mineral density. Running, walking, jumping rope, lifting weights etc are all good examples to strengthen bones and muscles.
Engage a friend to get on board with you for accountability and encouragement.
Strive for 5-6 days a week of at least 30 minutes. This would easily meet the recommended 150 minutes. Ideally, in time, you will want to increase your activity level.
Maintain a healthy weight.
All of us have a weight range that is healthy for us. Know what yours is. Being overweight or obese can not only lead to irregular ovulation but it also greatly contributes to hot flashes, the main complaint for many women.
And of course the obvious. Being over weight can lead to a host of health problems you’d rather not deal with.
Action plan:
take a critical look at how you eat and what you eat. Be aware of what your portions are. Most people greatly over estimate portion sizes of food. Aim for healthy foods as the maintain stay of your diet. Don’t be overly restrictive or it could lead to binging.
It might be helpful to record every single thing you eat for a week to see what your daily nutrition looks like. Be honest. This isn’t to beat yourself up over, rather to have as an honest tool to help you. Use that as a guide to make improvements.
A weight loss of 1-2 pounds a week is reasonable and sustainable. Just approach it in a slow and steady manner. It’s not a track and field event to knock weight off fast.
A before picture will give you a good visual months down the road to compare your efforts to as well as taking your measurements.
Don’t smoke or drink.
ok well in general it’s just my thought that you shouldn’t do these things. I view neither as a positive or healthy thing for the body.
However, we’re all different.
If you do drink be aware that alcohol can be a major trigger for hot flashes and can increase symptoms as the body is less tolerant to it. Not only that, alcohol is often high in sugar and calorie content contributing to weight gain.
Smoking. Not only is it horrible for your heart and lungs and contributes to aging, consider these other things:
Women who smoke have signifigantly higher levels of infertility, difficult cycles, and early menopause.
Smoking can also increase natural menopause by 1-2 years regardless of genetics or race.
Heavy or habitual smokers may hit menopause before they are 50.
Smokers may also have more hot flashes as they transition.
Action Plan:
Smoking and drinking can not only cause adverse health effects, but it can also wreak havoc on you during peri and menopause years. Consider reducing or limiting your intake of both, or quitting all together.
Nutrition:
I could camp for awhile on this topic and just tell you how important I think it is. Not only to your health overall but in these years of transition for your body.
A good daily “diet” not only makes you feel better, it helps with how you look, helps you to lose or maintain weight, and can help with symptoms of peri menopause.
Do you know there are foods called photo estrogens? Photo estrogen foods can stimulate natural hormone production.
Phytoestrogens are created by plants. They are not the same estrogen created by humans. Rather they are a form of xenoestrogens, which means even though they are different, they do have the ability to imitate some effects of human estrogen when in our body.
During peri-menopause some doctors recommend an increase in photo estrogen foods to counteract hormonal imbalances women begin to experience.
Antioxidant foods prevent premature aging . Since menopause is a sign of overall aging consuming antioxidant foods can delay menopause too.
Eating a diet rich in antioxidants and photo estrogens can contribute to overall better health and help stimulate natural hormone production.
Soy can also help with the reduction of bone loss during peri menopause.
Vitamin D (sunlight exposure) mimics properties of estrogen. Also, make sure you get plenty of calcium as well to help your bones 🙂
Antioxidant foods to consider are:
Red, purple and blue grapes, blueberries, red berries, nuts, dark green veggies, sweet potatoes and orange vegetables, tea, whole grains and fish.
Adequate protein is also extremely important to build and repair muscles. Make sure each meal contains at least 30% to combat hunger, prevent blood sugar spikes, and contribute to muscle growth.
Eating a healthy diet, and eating minimal junk/sugar/high fat/sugar drinks/fast foods can go a long way to helping you feel and look good and contribute to your overall health.
Finally, it is important that you have open communication with your doctor to discuss issues or difficulties you may be having. Some women with severe symptoms will do HRT ( Hormone Replacement Therapy) there has been much said about this in recent years so do your homework and decide if you can ride through some things or if it’s something critical to your living well that you do HRT.
Be proactive :
Lose weight. Make exercise a daily part of your life. Reduce or quit smoking. Reduce or quit drinking alcohol. Make an effort to eat healthy, nutritionally balanced foods, incorporating plenty of antioxidants and photo estrogen foods in what you eat.
In summary… menopause is a part of life. Women need to be prepared and not just wait for symptoms to occur. Taking care of yourself now will have long term benefits, before and after menopause, allowing you to live strong and healthy in the last third of your life.
Say that with me boys and girls…. “carbs are not the enemy”.
Ah, you don’t have to look to far now days to find some diet hype, “health” company or other nonsense touting the evilness of carbs and some diet dogma that says they should be avoided like the plaque.
“Cut carbs!” “Low carbs!” “No carbs!”
Listen up. Carbs don’t make you fat. Eating to much makes you fat. You can gain weight with to much protein and healthy fats.
Bottom line, take in to many calories from anything and at the end of the day if you’ve taken in more than you use, you won’t lose and will eventually gain if it’s a consistent thing.
Carbohydrates provide our body with energy. Glucose is the form of sugar our brain uses. We need a certain amount of it to fuel all of our metabolic processes so we have energy to do everything from breathe to run.
Pretty much anything we do in our day.
Cut out enough of carbs in your day and you’ll be the lucky recipient of brain fog and feeling off and lethargic.
I’ve pushed myself that hard before ( not on purpose) but yikes, it’s amazing how awesome I feel when I get some good carbs on board!
But first…before we go any further… a brief science explanation on carbs. You see not all carbs are created equal, by any means.
There are two types actually. Are you ready to learn ?
Simple Carbs. These really are the ones you should strive to “cut out” or at least really minimize them in your daily nutrition plan. Simple carbs are found in things like cookies, pastries, candies, breads, muffins, sweet drinks, white bread, sugary cereals, chips, sodas, donuts, etc
Simple carbohydrates are made up of a short chain of molecules that require little breakdown and go directly into the blood stream ( this will cause a blood sugar spike)
This is why you can feel that slump or let down after having that afternoon snack from a vending machine.
Any simple carb/ sugar has no redeeming quality or nutritional value. If you’re going to “cut carbs” these are the ones you should be chopping away at.
Complex Carbs.
Complex carbs have a longer chains of carbon molecules so it takes longer for your body to break them down. This means sugar isn’t dumped into our blood steam keeping us from having those “crashing” moments we get from simple carbs. This means we get a steady state of sugar into our blood stream for more longer lasting ( steady) energy.
Complex carbs are found in tons of foods we need and that are GOOD for us.
This isn’t a complete list but it gives you some good ideas!
Remember simple carbs wont fill you up and are easy to over eat on.
Complex carbs fill you up and hang out in your body longer. With your good carbs you should also make sure you have protein and healthy fats alongside it for a solid meal so your body can function at a high level.
“Cutting carbs” can be a good thing if it means you’re not drinking soda or snacking on cookies and donuts.
Many forget that food items like milk, dairy, fruits, veggies, whole grains, all have carbs and are loaded with vitamins, minerals and nutrients we need for good health.
For a reference point, over half your daily calories should come from good quality complex carbs. This will ensure your brain and body have the good energy they need to get you through the day 🙂
There’s a lot of catch phrases and hot topics right now floating around in the health and fitness world. Sometimes they are confusing to the average person just glancing at it on a magazine cover or hearing about it in a news story.
There’s one that always confused me until I dug into exactly what it meant. I guess I should say sometimes these terms are confusing because it can vary person to person in EXACTLY what it means.. meaning it can be subjective to that person.
The Paleo movement for example is one of those things. It can vary in interpretation and ideas depending on the person following it… from basic to extreme.
The thing I want to focus on today is the “clean eating” idea. I want to also give you some tips and ideas if that is something you may want to pursue or experiment with.
Perhaps I want to simplify the idea for you to take confusion from it and perhaps paint a simpler idea of it.
First, let’s give it a definition. Clean eating simply means to work on removing processed or junk type foods from your daily diet and simply learning to eat more whole, real single ingredient foods. It’s about making better and more nutritious choices for your body the majority of the time.
I will also suggest when you begin eating more whole, real foods you’ll feel better. You’ll be more energetic and will be less bloated. ( for the rest of my little story whole foods simply mean as close to how nature made them as possible… or 5 ingredients or less)
Clean eating is not meant to be restrictive or keep you hungry. It’s not about depriving yourself. It’s about learning to eat good food. To have an appreciation for it that leads to health and wellness.
Clean eating is a way to stay lean, healthy, and energetic. I’ve slowly evolved into it, although I’m not what I’d call “ridged” in the process. ( hey I still like birthday cake and chocolate sometimes! Thing is… I just can’t eat much of it anymore… which isn’t a bad thing either. ) As I said, not restrictive.
For me, I still enjoy some treats in life but this is where clean eating comes in varying interpretations depending on the person. Some are extreme and wont touch sugar. I’m not totally ready for that 😉
Over time, I’ve simply learned what makes me feel better and I have learned to eat that way more. Not just that, I’m more conscious of how good nutrition affects my strength and athletic abilities. Feeding my body healthy foods goes a long way to keeping me strong out on the road.
Clean eating also needs to be viewed simply as a “lifestyle” and not a diet or some trend fad thing to pursue for a few weeks. Actually, if you do practice eating clean (er) for a few weeks I’m pretty sure you won’t want to revert back to your old ways 😉
Next, let’s establish that you can’t fail at it. Each time you make better food choices, you’re winning. If you begin to make efforts to eat this way, and stay consistent, you will slowly but surely work your way to doing it more and more.
With those simple thoughts in mind let’s look at some steps towards doing it:
Learn to cook your own food at home. You can control what goes in it, and control the added sugar, salts, ingredients etc
Learn to read labels. It’s not complicated. Know what you’re eating. Look at the ingredient list. There shouldn’t be a mile long list of ingredients.
Again, learn to avoid processed foods. This is anything typically in a bag, box or otherwise. It’s also any foods you buy at a drive thru or that are precooked. Foods typically that are high in saturated fats, salt, sugars, refined foods and in general foods that don’t offer much in the way of nutrition. These foods are often referred to as “simple carbs”.
Limit unnecessary additives like fats, salt and sugars when looking at foods. It might seem hard in the beginning but I’ll tell you, your tastes will change! There are things now that taste so “off” to me because I don’t eat them anymore and it really clips my desire for those not so nutritional food offerings. Once you get on track eating whole food, you’ll find your tastes changing for the better 🙂
Learn to shop for healthy foods which are usually found on the perimeter of the grocery store. Meats, fruits, veggies, dairy products, etc are all usually found in the outer portion of the store. Of course, you can also find good sources of fruits, veggies, beans etc in the canned aisle. Just be aware of what’s been added to it. Opt for low sodium options if available. Make sure fruits doesn’t have added sugar.
Don’t think you’re going to make changes all at once. Aim for small gradual improvements and make those a habit. For instance if you drink 3-4 sodas a day, don’t think you’ll just cut those all at once… well… you could but you’d probably go crazy. Try reducing it by one and drinking water in place of it. If you don’t eat a lot of veggies or fruit, try adding one or two new ones in at your meals. Just go slow and take small steps towards doing it. Make those changes every day,
Your goal should be having at least 50% of your plate filled with fresh veggies and fruits. These are nutrient dense, the fiber is filling, and they are low on calories. It’s a win for you in all directions. Not only that these foods are loaded with vitamins, minerals and nutrients that make your skin and hair look healthy.
Other things would include plenty of protein in the forms of lean meats, dairy, and veggie sources.
Whole grain products, beans, legumes etc are also filling and a good source of vitamins and minerals.
If you are new to this idea… start small, start slow, but start. Ideally you’ll want to work on reducing sugar, or junk food, or anything that doesn’t contribute to good health. Remember this isn’t a fad or a quick fix. It’s a move to a lifestyle of healthier eating.
You’ll learn to make new choices and intentionally think about what you put in your mouth. And yes, it will have to be intentional.
For instance, instead of chips and a coke for an afternoon snack, you might grab some fruit and raw nuts. You learn to change out sour cream for Greek yogurt ( trust me, you wont tell the difference) Choose whole grains over white bread products. Cut back on sugar and creamers in coffee, reduce sugary drinks for water etc.
Avocado makes a great substitute for mayo, and you’ll be getting healthy fats in your daily diet.
In summary, clean eating is trying to eat in a healthy manner the majority of the time foods that are as close to natural as possible. It is minimal to no sugar, saturated fats or refined processed foods.
Remember, there are all thoughts out there on what “clean eating” is from extreme to modest.. none are “the best”. It’s based on a personal preference and beliefs. If you make choices to eat better foods, you are on the right track.
If you try this for a couple weeks, I know you will feel more energetic, less bloated and sluggish and on your way to a more permanent healthy lifestyle 🙂
Do you practice clean eating? Have you tried it before? Is it new to you ?
Weight loss. The thing that one person or the other is pursuing at any given time. Some are easily successful at it while maybe you, are over there struggling and wondering why it’s not working and what you might need to do differently.
There are a few things that you might be missing so let me offer up some ideas. Hopefully, you will find them helpful.
Ready? Here we go.
You aren’t eating enough. Ah boy am I pointing the fork at myself when I mention this one! And women are far more guilty of this. If you’re actively working out and burning off some serious calories and only eating say, the normal “prescribed” caloric content for women ( 1200) then your body will hoard and hold onto fat like a bear going into winter hibernation. Even if you’re workouts aren’t arduous, know what you’re caloric needs are for the day and eat them! It is most likely more than 1200 calories. You should strive to eat plenty of fruits, veggies, lots of greens, lean meats, eggs, nuts and whole foods which will fill you up. Eating adequate and healthy foods will keep you full and you’ll be less likely to binge on junk food.
You’re doing all cardio and no strength training. ok I’m a self professed cardio junkie. I love running. And cycling. And the crazy rowing machine. And all of them together. I love the physical outpouring that goes along with it. I love moving my body. But I’ve also learned the value of building some muscle. Cardio does burn fat but muscle mass burns calories, even when you rest. Lifting weights keeps your metabolism revved. Your plan should be to add some weight work to your cardio activities. You can use machines if you have access or free weights. I always prefer free weights over a machine. Use weights heavy enough you have to work at it.
You play the diet game and don’t do make it a lifestyle change. No one wants to think they need to always be on a diet. Or that they must live on one. What a total drag. When you’re on a diet you mentally view it as you are “on it” or when you’ll “be off it”. Adapting to the thought of a lifestyle change means you live each day making intentional choices to feed and nourish your body in good ways. This slow, steady process will lead to weight loss that will stay off. Your new focus should be to get the word “diet” permanently out of your vocab and just focus on making good nutrition and exercise choices. The thing that works will be what’s sustainable for you… not what your neighbor does…or what you read in the magazine. What works for you and your body. It will be sustainable allowing you to make it a permanent lifestyle change.
You don’t have a good support system. I’ve been a social media fiend for a long time now posting my athletic shenanigans, my goals, my foods, my struggles. Throwing it out there has not only been something that makes me accountable, it also lets people stop me in the store and ask about how it’s going. To be successful, I believe you need to have a few friends, family or shamelessly use social media to hold you accountable and offer support and encouragement. Find what works for you. Have someone you can call, ask questions of, or who will overall be your cheerleader and hold you accountable.
You don’t have specific goals. One thing that keeps me SO focused in my training is knowing I have an event coming. It puts an element of intensity to it and it keeps me focused on what I’m chasing. When I was losing weight I had specific short term target goals… 5 pounds at a time. 5 pounds was short, doable and easily attainable. it didn’t leave me feeling overwhelmed saying I needed to lose… “30” pounds…in that vague kinda way. You can make specific food or drink goals. Maybe cutting down on sugary drinks or increasing your green veggies. Perhaps it’s just getting off couch each night for an evening walk. Make each thing you strive for specific and take steps to go there. Small steps over times, lead to bigger victories.
You think your morning workout sesh burned a ton of calories. I’ve always been cautious about how I eat after a workout. I know it doesn’t give me open season to eat whatever ( ok maybe after a 20 miler 😉 For instance, doing a 3 mile run, burns a loose average of 300 calories. That can vary depending on size and speed of runner…but close estimating. You can see it wouldn’t take long to easily negate that 300 calories with a “treat” drink at the local coffee shop. Don’t over estimate what you do. It’s important you keep your nutrition on point as you increase your physical activities and monitor your portions.
You aren’t consistent. Personally, I think this is one of the biggest things I’ve seen working with people. They start off motivated, propelled with the excitement of starting, yet as weeks move on I see them slipping back and not doing what they need to do for success. In the beginning it is hard to keep pushing forward because you aren’t seeing results yet and you think that what you’re doing isn’t changing anything. It is crucial you stay committed to your exercise and nutrition. It is consistency that will yield those long term results you want. It’s important to keep moving, every day. There will be times or days that it can’t happen. It’s like that for all of us. You just get back at it the next day. If you make excuses, it becomes easier to fall into that trap. Treat your workouts like any other important meeting you have in your day.
With a careful examination of what you are doing ( or not doing) how you are eating, and what your purposeful exercise looks like, you’ll be moving closer to your goals of weight loss. And one final thought, don’t give up. Just because you don’t “see” results right away doesn’t mean things aren’t happening. Change takes time. Let the process happen 🙂
The scale. I’ve written about this little tool before. I talk about it ’cause it makes me sad and crazy to see people under some burden of feeling their worth and value is somehow connected to what those numbers say.
Those numbers don’t make you a better or worse person… say that to yourself if you fall in that grouping.
I’ve come a long way in my relationship with it. From a love/hate to… ” I don’t need you anymore scale… I can ignore you and life is splendid without you”
Our relationship went to another level this week as I again reminded myself, in the overall context of my health, lean muscle mass, how I look, how I feel, and my athletic abilities, it’s irrelevant.
Like…totally…irrelevant.
I don’t use it often… sometimes it’s a few times a year…
then there are just those times that I’m thinking I feel leaner and look it and there’s better definition to my muscles and so I hop on to just check it out…
that’s where I was this week… and that’s when it told me… nope… you’re still rocking along right where you’ve been almost forever….
What. Ever.
Now that’s not a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all. What I constantly drill through my head is the fact if I’m putting on muscle the scale might not change at all, even though my body does. ( note…you really have to workout for a while before you start claiming muscle weight. This won’t happen in 6-8 weeks) Compared to fat, muscle is much more compact and dense and contrary to things I hear people say, muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound is a pound.
But geeez…. you’d think with all I put myself through it would offer up something different.
Like hey here’s a consolation prize for busting your butt all the time!
I joke… but I don’t care anymore…
well.. I do…. but I don’t…
I’m smart enough to know and understand a healthy perameter I need to stay in. Beyond that… yeah.. I don’t care.
And I’ll speak this disclaimer here as well: we ALL have a healthy weight zone we need to be in for good health and an energetic lifestyle. You know if you have extra fat. You know it needs to go. In your journey to lose it, the scale is a tool, to show progress of less fat. Record your numbers and move on. Use it wisely then leave it alone.
I guess I can say that now 8 years into my health and fitness journey. I’ve learned a lot in these past few years about weight, the scale, my body, and the fact it’s an ongoing science experiment.
I’ve gone from having weight to lose, which I did in a slow, steady manner, almost 50 pounds to be exact. At that time, the scale definitely helped keep me moving towards my goals.
Fat had to go. I weighed in once a week. I accepted the results and didn’t let it define me or make me feel like a loser who needed to give up and quit. I didn’t expect instant results.
The fat did go. The goal had been to get “thin” (whatever that means )
I started running.. it was easy to keep pretty lean logging miles. Add to that training for marathons and logging 50-60 miles a week… I had the lowest body fat percentage I’d ever had in my life.
The scale tipped to a low point that was easy to maintain based on all those miles.
I just accepted those numbers for where I was at athletically.
I guess the thing I learned being new to athletic life is that when you train hard all the time, and come off it, your body adapts and settles back to a weight I believe, everyone has “pre-programmed” in them. It’s the place you can stay and not have to obsessively diet or watch every crumb that goes in your mouth.
You can easily maintain where you are.
I’ve learned that when I’m not in heavy training, I’ll carry about 5- 10 more pounds on me.
It’s been a revelation that I’m ok with…. mostly. I understand athletically there are seasons and my body will change based on what I’m doing.
Not burning up the road with so many miles has allowed my muscles to grow more and so there are parts of me that are more developed now and take up space…my body has responded to weight training by building muscle.
Other reasons why I’ve given up on the scale:
it doesn’t tell me I’m getting stronger.
it doesn’t reflect the creativity or thought processes that come from miles on the road.
it doesn’t reflect my overall health and well being.
It doesn’t define me as a person by whatever numbers roll up for that day.
it doesn’t take into account I’m a woman or where I’m at in my cycle.
it won’t reflect how well I perform on the bike or running.
it’s not going to applaud my good lab reports
it doesn’t define my worth or value.
The total number certainly doesn’t reflect I’m more lean muscle now than fat.
And finally, it definitely won’t tell me my jeans look good or offer me coffee 😉
What can you do or focus on besides the scale? Try some of these things:
How do you look in mirror?
Are your clothes fitting better?
How do you feel? Strong, confident, healthy? Do you have more energy? Can you move through your day strong and able to do daily tasks with ease?
Focus on action. Are you eating well? Do you have a consistent exercise or training program?
Do you have more self confidence and an overall better body image?
These are all good things to focus on other than the fickle and always changing numbers of a scale. Learning to do these things will give you a new mindset on viewing yourself and your relationship with the scale.
Ok, well this probably won’t be my last rant on the scale. If this made you laugh or smile a bit, good.
If you want to read more, check out my post, The Scale Experiment, where I literally charted my weight at various times through an entire 12 hours to show how much it fluctuates and changes in the day.
On your own journey of health and wellness I want you to embrace and love who you are…all along the journey. Yes, you might be on a course to lose some weight or you might be at your goal weight now and working on getting stronger and more fit. No matter where you are..love and embrace yourself on the journey… because that is where we really get to know ourselves… and don’t forget to celebrate all your victories along the way that have nothing to do with the scale.
It’s afternoon and I’m perched at the bar in my fav coffee cave with the hopeful expectation if I just start typing words, thoughts will form, and then magically my blog post will be born.
Actually, I have tons of thoughts that clamor to get out. Sometimes, they are all over each other and won’t let me separate them. I came in with a topic on my mind and realized awhile back I had written something almost exact on it ( I guess I feel kinda passionate about the topic. If you’re curious it’s about.. fat… and the post is called “The Ugly Truth About Fat” you can read it too when you’re done here 😉 )
Anyway, I scraped that idea and was pulling down another long drink of my steaming coffee when hubby started messaging me. Now as much as I love hearing from the guy, sometimes, he can break my artistic and creative thinking.
However, today he actually stirred up some thoughts in my head with his teasing.
He threw out at me “didn’t I have a pill or shake or something to just magically make him lose weight and to help him get in shape?” he says things like that cause he knows those over hyped products make me crazy… totally crazy.
I laughed and told him he was out of luck. He had to do it the old fashioned, not fancy, but get the job done way: exercise and eat sensible healthy foods.
I jokingly said…” but if I gave you a pill or shake you’d miss out on all the fun of achy muscles and sweating”.
And then it hit me… it’s what I want to talk about…
Weight loss. Exercise. Committing to living a healthier lifestyle.
The journey.
It takes work.
Actually, it takes a lot of crazy hard work and discipline. Oh yeah, and an unwillingness to give up or quit. It takes a tenacity to get up each day and to keep going after it. You buckle into it as a life long commitment and not just a brief dating experience.
It takes a new mental focus to pass by the local fast food dollar menu that you wanna load up on and stuff in your face driving down the road, to pass on the chocolate bars checking out at the grocery store, or to scale down the big bowl of ice cream etc.
It takes intentional determination to choose healthier foods over junk foods.
To eat less when your mouth and eyes just want to eat more but your tummy has said… “HEY! we’ve got enough down here!”
It takes a serious amount of mental work in the beginning to get in your workout gear and get after it. I never wear exercise clothes to just wear exercise clothes. Those for me, mean work. They aren’t play clothes. My mind knows exactly what’s coming when I’m in my work gear… it’s time to get serious.
Then of course there’s the physical out put you invest into your chosen activity. You already know what comes from it. If you do it right you’re breathing hard, sweating, and your heart is beating strongly in your chest.
How much I love those feelings now! How much I anticipate it!
So when I fired back at hubby he’d miss out on sweating and aching muscles I realized how much I’ve learned in the course of training and disciplining myself on this journey I call a healthy lifestyle.
How much we would miss out on if there were …really.. some secret magic pill or potion to help us get rid of the weight we had put on from a lazy lifestyle and never have to exert any energy or invest anything of ourselves into the process!
Over the course of the past few years I’ve been at it I’ve learned to embrace some things…to look forward to them.. to see the fruits of my labor present themselves in my life.
I love a body that is tired from hard work of my physical labor! I don’t mind my muscles being tight when I know its from running or cycling or lifting heavy weights. I don’t mind days I’ve done a 20 mile run and I’m ready for bed at 9 pm like some old person ( forget that I was on the road at 5:30 that morning getting after it)
I DID A 20 MILE RUN THAT DAY!
Did I ever think, years, or the year or even months before I could do that?
You don’t do things like that without investing a lot to get there. I didn’t pop a pill or drink a magic potion. I busted my butt to get to that point…involving hours and hours of training and sacrifice…
I think if I had a short cut I would’ve missed out on all the discipline it’s taught me. I would not have the incredible fierce mental toughness I have that only miles and miles out on a road will teach you. I wouldn’t have learned about sacrifice to make things happen or the work needed to accomplish huge goals. I wouldn’t have experienced the joys and pains of pursuing goals bigger than I am.
I think back to my beginning days when a 2 mile walk was enough.
I realize how much I’ve grown and learned. How much stronger and more powerful my body is now. How much energy I have. How I’ve learned to eat better and how to eat to fuel not just my day but my athletic activities.
It’s been a birthing process. A journey. An adventure that can only be limited by my mind.
Taking short cuts would not grow us. It wouldn’t teach us. We wouldn’t value what we were given if we didn’t have to invest and work hard for it. We wouldn’t have the satisfaction of reaching goals that have challenged us.
I know now that the process is ongoing. It will require consistent effort, discipline and hard work.
I know its worth it. The labors I go through make the end results all that much sweeter.
I for one, am grateful, there wasn’t a pill or magic potion to do it for me.
I would’ve missed out on so much on my journey. I would’ve certainly missed out on learning exactly what I’m made of and what I’m capable of doing.
Wherever you are learn to enjoy the journey. Embrace the process. Learn from your experiences and celebrate how fierce and strong you are.
sassyfitnesschick 