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Another Success Story

2011 Ford Mustang GT Convertible
Pic from jpowers65’s on Flickr

One of my uncles flew in Wednesday from Texas and flew back out early Thursday morning, and in that short time, his presence inspired me in three very influential, perhaps life-changing ways.

First, he bought my grandparents, his parents, two brand-spanking new vehicles. Yes, you heard that right! This has got to be the highlight of the month…winter…perhaps year. My grandma has always always had a dream of owning a little red sports car. Every one of us in the family knows this and has always known this. Well, how about a brand-new, lipstick-red, Ford Mustang convertible? I’m pretty sure that qualifies. I’m pretty sure that would also qualify as Socrates’ version of the “perfect form” of little red sports car. My grandpa is also enjoying his fresh-from-the-mint Ford Ranger. To me, this has very little to do with the materialistic aspect of the gifts. It’s about one man showing his deepest love, respect and gratitude to his parents. It is the most endearing, generous and lovely thing I have seen in a very long time.

You will never meet two more deserving people of that level of love and respect. I have always said that it would be difficult to demonstrate the level of my appreciation to them for all that they do, but that I just hope I can strive to be as good a parent/grandparent as they have been to their progeny. And this experience has made me want to be the best mom I can be for my son every.single.moment. I want to emulate whatever it is they’re doing so right. A mother’s level of love for her children is an impossible pinnacle to surpass, and I want my son to experience every morsel of it. I will never suppress it or keep it undercover from him. And I hope that one day, he too will raise a family of all-around good people.

Second, my uncle is an affluent businessman. He radiates an air of utter unerring confidence wherever he is. I only had the opportunity to visit with him for a few hours. But even in that length of time, his aura of dignity and integrity resonated with me. There is not a hint of hesitation in his step or passiveness in his manner. I am constantly trying to evolve and progress in my personal life and profession. And his presence and long-standing success infused me with a fresh surge of inspiration.

Third, I didn’t recognize the man when I walked in the door of the dealership. He has lost over 100 lbs and looks amazing. There’s definition in his face and a sense of limberness in his body. I’m a complete sucker for a success story. I go scouting for them when I need a boost. And when a success story hits this “close to home” (really!), it is the most potent of all. All I can say is, my grandpa has obviously passed on his diligence and self-discipline to other members of the family, providing other role models for me to revere and success stories to challenge me–and hopefully others as well!

Cutting the Cable

I don’t know what I’m going to do when we have to cancel our three-month trial of our extra cable channels. We originally got the extras specifically for FitTV (now called Fit & Health), by my request. And at around $5 for the first few months, it’s soooo worth it!

Now I don’t know what’s going on with FitTV these days, but I seem to remember seeing a lot more workouts than there are now. Anyhow, I had to wait two full days before there were any actual workout videos playing after work. I got all suited up and into position, ready to change the channel promptly at 5:00. “FitTV is currently unavailable.” Excuse me?

I was not a satisfied customer when the only channel on the whole tube that I care about was currently unavailable. My husband saw the look on my face and dutifully started dialing. The fastest they could send a technician was on the weekend. After several unsatisfactory phone transfers, the lady on the line pointed us to ExerciseTV On Demand. Oh brother!

Handfuls and handfuls of fitness videos I can turn on as I please? I don’t have to do the same workout twice? Hallelujah! Those videos I bought a month ago will be collecting dust for three months because I won’t waste them (and risk growing tired of them faster) until On Demand is gone. Believe you me I am going to squeeze every last drop of potential out of those channels until our time is up.

Happy Blogiversary to Me!

Well, today marks the first year anniversary of my first post in the blogosphere and it feels truly inspiring. Not only am I, myself, another year stronger, but so are my words. Sometimes just getting into the habit of writing can be a struggle. But this personal place allows me to explore ideas in an informal, yet sometimes informative way. And once I get into that routine habit of writing, the ideas swirl around in my mind much more freely which, in turn, enriches my life and my writing and the momentum continues to forge ahead.

This coming year, I plan to get a little bit more technical with this blog stuff. I know, I know. I need pictures. I need Technorati to pick me up. I need to learn a little bit more about html coding and such so that I can deck these walls with extra emphasis. This is a whole new world to me. That’s goal number one.

Goal number two is to blog more frequently. As I said above, the more I write, the more I start to piece things together in my head and the more receptive I am to my environment and world. It’s good for the blog and it’s good for me. And hopefully it’s good for someone else out there.

I blog because I love the freedom of expression it gives me. It’s cathartic in some ways and soul-enriching in others. I also love the outlet this blog offers me to express what I’ve learned to everyday people with similar interests and concerns. I am a complete fitness junkie, devoted momma and writing fanatic among many other things. And my passion is for my words and I to reach out and to make connections with people. So, we move into this second year with abundant anticipation and enthusiasm.

Take a second to peruse some of my favorites from this past year:

1. Add more roughage to your diet with these tips.
2. A personal tidbit about motherhood
3. My Ultimate Thrifty Guide to getting fit
4. My best advice for getting into a fitness habit is writing a note like this to yourself.

Sugar Sugar Everywhere

I’m so excited for Christmas. My home has been decked out for weeks, the sugar cookies have come and gone, about half of the gifts have been wrapped and placed under the tree. Every evening I come home and turn on a Christmas CD while I try to figure out what’s for dinner. I love showing people how much thought I’ve put into celebrating them as a person by choosing gifts with meaning. I’ve taken my son to see many-a-Santa (but he’s two, so he hasn’t quite caught on that he looks different each time). The snow is falling in pure white blankets. The goodwill is so thick in the air you can almost taste it. But instead of taste it, you stop to check the calories…

I’m here to petition that we do not take the cheer out of the holiday treats. Everywhere around me, I keep hearing people grumbling and then taking fistfuls of treats almost reluctantly. At my lunch break exercise class, there was moaning during the walking lunges about how we’d better treat ourselves to extra pecan pie for this. There’s something just so wrong with this picture. We shouldn’t be lamenting these bountiful gifts from friends, family, business vendors, etc.

Please, by all means, have fun with the outpouring of Christmas suga’. Grab a few chocolate-covered pretzels and really enjoy each roll across the tongue. This is a rare once-a-year treat. Take an extra lap around the building before grabbing a cookie if you must, but please grab a cookie! Maybe not ten, but at least one or two. The more you fight it, the worse off you’re going to be anyway. This is a time to celebrate, to enjoy, to indulge. What’s to celebrate if you’re too busy worrying about that monster chocolate cake you just bit into?

The Great Remote Search

I’m not the lazy type that searches the entire house for the remote just to change the TV channels from the couch. Oh no. But for the past two days I’ve been in a real bind. I’ve wanted to work out to several different fitness DVDs, but I can’t find the DVD remote. The actual box itself can only do so much. What about when I want to get to the third workout on that Turbo Jam DVD? I. just. can’t. get to it! Ugh.

However, this did force me to pull out my old bundle of ripped-out magazine workouts and put them to darn good use. You should see the stack I have. You know those file envelopes with like 8 file dividers? I have two of those jam-packed about 2-inches thick with every type of workout you can think of from capoeira to back-to-the-80s leg warmer workouts to tae bo, you name it! And I always have good intentions of using them (otherwise I wouldn’t horde them so), but somehow I just don’t.

It’s much easier for me to throw in a DVD and capitalize on the Chalene-style energy. Almost like I’m working out with someone else or in a class setting. I take less breaks and pump a whole lot harder. Those DVDs keep me a whole lot more accountable than a piece of paper I have to stop and read. But I did use the paper this time. And I liked it. Especially with my own music cranked up and the boys out of the house.

What Have You Got to Lose?

Picture courtesy of Sunipix

A lot!

I was thinking about what might make someone motivated to lose weight when they’re sort of apathetic about their size…as in, their potentially-failing health, neutral body image, pleas from children, etc have not been enough of a push to get them to lose weight. These were some of my ideas:

1. Reproduction: Research shows that obesity is related to a host of reproductive problems. Planning to have a family–and a healthy one at that–can be a huge force toward leading a healthier lifestyle. I’ve also read that obese women are at higher risk for early and recurrent early miscarriages. It is highly advised that women get their weight under control to prevent this truly heartbreaking experience.

2. Insurance rates: I have seen instances where health insurance rates doubled as a result of health assessment reports. Talk about reason to lose weight!

3. Monetary incentives: Money, in general, is a good incentive for a lot of people to do anything. I see a lot of games popping up in area gyms and workplaces offering the “biggest loser” a pool of money or other great incentives. Perhaps stats on what they’d save money on if they’d lose weight such as grocery bills, clothing, airline seats (in some cases), gas, the obvious doctor bills and much more would assist in motivating.

4. Altruistic motives: How about encouragement to commit to running a race in honor of a friend with cancer or perhaps “dedicating” a few pounds to premature babies in the NICU (in the form of pledges per pound).

5: Success Stories: Motivational stories have always inspired me personally. When I see someone in my daily life begin to lose weight, I want to know everything about how they did it. It’s almost a stroke of jealousy that stirs up the desire in me. If someone larger than me (and whom I know personally or see in real life) can do it and look great, I want to!

6: I am also highly motivated to “show ’em” when people make rude comments or tease me about my weight or even another aspect of my life. When I came back to visit from my first semester in college, someone made a comment about my more-than-freshman-15 weight gain. That was a wake-up call. Someone else told me to revel in the weight I was at for my wedding because that was the lowest I’d ever be. Well, well, well. Today, after having a baby even, I weigh 15lbs less than I did the day I said my vows. I don’t appreciate being labeled, judged or pressed into a self-fulfilling prophesy of someone else’s. So there!

Getting a Little Technical

I received a fun new gadget as of late. Makes me so happy. How could a Heart Rate Monitor make someone so happy? I’m not sure. Anyhow, I don’t need to stop running and risk dizziness for 15 seconds to check my pulse. This thing does it for me. And tracks calories and distance too. This is so perfect for running. I’ve often wondered if I’m running fast enough to get any benefits or even if I’m going too fast. Now I’ll know!

So, I found this fabulous website for determining what heart rate zones I should be in for certain benefits and for how long. I already know the whole 220 minus age calculation that gets me to my maximum heart rate. But what are you supposed to do with the numbers from there? This site takes a closer look. There’s nothing like feeling like you’ve actually done something good for your body after a run!

Perhaps this can move me past the plateau I’ve been in for the last, oh, two years. Oh wait, what’s that you say? Yes, I’m walking over to the bakery to get a cupcake at lunch. So? I am walking…

Sweating it out at the Dinner Table

It was the first time I had ever heard it, and it wasn’t even from my own child. “Yes, you’re embarassing me.” What? I embarass you? You who wears ripped, stained, cutoff clothes on occasion? And what about that shirt with a dog and a cloud coming from its backend that says “blame the dog?” Well, this certainly is a first.

I guess there really is a first time for everything. No one’s ever really been embarassed by me before, at least that have come out and admitted it. I do on occasion accidentally wear toothpaste on my shirt. This time my husband was embarassed to go out to eat with me while I was still wearing my a-bit-sweaty workout clothes. I didn’t stink and there were no visible wet spots. Geez, I guess I can be a bit of a fitness junky sometimes when my own post-workout body doesn’t even bother me anymore.

I have always wondered what fitness instructors, especially celebrity ones like Jillian, do when they have to teach classes or personally train people all day. Do they shower just to take their lunch break? Probably not. And I’ve heard about regular people who work out on their lunch breaks. You can’t tell me that they don’t sweat. Just a little. And then return to work in the same clothes. I wholeheartedly agree that pit stains and skunk smells are totally gross. But I sort of revel in that post-workout glisten and glow.

And it’s not like we were going anywhere fancy.

A run is a run is a run…or not!

I recently had a conversation with someone who was bothered by the time she achieved on a 5k run. It was her PW: personal worst. When you think about it though, there are so many factors that contribute to each and every run that the times may sometimes say little more than how you were doing on that particular day. Next time you come in last place on your own scale, think about all the factors that contribute to your run and try not to get discouraged when you fall behind your PR. After all, you are running, which is a huge accomplishment in itself, and you’re probably running for a very worthy cause. A big pat on the back!

Some of the many factors that determine the speed of your run are:

1. Weather: anything from temperature to humidity levels to wind intensity all affect speed and stamina.

2. Shoes: if they’re not properly fitted, older or even brand-new, the shoes you wear running impact your comfort level and ability to speed.

3. Posture: some days may be better than others. I know that if I don’t mentally check in with my shoulders, abs, ankles and foot bottoms, I don’t run as well.

4. Breathing: holding breath or taking too short of breaths can sometimes knock the stamina right out of you.

5. Outfit: is your sports bra too loose; are your polyester shorts trapping too much heat; are your socks rubbing; do your ipod ear buds keep falling out of your ears? Some attire nuisances are bothersome enough to slow you down.

6. What you’ve eaten: Whether you hit the taco bar the night before or skip breakfast on race day, what you do or don’t put into your body can either fuel it or slow it down.

7. Exertion in the days preceding: There is a reason for tapering just as there’s reason for building endurance. If you don’t follow the guidelines, you’ll feel it.

8. Terrain: Each race takes you from one city or route to the next, and none are the same. Obviously hills and rougher roads are going to chip a few minutes off your best time.

9. Sleep patterns: if you don’t sleep well in the days before the race, you’re probably going to run out of steam. Sleep is essential for healing and energy. Skip the shut-eye and you’ll probably fall behind.

My message to you is: Kudos for taking up running and supporting local charities! And don’t be so hard on yourself when your strides don’t meet your version of personal perfection. There are so many elements that factor into your pace that it’s best if you just take in the sights and sounds and enjoy yourself!

Ten Ways to Ease Muscle Soreness!

I am no doctor or scientist, but I can tell you what works best for me for alleviating pain the day after a kick-a$$ workout leaves me tender to the touch. I will do one or any combination of the below items when I’m feeling the burn the next day. There is a fine line between soreness and injury though to beware of.

1. Stretch well after an intense workout. I did Jillian’s No More Trouble Zones last night and found that the cool-down was kind of lacking. Hence, I am darn sore today and feel like tomorrow will be even worse. It’s always important to stretch all the major muscle groups for at least 30 seconds each.

2. Massage. I had a massage therapist once who said she was removing the lactic acid from my muscles. The next day, I had that internal feeling like I should be sore, but felt no pain. That was amazing to me!

3. Keep Moving. Counter-intuitive as it may seem, it’s important to be active in the days following a tough workout. Even when I’ve worked my butt so hard it hurts to sit, I find it’s best to get up and around the next day up to every half-hour or so. A low-intensity walk or even a gentle yoga workout seems to have a repairing effect. Muscles need a chance to heal to be sure, but they also do best with extra circulation and stretching.

4. Keep stretching. I’m always sure to continue stretching the day after, especially since I’m desk-bound most days. My favorite thing to do is stretch while also rubbing the tender areas–a little massage/stretch treat.

5. Drink lots of water. Dehydration only makes the soreness feel worse to me. I’ve also heard–and don’t know if it’s true–that water helps move the lactic acid through the body and lubricate joints. With all the benefits of water, it can’t hurt to try.

6. Hot or cold pack: Heat increases blood flow to the area while cold reduces inflammation. Both feel nice.

7. OTC relief. WebMD talks about using anti-inflammatory medication. While I abhor popping a pill if I don’t have to, with some of the workouts I’ve done, I probably could have used a little medicated relief.

8. Epsom salt bath: word on this street is that Epsom salts decrease inflammation and draw out toxins, making a wonderful addition to the bathwater. The warm bathwater itself increases circulation, bringing much-needed oxygen to tissues in the process of healing. I usually feel better after a bath anyway.

9. Visualize. Soreness is Mother Nature’s way of letting you feel exactly how hard you’ve worked. It is evidence that your body is building muscle, so visualize it doing so. You’ll begin to bask in the glow of a productive workout! In order to progress, there has to be some soreness.

10. Get enough food and sleep. I always feel like I need to sleep longer after an intense workout and it makes sense. Sleep is restorative and I need an extra dose of it to indeed restore. I also find I’m quite hungry the day following sweat sessions. I have to be careful to eat healthfully and feed my body the nutrients it needs to repair.