In Passion

I desire that no child is left to starve in our world.  I desire a peaceful existence in a violent world. I desire the abuse would end here and now.   I desire the killing of innocents be stopped. I desire true happiness, joy & love.

I am passionate about physical movement.  I am passionate about helping others see the best in themselves. I am passionate about life and the right to be. I am passionate about standing for the elderly, the unborn, the weak, the handicapped of this world who are deemed worthless in others eyes. I am passionate about Him and doing His will, as hard as that may be.

All of us at times, knowingly or unknowingly, crave passion in our lives.  With passion we are alive, very alive.  We experience something so compelling it cannot be pushed aside.  It awakens, intoxicates, and invigorates us.  Passion comes in the forms of people, music, sports, art, work, nature.  It's love, joy, anger or hatred. It can be fleeting, elusive, and even absent for periods of time in our lives.  It may seem, the harder we look for it, the harder it is to find.

Now consider desire.  Defined as: to wish or long for, want. Desire can be precursor to passion. When we desire something our body will physically ache for it.  Desire is not action oriented like passion.  Desire is the feeling of longing, or want of, something.  It can be steadfast, meaning it can take hold for a very long time, maybe never leaving us, keeping us constantly aching for that something we have set our "hearts desire" on. Through desire we often learn. Wisdom is the priceless jewel obtained as a result of our desires.  Listening and embracing your desires, you begin to feel the ache or relate to others and their wants with compassion and understanding.  Embracing desire motivates us to reach out, search for, or seek a purpose in life. Suppressing desires leads to a dispassionate life.  No sparkle in the eye, no skip in your step.  A general disinterest in life.  Depression.

Passion, on the other hand, if often active.  Smelling, tasting, touching, hearing and seeing the beloved. It is raw emotions embodied.  The moment we experience passion, we know it.  It's unmistakable,  and indeed remarkable. Big or small, we want to hold onto it forever.  It is not always so, not always permanent or everlasting.  It can be everything or it can be nothing. But with passion always come growth. Fleeting as it is, it teaches us something with which we carry forth in life.

Passion can be another person. Love often evolves with or as a result of passion.  Phileo love is that of friendship, a strong bond that exists between people who share common interests or activities.  Storge love is natural affection, such as parental love, mere acceptance. Eros love is romantic love, a sense of being in love and longing for an emotional connection with another.  Agape love is the pinnacle of love, the deepest sense of love, brotherly love, unconditional love.  Holding another in the highest regard.

Life beyond passion can be balanced, calm,  and open. It is when we are open to what life has in store that new doors open, allowing us the opportunity to fall in love or be passionate all over again.  Knowing the nature of passion, that it's fleeting, should help us to continue our search for bigger, better, brighter horizons.  With optimistic hope and eyes wide open seek out tomorrow's gifts, one never knows what the new day will bring.

There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the passions of life.~Federico Fellin

Be Well.

In Fear

Fear :   distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.

Do you allow fear to limit you?  I have been pondering this question lately...why? Not sure, but could be directly related to this "mid-life" thing going on with me.  Coming from a eighties fitness instructor who jumped, skipped, hopped, plie'd, chasse'd her way through the the era of high impact aerobics it makes sense.  I've lived through some pretty painful overuse injuries along the way.  This may be where my moderation principles originated and where my reservations started.

Jodi and I have started an ongoing discussion on fear and how it is limiting my training and bigger "things" in my life.  She knows she is working with someone who is holding back, possibly too much out of fear, fear of re-injury or fear of hurting myself seriously enough to deter my future training. One of the worst things I could ever imagine happening is the loss of mobility.  And rightfully so, if you have been there you know, just saying.  My training and love of fitness helps me cope with the bigger things in my life. Calms me. Allows me time to reflect. Keeps me sane. All good things in the end, right?

So I am trying. Trying to live in such a way that I am open to new experiences; it is OK to be cautious, and it is natural to have a certain amount of anxiety or fear, but I cannot let fear dominate or limit my life.  One sure sign for me when I overcome fear is the feeling of exhilaration. I find myself smiling ear to ear, even laughing, when I reach beyond my self placed limits and accomplish something I feared.

Take today for example. VSP training, saving the best for last. LOL  Four sets of pull ups...6x, 8x, 10x, 12x. "Zach can I just do chin ups?", I asked.  I hear a resounding "NO".  "OK can I go over to the rack with padded bar?"  -This princess hates her hands being chewed up by the pull up handles in the weight room-  Yes that is allowed. WHEW! Off we went, let the pull ups begin. First set: great, second set: tough, third set...well the added assist helped me through all 10 reps.  Fourth set: 12 ....really? Fear entered my mind, as fellow adult athletes watched.  What if I cannot make it? Pressing through, with Zach's assist, I did them, but not without a bunch of grunts and groans. 

The feeling of accomplishment resonates from deep within, it is profound.  Realizing, that by doing something you are fearful of (in this case the fear of failure), facing it head on and overcoming it,  that this fear is not and cannot be bigger than you or your support system -Thank you Zach, Amy and MO for cheering me on- You then become the ultimate winner, for the moment. It's fun, it stokes you, it ignites a fire within you.

Discovery ~  Empowerment ~ Joy ~  Fun ~  Sheer Thrill

All these describe accomplishments, big and small. Nothing can take that moment away. You reached out beyond your self professed limits and did it.  This is what we call living life to it's fullest. And live it with out fear.

There are many wonderful things that will never be done

if you do not do them.  ~Charles D. Gill

There are and will be times in our lives that truly big things happen. The example above really only scratches the surface, a simple example of overcoming fear. Recently I went through the dreaded wait for test results to come back.  The fears that ran through my mind where constant, but I told myself again and again, I have to keep on living life to it's fullest. Every day is a blessing. All of us, when faced with larger than life fears like serious health issues or relationship challenges, know  we can overcome it.  Rely on your support systems, your inner strength, and Him to pull you through. 



Be well,

Friday's Bumm Fry

My fitness bud, motivator, arm twister, nutritionist who calls it like it is, Jodi, put this workout together for me last month and I could not resist going back to it. I needed a great BUMM workout after my visit to the ladies dressing room today ( you know how brutally honest those lights and mirrors are!) and this is it.  I know, I know...its Sunday..not Friday. Friday just sounds better and it is a Friday WO on my rotation...so there you have it.

You can get more great workouts like this at trans4mation station by JodiOjo.com but let me be the first to warn you, she can rock out some killer trainings.

This is a FAST workout. (Hey I am all about "Get 'er done"...and get 'er done right now.)  SO be prepared to suck some air cause there is no rest for FIERCE mama's who mean business.

Squats 10 x 10 
do not rack your weight! ha! oy! Rest 15 secs exactly between sets.  Use weight you would do 15 reps with

One Pull Up / One Push Up
Do amap without stopping. Rest 30 seconds. Perform 2 more sets with same amount as first round

30 / 30 / 30 / 30 / 30's
Perform each listed exercise for 30 seconds.  When finished do walking lunge in between exercises for 30 seconds, no rest. Start next exercise followed by 30 seconds of walking lunges till done with all 5 exercises. This is one set. Rest 60 seconds. Repeat 3 times. Yes, 4 rounds ladies!
Exercises
DB Walk-through
Squat Thrusts
DB Side Raises   
DB Bent over Row with Twist
MB Russian Twists 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this training session. I can't wait to hear about your thoughts.

Be Well

Rev up Your Engine ~part II

Let's just face it....after forty our metabolism takes a hit. I can't tell you exactly when it started happening but one day, around forty-something, my furnace tanked. It was a sad day indeed, the day I realized my metabo-time bomb had blown.  And when it blew baby, it wasn't pretty.  Something akin to my thighs being caught in a hail storm. You know what I am talking about. One day you notice those darn puckers all over the place. Hey...how did I become Crisco overnight?  You know, fat in the can, LOL.  Well let me tell ya, it is no laughing matter.

So what is a girl to do?

Boost it baby. Rev up you engine. Move it or lose it.

Build Muscle

Could it be as simple as that. Well partly.  It is a known fact that our Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is higher with more muscle.  One pound of muscle uses 6 calories a day just to sustain itself.  Now take one pound of fat. It takes 2 calories a day to sustain itself. Huh?  These things sustain themselves? Well yes silly, fat cells are alive and clicking.  Well truth be told, cells that carry fat are alive and well.  OK, skip that.  But really, 2 calories vs 6 calories?  This is per pound, so multiply that by the number of pounds you carry around a day in fat or muscle and yes, it begins to add up over time, say a year.

Another tidbit to remember about muscle, is that its fibers get pretty excited after stimulus (exercise) which in turn activates and increases your energy needs post workout. Yippeee. So kick it up a notch cause higher intensity delivers bigger and longer metabolic bucks = increases metabolic rate. Yep Yep.

Drink More Water

Your beloved bod needs good ole H2O to process calories. Simple. Even being mildly dehydrated can slow down your metabolic rate cause of the lack of the body's ability to do the work.  Bonus: Fresh fruit and veges are ....ummm...mostly H20...ever notice your quick trip to the ladies room after munching on a big green salad with veges.  Oh, of course. Ding Ding.

I'll take mine on the rocks. Yes, drink your tall cool one with added ice (water girl, water!) Research has shown cold water prompts the body to burn more calories, if only a wee bit. 10 calories a day. Again, these things do add up over time.

Drinking and want more? In addition to good old water, turn to black coffee or green tea for bonus metabolic boosts, altho small, who cares cause it's something. 

Eat More Often

Burn baby burn, disco inferno. Burn baby burn.  Train your body to burn more by simply eating every 3 to 4 hours.  When studying snackers, it was shown they consume less at their main meal times because they simply are not STARVING!!!  You know what starving means; it's the biggest setup to failure, a ravenous appetite often leads to overeating.

Spice up your meals while you are at it.  1 tablespoon of chopped red or green chili pepper can temporarily boost your metabolic rate by 23%.  But this is short lived, like maybe 1/2 hour but still you can't complain about the fact that you get a tiny boost so grab those red pepper flakes and sprinkle them on your next main dish. Waaa laaa! You'll be zipping in no time.

Eat more protein. I have chirped about this one enough.  Protein is satisfying, along with good fats. They satiate your appetite.  Satiate and I am a happy girl, enough said.  Protein also makes the body work twice as hard to digest it vs. how hard the bod works to digest fats or carbs.  But...(there is always a but hahaha) balance is important.  Please note I am not advocating a high protein diet.  I'm a rather staunch supporter of moderation. Simply substitute a little protein in for some of your carbs or fats.

Avoid Crash Diets

Do NOT ever dip below 1000 calories a day. Can you say metabolic disaster grander than the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster?  These diets are notorious for quick weight loss, but guess what?  At the expense of muscle (gasp!) ...Oh crap! Really, double CRAP!  I  don't get excited about much, too often, but this one just sets me off!!! Why on God's green lovely earth would you give up any precious muscle? Isn't this where this discussion started!???  We are losing it naturally, hormonally, honey...  Yikes, please do not sabotage your efforts.  Never.  The worse part of post low cal diets, is the fact that when you start eating normally again, you gain weight easier and faster. And it is now harder to lose cause you have less muscle mass then prior to that crash diet.  Less muscle = less calories needed. Oy Vey! I'm just saying.

Best Bet

Here is the fun part.  Some of the individual impacts of the above steps are small beans but when lumped together, they really start to add up.  Sustained weight loss is attainable. Workout smarter and eat smarter. That's my motto and I am sticking to it.

Get up, slam your ice cold water. Grab a cup of Joe or TWO with your breakfast which is consumed within your first waking hour.  Get to the gym for your workout sometime during the day (or get outside and move).  Head for the kitchen for your snack or meal (sprinkled with chili flakes LOL) every 3 to 4 hours to keep your furnace firing. Drink lots of water (ice) throughout the day. Grab an afternoon green tea...and incorporate balance into your meals and life. And Laugh, laugh a lot cause nothing is better than a good ole belly laugh. Enjoy your life.

 Be Well