You Are The Enemy

Excuses are the enemy of progress. If I had a nickel for every excuse I tried to make when I'm simply not feeling my workout on a particular day, I'd be driving a Bentley by now.

Your biggest obstacle is always going to be yourself. Don't listen to others, don't worry about what they think, and stop making the decision to always place yourself and your health second. If you can do that, success is going to be a lot easier to attain.

Fit: Once You're Committed, There's No Turning Back

Each morning as I prepare for the day ahead, I sit down with my notebook—filled with every single routine I've completed over the past 14-months—and I plan my routine.

Some days focus on getting the heart rate going via a tough cardiovascular workout, while others focus on building strength via weightlifting, but the main ingredient is always the same—F-O-C-U-S.

I've devoted myself to the idea of fitness for better than two-years now and what started out as a surface-level goal of netting a nice mid-section and killer arms has become a lifestyle that feels empty minus the presence of a healthy diet, an exercise routine, and an attitude that always feels I could be doing more to get better—I just know I haven't reached my best "me" yet.

That said, fitness is not a goal, it's a lifestyle. I don't know how much I can stress that point to those who are reading, but it's something that I strongly believe. You have to make the decision—sometimes every day—that the choices you'll make will be ones geared towards keeping you healthy in the long-term.

Am I perfect day in and day out? Absolutely not! If you read this blog with any regularity you know I have days where I fall off the wagon of health and want to throw it all away just to go back to the bliss of eating without precaution—to live in a world where being "skinny" is enough. But that ship sailed for me long ago, with knowledge came a bigger responsibility to myself. And that responsibility means that I am always fully aware of the choices I make regarding food and exercise.

I could never go back to being the person who threw caution to the wind because I am no longer that person.

The point I'm trying to make here is being skinny is not the goal, being fit is—whatever your definition of that word happens to be is up to you. You choose your focus and you make the decision on how you'll get there, but once you enlighten yourself with all the knowledge that commitment to good health involves, please remember, there is no turning back.

I Hate to Get Off Track

This week has been hell! Too many nights that turned into early mornings and too many days overflowing with things to do.

That said, the more pressing matter is what those extended days—and the lack of sleep that accompanied them—has meant for my "living fit" lifestyle. Being exhausted, at least for me, is often a gateway to not eating as healthy or as focused as I should or would be if I were being aware of my body and listening to it's cues. As I mentioned in the previous post, my kids being home for summer vacation has meant some schedule restructuring on my part because where I once had school hours to do things like cook, clean, exercise, and shop, I now have to do it all with them in tow.

Granted, I have zero issues with being with my kids 24/7, but you'd be surprised how much more efficient your tasks have to be when you're on full mommy alert—i.e. making sure they aren't in harms way, aren't wandering off, aren't touching anything needlessly, aren't in need of a potty break or suddenly hungry— and, for me, who is an admitted Type A personality, I don't do well with mass chaos. I can take it as it comes...so long as I know about it in advance.

But I digress.

I recognized that the week was going in the wrong direction as early as Sunday, but continued down the path of least resistance and managed to blow off at least one workout while half-assing a second; pair that with a few days of bad eating and, voila, living fit mommy isn't living so fit.

My goal is to not let the week end the way it started but rather to get myself back on track. I've certainly been down this road enough to know that sometimes it's the falling that makes the getting up that much more rewarding.

Has It Been Forever?

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My kid's summer vacation began May 19th and since that time I have been far too busy keeping them busy to maintain two blogs with any level of dedication so, unfortunately, "Living Fit Mommy" was the one selected to fall dreadfully behind.

However, now that my little ones have settled into their summer routine and I have reconfigured my schedule to accommodate days filled with all things children, I will attempt to get myself back on the "Fit Mommy"track.

That said, this posting is less about the norm of eating right, living well, and maintaining balance than it is about getting my readers up to speed on what's been happening in my world.

The idea to do so was taken from my country cousin, Ally, over at Copacetic in Carolina—whose blog if you haven't visited by now, shame on you, so go now!—and it's called "Currently".

So, here I am...

What I'm reading: It's tough to find time to do more than peruse the holy plethora of magazines I have on my nightstand—Muscle & Fitness Hers, Oxygen, Essence, and Yoga Journal are among the few—but I do try to throw in a novel or two just for fun. Right now I am wading through a book on Abraham Lincoln, with whom I became intrigued after our trip to Washington this past April, but I also have The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks on my radar for the very near future.

What I'm watching: Lately, television does nothing for me, so I've been renting DVD's of shows that are now off the air. I have watched "Alias" and re-watched "Felicity" (a show I adored when it aired on the WB more than a decade ago), while also starting "Curb Your Enthusiasm", "Entourage", and "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency".

What I'm doing now since my kids are home: I haven't abandoned my workout regimen but I do have to be infinitely more creative to fit it in between shuttling them to karate and gymnastics, respectively, as well as the myriad of activities I plan for them to enrich their minds whilst school is out. That means what is normally a 75-90 minute workout is now 45-60 minutes. It's working out well so far as I get plenty of exercise just running around behind them.

What I'm ready for: Seriously, I'm soooooooo looking forward to getting a new MacBook. I love mine but I am giddy for a shiny new one to type upon. Second to that, an iPhone 5 of course. My tiny, slow, out-of-date 3GS has done all it can do but I refuse to spring for an iPhone 4 with the 5 supposedly right around the collective corner.

What I'm loving: the fact that my other passion—college football—is less than three months from starting anew. As a rabid Georgia Bulldogs and SEC fan, Saturdays seem empty minus some pigskin. less than 90-days and counting before what's wrong is made right.

Well, that's about it. As I said, I will try to get back on track with the blog now that the kiddies and I have a well-established schedule to follow.

Hope y'all are enjoying your summer thus far.