A Pain in the….Back?

Hello my dears,

I am still having back pains. I have a doctor’s appointment scheduled as of this morning so hopefully we can get it sorted. I don’t want to hurt it more than it is already, so I have been trying to take it a little easy. I am in the process of buying a bike so I can keep up with Ranger, who has grown and is Border Collie fast at six months old. And I have been trying Jillian Michaels workouts at home. I am loving her Kickboxing Fast Fix. It is 20 minutes and, trust me, you feel it afterwards.

Here’s to a speedy recovery and healthy habits. Cheers!

My Mother, the Wonder Woman

My mother is amazing. She can make a delicious meal out of anything (including the scant groceries of my college pantry when she’d visit me); she can knit beautiful things (like the baby hats waiting patiently in my hope chest), and she is the best at making just a house feel like a home. She grew up in Cali, can ride horses bareback, and (literally) went from beauty pageant queen to U.S. Army private. She counsels hurt women, and is the most gracious hostess.

Most of all, my mom could kick your a$$.

The year she turned forty, she decided to get in shape. Without any training, guidance, or gym membership, she began working out in our living room. She started basic, with The Lotte Berk Method and Tae Bo, and gradually built up to Jillian Michaels and hardcore kettle bell workouts. She begin waking up at 4:30 every morning to work out to her DVDs. She didn’t let lack of a personal trainer or gym equipment stop her; instead she went to Target and bought hand weights. She used the back of the couch as a balance bar. She disciplined herself and GOT IT DONE.

A few years later she became a certified yoga instructor. Then she hiked the Grand Canyon in a day- ONE DAY!!!

My mom has had six kids, is now in her late forties (sorry, Mom, if I’m making you feel old- YOU’RE NOT), yet that woman is in better shape than anyone I know. You can freakin punch her in the abs. She can out-pushup my military friends (you should see their competitions with their feet propped on the coffee table).

So here I am, early twenties, not one but TWO full gyms at my disposal, and no kids to take care of. Not to mention I have a collie who LOVES to run.

What on earth is my excuse? That I don’t know my macros? That I haven’t found the right food diary app? That the gym is too far away or my sleep is too important?

Personally, I think those are lame excuses. I have Wonder Woman genes. All I need to get fit is my living room and the determination to get it done.

Thanks, Mom, you are an INSPIRATION!

Who Says Working Out is a Chore?

Crazy thought: what if working out was a gift? A privilege? An opportunity to be happy, healthy, not to mention look AMAZING? Would we work out more? Eat health more?

Lately I have been stressing over life and career choices. I am looking into graduate school and it is so overwhelming; how is someone supposed to choose a direction when there are so many? I complained to my husband that I am desperately looking for a step-by-step “To Do” list for life and, friends, there isn’t one! The result is I spend hours moodily hunched over my laptop, searching through degree programs and trying on career options.

I may not have a guide to my life and career but I do know that nothing makes failure feel better than ACOMPLISHING SOMETHING ELSE. My “something else” is fitness. I know the rules, I have my to-do list. It is time to act.

Fitness feels wonderful. The End. Why would I not give myself the gift of a healthy, fit body?

When I Stopped Pretending to be a Morning Person

If you ask my friends, they’d tell you I am the morning person and my husband is the night owl. His most productive time is somewhere between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.; while I am drowsy by 9 p.m. and chipper at 6:30 a.m. with my cup of tea. The truth is I fake it. I hate waking up in the morning. Don’t get me wrong, I love it once the sun is up and I am safely out of bed, but that alarm. No matter what I set the tone to- and believe you me I have tried everything- I absolutely loathe the moment when my precious sleep is interrupted by that noise, whatever that noise may be. I curl up as small as possible and try to block it out.

This week, I have gone to bed relatively early (before 10:30) and what a change it has made! I wake up with the alarm feeling- wait for it- excited for the day! The strangest part is, I also gave up coffee this week.

So, yes, more sleep = less dependency on coffee and it is easier to wake up in the morning, even if it is early.

These past two mornings I haven’t woken up feeling like I want to strangle whatever cursed being is disrupting my rest. Rather I feel refreshed and eager for what the day holds.

Now if I could only finagle time for an afternoon nap rather than a 3:00 cup of coffee, I’d be golden…

Hello there, 2015

Welcome to 2015! **Enter a paragraph on how fast life goes by and can-you-believe-it’s-2015 exclamations**

Rather than bore you with the news of my whirlwind December (which included live reindeer, angry seals, a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, and too much chocolate), I will jump straight to present day.

January 3, 2015

Tomorrow is the accepted start date for this year’s Daniel Fast; however, I will be starting on Monday because I’m a rebel like that. The plan was to have two weeks of solid, crazy diet and exercise, but circumstances are dictating I leave out the weight lifting and intense cycling. You see, I’ve pulled a muscle in my back. It is nothing too terribly serious (though it did have me in tears once or twice), but it definitely disqualifies me from heavy workouts… In fact, I currently have a sink full of dishes that I haven’t washed because it requires me to stand for more than ten minutes.

You would think by now I would have grown used to life messing with my plans, but it is still aggravating. The new plan is Daniel Fast, yoga, and walking the dog.

I really want to stomp my foot and frown like a grumpy child; why can’t I be healthy?! Why can’t my ankles/calves/back/stomach let me diet and work out the way I want to?!   But, let’s be honest, a pity party won’t help. The only thing I can do is roll with the punches and do what I can until my back is healed enough to let me do more. So until then, excuse me while I go warm up the bean-filled heat pack and research raising reindeer (my retirement plan).

Happy New Year everyone!

 

 

photo credit: www.told-by-ginger.com