I have not stopped working out & getting ready for my races that are coming up soon. The first is the Seattle Color Run on Mother's Day with my youngest Jacob. We are both really excited to be doing our first 5K together. We are being joined by some good friends with their children as well. It will be a fabulous day!
My biggest race is on June 16th when six fabulous ladies & I run the PNW Spartan Sprint together. With that in mind I have been training non-stop when I have a free moment. We do all kinds of crazy training some involves monkey bars which I still can't master. Climbing a rope, running sprints up hills with 50llbs sacks on our backs. All my walks now have me wearing a 25llbs weighted vest. I therefore spend a lot of time on pinterest in the evenings after the kids go to bed. I find I need extra motivation in quotes or pictures. Therefore I pin them to my boards. Here are few new favorites to share. I hope all you have been training are enjoying keeping up your fitness goals as much as me. If you don't enjoy it then something's wrong. We girls find ourselves laughing at eachother quite often. It is much easier to relax & enjoy the process then to hate every moment. You'll see great change happen when it becomes a habit you look forward to doing every day.
See what I mean, we do silly things while we train! These where the start of hanging sit-ups.
I get tired every day I train- But I love it!
These are just a few that I read for help when I am exhausted. Your body can do so much more then we think! Never Give Up!!
Thursday is here and we have had the Flu hit the house hard again this week My oldest and Jeremy both started throwing up early morning Wednesday, YUCK!! We had a long day of 7-up & crackers yesterday. Jeremy is still home today with a fever. Yesterday was a home work out day due to the illness. I was so proud of myself to get in the following WOD:
I am trying so hard to stay on track this time & not push myself to the brink of exhaustion but push myself enough to have to up the anty every few days. I am working on myself for myself! I know that I tend to get a little obsessed so I'm trying hard to stay focused & listen to what my body is telling me this time around. I have always had a one track mind when it comes to fitness & nutrition. It started way back the summer before I started 8th grade. All my friends where naturally skinny & in the 80's that was the thing to be, skinny! So I started the never ending quest of dieting. Guess what I was not just good at it I was GREAT!! I look back at pictures & am shocked at how thin I was. At 5'5 I should have never been 106 pounds at my lowest. I never allowed myself to go above 115 in high school- crazy now that I look back, but at the time I thought I looked great! Now everytime I start a new cycle of fitness & nutrition I have to really reign myself in on my nutrition at times. In college working out became an obsession when I gained ten pounds the first year and was no longer a size 4- seriously folk I thought a size 6 was awful! Now I repeat to myself daily and a lot that "Size DOES NOT define me! My fitness level & my strength are the MOST important thing" I try to remind myself it's ok to have stretch marks and curves . I mean geezzz I have had four children back to back. But I do not use my children as an excuse to stay jiggly or stay still. I may not be perfect in the eyes of the world but guess what I DO NOT HAVE TO BE!! The only people who I want to see me and think I am perfect or pretty darn close are my husband & my boys. I stay healthy , exercise, track my fitness for myself & for my family. I know I am not the first or the last woman to struggle with body issues. I struggle all the time. But I try to remember that there is no such thing as perfect it's all in my mind- there is only the motivation to make myself the best wife, mom,daughter, sister, & friend I can be for myself. This video I found today I LOVE IT!! I wanted to share it today so that everyone who struggles with body issues can remember it's not about what society says you should be at all. It's about taking care of yourself for yourself so that you can be there for those that really matter in your life. That "perfect" is in the eyes of the beholder. Those that love you won't mind that you have moments of pure insanity or that your not a size 6!! If they do, they have no place in your world. Remember to Love your self, then it will be easy for others to Love you back!
My song of the day to hare over at Goodnight Moon with Amber is this:
Perfect ....
I am & will always be striving to improve myself, but I am no longer trying to be Perfect.
Today is a little nutty around my house. I committed to staying healthy this year and on track. Which means no matter how tired I am from a weekend of puppy class in Oregon on Saturday or a child who was sick yesterday- TODAY I am going to the gym !! I made it 4 days last week & got one super hard PT session in with my old trainer. I seriously could not walk well until Sunday came around. Squats are not my friend at the moment, they just hurt!! I watched every thing that went in to my mouth- looking at it & asking myself was it " a Healthy Choice" ? I ate a couple of things I knew weren't great for me, but we all have those moments. I am not perfect but I am trying my best to stay on track. I feel better when I eat clean and exercise. It is my only outlet while Paul is deployed that is just for me! After dropping two boys at school I will hit the gym for a one hour session of PT with two friends. I will work hard and I will sweat a lot! Then I'll come home to finish the rest of my crazy day of Ophthalmology appointments & Soccer camp for the kids. But I'll be feeling much better knowing I started my day off great!
What are you doing today or this week to help you stay motivated and live your best life??
Today's smoothie is the following:
1/2 cup Greek yogurt 1 tbl spoon Almond Butter 1 scoop chocolate protein powder half of a banana some ice cubes
It tastes great!! Almost like a peanut butter cup- if you want it sweeter add a packet of your favorite sweetner.
I woke up sick with an awful head cold that derailed my plans to hit the gym at some point today. I took some over the counter drugs that just knocked me out. When I woke up two hours later I feel even worse then when I went to sleep. This is NOT the way I envisioned starting off 2012. It's exactly the opposite. I was super excited to hit the gym get my Fitness back in gear now that my back is feeling better. So you may ask what did I do, I headed on over to Pinterest & spent the past hour looking through things that help keep me motivated.
I love to exercise it makes me feel better not just physically but mentally while the husband is deployed or even home. I need motivation, lots of it to stay on task. I must have visual references whether they be on a computer or someone in the gym who inspires me. Well I got my wish when my old gym brought back my beloved trainer full time-YIPPIE!! I booked my FREE 1 hour PT session for this Thursday. It'll be the first time in almost 3 years I have gotten to get my booty kicked by Jaime- I can't wait! After every work out I ever did with her, I was exhausted but excited. She pushed me to do more then I ever thought I could at my age. I am no spring chicken anymore & it's hard to stay in shape. A lot of work required with my nutrition & fitness. Jaime makes sure I stay accountable for what I let cross over my lips & onto my hips!
Now today Pinterest helped me stay motivated . I found some pictures I loved of strong healthy fit bodies not super skinny ladies Strong muscular women who work hard. I also found a lot of sayings that I hope I can repeat to myself all year long whenever I feel tired of it all. I thought I'd share with you all as well. I know a few of my readers are on their own Healthy Life Style Qwest. It's never been a diet for me It's ALWAYS a LIFESTYLE & that's what makes it work! Wishing all my fitness buddies the best of health & fitness in 2012- Never Give Up- there are NO EXCUSES!
I noticed as I age I really don't care so much what others think of me. But what's the most important is what I think of me & I think I am pretty amazing!
I can't say it enough, everytime I leave the gym I feel 100% better then when I walked out!
I am capable of Great Things!I proved that this year as I completed my 6th - 5K Obstacle run.
I love my life & I want to be around to enjoy it with my children for a long time. I work hard to ensure I'll be here tomorrow!!
**Edit** Still feeling extremly sick like someone is hammering away in my head. I hit up Pinterest to find a super yummy healthy Vitamin C packed Smoothie. It even tasted good & I don't like oranges!
1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt for protein 1/2 cup ice cubes 1 cup orange juice 1 packet of pure vitamin powder
Blend & drink- it stopped my stomach from growling & I hope I feel somewhat human again in the morning.
It's been a few weeks since I've had time to write updateson my Fitness. I am still having regular work outs at least three times a week with a group of ladies who live in our neighborhood. It's so nice to have a break here at home once the boys are safely at school. We completed our training for our last 5k Obstacle run & did the race as well last Saturday. It was a super hard obstacle course but easy run. We where definitely in better shape then I have ever been going into one of these events. I do believe it was the mix of cross fit & cardio that got us through the course easy peazy. The new girl who has been training with us for about three weeks did the run & loved it!! I created a new Mud Monster like myself! Now the only thing is the next event she wants to train for doesn't even happen until Summer 2012 sometime but you must start training now! CRAZY, INSANE, these are just a couple of the words I used to talk about her & this new goal of hers- not sure about me yet.
If you have heard of it, then you know why it's INSANE!!
I have never claimed to be a runner & to even sign up they say you must run at least 6+ miles with ease- with EASE folks!! Who runs 6+ miles for fun & with EASE?? Not this Girl!!
Now I talked with my husband who had way to much time on his hands yesterday. He watched hours of the events videos on the Web & now he wants to do the Run!! He says it'll be fine those people where walking a lot of the course. I asked him if he saw the video I saw of them running a steep zig-zag hill, because they most certainly weren't walking!! I told my husband & new workout crazed friend I would most definitely work out with her like I was going to run, but the jury was still out on my verdict. I just don't see any part of that run that looks simple. I guess that is why they call it the hardest Mud Run around. It was designed by ex-special forces guys, so insane.
In order to even think about doing the run we have to do mostly Cross Fit type workouts. I am not a huge cross fit girl but promised to do the WODS at least three times a week. Thursday was my first real day back at the work out. I took a few days off to just rest. All the hard training took it's toll & I was exhausted. Yesterday consisted of doing almost everything at least once some twice on the training WOD that Tough Mudder has on their web site for us- we printed it off. It was hard, alot of upper body with every kind of push up you could imagine. I am not a girl with a lot of upper body strength so this will be quite the challenge. My strength lies in my legs, which I hope don't get massive from all the lunges & squats. At least my booty will get to be amazing! All those squats hurt!!
So if your like me & looking for a HUGE challenge- go watch the Tough Mudder videos to see if the event is coming your way.Get off that couch, put down that junk food & WORK!! Even if your like me & unsure if you will participate in the run you can still do the work outs. It'll get you in super shape all over. Cross fit is all about all over body fitness not just one part of your body. It'll work every muscles you've ever worked & then the one's who have never done any work as well. It will hurt, but if you push through it you will feel amazing after wards.
Here is a quick picture of my motto for while we are doing all this training, because remember I love my cardio & I AM a Gym Rat! I would much rather jump on my elliptical then run outside in the freezing cold air like we did yesterday. When I saw this little picture it summed all this training up perfectly.
I am definitely UNCOMFORTABLE!!
Remember to GET OUT & MOVE today !! Even if it's only for 30 minutes- you'll still be lapping whoever is sitting on the Couch!!
One last fun picture from the Gladiator Run last Saturday.
Yes I am reaching for the mud- I was planning a sneak attack on Bekah who had already pelted me with a hand full of mud earlier. My new work out crazy is the lady in the picture with me- she is the new insane Mud Junkie!
P.S. I forgot to mention all the crazy friends of mine who are pushing doing Tough Mudder are being so unfair in their ploys to get me to agree. All the money raised goes to the Wounded Warrior Project- yep they know how to pull at a girls heart strings. When so many of our friends have benefited from the WWP- hard not to help the program out,ugggg
We finally got the garage rearranged & set up so that we can use it as the weather changes from nice to cold. Today there where six of us total with three children working out. It was GREAT! We had fun & worked up a good sweat running the hills by my house. We even had a little helper Miss. A who is two join us on our stretching & our squats. How did you get your workout in today? Remember there are NO EXCUSES , you can workout anywhere! So take the time to get moving & improve your healthy life!!
Yesterday I was lucky enough to get my hands on a free Nordic Elliptical to add to my collection of work out equipment for my garage. For about four years now I have been toying with the idea of starting a gym out of my garage for all of us busy moms who can't find the time to drive into town . Also the gas & money it cost for gym memberships can be nuts!! I went so far as to have my dad paint one wall a pretty spa green & hang a mirror. You have to see yourself working out to make sure your form is correct (thanks Jaime I remember ). I have a nice stationary bike my aunt donated four years ago. I also have a ton of free weights,bench, ball, jump ropes etc. I still would like some kettle bells & a pull up station. Not that I can do a pull up yet but my husband would also like to use this garage gym when he get's home. We go tonight to pick up the elliptical so I spent all morning sweeping, dusting & arranging the garage. It is now set up so that I can have around five ladies working out at once. My goal is to add some matting for the floor so that we don't have to keep using portable mats. But in time it will all fall into place. For now it's open on Tue/Thur to anyone in my neighborhood who wants to come join us for a work out. I have three regular ladies who meet at the park already. But with the weather changing it'll be nice to have this indoor option now for our group.
I have to say it has made me have a little pep in my step. I really am glad to be back into the fitness realm again. I loved it four years ago when I started studying through ISSA & I love it now. I am a teacher by trade & getting to teach a healthy life style right out of my home to other moms is GREAT! I am contemplating biting the bullet paying the fee & completing my final in ISSA. I would love to be able to offer Personal Training sessions at a lower rate then in town gyms because I have no overhead. I will think about this & let you know what happens. I really believe you are never to old to get healthy & enjoy your life! Looking forward to the first time we all get to use the workout space. Now for a name...... One of the ladies in the group suggested Warrior Wives Fitness. I love that Fitness is in the name but I have a single mom in the group. I thought maybe Warrior Women's Fitness ?? We are looking for a fun creative name so please chime in if you think of anything. It is all about health & fitness as a lifestyle. Now I am off to get ready to pick up my new to me elliptical!!
My Fitness Friday Post will be postponed until Saturday sometime. Saturday is when I along with 8 other military spouses run our 5K Obstacle run. I am SO EXCITED!! We got the email yesterday with the final route & obstacles. It looks like cool drizzly weather for Saturday's run so burrr....But all the running is sure to warm us up eventually until we hit the Mud Pit-LOL Here is a link to the course they sent out if you want to check it out. The Rampage 5k CourseWhoo-Hooo I tested out my foot today with a quick 1/2 mile run & had NO pain!! So all the resting this week has drove me nuts , but helped my foot. Hopefully after Saturday I am not hurting, but I plan on at least another week of really easy work outs, BOOOO!!! But if it get's me back up & running sooner then it's what I'll do for now.
Now since we are done with the Fitness talk until Saturday we can move on to Halloween- oh how my family Loves this time of year! Usually we just decorate for Fall in general. But this year the boys talked me into doing our front porch with a Halloween theme. I have to say we had the best time shopping & then decorating.We even changed the front light to orange & it looks super spooky when it's dark & turned all orange. Jacob also got his costume today which he loves & it just cracks me up! Hello 80's- WELCOME BACK!! haha- anyway enjoy the pictures & have a fun safe weekend everyone.
Jeremy is the only one who isn't in any of the pictures yet. He only has part of his costume, so wants to wait until it is complete for a picture-haha. So stay tuned, it shouldn't be much longer until he is ready for his fun photo.
Friday came & went in a blur. I was super busy with errands & kids. Sorry I missed posting my fitness updates. This week was a crazy fitness mess! Last Sunday was church then Chicago football time, we won't talk about that game it made me sad. Monday came & I got a great workout in at the gym . I managed 7.36 miles between the elliptical & bike. I also did abs & legs. Tuesday came to WA very dreary but no rain when we started our work out. Notice I said when we started...haha First we had a newcomers join our group, who is not new to working out. Just new to our little group. She brought us a new WOD to try & it was super hard! 90 second stations with lots of new ideas for all over body strengthening. Half way through just when we where working up a good sweat down came the rain. We had mom leave because baby was with her not wanting to get him sick. But three of us stayed finished our second round & my third lap before calling it a day. We where soaked & cold.
Wednesday came with a quick outdoor workout with one mom because I knew Thursday was a busy day. By now my right foot which I had noticed a dull ache in was really bothering me. Thursday after a lot of errands my right foot was throbbing from the top all the way down into the toes. After some consults with different sources we came to the conclusion that all the hard work out may have cause a small stress fracture. I could barley walk on it any weight just hurt! I took a very strong pain pill & passed out. I woke up Friday with the pain a little less until I started moving. I was determined to try a low impact work out so I could stay on track. I am seven days out from my 5K Obstacle run & I am not happy with a injury derailing all my hard work. I cleaned out the garage, went to the dump, hit up post, then hit the gym. I only made it 15 minutes on the bike. In order to keep my heart rate up where I need it to be I have to go super fast & a hard level. My poor old knees didn't like it at all. I went to do arms, shoulders, & abs. It was not a very good work out but I did break a sweat. Saturday is here & I decided to take the advice & rest today. I will also try to rest tomorrow but I won't like it. I am finally in a good workout routine & I actually feel all out of sorts when I don't get to exercise. I enjoy it, it is my stress relief & I have not let it interfere with the boys. This close to race day though I have to rest that foot. I will go to the gym on Monday & try to get some cardio in just so I don't go insane. It will be another low impact work out :0/ but at least I will be moving.Hopefully by the 8th I am not in any pain & can enjoy the day with the other Army Wives as we get on our sweat in the mud! I decided to order a shirt that I can use for all my races & it came yesterday!! So excited because It fits & is actually loose around my waist. I have lost 10 pounds in 5 weeks & gone back down a pants size. I am shooting for those last 4 pounds I gained while husband was home. Then it'll be all about toning & maintenance. I am not trying to get back to what I had two years ago. It would mean to much time at the gym & away from the boys. I am beginning to realize as long as I am exercising daily ,eating healthy whole foods, I feel better & look better. I may not be a super model size but God didn't make me that size so why would I want to kill myself to keep that size?? I hope you all are still exercising & eating healthy as well. Have a great weekend & below is a picture I took for my husband. It's my new race shirt with the Sweaty & Strong from our Facebook page on front. He said he noticed in my face the most- so YAY ME!!
My upper thighs are still big, but it is all muscle so I am OK with that!! Now to shape the arms a lot more & maintain!
This week seemed to fly by thank goodness but it was also a little nutty in spots! I was able to get some good workouts into my week but nothing like last week. Monday I had a sick kiddo & I was exhausted so that resulted in a short walk with weights for only 45 minutes. But I MOVED& that is what matters. Tuesday came with some lovely sunshine & a chance to meet up with four other military ladies to work out in a playground in our community. It gave me much needed adult conversation as well as baby time as I got to hold a little guy while mom finished her work out. I also FINALLYran the three loops we do down a steep grade then up a steep hill with out feeling like I was dying! My endurance has picked up by adding these Tues/Thurs outdoor sessions.We worked hard but I also wasn't near as sore-YAY! Wednesday turned into rest day because it was just a nutty type of day. Thursday I had my morning outdoor session with two of my wives & then a bonus 40 minutes at Soccer practice.
I met up with two other Soccer moms who are trying to get back into shape & needed a little push in the right direction. I wore my work out clothes & we hit the high school bleachers for fifteen minutes of non-stop up/downs. I was so excited that they finished even though they where grumbling & telling me I was mean at the end. I was sweaty but not hurting so I was excited! We then ran the High school track they managed one lap, I made them walk a lap. They then stopped to stretch while I ran one more lap to get a total of 1 1/2 miles in for the evening. It was a nice easy way to work in some more exercise to my day. Today is Friday thank goodness! I have a lot going on to get ready for my soon to be oldest son's sleep over he is having tonight. He turns FIFTEEN on Monday.....HOW DID THAT HAPPEN??
I have kids to drop off at school so I can go get my massage I booked last month. My hamstrings are still pretty tight & tender so I hope I don't jump off the table when he works that area. I am sure it will help so I can't wait. Then I have to grab a quick cardio session at the gym, pick up pizzas not sure how many to get for five teenage boys?? Also need to rent the movie THOR for them as well as ice the birthday cake I baked yesterday. Busy, busy, that is me today- but I really wouldn't have any other way! Hope everyone out there has a great weekend as well- stay safe & enjoy!
I have been HARD at work all week- folks I have done five days in a row of working out! I am super proud of myself & super tired as I sit here to type about it all. I started on Monday by hitting the gym with some good cardio& arms/abs. Then Tuesday had me waking up to news that where my husband is stationed was under attack -all over the news. The worry worked to my advantage & I broke my own personal best in completing 8.5 miles of cardio in forty minutes. I looked like I had stepped out of the shower! Sweat dripping from every place on my body-literally! I accomplished my cardio with the elliptical & the bike at the gym. I then went on for another thirty - five minutes of legs & abs. So it was an amazing day & YES DOMS (Delayed Muscles Soreness) ensued about two hours later. Got to love it when you go to get off the toliet & your legs are wobbly & screaming in pain from a good work out.
Wednesday was my rest day . But I had another Military Mom who wanted to meet & start getting back into shape. I met her at one of parks & walked about 2 miles while carrying weight around the trails. It really helped get all my lactic acid moving to remove any lingering soreness. If your super sore remember to keep moving!! It will help work out the stiffness. Now Wednesday wasn't super hard I got a little sweaty but I moved for an hour & helped another wife start her fitness journey- that's what counts! Thursday was gym time with only twenty-five minutes of light cardio then glutes/legs. My legs where jell-owhen I was done. I had to go to Safeway to get groceries & thankful the cart held me up! Friday I was excited to meet up with four lovely military spouses that live out here by me in our housing development. I took all kinds of my free weights- from 3llbs up to 15llbs to the park! We met up & I showed them how to do a good circuit using the playground. Park benches , the stairs, running down the hill then back up, as well as the weights for squats & arms. I did more of the arm work but did the running & stairs as well- my now smoked legs are not thanking me yet! We did this 3 times with 15 reps on each station & 3 runs up & down the hill. It's not a small hill either it's pretty long steep hill.
Saturday & Sunday where suppose to be my rest days. I have Soccer tomorrow with Jacob at noon. But the ladies where really excited & the weather is suppose to be cool but nice. So I agreed to meet up at the lake & power walk the trails with them- while we carry weights. That's right folks if it works out tomorrow will be day six of workouts for me this week- Sunday is for sure a REST day! I ate really clean this week with a lot of lean proteins. I switched the boys to turkey burgers & they gobbled them down only one noticed the difference. I didn't sneak not one glass of wine in at all! I did have a Starbucks yesterday evening, but Panzer my dog made me spill half of it- so does it really count?? All in all it has been a good work out week. I hope to repeat it next week working more of my arms & chest. I love that I have other ladies excited to get healthy as well.They all joined our Facebook page Sweaty & Strong Military Sisters so they could find workout partners to help them stay motivated! That was the whole point of the page- so I am super happy it is working. if you haven't checked it out go LIKE it to see what it is all about!
I hope everyone has a fun, safe, & healthy weekend! Remember there is NO EXCUSE to NOT MOVE!! Thirty minutes a day is all it takes to get you started to a healthy lifestyle. You will feel better inside & out!
I met another lovely Army wife through a local Facebook page & we have joined forces in the name of Health, Exercise, & Fitness! We noticed that several of the other ladies on the two pages we where on who are also Military Wives wanted someone to work out with but had no way to find them? Randi took the next step & started a Facebook page. She then asked me to join her as an admin since I love to hit the gym & eat as healthy as possible - most days. Since quite a few of my wonderful followers are military spouses & also into a healthy life style, I invite you to go "LIKE" our page Sweaty & Strong Military Sisters .
It is NOT a diet page at all. It is a page meant to bring together military ladies across the globe to help encourage each other stay on track with their fitness & nutrition goals. We have added some ladies who are Personal Trainers who will at times chime in on discussions to help us have the most accurate information passed along.We have a ROLL CALL Tab in the Discussions section so you can introduce yourself & see if there is anyone else living around you who might be looking for a work out partner. We all know staying motivated is one of the biggest problems for military spouses who make friends,work out partners to only have to move a couple years later & start all over. We hope this helps set you up for success! Maybe connect with another spouse who is already at the post or base you will be moving to next. Anyway if your interested at all go take a look & please share it with others so they can share in the same success as you!
