It's cliche' but it works for me!

A NEW YEAR A NEW ME!
  It's December 26 and as I look around my house that has been hit by a Christmas bomb, I can't wait to clean it all up and start fresh. I always take the month of December off from my fitness/nutrition...why? You might ask, it works for me! It feels good to let my body and mind rest, I like cookies and holiday cheer, I like to regain the excitement of looking forward to going to the gym. It just feels good to me to take the last month of the year to enjoy and reflect what the past year has brought.      THAT, gets me excited to start a New Year.  
  As I look back at 2014 I can honestly say I am extremely excited with my year. I improved my fitness and nutrition habits and added some new challenges and ideas to grow with. I have never felt more in control of who I am, where I want to go, who I want to take with me and how I'm going to get there! I feel Strong. I feel Healthy. I feel Happy.
 Maybe I'm just like the mass's of people who start on new a journey at the beginning of the year, yes I read the comments about "why await for the new year, start now!" My answer for that is,  IT WORKS FOR ME!
   Go ahead and shake your head at me as I walk into 2015 with my new work out clothes and bright new kicks on my feet, my iPod full of new music, my new headphones that match my outfit and my new water bottle. This train is Strong-Healthy and Happy and will take anyone who whats to jump on for a ride!
 The Strong-Healthy-Happy Club is seeking new members who want to make 2015 their Strongest, Healthiest and Happiest ever!

I HAVE A DREAM....

I have a dream, a lot of dreams really. My brain seems to be constantly spinning with ideas that I would like to bring to the light of the world. I can see the idea, the picture, the message, and the smiles.
 As long as I can remember I have had  this issue of a million ideas floating around in my noggin. A few of these ideas I have tried to make real and could not really get things the way I saw it behind my closed eyes.
 This time is different....  the vision is very clear and I won't give up! I won't back down for lack of confidence or fear of failure, I will make it happen!
   I've been working on this one particular dream for many years, testing the waters and deciding its to much I can't do it. I am no longer testing the waters but jumping in with both feet! I have come to realize that it is not going to happen over night. I will have to work on it for the rest of my life, always getting better at it and never being satisfied but always learning and fine tuning, I look forward to sharing my visions and progress with the people around me.
  This new strength comes from the power of exercise. I feel strong, empowered  and unstoppable when I fill my ears with music, get my heart beating and push my body to conquer the goal I set for that workout. It might be a run, lifting weights or even teaching a cycle class but my dreams come alive when I work out and I get excited again. So when things get overwhelming and I want to give up on the dream I go work out and think about it. I think about the picture I want to share with everyone, the message I want everyone to hear and the smiles I want to bring to the people who surround me.
 Try it! If you start to feel defeated, deflated or someone has burst your balloon full of dreams, go work out and visualize!  Don't  give up!

STRONG-HEALTHY-HAPPY

Strong, Healthy and Happy is the way I want to live my life, this is my goal. This came on like a strobe light in a dance club about two weeks ago! I'm not really sure why it took me so long to see this light but I do know a recent photo shoot is what got the electricity flowing. I have to thank my personal trainer for putting me in front of that photographer. I have been training with Carl for almost two years, he consistently kept bugging me for a goal. GOAL: the result or achievement toward which effort is directed. I know how important it is to have goals but I could never put my finger on what exactly I wanted to achieve or what I wanted the end result to look like. Naturally coming from a back ground of successfully competing in fitness, figure and physique contest that seemed to be what Carl and I kept resorting to. Not to say I will never step on the competitive stage again, just deep down inside me I knew that is not what I wanted for the rest of my life. Fast forward to July 9th, during my training session, Carl says "I have a photo shoot set up on July 11th, I want you to do it..." my head instantly started spinning.  That is one day away. I haven't been on a strict diet, I have no time to book a make-up artist, my nails and toes are not looking pretty for pictures, (girls will understand this) the list goes on and on. I stopped the spinning and thought to myself, I can do this and will make the best of this opportunity! What is the worst thing that could happen? People might see me, the real me!

  Let me tell you I love photo shoots!! I have never done a photo shoot where I did not feel simply wonderful when the shoot was done, I have never left a shoot feeling anything less then a super model, empowered and floating on a cloud. 

 When I got to look at the unedited pictures that were taken that day, I was thrilled to see that I was not perfect but I was STRONG-HEALTHY and HAPPY! Exactly why I do what I do on a daily basis. My goal may never have an end but my effort has direction, it pushes me to be a better me everyday. 

THE FIRST 5K!

THE FIRST 5K

I talk about my runs a lot in front of the MCs. (MCs is what i call the 2 little people in my life) I love running, most of the time, and complain when my life gets to busy and can't get any runs in.        When I do get to run I get sooo happy and I know the MCs see this. I don't ever try and preach or push anyone into creating a healthy life style but have found that it can be very contagious if you talk about what makes you happy. Everyone wants to feel that same happiness and will jump on your tail and follow your lead. Some people will catch the bug and others will find they don't get that same feeling by doing what you are doing, and thats ok too! I hoped I could use this same technique with the MCs. With both my nutrition and workouts, I talk about why I eat the things I eat, there is a lot of flexing going on (at the MCs request) and I talk about how good food can help your brain work, which parents seem to be forgetting these days,  there are so many different conversation in the house about health but the bottom line is I just try and be me and when the questions come I answer them as me.
Then one day so not long ago MC #1 asked me if she could go for a run with me someday! YES! exactly what I had been hoping for. Now would she really ever lace up her sneakers and head out the door with me?,  I wasn't quite sure but for her to show any interest at all made my soul smile. I asked her if she thought she would like to run a 5k with me.  She answered right away with a smile "yes", then she got quite, next the questions came. "how far is a 5k?, do i have to run the entire time?" I told her I was going to run one in about a month and if she wanted, she could come with me and I would stay with her the entire race. She got real quite so I just let her think about it. I never mentioned it again until we were about 2 weeks away from the race. I told her I was getting ready to sign up for the race and needed to know if she wanted to do it. She still said "yes".  hmmmm?? really?, I thought to myself, I told her Dad about it. He too was a little surprised but very happy. The day before i signed us up I told her once I paid for the race there was no backing out ... "ok"  she says
 Well MC #1 did it! Not only did she run most of the race but, more important in my book, she crossed the finish line with a smile on her face. You could feel the sense of pride poring out of her! She claims she had so much fun she wants to do another one! We have picked out our next 5K and this time Dad and MC #2 can do it with us... this one was a girls only 5k... haha!
 I don't know if MC #1 will catch on to the healthy life style from this experience but boy it feels good to point her down the path. Next is to get the MCs to add ONE vegetable to their Subway sandwich!

Your Future Boom Boom Pow!

Ready,Set,Go...Finally! I'm no different then a lot of People, I wait till the first of a new year to start a health and fitness routine. It's been over a year since I've really focused on my fitness and I've had hard time finding motivation. Life has taken a huge turn for me... In the past I would love the self satisfaction I got from my workouts and healthy eating. The empowerment of challenging myself to push towards my body's limits is like no other feeling. I eventually found myself taking things to an unhealthy level and felt I needed to stop before I caused real problems. In the meantime I discovered other ways to feed that need to challenged myself but was missing the most important part of being healthy, NUTRITION. Fast forward through one of the most exciting years of my life and I find myself ready to put the missing piece back in the puzzle. I now have two very young people in my life. My motivation in 2013 is teach by example how what you eat affects your mood,energy,brain function and yes, physical appearance. Then add some fun exercise.... Boom, Boom Pow! The "future Boom,Boom,Pow" is not about me but about the opportunity I have to empower 2 wonderfully awesome children and in doing that I too become healthy and will feel great inside and out!

bringing me back!

Many people have told me they miss my writing so i will get better at keeping it up to date!

It all stops today!

i was thinking during my work out today how hard it must be for people to have faith in reaching their fitness goals. I even feel doubt these days and if i didn't have my past success to feed upon i might even quit. (i feel you guys, really!)

I'm just back from vacation, i went to Maine to see my mom and let me tell you she can cook! she made all my meals and i didn't have to plan, prep or think the slightest bit about what to eat. that was a nice break. (thanks mom!)

stuff shells, blueberry pie, brownies, pizza, lobster, (which isn't bad until you soak it in butter!) ha! I did eat lots of fresh veggies and organic meats. it was all wonderful and i don't regret anything but i can tell you this, as good as all that food tasted and didn't come close to the satisfaction i feel when i'm in tip-top shape. it doesn't feel as good as someone coming up to me and saying" you inspire me". So today i choose to bring me back!

I choose to eat healthy.

I choose to work out in the gym.

I choose to do my cardio at 4am

I choose to run at least 3 times a week.

I choose to be as inspiring to others as i can!

thats what it is... a choice!

i leave you with this, i found this on utube and it really Hit hard!

this is how what i truly believe...

I BELIEVE IT STARTS ONE STEP AT A TIME AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE MY DREAMS WILL TAKE ME.

I BELIEVE THE WORLD IS MY TREADMILL.

I BELIEVE MY BIGGEST INSPIRATION IS THE PERSON IN FRONT OF ME.

I BELIEVE IN SOLITUDE AND COMMUNITY.

I BELIEVE NO DECISION SHOULD EVER BE MADE WHILE RUNNING UP HILL.

I BELIEVE THAT WHEN I THINK ITS OVER, I CAN ALWAYS DIG A LITTLE DEEPER.

I BELIEVE IN REDEFINING MY IMPOSSIBLE

I BELIEVE IN MYSELF!

make it a great week!

Embarrassed!

complete failure... i told you i would be completely honest in my blog... the scale read 126.2 this morning. Yep! I'm embarrassed to share that but it is also the truth about competing and the part no one talks about. i hope anyone who thinks extreme dieting is the way to the "skinny you" reads this. I can't explain why the body does this but it is so mentally painful to go from displaying an awesome physique to 14 days later weighing more then when the diet started. People don't think i can relate to their weight issues, yo-yo dieting and loss of control when it comes to food, well i can!

I have been competing for many years and have gone through this "after effects" many times but it never gets any less embarrassing. I know my body will eventually normalize out and i'll drop about 8lbs. but not many others know this so i get comments like "you bulking up already!" or "you are really enjoying your off season." i feel like an ass.

my systems were clogged up 'till about wednesday. what i mean by that is nothing was digesting, my stomach was stretch out and hard as a rock, and it just hurt to eat. Now i haven't been eating THAT bad just trying to be normal. (lots of fruit, bowls and bowls of fruit and pasta) i was extremely sluggish, and tired. then on wednesday "swollen gut syndrome" (my name for it) was gone and i had lots of energy. Things get dangerous now, food starts to taste yummy, and you are hungry... all the time! Think of a clogged sink, the water just kind of sits in the sink maybe slowly draining leaving scum stuck to the sides. then you unclogged the sink and water just flows down the drain, usually faster then before the clog... does that make sense? alright moving on! ha!

i did do an hour cardio on monday, ran 2.5 miles on wednesday, taught spin on friday, and 1 hour of cardio this morning followed by teaching a spin class. Not like i sat around all week!

i had major cramps through out my entire body this week, hands, chest, legs, feet and i could not sleep through the night with out waking up screaming in pain. Thank goodness i live alone!

i swore up and down i was going to eat "clean" all week, but i could not resist the temptations that were in front of me. so now i'm totally beaten! fat and mentally weak....

DON'T worry my friends a new week is upon us and i will keep trying to get a grip. i will try to find that balance of healthy eating but not dieting and i'm exciting to try some new "clean" foods. I bought apple butter today, its just apples smooshed and put in a jar! tee hee but i hope to replace my sugar free jelly on my rice cakes with this apple butter so i can eat more of a "real" food. i also found a zero calorie raspberry sparkling green tea. that might help with cravings.

my egg whites are cooked for tomorrow as well as my protein pancake and now i'm on my way to put some fish in the oven. I know this week will be better!