I Graduated To The Big Line - Arms, and Chest and Back Oh My! - Wellness Journey Post #9

I must be getting stronger.  Actually I know I am getting stronger.  Does that mean the workouts are easier?  No - not really but I am able to take fewer breaks and my endurance is better.

I must be getting stronger.  The other day one of my classmates came up to me and told me, "I just want to tell you that you look visibly smaller.  I know how hard you have been working."  I gave her a huge hug!  There is nothing better than having people notice that your body is changing.  You stand taller and prouder.

I must be getting stronger.  Also on Monday I was told my running form and stride was looking much better!  Oz is always telling me, "longer stride Lori, longer stride".  I nod and smile and my head tells my body, longer stride but my legs don't want to do it!

I must be getting stronger.  During our 20 minute warm up today (read work so hard that you think you are going to throw up) we did a lot of running.  Remember I am always over the the slow lane (note:  I used to call it the pathetic lane - but decided to change my language!).  Today he moved me over to the fast lane.  Yes these young, fit skinny people may have passed me but I was there!!!

Read this post for where I started!  Day 2 - Where it all started

I must be getting stronger.  During rope work, Oz is moving me to make the exercise more challenging, he is increasing my weight and not modifying so much for me!  I'll take it!

I must be getting stronger.  Monday we did a TON of arm work - a lot of triceps.  I was sore yesterday. Not unbearable but that nice - 'I worked out hard' sore.  Yes I actually like that feeling as long as I can still move.  So today I expect a little bit more legs - UH NO!  I WAS WRONG.  More arms, chest and back.  I pushed - but I am expecting to be sore.

Break out the oils because I don't want to lose any momentum.  I know the soreness means I am getting stronger but I can't quit or back down at all here in the home stretch!  Read here to see how the oils help me with muscle soreness!  They are little miracles in a bottle.

 Essential Oils for Muscle Soreness & Recovery

I know that end of this journey is just the beginning of the next journey.  I still have a lot of changes I want for my body.  

I WILL DO THIS

I'm Not Perfect. Children and Diet - Wellness Journey Post #8

Our daughter is an athlete. She is a fast pitch pitcher.  She is a freshman in high school and she has coaches that believe in her.  They want to push her and to help her succeed.  As a 9th grader her coach has had her pitching against 18 year old teams and she has been very successful.  She has already had college coaches express an interest in her.  Yes I am a proud Mom.

Here is where I am not proud.  Our diets have gotten out of control. She loves sugar and carbs.  Yes I know she is young and that she can burn of the calories.  That is not the point.  I am not worried about her caloric intake I am worried about what she is putting in her body.  Cookies and chips will not fuel the kind of athlete she is and what she wants to become.

Even with my own poor eating and exercise habits this is something about which I am very passionate.  I have know for years what is the right thing to do and how to eat healthy, I just made the choice not to.  This is really important to understand.  It is not that I didn't have will power, it is not me saying, I can't".  It was I WOULDN'T.  I didn't care about myself enough to want to do it for me.  As a result I didn't do it for my family either.  I let them develop horrible habits.

I watched her team as 12U players at a State tournament.  Well meaning parents brought, cookies, ice cream, and cupcakes as snacks (read - rewards) for their hard work.  They had been playing really well and progressing through the tournament.  They had just won a game to progress to the next level.  They started the game really well.  As the game progressed, they started making mistakes.  These were mistakes that they had not made all weekend long.  I personally watched almost the entire team go through a sugar crash.  They ended up losing.  It was a tournament and season ending loss.  From that point on we made it very clear with our daughter that those sugary snacks/treats were not acceptable for her.  She hates to watch everyone else eat cookies,or cupcakes.  Or even worse... breakfast.  Watching players eat waffles with sugary fruit sauce and topped with whipped cream?  Oh my.  Protein, fruit and whole grains for our baby girl.  She has learned to appreciate it.  We won't even talk about what sugar does to your body, inflammation, disease and much much more.

If you want to read more about sugar, here is a good place to start.  www.hungryforchange.tv/article/what-eating-too-much-sugar-does-to-your-brain

This is the key.  Because we allowed these bad habits to creep into our lives and our children's diets, it is REALLY HARD to change these habits.  If I could give one word of advice to parents of young children it would be to stick with it!  It is too easy to grab a sugary granola bar or a cookie as a treat for your kids.  Treats should be that, a treat, not a multiple times a day experience.

My diet has completely changed.  Now I am working on my family.  One step at a time.  We have eliminated sugary sodas and drinks, eating more whole foods.  We will continue on the journey and learn to make better choices with the occasional "treat".

We stopped at a restaurant the other day in between softball events.  This is not a normal occurrence for us since I have been on this month long challenge.  I ordered a house salad with oil and vinegar on the side.  My husband ordered a salad, my son ordered a salad. My daughter wanted chicken fingers and french fries.  She felt guilty and ordered a salad.  I will take it. I prefer to look at the guilt as my being a good role model.  Change takes time and patience.

I WILL DO THIS

Sneak Peak Ahead - The Energizer Bunny - Journey to Wellness Post #7

As I said in my last post, I am massively behind in publishing blog posts!  Yesterday was the start of the last week of this program.  I have mixed emotions about this.  I have worked out harder the last three weeks than I ever have in my entire life.  I am tired - the schedule has been hard, but I don't honestly think I want the program to end.  I will have decisions to make when I am done.  I know one thing, I WILL NOT QUIT.  I said before and I will say again, I am not going to go through this and have to do this again.

I have done other programs, I have done other bootcamps, I have worked with personal trainers, lifted weights, and done the dreaded cardio (maybe someday I will like cardio?).

So you may want to know how I have done so far?  I am down 12 pounds in 3 weeks.  There are many other changes (some you may not want to know about) :)

• My clothes fit better!  This means my fat clothes are too big!
• The belts I got for Christmas fit now!
• I have more energy
• I don't have incontinence issues anymore (BIG BIG BIG YAY!)  There is nothing worse than cough or sneeze dribble.  The last thing you want to do in public is stop to hold yourself before you sneeze :) (Sorry TMI)
• There is actually definition in my arms!
• When I stand for 2 hours for a softball game, my back doesn't get sore anymore.
• I am able to get up from the floor much easier!
• My right hip pain is gone.
• I sleep better

My routine has been intense.  There is no doubt.  But I am a 52 year old Wife, Mother & Business Owner.  I really was not in shape - so if I can do it - SO CAN YOU!

Here was my basic routine.

Monday - HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)

Tuesday - Hot Yoga & Cardio (30 minutes)

Wednesday - HIIT

Thursday - Cardio

Friday - Barre Class & Cardio if my body could take it!

Saturday - Bootcamp Class

Sunday - Usually a rest day.

Now let me tell you about Oz the Energizer Bunny.  The man has boundless energy.  He is patient, yet pushes.  I need the push sometimes.  These classes are hard!  HIIT classes start with 20 minutes of cardio type exercises to get your heart rate going.  After the 20 minutes it is a combination of strength, core and cardio moves for the remaining 40 minutes.  There really are no breaks.  

Oz has springs in his feet (you should see him jump).  All I could do was keep moving and try to improve my form, range of motions, weight and reps.  When I would try to cheat and use a lighter weight, he would challenge me.  When I just had to say no (like to doing handstand push ups) he is still supportive.  Note:  Handstand push ups are now on my fitness bucket list - more on that later.

Oh - and I should mention, other than the all natural essential oils I used for pain relief, I used no wraps, no pills, no pink drinks, no shakes, no magic potions.  Just sweat and a good diet.

Pretty great stuff huh?  And guess what - I worked hard - and I deserve it!  Am I done?  No, it is a journey.

#I WILL DO THIS

The Bewitching Hour & Barre Class- Wellness Journey Post #6

I have been very behind on writing this week.  You will find out why a little later in the post.  I actually have at least 6 posts started but can't seem to get to finish any of them.  I tend to write in my head and then try to at least get the concepts on paper before I lose them.  There are some essential oils that are supposed to help support your memory and motivation maybe I need to try them!

So this update is actually from late during the first week of my exercise and healthy living journey.

So read on my friends - I am continuing on and will update some other posts here soon!

PLANNING

The first part of this week my son was home with just a little icky something for the first 3 days. I guess if there's good news about that is that I was at home. So eating well and eating small meals frequently was actually quite easy. When he went back to school on Thursday things changed a little bit for me.   This meant that I had to bring all of my food to the office with me.

I'm kind of a last minute person to be honest. So having to do a lot of planning is a bit of a challenge for me. Fitting in the classes, working out,  getting lunches ready the morning. prepping food for the day, having a dinner prepared (or at least planned) and getting the kids to school can be a real challenge.  Welcome to Motherhood!  I am envious of the families that can afford to have a stay at home parent!

It requires me to be organized. That is not exactly in my nature.  I guess that is a good thing and maybe it will become a habit. That is my hope. I have to plan for dinner the night before I have to make the lunches I have to get all of my food prepped and have everything ready to go to make my shake in the morning before I go to class.  Yikes.  This is a real challenge for me!  I see the prize down the road so I am committed to making it happen.

BARRE CLASS

Friday I took my first Barre class.  I went into the first class thinking this would be a little bit of a recovery from the HIIT & Bootcamp classes.  BOY WAS I WRONG!  It was all about strength, flexibility and core.    We started with squats for a LONG PERIOD OF TIME.  It felt like forever.  My legs burned like I don't think they ever have before.

OK - I have long legs, I am not flexible. Once again I WAS PATHETIC.  We did some stretching exercises where I had a partner.  You sit with your feet together, legs straight and hold hands to pull on each other and stretch your legs.  HAH!  What a riot.  Just sitting in that position was a challenge for me.  FORGET STRETCHING.  The poor woman I was paired with had her arms stretched beyond her feet, because I couldn't even get close to my feet!

This was kind of the theory but without the bands.  We were holding hands.  All I can say to my partner is I AM SORRY.

All these people on the floor looking like dancers and gymnasts.  And then there is me!

Ok - I know how important this is and as awful as it was. I actually liked it.  How weird is that?


BECOME AWARE.

a·ware

əˈwer/

adjective

1. having knowledge or perception of a situation or fact.

   "most people are aware of the dangers of sunbathing"

   synonyms:

   conscious of, mindful of, informed about, acquainted with, familiar with,alive to, alert to; informalclued in to, wise to, in the know about, hip to;  formalcognizant of;  archaicware of

   • concerned and well-informed about a particular situation or development.

     "unless everyone becomes more environmentally aware, catastrophe is inevitable"
   • 
     

   
   

Part of this journey is to become aware of my body, of my eating habits, of my emotions and of my physical activity.  One of the things I discovered in the first week is that I absolutely have a "Bewitching Hour" !

After picking up the kids from school, we come home and they need a snack.  They both eat lunch fairly early.  So when they get home they are hungry.  In the past I would snack with them.  But my snacks were certainly not good for my body or my brain!  Chips were my go to.  Crunch, salty, yum!!!!  The activity of having to write down what I am going to eat made me stop, think and make a better choice.

BE AWARE.  Finding and knowing your triggers is one of the keys to your success.  Instead I grabbed some protein and some veggies.  I was satisfied very quickly and did not have that horrible - oh crap - what did I just eat feeling.

Be aware of your body, and of  your cravings.  When you find something like this you can plan for it.  Have a good healthy snack ready for you when this happens. This will help you make good choices.

Week one is done - stay tuned for a wrap up post on that.

I WILL DO THIS!

What is your why? - A Wellness Journey - Post #5

Today, a little bit about me.  Because ultimately a wellness journey is about yourself.  What is your why?  You hear that all the time from life coaches and network marketing coaches.  I have a lot of "whys".

I have four photos I have up around the house.


The first is from my wedding day.  This photo is in our living room.  I felt amazingly beautiful, loved and amazing.  It was a perfect day.  I was starting my life with the love of my life.  I truly am not a superficial person.  I am more comfortable in  sweat pants and a sweat shirt but like to dress up and look nice.  BUT I don't like the way I feel, the way my body looks, when I am over weight and out of shape.  I don't notice other people that are overweight (unless they are morbidly obese) but I sure notice it when I am.

The second picture is from a work function that my husband and I attended.  The proverbial little black dress.  We were married in 1996 and our beautiful daughter was born in December of 1999.  I gained a TON of weight during my pregnancy.  Apparently, subconsciously, I decided I could eat anything while I was pregnant.  My OB-GYN actually reprimanded me for gaining so much weight.   My food of choice was pepperoni, green olive pizza.  We have all heard the saying, "you should eat more, you are eating for two".  I took that literally.   After Elsie was born I started working out in a gym with a personal trainer.  I had never been in a gym before let alone really exercise!  After a period of time I was in the best shape I had ever been.  I did cardio, I ate right and I lifted weights.  The fat melted off me!  I felt great.

The third picture is when Elsie was about 1.  We were at a Hanken family reunion in Omaha.  We recently discovered this picture.  I don't think I had ever seen it.  My husband, David's Father passed away just before Thanksgiving.  Between 2000 and 2014 we lost all 4 of our parents and a Grandma.  We were down in Iowa cleaning out the house and going though over 60 years of memories.  I will write more about that later.  We discovered this picture.  I picked it up and all I could say was, "Whoa who is that woman"?  (Spoiler alert - this was a bit of a turning point for me).  This one hangs on our bathroom wall.

The fourth picture is from my nieces wedding.  We had our amazing son Porter in 2002.  I worked out as long as I could while pregnant with Porter.  I carried him so low that it was actually painful to walk.  I remember going to the gym and talking to my trainer in tears.  I had to tell him, I just couldn't keep going, it hurt too much.  Luckily I did not backslide much and was able to get back at it for awhile after Porter was born.  This was probably the longest that I kept at it.  This picture is in my office at work.

So you ask, what happened between 2002 and 2014?  A LOT.  Life happened, Motherhood happened, business ownership happened, financial stress happened, we lost the last 3 of our parents during that time, the kids schedules got busy, the kids activities got more expensive and busier, my husband bought a business, he was not paying himself (all the money went back into the business) he moved the business into a larger space with higher rent, there was a small financial system collapse (disastrous for small business owners - he was still not paying himself), I quit my job where I was part owner of a successful company, I traveled a lot for my new job, I quit tha!t job and took another job that was absolutely horrible - I was never home, I quit that job and went to work in David's business.   People say the most stressful things a person can go through are death of a family member, changing jobs and/or moving.  Let's just add financial stress to that issue.

These are not excuses they are reality.  They are reality for many people.  What have I learned?  You have to take care of yourself.  You can't care for others if you don't take care of yourself.

What happened?   I quit taking care of myself.  What do a lot of parents and business owners do?  They sacrifice themselves for their families and for their work.  I forgot what it felt like to feel great.  I forgot what it was like to look great.

Yes, this is about me.  That is my first why.  My second why is my family.  I want to be here for them for a long time.  I want to be an active Grandparent (when that time comes!).  I want to enjoy retirement someday. I don't think I have ever used as many I sentences EVER!  It is about time.

I WILL DO THIS!

The Fat and Flab Will Be Flying AKA - I Want To Cry - A Wellness Journey Post #4

Oh man, oh man, oh man.  Yesterday was brutal.  I went to class at 6:30.  This is the High Intensity class I am doing.  I think Oz must have had some extra caffeine.  The first class he gave us at least one small break for water and about 5 minutes of active stretching at the end of class.  Not yesterday!

We did not stop moving.  Again, I was in the pathetic group (that was a group of 1 mind you).  I just couldn't keep the pace with those that have been exercising more faithfully.  I know that is expected, but I am a tad bit competitive and it is so hard for me to be last...


We did a lot of upper body and core.  Core?  What core?  I have flab not core.  Seriously at one point after an ab exercise I was lying on the floor and wanted to cry.

I don't know why I thought after 3 days of working out that I would have more energy and be better prepared for class yesterday.  Boy was I mistaken.  I really struggled.

Ok, enough whining.  Sometimes crying is a good thing.  I stepped on the scale this morning and I am down 7 pounds since Sunday morning.  Ok, I know, it is all water weight.  Just don't tell me all the things to burst my bubble ok?    At this point do we care?  Just seeing the scale move makes me want to cry for joy!

 Oz must be a mind reader or he could just see my frustration and complete physical exhaustion.  He came over during one of the exercises called the matrix (I REALLY HATE THIS ONE).  He told me, "Just do as many as you can."    

After class, I asked him why I felt my performance was worse than even my first class.  He reminded me of something very important.

1. I am very low carb right now.  I don't eat many carbs at all and they are all before noon.  My energy stores will be pretty low, but I am still burning fat and increasing my endurance.

BUT then here came the next conversation.  He is big on engaging the core and building core in everything you do.  Remember my post about all the fit people in tight spandex?  He says with my loose exercise clothing he can't see my back or abs to make sure I am engaging my core correctly.  He wants me to wear tighter clothes.

Hah - tighter clothes won't be an issue.  Seriously all my clothes are tight right now (I refuse to buy what I call fat clothes).  But let me tell you the fat and flab will be flying during class.  I really don't know if I can do this.  Seriously don't know if I can.  I don't like my body right now.  Please don't tell me I need to love my body no matter what.  Please!  I love myself.  But I don't have to love my body right now.

I want to cry!  How do you think this will look (trying to deal with this with a little humor may help?)  I think people will run screaming from the gym.  Anyone know where I can find something like this?  I think that would keep Oz from asking me to wear tighter clothes.

Here is good news - fat is flying off my body at a fast rate right now.  I know I won't continue to lose this much at this pace but I am thankful for that.  Now I guess my flab will be flying and bouncing around for the whole world to see.  I promise I will not post photos or videos!!!

Please send me positive thoughts on this one.  Who would have thought that what I wear to exercise would be the hardest part of the journey.

I WILL DO THIS

It's a Love/Hate Thing - Wellness Journey Post #3

I hate restarting exercise.  I love restarting exercise.  Yes I am psychotic.  I hate how pathetic I am and I hate that I let myself quit and gain back the weight AGAIN.  I hate, hate, hate, hate that.  I love how I feel when I am done, even the soreness.  I love that when I start moving again and eating right that my face almost immediately thins out. I loose some of the puffiness.  My skin tone gets clearer.  I have more energy and I sleep better.  Seriously this is all in 3 days.

Anyone who has started a program like this knows the kind of muscle soreness that you get.

The love part, you know your body is burning calories and creating muscle.  All of that will ultimately make you stronger.

The hate part, you can't even get up and down out of a chair.  You can't lift your arms to get your shirt off at night.  You can't go up and down stairs.  Your children think it is hilarious and laugh at you.  :)

I know I have said it before, I have been here before.  So I do know that it all means progress.  I am not a very patient person so getting back in shape and weight loss is a real challenge for me.  I want to be at my goal NOW.   I know, I know, Rome wasn't built in a day. Who said I wanted to be Rome?  You didn't put the weight on overnight.  No that took a lot of inactivity, beer and junk food.  

My biggest fear with the muscle soreness was not being able to effectively work out again at the next class.  So, let me introduce you to my saviors!

Anti-inflammatory essential oils and pain relieving essential oils to the rescue

#1  Aroma Siez 

#2 Copaiba - here is a short little video about Copaiba Copaiba - natural anti-inflammatory

#3 Lemongrass - here is another video about Lemongrass and Copaiba - Tendonitis Relief

#4 Deep Relief - The name is just like what it does provide deep relief wherever I have muscle pain (which is pretty much everywhere).

#5 Ortho Sport.  This is an amazing massage oil.  Have a massage therapist use it in your massage or get someone to give you a home massage.  Ortho Sport warms the muscles and helps eliminate soreness.

So two workouts, one Sunday and one Monday after not working out for many months left me pretty bad as you can imagine.  Tuesday was an hour of hot yoga.

Both days I oiled with these oils, Aroma Siez, Copaiba, Lemongrass mixed with coconut oil.  I spread it everywhere it hurt.  Then topped with Deep Relief.  I did this right after my workout and two - three times a day.   

This morning I was pain free and my muscles were ready for today's workout!

This is not about selling you product.  But I do share these products with people.  If you are interested please let me know.  They are amazing!

I will post more about today's class adventure.  I have already started this protocol again today to hope to be ready for class Friday and Saturday.  Keep moving that body!

I WILL DO THIS