3 just 3

Just 3 miles on the books today. It was slow and painful. I think the full moon and lunar eclipse had something to do with me NOT sleeping last night. Very tired today, but motivated to keep going. 8 miles on the books tomorrow.

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5 comes before 6

Did a combo walk/run today of 5 miles. Felt like a million miles. UGH! I think it was too much on the old knees to do 6 yesterday and 5 today. I had to burn off some of the chocolate chip cookies and chocolate dipped pretzels that I have been eating all day. A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do though.

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13.1 is the question

I have been contemplating the idea of doing a 1/2 marathon. I am in week 4 of my training and had the best day of training so far today. Six miles was on the books and I walked the first 3. The second set of 3 I did a run/walk combination. I have decided that if I am going to make it through this 1/2 marathon I need to take it at my own pace. I am thinking I will do the run five minutes and then walk the rest of the mile until I get to the next mile marker. When I get there I will run 5 minutes and then walk to the next mile marker. I think this plan just might work. I will keep you posted.

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The Reunion

My blog post today was inspired by my recent visit to Lubbock for my 25th high school reunion. It is hard to believe that I have been out of high school for 25 years already. It seems like just yesterday I was walking across that stage during graduation. My whole life ahead of me. Wow how time flies!!

The weekend started with an alumni basketball game at the new high school. We had 14 wonderful ladies on our team with yours truly being the oldest graduate on the team. I was a little shocked at how it was prison rules basketball right from the beginning. I have bruises to show for it, but man it was fun. You forget how those teams and those individuals become such a part of your life. I learned a lot on that basketball court. I learned that if you dig a little deeper when the going gets rough, that you just might come out on top. I learned that when I felt like I couldn't possible run one more suicide drill, in the end I could. I loved feeling a part of something bigger than me. I know that sports helped me stay out of trouble and for that I am truly thankful. Thanks to Darlene and Sheryl for making it such a great game that night. You both inspired me to play hard even though most of the alumni players were 20 years younger. Go us!

The actual reunion brought many pleasant surprises. I was able to reconnect with my dear friend Bill Sterling. Bill and I go way back. He is a real cowboy. He is a little rough around the edges. I will admit that as time passed and I had lost touch with him I really thought he might be dead. I was shocked when he popped up on facebook one day alive and kicking. Bill is one of those people that if you don't speak to him for a long time and then you see him again it is like you never missed a beat. Bill holds a special place in my heart. When we were freshman in high school we made a promise to each other to not do drugs. I know it sounds corny, but it is true. Trust me I had plenty of opportunities to be a big time druggy, but in the back of my mind I always remembered that promise. Thank you Bill for being there all those years ago and making that promise with me. You and that promise most certainly changed my life for the better.

I also had the pleasure of seeing my dear friend Cindy Fisher. Fisher and I were cheerleaders together. She is the same funny, spontaneous, dingy girl I remember. She is also one of the smartest girls I know. I often laugh when I am with my own daughter Carly Jo because I swear somedays she reminds me so much of Fish I feel I have given birth to another Cindy Fisher. You see Carly Jo is also one of the smartest little kids I know, but boy is she dingy. I look at it as a blessing that I get to be with Carly Jo and Fish all at the same time. Love you Fisher.

My sweet friend Donna Buxkemper was also at the reunion. Bux is one of those people that you just want the best for her no matter what. She is going through some tough times right now, but I know that she will come out of top. She is still the most beautiful girl I know.

The reunion gave me the opportunity to visit with lots of my old classmates. I have a new appreciation for some as they have had their share of hard times. Some have suffered the loss of children or gone through not one, but several divorces. Some have lost their parents or other loved ones. Some have made good decisions and some can't win for losing. Some are still the same funny, entertaining, kind, sweet, sincere people that they always were. Some carry such a burden that my heart truly breaks for them. I do know that I am cheering for them all. Once a cheerleader always a cheerleader I guess.

All in all it was a great night. I learned that you can't analyze the past too much. You have to be good with the decisions you have made so far. If you are not happy with those decisions then do something to make a change.

I learned that I feel really lucky. I have 2 sweet, sweet daughters that I adore. One that is somewhat like Fish and the other who has that sweet soul like Bux.

My dear friend Bill asked me if I was truly happy. He stated that he reads my facebook page and my blog and wanted to know if all of my statements about my life being so happy were truthful. To that I answered "Hell No"! There are days when I don't want to be the mommy and when I feel like telling my beloved Joe to go pound sand. But his questions did make me think. Trust me you have plenty of time to think on that long boring drive from Lubbock. I thought to myself you know I love those girls like no bodies business. I would take a bullet for either one of them. Then I thought of my beloved Joe. I thought why do I love that boy so much? The answer is simple. I love him because he always has my back. No matter what happens in our little life we always land on our feet. Thank you my beloved Joe for loving me way more than I deserve.

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Don Lewis Witt

My blog today came to be because of my sweet dad Don Lewis. I have been wanting to write about him for quite awhile now, but just came up with what to say about him. You see he is the sweetest, kindest, wisest man I know. He and I have always had a connection that I am not sure most people understand. He is one of those people that you might not talk to for several weeks or maybe even a month or two, but the next time you see him it is like you never missed a beat. He is kind of a loner and I like that about him because I am kind of a loner as well. I can sit with my dad for hours and never say a word, but feel like we have been talking the whole time. I love him more that he will ever know.

Any of you peeps that know me know that my dad has had a bit of a rough summer. He is 70 years young and has struggled with major back, hip and leg pain for as long as I can remember. Well in June it brought him to his knees. The pain became so intense that he was hospitalized for almost 2 weeks. After several MRI's, pokes, prods, and misdiagnosis he finally had surgery last Wednesday the 18th. I am happy to say that he is feeling like a rock star once again. Not really a Lady Gaga (I can't think of any current male rock stars) kind of a rockstar, but maybe a Mick Jaggar kind of a rockstar. An older and wiser kind of a rockstar.

Stay with me here because I will get to my point. OK here I go getting to my point. My goal here today was to tell you to make sure and follow your dreams before it is too late. You see my dad moved to his dream home on 18 acres about 3 or so years ago. He has his own little stock tank pond situation right at his back door. He can fish and hunt and he has chickens and cows and a couple of goats. He can wake up and see deer from his back porch. He has both a back porch and a front porch. He had a garden. He has a small shop to putter in. He had his part time dream job of working on a ranch.

The problem here is that he waited so long to do all of these things that his body became a little too broken down. I know most of his life his motivation was to provide for my mom and me and my brother and my sister. I get that part. I just wish so much that he could have lived this dream while he was a little younger and little less broken.

So the next time you think I can't do this or I can't do that I hope you will think of Don Lewis. I hope that you will ask yourself "Why can't I do that?" What could you give up or adjust to make some of your dreams come true before it is too late? Lose that weight, get up off that couch and take a walk, spend some time with those kiddos of yours, apply for that dream job. Just do it! Take some action before you become too broken down to make it happen.

I am glad to report that my dad is doing great. He was released from the hospital 2 days after major back surgery. He is full of steel rods, nuts and bolts now. I like to think of him as somewhat bionic instead of repaired. He is walking out to his shop with NO PAIN! His job at the ranch is still waiting for him. Deer season is just around the corner. He still has a chance to live that dream a little longer.

Make sure and live your dream! Show up and make it count!

I'll take mine black

You see peeps for the last 6 weeks I have been cheatin' on my beloved Joe with Mr. Insomnia. It didn't end with just Mr. Insomnia though. It seems that he has friends that he wanted to bring along for the ride. I would go to bed with Mr. Insomnia and wake up with Mr. Nausea. On the particularly long nights Sir Hot Flash would make an appearance as well. I know that most of what I am going through is just a change in hormone levels. I am old you know. I get that part, but I couldn't help but think that there might be something more to this insomnia he** I had entered in to.

In an act of sheer desperation I decided that the only other thing to do was to give up my beloved Joe. Not my real beloved Joe, but my beloved cup a Joe. My coffee people. My dear, sweet, lovely coffee. I miss it so. I miss how it would fill the house with its sweet aroma. I miss how I would mix my creamer just right to get that nice taupe color. I miss everything about my coffee, but it had to go. You see in all of the books that I have been reading over the past 6 weeks there was one common denominator. It seems that most doctors recommend that if you are suffering from insomnia one of the first things to give up is the Java, the beloved liquid Joe, the caffeine baby. UGH! Reluctantly I did give up the Joe and boy has it been a ride. Day one was not too bad, day two the headache from he** arrived and stayed through day 4. But finally on Monday afternoon day 4 the headache magically disappeared. This strung out caffeine freak had made it through. I was so excited. I couldn't wait to go to bed and officially break up with all of the other men in my life. It seems Mr. Insomnia doesn't take break-ups that well. That night I woke at 12:19 am and didn't go back to sleep AT ALL. I thought all of this agony for still no sleep. But wait, night 5 was a totally different story peeps. I slept through the night for the first time in 6 long weeks. I feel like a different person today. Thank you Baby Jesus. I am still not sure if giving up my caffeine is the total answer to my insomnia. I am hopeful and might just have to continue to take it one day at a time. One thing I do know for sure is that I feel a million times better. I don't think I realized what a toll the loss of sleep was taking on my body. I am kinda feeling like a rock star again. Could it be that I am caffeine sober?

Wishing all of you a good night's sleep!

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Consistently Inconsistent

My beloved Joe is the inspiration for my post today. I am sad to say that I have temporarily fired myself from training the boy. He seems to be one of those people that is in love with the idea of training. He has become so inconsistent in his training that my fears of him getting hurt came true last week. We were finishing up the work-out and had about 8 minutes left so I added in some extra ab work to pass the time. He seemed to be fine as he was doing the exercises, but later that evening his back completely went out on him. We are talking flat on his back with me waiting on him hand and foot. I thought to myself, "I am quitting this boy." He just doesn't get it. He trains for a week and then slacks for the next 2 weeks and then shows up for one work-out and ends up killing his back. I just can't let this happen anymore.

My point today is this...make a commitment to training. Be consistent. If you train a day here and there you are just going to be sore as crap and pissed off from the pain and sometimes INJURED. Make the choice and put your training on your schedule just like any other appointment. Look at your week each Sunday evening and find at least 3 days during the week that you can get a work-out in. Just do it. We Americans need to face the facts that we are living on junk food and we are FAT. Our hearts are struggling just to keep us upright somedays.

As I have said before start walking, join a gym, call me. Just get going as we are quickly getting fatter and less healthy.

I know that this sounds harsh. I know that firing myself from training my beloved Joe seems mean. I think it is just time to give the boy some tough love. I hope this separation is temporary. ;-)

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2=1 Hot 50+

I feel it has been forever since I have written on this blog. If you look at the last date it was back in January. I am feeling like a big loser, but I am back in action now. I am writing today because I am so inspired by one of my clients by the name of Alysia.

Alysia starting training with me back in August of 2009. She has been coming consistently 2 times a week. We concentrate on total body work-outs. Since she is only coming twice a week I want to cover head to toe. Let me just say that Alysia is all of maybe 5 feet tall and she is not much over 100 pounds soaking wet. Don't let her little size fool you. She rocks it in the gym. She has the most positive attitude and is always receptive to train hard. I simply adore this lady. She and my beloved Joe have become the best of teammates as well.

Alysia is great in many ways, but the thing that made me want to write today is that she only comes to train 2 times a week. This 2 times a week has turned her into one hot lady at the young age of 51. This girl is 51 and she is rocking it.

I hope today that you will realize that with weight training it only takes a couple of sessions a week to make a difference in your health. Get going today and start training. Go to the gym, get a set bands and work-out in your living room, CALL ME and I can help you. Just do something. Just remember that 2 can equal 1 hot 50+!

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Feeling like a Rock Star

Anyone that knows me and trains with me could tell you that 2009 was a really tough year for me. I struggled beyond belief to train with any kind of intensity or purpose (#3 on my list). I seriously thought that I was falling out of love with training. I wanted to break-up with lifting weights, running, riding my bike and running bleachers. I was starting to really hate it all. Me, Miss Gym Ratt of the world not feeling the love for training. Please Baby Jesus say it ain't so. This my peeps started to scare me and scare me good. I am glad to say that with alot of shear strength, tears, will power and just down right getting pissed off I now have a crush on training again. I know that my reconciliation with training is very multi-faceted. The work I have done with my balancing my hormones, the decision to postpone school for now and the total overhaul of my diet have all helped tremendously. But I did want to add one more thing. I have started using some supplemental products from a company called Ascential Bioscience and let me just say they are awesome. I wanted to continue to tell you about all the goodness I am seeing from using these products.
The products that I wanted to talk about today are E2, Pro Arginine and Lean. Every morning about 45 minutes before I train I am mixing up the most wonderful cocktail of E2 and Pro Arginine and with that beverage I am taking 1 Ascential Lean. By the time I make the 30 minute drive to the gym I am ready for duty. I feel like a ROCK STAR. Not just any rock star I am talking Angus Young (ACDC) with a little bit of Joe Perry (Aerosmith) and just for kicks a little Mick Jagger (The Stones) all mixed together. My energy has gone through the roof. I am lifting heavier, running harder and just lasting longer through the work-outs then I could ever have imagined. I am in love with training again. It is so sweeeeet to train with intensity and purpose again.
Please know that I have plenty of samples and would love to sell you truck loads of this stuff. But my main goal in writing this is to tell you that I feel great using these products. I am 42 and am training as though I were 20 or at least I feel that way.
Check out the links above and read about the products. Let me know if you want to try some samples as I have plenty. Who knows we might get enough ROCK STARS together that we could just go on tour.
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Be Better

This blog post was inspired by one of my teammates clients Alysia. She has been training with me since late August and is doing awesome. She is a little powerhouse and has to be one of the sweetest most genuine people I have ever met. I feel truly blessed to have her as one of my clients.

We were talking during her last session and the conversation led to the discussion of supplementation of the diet. I have started using some new supplements over the past several months and I will have to say they are helping me tremendously. I have given Alysia several samples, but she has been somewhat reluctant to try them. She stated to me that her husband believes that if you already feel good in general then why supplement. This statement got me to thinking and my answer to her was this. "Alysia with these supplements I have found that you can BE BETTER!" Her husband is a runner and I am thinking if I could just get him to try some of this stuff he will go from good to GREAT! I know how good Alysia is doing and I do believe she could go from really good to really GREAT! Girl power you know.

I thought I would just discuss what I am using and take it a step at a time. I decided to talk about what I feel I am getting the most benefit from and then just take it item to item in other blog posts. I would have to say that my most favorite item I am using right now is the Ascential Hydration. This stuff is awesome. I have been trying not to eat much past 6 PM at night so about 9 PM I am drinking one of these bad boys and man I wake up the next day feeling like a rockstar. It is a fruit punch flavored powder mixed with about 6 to 8 ounces of water. It is full of lots of the good stuff that rehydrates my body overnight so that I am ready to go again in the morning. If you don't really believe that you need supplementation I would encourage you to at least give this try. I firmly believe most people walk around dehydrated most of the time. This little simple beverage can help you get back going and make you feel great.

Go here to check out Ascential Hydration as well as all of the other offerings from this great company. I am a distributor of their products and would be happy to provide you a sample or order some product for you. Just give me a shout.

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Sticking to the list

I am not ashamed to admit it, but it did take 4 calculators to get me through my math class at TWU. It was a beast of a class and I am soooo glad that I made it through. It was a bittersweet accomplishment for sure. I will go on the record to say that I hate math. It stresses me like nothing else can and I will not miss the course one bit. I will however miss the instructor. She was awesome and I could not have done it without her help. Thanks Jena I will forever be thankful to you. You rock girl!

My main reason for writing today is not about math or chemistry or TWU. My goal today was to share with you some of the things that I learned over the past 16 weeks. My main lesson is that going back to school at 42 with children and a husband that travels is not the best idea I have had in awhile. It was a challenge and I am somewhat sad and somewhat happy to say that I will be putting TWU back on my bucket list. I just can't do it right now. It was just way too much to ask of myself. I realized back in late September as I was going to drop my Chemistry and Chemistry lab class that I had met my match at TWU. Yes I felt tremendous guilt as I had just blown 1,000.00 for a couple of classes and yes I had been pretty much ignoring my family for 3 weeks. I felt defeat like I hadn't felt in a long time. But in this defeat I felt compelled to make a list. This wasn't just any list. This list was 5 things that I would do if I only had one week to live. This list is the nitty gritty of life. I wanted it to be a short amount of time with a small amount of choices. Hard core list making was the goal. This my peeps was the list that I came up with at that time.

If I could do or be anything for one week what would it be?

1. My body, mind and spirit would be totally free and able to be totally present both physically and mentally for my beloved Joe.
2. My body, mind and spirit would be totally free and able to be totally present both physically and mentally for my girls Alex and Carly Jo.
3. I would train each day with intensity and purpose.
4. I would train my favorite clients each day with intensity and purpose.
5. I would learn something new each day about something I enjoy.

That is it in a nutshell. When I do these 5 things I feel free as a bird. In all the turmoil of going back to school I realized that sometimes when you are trying to figure out where you are supposed to be going you realize you just might already be there.

I challenge you to make a list. Figure out what makes you most at peace and do it.

Show up and make it count!