Mobile Gym Jen

We're on our way out west. Five days on the road with long hours every day. Colder than a well digger's butt. Got one workout in in the last 7 days. More later!

Lessons

Much of life is about learning lessons, living through an experience and coming out on the other side wiser and better. Someone who has lived a few more lessons than me (but whose name I can't seem to remember at the moment) said that when we stop learning, we have stopped living. I have thought a lot about that concept since I first read about it, and I subscribe to it. Life is learning. Only when we lie lifeless in bed, completely devoid of interaction and stimulus, when our minds are taken from us entirely, do we stop learning, and that, my dears, is no life.

The last 18 months or so have given me many lessons, and it has underscored previous ones. Often, my heart aches with the knowledge of which I am now so keenly aware. Moments are fleeting and precious, and the people in our lives are what make them worthwhile.  In this vein, changes are afoot. After all, what good is a lesson upon which we do not act?

The weather in north Florida is on the change as well as autumn has brought its chill a bit early. We had frost yesterday morning! I never see a frosted patch of grass that I don't think about all the mornings I stood with wet hair waiting on the bus or huddled in the passenger seat of Daddy's '79 Ford F150 waiting for the heater to kick in. Daddy was always convinced that I was going to catch my death from that frozen head of hair. :) So the last two days, I've not needed a fan at all for my workouts. As a matter of fact, I've had to wear a t-shirt and capris and was still a little chilly. This is the first year I can remember when I actually have looked forward to the cool weather.  I guess we all really do change with time.

 At Moe's yesterday (I didn't have time to prepare anything before work), I ran into a couple I took care of a couple of weeks ago. They insisted on buying my dinner. What a lovely treat!

A Little Happy Time With the Family

I've been away from the log for the week in favor of some time with my brother and his family who came down to visit from Tennessee. The have five children, three of whom she home schools. They are some of the hardest working people I know, and some of the best. We were happy to do our best to spoil them for a week.

One of my treats for the week was having new workout buddies. My brother works at least 50 hours a week, helps raise those kids, helps keep house and garden, and still manages to workout 4 or 5 days a week. He carries dumb bells in his truck and works out on his lunch hour--has for years. I suppose that's part of what keeps his energy up to keep up with those young'ns. He and his crew are quite an inspiring bunch.

A Smattering Here and There

Headed back to Tennessee for a visit last week. It was a beautiful (albeit short) visit. The little ones love to play with my iPhone aps.

My 15-year-old niece, Mandy, the older girl in the strip at the bottom, gave me these. The power ranger was an assignment in her art class. She said when she drew it, it reminded her of me. So when she finished it, she wanted to give it to me. She said that the power ranger didn't turn out very well, so she wanted to give me a good one. Therefore, the other now sits beside the power ranger, matted, framed, and lovingly placed in my home. They make me smile. I smile even bigger because she thought a power ranger reminded her of me.

I got the chance to see my nephew, Sean, who in a few short months will be serving our country in the UK. He'll be there for three long years. Thank goodness for the internet. Too, thank goodness for transatlantic flights. I guess I'll be making my first trip across the pond in a year or so. Isn't he incredibly handsome? I don't think he'll have any issues attracting that red-haired lassie he so hopes to find while he's over there.

While I was gone, my hunny built my Valentine's Day present for me. Not until I got home and was talking about it with the folks at work did it occur to me how funny it was for a girl who has never been able to cross even one rung before to build 16 feet of rungs to cross. How wonderful that my hunny didn't question it even for a second and instead suggested that we add a whole obstacle course to the plans! I had mentioned the monkey bars a few months ago, but for Valentine's Day he announced that my present was a whole obstacle course--one piece at a time. I love that he loves my insanity.
The first time I tried them, I could only get one rung, but it was one rung further than I had every gotten before. By day 3, I made FIVE rungs! Here's a pic I had him take yesterday. Yes, I really need to pack my shoulders. Thank you for noticing.

Chili..With A Little Bit Extra

I'm pretty sure everyone has a favorite chili recipe handed down from hunting fathers, doting grandmothers or spicey moms. I know I do. Chili is one of my favorite things in the world to eat, and I can make a mean batch. A couple of years ago my recipe for chili included lots of ketchup and even a little brown sugar to offset the heat and spice of the peppers. The ketchup and sugar gave it this great texture and depth of flavor that I had a lot of trouble duplicating when I began to make the recipe healthier. For a several months I simply made the chili and missed the old flavor with its sweet undertone. Since I always make a huge batch and freeze some, when I would heat up a bowl, I would add a couple of large handfuls of spinach to up the nutrient ante while I was at it. Finally one day, I decided to use my blender and add the spinach in the beginning, and then there was this head of cauliflower in the fridge heading to bad that I didn't want to go to waste. I decided to throw it in the blender and add it, too. I'll be darned if those two veggies, blended and thrown into the pot didn't add that depth I had been missing!...and gave me a great way to add some veggies at the same time.

The venison that my buddy bagged for me this hunting season didn't hurt either.

What a busy week this week! Four BUSY nights at work, week one of mentoring with LE, a 4 hour webinar, baby showers, dinners with friends and all the other "stuff" that is life.

Despite the busy-ness, I was able to keep up with the forums pretty well, and already this group of lean eaters is started to coalesce. They are a bright, strong group of women who are going to be quite inspiring, and I get the impression from some of the other mentors that the other group is the same way. What fun this year is going to be!

Today's thoughts have been about self-imposed limits and the following of guidelines. How many times do we not try something or not start something because we don't think we can do it? What could we accomplish if we started anyway and gave it hell? How many times do we give up because someone says we don't have the right credentials? What could we do if we proved to others credentials aren't always something we can put on a piece of paper or in an email? Certainly life sometimes isn't fair. Often it's not a fairytale, but more often than not, we defeat ourselves before the game even starts. I'm just as guilty of this as the next gal...or I have been in the past. But times...they are a-changin'.

Luna helps me pay attention to the webinar:

What Is "Lean Eating"?

August 1, 2010, the day before I started my first round of Lean Eating and November 20, 2011, as the end of the second round approaches.

No, Precision Nutrition's Lean Eating Coaching program has no late night infomercial. You're not going to see Dr. John Berardi, PhD on the boob tube at 3 am lauding the virtues of the program and begging you to buy his DVD and supplements and workout gear. No packages of quick fix dinners or DVD wonder workouts will start appearing on your doorstep. You're not going to drop "10 pounds in the first 10 days." As a matter of fact, the beginning of the Lean Eating program (LE) is a bit anticlimactic--by design.

The LE program stems from years of research and professional growth in the fields of nutrition, medicine, psychology, sports performance and any other field the PN team thinks might advance their knowledge. Using the latest information from those fields, Dr. Berardi and his team at Precision Nutrition took their basic nutritional information and developed what has become a one year course to help people live their healthiest lives. Not only is the program scientifically sound, it is brilliant. Each person who signs up for Lean Eating Coaching is assigned to a small group of men or women with their own coach. Over the twelve months, the coach is that person's guide to all things Lean Eating and that group becomes the other pillar on which to lean by way of a team forum. Each day brings three things: a workout, an assignment to read, and a habit to complete. Every two weeks, lean eaters get a new habit to build on top of the previous one. Individually, the habits seem quite simple, but when joined together they become the key to unlocking the door to a new life. LE breaks up the task of learning how to eat well into small, easily-digested bits that allow one to slowly and fully incorporate them into everyday life--for life. By focusing more on the daily habits and less on the constant and foreboding idea of "I must do this now to lose 5 pounds by Saturday," eating healthfully becomes second nature and weight loss is a natural progression of that change. This slow introduction of small habits is one of the many research-proven methods used by the LE team.

The LE assignments are another product of their research. Some days the assignments are quick and easy, and they never take longer than 5 minutes or so to read. Some days, though, the assignments contain a task. Sometimes it is things like checking out the local farmer's market. Others it's turning the focus inward to discover something about oneself. Occasionally, the assignments seem silly or annoying, but when taken to heart and completed with a commitment to giving 100%, they always lead to growth sometimes in surprising ways. Strangely enough, most of us overeat for a reason, and it's not just because we like food. LE doesn't ignore this fact but embraces it then helps us to find that reason so that we can move past it. Examining what makes us the way we are, inside and out, is part of what the daily assignments are all about. They are also about teaching us about the individual habits as they come along. Each new habit has a set of lessons teaching one why that habit is important and how to best incorporate it. Everything in Lean Eating has its place and purpose.

While the program is called "Lean Eating," it also has a workout component. The workouts shouldn't scare people away, though, because they are well-planned and offer alternatives for all fitness levels. The workouts can be as easy or as hard as a client wants to make them by varying weights and using alternative movements that are provided in the instructional videos, and the coaches are there to provide even more individualization if needed. Prospective clients often ask if joining a gym is a necessity. While it is not absolutely necessary, it might make things easier in many ways if you don't have a bit of equipment at home. I did the last round of the program that was a six month round and did it all with 6 kettlebells, a set of bands, a pull up bar, a TRX and a sandbag, but I had been using these tools for years and knew how to make the movements that they wanted me to get out of them. After joining up for my second round (yes, I thought it was that good), I bought a set of bumper plates, a bar, a squat rack, adjustable dumbells and a bench. I also have an 0.8 mile trail on my property. I don't anticipate needing any more equipment, but I might get a little something just for fun. Occasionally, though, I head to a regular gym when I'm traveling just to shake things up. The bottom line is that the workouts help make the body function better, don't take up too much time out of one's day, and there are ways to get them done.

The habits, the assignments and the workouts comprise the three tasks LE requires of the participants daily, and participation in the forums is optional. Each day, lean eaters receive a email, that one can actually opt out of getting, reminding them to check in to the home page, their guide to their daily tasks where they can find a link to their lesson, their habit, their workout and the forum as well as a link to contact their coach and the PN crew. While it's not mandatory to check in every day, PN has found that doing so increases one's chances of success. (They track numbers like neurotic gamblers in an effort to give their clients the best chances as reaching their goals.) As participants complete a workout, assignment or habit each day, they click a circle on the home page to get credit for its completion. By doing so, clients track their compliance to the program. At the end of each week, measurements and weights are taken and entered to track progress in a similar way. By going to the progress page, lean eaters can get multiple different visuals including graphs and charts showing progress and compliance, and coaches can see where a client needs to buckle down to find better results. Only the coaches and individual clients can see individual progress pages, though. At the end of the year, if a person's progress is 90% or better, the compliance percentage that research has proven has no choice but to bring results, and he or she isn't satisfied with their results, Precision Nutrition has a money back guarantee. I can't imagine that anyone has ever taken them up on that, though, and honestly, I think most people see quite impressive results with compliance that is even lower than 90%

I believe in this program. It is the most scientifically sound approach to nutrition I have ever seen. It is the most well designed program I have ever seen. The coaches and staff are some of the most helpful, positive, uplifting people with whom I have ever been in contact, and they care. Their whole approach to life is one of kindness and happiness, and they believe in making the world a kinder and happier place. They understand that weight loss is not easy and that it is not just about food but about why we eat the way we eat. Because the program addresses weight loss in such a comprehensive way, often clients have the experience that I have had, one of a transformation from the inside out. I've been a lean eater for about sixteen months now. Not only am I leaner, I am a better person, and I am looking at life differently. I am approaching life differently. And after sixteen months, the greatest thing is that my journey is just beginning.

Oh, and in case this has made you want to look into it a little bit more, the next LE program starts in January, and here's the link for more info:
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/products/consultation-coaching

Lean Eating January, 2011--The Pics

This past week was "Peak Week" for Lean Eaters as we got ready for the photo shoot assignment this weekend. Honestly, I dreaded it, but wanted to embrace it as I promised myself I would do with all the LE assignments. I have come to see that they all have their purpose and when properly completed always lead to personal growth.
I thought that the majority of growth for this assignment would come in the doing, and I did learn a lot from that. For me, though, the the largest growth came as I was looking at the pictures for the first time. Seeing myself through the lens that my husband commanded was like being introduced to myself for the first time. Then, instead of feeling like something was over, like the assignment was done and the end of Lean Eating was looming, I began to feel as if things were just beginning.
Here are a few of the results.

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Almost A Month

Almost a full month since last I posted. Time flies when you're avoiding things! While historically the internet has brought me into contact with wonderful people and has given me amazing friends, over this last six months or so, I have seen some of the negatives of giving people access to your life. It has been miscontrued and used to hurt others and just generally has not done the things that I had intended for it--to be a source of comfort to others as they see that there are people who have been where they are. I had a long, heartfelt talk with a friend about this issue and came away from it understanding that the way my words are used by others is not my fault. The writing for me is cathartic, so not writing leaves me empty. For some, my words are comforting, and not writing steals that comfort from them. So, I will resume my writing.

I have been continuing my journey during my absence here, and it has been going well. I work hard to do "a little more, a little better," and a week from today I will weigh less than 150 pounds for the first time since before I was married. Certainly I am still a bit from my ultimate goal, but I am finally actually moving in that direction consistently.

Randomness

One would think that after being away so long I would come back with great insights and things to share. Instead, I have randomness.

I wonder does the rest of the world live with this same feeling of restlessness in their souls. I suspect they do not. My older brother seems to have the same condition. My other brother and sister do not.

Mom is doing GREAT! I can't emphasize this or my joy about it enough.

I miss my Dad. Lots.

I compare myself to others too frequently. This comparison is the source of much of my unhappiness. Those things that make me unhappy but are not borne of comparison are the ones to be acted upon.

I came across a concept that I liked this morning. Things do not break apart. They break open. I think this is one to keep in the memory bank.

I have come to realize that one of my greatest fears is being "ordinary."

I haven't posted pics in a while, so even though these aren't the greatest, I'm going to post them. ( I was waiting for some better ones, but what the heck.) The obvious before pic is from August 2, 2010, the day before I started my LE journey.

Underwater Speleology

The weather is brutal right now. Record temps all across the US, and ours hit 108 degrees yesterday BEFORE the heat index. And folks, we live in some serious humidity, so the heat index really jacks things up! I can feel it in my workouts, too. The moist heat lies like a wool blanket over one's face at times, and when there is no breeze, it can be suffocating. I actually really like hot weather, so when I'm saying it's a bit hot, I know others are truly suffering. The dogs even lie under the fan in the gym to help stay cool. Extremes like this make me that much more thankful for my workout space. This time last year, I was working out in the back yard and would have been in almost full sun most of the time. Now, I have a wonderful shadey spot.

I had a bit of a "happy" here recently. We have a good friend who is a Hollywood stills photographer. He takes still photos during movie and tv production. Movie posters? They come from skilled hands like his. He loves to take pics in the water, so we will occasionally end up as his "models." After our shoot earlier this summer, he submitted one of the photos to a cave diving magazine to see if they'd use it on a cover. I'll be darned if they didn't put me on the cover! As an interesting aside, I looked at my vision board the other day and realized that one of the photos is from a dive magazine and is of a cave diver; it was my way of saying I wanted to dive more. The picture of me is almost a mirror image of that one.

Niagara

Could it possibly be two weeks since the Lean Eating Gathering in Niagara?! The days have taken on a life of their own, and I am simply hanging on by a thread, a tattered flag in the wind as they fly by.
For those of you unfamiliar, the Lean Eating Gathering was a meeting for some of us ladies in Precision Nutrition's Lean Eating Coaching program. Krista Schaus, one of the coaches (who happens to be my coach), holds the gatherings every 6 months or so as a way to bring together lean eaters for a workshop of speakers and some coaching in the gym. One of the speakers Krista brought was Gino Arcaro, a football (American) coach in Canada. In his talk he mentioned the concept of a "Stretch Goal." When he speaks of stretch goals, he means for one to have a goal that seems just completely ludicrous and work toward that goal. Though he says that he has met that goal more often than not, the premise is sort of that whole "Shoot for the moon. If you miss, at least you'll land among the stars" thing. Shortly after his talk, we went to the gym for our work with Krista and some of the other PN coaches. As she was reviewing our Bulgarian split squats, for my second round, she upped my weight to 2.5 times the weight I initially had picked up to use. When she told me which weight to pick up, my initial reaction was to give her that WTF?! look. Of course, my next reaction was to go pick up the weight she asked me to...then to split squat it no problem.
So often we underestimate our capabilities--not just in the gym, but also in life in general. One of my biggest take home lessons from the weekend was to continually push myself, to not only embrace the "difficult, difficult," but also to ban from my brain the notion that "I can't." Instead, the concept I will embrace is that "I can't yet," and I will test myself to see just how far I can go. The focus will be on the YET, not on the can't.
I came across a plaque in my wanderings this week, and in light of the talk had to come home with it. Here's a pic followed by some pics from the Niagara weekend.