Friday, March 21, 2008

Body Transformation: The Slight Edge

I Feel better this morning. No more nauseous stomach and cramping intestines. I didn’t get on the scale this morning. I’ve decided to not get on it every day. My quest is not only to lose weight. Losing weight is actually a side effect of my quest.

Sounds a bit surprising even to me. I looked at New Vision’s contest banner again. Frankly they have the right idea. It’s a “Body Transformation Contest”. Get it? Body Transformation? In my mind that says overall health. Being physically fit, healthy in mind body and spirit. (Of course their contest guidelines are posted on the New Vision Website)

My aim is to become truly healthy. To become truly healthy is an ongoing process. Losing excess fat is a side effect of becoming healthy. Transforming your body is a side effect of becoming truly healthy. Building a strong flexible body is a side effect of becoming truly healthy.

Transforming your body is not a one time big thing. It is a series of small things daily over time. It is a change in lifestyle.

Transforming your lifestyle is not a one time big thing. It is a series of small things daily over time.

It is truly amazing how things come together.

I was asking what can I do, how do I do this. Not only about losing fat; which I had accumulated way too much of, but about my life, business, relationships, and so on.

My weight was spinning out of control, my business was on total overload and spinning out of control, emotionally and mentally I was in a very dark place. I’d look at everything that needed to be taken care of and just hit total overwhelm. Life seemed impossible. Fighting back from 5 years of illness, and 2 years of recovery. What a bloody mess. Go like crazy and crash from exhaustion, both physical, and mental. Then do it again. Talk about an emotional rollercoaster ride.

Then my 48th birthday rolled around. February 5th, 2008. I thought to myself “I’ve had enough of this, no more”. I’m not doing this any more. No more rollercoaster in weight, business, emotions, health, life! I want off this horrid ride. What are my options? How do I get off this ride? How do I get rid of this static in my mind? How do I live in peace with myself?

It’s amazing, how when you ask questions answers are provided. It’s truly amazing how quickly answers come up when you ask questions. Take note; be aware of what questions you are asking.

It’s amazing how God leads you to useful tools. Most of which have been there all along. (No I’m not getting preachy. Each person’s relationship with their God is between them and their God-by whatever name they choose to use-each of has free will-choice, and the responsibility that goes along with it)

It amazes me how we can complete huge projects by small actions. Truly amazes me. Happily the static is gone from my mind. I am no longer on overload. I am becoming healthy; I can feel the muscles in my abdominal region strengthening. I can actually see my body composition changing. Good by excess fat, pretty exciting stuff.

A dear friend of mine recommended a book by Byron Katie (which I purchased but haven’t read yet) and a set of CDs by Jim Rohn. Challenge to Succeed is the CD set. Excellent. I bought a package deal with the CD’s in it and this little book with a blue and white cover was in there. For some reason it caught my eye and I picked it up and started to read it. Excellent life transforming resource. The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson.

Buy it from me, or don’t buy it from me, it doesn’t matter. But read the book. You will be glad you did.

Life is a journey, enjoy the trip.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With our Pomeranians
307.788.0202 Mountain Time USA

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Walked the Loop

Good morning on this cloudy spring day. Walked the driveway loop with min min and Cheyenne again this morning. Stomach still funky, but manageable. Not running to the toilet every five minutes. Just feeling gaggy.

Feels good to have walked that loop each day. I can really see a difference in min min. That hill is quite the incline. I thought I could train on the elliptical for the most part to be able to complete the Cheyenne/Laramie marathon. Wrong! Woof Wrong! My elliptical is good basic training but to be able to handle that mountain marathon I’ve got to work the hills for real. I found that out pretty quickly walking the driveway loop. Driveway loop sounds kind of silly until you know what it actually is. Our drive way is around ½ mile, one portion is on about a 40 degree angle upwards. That’s what it looks like anyway. I just know I have to lean into it to walk up it.

The loop is actually more of a triangle. With uneven surface and steep grade. The loop isn’t all that long. Something between ½ mile and a mile. It was a major wake up call. I’d been doing 10 km (a bit over 6 miles) on the elliptical and I thought that driveway loop would be gravy. Ha! Not. It feels good now. But it tells me that I need to take more training time before attempting that marathon. Frankly I want to be able to enjoy that race. Feel good about doing it and actually feel good during the walk and enjoy the mountain scenery. Completing a marathon isn’t about beating someone else for me. It’s about being well, and physically fit enough to be able to complete it and enjoy the process. It’s about being healthy, mentally, spiritually and physically.

Gotta head out the door, time to feed and water the kennels. We brought in the feed last night. This time my husband unloaded the truck. I truly appreciated that. I was having painful muscle spasms on my left side yesterday. My hand, wrist, arm, and leg were being just nasty. I’d missed my vitamins a few days, and had not drank enough water either. At least I think that’s what was going on. I’ve been hydrating this morning and took my vitamins and the pain has eased off a bit.

I think my body is fighting off some kind of bug. Something has triggered a gastric attack and diarrhea. I used Imodium to stop the diarrhea one day and as soon as the drug was out of my system it came right back. So something is going on. Don’t really care whether I eat or not and my body wants to sleep.

That is exactly what I’m going to do after the kennels are taken care of. The baby ducks are picked up from the store and taken care of and some book work is taken care of. Then I can sleep a bit.

Frankly a hot bath with some essential oils and Epsom salts sounds good to me. That is where I am going after my work is done for today.

Life is a journey…one day one step at a time.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream with our Pomeranians
307.788.0202 Mountain Time USA

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

In like a Lion



Whoo Hoo it’s March! Makes me think of a rhyme a grade school teacher taught. I can’t remember all of it. But it’s about what happens in each of the months. March in like a lion out like a lamb and she had these cute pictures that went along with it. Wow flash back to over 35 years ago. That soooo doesn’t seem possible.

Of course turning 48 this year didn’t seem possible either. I remember being a teen ager and in my 20’s and thinking how different people in their 40’s 50’s and so on were. Now it seems strange to be in a 48 year old body looking out. Wow. Got to take care of this body or the rest of my time on this planet is going to be hellish.

I don’t mean to not live. I mean take care of that carcass you are living in or you will regret it. Wow. I’ve been working on this one. Yes I used and abused it in my teens and 20’s part way into my 30’s. Any of you that have been following my blogs at all know that I got fat. Woof fat. Got very ill, then even fatter. Up to 299 lbs. Yes I know there are folks out there that are even larger. Frankly I cringe at the thought of it. They must be in constant pain.

Our bodies are pretty amazing pieces of engineering. After all the crap I’ve done to mine over the years. I don’t mean just sports. I mean starving it, over feeding it, feeding it crap, drowning it in alcohol, various drugs-prescriptions and all.

I’m not saying to not eat or drink. I am saying all things in moderation. Frankly when it comes to drugs, do your research. The side effects of many are not worth the perceived benefits. Especially if you are on them for a very long period of time. Please don’t depend on your doctors to tell you the side effects. Especially if you don’t ask them. Geez, people do a little research. If you are reading this you have access to the internet. Do some searches on the drugs you are taking and take responsibility for your lives.

I used to hear the side effects of drugs and think “Oh that happens to other people not me.” Surprise! It happened to me and it can happen to you too.

Oh my God! What are they selling with this diet drug ALLI what crap is that? It’ amazes me that it was approved. Bottom line is it’s up to you as to whether you take that crap or not. And can we say crap. As in crap yourself. That’s right, leaky crap your pants. As in oily bowel leakage. It’s actually causing oily bowel leakage.

So, just what do you suppose it’s doing to your body.

Bottom line, a pill, diet shake, surgery, none of it will address the issues that are behind you being too bloody fat! These are just tools.

If you don’t address the issues they will continue to sabotage your life!

You know, it doesn’t have to be some big major thing, it’s one small change at a time. Not overwhelm change your whole life all at once. Like that works, not. One small thing at a time. I’ve been reading a book that really explains it well. Excellent Excellent Read. The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson.

I could ramble on for pages, but there’s kennels to care for, a workout to be attempted, email to sort, and so on and so on.

Later Tater…

Life is a journey… enjoy the trip…
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream with our Pomeranians
307.788.0202 Mountain Time