Est1979’s BodyBlog

Yesterday was good.  I did a little 2.5 mile run (it was foggy, cold, and my original 5 mile route was on busy main roads; I wanted to avoid them under the conditions and heavy holiday traffic).  I noshed on healthy eats with friends last night, and had only 2.5 glasses of red wine.  All in all, not bad.  Today, I am tackling my "to do" list in order to prepare for our furniture shopping extravaganza  in Charlotte this weekend. We will FINALLY HAVE FURNITURE!  I am starving today…probably due to the wine last night.  Chores and avoiding crazy holiday shopping today and a run tomorrow. 

This time of year is always difficult for me.  I tend to become sad, lethargic, apathetic; I tend to drink more and definitely eat more and exercise less.

So, tomorrow, I am kick starting a new holiday riegimen for myself.

I was going to enter a Turkey Trot 8K in Raleigh, but it starts super early and the logistics just don’t make sense.  SO, instead, I am go ing to run 5 miles in my neighborhood.

Also, normally I spend Turkey Day with family (and they do NOT eat healthy, especially around the holidays); this year however, I am spending it with a group of friends who are like minded about health.  We will have an array of healthy, satisfying, delicious, (and some vegan for me) dishes to please our palettes and keep our waistlines trim.  I will also limit myself to only a couple libations, if I so choose to partake at all.  This will be step one of my regimen.  As the days and weeks follow, leading up to Christmas, I will make myself accountable by blogging daily about how I feel, what is going on in my life (stressors) and how I deal with it.  I will attempt to maintain a positive attitude, a consistent workout schedule, and limit my intake of alcohol.

I am starting 18 days of leave tomorrow, so I will have all the time to make the right choices and have no excuse not to.

Christmas is always harder for me than Thanksgiving, esp the weeks leading up to it.  I usually get stressed out about choosing and purchasing gifts, having enough money to get what I want for others, and the general holiday blues accompanies that.  Growing up, Christmas was a stressful time of year for my family for many reasons, and I think some of those stressorss still resonate in me to this day.  But, I know that just because that is how it has been does not mean it has to continue to be that way.  This year, I am making a change.  I am doing things differently.  I refuse to succumb to the pressures, the sadness, and the overall depression that I allow myself to slip into year after year.  It takes many months to pull myself out of the rut I put myself into, and I have worked too hard this year to become a better me.  I will not give that away this time.

So, this weekend I will be posting new pics.  I am excited.  But pale.  So very, very pale.  Whatever, I look a billion times better than I did in May.  I am happy with my progress but no where near where I will be in the future.  This will be an ongoing, progressive process.  I am happier, more self assured, comfortable in my skin, and feel better than I ever have in my life.  I think it is partly due to just growing up and maturation in general but I also attribute a healthier lifestyle and attitude to the success I have had with my transformation.  It has not only been on the outside; I have also overhauled the inside.  Anyway, new pics this weekend. 

While it has been about a month since my last post, I am happy to say I am still working out, living healthy, and feeling fantastic!  Lately, since I returned from South America, I have been up at 430 am, at the gym by 5, working out til 6, and then heading to PT from 630-745.  I was really tired last week but in a good way.  My body was being pushed and I was responding to it by wanting to retire early.  I have been lifting, running, practicing yoga; I attended a kickboxing class and recently thought about finding an adult ballet class in my area.  This fall/winter I am looking forward to taking advantage of the numerous hiking trails where I live, entering a few races in the next few months, and just trying to stay generally active and healthy, allowing myself to explore fitness options outside the gym.

Don’t get me wrong…I LOVE TO LIFT.  But I also believe that variety is the spice of life.  I also think that when you keep your body guessing by trying new things that it responds better.  So, outside of the above mentioned things I also want to try MMA, CrossFit, and maybe swimming.  Whatever I can do to expand my physical horizons I am down for.  I just want to know that everyday, even if it is not in a gym, that I am testing my limits and getting adequate exercise to maintain what I have earned and also excel to the next level of fitness.

Take care and God Bless.

Well, it has been just about 2 months since my last post.  And, I have done a ton of changing…..for the better.  The past several months of my life have been very difficult for me on many levels, but t the same time, it forced me to take a look at myself, decide what to keep and what to rid myself of….ultimately, I have grown and that is a great thing.  I have finally come to love and accept myself unconditionally.  In doing so, it has brought me such relief, a peace that I always wanted but could never quite attain.  I have learned about myself, my body, what I want out of my life…..it is all very exciting.  The best part is, it is all heppening just before my 30th birthday…..I am feeling so confident and loving the fact that I am getting to start my 30’s on the right foot. 

Recently I became very interested in natural living and natural healing.  This intereset spawned due to a skin illness that I had and was really putting a hamper on my lifestyle. 

I went and visited an energy doctor who taught me that I was full of energy (like everyone is) but that I was directing it in the wrong way.  I was holding a lot of anger and guilt (whuich was SO TRUE) and learned that it was holding me back from being who I could.  Then I stumbled upon the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) which is self therapy similar to acupuncture, but instead of using needeles, you tap on certain pressure points while stating positive affirmations about yourself (check out www.bradyates.com).  I tapped (tapping is another name for EFT) that I would rid myself of this anger and guilt and that  y skin would be clear by Oct. 

I went through a spout of depression and my skin went nuts!  But I kept the faith, knowing that God would deliver me from all my issues, and that even though I felt alone, I knew he was right there with me, cheering me on. 

I then started studying about essential oils and their natural healing powers.  I have decided that it is a wonderful field and I am planning on becoming a certimed aromatherapist to go along with my bigger dreams.  I digress. 

From this came the biggest and most helpful discovery…Hering’s Law of Cure.  Constantine Hering was a 19th Century Hungarian Homeopathic Physician who discovered that the body is made in this amazing way that it is able to heal itself from the inside out (mental and emotional before physical) and from the head to the toes, in reverse order of which they appeared in the body (most recent ailments to childhood disease/injuries/sicknesses).  This theory has been tested and proved to be successful for over 100 years.  And, I am also proof.

A healthy vegan or vegetarian diet is recommended along with fasts (eith juice or water)to not only live a long and healthy life while also slowing and in some instances reversing signs of aging, but to also induce a "healing crisis". 

A "healing crisis" is when the body rids itself of past illnesses and disease through the excratory system (urine, poo; through your nose and mouth and mucous membranes, through your kidney and liver, and through your skin.  Your body literally makes a timestamp of everything you have ever done to it, put in it or on it, and what it has gone through.  When you eat, your body takes up a lot of energy digeting food.  When you fast, your body uses that same enrgy to "clean house", or in other words, rid your body of illnesses.  A distilled water fas is most effective in inducing a "healing crisis".  Sometimes during a fast, people will get "sick" so they stop.  Bad idea.  The body is actually releasing toxins of past illnesses into your bloodstream, mimicking past illnesses, but it is working on releasing it from the body permanantly.  Fasting helps you heal, balances your body, boosts your immune system, and makes your healthier. 

Check out my video on youtube….search kabej79 and it is call MOV01.  If this is interesting to you like it is to me, goodle Hering’s Law of Cure and do some research.  It is all very interesting.

:) 

It has been a few weeks since I last posted and a lot has happened.  I have continued to make progress, I am nearing my goal date which seemed forever ago when I made it, and have made a really big choice.

On December 5, I am going to compete in the NPC Excalibur show in the Figure Catergory in Culver City, CA.  It is  my first of what I want to be many and I am so glad that I have my friends here to continue to support, motivate, and encourage me.  Steve Poynter (Stevep78) is taking my under his wing, THANK YOU STEVE, and I promise not to disappoint.  Not only do I want to prove to myself that I CAN AND WILL DO THIS and do it WELL, I want to show my TEAMMATES that I appreciate all they have done for me over the past few months.

TEAM POYNTER!   Check out……   www.fitnesspoynters.com for more information on how YOU can get the body YOU DESERVE!

About 2 weeks ago, I tried on my GOAL JEANS, took a pic of myself in them and posted them shamelessly on my page.  It accentuated my lustrious muffin top, dangling fearlessly over the edge of my belt loops. 

The other pair of jeans that I wear on the regular are getting kind of loose…and tired.  I now have to hold them up with a belt that I have to wear on the last hole.  No complaints there. 

Tonight, I was considering ditching the gym.  During that time, I decided to pull my GOAL JEANS down from my dressing area and try them on.

Now, when I received them from my house about 6 weeks ago, I could not get them all the way up my legs and over my hips and thighs, much less button and zip.  Then a couple weeks ago, as I decsribed above, they got up but looked horrid as my butt crack was on display because they still weren’t fitting over my rear.

BUT TONIGHT…..tonight was good.  I pulled them on….they went over my thighs and hips, totally covered my bum with zero exploitation of my butt crack; there was a slight apendage of muffin but, the amount is easily fixable.  I am really excited and proud of myself.  I thank God that he has blessed me with a healthy and capable body.  Without Him, I would not have success. 

I am about 3.5 weeks out from goal…I have 1 1/8 inches to lose from my waist…I didn’t measure the rest of me; the last time I did that was about a week ago.  But, I am within range of attaining what I want for now.  By the time Aug 15 rolls around, I want to be wearing those 27’s with ease.  And I will be.

Needless to say, out of pure excitement, I RAN to the gym at warp speed, powered through my workout and abs, and then walked swiftly home in the pouring rain.  Today…..was a good day.

Last week, I decided that my cardio was lacking and that was one reason why I wasn’t progressing the way I want to.  Now, not to knock how far I have come, but I know me and I have been slacking in the cardio area for sure.  Things are shrinking and tightening up most everywhere on my bidy except for my butt, my small inner tube, and the back of my legs.  I know my body and the reason why they are lagging is simple.  Cardio and nutrition. 

Now, my diet is pretty much on point.  Sometimes I still go too many hours between meals, but I am getting better about it and it is ocurring less and less.  But the cardio….I have come to hate it over the past 2 years.  But that is changing.

I challenged myself to 4 cardio sessions a week.  Last week, I got serious about it and decided to not give up on myself seeing as running is mostly mental.  When my body got tired, I gave up.  There is a saying in the ARMY…weak body, weak mind.  And it is true.  We should sontrol our mind; it should not control us. 

Last week, I ran 3.8 miles and was really proud of myself.  I did that a few times and then on Friday, I decided to run a little farther.  I did 5.8.

Tonight, it is a new week and I am going to push my cardio.  So, I started out not really having a plan, I would just run.  My goal was 7; I ended up doing 6.4.  If I would have kept running to my house, it would have been exactly 7 but I stopped at the gym and worked out with a friend.  Not a total loss. 

For the next 3 cardio sessions, I am going to focus on interval work.  I will be doing a minimum of 4 miles.  I am sure though, as sprints are my weakness, that I will not be doing more than 4 miles this week.  That will be something I build over time. 

There is a half marathon and a 10K in August that I think I might sign up for.  I know for sure I can do the 10K…I am going to see about maybe doing the half.  We will see.  It depends on how my Monday distance runs progress.  Since I am now up to 6.4, I think I am going to shoot for 8 next Monday. 

Feeling good!  Start EFD WEEK 6 tomorrow.  Seeing great results!  Can’t wait to see what happens in the next couple months.

Another day, another dollar……I am on the verge of leaving my 20’s behind.  And really, I am excited about it.  I am looking ahead to the upcoming decade as a refresher course, a improved and renewed self; a time to take things serious that I haven’t in the past and make a REAL life for myself.  I can’t believe that I am saying this, but, although I will always be a child at heart, I am looking forward to and eagerly anticipating learning more about who I am as an adult.

On top of getting back into school, today I took a few hours and got on the banana phone to my bank.  I learned some pretty interesting information regarding life insurance, savings, IRA’s, etc…..

I opened a Money Market account because it is a higher yielding "savings" with no min balance or penalty from withdrawing from it.  I felt good about that; I want my money to make money.  I also started an agressive Roth IRA (Mutual Fund) that I should be able to max out in the next 8 months.  Happy about that.  I also applied for a small permanat life insurance policy that will cost me very little every month.  I am building my portfolio! 

I have been interested in investing for a while but haven’t really been in the position to do so until now.  I am (thank God) debt-free and have no real financial obligations other than monthly bills that run well within my means.  It has taken a lot if struggle and mistakes to get to this point, but I am grateful that I am here now.  Now, I just have to save.  That is my biggest problem.  But I am taking the attitude of treating myself as a "bill" and I will pay myself before I pay anything else. 

I don’t plan on staying in the military forever…and when I get out I want to be financially sound.  I want to own my own business, so I am trying to take the steps to set myself up for success in doing that financially.  It truly is a great feeling to know that God blesses me everyday.  Just wanted to share my joy. 

Got up early, hit the gym, hit the pavement, hit the interwebs, hit up my new college and registered for the upcoming term and ordered my book, hit the shower, hit the kitchen, and now I am hitting up my Blog.  I love productive days.