I can sooo relate

Yesterday my friend posted this link on my Facebook timeline:

And boy was she right!  As a mom of 3, I can't count the number of times that I have had to clean up spaghetti, SpaghettiOs,  mac and cheese, chocolate syrup (and the list goes on and on) that my lovely children spilled, smeared and flung during lunch and dinner.

Anyone remember this lovely mess my wonderful then 2 year old made for me???

Anyone care for a little chocolate syrup???

So I'm pretty sure you can imagine my delight as I watch Jae Tracie's rendition of Gotye's song Somebody That I Used To Know.   Even little Miss Chocolate Syrup got a kick out of it and requested SpaghettiOs for lunch today.  Ummmm not today sweetie....you're having a nice turkey sandwich and apple slices.  (who does she think she's foolin????)

Hope you get a kick out of this as much as I did!

Wednesday Words

Source: fitfabcities.com via Erika on Pinterest

What can you do in 90 days?

Yesterday while talking to a good friend, I mentioned that I couldn't believe that I only have roughly 90 (give or take a few) days left in the Suwanee Magazine Get Fit Challenge.  I was sharing with her that I was a little disappointed in my progress thus far.  I had hoped at this point I would at least be 30 pounds down with another 10 to 20 left to go.  But that isn't the case.  As of today I stand at a firm 15 pound weight loss since the start of the challenge back in March.  Now some may see that as a success however I don't.  Going into the challenge I set very high expectations of myself and to have not lived up to those expectations...well it's just NOT acceptable in my book.  Sure I could sit here and run down a list of "why" I haven't lost more but truthfully I have no excuse.  I simply didn't put in all the work, all the time to be where I had hoped I would be.  So after beating myself up to my friend for what felt like hours, she politely interrupted me and simply stated that a lot can happen in just 90 days.   I just had to dig deep, really commit myself to the goal and focus.

She is right, a lot can be accomplished in just 90 days.  However in order to be successful it's going to take a LOT of hard work, dedication and lots and lots of focus.  Last night, as I reflected on the past 7 months of the challenge, I was able to identify all of the things that I have been doing right and those areas that need improvement.  I took the time to re-write out my goals for the next 90 days and also identified the steps needed in order to succeed.  The plan is in place...the only thing left was to put it in action.

This morning, after dropping off my high schooler at 6:30 am, I headed off to Fit Forward for what turned out to be a tough but rewarding workout.

• Step #1 - Get Out of Bed and Workout --> COMPLETE!

Now I just have 89 more days to go!  

Get Fit | Learning the importance of taking a rest

                                                                          Source: fitsugar.com via Erika on Pinterest

Since the end of July I have been putting in the work to lose the weight.  Working out every day and sometimes twice a day has been my primary focus for the past few weeks.  I was committed, focused in shape, for myself, my family and the staff at Suwanee Magazine.  I was doing great, moving at full speed ahead and then one day it all came to a halting stop.  My body crashed.  I was tired…both mentally and physically.  My body was telling me that I needed to rest, to take some time off to simply recover.  You see I was all go, go, go all the time that I never really allowed my body the down time it so desperately needed.  I wasn’t allowing my boy the time it needed to recharge before the next exercise and as a result I was running on empty.

So I took a few weeks off to allow myself to recover.  Now when I say I took some time off, that doesn’t mean that I didn’t work out at all.  It just means that I spaced out my workouts enough to give my body time to repair and recover.  I also decreased the frequency of my workouts as well as the intensity.  Instead of running 3 miles, I would walk for 1 ½ at a moderate pace.  I also spent the “down time” to focus on my eating and correcting some bad habits (like not eating frequently) and also spent some time doing lots and lots of stretches.  The time off was just what I needed, it has allowed me to recover, regroup and refocus on the task at hand and that is getting fit and healthy. 

I learned a valuable lesson in all of this and that is resting is just as important as working out and healthy eating.  Resting allows the body to repair and ready itself for the next workout.  So for the last part of the challenge, I will make a point to incorporate more rest in my routine so that I am able to reach my weight loss goal.

Get Fit | Adopting the mindset of an athlete to accomplish my goals

Source: weheartit.com via Erika on Pinterest

As I had mentioned in my previous post, last Saturday I along with the other Get Fitters had the pleasure of meeting the Fastest Woman in the World, Dawn Tillman.  One of the takeaways from our meeting with her (and there were many) was a great handout listing 13 mindsets of an athlete that we can adopt to help us reach our weight-loss goals.  So today I thought I would share with you just a few that I am working on incorporating right now.  Remember with anything (weight included) it’s a process and change takes time.  As much as I would like to incorporate all 13 things at once, trying to do so will only result in complete failure.  I find taking a slow and steady approach to everything (weight loss included) is the best approach to take especially if I want the results to be long lasting.  So here are the few that I will be focusing on for the remainder of September.

1.       Preparation - View yourself as a lifelong athlete.  Take responsibility for your overall health and well-being.  Be teachable, trainable and start adopting a winning attitude.  Take some time to study yourself, learn about what drives and motivates you.

2.       Correct Self Dialogue – Learn how to self soothe, become your own coach, cheerleader and change the channel when negative thoughts arise.  Success is not an option for you it is a given!

3.       Dedication – Stay committed to a healthy holistic lifestyle.  Be single minded and do not allow yourself to get distracted.  Be willing to go through the rigors and sacrifices to reach your goals.

4.       Discouragement – Expect it.  Know that it will pass; it’s normal, and when it happens just remember to “keep it moving”.

5.       Faith – Believe in you!  You can reach; even surpass whatever goals that you have set for yourself.  We are all usually stronger that we think.

6.       Visualize – Mentally write your history in advance.  See yourself how you want to be!

With only a few months left in the challenge, it’s time to adjust my mindset to that of an athlete and end this challenge with a BANG!  By adopting these 6 mindsets, I am pretty sure that not only will I meet but I will surpass my weight loss goals.

Get Fit | Meeting with Dawn Tillman

This past Saturday I along with the other Get Fitters had the opportunity to sit down and speak with athlete and author, Dawn Tillman.  Down Tillman earned the title of the Fastest Woman in the World in 1989 where she set an American record for the 60 meter dash and where she established the NCAA records in the 100 and 200 meter sprints while at LSU.  Both which are still standing today.  As an elite athlete, Dawn understands the importance of taking care of the body.  She also believes that many physical threats and certain behaviors are directly connected with to our mental, emotional and spiritual well-being, and that there are easy and simple things that we can do today to make sure that they are in alignment and functioning harmoniously.

Dawn is also the author of the soon to be released book, Elevate: Detoxify Yourself to Physical, mental and Spiritual Health which is a whole body wellness guide.   So to say that I was a little excited to meet Dawn would be a complete understatement.  I am completely facilitated by athletes…their drive...determination and especially their commitment to being excellent in their given sport is most fascinating.  So I was eager to hear what she had to say and to learn as much from her as I could.

During our meeting with Dawn she spoke about the importance of making sure that the physical, mental and spiritual elements are in alignment for total health and well-being.  She also provided us with a handout that listed 13 mindsets of an athlete that we could use to help us achieve our weight-loss goals.

Dawn’s personality was warm and welcoming and very bubbly and she is everything and more that I had hoped she would be.  It was a pleasure being able to share the same space with her and I am eagerly awaiting her book as I know it will help many others like me and my fellow Get Fitters get on the road to better health and overall well-being.

My First 5K

I have always enjoyed the "thought" of being a runner, however I hated the actual act of running.  Okay, well maybe hate is too strong of a word.  Hummm, let's see...okay I had a very strong dislike to the actual act of running.  Yea, that is better.  

But back to what I was saying, I liked the idea of running but when it came to actually "doing it" I always tried to weasel my way out of it.  I don't care what anyone says, running hurts...your calves ache, your shins burn and sometimes your feet hurt.  Yea, running looks like a whole lot of fun right????  NOT!  So for a long time, although I loved the thought of running in a race, I knew deep down that it was only going to remain that...a thought.  

That is until a few months ago.

Now as you know, I have been working out at Fit Forward and every now and again, Jake and Levi will have us run what is call "The Loop" during our workout.  "The Loop" is roughly a one mile run from one end of this subdivision to the other and back to their studio, thus making one big loop around.  Sounds easy, right?  WRONG!  The killer part of this one mile run is this big azz hill at the beginning of the loop.  The first time I attempted "The Loop" I was running with some of the others in the class, and I thought I would try and keep up with them, so I actually ran  up the hill with everyone else.  

Huge mistake!  

By the time I got to the top of that massive hill, I was huffing and puffing like a smoker trying to smoke and run at the same time.  I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest and that I was going to pass out.  It took me almost the entire loop just to catch my breath.  Needless to say, "The Loop" and I were not on good terms and I dreaded running it ever since.  That is until about two months ago.  After coming back from vacation while I was working out, we had to run "The Loop" and although I will not run that massive hill, I did notice that once I reached the top of the hill, I was able to run the entire thing.  Talk about an accomplishment.  Now don't get me wrong, I still hurt BUT I was able to make it without passing out from exhaustion.  After a couple of times running "The Loop", I tried out my new running skills on the treadmill at the gym.  Over the weeks I was able to build up to running 3 miles at 5.0 mph.  Now I know that isn't lightening speed, but coming from a woman who could barely run a block to now, well let's just say that mama was proud!

Which leads me to today, because today was the day that I officially participated in my first 5K race. Now, before you go getting all excited, I wasn't able to actually run the entire race, however I did a run/walk combination for the duration of the race.  I tried running in the beginning of the race, but after completing the first mile, my shins were on FIRE! (Yes, I know.....I need some new running shoes.)  So to help ease my burning shins, the run/walk combination did the trick.  And although I didn't come in first, I also didn't come in last.  But no matter where I placed, the most important thing is that I finished!!!!

Now, with this race under my belt, I am excited and eager to run another one...with the hope of cutting my finish time significantly.  So tomorrow, I'm off to the gym...and can you guess what I will be doing?  Running!