1 Year, 365 Days, & 70 LBS!!!

I've come full circle - rotated around the sun for a complete rotation and slimmed down by 70 LBS in the process. Taking a look back... What a year!!!



I can't hardly believe it, one year ago today, I walked into a gym for the first time and had my very first work out. Stepped on the scale 70 lbs heavier than I am today. I'm feeling so completely blessed. I wasn't sure when I started if I would be able to do it, my goals seemed unachievable and yet, I'm so so proud of how far I've come even if I'm 30 lbs shy of that 100 lbs goal!

I've made such huge strides, not only in weight loss but in a lot of areas in my life! I can honestly say I'm so much more confident, outgoing, and sure of myself than I ever have been. I have let go of a lot of self hate and that was probably the hardest part of the year.

There are so many excuses i've made for myself in the past in regards to getting healthier... and really it's not a magic formula. It's just effort! Any amount of effort is progress! When I started I couldn't even do a single push up, or even sit from a chair to a stand without using my hands to push me up.

I feel like a new person, and I don't ever want to go back to feeling how I felt! The slow progress, although it's slow is so much more worth it than the way I was living before. :)



4/6 Weeks down & 7 Sessions of CrossFit to go!

I'm over half way through my 6 week CrossFit Challenge now. Golly it's hard, but boy do I love it! It's challenging but very rewarding. It's caused me tp push myself further than just plain personal training sessions ever did. It's certainly been the right "Next Step" in my fitness Journey. I still have to decide what do do after CrossFit is over. I know I need accountability to be successful. I'm contemplating keeping up with CrossFit, or taking some other classes to just keep trying new things.

#sweatyselfie


Seeing my first selfie and my most recent... I really do look different... I'm sweatier! lol!


Rock Climbing is Awesome!

It started as me trying something new, something that I never thought I could do because I was overweight. And now, I'm addicted to the feeling I have after rock climbing! It's a level of energy and self achievement that I've not gotten with other things. It's really fun to problem solve, climb, and push myself and see how far I can go. This year, I want to do some actual rock climbing outside of the gym! Take this thing to the next level, and continuing to up my rock climbing game.

55 Days Till Walt Disney World 2.0

The most beautiful bookend to a challenging year of fitness. This year started with WDW, and now I will cap off the other end nicely with another trip back. Taking a trip to the most magical place in the world while i'm in the best shape i've eve been in my life is going to be amazing! On top of that I get to go with my sister Kjarsti. I'm so excited I can't hardly stand it! The wait is killing me! Ahhhhh! :D

143 Days Till Italy!!! (Venice/Florence/Rome)

Yeah, that's happening! Woot! A few weeks ago I was asked by my grandma if i'd like to attend a historical/genealogical trip to Holland in July. I declined, not sure I was willing to put the money into a trip like that at the time. But following that discussion I attended a wedding reception for my cousin Emily. There I met up with my Uncle Joseph and we got to talking about that Holland Trip. He told me that he and my Aunt Dawnelle were going to stay a couple weeks after that trip and tour Italy! I was like "FOR REALZ?"... Anyway... long story short, I'm going to be going with them on this trip and doing something I've always dreamed of doing. My artsy nerd heart rejoices! Queue another countdown! Huzzah!

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I'm excited for this year, Although it's bound to have it's own set of challenges I'm more confident i'll be able to handle them.

!!!Shout Out!!! I can't say thanks enough for my cheering section! My friends, family, and particularly my sisters! I've never felt such an immense outpouring of support as I have this past year. People have really rooted for me and there were days that I couldn't have done it without you guys! Knowing that someone was cheering for me - that matters a ton when you're feeling defeated and lousy!

Today I'm: 70 LBS lighter, Getting a handle on my Diabetes, In size 14 jeans, and I'm loving life. Here's to a new year, new adventures, and new challenges! Bring it on!

Day#357: Two Weeks Down and Bruises

So, That's the word on the street... I've officially completed two weeks of my 6 week CrossFit challenge. it's hard to believe it! That means that I'm 1/3 of the way through it already. Crazy!

65 Days til WDW2.0

#crossfit #twoweeksdown


Wowie, I'll tell you that Friday Last week was an intense work out, and I thought it was the hardest to date, it certainly was the most damaging... I got seriously bruised doing Hang Cleans like this:

This guy does them really fast and with more weight than I did, but... the movement is the same. Every time it rested on my shoulders like it does at the top peak of the movement, it created some ouchy bruising. I was so sore over the weekend I decided to forgo my planned rock climbing excursion. I'm glad I did... I was THAT sore!

Matching set of shoulder bruises... my Coach Mandy says they're called "Bar Hickies" - Well i've never had a hickie before... and not sure I want them again. lol ;)

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Today's workout was tough.

The first day of CrossFit so far that I've been so grateful that tears are so well masked by sweating... my knees and hips were not happy. I need to work on getting better flexibility in my hips and strengthening the muscles around my knees so that I can do these workouts at the level of intensity that they keep building to each day.

Squats are the biggest culprit of my pain, someday when i'm better able to do them and in higher reps, I'll forgive them for their meanness towards me... BUT IT IS NOT THIS DAY!

But I survived... and for that I'm glad! :) #sweatyselfie

Day#352: My Legs Are Jello

Well I'll say this for CrossFit days with Beau, I don't leave thinking I can handle things... It's certainly a challenge!

70 Days Till WDW2.0 HUZZAH!

Wednesday is a CrossFit day, and the work day leading up to the work out was stressful, I needed to blow some steam. ON top of that I feel like food and I are having a bad argument... Food no longer calls, it won't talk to me anymore, it makes faces at me when I visit it at the grocery store...! Stupid Food! Our relationship sure has suffered since CrossFit entered the picture ;) lol

Nah... But seriously, the Diet that comes with the CrossFit Challenge is tough. On top of that I'm trying to manage things with my Diabetes, so that alters the diet plan as well. So far I've just tried to mush my old diet with this new one, adjusting where I can to make sure that my glucose levels stay where they need to be. If they aren't high enough when I go work out I feel shaky and awful afterwards... kinda like today. Oops.

Big mistake... I had a late lunch of Grilled Chicken, Baby Carrots, and a couple strawberries... but it wasn't enough carbs to last me through workout. I felt the crash, and the fact that Beau is crazy intense only made things more evident.

That Guy really pushes us, Which is totally awesome. I just need to be better prepared for workouts with him by making sure my blood sugar is high enough before the work out so that I don't pass out or anything crazy like that. Still learning how to balance things! (just in case you were worried... no I haven't passed out ;) )

#sweatyselfie #crossfit


Monday - CrossFit with Mandy (sore muscles of the day... Shoulders and Abs)


Tuesday - Personal Trainer day with Kylee (we did lunges... my poor legs are so stiff!)


Wednesday - CrossFit with Beau (All of me hurts... especially my legs and some arms)

Okay... Truth is that this is challenging. But I'm LOVING IT! I didn't know if I would but I do. I feel so proud of every work out I accomplish and of every small victory of simply going and doing my best.

I think a major thing I've been learning is to have patience with myself. I want it all to happen fast and right now. But change isn't like that... But then messing up doesn't derail things either... both are gradual. One day here or a bad day there... these things are all recoverable if I just keep trying and starting over. Forgiving myself for making mistakes on this journey of fitness is hard but golly I've got to keep trying. Nothing changes in just one day, but it all gets better the longer I keep trying.

Forgivness... and perspective! I'm almost to my next milestone; and i'm the most fit I've ever been. I feel good. What a crazy thing to realize! I'm blessed for sure.

Day#347: CrossFit Week1 Completed

Well I did it folks! I successfully completed the first week of CrossFit! I totally did, I've amazed even in myself. I've worked out every single day this week. Take that, you stupid weight loss slump! HA!

75 Days till WDW2.0 - That's 1/4 of the way! WOOT!

So, Took my "Before" Picture for the 6 week CrossFit Challenge. Here I am in all my plushy glory!



It'll be cool to see the changes in just 6 weeks. Feeling excited and hopeful. I can already tell that my legs are going to be rock solid! SO MUCH SQUATTING! (sobs in the corner)... so much...

So Recap!?

Wednesday:
CrossFit with coach Beau (he's so freaking intense!) We did a lot of varied things. But the worst was the squatting wall ball tosses... Ouch. These were brutal, had to toss a ball at the wall to a target, and then as the ball comes down, catch it in a squat. Each movement flowing into the next squat. So hard!

We also did: burpies, planks, single arm overhead press, deadlift bar raises (I think that's what they are called), Box jumps, and rows and sit ups.

Thursday:
Personal Trainer Day with Kylee. Realized why I've been emotional and why Tuesday was just that much harder when I discovered my monthly visitor had stopped by... Golly it's great to be a girl! So Thursday we did a work out: Planks, Squats, Single leg deadlifts, pushups, anti rotations, and TRX Rows. It wasn't super intense but IT FELT IT... my legs were still so sore from those Wall-Ball-Squats-of-Death.

She didn't ask about the follow up questions from last time... but I'm kind of okay with that. I now have an answer to give her... And I'll discuss it with her next week.

Then did 45 Minutes of walking.

Friday:
TGoodnessIF Peeps! I need a weekend to just bring things down a notch from this loaded and stressful week. CrossFit Day today, marking the last workout of the week since I've started HOLLA! Oh yeah, I'm so jazzed. One Week down like a BOSS!

#sweatyselfie #oneweekdown



Today with did some Olympic lifting... Yeah! (exactly what you're thinking!) Overhead Snap Raises.
This is the video that the Coach Mandy, posted to get us "Pumped". (It only managed to get me anxious to be honest.)

So Yeah... I did that but with wimpy weight! (50lbs) ;) Got to get technique down so that when we start adding weight I don't hurt myself. And I need all the practice I can get :)

We also did Rows, Burpies, Box Jumps, Bear Crawls (But I couldn't do these correctly yet, they really hurt my knees bad!) So... Lunges for me, and Goblet Squats.

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I'll tell you what, CrossFit is no joke! But golly I'm so excited that I'm doing something challenging! If only to just push myself to see what I can do. :) As my coworker said today when I told him about my new CrossFit Challenge... "You're so close to getting all your "Stuff" together." Ha! Hows that for support? Golly I hope so! ;)

Good to know I've got a couple friends at work still who cheer me on and support me. After all - When you hit rock bottom, only one way to go, and that's up! Happy weekend everyone!