Kick Ass & Take Names

I’m sitting here thinking how odd life can be.  You go through phases, people change, friends come into your life and then move on.  I like to think that I keep growing and pushing to be a better person.  I have recently learned quite a bit by starting my own business.  I wanted a career that I could be passionate about.  My true passion has always been fitness, so I wanted to do something that fed off that energy.

My idea evolved into a much bigger animal and I’m excited to run a website that I hope will be a fun and informative place to visit on the web.  I truly want to help people understand that being fit and feeling confident and healthy is a very attainable goal and if I can do it, anyone can.  In the past months, I have found that even close friends are quick to judge me.  My website hasn’t even launched yet and I’m already being labeled as ‘changed’ and ‘self-centered’.  I guess it’s easy to think that I just want to put pictures of myself on the internet for attention.

It hurts to have people that I care very deeply for turn their backs to me, but at my age, I understand that it’s just the way life is.  Everyone needs to find their own way.  I feel in my heart that this is what I was meant to do.  I have lived a life dedicated to weight lifting both because I enjoy it and I love what it does to my body.  I don’t see it as vanity.  I think it’s a wonderful thing to be addicted to.  The side effects are all positive.

I’m amazed at the overwhelming support I have gotten from so many friends on Body Space.  It actually brings me to tears sometimes that these people whom I’ve never met could be so supportive and excited for me.  I consider many of them to be ‘true friends’ that I hope to have for a very long time.  I have also gotten a huge amount of support from men and women at my gym.  It’s funny to watch, either friends step-up and ask ‘How can I help?’ or they pull away.  It’s just human nature.

My confidence is soaring, not because I’m ‘in love with myself’ but because I feel like I’ve finally got the whole Diet/Lifting puzzle figured out.  I owe it all to the advice I’ve received over the years from people who know a lot more than I do.  I just want to share my ‘notes’ with anyone who is interested in living healthier and feeling better.  I know that my intentions are good and I have to stay focused on that.

I get such a rush when I get a message from someone saying that they have been following my diet and are seeing results! It’s an awesome feeling and it really motivates me to keep going.  None of these tricks are my inventions……I am only passing on the things I have learned from others over the years.  I can only pass on what I do and hope it helps someone else reach their goals.

Thanks to everyone who has been there for me, I truly appreciate it with all my heart.  And to my friends who don’t quite understand, I will always love you.

Well now that the kids are out of school, I needed to adjust my schedule.  They do not like to go to the gym childcare and arguing about it everyday is not something that I want to go through. So my solution is to get up by 5AM instead of my normal 6 and get back by 7AM when my husband would typically leave for work.  It’s not something I’m looking forward to because all of my friends go at my normal time, but I am in my best shape ever and refuse to let that slide like I did last summer!

Yesterday I was up at 5 for a Work It Out Fitness photo shoot. That is my company and 2 of my awesome girlfriends shot with me. We had so much fun & I really appreciate them helping me! Today I got up at 5 hoping to hit the gym, but my husband needs to leave early for work and I’d never get back in time. So I’m answering my messages while I eat my oatmeal and then I’ll sew labels all morning. (My label order got ‘lost’ so they came too late to be sewn into my clothing. So guess who gets to sew in 300+ labels??)

So the plan is to start next week with 5:30 AM workouts without my friends to harass and support me. The early morning crowd just isn’t as social. I’ll just put on my ipod and do my thing. On the bright side, it will be out of the way early and there’s no reason to miss. We all have to make sacrifices if we want to be the best that we can be.

OK, here it is…. I don’t eat much of a variety. It’s just easier for me that way. I am always running around and I like to be able to grab something quick. Of course we all eat a small amount of lean protein (chicken, turkey, egg whites) plus a small amount of clean carbs (broc, cauli, sweet potatoes). I also have a small amount of whole grain with that (basmati brown rice). I try to make a pretty big quantity of protein & keep it in the frig. to grab. My husband also eats this way so I need to have my frig. stocked. I will boil or bake about 10 lbs of chicken & shred it. Then it is ready for us to grab a little portion at anytime. I bake a bunch of veges in the oven typically with some olive oil drizzled on them (fresh grated parm on top if I’m maintaining my weight, but no cheese if I’m trying to drop a few. Bake them at 415 degrees until you see they’re getting done - I do sw potatoes, broc, cauli, asparagus & sometimes a few carrots. Works for any vege. I also have a batch of basmati rice done all the time.  This way when I’m hungry, I have something quick to grab - no searching.

Just take a small amount of each and mix it together - I put mineral salt on it. If I want to get leaner, I skip the rice. I have found that if I plan ahead, I don’t even think about eating something I shouldn’t. I make mac & cheese and pizza, etc for my kids all the time, but chicken and veges is what I eat. I almost feel like a robot (lol) I just don’t think about it anymore. I like to go to the farmers market and get turkey cooked & shredded and in it’s own juice. That is great with the veges and rice. Another thing to quickly grab. Sometimes I get fish or breasts to cook on the grill, but I keep my staples in the frig. so that I don’t have to wonder ‘What is there for me to eat?’ That’s when you get into trouble. I drink flavored water all day long - sometimes hot tea.
A typical day would look like this - meals every 2 1/2 - 3 hours.

Meal #1 Huge glass of water & oatmeal (kashi go lean & skim if I’m maintaining my weight)

Meal #2 Protein powder, water & no explode on the way to the gym

Meal #3 Protein shake or lean protein & veges or protein bar if I’m in the car

Meal #4 Lean protein & veges

Meal #5 Lean protein & veges

Meal #6 Lean protein & veges

You can have great variety and eat clean, I just keep it simple

We just took the Jet Ski out to a local lake on a spur-of-the-moment whim.  The sun was hot and the lake was pretty empty.  I haven’t driven it since last summer so I was a little rusty.  Of course…..I got pulled over by The Rangers!! I never got pulled over before (lol) Well I was going too fast too close to shore (oops!) and we didn’t have our new registration sticker on the ski - I had it in the storage compartment, but we hadn’t actually put it on the ski yet (another oops!) Well that made for $200 in fines! But I got off with a Warning — Might have had something to do with the fact that over my bikini I had on a life vest that was too small (grabbed my son’s in the rush) and I couldn’t snap the top buckle.  My ‘girls’ were so squished, they were front and center!! (lol)

Oh well! Gotta love being a Girl! (lol)

Wow, so much is happening right now, my head is spinning! I have been waiting for my fitness clothing to get done and I finally have it!  I love how it looks and I am working to get it tagged and off to my friends who will proudly show it off for me.  My website is under construction and will be launching soon!  I want it to be a place to go that is informative and entertaining, I’d love you all to post your fitness & diet tips on it along with a picture.  I will be looking for before & afters, Fab 40’s & Fab 50’s.  Plus I’ll have a section of my friends

We all want to help others to live a healthy life, I hope my website will be another tool to help someone find the way.  I am doing video blogs (lol) and workouts so please stop by when it’s done!!

Thanks so much to BodyBuilding.com for featuring me today - what a surprise!! Everyone have a great weekend! And Flex275 knock em dead today!!!!!!