Turning a Corner

     Week 10 is coming to an end, and I'm finding that while they are small, little shifts are occurring in my life as it relates to health and fitness.  We have had guests over the last few days, and so I haven't been as diligent with my workouts as I usually am.  If I'm honest, that's just fancy talk for using it as an excuse. 
     Today I woke up early feeling sore and my joints/muscles felt tight, and I couldn't get back to sleep.  In the past this would have made me think that I needed a break from my workouts.  Surely it is the activity that is causing me pain.  This morning I decided to go downstairs and put in one of my DVD workouts to see if the movement would help relieve the pain in my back.  I am so glad I did!  Instead of being sore because of my workouts, I was actually sore from not having done one in a few days. 
     That is a great realization to have, and will only help me to continue to stay on track.  When I recognize that the healthier lifestyle is improving my quality of life, I will have a more positive outlook on continuing to be healthy.  The more positive view I have, the more I will make it a priority. 
     I know that the mental game is the most challenging part.  If I only see the negative or focus on it, that is what will continue to show up in life.  I will see the downward spiral instead of appreciating and enjoying the positive.  There is so much to be thankful for, and so much positive to find even in the most difficult situations.  This is true of life in general.
     I have turned a corner by having this realization.  Knowing the fact that a lifestyle will help me to feel better is only part of it.  I still will have to make choices to support that lifestyle.  I still will have to battle the thoughts in my head that tell me to just take today off, or have another treat here or there.  The great thing is, the more I remember feeling better after working out, the more I will want to work out.  It will begin to lay a foundation that makes it easier and easier to fight those battles.
     A small shift, yet it is an important one that I will continue to make and continue to capitalize on.

All the best,
OkieGal        

Choose Your Challenge

     Life has a funny way of giving you what you need, when you need it sometimes.  This morning I had a leadership call.  You may remember me writing about the calls that set me down a better path for my life, these leadership calls are with that same group.  After I participated in Core Strength Experience, I knew I needed to continue the momentum.  I joined Michael Bernoff's leadership team, and therefore have the opportunity to participate in monthly leadership calls.
     One of the quotes that Michael mentioned today was a twist on "if you always do what you've always have done, you'll always get what you always got."  The change in the quote was, "if you always do what you've always done, you get nothing."  The concept being that if you already have it, you don't get it again.  So therefore if you keep doing the same thing, you no longer get anything more than what you got the first time.  This makes it important to keep learning new things, and continually doing new things.  I have to ask myself why I'm doing what I'm doing.  Then ask if it is getting me what I want.  If not, what can I do to change that?
     The other piece that hit me today was that no matter what we do in life, we will always have challenges.  Instead of just taking whatever challenges happen to come our way, why not choose a better challenge?  I am sick and tired of the challenge I have with being the kind of person that has a consistent, healthy lifestyle.  I've been back and forth with that challenge for a long time now.  By doing the 12-week transformation challenge, I am working to become a person that lives a consistent, healthy lifestyle.  I want to move past that challenge, and move to a new, more desirable challenge.  When I get serious about my health and make it who I am, I no longer have to worry about the challenge of being a healthy person.  I get to choose the next challenge instead of always dealing with the same one.

     How empowering is that?  I can choose to continue to have the same challenge for the rest of my life.  OR I can choose to tackle this challenge, and then move on to the next one.  This is true of fitness, finances, career, being a wife, motherhood, etc.  If I'm going to have to face a challenge, it might as well be one I choose.  It might as well be one that will get me what I want in my life!
    
All the best,
OkieGal

Transition

     After a rough start to the week, yesterday and today have been better.  Chickpea was in rare form today, but it was nothing too crazy.  He mostly is wanting to explore and wiggle around, and he is still working on the whole mobility thing.  It ends up being a pretty funny combination.  He finds the most interesting ways to get around.  When he wasn't playing or wiggling near me, he insisted on clinging to me.  He finally got his wiggles out and is snoozing away.
     Today is a rest day for the DDP Yoga program, so I decided to get Chickpea out of the house.  He got a stroller ride to the park down the road and we did a few laps before coming back home.  It was a total of about 30 minutes, and while it was overcast the humidity helped get me sweating.  I opted for a quick paced walk today instead of jogging.  My knees need a bit of a break, and my goal was just to be moving, and ultimately give Chickpea a change of scenery for awhile.
     I feel like I'm falling into familiar territory with my workout.  While this is week 3 of the transformation challenged, I am on week 8 of the DDP Yoga advanced schedule.  The schedule is 13 weeks long, so I'm in the last half of it.  This is a time period with most workouts that I start to really feel it in my body.  I'm not injured, I am just sore.  My joints are achy and overall tired.  I know this is my body adjusting to it all.  In the past, this is also about the time I'd start letting up.  I would take more rest days until I wasn't doing much of anything.  Then I'd be right back where I started.

     I'm having to remind myself to keep going.  I'm glad that I'm still in the early part of the 12 week challenge while this feeling is hitting me.  I believe that it will give me the push I need to make it through this part of my workout journey.  I am going to apply something I learned from the labor and delivery process.  There's a portion of labor called "transition," and in my childbirth class we talked about it being the part where I would feel like I couldn't do it anymore and want to give up.  Having those feelings meant that I was almost ready to push.  It was remembering this concept that helped me get through transition and to pushing without asking for pain meds (my goal was a natural, pain med free childbirth, as long as baby and I were healthy.  Technically didn't have it natural since I was induced and they used Pitocin, but I did get through without pain meds).  I need to remember that my body is transitioning from not working out regularly to having fitness be part of my regular schedule.  I have to give myself a chance to fight through it.  Just keep going.
     This is where taking it one day at a time helps make it all manageable.  Day by day, I will continue this journey, and I will make progress!

All the best,
OkieGal
      

A Case of the Mondays

     What a day!  Today was just rough.  I woke up with a headache, and I can feel the tension in the base of my head/neck has built up.  I am not a fan of this, just because I know it has lead to migraines for me in the past.  Add on top of that the fact that Chickpea was also having some fussy time today, and it just made it difficult.  I also discovered that several of the produce items that I had purchased on Saturday have mold on them, so I was none too thrilled about that.  To give a visual, late in the afternoon my husband comes home from the gym.  He walks in and Chickpea is in the play yard crying, and I'm sitting in the chair next to it eating my lunch with tears rolling too.  Honestly, I think Chickpea was sensing my tension and also he was having tummy issues.  Long story short, it was just "ugh!"
     The evening was a lot better, and I found myself looking forward to my workout.  This hasn't been the case previously.  I was looking at it as a stress relief, and a way to end the day on track.  It felt good to stretch out, and I have the good after workout high to help my headache as well.
     During the early evening, I was playing on the floor with Chickpea.  He is working on crawling right now, and I noticed he has a pattern when he's learning something new.  Long before he can physically do the action (whether it is rolling over or crawling), you can tell he wants to do it so bad.  He tries and tries and gets so frustrated that he's not doing what he knows he wants to do.  He'll get so frustrated that he will just lay on the floor, arms folded with his head down.  He may not realize it yet, but he is so close to his break through.  He soon will have the physical motions down, and be able to accomplish his goal.  Watching him do this, I know he has to feel that frustration first.  Once he hits the frustration, it will drive him to do more.  Once he gets that drive, he accomplishes the action he wants to take.  If he reacts like he did with rolling over, he will also be seen showing great joy in his success.  Then he'll be onto the next thing to learn.

     This made me think about myself.  One of my several motivations for challenging myself is to be better for Chickpea.  He watches me, and I want him to see a confident Mama that shows him balance in life.  Eating healthy, while allowing for treats.  Working hard, while celebrating my accomplishments.  Appreciating who I am, while always striving to be even better.  Helping others, while also taking care of myself.  Living a life focused on the Lord.
     I also remembered that I am learning a lot from him.  I will have frustrations in life, and I may need to cry it out.  At the end of the day though, I will pick up and try again.  I will keep going, and I will be determined to accomplish my goals.  I will also celebrate the successes I have, no matter how small.  Then choose the next action to learn more about, and do it.
     I must remember it is about progress.  While today had a rough start, it is what I did with it that mattered.  I celebrate the lesson that Chickpea taught me today, and I will celebrate with him when he accomplishes his own goal!

All the best,
OkieGal 

Wrapping Up Week 2

     Another week has come to a close for my transformation challenge, and I am happy with how it is going so far!  Currently I am enjoying watching my Sooners on TV after having my treat meal for the week.  Burger, fries, and ice cream for dessert.  It was glorious!  It's funny how after eating healthy through the week, the treat is quite a shock to the system.  I enjoy the treat, but I find myself ready to eat healthy again afterwards.  The best of both worlds!

     Overall things are going well.  My water intake is progressing.  Today I got off to a slow start.  I still will have had more water than I used to, so it's been great progress for me.  I completed all my planned workouts, and only cut one short this week.  Again, progress.  My nutrition goals suffered a little bit when we were running out of groceries late in the week.  I got a Costco membership using a Living Social deal, and replenished our supplies today.  It is a step in the right direction for setting me up for progress in this area.
     I am already starting to notice muscle building in my legs, booty, and abs.  My husband mentioned the other day that he was noticing slight definition in my pec muscles as well.  I've been doing a lot of planks and push ups! 
     For this upcoming week, I will work to continue my momentum with water consumption and workout consistency.  I want to give special attention to my nutrition to get more consistency with it.  I also will be working to get more sleep.  This is always easier said than done with a 7 month old in the house.  I feel like it will help me have more energy and get better results overall.

 

     I am thankful for all that I have in my life.  Especially those around me that have been so supportive.  It is a difficult process to look inside yourself and admit to changes that need to be made in your life.  It has been very important to have my husband, my accountability partner, the ladies of the No Excuse Moms groups, and many others that have continued to cheer me on.  This is so much more than a physical transformation for me.  It is building consistency in my life that will bring even more confidence in myself.  Thank you!

All the best,
OkieGal

 

Let Your Light Shine

     When I first picked the blog back up at the beginning of the transformation challenge, I mentioned a journey that I started back in January of 2013 (you can read that post here).  I wanted to take at least another post to dive into that journey. 
     As I mentioned before, I had reached a point where I was sick and tired.  It's kind of odd to say, because it's not like I was desperately unhappy.  I'm married to my best friend, I have a nice home, live in a nice neighborhood, have a stable job, and am blessed.  While I had those things, I couldn't help but feel like there had to be more.  In reality, I knew, deep down, that I was (and still am) capable of so much more than I was giving in my life.  I believe that it is possible to be content (defined as "in a state of peaceful happiness"), and still strive to better yourself.
     For me, I felt like I was not doing all that I could with what God had given me.  I was capable of being an even better wife, daughter, sister, friend, employee, co-worker, and servant of God.  In short, I love who I am and what I have in my life, and I want to be even better for myself and those around me.

      I had come to a place that I knew I wanted more for myself, yet I didn't know how to go about it.  I joined that call (Call2Action), and something wonderful happened.  I was reminded that within me is so much potential, and I have a lot to offer.  I learned more about how my mind works, and with that knowledge I am able to better understand myself.  Getting what you want from life doesn't have to be overly complicated.  It's about making small shifts in your life, and taking action. 
     They reminded me the importance of letting my light shine.  A shining light is not about being complacent or comfortable.  To shine, "to be bright with reflected light; glisten; sparkle," or "to excel or be conspicuous."  In order to shine, I need to stand out and show my capabilities.  
     It is about being thankful for who I am, and strive to progress in all areas of my life.  It's about respecting myself, and knowing that hiding my potential does nothing for anyone.  I am capable of so much physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.   
     It has been so empowering to take ahold of my journey, make decisions, take action, and progress towards the life that I want for myself and my family.  Especially now that I am a mother, I want my son (and any future children) to have an example in me of how to live a happy and fulfilled life being the best you can be.   

All the best,
OkieGal

P.S.  If you're interested, Michael Bernoff recently did a free call where he talked about what he called "The 90 Day Deal."  It was a different way at looking at obtaining things that you want in your life.  I found it to be a great call, especially as I prepared for this challenge.  If you want to take a listen to it, check it out here. 

Wrapping Up Week 1

     We are at the end of the first week of the 12-week transformation challenge. I want to take a few moments to reflect on what is going well and where I can improve as it goes into week 2.

     Having the fitness calendar in my dining room has been very helpful.  I can see all my fitspiration images and remind myself of my goals.  I also like only writing things down when I actually do them.  It may be very childlike of me, but I enjoy it like a sticker chart.  lol!  Finally, it is right there for my hubby to see too.  That keeps me accountable as well. 
     I have found myself continually improving when it comes to nutrition. Not only am I closer to my calorie goal at the end of the day, I also am seeing improvement in the balance of carbs, protein, and healthy fats. Even more exciting for me was the fact that I allowed myself a treat yesterday, and found it difficult to think of something I wanted. Things that in the past would have been  a temptation, weren't as appealing as they used to be. I did have a serving of dark chocolate sea salt caramel, and enjoyed it.  No guilt.  It was an intentional decision, and part of my plan. 

     An area that I am going to focus more on this week is my water intake. Some days were better than others, just not quite where I want it to be. To help with this, I ordered a water infusion pitcher from Amazon. It holds 93 oz, so if I aim to get through the pitcher over the course of my whole day, I will be closer to my goal. Plus it will be fun to have different flavors of water to make it more interesting.  I found a website that has flavor ideas, and I look forward to trying some different combos! 

     Another area that I will need to give more attention to is getting to bed at a reasonable hour.  That can be easier said than done with an almost 7 month old, and a hubby that usually gets home after 9pm.  I usually am doing my workouts when Chickpea goes to bed for the evening, and then I want to stay up to spend time with my husband when he gets home.  There is still room for improvement here, and I will be working on it.

     When it came to my workouts, I did have to battle in my mind over doing them a day or two this week. The great news is that I did them!  You can read more about this topic in my post called Bumps in the Road.    

     With each area I know there is much more to be done. The important thing is that I continue to take one step at a time. This is just the beginning, and there is still the excitement and enthusiasm of starting the challenge. To help continued progress, I will need to find ways to tap back into that excitement when more difficult days pop up. 

     I will continue to benefit from the accountability that is obtained from writing here. I will begin adding things that motivate me to the mix so that I can read through them when I need a boost. 

     Week 2 awaits!

All the best,

OkieGal

      

     

Bumps in the Road

     So far the first week of the challenge has been going pretty well. With each day, I am more consistent about making my calorie goals. I have also found healthy ways to satiate my sweet tooth. I did find that after having a rest day from my workouts yesterday, my mind wanted to skip today. It's something I've had a challenge with before, and will continue to work through it.

     It's amazing how much being aware of my mental state helps me. If I recognize when my brain is throwing out excuses, I can shut them down. For instance, I sat and thought "well the baby did get up twice last night, so if I just take today off too..."  However, I know that I feel so much better at the end of the day when I get the workout in. I sleep better, I stretch out my body after working a desk job all day, and I'll take another step forward being consistent (which will build confidence). Instead of listing excuses for not doing it, I focus in on reasons why I should do it, and think about those.

     Are there days that I do skip?  Of course.  My goal with those days is to make a conscious decision about it.  Instead of idly letting the day go by without doing the workout, I acknowledge the decision not to do it.  I may say, "I choose not to do my workout today, and I will instead make it up on what was my next planned rest day."  This approach causes me to think it through, be aware of my decision, and own it.  I also free myself from guilt.  I chose to do it, and have a plan for making it up. 
     So what if I do idly skip the workout?  I am working to not beat myself up over those times.  I'm human, it happens.  My goal in that situation is to get back in my routine faster than I did the time previously.  In the grand scheme of things, I'm working to stay on track more often than not.
     Up until the moment I started the DDP Yoga DVD this evening, I found my body and mind still fighting it.  I knew I should and I was going to, yet my mind was trying to betray me.  The important point is that I did it.  I pushed play, and I did the workout.  Today I overcame the thoughts that were trying to hold me back.  And guess what, I feel better after the workout!  Here's to small victories!

All the best,
OkieGal

     

Creating the Fitness Calendar

     As part of the No Excuse Mom 12-week Transformation Contest, I created a fitness calendar based on the guidelines and calendar print outs provided at this link.  I loaded up my son in the car, and headed to the store to purchase a few supplies.  By a few I mean poster board, and some wall hanging supplies.  I printed the calendars and filled them in.  I then added a little color with markers. 
     Honestly the most fun was finding motivation quotes and fitness inspiration on the web.  The hubby and I found all sorts of relevant images, including those of the body type that I am going to be working towards.  I don't want to be exactly like her, I want to become my own version of what she represents.  That is the strong, healthy, and fit Gina Carano.
     Here are some pictures of my fitness calendar and inspiration board.

 



     It will be fun to see the calendar become more colorful as I enter my fitness information over the next 12 weeks.  One of the motivational photos that we found was very appropriate given the challenge.

 

All the best,

OkieGal