Fear.

I got in my car this morning and drove to the gym. I did a 5 min warm up and then hit some back and shoulders in the weight room. I didn't belong there today. I felt the need to run so I headed to the treadmill and hammered out 10 sprints and did a short walk to cool down. I did some power squats in between sprints too. I left feeling kinda ick. It was a good workout, but not super fantastic. I needed more. I wanted more.

Workout #1. Shoulders/back plus sprints 

I got home and decided to get on my bike and go for a ride. Alone.

Time out.

Lemme tell ya, I am TERRIFIED of stray dogs. Last year I was going out for runs around the neighborhood and there was this one time... I was almost home when I realized I had a running partner.. a stray pit bull dog. Apparently it wasn't going to eat me, but when I saw the dog next to me, I went into a complete panic. I called my husband and told him to be in the driveway when I got there.. I stopped running and went into a fast pace walk. The dang dog never attacked me, but sure scared the crap out of me. Not too long after that incident, I took my dog for a walk around the neighborhood. We were just walking and minding our own business when all of a sudden this stupid yapping dog came running out of a garage we'd just passed.. that stupid dog attacked my dog. My dog fought back and I was yelling and screaming and slapping the pavement with the leash because during the fight, my dog lost his collar/leash. The idiot lady/owner of dog who attacked my dog came running out of her garage and told me to get my dog and get the heck outta there. I yelled at her and told her to get her dog on a leash! Oh I was steaming mad! Well.. that ruined the neighborhood walks/runs. My dog and I finally made it home, but he is forever scarred by the event. Heck, I am too.

We went on a family bike ride a few weeks ago and once again, a dog came between me and the path. The dog was growling and barking at us and we were forced to get off our bikes because he was blocking the path. My husband used his bike as a shield and we slowly made our way past the dog and were on our way, but I was *THIS CLOSE* to a heart attack.

So back to my bike ride that I decided I wanted to go on today.. alone. I let my husband know I was going and hit the bike path. I rode up to a duck pond and back.. To the pond is uphill almost the entire way and the wind was not in my favor up that hill today, but I persevered! My runtastic log informed me it was a 4.04 mi ride with a 157 ft elevation gain.

I did it! I rode the bike path on my own! This is seriously a huge accomplishment for myself! I used my fear to push myself on.. Feels good to conquer it. 

“What do I fear? I fear stagnation and lack of progress. I fear never reaching my potential and being average. I fear being forgotten… The past… Yesterday’s news. I fear giving up and being passed by, going softly into that good night. I fear letting those I love down, letting myself down. I fear settling, giving in to the “that’s just the way it is” mindset. I fear dying without leaving my mark. I fear not feeling these fears anymore and just floating along. These fears feed me, they nourish my drive. I love my fear.” – Anonymous

Workout #2. Bike ride. 

I win! I conquered today and feel so good because of it! :)

Now, it is time to conquer the next fear.. I am a Certified Personal Trainer. I want so badly to continue with my passion and get to training people. In the back of my mind, I am terrified of failure.. someone getting hurt.. my client not getting stronger or losing inches.. all kinds of nonsense. I would think that other trainers had/have these same fears. My friend told me the other day, if it doesn't scare you, it's not worth it. Right on! It is time to find a gym to train in.. I want to help people. That is my ultimate goal. I want to help change someone's life. I know I can do it. I know it won't always be rainbows and glitter everyday, but I could be helping someone else conquer their fears!

Shopping! Try a new look!

Shopping has not always been something easy for me to do. Heck, I wouldn't say it's EASY now, but it is definitely a whole lot more fun! I do still find myself looking at clothes and going to the larger sizes first and then realizing that I need to look at the S or M sizes. There are times also that I will be folding laundry and I'll hold up my jeans or shorts and wanna cry cause I can't hardly believe that I've lost the weight and kept it off!  I hold up the jeans or shorts and think to myself.. "These are so small...."

Yesterday I went to Ross to find some bike accessories and didn't find what I was looking for so I decided to look through the clothes and see if I could find any good deals. I checked out the fitness clothes first and found two awesome Nike brand shirts and decided I had to have them. I also found a nice Nike brand tank for my hubby. Then I ventured over to the dresses. I've never been much of a dress person, but I see others wearing such cute summery dresses and decided to try on a few.

I was really surprised that I LOVED the dresses that I chose..

I can hardly wait for some nice weather so I can wear these outta the house! Colorado hasn't got the "Spring Memo" yet..

Sometimes it's really nice to get out of our comfort zone! It might be awkward at first, but it's the only way to move forward! And now that I've also tried on last summers shorts, I need to go buy new, smaller ones! Looks like I'll be hitting Ross again soon! ;)

Torching some calories! *Workout included*

When going to the gym with my husband, I must be prepared to stay a little while and put in some work (which I don't mind!). We put in a killer good workout on Sunday morning!

Dressed and ready to hit the gym!

Workout: Chest/Back/Abs 

50 pull ups (Yes, 50!!!!) 

Flat bench press 4 sets of 12

Incline bench press 4 sets of 12

Pull overs 4 sets of 12

Incline flyes SUPERSET with Dumbbell chest press 3 sets of 12

Bent over row with barbell 4 sets of 12 

Straight leg deadlift SUPERSET with crunches 3 sets of 12

Lat pull downs 4 sets of 12

Partner crunches with ball -- one crunches and the other throws weighted ball

(will try to video the partner crunches for next time) 

A few shots of our workout:

pull overs 

pull overs 

pull overs 

pull overs 

bent over row with barbell 

straight leg deadlift

straight leg deadlift  

829 calories gone! BAM! 

Totally pumped after that workout! 

It is so much fun working out with my husband.. He pushes me and helps me with my technique/form. I do most of my workouts on my own because our schedules don't allow us to workout together through the week, so it is so nice to workout together and help each other out. He'll tell me "Quit using your back" or just push my back down into the bench. He helps me lots more that I help him! I can root him on and help him get those last couple reps, but God help us if I ever need to help lift the bar up! I'll be chunking weights off the bar quick and fast if needed!!!  Thanks so much babe for being an awesome inspiration to me!!!! :)

Sunday afternoon we also went for a family and friend bike ride! We rode 10 miles and kids did awesome! It is safe to say that my back, chest, lats, legs, and butt are sore today!!!!!

She let herself go.. A story about myself, but applies to so many...

She quit wearing makeup. It didn't help her feel pretty and it couldn't cover up the sadness in her eyes so it seemed pointless. She quit fixing her hair. Everyday was a ponytail or hair covered with a hat day. She even quit going to a hair stylist to get her hair cut. She would cut it at home by herself.. it didn't really matter much what it looked like because it was in the ponytail or hiding behind a hat. Her smile was fake if it was even there on her face at all. She was tired and out of breath all the time. Too tired to chase kids. Too tired to cook dinner. Fast food became the norm. She quit wearing fitting clothes and started choosing baggy pants and sweatshirts to cover herself up. She would take a shower and make sure to not make eye contact with herself in the mirror afterwards. She couldn't bare to look at herself naked.

She'd let herself go.

This is my story. I'd let myself go and I am here to shout it to the mountain tops that it doesn't have to be this way!!! WAKE UP!!!!! Snap out of it!!!

I look back at what my life was just a couple of years ago and how it's drastically changed for the better. I finally got control of my life. I put myself first. I made time for myself. I got a hold of myself.

Fitness is a part of who I am now, but the bigger picture is that I choose to be healthy. Healthy feels good.

I smile now and it's a true, happy smile! 

Yes, everyone has a bad day occasionally, but if you start your day with a positive attitude, you can accomplish anything.

And stop it with all the diets. Please just forget the word D-I-E-T. Think of your eating as FUEL! Fuel your body!! Use that fuel to get moving! Go for a walk, a run, a spin.. pick up a weight, a sandbag, something heavy! Feel your body come to life!

It's never too late!

You are beautiful.

I want to help people see that they can do things they never thought possible. I've been there.. I can relate.

I want everyone to know that you DO have time for yourself. Make an effort and make it a priority.

Everyone has to start somewhere. Your journey is YOUR journey. Do not compare to anyone else's. Set your own goals and then go for it! You got this! Let's do this!!!

Where are you in your journey? What are your goals? 

Do you need some motivation??

 

Happy Happy Happy News!

March was definitely a month of awesomeness! I have lots to share... 

First piece of awesome news:

Me with my AAAI Personal Trainer Certification!! 

I tested for my AAAI Personal Training cert March 3rd and FINALLY got my results back!!! 

The conference for the cert was just awesome! I learned so much information and then when testing time came, I said a prayer and took a deep breath and filled out the test. I went over it twice and checked my answers. I counted the ones that I was unsure about and might get wrong. There were about 6 out of the 100 questions I wasn't entirely sure about. Labeling the muscle man was a cinch and the essay question was easy too. So when I left the conference, I was pretty confident that I'd passed! I called my husband and my close friend and shared the news with them... They both said they were sure I'd passed.. Waiting for the results was the hardest part!!! As the days and weeks passed, I grew less and less confident. I started to doubt myself. This is the first thing I've ever done for myself, my dreams, my passion. It would totally crush me if I failed. I let that nonsense take over my thoughts.. So when the big envelope came in the mail, I told my husband that whatever the results, please just hug me. 

We sat down at the table together and opened it. 

My stomach was so nervous!!!!

I pulled out the papers and about hit the roof!!! I immediately started crying and was just so damn happy!!!! One of the best days ever!!! I will start looking for clients and a J-O-B soon.. that's the next step, right!!?? ;)

This is so true! I am excited to start training somewhere.. a little nervous too! But holy excitement!!!!

March also means Spring Break! Oh boy did we have a good one! We drove down to Houston area to hang out with my mom and her neighborhood was absolutely stunning. I couldn't get over the trees and the greenery everywhere. I live in dust-filled-tumbleweeds-blowing-around Colorado. When people hear I live in Colorado, they think mountains and trees... Nope. Not this part of Colorado I live in. I can see the beautiful mountains and dream of trees, but I live in a dust bowl. Anyways, I hauled our bikes down to Houston so we could ride the bike paths down there. 

One of the bike paths.. so beautiful

I am doing a GIVEAWAY on my Facebook page.. CLICK HERE TO GO TO PAGE AND ENTER! 

I'm giving away a $50 iTrain gift card! Check out www.itrain.com 

Awesome training plans for:

RUNNING JOGGING WALKING SPINNING ELLIPTICAL CLIMBING ROWING TONINGYOGA SCULPTING STRETCHING PILATES DANCING BOXING STRENGTH INTERVALS

And then on the last day of March.... HAPPY EASTER!!!! 

My  husband and me 

My beautiful family 

Pyramid Sets! Getcha some of that!!!! ;)

Pyramid sets

I've been doing pyramid sets in my weight training for awhile now and I LOVE em! My hubs introduced me to them and I've loved em since!! I do change it up every 4 weeks or so to keep it interesting, but I always look forward to going back to the pyramid. The pyramid sets will GET YOU OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE!!!

Using the pyramid set, this was my workout today:

Weights: Upper body

Flat bench press
Barbell clean and press
Shoulder lateral raise and frontal raise on cables
Standing barbell curlsIncline dumbbell flys
Tricep dips on bench
Wide grip lat pull down
Tabata abs on TRX (plank and jacks)

Cardio: 1.50 mi on treadmill and 1000m Row

So, for example, my barbell clean and press looked like this using the pyramid:

1st set: 12 reps 20 lb barbell

2nd set: 10 reps 30 lb barbell

3rd set: 8 reps 40 lb barbell

4th set: 6 reps 50 lb barbell

Heck yes!
Feeling the sweat run down the back of my arm and drip off my elbows...

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!

 

Dig Deep

Man oh man, last week was tough! I had to really find it within me to keep hanging on and pushing through! I was chatting with a friend early last week and she was telling me she was having a hard time and felt like giving up... I said these words to her: There are highs and lows in this journey.. Dig deep during the lows and when you reach that next high, you'll feel that much higher!!! You're worth it!!
At the time, I wasn't having a 'rough patch', but soon after chatting with her, I hit a low.. I remembered what I told her and thought to myself.. JUST DO IT! I got this!!!! Last week is done and over with and I can't go back and change it, but I can make this week awesome! I can make it my high!!! I had to make myself a poster with my words on it as a reminder.. :)

Brand new week... fresh start! Get out there and tackle it!

Major excitement going on over here... !!!!

Lots of exciting news to share!!!

First of all, I finally got over that sickness, including the cough! I am good as new ;) I took it slow getting back into routine and have finally been able to kick it up a notch and weight training is going great! I'm doing a new routine and changing up reps... keeps it exciting and leaves me ever so sore.. and I do love a good sore body after working it out! My new schedule is:

Upper body

Cardio

Lower body

Cardio

Full body**

Cardio

**For full body days, I have been going to Pilates Reformer class. If you've ever thought about trying out the reformer, you should just take the leap and go for it! It is an amazing experience and will work every part of your body.

My next piece of awesome news ::::::::::: >>>>>

 

 

 I applied to the Sweat Pink Ambassador program about a month ago... I have seen the Sweat Pink badge on a few of the Facebook fitness pages I follow and I had to check it out and see what it was all about.

Who are Sweat Pink™ ambassadors?

Enthusiastic health nuts who love sweating and eating well, but can also appreciate the finer things in life (chocolate, cheese, wine…)

Natural leaders. They motivate those around them to achieve their best, and set an example of healthy, positive living. They set up running clubs for their friends, and organize gym dates early in the morning or after work. They get their co-workers to try yoga, and to order fruit instead of donuts for meetings.

Passionate. Whether they go gaga for green smoothies or tear up the floor every day at Zumba, there’s something about living well that really gets them going, and their enthusiasm is infectious.

Curious. Always looking out for the latest fitness or foodie craze, eager to learn, connect, share, and discover.

Once I read what it meant to be a Sweat Pink Ambassador, I decided it fit me and went for it! I filled out the application and have been waiting patiently for a response.. I got the email response yesterday with my invitation and lemme tell ya... I jumped up in the air screaming with excitement!!!! I feel very honored to have been accepted and invited into this amazing community of amazing women! Feel free to check out the program by clicking here.

**Due to the popularity of the Sweat Pink Ambassador program, applications are currently closed. To be notified when we reopen, please sign up here


Decided it was time for a new comparison pic..

I started weight training mid last year and have made some great progress. I have had my share of battles and have been able to push through.. It's so great to see the progress!!! When I took the picture on the left (Feb 2012), I was so freaking excited to see the formation and start to some definition.. not to mention, the 'bat wings' were getting smaller and smaller!! I was not weight training at the time of the pic on the left.. Just lots of cardio and some bootcamp type workouts.I started weight training around May 2012..
I had no idea I'd be where I am today! I'm no body builder and that's not my future, but seeing the progress from putting in a daily effort to take care of my body really gets me pumped!!! I have muscles!!! Pick up the weights girls!!!  :)

One more piece of news.... I am attending the AAAI/ISMA international fitness instructor certification program in 12 days! I will be attending lecture March 2 and 3 and will test March 3rd!!!
So say a prayer for me! Passing and getting my certified personal training certification would mean so much to me!!! I finally found what I'm good at and what my inner passion is... I want to share it with the world! I want to be that trainer for someone who helped change their life and helped someone achieve their dreams!

Not the 'New Year' I Had in Mind...

Sick in bed and mad that I am sick and in bed..

January has pretty much come and gone.. one day left in the month and all I can say is adios!

Right after my Jan 1st post, my daughter developed some weird red spots on her neckline and chest area. I thought it was eczema and started treating her with hydrocortizone. They didn't get better and they spread. She started out with 6 or 7 and within a couple days, she had about 20 spots total. Then they started getting bigger and bigger.. I took her to urgent care and turns out she had a skin fungus. We were told to head to the pharmacy for some cream and we started treating her spots. By the end of the week, she had 32 spots. Most of the spots have disappeared, but she still has a few places on her face and neck that are still visible. She missed two days of school and then wore turtlenecks for the rest of the week. Turns out, the fungus was contagious to the touch. I ended up with two spots myself and the dog got three! Geez louize! Cream for us all..

Once all the spot mess got all cleared up and we were able to come out of our house.. but only for a few days because then my son came down with sore throat and fever. Ugh. He was sick for about 2 days.. Then it hit me.. like a brick. I had the major sore throat and chest pain. No fever, but I felt like someone had beat me with a bat and left me for dead. It was an awful feeling. I was pretty much bed ridden. My kiddos took such good care of me.. bringing me water and helping me out around the house. They lived on eggos and fruit snacks pretty much.. I did order them a pizza one night. On day 7, I finally started to feel better and I did a couple loads of laundry. I had no voice for about 3 days so that made it hard to communicate on the phone with my husband and mom.. I had to write things down for my kids. Sickest I have ever been.

This whole being stuck in the house and then getting sick really got me down.. I started feeling so low and depressed. I wish I could say I kept a positive attitude about it all, but that's just not it at all. I wanted to give up. Then on Day 8, I had reached that point that I knew I wasn't getting better, I was getting worse and I really needed help. I got up that morning and made it to the living room floor where I laid while the kiddos got ready for school. I could not function at all. My throat and chest was on fire again and my cough/phlegm was absolutely disgusting. The kiddos left for school and I made it back to my bed. I woke up a couple hours later in a pile of sweat. I knew I needed to get to the doctor and I needed a shower badly. I hit the shower and right when I was done and opened the curtain to get out, I crashed. I laid on the bathroom floor seeing spots. I couldn't hardly breathe. I was starting to panic. I laid there until the spots passed and then got dressed. I dried my hair the best I could and got in the car and headed to urgent care.

I sat in the waiting room for an hour and fell asleep in my chair. I finally got to go back to a room and the doctor came in. He asked questions and checked ears, nose, throat, and listened to my chest and back. Severe bronchitis.. borderline pneumonia.

Me with inhaler.. lifesaver!

He prescribed antibiotics, inhaler, and codeine cough syrup. He said I should have been to see him days ago.. my husband and good friends would agree, but stubborn me wouldn't go. Next time, I won't wait til the last minute to get to the doctor. I got my meds and went home and back to bed.

Have you ever had codeine cough syrup??? OH MY GOSH! They might as well prescribe a shot of Jack Daniels! Absolutely disgusting! It made me make that "that's sooooo gross face" for a few minutes. I still get queezy thinking about that taste. The first dose, I had no idea so I poured some into a spoon and drank it.. I can't accurately describe the taste. Disgusting doesn't do justice. I didn't notice much help from it that night, so I doubled the dose the next night.. This time, I tried it as a water/cough syrup concoction and also had a chewable orange vitamin C ready to go to help with the after taste.. Still absolutely disgusting, but did notice it helped me a lot better that night. How the hell do people get addicted to that crap!?!??!?! EEww. I couldn't take it again, so I poured it down the drain.. Husband wasn't too happy about that since that second dose seemed to help me... Sorry honey, it was too much for me. Ick.

So I'm still using my inhaler and I do feel a million times better, but there are still times that the cold air outside takes my breath away and still coughing up junk. Read that the cough can linger for up to 4 weeks after treatment. If the cough lasts longer, guess what... back to the doctor. Yippy.

I've been to the gym a handful of times this month and now after being sick, it's like starting over. I finally made it back yesterday and I did push hard through my shoulder/arm workout, but I def didn't overdue. I didn't lift as heavy as I did previously and I didn't get my 5 sets done, only got 3 sets of each exercise.. But heck! It's progress! Gotta get back to it slowly.

Jan 15th, a couple days before the sickness attacked me

Juicing! Ahhhhhhh good stuff :)

I bought a new toy at the beginning of the month and only got to use it a couple times before getting sick.. A juicer!!!!!  I've heard amazing things about juicing and I am such a picky veggie eater so I def do not get the veggies/nutrients my body needs. I wouldn't ever eat a cucumber, beets, or tomatoes, but I can juice them with other fruits/veggies and drink it! Tastes pretty good with a scoop of vanilla protein also. I'm also finding out that ginger has TONS of health benefits!!! When I was sick, a good friend brought me some ginger root and gave me a ginger/lemon tea recipe. Oh my goodness, sooo good!!!

Here is the recipe:
1 cup boiling water
1 inch piece raw ginger root
(Use a grater, goes in tea)
1 tsp raw honey
(I use agave light nectar, low glycemic and tastes the same) however if your throat hurts use the honey, natural remedy for sore throats.
1/4 fresh organic lemon
Let sit for 5 min, drink up!
I was really surprised at how good it tasted :) I've seen tons of juicing recipes that call for an inch or so of ginger also. Click here for health benefits of Ginger Root.

lemon/cucumber water

I found this cute 1L bottle at Target today on clearance for $6 and came home and filled it up! Cut up 1 lemon and 2 mini cucumbers and filled with water. It's in the fridge and will sit overnight and be ready to drink in the morning. Can't wait!

Thank goodness a new month is just around the corner! I plan on smashing February!!!!! I am getting back on track :)

2012 ~~~ A Year in Review with tons of pics!

Another year has zoomed by! Holy smokes!!!! At this time last year, I didn't belong to a gym and was still focusing on fitness/health by getting in some workouts at home. It wasn't always easy to get up in the am and do a workout while following a video or poster workout on the computer. Sometimes the warm bed was much more appealing!!! I did find my way to the BCx Boot Camp and got in some killer workouts there and made some pretty great progress with that program! It made me want more! It made me see that I was capable of more that what I'd been doing and I needed to continue to challenge myself.


January

doing some kickboxing at home!

  

Sweat. Fat crying!

 

got a new cable system to put on the door for some at home training. Works pretty great! ....
but now I need to hook all four bands together for the hardest resistance. I've gotten stronger!
That's dang awesome!

April

I finally found a gym with exactly that! And the gym I found employed the trainer I'd worked hard with the previous year!! Talk about a win win! Now, we've grown to be close friends and I just love her to pieces! It's so good to have a friend who you can talk to about health and fitness but also lean on when you need a shoulder or tell them your good news. :)

a group of awesome peeps from the gym heading to the Manitou Incline !

I'm not gonna lie.. when I saw that ahead of me, I wanted to sit and cry. BUT we conquered it!!!!!!!!

at the top with my friend Amy! We so rocked that incline!!!!!

June

Summer time came and I hung out at the pool just about every single day! It was prolly one of the greatest summers ever. My kiddos taught themselves how to swim and I lounged pool side with good friends. Summer time shorts, tanks, and bikinis make it so much easier to stay on top of things! I sweat my butt off in the heat and continued to work hard and lose inches.

 

I bought these shorts brand new and a couple short weeks later... TOO BIG!
What?!?!?!?

I started losing fat and pumping some weights and changes were happening all over the place...
I have biceps!!!!

July

Joined a personal training group and we were determined to conquer pull ups!
Here I am on the bar with an assistance band.

August

08-21-12 I did my first pull up and was inducted into the Pull Your Own Weight Pull Up Club at my gym!
Holy excitment!!!!!!!!!!

September

 post workout with my hottie hubby!

curls in the gym

 

Camping trip

 

 California

October

My "Grrrr face"

working the triceps!

I grew my hair out this year! This is the longest my hair has been in over 10 years.. :)

November

My WOW *Women on Weights* shirt I earned through personal training! I wear it proudly!

December

Still pushing hard! I am still hitting the weight room and loving it. I continue to change it up to keep my body guessing and keep it interesting. I've made some really great progress.... doing things I never thought possible. I even hit the treadmill for some interval sprints and actually LIKED that! Now that's interesting!

Progress!

My hubs bought me a new wedding band for Christmas and got down on one knee...
It was the sweetest moment EVER!!!!! Love that man!

Strong!

I maintained and did really well through the holiday season and am happy to say I closed the year at 132 lbs! That's down 6 lbs from Jan 1, 2012. I'm stronger both physically and emotionally. I've come out on top of some crazy ups and downs this year. I can honestly look back at the year and say I did good. I wouldn't change a thing. Everything happens for a reason and though, at the time, it may seem like a huge mess, there is always a positive side to things. I've learned how to find that positiveness in everything.. well most everything. The point is I TRY to find it. This journey is about much more than a number on the scale or the size of my jeans. It's about finding myself.. It's a journey that no one can take for you. You must do it for yourself.

Life is amazing! I'm so blessed with my friends and family and I'm just happy to be alive and healthy and able to soak it up and enjoy it!

God bless and Happy New Year!