Gym "Usie"

For all you old folks out there, an 'usie' is a 'selfie' with more than one person.

I only say this because I've had to explain it a couple of times today. 

Get with the times senior citizens.

This was taken right before tonight's workout. These smiles were quickly replaced with stern looks (Mike) and tears of pain (me and Charis).

(Actually, Charis had this same deer in headlights look on her face the whole night. She's so funny).

It was a really tough workout.

Oh, and, right as this picture was taken, I had a coordination attack and bit my own tongue. Hard.

Like lots of blood hard.

Seriously, I have chewed gum successfully my whole life.

Until now, apparently.

Not sure why Charis looks so scared. She must have known the workout would be super difficult. We are so going to feel it tomorrow.

There were only 3 of us there tonight (Crystal too) so we got a lot more concentrated Mike time. He definitely caught us slacking off more than usual and called us on it...


...every single time.


"Cali! Get moving!"
(I literally heard that about 257 times in an hour)
 



Here's a quick re-cap:
(I don't know all of the official names of the workouts, so don't judge).

- 100 squats to single knee raises, 50 each side alternating
- 100 squats to 25 lb kettle bell raises (straight up to chin) 

***my thighs were on fire by this point***

- 30 burpees, hands on a 15 lb medicine ball, jump back, then forward, then stand up and raise the medicine ball above head...and, repeat
- 60 step-ups on the highest platform on earth (it's as tall as the top of my thigh, no joke)
- 2 mins at a 20% incline, 3.4 mph on the treadmill, without holding on
- 2 mins laying on the mat with feet on a 15 lb medicine ball doing a (hip) bridge
{Charis and I did 3 reps of the last 2 exercises}
- more burpees, with hands on a 15 lb medicine ball, jump legs back, do a push-up, jump forward, stand up and raise the medicine ball over head 20x
- 100 bicep curls with 2 15 lb weights (after 50 reps, I switched to 12 lb weights. Shhh!)
- 50 sit-ups with legs up, knees bent. Sit up with 12 lb medicine ball and move it side to side
- 2 minute plank

Then, Mike said we were done and everyone else left. However, before I could make my exit, he made me do 10 more minutes on the treadmill.


I told you he hates me.

We are definitely getting our money's worth out of Mike.


AND, he's worth every penny.

5k Erica Style...

Would I have ever considered doing a 5k in my pre-Trainer Mike days 6 months ago???

Never!  

Did I think I was ready to do one now???  

No!!!

So, Cali and Brianne basically told me we were going to do a 5k together.  They were excited and looking forward to the challenge.  My reaction surprised even me. 

I completely freaked out!  

I was mad and upset that this decision was being made for me and I was NOT ready.  But, inside I was really only terrified that I wouldn't be able to do this.  I was afraid I would be last to cross the finish line and maybe not even make it to the finish.  I was also very afraid I would hold everyone back.  But, instead of letting myself give up before I even started, I put on my big girl pants and registered for my first 5k.  

I honestly thank these girls for pushing me to prove to myself I am stronger than I think.  My time across the finish line was not record breaking but I enjoyed every minute:)  This was such a fun experience I am actually looking forward to doing another in the near future!!!  

Remove Negativity From Your Life

(we got this image here)

How do you remove negativity from your life and free your mind to focus only on your limitless potential? The most important thing you can do to remove negativity from your life is to have a positive train of thought about EVERY SITUATION. What you think is what will happen. Believing you are destined to fail will cause you to do just that. Anything you want - from losing weight to gaining financial stability - requires you to think positive thoughts to succeed. We usually have negativity in our life from low self-esteem and lack of confidence. 

- The first thing you have to do is build your self-esteem and believe in yourself. Believe that you can accomplish anything in your life, because you can. You have the ability to go after your dreams and accomplish your goals. No one can stop you from achieving what you want.

- Surround yourself with positive people. If you are around negative people, you can't help but to be negative too. You haven't got time to waste. Negative people will drain your energy. When they find a willing audience, they won't let you go. They blame others for their problems and look for excuses. They are usually negative because they have ceded control of their happiness to others. Remove yourself from negative people. Be polite and encouraging but don't stoop to their level. You can be compassionate, but be strong enough to walk away. Everyone has problems, but not everyone allows those problems to rule them. You can offer a temporary safe haven without becoming a permanent home.

- Start every single day with the decision to be happy.

You decide your destiny each day. It's up to you how you handle people, problems and stress. You can't control a lot of things that happen in life, but you can control how you react. Make the decision first thing in the morning that you are going to be 100% positive all day long regardless of what happens.

(we got this image here)

Excitement

I'm still not to the point that I get excited for a workout.

Not sure that I will ever get there, to be honest.

However, I love the benefits of exercise. I love the effects of endorphins. I love that I am stronger and healthier than I have ever been. I love the confidence that comes with being {more} in control of my health. I love peoples' reactions who I haven't seen in awhile when they notice that I've lost weight. I love that I have to buy new clothes because I don't have any that fit me. I love that I can go for long walks or runs or hikes at the drop of a hat without worrying if I'll make it or not. I love that I have more control over my emotions. I am more level-headed and the stresses of life don't get to me as much as they have in the past. I love that I feel great - every single day. I'm don't get as tired as I used to. I have way more energy and I am just happier in general.

So, I may not love working out - just yet - but I sure do love the results.

Here is a super embarrassing photo that was taken at the gym in July '14.

(See, I told you it was embarrassing!)

Hopefully, one day soon, I will feel super excited when it's workout time!

In Action

This is the whole team in action at our lovely gym.

These were taken a couple of months ago (July '14) but we just want to show everyone a little of what we do a couple of times a week.

As hard as it is every single workout, we love being there and love the results of our hard work.

Competition

So much in life encourages competition. I think it's human nature to compare ourselves to others and to strive to be better - but, this is usually means being better than someone else and that is not always a good thing. Sure, healthy competition is necessary for us to grow and develop as humans and it keeps us working hard but, sometimes, competition can be bad.

Working out with a team of amazing women has been such a blessing. Seriously, this has been a game-changer for me. Their support and constant encouragement has kept me going the many times I have wanted to give up and eat myself into a stupor. Also, we have found the greatest support and love from the other trainers and their clients at our gym. We really feel a part of a family and that is so awesome.

However, with teamwork, comes the tendency to compare myself to others - to compare my weaknesses with their strengths and vice versa. It's so easy to get discouraged when I see others progressing faster than I am. Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely ecstatic about my team's accomplishments, which are many. But, it's harder to see the progress in myself and, let's be honest, we are all our biggest critics.

Tonight, we had our first weigh-in in about 5 weeks. And Mike - the angel - thought it would be a good idea to weigh and measure us at the beginning of the workout instead of the end. So, needless to say, we were all kinda crabby throughout the workout because we wanted to see bigger (actually smaller) numbers.

Anyhoo, at the end of our workout, we met together to discuss nutrition and what we can do better. Mike gave us a pep talk and we all made comments. Erica was saying something about being discouraged that everyone else is doing so well but she hasn't seen much difference in herself in the past few weeks. I immediately said, "Erica, this isn't a competition with each other. We are in this together and your only competition is yourself."

And, do you think I could just stop there?!

No way, I just had to keep going...

In the exact same breath I said, "So, who lost the most anyway?"

Seriously? Is there any way you can think before you just blurt stuff out you stupid girl?

Yeah, I'm pretty embarrassed, if you can't tell. Good thing my girls (and Mike) are super cool and know that I am a complete spaz who often says the exact wrong thing at the exact wrong time...so they don't hate me.

At least I hope they don't.

So, the moral of this (long and boring) tale is just do the best you can do and stop comparing yourself to others. Because, about 1,000% of the time, you are comparing your weaknesses with their strengths and that is not fair. You will fall short every time and that is so very discouraging and stops progress. God made us all different for a reason and that is to be celebrated, not used for competition. I love the above quote. The only competition in our journey to health and fitness should be with our old (Mtn Dew drinking, potato chip loving, stretchy pants wearing) selves.

So, instead of thinking, "Oh my gosh, Brianne lost 10 more lbs and looks smoking hot in those teeny tiny running shorts - oh, and by the way, she's had 4 kids. Here I am, looking like a beached whale as I struggle through this weird plank thing Mike is making me do 1,000 times," we should be celebrating the success of our friends and reminding ourselves how far we've come.

How about: "I wore knee-length skirts twice to work this week and got quite a few compliments on how good I looked."

(Before a couple of weeks ago, I hadn't worn knee-length anything for about 5 years).

Let's focus on what's really important and that is the progress that we - as individuals - have made and will continue to make as long as we stay positive and keep working hard.

Tacos

These tacos are delicious!

Enjoy!

Baja Tacos

Sauce/Topping

2 Tablespoons reduced fat mayo or olive oil mayo

Juice of 1 lime

2 Tablespoons salsa ( I add about 6 tablespoons)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup coleslaw mix
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 Tablespoons green onion

Mix together all ingredients and serve over any meat.  

This can be served on top of any meat like chicken, beef, pork, shrimp or fish.  I have done meatless tacos as well and just served them over black beans or roasted sweet potatoes.  My masculine husband prefers meat, but there are meatless options that are delicious as well.  I also serve with sliced avocados.  

I have found that Smiths (A Kroger brand grocery store) carries corn tortillas that are Smith's brand and are 54 calories for 2 tortillas.  Read your labels to see what works best for you.  I use Pam cooking spray on a skillet and quickly warm both sides of the tortilla.  I like the taste and texture when they have been warmed this way.  This meal takes 30 minutes or less to prepare.  This is my go to dinner because it is so delicious, easy & filling.