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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!

Mojo...Or Lack Thereof

 

I've been busy the last several weeks as we continue to prepare for our adventure. The motor home is getting packed up and organized. Luna's been to the vet for a check up and vaccinations. Laundry has been done...and done some more, and life has been in a bit of upheaval.  With it my mojo seems to have been packed away somewhere, and I find myself having to really push to get out and do what I know I must to stay sane--workout.  I get out there, though, and I work. I even push and then push a little harder although I suspect I could push even harder if I tried. 

Since the successful end of my Whole30, nutrition has been even more of a challenge than the workouts. I suspect stress is a big factor. I continue to have the twitch in my eyelid, the nightmares and just general anxiety, something I am unaccustomed to fighting for this long. I hope that as we hit the road next week, these things decide to melt away.

Going Mobile & Whole30 Day 12

The hubby and I are preparing for our next big change in life--hitting the road and traveling for the next couple of years, working here, there and yon. One of the things I will miss dearly is my own little therapeutic space. I love Gym Jen. I find peace there. I won't be completely leaving it behind, though. I'll be taking the portable gear, including the kettlebells, the TRX, the sandbags, etc., with me. I've done this for a long time when we went on vacation, but this time it'll be a bit more permanent, so I'm taking more of my gear. Here's a peak at this week's "Mobile Gym Jen."

Also, today is Day 12 of my second Whole30. Still trucking along okay, but the cravings have increased a little today. Tolerable, though.

There's Just No Denying It

Whole30, Day 7. Yesterday the "carb flu" started to set in. My legs are aching, and my head is a bit woozie, a little unclear. Despite these bumps in the road, I cannot deny my body likes this way of fueling myself. Marc asked me yesterday what was up. He said that I was "glowing." =) Already the fuzzies are diminishing (I know that may be TMI, but I think it's pertinent, so I mention it). And today I started a menstrual cycle (again TMI?). It's been a few months since my last one, and I have no doubts that this one stems from hormones falling back into kilter. I'm not sure exactly which thing is causing my grumpies, but my patience has definitely worn thin.

Whole30--Day 5

I think I'm beginning to get into the grumpies and the fatigue--just barely. I have had a minor headache for the last three days. My workout today did not feel as strong as usual, and my attitude has been poopy. Then again, maybe I just have a crappy attitude.

On a happier note, Mama's Gerbera daisy bloomed today. I like to think it's her sending me a smile.

Whole30#2--Day 4

I decided a while back that I would do a second Whole30 after getting back home from my "holiday" trip to Tennessee. Hopefully this time I will be better able to ease back into some of the eliminated foods to ascertain my tolerance of them. Today is day four of that project, and I am ravenous...emotionally. Physically my appetite is well controlled, and I don't feel hungry at all. Emotionally, I miss my stevia sweetened tea like a toddler misses its woobie, and I want to nibble constantly.  Part of me feels a bit less dedicated to this process than last time, but I will finish it. It will be done--in 27 days.

Turns Out It's Uncertainty

Over the last few weeks I've grappled with emotional eating more than I have in the last two years, and I have found that odd. Surely losing both my parents and my babygirl would stress my resolve as much as it could be stressed. I have turned my stressors over and over in my mind, and I think I've reached a pretty fair conclusion. I can deal with certain pain--or certain happiness. It's uncertainty with which I struggle. As we change from our current lifestyle, and prepare for the next phase of life, things are taking a while to fall into place, and that is wearing on my emotions. The last major weight gain I had was over twenty pounds in two months--in a time of great uncertainty. Better mind my P's and Q's.

Dare Mighty Things

"The Year of Broken Things." That is the way 2012 will forever be remembered in my mind. It was full of heartbreak and disappointment, and while I try not to wish time away, I am glad to say "good riddance" to it. I know it held some great and wonderful things, but I don't have the time to think long enough to remember them. When I woke up on the morning of December 31st, I felt a lightness of heart that I couldn't remember. I felt good--physically and emotionally--and suddenly, having felt that way once again, the absence of it in the past year and a half was felt all the more.

A couple of days before the end of the year I came across this quote from Theodore Roosevelt, "Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." It reached out to me, as things sometimes will, and struck me as a good thought to tuck back for the coming year. Specifically, "DARE MIGHTY THINGS" jumped out. 

One of Marc's friends asked him a few months ago if I had made it through my mid-life crisis yet. After I got over being pissed off that he accused me of being middle aged, I realized he was right. I've spent the last two years or so trying to figure out my place in the world, trying to decide if my career path was completely off track or if it was just at a less scenic point in the journey. That self-reflection along with some ideas that we've been tossing back and forth for years has led to some major changes for us. I've quit my current job, and Marc and I have decided to focus a little differently on life for the foreseeable future. The rough draft has been put in place, but we're still working on the details. This quote reminded me that as we grow up and age, we lose our imagination in a lot of ways and sometimes lose faith in our ability to accomplish great things. Without imagination or faith, we stumble along in the same safe rut, never seeing the other beautiful things we can do.

So while 2012 was the Year of Broken Things, 2013 shall be the Year of Daring Mighty Things.

Challenges

Sometimes the idea of doing "a little more a little better" seems like such slow progress. Day in and day out, it's difficult to appreciate where we are going and where we have been. Occasionally though after weeks or months (or sometimes years) of trudging away after a goal, we randomly experience something we never thought possible.

For months on and off, I've been doing handstand walkups and holding them for a while as a part of some of my workouts. After seeing pic after pic of my RKC buddies doing one-armed handstands, I decided to see how far I could get. Imagine my surprise when I nailed it first time! I was dumbfounded--especially when I did it again, and then on my less strong side! I was bubbling with excitement.

With the coming of autumn and a return to standard time, the light wanes quickly but it is certainly beautiful when it's here. ...and the Gym Jen lighting system is a fun change up to the routine. ;)

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!

My Whole30 Comes To An End

It's been a busy few weeks. Right smack in the middle of my Whole30, I went to Las Vegas for a class--12-14 hours a day of classes for 4 days. I used to love Vegas, and you just can't beat the food there. I won't lie, I was bummed not to be able to take advantage of the culinary delights in Sin City, but I was determined to stick to the plan, and I did. As a matter of fact, I still had the best meal I've had in years at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant while I was there. It was absolutely perfect. The class was exhausting but productive, I didn't overindulge, and I even got in a couple of workouts. Despite being painfully homesick, not a bad trip overall.

I continued the Whole30 after I got back, and ultimately enjoyed the overall experience quite a bit. Breaking it down to the basic numbers, over the 30 days, I lost 7.5 pounds and 8.25 total inches. For those of you who have been following me over the years, you will know this is nothing short of monumental for me. I also noticed that my mood was, indeed, improved. Mind you, I didn't experience the paleo giddiness that some folks report, but I have noticed that my mood is better. My skin is clearer. I didn't have the breakouts and blemishes during this cycle that I typically do.  And (this might be TMI, but I think it's significant so I'm going to share it) I also noticed that the "fuzzies"...you ladies who have them will know of what I speak... are markedly better. There is no doubt that my hormones are in better balance than they were before the Whole30. One of my goals with the Whole30, though, was decreasing the number and severity of headaches that I'm having, and I didn't see much improvement. I did see some, just not enough, so I've decided it's time to check in with a neurologist and make sure nothing hinky is going on.

The restrictions of the Whole30 were over just in time for our friends' Clint and Caitlin's wedding this weekend. We headed down to Anna Maria Island Thursday after I got off of work and joined them for the rehearsal dinner.  After not sleeping for thirty hours, I collapsed into bed and finally slept well for the first time in two weeks--even woke up energized enough for a great beach workout before the wedding festivities. Luna naturally joined me for the beach fun but she wasn't so sure about those waves we were trotting along next to, lol. Regardless, she got some playtime outside before having to chill by herself while Marc and I enjoyed ourselves at the wedding.

Tomorrow I start phase 9 of my workouts from Jennifer Cooper, so today I decided to just spend some time playing. Here's the evidence (note playing with my one rep max deadlift was part of the play. Turns out it's 170#, about 110% of body weight):

Whole 30--Day 16

I was feeling pretty good about where this whole endeavor is going, like I'm slimming up some--losing some fat. And I still believe that, but I still had my bubble burst today as I was trying on clothes for going out of town.  Ugh.  I also think I'm putting on muscle in my ass and thighs. I'll welcome it in my ass. In my thighs, however, I'll just have to tolerate it. They're already...um... shall we say...strong.

Whole30--Day 13

I might be crazy, but I think the fatigue is lifting.  I also think I can see my skin clearing and feel my neck (that is to say my traps) loosening up some.  I really firkin miss my stevia.

Whole 30--Day10

 

My head is foggy, and I am crazy sleepy, but the leg aches have gone away. At this point, I 'm trying to convince myself NOT to go off the program for the 5 days I'm in Vegas next week for a class. I'll be by myself and in class 12-14 hours a day, so going off would just be retarded. So far no difference in the headaches but I've definitely noticed some leaning out. (Strict Whole 30 is no weights or measurements for the whole month, so I'm not sure what those differences are.)

Whole 30-Day 6

My muscles are aching like a son of a gun. I can't decide if it's from the diet, a bug I've caught at work or not taking my Natural Calm because it has Stevia in it. Regardless I feel like doody, and I'm making a concession by ingestion enough Stevia to go in my Natural Calm tonight. As a matter of fact, why don't I go do that now...

Whole 30--Day 2

Day two, and I am seriously jonesin' for some stevia sweetened tea--iced black or hot green. I suppose that affirms my need not to have it for a while. I almost gave up the 30 days based just on not being able to have my stevia. And I've been starving. I'm not eating any less food, so I'm hoping my metabolism is just smoking through. :)

Yesterday wasn't bad except for the hunger.

28 days to go.

Whole 30

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I need a boost, a kick in the pants, something to kick start me for a while. I need a bit of progress. I need for my headaches, which for a while had gotten much better, to decrease from their current three or four days a week. Whole 30 seemed as good a place to hone my habits as any. Starts tomorrow.

Kaizen

As Lean Eaters will know, Kaizen is the Japanese concept of continual improvement--of doing a little more, a little better every day. Marc and I were at the range the other day, and another couple whom we often see there happened to join us on the steel range. Usually we only see them on the static range shooting at paper targets, and we've seen them there frequently. Honestly, I had never paid attention to their shooting skills until I saw them shooting on the steel range. I've noticed that they often shoot several different firearms of varying calibers, but never how well they shoot them. The nature of the steel range, though, is such that one can't help but notice others' skills. Frankly, I was surprised by their lack thereof. They really were not very good at all, and I commented to Marc how surprised I was at their poor shooting considering the amount of time they spend at the range. In his seemingly infinite wisdom, Marc made the point that doing the same wrong thing over and over again only serves to ingrain bad habits. Instantly, the light bulb in my head went on. How applicable to all aspects of life--especially the gym!

Showing up and going through the moves is so easy sometimes. The trick is the focus, making sure the moves are worth their salt. The trick is one more perfect rep or 5 more pounds or a bit more squeeze at the top. The trick is one bite less, one bit leaner than last time. The trick is occasionally reaching out to an "expert" for some recommendations about how to improve what we're doing. The trick is continual improvement. Otherwise we're just wasting ammo.

And because pictures are fun: :)

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.