Sleeeeeep!

That's me, jamming!  Woot!

Today is the first day, of a wonderful journey.  A journey of--sleep!  It’s...not starting well.  I have always had an issue with insomnia, since I was a kid.  It’s definitely not as bad as some people, but sleep has been a huge battle for me.  Now that I look back, I understand why.  I ate so poorly, and had such a crappy schedule, it’s no wonder my cortisol is through the roof!  Derby doesn’t help, but I’m not going to stop doing the things I love, entirely. 

We left off with me declaring that I was going to cut back on derby, in an attempt to really get my hormones back to somewhat normal levels.  Anyway, I could NOT sleep last night.  I finally passed out around 1 am, but it took forever to get comfortable.  I’m sure it was the combination of being sedentary the entire day, my husband missing (he travels a lot for work), and the sudden mini-heatwave.

I’m kinda exhausted today, AND I forgot my coffee.  OH, CRUEL WORLD!  I’m trying to not let this be a bad omen.  Instead, this is a huge reason why I’m doing what I’m doing.  My sleep sucks, and it’s really hurting my health and my body composition.  So, in fact, this is perfect!  The only worse thing could be if I keep having an issue with insomnia, which is pretty normal for me.  I get so anxious about sleep, that it eludes me even more.

Here’s the start: I’m tired as hell, and ready to take this challenge on!

I took a small break from Paleo, which isn’t to say I pigged out on junk.  I did, however, have sushi (and rice with it), some regular fries and...gasp!  I actually had some chocolate and wine.

I know, I know...  I said no sugar or alcohol for a year.  I was thinking about it, and I realized that was only setting a bad example.  I want to show people that Paleo can be healthy AND fun.  Totally cutting out the joy of booze and the occasional piece of sugary crap wasn’t going to do much in proving my point.  So, change of plans!  I will tell you, though, I did NOT feel super well afterward.  I shall not partake in this crap often.

Also, life is ever-changing, and that includes our goals.  I don’t think it’s worth stressing over, so I took the stress out.

A few things before I let you go.  I will be keeping track of my waist to hip ratio, which is 0.77 (a good start!).

I’m keeping a food, sleep, and exercise log, which you can keep track of, here.  I’ll post about this periodically.

Last but not least, I had said I would be starting this after my second game of the season.  I’m delighted to say WE WON!  And we won big.  Woot!  The Rolling Knockouts took out the Heebie Jeebies, 155 to 66!  So, if I had to take a derby break, that’s a good note to go out on.  Again, I’m not giving up derby, just cutting back on practice for a short while.

Next game is in August, and I believe should be banked!  Stay tuned.

I'd rather be sleeping

I have a new catch phrase--”I’d rather be sleeping”.  I love it, ‘cause it’s so true.  So, with that said, I decided to take some time off hardcore derby.  The time is right, as my second game of the season is this Saturday, and I won’t have another game with my team, ‘til August.  I’m going to use this time to really catch up on sleep, eat super clean, and lift super heavy.  I’ll lay out some goals soon.  I’m going to actually keep track of my eating extensively, and keep track of my waist to hip ratio, every other week (it’s better to do once a month, but I want to do it more for the blog).

This doesn’t mean I’m going to be completely absent from practice.  Only really during the week.  As is, my cortisol levels are so elevated, I’m having issues with insomnia.  I have the hardest time getting to sleep, and staying asleep.  I feel so wired at night!  No, this is not normal.  I love derby, but I love being healthy way more.  Hopefully, taking care of myself before I take care of derby means a much longer derby career.

I only have one body, so I have to take very good care of it.

First bout of the season: success is mine!

 

Hmmm...  I guess I was more a Zeppelin fan...

It’s done!  My team had our first “official” bout of the season.  It was pretty freaking magical.  We lost, but in our eyes, we won.  We were up most of the first half of the game, then it was back and forth the second half.  We only lost by 20 points, so you can tell it was pretty close!

It has been a real struggle for my poor little team.  We’ve seriously been losing players left and right, and recently took on some newer skaters.  I was kinda worried, but not as much as a few weeks ago.  Each week seemed better than the last.  You can see definite improvement in everyone.

Everyone did great, I gotta say.  There were times of brilliance, and times of major stink.  It’s okay, though.  It can only get better here on out.

We have awesome coaches, and a lot of talent.  All in all, not a bad start.  Even if Pat Benatar was our opening song...  Who picked that?!

One month in Paleo: My results thus far.

 

This makes me happy.  I love skating!

Woot!  One month Paleo strong!  I’ve made several changes in my lifestyle, which encompass the “Paleo lifestyle”, not only to improve my life, but to improve my derby.  Here’s a list.  I like lists.

1) Strict Paleo “diet”.

2) Paleo approved heavy lifting (less cardio, heavier weights, shorter workouts).

3) Lots more sleep!

So, the Paleo eating has been fantastic!  You have no idea.  Or maybe you do.  I’ve been doing the diet thing since I can remember.  I always felt miserable.  Counting points sucks.  Counting calories sucks more.  Always worrying about my food sucked.  Now I’m eating devoid of grains, processed sugar, and excessive fruit, and not worrying about calories.  I get to eat (pasture-fed) butter, cream, coconut oil, eggs, meat (mmm...bacon), veggies, and some fruit.  I’ve actually cut the fruit out more, to lean out.

The workouts have been intense, and awesome.  I no longer feel like I need to spend an hour or more in the gym, for the sake of a “good workout”.  I’m lifting heavy (deadlifts, bench presses, etc.), and doing short cardio workouts (no more than 15 minutes).  I’m really keeping track of my numbers, so I have something else to focus on, other than my looks.  Though, I have noticed some pleasant changes in my body.

Sleep.  Oh, how I love thee...  I’ve been reading “Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival” by T.S. Wiley.  It has been extremely eye opening for me!  The author correlates our sleep patterns with how we eat, and our obsession with carbohydrates.  I’ve made sleep more of a priority, even to the point of cutting out one of my derby practices, to get more shut-eye.  Yeah, it’s been rough pretty much going home, prepping for the next day, and then going to sleep.  But I can’t even express how much BETTER I feel!  I used to nod off in traffic, heading to work or home.  I don’t anymore.  I actually fall asleep faster, and I’m able to go back to sleep, if I wake up in the middle of the night.

I feel a combination of these three points have really helped me on the track.  I’m skating faster, harder, and longer.  I don’t feel horribly exhausted like before.  I mean, I seriously felt tired just during warm-ups!  My legs would burn!  Not anymore.  I can focus so much better as well, and I feel less grumpy.  Derby is becoming a joy again, rather than a chore.  I also feel much more bouncy on the track again.  Jumping doesn’t feel like I’m lugging my body around.  I also feel SO much more power in my stride.  I can’t even express how satisfied I am with the results I’m experiencing, with only a month of changes!

Here’s to more changes to come!

Motivation Part 3: Tips and Tricks or Motivation for the Unmotivated

I feel it!

Part 3?!  Damn, there’s a lot to this whole motivation thing.  Especially when I said it’s kinda overrated.  Okay, I guess motivation is and is not important.  Does that make sense?  No?  Look at it this way: some days you have it, and some days you don’t.  If you have it, AWESOME!  You don’t?  I have some tips for you, that kinda give you the push you need.  The conundrum is, you need at least the motivation to get your ass off the couch.  Can you sum that up?  Yes?  Good!

Motivation to eat healthy:

Do you get sick a lot?  Or feel guilty when you eat?  These are some of my motivators to eat healthy.  When I can’t even be bothered to think of this crap, I just do the following, to get me through the times that motivation is gone.

1) Make big meals that you can save, and eat throughout the week.  Like I love making Paleo chili, and eating it for the week.  I’ll throw in some eggs for breakfast, or some extra veggies and avocado for lunch or dinner.  It’s great with spaghetti squash as well!  Double the batch, and freeze half for another time.

2) Do the same with veggies.  The lovely part of Paleo is that you don’t have to go crazy on the veggies, if you don’t want to.  That’s not to say cut them out of your diet.  My favorite is Brussels sprouts cooked with bacon.  Nothing says noms like bacon!

3) Do 1 and 2 once or twice a week.  Considering I’m spoiled, my hubby usually cooks for me throughout the week.  When he’s out of town, and the rations he has made for me have run out, I’ll designate one or two nights a week that I cook big batches of food.  If you have kids, get them involved!  Make it a family affair.

4) Plan for success.  That’s right.  Success doesn’t just happen.  You gotta work for it!

• That means getting all the tempting shit OUT OF THE HOUSE!  Eff the kids and their Fruity Sugar Os.  They don’t need that crap.

• Eat before parties, or bring your own damn snacks.  Yeah, you shouldn’t trust yourself.  Really.

• Keep healthy snacks in your car, purse, or murse (man purse...hee!).  Don’t let yourself be stuck in a situation, with a crying brat, or a grumpy, hungry hubby.

• Brown bag it.  Just avoid restaurants as much as possible.  It’ll save you lots of crappy food, and money.  I always pack the night before, so I don’t just wake up and decide to skip this process.

• Last, but not least, make sure the restaurants you do go to are Paleo friendly, and don’t be afraid to tell them you’re DEATHLY ALLERGIC TO GRAINS!  They usually don’t know what the hell gluten is, so don’t bother.

Motivation to exercise:

It seriously does get easier, with time.  You may even come to enjoy it!

1) Keep your gym bag packed.  ALWAYS.  Keep a comb and deodorant in there as well, Stinky.

2) Set a routine.  Don’t leave it to chance.  You won’t go otherwise, and you know it.  That has to be YOUR time.  I always go at lunch, and don’t even think twice about it.  I just change and go.

3) Allow wiggle room.  ‘Cause if you miss your routine time by 5 minutes or 30, you should STILL go.

4) Keep it interesting.  Cardio is overrated, but if you feel you HAVE to do it, don’t spend 30+ minutes on the treadmill.  Does that really bring you joy?  Go do some gym classes, or take your kids to the park.  Remember the monkey bars?  Totally still fun.  I bet your dog could use a walk too, or maybe some sprints!

5) Plan for success.  Hey, this seems familiar!  Plan your routine, and have a goal and focus for each time you hit the gym.  Don’t get there and stand around like a dunce, with no idea what to do next.  Been there, done that.  What a waste of time.

Most of all, for healthy eating and exercise--don’t sweat it!  If you make it stressful, you won’t want to do it.  We tend to over think things, and just give up.  When you start to stress, just remember K.I.S.S.!  Keep It Simple, Stupid!

So, enjoy the list and K.I.S.S. off!

Motivation Part 2: The Thinker's Guide

Are YOU prepared?

So, yesterday I told you about motivation.  Basically what should motivate you, if you can’t think of anything.  That sometimes motivation fails you, and you have to learn to just do it anyway.  Let me just tell you some of the things I’ve learned.

When I first started trying to eat healthier (I say try, ‘cause it wasn’t really healthy, just what I had “learned” was healthy), and moving more.  I was lucky enough to have a gym at my work.  I was also SUPER embarrassed to exercise in front of people, because I was overweight (imagine that, overweight people exercise too?!).  So, I’d hit the gym at night, when everyone was gone.

Anyway, back to my first source of motivation.  I actually had several, but I usually only tell people the fun one.  The less fun ones are kinda too heavy for some people to handle, but I’ll go over them with you, ‘cause you’re all special like that.  Okay, not really, but sometimes we need to go to our dark place, and deal with the shit we find. 

My FUN motivation:

1) Whenever I would watch any movie where it is life or death, or the end of the world, people are running.  I was never a good runner, and was usually at the end of the line, in P.E., huffing and puffing.  So, whenever the inevitable zombie apocalypse came along, I would be screwed.  If aliens came down and were blowing up the freeway I was on, I would never be able to run and save my life.  If some crazed psychopath were chasing me in the woods, I wouldn’t be able to get more than a few feet.  In other words, in each of these situations, I would die.  Probably from a burst lung.

2) I wanted to feel good!  Feeling gross and unhealthy really sucks. 

My dark place motivation: 

1) I’ve been overweight my whole life, and I seriously think this has put me on a path that may not be the one I want.  Like I was moving through life, based on my bad body image.  Not putting myself out there, ‘cause I didn’t feel like I deserved it.

2) I felt consumed with thoughts about my weight.  What would my life be like, if I didn’t have to think about my thighs?  What would open up for me?  How awesome would it be to look in the mirror and not feel disgusted (later I learned this has NOTHING to do with losing weight...But that’s another post.).

3) I had functioning legs, and NO excuse why I wasn’t using them.  There were people in the world that weren’t blessed with health, so I better take advantage of what I had, before I lost it.

4) My mother is disabled, and lives her life in her recliner.  She takes tons of medication, and constantly has to go to the doctor.  This was NOT the life I wanted...

So, there you go.  That was my motivation.  From the get go, at least I had better health in mind, but I based a lot of my motivation and goals on losing weight.  Lemme tell you, if you base all of your motivation on how you look, you’re setting yourself up for failure.  That’s where the “on a diet, off a diet” mind-set kills the whole thing.  As soon as you think you gained a pound you say, “EFF IT!” and you’re off the diet.

My ultimate point--write down what motivates you.  Don’t make them all harsh and bash yourself.  Be positive, and honest.  If you want to be around for your grandchildren, write that down.  If you want to make the home team in your derby league, write that down.  If you want to feel healthy, and be sick less, write that down.  Keep your motivation list somewhere handy, so that on the hard days, where you have no motivation, you can look at it.  And if your list isn’t good enough, stop thinking, put on your gym clothes, and just go.

Your sources of motivation will change, as you grow.  Trust me, it’s a real beautiful thing.

Motivation? I don't need no stinkin' motivation!

 

Hell, yeah!  I'm pumped just listening to this baby.

Ever have one of those dreaded days, where you KNOW you should go to practice, or you KNOW you should hit the gym, but you just really don’t want to?  There’s really no good reason not to, but you can come up with a millions excuses (all of which, you know are BS).  I have those days, but they come less and less frequently.  Wanna know the secret?  Are you sure?

There isn’t one--SUCKER!

There is NO magic pill for motivation.  All you have is you.  You are your own motivation, and you have to come up with your own reasons that you do what you do.

Health should be your motivation, #1.  Especially all you moms and dads out there, that must sacrifice everything for your children!  Your life!  Your body!  Your SANITY!  And of course, your time.

Can I ask you something, though?  Do you want to be around when your kids graduate?  When they get married?  When they have children?  Do you want to be around for your grandchildren?  Well, there’s your motivation.  You being the overweight and/or unfit (‘cause we all know skinny does not always equal healthy), unhappy, over-stressed, under-sexed (where DID that sex drive go?!), over-whelmed, self-sacrificing parent that you are does not a happy life make.

The childless?  Well, what excuse do you have?  Maybe you’re a student, or a workaholic.  Do you just have a crazy social life, livin’ la vida loca, and just NO time for la vida gym?  Yeah, you keep working yourself to the bone, and we’ll see how far life gets ya.  Maybe you just think you’re lazy, and don’t want to get up.  You’re not lazy...  You just haven’t found your motivation, or you’re approaching exercise the wrong way, and think you have to spend boring hours on the treadmill (I sure did).

So, the point is, there is no equation for motivation.  You just have to do it.  You have to just make it part of your life.  Don’t want to join a gym?  There’s plenty you can do around the house or in the neighborhood (that includes weight training).  Go play in the park with your kids, your dog, or your friends.  Take a dang walk, those are actually good for you.  Join a derby league, or...some other kind of sport (what’s more fun than derby?)...

Exercise is fantastic for stress relief, better sleep, improved self-esteem, and a healthy life.  Find something you like, something you look forward to.  Don’t get stuck in a crappy rut, ‘cause that just pushes motivation out the window.  And on those days you just don’t have the motivation, just don’t think.  Really.  Don’t.  Just DO it!

I promise that it gets easier.  Then you’ll be kicking motivation in the ass, ‘cause you don’t even need it!  You’re a powerhouse!  Who needs a reason to go to the gym?  Not you!  You’re a BEAST!  Kicking ass and taking names is all the motivation you need!

Now, get up and do something!  Just fake it ‘til you make it!