Fitgain

I am not on a weight loss journey. I don’t measure my success based on the scale, it is usually just a byproduct of my actual journey, fitness gained.

I would be lying if I said I’ve never had a weight loss goal, or cared about losing weight. In college I gained the freshman 15 or 20, but lost it when I trained for my 1st ever race, a half marathon. Was I happy to lose it? Yes. Was it my primary goal? No. Then I gained 80 lbs with my son (try and tell me hormones don’t play a role in weight gain), the lost 60 before gaining it all right back with my daughter. Of course I wanted to lose all that extra baby weight (still about 50 lbs even after birth and initial weight loss) but it wasn’t exactly my first goal. I wanted to run in this race series that consisted of 3 half marathons in a little less than 3 months. I lost pretty much all of that training for them that first year! Even though I did WANT to lose it, I wasn’t measuring my success on that. My success came after completing all 3 half, and going on to do it for 2 more years.

Currently I’ve renamed my journey into a fitgain journey. I want to see what I am capable of, see how strong I am, how fast I can be. I am a firm believer in heart rate zone training for endurance, and I absolutely love lifting some heavy weights. I don’t particularly love HIIT workouts unless it is in my running, but I can see how they are improving my overall fitness. I can see my progress and I want more. I am itching to see where I will go in the next 5 or 10 years!

Please don’t rely on weight loss during your personal journey. There are so many ways to measure your own progress and to set your own goals. You can measure your progress with your workouts. You can measure your progress with your measurements. You can measure your progress with how you feel each day, how your clothes fit, or how your not out of breath running after your kids. Let weight loss become a secondary reaction to meeting a goal of yours.

And seriously…enjoy the journey.

Making Time

You don’t just “have” time for things, you must make a conscious choice on which things are worth your time each day. If you’re anytging like me, you have a giant list of things to-do each day, chores, errands, appointments, kids activities, work, whatever right? I know my list is never ending, and I’m always adding more!!! Yet there are still only so many hours in a day and you do have to sleep (which probably should be a high priority) So how do you decide which tasks get out at the top on the list?

For me is simple, the top is made of things that absolutely have to get done, bills that need paid, food (making or shopping), appointments, etc. Then there are the chores that constantly move up and down. Mowing is getting close to be thrown at the top of my list again, dishes are a never moving chore since there always seems to be some in the sink, my house is rarely in pristine condition though I swear that is in my list somewhere. Then there’s the garden that needs care, the chickens need some attention (currently their coop needs a nice cleaning), plants need water, animals need fed. And all these have to be pretty high on the list since if they didn’t get done this would die or get sick.

So as you can see my list is most definitely looooooong, and these are only things that are on top! However I have one thing that not everyone agrees on being a priority, but for me there is no other way. My physical and mental health rely heavily on me putting this at the top of my list each and every day.

Training is also at the top of my list, because of it isn’t, it most definitely wouldn’t get done, and it is a to priority for me. Whether I’m actually training for a race or wanting to improve my time for a race next year, if I don’t keep putting it up at the top of my list each day it would get buried somewhere in the bottom never to been seen again, probably somewhere near matching socks and folding laundry. Now I’m not saying that some days I don’t concisely decide I need to skip a workout, whether from being down or from prioritizing something else (sometimes sleep) over it for the day. But those times are getting farther apart, especially now that my kids actually sleep all night! I rarely get the opportunity toworkout first thing in the morning, more often than not I find myself doing it after the kids are asleep for the night. But if I keep skipping it because it’s too late, or I’m too tired, then I push it down on the list, and it gets harder to bring it back up to the top.

So make time for something today that is for you. Something that will help yourself be better, mentally, physically, emotionally. Doing something for yourself will actually make it easier to get through the rest of your to-do list.

What Do You Do?

The seemingly innocent question from completely innocent hearts simply trying to learn more about you. “So, what do you do?” For many people this is actually a difficult question, whether because it is difficult to actually describe their current job or career or maybe they are in-between jobs right now. Or maybe like me they wear many hats, yet can’t exactly explain what they do.

Every time I am asked this question I want to reply, “which day and what time?” Currently, on Tuesday and some Friday mornings I am a lifeguard. On Monday mornings I am a water aerobics instructor. On Wednesday nights I am an instructional tball coach. During the months of August through October (and sometimes during the summer) I am an assistant volleyball coach. During the school year I am a substitute teacher. All of which I actually receive small pay checks for. Non of which I consider a job, because well they are more like hobbies to me, I enjoy doing them.

With that said, most often I settle for telling those new faces I just met, or old ones I’m catching up with, that I am a stay at home mom. Which is most definitely a job for those of you out there who do exactly that and question whether it would be considered a job. It is my first priority job, and the one I spend most of my time at. No, I don’t get a set hourly wage, or an actual yearly income. Honestly, I hardly get any time off. And yes, I do in fact get to spend more time with my babies, which is the first comment I get after saying my answer. However, I do so much more than spend time with them. I am blessed with the opportunity to be the adult that my children interact with most. I am able to instill our families beliefs and our values. I get to be more of an influence on what will shape those tiny minds and behaviors. I get to show them constantly what love looks like, explain why kindness is the answer, and teach them how and why God is so important to us. I am raising my little humans to be their best, to be kind, to love, to be strong, to be disciplined, to learn, and so much more. I am choosing to have more of an impact on my child.

That my friends, when asked what I do, is why I choose to say, “I am a stay at home mom.”

Your ideal body weight

There are articles, excel sheets, videos, quizzes, experts, equations, and many other sources that can try to tell you your “ideal” body weight for your height and body type. There are free and paid versions of all these. Well let me save you the time and money.

Your

“Ideal”

Body

Weight

What

You

Are

Comfortable

This could be an exact weight, or a precise body fat percentage, or it could be a range of 10-30 pounds. Perhaps you are comfortable and feel beautiful and wonderful no matter what the scale reads. That is your ideal body weight. It is not what the media tries to portray, nor is it that magical BMI number that can be calculated. If you are comfortable and confident in your skin then do not fret about not being at that magical number that is supposed to be “ideal”, you’re already there!

Now with that it of the way let’s discuss another topic. Can you be comfortable and confident and still want to change your body? The short answer is yes. The ling answer is absolutely. You can want to push yourself or change yourself without thinking your ugly or hating those parts of yourself. It’s perfectly okay to want to see if you can get a flat stomach, or grow a booty, or gain some guns! Loving yourself as you are and wanting to change is possible and normal!

Now that we’ve covered those topics go out there and be your awesome confident self, no matter what stage of life you’re in.

Diet

This word has a stigma with it. If you are on a “diet” you must be trying to loose weight. You’re obviously restricting your eating or setting limitations on what you can/can’t have. You must think you’re fat. You can’t eat anything unhealthy. You’re following some sort of program that is telling you this is the way you need to eat if you want to get those pounds off! There is probably a list of yes and no foods… I could go on and on about the things people think when the word diet is mentioned.

However, a diet is simply, “the kinds of foods that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.” Someone talks about a rabbit’s diet and they’ll discuss that it eats leaves and carrots. A bear’s diet consists of fish and berries. I mention my diet, and suddenly I’m trying to lose weight.

I think you see what I mean here, but just so we’re clear, my diet is what I typically eat on a day to day basis. Now this doesn’t mean I dont have preferences on what foods I consume and what percentage of macros I eat. This is where some confusion lies. I say, “hey, I’m on a low carb diet”. You think why you dont need to lose weight… right?

Well here’s the thing, my goal of my “diet” is to fuel my activities in the best way with the best fuel for my body. For example, MY body doesn’t exactly enjoy a carb heavy diet when I attempt to do long runs. I adjusted so that I eat low carb, so that I’m able to actually enjoy running and not have to find bathroom stops along my route… in the country… where bathroom stops are actually trees. My body has decided it doesn’t really care for dairy much after having my second child. So my diet is void of dairy products that don’t agree with my stomach.

The term diet should not automatically have a negative context of limitations and restrictions, but rather it should be viewed as an informative decision you’ve made based on your unique preferences and discoveries on what your body can and cannot tolerate. A diets goal should be to fuel your day to day activities. Food is fuel. It might be fueling your day at work, or your play time with kids, or your 10 mile run, but either way, the things you put in your body will determine how you feel during your next activity. Your diet directly affects all these activities and your emotions that go with them.

Now, you might have a goal to lose weight, and you might indeed adjust your diet to reach that goal, and that’s great! We are constantly learning what foods work for us and what foods don’t; which foods are helping us toward our goals, and which are not. Just don’t let anyone else tell you your “diet” is wrong. You know your body best, you know what foods make you feel sluggish and which give you sustained energy. And next time someone says they are on a “diet” of any kind, don’t assume their goal is weight loss…

Setting Goals is Scary!

So, it’s been a hot minute since I last posted! I have more or less fully recovered from shoulder surgery (still getting working on getting strength and full ROM). I completed my first full marathon in November, and though my time was not what I had hoped when I signed up (I finished at 5 hours and 13 minutes), it was to be expected since I had to cut out 7 weeks of an 18 week training plan… Even though it was painfully slow, I finished and will most definitely be doing another full, this time following a complete training plan 🙂

Christmas was super busy as always, plus my kids were sick most of break which makes one tired momma! I had to do a few more treadmill runs than I prefer, but at least I was able to get in some much needed miles! I luckily did not catch the sickness (yet) but my husband did. Though I have kind of had a sore throat for the past 3 weeks, I feel just fine!

Now onto the point of this post, goal setting. I received a training journal for Christmas and it has asked me to set goals (doesn’t have to be just for running) and I have been spending a lot of time thinking about short term and long term goals. Let me tell you, this can be a scary process, I mean, what if I fail?!? What if I admit to others (or myself!) what I really am striving for, and I cannot get there? It would be easy to just set some easy, realistic goals that I know I will get within this year, but what about thinking down the road, 5 years? Where would I like to be, and how can I set myself up to get closer to that goal? I think it might be scarier to work towards big, far off goals that are set really high, than these shorter, not quite so high goals.

For example, some of my short term goals that will push me but I think can be attained are as follows: complete the Heartland 39.3 series (again), PR in the half with a 1:50 (this will be hard), PR in the full with a 4:30 (still hard), complete a 50 mile and possibly 100 mile bike race, and complete at least 2 triathlons.

Now this list seems daunting, but it is also doable. I may hit some this year, or they may take until next year, but I know I can obtain these at some point!

Onto the more daunting task of setting long term goals. Here they are: Complete an Ironman one day (doable but I want to be able to actually follow a legit training program for this which is A LOT of time commitment), Qualify for a big marathon (Boston?, NYC?, Chicago?)(not even sure this is possible as I am currently NOT fast, but with time maybe!), 1:30 half (again, is this even possible, time will only tell).

These are obviously goals that are specific to racing and I do have other goals that are not racing related, but for the purpose of this post these are the only ones I am sharing. It took time for me to admit some of these goals to myself, because the chances of failure are significantly higher for all of the long term ones. I want to challenge myself though. It might take me 3 years or 10 years, but I can keep striving towards these for a long time!

I challenge you to set some serious short term and long term goals for yourself this year. Make the long term ones high and hard to reach, and the short term ones can serve as steps to get there!

T minus 6 days

So it’s been awhile! I’ve my shoulder surgery recovery has gone slow but on schedule and as expected. I’m not quite too full ROM and I’m only just beginning to start “strength” training. I started leading a water aerobics class MWF that has helped keep me out of trouble in the gym. Oh and I am running in my first marathon next Saturday!!

I started running again as soon as I was out of my bolster sling, 6 weeks post OP, and have since been increasing my long run to be able to still complete 26.2 miles. Even though I threw my time goal out of ther window, I still am determined to run it, no matter how slow. Training has been fun, I even convinced my girls to do most of the really long runs with me, with the exception of the last 20 miler 🤣 I’m so very grateful for their support and their company in all those miles.

I’m super excited to run next weekend and will definitely recap ther race for you!

Slowing down

A week ago I had arthroscopic surgery on my shoulder. They did a bankart repair (stitched down my torn labrium). Since then and for 5 more weeks, I’m stuck in a bolster sling 24/7, except to shower. My “exercises” include hand grips, wrist movement, and elbow movement. So far I’m allowed to walk, albeit slow. Oh and I’m basically one armed for all other tasks…

This has forced me to slow down, literally, everything takes 20× longer than with both arms, and there is A LOT I cannot do. But as I’m forced to sit on the sideline for most of our daily chores, I am also forced to take my time and really play with my babies. Even though I’m limited on how far I can move when we play on the floor, and I can’t run or jump with them, I can make the most of our time together without the guilt of leaving chores undone. Normally I’d play for a few minutes then become distracted by something that needed cleaned/ picked up/ mowed/etc. One of the most positive things to come out of needing to keto my shoulder immobilized is the appreciation of focusing on my kids and really playing with them. Despite the antsyness in me to run, bike, swim, or lift, I’m very thankful that im being forced to take a look at what really matters, especially with one of my babies starting kindergarten this year and the other is starting preschool.

So even though the athlete in me is doing to do more, and the stubborn independent me is hating being so unhelpful around the house, the mother in me is thanking God for this wonderful opportunity to sloooow down and just enjoy.

Power in Positives

“Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.” -Henry Ford

Having positive thoughts will impact your life, your performance, and your mental well-being. If you constantly tell yourself that you are not a runner, well guess what, your not and you will not be one, unless you start telling yourself that you are. Even if you give it a go, but still have the mental thoughts surrounding the “I am not a runner”, you can’t possibly be successful. For starters, running is a mental game, and even the best get drug down by negative thoughts, and it hurts their performance. Second, if you are already telling yourself you can’t, then you are most definitely going to feel like crap for all of your runs, and you will stop because you of course “are not a runner”. However, if you change your thinking from “I am not a runner” to “I am becoming a runner”, or “I am getting stronger as a runner”, then you will find, quite surprisingly, that with each run you do, it does feel easier. You get better because you stay with it. You keep running because you relate it mentally to something positive instead of negative. Before you know it, you are a runner, because you didn’t give up.

Some people have an easy time finding the positives, and others find it very difficult. It is as important to train yourself to be a positive thinker, as it is to follow a training plan to run a race. For those of us who find it hard to pick out the positive, it is necessary to focus on one positive thought at a time. Pick a mantra or a quote or even just a word to focus on while your running, or whatever fitness endeavor you are doing. Focus on it instead of picking out negatives like: I’m slow, I’m not very fit or strong, or I don’t look as good as her”. Focus on yourself and find only the positive things. “Developing a positive attitude means working continually to find what is uplifting and encouraging” -Barbara Johnson. You need to find what works for you, what encourages you to keep going and not give up. Negativity and doubt will sabotage your efforts, so don’t let them creep into your thoughts. “There are a million things telling you that you can’t keep going, but if you find the things that say you can, you’re golden” -Dr. Stephen Walker. You can do it, you can stick with it, you are amazing!

The body achieves what the mind believes. So make up your mind on whether you want to crush your goals or if you want to let those negative mental thoughts allow those goals to slip away.

LOVE

“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” – 1Corinthians 13:13

The Bible is pretty clear on this one, love God, love one another, love yourself, or put simply: just love.

Romans chapter 12 tells us many ways in which we are to act in love. We are to honor one another above ourselves. We are also supposed to honor ourself. We should share with those in need, and bless each other instead of cursing each other. Do not partake in revenge. Don’t be proud or conceited, and don’t distance yourself from those you think are of lower position than you. Your worth and their worth are the same in God’s eyes, and that worth is extraordinarily high. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

It is easy to see love with your children. You love them, so you take care of them right? We clothe them, make good food choices for them, let them play and bike, and run for exercise. We spend time with them, and we build them up. We (should) talk positively to them, and help them recognize their worth. We also discipline them when needed, because we love them.

When we love ourself, we take care of ourself. We should spend time with ourselves. We should make good food choices, and get exercise. We should build ourself up with positivity not negativity. We should also be disciplined, in our behavior and our choices. (more on positivity in another post)

We also need to love one another in some of the same ways. “Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up” – Romans 15:2. We should not drag each other down with insults and gossip, but should bring positivity into someone else’s life. We need to show that we love them, and maybe you are the only person in their life who is a positive influence. Maybe there is a person in your life that needs at least one person to show them that love, so be that person. Build up your neighbor and help them recognize their self worth, just as you build up yourself and your children.

It is hard to love everyone. There are people you just can’t stand, or don’t like, or are aggravatingly annoying. I find that if I pray for my own heart to be opened, for patience and compassion to fill me, then it is much easier to love them. It is easier to be a friend when I pray for these things:

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with

Compassion

Kindness

Humilty

Gentleness and

Patience”

Colossians 3:12

If we pray for these to be always present in our hearts, then we will be able to love more, and love better.