2020 Reflections

 2020 started out like any other year, full of promise, optimism and potential for a great year ahead. I had so much to look forward to, finishing up the school year and starting a new one, volunteering with non profit organizations, celebrating my 20th wedding anniversary with a trip to somewhere I’ve never been before. I was ready to conquer it all while continuing my health and fitness journey.  Then March hit and the wind went out of my sails almost overnight. No end of the school year, no events to plan and work on, no anniversary trip. 

I’ll admit that in the beginning I was full of self pity, anger and resentment.  I was sick of not being able to make decisions for myself and being told what to do by literally everyone with a social media account.  That anger turned to sadness and could very easily have become full blown depression, but I decided that I was going to take control of my own destiny (at least what I could control).  

With no events to plan, I found myself with lots of excess time. I decided to take that time to focus on myself. I was going to try to be the best version of me that I could be. 

For years, I have been struggling with patellar subluxation or dislocation. It made it really hard to workout because I couldn’t do many of the exercises. My last round of physical therapy which ended in March thankfully, contained lots of exercises that I had remembered doing in #80DayObsession when I had done it the previous year. I remember struggling with it at the time and it being a real grind. The workouts were mostly close to an hour long which made it hard for me to do before I went to work in the morning (I’m a mid-morning person not an early riser). With more time in the mornings now, I decided to tackle it again.  I started with really light weights for the lower body exercises and lightened up when I felt knee pain. It was slow going but I didn’t get discouraged. By the end of the first 80 days I had increased my weights in every exercise. I went right to A Little More Obsessed then started 80 Day Obsession over again with no break.  By halfway through my second round I was using the same or heavier weights than the cast.  I was getting toned and I felt strong.  I went back to work and had to pick a shorter workout after I finished up my second round of 80 Day Obsession but I still feel proud of the results and that will be my summer workout of choice. 

Fitness on track, I turned to my nutrition. I was eating good, not great, just good. I was following a nutrition plan I had been using for years that had always worked for me (#21DayFix plan) but I was cheating too much. I firmed it up a bit but I wasn’t getting the results I used to get and I wasn’t feeling good. So I decided to go see a nutritionist to find out how to fix things. I had all kinds of testing and the results were eye opening. I found out that although I was eating a lot of protein, my body wasn’t digesting it properly so I was at a protein deficit. That was making me feel sluggish, bloated and sick after every meal. My nutritionist put me on an eating plan very similar to what I was doing and added in some supplements and it has made a world of difference. We tweak things here and there but the way I feel is like night and day.  I’m so glad I didn’t just accept that as the way it would be from now on and took control.

The last thing I did with my extra time was improve my mental well being. I was very focused on 80 Day Obsession so when the creator, Autumn Calabrese launched a podcast, Let’s Do Life, I had to listen. This was the first time I had listened to a podcast. I learned so much.  I decided to try others. I had always loved Chalene Johnson’s workouts so I started listening to #TheChaleneShow. I was getting such great insight and learning so much from these podcasts. Then, one day on The Chalene Show she had a guest, Julie Ledbetter on her show. I connected so much with that episode and as it turns out, Julie also had a podcast, #EmbraceYourReal.  That podcast absolutely changed my life. It felt like she was speaking right to me in every episode.  Not only did I learn a ton but Embrace Your Real has challenged me to think differently.  Julie’s podcast has really helped me be the best version of me I can be!  I still have improvements to make and I’ll continue with all of the above things in 2021 but I certainly am making progress.  At the end of the day, it’s all about continuing to put one foot in front of the other. 

So while 2020 was a disaster it did provide promise, optimism new opportunities and plenty of potential for a great year. We just had to look a little harder to find those things. Bring on 2021!

Why?

 On Sunday, I started a new fitness program titled #mbf (muscle burns fat).  I know many of you are probably asking why would you start a new program the week of Christmas.  Why wouldn’t you just wait until after the holidays?  Well, the answer is simple. Why not?  The bottom line is that there will always be a reason not to start.  This is happening or that is happening or I’ll just start after this which leads right into the next thing you will start right after.  You don’t need to wait until the start of a new year, a new month or even a new week. Just start!  

Why start in the first place?  I can tell you my why but only you can determine your own and that is what will keep you on track. I work out and try to eat nutritious foods as often as I can because I want to be healthy, I want to maintain my mobility as I age, I want to get stronger and I want to feel good.  Notice that nowhere in there did I say because I want to lose weight. That’s a nice byproduct but not a sustainable why for me.  Too much discouragement can go along with that to give me a reason to quit. Maybe I’m not losing weight fast enough, I hit a plateau or God forbid I gain weight!  So I dug a little deeper and came up with these reasons and they keep me motivated. 

What happens when I just don’t feel like working out?  It happens. It happens to everyone.  We all have those days. I have found that working out first thing in the morning works best for me. There is less possibility that something can come up to derail my plans like it could as the day progresses. Even still there are days I’m just not feeling it or I just want to stay in bed. Usually, I feel so much better after I workout so that helps to motivate me.  If I’m REALLY not feeling it, I’ll do some yoga. That never fails to make me feel better, body and soul. Plus I know if I don’t get up and work out I’ll dread it for the rest of the day. Remember, nobody ever says I’m so mad I worked out today! 

 I also happen to have a great group of people who help to keep me motivated and accountable.  We are all on this journey together so we help each other. This is a life-long journey, not a short trip. So surrounding yourself with the right people is important. If you don’t have someone, I’m happy to be your person!  

I started this new program on Sunday because I like a new adventure. It’s something different to try, a way to keep my body guessing and I’m always up for a new challenge. It helps me not to get bored.  I push myself to see what I am capable of and I’m always amazed. It may be hard at first but before long I’m knocking it out of the park. It doesn’t get easier, I get stronger and it feels so good!

The last reason I started is what better gift can I give to myself this Christmas week than the gift of health and the gift of movement for my body?  Here’s to a healthy Christmas week and beyond!  

Pandemic Winter

 As 2020 finally begins to wind down, we are entering the worst season of the year for me.  I am not a fan of winter. I never have been. I hate the snow, the cold, the constantly cloudy skies, the early darkness.  I find no joy in it whatsoever. As we enter into pandemic winter with mandates still in effect I know that this will be a hard winter for me. 

We’ve all been social distancing, quarantining at times and generally not being able to do all we would like to do. Being stuck in my house all the time, even though I love my house and the people in it, has been very trying. I am not a social person by any means but SOME social contact with others is necessary, even for me. After being home for almost 6 months straight, my sanity saver was going to work. I love my job. I love being surrounded by books and interacting with students. It has been what has gotten me through the past 4 months. 

The past couple of weeks though with our school being fully remote and only about 10% of the normal population of the building being in the building, even being at work hasn’t brought me as much joy. I know this winter is going to be tough for all of us. So, yesterday I made the friend pictured. I hope it brings a little bit of joy to all who see it this winter. I know it did for me.