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It is time for a ‘Glow Up’
Belly floof. Pudgy arms. Thunder thighs. Every area of your body does not look the way you want it to. You keep showing up daily, but you are disheartened. There isn’t 100% to give anymore; you feel like just being there has to count for something. Sleep wins sometimes; more often than you would like. You are mentally and emotionally (and let’s face it — physically) exhausted. The scale creeps up, a few pounds at a time. Bending over to tie your shoes gets more and more uncomfortable. When this happens to me, my brain goes right to those awful thoughts. Thoughts about my worth, or whether I deserve to…
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That’s Where ‘The Magic’ Happens
Early mornings…that’s where the magic happens. Heavy lifts … that’s where the magic happens. The extra mile…that’s where the magic happens. Consistency…that’s where the magic happens. Growth…that’s where the magic happens. Or, having a friend who will drop everything to help you out. Who makes sure your car smells like Christmas and you are properly caffeinated at all times. Who has notes about everyone’s bloodwork and compares Pub Med research to the doctor’s recommendations. Who pays for copays for friends so he can be sure they go to the doctor when they are sick and who buys groceries and meal preps for people who are going through rough times. Who…
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There are cows that can jump over the moon…
…And cows that can’t make it over a fence. For the past few months, I have been the latter cow. Stagnant. Stuck. Spinning my wheels with nothing to show for it. What is my fence? Some of this is my own fault. I’ll admit I wasn’t as focused on the habits that would get me closer to my desired results. I let the stressors of life get in the way of my routines. Life is always stressful in some way, we build our routines to work for us in times of stress so we don’t spend the mental energy thinking about it. I did an extremely poor job building those…
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If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it
We all have those days, weeks…months?…where we feel frustrated. Where we are making all the “right” moves toward our goals, but not exactly getting where we want to be. It’s complicated, and there is so much data to look at. How do you measure your progress? The Dreaded Scale Many people have a love/hate relationship with this device. It is the most common way to measure progress with health. The problem is, most people have a “weekly weigh-in” and don’t take into account the daily changes our body goes through. What you ate for dinner, how much water you are retaining, whether you have had a bowel movement…these all play…
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How to survive the first of the year at the gym
Swarms of newbies spend the first two weeks of the year promising to hit the gym more often. Equipment seems sparse, weight racks are taken, and showing up at 4 am no longer guarantees your ability to cruise through your workout. Don’t be ‘that’ person Have a little patience. By the second week of January, most people give up on their resolutions. So if you are truly annoyed by the crowds, just wait…they’ll dissipate. Being rude to others never solved anything. Being the reason someone quits going to the gym just makes you a jerk. Everyone deserves to find their own pathway to health and wellness, and just because you…
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One Sandwich Short of a Picnic
As I was staying up slightly later than normal last night to enjoy some college football, I got to thinking about my new ‘normal’ schedule. Some say it is crazy. There isn’t a day–including weekends–that I wake up later than 5 am. I’m either working out at a Camp Gladiator workout, running (even if I hate every minute), or on our recovery days, walking. I’ve signed up for obstacle course races even though I am unable to do a pull up (YET–see…still working on that mental game). I work with a nutritionist, focus on macros and eating more protein, challenge myself to complete programs like 75 Hard, lift heavier weights…
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Pivot!
At the beginning of the 75 Hard program, I mentioned starting a new nutrition regimen including more protein and calories than I previously tried. Today I checked my progress via the age-old method, *whispers* the scale, and discovered I needed to pivot (a little). Scale Results To be fair, I’ve been trying to disassociate myself with the numbers. The data is good to be aware of, but at the end of the day, it is just data. And I have made progress, and the numbers are moving in the right direction, just not at the rate that I would prefer to see. So, now we pivot. The good news is,…
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Keep Going…You never know who is watching
That sounds creepy, like “I always feel like…somebody’s watching me” but that isn’t really how I mean it. What I mean is, your imperfect journey could be someone’s inspiration. You never know who is inspired by your progress. How I see my progress I know all about thinking that the progress is too slow. Nothing is happening. My body must be happy with the extra weight. Maybe it will always stick around. Maybe I don’t work hard enough. Or I don’t eat well enough. It *is* 80% nutrition, after all. What could I do differently? Would it really make any difference? Welcome to my mind, y’all. When you have to…
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75 Days, 0 Compromises
Instead of thinking how hard your journey is, think how great your story will be. Andy Frisella Week 1 of the 75 Hard Program created by Andy Frisella is in the books. I’ve challenged myself to complete this program before, and this is my second time around the block. The second time has less initial excitement, to be honest. There is no wondering ‘can I really do this?’ because I know I can. I’ve done it. I didn’t see the physical results I wanted to see, but I gained a new perspective on just about everything else in life, so I call it a win. Lessons During Round 1 of…
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Running …away from doubt
Runner’s high? I hear that phrase and the memes from The Princess Bride run through my head. It is hard to feel a sense of euphoria around something that has always discouraged you and made you insecure. Some people enjoy running. From the time I was little, and forced to participate in summer track, I remember dreading it. I was never the fastest kid, and my short legs made field events improbable at best. Stuck running long distance and relay races…and when I got old enough, throwing shotput and discus…with little success wears on you. Admittedly, I became discouraged and decided running wasn’t for me. As a young adult, I…
