It's Friday, time to give yourself some love!

Happy love-yourself Friday everyone!

For a while I’ve been feeling like today should be about facing and embracing change, and apparently this is a universal meme of the day, because I came across this from Bellatrix Nutrition: "Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced."

And this from Chris Kresser: “Making dietary changes isn't always easy. That's because our choice about what to eat is influenced by a number of different factors, ranging from the people we spend time with, our cultural heritage, our emotional health, our financial situation and our beliefs.”

Usually we know what the healthy answer is, but why is it so damn hard? And how do we stop living a life of vicious cycles of intense obedience, tortured temptation and miserable guilt? The first step is to change the paradigm (see my prior post below for some suggestions on that) and the second is to truly embrace the change. In order to get yourself out of the same old rut and routine, you need to face your challenges head on, and then you need to embrace the change. Having a problem with sugar cravings? You no longer eat sweets other than a few special occasions a year. Having trouble with getting up for early morning workouts? You become the person that NEVER misses a workout, no matter how cold it is, no matter how crappy you feel or how late you went to bed.

In order to flip your paradigm, you need to face your demons and be prepared to make changes that will banish them for good, not just keep them temporarily at bay. You’ll never know how great your potential truly is until you can let go of all those shackles you’ve been clinging to. Get rid of those bad influences, and give yourself permission to change. You’re worth it, you deserve it, and you’ll love what you become.

Promise yourself

Would you break a promise to your mother? Your spouse? Your most-trusted friend? Then why do you continually promise yourself that you’ll do better, work harder, make the right decisions, and then go right back to your old ways? We are our own worst critics, and we’re also our own worst friends.

We often know exactly what the right answer is, be it for diet, fitness, or overall happiness, and yet we constantly let ourselves go astray, breaking promise after promise with the most important person in our lives. Is it because we feel we aren’t worthy of the promise? That we’re afraid of who we might be able to become and what we might achieve if we reach our full potential? Is it that we’ve given up on ourselves?

I’m here to tell you that you ARE worthy, you will LOVE who you become when you reach that potential, and there’s so much more to you than what you give yourself credit for that it would be a damn shame if you let that slip away. So look yourself in the mirror, realize that the person staring back at you is an amazing, strong, capable human being, and promise yourself that you’re going to treat yourself the way you DESERVE. And then, most importantly, KEEP your promise!

It’s time to change the paradigm!

Quit looking in your rear view mirror at the old you and stop dreaming about what you’re missing. We’ve all had a moment where we desperately miss something; pizza, fried chicken, ice cream, pasta, candy……Everybody has their vice. Now ask yourself what you gain by taking that crap out of your life? Better energy, a clearer mind, better sleep, lower rates of countless diseases, longevity, self-confidence, look better naked (isn’t that pretty much everybody’s goal at the end of the day?)

But life is short, you say. What about quality of life? Well to that I say what about coconut curry, steaks cooked in butter, slabs of bacon, chicken salad, dark chocolate and red wine. Sound tasty? All totally acceptable/healthy foods. But you need cupcakes to live and live well? No, you don’t. But if you get your diet locked down, just google gluten free/paleo cupcakes or get a hold of my FAVORITE cookbook, “Make It Paleo”. You can have your gluten-free cake, and eat it too! You’re not too busy to eat well or spend some time preparing those healthy meals; I promise you watch far too much tv to make that a valid claim. Got a family to feed? Check out cavemomma and everyday paleo for awesome quick recipes to feed a whole family of picky eaters. Got any more excuses? Just post them below and we’ll get you a solution.

Start thinking like the person you want to be, start making the decisions he/she would make, and quit looking at the old, sick, fat, tired, (insert other crappy feeling you’ve had in the past) you in the rear-view mirror. Leave that lazy bones in the dust and start living the life you deserve!

Leave me some comments below on what you miss and get it ALL out of your system and let’s move on with a new year and a new you!

Let It Go

Welcome back to the real world everyone. I hope you all enjoyed your holiday as much as I did. It’s get-reinpired Monday, and I thought this might be a timely thought given we’ve all just battled our way through one of the most tempting and delicious days of the year, which usually brings with it some major post-feast guilt.

The other day I was pushing through a WOD involving sets on the rower, and I had an amazing moment of clarity. Each pull was getting harder and harder as my muscles got sore and my lungs crapped out (2 months of inactivity thanks to my broken knee and now my lungs are totally shot!) but after each pull came the release and reset. With each pull I got madder at the machine. I grunted, I swore, I grit my teeth…but with each reset came not only a physical release but a mental release. I found myself saying “let it go” I let go of the pain, let go of the exhaustion, and then let go of the mental baggage I’d been holding on to. All the guilt I’ve felt for eating less than perfect, every missed workout, all the self-doubt and self-degrading thoughts, I released that energy. I found myself digging harder into each row, knowing that the reset would bring another burst of mental freedom.

I started thinking about this phenomenon, and why is it that it takes pressure to feel such enlightenment. Much like the mind deteriorates as we age if we fail to maintain mental stimulation, I believe that our bodies and our souls also need to be pushed to achieve a level of peace and balance. We were made to work, to achieve and to find a way to thrive in adversity.

Today I urge you to find something to dig into and work the burn. Your body will reach a new level of health, and a lighter spirit will be your reward. When you put those dumb-bells down, I promise you’ll be dropping much more than just those weights, if you can just remember to let it go.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!! Today I am thankful to be surrounded by loved ones. This year our family survived my dad’s 3 month battle with life support and slow painful recovery, my broken knee, a major car accident and a battle with breast cancer and a major surgery. What I have learned is that the human spirit is a powerful force; that it wants to survive, to fight on as long as there is an ounce of strength.

Knowing this, I am so grateful to have these wonderful people in my life, to love me and nurture me and show me the meaning of true strength. Because of them I am made stronger. Because of them, I know that I am capable of enduring and thriving. And I am so grateful that they will allow me to give back to them, and to nurture them by preparing a healthy primal Thanksgiving meal rather than a traditional dinner full of gluten and sugar. We will dine on prosciutto-wrapped melon balls, deviled eggs, rosemary roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, roasted Brussels sprouts, buttered carrot soufflé, garlic and herb mashed cauliflower with turkey drippings gravy, and pumpkin pie. And when the forks go down, the smiles will come up. And more importantly, I will know that I have given them more than just a good meal. I will have fed their spirits, and given them perhaps an ounce more strength, that they may stay with me a while longer.

May your day be full of the warmth, love, and strength of your family! Safe and happy Thanksgiving to all!

A week of Thanksgiving-Day 7

Today I am thankful for the barbell. As much as I hate it, there’s something so cathartic about pushing that cold hard steel around. For this morning’s workout, I muscled through a ladder of power snatches. Don’t know what that is? Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h4r8tWGAKM

I knew after round 2 it was going to suck, but I’m so glad I pushed through. Once you have stared down a bar and conquered it, the world has to push you just a little bit harder and you can push it right back. The challenge is what brings out my light for the day. We all need something in our lives to challenge our notions of “I can’t” and help us realize we’re capable of more than we know. I urge you to think about what pushes you in your life, and take a moment of gratitude for the lessons it has taught you.

I'll leave you today with one of my favorite quotes. Ask yourself, what is YOUR light...
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Used by Nelson Mandela in his 1994 inaugural speech

A week of Thanksgiving-Day 6

Happy short work week everyone! Today I am thankful for my community. Community comes in many forms; the family and friends that surround you, those that support your goals and share in your adventures, the people you turn to celebrate your victories and soothe your defeats, and of course, those that “like” your facebook updates. These are your people, the reflections of yourself, and the multi-faceted colors of your life.

I have been thinking a LOT about community over the past 2 months. Not to beat a dead horse’s knee cap, but indulge me in a broken knee story once more (I promise not to dwell too much on my injuries, but it’s so darn relevant to today’s thoughts!) When I went into my knee brace, I felt a strange wall of isolation go up. I felt cut off from the people that had previously given me great strength. My crossfit gym and my heavy lifting forums are full of amazing people with positive energy and similar goals. I enjoy each interaction and always feel uplifted after I’ve spent time talking with them. And then suddenly I was with them, but not of them. I couldn’t have my typical discussions about max squats or how much I love deadlift days because I couldn’t even walk well, let alone lift heavy things. I continued to go to crossfit, worked on achieving an unassisted pullup (which I’m proud to say I can now rep out 3-4 at a time), and whatever else I could push my upper body to do without the support of my legs, but I couldn’t participate in most of the workouts. I lost my competitive spirit, my sense of accomplishment, and I missed my name up on the wall with everyone else. I cheered loud for everyone as they struggled to beat the clock while their muscles ached and their lungs burned, but secretly I was sad and envious of their fully functioning legs, thinking of how small and ineffective my own leg was becoming. I was experiencing a full-blown loss of community, and it sucked.

And then last Thursday, a remarkable thing happened. With the brace off and 3 weeks of physical therapy under my belt, I walked into a workout of 40 clean and jerks. The first Olympic lift I’ve even been able to consider in months. Granted a full clean was too much for my knee, but a hanging clean and jerk put me in the game with everyone else. Of course the weight on the bar was definitely nothing to write home about, but that didn’t matter to me. My PR for the day was returning to the community I’d lost. I was OF them again. And when I posted my victory to my forums, and they celebrated with me. I had rejoined the pack, and it felt great. They say you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, and they were right. I missed my communities, and I’m so thankful to have them back!