Day 55 Mind Games

Only 5 days left to go! Wobbled through this morning, but here's how if you're not careful, your mind can play games with you. I could easily focus on the fact I failed the isometric push-ups, when I've done them just fine so many times before. But instead I'm gonna keep in mind how when I started this program I was using what Regina now terms 'the baby weights' - 'her weights' and I've moved on to 15s and 20s. I built a tush. You don't "shape" one, you build it with patience, lifting, and lots of eating 😂. I'd rather wobble here, then find parts of me shaking around. 

So much of this 'is' a mind game. When I look back to 2014, challenges that I thought were crazy, don't seem that way anymore . Food that I thought I couldn't have. Moves I thought I couldn't do. People I thought wouldn't talk to me. Relationships that seemed so important at the time. Projects that had these deadlines that I thought were reasonable lol. Mistakes that I thought would cost me dearly. I told myself I'd be somewhere in 1 month, then 3, then 6, then a year. And I've seen that whenever I got there, it was due to what I did. Not bulldozing through life, not crushing people, not burying myself, but just by simply sticking to the little things. If I can get through just 4 minutes more of this test, I can say I survived. If I can survive the embarrassment, I can learn to refine for next time. If I can suffer a little today, maybe give up something that means putting someone else forward, I can get something in return later. I can see the mark I have left. The change for them. It's the same with yourself. Tiny gains become a prideful masterpiece. The cool thing is: time is in your favor. 

Day 54, Master's But Not Feeling At All Masterful

Day 54-

Did this routine called Master's Cardio. But keep in mind, I survived Shaun T's Insanity, so this should honestly be an ace in the hole. Right? The whole workout is one the shortest: 17 minutes 

Yet, what happened? 

Poor decisions last night is what happened. I miscalculated and planned wrong. Went over on some sugars (bread) and my vegetables count was totally inadequate. Water intake? Ridiculously low. I don't even think I came close to covering half of what I should have been eating either. So this is why when people say to me "I have no energy, I always respond with 'show me the food.' It doesn't matter that I used to do one-arm burpees with Shaun. I could barely get through this one of 16 minutes. 

But it proves the point. Everytime I follow the container colors precisely and get my crap together including a decent night's sleep, which I did not have, the workouts are seamless. I feel like I could do double that. So some of it is a mind game, yes. But it's so much about chemistry as well. I am also finding that balancing on one side comes easier - the right I believe . Again I was in a runner's balance move and wobbling around like that dippy bird. 

Day 53 Monday Balance

Today was Chisel Balance, not one of my favorite workouts. I do not like the pistol squats with weights because I'm wobbly on the one side more than the other. Whenever I feel off balance unfortunately I always think like I'm having the beginning of some debilitating symptom. I know that is completely silly and ungrounded. It's all emotional. But when you have lived and cared for someone with a deteriorating illness, then it's just how you think. You wonder 'oh was that how it started with her?' and so forth. 

So I hate those balance type of swinging pendulum moves. I feel like that glass bird my Grandfather gave me that used to "dip" into a cup, haha. Crazy what you remember. 

I struggled this morning because I went to sleep too late. I normally like to be in bed by 10:00pm, but I was awake until 1:00am. Way too late! I pushed through all the 40 min. I think this is one of the longest. Of course I 'prefer' the 30 min ones. 

The school had a delayed opening which throws me off for a different reason now than it did say a year ago when I was still working full time. Delayed opening meant everything getting thrown off on my office routine because I'd be late, then I'd have to figure out which one of us (my husband or I ) would have to "compromise" our work schedule to see who could get both our girls to school (in two different buildings about 3 blocks apart)

Well, today I just took the extra hour and got up at 6:00am to work and get this in. 

I cannot even express here how comforting the 'morning routine' is for me . When I was coaching part time and working full time I used to have all kinds of excuses as to why I couldn't get shit done. Well, now I know! Because I wasn't getting up early. But that's the funny thing about counseling others in nutrition and exercise . Once I can just get a person to trust the process that 'if' the nutrition can get fixed first , slowly but surely your system will be more energized. Once THAT takes place, and you take the one-time scary step of waking up early one time, to workout for example and get some personal development in, even 10 minutes, it's addicting. You will never go back to working out at night . But I get you. You find it hard to trust because it involves going into the unknown. The 'known' is easier. 

This whole week I tried it, I think 3 times, and my goodness, these night workouts, sucked! How can you wait until the whole day is over to try to force it out? Well. I know the answer. When you start as a working parent, you may have to, only because your nutrition doesn't kick in until about 10 days into my programs . Then you feel the fog lifting and suddenly the 'impossible' just doesn't look so much like it used to. 

Be careful today Monday Mayhem peeps. Make it a day where you reflect on what you really miss. What you really forgot to dream about . ~Jedi 

Day 52 Jedi

Again, not the early morning I had hoped for, but i did get my session in before noon. I think this workout Hammer Power, with the dead lifts and clean and jerk are among my favorites . I really feel so strong. I guess I'm amazed how lifting and pushing to try a little more weight can get you sweating! I used to think cardio was the only way, but that is so false, as I'm finding out .

 So comparing early morning workouts to afternoon, the former is still better because I like setting the tone. I like getting my coaching personal development done right after my session, and I like the stillness of the house (well as still as it can get with a drooling 90 lb lab breathing down your neck for love and kisses.) 

Conversely though having my daughters watching me workout and sometimes joining in (afternoon exercise) is nice. Obviously at 5:00am they are typically stil asleep. 

I was really taken today with the lightness of a 15 lb weight in my hand 'after' I hold a 20 lber. I thought to myself 'there was a time when you could barely lift a 10! ' 

I'm feeling proud. 

Do you know every day when I workout I thank god that I am healthy and I promise to be careful of my moves, respect myself and I think 'pay attention to what you're doing'? 

You owe it to everyone to be careful. I don't get sloppy . If something doesn't feel right, or I'm getting tired, I'll listen to my body. It doesn't mean I won't push to get better or lift more. I will. But I'm aware of the fragility of life, and so I take each minute carefully and not mindlessly. Hope that makes sense? 

Be well y'all! 

Jedi 

Day 51 Jedi

Jedis here I am, better late than never! Feel like I'm back to the days of being a new mom or something! Oy! As in being up all night. But reality is my little one was restless. 

So today was Day 51 of my program, and as you know, I'm not wet behind the ears when it comes to home workouts. I've completed a handful and can handle a lot. But lately they have been drudgery. 

This morning I felt stronger. Why? You might ask. Nutrition. Plain and simple. I was back on my game since Monday despite the rest of the household being out of sync, it's true. Whenever my food is sugar-laiden or categories missing, I'm dying in my workouts. 

So as I did Total Body Chisel today, I felt the most challenging were the step down, cross-back moves which as a tall person are funny! With my stepping up on my "bench" (which by the way is literally a piano bench in my home), I almost touch the ceiling. 😂 These moves, I wish I could do in one clean stroke, but I'm struggling at the top, pushing up to the top of the bench. Once I touch back to the floor, I'm ok. I have to stop and pause the DVD player or streaming in my laptop, so I can do the 10 at my own pace, wobbling with a little extra "shove" at the top, to hoist my hip up and get my tush down. I look funny as hell. 

The lunges and flys were no problem. I was actually quite proud of myself to upping my ability to 20 lbs on most moves except for upper body (presses I switched between 15 and 20, not too shabby). I am out of the Performance Line Recharge and my body is really needing that healing overnight. Hoping it arrives shortly, so I'm not so stiff and sore in the morning. 

This whole week has been really rough with my middle daughter being sick. She didn't go to school for 4 days, and I found myself not being able to do my usual 5:00am. My personal development and my professional power hours for coaching work were started much later, which just becomes harder for me. Let me go on record saying "Yuck! Evening workouts stink!" Just no way I'll ever switch. I love being an early riser. Funny how we can change. Looking back I don't know how I did it. 

When plans go awry!

I have to keep telling myself that it's necessary to follow the river. Bend as it bends. Just know that rigidity won't work in this like of business. My daughter was sick today and so everything was thrown off. My workout got done late; my cooking and meal prep was delayed and a bit sloppy. 

I think one of the coolest things that came out of today was the fact I formed a new team with some coaches I have not worked with before. It was simply for a fun, internal competition. I thought to myself it might be really rewarding to be with new people, and I was inspired by their excitement. 

Then I got a little juju with a surprise enrollment for a trip to the Dominican Republic, with a colleague in my organization - something I'm very much looking forward to. I was fairly certain the trip was not gonna happen - be sold out. 

A wonderful message from a client of mine came next, sharing with me how she lost 9 lbs in one week using her new plan. I always get the most excited when someone who is NOT a newcomer decides to try again and makes major progress. It's wonderful to see! 

But I think the highlight of the evening was getting in touch again with the reason I started this whole journey. It happened by accident - I was just texting with a friend about why I do this. He said something to the effect of he can see my 'reason' and why it's so real. I appreciated those words. And it made me reflect on the bottom line of my work as a coach: 

"...And I met all these great clients. People from all over the country .... Nice .. Really great people, when you see them change it's like a ripple effect. Their families get better ... And so forth...My parents taught me you have to do those things for people ... Make a difference. That's why I do it. I want to see people be the best they can be.  Live 'in motion' .. Be in motion and just enjoy what is left of their life ... If I can 'extend ' their lives even by a few years and make it good for them, then it will have been worth while..." 

Somehow in chatting with my friend, I had a good reminder of why it matters. 

~Jedi

Allergies and Life

For those of you who follow me on Facebook you know I took my daughter to the allergist today. Like me she is growing up with allergies. Not the asthma thank goodness, but she's similar in that she's got mold, dust. She also has dust mites and birch trees and mild milk and dog allergies. Not so great given we have a dog! 

It's hard seeing your kid go thorough this. She has flare ups of her eczema and it pains me to see her scratching . Then she's dealing with the onset of a mild stutter. Sigh. Sometimes you just can't outrun family history. 

I grew up with asthma, allergies to pollen, dust, mold and tree nuts. Fortunately I overcame the tree nut allergy, dust and pollen we hit with allergy shot treatments in elementary, but mold is still my enemy. 

I remember my Mom putting me in the shower to allow the steam to open my lungs, holding my hands up above my head as my doctor taught me, to help with air flow, carrying my inhaler in gym class, and Theodore 300 that she would crack in half. 

Then the joys of allergy shots every week. The doctor let my mom administer them herself since she had been a lab tech in a hospital. I hated Wednesdays for this reason; the humiliation of your own mother giving you a shot. It added to my list of f***-up-ed-ness. Freaky tall, stutter, allergies, asthma, skin scars from growing too fast. You know what I'm talking about -- the little things. 

My goal this time around is to model life a little different for her. To help her see that burdens and obstacles don't have to define you. I have to do more than just say 'oh stop scratching.' I have to get her to see she can be strong and learn to take punches as they come with rationaility- to know she is more than just her outside skin. Her being is what is so beautiful. At least I am relieved to know we have a remedy on the horizon and we know what to look out for specifically now. Still as a Mom I want to wrap her up in my arms and tell her all will be ok. And you know what? It will . 

~Jedi