I challenge you

I see these all the time on FB.  A physical challenge of some kind A friend of mine posted this one and I'm taking her up on it.  I'll be building stamina and some good core. Join me if you dare!

New Shoes

Hubby and I went to Nashville this weekend. Not only was it a get away but provided more opportunities for shopping.  Specifically trail running shoes.  While I do currently own two pairs of athletic shoes, Saucony and ASICS, neither fits the bill of trail running.  I wanted a pair that would get me through this season and perhaps beyond.  I wanted to try on several brands, Brooks, Innov8, and ASICS.

We found a great store by Belmont University, The Athlete's House.  Outside was the sign we all love to see, SALE!  While they did not have any innov8, I did try on lots of others. The guy who helped me was great.  In the end I purchased a pair of ASICS Gel FUJI Trainer 2.  Today I tried them out. 

I did the Spartan WOD of the day for Sprint.  That was run 1/2 mile and do 10 burpees, walk  for 2-3 minutes. Then reverse and repeat for 1 or 2 times.  I did it once through. The shoes felt good.

I also added in some squats with an 8 lb. medicine ball and pulldowns using a doubled up band. After I immediately made a shake and drank it.  

Oh yeah - I did get workouts done while at the hotel.  The first day, I just about passed out when I went in.  It was so hot and stinky.  But I got a small workout in and the next day I did a BodyRock workout in the room.  Way better than the stinky gym.

Before

 Here are my before pics.  Not pretty, but will improve with time and exercise.  Like I said in a previous post I've gained about 10 lbs. but it will disappear with hard work and good eating.

Merry Chirstmas

Merry Christmas everyone.  I hope today brings joy and love in your life.  Last night hubby and I spent a lovely evening with a small group of friends.  We ate and played a really fun game.  I forgot the name of it though.  Toward the end of the evening, we girls, got talking about our fitness mindsets and self-doubt.  One of us is a triathlete, who a month ago, finished her first Ironman!  The other is one has started her journey this year completing several races and myself.

Everyone is working on their next race goal for the new year.  But as we talked, it became clear that we still struggle with eating habits, mental strength or self-doubt.  Why is that?  We are all very capable women who can and have completed races.  This upcoming year will challenge us all as we move forward.  The good thing is that I know that most all people are in the same boat.  I know that what I want to do IS achievable.  I know that I have several great support groups and individuals that I can bounce my worries, concerns and share the joys of achievement with.

So today, as you spend time with your loved ones, no matter what you want to do this up coming year, know that you are surrounded by people who love you and support you in what ever your goals will be for the upcoming year.

Workout of the Day (WOD)

Woke up early to a rainy day but I was ready for a workout after I had at least one cup of coffee and some water.  I looked that the WOD and thought... hm, it doesn't look to hard.  Maybe I can do that instead of my HIIT workout today.  I told hubby that when he arose and he said, "We can do it together".  Off we went.  5+ minutes of jumping rope.  Frustrating but not bad.  Need longer rope or to jump higher.  Then the middle portion - burpee's, squats, lunges, pull-ups.  I'm having to modify for some of them.  Round 1 not terrible but thinking, maybe I could do this in reverse.
Me:  Can I just do this in reverse now?
H: No
Me: Why not?
H: It's your mind, it wants to do the easy things first.
Me:  Well, yeah... duh
H: No, it must be done in the order it is.
Me: Crap, ok.

Rounds 2 & 3 I did get through much slower and then did a 15 minutes fast walk/slow jog.  Results: I did complete but geez, I'm more out of shape than I thought.

Reward:  My protein shake.  My two favorite kitchen appliances are my food processor and Vita Mix.  Here is the recipe for my shake:  1 cup of coconut milk (usually I make it), 1 scoop of Sun Warrior Raw Protein powder, 1 t. chia seed, 1 t. sacha incha, 1 t. gelatinized maca and 1 c. either frozen blueberries or cherries and some kale leaves.  Organic if possible.  Some days I will add in a tablespoon of almond butter or cacoa powder. Blend and drink.  YUM!!

       

Have a safe and wonderful weekend.  

.

I had two posts on this blog from 2011 that I just deleted. I have had quite a journey since that time and wished that I'd kept up the blog but alas, good intentions pave the road to hell.  So here I am again at the end of 2013.  It's been a journey over this last year and a half.

My starting weight at that time was 230 lbs.  I felt like crap and knew I needed to do something about it.  So I did PINK Method program http://www.pinkmethod.com/  and loved it.  Found it simple and straight forward with not much special food, plus it included 3 awesome dvd's of exercise.  The three women leading each have their own story but the one I connected to the most was the first one, Jenna Phillips.  Her story is and continues to be inspirational.  With that program I lost 20 lbs.

I have continued to search for other things.  As some of you may know, once you join in on something, especially in the fitness industry, you start to get all these invites on your e-mail.  One that was sent to me was an invite to try was The Virgin Diet by JJ Virgin.  I know it's called a diet but what it really is is a way to see what you might be intolerant of.  There were some major differences in how I was eating but it was not hard to do. So I tried it for 21 days.  I found I have sensitivity to soy and dairy.  I also lost another 10 lbs.

So, at 200, I was pretty happy.  Of course there is always room for improvement.  At this time I was also helping my hubby figure out better nutrition for his triathlete self.  I wanted him to get away from using commercial goo and other really crappy products that are just chemicals.  I looked around and discovered  Brendan Braizer.  He is a vegan triathlete and has written several books about changing the way you eat and train.

I bought all the books and began to make many recipes that he could use for training.  He saw a vast difference in his outcomes.  I also liked the recipes.

While I liked to PINK workouts, I found that the amount of time it took once you started stacking them was just more than I could do, I found BodyRock. Amazing FREE workouts online.  Lisa Marie was the original gal but now they have several more that they tape and post workouts from.  They are quick, 3+ rounds from 8 to 12 minutes in length, so really no more than 34 minutes of time.  Believe me, you sweat your ass off.  I maintained my weight even shedding a few more pounds.

Next, a friend of mine convinced me to sign up for the half marathon in Montgomery, AL where I live. She is a walker not a runner.  I trained for it and completed it walking in Oct.

Then a bad thing happened.  You all have been there.  After I finished I told myself that I could take a week off.  NEVER do that.  Now it is 2 months later and I've gained about 8 lbs back and am so mad at myself. Plus the holidays have never been a good time for me food/exercise wise.

In addition to the hubby doing tri's, he's also embraced Spartan Races.  He training for his first one in Feb. in Tampa, FL.  and will complete the trifecta in 2014.  He kept sending me inspirational videos of various teams and people completing.  I finally said, are you trying to tell me something?  He kept saying no.  However, I decided that one of my presents to him for Xmas would be to train and sign up for a Spartan Sprint.  So as 2013 closes, I've joined an awesome group of ladies, Spartan Chicked and started back Body Rocking.

I invite you to join me on this journey as I get refocused on my wellness and health and become the athlete I've wanted to be my whole life.  It won't always be pretty but it will be honest.

Sonja