Day 15 Lower Fix

Day 15, over the two week hump, and it's Hump Day! Total pool of sweat this morning, but hurt so good. I might just have to overrule the Hubs and crank that AC tomorrow 😂 

Was listening this morning to how the vibration you send off attracts like participles, and most of us are not even operating at the full level we could to attract what we want. We "snooze" through life, we retract, we retreat...because of our limiting false beliefs. It's time to get in your heart and do a massive overhaul. The Big Snooze, as this author Sincero suggested, is always ready to pounce, to stop you from being in touch with your own vibrancy. 

Don't let it. 

Day 9 Upper Fix

Was taking some lessons this morning from the famous Jim Rohn... Being tall, I related to his analogy of it being great to 'stand tall', but knowing when to bend, when to change. The greatest of trees can be taken down by a hurricane, can't they? Simple by saturating the roots with enough rains and winds ripping them right out after hundreds of years. Sometimes I got lucky I believe because I could be unyielding and get away with it. But one of the greatest lessons I have picked up in these last 6 months actually is that while it's ok to hang on to the 'old ways', it's more successful to 'bend' and 'morph' like those willow trees that seemed to be the only type standing after the deluge. 

Sometimes it's hard to embrace a new program, a new way of exercising, of thinking, or eating especially when you're coming off of many other failed ones. You might be holding on to those old methods, those old facts, even though you see they aren't working for you . 

You can still stand tall in your conviction, but know when to bend. 

Day 9 ✔️

Day 7 Pilates Extreme

One week in...just one week, and I'm already feeling sore in different ways than I did before. And the proof is in what I can see, the physical changes from simply being way cleaner on my eating. I've been really sticking to the competition eating, save for a tiny Greek yogurt or swig of beer I stole from my husband 😊. I love the Pilates Fix Extreme day, sweating with those resistance bands, carving my body just a bit more, shaping things just a bit more precisely. My husband remarked that I shouldn't show my pouch hanging when I plank or that my lose skin from past pregnancy hangs over a bit of my shorts. But hey, this is reality. If I have it, I'm gonna show it. I'm not gonna tell you that's gonna go away because it might not. But...do you agree that in life we are not socializing while bent over 😂? So look at this on Day 7 standing up tall. Umm, I'll take it! 

This comes from self-love. Caring about what you present to the world on a daily basis, what your children see. They're gonna see in fact that you loved yourself enough to DO something with your emotions. 

#truth #letithangproudly #standtall 

Day 5 - of 21 Day Fix Extreme

It's day 5. Seriously that means in 2 days I will have been at this new thing a "week". Either I'm getting older, haha, yes, or I swear being fit just makes you breeze through this calendar faster, and better. There was an impending rainstorm and softball practice on the horizon for me, which meant get it done, or forget it. My husband wanted me to take a nap. (I know! A nap? Boring for me, lol) So he looked up the weather map and said best to go now. Finished in 30 minutes and the sky literally exploded down on me . Couldn't have been more perfect timing. Some things I had to do: modify how I did the renegade row moves due to the woods' floor being full of leaves and dirt. I did them against a picnic table instead. Same resistance and reps. Easy. For everything else just cleared a spot with the beauty of the woods around me. No people nearby and no noise. 

My favorite part are the drop downs on one leg to a chest pull because it requires great balance and strength. That I have achieved already through PiYo over the years so anything involving "balance" , I'm in! The one arm pulls are also difficult but I see compared to last year, I'm doing much better and started "out" with 10lbs whereas before I had to start with say 5 or 8. That's wild. I'm definitely way cut up more out of the gate. 

This morning my personal development was shared by Joel Osteen regarding an analogy from flight school: The 4 principles of flying an airplane...

1. Lift (people who brighten you; cheer you)

2. Drag (those people in your life who always got a sad song, expect you to cheer them up, carry their load)

3. Weight (these folks, they pull you down; you feel discouraged after being with them; energy suckers)

4, Thrust (those in your life who inspire you; push you)

In his words, you have to say to yourself, I love them; I'll pray for them, But I cannot get to where I'm going with them in my life. I don't want to hurt feelings, but I cannot fulfill my destiny with that weight on me month after month. My assignment is too important. My time is too valuable to continually let people pull me down. You can't go into a negative environment in neutral. You've got to be fueled up. If you're not on the offensive , the weights, the drags will pull you down...Take responsibility for your own issues. Don't let them sour your life... (Ch. 3 You Can, You Will)

~Jedi 

Day 4 Lower Fix Extreme

Was just sharing live in my client group that this week has been rough for me. I'm actually feeling grateful that I even recommitted to another program because I suspect with just continuing an old one, I just might have lost my momentum. I talk to a lot people who say they couldn't do what I do. Or that they're too busy with family. But the truth is my life is nutty. I have a family and they make it just insanely busy this week --with a bunch of little things with some members getting me down at times and end of the school year games, parties, recitals... Then it's that my daughter is leaving for Russia in ten days and all the prep for that. I could curl up a times and let my workout slide or not eat well. I could sink into being very sad. But I don't. I don't because as I told my group,   I'm brought back to earth, grounded by that kite string.  I'll never be left to flap in the wind. Just as you reel that thin string in for a kite, the person holding that end is grounded. Right? That's how I feel when things get crazY. When the stress is piling up. I can still be reeled back in. So, without being clobbered ok? Consider that perhaps you are just using your family as an excuse , and heck, I know because I did. I found it easier to just sink into them and ignore all the things that I needed to work on me. It was hard as hell today to get this workout done . As soon as I was about to, my husband had another idea for what he wanted ... Something to do with coffee and sweets... So I stood my ground and explained I needed to get my workout in NOW, not later , or I wouldn't be in a good state of mind - wouldn't be much use to talk to, and certainly wouldn't have any energy to give him the attention he needed. That's what I'm talking about: setting some boundaries in a healthy way. They might not always like your answer, but they'll respect the intention. 

Also I did kill it on the squat lunges! Way better than last year when I did this. I'm feeling and seeing the results of my muscle build over the winter-- major solid and it's helping me get through these sessions . Feel like the 30 min is blowing by fast! And I like that! 

Day 2 Upper Fix

My husband's work schedule has been erratic, and the end of the year activities for my daughters including softball, ballet, jazz, exams, theater, trips, that and seasonal paperwork for insurance renewals and so forth, have just made it such a day that I found myself up late lately - way later than I like. And I'll admit I haven't been to my 5:00am ritual except for one morning over Labor Day weekend. I'm sticking to my self-reflection and meditation really well though and tend to do that at about 6:30 and hold the exercising for later. But I'm not really happy with being off my track. But at least I'm getting it done. It's so beautiful outside now in June. Reminds me of how I did this last year. It's a stressful time for the kids, but soon to be the start of a fantastic summer for us adults and them! 

It's Day 2 for me. My back had some tension and I always laugh at how easily I can fall to to the old pattern of thinking 'not moving' will help when for me, as soon as I engage other muscle groups and get stretched and moving, my lower back heals. That's right: not worse. But better. I used to live at the chiropractor and be using a heating pad and ice (on and off at night), or I was known for carrying a tennis ball in the car or in my nightstand because I'd be in so much pain and trying to release the spasm. Amazing that I barely have any hint of it now. I don't even know where we put the herbal heating pack. 😂It's packed away from the move from NYC. 

Many of the issues we deal with physically CAN be helped just by getting your s---t together in the kitchen and in your exercise (or lack thereof). I'm not gonna say it'll cure all of it. But it comes pretty close! 

An hour ago I was crooked a bit from the muscles being so tight and spent an hour stretching. Post workout? I'm great! 

What I find the hardest about the Countdown to Competition Eating plan I think is the carb cycling days where I have to eat every two hours with 6 servings of protein a day and only 1 carb. Ha ha! Those are a pain. Today's workout required holding a sumo squat with a bicep curl. Those are difficult. Not the bicep part, but the squat. Dolphins though are fun and great for your shoulders. I killed those. 

Get moving! ~Jedi

Day 1 June 21 Day Fix Extreme

So it's Day 1. Exactly this time last year I committed to what we call countdown to competition eating and I did this workout for the first time with a friend and one of my coaches who I was training. The nostalgia for me is that we are both still here one year later! It hasn't been without its challenges. We still text each other every day and as moms, talk each other off a ledge now and again haha. We worry and wonder how we will hold it together for our kids... 

But as I started today the thought I had is that it's ok to be scared. Even as I picked up the weights and pushed play and the familiar X Plyo squats came into view, as I asked myself "You're at this again? Are you sure?" Haha! Then I answered: "Yea I'm here and one year older and actually doing way better physically than last year." I'm way more solid and strong and while it'll be nice to slim down again (you get a different 'look' from this program than say Hammer & Chisel), I'm aiming to Perform better though I'm older!

When others fell away, I was in the race for the long haul. In essence that's what I am - the long distance runner. 

So I did it, and it wasn't so bad! It came back to me. I like that there are 'rounds' and only 30 seconds between each move, a little chance to recover...

See you tomorrow!