After a couple days off, it was time to re-kick it into gear. Due to the holiday, Sweat360 was offering two equally challenging workouts for the day... either one was sure to kick anybody's b-u-t-t... so I chose to do them both!
8:15A - Powersculpt!
Full class so limited dumbbell options, I chose the 15 pound weights, probably at least 3 pounds too heavy for this type of workout, but other than the Flys, I managed. It was a rough start, I felt really "heavy" this morning... my feet and body simply wasn't moving well... quick feet turned into not-so-quick feet... hmmm maybe not the best day for a double workout. =) As always, I eventually warmed up though, the 2nd half of my workouts always seem better than the first half, it's like the adrenaline finally kicks in. Great class, super exhausted when we finished... 57 minute cardio with weight blast... Now I was ready for Hi Def... (sort of ) =)
9:15A - Hi Def!
25ish troopers this morning for the Memorial Day "soldier" workout. No equipment necessary... which means if you are ready, grab your shoes because you can do this workout from anywhere... =) I loved seeing my friends for this workout. Daniel, Terrance, and of course Jen... you are rockstars! I also get really motivated to workout when Josh is in class... no way will I ever catch him, but I work all that much harder trying to keep up. Now if only we could get him in the noon classes... =)
After a warm up of a 400m jog, ladder drills, with 50m jogs each round of quick feet, then inch worms... a little stretchng and we were ready to go.
The workout:
400M Jog then 3 rounds of:
50m shuffles
20 pushups
20 jumping jacks
20 squats
20 situps
400M jog to finish us off (litterally)
then we did a little ball passing to engage our core before we were finally done.
I'm pretty sure Josh finished the workout while we were all still in round 2... He rocks, what can I say... by my last 400M jog, I was truely finished... I just kept telling myself, "It's not a race, just keep moving, It's not a race, just keep moving" and I did... 2 hours of sweating for me today, I'm looking forward to what is in store for tomorrow, Hi Def @ Noon... Who's In?
Happy Memorial Day everyone... Thank you to the soldiers, past, present, and future, without you, I wouldn't have this opportunity!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Seeking "new" motivation...
I think it's time for something new. I'm not exactly sure what it will be, what to try, or what challenge to accept, so I'm throwing out a request for ideas... ??? Anyone doing anything extra special right now that is motivating them to stay on track? I find myself a bit uninspired lately, and unable to get inspiration from my usual suspects.
I am competitive by nature, not that I am in the "I must win or I won't play" category, but the challenge of competing, even against myself helps to keep me focused and on track. If I compete against other people, I want those that choose to compete with me to do their very best and to want to win, not just play along. In the end, I really don't care if I win or not, in fact, if it makes you play longer with me, I'd rather you win, so we can keep playing. I'm certain that goes back to my days of playing "Double-Dribble" with my big brother... I'm not saying that I let him win, that's not the case at all, I never just "let" someone win anything, but I was thankful to play again when he won our best 2 out of 3 competitions... and on the rare occassions that I actually beat my brother, I had to just savor the victory and then wait until he decided it was time for a rematch.
In the past when I found myself in a bit of a lull, I'd look up race schedules and register myself in a race or two so that I had something to train for and focus on, but now, racing is no longer an option for me. It's not really a reward to train for something my body does not want me to participate in. Running, especially the kind of running you should do in order to train and compete in a race causes long term extreme nerve pain which shoots down my body and makes normal daily activity difficult. If I plan to stay away from the surgeon's knife, I need to find some other way to set goals... short term goals, long term goals... what should they be now?
It's definitly time to re-think my nutrition strategies... while I have stuck to a nutrition plan that seems to work well for my body, I've lately found myself a little lax, especially from about 10A Saturday mornings though Sunday night... it's amazing how much good effort you can undo in 24 to 48 hours...
I don't have any issue with exercise, I workout 6 days a week and I workout hard... I'm present, focused, and inspired, especially from some of my fellow classmates.
I think what I need most right now is to actually set my next goal and milestones so that I have something to work towards... What are your thoughts? I'd love for you to share...
I am competitive by nature, not that I am in the "I must win or I won't play" category, but the challenge of competing, even against myself helps to keep me focused and on track. If I compete against other people, I want those that choose to compete with me to do their very best and to want to win, not just play along. In the end, I really don't care if I win or not, in fact, if it makes you play longer with me, I'd rather you win, so we can keep playing. I'm certain that goes back to my days of playing "Double-Dribble" with my big brother... I'm not saying that I let him win, that's not the case at all, I never just "let" someone win anything, but I was thankful to play again when he won our best 2 out of 3 competitions... and on the rare occassions that I actually beat my brother, I had to just savor the victory and then wait until he decided it was time for a rematch.
In the past when I found myself in a bit of a lull, I'd look up race schedules and register myself in a race or two so that I had something to train for and focus on, but now, racing is no longer an option for me. It's not really a reward to train for something my body does not want me to participate in. Running, especially the kind of running you should do in order to train and compete in a race causes long term extreme nerve pain which shoots down my body and makes normal daily activity difficult. If I plan to stay away from the surgeon's knife, I need to find some other way to set goals... short term goals, long term goals... what should they be now?
It's definitly time to re-think my nutrition strategies... while I have stuck to a nutrition plan that seems to work well for my body, I've lately found myself a little lax, especially from about 10A Saturday mornings though Sunday night... it's amazing how much good effort you can undo in 24 to 48 hours...
I don't have any issue with exercise, I workout 6 days a week and I workout hard... I'm present, focused, and inspired, especially from some of my fellow classmates.
I think what I need most right now is to actually set my next goal and milestones so that I have something to work towards... What are your thoughts? I'd love for you to share...
Saturday, May 8, 2010
How much have I lost, how quickly did I lose it and what do I eat?
The most asked questions I get from friends, family, and anyone who is familiar with my journey is, how much have I lost, how quickly did I lose it and what do I eat? Although it is usually asked at the same time and I could go on and on about all three questions separately, my most common answers: During which attempt? A lot if you combine each attempt. And oh gosh, how much time do you have, because I’m kind of a nutrition junkie and I’ve been trying to figure that out for years…
Over the last four years (since my daughter was born), I’ve lost over 60 pounds but that was 30 pounds rather quickly and then my loss evened out to approximately 1 to 2 pounds a month. That’s it, that’s all I lose now, 1 teeny tiny pound, if I’m lucky, 2 pounds a month. I did manage to finally break through a plateau line though that as an adult I’ve never crossed before.
The last 10 pounds has been painfully slow, and my weight fluctuates up and down everyday… that’s right, I do weigh myself every day. I do not recommend this for everyone, but for me it works. It’s simply part of my morning routine. Get out of bed, go potty, weigh myself (wearing the exact thing everyday… i.e. nothing), take my vitamins and or supplements, get dressed, breakfast… of course there is a lot change post take my vitamins, I do have to get a 4 year old and a husband up, moving and ready too, I also am not a fan of getting up early so this process is usually a little rushed.
Weighing myself every day is really good for the way I think. I completely understand and expect my weight to fluctuate daily. But, not a lot can happen in one 24 hour period, and because my eating is simple and healthy, when I see an unusual jump or decline I can almost always directly correlate it with what I ate yesterday… for example Sushi nights most certainly guarantee that I will be up at least 2 pounds by the AM weigh in time.. it’s not that I’ve really gained any weight, it’s just the added sodium consumption… and seeing the scale change is a good reminder to get all my water in and maybe a little more to flush out all that sodium. Sushi is a healthy choice, at least my options are, they are just naturally saltier than most food I eat. Water also plays a huge role in my daily weight fluctuation, just another thing I think about if a change on the scale occurs. But the average result is 1 to 2 pounds loss each month.
I’m actually feeling really good right now, so while my weight loss is slow, I’m at a point that 1 to 2 pounds a month is absolutely acceptable for me. If in 6 months from now, I’m 6 pounds lighter, woo hoo!!! I’m doing awesome.
I do still have pounds to lose, and I could lose them faster, I know I could, however this is where my preferred lifestyle comes into play. My goals are not to be at a certain weight as quickly as possible, not anymore… My goals are to be healthy, strong, as pain free as possible, and to be a good role model for my daughter. I am not on a diet. Don’t get me wrong I’ve tried so many diets with real effort that I could probably teach a class about each one, I research what their scientists claim work and why. At different times I’ve had some success on Weight Watchers, Southbeach, and Absdiet… I say some success because while I was following those diets how they were intended I had a successful weight loss, I’ve tried many others and there are some things that work from them and some that don’t but the biggest fail for me is that I do not want to be on a diet forever. Not to mention I am a all or nothing personality type so figuring out the diet, reading everything possible about each one, truly researching them, and then spending hours and hours planning meals that I like and that work for my family means that I then think about food, all day long every day… quick hint: when you think about food constantly, even healthy food, it makes you hungry… Being & feeling hunger makes making good choices all that much harder. I have a beautiful family, we love food, we love celebrating with family and the last thing I want to do is take the fun out of food for my self and for my family.
So what do I eat? Instead of making a REALLY long blog post, I’ll save sample menus and ideas for a different date, in fact I’m thinking through a possible blog schedule of sorts, where I post something nutrition related one day a week, exercise another, maybe even see if I can get a few of my friends to post a guest blog of sorts one day…I think it would be great to hear from others about the topics that they have passion about, besides who really wants to read my words every day anyway right?
My general diet consists of about 95% healthy, non-processed, real food, including fruits, vegetables, lean protein, natural fats, some grains and chocolate cake… (I was just seeing if you were paying attention), eaten in small portions at regular intervals throughout the day. Add at least 100 ounces of H2O and that’s what I eat… 95% of the time. I try very hard not to eat processed foods and will go out of my way not to eat anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup… eliminating HFCS alone is a great start for most people. My normal diet and the food that I eat can be found in almost any diet plan, The zone, Paleo, Mediterranean, in fact most of my trial recipes come from one of those 3 sources. I do have one downfall… I’m totally addicted to my espresso drinks, and not just espressos… Sugar Free English Toffee Mochas, Sugar Free Hazelnut Mochas, Sugar Free Caramel lattes… you get the picture. I make these mostly at home and I have a 16 oz one every day, and still frequent my favorite coffee shops as well. My own recipes use splenda Sweetened Sweetners… this is the only place that I use Splenda. It like all other “sweeteners” is a chemical which I don’t allow myself to eat or drink it any other time. Maybe someday I’ll give it up, but not now… it’s part of my morning routine too, and frankly, I love it! I make my espressos, extra creamy using Trader Joes Fat Free Organic Milk and they are yummy!!!
For the most part, I do not count calories although I do know with pretty darn good accuracy how many calories are in the foods I eat, I simply eat on a regular schedule, simple foods that I like that are healthy, I always incorporate a lean protein source in any meal I eat, even snacks, and I drink water throughout the day. I tend to eat the same or similar some might even say boring foods each day but then I get more creative with dinner since I eat that with my family. And here’s the fun part… while the food I prepare for myself fits these standards above, I’m not on a diet, if it’s my birthday or one of my friends… I will eat a piece of cake, ooey gooey chocolatey cake… and I will enjoy it. If you invite me over for dinner, I will not feel obligated to ask you how you prepared a meal, and I will even have some dessert if I want to.
I accept that my way of eating may not be the fastest way to lose weight, but I am losing weight, I am feeling great, and I do not feel bad in anyway indulging once in a while.
However, remember that my workout regimen, is intense, and consistent. If I miss a gym workout I make up for it in my home gym. I rest only when I need it (and sometimes I do) and every so often I hit a plateau… that’s when I grab a new journal, journal and track all my food, count the calories, add up the protein and other nutrients… for at least 2 weeks, analyze it and make some adjustments… this helps keep my eating on track and my recollection of portion sizes in tact. By the way, I love using the journal “Diet Minder” by BodyMinder, a small company out of Eugene, for this… it’s by far my favorite paper/spiral bound journal.
I’m not opposed to ever being on a diet though, and if you are on one that you think is the best one ever… I want to know about it… I’ll even try it for a while, so long as it’s healthy, and it doesn't turn me into a super hungry zombie who thinks of nothing but food because the menu plan is too hard to create. I just won’t plan on doing it forever… I can’t imagine being on a diet forever… that would suck! I’m also up for any challenge or contest… I love competition, and it gives me intervals of focusing that I need once in a while… not to mention an opportunity to try out new recipes…
My food motto is simply to eat healthy clean as possible food most of time at regular intervals throughout the day, only eat food that actually tastes good, that I like, and when I eat something that I probably shouldn’t… enjoy it.
Over the last four years (since my daughter was born), I’ve lost over 60 pounds but that was 30 pounds rather quickly and then my loss evened out to approximately 1 to 2 pounds a month. That’s it, that’s all I lose now, 1 teeny tiny pound, if I’m lucky, 2 pounds a month. I did manage to finally break through a plateau line though that as an adult I’ve never crossed before.
The last 10 pounds has been painfully slow, and my weight fluctuates up and down everyday… that’s right, I do weigh myself every day. I do not recommend this for everyone, but for me it works. It’s simply part of my morning routine. Get out of bed, go potty, weigh myself (wearing the exact thing everyday… i.e. nothing), take my vitamins and or supplements, get dressed, breakfast… of course there is a lot change post take my vitamins, I do have to get a 4 year old and a husband up, moving and ready too, I also am not a fan of getting up early so this process is usually a little rushed.
Weighing myself every day is really good for the way I think. I completely understand and expect my weight to fluctuate daily. But, not a lot can happen in one 24 hour period, and because my eating is simple and healthy, when I see an unusual jump or decline I can almost always directly correlate it with what I ate yesterday… for example Sushi nights most certainly guarantee that I will be up at least 2 pounds by the AM weigh in time.. it’s not that I’ve really gained any weight, it’s just the added sodium consumption… and seeing the scale change is a good reminder to get all my water in and maybe a little more to flush out all that sodium. Sushi is a healthy choice, at least my options are, they are just naturally saltier than most food I eat. Water also plays a huge role in my daily weight fluctuation, just another thing I think about if a change on the scale occurs. But the average result is 1 to 2 pounds loss each month.
I’m actually feeling really good right now, so while my weight loss is slow, I’m at a point that 1 to 2 pounds a month is absolutely acceptable for me. If in 6 months from now, I’m 6 pounds lighter, woo hoo!!! I’m doing awesome.
I do still have pounds to lose, and I could lose them faster, I know I could, however this is where my preferred lifestyle comes into play. My goals are not to be at a certain weight as quickly as possible, not anymore… My goals are to be healthy, strong, as pain free as possible, and to be a good role model for my daughter. I am not on a diet. Don’t get me wrong I’ve tried so many diets with real effort that I could probably teach a class about each one, I research what their scientists claim work and why. At different times I’ve had some success on Weight Watchers, Southbeach, and Absdiet… I say some success because while I was following those diets how they were intended I had a successful weight loss, I’ve tried many others and there are some things that work from them and some that don’t but the biggest fail for me is that I do not want to be on a diet forever. Not to mention I am a all or nothing personality type so figuring out the diet, reading everything possible about each one, truly researching them, and then spending hours and hours planning meals that I like and that work for my family means that I then think about food, all day long every day… quick hint: when you think about food constantly, even healthy food, it makes you hungry… Being & feeling hunger makes making good choices all that much harder. I have a beautiful family, we love food, we love celebrating with family and the last thing I want to do is take the fun out of food for my self and for my family.
So what do I eat? Instead of making a REALLY long blog post, I’ll save sample menus and ideas for a different date, in fact I’m thinking through a possible blog schedule of sorts, where I post something nutrition related one day a week, exercise another, maybe even see if I can get a few of my friends to post a guest blog of sorts one day…I think it would be great to hear from others about the topics that they have passion about, besides who really wants to read my words every day anyway right?
My general diet consists of about 95% healthy, non-processed, real food, including fruits, vegetables, lean protein, natural fats, some grains and chocolate cake… (I was just seeing if you were paying attention), eaten in small portions at regular intervals throughout the day. Add at least 100 ounces of H2O and that’s what I eat… 95% of the time. I try very hard not to eat processed foods and will go out of my way not to eat anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup… eliminating HFCS alone is a great start for most people. My normal diet and the food that I eat can be found in almost any diet plan, The zone, Paleo, Mediterranean, in fact most of my trial recipes come from one of those 3 sources. I do have one downfall… I’m totally addicted to my espresso drinks, and not just espressos… Sugar Free English Toffee Mochas, Sugar Free Hazelnut Mochas, Sugar Free Caramel lattes… you get the picture. I make these mostly at home and I have a 16 oz one every day, and still frequent my favorite coffee shops as well. My own recipes use splenda Sweetened Sweetners… this is the only place that I use Splenda. It like all other “sweeteners” is a chemical which I don’t allow myself to eat or drink it any other time. Maybe someday I’ll give it up, but not now… it’s part of my morning routine too, and frankly, I love it! I make my espressos, extra creamy using Trader Joes Fat Free Organic Milk and they are yummy!!!
For the most part, I do not count calories although I do know with pretty darn good accuracy how many calories are in the foods I eat, I simply eat on a regular schedule, simple foods that I like that are healthy, I always incorporate a lean protein source in any meal I eat, even snacks, and I drink water throughout the day. I tend to eat the same or similar some might even say boring foods each day but then I get more creative with dinner since I eat that with my family. And here’s the fun part… while the food I prepare for myself fits these standards above, I’m not on a diet, if it’s my birthday or one of my friends… I will eat a piece of cake, ooey gooey chocolatey cake… and I will enjoy it. If you invite me over for dinner, I will not feel obligated to ask you how you prepared a meal, and I will even have some dessert if I want to.
I accept that my way of eating may not be the fastest way to lose weight, but I am losing weight, I am feeling great, and I do not feel bad in anyway indulging once in a while.
However, remember that my workout regimen, is intense, and consistent. If I miss a gym workout I make up for it in my home gym. I rest only when I need it (and sometimes I do) and every so often I hit a plateau… that’s when I grab a new journal, journal and track all my food, count the calories, add up the protein and other nutrients… for at least 2 weeks, analyze it and make some adjustments… this helps keep my eating on track and my recollection of portion sizes in tact. By the way, I love using the journal “Diet Minder” by BodyMinder, a small company out of Eugene, for this… it’s by far my favorite paper/spiral bound journal.
I’m not opposed to ever being on a diet though, and if you are on one that you think is the best one ever… I want to know about it… I’ll even try it for a while, so long as it’s healthy, and it doesn't turn me into a super hungry zombie who thinks of nothing but food because the menu plan is too hard to create. I just won’t plan on doing it forever… I can’t imagine being on a diet forever… that would suck! I’m also up for any challenge or contest… I love competition, and it gives me intervals of focusing that I need once in a while… not to mention an opportunity to try out new recipes…
My food motto is simply to eat healthy clean as possible food most of time at regular intervals throughout the day, only eat food that actually tastes good, that I like, and when I eat something that I probably shouldn’t… enjoy it.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Mental notes are just as good as data points, especially when you are paying attention
Yesterday was an incredibly stressful day for me. Working where I do, does come with its share of deadlines, stresses, urgencies, and compliance, but yesterday in particular was a little more stressful than I'm used to. Lucky for me, my out of the norm day happened to fall on the day in my workout schedule where I do Power Yoga with Kili.
Yoga and I have a love/hate relationship and I say that with the utter most respect for yoga and all you yoginis. (however that is spelled) I am referring to yoga itself though, not my trainer and instructor Kili, who is amazing, and takes yoga to levels of creativity and functionality like no other. She has my complete respect and amazement of all her amazing talents. When I first started doing yoga years ago, I hated it… I am a natural multi-tasker and could not, no matter how hard I tried allow myself to clear my mind and do yoga as it is intended… I’d constantly find myself still working other issues in my head, being bored, and from a fitness standpoint thinking, what am I doing here, I should get out on the treadmill and get in some cardio… I didn’t really get into or find any enjoyment out of yoga until my back problems and nerve pain started. Yoga then became a challenge, where I’d have to figure out ways to maneuver my body to make poses work for me. Easier said than done too, depending on the level of my pain. I have a 3 pound green squishy yoga ball that if used the correct way allowed me to secure my pelvis to the floor and participate in most of the poses.
There were some days that the pain shooting down my leg prevented me from even simply lying on my back, let alone raise a leg or expect to move at all with any amount of grace. it was a rough time for me. As I got stronger though, as I strengthened my core I found a great amount of satisfaction in being able to do simple moves or poses even if I still modified my poses, progress was progress and the pain associated with any movement allowed me to take in yoga, concentrate on breathing and moving and all my other worries were gone, even if just for a while.
Yesterday in the midst of a my internal discussions and stress over what I was up against and how clearly far from my comfort zone I was in, it was noon.. time for yoga, and after a quick acknowledgement of my crazy uncomfortable day, my class began.
Since the beginning of the nerve pain almost 2 years ago now… I have slowly progressed and have even become quite good at Yoga, but I have good days and bad days and one of the simplest moves that you’d think would be no problem, moving from a plank to a lunge by bringing my leg forward and setting my foot in between my hands maybe 3 feet from where they were was not only difficult but nearly impossible. For the longest time, I had simply figured out a way to add several steps in the middle… plank to knee, adjust my hand placement and then lift and move my leg forward where it belonged, sometimes I’d even use my hand to assist in the movement… my way, after much practice, allowed a pain free way for me to get from point A to point B with enough grace to not to draw much attention to the fact that it was different. I don’t like to be different, I strive to be normal, to do normal things, to look normal, to feel normal… heck I even strive sometimes to be better than normal.
Kili as she often does, changed the flow of our class and for me change is good, it causes me to think about the moves more, pay attention to her voice and my body, it doesn’t leave much time for me to think about other things going on in my life. This class was particularly strength based, and sweat began to pour from my body… this is a good thing. I have been slowly trying to incorporate some non-modified movements and for the most part was practicing yoga with everyone else, doing the same moves as everyone else, that is everything except that simple transition from plank to lunge. I’m not sure why I even tried it, as I’ve actually become quite used to my own way of getting there, but I did try and I made it, or at least close to where my foot should land. No pain, and without much effort. Could it really be that easy? This particular move is done a lot throughout the class and with each attempt I got closer and closer to one smooth move as opposed to several mini-moves to get there. I found myself completely engaged in the lifts involved and the smoothness of moving my body part, OCD, yes I know… but I was so close, I was bound to get it right eventually. Class flew by and before you know it we were ready to lie down and just relax, eyes closed, and just be. This is where my mind usually drifts off to what I need to do next, tomorrow, any other time. But today, well yesterday, that didn’t happen. I didn’t think about anything. My mind was just relaxed I could feel my body parts, hear and feel my breath and was almost in a sleep like zone…
After class, I quickly remembered my current worries and off I went with my day, but for one hour I not only tapped into a part of yoga that I desire but rarely get, but I felt accomplished and because I actually fear the pain that I had, the fact that I did not modify my transitions and felt no pain, gives me an instant feeling of peace and health. Exactly what I needed at that time.
I’m so thankful for the friends and support I receive within the Sweat360 community but I’m not certain I express my thanks enough. How lucky am I to have such a positive environment to go to every day of the work week, in the middle of my work day.
Thank you to Kili, to Robert, and all my friends there, for the encouragement and support that helps keep me grounded, motivated, and moving forward in my journey. Actually participating in transitions the way they were intended… “check”. Now to the Kettle Bells… “that’s right, I’m talking about you, you may have me defeated for now, but just wait… I’m coming for you!”
Namaste
-kariebeth
Yoga and I have a love/hate relationship and I say that with the utter most respect for yoga and all you yoginis. (however that is spelled) I am referring to yoga itself though, not my trainer and instructor Kili, who is amazing, and takes yoga to levels of creativity and functionality like no other. She has my complete respect and amazement of all her amazing talents. When I first started doing yoga years ago, I hated it… I am a natural multi-tasker and could not, no matter how hard I tried allow myself to clear my mind and do yoga as it is intended… I’d constantly find myself still working other issues in my head, being bored, and from a fitness standpoint thinking, what am I doing here, I should get out on the treadmill and get in some cardio… I didn’t really get into or find any enjoyment out of yoga until my back problems and nerve pain started. Yoga then became a challenge, where I’d have to figure out ways to maneuver my body to make poses work for me. Easier said than done too, depending on the level of my pain. I have a 3 pound green squishy yoga ball that if used the correct way allowed me to secure my pelvis to the floor and participate in most of the poses.
There were some days that the pain shooting down my leg prevented me from even simply lying on my back, let alone raise a leg or expect to move at all with any amount of grace. it was a rough time for me. As I got stronger though, as I strengthened my core I found a great amount of satisfaction in being able to do simple moves or poses even if I still modified my poses, progress was progress and the pain associated with any movement allowed me to take in yoga, concentrate on breathing and moving and all my other worries were gone, even if just for a while.
Yesterday in the midst of a my internal discussions and stress over what I was up against and how clearly far from my comfort zone I was in, it was noon.. time for yoga, and after a quick acknowledgement of my crazy uncomfortable day, my class began.
Since the beginning of the nerve pain almost 2 years ago now… I have slowly progressed and have even become quite good at Yoga, but I have good days and bad days and one of the simplest moves that you’d think would be no problem, moving from a plank to a lunge by bringing my leg forward and setting my foot in between my hands maybe 3 feet from where they were was not only difficult but nearly impossible. For the longest time, I had simply figured out a way to add several steps in the middle… plank to knee, adjust my hand placement and then lift and move my leg forward where it belonged, sometimes I’d even use my hand to assist in the movement… my way, after much practice, allowed a pain free way for me to get from point A to point B with enough grace to not to draw much attention to the fact that it was different. I don’t like to be different, I strive to be normal, to do normal things, to look normal, to feel normal… heck I even strive sometimes to be better than normal.
Kili as she often does, changed the flow of our class and for me change is good, it causes me to think about the moves more, pay attention to her voice and my body, it doesn’t leave much time for me to think about other things going on in my life. This class was particularly strength based, and sweat began to pour from my body… this is a good thing. I have been slowly trying to incorporate some non-modified movements and for the most part was practicing yoga with everyone else, doing the same moves as everyone else, that is everything except that simple transition from plank to lunge. I’m not sure why I even tried it, as I’ve actually become quite used to my own way of getting there, but I did try and I made it, or at least close to where my foot should land. No pain, and without much effort. Could it really be that easy? This particular move is done a lot throughout the class and with each attempt I got closer and closer to one smooth move as opposed to several mini-moves to get there. I found myself completely engaged in the lifts involved and the smoothness of moving my body part, OCD, yes I know… but I was so close, I was bound to get it right eventually. Class flew by and before you know it we were ready to lie down and just relax, eyes closed, and just be. This is where my mind usually drifts off to what I need to do next, tomorrow, any other time. But today, well yesterday, that didn’t happen. I didn’t think about anything. My mind was just relaxed I could feel my body parts, hear and feel my breath and was almost in a sleep like zone…
After class, I quickly remembered my current worries and off I went with my day, but for one hour I not only tapped into a part of yoga that I desire but rarely get, but I felt accomplished and because I actually fear the pain that I had, the fact that I did not modify my transitions and felt no pain, gives me an instant feeling of peace and health. Exactly what I needed at that time.
I’m so thankful for the friends and support I receive within the Sweat360 community but I’m not certain I express my thanks enough. How lucky am I to have such a positive environment to go to every day of the work week, in the middle of my work day.
Thank you to Kili, to Robert, and all my friends there, for the encouragement and support that helps keep me grounded, motivated, and moving forward in my journey. Actually participating in transitions the way they were intended… “check”. Now to the Kettle Bells… “that’s right, I’m talking about you, you may have me defeated for now, but just wait… I’m coming for you!”
Namaste
-kariebeth
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The First Entry...
After being asked by several people where they can find my blog, I’ve decided to finally give it a shot. I have no idea if anyone will read it, if anyone will benefit from it, or if anyone will actually “follow” me, but I have been borderline, or if you know me well, completely obsessive compulsive about figuring out how I can make “my” body fit. I say “My” and it is in quotes because I’ve tried so many different recommended ways from a variety of sources, doctors, trainers, friends, family members, even an infomercial or two… what I’ve found is that no matter what I do, how hard I try, my body doesn’t work the way that others’ do. Over the years I’ve found many oddities, ranging from my actual physical capabilities and body shape to what fuels me and more importantly what sabotages any good faith efforts.
I’ve been journaling off and on in a variety of ways for myself, to inspire others, and to in a sense be able to look back on what I was doing at a certain time in order to pinpoint things that work (for me) and things that don’t. It is a long tedious process, and unfortunately one that I will most certainly continue my entire life.
The good news? While I still fight with my own body on a daily basis, at this moment, I’m stronger and healthier than I’ve ever been. I might argue that in high school I was just as healthy, but hands down, I’m stronger now. (Have you seen my biceps or my quads?) My weight, well, while I’m not a private person, (see my facebook profile if you are unsure of that statement), I don’t plan to post any weights or measurements in this blog… at least for now. Weight and measurements on my body are well unrealistic to what is considered “normal”. Scales lie, medical charts don’t measure actual health, instead they measure what is considered normal ranges. I even fall into the “normal” range sometimes… depending on who and how the measurements are taken. I’m 5’4” and I have never met another female with my body type and while I do have personal weight goals, they are not how I measure my health, but instead another tool or data point to measure my progress of which I have many tracked data points.
My fitness journey or my quest to be fit has been an on-going process my entire life, and no doubt it will continue through the rest of my life. I have been an athlete my entire life. Team sports as a child/teen/adult, then a good friend talked me into doing a Triathlon several years ago and for 3 years it was all I trained for and thought about, that is, until I found out I was pregnant days following my last race… The Spring Classic Duathlon. Now my activity of choice is suspension training (TRX) and crossfit (Hi Def).
I’ve definitely worked my way through some bumps in the road including extreme nausea during my pregnancy which halted almost all my active pregnancy goals, and most recently the news of my severely degenerated spine – complete with two areas of severe canal stenosis, two herniated discs, and one very painful bulging disc that impacts the area of my spine where my spinal cord and nerves exit. Yay me! Apparently, while my head drives me to be an athlete, my body was never meant to be one. I think about that statement a lot, and if I think my fight to be fit is hard enough as it is, if I took out the equation of regular intense workouts, I’d lose the battle for sure. So instead, I just add it to the many challenges that makes up my unique self and will just have to work through it, around it, or in some cases in spite of it.
I’m new at this blogging thing, so feel free to comment, ask questions or send encouragement or ideas…
-kariebeth
I’ve been journaling off and on in a variety of ways for myself, to inspire others, and to in a sense be able to look back on what I was doing at a certain time in order to pinpoint things that work (for me) and things that don’t. It is a long tedious process, and unfortunately one that I will most certainly continue my entire life.
The good news? While I still fight with my own body on a daily basis, at this moment, I’m stronger and healthier than I’ve ever been. I might argue that in high school I was just as healthy, but hands down, I’m stronger now. (Have you seen my biceps or my quads?) My weight, well, while I’m not a private person, (see my facebook profile if you are unsure of that statement), I don’t plan to post any weights or measurements in this blog… at least for now. Weight and measurements on my body are well unrealistic to what is considered “normal”. Scales lie, medical charts don’t measure actual health, instead they measure what is considered normal ranges. I even fall into the “normal” range sometimes… depending on who and how the measurements are taken. I’m 5’4” and I have never met another female with my body type and while I do have personal weight goals, they are not how I measure my health, but instead another tool or data point to measure my progress of which I have many tracked data points.
My fitness journey or my quest to be fit has been an on-going process my entire life, and no doubt it will continue through the rest of my life. I have been an athlete my entire life. Team sports as a child/teen/adult, then a good friend talked me into doing a Triathlon several years ago and for 3 years it was all I trained for and thought about, that is, until I found out I was pregnant days following my last race… The Spring Classic Duathlon. Now my activity of choice is suspension training (TRX) and crossfit (Hi Def).
I’ve definitely worked my way through some bumps in the road including extreme nausea during my pregnancy which halted almost all my active pregnancy goals, and most recently the news of my severely degenerated spine – complete with two areas of severe canal stenosis, two herniated discs, and one very painful bulging disc that impacts the area of my spine where my spinal cord and nerves exit. Yay me! Apparently, while my head drives me to be an athlete, my body was never meant to be one. I think about that statement a lot, and if I think my fight to be fit is hard enough as it is, if I took out the equation of regular intense workouts, I’d lose the battle for sure. So instead, I just add it to the many challenges that makes up my unique self and will just have to work through it, around it, or in some cases in spite of it.
I’m new at this blogging thing, so feel free to comment, ask questions or send encouragement or ideas…
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