Fitness Friday - Dear Bathroom Scale...

Dear Bathroom Scale, 

I'm sorry, but it's just not working out between us. We've been together for years, I know. But, it's time for me to move on. I feel like there's this incredible weight between us. I think you feel it, too. It's not you. It's me. 

Ok...I'll be honest. It IS you. I always feel like our conversations are so heavy. Really, you should lighten up a little. You probably don't even realize you're doing it, but lately every time we are together, you make me feel bad about myself. Well, not really bad, but certainly not good. I just get so frustrated, because I'm trying and trying to better our relationship, but you just don't seem to want to change. I guess it wasn't always that way. I do remember better times. Years ago. But that was then. 

I guess I started noticing something was wrong in our relationship about a year and a half ago, after I started going to the gym. Since then, you just really have nothing encouraging to say to me. I mean, I do cardio. I do calisthenics. I lift weights. I run, for goodness sakes. And still, you can't be even a little supportive? I'm not asking for something spectacular all at once. I know you. But a little something nice every week or so would be great. 

This is how it has to be. I'm moving on. I'm setting goals that have nothing to do with you. For instance, I plan on running (not run/walking) three miles by the end of July. I'm going to do pull-ups. I currently cannot do one pull-up, but I'm working on that every day, so I'll be doing five in a row soon. Yesterday, I did a wall sit for two minutes. I'm going for three minutes by the end of next week. As I reach each of these goals, I'll set another one in its place. In doing so, I'll increase muscle mass, and I'll tighten and tone all the jiggly parts. And, I'll feel great - physically and emotionally. I'll be better for it, and I won't have to listen to your negative vibes. 

Do I want to keep running back to you week after week? Yes, of course I do. But I realize it's not healthy for me. So, you can stay right there in the bathroom where you've been. That's fine. Just don't expect me to associate with you while I'm in there. No. We can't just be friends. 

Sincerely, 

~ME:) 

PS - stop harassing my friends, too! 

Fitness Friday - Behind Door #3

I've mentioned before that the gym where Ryan and I work out, Anytime Fitness, is right next door to Chen's Buffet. Yep, right next door. To a Chinese buffet. Seems like cruel and unusual punishment to me. Well, it did, anyway, until I changed my way of thinking. 

You see, on the other side of Chen's is U.S. Renal Care, a dialysis clinic. Every time I go to the gym, I see the Chinese buffet and the dialysis clinic. Now, my workout happens before sun-up or it just might not happen, so I seldom see Chen's during their open hours. But that clinic is another story. It opens pretty early in the morning. 

I barely noticed U.S. Renal Care when I first started Boot Camp. Mainly because I'm barely awake when I get there. Over the past few months, however, I've noticed it more and more. There are people going into the dialysis clinic for treatments starting around 5:30am. Every day. To have their blood filtered by a machine, because their kidneys just won't do it anymore. Some have friends or relatives who drive them there. Others ride the Go Bus, a rural public transportation system. 

Now, I don't know the people I see going into there and I don't know their stories. But I know mine. And I know that I don't ever want any chapter or page or paragraph or sentence of my crazy life story to include "that time when I was hooked up to the kidney machine." From what I understand, that whole dialysis process is just no fun, and I'm just not down with that. 

There are many reasons why someone would have kidney failure. Just check Web MD - they have lists and lists of symptoms and causes. Some of those reasons are things that can't be prevented, simply because things just happen. Other reasons, heart problems, high blood pressure and obesity, among others, can be prevented just by paying attention to one's health. This is where my way of thinking has changed. I believe, with proper nutrition and adequate exercise, the kidney machine and I will not become acquaintances.  And I believe that I'm going to work really hard to stay out of that clinic. 

These days, I get plenty of exercise. I haven't smoked the cigarettes in eight years. I have reduced my Dr Pepper intake to about one per month. I drink beer, wine and spirits, but not too much. Although it is a constant battle, I'm trying improve my nutrition. I don't go to Chen's anymore. I keep my stress levels pretty low. These are lifestyle changes that I have decided to make to improve my quality of life for now and for my future. 

So, I'll keep what's behind Door Number Three. And I'll leave the buffet and the clinic for the next contestant. 

Fitness Friday - What I've learned about myself...

This week marks one year that I've been going to my Boot Camp class at the gym. My friend, Shelly, talked me into doing it. My friend, Tracy, teaches it. I'll be honest, I was reluctant to go to the class for a few reasons. 1. Because it starts at 5:30am. In the morning. Before sunrise. 2. Because I had no idea what to do at something called "Boot Camp." 3. I have no athletic ability whatsoever. But, I went, and I've been going to the gym an average of three days a week ever since. Yeah, so, there have been some weeks when I only went one day, but there have been plenty of weeks where I've been four or five. Anyway, here are some things I've learned about myself in the past year. Some of these things are very positive, some are not so much. I'm working on those. 

1. I CAN get out of bed in time to be at the gym at 5:30am.
2. It takes ten minutes to get from our house to the gym. 
3. I am fully aware of #2, so some days I can get completely dressed, brush my teeth, ponytail my hair and get some water in ten minutes. This gives me eighteen more minutes of sleep (nine minutes at a time, of course). 
4. When I started working out, I could do one plank-style push-up. I'm not kidding. I could do one. 
5. I can now do at least fifteen plank-style push-up in a row. If I drop to my knees, I can do a whole bunch more. 
6. I like working out with friends a LOT more than working out alone. 
7. I still haven't lost enough weight to even mention, but I look better in my clothes.
8. I can overhead press 15 pound dumbbells for ten reps, three times. (I started with 8 pound weights.)
9. I cannot lift a horse.
10. When I work out in the morning, I am less likely to eat unhealthy foods throughout the day. 
11. I am better at working out in the morning than after work.
12. I can run one mile without stopping.
13. I am very interested in eating less sugar and fewer processed foods.
14. But, I really love dipped ice cream cones from Dairy Queen.
15. I can hold a plank for 1 minute and 15 seconds.
16. I can make homemade ranch dressing that is unbelievably better than Hidden Valley.
17. I still get discouraged that I haven't lost weight.
18. Even so, I have a hard time staying motivated to eat fewer calories every day.
19. But, I keep trying.  
20. I love the blue of the sky when the sun is just rising.
21. I cannot be trusted with a restaurant menu. 
22. I am encouraged and inspired by the people in the photo on this page.
23. If I do not eat breakfast before I leave the house, I either skip breakfast altogether or eat something terribly unhealthy.
24. I can run and walk for 3.1 miles, but I really like to refer to it as 5 THOUSAND meters! 
25. I'm in better shape than I thought I was, because after three hours of horseback riding, I was not incredibly sore all over. 
26. Self-tanning lotion makes my feet darker way before it makes my legs darker.
27. I can do twenty situps in one minute. 
28. One year ago, I could not do one. 
29. I don't miss Dr Pepper as much as I thought I would. (I've only had ten in the past sixteen months.) 
30. I am really glad Shelly talked me into going to Boot Camp a year ago. 

Much love and many blessings to you!
~ME:)

What have you learned about yourself this year?

Fitness Friday - Back at It

Last Friday, I was all excited about what a big deal it is to go to the gym. Then, I didn't go back until yesterday. Yep, almost a week. And, you know what? That dadgum Lycra is STILL making my jeans too tight!

I really didn't go to the gym for a whole week, because some crazy kettle bell swings hurt my back. )Yes, I blame the kettle bell swings, and not my bad form. Don't you worry, I glare at those kettle bells every time I see them.) So, after I noticed back pain, I did not stay home and rest. I kept pushing until my back really hurt and I couldn't go to the gym. For three days, I iced it and took the ibuprofen, and now I'm better, and I'm back at the gym. Two days in a row even!

As I mentioned before, I've been going to the gym for a little more than a year now. I'm not one of those people who checks-in every time I show up in the parking lot (mainly because I'm afraid I'll click the wrong location and accidentally check-in at Chen's Chinese Buffet next door), but if that's what keeps you going, well hey, go for it. Ok, really, I didn't talk about the gym in the social media, or the literal media, or even in most conversations because I was afraid of it. I was afraid that I would say something about going to the gym, and someone would say, "Really? You go to the gym? Oh." Because, my progress is SO slow, I was a little embarrassed about it. Maybe a lot embarrassed about it.

I'm taking a new approach on this idea, though. I'm thinking if I talk about it a little (not too much, I don't want y'all to get all oh-my-goodness-not-another-post-about-how-much-she-hates-burpees tired of it), I will make better decisions about what I eat and how I work out, so that when I say I go to the gym, someone will say, "And you look great!" Now, I know it's not only about how I look, but nobody ever says, "You look like your heart is healthy!" or "I'll bet your cholesterol is super low."

So, Happy Fitness Friday!  If you're making changes about living a healthier life, share them in the comments below.

Much love and many blessings to you,
~ME:)

Oh yeah, if you see I've checked-in at Chen's, just assume I'm at the gym!

Welcome back, Collarbones!

I have a confession to make. I've been working out. At the gym. I know, I know...I haven't been checking in on Facebook every time I go, so you probably don't believe me. But seriously, I really have been going to the gym. I have witnesses. And work-out buddies. And collarbones! Yep, my clavicles have returned from the great white underworld.

You may be asking yourself right now, "Why in the world is she all excited about a clavicle? Because it's progress, people...progress! I haven't noticed those definite lines between my shoulders in so long I can't remember. You can see them in the picture. Barely, but you can. I saw my collarbones this morning, and boy was I excited. I was almost as happy to see them as I was when I noticed that my rear end is about two inches higher than it used to be. (Yeah, when I noticed my booty was looking better, that was a great day.)

You see, my plan for getting healthy and lean (read 'skinny') is going much slower than I anticipated. Sweet Hubby Ryan and I started going to the gym just over a year ago. He's lost a boatload of pounds and is down to sizes he hasn't worn in years. Oh, and he looks fantastic. No, really, he is hot! I, on the other hand, have only lost ten pounds and my jeans still fit the same. Some of my other clothes fit better, but those jeans are driving me crazy! It's that doggone Lycra. I put the jeans on, wear 'em all day and stretch 'em out. Then, they go back in the laundry and that stretchy crap shrinks up in the dryer, and they get a little smaller every time. So, I'm taking my victories where I can find them. Collarbones. Not-so-saggy buttocks. Arms that don't jiggle when I brush my teeth. It's the little things. (Or, the things that are becoming little, anyway.)

Which brings me to the real topic. In the Boot Camp class that I go to on Mondays and Wednesdays, there is a little lady in her seventies who joins us. She's in her seventies...that's a big deal.  She gets up early, gets ready and drives to the gym to be there at 5:30am and does almost all the exercises that we do for the day. They are hard, too. Trust me on this. Still, Ms. Sue is at the gym and taking good care of her body. And we all make a big deal out of it, because she's seventy something. And it is a big deal.

But you know what? It's a BIG DEAL that every other person is in that class with me.  Every single one of them, including our Boot Camp instructor, Tracy. Some of the ladies are about my age (you know, 25 or so). There are a few ladies who are younger and a few ladies who are older. There's even one guy!  The point is, each one of us gets up and gets ready and drives to the gym to be there at 5:30 IN THE MORNING to work out for an hour. Each one of us works hard. Each one of us sweats and struggles and (sometimes) swears our way through exercises that we never dreamed of doing. Sometimes we go slower than the next person, and sometimes we whine about it, but we do it. We are there. And it's a BIG DEAL.

If you are going to the gym today, tomorrow or this week, I salute you.  Whether you've struggled with a weight problem all your life and you've finally made the decision to take charge of your health, or you've been fit all your life and you work to stay that way, I'm proud of you. You are taking steps to improve your heart health and reduce your risk of cancer. Keep up the good work. It's a big deal to me.  If you are thinking about changing your eating and workout habits, do it.  If you are planning a new you, get on it.  It will be a big deal.

I know that sooner or later I will lose the pounds that I want to lose and those jeans with the stupid Lycra will eventually be too big. I'm going to keep working on it. Even into my seventies, when it will be a really big deal.

Much love and many blessings to you,
~ME:)

What are you doing to get/stay healthy?