Sweat Daily

Sweat Daily

Those negative, downgrading, nonproductive, thoughts have been creeping back into my mind lately.  Those ones that when you look in the mirror instead of seeing a strong, loving, fun and caring wife and mother, they cause you to see a tired, fluffy, weak woman.  It is such an easy trap to fall into and can be such a hard one to get out of.

And then as he always does, in the moments you need it the most, God gives you a day like today.  A “Top 10” day, the sun was out, there was a cool breeze, and the air was warm but not too hot.  He gives you the courage to enjoy the day by going for a run.  Something you haven’t done for a while and maybe haven’t even done this year, but the weather is far too perfect to pass up this opportunity.  You think to yourself if the weather were like this year round, I might actually be a runner.

You set out with low intentions because of those thoughts that have been swirling around in your head. Turning on the music, you head up to the almost finished highway that is still closed for construction and hit Start on your running app.  The road is flat, the path is smooth, and you continue putting one foot in front of the other.

Soon you find yourself in a rhythm, your mind drifts off and you get lost in the music.  Every so often you get an update on your app about your distance and pace, with each one you become slightly more impressed with yourself.  While you know you won’t be setting any records, you slowly feel your mind shift.

Your focus shifts from the extra fluff you feel you have around your middle, to the power of your legs as they carry you down the highway, the strength of your lungs as your breathing steadies, and the rhythm your feet fall into as they make contact with the ground.

You are passed by some bikers who after exchanging hellos, make a comment about the amazing weather.  You think to yourself just keep following those bikers, you might just catch them.  After another progress update from your app, you look up and are pleasantly surprised that you in fact caught up to the bikers.  As you pass them taking a break, you are greeted with a “slow down, you are making me look bad” which causes you to laugh and smile as you continue on your way.

You suddenly hear the update that you have been running for 3 kilometers, you decide at the next construction sign you will turn around and head back towards home.  On the way back you find yourself smiling, you had no goal in mind when you started out but you do now, at least a 5K.  You think back to when you first started running and that you had to train daily to work up to running a 5K and here you are out for a Sunday jog, going to do that with no problems.

Without the breeze in your face, the sun feels a little warmer butnonetheless you keep going.  Watching the road a few feet in front of you as you make your way, glancing up and looking around at the sights every so often.  Eventually the update you have been going for, “distance 5.0 kilometers”, and instead of stopping you pick up your pace.  What is there to lose at this point?  You have exceeded all expectations you had set for yourself.

You begin to feel yourself growing tired as you reach the turn off the highway and you decide to end your run there.  As you pause your running app, you see 5.82 kilometers and you could easily get lost in the fact you only had 1.8 more to go to get to 6, but instead you see a number that is further than 5 and you tilt your head up towards the sky and say “Thank You”.

 

The thing about life is, you can accomplish more than you ever imagine you would, if you show up consistently every day.  Whether it is your fitness, in your marriage, as a parent, or for your career if you put in the work over time you will see the benefits of that hard work.  You are guaranteed to have ups and downs along the way and might not realize how far you have come, and then God gives you a day like today. A Top 10 Day and a little nudge to go for that run.

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Sweat Daily

Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail….

While it may not be rocket science, it is often easier said than done sometimes.  Last week I failed to plan and ending up failing.  For a long time I have tried to prove that I could choose to make healthy choices for meals as I get hungry during the week.  At times it may have worked, this last week proved otherwise.

Without having a plan and preparing ahead of time it became too easy to grab the unhealthy choice like cookies, frozen yogurt, the drive thru, etc.  Last week won’t be repeated again this week.  You have heard it before I am sure, meal planning and preparation is so important.  By spending a few hours on Sunday getting things in order, I will be freed up during the week, not feeling rushed, as busy or as tempted.21 Day Fix Meal Prep

Here is what my Sunday included:

1) Pulling out our schedule and recipe books to choose meals for the week.  I look at what we have going on and plan around our schedule.  Coordinating recipes that have similar ingredients for the week or require similar preparation can be helpful on your budget and save on prep time.

This week, I chose Spaghetti and Chicken Stuffed Peppers as two of the meals because the same sauce is used in both recipes and it can be prepared ahead of time.  I write out my meals for the week including breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner.

2) Preparing the grocery list and going shopping.  Taking an inventory of what you already have and want is necessary after you’ve decided on meals for the week. Often times new recipes require items that you may not have in stock, but by repeating those recipes again you won’t need to purchase as much as the first time. Don’t forget to factor snacks into your inventory, making sure to think about snacks for both your husband and kids, if they differ from your snacks.

3) Deciding what items could be made ahead of time. The concept of cook once, eat twice is a great time and resource saver! This week I chose to cook some chicken in the crockpot, steam veggies, mix up a salad, and cut up veggie snacks making lunches and snacks ready to grab and go. Once the chicken was done, I added Greek yogurt and avocado to make chicken salad for my lunches throughout the week. The spaghetti sauce for the recipes I mentioned above needed to simmer for a few hours, so I chose to make that as well. That way, it will just need warmed up, which can happen as I brown the hamburger and cook the noodles.

By doing these somewhat simple steps ahead of time, I already feel so much more successful than I was last week. Now if I get hungry, I have a ton of healthy options ready at my finger tips.  Whatever your goals may be (career, fitness, relationships, nutrition, personal development, etc), I encourage you to spend time up front planning and preparing otherwise you may find that instead you have planned to fail.

Sweat Daily

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start”

About 4 years ago, I decided it was time to change something about my lack of exercise.  Running was were I started, and it started off slow.  Prior to that, the last time I ran a mile without stopping was probably sometime in middle school, if ever.  I found a race to get started, a coach who put together a training plan, and a running partner. All the necessities to be held accountable.IMG_3322

The race was a cancer fundraiser on Father’s Day that consisted of a 5k, 3×1 5k relay, and a kids run.  The event was a perfect opportunity, at the time 3.2 miles (5k) seemed so far, I wasn’t ready for that.  Why not split that distance between three people!  I got a team together: my husband, his sister and myself with their Dad as our “coach”.  Jena, my sister-in-law, was a runner and on a college cross country and track team.  I relied on her to put together my training plan, how many times a week, what type of workout, how far, how fast, etc. Who knew that if you are training for a race you don’t just go out and run that distance multiple times a week!  There were sprint workouts at the track, faster shorter runs and slower longer runs.

A plan without action is not worth much. My running partner, a.k.a. my husband, ran sprint races in high school so he was used to training. He just doesn’t enjoy running longer distances so this race was perfect for him.  We followed the plan Jena put together for us, I paced him on the longer run days and he pushed me during the sprint workouts. Over time we grew stronger, and found that we could run further and faster.  My mile time got down to just above eight minutes!
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Race day came and we named ourselves “Rog’s Runners” since it was Father’s Day and all. Coach Rog determined our running order and gave us a speech.  Bo would start it off, handing it over to myself, and Jena would bring it home.  We lined up and there were about six teams total. We sized up our competition and thought we had a decent chance.  Bo started us off and got us in a good position, a few runners passed me while I was running, but Jena had no troubles passing a younger boy to get us the 1st place trophy!

Moral of the story is that it all started with a decision to try. Followed by setting a realistic goal, a plan on how to get there, and surrounding myself with a support system.  Since IMG_3329.JPGthis relay race I have run one other 5k (all 3.2 miles by myself) and the 10k Corporate Cup twice.

Don’t be afraid to start, you might just end up with a first place trophy for doing so!

Sweat Daily

What comes to mind when you hear “soulmate”? When someone talks about their soulmate, my first thought would be they are referring to a person.  Until about a year ago, I wouldn’t have thought a soulmate could describe anything else. Now I realize that is just simply not true.

To make sure we are on the same page about what a soulmate is, check out this really “official” definition from Urban Dictionary:

soulmate

A person with whom you have an immediate connection the moment you meet — a connection so strong that you are drawn to them in a way you have never experienced before. As this connection develops over time, you experience a love so deep, strong and complex, that you begin to doubt that you have ever truly loved anyone prior. Your soulmate understands and connects with you in every way and on every level, which brings a sense of peace, calmness and happiness when you are around them. And when you are not around them, you are all that much more aware of the harshness of life, and how bonding with another person in this way is the most significant and satisfying thing you will experience in your lifetime. You are also all that much aware of the beauty in life, because you have been given a great gift and will always be thankful.

If I told you I had a soulmate workout program, would you believe me?  Change the context above from a person to a workout and this describes my feelings aboutWarrior Pose PiYo.  Prior to trying PiYo, I had never stuck to any sort of regular workout routine, was stressed, and aware of the harshness of life.  Enter PiYo into my life and I began to look forward to my daily workout and it connects with me in both mind and body.

Finding a soulmate workout is not that much different than finding your soulmate.  Sometimes it takes meeting multiple people (or in this case trying different workout styles) and the right situation for the relationship to click.  I often wonder if I had met my husband when we were both in high school instead of college if we would have ended up as soulmates.  Maybe there is more truth to this connection than I originally thought. Prior to meeting my husband, boyfriends didn’t last for more than two months. Prior to trying PiYo, workout routines didn’t last for more than a few months. Everyone is different –
some enjoy lots of cardio, others enjoy working out with weights, maybe Yoga is more your style.  I encourage you to keep trying to find your soulmate, don’t give up just because one or two relationships didn’t work out for you.

Sweat Daily

Believe it or not, an 18 month old can teach you quite a bit about yourself even without being able to communicate using recognizable words.  As I sit back to watch my son play or interact with my husband, I find myself wondering where did he learn that.  A few minutes go by, and I notice my husband doing that very same thing that I was wondering about.  It dawns on me, he gets it from us. We are setting the example whether we are ready or not.

Kids are little sponges that soak up knowledge of boundaries, rules, life skills, how t12631509_10153595847029272_1388023390324944207_no interact, coping skills etc. from those around them. Before becoming a Mama, I didn’t realize how much it would be up to me and those close to set the example. My husband and I find it humorous at times because there are particular traits or habits that when Dexter displays them we will say to each other, “Your Son”.  Meaning that trait is totally a “you” trait, he either learned or inherited that from you. Some of the “Your Son” traits make  you proud… others not so much.

Often times, as I pick him up from “Grandpa Daycare,” I see him with Grandpa and watch how things change when Grandma gets home from work. The phrase we use for this situation is #ThatsWhyGrandpa in reference to that is why he spends most his time with Grandpa instead of Grandma. Grandpa has a general set of guidelines that are understood by both parties. However, when Grandma shows up it is a free for all.

Knowing that you are responsible for setting the example can be scary and overwhelming.  Some days are tougher than others. Shortly after having Dexter, I realized how important it was for me to take time for myself and not forget who I am. Setting an example and taking care of myself became my motivation to push myself to get better, to be better.  Whether it was cleaning up my diet, managing my stress, becoming a better wife, exercising on a routine basis, I owe it to myself and in return am setting that positive example for Dexter.

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Not so patiently waiting to go down to our workout space.
Now I am starting to witness the impact of the positive changes we’ve have made. Whether it is Dexter standing at the fridge with his cracker waiting for me to get the hummus out for him or pushing his stool over so he can help prepare dinner, he enjoys the positive example we have set.

 

In the end this has paid off for me, Dexter now sets the example for me on the days that I am just not quite feeling it. Since our normal routine includes an evening workout, he will stand at the top of the stairs at our baby gate shaking it until we go down to get in that workout.  He is definitely “my son” on those nights!