Seeds

This week’s theme seems to be about seeds. Pretty appropriate, given that it’s spring time. Although, with these temperatures, you wouldn’t know that. But anywho…

This week, I started back with some yoga classes. Long story short, HH and I had to look at our schedules and see when we had free time…and then when in that time could we fit in our “me time.” It’s pretty easy for him, because on his days off, Lailah is at daycare. But on my days off, she’s with me. And she nurses every 3 hours. And sometimes she doesn’t want to be put down. Or take a nap. And then I have to try and cook dinner or clean some clothes. You get the picture.

So, while it breaks into our time we could spend together, I scheduled my me time to be a 5:30 yoga class on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I went to a yoga studio that is (relatively) close to where we live, and one I’ve never been to before. It’s actually in the same plaza as our gym. Since I was early, I actually changed at the gym and did 15 minutes on the elliptical, then headed over.

Joan was the teacher for my class. I told her about my prior yoga practice, how I was post partum, and filled out the release form. I didn’t really know what to expect. It was a vinyasa class, but everyone’s vinyasa is not the same. I used to take Baptiste-style power yoga classes, but I knew I was not in shape to handle that type of class. Thankfully, this was not.

At the end of the class, during savasana, teachers will do different things. Some are quiet. I had one who used to sing Amazing Grace. Others will read inspirational quotes. Joan read a quote to us about seeds. I don’t remember it verbatim…the point of savasana is to rest and just let the thoughts float by…but she talked about how seeds just have to surrender to the process. They have to burst open into the darkness, not knowing what to expect or what they will grow into. That stayed with me for a few days.

This morning, my friend Serenity_23 posted a pic on IG about a devotional she is reading. Today’s was about seeds. In this case, about how seeds take time to grow. Many of the things we do in our lives now are planting seeds for the future. It could be anything from time you spend with your kids, your fitness and dietary habits, or your friendships. Whatever it is, we have to be patient and let it develop.

Today, I went back to yoga class with the same teacher, and she spoke about seeds again. This time, she talked about how you might feel like everything you’re holding in is about to burst out, like a seed. And that’s ok, because it just means that a change is coming.

Well, how many times do you have to hear something, before you realize the message is for you? LOL! My whole life is one big ball of changes. Huge changes at work. Changes every day with Lailah. With breast feeding. With HH and I, and how we have to find one on one time with an infant in the picture. Some days it’s maddening. I think because I have a hard time just surrendering to the change. Other days, it feels pretty darn good, because all the moms I interact with on social media have been unknowingly preparing me for this time in my life, with their stories on parenting and their lessons learned. Seeds they planted long ago that I didn’t even know I would need. I’m glad they sowed into my life.

When changes come, just remember the seeds.

When You Know Better

You should do better. That’s how the saying goes.

This is on the chalkboard at our gym:

I am a fairly intelligent person. I tend to err on the side of logic. I like when things add up, and if you can explain something to me logically, I can be all on board.

Except this “clean eating” situation.

It’s a combination of things. Laziness. Not liking to cook (which is not to be confused with not being able to cook, because I can. I’m not Rachel Ray, but I can). HH not eating meat, the teen being a meatatarian, and me somewhere in the middle. Getting used to parenting a newborn. Between food getting eaten before I can get to it (grrrrr. Whole other post entirely), and feeling like I don’t have enough time in the day, I am often grabbing convenience food or whatever I can get my hands on.

I cannot find the motivation from within to do better right now. I don’t know where it is. I also need to work on emotional eating. Frankly, the chocolate cookie makes me feel better about stuff.

I don’t know. I’m just…meh. So many folks I know are great examples of what I need to be doing. I watch them and applaud their efforts.

And then I don’t make any changes.

I will get there. At some point.

Do you eat “clean” or relatively “clean?”

Each One Teach One

As you may or may not know, I am currently a first year mentor with Tri It For Life! This is the group that helped me complete my first triathlon last year. I totally had plans to mentor and train so I could kick my previous time’s azz, and then Baby H popped into the picture. Clearly, not happening. However, I am still going to try for a minimum of 12 mentoring sessions with this year’s athletes.

I cannot do any of the biking, due to balance issues, and the fact that the baby is not really protected if I fall. It’s not like they make a helmet that fits over my stomach. I may still go to a couple of brick sessions to help the ladies prep their bikes before rides and warm up. I could also be the person who stays in the lot to watch bikes while they complete their running.

As far as the group run sessions, there are always walkers in the beginning. I walked with a really nice woman last week named Ginger. She was telling me that her husband said he’d do whatever he needed to to square the kids away so she can get to as my training sessions as possible. I love hearing those support stories. Often times, it’s the opposite – families are not supportive of wives/moms getting out to do something for themselves.

This week, the Bubble Blowers finished their last session in the warm pool. The water in this pool doesn’t go above my shoulders (I’m 5’2″). We’ve been working with them on basic skills like floating on their backs, elementary back stroke, swimming on their sides with the kick boards and buoys, etc.

I love attending the swim sessions. The doc has totally given the green light on swimming for me. Since I’m already a member of the facility where we train, I try to get there early and get some time in the pool on my own. I even did a few free style strokes last night! That’s still a struggle for me, but I’m working on it.

(me on the way to the pool…gonna need a new tri suit by the end of this month.)

Which is why I laugh every time I think about the fact that I am trying to help others learn to swim. If you remember any of my posts from last year when I was training, you will laugh, too. LOL!

I just try to stress to them that last year, I was where they are. I try to get them to focus on learning to float comfortably on their backs, because in the cold pool you simply cannot put your feet down. They seem to be getting better, and some ladies are even in the pool without any flotation devices.

One thing we’ve done differently this year, is after each bubble blower session, we take them to the cold pool for 30 minutes. I wish we had done this last year. They’re getting a head start on getting used to deeper water. Although many of them try to sneak out before we switch pools, most do come over.

I’m having a lot of fun with just mentoring. While I’m disappointed about not competing in Ramblin’ Rose in September, it is for a good reason. 🙂 I love meeting all the new athletes. I wish I was better at remembering names! I am better with faces. I am going to try and spend as much time in the pool as I can, and I definitely want to be there when they finish the race in September and KNOW that they are tri-athletes.

23 and a Half

I posted today on FB, about how I took a 30 minute walk around my neighborhood. I said I’d like to visit the pool tomorrow, and that it’d be nice to get in 30 minutes of activity a day for the next week.

Then my friend Bob posted this video link in the comments.

If you can, watch the entire video. He cites different studies, but the main message is, the best thing you can do for yourself is get 30 minutes of exercise in per day.

I think I can do that! I have a treadmill, so at the very least I can get a walk in, be it rain or shine. I’ll try to mix in other activities as well, but walking is the least I can do.

What about you? Can you commit 30 minutes of your day to your health? 🙂

Fitness Check In

Tried to do this. Annnnnnd, NO. If you don’t already have a good treadmill running base, this is not going to work. I made it through three of these intervals and that’s pretty much all I had. Not to mention, I could only do 7.0 and 7.5mph. LOL!

Last night was leg weights and this walking workout. The thing is – and maybe it’s just me – but I can’t walk like a normal person at 4.0 and 4.5. I tried walking at 4.0 and it killed my calves. Maybe it’s a gait issue (I pronate). I basically realized that at 4.5 I’m doing a slow trot, not a walk. But other than that, I enjoyed the workout and the changes in speed and incline kept me from getting bored.

I have really been focused on adding muscle to my frame. As such, the scale isn’t changing much. However, I can feel a difference in the way my clothes fit. I’ve gotten into some skirts I couldn’t fit in the fall. All the pants I bought in fall 2011 due to weight gain, are now loose in the butt area, and in the waist, too.

One of my friends is making a skirt for me, and she asked for my measurements. Soooooo not happy with the waist measurement. Hoping to see gradual changes. I think I’ll take my measurements once a month now. The scale is useful in telling me that SOMETHING is changing. I wish I had a reliable way to measure my body fat at home. My scale is supposed to do it, but I lost the directions years ago. I have no clue how to make it work. LOL

Eating? Sigh. In my logical mind, I know that going paleo would be great for my blood type and help with allergies, creaky joints, etc. HH is O+ as well, and if we both went paleo it might be easier. May be something to revisit as tri training starts this summer. I am proud to say that I have not bought any ice cream and I only had a little in my birthday as it came with the dessert Kenya and Kelley ordered for me. 🙂 Cheese, butter and sour cream? Still working on those. Paleo means no dairy…that might be pretty tough for me.

So, that’s where I’m at. Do you have fitness aspirations? How are you doing so far this year?

Gym Flow

Tonight was upper body. Pull ups, dips (assisted on the machine, of course), bench press, shoulder press, and some abs. 4 x 15 on everything.

Then on to the treadmill:

35 minutes. 5 minute intervals. I alternated between walking 3 minutes/jogging 2 minutes and walking 2 minutes/jogging 3 minutes. Then a 5 minute cool down.

No gym workout is complete (for me) without rolling my quads and ITBs on the foam roller, and stretching.

Aside from the annoying dude who kept telling his girlfriend what to do every 2 minutes, and the dude who got off the treadmill and walked past me smelling like the funk of 40,000 years (insert Vincent Price “Thriller” narration voice here), it was a great evening at the gym.

Little By Little

“Little by little does the trick.” ~Aesop

I have four pairs of these jeans. Before you go, “what is really wrong with her?” lemme explain why. LOL!

I bought these jeans a little over two years ago. They were on sale at Old Navy. Low rise, wide flare. I love a flare jean, although they tend to be a little snug at the waist/hips. I bought a dark rinse and a light rinse, and I got two in size 12 and two in size 10. I told myself – and the sales person – that I planned to lose weight, and I didn’t want to miss out on the jeans.

Because in my mind, I was about to kick butt in the gym and the weight/inches were coming off.

Yeah, well…NO.

I’ve been wearing the 12s, and the 10s have been in my bottom dresser drawer for 2 years. The tags are still on. I would pull them out, look at them, sigh, and put them back in the drawer. At one point, I actually gained more weight/inches, to the point that the 12s were getting snug. WTH? I made it back down to starting point, and the 12s have been my constant friend.

Until tonight.

THOSE JEANS PICTURED ABOVE ARE THE 10s, BABY!!!!

Something said, try to get a thigh in those tonight. Just do it. I even waited until HH left the room, that way if I couldn’t get them on, I could pretend like it never happened. LOL!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I almost had to grease myself down with shea butter to get into them (thank you, large thighs), but they are on, they are buttoned, and I can breathe.

I think in about 5-10 pounds, or a few inches (which I still haven’t gotten around to taking my measurements yet), I’ll be able to slip these on without having to tug so hard.

This is major for me. After months and months of feeling like I haven’t had any progress, I can get into these jeans.

Happy 38th Birthday to me – 8 days early! 🙂

Thanks, Mother Nature

When I checked the weather earlier this week, it showed “sunny” and “72” degrees today. Based on that, I made plans with my girl Rachelle to ride our bikes at HBP. I don’t think I blogged about the time we tried to ride during the fall, and it was like 40 degrees. #fail I seriously thought that was my first real case of frostbite fingers. Thank goodness the sun came out mid-ride, and we survived.

Anywho, last night it was super foggy. Which means today’s forecast was mild but cloudy. Still doable.

I get up this morning. Cloudy. 50. I look outside, and it’s super damp and a smidge foggy.

:::sigh:::

Needless to say, we cancelled. Especially since I just got over a cold, and I surely don’t want her to get one. Her hubby and 3 sons might hunt me down. LOL!

Right at the moment we agreed (via text) to cancel, my jaw started throbbing.

I hear you, Mother Nature. I will have two seats. I don’t have to be happy about it, though. 😀

A Win at the Gym

See that? Not over run by Resolutioners!

I was slightly concerned we might have to deal with that. But we might be ok because A) this is Anytime Fitness, and B) it’s 6:37pm on a Friday. Either way, I’m happy not to have to fight for a treadmill.

On with the workout! 🙂