MOVE

You start exercising, and what happens? You start to feel better, have more energy, get stronger, more flexible?? Wow-maybe because that's what your body was MADE to do! To MOVE. It was not made to eat crap food, and sit all day. It was made to jump, sprint, and lift heavy things.

No wonder most people feel so bad in this world today. It's amazing what happens to your body and your health when you simply have it do what it was meant to do.

Our bodies are just like any other machine, or like a car, for example. If you let a car a sit for years and don't maintain it, it will become rusty and not run very well, and the same thing will eventually happen to your body. It doesn't make sense to me WHY you would let your body waste away.

It's All About Your Attitude

The people with the attitude of "I have got to make this happen" will do better than the "I'll give it a go" people. You must really go for it and push through the bad days. The reason most people fail is they give up far too easily. Try to figure out your why and it will be much easier."
-Darragh Holland

Don't Know What To Do...

Just need to vent.

My little brother stopped by today to get in the pool. It's the first time I've seen him in a few months, and as it always does, the conversation steered to life. And as always, it ended with him leaving and me feeling sad and depressed.


All Jesse ever says is how he doesn't care about anything, that nothing really matters, and that he only cares about himself. I don't know if he really feels this way or if he just uses it as a defense mechanism. I really hope he doesn't truly not care about anything or any body, because that's a horrible way to live.


Every time we have a conversation like this, I feel like it got nowhere. I feel like I didn't say the right things, that I didn't give him any good advice, and that I just came across as judgemental and that I think I'm better than him.


He always says something like, "Oh, you're so perfect, Lindsay, you're so much better than me." And I don't want that to be the impression he gets from what I say...because I don't think that at all. I just don't know what to say that will get through to him. Maybe it comes out wrong, or maybe he just takes it the wrong way, I don't know.

I only want him to be happy and make something of his life...to not be so mean...and I just can't get him to see that. He just thinks I'm judging him. I always end up wishing I had not said something or that I'd said something different.


It just makes me feel sad and frustrated and a little hurt by things he says every time I talk to him. I always think it's gonna get better and that maybe he's changed a little, but it never happens. :(

I Just Wanna Soak Up the Sun!!!

Oh, it's Monday again....Those Mondays sneak up on me so fast. :(

I had a good workout today, although it involved running, my least favorite thing. For time: 800m run, 30 clean and jerks(I used 95lbs), 800m run. Took me about 20 minutes.

So I had a really nice weekend-Saturday we had beautiful weather, and I was so happy to finally get our pool up! You just can't really enjoy summers here in Kentucky without a pool. After getting the pool up and then floating in the sun for a bit, we had some pizza for lunch/dinner, and then went to Tumbleweed on the waterfront downtown for some dessert as the sun set.

Of course, I had a slice of the peanut butter pie! This thing is so amazing, I can't even explain it.... Today is kind of dreary, but the next few days are supposed to be hot and SUNNY. So you know where I'll be! Right here:

I Love Working Out :)

I am so excited to work out today! I love working out so much that I actually HATE rest days, even though I know I need them. I don't see how people can NOT like to work out...they don't know what they're missing! ;)


I mean, yeah, some days I have low energy and don't feel like working out, but I ALWAYS feel better once I get started. Sometimes my workouts are SO hard and I suffer all the way through them, and I'm saying to myself, "I hate this!" the whole time, but really, deep down I love it. I love the way I feel afterwards knowing that I pushed myself and made it through. Sometimes I surprise myself by what I can do.


I love being strong and fit and constantly challenging myself. I love what my body can do. It just feels good.


So anyway, today's WOD is an 20 minute amrap(as many rounds as possible) of: 2 muscle ups, 4 handstand pushups, 8 55lb kettlebell swings. I love workouts like this, and I can't WAIT to do some muscle ups! :)

Stop Saying You CAN'T

Doubts...insecurities...negative thoughts...we all have them. But you can't let those negative thoughts control you or hold you back from achieving your goals. And so many people do.

Your mental attitude is KEY, I can't stress that enough. Your mind is a powerful thing. If you think you can't do something, then you probably won't. If you keep saying, "I can't do this, I'll never lose weight, I'll never have the body I want", then that is most likely what will happen. You won't ever get the body you want because you keep telling yourself you never will!

It's amazing what you can acomplish if you just believe in yourself. It's so simple, yet SO true. Get rid of your doubts. Push away the negative thoughts. You can do whatever you set your mind to IF you really believe that you can do it and you want it bad enough.

Visualize yourself where you want to be/how you want to look and then committ to doing whatever it takes to get there. Don't even contemplate NOT getting there. Have it in your head that you WILL get there. NO matter WHAT. It's the only way you'll be successful.

Cange your mindset. Stop saying you can't do it. You CAN.



"If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it." - William Arthur Ward

A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.”
~Patricia Neal

"Don't let what you can't do, interfere with what you can do."

It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not. ~Author Unknown

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right."
— Henry Ford

Just One More Reason To Eat More Veggies

Vegetables for muscle growth? Hmmm...

http://www.diet-blog.com/11/vegetables_for_lean_muscle_growth.php

I guess Popeye had it right!

My Favorite Cheat Meal

I have to say, I think Krispy Kreme donuts are my favorite cheat meal!! I especially the LOVE creme filled ones, and the new Oreo cookies and cream donuts were DElicious! I had 4 and 1/2...and one the next day!
There's a time to eat healthy(which should be 90% of the time!!)....and then there is a time to SPLURGE. And I have to say, I love my splurges. :)

I'm not one of those people who act like I absolutely LOVE eating healthy all the time. Sometimes I DON'T like what I eat...I just eat it because it's healthy and I know that's what it takes to look good!

I get bored with what I eat every now and then...and sometimes all that gets me through the week is looking forward to my cheat meal. Maybe that's not a good thing...but it is what works for ME. I love junk food! I just don't love the effects of it, and THAT is why I eat healthy. But I sure enjoy my "treats"! :)

Things I Learned From My Dad

Thinking of my dad on this Father's day....I thought I'd share some things about my dad that had an influence on me and the person I am today.

Things I learned from my dad:

-Read the Bible.
The first thing about my dad that had an impact on me was his faith. He was not perfect, but my Dad loved God. One of the memories I have of him is seeing him in his room every night, with the Bible open in front of him on the bed.

-Pray about everything.
My dad was a prayer. He’d pray with my before softball games. He gave me bible scriptures on little pieces of paper for me to tuck into my socks during my games, and he always told me to rely on God’s strength and to give all the glory to Him.

A memory I cherish is when he was in the hospital during his last few weeks and Matt and I had just told him that we had gotten married. The first thing he did was take our hands and pray for us and our marriage. It really meant so much to me.

-Admit when you're wrong. My Dad was not good at expressing his feelings and emotions(just like me!), but he would always admit when he was wrong and apologize if he lost his temper.


-Work hard. My dad worked every single day of his life in a factory to support his family, while his brothers were always bumming money off of other people and couldn't hold a job.

Through coaching me in my pitching, he instilled in me a work ethic that I still have to this day. He would make me practice even when I didn’t feel like it. He reminded me that if I really wanted to be the best, then I had to work for it.

He always said that there was another pitcher out there practicing right at that moment who wanted it more than me. That really hit home with me and made me want to work that much harder!

-Lift! My dad is the one who first introduced me to strength training. He gave me a light set of dumbbells and showed me a few exercises to do to with them to strengthen my arm for pitching. As I got stronger, he gave me heavier dumbbells, and that’s how my love for the weights began!

If my dad hadn’t given me that first set of dumbbells when I was 13, I don’t know if I would’ve had the love for the weights that I do today that came from all those years of lifting weights in my bedroom.

I miss my Dad and think about him every day. Sometimes I still can't believe he's gone. But I’m glad that I was able to learn these things from him and that I had a dad who set a good example and who supported and loved us.

Fran PR!

Well, I did Fran yesterday....and my time was 7:14.

It's not a great time, but for ME, I'm happy with it because I beat my old time by 2 minutes, 30 seconds!

That workout is SO hard.

Squat Day and...Fran??

Guess what I did today? Heavy squats!

I'm such a dork, I know, but I just love heavy squats that much! They get my blood flowing, my heart pumping, my adrenaline going-it's just a great feeling. You gotta try it! ;)

I did 5 sets of 3 reps, starting with 155lbs and ending up with 190lbs, although could only get 2 reps with 190. I'll take it, though!

I love squatting at the gym and being the only girl in the weight room, surrounded by guys doing bicep curls and cable crossovers. I'm like, "Yeah, that's right, I'm squatting more than you can!" Hehe. ;) Yeah, it makes me feel cool.

Soo.... you know I love CrossFit, but I dunno, I must be schizo or something because yesterday I was having these thoughts of wanting to get back into bodybuilding...even though like a week ago I was saying how I don't miss it at all! What is up with that? It's like an old boyfriend that you can't get out of your head and keep wanting to go back to, even though you know you shouldn't! LOL.

Well, I'm not going back to it. I'm gonna stick with CrossFit and be completely committed to it for at least a year. If my muscles start to shrink or I gain fat...maybe I'll think of a way to combine a traditional strength training program with CrossFit or something.

Anyway, I've been keeping a food log on facebook just for people to see how I eat...and I've realized that I eat a lot! I didn't really realize it until I saw it all written out. But hey, I gotta fuel these muscles!

And one more thing-I think today I'm going to attempt "Fran" again! I'm nervous! I really want to beat my old time, but that just makes me have more anxiety. I'll let ya know how it goes...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TecNK4mQm9s

FEED Your Body and LIFT

I know I've said it before, but here it is AGAIN: It's hard to build muscle.

Any woman you see who is lean, muscular and defined has put in a LOT of work to look that way. She didn't get there by training with light weights, not eating enough OR by just doing tons of cardio. It took EFFORT day in and day out to get that muscle.

You don't wake up one day and with bulging biceps and popping shoulders. You will NOT get massive or bulky and look like a man, despite what people(especially MEN!) may say.

So if you want to be toned, my advice to you is to try to build as much muscle as possible. Make that your focus in the gym. You do that by lifting heavier weights(of course with good form!), for 6-8 reps, focusing on your biggest muscle groups and exercises that don't just isolate one muscle. Pullups, rows, bench presses, shoulder presses, squats, and deadlifts are some of the best exercises you can do for building muscle. And stick to mostly barbells and dumbbells-I'm no longer a fan of machines!

You also have to be sure to eat enough HEALTHY foods to fuel those muscles and get them to GROW. Get in more protein, eat your healthy carbs before and after workouts, and don't forget about the healthy fats, like olive oil and avacado. Eggs, fish, lean meat, fruits, veggies, nuts, oats, brown rice, and whey protein should be staples in your diet.

And lastly...don't overdo it on the cardio! Focus on the weights, clean eating, and throw in a little cardio in there a few days a week. Do some sprints or jump rope intervals on your days off from the weights, or right after your weight training sessions. And don't forget your rest days-your muscles grow outside of the gym on your recovery days, NOT in the gym.

Thoughts

I miss my brother and sister. :(

Ever since my mom moved and sold our childhood home, I never see them anymore. It's been months. I feel like I don't even have a family sometimes. I miss the way I used to be so close to both my brother and my sister.

Now my sister lives so far away and has no mode of transportation or even money to get anywhere...and my brother...I don't know what he's been doing these days. He seems like a different person to me now than the little brother I grew up with. I sometimes look at old photos of him from when he was a kid, and the other day I almost started to cry- I just miss that little boy so much.

He was always so happy...and he has lost that joy since my dad died and everything that happened with him and my mom. He turned mean and bitter and just doesn't care about anything. Mindy and Jesse are both still dealing with my dad's death five years ago. I mean, I miss him and think about him all the time, but God has given me a peace and hope that they just don't have.

My only hope is that one day we'll all be close again. That we'll be able to get through this and not let it bring us apart. I pray for both of them every single day. All I want for them is happiness.


"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
-Romans 12:12

Money

“Money can buy you a bed, but not sleep. A house
but not a home. Luxuries but not a life. Stuff but not a Savior."

-Max Lucado

Sunday Funday!

This weekend we had some awesome weather, with a break from the heat and humidity and temps in the 80s.

Matt finally put the finishing touches on his Jeep that he's been working on all winter and spring!

Just in time to take it for a cruise in the nice weather. I love riding in the Jeep with the doors off, the wind blowing through my hair! :)

We went and played a game of putt-putt...

And yes, he beat me THIS time....but that's okay. The score is even now since I beat him last week, so we have one more game to play to see who is the final victor! (My husband and I are just a little competitive, can you tell??) Then we went to Culver's for our favorite treats-Reese cup concrete mixers. I get mine with chocolate icecream and extra Reese cups, and it is the best. thing. ever. After that we went to a local park for a walk. I love nature and being outdoors. I'm fascinated by trees and open fields of grass. I think it goes back to my childhood, growing up with five acres of land. I was NEVER inside as a kid.

My time was spent with my sister playing in the creek in our front yard, the woods in our backyard, running up and down hills...there was always something to do and explore. Oh, I miss that! Living in a subdivision now makes me a feel a little constricted sometimes. I look around me and all I see are other houses....

Going to a park makes me feel like a kid again! When I see a tree, I want to climb it, when I see a hill, I want to run up it, when I see an open field, I want to do cartwheels!

Something about nature and the openness makes me feel FREE. And I need that every now and then...

Progress

I came across this picture of myself, taken I think in 2005, or 2006 at the latest. Look at my skinny arms!!! Wow. This was when I first started getting really serious with my training and really trying to BUILD muscle. I think I weighed around 115lbs here:I'm so glad I took this pic because it really shows how much muscle I have gained since then. Progress pics are SO important, because sometimes it's hard to see the changes in yourself since you see yourself everyday! So here is a picture taken of me recently. I now weigh around 123lbs:And here's a side by side photo: I love seeing the progress I've made! I really didn't realize how skinny I was back then. And people think I'm skinny now?? I'm hope no one thinks I'm arrogant or full of myself or anything by posting pics of myself...It's just that I have put in a lot of work over the years to get to look the way I do today, and I am proud of it!

I love it that all of my hard training and the right nutrition has paid off. It makes it all worth it. I love it that I am in CONTROL of my body and the way it looks. It's all a result of what I've put into my mouth and consistently challenging my muscles with heavier weights. THIS is why I have always LOVED weight training!!!! It is THE way to transform your body. The results may come slow, but oh it is SO worth the wait.

Eating healthy will get you smaller and will help you to lose weight/fat, BUT it will not get you toned and defined. That is ONLY achieved through strength training. And to me, a tight, muscular body is much better than a small, skinny, flabby one. But hey, that's just MY preference. :)

Go lift some weights today!

You Think You're Fit??

You think you're strong or in shape? Well, there's nothing like CrossFit to show you that you're probably really NOT. I know it shows me that! If I ever thought I was good at something or strong or fit before CrossFit...well, CrossFit definitely proved me wrong!

I didn't care about being super fit before I started CrossFit, all I cared about was looks, but now I do. I know I won't ever be the fittest person in the world, but I like training to be as fit as I can be. It's not really a competition against other people, it's a competition with myself. To be better than I was yesterday. To prove that I can do it, that I won't quit, that I CAN push through the pain.

That's part of why I love CrossFit. I'll never be content or comfortable where I'm at. I'll never get bored. I'll always be trying to get better. That's what gets people addicted to it!

I watched a fitness competitor working out at the gym today while I was doing my CrossFit workout. And I was thinking to myself as I watched her do lateral raises, cable rows, and bicep curls, "I really don't miss that." When I first started CrossFit I would see someone working out the way I used to and I would kind of miss it, but now I don't at all!

Speaking of workouts, the workout that I did today was one of the workouts from the Regionals competition that is going on right now to see who gets to go to the CrossFit games in July. What I did a scaled version of it, with lighter weights as noted:

For time:
100 pullups( I did 75)
100 KB swings w/35lb(I used 20lb)
100 double unders
100 Overhead squats with 65lbs (I used 55lbs)

It took me almost 35 minutes, while it only took Camille Leblanc, a top CrossFit athlete about 15 minutes!! Now SHE is fit! I don't know if I'll ever be at that level, but I'll keep trying!

Anyway, enough about CrossFit...So today is going to be 95 and humid. It's been like this for the past couple weeks. I guess summer is officially here! It'd be nice if spring lasted more than a couple of weeks here in Kentucky. But I'm not gonna complain too much because this is MUCH better than cold weather! Even though I freeze in my house because my husband has to crank the air up!

I Hate CrossFit

I hate CrossFit.

It rips my calluses and makes my hands bleed.
It scars up my shins.
It gives me rope burn.
It makes me feel like I'm going to passout/puke/die.
It makes me wanna cry sometimes.
It's uncomfortable.
It hurts SO bad.
It sucks.

It challenges me.
It pushes me out of my comfort zone.
It humbles me.
It teaches me.
It makes me stronger.
It empowers me.

It makes me lean.
It builds me muscle.
It makes my butt grow.
It gives me abs.
It keeps me healthy.
It gets me fit. REALLY fit.
It's FUN.

Okay, maybe I lied. Maybe love it.

Just Another Rant!

Okay, confession: there are some people I don't really like to train. These are people who come to me who have some event, or a beach trip, or whatever coming up in a month and want to get "toned up" or lose 20lbs quick.

Let me tell you why: It's not always the case, but the ones who are looking for that quick fix weight loss are the ones who usually don't last long. They're the ones who only care about losing weight and nothing else. All that matters to them is getting to that certain number on the scale. They give up and quit when they aren't getting results as fast as they think they should, or when they realize that they have to put in a lot more effort.

I think that some people start bootcamp or personal training thinking that they are going to completely transform their bodies in a month. People always say to me when they start, "I wanna look like you!" Well, the thing is you CAN....but it's not gonna happen in a month or two. They have NO idea how hard it is. A lot of people quit when they realize it's not gonna be easy.

My job as a trainer is not just to give my clients a great, butt kicking workout(that's the easy part!), but it's also to try to motivate and to hopefully inspire people to want to change and to live a healthier lifestyle. For some people it's a helpless cause...they just don't want to change. What I say goes in one ear and out the other. Yet they continue to complain about how they can't lose weight.

Some people will just never get it. Even when I explain to them that it's not healthy to lose weight fast and that you'll most likely gain it all back, and that your focus should be on getting healthy, making a lifestyle change, and getting strong, they still think they can do it their own way. They're still not changing their eating habits, they're still obsessing over the scale... but they're not doing anything to become healthier.

So eventually they quit. I guess to some people, it's just too much work. It's too hard. They'd rather take some pill or have liposuction or go on some crazy diet just to lose weight that will come right back.

Getting an amazing body is hard work. It's not something you get in month, or even 3 months, or even a year! IT TAKES TIME. A LONG TIME. It's not just something you get by changing a few little things in your diet here and there or exercising a couple of days a week, or lifting light weights.

It's a CONSTANT changing of your habits and lifestyle. It's changing your whole mindset. It never stops-you must constantly evolve and try to become better and healthier. THAT is when you will get results. When you are willing to change. When you stop trying to just get in shape quick for that trip to the beach, and you start wanting to change yourself for the better, from the inside out.

It's doing what it takes for as LONG as it takes when you will finally get the body you've always wanted.


"If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results."
-Jack Dixon