17 November 2012

Just Start


When I took the Crossfit intro class on September 1st, I was scared. I was scared that I'd be the biggest one there (I was), I was scared I'd be the oldest one there (I was), I was scared I wouldn't be able to do the workout (I did), I was scared of a whole lot of things. But I forced myself. I loved the workout and I liked the people so I decided to give it a go. During that first month I made huge strides in strength and endurance and confidence. I continued on in October and continued to make progress. I was building muscle, losing inches, and gaining in strength and confidence. Then the Natural November Challenge came around and on Nov. 1 I started Paleo. The combination of all of these things have been a real life changer for me. I weighed myself this morning and I'm down 8 lbs in 17 days. That is almost 1/2 a pound a day. That is amazing. I've lost far more in inches but I don't have those numbers to compare - the challenge has the measurements.

Far more important than the weight or the inches is the intangibles or immeasurables I've gotten back. I've gotten my confidence back. I've gotten my enjoyment of life back. I've gotten back my ability to dream big. I've gotten my positivity back. I've gotten me back. And I like it. I am happier, much more energetic, willing to do things, and confident and sure of life now. I can't say enough how much I've gotten back in just a few short weeks.

I watch the Biggest Loser all the time and there is always a point where someone, or everyone, says how they had lost themselves in the weight. They weren't the person they could be and that's what they wanted to get back. For me, I almost lost sight of the person I used to be. I was losing the ability to remember how happy and outgoing I was. I was forgetting how much I enjoyed life. I was forgetting me. Well, I'm getting me back and I could not be happier.

I live in an almost constant state of sore muscles and I love it. I sleep like the dead. I eat like a normal person without bingeing or stuffing myself. And I am happy. I have always said you have to find what works for you and what works for you may change over time. You need to find it and work it. I have found it and I'm happy. Really, really happy. Course I might be happier if I had one of those jacuzzi hot tubs for my constantly sore muscules, but one thing at a time.

15 November 2012

What I've learned from Paleo


It's just about 3 weeks ago I started eating Paleo. Initially I was a little freaked out and panicked about what exactly I would eat. The first week was super hard figuring the food out. The second week I felt like absolute crap and the food was actually getting harder to work out. But then the one day things started getting easier. I stopped freaking out about food and things just started coming to me. I realized that I could still eat things I love, like meatloaf and hamburgers, I just needed to do things a little bit differently. And I did, and it was fine. I'm now starting to get creative with my food and coming up with all kinds of things I can eat.

This week Hubby has been working nights so I've had to make my own dinners. That's been an experience. I don't normally cook, he does. But now I find myself thinking about what to make for dinner and planning it early. I will stop at the store to pick things up. I even go to Crossfit and then come home and cook. I would never have done that before. As a result I'm spending a lot less time on the computer and that is okay.

Physically I could not feel better. I have not felt this good in years. Last week my energy levels starting increasing and they have been going through the roof. I love it. I'm losing inches like crazy. All my clothes are starting to get loose. I keep saying my shirts are getting longer :) The pants I've been wearing for the last year because they are the only ones that fit well, are now all baggy and saggy. I love it. I'm starting to fit into clothes that I haven't worn in over a year - at least. I no longer have that stomach that makes me feel like I'm pregnant. I still have some stomach fat to lose but at least I don't feel like it's sticking out. I've been going to Crossfit 5 nights a week and I love it.

The most amazing thing is that I don't get hungry. I get hungry but not hungry. It's so weird and so nice. It's nice not have be starving and all I can think about is when I get to eat. It's nice to not worry about my blood sugar suddenly going all wacky. I don't know how to explain it but I've never felt so stable in my life. I think about food but not the way I used to. Oh, and I have no cravings. For anything. None. I have sat in front of cookies, brownies and not even blinked an eye. I went with a group to get yogurt over the weekend and did not even want some a little. I love it. I'm cooking with real food, no phony crap, and I'm feeling awesome. This is great... This is something I want to continue forever.

11 November 2012

Teeth


All my life I have wanted a smile like this. I have had an overbite my entire life. When I was 8 I chipped my 2 front teeth so those have always been phony. I have TMJ, a crossbite, and whatever else wrong. You name it, I got it. It's something that has bothered me on and off my entire life. Over the years I've spoken to all kinds of dentists, orthodontists, periodontists, and every other dontist there is. I even contacted Bridgestone Dental once not realizing they were in Texas :) Ooops!!!

I am in a position now where I can get something similar to this. My teeth will never be this nice but they can be a whole lot better then they are. Due to some teeth movement, my dentist thinks he can use invisaglign to straighten my teeth out and then cap a couple. This will result in a much more normal smile then I have ever had in my entire life. It will also cost me $6,000. Yikes. Not sure I can swing that one. As much as I would want to, spending that much money on my teeth seems a little excessive. I don't know. I wish I could do it and money wasn't a concern at all, but it is.  Maybe is a couple of years it won't be but right now......

The Human Brain


Whenever I think about humans in general I am stunned and amazed. It's kind of like that commercial for insurance; one minute we're coming up with the theory of relativity and the next - then they show an stupid accident. Yeah, that's kind of how I feel about humans, they have done some unbelievably amazing stuff and some stuff that makes you go *facepalm*

The same thing for the human brain. This mass of cells inside your skull has some pretty powerful potential. It can dream up all kinds of things, imagine real things we will never see and still believe in conspiracy theories. Truly amazing.

The reason I'm thinking about the human brain today is that a friend has a daughter with some problems. They aren't sure exactly what's going on and so they are taking her to a pediatric neurology place to be checked out. So I was thinking about her and it got me to thinking about the human brain. What other animal has the cognitive ability to study itself? To study why it does what it does and not just how? To think how much we have learned about ourselves over the centuries just blows me away. I know that the brain influences everything you do. In weight loss and fitness, one of the tools is to change your thinking. If you think you are fat and lazy you will be. If you convince yourself that you enjoy working out, you'll do it more. The human brain is a wondrous and powerful thing.

Teenagers


Working with teenagers brings up all the stuff you went through as a teenager. Stress, drama, growing pains, and acne. Some of the students have really severe acne, like in the picture above. With all the various treatments they have now a days, I'm surprised to see kids like this. Seriously.

I see ads all the time for all kinds of acne treatment and then seeing kids like this in school it makes me wonder. I was lucky. I never had a big problem with acne, neither did my daughter. But some kids get it really bad and I feel sorry for them. I remember some of the pimples I would get and how they would hurt, I can only imagine how much that hurts. I know I would not want to live with that. I would scour the internet, use every one of the Murad Coupon Codes I could find, and try everything available until I got rid of this.

Of course, people might be saying the same thing about me and my wrinkles. I don't wear make-up and I rarely use face cream. I have some wrinkles. Maybe I should look into getting some Resurgence for my wrinkles and aging skin. On second thought, my wrinkles are a kind of badge of honor and I think I'll keep them. At least for now.

Conversation with Hubby

 So yesterday morning I presented my idea of working out at home to the Hubby. Once I presented it to him, he said he was in. I told him I h...