-
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…
-
Standing Beside the Fire
Earlier this month, I was told something profound…that I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. ‘When you step out of the flames, you will find burns. That is the only way to heal. You can’t heal when you are in the midst of the fire.’ Since I’m no longer in the fire, so to speak, I get to begin the healing process. I’m not far away enough from the fire to start seeing the burns. I am still aflame…maybe glowing embers instead of actively on fire. I know I have damage, but I haven’t assessed it yet. Did I stop, drop, and roll? Unfortunately not. Can you stop, drop,…
-
Keep it simple, even though it’s complicated
You know what to do. Honestly, we ALL know what to do. In an effort to keep it simple, here goes: eat right, exercise, sleep, keep stress to a minimum. It’s simple, really. Except then you start ruminating on all the different ways people determine the “right” way to eat. How often and what type of exercise? How much sleep? And what exactly is a minimum amount of stress? You get deeper into the world of fitness and you just end up with more questions than you started with. And strangely enough, the miracle cure for one person may not work for you. And what works for you may not…
-
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…
-
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…