Kick, Push Kick, Push Kick, Push Kick, Push ... Coast ...

Leg day = hell. To distract from the post-workout agony, I cranked up my stereo on my drive home from the gym. Who knew I'd find meaningful inspiration from a hip hop song. I love that song by Lupe Fiasco called "Kick Push". First, I fell in love with the beat ... then the chorus ... "Kick, Push Kick, Push Kick, Push Kick, Push ... Coast." 

Then I actually listened to the rest of the lyrics. The song is about a kid who gets a skateboard at the age of six. First time he gets on it, he wipes out "Landed on his hip/ and bust his lip/For a week he had to talk with a lisp/Like thissss" Those are the actual lyrics. But what comes up next is how I feel about my journey to being fiercely fit. "Now we can end the story right here/But shorty didn't quit/ it was something in the air/Yea/He said it was somethin' so appealing/He couldn't fight the feelin'" Despite his spill ... he persevered. I could easily drive home everyday after work, make a peanut butter and jam sandwich, sit and watch the Young and Restless, nap on the couch before waking up, reaching for the phone and dialing 2-73-73-73 ... you know the rest of THOSE lyrics ... don't lie ... I know you do! Ha!  But instead, I go to the gym and get "the guy with three names who means business" to work me so hard my ears ring, then I pound back a vegan protein shake, and go home to a fresh spinach salad with chicken breast .... mmmmmm! As my boy Lupe says ... there's something so appealing ... and I can't fight the feeling of getting fiercely fit and eating clean ... even though I'd like to "kick, push" Paul Anthony (my trainer) some days. So I guess what I'm saying is that sometimes in life you really have to "kick and push" to get things going ... but when they do start moving, you can "coast" for a while ... but not forever. When it gets too easy or things slow down ... it's time to Kick, Push Kick, Push Kick, Push Kick, Push ... Coast ......

THE "F" WORD

I admit it. I drop a few "F" bombs in the gym while I'm training. But the "F" word I'm talking about today is not rude, it's FOOD! Ha! I can't take credit for that little rhyme. Props go to one of Chef Gordon Ramsey's new shows on the Food Network called The "F" Word. I used to watch the Food Network religiously when I was training for a competition. Talk about torture ... I work my butt off in the gym ... eat oatmeal, egg whites, and chicken breasts everyday ... then I watch chefs making rich creamy, savoury, sweet, and sticky food. And all I'm thinking is "Oooo I'm going to make that when the competition's done!" Yeah right! If you want to lose weight and keep it off, I'm sure you've all heard that 70 to 80% of your effort comes from eating the right foods ... and more importantly watching your portion sizes. Trust me ... it works ... I've experimented both ways ... eating the right portions AND eating too much. Just because almonds are good for you it doesn't mean you can eat a bowl full in one sitting every day. Also, dropping the fat = doing cardio! It was cardio day on Tuesday. My trainer gave me a little routine that I thought ..." Ok, this will be challenging but no worries ... I can handle it ... a little break from the hell he put me through the other day." Not quite! It was an hour cardio session and 10 minutes in, I knew I was in trouble. Thank goodness I had my Ipod on so I couldn't hear myself heavy breathing (no, it was not the sexy kind) ... I was literally gasping for breath! I was struggling ... so I decided to focus on "running strong" ... and it was working ... until I looked up at the TV monitor in front of me ... guess what was on ... the Food Network ... "F-bomb"!

IT WAS MORE THAN AN ASS-KICKING. IT WAS AN AWAKENING!

The first day working out with a new trainer always makes me nervous. I’m always fearing an ass-kicking. I got one ... a thorough one. But  I got more this time. My journey to become fiercely fit started today ... and it was a bit of an awakening.  

My trainer, Paul Anthony Neil (3 names ... so you know he means business)  is full of positive energy. He’s very encouraging in his own unique and very refreshing way. And I appreciate that ... as I’m sweating and grunting and on the verge of purging all those clean meals I ate earlier in the day. Days before my first workout with Paul I was filled with self-doubt. I couldn’t stop feeling scared ... like I couldn’t do it ... like I couldn’t reach my goals. Can I really do this? Am I past my prime? Can I really get that ripped body back that I had at my best figure show in 2007? I couldn’t believe how progressively negative I was getting as I got closer to day one!!

So as I drove to the gym today ... I had butterflies (whatever ... I’ve worked out with several trainers, why am I so nervous) ... and even worse, too many negative thoughts in my head. Sigh. I did my best to put them aside as I went through each exercise.  1, 2, 3 ... oh I’m so out of shape ... 4, 5, 6 ... can anyone see my bulging belly ... 7, 8, 9 ... my abs are so weak ... 10, 11, 12 ... how did I let myself go! Then the pain took over and I had to concentrate on breathing. But I finished the workout .. without passing out or puking ... however there was nausea and my left ear was ringing ... ha!

The awakening happened when the intense workout was done. Paul took me through a meditation session for about 10 minutes. I focused on positive words and clearing my mind of the multitude of negative thoughts ... and creating space for me to “just be”.  And you know what ... that’s all I need to do ... in the gym ... and beyond ... just be! 

I felt light and positive as I left the gym. When I was about half a block away from my car and I saw a ticket flapping in the breeze on my windshield. Negative thought ... “why did you park there?!” And then I saw another car being towed away ... my positive thought ... “Whoa! At least I wasn’t towed!”

Welcome to my debut blog. My passion for fitness lead me to create this blog. I'll be documenting my journey to become FIERCELY fit at the age of 40. Being fit is one thing ... but being FIERCELY fit is quite a bit different ... especially for a woman. Can you say hormonal imbalance? Sluggish metabolism? My definition of fitness is feeling great ... physically and mentally ... and having a "head-turning" body. The reason I'm documenting this on a blog is so I can keep myself focused on my goal. 

My journey will start training with a new personal trainer Paul Anthony Neil (www.dreambodyguaranteed.com). I know quite a few personal trainers in Calgary, but I chose him because he has a comprehensive training program ... that focuses on the MIND and SPIRIT as well as the body. It's all good. He's got tons of experience and walks the talk. He also works his butt off for his business.

But the question is ... can I do it? Can I reach the goals I've set out for myself? What will the challenges be that I will encounter? What specific challenges will I have being a woman in her 40's? Plus, one day I want to get (back) on the competition stage. Yes, I've done 5 figure competitions. Two were great! The other 3 were disasters. I want to figure out the right combination of training, nutrition, and rest that will work for me to WIN on stage. I'll explore all of that and more in this blog. 

I start training with my new trainer on Monday May 25th. I'm still working out now ... in fact I did the stairs on Memorial ... I was really sucking wind ... and was slightly nauseous ... and I thought I was in shape. Since I'm not starting with my trainer for about a week, I've been coming up with all kinds of excuses to eat bad things like cake and cookies ... drink wine ... skip the gym ... because once I start this program ... there are no excuses. Hmmm ... do I really want to do this? Yes!

Join me on this journey to being Fiercely Fit ... maybe I'll inspire you ... or amuse you ...