Striving

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.

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.

This year, 2018, I set my word of intention as STRIVE.

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^rd. So, yea, I figured strive was a great word for this year, this second year of my journey to better health.

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.

 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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

It’s good to have goals. How about you? What are your goals? How can I help? Want me as your coach? Click here: COACH ME PLEASE

Start Where You Are and Keep Moving

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.

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.

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.

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!

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?

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. J

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.

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!)

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.

Want me as your coach? Click here: COACH ME PLEASE

Getting Fit and Staying There...

"Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will 

sooner or later have to find time for illness."  ~Edward Stanley

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.

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.

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.

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.

Do something you enjoy
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.

Eating is a lifestyle not a bandaid
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.

On the same topic, I try not to leave meals to chance. Here are a few of my tips on that.
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.

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.

Support your body with Superfoods and great nutrition
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!!

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!

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!

I'm starting to tag my workouts #fitnfabover55 on Facebook, join me, ok?

-- Have a wonderful day!

Books, 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!!! 

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!

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!)

1. Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life, Eric Greitens 
2. How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie
3. Live Does, Bob Goth
4. Leadership and Self-Deception, The Arbinger Institute
5. Remembering Wholeness: A Personal Handbook for Thriving in the 21st Century, Carol Tuttle
6. The Power of Habit: Why we do What we do in Life and Business, Charles Dehigg
7. You Are a Badass, Jenn Sincero
8. Braving the Wilderness, Brene Brown
9. SuperLife: The 5 Forces That Will Make You Healthy, Fit, and Eternally Awesome, Darin Olien
10. #GIRLBOSS, Sophia Amoruso

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.

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.

Anyhow, I'll try to keep updating this list, but if you are looking for some good personal development books, all these are awesome!!

Tips for Holiday Survival

We 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".

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.

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.

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.

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...)

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.

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.
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. :)

-Have a fabulous day, and I hope these tips help you in the holiday season!