Runner's High

I never thought that I would be the type of person who loved to run, but as they say, "I have seen the light!" Running has been a release from all of the negativity and stress that has built up over the last few months. Between Saturday, May 20 and Friday, April 26 I have managed to run a little over 17 miles, and each day proved to be easier than the last! Not only has my stride improved, but I have also noticed how much more of a desire I have to fuel my body with healthy food. Oatmeal has become a staple in my diet. I am not the biggest fan of sweet oatmeal; so, instead, I scramble egg whites to add to the oatmeal alongside a sprinkle of cheese and green Tabasco sauce. The oatmeal allows me to feel full and fueled for the long day ahead. I've also started to crave water again. My goal is to begin each day with 24 oz of water, then consume the daily minimum intake (64 oz). I suppose the moral of this story is that we all need to realize how much we allow negativity to permeate our lives and we need to find an activity that makes us happy. Running has always been a challenge for me, but now whenever I run I feel empowered and I look forward to the next day just so I can run a little faster and a little longer. Here's to finding your passion!

A Recipe for Success

I have read the research, searched for the perfect diet and fitness plan, and have made many an attempt to get healthy. But what I have finally learned is that I need to cater to my body. We are all unique and our bodies respond differently to the various "recipes" that are out there. For the first time in my life, I have stuck to a nutrition plan for an entire week and I feel FABULOUS! The plan is based off of the meal plan I posted in this month's food for thought but I have added a few ingredients; i.e. greek yogurt. More importantly, the six small meals are working to help keep me full and satisfied. In this time, I have also managed to fit in three days of working out because I feel energized and motivated. Staying positive is certainly a plus, but remembering who inspired me to rededicate myself to healthy living is key. More progress to come...

New Beginnings

Sometimes it takes a real life moment to make you realize you haven't been living...

My grandfather passed recently. He was a truly incredible man. He found an amazing woman to share his life with, was blessed to raise three loving daughters, and spoiled the hell out of his grandchildren (like any grandparent would). My papa (as we called him) was an avid runner. In his last few months of life, his memories of running often came up in conversation, and you could tell how passionate he truly was about the sport. I credit his love of running to his healthy 84 years of life, and what a beautiful life it was.

Now that he is gone, I can't help but dwell on the memories we shared. One of which included traveling down to St. George to support papa and my mom in running the St. George Marathon. This is probably one of the most vivid memories I will always have of him.

I have been trying to think of ways to celebrate his life, and then it hit me...I need to start living my life! I need to get healthy, and find something that gives me the same satisfaction that my papa once had with running. I have dwelled too much on the negative in the past. At this point, I just want to be around to enjoy the little wonders that life has to offer. I want to get married to my best friend (T.J.), I want to make beautiful children with him, I want to make a home with my family, and then I want to be around to see my grandbabies grow and live. I want to always be remembered as an active person who worked hard to stay healthy and live.

My challenge begins today. I have found an incredible meal plan on the "Blogilates" website that I feel will help fuel and cleanse my body, I have found some great workout routines to help me get strong and lean, and I have the spirit of my papa to guide me on my journey. This is MY recipe for success, and I dedicate it to my papa. You will always be an inspiration to me, and I know I will see you one day soon.

Before and After.

First let me say from childhood to adulthood, I have never been camera shy. I think we should enjoy every aspect of ourselves – the pretty, the sad, the funny, and just plain bad – but sometimes taking an outside look can really hit home. This is a side by side comparison of me doing an almost identical pose with my teammates. (Far left 2008 à Far Right, April 2012)

I can’t even blame the difference on bad angles! What it comes down to is how I have treated my machine, my body. Over the last four years I have not attempted to maintain a healthy weight, I have eaten what I wanted without a care for counting calories, I have used the excuse of being comfortable in my various relationships, and I have changed my personality to that of a “Mama Bear”. For those of you who don’t know, a mama bear is such because she protects her smaller cubs (friends/family) using her size to intimidate, often acting out by presenting herself as loud (funny) and ‘tough’ because of her larger size. I refuse to allow myself to be the Mama Bear anymore! I am ready for that change and every time I need some motivation I will look at these pictures. I encourage all of you to find a before and after picture of yourself anytime you feel like giving up and remember what you can accomplish by looking at the picture you like (the before).

After recovering from my weekend of volleyball I got back to it by attending my sister’s Pilates class yesterday evening - check her out on FB @ Paris Ashley Pilates! We focused on inner thigh and butt strengthening movements alongside major core and flexibility movements. I had a moment where I hesitated to go, but I looked at my before and after pictures and remembered what it is I am trying to accomplish. So far today I have not had a chance to workout but my goal is to take a long jog/walk in the beautiful sun to keep that blood pumping.

Also in staying true to April’s Food For Thought, I drank three liters of water Tuesday, three Wednesday, and I am working on my second liter of the day today! I definitely feel a difference and I’m sure my body is grateful for it.

Keep moving forward and only look back for motivation. :)

-Darbs

Reality Check.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of playing in my college volleyball alumnae tournament. I was very much looking forward to reuniting with my teammates, seeing old friends, and visiting some of my favorite restaurants. Wyoming meat… delish! I was worried how well I would perform given that I’ve gained 20lbs since playing and let me tell you I was a machine back in the day! I was able to perform 3 a day workouts weeks at a time and play in two hour matches without breaking a sweat (not true, I sweat profusely but you know what I mean)! I had slimmed down to 165. I was toned. I was eating right, sleeping well, and I felt incredible! Keeping that in mind… the first night of playing, coach told us she had jerseys for us to play in. I was thinking a cheap little t-shirt that said “CWC Alumnae” and the year we played. I was wrong. L They were our old college jerseys. You would think I would be excited to represent #14 again. More like embarrassed! That aside, had a great first night and played better than expected. Next day – start of local volleyball tournament. During pool play we played a total of 3 matches (best two out of three). It was at this point that I started feeling sore. Tournament play, we played 6 matches (1^st match best two out of three to 25, remaining matches best two out of three – 21 first two games, 15 third game, no cap). Imagine with me… bearing an extra 20lbs while attempting to jump A LOT, feeling a bit rusty - having not played volleyball for months, and wishing you had packed an inhaler for your athletic-induced asthma (which is at its worst when you are out of shape). By the last game I could barely clear the net and it took my body three full days to recover from the soreness. Reality hit me hard! I am in horrible shape! I keep hearing from people who have had dramatic transformations that the key to getting healthy is reaching a breaking point. I am not sure if this is mine, but the words escape me for how disappointed I am with myself. I am in control of me, and I should not have let it get to this point. I was reminded this past weekend of what I was once capable of doing and now, more than ever, I want to get back to the old me and even go beyond that.

If there is any advice I can give to those of you out there who, like me, feel as though you are struggling just remind yourself how incredible you are. The human body is a machine and we are capable of so much more than we could ever imagine!

As a side note, I know the focus of my reinvention is placed heavily on my body. However, I have made other efforts to help the process along that I feel I need to share with you. As an example, I have made a conscious effort to paint my nails more frequently. Something about manicured nails just feels more put together. I recently changed my hair style to a lighter, summer color. I am attempting to change my wardrobe up a bit and try new styles, and I am also working on my diet. In the near future, more emphasis will be focused on healthy eating habits and what I am doing specifically to help my body. I am a work in progress, but I know once I put all the factors of this equation together I will have an awesome final result.

Stay strong, fight on.

-Darbs

Reconsider.

It is incredible how easily we forget what working out can do for our mind. When you work out, not only are you one step closer to looking the way you want, but you now:

1) Find you have more energy.

2) Want to eat healthier food.

3) Get amazing sleep at night.

4) Have a more positive outlook on life.

5) Can focus better on work/school tasks

Last night, despite my euphoric state of mind, I contemplated meeting my sister for our biweekly morning lift. I was tired, I had a few beverages, and I just wasn’t feeling it. I needed some inspiration. So, naturally, I looked at The Berry and I stumbled across this image:

I find truth in the words. The hardest part of working out, eating better, dressing nicer, trying more things, becoming a better you – is deciding to do it. I am proud to say I didn't let myself or any of you down.

WORKOUT OF THE DAY: Thursday, April 05, 2012 @ 6:00am

· Warm up: Burpies 1x10

· Free weight bench press (w/ 15lb dumbbells) 3x10

· Free weight butterflies (w/8lb dumbbells) 3x10

· Bench dips 2x10

· Decline tricep extensions (w/one 20lb dumbbell)

· Bicep curl pyramid (w/ standing calf raise):

• 1 x 10 5lb
• 1x10 10lbs
• 1x10 12lbs
• 1x10 15lbs
• 1x10 12 lbs
• 1x10 10lbs
• 1x10 5 lbs

· Dumbbell shoulder press (standing w/ 8lbs dumbbells) 2x10

· Deltoid lateral raise (standing w/8lbs) 2x10

· Lateral pull downs (on machine w/ 40lbs) 2x10

Remember to just take it a day at a time. Reward yourself with some positive words of encouragement, and get ready to do it all again tomorrow!

-Darbs

If At First You Don’t Succeed.

I am long past due for an entry! I have to admit over the last couple of months trying to figure out this whole reinvention matter has been weighing me down. I’m the type who can be extreme when it comes to setting goals. I think this particular personality trait has been holding me back. If you are in it for the long haul, you have to move forward in strides and not proceed in a full out sprint. Case in point…I gave up on myself last month. All my efforts to maintain a healthier lifestyle through diet and exercise, the attempts to change my clothing styles, changing up my make-up, trying new things – all went down the drain. I’m not trying to turn this into a ‘woe is me’ kind of story. Rather, I want to prove to myself that I can reach my goal through recognition/correction of my faults and persistence.

Thus, I present to you Tuesday’s workout of the day:

WORKOUT OF THE DAY: Tuesday, April 3, 2012

· Warm-up Plyometric training:

• Side lateral jump (60 seconds)
• Vertical standing single toe touch (60 seconds)
• Single leg vertical jump (30 seconds each leg)
• Lateral alternating toe touch (45 seconds)

· Squats (on machine) 3x10

• Rep 1: no weight
• Rep 2: 5lbs on each side
• Rep 3: 10lbs on each side

· Leg curls (on machine) 3x15 @ 45 lbs

· Leg extensions (on machine) 3x15 @ 50 lbs

· Hip Flexor inward squeeze (on machine) 3x15

· Hip Flexor outward squeeze (on machine) 3x15

In addition, I have to give a shout out to my beautiful sister for helping me stay on track! We have dedicated Tuesdays and Thursdays to early morning workouts together, and Tuesday’s workout would not have happened without her motivational push. J

WORKOUT OF THE DAY: Wednesday, April 4, 2012

· 1 hour of cardio (30 mins on elliptical, 30 mins on stationary bicycle)

The new goal I have is to alternate my cardio workouts with the weightlifting. I am not going to get too ambitious. For now, I will attempt a minimum of 3-4 workouts a week. Once I build up my endurance, I will squeeze in a couple more days until I can maintain a consistent 7 days/week. Baby steps here people.

I have also decided writing down my caloric intake on a daily basis will help me with my eating habits. I want to see what I am eating not only to know where I can improve, but also to see how my energy/body feels when I eat certain foods.

I would also like to share a new source of inspiration for my reinvention. The Berry picture blog started a new category called “Need Some Motivation?” Images can be so powerful! I encourage you all to check this category out. It has some great workout routines, healthy eating tips, and pics of some bada$$ women getting their workout on. Click here for one great example!

Never give up on you! You can do anything you put your mind to.

-Darbs