Running

Hello, my name is Heather, and I like running. 

Okay, that was weird. I honestly never thought that statement would ever come out of my mouth!


I have dreadful memories of being forced to run a mile in P.E. every year starting in middle school all the way through high school. (The Presidents Challenge, remember that?) Each time there were the select few, athletes, usually boys (like my husband!), that would clock in a six-point-something minute mile. Then there were those that gave it an honest effort, coming in below ten minutes or so. And lastly, there were people like me. These were mostly girls. You could spot them either complaining very loudly, gripping their cramped sides, or with arms extended over their heads gasping for air. Really, as I got older, I just used this time for social purposes, in trade for sweating off any makeup that may have graced my face. I was a fifteen-minute-mile kinda girl. My P.E. teacher would huff and puff, getting visibly irritated with girls like me, as she took her job very seriously! But nobody was going to make me run, not even the President. 


Fast forward.... Even up until this Spring, none of my friends could make me do it either. I've been asked a gazillion times to do those "Couch to 5K" group runs, ask any of them, and they'll confirm it. My infamous quote is "I'd rather starve myself than run". Well, not anymore. I still have a lot to learn, but I have the rest of my life to figure it all out.


And if I could go back and tell my teenage self one thing, it would be, "you can do it!" Never underestimate what you're capable of. Dream big, set your goals high, and put your mind to accomplishing them. I'm learning that anything is possible. Who knew? I like running!

Oh, and speaking of The President's Challenge, I was the "sit and reach" champion of my high school for both my Junior and Senior year. ;)

Patience pays off

I'll admit it, I'm not usually a very patient person. It's one of those character traits that I wish came naturally to me. When I was a teenager (and a new Christian), I once heard someone I would consider my mentor say, "don't ever pray for patience", then she went on to explain her reasoning behind it. As if God were going to dump a mountain of stress on me to test my patience limits, and then as a result of this, my patients would somehow grow. My opinion of that theory is different, but the one thing we all need to agree on is that we need to have patience in our fitness journey. And that can be really difficult.

Last week I had a major breakthrough. For eight whole weeks, my scale would not go below a certain number. It would fluctuate up and down, about four pounds, but never getting below the "sticking point". Eight weeks is a lot of time to wait for progress - that's two months! Especially when I was still in the gym four nights a week, working out for at least two solid hours each night. I never got to the point where I wanted to "throw in the towel", but it sure was frustrating. I tried flip-flopping my cardio and resistance training, I added in new or different exercises, I switched the days in which I focused on different body parts, but nothing seemed to be helping. But I kept at it.

Six months of working out regularly has formed a major habit. A habit that I could only dream about for the last ten years. I've always wanted this for myself, but never made the time for it. There were always excuses. And some good reasons too, but I never made this "me time" a priority. I was really good at quitting too, when it got tough, I would give up. Now, I never give up. I'm determined to set my goals high and accomplish them. (This is probably why my rotator cuff has tendonitis - I'm determined to do an unassisted pull up! I have tried, and tried, and tried... I'm not sure why that is so hard for me, but I will do it. Soon.)

Fast forward to last Monday. I was up four pounds from my "sticking point". I came off a weekend of not watching what I ate as carefully as I should, and it was time for "T.O.M." to visit. So starting the week, my mindset was "this is the week". Meaning, this is the week that I'm determined to breakthrough that number on the scale. I decided to strip my diet down to 1200 calories a day, to work harder, run faster, lift more, and go until I couldn't go anymore. I also acquired a new workout buddy to join me a couple times a week! I've always enjoyed working out alone, but there is something to be said about working side-by-side with a friend; encouraging each other, and strengthening our friendship. (Thanks for joining me, B!) We both have like goals and mindsets. We both refuse to give up. We'll both try anything. And I think she'll agree with me that we both refuse to weigh each other down. And the best part of course, we laugh a lot and have fun!

By Friday of last week, not only did I go below that "sticking point" on my scale, I went two and a half pounds below it! This is a huge success for me, and just proves to me that I can do whatever I set my mind to.

There is a new fire inside of me that burns hotter and brighter than it did before. And I'm so glad it's Monday because it's a new week in the gym. A new week for more progress. This journey does require patience, and if you are patient and keep up your efforts, you will be rewarded.

And to you... Keep going, you can do it! <3 Heather

And by the way, this breakthrough has me down 25 pounds total since January!! :)

Getting back on track, after falling off.

Staying focused can be difficult. This month I had one of those weeks where I took my eye off the prize. My diet was not where it should have been, and I had a battle with sugar, and sugar won. Temporarily. There is one week out of every month that used to completely derail my efforts, and if you're a woman, you know what I mean. Cravings would seem like they were out of my control, and before this year started, I usually gave in. Some months seem to pass on by now without a hiccup, but this month sure had me guessing where my appetite was coming from. And the worst part was I was craving foods that I know will not help me reach my goals. This photo is a good depiction of how that week went: 

So what did I do? Well, for starters, I avoided the scale for a few days. (I don't recommend this.) I actually put it out of sight. I knew it was going to be brutally honest with me, and confirm the reality of my poor choices. I embraced the "whoa is me" attitude for a couple of days (secretly, of course), and then after those few days were over, I pulled out the scale. Let's just say I was shocked. In about 2 weeks time, I had managed to put on eight pounds. I'm sure "Aunt Flo", and the inevitable bloating had some to do with it, but sodium was definitely not my friend either. Nor was the pizza, hot dogs, cookies, frappachino... oy, that's embarrassing. Anyway, I will endure this public mini-humiliation in an effort to help you! 

Here it is one week after getting on that scale and I'm back at my "pre-destruction" weight. I didn't skip a workout during those "dark days" either, which kept my gym routine safe and sound, but I've mentioned it before, you cannot eat junk and correct it with exercise. I knew my weight gain would be temporary, but this is the time that many people throw in the towel. My last post I talked about failure, and I'll admit, I had to take my own advice!

Failure.

Failure is the reason why so many people give up. Failure is not something that people aim to do, but it's something that happens to everyone. What you choose to do with your failure will define the outcome of your circumstances.

Yesterday (Monday), I decided I was going to strip down my diet again and closely monitor everything I was putting into my body. I won't bore you with the details, but one thing I didn't do was plan ahead. You can only imagine how hard it was to eat clean and turn my back on carbs when I hadn't gone to the market to buy fresh produce, chicken, or fish. I made do with what I had through lunch, but after opening the refrigerator door time and time again, new food did not magically appear in time for dinner. (I know I'm not alone with that thought!) So, when it came time to eat - completely rushed before a ball game - I ended up eating a PB&J. Translated: saturated fat, carbs, sugar.... FAIL! But did I thrown in the towel? Nope, I still went to the gym after the game and had a great workout. Knowing that PB&J passed through my lips may have kept me on the stairmaster a little longer, but contrary to what many believe, you technically can't work off the 'junk' you eat in the gym. Calories yes, bad nutrition, no. (Another topic for another time...)

Losing weight, making better choices for your health, and deciding to do something to work towards your goals all take work. Actually, hard work and dedication, right? ;-)  So just know there are going to be times when you fail. Expect failure. But don't hesitate for a moment while you're down. Get right back up and start again. If you eat a lousy breakfast, don't consider the rest of your day a waste, pick up right where you are and make healthy choices for the rest of your day!

My great concern is not whether you have failed, 

but whether you are content with your failure.

Abraham Lincoln

Hard work and dedication

After my first baby turned one year old, I remember a conversation I had with a family member. I wanted so badly to lose weight, but I didn't want it badly enough to do something about it. I specifically remember the words that came out of my mouth when asked why I just didn't do something about it. I said "Because it takes hard work and dedication, and I don't want to do that." Wow. What a powerful statement. One that I remember ten years later. But it was true! I wanted my pre-pregnancy body back, but I wasn't willing to put forth the work to do it. I wanted the easy way out. I knew it would be hard, so I did nothing about it. Well, except complain. At 20 years old I was at about 40 pounds overweight.

How many people actually want something in life, but are afraid of the work that it will take to make it happen? This fear doesn't just happen when it comes to weight loss. I would dare to say that many Americans actually waste their entire lives working jobs that pay the bills, but they aren't careers that they would choose for themselves if given a choice. If you have a dream, a goal, a passion, but ignore it, what's the use? I understand that "life" gets in the way for most people. It's hard to squeeze time out of our busy schedule to get to the gym. It's oftentimes out of the budget to go continue our education or get a degree in what we really want to do with our life. I understand, believe me. But it's not impossible. Some dreams get put on hold until your children graduate and are old enough to move out on their own, and others because timing or finances are not right. But don't let your dreams die because of fear. Don't fear hard work and dedication.

Ask yourself:

• What do you want for yourself?
• What are your goals?
• What is standing in your way to reach for them?

Discovering what I want

It's been in the back of my mind since I was young. I don't know what sparked the idea, but as a preteen, I wanted to become a bodybuilder. And each time I said it out loud, there was always someone there who thought it was silly. I remember high school gym class being able to bench press more than some of those scrawny guys! I have always had my eyes wide open to my own physical appearance, and admittedly, I've never given myself the chance to shine.

Last year I turned thirty. After the initial shock of not knowing how time escaped so quickly from my grasp, I started thinking about how unhappy I was with myself. Not in the way of my character, as I've done a lot of growing up both emotionally and spiritually, but more specifically in my body. I've had all these dreams of becoming lean and fit, but have never had the drive to make these dreams a reality. After 3 pregnancies, all of which I gained far too much weight, I thought my body was forever stretched out and ruined. That is until now. I don't care what others think, and I certainly will not be turned away by negativity and opposing opinions. I have to push past what my mind has led me to believe. If I don't try I will always have regret. There is no better time than now.

I plan to use this blog more to document personal growth and development, but I'd also like to hope that someone out there will benefit from it as well. I'm not a professional by any sense of the word when it comes to fitness or nutrition. I'm just a real mom and housewife on a journey to prove my self-doubt wrong.

My journey started 'for real' four months ago, with a New Year's Resolution that I was determined to finally go through with. I've gone from the over-weight chick that needed a swift-kick out the door to go to the gym, to the chick you can count on seeing at the gym every night. I love it, and I love where I am right now.