My good friend Jeremy has kindly agreed to help me out again. This time simply because, I have nothing exciting to say about my health journey on this #FitFriday. I was watching this documentary on HBO the other day called “Tru Blood” in which these Vampires down in Louisiana have somehow integrated into society, and basically leach off of the system in one way or another. It’s pretty brutal actually, all the blood and gore, but I can only imagine that they know what they are doing. Ok well maybe it isn’t a documentary, but it might as well be. There are vampires among us in just about every facet of our life, and just because they don’t suck your blood they will figure out a way to suck the life out of whatever it is that you happen to be good at. Please keep these things in mind if you are a newbie to the gym, or someone that appears to have a very hard time getting healthy. You need to be accommodating to those that are trying to help you sooner or later, or else you are actually a problem.
I know you might be thinking what a horrible person this Jeremy Crow jerk must be to say such a thing, but the truth be known, I have been doing this work out thing for an awful long time. I may not be the stereotypical meathead that you would expect to see after 20 years of working out, two degrees, and running a moderately successful health blog. Of course now I should say, “shame on you for thinking I would be,” but aside from that I happen to be the most helpful person in the world, and especially at the gym. The secret to me being able to do that is that I know when to give up on someone. Our job, as a helpful member of society, is in the understanding that some people need help and others just want it. Think of it this way. You know a perfect book on how to do whatever. You tell someone that if they read that book, they will be an expert like you. They refuse to read the book because they expect you to simply explain the book to them, if you accept that as a good idea, then I could have used you when I was a raving and active alcoholic. Now fortunately when I ran out of people like that I was forced to choose between quitting drinking or slipping further into misery without the audience I had grown accustomed to. The person who desperately needs to get in shape, but won’t do any of the work to get in shape is the EXACT SAME THING. They are now completely interfering with your ability to work out, and do things other than work out, and given enough time they will make it so you don’t want anything to do with working out. Now of course you don’t just grab the person by the hair and walk them out the door of the gym explaining to them that you never want to see them again. You simply explain to them that they should probably find someone who they can get advice they will use from. You have to worry about you. On the other side of the coin, if you are genuinely active and obviously take someone’s advice at the gym or in another scenario (accommodating to those that are trying to help), you will probably find that they will never need to push you aside, nor will they ever want to. They most likely will feel that they are doing some good, and I say THAT because that is how I treat every new person that comes into the gym and asks me just about anything. In other words; never be afraid to ask questions, but sooner or later you have to take the advice.
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Write every day
No matter what…just do it. Start with a doodle if you need to but get those creative juices flowing! Read always A successful writer starts as a reader. Period. But it doesn’t stop there. Just as writing becomes a part of your life, so does reading. Explore outside your comfort zone. Meaning read AND write outside of your genre The thing I love most about doing book reviews is that I sometimes get books that I would not normally choose off a shelf. The thing I love about having a teenager and an almost teenager is reading what they are reading. When you write outside your genre you are exercising your creative muscles and you never know, you might surprise yourself! I know I did! Have a read of my little story “Maia” or “The Children”. Set up an Author’s platform with a web site and through social media You need to get your name out there. Some publishers won’t accept your work if you are not already on the path to being established. Besides, sharing your work and having people say they enjoy it as you are working towards your ultimate goal sure does feel good! Network, subscribe to other blogs, join groups Networking is all about building your platform. Reading other people’s blogs not only builds your network but can provide you with invaluable advice. Proofread, have beta readers Always proof read your work first. But as the creator of this masterpiece, you are biased as to its quality, so always have a few beta readers before you introduce it to the world. Don’t stop learning No one person can know everything. There is always room to grow and learn. And there are many avenues from which to learn. Enter contests Again, this is about getting your name out there. Winning contests is also a great addition to your Author’s platform. To be successful, you must be published in some form, and usually with contests, the winner gets their work published in some form. It always feels good for being recognized. Even if the recognition doesn’t come with dollar signs attached. I was nominated for the ‘Sisterhood of the World Blogger’s Award’ by the lovely Adele Archer. Thank you for recognizing my work and supporting me on my journey to becoming a published author, and an overall more successful person! I’m going to answer the mad-cap questions as set by Adele Archer. Then I’m going to ask 10 mad questions of my own and nominate three other bloggers who I admire. Picking only three bloggers is a not so easy task!
Now is the moment you have all been waiting for. As I search deep within myself to answer those questions set forth by Mrs. Archer… I would like to nominate: 1. Kellie-Ann Russell (a great blogger whose posts I can always be inspired by (yes, even the spider post!)), 2. Nikki DeMc (love the family movie reviews and the real life inspirational posts…and who doesn’t love purple!) and 3. DJ “The Trainman” Walker (a blogger who offers a little bit of everything on his site! Also, the first to give me a writing prompt for one of my #WritingWednesday when my brain wouldn’t co-operate!). This is what I would like to know about YOU: And for those that I didn’t nominate, because I can only pick 3, it would be awesome if you answered in the comments section below!
I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about me. As always, thank you for reading and your support. Feel free to leave a comment below or on my Google+ or my FaceBook. How many have had this sort of dialogue before? "Maybe if I wore clothes that fit, I wouldn't feel so fat." Well, you are not alone. Trust me! Like me, you are not the first, and like me, you won't be the last! It takes time, effort and dedication to change your lifestyle to one that is healthy. In reality, my lifestyle is really not that unhealthy. But of course, I do have some habits that put me in the place to be where I am today. Well, I would say I did pretty good this week making conscious decisions. I did learn one very important thing this week .... I need to go slow otherwise I will hurt myself. Giving your muscles time to wake up and recover is necessary and not the end of the world. At what time do I start counting the 21 days? Is it the day when I first start my plan? Or is it the day that I have incorporated all pieces to my plan? And what happens when I go off course? Do I start over again?
For example, phase I was the 3Ms. More sleep, more water and more movement. I needed to keep it simple just because of all the other stuff happening in my life. I gave myself 3 weeks (21 days) to meet this goal. I have met this goal but it doesn't mean that I no longer focus on these core things. Phase II? I haven't defined it to be honest. I guess Phase II can be ... being serious about my health. Being aware of my daily caloric intake and output. Remembering, it goes beyond thought. Action is required! Honestly, I do not want to write this post. Writing this and SHARING it with all of my readers makes it real and I can’t go back. Once I put this out there, it is out there. In 2008, when I returned back to the workforce after having my fourth baby, I was at my biggest. For years I worked hard to get back my pre-baby body. My pre-baby body of four babies before. In 2012, I still had not reached that goal. I fought through depression with the realization…that pre-baby body was no longer mine to be had. I was a mother now and a mommy body is not only what I deserved, but what was rightfully mine. My body had been stretched to unimaginable proportions all for the status of “momma”. I should really embrace that. And so I did. My mindset was to be a sexy momma. My goals changed and I was feeling pretty good about myself. I was still eating well, or well enough, and I was still working out. I was rocking those HiiT workouts that found 20 some year olds struggling. At this point I probably was not getting smaller but I was definitely getting stronger. And my endurance was increasing. Growing up I had outright refused to run in gym class. I will never forget one conversation with my gym teacher. “What if someone held a gun to you and said run or I’ll shoot?” If only he could have seen me at my peak in 2012. I was almost doing the 9 minute mile. Running had become a part of my day, and the days that did not permit me to run were the days I was at my worst. I ran every week day at work and then followed it with a HiiT routine. I spent hours modifying my workouts and schedules and rotations of those workouts. On weekends I would do a mixed workout and have active play with my kids. And we walked everywhere (before we got our first vehicle in 2012). It took me five years to get here. But I forgot the most important part of it all. I still complained about how fat I was. How heavy I was. How I still gave in to my cravings. I forgot to look at how far I had come. How much weight I had lost overall, not just in the past month. How few and far between those cravings actually were. I forgot to look at the size of my clothes, which in fact, were the smallest I had ever worn since I had become an adult. I forgot to see how much longer I could play with the kids at the park. How I could keep pace when walking with my husband. I forgot to recognize that tummy as the honorable ownership of a mother. I earned my stripes and, unlike some women, I was happy to have those. But I forgot the stripes had to have a home. The tummy is where they belonged. And now I hang my head in shame. In despair. In 2014 I was in a major motor vehicle accident. I couldn’t look up or down or left or right. I would get dizzy spells that made me feel like my world was tilting or slanting. Then there were times when the dizzy spells would come without warning and I would simply fall over. I would wake in the middle of the night because I felt like I was falling through my bed. I couldn’t walk up or down stairs. I had to be very aware and proactive while driving; always getting in the lane I needed as soon as I could to minimize shoulder checking. Any jumping or running was a definite no go. Any sudden movements sent sharp pains through my head. My life had suddenly changed. My outlet for freedom, to de-stress, to feel good about me was taken away. My only comfort left to me was the one thing I needed to be cautious with. Food. At first I think I handled it well. But then, I noticed small changes. And with these changes, I needed more comfort. About eight months later I was cleared by my physician to get back to where I was. I wanted to scream at them. Did they realize it took me FIVE YEARS to get to where I was?! Hand me that tub of ice cream would you please. All I can do is sigh with a sad face as I put away my winter clothes and prepare for summer. There is nothing to pull out for summer. These clothes, they simply will not fit. And there is no amount of food that will make me feel better about that. In fact, food is the enemy. Today, I am at the biggest I have ever been in my life. But, I can’t get depressed about it. I will not let myself continue this vicious cycle of eating to help my sadness about my weight. That would be crazy. Instead, I will get angry and burn that negative by working out. So here I am. Back at the beginning. My supportive husband by my side telling me I CAN do this. I learned this week that I still can’t do any jumping or any cross body twisting (think roman twists or kettlebells), but low impact cardio and strength will do. So, I will do what I can and always challenge myself to do a little more. I am determined. My day started the same as every week day does. With my alarm rudely interrupting my sleep at 545 am. But after the 6 am reminder that I need to get up now, things changed for me today. Last night I made a conscious decision that I am done being unhappy about my figure and I am done with doing nothing about it. Being in a car accident limited me which depressed me. Looking in my closet as the clothes seemed to get smaller was also depressing. For a long time I gave in to that depression and openend up that bag of chips and shared the minimum amount so as to not call myself a piggy. When I was given approval from my physician to start with my workouts again, my symptoms returned and I stopped. I vowed to start slow. To focus on three things. More sleep. More water. And more movement. Well, that more, it is simply not enough. This morning, after fifteen minutes of pleading with the clock, I reluctantly rolled out of bed. I remembered the promise I had made to myself. As a blogger friend said, "Every day is the first day." And today was the first day of keeping my promises to me. This morning, I got my sweat on with Shelly Dose, who I stumbled upon on Google+. Check out her YouTube channel. A little while later, my daughter and I went to the library to return some books that were due. I swore that I took three steps to get up to the drop off box. But for some odd reason there were only two to come down. Even more odd was the fact that the pavement was marked for a step that was not there. My brain did not comprehend this and I took a step down only to find my footing off and my foot "stuck" to the pavement. Being my daughter, she laughed with me about my near fall all the way across the parking lot. She wished she had captured the moment on camera. It must have been a sight to see. Thankfully for me, we do not allow our children to have cell phones until a much later age. This afternoon we have a couple more appointments. Before which, I have promised my "curly hairs" that I would transfer them to match their "straight hair" siblings. I keep telling them how much I envy their curls. But they do not care. They want me to do their hair for them. How is your day going? What are your plans? I am fascinated by the moon. I'm not really sure why and I know I am not the only one. Perhaps it is the mystery that surrounds the moon that fascinates me so. Or maybe, the romance. Perhaps the stories of creatures that only come out during a full moon that piques my imagination. One thing I miss about my youth is sitting in the yard staring at the sky. The city has its advantages, but living out of the city and the light pollution, I am looking forward to better photo opportunities of the moon. And then of course, there is the sun. The sun that brightens every day, even if it has to fight with the clouds it still manages to give us "daylight". The sun that warms our faces, gives us hope of new life. Sun rise or sun set, both are equally beautiful.
We have had a wonderful spring so far with temperatures always in the mid 20s (degrees celcius).
Last night I got to sit on my deck with my lovely husband and enjoy the cloudy skies. We didn't last long out there in the chilly, blowing rain, and quickly came back in! However quick our moment was, it was peaceful and simply beautiful. Our moment to quietly reconnect and take joy in where we are. My hope is that wherever you are in this world and in your life, whether you are with yourself or with another, that you take these moments every day to reflect. Find your joy and embrace it. Life simply goes by way too fast to not have that special moment for yourself everyday. Much love. R Amongst moving comes purging and discovery.
Discovering what you really need and what you don’t. Discovering lost treasures packed away when I started to have babies and didn’t want them broken. Discovering that maybe, just maybe, I do not need to keep every piece of work my children have done at school, or all of the crafts they have done at home. One of the things I discovered is actually something that has been sitting in one of my kitchen cupboard for years. Twelve of them to be exact. The box is dusty and greyed, but inside sits six perfect crystal wine glasses. A wedding gift that my husband and I have never enjoyed. I have never been a wine drinker. I myself prefer a Corona with lime or a variety of other liquors. I decided now was the time to discover wine, and use those simple and beautiful wine glasses. With the expertise of my lovely husband, we picked out two bottles of wine. A Rose and a Merlot. These names really mean nothing to me! I started with the Rose. It was lightly fruity with very little bite. I found it refreshing actually. However, I think that for me, because I liked it better when it was cold, I should only pour a half glass at a time and refill. I decided to take a look at the website for the wine I chose, Naked Grape, to see what to drink with my new wines. I think I will have to try out some other wines this company has to offer! Feel free to leave a comment below or on my Google+ or my FaceBook and tell me, What is your drink of choice? And if you do enjoy wine, what is your favorite? As always, thank you for reading and your support. A completely random thought on this Monday morning. I see people all around me walking with a cell phone in hand or to their ear. The only exception to this rule is my husband. He absolutely refuses to have a cell phone. I am no exception to this rule. I always have my cell phone with me. And I do mean always. But I still feel that there are some moments in our lives that deserve some privacy. More so, I feel that other people deserve privacy as well. This seems to be an art lost to many people. Just as I don't really care to share my phone conversations with the world, I really don't want to hear yours. Sadly, this is not the case for everyone. I had gone into the public washroom and sat down in a stall to take care of my business when another woman came in. As she sat in her own stall I could hear her talking in some other language. From another stall comes the shout of an angry woman. “Do you mind? I’m trying to take a f*ckin’ sh*t here!” I tried not to laugh. But I totally agreed. I hate being in a public washroom when there are other people in there, never mind people who are talking on their phones. When the woman continued to talk on her phone, the angry lady let loose. She held nothing back. The sound echoed through her little metal stall. That got the attention of the woman on the phone who spoke in her language in a hurried voice and from what I could tell, ended her call. I was filled with laughter that desperately wanted to escape and I wanted to escape the washroom in general. I quickly finished up and washed my hands. As soon as I was down the hall I let me laughter go. Good on you for saying what I am sure many of us want to say. Get off your damn phone. Congratulations for your openness and not minding to share that private moment with whoever you are speaking with, but perhaps the rest of us don’t want to share with you. Have a little respect. Usually I ask a question related to my post, but for today, no thank you! I do not want to know! Happy Monday everyone! |