Chasing Rainbows

I haven't blogged at all yet this year. In fact, I haven't done much yet this year. Please don't think that I am insinuating that I have been lazy or given up by any means. I simply have taken time to work on myself and reevaluate my dreams and goals in order to build a plan. Normal life (beyond work and the gym and raising children) took a backseat.

I took my nutrition and training back to the drawing board and overhauled everything. I'm keeping a close log of how every change affects my overall package. I have brought my posing back to basics in hopes of having a much better presentation when I finally do compete again. I have kept my focus on building muscle while keeping my body fat down. Now I am finally beginning to 'cut' and start to get into stage shape.

Meanwhile, I have also been working on designing a career path. I have spent ten years in my industry and gathered certifications and qualifications that should be worth quite a bit to the right employer. I have put a lot of thought into what the 'right' job would look like for me versus how I can be of the most value to an employer. I have made an effort to make my current position take the shape of my vision but have not been able to work with my current company to see it through. I'm in negotiations with another company and I hope that I'll be able to make that announcement shortly. I pray it will be the last career change I have to make!

Lastly, I have been working on myself. I have been single for almost eight months now. That's not exactly a long time but it has been enough to clearly see where I can make progress on a personal level. I've always treated happiness and success as destinations to be reached instead of transient events/feelings that occur in the moment. Instead of focusing on these things (which our society places so much value on), I have been working on building my values and morals. I'm not going to espouse that I'm some great theologian now but I'm doing some reading and lots of listening. I've visited churches and schools and talked to friends, family, and the 'professionals' about every topic I can think of. And, while this journey will never be complete, I'm happy to say that I think my current progress will lead to the ability to have a fundamentally happy life through living true to myself. And one day maybe I can share it with a partner that is taking the same journey of self-exploration and growth.

I have missed emptying the thoughts rattling around my head onto a blank screen. And I miss the feedback that my blog received. Most of all I long for the friendships it kindled with people who related to my ramblings. So I'm going to make an honest effort to begin blogging regularly again. I'm not exactly sure of how often or how much but I want to share my journey to the stage and beyond with everyone who encouraged me to take the first steps back in 2014. I wouldn't have made it this far without you all.

Happy Leap Day friends! I'll be back soon!

Fit-Phobia

Recently, I've heard and experienced a lot of comments about people's bodies. Let me start this with a question... When did it become acceptable to say anything except, "You look great!"? I am not sure what these comments say about the people who spoke them. Are they that ignorant? Are they just rude or stupid? Maybe they are jealous or even think they are giving a compliment. No matter what their reasoning, I reiterate, it is NOT acceptable in the least to comment on anyone's weight or appearance EVER!

Let's start with my awesome running mama friend. She is 5 months postpartum and running 40-50 miles per week. On her Sunday long run she passed another woman. This woman thought it was appropriate to remark, "I feel like a slug just walking. Here you are jogging and pregnant." Now let's break this down. First, my friend was not 'jogging'. She was running! Get it right! Second, she's not pregnant and she's only 10 pounds away from her pre-pregnancy weight. She looks amazing and she's going to run an ultra before her baby is even a year old. So, unless, you can see a head crowning, it is NEVER appropriate to assume a woman is pregnant. I assume this was an incident of a backhanded compliment. If something like this has ever come out of your mouth may I suggest alternatives like, "You go girl!" or "I want to be as awesome as you someday!" Weight, gestational status, and jogging comments should be caught by the brain to mouth filter if it is functioning!

Nope, not pregnant!

The next example happened to my very buff firefighter friend while waiting for some work to be done on his car. A woman in the waiting room asked him, "Do you ever feel like the world is closing in on you?" He asked her why she asked and she stated, "Because you're just so big! Your phone looks so tiny when you hold it!" Okay, I know the debate on how big is 'too big' will never end. It's personal preference, period. But my friend may have to enter your burning home and pull your limp body through the smoking ruins to an ambulance, possibly up or down stairs and around furniture and rubble. I'm sure you would be grateful for his brawn in such a scenerio. So how about from now on we change our line of thought to, "that guy/girl must work really hard and have extreme discipline". If you don't want to be that 'big' or be with someone with lots of muscle then don't. But shut your pie hole before you assume that it somehow limits their life.

She could probably pull you from a burning building

Photo credit: Violate the Dress Code

Finally, I have gotten several comments in the last few weeks about being 'so skinny' or 'tiny' or whatever. Here's the deal. I'm squarely in the normal range based on BMI. I'm squarely in the normal range based on body composition, weight, and every other metric for a woman of my age and height. Maybe Americans have a skewed view of normal now that obesity is considered an epidemic. Maybe the backlash against stick figure models has swung the pendulum too far in the other direction that we're now idealizing carrying extra weight. Whatever the cause, I don't care. What I do care about is that these folks have the cahoneys to make comments about my body to my face. If I was slightly to moderately overweight and made a statement that I wanted to lose weight my friends would rush to reassure me that I'm beautiful the way I am. No one would suggest that I eat less, join a gym, or anything else because that would be 'mean'. But thin women are supposed to be confident and happy in their own skin so comments like, 'eat another helping of _____. You could use some more weight' shouldn't bother us.

Well, to be blunt, F THAT! I have insecurities. I have cellulite, stretch marks, and body parts that I wish had more definition or shape. I love what my body DOES. I've trained it well and I can accomplish amazing feats but that doesn't change that sometimes what I see in the mirror makes me have a moment of self-doubt. On the flip side, there's a serious stigmatism to certain body shapes. There's raging debates over thigh gaps and bikini bridges and whatever else is 'trendy' right now in the eating disordered communities.

See those two lumps? Not abs. Those are my ribs.

You know why that sucks? Because I have both a thigh gap and a bikini bridge. I'm not suffering from an eating disorder. I'm not physically or mentally ill in any way that is causing me to be 'too skinny'. I just happen to be shaped a certain way and now I get to be hated or ridiculed for it and I'm supposed to just take it because our society has made social commentary on other people's bodies, especially if they are closer to 'ideal', acceptable.

Well, it's not and it never will be. Think before you speak. Treat other people, of all shapes and sizes, with respect. Build them up. Compliment them on something that isn't out of their control. Find reasons to look beyond their physical shape. Because when you finally see the person on the inside that's when the person will feel comfortable in their own skin no matter what it looks like at that moment.

LiveFit Trainer: Week 4

It's official! I survived Phase 1 of the LiveFit Trainer! So far I have been extremely impressed with the results. It's not easy trying to eat clean and fit in 5 workouts a week but I've been doing it. I've even gone in blizzards and the polar vortex mess or whatever they're calling it this week.

I wasn't the only crazy at the gym!

 

The results for 4 weeks of training have been outstanding. I never expected to see progress this fast and it's not just noticeable to me. Paul is seeing the changes and I just keep lifting more every time I go to the gym. It's almost unbelievable!

 

I've gone up 50 pounds on leg press alone

 

And physically, the changes are visible and show in my measurements too. So here's where I'm at as of the end of Phase 1!

 

Body Part          Start          Phase 1

Neck                 13.5            13.75

Chest                 33               33

Waist                 28               28

Hips                   38               37.5

Biceps               11               10.5

Thigh                 20               22

Calf                   13.5            14.25

Weight             137             134.5

 

 

And that's all for now! As I move into week 5 I will be adding back more cardio with my weight training. Things are about to get more intense as I move into phase two and I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens as I continue to get stronger!

 

 

 

LiveFit Trainer Week 1

Today marks the end of my first week of the LiveFit trainer. Obviously there aren't any huge changes to report but I thought a little update might help with motivation (mine and yours!) as we make our way further into the new year.

I made it through all of the workouts for week 1 with a few modifications. The gym was closed New Year's Eve and New Year's Day (isn't that when they get all their new memberships?!) so I made due with home workouts using bands and body weight exercises for chest and triceps day. I was at Paul's house on back and bicep day so we used his gym, which is fairly limited, and did our best. Leg day and shoulder/ab day both happened at my YMCA and the only thing I had to substitute for was seated calf raises because the Y doesn't have the equipment. And yes, I have been sore from head to toe all week. I love it!

Using my toddler for squats

 

As for the nutrition, I have been doing really well in my own opinion. I cheated with some wine and champagne on New Year's Eve but I saved the calories in my plan so the only damage was the shift in my macros. I had some popcorn and fruit snacks with the kids one day. And I have had Starbucks coffee twice this week but I stuck to a tall and made it a 'skinny' version of my usual order.

A 'skinny' treat

My typical day consists of lots of eggs, chicken, and fish. I get unlimited veggies so Birds Eye Steamfresh bags are my best friend right now. I only get a single serving of starch with each meal so rice cakes and sweet potatoes make up most of my carbs.

As Honest Toddler calls these, Sadness Patties!

I figured I'd be getting bored or sick of this by now but I really don't mind it. I feel more alert and I'm sleeping better (my Fitbit says my sleep efficiency is at 99%). The only thing I really miss is cardio and that will be coming back soon. I may begin to add a few miles warm up pre-lifting in week two. I know I won't get optimal muscle gain but I also have a 5k and 50k that I'm registered for!

I've also improved my overall habits. I upgraded to a 40 oz water bottle to aid with hydration. My Fitbit is motivating me to move more. (I still can't get 5 full lights without cardio!) My grocery bill has actually gone down now that I buy produce, meat, and a small amount of other things and then do an entire week of food prep in a day. Eating out has also become a thing of the past for the most part. The one time I was out for a meal I had a salad with oil and vinegar and then ate my protein and starch when I got home.

40 ounces of awesome!

 

There's really no physical changes to report yet other than being sore. I was up 0.5 pounds when I weighed in today which I expected. Inflammation, better hydration, and being stuffed full of fish and veggies will all add some weight. All in all, I'm excited to keep trying to improve as I go and see what happens over the next few weeks.

 

 

 

How are your goals coming so far this year? Do you have any tips for avoiding temptations?

Kona Kase Review

How many times have you seen a new granola bar, energy gel, healthy snack, or recovery drink on the market and wanted to try it? Have you ever looked at a product online and clicked away without buying for fear of ending up with another case of something you hate? Do you wish you could try samples of everything until you find out what works for you?

I know I sure do. I have a pantry shelf full of protein bars, whey powder, granolas, energy gels, and other supplements and snacks meant to improve my performance and fill in the gaps in my nutrition. The problem is that I never know if something will work for me until I try it... and then I'm stuck with the leftovers if it doesn't. Until now!

Kona Kase offered to send me a sample Kase and I jumped at the chance. What is a kase? Well, it's a financial and nutritional miracle in box delivered once a month.

 

For just $15 a month one of these boxes will show up on your doorstep every month. Inside you will find a smorgasbord of healthy samples. This month I received a KIND bar, a bag of Half Pops popcorn, Mama Chia chia squeeze pack, 18 Rabbits granola bar, a Clif Shot energy gel, a One Bar fruit bar, a Dr. Will bar, and an Osmo active hydration mix packet. Also inside were a card with a motivational quote (wouldn't that be perfect when you're having trouble getting out the door) and a grading card so you can keep track of what you like or dislike from each kase.

 

In the future, Kona Kase will be offering the ability to purchase the products you love right from their website. The best part is they offer multi-month programs and the ability to cancel your subscription at any time without penalty. You can also earn rewards by referring friends using your own personalized link.

 

So, if you're ready to sample 'til your heart's content, then sign up risk-free and give them a follow on Facebook and Twitter. You'll save a bundle, get to try out the hottest products, and perfect your nutrition in one handy little package!

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I was provided a free sample by Kona Kase for review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.