Always Believe that Something Wonderful is About to Happen

Today's work out was a new one (at least for this semester it was). My friend Teresa and decided to switch it up and go for a swim in the pool. We did 10 laps (20 if you're counting each direction as 1 lap). Realization: I have zero strength in my chest/arms. None. Zip. So, I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to try to make it to the pool at least once a week because I find it hard to get in an arm work out during the week otherwise. A lot of this is due to my own self consciousness (lets be honest, going into the weight room not knowing what you're doing or to which machine you're headed can be a little intimidating). And yes, it is ridiculous that I'm self conscious about this. But, alas! I think that the pool might be a better fit for me anyway. As my school offers free personal training sessions, however, I might take advantage of these and inquire as to what arm/upper body exercises would be best for me at a later date. But, for now I feel that the pool is a pretty all inclusive workout - it gets in cardio, legs, abs, and a whole heck of a lot of arms. Let's just hope I can lift them tomorrow!
On another note, I watched a video today by TheLeanMachines that really inspired me. It addressed the issue of positivity pretty well in my opinion, which as I've said is something that I've found I really struggle with. In the course of talking about success one of the two personal trainers of the channel told a story from a friend of his that he said really hit home for him - and it did for me too.
The story was about two monks who were walking along a river that was flooded. As they were walking, they encountered a woman on the other side of the river who was asking for help because she needed to get across. One of the monks said "No, we can't help her we can't associate with women we need to just move on and go on our way." But, during the time that he said this, the other monk had removed his clothes, waded across the river, picked up the woman and carried her to the other side. He put his clothes back on and the two monks continued walking along the river for a few miles. Hours had passed in silence and finally one of the monks stopped and asked "What is the matter? You've been silent since we encountered the woman back there." The other monk responded with "Well we aren't allowed to associate with women or touch women and you picked her up! I'm very bothered by this!" Finally his companion responded with "Yes, I did pick her up, yes I did carry her across the river. The only difference between you and I is that I put her down hours ago, and you're still carrying her."
This story hit home for me because it helped me to realize that sometimes I have trouble letting things go. And unfortunately, this is something that we all must learn to do. Because if we don't, the only person that it will hurt is us. In life there are many things that we will encounter that are not within our control: failures, negative people, negative situations, mistakes, etc. And the ability to let these things go and move past them with a positive mentality is imperative to a happy and healthy lifestyle. Without this ability, we are continuously allowing our past to impact our future in a negative manner. We already had to live through it once, wasn't that enough? For the future me: take what you can from negative situations and remember to let go of anything that doesn't serve you.
These quotes are my reminders that negativity and holding onto mistakes will only weigh me down:

But my favorite...

See you all later!
Keep Smiling <3 Brandi

TheLeanMachines: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheLeanMachines?feature=watch

Their HOW TO SUCCEED Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8izbjQtm-Y

Week 1 Done!

The first week of classes (and of my running routine) is over!!! And I'm proud to say that I successfully tackled the gym 5 days of last week. Surprisingly, the 5 days at the gym routine went pretty well - I felt a lot better knowing that each day I was active. I started out going to the gym in the morning, but found that for me personally I'm more productive when I head to the gym right after classes. Every day except Thursday I have class until 3:30 and I headed to the gym around 4 pm. This schedule works perfectly for me because then I get a break from school and can be productive again after my work out!
What I did in the gym:
The short version is, I did a little bit of everything. Monday, Wednesday and Friday I stuck with my 1.5 mile run (as per Hal Higdon's 5k program) and then followed that up with some floor work (crunches, stretching, pushups, planks, and things of the like) and occasionally some elliptical or stairmaster. Thursday and Friday I did 30-40 minutes on the elliptical and then followed this up with much the same as my runs. Sometimes this routine included some weights or some squats and things of that nature - as long as I kept moving. If i felt up to more cardio, I threw it in. If i felt up for ab work, I did that. Right now, I don't have a specific goal for what I want to improve - my only real goal is to be active and keep moving for one hour a day. I think that for me, this is a great goal because it doesn't put too much stress on the end goal. Instead, it focuses on a more holistic approach and overall improvement. And I think that for me personally this is a healthier and more productive way to look at my work outs.
Foods!
In terms of my eating, I haven't been perfect. Yes, I did have the Chili's. But, I've also made quite a few small changes that I think together are significant. For example, instead of munching on a bunch of starches, I've leaned towards nuts and fruits to keep me happy throughout the day. I've been drinking a lot more water (yay!). I've been trying to pay more attention to eating when i'm hungry, not when i'm bored or stressed. And when shopping, I've been paying more attention to what i'm buying so that I'll eat generally better things for me. I know that my eating will never be perfect (who isn't tempted by that sweet tooth every now and then?). But, I can make small changes and choices that will help me to be a healthier person. For future reference: Spinach and cheese omelet = delicious; frozen grapes = delicious (I wonder what those would be like in a blender... slushy???)
However, I think that the most important thing that I've realized this week is that I will never be a skinny mini girl. And you know what? That is okay. The fact of the matter is, I'm at a healthy weight for my height, and I am a fairly (and hopefully in the future, very) active person. In my life my goal is not to be skinny. My goal is not to have a dream body. Because I've realized that for me, those goals are destructive. They make me look at myself in a negative light when it just isn't necessary or healthy. My goal is to be at a weight that is healthy for my height and to be active. My goal is to wake up everyday and do good things for my body so that all of my tomorrows will be better than today. I want to look back and be proud of the choices that I made. I want to be a runner for life. I want to be running when I'm 60 and happy with how I feel. Because to me, I'd rather feel great than look good.

I know this was a long one. So, to finish off I'll leave you with this quote:

I love this quote because I feel like something that I struggle with constantly is my overwhelming ability to underestimate myself. And I truly believe that being a runner has made me a better person by helping me to fight that demon. What better way to prove to yourself in such a tangible way that you're capable of so much more than you thought than with miles?
See you all later!
Keep Smiling <3 Brandi

Hal Higdon's Training Program: http://www.halhigdon.com/training/50933/Novice-Training-for-your-first-5K

Short Update!

Today is going to be a short one!
First, I arrived at school today! Yay! Time to get down to business (to defeat the Huns - wait, what?)! Tomorrow is going to be the first grocery run of the year - buy good foods you'll eat good foods, right? Right. The plan is to start the year off right with some good healthy foods in my dorm so that I won't be tempted to go elsewhere (ahem, BurgerKing) for my meals.
Also! As part of my motivation regiment I've been watching two personal trainers on Youtube called TheLeanMachines who tend to make videos about healthy eating as well as exercises (both at home and at the gym) and general fitness knowledge about supplements and other randomosities. I think that their videos are a quick way to get some motivation and/or some knowledge on a lot of subjects regarding fitness from a more reputable source (at least, I think so simply due to the fact that they're both personal trainers).
I can't wait to get the year started on a positive foot and work towards my goals with my friends!

Reminder to the future me: don't focus on the speed of improvement. "Many people quit due to slow progress, never realizing that slow progress... Is progress."

See you all later!

Keep Smiling <3 Brandi

"If you're depressed, you are living in the past. If you're stressed, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you're living in the present."

I often find that in my life, I've been defeated (or stressed, which is just as bad) by none other than my own fears. I have a tendency to look at the end goal as opposed to the smaller tasks at hand that individually compose the end goal. And obviously, that often ends in disaster - namely me having a panic attack. This is simply not productive. I do this in my exercise plans, in my education plans, in my job plans (which, at this point i'll be honest are not even close to concrete, and it terrifies me). And I'm going to make it my goal this year to put that mentality behind me and start looking at the decisions that I can make now. Today. This moment. And deal with those as opposed to looking at choices that I can't possibly make right now because they're too large, or too far off. Because the fact of the matter is, when the time comes, there will almost certainly be options available to me that I can't see right now. So for this year, I'm going to work on paying attention to the things that I can deal with now. Am I enjoying my classes? And consequently is this a major that I am enjoying? Are there opportunities in this field that I can take advantage of and test out now? Am I going to pass that test that I have next week? Questions like this are answerable now, and can be addressed in a productive way.
This image above addresses this for me personally because it encourages me to look at what I can do to shape my life in a productive and positive way. It states that there is nothing impossible in this life if I'm willing to work toward it. But it also reminds me in my own personal way to step back and realize that I can only take care of today, and that doing so is the best way for me to shape tomorrow.
While where I'm going in this life is an important question to answer, I have to realize that it is not one that I can answer today. I can simply ensure that I am doing things that I love and to the best of my ability. I have to realize that I can't make a change in my life or in anyone else's unless i'm willing to look at the details that make up a goal as opposed to the end game. Because the individual goals are attainable. The individual goals are the journey. And these little details are what I'll remember years from now and allow me to get where i'm going.

So, I tell myself: Ask yourself not what needs to happen 6 months or a year down the road, but are you giving today everything you've got and truly enjoying the life that you have today and the life that you're building for tomorrow?

See you all later!
Keep Smiling <3 Brandi

Can and/or Should.

Yep. It's another Pinterest Pin. But hey, what can I say? Pinterest motivates me.
This image strikes me each time I see it. Because to me, it packs two separate punches that motivate me in two very different ways. First, it says: "You have the ability. There are so many individuals who are not lucky enough to have the ability that you do to be so active. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!" This obviously is meaningful to me. Because each time I see it, it gives me a much needed kick in the butt! But, it also reminds me that there are times when working out is simply not appropriate and will hurt my body as opposed to benefiting it. This truly is a hard one for me to follow through with. Foot hurts? Eh, I'll run it off. Sick? Run it off. Exhausted from the three tests I had this week? Run it off. And sometimes, there comes a moment where I have to sit back and remind myself that healthy does not mean going to the gym when I am injured, sick, or exhausted. The body can take a lot. But I've realized that I need to be more careful about realizing when my body needs a rest.
If you know me well (or at all), you know that I'm an incredibly stubborn person. There is nothing more crushing than getting close to your goal and realizing... Oh no. *cough* No. I'm not getting si- *cough*...
And in the past, I tended to get a bit hard headed and run through it anyway. And to be quite honest, that just isn't healthy. So, I'm making another commitment to myself: if i'm sick, or exhausted, or hurt, or any other variation of unwell that means that I need to give my body a rest, I will do so. Because repeatedly breaking my body down when it isn't well will not make me a healthier person.
In other news, today was officially day 1 of Don't Eat Crap. And I feel pretty fantastic. I had gotten to the point over the last month or so where the thought of anything fried made me slightly nauseous. And honestly, eating nothing but fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and protein today felt kind of fantastic after that. Also, I've had about 40 ounces of water so far today, and that feels pretty awesome too - I forgot what it felt like to actually be hydrated. Hopefully this will benefit not only my work outs and my body as a whole, but also my skin!
So, overall I think it's safe to say that I'm on my way to a better me - and enjoying the journey. I'm headed back to school on Saturday, and I plan to go to the store on Sunday (i'll probably give a rundown of what I bought), making Monday (first day of school) my first gym day of the year. Hopefully pulling my friend Daniella along for that ride! Can't wait!!!

And for the future me, or anyone else who is struggling to get by:
"When everything feels like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top."

See you all later!
Keep Smiling <3 Brandi

"I'm not telling you it's going to be easy. I'm telling you it's going to be worth it."

This image is pasted from Pinterest where I get a lot of my motivation! Note to self: if you're ever lacking motivation, poke around Pinterest. It just puts me in a kick butt mood!

Plan for when I get back to school: post this in my room somewhere. So that each day when I get up, feeling like I don't want to run. Or I don't want to do schoolwork. Or i'd really rather just go get Chic-Fil-A than cook a meal that will actually nourish my body. I'll remember why I started.
Last summer, I made a choice. I decided to train to run a 5k while I was home from school. By the end of the summer, after completing an 8 week program by Hal Higdon who was recommended to me by my brother and sister in law (half marathoners!) and running for several weeks prior to that just to meet the starting requirement - 1.5 miles - I could finally run 3 miles straight. Incredibly proud of my accomplishment, I went to school telling myself that I would continue to run 8 miles a week (3 Monday, 2 Wednesday, and 3 Friday) in order to maintain my 5k pace (and maybe improve it) and so that during the following summer, training for a 10k would be my next step. And I did for a while. But, as the weeks wore on, and the school work (ahem, chemistry) began to get the better of me I found myself putting off runs because I had convinced myself that it was okay to bypass the workout in favor of school work or other activities (by this point I was just out of the groove of things and was making excuses NOT to run). Looking back on it now, despite the stress of last semester, there was no reason for me to give up on my road to improvement. I was so proud of how I looked and what my body could do, and I gave up on this because I simply wasn't willing to make time for it. The short version is, I had myself convinced that school was more important. And while my education is a very important part of not only my future but who I am, my own well-being has a direct correlation to everything that I do in my life.
So, this semester I'm not saying that I won't skip a day. Or that I won't get tired or rundown and want to stop. And maybe I will for a day, or even two. But I'm making a promise to myself and my friend (and accountability) Kaitlin that I won't give up entirely on this road. I will get back in the gym and make a commitment to take care of myself. Because I'm the only one that can do that, and quitting isn't an option. There will be set backs. But it is my goal to be a better planner this semester so that I can get everything done that will help me to be a happy and healthy person. And the fact of the matter is, when i'm being active and i'm nourishing my body as opposed to just eating to eat, I feel better. And isn't that the point?

To wrap things up, I challenge myself and I challenge you to do something today that makes you a happier and/or healthier person. Because every day that I wake up and do something good for my body, or my heart, or my spirit I'm moving forward in such a positive way.

And doesn't that just make me feel unstoppable.

See you later! :]
Keep Smiling <3 Brandi

Hal Higdon's 5k Program that I used (and plan to start up again): http://www.halhigdon.com/training/50933/Novice-Training-for-your-first-5K
Kaitlin's blog: http://www.positivelyperplexing.blogspot.com/

Beginnings.

Beginnings. This year I find myself at an interesting place in my life where I feel as though I'm ready to move but not quite sure in what direction. So, the purpose of this blog is to have a place to put the fleeting but powerful thoughts of a young (almost) 20-something who has great dreams (even though she isn't quite sure what those are yet), old scars (more than i'd care to admit), and a wonderfully terrifying feeling of being lost in a world that always seems to have a direction (whether it be correct or not).

This year, it is my goal to be a generally healthier person. I don't know to what extent that can happen, but I want to dedicate this year and every year after to seeking out ways to make myself better. By surrounding myself with people who lift me up; by getting help when I need it; by finding a way to move every single day regardless of what's going on; by consistently working towards a better me. I'm well aware that these are lofty goals. But, I view these as lifelong goals that we work on each and every day and address in a meaningful way. 

The first step that I'm taking towards this goal is going to happen the day that I return to school (mostly because that's when I'll be buying groceries). My first goal for 2014 is going to include making healthier choices in eating and making it to the gym at least 3-4 times a week. Looking at my schedule for the semester, I would like to get up and out the door by 7:45 4 days a week and to the gym by 8am. But, once I've tested this out for a full week I'll reevaluate what I believe is feasible. In terms of my diet, my goal is to eat a lot more vegetables and fruits. I've bought a multivitamin and this coupled with my revamped eating habits, i'm hoping that these things will help give me the energy needed to get in my running and keep up with school! I also bought fish oil pills because when I run, the thing that tends to bother me the most is my knees, and I've heard that this supplement helps with joint health. Yep! I'm aware that this is boring, it's mostly for my own record keeping.

I don't know what I'll be writing. Or if it will be interesting. But my friend Kaitlin and I have made the commitment to each other that we'll be writing. In the hopes that it will keep us motivated and on track with our own goals, wherever those may take us.
Kaitlin's blog: http://www.positivelyperplexing.blogspot.com/

I'm going to make the statement now that 2014 is going to be a great one. Because I'm ready to step up and make my own change.

See you all later.

 Brandi <3