Better

I want to be better. Please don't misinterpret that to mean that I'm NOT proud of myself for what I've accomplished and I'm NOT grateful for all that I have and all that I am.

I realize in order to be better, I have to give more of myself. I can't stay in this safe place. I have to push myself out of my comfort zone. I repeat -- I have to push myself out of my comfort zone. For me, motivation comes from within. And if I'm honest with myself I can give more. I can do better.

Yesterday, I posted some photos (see above) on Facebook that showed me jogging the hills of Mt.Tabor Park. The photos are of me at my best. Physically, I was in a really good place. I was training to run my first half-marathon. One week later, I was KNOCKED off my axis and hit by a car while walking in a parking lot. I suffered a broken tibia, had surgery to repair it and was left  with 14 screws and a metal plate in my leg. I went through months of rehab and physical therapy. It was a very trying time for me. But, I made it through. I successfully rehabbed my fractured leg and did NOT gain one pound. Instead, I LOST 15 pounds the physical therapists and orthopedic doctors said that, that was unheard of. While I was able to successfully rehab my leg and lose weight while doing so. I feel like that accident did thwart my overall progress. It's been nearly two years now. I don't feel like I've been able to make the physical breakthroughs that I had hoped for. Partly some mental stuff going on (another blog post).


Anyhow, after I posted my photos a few of you made comments -- I appreciate you all. My story is an open diary for you all to read. And, I realize sometimes I'm quite contradictory in my comments and my posts. One minute, I'm telling you to ... and the next minute I'm ....  

I want to be better. And, sometimes I get frustrated with myself. Right now, I'm frustrated with myself. I try not to speak negative thoughts because you know my theory on that, but sometimes I slip up. 

I'm proud of and grateful for what I've accomplished it's because of that --  not in spite of that, that I know I can be better. Am I too hard on myself? Perhaps. Too honest? Nope.

"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."

Recovery journal

Day 123: For the first time since the accident...I laced up my tennis shoes and hit the pavement walking on my surgically repaired leg. I walked about a mile and I felt pretty good. I started to limp a little on the way home -- pretty typical when I start to fatigue. Soon enough I'll be, dare I say, jogging.

Lead By Example

The government has proposed stricter guidelines on food advertising to children (Click link for article from NY Times) . That's all fine and dandy, and I can appreciate all the efforts by our government to raise awareness, but really it starts with parents, at home. I'm proud to say I lead by example at my household. Check out this blog post I wrote a while ago. 

I talk the talk. I walk the walk. I lead by example. Throughout my journey to a healthier, active lifestyle there’s been one person with me every step of the way – my daughter, Jasmyn. In less than one year Jasmyn has lost 35 lbs. She went from a size 15 to a size 8. Naturally, when my diet changed, her diet changed too.

I’ve always been a lover of food and have preferred to cook at home rather than pick up fast food or eat at a restaurant. Therefore, we didn’t have to overcome eating out issues. No coincident, my mother cooked at home as well. I’ve always believed in a balanced meal: Protein, grains, and a vegetable. Early on I exposed Jasmyn to all sorts of foods so she’s never been a picky eater. She always has eaten veggies and definitely can enjoy an apple like her mom. Consequently, when it came time to make some changes around our house, the transition was smooth.

My priority was to cut down the number of high caloric meals I prepared - dishes loaded with cheese or smothered in gravy. I nixed white rice and white bread altogether. I eliminated the few packaged items I used such as, Rice-A-Roni and Stouffer’s meals. Juice and soda weren’t huge issues, but there were times I bought them and I stopped.

I involve Jasmyn in the kitchen all the time and I talk to her about our food choices. Throughout the last several months our diets have been dialed in and are a lot cleaner than they were even six months ago.  But, it's important to note, Jasmyn’s weight loss came in the first few months without exercise, simply by eliminating some foods from our diet. Now, since I’m more active, we exercise together. She has joined me at the gym in water aerobics, Zumba, and Boot Camp. Recently, she even witnessed one of my personal training sessions. We also play outdoors together: tennis, jogging, and shooting hoop.

It all starts with me. I'm her mother for goodness sake. I'm supposed to love her, care for her, and teach her. I realize, I’m her most influential role model and leader. That means I really can’t expect her to eat one way while I eat another. I can’t expect her to exercise and I don’t. I show and tell. I lead by example. She’s proof.  

The Great Outdoors

Serving an Ace - no doubt.

Lately, I’ve become extremely bored with the classes offered at the gym and the dreaded gym machines. So instead of me allowing that to be an excuse, reverting back to old habits, and becoming a couch potato. I’ve decided to take advantage of the mild, beautiful, fall weather and take my exercise routine outdoors.

Last week, I had a blast playing outdoors with my 17-year old daughter, Jasmyn. To get our bodies warmed up, we started our play session by jogging a few laps around the track. Aw…What a feeling – fresh air hitting me in the face, a light perspiration building on my forehead, and my baby girl sprinting ahead of me. After our warm-up we took to the tennis courts. I loved the sound of the ball leaving the racquet and our tennis shoes squeaking on the hard court. I’ll admit my game is pretty weak, so the rallies were almost non-existent, but you could feel the love in the air. Me and my girl on a perfect fall day hitting tennis balls – nothing sweeter than that. To cap off our day, we ended with a little one-on-one in basketball. She’ll admit Mama’s transition shot is wicked. Ha. What a fun-filled active day we had together. We weren’t sitting in the house watching TV, on the computer, or stuffing our faces with high caloric food. We were out getting our exercise on! Not only was it great fun, but it was great bonding time for us - mother and daughter. I’m leading by example. I’m showing my daughter how to live an active, healthy lifestyle. Long gone are the days of me sitting around making excuses – I’m firmly in charge. I make the decisions about my health and fitness, and my daughter’s too. Match point!

All smiles

Side note: Most people don’t know this about me, but when I grow up, I secretly want to be a tennis star. What a beautiful, competitive sport. It takes stamina, precision, and guts to win. It’s win or go home every time you step on the court and you're the only one out there on your side. Love it! Without a doubt, my love for the game rubbed off on Jasmyn and she’s played on the JV and Varsity team for her high school all four years now. She even lettered in JV, hopefully this year she’ll letter in Varsity too.