Sore in the Saddle

Greetings, friends! (If you've ever watched Jeff Dunham - I always think of "Greetings Infidels" but that only makes sense if you've watched some of his comedy - not a fan of his later stuff, but his early on stuff cracked. me. up!)

So, I promised real. I promised a look in to an average gal's life and how she races. To be honest - no excuses, I haven't been a good Spartan...when I didn't have a race to train for, I lost my "umph" for working out.  Then, there's a health code I live by called the "Word of Wisdom" and in it - it pretty much outlines a healthy way to live. 

That being said - I'm the type of member of a gym that gyms live for - the kind that pays the membership and doesn't go - well, my business coach didn't find this to be super solid advice. AND - if you know ANYTHING about the CrossFit community - my gym boss wasn't keen on this either.  In this world, you're family. You're cared about. You're expected to be there and when you're not - you're missed! So - I went back last week :D

Now - after spotty working out - a walk, a virtual race or two - it got kind of dicey. But, just like heading out of the gate at a race, super stoked! The WOD (workout of the day) included squats. The following day - I could NOT understand why I was so sore!  Haha, it wasn't until I was talking to my friend (thinking I'd only done 45 squats) when I realized I'd done 135! Bahaha....well, I didn't go back until today - those killed me, tbh! I was sore through Saturday. I DID go swimming twice, though - so I wasn't WITHOUT some sort of activity.

Well, today - back at it. I wasn't super awesome, but I did my best through my fatigue. I'm going to have to be patient with my body that I've been neglecting as I get back to where I was - weight, strength, stamina! BECAUSE!!!  We WILL race again. We will, in fact - some are already opening up :-)

 I have to pop on a Zoom meeting in a minute - but nutrition wise - I pretty much eat anything I want.  I don't tend to drink a lot of pop, eat a lot of chips, etc. I consider those a treat.  I LOVE salty things and sweet things. Popcorn, chocolate milk, etc. I'm not a total "health snob" BUT I know what my body likes. Maybe it's age - maybe it's been the whole time I've had a body, I just have finally started paying attention!  I LOVE salads. I'll have a salad everyday - it's the preparation I don't like much. I tend to allow myself one treat a day - whether it is a gatorade, candy, something sweet. SOMETIMES - I have more, sometimes, I have none.  I love Gatorade and Vitamin water more than pop - so I opt for G2 and Vitamin Water Zero - sometimes, though - like when my favorite flavor (Rain) isn't in "zero" I consume the calories! BUT - not everyday :-)

Another unintentional thing - I've pretty much cut out cow's milk. Sometimes with a milkshake, or a glass with dinner - I'll drink some, but I enjoy almond milk in my smoothies and on the - maybe once a week - cereal. BUT - again, I'm not a food snob, so if there's no almond milk, I go with it - OR I have something else.

Aside from smoothies - one of my ABSOLUTE favorite breakfasts is a piece of toast (Dave's - bigger loaves from Costco) with a piece of cheese, then spinach, then an egg. Sometimes, lately, I'll leave out the spinach and have avocado.  One day, I'll have it all ;-)

Anyways!  Sparkle on!

The Elephant

Howdy!
It's been a while - and that's because I haven't had much to report. I DID complete a 10k, which I turned into an 8 miler, so I could earn my medal from my virtual race :-) 

But, other than that and a mile-ish nature walk, to quote something I saw from Hank Smith:

"March: My fitness is at rock bottom

May: Rock bottom has a basement"

As my body is "relaxing" and I see that in the mirror - it's time to get back on the main floor!

I also wanted to share this:

https://www.elephantjournal.com/2015/10/understanding-the-language-of-narcissistic-abuse/

I look back as some of my experiences that I've had and wonder "what was I thinking?!" And, to be completely vulnerable - it's something I look ahead towards the future with a bit of trepidation. I've been "fooled" before - I felt cared for, cared about, important. Then, slowly - like the example of a frog in a pot of water with the burner turned on - the water heats up and the frog is COOKED before it even knows it. It's actually quite scary - can I trust myself again? And, if I do - and I end up in a relationship in the future, I feel - at this point in my life, that I'll always be waiting for the other shoe to drop. I'll be waiting for the "gotcha" of bliss and happy like I've experienced before.

The only thing that, perhaps, allows me hope - I am KNOWING now, AND *I* am getting healthier now. I am learning what healthy looks like. What I'm worth. And, that's everything lovely and of good report.

Anyways, Sparkle on, my peeps. Sparkle on.