I'm back!

Its official!  My stinkin' plantar fasciitis is on the mend!  Yes it's true.  The saga of my aching feet is nearing its end!  After 2 months of therapy I can say that I am finally having pain free days!

The true test?  Can I exercise on it?

Yes!

A fun session of zumba - where I was the most mindful of "form" ever  - does that even exist in Zumba (???)  and I dreaded what the morning would bring.

But hooray for me!  Soreness - but no pain!!!!

I am BACK!

Yes, if you're thinking about now that you should warn me about not going overboard right out of the gates, then you DO know me!

I am desperate for an intense workout. 
Because I LOVE how I feel afterward.
But I WILL start from the beginning again. 
Slow and steady wins the race.

I admit I really let the whole situation get the best of me. 
I was not kind to myself.
So time to 'fess up, so I can move on!

• I confess - there are days I have consumed obscene amounts of calories.  Myfitness pal, I know it doesn't seem like we're friends right now.  But we will be besties again.
• I confess - that I have not been doing exercise, not even the kind I can.  Strength work is not my fav.  Sad I know. You'll be glad to know I followed my Zumba experiment with a strength circuit. Yes!
• I confess - I have consumed more than my share of Halloween candy.  Those mini chocolate bars just don't seem like they should count! Warning co workers - its all coming your way.
• I confess - I realized last night that I ordered a full 5 buckets of cookie dough.  5!! That is one BUCKET for each household member.  Darn school fundraisers!  Cute kiddies - stop knocking on my door! Oh..and guess what everyone is getting for Chriiiistmas this year? ;) heh heh heh

SOMEONE SAVE ME FROM MYSELF!

Ahh.  That's good.  Now that I've confessed I can get back to  being good to myself.  No more cursing my feet even though they betrayed me. No feeling sorry for myself!

Injuries happen! 
It's not the END. 
It's just part of the journey.
I'm half way there.
I've come so far!

Source: fit.triggercrazy.com via Becky on Pinterest

Focusing on #1 and #3.  I want it.  Time to step forward.

As for #2 - sometimes we have to ask ourselves - aren't you worth it? 
The answer is always no until you do.

So.

How are you doing?

6 weeks!

 

So did you know......I LOVE fall!  The colors, the cooler temps, the apples, pumpkins, hay rides - LOVE IT!  It is the reason I live in and for the Midwest!  Autumn definitely doesn't stick around long enough in my opinion.  They changed daylight savings time....can't we all agree to make fall last like, oh I don't know - 6 months?

No I suppose not. 

Anyway, this IS the danger zone for me! Anyone else? 

I am one of those people that associates great memories of family and friends with some type of calorie laden comfort food.

So if I am missing family....I want to eat.
If I am bummed about my plantar fascitis ....I want to eat.
If I want to create some awesome memories with the kiddies...I want to EAT!

easy with the attitude kiddies

See the trend?

So I gave myself a good shaking, told myself to get back to working out --- even if that means I can't do what I WANT to do (read 100 burpees) and just do what I can, because IT IS better than nothing.

Did my feet hurt?  Yes.
Did I stop this time when they did? Yes
But did I give up? NO!

I moved on! I adjusted! I found something similar and maybe not as high impact, but continued to challenge my body.

"healthafied betty crocker fav - apple coffee cake love"

It would be so much easier to just eat coffee cake a couple of times a day with a hot cup of chai tea and watch the leaves change on the trees.

But actually sticking with it and giving my body a workout makes me feel SO MUCH better!

I mentioned before how much a plan made a difference (fitmixer boot camp I still love you!), and I realized yesterday that as of today we only 6 weeks away from Thanksgiving and the obstacle course of food madness, temptations and potential pitfalls at every gathering that follows, and I NEED to be prepared.

6 weeks?  Perfect for a challenge:

 

Calee!  Thank you! This is something I can get on board with!

My weight loss journey is far from over and I cannot head into the holidays with bad eating habits and a lack of workout discipline.

me + healthy = happy kids

Time to tighten the belt!  Ha!

So what am I going to do these next 6 weeks?  The same thing we always do pinky...



eeeerr..no, I guess not take OVER the world, just get MY world in check. 

Still, taking over the WORLD always seemed more awesome ;)  So the same "formula", tried and true:

1.  Count Calories
2.  Work out at least 30 minutes - 5 days a week.  With a 6th day - fun focused activity.
3.  More vegetables, less carbs, more protein.
4.  Try some healthier recipes showcasing fall flavors. 

Like this lentil soup, a mostly almost Isa recipe from her A4R cookbook! A must have in your kitchen.  Mmm, mmmm  good!

 

Golden Lentil Soup

1 med yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp sea salt
fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 ribs celery, diced
1 c carrots, diced
1 med zucchini, diced
1 cup red lentils
6 c veggie broth

Saute onion about 5 minutes in a pot over medium heat.  Use nonstick cooking spray or broth if needed.  Add garlic, thyme, pepper, salt and saute another minute.

Add celery, carrots, zucchini, lentils, veggie broth, and mix to combine. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower to a simmer and cook 45 minutes, until the lentils and veggies are very tender, and the soup has thickened.

Let sit 10 minutes, then serve! Love the consistency this soup and bursting with flavor.  Now that's good comfort food.

So what are you doing the next 6 weeks?

Unexpected Detours

So I went into the fitmixer bootcamp to bring up my level of fitness.  Prior to this I had spent months doing Zumba, Piloxing, Kickboxing Classes.  I had gone through a Couch to 5K, worked through Jillian Michaels 30 day shred, even had a taste of Insanity.

The bootcamp completely challenged this novice and did what I wanted it to.  It toned and tightened, brought up muscle tone and reduced body fat %., but most importantly it gave me a great 101 Lesson on fitness.

Know what else it did?  Totally ruined me for Zumba, Piloxing, Kickboxing ...well you get it.  I just do not get the work out I use to with my old favorites!  The exertion level is just not there, like it was in the bootcamp!  I would totally do a Zumba class for fun with friends, but for a REAL workout, now....

No?!

I never thought this would be me saying this, never never.  Yes, I can completely make the moves bigger, jump higher, shuffle wider, and push a Zumba workout, but it's still not the same.

I completely have to ramp up my workouts!

So I have been searching for a new workout plan.  Thankfully, pinterest has a plethora of suggestions and plans, as do some of you my fellow bloggers.  It has sustained me, but honestly I haven't done the 5+ workouts/per week that I was doing in the bootcamp, and a month - the toning that I was seeing in the bootcamp is starting to fade.

NOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

I completely did awesome with working out when someone else was telling me what to do each day.  And knowing the workout assignments were coming daily, my brain would tell me they were piling up if I fell behind.  I am the lifelong student, so missing homework is a no-no!  And having the community/support,  really made a difference!

I had been doing well so long on my own, I forgot how great community is! btw for a great post about community - check out Lindsay's post on fellowship, good stuff.

But back to my dilemma: Question is, what plan do I follow?

I had Insanity on the brain as a potential plan, I even had it in my amazon cart. 

But then.

But then this nagging pain in my heel started getting worse.  I noticed it at the end of bootcamp, after a workout.  Then after simple walks with the kids. When the pain was starting to radiate up to my big toe and up my leg, I finally had it checked out.

Plantar Fasciitis.

Debilitating.

Evil.

My chiropractor told me I had to stay ease up on the workouts, be kinder to my feet, stay off my heels (boo) and gave me treatments and exercises to help my foot.

Source: charlottefgreen.com via Charlotte on Pinterest

No biggie, right?

Wrong.

Thought things were feeling better, went for a few walks and no pain.  So I tried a tabata routine.  At about jumping jack 100 (yes, genius I know),  I felt the twinges again.  That was a week and a half ago.

It still hurts when I walk. 

Every night I do the treatments.  Each morning I hope that this will be the day it doesn't hurt the moment I open my eyes.

Before the bootcamp I had no clue about exercise. 

After? Well I only know what I know from the bootcamp!

Honestly, I loved the cardio intensive stuff.  I felt like I was accomplishing something.

Honestly?  I slacked on the strength stuff. Even though I could feel and see the differences. I did the minimum required.

So my choice now? Focus on strength, and allow my foot to heal.

Unless someone has some experience with this plague or you have other workout suggestions for me! Grrrr...

Another confession:  I was getting really bummed about this.  My brain is seeing my body turn to mush - mashed potatoes is the actual visual going on. 

I am up 3 lbs. 

My brain is telling mean stories again:  you've undone everything you worked so hard for.  This injury is going to send you right back where you started.

I say no. 

No!

I'll keep moving forward. Learn something know.  Regroup.  Roll with the punches. Sway with the curves.

I just won't give up.

Source: livingachangedlife.blogspot.com via Becky on Pinterest

Again I'm reminded that this is a journey.  And if you've ever been on any lengthy journey you know, there can be potholes, foul weather, unexpected events and detours.

This is my latest detour. 

I WILL remember to enjoy each moment, and learn all that I can from this experience.

And I won't give up.