IF you really want something different in life

In any area of your life, if you're not happy with where you are, take a good look at yourself.  Think about what you really want (be it fitness, career, your relationship with God or your family, etc) and then make a plan to get there.  You can't blame anyone else for where you are today.  You are responsible for your own choices.  If you don't like something, then change it.  It may take some time but eventually you'll be able to look back and say, I remember when.  Be an example of success (whatever that means to you).

If you think I sound preachy, you're probably right.  I'm preaching to MYSELF (and just thought I'd share).  If I want something different, it's time to do something different!!  And, then stick with it!!

Do Something for Yourself!

I used to be in a VERY stressful job doing retail HR.  It wasn't so much the job but the sheer volume of work and the fact that everyone around me was stressed.  Fact is, I let it stress me out.  I didn't take care of myself and I didn't listen to my own advice.

I remember taking a co-worker out to dinner one night because I was worried about him.  I seriously thought he was going to work himself into a stroke or a heart attack.  Here's what I told him:

You need to slow down and take care of your self.  This job is great and it affords us all a lot of opportunity and great pay. BUT, if you don't step back and relieve some of this stress you're under you are going to DIE.  And, if you die, I will cry real tears at your funeral because I care about you.  Then the next day, I will post your job and hire your replacement.

Harsh?  Direct?  True?  So many of us make taking care of others a priority - work, family, anyone else who relies on us.  What we often forget is that if we don't take care of ourselves, we won't be at our best to care for others.  Do something for yourselves TODAY and always.

Excuse me, but I think I got the wrong groceries

You guys know how hard I'm focused on improving my nutrition.  I feel like I eat relatively healthy but still tweaking and improving what and when I eat.  I still have so much to learn and so much better to do.  I don't want t be deprived of the things I like so I'm even figuring out healthy alternatives to some of my favorites (ie. I LOVE french fries and have switched to roasted red potatoes lately).  Today I went to the grocery store (2 actually) and came home with like 97% super healthy foods.  Stuff that when I looked in my bags when I got home, I had to do a double take. Is this really the stuff I bought??  Tempeh (look that one up), organic fruits and veggies, organic peanut butter (wouldn't believe how many different brands I looked at), Braggs organic apple cider, and even stuff to make my own sushi.  I did buy a pack of adelle brand sausages (only after carefully reading the ingredients) and a pound of ground beef (grass fed organic) because I have to have a burger on occasion. Anyway... I say all this to say... this is such a journey everyone.  Be patient with yourselves.  Keep making small improvements and one day you'll look up and be exactly where you intended!

YOU have to decide

I'm talking to my cousin right now.  He has diabetes and recently had his blood sugar spike up to over 600 (which resulted in a trip to the emergency room).  Although his blood sugar levels have come down some, they remain over 300 and are still dangerously high.  This all happened because he is not taking care of himself.  He has not really committed to his own health and well being - he was not taking his medication properly.  He is not eating healthy and consistently.  He is not getting exercise on a consistent basis and is not getting enough rest.  He has a stressful life and is working two jobs to care for his wife and 2 kids.

Why am I sharing all of this?  This is one of my best friends and we talk almost every day.  We talk about EVERYTHING including health and fitness.  This is not a case of not knowing what to do.  Most of us know what to do and for our own reasons, we choose not to do it.  I can't tell you how many different excuses I've heard over this past few months about why someone can't do what I'm doing... no time, too tired, kids, scared, not athletic, not enough money... and we've all had them.  God knows, I have had my share of excuses.  Sh** there were times when I just plain didn't want to do it! That's why I KNOW that YOU have to be the one to decide you're important enough and that your why for taking care of yourself is motivating you enough.  It typically can't be for anyone else.  You have to decide, just like I did, that you want your life to be different.

As much as I love my cousin, I know that I can't make this decision for him.  I can only support him and talk to him and even push him a bit, but in the end, what he does or doesn't do, is up to him.

Patience

I talk a lot about health and fitness not because I am perfect (far far from it) but because I care.  I still have a lot of improvement to make in fitness and nutrition. Like many people, I want results yesterday and get discouraged when it doesn't happen fast enough.  I learned just how impatient I can be the other day when I was starting the fire for a BBQ.  I had forgotten how long it took to really get a nice fire going and the charcoals just right.  Charcoals in, lighter fluid, poof, big fire.  A minute later, the accelerant was burned off, and the fire went out.  This happened several times before I got discouraged and came in the house.  I could have quit then, but there was no one else to start the fire or cook for that matter.  So, if we wanted to eat, it was up to me.  I regrouped and finally went back outside and just kept at it until I got it going just right.

I had to really think about that experience and what it meant in my life and especially my fitness journey.   I have noticed how easy it is to get discouraged when I'm not seeing the results fast enough.  Sometimes it seems like I'll never reach my goal.  But this was a great lesson for me... to really think about what I'm doing, to make the effort, to make the right choices day after day, to work towards getting better little by little, to assess and reassess what I'm doing to find what's working, to have patience and in the end, in it's own time, I will reach my goal.

Getting on track

It's sad to see people continue to play the guessing game when it comes to their own fitness and nutrition. At some point we have get out of our own way and admit what we are doing will never work. There was a TV show on recently called "My Mom is Obsessed". One woman was extremely obsessed with the gym.  She worked out 12 hours a day and was still 30lbs overweight. The show was about her kids wanting their mom at home more but I couldn't help but notice that she spent all that time at the gym and still looked the same. They showed some of her workouts and they seemed okay but then they showed her serving dinner to her family... BAM.. HUGE red flag!!



This reminded me of my frustrations for so many years.  I was working out hard and consistently – I knew what to do at the gym.  But I wasn’t eating right so I never saw the benefits from my hard work.  I was really wasting my time and money and eventually even my trainer’s time.

Proper nutrition is CRITICAL to your (our) success.  If you don’t eat right, it doesn’t matter how much you work out.  You will not see the results that you want.  Losing weight the right way takes time and commitment to not only your fitness, but your nutrition.  I am NOT perfect.  I take it day by day and I try to make more good choices than bad.  There are days when I fall down but I try to get right back up the next meal or the next day at the very least. 

I know that if I want to see some real progress in my own journey, I even need to do better.  More water.  More vegetables.  More consistent eating.  This is a journey so I'm committed to continuing to work on myself, my fitness AND especially my nutrition.

I’ve challenged myself… what can I accomplish with absolute focus through the next 30 days?  We shall see!!!

P90x Update and the desire to get better

Oh for shame... time is just flying by.  I have got to get back into writing more in my blog.  I love to write but... did I just say but??  Was I about to give an excuse for not doing it.  That would be like... ummm... well you know the drill.  I have to much to do.  No time.  My kids take all my time.  My job keeps me too busy.  I'm too tired...  so, what I'm saying is, excuses don't matter.  I haven't been blogging and I just need to commit to doing it regularly - put it on my schedule like I do everything else.

P90x update:

Just finished my first 30 days.  P90x is a monster of a workout and there were times when I surely didn't think I was going to make it through, but I did it.  Its been so great to be part of a group doing the same thing and encouraging them.  That "responsibility" has often motivated me to get it done when I was "too tired" or "too busy".  I admit, I fell off a bit last week and then recommitted to myself, my nutrition and my workouts this week.  Something has happened.  The first 30 days was really challenging.  At the end of the 30 days, I looked at my pictures and didn't see a lot of change except in the side picture.  My tummy is going down.  But, my back and front pictures look eerily similar.  Instead of getting discouraged, I focused on the positive: how I have been feeling.  I can tell you that I FEEL much better.  I have more energy.  I can see and feel muscle tone where once there was just "pudge".  I look better in my clothes.  Definitely more flexible.  Oh, and my blood pressure was the lowest its been in many many years - 116/78

So, instead of quitting, I'm pushing harder.  I know that I can achieve the results that others have achieved and the results that I want.  I just need to be more consistent with my energy, attitude and nutrition.  I have really focused this week on tweaking my eating, timing of meals.  And, thinking about the fact that I don't always have food before my workouts which means my energy level is low throughout the workout.  This is NOT good.  But it's balance.  About an hour before I'm going to workout I now make sure that I eat something - Shakeology, a small meal, something that will provide fuel for my body.  I can tell you that after one week, I am already feeling significantly better in the workouts. I'm powering through them.  I've also committed to getting them done in the morning before my day gets going to much... with the exception of yoga.  I'm still doing that one in the evening.  I'm also eating more.  I never realized how hard it would be to actually eat MORE.  But, as you better listen to your body, you will hear it tell you when it's hungry.  Feed it healthy stuff and it will fuel you throughout the day.  Feed it with junk and you end up tired and lethargic shortly after you eat.

The thing about it is because I've decided that this is my lifestyle, I'm not so focused on having to be where I want within the 90 day window.  I know that with consistent attention and focus, I can gradually make changes that I can commit to for the rest of my life.