The Importance of Community in Your Weight Loss Venture

To start off let me just say that I am thrilled to report that three more pounds have been lost woo hoo!!!

 Since my last post I have learned so many things about myself. The biggest one is that in order to have a chance at consistency in your gym time and diet, you have to have a community that supports you and encourages you. This can be family, friends, trainers or websites that inspire you. I have found out this past month that the community I have developed at my gym and my family help to keep me on course when life derails me.
 As I posted before I have been having some health problems and this past month at my annual exam my Dr found a lump in my breast. Talk about being derailed!! I was going on with life, my fitness goals and stressing about my first graders spelling test he was struggling with and that hit me like a ton of bricks!!  My open and care-free schedule now had a looming appt at the Breast Center for a mammogram. All I could think about for the next few days were my friends that I had that had passed away from breast cancer, my mom that had fought and survived breast cancer and the fact that I didn't want my kids to become motherless at such young ages. The BRCA gene mutation runs in my family so although I had been tested, I still new my chances were a little higher than the general population. I told my husband first and then immediately called my sister to vent about the news. As we were talking she googled the statistics of Breast Cancer in the population, so typical. The next day I had to meet with my trainer for our weekly weightlifting session. I usually LOVE meeting with him and I get totally geared up, but now I could barely eat, my mind hadn't allowed me to sleep well the night before, and the tension in my body was ridiculous!! I was a train wreck... totally derailed!! Well, when I met with him it all came to a breaking point. I hadn't cried about the news yet or really reacted at all about it. Well, I did right there in the gym... on my awesome trainer. Lucky for me he said, "Well, you have come to the right person" and from then on he talked while I let out some frustration on the weights. I felt tons better after that workout. My mind felt clear, the tension in my body was released and man oh man did I sleep better that night.

  During that awful week I found myself reading a lot. I found an article that I loved and read several times. It is what helped me decide how to react to my news and whatever results I might get. Check out the full article here http://www.t-nation.com/powerful-words/5-secrets-of-the-relentless but for the part that inspired me, here ya go:"Physical Strength and mental strength go hand in hand. They reinforce one another. And the relentless know that personal responsibility is the foundation of mental strength. It's grit. And it's what gets them through hardships and makes them tougher as a result of those hardships. They know that blaming other people for their problems is an easy way to dodge responsibility, stay weak, and impede their own growth. So when the relentless experience adversity, they look for ways to become champions over their circumstances rather than victims. The weak-minded do the opposite." I LOVE this!! I want to have that grit in me for when life tries to derail me, it can't. Another gem I found that week that kept me going and kept me consistent was a quote. I did a ton of reading that week and I can't find the source for the quote but if you know where it came from or who said it please comment!! "The Juice is Worth the Squeeze"!! I find that awesome! I thought about it for awhile and this really makes sense to me. Who wants a dry orange?? No one! Why? Because the juice is the best part of an orange. How do you get that awesome juice?? You gotta get in there and squeeze it out. A wonderful definition of "squeeze" is "to force out, extract, or procure by pressure".  I want the best to come out of me and I know that won't happen if I never have pressure in my life. I want to be squeezed by The Hand of God and to know that He is bringing the sweetest juice out of me!! When I am working out I remind myself (usually when I'm dying on the stairclimber) that the body I want and the muscle definition I desire is not going to come easy and I can always "squeeze" myself a little harder.

  During that week my family helped me with the boys and the community I had developed at the gym (all the people and trainers there) helped keep a smile on my face. They didn't even know what was going on in my life but the conversations, the greetings, all kept my mind off of me. Every Thursday night Chad and I take the boys to the gym and Christian runs track and plays racquetball with Chad while I do some cardio and Liam goes to childcare. They absolutely love this. Well, the night before my appointment we were supposed to go and I just wanted to stay home and crawl in bed. Typical of my sweet hubs he wouldn't let me. He said that I needed to go to the gym... he was right. Our gym has some of the nicest people!! Some say Memphis is an awful town and that no one is nice or worth anything. Well, WellWorx proves them wrong. Even the big "meat heads" are nice, intimidating as heck, but nice!! All of that to say, you need to surround yourself with people that are encouraging, wether you are going through a difficult medical scare or just struggling to drop the weight and eat right. One of the trainers at the gym is a true gem of nutritional information. Matt Oliver leads a weight class and I make sure that I take it every Tuesday. If I can get him talking about food or lifting, I soak it up like a sponge!! Not only does it help me gain more knowledge but it keeps me from driving my Trainer nuts with questions ha ha!! Some of y'all may have seen me post the video of Matt on the news this week. The tips he gives are great and it isn't some uneducated person giving you "what worked for me" advice. The dude is educated! Like certified up to his eyeballs in stuff!! If you don't have the community in your life or the accountability you will struggle. I highly encourage you to check out what he has to offer you as far as nutritional help, accountability, and check out his pic... the man is ripped, so he can help you in the workout area as well! Here is the link: http://flexdieting.com/index.htm.  I have no shame in advertising him either because he is that great.

 As far as the results of my test. I woke the morning of my appointment early and with a Word from the Lord. Psalm 118:24 "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." So before I fell back asleep I made the decision that no matter the news I would rejoice and be glad. I would be glad for the day that I lived, the time spent with my boys and for any future days that the Lord decided to bless me with. My results on the breast with the lump was good but they actually found something in the other one. I was told it is nothing to freak out over but I have more appointments awaiting me down the road and I am now on the yearly Mammogram list. However, I am still one blessed, relentless woman!!

Weight-loss, spiders and diapers

Well, I am so happy to report that I am down two more pounds. It seems that I lose weight in twos. Like the animals in Noah's Ark, my weight goes marching off two by two by two!! I am bumping up my cardio and tightening up the diet a bit so that I might get some better results. Doing cardio 4 days a week has reminded me of something, I am not and never will be a runner. It is not for lack of desire. I would love to know what it feels like after a long run through a beautiful park, or down the beach but alas, I will never experience that. My body is incapable of running. I mean I played soccer forever and that is a lot of running. I think my problem is that when I run, my brain is not stimulated and so I run slow. Let me give you a better idea of what I mean by slow. If you took a turtle and put it in a puddle of peanut butter and then poured molasses on it and watched it try and walk out...Well, that is the speed I'm talking about when I say "I run slow". This accurately describes my attempt at going for a run...

Now on to the spider situation. When I work out I sweat. I mean buckets of sweat. Like I have to carry a towel around with me I sweat that much. So the other day I'm on the stationary bike just killing it!! I was sweating buckets and I was watching a racquetball game in front of me and I was really in the groove of working out UNTIL.... I felt a spider crawling down my arm. Now if you know me and spiders then you know my reaction was not a bit reserved!! I freaked out, almost flipped the bike trying to get off while smacking the mess out of my arm. Once I settled down and came back to my senses, I realized that the "spider" was my own sweat running down my arm. I felt like the biggest goober ever!! So NOW I not only wipe my face off as I work out but I also wipe my arms off!! 

Now on to the important stuff of diapers. So I have a sweet little 15mo old boy we affectionally call Small Fry. I take Small Fry with me to the gym everyday and he absolutely loves it!! There is this super soft and squishy lady that works in the daycare that SF loves to love on. She loves SF loving on her too. So my workout takes about an hour or so and it never fails that right smack in the middle of my workout that I get a paige over the intercom "Mrs. Reynolds, you are needed in childcare". Everyday that kid takes a poopie and they page me to come and change it!! Err day y'all! 

All of this to say that my progress is still slow, my workouts don't fit into the typical girl workout things to do and sometimes I make an absolute fool out of myself. That is ok because I am not there for anyone else but me. I am doing what MY body needs to lose weight and if I can't be an awesome runner then I am going to be an awesome stationary bike rider, spin class member and elliptical rocker!! Well, maybe not elliptical rocker. I'm not a big fan of the elliptical.

Till next time... Be Strong and Live Better

What's up with the working out and weight loss?? The Good, Bad and Ugly!!

So, I had a wonderful reminder from a friend that I don't see often enough (thanks Elaine) that it had been awhile since my last post. So this will be a two part post.

Part I
Since I last posted I have lost two pounds. Yep, just two little pounds. It is so hard to weigh yourself after eating well and kicking your tail in the gym and only see a two-pound change. I am SO tired of hearing people tell me that I am "turning my fat into muscle" and that is why I am not seeing a change on the scale. People, it is scientifically impossible to TURN fat INTO muscle. You burn fat and build muscle. What has been encouraging is that two people noticed enough of a change to comment on it this weekend. It feels wonderful to hear people say "you looked thinner today, are you still working out" (LJ you lit my fire today).... Hallelujah!! All of this frustration with my weight loss is inner frustration. My husband just sees me plugging away at my diet and workout and he has been SO encouraging and supportive. My family has also encouraged me and stepped in to watch my boys so I could go workout. My trainer said some words that I have never had a trainer say to me (and I have had several trainers in my time). He said "I believe in you, I know you can do it". Those words may have been said flippantly but they resonated deeply in me. He could easily just collect a check each month and give some workout that a grandma could do but he doesn't. He pushes me each and every time we meet, answers my 911 txt about eating out or what I should substitute a certain food for. That is rare to find in a trainer. How great is it to have someone that is responsible for pushing you physically each week say that!! It makes you believe in yourself when you are surrounded by such an awesome support system!!

  I also found out this week from my Dr that I have a medical condition that could be playing a part in all of this. Unfortunately, nothing can be done for it until it hits rock bottom and then we will start a treatment of some sort. I don't mean to be vague about it but I also don't want to just throw my medical business on the internet. If you want to know all about it then txt or message me. As for my health today.... I have too much health/life in me to live today that I can't worry about what might be in my tomorrow. I have two wonderful boys to raise and chase along with a husband to keep up with.

Part II
Working out is not for the clean and cute. Working out is for the girls that can get dirty and sweaty and deal with it. I broke a nail on a dumbbell, my hair is in a ponytail all the time, my gym clothes are not cute tops and shorty shorts... who could do squats in shorty shorts?? My skin, ugh my skin has been thrown for a loop. I have never had my face break out like it has since I have started working out. I look like a hot mess when I am done working out!! I have learned a few things since doing this "hardcore" for 3 months.
1) dry shampoo is a MUST
I could be totally wrong but you shouldn't wash your hair everyday much less twice a day!! My hair was fuzzing up like crazy until I was introduced to Suave Dry Shampoo... AMAZING!!
2) Your hair will tell the world if you wear it in a pony tail everyday.
I have worn my hair in a ponytail so much that even when I straighten it there is a crease where my ponytail would have been held by the rubber band. I have started to swap it up some. I will wear it in a cap without a ponytail holder and I have also started french braiding it.
3) Bolderbands are legit!!
I cannot stand it when my hair sticks to my face or when sweat runs in my eyes during the middle of my reps!! It ruins my concentration. Bolder bands hold the hair and sweat off of my face and doesn't put a crease in the front of my hair.
4) Sweat can make you break out!!
My trainer, bless his heart, answered this for me. So last week I was in the middle of doing some awesome oblique exercises and between my huffs and puffs I said, "So I have a kinda girly question for ya" ha ha he didn't even pause, he just said "what's up?". I'm guessing that since he knew I have two kids that I wasn't about to ask him about the "Birds and the Bees" so he figured everything else was safe lol!! I asked him about my face and told him about how it has started breaking out since I have been working out. He said before you leave go wash it off in the bathroom with some water. That way it doesn't dry in your pores on the way home. My brain went "duh, why didn't I think of that"!!
5) When you eat right your body won't like it when you "cheat".
I used to look forward to a cheat meal and i would dream about what I would eat! After indulging in my dream cheat food my body would remind me why I was eating healthier. It does not like cheat meals and it tells me about it shortly after I eat and on to the next morning.
6) If you look cute when you leave the gym... you didn't workout hard enough
If you run into me after my work out please know that I don't always look a hot sweaty mess ha ha! I am the type of person that if I am playing a sport or spending time away from my family to workout then I am going to give it my all and put everything I have into doing it the best I can. When I work out I don't want to glisten. I want to sweat through my clothes!! I want to know that I pushed my body to its physical limits and that I am expanding those limits on a daily basis!!

ALL of that has been what's up with me the last few weeks. I am keeping on with my reaching for my goals, eating right and living life!

Weight loss: week 4,5 and 6

Well, Let's see. Week 4 Christian had swimmers ear and that was HORRIBLE!! Week 5 Liam had double ear infections overlapping with Christian's swimmers ear blah!! So if that wasn't awesome enough I had only lost 3 lbs. Talk about some serious discouragement!! It wasn't the program or the diet because several other people were having awesome results. It was just my body. After having Liam what worked in the past for my diet and exercise hasn't given me weight loss results. So to say that I was bummed was an understatement!

Let this be an encouragement to those who are struggling to lose weight. What works for everyone else may not work for you. Our bodies change and we have to just keep changing and trying new things. So for me.... Im keeping at it!! I have tried some new things and have lost an additional 1-2lbs. That excites me. My journey may be slow but Im ok with that.

Week 3: Still losing

Well, This past week has been a bit slower. Not sure why my numbers aren't dropping fast like before but thats ok. I am thankful it is still coming off. One of the perks of this past week was this!!

I have now lost enough to get BOTH of my wedding rings on my hand!! YEAH! This is a short post but one of my happiest! My clothes are fitting differently, my tummy no longer hits and opens the washer door when I reach over it to get the detergent. Lots of little things that are adding up to be huge motivation for me. Till next week!!

Week 2: It's a comin' off!

Well, my week one weigh in was less than impressive. According to my scale I had lost a little over a pound in my first week. At my weigh in it showed I had only lost .04lbs. so that is what got recorded. Bummer. I was kinda bummed I hadn't lost 4 or 5 lbs like some of the other girls but after talking it through with a few people I realized I wasn't eating enough protein and fats. Once I got my diet sorted out man oh man has the weight started to come off! I am losing an average of .5lbs a day!! I am almost out of my XL shorts and into my LG shorts!! I like that I am not hungry all the time and that I can eat frequently! Oh and the recipes are still great!! I actually ate Cottage Cheese (mixed with protein) and it wasn't too bad. The workouts are great! They are tough but not the bouncing and running around kind of tough. My body is sore afterwards but its not joint pain kind of sore. It is actually my muscles waking up!! All in all this Weight loss Challenge has been pretty easy to do. Eat right, show up and work out and.... Whala!! I can't wait to post next week!!

Getting Started

Well, Im not one that can come up with cute little names for my blog post so this one is about me literally getting started. I am getting started on weight loss and I am doing a 20lbs in 6 weeks challenge at Fitness Revolution.

 Last night I did my first workout there and honestly it was great. I thought I was going to be the only lady or the only chubby one there but I wasn't!! There were a bunch of us chubby gals around my age. I guess we all have babies we can thank for our extra weight :) Like I said, last night was fun. I built my confidence in my movements again and when I left I felt strong. I like that feeling. The one you get when you arrive at the end of a workout and you say, "yeah, I did that". I am one of those people that think weight loss and working out is mental, spiritual and then physical. Think you can do it, feel in your deepest of soul that you can ROCK IT, OWN IT or whatever it is that gets you going, and then your body follows through and proves the first two right!! I have done work outs where my mind and soul have been elsewhere and I have simply gone through the motions and honestly, the workout ended up being mediocre bc I wasn't ALL there. So moving on, I was ALL there last night and WOW!! The soreness! Ha ha it is awesome. I love it and hate it. I really do. I like to feel my efforts after a workout and it has been too long since I was last sore. I didn't do any crazy exercises. I just did them right and with effort and attention. Loved it!

Now for the hard part for me :( The diet part. I don't mind eating clean, really, I don't. It is the prep that I am finding hard for me right now. I think I will have it down in a week or so. I forget to have my snacks while chasing two little guys around and meeting all their needs during the day and that leaves me with a MAJOR hunger headache come lunchtime. The upside to the diet though is that I got a big ole list of yummy recipes!! They have a wide variety of stuff to eat so I'm not just eating chicken for 6 weeks. All in All I am excited about both the working out and the diet. Now I can just relax and watch the weight fall off :) Oh and stretch.... Lots and lots of stretching!! Stay tune for my weigh in next week!!