That airplanes in the night sky are shooting stars? I could really use a wish right now....
Sunday, May 16, 2010
The Voices in Your Head...or are they....
How is it that some of us go through our entire lives able to ignore the naysayers around us? How is it that those same people seem to find their proper path in life without much trouble? Perhaps I am missing something and those people face as much of a struggle as the rest of us, but man it sure doesn't seem like it.
I feel like I have struggled my entire life. I have always wanted nothing more than acceptance from the people around me. I know that this all goes back many years. Struggling to be accepted even as a young child. Being ridiculed for my pale skin and orange hair from the very start of my schooling has never really left my psyche. Being the second favorite daughter out of two, which means I was the least favorite, when it seems that a sibling can do no wrong has never really left my psyche. So really every decision I have ever made has been to make other people happy. What a mistake that has been. Thirty-one years of a mistake.
My father always told us to figure out what it was that made us happy and then turn that into a career. I guess that words are much easier to say than to accept. I was always supposed to become the high-powered attorney of the family. I was always supposed to be the ruthless one, the one willing to do just about anything to accomplish my goals. I was supposed to do my time in the military to follow in my father's footsteps. I was supossed to be a partner in a law firm by the time I turned 40. I was supposed to get involved in politics. I was supposed to run for office. I was supposed to be a Senator. I was supposed to be the first female President of the United States or at least on White House staff at some point. I was supposed to be the one with all of the power. *Insert profanity filled scream here.
Well I'm 31. I will be 32 in three and a half months. I am none of those things. I never will be any of those things. I have tried for 31 years, unsuccessfully, to live the old addage "fake it until you make it." I haven't made it. I never will, at least not at those things that I am "supposed" to do.
I am sick of living someone else's dream for me. When is it my turn? When do I get the chance to really figure out who I am and what makes me happy and then turn that into a career?
I am deathly afraid of failure. I have been since I was young because it has always been so important in my family to succeed. Success is the holy grail to my family. Success is measured in many ways but our parameters include your level of education, your income, your assets, and your advancement in your field. Notice how none of those things have to do with emotion, or helping others. This is what I was taught. Which is perhaps why I have deep down rebelled against it subconsciously for years.
I don't want to be a high powered attorney. Would I be good at it? Absolutely. Could I do it? Without question. Would I be happy doing it? Absolutely not. Would it lead me to an early grave in some way, shape, or form? Probably.
Some will read this and wonder why the hell I've waited 31 years to declare my emotional and lifepath independence. Hell, I don't even know if I have declared it yet. It's difficult. When you have people questioning your every move on a daily if not hourly basis, you question yourself very quickly. When you question yourself, and you are so afraid of failure, you set yourself up to fail because you are truly afraid to succeed. Whether or not I am afraid of success I don't know. I don't think I am, I want it more than anything. What I fear is disappointing others. I have realized however that in order to not disappoint others I have to live a life that I was not intended to live. That life leads me to being unhappy, overweight, and desperate to escape. I refuse to live that way any longer.
This competition awakened something in me that has been in hibernation for years. Call it my backbone when it comes to those closest to me. I know now what really makes me happy. I know now that helping others and sharing my knowledge to do just that should be and will be the foundation of my next career move. I know now that I cannot live another person's dream.
I have a new plan. I am hoping the steps I take in the next few days and weeks will get me to the next stop on this path. My cousin told me when we had lunch together this past Thursday that he sees I am really happy. I am. I've wanted this for so long. I can't allow anything to de-rail that progress at this point.
So to those who may read this who may be naysayers, "Shut up. I no longer hear you, nor do I wish to. You can either accept the choices I make and the path I have decided to take my life, or you can just not be a part of it. Perhaps that is harsh, but I don't need the negativity in my life at this point. So please, just support me. That is all I ask."
I feel like I have struggled my entire life. I have always wanted nothing more than acceptance from the people around me. I know that this all goes back many years. Struggling to be accepted even as a young child. Being ridiculed for my pale skin and orange hair from the very start of my schooling has never really left my psyche. Being the second favorite daughter out of two, which means I was the least favorite, when it seems that a sibling can do no wrong has never really left my psyche. So really every decision I have ever made has been to make other people happy. What a mistake that has been. Thirty-one years of a mistake.
My father always told us to figure out what it was that made us happy and then turn that into a career. I guess that words are much easier to say than to accept. I was always supposed to become the high-powered attorney of the family. I was always supposed to be the ruthless one, the one willing to do just about anything to accomplish my goals. I was supposed to do my time in the military to follow in my father's footsteps. I was supossed to be a partner in a law firm by the time I turned 40. I was supposed to get involved in politics. I was supposed to run for office. I was supposed to be a Senator. I was supposed to be the first female President of the United States or at least on White House staff at some point. I was supposed to be the one with all of the power. *Insert profanity filled scream here.
Well I'm 31. I will be 32 in three and a half months. I am none of those things. I never will be any of those things. I have tried for 31 years, unsuccessfully, to live the old addage "fake it until you make it." I haven't made it. I never will, at least not at those things that I am "supposed" to do.
I am sick of living someone else's dream for me. When is it my turn? When do I get the chance to really figure out who I am and what makes me happy and then turn that into a career?
I am deathly afraid of failure. I have been since I was young because it has always been so important in my family to succeed. Success is the holy grail to my family. Success is measured in many ways but our parameters include your level of education, your income, your assets, and your advancement in your field. Notice how none of those things have to do with emotion, or helping others. This is what I was taught. Which is perhaps why I have deep down rebelled against it subconsciously for years.
I don't want to be a high powered attorney. Would I be good at it? Absolutely. Could I do it? Without question. Would I be happy doing it? Absolutely not. Would it lead me to an early grave in some way, shape, or form? Probably.
Some will read this and wonder why the hell I've waited 31 years to declare my emotional and lifepath independence. Hell, I don't even know if I have declared it yet. It's difficult. When you have people questioning your every move on a daily if not hourly basis, you question yourself very quickly. When you question yourself, and you are so afraid of failure, you set yourself up to fail because you are truly afraid to succeed. Whether or not I am afraid of success I don't know. I don't think I am, I want it more than anything. What I fear is disappointing others. I have realized however that in order to not disappoint others I have to live a life that I was not intended to live. That life leads me to being unhappy, overweight, and desperate to escape. I refuse to live that way any longer.
This competition awakened something in me that has been in hibernation for years. Call it my backbone when it comes to those closest to me. I know now what really makes me happy. I know now that helping others and sharing my knowledge to do just that should be and will be the foundation of my next career move. I know now that I cannot live another person's dream.
I have a new plan. I am hoping the steps I take in the next few days and weeks will get me to the next stop on this path. My cousin told me when we had lunch together this past Thursday that he sees I am really happy. I am. I've wanted this for so long. I can't allow anything to de-rail that progress at this point.
So to those who may read this who may be naysayers, "Shut up. I no longer hear you, nor do I wish to. You can either accept the choices I make and the path I have decided to take my life, or you can just not be a part of it. Perhaps that is harsh, but I don't need the negativity in my life at this point. So please, just support me. That is all I ask."
Friday, May 7, 2010
All things happen for a reason
So as most of you know, I am no out of work. Scary, yes, but it also allows me to do some things that I have been wanting to do for the past few months. I can now spend more time in the gym, focusing on and doing the work that I really need to do in order to do better in this competition. I can also focus more time on my home party company. This is helpful because I feel like it has been slightly neglected, and thus I haven't been seeing the steady stream of income that I had there for a while. It will be nice to have that coming back in over the next couple of months. Finally, I can spend a little bit more time figuring out where exactly I want to go from here. Granted I need to find a job as quickly as possible, but I am thankful to have the time. I believe that no matter what happens that we have to be thankful for what we have in life. I spent way too long focusing on the negatives in my life and I just simply refuse to do so any longer.
So here's to the positives! Having a wonderful family, amazing, supportive friends, a roof over my head, three fuzzy children to always keep me company, a back-up income in my business, tax returns coming somewhat late (mine came today), and my neice and sister moving back to Richmond next weekend. Life is never perfect, but it's pretty darn good. I'll take it.
So here's to the positives! Having a wonderful family, amazing, supportive friends, a roof over my head, three fuzzy children to always keep me company, a back-up income in my business, tax returns coming somewhat late (mine came today), and my neice and sister moving back to Richmond next weekend. Life is never perfect, but it's pretty darn good. I'll take it.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Life gets in the way
I think I have been fairly fortunate in this competition thus far. I have had a few moments where I have felt slightly overwhelmed, but being single and not having children and living at home with family to support me, I haven't really had to worry about time constraints with working out or with severe life changes that can cause emotional and psychological stress that can really derail your dedication to the program.
That unfortunately sort of changed this past week, but I think I have it under control. Most people know that I interviewed with a company for a job that I would honestly say is a dream job at this point in my life last week. I was really exicted to get the opportunity to even step foot in the corporation's building, much less be able to interview for a position like this. It all went so well. I came out of the interview so confident. Well I got the call I'd been waiting for this past Wednesday from my headhunter telling me I all but had the position. We were just waiting on the final paperwork to come through. I even met with her Thursday morning to finalize additional forms and such.
My current supervisor knew I interviewed and she knew the status of the offer. She found a replacement for me very quickly, which is good. It means there won't be a lag in the work that I'm leaving. Most of you know that I take my work very seriously and that I don't ever want something that has my name attached to it to be less than perfect. That is just my personality and I will always expect that much of myself. So what it comes down to is that between my current position finding someone to replace me, and still waiting for the new position to hopefully be finalized, I am in a bit of limbo right now. I still hope that the new position will come through, but we all know that not everything in this world is guaranteed. So I have a plan of action for the next two weeks, and I am confident that something will come through, but I was a bit frustrated, angry, let down, irritated, etc. this past Thursday into Friday. The only saving grace for me Thursday was Kelly's Cycle class at the gym. I got mad on the bike, and I about killed myself a couple of times, but it helped. I keep telling myself that no matter what happens, the fact that I didn't turn to food Thursday evening like I normally would have is a HUGE victory for me. I just have to keep at this program. No matter what happens in life. I just learned this week that the old cliche applies. "Much easier said than done."
It looks like it will probably be three weeks before anything is finalized when it comes to the new position. So I'm out there continuing to send out applications and such in the meantime because I don't think it would be wise to have all of my eggs in the one basket. So friends, if you know of anything in Richmond, even something I could do temporarily, please let me know! I just have to stay positive and know that things will work out the way they are meant to do so in the next few weeks.
I'm off to eat and head to Zumba and then am going to go to the Maymont Herb Festival and Fair with my mom. It will be nice to spend time with her today and to just not think of the stress from this past week.
Have a wonderful weekend all!
That unfortunately sort of changed this past week, but I think I have it under control. Most people know that I interviewed with a company for a job that I would honestly say is a dream job at this point in my life last week. I was really exicted to get the opportunity to even step foot in the corporation's building, much less be able to interview for a position like this. It all went so well. I came out of the interview so confident. Well I got the call I'd been waiting for this past Wednesday from my headhunter telling me I all but had the position. We were just waiting on the final paperwork to come through. I even met with her Thursday morning to finalize additional forms and such.
My current supervisor knew I interviewed and she knew the status of the offer. She found a replacement for me very quickly, which is good. It means there won't be a lag in the work that I'm leaving. Most of you know that I take my work very seriously and that I don't ever want something that has my name attached to it to be less than perfect. That is just my personality and I will always expect that much of myself. So what it comes down to is that between my current position finding someone to replace me, and still waiting for the new position to hopefully be finalized, I am in a bit of limbo right now. I still hope that the new position will come through, but we all know that not everything in this world is guaranteed. So I have a plan of action for the next two weeks, and I am confident that something will come through, but I was a bit frustrated, angry, let down, irritated, etc. this past Thursday into Friday. The only saving grace for me Thursday was Kelly's Cycle class at the gym. I got mad on the bike, and I about killed myself a couple of times, but it helped. I keep telling myself that no matter what happens, the fact that I didn't turn to food Thursday evening like I normally would have is a HUGE victory for me. I just have to keep at this program. No matter what happens in life. I just learned this week that the old cliche applies. "Much easier said than done."
It looks like it will probably be three weeks before anything is finalized when it comes to the new position. So I'm out there continuing to send out applications and such in the meantime because I don't think it would be wise to have all of my eggs in the one basket. So friends, if you know of anything in Richmond, even something I could do temporarily, please let me know! I just have to stay positive and know that things will work out the way they are meant to do so in the next few weeks.
I'm off to eat and head to Zumba and then am going to go to the Maymont Herb Festival and Fair with my mom. It will be nice to spend time with her today and to just not think of the stress from this past week.
Have a wonderful weekend all!
When things get negative...
Appreciation of the Good Things in Life
How many times are we blind to the good in front of us because we're looking past it for something better? It's like watching the railroad track your entire life, waiting for a train to come in and never realizing that you're sitting smack in the middle of the splendid Grand Central Station. Take a second look at your goals. Are they building on the good already in your life? Are you taking full advantage of the strengths you already have? Is it worth giving up what you have for what you might have? In many cases, the answer is yes. To that we say "Go for it!" with all the enthusiasm we can muster. Those are the meaningful goals. If the answer is no, try reworking your goals to include ones that complement your present life rather than substitute for it. Whatever the answer is for you, we could all use a little more appreciation for the pieces of silver in our lives
How many times are we blind to the good in front of us because we're looking past it for something better? It's like watching the railroad track your entire life, waiting for a train to come in and never realizing that you're sitting smack in the middle of the splendid Grand Central Station. Take a second look at your goals. Are they building on the good already in your life? Are you taking full advantage of the strengths you already have? Is it worth giving up what you have for what you might have? In many cases, the answer is yes. To that we say "Go for it!" with all the enthusiasm we can muster. Those are the meaningful goals. If the answer is no, try reworking your goals to include ones that complement your present life rather than substitute for it. Whatever the answer is for you, we could all use a little more appreciation for the pieces of silver in our lives
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Jillian's Inspiration..this is why we don't restrict calories...SCIENCE
From LOSING IT! With Jillian Michaels
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
How many times have you started a diet in your life? Probably a lot more than just once. If you want to lose weight, you have to do it the right way. I'll tell you right now: Skipping meals or following an extremely low-calorie diet is not in any way, shape, or form the answer for losing any amount of weight. Extreme calorie deprivation only sets you up for yo-yo dieting, or "weight cycling." Your weight will continue to go up and down for the rest of your life. If you want permanent weight loss, then listen to me.
The lack of understanding about the right way to lose weight can set people up for big-time failure. Even if you do have initial success on one of these extreme diets, the toll it takes on your body is not at all worth it. Extreme diets that promise big weight loss in a short amount of time cut out macronutrients like carbs and fats — which is horrible for your hormone balance and your metabolism.
Why are you in this pattern of fasting, then slipping up and bingeing, then fasting again? Maybe you desperately want to lose weight for a special occasion and figure that only a couple of weeks at 800 calories a day can give you results you want. And maybe it does…but then what happens when you go back to a normal eating pattern? Simply put, you're toast. While you weren't taking in enough calories, your levels of T3, the thyroid hormone that boosts your metabolism, plummeted and you slowed down your metabolism. Also, your response to insulin has taken a hit, so instead of glucose entering your cells, where it can be used for energy, your body lets it roam around in your blood, where it can cause trouble. Your sensitivity to leptin (which regulates appetite) is also reduced, so you're never quite sure when to say, "Enough!" at the table. Plus, the hormone that tells your brain you're starving, called ghrelin, shoots higher than ever. That is just the beginning of your problems. When you inevitably start gaining back weight, you start the cycle of yo-yo dieting all over again. It gets more and more frustrating every time you do it.
It's time to end this vicious cycle, and the way to do that is not to "diet" but rather to make a lifestyle change. Shift your thinking from merely "cutting back" to simply eating proper portions of the right foods. Whole, nutritious foods will repair, nourish, and support every cell so that your body will work for you and not against you. Be good to your body and it will be good to you!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Quit Yo-Yo Dieting and Get Real Results!
How many times have you started a diet in your life? Probably a lot more than just once. If you want to lose weight, you have to do it the right way. I'll tell you right now: Skipping meals or following an extremely low-calorie diet is not in any way, shape, or form the answer for losing any amount of weight. Extreme calorie deprivation only sets you up for yo-yo dieting, or "weight cycling." Your weight will continue to go up and down for the rest of your life. If you want permanent weight loss, then listen to me.
The lack of understanding about the right way to lose weight can set people up for big-time failure. Even if you do have initial success on one of these extreme diets, the toll it takes on your body is not at all worth it. Extreme diets that promise big weight loss in a short amount of time cut out macronutrients like carbs and fats — which is horrible for your hormone balance and your metabolism.
Why are you in this pattern of fasting, then slipping up and bingeing, then fasting again? Maybe you desperately want to lose weight for a special occasion and figure that only a couple of weeks at 800 calories a day can give you results you want. And maybe it does…but then what happens when you go back to a normal eating pattern? Simply put, you're toast. While you weren't taking in enough calories, your levels of T3, the thyroid hormone that boosts your metabolism, plummeted and you slowed down your metabolism. Also, your response to insulin has taken a hit, so instead of glucose entering your cells, where it can be used for energy, your body lets it roam around in your blood, where it can cause trouble. Your sensitivity to leptin (which regulates appetite) is also reduced, so you're never quite sure when to say, "Enough!" at the table. Plus, the hormone that tells your brain you're starving, called ghrelin, shoots higher than ever. That is just the beginning of your problems. When you inevitably start gaining back weight, you start the cycle of yo-yo dieting all over again. It gets more and more frustrating every time you do it.
It's time to end this vicious cycle, and the way to do that is not to "diet" but rather to make a lifestyle change. Shift your thinking from merely "cutting back" to simply eating proper portions of the right foods. Whole, nutritious foods will repair, nourish, and support every cell so that your body will work for you and not against you. Be good to your body and it will be good to you!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
FIELD DAY!!!
Yesterday was our second event in this program, the dreaded field day! When we showed up to the event the only thing I could focus on was Shane from the Fredericksburg club flipping these big tires in the middle of the field. I was terrified at first, but then I just told myself "NO, you ARE going to do this, you CAN do this, and just think about HOW PROUD you will be of yourself when you do it!" I looked at the other stations being set up as well, but nothing, at first glance, seemed as intimidating as those damn tires.
We started the day with having our picture taken, since I had to leave right after the compeition to make it to the wedding, and then we got started on warming up our muscles. The way that the event worked was that we spent nine minutes at each "station." The stations were created by the two trainers from each club. Each station was different and used different parts of your body to complete the tasks at hand. Plus it allowed us to experience the training styles of the different trainers from each club.
Each team began the day at their own club's station. Andi and Greg created a fast paced combination of activites that I think was the best way to start because you used your entire body to keep going for the full nine minutes. Greg had us dribbling a basketball in a weaving pattern around cones and then Andi, who loves her kettlebells, created an exercise where you use the hip swing movement to toss different weighted medicine balls granny toss style, up into the fence trying to hit targets that had been hung up. The first time through I hit most of the targets but man after about the third or forth time through my hips didn't exactly want to swing. :-)
Next we huslted on over to the Blue station. This station started with team push-ups, slapping your partner's hand each time you came up. Then we moved on to see-saw sit-ups, which don't look hard at first glance but my abs are S-O-R-E today. Then they had us do lateral and various drills through a ladder on the ground. Finally we played tug-of-war. Now you have to remember we moved through this circuit and did each activity all within NINE MINUTES. You can imagine at this point the amount of sweat that was starting to occur.
Orange team was next. Now these two trainers have a bit of reputation. They're tough. They expect a lot of their team. Their attitude was no different with us yesterday. We started this station with a sort of "capture the flag" drill where we were all in a circle and we had to grab the t-shirt haning from the back of our team-mates' waist bands. Needless to say this was not easy on uneven ground and I was out pretty quickly. I think that if I hadn't been so concerned with protecting my knees that I may have been a bit more competitive at this point. Then as we were eliminated we had to go over to the side and do different drills, high-knees, kicks, jumping jacks, etc. I had to modify a few things, but I think that we all tried to do everything that we were able to do. Unfortunately, this is where the negativity started for some. One teammate of mine overheard a comment that was made by one of the trainers about our team. Thankfully she didn't share that comment with me until close to the end of the competition. When I'm in the middle of battle (whether that battle be with myself or as part of a competition, especially physical) I tend to be a bit of a hot-head. What matters though is that we made it through the station and moved on....where did we go next?
THE DREADED TIRES! Now I have to admit, the only saving grace here was that this was the Black team's station and Shane is definitely not hard on the eyes. ;-) You know what I'm saying ladies, that eye candy can be a bit of a motivation to keep going when you honestly feel like falling out on the ground. Anyway, Erica and I started on the big mamma jamma tires OF COURSE! The first time we lifted it up and tried to flip it I thought I was going to die. It's amazing how heavy those darn things are! But we soon figured it out and learned to work together to get the behemoth flipped over and over again. We then switched and flipped smaller (but still not regular sized) tires and then had to hop our way through them. Seriously a difficult station to say the least!
Next we got to play a little Ultimate Frisbee with the Yellow teams' trainers. This was a lot of fun and it kind of took me back to my days at American U in DC when we used to play frisbee on the quad after class during the fall and spring. I wasn't overly familiar with the rules, but honestly it kind of reminded me of soccer and when we got to about the middle of this time frame my competitive side started kicking in. Man I MISS playing team sports. I didn't really realize how much I missed it until we all started playing yesterday. I think I may just have to get into the RSSC or something when this competition is over with.
At this point I know we were all T-I-R-E-D but we had two stations to go! Our next station was another station that intimidated me. The Red team's station. They had set up over in the sandpit where the swings are located at Bryan Park. Sand intimidates me. Only because I know that running in sand, and especially quick movements in sand are movements that engage all of the knee joint. Uneven ground, especially sand, is something that makes me think my knees are going to go out again. That is the last thing I want to deal with EVER. So we started this station doing high and fast knees through a grounded ladder. Then we moved on to making a serpintine jog/walk through cones in the sand. I went a little slower than I would have liked through this, but I still did it and that made me happy. Then we were to crawl under the swings through the sand. Unfortunately, with the screws in my knee, I absolutely am unable to crawl. (Where the screws are placed in my shin bone prevents me from kneeling at all on my left side. The pain that kind of pressure exerts on the screws is absolutely blinding.) So the first time I just low walked through it along the side. The second time though one of the trainers had me bear crawl through it. If you don't know what a bear crawl is, look it up and do it. HARD!!! I think that's another reason my abs hurt. When we got to the end of that part of the station we did push-ups. Why do trainers love pushups?!? LOL!
Our last station for the day was the Green Team station back over on the tennis courts. The Green Team is the team from Swift Creek. This was a combination of Japanese hopscotch and jumping rope. Now I just realized this past week that I am able to jump again. I haven't jumped or hopped at all since the surgery. Dr. Stadler doesn't really want me doing it, but it's so much of an accomplishment for me that I can't help myself really. (She doesn't want me running either but I tried to jog from station to station, carefully of course.) Hopscotch was actually hard, because you go from two legs to one leg, and being left handed and thus left-side dominant it was hard for me to not hop on my left leg alone. (That's my screwed leg...LOL.) Anyway, what I was really proud of myself for was actually jumping rope and jumping rope WELL. I mean in time, caught it a couple of times, but I was DOING it...just like old times at soccer practice. If nothing else it was a personal victory for me.
I really think the whole day, no matter the slight negativity that we had to deal with, was a sort of personal victory for every one. At least I hope it was. I know it was for me. It was an added bonus that by the time I left, I had burned almost 2000 calories for the day and it was only 10:45 a.m. Now if I could figure out a way to do that every day, I'd be skinny in a couple of months! It was on to the wedding at that point and for friends I hadn't seen in quite a while to notice that I really am losing weight just topped off my day as pretty damn near perfect. I was able to be at the wedding for one of my best friends and share in her happiness all after accomplinshing so much at the field day. Days don't get much better I don't think. I'm looking forward to the rest of this competition with so much enthusiasm that it is hard to contain at this point. I just about wish we could have field day every Saturday to keep challenging us!!
Be well. All of you!
We started the day with having our picture taken, since I had to leave right after the compeition to make it to the wedding, and then we got started on warming up our muscles. The way that the event worked was that we spent nine minutes at each "station." The stations were created by the two trainers from each club. Each station was different and used different parts of your body to complete the tasks at hand. Plus it allowed us to experience the training styles of the different trainers from each club.
Each team began the day at their own club's station. Andi and Greg created a fast paced combination of activites that I think was the best way to start because you used your entire body to keep going for the full nine minutes. Greg had us dribbling a basketball in a weaving pattern around cones and then Andi, who loves her kettlebells, created an exercise where you use the hip swing movement to toss different weighted medicine balls granny toss style, up into the fence trying to hit targets that had been hung up. The first time through I hit most of the targets but man after about the third or forth time through my hips didn't exactly want to swing. :-)
Next we huslted on over to the Blue station. This station started with team push-ups, slapping your partner's hand each time you came up. Then we moved on to see-saw sit-ups, which don't look hard at first glance but my abs are S-O-R-E today. Then they had us do lateral and various drills through a ladder on the ground. Finally we played tug-of-war. Now you have to remember we moved through this circuit and did each activity all within NINE MINUTES. You can imagine at this point the amount of sweat that was starting to occur.
Orange team was next. Now these two trainers have a bit of reputation. They're tough. They expect a lot of their team. Their attitude was no different with us yesterday. We started this station with a sort of "capture the flag" drill where we were all in a circle and we had to grab the t-shirt haning from the back of our team-mates' waist bands. Needless to say this was not easy on uneven ground and I was out pretty quickly. I think that if I hadn't been so concerned with protecting my knees that I may have been a bit more competitive at this point. Then as we were eliminated we had to go over to the side and do different drills, high-knees, kicks, jumping jacks, etc. I had to modify a few things, but I think that we all tried to do everything that we were able to do. Unfortunately, this is where the negativity started for some. One teammate of mine overheard a comment that was made by one of the trainers about our team. Thankfully she didn't share that comment with me until close to the end of the competition. When I'm in the middle of battle (whether that battle be with myself or as part of a competition, especially physical) I tend to be a bit of a hot-head. What matters though is that we made it through the station and moved on....where did we go next?
THE DREADED TIRES! Now I have to admit, the only saving grace here was that this was the Black team's station and Shane is definitely not hard on the eyes. ;-) You know what I'm saying ladies, that eye candy can be a bit of a motivation to keep going when you honestly feel like falling out on the ground. Anyway, Erica and I started on the big mamma jamma tires OF COURSE! The first time we lifted it up and tried to flip it I thought I was going to die. It's amazing how heavy those darn things are! But we soon figured it out and learned to work together to get the behemoth flipped over and over again. We then switched and flipped smaller (but still not regular sized) tires and then had to hop our way through them. Seriously a difficult station to say the least!
Next we got to play a little Ultimate Frisbee with the Yellow teams' trainers. This was a lot of fun and it kind of took me back to my days at American U in DC when we used to play frisbee on the quad after class during the fall and spring. I wasn't overly familiar with the rules, but honestly it kind of reminded me of soccer and when we got to about the middle of this time frame my competitive side started kicking in. Man I MISS playing team sports. I didn't really realize how much I missed it until we all started playing yesterday. I think I may just have to get into the RSSC or something when this competition is over with.
At this point I know we were all T-I-R-E-D but we had two stations to go! Our next station was another station that intimidated me. The Red team's station. They had set up over in the sandpit where the swings are located at Bryan Park. Sand intimidates me. Only because I know that running in sand, and especially quick movements in sand are movements that engage all of the knee joint. Uneven ground, especially sand, is something that makes me think my knees are going to go out again. That is the last thing I want to deal with EVER. So we started this station doing high and fast knees through a grounded ladder. Then we moved on to making a serpintine jog/walk through cones in the sand. I went a little slower than I would have liked through this, but I still did it and that made me happy. Then we were to crawl under the swings through the sand. Unfortunately, with the screws in my knee, I absolutely am unable to crawl. (Where the screws are placed in my shin bone prevents me from kneeling at all on my left side. The pain that kind of pressure exerts on the screws is absolutely blinding.) So the first time I just low walked through it along the side. The second time though one of the trainers had me bear crawl through it. If you don't know what a bear crawl is, look it up and do it. HARD!!! I think that's another reason my abs hurt. When we got to the end of that part of the station we did push-ups. Why do trainers love pushups?!? LOL!
Our last station for the day was the Green Team station back over on the tennis courts. The Green Team is the team from Swift Creek. This was a combination of Japanese hopscotch and jumping rope. Now I just realized this past week that I am able to jump again. I haven't jumped or hopped at all since the surgery. Dr. Stadler doesn't really want me doing it, but it's so much of an accomplishment for me that I can't help myself really. (She doesn't want me running either but I tried to jog from station to station, carefully of course.) Hopscotch was actually hard, because you go from two legs to one leg, and being left handed and thus left-side dominant it was hard for me to not hop on my left leg alone. (That's my screwed leg...LOL.) Anyway, what I was really proud of myself for was actually jumping rope and jumping rope WELL. I mean in time, caught it a couple of times, but I was DOING it...just like old times at soccer practice. If nothing else it was a personal victory for me.
I really think the whole day, no matter the slight negativity that we had to deal with, was a sort of personal victory for every one. At least I hope it was. I know it was for me. It was an added bonus that by the time I left, I had burned almost 2000 calories for the day and it was only 10:45 a.m. Now if I could figure out a way to do that every day, I'd be skinny in a couple of months! It was on to the wedding at that point and for friends I hadn't seen in quite a while to notice that I really am losing weight just topped off my day as pretty damn near perfect. I was able to be at the wedding for one of my best friends and share in her happiness all after accomplinshing so much at the field day. Days don't get much better I don't think. I'm looking forward to the rest of this competition with so much enthusiasm that it is hard to contain at this point. I just about wish we could have field day every Saturday to keep challenging us!!
Be well. All of you!
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