First Pull up

So yesterday I went to the gym with my husband and we were training for the Spartan Race sometime next year. And with the help of this really cool machine at the gym, I did my first ever pull up. It was really hard! And I had to put it at the easiest setting for me to be able to do it, but by golly I did it. It was really cool. I love my husband. He's the whole reason I even got on the machine. He is the best husband ever. He pushes me to be more than I am. And I love him for it. And he knows just what to do to help me on my way when it's hard. I was upset this morning and he knew just what to do. He called me and listened to me and what I had to say. It made me feel much better! He is my best friend. And the best pep-talk giver I've ever met. I love him very much. Well goes another day of changing myself for the better. Wish me luck!

Monkey Bars

Big news everybody! I crossed a set of monkey bars at the park today! I was with my husband and my youngest son and we were just playing around. The first two times I only got to the fourth bar and couldn't hold on anymore. I let my husband and son play around for awhile and right before we left I decided to try once more. I guess I just remembered how to do the monkey bars and I got myself to the other side of those 7 bars with my own two hands. It felt great. To be honest I had gotten a little discouraged because I had stopped doing exercise for two days. It is true what Darren Hardy says in his Compound Effect book. That when you stop your routine you not only lose the progress of the day, but basically of the whole endeavor. You have to be quick to jump back on the merry go round or it is really hard to get it going again. I feel motivated to keep going. And I want to keep trying hard to do things well. Today also had another triumph. Instead of starting out the day badly with some leftover pizza, I threw it in the garbage and ate a yogurt instead. I know there is this bad feeling associated with throwing out food, but the way I look at it, it was a win. Because I did what I needed to do in order to treat my body well. And to treat my mind well too. Because I was really tempted to eat that pizza because I was upset over somethings this morning. It's never too late to try and be better. You just have to keep up the fight until you're strong enough to win it. And then you still need to keep fighting. It's a never ending battle. But if you give it enough time, you can become the master. That's my plan. To be the master of my body. And not to let my body be the master of me. That's probably a very important goal to have.

Back Again!

It's literally been years since I have posted on this blog. To be honest, I kind of forgot about it's existance. I am starting to rediscover my passion for expressing myself through written word. I am starting to remember the importance of journaling and having some sort of outlet in my life that isn't overeating. Since the last post I made about college a lot of things have happened in my life. I went on a mission for the church I belong to. I went to Mexico for a year and a half. It changed my life in every way. It opened my eyes to things I never imagined I would know. Then I came home. I got married and got divorced six months later. It was a moment of trial and testing for me. I defintely hit some of my lowest points after coming home from my mission and trying to decide what to do with myself. Then after several months of soul searching and trying to find my way. I stumbled upon the most wonderful man I have ever met. I liked him so much I made him my husband. We've been married for two years and we have 3 wonderful step kids (from his first marriage) that live with us full time. They are a blessing and my life's biggest trial all mixed into one bundle. And believe it or not, after being home from my mission for almost 5 years now and being married for over 2. I am still looking for my permanent purpose and fulfillment. I'm starting to understand that pupose comes with seasons. You don't always have the same purpose and it's okay for that purpose to change. Life is change. And that is a wonderful thing. If it wasn't, we wouldn't be able to change for the better and progress. If anything, progression is our greatest purpose. And we are always progressing for either good or for bad. I have been reading a book lately. It's called "The Compound Effect" by Darren Hardy. He talks about how consistently choosing to be better is the key to success. I think I want to be successful. Although I would say the definition of successful is very individualized. Recently I have decided to start training for a race called the Spartan Race. It's basically a 5K with 20 different obstacles within it. I'm starting out pretty behind on abilities physically speaking. I have lost 40 pounds since last year, but I still can't physically do a pull-up and I am yet to climb and inverted wall or a rope with no assistance. But I want to push my limits and see what I can do If I really try. I know it is just a matter of hard work and time. I'm trying to find balance in my life now. Trying to improve my mind, my spirit and my body. It's slow going, but I think I'm making progress. I struggle a lot, but I'm not giving up. That's the key part to the whole thing. I want to keep a record of my exercising progress, and I figured this blog would be as good a place as any to accomplish that. So here is my record as of now: Today May 10,2021 I accomplished the following feats in my workout: 14 Burpees (Not all at once, but in total) 25 Squats 22 Sit ups 18 Crunches 18 Leg lifts Weight Lifting for my arms I hung from my arms with all my body weight for 10 seconds 3 times. I walked at an incline for 15 minutes on the treadmill. My goal is to increase the amount of burpees I do by one burpee each workout session for the rest of the year. If I can just do one more everyday, then I can do this! That's my opinion anyway. If nothing else, I will be able to do burpees when I go to that race. And even just being able to accomplish that will be amazing for me. But my big hairy audacious goal is to be able to climb a rope. But first I need to be able to do pull ups. And I am working towards that with the dead hangs. And today I got up on a box and lifed myself up kind of as a practice with my feet and arms. I can mentally envision myself crossing the finsih line of the race and them giving me my first medal. It is going to be a glorious day!