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As I sit here on this beautiful September day I am reflecting on my last blog post and thinking "what fresh hell have the past 6 months been?" It has been rough, but I now know a few things for sure. Here goes...
The last post was regarding my sweet Carly Jo. She had an awesome tournament and got to serve. This was her first time to serve in club. It was a glorious day for sure. She played and she played a lot. Little did I know that the months following would be somewhat less glorious. Ugh! Instead of going on and on about what a challenge those months were I will just say it to you straight.
The first thing I learned and now know for sure is this. It is way harder watching your daughter warm the bench than it ever was for me to personally warm the bench. In fact I think it was one of the harder things I have ever done. But, instead of being frustrated, mad, angry, pissed, I have chosen to help Carly Jo get better in her sport. You see people she isn't done yet. One half season of volleyball will not define her as an athlete. So we both carry on. I have grown up a little as a mom of an athlete and she has grown up a lot as an athlete. This journey isn't over.
The second thing I learned and now know for sure is this. It is way harder to watch your daughter get her first broken heart than it ever was for me to get my first broken heart. In fact I have decided that although her heart felt like it was shattered into a million little pieces, as her mama, I felt like mine was broken into a trillion little pieces, ran over with a truck, set on fire, put out and set on fire again. Ugh! The pain was too much. The first cut really is the deepest. In my book boys will continue to be bad. The next one that shows up over here better be ready. I will make it crystal clear to that punk that:
1. I don't like you.
2. I will never like you.
3. I am not afraid to go back to jail. (Never been, but he doesn't need to know that.)
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. It might just piss the crap out of you though.
The third thing I know for sure is that I love these two girls beyond measure. They are such a blessing. I know they both will come out on top. I know sweet Alex's heart will eventually totally mend. She will find her way. I just know it. She is going to look back on this relationship and go "what was I thinking was I drunk?" (I know I am so thankful for those UNANSWERED prayers from 1987.) I know that Carly Jo has worked her butt off the last 4 months in the gym, on the sand and on the court. She ain't done yet people. The journey begins again tomorrow as she has her first volleyball game of the season. Starting year 5 of volleyball for her. Wow!
All three of us will continue to Show Up And Make It Count! Let the journey continue.
This past weekend was yet another long weekend of volleyball. It was one of those ranking tournaments with Dallas Synergy playing in the open division. In my estimation open division ranking tournament stands for "The Big Dawg Teams Are In Town And They Are Kicking Butt And Taking Names" and it is sink or swim. Well, peeps this weekend we swam. No we didn't win a lot of matches, but we played. We played the entire weekend. We played with intensity. We were competitive. We could have beat most of those teams, no doubt. That is a great feeling.
These other teams have girls on them that already have their jump serve down. Unfortunately, my sweet Carly Jo is on the other end of the court trying to receive those jump serves and her job is to get them up in the air high enough for her setter to get under them and try to make a play. It was intense to say the least. Ugh!
Anywho, another kid got to serve this weekend. That other kid was Carly Jo. It was the highlight of my weekend.
I am sure some people are like big deal your kid served. Well, peeps this is a big deal to me. You see Carly Jo's serve has been a long time coming. She has been playing this sport since she was 9 and she is now almost 13. Her serve has definitely been slow to come. She made some mistakes along the way and we have made corrections. We have gone 2 steps forward and 8 steps back with serving. Lots of tears and frustration. It has been a hard fight. So for this kid to get to serve at the club level in a open division ranking tournament it is a big freaking deal to this girl. I feel so proud for her and of her. She stepped out of her comfort zone and she rocked it. Love her so very much. So yeah I am proud. I have probably talked about it way to much, but I don't really care. I know what it took for her to get to this point. I feel so blessed to be on this journey with her.
Go Dallas Synergy. Keep showing up and playing with all your heart. The wins will come. You will get better and better. I just know it.
Show up and make it count!
I have had this blog post on my mind for awhile now. I was wanting to pay it forward somehow. My thought was to post information about some of my clients, both past and present. I have been blessed by training lots of great peeps over the last 6 years. Some of them have businesses of their own. I wanted to spread the word about what they have to offer.
My friend Runner Susan is a web designer. She and her sister Amy put together my website and I just love it. If you need a website check them out. You can see their work by going to Sumy Designs. Sumy is the words Susan and Amy mixed. Get it? Suz is the creative one and Amy is the technical one. They do other stuff as well (it's all legal), so check out their website to see if they can help you.
Another past client of mine is Tod McVicker. Tod is a dog training machine. He has lots of offerings, so go to his website at Redeeming Dogs and see if he can help your pup.
Martha Hughes hasn't trained with me in a LONG time, but I still wanted to include her. I am sweet like that you know. Martha is a realtor in this area. She knows Double Oak and the surrounding areas like the back of her hand. She told me recently that there is a shortage of homes to sell, so help the girl out and give her a call if you are thinking of selling. You can go to her website Martha Hughes Homes. She is really cute as well.
I also have contacts in the massage world. Richard Maas has trained with me in the gym and we used to run together many moons ago. Let's just say I ran and Richard shuffled along to make us all feel better. You see Richard is a tall glass of water. His one stride is like 6 of mine. Anyway, he would stay with us for about 1 1/2 miles and then we wouldn't see the boy anymore. Miss those days of running. Anyway, he is a massage guy as well. Visit his website at Lewisville Massage. He worked on both Carly Jo's shoulder and Joe Luke's back. He is great. He keeps up with all the cool massage stuff and will make you feel great as well.
Lastly, I have to talk of my buddy Denny Bonewitz. Denny took me under his wing many years ago and helped me learn the trade of training peeps. He was in the Flower Mound area then moved to Keller and now he is way up in Oklahoma. Check out his offerings at Edge Sports Fitness. He is a beast and taught me so many things. I still call him for various ideas on training, etc.
I have other folks that have businesses. As soon as I gather information about them I will do another post.
Pay it forward!
Show up and make it count!
This photo says it all for me. That big open smile on Carly Jo's face was the moment they won their first tournament. First place in gold bracket. In volleyball that is a good thing. My Carly Jo is very reserved. She is all business when it comes to volleyball. We call her Spock at home. For her to have an open smile like that is just like heaven to me. Just had to share.
It felt great to win that day. So proud of all of these young ladies. Go Dallas Synergy.
Show up and make it count!
I thought I would take a break from all the Paleo talk and talk some volleyball instead. My Carly Jo plays for the Dallas Synergy National team and participated in her first ranking tournament this past weekend. This peeps was an eye opener. I found myself amazed at the talent at this level. I also found myself feeling really, really, really, really short. Not sure what they are feeding these girls, but they were a tall, tall, tall, tall bunch. I swear I wanted to check a few birth certificates and ask them what type of car they drive. It was crazy how big and fierce some of these children aka beasts were. All I can say is wow! And thank you baby Jesus that my Carly Jo plays libero on the back row.
Although I am thrilled that Carly Jo has this opportunity to play volleyball I can't help but wonder how many of these girls will last in this sport. See peeps, here in Dallas, we take our volleyball very seriously. Some of these clubs have their kids in the gym 2 to 4 times a week. Mind you these are 10, 11, 12 and 13 year old children. The training is intense. Could that be why so many of them turn down college scholarships because they just don't love the sport anymore? I think yes.
Also, I was never so ashamed of some of the behavior of some of the parents and some of the coaches. We had a delay of at least 15 minutes while one of the coaches had an issue with a call. Again, these are 13 year old children competing in the silver bracket NOT the gold bracket (gold being the best teams that tournament). You would have thought it was for the NCAA tournament title the way this guy acted. UGH! My heart was heavy and my child was tired. Long day for all of us.
The best part about this experience is that our girls get better and better. They learn to read one another. They learn the court. Carly Jo comes home with court burns, bruises, and knees pads that are so dirty you would think she played in the mud. She wore the Nike logo off of one of her knee pads this weekend. They learn discipline, respect, and patience. Carly Jo is blessed to play on a team where we train 2 times a week. I have her train with me once a week. I am determined that she keep loving the sport for a long time. Her goal is to play college ball somewhere. My goal is to keep her so busy she doesn't have time to get into any major trouble. We both win!
Although we didn't win the championship this weekend. We showed up and made it count! We made it to the silver A bracket. Pretty good if you ask me. Do they have room to improve? Oh yes they do. Will I have the patience to survive it all? Oh yes I will.
I came away with a pretty good shot with my new camera as well.
Thank you Coach Shawna and Krysta. Thank you Carly Jo, Sydney, Hayden, Ashton, Peyton, Kenna, Sarah, Cami, Erica, Emily, Heather and Megan. This journey is going to be great.
Show up and make it count!
I have been plugging away at this caveman stuff and have come up with a list of good things that are happening since I started this journey.
- Hot flashes are gone. I just realized yesterday that I haven't had a single hot flash since changing my diet. This, my friends, is a good thing.
- Brittle nails are gone. I am thinking the added fat in my diet is making my nails way better. :)
- Hair texture is better. My dry, hormonal, gray covered head of hair is actually feeling better. Less dry and just better. Still not good with all this gray though.
- Skin texture seems better. Usually during this time of the year my skin is so dry and unbearable, but this year it seems better.
- Able to lift heavy again in the weight room without dying. I had missed being a gym rat, but am glad to say that it has been a good week in the gym. I may not be able to walk or lift my arms tomorrow, but still so glad to train with intensity.
- Less hungry overall. Thinkin' my body is learning to use some of this extra chubby on my booty for fuel. I am able to go for longer periods of time without dying for something to eat. Very good thing.
- Smaller sized jeans are feeling comfortable again. Enuf' said.
- Although I still have a lovely layer of chubby, I can see my muscles again. I am one of those girls that likes a lot of muscle so the more the better. Happy dance.
- Cravings for sugar and bread are gone. Thank you baby Jesus.
- General sense of feeling happy most of the time. Although my family keeps me on my toes and their stress levels are through the roof sometimes, I have been able to roll with the punches way better. Don't get me wrong, I still want to punch people just not as often. ;-)
So overall I think this caveman paleo stuff is a good thing. I am still trying to keep carbs around 100 for the day. I know that there are days where I totally blow it and eat way more than that, but generally speaking I am on the right track. After this mornings training I will most likely have a melt down later this afternoon and want to eat everything in sight. My goal is to eat only paleo type things in sight.
Have a great weekend!
Show up and make it count!
I have been experiencing hormones from you know where for the past few days. It feels like you are on a roller coaster ride and you take off and go up, down, sideways and back. You are so glad that the ride is over, but no, you pass right by the ramp to get off of the ride and you have to ride the ride again. UGH! Anyway, I did have a couple of days where I just ate mexican food. I carbed out a little and am better for it. The last couple of days have been way better. All part of the process I guess. I am in day 23 of this journey. Still eating most of the same things and exercising most days. I no longer crave sugary stuff. I am completely content with my low carb treats that Carly Jo has made me. I just tucked the extras in the freezer so that when I need a cookie or a brownie I have them on hand. My goal is to experiment with different kinds of paleo food ideas. Last night I cut up yellow squash and just ate it in the raw. Very good I might add. I am hoping for a good week.
My hunter gatherer beloved Joe was able to go hunting and we will have fresh venison and pork in the freezer very soon. Win, win.
Show up and make it count!
Yesterday was my cheat meal day. I went to my favorite restaurant and had some mexican food. It was nice to just eat a meal and not count or worry. Had a great work out already this morning that used up all the excess carbs.
I didn't really track yesterday. I wrote down my food, but just took a mental health break from the whole paleo journey carb counting. It was good. My friend Runner Susan suggested that I get some leafy greens in so I had a big salad last night with my steak. It was good. I also had an orange and some carrots. I like that color. Slept great and my mood is good. Such little things, but when you are a hormonal mess these are good things. Happy Friday!
Show up and make it count!
I made the mistake of weighing this morning and the 2 pounds that were gone last week are back this week. Kind of a bummer, but there is some good news. It seems as though 4 inches have disappeared off my booty, thighs and waist. So take THAT scale. So glad that I did some measurements as well. The scale has never been my friend. I think the conclusion I have made is just go with how the clothes fit and to heck with the scale.
Exercise for the day: 1 hour of weights and conditioning with the 5:30 AM group.
Lots of housecleaning as well.
Eating:
Breakfast: 2 eggs, sausage, Advocare Spark, and coffee. Carbs: 17
Snack: Coffee, nuts, cheese, blueberries and more cheese: Carbs: 18
Lunch: Chili, 4 crackers, carrots, celery, cookie. Carbs: 18
Snack: Spark and nuts. Carbs: 16
Dinner: Steak and an orange and carrots. Carbs: 15
Carbs for the day: 84
This seems low to me, but I felt good last night. I have continued to go to bed really early. I just feel hungry and am ready to call it a day. The mental side of cutting back on food has always been the hardest for me. So sometimes going to sleep is just the best thing to do. I am hoping that my fat burners are turned on for the evening if I go to bed a little hungry.
I do feel much better overall without eating all of those bad carbs that I used to enjoy. I am sleeping like a rock and have a better mood overall. When I do feel hungry it is a different kind of hungry. It isn't like a craving hunger, just a time to eat hunger. I passed up pasta last night and didn't even miss it. I am thinking that at the two week point I might be getting over some of the crazy cravings of bad carbs. By bad carbs I mean sugar carbs or refined carbs or anything out of a bag or box carbs.
Show up and make it count!
Again with the crashing and burning with lack of carbs. Last night it happened again. I am thinking that I must add a few extra carbs since I work out so much. I was a mess again last night and had a small bowl of chex cereal. Totally not caveman, but hey a girl has to do what a girl has to do. Ended up going to bed at 7:34 PM.
I stayed at about 119 carbs for the day. I think the cold, damp, gloomy weather isn't helping things either. I just want to sit around and eat and try to stay warm. This is the hardest time of the year for me. Ready for spring!
Show up and make it count!
Thirteen days in on the paleo journey and I know this for sure. If you wake at 5 AM and eat by 5:30 AM and your mid-morning snack comes about 9 AM make sure it contains some carbs. The reason I say this is that you are zapped by lunch time and ready to eat anything in sight. Ugh! I would say at that first snack have some berries or something. It will serve you well and make you not feel like crap for a few hours. Lesson learned. You must put some good carbs in there along the way. Let me repeat. EAT SOME CARBS mid morning. Good? Good.
Exercise for the day: 1 hour in the gym slingin' and smack talkin'. Love it! Love my clients.
Eating:
Breakfast: 2 Eggs, sausage, Spark, coffee. Carbs: 17
Snack: Coffee, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, cheese stick. Carbs 9 This is where I would put more carbs in the meal. Especially if you worked out earlier in the day.
Lunch: Chicken with salad, tea, 1/2 bisquit. Carbs: 29
Snack: Blackberries, Spark, Nuts. Carbs: 23
Snack: Cheese stick. Carbs: 0
Dinner: Steak, blackberries, low-carb Carly Jo cookie, milk. Carbs: 17
Carbs for the day are 95!
I did some measuring this AM and am seeing some loss in my booty, thighs, and belly! Always a good thing.
Show up and make it count!
As we head back into the harsh world with our work and school schedules I challenge us all to try and keep a little of the Christmas peace in our hearts. I am going to try and do my best.
The caveman paleo journey continues. I had another carb flu feeling day so Carly Jo made me low carb chocolate chip cookies. 8 grams per cookie and they are a life saver.
Exercise for the day! Nothing, nada, zilch.
Eating:
Breakfast was 2 eggs, sausage, 2 coffee with cream and Advocare Spark. Carbs: 23
Snack: Cottage cheese and nuts. Carbs: 10
Lunch: Steak with salad and pinto beans with fruit cup and small square of chocolate. Carbs: 24
Snack: Low carb cookie...thank you Carly Jo, milk and Advocare Spark. Carbs: 22
Dinner: We went to Angelinas and I carbed out with dinner. Carbs: 52
Carbs for the day were 131. Sometimes in this journey I think you just have to eats some carbs. Keep it as clean as possible, but eat some carbs.
Perks of paleo are that I am sleeping way better, feeling way happier and feeling slimmer. Did a little measuring yesterday and my waist is smaller and pants continue to feel more comfortable. One weird side effect is that after I work out I don't "stink like stink" (phrase from runner susan's daughter Kenza). It is true my sweaty self doesn't stink like stink after I work out now. I guess all those carbs were stinkin' me out. Weird I know, but true.
Show up and make it count!
I told myself that I was not going to have any resolutions for the new year, but I think I have changed my mind. I have two. The first is to potty train my chickens and the second is to get a better composting method. I have determined that after spending an hour cleaning my chicken castle yesterday that these girls need to learn how to go to the potty. UGH! They are a mess and their little mouse friends that have moved in are messy as well. Maybe my beloved Joe could get on that project and build me some little chicken and mouse potties. We will see. Also, I have determined that I can not run a shovel very well. My compost piles are kicking my butt. Move it here then move it there and turn it here and turn it there. Enough! You just have to laugh.
Anyway, the Paleo thing was much better yesterday. That extra sleep Friday night made all the difference in the world. Yesterday was great.
Exercise for the day! 45 minute walk with Sam dog and 1 hour of scooping chicken poop and turning compost. Getting ready for those end times you know.
Eating:
Breakfast: 2 eggs, sausage, coffee and Advocare Spark. Carbs 23
Snack: Nuts and cheese stick. Carbs 5
Lunch: Taco salad and chocolate square. Carbs 29
Snack: Diet cocoa, cottage cheese, and Advocare Spark. Carbs 19
Dinner: Grilled chicken salad and fruit and a COOKIE with milk. Carbs 25
Total carbs around 101
Boom!
Show up and make it count!
Yesterday hit like a ton of bricks. The so called "Carb Flu" hit and shut me down last night. Carb Flu is just an overall run down feeling as your body makes changes. As my frame continues to convert from a sugar carb burning machine to a junk in my trunk fat burning machine I continue to pay the price. Yesterday was a beast. I think going to bed at 6:54 last night and sleeping until 5 AM tells a story in its self. UGH! I am hopeful that today will be a better day. I am thinking that another factor came in to play yesterday as well. That factor was the gym. We trained really hard yesterday morning at the 5:30 AM class. I guess it caught up to me last night.
Exercise for the day: 1 hour of training with some of the best peeps I know. Great dynamic in that group of individuals. So blessed to have them as clients. Join us, we would love to have you!
Eating for the day was basically a run down of the same foods as usual. I won't bore you with the details. Carb count totals was 100 on the nose. I am thinking I most certainly should have added some carbs and avoided the melt down last night. Oh well! When you know better you do better.
Show up and make it count!
Yesterday was tough. Just one of those days where you just feel hungry all day long. I hate days like that especially when it is colder outside and you feel kind of trapped and hungry and trapped and hungry all day! UGH! It was tough.
Exercise for the day: 1 hour walk with Sam dog
Eating:
Breakfast was 2 eggs, fruit and coffee with creamer. Carbs: 16
Snack: Advocare Spark with cheese stick and Advocare Muscle Gain Shake. Carbs: 17
Lunch: Homemade chili, blueberries, 4 crackers, milk, low carb brownie: Carbs 21
Snack: Raspberries, cheese stick #2, Advocare Spark, nuts AND a slice of my homemade quiche. Carbs: 34
Dinner: Taco salad and hot cocoa. Carbs: 20
Total Carbs: 106ish
Again, on some of this I feel like I am guessing on the carb totals. Calculating as best I can at this point. I just felt hungry all day yesterday. It was a beast. I guess there are just days like that when you are trying to be mindful and eat less. Why is it so easy to gain 10 pounds and so hard to lose them? Why peeps? Why?
I stepped on the scale again today and am still 2 pounds down. I am pumped by this since my weight has been all over the place this past year or 3 :-). Peri menopause continues to be a pain in the you know what. Hormones will be the death of me for sure.
Show up and make it count!
After a full week on my caveman quest I decided it might be time for a cheat meal. It was off to Angelina's in Lewisville. I had chips and salsa and two bean and cheese chalupas. It was heaven. I will admit that I didn't sleep well last night though. Thinking my insides were like whoa! Anyway, it was good to have a date night with my beloved Joe and just relax a little.
Exercise for the day: Slingin' weight and talkin' smack for an hour with my 5:30 AM group.
Eating for the day:
Breakfast: 2 eggs with sausage crumbles and a little grated cheese, spark and coffee. Carbs 16
Lunch: Chicken nuggets, salad, fruit cup, tea and diet Cocoa. Carbs 39
Snack: Nuts and cheese stick. Carbs 5
Dinner: Cheatin' dinner of 2 chalupas with chips and salsa. Carbs 62
Total carbs for the day: 122
Thinking that coming in at 122 on the carbs and cheatin' are a pretty good deal. I could be off a considerable amount here since you kind of have to guess on some calculations. Anywho, I feel great and am rockin' on this journey. I wore some jeans that have been insanely uncomfortable and felt that they had a little give to them. That is always nice.
Show up and make it count!
My mom tells a story of when I had just learned to talk. I am thinking I was in between 2 and 3 and it was New Years Day. We were having the traditional New Years day meal which included the dreaded black eyed peas. My mom says I looked up at her and asked, "Are we having these damned ol' peas again?" It always makes me laugh when I eat my peas on New Years Day. I guess it had been a lean year for our family and I had my gut full of those peas. Too funny! Anyway, I hope you had a great day and that you had plenty of black eyed peas for good luck. Carly Jo choked down 2 peas and sweet Alex had a small serving. It is all good.
As I continue the caveman adventure I have to tell you of a funny that came from my beloved Joe. I have my doubts that he will be able to endure this caveman diet when he is back to work and traveling. Case in point. I was trying to determine what he would be up against. His drink of choice has always been a long island ice tea. You would be looking at about 60 grams of carbs for a standard size drink. Well, Joe informed me that he no longer drinks those and that he has changed to drinking rum and COKE. I just had to laugh as they contain about 50 grams. To be honest I think the boy may be doomed from the start either way.
My journey continues and I can report that it is going better than I ever expected. Go figure!
Exercise for the day: 30 minute walk with Sam dog.
Eating for the day:
Breakfast: 1 sausage patty, 2 eggs, Advocare spark and coffee with creamer. Carbs 21
Lunch: Ham, damned ol' peas, fruit bowl and dark chocolate. Carbs 25
Snack: Nuts, cheese stick, Advocare Spark. Carbs 16
Dinner: Quiche, carrots and fruit bowl. Carbs 20
Snack because I was about to kill people of small bowl of chex cereal with milk. Carbs 30
Total carbs for the day 112
I struggled last night and I just felt I needed that bowl of cereal to satisfy that carb craving. It must have worked because I slept like a rock. I have noticed that my energy level is up and I just feel happier. I am sure I am getting rid of some of the bad build up in my body. That is a technical description you know.
Show up and make it count!
Happy New Year to all my peeps. I am hoping that all of you have a great start to this great new year. Hey, we have no where to go but UP!
I am glad to say that day 6 was good in the Paleo world. This does get easier. I am so very thankful.
Exercise for the day: 1 hour slinging weights and doing bungee work with my beloved Joe and Deana the Rabbit.
Eating for the day:
Breakfast: 3 eggs with sausage crumbles and a little cheese. Advocare Spark and 2 coffee with a little creamer. Carbs 21
No snack cause just didn't feel the need. Yippee!
Lunch: Pinto beans with steak and blueberries. Advocare Spark and 1 square of dark chocolate. Carbs 40
Snack: Cheese stick, diet cocoa, and nuts. Carbs 9
Dinner: Chicken, tossed salad with 1 cracker and 1/2 Advocare Spark. Carbs 10
New Year Treat: Fruit salad with walnuts. Carbs 15
Again, kept carbs below 100. I came in at around 95 carbs for the day. I know that I continue to eat and drink things that are not totally cavemanish, but hey you have to start somewhere. I do want to add that the one cracker that I had tasted totally weird to me. Hmmmm! I will admit that I miss my simple carbs. They are like that old boyfriend that you knew was bad for you, but you still kept going out with him. I am thinking that with time I will miss them less and less.
As the New Year begins I feel really pumped about it. I sincerely wish you and yours a great start and as many blessing as the good Lord can give you!
If you are interested in training with us, do not hesitate to give me a call or check out my website.
Show up and make it count!
