Obstacles

I was asked today, "what's the hardest obstacle you've come across in your weight loss, thus far?" Of course I started listing things like the bakery at cub, or the pizza shop down the road.  Then later, while in my own movie world, I got thinking a little bit deeper.


While those are very hard things to overcome, what are my serious obstacles?  Everyday I wake up and have to tell myself "you can do it!" because, my hardest obstacle in my life, is just that, life!  My mind and my heart battle each other, every single day, and I am stuck in the middle.  It's not even just about weight loss all the time, it's about constantly doing the right thing. 


So, how do I get through the days?? My answer. . . hell if I know! Each day I struggle, with what I should be doing in my life.  I see my friends going to work, and having careers, creating lives for themselves. I'm jealous! I wish I could be okay with that. I really do. But, my heart is telling me not to settle. Don't settle for anything less than I dream to be! Right now, that dream is to be part of the Few and the Proud.  However, my head goes to the mailbox everyday and sees the bills. My head sees friends being able to afford more lavish things. It sees the fact, that I am choosing a route, that, in reality, I may fail at.  And that's the battle of the head and the heart.  That is my obstacle.  


Again, how do I get through the day? Just that. I get through, one day at a time.  Everyday is a challenge when you're trying to accomplish something big.  Rome wasn't built in a day, and my weight wasn't added in a day!

"Defeat is not bitter unless you swallow it."  ~Joe Clark.  I will never accept defeat. When I lose the weight I need, I will sign the papers, I will take the tests and I will go. If, by some odd reason, I don't make it through OCS, I will be able to look at myself in the mirror and know that I gave it everything I could.  It took a while, but I got there one step at a time!  So, head & heart...it's time you start listening to me!!

Workouts in the top 10

While I was working out today with Norman, he gave me the great idea for my newest blog.  While dieting is helping MAJORLY with my weightloss, one of the other major factors is my workouts.

I wish I could take credit for always kicking my own ass, but, alas, I cannot take the credit for all of it!  Since starting at Golds, I have found muscles that I never knew even existed. So, here I am going to compile a list of my favorites/least favorite exercises.  I put them together for a reason.  While they cause a lot of pain during, after I usually feel pretty good. There have been SOOO many, so I will just do the top 10!

1. The first exercise I should mention is the one, that for me, causes the most pain! The Dropsets. It's all in the legs folks!  You lay on your back and we start at 250 pounds.  Do 10 presses, then Norman hurries his butt, takes 50 off, and ya do 10 again.  We usually go about 4 rounds with less and less weight each round. Press 4 times, break and repeat! While you may think "Oh, the weights get less, it must get easier..." WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!! It's just as hard the last time. Your legs get to exhaustion and boom...you're done!

2. Body Bag Drags.  Sure it sounds morbid, but it works ya! You have 2 people, one sits on the bag or rug, or whatever may be handy, and the other person pulls! Very simple, but very effective! Works forearms hard core as well as much of the lower body!

3. Indian "Native American" Run. Not totally sure which is the P.C. way, but, it is what it is.  This requires several people. You jog in a single file line.  The person in the back then sprints to the front, and you keep going and going until you reach your desired distance. I personally like this with fewer people, 4 or 5! It takes less time to be able to do your sprints and allows for a better pace in my mind.

4. Hill Sprints, are usually RIGHT after the Indian run! :) It's exactly what they sound like. Sprints, up a hill! It's a pain in the butt, however, it does help with your overall run I've discovered.

5. Running Man...sit ups with a kick!! Imagine doing a sit-up, with the use of your arms and legs and times it by two! Yup, pain to the 10th degree! I love it!!

6. Planks/ Patty Cake Planks. For those who don't know, a plank is a push up position just on your elbows rather than arms extended.  Now, get a partner, face each other, get in the plank position, and start playing patty cake!! Ya think it's easy, I would say...NO! It's fun though and makes ya feel REALLY good when you're done!

7. Tractor Tire: One of my new favorites!! This is where I got what I now call, my "Glory bruises!" Have a spare tractor tire sitting around? Well...Flip it! A few times! And there ya go! You've got a super crazy, unique and really fun work out!!

8. Reverse Grip Pulldown. We've all seen the machine, and chances are, most of us have used it! While it's a very simple exercise, it's very effective. Every time we use that machine, I feel it in my forearms like crazy! It's helping with my grip, which is pretty weak, and it's helping me with pull up technique!

9. Step Monster, a.k.a. Step Master thingy machine! Usually done in between a set of some sort of weight, doing it at 2 minutes at a time, believe it or not, will wear you out.

10.  Ladder Exercises! Okay, so my coordination is not really one of...expertise...but I really like the ladder exercises! Whether it's the alyshuffle, or ladder jacks, it matters not! It's something different, and ya'll know me, you know I like variety!!

Well, that's my top 10!  I hate them, and I love them! And I NEVER would have been able to do what I'm doing without the help of Norman, I'm not gonna lie. I've tried a lot to lose and to exercise, and while I dieted and did exercises, I think I've never done them actually done things correctly. Now that I am, I feel it every Monday, Wednesday and Fridays! :)

If I was asked to describe the workouts in one word, there is one specifically that comes to mind... "PAIN!"

Motivation

So many times I get up in the morning, and I don't know what I'm doing with my life. I get to a point of being lost and confused!  While it's your inner-self that truly gets you going, sometimes you need physical reminders.  There's only so much my mind can take.  So, throughout my apartment, I leave reminders to tell me why!

This is one of the first things I see in the morning.  While I love my family, sometimes it's hard to feel like ya just, fit in! It's was that way in school too! There was ALWAYS something missing. It wasn't like, black sheep, but it was a call that felt like something wasn't there that should be! So, to remind me of what I will gain when I get through this, I hung this poster in my closet, next to all my clothes. 

This next sign is one I have hanging as I leave my bedroom in the morning. 

Just remember, one day, one step, one DECISION at a time.

Finally, as you walk out my front door, this is the sign that is hanging up! 

If you think you're not going to achieve your goal, you won't, simple as that! 

To be able to get in the mindset of failure not being an option, it's amazing what 

the world looks like!

Finally, while motivation at home is the utmost important, sometimes have motivation when you're out running, or even just at the grocery store is just as vital! So what better way than having a shirt that makes you feel powerful? When you put it on, you walk through that bakery isle, with your head held high and you say to yourself "NO DONUT...I SHALL NOT EAT YOU!"And  you don't!  Instead, you splurge in the veggie isle! Why? Because you have a constant motivation! You have something to remind you of what makes you powerful! For me, it's this, my favorite t-shirt!

I hope this gave ya'll a few ideas. If your goal isn't to lose weight, that's cool, but we all have hopes and dreams! Don't lie, I know you do! :)  So, I hope some of these help you with your first step to your goal!

The beginning!

Okay, I have started in the middle of my journey, so this particular post, is to get you all up to date. You know, the "who, what, where, when why" and I will even toss in more than a few, "whys!"

Let's start at the very beginning. It was a cold, December night in 1984! Wait, okay, I'll skip up a few years!  My trouble with my weight has been something that I've been struggling with since I realized how much pressure there was to look a certain way.  So, elementary school! I was always the fat kid.  I never passed a Presidential Fitness Test. I was the first target in dodge ball, and I would be damned if I would EVER climb that stupid rope!

So, I went along in school, deciding, I was always going to be the fat friend that just made ya laugh! And I was okay with that, until one day, I could not find a pair of jeans under a 20 that would fit.  So, with the help of my sister and my mom, I did weight watchers, and did very well....for a while!

Then, college came! Freshman 15? Oh HELL no! Let's try 20 or 30.   So, after MANY failed attempts in college to lose weight, and repeat, MANY, I graduated! I went to China, I got married, and again fell into the "I'm just residing to the fat life" again.  I didn't like my jobs, I didn't like many co-workers, I struggled finding me.

So, I did what any person would do, I got a new job! Little did I know, at this point, this job would change my view on life!  I got a job at the Fort Snelling Base Exchange. While it was a just a little hole in the wall store, I met some amazing people! Still, at my highest weight ever, I started to not feel like, well, the fat kid! It was amazing!

Then we got the news of Colin's deployment. In January of 2009, my husband of less than one year, would be shipping off to Iraq for his third deployment.  And here I am, little wifey, working at the BX, eating my way through.  Then it hit me like a ton of bricks...I don't want to do this forever! I have a college degree and I want to do something with it!  While this economy sucked, my options as a PR person, were not one of, many!  So what can I do?

The summer previous, I had attempted to join the U.S. Army! That was a BIG fail! So I got to talking to some of the regular customers about my goals, about getting out of here, and possibly joining the army again! Tell a Marine you want to join the Army, and oh boy, hell is raised! 

So, the decision was made. I was not going to join the Air Force, I wasn't going to join the Navy and the Army was out, so what was left? The only option, of course, was to join the best of the best, the United States Marine Corps!!

My goal is in place! It took failure, after failure after criticism after rejection after tears, and after a WHOLE lot of frustration, but I got my dream.  Next step, getting to that dream!

So I joined a gym, Golds Gym to be a matter of fact! And that was the beginning of it all!  As I was sitting there, signing my papers, my fate walked up, and said "Welcome to our dysfunctional family!" I knew then, he was the trainer that I wanted! So I had my first session the following week with Norman and oh my GOD, pain is not even the right word to describe it.  Through the next few months however, I worked my butt off!!  Norman taught me SO many things, not just about fitness but I learned that I was able to push myself through anything! I had more fire in my soul than I ever though was there! I had determination and strength!! For diets: I wrote down everything that went in my mouth! I ate 1200 to 1500 calories and things were going great!!

Sure, I've hit a pleatu or two! While during them it's VERY discouraging, I just stuck with it!! The results?  So FAR, I have lost 51 pounds, and almost 21 inches!  I am going to admit it here people, because, it's like AA...I used to have a problem, but I'm taking steps. At my highest weight, I weighed 244 pounds! Yes...it was bad, and I was VERY unhealthy! I am now at 193 pounds, and am still losing!  I have 43 pounds to go before I go sign my papers for the Marine Corps, so I hope you all will come along on this next half of my Weight Loss Journey of a Lifetime!!!