Tag Archives: Miscellaneous Ramblings

August 6, 2012 · 11:32 AM

One Week At A Time

All too often, people get caught up and overwhelmed by how far they have to go to reach their fitness goals. I fell victim to this mind set many times over the years and it is very frustrating. One of the most important changes I made this time around was to NOT focus on the ultimate goal. Instead, I set mini goals that would help me to achieve that ultimate one over a period of time, and I ONLY focused on each one of those.

By breaking my goals down into mini ones, I was able to keep a positive tone to my fitness/weight loss journey. I began to build a confidence in myself by reaching each of my mini goals and before I knew it, I was reaching larger goals without even realizing it.

Even now that I have reached my ultimate goal, I still set mini ones for myself in order to maintain the progress I have made. Here are some of mine for this week:

  • 1. Drink plenty of water – This might seem like a no brainer but it’s easy to forget or not intake the proper amount.
  • 2. Lift weights three days – Again, something I should be used to, but with the hustle and bustle of life, it’s easy to skip or say I’ll do it tomorrow.
  • 3. Eat clean – Hands down one of the toughest, especially during the hectic week I have before me.
  • 4. Do the fitness trail – One of my favorite forms of exercise but also one of the easiest to keep putting off.
  • 5. Yoga or Stretch – This is one I have never been a fan of. I have always been the first to admit I skipped YogaX many times while doing P90X. I know it’s important though and I have plenty of room for improvement here. Plus it helps to clear the mind and honestly, who can’t benefit from that?!

As you can see, they are all things that you would expect I do on a normal basis, but it’s easy to put all of these things off for another day. I need to stay focused on the simple things and with that, new results will come and old one will be maintained.

Your goals for the week don’t need to be extreme…even the simple ones can get you a step closer to the results you want.

What are some of your goals for the week? What would you like to achieve? Want to keep each other accountable?

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July 27, 2012 · 9:30 AM

No Matter What, Keep Going!

I stumbled upon this graphic while searching Pinterest (yes, I’ve been spending a lot of time on there….now hush!) and I knew I had to share it with all of my readers.

It’s so important that no matter what, you keep going, keep moving forward toward your fitness goals.

We all have ups and downs (lord knows I’ve shared my excitement during ups and whined during my downs here). You are going to have to work to achieve your goals and you have to keep your eye on the prize as you do it.

Each week, things will get a little easier. You’ll do more reps, lift heavier weight and beat your last personal best. You’ll set the bar a little higher and create new goals as you push forward… Getting a little stronger, both mentally and physically each day.

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July 26, 2012 · 9:30 AM

It’s Perfectly Simple

 

Are you doing the same? If not, today is a new day, why not start?

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July 9, 2012 · 11:26 AM

T-Shirt Recycling

As many of you know, I am a true t-shirt whore. I love them and have collected many throughout the years. Since losing all of the weight I have, many of those t-shirts have ended up in bags and gone to Goodwill. There are others that I have not been able to part with or have recently gotten too big on me and I have finally found a way to still wear them and not look like a complete and total bum.

I’m sure many of you are familiar with a Pinterest, you know, that website full of neat stuff that sucks you in and eats up all of the precious time that you could have been productive in? I have been guilty of pinning many crafty things and then forgetting about them, however yesterday, I found a pin that really intrigued me and before I knew it, I was going through my dresser drawers, grabbing a pair of scissors and dusting off the sewing machine.

The pin I am referring to is a tutorial on T-Shirt Restyling or Recycling and can be found HERE. That blog also links to where she found the idea so if you decide to give this a try, be sure to visit both sites to see all of the photos!

I ended up doing two t-shirts last night and I LOVE the way they turned out. Of course I got all caught up in making them and forgot to take step-by-step photos to go with this post, but both of the blogs I mentioned above did.

There are so many possibilities for these! I used a fun cord from a pair of old sweatpants on the Star Wars t-shirt, instead of the original collar as the tutorial suggests because I wanted a looser fit to that one. I’d actually love to do the top in orange on both of these and I’m almost positive I have an old orange t-shirt somewhere I can cut up and use just for that purpose. I also didn’t worry about swapping out thread colors. I just went with plain old white on both of these and I think they look just fine. (I also stuck with white because I forgot how to change the bobbin on my machine…sssshhhh!)

I’m so glad I found this and decided to actually try it instead of just pinning it and moving on. Buying new clothes over the past 3 years has gotten very expensive, so now I have a fun new way to wear my old clothes while saving a little money!

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June 5, 2012 · 4:52 PM

A Pleasant Surprise

Today I woke up to sunshine and cool temps so I grabbed my sneakers and headed for the fitness trail. It’s been a while since I’ve been there so I set my Run Keeper app for a walk instead of a run and hit the pavement.

I planned on going my normal route which is normally just shy of 5 miles round trip. As I reached the rec center, which is where I do the bulk of my run/walks, I was feeling good and decided to start jogging. It felt great to do it and I fell into pace rather easily. Once I hit the back entrance to the actual fitness trail I was surprised to see new posts with directional arrows had been installed. The trail really needed those as certain spots can get a little tricky.

As I went further into the wooded section of the trail, I had to drop down to a walk again. I was getting a little tired and there were a lot of workers cutting the overgrown brush back from the path. Once I reached my halfway mark (which is the real trail start point) I noticed something interesting… a new sign that said START as well as 5K on it. The trail was a never a 5K before and then I recalled seeing a new “path” on my way in. Of course I had to go check things out and I’m glad I did! The new trail is really nice and the view today was stunning.

As I headed back from the “Start” of the trail I noticed mile marker signs along the way, too. It was really nice to see that they were cleaning things up on the trail and that they made the improvement by extending it.

When I finally finished my walk, I ended up doing a little over 6.5 miles and it felt great. I can’t wait to head back up there and conquer the new section of the trail again.

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June 4, 2012 · 12:29 PM

Today’s Workout: Stretch, Cardio & Booty!

Today I woke up and my lower body was still very sore from the lower body workout I posted the other day. I decided a dose of X-Stretch from P90X would do my body good, so that is how I started today’s workout. I had to skip the sun salutations, camel and back hero since I still can’t stretch my core too much, but I still felt great after completing the workout.

My plan was to hit the pavement this morning since I needed to go to the post office and it conveniently falls along my walking/running path. Unfortunately, mother nature had different plans and it started to thunderstorm as I was getting ready to go. Thankfully I have a stationary bike so I hopped on there instead and got a solid 30-min cardio workout in before giving this workout I found on Pinterest a try:

I did three rounds of this, Insanity style, and felt a solid burn kick in halfway through the second round.

As you can tell, I’ve been putting focus on lower body workouts, and that’s because I’ve decided to join my husband and some of his buddies in August, as they attempt the Rock Solid Mud Run. I’m a little nervous about this since I recently had the surgery, but my plan is to pace myself, do what I can and just have fun.

If you try any of the workouts I’m posting, please let me know what you think or if you add anything! Also, if you have any that you love, please pass them my way. I’d love to try it out and feature it here along with your fitness story.

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May 30, 2012 · 8:19 PM

Fitness Mindset

Three years ago, I had a similar conversation with myself, and I haven’t looked back. Anyone can do what I have done. You just have to change the way you think!

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May 22, 2012 · 12:51 PM

Another Year Down

I can’t believe it’s been 3 years since I made the decision to become healthy. There are days it seems like just yesterday that I started on the path to this lifestyle, and then there are days where I can’t imagine living the way I did. The fast food runs, over sized portions and constant bonding with my couch. I cringe when I think about all of that, but without it, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

Looking back, I’ve come a long way. I haven’t eaten McDonald’s in well over 2 years, my body craves exercise and healthy foods and then there’s the 100+ pounds I’ve lost as a result of those things. Oh and let’s not forget my recent surgery. THAT is something I never dreamed I would be doing when I started all of this. I am a completely different person than I was three years ago and I am so grateful for that. I know that I have added years to my life with the choices I have made. It’s also nice to know that I no longer have to wish I can shop in certain stores and trying on new clothes is something I enjoy doing now.

One of the things I love the most about my journey, is knowing that I have inspired so many people along the way. I am one of those people who tend to be very hard on themselves. I don’t easily give myself credit for what I accomplish, so when I receive e-mails, messages and comments from people whom I have inspired, it’s very touching. It also in turn inspires me to keep going and to be the best ME I can possibly be.

If you asked me three years ago if I would ever be able to do the physical things I can now, I would have said you were crazy. I am forever amazed at what my body has been able to do, how strong it can be and how much I have grown mentally. There is nothing I can’t do …as long as I get out of my own way. Ha! The mental battle of this journey has been the most difficult but most amazing aspect. It’s all about mind over matter, seeing is believing and having confidence in yourself.

Thank you to everyone who reads my blog, comments on my posts and keeps me motivated!

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May 1, 2012 · 5:23 PM

Three Weeks Post-Op

Today I had my 3 week post-op visit and things are going well!

This past week I have really started to become comfortable in my skin again. As the swelling goes down and I’m able to be more physical, I am feeling more like myself again. Today I even tried on a few of my bathing suits just to make sure the scar line is covered and you know what? I was actually happy to look at myself in the mirror in a bathing suit! Shocking right?! It is the first time in I don’t know….EVER…. that I can honestly say that. It was a great feeling to not feel like I had to cover something or fidget with things.

Another plus this week was that the skin glue and mesh tape they used to close my incision fell off, which meant I no longer had to use these giant gauze pads to cover the area. I also fit into a smaller size pair of jeans than I did last week. I am still not quite into my normal jeans, but I think within another week or two I’ll be there. As you can see, I am still quite swollen but my belly button is healing nicely. I would also like to point out that this is the first time I have ever shared a photo of my stomach. It’s not the most impressive photo (especially since I haven’t shared a before) but I’m very happy with things so far and know that things will only improve as time goes on.

At the appointment today, my incision was looked at and he said it is healing very nicely. I can downgrade the type of compression garment I wear to a “Spanx” like style. I think I will go shop for a new one tonight since I officially loathe the medical grade one I have been forced to wear for the past 3 weeks. He also said I can remove the garment at night now, if I am comfortable doing that…..uh….fuck yeah! There is nothing comfortable about a zipper jabbing you in your side as you try to have sweet dreams.

I have also been cleared to go back to work and exercise again, which I am excited for. I have the green light for all cardio and anything upper body. The only thing I can’t do at this point are ab workouts. He said I have to wait until at least 6 months out  for those and to be honest, I’m totally ok with that. Tomorrow morning I think I will try to do some lifting. Obviously, I’ll be modifying the amount of weight I lift, so I can get a feel for what’s comfortable and what’s pushing it. It’s been weeks since I have done any exercise so I’m sure I’ll be lifting much lighter, regardless.

Other than that, I don’t have much else to report. I need to order the scar gel he recommends to help the scar line fade and as I type this blog, I am enjoying the freedom of NOT wearing that torturous compression garment.

Hopefully my blog will begin to shift back to my workouts now that I am able to get busy again. During this off time, I seem to have found a spark within myself again and I’m hoping it ignites into the inferno it once was.

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April 24, 2012 · 10:11 AM

Two Weeks Post-Op and Putting a Plan Together

Yesterday marked two weeks since my surgery and I’m feeling good! I’m becoming more active each day and this week I’ll be easing my way back into work, which should be interesting.

My milestones over the past week have been three things I’ve longed for:

  • I can finally sleep on my side again.
  • I was able to fit into a pair of my jeans.
  • I no longer need to take Percocet, at all.

Sleeping on my side again has been wonderful. I am finally able to sleep for more 2 hours at a time, so I am feeling more rested these days. It’s a little difficult to get myself onto my side and rolling over is a bit of a challenge while I’m sleeping but not being stuck like a turtle on it’s back is simply blissful.

As for the jeans, I honestly didn’t think I would be able to fit into them yet, but I being my thick-headed self, had to try again. I was pleasantly surprised when I had no trouble getting the button to fasten and that truly made my day. In all honesty, these are not my normal size jeans. They are a pair that were too big on me, but I would wear to work because I didn’t care if they got ruined. I’m hoping in another week I’ll be able to fit into my normal size, but progress is progress, so I’ll take it and be happy.

Being off the Percocet feels great. I didn’t like how tired they made me feel. Napping all day was not very productive at all. About a week ago I weened down to needing them just at night, and at that point I was using them more for the sleep aspect than for pain because I was struggling with sleeping on my back so much. I am now just taking Tylenol as needed, which is really just before bed and I’m sure I’ll need some once I’m more active at work.

Being laid up for the past two weeks as been making me antsy to workout again. I know I’m going to have to take it slow once I’m cleared by my surgeon. I’m planning on getting back into walking the fitness trail and I’m hoping that lower body workouts will be OK. If I am able to do lower body stuff, I think I am going to restart Brazil Butt Lift. The workouts are pretty quick and all of the moves are very effective. I’d LOVE to be able to lift again so I can regain the shoulder/arm definition I have lost, but I’m pretty sure that it off the table for awhile since you need to stabilize your core to lift properly. Sigh.

I’ve been doing really well with my nutrition lately, too. I know how important vitamins and protein are to my recovery right now, so I’ve been very motivated.

Next week I have another post-op appointment with the surgeon, so I’m hoping we will be covering all of my new do’s and don’ts. I’m also hoping I will be given a “transition” garment, because I am officially hating the compression garment. My only fear is that transition one will suck even more and I’ll wish I was back in the first one. (Cause that’s my luck and how things usually work, right?)

Till next time…

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