Determination, Ambition, Action, Persistence

Since my last post, where I really "put it out there" about my current struggles, I have felt a huge sense of relief! Maybe it was because I was finally able to say it and get it off my chest. Maybe it was because I was acknowledging how I felt and really took time to think about it and process it all. Maybe it was because of ALL of these things or maybe it was NONE of these things! No matter what... it was "freeing"! Going through that process (writing, reading, reviewing, reflecting) also helped me refocus and find my determination again.

 

 

After writing that post and reading it over and over again I have a better sense of who I am and what I need to do. I am more determined than ever to help myself. Hopefully by sharing my journey I can help others by letting them know that they are not alone and that this journey isn't always easy- there are ( and will continue to be) bumps in the road that you have to overcome.

 

 

Ambition is the first step to finding success on this journey (and on any journey) but it is not going to be enough. You also have to be willing to take ACTION and continue to take ACTION even when it is tough to do so. It isn't taking action one time and BOOM you have success. You have to keep taking action everyday- even in what may seem like very small ways. Then you have to be able to recognize those small (sometimes very, very small) actions as success and steps in the right direction.

 

Those small actions everyday will begin to add up. You just have to be patient and keep moving forward and fighting for it. Don't give up and you will reach your goal. But it will take time. It will be hard. It will be very hard. In the end it will be worth it.

 

 I have been working out- running, biking, doing Piyo. I have been working on eating clean (or at least cleaner). I have been working on making better choices in all areas of my life!

Over the past few weeks I have refocused my determination and ambition. I have been taking action every day- even if it is in small ways. I have been taking time to reflect and appreciate each small step in the right direction. Have I been "perfect"? Absolutely NOT! Did I eat a cookie AND a brownie the other day when at a training for work? YEP! Did I beat myself up over it? NO! I decided it was what it was and that beating myself up over it wasn't going to get me anywhere. I acknowledged that I shouldn't have made that choice and that I would make a better decision the next time I was in that situation and then I made sure to get in a good workout that night. Overall I count that as a success. I made small progress in the right direction. I reflected on my choice and moved forward.

 

I will continue to fight each and every day! I won't give up and I won't let little bumps in the road stop me from reaching my goals!

 

Here is an overview of some of the past few weeks:

 

working on being more consistent with my running

continuing with Piyo

spending "active time" with family



choosing to do the "hard" workouts



taking it all in and being aware of what's around me

pushing myself

finally getting projects done- also mulched the whole yard but didn't get pictures of that

being present

more "active time" as a family

Overall it has been a pretty good few weeks! I feel like I have gotten my DETERMINATION and AMBITION back (I think the wonderful weather has greatly helped in this area). I have been able to take ACTION in many ways (not only workout wise). Now I just need to continue with my PERSISTENCE in moving forward. My husband likes to tell me that I am stubborn and I hate that word so I often say that I am persistent or determined so this shouldn't be too difficult! I just need to apply my "persistence/determination" in the right places!

Club Human

There was an additional problem that I noticed in my last post that I didn't mention. In looking at the pictures it is very clear that I have put on some weight. Honestly, other than when I was pregnant, I am at my heaviest weight. I really do NOT like the number that I am seeing on the scale and I have been beating myself up over it.  But, that isn't getting me where I want to be so it is time to make some changes- both in my thinking and in my habits.

I am a member. Are you?

Time and time again, I have made similar posts or have had similar conversations with friends about falling off the wagon with my eating habits and getting back on. I have "gotten back on again" so many times that I am starting to think that I might just be an expert on it! Now I just need to figure out how to stay on! I know "slip-ups" are bound to happen (donuts, cookies, desserts, potlucks, etc are everywhere) but I don't have to completely fall off the wagon. I NEED to stop letting that happen.

Over the past several years, "falling off the wagon" has definitely evolved. We (Tim and I) have really made huge strides in our eating habits since we were first married. To give ourselves some credit we have not TOTALLY "fallen of the wagon" and gone back to where we were. I hate to think where we would be now if those changes hadn't happened! Maybe what I am thinking of as "falling of the wagon" are more like plateaus in our journey.

As I look back over the past several years, I am noticing a pattern. I feel like just when I start to make great progress that is when I start to let things slide a bit. I don't know if I start to get comfortable or what the deal is but for some reason I start to hold myself back just when I feel like I am starting to really succeed.

 

Here is a great example: A year ago I was doing so good. I was at one of my lowest weights (that I can remember) and I was feeling so good and so proud myself. I don't even know what happened. I am sure I could come up with all kinds of excuses- I changed positions at work. I switched to 12 hour shifts. My daily routine changed. My stress/frustration level went way up. My boys got busier with activities. My list could go on and on. Those things are all apart of life and they are going to continue to happen and I need to figure out better ways (than food and eating) to deal with those. Ultimately I am holding myself back! I lost my focus on my eating habits and over time I got down on myself for it. I let all of those excuses become justification that took over my rational thinking.

 

I know what I need to do- Focus back in on making good choices on my food; eat clean, limit sugar, portion control, and STOP HOLDING MYSELF BACK! DON'T LET EXCUSES GET IN THE WAY!

 



My new motto

 Oh, and I need to be patient and trust the process (and myself). All things that are a struggle for me! The "work hard" from the graphic above hasn't really been much of a struggle. Actually, even though I am at my heaviest weight right now, I feel like I am probably the strongest I have been. We have been working hard on our Piyo workouts and are both noticing big changes in our strength and flexibility. My legs are feeling tighter and more toned than they ever have! Now it is time to balance those workouts with more running and biking and a better focus on our diet.

 



I NEED to remember this!

 

and this!

Today I got in a 5 mile run- it wasn't wonderful and my lungs were not very happy but it was just what I needed! 

Houston... we have a problem

Well, actually we have a couple of problems. The first and probably the biggest problem that we are facing right now is this:

 

 

Yep, that is right... FOUR ice cream buckets FULL of candy (and Easter was already two days ago so you can bet that there was a bunch more)! I am sure if you talked to my three boys (or even my hubby) they probably wouldn't agree with me in the fact that this is a very real problem right now in our house. The boys think they are in heaven but these four buckets are torture for this momma who has a sweet tooth and is working very hard to get back on track with better eating! I am calling on every ounce of willpower that I can find to keep myself out of these buckets and to keep making progress in the right direction. It's not going to be easy!

 

The other problem that I am referring to is this:

 

 

Where did the time go and when did these guys get so big? I guess this one really isn't a problem... it is just a case of life getting away from me. I am really working on embracing each new stage of life as they get older but it is always fun to look back too:)

 

Other than being overwhelmed by lots of candy (and other great food) and realizing just how much my boys are growing up, we had a pretty good Easter weekend. There was lots of food, family and fun! I hope that you had a great weekend too. Here is a quick review of our weekend in pictures.

 

Easter fun with Grandma Jane

Easter breakfast, Egg hunt, and service with Grandma Judy who ended up with a hairline fracture in her arm after a fall while hiding eggs at her house on Saturday

Riley (12), Isaac (9), Aidan (5)

 

Enjoying Grandma Betty's farm while hunting eggs

Some of my favorite 'random' pictures from Grandma Betty's

 

There were a few things missing from our Easter weekend- Papa & GJ (who moved to Missouri almost a year ago) and some good workouts to offset all of the food and candy (projects and family activities didn't allow for much else). Hopefully a visit with Papa & GJ will be in the near future!

 

Now that we are back home and have our routine again we are back to our normal workouts as well. We are still going strong on the Piyo challenge and are really enjoying it! I will have more on that in the future!

 

 

 



Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all of my running peeps... and any other follower 'peeps' as well. I hope you had a blessed day!

Happy Place

Has it already been nearly 2 weeks since my last post? I have written so many posts in my head over the past couple of weeks that I can't believe that it has already been that long. The problem is that all of those posts never actually made it to the blog! I am nearing the end of my "glory week" so I really don't even have any good reasons why they haven't made it... they just haven't.

 

A while back my Scentsy Director posted this on our team Facebook page:

 

"Where is your happy place?"

 

 

 

My original answer at the time of the Facebook post was "working out... outside or at the gym." I have spent a lot of time thinking about this since it was posted!  Over the past several weeks I have had numerous people comment to me about how great I am doing with my workouts because they have seen my posts on social media. My response to them was "it's my happy place".  It feels so good to push myself to see what my body can do. Does it actually feel good while I am doing it? Not always! But it sure feels great when I am done and I can look back to see what I have accomplished! Working out (in whatever way it may be) makes me feel happy!

 

Here are a few pictures of me in that happy place from the past couple of weeks:

 

Getting outside for a run with my little man on his bike (4 miles)

My Piyo time with my hubby

Another great run outside with my hubby and little man- enjoying the beautiful spring weather

 

trying new workouts together

 

 

Being silly after a workout

Solo run outside

making progress together

As I have continued to think about this question over the past several weeks I have also come to realize that while this answer is very much the truth, it is only part of it. Working out makes me happy but it is not the only thing that makes me happy. It isn't the only thing that can take me to my "HAPPY PLACE"- that place where you have an overwhelming sense of happiness inside. My happy place is when I am doing what I enjoy and when I am with people that are important to me. My happy place is living in the moment and being connected to whoever I am with at the time. It may be with someone who helps to make me feel better about myself or maybe I am able to help them in some way. My happy place is making the most of every moment that I am given!

 

Here are a few more examples from the past couple of weeks:



Ladies Day- spent with family (Mom, Grandma, Aunts, and Cousins)

This is an old picture but represents any time spent with these three crazies!

Quiet time alone- snuggled up with the dogs and a good book

Just about anything I do with this man by my side

 

Where is your "HAPPY PLACE"?

 



Birthday week

I have almost made it through my "hell" week. No, my week really hasn't been that bad. It is just the term used for the week of my schedule where I work a bunch in a row. I do 12 hour shifts and work every third weekend so I have "hell weeks" and "glory weeks" with a few regular weeks mixed in. Those "glory weeks" make "hell weeks" so much more bearable!!!

 

I worked last weekend and then was off on Monday which was nice because it was my birthday!

 

 

 I had a nice quiet and relaxing day at home. The weather warmed up a bit so I was able to run outside to celebrate my day. It was a tough run but I was so happy to get outside that I pushed through. When I looked at my mile splits and saw that I had one mile in the 8's I realized why it was so tough! I am generally pretty good about pacing myself but the combination of running on the treadmill most of the winter and being excited to run outside made me realize that I need to strengthen that skill again.

 

4.3 miles

Once my family was all home we went out for supper at Applebee's (well four of us did... one child may have had a meltdown about my choice of restaurants and ended up staying home while we ate)  before going to Riley's Jazz Band Concert. This was the first that I got to see him play for Jazz Band due to my work schedule so it was really nice. They did a great job! Overall it really was a good day and I am so blessed!!

 

After being off on Monday then it was back to work for a couple of days again. Even with this past week being my "hell week" and working a lot I have been getting in a workout even after I get home from work!! I am participating in a 60 day Piyo challenge and am loving it! One of my hopes from doing this challenge was to find something that I could do even on the days that I work and I can honestly say that I have been able to do just that! The workouts are just the right length to fit in quick when I get home. The lower body workout was a great way to stretch my legs after a long day on my feet. I am sure I will be telling you more in the future as we are only on week 2 of the challenge!

 

Today it was back to group strength class and what a workout it was! Once again we used all kinds of different "tools" and made a quick "field trip" to the gym for our warm up. Lots of squats and upper body today which made me worried for how tonight's Upper Body Piyo workout was going to go. After a bit of rest this afternoon we headed up to The Y tonight as a family and Tim and I got in a quick 5K run on the treadmill before some good stretching. It was a short workout so we still had time for Piyo once we got home. Like I said, I was worried about how it was going to go after the GST class but I really didn't need to worry. It was a great workout and I am already seeing improvements. The upper body workout might be one of my favorites and I know that it will be one that I will continue to do well after the challenge is over!

 

post- workout selfie for the challenge group page

 

Fitness Friday

I need to start out by letting you all know just how PROUD I am of this kid!

 

Riley- age 12

When he made the decision to not go out for basketball this year we told him that it was fine but, since he wasn't doing a winter sport, he would need to workout with us- running, lifting, etc. and not just sitting at home playing games. The month of December we didn't push it but once January came along we told him it was time to hit it hard and I have to say that he did. 

Then we challenged him to participate with us in the Indoor Ironman Challenge at our local YMCA (swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles during the month of February) and he took it on and totally rocked it. He finished last night with a 3 mile run and a 1/4 mile swim and a couple of days to spare. It was so much fun to have him working out with us and to be able to spend that time with him. He wasn't always thrilled to be going and doing it but, once we would get started, he always made the most of it and had fun.

Now that indoor batting practice has started he is even starting to see the benefits and is understanding why we made this "deal" with him. It really wasn't to torture him with spending time with us! It was to help him stay in shape and get stronger for track and baseball. After the first session of batting he really noticed a difference and said that it felt good and his swing felt so much stronger. I will definitely count that as a win for us!

NOTE: I should add that my wonderful husband also finished his last lap of swimming last night to also finish his Indoor Ironman Challenge.

This is my weekend to work so I have been off all week which means this has been a GREAT week of workouts! We all finished our Indoor Ironman Challenge this week and Tim and I also started a new challenge that I think we are both really enjoying- a 60 day Piyo challenge.

I can't speak for Tim but I am loving this time together each night.

Here is how my week looked:

Monday: 5k run (treadmill) and biked 14 miles (upright bike) at the Y, Piyo- Align

Tuesday: 2 mile run (treadmill) and biked 6 miles (upright bike) at the Y, Yoga class, Piyo- Lower body

Wednesday: 4 mile run (treadmill) and 1/2 mile swim at the Y, Piyo- Upper body

Thursday: Group Strength Training Class (full body workout), Piyo- Sweat

All of the "tools" used in yesterday's group strength class

After all of that I am feeling it today! It is a good sore though because I can feel that I have been doing something and am working to improve myself and my body. I am thinking that a nice easy run yet today would feel good to help loosen up my tight legs.



 Gratitude Challenge- Days 23-27

Day 23-

Some of us struggle with health and wellness issues. Really take a few moments and think about your body and what you are grateful for in regards to your own health and wellness.

 

Being diagnosed with melanoma and having part of my ear removed really sucked but when I really stop and think about it I am grateful that we caught it when we did. It could have been so much worse and I am incredibly grateful that it wasn't!

 

 I have had my struggles with health and wellness but I am grateful for where I am now. I am not exactly where I want to be but I am on the journey to improving my health and wellness. The journey isn't always easy but I am learning so much about myself and have met so many amazing people along the way.

 

Day 24-

Name a deceased person you are grateful for and why.

 

I have two that I have talked about in previous responses- Grandpa Everett and Tim's Dad (Papa D). They were both very loving, caring and strong men. They both worked hard and were not afraid to push the limits and try new things. They were great examples for how to make the most of your life!

 

Day 25-

Write a thank you to a child you are grateful for and tell them why you are grateful for them. In your gratitude journal, write about the child and your gratefulness towards them.

 

I am incredibly grateful for each of my three boys! They have ALL brought so much joy to my life and in each of their own ways!

 

 

Riley- he was the first to make me a mom and I have learned so much from him. He is very independent and always has been. He has been a 'natural' at so many things that he has helped me learn how to challenge him and push him to try harder and try things that don't come easy to him. From the time he was very young he had a drive for learning and that has helped me to also want to learn new things. He is growing into an amazing, responsible young man and it is so much fun to watch as he grows and changes.

 

Isaac- he has a special way of challenging me but I am grateful for the ways that he makes me a better mom. He is helping me learn to have patience. He also helps me see that sometimes you have to take a different approach to get the end result you are seeking- just because it worked with one kid doesn't mean it will work with the next.  He works hard at all that he does because things don't come easy for him and I admire his determination to figure things out. He is my silly, free-spirited child and I love that about him. He is helping me realize that sometimes I need to be more like that. He is such a sweet, caring boy and I can't wait to see where his future takes him!

 

Aidan- my little man! He is my little sweetie. He is so caring and loves to snuggle. He loves to play, play, play! He has always been "mommy's boy" and I am totally ok with that! He is the child that has helped me slow down and be more in the moment. He has helped me cherish the small, everyday moments because they are what's really important.

 

Day 26-

What happened to you today that you are most grateful for?

 

I am grateful to finally be able to get back to the group strength training class at the Y. After working the past few Thursdays it felt great to get back. Stacy really kicked my butt which was just what I needed!

 

I also had a moment that was very brief but I was go grateful that I was living in the moment and was able to catch it and take it in. While walking through Wal-Mart Aidan said to me, "Mommy, I really enjoy being your son." Sometimes it can be the smallest things that can totally make your day!

 

 

Day 27-

What is one activity that you are grateful you are able to do each day? Why?

 

Dang this is hard! My first reaction was that I am grateful that I can 'move'- in whatever way it might mean for that day. Then I thought about it more and decided that maybe it should be that I am grateful that I can breathe- without breathing nothing else would be possible! I guess that is the very literal side of me talking with those answers.

 

I am also very grateful that I get to be with my family in some capacity each day. I get to see my boys grow and change. I am grateful to be home to eat dinner with my family most nights. I am grateful to be able to tell my boys good night and tuck my little man in.

 

 

I would love to hear from you:

How was your week as far as fitness goes?

What happened to you this week that you are most grateful for? Why?

 

Please comment to share your thoughts:)