Love Not Lipo ... Live a Little, Love a Lot

Although my progress often feels somewhat intangible to me, it was pretty powerful to take a look at some before and afters 6 months into personal training:

 

Before…                                                After….

(If you want to see the ORIGINAL and most dramatic ”before,” check out the “about tab” of my blog.  At one of my lowest and sickest points, and 80 pounds heavier 15 years ago)  Yes it really has taken 15 years to heal.  This is a process.

Forgive the cheesiness of the myspace-esque self portraits and the scary wallpaper background, but here are a few more “afters” :

My trainer Terry Muscleflow at Global Fitness in Malta and I did a lot of hard work together these last six months, but I would say the biggest shift for me during that time was establishing a new habit of getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.  I experienced the sensation of really pushing my body to the physical limit and this is something I never would have been able to do without someone introducing the concept, and motivating me to learn I could do it.  The awesome thing about committing to something for a significant chunk of time is that you establish a new habit or ingrained behavior.  In other words, it no longer feels unatural to work this hard, and in fact it feels unnatural if I work out too easy.

It is at this point after 6 months of personal training that I am going back out on my own armed with these new tools.  I have worked out since I was 16 years old, but I have never felt so innately connected to my physicality, and my bodies need for nutrition and hard core exercise.  The fitness lifestyle is no longer something I have to endure, but rather something that I crave and need to feel “normal.” I’ve noticed that I do not feel upset when I eat certain foods or miss a workout, for I am so certain that these behaviors are hardwired into my lifestyle indefinitely, and therefore there’s never any reason to obsess or feel scared about outcomes.  This is not a race.  Just a lifestyle.

Examples of my lifestyle include an awesome rain soaked run in the state park with my dad and brother, (and Todd and Jake, not pictured):

Plenty of fish and dark green vegetables to eat:

And one of these now and again:

I love visualizing and talking about my body as an efficient fat burning machine.  Thinking in this manner not only makes me feel more relaxed and confident, thus keeping cortisol levels balanced in my bodyand contributing to weight loss, it also makes me feel motivated to continue being active because I am constantly giving myself the message that I am an active person.

Being on my own again without scheduled sessions with my trainer has required that I figure out a way to make sure I am getting a variety of forms of exercise into the nooks and crannies of my week, and balancing that with the proper nutrition the majority of the time, and opportunities to ejoy my favorite foods from time to time as well.  Today I handled this by waking up early and doing this time management and healthy lifestyle exercise:

1)Take a piece of white paper and draw lines vertically dividing it into 4 columns.

2) Above one column write “This weeks meals” and numbers one through six with adequate space between each number, below it.

3) In the second column write at the top “Grocery list”

4) In the third column write “workout schedule” and label it Monday through Saturday with enough space in between below

5) In the forth column write “to do”

Now move forward in filling each colum out.

6) I have no problem eating the same things every day for one week straight.  I eat six small meals so there is enough variation throughout the day, and it saves money and time doing one set menu for a week, then changing it out the following Sunday. In the “this weeks meals column” think of six small (200-300 calorie) balanced meals and write one next to each of the numbers.  Here is my meal plan for the week as an example:

1. 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, mixed with 2 Tbsp dried cranberries, 1 Tbsp Chia seeds, and 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (I do not cook my oats, just eat them raw. They absorb the milk and are chewy and delicious.  Sometimes I mix it all together the night before and put it in the fridge and it’s even better.
2. Arbonne protein shake
3. 100 calorie whole wheat bagel thin with 2 oz turkey, spinach, cucumbers, basil and whole grain mustard
4. 1 cut up empire apple, and 1/4 cup mixed nuts
5. 5 ounces salmon or tuna, 2 cups raw spinach tossed with 1 Tbsp vinagrette dressing
6. yogurt, or fruit bar, or skinny cow ice cream sandwich, or fruit salad

7)  Write in the grocery list column anything you don’t have in the house for your weekly meal plan.

8.) In the “work out schedule” column, make a list of everything you intend to do, working it around your committments for the upcoming week. Here’s mine:

1. Sunday (today): Run in the AM, 15 minutes of strength training DVD, plus 20 pushups, and 20 dips
2. Monday: 5am run in the park
3. Tuesday:AM- 5am run in the park PM- stair mill at the gym, 3 sets of lat pull downs, chest presses
4. Wednesday: 5am run
5. Thursday: AM- 5am run, 15 minutes of strength training DVD, 3 sets of each leg-1 minutes of jumping on one foot, hands in prayer position
6. Friday: AM- 5am run
7. Saturday: rest
8. Sunday: AM- run PM- 15 minutes strength training DVD, 20 pushups, 20 dips

9) And finally in the forth column, make a list of everything this week that you need to accomplish that is out of the ordinary.  I have a list of about 8 things listed that have to do with my evo-life business, and my arbonne business.

Todd and I are off to my moms for dinner and wedding planning.

Have a great week!

Wow. 2012 has already been, and will continue to be, a really exciting year.  It’s true what they say, if you do a job you will love, you will never work a day in your life.  Steve Jobs was also spot on when he said when asked about entrepreneurialism, that you have to really really love what you’re doing, otherwise you would be totally insane to invest the amount of time and energy that you do to make your business work.  My inspiration means that I have a lot in store for Evo-Life for 2012, and I can’t wait to share it with you!!

In the meantime, the only downside to my being entrenched in the creative process, is that I am out of the loop with LoveNotLipo, which always hurts my heart not pouring myself into my on-line journal!! So in the interest of efficiency, how about a chapter of my life in pictures to bring us current?

My mom and my dear friend Lynelle, who happens to be my Maid of Honor went to Vermont recently to work on wedding details.  We hired an absolutely fabulous florist who totally understood my vision, then we went to the speciality linen shop to work on color schemes.

My mom will be annoyed that I posted these “teasers.”  So Mom, don’t worry I’m telling the world now, these are not literal images, just samples to get us brainstorming in the right direction. xoxox Afterwards, we had an incredibly delicious dinner at the restaurant attached to the linen place.  I wish I had taken a picture, but I had grilled swordfish in a spicy tomato sauce with cannelini beans.  It was a flavor explosion in my mouth!!

I’ve been enjoying the simple beautiful things I love about my community, like the corner coffee shop.

While enjoying the present with vigor, I am actively planning for the future.  I found my dream house, and took the kids to my dream neighborhood and explained to them that we will live there one day in the not to distant future.  They were equally excited as evidenced by this comment.  “If we lived here, I wouldn’t even need to really play video games that much.”

I said “Let’s practice not playing video games now, as if the house were already ours!” And so I took them on a nature walk which they pretended they hated, but really loved.

I have spent time with my beloved grieving friend, and inadequately tried to be a supportive and consistent presence in her life.  If she cannot receive hope right now, she must at least receive beauty.

I continue to push myself to my physical limit with the assistance of the best trainer ever, Muscle Flow Terry.

(video post to be added here.)

Throw in one gorgeous snow storm of the season for good measure:

And lots and lots of good coffee, inspiring reasearch, and 5AM wakeups to work on my book…

This weekend my family and I went to New York to work on my wedding dress.  We started the day by Todd and my step-father watching a telecast of the Lafayette/Lehigh football game at a sportsbar, while my mom and I had a lovely little lunch at Cinema Cafe up the street.  It’s amazing and overwhelming how there are great restaurants like every two feet in The City.  The menu at Cinema was really interesting, and the food was fresh and delicious.  I had an uncharacteristically hard time deciding what to order since there were 5-6 items that we’re totally up my ally.   I finally settled on a salmon sandwich with arugula and saffron mayo on a baguette, cooked rare and to perfection.  My mom and I had a leisurely lunch and caught up on friends, business, the wedding, and life in general…the good, and the not so good.

Next we went shopping at Macy’s and somehow I got out of there without buying anything, particularly a coach bag.  Perhaps the Christmas decorations were fulfilling enough to not need to buy anything…but that’s a stretch.

And finally, we met for the first time with the two amazing women who are making my wedding dress.  I did the initial design myself, but they reworked some of it and enhanced it.  All I can say is, these women are the real deal and have done projects that I won’t begin to get into for the sake of other people’s personal business, but I’m in the big leagues in these womens’ hands.  When she sketched out the back of the dress, my heart swelled with emotion and my eyes filled with tears.  I went back and forth whether to put a “teaser” in the blog, not the actual dress, but an element, but decided against it because I do truly want it to be a surprise.  Just like Todd, I guess my readers will have to wait till October 2012 to see it!!

Yesterday I did a bunch of work that I had to do for the hospital, and spent the rest of the time cooking and doing some seasonal preparation:

cozy winter bedding

new Christmas nightgown that Todd hates

For this week I steamed 3 pounds of broccoli and Cauliflower, and tossed it with chives, parsley, and this emulsion:

• Heat 6 cloves of garlic in 3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil on low for about 10-15 minutes, careful not to let garlic turn brown.
• Juice 3 fresh lemons and put juice in food processor
• Slowly dribble oil/garlic mixture into food processor batch while it is processing so oil emulsifies properly with lemon juice.

I also poached a bunch of salmon in Chicken broth and made some amazing whipped sweet potatoes with rich Greek yogurt and pumpkin pie spice.

And the biggest Health and Fitness news of all:

My Fabulous New Office Fridge!!!

I cannot describe to you how exciting this purchase is for me in terms of lifestyle-ease and creature comforts at work.  Totally worth the seventy five bucks…can’t believe I didn’t do it sooner.

This morning was my fourth workout with Terry, and we’re both psyched at how much progress I’m making in such a short time.  He told me I have the gym in my blood, and that I have just begun something that he thinks will change the course of my life forever.  Take weight/body image/numbers/sizes and physical beauty out of the dialogue for a minute…

There is nothing more powerful then getting stronger.

So everyone including me wondered if I would turn into a Bridezilla in the context of planning a wedding on top of having a job, two businesses, and the blog, but the truth is, I  just didn’t.  I wish I could say this is because I’m not a control freak, because I am one, and I wish I could predict if I will remain this calm, but in general I feel relaxed and happy about my wedding plans, largely attributed to my pure intention of marrying my beloved:

The other reason I believe I am calm, is that I am blessed to have my mom be my best friend in helping me design my wedding, and bring to life my family centered, intimate wedding in my favorite place on earth, a what a bonus that it’s my mom’s favorite too!

The third reason I am calm, is that as anyone who follows Lovenotlipo knows, I am filled with peace in Vermont not achieved anyplace else.  The other day we drove there to the venue, to meet with the wedding coordinator and discuss next steps.

I imagine that the place looks just as it will when I get married there next fall.

April is going to be one jam packed month!  Jam packed with work, jam packed with fun, and jam packed with relaxation.  I have so many exciting things planned for my businesses and my family this month, I decided to take a week off mid month to schedule some down time.  Although my down time might include some organizational projects around the house, it will also include attempts to sleep in late, excessive reading and writing, and mid morning runs at the state park.  Heavenly.

Today was my last lazy day before all the activity begins.  My hormonal imbalance lent itself to cozy isolation in a sunny bedroom and another chapter of my current read.

It did not however lend itself to my being particularly easy to be around this weekend.  Let’s just say I have a wonderful man in my life.

We enjoyed the new spring season today by driving around and looking at a couple model home open houses both for fun, and because tangible experiences of future goals are very powerful.  I’m pretty sure I enjoy this more than Todd, for I think he gets a little nervous how I’m always looking at the “next thing,” so I remind him, I absolutely love our life as it stands today, it’s just that in my experience, life keeps getting better when I do it the way I do it.  Hahaha!!

Evolution Counseling and Life Coaching was picked as the featured business for the April publication of Our Towne Ballston Spa!! (My interview is on page 19 if you can figure out the online version)  So exciting!

Lots of parties this month, my Arbonne promotion is announced, Danny comes to town, and all the adventures my week long vacation affords me.  Stay tuned!

What happens when try as you might, you cannot find 26 hours in a day?  How do you formulate your thoughts to your blogging community about how you’ve been making it to the gym about 50% of the established goal time?   What do you say about the fact that you’re not sure how could possibly envision training for a half marathon at this point while working full time and running two businesses?….so what if your NEW goals start to trump your old goals??? 

It is fear of people’s perception of me that was making me hesitate to re-evaluate my goals at this juncture.  I never want to be considered the kind of person who makes all kinds of big proclamations and doesn’t follow through.  However, what a journey I have been on, for it is now that I can see that it is the physical conditioning and detoxification I have undergone since last July responsible for the mental clarity that launched this next phase of my personal and professional development.  I am finally in a place where I am driven and inspired in a context that has no direct or indirect connection with my weight, body image, or relationship with food.   Hallelujah.

How easy it is to counsel in my private practice, or to my best friend: “Don’t be scared to try things.  Life is not finite.  For today, let this be your plan, tomorrow you may feel differently, and that’s wonderful!”   How much harder it is to remember to apply these concepts to my own life.  But it’s true…I am not abandoning running, and I am not abandoning LoveNotLipo.  In fact, recognizing the impact of those two entities in my life makes my heart swell with gratitude, reverance, and love and bring a tear to my eye.  On July 5th 2010 LoveNotLipo was born, and taking my emotional healing and physical conditioning to the next level, I have documented my journey faithfully ever since. 

I am incredibly fulfilled and excited at this point in my life.  I have learned to let some things go, like  I cannot always have immediate gratification for example…my laundry may take 2 weeks to fold…and I may eat protein shakes for dinner for a while.  Yet I have realized other things are far more valuable than I ever knew.  Listening to others is more important than talking…generousity of spirit is more important than being right…succeeding in helping others is more important than being the best…and never quitting is more important than winning. 

I wonder what the next gift will be?  Because I am awestruck that it just keeps getting better. 

I had my Arbonne business launch party this weekend, and I am physically exhausted, and emotionally and spiritually elated.  I  have met the most amazing and beautiful women inside and out, and I feel like a better person every day that I participate in this business model and company culture of self development.  The money and the amazing life changing wellness products are just a bonus.  My heart is open to life lessons that previously still had not been uncovered, no matter how much work I had done on myself, and that is the real gift. 

For today, I will strive to live a life of balance:  Recovery, faith, family, nutrition and physical activity, my career in mental health, and my entrepreneurial enterpises.  For today, this is what I choose.

I’m such a creature of habit.  I find something I like, and I tend to stick with it.  Lately I’ve been starting my morning off with a “Wrap Itz” 100% Whole Wheat wrap, filled with almond butter and unsweetened coconut.  A splash of Silk Nog in my coffee has been a delicious and healthier option to sugary lattes and such. 

I have had a full and rewarding Christmas/New Years week.  I am grateful that I have delivered on my goal of spending more time with friends in the last few months as my tendency towards hyper-focus on work and fitness projects can be somewhat isolative in nature.  It is also helpful that I have a nice 5 day weekend which is a welcome and overdue treat.  I kicked it off with some retail therapy followed by movie night at Melissa and Dave’s.  Do you like my new coat?  I got it in black too.  Post Christmas sales meant it would be just silly to not get two. 

Todd teased me yesterday when everyone I casually invited over decided to come, so our house was filled with family and friends dropping by all day.  It was really nice. 

We relived Christmas last night when my dad and brother came from Massachusetts which led a whole new pile of presents under the tree!

The best part is, 3 more days to relax and reflect on my goals for 2011.

So I believe I finally got out of my own head today, and bounced back from the stress of Christmas.  But true to form, my self involved moody phase is replaced with a sappy sensitive phase.  I was moved to tears three times today. 

Once at the sight of my favorite landmark on my way to the gym at 6:30 am this morning:

Next during cardio when this commercial came on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNMnxs7B1ZY

And the third time when my uncle who’s been on my mind for a lot of different reasons lately, who I haven’t talked to in a long time, and who’s not typically a “write-to-me-kinda-guy” sent me a very beautiful email. 

I love when I can remember what’s important, and forget about what’s not.

I’m feeling a little low today.  Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I can’t walk from after yesterday’s lower body regimen.  Perhaps it was my icy cold melancholy drive home.  Perhaps it’s hormonal.  Perhaps it’s the family dynamics that always seem more overwhelming around the holidays, weighing on my heart and spirit.  It is amazing though, how easy it is to find myself poking around the kitchen cabinets not even realizing how I got there, or what I’m actually doing. 

I talk for a living, and try to live a life of positivity to practice what I preach, but some days it’s just as simple as I need to isolate in my fluffy flannel bed with my books and my laptop, away from the kitchen, and alone with my thoughts.  Sometimes allowing myself to be in this place is even be a tiny bit enjoyable. 

I remember the day my parents bought this beautiful Stickley armoire entertainment center for her living room.  She told me at the time it was eventually going to be moved upstairs and used as a closet.  If you knew my mom, you would know that once that decision was made, there was nothing that could derail her from that path.

So when the movers came to bring the piece upstairs, and they determined the stairway was too shallow to accommodate the armoire, she was very disappointed, and I felt sad for her.  When she called me a couple days later, she said she they had talked about it, and decided that Todd and I should have the armoire.  I encouraged her to consider keeping it downstairs, or try to sell it, but true to her nature, her mind was made up.  I was overwhelmed with emotion, and filled with gratitude.  It is the most beautiful and special piece either Todd or I have ever owned, and as the mover put it, “it will outlive all of us.”  Considering the contents that go in it, Todd took particular interest in this piece of furniture.