Today was HIT cardio. I have 12 intervals, with 15 seconds of work and 45 seconds of minimal to no work. I like doing box jumps, because every time I up the number of jumps I can do in 15 seconds, it feels awesome. I switch off between that and ropes. Not only do both of these things gets my heart rate going, it’s also a full body work out, going from lower body with box jumps, to upper body using the ropes, and core the entire time with jumping and stabilizing myself. It was a great day to do cardio, considering everything that was going on. I got my anger out and was able to release all of my emotion in a healthy, positive and productive way instead of something destructive.
Working out and eating healthy has given me a distraction, and it’s also benefitting me in more ways for the long run and now. When I first met my ex boyfriend, I thought I was pretty healthy, but I was also a first year student in college, so anything cheap and quick was essential. When we separated the first time, working out was all I did. And instead of just eating healthy, I was barely eating at all because of depression. Again, the working out was still a distraction. When we got back together the second time, it was back to being comfortable and feeling I could eat whatever I wanted and look however and he would still be with me, considering he wasn’t as healthy as he had used to be either. It was comfort with us, and we had been together for so long, that looks really had gone out the window, and the love we had for each other was strictly on who we were as people. I get that feeling when I see couples who are in their 70’s or 80’s. They look nothing like they did when they first met, but they fell in love with the person on the inside. Or when women get pregnant, and their husbands think that they are the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen, even though their bodies are nothing close to what they were before pregnancy occurred. I loved that feeling with him, but I didn’t feel confident in myself.
I started a new workout regimen, and even though I feel like I can’t legally say the name, but I’m sure we all know what it is, but in my opinion, it just wasn’t doing what I wanted it to do for me. And this idea of the Paleo diet to go along with it was causing my body more harm than good. Mind you, every one has a different body and everyone’s bodies react to diets differently. I thought the Paleo diet would lean me out extremely quickly, and it did, but not in the way I wanted it to. I was in great shape cardio wise, but I did not have the muscle mass I wanted. I wasn’t eating enough complex carbs, let alone any carbs at all, and when I was eating, I wasn’t even hitting 1000 calories a day. Not only that, but it was getting expensive. I was 21 years old paying a membership that could be someone’s car payment.
That’s when I started lifting. Sure, I had no idea what I was doing, but I looked things up. I asked questions, I started researching things and I found a coach to help me with my nutrition. I started going to the gym, and hey, it was extremely intimidating. How could it not be scary to go somewhere to try something you’ve never done before and be terrified of how you’ll look in front of everyone else who knew what they were doing? Honestly, I got to a point where I just didn’t give a damn. I wanted to change, and I wanted to start over. Lifting and eating right is what helped me. I learned very quickly that not even hitting 1000 calories a day was more painful to my body than helping it. The less you eat, the more your body gets confused and it wants to hold on to your fat cells, because the body thinks you’re starving itself. When you eat more, and fill your diet with nutrient rich foods, my favorites just happen to be broccoli, sweet potato, and tilapia, then your body is getting everything it needs in the healthy way. I try not to eat too much bread, but that’s just a personal choice. But the reality is, you can eat bread, you can really eat whatever you want as long as it’s in moderation and under control.
This type of starting over was great for me, and I can say that I’ve noticed some incredible changes. Not just in my strength and how my body looks, but how my body feels. I’m sleeping better at night, I feel more confident and my skin has gotten so much clearer. There’s no way I’m at the place where I want to be, but I’m not done yet. I chose to start over and take control of my life so that I could live a healthier life. I started over because I wanted to start living again. And so far, it’s been an awesome four week journey. I’m excited to see what continues to happen to more I go along with things.
Some people can think so negatively, that when they imagine starting over, they imagine all of their past problems following them. The truth is, you have the choice to bring what you want to your new life. If you want to bring your past drama and problems, then you’re not really starting over, are you? If you want to pick up and move and meet new people and start a new life leaving all of the past and negativity behind, why can’t you? You can do whatever you want and you choose when you want to do it. You don’t have an obligation to tell anyone anything, unless those are the people you want to be there on that new journey with you. We all have second, third, fourth, tenth chances. We all have the opportunity to take back control of our lives. I did, and I think everyone else can too. You just have to be patient, and trust that the path set out for you will bring nothing but happiness, as long as you accept and believe that it will.
See you soon,
Samantha
Positive and Productive 