After years of running some times up to 3 times a day, I decided to back off in the last year or so. I've been recovering from a "flare up" with MS and things haven't been going to well. It has crossed my mind (a few times), that maybe running is out of reach for someone who has MS. Last weekend I went for a short 3 mile run and about 1/3 of the way my left leg and left arm starting acting up.. I KNOW I must've looked like some kind of retard trying to run. I did finish though, even through the pain and being slow. MS, plays a LOT with your mind as well as your body. Many people think that if there's no "outwardly" signs that theres no problem. I'm here to tell you otherwise. Keeping active is VERY important to me. When and if the day comes that I'm stuck in a wheelchair, I don't want to look back on my life and say, "I wish I would have"...
Today, I also had that feeling that MS is starting to make it's "flare-ups" more of a permeant thing. Where once my "flare ups" would be just that, now they have been coming more frequent and not going away completely. I noticed that my once steady hands are becoming my shaky, unsure and weak.
So, getting back to today... I decided to go on a (street) bike ride. All of 6 and half miles.. and to tell the truth, I thought I was going to die. My arms, back, neck and my hands were killing me. I've always been a pretty good athlete. Running has always been my favorite-with swimming, karate and weight lifting not far behind. It getting harder and harder to have the energy that I once had to do the things I love doing. Not to mention the strength. I feel like the harder I try the harder it is to get to where I want to be.
I watch as my family watches me. It's like this stupid circle that I can't seem to get off of. I have pain or a cramp, or forget or my body locks up and while I KNOW I can't do it on my own, it makes me feel weak. I wonder, how is this going to effect my family, how are they going to cope with this? We have such a tight and loving family, I know they'll be there for me-but it does make me feel weird (and weak) to know that while my mind (and body-most days) can do anything-the tumors in my head are in control of EVERYTHING.. And that I'm not ok with. So, I'll fight through this one day at a time and one flare up at a time.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
shirts are no longer fitting.. YAY!!!
Yep, you read right.. My once small shirts are no longer fitting (in the arms) and I'm HAPPY!! How many times have you heard that from a woman? hahaha Not too many, I'm sure. I've taken on yet another activity. Or should I say I've increased the activities I'm already doing. I've picked up more karate, more boxing, HEAVIER weights and this Sunday my training for the San Antonio, Tx Rock N Roll marathon (Nov 11, 2012) starts.. I couldn't imagine my life any other way-BUSY.
I love the way my body is changing and improving. So it's a welcome change to what my body was even months ago. I also have noticed that with lifting heavier weights that my abs have REALLY started "popping" through.
I have been asked when will I be "happy" with my body.. I smile and say, "I'm happy now. But that doesn't mean I should stop taking care of myself. Plus, I LOVE (almost LIVE for) a challenge:". Once you stop trying to improve yourself is when you start to become "comfortable" with things and settle into a life of being stagnant. Which in my opinion is NEVER good. I don't want to be that old person who sit on the sidelines watching my grandkids. Which raises the question, "why is it ok to live that kind of life"?? I see so many elderly people who just "stop" being apart of life.. It's NEVER a good thing.. So why do so many people look the other way when we see our parents and grandparents "living" this way? I don't know about you, but I want to be the HOT-ASS grandma that people notice in a good way.. Haha
So, never stop moving, never stop improving or growing.
I love the way my body is changing and improving. So it's a welcome change to what my body was even months ago. I also have noticed that with lifting heavier weights that my abs have REALLY started "popping" through.
I have been asked when will I be "happy" with my body.. I smile and say, "I'm happy now. But that doesn't mean I should stop taking care of myself. Plus, I LOVE (almost LIVE for) a challenge:". Once you stop trying to improve yourself is when you start to become "comfortable" with things and settle into a life of being stagnant. Which in my opinion is NEVER good. I don't want to be that old person who sit on the sidelines watching my grandkids. Which raises the question, "why is it ok to live that kind of life"?? I see so many elderly people who just "stop" being apart of life.. It's NEVER a good thing.. So why do so many people look the other way when we see our parents and grandparents "living" this way? I don't know about you, but I want to be the HOT-ASS grandma that people notice in a good way.. Haha
So, never stop moving, never stop improving or growing.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Almost a year-WOW
I can't believe it been almost a year since I started this journey. So MANY changes, good ones of course. I've learned a lot, mostly by mistakes or reading. But I've had a lot of help along the way. Amber, (my personal hero) has been there as a guiding force. Even though its been almost a year since I started and I have seen a great improvement, I still have a life time of improvements ahead of me.
ok, so onto the good stuff, what has improved?
First, my mental understanding of what HEALTHY really is.. Many people think that if you weigh a certain amount (according to your Dr) that you are healthy. This just ISNT the case.. I have learned, after a LIFETIME (43 yrs) that HEALTHY isn't judged by my bathroom scale. Its merely a "guide".. Why is it that the american woman is SO comsumed with a NUMBER instead of how her body looks and feels (in other words, healthy)? Is there some truth in "we are what we see"? Have the magazines, tv ads, clothing shops been catering to our "wishes" and not our needs? Or is this just some way to pass the buck (or fault if you will) onto someone else? People need to stand up and be accountable for who they are.. What they have become? And what they put in their mouth.. The list could go on and on.. The point is, people need to ask questions, instead of assigning "blame" for why they look like they do..
Second, I have come to terms with my eating.. Another UNTRUTH out there.. I can name hundreds of people who believe that if you eat less, or skip a meal, or exchange a real meal with a shake that somehow THIS will MAKE you healthy and/or skinny.. The truth is a BIG FAT NO!!! You might lose weight, but you'll also lose muscle as well. Who in their "right mind" wants to be skinny? If you defined the word, "skinny" here's what it says..
skin ny
adjective: (of a person or part of their body) unattractively thin,
synonyms: lean-thin-gaunt-scraggy-scrawny-meager-meagre
So, like I said-who wants to be skinny? Did you catch the KEY words in there??? UNATTRACTIVELY thin, GAUNT, SCRAWNY... But nowhere in there did it say "thin and HEALTHY"..
For years I was eating WELL under 1k calories a day, more like 500 (or less).. YEP you read right.. FOR YEARS I did this.. To the point my hair was falling out, I was SKINNY (119 body weight), tired/sleepy, little or no cycles and I was by all accounts a BITCH.. All of this because I wasn't eating and giving my body what it needed.
I now PROUDLY weigh 148, with a 26" waist, have lean muscles and I EAT whatever the hell I want.. Why, because I workout.. I have learned that eating is my fuel.. My fuel is for my workouts.. The more I eat the better my fuel reserv is-the greater the workout-the better my body looks, feels and the more healthy it becomes.
I once had a Dr. (a cardiologist) tell me I was "addicted" to working out.. My answer to this idiots remark...
"I'm trying to put you out of a job"!! I said it with a smile, but he got the point..
It is SO easy to blame someone else for the changes we know we should be making in our lives. But no one will ever work harder than a person who is WILLING to accept change and isn't affraid of hard work.
It doesn't matter if you walk, bike, run lift weights, change your diet-what matters is that you take responsibility for your actions DAILY!!! Make these changes happen EVERYDAY for the rest of your life.
Your journey begins with just a single step, but your marathon is your life-make sure you take daily steps in that race as well.
ok, so onto the good stuff, what has improved?
First, my mental understanding of what HEALTHY really is.. Many people think that if you weigh a certain amount (according to your Dr) that you are healthy. This just ISNT the case.. I have learned, after a LIFETIME (43 yrs) that HEALTHY isn't judged by my bathroom scale. Its merely a "guide".. Why is it that the american woman is SO comsumed with a NUMBER instead of how her body looks and feels (in other words, healthy)? Is there some truth in "we are what we see"? Have the magazines, tv ads, clothing shops been catering to our "wishes" and not our needs? Or is this just some way to pass the buck (or fault if you will) onto someone else? People need to stand up and be accountable for who they are.. What they have become? And what they put in their mouth.. The list could go on and on.. The point is, people need to ask questions, instead of assigning "blame" for why they look like they do..
Second, I have come to terms with my eating.. Another UNTRUTH out there.. I can name hundreds of people who believe that if you eat less, or skip a meal, or exchange a real meal with a shake that somehow THIS will MAKE you healthy and/or skinny.. The truth is a BIG FAT NO!!! You might lose weight, but you'll also lose muscle as well. Who in their "right mind" wants to be skinny? If you defined the word, "skinny" here's what it says..
skin ny
adjective: (of a person or part of their body) unattractively thin,
synonyms: lean-thin-gaunt-scraggy-scrawny-meager-meagre
So, like I said-who wants to be skinny? Did you catch the KEY words in there??? UNATTRACTIVELY thin, GAUNT, SCRAWNY... But nowhere in there did it say "thin and HEALTHY"..
For years I was eating WELL under 1k calories a day, more like 500 (or less).. YEP you read right.. FOR YEARS I did this.. To the point my hair was falling out, I was SKINNY (119 body weight), tired/sleepy, little or no cycles and I was by all accounts a BITCH.. All of this because I wasn't eating and giving my body what it needed.
I now PROUDLY weigh 148, with a 26" waist, have lean muscles and I EAT whatever the hell I want.. Why, because I workout.. I have learned that eating is my fuel.. My fuel is for my workouts.. The more I eat the better my fuel reserv is-the greater the workout-the better my body looks, feels and the more healthy it becomes.
I once had a Dr. (a cardiologist) tell me I was "addicted" to working out.. My answer to this idiots remark...
"I'm trying to put you out of a job"!! I said it with a smile, but he got the point..
It is SO easy to blame someone else for the changes we know we should be making in our lives. But no one will ever work harder than a person who is WILLING to accept change and isn't affraid of hard work.
It doesn't matter if you walk, bike, run lift weights, change your diet-what matters is that you take responsibility for your actions DAILY!!! Make these changes happen EVERYDAY for the rest of your life.
Your journey begins with just a single step, but your marathon is your life-make sure you take daily steps in that race as well.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
WOW-has it really been since Oct 28, 11 since my last blog??
Ok, so I guess it has.. Sorry, things have been to say the VERY least-BUSY!! But no excuses, I'm back (Thanks Amber). So much has happened since then.. Starting off with I threw out my back dead lifting-how you might ask?? Well it ALL started when I was lifting and "someone" told me told me to lower my butt.. Yeah, won't be listening to anymore unsolicited advice anymore-hahaha.. Its been 2+ months and I still have trouble with it..
But not all is bad news.. While I've been recovering from a bad back, I've been more focused on my eating.. Being a woman, its hard to get past the fact that if we eat HEALTHY food we can fuel our bodies. We've all grown up with the idea of eating less means we weigh less-OH CONTRAIRE.. We actually gain or at the very least maintain unwanted weight. I mean yes, at some point you will lose weight but at what cost? Our bodies NEED and WANT to be fed.. When I hurt my back I started reading everything having to do with food, exercise and lifting weight.. It was AMAZING to read the LOAD of CRAP that is out there.. Guess this is WHY its a BILLION dollar industry...
So, while I was to say the least somewhat a "vegan", I still fell back on foods that weren't all that good for me. If my day was not going the way I wanted, too tired to eat the right foods to fuel my ONE AND ONLY BODY or even that time of the month-I would give in and have a piece of chocolate or some other "goodie".. I then in turn would feel crappy for the choices I had just made.. So much so that I would workout even harder, which in turn would burn even more from my body's energy supply. Thus the endless cycle...
I decided that enough was enough and started taking control over not only what I was eating, but when, how much and why.. This was to include an exercise journal of all the same questions.. Before I didn't realize that eating bad food, at a bad time, how much and WHY I was eating could halt me in my tracks of getting a lean, beautiful and muscular body that I wanted.
So since then I workout daily, lift weights daily, run daily-BUT I ALSO EAT ALL DAY LONG!!! Yep ladies (and gents), this woman eats HEALTHY, vegan and high carb foods. and as a result I'm less than 10 pounds away from my overall body weight goal of 135.
What's weird about this is that now that I'm within a few pounds of my so called ideal body weight, I don't know that I want to reach it.. I LOVE the fact that I can eat, run, lift weights and doing a SHIT TON of ab work that people 20 years younger than me couldn't do 1/2 of what I can do. I just smile when I see people who think they know it all about weight loss, diet and weight lifting. You know the ones-they sit on the gym equipment reading their magazines, the ones who you hear talk about the "newest diet fad".. It's CRAZY the amount of money someone will to spend in order NOT to workout.. I never understood that.. I mean, YOU were the person who put the weight on-shouldn't YOU be the person who takes it off??? Just a thought....
So below are my numbers:
weight--- 143.7
jean size--- 2/4
my waist--- 26.6
Cals---(aver)2900-3100
Carbs---(aver)280-310
Protein---(aver)110-125
Fat---(aver)75-85
workout:::
1-3 mile runs(daily)-Sunday's my long run
GHD-AB WORK:
full extension-stretch to floor then to toes
short extensions-25(fast)
medium extension-25(slow and hold at top)
full extension with 8 pound ball
Hanging/sling knees to elbows (10-15 each side)
full extension-knees raises to head
floor AB workout:::
Russian twist with weighted ball
floor crunchy frogs
weighted ball to toes (legs are together and above your belly button)
weighted ball to top of knees (knees are bent and feet are on the floor)
balance/yoga ball between your ankles (squeeze and hold ball off the floor)
free weights:::
curls-20lbs each hand
triceps
biceps
butterflies-20lbs each hand
skull crushers-25lbs (off the bench)
Tuesdays and Thursdays---- Karate class
But not all is bad news.. While I've been recovering from a bad back, I've been more focused on my eating.. Being a woman, its hard to get past the fact that if we eat HEALTHY food we can fuel our bodies. We've all grown up with the idea of eating less means we weigh less-OH CONTRAIRE.. We actually gain or at the very least maintain unwanted weight. I mean yes, at some point you will lose weight but at what cost? Our bodies NEED and WANT to be fed.. When I hurt my back I started reading everything having to do with food, exercise and lifting weight.. It was AMAZING to read the LOAD of CRAP that is out there.. Guess this is WHY its a BILLION dollar industry...
So, while I was to say the least somewhat a "vegan", I still fell back on foods that weren't all that good for me. If my day was not going the way I wanted, too tired to eat the right foods to fuel my ONE AND ONLY BODY or even that time of the month-I would give in and have a piece of chocolate or some other "goodie".. I then in turn would feel crappy for the choices I had just made.. So much so that I would workout even harder, which in turn would burn even more from my body's energy supply. Thus the endless cycle...
I decided that enough was enough and started taking control over not only what I was eating, but when, how much and why.. This was to include an exercise journal of all the same questions.. Before I didn't realize that eating bad food, at a bad time, how much and WHY I was eating could halt me in my tracks of getting a lean, beautiful and muscular body that I wanted.
So since then I workout daily, lift weights daily, run daily-BUT I ALSO EAT ALL DAY LONG!!! Yep ladies (and gents), this woman eats HEALTHY, vegan and high carb foods. and as a result I'm less than 10 pounds away from my overall body weight goal of 135.
What's weird about this is that now that I'm within a few pounds of my so called ideal body weight, I don't know that I want to reach it.. I LOVE the fact that I can eat, run, lift weights and doing a SHIT TON of ab work that people 20 years younger than me couldn't do 1/2 of what I can do. I just smile when I see people who think they know it all about weight loss, diet and weight lifting. You know the ones-they sit on the gym equipment reading their magazines, the ones who you hear talk about the "newest diet fad".. It's CRAZY the amount of money someone will to spend in order NOT to workout.. I never understood that.. I mean, YOU were the person who put the weight on-shouldn't YOU be the person who takes it off??? Just a thought....
So below are my numbers:
weight--- 143.7
jean size--- 2/4
my waist--- 26.6
Cals---(aver)2900-3100
Carbs---(aver)280-310
Protein---(aver)110-125
Fat---(aver)75-85
workout:::
1-3 mile runs(daily)-Sunday's my long run
GHD-AB WORK:
full extension-stretch to floor then to toes
short extensions-25(fast)
medium extension-25(slow and hold at top)
full extension with 8 pound ball
Hanging/sling knees to elbows (10-15 each side)
full extension-knees raises to head
floor AB workout:::
Russian twist with weighted ball
floor crunchy frogs
weighted ball to toes (legs are together and above your belly button)
weighted ball to top of knees (knees are bent and feet are on the floor)
balance/yoga ball between your ankles (squeeze and hold ball off the floor)
free weights:::
curls-20lbs each hand
triceps
biceps
butterflies-20lbs each hand
skull crushers-25lbs (off the bench)
Tuesdays and Thursdays---- Karate class
Friday, October 28, 2011
How can 2 different "scales" give 2 different outcomes??
Ok so I'm at my WITS END.. Or maybe its just one of "THOSE" days where you feel like throwing in the towel.. Not that I'm going to, but man it does get trying at times. For 6 weeks I've been lifting weights, running, ab/core and karate but for some reason I feel like I should have been further along than I am. I know, I know-common sense should be kicking in right about now, but the TYPE A side of me says I'm busting my ass with little changes.
I have lost about 10 pounds and 2+ inches off my waist. My muscle tone has improved ( I still want more muscle mass)-but I'm happy with the results I've gotten so far.
While I know that everything takes time and you have to work for the results-it's still upsetting to see things move SLOWLY.
I got my hopes up when I read a BMI/body fat/weight scale today.. It said 12.7% body fat-OMG WOULDNT THAT BE FANTASTIC!!! Seeing as how my goal is 12-13%.. So then I started going over my wave fit results.. The outcome of those results doesn't even come close to the scales results..
The scale said(10/18/11)----
weight-150.8
lean mass-87.3%(130.95 pounds)
fat mass-12.7%
The wave fit said (9/10/11)-
weight-155
lean mass-76.84%(119.1 pounds)
fat mass-23.16%
*I went up in weight after the test was done-my body was in starvation mode. I went up to 160 lbs)
I think its ALMOST impossible to increase your lean mass by 10.46% in 1 month and 8 days.. Thats only 11.85 pounds.. Or have I lost my mind all together???
so for every 1% of lean mass I gain it equals 1.13288719 pounds of weight loss (if I'm doing the math correctly and of course it does change with my weight..)
CAN I JUST HURRY UP AND HEAL ALL DAMN READY.. I'm dying to get back to my heavy weight lifting, my full contact karate and my long distance running..
So thats my RANT, BITCH or COMPLAINT for today.. I feel better now-even if still confused haha
PEACE<3
I have lost about 10 pounds and 2+ inches off my waist. My muscle tone has improved ( I still want more muscle mass)-but I'm happy with the results I've gotten so far.
While I know that everything takes time and you have to work for the results-it's still upsetting to see things move SLOWLY.
I got my hopes up when I read a BMI/body fat/weight scale today.. It said 12.7% body fat-OMG WOULDNT THAT BE FANTASTIC!!! Seeing as how my goal is 12-13%.. So then I started going over my wave fit results.. The outcome of those results doesn't even come close to the scales results..
The scale said(10/18/11)----
weight-150.8
lean mass-87.3%(130.95 pounds)
fat mass-12.7%
The wave fit said (9/10/11)-
weight-155
lean mass-76.84%(119.1 pounds)
fat mass-23.16%
*I went up in weight after the test was done-my body was in starvation mode. I went up to 160 lbs)
I think its ALMOST impossible to increase your lean mass by 10.46% in 1 month and 8 days.. Thats only 11.85 pounds.. Or have I lost my mind all together???
so for every 1% of lean mass I gain it equals 1.13288719 pounds of weight loss (if I'm doing the math correctly and of course it does change with my weight..)
CAN I JUST HURRY UP AND HEAL ALL DAMN READY.. I'm dying to get back to my heavy weight lifting, my full contact karate and my long distance running..
So thats my RANT, BITCH or COMPLAINT for today.. I feel better now-even if still confused haha
PEACE<3
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
2 months later-PRO's and CON's
Ok so many of you know that I have been trying to "improve" my health, my body (mainly my lean mass/muscles) and drop my body fat.. And yes, I hear you when you say, "why you look great now". But to tell you the truth-its not about just looking good. Its about reaching a goal that I've set in front of me. A goal of a much leaner, healthier and muscular me.
When I started this journey, I didn't expect that I would have a "wall" to overcome 6 weeks into it. My surgery, by far has started to "eat", if you will at my mind.. I by nature am a TYPE A person, and if you're talking about competitive? Well then I'm your woman.. Let's just say I'm working on it.. So when this surgery happened the first thing out of my mouth was "WHEN can I Dr..."? At about the 1 1/2 wk mark I was chewing at the bit.. My stress was getting the better of me and everyone around me could tell I NEEDED to work it off.. So, I did what ANY athlete would do...... I got on my treadmill and went for a run.. I didn't go far, I did 2 miles and got off. Now one might think that that should have been the end of my workout. But nope, I felt so good I decided to do some ab/core work-which by the way felt amazing. It felt so great working off all that stress. The next morning, I didn't feel too bad. I actually felt better damn good. So, I decided to do it again. This time I did a 5k, weights, lunges ab/core workout.
Fast forward to yesterday, my Dr's check up.. Well I go in and his P.A looks at me and says that I have a "pocket" of fluid that needs to be drained. So with that being said, she began squeezing and poking me trying to get the fluid out.. Lucky for me that numbness isn't completely away yet. :( Everything then is fine and I'm partially cleared to go back to my normal life.. WAIT? WHAT? Partially? WTH? Ok, so it seems that the muscles under my arms need more time to heal. But the good news is that I can start BUST'IN out the ab work-YAY!!! And I can start running again-well there is a light at the end of the tunnel..
I HOPE in 2 weeks to be COMPLETELY release to do all of my workouts/running and karate-I miss it so much.. Plus how else am I going to get that knockout body?? hahahaha
SO below you'll see some pic's of me of my journey-so far only about 6 weeks. I like the changes, just wish there were more of them... :)
 |
| 8/10/11 159.9lbs |
 |
| 10/10/11 150.2lbs |
 |
| 8/10/11 |
 |
| 10/10/11 |
 |
| 10/10/11 |
Sunday, October 9, 2011
getting back into the swing of things/feeling a bit off
After having a headache all day yesterday, apparently I wasn't the only one, this morning I decided to workout. And to tell you the truth I felt a bit off. I don't know if its due to still recovering, if I'm getting sick or if its because my daily intake for yesterday was low due to not feeling like myself. Yesterday was a BUSY day to say the least.. Our second son, moved into an apt with his brother. So we spent the day shopping, unloading the moving truck and unpacking-not much time for eating :(
None the less, this morning I worked out and while it felt great to get my sweat on, I also felt somewhat off. I only did 2 reps instead of my normal 3. :( I guess I should be happy that I was even out there.
since being down from surgery, my appetite hasn't been normal. I know I need to get my daily intake up and meet my daily goals. Maybe that would help me with feeling less tired? I thinking yes. So todays plan-eat BETTER and eat MORE.. Gotta feed the muscles you know.. :)
I HATE recovery, I don't feel like myself. Don't like the "no energy" feeling..
Mile run/warm up
12x2-20 lb curls (each side)
48x2-incline crunches
12x2-bar (+20lbs) squats
12x2-50 lb lunges (up&down hill)
12x2-hanging leg lifts
Ab/core-
12x2-8 lb ball to toes
48x2-incline crunches
12x2-bar (+20lbs) squats
12x2-50 lb lunges (up&down hill)
12x2-hanging leg lifts
Ab/core-
12x2-8 lb ball to toes
12x2-8 lb ball to top of knees12x2-leg climbers
12x2-8 lb ball Russian twists
12x2-Cross country
12x2-hello dollies
12x2-elbow to knee
12x2-8 lb ball Russian twists
12x2-Cross country
12x2-hello dollies
12x2-elbow to knee
Plus a p.m incline walk on the treadmill
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)