Something New

I'm a little late in the game with the resolutions/goals of 2012. I wrote some late in January, and I allowed my busy schedule to get in the way.

Well, that's all about to change. I got a new job and I start next week. The beauty of this new job is my schedule. 7a-3p, M-F, school calendar. Do you know how beautiful that sounds? Glorious, I tell you.

With this change, I'm going to overhaul how I eat, think about food and my fitness. Most of you don't really know my story. I was a heavy teen and turned into a fat adult. In college I started to lose weight and ended up losing 180 pounds by the time I was 25. Then I went to graduate school, moved to Nashville and put on 30. It's been a combination of not paying attention to what I was eating, drinking (not that I was a lush, but I didn't drink very often) and my insane schedule. Even though, I feel like I'm stronger, I'm fatter.

I have completed two mini-marathons. I'm taking this year off. I'm going to get new running shoes (that I've had $$ for since my birthday, but haven't had time to buy) and work on my pace and endurance. I'm going to do a few 5ks and 10ks starting this summer and get back on the marathon train in 2013. I have completely booked myself at Hotbox and doing other YMCA classes after work is over. They are already in my calendar, so I can't back out.

I'm going to overhaul my diet. Look at food as nourishment and not my friend and social event. I'm going back on minimal dairy and lowering my gluten intake. I haven't watched that since Christmas and I can tell by how I feel. I'm not sleeping as well and I am sluggish.

I'm going to be taking you on this adventure with me. Updating you weekly as I weigh in, measure myself and keep you updated on how I feel.

Here goes everything!

-Amos

Soapbox

I don’t know quite what to say about this ad. Yes, I agree that obesity is a growing problem in the USA, however with the speeding descent of female self-image, there is a better way to encourage better lifestyle choices.

I want to know the research group that thought this was a good idea. Being a therapist by day, I read a lot of studies and articles about the dangers of female self-image and the increasing numbers of girls who battle eating disorders. Did these people not see the same article? 

Women are projected in media very differently than men. I will not get on my feminist soapbox, but we all know that the previous is true. There are much better ways to encourage girls (and boys too, but this ad is clearly targeted at girls) to be healthy and active without making them feel less. 

First, I suggest we, as a nation, support and advocate for better school lunches, encourage them to be active, and also let people know that healthy minds equal healthy bodies. 

I was not a heavy kid. I was always “bigger”, but I was tall. Once adolescences hit, I didn’t grow anymore and I started to gain weight. I think what we forget, is that we associate being overweight with an inability to do almost anything. 

This blog was started by girls, like the one in the ad. Just like her, we have a story. Never discount someone because of the body they have, give them a chance and you’ll be surprised. 

Everything I know, I learned in Kickboxing.

I started kickboxing about four years ago. I watched "Million Dollar Baby" with my best friend and decided that's what I was going to do. I had been very serious at that time about my fitness and health, but wanted something different. I went to a gym my friend, Bryan, had been going to and joined on the spot. 

My coach, Eric, is probably the best coach I've ever had in my life. The lessons I learned in the ring in his gym have carried into my day-to-day life.

1) My body can do anything, I am enough.

I have never had the self-esteem that I should. I don't often believe I can do something because of my weight, height, being a woman, etc. In the gym, everyone is the same. You body and your mind can get through whatever you tell it to. Don't believe the voice inside you that says you can't. It's lying, it's not even your voice. Outside the gym is the same. You are enough. You can do whatever you set your mind to do. Find the best, learn from them and work your bum off. 

2) Nothing comes easy, you have to work. 

I didn't get "good" at kickboxing, or considered part of Team Haycraft without putting in hours upon hours of work. Everyday, twice a day, watching what I ate, watching other fights, run before and after workouts. Nothing comes easy. You have to work. You'll earn your ranks, you'll earn respect. All of that comes with work. 

3). Work is hard. Growing hurts.

Going into a fight gym can be intimidating. Going into anything in life can be scary. It takes a lot of growing and trust. Sometimes I had to fake it until I got there. To get anywhere you have to grow, and it's painful. I remember the first horrible bruise I got at the gym. I got it from Eric. It hurt so bad, but I didn't give up. You can't give up when it hurts. The pain will cease, eventually.

4.) There will always be an obstacle. 

Let's face it, my weight has always held me back in life and in the gym. Everything from relationships to stepping into the ring, I hide behind it. Not afraid really of what would happen, more so afraid to fail. Learning all of the ends and outs of kickboxing is daunting. Sparring is hard and frustrating at times. There's always something to overcome, whether it be your confidence or your strength, or your inexperience. 

5) You will fail. Brush it off and learn from it. 

My team has seen it's fair share of failure. Lost titles, bad sparring days, struggles with making weight, all of it. It's okay to fail, really it's okay. You are not defined by the failures in your life, you are defined by what you've done in spite of failing. Yes, I have fallen on my face, or been hit in the face. Several times. You can't live in the failure, or you'll never see success. If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten. Get up and move on. 

There's tons more, lots of little and BIG lessons in my four years. It has shaped who I am today and how I face everything in my life. I'm approaching 30, making a lot of changes in my life and holding these truths I've learned close. Especially as I punch and kick my way to goal weight and life goals.