We have almost completed 4 days of the Paleo Challenge, and we're still going strong :). Jon continues to amaze me at his willingness to try these new foods, and his support he provides. I want to say how proud I am of him, and how much I pray each day that he continues on with the Challenge and sees it through. I think he will be very surprised at the results and how different his body feels. We both have seen our appetites reduce significantly, and we are able to experience the true "Full" feeling after eating very little. The quality of our food is so much better than it has ever been and it's wonderful! Tonight we are having Turkey Loaf from Paleo Comfort Foods. OMGosh...I actually had some this morning with eggs and it was AMAZING! Mom would be proud...I'm eating my meatloaf. I actually cooked it last night because it has to bake for 90 minutes. The house smelt wonderful for hours.
When my alarm went off this morning I could tell my body needed more rest, so I took the morning off at CFX. I missed it terribly, but I think I really did need the extra sleep. Tonight I will go do some working out on my own which will be good. It's freezing outside, so my plan to go running is a bust. I refuse to let convenience be an excuse anymore, as it used to rule my entire life. If it was too hard or too inconvenient, I hid away from it and didn't even try. CrossFit has helped me change that mentality to realize that I can find a way to do something, anything, and I can make it be as hard as I want it to be. Workouts can be modified, they can be simple or complex....but they count. Every wallball, every squat, every pull-up, every sit-up, every run, every movement you make your body do will count towards something. If anything, it will prevent it from going backwards in the direction you have always gone. Don't let excuses rule your world anymore.
One of my biggest "excuses" is mommy guilt. I am a full-time working mother who only gets to see her little girl about 1.5 hours each weekday. That's it. It tears me up inside if I let it get to me, I love her more than she will ever know but right now this is the life we have to live. I take advantage of every minute I see her and try to let her know she is my everything whenever I can. But there are some days when I feel so guilty for training at night instead of seeing her. Tuesdays and Thursdays are when I workout both in the morning and evening. I don't get to spend any time with her on these days, but Jon does a fantastic job of taking care of her. She knows I am at the gym (getting "stinky" as she calls it) and she knows I will be back in the morning. I can always count on her huge smile and big hug in the morning after she wakes up. The guilt I have is not from her or from my husband...it is from me. I am preventing myself from giving it my all sometimes.
For those moms out there who are worried about taking time away from your family to change your life - STOP. If you never changed a single thing about your lifestyle right now, how long do you think you would live? How much medication would you have to take the rest of your life if you got diabetes from a sedentary lifestyle? How much would it cost your family to put you in a nursing home when you are old and not mobile enough to take care of yourself? How much would those doctors bills cost each year when your immune system is shot because all you feed your body is junk? What will you miss out on in your children's lives when you die at a young age because you didn't take care of yourself the way you should have? The cost of living a convenient and sedentary lifestyle is so much more expensive than the sacrifice you make for a few short years to correct the problems in your life. The hard work is not forever....there will be a day when I am finally in maintenance mode and do not have to work myself to the bone in order to keep pushing towards these goals. (The problem with that is I am now a self-proclaimed CrossFit junkie and LOVE it, so I probably will still go 6 times a week anyway! but you get the point). Just like when I was working full-time and going to school full-time....there was an end in sight and that is what kept me going. Starting was only half the battle. Take some time to really analyze yourself and what quality of life your are missing out on because you are too afraid, or too unwilling to change. If you need help to make those changes, ASK! My husband continues to amaze me every single day at how supportive he is, and how he is always willing to let me take that extra class, go for a run, etc. if it means it is helping me get better. Why? Because I am a better mother, wife, and person for it. He sees the joy I experience from being a part of the team at CFX and how I have always longed to be a part of something and I have finally found my place in this world of fitness. Living 26 years on the other side of the playground from the athletes was a hard pill to swallow, and I experienced a lot of emotional pain because of it. I'm finding my own spot on that team of athletes and I love every minute of it.
You have to start somewhere, I did. I started 55lbs heavier, unable to do modified ANYTHING. I now have several days a month where I actually lift the same weight as the rest of the crowd (known as RX or prescribed weight). You can do this, but you have to be willing to ask for the help you need. For those who are already starting your journey, I am SO very proud of you!!! You've taken the first step to changing your life and you will thank yourself for it when it is over!
I promise to get some recipes up here, it's been hard to find extra time.
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