Isn’t funny how quickly things can change when you shift your perspective from “I am not good enough so I MUST lose weight” to “I love myself so much that I want to treat my body with love and respect”? It’s an empowering shift moving from a state of forcing your body to be a particular way to allowing your best body to come forth.
I remember losing 10 pounds EFFORTLESSLY in 2007. I didn’t stick to any strict menu or have a set workout routine. I just focused on feeling good. I found that I was preoccupied with living and not the number on my scale. I did make it a point to sweat everyday, but that was as simple as cranking up the music and dancing while mopping my floors. Besides that my focus was just to stay happy. It wasn’t long and everyone asked me how I went from 118 to 108. I felt sort of guilty because I didn’t make that my primary focus. I didn’t even try, it was just a by product of feeling good. I have decided to go back to that method after realizing that the egocentric way I have been TRYING this year so far hasn’t given me the results I wanted. I remember that quote “Insanity is repeating the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.”
I needed to shift into the heart. I have started looking at myself in a loving way. I have been focusing on what I do have and what I am thankful for. I am also paying more attention to what my body is able to do rather than how it looks.
Here are a few things I have been feeling lately:
I am so happy that my body is free of pain.
I am so thankful my body has healed from several injuries.
I am thankful this body has given birth to two amazing children.
I am thankful for my energy, youth, and vitality.
I am grateful that I can pick up sports with ease and participate in all sorts of recreational activities.
I am thankful for my feminine curves.
I am thankful I have found raw foods.
I am thankful I love being healthy.
I am thankful I love yoga and all forms of exercise.
I love my body and look forward to showing it how much I love it through giving it a little daily love and attention. Here is a great quote from my favorite yoga instructor, Bryan Kest “The integrity of the web is dependant on the resiliency of every strand”.
Remember to take time to honor your body in more ways than the ones that affect you aesthetically.
While Steve was in So Cal he invited me and my kids to go to Magic Mountain. My kids had never been & I thought it would be fun. The plan was to have Emily (Steve’s daughter) with us. Unfortunately she came down with a fever the night before and was unable to go & Erin & Kyle don’t particularly like roller coasters.
My kids did OK, but honestly Meg was still pretty freaked out by them. Especially since our first ride was X2. WHOA! That ride really whips ya around! So, I think that it freaked Meg out so much she was leery of all the other rides. I was able to coax her onto a few more rides. She loved all the water rides. I didn’t show how soaked I was in the video, but let me tell you I was SOAKED!
We hit up all the rides: X2, Terminator, DeJaVu, Riddler, Batman, Ninja, Tatsu, Jet Stream, Log Jammer, Roaring Rapids, Goliath, Scream, Colossus, Viper, & Revolution.
I had not been to an amusement park in a long time, but I didn’t take into consideration my car accident in 2005 where I experienced vertigo. So, unfortunately I did get a little queasy and my head got whacked around a bit. I have been dealing with some nausea and dizziness since the trip so I plan on getting this vertigo treatment. It worked in the past so I am sure it will work.
Unfortunately, we were told that vegan burgers were sold at the amusement park, but that was false. We even searched high and low for fruits and veggies, but only found roasted corn. It’s too bad they search you down and won’t let you bring in outside food. We ended up eating fries which put my son into french fry coma. He wasn’t feeling very good, but it eventually wore off. So, if I go again I am definitely packing my own food. I’ll go to my car and eat…that’s fine, but Magic Mountain is definitely not raw or vegan friendly.
This weekend I am attending Steve’s Conscious Growth Workshop in Las Vegas. I can’t wait to report back to you what I experience. I know it will be a blast! So stay tuned for more info!
BTW, I have apologized for being so bratty to Steve….. So Pavlina fans…..don’t go after me at the workshop! 😉
In July, I tweeted that I did a Fitness Analysis. This is something I learned as part of my personal training education. You can learn how to perform your own fitness analysis by going to this link. It’s great because it gives you a general idea of your fitness level. When you see my results below you’ll see I added in a few extra elements to the test just to get a clearer picture of where I was.
I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the results, but everyone needs to know their starting point. Isn’t there a quote out there somewhere that says what gets measured improves? I have been more sedentary since I have been working online more so here are my humble results.
After reviewing my results, I was bummed that I relapsed and lost most of my efforts I was making on my bikini body challenge. My sedentary lifestyle is eating away my physical abilities and I really needed to step up my game. There is no reason that I shouldn’t be in the top 95%ile in all areas. Obviously, I need to work on my upper body strength and cardiovascular ability. I decided it’s time to get back on track & make some goals, create a support system and accountability.
Goals Run an 8 minute mile. It isn’t a fantastic time, but it is a big improvement to my current time. Complete 40 consecutive modified push-ups and 20 consecutive full push ups Reduce my BMI to 18
Plan of Action August I started a 30 day challenge. The goal is to complete a workout everyday for 30 days.
Cardio Plan Complete 1 mile 5x on week 1= Total 5 miles Complete 2 miles 5x on week 2= Total 10 miles Complete 3 miles 5x on week 3= Total 15 miles Complete 4 miles 5x on week 4= Total 20 miles
Strength, Flexibility, Balance Plan Perform Yoga 2x a week- 90 minutes each session adding in lots of push ups or chaturangas for upper body strength.
Support System & Accountability I created a yoga bikini body boot camp group for women. I love helping others by solving my own problem! Together we are supporting each other to improve our levels of fitness. Another way to stay accountable is by posting blogs on my weekly workout wrap ups. So check in weekly to see if I am still going strong.
I have already completed 10 days this month. I haven’t missed a day of doing some exercise everyday! Even better, my sister decided to join in on the 30 days of fitness challenge and has been walking 4 miles everyday! I love it!
Comment below and share with me your current weekly workout!
Over the weekend I spent alot of time with family. I have two sisters Amanda who is 5 years older than me and April who is 12 years younger than me. We had our girly chats and got to talking about dating.
Watching my older sister (who is also a single mom) get calls from her “potential” guy had me thinking about my romantic life. Or perhaps the lack thereof. I don’t know what is up with me. Most of the time I don’t even think about it. Now, I know I put out a couple of videos about dating as a single mother, but I just haven’t felt driven to date since the last 2 videos.
Is there something wrong with me? Am I too comfortable? Am I too independent? Am I just in a rut? Why isn’t romance really on my brain? Have I waited too long and lost the memories of what it feels like to be in love? Am I going to be single forever? Do I have a vision of a romantic partner?
My sister was asking me why I didn’t date. I replied that I felt good focusing on my kids and raising them. I also expressed that I really wanted to create and generate multiple streams of passive income and have a wonderful financial system in place. Besides that, I do have some insecurities with my body. I know it is ridiculous, but it is something that I allow to keep me from saying yes to a date.
So, now I am at a point. Should I just keep doing my thing and work on my business and kids and leave dating out until I am more established? I really don’t crave romance, or at least as much as I see others going for it. I feel like it is there whenever I want it, but do I feel worthy of it? Do I feel complete as I am? Or maybe I just haven’t met the right guy? I dunno, but I definitely see a lack of romantic drive. Of course, every now and then it sounds good, but those thoughts are not predominant.
My sister seems to think that at this rate I’ll be single forever. I don’t like the sound of that. I am not sure if that is just social conditioning that makes me think there is something wrong with staying single or if it is a true deep down yearning for companionship.
I don’t feel lonely. In fact I feel quite satisfied, but watching others go nuts over romance has me wondering if I am out of the loop. I am not yearning for connection. I feel like I enjoy lots of intimate and satisfying relationships.
What is my deal? Will the craving arise after my kids are grown, I rock my bikini body and I have a very secure financial life? Am I afraid and finding excuses to hide behind? Or have I just come to feel secure in who I am and the relationships that I have already that I feel complete? Or have I not fully accepted myself and until I do that no one will walk into my world?
Hmmm…… so I am at the point….to date or not to date? Why do I bounce between the both of them? Maybe nothing will happen until I make up my mind.
Just sharing some random thoughts. Share yours if you feel inclined. 🙂
My Fitness Goals To have a lean long body that looks hot in a bikini, also to have the athletic ability to surf, dance, and snowboard. I do not want to compromise athletics for aesthetics.
My Current Stats Age: 32 Height: 5’5.25″ Weight: 126.8 lbs. Body Fat: 22.8% ( 29 lbs of fat)* BMI: 21 Measurements: Bust: 35″, Waist: 27″, Navel: 29.50″, Hips: 37.75″, Thigh: 22.50″, Upper Arm: 11.25″, Calf: 13.50″
Ideal Body Composition Weight: 113 Body fat: 16% ** BMI: 18.7 Measurements: Bust: 34″, Waist: 25″, Hips: 35″
The Difference Weight: 14 lbs. Body fat: 6.8% BMI: 2.3 Measurements: Bust: 1″, Waist: 2″, Hips 2.75″
Because I am female I have higher estrogen and lower testosterone. This means it takes women longer to gain a pound of muscle than it does for men. On average, it takes men 2 weeks to gain a pound of muscle and for women it takes about 4 weeks. Lean muscle raises the metobolic rate. 1 lb. of muscle burns 35-75 calories a day. Therefore, if I gained 8 lbs. of muscle, I would be burning 280-600 more calories a day, which would allow me to get more nutrient into my body.
Workout Plan 3-4 hours of dance class a week (latin & hip hop) for fun cardio. 1-2 times a week swimming to build upper body strength for paddling when I surf 3 hours of yoga for strength and range of motion. 3: 30 minute strength training sessions (Day 1: core, Day 2: lower body, Day 3: upper body)
During strength training I am to maintain a target heart rate range of 136-146, with ideal at 141 (according to my age). 80% of my strength training should be with free weights because they recruit more muscle fibers than machines. 20% should be on machines so I can keep proper form and my heart rate up between exercises. The machines would be a bit of a support and provide a bit of rest from the free weight exercises.
Stay posted for my fitness analysis video on cardio, strength, balance, and flexibility. This should be fun and quite possibly embarrassing. 🙂
* Figuring my pounds of fat by multiplying my weight (127) by my body fat% ( 22.8) and dividing that number by 100. This gave me a reading of 29 (technically 28.9) pounds of fat are on my body.
** Dr. Douglas Graham recommends for women about 13-19% body fat.
If you are running through life feeling overwhelmed and not really making the impact you know you want, or wishing you felt alive and filled with passion then you are going to LOVE me!
