Welcome to Florida

My family and I have relocated to Florida. 

My chest is still healing, but I am back to work. I have started working out again, but I have to take it so, so, so slowly. 

I have learned quickly that I can't just jump back into my workouts. I can't start running again yet, so I walk. I can't do pushups again yet, so I hold planks. These little modifications make a huge difference to my life. It keeps me from getting reinjured, but allows me to do what I need to do to build my body back up. 

I am shocked on an almost daily basis as to how much strength and stamina I have lost over the last year. It saddens me, but gives me hope. 

I remember being soft and weak before. I was able to build me body then, and I can do it again now.  

Learning My Limits

As I stated last week, I have been dealing with chronic pain for about 10 months now. Luckily, last week, I finally received answers. I have tendinitis in a tendon that attaches to my sternum. This type of injury takes over a year to heal, with complete immobilization. Unfortunately, with the chest, you can't immobilize it, since breathing even moves it, so, it is going to take considerably longer for it to heal. That's the good and the bad news.

Over the last ten months, I have learned that my body has limits. While going through my certification process, I studied about chronic pain. I learned that exercise is extremely important for people with chronic pain because it helps prevent depression. I thought I understood. I didn't, I do now.

When you are suffering from chronic pain, it is as if there is an energy vacuum taking every ounce of energy you have out of you. All you want to do is sleep and rest, hoping to find a way to make the hurting stop. And the more you sleep and rest, the more the pain continues the easier it is to start being depressed. The more depressed you get, the more you want to sleep and rest. It is a vicious cycle. And when you are in more pain than you ever though you could survive on a chronic basis, the last thing you want to even start to think about is exercise.

The active, personal trainer in me hated me! I hated the fact that all I was doing was lying around. I wanted SO BADLY to be able to get myself up and go for a walk, or to do anything, for that matter. And the more I didn't the worse things got for me.

Until one day, I couldn't take it anymore. I told myself, enough is enough. At that moment, I decided to do small things, lay on the floor and do tiny ab movements, walk to the kitchen and back, use the bathroom upstairs instead of in the living room. I discovered that even though these things didn't make the pain go away, they made the anger and fog in my head go away. I started doing very basic crunches, every day. At the beginning, I couldn't tolerate walking more than a few steps at a time, so I took those few steps. I started building on them. If I took 20 steps at a time to begin with, a week later, I upped it to 30. Little tiny improvements. My mental clarity started to come back. My self hatred started to dissipate.

Due to the nature of my injury, my doctors still won't let me work, for fear that I aggravate and reinjure myself, nor am I allowed to lift more than 5 pounds, but they have finally cleared me for basic cardio.

I am not to push myself to the point of pain, so I have to watch my heart and breath rates, but I can start to be me again.

The more I do, the better I feel mentally. I found a pain specialist that has found a way to almost completely eliminate the pain through injections. So for the first time in 10 months, I am at such a minimal amount of pain that I almost miss it. Now, I only hurt when I do too much, if I lift something too heavy, or push myself on the spin bike, which is good, because this pain reminds me that I am still healing, but doesn't stop me from being me.

Every day has been a struggle, both mentally and physically, but I know that with the support network that I have, I am slowly coming back from the abyss.

Wow!!! Over a year!

I am such a horrible blogger!!! I totally haven't even posted anything on this blog in well over a year.

There is a reason, a really good one, I promise!!!

I have been battling something terrible since July 28. On July 28th, I woke up with chest pain so bad that I was concerned that I was having a heart attack. I went to the hospital, I wasn't having a heart attack. I have been undergoing so many tests that it is insane. They still have no answers for me.

Well, that is the depressing news. The good news is that I am learning how to cope with chronic pain. Chronic pain is a terrible, terrible thing to be dealing with.

I have had some very terrible experiences with doctors, but the doctors at Rush University have been so amazing that I have to rave about them.

I haven't been able to work, I haven't been able to do almost anything. It hasn't been great. I have learned so very, very much about myself. I am a lot stronger than I ever thought I was, not physically, but mentally and emotionally. I have learned to ask for help. I have learned that there is more to life than just working.

I have also learned that if you eat right, you can stave off weight gain after almost a year of not being able to workout.

I have learned that when you have chest pain this bad, you lose most use of your upper body. It has been insane, but, hopefully, soon, I will be up and running, metaphorically speaking.

Well, I am going to try and keep up with this thing better, now.

Not quite all better

Well, I am terrible at following through with updates I guess...it's been a few weeks since my last post.

I still have some trouble with my neck, but not so much that it is slowing me down anymore. It's just more annoying now, than anything.

My husband and I joined a gym. I know that my whole practice is built around how to get fit without going to a gym, but I really like going to a gym. And if a client wanted to go to a gym, I would create a fitness plan to include the gym.

Since I am starting to feel a lot better with my neck, I have decided that my goals of being able to successfully hold a proper crow pose and forearm stand by the end of 2015 are still valid goals. At this point, I can successfully hold downward facing dog. HAHAHAHA!!! I know it's not even close to the same thing, but, it is where I am at right now.

I am working on my core and upper body strength. Those are key to being able to perfect my form. I have a guide that tells me what moves to focus on to get me there. It will happen. I just have to be patient, which isn't my strong suit.

The weather here has me in a funk. I'm glad it has raised out of the negatives and freezing temperatures, but it still is in the fifties, and it's the end of April. I'm not saying I want it to be 90, I hate it that hot, I'm saying I want it to be in the mid to upper sixties. With a bit of sunshine, and a light breeze.

Joe seems to be so hungry all the time. And his sweet tooth is terrible!!! So, today, I made him a special smoothie/shake. He was going to eat a bunch of sugar cookies, and I couldn't allow that.

I took a tray of coffee cubes from my freezer and threw them in the NutriBullet. (Seriously the only thing besides my coffee pot and microwave I allow to stay on the counter, I use it all the time!!!) I then took the last two chocolate greek yogurt popsicles from the freezer and threw them in, added a banana, peanut butter, protein powder, cocoa powder, oatmeal, and almond milk. Popped the base on and blend it all up. It tasted like a thick, rich chocolate peanut butter milk shake. I could barely drink it. He LOVED it!!!  I'll have to remember this one for future episodes of Joe is starving and going to die!!!


Now, go out and move.

Neck, update

Alrighty folks. If you've been paying attention, you will remember that 3 weeks ago, tomorrow, I was sidelined by a neck injury. It sucked, it sucked big time. The doctor said at least 3 to 6 weeks for recover. I was not happy. The pain sucked.

Fast forward...Tomorrow it will be three weeks. The minimum expected recovery time. And I have to say, I may not be 100 percent, But I feel a lot better.

I am pretty sure my bosses at work have already forgotten that the injury ever happened. I mean they don't seem to be allowing me to "take it easy" anymore.

Yesterday, my one boss asked me to completely rearrange the shop...I still struggle with lifting because my arm muscles are directly connected to my spine!!! Certain positions really hurt still. But I am doing a lot better.

I watched an 18 month old last night...that meant a lot of running around and lifting her up. By the end of the night, my neck was pretty stiff and sore, but I took one muscle relaxer and went to bed. Woke up this morning feeling pretty much good as new. So, yay!!!

Speaking of taking a pill, I didn't take any prescribed medication for it last week at all!!! Super huge improvement! I'm pretty sure that at my follow up on Tuesday, he's going to release me to full duty. I can't wait, that means that the following week, I will start working out again.

And the only reason I am going to wait a week is that my work schedule next week is pretty intense and crazy. Looks like it's going to be a 60 hour work week.

Well, I'll check back in after my follow up, but things are looking better!!!

Sidelined by A Neck Injury

Good Afternoon, Everyone!!!!

I know it has been a while since I've touched bases, and for that I am very sorry. About a week and a half ago I slipped my C5/6 vertebrae in my neck. This has caused me a lot of difficulty.

How did it happen? Oh, you know, I was asleep in bed, rolled over, stretched, and pop goes the neck. Happens a lot my spinal specialist assures me. Let me be clear, I have NEVER heard of anyone slipping the discs in their neck sleeping, ever.

Treatment plan? A week of Prednisone, muscle relaxers, Ibuprofen 600, and rest.

Yep, you read that right, rest. Haha. My doctor actually suggested that I take time 3 weeks off from my jobs so that my neck can fully heal on its own. Now, I don't know about all of you, but I cannot take 3 weeks off of work and survive. My bills won't get paid, food won't get purchased, etc.

So, I am working, but that's it. No running, no yoga, nothing. It is one of the hardest things for me to do.

I am the woman that loves to move. I love to run, jump, cycle, dance, and just generally move around. Neck injuries are horrible. Everything runs through my neck!!!

If I walk too quickly at work, my neck spasms. If I turn over in my sleep, my neck spasms. If try to swallow too much, my neck spasms!!!

So, for the next few weeks, we'll be going over my, I'm sure, slow and steady recovery.

It will probably be helpful for those of you that have suffered from injuries in the past. And it'll be therapeutic for me.

Just a recap of how the last week and half have been:

-Monday, a week and a half ago, I spent the entire day in the ER getting and MRI and trying to figure out what had happened. Even through 10 mg of morphine, I was in intense pain. There was numbness and tingling on the left side of my face and my left arm. Diagnosed with bulging C5/6 discs.

-Tuesday: started my medications and went to see a spinal specialist. He said it was nothing to worry about and would resolve itself in about 3-6 weeks. Realized I always felt intoxicated, my world was spinny and I was nauseated.

-Wednesday:  I was scheduled to work at both jobs. Completed 2, of my 4, hours at the first job before having to go home from the pain. Went to my second job. Barely made it, by the end of the shift I had no feeling in the left side of my torso and face. Gave away all of the shifts for Thursday and Friday at that job.

-Thursday: Went to work, made it through 3 of the 4 hours I was scheduled to work before leaving in pain.

-Friday: Completed 6 of the 6 and a half hours I was supposed to complete!!! Yay!!!

-Saturday: Rested all day. Took my medicines as prescribed. Pain is starting to go away while at rest.

-Sunday: Worked my full shift, intense pain by the time I was done, but I made it. Went home rested the entire night.

-Monday: Back at job #2, the much more difficult job. Pretty much completed my shift, it was difficult and hurt, but did it.

-Tuesday: Rested pretty much all day. No pain with rest!!! Awesomesauce. Decided to go to the mall that night, discovered that walking actually vibrates through my neck and causes pain. Not good.

-Wednesday: Worked at both jobs. Pulling doubles sucks for my neck. Pain had been improving by the end of the night I was in tears.

-Thursday: Slept over 12 hours, every time I tried to wake up, the pain made me fall back asleep. Presumably from working at both jobs Wednesday. This sucks. I have to take it much easier. Cried all day uncontrollably from pain. Also, tried to not take any medications. Maybe there is a correlation. This was my first attempt to stop taking pain pills/muscle relaxers. I guess I'm not there yet. The shift at work was really, really difficult. Couldn't take enough pills to help. I'll have to keep a steady stream in my system again. Yuck!!!

-Friday (today): Woke up in pain, again. Immediately took my medications upon waking. I have to work tonight, and Fridays suck, they're always hard. I'm sure it will hurt.

I work at the less difficult of the two jobs this weekend. That should help my neck rest, some. My next full day off is Tuesday. Hopefully, I'll see some improvement after that.

I've been working on range of motion exercises everyday to make sure that my neck doesn't stiffen. I'm pretty much back to full range of motion, with just a small amount of pain. I guess I should be glad for some improvements.

Well, see you all in a few days. Here's hoping for improvement.

Mental Toughness

Fridays are my hardest workout day...also my second shortest workout. It is on Friday that I do my high intensity interval workout. It is only 30 minutes long, and I usually follow it up with a nice long yoga relaxation session in which I stretch all my sore muscles from the week. I then finish up with a few minutes of meditation.

I find it the most difficult to motivate myself to do this workout. I know that the long relaxation and meditation session are going to feel oh so good, but to get there, I have to do a 30 minute hard as balls, sweat dripping off my body, muscles shaking workout.

The hardest part of the whole thing? The first 10 minutes. I know that it would seem like it would be the last few intervals, but those are easy peasy piece of pie!

Those first 10 minutes are the longest of my life!!!

I do my intervals on the treadmill, because 1) it's colder than Hoth outside, 2) I can't quit my sprint without physically pushing the slow down button, and 3) I can control the speed and incline, therefore increasing it as I progress and tracking my progress easier.

While doing the first ten interval sets, I am battling my muscles that are still trying to accept that the workout is going to happen, and my mental self. I have to tell myself, over and over again, that it will be ok. That I am tougher than I think I am. That I have done this before and survived.

Then, I pass the tenth interval, and I'm all like, "woohoo!!! I just completed a third of this bad boy!!!"

After that, it's all a matter of pacing in 5 minute paces. I mean, I finished ten minutes, why not do five more. 5 minutes later, I've finished half the workout, why stop there. What, I finished 20 minutes and two-thirds of the workout, why on earth would I even think about quitting now. 25 minutes completed? Sweet 5 more minutes to go, 4 more, 3 more, 2 more, last minute.

Hell yeah!!! I am officially a bad ass!!!

Once I have completed my 30 minute HiiT workout, I feel like I could actually complete the feats that I do when I play video games. I feel like I can take on the world,

It's just getting off my couch to get there,

The hardest part of any workout is getting past yourself and starting it.

Now, get out there and get it!!!

Body Image

Sorry I missed last week. I had professional photos taken last Tuesday. Let me let you in on a not so secret. I have huge body image issues. Not matter how much a person reassures me that I look great, I feel like I am super out of shape and fat.

Getting professional photos done DID NOT HELP. I just got back the rough images yesterday. I could see each and every imperfection I had. I mean, I deliberately didn't do a ton of make up, so that they would be natural. And I didn't tan my body and glisten it up, so it would look real...but dang, it's crazy how bad I feel like I look. I, personally, feel like I am so frumpy and lumpy.

Remember, these were just the rough cuts, taken in front of a white background so that the photographer could drop different backgrounds in during post. I just felt so, I don't know...

This has been a sneak peak at those pics and into my mindset.

Fit vs Skinny

Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. How many of you have seen this meme, or a version of it? And there are several different versions of it. Some better, some worse. 

It makes me so mad when I see it. It sends all the wrong messages.

 1) It is so important to eat properly. Without proper nutrition, your body can't function properly. You're setting yourself up for a poor immune system, broken bones, hair and nail issues. Not eating leads to muscle weakness, not just in your arms and legs, but all muscles, including your heart and all internal organs. This weakness can lead to death. 

By stating that "Nothing tastes as good", it implies that a person shouldn't eat. It encourages eating disorders instead of healthy eating. According to National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, up to 24 million people in America have an eating disorder. Seeing "motivational" memes like the first 5 is mentally and emotionally devastating to them. 

2) The ultimate goal shouldn't be "skinny". These memes send the message that the only goal should be thinness. Muscle mass isn't skinny. Fit isn't skinny. If you have a bony collar and shoulder, you don't have a lot of muscle tone in your shoulders and chest. 

Muscles are important for movement and support. Our muscular system actually helps us move and breathe, and digest food, and move the blood through our bodies. Muscles are necessary. Strong muscles aren't something to be ashamed of. 

Resistance training won't cause you to bulk up, It'll actually cause you to build muscle mass. Remember, muscle is denser than fat. This means that it takes up less space than fat. Muscle also burns more calories than fat. That means that if you eat right, and workout regularly, you will build muscle and tone up. This should be the ultimate goal.

It's important that we start sharing motivational memes that encourage healthy eating and exercise. We need to STOP spreading memes and pictures that are devastating to the minds of our society. 

Our society already puts so much pressure on young girls to have the "perfect body". I beg of you, please help encourage all of our friends and family members to be healthy.  Healthy is good. Healthy is strong. Healthy eats properly. No more starving, no more eating disorders. 

Just one last thought:

Eating right and actually being fit! That's what I'm talking about. A truly motivational meme!!!

Yoga...ahhhhh

I haven't been on my treadmill in almost 2 weeks. Yes, you read that right, 2 weeks. And the little cardio lover in me misses it terribly. Don't worry, I'll be back on her this Sunday. I was just taking a quick break to get my yoga instruction certification.

That's right, folks, I am officially certified to teach one on one and small group yoga. I have always done yoga after my runs to help stretch my tight and tired muscles. So, I figured why not get certified in it. I completely agree with the mind-body connections that are stressed through yoga. The centering ones thoughts and focusing on our own inner strength.

What I haven't done, is full length, one hour classes...that is until now. And holy crap, that stuff is hard!!! I sweat more while doing yoga than when I run. My muscles ached so much more after doing a yoga session than when I focused on resistance training for the day. It was mind blowing!!! I am officially hooked. This ain't your mama's yoga people. This is hard core, make you sweat and hurt yoga. It is amazing!!! I can complete a session of Insanity with barely a shaky muscle, but I struggled to complete these yoga sessions. WOW!!! I now know what I am doing on my non-running days.

But what about cardio training?

I wore my heart rate monitor while doing these classes. Not only was I sweating like crazy, but my heart rate was in the working zone pretty much the entire time! I didn't know that was possible "just stretching".  Speaking of stretching, I am so much more flexible now than I was just 2 weeks ago. This stuff works, it really works. And at the end, you relax, and reflect, on yourself and how YOU feel.

Namaste, everyone.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year, everyone!!! I hope that you're all having a great start to your new year. We here in my household are. 

I know that it's winter and, at least here, dangerously cold outside, but that doesn't mean that you should forgo you workout. 

Bring your workout indoors!!! I know it is really hard to stay motivated when you have to put on about a million layers just to go outside. So workout inside. If you want, you can invest in some hardcore workout dvd's that promise crazy results in as little as 30 minutes a day if you workout 6 days a week and eat only foods off the approved diet guide. 

But isn't it depressing enough that you can't go outside and enjoy life? 

I think that best way to combat the winter blues is to put on some really fun, upbeat music and have a dance party in your living room. You can follow choreographed workouts, which are a lot of fun, get some dance party/workout games for your gaming system and dance it out while trying to get a high score, or just crank that cd up and dance however feels right. All of these are great ways to burn calories and put a smile on your face. And if you're an "adult" like me that owns their own furniture, you can even add some difficulty to your dancing by dancing on the couch!!! Seriously, I do this all the time. I tend to hop on the couch and dance around, the springiness of the couch adds a lot of difficulty, imagine walking on sand, but it's still fun. After a good 20 or 30 minute dance party, you'll be dripping with sweat and smiling from ear to ear. 

Take that Winter!!!

Treadmill, not just for running

We've been a little under the weather in my household this week. I think that nasty flu may be trying to attack us. I don't mind resting up to get over it, but I also think that a little bit of a workout will let you know exactly how sick you are.

Start off slow and steady. Set small goals. I usually jump on my treadmill when I'm under the weather. I can easily adjust the intensity and monitor the amount of time I'm on it. If I'm not feeling great, I tell myself, "Walk on the treadmill for 5 minutes. If you're feeling ok, keep going, if you feel great, speed up to a jog. If you feel crappy, you can slow down." This really works. Honestly, it does.

I do a lot of research about health and fitness. I remember reading somewhere that people often forget to train all of their muscle groups. The focus on forward locomotion. I do the same thing. Today, I wasn't feeling so great. I hopped on the treadmill and remembered this article, so I set the treadmill to 2.5 mph and started walking backwards, then side hopped both directions. This is a lot harder than it seems!!! Then I adjusted the incline and did it again, then adjusted the incline again. This seriously busted my butt!!! At a speed of 2.5 mph!!!

I feel a little better. I think I may have actually sweated some of the virus out of my system. Stay healthy my friends.

A New Year and a New You!!!

Merry Christmas!

I know it's been a while since I've posted. Sorry, the holidays got me. I had family fly in from out of state. I hosted a Christmas dinner. We spent the day in Chicago. Work, work, and more work happened. Then, the actual holiday got here. It's been a bit crazy.

With the new year approaching, I am sure that a lot of you are making amazing resolutions. You're going to lose a bunch of weight. You're going to give up all sweets, eat only healthy foods. I'm sure that you made all of these same resolutions last year. And by the middle of January, you had given up on all of them. Only about 8% of people actually follow through with their resolutions each year. Don't beat yourself up.

This is probably how it usually goes for you:

1) Set the ultimate end goal. Example: I will lose 20 pounds this year.
     -Awesome!!! I've got this. It's going to be so awesome! I am going to look and feel great!!!

2) The first week, you eat only healthy food and exercise, a lot, every day!!!
     -Oh, I feel so great!!! This isn't so bad. I can do this.

3) Week 2: Well, I've been working out everyday, I guess if I miss today, it won't matter.
     -Large amounts of guilt start to seep in.
     -Ugh, I can't believe that I didn't work out today! I'm such a fatty! What's wrong with me?
     -You feel bad about yourself. But keep eating right.

4) Week 3: You managed to work out 3 or 4 times during week 2. You feel bad when you miss a workout. You're still avoiding eating any "bad" food. But, your friends are going to dinner.
    -I guess it won't hurt if I eat these appetizers. I'll just work out harder tomorrow.
    -Tomorrow comes and you way overdid it and you feel bloated and gross. So, you miss your workout.
    -Then you miss the next workout.

5) By week 5 or six, you've missed a lot of workouts and are pretty much eating like you did before. You realize this and give up completely. After all, there's always next week/month/year.

You're setting yourself up for failure. You are setting up such lofty goals, but you are forgetting to set up the stepping stones that will help you achieve these goals. They're not impossible goals, their just difficult. It is important that after you set these goals, you figure out how you're going to get there.

1) Set the ultimate end goal. Example: I will lose 20 pounds this year.
     -Awesome!!! I've got this!!!

2) How do I go about losing 20 lbs?
     -I need to exercise and eat right.

3) Set a small workout/diet goal.
     -I'm going to work out for 30 minutes a day, 4 or 5 days a week.
     -I am going to start eating right.

4) Track your diet and workouts.
     -You can do this either with an app on your phone, or with pen and paper.
        -I track my diet and workouts both on paper and in my phone. Double accountability.

5) Don't beat yourself up if you slip up. It happens. Make up for it.

6) Don't make a list of foods that are "forbidden".
     -Making a list of foods that you can never eat again will make you focus on those foods and want them more!
     -Try and eat only whole, natural foods. Cook real food. Not boxed processed foods. If you spend the time and money on your foods, you'll take more pleasure in them. Another benefit? If you make foods from all natural fresh fruits and vegetables, well balanced homemade meals you will feel more satisfied when you eat them. These foods are full of vitamins and minerals that your body needs. This will satisfy you. You're body needs a balance of carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Don't cut any of these items. Just make good choices. For some extra help, check out the Choose My Plate website!

If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a message.

I'm a runner? I'm a runner!!!

The other day, I was talking to someone about exercise. We were talking about my weekly routine, and she said, "Oh, you're a runner."

That made me pause. My instinctual response was to say, "No, I hate running." But, I thought about, and realized that yeah, I am a runner.

I have always been active. I have always loved sports and physical activities. But I, much like the rest of the country, always groaned when the gym instructor told us we were running the mile. I hated running. It always seemed so pointless. Run around a track 4 times and call it a day. I could do that in less than 9 minutes. What was the big deal?

After I graduated, I continued my dislike of running. I would do boot camp classes, and hate the running days. I did cardio yoga, I worked out on the weight machines. I took group fitness classes. I still loved being active, but I hated running.

I still can't really pinpoint the moment that that all changed. I seriously hadn't considered that I had become a runner until earlier last week. I know sometime about 6 years ago, I started running on the treadmill at my gym before I used the weights, but it was still one of those required chores for me. Kind of like, "If you finish running for 20 minutes, you get to go lift weights."

Then, about 3 years ago, I bought a treadmill for my house. I remember the installation guy making a joke about how he loved installing all of these "really expensive clothing racks". I laughed and promised that mine would get used. And I used it, 2 times a week until I moved out of that house. Then, I moved into a 3rd flood apartment. No treadmill for me, that would have been really unfair to the downstairs neighbors. I did Insanity and Zumba, but occasionally, I would feel the need to lace up my shoes and go for a run through my apartment complex.

Now that I live in a townhouse, I run 3 days a week...and look forward to it. If I miss a run, I feel like I've missed my favorite tv show. I love the feeling of running. I love how strong I feel while doing it. I love the high I get after completing a run. YES, there is a runner's high. I know what you're thinking because I was always one of those people that thought runners must be on some sort of drug to say that they love running, but, it's true. The endorphin rush is amazing.

Like I said, I still can't pinpoint the exact moment I became a runner, but I can tell you how I got there.
1) I started small. I didn't want to have a "really expensive clothing rack", so I made myself run on the treadmill twice a week. I would do a walk/run program where I ran for 15 seconds and walked for 45 seconds. At first, I only did 10 minutes of that. Then I increased it to 15, then 20...

2)The intervals gave me something to focus on. I still interval train because I don't get as bored this way. If you are just running until the next interval ends, that is a tiny goal. It's super easy. And next thing you know, you just finished 30 intervals (30 minutes!). If I jump on think, "Ok, I am running for 30 minutes today, go." I automatically feel defeated. 30 minutes is a LONG time...break it up. If I'm running outside, challenge myself by focusing on each little goal as well...Make it to the railroad tracks, now to the tree, now to the next corner. Small goals. Easy!!!

3) I compete with myself. I track each and every work out I do on my phone using the RunKeeper app. It tells me how I am doing, as compared to myself.  This is awesome!!! I love kicking my own butt. I know that I'm not a fast runner, but I can beat myself in a race. And that's great.

Seriously, those 3 things make me WANT to run. It's crazy, I know. But it works. Of course, those are the 3 things I suggest to everyone when they are just starting any activity. Now, lace on some shoes and go...run, dance, lift, whatever moves you!!!

I'm too busy?

One of the most common reasons that people have for not working out is that they are too busy. And believe me, I understand that...I currently am working two jobs, outside of personal training. One is retail and the other is a restaurant job. Since last weekend was Black Friday weekend, I was busy. On Wednesday, I worked for 5 hours at the retail job, and had to close at the restaurant. I still was able to get my scheduled Pilates and Yoga sessions in.

I went for a run before we headed out to my husband's families house on Thanksgiving. I had to be up before the sun was up to head into my retail job all weekend, and I worked every night at the restaurant. I still fit in my scheduled workouts each day.

Was it hard? Yes.

Did part of me just want to skip them and lie around doing nothing instead? Of course.

But it's all about the motivation, the desire, the drive. I am passionate about being healthy. I WANT my body to be in the best shape it can possibly be in.

Of course I want to eat nothing but junk food and lay around the house watching TV sometimes. Actually, I want to sit in front of a computer and play video games all day while eating cheese fries with ranch dressing while drinking energy drinks...close enough.

However, I also want to be healthy. I want to feel good when I slip my jeans on. I want to feel strong when I am able to lift that 40 pound bag of cat litter. I want people to be surprised when they hug me and feel how much muscle I have. That is a good feeling. I love when people that knew me when I was in my 20's see me and ask how I lost all of the weight and look so good. It feels so much better than it would if they saw me and said I looked the same.

I want to inspire and motivate people to be amazing. Everyone has that opportunity.

To me, it's not about being skinny, it's about being healthy. I don't want to be that girl that gets winded walking up a flight of stairs ever again.

It is all of these things that I think about when I am tired and my mind is telling me that my body can't do it.

I know that my body can do it. I just have to convince my mind of it. I know that a lot of you aren't there yet. But with my help, we will all be there together in a healthier and happier tomorrow.