It’s 9:14am as I write this part of the blog and I’ve caught up on emails, connected with my Fat Loss Fast Track groups and 1:1 clients, showered and been to the gym.
I had to get in an early workout today because I need to be in Boston this afternoon when I’m normally working out.
Today was a barbell workout and while I loved it, it was super hard.
“DT”
5 Rounds:
12 Deadlifts (155/105#)
9 Hang Power Cleans (155/105#)
6 Push Jerks (155/105#)
Essentially, you’re doing this workout as quickly as possible, all barbell. The deadlifts felt pretty easy but my back really tired out quickly on the hang power cleans.
After the workout I went for a short run outside to loosen up my back. Like I said yesterday, I despise running but I know I will like it more as I get better at it, which takes practice.
If I avoid the things I don’t like, I’ll never improve and never enjoy it.
After I felt like my back was a little looser, I worked on my toes-to-bar for just a few minutes.
When I got back from the gym, I checked back in with my Fat Loss Fast Track groups & one of my veteran clients had posted a great quote from Elizabeth Gilbert.
“You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestation of your own blessings”
I absolutely LOVE this quote and the idea behind it.
I responded to her, telling her so, and sharing that the first thing it makes me think is, “So Elizabeth, how will you participate today? What will you do today to participate in the manifestation of what you want?”
It’s not going to come to me because I deserve it. It’s not going to come to me because I want it. It’s not going to come to me because I understand it, read about it and know a lot.
I have to participate, daily, in the manifestation of what I want.
So, I’m going to answer that question right here. How will I participate, today, in the manifestation of what I want?
I’ll respond with patience & generosity to every email
I’ll connect to my inner circle and make them feel loved & admired
I’ll drink plenty of water & eat exclusively whole foods when I’m hungry
Speaking of hunger…
On the food front:
Oh cold brew coffee, I love you so much. I had two tall glasses of cold brew – one before my workout and one after.
Around 11am I had an early lunch en-route to a meeting in Boston. I stopped off at Chipotle Mexican Grill and got a salad bowl (no rice, no beans) with chicken, pico & guac.
After my meeting I had a massage. Yay for self-care! In this year of push of mine, I’ve got to take care of my body in many ways. Working out is only one of those. Sleeping more is another. Massage and floating are others.
I dashed to Whole Foods after my massage to enjoy their salad bar.
Mixed greens
Shredded cabbage
1 hard boiled egg
a few ounces of salmon
celery
cucumbers
I’m proud of the way I participated in the manifestation of what I want today!
Ah, another beautiful day in New England! After months of cold weather and a week of rain, I couldn’t be happier to be sitting outside with a tall glass of cold brew coffee, writing to you guys.
Yes, I have to work. Yes, I have a really busy week. Yes, I have time to get outside. We make time for what matters.
I carried my coffee & laptop outside and I’m doing the same work I’d be doing inside while soaking up some morning sun.
There are so many things I want to share with you guys today. Much of it will be captured on Thursday’s podcast (episode 321 which airs April 13th). Please don’t miss that one. I think it’s one of the best yet.
Lately, I have been reminding myself that what’s waiting for me on the other side of discipline & consistency is way better, way richer and way more fulfilling than whatever tempts me right now.
The rewards of progress, pride, growth & achievement are so much more fulfilling than Halo Top ice cream, wine or nachos.
Sometimes I have to remind myself of that 50 times a day and that’s okay. It’s true each time.
It’s probably true for you, too.
Anyways…
I’m not the only one who’s grateful for the sun & warm weather today! It’s a running workout at the gym!
Running = outdoors.
I don’t enjoy anything about running. There’s a lot of backstory there which I’ll save for another day. It involves being forced to run cross country, sprinting into a telephone pole, drinking beer DURING a marathon and much more… None of it is good. 😉
Suffice it to say, I wasn’t super excited when I saw today’s workout:
“Team Boat Race”
6 Rounds:
500 Meter Row
400 Meter Run
My initial reaction was, “I hate running!!!”
But here’s what I love: pushing myself & time in the sun. Yay, two things I love about today’s workout! Instant perspective shift.
It’ll be over before I know it and I’ll be proud if I give my best, so that’s what I’ll do.
That’s what I do.
Plus: I’m going back to the flotation tank today! A couple weeks ago I shared that I did my first ever 60 minute float in the sensory deprivation floatation tank and today I’m going back for 90 minutes.
I am excited to push my body during this workout and then get 90 minutes of complete rest in the tank!
On the food front:
I made the switch over to Cold Brew coffee this morning (from hot brewed). I don’t drink much cold brew during the winter because I crave the warmth of hot coffee. However, cold brew is my preference because of the bolder flavor and lower acidity.
Plus: the sun is out! I don’t know about you, but it’s super important for me to get some time in the sunlight. Talk about a natural anti-depressant! Literally!
Vitamin D is a hormone and exposure to sunlight triggers your body to synthesize more of it!
Vitamin D deficiency leads to a whole host of problems, only one of which is depression.
This isn’t just a fun fact – we’ve got to DO something about it! Get out in the sun!
When we feel better, we take better care of ourselves.
(I’m writing this while soaking up some sun at a picnic table outside Whole Foods!)
Onwards…
Today’s workout is going to be a great (read: killer) one! Let me share it with you first and then I’ll explain it:
So, here’s what that means – I’ll be looking to complete the workout as fast as possible and it breaks down like this:
27 power snatches
27 wall balls
27 calorie row
21 power snatches
21 wall balls
21 calorie row
15 power snatches
15 walls balls
15 calorie row
9 power snatches
9 wall balls
9 calorie row
Yeah, it was brutal. Those 27 and 21 rounds feel endless. I won’t lie – there was absolutely a temptation to skip reps and do some “creative counting”. I didn’t. I did every single rep.
Afterwards it make me think of something I heard football super star Terrell Owens say about fitness:
Fitness is like a relationship. You can’t cheat on it & expect it to work.
Seriously – think about the most important intimate relationship in your life. If you were cheating on your partner, you couldn’t expect the relationship to be strong, reliable and the best it could be.
In fact, you could basically count on it to suck.
You can’t cut corners and expect great results.
You just can’t.
You can’t expect to have a whole lot of respect for yourself or your body if you’re a cheater.
When you cut corners, you’re only cheating yourself.
I’m no cheater.
On the food front:
I didn’t wake up on the right side of the bed this morning. I was unfocused and overwhelmed by how much is on my list today. Instead of wallowing in those feelings, I slipped on my flip flops & went out to get a venti Americano from Starbucks. I sat outside for a few minutes to enjoy the first few sips and then got right to work.
I didn’t eat before my workout but I had a large salad afterwards.
Knowing that I’m having pistachio crusted salmon for dinner tonight, I kept the fat & protein a bit lower on my salad than I sometimes do. Heavier on the veggies, lighter on the other stuff.
Yes, I said pistachio crusted salmon. And asparagus. Yes, I’m making it myself! Every once in a while I cook 🙂
The recipe comes from the Slim Palate via Nom Nom Paleo. Here’s a link!
I also understand what it takes to stop using food as a crutch and start learning to live and thrive without out mis-using food and betraying your body.
I understand the burning desire for a smaller body.
I understand what it feels like for your life to get smaller and smaller as your waist gets larger and larger.
It sucks. But instead of focusing on the smaller waist, I want you to start creating a larger life.
I had it all wrong. I wasted years of my life trying to solve the wrong problem.
It’s time to start pursuing happiness as the path to health, not health as the path to happiness.
How, for so many years, was I able to eat beyond the point of satiety?
How, for so many years, could I turn repeatedly to food despite desperately wanting weight loss?
There was a hunger, for sure, but it wasn’t for food.
Food was the easy stand-in.
Food was accessible. Food never said “no”. Food didn’t reject me. Food didn’t judge me. Food allowed me to suspend every problem and escape for as long as it took me to “fill” myself.
Unfortunately, food can never fill a hunger for connection.
I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin.
I had very little self-respect.
I had no confidence.
I believed that overeating was a stress reliever.
It wasn’t.
It was a stress-creator. It was also an escape.
Have you ever been left alone at a party with someone who makes you uncomfortable? Someone you don’t like or don’t get along with?
You want to escape, right?
That’s how I felt about myself.
When things got tense, I wanted to escape.
When I alone, I wanted to escape my own company.
Food was a means of escaping myself and my life. And yet, it also kept me trapped in a life & a body I hated.
Fat loss is far less about what we eat than it is about why we eat.
Why are we turning to food?
What are we truly hungry for?
What void are we looking to fill?
What are we trying to avoid?
Oftentimes, that something we’re trying to avoid is ourselves.
Why? Because we’re mean.
Would you ever be friends with someone who talks to you the way you talk to yourself?
Would you ever want to spend time with someone who is as critical of you as you are of yourself?
Would you ever want to be close to someone who just mopes and criticizes and never wants to do anything fun?
Of course not!
The single most important relationship in your life is the one you have with yourself.
You cannot bring your best or be your best for your friends, spouse, kids, parents or co-workers when your cornerstone relationship isn’t strong.
One of the single best things you can do for your health is build a strong relationship with yourself.
You don’t get a better relationship with yourself when you have a smaller body.
You get a better relationship with yourself when you decide to prioritize nurturing that relationship.
It’s time to begin pursuing a fuller life instead of simply being desperate for a smaller body.
That begins by building a strong, happy, healthy relationship with yourself.
It starts with not being such a jerk to yourself. It starts with being kind and gentle.
It starts with doing fun things.
It starts with realizing that life is so much bigger than food and you are more than the size of your jeans.
If you want to be healthy, focus on getting happy.
If you aren’t sure about the next steps for ending the negative self-talk and building a better relationship with yourself, absolutely check out Breaking Barriers! And don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions!
