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Packing for Success

3/31/2012

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         As I was packing for my trip back to see my family, it occurred to me that I pack completely differently than I used to.  As the time of my trip drew nearer, I began throwing important things into my suitcase: my running shoes, my jump rope, my headphones for my iTunes music, my running pack, etc.  I noticed that nowhere on this list of essential first items was a toothbrush, toiletries, not even a stitch of clothes beyond ones necessary for exercise.  I have truly turned over a new healthy living lifestyle leaf.
           This started me thinking that one of the keys to my successful weight loss is planning ahead and making sure that I have all the tools I need when I am away from the house.  Now this is important not just for long trips but also for daily outings like going to work.  This week I decided to share how I pack for success on a daily basis.
         One thing I started when I began this journey was making sure my house was packed with healthy food choices.  If I do not have a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, easy to prepare protein choices, and convenient snack foods, I will grab whatever is in front of me.  So one thing Sean does religiously every week is to make a menu of daily dinner choices for the week and a list of healthy food ingredients we need from the stores.  He also plans meals that will enable me to use the leftovers for our lunches the following day.  And the secret is that I make the lunches as I am cleaning up from dinner preparation, so it is hardly more effort than just packing away the leftovers.  For example, last week Sean made a healthy version of fried chicken using chicken breasts, along with a green salad on the side.  I sliced up the extra breasts into strips, divided the extra salad into containers, and placed dressing into small cups before I put the bottles back into the refrigerator.  In that little bit of time, all the leftovers were back in the fridge, and Sean and I had a nice, satisfying fried chicken salad for lunch the next day.  The truth is, because I work out in the morning, if I had not made my lunch the day before, I would not have time to make lunches before work. Most likely I would have had to grab something on the road that might not be as healthy.  It is important that I pack my lunches at night so I can have a successful day of healthy eating.
         As you know from my blogs, we have been taking quite a few small trips throughout this year.  It is important that we take all our tools with us on these vacations, whether it is just for the weekend or longer ones that keep us away from home for more than a week.  Depending on where we go, we need to bring different equipment with us.  When we go to Monterey, they have amazing bike paths, so we bring all our biking gear: bikes, helmets, gloves, biking pants, water bottles, etc.  When we went to Mammoth last fall, hiking was our exercise of choice so hiking shoes and gear was essential.
         Here in North Carolina, bringing my bike was not convenient, so running and jumping rope will be the main exercise I do here.  I often look into the area where I am visiting to see what kinds of exercise are available to me.  In fact, knowing that I did not have a long race planned for April, I decided that in between visiting family I might be able to fit in a half marathon.  Tomorrow, I will be running the Raleigh Rocks Half, so I had to make sure I had all my racing gear packed and ready to go.  This is why all the first items into my suitcase for this trip were items that would be difficult to replace on short notice, like running shoes.  Running 13.1 miles in new shoes can be a huge recipe for disaster, so those were the first in the suitcase.  So whatever it is you need to keep yourself active, make sure you pack those in so you have no excuses to leave exercise out of your daily routine.
         I have learned over the past few years, that planning is essential to making successful lifestyle changes.  You cannot plan for everything, but for what is in your control, just a little forethought is necessary to put you on the right path.  Plan to fill your house with healthy food choices, pack lunches the night before so you have no excuses for those fast food lunch alternatives, and make exercise a priority when you pack for your vacations away from home.  Pretty soon you will see, like me, that it becomes second nature to plan your days around exercise and healthy food alternatives.  So pack your way to success--I promise that the extra effort will really be worth it! 

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My dad with me at the finish line after I got a PR at the Raleigh Rocks Half
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It Takes a Village

3/24/2012

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          One of the big things I have learned on my journey is that it is not easy to take on the challenges of making huge changes in your life if you do not have the support of others behind you.  This was one of those weeks where I was happy to have my team behind me.  I don't know why, but I had two days at the beginning of the week where I went absolutely crazy with food.  I ate brownies, some chocolate, a couple doughnuts, and my favorite, Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  I ate even though I was full and despite the fact that I knew not one thing on this list has an ounce of nutritional value.  I felt terrible--I couldn't sleep, my stomach hurt, and I had less energy than usual.  But the good thing was that it was only two days, and then I went right back to my regular healthy eating with normal food portions.  How was I able to bounce back and not just give up on myself?  It takes a village, and today I am going to share a few of the people and groups that put me right on track on a daily basis.
          My number one saving grace this week was Crossfit.  I may have had two days of horrible eating, but both of those days I did intense workouts at Crossfit.  This may have counterbalanced the extra calorie load.  The other thing that really pushed me back on the right path, was Danielle, one of the girls I work out with most mornings.  She probably doesn't even know how a few off-hand words she uttered in the middle of our workout really turned around my thinking.  At one point she just looked at me and said, "Dang Michelle, you have really lost a lot of weight lately."  It made me remember that I have come a long way, and two bad days were not the end of the world.  The workouts are amazing at Crossfit, but it is the people and their constant encouragement that makes Crossfit a very unique place to be.
          One of the newest resources I have in my corner is a group started by someone my friend Kay went to high school with in Washington.  Irene started a group on Facebook called Fit Fifty where she invited friends and friends of friends to join.  Everyday, the Fit Fifty members share their exercise accomplishments, and the other members are there to encourage each other.  However, Irene is the key.  She posts motivational messages, encourages those who have not been posting to come back, and she comments on just about everyone who contributes.  She is so inspirational that she has actually encouraged an incredible number of people to join her in running the Coeur d'Alene Marathon in honor of her 50th birthday. This safe environment that Irene started has really been helpful to keeping me more accountable.
          Another group that I am extremely thankful for is the Half Fanatics.  In fact, I think one of the reasons I run so many races is because of this group.  The Half Fanatics is a group that encourages people to run multiple races. Early on in my weight loss and running journey, my friend Preston encouraged me not to be one of those people that runs one race and then goes right back to being a sedentary person again.  I always have this at the back of my mind, and the Half Fanatics keep me motivated to do more and more half-marathons.  To qualify, I had to run three half-marathons in less than 90 days, and from there I have never looked back.  Before every race someone organizes a Half-Fanatic picture, and we get to meet new and old Half Fanatic friends.  In addition, throughout the course the Half Fanatic and Marathon Maniacs (the crazier cousin of the Fanatics) cheer you on and are there to help when needed.  At the Long Beach race, a Marathon Maniac named Violeta saw me struggling, and she grabbed my hand and pulled me ahead telling me that I could do it--and after that I was able to do it.  I ended up not only finishing but doing so in a very respectable time.
          The final members of my village are my friends Emily and Kay.  I have mentioned them in previous blogs, but I cold not write a blog about my supports and not include them.  Kay is always up for a challenge.  She makes me do hills when I don't really like them, and her smile and positive attitude often have me believing I actually enjoy these crazy runs.  And how do I describe the influence Emily has had on me?  I think the thing that defines how inspirational she has been to me is the fact that she convinced me that I could do the Tough Mudder.  I know for a fact I would never have done this race on my own because I honestly didn't think I was tough enough.  But Emily believed in me, and so I believed in myself, too. And here I sit, an honest to goodness Tough Mudder.
          So I hope I was able to illustrate why I can have bad days, or even bad weeks, and still get back to where I need to be.  I am not only graced by an extremely supportive family, but a village of families that each push me forward.  Therefore, I think one of the keys to successful life changes is surrounding yourself with people who motivate and encourage you--may you find a village as amazing as the one that surrounds me.

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Some Half Fanatic and Marathon Maniac friends
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You Get What You Get, and You Don’t Throw a Fit

3/17/2012

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You can practically see my house down there behind us
           Recently I had the opportunity to spend some time in my son’s preschool classroom.  Now the very special thing about 4 year-olds is that they feel they are the center of the universe, and as the center, they deserve everything they want no matter how it affects others around them.  I had the great privilege of passing out Otter Pops treats to these adorable students.  Of course they all felt they should have the color they desired, but there are only so many pink and blue Otter Pops in the package.  The one phrase that seemed to stop the whining is. “You get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit.”  In kid language this means, “I better not fuss about the color I get, or I may have the treat taken away.”  I don’t know exactly why it works, but in most cases the whining is stymied. 
            This experience got me thinking that maybe we could learn a lesson from this.  What if we all realized that there are some things we can control, and then there are other things that we have no control over?  What if we changed the phrase a little so that it did not feel like it was completely out of our control?  How about, “You get what you get, and you do your best with it?”
            There are certain instances in my life that I personally feel I need to apply this phrase to.  Number one on my list is the shape of certain parts of my body.  I can lose weight, I can build up my muscles at Crossfit, and I could even try doing 100 sit-ups a day, and I will NEVER get rid of that little pooch below my belly button.  When a doctor cuts through those muscles, twice, those muscles will never be the same.  I am not using this as an excuse to slack on my training.  It is just that if I have this expectation that I will have my high school bikini stomach back, I will be sorely disappointed.  I feel that making peace with certain inevitables is healthier for me considering I have had body image problems in the past.  I had two c-sections, so I just need to do the best I can to firm up the areas I can control. I get what I get, and I'll do my best with it.
          I know that in the past, I had lots of excuses for why I couldn't exercise: I'm too busy, it's too dark, it's too cold/hot, I don't have enough money for equipment or a gym membership, and the list went on and on.  Instead of focusing on what I can't do or what I don't have, I use what I have to get it done.  Now, I don't let these excuses stop me from fitting in my weekly exercise.  Because I know I have a busy schedule, I actually plan my exercise like I schedule appointments.  I also found crazy friends who actually like to run before the sun rises, so that excuse is gone.  In addition, I found they actually make comfortable workout clothes that can keep you warmer in the cold and cooler in the heat--you just have to research a little.  And to get around that money issue for the gym membership, I just got creative and traded tutoring for Crossfit. Not only did I use what I had, but I found new people and resources to get it done.
          Speaking of resources, another thing I often complained about was how once we moved from Pasadena, we lost all the nature trails and hiking opportunities in the San Gabriel Mountains that we had taken full advantage of when we lived there.  Despite the fact that I run most of my half-marathons on city street, I am actually happiest when I am close to nature when I exercise.  Amazingly, I just recently found that I am surrounded by the best opportunities for playing outdoors.  Who would have know that I could just run to the end of my street and hike/run/bike through meadows, streams, hills, over boulders--I have my own personal obstacle course right in my own backyard.  Instead of complaining about the loss of my Pasadena Playground, I could have been running through my own personal Murrieta Mudrun for years if I had just focused on what I had and not what I didn't. I get what I get and now I am certainly doing my best with it.
          Finally, one thing that I have been given in life is an absolute LOVE of food.  I can fight it, or I can make the best of this love affair by finding creative ways to make delicious food in a healthier way (see picture below).  I have spent my entire adulthood trying to find ways to take short cuts, bulimia being the worst of those ideas, but I think I have finally found a good balance.  Eighty percent of the time I eat healthy alternatives for the food I love, but twenty percent of the time I eat what I want.  If I want a slice of pizza, I eat it.  If ice cream is what I desire, then I have that.  Because I exercise regularly and eat well most of the time, these little treat meals or days do not affect me like they used to.  I have finally found a way to make peace with food, and so food does not have the same hold over me that it once had.  I have been given this love of food, and I really feel that lately I am doing my best with it.
          Hopefully, you, too, can learn from my son's preschool class.  When faced with something you don't especially want, when you wish something that you can't control was different, find a way to deal with it.  Obstacles are continually placed in front of us, but it is how we deal with these obstacles that determines whether or not we will succeed.  Find people to support you, find new and more exciting ways to exercise, make peace with difficult body parts, and make food your friend not your enemy.  If you move in this direction, then you, too, will be able to get what you get and do your best with it.

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"Chef Sean's" Smoky bacon chili served over a sweet potato--actually tastes like chili over cornbread
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PR, Baby!

3/11/2012

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          I actually had a different blog in mind yesterday--I guess that one will need to be placed on the back burner until next week.  I just have to brag a little bit today...as well as show a little appreciation to those that have helped me to move forward on my journey.  I have worked so hard in the last few months, and it feels so good to see it pay off.  Today I finally got a PR.
          For those of you non-racers it is just a fancy way of saying I finally beat my best time.  When I ran my first half-marathon at Disney, I was so happy to squeak by in under 3 hours at 2:58.  Since then, I have been able to get my times down so that now I run most races at around 2:20-2:25.  Last February, I was able to do Surf City in my best time at 2:19:36.  I have been trying to best that time for more than a year now.  Granted, I have been doing more difficult races lately--Temecula, Sedona, Tough Mudder.  Still, my goal is to eventually run a 2 hour half-marathon, so I need to shave some minutes off if I ever want to reach that goal.
          In the last two months, I have taken off 5 more pounds, I have been putting in my miles, and I have been going to Crossfit and building up my muscle strength.  I felt very ready for this half at Petco Park in San Diego, and I was sure I would finally get another Personal Record (PR).  Unfortunately, for the last two weeks I have been laid low with some kind of plague that kept me from training as much as I would have liked.  In fact, until last night, I wasn't even 100% sure I would be running at all.  But the weather was perfect, the course amazing, and I just decided I would go for it.
          Luckily, I also had my friend Kay who is a dynamo when it comes to running.  She has this amazingly steady pace, so I told her I was just going to run behind her unless my body told me I needed to slow down.  We ran together for more than half of the race when we somehow lost track of each other at a water stop.  I knew she was probably in front of me, so I just kept running hoping to finally catch up to her before the finish line (which I never did).
          I must say, considering how yucky I have felt for the last 14 days, I really had one of my best races overall.  I ran almost the entire race, with a little walking at this ridiculous hill around mile 9 (almost felt like I was back in hilly Sedona). And the icing on the cake was running in at 2:17:10.  I finally beat my best time by more than 2 minutes!  I only wonder what I could have done if I had been feeling a little better.  Maybe that 2 hour half-marathon is not that far out of my reach.
          So I will continue to run with my friends who push my limits--you know who you are.  I will get stronger through my Crossit workouts, and I will work on getting my body down to a weight where running that 2 hour race will not be as much of a challenge.  Thanks to all my friends who continually keep me motivated to go bigger and better, and most especially to my husband who makes it possible for me to have the time away from the kids to make my dreams come true on the race course. 

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Shortest Flabby to Flabulous Blog Ever

3/4/2012

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          This week was a busy one--lots of work, many family/friend obligations, and very little sleep.  In addition, someone gifted me an extremely resilient cold that I chose to try to ignore by continuing on and completing a pre-planned 5K race and keeping a Sunday morning running date with a friend.  So here I sit on Sunday night without a completed blog (I haven't missed one in months), but torn because I really do need to get some rest so I can tackle the new week--how do I do it all?
          Solution...make it short and sweet.  So I decided to include the Tough Mudder photo to the left because, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.  I feel this photo says more than, "Michelle is afraid of heights." Everyday we are faced with challenges: unhealthy food, schedules that make it difficult to exercise, stress that causes us to make unhealthy choices.  I could have climbed down the other side of that 20 foot platform and avoided my fear of heights--but I decided to face my fears and just go for it.  Make today the day you, too, face your fears, your challenges, that voice in your head that tells you you can't do it...just go for it.  These two quotes say it all for me:

Accept challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.  George S. Patton
Anything unattempted remains impossible.  Unknown Author

        Face your challenges head on because if you never start, you will never experience the feeling of accomplishing something you thought was unattainable. 

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    After yo-yo dieting for 30 years I finally feel like I am on the right track. 
    Join me on my journey from flabby to FLABulous!

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