Well I made it.

I am officially past 40.  I am 41.  Life is pretty awesome really.  I have a terrific family.  I have awesome friends.  I am in pretty good shape.  I was really scared to turn 40, because it seemed like many of my family's health problems started at 40.  Both of my parents are gone, and while that is sad many of the problems that they had could have been prevented by eating better and exercise.  We have heard it over and over again, but we are a stubborn bunch of people we simply don't want to.  I don't want to.  I enjoy so many bad foods and you simply can't convince me that Kale tastes better then fries.  Water is not as fulfilling as a Margarita.  I don't want to die really young though either and friends 41 is still young.  So in order to eat what I want within reason; I work out; Hard!  This year I have some goals I want to achieve and to keep me honest I will share them in hopes that people who read this will be curious if I achieve them.  I want to be able to do an honest pull-up, with my body-weight.  I want to be able to do 25 real push ups with proper form.  I want to be able to run a 5k in 28 minutes.  I am so close to that one.  The last one for kicks and giggles is to do 1/4 mile of burpees.  I hate the Burpee.  I also have a need to challenge myself and push myself beyond what I think I can do.  This is my last post under fitness.  I want to write about other things.  I hope I have helped or inspired someone by sharing some struggles and triumphs I have had trying to stay fit.   It is worth it, but it isn't easy.  I love and pray for all of you.
Melissa

Burning!

It has been one of those few days!  I rocked my workout yesterday and completely fell apart today.  I lost a friendship a few days ago, and I can't say it didn't bother me.  It did!  I wanted it to work but I can't change who I am and I cannot worry that everything I say will be misconstrued and it was.  I am humble enough to admit I am not everyone's "cup of tea".  I have found people either accept who I am or they attempt to change me.  It rarely works in my favor.  I am honest, I say what is on my mind.  I rarely cry.  In my younger years, I really hated who I was, because I felt so many people did not like me and I for one could never figure out why?  Time and a few close friends and a loving spouse and kids fixed most of that.  Now and then, I let down the wall that protects me, and again this rarely works out for me.  I am shy and for good reason.  Being alone is a good thing you can't get hurt.  Which brings me to today's post.  I joined a site that my former trainer set up with workouts for every day.  I set out this morning with great intentions.  I ran a 5k or 3.2 miles.  I did this in 30 minutes.  So far so good, then I set out to do the days workout which was weighted swings with a 20lb. dumbbell and in and outs.  4 rounds of 100 swings, 50 in and outs, 100 swings and 50 more in and outs.  I was supposed to  do this 4 times and for time.  I started on those swings and those really threw me.  My back started to protest, then my breath, and finally the puddle building on the floor did me in.  I did 70 swings and that was it no more!  I was frustrated, I rarely quit, but I also don't need an injury.  To add to my frustration, I had to log my failure, usually I don't post my failures.  To top it off, that former friend of mine completed it.  I really think it is great for her but made me feel worse.  Tomorrow is another day.  This is where I can put down my failures and really there is no judgement.  I have no idea if many people read this, this is for me.  I workout for me.  It is honestly the most selfish thing I have ever done.  Why do I write about it, because not every day is bad, some days are terrific.  For everyday that I have a truly bad day there will be a day when I will feel like I can kick ass and take names.  So for anyone who reads this, for whatever reason.  I could use some extra encouragement.  Please don't criticize, my grammar is not perfect.  My faults are very apparent to me!  By the way that back of mine that screamed during my workout is still aching, time for Vitamin M.

vacations

I love vacations including little weekenders, but it does nothing for my fitness.  I eat very bad.  Everyone knows calories don't count on vacation until you get home of course.  I got home from a weekend vacation today full of dirt with great memories and wouldn't you know an extra couple of pounds I swear were not there when I left.  Was it worth it?  You Bet!  I loved eating hot dogs, and enchiladas, and burgers, and lots of chips and a little dessert called "Sex in a Pan"  with that kind of name you know it must be good and it was.   Tomorrow my vacation will officially be over and I will rededicate myself to exceeding my own expectations.  It is nice to go on vacations and forget about eating right and exercising.  You just can't do it for very long.  I have goals to hit this week I want to squat 125lbs. I currently can do 110lbs.  I want to go 3.2 miles in 25 minutes.  I can easily do that in 30 minutes so I need to go a little faster.  I am running a 5K on Saturday, which also happens to be my 41st birthday.

Frustration!

This is one of those days I hope doesn't happen often.  I had to work out on my own today.  I will be honest it is not so much that I can't do it, it is just that I don't do it well.  I had to get my workout done in 1 1/2 hours.  I usually take 2 hours 1 hour for cardio 1 hour for weight training, stretching, and Abs.  I also love using the trainer that Planet Fitness provides.  Frankly I work harder when someone is telling me what to do.  It is also helpful to get advice and tips and I genuinely like the people I work with.  I am a people person and never knew it.  Today the trainer and I could not align schedules so off I went alone!  I am a sweater, not one of those lightly glistening ladies that look cute, no I sweat, profusely.  They joke that they really need a mop to follow me around because I leave puddles.   I am there this morning the first part cardio is not so bad I can run so I went with hill intervals walking uphill, run during the flats.  1 hour done and I think ok not to bad.  I clean my puddle and move on, what to do?  I did squats and lower body yesterday so I shall work upper body today.  I know me I just didn't do enough.  I wasn't sure what exercises I needed to do and how many sets and I was low on time.  I decide to do bench press machine, no spotter meant I could not do the Smith machine so I did the next best thing.  I get done when BANG I smack my elbow into the machine and it stings a lot and then starts swelling and turning colors.  Great, I still need to do Abs and should do push ups.  When your arm is hurting push ups are even more painful then usual.  I guess it just didn't help today that I had an eye appointment that I was stressing about.  Rightfully so, since now I have to shop for Bi-focals.  Today was an exercise in frustration and all I got out of it was a sore elbow.  The point to my little saga was there will be days like this.  Days when the couch seems the less painful option.  It is days like this when you must dig deep and keep going.  Remember, fitness is a long journey sometimes.  It will not happen in a day or be undone by one bad day.  Tomorrow, my elbow may still hurt, it might be black and blue, but I will be back at the gym with the trainer which is changing yet again.  I will persevere!  I will conquer!

Dieting does work!

  Diet, the four letter word that strikes fear into most women.  I have tried many diets, and failed at pretty much every last one of them.  As soon as I decide that a food or group of foods is forbidden on the latest diet, that is the very food group that I crave.  According to my body type and various health issues I should do well on Low Carb, or Paleo, or Mediterranean.  The problem is I can't stay with it long enough to see results.  I did call this dieting does work, so when does it work and for whom?  I have a friend who is male and he has lost a considerable amount of weight, he also exercises.  Men, they do seem to have it easier then us ladies when it comes to diet and exercise.  This friend of mine does weight watchers.  It seems like something I could stick to.  My advice on this is to know yourself and your weaknesses.  If you can't stay away from the cookies and ice-cream; I wouldn't go on a diet that forbids that food.  Me I am a french fry queen.  I love them.  When I am stressed out bring in the carbs.  I will eat the entire Big Mac meal at McDonald's with no guilt whatsoever and my stress vanishes as fast as the french fries.  I am your classic salty Carb addict.  I suppose that and my complete lack of willpower is why diets are so difficult for me.
  I also am a mom of teenage Boys!  Have you ever sat down to eat with a teenager?  They don't eat as much as they inhale.  Portion size is also huge!  I have a family of 5 but need to be able to serve 6 at least because the boys are hungry.  I tried to be vegan for a while, my family threw a revolt.  We want meat.  Vegan didn't last long.   My youngest son loves bread.  he has asked for loafs of bread as Christmas gifts.  Spaghetti at my house, almost has to include garlic bread.  So these are my excuses why I can't stick to a diet, but like my friend there is a diet or plan that will work, but it takes work.  At this point in my life to maintain my current weight and build muscle I gladly give my time, 2 hour sessions at the gym 5 days a week.  When someone invents the lose 20 lbs on the french fry diet please call me.

Sabotage

You are doing great, working out, making wiser food choices when out of the blue your mate says "honey I thought you looked great before, I like a little extra something".  Your long time best friend says," you spend to much time at the gym come out with us and party".  Little comments like these can derail your fitness goals.  Remember they are your goals, you have to look in the mirror.  The truth is if you are happy with the way that you are you won't put the effort needed into it to change, you honestly can't do it for anybody but yourself.  It is not about a number or size it is how you feel and honestly if you get winded carrying stuff up and down stairs do you honestly feel good.  Sometimes the friends or spouses feel intimidated by your commitment.  It might make them feel better if you weren't dedicated.  Don't listen to that.  I sometimes get a kick out of catching myself in the mirror at the gym doing a bicep curl and think, "I look Good"!  That is what you need.  Listen to the voice that carries you through when you are tired, and don't want to go anymore.  Say to yourself "Give me One more"!  Always remember to reward yourself every now and then, a new something, a little treat, a night out with friends.  Keep Going, Don't Quit!

The Hard facts

If you are an average American woman you are between the sizes of 10-16.  We never see any pictures of these average women.  We open up any magazine and what we see are beautiful, svelte, airbrushed beauties.  We are programmed from an early age to be critical of our bodies. We think to ourselves I will be happy when I am size X.  Or I will be happy when I lose X amount of weight.  We try all kinds of fad diets, or exercise videos saying this time I will get serious and do it.  I have been there, done that, rinse and repeat.  I turned 40 and decided that I was no longer going to play the yo-yo game.  I want to be Fit!  It is not a diet, it is not a special weight loss program, it is not a 90 day completely remodel your body fad.  It is a lifestyle change, it is forever.  It is not always easy, it is not always fun.  There are days when I just want to eat every french fry I can find.  There are days when I do not want to go to the gym at all.  These are the days when your support system becomes very important.  Becoming fit is not a destination it truly is a journey.  It is not all drudgery however and if you work at it you might find a healthy activity that you never really knew about and you love.  You might discover that a 5K is really doable and fun.  This blog is for everyone and most importantly for me.  I want to help people discover that they are a beautiful, God created, person.  I need to occasionally remind myself of that too.  

It's the little things

Yesterday I went to the local amusement park.  Do you know that feeling after a day riding rides, standing in lines, walking, and sunburning.  If you are like me you are absolutely exhausted.  So the question is did you work out or is that a day you need to make up.  You most definitely worked out.  Going to an amusement park, or zoo involves lots of walking, walking is great exercise.  If you rode any extreme rides you got your heart rate up.  Sometimes the best exercise we can get is that which doesn't feel scheduled.  You did not don the workout gear and sneakers.  You might not even have built up a sweat but it all adds up and you burned more calories having fun then you would have sitting on the couch.  If you are like me and have decided to once and for all get fit and healthy.  Pack all the fun you can into the summer months.  Go for a hike, go play Frisbee in the park, go to the zoo, botanical garden, flea market, amusement park, go for a bike ride.  The first part is the most important GO!  Live your life, enjoy the freedom that summer brings.  By the time the autumn leaves begin to fall, you will feel stronger and have more endurance simply because you spent your summer playing and having fun.

Friendship

Friendship.
 One of the most important aspects of fitness is support.  Some people are just fine to take off on their own, and do their own thing.  They get support from somewhere, maybe it is a gadget or a supportive family,  maybe it is an internal competitive spirit but for the rest of us mere mortals we need friends.  You know the people who log all their runs, hikes, and cycling into some app and post it in Facebook.  This is not bragging this is for the support.  I am one of those people who prefers to work out with someone.  I work harder, longer, and just get a better burn.  I like the trainers at Planet Fitness because they are there to push me.  I alone might not do bur-pees or do cable weights but I will if a trainer asks me to do it.  Today I worked out with a friend on a weekend.  It was Fun!  Yes I said fun.  I forgot that I was working out because it felt a lot like hanging out and doing something.  So my advice for today is find someone that is willing to workout with you and do it.    You might just discover your inner Beast and have a blast doing it to.

Perseverance

I almost imagined in my 30's I would find the magic pill, diet, or exercise that would make me the magic size I always dreamed of.  Well I am over 40 and I have looked high and low and there is no magic to weight loss.  It is hard work. It is not hopeless however and in the last six months I have made a lot of progress.  I have not lost a single pound, but I have toned up and now I can see muscle definition where before I had none.  In January along with most of America who make resolutions with high hopes of sticking to them  I joined Planet Fitness.  At first I did what I knew how to do and started seeing a nutritionist. In February, I saw the personal trainer who worked at Planet Fitness.  At first I tried to halfheartedly throw in some weight training but since I had no clue what worked and what did not I didn't get anywhere with that so it was stick to the treadmill for me.  I eventually started attending the classes that the trainer had and then the magic happened.  At first I barely noticed except for the fact that the numbers on the scale stopped climbing.  I  attended the classes two hours a day five days a week.  Eventually I surpassed what was being offered so for me and a core group of other regulars he changed it up with moves from Crossfit and Insanity.  We did some crazy things I am amazed I did.  I didn't die, and slowly a burpee or two didn't feel quite so awful but truth be told I still hate them.  My arms developed muscle and as any women knows those are the vanity muscles, the ones everyone sees when you ton the tank tops during the summer. I only had a couple of sessions with the nutritionist, I enjoy food and I enjoy drink; I wasn't going to eat like a rabbit.  Eventually as what usually happens in life the trainer I loved left for greener pastures and I just started up with the new guy, he is different, but sometimes different can be good.  I will use this blog to track my progress and to hopefully inspire others who have long since given up to step away from the cake and step on to a treadmill.
Here are my numbers.  My weight is 152.4