a matter of inches

Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more. Louis L'Amour

 we talk A LOT about success.  what we consider it to be. how we measure it.  what it takes to get there.  and like everything else in life we spend time beating ourselves up over it.  what does it take to be truly successful?? who knows really?  success can be measured in a million different ways.  but the one thing that stays consistent is that we try to MEASURE it.

so where do you start?  clearly there is the existential "success" - being a good person, raising good children, not killing anyone.  you know, the biggies.  but on a day to day basis, what do we consider success?  most people measure this in either accomplishment or money.  since i am not touching the topic of money ANYWHERE near this blog (or anywhere else for that matter), we are gonna focus on ACCOMPLISHMENT, aka kicking ass and taking names :)

“Start by doing what’s necessary, then what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” Francis of Assisi

success in the gym happens daily....which is a big part of why i absolutely love it.  i get to watch people accomplish things every single day that they never thought they would be able to do.  its motivating and its super EMPOWERING.  your body is capable of impressive shit.  and i have a front row seat watching the action!  interestingly enough, i think one of biggest challenges as a whole, is not giving ourselves enough credit.  THAT is what i'm talking about today.  

When eating an elephant take one bite at a time.  Creighton Abrams

generally, we set big goals for ourselves.  you want to lose 20 pounds, run a marathon, do 100 pullups.  whatever they are, they take a butt ton of work to accomplish.  that's why they are goals, right.  if they were easy, then we would already be doing them.  duh.  but what happens on the way to REACHING those goals?  about 1000 other smaller successful moments.  that we don't notice or pay attention to.  and that is where the real magic is happening.  if we can just get better at recognizing the smaller daily or weekly accomplishments, those larger out of reach goals suddenly seem totally manageable.  because we are making progress towards them every single day.  pretty cool.

so instead of focusing on how far we have left to go, we need to start looking at how far we have come.  i know people constantly tell you not to look back - the future lies ahead and all that.  but when it comes to success - you HAVE to look back.  fitness is a series of milestones.  as is weight loss.  you cant magically jump from here to there, even though we wish we could.  its unrealistic to wish for overnight success.  but long-term success is 100% attainable. when we take those small bites.

“Triumphs without difficulties are empty. Indeed, it is difficulties that make the triumph. It is no feat to travel the smooth road.” Unknown

i have witnessed first real pushups, first box jumps & first handstand pushups.  i have watched the numbers increase on weight, reps & heights.  i have seen people lose weight & gain muscle.  I even have watched someone recently figure out how to keep weight ON.  its all such good stuff.  and it happens all the freaking time.  i try to make a point of calling it out when i witness it.  but im not always there.  we need to start recognizing it ourselves.  applauding our own efforts. recognizing personally how much we are getting done.  and then feeling really really good about it.  that is the part that will keep us motivated to CONTINUE doing super cool stuff.  

so today i got my first 30" box jump (since impaling my leg after my first attempt).  i wish i could tell you how intimidated i have been about trying it. everyday i watch people jump on that box like its nothing.  and i mentally beat myself up over it.  i talk down to myself about my inability to do this one freaking thing.  its ridiculous.  but it weighs on me.  and im guessing you all have those same internal conversations.  the reason i was able to do this TODAY is because someone else inadvertently handed me something i needed.  that neither of us recognized.  and it was a compromise.  traditional boxes are 20", 24" & 30".  and i could not make that 6" leap.  wasnt happening physically or mentally. but one of my people brought in a self designed 24", 28" & 36" box. and THAT made all the difference.  4" didnt seem so hard.  that 28" box was literally an AHA moment.  complete with stars shining down and everything.  i could TOTALLY do 28.  and from there, 30 didn't seem so hard.  its' the same 6 inches.  just broken down into smaller, more palatable bites.  THAT is how its done.  

sometimes you make progress by leaps & bounds.  sometimes it comes in the smallest of inches.  but its always, no matter what, a success!  

recognize it.  go ahead and pat yourself on the back for it.  its ok.  you totally deserve it :)

So you plant your own garden and nourish your own soul instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.... ~Veronica Shoffstall

go me & my bad ass 30" box jumping self.  and thanks JD.  you rock!

Start where you are

"start where you are. use what you have. do what you can." -

arther ashe

think about that.  where are you?  right now.  physically.  emotionally.  what do you consider your gifts or abilities to be?  we all have them, but have we thought about it?  and what can you do?  to be happy.  healthy.  have a positive impact on those in your life.  pretty profound questions to start this new year :)

this is my second stab at blogging.  and i'm sure i will be revisiting "be the sunshine" here and there.  but where i am right now, versus 4 years ago, is more health and wellness minded.  so i decided to  go in this direction for awhile.  my goal thru the blog is to discuss some issues surrounding the struggles we all face in the body image, health, wellness and fitness arenas.  should be fun, right??  and it just so happens to be my version of starting where i am, using what i have & trying to do some good.

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”     John Wesley

every year i pick a theme.  its evolved from the single word of 4 years ago, but the idea remains the same.  i sit down on the 1st of every year and try to think about what my focus should be for the year. it helps me to clarify and to put a game plan together.  im big on planning....my execution needs some work, but i'm a champion planner.  so this year, its this - Do GOOD.  Feel GOOD.  that simple thought carries real weight for me.  it means so many things.  do good in the world.  be nice and helpful and positive.  put the GOOD out there. and also, you know, DO good.  be successful.  work hard.  accomplish things.  be a force for change.  i can do that if i try.  and this year, i really want to put some effort into it. the result, i trust, will be to FEEL good.  emotionally and physically.  not a bad goal for a new year :)

with that in mind, i want to challenge you guys to THINK.  what do you want to accomplish this year?  and how do you want to go about it?  like so many people out there, we start the year with resolutions.  that last about a second.  and they are often so short lived because they are unrealistic in the long term.  and im sure quite a few of them revolve around weight loss/fitness.

this is where i say i am in NO WAY an expert.  what i bring to the table here is 20 years of group exercise and fitness experience.  and a lifetime of both watching and participating in this ridiculous exercise of self-torture we call dieting.  i have spent way more time than your average person researching this topic.  i have a fitness nutrition certification (that means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme), but just goes to show you that i do take the information seriously.  because at the end of the day what i think we ALL have in common is the desire to look and feel our best. unfortunately, we also let society dictate what our personal best should be.  please can we JUST STOP doing that??  pretty please?

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” - Dr. Seuss

i'm 5'2.  i weight 150 pounds. and wear a size 10.this is what that looks like today.  i am CLINICALLY OBESE according to every chart out there.  clinically obese. it has taken me YEARS to overcome that phrase in my head.  what you weigh has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with ANYTHING.  AT ALL.  it's a number.  nothing more. and nothing less.  and yet "society" has decided that this arbitrary number should define you.  i say bullshit.  let today be the day that you LET GO of the mental weight of that number - whatever it is.  call jenny craig or weight watchers or nutrisystem and tell them to shove it.  you will NOT be defined by what you weigh.  fuck that.  YOU get to decide what defines you. what you can DO, defines you. all the things that make you who you are INSIDE - that defines you.  how you choose to wrap that up on the outside is totally up to you to decide.  do you hear that?  UP TO YOU TO DECIDE.

now clearly i'm a fitness advocate.  i love it.  that is part of what defines ME.  working out and being strong makes me FEEL strong.  but i know that is not the answer for everyone.  and it doesnt have to be.  what i would say to those of you who struggle to find the right balance between being totally inactive and insanely crazy is that like everything else in life, it's all about BALANCE.  we all do a lot of things that we dont like.  like pay bills.  and do laundry.  and you know, vacuum.  we spend a zillion hours worrying about OTHER people and what they need.  our kids, partners, co-workers, friends. what i hope you will do this year is figure out where YOU fit in. and make time to feel BETTER.  and stop comparing yourself to anyone else.  start where YOU are.  use what YOU have. do what YOU can.  that's all anyone can ask, even you.

Respect your efforts, respect yourself.  Self-respect leads to self-discipline.  When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power.  ~

Clint Eastwood

along those lines (and forgive me for getting a little preachy), don't buy into the gimmicks.  the reason all those weight loss companies are successful is because you aren't. not in the long term.  they know you will do ok.  fall off the wagon.  and then be back. they count on it.  sometimes i know it's easier to buy the shake, or order pre-made food packs. or count up some points.  but you aren't LEARNING anything about your body - and what works for it.  you need to learn how to eat for your life.  no one else has the same pantry or refrigerator as you.  no one has the same schedule or allergies as you do. the only way to find a long term healthy relationship with your body is to recognize its strengths and weaknesses.  and then eat accordingly.  learn how to regulate your food within YOUR lifestyle.  it is the only way to succeed long term.  don't buy into the BUSINESS of weight loss.  and shame on Oprah for trying to sell it to you!!

buy into wellness.  making your body as healthy as it can be.  figure out WHY you want to look better or feel better.  why do you need to take care of your body? so you can be here as long as possible. to celebrate the milestones of a long life, with family and friends.  and to not be miserable doing it.  we are over-medicated and over-crutched.  we dont want to have to work so damn hard, so we look for the easy way out.  just like paying bills and vacuuming, eating right and exercising isn't always something you want to do.  but you have to.  at least sometimes.  kinda like vacuuming ;)

WELLNESS -the quality or state of being healthy in body and mind, especially as the 

result of deliberate effort.

DELIBERATE EFFORT. think about that. wellness is not going to just come to you magically.  it is not in a pill, or a bottle, or a shake.  it comes about as a result of deliberate effort on your part.  in both BODY and MIND.  wellness is not about how you look.  it is about how you FEEL.  and i promise you that if you put deliberate effort into your physical health and your mental health - good things will happen inside of you. and probably outside as well.

as 2016 begins, let's travel on our journey towards WELLNESS together. it's your life.  you get to decide.  embrace the power of that choice and make this the year you accomplish great things.

 “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” 

― Ralph Waldo Emerson