tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45719132763720284362024-03-13T07:13:54.425-07:00My Next 50 Yearsa blog about mixed media art, healthy real food recipes, DDP yoga, brave girl's club, and more.Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.comBlogger168125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-6282207947419244212023-11-16T07:17:00.000-08:002023-11-16T07:17:14.670-08:00Aftermath and New Beginnings<p> It's literally been a lifetime since I did a blog post. Seriously. A lifetime. </p><p>On February 28, 2020, I survived a Sudden Cardiac Arrest. That means that my heart stopped. It. stopped. No beating, no activity, I died. Fortunately for me, I wasn't alone. I was in a restaurant, with my husband, ironically celebrating Happy Hour. Next to us, a retired Morgan Hill firefighter was also celebrating. He looked over and saw what was happening and started CPR. He saved my life. He saved my memories. He saved all of me. The restaurant could not find their AED. The Emergency Response team had to fight through Friday afternoon traffic in downtown Morgan Hill. Apparently, it was quite the scene. I don't know. I was unconscious.</p><p>But that's all in the past now. I'm thriving and living my best life. I have a fabulous job, fabulous husband, wonderful son, and life is good. :) I'll try to post more soon, but mostly need to post something because Blogger seems to think I'm not around. :D</p>Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-3309246378060221472018-04-02T11:13:00.000-07:002018-04-02T11:13:18.189-07:00Striving <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have started this blog post 3 times so far. I’m sitting
here on the struggle bus, surrounded by tons of baggage that I thought I had
left by the side of the road ages ago! I don’t know, it’s really weird, right?
You work through your issues, you feel like you’re at peace with things, and
suddenly, overnight, you can end up feeling like you’ve taken 1 step forward
and 2 steps back. Do you have times where you ride the struggle bus? Guess
what, me too. I think we often see others in a different light than we see
ourselves.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Often we are so wound up in our own journey that we don’t
even realize that the people who inspire us struggle as well. Everyone has
issues they are working through. Everyone. No matter who they are or what they
do. I guarantee you that this is true.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This year, 2018, I set my word of intention as STRIVE. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--hnwRu9zZIw/WsJyQQOlCXI/AAAAAAAAEfI/4JQQ9eBcLRYGrCf7K5Yp_L9uLh27zTnsQCEwYBhgL/s1600/strive.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="352" height="149" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--hnwRu9zZIw/WsJyQQOlCXI/AAAAAAAAEfI/4JQQ9eBcLRYGrCf7K5Yp_L9uLh27zTnsQCEwYBhgL/s320/strive.png" width="320" /></a>I thought this was a great word. Last year, I worked on me
all year. I fought hard to get my fitness and health journey under control. I
worked my tail off. I lost 43 pounds and kept going. I figured it out, I worked
out for 276 days of 365. That’s pretty impressive when you consider the fact
that I literally did not start doing any physical activity until March 23<sup>rd</sup>.
So, yea, I figured strive was a great word for this year, this second year of
my journey to better health.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s how it’s going. We are now starting the fourth month
of 2018. I haven’t lost a single pound. Am I disappointed? No. I’m not. I’m not
because I know that this year, I have done a crazy difficult exercise program
and have owned it, my way. I think just about everyone knows that I’m a
Beachbody Coach, at this point. In January of this year, I started a program
called 80 Day Obsession. Part of me wants to tell you that I had no business
even considering this program, because it’s an advanced program. But you know
what? A really BIG part of me wants to tell you that I went at this program
with my eyes open and I have done 68 days of this crazy program. SIXTY EIGHT
days of it are done. I’ll be honest, I’ve missed probably 6 workouts, but that’s
okay. You know what? No one is perfect. No one. Everyone has a life. Life happens.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I first started
the program, I was totally wound up and convinced that if I didn’t do every
single move in every single workout, I was a failure. Seriously. Here I was,
doing the most difficult program I’ve ever done and I was telling myself I was
a failure. I felt like I was a failure because I had to modify, I had to pause
the videos, I had to take a day off because my knees were so sore I couldn’t
hardly stand, let alone workout. As the days went on, the super trainer who
teaches the program actually came on and admitted that there were some editing
issues that shortened the breaks between moves. On that day, something inside
me changed. I realized that this was MY program and that I need to own it and
do it MY way. I also connected with a group of people on Facebook who were also
doing the program and needed modifications. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A lot of people think modifications are an indicator of
weakness, but you know what? I think modifications are an indicator of
strength. It takes strength and determination to look at what the person on a
video is doing, acknowledge that you can’t do it, and find an alternative. It
takes strength to be willing to take a chance on yourself and do a program that
is probably beyond you. It takes strength to keep going, keep doing it, when
you aren’t seeing any change on the scale. It really does. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This program has 3 phases. Each phase, the moves get
progressively more complicated and more difficult to do. I remember at the end
of Phase 1, I was talking to a friend and asked if I should just stay in Phase 1
because I was still modifying. She said no. Looking back, I think I should have
trusted myself. I think that if you modify, doing Phase 1 at least 2 times, all
the way through, probably makes sense. I also think that if you are looking to
lose weight, rather than looking to tone, after losing all of your weight, this
isn’t the program for you. Everyone’s mileage varies, but this program is about
flat abs and building a booty. It’s not about weight loss. While I have had
some wins, (I’m down 8.5 inches and 2% body fat), I’m up 3 pounds and that
makes my “strive” goal of losing 43 pounds again this year a bit more
challenging, but it’s okay. The “win” of having done this very difficult
program is pretty big. I’ll take it and move forward. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As the phases went on, there were some workouts that I just
could. Not. do. I replaced them with other workouts that I could do. I had a
couple of times where I just didn’t have a solid hour to workout. I picked
shorter workouts that I knew I could get done. Again, my journey, my rules.
Most recently, I did a Shaun T workout. When I started Beachbody, I started on
Shaun Week. Shaun Week was a series of 7 workouts, each progressively more
difficult (at least that’s how I saw it!). If you don’t know who Shaun T is,
let me tell you in just a few quick, sobering words. He created the Insanity
workouts. Enough said? Yep, I figured. So doing Shaun Week was no cakewalk. I
literally marched through a lot of it. And I lost weight and inches. As I
started to say, last week I did a Shaun Week workout. I did it probably 80%
unmodified! It was crazy! I took out the jumps but that was about it.
Seriously.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So now, my thoughts are that I will continue my journey,
owning it, doing my best. Continuing to workout 5-6 days a week, and maybe next
year, I’ll go back and do one of these workouts, after I lose more weight and
am closer to my goal and maybe I won’t have to modify much of it either! <o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s good to have goals. How about you? What are your goals?
How can I help? <span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Want me as your coach? Click
here: </span><a href="https://teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepid=1476772" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background: white; color: #888888; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">COACH
ME PLEASE</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-50287259953826616712018-02-17T06:51:00.002-08:002018-02-26T10:38:57.784-08:00Things I have learned about inflammation<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">With the difficulty factor of the workouts we are all doing, with the food choices we make, the lifestyle we lead, the lack of down time, we are all stretching the boundaries of what our bodies can handle. Little things can lead to big things if we don’t pay attention when our bodies throw up a white flag. It can be really hard to listen and change things up, but it can be really bad not to listen. (By the way, I am at Day 30 of 80 Day Obsession and still going strong!)</span></div>
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<li style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">Stay gluten (mostly wheat) and cow dairy free.</span></li>
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<li style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">Stretch. Stretch when I first wake up, stretch before I work out, and stretch after I finish. No shortcuts, and no rushing. </span></li>
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<li style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">Get enough sleep. If I don’t get enough sleep, lik 7 or more hours, I’m not giving my body time to heal.</span></li>
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<li style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">Workout regularly. I workout 6 days a week. Five is my absolute minimum, 6 is my optimal.</span></li>
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<li style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">Buy good shoes, with stability. (stability and motion control is best, but stability is usually ok.)</span></li>
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<li style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">Replace my shoes often. Did you know that your sneakers wear out within just a few months?? They can look gorgeous on top and be totally worn out. Who knew?</span></li>
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<li style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">Listen to my body. If I buy a pair of shoes, and after a few wearings, notice pain, I’ll stop wearing them, then test to be sure it’s the shoes and not a bad day. I have learned and stick to a few brands that love my feet and that I love. (Born, Algeria, New Balance, and recently, I’ve have good luck with Nike Air Pegasus 34).</span></li>
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<li style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">Modify. Short of muscle stretching, exercise should not hurt. If it does, you are either not doing something right, wearing the wrong shoes, or pushing harder than your body can handle. There are no medals awarded for whoever does the most macho exercise. Nobody is keeping track or taking notes on your workout. Except you. Modify that move and own it. If you are doing yoga, for instance, down dog, and haven’t been doing yoga for years and years and years, you should NOT be trying to work to get your heels flat. It takes YEARS for the instructor to be able to do that! If you are doing lunges and your knees are providing background sounds, love them by taking your lunge a little slower and not as deep. Trust me, you will still get the benefit. Do an alternative move if you have to, but don’t just keep going. Everything has a price. The down time to an injury brought on by overuse or pushing too hard can kill your momentum completely and sideline you from not just your workouts, but other parts of your life. It’s not worth it.</span></li>
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<li style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">This one will sound crazy, but for whatever reason, it seems to help. Eat 2 Brazil nuts a day. Brazil nuts are apparently awesome for inflammation who knew? I also have researched and found that the group of vegetables and fruits called “nightshades” cause inflammation. Tomatoes, eggplant, white potatoes (not sweet potatoes), just to make a few. </span></li>
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<li style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">Ice is your friend. The last thing Dallas told me at the retreat was ice your knees after every single workout. I am horrible at icing. He knows that. He also knows how beneficial it is. Dallas is a wrestling Hall of Famer with 3 World titles. He knows pain. He was over 35 when he got his titles, and one of his favorite stories is the other guys making fun of him for taking ice baths. Many of those guys are now doing DDPYOGA with Dallas to heal their bodies. Hmmmmm.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">I have been athletic for my entire life. At 2 I was dancing tap, ballet, and jazz. At 9 I started figure skating. At 12, I gave up dance and started swimming competitively. In high school, I swam, did track, p,ayes badminton, volleyball, and I can’t even remember what else. In my 20s, I took up cycling and dabbled in that. I also water skied, snow skied, and figure skated. Oh and jazzercise. Years of jazzercise. In my 30s, motherhood, and my first instance of inflammation, bursitis in my hip from carrying a too heavy little boy too much. Healed that up, more jazzercise, more gym work, in-line skating, ice skating, swimming, etc. you get the idea. I’m no newbie when it comes to moving your body! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">For a second, I wanted to say I’m no newbie to injuries too, but you know, up until the bursitis, I never had a single injury, other than blisters from ballet dancing on point! I was a dynamo. Unstoppable. I am built pretty sturdily, and have always been able to just heal up that blister and move on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">All that changed after a few years of sedentary life, desk work, and a lack of understanding and believing in invincibility (and a pair of boots with too high heels....) in my mid 40s, I started having this pain under my heel. It was like it was numb, except when it wasn’t numb and hurt to put any pressure on. It was mostly in the morning, but it could last all day! I thought I just needed better shoes. I tried that, it didn’t work. I went to a podiatrist, one of the best, and got fitted for orthotics. That helped a little, but still not enough to get me moving like I always had. By my early 50s, I was reduced to sitting on an exercise bike and believing it was all I could do. </span></div>
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<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">Then one day, I learned about DDPYOGA. I started doing it, and the heel pain diminished. Not all the way, but it was better. I realized that the stretching movements of yoga were helping, so I stretched more. The pain changed at this point. It moved to the back of my ankle. This scared me. I went in and they told me I had Achilles tendinitis. I worked with a physical therapist for months on it, using bands and tubes and doing all kinds of things, none of which really worked. X-rays showed it was “just inflamed”. Nothing ripped, so deal with the inflammation with pills. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">If you know me at all, you know I’m not a fan of pills. I believe pills are typically a bandaid and can lead to more problems, because we take them, they mask the pain, and we go be to invincible mode! I had a lot of conversations with my chiropractor, the amazing Dr. Grace Basista, and we worked and worked on that heel. She eventually used a cold laser on it, from my arch to the top edge of my heel, and the pain was just about gone. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">In 2015, about 3 months after the laser treatment, I went to the DDPYOGA retreat in Cancun, Mexico. I was determined and excited, having had this planned for 2 years! When I checked in, I realized that my room, though beautiful, was at the far end of the resort, at the very bottom of the hill the place is built on. Inside I was freaking out, but I decided it was what it was and I would call for a golf cart as often as I needed to. I was there for fun! On the second day, I decided to walk up the hill. Halfway there, I got incredible cramps in my left calf, the one with the Achilles issue. I got to the top, and my young, wonderful marathon runner friend TQ, was already there. I told him about the cramp and asked if he had a favorite stretch. He got me stretching against a tree, and the pain subsided. It never came back, and my heel no longer hurt. At the exact same time, I need to interject something. Dallas Page, the founder of DDPYOGA, strongly suggests going gluten free and dairy free. It’s a cornerstone of his program. At the resort, we were able to order gluten and dairy free easily, so I ate that way from day 1. By day 4 of the trip, I was losing weight and my heel/foot/ankle were like new. It was incredible.</span></div>
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<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">I came home and did well, staying as gluten free and dairy free as I could easily stay, but not religiously, like I had in Cancun. I came to realize that without gluten and dairy the pain was gone. It was back with them. I did research and studied, and found out there was a connection. A huge connection between what we eat and inflammation. Inflammation. Achilles tendinitis and bursitis are both inflammatory reactions. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">Inflammation is no joke. It isn’t something to ignore and take lightly. I have been dealing with it for about 8 years now, and have finally, mostly beat it into submission, but it has been a long road and very hard work. My diet has played a huge part, probably the biggest part of healing, but there’s more. This is my list of “musts”:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">I know this probably sounds preachy. I know that many of the people in my exercise circle are younger, more fit, and thinking this doesn’t apply to them, but please, please, please don’t discount this information. Inflammation is real, and it is no joke. Listen to your body and gift it by handling inflammation when it happens and healing it. If you have inflammation, take a few days off, ice like a crazy person, fix your diet, and you will be rewarded. Even if you have bad knees or shoulders, or whatever, doing these things can often provide relief so you can go on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">Make it a fabulous day! I’m off to walk my first 5k since the Achilles tendinitis in 2015</span><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay"; font-size: 24.37pt;">!</span></div>
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Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-61692636919133005982018-01-18T09:35:00.002-08:002018-01-18T09:36:14.750-08:00Start Where You Are and Keep Moving<div class="MsoNormal">
Have you ever built a Lego kit? Yesterday, I was in a
meeting with my team, and one of my coworkers pointed out that she looks at
projects like Lego kits. Each component of the project has to be identified and
put with others that are similar to it. You have to make sure you have all the
pieces you need before you start, or you won’t be successful. Then, there is a
step by step process to completing the Lego project or you won’t end up with a
finished project that looks right.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I thought this was SUCH a profoundly simple way of breaking
down projects. Then, this morning, I woke up thinking about this analogy again
and realized that it applies to working out and fitness as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
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You don’t just start a program and immediately perform every
move perfectly. You just don’t. (well, you might, if you are WonderWoman or Mr.
Universe, but I think even they have learning curves!) You take one step at a
time. One movement, one exercise, one day, until eventually, you are able to do
it all to the best of your ability.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I think that often, we start a program and, when we can’t do
everything right away, we get discouraged. How about if we, instead, take it
one step at a time, and one component at a time, and figure out a path to get
where we want to go instead? I have started doing this, and I’m having more
success and am far happier than I was before I started trying to WonderWoman my
way through!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I do Beachbody workouts. They are fairly badass, and led by
supertrainers who are in incredible shape! They aren’t like me, they do this
for a living, and they have done it for a living for a long time! I, on the
other hand, am 57 years old. 40 years ago, I was captain of the varsity swim
team. 30 years ago, I did Jazzercise, and I did it on and off until about 15
years ago. For the past 5 years, I’ve done DDPYoga, until I was forced to take
a break for the very reason I’m describing here. I went in with the mindset
that I should be doing what the trainer on the screen was doing. It took a LONG
time and a LOT of frustration for me to understand that Dallas has been doing
this for over 20 years. I was new to it, I shouldn’t have been forcing my body
to do motions it wasn’t ready to do. I needed to be patient and build. I needed
to identify the Lego components and follow the instructions. Are you with me?
Do you see where I’m going?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m currently doing a program called 80 Day Obsession. We
just started Monday. I have the insanely amazing experience of being in the
Exclusive Coach Group. I’m there with 40,000 other Beachbody Coaches, from all
walks of life, all over the world, at all different experience levels. We are
there together, supporting each other, doing our best with this new program,
and trying to learn it so we can help our teams learn it and be successful with
it. Am I killing it? Well, I am for me!!! I’ve finished all 3 days, and I’m still
here. <span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span> <o:p></o:p></div>
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When I first started Beachbody workouts, I started on a
special challenge week led by a man named ShaunT. He is, beyond a doubt, one of
the most inspiring people on the planet, (behind Diamond Dallas Page, don’t get
me wrong!). Shaun week was hard, guys. It was REALLY hard! On Day 1, as I did
it, I couldn’t breathe. I was sweating so badly I couldn’t see. I wasn’t sure
if I could finish. I finally reached a point where I started to just march when
I didn’t think I could do anymore. When it ended, I celebrated. Then I told
myself, “if I can finish up to Day 3, I’ll be proud.” So the next day I hit
play again. I repeated the sweating and lack of oxygen, marching, and finished
Day 2. Each day, I kept moving. I wasn’t comfortable getting on the floor to do
bear crawls, so I toe tapped the edge of a step instead. Not quite the same
move, but I was pushing, for me. As the days progressed, I found more and more
ways to do more than march. I got creative, and I kept moving. I didn’t stop. I
didn’t quit, I just modified. Guess what? I finished the entire week! I then
moved on to a program called Shift Shop. It was SO hard, y’all. I mean, it was
SO hard!!! I felt like I’d never get it down and I had to move around and try
to march and do all sorts of things that were outside my comfort zone. I
modified the heck out of it, and finished that twice! I’ve done other programs
the same way and I’m down 30 inches and 23 pounds since I started Beachbody in
late June, so I know it works.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bottom line, never give up. Keep moving. Can’t do it? Once you
try it once, substitute in something similar that you CAN do. Keep moving. Next
time you hit that move later in the program? Try it again, modify it again.
Eventually, I will bet you that you will be able to do the move. Really. Trust
me. I can do ShaunT week workouts 90% unmodified now. (the remaining
modification is me protecting myself from an old injury and I’m good with
that!)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Please don’t stop. If you need help with modifications, if
you need help staying motivated? Let me know. I’m here to help. I’m more than
happy to try to help as long as you are willing to put in the work.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Want me as your coach? Click here: <a href="https://teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepid=1476772">COACH
ME PLEASE</a><o:p></o:p></div>
Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-42042776056301089092017-10-23T11:37:00.000-07:002017-10-23T11:37:24.522-07:00Getting Fit and Staying There...<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will </i></div>
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<i>sooner or later have to find time for illness." ~Edward Stanley</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
I have worked out, on and off, for my entire life. As a kid, I took tons of dance, ice skating, and swimming lessons. In high school, I swam varsity. During college, I took advantage of my PE electives to learn how to fence and a few other things. Once done with college, I joined a gym. In my late 20's and through my 30's, I did Jazzercise. In my 40's, I was back in the gym, but fell off because I was "too busy." In my 50's, I started out sluggish, but then started doing more and felt good. Then I got injured. For almost 6 years, I suffered from plantar fasciitis, and then from achilles tendinitis. I did everything I was told to do to help cure it. I lost weight, I worked with a physical therapist, I rested, I stretched, I rolled a tennis ball, I did everything short of cortisone injections (and I was considering those). Nothing helped.<br />
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What ended up healing everything and helping was not giving up. I got moving and I kept moving. I stayed alert to my body signals of "ok, you're done." but I didn't give up and I didn't stop. I modified. I modified more. I didn't do some moves and substituted other moves, but I kept moving. I believe this has made all of the difference. Today I have a rare ache in the ankle, and stretching usually takes care of it right away. I will admit, I'm mighty cautious about what I do! If a move hurts, I find an alternative. I don't "push through" as I would have earlier in life.<br />
<br />
I think we need to find ways to keep moving, no matter what age we are. It's too easy to let our sedentary lifestyles take over, and too easy to convince ourselves that we "don't have time" to workout, around commuting, work, family, and other obligations. It's a big lie, and it needs to stop! Moving your body is so so important. There is something in our bodies called "synovial fluid." Not to get super scientific, but synovial fluid makes the joints slide and move easily. It's like oil in a car engine, and it's super important. I think it's gotten all to easy to say that it hurts to exercise, and it's become an easy way out. I also believe that there is something for everyone. Everyone can find some way to move their body and preserve their mobility.<br />
<br />
I believe that there's more to the whole moving thing than just doing something. Three things leap to mind in regard to exercise for me: find something you enjoy,find a way of eating that can be a lifestyle rather than a bandaid, and support your body with superfoods and great supplements.<br />
<br />
<b>Do something you enjoy</b><br />
For me, I have always loved dancing. I do not like to run. Ever. It's no secret that I'm a Beachbody coach and that I love the Beachbody on Demand program. I think I've mentioned it enough so everyone knows. My favorite workouts are Cize, 21 Day Fix, Shift Shop, Country Heat, Rockin' Body, Focus T25, and Turbo Jam. Crazy, right? These are all high intensity programs, BUT, by listening to my body and modifying what I need to, I am able to successfully do them, and have fun, while taking care of myself.<br />
<br />
<b>Eating is a lifestyle not a bandaid</b><br />
I'm allergic to the word diet. You say diet, I shut down. Having said that, making a lifestyle change is a positive, meaning that you are making a choice to make a new, healthier habit that will sustain your body and enable you to grow and do more. (Should that say shrink and do more? LOL) Anyhow, I don't approach my food as a problem to be solved, or as something I'm going to do for a little while and then stop doing. This is my life. I only have ONE body. I have to decide to make better choices, and stick to them. I am not perfect, but every day I start the day with an agreement with myself that I will feed my body nutritious, healthy food that will help me go through my day successfully and healthily. I view my food as fuel. Instead of focusing on what I can't have, I focus on all of the amazing things I CAN have! Instead of a sweet breakfast treat in the morning, I might have a small bowl of grapes or a banana. I know that both are good for me and provide solid nutrition.<br />
<br />
On the same topic, I try not to leave meals to chance. Here are a few of my tips on that.<br />
If we eat out, I try to look at the menu ahead of time and figure out a few choices. I used to pick one thing and then, once I got to the place, look at the menu and get all out of sorts because I didn't really *want* that one thing. However, now I pick a couple of options, and then make my final choice once I'm live and in person. See the difference? Instead of buttonholing myself into a very tight corner, I give myself some space and room to make a final choice, so it doesn't feel uncomfortable or forced.<br />
<br />
During the week, I take my lunch to work. Every. single. day. I used to take it 4 days a week and eat out on the 5th day, but I decided, one week that I'd rather just bring my lunch every day. I enjoy my lunches. They are delicious and healthy! I meal prep on Sunday, making 5 lunches, in containers that I can grab in the morning and take with me. It takes away yet another danger zone, and it's a simple and happy habit.<br />
<br />
<b>Support your body with Superfoods and great nutrition</b><br />
For breakfast, I almost always have my Shakeology superfood dense nutrient-packed shake, with a banana, ice, almond milk and whatever else I toss in, like spinach. I get an extra serving of veggies in before 8 am! That's on top of the fact that the Shakeology is so chockful of healthy superfoods. I love it!!<br />
<br />
I also shop for the best produce I can afford. I try to buy organic, but don't always, because sometimes it's just not feasible. On Sunday, when I make my lunches, I will often cook extra vegetables so that there are no excuses during the week for not having them. This has helped me stay on track more than once, but that's a post for another day!<br />
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For now, keep going. If you aren't working out, please start. If you need help or guidance with workouts, I'm here to help and happy to assist. I'm down over 33 lbs and over 25 inches so far this year, with no end in sight! I'm getting stronger and more fit every day. I have a lifetime of athletics behind me and a world of experience with food that I'm willing to share!<br />
<br />
I'm starting to tag my workouts #fitnfabover55 on Facebook, join me, ok?<br />
<br />
-- Have a wonderful day!Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-56094398409002856712017-10-12T11:15:00.001-07:002017-10-12T11:15:33.538-07:00Books, books, books!I have always been a huge reader, but this year, I am on a different path, reading lots of personal development books, and loving them. The first book on the list I read as a recommendation from my friend, Melody Ross. I started it in January at a scrapbooking retreat, and, honestly, I was at the beach, and could have just curled up in my room with this book and read for the entire week, it was THAT good!!! <br />
<br />
These are some of the books I have been reading, and I have to say, I highly recommend all of them! The first few on the list came from signing up to be a Certified Soul Restoration Instructor, and the rest came from either recommendations as books related to those, or recommended as part of my Beachbody Coaching business. I'm finding that one book seems to lead to another, and I'm learning so so so much!<br />
<br />
Please take a look and consider reading some of these amazing books. (I've listened to most of them on Audible while driving to and from work!)<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life, Eric Greitens </li>
<li>How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie</li>
<li>Live Does, Bob Goth</li>
<li>Leadership and Self-Deception, The Arbinger Institute</li>
<li>Remembering Wholeness: A Personal Handbook for Thriving in the 21st Century, Carol Tuttle</li>
<li>The Power of Habit: Why we do What we do in Life and Business, Charles Dehigg</li>
<li>You Are a Badass, Jenn Sincero</li>
<li>Braving the Wilderness, Brene Grown</li>
<li>SuperLife: The 5 Forces That Will Make You Healthy, Fit, and Eternally Awesome, Darin Olien</li>
<li>#GIRLBOSS, Sophia Amoruso</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
I'm now reading You are a Badass at Making Money, Jen Sincero because I loved the first book so much. There's a lot of relevant information in this book! I recommend it highly.<br />
<br />
I'm also trying to work my way through The Miracle Morning, Hal Elrod, but in the first hour of the book, I got horribly "triggered" by his description of a car accident, and it's been hard to get back to it, but I need to finish it because I keep hearing awesome stuff about it.<br />
<br />
Anyhow, I'll try to keep updating this list, but if you are looking for some good personal development books, all these are awesome!!Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-20529017089124286872017-10-03T08:36:00.001-07:002017-10-03T08:37:55.635-07:00Tips for Holiday SurvivalWe are rapidly heading into the part of the year where best intentions get sidelined, "food-centric" holidays are abundant, the days get shorter, we want to go into hibernate mode, and generally, priorities can get skewed. In preparation for that, I thought I would share what I do. I plan. No, seriously. I plan. I start NOW, thinking about "holiday survival".<br />
<br />
1. Think it through. What do I need to do differently. How will I get through different scenarios. For instance, what would REALLY happen if I pulled out my yellow container on Thanksgiving? (that's a really humorous thought, right? but, when everyone KNOWS how hard you have worked all year, what do you think they would really do? Probably nothing. in fact, they might want to do the same thing!) Loosely, here's what I do. I think through parties or family functions. Can we bring a veggie tray? Can I eat beforehand? Can I have a shake and then make a really small plate of just my very favorite things? You don't need to get obsessive on this, but at least think about it. Don't just go in blindly, assuming that it will all be fine, because that's a recipe for disaster. Think it through, decide where your boundaries are, and stick to them.<br />
<br />
2. Keep it to yourself. I don't tell anyone (except my husband) about any of this planning, by the way. The WORST mistake ever was admitting, on a holiday, at a family dinner, that I was planning to stick to my diet. It then became almost a challenge to everyone to offer me things that I wouldn't normally eat. "Can you have this?" "are you sure you don't want this?" "oh, this is my favorite, I thought it was yours, right?" Instead, I just take small portions of the things I want, that fit in with my plan, which I did up front, before the event, and I enjoy my day, within my own rules.<br />
<br />
3. Bring what you can eat. If you are a person who really enjoys dessert but wants to stick to your program, bring a dessert you can eat. In fact, be warned, bring lots. People will want to eat it and will actually gravitate toward it. I typically will bring a crustless pumpkin pie, which I actually make in individual ramekins, as well as a couple of other things, to be sure there's enough. Apple pie can be a great addition, because you can make it fairly healthy, right? By bringing my own desserts, and making sure I get some, I am not denying myself. I'm still able to eat and enjoy.<br />
<br />
4. Remember that it is just ONE meal. I think the holidays get blown up into a food fest. There's certain things that are only "in focus" around the holidays, like huge platters of cookies, egg nog, pies and other desserts, boxes of chocolate and other treats. It can become a sort of landmine if you are eating mindfully and trying not to sabotage what you've worked so hard for all year. Instead of succumbing to all those foods, I try to remember that, for instance, Thanksgiving dinner is ONE meal. Just one. It's not an opportunity to eat all the things. I don't eat all day long, I eat very carefully all day, then I enjoy my turkey dinner, then I'm right back onto my eating plan. I just am. It is important to me, so I make it important. I don't just throw all my hard work to the wind. That's only disappointing me. If I know we will have a huge meal, (like Thanksgiving), I will eat a sparce breakfast and plan a sparce dinner. (our Thanksgiving meal, for instance, is usually around 3, so it replaces lunch...)<br />
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5. Work it out. Yesterday, on Facebook, I already saw a post where someone was asking "are you planning to workout on Thanksgiving and Christmas?" Really? What makes those days different? If you enjoy your workouts and are having good results, why would you stop? Why not actually make it a little easier on yourself by doing your workout first thing in the morning so that you have given your body some kindness and attention and can eat without thinking about how much you have to do to burn off all that food. (which doesn't even work!) It's just another day! I plan to do a workout in the morning, and actually, might add some yoga in the evening, to smooth it all out.<br />
<br />
6. Enjoy the day. The purpose of holidays isn't food. It's not. The food is not supposed to be the driving factor of everything. It has, over time, become the focal point, which is wrong. The focal point of holidays is being together. Sharing gratitude and love with family and friends.<br />
If you follow even 3 or 4 of these tips, I think you will find that you enjoy your holidays more. I know I do, because I know that I will finish the holiday season happy, healthy, and ahead of the game, not having gained a bunch of senseless weight because I ate my way through them. :)<br />
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-Have a fabulous day, and I hope these tips help you in the holiday season!Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-11664082591485418632017-09-15T09:35:00.001-07:002017-09-15T09:36:07.082-07:0060 Day Checkin (Beachbody)Well, it's been 60 days since I started to seriously focus and track on my fitness with Beachbody on Demand. Here's what happened:<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-40sxwZqb4AU/WbwAh7RH7rI/AAAAAAAAEHI/txJ7W2ApFZoDOazG_AATh78sSKhPGLPsACLcBGAs/s1600/6B8F2DED-5DA8-4AE5-927A-A1210388BB82.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-40sxwZqb4AU/WbwAh7RH7rI/AAAAAAAAEHI/txJ7W2ApFZoDOazG_AATh78sSKhPGLPsACLcBGAs/s320/6B8F2DED-5DA8-4AE5-927A-A1210388BB82.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I am beyond excited about these results and completely committed to continuing on. I signed up to be a Beachbody Coach (<a href="http://www.beachbodycoach.com/septemberradecki" target="_blank">www.beachbodycoach.com/septemberradecki </a>)so that I can focus on helping other people achieve their goals too! As I have matured (read reached an age over 55) I find that there are less resources for us. Less resources that tell you it's okay to modify, it's okay to take a rest day if you need it, and it's okay to listen to your body! It's NOT okay to make a goal of eating clean and throw it out the window. It's NOT okay to make a goal of working out six days a week and chuck it out the window every time your friends want to do something. Just like everything else in life, I feel like we need to commit to ourselves. My workouts are sacred. They are as important as getting up in the morning and being to work on time, and getting to bed on time at night. They are what I do.<br />
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I am getting lots of questions at work about the "shakes" I make every day for either my morning or afternoon snack, so I'm going to address that here. I drink a Shakeology every single day. Some days it replaces my breakfast and other days it's a snack, but I do drink one every day. I do it because I love shakeology! SInce I started drinking it in July, I have had stronger workouts, more energy, fewer cravings, better sleep, and my hair, skin and nails are growing like crazy! Why? Because Shakeology isn't your standard "protein shake". It is actually a dense nutrition shake, chock full of superfoods. If you eat clean, this is the shake you want. Below is a sheet that tells about one of my favorites, Chocolate Vegan.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_UpwAaeGZkg/WbwAydzUcjI/AAAAAAAAEHM/H6DCIEp_3Rc6a-C-X3HOpXVlBEU1CS0sACLcBGAs/s1600/Shakeo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_UpwAaeGZkg/WbwAydzUcjI/AAAAAAAAEHM/H6DCIEp_3Rc6a-C-X3HOpXVlBEU1CS0sACLcBGAs/s400/Shakeo.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
If you read those ingredients, you will see so so so many super beneficial superfoods, from maca to goji to spirulina to maitako mushrooms to reishi mushrooms to moringa and more. There is NO added sugar. None. 9 grams of sugar in a serving, which naturally occurs in the ingredients, making this a great choice. It does have Stevia, but that's also a plant, and a healthy one at that.<br />
<br />
At first, I just went along with the shakeology drinking, but after a week or so, I noticed that I felt different. I don't feel sluggish anymore as the day goes by and as I said before, my hair, skin, and nails are all acting like I have superpowers.<br />
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If you know me, you know I'm a clean eater. I don't eat a lot of junk. I'm dairy free and gluten free and I am fiercely protective of that because when I don't eat that way, I suffer from ill side effects that I'm not sharing, but it's not pretty! I have continued this while doing Beachbody workouts, and it has served me well.<br />
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I'm working out 6 days a week, most of the time. Occasionally, on Sunday mornings, I will do a yoga run through for a 7th day, because it feels good, but for the most part, Sundays are my rest day. On the other days, I usually pick a 30 minute workout. For me, working out in the afternoon is better. It keeps my stress level down in the morning and it is actually when I have almost always worked out. I was driving home the other day thinking about it. When I was in high school, I swam on the wim team. We practiced in the afternoon. Later, I would go to Jazzercise in the evenings. For the past 4 years, I have done DDPYoga, mostly in the afternoons. So it makes sense that I do my Beachbody workouts in the afternoon/early evening. Once in a while, on the weekend, I'll knock out my workout in the morning, but not always, and it does always feel weird!<br />
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I guess that's it for now. I just wanted to do my 60 day checkin and follow up on what exactly I'm doing. Right now, Beachbody is running a special where for $160 you get a whole year of Beachbody on Demand Access, a month of Shakeology in any of the amazing flavors (I use the vegan because of my gliten and dairy issue), and the 21 day fix portion containers (which are epic!). For $99, you can forgo the containers and the Shakeology and only get the year of access to Beachbody on Demand.<br />
<br />
Make sure you choose me as your coach, because I'd be thrilled to help you work toward your health goals!!! <a href="http://www.beachbodycoach.com/septemberradecki">www.beachbodycoach.com/septemberradecki</a>Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-44174181928292444612017-09-06T14:27:00.000-07:002017-09-06T14:27:13.085-07:00Kombucha and Muscle SorenessA year or so ago, my friend Helen made me some Kombucha. She told me it was a fermented beverage and was really really good for me. Because I trust her, I drank it. It didn't taste the best, very tart and tangy, like vinegar only different, but it was an interesting experiment so I drank it all. (she gave me a 1 liter bottle.) On and off, I've gotten more from her. Sometimes I run out and don't have time to get bottles to her or go see her, so I buy storebought, but I'm kind of good about getting my kombucha in a few times a week.<br />
Fast forward to this summer, when I've added Beachbody on Demand workouts to my lifestyle. The first day, I thought I was going to die. Literally. I was in SO much pain. Holy wow, I was sore. I was ready to try anything. I ended up having some kombucha, just because it was handy. When I woke up the next morning, I was not sore. Wait, what? No, seriously, I was not sore!<br />
I figured it was a happy coincidence, but kept drinking it, and although I would get mildly sore, I was able to function! Hmmmm. Was this all in my head?<br />
I did some research online and, sure enough, Kombucha reduces lactic acid. Lactic acid is what makes us sore! Aha!<br />
Moral of the story? Drink some Kombucha!!! Find a friend that makes it or buy some at the store. Be prepared, it won't be your favorite beverage, but you can dilute it and it's a bit easier to drink. My very favorite of all time is during the winter, Helen makes cranberry Kombucha. When I get it home, I sneak about 10 grains of raw sugar (don't tell Helen) into my bottle and let it sit in the fridge. I don't know, it's probably all in my head, but it makes it taste even better!<br />
And hey, don't forget, if you have questions about Beachbody or want to know more or even become a coach, let me know!! I'm here to help!<br />
-Have an awesome day!Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-49891727173069217912017-08-28T08:57:00.003-07:002017-08-28T08:57:36.966-07:00Push Through and ShineHave you done something where, at the start, you were completely overwhelmed and totally unsure if you could really do it?<br />
What was it? Climbing Half Dome? Painting a room? Cleaning a closet? Driving 1000 miles? Ice skating backwards? Meeting someone new? Arriving late at a party? Doing your first 5k? Running your first marathon?<br />
So what happened? Did you do it? I bet you did. I bet you totally overcame your uncertainties and totally did whatever it was. I bet you did. You know why? Human spirit. We WANT to set goals and kick them in the teeth. We want to better ourselves. We want to have rooms that have pretty walls. We want to learn new things. While we might not want to GO to the party, there is usually some reward in going, such as being there for the host or hostess, seeing an old friend you haven't seen in a while, meeting someone who you have wanted to meet, or even watching the glee on your child's face because they wanted to come so much.<br />
What makes working out different? How is starting a fitness journey any scarier than any of the other things I mentioned? You know what? It's not!! It's time to own it and believe in yourself.<br />
I hear people tell me all the time , "I'm too out of shape to do that" or the worst of all "I'm too old to do that..." Nope. You aren't. I'm not saying that your comments are not valid. I'm not saying that at all. Your comments are valid to you and that's your truth. What I AM saying, is that you can change the stories you tell yourself and change your life. You CAN do almost anything you set your mind to do.<br />
Let me tell you a funny story. When I was 25, I bought my first home, an upstairs condo. It was really a sweet condo, with a large living room that had 6 foot vaulted ceilings. I loved it. My first husband moved in with me, about 9 months before we got married. He was a strong guy, a welder, and firmly believed that he should do the heavy lifting and the hard stuff, because it was too much for me. We were always at odds over this, because I'm actually a pretty competent human being at solving problems and figuring out how to do what I want or need to do! One day, he was off helping his Dad with something across town. We had talked about rearranging the furniture in the living room for weeks, but not done anything. We had this one piece of furniture that was super heavy. Seriously. It weighed a metric ton. I don't even remember what it was, but I DO remember it was very heavy. By the time he came home, I had moved everything. He walked in the door and just stood there. Then he looked at me and asked who came to help. I told him that I had done it myself. He didn't believe me. I literally ended up having to demonstrate my method for moving furniture. Looking back now, I'm sure he had to fight back laughter, but I did what I wanted to do and got it done. (If you know me and have worked out with me at all, you know I'm what they call a quad centric athlete. My legs are super strong. my upper body, not as much. I had seated myself on the floor and moved furniture using my legs to push it. It was incredibly hard, and would not have been a good idea with anything tall, but I don't think I moved anything tall! LOL) This is a great example of "you can do anything!"<br />
When I started doing Beachbody workouts, I couldn't hardly keep up with the workouts. They were hard! I actually started with a Shaun T. weeklong challenge. I didn't realize until later that it probably wasn't at my level. By the time I realized, I was halfway through the week and in love with it. I was modifying things and marching in place when I was overwhelmed, and just kept going like the Energizer Bunny.<br />
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This quote, by Arthur Boorman is a guiding light for me. It says it all. If you don't know who Arthur is, do a google search. Arthur is probably the most determined guy ever. He was injured as a paratrooper, used walking canes, started doing DDPYoga, and now can run! Really. I encourage you to read his story, print this quote out, and paste it in places where you see it all the time, as a reminder. YOU CAN DO IT! Keep pressing forward, keep trying. You will get there.<br />
On 7/10, I officially started my Beachbody journey. That was 49 days ago. I joined a challenge group and signed up for Beachbody on Demand and started drinking Shakeology every single day. In that time, I've worked out on 43 of those days. Pretty amazing if you ask me! I'm NOT a girl who likes to get sweaty, honest. But, I <u>AM</u> a girl who is focused and determined. I've set a goal to get rid of all of my extra weight and live the rest of my life in a healthy, happy way, that doesn't include being overweight and out of shape. I've also lost over 10 inches and 8 pounds. I've dropped from a 2X to an XL in tops and I've dropped a size in bottoms. However, the biggest change is that I look forward to my workout time, and I MAKE time to do it. It is important to me. I matter. Taking care of me, taking care of my physical needs is something that I tend to put aside as soon as something goes wrong, but you know what? There will always be something. Always. If I am not the best version of me I can be, how can I help anyone else? That's the key. Instead of looking at this as only for me, I'm looking outward at the impact of my changes. Living my life to it's fullest is SO important to me. We are going to Hawaii in November. For the last couple of years, when I've flown anywhere, I was on the verge of asking for a seatbelt extender. This year, I've flown twice and each time, I've been able to tighten the seatbelt a little more. I have wanted to learn to paddleboard since I started seeing people doing it in Hawaii. I have decided I'm going to learn while we are there.<br />
If any of this resonates with you, or makes you feel like you want to talk more, please reach out. Call me, text me, send me a message on Facebook. Whatever it takes. If you are in need of a new way of working out because of an injury or because of age or anything else, please reach out. I'm here, I'm more than willing to help, and I will either have answers or know where to get them!!! Let's do this thing together!!!! <br />
- Have a beautiful day!<br />
<br />
P.S. I'm still doing Weight Watchers and still loving it! :)Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-22736942717215176762017-08-26T16:00:00.000-07:002017-08-26T16:00:17.031-07:00Update on MeI'm doing a lot of reading right now, personal development reading. It has brought to light a lot of changes I've made already and even more changes that I need to make. I'm not sure I can identify what started this trend of reading, other than me being present and actually listening when the universe put something out to me, but it's happening. And it's happening in a big way, and all of the books seem to be interconnected in odd ways.<br />
It all started with Carol Tuttle's book, Redefining Wholeness. When I read this book, I felt beyond connected to it. I loved this book to the point where it's actually in my cart on Amazon to buy a physical copy. If you talk to my husband, he will shake his head in disbelief because I just don't typically buy real copies of books. I read online. So, this book. This book is about energy and angels, and the universe and intentions. It's about this and so much more. It set a life stage for me that I'm in awe of, and striving to live to the fullest. It gave me answers to questions that my learnings with mentors opened doors to and partially answered but I was craving more. I can't even begin to explain what stirred in me with this book, but a ton of stuff did, and it's all good. I guess if you told me I had to pick one thing I learned from this book, it would be that I am able to heal things from past generations and for the good of future generations. By changing MY path, I change the paths of others. I've understood this, but never the actual nuts and bolts of it, until now. She also reiterated what my mentor Melody Ross always tells me. "The past is just stories. It only has power over you if you give it power. The things that happened? They happened, acknowledge them with love, and move forward. Don't stay with them." This is SO freaking huge, it really is. If you absorb nothing else from this blog post, please absorb those 4 sentences!<br />
Then, as I was in the last bits of this book, I read a list of recommended books for new Beachbody coaches (that's me!), and found Jen Sincero's book, You Are a Badass. Unlikely title, right? Yea, well. Something clicked with me and I followed through and listened to it. Right on the tail of Carol Tuttle's book, I could not have picked a better book. This book follows on beautifully, with affirmations, lessons on setting intentions, ideas for why you might be "stuck" or not quite "with the program" sometimes, and tells you to get out there and do it. If you want it, tell the universe and make it happen. Yup. I was supposed to read it. Walk the talk. Again, if I had to pick one thing I learned from this book, it would be that positive affirmations are more than just phrases that lift us up. Positive affirmations are tools we can use to converse with the universe and heal ourselves, the past, and the future. When we set intentions, the universe hears those intentions, good or bad, and makes them happen. For instance, for me, if you read my blog, and go back, you'll see that I commonly call out pushups and say "I can't do pushups yet." Well, on the surface, that sounds like I'm working toward doing pushups, but really, the universe is hearing "I can't do pushups." Instead, I need to change that message to "I can do pushups to the best of my ability and I'm getting better at them with every one that I do." Do you see the subtle difference? It's amazing. Intentions need to be well thought out and specific. What we want, we attain. Wow.<br />
I'm now reading a book that is completely different from these two, but entirely on topic. I'm reading a book by Charles Duhigg, "The Power of Habit." This book is a slower read than the other two, but it's full of amazing information! With Beachbody, I workout 6-7 days a week. 2 of the workouts, on a 7 day cycle are "recovery" workouts. This means they stretch your muscles and are actually rather relaxing, rather than being cardio or strength workouts. It's a good thing, and those are important days, which are sometimes tempting to skip. This book explains the WHY of habits. How we make them, how we break them, how our brains actually treat habits versus memories. I'm stunned by all the information I'm soaking up from this book, and am finding it extremely useful on my journey. I originally set a weight loss goal and have worked to reach it. I had someone tell me I should adjust it into smaller "bites" so that I would have small successes along the way. That didn't resonate with me, but I thought it was worth a try. Now, in the midst of this book, and after reading the other two books, I'm setting a more specific intention that reflects where I want my final weight loss destination. I'm also envisioning how it will happen. The when? I'm not so concerned with that, I just want to keep moving forward, and I will.<br />
I guess this has gotten kind of long. I have a lot to say lately, which is funny after my blog being quiet for so long. Thanks for sticking around and thanks for reading!<br />
-Have a beautiful day!<br />
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Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-57982487390174756372017-08-25T16:30:00.000-07:002017-08-25T16:30:28.107-07:00New Venture, ExplainedI know that my blog talks a lot about DDPYoga and my journey. I know there are probably a lot of readers who are totally confused at my abrupt change. Let me try to explain a bit, if I can.<br />
First of all, DDPYoga literally saved my life. When I joined the DDPYoga lifestyle, I weighed over 300 lbs. I could not tie my shoes, I got tired after walking less than 100 yards, my feet constantly hurt from plantar fasciitis, and I figured I was "too old" to do anything about my weight, and felt like I couldn't, because of the pain. Fast forward 2 1/2 years, and I attended the DDPYoga Retreat in Cancun, Mexico! I did all but 1 workout. I loved every minute of it. I got feedback from Dallas on my form, and set a personal goal with him at the going away party, (which everyone does!), to lose 30 lbs. in 6 months. He told me it was a pretty aggressive goal but I said yes. I went home, with newfound energy and commitment, and lost 20 lbs of the 30. Then I was stuck. I was stuck because of something that I choose not to share publicly, but something that I DID share with my accountability partners, and did my best to work through. Having said that, I lost those 10, about a week before the 6 month mark and proudly emailed Dallas and shared.<br />
I figured I would continue on and continue to lose, but life and the universe had different plans. My personal life continued to flouder and it floundered in ways that made it really hard to hit my mat, really hard to even find a place to workout with the quiet that I personally need to do DDPYoga. I stopped working out. During this time frame, I also was reminded by a specialist that not giving my left achilles, which was inflamed, time to heal, meant it would always be an issue. So I rested it. And I ate. 2016 is a banner year in my life, and will never be forgotten. There was good, there was bad, there was "wait, are you kidding me, this isn't my life." But it happened, and it is what it is. It's over.<br />
Fast forward to January of 2017. Every year, I pick a word to live by. I set an intention of living by that word and what it means. This year, I picked PEACE. I wanted to reclaim the peace that I had built in my life, and I meant business. On January 3rd, I joined Weight Watchers. I was so close to 300 at this point that it scared me. I was, however, done playing around, and intent on losing the 30 lbs I had lost with the goal with Dallas, and more. This was it. I decided to do WW and remain gluten and dairy free, as that's how I feel healthiest. At first, I didn't add any exercise in. I just didn't really have time. Our granddaughter lives with us part of the time and is much more fun than Dallas and DDPYoga. :) I went to the gym sporadically and rode the bike. I even dropped the too-far-from-home-gym and joined 24 hour fitness around the corner from home and biked. A lot. I did that for several months. I lost about 18-20 lbs. Slowly.<br />
In mid-June, a friend posted on Facebook that she was looking for people who wanted to participate in a test exercise group. I answered immediately. "Sure, why not." She folded me into a group of women, who, come to find out, would be active participants in me reclaiming my life even further and realizing how many lies I had told myself about my age and abilities. This was a Beachbody group. I didn't know it at the time, but many of the ladies in the group are my age. Experienced in life, and all with "stories", all different, but all important in who each of us is.<br />
I started to lose inches and pounds. I started working out at home, but I changed it up. I do as many of my workouts as I can in the backyard on the patio. Once the weather cools, I'll move inside, as I do when it's over 90, but for most of the summer, I've worked out on the patio. It's been amazing. Lots of light, sun, soft breezes, and, lately, dragonflies that come back again and again to accompany me on my journey.<br />
It's now the end of August. I'm now down a total of 28 lbs and at least 11.5 inches. I'm due to measure this weekend so I'll have to update once I do that, but suffice it to say, I've had to donate clothes, buy clothes, and tighten my belt a bunch since starting Beachbody.<br />
So what does this have to do with DDPYoga? I'm still a member of the community, and occasionally, I hit my mat and do a workout. I have the app and once in a blue moon I use it. For daily use, I've found that right now, at the health level I'm at, I push myself too hard in DDPYoga for what my body can tolerate, so I've backed off some and am building tone and muscle with Beachbody workouts, but I have NO intention of giving up DDPYoga. None. I just want to build some core strength, ankle strength, and shoulder strength to make my DDPYoga journey more fun and comfortable. For right now? I'm loving Beachbody on Demand as well! I'm a coach, and willing to share if you are interested in what I'm doing, just send me a message and we can chat!<br />
I think that we all have our own fitness journeys. I also firmly believe that fitness journeys are multi-faceted. There is room for so much variety. Biking, hiking, lifting weights, DDPyoga, Pilates, whatever you choose. The most important thing is to keep moving. Don't stop. Keep fighting. Age IS just a number, but if you stop moving, it will be harder and harder to GET moving again. Never give up.<br />
One last thing. You definitely want to keep an eye out here on my blog, because I'm working on a Soul Restoration retreat that will incorporate a few workouts as "tension relievers"!!! It's going to be a blast!!! (there might even be the opportunity to work with an Energy Coach!)<br />
- Have a beautiful day!<br />
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Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-49839428831864915182017-08-25T15:08:00.001-07:002017-08-25T15:08:29.827-07:00Do You Really Understand What Modifying Means in a Workout?Seriously. What do you think when someone says "Oh I did that workout and I modified it!" Do you think "Wimp! Why modify? Just push through?" or do you think "Wow, smart, know your limits." I will openly admit that ever since I can remember, I've done my best not to modify. I went at my workouts like I go at everything in life, with everything I have, and I expect Virgo perfectionism. I'm dead serious!!<br />
So, 4 years ago, when I started DDPYoga, I didn't really understand that any form of yoga is a "practice". I approached it as if it was something to conquer. Beat each move into submission and move on to the next one. I watched others do this, why not me? Well, I hurt myself pretty good a couple of times. Once was a shoulder that healed up pretty quick, but the other was Achilles tendinitis caused by me pressing down way too hard for my body's limits, in down dog. It was a painful lesson and took forever to recover from!! Even now, I have days where the KT tape comes out and the ankle gets taped before I workout!<br />
These Beachbody workouts that I'm doing? They are no joke. Man, these are HARDCORE, results oriented, kick your a$$ workouts! I'm LOVING them, but I will admit, they are not simple. But you know what? They are only as difficult as *I* make them! I go into a workout with the agreement with myself that I will try everything, and then modify. There are times that I modify the modifiers. There are also times when I do not do what's being done, I do my own thing. I wear a heart rate monitor too! (and I listen to it!!)<br />
I guess I just want to see people be successful and enjoy their workouts. Workouts are so much more fun when you are successful, and you stay motivated when you are successful much more easily than you do if you don't enjoy what you're doing!!<br />
I'm starting a challenge group on Monday (8/28). If you want to know more about it, or want to join us, please, just drop me a message and I'll get back to you and help you get started. It's going to be fun! How can it not be fun to lose weight, inches, and meet new people? (It's online, you can do the workouts whenever you want, streamed from Beachbody! and yes, you do need to buy a subscription to Beachbody to participate!)<br />
Please remember, above all else, in whatever you do, there is NO shame in modifying. No shame at all. We aren't all 20-something, and eventually, with PRACTICE (see what I did there?) you will reach a point where you can suddenly unmodify that move that you were having to modify!<br />
I look forward to hearing from you!<br />
- Have a beautiful day!Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-33488748617131012362017-08-16T11:42:00.000-07:002017-08-16T11:42:16.559-07:00You are a Badass!Ok, I don't know if you are one or not, but I am reading a book with that title, and honestly? It's about time I admitted that yes, I am. This book is resonating with me so much. SO much!!!!<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Badass-Doubting-Greatness/dp/B00EYNFJBE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502908566&sr=8-1&keywords=badass+book" target="_blank">You are a Badass</a><br />
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I seem to be in a place where I'm reading lots of books, and finding truth in all of them! Everything is confirming all of the work I've been doing on me, and putting a fine point to that pencil that makes me! It's such an exciting time, and I am so grateful! Keep coming back, because I'm up to amazing things. I encourage you to read this book too, because if you're friends with me, chances are.... YOU are a badass! - Much love.</div>
<br />Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-41077549514666454702017-08-13T10:33:00.000-07:002017-08-14T07:29:04.776-07:00Shift Shop, Part 2!This week started phase 2 of Shift Shop. It went really well. I feel stronger, more focused, and more fit. I'm definitely starting to modify less. Even I can see that I'm improving and losing, which is huge, right?<br />
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I lost a little less than a pound this week, and I'm okay with that because I know I'm building muscle.<br />
Speaking of building muscle, this week I'll be going up to 8 lb. dumbbells! Crazy. We went to Target yesterday and bought them, and Steven and I were joking around about them when I realized I really could heft those babies around! My arms are starting to get a tiny bit of definition, it's happening, y'all!<br />
I'm very excited about this whole Beachbody change I have made, and I encourage you to reach out to me if you want to improve your life, lose weight, and feel amazing. I would love to help you get started! I'm hoping to start a challenge group soon, so get in touch!<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4571913276372028436" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>If you want more information on Beachbody on Demand, reach out to me or <a href="https://teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=1476772" target="_blank">Click here!</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><br />
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As I head into this next week, I find myself filled with a bit of childlike wonder at all of the changes, and I really want to share this with you, please let me help! -with lots of love!Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-54402825693800662782017-08-08T06:30:00.000-07:002017-08-08T06:30:14.310-07:00What am I reading right now...I'm trying to get back into the habit of blogging, can you tell?<br />
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A couple of weeks ago, a woman in my Beachbody Challenge group posted a book that she was reading. The title sounded interesting, so I looked it up on Amazon. I have to say, I never expected the absolute gem that it has turned out to be.<br />
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You know how sometimes, if you listen really close, the universe will hand you an absolutely stellar gift? Something where you catch your breath and wonder how you didn't know about it until now. Well, for me, right now, that's this book!!! It is SO interesting. It is also so relevant to my life, right now! For me, there are things I'm doing that I probably should have done sooner, and things I didn't know I didn't know that I'm learning about. It's made every day so exciting because I'm listening to it on the way to and from work and my drives are flying by!!<br />
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Yes, I know, quit teasing. Here's a link to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Remembering-Wholeness-Personal-Handbook-Thriving/dp/B00BR020YG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502135667&sr=8-1&keywords=remembering+wholeness+by+carol+tuttle" target="_blank">Remembering Wholeness: Personal Handbook to Thriving in the 21st Century</a> on amazon.<br />
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Check it out and let me know what you think! I'll probably do a more in depth review once I finish!<br />
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<br />Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-13544241804491886602017-08-07T20:00:00.000-07:002017-08-07T20:00:36.613-07:00September’s Stuffed Bell PeppersIngredients:<br />
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6 bell peppers (I buy the 6 in a bag at Costco)<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 lb. ground turkey (Costco)<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 onion, finely diced<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 zucchini, finely chopped or shredded<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 cup cauliflower rice<o:p></o:p><br />
about 2/3 can diced tomatoes, drained</div>
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1 tsp salt<o:p></o:p></div>
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½ tsp pepper<o:p></o:p></div>
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1/3 cup shredded cheese (I use sheep Manchego, because I
can’t eat cow dairy)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Italian seasoning or Greek seasoning (your choice, to taste,
optional)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Directions:<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
<ol>
<li>Slice about 1 inch off the top of all of the peppers. Dice up the
top part you removed and set aside. Discard stems.</li>
<li>Clear out the seeds and insides of the peppers. Line them up
in a baking dish.</li>
<li>Combine the turkey, onion, zucchini, cauliflower rice, pepper bits, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, and seasoning in a pan and lightly cook for about 5 minutes, over medium heat,
stirring constantly.</li>
<li>Distribute evenly among the 6 peppers. You might have to
squish it in there pretty good.</li>
<li>Bake for 1 hour. Cover for the first 45 minutes, then uncover for the last 15 minutes.</li>
</ol>
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Note: I do not cook the turkey mixture ahead, I bake for
longer, until cooked, but this is not the “recommended” way. <span style="font-family: "wingdings";">J</span> You get to choose how
you want to make yours!</div>
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These are roughly 4 smart points each, and amazingly yummy!<o:p></o:p></div>
Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-78551660546528245282017-08-07T07:26:00.004-07:002017-08-07T07:26:47.901-07:00Shift Shop Results!!! What's Next?Some of you might know that I've been doing Beachbody on Demand workouts for about 45 days now. In fact, I just finished a 21 day Shift Shop group. It was insane, intense, and amazing all rolled into one! I am SO excited about it, in fact, that I signed up to be a BeachBody Coach AND I'm doing Round 2 starting today!!!<br />
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Here are my results:<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-agbeKE-aMys/WYh3TsIh73I/AAAAAAAAEDY/bIuhyYEQ7IELiBzFLfbg5beu_o0W9JwpgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Shiftshop1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-agbeKE-aMys/WYh3TsIh73I/AAAAAAAAEDY/bIuhyYEQ7IELiBzFLfbg5beu_o0W9JwpgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/Shiftshop1.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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In THREE weeks, I lost 6.5 inches and 5.9 lbs!!! I'm SO stoked. I feel fantastic too! I'm eating clean (still Weight Watchers as well as gluten and dairy free), and drinking soooo much water! I've had to fold in Hydrate (Beachbody makes a reasonably priced one that I love too! WIN!) because my electrolyte levels were getting messed up from the heat and workouts, but that's been my only glitch.<br />
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For me, the biggest trick is MODIFY. Do not be afraid to do what YOU can. Make it work for you. There are times where the instructor will do something and I think "Yea, that's just a suggestion." and I totally do something else. I STILL got ALL that weight gone!!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Onward to stage 2 of Shift Shop tomorrow!!! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">If you want to join in, <a href="https://www.teambeachbody.com/en_US/checkout/-/bbcheckout/challengepack/shiftshop-all-access-BOD?referringRepId=1476772" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>, and send me a message so we can get you into our challenge group!</span><br />
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Have a fantastic Monday!Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-33468320018624538762017-08-04T13:03:00.000-07:002017-08-04T13:03:20.662-07:00Brave Girl Symposium 2017<div class="MsoNormal">
At the beginning of July, I had the opportunity to attend
Brave Girls Symposium in Boise, Idaho. I went last year, and found so much
wisdom, peace and joy that I just had to go back this year! It did not
disappoint.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I arrived on Wednesday evening and almost immediately found
members of my tribe, right as I entered the hotel! It was crazy amazing. Women
who I have known on line for many years, coming up and all of us squealing in
the lobby. In fact, I was so excited to be there that while I DID register, I
did NOT remember to get my room key! I was really late in arriving, so I
actually went to the restaurant with these ladies and ate, with my big ol’ pink
suitcase sitting next to my seat. After dinner and a bit more visiting I
realized I had no room key so I got that, then walking down the hall ran into
another friend who was looking for ME! Ended up back in the restaurant just
sitting and chatting for the longest time. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Thursday is a blur. The actual symposium did not start until
Thursday evening. I have no idea what I did all day Thursday, but the day was
gone in a flash! I spent a big part of it with my friend from last year, Myra,
including a fabulous crab dinner at Joe’s Crab Shack with Myra and our new
friends Shelley and Laura. It was so much fun to get to know these ladies a bit
and learn more about each other, and it was divine to sit at our table
overlooking the Boise river.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Melody’s opening talk was beyond crazy amazing, as always. I
can’t say enough about this event. If you want to feel loved, supported,
precious, included, or if you want to find people who are kind, generous,
friendly, supportive, loving, and just plain fun, you might wanna head to a
Brave Girls event.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Friday was spent mostly listening to amazing women tell
their stories, and other women get up and give their testimony about similar
experiences or wanting support. It is an eye opening experience to be in a room
with over 600 women and realize you are not alone. Whatever you are going
through in life, there is always someone else who has something to contribute
to make you feel better and supported.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Saturday morning I did some volunteer work and did a bit
more in the afternoon. It was so much fun! I totally enjoyed being in the art
room and helping ladies make things, as well as making a couple of small things
myself, for a couple of deserving friends. The evening brought the closing “ceremony”
of sparklers on the Riverwalk. It’s so hard to see the event end, and so hard
to leave the “love bubble” that you are in for the entire time. As I left the
river walk to go back to my room to pack, I went past Melody and called “See
you at lunch” which is the standard Brave Girl exit line, because it’s way too
hard to say goodbye. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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I’ve already signed up for next year, but need to wait a
couple weeks more to reserve my room! Next year’s dates are August 15-18. If
you are looking for inspiration, wisdom, peace, joy, or anything else, please
join me!! You can sign up here: <a href="https://bravegirlsymposium.securechkout.com/?orid=1414">BraveGirl Symposium 2018</a> (Make sure you sign up soon because the price has been discounted!) See you there!<o:p></o:p></div>
Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-44393233458192332872017-04-20T08:31:00.000-07:002017-05-22T15:55:05.904-07:00Hello, is it me you're looking for?Yes, I'm breathing, alive, and back to my blog. It has been a wild time for the past 15 months or so. I hesitate to say things are calming down, so instead, I'll just say that I've adjusted to the changes, and I'm getting my act together and rejoining humanity!<br />
<br />
For about 5 years, I suffered with really bad plantar fascia issues, and then, for the past 2.5, achilles tendinitis. I was "sort" of healed by the time I went to the DDP Yoga retreat in October of 2015, but not all the way. Life went a bit crazy and I ended up making a conscious choice to stay off my mat for a while and give my achilles time to heal. The doctor told me it would take 6-9 months to fully recover. I'm pleased to say that everything finally feels like an almost normal person. I'm building back up on everything, and so far, so good. I am currently getting into a schedule of going to the gym 3 times a week and doing DDPYoga or restorative yoga a couple of days a week.<br />
<br />
In January, I joined Weight Watchers, as well. I needed accountability. I am still gluten free and dairy free, but have put a WW wrapper on all of that with my tracking and limiting how much I eat. It's working. I've lost 12.2 lbs since I started on 1/3, which isn't a lot, but the scale is moving in the right direction and my jeans are too big. I'm good with all of that. If you look at my <a href="http://sradecki.blogspot.com/p/recipes.html" target="_blank">DDPYoga friendly recipe page</a>, I'll be adding more recipes soon. I have a few new tricks that are yummy and friendly. There are some that might have a bit of gluten, because of ingredients, so be aware. For now, look at these amazing donuts I made a few weeks ago! They are 3 smartpoints each and stuffed with protein and goodness!<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pfor2H6Pggc/WPjSenq0E3I/AAAAAAAAD6g/qTIQ1MldproaxjPZzsxdbWXTc6K6wpCJACK4B/s1600/IMG_2955.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pfor2H6Pggc/WPjSenq0E3I/AAAAAAAAD6g/qTIQ1MldproaxjPZzsxdbWXTc6K6wpCJACK4B/s400/IMG_2955.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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In other news!!! I'm excited to share that I am now a Soul Restoration Certified Instructor with Brave Girls Club. If you know me at all, you know that I love the Brave Girls Club organization and I really believe in the work that Melody Ross started. It felt so natural to sign up to become an instructor. I went to Boise for a week in March, and got all of my training. I've spent the last 6 weeks since organizing myself, getting my website started, business cards, and other planning. For right now, my plan is to offer one on one Soul Restoration classes. My time is pretty tight, so doing it this way will give my students the best attention. I'm really jazzed and have at least 3 students lined up. I just need to lock down final details and go for it!!! If you are interested in learning more, look at the new page on my blog, <a href="http://sradecki.blogspot.com/p/restorative-hearts-soul-restoration.html" target="_blank">Restorative Hearts Soul Restoration Workshops</a> for more information. You can also, as always, reach out to me directly to ask! Here's a photo of me with my classmates in Boise toward the end of class. It was a whirlwind week!<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4mxOeRWv1I8/WPjT8TaEPFI/AAAAAAAAD60/s6W-_v8wlHYauWG5oIJgQ3-RWXthkYa9ACK4B/s1600/464C085C-A214-42F9-8321-50854BD591DA.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4mxOeRWv1I8/WPjT8TaEPFI/AAAAAAAAD60/s6W-_v8wlHYauWG5oIJgQ3-RWXthkYa9ACK4B/s400/464C085C-A214-42F9-8321-50854BD591DA.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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I guess that's about it for today. Make it an awesome day and be kind to each other! I promise to be back soon!Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-76129154569150936442016-07-15T13:15:00.001-07:002016-07-15T13:15:11.600-07:00How can I become a Brave Girl<div class="MsoNormal">
I often am asked this question by people in my life, and the
answer is actually not as straight forward as most would want it to be. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The path to becoming a Brave Girl, like anything else worth
doing, is not straight. It’s full of twists and turns and I think that becoming
brave means trusting those twists and turns and going with them instead of
fighting them. It is understanding that everything that happens in our lives is
a learning opportunity and a chance to authentically be ourselves and walk our
path. Each of us has our own journey, and we are all becoming and working on
ourselves.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Having said all of this, my list of suggestions for starting
your journey on the Brave Girl path is:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> G</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">o to </span><a href="http://www.bravegirlsclub.com/" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">www.bravegirlsclub.com</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
and sign up! You will receive daily messages that are inspirational and can
help you get through your days. Sometimes I save those messages and print them
in a tiny format and put them on a corner of my desk as a reminder. Sometimes I
print the art as a reminder. I try to do something to jog my memory about being
Brave.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Take Brave Girl classes. When you go to the
website, look for “Brave Girl U Online” at the very top of the screen. Join
Brave Girl U and take the classes! Specifically, I’d suggest first taking Soul
Restoration. This class is life changing. It’s fun, it’s easy, and most of all,
if you take the time, do the work, and really “listen” to your soul, it will
change you in ways you never dreamed possible. There are lots and lots of Brave
Girl U classes, so be sure to stick around and take more, because it’s all good
stuff!</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">On Facebook, “Like” Brave Girls Club. This will
get you in touch with the Brave Girls community and help you meet other like
minded people who might be sharing your journey. Participate and get to know other Brave Girls. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Perform random acts of kindness. Ok, this is
personal, this is part of my journey and is something that resonates deeply
with me. I find that, as I go through my day, I’m really busy and often really
focused down. Each day, I try to lift my head and be present. If that means
telling a coworker that they look wonderful in a certain color, or if that
means giving a coworker a quarter for the vending machine, I never know, but I
try to perform some simple random act of kindness each day. It’s become so much
of a habit with me that I am sometimes not even aware that I do it anymore!
Last week, in Idaho, I actually performed 4 or 5, which was what prompted me to
pay attention and start noticing when I do it. I’m not looking for gratitude, I’m
not looking for praise, I’m simply letting my heart speak, and following my
path.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Give yourself permission. This is huge. Let your
soul out. Let it speak and tell you what it wants. Sometimes, I think we get
carried away with the “daily grind” and we miss out on things. We decide we are
“too busy” or “too tired” or “not good enough” to do something and we let an
opportunity pass by. Instead, how about giving yourself permission to fall
down. Give yourself permission to try something that’s way out of your comfort
zone and see what happens. I’m not saying go drive a super fast race car if you
don’t have a driver’s license, but I AM saying that if someone invites you to a
class on something you haven’t ever done but have been curious about, do it.
Make time, have fun, and enjoy yourself. You’ll be amazed at the results in
most cases!</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Don’t expect an overnight shift. Becoming a
Brave Girl isn’t really a thing. I think it’s an attitude, a shift inside of
yourself, a new way of thinking for some. It’s not something you can look at
and say “ok, I’ve done this and this and this and now I’m a Brave Girl. The
first step is to choose to be Brave, and then as the journey opens and you
start taking steps forward, you will learn to recognize and acknowledge your
brave self. Just like anything worthwhile, it takes time. It takes time to
shift your thinking and your responses to life, at least it did for me. There
are still some things that I have said in the past that, if I could, I would go
back and say differently. But, being brave means not looking backward, but
instead looking forward and to what can be rather than what was.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">For me, a part of being Brave comes from
someplace entirely unrelated to Brave Girls Club. It comes from a program
called DDPYoga. It was DDPYoga and Diamond Dallas Page, 3 time World Champion
Wrestler who first told me to Own My Life. Those words were a real call to
action for me, and got through to my soul in a way that meshes with all of my
Brave Girls training and soul work. Being happy is a choice. Being healthy is a
choice. Food is a choice. Everything in life is really a choice. It’s up to you
what you make of everything that life hands you. If you are curious about
DDPYoga, you can visit </span><a href="http://www.ddpyoga.com/" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">www.ddpyoga.com</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> and
learn more about it. I’d also strongly suggest watching Dallas’ very
inspirational lecture video, “Living Life at 90%”.</span></li>
</ol>
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This is a really hard blog post to
write because, again, I don’t think it’s a straight path, and I think everyone’s
journey is unique. You have to make a conscious effort to move forward instead
of just sitting and waiting. Life is all around us and happening and some of it
is beautiful and some isn’t. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
If you've read all of this and don't have a clue what Brave Girls Club is, please take a look here: <a href="https://youtu.be/vfQqCWaHYdc">https://youtu.be/vfQqCWaHYdc</a></div>
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Anyhow, this is my truth. Maybe it
will help someone. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Have a great day!<o:p></o:p></div>
Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-56025583484874668492016-07-13T10:35:00.003-07:002016-07-13T10:35:21.584-07:00Brave Girl Symposium 2016 Recap and Meet me by the River!<div class="MsoNormal">
My blog has been pretty quiet. There are a lot of reasons,
but none that I can actually share here. With that little bit out of the way,
here’s my actual post.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This past week, I stepped out of my comfort zone and out of
my day-to-day life, into a world where I wish we could all live, all the time,
every day of our lives. I went to Boise Idaho for something called Brave Girl Symposium.
This was the first one, but not the last, by any means. I’m overwhelmed by all
that happened there, and don’t know that I can capture the magic in a humble
blog post, but at least I can hit on a few of the high points!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wasn’t planning to go. There’s a lot going on in my life
(obviously, see first paragraph above, if you know me, you know that I love to
blog and blog often). I was going to watch everyone else go and live
vicariously through them. In late March, though, I received a bit of unexpected
money. After a lot of soul searching, I decided to dedicate a bit of it to
self-care, and signed up! All of the pieces fell into place beautifully, and
suddenly the time was here and I was on my way to my beloved Boise.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The symposium did not disappoint. There were SOOO many
amazing speakers, so many women, from so many walks of life, so many different
backgrounds, so so so much to learn, so much to talk about. We came to call it
the “love bubble.” We were in a safe place, protected, protecting each other
fiercely, loving unconditionally, and just being beautiful selves. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I met so many women who I have known only online for several
years. I met them, chatted with some, sat for long chats in the sun with
others, shared meals with them, laughed with them, cried with them, danced with
them. I hugged someone who I hold in the highest respect and felt a physical
jolt. It was strange, but not even surprising! I met someone else who walked up
and “saw” me. She told me she had been moved by the spirit to meet me. I was
pretty much speechless at that, but it was also amazing. The whole experience
was simply epic.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I met so many NEW sisters. Women who touched my life in new
ways and gave me much to be grateful for. Women who were there for the first
time and didn’t know anyone. Women who said I inspired them and then in turn
humbled me by inspiring me in crazy amazing ways.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I listened to speakers. Speakers who shared their souls,
hearts, and life stories. I sat in my seat in tears much of the time. Pained
for these souls, but knowing that they were happy, healthy women now, and
joyful at who they have grown to be. There was so much hope for the broken at
this symposium, so much.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My takeaway is that I have healed a whole lot! I have taken
back my light. I am no longer broken, I am now busted wide open in the best way
possible. I am ready to say Yes, and ready to serve. I have gifts that demand
to be shared, and I am going to pursue that sharing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know this is all high level, but if you know any thing
about Brave Girls Club, (<a href="http://www.bravegirlsclub.com/">www.BraveGirlsClub.com</a>),
then you know that the whole event was red carpet. Anything that happens there
stays there. Most of the stories are not mine to share and my stories are way
too personal to share, plus also, see paragraph 1. I sit quietly at this moment
in the universe.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
If this sounds like an experience that you think you would
enjoy, I totally encourage you and beg you to visit <a href="http://symposium.bravegirlsclub.com/">http://symposium.bravegirlsclub.com</a>
and sign up for next years! The dates are July 6-July 8, 2017, at the Riverside
Hotel in Boise. Flights are easy to come by, the Riverside has rooms still (I
think, don’t mess around, they are filling fast), and we can meet at the river
bank and celebrate the beautiful women that we are and the gifts that we have
to share! <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>
See you there.<o:p></o:p></div>
Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-17062910960023152462016-01-13T07:00:00.000-08:002016-01-13T07:00:33.299-08:00Gluten, Dairy, and MeWhen I started doing DDPYoga in June 2013, I read the program guide, looked at the different food plans and pretty much decided I was going to do things my own way. I cut back my portions, limited certain foods, added in a ton of veggies and figured it would work. And it did, for a while. After about a year, and after talking to DDP and reading more, I decided to try gluten and dairy free. At first I didn't notice anything. Then, one day I realized that a personal issue (not going into details) that I'd had for a long time had gone away. By now, I was back on gluten but no longer eating dairy. I decided that I didn't have any issues with gluten and I decided I would just eliminate cow dairy. That went well for me, even though I was losing very very slowly.<br />
<br />
In October of 2015, I went to the DDPYoga retreat in Mexico. Now, the retreat was at an all-inclusive gourmet resort. This means that no matter HOW you want to eat, they pretty much have options! On the 2nd day, my friend Julie decided to go gluten and dairy free. It looked pretty easy, so the next day I quietly joined her. By the time I came home, I was completely gluten and dairy free and pretty much finally had an understanding of how to make this work. I also had watched DDP, at a couple of different meals, just flat out tell the restaurant that he had special needs. Now, those who know me know I'm not quiet, but, there are times where I am very quiet. Restaurant ordering is one of those. I have always tried to not make waves. Well, after the retreat, and after some coaching from DDP, I realized that I have to take care of myself. I need to ask for what I want.<br />
<br />
In order to stay gluten and dairy free, I order more carefully at restaurants when we go out. I ask them to hold the cheese, and if it's a burger, I ask them to hold the bun, the cheese, and anything else that resembles dairy or has gluten. Years ago, I did a weight loss/lifestyle called Somersize, developed by Suzanne Somers. I had a lot of success with the program and actually even appeared on HSN for 3 days with Suzanne! It was pretty cool. The program utilized food combining, eating the right combinations of the right foods. I lost 75 pounds, and I felt really great. But, at that time, it was really hard to order "special" things at restaurants, as there weren't many options. Now, however, it's really been fairly easy! Even the larger chain restaurants typically have options and choices that work.<br />
<br />
Another thing I do is something I started about 18 months ago. On the weekend, I do food prep for the entire week. I make 5 lunches, and I make a huge batch of steel cut oats, which I have for breakfast 6 days a week. I am finding that if I do my meal planning, I eat well, feel great, and I'm happy. If I don't plan, I feel stressed and it's super easy for everything to get out of control. For ME, meal planning is critical.<br />
<br />
While I might not officially be gluten sensitive, I have had a couple of patches of contact dermatitis on my neck since my 30s. Eight days into being gluten free, those patches were completely gone. I've had some other things that I thought were just inherently part of who I was that have changed as well, but the biggest change has been the fact that I've lost 18 pounds since 10/25. I'm post menopausal, so losing weight isn't easy like it was in my 30s, it's a big challenge. Now, however, if I stay true to my eating, I lose.<br />
<br />
Another HUGE side effect that was complete unexpected was that the Achilles tendinitis in my left heel is gone. By the time I left the retreat, after 5 days of being gluten and dairy free, it was about 75% better. Now, after 3 months? It isn't painful at all. I no longer have to modify lunges and squats in doing DDPYoga, and as long as I do my stretching and stay true to eating gluten and dairy free, no pain. A few days of any kind of gluten or dairy, and it twinges.<br />
<br />
For me? That right there is enough. No more gluten. No more cow dairy. It's working for me. It's a small price to pay to not be in pain so bad I can't walk across a room.Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-83160830009810260992016-01-12T09:46:00.000-08:002016-01-12T09:46:07.382-08:00No Straight CourseFor almost 3 years, I've been on a path to better health and better quality of life. I've adjusted my eating and am fairly religious about working out, the main choice for that being DDPYoga. Along the way, I have come to realize that this is just like any other growth. It's not a straight line.<br />
<br />
In December, I took a class at work in Agile/Scrum methodology. I actually became a Certified ScrumMaster. As we went through the class, and through our sample project, I started really thinking on how it all works. It made me put my project management hat on and think through projects I've been on. I've never been on a project that went from point A to point B without some kind of side trip or detour. So, if that's true in my work life, does it apply to my personal life? Does it apply to pursuit of goals too? I have been thinking on this for weeks now, so I decided to just share it, finally.<br />
<br />
When I started doing DDPYoga, I was so freaking committed. I couldn't see anything else. I wanted to master the workouts and be the best at all of them. I wanted to show the world that I could do anything in the workouts and I expected to be able to do it quickly. You see, my background is athletic based. As a kid I danced. That meant you learned steps, learned a routine, mastered the routine, and showed it off in a show. Then, I swam competitively in my high school years. That means you swam, got a time, practiced, raced more, beat your old time, and strived to be the best you could be. (are you seeing a pattern?)<br />
<br />
DDPYoga, or ANY kind of yoga for that matter, isn't about being the best of anyone. It's about being the best version of YOU. And the funny thing is, the best version of you might take YEARS to create. It might not be something you can just say "ok, I'm going to learn this and kill this workout." You might have to stick with it and slowly and patiently work it out. I didn't understand this until last year's DDPYoga retreat. I was usually near the back of the room because I was recovering from an achilles injury (more on that in a couple), and didn't want to hold anyone back. Plus I was embarrassed that I couldn't do some of the moves. It hit me on about the third day, I finally HEARD Dallas when he said "it took me years to be able to do this." Wait. What? All of a sudden, the pieces clicked into place for me. So wait, you mean, you can't just do all those moves right away? Hmmmm. As the week went on, I realized I was making leaps in mobility and feeling so much stronger. Consistency is key, but so is acknowledging your limitations.<br />
<br />
I mentioned that I had an achilles injury. For the first 18 months or so that I did DDPYoga, I pushed. I pushed hard. Really hard. I got hurt. Often. I hurt my shoulder, I hurt my wrist, then, finally, I hurt my achilles. That one took me off the mat for a LONG time. Even at the retreat, Dallas yelled at me a couple of times because I was pushing too hard and he could see it from the front. He was right. I backed off, and now, just 3 months after the retreat, I have no achilles pain. Of course, I'm also religiously eating gluten and dairy free, but that's another post. Maybe later in the week because Dude, profound stuff there. :)<br />
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Anyhow, the picture below is how I feel.is image shows how I feel.<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2hsDNzDo-B0/VpU6_Z6mVgI/AAAAAAAADFw/mNzz3tygFdQ/s1600/plan%2Band%2Breality.PNG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2hsDNzDo-B0/VpU6_Z6mVgI/AAAAAAAADFw/mNzz3tygFdQ/s320/plan%2Band%2Breality.PNG" width="320" /></a><br />
My journey isn't a straight line, like I thought it was. It's got all kinds of fun obstacles and detours, I just need to stick with it and keep pushing. I exchanged emails with Dallas yesterday, as I do every few weeks, to update him on a challenge we have going on. His reply is what spurred this post. "Back on track. OWN it." Yup. Exactly.<br />
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So, the next time you miss a day of hitting your mat, or find yourself eating something you shouldn't, or whatever other obstacle gets in your way, remember that it's not a straight line. The journey is all twisty and curvy. But, I think it's important to stay as focused as possible, even when you find yourself in the weeds, and keep yourself accountable. I have little notes in various areas of my life, "30 in 6, what can you do?" All to remind me of the challenge I have with DDP. I'm not in it to fail, I'm in it to do my best.<br />
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How's your journey going? What do you need to course correct? After my 4 pound gain over the holidays, I realized I wasn't drinking enough water, and I was slacking a bit with my food, so I have tightened the reins and my butt is back on track. I know I can do anything I set my mind to, if I work at it. (And if I'm patient, apparently! (see also mastering workouts!))<br />
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Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4571913276372028436.post-45806407882772672782016-01-07T09:15:00.001-08:002016-01-07T09:15:18.150-08:00Welcome 2016!Happy New Year! We are well into the new year, actually, a full week in, as of today. I'm back at work, after a relaxing 11 days off, and ready to face this year and all it has to share! <div>
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First, food. I "gained" 4 pounds during all of the holidays. I'm fine with that, and focused on getting rid of it, and more. So far, I'm down 1.5 of that 4 already, so I feel confident that I am focused and back on track. I'm still gunning for that 30 lbs in 6 month goal, which is due by 4/21. I want to beat it, and I want to beat it good! I've been to the gym once so far, on Monday, and had a fabulous workout. I was supposed to go back yesterday, but we had a whole lot of rain and I chose home instead. Today I have an appointment, but tomorrow I should be back on track. </div>
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Things are well with the new grandbaby. Abella is doing well, growing steadily, happy, noisy, and, as her doctor put it "very active." Yea, we noticed that, she's already trying to figure out how to roll over and has been holding her head up since she was 4 days old. Go figure.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NRIiBnphjyg/Vo6cU22REPI/AAAAAAAADFE/2AwXct3l1sc/s1600/IMG_5183_picmonkeyed%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NRIiBnphjyg/Vo6cU22REPI/AAAAAAAADFE/2AwXct3l1sc/s400/IMG_5183_picmonkeyed%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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She's pretty cute. Someday soon, I imagine she will decide that she can keep her eyes open for photos. LOL It was, in all honesty, a bit late for her when we finally got to taking this photo last night, but still! She also wasn't giving up the binky. I have a cute series with and without that I'll be able to scrapbook.</div>
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All in all, 2016 is off to a good start. Looking forward to a great year! More when I have a bit more time!</div>
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Grandma Septemberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730373605796812364noreply@blogger.com0