airplane

I can't even tell you how incredibly timely this talk was when he first gave it.  I can't tell you, either, the countless number of times that it has come to my mind again and again.  Today is another.  I love this quote from it.

"Have you ever been in an airplane and experienced turbulence? The most common cause of turbulence is a sudden change in air movement causing the aircraft to pitch, yaw, and roll. While planes are built to withstand far greater turbulence than anything you would encounter on a regular flight, it still may be disconcerting to passengers.
What do you suppose pilots do when they encounter turbulence? A student pilot may think that increasing speed is a good strategy because it will get them through the turbulence faster. But that may be the wrong thing to do. Professional pilots understand that there is an optimum turbulence penetration speed that will minimize the negative effects of turbulence. And most of the time that would mean to reduce your speed. The same principle applies also to speed bumps on a road.

Therefore, it is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions."- DIETER F. UCHTDORF "Of Things That Matter Most"

weight loss

Oh good.... I'm right on track....

dust yourself off

shakeology

Saw this picture and thought DANG. Can you believe all these ingredients in just a single serving of Shakeology? No wonder it is so beneficial and helps so many parts of the body!

helping

AMEN. I have been criticized at times for my openness or honesty about trials in our life, saying that I was seeking attention or something else. THIS is why I believe in being honest about your life. This is the blessing I have experienced, and for which I am so grateful.  

http://www.mynameisjacy.com/2013/10/how-can-you-help-others.html

dangit

Well it turns out that asthma attack in the water was no joke.  The dr says I am pretty much not moving any air. Looks like it's a steroid injection, steroid pills, antibiotics, and rest for the next few days. I didn't know before that wheezing is actually a good thing when you have asthma because it means you are moving air. I almost didn't go in because I wasn't wheezy.  
This was my lunch.... Because washing dishes to have a clean cup for my Shakeology sounded like way more work than I can muster...because eating is a lot of work....because I was out picking up my steroid meds anyway....because apparently lack of oxygen will do all that to you. Everything is a chore right now, even thinking. I'm grateful I have a book to curl up with, a husband who I know will be happy to take care of me, and that the dr was able to squeeze me in so hopefully my lungs can recover a little faster.

I did it!!!

I did it!!! Completing IronGirl has been a huge dream accomplishment for me for many years.  I'm so excited to be able to say I did it.  Was it perfect?  No.  I had an asthma attack in the (very cold) water that I never fully recovered from and then I later crashed on my bike at the dismount.  Was it awesome to finish?  Yes.  I loved having my friend and neighbor there to do it with me also.  It's so much more fun having someone to beat yourself up with. ;)

Here are some of my thoughts on the race:
I do not like open water swimming so much- I felt like I was going nowhere & swallowed a lot of nasty water. It is one extremely hilly course- which makes me feel a bit better about my not-so-great time. Triathamom feels like a baby course compared to this. You should really slow down a lot more than I did before jumping off your bike. I don't have to have music to work hard. That felt like an accomplishment in itself. You should not accidentally drop a safety pin in your sock. Good thing that didn't pop open! Even if you think your bike is fine, you should get it checked out when there is free tuning available, otherwise your gears that work best on the uphills might have gotten knocked out of whack on your drive. It is a pretty amazing thing to see the variety of women who will do this. Don't put limitations on yourself! The stories, the body types, the ages... They will inspire you. A .3 mile uphill to transition from swim is not very nice. For that matter, starting out uphill for bike and run isn't very pleasant either. My husband insists there are equal downhills for uphills but it certainly didn't feel that way. Sunrise glare makes it hard to see buoys. I should really stop not doing much of any training the month prior to the month of a major race. My time would probably be much better then. It also would have been helpful to do some bricks before....and to run more than 1.5 miles. Inhalers are good. Asthma attacks are not. Thank goodness for gels. Shakeology makes a pretty good pre-race breakfast. The Henderson PD were awesome for the support and it was great to feel safe on the bike & not have to stop. It is good to do hard things, things that scare you, and to check off your bucket list items. I pretty much rock. That's how finishing made me feel. You should do IronGirl, or some other triathlon for that reason alone. I did it. I felt good most of the time. I felt great finishing. Until next year!

I still don't like open water.

it's time

This lake and I have a date at sunrise.  IronGirl is in the morning.  My stomach is flipping out.  I'm supposed to go past that bridge there?!

I'm wearing this for inspiration:

get the facts

“Individuals in Committed Relationships Who Discover that their partner is engaged in compulsive pornography use or other sexually addictive behaviors can manifest symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.” 

(Barbara A. Steffens and Robyn L. Rennie, “The Traumatic Nature of Disclosurefor Wives of Sexual Addicts,” Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity 13, nos. 2 and 3 (2006) 247-67, as quoted in A, 83)

Yup.
Thanks to Fight The New Drug for sharing.

no different than you

I get a lot of people who tell me they can't be like me, they can't put a lot of effort into losing weight, or they can't work out. They tell me I'm hard-core or something. Do you know how bizarre this is to me? I may be training for IronGirl this weekend, but that's because I made a point to do something that scares me each year and this year that's what it is. I don't workout more than 30 minutes on the average. I'm not asking you to be crazy (unless, of course, you want to push for those crazy great results). Just MOVE. Take a step forward. I have to constantly remind myself of this. My body fights me. My brain fights me and tells me to just do a cleanse or other rapid loss diet. But I know from experience those don't last, often cause residual problems like inflammation that make it harder to lose the next time, and they don't give you the lasting inner change that needs to happen as well.

ALSO:  3 months. THREE FRICKIN MONTHS. That's how long I hovered in my plateau. Goodbye and good riddance. I KNOW I would not have stuck to trying, or to trying in a HEALTHY way, were it not for having an accountability group and an awesomely supportive husband. It isn't about the scale, but sometimes it kinda is at least in your head.

another's story of healing

This is a family I know and love.  I babysat this kid when he was little.  His mom was in my mom's book club (now the book club I go to) and they are family of one of our oldest and dearest friends as well.  Interestingly enough, I also know one of his attackers as he was in my ward previously and his mother was also a friend of my mom's.  I'm so proud of this kid.  Really.
http://m.reviewjournal.com/life/victim-2003-attack-finding-way-heal


And, in other news, I recently purchased a tri suit, tendon wrap, and gels.  Feeling like a rather legit triathlete.

now is the time

Here's the thing (and I realize I totally did this last month by letting the broken oven and crazy schedule get to me), life is happening now. Do you want something out of it? You better do something to move you toward that today. You can say you need to wait until things are less hectic before taking charge of your health. Do you have an absolute guarantee that things will be less hectic next month and you will have no other excuse waiting in the wings? So you might not be able to do things perfectly right now? Does that mean you should do nothing? There are no guarantees. All you've got is NOW. What are you going to do with it?

reporting in

A week back with an accountability group, back in the game, and down 4.25" as well as the 1.6lbs gained over the 3wks of not before. That's what doing things the healthy way will do. So thankful for muscle memory. Remind me of this the next time I am tempted by a quick-loss solution or complain of slow loss.

fear of failure

Fear of failure.  Fear of success.  It's all pretty much the same.  Just plain ol' fear.

yikes

I have come to a difficult realization today. I am still scared of my own success. I thought I had overcome this as I realize it is a silly thing, and that we probably fear our own success because we think it somehow invalidates our 'other' selves. Nonetheless, I have caught myself today trying to sabotage my own success at the same time as envisioning it. Clearly, that's not gonna fly.

hope

This is seriously so good. We are focusing on hope in my challenge group this week and then I happened to read this article, written by a psychologist, this morning. I am certainly going to implement some of this in the group. So many fabulous tidbits in this.

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2013/09/the-healing-balm-of-hope?lang=eng

yummy after school snack

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Squares

1/3 c nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1c brown sugar (maybe sub maple syrup next time??)
1/2c unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs 
2 Tbsp original plain almond milk
1/2 tsp salt
3 c old fashioned oats
1 3/4 c whole wheat flour 
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 c dark chocolate chips
1/2 c unsweetened coconut

Combine first ingredients through salt together on medium for 2-3min or until sugar dissolves. In separate bowl, mix together remaining dry ingredients until just combined. Add to liquid mixture & mix. Bake in 9x13 at 350 for 15-20min.

my year

IronGirl is NEXT weekend. Jan 1st is 78 days away. What things did you commit to completing or focusing on this year? What limits of yours are you going to push before the year is through? What hard or scary thing will you be able to say you did? I hadn't even been involved with Beachbody yet and I said at the beginning of the year that the word 'nourish' was going to be my focus for the year. I may not have dropped a ton of pounds, yet, but I have nourished myself and I can go into the end of the year knowing that I am on the right track, moving forward, and making progress. What about you?
I think I want to do another complete BB program by the end of the year just to say that I have. There is time for Les Mills Combat or Focus T25. What do you think? Do you want to do one of those quick programs with me?

love love love this

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2013/09/rescued-by-the-gospel?lang=eng

it's okay

If you don't follow the Healing Through Christ foundation on Facebook, you really should. They share lots of great stuff!

things to think about

Sexual Abuse signs and symptoms

I was looking for some information I wanted to share with someone when I came upon this.  I am grateful that someone took the time to type up this information from our SOLE handbook.  I wanted to save it here so I didn't lose it and so others might be informed if they needed this information.

Sexual Abuse- Adult 
I. Most victims of sexual abuse suffer as children or youth tend to react in one or more of the following ways:

Feel guilty and almost totally responsible for having been a victim.
Feel isolated from their family and peers.
Have held it inside and told no one or only a very few people.
Have become confused about their identity and goals in life.
Have been depressed for a long time and don't understand why.
Are plagued by many fears, especially about men.
May have turned to intellectual, religious, or other pursuits to escape or cope with life.
May have been promiscuous at some time in their life.
May have thought extensively about suicide or may even have attempted it.
Have not been able to separate their responsibility from the perpetrator's responsibility.
May have run away from home, gotten married early, or have been involved in drugs, etc. feeling this is to be their "only way out".
Crave love and affection from a father figure.
Have become bitter, angry, and resentful towards Church leaders, other male authority figures, even God- or may have gone in the opposite direction.
May have developed multiple health problems.
Have become a frustrated, unhappy, depressed housewife with sexual problems in marriage.
Have become a vulnerable target for someone else to abuse, such as a spouse, or other males.
Developed a hysterical approach to life and situations.

II. Most Adult Victims Feel:

Confused about identity, angry at self and others, guilty about everything they have ever done, thought or had done to them.
They can't separate what's been done to them and what they've done.
Afraid of men, doesn't trust other woman.
Frustrated and confused about life and goals.
Depressed but doesn't know exactly why.
Doesn't trust own judgement.
The world would be better off without me.
Hurts all the time- exhausted.
Can't keep up with everyone else.
Everyone is looking at me and can see right through me.

III. Most Adult Victims:

Can't make decisions.
Allow others to abuse them further.
Always take the blame, accept guilt.
Try to be "Patty Perfect".
Have sexual problems in marriage- frigid, disinterested, or over interested in sex.
Seeks affection inappropriately.
Have many health problems.
Afraid to let men in close.
Cranky, angry, abusive, afraid.
Repulsed by sexual activity.
Very active in Church.
Very compassionate with other people.
Service does not build self-esteem.
Can't accept compliments.
Able to sacrifice anything for kids or husband- yet won't take time for self.
Husband may be non-supportive or self-centered.

IV. Symptoms:

Many of the symptoms are similar to adolescence.
Usually behave in a dependent helpless manner when it comes to solving every day problems.
Feels victimized by normal life happenings.
Sees the world as fear-filled.
Has many exaggerated fears.
Anger and fear towards men.
Many can't remember the good times of childhood- some even block out all childhood memories.
Anger towards mothers for not protecting them from abuse.

V. Indicators of Sexual Abuse as Adult Women for Priesthood Leaders:

Overwhelmed continuously by family responsibilities- stress overload.
Depression (deep and/or excessive).
Guilt (for everything).
Doesn't feel loved.
Feels scriptures apply not to self but to others (those pertaining to forgiveness and love).
Feels scriptures (negative) apply to self (those pertaining to repentance, Heavenly Father's disappointment, etc.).
Shame.
Difficulty in communication.
Constant need for approval.
Any rejection can be devastating.
Chronic physical ailments.
Very Emotional.
Lack of self-esteem.

why I coach

problems and solutions

inspirational transformation

Meet my friend, Jacqueline. I haven't known her terribly long but she has been an inspiration to me nonetheless. I've only known her as this crazy lady who runs and does all these marathons and races all the time. I was shocked when I learned she was JUST LIKE ME. She reminds me when I don't want to push myself, that I can and that I will one day be different. She inspires me to run more. She began her transformation by focusing on her diet. She'd done the whole yo-yo thing like many of us. She lost some weight and began running even when she couldn't run at all before. She used P90X to shed pounds, let lean, and be toned. This program has been fantastic for her. In fact, she loves it so much that she wants to do a massive P90Xgroup. Do you want to do it with us? All the P90X programs back to back?
With the help of Beachbody products like Shakeology and P90X, she has gone from being pre-diabetic with pcos to losing a lot of weight, eliminating her symptoms, and running races like a crazy woman! (she even just did the Dopey Challenge!)

fatigue

I absolutely LOVE this. I was thinking about this as I was biking uphill today. I once talked to my (avid athlete) friend about how hard upholds are on my breath and heart. She then pointed out that the uphills are actually when you are supposed to 'recover'- focusing more on staying steady and balanced. You have to pedal at a looser gear so you are making more rotations though not going very far at a time. This is VERY much a mental thing to me and I think of this every time I bike uphill, and how like life it is.

more

grace

God’s grace is divine power to help us with all of our shortcomings and is available to us at all times.
Fantastic article on grace. It just might change your view of God even.

http://www.lds.org/ensign/2013/09/his-grace-is-sufficient?lang=eng

children and pornography

I would like to move to the UK because at least this is a legit discussion being had. This is a vitally important read. It doesn't address the brain chemistry changes that occur and the WHY of the increasing behavior...but it tells truth. I hope and pray that these children are being taught by someone that they CAN be made whole again. Those images CAN be taken from their mind and compulsive behaviors or thought patterns removed. You can be healed. I am so grateful to have that knowledge and experience- for myself and my family.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2135203/Jamie-13-kissed-girl-But-hes-Sex-Offender-Register-online-porn-warped-mind-.html

Here is another really great article:

http://motherhoodmatters.blogs.deseretnews.com/2013/10/01/how-to-teach-children-about-gasp-pornography/