One Year Ago - Good Friday

Spring in Tennessee Reminds me of Mom

Last year on Good Friday I sat with my mother in the hospital, holding her hand, while the doctor gave her
the diagnosis of inoperable, untreatable stage four lung cancer.

I can't write deeply about it yet. I will one day. She was truly an amazing woman, who layed down her life for those she loved, and she really loved most everyone. Her faith in God, her belief that people are basically good, and her determination to stay positive despite life's many difficulties is a testimony to the power of positive thinking. I am overwhelmed and in awe of her spirit and pray I can be more like her as I grow and mature (hey, it takes some of us longer than others.)  :-)

I find hope and peace knowing that on Good Friday, Jesus walked into his fate, bravely, and willingly. My mom walked out her last few weeks with an amazing grace, beauty and acceptance that I still can't quite wrap my brain around. And she believed her whole life in God's Word.

This passage means a lot to me this morning:

John 11:23-25 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”  Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.

My mother loved to paint clouds, skies, sunsets, and landscapes. Mom, if you are up there, I hope you are using all of your mad artist skillz and painting the beautiful, gorgeous Tennessee skies I see every day. In my heart, you are.

I am taking my son on a hiking adventure this weekend, climbing to six different waterfalls. I am thankful for the health and fitness level to be able to do this.  And I am grateful to see the clouds and trees and beauty of nature through my mom's eyes.  That is just one of many gifts she gave to me.

This is one of the most profound Christian songs I have ever heard.  And it reminds me of her so much. Good Friday is not good.  It brings pain, sorrow, and sadness.  But Easter is three days away. Then the angels will rejoice.  And my mom is one of them.  xoxox

Watch "To Live Without Me" on Youtube

Carly

John 15:13
A greater love hath no man than this, that he would lay his life down for his friends.

Oooo la la Hurts So Good

Let's get you into the spirit with some mood music...Hurts So Good

Getting into bed at night hurts.
And getting out of bed hurts.
And using my legs to sit down on the toilet hurts.
And trying to stand up after tinkling hurts.
Stairs?  Ouch...thank God for handrails.
Sitting on my butt cheeks...hurts.
Coughing?  Hurts.
Sneezing?  Hurts.
Reaching for shampoo in the shower?  Hurts.

And it all HURTS SO GOOD!

The human body was designed to MOVE. The muscles and bones and fluids and cartilages'n stuff all working together in motion FEELS GOOD.

Moving makes me feel ALIVE.

Taking the stairs, parking in the farthest parking spots, FEELS GOOD. Getting on the treadmill or walking in the neighborhood FEELS GOOD.

And working with my new personal trainer, Kim?  HURTS SO GOOD!  My muscles have, get this, muscle memory (ha) and they are remembering what to do when squatting, lunging, stretching, reaching, crunching and lifting.  Go figure.

And I like being sore...because it is a gentle reminder that I am taking care of myself and doing all I can (again) to be fit and healthy.

I don't like torture, and exercising and fitness is NOT torture.  It is fun.  It feels good. AND I AM WORTH THE EFFORT.

That is all.  KEEP CALM and FITNESS ON! (I am such a dork)

Carly
I am WORKING HARD and WORKING OUT because...I LIKE IT!

p.s. stay tuned for personal trainer updates.  I like my new trainer and can't wait to share what I am learning and how it is going.......remember.  Do what works.  What works for me is GETTING HELP.

Don't Tell Me What To Do!

I KNOW what to do.  Get up and move my a$$.  That's what I have to do.

However, that seems like nothing more than a fleeting idea half the time.  When I do get up and get on the treadmill I come up with really lame excuses to hop off early.  Like "oops my iPod died.  Better go home."

The absolute most success I have had yet in reaching physical fitness milestones (not weight, but activity and ability to do stuff) was when I had Nina, my first personal trainer.  She came to my house between two and three times per week for about 6 months and I lost over 10 sizes during that time!  That's not minor.  That's some major stuff right there.

We did a little cardio, a lot of weights and plyometrics, lunges, crunches, squats, push-ups and sit-ups.  We did reps of things. Always more than I wanted to do, and more than I would have done if left to my own choices.

In fact, I have NEVER worked out as long, hard or consistently as when she came to my house.  When I went to Gold's Gym the trainer there was only for 30 minutes instead of an hour and none of them (except the last one) really knew what I was trying to accomplish or helped me along.  The last gal was pretty good, but at that time it was me who was not consistent (a lot of cancelled appointments and then my mom got ill and I cancelled entirely.)

ALL THAT SAID....tomorrow morning, I meet "Kim."  Kim is the new Nina, the new Attila,the new drill sergeant, the new task master.  She will be coming here at 6:00 a.m. initially (I hope she can come at 5:30 a.m. as we move along) and we'll go the the little fitness center here.  There are weights, a little floor space, treadmills (to warm up before she gets there) and a big tv with DVD.  Once she assesses me and my goals, we will come up with a master plan.

And then....I am going to pay her to tell me what to do!

I wish I could say I have what it takes deep down to do all this completely on my own, but I just don't.  I WANT it, but I don't HAVE it yet.  But that's why people like her exist.  To help people like me. You know I'm going to keep you posted on this one.....

Wish me luck!


Carly
I am WORKING OUT and WORKING HARD at WORKING TOWARD my goals.

Hero Rush, Here I Come!

On April 20th I will be running in the "Hero Rush" with my son near Nashville, TN:  Hero Rush (official page)

It is a 5 mile (not 5k) race with 17 obstacles.  "Fear Conquering Obstacles" they say.

On one hand, I can't wait! I participated in a Warrior Dash 5k mud run in September of last year and had a blast. In fact, it was so much fun I "thought" I would make doing mud runs a way of life. But then I sat on my butt all winter and did nothing to keep fit for doing these types of things. A torn rotator cuff (well, technically a torn supra-spinatus, but pretty similar limitations) made lifting weights, push-ups and all things P90X impossible. That doesn't explain why I didn't get on the treadmill, however.

I ran a Susan B. Komen 5K in Knoxville in October and it about killed me, even more so than the Warrior Dash because it was all straight running.

I am in much worse shape NOW than I was for either of those! TIME TO GET BUSY!

I hereby commit to everyone here, and most importantly, to myself, to get busy moving EVERY SINGLE DAY period, no excuses.  I only have 6 weeks to the Hero Rush.  That is truly NOT enough time! Which means every day REALLY counts!

So an hour on the treadmill or outside with my son every day has to happen. And some weight training, squats, lunges, and the P90X plyometrics.  If I don't do these things I'll never make the Hero Rush, and while I don't care about looking like a great athlete out there, I do care very much about not being able to finish or not complete the obstacles.

Here are some pics from the Warrior Dash. I still get a huge smile looking at these. If you have never done a mud run or obstacle course as an adult, I HIGHLY encourage you to try one. SO much fun and the sense of accomplishment is huge. It injects you with a mega dose of LIFE and ZEST and a high like no other.

~Carly
"I am fit, active, healthy, and enjoying life." (AND EXERCISING EVERY DAY!)