What to do when you want to give up on your new year’s resolution.

You can not believe it! This is really happening. Everything is so exciting. There is so much promise. There is so much enthusiasm. You are ready to commit. Time passes. Life begins to settle back into old habits and patterns. Soon there are excuses to why you just can't commit. The enthusiasm fades. You are ready to throw in the towel.
Sounds like a majority of relationships we have all experienced at least once in our lifetime! But this is no ordinary relationship. It is not the courting of two people in love. This is personal. It is the relationship between you and that resolution you made at midnight January 1st. You made it with all the best intentions and you were determined to follow through this year. This wasn’t going to be like the last time! Oh no! You were ready for success!
Success is still with in your reach. Do not give up now. Just when you want to throw in that towel is when you want to really take a minute, breath and get ready to recommit.
How is that possible? Let’s go over a few simple ways to keep that promise to your self.
First, look at the ‘resolution’ you made. A majority of us make a bold, all-or-nothing yet vague, statement. Though it is made with good intention, it is ussually a set up for failure. Instead look at what you want to accomplish this year and break it up into smaller more manageable goals that really mean something to you. Take for example the classic “I am going to loose weight!” This is good if you are looking to do so but what does loosing weight mean to you? Is it a number on the scale or a shape change? Maybe it is about fitting a pair of pants that you haven’t fit in 3 years. REWORD it so it becomes a series of small goals that can be achieved over an extended, manageable period of time. Example; “I am going to loose 20 lbs this year by loosing 4 lbs each month for the next 5 months”. Simply put, when you first start to feel like there is no way to go forward with what the resolution you have made, stop, breath and REWORD your resolution into a more meaningful goal(s) that you really feel you can own and manage over time.
Second, SLOW AND STEADY wins the race. The fable of the tortuous and the hare is a great example. Sure the enthusiasm, and gung-ho attitude gets you going at first but it becomes very exhausting to maintain. Besides, most of us really do not have our entire day every day, to devote all our energies into one area of our being. We have lives, family, friends, and a job! Those require our energy and attention too. By first REWORDING your resolution and then remembering to take it SLOW AND STEADY, you can begin to relax about fitting your new goal into your hectic schedule. Take it one step at a time, knowing each step is a step forward towards reaching your goal.
Finally, CELEBRATE VICTORIES. Matthew Kelly author of “The Rhythm of Life” states that the human spirit thrives on victories. So big or small, CELEBRATE YOUR VICTORIES. If your goal was to loose weight, then every meal you eat that is healthy and full of whole foods and unprocessed items, is a victory! Each time you enter the gym, and stay and workout (no matter what the duration) is a victory! The big pay off of seeing that number on the scale may be your ideal but each small step along the way aided in the success of that weight coming off and staying off. Being victorious in all you do will pump you up, keep you motivated and help you stay focused on what it is you want to achieve.
Reword your resolution, take it step by step and celebrate victories. These are 3 simple ways to recommit to a resolution that was made with excitement and the promise to commit. The relationship you have with your resolution is not over. It was just a little speed bump. Take a deep breath and recommit. You haven’t thrown in the towel yet! Take that towel shove it in your gym bag and 30 minutes later celebrate the victory of yet another workout that assisted you in achieving that resolution to loose weight!



Inspiration to take action today: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” --Confucius

the get up revisited

did i mention that this is one of my favorite exercises?


not today it wasn't...i decided today not to go for big weight and less reps but for a manageable for many reps...i wanted to challenge the endurance of my body (my shoulders in particular) the idea was to go through the all the different movements/segments of the get up and do them 10 times in a row on each side before moving on. i grabbed the 12kg/26lb bell and proceeded to start with the floor press, then into the get up sit up, then into shooting the leg through, then to the side bend 'T' and finally, the reverse lunge with bell over head...sounds easy enough...except that the bell is over head the entire time! on certain segments you are definitely more unstable than you are stable making it difficult to hold the bell steady overhead for 10 reps (and speed isn't really the goal, so keeping a controlled pace is necessary)

i managed to make it through without dropping the bell. the only time the bell came down was to switch sides...and interestingly enough, my left side was stronger throughout...i am right handed...hm mm.

after that it was time to further challenge my endurance...go through the entire get up, 10x ea side, no rest except to switch sides...again, sounds easy...by rep 8 on either side my forearm was screaming! the grip was giving out...i did not drop the bell...good work there. onto overhead presses...grip is already fried and the arms are tired...but hey why not go for it! i decided to do overhead presses followed by 20 push ups...in retrospect this was a good idea...however while i was doing it i was hating myself for the idea...and so were the noodles that had suddenly replaced my arms...as i write this i am equally surprised at how i am not as sore as i thought i would be...i will take this as a sign that next week i can pick up a bigger bell or go for 2 sets of 10 in a row! we'll see when we get there....

here we go!

hello. this is my first step into the cyber world and communication through more than email....my it is weird ;)

i am excited to share my thoughts and musings on strength, nutrition and health and fitness with you...i can not wait to recieve feedback as well...i am a talker and a learner...and sometimes a girl just needs an outlet!

so without further ado....

a reminder in humility and patience

i have rebuilt a lot of the strength i lost when i took the summer off of heavy lifting and strict competition...the rebuilding phase is definitely a humbling experience. i have reached a point in my current strength that i didn't think was possible 6 months ago...the thing is, any time off, no matter the deration, can humble a person once more!

i love doing turkish getups....the idea that a person can press a heavy kettlebell/barbell/dumbbell and move from completely laying on their back to an upright position, ALL the while that weight still unmoving in their hand, is fantastic! it is a feat of strength. one that i practice and play with at length...today was no exception...problem is, i still feel a bit weak from the time i took off for "the never ending chest cold". never the less, i grabbed a kettlebell of a weight i am normally VERY comfortable with, 16kg or 35lbs, and do the getup on my right side. whoa! un-steady she goes! it was clear from the onset that today was going to be one of those days...

i chose to do 15 minutes of continuous getups, alternating hands every rep. i have no idea how many i did a side...i really did not bother to count. i just wanted to do each rep and feel in control of the bell...the other nagging thought in the back of my head was, if i do not get through this, how long will it take me to get back to playing with the 20kg or 44lb bell?? a feat i am extremely proud of and am humbled by the fact i can not perform with it currently. i remind myself that patience is a vurtue...one that i am constantly lacking with regards to my personal goals and achievements...and i keep moving through the 15 minutes of work i have set before my self only thinking about the bell in my hand...

i finished the 15 minutes and felt really good about what i had just completed...i was tired but not exhausted. i felt that each rep had been performed with great diligance and integrity with respect to my very unstable shoulders...my shoulder girdle was sore but still had some lift left. i decided to pick up the mate to the 16kg i already had and do some pressing. i may only be doing single reps for today but the renewed sense of accomplishment from the getups allowed my impatient thoughts to quiet and just enjoy the task at hand for what it was. for my finally, i decided that for fun i would pick up the jump rope and practice my double unders...heck i have already been humbled by the bell! if my cardio conditioning is a little lacking it is no matter! surprisingly, 25 reps a set/30secs rest for 6 sets was not too rough...i think the time off actually helped my lung capacity...that and i am no longer coughing like a 50 year old woman who has smoked cigarettes since she was 13 :)

all in all not a bad day's lifting...