Fighting Back

Yesterday was tough for me, but I thought about Scarlett O'Hara before I went to bed and said, "Tomorrow is another day!" Today started with my husband waking me up and hearing me say in my sleep "No more jumping jacks! No more jumping jacks!" Today was a beautiful sunny day in the Port City and the temperature reached 80! Marisa and I hit the river walk at lunch and went further than I've gone before. It was awesome to be outside in the sun and the breeze blowing off of the Cape Fear. Good conversation and the vacation atmosphere of downtown Wilmington had me marveling at how blessed I am to work where we do. It was HOT though and when we got back to the gym we both collapsed onto mats on the floor, even the germaphobe in me was too worn out to care. The day ended with dinner and a movie in with the hubby. We watched "The Fighter" and it got me so pumped that at eleven at night I wanted to throw on my pink Everlasts and start hitting the bag. I love the scene at the end where Christian Bale tells Marky Mark to go out in the ring and take all his anger and every bad thing that has ever happened to him out in the ring. I looked down at my arms and the muscle definition I now have from strength training and taking my anger out on the heavy bag. Fighting back feels good!

Teamwork

Today we weighed in before our group workout and the majority of us didn't get the loss we wanted. It is tough when you don't win every week but if you just keep trying, results will come. This journey is such an emotional roller coaster filled with highs (I ran for the first time in years today) and lows (I didn't lose any weight this week) but tonight I am feeling so grateful to my Transformation Team and all the support I get sweating it out with you all in the gym and by the scale. We do a lot of high five-ing and fist bumping and it is those simple gestures along with the shared sore muscles that has defined my success. I just have to look at one of you as we push through each rep and know that you have my back and that you are fighting the same battle I am. That is the difference this time. That is the key that will unlock the door to what we want to achieve. That's everything.

Persistence and Patience

Lakshmi and I had a great workout with Jeff today. We are taking things to a new level for sure! Remember Laks, its about persistence not perfection. I am learning that sometimes the scale doesn't move like you want it to. Sometimes you are sore and tired and beat up and let down. Sometimes you feel like you could eat the side of a barn. Sometimes you kill it in the gym and other times you wonder where your mojo went. Sometimes you hate the elliptical so badly that you feel you're wading through quicksand and you want to throw your water bottle across the room. What I've learned is to not get too cocky about the highs or too bummed about the lows. As long as you are in the game, as long as you get back up, as long as you put your head down and do the work, success will come. And as for anyone who doubts you, tell them to hide in the bushes and wait!

Spring That Waits To Be

My cousin Holly (that's her in the post below) made a beautiful post on her blog about our loved ones who are no longer with us and how the following hymn inspires her to remember them and have hope about them living on in a better place.    I totally agree Holly!  I also love this hymn:

"Hymn of Promise"

In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

I think you can also think of this hymn as hope for improving yourself.  That if you put your time in working on whatever you want to improve during the "winter," then there's a "spring" that waits for you.    It's spring time outside and every thing is beginning to bloom.   It's a great time of year for renewal!

What a difference a year makes!

One of my favorite kids - my cousin Maggie - had her second birthday party this weekend.    A bunch of us loaded up into my Uncle's RV and headed to Sanford, NC for the event.    We had a lot of laughs going down the road and a great time at the party!  The birthday girl was charming in her pink tutu and fairy wings and the decorations and food were top notch thanks to her amazing mother, my cousin Holly.

While at the party, I started thinking about what a healthier person I am this time as opposed to Maggie's first birthday party last March.   At that time I was 6 months away from starting my healthy journey, although I didn't know it yet.  Now, a year later and 6 months into my journey, I'm stronger, healthier and happier.   What a difference a year makes in a baby's life, and in an adult's life if you take the first step towards your goal!

Last year when Maggie turned 1

This year at Maggie's 2nd bday with my wonderful cousin Holly

6 oh!

I hit 60 pounds gone today! Another milestone: along with my partner Mary, I won today's Jeff and Marisa olympics. I've never won any athletic event in my life! Usually I am doing good just to finish, but today I worked out harder than I ever have in my life. It was like my muscles and cardio endurance came together in perfect synergy. At the end I was worn out, sore all over, and felt a little like I could throw up - and it felt incredible! Give me more! Next we made our way over to the scale and it was a victorious weigh in! Milly rocked it, I got to 60 down, and Sylvia lost 9 in one week! As Fabulous says, "Girl you be killin' 'em!". I don't know where the boys were today but the six of us ladies had a blast! When I walked into the locker room, I got emotional and couldn't help but shed a few tears at how happy and grateful I am. Many people in the past have urged me to have weight loss surgery, but I always knew that wasn't my path. Nothing against that route but my path is to ride this roller coaster, to sweat and move, to be stiff and sore, to feel the highs and lows, and claw, scratch and fight my way through this. There's a lot to learn along the way.

Protein = Stamina

Took my tired legs to step class today not expecting much out of myself due to the ripped and burned state of my muscles. Boy was I wrong! After the first initial ouch I found myself limbering up. Then something strange and amazing happened: my stamina and coordination kicked in and I pushed it harder than I have before cardio wise. The feeling was like the first time Algebra made sense as a kid...what an amazing feeling to feel totally worn out but in a good way. I took some good advice about eating animal based protein for breakfast that put me on an even glycemic level all day and it helped me fuel my workout. I'm sold!